The 6th Annual Iranian Film Festival - San Francisco film line ups announced. September 28-29, 2013 ~ www.IranianFilmFestival.org

Our short film Mitchell has received a distribution offer from The Canadian Filmmakers Distribution Centre and a licence deal from Shorts, The Short Movie Channel.

Canada's Top Ten  - Toronto International Film Festival
People's Choice - Atlantic International Film Festival
People's Choice - Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival
Best Documentary - Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival
Spirit of Independents Award - Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival
Special Jury Award - Hawaii International Film Festival
Best Musical Composition - France World Festival of Underwater Pictures
Prix Planete Thalassa - France World Festival of Underwater Pictures
Best of the Festival - Palm Springs International Film Festival
Best International Doc - Beverly Hills Hi-Def Festival
Best HD Feature - AFI Dallas International Film Festival
Audience Choice - Award for Best Feature Gen Art Film Festival
Grand Jury Award for Best Feature Gen Art Film Festival
Peter Benchley Shark Conservation Award Shark Research Institute
Special Jury Award 15 Short Film Festival – Charlotte, NC
Must-See Award (Category: Wake-Up Films) Telluride Mountain Film Festival
Hero of Conservation – Water Category Conservation for the Oceans Foundation
Top Ten Films Cambridge Film Festival
Jameson Audience Award for Best International Documentary Encounters South African Int’l Doc. Festival
Best Documentary Film - Nominee Critics Choice Awards
Animal Action Award International Fund for Animal Welfare
Best Documentary Directors Guild of Canada
Best Of The Festival Santa Barbara Ocean Film Festival
Best Sound - Nominee Golden Reel Awards
Best Documentary - Nominee Genie Awards
Best Environmental Film of 2008 National Ocean Film Festival Alliance
Best Feature Documentary Genesis Awards
Audience Award Durban Int'l Film Festival, S.A.
Activism through Adventure Adventure Film Festival 2008 Boulder, CO
Theatrical Award - Nominated Wildscreen 2008 Panda Award
Documentary Award Bergen Int'l Film Fest
Shark Guardian Award 2009 Haischutzorganisation International SHARK PROJECT
Environment Vision Award Retinitis Pigmentosa International
Viewers Choice Green Jerusalem International Film Competition, Israel
Diver magazine’s Publication of the Year. www.divernet.com
Best Film on Mountain Culture and Environment New Zealand Mountain Film Festival
Notable Videos for Adults ALA Video Round Table Notable Video for Adults
Environmental Enlightenment (Documentary) Visalia Independent Film Festival

The Poster

September 3, 2013 - Fifty feature-length fiction and documentary films from the Caribbean, its diaspora and world cinema will screen as part of the 2013 trinidad+tobago film festival (ttff), which takes place September 17th through October 1st, the Festival announced during a press conference today at the Hyatt Regency Trinidad.

Of the 50 features, 23 are Caribbean and diaspora films, which represent 14 countries. Five of the films will be world premieres, while nine will enjoy their Caribbean premiere, and one its international premiere.

Additionally, 15 of the Caribbean and diaspora films will be in official competition, for one or more of four jury awards: Best Narrative Feature, Best Documentary Feature, Best T&T Feature and Best Caribbean Film by an International Filmmaker.

Twenty-six of the features are world cinema selections that will screen in the Festival’s Panorama section. This section comprises films from Latin and North America, as well as from Trinidad and Tobago’s “heritage” regions, including countries in Africa and Europe, India, and, for the first time, China.

The Nigerian-British co-production Half of a Yellow Sun, directed by Biyi Bandele, will be the opening night gala film, while Jeroen Leinders’ Tula: The Revolt, one of the Caribbean features, will close the Festival.

In addition to the feature films, the Festival will screen 56 Caribbean and diaspora shorts, as well as 36 experimental works from the Caribbean and the diaspora in its New Media section. Overall, 142 films will screen at the ttff/13.

“Now in its eighth year, the ttff continues to grow in terms of the number and diversity of the countries we screen films from, as well as the quality of those films,” said Jonathan Ali, Editorial Director, ttff. “In particular, we are proud to be screening more films from more Caribbean countries than ever before.”

The full lineup of films, with all details, can be viewed at ttfilmfestival.com. The schedule of screening locations, dates and times will be announced shortly.

Founded in 2006, the ttff is an annual celebration of films from and about Trinidad and Tobago, the Caribbean and its diaspora.

The Festival also screens films curated from contemporary world cinema and seeks to facilitate the growth of the Caribbean film industry by hosting workshops, panel discussions, seminars, conferences and networking opportunities.

The Festival is presented by Flow and given leading sponsorship by RBC Royal Bank, bpTT, The Trinidad and Tobago Film Company and the Ministry of Tourism.

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Mark your calendars for the fifth edition of the Montreal Stop Motion Film Festival, which will take place October 18th—20th at Concordia University’s J.A. de Sève Theater (1453 Mackay Street, Montreal).

To celebrate the fifth anniversary of the first stop motion animation festival in the world, we will have over 70 films in official competition as well as a special 20th anniversary screening of The Nightmare Before Christmas, presented by the film’s director, Henry Selick. This edition wouldn’t be complete without a visit from Joe and Joan Clokey, owners of the celebrated studio that created Gumby, one of the world’s most famous stop motion characters.  We will also have a workshop with Jamie Caliri, the mastermind behind the stop motion software Dragonframe!

With more screenings and guest speakers than ever before, including two free family screenings and hands-on stations for anyone and everyone to experiment with stop motion animation techniques, the Montreal Stop Motion Film Festival’s fifth edition promises to be the biggest and best yet.

The full lineup of this year’s edition will be announced on October 1st.

For a taste of what’s to come, check out our latest demo reel at:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dl985jpt5fA

The Montreal Stop Motion Film Festival is open to artists and public alike and is an initiative of Erik H. Goulet, director of the festival and teacher in the Animation Department at Concordia University since 2001.

For more information: www.stopmotionmontreal.com

2nd Annual Good Dog! International Film Festival 7pm for 7.30pm at Mort Bay Park to watch some great films featuring dogs.

The purpose of the festival is to create an event that brings people into Balmain for local business benefit, to create a unique cultural event for the community and to promote community unity by raising money for the Sydney Dogs and Cats Home.

Please invite your friends. The more people, the more money we raise, the better the atmosphere!

Iranian-British actor, Marsh Mokhtari, will be present at the Iranian Film Festival for the movie "Carjack" and the Q&A. Carjack will be screened on Sunday, September 29. www.IranianFilmFestival.org

Iranian actress, Saye Yabandeh, will be present at the Iranian Film Festival for the movie "Silk" and the Q&A. Silk will be screened on Sunday, September 29. www.IranianFilmFestival.org

'Official Selections' of the 6th Annual 'Iranian Film Festival - San Francisco' on WhatsUpIran: http://www.whatsupiran.com/Pages/Iranian-Film-Festival

Iranian Film Festival is proud to have found two lost films: Poppy is Also a Flower (1966) [photo] shot in Iran with an international cast: Yul Brynner, Omar Sharif....and Rounama Dance (1971) about the wedding ceremony in the old days. See these films for the first time after 40 years. September 28 & 29. www.IranianFilmFestival.org

Watch Parvaneh directed by Talkhon Hamzavi who won a student OSCAR for this film in 2013. She was born in 1979 in Teheran and moved with her parents to Switzerland in 1986. "Parvaneh" will be screened with: No Burqas Behind Bars @ 11 am on Sunday, September 29, 2013. www.IranianFilmFestival.org

Project Greenlight Reincarnated!  Our winners make a MOVIE.

 BIFF Will Showcase 301 Films from 70 Countries

The 18th BUSAN International Film Festival (BIFF) is now only one month away. The BIFF organization committee had a press conference on September the 3rd and revealed the overall structure and diverse details of the festival. During ten days from October 3rd through to the 12th, 301 films from 70 countries, of which 95 films are world premieres and 42 international premieres, will be shown in 35 screening rooms in seven theaters located at Busan’s Haeundae and Nampo-dong districts.

 

Major themes for this year’s BIFF programming include the discovery of new directors and the establishment of the identity of Asian Cinema. A wide range of new faces in Asian cinema will be presented and many BIFF sponsored films will finally be disclosed. In addition, works by leading Asian directors will be screened in premiere and many promising Korean films will be shown for the first time at BIFF.

 

The opening film will be Vara: A Blessing from Bhutan. It is the third feature film by by Khyentse Norbu whose Cup was shown in the directors’ week at Cannes, and features a strong willed woman who lives through hardships in her life, depicted through the Southern Indian traditional dance Bharatanatyam. The closing film will be The Dinner which has been “incubated” and supported by the Asian Film Fund since 2011. This independent film by KIM Dong-hyun of A Shark and Hello, Stranger depicts the misfortune and tragedy of a family that anybody could relate to.
 
Gala Presentations, where great masters’ new works or major new films are presented, will present six films from seven countries, including BONG Joon-ho’s Snowpiercer and KIM Jee-woon’s short film The X, as well as LEE Sang-il’s The Unforgiven, which is a remake of Clint Eastwood’s same titled 1992 film. Notably, The X is the first film ever to have been designed to fit the Screen X room, where the film is projected not only from the back but onto the sides of the theater as well.

 

‘A Window on Asian Cinema,’ which is among the main sections of BIFF, will present 54 new films from 20 countries including Japan, the Philippines and Iran. Japanese films are receiving special attention with masters like Koreeda Hirokaz, Kurosawa Kiyoshi, Aoyama Shinji and new cineastes including Tie Yoshihiko, and Hitohara Satoru. The Philippines will present new films by world-renowned directors like Lav Diaz, Brillante Mendoza and Iran will demonstrate its “new spring” with Jafar Panahi’s autobiographicClosed Curtain and Asghar Farhadi's The Past.

 

‘New Currents’ is a section which will present 12 experimental films from 11 countries, all with problematic social issues. Among these, three are Korean. LEE Yong-seung’s 10 Minutes realistically depicts the incidents that a rookie goes through at a job, and AHN Seon-kyoung’s Pascha and CHOI Jin-seong’s Steel Cold Winter present two very different styles of love stories. Steel Cold Winter presents a somewhat dangerous love story between a young couple in a snow-covered town in the mountains, and Pascha describes the love between a woman in her 40s and a 19 year-old boy, in a very blunt and straightforward style.

 

‘Korean Cinema Today’ consists of two subsections: Panorama and Vision, both featuring films for the audience to grasp the trends of 2013 Korean cinema. The Panorama will screen 14 films including HONG Sangsoo’s Nobody’s Daughter Haewon and Our Sunhi, KIM Ki-duk’s non-competition film at the Venice Film Festival Moebius, and YEUN Sang-ho’s new animation The Fake, which has already been invited by Toronto and the Sitges international film festivals. HA Jung-woo and PARK Joong-hoon’s director debuts are also impressive. PARK’s film debut depicts an actor who begins as a crew member but finally becomes a movie star in Top Star, and HA’s Fasten Your Seatbelt is a comedy featuring an actor in a plane who finds himself in a life and death situation. The theme of the section “Vision” this year is ‘my heartbreaking film’ and will present ten very different pieces, among which are NOH Young-suk’s second feature Intruders and Thuy, Mot and Shuttlecock whose post productions have been supported by the Asian Film Fund.

 

The 18th Busan International Film Festival will pay tribute to the Korean Master director IM Kwon-taek and present the Korean Cinema Retrospective – Fly High, Run Far: The Making of Korean Master Im Kwon-taek. The IM Kwon-taek Retrospective will be the director’s largest retrospective to date with approximately 70 films (excluding lost or decayed films) featured. His signature films including Mandara (1981), The Surrogate Womb (1986), Fly High, Run Far(1991) will be screened along with his earlier works such as A Wife Turned to Stone (1963), Eagle of the Plains (1969), and Snowing on Grudge Street (a.k.a. Snow Falls on the Bloody Street, 1971).

The ‘World Cinema’ program will consist of non-Asian, leading directors’ new films, featuring 51 films from 28 countries, including 3X3D co-directed by Jean-Luc Godard, Peter Greenaway and Edgar Pêra, and Inside Llewyn Davis by the Coen Brothers. ‘Flash Forward’ will feature rookies’ originality and potential by introducing 32 works from 28 countries. In addition, eight films including two Korean box office hits Cold Eyes and The Terror Live will be screened at the Busan Cinema Center's outdoor theater as a part of the Open Cinema section.

Short films, documentaries and animations will comprise ‘Wide Angle,’ which will present diverse narratives from many different countries. The documentary competition will feature 11 outstanding documentaries including four Korean works, of which are CHO Sung-bong’s Gureombi –The Wind Is Blowing depicting the beautiful town and people in Jeju Island's Gangjeong village, and KIM Mi-re’s Sanda, recording the sufferings of KT laborers and today’s labor movement. The Korean Short Film Competition will be a showcase for 14 diverse, lively and distinctive Korean short films ranging from serious social dramas to romantic comedies.

 

Special programs for this year’s BIFF include ‘Unknown New Wave Central Asian Cinema’ and ‘Rogues, Rebels and Romantics: A Season of Irish Cinema’, as well as  ‘Park Cheol-soo Special Commemoration: Eternal Movie Youth’. ‘Unknown New Wave Central Asian Cinema’ will reveal some of the hidden works from the four Central Asian countries of Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, and ‘Rogues, Rebels and Romantics: A Season of Irish Cinema’ will consist of 11 films by leading Irish masters including John Boorman, Jim Sheridan, and Neil Jordan. A retrospective for the late PARK Chul-soo, who passed away last February, will be held with Farewell My Darling, Mother, Stray Dog and Three-Oh-One, Three-Oh-Two, as well unveileing Green Chair 2013 - Love Conceptually for the first time.

 

By TAE Sang-joon

- See more at: http://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/jsp/news/news.jsp?mode=VIEW&seq=2673#sthash.Y7SorvgB.dpuf

122 Films / 16 World Premieres / 22 Debut Films

Esteemed Filmmakers, Highly Anticipated Premieres and Big-Name Stars

Let the film roll for the 9th Zurich Film Festival! All eyes will be on Zurich from September 26 through October 6. New talent and international stars follow in each other’s footsteps when the Limmat city is once again transformed into a film metropolis for eleven long days and nights.

This year the Zurich Film Festival has a total of 122 films from 27 countries, including 22 debut films – most of which are in the four competition categories – and 16 world premieres. ZFF festival directors, Nadja Schildknecht and Karl Spoerri, unveiled the programme and structure of the 9th Zurich Film Festival at a press conference in Zurich today. They are delighted that the ZFF continues to show sustainable growth.

“We want to grow at a healthy and moderate pace,” said Nadja Schildknecht. “A higher budget of 6.1 million francs made it possible to optimize our corporate structure as well as further develop the contents of the programme. In addition to that we were able to increase the cinematic programme as well as invite a larger number of guests and schedule more industry events.”

Schildknecht added, “A large part of the event’s infrastructure is located around the Sechseläutenplatz – the rest at Sihlcity, ensuring the ZFF remains a festival of short distances, which is highly appreciated by our guests.”

The Competition

As always, the focus of ZFF is on emerging cinema in the International Feature Film, International Documentary Film, German-Language Feature Film and Germany, Austria, Switzerland Documentary Film competitions. The filmmakers will compete for the Golden Eye in the four competition categories with their first, second or third directorial work. Each category contains between eight and twelve productions screened as world or international premieres.

At the media conference, artistic director Karl Spoerri was excited to present another superlative and thematically varied programme packed with plenty new discoveries.

“The festival is on course to present a substantial, top-class programme with relevant autumn titles. The ZFF has become an integral part of the festival calendar and continues to establish itself as a place where industry and public meet, which makes pleases us immensely.”

The awards of the four competition categories, which will be presented on October 5th during the Award Night at the opera house, are each endowed with a CHF 20'000 cash prize and distribution funding. This year sees the introduction of the new Treatment Competition as well as a ‘small Golden Eye’ for best children’s film. The Schweizer Filmkritik’s Critics Choice Award for Best First Feature Film and the Audience Award for Best Competition Film will also be presented during this event. And last, but not least, the “Tribute to... Award” will be bestowed upon Austrian filmmaker Michael Haneke on Saturday. The ZFF will be presenting a film retrospective in his honour.  

Gala Premieres and Star Guests

In addition to the competition directors, a large number of directors and actors/actresses have also accepted the ZFF’s invitation to attend their respective Gala Premiere screenings. Each evening, they will walk the Green Carpet and be available to the public for photographs and autographs.

ZFF’s Gala Premieres section will present such films as the drama THE IMMIGRANT by James Gray with Marion Cotillard and Joaquin Phoenix, the war film THE RAILWAY MAN by Jonathan Teplitzky with Colin Firth and Nicole Kidman, the drama DEVIL‘S KNOT by Atom Egoyan with Reese Witherspoon and Colin Firth, the thriller FILTH by Jon S. Baird with James McAvoy, the space drama GRAVITY by Alfonso Cuarón with Sandra Bullock and George Clooney, the thriller PRISONERS by Denis Villeneuve with Hugh Jackman, the father-son story EXIT MARRAKECH by Caroline Link with Ulrich Tukur, the biopic DIANA with Naomi Watts by Oliver Hirschbiegel and the Swiss literary adaptation AM HANG by Markus Imboden, many of which will feature an appearance of the director at ZFF.

In addition to these gala directors, the Limmat city also expects such stars of the screen as Daniel Brühl and Alexandra Maria Lara with their Opening Film RUSH, James McAvoy as the corrupt cop in FILTH, reggae musician Tilmann Otto (Gentleman) and Alberto D’Ascola (Alborosie) from the film JOURNEY TO JAH, Henry Hübchen and Martina Gedeck from the Swiss entry AM HANG, Valeria Golino, who will celebrate her directorial debut with MIELE, her colleague Vincent Perez from the romantic drama PUPPY LOVE, Melissa Leo and Veronica Ferres as jury members and, of course, ZFF star guest and Golden Icon Award recipient  Hugh Jackman with his new film PRISONERS.

Federal Councillor Alain Berset

The carpet will also be rolled out for notable Swiss personalities: Marc Forster presides over this year’s international feature film jury, which also includes director Thomas Imbach. Markus Imhoof presides over the documentary film jury, Xavier Koller (DIE SCHWARZEN BRÜDER) comes with his leading actor Moritz Bleibtreu, and successful author Christian Kracht presents his competition entry FINSTERWORLD. The world of politics will be represented at the ZFF by Federal Councillor Alain Berset, who will hold the opening speech on September 26.

The ZFF’s extensive sidebar programme includes the ZFF Masters at the Filmpodium – this year with Tim Bevan, recipient of this year’s Career Achievement Award, producer Harvey Weinstein, and directors Marc Forster, Markus Imhoof and Michael Haneke; the fourth Film Finance Forum Zurich at The Dolder Grand; the second International Film Music competition; and the ZFF Filmboutique Screenings for buyers and festival representatives.

FESTIVAL DO RIO, Rio de Janeiro Film Festival
September 26th to October 10th, 2013

The biggest annual Latin American movie marathon is about to start, with Festival do Rio, Rio de Janeiro’s international film festival, now in its 15th year, today announcing highlights of the more than 350 films it will spool in the two weeks, September 26 – October 10th.

It also revealed early details of some special sections this year, with a Focus on German cinema and a series of screenings and debates looking at the hot topic of internet intrusion and misuse in our daily lives.

As well as a platform for new world and Latin America cinema, the festival also plays host to high profile international industry representatives in RioMarket, to promote debate and exchange of professional crafts through a parallel series of workshops, lectures and seminars.

Festival gala opener, Thursday September 26, is to be the Franco-Brazilian co-production, Thierry Ragobert’s Amazonia 3D pic, which awed its audience when premiered as closing film at the recent Venice Film Festival. 

The festival is book-ended with another local subject matter movie for closing night, October 9,  with the world premiere of director Heitor Dhalia’s Serra Pelada, a recent times historical epic set around true tales from the exploration of Brazil’s biggest gold mine during the 1980’s. Top name cast includes Wagner Moura (who doubles also as co-producer), Juliano Cazarré, Julio Andrade, Matheus Nachtergaele, and  Sophie Charlotte.  Film is coproduction between Brazilian media giant Globo and Warner Bros. Pictures, who will open the picture nationally October 18th.

Main festival programming sees a rich mix of already seen festival crowd pleasers and new and recent work by top-line helmers: Alfonso Cuarón’s Venice hit, Gravity, Woody Allen’s Blue Jasmine, Lee Daniels’ The Butler, Gus Van Sant’s Promised Land , Spring Breakers from Harmony Korine, Pussy Riot by Mike Lerner and  Maxim Pozdorovkin; Diana by Oliver Hirschbiegel, top Korean director Hong Sang-soo’s Nobody´s Daughter Haewon,   Longwave (A Oeste) by Lionel Baier, Good Ol’ Freda by Ryan White, La Danza de laRealidad by Alejandro Jodorowsky, Jeune & Jolie by François Ozon, the Iranian sci-fi Taboor by Vahid Vakilifar; La Grande Bellezza (The Great Beauty) by Paolo Sorrentino, are among the internationally drawn highlights.

Singled out for a special lifetime achievement is US director Paul Schrader, who will attend the festival to receive his honour. Films  on show in this tribute section include his most recent Venice entry, The Canyons, along with classics and career highlights including Cat People, American Gigolo, and Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters, among them.

French director Claire Simon,  due in Rio to present her recent feature Gare du Nord will also be the subject of a festival retrospective.

Upping the French contingent due in Rio, fellow French filmmaker Alain Guiraudie, will attend to present his film Stranger by the Lake (L’Inconnu du Lac) for which be received  the best director award in the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes as well as screen a selection of his previous work. Also due is well revered director Claire Denis, bringing her Cannes screened Bastards.

Outside the dozen traditional Rio Festival sections  - Panorama, Expectations, Première Brazil,  Latin Première, Midnight, Midnight Horror, Midnight Music, Gay, Boundaries, Dox, Film Doc, Generation, Unique Itineraries and  Environment, this year’s festival sees the ushering in of three new theme-related sidebars:

·        Tec Section: Before the Virtual World Was Privacy: focusing on 7 documentaries which address the impact of internet and new technology on privacy issues. Selected screening will be supported with open debates involving authorities on the subject.

·         Vanguard Expectation Section: 6 films that challenge the conventional narrative rules to explore, discover and empower new mediums of film making.

·         Big Documentarians Panorama Section: spotlighting recent productions from documentary masters such as  Frederick Wiseman, Nicolas Philibert, Errol Morris, Rithy Panh and Claude Lanzmann as  well as well recognized fiction and documentary filmmakers including  Marcel Ophuls, Ken Loach and Werner Herzog.

For the celebration of the year of Germany in Brazil, the country will be honored in the Festival with the sections Focus Germany and Berlin School Section.

Focus Germany highlights include Gold by Thomas Arslan, screened in the competition of the Berlin Festival, Exit Marrakech the recent film by director Caroline Link, Oscar winner for Nowhere in Africa,  plus Home From Home by Edgar Reitz, the quasi prequel to his cine-series Heimat, as well as Barbara Albert’s Die Lebenden, a reflection of the birth of Nazism and the reality of Turks in contemporary Germany.

The Berlin School Section is focused in the cinematographic movement that caught attention in the last decade and was born with directors such as Christian Petzold (Yella, Barbara), Thomas Arslan (A Fine Day, Vacations) and  Angela Schanelec (Marselha, Orly).

The vanguard filmmaker Ulrike Ottinger will be also honored with screenings of Under Snow and  Freak Orlando.

Lectures and roundtables, technology seminars, script workshops and other topics will be covered in RioMarket, with the presence of numerous leaders in audiovisual from around the world. The RioMarket full programme is shortly to be announced.

For the third year, the Festival headquarters, the RioMarket, the Cine Meetings and public encontres will be housed at the Armazém Utopia (Armazém 6), in the downtown Rio port area ‘Porto Maravilha’.

Festival do Rio 2013
From September 26th to October 10th

 

Over 40 powerful documentaries on offer! 
TRI CONTINENTAL FILM FESTIVAL - 13 to 29 September 2013 on at Cinema Nouveau & The Bioscope 

The Tri Continental Human Rights Film Festival (TCFF) returns to South African cinemas! Now, in its 11th year, TCFF is the largest film festival on the African continent dedicated to films that go to the heart of the big challenges facing humanity today. Over 40 powerful documentaries will be on offer to audiences in Johannesburg, Pretoria and Cape Town.
For the first time this year there will be an award given for the Best Human Rights Film. The award carries a cash prize and is initiated in partnership with Amnesty International SA to develop a culture of human rights-centered cinema in South Africa. The judges of this award are Ferial Haffajee, Mark Heywood, Lebo Mashile, and Scholastica Sylvan Kimaryo - Veteran of the United Nations.

TCFF is a chance to see documentary at its best, but it also so much more. From its inception, the festival has been conceived as a platform for debate, advocacy and activism. The cinema becomes a space that transcends passive consumption, where invited speakers from all walks of life – filmmakers, lawyers, activists, specialists, writers – take to the floor at the end of screenings and begin a discussion with audiences, who can take this where they like – often it goes to straight to the question, “What can we do?” Already a film has revealed its power to get people thinking about active engagement. And this can be empowering.

The idea of a human rights film festival came from the Documentalistas festival in Argentina. Convinced that we needed something like this in South Africa the festival was born in 2003. We added the dimension of using the screenings for debate, partly because at the time, South Africa felt like a very young democracy. Any chance to be inclusive and talk to each other needed to be taken. The festival is run by filmmakers who love film and this combines with a desire to use our skills for positive change.

“There’s so much chaos in the world right now and people need to make sense of it, collectively. This year’s selection takes a good look at the world in recent times and tries to capture some of the big moments. Through the lens of passionate documentary filmmakers, we get to be part of some of those moments and in turn gain a better understanding of ourselves. This is what I love about the big issue films.” (Anita Khanna, Festival Director).

In South Africa, sexual inequality remains virtually unchecked, and therefore with 9 films under the banner of Sex Politics, issues of gender take a prominent place in the festival this year.

Solar Mamas, Miss Nikki and the Tiger Girls, 2 Men and a Wedding, Black Beulahs, Small Small Thing, Gulabi Gang, Guerilla Grannies, Karaoke Girl, Forbidden Voices.
“The rape and murder of Anene Booyson woke this nation up to how rape tolerant we’ve become and this is turn has made us look at how perniciously sexist our society is. We would like the festival to be a space where all those who want to challenge the abuse of women can come together, watch great films on women and use the platform to strengthen campaigns.” (Anita Khanna, Festival Director).

And with Egypt’s revolution in turmoil, assassinations of leaders of the democracy movement in Tunisia, and Obama’s government gearing up for an onslaught on Syria, the Arab Season provides timely focus on recent events across the region.
1/2 Revolution (Egypt), No Harm Done (Tunisia), Bahrain: Forbidden Country, Diary from the Revolution (Libya), Village Under the Forest, Martin Luther King Jr in Palestine, Cinema Jenin (Palestine).

Other highlights include The Act of Killing, a shocker that uncomfortably takes audiences into the minds of those who commit genocide; The Guantanamo Trap, an in-depth and compelling look at those at the centre of the Guantanamo detention centre torture controversy; Fight Like Soldiers, Die like Children, the big film about Child Soldiers and their rehabilitation and Give Us the Money, the fascinating story of Bob Geldoff and Bono’s quest to feed the world that had both critics and supporters of such aid initiatives waxing lyrical.

In conjunction with the festival, the 2013 edition sees the return of the much-anticipated bi-annual People to People International Documentary Conference (P2P), which will run from the 16-18 September. First convened in 2007, P2P is a joint initiative of the TCFF and Encounters Documentary Film Festival, conceived in the shared vision of taking African documentary in to the future. The conference brings documentary filmmakers and industry stakeholders from across the continent together with their international counterparts for an exciting three-day programme dedicated to the art, business and technology of documentary from an African perspective. 

Contact:
Anita Khanna 083 357 5904 083 357 5904 FREE (011) 615 2505 (011) 615 2505 FREE 
www.tcff.org.za
www.people2people.co.za

Sept. 12, 2013 — The Boston Jewish Film Festival, Nov. 6-18, turns 25 this milestone year. “The Festival has been making people think, laugh, feel, love, and dream for a quarter of a century,” says Artistic Director Amy Geller. “I am so proud and honored to be part of this rich cultural legacy." This year, there are 46 films from 13 countries including Algeria, Egypt, Morocco and the Netherlands, and, of course, many from Israel and the U.S.; 40 films are Boston area premieres.

Geller is particularly proud of the many films with local connections. “The New England area with its vital history of documentary filmmaking is also incredibly fruitful for Jewish cinema.” Unorthodox, made by Nadja Oertelt and Anna Wexler, who met as MIT under­grads and live in Boston, has its world premiere Nov. 10 at the ICA. The tongue-in-cheek mockumentary Your Good Friend, also a world premiere Nov. 10 at the Coolidge, stars Rabbi Lawrence Kushner, formerly of Con­gregation Beth El of the Sudbury River Valley. Finally, The Dewey Stone Connection: From Exodus to Independence, the Closing Night film Nov. 17 at the MFA, celebrates the late Dewey Stone, a Zionist philanthropist in 1940s Brockton, MA, and “an unsung hero for Israel.”

The 25th year promises to be an expanded program for all Festival goers. “There’ll be more fun elements to heighten the Festival experience and reach out to a wider audience — more family programming, young adult programming, local celebrities, food, music and social opportunities.”

Programs include:

· The Family Film Series is back by popular demand with screenings for families with children 11 and up, including The Zigzag Kid and JERUSALEM, a 3D IMAX® film at the Museum of Science.

· BJFF FreshFlix – Not Your Bubbie’s Festival, a festival within a festival for the 20-40s crowd, kicks off with the 3rd Annual Short Film Competition. The audience will pick the winning shorts via text voting. FreshFlix also features the first BJFF midnight movie ever: Israel’s hit thriller, Big Bad Wolves. In addition, there are opportunities for young adults to engage, discuss, meet the director and schmooze before and after screenings.

· LGBTQ Shorts Program: OUT Loud is a dramatic and emotional series of LGBTQ short films from Israel, Canada and the U.S. They will be screened at the ICA with Keshet moderating a panel discussion.

· Diaspora Jews: Spotlight North Africa features three documentaries that shed new light on the fascinating but little-known history of Jews in Egypt, Morocco and Algeria. Today, there are very few Jews living in these North African countries, but there was a time when Jews thrived alongside their Muslim neighbors. The films explore what life was like for these Jewish communities, as well as the circumstances under which they emigrated.

· Favorite Films from the Famous asks: which classic Jewish films have influenced local celebrities? Esteemed Poet Laureate, essayist and literary critic Robert Pinsky presents Ten From Your Show of Shows, a hilarious compilation of sketches from the legendary and live 1950s television program, starring a riotous ensemble lead by comic genius Sid Caesar.

But it’s not just about throwing more options at viewers, Geller explains, “I also want to create more opportunities for artistic engagement and expand and strengthen community participation.” As a result, the Festival is launching the first BJFF Community Leadership Award, honoring a distinguished leader from greater Boston who has demonstrated a commitment to social justice and to improving our community. The inaugural award recipient is Lisa Simmons, founder of the Color of Film Collaborative and co-producer of the Roxbury International Film Festival. The award will be presented on Nov. 10 at the screening of the civil rights documentary The Last White Knight.

The Festival kicks off this very special year with a Silver Celebration on Sunday, Nov. 3 from 6-9:30 p.m. at the Ritz-Carlton Boston. Founding board member Shoshana Pakciarz and longtime trustee Barbara Resnek will be honored. The celebration will include a cocktail reception and dinner, an exclusive preview of Festival films and a presentation by acclaimed Boston Globe film critic Ty Burr from his most recent book Gods Like Us: On Movie Stardom and Modern Fame.

Festival Locations, Tickets, Sponsors: Venues are AMC Framingham, Arlington Capitol Theatre, Brattle Theatre, Cinema Salem, Coolidge Corner Theatre, Hollywood Hits Theatre, Institute of Contemporary Art (ICA), Museum of Fine Arts (MFA), Museum of Science IMAX , Showcase Cinema de Lux Patriot Place, Somerville Theatre and West Newton Cinema.

Film descriptions, schedule and ticket information is available now at bjff.org. Tickets will go on sale via the web site on Sept. 16. All films, with the exception of Special Events, are $14 general admission; $12 for seniors, students and members of the BJFF, Coolidge Corner Theatre, Institute of Contemporary Art, Museum of Fine Arts and WGBH. Special Events: Opening Night (Nov. 6), Mid-Fest Film (Nov. 13) and Boston Closing Night (Nov. 17): $26 General Admission/$24 Discount.

Festival sponsors are Cambridge Trust Co., CBIZ Tofias, Combined Jewish Philanthropies, the Consulate General of Israel to New England, the Massachusetts Cultural Council and Staples Advantage.

The Boston Jewish Film Festival, a not-for-profit arts organization, celebrates the richness of the Jewish experience through film and media. Throughout the year, the Festival engages and inspires the community to explore the full spectrum of Jewish life and culture.