Film Festivals

Hong Kong’s Summer Intl Film Festival to Showcase Japanese Anime Master Mamoru Hosoda, Opens with MIRAI

[caption id="attachment_30889" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Mamoru Hosoda[/caption] A special program featuring Mamoru Hosoda – the Japanese anime master of the new generation will be showcased at the Summer International Film Festival (SummerIFF) – the Summer edition of the Hong Kong International Film Festival. [caption id="attachment_30890" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Mirai[/caption] His latest feature, Mirai, the first Japanese animated work ever to receive a world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, will be the opening film of SummerIFF, which also features four of his acclaimed works. Hosoda will visit Hong Kong for a master class, leading fans into a world of boundless imagination and fascinating stories. The special program, titled “The World of Mamoru Hosoda,” celebrates the unparalleled achievement of the renowned director as he blazes a new path for Japanese hand-drawn animation. Opening the SummerIFF, Mirai (2018) is his latest ambitious exploration of the circle of life via a single family. This magnificent tale, which centers on a 4-year-old boy taken by his sister from the future into a series of surprising adventures, epitomizes Hosoda’s spellbinding mix of time leap, futuristic fantasy and familial affection. Hailed as the next Miyazaki Hayao, Hosoda attracted international attention with The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (2006), a romantic fantasy that transforms the coming-of-age story into an openhearted fable. Summer Wars (2009) continues to dazzle audiences and critics alike for its eccentric and whimsical imagination of both digital and real worlds. Produced under his own animation house, Studio Chizu, Wolf Children (2012) and The Boy and the Beast (2015) further establish his signature style – a strong sense of family ties, and the growth to greater maturity through perseverance. His ingenuity of combining realistic settings with futuristic stories has earned him global recognition and awards, placing him as one of the leading anime directors in Japan today. The presentation of these earlier acclaimed works from 14 August onwards will give Hong Kong audiences an opportunity to revisit Hosoda’s creative oeuvre as a prelude to his visit and the premiere of his new film. Hosoda will meet the audience after the screening of Mirai on August 18, and will also attend a master class after the screening of The Boy and the Beast on August 19 to share his creative insights. In addition, an exhibition under the same title will be held from August 14 to 27, featuring his character designs, sketches of structures as well as re-created sets from his celebrated works. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mp6IcekfEpo
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Immersive Storytelling Program and More New Programming Added to 2018 LA Film Festival

The LA Film Festival, which is moving to the fall this year, will include an immersive storytelling program curated by Jacqueline Lyanga, Guest Director, VR and Immersive Storytelling, in partnership with Loyola Marymount University’s School of Film and Television; We the People, a two-day summit committed to advancing inclusion within the entertainment industry; a partnership with the International Documentary Association’s biannual conference, Getting Real ’18; and a benefit dinner celebrating 25 years of Project Involve, honoring Effie T. Brown, Jon M. Chu, Cherien Dabis and Charles D. King. The upcoming 24th edition of the Festival, under the leadership of Festival Director Jennifer Cochis, will take place September 20 to 28, 2018. “The evolution of the LA Film Festival continues!” said Jennifer Cochis, Festival Director. “The new partnerships formed with kindred and beloved organizations like LMU’s School of Film and Television and the International Documentary Association are radical, connecting creators in brand new ways. Jacqueline Lyanga will helm the LA Film Festival’s first foray into immersive storytelling as Guest Director, VR and Immersive Storytelling. She is a talented and distinguished tastemaker in our global festival community. The pieces and experiences she will curate are not just of the moment; these are the storytellers of the future. The Festival is also expanding our inclusion summit, We the People, to allow us to continue to be leaders within the broader industry dialogue as we continue to work towards solutions for parity across Hollywood.” Josh Welsh, President of Film Independent added, “Project Involve has worked to make this industry more inclusive for a quarter of a century. We are taking this moment to celebrate the work of Project Involve alumni like, Effie T. Brown, Jon M. Chu and Cherien Dabis, as well as industry leaders like Charles D. King. These are the people who are bringing the change, and we’re so happy to honor them at the Festival this year, and to help raise funds to support the program into the future.” This year marks the launch of an immersive storytelling section of the Festival, in partnership with LMU’s School of Film and Television, Jacqueline Lyanga (former Director, AFI FEST) will curate this section of the Festival as Guest Director, VR and Immersive Storytelling. This section will showcase exemplary, daring new work in a variety of new media platforms including VR, AI and AR. This two-day experience will be free to the public and take place September 22-23, at the new LMU Playa Vista Campus, located in the heart of Silicon Beach, the hub for innovative technology and digital entertainment. Continuing to advance the inclusion conversation, the Festival is launching We the People, a two-day summit that is a participatory, solution-oriented call to action. Over the course of two days at the Writers Guild Theatre, September 22 and 23, We the People will feature free panel discussions and keynote conversations addressing issues of representation and inclusion in the industry. Panelists include Tre’vell Anderson (LA Times), Russell Boast (president, CSA), Kate Hagan (The Black List), Teresa Huang (SEAL Team), Our Lady J (Pose), Franklin Leonard (The Black List), Nic Novicki (Founder Easterseals Disability Film Challenge), Natasha Rottweil (Insecure), Krista Suh (Co-Founder, Pussyhat movement), Steven James Tingus (board member, RespectAbility), Gail Williamson (talent agent, KMR & Associates) and more to be announced. The conversations will range from the state of the entertainment industry’s inclusion efforts both on screen and behind the camera, in addition to how women, immigrants, Muslims, LGBTQ+, Native Americans, people with disabilities and people of color are represented. On the evening of Saturday, September 22, a benefit dinner will be held to celebrate 25 years of Project Involve, the organization’s mentorship initiative for underrepresented voices in the industry. The benefit dinner will honor Project Involve Fellows Effie T. Brown (Real Women Have Curves, Dear White People), Jon M. Chu (GI Joe: Retaliation, Crazy Rich Asians), Cherien Dabis (Amreeka, Empire) and MACRO’s Founder & CEO Charles D. King (Mudbound, Fences) at the home of Catharine and Jeffrey Soros. The event is chaired by long-time program supporter Chaz Ebert. For more information on tickets and tables, contact Jennifer Murby at jmurby@filmindependent.org. The Festival is also adding a partnership with the International Documentary Association to expand Film Independent and the Festival’s support of the documentary community. The Festival is introducing a Documentary Pass and centering its documentary programming at ArcLight Cinemas Hollywood to make it easily accessible to attendees of the IDA’s conference, Getting Real. Festival Doc Pass holders will receive a discount to Getting Real and vice versa. Film Independent is also launching a documentary track of its Fast Track film financing market, also in partnership with the IDA. In addition to the traditional Opening and Closing Night Films available to pass holders, the Festival is also programming public screenings that LA audiences can attend on those nights. On September 20, the Festival will feature a night of Project Involve shorts and on September 28, a special Closing Night Documentary will screen. Festival passes go on sale to Film Independent Members on July 24 and to the general public on July 31 at lafilmfestival.com. The Competition Lineup will be announced on July 31. The 2018 Festival team is comprised of Jennifer Cochis, Festival Director; Rachel Bleemer, Director of Operations; Shawn Davis, Director of Events; Drea Clark, Senior Programmer, Head Programmer, US Fiction; Jenn Wilson, Senior Programmer, Head Programmer, Documentary; Heidi Honeycutt, Head Programmer, Nightfall; Ana Souza, Head Programmer, World Fiction; Landon Zakheim, Head of Shorts; Hasan Foster, Senior Manager, Inclusion and Discourse; Rebecca Green, Programmer, Retrospectives; Aisha Lomax, Programmer, Podcasts and Music Videos; and Spade Robinson, Programmer, Television and Web Content. Venues for the 2018 Festival include the ArcLight Cinemas in Culver City, Hollywood and Santa Monica, as well as the new LMU Playa Vista Campus (opening this fall), the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts and the Writers Guild Theater.
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Classic Silent Film THE GOLEM (1920) for Pre-Opening of Venice International Film Festival

The silent film classic The Golem – How He Came Into The World (Der Golem – Wie er in die Welt kam, 1920), written and directed by Paul Wegener, is the film chosen for the Pre-opening event of the 75th Venice International Film Festival of the Biennale di Venezia, to be shown in the Sala Darsena (Palazzo del Cinema) on the Lido on Tuesday August 28th. The Golem – How He Came Into The World will be screened from a new digital copy made from the original negative that was thought to have been lost, restored in 4K and supervised by the Friedrich-Wilhelm-Murnau-Stiftung in Wiesbaden (Germany) and by the Cinémathèque Royale de Belgique (Cinematek) in Brussels, to be shown in its world premiere screening. The digital restoration was done by Immagine ritrovata in Bologna. The screening of The Golem – How He Came Into The World will be scored with original music by maestro Admir Shkurtaj, commissioned by La Biennale di Venezia, and performed live by the Mesimèr Ensemble wth members: Hersjana Matmuja (soprano), Giorgio Distante (Bb trumpet, midi trumpet), Pino Basile (cupafon – a set of friction drums, percussions, ocarina), Vanessa Sotgiù (synthesizer, piano), Iacopo Conoci (cello), Admir Shkurtaj (conductor, electronics, accordion, piano). The 75th Venice International Film Festival will be held on the Lido from August 29th to September 8th 2018, directed by Alberto Barbera and organized by La Biennale chaired by Paolo Baratta.
The Golem – How He Came Into The World by Paul Wegener
Set in ancient Prague of the 16th century Der Golem – Wie er in die Welt kam (1920) recounts the Jewish tale of the clay-made creature brought to life by a rabbi’s occult ritual. Foreseeing the upcoming expulsion of the Jews from the city, Rabbi Löw (Albert Steinrück) creates and awakes the mythical Golem in order to protect his people. Through a turn of events the Golem saves the emperor’s (Otto Gebühr) life, convincing him to lift the ban. But due to a jealous servant (Ernst Deutsch) and his selfish plans the Golem runs out of control and turns against his creator… Director Paul Wegener, who also performs the Golem, already adapted the story twice before, once in 1914 and again in 1917. But only his third attempt, driven by great artistic ambition, earned him broader appreciation. Its outstanding mise-en-scène with architecture by Hans Poelzig and cinematography by Karl Freund made Der Golem – Wie er in die Welt kam one of the most recognized and widely-cited films of Weimar Cinema. The film turned out to be a great international success for the German silent film industry with sold out screenings for months – even in the US and China. Its emblematic expressionist style influenced Hollywood’s classical horror movies as well as popular culture up to this day.
Notes of Restoration
No German version has survived of the silent classic Der Golem – Wie er in die Welt kam. A photochemical restoration from the 1990s bases on export versions. The discovery of an original negative at the Cinematek (Royal Film Archive of Belgium) gave cause for a new digital 4K restoration of the lost German version by the Friedrich-Wilhelm-Murnau-Stiftung and the Cinematek (Royal Film Archive of Belgium). This negative is edited of different takes than the export version. The takes for two negatives were filmed with two cameras in parallel. The Cinematek`s negative is superior with respect to camera angle and montage. A duplicate negative from the US release version at the George Eastman House proofs that at some point this negative was used for the US market. It is likely that it was originally the negative for German release. As a result of cuts for the US release, several shots were abridged. Today the original negative lacks few scenes. Some of them have survived in the material of the George Eastman House. Another source for completion will be a black-and-white print of the Cinémathèque française made from the export negative. The original negative contains many intertitles in the original Expressionist font that had not been accessible for the previous restoration. Together with the titles that the Filmmuseum München obtained from the Gosfilmofond of Russia, the new restoration will present almost all titles in the famous original font. Digital restoration of the image includes removal of excessive white dirt, defects of the negative that were created by wear and tear, and adjustment of the completing sources as close as possible to the original negative. The digitale restoration is carried out by L`Immagine Ritrovata. Reference for colours and grading is the only known vintage print of this film, an Italian release version from the Fondazione Cineteca Italiana to restore the original gray scale and typical colour effect of the original tinting.
The Music
With regard to the original music which will accompany The Golem – How He Came Into The World on the evening of August 28th, maestro Admir Shkurtaj has written: “Scoring Wegener’s film engaged the composer, for the many latent or hidden metaphors that he feels driven to identify and to develop in his own language. And so just as the wise man-wizard Löw uses his own hands to shape out of clay the instrument destined to save the community he feels responsible for, the ensemble of instruments selected for this work was asked to make, by hand, the instruments that would be needed to perform it. The Cupafon used by the percussionist is an original instrument arising from his own research into the stick friction idiophone, an instrument popular in the regions of Puglia and Basilicata; moreover, playing it requires constantly dipping the hands in water, exactly like you would to shape clay. The midi trumpet is also the result of a handcrafting process, even if to make it requires applying electronic circuits onto the instrument. Here the role of water in shaping the sound as the musician plays the Cupafon is again an artisanal process of the electronics. And so on for the rest of the musicians who were asked to make constant reference to the modus operandi of the maker who does not intend to passively follow academic and canonical performing methods. The entire work is based on a non-homogeneous musical vocabulary, which reflects the fleeting nature of form which is inherent to clay; a blend in which one can recognize elements of jazz, of contemporary music, of melodic and rhythmic modules typical of the Eastern European musical tradition and of electronic music. Geometry and the material impression of the buildings in which the scenes are set are mirrored by the concrete sounds recorded in the real environment and played through the synthesizer. The use of electronics, which initially appear unsuited to the scoring of a 1920s silent film, is justified by analogy with the unpredictable nature of the fate of every human creation: once technique has left the hands of its maker, it is destined to live a life of its own. Just as the Golem intends to do. Along with the score and as a complement to it, the performers must follow the photograms of the film to underscore, as if they were additional dynamic markings, its emotional developments. Another analogy that more specifically involves the composer of contemporary music in this scoring effort, is his spasmodic search, just like Rabbi Löw, to give life to an inanimate material which for one is the clay, for the other the sounds. Both must also make an effort to avoid incurring the disapproval of the social context for which, all things told, they both work. The Golem is taunted and feared when he is presented to the public, just like a sound production that seeks to break through established conventions and canons. If the rabbi had used his clay to make vases or pots he would undoubtedly have earned more immediate approval, but he would not have convinced the emperor to save his people. His attempt to overstep the boundaries and to attempt the impossible, is identical in nature to the attempt that a manipulator of sound materials makes in his own field when he tries new combinations and new alchemies in the language of sounds”.
Admir Shkurtaj
Admir Shkurtaj (Tirana, 3 December 1969) began his musical studies in 1984-88 at the arts and music high school “Jordan Misja” in Tirana, in Accordion playing. In 1989 he began his studies in composition at the Conservatory, and pursued them in Italy in 1991 at the Conservatorio statale “Tito Schipa” in Lecce, from which he graduated in 1999. He continued his studies with Sandro Gorli (1994 -1996) and then with Alessandro Solbiati (1999-2002), in courses that would be important for his training as a composer. He earned a diploma in Electronic Music in 2009 and works as a composer, instrumentalist and improviser. He writes music for chamber and full orchestras, theatre and film.
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Ted Hope to Receive Best Independent Producer Award 2018 at Locarno Film Festival

Film producer Ted Hope will receive the Best Independent Producer Award 2018 “Premio Raimondo Rezzonico” at the Locarno Film Festival for his involvement in independent international film production, bringing new and unexpected voices into the spotlight. Ted Hope will receive the Award in Piazza Grande on Thursday, August 2. Ted Hope, whose career spans over more than 35 years, is marked by his passion for independent cinema. Born in the United States in 1962, Ted Hope came early to the world of cinema and in 1990 founded the production company Good Machine in New York, together with James Schamus. These were the years in which Hope produced the first films by Ang Lee: Tui shou (Pushing Hands, 1991), Xi yan (The Wedding Banquet, 1993) and Yin shi nan nu (Eat Drink Man Woman, 1994), the last ones both nominated at the Academy Awards, followed by The Ice Storm (1997), screened at Locarno in Piazza Grande. During the same period, Happiness (1998), directed by Todd Solondz, was presented at the Directors’ Fortnight in Cannes and won of the International Critics’ Award; Ride with the Devil (1999); and In the Bedroom (2001), which won numerous awards, including five Academy Awards nominations and a Golden Globe. Three of his productions also won the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival: What Happened Was… (1994), The Brothers McMullen (1995), and American Splendor (2003). The latter, based on the life of the cartoonist Harvey Pekar, won numerous awards, including the International Critics’ Award at the Cannes Festival and was nominated for an Oscar. In 2015 Hope was called upon by Amazon to take care of the production of feature films. At the head of the creative team at Amazon Studios, he is responsible for the films produced, developed and acquired by the company, managing to combine his taste for independent cinema with the needs of a large distribution giant. The most prestigious results are Manchester by the Sea (2016), which won an Oscar for its leading actor in 2017, and The Big Sick (2017), which won the Prix du Public UBS in Piazza Grande last year. In his first year at Amazon Studios, the Amazon team distributed 14 films, winning 335 nominations and 131 awards, including seven Academy Awards and five Golden Globe nominations. In 2018, in the wake of his numerous successes, he continues to support the work of important directors on the international scene, including Lynne Ramsay, Spike Lee, Gus Van Sant and Lauren Greenfield. Prior to joining Amazon, Hope produced over 70 films and was also one of the founders of the production companies This is That and Double Hope Films. His flair for talent helped launch the careers of major directors such as Hal Hartley, Michel Gondry, Nicole Holofcener and many others. Hope’s inspiring filmmaking guide Hope For Film was published in 2015. Carlo Chatrian, Artistic Director of the Locarno Festival: “In a scene marked by the growing weight of marketing and communication strategies, Ted Hope embodies a role-model figure for those who consider cinema to be a vehicle for making original and different voices heard. As simple in his way of presenting himself as he is in his production choices, in thirty years as an independent producer or in the Amazon Studios team, Ted Hope has not changed his relationship with the directors and the films he supports. The Best Independent Producer Award “Premio Raimondo Rezzonico” that the Festival presents him is therefore both recognition for the work he has done and a sign of encouragement to continue along the path he has taken.” Ted Hope will receive the Best Independent Producer Award “Premio Raimondo Rezzonico” in Piazza Grande on the evening of Thursday, August 2. The tribute will be accompanied by the screening of a selection of films from his career. On Friday August 3, at 10.30 am, the Festival public will have the chance to attend a conversation with the producer at the Spazio Cinema. The Best Independent Producer Award “Premio Raimondo Rezzonico”, offered by the Municipality of Minusio, was established in 2002, in memory of the President who chaired the Festival from 1980 to 1999. The 71st edition of the Locarno Festival will take place from August 1 to 11, 2018.
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Dominican Film Festival in NYC Announces 2018 Lineup, Opens with Premiere of MY GIRLFRIEND’S GHOST

[caption id="attachment_30840" align="aligncenter" width="1179"] El fantasma de mi novia (My Girlfriend’s Ghost)[/caption] The 7th Dominican Film Festival in New York City (DFFNYC) today announced its official program with a roster of 70 films in a celebration of Dominican filmmaking outside of the Dominican Republic. The festival runs July 24 to 29 under the slogan “Cinema Unites Us!” (El Cine Nos Une) boasting a wide range of genres, and paying homage to the classics. DFFNYC starts on Tuesday, July 24, 7:30pm, with a red-carpet event and opening ceremony featuring the U.S. premiere of the romantic comedy El fantasma de mi novia (My Girlfriend’s Ghost) by Francis ‘El Indio’ Disla followed by a Q&A with the film’s stars, Carmen Villalobos and Susana Dosamantes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QaCFQVcevyY DFFNYC will screen in six venues across Manhattan with the AMC Empire 25 as its main venue, and will host more than 60 actors and filmmakers to participate in Q&As and panel discussions. The festival offers a platform for both new and established members of the Dominican film industry to promote their works to the public. “The festival seeks to give film lovers the most emblematic showcase of the stories that are made in the Dominican Republic today,” said Armando Guareño, DFFNYC’s Founder and Executive Director. “We’ve gathered the most representative film experts and personalities from our island and its diaspora under a single roof.” The festival line-up includes a tribute to much-admired actors Hector Anibal (Cómplices, Reinbou, El Hombre que Cuida), Kiki Melendez (Cattle Call, Hot Tamales Live, Journey of a Female Comic) and Celines Toribio (Colao, Maria Montez, Las 7 Muertes). Organizers will also pay homage to late director Fernando Baez (Flor de Azucar) and include a presentation of the Dominican classic Pasaje de Ida. DFFNYS will host more than 40 World, U.S., and N.Y. premieres, as well as award-winning features, documentaries, animations and shorts from festivals around the world.
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African Women Shine at 2018 Zanzibar International Film Festival Winning 10 Awards, SUPA MODO Wins Best Film

[caption id="attachment_30835" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] New Moon, from Philippa Ndisi-Herrmann win at Zanzibar International Film Festival[/caption] African women dominated at the 2018 Zanzibar International Film Festival winning many of the top prizes at the awards ceremony on Saturday night July 14th. Amongst a record number of over 4,000 entries across all all categories and from over 140 countries, East African filmmakers also featured prominently with the stunning Kenyan film Supa Modo taking home the coveted Golden Dhow for Best Feature Film. The films in selection crossed a broad spectrum of topics and genres and represented over 40 countries including Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda South Africa, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Iraq, Western Sahara, Niger, Iran, The United States, France, Ghana, Belgium, Tunisa, Swaziland, India, United Kingdom and many more. Women filmmakers took home a total of 10 awards, with the documentary Silas directed by Anjali Nayar, Hawa Essuman taking home two awards; Best Documentary and Best International Film. [caption id="attachment_30836" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] The Wedding Ring by Rahmatou Keita win at Zanzibar International Film Festival[/caption] The Chairman’s Bi Kidude Award, named after the legendary Zanzibar musician, was awarded to Rahmatou Keita from Niger for her moving and romantic plea for cultural preservation, The Wedding Ring. The Emerson Foundation’s Award for Best Film from Zanzibar was also awarded to a woman, Barke Ali, while the SIGNIS East African Talent Award went to Ugandan woman Kemiyondo Coutinho for Kyenvu. In the inaugural version of the category for Best TV Series, South African Lucilla Blankenberg for her series Jab. The Ousmane Sembene Awards for Short Film went both went to women, with Tanzania’s Esther Mndeme and South Africa’s Rea Moeti taking home the honours for their films Leah and Mma Moeketsi respectively. Best Short Film overall was won by Tunisia’s Moufida Fedhila for Aya, while the Best Short Swahili Film was won by Faith Musembi for her film Pendo. Additionally, women were in the spotlight throughout the event with the Ladima Foundation hosting two events and also awarding the Adaiaha Award for Best Documentary from an African Woman to New Moon, from Philippa Ndisi-Herrmann. The Ladima Women of Influence Panel was especially well received with its focus on tangible steps to be taken to assist the development and recognition within the film and media industries. The panel included Bikiya Graham-Douglas, a Nigerian actress, singer, entrepreneur and the founder of Beeta Universal Arts Foundation, Biola Alabi, an African media expert with over 25 years of local and global media experience, Theresa Hill: South Africa: General Manager STEPS/ Acquisition Manager AfriDocs, Dr. Mzuri Issa Ali: Zanzibar: Director TAMWA, Giselle Portenier, a Candian award-winning journalist and filmmaker, and Farida Nyamachumbe a filmmaker from Zanzibar.
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Leli Maki Esq.’s TABLE MANNERS to World Premiere at Durban International Film Festival [Trailer]

Leli Maki Esq.’s Table Manners will World Premiere at this year’s Durban International Film Festival on July 23. Table Manners is a film about loss, love and finding oneself through one’s passion. Megan (Diaan Lawrenson) loses everything when her husband, Lloyd (Neels Van Jaarsveld), gets arrested for tax fraud and has to rebuild herself by rediscovering her love for cooking and the flavors of life. With the help of her best friend Lindiwe (Renate Stuurman), she learns that the path back home begins with realizing that she is enough and all she needs is her family, food and love. Life’s 3 courses made easy. The script was written and produced by SAFTA Award winning writer and actress Nkuli Sibeko who drew from her own love of cooking and family as the inspiration for the script. This is the director’s theatrical debut, and Leli Maki Esq. drew inspiration for the film’s visual aesthetic from the connection that food has to emotions. “In Table Manners the challenge was to channel Megan’s emotions through her relationship with the food; visually representing the sensation of her anger through burnt chocolate proved a challenge for us which my team and I met head on and with gusto. We’re proud of our film” says Maki. Diaan Lawrenson and Renate Stuurman headline this visual feast for all the senses. Neels Van Jaarsveld, Thabo Malema, Fiona Ramsey and John Lata round off the strong cast as they all take turns tasting and learning from Diaan’s tasty yet wise creations. Table Manners is the third film from the Jack&Jill Productions company which has had past successes at both Durban International Film Festival and the Pan African Film Festival in Los Angeles. The company self-funded its first two feature length projects: Freedom Mixtape, a documentary which was Durban International Film Festival 2014 and Winsome, a romantic comedy which was in competition in the Best First Feature Narrative category at the Pan African Film Festival 2015. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9kWzAqlWDXM Table Manners will screen on July 23 at Suncoast, with further screenings on July 24, at Gateway and on July 27 at Suncoast.
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PBS Online Film Festival Returns for 7th Edition with 25 Independent Short Films

[caption id="attachment_30783" align="aligncenter" width="1176"] Flip the Record[/caption] The PBS Online Film Festival returns for a seventh year July 16-27 featuring 25 short-form independent films from multiple public media partners and PBS member stations. The PBS Online Film Festival is part of a multi-platform initiative to increase the reach and visibility of independent films, and to provide a showcase for diverse storytelling that inspires and engages. The festival will be available via PBS and station digital platforms, including PBS.org. As in previous years, films will also be available to stream on YouTube and Facebook. This year’s lineup features films from the Black Public Media, Center for Asian American Media (CAAM), Independent Television Service (ITVS), Latino Public Broadcasting, National Association of Latino Independent Producers (NALIP), Pacific Islanders in Communications (PIC), POV, To The Contrary, Vision Maker Media and World Channel, as well as PBS local member stations, including DPTV (Detroit), KLRU-TV Austin PBS, Louisiana Public Broadcasting, NET (Nebraska), Twin Cities Public Television, UNC-TV, Vermont PBS, WNET (New York) and WSIU (Illinois). “Every year, PBS and its member stations challenge ourselves to elevate the breadth and depth of innovative storytelling through our work with the PBS Online Film Festival,” said Ira Rubenstein, Chief Digital & Marketing Officer. “The world of filmmaking is changing, and filmmakers can make as much of an impact on small screens as they do on big screens. The festival amplifies unique stories from an exciting collection of filmmakers across the country, reaching viewers on platforms as diverse as the films themselves.” Viewers are encouraged to vote for their favorite film to win the “Most Popular” award, and a distinguished panel of eight jury members will select their favorite film of the festival for the “Juried Prize.” This year’s jury members include International Documentary Association Executive Director Simon Kilmurry, Black Film Critics Circle Founder Mike Sargent, WGBH Educational Foundation Executive Producer Judith Vecchione, Firelight Media & Films Documentary Lab Manager Chloe Walters-Wallace, Digital Media Executive Adnaan Wasey, Senior Director of Programming & Development at PBS Pamela Aguilar, FRONTLINE Producer & Editor Michelle Mizner and American Experience Producer Eric Gulliver. Short films featured in the 2018 PBS Online Film Festival include: Black Public Media “Heroes of Color” An educational video series highlighting the outstanding achievements of people of color. CAAM “Flip the Record” In this 1980s coming-of-age story, a Filipino American teen flips the narrative by teaching herself how to DJ. “Our Time” A dark family secret opens up a young child’s eyes to a sobering reality, but also love. DPTV “Hungry for Love” Two down-and-out foodies embark on an all-night dining adventure through Sapporo, Japan. “The Book Club” A sequel to the stop-motion short film “The List,” “The Book Club” is, at heart, a love story, but carries a deeper message about staying true to oneself. ITVS “Pops Ep. 1 “La Guardia Adjusts to Fatherhood”” Pops tells three stories of African Americans from a variety of socio-economic backgrounds and regions, all deeply engaged in the beautiful struggle of fatherhood. “The F Word Ep. 1 ‘F Is for: Foster Care’” A queer Bay Area couple bumble through a bureaucratic maze as they seek to form their family by adopting from foster care. KLRU “Animal Facts Club Presents – Endangered Rituals” The curious mating rituals of the endangered Attwater Prairie Chicken and Houston Toad. Latino Public Broadcasting “Caracol Cruzando” A Costa Rican girl decides if she will bring her pet turtle across the U.S. border. Louisiana Public Broadcasting “Mr. United States” Today, Avery D. Wilson appears to be a confident pillar of his community, but in this uplifting story, he reveals otherwise. Avery was bullied as a child and later questioned how being gay would affect his faith. As an adult, he feared how his parents would react to his secret. It wasn’t until years later that Avery learned to accept himself – to love himself – and become Mr. United States. NALIP “Desde el principio” In the darkness of a soundproof recording studio, a conversation sparks between two voice actors dealing with a shared tragedy. “The Melancholy Man” “The Melancholy Man” tells the story of the world’s saddest man who meets the world’s saddest woman. Through a fantastical lens, these characters come together in their harmonious misery and find something that surprises them both. NET Nebraska “Total Eclipse of the Heartland” From sky to prairie, relive the Great American Eclipse of 2017 in 360 degrees. PIC “Ka Piko” When his girlfriend dies during childbirth, Makana, a young Native Hawaiian man, must perform a traditional birthing ritual with his girlfriend’s overbearing father. POV “Redneck Muslim” A Muslim hospital chaplain honors his Southern heritage while challenging white supremacy. To The Contrary “Ties That Bind” A personal and heartfelt documentary on one family’s experience with gender transition. Twin Cities Public Television “I Am a Refugee” There are 64 million refugees in the world. This film explores their experience. “Women in Sports Leadership” Explore why having women coaches matters, hear some of their barriers and celebrate a few successes. UNC-TV “Cowgirl Up” A cowgirl from Natchez, Mississippi pursues her lifelong dream to become the first African American female in the National Finals Rodeo. Vermont PBS “Black Canaries” Isolated, desperate, and haunted by his coal-stained birthright, Father continues his daily descent into the accursed Maplemine — even after it has crippled his ancestors and blinded his youngest son. Vision Maker Media “A Redemption Story” See how Leo Yankton (Oglala Lakota) contributed in efforts to protect the water on the Standing Rock reservation and continues to find ways to have a positive impact with Native Country and the rest of the world. World Channel “Black Muslim Woman” Against a rhythmic score, Mikel Aki’leh delivers a powerful poem on beauty and blackness. WNET “Stronghold of Resistance: Sable Island & Her Legendary Horses” This short film takes viewers to the shores of Sable Island, a remote strip of land less than a mile wide, whose only full-time inhabitants are a herd of near-mythical wild horses; no human attempts at colonization have ever succeeded. “Wind Back” A sealed door divides a little boy from his mother. He will go to great lengths to be with her, but when that barrier breaks down, the boy will have to become an adult. WSIU “Super Predator: Preludes of the Black Fish” Parallels the predator-prey relationship of a black man and social boundaries.
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Durban International Film Festival to Celebrate 100th Anniversary of President Nelson Mandela’s Birth

[caption id="attachment_30777" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] An Act Of Defiance[/caption] 2018 marks the 100th anniversary celebrations around the globe of President Nelson Mandela’s birthday, and the Durban International Film Festival (DIFF) will present three films that provide fascinating insights into one of the most celebrated statesmen to have ever lived. The DIFF, which is organised by the University of KwaZulu-Natal’s Centre for Creative Arts and takes place from July 19 to 29, will feature Celebrating Mandela One Hundred, An Act Of Defiance and The State Against Mandela and the Others. Celebrating Mandela One Hundred, is a documentary feature produced and conceptualised by Anant Singh, and made with the support and endorsement of the Nelson Mandela Foundation. The film traces Mandela’s life from his roots in the rural village of Mveso, to becoming one of the greatest leaders the world has ever seen. Celebrating Mandela One Hundred takes us beyond the political and into the personal, and features exclusive interviews with family members, close friends, comrades, politicians and international celebrities, telling us the story of a man who became an international icon. An Act Of Defiance directed by Jean Van De Velde, tells the story of Bram Fischer who managed to reconcile his white Afrikaner roots with his desire for justice, joining the struggle against apartheid out of principle. He defended Nelson Mandela and his comrades in the Rivonia Trial of 1963 and 1964 – playing a crucial role in preventing the ANC-leaders being sentenced to death – and was an underground guerrilla at the same time. [caption id="attachment_30778" align="aligncenter" width="1000"] The State Against Mandela and the Others[/caption] Linking in with this film The State Against Mandela and the Others directed by Nicolas Champeaux, Gilles Porte, is a documentary based on recently recovered archival recordings of the Rivonia Trial hearings. Although Mandela took centre stage during the historic trial, there were nine others who, like him, faced the death sentence and were subject to pitiless cross-examinations. The film transports us back into the thick of the courtroom battles and attempts to redress the historic balance by putting Mandela’s comrades centre stage. State Against Mandela and the Others is a reminder, says co-director Gilles Porte, “that all great things that happen in this world are achieved collectively.”
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Films by Claire Denis, Simon Jaquemet, Kim Jee-woon and More to Compete for Golden Shell at 66th San Sebastián Film Festival

[caption id="attachment_30771" align="aligncenter" width="1000"] The Black Book (Le cahier noir)[/caption] The latest films by Claire Denis, Simon Jaquemet, Kim Jee-woon, Naomi Kawase, Benjamín Naishtat, Valeria Sarmiento and Markus Schleinzer are the first films confirmed to be competing for the Golden Shell at the 66th San Sebastián Film Festival. Claire Denis (Paris, 1946), the director of Beau travail or White Material, will be competing for the first time for the Golden Shell with High Life. In this science-fiction film, Denis is working once again with Juliette Binoche, after Un beau soleil intérieur (Let the Sun Shine In) -which won the SACD Award in the Directors’ Fortnight at Cannes ex aequo last year with Philippe Garrel- and Robert Pattinson. For Naomi Kawase (Nara, Japan, 1969) this will be her second time in the Official Section, after she presented Genpin, which won the Fipresci Award, in 2010. Now, after taking part in Un Certain Regard and in the Official Competition at Cannes with her last two films, An / Sweet Bean and Hikari / Radiance, respectively, she will be coming to San Sebastián with Vision, shot in her native province. The film also stars the French actress Juliette Binoche and the Japanese actor, Masatoshi Nagase (An, Hikari, Paterson). Kim Jee-woon (Seúl, 1964) will also be competing for the Golden Shell for the second time. After presenting Ang-ma-reul bo-at-da / I Saw the Devil in San Sebastián in 2010, the South Korean director will be taking part withIllang: The Wolf Brigade, the Korean remake of Jin-Roh, the anime written by Mamoru Oshii (Ghost in the Shell) about the Keberos Panzer Cops, a violent police force. This is also the second time that Valeria Sarmiento (Valparaíso, Chile, 1948) will be competing as a director in the Official Section, after presenting Elle more than two decades ago, in 1995. But Sarmiento’s links to the Festival go back to a previous decade, at the beginning of her career, when she won the Grand Prix Donostia for Best New Director in 1984 with Notre mariage, her first fictional feature film. The last time that she took part in the Festival was in Zabaltegi, where her film As Linhas de Torres / Lines of Wellington was programmed in 2012. The French/Portuguese coproduction Le cahier noir / The Black Book is inspired by the novel Livro Negro de Padre Dinis, by Camilo Castelo Branco, who also wrote Mistérios de Lisboa, which was edited by Sarmiento and which won Raúl Ruiz the Silver Shell for best director in San Sebastián (2010). El Livro Negro de Padre Dinis can be considered to be a prequel of the character that also appears in Mistérios de Lisboa. Rojo is the third feature by Benjamín Naishtat (Buenos Aires, 1986), whose debut film, Historia del miedo (History of Fear), was one of the films chosen in Films in Progress 24, competed in Berlin in 2014 and was also screened in Horizontes Latinos. With his second film, El movimiento (The Movement, 2015), he formed part of the official section in Locarno. Rojo, with a cast including Darío Grandinetti, Andrea Frigerio and Alfredo Castro, is set in Argentina in the 1970s, on the eve of the military dictatorship. Markus Schleinzer (Vienna, 1971), who competed in the official section at Cannes with his debut film, Michael, will be presenting his second feature film, Angelo, in San Sebastián. Schleinzer, who wrote together with the director, Michael Sturminger, the screenplay for Casanova Variations, which competed for the Golden Shell in 2014, now focuses on the story of an African who is Europeanised by force in a story starring Makita Samba, Alba Rohrwacher and Larisa Faber. In 2014 Simon Jaquemet (Zurich, 1978) premiered his award-winning first film, Chrieg / War, in the New Directors section at the Festival. With his second film, Der unschuldige / The Innocent, he is back in San Sebastián in the Official Section, with the portrait of a woman trapped by her past in a religious community. The other films that make up the Official Section will be announced in the next few weeks. [caption id="attachment_30770" align="aligncenter" width="1000"] ANGELO[/caption] ANGELO MARKUS SCHLEINZER (AUSTRIA – LUXEMBOURG) Cast: Makita Samba, Alba Rohrwacher, Larisa Faber The story of Angelo, an African born in the 18th century, who is brought to Europe at the age of 10. Becoming a servant at the court of enlightened nobility, he is able to use his otherness to be an appreciated guest and attraction for the members of high society. Being close to the emperor he decides to marry Magdalena, a young maidservant, with whom he falls in love. Doing so, Angelo inevitably suffers from the rejection from the court. On the height of his prestige, he has to realize, that his otherness will never be erased. He will never know a normal life, and he will always remain an outsider. Based on true events. DER UNSCHULDIGE / THE INNOCENT SIMON JAQUEMET (SWITZERLAND – GERMANY) Cast: Judith Hofman, Christian Kaiser, Thomas Schüpbach, Urs-Peter Wolters Ruth works in a neuroscience research lab, as much as she’s part of an extreme traditionalist and conservative Christian family. She suddenly finds herself facing her own past when her former lover reemerges after disappearing twenty years in jail, putting into question her feelings, her life and soon her faith. HIGH LIFE CLAIRE DENIS (FRANCE – GERMANY – UK – POLAND – USA) Cast: Robert Pattinson, Juliette Binoche, André Benjamin, Mia Goth Deep space. Beyond our solar system. Monte and his infant daughter Willow live together aboard a spacecraft, in complete isolation. A solitary man, whose strict self-discipline is a protection against desire –his own and that of others– Monte fathered the girl against his will. His sperm was used to inseminate Boyse, the young woman who gave birth to her. They were members of a crew of prisoners: space convicts, death row inmates. Guinea pigs sent on a mission to the black hole closest to Earth. Now only Monte and Willow remain. And Monte is changed. Through his daughter, for the first time, he experiences the birth of an all-powerful love. Willow grows, becoming a young girl, then a young woman. ILLANG: THE WOLF BRIGADE KIM JEE-WOON (SOUTH KOREA) Cast: GANG Dong-won, HAN Hyo-Joo, JUNG Woo-sung, KIM Mu-Yeol, HAN Ye-ri, CHOI Min-ho, HEO Joon-ho In 2029, after the governments of North and South Korea announce a 5-year plan to reunify the country, strong sanctions by the world’s powerful nations cripple the economy and lead to a hellish period of chaos. With the appearance of an armed anti-government terrorist group called The Sect which opposes reunification, the President creates a new police division called the Special Unit which amasses significant political power. However the intelligence service Public Security, which sees its own influence drop, hatches a plot to annihilate the Special Unit. Amidst this bloody struggle between two ultra-powerful institutions, rumors emerge of a secret ‘Wolf Brigade’ being formed within the Special Unit. The human weapons who are called wolves, ‘Illang’ (The Wolf Brigade). LE CAHIER NOIR / THE BLACK BOOK VALERIA SARMIENTO (FRANCE – PORTUGAL) Cast: Lou de Laâge, Stanislas Merhar, Niels Schneider, Jenna Thiam, Fleur Fitoussi, David Caracol, Vasco Varela da Silva, Tiago Varela da Silva The story of the adventures, in the twilight of the eighteenth century, of a singular couple formed by a little orphan with mysterious origins and his young Italian nurse of a similarly uncertain birth. They lead us in their wake, from Rome to Paris, from Lisbon to London, from Parma to Venice. Always followed in the shadows, for obscure reasons, by a suspicious-looking Calabrian and a troubling cardinal, they make us explore the dark intrigues of the Vatican, the pangs of a fatal passion, a gruesome duel, banter at the court of Versailles and the convulsions of the French Revolution. ROJO BENJAMIN NAISHTAT (ARGENTINA – FRANCE – NETHERLANDS – BRAZIL – FRANCE) Cast: Dario Grandinetti, Andrea Frigerio, Alfredo Castro In the mid-1970s a stranger arrives in a quiet provincial town. At a restaurant, for no apparent reason he starts to assault Claudio, a well-known lawyer. The community supports the lawyer and the stranger is humiliated and gets thrown out. Later on the way home, Claudio and his wife Susana are intercepted by the stranger who is determined to take terrible revenge on him. The lawyer then starts out on a road of no-return, of death, secrets and silences. VISION NAOMI KAWASE (JAPAN – FRANCE) Cast: Juliette Binoche, Masatoshi Nagase Jeanne, a French journalist, comes to Japan in search of ‘Vision’, a rare medicinal herb said to strip away all spiritual anguish and weaknesses in human beings. She knows that ‘Vision’ only appears once every 997 years under special conditions and that time is near. Aki, a wise villager who knows the forest well, prophesies the arrival of the mysterious ‘One’ and then disappears. Tomo, who was devoted to Aki, works as a keeper of the forests and is beginning to sense, instinctively, recent changes in the mountains. Is there a connection between the disappearance of Aki and the changes taking place in the forest? Will Jeanne succeed in finding the phantom herb Vision? A millennial event is taking place in the Yoshino mountains of Nara, opening a door to the One and the true potential of human existence.
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Billy Wilder’s SOME LIKE IT HOT and More in Venezia Classici Lineup of 75th Venice International Film Festival

[caption id="attachment_30765" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] SOME LIKE IT HOT[/caption] Since 2012, the Venezia Classici of the Venice International Film Festival has been presenting the world premieres of a selection of the best restorations of classic films conducted over the previous year by film libraries, cultural institutions and productions all over the world. Curated by Alberto Barbera in collaboration with Stefano Francia di Celle, Venezia Classici also presents a selection of documentaries about cinema and its filmmakers. The Jury, chaired by Italian director Salvatore Mereu (Three Steps Dancing, Pretty Butterflies), is composed of 26 cinema history students – nominated by their professors – from Italian universities, DAMS performing arts courses, and Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, and will award the VENEZIA CLASSICI AWARD for the BEST RESTORED FILM and the BEST DOCUMENTARY ON CINEMA. The numerous restored masterpieces in the Venezia Classici section of the 75th Venice International Film Festival include: The Night of the Shooting Stars (1982) by Paolo and Vittorio Taviani, Il posto (1961) by Ermanno Olmi, The Ascent (1976) by Larisa Shepitko, The Place Without Limits (1977) by Arturo Ripstein, The Brick and the Mirror (1964) by Ebrahim Golestan, Adieu Philippine (1962) by Jacques Roziers, Last Year in Marienbad (1961, Golden Lion at the Venice International Film Festival) by Alain Resnais, Some Like It Hot (1959) by Billy Wilder, Street of Shame (1956, Special Mention at the Venice International Film Festival) by Kenji Mizoguchi, The Night Porter (1974) by Liliana Cavani and Love, Thy Name Be Sorrow (1962) by Tomu Uchida. The 75th Venice International Film Festival will be held at the Lido from August 29 to September 8, 2018; it is directed by Alberto Barbera and organized by the Biennale chaired by Paolo Baratta. The list of the films selected for the Venezia Classici section of the 75th Festival:
VENEZIA CLASSICI
THEY LIVE [ESSI VIVONO] by JOHN CARPENTER (USA, 1988, 94’, COL.) restoration: Studiocanal IL PORTIERE DI NOTTE (THE NIGHT PORTER) by LILIANA CAVANI (Italy, 1974, 120’, COL.) restoration: CSC-Cineteca Nazionale and Istituto Luce – Cinecittà THE NAKED CITY [LA CITTÀ NUDA] by JULES DASSIN (USA, 1948, 96’, B/W) restoration: Brook Productions and Master Licensing KHESHT O AYENEH (THE BRICK AND THE MIRROR) by EBRAHIM GOLESTAN (Iran, 1964, 130’, B/W) restoration: Ecran Noir production (Mitra Farahani) and Ebrahim Golestan in collaboration with Cineteca di Bologna AKASEN CHITAI (STREET OF SHAME) [LA STRADA DELLA VERGOGNA] by KENJI MIZOGUCHI (Japan, 1956, 86’, B/W) restoration: Kadokawa Corporation IL POSTO by ERMANNO OLMI (Italy, 1961, 95’, B/W) restoration: Cineteca di Bologna and Titanus L’ANNÉE DERNIÈRE À MARIENBAD (LAST YEAR IN MARIENBAD) [L’ANNO SCORSO A MARIENBAD] by ALAIN RESNAIS (France, Italy, 1961, 94’, B/W) restoration: Studiocanal with the support of Centre National du Cinéma et de l’image animée and Chanel EL LUGAR SIN LÍMITES (THE PLACE WITHOUT LIMITS) [IL LUOGO SENZA LIMITI] by ARTURO RIPSTEIN (Mexico, 1977, 110’, COL.) restoration: Cineteca Nacional México and Imcine ADIEU PHILIPPINE [DESIDERI NEL SOLE] by JACQUES ROZIERS (France, Italy, 1962, 103’, B/W) restoration: Cinémathèque française and A17 with the support of Centre national du cinéma et de l’image animée. In collaboration with Les Archives audiovisuelles de Monaco, La Cinémathèque suisse and Extérieur Nuit. VOSKHOZHDENIYE (THE ASCENT) [L’ASCESA] by LARISA SHEPITKO (Russia, 1976, 110’, B/W) restoration: Mosfilm (producer of the restoration Karen Shakhnazarov) THE KILLERS [CONTRATTO PER UCCIDERE] by DON SIEGEL (USA, 1964, 102’, COL.) restoration: Universal Pictures THE KILLERS [I GANGSTERS] by ROBERT SIODMAK (USA, 1946, 95’, B/W) restoration: Universal Pictures LA NOTTE DI SAN LORENZO (THE NIGHT OF THE SHOOTING STARS) by PAOLO E VITTORIO TAVIANI (Italy, 1982, 107’, COL.) restoration: CSC-Cineteca Nazionale and Istituto Luce – Cinecittà KOI YA KOI NASUNA KOI (LOVE, THY NAME BE SORROW aka THE MAD FOX) [LA VOLPE FOLLE] by TOMU UCHIDA (Japan, 1962, 109’, COL.) restoration: Toei Company, Ltd. MORTE A VENEZIA (DEATH IN VENICE) by LUCHINO VISCONTI (Italy, France, USA, 1971, 130’, COL.) restoration: Cineteca di Bologna and Istituto Luce – Cinecittà in collaboration with Warner Bros. and The Criterion Collection NOTHING SACRED [NULLA SUL SERIO] by WILLIAM A. WELLMAN (USA, 1937, 74’, COL.) restoration: The Museum of Modern Art SOME LIKE IT HOT [A QUALCUNO PIACE CALDO] by BILLY WILDER (USA, 1959, 121′, B/W) restoration: Park Circus in collaboration with Metro Goldwyn Mayer and The Criterion Collection The Venezia Classici section will also feature the presentation of a selection of documentaries about cinema and its filmmakers. The complete list of the section will be announced during the press conference presenting the program of the Venice Film Festival, on Wednesday, July 25th at 11 a.m. in Rome (Cinema Moderno). Salvatore Mereu – Biography Salvatore Mereu was born in Dorgali in 1965. After graduating in film directing from the Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia in Rome, he made several short films including Notte rumena (1996), Miguel (1999), Il mare (2004). Starting with his first feature-length film, Ballo a tre passi (Three Steps Dancing, 2003), distinguished by its particular four-part structure, each corresponding to one season of the year, he explores the relationship between tradition and modernity in his native land, Sardinia. For Ballo a tre passi, Mereu won the Settimana della Critica award in Venice in 2003, as well as the David di Donatello and the Ciak d’Oro as best emerging director. He was also nominated for three Nastro d’argento awards including Best Screenplay. His second film, Sonetàula (2008), was presented at the Berlin Film Festival in the Panorama section, and was awarded the Globo d’oro of the Foreign Press, as well as the FIPA d’Or at the Biarritz Film Festival for Best Screenplay. He returned to the Venice Film Festival in 2010 with Tajabone, set among the young students of the middle schools on the outskirts of Cagliari, and in 2012 participated in the Orizzonti section with Bellas mariposas (Pretty Butterflies), from the eponymous book by Sergio Atzeni, the story of two adolescent girls who live in a working-class neighbourhood in Cagliari. The film won him the Schermi di Qualità award at the Venice Film Festival, the Big Screen Award at the Rotterdam Festival. For the same film, he won the Premio Suso Cecchi D’Amico for Best Screenplay and the Premio Tonino Guerra for Best Screenplay at the Bif&st. In 2013, again for the Venice Film Festival, he made the collective film Venezia 70 – Future Reloaded along with 70 directors from around the world, to celebrate the Festival’s 70th edition. For years he has alternated his work as a director with his teaching of image education. He has taught film in various schools around the island, producing several short films with his students (Il mare, La vita adesso, Scegliere per crescere, Futuro prossimo), selected for the most important Italian and international film festivals. In recent years, in collaboration with CELCAM, he has taught a course in film direction and screenwriting at the Department of Humanities and Philosophy at the University of Cagliari. Since 2004, he has been a member of the Accademia del Cinema Italiano.
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Marjan van der Haar Named New Managing Director of International Film Festival Rotterdam

[caption id="attachment_30797" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Marjan van der Haar and Bero Beyer[/caption] Marjan van der Haar, an experienced film industry professional, has been named the new managing director of International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) as of October 1, 2018. Most recently, she was the managing director of Film Producers Netherlands (FPN) from 2010 until 2018. Working alongside festival director Bero Beyer, Van der Haar will be charged with the organization and day-to-day operational management of IFFR. This includes financial policy-making, branding and communication, and solidifying subsidies and sponsorships programs. IFFR’s 48th edition takes place from Wednesday January 23, to Sunday, February 3, 2019 Van der Haar, on her new position: “My connection to IFFR goes way back. I fondly remember volunteering at the last festival edition having Hubert Bals at the steering wheel. This great adventure sparked my career in the film industry. Ever since, I’ve been a vigorous defender of the type of soulful and remarkable films IFFR is known for – as a program coordinator at IFFR, in the world of film sales and in representing Dutch producers for FPN. I’m honoured and excited to return to IFFR, a festival that plays an important role in the international film scene while simultaneously being closely intertwined with the thriving city of Rotterdam, both through its audience and local partnerships. I look forward to working together with the team to strengthen IFFR’s position even further as we roll up to the 50th anniversary edition.” Pieter Broertjes, chairman of the board of IFFR: “Marjan brings a lot to the table. Her experience in the film industry and her extensive network are sure to be of high value to the festival. But her open personality is equally important. We’re confident she’s a great fit for the IFFR team and as one half of the festival’s two-person leadership set-up.” Festival director Bero Beyer: “Marjan will be a great asset to IFFR! I’ve known her for quite some time as an ambitious film professional with a heart for our kind of cinema. Together we will continue doing what the festival has always done: giving a voice to daring cinema, promoting innovation and spearheading new distribution models.” He adds: “IFFR’s 50th edition is only a few years away. I look forward to working with Marjan to reach the aspirations we have formulated for our anniversary edition and to consolidate and build on the adventurous festival expansions we have achieved in recent years.” About Marjan van der Haar After finishing her studies in Theatre Science, Film and Television and Cultural Management in Utrecht in 1991, Marjan van der Haar started working at IFFR’s program department. In this role she coordinated the research of films and was responsible for the program’s budget and logistic planning. In 1995, Van der Haar left IFFR and started working in film sales – first as a sales executive at Fortissimo Films from 1995 until 1999, and later as Fortissimo’s general manager from 2000 to 2010. The distribution agency was known for its good taste in arthouse cinema and international reach. During her time at Fortissimo, Van der Haar had a close connection to IFFR, often visiting the festival’s co-production market CineMart as a film professional. From November 2010 until 2018, Van der Haar served as managing director of Film Producers Netherlands, the Dutch association set up to stimulate a dynamic, creative and internationally oriented film industry in the Netherlands. FPN represents the majority of Dutch producers and advances their opportunities worldwide by collaborating with international co-production and distribution partners, among other things. Van der Haar (1964) has two sons and lives in Amsterdam.
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Film Festivals

The Golem – How He Came Into The World by Paul Wegener

Notes of Restoration

The Music

Admir Shkurtaj

VENEZIA CLASSICI