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Filmfestivals.com Festival Directors wine tasting party at AFM

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Bruno Chatelin will be attending AFM Nov 1 - 5 and is happy to take a meeting  RSVP bruno@filmfestivals.com

 

Summer Hill is getting Vicious at AFM!!!

Summer Hill Entertainment (formerly TomCat Films) is now setting appointments for the American Film Market to be held in Santa Monica at the Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel from November 1st to 8th. Our suite number will be 327B. Our phone at the show will be 310.458.6700 ext. 327. 

Summer Hill Entertainment offerings for AFM 2017

All new releases are available worldwide - ask for screeners and find more detailed information of the films here below!   ...

www.summerhillfilms.com I Contact I Suite 327B I  Facebook I Twitter: @WatchCoolMovies

 

 

 

Interview with AFM Managing Director Jonathan Wolf @ 2016 AFM

IFTA’s Executive Vice President and Managing Partner of the AFM since 1998, Jonathan Wolf deems the AFM as the global film world coming to its Hollywood Mecca. A graduate of the University of Southern California Business School, Wolf's extensive professional background, previous to his pivotal roles with IFTA and AFM, includes film distribution as well as finance as CFO of New World International in international operations. The AFM acts as a six month Fall bookend market to the Spri...

 

ADAM FUSS A Landscape of Imagination the new film by Svetlana Cemin

An intimate portrait of the noted contemporary photographer, Adam Fuss, shot over a year in New York and Sussex, England. Our documentary delves into the artist’s creative process, and the life forces that inspire it. 53 minutes, USA  October 2017 Directed by Svetlana Cemin 
Watch the trailer @ : Password: adamfuss (temp edit)

Worldwide rights, all media, open. Attending AFM: 3-8th of November Email Svetlana Cemim to request a screener and a meeting at the Loews. 

 

2 days left to update your data in Cinando

Only few days left to verify & update your information for The Hollywood Reporter AFM Product Listings.    ...

 

A to Z of AFM exhibitors

  A - CD - FG - IJ - LM - OP - RS - VW - Z A24 Acort International Adler & Associates Entertainment Alfama Films All Media Company All Rights Entertainment Alma Cinema Altitude Film Sales Amadeus Entertainment AMBI Distribution American Cinema International AMP International Angel Grace Worldwide APL Film APT - Association of Television Producer...

 

Full Moon Heads to the 2017 American Film Market!

Legendary horror and fantasy film studio will be a major presence at cinema trade show running November 1-8, 2017 in Santa Monica, California. Full Moon is excited to announce that legendary producer Charles Band and his iconic Full Moon Empire production and distribution label is headed to AFM 2017 to showcase our vast catalog of classic and contemporary horror, science fiction, erotica and fantasy feature films, as well as offer a preview of the many exciting movies to come in 2018...FULL RELEASE

 

High Emotions Guaranteed With Our Selection of Screenings for AFM 2017!

VISION FILMS will be located at the Las Flores Suite 8th floor

...

 

AFM Campus Shuttles, Parkings, Map & Flyover

Parking & Shuttles   See the AFM Campus Map. Shuttles: Complimentary shuttle service is available from the Civic Center Parking Structure and Lot 4 South to the Loews and Le Merigot hotels from 7:00am to 10:00pm beginning Tuesday, October 31. Parking: Due to extremely limited valet parking at the Loews and Le Merigot Hotels, the AFM encourages attendees to utilize the public parking options available throughout the city. There are over 6,200 parking sp...

 

American Film Market Unveils ‘AFM Screenings On Demand’

The American Film Market® (AFM®) announced today that it will introduce an online screenings platform, AFM Screenings On Demand, in advance of this year’s market. The new platform will allow sales companies to screen their films privately for Buyers before, during and/or after the American Film Market.   AFM Screenings On Demand, which is free for invited viewers, will begin screening films on October 23, 2017, one week before AFM, and conclude on March 31, 2018, o...

 

 

 

American Film Market Launches ‘Writers Workshops’ Series For 2017

The American Film Market® (AFM®) announced today the launch of its new ‘Writers Workshops’ series, which will have its inauguration at this year’s market. These immersive workshops, with instructors from top Universities including USC and UCLA, will take place on Sunday, November 5 and Monday, November 6. With the AFM continuing to create new programs that amplify the education component for different segments of the industry, the ‘Writers Works...

Arpa International Film Festival Awards Gala and Banquet...need a break from afm?

Join us for a star-studded Awards Gala on Sunday, November 5 at Loews Hollywood Hotel  to honor four incredible industry professionals who have endlessly contributed their enormous talents to drive the arts forward: Terry George, who will receive the Armin T. Wegner Humanitarian Award,  Chris Cornell, who we will honor with the Lifetime Legacy Award, Carl Weathers, who will be celebrated with the Lifet...

 

Devilworks at AFM17

  AFM @LOEWS OFFICE 736     &n...

 

Magnolia adds titles to AFM lineup

      We are happy to announce a new documentary addition to our AFM lineup. Selected at TIFF, THE CHINA HUSTLE is an eye-opening and unsettling Wall Street thriller about sto...

 

ITN Titles for AFM

  ITN Distribution wants to meet with you at AFM to discuss our 2017 Line-Up that consists of Brand New Sci-Fi, Action, Thriller, Family, Comedy, Horror and Western features, as well as our catalogue/library titles.   AFM Office: Loews 705 Email: stuart@itndistribution.com Website: www.itnfilms.net       A CHRISTMAS STAR 82 min. Family. HD. Complete.  ...

 

Animation Calling at AFM - festival strategy

Calling all animation projects for film festival strategy at AFM 2017. From Montreal to Moscow to New Delhi to Glasgow we are  programming animation for 2018. We can help your program your film and produce your special event. Please email laurie@animazefestival.com for an appointment in sunny California!   ...

 

Blue Box International acquires rights to World War II action drama, The Bombing (Unbreakable Spirit) directed by Xiao Feng

  Leading international sales agent Blue Box International has picked up worldwide rights to the anticipated World War II action drama, The Bombing (Unbreakable Spirit) directed by Xiao Feng (Hushed Roar). The film stars Bruce Willis and China’s biggest talent including Bingbing Fan (X-Men: Days of Future Past, Iron Man 3) and Nicholas Tse (The Stool Pigeon, Bodyguards and Assassins). The Chinese-backed production is produced by Mr. Yang Butang and Jimmy Jiang with Mel Gibson as art ...

 

 

The Bac Films International line up for AFM

    AFM Line-up and screening schedule. THE CURED Nov. 3rd, 11:30AM at AMC Santa Monica 6   LET THE CORPSES TAN  Nov. 3rd, 1:30PM at AMC Santa Monica 6      ...

 

AFM LineUP @Devilworks

THE HOLLOW CHILD SUPERNATURAL HORROR CANADA  Highly intelligent and malicious creatures known as The Hollow Ones live in the Woods and entice children with their hypnotic folklore music. Samantha, a young foster teen must fight to expose these dangerous supernatural impostors and save her younger sister who has been taken, otherwise her soul will be lost forever. Reviews: //Starburst "7 Stars" TRAILER BOOK A MEETING @AFM OFFICE 736 LOEWS HOTEL ...

 

 

American Film Market® & Conferences Registration still open

November 1-8, 2017 | Santa Monica     REGISTER NOW           In Hollywood, On...

 

Finding Oscar screening in LA

The documentary film FINDING OSCAR - directed by Ryan Suffern, produced by Frank Marshall and executive produced by Steven Spielberg will screen this month in LA, followed by discussions with the director and Fredy Peccerelli. DIRECTED AND PRODUCED BY RYAN SUFFERN PRODUCED BY FRANK MARSHALL EXECUTIVE PRODUCED BY STEVEN SPIELBERG SCREENING #1  MONDAY, OCTOBER 23, 2017 IDA DOCUMENTARY SCREENING SERIES SCREENING: 7:30 PM •  Q...

 

SC Films International - Current Slate for AFM

AFM 2017 ...

 

Blue Fox Entertainment line up new films for afm

  Loews Santa Monica Hotel - Suite 622. Blue Fox Entertainment has acquired domestic rights to the musical drama BECKS, which premiered at the Los Angeles Film Festival this year and won the U.S. Fiction prize. A 2018 theatrical release is planned. Co-written, co-directed and produced by Elizabeth Rohrbaugh and Daniel Powell, the pic centers on a Brooklyn musician (Tony winner Lena Hall) who moves back in with her Midwestern mother (Christine Lahti) after a crushing breakup with her girlf...

 

 

Summer Hill Entertainment offerings for AFM 2017

All new releases are available worldwide - ask for screeners and find more detailed information of the films here below!   ...

 

Devilworks announce a title straight out of FrightFest, INCONTROL.

DEVILWORKS WILL BE AT THE AFM FROM WEDNESDAY 1ST NOVEMBER TO TUESDAY 7TH NOVEMBER  Devilworks is back for another market season and will be at AFM to present our slate for 2018! Whilst we prepare our full line up, we are thrilled to announce a title straight out of FrightFest, INCONTROL. From the makers of...

 

 

Screen Media Line up in AFM

  November 1 - 8 Loews: 614               ...

 

TriCoast Worldwide line up at AFM

           ...

 

Celestial Tiger Entertainment Acquires First and Exclusive Rights to The Highest-Grossing Chinese Film Ever, Wolf Warrior 2

  Celestial Tiger Entertainment (CTE), operator of the largest bouquet of pan-Asian channels dedicated to Asian entertainment, announced today that it has secured first and exclusive pay TV rights for action mega blockbuster Wolf Warrior 2 and Chinese fantasy adventure film Wukong from CMC Pictures. The deal also secures pay-per-view (PPV), video-on-demand (VOD) and over-the-top (OTT) rights for CTE’s channels, Celestial Movies and cHK, in Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, Singapor...

 

Fairway Film Alliance at AFM

First time available to the world market! WINNIE MANDELA US and African Theatrical Release - available in all other territories Starring Aca             Meeting Request from Fairway Film Alliance ...

 

Protagonist Pictures has closed a UK rights deal for the 2017 Un Certain Regard winner April’s Daughter (Las Hijas de Abril)

Protagonist Pictures has closed a UK rights deal in all media with specialist distribution company Alarm Pictures for the 2017 Cannes Film Festival Un Certain Regard winner April’s Daughter (Las Hijas de Abril), written and directed by the acclaimed Michel Franco, it was announced today by Protagonist Pictures CEO Dave Bishop and Alarm’s Managing Director Alex Mandell.   Following its world premiere in Cannes, April’s Daughter went on to screen at the Toronto Internati...

 

AFM Campus Shuttles, Parkings, Map & Flyover

Parking & Shuttles   See the AFM Campus Map. Shuttles: Complimentary shuttle service is available from the Civic Center Parking Structure and Lot 4 South to the Loews and Le Merigot hotels from 7:00am to 10:00pm beginning Tuesday, October 31. Parking: Due to extremely limited valet parking at the Loews and Le Merigot Hotels, the AFM encourages attendees to utilize the public parking options available throughout the city. There are over 6,200 parking sp...

Fantastic Films Line-up at AFM

  FANTASTIC FILMS INTERNATIONAL invites you to email us for an AFM 2017 mee...

 

China Box Office Growth Leaves U.S. Independents Behind

After a less than spectacular 3.7% revenue growth in 2016, the Chinese Box Office in the first eight months of 2017 came roaring back, increasing nearly 16% to $5.51 billion for the period according IFTA’s analysis of figures from Box Office Mojo. Revenues were up significantly for all sectors save one: U.S. independents whose Box Office share reached just 1.2% for the period. (See appendix 1) While animation films have in the past been one of the most important re...

 

LocationEXPO Joins AFM

The American Film Market gets even bigger this year with the unveiling of LocationEXPO at the show. With over 50 location-based organizations already confirmed to participate, LocationEXPO brings AFM badge holders the ease and ability to meet with Film Commissions, Production Facilities and Services from around the world right inside the Loews providing a great informational and networking opportunity for producers, location scouts and all those involved with production budgets, incentives an...

 

Independent Film & Television Alliance Elects Executive Committee and Board of Directors

The Independent Film & Television Alliance® (IFTA®) today announced the results of its annual elections to select the Executive Committee and Board of Directors for the 2017-2019 term. IFTA’s Executive Committee will continue to be headed by Chairperson Michael Ryan (GFM Films), who was elected for a second term.  Joining him are Andrew Kramer (Lionsgate), who was elected as General Vice Chairperson, and Cl...

 

 

Premiere Entertainment AFM Line-Up

 

 

Magnolias acquires BOOM FOR REAL THE LATE TEENAGE YEARS OF JEAN-MICHEL BASQUIAT

  MAGNOLIA PICTURES TAKES NORTH AMERICAN RIGHTS TO ‘BOOM FOR REAL THE LATE TEENAGE YEARS OF JEAN-MICHEL BASQUIAT’, SARA DRIVER’S RIVETING ODE TO THE ICONIC AMERICAN ARTIST     Magnolia Pictures announced today that they have acquired North American rights to BOOM FOR REAL THE LATE TEENAGE YEARS OF JEAN-MICHEL BASQUIAT, director Sara Driver’s (WHEN PIGS FLY, SLEEPWALK) love letter to New York City’s past through the eyes of people who knew the...

 

 

Market Premieres from Carnaby International

  Whilst we prepare our full line up we are thrilled to announce a brand new title straight out of FrightFest, REDWOOD. From Rising Star nominee, Director Tom Paton, Redwood will make its Market Premiere at AFM (see screening schedule belo...

 

New films from Summer Hill at AFM

     AFM is around the corner! Summer Hill Entertainment (formerly TomCat Films) is now setting appointments for the American Film Market to be held in Santa Monica at the Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel from November 1st to 8th. Our suite number will be 327B. Our phone at the show will be 310.458.6700 ext. 327.       Summer Hill Entertainment 10645 N. Tatum...

 

Free Dolphin International Line up at AFM

 

 

Love is in the air with Vision Films

  ...

 

 

Families Matter With Vision Films!

 

 

 

Magnolia Pictures at AFM 2017

Dear Friends,   We are excited to present our newest title THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ANDRE, a loving and absorbing documentary tribute to fashion influencer Andr...

 

Thai Films Four production studios bring their latest features to AFM

Thailand at AFM 2017 Information Centre - Atrium 5D, 5th Floor Meeting Rooms - 511 & 515       At the American Film Market 2017, eight companies will represent the strengths of Thailand's film industry. Presented by Department of International Trade Promotion ...

 

Join Arpa International Film Festival celebrating the 20th edition November 3-5

Join Arpa International Film Festival for yet another journey into the diverse universe of world cinema as we celebrate our milestone 20th anniversary, November 3-5, 2017 at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood. Don't miss this year's Awards Gala on November 5 at Loews Hollywood Hotel where we will honor Oscar-winning director/screenwriter Terry George, actor Carl Weathers, Oscar-winning screenwriter Alexander Dinelaris and pay a special tribute to the late music icon Chris Co...

 

 

AFM 2017: Connect with 7,000+ Professionals from 80+ countries

  American Film Market® & Conferences  REGISTER NOW November 1-8, 2017 | Santa Monica ...

 

LocationEXPO® launching for next AFM

AFM just announced LocationEXPO® @ AFM – a face to face and online platform that connects Film Commissions, incentives, facilities and services with the world's producers, distributors and industry professionals. LocationEXPO will have three core components: LocationEXPO Branded Space inside the AFM where Film Commissions and companies can meet with AFM’s 7,000+ industry attendees. LocationEXPO.com, home to the world’s locations, incentives, facili...

We're bringing back the VR Experience in 2018! Submit your VR project today for your chance of being showcased and announced a winner in May 2018! The next deadline to submit your project is Novemeber 30, 2017. Submit here: http://bit.ly/2ilIQQp

We're accepting VR subsmissions within the following specifications:

Submit your Cinematic or Interactive VR piece to be a part of the first ever, day-long VR experience! 360 Videos/Cinematic VR: submissions must be uploaded to YouTube in a 360 format (preferably with spatial audio) and a link to the video on YouTube should be provided in the submission. Films will be shown in GearVRs, so filmmakers must indicate a preference for Oculus Video or Samsung VR (formerly MilkVR). After acceptance, filmmakers will be required to provide an MP4 or MKV that plays in one of those two applications on a GearVR. 

Interactive VR using a game engine like Unity or Unreal: Samsung Gear VR and HTC Vive will be available, the experience must be designed for one of those two platforms. The required file, such as an APK, should be provided. If available, a video-based trailer should also be included with submissions. We can provide additional information as necessary, such as Oculus-issued Signature (OSIG) information for devices, after a filmmaker submits their work.

Founded in 1998 UNAFF (United Nations Association Film Festival) uses the power of documentary film to create a community forum for discovery and dialogue about different cultures, local and global issues & solutions on aspects of the Sustainable Development Goals. UNAFF was originally conceived to celebrate the 50^th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Over the years UNAFF has screened some of the most influential documentaries, including 7 that won Academy Awards and 30 that were nominated.

The festival will run from October 19th to the 29th and this year’s theme RESPECT continues our two decades long celebration of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights with the reminder that it applies to everyone.

Full ProgramSCHEDULE [download full program - pdf]

The Montreal International Documentary Festival (RIDM) will hold its 20^th annual edition this November 9 to 19. With 142 films from 47 countries and a program of special free screenings in different Montreal neighbourhoods, the RIDM is more committed than ever to its mission of democratizing and promoting auteur documentaries.

The festival will present 18 world premieres, 19 North American premieres, 28 Canadian premieres and 39 Quebec premieres. With 61 films from Quebec/Canada, the RIDM reaffirms its status as an essential event for local artists.

The RIDM is proud to open and close the festival with two bold films made by women. Opening the event is the world premiere of 24 Davids by Céline Baril, the latest entry in the director’s unique and liberated body of work, focusing on the essay form. This time, she travels to three continents to listen to 24 people who are dedicated to changing and rethinking the world in their own particular way. Truly a thinking person’s road movie.

To close the festival, the RIDM will present the North American premiere of Nothingwood, the first film by journalist Sonia Kronlund. The film is a fascinating, nuanced portrait of Afghanistan’s king of Z movies. Through the larger-than-life artist-entrepreneur’s uncommon daily life, the director reflects on the current situation in Afghanistan and the complex links between fiction and reality.

RIDM 2017 TEASER : ridm.ca/en/ridm-2017-teaser

OFFICIAL COMPETITION

11 awards will be presented for films in four competitive sections.

International feature competition

The 12 films in the international feature competition, presented by Bell Media, are powerful works that combine deep engagement with reality and exceptional formal accomplishment.

Political and personal issues in the Middle East have an important place in this year’s international feature competition: reflections on radicalization and islamist recruitment in the enigmatic thriller Also Known As Jihadi (Eric Baudelaire); an original and heartbreaking self-portrait focused on conservative family values in Lebanon with Room for a Man (Anthony Chidiac); a stirring tribute to Syrian-refugee construction workers in Lebanon in Taste of Cement (Ziad Kalthoum); observations of children’s lives in a Syrian refugee camp in Jordan with Zaatari Djinn (Catherine Van Campen); the consequences of attacks on Gaza through a unique blend of documentary and fiction in Ouroboros (Basma Alsharif); and the use of the power of imagination to highlight all-too-real vestiges of colonialism in Algeria in Le fort des fous (Narimane Mari).

Echoes of the past are also found in Spell Reel (Filipa César), a major political essay based on archival footage filmed during the decolonization of Guinea-Bissau; Did You Wonder Who Fired the Gun? (Travis Wilkerson) delves into a sordid family story of American racism; while Maman Colonelle (Dieudo Hamadi) is a profile of a charismatic Congolese police chief in charge of child protection and the fight against sexual violence. Women’s daily struggle is highlighted in Baronesa (Juliana  Antunes), the first feature film made in a Brazilian favela. Lastly, Good Luck (Ben Russell) and Dragonfly Eyes (Xu Bing) explore new cinematic territory to capture the modern human condition. The first reinvents ethnographic cinema, and the second crafts fiction from surveillance videos.

Canadian feature competition

As ambitious as their international colleagues, the 11 filmmakers in the Canadian feature competition have travelled the world to investigate a vast range of topics.

13, un ludodrame sur Walter Benjamin (Carlos Ferrand) is a wildly original composite essay on the influence of the famous philosopher’s thinking; through wrenching reunions, Birth of a Family (Tasha Hubbard) exposes the tragedy of the forced adoption of more than 20,000 indigenous children between 1955 and 1985; Cielo (Alison McAlpine) is a poetic, scientific and spiritual journey in the company of stargazers; Les dépossédés (Mathieu Roy) travels the world to investigate the food crisis from the small-scale farmer’s perspective; Destierros (Hubert Caron-Guay) immerses viewers in the journeys of South American migrants; Les lettres de ma mère (Serge Giguère) is as much a lucid and poignant biography as a portrait of a woman who symbolizes Quebec’s rural and working class history; Maison du bonheur (Sofia Bohdanowicz) is an affectionate, celebratory profile of an ebullient, flirtatious septuagenarian; Manic (Kalina Bertin) reconstructs a complex and troubled family history; Primas (Laura Bari) films the lives of two young Argentinian women who are survivors of male violence; La rivière cachée (Jean-François Lesage) goes to the heart of a soothing forest that seems to liberate visitors’ thoughts; Taming the Horse (Tao Gu) is a portrait of a tormented young Chinese man and his alienation from the hyper-capitalist society around him.

International short and medium-length competition

Thanks to a lack of constraints, short and medium-length films can be adventurous experiences that in many cases give us a glimpse of tomorrow’s great talents. Braguino (Clément Cogitore) is a mysterious immersion in the strange lives of two families living in the Siberian wilderness, while one of the roughs, a kosmos (Carmine Grimaldi) is an equally enigmatic look at a self-sufficient father and daughter. Several filmmakers explore their own backgrounds through family portraits, sometimes with humour, as in Tessa Louise Pope’s The Origin of Trouble, in which the director questions those close to her, particularly her not-so-close father. In Dos Islas, Adriana F. Castellanos focuses her camera on her 102-year-old grandmother, who tells her poignant story of life in exile. Exile and its torments are also at the heart of On the Edge of Life, an autobiographical film by Syrian director Yasser Kassab, and the sensual Noelí Overseas (Israel Cárdenas and Laura Amelia Guzmán), about a Dominican actress struggling with unfamiliar surroundings. In Je ne me souviens de rien, Diane Sara Bouzgarrou tells us how her enthusiasm for the Tunisian revolution was entangled with her bipolar disorder. A pair of cinematic essays explore our relationship with history: The Bird and Us (Félix Rehm) assembles archival footage to delve into the meaning of art, and Syndromes of Mimicry (Anastasija Pirozenko) is a deadpan chronicle of the adoption of western culture in Lithuania. The ethnographic film becomes a sensory quest, taking us to Colombia with Palenque (Sebastián Pinzón Silva), Mozambique with Nyo Vweta Nafta (Ico Costa), and Cuba with Duelo (Alejandro Alonso). In these three films, ghosts of the past help us grasp the present. There are also ghosts in Dream Box (Jeroen Van der Stock), an exploration of a shadowy Japanese facility where animals are sent, and in Urth, a melancholic futuristic piece by Ben Rivers, in which humans appear to have vanished…

Canadian short and medium-length competition

For the second year in a row, the RIDM presents a competition for Canadian short and medium-length films, recognizing and encouraging the vitality of a form seen by too few people. The 2017 selection boasts a fine line-up of eight brilliant, distinctive works. In the tradition of observational documentaries, La pesca (Pablo Álvarez-Mesa and Fernando López Escrivá) is a magnificent record of a day in the lives of a group of Colombian fishermen. The relationship with the ocean is also front and centre in Before the Wave (Molly Willows), a tribute to the threatened culture of the nomadic Moken people, and in La frontière (Félix Lamarche), a sensory work that’s equal parts science and poetry. Memories and missing memories of places are at the heart of Occupation of Memory (Jade Baxter) and Turtles Are Always Home (Rawane Nassif). From a more intimate perspective, In The Waves (Jacquelyn Mills) questions our relationship with nature and time. Lastly, two films make brilliant use of animation: The Talk: “True Stories About the Birds and the Bees” (Alain Delannoy) is a hilarious look at the inevitable parent-child discussion about sex, and Three Thousand (Asinnajaq (Isabella-Rose Weetaluktuk)) combines archival footage and dreamy visions into an impressive poem in tribute to her culture and land.

This section is presented by Télé-Québec.

PANORAMA

Special presentations

Every year, the RIDM presents the biggest names and the year’s most prestigious films under the special presentations banner. Lucien Castaing-Taylor, Véréna Paravel, Frederick Wiseman, Wang Bing, J.P. Sniadecki, Joshua Bonnetta, Pierre-Yves Vandeweerd and Alanis Obomsawin are all back at the RIDM with Caniba, EX LIBRIS - The New York Public Library, Mrs. Fang, El mar la mar, Les éternels and Our People Will Be Healed – six impressive films that take us to Japan to listen to an infamous cannibal’s story; to New York for a behind-the-scenes look at an iconic cultural institution; to a Chinese village where a woman slowly dies while life goes on around her; to the Sonora Desert, a death-trap for migrants trying to reach the United States; to the heart of an Armenian enclave locked in armed conflict with Azerbaijan for more than 20 years; and inside an inspiring Manitoba school for indigenous children.

In Quebec, DPJ (Guillaume Sylvestre) and Bagages (Paul Tom) invite us to think about the human and ethical issues surrounding a major Quebec institution, and to listen to the moving testimonials of young immigrants. In the United States, The Reagan Show (Pacho Velez and Sierra Pettengill) and Rat Film (Theo Anthony) observe the birth of modern political spectacle and deep social inequality in Baltimore. In Iraq, a brave nurse films his life in Jalawla in the acclaimed Nowhere to Hide (Zaradasht Ahmed). Lastly, there is the posthumous Untitled by the great Michael Glawogger, whose final journey and reflections were completed by his long-time editor Monika Willi.

States of the World

The States of the World section presents deeply political works. Upheavals in Europe are tackled head-on in Brexitannia (Timothy George Kelly), who gives the floor to pro-Brexit voices; Des spectres hantent l’Europe (Niki Giannari and Maria Kourkouta) is part essay and part activism as it documents conditions in a refugee camp in Greece; and Ouvrir La Voix (Amandine Gay) has black women talk about the challenges of their daily lives in France. The history of Europe and the world comes to the fore with In the Intense Now (João Moreira Salles), which explores how archival footage captured, and failed to capture, the landmark events of 1968. The desire to bear witness to the world’s great tragedies is addressed playfully by Ivan Granovsky in Los territorios, a road movie in the vein of Nanni Moretti, while similar issues are handled with unforgettable brutality in The Devil’s Freedom (Everardo González), in which victims and perpetrators of extreme violence in Mexico tell their stories. Lastly, three unabashedly activist Canadian films explore resistance to oppressive corporations and governments (Tomorrow’s Power by Amy Miller), the sad fate of marginalized Rio residents in the shadow of the World Cup and the Olympics (L’autre Rio by Émilie B. Guérette) and indigenous people’s struggle to save their community (State of Exception by Jason O’Hara).

Portraits

The seven films in the Portraits section document individual lives with touching universality. Christine Franz devotes her first feature, Bunch of Kunst, to the British band Sleaford Mods, the “best rock’n’roll band in the world,” according to none other than Iggy Pop; Catherine Martin returns to documentary with an observational film about seven of her friends and their inspiring thoughts in Certain de mes amis; young Polish filmmaker Anna Zamecka transports us with immense sensitivity into the life of a young girl forced to take on adult responsibilities in Communion; Montreal filmmaker Mitchell Stafiej’s The Devil’s Trap explores the highly secretive religious community of the Plymouth Brethren through a young man who was excommunicated at the age of 18; End of Life by Pawel Wojtasik and John Bruce takes the time to listen to people nearing death; the winner of the international competition at Hot Docs, The Other Side of the Wall (Pau Ortiz), captures the heartbreaking experiences of a young man and his younger sister as they struggle to support their family after leaving Honduras for Mexico; and lastly, Qu’importe la gravité is the cinematic debut of Quebec photographer Matthieu Brouillard, in the form of a portrait of a remarkable friendship marked by mental illness and physical handicap.

Sense of Place

This new section includes films focusing on specific communities and places. All That Passes By Through a Window That Doesn’t Open, the first feature film by Martin DiCicco, observes the stagnant life of men connected to a perpetually unfinished railway in the heart of the arid Caucasus; the train is also the focus of Railway Sleepers (Sompot Chidgasornpongse), a dreamlike but starkly political journey through Thailand; Brimstone & Glory (Viktor Jakovleski) exposes the incredible workings of a unique Mexican fireworks festival; in superb post-apocalyptic black and white, Carcasse (Gústav Geir Bollason and Clémentine Roy) observes a one-of-a-kind Icelandic community; City of the Sun (Rati Oneli) explores a ghost town in the Republic of Georgia; Des moutons et des hommes (Karim Sayad) is a lucid and poignant portrait of the men of an Algerian village; Do Donkeys Act? (David Redmon and Ashley Sabin) silently documents a refuge for donkeys, with voiceover reflections from Willem Dafoe; Nicolas Paquet visits some distinctively Québécois gathering places in Esprit de cantine; and Charles Officer follows the political, poetic and artistic awakening of a black girl who emerges as the voice of her Toronto community in Unarmed Verses.

The Human Machine

This new section includes five films exploring the complex ties between people and work: the disquieting portrait of a musician and top model obsessed with perfection in A Modern Man (Eva Mulvad); a description of the beginnings of a long-term struggle for Chinese workers’ rights in We the Workers, directed by Wen Hai, long-time cinematographer for Wang Bing; the daily life of a Slovak filmmaker living in Montreal in Edit&moi (Zuzana Zelinova); the links between art and the workplace in the docu-fiction Gray House (Austin Lynch and Matthew Booth); and the strange summer jobs done by some young Norwegians in Tongue Cutters (Solveig Melkeraaen).

UXdoc

The UXdoc section is back, offering interactive and virtual experiences with five inspiring and entertaining projects with strong political content. The online interactive experience Zeki Müren Hotline (Beyza Boyacioglu and Jeff Soyk) creates a space for collective memories of a Turkish singing star of the 1950s through 90s who went on to become an icon for the LGBTQ+ movement; a mobile app called Ennemi (Karim Ben Khelifa) gives voice to combatants in three conflict zones; Very Frustrating Mexican Removal (Fusun Uzun) uses VR to raise awareness about the fate of migrants detained at the Canadian border; Enterre-moi mon amour (Pierre Corbinais, Florent Maurin and Dana Shaker) is an interactive mobile project by ARTE that lets users follow the life of a Syrian migrant woman through text message-based interaction; and The Shore Line (Elizabeth Miller) is a webdoc about the urgent issues affecting shorelines.

RETROSPECTIVES

Tan Pin Pin: alternative Singapore chronicles

A leading figure in Singaporean creative documentary filmmaking, for more than a decade Tan Pin Pin has been building a multidisciplinary, eclectic and essential body of work. Her films, most of which have never before been screened in Quebec, present a singular and necessary vision of her country’s character and history. The retrospective will be accompanied by a master class.

James N. Kienitz Wilkins: Réceptacles / Conteneurs

The RIDM is continuing its collaboration with the VISIONS series with a retrospective of the work of young American filmmaker James N. Kienitz Wilkins, who will attend the event. An opportunity for in-depth exploration of the unique works of a director who is always manipulating cinematic language in order to capture the essence of the modern world.

RIDM 20^th Anniversary Special

Every evening during the festival, there will be free screenings in inspiring locations throughout Montreal, in celebration of select landmark films from past editions of the festival, providing an opportunity to discuss the long-term impact of the works and celebrate the democratization of documentary cinema. Presented by Canal D.

PARALLEL ACTIVITIES

The RIDM organizes numerous parallel activities to accompany its film programming. Talks, round tables, screenings+debates, concerts and interactive installations will all add interest and excitement to the festival’s 11 days.

Discussions

There will be two round tables. The first will discuss issues around documentaries dealing with private and/or family subjects. The second, presented by ICI Radio-Canada Première, will examine the state of podcasting in Quebec.

Documentary filmmakers from Inis will share the original creative process behind a documentary that used Facebook in its search for protagonists.

Three debates will be held after screenings of the following films: Taste of Cement (about exiles), Ouvrir la voix (about life as a black woman in Quebec) and DPJ (about the human and social complexities of decisions made by Quebec’s child protection branch).

Special screenings

Hosted by Patrick Masbourian, the third annual soirée de la relève ICI RDI will include eight short documentaries by emerging filmmakers. An award will be presented to one of them by a jury of Radio-Canada representatives. A great opportunity to see some excellent work by the next generation of filmmakers – free.

With the Désorienter la diaspora short-film program, the RIDM is joining forces with Media Queer to highlight the importance of the voices and creativity of racialized queer artists.

Parents and kids are invited to two family sessions intended to introduce young viewers to documentaries. Each session will be followed by a craft workshop.

For the third year in a row, a public listening session will be held, offering a group listening experience without images, where sounds take shape and spark the imagination. The audio piece Radio Syria : Briser le silence by Maëlle Grand Bossi and Cyril Mossé will be played, preceded by the short piece Du gaz dans le sang by Éloïse Demers Pinard and Nicolas Lachapelle, first prize in the Le réel à l’écoute competition.

In tribute to the late Michka Saäl, there will be a special evening including a free screening of her film China Me, presented in collaboration with the Cinémathèque québécoise.

Installations and exhibitions

Presented by the Canada Media Fund, the UXdoc space, in the Judith Jasmin Annexe building, will present works from the section of the same name along with productions from the webdocumentary section of the RIDM’s youth program. An opportunity for everyone to explore OMG MTL !, the webdocumentary project produced by the RIDM and made by students at Eurêka high school in Park Extension.

At the RIDM’s headquarters (at the Cinémathèque québécoise), photographer Ulysse del Drago presents Regardeurs, a series of 20 portraits of documentary filmmakers taken in public.

Throughout the festival, listening stations will be available for children to listen to the podcast La puce à l’oreille.

Alongside the screening of Destierros (Hubert Caron-Guay), the RIDM is working with Galerie Dazibao, which will present a triple exhibition, Hillside Projects + Hubert Caron-Guay + Lisl Ponger, from October 19 to December 16.

Open Immersion

In 2016, the Ford Foundation, the National Film Board of Canada and the Canadian Film Centre brought together Canadian indigenous artists and racialized artists from the U.S. South for a laboratory called Open Immersion, where the artists experimented and created prototypes exploring the responsibility and potential of virtual reality. The lab’s results examine the ways in which power, aesthetics, perspectives and representation operate in the VR medium. Their findings highlight the ways in which a critical approach to the medium can lead to artistic innovations and build a more inclusive grammar. At several points during the RIDM, participants will use their prototypes as a basis for discussing their artistic practices and the potential and challenges of the medium. Participants in the Open Immersion lab include Scott Benesiinaabandan, Danis Goulet, Nyla Innuksuk, Lisa Jackson, Elle-Maija Tailfeathers, Kai Barrow, Michaela Pilar Brown, Kimi Maeda, Tiona McClodden, Jacqueline Olive and RaMell Ross.

Music program

For the last few years, the Beat Dox Sessions have enlivened the RIDM headquarters with great concerts and inspired DJ sets. This year’s program, put together by Ouss Laghzaoui in partnership with well known local music promoters and festivals like Arbutus, Blue Skies Turn Black, Pop Montréal, M pour Montréal and CISM, will showcase local talent. Everyone is welcome to come dance and party to the sounds of Moon King, Technical Kidman, JLK, Lonely Boa, Walrus, Doldrums and more.

Thanks to the RIDM’s loyal partners

The RIDM gratefully acknowledges the support of its institutional, primary and associate partners, who have helped make this year’s 20^th edition a memorable one. Thanks to the Ministère de la Culture et des Communications, SODEC, the Secrétariat de la région métropolitaine, Telefilm Canada, the Ville de Montréal, the Canada Council for the Arts, the Conseil des arts de Montréal, Bell Media, the CSN, Canal D, the Canada Media Fund, FACTOR, Radio-Canada, Télé-Québec, Planète+, TV5, Tourisme Montréal, Cineplex, Cinéma du Parc, Concordia University, the Université du Québec à Montréal and the Cinémathèque québécoise.

Quebec’s only film festival dedicated to documentaries, the Montreal International Documentary Festival presents the best reality‐based films, including the works of established directors and new talents.

The 20^th annual RIDM will take place from November 9 to 19, 2017

at the Cinémathèque québécoise, Cinéma du Parc, Cineplex Quartier Latin, the Pavillon Judith Jasmin Annexe and Concordia University.

Information: www.ridm.ca / info@ridm.ca

31st ISRAEL FILM FESTIVAL IN LOS ANGELES ANNOUNCES PROGRAMMING TO RUN NOVEMBER 5th – 21st, 2017

Emmy and Golden Globe winner Jeffrey Tambor will receive the 2017 IFF Achievement in Television Award, and multiple award-winning (including the 2017 Israeli Academy Ophir Award for Best Actor), Israeli movie star Lior Ashkenazi will be honored with the 2017 IFF Cinematic Achievement Award at the 31st Israel Film Festival Opening Night Gala, Award Presentation and Screening in Los Angeles on Sunday, November 5th at the Steve Tisch Cinema Center at the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills, announced Festival Founder and Executive Director Meir Fenigstein.

This year's Festival Chairman is Adam Berkowitz, Co-Head of TV at Creative Artists Agency (CAA). Serving as Honorary Chairman of the Festival is Arnon Milchan, owner of New Regency Productions.

The 31st edition of the Israel Film Festival in Los Angeles runs November 5th – 21st.  Festival screenings will take place at the Ahrya Fine Arts by Laemmle (Beverly Hills), Laemmle Royal Theater (West L.A.) and the Laemmle Town Center 5 (Encino).  The Opening Night film, on November 5th, is Yariv Mozer’s Documentary Ben-Gurion, Epilogue, Winner of the 2017 Israeli Academy Ophir Award for Best Documentary, to be screened following the Award Presentation at the Saban Theatre.  For further information or to purchase tickets, contact IsraFest Foundation:  310.247.1800 or info@IsraelFilmFestival.org.  Tickets will also be available to purchase on the website as of October 20th:  www.IsraelFilmFestival.com

“We are so proud to announce the lineup for the 31st Israel Film Festival, presenting the largest showcase ever of Israeli films and, for the first time, television programming, in the United States," noted Fenigstein. "The Israel Film Festival transports moviegoers across the world and provides audiences with the opportunity to experience the rich Israeli culture first hand."

Among this year’s highlights are the narrative feature films Longing, The Testament, Scaffolding,Azimuth, The Cakemaker, Heroine, Holy Air, In Between, Maktub and The Cousin, while the documentaries include Muhi and When the Smoke Clears.  Also, the IFF will present the second season Premieres of two of Israel’s most popular television programs of all time, Fauda and Mossad 101, which became huge successes worldwide.

Over 20 Israeli filmmakers will attend this year’s Festival, accompanying their films and participating in Q & A sessions, including:

Dan Wolman, director/producer, An Israeli Love Story
Michael Aloni, actor, And Then She Arrived
Arik Rothstein, director, Antenna
Yariv Mozer, director, Ben-Gurion, Epilogue
Mike Burstyn, director, Azimuth
Yiftach Klein, actor, Azimuth
Sammy Sheikh, actor, Azimuth
Shuki Friedman, producer, Azimuth
Ehud Bleiberg, producer, The Cousin
Lior Raz, actor/writer, Fauda
Avi Issacharoff, writer, Fauda
Laëtitia Eïdo, actor, Holy Air and Fauda
Alon Aboutboul, actor, Harmonia and The Harem
Shady Srour, actor/writer/director, Holy Air
Ilan Moskovitch, producer, Holy Air
Guy Amir, actor/writer, Maktub
Hanan Savyon, actor/writer, Maktub
Roni Abramowsky, producer, Maktub
Adar Shafran, producer, Maktub
Yehuda Levi, actor, Mossad 101
Yossi Vassa, writer/actor, Nevsu
Ofer Naim, producer, Operation Egg and Almost Famous
Alon Gur Arye, director, Operation Egg
Anya Bukstein, actor, A Quiet Heart

Jeffrey Tambor has earned deep respect for being one of the most versatile and accomplished character actors in film and television.  He stars in Amazon Studios hit series Transparent, playing family patriarch Mort Pfefferman, who over the course of the show becomes the unforgettable Maura.  Tambor’s groundbreaking performance earned him two Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, a SAG Award and a Critics’ Choice Award.  He’s also starred in the Emmy-winning sitcom Arrested Development, playing twin brothers George and Oscar Bluth, and played Hank Kingsley, the self-centered sidekick on HBO's critically acclaimed The Larry Sanders Show.

Tambor will next be seen in the Disney feature Magic Camp directed by Mark Waters opposite Gillian Jacobs and Adam Devine, 55 Steps directed by Billie August opposite Hilary Swank and Helena Bonham Carter, and Armando Iannucci’s The Death of Stalin opposite Steve Buscemi, Olga Kurylenko and Timothy Dalton.  He’s lent his talents to numerous films, Broadway shows and animated features.  His memoir Are You Anybody? was released in May 2017. Tambor lives in New York with his wife Kasia and their four children. 

Lior Ashkenazi is an award winning Israeli screen and stage actor who has received the Ophir Best Actor Award from the Israeli Film Academy twice, for his roles in Late Marriage and Footnote. He was also nominated for that award several other times. The former film premiered in Cannes in 2001, while Joseph Cedar’s Footnote premiered in Cannes in 2011 and won the screenplay award.  It was also nominated for Best Foreign Language film at the Oscars.

In 2016 Ashkenazi played opposite Richard Gere in Cedar’s Norman.  His other film credits include Eytan Fox’s Walk on Water and will soon be seen in Foxtrot, Samuel Maoz much-anticipated next film which has been selected as the Israel submission for Best Foreign Language Film for the 2018 Academy Awards.  Ashkenazi is also known for his role in the successful TV series In Treatment.  His latest television role is in the series The Exchange Principle (2016), in which he plays a former police forensic detective living on the streets, that returns to investigate his last case.   He was also nominated for the best actor at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards in Australia for his performance in Footnote and won the High Commendation for Best Performance by an Actor in 2012.

ABOUT THE PROGRAMMING

FEATURE FILMS:

LONGING | געגוע                                                                 

U.S. PREMIERE

Dir: Savi Gabizon

 A middle-aged Israeli bachelor is forced to evaluate his life choices when he discovers an ex-girlfriend had given birth to his son 20 years before. | 2017, 100 Min  

2017 Israeli Academy Ophir Awards - Best Screenplay                                                                 

2017 Jerusalem Film Festival - Best Script and Audience Award

THE CAKEMAKER | האופה מברלין                                    

U.S. PREMIERE 

Dir: Ofir Raul Graizer  

A young German baker is having an affair with an Israeli married man who tragically dies in a crash. Keeping his secret, the baker begins work in a small café owned by his lover's widow. His delicious cakes become a success even as he stretches his lie to the point of no return | 2017, 104 Min 

2017 Jerusalem Film Festival Winner – Best Editing, the Lia Van Leer Award

2017 Karlovy Vary International Film Festival Winner – Award of Ecumenical Jury 

SCAFFOLDING | פיגומים                                                    

U.S. PREMIERE

Dir: Matan Yair

17-year-old Asher has always been a troublemaker. His strict father sees him as a natural successor to the family's scaffolding business, but Asher finds a different male role model in his gentle literature teacher. Torn between two worlds, Asher seeks a chance at a new identity and life. |

2017, 92 Min

2017 Cannes Film Festival – Official Selection 

2017 Toronto International Film Festival – Official Selection

2017 Jerusalem Film Festival – Best Cinematography, Best Israeli Feature, Best Actor

MAKTUB |מכתוב                                                                            

U.S. PREMIERE

Dir: Oded Raz

Two criminals, Steve & Chuma, are the sole survivors of a terrorist attack in Jerusalem. Seeing it as a sign from G-d, they resolve to become flesh-and-blood angels. Stealing notes from the Wailing Wall, they go about fulfilling people’s prayers while being chased by the Israeli mob.|

2016, 100 Min

Guests in Attendance: Writers & Actors Guy Amir and Hanan Savyon, and Producers Roni Abramowsky & Adar Shafran

THE TESTAMENT |העדות                                                   

U.S. PREMIERE

Dir: Amichai Greenberg

Yoel, a Holocaust researcher, is in the midst of a legal battle with Austria. He examines testimonies of Holocaust survivors concerning a brutal massacre of Jews—and is shocked to find his mother’s testimony. His unshakable commitment to the truth drives him to carry on even at the cost of destroying his life. | 2017, 93 Min

2017 Venice Film Festival – Winner Orizzonti Competition

2017 Haifa Film Festival - Winner Best Feature Film

A QUIET HEART |  לב שקט מאוד                                       

U.S. PREMIERE

Dir: Eitan Anner

Naomi seeks refuge in Jerusalem from the pressures of her life as a concert pianist. Her unlikely friendship with an Orthodox boy and a Italian organist monk allows her to reconnect with her love of music. Unfortunately, these friendships make her a target in a city increasingly dominated by religious fanaticism.| 2016, 92 Min

Guest in Attendance: Anya Bukstein

2016 Grand Prix at Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival

HOLY AIR | אוויר קדוש                                                        

L.A. PREMIERE

Dir: Shady Srour

Adam, a Christian Arab and poor businessman, is thoroughly in love with his pregnant wife Lamia. He could really use a break and needs money. On the biblical hilltop Mount Precipice, he embarks on his latest, riskiest business venture: bottling the holy air and selling it to the city’s tourists|2017, 81 Min

2017 Jerusalem Film Festival - Journalists' FIPRESCI prize

2017 Tribeca Film Festival – Official Selection

Guests in Attendance: Director Shady Srour, Producer Ilan Moskovitch & Actor Laëtitia Eïdo

AN ISRAELI LOVE STORY | סיפור אהבה ארץ ישראלי   

U.S. PREMIERE

Dir: Dan Wolman

Based on the true love story of Pnina Gary and Eli Ben-Zvi, the son of Israel ‘s Second President. The two fall in love during the turbulent years of pre-state Israel, and they move in together, planning to marry—but Israel's harsh reality intervenes before their wedding day arrives. | 2017, 93 Min

Best Actress Audience Award to main actress Adi Bielski at The Golden Rooster, One Hundred Flower Festival ("The Chinese Oscar")

Guest in Attendance: Director & Producer Dan Wolman

IN BETWEEN | לא פה ולא שם 

WEST COAST PREMIERE

Dir: Maysaloun Hamoud 

Three modern Palestinian women, freed from their families and the weight of tradition in Tel-Aviv, struggle to be true to themselves. Three stories come together to tell a single tale of conservatism vs. liberalism. The big city offers freedom and independence… but is it worth the price of their identity?| 2016, 103 Min

2017 Israeli Academy Award – Winner Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress

2016 Haifa International Film Festival - The Danny Lerner Award for a Debut Feature Film

2016 Winner - NETPAC Award - Toronto Film Festival 

2016 Winner - Best Film - San Sebastian Film Festival

HARMONIA |הרמוניה                                                             

WEST COAST PREMIERE

Dir: Ori Sivan

Sarah, the harpist of the Jerusalem Philharmonic, is married to Abraham, the orchestra’s conductor. When a young musician from East Jerusalem named Hagar joins the orchestra, Sarah's world is turned upside-down. The two women’s unique friendship is challenged when Hagar offers to have a baby for Sarah… fathered by Abraham.| 2016, 97 Min

2016 Jerusalem Film Festival – Best Cinematography, Lia Van Leer Award

Guest in Attendance: Actor Alon Aboutboul

AZIMUTH |אזימוט   

U.S. PREMIERE

Dir: Mike Burstyn

At the end of The Six Day War of 1967, two soldiers, Egyptian and Israeli, encounter each other in the Sinai desert. Divided by war, they share a common goal: survival. | 2017, 75 Min  

Guests in Attendance: Writer & Director Mike Burstyn, Actors Yiftach Klein and Sammy Sheikh, and Producer Shuki Friedman

THE COUSIN | הבן דוד                                                         

U.S. PREMIERE

Dir: Tzahi Grad

Naftali, an open-minded Israeli begins to question his liberal convictions when the Palestinian laborer he hires, Fahed, is suspected of assaulting a local girl. The village spirals into fear and panic. Naftali defends Fahed but finds it difficult as his life spins out of control in this dark comedy. | 2017, 93 Min

2017 Venice Film Festival – Official Selection

2017 Haifa Film Festival – Best Actor 

Guest in Attendance: Producer Ehud Bleiberg 

BETWEEN THE WORLDS |בין העולמות                            

U.S. PREMIERE

Dir: Miya Hatav

While caring for her estranged son who was wounded in a terror attack, Bina bonds with Amal, a young Arab woman who turns out to be the secret lover of Bina’s son. Together they learn truth, faith, understanding, acceptance, and a love that replaces fear. | 2016, 84 Min

ANTENNA |אנטנה                                                              

U.S. PREMIERE

Dir: Arik Rothstein

Yehoshua, 84 years old, Holocaust survivor, discovers that his neighbor has rented out his roof to a cellular company. Yehoshua becomes obsessed that it is making him ill and wages war with his neighbor. His family gets swept into the battle. They begin to confront their own lives and the dark shadow of Yehoshua’s past.     | 2016, 100 Min

Guest in Attendance: Director Arik Rothstein 

HEROINE |גיבורה                                                                  

L.A. PREMIERE                                                 

Dir: Atara Frish, Heli Hardy, Yasmin Schryer-Ozary, Shira Pajurski, Shira Porat

Five cinematic short stories, written and directed by five women. Each episode’s title represents the main character’s profession: The Officer, The Babysitter, The Nurse, The Stripper, and The Director, reflecting the heart of each woman.  A cinematic revelation of real women and their choices in 21st Century Israel. | 2017, 87 Min

EWA | אווה                                                                             

U.S. PREMIERE

Dir: Haim Tabakman

Ewa, a holocaust survivor, has been married to Yoel for decades. While caring for his ailing wife, Yoel finds a bank note, with Ewa's signature on it, informing him of a lien on a property he owns and never knew about. His investigation will change their lives forever of Ewa's private nature, Yoel investigation of the matter will change their life forever.  | 2016, 82 Min

2016 Tokyo International Film Festival

AND THEN SHE ARRIVED |ואז היא הגיעה                         

U.S. PREMIERE

Dir: Roee Florentin

Dan Freilich, a handsome nerd, has his life organized and planned for the next 50 years. He is getting ready to marry his high school sweetheart, Tamar. That’s all you need, right? Apparently not.| 2017, 104 Min  

Guest in Attendance: Actor Michael Aloni  

INDOORS | חדרי הבית                                                     

WEST COAST PREMIERE

Dir: Eitan Green  

Avraham is a small–time contractor trying to make it big. His career ambitions overshadow his family, until one of his projects finds them drowning in debt. Under the threat of financial ruin, his wife and son come to his aid, helping him rediscover their strength and love for him. | 2016, 109 Min

2016 Jerusalem International Film Festival – Official Selection

OPERATION EGG |מבצע ביצה                                           

U.S. PREMIERE

Dir: Alon Gur Arye

In order to win a cooking contest and a big prize, a couple of con men decide to grab a rare eagle’s egg that’s being transferred from the Ramat Gan Safari Park to a venue on the Golan Heights so it can be added to their dish. | 2017, 90 Min

Guests in Attendance: Director Alon Gur Arye & Producer Ofer Naim

ALMOST FAMOUS |כמעט מפורסמת                                   

U.S. PREMIERE

Dir: Marco Carmel

A contemporary drama that sensitively describes what it is to be a teen in the world today.  It exposes the price of the glittering lights and what fame does to a young person’s identity, examining what young people dream of being and the courage to choose who they really are. | 2017, 95 Min. 

Guest in Attendance: Producer Ofer Naim

HOMEPORT | נמל בית                                                 

WEST COAST  PREMIERE

Dir: Erez Tadmor

After years at sea, Aaron returns to the port of Ashdod hoping to reconnect with his kids.  He clashes with his new corrupt boss and falls in love—then is forced to make a cruel choice as he realizes that life on land is more complicated than he thought. | 2016, 95 Min  

2016 Haifa International Film Festival Winner – Best Cinematographer

DOCUMENTARY FILMS:

BEN-GURION, EPILOGUE | בן גוריון, אפילוג    

31IFF OPENING NIGHT GALA PRESENTATION 

Dir: Yariv Mozer

Lost for decades, this interview of an 82 year-old David Ben-Gurion reveals the mind and soul of one of modern history's greatest leaders. Interviewed in his desert home, far from the political fray, his deep reflections provide a surprising vision for today's world leaders and for the future of Israel. | 2016, 70 Min

2017 Ofir Awards – Winner Best Documentary

Guest in Attendance: Director Yariv Mozer

PHOTO FARAG | פוטו פרג'

L.A. PREMIERE

Dir: Kobi Farag 

A real -life story of the first Iraqi-Jewish family to become a household name in Israel. The Farag family built a hugely successful photography business that revolutionized the way Israelis created and related to pictures. Photo Farag explores the destructive forces within a family determined to leave its mark on Israeli society.| 2017, 77 Min

2017 Silver Award at the Spotlight Documentary Film Awards

DIMONA TWIST | דימונה טוויסט 

WEST COAST PREMIERE

Dir: Michal Aviad

Dimona Twist combines conversations and rare archival footage of seven women who came to the desert decades ago. Coming from far regions of the world, they share stories full of humor, fashion and sorrow, facing with dignity their struggles to create a rich and meaningful life in the middle of nowhere.

2016, 71 Min

2016 Jerusalem Film Festival – Best Israeli Documentary

MUHI | מוחי     

WEST COAST PREMIERE                          

Dir: Rina Castelnuovo, Tamir Elterman

For the past seven years Muhi, a brave boy from Gaza and his devoted Muslim grandfather, have been living in an Israeli hospital, unable to return home. Saved by those considered enemies of his people, Muhi’s story transcends identity, religion and the conflict that divides his world.|

2017, 89 Min

2017 Jerusalem Film Festival – Best Documentary 

WHEN THE SMOKE CLEARS |כשהעשן מתפזר  

U.S. PREMIERE

Dir: Rebecca Shore

True stories of young war veterans whose unthinkable battle experiences leave them with life-altering mental and physical scars that disconnect them from society. A revolutionary idea gives them the courage to face their obstacles and pain. Their shared healing and personal growth transforms them into the heroes of their own lives. | 2017, 85 Min

2017 Hong Kong Jewish Film Festival

TV SERIES:

FAUDA | פאודה                                             

WORLD PREMIERE (2nd Season)

Creator:  Avi Issacharoff, Lior Raz

"Fauda” (Arabic for Chaos) is the nail-biting Israeli television series that depicts both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. An undercover Israeli Special Forces unit operates inside Palestinian territories, hunting down terrorists. Hailed for giving both Jewish and Arab characters equal screen time and complex storylines, the second season focuses on real world events. | 2017, 34 Min

2015 Awards of the Israeli Television Academy, Best Drama Series,   Best Cinematography       

Guests in Attendance: Writer & Actor Lior Raz, Writer Avi Issascharoff, and Actor Laëtitia Eïdo 

MOSSAD 101 | המדרשה                               

U.S. PREMIERE (2nd Season)

Dir: Daniel Syrkin

Creator:  Izrah Harlev, Uri Levron, Daniel Syrkin

After a failed mission abroad, a Mossad agent is recalled to Israel where he is tasked with recruitment and development of a new training program with “out of the box” thinking for the next batch of agents. Mossad focuses on the human side of its agents and their personal experiences.

2017, 42 Min

Guest in Attendance: Actor Yehuda Levi

YOUR HONOR | כבודו

U.S. PREMIERE

Creator:  Shlomo Moshiah, Ron Ninio

A brilliant judge is on the cusp of a big promotion when his son becomes embroiled in a hit-and-run. The comatose victim is a member of a notorious crime family. This thriller weaves together high-pressure situations and ethical questions. As a parent, what would you do to save your child?

2015, 36 Min

NEVSU | נבסו

U.S. PREMIERE

Creator:  Yossi Wassa, Shay Ben Atar, Liat Shavit

Gili Chalchau, an Ethiopian-born advertiser, is married to Tamar, an artist and sculptor of Ashkenazi- Polish origin. They are trying to raise their five-year-old child in a healthy environment, despite the prejudices and tensions of the extended family. Each reunion of their families causes differences of opinion and more complications| 2017, 30 Min

Guest in Attendance: Writer & Actor Yossi Vassa

THE HAREM | הרמון 

U.S. PREMIERE

Creators: Anat Barzili, Hadar Galron

A psychological thriller about a manipulative family father living in polygamy. | 2017,  Min

Guest in Attendance: Actor Alon Aboutboul

SPECIAL TRIBUTES:

LATE SUMMER BLUES | בלוז לחופש הגדול

Dir: Renen Schorr

In 1970s Israel, a group of graduating high school seniors are fulfilling their personal dreams. Under the shadow of a wartime draft and the death of a friend, they turn their graduation ceremony into a pacifist showcase—a celebration of student resistance in the spirit of the musical Hair.|

1987, 101 Min

Won the Silver Menorah Award – for best film, best screenplay and best original score

Israel Film Festivals in New York and Los Angeles - prize for Outstanding Film

THE TROUPE | הלהקה 

Dir: Avi Nesher

This offbeat musical follows members of a military band whose mission is to entertain the Israeli Army following the Six Day War in 1967. Suffering tensions, romances, heartbreaks and internal fights, they must come together if they are to be crowned the best band.| 1978, 112 Min

For 31 years, the Festival has presented over 950 feature films, documentaries, television dramas and short films to close to a million film goers and brought hundreds of Israeli filmmakers to the U.S. to share their art.  The Israel Film Festival is produced by IsraFest Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization created in 1982.  Among the Sponsors of the 31st Israel Film Festival are long-time partners Millennium Media, Adelson Family Foundation, The Hollywood Reporter, Rabinovich Film Project, Israel Film Fund, Variety, Eclipse, Maurice Marciano Family Foundation, Max Webb Foundation, David and Judy Shore Foundation, CAA, Screen International, New Regency, Bank Leumi USA, Four Seasons Hotel, The Orlando Hotel, SLS Hotel, Pacific Holdings, Yvel and the Israel Consulate in Los Angeles, to name a few. 

Ticket sales start OCTOBER 20th
Opening Night Gala VIP Tickets: $150
Opening Night Gala Tickets: $50

To attend the 31st IFF Opening Night Gala, Award Presentation and Screenings of the Israel Film Festival, or to purchase tickets contact IsraFest Foundation:
Office: 310.247.1800 • Email: info@IsraelFilmFestival.org

Visit us at www.IsraelFilmFestival.com

Shortcut to Justice at Flying Broom International Women's Film Festival.

The second year of Open Doors in South Asia: sharing visions, building film industries. 8 countries 8 film projects 8 proactive producers 22 films Directed by Ricardo Torres 70th Locarno Festival 2 – 12 | 8 | 2017

"THE UNWILLING looked great on the Big Screen... I have watched it three times now. The Audience loved the Movie... I talked to people later about THE UNWILLING, (after it Screened) and at the After Party, and some of the people I talked to said it was thei favorite Feature Film at the Festival, and not one person that I talked to about THE UNWILLING had anything negative to say about the Movie... The Audience was a fair size and they were clapping and clapping after the Movie was over... It's quite an enjoyable Movie, especially.for horror fans..."

Terrific feedback from Barry Gillis, organizer of the Edmonton Festival of Fear 

"THE FATHER & THE BEAR" (85 min)

  Showtime: 10/25/17 08:00 PMDirector: John Putch 
Producer: John Putch 
Writer: John Putch 
Director of Photography: Keith J. Duggan 
Key Cast: Wil Love, David DeLuise, Dendrie Taylor, Charity Farrell, Alicia Fusting, Ray Ficca, Kevin M. Horton, Robert PicardoGenre: Drama 
Rating: Not Rated 
Language: English 
Website: https://thefatherandthebear.com/ 
Twitter: https://twitter.com/JohnPUTCH 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thefatherandthebear 

Byron Temple, a retired character actor (Wil Love) with diagnosed dementia, longs to perform at his beloved summer theater one last time. Against his daughter’s wishes (Dendrie Taylor), he accepts a role from the newly installed artistic director (David Deluise) who is unaware of Byron's condition.

OPENING NIGHT: Award-Winning Film DALIDA

Between 2-5 November 2017, the first Budapest Classics Film Marathon will take place in the city’s oldest and most prestigious film theatres: the Uránia National Film Theatre and Corvin Cinema and also in the Budapest French Institute. This January, the Hungarian National Film Fund took over the Film Archive. Following a reorganization the Hungarian National Film Archive is now presenting a four-day festival of international film classics in Budapest.

Celebrating its 60th anniversary, the Archive houses more than seventy thousands films, half a million images, more than ten thousand film posters set and costume designs, and a million pages of documentations. The Fund launched a ten-year programme for the restoration of Hungary’s film heritage. In the first year, the following films were selected for preservation: the complete oeuvre of the ingenious director Zoltán Fábri, Géza Radványi’s 'Somewhere in Europe' (Valahol Európában), Ildikó Enyedi’s 'My Twentieth Century' (Az én huszadik századom) along with the animated films of Attila Dargay.

To celebrate its 60th anniversary, the Archive is organizing the 1st Budapest Classics Film Marathon, to exhibit some of its closely guarded treasures to the wider public and international professionals.

The event will focus on newly restored Hungarian and international film classics, the history of the Archive and its activities. During the Marathon, to mark the occasion of his 100th birthday, the audience can see five digitally remastered Zoltán Fábri films. This series will open with 'Merry-Go-Round'. According to György Ráduly, the director of the Archive: "In May, the digitized version of 'Merry-Go-Round' was screened in Cannes Classics with great success, and international film professionals all praised our great classic." It is time to rediscover the famous films by Fábri which might be more beautiful now than at their original premiere. During the Marathon, the viewers can see Géza Radványi’s two films on the big screen again: 'Somewhere in Europe' and 'Girls in Uniform' (Lányok egyenruhában) starring Romy Schneider and Lilli Palmer. Famous Hungarian comedies, such as 'Hyppolit the Butler’ and ’That Happened in Budapest’ will take us to the early years of the talkies.

Within the program of the Budapest Classics Film Marathon the Archive will also screen thematic selections from its collection. The program called Hungarian World Classics. Mihály Kertész’s - who later became known as the Oscar-winning Michael Curtiz -  'Last Dawn' (Utolsó hajnal) was made in Budapest 100 years ago. Two other directors who made a career in Hollywood will also have their films shown in this program: two films from André De Toth (Tóth Endre) - his film, 'Two Girls on the Street′ (Két lány az uccán) will be screened on 35 mm from a restored version which is an endowment of Martin Scorsese’s World Cinema Foundation. His later film, 'Play Dirty′ (Piszkos Játék) starring Michael Caine will be screened from the Film Archive’s own copy. The film 'The Red Shoes′, made by Emeric Pressburger (Pressburger Imre) and Michael Powell is known as Scorsese’s favourite film. Along with the screening Charles Drazin, the famous British film historian will have a lecture about the unusual origin of the film. Several filmmakers in the Austro-Hungarian Empire were forced to go into exile. The Marathon will show two hilarious Hollywood comedies. The script of Ernst Lubitsch’s 'To Be or Not To Be′ (Lenni vagy nem lenni) was written by Menyhért (Melchior) Lengyel, while the multiple Oscar-winner Billy Wilder’s 'One, Two, Three′ was adapted from the play written by Ferenc Molnár. The film’s production designer was none other than the Oscar-winning Alexandre Trauner (Trauner Sándor).

There are two very special screenings that can be taken as a visual adventure: these are films that were photographed by Jean Badal, (Badal János) who was also the teacher of Zsigmond Vilmos. The first is ’In Soldier’s Uniform’ (Bakaruhában), directed by Imre Fehér) the other is Jacques Tati’s 'Playtime′.

During the Marathon, a special day will be held in the French Institute with special screenings and conferences with respected international experts.