Finding one's own means of expression, remaining true to oneself, putting up resistance: these are qualities that the four uncompromising guests of honor at the 36th FILMFEST MÜNCHEN — Emma Thompson, Terry Gilliam, Lucrecia Martel, and Philip Gröning — have in common along with numerous other international guests, including Jia Zhang-Ke, Jennifer Fox, Margarethe von Trotta, and Alice Rohrwacher, who personally brought their films to Munich. Ten exhilarating, film-filled days have passed in which thousands of people have watched, talked, danced, and debated controversial subjects. It wasn't just the 220 films that thrilled the roughly 80,000 people who attended the festival, but also the diverse Filmmakers Live! discussions that were streamed live across the Internet this year for the first time, including discussions on the future of the German film and series markets and talks with international guests. This is an innovation that audiences and the Internet community eagerly made use of. The live streams of the Filmmakers Live! panel discussions reached a total of about 73,000 viewers via the FILMFEST MÜNCHEN fan page on Facebook. Daily reports broadcast by our new partner, TELE 5, reached between 100,000 and 200,000 viewers. FILMFEST MÜNCHEN is also of growing importance to the film industry: this year, about 10 percent more industry events were held than last year.

Lots of discussions revolved around finding one's own personal means of expression and leaving one's own mark on a film, even if this sometimes means telling a story in an awkward and recalcitrant way. Time is also an important topic of discussion and a theme in lots of films at FILMFEST MÜNCHEN: the time it takes for a work to be completed, for a character to develop, for a plot to unwind on screen. The time an audience takes to explore the other worlds that are presented to it. For ten days, the festival once again made that possible for its audiences.

Looking toward the future, as it's put in the preface to this year's Filmfest magazine, things appear hopeful and innovative, not just with regard to new projects and trends in the market, but also with regard to the festival itself. The budget increase of three million euros that's been announced is one more reason for FILMFEST MÜNCHEN to look toward the future with new ideas and eyes wide open — or as festival director Diana Iljine puts it:

"I'm happy that in the past ten days we've again been able to bring excellent films, wonderful people, new ideas, and certainly even glamor to the city. Once again, FILMFEST MÜNCHEN was a great success. And just as films are always a team project, a festival can be put together only by lots of people working together. It's the accomplishment of a team, and I thank all of our staff for their hard work and commitment! What they say about soccer also applies here: After the festival is before the festival. Having the chance to further develop FILMFEST MÜNCHEN and reposition it in the coming years is a challenge that we gladly accept and that my team and I are very much looking forward to."

The executive council meeting of the 31st International Film Festival for Children and Youth held in Tehran attended by the festival's managers and organizers and eventually the cinema halls of the event were introduced.

The top officials of the festival including Alireza Rezaad, Secretary, Ezatollah Alizadeh, Support and Planning Deputy, Ahad Mikayilzadeh, Communications and Information Deputy, Farzad Azhdari, Head of the Secretariat Office, Farzad Mohajerani, Director of the Electronic Secretariat Office, Adel Dehdashti, Deputy Executive Director of Isfahan and Mehdi Sajjadzadeh, the official in charge of Isfahan Province Secretariat office were briefed about the latest progress of the executive affairs of this international cinematic event.

Rezaadad was also briefed about the various stages and technical preparation of Isfahan City Center, which is a large commercial and entertainment complex in this central province.

Isfahan City Center includes 10 cinema halls and is equipped with the state-or art technologies. The center is the first commercial, cultural and tourism center which has been constructed in the historic city of Isfahan after the triumph of 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Isfahan City Center was inaugurated on June 27, 2018, as the biggest leisure, cultural and tourism complex in this central province.

Meanwhile, Mostafa Hosseini, Director of the Sahel Cinema Hall, also presented his reports on the latest measures implemented for hosting the festival.

This cinema complex will be equipped with technical equipment and world-class standards.

Chaharbagh Cinema Hall will also display films of the festival.

In each of these centers, three cinema halls will be allocated for displaying the festival films.

The 31st International Film Festival for Children and Youth is slated for August 30- September 5 in Isfahan Province.

OIFF for Kids, the non-competitive section of Odesa International Film Festival, dedicated to children and young audience is organized in partnership with the Children KinoFest international film festival. The line-up includes three recent features and one Soviet classic film.

In details the films screened at OIFF for Kids are:

Mirai of the Future (Mirai no Mirai, 2018), directed by Mamoru Hosoda, Japan. One day Kun’s mother brings home a new member of the family. The initial joy of the 4-year-old boy quickly turns into disappointment as his little sister stoles his parents’ attention. He can’t accept her until things turn magical and he encounters his mother as a little girl and his great-grandfather as a young man in a suddenly revealed mysterious garden. The unforgettable adventures together with the older version of Mirai, his sister, help him to transform into a big brother he was meant to be.

The Big Bad Fox and Other Tales… (Le grand méchant renard et autres contes..., 2017), directed by Patrick Imbert and Benjamin Renner, France/Belgium. An animated movie telling the story of rural life full of unthinkable events and adventures. One day a Stork leaves a baby to a Pig and a Rabbit asking them to deliver it then to her parents. The other day the Fox turns into a Mother Hen to three little chicken that call him mother and seek his care. The upcoming Christmas multiplies all the nonsense and fun happening at the farm and in the surrounding forests. The film has won France's Cesar Award for Best Animated Film.

Siv Sleeps Astray (Siv Sover Vilse, 2016), directed by Catti Edfeldt and Lena Hanno, Sweden / Netherlands. Seven-year-old Siv’s first night sleeping over at her new friend Cerisia’s place turns out to be a magical one. In the early evening, many things are already beginning to seem odd, the exotic food, all of the animals. At night though, the unfamiliar flat really starts to become a realm full of secrets.

Finally, celebrating its 30^th anniversary, a classic feature animated and live action film, the adventurous Treasure Island (Ostrov Sokrovishch, 1988) directed by David Cherkasskiy, USSR is an iconic movie with still a huge loyal fanbase. The Hispaniola ship explores the sea in search of an island where the legendary treasures of Captain Flint are hidden. A conspiracy is ripening on the ship and the robbers, leaded by one-legged John Silver, seem to be close to victory.

The OIFF for Kids will also screen 10 short films directed by children-filmmakers aged 7-14 as a part of Children KinoFest’s Children Filmmakers contest, The contest took place in various Ukrainian cities from May 25^th to June 3^rd and the line-up features the contest finalists and the prize-winners.

The entrance is free with a free ticket (via ticket.oiff.com.ua or at the ticket office).

Children KinoFest is an annual international festival of films aimed at children and teenagers, taking place at the end of May and introducing Ukrainian young audience both to the latest European movies and world film classics. The festival is held in more than 20 Ukrainian large and small cities. All the screenings are free with the major part of the tickets being given to the kids from socially vulnerable strata including victims of the conflict in the eastern part of Ukraine, children with special needs, orphans.

The LondonSWF team has now assembled at Ealing Studios. Their mission? We promise to design the most outstanding screenwriting experience ever. An experience that will elevate your writing, expand your network and inject your heart and soul with creative rocket fuel.

How will we do it?

First off we will play full out to make good on our promise. We will turn EVERY stone, explore every idea and break new ground as we build over 100 sessions for the festival. We will be addressing everything from TV to film, dialogue to subtext, streaming to cinema, agents to indies… and everything in between. We will explore this with writers, screenwriters, producers, directors, agents, commissioners... all taking the stage to help give you the edge in 2018. Your brain will hurt as we cram so much GREAT stuff into it!

Of course the real reason to come to LondonSWF, aside from all this amazing learning, are the other delegates and the networking. These are your peers. My peers. WE the collective make LondonSWF the extraordinary experience that it is. To be among people who feel the same way about writing, for three straight days, all helping each other and encouraging ourselves to go further, to never once feel like a fraud, while ALWAYS feeling at home… Well that’s magic. And that magic will sustain so many of us while sat doing the real graft at our keyboards.

Then there is the Pitchfest where all delegates get the chance to pitch their projects, the Actors Table Read where you get your script performed, the legal clinic, the script surgery, the British Screenwriters’ Awards… It’s really like Glastonbury but for screenwriters.

We film most sessions too so you can rewatch your favourites and catch up on ones you missed out on. And we have a library of hundreds of sessions from past years that you can access as soon as you sign up.

'Sign up! You will be inspired, build your network, and make friends'

Clare Walter, Writer & Director

'This is the best money you’ll spend as a writer'

Wisse Stolk, Writer & Director

'The BBC emailed me straight back after my pitch'

Deva Palmier, Film Maker

I can give you testimonial after testimonial like these, from screenwriters who experienced gamechanging acceleration after their festival experience, but you need to make the commitment to come yourself. Yes it’s possible to learn a great deal from your computer screen, but if you are serious about your career and projects, noting beats face time with people, relationships created over a drink, listening to it from the horses mouth… Somehow being there lands with significantly greater impact.

Ultimately 'proximity is power'.

You can get more info here…

https://www.londonscreenwritersfestival.com/about/

Tickets here…

https://www.londonscreenwritersfestival.com/tickets/

Read feedback from last year here…

https://www.londonscreenwritersfestival.com/feedback-from-the-8th-london-screenwriters-festival-londonswf17/

Sessions and speakers are being added now, so expect updates almost every day.

The submissions for the Actors Table Read are also open and writers are now submitting their scripts. Next up will be the Legal Clinic and Script Surgery…

We just did a session with X Files screenwriter and producer Frank Spotnitz and we filmed it, some REALLY awesome clips about why many writers fail here… https://www.londonscreenwritersfestival.com/8-unforgettable-series-writing-tips-from-x-files-luminary-frank-spotnitz/

And one clip here is just crammed with screenwriter truth bombs… https://www.londonscreenwritersfestival.com/frank-spotnitz-ten-truths-are-out-there-and-other-screenwriting-truth-bombs/

I look forward to seeing you at the festival.

Chris Jones

www.LondonSWF.com

Tricky Women is the first and only festival of animated film that is dedicated exclusively to animation by women*
filmmakers. The 16th festival edition will take place from March 13th - 17th 2019 in Vienna. The submission is free of charge and will close on October 5th 2018. Tricky Women is a qualifying festival for the European "Emile"-Award.

We are looking forward to entries in the following categories:

• International competition (animated shorts finished after January 1st, 2017)
• Work / Work Affairs (not limited to recent works)
• 100 Years of Women's Suffrage, democracy and participation (not limited to recent works)

Submissions are possible via www.shortfilmdepot.com or our new Tricky Women-Online-Form.

We are looking forward to subversive, powerful and expressive animations with a unique visual style!

            Established in 1978, Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an independent international organization headquartered in New York with a global staff of more than 400 professionals including 80 researchers and a large number of human rights experts, lawyers, academics and media professionals. Main HRW offices are located in major Western cities but also in Nairobi, Tokyo and Moscow supported by field offices in Eastern Europe, Africa, Asia and other regions. Temporary experts are hired for specific projects as wells as volunteer and as pro-bono legal counsel. HRW does not accept governmental funding and receives its support from foundations, individuals, and corporate sources provided its objectivity is not compromised.

            Fact-based empirical research is published each year in more than 100 reports and hundreds of news dispatches on human rights conditions in about 90 countries. HRW organizes conferences and annual film festivals working closely with organizations sharing their goals. Known for effective lobbying and dissemination of strategic information HRW has been covering new and emerging human rights problems. The impact of HRW is demonstrated by policy and decision makers using and quoting its reports and responses to thousands of inquiries by the media and other interested parties contacting HWR each year. HRW's partnership with local human rights groups and its excellent reputation for factual findings has resulted in wide coverage in international and local media. Among the principal goals of HRW is achieving transparency and accountability for the violation of human rights and advocacy of steps to solve the demonstrated human rights violations. The range of human rights abuses and problems monitored and disclosed by HRW is vast and expanding. It includes, to name but a few, arms issues, disability and, gender discrimination, problems of refugees, failure to provide legal assistance, restriction of information and media, violation of civil and political rights, terrorist and counter terrorists crimes, children’s rights, environmental and health issues, and failures of the democratic process. HRW reports about addressing freedom of the press have covered Vietnam, Kenya, Morocco, Turkey and Bangladesh over the last three years. Among the dispatches filed from 27 – 29 of June 2018 were briefs about a HRW lawsuit against a US Federal Law Targeting Sex Workers, a request that Myanmar prosecute dismissed officers for atrocities, a report about Nigeria’s rising toll of middle-belt violence, a statement about Turkey having no right to ban the Istanbul gay pride parade, and the report about 12 senior security officers working for the Cambodian Hun Sen government who have become wealthy despite their small salaries. Among the direct effects of HRW reports are the abandonment of extreme vetting of migrants by the U.S. government, the deletion of gender discrimination in media and advertising by Chinese corporations, a California court decision forcing a revision of bail policies, and the success of the Yugoslav criminal court prosecuting war crimes. Many of the HRW documents are translated for its Arabic, French, and Spanish websites with some content also made available in other major and/or relevant languages.

Of equal importance of spreading the human rights message is the annual Human Rights Watch Film Festival which was held in New York from June 14-21 enjoying its 29th edition. Given the technical and substantive quality of the productions shown, their clear focus on international thematic issues and the empirical objective approach of the documentaries, this festival is considered one of the best annual film festivals among the many held in New York City. By limiting the festival to 15 productions and screenings to one week, the festival tightened its program and provided more time for panel discussions. Held again in cooperation with the Film Society of Lincoln Center and the IFC, the productions selected and its panels placed a human face on the victims of human rights abuses, emphasized the global nature of violations, addressed responses to massive human rights crimes, and forced viewers to look again at problems such as the sea engulfing Pacific nations. The new burning issue of our perception being shaped by the content censorship of large media corporations was placed into focus, in particular the threat this interference poses to our right to a free flow of information. The festival does not allow the audience to disregard the status of past, present, and new human rights abuses and the response to them. It forces reflections about the issues presented and provides no entertainment. 

In New York, the Human Rights Watch Film festival has been growing. It reached over 3700 individuals this year thanks in great part to its expansion after the IFC Center was added as a second venue in 2013. The festival is also screened worldwide in 20 other cities with individualized screenings in each city contextualizing size and format. For example, London features the festival in three cinemas; Amsterdam has a weekend of screenings, Nairobi has a four day film festival free to the public and Los Angeles has quarterly screenings. Co-presentations are organized in Beirut, Sydney and Sao Paolo. The films are often combined with impact campaigns and screenings for politicians and policy makers. Invisible War by Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering, documenting sexual abuse in the US armed forces, was responsible for the U.S. military revising its procedures on handling reported abuse.  

The empirically based advocacy work of Human Rights Watch in reports and film festivals has become crucial in the current political climate because of the federal governmental undermining of democratic and judicial processes and disregard of the basic tenets of human rights. The process towards more authoritarian systems in other countries is also tracked by HRW. 

Anote’s Ark, Mattieu Rytz, 2018.     While conferences are held and well intentioned resolutions are passed, small island nations such as the low-lying Pacific nation of Kiribati are swallowed by rising sea levels. Aggravated by stronger hurricanes which destroy habitats, agricultural areas, and fishing grounds, living space disappears. Population groups are forced to relocate from Kiribati and its government has acquired thousands of acres on other island countries and negotiated settlement agreements with Australia and New Zealand to assure survival of its people, though their 4000 year old culture will disappear.  What is happening here is an indicator of the looming massive dislocation of populations living near the sea level from US coastal areas to Bangladesh.  The destruction of this island nation, the fruitless climate negotiations and personal reflections of people affected are carefully recorded in this outstanding documentary and complemented by superb cinematography of the island.  

The Distant Barking of Dogs, Simon Lereng Wilment, 2017.    Growing up in war torn Eastern Ukraine in a small village Hnutovo, one mile from the front line in Donbass, three boys experience the armed conflict between Ukrainian and pro-Russian forces on a daily basis. Oleg lives with his grandmother and cousin Yarik. Both spend time with an older teenage boy. Their daily life is embedded in the chaos created by warring factions. They seek shelter in the basement of their fragile home, attend evacuation drills run by the school teacher, and horse around in abandoned buildings. The noise of guns and cannons surrounds them during days and nights, not allowing for escape. The war slowly becomes part of their reality from a change of the vocabulary, to playing with guns, and considering war as part of growing up. There is little communication in the film but the perspectives of the children and the grandmother and their impotence over forces governing their lives is apparent from their comments. Armed conflict reproduces itself through the children and only a modicum of innocence can be retained. 

Among the most important films screened this year is the 2018 production The Cleaners by Hans Block and Moritz Riesewick. It forces discussion of an issue rarely touched upon outside academic research. How is our construction of reality shaped by the overt and covert content censorship of the media we consume as programmed by media giants like Google, Facebook, and Twitter. Using “Cleaners” these corporations remove millions of images and events from the digital platforms on a daily basis and follow censorship commands of foreign governments like Turkey and China. The visual reality we are exposed to is not an objective one but follows the profit driven marketing guidelines of these huge corporations, constraints which are not controlled by the legal and political systems as recent obfuscating debates in Congress show. Sophisticated information technologies have so rapidly developed that they are no longer harnessed by gate keepers as in earlier media periods and free speech and open access to information has become a victim. The primary concern of media corporations is to keep and enlarge their audience and informational content challenging the audience has become secondary. The content conveyed reinforces prior convictions and contributes to conflict. The documentary portrays five individuals in the Philippines who are hired by social media corporations to remove visual images from online platforms each day; thousands of other cleaners are working in virtually all countries.  These cleaners going through 20,000 images a day have to make rapid decisions about photos and videos in categories such as terrorism and child pornography, and must ignore or delete them. Eventually we may have visual algorithms automatically cleaning the content facing us. This information technology has been most refined in China and is increasingly applied without facing much opposition by the population.

Naila and the Uprising, Julia Bacha, 2017.     It is rare to come across a documentary that appears flawless in handling a critical issue with a production totally in sync with the topic. The film emancipates the audience with groundbreaking insights and articulates a reflexive vision of political events. Using excellent animation, archival footage, personal images and home videos spanning two generation we learn through the portrait of Naila Ayesh, the hidden history of the Palestinian First Intifada, the non-violent Palestinian movement, and the crucial political role Naila and other women played in and after the uprising. The documentary also provides crucial insights into the establishment of a woman’s movement, the Israeli response to the Intifada, and the peace negotiations leading to the international recognition of Palestine. Israel’s domination and oppression in the occupied Palestinian territories and the lasting conflicts with the Palestinians are well documented but the role of Palestinian women during the Intifada and afterwards has not been revealed. When most male Palestinian activists were imprisoned by the Israeli army, disappeared or deported, a political vacuum was created which was filled by women who Naila helped to organize. After the uprising broke out in 1987 she joined an underground network of women which asserted the right to self-determination, engaged in widespread agitation and demonstrations, the education of children as well as skills training for women. With the help of Naila, who became Director of the Women’s Affairs Center in Gaza in the 80s, Palestinian women emancipated themselves from the patriarchal society, embraced self-sufficiency, and boycotted Israeli products. When arrested and tortured by the Israeli army she had a miscarriage in prison and was denied access to doctor.   Naila became a cause celebre when her case was embraced by the Israeli press revealing that she had been held by the secret service Shin Beth. She was detained a second time when organizing in the occupied territories.  The struggle continued until peace negotiations took place and three female grassroots activists became part of the Palestinian delegation. However, secret talks between Palestinians and Israelis took place without the presence of women who had been responsible for sustaining the Intifada. The resulting accord did not reflect their interests. When peace set in, Palestinian women lost their leadership positions and were required to secure backing by a male if they wanted to apply for a passport. Gender equality was questioned again. Ironically, Algerian women who fought during the war of liberation against the French army lost some of their equal status after the military victory of the FLN in which women played an important role.

Claus Mueller     filmexchange@gmail.com

We'll be doing giveaways, makeup demos, and more!

Submission to the 2018 INFF are possible from now on until July 15. All information regarding this year's competition can be found here: http://www.inff.eu/2018-competition/ The trailer for the Innsbruck Nature Film Festival 2018 was created by the wonderful Lukas Ladner and depicts the connection between nature and mankind as well as our dependency on a sound environment.

http://www.inff.eu/2018-competition/terms-of-participation/

Interested in this global new trend: #cryptocurrency ?

For movies as for so many other domains, cryptocurrencies are the latest trend.

Go to this #Paris #Blockchain & #bitcoin conference to explore and let me know, I will be there.

Information and registration @ https://goo.gl/ezeEkh

Special discount till this July 15th.

#ico #cryptocurrency #btc #crypto #Ethereum

Want to learn more about some of our selected films from the 9th Annual NYC Independent Film Festival? All interviews are now available to watch on our website! Visit: https://www.nycindieff.com/interviews/2018

You can also subscribe to our YouTube channel for interviews, panel discussions, and award ceremony clips! To subscribe, visit: https://www.youtube.com/user/nycindieff/featured

Thank you for all your support! If you'd like to submit to the 10th Annual festival, remember that the Early Bird Deadline is August 31, 2018! For more information check out: https://filmfreeway.com/NYCIndieFF

On July 13, the Odessa National Academic Opera and Ballet Theater saw the solemn opening ceremony of the OIFF-2018, during which the films of the competition programs, the jury members and other famous guests were presented

The opening ceremony of the OIFF-2018 united film professionals from all over the world. Janina Sokolova and Oleh Panyuta were the hosts at the event. This year, OIFF received 1011 applications, and out of them, 108 films from 95 countries will be presented at the festival.

The ceremony started with an incredible performance by Apache Crew dance crew.

Pavel Rozenko, the Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine, gave the introductory remarks urging everyone to support Oleg Sentsov, since that day the illegally imprisoned director turned 42 years old. Throughout the days of the Festival there will be a special place reserved for Oleg for each screening. And a short video telling about his decision to announce an indefinite hunger strike since May 14 will precede every film.

Pylyp Illenko, the head of Ukrainian State Film Agency, said: "The Odessa Film Festival and Ukrainian cinema are united in the process of revival of Ukrainian cinema that we are seeing today". Besides, he noted, that the number of Ukrainian films is increasing each year and this year OIFF has 49 of them. Then the floor went to Maxim Stepanov, the head of the Odesa Regional State Administration; to Anatoliy Urbansky the chairman of the Odesa Regional Council and to Gennadiy Trukhanov, the mayor of Odessa.

Victoria Tigipko, the OIFF President, greeted the guests of the film festival and said: "The OIFF program is unique. But unfortunately, 90% of the pictures that will be shown here, at the Odesa Film Festival, will not join Ukrainian film distribution. Therefore, coming to Odesa in summer gives you a chance to see them on a big screen. Today we are observing the renaissance of cinema in Ukraine. And we can judge not only by festival films - commercial cinema is also gaining momentum. The box office of such films as "Kiborgs", "The Stolen Princess", "Dzidzio contrabass" has amounted to 20-35 million hryvnias. And this is with only 520 cinema halls. Fair enough, we need at least twice as many. But even now we can talk about the prospects of high-quality cinema".

The first award of the 9th Odesa International Film Festival – the Golden Duke for the contribution to the cinema – was given by a special OIFF guest – Eric Roberts. "Truthiness is what we, actors, want to achieve. And only a few of us succeed", he noted. The first prize was awarded to Ada Rogovtseva. "You can hardly imagine what I'm feeling right now," said the legendary actress. “At the age of only two months I was brought to Odesa. Here I grew up and enjoyed my happy life when the war began. My childhood was burned down by that terrible war. After that I have been living, living, living for quite a long time (because I’m getting 81 in 3 days) and now it’s war again. And again we are talking about a boy who is like a son to me. We are talking about Sentsov. And about those guys who are now at war. But we all do have enough strength, inspiration, kindness and mercy to create and to come to such important events as today"

The films of competitive programs were announced: 12 films are presented in the International Competition Program of OIFF-2018, 6 films take part in the European Documentary program, and the National Program includes 5 full-length and 13 short films.

The jury of the 9^th OIFF was also announced. The President of the Jury is Ewa Puszczynska, producer (Poland). Together with her, the films of the International Competition will be evaluated by Rites Batra, film director (India), Igor Minaev, theater and film director, screenwriter (Ukraine / France), Arnaud des Pallieres, director and scriptwriter (France) and Ia Shugliashvili, actress (Georgia). The works of Ukrainian cinematographers will be evaluated by Kate Molchanova, actress (Ukraine), Levan Koguashvili, film director and screenwriter (Georgia), Martina Bleis, co-head and project curator of the Berlinale Co-Production Market (Germany) and Marianne Slot, producer (France). The curator of the European Documentary Films is Serhiy Bukovsky, the winner of the last year's OIFF Award for Best Documentary. Ostap Kostyuk, film director (Ukraine), Dorota Lech, Programming Associate (Poland) and Galia Bador (Israel) will evaluate the films of the European Documentary Contest at the 9th OIFF. This year, the FIPRESCI jury include film critics Sergii Vasyliev Jr., (Ukraine), Robert Gorton (USA) and Sanjin Pejkovic (Sweden).

The Erling Band Trio from the Opening film “The Woman at War” marked the end of the official part of the Ceremony with a musical performance. After that the opening film was presented by Halldóra Geirharðsdóttir, the leading actress, Carine Leblanc,producer, Serge Lavrenyuk, co-producer, and Aliona Lavrenyuk, actress.

At the end of the ceremony, “Figaro“, the official catering partner of the Odesa Film Festival, invited the guests to the Marie Antoinette Opening Party at the Literature Museum yard. “ARARAT”, the official alcohol sponsor of the festival, treated the guests with the legendary Armenian brandy.

The first day marked the start of the screenings at Green Theater. The viewers had a chance to watch the films of non-competitive program which included “Dummy” and “Brief Encounters” – special screenings and works dedicated to the memory of Kira Muratova, a famous director, screenwriter and actress. This section will also screen the restored 4k version of Stanley Kubrick's movie "2001: The Space Odyssey", "The Night Eats the World" (directed by Dominique Rocher), presented by a well-known actor Dennis Lavant and other films.

The after-party took place at Caleton Festival Club, where the exclusive set from BNRTM was waiting for the guests.

The guests were driven to the red carpet by the official Renault Auto Partner, and the beauty looks were created by Oh My Look, the Red Carpet official partner. “ARARAT” treated the guests at Palais Royal and at Elissa - BAR & RESTAURANT, the Official Restaurant Partner of the Festival’s opening and closing ceremonies. The innovative Samsung partner presented its brand zone there.