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Festival Film Dokumenter (FFD) | Yogyakarta Documentary Film Festival

Aimed at students aged 9 - 15, the day-long series of conversations will explore creativity and collaboration and give kids an enviable insight into the filmmaking industry thanks to talks from some young experts.

The day will be made up of a series of sessions with each focusing on different aspects of filmmaking.

Starting logically at Inspiration, the first sessions will be given by Matthew Chuang and Toby Morris, two full-time content creators for the film industry. They both entered filmmaking at a young age and aim to inspire others to follow a similar journey.

Once the excitement of inspiration over, it's time to consider Filmmaking on a Budget, DIY Filmmaking, Tips & Tricks with Jason van Genderen. Recently taking out the Nokia Award at Sundance, London, Jason will demonstrate creative ways to make films without fancy equipment and share his top ten do's and don'ts for filming on a budget.

Of course one way of getting around budget constraints is to focus on Animation, as Eddie White will explain in his session. His award-winning film The Cat Piano (narrated by Nick Cave) won awards at The Melbourne International Film Festival, Sydney Film Festival, Adelaide Film Festival and Australian Film Institute Awards as well as awards overseas. In this session he'll talk about becoming an animator, winning awards and how to get started with animation.

Guy Gross, one of Australia's leading film and television composers and BAFTA-nominated composer of the score for Priscilla, Queen of the Desert will talk about that ever-important element of filmmaking, Music, and will discuss his career, his beginnings and how music can influence on-screen storytelling. Guy was also awarded ‘Best Music’ at Tropfest 1999 for his work on the film ‘Uno Amore’, which also took out First Prize at the Festival.

Likely one of the more popular sessions, session five will be an Actors Panel with a selection of some of Australia's brightest names in acting, in a general Q&A format. Young actors will speak about how they started, how they collaborate together, highs and lows, dreams and aspirations.

Trop Jr Roughcut is set to be an exciting day of information, education - and entertainment! - for Australia's next generation of creative minds. With all these sessions and more, it's set to be a great experience for anyone with a passion for making film.

Trop Jr Roughcut is proudly supported by Major Partner, The Australian Children’s Television Foundation.

The event also has the support of Lend Lease Theatre Darling Quarter as its venue partner.

Dates and Venues

SYDNEY

8 August, 2013

Lend Lease Theatre,

Darling Quarter

MELBOURNE

1 August, 2013

The Wheeler Centre,

Melbourne

Bookings

Ticket Price: $20 (plus $1.49 booking fee)

Trop Jr Roughcut offers one free teacher’s ticket for every ten paying students.

Please visit the Sydney www.tropjrsydney.eventbrite.com.au and Melbourne www.tropjrmelbourne.eventbrite.com.au event pages to book.

LOS ANGELES FILM FESTIVAL FEATURES INDEPENDENTS AND DOCS,  by Alex Deleon for <filmfestivals.com>
 

Now in its nineteenth year and taking place June 13-23, the Los Angeles Film Festival is widely recognized as a world-class cinematic event, showcasing the best in new American and international cinema and providing the movie-loving public with access to some of the most critically acclaimed filmmakers, film industry professionals and emerging new talent by bringing them together in the heart of the entertainment capital of the world.
 
The Festival features unique signature programs including the Filmmaker Retreat, several Outdoor Screenings, intimate Coffee Talks and more. Additionally, the Festival screens short films created by high school students and has a special section devoted to music videos.

English poster for Almodovar's "Amantes pasajeros"
The Los Angeles Film Festival (LAFF) is run by an organization called Film Independent (FIND) which is dedicated, in part, to the discovery and promotion of new cinema talent.   So it is not surprising that the overwhelming majority of the films  selected for this festival are by unknown new directors, not only American but from around the world. This does not, however, rule out certain directors with established track records and occasional masters of the trade from industries further afield, such as for example, "Johnnie" To (TO KEI-FU) of Hong Kong or special guests like Costa-Gavras. There is also a strong slate of documentaries, one of the major strong points of this fest.

The opening night prestige gala was the latest offering from Spanish cine Maestro Pedro Almodóvar, a comedy entitled "I'm So Excited" (Amantes Pasajeros) on Thursday, but the festival stepped into high gear the following night with a full program of its customary fare.

The world premier of the documentary "The New Black" by Afro-American Baltimore based filmmaker Yoruba Richen was a true eye opener that elicited frenetic applause from a majority black audience and had people talking in the hall long afterward.  The subject was the campaign last November in a majority black precinct in Maryland on Proposition 6, the issue at stake being same sex marriage in a highly religious Afro-American community strongly divided on this question just about straight down the middle.  Almost everybody who appears in the film, gay and straight, is black including president Obama when he came out publicly in favor of gay marriage.

The conservative church which has always been a pillar of this community is strongly against with preachers declaiming their views vehemently and the ever presence of posters bearing messages like: "Don't Redefine Marriage" --"Marriage = One Man+ One Women" -- A dynamic young gay lady goes around door to door to get out the vote in favor and a very touching scene occurs when she reveals her sexual orientation to her loving grandmother, expecting negativity, but the grand old lady says "It's your life and I will always love you and support you".  The film plays out like a thriller and we are not sure until the very end how the vote will go, but it does end up slightly in favor of "Marriage Equality" -- after sexual equality is equated with Black Liberation in general.  A final image of Obama stating his position closes the film out.  This is an extremely well made documentary that is as interesting for the windows it opens on the interior workings of the black community as it is for its political content. An early highlight of the festival.

This was followed by a new Palestinian film entitled "When I Saw You" (Lamma Shoftak) which is a kind of fictionalized docudrama that takes place in and around the Hariri Palestinian refugee camp in Jordan in 1967 just after Israel's victory in the Six day War. A second feature by femme Palestinian Writer/director Anne-Marie Jacir, this film premiered at Toronto last fll and was also shown at the recently founded Abu Dhabi festival in thre Persian Gulf.

Mahmoud Asfa, 13 year old star of "Lamma Shortak"

The tale centers around a fantastic young boy about 12 or 13 by the name of Tarek and his mother Ghaydaa who have been made homeless by the war and have wound up in a refugee camp over the border in Jordan. The Hariri camp became somewhat notorious in the news and during the film as an touch oif realism we hear a radio report of an Israeli air attack on the camp which actually occurred. Other than this there is no great focus on Israel as the Great oppressor. Tjis is more a tale of survival against all odds in a hostile environment. For some reason Tarek's father was left behind and it is intimated that the relationship with his mother was far from perfect, but Tarek is determined to go back home to Israel-Palestine and find his father.  He runs way from the refuge camp where Palestinians are treated like trash by well off local Jordanians and is adopted as a kind of mascot by a group of Palestinian Fayedden guerilla fighters hiding out and training  in the forest near the refugee camp. Tarek is played by a kid with a Beatles mop of hair and long eyelashes who is a screen natural and looks like he may mature into an Arabic version of Alain Delon. The mother (Ruba Blal) is also an appealing actress and several of the Fayedeen are good actors and well drawn characters, but the story itself is kind of dragged out and does not really add anything new or interesting to the never-ending dialogue centering  on the never-ending Palestinian-Israeli conflict.  There are lengthy end credits wherein one name spotted as a sponsor was that of American actor Danny Glover who is known for his association with anything or anybody in opposition to the American way including dictators like the recently departed Hugo Chavez.

Coming up: an interview with Director David O. Russell and an evening with Costa Gavras

 

The 60th Sydney Film Festival wrapped on Sunday 16 June 2013 with the Australian Premiere of the documentary Twenty Feet from Stardom, bringing to a close the most highly attended Sydney Film Festival to date.

“Attendances at films and talks grew by 17% to 143,050,” said SFF CEO Leigh Small. “There was also a 22% increase in tickets issued leading to a 20% increase in revenue. Beyond the numbers, the favourable buzz all over the city was palpable – this is an event that Sydney continues to embrace anew each year.”

“In this, my second year as Festival Director, it was both exciting and humbling to be part of a team that delivered to Sydney its 60th film festival,” said SFF Festival Director Nashen Moodley. “Seeing such growing popularity with audiences for the screenings, talks and other events makes all the hard work seem so worthwhile. The filmmakers who participated in the festival were delighted with the response of the audience, and it was great to see so many Australian and international filmmakers interacting and sharing ideas, approaches and inspiration.”

This year, SFF announced a new partnership entitled Screen: Black with Screen Australia’s Indigenous Department, a team that has nurtured many of the projects and filmmakers that Sydney Film Festival has screened. This year’s program featured award-winning director Ivan Sen’s Opening Night film Mystery Road; Steven McGregor’s documentary Big Name No Blanket; emerging talent Dylan McDonald’s documentary, Buckskin– which was awarded the 2013 Foxtel Australian Documentary Prize– and Jon Bell’s short film The Chuck In.

The Hon. George Souris, Minister for Tourism, Major Events, Hospitality and Racing and Ministerfor the Arts, said the 60th Sydney Film Festival has played a starring role in a spectacular month of special events.

“Sydney Film Festival is part of what is fast becoming a globally recognised winter festival program that showcases Sydney’s creative expertise and capacity for staging major events.”

“Congratulations to Nashen Moodley and the SFF team on preparing such a superb program, which included several World Premieres. It’s pleasing to see so many sold-out sessions, including the Opening Night screening of Mystery Road. If the lines outside the cinemas on George Street waiting to attend SFF films are any indication, the enthusiastic support of audiences demonstrates the importance of arts and culture to the community. The NSW Government recognises this through its support for the screen industry, as well as tourism and major events,” said Minister Souris.

The Festival Hub at Lower Town Hall returned for a second successful year with attendances increasing by 16 per cent. Over ten days the Festival Hub attracted over 9,000 visitors for free filmmaker talks, screenings, live acts and mingling with other patrons at the Keystone Bar. A Hub highlight was awarding-winning European artist and filmmaker Jeff Desom’sRear Window Loop, stunning 20-minute panoramic three-channel video projection shown daily. Other memorable moments included steamy burlesque performances, outrageous home-grown stand-up comedy, and a dance-a-rama Freak Me Out disco spun by the genre’s programmer Richard Kuipers.

All up there were a total of 278 sessions held across the 12 days of the Festival, including 192 films from 55 countries in 54 languages, 20 world premieres, 4 international premieres and 124 Australian premieres, 17 retrospective titles, 82 features, 51 documentaries and 30 short films.

For the first time ever SFF screened films from Angola (Death Metal Angola, screening in the Sounds onScreen program), Bangladesh (Television), North Korea (Comrade Kim Goes Flying), Malawi (William and the Windmill) and Saudi Arabia (Wadjda directed by Saudi Arabia’s first-ever female filmmaker).

Over 150 Australian and International filmmakers attended SFF 2013. This prestigious list included guests from 19 countries who attended over 75talksandQ&A sessions hosted by filmmakers, writers, actors and industry guests across six venues over 12 days. There were 15 free talks and more than 60 screenings with filmmaker introductions and post-film Q&As at this year’s festival, across all venues.

“Sydney Film Festival is both an important cultural event for Sydney and the Australian film industry,” said Ruth Harley, Screen Australia’s Chief Executive. “The Festival is significant in the development of fostering the talents of new Australian filmmakers and showcasing the best new Australian films. It also provides an opportunity for audiences to interact with international filmmakers. It is wonderful to see the Sydney Film Festival continue to grow in popularity with audiences.”

2013 sees the Durban International Film Festival (DIFF), with principal funding by the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund, return for its 34th year to celebrate the beauty and diversity of global cinema. From 18 to 28 July, Durban will be illuminated by the glow of the silver screen, with over 250 screenings in 11 venues across the city. Alongside this smorgasbord of the best of contemporary cinema from around, comprising 72 feature films, 48 documentaries and 45 short films, the festival offers a comprehensive workshop and seminar programme that facilitates the sharing of knowledge and skills by film industry experts. 

African Focus

The burgeoning African film industry will once more be represented at DIFF 2013, although South African film retains the key focus, with 12 feature films, as well as 16 documentaries and a number of short films – most receiving their world premieres on Durban screens in July.

This year's opening film is the ground-breaking African-noir work Of Good Report by Jahmil XT Qubeka. Telling the story of a serial killer obsessed with beautiful young girls, the film expands the language of African cinema. The festival’s closing film acknowledges Angela Davis, an important figure in the African diaspora, with the film Free Angela - and all political prisoners, directed by Shola Lynch.

High-profile South African films being showcased include Layla Fourie, The Forgotten Kingdom which is set in Lesotho, Felix, about a young township boy intent on following his dreams of being a musician, and The Good Man, an intriguing look at a globalised reality. 

Other SA films include Ian Robert’s Everyman's Taxi, Andrew Worsdale's long-awaited Durban Poison, Khumba, from animation studio Triggerfish. Blood Tokoloshe from Amariam Productions, Actorholic by Oliver Rodger, who gave us last year's Copposites, and African Gothic based on the Reza de Wet play Diepe Grond. 

From further afield, there are some cinematic gems, dealing with significant issues around life on the continent including Tall As The Baobab Tree, (Senegal), Yema, (Algeria), Virgin Margarida (Mozambique), The Battle Of Tabato (Guinea-Bissau, Portugal), Something Necessary (Kenya) andIt's Us (Kenya) among others.

Contemporary Europe

This year’s programme showcases the multiple perspectives that define the cultural landscape of contemporary Europe and the diverse ways in which the continent's narratives are rendered. With support from organisations and partnerships such as EUNIC, World Documentary Exchange and Festival Scope, audiences can expect some superb European films, including Sally Potter’s Ginger and Rosa, Michael Winterbottom’s The Look of Love and Bernardo Bertolucci’s Me and You, his first film in more than a decade. 

American Independents

This year’s festival includes a strong showcase of American independent films including Wrong the latest film from Quentin Dupieux who gave us the DIFF cult-hit Rubber in 2011 and Spring Breakers from Harmony Korine. Francine tells the small and delicately drawn story of a socially inept woman who has just come of out prison, while The Place Beyond the Pines is the highly anticipated new drama from director Derek Cianfrance who gave us Blue Valentine. 

Sexual Identities

This year DIFF acknowledges the wide diversity of sexual identities being explored on contemporary screens, no doubt a reflection of a global trend towards a broader dialogue around sexual difference. The selection of both documentaries and features include Dennis Cotes’ drama Vic+Flo Saw a Bear which chronicles the relationship between an ex-convict and her younger female lover, Valentine Road which provides a sociological post-mortem on the death of a young transgender boy, and The Future in which a young girl becomes a sexual companion to a blind former action hero. Then there’s Pussy Riot - A Punk Prayer, about the infamous Russian girl group, I Am Divine a biopic about the gender-bending singer and artist Divine and Born This Way, about the lives of gay and lesbian people in Cameroon.

ZombieFest!

With literally hundreds of Zombie films currently scheduled for release around the world, DIFF 2013 showcases a selection of films from the current Zombie wave. Headlining this mini-focus area is the long-awaited remake of the Evil Dead which conforms in many ways to the classic zombie genre.

World Cinema

A host of award-winning films from around the world will screen at DIFF 2013, including works from some of contemporary cinema's most luminous talents. From Chinese director Wong Kar Wai comes The Grandmaster, which opened Berlin this year, while Canadian director David Cronenberg descends once more into the darkness with Cosmopolis based on the Don deLillo novel. Takeshi Kitano, the king of stylised violence, delivers Outrage Beyond, while the enigmatic Closed Curtain comes from banned Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi. Deepa Mehta gives us a gorgeously sprawling rendition of Salman Rushdie's Midnight's Children while Danish director Thomas Vinterberg's The Hunt will chill you to the bone. Then there's the exciting news that Ashgar Farhadi,  whose A Separation  won both the best Foreign Picture Oscar this year as well as best film at DIFF 2012, returns with his latest film The Past. 

Feast of Doccies

There is a wealth of documentaries to satisfy a spectrum of tastes and interests at this year’s festival. And of course, there's a strong selection from South Africa, where the documentary form is growing in stature and volume. Riaan Hendrick's  The Devil's Lair transports us deep into a claustrophobic drug den on the Cape Flats, while celebrated local documentary-maker Damon Foster gives us a window into the life of a very special crocodile with Touching The Dragon. Angels in Exile is a moving documentary about two proud yet impoverished children who live on the streets of Durban and The Creators pays tribute to the creative power of South Africa's youth, including acclaimed graffiti artist Faith 47. From further afield African Metropolis is a collection of short slices of reality from around the continent. The Spirit of 45, from British feature director Ken Loach looks at the enduring influence of the labour movement during the war years while More Than Honey tells of the importance of maintaining the earth's bee population and Algorithms presents the riveting story of blind chess players in India.

Wavescape Surf Film Festival

For the ninth year, DIFF partners with Wavescape to present a feast of surfing cinema, including 11 features and 5 shorts. Wavescape opens with a free outdoor screening at the Bay of Plenty Lawns on Sunday 21 July.

The Films That Made Me

For the first time this year, DIFF presents a repertory section in which film fans and filmmakers have the opportunity to access a slice of film history. In ‘The Films That Made Me’, South African director Jahmil XT Qubeka presents five films that have been influential in his growth as a filmmaker. 

Talent Campus

The 6th Talent Campus Durban will bring together the creativity of 50 selected filmmakers from 18 different countries in Africa, chosen from over 450 submissions, who will take part in a series of masterclasses, workshops and industry networking opportunities during the festival. 

Durban FilmMart

Now in its 4th year, the Durban FilmMart, a partnership project between DIFF and the Durban Film Office, supported by the City of Durban, is a film finance and co-production market presented in three strands – Finance Forum, Master Classes and the Africa in Focus seminars.  The DFM master class and networking programme is open to registered delegates only. See www.durbanfilmmart.com for further details.

Wild Talk

DIFF is pleased to announce that a strategic partnership has been formed with Durban Wild Talk Africa, the continent’s most respected natural history film festival and conference, which takes place from July 23 to 26.  A selection of nine natural history films have been chosen from 445 entries from across the globe, to be screened at the festival. Registration for the Wild Talk conference is available at http://wildtalkafrica.com/register/.

Venues and Tickets

The festival hub is at the Blue Waters Hotel, with principal screening venues at Suncoast Cinecentre, Ster Kinekor Musgrave, Cinema Nouveau Gateway, Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre and Ekhaya Multi-Arts Centre in KwaMashu. Programme booklets with the full screening schedule and synopses of all the films and ticket prices will be available free at cinemas, and other outlets. For full festival details see www.durbanfilmfest.co.zaor call 031 260 2506. Programme will be available online from July 1.

Organised by the Centre for Creative Arts (University of KwaZulu-Natal) the Durban International Film Festival is supported by the National Lottery Distribution Trust Fund (principal funder), National Film and Video Foundation, KwaZulu-Natal Department of Economic Development and Tourism, City of Durban, German Embassy, Goethe Institut, Industrial Development Corporation, KwaZulu-Natal Department of Arts and Culture, and a range of other valued partners.

The small (700 souls) and wonderful resort in Normandy, next Trouville/deauville will agitate with film passion this week end when  Cinétoiles  launches its first edition. The festival is supported by the mayor and his team (Sylvaine de keyzer) and a group of festival volunteers led by Sabrina Botbol and Bruno Chatelin. It s misssion is to connect the city prestigious cinematographic past to the present industry (Un singe en Hiver was shot in the village) Patrimony, heritage, cult films and premieres as well as a selection of shorts brought by Ilya Jacob from Cannes.


The full programme :
 
Satrurday, June 22, 2013

• 11:00 - 12:30 Inauguration of Patrick Braoudé's photos exhibition, in his presence, at the Casino.
   
  
   
• 12:30 Lunch Coquillages et Crustacés Chez l’Hôte - (by invitation)

16:00 - 18:15  The Way by Emilio Estevez starring Martin Sheen - James Nesbitt - Deborah Kara Unger 
Genre : comedy ,  Spain, 2h08, release date: 11 septembre 2013 distributor : L'Atelier d' Images
Film presentation by Marie Christine Fontaine

• 21:00 -23:30  Ensemble a short film by Mohamed Fekrane 
  

  Synopsis

  Paris, 1942,  Isaac a Jewish child, escapes the Nazis, he finds refuge in the Mosquée of Paris where Ahmed, (Si Kaddour Benghabrit 1830 -1962) the Imam in charge, takes him under his protection.

  Ahmed then started to save as many children as he could, preventing them from a certain death… Until he was arrested…

   

  A poignant story based on true events, though it is still impossible to evaluate the exact number of lives saved through these extraordinary acts of bravery, the estimates range between 600 and 1500.

  
  Winner in Cannes of the  Banlieuz'Art competition, best short Houston Worldfest...
   

   
  "Joli Mai" by Chris Marker restored version 

Paris, mai 1962. La guerre d'Algérie vient de s'achever avec les accords d'Evian.
En ce premier mois de paix depuis sept ans, que font, à quoi pensent les Parisiens ? Chacun témoigne à sa manière de ses angoisses, ses bonheurs, ses espoirs. Peu à peu, se dessine un portrait pris sur le vif de la France à l'aube des années 60.
Release date:  29 mai 2013 (2h 16min)
Directed by Chris Marker, Pierre Lhomme
with Yves Montand, Chris Marker, Simone Signoret
French documentary
 

Sunday, 23 juin 

 
10 : 00 - 11 : 30     Selection of shorts from the Cannes Film Festival 2013
programmed by Ilya Jacob  .

EN ATTENDANT LE DÉGEL, by Sarah Hirtt.

Réalisatrice...Sarah Hirtt Scénariste...Sarah Hirtt Directeur Photo...Leonidas Arvanitis Musique...Salsky Jr. et le Skeleton Band Montage...Anna Burstein Son...Paul Gautier Interprètes...Claire Beugnies, François Neycken & Jean Jacques Rausin Production...L'INSAS et l'Atelier de Réalisation.

Durée - 20min Pays - Belgique Genre - Comédie/Drame Date - 2012

Film d'école (INSAS) Sélectionné à la Cinéfondation du festival de Cannes 2013

Une fratrie désunie se retrouve lors d'un déménagement. L'ambiance est électrique. Valéry, Victor et Vincianne prennent la route sans se douter que des embûches vont parsemer leur voyage. Une touchante réflexion sur l'évolution des relations fraternelles. Un beau film aux airs de road-movie, les plans larges de la campagne belge sont superbes. Les personnages sont écrits de manière très juste ils sont à la fois drôles et émouvants.


THE MAGNIFICENT LION BOY, by Ana Caro.


Réalisatrice...Ana Caro Scénariste...Johnathan Carr Directeur Photo...Alfie Biddle Musique...Sarah Warne Montage...Paulo Pandolpho Son...Ania Przygoda Interprètes...Hugh Bonneville, Andy Serkis, Benjamin Kowouvi Animation...Ana Caro Production...National Film and Television School.

Durée - 10min Pays - Royaume-Uni Genre - Drame Date - 2013

Film d'école (National Film and Television School) Sélectionné à la Cinéfondation du festival de Cannes 2013

Lors d'une expédition en Afrique, l'anthropologiste Leonard Orlov découvre un enfant sauvage qui mène une existence primitive et brutale. Horrifié, il ramène la créature dans le Londres de l'époque victorienne avec l'intention de civiliser l'enfant. Un superbe film d'animation d'une fluidité et d'une poésie impressionnante. L'ambiance gothique du Londres de l'époque victorienne est parfaitement rendue. Le film est une variation sur les thèmes de la tolérance et de la manière de voir "l'étranger" qui n'est pas sana rappeler Elephant Man de Lynch.


ENSEMBLE, by Mohamed Fekrane produit par Bruno Chatelin

Ensemble 17 minutes - 2011

Court métrage primé à Cannes dans la compétition Banlieuz'Art, vainqueur à WorldFest Houston,

http://filmensemble.wordpress.com

 

1942, Paris est occupé, un enfant échappe à une rafle et se réfugie à la mosquée de Paris. L’imam Si Kaddour ben Ghabrit décide de le protéger ainsi que d’autres jeunes adolescents juifs qu’il réussira à exfiltrer avec l’aide de réseaux résistants. La milice française et la Gestapo ont des soupçons…

 

Une histoire inspirée des faits réels, les sources indiquent qu’il a réussi à sauver entre 1000 et 1600 jeunes juifs, la plupart en les faisant passer pour des orphelins musulmans.

 

10 : 00 - 12 : 00     Bycicle tour of the city: leaving from the Casino, returning, God willing, to the Casino.










12 : 00 - 14 : 00     Brunch at "chez l’Hôte" by invitation - Wine tasting
 

14 : 00 - 16: 00 :    "Le Vélo" introduced by Philippe Harel

 

 

 17 : 00 190 : 00    The Red Dog  par Marie Christine Fontaine sa distributrice.

 

Red Dog is a 2011 Australian family film directed by Kriv Stenders and produced by Nelson Woss and Julie Ryan. The film is based on a true story from the novel Red Dog.[2] At the 2011 Inside Film Awards Red Dog was nominated in nine categories and won seven, including best feature film.

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   Ever since 2001 the Film Society of Lincoln Center has presented its annual Open Roads program with new Italian feature films. As in recent editions there is a strong regional trend in the 2013 selections including productions with a focus on Sicily and Sardinia.  What is striking again is the wide range of artistic approaches and thematic issues addressing contemporary Italian issues and life styles.  The program presented 12 productions including 2 documentaries from  June 6 – 12 at New York’s Film Society of Lincoln Center.

            Set in Algeria during the twenties and the struggle of independence during the fifties Gianni Amelio’s THE FIRST MAN is a superb semi-fictional auto-biography of Albert Camus, one of the best films in the program.  There is a superb narrative structure establishing in frequent flashbacks the link between the experiences of young Camus and his return as an established critical writer during the French – Algerian war, searching for his roots and articulating opposition to colonialism.  The photography, in its use of light and shadows is excellent, as is the seamless transition of the edits, the close ups, and selections of venues for the story. We encounter the characters shaping Camus’ sense of identity, an authoritarian grandmother ensuring survival in poverty, the instructor who fostered his education and independent spirit and his warm mother refusing to leave Algeria since she cannot live in a country without Arabs.

            Pappi Corsicato’s THE FACE OF ANOTHER is a fast moving and media frenzied heavy handed Italian celebrity satire of an attempted insurance fraud involving cosmetic surgery. It may be appealing as an outrageous comedy but adds little to the art of Italian film making and was probably selected to show the wide range of contemporary  approaches  by Italian directors.  Corsicato’s production contrasts sharply with the rather nuanced opening film EVERY BLESSED DAY. Its directory Paolo Virzi juxtaposes two characters in search of parenthood in this well scripted and plausible comedy.  Guigo is an introspective philosophy student making a living as a hotel night clerk and   his counterpart Antonia a passionate musician working for a car rental service. Their acting merits praise as do the colorful family and underground rock scene characters.   From both aesthetic and thematic perspectives NINA by Elisa Furkas is a wonderful addition to recent outstanding Italian films.  As the daughter of architects and a student of that discipline, Furkas backgrounds her film in carefully selected modernist architecture, balancing the action against neo classic al building. She demonstrates a superb sense of visual composition, framing and geometrical configuration enhanced by the mostly classical music sound track of the film.  NINA does not have a straight action oriented story line. Rather we have an in-depth portrayal of a young woman living in solitude, confined to her world without clear direction and objectives.  As the professor teaching her calligraphy puts it “you are not meant to do anything”. She has a fear of being like others who are driven by clear goals and social cravings. Her life shows only few  reluctant social interactions and   limited dialogues.  Nina is an appealing drifter moving in a closed comfortable universe.  Elisa Fukas succeeds in presenting a character symptomatic  of post modern society, living in the present only with little overt concern for the future.

            Nina comes from a different planet if we compare her upscale artistic settings to the backgrounds presented in two marvelous regional feature films  Daniel Cirpri’s  Sicilian opus IT WAS THE SON and Salvatore Mereu’s  PRETTY BUTTERFLIES set in Sardinia’s capital Cagliari. In both features families in lower class slum settings are shown in a rather realistic fashion sometimes bordering on the grotesque, absurd and surreal.  In the first film a boy is willingly framed for shooting his father by his grandmother since the true killer, a mafia connected cousin, will be able to take care of the family. Starting as a comedy with slightly overdrawn characters in a dilapidated housing project, the film ends like a satirical drama.  The father dies after an argument over his scratched Mercedes, acquired through a settlement after the accidental mafia killing of his daughter. Undoubtedly the family depicted is dysfunctional yet survival family bonds prevail. The power of family transcends its underclass setting. Cipri directs a character driven story with strong theatrical overtones which may be typical in that Mediterranean setting. There is impressive camera work and outstanding acting, yet Cipri somehow seems to be detached from the characters he depicts so well. Nonetheless, the film is an impressive achievement.  In PRETTY BUTTERFLIES, 12 year old Caterina lives with many siblings and a tyrannical father in a rundown slum neighborhood in Cagliari. She provides a running commentary of her attempts to break out of her setting and seems to overcome misery and poverty with a boundless optimism. Lensed in an appealing semi-documentary style the film covers one day in her life, her many adventures in the neighborhood, her trip to the beach with her friend Luna and their passage through Cagliari.  The film has fairy tale ending, though complete with car chases, shooting, and robbery . A friendly witch predicts a better future. PRETTY BUTTERFLIES is among the best of the Open Roads selection with a formidable performance by Sara Podda as Caterina.

            Overall, Open Roads delivers on its promise of introducing noteworthy current Italian productions to the New York public. How many of these films will find a larger audience remains to be seen.

Claus Mueller

filmexchange@gmail.com

The day began with masterclass ‘Words in Motion’ with Robert Alderingk Thijm, followed by ‘In Conversations With’ with veteran actress Maria Conchita Alonso and masterclass ‘The Hollywood Indie’ with Hollywood bigwig producer Randall Emmett (Empire State, 2013). Randall spoke on panel with Hollywood Reporter's Stephen Galloway. They discussed Randall's journey of film production from his days as a maverick indie film producer to becoming one of Hollywood's most prolific producers (Rambo, 2008; Bad Lieutenant Port of Call, 2009; Broken City, 2013; Empire State, 2013). In his youth, Randall used to go from producing shoestring budget indies and assisting at talent agencies until his final big break. Today, Randall’s producing resume includes over 75 films. When asked by Galloway what his secret to producing was, Emmett replied: “I think you have to be uncomfortable to do your best work. Being uncomfortable forces you to do your best.” When asked what his most inspirational films were growing up, Emmett named Scarface and Raging Bull.

An eclectic list of films screened at night from short films to documentaries and features. Director Cullen Hoback screened his much debated film Terms and Conditions May Apply. Hoback attended a contentious Q & A after the screening, stating this about the response to his film: "We had a strong turnout and an enthusiastic audience. The issues surrounding digital privacy are a global issue, and it was great to see so many people in Aruba concerned and motivated by the film." Hoback is receiving international critical acclaim for his film, being compared to nonconformist documentarian filmmakers Michael Moore and Morgan Spurlock.

A double feature of bloody psychological thriller films (Raze and Mine Games) confirmed there was no shortage of the color red on this 4th of July. Raze recently held its world premier at TriBeCa in April. The film was attended by director Josh C. Walls, actress/producer Zoe Bell and actress Tracie Thoms.

Following Raze, the film crew of Mine Games, by director Richard Gray, was attended by emerging stars Briana Evigan (Step Up) and Joseph Cross (Lincoln). Richard Gray said this after screening to an Aruban audience: “What an amazing experience, the locals and filmmakers were all so generous and supportive. To have Briana Evigan and Joe Cross a part of this and seeing Mine Games on the big screen for the first time was a once in a lifetime experience. We love Aruba International Film Festival."

Other films screened: The Caribbean Spotlight Series section- Abo So (Only You) by Juan Francisco Pardo and Ring the Alarm by directors Storm Saulter, Michelle Serieux, Nile Saulter. Shorts Films- Back of Beyond by Leonardo Aguirre; Captain T & T by Christopher Guinness; El Jardineiro by Jo Henriquez; Kung Fu Grandma by Jeong-One Park; Las Lagrimas by Pablo Delgado; Matilde by Vito Palmieri; Passage by Karim Mortimer; Soup A Pye by Karine Gama. Documentaries- Finding Hillywood by Leah Warshawski and Chris Towey; Little World by Marcel Barrena. International feature- The Rocket by Kim Mordaunt

The AIFF 4th of July after party took place at the Sand Bar from 23:00- 1:00am.

-OFFICIAL AIFF PRESS RELEASE-

34th Durban International Film Festival (July 18-28, 2013)

The 34th Durban International Film Festival (DIFF), hosted by the Centre for Creative Arts, University of KwaZulu-Natal, with principal funding by the National Lottery Development Trust Fund, has finalized selection of participants for the 6thedition of the Talent Campus Durban which takes place from 19 to 23 July.

Forty African filmmakers and film experts will come together in Durban to be inspired and enlightened in the medium and industry of cinema. The programme provides the selected participants with a unique opportunity to meet with international industry professionals, experts and mentors in various aspects of the filmmaking business through participation in a 5-day programme of masterclasses, workshops and industry networking events.

This year’s candidates, chosen from over 450 submissions, hail from 15 different African countries, including Algeria, Cameroon, Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Tunisia, and Uganda. Participants will be also be able to attend the DIFF.

Running in parallel to the general Festival programme, this year’s Talent Campus Durban will offer three hands-on training programmes: Doc Station  which will focus on documentary-making, Talent Press which is dedicated to film criticism and Script Station which will foster story development. 

For the third consecutive year, Doc Station will offer three selected Talents the opportunity to refine and polish documentary projects for pitching at the 4th Durban FilmMart’s DOC Circle. Meanwhile, Talent Press will mentor four African journalists in the art of film criticism with access to all the screenings of the 34th Durban International Film Festival. This initiative, promoted in collaboration with FIPRESCI (International Federation of Film Critics) and the Goethe Institute of South Africa, will welcome film writing experts Didi Cheeka (Nigeria), Espera Donouvossi (Benin and South Africa), Leon Van Nierop (South Africa) and Katarina Hederen (Ethiopia and South Africa) as  programme mentors.

For the first time, Script Station will offer the opportunity to four selected writers to develop their stories in the Writers Circle, while being mentored by qualified script editors Tracey Lee Dearham-Raniers and Karima Effendi. This new activity is presented in collaboration with the NFVF’s Sediba SPARK Scriptwriting workshop.

In 2013, the Talent Campus Durban theme is “Memetic Africa?” highlighting and interrogating the continent of Africa as a source of myriad narratives which offer possibilities to be re-imagined, re-told, overlapped and adapted within numerous contexts.

Talent Campus Durban is presented in partnership with the Berlinale Talent Campus, with support from the German Embassy of South Africa, the Goethe-Institut of South Africa, and the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Economic Development and Tourism. Through the international programme, which extends to Talent Campuses in Buenos Aires, Guadalajara, Sarajevo and Tokyo, as well as Durban, participants are initiated into a global community of filmmakers and connected via a wide social network operated through the Berlinale.

Talent Campus Durban 2013:

Drifa Mezenner (Algeria), Pierre Loti Tawokam Simo (Cameroon), Tumbo John Wani (Democratic Republic of Congo), Alia Hassab (Egypt), Kamal Elmallakh (Egypt), Dawit Zewedu (Ethiopia), Hiwot Getaneh (Ethiopia), Anita Afonu (Ghana), Joseph Wairimu (Kenya), Mercy Mkaiwawi Mwakaba (Kenya), Sarah Muhoho (Kenya), Ng’endo Mukii (Kenya), Saad Eddine Said (Morocco), Inadelso Cossa (Mozambique), Oshosheni Hiveluah (Namibia), Aderinsola Ajao (Nigeria), Adeyinka Edward Daniyan (Nigeria), Kayambi Musafiri (Rwanda), Thiaw Rama (Senegal), Antoinette Engel (South Africa), Ari Kruger (South Africa), Caitlin Pansegrouw (South Africa), Dylan Bosman (South Africa), Howard Fyvie (South Africa), Katey Lee Carson (South Africa), Maanda Ntsandeni (South Africa), Nduduzo Shandu (South Africa), Nosipho Sharon Mngoma (South Africa), Pierre Paul De Villiers (South Africa), Rolisizwe Nikiwe (South Africa) Siphamandla Ngcobo (South Africa), Siphiwe Dominic Mpanza (South Africa), Sivela Mgudu (South Africa), Zethu Mashika (South Africa), Zwelethu Radebe (South Africa), Ahmed Jlassi (Tunisia), Narjes Torchani (Tunisia), Nathan Magoola (Uganda), Polly Kamukama (Uganda) ,Tapiwa Chipfupa (Zimbabwe).

JULY 6&7, 2013. DAY 5&6 of the 4th ANNUAL ARUBA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

The final screenings of the 4th edition of AIFF were held at the Caribbean theater.

Screenings included: the Winners of AIFF 2013 Jury Award Aruba Flavor BACK OF BEYOND by Leo Aguirre; Caribbean Spotlight Series film BRECHA EN EL SILENCIO by Luis & Andrés Rodríguez; Audience Award Aruba Flavor THE SHADOWS ARE SHINING by Ken Wolff; Caribbean Spotlight Series ABO SO by Francisco Pardo; La Globovida by Lucía Gimenez Viloria; ANINA by Alfredo Soderguit; Peruvian director Adrián Saba’s THE CLEANER (‘El Limpiador’, 2012); the Puerto Rican short film BROKEN by directors Juan Agustín Marquéz and Andres Anglade; A PERFECT MAN by Kees Von Oostrum; BORN TO HATE by Habib Faisal; Randall Emmett’s film EMPIRE STATE directed by Dito Montiel; STEEKSPEL (Tricked), Tribeca Films THE EXIT ROOM by Todd Wiseman, Jr.; RAZE by Josh C Waller; ANGELS IN EXILE (narrated by Oscar-winner Charlize Theron) by Billy Raftery; CAPTAIN T&T followed by THE ROCKET by Kim Mordaunt; THE HOT FLASHES by director Susan Seidelman (Desperately Seeking Susan) with actress and AIFF ambassador Virginia Madsen. The screening to close the festival was CHILDREN OF THE WIND by Daphne Schmon followed by a Q&A with the director.

Sunset on the 4th AIFF took place on the beach in front of the Divi Golf Resort when stuntwoman actress Zoe Bell and actress Tracie Thoms from RAZE held stunt classes to young aspiring local talent. An intimate class of twenty students attended the class with journalists and festival guests. It was indeed a highlight of this year’s festival and the perfect ending to this year’s AIFF edition.

On July 7, 2013, the film festival closed with a sunset tour of the island by catamaran, a tour hosted by the Aruba Tourism Authority.

For more information on the 4th AIFF visit us: http://2hands20fingers.com

-OFFICIAL AIFF PRESS RELEASE-

In September, the CIFEJ Days in Ukraine will be held for the first time during the 5th International Children's Television Festival «Dytiatko» (Days of the International Centre of Films for Children and Youth). Among the activities a 5-day workshop on animation, documentary and short live action for youth in Kharkiv is planned to be hold. A workshop under the guidance of famous  trainer, an expert in children's television and animation, a member of the CIFEJ Board, director Maikki Kantola (Maija Kirsti Markareetta Kantola) from Finland.

The 13th annual Tchechische Filmwoche– Week of Czech Film, which is organised by the Czech Center in Munich in cooperation with the Czech Film Center, the Finále Plzeň festival and AG Kurzfilm, begins today in Munich, Germany. The screenings, which will continue until 14 July, will introduce the German film public to a selection of recent Czech films that were successful in festivals at home and abroad and were not distributed in Germany. The guests of this year’s film week will be the Czech documentary director David Vondráček and cameraman Jan Kadeřábek.

The presentation will get underway this evening in Munich’s Arena Filmtheater with David Ondříček’s film In the Shadow, which received 9 Czech Lion awards in 2012, starring Ivan Trojan and German actor Sebastian Koch.

Another of the films being shown is director Jan Hřebejk’s Garbage, the City and Death, based on a play by Reiner Werner Fassbinder, which tells the story of Romi, a prostitute played by Gabriela Míčová, who won a Czech Lion award and the Best Actress award at the Czech Film Critic Awards.

The presentation will also screen the winning picture at this year’s Finále Plzeň festival, Flower Buds by Zdeněk Jiráský, the controversial My Dog Killer by director Mira Fornay and the directorial debut of Richard Řeřicha, Don’t Stop.

Czech documentary filmmaking is represented in the programme by David Vondráček’s film Love in the Grave about two homeless people who found a home in an abandoned graveyard in Prague’s Strašnice district and the documentary Karel Reisz – A Life of Film about a Director of Czech origin who stood at the birth of a movement that inspired the French and the Czech new wave.

The films are supplemented by the so called Fein.KOšt, programme of Czech and German short films selected by the Czech Film Center in cooperation with AG Kurzfilm, a concert by the Brno group Fiordmoss and a film brunch with director David Vondráček.

ORGANISERS:

Munich’s Czech Center is an allowance organisation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. It presents the Czech Republic at events from the area of culture and science in the south of Germany.

Münchner Volkshochschule is the largest communal educational institution in Europe.

Ahoj Nachbarn e. V. is an association founded in 2005. Its main goal is the support of cultural cooperation between the countries of Central and Eastern Europe.

The 13th Week of Czech Film arose with the kind support of the Cultural Department of the City of Munich and through the long-standing sponsorship of the official partner, the Staropramen brewery.

The Sebastiane Latino Award will applaud a film released in the previous year to best represent sexual and gender diversity

This year’s San Sebastian International Film Festival will include the presentation of the first Sebastiane Latino Award, an award given by the association Gehitu to the Latin American feature film released in the previous year that best represents lesbian, gay, transgender and bisexual vindications and values.

This award emerges as a natural spin-off from the Sebastiane Award, a prize granted by Gehitu for 14 years as a recognition to the production that best reflect sexual and gender diversity in the different sections of the San Sebastian Festival. However, the Sebastiane Latino overshoots these borders to applaud the best Latin American film, whether or not it has been screened at the Festival.

The Jury for both awards is made up of members of Gehitu, the Basque Gay, Lesbian, Transgender and Bisexual Association, and enjoys close collaboration with the San Sebastian Festival team.

The Sebastiane Latino Award stems from a cultural proximity with Latin America and from the dedication to its cinema by the Zinemaldi, as vouched for by its “Horizontes latinos” and “Films in Progress” sections. Also drawing on this proximity and on the repercussion of an International Festival such as San Sebastian, our aim is to take a hand in ensuring that the values of respect and sexual freedom gain ground against male chauvinism and intolerance in Ibero-America.

The jury will consider productions that support the LGTB community. Although only one of these works will be chosen, the idea is that the selected work will lend support and recognition to all of the people who have made them possible, and that it will help to raise the voice of the ever-increasing number of films in defence of LGTB people.

Another first for the Victoria Film Festival this year is the introduction of a new summer camp. Targeted at youth ages 11-14, Shoot the Write Stuff aims to take camp participants filmmaking skills to the next level with mentoring and feedback from professional filmmakers. Day one, students shoot a short film. Throughout the week, they receive mentoring and feedback on their work from real world professionals to hone their skills. By the end, students will reshoot their work implementing what they’ve learned and screen it to the class and their parents.

“We are thrilled to have local filmmakers come on board and help us with this new initiative,” says MaryAnne Dieno Outreach and Development Coordinator for the Victoria Film Festival. “For the full five days, Barbara Hager of Arrow Productions will be facilitating the class with three other mentors assisting the students.”

Hager, an award-winning filmmaker, has amassed a long list of film credits. Among many of her projects, Hager produced, directed and hosted The New Canoe, an Aboriginal arts and culture series which aired on CHUM, CTV's A-Channel and APTN for eight years as well as two seasons of Down2Earth (APTN, NITV), an Aboriginal environmental series that airs on APTN (Canada) and NITV (Australia). The series won the 2011 Environmental Media Award for best green documentary series in Canada. Currently, Hager is developing a one-hour documentary about urban deer titled Jane Doe: The Tale of an Urban Deer, with support from KCTS9 (PBS Seattle).

Along with Hager will be award-winning screenwriter BD Young, CineVic’s own Executive Director and independent filmmaker, Bryan Skinner and local cinematographer Karl Schoepp.

The Festival introduced the camp this summer as a new initiative to keep youth involved and interested in film throughout the year. “The Victoria Film Festival's mandate has always included education and by launching our first Summer Camp we will directly support youth in using the tools to create and understand the medium,” says Kathy Kay, Victoria Film Festival Director. To further support this mandate, Arrow Productions and the Victoria Film Festival will also be awarding a scholarship to a First Nations youth to participate in the week long camp.

Shoot the Write Stuff will be held at the St. Michael’s University Senior Campus (Richmond Street). The camp runs July 29th to August 2nd from 9:00am to 4:00pm and participants are asked to bring a lunch. The camp is open to ages 11-14 and no previous film experience is required. Cost is $225 per student. Please call 250-389-0444 for more information, or visit www.victoriafilmfestival.com to register online. Space is limited.

The 36th Annual 2013 Asian American International Film Festival (AAIFF13) commence July 24-August 3, at New York City venues. Presented by Asian Cinevision, this year’s festival will showcase 34 feature films (premieres, presentations, 3D), workshop session, music videos, shorts, and screenplay presentations, awards ceremony, opening and closing night gala receptions.

AAIFF13 Opening, Centerpiece, and Closing Premieres are LINSANITY, directed Evan Jackson, Wednesday, July 24, 7:30PM at Asia Society; SOONGAVA (Dance of the Orchids), directed by Subarna Thapa, Saturday, July 27, 8:00PM at New York Institute of Technology; and OUR HOMELAND, directed by Yang Yonghi, Saturday, August 3, 7:00PM at Asia Society. For more information and to purchase tickets, call 1.212.989.0017 or visit http://aaiff.org.

*AAIFF13 Full Slate of Films

Watch AAIFF13 Slate of Films Trailer