The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences has named the Calgary International Film Festival a qualifying festival for the Best Animated Short Film and Live Action Short Film awards.

The recipient of CIFF's annual Best of Shorts Award is now eligible for consideration in the Animated Short Film / Live Action Short Film category of the Academy Awards®, without the standard theatrical run that a film typically needs to qualify for an Oscar® nomination.

“We are delighted and humbled to join the small and distinguished group of Oscar-qualifying film festivals," said CIFF Executive Director Steve Schroeder.

"This a testament to the strength of CIFF’s short film section, and especially the talent of the filmmakers. The Shorts section has always been one of the most vibrant parts of CIFF and it took a major step forward two years ago with the introduction of CIFF’s Best of Shorts Award."

The Best of Shorts Award was established at CIFF in 2014 to recognize the most outstanding overall short film at the festival.

The Best of Shorts winner is selected by a jury from all short films accepted to the festival. The short films in consideration for the award are screened in a package on the final weekend of the festival.

For the 88th Academy Awards® there were only three Canadian film festivals who had Oscar accreditation in the Animated Short Film and Live Action Short Film categories. Calgary and Edmonton have now both joined this prestigious list for 2016.

Submissions for the 17th Annual Calgary International Film Festival are now open. Filmmakers are invited to submit short and feature films completed after January 15, 2015. The 2016 Festival will run September 21 - October 4, 2016.

On February 28, 2016 CIFF is hosting the first annual Red Carpet Affair Oscar Party at Engineered Air Theatre (Arts Commons). The Academy approved event includes champagne, live entertainment, a silent auction, and of a live screening of the 88th Oscars®. Tickets are now on sale.

Göteborg Film Festival opens January 29, 2016 and runs till February 8 

Top Photo: The Ex-wife ©Daniel Takacs – work in progress 2016

From Nollywood to the Nordics  In two weeks the largest film festival in the Nordic countries opens. Nordic competitions, Italian focus, a new section on Nigeria – nearly 450 films from 84 countries will be screened during 11 intense days. On January 29 Måns Månsson’s film The Yard will be the opening film of the 39th Göteborg Film Festival. As previously revealed, the festival's focus this year lies on Italy and TV drama has been introduced as its own program section. Now we are proud to announce another theme: Next: Nollywood. Today, Nigerian film production stands as the second biggest in the world. With a new section the festival offers a unique opportunity for you to get familiar with one of the world’s most vital film countries. Below we point out a few of the upcoming festival’s films, competitions and other highlights. You can also read more about schedule releases and other news for the Industry section. Learn more about all films HERE.   Eight films compete for one million SEK  For the 28th time, the Göteborg Film Festival will award a prize for Best Nordic Film. Eight films have been nominated for Dragon Award Best Nordic Film.  This year’s nominees are The Yard by Måns Månsson (Sweden), Land of Mine by Martin Zandvliet (Denmark),Sparrows by Rúnar Rúnarsson (Iceland), A War by Tobias Lindholm (Denmark), Granny’s Dancing on the Table by Hanna Sköld (Sweden), The Mine by Aleksi Salmenperä (Finland), The Model by Mads Matthiesen(Denmark) and Welcome to Norway! by Rune Denstad Langlo (Norway). Dragon Award Best Nordic Film>> Promising debuts Eight films have been nominated for the Ingmar Bergman International Debut Award, the debut award that the festival’s honorary president Ingmar Bergman established before passing away in 2007. Motherland by Senem Tüzen (Turkey/Greece) Mountain by Yaelle Kayam (Israel/Denmark) Lost and Beautiful by Pietro Marcello (Italy) The Childhood of a Leader by Brady Corbet (United Kingdom/Hungary/Belgium) Anna's Life by Nino Basilia (Georgia) The Demons by Philippe Lesage (Canada) The Island Funeral by Pimpaka Towira (Thailand) A Good Wife by Mirjana Karanovic (Serbia)  The Ingmar Bergman International Debut Award>> Best Nordic Documentary Eight Nordic films have been nominated for the award given to the best Nordic documentary at the Dragon Award gala on Feburary 6.  Reflections by Sara Broos (Sweden) Doing Good by Margreth Olin (Norway) Don Juan by Jerzy Sladkowski (Sweden) Extra Material by Maximilien Van Aertryck (Sweden) Motley’s Law by Nicole N. Horanyi (Denmark) The Show of Shows by Benedikt Erlingsson (Iceland) Return of the Atom by Mika Taanila and Jussi Eerola(Finland) I Remember When I Die by Maria Bäck (Sweden) Dragon Award Best Nordic Documentary>> Swedish world premieres Axel Petersén’s Under the Pyramid and Kristian Petri’s The Hotel are a two of the Swedish films that will have their world premiere at the festival.  Also see new films by Carolina Hellsgård, Hogir Hirori, Amanda Leissner and many others. Moreover, a wide range of Swedish short film in all kinds of genres and styles will be shown. Swedish Premieres>> Italy in focus Viva Italia! Italy will be the focus at the 39th Göteborg Film Festival. This coming year’s focus on Italy will include new, talked-about films by several of Italy’s strongest filmmakers, insights into Italian society’s most dark and alluring sides, as well as a retrospective in which the festival’s honorary chairman, Swedish director Roy Andersson, will present a selection of his Italian favorites. The festival’s Italian focus will include over 20 films.  Focus: Italy>> Next: Nollywood Alongside the Italian focus, this year’s festival program presents another theme: an entire section with films from Nigeria. Today, Nigerian film production—also called Nollywood—ranks second after India as the biggest in the world. Through this year’s focus section Next: Nollywood, the Göteborg Film Festival makes the hitherto largest effort for introducing Nigerian film to the Nordic countries, and offers you a unique opportunity to get familiar with one of the world’s most vital film countries. Next: Nollywood>> Nordic Honorary Dragon Award – Susanne Bier The Göteborg Film Festival proudly presents the 2016 Nordic Honorary Dragon Award recipient: Susanne Bier. On Saturday, January 30 Susanne Bier will hold a Master Class at Pustervik. During the festival her filmsIn a Better World and Freud Leaving Home will be shown. Nordic Honorary Dragon Award 2016>> Guests at the 39th Göteborg Film Festival Laurie Anderson are one of the international guests attending the festival. On February 1 she will take part in a discussion withJonas Gardell at Stora Teatern together with a screening of her new filmHeart of a Dog. She will also be chairing the Dragon Award Best Nordic Film jury. A number of Italian, Swedish and other Nordic directors and actors will also be attending the festival. A guest list will soon be available at: goteborgfilmfestival.se>> Latest news from Nordic Film Market and TV Drama Vision  TV Drama Vision, February 3-4 The entire programme will be released on January 19, but already now you can read about highlights and see a preliminary delegates list on our webpage: TV Drama Vision>> Nordic Film Market, February 4-7 On January 22 we will release all participating film titles in the Nordic Film Market - Göteborg Film Festivals international market place for upcoming and new films from the Nordic countries.  We will also release panel guests and more on the content in the Nostradamus-report – an analysis on the future developments in the screen industries presented on February 4 – as well as the projects and participants of Nordic Film Lab Discovery – our new co-financing platform. Stay updated, read delegates lists and get more information on: Nordic Film Market Webpage>> Accreditations 2016 There are three accreditation levels to choose from:  Network, Industry and Nordic Film Market. Learn more about the accreditations>> Take the train to Göteborg Film Festival! Travel simple, cheap and environmentally friendly to Göteborg Film Festival.  As a partner of the festival SJ offers 10% discount on the trip to Gothenburg. The offer is valid in both 1st and 2nd class. Tickets can only be purchased with the booking module here. Book your train tickets>> Scandic Rubinen is the new Festival Industry Centre! Welcome to Göteborg Film Festivals new Industry Centre at Hotel Scandic Rubinen. Here you will find our staff, the Press-, Guest- and Industry Centre and our Industry Ticket Office. This is the place to find the latest information regarding schedule changes, daily events and more. There is an Industry Lounge, open exclusively for accredited guests. You can also find spaces to network with your peers, hold meetings or just relax. Refreshments and wireless internet connection are available throughout the day.

Oktay Inanç Özdemir und / and Hussein Eliraqui in Meteorstraße/ Meteor Street von / by Aline Fischer © Maurice Wilkerling

Leuchtstoff Project Meteorstraße to Open the Programme

With twelve films, including eight full-length films as well as four medium-long fiction and documentary films, the Perspektive Deutsches Kino 2016 is now complete (see press release from Dec 21, 2015). The programme will open with the fiction film Meteorstraße (Meteor Street), which was produced by Credo Film (Berlin) and realized with the support of Leuchtstoff, an initiative launched by rbb (Berlin-Brandenburg’s public radio and television station) the regional public broadcaster, and the Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg. Born in France, director Aline Fischer got her masters in documentary film directing in Lussas (France). With Meteorstraße, she has now also completed her studies at the Film University Babelsberg Konrad Wolf (which co-produced the film).

“I’m delighted to be able to open with such an aesthetic and substantial film debut. The story, which revolves around eighteen-year-old Mohammed (Hussein Eliraqui) and his search for direction in an uncertain world, is exemplary for this year’s programme selection,” says Perspektive head Linda Söffker.

Whereas in Meteorstraße it is an Lebanese adolescent whose family has fled to Berlin, in TORO (D: Martin Hawie, P: KHM - Academy of Media Arts, Cologne) it is a young Polish man (Paul Wollin), who came to Germany ten years earlier in search of a future. Toro, whose name is actually Piotr, hopes to realise his dream of opening a boxing school in Poland and to do so earns his living as an escort and by having sex with middle-class women. Perspektive Deutsches Kino will show the film on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Hof International Film Festival and welcome Heinz Badewitz, founder and long-standing director of the festival, as its guest. In 2015 TORO had its world premiere at the Montreal Film Festival and then screened at the Hof International Film Festival.

The many young people in the documentary Die Prüfung (The Audition) - directed by Till Harms and produced by Lichtblick Media (Berlin) - also have a dream: they want to become actors. The film explores the complicated microcosm of admission exams at a school for dramatic arts in Hanover, while focussing on the examiners in particular. Are there criteria? And if so, what are they? And how, if at all, can talent be evaluated?

Lotte (Karin Hanczewski), the title character in Julius Schultheiß’s fiction film, already has a profession - she is a nurse. But it is by no means her calling. Instead Lotte seeks excitement in her nightlife. And although she has an almost adult daughter, she herself is unable and unwilling to grow up. Director and producer Julius Schultheiß was a student at the Kassel School of Art and Design until 2014 and is celebrating his debut with Lotte, which he also produced.

With a Romanian co-partner, director Ronny Dörfler produced A Quiet Place, his 24-minute fiction film, himself as well. A young woman (Madalina Craiu) returns to her parents farm in Romania, but ends up not staying long. She resolves to defend herself against her father’s abuse and free her younger sister (Oana Rusu) from all the troubles there. The two sisters decide to run away together and, despite all uncertainties, take their futures into their own hands.

Where did the children from Windholm disappear to? Twenty years ago, when the tide went out on the coast of Windholm, the town children disappeared with it. Officially they are considered dead. Set in the near future, the science fiction film Wir sind die Flut (We Are the Tide, P: Anna Wendt Filmproduktion, a Leuchtstoff project in cooperation with rbb and Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg) is about two young scientists (Max Mauff, Lana Cooper) who want to get to the bottom of this mystery. Wir sind die Flut is director Sebastian Hilger’s graduation film for the Film University Babelsberg Konrad Wolf and, at the same time, author Nadine Gottmann’s graduation screenplay for the Baden-Württemberg Film Academy.

Three films complete the programme, that have been invited as guests to the Perspektive 2016. At the opening, Sophia Bösch and Sophie Linnenbaum’s four-minute experimental documentary Research Refugees: Meinungsaustausch (Research Refugees: Duologue) will be presented. Michael Klier initiated the “Research Refugees” project with students at the Film University Babelsberg Konrad Wolf and the Bauhaus Universiät Weimar. In all, eleven short films are to be made: a work in progress about the current refugee situation.

On February 21, 2016 – Berlinale Publikumstag - the Perspektive will show the winning films of the Max Ophüls Prize 2016 for the best long fiction film and the First Steps Award 2015 for the best documentary (Hinter dem Schneesturm / Beyond the Snowstorm, D: Levin Peter).

Please note Animaze 2016 edition Montreal  will be taking place August 18-21, 2016.

Animaze is happy to  attend Berlinale 2016 seeking feature length animation film, shorts, as well as interactive projects for our festival in August 18-21 in Montreal Quebec Canada. Films with more than 35% VFX (excluding credits) are also welcome to submit.

Please contact us via email to set up a meeting : programming@animazefestival.com

Submit your film here:  FILMFREEWAY

Stay tuned for partner news, sponsors and festival updates shortly.

Thank you for watching!

Wishing you all much success for your films on the festival circuit!

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Our new logo design for 2016!

One of the highlights of our 2015 festival was the live performance by rock group Scattered Clouds and filmmaker Roger D. Wilson and his bike-powered 35mm projector!

See the whole album at: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.573168846163839.1073741831.395711420576250&type=3

See video of the entire performance here: https://vimeo.com/149210775

As the 2016 Sundance Film Festival kicks off on today, Thursday in Park City, Utah, U.S.A., Sundance Institute and Picturehouse have adjusted the previously announced 2016 dates for the Sundance Film Festival: London to 2 – 5 June at Picturehouse Central. The festival will feature the international and UK premieres of films from the 2016 edition of the renowned Sundance Film Festival.

Clare Binns, Director of Programming and Acquisitions at Picturehouse, comments:

“Picturehouse and Sundance Institute have taken the decision to adjust our 2016 dates in order to find the ideal place amongst the UK film and event calendar in June. The new dates offer maximum opportunity for UK and London film fans to see a wide range of new independent films this June.”

The 2016 London program will be announced this spring. Hosted at Picturehouse Central for the first time, the Sundance Film Festival: London will build on the success of Sundance London, hosted from 2012 to 2014 which featured the international and UK premieres of films including Fruitvale Station, Obvious Child, Frank, The Trip to Italy, The Queen of Versailles, Blackfish, Upstream Color and The Look of Love. The festival was attended by filmmakers, artists and supporters including HRH The Prince of Wales, Michael Fassbender, Gemma Arterton, Ryan Reynolds, Gina Rodriguez, Lake Bell, Jimmy Carr, the Eagles, Peaches, David Cross, Rose McGowan, Minnie Driver and Rufus Wainwright.

More information will be available at sundance.org/london. Join the conversation on social media with #sundancelondon.

The Sundance Film Festival: London will be supported by Sundance Channel Global as a Lead Partner in 2016. Sundance Channel Global has supported our London events since 2012.   

Global art initiative connects individuals in one-on-one conversation

Portals, a global public art initiative connectingpeople in live, full-body dialogue, will connect characters in Park City to others in Havana, Cuba; Isfahan, Iran, and Mexico City, Mexico during the Sundance Film Festival from January 22-26, 2016. The Portal will be located at the Airbnb Haus, where local characters from around the world can share their stories with one another.

Portals are gold shipping containers linked with immersive audio-visual technology. When you enter one, you come face-to-face with someone in another Portal abroad and can converse one-on-one as if in the same room. Participants have described the experience as “breathing the same air.”

Participants in Park City can RSVP for time in the Portals at www.SharedStudios.com/ParkCity.

Berlinale Special is part of the official programme and presents recent works by contemporary filmmakers, biopics of renowned personalities as well as extraordinary formats.

Gala screenings will be held at the Friedrichstadt-Palast with many prominent guests expected to attend.

The presentations at the Haus der Berliner Festspiele will again include moderated discussions with the filmmakers after the screenings. 

This year eight films have been invited to participate in Berlinale Special. They include productions and co-productions from Belgium, Denmark, Japan, Norway, Sweden, United Kingdom and the US.

Berlinale Special Series is part of Berlinale Special. The programme will be announced soon.

Berlinale Special Galas at the Friedrichstadt-Palast

A Quiet Passion

United Kingdom / Belgium

By Terence Davies (Distant Voices, Still Lives, Sunset Song)

With Cynthia Nixon, Jennifer Ehle, Keith Carradine, Jodhi May, Catherine Bailey, Emma Bell, Duncan Duff

World premiere

Creepy

Japan

By Kiyoshi Kurosawa (Journey to the Shore, Tokyo Sonata)

With Hidetoshi Nishijima, Yuko Takeuchi, Teruyuki Kagawa, Haruna Kawaguchi, Masahiro Higashide

World premiere

Den allvarsamma leken(A Serious Game)

Sweden / Denmark / Norway

By Pernilla August (The Legacy –TV series, Beyond)

With Sverrir Gudnason, Karin Franz Körlof, Liv Mjönes, Michael Nyqvist, Mikkel Boe Følsgaard

World premiere

Miles Ahead

USA

By Don Cheadle

With Ewan McGregor, Don Cheadle, Keith Stanfield, Michael Stuhlbarg, Austin Lyon

International premiere - First feature

Berlinale Special at the Haus der Berliner Festspiele

National Bird - documentary

USA

By Sonia Kennebeck

World premiere

Already announced films (see press release from December 11, 2015):

Berlinale Special Galas at the Friedrichstadt-Palast

The Music of Strangers: Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road Ensemble - documentary

USA

By Morgan Neville (Twenty Feet from Stardom)

European premiere

Where To Invade Next - documentary

USA

By Michael Moore (Fahrenheit 9/11, Bowling for Columbine)

European premiere

Berlinale Special at the Haus der Berliner Festspiele

The Seasons in Quincy: Four Portraits of John Berger - documentary

United Kingdom

By Colin MacCabe, Christopher Roth, Bartek Dziadosz, Tilda Swinton

World premiere

With mixed feelings this year’s NATIVe is saying goodbye to last year’s focus on Latin American and welcoming in the Arctic as next year’s geographical focus. In the 2016 NATIVe programme, which will bridge the gap between the two editions, one film will represent each of these regions. They will provide the impetus to carry on the journey into the far north.
“Indigenous peoples’ traditional knowledge of nature and their observations of dramatic changes in the environment which affect all of us are existential issues that play a key role in international Indigenous cinema. The two films in this year’s NATIVe programme explore these topics and in doing so exemplify Indigenous cinema world-wide,” elucidates NATIVe curator Maryanne Redpath. Whether the Amazon or Nunavut (Canadian Arctic region) – these are ecological systems that are endangered due to brutal incursions, colonization and industrialization.  
A public discussion “Exploring Perspectives on the Representation of Indigenous Film and Culture” - which will be preceded by the ZDF documentary “Die Indianer kommen!“ Indigene Völker im Humboldt Forum (“The Indians are Coming!” Indigenous Peoples at the Humboldt Forum) - will address questions and positions related to working with Indigenous peoples. Talk participants will include representatives of the Ethnological Museum / Humboldt Forum, and NATIVe as well as ZDF documentary-maker Carola Wedel. 
Together with its international partners, NATIVe will consolidate on its presence at the European Film Market with a stand, thereby creating more visibility for the already successful market-related collaboration.

Film programme:

El abrazo de la serpiente (Embrace of the Serpent)– Columbia / Venezuela / Argentina 2015
By Ciro Guerra
A deeply emotional tale about the awakening of the most powerful Shaman in the Columbian Amazon from a devoid state. Past, present and future interweave as he sets out on a journey with a Western scientist to find a sacred plant that provides both physical and spiritual healing.

Qapirangijuq: Inuit Knowledge and Climate Change– Canada 2010

By Zacharias Kunuk and Ian Mauro

The icy regions of the Arctic are endangered. Inuit elders transmit their ancient wisdom and observations about the rising temperatures and their impact on daily life in intimate and compelling conversations.

Muito Romântico / Forum Expanded 2016 DEU/BRA 2016 DIRECTOR: Melissa Dullius, Gustavo Jahn © Distruktur

The Forum Expanded team has now finished the selection process for this year’s programme. 49 artistic works have been invited, including 32 films of different lengths, 15 installations, one lecture performance and a reading. The exhibition at the Akademie der Künste on Hanseatenweg will open on February 10 already, one day before the Berlinale gets underway. The premiere screenings of the film programmes will take place in the auditorium of the same location and will be followed by comprehensive discussions. The central thread here is this year’s theme of “Traversing the Phantasm”, which art theorist Helmut Draxler will introduce in a keynote lecture. In reference to theoretician Jacques Lacan, the concept of the phantasm is reflected in numerous ways in this year’s programme – as collective fantasies or (geo-)political realities of various different manifestations.

The works shown in the film programmes and the exhibitions set themselves the task of not just depicting such phantasms but also working their way through them. Subjects such as war, national statehood, arms exports, forced migration or capitalism are investigated as components of ideology and mythology using the language of cinema. The reference points here include genres such as science fiction (Larissa Sansour, Søren Lind, Clemens von Wedemeyer), war (Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson, Galen Johnson) or horror films (Anja Kirschner), Egyptian film and media history (Heba Amin, Islam Kamal, Mayye Zayed) as well as the work of directors such as Yvonne Rainer (Kerstin Schroedinger), Pier Paolo Pasolini (Anja Kirschner), Michelangelo Antonioni (Volker Sattel), Alain Resnais, Chris Marker (Joe Namy, Clemens von Wedemeyer), Ingmar Bergman (Maged Nader) or Jack Smith (Marie Losier). Museum and exhibition culture (Assad Gruber, Hila Peleg), the history of sculptures and monuments (Heinz Emigholz, Ahmad Ghossein, Joe Namy) or art concepts such as Lettrism (Mika Taanila) equally flow into new forms of expression within which the artists then position themselves.

Several of the films showing in the programme make reference to films that form part of the Arsenal – Institute for Film and Video Art collection. The Forum programme also generates such references, just as some films in the archive stem from the festival programmes of the last decades. A list of such “reference films” available in the Arsenal archive as analogue prints will be published at the start of the festival. These films can then be viewed on editing tables in the newly set-up Arsenal screening facilities at silent green Kulturquartier.

An installation of the digital version of a Japanese short film will also be presented there that was shown at the Forum in 1984: Xénogénèse by Morishita Akihiko shows a man steadily disappearing behind  scratches that run through the entire film. Due to the way the film was made, a new print could not be struck directly, as the scratches must be added by the filmmaker by hand. A newly produced analogue print will now receive its premiere as part of the Forum. 

Film history will also be re-staged in the Marshall McLuhan Salon of the Embassy of Canada: in her 1969 film Reason over Passion / La Raison Avant la Passion, Joyce Wieland explores a famous sentence uttered by Canadian prime minister of the time Pierre Trudeau.

Film archives are also expressions of phantasms: what is collected there, how is it ordered and for what purpose? In keeping with last year’s “Visionary Archive” programme, film collections will be presented that grew out of specific moments in history: Afghan films which had to remain unfinished; films left behind by the Soviet Cultural Institute in Jordan; Indonesian propaganda films stored in an abandoned film lab in Jakarta; a batch of Nigerian films produced in the period following British colonial rule; films produced for a specific market, such as VHS productions in Cyprus; or films and videos that reveal violence and the exercise of power, such as in the former Yugoslavia or in the Palestinian Territories.

The Visionary Archives presentations will be taking place daily in the foyer of the Akademie der Künste from February 13 onwards at 11.00 am.

The Prinzessinnengärten bar and the b_books bookstore will once again be on hand in the atrium of the Filmhaus at Potsdamer Platz.

Films

A Boy Needs a Friend by Steve Reinke (Canada / USA)

Abu Ammar is Coming by Naeem Mohaiemen (Bangladesh / Lebanon / United Kingdom)

Al Marhala Al Rabiaa (The Fourth Stage) by Ahmad Ghossein (Lebanon / United Arab Emirates)

Bring Me the Head of Tim Horton by Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson, Galen Johnson (Canada)

Bunker Drama by Mike Crane (USA / Lithuania)

The Communist Revolution Was Caused By The Sun by Anton Vidokle (USA / Kazakhstan)

Continuity by Omer Fast (Germany)

La Cupola by Volker Sattel (Germany)

ESIOD 2015 by Clemens von Wedemeyer (Austria / Germany)

Expired by Islam Kamal (Egypt)

Fathy La Yaeesh Hona Baad Ala'n (Fathy Doesn't Live Here Anymore) by Maged Nader (Egypt)

From the Notebook of... by Robert Beavers (USA)

Fugue by Kerstin Schroedinger (Germany)

The Illinois Parables by Deborah Stratman (USA)

In the Future They Ate from the Finest Porcelain by Larissa Sansour, Søren Lind (Palestinian Territories / Denmark / United Kingdom / Qatar)

Invention by Mark Lewis (Canada / United Kingdom)

Kama Tohalleq al Teyour (As Birds Flying) by Heba Amin (Egypt)

The Lamps by Shelly Silver (USA)

Le Corbusier [IIIII] Asger Jorn [Relief] by Heinz Emigholz (Germany / Denmark)

Mannerlaatta (Tectonic Plate) by Mika Taanila (Finland)

Moderation by Anja Kirschner (Greece / Italy / Egypt / United Kingdom)

Muito Romântico by Melissa Dullius, Gustavo Jahn (Germany / Brazil)

Now: End of Season by Ayman Nahle (Lebanon)

O Pássaro da Noite by Marie Losier (Portugal / France)

The Right by Assaf Gruber (Germany / Poland)

Ruina by Gabraz Sanna (Brazil)

Sign Space by Hila Peleg (Germany)

Stones Gods People by Joe Namy (Lebanon)

Transmission from the Liberated Zones by Filipa César (Portugal / France / Germany)

Wadee'at tasallul (Offside) by Marwan Hamdan (Lebanon)

We Demand by Claudrena N. Harold/Kevin Jerome Everson (USA)

Zakerat Abad El Shams (A Stroll Down Sunflower Lane) by Mayye Zayed (Egypt)

Performance

When the Ventriloquist Came and Spoke to Me by Ahmad Ghossein (Lebanon)

Reading

The Hanging Garden of Sleep by Haytham El-Wardany (Germany / Egypt)

Exhibitions

Akademie der Künste at Hanseatenweg:

A Mina dos Vagalumes by Raphaël Grisey (France / Brazil)

Chao ju zuo yong (Action at a Distance) by Yin-Ju Chen (Taiwan)

BBR 1 – No. 1 of Blossom Bud Restrainer by Liu Chuang (People's Republic of China)

Girl Talk by Wu Tsang (USA)

Hygiene / Swachh by Pushpamala N. (India)

Mleeta by Sandra Schäfer (Germany)

The Pink Detachment by Jen Liu (USA)

Kartoshka (Potato) by Lyusya Matveeva (Russian Federation)
pssst Leopard 2A7+ by Natascha Sadr Haghighian (Germany)

Les oxymores de la raison by Kader Attia (France)

The Refrain by Angela Melitopoulos, with the participation of Maurizio Lazzarato, Angela Anderson and Aya Hanabusa (Germany / South Korea)

Safe Disassembly by Andreas Bunte (Germany / Norway)

Terra Nullius or: How to be a Nationalist by James T. Hong (People's Republic of China / Taiwan / South Korea)

Embassy of Canada – Marshall McLuhan Salon:

Reason over Passion / La Raison Avant la Passion by Joyce Wieland (Canada)

silent green Kulturquartier:

Xénogénèse by Akihiko Morishita (Japan)

Lectures, Panels and Discussions

Traversing the Phantasm Keynote Lecture

Helmut Draxler (Berlin)

Traversing Phantasms with NAAS ناس | Network of Arab Arthouse Screens

Co-hosted with Cimatheque – Alternative Film Centre (Cairo)

Visionary Archives

The Unbelievable Photos Taken by the Crazy Russians Who Illegally Climbed Egypt’s Great Pyramid – Ala Younis (Jordan)

Rotting Away Behind Locked Doors– Edwin (Indonesia)

Reclaiming History, Unveiling Memory – Didi Cheeka (Nigeria)

Zmeđu Nas/Between Us – An Open Archive Project at the Library Hamdija Kreševljaković – Video Arhiv, Sarajevo – Clarissa Thieme (Germany), Nihad Kreševljaković (Bosnia and Herzegovina)

Hannibal in Rafah: A Reconstruction of One Bloody Day in the 2014 Gaza War from User Generated Videos – Eyal Weizman (United Kingdom)

VHS Cyprus: A Lost History – Constantinos Taliotis (Cyprus)

What We Left Unfinished – Mariam Ghani (USA), Latif Ahmadi (Afghanistan)

Wishing you all much success on the festival circuit!

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Exodus to Shangai - Meet the team in Berlin

Montreal Int Animation Film Fest dates moved forward to August 18-21. Animaze Seeks Animation at Berlinale 2016 - Let's Meet!

> SUNDANCE PREVIEWS  January 21 - 31, 2016
Opening today!

2016 SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL - U.S. DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION KATE PLAYS CHRISTINE  A film by Robert Greene  SUNDAY, JANUARY 24 - MONDAY, JANUARY 25     What does it mean to tell somebody else's story? In this ingenious blend of documentary and psychological thriller, Robert Greene (ACTRESS) follows Kate Lyn Sheil (House of Cards, LISTEN UP PHILIP) through her creative process as she prepares for her next, tragic role: Christine Chubbuck, a Flori...

 

UNCLE HOWARD Directed by Aaron Brookner World Premiere: Sundance Film Festival (US Documentary)

Watch the Trailer:  Featuring: Howard Brookner, William S. Burroughs, Allen Ginsberg, James Grauerholz, Jim Jarmusch, Sara Driver, Brad Gooch...

 

Werner Herzog's premieres his new documentary LO AND BEHOLD: REVERIES OF THE CONNECTED WORLD in Sundance

Werner Herzog's new documentary LO AND BEHOLD: REVERIES OF THE CONNECTED WORLD. The film is premiering this Saturday (1/23) at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival.    TRT: 98 Minutes About the film: Society depends on the Internet for nearly everything but rarely do we step back and recognize its endless intricacies and unsettling omnipotence. Presented by NETSCOUT, a leader in service assurance and cyber security, Werner Herzog explores – in a playful ye...

 

Wendi Murdoch at Sundance 2016 for the opening World Premiere documentary of SKY LADDER: THE ART OF CAI GUO-QIANG

2016 SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL   OPENING NIGHT – WORLD CINEMA DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION   “SKY LADDER: THE ART OF CAI GUO-QIANG”   WORLD PREMIERE   THURSDAY, JANUARY 21st       WHO:                        Director Kevin Macdonald (THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND, ONE DAY IN SEPTEMBER), subject Cai Guo-Qiang and wife Ho...

 

Sundance 2016: WEINER, An Inside Look at the Disastrous NYC Mayoral Campaign of Anthony Weiner, Has World Premiere in U.S. Docum

2016 SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL - U.S. DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION WEINER     Thrilling, Wild Inside Look at an Unprecedented Political Meltdown Has World Premiere at Fest; Film Recently Acquired by Sundance Selects & Showtime Films     With unprecedented access to Anthony Weiner, as he mounts his New York City mayoral campaign, WEINER is a thrilling look inside his impending political meltdown. What begins as an unexpected comeback from being a...

 

Six European films receive FSS at the Sundance Film Festival

Land Of The Enlightened by Pieter-Jan De Pue Promotional campaigns for six European films are being boosted with Films Sales Support (FSS) from European Film Promotion (EFP) at this year's Sundance Film Festival (January 21 - 31, 2016). Dedicated to the discovery of new independent cinema from around the world and as gateway to the North American market, the Sundance Film Festival is one of the important festivals in the US. €25,000 towards sales compa...

 

Kim Snyder's Powerful Witness to A Small Town in the Aftermath of Unthinkable Violence Has World Premiere at Fest

2016 SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL - U.S. DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION NEWTOWN Kim Snyder's Powerful Witness to A Small Town in the Aftermath of Unthinkable Violence Has World Premiere at Fest     There are no easy answers in Kim A. Snyder's searing new documentary NEWTOWN - no words of compassion or reassurance that can bring back the 20 children and six educators who lost their lives during the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School. Instead, Snyder gives us exclus...

 

Portals at Sundance Film Festival Connects Characters Around the Globe

Global art initiative connects individuals in one-on-one conversation Portals, a global public art initiative connectingpeople in live, full-body dialogue, will connect characters in Park City to others in Havana, Cuba; Isfahan, Iran, and Mexico City, Mexico during the Sundance Film Festival from January 22-26, 2016. The Portal will be located at the Airbnb Haus, where local characters from around the world can share their stories with one another. Portals are g...

 

Sundance Film Festival London brings forward dates to 2-5 June at Picturehouse Central

As the 2016 Sundance Film Festival kicks off on today, Thursday in Park City, Utah, U.S.A., Sundance Institute and Picturehouse have adjusted the previously announced 2016 dates for the Sundance Film Festival: London to 2 – 5 June at Picturehouse Central. The festival will feature the international and UK premieres of films from the 2016 edition of the renowned Sundance Film Festival.   Clare Binns, Director of Programming and Acquisitions at Picturehouse, comments: “P...

 

Meet the misfits of BRAHMAN NAMAN! | Sundance 2016

MEET THE CHARACTERS OF BRAHMAN NAMAN World Premiere Section: World Dramatic Competition Directed by Q. Written by Naman Ramachandran Cast: Shashank Arora, Tanmay Dhanania, Sid Mallya, Vaiswath Shankar, Chaitanya Varad, Sindhu Sreenivasa Murthy   We'd like to introduce you to the colorful characters of BRAHMAN NAMAN. It’s the 1980s and Naman (Shashank Arora, star of Cannes hit TITLI) is a know-it-all nerd driven by the whims of his raging hormones. Heading up...

 

Women Make Movies at Sundance Film Festival 2016

WORLD DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION SECTION NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE    SONITA Directed by Rokhsareh Ghaem Maghami       ...

 

BGP At Sundance 2016

FIGHT VALLEY  (Action; Fighting) Now available for international licensing Action MMA film FIGHT VALLEY!   Featuring the TOP UFC Female Fighters including: Holly Holm - UFC Bantaweight Champion Miesha Tate - #1 Contender & Challenger for the Cham...

 

Slamdance premiere for OH, I GET IT Documentary exposing the challenges facing queer comedians in the world of stand-up comedy

Seattle directors Sara McCaslin and Danny Tayara will be premiering their latest short film OH, I GET IT     The short doc takes issue with the ...

 

> Rotterdam 27 January – 7 February 2016

> Berlinale Dailies February 11 - 20, 2016 

Berlinale: Panorama 2016 Complete:

Indignation / Panorama 2016 USA 2015 DIRECTOR: James Schamus Logan Lerman, Sarah Gadon © Winesburg Productions, LLC.     Opening Films of Main Programme and Panorama Dokumente, Strong Showing from Latin America, and Films from Korea and China   The selection for this year’s Panorama is now complete: 51 films from 33 countries have been picked, of which 17 w...

 

Forum Expanded Berlinale 2016 – The Programme is Complete

Muito Romântico / Forum Expanded 2016 DEU/BRA 2016 DIRECTOR: Melissa Dullius, Gustavo Jahn © Distruktur   The Forum Expanded team has now finished the selection process for this year’s programme. 49 artistic works have been invited, including 32 films of different lengths, 15 installations, one lecture performance and a reading. The exhibition at the Akademie der Künste on Hanseatenweg will open on February 10 already, one day before the Be...

 

Chi Raq by Spike Lee joins the Berlinale 2016 Competition

Chi Raq by Spike Lee joins the competition The Competition of the 66th Berlin International Film Festival is now complete. 18 of the 23 films in the Competition programme will be vying for the Golden and Silver Bears (see also press releases from December 4 and 11, 2015, and January 11, 2016). 19 films are world premieres.   The following countries are participating in the entire programme: Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Iran, Italy, Mexico, the Neth...

 

“CoPro Series”: Seven international series projects to pitch at the Berlinale Co-Production Market

On February 16, the Berlinale Co-Production Market is hosting the second edition of its exclusive “CoPro Series” event: seven selected series projects will be looking for co-production and financing partners. Among the selection are The Illegal from Canada, a dystopian story by author and director Clement Virgo (The Book Of Negroes) and the Danish miniseries Lucky Per, which will be directed by Academy Award winner Bille August (Night Train To Lisbon). These are joined by the German ...

 

NATIVe – A Journey into Indigenous Cinema: out of the Amazon onto the Perennial Ice

With mixed feelings this year’s NATIVe is saying goodbye to last year’s focus on Latin American and welcoming in the Arctic as next year’s geographical focus. In the 2016 NATIVe programme, which will bridge the gap between the two editions, one film will represent each of these regions. They will provide the impetus to carry on the journey into the far north. “Indigenous peoples’ traditional knowledge of nature and their observations of dramatic changes in the ...

 

Forum 2016: Making Experience Tangible

Akher ayam el madina | In the Last Days of the City Forum 2016 EGY/DEU/GBR/ARE 2016 / DIRECTOR: Tamer El Said Khalid Abdalla © Zero Production The 46th Berlinale Forum will show a total of 44 films in its main programme, of which 34 are world premieres and nine international premieres. This year’s Special Screenings will be announced in an additional press release.   One regional focus of this year’s programme is the Arab region. Films sho...

 

Berlinale Special 2016

Berlinale Special is part of the official programme and presents recent works by contemporary filmmakers, biopics of renowned personalities as well as extraordinary formats.   Gala screenings will be held at the Friedrichstadt-Palast with many prominent guests expected to attend.   The presentations at the Haus der Berliner Festspiele will again include moderated discussions with the filmmakers after the screenings.    This year eight films have been invited to partic...

 

Teddy is 30! Berlinale' OFFICIAL Queer Award celebrates shorts, docs & features

30 years of Teddy The only official LGBTIQ (in short, queer) film prize at an A-festival in the world is celebrating its 30th anniversary: the Teddy Award. An offshoot of the Panorama, the prize has been awarded since 1987 in the categories Short Film, Documentary and Feature to works relevant to queer culture. Eligible every year are films from all of the Berlinale sections. Meanwhile, the award has achieved international signific...

 

Berlinale Generation 14Kplus MELLOW MUD by Renārs Vimba

110 min, Latvia, color, 2016, Latvian with English subtitles, world premiere Director Renārs Vimba and actress Elīna Vaska (above) are available for interviews In his strong debut feature MELLOW MUD, Latvian director Renārs Vimba carefully handles the delicate theme of coming-of-age of a teenage girl. Living in the muddy fields of the Latvian countryside with her grandmother and her younger brother Robis, Raya (17) faces the bittersweet pleasure of fir...

 

HELLO, MY NAME IS FRANK Coming Soon!

HELLO, MY NAME IS FRANK               "HELLO, MY NAME IS FRANK" STARRING "JEM AND THE HOLOGRAM'S'" HAYLEY KIYOKO     Garrett M. Brown (Kick-Ass, Uncle...

 

MK2 Acquires Isabelle Huppert, Gerard Depardieu’s ‘Mrs. Hyde’

Mrs. Hyde a film by Serge Bozon Cast: Isabelle Huppert, Gérard Depardieu, Romain Duris Black comedy – France – French Mrs. Géquil is an eccentric teacher despised by her colleagues and students. On a stormy night, she is struck by lightning and faints. When she wakes up, she feels decidedly different... Now will M...

 

Asian entertainment company Huanxi will invest $50 million in MUBI

Curated streaming video on demand service MUBI forms Joint Venture (“MUBI China”) with Asian film producer Dong Ping’s Huanxi Media Group Limited (“Huanxi”), to launch the popular video streaming model in China this year.   The prominent Asian entertainment company Huanxi will invest $50 million in MUBI, with a view to launching the curated video on demand service across China in 2016.   Following a highly successful 2015 for MUBI, with global partners...

 

Premiere Entertainment line up at EFM 2016

Premiere Entertainment will be attending Berlinale next month and would like to meet with you.  Our initial lineup is below. CURRENT TITLES   FALL GUY   GENRE:  Action   DIRECTOR:  Kevin Carraway   PRODUCERS:  Angelica Montesano   CAST:  Sean Bean (Game of Thrones), Dermot Mulroney (My Best Friend's Wedding)   SYNOPSIS:  A cab driver with a gambling debt accepts a job to transport a valuable briefc...

 

Cardinal XD line up @ EFM

  SEE YOU IN VALHALLA   Starring:  Sarah Hyland, Steve Howay, Odeya Rush, Bret Harrison   After the bizarre death of her brother, Johana Burwood must return home after four years to face her quirky family, including her estranged dad, her two competitive brothers and various significant others. The family is uncomfortable with each other at first, and their inner turmoil manifests itself in quarrels and outright fights. Johana is forced to face some secrets from h...

 

Hotel Dallas will celebrate its world premiere at the 66th International Film Festival Berlin 2016

Hotel Dallas (Romania/USA, 2016), the film debut of Livia Ungur and Sherng-Lee Huang, will screen in the Panorama Documents section of this year’s Berlinale. Playfully mixing fiction and documentary, the filmmakers explore the influence of a TV show on a society in upheaval. The film takes Patrick Duffy, star of the American TV series Dallas, on a magical mystery tour of Romania, from the communist 80s into the present.    Directors: Livia Ungur and Sherng-Lee Huang Cast: Pa...

 

EastWest new films @ EFM 2016!

    EastWest Filmdistribution is getting ready for Berlin! Check out latest acquisitions that will be screened at the EFM '16          Attack of the Lederhosenzombies by Dominik Hartl   2015, Austria; Zombie, Comedy; 77 minutes Original Language: English Cast & Credits     Headline for synopsis   The snowboarders Steve, Branka and Joschi are left be...

 

The German SHOOTING STAR Jella Haase

Photo Jella Haase: © Debora Brune This morning, the European Film Promotion (EFP) announced the names of the 10 young European acting talents who are to be honored as EUROPEAN SHOOTING STARS 2016 at the Berlinale. The German actress Jella Haase was selected as one of Europe's best talents. The EUROPEAN SHOOTING STARS 2016 were chosen in Hamburg by an international expert jury which included the German film critic Tobias Kniebe among its m...

 

Perspektive Deutsches Kino - Coming of Age and the Fear of the Future

Oktay Inanç Özdemir und / and Hussein Eliraqui in Meteorstraße / Meteor Street von / by Aline Fischer © Maurice Wilkerling Leuchtstoff Project Meteorstraße to Open the Programme   With twelve films, including eight full-length films as well as four medium-long fiction and documentary films, the Perspektive Deutsches Kino 2016 is now complete (see press release from Dec 21, 2015). The programme will open with the fiction film Meteorstraße (Meteor...

 

Berlinale 2016 10th Culinary Cinema: Make Food Not War

“Make Food Not War” is the motto of the 10th Culinary Cinema, which will be held from February 14 to 19, 2016.   “War is not an appropriate means for solving problems such as racism, poverty or climate change. The cuisines of the world are better suited to this task. Food connects people and hospitality contributes to international understanding,” says Festival Director Dieter Kosslick about the slogan.   The programme of the 10th Culinary Cinema will presen...

 

Berlinale Classics: Presenting six newly-restored films from Germany, Japan, Taiwan and the USA

The Road Back von / by James Whale. Quelle / Source: NBC Universal Archives & Collections © Universal Pictures  The Berlinale Classics series of the 66th Berlin International Film Festival will present premieres of six films, two German and four international productions, five of them world premieres. Heiner Carow’s semi-autobiographical film Die Russen kommen (The Russians are Coming, GDR, 1968) is set in the waning days of World War II. For 16-year-old Günter Wal...

> PARTNERS FESTIVAL NEWS    

discover.film offers the best short films that you want to watch and the best film networking opportunities (see https://discover.film or register for free in our networking community at https://discover.film/register). The discover film short film competition is focused on finding the most entertaining short films according to our film making community and panel of expert judges. Selected films will be screened at a London cinema in April 2016 with an exclusive red carpet networking event. We have awards including professional subscriptions, mentoring opportunities (production, marketing, distribution) as well as fantastic publicity from our media partners and the opportunity to meet investors.

Profile on filmfestivals.com I Website I Facebook I Twitter I  SUBMIT I Contact John Stanton

Short Film Connection
 

A short film community dedicated to providing resources and listings for short films and short film festivals. The goals of the current version of the site are:

1. to provide entertainment and information for film lovers Anyone who loves to watch movies and short films can easily find entertainment on SFC. Our site has handpicked some of the best films on the web. 

2. to provide useful resources for short film producers and festival organizers For short film producers SFC not only provides a platform for promoting your work, but also lists hundreds of film festivals to which your film can be submitted.

Profile on filmfestivals.com I Website I Follow on Facebook I Sign in 

Golden Trailer Awards May 4

Profile on filmfestivals.com I Website: http://goldentrailer.com/ I Awards I Facebook I Twitter I Submit

The Wiper Film Festival 
April 6 – 8, 2016

Early Bird January 31, 2016

The Wiper Film Festival is the premiere online film festival and includes an NYC screening. Your work will have the opportunity to be seen by more than 18 millions users around the globe.

There is no fee to submit and have your work considered. There are cash grants for Curator’s Choice and Fan Choice winners in each category. Wiper also provides free advertising and promotion budget to its top films. Submit your feature and short length work today!

Profile on filmfestivals.com I Website I Facebook I Twitter I  SUBMIT I Contact Manlio Carrelli   

 

NYC Indie Film Fest 
April 27 to May 1, 2016!

Regular Deadline January 31, 2016

NYC Independent Film Festival is a celebration of the true independent filmmaker, documentaries, short and feature-length films, music videos, and animation. During the 6th Annual Festival we gave away prizes with a total cash value of over 28,000 USD. All screenings take place in the historic center of NYC, Time Square which is the perfect home for an event geared toward creating incredible opportunities for independent voices.

Profile on filmfestivals.com I Website I Facebook I Twitter I  SUBMIT I Contact Dennis Cieri

Hollyshorts Film Festival
August 11 – 20, 2016

Early Bird deadline February 5, 2016

The 12th Annual HollyShorts Film Festival and Film Conference/Film Market, scheduled for August 11-20, 2016 at the world famous TCL Chinese 6 Theatres, is now accepting submissions.  HSFF, 4 times named to MovieMaker Magazine “Top 25 Fests Worth the Entry Fee” lists, has featured over 400 projects showcasing stars and filmmakers including Sofia Loren, Bill Plympton, Anthony and Joe Russo, and Felicia Day. 

In 2015, HSFF awarded over $150,000 in prizes, including $60,000 in post services for Best Short, Director, Music Video, Cinematography, VFX, and Commercial, and $15,000 Grand Prize cash .  www.hollyshorts.com

Profile on filmfestivals.com I Website I Winners I Facebook I Twitter I SUBMIT I Contact Daniel Sol

WoFF: World of Film International Festival 
September 29 – October 2, 2016

Earlybird Deadline January 17, 2015

In 2016, WoFF returns for its third edition with great energy and ideas, generated from a wonderful 2015 festival.

Our focus remains on independent cinema from all around the globe, by showcasing the work of first feature filmmakers and female directors in our two main sections, First Features and The Female Perspective, respectively.

Profile on filmfestivals.com I Website I Winners I Facebook I Twitter ISUBMIT I Contact Martin Petrov

New York Festival's World's Best Television & Films April 16, 2016

Deadline extended

New York Festival's World's Best TV & Films competition honors programming in all lengths and forms from over 50 countries. Dedicated to both the Television and Film industries, categories mirror today's global trends and encourage the next generation of story-tellers and talent: Animation, Comedy, Corporate, Drama, Documentary, Feature Films, Movie Trailers, Music Videos, News, Promos, Reality TV Drama, Sports, Telenovelas, Webisodes, Best Performance by an Actor/Actress, Special Event, Innovation, Technical Production Team, CSR, Best Screenplay, Video Art, and Best Host.

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Animaze 2016 Montreal International Animation Film Festival  August 18th - 21st, 2016.

Submit by april 30

Montreal  International Animation Film Festival FESTIVAL DATES June 2-5 2016 Montreal Canada Le MIAFF! is a people's film festival and industry conference dedicated to the art of animation for film and technology.  All genres and forms are welcome. Awards & Prizes Software and other award prizes. Visibility in our travelling shows in Berlin, Cannes, Annecy, Glasgow and more. Check 2015 fantastic programming on the website.

Animaze - Montreal International Animation Film Festival's blog I Website I Submit I Facebook I Twitter I Contact Laurie Gordon

The 49th Annual WorldFest-Houston International Film & Video Festival  April 8 to 17, 2016

In partnership with filmfestivals.com

Enter the Festival that discovered Spielberg, Lucas, Coppola, Ang Lee, the Coen Brothers, David Lynch, and John Lee Hancock with their first awards!

Competition in 10 major categories! More than 200 specialized sub-categories offer fair competition and a chance for a Remi Award!

The 49th Annual WorldFest-Houston offers Screening Shorts, Docs, Features, Music Videos, Experimental & Student Films on Big 60' AMC Theater screens, with over 600 Intl filmmakers attending the ten-day International Film Festival.. SUBMIT.

WorldFest Houston's blog I Website: http://www.worldfest.org I Submit I Facebook I Twitter I Contact Hunter Todd

> "FILMFESTIVALS.COM ONES TO WATCH ON THE CIRCUIT" FOR FESTIVAL CONSIDERATION 

 

Exodus to Shangai

Exodus to Shanghai tells a story of two brave lovers, Fannia and Bruce, who stand up to the Nazis and fight against their evil. With the help of music, martial arts and wisdom, they make their escape to Shanghai on the Orient Express, saving many Jews along the journey.   Together with Dr. Ho, the Chinese Consul in Vienna in 1938, who helped thousands of Jews to flee Vienna and escape to Shanghai with free Exit Visas, they make their Exodus to Shanghai.   A Dead Nazi is a Good Nazi.

 

Trailer I Synopsis I A film by  Anthony Hickox I Produced by Michel Adam I Exodus to Shangai's blog | Website I Ask a screener I @ Mariott 260 Feb 11-17  

Paranoid Girls For Oscar Consideration

Paranoid Girls Comedy by Pedro del Santo is qualified for Oscar selection running for best film, best original song...

Ana, Paula and Veronica become fascinated by modeling and the life that it offers. Yet, they gradually begin to discover the dark side of fashion hidden behind the fame and glamour of the spotlights. The women experience downfall as they engage with an antagonistic photographer who drags models into a high stakes abyss of danger. The women learn to value friendship over the lures of fashion pitfalls and enjoy life's simplicities in the end.

 

Longer synopsis I Trailer I Casting I Website I Electronic Press Kit I Facebook I Paranoid Girls the song running for Best Original Song I Contact the director I Ask for a  screener

Revolution by Rob Stewart (Sharkwater) 

over 40 festival wins so far

 

Eco Documentary feature film by Rob Stewart (Sharkwater)

Revolution is a film about changing the world. The true-life adventure of Rob Stewart, this follow-up to his acclaimed SHARKWATER (36 festival wins) documentary continues his remarkable journey; one that will take him through 15 countries over four years, and where he'll discover that it's not only sharks that are in grave danger -- it's humanity itself.
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Rooted in Peace by Greg Reitman

ROOTED in PEACE, 97 minutes - 2015

Documentary by SUNDANCE alum GREG REITMAN (Sundance Audience Award Winner for fhis first documentary 'Fuel')

Starring: Deepak Chopra, Donovan, Mike Love, David Lynch, Nobel Peace Laureate Mairead Maguire, Pete Seeger, Ted Turner, Archbishop Desmond Tutu

"ROOTED in PEACE challenges viewers to examine their values as Americans and human beings. Today we are at war within ourselves, with our environment, and with the world. Director and award-winning filmmaker Greg Reitman invites viewers on a film journey to take notice of the world we live in, proactively seek ways to find personal and ecological peace, and stop the cycle of violence".

Website I EPK on filmfestivals.com I Trailer I Email us for a screener

 

Get Happy by Manoj Annadurai 

Feature Feel Good Movie  - World premiered in Montreal World Film Festival Winner best romantic comedy in Manhattan Fest

Charlie Kane can’t catch a break. He grew into a man who expects the worse out of life and gets it. But that changes when, by chance, he meets a bright, sunny sprite of a woman named Holly who turns him from a dour drip into someone finally allowing himself to be happy.Then a bus flattens her before Charlie eyes. Charlie opts for suicide but can’t even successfully give up on life. Left with no other choice, he adopts Holly’s ethos of positivity and just decides to be happy... by ignoring all the bad things in life. But his cynical best friend isn’t buying Charlie’s new-found happiness and sets out to save Charlie by making him miserable again. 

> FILMS FOCUS      

Joy, Review: Mop to the Top

Joy, Review: Mop to the Top Is it possible to watch a film based on a true story and feel that some of the scenes are unreal, artificial or contrived? It is. Probably more so, when the writer/director takes liberties galore with the original story and tries to universalise it, adding smart anecdotes and witticisms where honest narrative might have worked better. Joy is one such example. It’s a genre-defying tale, and that’s welcome. Half-baked plot points and half-hearted characte...

MyFrenchFilmFestival: Here we go!

Murders and tears, laughs and kisses—that’s what awaits you in our 6th edition of Nicolas Winding Refn officially opened the 6th edition of Felix Van Groeningen, director of the high-voltage The Misfortunates and the magnificent The Broken Circle Breakdown, and Persépolis, Valérie Donzelli, director of Marguerite et Julien, and All About Them by Summertime by Sand Castles by Henri Henri by Telefilm Canada) Who said French-language films didn'...

 

"The Hateful Eight"' Quarantino No. 8

<< In the dead of a Wyoming winter a bounty hunter and his prisoner find shelter in a cabin currently inhabited by a collection if nefarious characters>> Tedious Bloody Bullshit with nice Winter Scenery This was my first film of 2016, viewed on January  14th in Budapest at the Művész Art Cinema with Hungarian subtitles. It opens with a big yellow caption announcing that this is Quentin's EIGHTH film --Presented with their Customary enormous Bad Taste by the...

 

The 33, Review: Deep, Down, Dark, and Die-hard

The 33, Review: Deep, Down, Dark, and Die-hard A Chilean-Colombian co-production, The 33 (Los 33 in Spanish) has a Mexican director, Puerto Rican and the son of Guatemalan immigrants as two of the writers, American, British, Irish, French, Brazilian and Filipino members in the cast, and even more nationalities in the production. This is what we can call an international ensemble film, in the real sense of the world. It is an almost true reproduction of a mining disaster that trapped 33 miner...

> THE FESTIVAL CIRCUIT     

Live cinema performance at Mirror Mountain 2015

One of the highlights of our 2015 festival was the live performance by rock group Scattered Clouds and filmmaker Roger D. Wilson and his bike-powered 35mm projector! See the whole album at: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.573168846163839.1073741831.395711420576250&type=3 See video of the entire performance here: https://vimeo.com/149210775  

 

MyFrenchFilmFestival starts tomorrow!

You've waited a whole year for the return of the world's leading online film festival... Well, the 6th edition of the festival is finally here!   Over the past year, MyFrenchFilmFestival has been gearing up to offer you your fill of brand new feature films and short films! With its oh-so-French lineup full of punch and glamour, you won't be disappointed! You'll have the chance to watch a rich offering of films ranging from shorts that highlight the...

 

CIFF now an Oscar-qualifying festival for short films

The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences has named the Calgary International Film Festival a qualifying festival for the Best Animated Short Film and Live Action Short Film awards.   The recipient of CIFF's annual Best of Shorts Award is now eligible for consideration in the Animated Short Film / Live Action Short Film category of the Academy Awards®, without the standard theatrical run that a film typically needs to qualify for an Oscar® nomination.   “...

> AWARDS WATCH   

The Oscar controversy / boycott

#OscarsSoWhite... Again! Spike Lee alerts the Academy

Statement from Academy President Cherryl Boone Isaacs answering all voices erupting against exclusion of diversity

ACADEMY PRESIDENT CHERYL BOONE ISAACS "I’d like to acknowledge the wonderful work of this year’s nominees.  While we celebrate their extraordinary achievements, I am both heartbroken and frustrated about the lack of inclusion. This is a difficult but important conversation, and it’s time for big changes. The Academy is taking dramatic steps to alter the makeup of our membership.  In the coming days and weeks we will conduct a review of our membershi...

Why SPOTLIGHT Is Front Runner, #OscarsSoWhite, The Big Five & A Contentious Award Season

by Quendrith Johnson   If Oscar-winner Sean Penn can go interview El Chapo, then the state of journalism really is in trouble — oh, nevermind, this is just indicative of how movie people perceive and interpret the craft. A cocky Penn goes on CBS with Charlie Rose to call out those who ‘don’t think I’m a real journalist,’ while having committed a de facto ethical violation of the profession by grandstanding for Ro...

 

2016 awards

During the 2016 Mirror Mountain closing ceremony, awards will be given in the following categories: BEST FILM  BEST DIRECTOR  BEST SCREENPLAY  BEST PERFORMANCE  BEST LOCAL FILM All selected films are automatically in consideration for one or more awards in all relevant and appropriate categories. For more information on award sponsors, prizes, and last year's list of nominees, visit: mirrormountainfilmfest.com/awards ...

 

The Argentinean Film JAUJA by Lisandro Alonso Wins the Cinema Tropical Award for Best Latin American Film of the Year

Viggo Mortensen in Jauja   INVASION (Panama) for Best Documentary Film IXCANUL (Guatemala) for Best First Film MALA MALA for Best U.S. Latino Film Pablo Larraín (THE CLUB, Chile) for Best Director, Feature Film Betzabé García (KINGS OF NOWHERE, Mexico) for Best Director, Documentary Film   New York, NY, January 20, 2016. The Argentinean film Jauja by Lisandro Alonso starring Viggo Mortensen was the winner of the top award for Best Latin American Fil...

 

22nd Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards® “By the Numbers”

The style and décor of the 22nd Annual® Screen Actors Guild Awards® is the very definition of elegance. Delicate chandeliers flourish over the audience and stage like sparkling clouds, while the stage is outlined by gleaming tubes of steel that suggest futuristic organ pipes. A pair of majestic Actor® statues on pedestals stand sentry over a giant center screen, which is framed in additional sleek silver. Far upstage a fiber-optic stardrop curtain provides a celestial twinkl...

 

My Internship in Canada has been voted winner of the Canada’s Top Ten Film Festival People’s Choice Award

The 10-day celebration of Canadian cinema, screen talent, and creativity came to a close last night with Toronto audiences crowning Philippe Falardeau’s political satire their favourite pick from the festival’s 10 feature films.   Running January 8–17 at TIFF Bell Lightbox in Toronto, Canada’s Top Ten Film Festival attracted a record audience for its 15th edition, presenting an engaging lineup of events including screenings of the 10 best feature and short film...

 

88th Oscar Fact Sheet

88th OSCARS® FACT SHEET 88th Oscars Information Number of features eligible for Best Picture this year (88th Oscars, 2015) 307 Number of features eligible for Best Picture last year (87th Oscars, 2014) 320 Number of countries submitting foreign language films 80 Number of voting members 6,261 (as of 12/3/15) Number of ushers / ticket takers inside the Dolby™ Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center® 60 Number of Red Carpet fan bleacher seats 745 Number of people who work...

 

 

88th Academy Awards® nominations revealed

Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs, Guillermo del Toro, John Krasinski and Ang Lee announced the 88th Academy Awards® nominations today (January 14). Del Toro and Lee announced the nominees in 11 categories at 5:30 a.m. PT, followed by Boone Isaacs and Krasinski for the remaining 13 categories at 5:38 a.m. PT, at the live news conference attended by more than 400 international media representatives. For a complete list of nominees, visit the official Oscars® website, www.oscar.com....

> PEOPLE IN THE SPOTLIGHT     

New Book by Emanuel Levy: Gay Directors, Gay Films?... Pedro Almodóvar, Terence Davies, Todd Haynes, Gus Van Sant, John Waters

Gay Directors, Gay Films? Pedro Almodóvar, Terence Davies, Todd Haynes, Gus Van Sant, John Waters Emanuel Levy       This is an impressively informative treatment of five prominent gay directors who represent a wide range of differences within the gay spectrum. Levy’s background in gay cinema, independent cinema, and traditional Hollywood cinema make him the ideal author for this significant and original study.”   —Molly...

 

Exodus to Shangai - A personal story for Michel Adam

Michel Adam wrote and produced Exodus to Shangai and shared with filmfestivals.com the reasons behind his involvement! “The movie is dedicated to the memory of my mother, who died last year. She was a musician who fell in love with my father in Vienna during the war and they eventually ended up in China after having crossed all of Siberia. I had heard many epic stories of their dramatic lives and escape to safety and knew it was meant for the big screen. I felt I had to tell their st...

 

Exodus to Shangai - The Director Anthony Hickox

Anthony "Tony" Hickox was born in 1959 and comes from a family of filmmakers. He is the eldest son of the director Douglas Hickox and Academy Award-winning editor Anne V. Coates (Lawrence of Arabia...) and elder brother of editor Emma E. Hickox and James D.R. Hickox. He is also the great nephew of Lord J. Arthur Rank who controlled the British film industry for many years. After starting as a club promoter in London he came to LA ...

 

Exodus to Shangai - Meet Dr Ho Consul General for China stationed in Vienna from 1938 to 1940

Consul Ho's daughter, Manli Ho and son Ho Man-To receive the Righteous award in honor of their late father at Yad Vashem from Commission for the Designation of the Righteous   2008 Washington DC, USA Dr. Ho’s commemorative plaque Dr. Ho was the Consul General for China stationed in Vienna from 1938 to 1940 Against the instructions of his supervisors in Berlin, the Chinese ambassador Dr. Ho issued nearly 10,000 Visas for Jews to leave to Shanghai: here is one of them below....

 

Interview with Fernando Bolaños on VIAJE (2015)

VIAJE (2015) by Costa Rican director Paz Fábrega follows the story of Luciana and Pedro after they meet at a party. Young and adorable, their chemistry is magnetic; it appears they have always known each other. In the early hours of morning, Pedro remembers he has to travel; on a whim, he invites Luciana to join him. She decides to go, and these two strangers embark upon a stunning journey together that changes them both. Shot in black and white, the film is a lyrical road journey about...

 

 

Legendary Filmmaker Oliver Stone to be Honored Lifetime Vision Award @ 2016 Sun Valley Film Festival

Sun Valley, ID– Oliver Stone, Academy Award®-winning writer and director, will be honored with the Lifetime Vision Award at the 2016 Sun Valley Film Festival, (SVFF), March 2-6 in Sun Valley, Idaho, presented by Zions Bank. Stone has been credited with writing and directing over 20 full-length feature films, earning him a well-respected place in cinematic history for some of the most influential and iconic films of the last two decades. The SVFF Lifetime Vision Award pays ...

> STRICTLY BUSINESS   

Film or Festival? How Short Film Connection can work for you

Partner Film Festivals Calling. Fast-Approaching Deadlines
 

Need more and better film submissions for your festival? don't miss the one month booster

Filmfestivals.com was established 1995 as world reference in this niche, we are proud of our track record in helping festivals attract more legitimacy, visibility and film submissions from our large base of international film professionals (370 000 unique filmmaker visitors each month), 159 500 subscribers to the newsletter. ONE TIME OFFER We suggest this quick one month booster program for your call for entry including  with 4 newsletter ads, your call for entry promoted one month lon...  

The Bulletin Board I Pro Services's blog |  Advertise your festival in the next eBlast to our filmmakers.   

Major Buzz Factory : Expérience de Bruno Chatelin du marketing Digital pour les films

Fort d'une expérience acquise dans la distribution de films pour deux Majors (Sony et Fox mariée sous a direction avec UGC) Bruno Chatelin propose une expérience pointue au service de votre stratégie digitale à Travers sa structure de Conseil MAJOR BUZZ FACTORY Le fondateur Bruno Chatelin : un Professionnel de la communication entouré de spécialistes, son expérience est ancrée sur trois univers La publicité, Le mark.eting et le digital.

TOUTES LES NEWS EN FRANCAIS

Le NIFFF dévoile l’affiche et deux programmes inédits de sa 16ème édition

Le Festival International du Film Fantastique de Neuchâtel, qui se tiendra du 1er au 9 juillet 2016, présente en primeur l’affiche de sa 16ème édition. L’occasion de révéler deux programmes inédits que le public pourra découvrir cet été au NIFFF: la rétrospective EL DORADO consacrée au ciném...

 

FICA - Festival International des Cinémas d’Asie de Vesoul: la 22ème édition dévoile son président

PRESIDENCE  Le 22ème FICA –Festival International des Cinémas d’Asie de Vesoul (3-10 février 2016) sera placé sous la présidence du Jury du grand réalisateur coréen Im Sang Soo (Le Vieux jardin, The Housemaid, L’Ivresse de l’argent, …). Il sera entouré de Mania Akbari, réalisatrice et actrice (Ten) (Iran), Nan Achnas, productrice...

 

Lancement fracassant de la 6ème édition de My French Film Festival

MyFrenchFilmFestival.com est un concept inédit qui a pour but de mettre en lumière la jeune génération de cinéastes français et qui permet aux internautes du monde entier de partager leur amour du cinéma français. Pour sa sixième édition, le festival revient avec de nouveaux films, de nouvelles plateformes partenaires et des lancements en salles dans plusieurs territoires. Unifrance a organisé une magnifique soi...

 

MUSTANG en lice pour l'Oscar du Meilleur film en langue étrangère

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When the Berlin International Film Festival was launched 66 years ago, there were millions of German refugees and traumatised displaced persons in Europe. The festival made a point of fostering understanding, tolerance and acceptance. Since then, it has always been responsive to current events in society – not only with the film programme, but also with many complementary activities.

Last year 79,034 people sought refuge in the German capital (source: Berlin Senate department of health and social services). They came from Syria, Afghanistan, Iran, Eritrea and many other crisis regions around the world. As a public festival and one of the city’s biggest annual events, the Berlinale feels a responsibility to do its part for Berlin’s culture of welcome.

For many years the Berlinale has promoted participation in cultural life for the socially disadvantaged by offering them tickets at a 50 percent discount, as well as making a quota of free tickets available to low-income people, an initiative run jointly with the non-profit KulturLeben Berlin – Schlüssel zur Kultur e.V. This year the festival is adding several projects aimed specifically at helping refugees.

The Berlinale urges its guests and audiences to make a donation to the non-profit Behandlungszentrum für Folteropfer e.V. (Berlin Center for Torture Victims, http://www.bzfo.de/homeen.html), which provides support for people traumatised by torture, war, migration and persecution. Each year, the bzfo helps more than 500 people. Money collected from the donation boxes placed around the festival venues and in a special betterplace.org donation drive will be used primarily for initiatives aimed at helping them integrate into society, such as a film camp or German courses, as well as providing interpreters for therapy and counselling sessions.

In addition, the “sponsored cinema visit” initiative has asked Berlin’s non-profit refugee aid programmes to nominate volunteers who would like to accompany a refugee to a screening. The aim of the project is to help boost existing acquaintanceships and foster cultural exchange. The Berlinale has also joined with the BBZ Beratungs- und Betreuungszentrum für junge Flüchtlinge und Migranten (support centre for young refugees and migrants) to offer a chance for ten or twenty refugees to spend time in various areas behind the scenes in the festival offices.

Also this year, some of the Welcome Classes (school classes for refugees) will participate in the school project that the festival’s Generation section has mounted for the last ten years in cooperation with Vision Kino. The project’s objective is to involve children and young people in the media dialogue.

As part of the Culinary Cinema’s street food initiative, top Sardinian chef Roberto Petza will work with the refugee initiative “Über den Tellerrand kochen” to serve Mediterranean cuisine from a food truck.

The Berlinale also asks its guests and audiences to donate, wherever possible, to organisations helping refugees with their everyday needs, for instance with finding short or long-term housing (see place4refugees.de, fluechtlinge-willkommen.de, fluechtlingwillkommen.de, among others).

https://www.facebook.com/RefugeesWellcome/

MIFF starts tomorrow in Mumbai, screenings in 9 other cities too

The 14th edition of Mumbai International Festival for Documentary, Short and Animation Films, popularly known as MIFF, will be held between January 28 and February 03, 2016.

MIFF, which began as BIFF (Bombay International Film Festival), became MIFF when the city had a change of name. The biennial festival, restricted to Documentary, Short and Animation Films, with some rare or restored features thrown in, is organised by the Films Division (FD) of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India and supported by the Government of Maharashtra.

Responding to the warm reception last time to the outreach screenings dubbed MIFF Zone, screenings of films in the National Competition section will be held simultaneously in New Delhi, Chennai, Bangalore, Kolkata, Bhubaneswar, Guwahati, Lucknow, Nagpur and Thrissur. International films cannot be screened outside the primary venue because of contractual restrictions.

There are 30 films in the International Competition, including 12 from India, and 27 films in the National Competition, vying for the Golden Conch Award. Cash prizes worth Rs 60 lakh (Rs 6 million) would be distributed for the winners in various categories, along with Golden Conch Awards. In addition, the festival will also honour a veteran personality from the Indian documentary fraternity, with the esteemed V. Shantaram Lifetime Achievement Award that carries a cash component of Rs. 5 lakh, a trophy and a citation. Late Shantaram was a reputed film-maker, studio-owner as well as head of Films Division, for a stint.

A total of 385 films will be screened, over 6 days. Screenings will be held at the Films Division’s own theatres, which include the newly built J.B. Hall, the Russian Culture Centre (successor to House of Soviet Culture) and Sophia College theatres, at Peddar Road, Mumbai. Screenings will also be held at the Mumbai University auditorium, Kalina, Mumbai and the state owned television channel premises, Doordarshan (DD) Kendra (Worli). The opening and closing functions will be held at the more spacious Ravindra Natya Mandir, at Prabhadevi.

Addressing the curtain raiser press conference in Mumbai yesterday, the Festival Director Mukesh Sharma said, “MIFF is the oldest and the largest festival of non-feature films in South Asia. We received a record number of 831 entries from 25 countries.” Also present were acclaimed eco-documentary maker and second-term President of the Indian Documentary Producers Association (IDPA) Mike Pandey, the only person to win three Green Oscars, from 800 competitors, and Sidhharth Kak, another acclaimed documentary maker-anchor-actor, also known for his popular and long-running TV series, Surabhi.

Jackie Shroff, Mukesh Sharma, Sidhharth Kak and Nitin Sapre (PublicityCo-ordinator)

One unique feature of MIFF 2016 is the existence of a brand ambassador. In a surprise choice, FD has opted for Jackie Shroff, mass appeal hero of the 80s and early 90s, and a character artiste since then. Speaking on the occasion, Jackie said that his association with the festival will help reach a certain segment of society, but today’s big stars must also promote MIFF, in the days to come. He even expressed a desire to make documentaries himself, on subjects like cross pollination and mental asylums.

When this writer asked Mr. Sharma whether any restored or rare package would be included in this MIFF, he replied that films of the Wadia banner would be shown. To the other question I put him, he replied that Films Division has signed an agreement with the Prasar Bharati Corporation, under which FD documentaries will be shown on the DD Bharati Channel. Mike Pandey added that the Indian Documentary Producers’ Association had also signed a deal with Doordarshan, for regular screenings, which will earn the producer Rs. 2-2.5 lack per showing.

He continued, “Apart from International and National competition, there will be screenings of films in MIFF Prism, Indian Premières, Jury retrospectives, Animation, and award winning films from different countries, Children’s documentary films, North East package, FD and Public Service Broadcasting Trust (PSBT) films, homages, special packages from leading international documentary film festivals, like Berlin, Dresden, DokLeipzig from Germany and Leiria, from Portugal.”

Some of the best documentaries of 2015 have made it to MIFF 2016--among them, Mohammed Ali Naqvi and Hemal Trivedi’s “Among the Believers” about the roots of religious extremism in Pakistani madrasas, and Joshua Oppenheimer’s “The Look of Silence” -a Danish documentary about Indonesian killings of 1965-66 and Rinku Kalsy’s ‘For the Love of a Man’ – a documentary about the cult of adulation for superstar Rajanikanth in South India.

                                                       Mike Pandey

The International Jury for the Festival comprises prominent documentary makers Don Askarian from Germany,  Jesper Andersen from Denmark, Mathiue Roy of Canada, Siddharth Kak and Gitanjali Rao. Mike Pandey, Uma DaCunha, Biju Dhanapalan, Audrius Stonys (Lithuania) and Jane Yu (Taiwan) are the members of the National Jury.                                                                                                                             

The festival will also have Master classes by the Jury and by some eminent film-makers, Camera and Digital workshops, Producers’ Forum, Panel discussions, Seminar and Open Forum by IDPA, under the MIFF Hub.

THE Sacramento French Film Festival
PRESENTS
the 9th WINTER FRENCH SHORT FILM SCREENING
Featuring
the 2016 CÉSAR NOMINATED SHORTS
 

Saturday, March 5, 2016 – Doors at 6pm / Films at 7pm

On the Big Screen - Crest Theatre
 

PROGRAM

§  2016 César Nominated Short Films

It is Awards Season in France, too!

The 9th Winter French Short Film Screening will present a selection of the short films nominated for a 2016 CÉSAR (French Academy Award) in the ANIMATION and LIVE ACTION categories. 
After the films, the audience will be invited to vote for the “Sacramento César Awards.”
The 40th César Ceremony will have been held a week earlier, on Friday, February 26 (no spoilers!) and the César Winners will be announced at the end of the evening, along with the results of the audience voting.

Will Sacramento agree with the César Academy? We’ll find out on March 5!

WHERE

§  CREST THEATRE– 1013 K Street – Downtown Sacramento

WEBSITE

§  www.SacramentoFrenchFilmFestival.org

PHONE

§  916-455-9390

TICKET PRICES

§  $11 General Admission for all (includes a $0.75 Crest facility fee)

§  Tickets will be available at the door

§  Tickets can be purchased in advance at the Crest Box Office and on ticketfly.com

MORE DETAILS

§  All films are presented in French with English subtitles

§  French Pop with DJ Christophe

§  No Host Bar operated by Empress Tavern

For more information & PHOTOS                                                                         

Cécile Mouette Downs (916) 455-9390 / Cell: (916) 396-9147 / littlececile@gmail.com

Wishing you all much success on the festival circuit!

Exodus to Shangai - Meet the team in Berlin

The cast and crew will be attending Berlinale with a screening in the Market Feb 12th at 7:00 pm Deutsche Film und Fernsehakademie, Potzdamer Strasse 2. Join us at the Marriott (260) to discuss sales and festival selection Chinese consul in Vienna saved thousands of Jews with visas to escape to Shangai. A true story.  The film is entering the festival circuit FESTIVAL CONSIDERATION  
Marriott 260 February 11-18 you are welcome to join us and enjoy free cocktails betwwen 4 and 8 pm.

 

Trailer I Synopsis I A film by  Anthony Hickox I Produced by Michel Adam I Exodus to Shangai's blog | Website I Ask a screener I @ Mariott 260 Feb 11-17     

Montreal Int Animation Film Fest August 18-21. Animaze Seeks Animation at Berlinale 2016 - Let's Meet!

Please note Animaze 2016 edition Montreal will be taking place August 18-21, 2016. Animaze is happy to attend Berlinale 2016 seeking feature length animation film, shorts, as well as interactive projects for our festival in August 18-21 in Montreal Quebec Canada. Films with more than 35% VFX (excluding credits) are also welcome to submit. Please contact us via email to set up a meeting: programming@animazefestival.com Submit your film here:  FILMFREEWAY  

 

 

> SUNDANCE DAILIES  January 21 - 31, 2016 

Thunder Road Wins Sundance Short Films Grand Jury Prize

   (L-R) Maman(s), Credit: Sundance Film Festival; The Procedure, Credit: Jacob Rosen; Thunder Road, Credit:Jim Cummings. Sundance Institute announced today the jury prizes in short filmmaking at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival. The Short Film Grand Jury Prize, awarded to one film in the program of 72 short films selected from 8,712 submissions, went to Thunder Road by director and screenwriter Jim Cummings. The awards were presented at a ceremony in Park City, Utah; full video ...

 

Cinema Café: Werner Herzog and Joshua Oppenheimer @ Sundance Film Festival 2016

Joshua Oppenheimer and Werner Herzog at Sundance Film Festival's Cinema Café. A daily series of informal chats rounds up special guests for thought-provoking discussions. #cinemacafe Cinema Café guests have included Louis CK, Barbara Kopple, Spike Lee, Roger Corman, Julie Delpy, Nick Hornby, Dave Grohl, Walter Murch, James Marsh, Gaspar Noé, Steve Coogan, Samantha Power, Parker Posey, Ice-T, and many more. So bring your questions and an open mind. ...

 

Sundance Film Festival 2016: watch the Video of Day One Press Conference with Founder Robert Redford

  kick off the 2016 Sundance Film Festival with Festival Director John Cooper, Executive Director Keri Putnam, and Robert Redford   Sundance Institute Executive Director Keri Putnam during the Day One Press Conference  Photo: Calvin Knight ...

 

2016 Sundance Film Festival U.S. Dramatic Competition LOVESONG A FILM BY SO YONG KIM

LOVESONG  A FILM BY SO YONG KIM           Actors Jena Malone (The Hunger Games), Riley Keough  (The Girlfriend Experience, Mad Max), Brooklyn Decker (Grace and  Frankie), Amy Seimetz (Upstream Color) and Rosanna Arquette    Director/co-writer So Yong Kim and co-writer/producer Bradley Rust  Gray.   SYNOPSIS:   Using the poetics of naturalism and minimalism in lieu of explicit dialogue and...

 

World Premiere of Tim Sutton's DARK NIGHT at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival - Sun. 1/24

2016 Sundance Film Festival NEXT Section     DARK NIGHT         Writer/Director: Tim Sutton    Actors: Robert Jumper and Anna Rose Hopkins  Composer: Maica Armata  Producer: Alexandra Byer  Executive Producer: Jonathan Gray   WHEN:         Sunday, January 24th, 2016  Press Check-In Time: 7:50pm   Press Line Begins: 8:20pm  Press Line Ends:  8:45pm   Screening...

 

CAMERAPERSON, the Visual Memoir By Acclaimed Documentary Cinematographer Kirsten Johnson Premieres in Sundance

CAMERAPERSON A Bold Interrogation of the Power of the Camera  By Director & Cinematographer Kirsten Johnson   Downloadable Poster:        What does it mean to film somebody? What effect does it have on them - and what does it have on you? Kirsten Johnson is one of the most notable cinematographers working in documentary cinema today, having shot Citizenfour, Happy Valley, Fahrenheit 911, The Oath, The Invisible War, and dozens of ...

 

SLAMDANCE'16 (Beyond Program) MY ENEMIES

  Online screeners available for review and interviews          Screening times at Treasure Mountain Inn, 255 Main Street, Park City, UT January 25th, 2016 7:45PM- Gallery   January 26th, 2016 10:00PM- Ballroom       MY ENEMIES is US premiering at the 2016 Slamdance Film Festival in Park City, UT. Starring Louise Marleau (THE NECESSITIES OF LIFE), Frederic Lemay (LOUIS CYR), Hubert Prou...

 

THE EYES OF MY MOTHER @ Sundance

Cast: Kika Magalhaes, Will Brill, Clara Wong, Flora Diaz and Olivia Bond Francisca has been unfazed by death from an early age—her mother, formerly a surgeon in Portugal, imbued her with a thorough understanding of the human anatomy. When tragedy shatters her family’s idyllic life in the countryside, her deep trauma gradually awakens some unique curiosities. As she grows up, her desire to connect with the world around her takes a distinctly dark form. Shot in crisp black and whit...

 

KIKI, NYC's Voguing scene, Sara Jordeno's feature debut (U.S. Doc Competition)

A dynamic coming of age story about agency, resilience and the transformative artform that is voguing, KIKI offers riveting and complex insight into the daily lives of a group of LGBTQ youth-of-color who comprise the "Kiki" scene, a vibrant, safe space for performance created and governed by these activists. Following members of the scene as they prepare for and perform at exuberant Kiki ba...

 

> Rotterdam 27 January – 7 February 2016

Beyond Sleep: opening film IFFR 2016

ID Check: Themed programme for  IFFR

IFFR presents: This Is Where Reconstruction Starts

CineMart completes line-up for 33rd edition

Rens Muis designed the campaign for The International Film Festival Rotterdam 2016

Line-up and jury Hivos Tiger Awards Competition IFFR 2016

> Berlinale Previews and Dailies February 11 - 20, 2016

30. TEDDY AWARD – The International Jury

The jury of the 30th TEDDY AWARD, which will take place on February 19th in the STATION-Berlin. Nine renowned film makers and festival organisers will choose the laureates from the queer films of the Berlinale in the categories best film, best documentary/essay film and best short. Furthermore, they will award the TEDDY Jury Award. Augustas Cicelis comes from Vilnius, Lithuania, and is the Director and Programmer of Vilnius LGBT* Festival “Kreives”. He has been involved in LGBT* a...

 

Dutch Features secures rights to acclaimed European feature debut You Carry Me

Dutch Features Global Entertainment (DFGE) has secured the rights to festival favorite You Carry Me, the official Montenegrin entry for the 88th Academy Awards®, and returns to Berlinale’s European Film market 2016 to commence world wide sales for this critically acclaimed film. The award-winning film with female-driven story, received international rave reviews and was nicknamed the European cousin of Paul Haggis’ Crash. Filmmaker Ivona Juka’s feature film debut...

 

Superheroes (Antboy 1,2 and 3) come in all sizes at EFM 2016

  

New films from ITN at EFM 2016

  NATURAL SELECTION 110 min. HD. 2016. Complete.  Cast:  Katherine McNamara (IMDB #12, Star of ABC Family's and NetFlix's Shadowhunters, Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials), Anthony Michael Hall  (Netflix's War Machine with Brad Pitt, The Dark Knight, Foxcatcher),  Catherine Missal (Vacation), Amy Carlson (CBS' Blue Bloods, Law & Order), Mason Dye (Lifetime's Flowers in ...

 

EFM Industry Debates 2016

EFM Industry Debates 2016: Producers as Entrepreneurs, the Boom in High-end TV Series in Europe, and Korea’s Growing Influence on South East Asian Cinema   Now in its tenth year, the EFM Industry Debates is again focussing - in three panel discussions with top experts - on current issues in the film and media industry. The debates are being presented for the fifth time by the IFA, the leading global trade show for consumer electronics and home appliances, and official partner of t...

 

International Forum of New Cinema gives Inertia International Premiere

Claudia Landsberger, Baseworx For Film and Timothy O'Brien, Oration Films are proud to be partnering to represent Idan Haguel's first feature Inertia in the Berlinale Forum. Taking place by the shores of the Mediterranean, Inertia is a deadpan surrealist and blackly comic examination of a woman's identity crisis - utterly modern yet timeless in it's exploration of the impact of dreams and desires.    Synopsis: Mira is a woman trapped in a dull life - alienated ...

 

Arclight Films – EFM 2016 Screening Schedule

                                    ...

 

SOY NERO by Rafi Pitts in Competition at Berlinale

Rafi Pitts' new feature film SOY NERO will celebrate its world premiere in Competition at the Berlin International Film Festival in 2016. SOY NERO marks Rafi Pitts' third time in Competition at the Berlin International Film Festival. In 2006 his film IT'S WINTER was selected for Official Competition and in 2010 he attended the Berlin International Film Festival with THE HUNTER in Competition again.   Synopsis: Nero is running in the desert. He is trying to es...

 

K5 line-up @ EFM

New Title     Paterson   A wry comedy which chronicles the challenges of work and love and observes the quiet triumphs and defeats of daily life, and the poetry evident in its smallest details. Genre Comedy Director/Writer Jim Jarmusch Cast Adam Driver Golshifteh Farahani ...

 

Memento Films International @ EFM

  BERLIN EFM Screening Schedule      NEWS FROM PLANET MARS by Dominik Moll Berlinale Official Selection - Out Of Competition with François Damiens,Vincent Macaigne & Veerle Baetens   Sunday, 14th –  9:30 am > Cinemaxx 8 (Market Screening - Buyers Only) Monday, 15th –  11:10 am > Cinemaxx 5 (Market Screening - Buyers Only)       THE FREE WORLD by Jason Lew U.S. Dramatic Compe...

 

The Yellow Affair @ EFM

Miira Paasilinna and Chris Howard of The Yellow Affair will be attending EFM this year   NEW RELEASES THE YARD (Berlinale Forum) A single father and peripheral poet loses his job as a literary critic when he reviews his own book. With no formal education, he ends up at a car trans-shipment hub. He becomes an outcast, a nameless stranger with a five-digit number. Personal morals are pitted against the demands of fatherhood in an escalating conflict that is ultima...

 

Watch out for our reviews of Berlinale Classics by Alex Deleon

The Road Back von / by James Whale. Quelle / Source: NBC Universal Archives & Collections © Universal Pictures  The Berlinale Classics series of the 66th Berlin International Film Festival will present premieres of six films, two German and four international productions, five of them world premieres. Heiner Carow’s semi-autobiographical film Die Russen kommen (The Russians are Coming, GDR, 1968) is set in the waning days of World War II. For 16-y...

 

‘THE MINE’ to feature @ EFM

THE MINE, a pacey probing story with heavy topical relevance, is set for its market premiere at this year’s EFM. The film has a stellar Finnish cast and is beautifully shot in the exotic north of Finland. THE MINE is also selected for the Dragon Awards Competition in Gothenburg.           CLICK HERE FOR TRAILER THE MINE, an env...

 

"Attack of the Lederhosenzombies" @ EFM 2016!

check out  "Attack of the Lederhosenzombies”! Our long-awaited Alpine zombie flick will be screened at the EFM: Tuesday Feb. 16th at 12:45, CinemaxX Studio 19 Don’t hesitate to contact a meeting with our Sales Manager, Yannick Rudynski: yannick@eastwest-distribution.com   For Festivals contact our Festival Manager, Octavia Peyrou: festivals@eastwest-distribution.com EastWest Filmdistribution will be attending the EFM at booth ...

 

European Film Market 2016 – new edition of the successful “EFM Startups” platform showcases European innovation

  The latest edition of “EFM Startups” will be held on February 15 and 16, as part of the European Film Market (Feb 11–19, 2016). The joint initiative of the EFM, Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg and Startup Germany e.V. was launched to great success in 2015.   The call for participation went out Europe-wide for the first time in 2016. Ten selected startups from Berlin, Norway, Ireland, Finland, the Netherlands and Belgium will i...

 

Premiere Ent. @ EFM

CURRENT TITLES     FALL GUY   GENRE:  Action   DIRECTOR:  Kevin Carraway   PRODUCERS:  Angelica Montesano   CAST:  Sean Bean (Game of Thrones), Paz Vega (Grace of Monaco)   SYNOPSIS:  A cab driver with a gambling debt accepts a job to transport a valuable briefcase, and gets in over his head whe...

 

FANTASTIC FILMS INTERNATIONAL @ EFM 2016

FANTASTIC FILMS INTERNATIONAL invites you to email us for a EFM 2016 meeting. Let us know your preferred date and time (from Feb. 10th- 16th), so we can introduce you to our Fantastic NEW titles: THE BROKEN KEY (with additional name cast and new trailer); DEX HAMILTON AND THE DOOMSDAY SWARM; LUGGY; AROUND THE WORLD ON A FLYING WINDMILL; THE CUSHION; BIGI AND FRIENDS (TV series).  We will also introduce a number of other new titles at the market. A...

 

Doc drama Putin Forever @ EFM

PUTIN FOREVER? ORIGINAL TITLE: PUTIN NAVSEGDA? 2016, DCP, 93 min., Russian CATEGORY: Documentary  COUNTRY: Russia  PRODUCTION : Independent documentary project BUDGET : $2 000 CREW Director : Kirill Nenashev Screenplay : Kirill Nenashev Cinematographer : Kirill Nenashev Producers : Maria MuskevichThe day before Vladimir Putin’s inauguration, a march takes place on Moscow’s Bolotnaya Square – a protest...

 

Screen Media @ EFM - 2016

Screen Media @ EFM - 2016 THE ASIAN CONNECTION  (Complete) 2015 - Action/Thriller Director: Daniel Zirilli Cast: Steven Seagal, Michael Jai White   Two American expatriates, Jack and Sam, unwittingly steal a drug lord's money when they rob a series of banks in Southeast Asia and become the target of the gang'...

 

Generation 2016: Opening Films, Juries and Special Screening The Diary of Anne Frank

Opening Films: Dreamy Girls and Women Power The competition Generation 14plus will celebrate its opening with the international premiere of the Australian production Girl Asleep, from Rosemary Myers. The director will present her film on February 12 at 7.30 pm at the Haus der Kulturen der Welt (HKW), together with the film’s female lead. Bethany Whitmore plays the role of Greta in the film, a young woman who takes a deep dive into a bizarre and dangerous dream world full of odd creature...

 

Berlinale Special Series 2016

Anders Hove, Esben Dalgaard, Stine Schrøder Jensen, Katrine Greis-Rosenthal, Peter Plaugborg, Hanne Uldal und Maria Rossing in Splitting Up Together Brand-new series from Denmark, Britain, Israel, Australia, New Zealand and the US will round off the Berlinale Special programme at the Haus der Berliner Festspiele. This year’s selection once again provides a good look at the creativity and variety of forms evident in series production.       &nbs...

 

Communal Experiences – Initiatives for Refugees during the Berlinale

When the Berlin International Film Festival was launched 66 years ago, there were millions of German refugees and traumatised displaced persons in Europe. The festival made a point of fostering understanding, tolerance and acceptance. Since then, it has always been responsive to current events in society – not only with the film programme, but also with many complementary activities.   Last year 79,034 people sought refuge in the German capital (source: Berlin Senate department of...

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Short Film Connection
 

Golden Trailer Awards May 4

Early Bird Deadline: Friday February 5th, 2016

The Wiper Film Festival 
April 6 – 8, 2016

Early Bird January 31, 2016

NYC Indie Film Fest 
April 27 to May 1, 2016!

Regular Deadline January 31, 2016

Hollyshorts Film Festival
August 11 – 20, 2016

Early Bird deadline February 5, 2016

WoFF: World of Film International Festival 
September 29 – October 2, 2016

Regular Deadline March 31, 2016

In 2016, WoFF returns for its third edition with great energy and ideas, generated from a wonderful 2015 festival.

New York Festival's World's Best Television & Films April 16, 2016

Deadline extended

Animaze 2016 Montreal International Animation Film Festival  August 18th - 21st, 2016.

Submit by April 30, 2016

Montreal  International Animation Film Festival FESTIVAL DATES June 2-5 2016 Montreal Canada Le MIAFF! is a people's film festival and industry conference dedicated to the art of animation for film and technology.  All genres and forms are welcome. Awards & Prizes Software and other award prizes. Visibility in our travelling shows in Berlin, Cannes, Annecy, Glasgow and more. Check 2015 fantastic programming on the website.

The 49th Annual WorldFest-Houston International Film & Video Festival  April 8 to 17, 2016

In partnership with filmfestivals.com

Enter the Festival that discovered Spielberg, Lucas, Coppola, Ang Lee, the Coen Brothers, David Lynch, and John Lee Hancock with their first awards!

> "FILMFESTIVALS.COM ONES TO WATCH ON THE CIRCUIT" FOR FESTIVAL CONSIDERATION 

Exodus to Shangai

Paranoid Girls For Oscar Consideration

Paranoid Girls Comedy by Pedro del Santo is qualified for Oscar selection running for best film, best original song...

Revolution by Rob Stewart (Sharkwater) 

over 40 festival wins so far

Eco Documentary feature film by Rob Stewart (Sharkwater)

Rooted in Peace by Greg Reitman

Get Happy by Manoj Annadurai 

Feature Feel Good Movie  - World premiered in Montreal World Film Festival Winner best romantic comedy in Manhattan Fest

Charlie Kane can’t catch a break. He grew into a man who expects the worse out of life and gets it. But that changes when, by chance, he meets a bright, sunny sprite of a woman named Holly who turns him from a dour drip into someone finally allowing himself to be happy.Then a bus flattens her before Charlie eyes. Charlie opts for suicide but can’t even successfully give up on life. Left with no other choice, he adopts Holly’s ethos of positivity and just decides to be happy... by ignoring all the bad things in life. But his cynical best friend isn’t buying Charlie’s new-found happiness and sets out to save Charlie by making him miserable again. 

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Exodus to Shangai has Festival World Premiere at Fantasporto following the Market Premiere at EFM

Fantasporto one of the leading Genre Festivals in the World will have a special screening of Exodus to Shangai on March 3rd at 9 pm in an hommage to Peace and Understanding Between Humans Called Fantasporto for Peace!   Anthony Hickox the director was thrilled and told Mario how much he loved his festival. "Dear Mario  I've always wanted to go to your fest! I've won Avoriaz and Brussels Fantastic etc. never yours!!! Hahaha  I will be really happy to come and ...

Michel Adam Films at EFM 11-18 February 2016 Screening Invite

  ...

 

25th Anniversary NY Jewish Film Festival How to Win Enemies Premiere

By Maria Esteves – January 25, 2016 The 25th Anniversary New York Jewish Film Festival 2016 (NYJFF16) N.Y. Premiere of HOW TO WIN ENEMIES (COMO GANAR ENEMIGOS), directed by Gabriel Lichtmann was held at the Walter Reade Theater, Thursday, January 21st followed by a Q&A session with director Lichtmann, moderated by digital marketing associate Alexander Hunt, Film Society of Lincoln Center. Questions posed to Lichtmann by Hunt included: The film's...

 

Why SPOTLIGHT Is Front Runner, #OscarsSoWhite, The Big Five & A Contentious Award Season

by Quendrith Johnson, (Awards Intelligencer, 1/19/2016) If Oscar-winner Sean Penn can go interview El Chapo, then the state of journalism really is in trouble — oh, nevermind, this is just indicative of how movie people perceive and interpret the craft. A cocky Penn goes on CBS with Charlie Rose to call out those who ‘don’t think I’m a real journalist,’ while having committed a de facto ethical violation of the profession by grandsta...

> THE FESTIVAL CIRCUIT      

MIFF starts tomorrow in Mumbai, screenings in 9 other cities too

MIFF starts tomorrow in Mumbai, screenings in 9 other cities too The 14th edition of Mumbai International Festival for Documentary, Short and Animation Films, popularly known as MIFF, will be held between January 28 and February 03, 2016. MIFF, which began as BIFF (Bombay International Film Festival), became MIFF when the city had a change of name. The biennial festival, restricted to Documentary, Short and Animation Films, with some rare or restored features thrown in, is organised by the F...

 

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The Oscar controversy / boycott

Academy reacts with actions to increase diversity doubling diverse members by 2020

Lifetime voting rights reframed; new governor seats added and committees restructured In a unanimous vote Thursday night (1/21), the Board of Governors of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences approved a sweeping series of substantive changes designed to make the Academy’s membership, its governing bodies, and its voting members significantly more diverse.  The Board’s goal is to commit to doubling the number of women and diverse members of...

 

#OscarsSoWhite... Again! Spike Lee alerts the Academy

Gil Robertson, President of African American Film Critics Association react to this years Oscar nominations

Academy President, Cheryl Boone Isaacs, and Gil Robertson, President of African American Film Critics Association react to this years Oscar nominations which included no black actors in any category. USA TODAY ...

Statement from Academy President Cherryl Boone Isaacs answering all voices erupting against exclusion of diversity

ACADEMY PRESIDENT CHERYL BOONE ISAACS "I’d like to acknowledge the wonderful work of this year’s nominees.  While we celebrate their extraordinary achievements, I am both heartbroken and frustrated about the lack of inclusion. This is a difficult but important conversation, and it’s time for big changes. The Academy is taking dramatic steps to alter the makeup of our membership.  In the coming days and weeks we will conduct a review of our membershi...

 

Congratulations to the winning Filmmakers of Maine Outdoor Film Festival 2015!

  Stratton, Maine filmmaker Mercedes Mehling, right, won the first Broke and Stoked Video Contest with her film MH&T TRAIL CREW. She is pictured with colleague Jaime Mastrorio   2015 MOFF AWARDS Broke and Stoked Contest (Maine amateur outdoor adventure short) MH&T TRAIL CREW by Mercedes Mehling (at right in the picture above) of Stratton, ME Best Short NATURE-RX, PART 2 by Justin Bogardus of Colorado Best Short Feature CIRCUMNAVIGATING LAKE CHAMPLAIN ...

 

Xavier Giannnoli's Marguerite and latest Despleschin My Golden Days lead The French Cesar nominations

Cesar Awards nominees BEST FILM Dheepan, dir: Jacques Audiard Fatima, dir: Philippe Faucon The Measure Of A Man, dir: Stéphane Brizé Marguerite, dir: Xavier Giannoli Mon Roi, dir: Maiwenn Mustang, dir: Deniz Gamze Erguven Standing Tall, dir: Emmanuelle Bercot My Golden Days, dir: Arnaud Desplechin BEST DIRECTOR Jacques Audiard for Dheepan Stéphané Brizé for&n...

 

> PEOPLE IN THE SPOTLIGHT     

Exodus to Shangai - A personal story for Michel Adam

Michel Adam wrote and produced Exodus to Shangai and shared with filmfestivals.com the reasons behind his involvement! “The movie is dedicated to the memory of my mother, who died last year. She was a musician who fell in love with my father in Vienna during the war and they eventually ended up in China after having crossed all of Siberia. I had heard many epic stories of their dramatic lives and escape to safety and knew it was meant for the big screen. I felt I had to tell their st...

 

Exodus to Shangai - The Director Anthony Hickox

Exodus to Shangai - Meet Dr Ho Consul General for China stationed in Vienna from 1938 to 1940

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Film or Festival? How Short Film Connection can work for you

Partner Film Festivals Calling. Fast-Approaching Deadlines
 

Need more and better film submissions for your festival? don't miss the one month booster

The Bulletin Board I Pro Services's blog |  Advertise your festival in the next eBlast to our filmmakers.   

TOUTES LES NEWS EN FRANCAIS

Marguerite et Trois souvenirs de ma Jeunesse en tête des nominations aux Cesar

Les soirées de la 16ème édition de PIC - L'industrie du rêve

             

 

Les Adieux de Serge Toubiana à l’occasion de la fin de son mandat de directeur général de La Cinémathèque française

Et vogue le navire par Serge Toubiana à l’occasion de la fin de son mandat de directeur général de La Cinémathèque française Ce sont mes derniers jours à La Cinémathèque française en tant que directeur général de cette institution. Frédéric Bonnaud, dès le 1er février 2016, assumera pleinement cette fonction. Tout au long du mois de janvier, nous avons passé lui et mo...

 

Exposition Gaumont sur la ligne RER D, le premier train démarre le 28 janvier à 15h

C'est sur les rails, à bord d'un train de la ligne D, au cœur même du réseau francilien, que le public découvrira une rétrospective sur 120 ans d'histoire du cinéma.   Affiches de films, photographies de stars et appareils cinématographiques prendront place à l'intérieur de deux rames de la ligne D pour offrir une promenade itinérante à travers le 7ième art.   120 ans de ...

 

Festival Les Inattendus - mi parcours

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By Maria Esteves – January 27, 2016

HOW TO WIN ENEMIES (COMO GANAR ENEMIGOS), is a heartfelt redemptive family comedy, crime mystery set in present day Buenos Aires, Argentina. Lucas Abadi (Martin Slipak) an aspiring crime novelist and attorney who works at his family law firm becomes a victim of a crime, is compelled to solve the mystery. The film begins with a beautiful Jewish wedding ceremony scene, then the story cleverly unfolds returning back to the wedding reception scene and speech presentation made by the bridegroom his brother Max (Javier Drolas).

HOW TO WIN ENEMIES (COMO GANAR ENEMIGOS), directed by Gabriel Lichtmann | Domenica Films | Argentina | 2015 | 78 min | Hebrew, Spanish with English subtitles | Premiere, 25th New York Jewish Film Festival 2016 (NYJFF16) | Reviewed at NYJFF16.

The film programme of the 2nd Berlin Critics’ Week is completed. As an additional world premiere we present the new production of directors Marita Neher und Tatjana Turanskyj. The latest works of Andrzej Żuławski, Pablo Agüero and Isiah Medina complement the previously announced films. Denis Côté, Zahra Vargas and Apichatpong Weerasethakul are included with short films. The Federal Agency for Civic Education (Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung/bpb) supports us as a new partner.

The additional films

Disorientation Isn’t a Crime by Marita Neher and Tatjana Turanskyj sees two women, a journalist and an activist, slowly lose the coherence of their world views. After a chance encounter their perspectives on the refugee crisis, on politics, work, and capitalism collide in a road movie. What emerges is a trip through rural Greece, in pursuit of invisible borders and an attitude towards our present times. Polish director Andrzej Żuławski returns with first film in 15 years, Cosmos. The director of feverishly disturbing works like Possession has created a fast-paced comedy in the spirit of French vaudeville that simultaneously unfolds as a metaphysical film noir. A family run guest house in the French countryside becomes the setting of an absurd detective story. In an increasingly grotesque plot turning on the characters’ longings and playfulness, mutual provocation is a constant drive. The film features remarkable performances by Sabine Azéma, Jean-François Balmer and Jonathan Gene. The embalmed body of Eva Perón and its disappearance for a time during Argentina’s military dictatorship is negotiated in its potential as a national symbol in Pablo Agüero’s Eva Doesn’t Sleep. Through an unconventional arrangement of archival footage and scripted, intimate long takes the director questions historiography, the aura of power and its implications in terms of the female body. The performances of Denis Lavant as a military driver and Gael García Bernal as the overarching figure of an admiral guarantee the film’s’ constant intensity and thrill. In his feature film debut 88:88 the Canadian experimental filmmaker Isiah Medina sets in motion a diary-like stream of images dealing with love, poetry and poverty. The montage of found footage, documentary material and fictional scenes radically questions the status of the image as well as our social, political and aesthetic preconceptions.

Short film programme

With May We Sleep Soundly Canadian director Denis Côté presents his first short film in years. Captivating as well as sinister, we follow its subjective, ambiguous view as it trespasses on the interiors of houses to prove once again the suggestive power of images. The silent parable Vapour is Thai director Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s recent take on a disturbing political situation that resists definition. The film is set in the village of Toongha, Northern Thailand, where the director lives and where a strange fog passes through, clouding the land. La fin d’Homère by Zahra Vargas explores hunting as a lurking, mechanical allegory of magical surrealism. Victims become sculptures and a story unfolds in which a hunter’s fate is sealed by a mammoth bird – almost a fairytale creature. The provincial embodies a universe.

New Partner of the Berlin Critics’ Week: The Federal Agency for Civic Education

The BERLIN CRITICS’ WEEK is an initiative of the German Film Critics Association (Verband der deutschen Filmkritik e.V.) in collaboration with the Heinrich Böll Foundation (Heinrich-Böll-Stifung e.V.), supported by The Federal Agency for Civic Education (Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung/bpb). Through their commitment, the partners of the event support the concept of linking aesthetic questions with film policy and socio-political matters.

Programme

88:88 Canada 2015 Dir: Isiah Medina German Premiere Blue Dress Ukraine/France 2016 Dir: Igor Minaev World Premiere Coma Syria, Lebanon 2015 Dir: Sara Fattahi German Premiere Cosmos France, Portugal 2015 Dir: Andrzej Żuławski German Premiere Despite The Night (Malgré la nuit) France, Canada 2015 Dir: Philippe Grandrieux German Premiere Disorientation Isn’t a Crime (Orientierungslosigkeit ist kein Verbrechen) Germany 2016 Dir: Marita Neher, Tatjana Turanskyj World Premiere Eva Doesn’t Sleep (Eva no duerme) Argentina 2015 Dir: Pablo Agüero German Premiere Sixty Six USA 2015 Dir: Lewis Klahr German Premiere

Short films

Homer, a Hunter’s Fate (La fin d’Homère) Switzerland 2015 Dir: Zahra Vargas German Premiere May We Sleep Soundly (Que nous nous assoupissions) Canada 2015 Dir: Denis Côté German Premiere Vapour (Mok mae rim) Thailand, Korea, China 2015 Dir: Apichatpong Weerasethakul German Premiere All films will be presented as German premieres. Blue Dress andDisorientation Isn’t a Crime will celebrate their world premieres at the Berlin Critics’ Week. The BERLIN CRITICS’ WEEK will take place from February 11th to February 18th at the Hackesche Höfe Kino in the centre of Berlin. On the occasion of the Berlin International Film Festival the Berlin Critics’ Week presents international films, a selection based on the principle of discussing the most stimulating works. Each night, international critics and filmmakers will discuss politics and aesthetics, preferences and rejection, new forms of distribution and perception. How do we watch films? Which films are we longing for? What constitutes cinema? Film criticism enters the field. The BERLIN CRITICS’ WEEK is an initiative of the German Film Critics Association (Verband der deutschen Filmkritik e.V.) in collaboration with the Heinrich Böll Foundation (Heinrich-Böll-Stifung e.V.), supported by The Federal Agency for Civic Education (Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung/bpb).

Critics’ Week

First Films in Programme