La semaine du Cinéma Ukrainien à Paris

18TH CINE LAS AMERICAS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES

PROGRAM SELECTION OF FILMS, INCLUDING "HECHO EN TEJAS" SHOWCASES

 Cine Las Americas International Film Festival announced today its 2015 program, including what has become a signature of the festival lineup, the Hecho en Tejas showcases. All films are presented in English or with English subtitles (if English is not the original language). The 18th Cine Las Americas International Film Festival is scheduled for April 22-26, 2015, in Austin, Texas.

"The film review committee and programming team have risen to the challenges presented this year, to curate a strong program, from locally-produced work to national and international titles," said festival director Jean Lauer. "We're confident that fans and newcomers to the festival alike will find themselves engaged with the selections, and we're pleased to present the Hecho en Tejas screenings among the many options for attendees to experience vibrant, entertaining, and sometimes challenging work from voices representing contemporary cinematic landscapes."

The full festival lineup includes 41 feature films, 49 short films, and 5 music videos, in representation of 18 countries' participation in production and co-production of the films. Together, they highlight a diversity of themes, genres and styles characteristic of contemporary national and international cinema trends. Films will be presented at partnership venues The Marchesa Hall & Theatre, The Mexican American Cultural Center and St. Edward's University Jones Auditorium at the Ragsdale Center.

Hecho en Tejas films are shot and/or produced in Texas and showcase the wide variety of work by filmmakers with varied backgrounds and experience. These selections compliment the Festival's national and international line up, and include films from both up-and-coming talent and veteran filmmakers. For the sixth consecutive year, Cine Las Americas is pleased to count on a partnership with the Texas Archive of the Moving Image (TAMI), to present a jury award to the best "Hecho en Tejas" film.

This year, the Hecho en Tejas program includes two feature films, six short films, and two music videos. The Hecho en Tejas film presentations will take place during the festival on Saturday, April 25th and Sunday, April 26th at the Marchesa Hall and Theatre, with more details to come.

About the Hecho en Tejas Films

Features

Agave is Life

Dir. David Brown, Meredith Dreiss

Historical/Cultural Documentary, 2014

AGAVE IS LIFE is the story of mankind's alliance with the agave plant, from which tequila is derived. Told through the lens of archaeological and historical investigations, and narrated by Edward James Olmos, the film explores ten thousand years of the human-agave relationship. Once a critical resource for hunter-gatherers, agave was a source of food, drink, textiles, fuel, and medicines. We learn that this unique desert plant, once embedded in cultural identity, mythology, art, and rituals, faces an uncertain future. Today, ancient folkways, from fiber craftsmanship to traditional pulque and mescal productions, are rapidly disappearing. While entrepreneurs and scientists work to turn the tide, a loss of diversity of both cultivated and wild species may be the ultimate arbitrator.

What's the Use?

Dir. Nicole Elmer

Alternative/Comedy/Drama, 2014

Seventeen year-old Sara defends her pride from a career oriented greasy-spoon waitress and her potty mouth. In the gymnastics of her self-defense, she recalls the night when she moved home to live with her father Tony, a skinny loser fresh out of rehab. Determined to start their lives over, he throws her a birthday party, only to have it wrecked by Shy, a dangerous loan shark. Pissed by her father's passive retreat into his bedroom, Sara sets off to find Shy and take care of her father's debt on her own. On her journey through the 4th of July heat of Austin, Texas, she meets a love-starved perfectionist, a professional Love Guru, and an eccentric who is planning a painless suicide. Finally reaching Shy, he pushes her fragile ego to the edge, where she is forced to finally see her family's dark secret and realize she might be her own greatest enemy.

Shorts

¿Por qué el recuerdo? (The Solitude of Memory), Dir. Juan Pablo González

El fuego detrás (The Fire Behind), Dir. Leo Aguirre

Jornaleras (Women Workers), Dir. Marcela Moran

Morgan Robyn Collado, Dir. Danea Johnson

Sunrise, Dir. Diego Rico

Yo soy Juan (I am Juan), Dir. Patrick Rangel

Music Videos

El marinero y la sirena (The Sailor and the Mermaid), Dir. Patricia Vonne

Whispers and Dreams, Dir. Sharon Arteaga

Film Titles from Full Program, by Program Section

New Releases

OPENING NIGHT: The Martini Shot, Dir. Demetrius Navarro, USA

CLOSING NIGHT: Mr. Kaplan, Dir. Álvaro Brechner, Spain/Uruguay/Germany

ADDITIONAL TITLES:

Buscando a Gastón (Finding Gaston), Dir. Patricia Perez, USA/Peru

Castanha, Dir. Davi Pretto, Brazil

Dólares de arena (Sand Dollars), Dir. Israel Cárdenas, Laura Amelia Guzmán, Argentina/Mexico/Dominican Republic

Feriado (Holiday), Dir. Diego Araujo, Ecuador/Argentina

La isla minima (Marshland), Dir. Alberto Rodríguez, Spain

La voz en off (Voice Over), Dir. Cristián Jiménez, Chile/France/Canada

The Lodge, Dir. Terril Calder, Canada

This May Be the Last Time, Dir. Sterlin Harjo, USA

Tres D (Three D), Dir. Rosendo Ruíz, Argentina

Viejos amigos (Good Old Boys), Dir. Fernando Villarán, Peru

Narrative Feature Competition

Climas, Dir. Enrica Pérez, Peru

El futuro (The Future), Dir. Luis López Carrasco, Spain

Los enemigos del dolor (The Enemies of Pain), Dir. Arauco Hernandez, Uruguay

O Último Cine Drive-in (The Last Drive-in Theater), Dir. Iberê Carvalho, Brazil

Viento aparte (A Separate Wind), Dir. Alejandro Gerber Bicecci, Mexico

Documentary Feature Competition

Gazelle - The Love Issue, Dir. Cesar Terranova, Brazil/French Polynesia/USA

Hotel Nueva Isla, Dir. Irene Gutierrez, Javier Labrador, Cuba/Spain

La Violencia: The Untold Truths of Guatemala, Dir. Pia Janning, Til Frohlich, Ireland/Guatemala

Poder e impotencia, Un drama en 3 actos (Power and Impotence: A Drama in 3 Acts), Dir. Anna Recalde Miranda, Paraguay/France/Italy

Tres mujeres guerreras (Three Women Warriors), Dir. Alexander Preuss, Germany/Colombia

Ambulante Showcase

El hogar al revés (Upside Down Home), Dir. Itzel Martínez del Cañizo, Mexico

H20mx, Dir. José Cohen, Mexico

Retratos de una búsqueda (Portraits of a Search), Dir. Alicia Calderón, Mexico

Panorama Features

Algún lugar (On the Road, Somewhere), Dir. Guillermo Zouain, Dominican Republic

Anatomía de un vestido (Anatomy of a Dress), Dir. Flora Pérez Garay, Puerto Rico

Asolagados (Flooded), Dir. David Vázquez Vázquez, Spain

Ati y Mindhiva (As the Tree Under the Hurricane), Dir. Claudia Fischer, Colombia

BKLYN 11211, Dir. Zac73dragon, Spain/Bolivia/USA

Chuy, El hombre lobo (Chuy, The Wolf Man), Dir. Eva Aridjis, Mexico

Dos Aguas (Two Waters), Dir. Patricia Velásquez, Costa Rica/Colombia

Flory's Flame, Dir. Curt Fissel, USA

Genoveva, Dir. Paola Castillo Villagran, Chile

Icaros, Dir. Georgina Barreiro, Argentina/Peru

Les indiens, l'aigle et le dindon (The Indians, the Eagle and the Turkey), Dir. Iphigénie Marcoux-Fortier, Karine van Ameringen, Canada

Movimientos espectaculares (Spectacular Movements), Dir. Mateo Hinojosa, Bolivia/USA/Venezuela

Oil & Water, Dir. Francine Strickwerda, Laurel Spellman Smith, USA

Salgán & Salgán: A Father-Son Tango, Dir. Caroline Neal, Argentina

Narrative Shorts Competition

Bolero para surfear en Moravia (Bolero for Surfing in Moravia), Dir. Valerio Mendoza Guillén, Venezuela/Czech Republic

El sermón de la montaña (Sermon on the Mount), Dir. Pepe Puertas Piñero, Spain

Indigo, Dir. Amanda Strong, Canada

La carta (The Letter), Dir. Mara Soler, Mexico

Leonard Peres, Dir. Missy Hernandez, USA

Documentary Shorts Competition

Dona Rosa, Dir. Mathias Mangin, Lucas Mandacaru, Brazil

Elena Asins - Génesis, Dir. Álvaro Giménez Sarmiento, Spain

Flor de la mar (Flower of the Sea), Dir. Jorge Thielen Armand, Venezuela

I Was Born in Mexico, But..., Dir. Corey Ohama, USA

Nuestro hogar (Our Home), Dir. Detsy "Mara" Barrigon, Iván Jaripio, Panama

Music Videos

C.T.R.L, Dir. Mariana Conde, United Kingdom

El marinero y la sirena (The Sailor and the Mermaid), Dir. Patricia Vonne, USA (Hecho en Tejas)

La ciudad (The City), Dir. Javier Orman, Tom Farrell, USA

Nitahkôtân (I Have Arrived), Dir. Moe Clark, Canada

Whispers and Dreams, Dir. Sharon Arteaga, USA (Hecho en Tejas)

Indigenous Shorts Program - Retrospective

Día 2 (Day 2), Dir. Dante Cerano Bautista, Mexico

Late, Dir. Christi Bertelsen, USA

Mohawk Midnight Runners, Dir. Zoe Leigh Hopkins, Canada

Poi Dogs, Dir. Joel Moffett, USA

Roberta, Dir. Caroline Monnet, Canada

Search for the World's Best Indian Taco, Dir. Steven Judd, USA

Smoke Break, Dir. Sally Kewayosh, USA

Panorama Shorts

2 and 2, are 4, Dir. Pedro Sena Nunes, Portugal

Aceito (I Do), Dir. Felipe Cabral, Brazil

Beyond Recognition, Dir. Michelle Grace Steinberg, USA

Bloodlines, Dir. Christopher Cegielski, USA

Caballo de mar (Knight of the Seas), Dir. Fernando Alcántara, Iñaki Gaztañaga, Spain

Deseo (Desire), Dir. Carolina Cortella, Argentina

En la orilla (At the Edge), Dir. Liza Hoos, Xavier Basurto, Mexico

Inch' Allah, Dir. Angélica Romanini, Mexico

Nudo (Knot), Dir. Juliana Gómez Castañeda, Cuba

Soberano papeleo (Sovereign Paperwork), Dir. Lala Severi, Uruguay

Una pared (A Wall), Dir. Javier Ferreiro, Cuba

YO, la PEOR de TODAS (I, the WORST of ALL), Dir. Francisco Lupini, USA

Emergencia "Youth Film" Special Presentation

Cine Joven Latinitas Showcase, Various Directors, USA

Emergencia "Youth Film" Competition Lineup

A Harmonious Cacophony, Dir. Marielle Boland, Isabela Reid, USA

A Pirate's Life, Dir. Isabella Olaguera, Nick Haaf, USA

Can I Help You?, Dir. Pedro Salles Leite, Brazil

Ella (Elle), Dir. David Hebrero, Spain

Growing, Dir. Allison Coon-Come, Canada

Háblame (Talk to Me), Dir. Alba Linares, Spain

Kayna Wawaiki Jamuni (Now I Come as Your Son), Dir. Nicolas Page, Chile

La boda de las calaveras, Dir. Ricardo Miguel Salazar, USA

Little Red, Dir. Wynter Rhys, USA

Never Comes Easy, Dir. Naate, Canada

Pleasant, Dir. Miranda Whitus, USA

Sin madre (Without A Mother), Dir. Buffy Almendares, USA

The Lonely Baker, Dir. Cyntheara Tham, Allison McInerney, Ayanna Marte, USA

The Only Road, Dir. Sergio Valencia, Nathan Miguel, Alan Bagh, USA

For the 18th consecutive year, Austin will serve as host to a wide range of international films and filmmakers as the festival creates networking opportunities for industry professionals, and provides a rich cultural experience for statewide audiences. The festival will showcase contemporary films from the US, Canada, Latin America, and the Iberian Peninsula. All films are presented in English and/or subtitled.

As in past editions, the 2014 New Directors/New Films series in New York, now in its 44th year, organized by the Film Society of Lincoln Center and the Museum of Modern Art, offered a wide range of cinematographic and narrative approaches. From hundreds of films Dennis Lim from the Film Society and Rojendra Roy from Moma selected 24 feature and 16 shorts, mostly the filmmakers’ first or second productions. They covered superb traditional departures (Creation of Meaning), issue oriented filmmaking (The Fool), psychological investigation (The Kindergarten Teacher), enigmatic story telling (Ow), neo-realistic presentations (The Tribe), and metaphorical frames (White God), to offer a small sampling. The boundaries between genres remain fluid and a growing documentary impulse prevails.       

Creation of Meaning

This production is a superbly structured cinematic essay about how perception of the past is structured by focusing on an Italian farmer who is selling his small farm as a summer retreat to a German.  Interpretations of  the partisan struggle with the German occupiers during the second world war are woven around teaching  school  children the past, divergent recollections by the few survivors of the war years, the re-enacting  of partisans’ resistance for a home movie, and the talk between the farmer and his German client. Radio commentaries by contemporary Italian politicians and the discussion of the Italian malaise and the past complete the picture. The German wonders how Italians could get along so well with tourists and land speculators from his country in light of the massacres but learns that in this remote isolated area of Toscana the population was on good terms with ordinary German soldiers. The film has a strong documentary affinity and outstanding painterly camera work.

The Fool, Russia 2014, Yurly Bykov

Portraying the fight of Dima, an honest plumber, to save hundreds of people in an aging housing project building about to collapse is the stage for the film maker to demonstrate the pervasive corruption in a Russian city which prevents repairing the building. There is the noteworthy depiction of the grim existence of the tenants who live at the bottom of society. Dima is criticized even by his mother for being naïve, a fool, since he does not work the system to his advantage as all others do.  Most people from the building, adults and youth are shown as low lives involved with violence, drugs and alcohol. They live in crowded apartments which are filthy, run down and provoke little sympathy. At a birthday party for the deputy mayor, Dima’s reports his suspicion of the building’s imminent collapse and has his claim verified by the building inspector. Dima suggests an immediate evacuation and prompts an animated disputation among the functionaries representing the city’s departments.  No matter which department they are in charge of be it police, housing, hospitals, fire or administration   they all have been involved in bribery and theft enriching them, facts they openly admit.   Their agencies are broke, there are no funds for the evacuation, and several voice no sympathy but contempt for the impoverished residents of the building. The problem is solved by killing the building inspector and the deputy’s administrator, burning all files with evidence of the corruption. Dima is forced to leave the city with his family. In the end, despite being rejected by all except for his father DIMA returns to warn the residents but is beaten up by them for stirring up unrest.

The Kindergarten Teacher   Israel France 2014, Nadav Lapid

Lapid presents in her charming but provocative film the growing relationship between Nina, a middle aged married mother and pre-school teacher and Yoah a five-year old poet child prodigy. She is drawn to his ability to instantly create poetry about basic human emotions far beyond the comprehension his age permits. She tunes into his poetry and records it no matter what the circumstances are. Her interest turns into an obsession as she tries to protect him and his poetry from an outside world which has no space for poetry. She antagonizes his womanizing wealthy father who does not care about his son’s gift or his mother who abandoned them. After Yoah is moved by his father to a different kindergarten Nina abducts him and takes him to a hotel resort where Yoah continues to create his poems. There is no dissonance between them yet Yoah locks her into the bathroom and follows her instructions to call the police with directions to the hotel.  The performance of Sarit Larry as Nina and Avi Shnaidman as Yoah are outstanding and compelling, Avi is totally at ease and natural in his role as Yoah is in reciting poetry. Sarit brings evocative composure and sensitivity to the kindergarten teacher’s obsession.

Ow, Japan 2014, Yohei Suzuki

Suzuki presents an enigmatic film about members of a family, policemen and others transfixed and immobilized by a mysterious force who turn catatonic once released. Various strands are followed by the director including film noir, surrealism, journalism, police incompetence, dysfunctional family patterns, science fiction, etc. leaving the audience as confused  about what is happening as the reporter is who is investigating the incident.

The Tribe, Ukraine 2014, Myroslav Slaboshpytsky

Following its acclaim in Cannes this raw neo-realistic feature was probably the most unusual, fascinating, and shocking selection in this year’s New Directors / New Films edition. There are no subtitles for The Tribe because the entire cast is deaf communicating in sign language only.  The audience has to decipher the meaning of interactions embedded in the grim story of survival in a squalid state boarding school for the deaf in Kiev, Ukraine. It chronicles the newly admitted Sergey’s rise in a criminal gang of inmates terrorizing the institution – with the collaboration of its staff. No instruction appears to go on.  Beatings, robberies, prostitution, humiliation, and exploitation characterize the gang’s activities, behavior normally not associated with deaf people.  Transactions take place in an eerie silence and mostly at night time. An abortion, acts of violence, and even a rare act of making love are accompanied by gestures only. Camera work restricted to essential elements, persuasive acting, the story line, and the gritty physical context make The Tribe a demanding film one has to view.            

White God, Hungary, Sweden, 2014, Kornel Mundruczo

With equal attention at Cannes White God presents the revolt of dogs against their white masters. In this society mixed breed race dog owners have to pay a special tax and loose unfit dogs are caught by catchers to be impounded.   Lili, a young girl, has a mutt, Hagen, which is abandoned on the street by her father.  The film tracks her attempt to find Hagen and the radicalization the dog that experiences severe abuse by humans, and is trained for dog fights. Hagen escapes but winds up in the dog pound. He liberates hundreds of other mutts from the pound and leads a bloody uprising against their masters seeking revenge for the suffering imposed on them. Lilia finds Hagen and succeeds in appeasing the dogs. The film gathered much acclaim for the successful training of a large number of dogs to carry out warfare. It serves as an innovative metaphor of an oppressed minority getting revenge. Though the image of remarkable dog packs roaming the streets dominates the story and seems more persuasive.

The appealing 2015 selection offered an excellent perspective on the issues young US and foreign filmmakers are concerned with. Purely aesthetic considerations recede into the background in light of the issues presented which we are facing on all levels.

Claus Mueller

filmexchange@gmail.com

READ one letter after the other....surprise video by Fabian and Fred  who will have their short DAEWIT in the festival.

SEEfest to Fete Romanian Cinema |First Ever Lifetime Achievement and Legacy Awards to be Presented on Opening Night at Writers Guild Theater In Beverly Hills

Los Angeles, CA - April 7, 2015 –The South East European Film Festival (SEEfest) (seefilmla.org) will celebrate a milestone 10th anniversary year in 2015, unveiling a robust program of feature films, documentaries and fiction, documentary and animation shorts.

Named one the best “under the radar” film festivals in America by Flavorwire in 2012, SEEfest continues to gain recognition and exposure within the world film festival circuit. The 2015 SEEfest is scheduled from April 30 – May 7, 2015, with screenings at Laemmle’s Music Hall Theatre in Beverly Hills and the Goethe-Institut Los Angeles, with select complimentary screenings at the Macha Theatre in West Hollywood.

Boasting its largest selection ever of award-winning works from the region, SEEfest will showcase North American and West Coast premieres of eight feature films, 11 documentaries, nine fiction shorts, seven documentary shorts, and 11 animation shorts, with attendance by filmmakers, industry professionals and cultural dignitaries from Los Angeles and South East Europe.

"SEEfest salutes Romanian cinema for everything it has given to the world in the last 15 years, pioneering a fresh new style of moviemaking, while making a splash on the international scene," comments Vera Mijojlic, founder and director of SEEfest. "Romanian filmmakers put the region 'on the map' with groundbreaking movies and gave voice to people in a way that has not been seen since the 1960’s Czech new wave and Yugoslav 'black film'." 

Highlights of the eight day festival include the opening night feature The Japanese Dog (Romania), directed by Tudor Cristian Jurgiu. In the drama, an old widower is forced to cope with the aftermath of the recent floods that devastated an entire village. A visit from his estranged son with a young Japanese family in tow stir deep-seated emotions on both sides.

The opening night gala, to be held at the prestigious Writers Guild Theater, will also feature SEEfest’s inaugural Lifetime Achievement and Legacy Awards, to be presented to legendary Romanian actor Victor Rebenguic, who stars in the evening’s feature presentation, and acting legend GeorgeChakiris, Academy and Golden Globe Award winner for his role as Bernardo in “West Side Story.”

Additional noteworthy selections include:

Bota (Albania/Italy) By directors, husband and wife team Iris Elezi and Thomas Logoreci, the film is the story of two young waitresses stuck in a roadside cafe where a middle-aged owner presides over a cast of odd patrons, including a construction crew building a new road.  The film was the Critics’ Prize Winner (FEDEORA Award) at the 2014 Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.

Cowboys (Croatia) A strong contender for the foreign language film category for the 2014 Academy Awards, the comedy, directed by Tomislav Mršić, is the story of eight outsiders in a deep Croatian province audition for a theater play, breaking every rule of stage craft.

It Takes Two To Fence (Romania) In the story, a former fencing champion is forced out of the sport by a serious injury, but gets a chance to reenter the fencing world as a coach. He is given the task of training a young woman, and a strong bond develops, leading to an intense romantic rivalry. A rising star on the international scene, the luminous Romanian actress Olimpia Melinte plays the lead role in the film directed by Andrei Gheorghe.

Down The River (Azerbaijan) Directed by Asif Rustamov, the sumptuously photographed psychological drama powers through rowing races in a provincial town where a coach is caught in a web of his own midlife crisis and a desire to win a trophy at the expense of his trainee son. The first ever title from Azerbaijan in the festival, the film was nominated for the ‘East of the West’ Award at the 2014 Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.

Rat Poison (Bulgaria/Romania) First debut feature by director Konstantin Burov, the comedy is a story of four young, petty thieves who meet in a juvenile hall on the eve of tectonic changes that swept Eastern Europe with the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Documentaries include:

Consumed (Croatia) With more than 30 million minutes of life behind them, a group of seniors are challenged to describe the most important minute in their life, within as many seconds as the number of years they have lived. Directed by Borut Šeparović.

The Cover Story (Croatia)

Despite monumental events in 2013 Croatia, the most popular news topic was the tragic death of Dolores Lambaša, a young actress whom all loved to hate. The documentary observes her final year and her intense relationship with the media.  Directed by Silvana Menđušić , the documentary is the winner of many international awards.

In the Dark (Serbia) A young coal miner working with his father in southeast Serbia struggles to carve out his own destiny and start a new life while still honoring his family’s expectations.  The film is the debut work by AFI graduate Goran Stankovic, one of the finalists for the Student Oscar Award in 2014, and was named an official selection at the 2014 IDFA festival.

Nadeshda (Germany/Bulgaria) Three children who live in Nadeshda, one of Bulgaria’s largest Roma ghettos, dream of becoming professional, classical musicians. Directed by Anna Frances Ewert and Falk Müller.

The complete schedule of films to be screened at SEEfest 2015 is now available online at www.seefilmla.org 

Each year, the festival also attracts a contingent of American and expat independent filmmakers who come to see new works and look for opportunities at SEEfest’s annual Business Conference.   Now in its seventh year, the conference is a free event and open to the public, connecting South East European filmmakers with their American counterparts and Hollywood executives. In the past, featured speakers have included representatives from Warner Brothers, Walt Disney Studio, Mace Neufeld Productions and Relativity Media.

About The South East European Film Festival (SEEfest)

SEEfest presents cinematic and cultural diversity of South East Europe to American audiences and creates cultural connections through films, artistic and social events. SEEfest was founded in 2006 by Vera Mijojlic, long-time film critic and cultural entrepreneur. 

Follow SEEfest at www.seefilmla.org, www.facebook.com/seefest, twitter.com/seefilmla

www.writersguildtheater.com

www.laemmle.com

www.goethe.de/ins/us/los/enindex.htm

www.machatheatre.org

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JULIEN DUBUQUE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 

KICK OFF EVENT FULL OF SURPRISES
Kate Mulgrew, Louie Psihoyos among special guests

The Julien Dubuque International Film Festival created some Hollywood-style buzz Tuesday night during its Kick Off party at Hotel Julien.

More than 200 people attended the event, which featured film trailers, Skype cameos from filmmakers, guest announcements, and more.

“I'm so excited for this year's festival,” said first-year Executive Director Susan Gorrell. “There is just so much going on and such a variety of events.”

One of the major announcements of the night was that all film screenings and events on the festival's opening day, Thursday, April 23, will be free.

“Thanks to one of our sponsors, Runde Auto Group, anyone can come and experience the festival that day,” Gorrell told the crowd. “We want to show people what we are all about and make it accessible to everyone.”

More than 35 films will be screened at 11 venues Thursday-Sunday, April 23-26, in downtown Dubuque.

Guests during the four-day festival will include bands such as BEATLEMANIA, TR3N, Di Sheldon, and FUSION, and comedians including Rell Battle (Laffapalooza & Comedy Central), Andy Sipes (Triptank & Adult Swim), and Guy Hutchison (Drunk on Disney).

Dubuque native and Academy-Award winner Louie Psihoyos (The Cove) will be in town for a red-carpet screening of his documentary “Racing Extinction” at 3 p.m., on Thursday, April 23, at Mindframe Theaters.

Actress Kate Mulgrew (Orange is the New Black), who was the honorary chair of the inaugural festival in 2012, will also be in town to introduce the Silent Film Showcase at 7 p.m. on Friday, April 24 at Five Flags. She will host a book signing at 7 p.m., Wednesday, April 22, in the Grand Ballroom at Hotel Julien.

A Writer's Panel, at 1:15 p.m. on Saturday, April 25 at the National Mississippi River Museum, will include a slew of Hollywood screenwriters, includingBrian Studler (Brothers & Sisters TV Series), Heather Hach (What to Expect When You're Expecting & Freaky Friday), Carl Ellsworth (Red Dawn & Disturbia), and Marilyn Atlas (Real Women Have Curves).

Hollywood stunt coordinator Monte Perlin (Men in Black 3 & Transformers: Dark of the Moon) will host a free stunt show at 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 25 at Five Flags Arena.

For continuously updated information and to buy tickets, visit www.julienfilmfest.com.

About the Julien Dubuque International Film Festival:

The Julien Dubuque International Film Festival (JDIFF) is a four-day celebration of independent film and special events that fosters connections and exposure to yield substantial results for the independent filmmaker. Named one of the Top 25 Coolest Film Festivals in the World by MovieMaker Magazine in 2013, JDIFF acknowledges emerging filmmakers from around the world, with a strong emphasis on discovering and encouraging new talent.

April 23-26, 2015, Dubuque, Iowa

VISIONFEST 15: THE OTHER FESTIVAL (VF15), dubbed ‘the American Classic’ and widely renowned and respected throughout the U.S. for its solid, quality programming, has officially announced its line-up and set off its advance, online ticket sales.  Running May 13 thru May 17 at Tribeca Cinemas (corner of Laight and Varick Streets in New York City), VF15, whose mission to “promote domestic filmmaking” is supported and propelled by its organizing entity, the Domani Vision Film Society, a not-for-profit organization, this year celebrates its fifteenth annual outing with a powerful and very diverse lineup of some of the finest American indie films on the festival circuit today.

Beginning with its “Official Opening Night Selection,” DESERT CATHEDRAL, the haunting debut feature from Travis Gutierrez Senger, VF15 explores more thematic paths and genre shifts than ever before.  In this opening night feature, a broken real estate developer, played by Lee Tergesen (Oz, Generation Kill, Monster), mysteriously disappears into the Southwest in 1992, leaving behind a series of VHS tapes to his employer and family. Without the aid of the police, his desperate wife hires a private investigator, played by Chaske Spencer (The Twilight Saga), to locate his whereabouts and bring him home.  When asked about the Selection Committee’s decision to include the film in this year’s line-up, VF15 co-director and programmer, Bruno Derlin stated: “How one film manages to keep you on the edge of your seat and, at the same time, pace itself with some of the most breathtaking and eloquently paced visual poetry you’ll ever see is beyond me.  This is the work of a true visionary.  We are so proud to be able to celebrate our fifteenth anniversary with such beautiful work.”  As always, all feature presentations are preceded by one or two shorts, and the opening night honors go to the experimental, THE TULIP CHAIR, by Courtney N. Marsh, and the riveting, dramatic powerhouse, SINA FORMA, by Garette Henson, which makes its World Premiere at VF15.

The “Special Centerpiece Selection” this year is reserved for ALTO, another debut feature in a completely different genre.  Here, writer-director Mikki del Monaco blends improbable love, the mob, and family non-conformity in a comedic tale whose tagline boasts “Two Girls. One Gun. The Mob. Because coming out to family is hard. But coming out to ‘family’ is funny.”  VF15 co-director and co-programmer, Frank Lewallen, called the film as “A breath of fresh air.  It’s clear to me that everyone in this movie had a blast making it and the love, passion, and dedication for the project are all too evident on the screen.”  The film, which features vibrant turns by Diana DeGarmo (American Idol) and Natalie Knepp (Orange Is The New Black), also stars Annabella Sciorra (The Sopranos, Don Peyote– she is also billed here as one of the producers).  The charming little tale, MOON PEOPLE, by Alexandra Grace, another World Premiere, precedes the feature, making this program the first, fully LGBT-themed block at VF.

“Official Closing Night Selection,” FRANK VS. GOD, by Stewart Schill (Big Time Rush, Charmed) offers a perfect blend of comedy, drama, and existentialism.  After his house is destroyed by a tornado (what his insurance company deems an "act of God"), former hotshot lawyer David Frank, played immaculately by Henry Ian Cusick (Lost, Hitman, Scandal) is determined that someone must pay. He decides to serve God... with a lawsuit.  VF15 producer, Jana Frindtova shared that:  “Films like this one make all the work we put into this festival worthwhile.  I laughed. I cried. I laughed again and cried from laughing so hard, but ultimately, I was entertained above and beyond anything that the local multiplex can offer these days.  I think everyone should see this film.  It says so much without ever preaching.  It stays with you long after the end credits have rolled.”  Paving the way for this divine showdown, the New York Premiere of the emotionally charged, DOUBLE NEGATIVE, a short by Brian Dilg.

The fourth narrative feature in the line-up is Lawrence Krauser’s WENDELL AND THE LEMON, which comes to VF15 on the trail of a very successful film festival run, which began this past January at Slamdance.  Kicking off this program will be THE CRUMB OF IT, the third piece of the widely acclaimed shorts trilogy, INTIMATE SEMAPHORES, by T.J. Misny.

The volume and the heat are cranked up for the festival’s Saturday evening block, with the New York Premiere of LORDS OF BSV, a feature documentary focusing on a new dance form called Brukup, directed by Maria Soccor,  Audiences will also be treated to the New York Premiere of PINKY, a short subject drama, written and directed by AFI alum, Dylan Paffe.

A slew of other narrative shorts (including the World Premieres of LULLABY by Start Valberg and CLOSE THE DOOR by Glen & Shaun Vivaris), docs, and experimental projects will be featured in several, thematically connected program blocks. A special ‘fundraising’ screening will take place on Thursday evening, May 14, when A SILENT STRUGGLE, a six-minute, experimental doc by Alexander Yakacki, which briefly explores with the lives and minds of four individuals battling various mental illnesses, is presented as part of the very eclectic A POTPOURRI OF VISIONS, block. A portion of the proceeds from this program will be donated to NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness, the nation's largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness.

MUSICAL VISIONS, a photo exhibit by Mark Doyle, will be unveiling at Tribeca Cinemas throughout the VF15 run.  The premiere showcase features a series of photographs of popular music artists performing live, which will be exhibited in the theater's bar/lounge, THE VARICK ROOM.  The exhibit, viewable throughout the entire film festival with the exception of Saturday, May 16, is free and open to the public and Mark Doyle is scheduled to be on hand for the opening and closing nights.

After a fairly long hiatus, the exciting VF sidebar initiative FKBK - For Kids By Kids returns to VF with a special Sunday semi-matinee program slated for May 17 at 4:30 pm. The program consists of films created by filmmakers under the age of 18 and is set up as a special "out of competition" screening, which will unveil three new films that will reignite the flame of a VF project that the festival hopes to enhance and continue for years to come. This year's lineup will kick off with three short works by Ava Kuslansky, followed by the experimental short, THE EMOTIONAL DIMENSIONS OF THE RIVER JAMES, by 15-year-old Michelle Marquez; the short doc, POET AGAINST PREJUDICE, by 17-year-old Faiza Almontaster, mentored by the late Albert Maysles as part of the non-profit BYkids program; and closing the program will be the East Coast Premiere of THAT BITES! - A DOCUMENTARY ABOUT FOOD ALLERGIES MADE BY A 12 YEAR-OLD BOY, a documentary by Jack Yonover.

VF15 is a competitive forum that annually announces nominations for its prospective IVA (Independent Vision Awards) honorees on opening night, following the first set of screenings. Nominees will be publicly announced that evening and then online, on Thursday, May 14.

VF15’s complete line-up and advance ticket sales are available at:  www.visionfest.com

Set at the historic Stanley Hotel, inspiration for Stephen King's THE SHINING, the Stanley Film Festival (SFF) Presented by Chiller, showcases the best in classic and contemporary horror cinema in beautiful Estes Park, Colorado. Sponsored by the NBC Universal horror network Chiller, the SFF will take place April 30-May 3, 2015. Produced by the Denver Film Society, the festival is dedicated to crafting a more interactive experience for genre filmmakers and fans. 

The SFF will host a series of events sure to satisfy even the most dedicated horror fans, while providing an opportunity for casual onlookers to experiment with what the festival has to offer. Last year, the Festival launched a variety of events to create a fully immersive experience. Many of those events will return this year, including the Immersive Horror Game. The game uses multiple media platforms and game elements to delve deep into a mystery/horror narrative that uses the Stanley Hotel and the Festival as a vehicle to engage its participants in a story that seamlessly exists concurrently with everyday life.

"The Stanley Hotel has always been an inspiration for so many great stories, it is the perfect backdrop to create a truly immersive horror retreat for those looking to celebrate the art of horror in all forms,"  says Denver Film Society Festival Director Britta Erickson. "We are looking forward to providing a platform for artists and attendees to tell their story and experience our four day carnival of curiosities."

Adding their unique brand of horror storytelling to this year's festival, Clay McLeod Chapman and Hanna Cheek return with The Pumpkin Pie Show, a pure campfire story experience for adults.  Back for a second year in a row, Glass Eye Pix will present The Stanley Edition of TALES FROM BEYOND THE PALE with hosts, Larry Fessenden and Glenn McQuaid. Tales will feature two brand new radio plays, recorded live at the Historic Park Theater, performed by special guests of the Festival. Local band, Munly & the Lupercalians will provide musical accompaniment for the radio play.

Additional local musical acts include Snake Rattle Rattle Snake, who will bring their seductively venomous pulsing rhythms to Opening Night at the SFF along with Bad Luck City. The itchy-O Marching Band, a throbbing 32-piece band of masked chaos, will perform as part of a special Friday night event at the Stanley Hotel. Also on Friday, a special 40th Anniversary screening of Rocky Horror Picture Show at the Historic Park Theatre with Colorado's Elusive Ingredient Shadow Cast. Closing out the Festival, Ian Cooke will perform Saturday evening at the Closing Night Party.

Throughout the weekend, the 13th Floor Haunted House will transform the hotel grounds by bringing their terrifying experience from Denver to Estes Park. The haunted house, voted scariest haunted house in the country by Fangoria (an official SFF Media Partner) will create a custom photo booth and happy hour scare zones for the third annual SFF. On Friday evening, Fangoria Entertainment and ShockTillYouDrop.com will bring Dead Right Horror Trivia from Los Angeles to Estes Park.

Screenings and special events at the Stanley Film Festival will take place at The Stanley Hotel and throughout Estes Park. All access packages to attend the Stanley Film Festival and stay at the historic hotel for all 3 nights of the festival are on sale now, starting at $666/person. Festival patron and ticket passes range from $95.00 (movie pass) to $295.00 for an all access patron pass.  Space is limited on all packages, so guests are encouraged to book early. For more information regarding ticket and hotel packages, visit www.StanleyFilmFest.com.

Important dates:

• April 2: Festival line-up announced
• April 9: Press Accreditation closes
• April 30: Festival Begins

Online & Social Media: www.stanleyfilmfest.com, "Like" SFF on Facebook (Facebook.com/StanleyFilmFest), "Follow" SFF on Twitter and Instagram (@StanleyFilmFest) , join the conversation using the hashtag #StanleyFilmFest

2015 Stanley Film Festival Sponsors:

PRESENTING: Chiller; HOST VENUES: The Stanley Hotel, Reel Mountain Theater, Historic Park Theater; GOVERNMENT: Colorado Tourism Office, Colorado Office of Film, Television and Media, Town of Estes Park; MEDIA: Badass Digest, Fangoria, Shock Til You Drop, Daily Dead, Bloody Disgusting, IndieWire, Crave Online; COMMUNITY: 13th Floor Haunted House, Estes Park Shuttle; EVENT: Ghost Pines, Kronenbourg , Sysco; FESTIVAL FRIENDS: Zerosun Pictures, Fandor, Scream Factory!, CEAVCO Audio Visual 

2015 SPECIAL EVENTS

Le MIAFF: Montreal International Animation Film Festival

April 16th to April 19th

4 days of animation feature films, shorts workshops, panel discussions, interactive performances, animation themed parties Alice in Wonderland. Reggae Night and opening and closing parties to be held at Rosalie on de la montagne.

Partnerships :
TELETOON and Printemps numerique ally with le MIAFF presenting industry professionals in animation for cinema and television and gaming. Technology in all it’s forms. In partnership with filmfestivals.com

Adult and interactive themed opening event.

The Festival will open with the restored version for the 40th year anniversary of  X-rated Shame of the Jungle voiced by John Belushi, Bill Murray and Johnny Weissmuller Jr. Shame of the Jungle (Original title Tarzoon, la honte de la jungle)French/Belgiananimated film directed by cartoonist Picha and Boris Szulzinger.

Pre opener The Land of the Magic Flute: A live interactive music performance Of Mozart’s Magic Flute produced by the German Interactive Media Foundation music performed live composer Montreal composer Philippe Lambert opens the ceremonies.

The opening will stream worldwide live with M.
M is a streaming service for film festivals determined to help filmmakers gain recognition, distribution, and reach.  

Homage
Cult Classic Heavy Metal will screen with director Gerald Potterton in the house!

Thematic short section are:

LA FEMME, EMERGING CINEMAS, HE(ART), DEATH & HORROR

OFFSPRING: CHILDREN, FURRY COSMOS: ANIMALS/NATURE

SCI-FI & UFO’S, EXPERIMENTAL , I HAVE AN ISSUE, FIRST NATIONS

A Bird in a Cage world premiere from the UK is a 19 minute short documentary animation that revives the story of Margaret Mackworth a pioneer of the suffragette society in the UK.

We have winners for you: Best of Fests

Annecy Int’l Animation Film Festivals,

Ottawa International Film Festival,

Kanata First Nations collection,

Fantasporto,

HollyShorts,

The Montreal Stop Motion Film Festival,
ECU...

Beauty, is an exquisite short, an ode to the Italian renaissance - one of our Best of Fantasporto Film Festival discoveries. 

World of Tomorrow by Don Hertzfeldt (Grand Jury Prize at Sundance Film Festival / Best Animated Short, SXSW Best Animated Short)

Program of Conference Panels & Masterclasses

Animaze Days offers a 3 day conference program including a dozen events with  stop motion master Oscar winner Co Hoedeman, Erik Goulet, a live dance performance with  Zelma Badu, interactive performances will engage the audience with the art of animation in all it’s forms.

Conference and industry networking events at our venues at Concordia University Hall Cinema and deSeve theatres in downtown Montreal.

Maya Eriksson of the German Interactive Media Foundation producers of The Magic Flute and director Fons Scheidon share the experience of creating the graphic novel.

The NFB on LSD: In Conversation with Christopher Nutter

From musician and filmmaker off the beaten path Chris shares his fascinating perspective of the NFB during the psychedelic era shares stories of Arthur Lipsett who refused Stanley Kubrick’s request to create the title sequence for Dr. Strangelove, Norman McClaren the lion in the hallway and tales of Montreal legendary animator Ryan Larkin and more.

Gerald Potterton: In Conversation

Director of the iconic cult film Heavy Metal three time Oscar nominee shares his stories animating the Beatles Yellow Submarine, directing Buster Keaton and a spin of his rare record collection including a never heard before soundtrack composed by Ringo Starr.

Graphic Alphabet Le Miaff Animaze Gif  Installation by Fabian and Fed where each letter is a piece of art.

Wearable technology: Subconscious content

Researchers are finding evidence that our decisions are driven by the subconscious and emotional response. Learn about measuring human reaction to content and how these biometric measurement tools such as SENSUM wearable technology evaluates engagement level of the audience to content. http://sensum.co/

Poster Artist 2015: Tom Tassel www.tomtassel.com/

Signal clip 2015 by Steve Woloshen

Watch the clip on our youtube channel

La Battle des Ecoles - School Contest

Featuring schools from Quebec offering  each 3 best shorts (end of tuition student works)

·         UQAM

·         Concordia

·         CEGEP de Vieux Montreal

·         CEGEP de bois de Boulogne

·         Dawson College

·         CEGEP de Matane

·         NAD

Animaze 2015 Jury

Mike Wiesemeier

Mike began his drawing studies in the early 1980’s at Brandes Art Institute, in Reseda, California. Several years later he began working in the animation industry, beginning with small studios including Morgan Interactive and Colossal Pictures in San Francisco, and Philips Interactive in Los Angeles.

His career in feature animation began at Walt Disney Feature Animation in 1994, where he worked on six feature films including “Pocahontas”, “The Hunchback of Notre Dame”, “Hercules”, “Fantasia 2000″, “Tarzan”, and “Beauty and the Beast”. He worked at Walt Disney Animation Australia, and in Valencia, Spain as a supervisor on the animated film “El Cid: The Legend”.

Mike’s teaching career began while working at the Disney studio in Los Angeles, when he taught animation at the American Animation Institute, and at CalArts. In 2003 Michael taught life drawing to computer animators in Boulder, Colorado, and animal drawing at the Denver Zoo and San Diego Zoo. In 2004 he became a faculty instructor at the Art Institutes of California, teaching life drawing, animation, sculpture for animation, and character design. In 2005 he also taught figure drawing for 3D animators at Gnomon School of Visual Effects in Hollywood.

Since 2005 Mike has been a guest lecturer at many world class museums in Los Angeles, including The Getty Center Museum, The Getty Villa, The Huntington Library and Art Collections, and The Norton Simon Museum of Art, and Palazzo Strozzi in Florence. In 2007 Mike moved to Florence, Italy to study classical painting. He also continued his teaching here, at the animation school Nemo Academy, and other institutions such as New York University, Syracuse University, and Florence University of the Arts. In 2012 Mike moved to Montréal, Canada where he worked as Animation Director for top video game studio Square Enix/Eidos. He’s now a member of our  ANIMAZE 2015 Jury !

Randall Finnerty

Randall Finnerty was born and raised in Timmins, Ontario. He studied Fine Arts at York University in Toronto, Sheridan College in Oakville and at the Ontario College of Art & Design in Toronto. Since 1997, he has been involved in numerous productions of animated short films at the National Film Board of Canada as a digital imaging artist and, since 2007, as Senior Computer Graphics Animator. In addition, he is a practicing visual artist who regularly exhibits work, in various galleries and Maisons de la culture.

Awards Animaze 2015

SCHOOL CONTEST –  BATTLE DES ECOLES

Winning school
The winning school will be promoted with a link in the film school section on filmfestivals.com and with a featured article on filmfestivals.com

3 winning filmmakers
Each winning filmmaker will receive
1 Toon Boom software

1 promo package with filmfestivals.com valued 1.000 euros

Free profile editing assistance with personalization
Promotion of the film’s award on the website’s homepage
Promotion of the film award in filmfestivals.com newsletter 192 000 subscribers
Promotion of your profile / synopsis in the film showcase section of the website top of list 3 months
Screening of your film in Cannes at Off de Cannes May 16-17, at Annecy off (june) and during Animation Day location to be determined

BEST FILM (feature film)

The  winner will receive a festival trophy

1 vintage film poster by movieposters.com

1 a promo package with filmfestivals.com valued 1.500 euros
Free profile editing assistance with personalization
Promotion of the film’s award on the website’s homepage
Promotion of the film award in filmfestivals.com newsletter 192 000 subscribers
Promotion of your profile / synopsis in the film showcase section of the website top of list 3 months
Festival push: Promotion of your film to festival programmers worldwide in a shared eBlast to 13 000 festival contacts (twice)

AUDIENCE AWARD (feature film)

The  winner will receive a festival trophy
1 film poster by movieposters.com

BEST STORY (feature film)

The  winner will receive a festival trophy
1 vintage film poster by movieposters.com

SENSUM AWARD (best emotion response in a short, documentary of feature film)

1 film poster by movieposters.com
1 coupon for a bouquet of flowers

BT Interviews

The MIAFF animation festival

There’s a new festival in Montreal exclusively focused on animation in cinema and technology. Festival director Laurie Gordon talks to Alex Despatie about the Montreal International Animation Film Festival.

Kicking off in less than 2 weeks, HÕFF's annnounces it's red hot Méliès’ d’Argent program, a selection of the best genre shorts from last year in the Little Nightmares and two Estonian short fantasy features' world premieres. 
Special events will include the annual parade, anniversary parties and a parcour and kung-fu master running a workshop on how to deal with zombie attacks.

THE RIVIERA MAYA FILM FESTIVAL 2015 APRIL 23RD – 29TH

More than 70 Films from Around the World, Including the Critically Acclaimed ‘Burying the Ex’ and Asia Argento’s ‘Incompresa,’ Have Been Selected To Screen During the 2015 Riviera Maya Film Festival

The Riviera Maya Film Festival (RMFF) today announced its official program of domestic and international films to be screened at this year’s annual event (April 23rd–29th). Continuing its mission to promote and distribute the most outstanding productions of the global film industry, the fourth edition of the RMFF will feature three Mexican-production world premieres, 53 international premieres in Mexico, a wide variety of Latin American premieres and about 200 free screening sessions compose our program.

The competitive sections of the Festival are Mexican Platform, in which the jury bestows two Kukulkan Awards endowed with 300,000 MXN each and a Kukulkan Youth Jury Award, endowed with 100,000 MXN; the RivieraLAB/Co-production Forum, where two selected projects will receive a financial incentive of 200,000 MXN each; and the RivieraLAB/Work in Progress, where two selected projects will receive a financial incentive of 100,000 MXN each. In total, the Festival grants 1,300,000 MXN in awards and prizes.

"We are constantly trying to create a festival that has what is important: a solid program with guests that represent it. We will have 70 films, from which 53 are premiering nationwide. Thus, RMFF brings an added value to the people and visitors of Riviera Maya", said Paula Chaurand, director of the festival.

"What is important about festivals, film shows and events that promote national film production, is not for them to be numerous, but to have an identity of their own,” said Cristina Prado Arias, Director for Cultural Film Promotion. “That is the match point of this festival –RMFF, as it was born with an identity that has respected and reinforced.”

"The importance of RivieraLAB lies in the fact that, through its activities, incentives and support for creators, it has achieved to get films released in and out of the country.” Said Sandra Gómez, RivieraLAB chief coordinator.

The Riviera Maya Film Festival will take place in Cancun, Puerto Morelos, Playa del Carmen, and Tulum, from April 23rd to the 29th.

Below you can find a selection of the films which will be shown at the 2015 Riviera Maya Film Festival:

GALAS

·         Burying the Ex (2014, United States) Director: Joe Dante 

·         Elvira, te daría mi vida pero la estoy usando (2014, Mexico) Director: Manolo Caro 

·         Incompresa (2014, Italy / France) Director: Asia Argento 

MEXICAN PLATFORM

The board composed by Maximiliano Cruz, Fernando del Razo and Claudio Zilleruelo has chosen 14 films from a total of 71 national films entering the call. All corresponding screenings will include special guests. The selected films are:

·         Alexfilm (2015, Mexico) Director: Pablo Chavarría 

·         El regreso del muerto (2014, Mexico) Director: Gustavo Gamou 

·         El señor de las 3 caídas (2015, Mexico) Director: Roberto Olivares Ruiz *World Premiere 

·         El silencio de la princesa (2014, Mexico) Director: Manuel Cañibe 

·         Ícaros (2015, France / Mexico) Director: Pedro González Rubio 

·         Juanicas (2014, Canada / Mexico) Director: Karina García Casanova

·         La maldad (2015, Mexico) Director: Joshua Gil 

·         Los muertos (2014, Mexico) Director: Santiago Mohar Volkow 

·         Lucifer (2014, Belgium / Mexico) Director: Gust Van den Berghe 

·         Me quedo contigo (2014, Mexico) Director: Artemio Narro 

·         Memoria oculta (2014, Mexico) Director: Eva Villaseñor 

·         Muchachas (2015, Mexico) Director: Juliana Fanjul 

·         Noche de resurrecciones (2015, Mexico) Director: Raúl Rico *World Premiere 

·         Plan sexenal (2014, Mexico) Director: Santiago Cendejas 

PLANETARIUM

The selected films deal with the juncture issues of today’s social structure. Planetarium takes a stand before aspects of the world: political, cultural, historical, social and environmental. The selected films are:

·         Atlas (2014, France) Director: Antoine d'Agata

·         La obra del siglo (2015, Argentina/Cuba/Switzerland/Germany) Director: Carlos Machado Quintela

·         Of Men and War (2014, France Switzerland/United States) Director: Laurent Bécue-Renard

·         Over the Years (2015, Austria) Director: Nikolaus Geyrhalter

·         The Postman's White Nights (2014, Russia) Director: Andrei Konchalovsky

·         Violencia (2015, Colombia / México) Director: Jorge Forero *Screening will be attended by special guests

WIDE AUDIENCE

A showcase of diverse outlooks aimed to mass audiences. Films arriving from diverse territories proffer ways, perhaps unheard, to entertainment. The selected films are:

·         3 Hearts (2014, France/Germany/Belgium) Director: Benoît Jacqot

·         Among the Living (2014, France) Directors: Alexandre Bustillo and Julien Maury

·         Buzzard (2014, U.S.A.) Director: Joel Potrykus

·         Caprice (2015, France) Director: Emmanuel Mouret *Screening will be attended by special guests

·         Cub (2014, Belgium) Director: Jonas Govaerts

·         Don't Go Breaking My Heart 2 (2014, Hong Kong/China) Director: Johnnie To

·         Fires on the Plain (2014, Japan) Director: Shin'ya Tsukamoto

·         Girlhood (2014, France) Director: Céline Sciamma *Screening will be attended by special guests

·         Goodnight Mommy (2014, Austria) Directors: Severin Fiala, Veronika Franz *Screening will be attended by special guests

·         Los hongos (2014, Colombia/France/Argentina/Germany) Director: Óscar Ruiz Navia *Screening will be attended by special guests

·         Queen and Country (2014, Ireland/France/Rumania) Director: John Boorman

·         Results (2015, EEUU) Director: Andrew Bujalski *Screening will be attended by special guests

·         The Golden Era (2014, China/Hong Kong) Director: Ann Hui

·         The Kidnapping of Michel Houellebecq (2014, France) Director: Guillaume Nicloux

·         The Midnight After (2014, Hong Kong) Director: Fruit Chan

·         Tokyo Tribe (2014, Japan) Director: Sion Sono

·         Victoria (2015, Germany) Director: Sebastian Schipper *Screening will be attended by special guests

·         Slow West (2015, United Kingdom-New Zeland) Director: John Maclean

AUTHOR PANORAMA

A film panorama for international film creators. The section exhibits alternative ways to tell stories, produce films and approach film language and diverse film genres.  The selected films are:

•        Big Father, Small Father and Other Stories (2015, Vietnam/France/Germany/Holland) Director: Phang Dang Di

•        Fort Buchanan (2014, France/Tunisia) Director: Benjamin Crotty *Screening will be attended by special guests

•        Heaven Knows What (2014, United States) Directors: Joshua and Ben Safdie *Screening will be attended by special guests

•        Hide and Seek (2014, United Kingdom/United States) Director: Joanna Coates

•        In the Basement (2014, Austria) Director: Ulrich Seidl

•        Iris (2014, United States) Director: Albert Maysles

•        La mujer de los perros (2015, Argentina) Directors: Laura Citarella and Veronica Llinás 

•        Le Paradis (2014, France) Director: Alain Cavalier

•        Lulú (2014, Argentina) Director: Luis Ortega *Screening will be attended by special guests

•        Mar (Chile / Argentina) Director: Dominga Sotomayor

•        Meurtre à Pacot (2014, Haiti/France/Norway) Director: Raoul Peck *Screening will be attended by special guests

•        Near Death Experience (2014, France) Directors: Benoît Delépine and Gustave Kervern

•        Red Amnesia (2014, China) Director: Wang Xiaoshuai

•        Saint Laurent (2014, France/Belgium) Director: Bertrand Bonello *Screening will be attended by special guests

•        Taxi (2015, Iran). Director: Jafar Panahi

•        The Forbidden Room (2015, Canada) Directors: Guy Maddin and Evan Johnson *Screening will be attended by special guests

•        The Kindergarten Teacher (2014, Israel/France) Director: Nadav Lapid *Screening will be attended by special guests

•        The Smell of Us (2014, France) Director: Larry Clark *Screening will be attended by special guests

RivieraLAB PRESENTS

A showcase for films that went through former editions of RivieraLAB, as projects. This fourth edition outstands the world premiere of the Mexican documentary Los días no vuelven, directed by Raúl Cuesta. The selected films are:

•        Adventure (2014, Kazakhstan) Director: Nariman Turebaev

•        El tiempo nublado (2014, Switzerland/Paraguay) Director: Arami Ullón

•        Feguibox (2015, Equatorial Guinea/Spain) Directors: Rubén Monsuy and Gabriel Amdur

•        La princesa de Francia (2014, Argentina) Director: Matías Piñeiro

•        Los días no vuelven (2015, Mexico) Director: Raúl Cuesta. * World Premiere *Screening will be attended by special guests

•        Ruined Heart! Another Love Story Between a Criminal & a Whore. (Philippines/Germany) Director: Khavn De la Cruz *Screening will be attended by special guests

•        The Iron Ministry (2014, China) Director: J. P. Sniadecki

SELECTION - RivieraLAB 2015

RivieraLAB is the project laboratory and the production incentive platform of the Riviera Maya Film Festival. It presents, in its two sections, Coproduction Forum and Work in Progress, film projects in stage of development and post-production, accordingly. In addition to pursuing coproduction, sales agency, international funding, distribution and alternative financing, the chosen projects compete for economic and in-kind support.

RivieraLAB/ Coproduction Forum 2015: 

From 94 projects entering the call from 20 countries, the members of the board, Sandino Saravia, Rebecca de Pas, Jorge Forero and Sandra Gómez, chose 9 projects in stage of development. The selected projects are:

•        Am I Demon (United States) Director: Joel Potrykus

•        Carroña (Mexico) Director: Sebastián Hiriart

•        Tiempo vertical (Spain) Director: Lois Patiño

•        Rojo (Argentina) Director: Benjamín Naishtat

•        Nona (Chile) Director: Camila José Donoso

•        Soy una estrella del rock (Mexico) Director: Raúl Fuentes

•        Mis violentas flores (Mexico) Director: Tin Dirdamal

•        Pistolero anónimo (Mexico) Director: Leo Marz, Angel Marz

•        Mariana (Colombia) Director: Chris Gude

RivieraLAB / Work in Progress 2015:

From 93 projects that entered the call from 22 countries, the members of the board, John Campos, Gonzalo de Pedro, Susana Santos, Sandra Gómez and Maximiliano Cruz, chose 7 projects with a cut in post-production stage. The selected projects are:

•        La balada del Oppenheimer Park (Mexico) Director: Juan Manuel Sepúlveda

•        Lazar (Macedonia/Croatia/Bulgaria/France) Director: Svetozar Ristovski

•        I, Olga Hepnarova (Czech Republic/Poland Slovakia/France) Directors: Petr Kazda and Tomas Weinreb

•        El rastreador de estatuas (Chile) Director: Jerónimo Rodríguez

•        ¿Dónde estás? (Mexico) Director: Maricarmen Merino

•        Maquinaria Panamericana (Mexico) Director: Joaquín del Paso

•        Silenciosa (Argentina) Director: Sofía Medrano

PENINSULAB: Training workshop for producers and directors of the Mexican Southeast

PENINSULAB was created by RivieraLAB to enable counseling and follow up for 3 projects selected from the CAI Audiovisual Itinerating Camp, given by lecturers and special guests of RivieraLAB 2015.  

CAI is an initiative that promotes production and development of audiovisual projects for communities of the State of Oaxaca. The program arranges workshops, training, meeting, and exhibition of the projects.

PENINSULAB together with CAI share the purpose of contributing to decentralization of the film culture in Mexico. We believe that quality films can and should be accessible to everyone. Beyond technical effort and high budget, the most important aspect of filmmaking is the common language and the stories to be told.

TEACHINGS/RMFF 2015

In order to take the next step regarding the exchange between film creators and audiences, the Riviera Maya Film festival has created TEACHINGS/RMFF 2015, a program for gatherings, conversations and master classes that will be held on April 26 and 27 in Playa del Carmen.

It intends to bring the audience closer to the experience of filmmaking, through the teachings of important creators. TEACHINGS/RMFF 2015 brings a complete schedule of academic activities, lecturers and disciplines such as direction, performance, production, sound design or scriptwriting.

Among the lecturers that will be attending the event, we have: Asia Argento, Joshua Safdie, Gust van den Berghe, Pedro González Rubio, Evan Johnson and Nathalia Acevedo. The complete list of lecturers will soon be announced.

 For further information please visit www.rmff.mx 

The nine-day event showcases the best in web series, storytelling apps, and other Transmedia, as well as underground and off-beat independent film, filling a need for boundary-pushing artists whose work is not exhibited at more traditional festivals. 

May 1-10, 2015
 

STIFF presents its 11th festival with a new name and exciting new program. Newly re-dubbed as the “Seattle TRANSMEDIA and Independent Film Festival,” STIFF 2015 will offer an impressive slate of web series, video game concepts, storytelling apps for mobile phone and tablet, and social media narratives in addition to some of the best truly independent films from around the world.  This year’s festival will take place May 1-9 in six venues, including three new spaces, and a multi level gallery space where non-traditional work can best be exhibited.  

Until last year (2014) the festival was known as the Seattle True Independent Film Festival. Says STIFF Director of Programming Will Chase, “We noticed there wasn’t a home for a rapidly growing genre of storytelling and interactive experiences, and we wanted to help fill that void. Transmedia is part of the future of independent filmmaking, and the time has come to put these works on display in their many forms.” Chase intends for the festival to help artists build an audience, and encourage them to continue telling their stories across one medium and then another as the needs of the story grows and changes, rather than confining them to one format to suit festival exhibition.

The question “What is Transmedia?” has been cropping up increasingly over the past few years, and STIFF is making its move to become one of very few festivals to display a curated selection of responses to that question. Always a champion of independent, local, underground, experimental and zero-budget films and filmmakers, the festival now opens its arms even wider to encompass alternative and emerging forms of storytelling.

“We showcase artists and storytellers who are pushing the boundaries of their medium and working across multiple mediums to create memorable experiences for our audience,” says STIFF’s executive director, Tim Vernor.

Highlights include
 

• The world premiere of Seattle-based filmmaker Jen Marlowe’s “WitnessBahrain.” The documentary is a piercing look into Bahrain two years after the Arab Spring. Marlowe uncovered stories of doctors tortured for treating protesters, nurses treating injured youth at underground clinics, and the arrest of children and prominent human rights defenders. Marlowe entered Bahrain under false pretenses, filming clandestinely before being deported. The resulting guerilla-style documentary captures an intimate portrayal of Bahrain's uprising.
   

• Phoenix Run is a transmedia franchise consisting of a web series, a console/mobile video game, a comic book series, an interactive digital comic, and episodic online/mobile content. Set in a near post-pandemic future where superheroes and zombies exist, a street-smart smuggler takes a job to hijack a vaccine shipment, and finds himself in possession of an experimental serum that could cure the world’s Superhuman pandemic.

• Pirate Fishing is a ground-breaking interactive web game that allows the gamer to learn how to expose the multi-million dollar illegal fishing trade affecting West Africa’s poorest people. It’s based on a report by journalist Juliana Ruhfus “Pirate Fishing”, made for the Al Jazeera series People & Power, and has been nominated for the Royal Television Society Awards.

• Assent is an immersive documentary developed in the Unity game engine for theOculus Rift Virtual Reality headset. This autobiographical immersive documentary puts the user in the footsteps of creator Oscar Raby's father, who in 1973 was a 22-year-old army officer stationed in the north of Chile on the day when the Caravan of Death came to his regiment. Assent invites the user to witness that day through his father’s eyes.

Throughout the Festival, in addition to the sit-down cinema presentations of features, documentaries and shorts packages STIFF-goers love and expect, STIFF will showcase transmedia projects in gallery spaces, at interactive play centers, and during Festival parties and networking events.

Last year's event showcased a potent blend of over 130 films, plus alternative music happenings, wild parties, and after-hours shenanigans.

Join STIFF for the biggest achievements in independent, underground, off-beat, experimental, and cutting-edge film and new media, right here in Seattle.

Full schedule and tickets will be available at: www.trueindependent.org

PORTLAND, OR—Portland Film Festival (September 1st – 7th, 2015) is excited to announce its Call for Entries in all categories including student, transmedia, web, short and feature length films.

The largest and most highly attended film festival in Oregon in 2013, PDXFF presented over 145 features/documentary films and short films to an audience of more than 525,000 (23k in person and over 500k online). The festival had over 300 volunteers, 236 visiting and local cast and crew from showcased films and attracted over 1200 filmmakers to the city-wide event.

The Festival was named one of the “coolest festivals in the world,” by MovieMaker Magazine in 2014, and included in the “50 Festivals Worth the Entry Fee” in 2015.

Portland's love for film (Portland has more independent movie theaters in the heart of its city per capita than any other city in the world besides Paris.) makes the city the most appropriate setting for new films to be seen, tested, and celebrated by everyone - fan and filmmaker alike.

Attendees and alumni of the film festival include Eli Roth, Justin Long, Haley Joel Osment, Abby Elliott, Chris Williams, Chuck Palahniuk, Jason Mamoa, Doug Benson, Wendy Froud, Brian Froud, Toby Froud, Penny Lane, Chelsea Cain, Daniel Wilson, Chelsey Reist, Isaac Feder, James Franco, Lorenza Izzo, Matt Walsh, Susan Sarandon, Michael Tully, Ryan Murdock, Kelly Reichardt, Kris Kaczor, Bryan Storkel, Leah Warshawski, Daryl Hannah, Vivian Norris, Karney Hatch, Jon Matthews, Dana Nachman, Mitchell Jackson, John Jeffcoat, Shawn Telford, Leah Meyerhoff, Mark Raso, David Zellner, Bradley King and more.

In 2015, we’ll be introducing our Golden Axe Award (Visiting filmmakers will get an opportunity to throw axes with professional supervision by a local Forestry Club.) PDXFF is proud to offer over $22,000 in prizes and awards.

Prizes and Awards

These juried awards are given for excellence in filmmaking, form and content. Additional prizes of goods and services will also be awarded:

• New Directors Competition (International 1st and 2nd time directors)

• $500 Narrative Competition

• $500 Documentary Competition

• $250 Short Film: Narrative

• $250 Short Film: Documentary

• $250 Music Video

• $400 Screenplay: Unproduced screenplay

• $20,000 Screenplay: Oregon Production Film Grant including crew and equipment to produce your project.

• $500 Midnight Screening – Best Film in the Universe Award
   

Submission Deadlines (may vary with category)

• Regular: April 14, 2015

• Late Deadline: May 6, 2015

• Withoutabox Final: May 15, 2015

• Final Deadline: May 22, 2015

Submission Categories
Professionals, amateur and student filmmakers working in all aesthetic disciplines, lengths and genres including but not limited to narrative, documentary, animation, web, transmedia, music video, experimental of varied lengths from feature, short to micro are welcome to submit.

• All genres

• All lengths and mediums (ie. feature, short, web, transmedia)
   

Submission Platforms

• Withoutabox

• Film Freeway

• Film Festival Life

• Direct Submission

Submit your film | Submit your screenplay

SBIFF’s ongoing film showcase “The Wave Film Festival” announces its highly anticipated line up for the 2nd edition. This edition will focus solely on an eclectic mix of brand new Spanish and Latin American films. The five day festival begins Wednesday April 29 and continues through Sunday, May 3, 2015 at the Riviera Theatre.
 
Recently, SBIFF Executive Director Roger Durling appointed longtime Senior Programmer Mickey Duzdevich as Director of the Wave Film Festival. Said Mickey, “I'm excited for our newest edition of The Wave Film Festival as it will be a delight to honor Santa Barbara's Spanish and Latin American culture through the art of cinema. We've put together a fantastic group of new films from around the Spanish speaking world that I am sure everyone will love."
 
The official schedule, passes and tickets are available at www.sbiff.org.
 

THE LINEUP
 
BEHAVIOR (CONDUCTA)
Written and Directed by Ernesto Daranas
 
Chala is eleven years old and lives alone with his drug addict mother. He trains fighting dogs for a living, and this world of violence sometimes surfaces when he is at school. Carmela is his sixth grade teacher, for whom the boy feels affection and respect. One day she becomes ill and musts give up the school for several months. The new teacher, unable to understand Chala’s behaviour, sends him off to a reeducation school. When Carmela returns, she rebels against this measure and other transformations her class has been subjected to. The relation-ship between the veteran teacher and the boy grows stronger, but this mutual commitment will jeopardize their continuance at the school.
 
BETIBÚ
Directed by Miguel Cohan 

When a renowned Argentine industrialist accused of murdering his wife is found dead at his home in an exclusive gated compound, the well known novelist Nurit Iscar (known as Betibú) is contracted to cover the story for a national newspaper. Teaming up with the paper’s veteran but now demoted crime reporter and the new US and Spanish-educated section head, whose interests initially lie elsewhere, the trio soon realise that this is no random crime but rather one in a series of murders that goes to the heart of the establishment. Mercedes Morán (Argentina’s Helen Mirren) takes centre stage in this taut, stylish conspiracy thriller where office politics blend with institutional corruption. Adapted from Claudia Piñeiro’s bestselling novel, Betibú offers noirish tones, narrative intrigue and an absorbing plot where nothing can be taken for granted.
 
DUST ON THE TONGUE (TIERRA EN LA LENGUA)
Written and Directed by Rubén Mendoza
 
Despite family patriarch Don Silvio’s abusive behavior toward friends and family, his magnetism has allowed him to remain the center of attention his entire life. When his death is imminent, he makes an unusual request—he asks two of his grandchildren to help him die. Will they take revenge? With an impeccable direction of actors and a seamless flow between fiction, documentary, and mockumentary, Rubén Mendoza displays surprising skill and boldness as he navigates the sensitive subject of veiled hostility between parents and offspring.
 
FLOWERS (LOREAK)
Directed by Jon Garaño and Jose Mari Goenaga

Basque construction worker Beñat expresses his secret love for the unhappily married, childless Ane (Nagore Aramburu), the female administrator on his worksite, by sending her anonymous, immaculately composed flower bouquets once a week. When Beñat is unexpectedly killed in a car accident, the flowers stop and so does the only brightness in Ane’s life – but when she uncovers the truth of her secret admirer, Ane begins to leave her own elaborate flower bouquets at the site of Beñat’s death, once a week. This leads Beñat’s unhappy widow, Lourdes, and his busybody mother, Tere (Itziar Aizpuru, star of For 80 Days), to learn there was more to their beloved Beñat than they thought they knew, and resolve to learn the truth from the unsuspecting Ane.
 
MAGICAL GIRL
Written and Directed by Carlos Vermut
 
Alicia, a sick child who dreams with the dress of her favorite Japanese series Magical Girl Yukiko. Luis, her father, will try to do everything in his hand to achieve it. But his fate intersects with Barbara, an attractive young woman with mental disorders and with Damian, a teacher retired from everything but from his troubled past. Luis, Barbara and Damian will be trapped in a world of blackmails, where instincts and reason will struggle in a tragic battle, changing their lives forever.
 
MARSHLAND (LA ISLA MÍNIMA)
Directed by Alberto Rodríguez

An atmospheric and highly-skilled detective story in the strong and dark tradition of Zodiac and The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, Alberto Rodriguez’s Marshland is one of the most awarded films in Goya Award history, winning 10 statuettes at the annual Spanish Academy Award ceremony this year.  (Only The Sea Inside and Ay, Carmela! have won more.)
 
Set in 1980 in the wetlands of Rio Guadalquivir in southern Spain, Marshland has a palpable sense of heavy unease. Two teenage girls have disappeared, and two Madrid policemen arrive to investigate – Juan (Javier Gutierrez, winner of the Best Actor Goya) and Pedro (Raul Arevalo, in a very different role than his comedic turn in the Festival’s closing night film, Sidetracked).  Yet suspicion and hostility mark from the townspeople, including the victims’ own parents, greet them.  Ensnarled in upsetting discoveries and clues that only deepen the confusion and mystery, Marshland explores more than a potential murder – it upends the fearsome heart of a conservative faction of Spain still traumatized by the harsh light of post-Franco liberalism.
 
MR. KAPLAN
Written and Directed by Álvaro Brechner

Jacob Kaplan lives an ordinary life in Uruguay. Like many of his other Jewish friends, Jacob fled Europe for South America because of World War II. But now turning 76, he’s become rather grumpy, fed up with his community and his family’s lack of interest in its own heritage.
 
One beach bar may, however, provide him with an unexpected opportunity to achieve greatness and recover his family’s respect in the community : its owner, a quiet, elderly German, raises Mr. Kaplan suspicion of being a runaway Nazi.
 
Ignoring his family’s concerns about his health, Jacob secretly recruits Contreras, a more loyal than honest former police officer, to help him investigate. Together, they will try to repeat the historic capture of Adolf Eichmann : by unmasking and kidnapping the German and secretly taking him to Israel.
 
NEGOTIATOR
Written and Directed by Borja Cobeaga


Manu Aranguren is a Basque politician who acts as a mediator for the Spanish government in its negotiations with ETA. Far from being a solemn, calculated occasion, unexpected occurrences, slip-ups or misunderstandings soon kick in to influence the dialogue. And the personal relationship between negotiators will be key in solving the conflict.
 
ONE FOR THE ROAD (EN EL ÚLTIMO TRAGO)
Directed by Jack Zagha
 
Three eighty-year-old men embark in a road trip in order to fulfil the dying wish of a lifelong friend. In spite of the disapproval of their families and the limitations of their advanced age, they find themselves involved in a series of comical misadventures and meet a cast of colourful characters. Their journey alters their sense of self and their place in the world. There is, indeed, life after 80! 
 
SPANISH AFFAIR (OCHO APELLIDOS VASCOS)
Directed by Emilio Martínez-Lázaro

No film in 2014 has tapped the Spanish zeitgeist to the astonishing level represented by Emilio Martínez-Lázaro’s Spanish Affair (Ocho apellidos vascos). On the surface, the film is a light-hearted, witty romantic comedy in the vein of Martínez-Lázaro’s earlier successes, including The Other Side of the Bed. In a Seville nightclub, stand-up comic Rafa (Dani Rovira) is smitten with the fiery Amaia (Clara Lago), and impulsively follows her trail back to her native Basque country after she leaves his bed the next morning. Amaia is none-too-pleased by Rafa’s lovelorn attentions, but he provides a convenient cover for her just-broken engagement, which she wishes to hide from her father Koldo.
 
THE SECOND MOTHER (QUE HORAS ELA VOLTA?)
Directed by Anna Muylaert 

Val is the kind of live-in housekeeper who takes her work seriously. She wears a crisp maid's uniform while serving perfect canapés; she serves her wealthy São Paulo employers day in and day out while lovingly nannying their teenage son whom she's raised since toddlerhood. Everyone and everything in the elegant house has its place until one day, Val’s ambitious, clever daughter Jessica arrives from Val’s hometown to take the college entrance exams. Jessica’s confident, youthful presence upsets the unspoken yet strict balance of power in the household; Val must decide where her allegiances lie and what she's willing to sacrifice.

 
 
This project is funded in part by Cultural Promotion Funds provided by the City of Santa Barbara in partnership with the Santa Barbara County Arts Commission.
 
Passes and tickets for The Wave Film Festival are available now. To purchase or for more information, visit www.sbiff.org or call 805-963-0023.
 
Santa Barbara International Film Festival is a 501(c)(3) non-profit arts and educational organization dedicated to discovering and showcasing the best in independent and international cinema. SBIFF offers 11 days of 200+ films, tributes and symposiums that transforms beautiful downtown Santa Barbara, CA into a rich destination for film lovers which attract more than 90,000 attendees. SBIFF continues its commitment to education and the community through free programs like its 10-10-10 Student Filmmaking and Screenwriting Competitions, Mike’s Field Trip to the Movies, National Film Studies Program, AppleBox Family Films, 3rd Weekend and educational seminars. In recent years SBIFF has expanded its year round presence with regular screenings and Q&As with programs like Cinema Society, The Showcase and its Wave Film Festivals.  For more information, please visit www.sbiff.org.