We're accepting films to our 3rd year!  We will boast 7 days of independent cinema from all over the world in a modern theater in the heart of the world-famous arts distrcit in North Hollywood, California!  All genres accepted.  Awards given in multiple categories.  Check us out at www.nohocinefest.com.  We are on Withoutabox and Film Freeway!

ARY Films has created its place in the filmmaking industry & is quickly pacing up to accomplish new models; hence, they are ready to organize ARY Film Festival at the end of this year. ARY Films aims to culture the art of filmmaking in Pakistan through ARY Film Festival. The festival will provide its participants with a platform where they will be challenged with projects and exercises and will get a chance to expose their work to the world. 
    The submissions for the ARY Film Festival are open; the festival is seeking both aspiring and professional filmmakers. The festival will offer dynamic experience to the participants and they may get a chance to learn from renowned names of the industry. Bring in fresh ideas, participate in the festival & get a chance to engage with people having a powerful background in film! 

Submissions for the following categories are open:
Fiction(Feature Film)
Fiction(Short Film)
Documentary(Feature film)
Documentary(Short Film)

Are you a filmmaker or have you always wanted to become one?
If yes, then what are you waiting for?

Grab a hold of this opportunity and apply now!
Apply here: bit.ly/1Mt5tZR
Deadline: 30th September, 2015.

Together, Go Short (NL) and International Short Film Festival Leuven (BE), adopt the role of gatekeeper for Euro Connection, the largest and most important coproduction platform for short films in Europe.

Euro Connection takes place every February at the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival in France and aims to promote co-production of short films in Europe. Go Short and International Short Film Festival Leuven (IKL) will work together to make a preselection from Dutch and Flemish productions, and choose a project to pass forward to the international jury in France. Eventually 16 producers are allowed to pitch their project during Euro Connection.

Dutch and Flemish producers of short films, animations and creative documentaries up to 40 minutes who are looking for a European co-financing partner are eligible to submit their project from September 1, 2015. An important condition is that partial funding has been granted. Projects can be submitted until October 23 2015. From all entries and Go Short and IKL will then select one project to be presented to the international jury. This jury ultimately decides which projects will be invited to Euro Connection 2016. The selected producers will be invited to pitch their project in Clermont-Ferrand and to participate in networking events. Producers of the selected projects who are not among the selected 16 are also assured of participation in Euro Connection and welcome to expand their international network.

Go Short – International Short Film Festival Nijmegen is the Dutch festival for short film. For five days, over 300 short films are screened in and around LUX in Nijmegen. Besides screenings there are exhibitions, workshops, performances, parties and more. The 8th edition of the festival takes place from 6 – 10 April 2016. More information on the festival at www.goshort.nl. 

CineFest, Hungary`s biggest film event starts on 11 September with a CineClassics screening: the digitally restored Once Upon a Time in the West - in the presence of Claudia Cardinale. The festival's 6 years old film history series presents an extensive western focus, screenings and a conference - and what`s more, it commemorates the Hungarian born Paramount founder, the legendary studio boss Adolph Zukor, producer of many early westerns, who was born in the nearby village Ricse.

CineFest`s country focus program screens Ivan Passer's 50 years old masterpiece Intimate Lighting and Michael Haneke's early film, the cathartic Benny's Video - in cooperation with the Czech Centre and the Austrian Cultural Forum.  A Hungarian language presentation tells the story of the right 90 years old Miskolc city cinema, and an exhibition remembers the Russian stage and screen legend Smoktunovsky who was born 90 years ago (watch his brilliant Hamlet in the Miskolc Theatre Museum, Déryné u. 3.).

Smoktunovsky was one of the best Hamlets - for his 1964 performance in Grigory Kozintsev's legendary film Innokentiy Smoktunovsky was even nominated for the BAFTA (and the film was nominated for the Golden Globe). He was one of the best Shakespeare actors - and one of the best Russian actors ever. The Siberian-born son of Polish-Russian exilants appeared in hundreds of plays and in dozens of great films from The Unsent Letter to Nine Days in One Year, from Crime and Punishment to Uncle Vanya, just to name a few. Now a small exhibition - curated by Anna Geréb and Gábor Mikita, in cooperation with the Moscow Bahrusin Museum - honours him in the Miskolc Theatre Museum (Déryné u. 3.). Opening: right before the grand opening of the festival, 11 September, 3 PM.

The programme for the 59th BFI London Film Festival in partnership with American Express® launched today, with Festival Director Clare Stewart presenting this year’s rich and diverse selection of films and events. BFI London Film Festival is Britain's leading film event and one of the world's oldest film festivals. It introduces the finest new British and international films to an expanding London and UK-wide audience. The Festival provides an essential platform for films seeking global success; and promotes the careers of British and international filmmakers through its industry and awards programmes. With this year’s industry programme stronger than ever, offering international filmmakers and leaders a programme of insightful events covering every area of the film industry‎ LFF positions London as the world’s leading creative city.

The Festival will screen a total of 238 fiction and documentary features, including 16 World Premieres, 8 International Premieres, 40 European Premieres and 11 Archive films including 5 Restoration World Premieres.[1] There will also be screenings of 182 live action and animated shorts.  A stellar line-up of directors, cast and crew are expected to take part in career interviews, ScreenTalks, Q&As and a new programme of Industry Talks: LFF Connects. The 59th BFI London Film Festival will run Wednesday 7 – Sunday 18 October 2015.

Taking place over 12 days, the Festival’s screenings are at venues across the capital, from the West End cinemas – Vue West End and the iconic Odeon Leicester Square; central London venues – BFI Southbank, BFI IMAX, Picturehouse Central, the ICA, Curzon Mayfair, Curzon Soho, Cineworld Haymarket and Ciné Lumière; and local cinemas – Ritzy Brixton, Hackney Picturehouse, Curzon Chelsea, Vue Islington and Rich Mix.  Additional screenings and events will take place at Tate Modern. Audiences across the UK can enjoy the Festival via simultaneous screenings in their local cinemas.

GALAS

OPENING & CLOSING NIGHT GALAS

The Festival opens with the European Premiere of SUFFRAGETTE, starring Carey Mulligan, Helena Bonham Carter, Anne-Marie Duff, Brendan Gleeson, Ben Whishaw and Meryl Streep. Director Sarah Gavron returns to the Festival for a third time with a film that tells the story of the ordinary British women at the turn of the last century who risked everything in the fight for equality and the right to vote.

Audiences around the UK will have the chance to enjoy a live cinecast from the Opening Night red carpet via satellite to cinemas across the UK, followed by an exclusive preview screening of Suffragette. All the red carpet action will also be live-streamed on the BFI’s YouTube channel, thanks to our partners at Pathé and Google.

The European Premiere of STEVE JOBS will close the Festival, directed by Danny Boyle whose films Slumdog Millionaire (2008) and 127 Hours (2010) previously closed the Festival. Based on Walter Isaacson’s best-selling biography, the film takes us behind the scenes of the digital revolution to create a revealing portrait of the man at its epicentre. The film stars Michael Fassbender in the title role, Academy Award® winner Kate Winslet, Seth Rogen, Jeff Daniels, Michael Stuhlbarg and Katherine Waterston.

HEADLINE GALAS

Among the other highly anticipated Galas are the previously announced American Express Gala of Todd Haynes’ CAROL, a beautiful 1950s romantic drama about a young woman working as a clerk in a department store who meets and falls in love with an alluring woman trapped in a loveless convenient marriage.  The film stars Academy Award® winner Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara, who won the Best Actress Award at this year’s Cannes Film Festival for her role in the film. The Accenture Gala is the European premiere of TRUMBO, directed by Jay Roach and starring Bryan Cranston in a cracking performance as Dalton Trumbo, the Hollywood screenwriter who was blacklisted after refusing to testify before the House Committee on Un-American Activities in 1947.  Diane Lane, Helen Mirren, Elle Fanning, Louis C.K. and John Goodman round out the cast. We are delighted to welcome back Official Airline Partner to this year’s Festival, Virgin Atlantic who will present Scott Cooper’s chilling crime drama BLACK MASS starring Johnny Depp, Benedict Cumberbatch and Joel Edgerton. The May Fair Hotel Gala is the European Premiere of the stirring drama BROOKLYN starring Saoirse Ronan, Domhnall Gleeson and Emory Cohen, adapted for the screen by Nick Hornby from Colm Tóibin’s best-selling novel about the exquisite pain of choosing between an Irish homeland and the new promise of America.  The Centrepiece Gala supported by the Mayor of London is the European Premiere of director Nicholas Hytner’s THE LADY IN THE VAN adapted from writer Alan Bennett’s play and starring Maggie Smith, Alex Jennings, Jim Broadbent, Frances De La Tour and Roger Allam.  The Festival Gala is Ben Wheatley’s HIGH-RISE starring Tom Hiddleston as Dr. Robert Laing, a man who has just taken ownership of a luxurious apartment in this brilliant satire based on JG Ballard’s classic novel. The Archive Gala is the World Premiere of the BFI National Archive restoration of SHOOTING STARS, directed by A.V. Bramble and Anthony Asquith (1928).

SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS

This year, the Festival introduces three Special Presentations, they are: the Experimenta Special Presentation, Guy Maddin and Evan Johnson’s phantasmagoric opus THE FORBIDDEN ROOM which screens at BFI IMAX; the Documentary Special Presentation, Davis Guggenheim’s HE NAMED ME MALALA an inspiring portrait of an incredibly brave and resilient young woman who carries a message of hope for women in the world; and the previously announced Fellowship Special Presentation of James Vanderbilt’s TRUTH starring Cate Blanchett in honour of the actress receiving the BFI Fellowship at this year’s LFF Awards Ceremony.

STRAND GALAS

The nine programme strands are each headlined with a gala, they are: the Love Gala, Luca Guadagnino’s A BIGGER SPLASH; the Debate Gala, Stephen Frears’ THE PROGRAM; the Dare Gala, Yorgos Lanthimos’ THE LOBSTER; the Laugh Gala, Ondi Timoner’s BRAND: A SECOND COMING (European Premiere); the Thrill Gala, Deepa Mehta’s BEEBA BOYS (International Premiere); the Cult Gala, S. Craig Zahler’s BONE TOMAHAWK (International Premiere); the Journey Gala, Hou Hsiao-Hsien’s THE ASSASSIN; the Sonic Gala, Hany Abu-Assad’s THE IDOL (European Premiere) and the Family Gala is Rob Letterman’s GOOSEBUMPS (European Premiere). 

AWARDS AND COMPETITIONS

The Best Film Award will again be handed out in Official Competition; the Sutherland Award in the First Feature Competition and the Grierson Award in Documentary Competition. This year there is also the newly introduced Short Film Award, presented to one of a shortlist of 12 films selected from across the programme. Each section is open to international and British films.

OFFICIAL COMPETITION

The Official Competition line-up, recognising inspiring, inventive and distinctive filmmaking, includes the following:

·         Jerzy Skolimowski, 11 MINUTES

·         Cary Fukunaga, BEASTS OF NO NATION

·         Apichatpong Weerasethakul, CEMETERY OF SPLENDOUR

·         Athina Rachel Tsangari, CHEVALIER

·         Simon Stone, THE DAUGHTER

·         Jonás Cuarón, DESIERTO (European Premiere)

·         Lucile Hadžihalilović, EVOLUTION

·         Johnnie To, OFFICE (European Premiere)

·         Lenny Abrahamson, ROOM

·         László Nemes, SON OF SAUL

·         Terence Davies, SUNSET SONG

·         Sean Baker, TANGERINE

·         Mir-Jean Bou Chaaya, VERY BIG SHOT (European Premiere)

FIRST FEATURE COMPETITION

Titles in consideration for the Sutherland Award in the First Feature Competition recognising an original and imaginative directorial debut are:

·         Mai Masri, 3000 NIGHTS (European Premiere)

·         Eva Husson, BANG GANG (A MODERN LOVE STORY)

·         Magnus von Horn, THE HERE AFTER

·         Trey Edward Shults, KRISHA

·         Yared Zeleke, LAMB

·         Esther May Campbell, LIGHT YEARS

·         Ariel Kleiman, PARTISAN

·         Eugenio Canevari, PAULA

·         Bentley Dean, Martin Butler, TANNA

·         Piero Messina, THE WAIT

·         Nitzan Gilady, WEDDING DOLL (European Premiere)

·         Robert Eggers, THE WITCH

DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION

The Grierson Award in the Documentary Competition category recognises cinematic documentaries with integrity, originality, and social or cultural significance. This year the Festival is screening:

·         João Pedro Plácido, (BE)LONGING

·         Mor Loushy, CENSORED VOICES

·         David Sington, THE FEAR OF 13 (World Premiere)

·         Alexandria Bombach, Mo Scarpelli, FRAME BY FRAME (European Premiere)

·         Alexander Sokurov, FRANCOFONIA

·         Frederick Wiseman, IN JACKSON HEIGHTS

·         Walter Salles, JIA ZHANGKE, A GUY FROM FENYANG

·         Tomer Heymann, MR. GAGA (International Premiere)

·         Patricio Guzmán, THE PEARL BUTTON

·         Sarah Turner, PUBLIC HOUSE (World Premiere)

·         Jennifer Peedom, SHERPA (European Premiere)

·         Hanna Polak, SOMETHING BETTER TO COME

SHORT FILM AWARD

In its inaugural year, the Short Film Award recognises short form works with a unique cinematic voice and a confident handling of chosen theme and content. This year the Festival is screening:

·         João Paulo Miranda Maria, COMMAND ACTION

·         Till Nowak, DISSONANCE

·         Nina Gantz, EDMOND

·         Peter Tscherkassky, THE EXQUISITE CORPUS

·         Mees Peijnenburg, A HOLE IN MY HEART

·         An van Dienderen, LILI (International Premiere)

·         Maïmouna Doucouré, MOTHER(S)

·         Shai Heredia, Shumona Goel, AN OLD DOG’S DIARY (European Premiere)

·         Caroline Bartleet, OPERATOR (World Premiere)

·         Jörn Threlfall, OVER

·         Vivienne Dick, RED MOON RISING (World Premiere)

·         Ziya Demirel, TUESDAY

FILM GUESTS

Key filmmaking talent due to attend the Festival’s gala and special presentation screenings include: Carey Mulligan, Helena Bonham-Carter, Meryl Streep, Sarah Gavron, Michael Fassbender, Kate Winslet, Danny Boyle, Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara, Todd Haynes, Bryan Cranston, Helen Mirren, Jay Roach, Benedict Cumberbatch, Scott Cooper, Saoirse Ronan, John Crowley, Nick Hornby, Colm Toíbín, Maggie Smith, Alex Jennings, Nicholas Hytner, Alan Bennett, Tom Hiddleston, Ben Wheatley, Luca Guadagnino, Colin Farrell, Rachel Weisz, Yorgos Lanthimos, Ben Foster, Stephen Frears, Ondi Timoner, Randeep Hooda, Deepa Mehta, S. Craig Zahler, Hany Abu-Assad, Guy Maddin and Davis Guggenheim.

Additional filmmaking talent attending for films in competition include: for Official Competition: Jerzy Skolimowski, Cary Fukunaga, Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Athina Rachel Tsangari, Jonás Cuarón, Lucile Hadžihalilović, Lenny Abrahamson, Brie Larson, Terence Davies, László Nemes, Sean Baker; First Feature Competition: Mai Masri, Eva Husson, Magnus von Horn, Trey Edward Shults, Yared Zaleke, Esther May Campbell, Nitzan Gilady, Ariel Kleiman, Eugenio Canevari, Robert Eggers, Piero Messina; Documentary Competition: João Pedro Plácido, Mor Loushy, David Sington, Walter Salles , Tomer Haymenn, Patricio Guzmán, Sarah Turner and Hanna Polak.

The Festival will announce its complete guest line-up for all sections in early October.

STRANDS / PATHWAYS

The Festival programme is organised into categories clustered around the themes of Love, Debate, Dare, Laugh, Thrill, Cult, Journey, Sonic, Family and Experimenta– an approach designed to help Festival-goers find the films that appeal the most to them and to open up the Festival for new audiences.

LOVE

Love is a complex and many splendoured thing. The Love Gala is Luca Guadagnino’s feature A BIGGER SPLASH set on the volcanic, windswept Sicilian island of Pantelleria and starring Tilda Swinton as a rock star, Matthias Schoenaerts as her filmmaker lover, Ralph Fiennes as a cocky music producer and Dakota Johnson as his petulant, sexy daughter.

Other titles in this section include: Naomi Kawase’s sweet, light and leisurely AN; Tom Geens’ COUPLE IN A HOLE, about a couple living in an underground forest dwelling to be left alone to deal with their mysterious grief; DEPARTURE, Andrew Steggall’s delicate first feature about longing, loneliness and nostalgia for a sense of family that may have never existed; Jacques Audiard’s Palme d’Or-winner about a makeshift family trying to cement their bonds, DHEEPAN;  the World Premiere of Biyi Bandele’s FIFTY, a riveting exploration of love and lust, power and rivalry and seduction and infidelity in Lagos; the European Premiere of Maya Newell’s documentary GAYBY BABY, following the lives of four Australian children whose parents all happen to be gay; Mark Cousins returns to LFF with his metaphysical essay film I AM BELFAST, Stig Björkman’s documentary INGRID BERGMAN – IN HER OWN WORDS, a treasure trove of Bergman’s never-before-seen home movies, personal letters and diary extracts alongside archive footage; Hirokazu Kore-eda’s beautiful OUR LITTLE SISTER, focusing on the lives of four young women related through their late father in provincial Japan; the European Premiere of Mabel Cheung’s sweeping Chinese epic based on the true story of Jackie Chan’s parents A TALE OF THREE CITIES and Guillaume Nicloux’s VALLEY OF LOVE starring Isabelle Huppert and Gérard Depardieu in a tale of love, loss, memory and the mystical.

DEBATE

Debate thrives on conversation, which is never more engaging than when the world outside the cinema is reflected back at us.  This year’s Debate Gala is Stephen Frears’s THE PROGRAM starring Ben Foster as cyclist Lance Armstrong, charting his rise to near canonization and his subsequent fall from grace.

Other highlights in this section include: Pablo Larraín’s THE CLUB, a mordant morality tale set in a sleepy Chilean coastal town, which won Berlin’s Grand Jury Prize; CHRONIC, Michel Franco’s uncompromising study of grief and isolation, featuring a revelatory performance by Tim Roth; brothers Tarzan and Arab Nasser’s feature directorial debut, DÉGRADÉ, a smart drama that moves seamlessly between humour and despair, set in a women’s hair salon in Gaza; the European Premiere of George Amponsah’s intimate documentary THE HARD STOP, revealing the story of Mark Duggan’s friends and family following his death after being shot in a ‘Hard Stop’ police procedure in 2011; Jonas Carpignano’s engrossing feature debut, THE MEASURE OF A MAN which won Vincent Lindon Best Actor at Cannes Film Festival, MEDITERRANEA, an ultra-topical tale of two young African men from Burkina Faso who, in search of a better life, make the difficult and dangerous trip across the Sahara desert and Mediterranean Sea to reach Italy; the drama MUCH LOVED, Nabil Ayouch’s searing, no-holds-barred look at the world of prostitution in Morocco; David Evans’ thought-provoking documentary MY NAZI LEGACY, which raises the harrowing question, ‘What if your father was a Nazi?’; the World Premiere of John Dower’s MY SCIENTOLOGY MOVIE which features Louis Theroux as he heads to Los Angeles to explore the Church of Scientology; Sebastián Silva’s beguiling, seductive and confrontational NASTY BABY; PAULINA, Santiago Mitre’s intelligent parable for contemporary Argentina, which won the Critics Week Grand Prize in Cannes; TAKLUB, Brillante Ma Mendoza’s riveting ode to a Filipino city wreaked by a typhoon; and Jafar Panahi’s latest film, TAXI TEHRAN, winner of the Golden Bear at this year’s Berlinale and set and shot from inside a car.

DARE

Here you’ll find films that are in your face, up-front and arresting, taking you out of and beyond your comfort zone.  The Dare Gala is Yorgos Lanthimos’ THE LOBSTER which stars Colin Farrell, Rachel Weisz, Olivia Coleman, John C. Reilly, Léa Sedoux and Ben Whishaw in a bleakly hilarious skewering of fundamentalist diktats and rituals that is also a tender plea for genuine intimacy amid society’s self-imposed absurdities.

Other highlights in this strand include: Miguel Gomes’ mixes fantasy, documentary, docu-fiction, Brechtian pantomime and echoes of MGM musical in the epic ARABIAN NIGHTS; the World Premiere of William Fairman and Max Gogarty’s CHEMSEX, an unflinching, powerful documentary about the pleasures and perils associated with the ‘chemsex’ scene that’s far more than a sensationalist exposé; the European Premiere of CLOSET MONSTER, Stephen Dunn’s remarkable debut feature about an artistic, sexually confused teen who has conversations with his pet hamster, voiced by Isabella Rossellini; THE ENDLESS RIVER a devasting new film set in small-town South Africa from Oliver Hermanus, Diep Hoang Nguyen’s beautiful debut, FLAPPING IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE, a wry, weird socially probing take on the teen pregnancy scenario that focuses on a girl whose escape from village life to pursue an urban education has her frozen in mid-flight; LUCIFER, Gust Van den Berghe’s thrillingly cinematic tale of Lucifer as an angel who visits a Mexican village, filmed in ‘Tondoscope’ – a circular frame in the centre of the screen; the European premiere of KOTHANODI a compelling, unsettling fairytale from India; veteran Algerian director Merzak Allouache’s gritty and delicate portrait of a drug addicted petty thief in MADAME COURAGE; Radu Muntean’s excellent ONE FLOOR BELOW, which combines taut, low-key realism with incisive psychological and ethical insights in a drama centering on a man, his wife and a neighbor; and QUEEN OF EARTH, Alex Ross Perry’s devilish study of mental breakdown and dysfunctional power dynamics between female best friends, starring Elisabeth Moss.

LAUGH

This year’s Laugh strand encompasses richly diverse geography, subject matter and senses of humour, from gleeful to bittersweet and wickedly satirical.  This year’s Laugh Gala is the European Premiere of BRAND: A SECOND COMING, an energetic, complex and frequently hilarious documentary about Russell Brand directed by Ondi Timoner.

Other titles in this strand include: comic visionary Jaco Van Dormael’s scabrously provocative, philosophically asute parable THE BRAND NEW TESTAMENT, which poses the question ‘What if God were Belgian and a cantankerous, vindicative slob who runs the whole show from a dilapidated apartment in Brussels?’; the World Premiere of Chanya Button’s debut feature BURN BURN BURN starring Downton Abbey’s Laura Carmichael, which takes the road trip buddy movie on its own smart, female-centric spin; Ali F. Mostafa’s FROM A TO B, a ‘dramedy’ following three estranged childhood companions who embark on a road trip to commemorate the fifth anniversary of a friend’s death and offers a new perspective on life in the Gulf and Middle East; Paul Weitz’s GRANDMA, a supremely enjoyable ‘road movie’ starring Lily Tomlin as the gloriously profane septuagenarian whose curt words and emotional armour can’t quite mask her broken heart; Bao Nguyen’s Saturday Night Live documentary LIVE FROM NEW YORK!; MEN AND CHICKEN, Anders Thomas Jensen’s dark, twisted and extremely animalistic comedy as black as pitch, but with the sweetest heart, starring Mads Mikkelsen; Fernando León de Aranoa’s black comedy A PERFECT DAY, a freewheeling tale centering on two veteran aid workers starring Benico Del Toro and Tim Robbins; the International Premiere of Brendan Cowell’s debut RUBEN GUTHRIE about an advertising exec trying to quit the booze, which spikes social observations with dark, wounded humour and the European Premiere of Japanese auteur/icon Takeshi Kitano’s latest comedy, RYUZO AND HIS SEVEN HENCHMEN, about a group of elderly, retired Yakuza who reteam to take revenge on a younger rival gang.

THRILL

This year’s Thrill strand features nerve-shredders that’ll get your adrenalin pumping and will keep you on the edge of your seat.  The Gala presentation for this strand is the International Premiere of Deepa Mehta’s BEEBA BOYS, an energetic gangster movie that also explores South Asian family values set in Vancouver’s Sikh immigrant badlands and starring Randeep Hooda.

Other highlights in this section include: the European Premiere of Choi Dong-hoon’s colourful period bullet opera, ASSASSINATION; the European Premiere of Daniel Junge’s thrill-a-minute BEING EVEL about the legendary daredevil Robert Craig ‘Evel’ Knievel; the European Premiere of David Farr’s crafty and suspenseful study in paranoia, THE ONES BELOW starring David Morrissey and Clémence Poésy; Atom Egoyan’s latest drama REMEMBER, offering a provocative study of the nature of evil as well as serving as a stark reminder of the atrocities of 20th century history, starring Christopher Plummer and Martin Landau; Gabriel Clarke and John McKenna’s gripping documentary STEVE MCQUEEN: THE MAN & LE MANS, featuring unseen archive footage, contemporary interviews and previously unheard commentary from McQueen himself; Stephen Fingleton’s thrilling, post-apocalyptic debut THE SURVIVALIST; Sebastian Schipper’s exhilarating one-shot sensation, VICTORIA; and THE WAVE, Roar Uthaug’s high-octane and nerve-shredding portrayal of a potential catastrophe.

CULT

In the Cult strand, the dark side is welcomed with outcasts and reprobates taking centre stage in this year’s crop of films. The Cult Gala is the International Premiere of S. Craig Zahler’s gloriously imaginative genre hybrid BONE TOMAHAWK starring Kurt Russell in a film with enough surprises to satisfy even the most jaded horror hounds and western fans.

Other highlights in this strand include: the World Premiere of Thierry Poiraud’s DON’T GROW UP, a stylish and inventive film about a group of teens on an unnamed island who wake up to find their youth facility eerily abandoned; the World Premiere of Jon Spira’s affectionate documentary ELSTREE 1976 about the bit performers who appeared in George Lucas’ box office behemoth Star Wars; GHOST THEATER, the latest film from director Hideo Nakata, the forerunner of J-horror; GREEN ROOM, Jeremy Saulnier’s latest exercise in edge of the seat suspense, starring Patrick Stewart, Imogen Poots and Anton Yelchin; returning for the third year running, Sion Sono screens LOVE AND PEACE, his tale of punk rock and talking turtles; and the fantastically prolific Takashi Miike’s riotous, unruly gangster vampire concoction YAKUZA APOCALYPSE.

JOURNEY

Journey is all about the temporal voyage.  This year’s Journey Gala is Hou Hsiao-Hsien’s breathtakingly elegant and mesmerizing first foray into wuxia (martial arts), THE ASSASSIN, which won him the Best Director prize at the Cannes Film Festival this year. Hou Hsiao-Hsien is the subject of retrospective – Also Like Life– at BFI Southbank this month in the lead-up to the Festival and will participate in a career interview on Monday 14 September at BFI Southbank.

Other titles in this section include: Radu Jude’s vivid, Wallachian western AFERIM!, COWBOYS, the directorial debut of Jacques Audiard’s A Prophet and Rust and Bone co-writer Thomas Bidegain; the breathtaking ethnographic Colombian Amazon odyssey EMBRACE OF THE SERPENT; James Ponsoldt’s THE END OF THE TOUR starring Jason Segel as writer David Foster Wallace and Jesse Eisenberg as Rolling Stone journalist David Lipsky in this engrossing two-hander; Writer-Director Jayro Bustamante’s IXCANUL VOLCANO, the European Premiere Stevan Riley’s enthralling Marlon Brando documentary LISTEN TO ME MARLON; Jia Zhangke’s ambitious, astute and humane MOUNTAINS MAY DEPART; the European Premiere of Sylvia Chang’s often-ethereal magic-realist drama love story, MURMUR OF THE HEARTS; the European Premiere of THE NEW CLASSMATE about a single mum in India battling to ensure her daughter’s future; SEMBÈNE!, Samba Gadjigo and Jason Silverman’s incisive documentary on acclaimed African filmmaker Ousmane Sembène; Chloé Zhao’s SONGS MY BROTHERS TAUGHT ME; and Paolo Sorrentino’s deliciously bittersweet drama YOUTH, starring Michael Caine, Harvey Keitel, Rachel Weisz, Paul Dano and Jane Fonda.

SONIC

‘We are the music makers, and we are the dreamers of dreams’, so goes Arthur O’Shaughnessy’s 1873 poem Ode, and so goes this year’s Sonic strand.  The Sonic Gala is the European Premiere of two-time Oscar-nominated director Hany Abu-Assad’s new film THE IDOL, based on the incredible true story of Mohammad Assaf, winner of ‘Arab Idol’.

Other highlights in this strand include: the World Premiere of Bernard MacMahon’s documentary THE AMERICAN EPIC SESSIONS, a haunting collision of past and present, presided over by the high priests of the great tradition of American music, Jack White and T Bone Burnett; the World Premiere of James Caddick and James Cronin’s documentary ELEPHANT DAYS, which charts The Maccabees creative process as they record their 4th album Marks To Prove It in an anonymous studio in Elephant and Castle; JANIS: LITTLE GIRL BLUE, Oscar-nominated director Amy Berg’s Janis Joplin documentary drawing on archival footage, contemporary interviews and the singer’s personal correspondences; punk filmmaker Khavn De La Cruz’s RUINED HEART: ANOTHER LOVE STORY BETWEEN A CRIMINAL AND A WHORE, an irreverent orgy of sex and crime with a banging soundtrack at its core; the International Premiere of Bobbito Garcia’s STRETCH AND BOBBITO: RADIO THAT CHANGED LIVES, a documentary about The Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito Show which broadcasted on New York’s WKCP radio in the 1990’s and featured unsigned at the time artists such as Jay Z, Nas and Eminem; and the European Premiere of THEY WILL HAVE TO KILL US FIRST: MALIAN MUSIC IN EXILE, Johanna Schwartz’s debut feature which intelligently captures the complexity and emotion of the life of musicians forced into exile and desperate to keep their music alive.

FAMILY

Showcasing films for the young, as well as the young at heart, this year’s Family section is a truly international affair, kicking off with the Family Gala, the European Premiere of Rob Letterman’s GOOSEBUMPS, featuring Jack Black. 

Other highlights are ADAMA a deeply moving animation about the life of a young boy in West Africa in 1914; Mamoru Hosoda’s THE BOY AND THE BEAST, an exquisitely animated fable about a boy who has run away from home and is alone in the human world following the passing of his mother; Jury Feting’s CELESTIAL CAMEL, a fascinating and thrilling tale about a 12 year old herder whose father has sold a young colt who may be the fabled ‘celestial camel’; Academy Award® winner Gabriele Salvatores’ THE INVISIBLE BOY, a charming coming of age tale about a shy boy, picked on by his peers, who gets his wish to hide from the world when he discovers a Halloween outfit that makes him invisible;  Alexandre Heboyan and Benoît Philippon’s hugely enjoyable CGI animated adventure MUNE, about a faun who lives in a faraway world; Studio Ghibli’s beautiful drama WHEN MARNIE WAS THERE, directed by Hiromasa Yonebayashi; and the World Premiere of Tim Clague and Danny Stark’s WHO KILLED NELSON NUTMEG?, featuring Bonnie Wright from the Harry Potter series.

There is a dedicated section for animated shorts for younger audiences which bring together eclectic, exciting and colourful films from all around the globe. English language and subtitled, suitable for all ages. Amongst the highlights of this year’s 14 titles is director Sanjay Patel’s SANJAY’S SUPER TEAM from Pixar.

EXPERIMENTA

Experimenta, the LFF showcase of experimental cinema and artist moving image is programmed in partnership with LUX for a third year and is supported by the Arts Council England. Focused on films and videos by artists, it aims to screen films that use the moving image to change the way we think of film and how it functions. The Experimenta Special Presentation is THE FORBIDDEN ROOM, a gleeful, hypnotic and totally deranged epic directed by Guy Maddin and Evan Johnson.

An extensive selection of work from across the world is presented including the World Premieres of William English’s HEATED GLOVES and THE HOST, in which director Miranda Pennell delves deeper into her past and her late parents’ involvement with the Anglo Iranian Oil Company (BP); Ben Rivers’ THE SKY TREMBLES AND THE EARTH IS AFRAID AND THE TWO EYES ARE NOT BROTHERS, the feature element of Ben’s current Artangel installation at BBC White City; EVENT FOR A STAGE by Tacita Dean, a filmed presentation of her live theatrical happening in collaboration with actor Stephen Dillane at the 2014 Sydney Biennial; the European Premiere of Omer Fast’s REMAINDER, a London-set thriller adapted from Tom McCarthy’s acclaimed  novel of the same name; the European Premiere of INVENTION which highlights the possibilities of camera movement and the development of artistic apparatus and Kevin Jerome Everson’s PARK LANES, set in an American bowling alley over the course of a day.   

SHORTS

A hugely diverse range of original and exciting short films that will captivate audiences span the festival strands this year.

Films of Love and Devotion explores and attempts to explain the old adage that the course of true love never did run smooth with Rob Savage’s  ABSENCE starring Paul McGann as a grieving man and OFFLINE DATING, a documentary about a single man’s search for love without the use of the internet. The Last Man Standingis a Girl programme explores the role of young women in society with GROOVE IS IN THE HEART, a tale of music and memory revealed through a school girl’s mixtape and A GIRL’S DAY from German director Hannah Ziegler. The Family at War shorts attempts to show what families are really like and how we survive them with TAMARA by Sofia Safonova and VIDEO where we see Elaine having trouble balancing life between her teenage daughter and a secret evening job. Funny How? How am I Funny? explores the comedy in cultural misunderstanding with OTHRWISE ENGAGED and black comedy KUNG FURY. The Fight or Flight programme charts the human response to extreme situations and Wild at Heart and Weird on Top presents eleven shorts that explore the history of film. In the Neighborhood is human stories of love, death and life-changing moments and includes Oscar Hudson’s LORD AND LIDL, where God unexpectedly shows up at the supermarket. London Calling is a selection of shorts from some of the capital’s most exciting new filmmakers and is supported by Film London. Sound Mirrors features nine diverse shorts all on a musical theme and Animated Shorts for Younger Audiences bring together a mix of exciting stories from around the world to surprise and delight children and adults alike.

TREASURES

Treasures bring recently restored cinematic riches from archives around the world to the Festival in London. The previously announced Archive Gala is the World Premiere of the BFI National Archive restoration of A.V. Bramble and Anthony Asquith’s silent film SHOOTING STARS (1928), presented with a new live score by John Altman, BAFTA and Emmy award-winning composer whose work includes Titanic and Goldeneye. Asquith’s feature debut not only announced the arrival of a significant new director, it is an exuberant, joyful pastiche of the movie industry and is a fascinating behind-the-scenes glimpse and searing comment on the shallowness of the star system. The film restoration and new score is supported by a number of generous individuals, trusts and organisations.

A number of other major restorations will have their World Premieres at the Festival:  Carol Reed’s atmospheric Graham Greene adaptation of OUR MAN IN HAVANA (1959), set in Cuba at the start of the Cold War, makes timely viewing as US/Cuba relations thaw; Ken Russell’s reworking of D.H. Lawrence scandalous classic WOMEN IN LOVE (1970) stars Oliver Reed, Alan Bates and Glenda Jackson and shows two couple’s contrasting searches for love, and was restored by the BFI National Archive working alongside cinematographer Billy Williams; A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS (1966) is directed by Fred Zinnemann from a script by great British screenwriter, Robert Bolt from Bolt’s play about Sir Thomas More, a perfect companion piece to Wolf Hall; Henry Fonda stars in the ripe-for-discovery WARLOCK (1959), a seething study of vengeance and repressed sexuality in a Utah mining outpost; and Bryan Forbes' THE RAGING MOON (1971) starring Malcolm McDowell and Nanette Newman in a tender story between two young people in wheelchairs which was ahead of its time in its attempts to change attitudes to disability.

From newsreels to comedy sketches, the 21 films that make up MAKE MORE NOISE! SUFFRAGETTES IN FILM (1934) are a historical accompaniment to our Opening Night film and a fascinating representation of women at the time that the battle for universal suffrage was being fought on the streets. 

Martin Scorsese said of Ousmane Sembène’s BLACK GIRL (1966): ‘An astonishing movie – so ferocious, so haunting and so unlike anything we’d ever seen. ’Sembène’s  first feature, which tells the tragic story of Diouana, a young Senegalese women eager to find a better life, draws from the Nouvelle Vague, but the film’s heart and soul is definitely African.  It is the perfect companion to Samba Gadjigo’s documentary SEMBÈNE!

And for a lighter-hearted but no less majestic cinema experience, George Sidney’s breathlessly delightful KISS ME KATE (1953) brings the Cole Porter penned musical to screen, here in magnificent 3D.

Rock and roll hall-of-famer Leon Russell is the heart of an ineffable, joyous collage of mesmerising live performance and vérité realism in A POEM IS A NAKED PERSON (1974), filmed between 1972-1974 by director Les Blank. Previously unavailable theatrically in the four decades since it was made.

Other highlights include Mira Nair’s Oscar-nominated debut feature SALAAM BOMBAY! (1988); the Holy Grail of silent comedy shorts, a previously-thought-lost Laurel and Hardy THE BATTLE OF THE CENTURY (1927), and Luchino Visconti's fully restored masterpiece ROCCO AND HIS BROTHERS (1960), starring Alain Delon in a grand emotional opus on imploding fraternal tensions.

Screen Talks

We are delighted to announce this year’s programme of events will include Screen Talks with filmmaker Todd Haynes, actor Saoirse Ronan, casting director Laura Rosenthal and filmmakers Jia Zhangke and Walter Salles.

This year, the BFI warmly welcomes Todd Haynes to discuss his inspiring and critically acclaimed directing career.  His latest film, the poignant CAROL, is screening as the American Express Gala in this year’s LFF. A pioneer of the Queer Cinema Movement Todd Haynes’ films explore the themes of identity and sexuality beginning with the controversial SUPERSTAR: THE KAREN CARPENTER STORY, the acclaimed FAR FROM HEAVEN and the Bob Dylan biopic I’M NOT THERE in more recent years. – Thursday 15 October

We are thrilled to welcome Casting Director Laura Rosenthal to lead a Screen Talk about the work of a casting director when taking a film from script to screen. Having worked with a number of ground-breaking directors, Laura Rosenthal’s impressive credits include Paolo Sorrentino’s YOUTH, BUFFALO SOLDIERS, starring Joaquin Phoenix, THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDIATE and most recently CAROL, continuing her long-standing collaboration with Todd Haynes. – Saturday 10 October

Saoirse Ronan shines in The May Fair Hotel gala Brooklyn in which she delivers a nuanced, mature performance that not only reinforces her acting credentials, it signals a new phase in her already impressive career. She received Academy and BAFTA Award nominations for her performance in Joe Wright’s Atonement (2007), a BAFTA nomination for Peter Jackson’s The Lovely Bones and has worked subsequently with directors the calibre of Wright, Peter Weir, Neil Jordan, Kevin MacDonald and Wes Anderson. – Sunday 11 October

Internationally-acclaimed Chinese director Jia Zhangke and the Academy and BAFTA award-winning Walter Salles will partner in a Screen Talk dedicated to discussing Salles’ documentary JIA ZHANGKE: A GUY FROM FENYANG and their respective approaches to film making. Both established film makers, the documentary is a tribute from one artist to the other as well as a revealing look at Jia’s life and work offering audiences a rare insight into the creative mind. – Thursday 8 October

LFF Connects

LFF Connects is a brand new series of thought-provoking high-impact talks intended to stimulate new collaborations and ideas by exploring both the future of film itself and how film engages with other creative industries including television, music, art, games and creative technology. 

LFF Connects: Film – Friday 9 October

As previously announced, the inaugural LFF Connects will feature British filmmaker Christopher Nolan, internationally acclaimed for some of the most original, compelling and successful films in contemporary cinema (Interstellar, Inception, The Dark Knight, Memento), and Tacita Dean, lauded for her art work in film (and whose grand-scale Tate Modern exhibition FILM transfixed audiences).

Christopher Nolan and Tacita Dean are both passionate advocates within their fields for film – not simply as a technology – but as a medium that offers intrinsically rich and unique qualities needed by artists and filmmakers, as well as a hugely engaging experience for audiences. Moderated by BFI Creative Director Heather Stewart, the conversation about the future of film as a medium will also include Alexander Horwath, Director of the Austrian Film Museum.

More LFF Connects events will be announced in the lead-up to the Festival.

INDUSTRY & EDUCATION

The Festival offers a full benefits package for Industry delegates supported by The Mayor’s Office and Film London.  This year’s industry programme includes the new LFF Connects strand, a Global Symposium on gender in media in partnership with the Geena Davis Institute and Women in Film & Television, talent development programme NET.WORK@LFF with Creative England, the launch of Screen International’s UK Stars of Tomorrow 2015, a Foreign Language Oscar® panel with AMPAS, Press and Industry screenings at Picturehouse Central, the Digital Viewing Library, new delegate hubs, discounts at new partner venues and numerous networking opportunities with delegates and filmmakers.  Visit www.bfi.org.uk/lff/professional-delegates  for further details.

The also Festival offers an exciting Education programme, thanks to event partners and our funding contributors Arts Council England, the Film Music Foundation and IdeasTap. It includes films from the festival programme and special events for schools, students and young people, plus the LFF Young Jury Project supported by the BFI Film Academy, all featuring a wide range of film industry professionals. It also includes student accreditation scheme, and the 'Film School Programme' presented in partnership with the National Film & Television School, London Film Academy, London Film School and Birkbeck College.

BFI PLAYER

The BFI London Film Festival experience can be enjoyed UK-wide on BFI Player, the BFI’s VOD service, featuring a Festival digital channel showing regular red carpet action and film maker interviews. BFI London Film Festival content will be a key attraction in the range of services on BFI Player – at player.bfi.org.uk/

New York Peruvian Film & Art Showcase 2015:   September 15 – 18, 2015

The New York Peruvian Film & Art Showcase (NYPFAS) is proud to announce the film line-up and art program for 2015. Through documentaries, an art exhibition, short films, feature-length fiction and live music performances, the NYPFAS will try to portray Peru´s migration legacy as well as honor all of those citizens that, through origin or adoption, made the birth of a new nation possible.

This Showcase, which returns to New York City for a sixth year, will take place on September 15, 16, 17 and 18, 2015 (program and additional information enclosed) at the Instituto Cervantes – New York (211 E 49th St). This year’s program includes a diverse schedule of over 10 features, shorts and documentaries. The film selection presents, among many other groundbreaking works, Seeking the light, documentary by Delia Ackerman; Madeleine Truel: The Peruvian Heroine of the Second World War, documentary by Luis Enrique Cam; Guard dog, feature-length fiction by Daniel Higashionna and Baltazar Caravedo and Aunt Helga, fiction short movie by Ruben Carpio. A retrospective of Japanese- Peruvian master painter Venancio Shinki (September 14-19, 2015- Instituto Cervantes-Gallery) will be part of this year´s program. Shinki is one of the living masters of Peruvian painting; his artworks recall Eastern, Western, and Andean traditions, which links this visionary and groundbreaking artist with other great Latin American creators.  

This year´s highlight is the participation of the internationally renowned Peruvian singer, two-times Latin Grammy Award winner and Minister of Culture of Peru in 2011, Mrs. Susana Baca. This special event on Friday September 18, 2015 at 6.00 pm, will feature a live music performance, film screenings and the presentation of her book TheBitter Road of Sugar Cane, recently published.

The Sixth Edition of the New York Peruvian Film & Art Showcase is directed and produced by photographer and filmmaker Lorry Salcedo, in collaboration with the Trade Commission of Peru in New York, Peruvian American Cultural Institute (ICPNA), Mr. Jeffrey Rosen and Ana Maria Estrada de Rosen, the Center for American Studies in Lima (CEA), Cerveza Cusqueña - Backus Corporation, the Consulate of Peru in New York and the Film Library of the Pontifical Catholic University of Peru (Filmoteca PUCP).

--

Javier Iturralde de Bracamonte

Marketing & Communications| New York Peruvian Film Showcase 

646 509 4298/ peruvianfilmshowcasepr@gmail.com

+ Info: http://nyperuvianfilmshowcase.com 

  The 63rd San Sebastian Film Festival will present eight feature films in the Zinemira section, dedicated to films produced in the Basque Country. Four world premieres and another four titles from this year’s production make up the selection.

All of the premieres compete for the Irizar Basque Film Award, alongside the remaining productions with a minimum of 20% Basque production presented as a world premiere in any of the Festival sections. The Irizar Award is decided by a specific jury and comes with €20,000 gross for the producer or producers of the winning film.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ZINEMIRA AWARD

 Makeup artist Karmele Soler will receive this year’s Zinemira Award, given by the San Sebastian International Film Festival and the EPE/APV and IBAIA producers’ associations to the career of an outstanding personality in the world of Basque film. The Zinemira Award will be presented at the Basque Film Gala on September 22 at the Victoria Eugenia Theatre, with premiere of Lara Izagirre’s film, Un otoño sin Berlín. The Basque Film Party, sponsored by Eroski, will take part after the Gala.

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It's hard to believe, but this month the Toronto International Film Festival will celebrate its 40th anniversary. Milestones like this always make for a good excuse to pause and reflect, especially for Torontonians of my generation who grew up in the 1970s and 80s. The great thing about being a film fanatic living in Toronto back then was the sheer selection of movies you could see on any day of the week. The city had a huge number of cinema screens relative to its population, equal to, if not greater than cities like New York, London or Paris. Whatever your neighborhood, you were never far from a cinema. And if the prevailing Hollywood fare wasn't to your liking, there was no shortage of repertory cinemas scattered throughout the city, such as the Bloor, the Kingsway, the Revue and the Fox, where you could further your cinematic education and catch up on the back catalogue of cinema classics that had come before, allowing you to become an overnight expert (or so you thought) on the true meaning of Citizen Kane, Rashomon, or The 400 Blows, to name but a few.

In an era before home video or the internet, the rep cinemas were the only places you could see certain films, and we felt lucky if we had the chance to catch a rare screening of some revered masterpiece, even if it was a battered, scratched and thoroughly spliced 16 millimeter print. We didn't care. And no matter what you watched or where you went, the theaters were usually packed, especially on the weekends. So even before Toronto had established itself as a hub of film production, in the mid-70s it already had an enthusiastic film going population that went frequently, whether alone, as couples, in groups, or as part of a family outing.

Then in 1976 some folks decided it would a good idea to organize a local film festival. Not your typical kind of festival, but rather one that brought together and screened the best of recent films that had already been featured and distinguished themselves at other film festivals around the world. Kind of a “best of” festival, showing films that probably wouldn't be coming soon to your local cinema because they were either obscure, not commercially viable, lacked a Canadian distributor, or just too weird. A novel idea? Sure. But would the public go for it? Perhaps. So they decided to give it a try. And they called it the “Festival of Festivals”.

From the outset, there was no shortage of film submissions, even if the major Hollywood studios did not enthusiastically embrace the festival in its early formative years. But that's another story. The fact is, in its very first year, the Festival of Festival, running from October 18-24, screened 127 films in various genres from 30 countries and racked up attendances of over 35,000. Not bad for a debut performance.

The rest, as they say, is history. Although it proved itself a modest success, the festival took time to grow on the film industry, even if the film fans were onboard from the outset. Incrementally but steadily, through the 1980s the festival seemed to get a bit bigger and better each year, attracting greater numbers of films and celebrities, and in the process providing a boost to the local economy.

Then in 1994 after 18 incarnations as Toronto's “Festival of Festivals”, some people (probably with a background in marketing) decided to re-brand the event as the Toronto International Film Festival, reflecting the extent to which the festival had evolved, having gained international stature and the distinction of being the largest film festival in North America, second only to Cannes.

Aside from the consistently crowd pleasing film fare, another key factor in the festival's success over the years has been its legion of loyal volunteers. Call them them the unsung heros, the boots on the ground, the folks who do the heavy lifting; the fact is, each September there are literally hundreds of people, ranging in age from teenagers to senior citizens, who give freely of their time and professional expertise in various areas to make the festival happen. Some will even book time off work or choose their vacation period to coincide with the festival's dates, just so they have the pleasure of volunteering, whether as an usher, driver, interpreter, messenger, or any other number of positions which would normally be considered anything but exciting or glamorous. Ah, but during the film festival was different. It didn't matter if you answered phones, delivered film prints or tuna fish sandwiches, as long as you were a part of it, working alongside other people who shared a common goal-- making the film festival the best it could be for everyone who attended.

Although I'd been a festival goer since my teens, I didn't actually volunteer until 1998 when, for 10 action packed days, I served as the Photography Office Manager, supporting a team of around a dozen staff photographers, whose job was to cover press conferences, galas, industry events and just about anything film related for the festival's photographic archive. That year we set up our office and portrait studio in a suite at the Park Plaza Hotel. On a typical day, we’d do between 20 and 30 portrait sittings, most of them only lasting around 15 minutes.

My boss who was in charge of the department shot most of the studio portraits, but also gave me the chance to do some sessions. In 1998 the festival included a programme entitled the New Beat of Japan, featuring around 20 films by a variety of emerging and more established directors, most of them not widely known outside their country. Since I'd recently returned from two years working in Japan and spoke some Japanese, I got to shoot most of the directors' portraits, including many who are well known today, such as Kenji Kurosawa (no relation to Akira), Hirokazu Kore-Eda, and Shinya Tsukamoto, among others. Invariably, they would compliment my Japanese, surprised a Canadian film festival photographer could say anything in their language, to which I always replied “Sore hodo demo”, meaning “if only that was true”, which got an even bigger laugh.

Something I quickly learned as Photography Office Manager is that information is power. I was surprised at the the number of calls I'd receive throughout the day from various people asking for information about when various celebrities would be in town, where they were staying or, most importantly, where they would be hanging out on any particular night.

Invariably, I would plead ignorance, and it was true. 90% of the time, I didn't have the hot info they were looking for, and even if I did, I couldn't divulge it. However, my sincerity was often mistaken for reticence, and more than a few times money was offered in exchange for the coveted piece of info. When I told them I really didn't know, I could feel the consternation of the person on the other end of the line. And more than a few times someone would show up at our suite and ask if and when a certain actor or actress was scheduled for a portrait. At which point I would politely tell them that we did not share that kind of information out of respect for festival guests' privacy. If things got nasty, the phone on my desk had hotel security on speed dial, just in case. Fortunately, it never came to that.

The best part about the job was getting to see what a lot of famous people actually look like in person. I soon discovered that most celebrities generally look a bit older in person that you imagine, and a bit shorter. Of course, on the big screen, they are larger than life, and forever youthful in our memory. But in the flesh, more often than not, unadorned by make-up and ideal lighting, not so.

Sometimes people would arrive early or we'd run behind schedule, so I'd have a chance to have a chat with an actor or director. Of course, it was mostly small talk, but a couple of conversations, stand out in my memory. Both Tim Roth and Ewen Bremner were chatty, down to earth and totally unpretentious. And then there were other types, like a well known actress who arrived in rough shape one morning, and, as my boss told me later, didn't want to remove her sunglasses for her portrait sitting.

Then there was the time Claudia Schiffer was booked to come in the next day for a sitting and my boss asked me if I'd like to assist him on the shoot. How could I refuse? I wondered what she looked like in the flesh, I pondered? Unfortunately, the next day she ended up canceling at the last minute, so I never got to find out.

There were also those little chance encounters that could just happen. I went to get a coffee one afternoon and ended up sharing an elevator with Steve Martin, just the two of us, never exchanging a word as we ascended the upper floors of the Park Plaza. After all, what was I going to say? “Steve, I'm your biggest fan!” However, I took some kind of reassurance in the fact that Mr. Martin looked pretty much the same in person as he did on screen and on television. And he was actually taller than I imagined, well over 6 feet. Or perhaps it was just the shoes.

And unforgettably, there was the A-list actor who, by pre-arrangement, showed up not with his agent, publicist or spouse, but just his bodyguard. We were briefed beforehand when the sitting was booked. The conditions were as follows: no one was to enter or exit the suite at any time during the photo shoot. And the body guard would stand outside the door to make sure. Unusual? Sure. Unreasonable, apparently not. Especially by Hollywood standards. Later that afternoon at the designated time the celebrity appeared, bodyguard in tow, who took a quick look around the room, surveying its layout, his narrow eyes darting about furtively, looking for who knows what. I ushered the actor into the photo studio in the adjoining room where my boss was waiting, at which point the bodyguard exited and waited outside. During the shoot, I couldn't resist sneaking a peek through the door's peephole. There across the corridor stood the muscle-bound man, arms folded, staring straight ahead right back at me. He definitely took his job seriously.

Earlier that week, on the morning I photographed Norman Jewison, he didn't bring a body guard, or anybody else. A true professional, he showed up right on time for his portrait sitting. It was just me and him. I made some coffee and we chatted for a moment and got down to business. He was quite amiable, patient and very cooperative.

His latest film at the time was The Hurricane, starring Denzel Washington. Most of it was filmed in Toronto the previous winter, and I’d actually worked on it for a day that January, on a bitterly cold -20C day inside an unheated warehouse where they shot the boxing scenes. But I wasn’t working as a photographer that day. I was an extra, one of hundreds on set, many of them elderly people, all of us dressed in 1960s era costume. At one point, there were problems with the generators and we lost all electricity for a time. People were shivering, huddling together for warmth. The food wasn’t very good, either. Waiting in the line-up for the portable toilets outside was awful. Morale was terrible. It was a long, unpleasant day of shooting, and I was so relieved when it was over.

Of course, I hadn't mentioned of this to him during the shoot. As we were wrapping up I thanked him and wished him luck with the new film. Then, curious as to how he’d react, I said, “It sure was cold inside that warehouse in January, wasn’t it Mr. Jewison?”

Without skipping a beat, he replied, “It sure was Bob. It sure was.”

As for my personal favorites among my photos, there are two that stand out in my mind, as much for the circumstances under which they were taken, as the quality of the photo itself. Orson Welles once remarked that a director who is a person who presides over what he called “happy accidents”. The legendary producer Robert Evans once said that he didn't believe in luck, stating that luck is that moment when opportunity meets preparation. I agree.

At the 2001 Toronto International Film Festival, I was a staff photographer. One evening, I was on my way back from covering an event, and frankly, I was disappointed. It had been boring and I didn’t think I’d gotten anything really interesting. So I made my way back to the Four Seasons Hotel. This was before we’d switched over to digital, so we had a drop box at the front desk where all our staff photographers would leave the film they shot during the day, which would go out to the photo lab for processing later that night or first thing in the morning.

I did my drop and as I was in the lobby, I noticed a figure out of the corner of my eye. Instantly I recognized him. He was talking to a woman. To this day, I don’t know who she was. I knew I had to seize the moment, so I walked over, and as graciously and calmly as I could, introduced myself, held up my festival credentials and asked if I could do a quick portrait.”

“A portrait?” said David Lynch in his unmistakable voice, with a tone of feigned surprise, or perhaps he was just being sardonic. For a moment I thought he was going to tell me to go away. The woman with him didn’t look very pleased.

“OK”, he said.

So off came my lens cap. I had a roll of TRI-X in the camera, and was about half way through it. The week before I’d bought a new Nikon flash unit, which I didn’t yet know how to use. But the lighting in the lobby wasn’t very good, so I had no other choice. I’d have to use the flash.

“OK, look into the lens,” I said. Jesus, did I say that? I told David Lynch to look into the lens. Oh shit. OK, focus, focus. So I press the shutter. And nothing happens. What’s going on? This has never happened before. Oh fuck. David Lynch is in front of me, and my camera’s jammed. No it isn’t. It’s something to do with the flash. So I re-focus, re-compose, all the while trying to conceal my inner anxiety.

“OK, hold that,” I say, and press the shutter again. It worked. I think it worked. Did it work? God, I hope it worked. “That’s great, thank you very much. Have a nice evening,” I said.

As I walked past the front desk, the woman behind it said “You’re not allowed to photograph in here”, obviously oblivious to my credentials which were hanging around my neck. “You don’t have permission.”

“Yes, I do,” I said, wondering what the hell she was on about.

“From who?” she said.

“From Mr. Lynch,” I said, pointing in his direction. Then I turned around and walked outside. It was a great night.

But I guess my favorite happy accident of all time was in 2003 when Lost in Translation had its Canadian debut at festival. The premiere was held at the Elgin Theatre on Yonge Street, and the fans were out in full force. It was a real zoo. I had arrived a hours earlier in hopes of staking out a good spot, which was just about impossible. Fans, photographers, media-- we were all clustered together in the small, cramped area in front of the box office. I knew the space well. I’d spent many tedious hours in the same spot over the years at other premieres during previous film festivals. And this was another boring wait.

Then, as is always the case, a limo pulled up, and all hell broke loose. The fans screamed, and flashes erupted in a barrage sufficient to trigger epileptic seizures. “Sofia, Sofia, over here Sofia!” I couldn’t even tell who was yelling. Sofia paused briefly to sign some autographs, or autograph some photos that fans had brought along, gave a couple of sound bites to the TV cameras, then proceeded to make her way into the theatre. I knew I had to act now if I had any hope of getting a decent shot. So I piggybacked behind one of the TV crews and made it into the front of the lobby. More flashes, more chaos.

Security guards blocked some fans from getting any further. I knew I didn’t have much time. And then I did something I’d never done before. “Sofia—over here please,” I said calmly, but loud enough so she could hear me. And to my surprise, Sofia Coppola turned around and looked into my lens. I shot as fast as I could and got a few frames off before she turned back around. Did I get it? Did I get what I thought I got? It looked good, but you never know. Did the flash go? Was it in focus? I think I got it. It all happened so fast. Like it always does. So it was off to the lab to find out. Then when I saw the contact sheet I smiled. Sofia Coppola never looked more beautiful. And she had smiled just for me.

Then came the changeover to digital photography, and suddenly pros weren't shooting film anymore. Soon even cell phones were equipped with cameras, ones with surprisingly good resolution that was unthinkable just a few years earlier. The autograph hounds of yesterday metamorphosed. Magic markers gave way to selfie sticks, suddenly everyone had one, the new essential accessory one had to have at the ready, lest you lose your fleeting chance for that magic moment with your favorite celeb that you could instantly post on social media like a safari trophy, a badge of achievement, and bask in the envy and adulation of your Facebook friends and Twitter followers. A new age had arrived and both novice and veteran festival photographers acknowledged not only had the rules of the game changed, the game itself was different. Somehow it just didn't feel the same anymore. The celebrity-fan dynamic at premieres, red carpet galas, or any other festival event had reached a new apotheosis of absurdity even Fellini could not have imagined.

Of course, I still like to have a camera at the ready, but when I go to film festivals now, it's because I'm interested in seeing the films, not photographing the people who make or star in them. I haven't bought a selfie stick yet, but I think it might be a good idea, just in case. Because whether you're a pro or not, you never know when fortune might smile on you. And it would be a shame to miss that perfect shot now, wouldn't it? So happy birthday Toronto. Thanks for all those great films. And the photographic memories.

In the words of actor George Shevtsov, lead actor opposite Adrien Brody in competition film BACKTRACK (2015), “CinéfestOZ is my favorite film festival. I've been to Cannes and many festivals around the world but this is the best of all!” What makes CinéfestOZ so unique? It's a boutique festival tucked away in the gem wine region of Margaret River, Western Australia where some of Australia's most stunning beaches kiss the land of the nation's most luscious vineyards. What a location for a film festival, where beautiful beaches and fine wines abound and people of all backgrounds meet once a year to enjoy the fruits of the region and celebrate the universal art of film. Some have even deemed this festival, "Australia's answer the Cannes Film Festival."

In its 8th year, CinéfestOZ focused on a niche platform for Western Australian and Australian films and shorts with a French focus and an Australian-China co-production initiative.

Opening night of CinéfestOZ 2015 began on August 26th with a red carpet world premiere of film prize competition film NOW ADD HONEY, directed by Wayne Hope and starring Robyn Butler, Portia de Rossi, Lucy Fry, Hamish Blake, Lucy Durack, Phillippa Coulthard, Lucinda Armstrong Hall, Robbie Magasiva, Angus Sampson, Erik Thomson, Ben Lawson, Ash Ricardo and Faustina Agolley. The film is a comedic look at the life of a middle aged woman struggling with her new phase in life while hosting her perfect young desirable niece. The film screening was followed by a cocktail party gala at the Festival Marquee.

August 27th was a day full of special events spread around the region from Bunbury to Margaret River. "All About Audience" was a panel hosted by ScreenWest which took place at the Wise Winery in Margaret River. Industry professional guest speakers spoke from 10:30am-4:30pm on the impact of creation, production and marketing of films in times of rapidly changing modes of distribution. Later, an afternoon tea event was hosted in Bunbury by ScreenWest for a China Australia Film collaboration panel on co-production between Australia and China. Speakers were industry professionals from Australia and China.

At night, CinéfestOZ film prize competition film BACKTRACK (2015) held its world premiere. Directed by Michael Petroni, it features an all-star cast including Adrien Brody, Sam Neill, George Shevtsov, Robin McLeavy, Chloe Bayliss and Bruce Spence. Following the premiere was a gala at the Festival Marquee with an open bar hosted by sponsor Forester wines.

On August 28th, the day started with a tour of Forester winery in Margaret River. A devoted sponsor for CinéfestOZ, the winery opens its doors once a year to festival invites. Guests were welcomed to taste their specialty varietal whites- Chardonnay, Brut, Sauvignon Blanc- and reds- Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Shiraz. The owner brought visitors into the cellar for a wine tasting of Bordeaux reds including Malbec, Cab Franc and Petit Verdot.

After the Forester winery tour, festival guests were brought to a Director's Lunch at Aravina Estate. Every year this event sells out to locals and regional visitors seeking to wine and dine with VIP Australian directors and actors. Attendees heard film industry professionals such as David Wenham, Hugo Weaving and Sarah Snook speak about the latest trends in the film industry while dining on gastronomic dishes by head chef Ben Day and top notch wines produced at the estate.

After a full afternoon of wine tasting and eating specialty dishes, the day was topped off by two film prize screenings at the Orana Cinema- 1) Western Australian premiere of THE DAUGHTER (2015) directed by Simon Stone starring Geoffrey Rush, Ewen Leslie, Paul Schneider, Miranda Otto, Anna Torv with Odessa Young and Sam Neill about a man returning to his hometown to uncover a secret from the past, and 2) Western Australian premiere of the evening was PAWNO (2015) directed by Paul Ireland starring John Brumpton, Kerry Armstrong, Mark ColesSmith, Maeve Dermody, Damian Hill, Malcolm Kennard, Tony Rickards and Daniel Frederickson. Following the film screenings, a premiere gala took place at the Festival Marquee and continued at The Fire Station until the wee hours of morning.

On August 29th the day started at The Deck Marina at Port Geographe for a VIP breakfast with filmmakers and festival guests. The food included all types of coffees, organic juices, homemade pastries, eggs with salmon and fresh succulent oysters. The gourmet breakfast was followed by a screening of the final film prize competition film, PUTUPARRI AND TH RAINMAKERS (2015), a presentation of the Melbourne International Film Festival MIFF Premiere Fund at CinéfestOZ and Film Prize Jury Screening, directed by Nicole Ma starring Tom Lawford and Sylvestor Rangie set against the backdrop of the Kimberly region of Australia’s northwest about one indigenous man’s struggle to fulfill his destiny. Director Nicole Ma and stars of the film Tom Lawford and Sylvester Rangie appeared on the red carpet for photo opts.

After the screening, festival guests were brought to Willy Bay Resort in Margaret River for a Jury lunch where jury members David Wenham, Wayne Blair, Sarah Snook, Liz Kearney and Annie Murtagh-Monks spoke about their successful film careers and their reaction to the five films in competition at this year's festival. Lunch was an array of specialty dishes by award winning chef Tony Howell and locals wines were served.

Later, guests and festival attendees gathered inside the Marquee tent for drinks before being escorted to the Orana Cinema for the awards ceremony. A Screen Legend award was given to special guest Hugo Weaving for his exceptional career as an actor in film and theater. The CinéfestOZ Film Prize was awarded to the filmmakers of PUTUPARRI AND THE RAINMAKERS (2015); jury chair David Wenham awarded the $100,000 prize to the filmmakers. Following the awards ceremony, a full gala night took place inside the Festival Marquee with fresh oysters, specialty tapas and Forester wines served to the entertainment of live music. All attendees celebrated the end of a successful CinéfestOZ 2015.

Written by Vanessa McMahon

-"ABOUT CinéfestOZ The 8th annual CinéfestOZ will showcase extraordinary Australian and French films over five days from 26 to 30 August 2015. CinéfestOZ is the product of an enormous community effort to celebrate great film and the best of the Australian and French film industry.

The festival is set to attract a diverse audience of film lovers and filmmakers from across Australia, through feature film premieres and a highly anticipated film selection, as well as the second annual $100,000 Film Prize awarded to an outstanding Australian film.

CinéfestOZ has also enjoyed a long-standing relationship with France ever since Jerome Paillard, executive director Marche du Film at the Cannes Film Festival, opened the second festival in 2009. Since then, the links between the South West of Western Australia and seaside towns such as St Tropez and Cannes have come into full focus. Add to the mix the great food and wine on offer in the South West region and CinéfestOZ is the must-attend event of the year for film followers, filmmakers, film lovers and those who appreciate the beauty of this corner of Western Australia.

The festival will host a record 68 events at venues across the South West from Bunbury to Augusta, including gala film evenings, winery lunches, short film side bar screenings, family film events, script workshops and free community screenings. A total of 82 Australian and French feature films, documentaries and short films will screen, including four world premieres and 17 Western Australian premieres, which will be attended by some of Australia’s best actors, directors and producers. The festival is also a platform for short filmmakers, many of which will premiere their films at this year’s CinéfestOZ. CinéfestOZ is supported by the State Government through Tourism WA’s Regional Events Program, which is funded by Royalties for Regions. Rio Tinto is a proud Premium Partner of CinéfestOZ. The festival acknowledges its strong partnership with ScreenWest, Western Australia’s screen funding and development agency. The best way to experience CinéfestOZ is through Festival Platinum Passes, Gold Passes and Weekend Gold passes available via the CinéfestOZ website. Subscribe to the CinéfestOZ newsletter to learn more http://www.cinefestoz.com"

The Montreal World Film Festival is an event wherethere is always something to discover. The 39th edition is the perfect illustration, with more than 80 countries represented: beside the major producing countries, the Festival is hosting works from Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Bermuda, Congo, Greenland, Kyrgyzstan, Kosovo, Liberia, Malawi, Nepal, Nicaragua. Whatother film event can rival this cultural diversity ? Off the beaten track, far from “fashion” or familiar formulas, the MWFF is the ideal place for genuinely curious moviegoers. Add to this a friendly atmosphere and dedicated staff  always happy to receive guests. In short, a dozen days of filmgoing happiness! 

There’s no doubt that the MWFF is unique. Its disappearance would be a disaster for Montreal’s cultural life.

Signed by

Georgui Balabanov, réalisateur

Donald ranvaud, Jury des premières œuvres

Frauke Finsterwalder, réalisatrice

Antoine Zeind, Jury des premières œuvres

Bulent Gunduz, réalisateur

Pierre Henri Deleau, Jury des premières œuvres

Carmelo Romero, Festival de Malaga

Bruno Chatelin, Filmfestivals.com

OFFICIAL SELECTION

AUTONOMOUS SECTIONS

Ricky Rijneke has been invited to the prestigious Toronto Talent Lab, which will be held September 10-20 as part of the Toronto International Film Festival. She is the first filmmaker from The Netherlands who has been selected.

The Toronto Talent Lab has invited 10 new international talents and 10 Canadian participants for its 12th edition.
The selected participants have the opportunity to interact with internationally acclaimed filmmakers and discuss a range of topics focused on the artistic side of filmmaking, sharpening the skills and confidence of a new generation of filmmakers.

This year‘s Talent Lab artistic governors are director Wim Wenders and producer Jim Stark. Confirmed guest speakers at this year's Talent Lab include Stephan Frears, Claire Denis, Christopher Doyle, Jia Zhang-Ke, Agnieszka Holland.

Director and writer Ricky Rijneke is participating with her recent project in development The Hunter’s Son (working title). This project her second feature film has also been invited to Script&Pitch at the Torino Lab 2015.

Her first short work of fiction wing, the fish that talked back, premiered in Official Competition at the Locarno International Film Festival, was nominated for the Golden Pardino. This award winning film gained international acclaim at more then fifty international film festivals.

Her debut feature Silent Ones starring Hungarian actress Orsi Toth, premiered in Official Competition at the 42 th International Film Festival Rotterdam nominated for the Tiger Award. Silent Ones was selected for many international major and independent film festivals winning eight awards out of twelve nominations such as Best Film (New York FF) Best Female director (Toronto Indie FF) Best Film (Berlin BIFF) Best Cinematography, Honorable mention (Los Angeles Women’s FF) and the Dutch Golden Stone for Best Film.

Talent Lab artistic governor and American Independent producer Jim Stark (a.o. Jim Jarmusch) said about Silent Ones: “With gorgeous visual imagery and an elliptical but very poetic story, her debut film Silent Ones has earned Ricky Rijneke a place among Europe's best young up and coming directors.”