The highly acclaimed drama Mudbound, directed by Dee Rees, will be the official closing night film at this year’s 2017 Bahamas International Film Festival.
Carey Mulligan, Mary J. Blige, Jason Clarke, Garrett Hedlund, Jonathan Banks and Jason Mitchell lead the ensemble cast of “Mudbound.”
Set in the rural American South during World War II, Dee Rees’ “Mudbound” is an epic story of two families pitted against one another by a ruthless social hierarchy, yet bound together by the shared farmland of the Mississippi Delta.
Mudbound follows the McAllan family, newly transplanted from the quiet civility of Memphis and unprepared for the harsh demands of farming. Despite the grandiose dreams of Henry (Jason Clarke), his wife Laura (Carey Mulligan) struggles to keep the faith in her husband’s losing venture. Meanwhile, Hap and Florence Jackson (Rob Morgan and Mary J. Blige), sharecroppers who have worked the land for generations, struggle bravely to build a small dream of their own despite the rigidly enforced social barriers they face. The war upends both families’ plans as their returning loved ones, Jamie McAllan (Garrett Hedlund) and Ronsel Jackson (Jason Mitchell), forge a fast but uneasy friendship that challenges the brutal realities of the Jim Crow South in which they live.
The official closing night screening of “Mudbound” will take place on Sunday, December 17th at the Baha Mar in Nassau.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xucHiOAa8Rs
The 2017 Bahamas International Film Festival takes place from December 10 to 13 in Harbour Island and December 14 to 17 in Nassau.Bahamas International Film Festival
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Dee Rees’s MUDBOUND will Close 2017 Bahamas International Film Festival
The highly acclaimed drama Mudbound, directed by Dee Rees, will be the official closing night film at this year’s 2017 Bahamas International Film Festival.
Carey Mulligan, Mary J. Blige, Jason Clarke, Garrett Hedlund, Jonathan Banks and Jason Mitchell lead the ensemble cast of “Mudbound.”
Set in the rural American South during World War II, Dee Rees’ “Mudbound” is an epic story of two families pitted against one another by a ruthless social hierarchy, yet bound together by the shared farmland of the Mississippi Delta.
Mudbound follows the McAllan family, newly transplanted from the quiet civility of Memphis and unprepared for the harsh demands of farming. Despite the grandiose dreams of Henry (Jason Clarke), his wife Laura (Carey Mulligan) struggles to keep the faith in her husband’s losing venture. Meanwhile, Hap and Florence Jackson (Rob Morgan and Mary J. Blige), sharecroppers who have worked the land for generations, struggle bravely to build a small dream of their own despite the rigidly enforced social barriers they face. The war upends both families’ plans as their returning loved ones, Jamie McAllan (Garrett Hedlund) and Ronsel Jackson (Jason Mitchell), forge a fast but uneasy friendship that challenges the brutal realities of the Jim Crow South in which they live.
The official closing night screening of “Mudbound” will take place on Sunday, December 17th at the Baha Mar in Nassau.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xucHiOAa8Rs
The 2017 Bahamas International Film Festival takes place from December 10 to 13 in Harbour Island and December 14 to 17 in Nassau.
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Bahamas International Film Festival Opens Today with Sean Baker’s THE FLORIDA PROJECT
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The Florida Project[/caption]
The Bahamas International Film Festival (BIFF), celebrating its 14th edition this year, kicks off today Sunday, December 10th with Sean Baker’s drama “The Florida Project” starring Willem Dafoe. BIFF 2017 will run through Sunday, December 17th.
For the sixth consecutive year, BIFF will be headed to Harbour Island on December 10-13 and concluding in Nassau from December 14-17, showcasing more than 82 films from 28 different countries including twelve world premiere, 4 international premieres, 57 Caribbean premieres, and all are Bahamian premieres.
The four competition categories at BIFF are Spirit of Freedom: Narrative; Spirit of Freedom: Documentary; New Visions; and Short Film. Additional categories out of competition are World Cinema; Special Screenings; Environmental and Oceans Spotlight and non-Jury Short Films.
2017 Bahamas International Film Festival Lineup:
SPIRIT OF FREEDOM (NARRATIVE)
ALINA / Director: Ben Behernholtz AT EYE LEVEL / Directors: Evi Goldbrunner & Joachim Dollhopf LANE 1974 / Director: Chiro LIYANA / Directors: Aaron Kopp & Amanda Kopp THE DRAWER BOY /Director: Arturo Perez Torres THE HUDSON TRIBES / Director: John Marco Lopez TINKER /Director: Sonny MarlerSPIRIT OF FREEDOM (DOCUMENTARY)
BY ALL MEANS: A ROCK ‘N ROLL STORY / Director: Patrick Hewlett DELICATE BALANCE / Director: Guillermo Garcia Lopez I AM SHAKESPEARE / Director: Stephen Dest MY ENEMY, MY BROTHER / Director: Ann Shin SACRED WATER / Director: Olivier Jourdain SHINGALI, WHERE ARE YOU? / Director: Angelos Rallis THE GOLDEN AGE / Director: Justin ConnorNEW VISIONS – JURY FILMS
7X7 / Director: Liam Hughes ALASKA IS A DRAG / Director: Shaz Bennett BEAUTY MARK / Director: Harris Doran BLANK 13 / Director: Takumi Saito DIM THE FLORESCENTS / Director: Daniel Warth DR. BRINKS & DR. BRINKS / Director: Josh Crockett GREEN DAYS BY THE RIVER / Director: Michael Mooleedhar INTERLUDE / Director: Bernard Tanguy JUGGERNAUT / Director: Daniel DiMarco MILLION LOVES IN ME / Director: Sampson Yuen NOBLE EARTH / Director: Ursula Grisham THE DEFINITES / Directors: Hannah Cheesman & Mackenzie Donaldson THE DUNNING MAN / Director: Michael Clayton THE LINES / Director: Kiku Ohe TISAY / Director: Alfonso Torre TOURNAMENTS OF LOVE / Director: Caroline JulesOCEAN & ENVIRONMENT THEME
AN OCEAN MYSTERY THE MISSING CATCH (USA, Bahamas) / Director: Alison Barrat CUT BAIT (USA, Bahamas) / Director: Robert Walkine EARTHY ENCOUNTERS (UK) / Director: Sam Johnson LA PESCA (Columbia) / Director: Pablo Alvarez LOGGERHEAD SEA TURTLE (USA) / Director: Cynthia Neal STRAWS (USA) / Director: Linda Booker VIRE (Guadeloupe) / Director: Hugo RousselinSHORT FILM Narrative Short Jury Films
ANOTHER GIRL (USA) / Director: Austin Kase ASLEEP (Canada) / Director: Mak Abdelhai BAD NEWS (Italy) / Director: Matteo Petrelli CASSANDRA (France) / Director: Joffrey Renambatz CATFISH (Iran) / Director: Sourena Bayramloo COMFORT AND JOY (UK) / Directors: Will Jeffs & AJ Simmons COWBOY & INDIAN (USA) / Director: Sujata Day DEVILS LUCK (USA) / Director: Robert C. Eaton EARTHY ENCOUNTERS (UK) / Director: Sam Johnson EAST (USA) / Director: Dana Marisa S Choenfeld FOREVER NOW (Denmark) / Director: Kristin Håskjold JC (USA) / Director: Matt Boatright-Simon LACRIMOSA (Austria) / Director: Tanja Mairitsch LAWMAN (USA) / Director: Matthew Gentile LEO JOHNSON (USA) / Director: Evan Bluestein LIFE IN OTHER WORDS (Bangladesh) / Director: Abrar Athar LIMBO (Greece) / Director: Konstantina Kotzamani MACKENZIE (USA) / Director: Sofia Astrom OUTSIDE THE LINES (USA) / Director: Joshua Jacobs OWEN (USA) / Director: Kelly Pike PRIA (Indonesia) / Director: Yudho Aditya RETOUCH (Iran) / Director: Kaveh Mazaheri ROSARIO (Mexico) / Director: Marlen Ríos-Farjat ROSELYN (Bahamas) / Director: Jason Evans SHORT DROP (Trinidad and Tobago) / Director: Maya Cozier SILENT NIGHTS (Denmark) / Director: Aske Bang THE ADVENTURES OF SELIKA (UK) / Director: Sybil Mair THE ASPEN PROJECT (USA) / Director: Chino Maurice THE DARKNESS OF THE MOOR (USA) / Director: James Everett THE GIRLS WERE DOING NOTHING (UK) / Director: Dekel Berenson THE LIFE OF MARIE (Germany) / Director: Rolf Kasteleiner THE REAL THING (USA) / Director: Brandon Kelley TOFFEE (India) / Director: Tahira Kashyap WHAT REMAINS OF YOU (France) / Director: Kevin Dresse YOURS SINCERELY, LOIS WEBER (USA) / Director: Svetlana CvetkoOUT OF COMPETITION
LOGGERHEAD SEAT TURTLE (USA) / Director: Cynthia Neal STRAWS (USA) / Director: Linda Booker VIRE (Guadeloupe) / Director: Hugo Rousselin LA PESCA (Columbia) / Director: Pablo Alvarez CUT BAIT (USA, Bahamas) / Director: Robert Walkine GUAVA DUFF (Bahamas) / Director: Anaya and Santia DeanWORLD CINEMA (DOCUMENTARY)
BAREFOOT RASTA (Germany, Ethiopia, Canada)) / Director: Andy Siege BETWEEN 2 SHORES (Guadeloupe) / Director: Mariette Monpierre I DO? (USA) / Director: Joe Brandmeier REBELS ON POINTE (Canada) / Director: Bobbi Jo Hart SUSANNE BARTSCH: ON TOP (USA) / Directors: Anthony Caronna & Alexander SmithSPECIAL SCREENING
SLIM AARONS: THE HIGH LIFE (USA) / Director: Fritz Mitchell STUDENT FILM WORKSHOP (Bahamas) / Five Films by Students JUNOD (Japan) / Director: Shinichiro KIMURA JOHN “CHIPPIE” CHIPMAN (Bahamas) / Director: Thriston & Verline EwingOPENING NIGHT FILM
THE FLORIDA PROJECT (USA) / Director: Sean Baker
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Grace Jones to Receive Career Achievement Award at Bahamas International Film Festival
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Grace Jones: Bloodlight & Bami[/caption]
Iconic actress, singer, songwriter, supermodel, and record producer Grace Jones will be honored with the prestigious Career Achievement Award at this year’s Bahamas International Film Festival, taking place December 10 to 17, 2017.
Serving as the Festival’s most prestigious symbol of recognition, awarded in appreciation of the lifetime achievements of an actor, BIFF’s Career Achievement Award will be bestowed to Jones on the evening of Friday, December 15th at The Ocean Club, A Four Seasons Resort, Bahamas.
In addition to receiving BIFF’s Career Achievement Award, Jones will present her latest film, “Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami” – the acclaimed documentary from director Sophie Fiennes.
Said Vanderpool, “Grace’s trademark charisma has fueled memorable performances for decades, but in watching her amazing body of work, the depth of her performances is unmistakable and equally as memorable. Having Grace in The Bahamas to receive the Career Achievement Award and present the highly acclaimed ‘Bloodlight and Bami’ is a huge honor for the festival and the audiences who will share in the experience. Grace is an legend, an icon and we are extremely thrilled to recognize her amazing career at the Bahamas International Film Festival.”
Filmed over the course of a decade, the documentary, “Grace Jones: Bloodlight and Bami”, from director Sophie Fiennes (The Pervert’s Guide to Ideology) offers a stylish and unconventional look at the Jamaican-born model, singer, and New Wave icon.
Grace Jones, the statuesque Jamaican model-turned-singer, actress and icon has made a career performing versions of herself. But who is the real Grace Jones behind the masks and makeup? This film moves between her personae onstage and off. Don’t expect a traditional music biography with sit-down interviews and archival footage. This treatment is as stylish and unconventional as its subject. In the subtitle, “bloodlight” refers to the studio signal for recording and “bami” is a Jamaican flatbread. They stand for art and life.
Filmmaker Sophie Fiennes has previously made films about a philosopher, a dancer, and an artist. Each time, she conjures a fresh style for the material. (One of her early documentaries, Hoover Street Revival, profiled Jones’ brother Noel, the Los Angeles preacher). With Grace Jones, filmed over 10 years, we gain entry to her private spaces: her family in Jamaica, in the studio with long-time collaborators Sly & Robbie, and in Paris with her one-time image maker and lover, Jean-Paul Goude. In negotiations glimpsed on camera, she demonstrates that you wouldn’t want to go against her. “Sometimes you have to be a high-flying bitch.” Yet we also catch her in sweet and vulnerable moments.
Interspersed throughout the film are performances from a 2016 concert staged for Fiennes’ camera. Strutting the stage like an Amazon in heels, Jones performs songs such as “Slave to the Rhythm,” “Love is the Drug” and “Amazing Grace” with multiple costume changes. This might be the first documentary with a credit for Corset Designer. Whatever mysteries she conceals, one thing is for certain: we can’t take our eyes off her.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLxtZ0ElBss
The Bahamas International Film Festival will showcase more than 82 films from 28 countries, including 12 world premieres, 4 international premieres and 57 Caribbean premieres. All of the films will be Bahamian premieres.
BIFF 2017 takes place from December 10-13 in Harbour Island and December 14-17 in Nassau. The Festival’s opening night in Harbour Island will begin with a screening of Sean Baker’s critically acclaimed drama ‘The Florida Project’ starring Willem Dafoe.
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2015 Bahamas International Film Festival Reveals Lineup; Incl. THE SLEEPING TREE, SPEED SISTERS
The Bahamas International Film Festival (BIFF), celebrating its 12th anniversary and taking place December 1 to 12, revealed the lineup of films screening in the festival’s competition and sidebar sections.
This year, the Festival will showcase more than 130 films from 40 different countries including nine international premieres, 28 Caribbean premieres, and all are Bahamian premieres.
The four competition categories at BIFF are Spirit of Freedom: Narrative; Spirit of Freedom: Documentary; New Visions; and Short Film. Additional categories out of competition are World Cinema Narrative and World Cinema Documentary; Caribbean Spotlight Narrative and Caribbean Spotlight Documentary; Comedy; and non-Jury Short Films.
There will be special screenings throughout the Festival of Brian Klugman’s “Baby Baby Baby”, Ben Bowman’s “Knucklehead”, Daryl Wein’s “Consumed”, Julien Leclercq’s “The Crew”, Samuel Benchetrit’s “Asphalte” (Macadam Stories)” and Jean Michel Costeau’s “The Secret Ocean”.
The official BIFF feature lineup is comprised of the following films:
SPIRIT OF FREEDOM (NARRATIVE)
EADWEARD (Canada) / Director: Kyle Rideout
SHOWING ROOTS (USA) / Director: Michael Wilson
SIN AND ILLY (Germany) / Director: Maria Hengge
THE SLEEPING TREE (Bahrain) / Director: Mohammed Rashed BuAli (pictured above)
unINDIAN (Australia) Director: Anupam SHarma
WILDLIKE (USA) / Director: Frank Hall Green
SPIRIT OF FREEDOM (DOCUMENTARY)
ALL EYES ALL EARS (China, USA) / Director: Vanessa Hope
GAZELLE – THE LOVE ISSUE (Brazil) / Director: Cesar Terranova
I AM THALENTE (South Africa) / Director: Natalie Johns
INDIA’S DAUGHTER (India) Director: Leslee Udwin
MY LIFE IN CHINA (USA) Director: Kenneth Eng
QUEEN MIMI (USA) Director: Yaniv Rokah
SPEED SISTERS (Iran) Director: Amber Fares
MADINA’S DREAM (Sudan) Director: Andrew Berends
CROCODILE GENNADIY (Ukraine) Director: Steve Hoover
NEW VISIONS (Sponsored by JetBlue Airways)
A BEAUTIFUL NOW (USA) / Director: Daniela Amavia
AFTER THE WEDDING (USA) / Director: Claudia Cifuentes
BAD MOON RISING (Japan) / Director: Hiritaka Asano
EMPIRICA (USA) / Director: Patrick Shanahan
GOLDEN KINGDOM ( Myanmar ) / Director: Brian Perkins
JACKRABBIT (USA) / Director: Carleton Ranney
JOHNNY WALKER (USA) / Director: Kris De Meester
THE PREPPIE CONNECTION (USA) / Director: Joseph Castelo
SOMEWHERE IN THE MIDDLE (USA) / Director: Lanre Olabisi
THE AMBASSADOR TO BERN (Hungary) / Director” Attila Szasz
THE CENTER (USA) / Director” Charlie Graik
SINGAPORE SLING (Brazil,USA) / Director: Marcus Sigrist
LA EXTRANA (Dominican Republic) / Director: César Rodríguez
WORLD CINEMA NARRATIVE (Sponsored by CornèrTrader)
ANTI SOCIAL (UK) / Director: Reg Traviss
OMBRE (Bulgaria) / Director: Zachary Iliev Paunov
JASMINE (Hong Kong, USA), / Director: Dax Phelan
MEET PURSUIT DELANGE (UK) / Director: Howard Webster
NORTH VS. SOUTH (UK) / Director: Steven Nesbit
REMITTANCE (Singapore, USA) / Director: Joel Fendelman
WEEPAH WAY FOR NOW SOUND (USA) / Director: Stephen Ringer
WHY DO YOU SMELL LIKE THE OCEAN (USA) / Director: Kevin Baggott
LET’S DANCE TO THE RHYTHM (India) / Director: Bardroy Barretto
WORLD CINEMA DOCUMENTARY (Sponsored by CornèrTrader)
GORED (USA, Spain) / Director: Ido Mizrahy
HYDRO (USA) / Directors: Rafa G. Sánchez, Xavi Tello
NEW CAMBODIAN (Cambodia) / Director: Isabella Astengo
WHEN VOICES MEET (South Africa) / Director: Nancy Sutton Smith
EVERY CHILD COUNTS (Canada) / Director: Wendy Loten
CARIBBEAN SPOTLIGHT NARRATIVE
BATTLE DREAMS CHRONICLES (Martinique) / Director: Alain Bidard
BAZODEE (Trinidad & Tobago) / Director: Todd Kessler
STONE SHACKS (Bahamas) / Director: Tyrone Burrows
TRAFFICKED (Trinidad & Tobago) / Director: Sean Hodgkinson
CARIBBEAN SPOTLIGHT DOCUMENTARY
CONGO BEATS THE DRUM (Israel, Jamaica) / Director: Ariel Tagar
DREADLOCKS STORY (Jamaica) / Director: Linda Aïnouche
EXUMA (Bahamas) / Director: Colin Ruggiero
VANISHING SAIL (The Grenadines) / Director: Alexis Andrews
COMEDY
ART ACHE (USA) / Director: Berty Cadilhac
DEPENDENT’S DAY (USA) / Director: Michael David Lynch
DRIVING WHILE BLACK (USA) / Director: Paul Sapiano
IT HAD TO BE YOU (USA) / Director: Sasha Gordon
THE FUNERAL GUEST (USA) / Director: Matthew Kohnen
THE RIGHT JUICE (UK, Portugal) / Director: Kristjan Knigge
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LIKE SUNDAY LIKE RAIN and BIG IN JAPAN Bookend Lineup for 2014 Bahamas International Film Festival
BIG IN JAPANThe 11th edition of the Bahamas International Film Festival (BIFF), which takes place December 4-9, 2014 in Nassau and December 10-14, in Harbour Island, Eleuthera will showcase 95 films from 30 different countries, including 48 features and 47 short films of which several are international premieres and all are Bahamian premieres. “LIKE SUNDAY LIKE RAIN” starring, Starring Leighton Meester (Gossip Girls) and Debra Messing (Will And Grace) and Billy Joe Armstrong, will open the festival with a red carpet screening at the Atlantis Resort on Paradise Island on Thursday, December 4th. American Comedy “BIG IN JAPAN” starring Phillip Peterson, Sean Lowry, David Drury, Alex Vincent, Adam Powers as Mans will close the festival with an evening screening on Sunday, December 7th – also at the Atlantis Theater.
The official BIFF lineup is comprised of the following films:
SPIRIT OF FREEDOM (NARRATIVE)
Come to my voice (Turkey) Director: Ray Meirovitz
The Gift, An Bronntanas (Ireland) Director: Tom Collins
Four Corners (South Africa) Director: Ian Gabriel
Lake Los Angeles (US) Director: Mike Ott
Sombras De Azul (Mexico/Cuba) Director: Travis Pittman
Tu Seras Un Homme (France) Director: Benoit Cohen
Wheels (US) Director: Donavon Thomas
Love Me “Mehe”(Turkey/Ukraine) Director: Maryna Er Gorbach & Mehmet BahadirSPIRIT OF FREEDOM (DOCUMENTARY)
Chimeras (China) Director: Mika Mattila
Mala Mala (USA) Director: Dan Sickles
N’Kisi Concorde (USA) Director: Nikki Sass
Obama Mama (USA) Director: Vivian Norris
Poverty Inc. (USA) Director: Mark Weber
Spit’ in Anger: Venom Of a Fatherless Son (USA) Director: Kenneth Braswell
Surviving Cliff Side (USA) Director: John Matthews
Vessel (USA) Director: Diana WhittenNEW VISIONS
Beti and Amare (Ethiopia. Spain Canada, Germany, Romania USA) Andy Siege
Battered (USA) Director: Robert Madero
Copenhagen (USA) Director: Mark Raso
Cru (USA) Director: Alton Glass
Five Star (USA) Director: Luisa Conlon
Lawrence & Holloman – (Canada) Director: Matthew Kowalchuk
Leave To Remain (UK) Director: Bruce Goodison
Marussia (USA / France) Director: Eva Pervolvici
Mom Murder and Me (USA) Director: Heather Donnell
Still (UK) Director: Simon Blake
Sun Belt Express (USA) Director: Evan Buxbaum
The Boys Castaway (Australia) Director: Michael KantorCARIBBEAN SPOTLIGHT
Abo So (Aruba) Director: Juan Francisco
De Pez En Cuando (Dominican Republic) Director: Francisco Adolfo Valdez
Ring Di Alarm (Jamaica) Director: Storm Saulter, Michelle Serieux
The Current (Bahamas, Mexico Tonga, USA) Director: Kurt Miller, Hans Rosenwinkel
You Have His Eyes (US/Jamaica) Director: Chris WilsonSPECIAL SCREENING
Like Sunday Like Rain (USA) Director: Frank Whaley
Night Of The Living Dead (USA) Director: Zebediah De SotoWORLD CINEMA
Boundaries Of The Heart (China)
Free Fall (USA)
I Believe In Unicorns (USA) Director: Leah Meyerhoff
Sleepwalkers (USA) Director: Ryan Lightbourn)
Jingle Bell Rocks!! (USA) Director: Michael Kezin
Art Of Darkness (Canada) Director: David Parker
The Barefoot Bandit (USA, Bahamas) Director: Carly Bodmer
Oil & Water (USA) Director: Francine Strickwerda & Laurel Spellman Smith
Sand Wars (USA) Director: Denis Delestrac
Ice Bear (UK, Canada) Director: Oliver Parker
The Widowers (USA) Director: Katie Irish
Under the Same Sun (Israel) Director: Yelena GyulkhandaSHORT FILMS
37/0 4 S (France) Director: Adriano Valerio
A Spring Has Passed By (Syria) Director: Eva Daoud
Animal Cookies (USA) Director: Matthew Temple
Bis Gleich (Till Then) Director: Benjamin Wolff
Bodies Of Irreversible Detriment (USA) Director: Ben Lazarus
Butterfly Fluttering (Russia) Director: Roman Kayumov
Choongshim, Soso (Korea) Director: Kim Jung in
Con Quein Suena Berta (Spain) Director: Francisco Javier Gomez Pinteno
Danny And The Wild Bunch –(USA) Director: Robert Rugan
Distance (US/ Spain) Director: Danny Langa
Dove On The Roof Голубь на крыше (Kazakhstan) Director: Olga Korotko
El Bostan El Saeed Street (Egypt) Director: Maysoon El Massry
El Tiempo Del Agua (Argent
na, Canada) Director: Shahriar Adham El Kosht
En Las Nubes (In The Clouds) (Argentina) Dir
ctor: Marcelo Mitnik
Festus (USA) Director: Shawn Snyder
Frank and Azalee Austin (USA) Director: Zachary Kerschberg
Forget Me Not (USA) Director: Christopher McKee
Helium (Denmark) Director: Andres Walter
Hotel Y (Argentina) Director: Geraldine Baron Visher
I Know You (Italy, UK) Director: Colin Gerrard
I’m In The Corner With Bluebells (UK) Ako Mitchell
Idyllwild 牧歌 (China) Director: Zenas Cao, Aisha Porter-Christie
Indian Summer (UK) Director: Toby Lomas
Into The Silent Sea (USA) Director: Andrej Landin
La Donna (Spain) Director: Nicolas Dolensky
La Gallina (Spain) Director: Manel Raga
Last Days Of Summer (Netherlands) Director: Feike Santbergen
Le Train Bleu (France) Director: Stephanie Assimacopoulo
Leave Keys In Car (USA) Director: Tessa Blake
Long Con (USA) Director: Kreimild Saunders
Love Me Haiti (Haiti, Poland, Sweden, USA) Director: Hugues Gentillion
Man Since Long Time (Egypt) Director: Mahmoud Yossry
Mr. Invisible (UK) Director: Greg Ash
Muted (USA) Director: Rachel Goldberg
One Armed Man (USA) Director: Tim Guinee
One night Only (USA) Direcor: Che Grant
Perfect day (USA) Director: Derrick L. Sanders
Salvatore (USA) Director: William Shermer
Second Act (USA) Director: Francesca De Sola
Somos Amigos (Spain) Director: Carlos Solano Perez
The Smut Locker (USA) Director: Harry Tarre
Tobacco Burn (USA) Director: Justin Liberman
Tribute (USA) Director: Neil Evans
Washingtonia (Greece) Director: Konstantina Kotzamani
When Pigs Swim (Bahamas) Director: Charlie Smith
Where Do We Go From Here (USA) Director: Matthew Szewczyk
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Bahamas International Film Festival Unveils 2014 Poster
The Bahamas International Film Festival, set for December 4th through 14th, has unveiled its 2014 promotional poster designed by artist Ryan “Duser” Stubbs.
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Bahamas International Film Festival Unveils Jury for 2013 Festival
The Bahamas International Film Festival (BIFF), celebrating its 10th anniversary, announced the members of the jury that will preside over the competition categories at the Festival, which takes place December 5th to13th, 2013. The four competition categories at BIFF are Spirit of Freedom: Narrative; Spirit of Freedom: Documentary; New Visions; and Short Film.
Jury members are:
New Visions: First Look
Dr. Nathaniel Kohn – Professor at the University of Georgia/ Associate Director of the George Foster Peabody Awards/ Producer (“Zulu Dawn,” “Rain,” “Somebodies”)
Attila Feszt – Visual Artist and Designer
Toni Silveri – Actress/Voice Actor/Singer
Spirit of Freedom: Narrative & Documentary
Kelly Amber Moore – Writer and former Creative Executive at Nicholas Cage’s Saturn Films (“National Treasure: Book of Secrets,” “Ghost Rider,” “Knowing”)
Patty Roker – Writer and Broadcaster
Dan Shannon – Director/Producer (“Haiti Untold,” “Sweet 16”)
Short Film
Tatiana Siegal – Journalist/Film Reporter at The Hollywood Reporter
Theodore Elyett – Fashion Designer
Leslie Tynes – Actress/Voice Actor/Radio and TV personality (“Crazy Love,” “James Catalyn & Friends”)
Non-competition categories at BIFF include Panorama Narrative; Panorama Documentary and Short Films out of competition. Special sections include the signature Youth Film Workshop films made by five local Bahamian schools, as well as a World Cinema showcase spotlighting Chinese films provided by the Chinese Embassy in The Bahamas.
The Festival will be hosting a variety of panels covering a number of topics including Acting, Films, Festivals and Fundraising and Filmmaking in The Bahamas, sponsored by RBC Royal Bank. Among the participating panelists are:
Acting
Rob Adler – Director/Writer/Producer (“iVOTE”)
Films, Festivals and Fundraising
Ivan Clements – Producer (“Little Deaths,” “January 2nd”)
Lisa Cortes – Producer (“Precious,” “The Woodsman,” “Shadowboxer”)
Dr. Nathaniel Kohn – Professor at the University of Georgia/ Associate Director of the George Foster Peabody Awards/ Producer (“Zulu Dawn,” “Rain,” “Somebodies”)
Filmmaking in The Bahamas
Lance Knowles – Cinematographer/Owner of Sky High Media
Travon Patton – Producer
Vijay Subramanian – Doctor/Photographer/Independent Filmmaker
The 10th anniversary of BIFF will kick off on December 5th with a gala screening of Andrew Melby and Reggie Henderson’s drama “Bahamian Son,” at the Atlantis Theater.
The following night, Festival guests will be treated to a Career Achievement Tribute ceremony at the Atlantis honoring Danny Glover, who will be in attendance.
The festival will close with Travolta Cooper’s documentary “THE BLACK MOSES,” on December 8th in Nassau at the Atlantis Theater.
image via Facebook
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Bahamas International Film Festival Reveals 2013 Film Lineup; “BAHAMIAN SON to Open, THE BLACK MOSES to Close Fest
BAHAMIAN SONThe Bahamas International Film Festival (BIFF), celebrating its 10th anniversary and taking place December 5-13, 2013, revealed the complete lineup of films screening in the festival’s competition and sidebar sections. This year, the Festival will showcase 108 films from 32 different countries, including four features of which are world premieres and all Bahamian premieres. Andrew Melby’s and Reggie Henderson’s drama “BAHAMIAN SON” has been selected as this year’s Opening Night Film and will kick off the Festival on December 5th, while Travolta Cooper’s documentary “THE BLACK MOSES” will have the honor of closing the 10th edition of the Festival on December 13th.
“BAHAMIAN SON” stars Constance Anderson (“Prodigal,” “Profile of a Killer,” “Gods’ Green Earth”), Fatima Cocci (“Gods’ Green Earth”) and Leah Eneas (“Beneath the Blue”). The film is based on true events, from the life of the film’s writer Reggie Henderson. The story follows Kevin as he sets out to find his father, whom he hasn’t seen in more than thirty years. During his journey, Kevin examines his own life and the family he has built for himself, during his childhood, having growns up in the projects of North Minneapolis. After Kevin tracks down his father, he travels to The Bahamas to meet him. What happens in The, opens Kevin’s eyes to a world and a history he never knew existed. It is also another test of Kevin’s beliefs regarding family, loyalty, and what it means to be a son, a father, and a man.
THE BLACK MOSES
Written and directed by Travolta Cooper (“Founding Fathers: Sir Stafford Sands” “A Miami Trail”), “THE BLACK MOSES” takes a look at Was L.O Pindling, first black Prime Minister of The Bahamas, one of history’s greatest national Liberators, or was he one of history’s greatest national Drug Dealers? The film follows the popular folk ‘moses mythology’ as it was manifested through the life and times of Sir Lynden Pindling. It focuses on L.O Pindling as he sets on a course to bring about social, political, and economic revolution to the British Bahama Islands. The film features Golden Globe nominee Dennis Haysbert (“The Unit,” “24,” “Wreck-It Ralph”) as Black Moses and commentary from the 18th Prime Minister of Canada Brian Mulroney, civil rights activist Jesse Jackson, and many others.The official BIFF feature lineup is comprised of the following films:
SPIRIT OF FREEDOM (NARRATIVE)
9 FULL MOONS (USA) / Director: Tomer Algamor
A PLACE ON EARTH – Une Place Sur La Terre (France) / Director: Fabienne Godet
BRAHMIN BULLS (India) / Director: Mahesh Pailoor
HOME (USA) / Director: Jono Oliver
SIDDHARTH (India) / Director: Richie Mehta
VIVA BELARUS (Poland) Director: Krzysztof Lukaszewicz
WHEN I SAW YOU- Lamma Shoftak (Jordan) Director: Annemarie Jacir
SPIRIT OF FREEDOM (DOCUMENTARY)
CAST THE FIRST STONE (USA) / Director: Nicolas Cuellar
FINDING HILLYWOOD (Rwanda, USA) / Director: Leah Warshawski
FLY BY LIGHT (USA) / Director: Ellie Walton
GARIFUNA IN PERIL (Honduras) / Director: Ali Allie
ISOLATED (USA, Indonesia) Director: Geoff Clark, Justin Le Pera
SILENT MUSIC (Antigua, Barbuda, USA) Director: Melissa Gomez
THE LAST SAFARI (Kenya, USA) Director: Matt Goldman
TWO: THE STORY OF ROMAN & NYRO (USA) Director: Heather Winters
NEW VISIONS
CALLOUSED HANDS (USA) / Director: Jesse Quinones
ONE SMALL HITCH (USA) / Director: John Burgess
SAL (Argentina, Chile) / Director: Diego Rougier
SIBERIA, MONAMOUR (Russia) / Director: Slava Ross
TARIF NA SPASENIE (Russia) / Director: Georgiy Soldatov
THE LONG DRIVE HOME (USA) / Director: William Tyler
TRUST, GREED, BULLETS & BOURBON (USA) / Director: Scott Kawczynski
TUTTI GIU (Switzerland) / Director: Niccolo Castelli
PANORAMA NARRATIVE
SOME VELVET MORNING (USA) / Director: Neil LaBute
I’LL FOLLOW YOU DOWN (Canada) / Director: Richie Mehta
NEARLYWEDS (USA) / Director: Marc Griffiths
HANK AND ASHA (USA), / Director: Bryan Pick
VINO VERITAS (USA) / Director: Sara Knight
KARAOKE GIRL (Thailand) / Director: Visra Vichit-Vadakan
LAST LOOK (USA) / Director: Hernando Bansuelo
MURDER IN THE DARK (USA, Italy) / Director: Dagen Merrill
NAI RIVER (China) / Director: Bin Luo
SIDE BY SIDE (UK) / Director: Arthur Landon
GOLDEN MESH – FIOS DE OVOS (Brazil) / Director: Maíra Bühler, Matias Mariani
PANORAMA DOCUMENTARY
BROTHERS HYPNOTIC – MUSIC (USA) / Director: Reuben Atlas
HAITI THE EARTH (Haiti, Belgium) / Director: Jean-Claude Riga
SANCTITY OF SANCTUARY (USA) / Director: Blis Hanousek DeVault
TALES OF THE ORGAN TRADE (Canada) / Director: Ric Esther Bienstock
WILLIAM AND THE WINDMILL (USA) / Director: Ben Nabors
ROUGHCUT (Greece) / Director: Eliana Abravanel
BAYOU MAHARAJAH: JAMES BOOKER (USA) / Director: Lily Keber
COMEDY WARRIORS – COMEDY (USA) / Director: John Wager
CONTRARIAN – MR. TEMPLETON (USA, Bahamas) / Director: Mary Mazzio
CHINESE SPOTLIGHT
CAUGHT IN THE WEB (China) / Director: Kaige Chen
FENG SHUI (China) / Director: Jing Wang
PAINTED SKIN: THE RESURRECTION (China) / Director: Wuershanimages via Facebook / Facebook
via bahamaislandsinfo
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RESTLESS CITY and the Winners of 8th Bahamas International Film Festival
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RESTLESS CITY[/caption]The 8th Bahamas International Film Festival (BIFF) awarded the film RESTLESS CITY with the New Visions prize, but the audience voted the Jamaican film BETTER MUS’ COME the Best Film at the now wrapped festival. Restless City, an official selection of the 2011 Sundance Film Festival, tells the story of an Africa immigrant surviving on the fringes of New York City where music is his passion, life is a hustle, and falling in love is his greatest risk.
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Better Mus Come[/caption]Better Mus’ Come set in 1970’s Jamaica, is a violent film that captures the deep rooted conflict at the heart of Jamaican politics.
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MARATHON BOY[/caption]MARATHON BOY about the four-year-old boy in India famous for running long distance races and his relationship with his mentor-trainer was awarded the Spirit of Freedom: Documentary award.
BIFF 2011 winners are:
New Visions
RESTLESS CITY (USA) / Director: Andrew Dosunmu
First Look
Best Feature: AMOS (The Bahamas) / Director: Karen Arthur, Thomas Neuwirth
Best Short: FIVE BONES (The Bahamas) / Director: Tyler Johnston
*Honorable mention to TALL TALE OF AN ACCIDENTAL TOURIST (The Bahamas) / Director: Jason Evans
Spirit of Freedom: Narrative
VIPS (Brazil) / Director: Toniko Melo
*Honorable mention to BETTER MUS’ COME (Jamaica) / Director: Storm Saulter
Spirit of Freedom: Documentary
MARATHON BOY (USA/UK/India) / Director: Gemma Atwal
*Honorable mention to ZERO PERCENT (USA) / Director: Tim Skousen
Short Film
HOMECOMING (USA) / Director: Gursimran Sandhu
2011 BIFF Audience Awards
Best Narrative Feature: BETTER MUS’ COME (Jamaica) / Director: Storm Saulter
Best Documentary: ON THE WINGS OF MEN (USA/The Bahamas) / Director: Calvin Dwight HarrisWinning screenplay in BIFF’s Filmmakers’ Residency Program is Danea Cash’s screenplay MARCH ON.
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Bahamas International Film Festival Announces 2011 Official Film Lineup
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Johnny Depp in The Rum Diary[/caption]“The Rum Diary” starring BIFF’s 2009 Career Achievement tributee and Bahamian home owner, Johnny Depp, will open the 8th Bahamas International Film Festival (BIFF) on Thursday, December 1st while sports dramedy “Breakaway” starring Rob Lowe will close the festival on Sunday, December 4th.
This year, the Festival, which takes place December 1-4, 2011 in Nassau, will showcase 68 films from 33 different countries, including 42 features of which several are international premieres and all are Bahamian premieres. The four competition categories at BIFF are Spirit of Freedom: Narrative; Documentary; New Visions; First Look; and Short Film. Special sections include Caribbean and Environmental sidebars as well as a World Cinema showcase.
The official BIFF lineup is comprised of the following films:
SPIRIT OF FREEDOM (NARRATIVE)
MOTHERS (Macedonia) / Director: Micho Manchevski
MAYA (Albania) / Director: Pluton Vasi
WHERE THE ROAD MEETS THE SUN (USA/Singapore/Indonesia) / Director: Mun Chee Yong
BETTER MUS’ COME (Jamaica) / Director: Storm Saulter
VIPS (Brazil) / Director: Toniko Melo
SPIRIT OF FREEDOM (DOC)
MARATHON BOY (USA/UK/India) / Director: Gemma Atwal
ZERO PERCENT (USA) / Director: Tim Skousen
FAMBUL TOK (USA) / Director: Sara Terry
GIVE UP TOMORROW (USA / UK) / Director: Michael Collins
DONOR UNKNOWN (UK) / Director: Jerry Rothwell
NEW VISIONS
BRINGING UP BOBBY (USA) / Director: Famke Janssen
YELLING TO THE SKY (USA) / Director: Victoria Mahoney
JE T’AIME I LOVE YOU TERMINAL (Israel) / Director: Dani Menkin
RESTLESS CITY (USA) / Director: Andrew Dosunmu
WITHOUT (USA) / Director: Mark Jackson
LOVE.NET (Bulgaria) / Director: Ilian Djevelekov
WORLD CINEMA
FACE TO FACE (Australia) / Director: Michael Rymer
SAVAGE (Sweden) / Director: Martin Jern, Emil Larsson
SWEET LITTLE LIES (USA) / Director: William Saunders
THE WEDDING PARTY (Australia) / Director: Amanda Jane
TIRZA (Belgium/The Netherlands/Libyan Arab Jamahiriya) / Director: Rudolf van den Berg
CAPSULAS (Guatemala) / Director: Verónica Riedel
TOAST (USA) / Director: SJ Clarkson
Y-NING? (Trinidad & Tobago) / Director: Emilie Upczak
BOMBAY BEACH, CALIFORNIA (USA) / Director: Alma Har’el
THE CREATORS (South Africa) / Director: Laura Gamse, Jacques de Villiers
BIG IN HOLLYWOOD (India/USA) / Director: Bill Bowles, Kenny Meehan
DO WOMEN KNOW WHAT THEY WANT (USA) / Director: Michael Baisden
REAL VOODOO (Canada) / Director: Sandra Whiteley
SENNA (UK) / Director: Asif Kapadia
SPECIAL SCREENING
THE RUM DIARY (US) / Director: Bruce Robinson
BREAKAWAY (Canada) / Director: Robert Lieberman
A DANGEROUS METHOD (Germany/ Canada) / Director: David Cronenberg
FIRST LOOK
ON THE WINGS OF MEN (USA/The Bahamas) / Director: Calvin Dwight Harris
ISLANDS OF LIFE (USA/The Bahamas) / Director: Bo Boudart
COCOON (The Bahamas) / Director: Giovanna Swaby
TALL TALE OF AN ACCIDENTAL TOURIST (The Bahamas) / Director: Jason Evans
FIVE BONES (The Bahamas) / Director: Tyler Johnston
DEVOTEE (The Bahamas) / Director: June Collie
AMOS (The Bahamas) / Director: Karen Arthur, Thomas Neuwirth
SHORTS
ANYTHING FOR YOU (USA) / Director: Laura Belsey
SEXTING (USA) / Director: Tim Harms
THE SEA IS ALL I KNOW (USA) / Director: Jordan Bayne
THIEF (USA) / Director: Julian Higgins
15 SUMMERS LATER (Norway) / Director: Pedro Collantes
ALAMBAMENTO (Angola/Egypt/USA) / Director: Mario Bastos
AUGENBLICKE (Germany) / Director: Martin Bargiel
HOMECOMING (USA) / Director: Gursimran Sandhu
CHRISTMAS PIGGY (Denmark) / Director: R.S. Soderstrom
GOOD MORNING BEAUTIFUL (USA) / Director: Todd Cobery
MERCY GRACE & CRAB MEAT (USA) / Director: Jonathan Thompson
MI HATICE (Turkey) / Director: Denis Metin
MISH MUSH (Syria/Canada) / Director: Amar Chebib
KILL BRASS (Canada) / Director: Michael Kandinsky
THE SHORE (Northern Ireland) / Director: Terry George
LAN (USA/China) / Director: Taylour Chang
POST-NUP (USA) / Director: Katharine Woodman-Maynard
TELL-TALE (UK) / Director: Greg Williams
MY BIG RED PURSE (USA) / Director: Giancarlo Iannotta
NORTH ATLANTIC (Portugal/UK) / Director: Bernardo Nascimento
THE BURNT CORK (Australia) / Director: Alexandra Edmondson
THE HAYMAKER (Canada/USA) / Director: Daniel D’Alimonte
TORA (Canada) / Director: Glen Samuel, Wendy Ord
TOY SOLDIER (Australia/France/Israel) / Director: Jeremy Bliss
10 AVE MARIA (Aruba) / Director: Ryan Oduber, Juan Francisco Pardo
INCEST! THE MUSICAL (USA) / Director: Grant Reed
BOFFIN & BOFFIN (USA) / Director: Ed Blythe
MUMBIA CHARLIE (UK/ INDIA) Director: Deepak VermaActress/singer Zoe Isabella Kravitz (“X-Men: First Class,” “It’s Kind of a Funny Story,” “Yelling to the Sky”), daughter of legendary American/Bahamian musician Lenny Kravitz and actress Lisa Bonet, will be honored with BIFF’s signature Rising Star Tribute. Kravitz will be on hand for the special award tribute presentation on Friday, December 2nd at the Atlantis Resort on Paradise Island.
The festival will also bring back the Filmmaker’s Residency Program. For the second year BIFF has broadened the program to include filmmakers from around the world to submit screenplays that are based in The Bahamas or Caribbean region.
BIFF 2011 begins Thursday, December 1st in Nassau and runs through Sunday, December 4th.
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2010 Bahamas International Film Festival Winners Announced
TAKE TWO: Rasselas Lakew (Center)co-director and star of Atletu – The Athlete (Ethiopia) receives his award for Spirit of Freedom (Narrative). Far left is Leslie Vanderpool, BIFF Founder; and the category judges left to right: Hannah Fisher, Morris Ruskin, and Rani Sitty. The film also won the BIFF Audience Award for feature narrative. Photo: Eric Rose for BIFF The winners were announced yesterday at the 7th edition of the Bahamas International Film Festival (BIFF), which wrapped on Sunday evening. The Ethiopian film, Ateltu, about Abebe Bikila the first African to win a gold medal and the first person in history to win consecutive Olympic gold medals in the marathon, took the top Spirit of Freedom award for Narrative film.
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Academy Award Winner Alan Arkin to Receive Bahamas International Film Festival Career Achievement Award
The Bahamas International Film Festival (BIFF) announced that Academy Award® winner Alan Arkin ( Little Miss Sunshine, ) will be honored with the prestigious Career Achievement Award at this year’s Film Festival, taking place December 1-5 in Nassau. Arkin will be on hand for the tribute, with the special award presentation coming from actress Abigail Breslin, who received an Oscar® nomination for Best Supporting Actress starring alongside Arkin in Little Miss Sunshine.