More than 40 Nordic films and works in progress will be presented at the Nordic Film Market in Göteborg, taking place Wednesday 2 - Saturday 7 February.

The 2016 lineup consists of 17 finished feature films and 20 works in progress, plus 8 titles presented at the Nordic Film Lab Discovery sessions. This year's films include world premieres Shelley by Ali Abbasi, The Model by Mads Matthiesen, Welcome to Norway! by Rune Denstad Langlo and The Yard by Måns Månsson, and the Swedish box office hits A man called Ove and A Holy Mess.

See all titles>>

Also, this year´s Industry Guide and Nordic Film Market Schedule is now online on our webpage.

Top Photo: The Giant by Johannes Nyholm - Work in progress 2016

Nordic Film Market>>

The 36th edition of Fantasporto is held at the Teatro Municipal Rivoli, and as usual, with the Pre-Fantas as an appetizer.

Shorts are particularly in focus in the Official Fantasy competition, after a long selection process. And for the first time, they will be repeated in two independent screenings. Unreleased, recent films are also present in the Portuguese Best Film competition. Eight schools and universities from all over the country participate in a one of a kind competition. Innovation, discovery of new talents and films one remembers for the rest of their lives, are the main objective.

The Official Sections are

Fantasy

Directors Week

Orient Express

and Portuguese Cinema for the competitions and the Première & Panorama for new films not in competition.

The highlights for the 36th edition are The Latin Countries, especially Brazil and Argentina.

Most directors and producers are expected to travel to Oporto for the stage presentation.

The main retrospective is dedicated to Macedonian Venice Golden Lion winner, Milcho Manchevski who will attend the festival.

68 countries have sent films for selection.

38 countries were accepted for the several sections.

Around 200 new films will be screened.

Fantasporto to screen for Peace with Ensemble and Exodus to Shangai

PRÉ-FANTAS and PRESS SCREENINGS

Segunda, 22  de Fevereiro

Grande Auditório

21.45h - Dust - Milcho Manchevski- 120’- 2001- Uk/Alem/Italia/Macedónia - RETROSPECTIVA MILCHO MANCHEVSKI v.o. leg ingl.

 Duas histórias paralelas de redenção. Um ladrão é obrigado a sentar-se e a ouvir uma história.  Na volta do século XX, dois irmãos lutam por uma mulher. Com Joseph Fiennes (Shakespeare in Love) e Vera Farmiga (The Judge).

Pequeno Auditório

21.30h- Children of the Night - Ivan Noel - 96’-Argentina  - P&P  leg ingl.

Não é um remake do filme de Wolf Rilla “ A Aldeia dos Malditos”, mas...o terror está lá. Realizado pelo mesmo realizador de “They Returned” (a concurso),  neste filme uma jornalista vai investigar um orfanato e descobre que as crianças são todas vampiros. Deverá protegê-las? Vo esp. leg inglês

Terça, 23 de Fevereiro

Grande Auditório

21.45 –Before the Rain- Milcho Manchevski- 113’- 1994 – Macedónia - RETROSPECTIVA MILCHO MANCHEVSKI v.o. leg ingl.

 Na Guerra da Bósnia, os cristãos perseguem uma jovem albanesa que pode ter morto um dos seus.  Com Rade Serberdzija de “Downton Abbey”, este multi-premiado filme foi Leão de Ouro do Festival de Veneza e nomeado para os Óscares.

Pequeno Auditório

21.30h- El Infierno de Gaspar Mendoza- Julián Balam- 92’- Venezuela – CF –v.o leg ingl.

Um latifundiário usa os seus poderes para dominar as mulheres da casa. Até um certo dia. Dias de horror num latifúndio .

Quarta, 24 de Fevereiro

Grande Auditório

21.45- Mothers- Milcho Manchevski- 123’- 2010- Macedonia/Fra/Bul - RETROSPECTIVA MILCHO MANCHEVSKI v.o. leg ingl.

Três histórias - todas verdadeiras, uma real.  Com uma estrutura inovadora, as três histórias do filme realçam a delicada relação entre a ficção e a verdade, o drama e o documentário. Qual é a natureza da verdade? Três relatos de uma realidade muito dura mas não isenta de ternura. Selecção dos Festivais de Berlim e Toronto

Pequeno Auditório

21.30- Vampiro 40 Graus– Marcelo Santiago - 78’- Brasil – CF vo port.leg ingl.

Ser vampiro nem sempre é ser elegante. E ter zombies na cidade também não é nada bonito.  Usando um estilo muito livre, Marcelo persegue a noite brasileira como um autêntico carrossel se tratasse. Do realizador de “Lula, o Filho do Brasil”. 

Quinta, 25 de Fevereiro

Grande Auditório

21.45 - Shadows- Milcho Manchevski- 124’ -2007-  Macedonia/Alem/Ita/ Bul/Esp - RETROSPECTIVA MILCHO MANCHEVSKI v.o. leg ingl.

O filho de um médico luta por corresponder ao que esperam dele. Tem tudo a seu favor.  Mas quando  se envolve num acidente de carro e é salvo misteriosamente, a sua vida começa a mudar.

Pequeno Auditório

21.30h- The Entity/ La Entidad- Eduardo Schuldt – 80’- Peru- CF

Ao verem um filme, uns estudantes descobrem que podem morrer só porque o viram. Com forte influência da vaga de terror vinda do Japão, em particular do The Ring,  e até de Blair Witch Project, os jovens vão descobrir o poder da Dark Web e o que realmente se passa num estranho cemitério. v.o. leg ingl.

Nakamura Yoshihiro returns to the FEFF screen with a beautiful ghost story, “The Inerasable”

UDINE – The beautiful ghost story The Inerasable opens a new chapter in the glorious J-Horror genre which brings back one of the most visionary and prolific directors (or auteurs) of Japanese cinema to the screens of the Far East Film Festival in Udine: Nakamura Yoshihiro! Of course, it is still too early to reveal the eighteenth line-up of the FEFF (from the 22nd to the 30th of April), but The Inerasable(as the European Premiere) represents an exciting preview. The Udine preview will be publicized in perfect sync with the one in Tokyo, where the film's release in Japan has been announced by Shochiku for January 30th.

An old friend of the FEFF (over the years, we can remember such titles as The Glorious Team Batista, Fish Story, Golden Slumber, The Triumphant General Rouge, up to the more recent See You Tomorrow, Everyone and The Snow White Murder Case), Nakamura - also scriptwriter of the brilliant horror film Dark Water directed by Nakata Hideo - this time adapts Ono Fuyumi’s best- selling horror novel “Zange” for the screen.

The Inerasable marks the return of Nakamura to the horror genre, after ten years. It starts with a letter received by a novelist, a big name in the horror genre, revealing that another woman is investigating an unusual series of suicides. What lies behind these deaths? And how are these deaths linked to the author’s activities? The enigma deepens until the truth comes out, little by little...

The sixty titles for # FEFF18 (official hashtag) will be chosen, as always, from the best of recent films (blockbusters, cult movies, outsiders, but also Asian art films) and once again, the program will feature a rich assortment of associated events (exhibitions, conferences and meetings).

Final programme revealed

We are proud to present the complete 2016 TV Drama Vision programme! This years programme brings you the latest international trends and highlights current discussions in the Nordic region, lets you meet inspiring guests and hear from the most powerful key players in the drama industry.

During two packed days we dig into storytelling as an art through keynote speakers and panels, focus on the German drama landscape, shine a spotlight on neighbouring Finland and showcase tens of upcoming Nordic drama series.

Below we point out a few of the headline guests, works in progress and other highlights.

Read all about this year´s television series, themes and guests and download the final schedule>>

February 3,1.00pm – 5.30pm
February 4, 9.00am – 1.30pm

Register for TV Drama Vision>>

Top photo: Deutschland 83 (©Sundance TV), Midnight Sun (©Jerome Bonnet, Canal+) & Lola Upside-down (©Långfilm Productions)

BSDFF is thrilled to release this year’s schedule and announce the competition films in our four award categories: Feature (40+ minutes), Short (15-40 mins), Mini-Doc (under 15mins) and Big Sky Award (films about the American West).  

On Friday, February 19th the festival will open with a FREE opening-night screening of an upcoming HBO Documentary film. MAVIS! is the first feature documentary on gospel/soul music legend and civil rights icon Mavis Staples and her family group, The Staple Singers. The 13th Annual Big Sky Documentary Film Festival will be packed with enough films, events, performances, panels and parties to satisfy even the hardiest of filmgoers, families and fun-seekers. The full BSDFF schedule can be found HERE.

To help find what you are looking for, the programming staff at BSDFF has created “strands” of thematically-linked films. These strands cover topics as diverse as Made in Montana, Sports & Adventure, and Peace & Conflict. You can find all 2016 BSDFF strands HERE.
 

And on the docket for this year’s festival is an impactful DOCSHOP conference – for filmmakers, content creators, and anyone interested in how films can be catalysts for positive change in the world. For more information on our 2016 DocShop, click HERE.

Congratulations to all of the competition filmmakers. 

MINI DOC AWARD FINALISTS

A CEREBRAL GAME/ USA (Director: Reid Davenport)

BOB SWANN/ USA (Director: Anton du Preez)

DOBLE 9/ USA (Director: Aisha Schliessler)

HAZZARD’S CURE/ USA (Director: C.S. Ward)

MADE OF CLAY/ United Arab Emirates (Director: Fayssal Bin Sahli)

MINING, POEMS, OR ODES/ Scotland/UK (Director: Callum Rice)

OPERATION ALLIE/ USA/Aghanistan (Director: Manny Marquez)

SOUNDS OF NO TIME/ USA (Director: Adam Bedient)

VISIONS OF CHRISTINA/ USA (Director: Alexandra Swati Guild)

A WAY OF LIFE/ UK (Director: Ben Spilling)

SHORT AWARD FINALISTS

THE BAD BOY OF BOWLING/ USA (Director: Bryan Storkel)

A CERTAIN KIND OF LIGHT/ USA (Director: Brandon Vedder)

DAUGAVA DELTA/ Germany/Latvia (Director: Rainer Komers)

HEAVY FOG TONIGHT/USA (Director: Nathan Reich)

LIVING LIKE KINGS/USA (Director: Benjamin Kaplan)

NUESTRO MAR/ Cuba/Switzerland (Director: Eileen Hofer)

PICKLE/ USA (Director: Amy Nicholson)

THE RAT SLAYER OF HILLSIDE NJ/ USA (Director: Andrew Keogh Ruotolo)

THE RIVER MAN/ Netherlands/Ireland (Director: Richard Gorodecky)

ZONE BLANCHE/ France (Director: Gaëlle Cintré)

FEATURE AWARD FINALISTS

ALL THE DIFFERENCE/ USA (Director: Tod Lending)

EL CHIVO/ USA (Director: Rod Murphy)

FOLLOWING KINA/ Peru (Director: Sonia Goldenberg)

GOD KNOWS WHERE I AM/ USA (Directors: Jedd Wider, Todd Wider)

LAST OF THE ELEPHANT MEN/ Cambodia (Directors: Daniel Ferguson, Arnaud Bouquet)

THE LEGEND OF SWEE’ PEA / USA (Director: Benjamin May)

THE MIDDLE KINGDOM / China/USA (Director: Jason Burlage)

MOMENTS OF CAMPAIGN/ Ecuador (Director: Tomás Astudillo)

SYL JOHNSON: ANY WAY THE WIND BLOWS/ USA(Director: Rob Hatch-Miller)

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE/ USA (Director: Tom Donahue)

BIG SKY AWARD FINALISTS

BISONHEAD/ USA (Director: Elizabeth Lo)

HUNTING IN WARTIME/ USA/Vietnam (Director: Samantha Farinella)

I AM AYOTZINAPA/ USA (Directors: Daniel Chávez Ontiveros, Kadri Koop)

LAPS/ USA (Director: R.J. Lozada)

MAIDEN OF DECEPTION PASS/USA (Director: Tracy Rector, Lou Karsen)

NEVER TOO LATE/ USA (Director: Devon Riter)

THE SUN IS HEAVY/ USA (Director: Jared Jakins)

WALT/ USA (Director: Justin W Clifton)

WHERE WE STAND/ USA (Director: Kristine Stolakis)

WHAT WAS OURS/ USA (Director: Mat Hames)

The BSDFF is a qualifying festival for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Best Short Documentary award, winners in the Short and Mini-Doc categories will be eligible for Oscar consideration. Winners will be revealed at an open-to-the-public Awards Party at The Loft in downtonw Missoula, Montana on Friday, Feb 26th at 6pm.

MANY THANKS TO OUR KEY 2016 SPONSORS:

HBO Documentary Films

Montana Film Office

NBC Montana

Missoula Broadcasting Company 

Broadcasting Media Center (MTPR & MTPBS)

SundanceNow Doc Club

University of Montana

Canon

The Top Hat Lounge

Holiday Inn Downtown Missoula

Missoula Federal Credit Union

First Interstate Bank

Montgomery Distillery

Plonk

The Dennis & Phyllis Washington Foundation

High Stakes Foundation

The Merlin Foundation

The range of films selected for the 22nd annual Sedona International Film Festival is as diverse as the audiences who will fill the theaters and the filmmakers whose creative talents will be on display from Feb. 20-28.

            Among the 165 films to be screened are dozens directed by women, including 14-year-old Bailey Weber (The Student Body); Oscar-nominated short film Stutterer, French-produced drama, Mustang, and Theeb from Jordan, both nominated in Best Foreign Film category; world premieres of Now More than Ever: the History of Chicago and locally produced Sacred Journeys, a conscious short film from Glenn Scarpelli and Mackenzie Phillips; the most successful Korean film ever produced, My Love Don’t Cross That River; and films dealing with disability issues (The Ataxian, Right Footed), the environment (Landfill Harmonic, Antarctic Edge, Aina: That Which Fees Us, Tree Hugger); LGBT subjects (An Act of Love, No Home Movie) and The Pearl Button, winner of the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury at the Berlin International Film Festival and Best Documentary at Jerusalem Film Festival and Philadelphia Film Festival.

            The 2016 Festival officially opens with expected sold-out concerts Friday and Saturday, Feb. 19 and 20 by Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Chicago.

            “Being able to partner with iconic rock band Chicago to present both their documentary and two concerts is something that still has me wondering if this is a dream I’m about to wake up from,” said Sedona International Film Festival Executive Director Patrick Schweiss.  “And, I’m still catching my breath about the absolutely incredible lineup of films this year.  All I can promise is great films, great guests, great times and great music!”

Additional highlights that follow are a showing of American Graffiti and a cast reunion, hosted by Phillips (Carol) and Cindy Williams (Laurie) and featuring Beau Genry (Ants) and Candy Clark (Debbie); documentaries When Giants Fall, the story of the outgunned, inexhaustible heroes trying to save African elephants from extinction; To the Moon and Back, about Miles Harrison, an ordinary American from Virginia who adopts a beautiful Russian orphan boy; The Armor of Light, Abigail Disney’s directorial debut following the journey of an Evangelical minister trying to find the courage to preach about the growing toll of gun violence in America; and Paul Sorvino’s newest family comedy adventure, Hybrids.  Sorvino will be in Sedona for the Festival.

 Full features include Silver Skies starring Valerie Perrine, Mariette Hartley and George Hamilton telling the story of a group of eccentric retirees whose lives are turned upside down when their beloved apartment complex is suddenly sold out from under them; Burning Bodhi with Kaley Cuoco and Virginia Madsen about lifelong friends who stumble back home after high school when word goes out on Facebook that the most popular among them has died (the film opens in theaters in March); Evan’s Crime with David Arquette about a young man unjustly accused of selling marijuana and cocaine and being threatened with up to 28 years in jail by an ambitious Federal prosecutor; and I Dream Too Much, which tells the story of recent college grad Dora who, instead of chasing boys on the beach with her friends, finds herself caring for her reclusive aunt in snowy upstate New York.

Special events include Mike Farrell (M*A*S*H) in his one-man global-warming themed show, Dr. Keeling’s Curve, introduced by his wife, Shelley Fabares (Coach, The Donna Reed Show); a performance by Roslyn Kind, Barbra Streisand’s younger sister; and Gene Kelly: The Legacy featuring his wife, Patricia Ward Kelly. 

Films will run all day beginning Saturday, Feb. 20 on four screens at Sedona Harkins 6, 2081 W. Highway 89A; the Mary D. Fisher Theater, 2030 W. Highway 89A, and the Sedona Performing Arts Center at Sedona Red Rock High School, 995 Upper Red Rock Loop Road.

            Advanced-sale Platinum All-Access Passes are $1050. Gold Priority Passes are $520; 20-ticket packages are $215; and 10-ticket packages are $110. Full-time students can get the 10-ticket package for $90.

Priority Pass holders will be able to select the films they want to see beginning at 9 a.m. on Feb. 1.  10- and 20-ticket pass holders can select films beginning at 9 a.m. on Feb. 8.  Individual film tickets go on sale to the general public on Feb. 15.

A separate ticket is required for the Chicago concert.  Single tickets are $65.  VIP tickets for the best seats at SPAC and a backstage meet-and-greet with band members before the concert are $100. Only 100 VIP tickets will be sold.  Tickets can only be purchased online (www.sedonafilmfestival.org) or at the Mary D. Fisher Theater Box Office, 2030 W. Highway 89A.

Sedona International Film Festival memberships also are available beginning at $65 for a basic membership.  Family memberships for up to four family members living in the same household are $130. Additional membership packages include Cinematographer ($275), Screenwriter ($550), Producer ($1,200), Director ($2,500), Auteur ($5,000), Marquee ($10,000), Executive Producer ($15,000), Indie Angel ($25,000) and Film Star ($50,000).  Benefits are commensurate with membership-fee levels.  Full information is available on the website.

            Packages, other than for full-time students, are available online at www.sedonafilmfestival.org or through the Festival Box office at (928) 282-1177.  Student packages must be purchased through the Box Office and student ID’s are required.

            For more information, visit www.sedonafilmfestival.org.

-30-

Contact:  Steve Carr, The Kur Carr Group, Inc., 602-317-3040

Sedona International Film Festival 2016 Selections

Animated Feature Films: The Little Prince.

Documentary Feature Films: 3 1/2 Minutes, 10 Bullets; An Act of Love; Antarctic Edge; The Armor of Light;  The Ataxian; Censored Voices; The Chinese Mayor; Decoding B'aqtun; Deep Web;  (Dis)Honesty: The Truth About Lies; Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead: The Story of the National Lampoon; Fear No Fruit; Frame by Frame; A Good American; Grazers: A Cooperative Story;The Great Alone; How to Change the World; The Human Face of Big Data; Huntwatch; In Defense of Food; In My Father's House; India's Daughter; Ingrid Bergman in Her Own Words; The Keepers; Landfill Harmonic; My Love, Don't Cross That River; No Home Movie; Now More Than Ever: The History of Chicago; Omo Child: The River and the Bush; Once Upon A Dream; One Rock Three Religions; The Pearl Button; Peggy Guggenheim: Art Addict; Prophet's Prey; Right Footed; The Russian Woodpecker; Something Better to Come; Still Dreaming; Stink!; The Student Body; (T)ERROR; To the Moon and Back; Very Semi-SeriousWelcome to Leith; When Giants Fall; Wings of the Dharma; A Woman Like Me; Women He's Undressed.

Narrative Feature Films: 6 Angry Women; The Adderall Diaries; American Graffiti; The Answer; Baby (A)lone; Baby, Baby, Baby; Benjamin Troubles; Boy Upside Down (Aikuisten poika); Burning Bodhi; Coming Through The Rye; Dating Daisy; Despite the Falling Snow; Dominick and Eugene; Echo Lake; Evan's Crime; The Fencer; Flowers; For the Coyotes; The Girl in the Book; The Girl King; How to Win Enemies; Hybrids; I Dream Too Much; In Harmony; Is That A Gun In Your Pocket?...; Keep in Touch;

Kinderwald; The Life and Death of an Unhappily Married Man; Look Again; Lost & Found; Madeleine; Marina; Memoria; Men Go To Battle; Mustang; Oddball; Paradise Trips; Partisan; Remember; Remittance; Reparation; Sacred Journeys; Silver Skies; Stevie D; Theeb; Tumbledown; Waffle Street.

Animated Short Films: 10 Little Rubber Ducks; Hum; An Ode to Love; The Present; Tree Hugger; Volcano!.

Documentary Short Films: Anna; First Degree; The Forecaster: A Message From The Backcountry; Good Business; Keep It Grand; One Seven Eight: Forging a Balance; A Simple Machine: The Life and Death Of The La Grave Cablecar.

Narrative Short Films: 3000; Admissions; AINA: That Which Feeds Us; Almost Home; American Dancer; Another Love; Bathrooms; The Bench; Buckeye; Carefree; Chronicles of Courage; Colt 13; Condemned; Culture of Blame; A Distant Shot; Don't Tell My Mom; The Dynamic Double Standard; Elle; Escape; The Fake; Figs For Italo; Flight of The Refugees; Foos Your Daddy; Frog; Girl Night Stand; Grace; Hanka's Tattoo; Homeward; How to Survive a Breakup; I Miss You; Intersection; The Last Words; Lost // Discovered; The Loyalist; Margaret; Monsoon II; Note for Note; Ocean Stories: Wyland; Our Canyon Lands; Out of the Village; Prisoner; Promise; Red Earth Calling; S T U T T E R E R; Scream Box; A Skeleton Named Oliver; The Teacher and the Student; Temporary; These Dreams of You; Twisted; Urban Harvest;  Visible Proof; Waiting for Dawn; We Detected Your Footage May be Shaky; Welcome; The White Slippers; Winter Light; Without; Zero.

Held from January 21 – 24 the 24th edition of the Outsider Art Fair featured 60 exhibitors with a growing number of New York based contemporary art dealers and two curated and memorial exhibitions, ”Babel” an installation of 3d-printed imaginary towers and a memorial exhibition on Ionel Talpazan. The comprehensive fair showed in its new home the Metropolitan Pavilion a plethora of styles, media, materials, and approaches difficult to catalogue.  Everything imaginable seemed to be represented from crude instant works to sophisticated, carefully executed, complex works of art. The creative impulse ruled, though originality was not necessarily a premium.  Numerous early sales during the first day, and a large engaged audience which made the fair difficult to navigate, indicate that the fair was a success.

Given the 13.4 billion dollar sales Christie’s and Sotheby's generated  in 2015, the  low cost outsider work appears as a relief. Prices were running from several hundred to up to $50,000, reflecting a booming art market on the lower end. Works at the equally interesting and well attended Affordable Art Fair were limited to a maximum of $10.000. Outsider art may be going mainstream as Christie’s has arranged an auction of well-known outsider artists. 

Going back to the meaning of the outsider term  by Jean Dubuffet and Roger Cardinal, it encompasses  works of art that originate outside the confines of official art as it is primarily certified by  galleries, auction houses and museums.  And the range is considerable. Dubuffet had children and mental patients in mind whose work was art brut for him.  It was created in isolation with the work unblemished by training in the arts. But the category expanded to include many other orientations which were not adulterated by official culture such as raw, marginal, naïve, chance, primitive, street, and folk art.

The outsider art fair featured work in any possible material like fabric, paper, wood, iron, steel, stone, wires, ropes. books  and plastics and a multitude of forms such as  ,  3D printing, photo imagery, ready mades, collages, assemblages, dolls, cut outs,  paintings,  found objects, art by unknowns and mixed media to name but a few.  The reaction of the spectators ran the gamut from surprise and puzzlement to intrigue and acquisition. I certainly enjoyed the maelstrom of surprises and variety of work created by the outsiders.

Yet some work stood out. There were superbly executed ready mades by the French artist and civil servant Gerard Cambon at the American Primitive Gallery incorporating tiny groups of individuals in each work. Looking down one discovered the amazing juxtaposition of people and the bas-reliefs they were embedded in representing everyday life and problems. Apparently most of his work was sold during the first day. Jana Paleckova at the Fred Giampietro Gallery was present with a series of found photographs which she modified by adding surrealistic components to the images, an approach also shared by some other artists in the show.  The memorial exhibition was devoted to Ionel Talpazan who passed in 2015 and focused his work on unidentified flying objects, UFOs, and space.  His detailed colorful drawings of the exterior and interior of flying saucers and their descriptions offer an appealing imagery of the objects.  The Cuban Felipe Jesus Consavoles from the Fleisher Ollman gallery, a former worker in the tobacco industry, offered in “You Can’t Forget”   a stunning and complicated collage. Produced during his decades long stay in Miami it incorporates mementos from his life, liquor labels, cut outs, and illustrations.  The Brazilian Chico Tabibuia, an illiterate grandson of slaves, presented by Mariposa Unusual Art sculptured walnut wood continuing Central and West African woodcarving traditions.  His figures include erotic imagery but are meant to neutralize and imprison evil spirits.  Gods and spirits inspired his work which was recognized in Brazil before he passed in 2007.

Overall the Outsider Art Show was a learning and joyful experience because it conveyed unexpected new ways of looking at art work.  Not being shaped by formal art instruction and working in relative isolation certainly prompts creativity.   

Claus Mueller,  filmexchange@gmail.com

Storytelling Reimagined Conclave, First Three-screen Feature, Maverick Spirit Winners James Franco and Rita Moreno, plus Superlative Premieres Highlight

Cinequest Film Festival (CQFF), March 1-13, 2016 will unite 700 world leading artists and innovators with audiences (expected to top 100,000) in the Silicon Valley to experience the fusion of creativity and innovation—and to celebrate and reimagine storytelling via film and new technologies.

• Cinequest’s Future Of Film Showcase reimagines storytelling and audience experiences of filmed media. Cinequest has always stood at the forefront of film’s future possibilities, discovering technology and talent and enabling them to connect, both collaboratively and with audiences. Here’s this year’s take on what’s hot today and driving the future:
  • The First Barco Escape Three-Screen Feature Film: Technology has always facilitated the film arts, and Barco Escape tech¬nologies new three-screen format brings a thrilling new cinematic experience to audiences and a dramatic opportunity to film artists. Cinequest presents the first fully realized (end-to-end) three-screen feature film, Mr. Invincible. Starring Alyson Stoner (Cheaper By The Dozen, Step Up), Bill Engvall (Blue Collar Comedy Group), and written by Cinequest Screenplay Competition Winner Stacie Shellner, Mr. Invincible , a comedy about a man who cannot kill himself, plays as a work-in-progress. Cinequest has also commissioned members of its illustrious filmmaker community to create diverse short film experiences in three-screen format. These short films and more will play in the future of film Barco Escape series.
  • Storytelling Reimagined Conclave: Global Leaders (representing diverse media, art, and technology fields) join Cinequest’s Leadership Council for an electrifying event around story-telling opportunities in new and exciting media. It used to be that story-telling was relegated to “the creatives.” Now filmed story-telling is a normal part of people’s lives from social media to executive communications. Further, new technologies, such as virtual reality, open new ways for audiences to experience stories and for artists to tell them. Conclave event will include a moderated conversation with a thrilling roundtable of leaders, video presentations, and a Maverick Spirit Award presentation to a futuristic and dynamic story-teller, James Franco. The Conclave will give leaders a chance to cross-pollinate and grow their ideas with a stunning group of thought influencers from different walks of life, forging inspiration, collaborations and opportunity for our future.
  • Virtual Reality Experience: CQFF will unveil a ground-breaking Virtual Reality experience. Venturing into the “Virtual Reality Lounge,” Cinequest attendees will once again be on the cutting edge of a new, viable technology that reimagines the story-telling tradition.
• Opening Night Screening and Celebration: March 1, 7:15 pm, California Theatre: Academy Award-winning director Gavin Hood (Tsotsi) will present his captivating new thriller Eye in the Sky, starring Dame Helen Mirren (The Queen, Trumbo), Alan Rickman (Harry Potter, Die Hard), Iain Glen (Game of Thrones, Downton Abbey),Barkhad Abdi (Captain Phillips), and Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad ). Is the life of one innocent worth the lives of thousands? Colonel Katherine Powell (Mirren) is in charge of a top-secret mission: to capture, not kill, a terrorist. Pre-screening includes special presentations and Jerry Nagano filling the lavish California Theatre with the glorious sounds of the Wurlitzer organ. Post-screening festivities and fun will take place at The Farmers Union.

"Cinequest is definitely the first time I've ever come to a festival where my immediate reaction is, 'What do I have to do to be invited back?' It's a perfect film festival in a glorious place." - Neil Gaiman, Maverick Spirit Award Winner

• Maverick Spirit Award Events: Cinequest’s most prestigious accolade, the Maverick Spirit Award recognizes bold, visionary, and creative forces—the finest in the worlds of Silicon Valley innovation and the film arts. Previous guest recipients include: J.J. Abrams, Kevin Spacey, Rosario Dawson, Harrison Ford, William H. Macy, Gus Van Sant, Spike Lee, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Sir Ian McKellen, Neil Gaiman, Alec Baldwin, and Sir Ben Kingsley. Please watch the Cinequest Maverick Spirit Award video to see past recipients in action. This year’s recipients are:
  • Actor-writer-educator, James Franco. Mr. Franco has amassed well over 100 acting credits, including 127 Hours, (Best Actor Academy Award nomination), Milk, Spider-Man Trilogy, Pineapple Express, Oz the Great and Powerful, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, and Eat, Pray, Love. He is also an accomplished writer and committed to giving back as an educator of emerging youth. (Special Pre-festival event, Feb. 28, in conjunction with Cinequest’s Storytelling Reimagined Conclave. Event details TBA.)
  • Screen and American Icon, Rita Moreno. Star of the Robert Wise masterwork, West Side Story, Ms. Moreno has received America’s highest civilian honor, the Medal of Freedom, as well as a stunning Kennedy Center Tribute. (A conversation with Ms. Moreno and Award Presentation occur after the world premiere of her new comedic gem, Remember Me Saturday, March 5, 7 pm, California Theatre.)
  • Champion-advocate, Robert Hawk. For over thirty years, Hawk has discovered new cinematic voices, nurtured those voices, and has been the unsung champion of some of the most influential independent cinema. Kevin Smith (Clerks), Edward Burns (The Brothers McMullen),Rob Epstein (The Times of Harvey Milk), and Barbara Hammer (Nitrate Kisses ) have had a major impact on the world of cinema. Each and many others started their careers with a champion who never sought praise or a spotlight. His only wish was to see these artists reach the world with their work. That champion is Robert Hawk. (A conversation with Mr. Hawk and Award Presentation occur after a screening of the movie Film Hawk, Friday, March 4, 7:30 pm, Camera 12 Cinemas.)
• Media Legacy Award Event: Cinequest’s Media Legacy Award recognizes the preeminent role journalists play in discovering artists and connecting audiences with their art.
  • This year, Cinequest is honored to present its Media Legacy Award to beloved journalist Owen Gleiberman (bbc.com, Entertainment Weekly) after a screening of his favorite film, Manhunter, occurring Saturday, March 12, 7:00pm, Hammer Theatre Center, during CQFF2016. The event will include a dynamic conversation with Mr. Glerberman on his work and the world of cinema.
  • Previous media Legacy Award recipients include Eric Kohn and Anne Thompson of Indiewire, Harry Knowles, founder of Ain’t It Cool News, Richard von Busack of Metro Newspapers, and Kenneth Turan of The Los Angeles Times. Please watch Cinequest’s Media Legacy video.
• Notable Premieres and Star Performances: Cinequest presents a superlative lineup of 128 World and U.S. premieres of which 64 have women directors. Please see the Cinequest Premieres Press Release for full line-up with includes:
  • Helen Mirren (The Queen, Trumbo), Alan Rickman (Harry Potter, Die Hard), Iain Glen (Game of Thrones, Downton Abbey), Barkhad Abdi (Captain Phillips), and Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad) in Eye in the Sky (Opening Night)
  • Geoffrey Rush (Shine), Ewen Leslie (Sleeping Beauty), Paul Schneider (Lars and the Real Girl), Miranda Otto (The Lord of the Rings), Anna Torv (Fringe), Odessa Young (Wonderland), and Sam Neill (Jurassic Park) in The Daughter (Closing Night)
  • Alyson Stoner (Step Up), Bill Engvall (The Bill Engvall Show) in Mr. Invincible
  • Kevin Smith (Clerks), Edward Burns (The Brothers McMullen), Ira Sachs (Love Is Strange), and Rob Epstein (Howl) in Film Hawk
  • Rita Moreno (West Side Story) in Remember Me
  • Gordon Getty (Composer and Subject) in Gordon Getty: There Will Be Music
  • Clea Duvall (Argo, American Horror Story) in Heaven’s Floor
  • Emma Watson (Harry Potter, The Perks Of Being A Wallflower) and Daniel Bruhl (Inglourious Basterds, Rush) in Colonia
  • Jason Ritter (Parenthood) in Embers
  • Kiernan Shipka (Mad Men), Emma Roberts (American Horror Story), and Lucy Boynton (Miss Potter) in February
  • Annette O’Toole (Smallville) and John Glover (The Good Wife) in We Go On
  • Comedians Dana Carvey, Bob Saget, Paula Poundstone, Ellen DeGeneres, Bobcat Goldthwait, Bill Maher, and Robin Williams in The Comedy Club
  • Sally Field (Forrest Gump), Max Greenfield (New Girl) and Michael Showalter (Wet Hot American Summer) in Hello, My Name Is Doris
  • Daphne Zuniga (Spaceballs), Joely Fisher (Ellen), Michelle Hurd (90210), Natasha Gregson Wagner (Two Girls and a Guy), Nick Court (The Last Ship), Barry Watson (7th Heaven), Jonathan Slavin (Better Off Ted), Devon Graye (Dexter), and singing legend Connie Stevens in Search Engines
  • Grant Rosenmeyer (The Royal Tenenbaums) and Lindsey Shaw (Pretty Little Liars) in Temps
  • Aly Michalka (iZombie), AJ Michalka (The Goldbergs), and Mimi Rogers (Austin Powers) in Weepah Way for Now
  • James Franco (127 Hours), Ed Harris (Pollack), Amber Heard (The Danish Girl), Jim Parrack (True Blood), Cynthia Nixon (Sex and the City), and Christian Slater (Mr. Robot) in The Adderall Diaries
  • Matthew Modine (Full Metal Jacket, Fluke) producer on The Brainwashing of My Dad
  • Penelope Cruz (Volver) in Ma Ma
  • Christopher Walken (The Deer Hunter, Hairspray) and Amber Heard (The Danish Girl, Hidden Palms) in One More Time
  • Terence Davies (The Deep Blue Sea, The House of Mirth) director of Sunset Song
  • Briana Evigan (Step Up 2: The Streets), Tyler Blackburn (Pretty Little Liars), Emily Osment (Cyberbully), Kyla Kennedy (The Walking Dead), Ana Ortiz (Ugly Betty), Elisabeth Röhm (The Client List), and Jeremy Sisto (Suburgatory) in Love Is All You Need?
  • Jeff Bridges (The Big Lebowski), Rachel McAdams (Spotlight), Paul Rudd (Ant-Man), Marion Cotillard (Inception), James Franco (127 Hours), Ricky Gervais (The Office), Paul Giamatti (Straight Outta Compton), Bud Cort (Pollack), Benicio Del Toro (Guardians of the Galaxy), and Albert Brooks (Finding Nemo) in The Little Prince
  • Briana Evigan (Step Up 2: The Streets) and Kerry Norton (Battlestar Galactica) in ToY
• Closing Night Screening and Celebration: March 13, 6:00 pm, California Theatre: CQFF2016 culminates with the United States Premiere of Simon Stone’s beautiful and haunting The Daughter, which boasts an incredible ensemble cast including Academy Award winner Geoffrey Rush (Shine), Ewen Leslie (Sleeping Beauty), Paul Schneider (Lars and the Real Girl), Miranda Otto (The Lord of the Rings), Anna Torv (Fringe), Odessa Young (Wonderland), and Sam Neill (Jurassic Park).

For more on Cinequest’s story, please watch This Is Cinequest video.

Cinequest Film Festival 2016 occurs March 1 – 13, 2016 in San Jose/Silicon Valley.

CQFF Partners: Applied Materials (NYSE: AMAT), City of San Jose, Barco (EBR:BAR), Kaiser Permanente, Harmonic (NYSE: HLIT), Synaptics (NYSE: SYNA), Canon (NYSE: CAJ), Panasonic (OTCMKTS:PCRFY), Cisco (NYSE: CSCO), Dolby (NYSE: DLB), Stella Artois (NYSE: AHBIF), Tito’s Handmade Vodka, , Google (NYSE: GOOG), SIMEON Property Group, Inc. (NYSE: SPG), Essex Property Trust, Inc. (NYSE: ESS), Atomos, Macy’s (NYSE: M), Hint Water, PayPal (NYSE: PYPL), Sonic.net, Comerica Incorporated (NYSE: CMA), Seagate (NYSE: STX), VTA, Agile Ticketing Solutions, NBC Bay Area, Metro, 94.5 KBAY, Mix 106.5, Fairmont San Jose (NYSE: FHR), Hyatt Place San Jose (NYSE: H), Hilton San Jose (NYSE: HLT), Marriott San Jose (NYSE: MAR), Hotel De Anza, Camera 12 Cinemas, and San Jose State University.

Picture The Possibilities Partners: Kaiser Permanente, The Hearst Foundations, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, The David & Lucile Packard Foundation, Morrison & Foerster Foundation, Capital Group, Hewlett Packard Workstations (NYSE: HPQ), Brett Company, AT&T (T) Southwest Airlines (NYSE: LUV), Google (NYSE: GOOG), Liquid Agency, Seagate (NYSE: STX), Litepanels, Cisco (NYSC: CSCO), AudioTechnica, Media Center, Adobe (NYSE: ADBE), Eddie Lira, GlideCam, Atomos, CreaTV, Rhino Camera Gear, Manfrotto, Red Giant (NYSE: REDG) 

Wishing you all much success on the festival circuit!

Exodus to Shangai - Market Premiere Feb12 - Meet the team in Berlin

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  

SONITA wins two World Documentary Awards at 2016 Sundance Film Festival

SONITA directed by Rokhsareh Ghaem Maghami, was the big documentary winner at Sundance, winning both the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award in ...

 

 

Watch Sundance 2016 closing Ceremony

Sundance Institute tonight announced the prizes in feature filmmaking at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival, with top awards going to Between Sea and Land, The Birth of a Nation, First Girl I Loved, Jim: The James Foley Story, Sand Storm, Sonita and Weiner. The Birth of a Nation and Sonita won both the Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award for their respective sections, marking the third time in Festival history two films have done this in the same year, and continuing a four-year streak of at le...

 

Sundance 2016 Cinema Café: Anomalisa co-directors Charlie Kaufman and Duke Johnson

Join "Anomalisa" co-directors Charlie Kaufman and Duke Johnson, cinematographer Joe Passarelli, and producer Rosa Tran live at Sundance Film Festival's Cinema Café. ...

 

Sundance 16 Video -Power of Story: The Art of Film with Christopher Nolan, Colin Trevorrow, and Rachel Morrison

Meet (on video) Christopher Nolan, Colin Trevorrow, Rachel Morrison, and moderator Alex Ross Perry for a discussion on the aesthetics of film, its intrinsic qualities, and its appeal to filmmakers who have made the artistic choice to use film as a shooting format. ...

 

Meet Will Allen director of documentary Holly Hell at Sundance 16

Will Allen (former member of The Cult) tells us about his film "Holy Hell," which premieres in the U.S. Documentary Competition at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival. ...

 

The Birth of a Nation and Sonita Win Both Grand Jury Prize and Audience Awards in Sundance

The Birth of a Nation Top Prizes Go to Between Sea and Land, The Birth of a Nation, First Girl I Loved, Jim: The James Foley Story, Sand Storm, Sonita and Weiner   Short Film Awards, Global Filmmaking Awards, Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize and Sundance Institute | Amazon Studios Producers Awards also Honored    (L-R) The Birth of a Nation, Credit: Elliot Davis; Sonita, Credit: Rokhsareh Ghaem Maghami; Between Sea and Land, Credit: Sundance...

 

Lee Daniels to direct the documentary feature film THE APOLLO THEATER FILM PROJECT - New York's famed Theater

Oscar nominated director Lee Daniels (LEE DANIELS’ THE BUTLER, PRECIOUS and creator and producer of the Fox hit series EMPIRE) will direct the documentary feature film THE APOLLO THEATER FILM PROJECT – the authorized history of New York’s famed Apollo Theater, it was announced today by White Horse Pictures’ Nigel Sinclair and Jeanne Elfant Festa.   In the spirit of the Apollo Theater’s tradition of active audience participation and in support of this docume...

 

Sundance Channel Global Lines Up Exclusive Film Premieres from Park City

 Sundance Channel Global has acquired five films from the 2016 Sundance Film Festival, among them Mammal. Mammal has been acquired for Central and Eastern Europe, Iberia, Latin America, and the Middle East and North Africa. Meanwhile, The Fits and Jacqueline (Argentine) have been licensed for Asia, Central and Eastern Europe, Dutch Benelux, Iberia, Latin America, and the Middle East and North Africa. Spa Night was picked up for Dutch Benelux, Central and Eastern Europe, Iberia ...

 

Tim Sutton's Haunting Prelude to an American Massacre Dark Night screens @ Sundance

DARK NIGHT     Tim Sutton's Haunting Prelude to an American Massacre      Set amidst a seemingly limitless expanse of sprawl that could be anywhere in the United States, Dark Night is a portrait of 21st-century Americans under deep emotional and financial duress. A veteran. An outcast. A social-media addict. An immigrant.  All living lives of quiet desperation, but all about to intersect in that supremely popular venue of American escapism: ...

> Rotterdam 27 January – 7 February 2016

Tiger Awards for Short Films announced

The jury for the Tiger Awards Competition for Short Films has completed its deliberation and announced Dream English Kid 1964-1999 AD by Mark Leckey, Faux depart/False Start by Yto Barrada and Engram of Returning by Daïchi Saïto as the winners of the Canon Tiger Awards for Short Films 2016. The three winning filmmakers each receive a 3,000 Euro prize plus a gift voucher from Canon. The Jury also selected Tout le monde aime le bord de la mer/We All Love the Seashore by Keina Es...

 

SUNTAN, by director Argyris Papadimitropoulos, to receive its world premiere in Rotterdam

Papadimitropoulos returns after opening 2011 festival with Wasted Youth   SUNTAN, the third feature film by noted director Argyris Papadimitropoulos, is to receive its world premiere at this year’s Rotterdam International Film Festival, competing for the prestigious VPRO Big Screen Award four years after his previous film Wasted Youth opened the 2011 edition of the festival.   Called a ‘Coming of middle age film’ by Papadimitropoulos, SUNTAN stars Greek actor Ma...

 

IFFR welcomes 61 emerging producers to Rotterdam Lab

International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) will welcome 61 promising emerging film producers from 26 countries to the 16th edition of Rotterdam Lab. Rotterdam Lab is organised by IFFR’s co-production market CineMart in close collaboration with various partner organisations involved in the training of beginning producers, as well as funding bodies. Rotterdam Lab is a five-day training workshop for emerging producers designed to provide the means to create and expand their internati...

 

Tiger Pro Panels and Debates

During the first week of IFFR, the Filmmakers Hub organizes and hosts a series of panels and debates. Top industry professionals and experts attending the festival and CineMart will share their experiences with other professionals and dispense important advice to up-and-coming filmmakers.  The panels are informal, yet highly instructive, and are a great forum for filmmakers to get their questions answered and for Industry pros to meet new talent. The Tiger Pro Panels and Debates ...

 

IFFR 2016 revamps awards and Awards Ceremony

45th International Film Festival Rotterdam 27 January – 7 February 2016   From the 45th edition of International Film Festival Rotterdam onwards, all the awards that can be won at the festival will be presented at the revamped Awards Ceremony. The ceremony will be hosted by journalist and documentary maker Fidan Ekiz. Some awards remain the same, other prizes have been renewed, and the Bright Future Award will be awarded for the first time this year.   ...

> Berlinale Previews and Dailies February 11 - 20, 2016

Exodus to Shangai by Anthony Hickox to celebrate the Market World Premiere at EFM February 12

Exodus to Shangai will receive its Market Premiere at EFM February 12th The world Premiere is set for Fantasporto March 3rd part of the Fantasporto for Peace Action.  The Crew and Cast will be attending the screening in the Market Feb 12th at 7:00 pm Deutsche Film und Fernsehakademie, Potsdamer Strasse 2, 10785 Berlin www.micheladam.tv/shanghai/story/  I  Press Kit on filmfestivals.com I Ask for a screener I Take a meeting in Berlin I Book Exodus to Shangai fo...

 

Child abduction thriller ‘Never Let Go’ grabs buyers and National Film Awards!

Since the trailer for Howard J Ford’s (Director/Co-Writer of the US number 1 genre hit ‘The Dead’)  ‘Never Let Go’  www.neverletgomovie.com was unveiled at last year’s Berlinale, it achieved substantial buyer interest leading up to the completed film’s Cannes preview where it was hailed by one critic as ‘the most gripping film of the festival’ and has since sold in 18 countries with TV dub’s underway in 7 languages. &n...

Documentaries in all sections of Berlinale - Full line up

In Focus: Diverse Documentary Forms and Events   The Berlin International Film Festival has long been committed to documentaries in their diverse forms. This is reflected in the programmes of the Berlinale’s different sections and initiatives, as well as in the European Film Market (EFM) and Berlinale Talents. In 2016, a total of 77 documentaries will be screening in a variety of forms. In addition, discussion of a wide range of different aspects related to documentaries will be ...

 

Cleverman The thrilling new high-stakes genre drama series to screen at Drama Series Days

The thrilling new high-stakes genre drama for ABC TV Australia and SundanceTV US.   Set in the near future, a species from ancient mythology must live amongst humans and battle for survival in a world that wants to silence, exploit and destroy them.   At the heart of the story are two estranged brothers, Koen and Waruu West, who are forced together to fight against terrifying enemies - both human and not of this world. But can Koen, a man bestowed with a powerful g...

 

Recreation Media Sales @ EFM

All Mistakes Buried 2016 | USA | 90 MIN Genre Thriller Status Completed Director TIM MCCANN Writers TIM MCCANN, SHAUN S. SANGHANI Producers SHAUN S. SANHANI Cast VANESSA FERLITO, SAM TRAMMELL U.S. Distributor BREAKING GLASS PICTURES A lone, struggling addict takes on a dangerous underground criminal ring in his small Southern town to retrieve a stolen pe...

 

 

House of Film brings to EFM Children's series that went viral

Niloya Trailer             
 

The Yellow Affair new Titles @ EFM

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 ultimately resolved by a lie.     ...

 

The Solution Entertainment Group will represent international rights to Frank Hudec’s THE SLEEPING SHEPHERD

The Solution Entertainment Group will represent international rights to Frank Hudec’s THE SLEEPING SHEPHERD, who wrote and will direct the feature film. The film stars Michael Pitt (FUNNY GAMES, HBO’s ‘Boardwalk Empire’), Imogen Poots (upcoming KNIGHT OF CUPS, GREEN ROOM, FRANK AND LOLA), Isabelle Huppert (THE PIANO TEACHER, AMOUR) and Willem Dafoe (upcoming THE GREAT WALL, THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL, THE FAULT IN OUR STARS) it was announced today by The Solution Entertai...

 

BARAKAH MEETS BARAKAH World Premiere Film / Forum Section

BARAKAH YOQABIL BARAKAH (BARAKAH MEETS BARAKAH)   A Film by Mahmoud Sabbagh Starring: Hisham Fageeh and Fatima Al Banawi     Media Opportunities Mahmoud Sabbagh, Hisham Fageeh, and Fatima Al Banawi Friday, 12 February  - Monday, 15 February   Festival Screenings *World Premiere* - Friday, 12 February at 21:30 - Delphi Saturday, 13 February at 22:00 - CineStar 8 *P&I* Sunday, 14 February at 14:00 - CinemaxX 6 Monday, 15 February at 19:30 - Zoo-Palast ...

 

 

Hotel Dallas at the 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. The film will celebrate its world premiere on February 15th at 5:30 pm in Cinestar 7.   Directors: Livia Ungur and Sherng-Lee Huang Cast: Patrick Duffy, Livia Ungur, Sherng-Lee Huang, and others Romania / USA, 2016, 75 min SCREENING DATES WORLD PREMIERE / press screening: Monday, February 15th at 5:30 pm, Cinestar ...

 

Fashiontv introduces its new VOD Platform Fashion Docu at the EFM

  ...

 

World Premiere at Berlinale: Aslı Özge's ALL OF A SUDDEN in Panorama Special

A film by Aslı Özge produced by EEE Productions (DE), Topkapi Films (NL), Haut et Court (FR) world sales Memento Films International year of production: 2016, 112 minutes   The feature film ALL OF A SUDDEN by director Aslı Özge will celebrate its world premiere in the Panorama Special section of the upcoming Berlin International Film Festival. Born and raised in Istanbul, and since 2000 also Berlin-based, director Aslı Özge has crafted her first Ger...

 

Cargo Film at Berlin 66/ WW II HBO Film Screening

UNDERFIRE The Untold Story of Pfc. Tony Vaccaro An HBO Film. Trailer.   Executive Produced by Tim Van Patten (Game of Thrones, Sopranos, Boardwalk Empire)   In 1943, Tony Vaccaro, a WWII Italian-American infantryman, smuggled his $47 portable camera into combat, and, in thousands of images, created the most comprehensive and intimate record of war. Shooting with gun and camera at great risk, Tony developed photos in combat helmets at night and hung negatives from tree ...

 

Berlinale Goes Kiez - Neighbourhood Cinemas Get the Red Carpet Treatment

For the seventh year running, the special series Berlinale Goes Kiez will roll through a variety of Berlin’s independent cinemas on seven festival evenings and roll out the red carpet on neighbourhood sidewalks, not only to welcome local and international guests but also to honour the cinemas themselves along with their faithful audience.   From February 13 to 19 2016, one independent neighbourhood cinema per evening will be featured as an additional festival venue and present sel...

 

Berlinale Camera 2016 to Honour Ben Barenholtz, Tim Robbins and Marlies Kirchner

  Since 1986 the Berlin International Film Festival has presented the Berlinale Camera to film personalities or institutions to which it feels particularly indebted and wishes to express its thanks.   At the 66th Berlin International Film Festival, three personalities will be awarded the Berlinale Camera: producer, cinema operator and film distributor Ben Barenholtz (USA); actor, director, writer and producer Tim Robbins (USA); and cinema operator Marlies Kirchner (Germany)...

 

Berlinale to pay tribute to David Bowie, Alan Rickman and Ettore Scola

  The Berlin International Film Festival will commemorate these outstanding artists by presenting three special screenings in their honour.   British music legend and artist David Bowie was one of most extraordinary all-round talents of recent decades. His close ties to Berlin go back to the time he spent in the German capital from 1976 to 1978. At the Berlinale he appeared in the documentaries Lou Reed: Rock and Roll Heart (D: Timothy Greenfield-Sanders, Panorama 1998), Scott Wal...

 

Jury for the Best First Feature Award

Since 2006, when it introduced the Best First Feature Award, the Berlinale has been even more committed to supporting the next generation of film makers. The award is endowed with 50,000 Euros, donated by the GWFF (Gesellschaft zur Wahrnehmung von Film- und Fernsehrecht), a society dedicated to safeguarding film and television rights. The prize money is to be split between the producer and the director of the winning film. Additionally, the director will be awarded with a high-quality viewf...

 

We have a jury for Berlinale 2016, headed by Merryl Streep

With actress Meryl Streep serving as Jury President  the International Jury will decide who will receive the Golden Bear and Silver Bears of the 2016 Berlinale Competition. The other members of the International Jury will be actor Lars Eidinger (Germany), film critic Nick James (United Kingdom), photographer Brigitte Lacombe (France), actor Clive Owen (United Kingdom), actress Alba Rohrwacher (Italy) and director Małgorzata Szumowska (Poland). Meryl Streep, Jury President, USA &nbs...

His Holiness Pope Francis To Appear In Family Feature Film "Beyond The Sun" From AMBI Pictures

  A “first” in both cinema and Catholic Church history will be made as the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church, His Holiness Pope Francis will play himself in the family film “Beyond the Sun” from AMBI Pictures.   In his feature film debut (and film debut for any Pope in the history of the Church), His Holiness Pope Francis portrays himself in the inspirational story based on the Gospels, told in several tales with Jesus’s message, so children c... 

> PARTNERS FESTIVAL NEWS    

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)
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.

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    

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 ... 

Animation Day In Cannes set for May 18 for its second edition

> THE FESTIVAL CIRCUIT      

Cinequest Film Festival 2016 (CQFF2016) Festival Highlights

Storytelling Reimagined Conclave, First Three-screen Feature, Maverick Spirit Winners James Franco and Rita Moreno, plus Superlative Premieres Highlight Cinequest Film Festival (CQFF), March 1-13, 2016 will unite 700 world leading artists and innovators with audiences (expected to top 100,000) in the Silicon Valley to experience the fusion of creativity and innovation—and to celebrate and reimagine storytelling via film and new technologies. Cinequest’s Future Of Film ...

 

New York: Outsider Art Fair 2016

Held from January 21 – 24 the 24th edition of the Outsider Art Fair featured 60 exhibitors with a growing number of New York based contemporary art dealers and two curated and memorial exhibitions, ”Babel” an installation of 3d-printed imaginary towers and a memorial exhibition on Ionel Talpazan. The comprehensive fair showed in its new home the Metropolitan Pavilion a plethora of styles, media, materials, and approaches difficult to catalogue.  Everything imag...

 

Sedona International Film Festival Announces Lineup: 165 Films

The range of films selected for the 22nd annual Sedona International Film Festival is as diverse as the audiences who will fill the theaters and the filmmakers whose creative talents will be on display from Feb. 20-28.             Among the 165 films to be screened are dozens directed by women, including 14-year-old Bailey Weber (The Student Body); Oscar-nominated short film Stutterer, French-produced drama, Mustang, and Theeb from Jordan...

 

The San Sebastian Festival calls its online poster competition

The image of the 64th edition will be chosen from among all participants   Yet another year the San Sebastian Festival calls an online poster competition for selection of the images to represent 5 of its major sections at the coming edition: New Directors, Horizonte...

 

01.02.2016 | SanSebastian's blog | 26 reads

First preview of the upcoming Udine Festival FAR EAST FILM 18 In Udine

Nakamura Yoshihiro returns to the FEFF screen with a beautiful ghost story, “The Inerasable”     UDINE – The beautiful ghost story The Inerasable opens a new chapter in the glorious J-Horror genre which brings back one of the most visionary and prolific directors (or auteurs) of Japanese cinema to the screens of the Far East Film Festival in Udine: Nakamura Yoshihiro! Of course, it is still too early to reveal the eighteenth line-up of the FEFF (from the 22nd to ...

 

Fantasporto 2016 Trailer

...

 

Pre Fantas screenings

PRÉ-FANTAS and PRESS SCREENINGS   Segunda, 22  de Fevereiro Grande Auditório   21.45h - Dust - Milcho Manchevski- 120’- 2001- Uk/Alem/Italia/Macedónia - RETROSPECTIVA MILCHO MANCHEVSKI v.o. leg ingl.  Duas histórias paralelas de redenção. Um ladrão é obrigado a sentar-se e a ouvir uma história.  Na volta do século XX, dois irmãos lutam por uma mulher. Com Joseph Fiennes (Shakesp...

 

The 36th edition of Fantasporto will be held between 26th February and 5th March

The 36th edition of Fantasporto is held at the Teatro Municipal Rivoli, and as usual, with the Pre-Fantas as an appetizer. Shorts are particularly in focus in the Official Fantasy competition, after a long selection process. And for the first time, they will be repeated in two independent screenings. Unreleased, recent films are also present in the Portuguese Best Film competition. Eight schools and universities from all over the country participate in a one of a kind competition. Inn...

 

Göteborg Film Festival reveals Nordic Film Market titles

More than 40 Nordic films and works in progress will be presented at the Nordic Film Market in Göteborg, taking place Wednesday 2 - Saturday 7 February. The 2016 lineup consists of 17 finished feature films and 20 works in progress, plus 8 titles presented at the Nordic Film Lab Discovery sessions. This year's films include world premieres Shelley by Ali Abbasi, The Model by Mads Matthiesen, Welcome to Norway! by Rune Denstad Langlo and The Yard by Måns Månsson, ...

 

How to Win Enemies (Como Ganar Enemigos): NYJFF Review

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 s...

 

> AWARDS WATCH   

Asian Film Awards in Hong Kong

The Asian Film Awards Academy announced the nominations for the 10th Asian Film Awards in Hong Kong today, with 18 nominations for Japanese films (including co-production film for the Best Film Award) and talents in 15 categories, including a nomination fo...

 

Goyas 2016 are coming

   The 30th Goya Awards ceremony will be held in Madrid this coming Saturday. As usual nominees gathered together for the Nominees Gala Night. For the first time a drone was used to take the group snap. 'La Novia' is leading the nominations with 12 followed by the drama 'Truman'. La Novia´s main cast is nominated in different categories. Inma Cuesta won as best actress in the past Feroz Awards considered as the Spanish Golden Globes. Mariano Ozores will recei...

 

The Screen Actors Guild Awards® recipients announced

The Screen Actors Guild Awards® presented its coveted Actor® statuettes for the outstanding motion picture and primetime television performances of 2015 at the 22nd Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards® held Saturday, Jan. 30 at the Los Angeles Shrine Exposition Center. In a ceremony attended by film and television’s leading actors, the 22nd Annual SAG Awards® was simulcast live coast-to-coast by TNT and TBS at 8 p.m. (ET) / 5 p.m. (PT). A primetime encore presentation immed...

 

''La novia (The Bride)'' and ''Truman'' presented at the last edition of the San Sebastian Film Festival, win the Feroz Awards

The Spanish Association of Cinematographic Informers (AICE) presented its Feroz Awards to the best Spanish films of 2015. The two films that gathered the most awards were presented at the 63rd edition of the San Sebastian Film Festival. La novia (The Bride) , the film by Paula Ortiz that had its world première at the Zabaltegi section, has been the big winner with six awards: best film (drama), b...

 

The National Film Academy has announced the nominations for the 2nd annual National Film Awards 2016.

The National Film Awards is an annual awards ceremony celebrating the achievements of established and independent film makers , actors , actresses, casting directors , production companies and crew who make up the motion picture industry. The National Film Awards holds 4 events annually in the United Kingdom, USA, South America, Africa and Australia. All nominations and voting for the NFA are submitted and voted for by movie fans. The NFA is produced by the National Film & TV Academy who a...

 

> PEOPLE IN THE SPOTLIGHT    

The 69th Festival de Cannes will be presided by the Australian director, screenwriter and producer, George Miller

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 ...

 

Krakow Film Festival Dragon of Dragons for Marcel Lozinski

THE DRAGON OF DRAGONS, MARCEL ŁOZIŃSKI   Marcel Łoziński, one of the most renowned Polish filmmakers, frequently awarded at international festivals, winner of countless film festivals and many prestigious awards, will be honoured by Krakow Film Festival with the title "Dragon of Dragons" for lifetime achievement.   "Programme Council decided to award this year's Dragon of Dragons to Marcel Łoziński for his absolute fidelity to documentary film, and, withi...

 

BERGAMO Film Meeting 2016 to Honor Anna Karina.

By Alex Deleon  The 34th edition of the Bergamo film festival in Northern Italy (officially known as The BERGAMO FILM MEETING) running this year from March 5 - 13, will be featuring one of the most interesting personal actor tributes of the as yet early 2016 festival season.  The hommage and retro in question is to the iconic goddess of the early French Nouvelle Vague, Danish-French actress (and vocalist) Anna...

 

 

The Cartagena International Film Festival (FICCI) 56 Pays Tribute to Susan Sarandon

The Cartagena International Film Festival (FICCI) is pleased to welcome one of the most outstanding actresses of our times as its guest of honor this year. Susan Sarandon, the New Yorker who has appeared in everything from dramas and cult films to comedy and animated movies in a career spanning over 40 years, joins the party with a retrospective featuring six films in which she gives some of her most acclaimed performances. Little did Sarandon imagine she would become one of Hollywood’s...

 

Naresh Bedi and his wildlife world

(Veteran wildlife filmmaker Naresh Bedi was honoured with the V Shantaram Life Time Achievement Award at the opening ceremony of the Mumbai International Film Festival for Documentary, Animation and Short Films, MIFF 2016 on Thursday evening.  Later, Bedi shared his wildlife film making experiences with media persons at the MIFF Media Centre).  Love of nature and wild-life was inculcated in Naresh Bedi by his father, Dr. Ramesh Bedi, an international expert in plant medicine and a c...

 

Interview with Irene Jacob, Iconic French Actress, Acting with Robot, on Asian Tour.

IRENE JACOB   Exclusive interview with legendary French Star, in Bangkok   “ This Asian Tour has been an amazing experience!"   She is one of the ‘greats’ of French cinema, who has acted in films across the globe, with  the legendary Directors of our time.   But her recent Asian tour saw the great actress Irene Jacob not on the screen, but on the stage. It was a riveting play, directed by, not a Western, but a Japane...

> 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

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

TOUTES LES NEWS EN FRANCAIS

Toute la mémoire du monde, 4ème édition - Du 3 au 7 février 2016

Le festival Toute la mémoire du monde propose durant cinq jours de partager un moment privilégié de réflexion et d'échanges des connaissances et savoir-faire autour de la question des archives cinématographiques et de (re)découvrir chefs-d'oeuvre et raretés récemment restaurées. Pour cette édition, La Cinémathèque française s'est associée à plusieurs sal...

 

320 000 entrées pour Le Festival cinéma Télérama

Le Festival cinéma Télérama s’est déroulé du 20 au 26 janvier 2016, dans 300 cinémas Art et essai, et proposait de voir ou revoir les 16 meilleurs films de l’année 2015 pour 3,50 euros la place seulement, en partenariat avec l’Association Française des Cinémas d’Art et d’Essai (AFCAE), BNP Paribas et le soutien de Canal+. Il a une nouvelle fois connu un franc succès auprès du public...

 

Jacques Rivette ou l’amour fou

  Nous venons d’apprendre avec beaucoup de tristesse la disparition de Jacques Rivette. Né à Rouen en 1928, il était l’une des figures marquantes de la Nouvelle Vague, ancien critique aux Cahiers du cinéma comme ses amis François Truffaut, Jean-Luc Godard, Eric Rohmer et Claude Chabrol. Il fut le premier à passer à la réalisation, avec son court-métrage Le Coup du Berger en 1956. Son premier long métrage, P...

 

PRIX HENRI LANGLOIS 2016 " le cinéma en héritage "

Rencontres Internationales du Cinéma de Patrimoine & Prix Henri Langlois /  30 mars- 4 avril 2016 Les prochaines Rencontres Internationales du Cinéma de Patrimoine & Prix Henri Langlois désormais  parisiens, se tiendront du 30 mars au 4 avril dans le 16e arrondissement de Paris, épicentre de l’édition 2016 Après la célébration du 10ème anniversaire des Prix Henri Langlois 2015  en m&e...

 

21èmes Lumières de la presse étrangère, Hommage à Isabelle Huppert

L'Académie des Lumières rendra un hommage spécial à la grande comédienne Isabelle Huppert, invitée d'honneur de la 21ème édition des Lumières de la presse étrangère, qui aura lieu lundi 8 février 2016 à l'Espace Pierre Cardin.   La carrière d'Isabelle Huppert, qui comprend aujourd'hui plus de cent vingt titres, a dépassé les frontières depuis s...

 

Du 6 au 10 février 2016 : 4ème Caméflex - AFC / Mahmoud Kalari

4ème édition de Caméflex-AFC au cinéma Le Grand Action - Paris, 5è Du 6 au 10 février 2016 www.afcinema.com www.legrandaction.com Mahmoud Kalari : la passion de filmer Après Ricardo Aronovic...

 

 

MIFF 2016: Open Forum, I--Balancing Act

Open Forum, a platform for discussing and debating ideas related to several aspects of documentary, short and animation films, is a permanent feature of Mumbai International Film Festival (MIFF). It is organised by the Indian Documentary Producers’ Association (IDPA). The first of these forums was held on 29th January 2016, in the open space outside J.B. Hall, Films Division Complex, the main venue of the festival.

‘Ethical and moral dilemmas that documentary film-makers face while working—what to include and what not to—how to present the truth with dignity, in challenging environments,’ was the topic for the inaugural session. Speakers included Biju Toppo, Nakul Singh Sawhney and Nitesh Anjaan, with Priya Krishnaswamy being the moderator.

Editor-director Krishnaswamy, who is known for her work both in the documentary (What About the Children?) and feature (Gangoobai) film arenas, started by defining the role of documentary makers as ‘representers’, part of a communication process. On the other hand, mainstream media, like major television channels and big newspapers, were more inclined towards feeding pre-conceived ideas, being ideologically driven and tilting towards the powerful. Such media vehicles came in for a fair bit of tongue-lashing at the Open Forum.

Sawhney, maker of Muzaffarnagar Baaqi Hai, lamented that mainstream media, in the name of fairness, gave vent to the perpetrators of atrocities.

National award-winning documentary-maker (Loha Garam Hai) and culture and communication activist, Biju Toppo, who works in the Jharkhand state of India, confessed that he made films for the adivasis (aboriginals), focussing on their lot and their problems. If, in the process, they appear one-sided, “...so be it. Our fight is for jan (people)-jangal (jungles)-jameen (zameen/land), and we represent the exploited. How can we give the other side of the story when the administration is so hostile and even breaks our cameras?”

Anjaan, a young documentary-maker from Denmark, whose 71-min film Far From Home was screened just before the forum and went on to win the prize for the best debut film, shared his dilemma of making a film about his father, who had migrated from India and wanted to go back in his old age. Should he film the personal details, including moments like his father smoking? Should he go ahead with the film at all? He was persuaded to go ahead by his younger brother. Happily for him, the film, when shown on Danish TV in shortly before MIFF, was appreciated by many, including his father.

Another moral dilemma was addressed by Nakul Sawhney. Should a docu-maker keep the camera on, even after the subject has requested it to be switched off? Such a request might be made for many reasons, but one of them is the subject’s unwillingness to reveal facts/details on camera, but willingness to talk off camera/off the record. There are many examples of the camera capturing off the record stuff in a number of documentaries. Sawhney was of the opinion that in the case of a powerful subject, he might leave the camera on, while if the subject was weak and exploited, he might switch it off. “It has to be dealt with on a case to case basis.”

“Documentary film-makers are like Caesar’s wife,” concluded Priya, “they have to be above suspicion. And this applies in spite of the fact that cinema is a plastic medium.”

(Special thanks to Rahul Jain, IDPA)

Last night, the 31st annual Santa Barbara International Film Festival opened with the much awaited, THE LITTLE PRINCE!

I love this festival not just because it's set in a paradise-like beach community, or just because my friend and fellow Reno native Mike Albright does a damn good job programming it. I like to think because of Santa Barbara's proximity to Los Angeles it has a lot of filmmakers, film professionals, and film fanatics who are either a bit more chill than their more southern counterparts, or have decided to take a load off and move north, their passion for movies intact and their sanity preserved by the mountains & the beach. The festival has great movies, amazing attendance, a community feel, and takes place in theatres up and down State street in Santa Barbara, some of which are historic and beautiful.

When I posted on facebook that I'd be seeing THE LITTLE PRINCE yesterday, my friend Amanda said "WHATTTTTT THE FUCKK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!?!??!?!?!?! " My enthusiasm for this movie matches Amanda's. The story holds a special place in my heart. We lost my oldest brother Matt when he was 18, and after he died many people sent us a version of this quote from the beloved 1942 fairytale.

“In one of the stars I shall be living. In one of them I shall be laughing. And so it will be as if all the stars were laughing, when you look at the sky at night...You - only you - will have stars that can laugh.”

I understood the potential in animation for such a whimsical story as its framework, especially with a smart director attached...Which after seeing the trailer was pretty clear.

I started my night on the red carpet where I met Mike, who has the same A7S as me though his is awesomely rigged up. Mike taught me a few camera tricks I didn't know. Thanks Mike! 

Once I had a few good pics of The Dude and his beautiful wife, and the lovely Mackenzie Foy who plays the little girl opposite Bridges, I headed into the packed theatre. Knowing it was going to be an emotional journey I carefully selected my seat, and ended up between a Santa Barbara citycouncilman and an architect. Besides that I like to make new friends wherever I go, I know this information because upon introducing the film, Festival Director Roger Durling asked us to turn to a stranger next to us and ask them what makes them special. "Don't let the mundane things in life take over," Durling said the book had taught him when he first read it in french class in high school. Get back to that childlike state where "everything is amazing." 

Props to Osborne for creating a film that that pays respect to the magic of the book and for tastefully weaving that together with a contemporary story of his own. It is utterly breathtaking stop motion (think paper, felt, cloth, tissue) animation along with an epic score (oh, Hans Zimmer) that honor the book. The movie puts the viewer in the shoes of a little girl and her mother, who are a bit caught up in the rat race. "You're going to make a wonderful adult," the little girl's mother says as she has planned out her entire life of accomplishments.

I can't wait for America to see this film and I can't think of a movie I'd rather watch 100 times with any kid I'm babysitting or having (eventually). I'll be curious to see if kids get itthe way adults do. I cried during it when I realized that it is encouragement and love and belief that are important in moving forward in life. I leave you with this quote, "You run the risk of weeping a little, if you let yourself get too deep." In life we shouldn't be afraid to go there. Sadness is as normal as happiness.  And when we don't always know what is going to happen, doubt is unnecessary. Belief is the only option. "It would comfort me to know for sure, but instead I choose to believe," Bridges character tells the little girl. 

To see red carpet footage and Osborne introduce the film, click here

The Cartagena International Film Festival (FICCI) has announced the films that will be competing in the official sections of this year's festival, which will take place on March 2-7. Eight fictional feature films, ten documentaries, ten Colombian productions and 20 short films will be battling it out for an India Catalina statue and over US$100,000 in prizes.

This edition of FICCI—the most prestigious film festival in Colombia and the longest-running one in Latin America—celebrates the creative boom Colombian cinema is currently experiencing and recalls the long road it has traveled to garner the international acclaim it now enjoys. FICCI Artistic Director Diana Bustamante made a heartfelt appeal to those present at the press conference.“Out of the love and respect we all have for cinema, I invite you to see all the films on our program, for more than a number, these are seconds, minutes and hours of experiences, of world visions and rewritings of history that open new doors in terms of narrative and format.” 
 
A diverse bunch of films will be competing in the various categories of FICCI 56, reflecting the number of original, quality productions the last year has gestated. “Each of our selections, from short films, films by new creators and Colombian and Ibero-American feature films to international fiction films and documentaries, plus a fine selection of retrospectives, promises to make this year’s edition of FICCI a moving, sensual one full of nostalgia; one that will be remembered and that will consolidate ours as a festival in constant evolution,” added Bustamante.

Competing in the Official Fiction category will be Aquí no ha pasado nada by Alejandro Fernández (Chile), recently selected for the Sundance Festival’s World Cinema Dramatic Competition; Oscuro animal by Felipe Guerrero (Colombia, Argentina, Holland, Germany, Greece), which was an official selection of the Rotterdam Film Festival; and Historias de dos que soñaron by Andrea Bussmann and Nicolás Pereda (Mexico, Canada), which will be making its world premiere in the Forum section of the upcoming Berlin Film Festival. These three productions will be celebrating their Ibero-American premiere at FICCI. Accompanying them will be Boi neon by Gabriel Mascaro (Brazil), which will be screened for the first time in Colombia after winning the Critics’ Prize at the Hamburg Film Festival; El movimiento by Benjamín Naishtat (Argentina, South Korea), selected for the Filmmakers of the Present category of the Locarno Film Festival; Te prometo anarquía by Julio Hernández Cordón (Mexico), winner of the FIPRESCI Prize for Best Latin American Film at the Rio de Janeiro Film Festival; and Mate-me por favor by Anita Rocha Da Silveira (Brazil), nominated for Best Picture in the Orizzonte section of the Venice Film Festival. La academia de las musas by José Luis Guerín (Spain), winner of Best Picture at the Seville Festival of European Cinema, will be making its Latin American premiere. For this Competition, two more films are going to be announced next week.

The Official Documentary Competition will feature Aracati by Aline Portugal and Julia De Simone (Brazil); El mundo de Carolina by Mariana Viñoles (Uruguay); El viento sabe que vuelvo a casa by José Luis Torres Leiva (Chile), which recently premiered at the Rotterdam Film Festival; Paciente by Jorge Caballero Ramos (Colombia), which participated in IDFA 2015; and Tempestad by Tatiana Huezo (Mexico), which has been selected for the Forum section of the 2016 Berlin Film Festival. All these productions will be making their Ibero-American premiere at FICCI 56, while La balada del Oppenheimer Park by Juan Manuel Sepúlveda (Mexico, France), which participated in RivieraLab, will be making its world premiere. Last but by no means least, Casa Blanca by Aleksandra Maciuszek (Cuba, Mexico, Poland), winner of the Coral Prize for Best Documentary at Havana; El rastreador de estatuas by Jerónimo Rodríguez (Chile); O futebol by Sergio Oksman (Spain, Brazil), which made its world premiere at Locarno; and Todo comenzó por el fin, Colombian director Luis Ospina’s latest film, will all be screened for the first time in Colombia.

Making its international premiere in the Colombian Cinema section will be Juan Sebastián Quebrada’sDías extraños, which was selected for the 2015 BAFICI international competition, while Los Nadie byJuan Sebastián Mesa, Sin mover los labios by Carlos Osuna and the documentary Home–el país de la ilusión by Josephine Landertinger Forero will all be celebrating their world premieres. Audiences can also see the Ibero-American premieres of Jacques Toulemonde’s Anna, which participated in the Latin Visionssection of the Stockholm Film Festival; Felipe Guerrero’s Oscuro animal; Jorge Caballero’sPaciente and Siembra, a first film by Santiago Lozano and Ángela Osorio, winners of the Boccalino independent critics’ prize at Locarno. Rounding off this section is Luis Ospina’s Todo comenzó por el fin, which will be making its national premiere, and Nicolás Rincón Guillé’s Noche herida, which received an Honorable Mention in the SCAM section of the Cinéma du Réel documentary film festival.

The Official Short Film Competition includes Quintal by André Novais Oliveira (Brazil), Entre la tierra by Sofía Quirós (Costa Rica, Argentina, Chile), La impresión de una guerra by Camilo Restrepo (Colombia, France), Locas perdidas by Ignacio Juricic (Chile), Marea de tierra by Manuela Martelli (Chile, France),Noite sem distância by Lois Patiño (Portugal), O teto sobre nós by Bruno Carboni (Brazil), Tarântula by Aly Muritiba and Marja Calafange (Brazil), Un cuento de amor, locura y muerte by Mijael Bustos Gutiérrez (Chile) and Víctor XX by Ian Garrido (Spain), which will all be shown for the first time in Colombia. Bunker by Sandro Aguilar (Portugal), El Edén by Andrés Ramírez Pulido (Colombia), Iceberg by Juliana Gómez (Cuba), L’homme de ma vie by Melanie Deloye (France, Colombia), El buzo by Esteban Arrangoiz (Mexico) and Tisure by Adrian Geyer (Venezuela) will be celebrating their Ibero-American premieres, while the selection continues with the world premieres of De barrio by Sebastián Galvis Forero (Colombia), No hay bestias by Agustina San Martín (Argentina) and Santiamén by William Vega (Colombia), and the international premiere of 24º51º latitud norte by Carlos Lenin Triviño (Mexico).

Click HERE for the full list of these and films in other sections announced at the press conference.

In the United States there are now more than 80 Jewish film festivals with The New York and San Francisco Jewish film festivals considered the best. Given its venue at the Lincoln Center, the large Jewish population of the New York metropolitan area and the upscale educated audience it attracts the NY Jewish film festival plays a special role. A large program with a balanced mix of features, documentaries, shorts as well as panels and master classes as offered this year by Amis Gitai and the international provenance of production selected enhances the importance of the fest. The partnership between the Film Society of Lincoln Center and the Jewish Museum results in the collaboration of many film experts broadening the reach of the fest. Held from January 13-26 the 25th edition of the fest the program’s lineup offered 38 features and shorts from 12 countries with many world and U.S premieres. It included a retrospective, a panel and other special events.

The festival opened with the Oscar nominated foreign language film LAMB by Yarek Zeleke (2015, France Ethiopia, Germany, Norway) a superbly executed ethnographic study of Ephraim, an Ethiopian boy and his passage from the father, who has to leave to find work, to his distant uncle’s family which ekes out a living in subsistence farming, barely making enough food to survive. Ephraim brings his beloved sheep along trying to save it by all means when his uncle wants to sacrifice it for the upcoming religious Easter fest. Set in the context of a poor Coptic family the film introduces the tensions of a setting shaped by traditional customs and loyalties. His uncle’s daughter a literate student fails to enhance her father’s farming skills given his opposition to modern methods. Ephraim knows nothing about farming and prefers to use his excellent cooking talent, skills firmly rejected by the uncle since as he argues women cook and man farm, though Ephraim earns money selling samosas in the market. This semi-biographic coming of age story of the nine-year old boy shows displacement into hard labor farm life; fight for survival of his friend the lamb, loving maternal figures immured in tradition, and contradictions with the encroaching modern life. Ephraim eventually leaves his sheep in the care of a girl tending animals and tells the uncle that it has been stolen. Without providing commentaries the film introduces us to the impoverished family and its life style, a setting totally alien to the Western way of living. It also offers great images of the extraordinary Ethiopian landscapes.

It is a credit to the fest that Andrzej Wajda‘s Holy Week (Poland, 1995) was selected for this year, a rarely shown dramatic film though it is a superb artistic work. Staged during the first three days of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising in October 1943  the film depicts Irena’s fate who is harbored by an old friend Jan in his house whose brother Jurik is part of the Polish resistance. She can see the Ghetto burning from her room and grows close to Ana Jan’s wife who has empathy with the suffering of the Jews while Jan remains somehow detached. With some exceptions the resentment of Jews is openly shared by some people in the film. A woman living in the basement claims that “we suffer from the captivity only to die for the Jews” and in Jan’s office an apparent functionary declares “... we may be grateful to Hitler. He did a whole lot of unpleasant hard work for us... otherwise we’ll have to liquidate the Jews after the war. Poland must be free of Jews”. Only one fellow worker opposes the view which is shared privately by Jan with his boss. When  Irena is spotted and reported to the landlord that as a  Jew who is endangering the community which is under constant guard by the Germans, he states that human life should be respected but forces Jan to find a new place for Irena. When he does learn that the people he looked for had been arrested by the Germans he is trapped and shot. Irena is blamed for the accident of a little girl, cursed and decides to leave for the ghetto. Wajda shows through persuasive exchanges and imagery the fractured positions Poles had about Jews during the war and the implication those convictions had several decades later. The film is also rather convincing because of excellent acting and staging.

In a neo-realistic  approach Efrat Coren presents in BEN ZAKEN (Israel, 2014) an unblemished portrait of Ben Zaken who lives with his family in a deteriorating housing project in a small city. This is a view of the Israeli underclass rarely shown in features in the United States. There is no humor or other relief in Ben Zaken’s struggle taking care of his 11-year old daughter Runi. He is underemployed sometimes resentfully working for his older brother and endures a conflictual relation with a mother who calls her granddaughter a little bitch. She has constant fights with Runi and wants to get rid of her. His brother Leon suffers from a possessive love relations which he can’t break and is troubled by uncertainty about his religious orientation. There are few traces of emotional support and attachment in this film which is dominated by a fractured dysfunctional family life. Efran Cohen conveys effectively the family breakdown and the socio-economic background carrying it.

The feature THE LAW provides a an eye opening  investigation of the struggle the French health minister Simone Veil  had overcoming in the fall of 1974 the opposition to her proposed law to legalize abortions. Including her presentation in parliament and court appearance she had to fight sections of her governing party, the Catholic Church and the opposition. For Veil, a survivor of the concentration camps, legalizing abortion was a public health rather than a feminist issue and she had to face personal and slanderous attacks. She was called a Nazi and a swastika was painted on the walls of her building.  At that time an estimated 300 000 women had an abortion each year performed underground with 2500 women dying, primarily victims from the poor sections of the population. Those objecting to the law considered abortion as a death industry, a license to kill and even played the heartbeat of a fetus during the parliamentary debates sometimes arguing that the measure was a threat to population growth. The photojournalist Diane secured persuasive images from a hospital where secretly abortions were carried out. By working out compromises such as deleting state funding for abortions and mandatory obligations for medical doctors Veil overcame most opposition and her bill was adopted on January 17 1975. Funding for abortion was established in 1982. Based on fact and real people THE LAW is a superlative example of a fact based docudrama teaching history, parliamentary procedures and party politics as well as the power of an individual who persists in her endeavor. The audience can follow the reenactment and arguments of the principle protagonists, Jacques Chirac, Michel Debre, Edgar Faure and Michel Poniatowski, to name but a few.

One of the highlights of the festival was RABIN, THE LAST DAY by Amos Gitai (Israel/France 2015) a compelling reconstruction of the context and causes of the assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin on November 4, 1995 after a political peace rally in Tel Aviv. The features effectively combines reenacting of the Shamgar commission’s inquiry into the assassination, archival footage and interviews and illustrates the  violent subculture leading to his murder and the link to  current policy makers who indirectly provided support for the rise of violence. In rightwing religious services Rabin was cursed before the assassination and radicalized settlers openly demanded that Rabin be killed. Obscure interpretations of the Talmud justified violence against Palestinians and the rejection of the Oslo accords. Mass demonstrations were held with leaders from the Likud part to oppose the government because Rabin’s policy was a threat to the expansion of the settlements in occupied areas and maintenance of the hold over all of Jerusalem.  A right wing clinical Psychologist went so far to label Rabin as suffering from a schizoid pathology and a Rabbi imposed the Kabbalistic death curse "Pulsa Dinura” on Rabin. In right wing demonstrations preaching upheaval of the government Rabin was shown wearing a Nazi uniform. There is no question that Likud and its leaders including Netanyahu were responsible for creating the socio-cultural basis for the violence.  The writing for Rabin’s murder was clearly on the wall with no action taken by the authorities. For Rabin’s widow Leah interviewed in the film, Likud’s leaders shared responsibility for the growth of violence and hate speech, a condition which is characteristic for much that happens currently in Israel.

Claus Mueller, filmexchange@gmail.com

The third edition of this relatively new and unknown festival will be held from  March 14-20  in Manhattan’s Bow Tie Cinemas Chelsea. In the first two years 108 films from 33 countries  were shown in smaller venues  drawing an audience of more than 200. Established by filmmaker Nora Armani as a non-profit film festival SRFF occupies a unique niche with its focus on socially relevant films reelecting universal human interests contributing to positive change but foregoing any inclusion of violence.  The first edition was financed by the founder and director Nora Armani. Given the positive response to the premiere of this unique festival grant funding as well as individual and service contributions made the second edition possible. As with other new film festivals funding remains a challenge though the prospects are encouraging. As in past years the program is restricted to productions which premiere at the fest, excelling in production quality and superb story telling.  They are selected in four competition categories feature length narratives, documentaries, short films and screenplays and are chosen by panels of film professionals bestowing numerous awards. The documentary grand prize includes a distribution deal by Indiepix covering also winning shorts. Cinema Libre grants to the best documentary postproduction services.

The 2016 edition party is held on March 14 at McSorley’s Old Ale House, the oldest Irish pub in New York, with festival screenings through March 19 at Bow Tie Cinemas. It concludes on March 20 with an awards ceremony at the Center for Remembering and Sharing.  In the morning of March 19 a panel on Distribution and Shaping the Documentary is scheduled at the School of Visual Arts.

The program includes more than 40 productions featuring six narrative films and eight documentaries and numerous shorts, drawn from more than 400 submissions obtained through film festival distribution platforms such as Withoutabox and Filmfreeway. The selection this year is rather impressive since it provides a rather comprehensive relevant thematic range. Features and documentaries focus on human trafficking,  immigration & refugees, self discovery, urban life, gentrification, disabilities,  gender issues, genocide, and human exploitation to name but a few.

Unless noted otherwise the productions premiering are from 2015.  The narrative section includes Caged No More, USA/Greece, 2016; I Am Not From Barcelona, Belgium/Spain; Before the Spring, Egypt; Escapes, Spain, 2013; Dance Iranian Style, Netherlands; and The Cursed Ones, UK/Ghana. Selected documentary features are All Meshed Up, Netherlands, 2014;  Who Killed The Armenians, Egypt; Aile Contre Aile (Supersonic Women), France;  Tamashi (Soul), USA/Japan;  The neighborhood That Disappeared, USA, 2014; The Sex Temple, Sweden; Beneath The Olive Tree, USA/Greece; and Sense  The Wind, USA.  The intriguing program is   certainly promising.  Though this year’s venue is larger, the small audience drawn to the festival has the advantage of permitting more discussions. All narrative films have a Q&A period as do five of the eight documentaries, another aspect setting the SRFF apart from most other film festivals. For more information check wwwratedsrfilms.org

Claus Mueller  filmexchange@gmail.com