Film Festivals

47th Molodist Kyiv International Film Festival Awards: THE SAINT Wins Grand-Prix

The Festival Jury of the 47th Molodist Kyiv International Film Festival in Kyiv, Ukraine awarded the winners in 6 categories, along with the festival‘s Shoot&Play competition. The Grand-Prix of the festival for the best first full-length film, the Scythian Deer was awarded to Andrius Blaževičius for his film The Saint (Lithuania, Poland, 2016). Prize for best full-length film is awarded to Hlynur Pálmason for his film Winter Brothers (Denmark, Iceland, 2017). Special Jury Diploma of Full-Length Competition is awarded to The Load by Ognjen Glavonić (Serbia, France, Croatia, Iran, Qatar, 2018). Prize for Best Short Film is awarded to The Blissful Accidental Death by Sergiu Negulici (Romania, 2017). Prize for Best Student Film is awarded to Close Ties by Zofia Kowalewska (Poland, 2016). Special Jury Diploma of Student Films Competition is awarded to Ocean Swells by Sverre Matias Glenne (Norway, 2016). Teen Screen Competition Jury has awarded its prize to Half Ticket by Samit Kakkad (India, 2016). Special Jury Diplomas of Teen Screen Competition are awarded to Supa Modo by Likarion Wainaina (Kenya, Germany, 2018) and Behind the Blue Door by Mariusz Palej (Poland, 2016). Prize for Best Film in National Competition is awarded to Weightlifter by Dmytro Sukholytkyy-Sobchuk (Ukraine, Poland, 2018) – for virtuosic directing and impressive imagery. Special Jury Diplomas of National Competition are awarded to Unavailable by Nikon Romanchenko (Ukraine, 2017) – for delicate view and particular tone. And to The Wonderful Years by Svitlana Shymko and Galina Yarmanova (Ukraine, 2018) – for subtle display of an unknown world. Audience Award of the 47th Molodist KIFF went to the film Silent Night by Piotr Domalewski (Poland, 2016). The best film of Shoot&Play competition is Your Choice Will Benefit You by Anastasiia Khomenko. Prize for Best LGBTQ Film of Sunny Bunny competition program is awarded to The Heiresses by Marcelo Martinessi. Special Jury Diplomas of Sunny Bunny Competition Jury are awarded to The Cakemaker by Ofir Raul Graizer and Hard Paint by Filipe Matzembacher and Marcio Reolon. The Scythian Deer for the contribution to world cinematography was awarded to the German actor Jürgen Prochnow.
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NATHAN’S KINGDOM, Coming-of-Age Film on Autism, Premieres at Dances With Films Festival [Trailer]

Nathan’s Kingdom, a dramatic motion picture about one young man’s battle with autism and the fantasy world to which he and his sister escape, premieres on the West Coast at this year’s acclaimed Dances With Films Festival on Wednesday, June 13, 7:15 PM at TCL Chinese Theatres, Auditorium 1, 6925 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood, CA 90028. Actors from the film, including writer-director Olicer Muñoz, will be in attendance. Jacob Lince, 24, takes away any preconceived notion of what an actor on the spectrum should “act” like, as his character, Nathan, leads the audience into a dark fantasy while he struggles with his teenage opiate-addict sister, Laura, (played by Madison Ford), his sole and loving caregiver. Rather than surrender to social services, Nathan and Laura risk it all to find “Nathan’s Kingdom” — as they battle monsters, endure mythical wars, and confront an underground civilization of ghouls — in hope of finding a fictitious kingdom with the potential to transform their lives forever. ”I was adamant that the title role of Nathan be played by an actor on the autism spectrum,” says the film’s writer-director-producer Olicer J. Muñoz, 38, who contacted the Performing Arts Studio West (PASW), a one of a kind non-profit and state-funded training facility for adults with developmental disabilities. Through the organization, Muñoz auditioned dozens of actors and discovered his lead actor, Lince. Muñoz began writing the script upon graduating with an M.F.A. from the prestigious American Film Institute (AFI). Earlier in his career, the bi-lingual (Spanish) filmmaker worked with Academy Award winner (“Scared Straight”), Emmy and Peabody Award winning producer Arnold Shapiro who instilled in Muñoz the golden rules of filmmaking. “Shapiro taught me how to master a story and allow the narrative to take on a life of its own. It was under his watch that I began writing and developing Nathan’s Kingdom,” says Muñoz, whose family hails from Mexico. Muñoz counts Oscar-winning directors Guillermo del Toro, Peter Jackson and Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu as his directing role models. Nathan’s Kingdom was co-produced by Michelle Opitz who received her B.F.A. from Chapman University where she met Muñoz and later studied at the American Film Institute (AFI). Emily Beach (Brown Eyed Girls Productions) is also co-producer under Opitz’s and Beach’s banner. Visual effects, CGI animation, combined with live action and unique sound design enhance the highly stylized fantasy film sequences that reflect the inner workings of Nathan’s imagination. Nathan’s Kingdom had its world premiere in March 2018 at the Sedona International Film Festival where it won its prestigious “Director’s Choice – Heart of The Film Festival Award.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yuDbF42I5l8
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Horror Film THE TOKOLOSHE to Open, LGTB Love-Story RAFIKI to Close 39th Durban International Film Festival

[caption id="attachment_29914" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] The Tokoloshe[/caption] A thriller/horror film and a LGTBI love-story have been selected respectively as the opening- and closing films of the 39th Durban International Film Festival (DIFF), which takes place from July 19 to 29, 2018. In a bold move to shift perceptions of how African stories can be told cinematically across genres, the DIFF has selected a South African debut thriller/horror feature The Tokoloshe, directed by Jerome Pikwane, for opening night and Kenyan director, Wanuri Kahiu’s tender story of lesbian love, Rafiki as its closing film. “With the current global focus on giving women a voice in a world dominated by masculinity and systemic misogyny, we wanted to book-end the festival with films that tell stories about woman, their strength and their survival. We also want to showcase, from a cinematic point of view, that there are many ways to tell these stories,” says Manager of DIFF, Chipo Zhou. [caption id="attachment_29920" align="aligncenter" width="1600"] The Tokoloshe, Jerome Pikwane[/caption] The Tokoloshe is directed by Jerome Pikwane, co-written with novelist Richard Kunzmann and produced by Dumi Gumbi and Cati Weinek of The Ergo Company. In The Tokoloshe, which stars Petronella Tshuma, Dawid Minnaar, Kwande Nkosi, Harriet Manamela and Yule Masiteng, a young woman, crippled by suppressed emotions, must find the courage to face an insatiable demon, wrought in her own childhood, when she tries to save the life of a girl-child abandoned in a rundown Johannesburg hospital. “Using the horror genre I wanted to investigate how we suppress trauma, and what happens when the trauma comes to the surface. In effect, the Tokoloshe in South African mythology has become a foil for abuse that is ingrained in our society, ” says director Jerome Pikwane. “And the characters, their journey, their relationships are the focus and not the beautiful shots nor the CGI, although we have that too.” “The film is not quite what one expects from its title, so I dare audiences to see beneath the surface,” says Zhou. “It is a horror film, crafted so intricately, unveiling the menace that is our everyday burden as woman in this country. But the film depicts the story of a survivor, not a victim. It is a chilling story, one that needs to be told now and is particularly relevant as it gives voice to the voiceless.” [caption id="attachment_29915" align="aligncenter" width="1199"] Rafiki[/caption] Closing film Rafiki, directed by Wanuri Kahiu, produced by Steven Markovitz (SA) and starring Samantha Mugatsia and Sheila Munyiva, is a touching tale of two very different girls living in Nairobi, who fall in love. Co-written with Jenna Bass (SA), the film was the first Kenyan feature film to be invited to Cannes Film Festival 2018 as part of the Official Un Certain Regard selection, and was a project in the 2012 Durban FilmMart. “Over the years of developing this film, we have seen worrying developments in the anti-LGBTI climate in East Africa,” says director Wanuri Kahiu. “Local films and international TV shows have been banned because of LGBTI content. This has muffled conversations about LGBTI rights and narrowed the parameters of freedom of speech. My hope is that the film is viewed as an ode to love, whose course is never smooth, and as a message of love and support to the ones among us who are asked to choose between love and safety. May this film shout where voices have been silenced.” [caption id="attachment_29917" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Rafiki[/caption] “We are delighted to be able to screen Rafiki at DIFF,” says Zhou. “The film speaks to the issues of patriarchy that has led the film to be banned in its own country, and closes a festival with a programme packed with films dealing with a host of current challenges that those marginalised in our society, and especially woman, are “loudly” grappling with.” “At this time alongside the #MeToo and, closer to home, the “#ItsNotOk campaigns, that seek to expose the perpetrators of violence against woman, these films bookend a conscious and carefully curated selection of cinematic themes that also run as threads through the Durban FilmMart and through our new Isiphethu industry programme for emerging and micro-budget filmmakers.” DIFF opens at The Playhouse on July 19 and runs until July 29. The closing film is on July 28.
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Diverse Films from 19 Countries on 2018 Stony Brook Film Festival Program

[caption id="attachment_29880" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Aurora Borealis: Északi fény[/caption] The 2018 Stony Brook Film Festival presented by Island Federal Credit Union presents films of great diversity this summer, both in their themes and their settings. The schedule for the ten-day Festival, held at Staller Center at Stony Brook University from July 19-28, is available online at stonybrookfilmfestival.com. Alan Inkles, founder and director of the Stony Brook Film Festival, comments, “Films from nineteen different countries, from Scotland to Spain, Argentina to Afghanistan, and coast to coast across the United States, promise to take filmgoers on an extraordinary journey. We have carefully curated this Festival to give patrons a great mix of the best in new independent films. Many filmmakers and actors are coming to the Festival to represent their films and will take the stage for questions and answers. It’s a highlight of the Festival to hear from them.” This year the Stony Brook Film Festival travels from a war-torn past to an embattled future, from light-hearted comedies to heart-stopping thrillers, and from modern class struggles to sexual abuse stories that feel straight out of the #MeToo movement. Some of the films take place over decades, while others unfold in real time. There are social-media addicted mobsters, Shakespearian partygoers, and a shoe-stealing soccer prodigy. The opening night film, Shelter, is an international spy thriller from returning filmmaker Eran Riklis (Lemon Tree, Zaytoun) that follows an Israeli agent protecting a Lebanese informant in Germany, and features actress Golshifteh Farahani (best known to U.S. audiences from Paterson, and to Stony Brook audiences from My Sweet Pepperland and About Ella) as well as acclaimed Israeli actress Neta Riskin. (Thursday, July 19 at 8:00 pm) The closing night film, Aurora Borealis: Északi fény, was directed and co-written by the incredible Márta Mészáros, who—with 65 directing credits to her name going all the way back to 1954—is one of Hungary’s most accomplished female directors. A film that is part mystery and part war-drama, it not only uncovers atrocities during the Soviet occupation of Hungary, it also confronts secrets from the past and the measures people will take to protect those they love. (Saturday, July 28 at 8:00 pm)
Premieres at the Stony Brook Film Festival
The World Premiere of Dean Darling on Saturday, July 21st at 4:00 pm is an ambitious, coming-of-age drama created by local, Long Island talent and shot entirely in Smithtown and Coney Island on a miniscule budget. The film was written and directed by Calogero Carucci and features Douglas Towers, Joel Widman and Allison Frasca. [caption id="attachment_29879" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] The Etruscan Smile[/caption] Acclaimed actor Brian Cox returns to the Stony Brook Film Festival in the U.S. Premiere of The Etruscan Smile, in which a rugged, old Scotsman who has reluctantly left his beloved Scottish Isle for medical treatment finds his life transformed by a new-found bond with his baby grandson. This gem also stars Thora Birch, JJ Field, and Roseanna Arquette, with several of the actors planning to be in attendance at the 9:30 pm screening on Saturday, July 21st. Other U.S. Premieres include Octav, a nostalgic, life-affirming story from Romania (Saturday, July 21st at 7:00 pm), Outdoors, a captivating film about a city couple building a home in the country from Israel (Tuesday, July 24 at 7:00 pm), Growing Up, a riotous, romantic comedy from Spain (Friday, July 20 at 9:30 pm), and A Dysfunctional Cat, a quirky story about two Iranians navigating their arranged marriage—and a very bizarre cat—while living in Germany (Wednesday, July 25 at 7:00 pm).
Female Filmmakers at the Stony Brook Film Festival
Fourteen films are by female directors, with Growing Up written and directed by Spanish filmmaker Clara Martínez-Lázaro, and A Dysfunctional Cat, written and directed by Iranian-German filmmaker Susan Gordanshekan. Another female-helmed feature, The Tale, has writer and director Jennifer Fox recounting her personal story of sexual abuse at a very young age in an intense, unnerving and cathartic work starring Laura Dern, Elizabeth Debicki, Ellen Burstyn and Isabelle Nélisse (Friday, July 27 at 7:00 pm). Other women filmmakers include writer and director Isabel Coixet, whose film The Bookshop was adapted from the novel by Penelope Fitzgerald about a widow who puts her grief behind her and opens a bookshop in a small, seaside town in England (Friday, July 20 at 7:00 pm). Virna Molina, who co-wrote and co-directed Symphony for Ana, recounts the struggle of high school students during the bloodiest coup d’etat in Argentina (Thursday, July 26 at 7:00 pm). Writer and director Samantha Davidson Green, whose Thrasher Road is a big-hearted father/daughter road trip, screens on Sunday, July 22 at 9:30 pm. Skye Borgman, director of the documentary Abducted in Plain Sight, recounts the absolutely bizarre double-kidnapping of Jan Broberg in the 70’s (Sunday, July 22 at 4:00 pm). Female-directed short films have been chosen that will stretch boundaries and touch hearts– shorts by Amy Wang, writer/director/actress Ashley Grace, Tesia Walker, Jackie L. Stone, and Helen Crosse.
Films with Heart and Films with Guts
Other selected films include My Brother Simple, a heart-warming and humorous story about a young man trying to take custody of his mentally-handicapped adult brother, screening on Sunday, July 22 at 7:00 pm. The Guilty, an edge-of-your-seat thriller from Denmark that takes place entirely in an alarm dispatch facility, screens on Monday, July 23 at 9:30 pm. Trauma, an intense documentary about the medics and pilots of a US Black Hawk medevac unit in Afghanistan screens on Tuesday, July 24 at 9:30 pm. Wednesday, July 25 at 9:30 pm showcases Funny Story, a dark comedy about a womanizing former TV star trying to reconnect with his estranged daughter. The emotional journey of A Boy, A Girl, A Dream unfolds in real time against the backdrop of the 2016 Presidential election on Thursday, July 26 at 9:30 pm. Other shorts include stories about a young woman with cerebral palsy falling in love, an Israeli patient finding out she has an Arab doctor, a foreman protecting her workers from the Department of Labor, and a law school student trying to explain a rather dire situation to police detectives. Images credit: The Etruscan Smile (Rosanna Arquette and Brian Cox pictured), photo credit: Po Valley Productions Aurora Borealis: Eszaki feny (Closing Night feature, Franciska Töröcsik pictured) photo credit: The Hungarian National Film Fund
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Pawel Pawlikowski’s COLD WAR to Open 2018 Sarajevo Film Festival [Trailer]

Cold War by Oscar-winning director Pawel Pawlikowski, winner of the Best Director Award at this year’s Cannes Film Festival will open the 24th edition of Sarajevo Film Festival on August 10th. Cold War is a passionate love story between two people of different backgrounds and temperaments, who are fatally mismatched and yet fatefully condemned to each other. Set against the background of the Cold War in the 1950s in Poland, Berlin, Yugoslavia and Paris – the film depicts an impossible love story in impossible times. Staring in the film are Tomasz Kot, Joanna Kulig, Agata Kulesza, Jeanne Balibar and Cédric Kahn. A day after the screenings, the festival-goers will have a chance to talk with Pawlikowski within the Festival’s Coffee with… program. Pawel Pawlikowski was born in Warsaw and left Poland at the age of fourteen first for the UK, Germany and Italy, before finally settling in the UK in 1977. He studied literature and philosophy in London and Oxford. Pawlikowski started making documentary films for the BBC in the late 1980s. His documentaries, which include FROM MOSCOW TO PIETUSHKI, DOSTOEVSKY’S TRAVELS, SERBIAN EPICS, and TRIPPING WITH ZHIRINOVSKY, have won numerous international awards including an Emmy and the Prix Italia. In 1998, Pawlikowski moved into fiction with a low budget TV film, Twockers, which was followed by two full-length features, Last Resort and My Summer of Love, both of which he wrote and directed. Both films won British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) awards, as well as many others at festivals around the world. He made The Woman in the Fifth in 2011, and his most recent film, IDA, won the 2015 Foreign Language Academy Award, five European Film Awards, a Bafta and a Goya, among many other prizes. Pawlikowski returned to Poland in 2013 while completing Ida. He currently lives in Warsaw and teaches film direction and writing at the Wajda School. Pawlikowski visited Sarajevo in 2014 to present his film IDA at the 20th Sarajevo Film Festival, film that won the Oscar for best foreign language film. https://vimeo.com/271271263
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French Filmmaker Bruno Dumont to Receive Pardo d’onore Manor Award at Locarno Festival

French filmmaker Bruno Dumont will receive the Pardo d’onore Manor award at the 71st Locarno Festival. Dumont will be a guest at the Festival in Piazza Grande on Saturday August 4 for the world premiere of the miniseries Coincoin et les z’inhumains. Born in Bailleul in the French part of Flanders in 1958, Bruno Dumont is one of the most original directors on the international scene today. Many of his films have proved controversial during a career stretching back over two decades, in which he has focused his rigorous, austere and uncompromising gaze on the mystery that lies within the reality of daily life, meticulously exploring the question of the existence of evil and the banal forms it can take. Dumont made his directing debut at the age of 38 with his first full-length feature, La vie de Jésus (1997), shot in his own native city of Bailleul. It was an immediate success, bringing him a César nomination for best first film and also a special mention in the Caméra d’or section at Cannes, where it was selected for the Directors’ Fortnight. Dumont carried on his highly personal cinematic research in his second full-length feature L’Humanité (1999), which won the Grand Prix at Cannes. In 2003 Dumont moved away from locations in Northern France for the first time to make his third film Twentynine Palms (2003), set in California. He returned to France to make Flandres (2006), which brought him his second Grand Prix at Cannes. Mystery is central to Dumont’s idea of cinema: in Hadewijch (2009) and Hors Satan (2011) he once again explored the sacred through the everyday. In 2012 Dumont made Camille Claudel 1915, on aspects of the life of the noted French sculptress, with Juliette Binoche in the title role. The film was presented at the Berlinale in 2013. Dumont began working for television with the series P’tit Quinquin (2014), which aired on ARTE. The move also brought humor into Dumont’s filmic world for the first time, a shift in genre which he repeated in his next feature film Ma Loute (2016), a blend of comedy and drama shown in competition at Cannes in 2016. The next change of tone was even more extreme, as the filmmaker tackled the challenge of a rock musical with Jeannette, l’enfance de Jeanne d’Arc (2017), based on a play by Charles Péguy. During the 71st Locarno Festival Dumont will be presenting his new miniseries Coincoin et les z’inhumains, due for theatrical release in Switzerland and screening on ARTE in September. Carlo Chatrian, Artistic Director of the Locarno Festival: “Bruno Dumont is one of those directors who best typify 21st century cinema. His films are deeply rooted in philosophical, literary and film tradition and yet are forward-looking at the same time; they are the best possible riposte to those who claim that the cinema has nothing left to discover. His films are essays on men and women, on the absurdity intrinsic to existence, but also on the eternal problem of evil. They are also exhortations not to cease thinking about such issues, even when the noise from the images all around us becomes deafening. Dumont’s presence in Locarno will provide an opportunity to look back over some of the stages in his remarkable career and also, first and foremost, to discover the sequel to the series which took the Directors’ Fortnight by storm four years ago. I can’t think of a better way for miniseries to make their Piazza Grande debut than with this offering that combines slapstick comedy with a political message.” Bruno Dumont will receive the Pardo d’onore Manor award in Piazza Grande on the evening of 4 August. The Festival tribute will also include screenings of several titles in his filmography to date. On Sunday 5 August the Festival audience will also be able to see the filmmaker in a panel discussion at the Spazio Cinema. Recipients of the Pardo d’onore award at past Festivals include Samuel Fuller, Jean-Luc Godard, Ken Loach, Sydney Pollack, William Friedkin, Jia Zhang-ke, Alain Tanner, Werner Herzog, Agnès Varda, Michael Cimino, Marco Bellocchio, Alejandro Jodorowsky and, in 2017, Jean-Marie Straub and Todd Haynes. The Pardo d’onore is supported by Swiss department store chain Manor. The 71st Locarno Festival will take place from 1 to 11 August 2018.
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2018 Illuminate Film Festival Awards: STAY HUMAN And THE PUSH Tie to Win Audience Award

[caption id="attachment_29849" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] The Push by Grant Korgan[/caption] Michael Franti’s Stay Human tied with Grant Korgan’s The Push for the Audience Award for Best Feature Film at the 5th annual ILLUMINATE Film Festival, in Sedona. Stay Human takes viewers on a journey through music and the stories of some of the most inspiring individuals on the planet chronicling Franti’s experiences with people that he’s met on his travels who have chosen to overcome cynicism with optimism, hope, tenacity, music, and love. Directed by Grant Korgan and Brian Niles, The Push tells Korgan’s inspiring tale of triumph after becoming paralyzed in a snowmobile accident where he focused on 120 percent recovery to do the impossible: push his way over nearly 100 miles in Antarctica, spinal cord injury and all. Franti also was the recipient of the festival’s inaugural Voice for Humanity Award. “It’s important to be able to see each other as human beings above all else,” noted Franti. “I believe that there is no one in the world that you wouldn’t love if you heard their story.” The Audience Award for Best Short Film went to Black Star, directed by Akira Chan. This short documentary explores art as a healing modality to stop the VICIOUS cycle of addiction. In a feature competition section consisting of seven world and US Premieres, You Are What You Act took home the coveted 2018 Debut Feature Competition Jury Prize. The documentary proposes a revolutionary new health trend by asking what influences us more: our minds or our bodies. Director Albert Nerenberg and other leading psychologists in embodied cognition demonstrate fascinating psychological exercises with amazing results. Honorable Mentions were also given to Calling All Earthlings for unearthing a hidden truth and to From Shock to Awe for social impact. Living Music, directed by Libby Spears, took home the jury prize in the Debut Short Film Competition. When a promising young musician’s career is almost cut short after he loses his voice to a rare medical condition called spasmodic dysphonia, he goes on a rehabilitative journey of artistic experimentation. Vision: Seeing is Believing received an Honorable Mention for cinematography. From Shock to Awe captured the inaugural Mangurama Award for Conscious Documentary Storytelling. Including a $5000 cash prize, the Mangurama Award goes to to the most transformative non-fiction film that exhibits a strong story arc, compelling subjects and high production value. From Shock to Awe follows THE JOURNEY of returned U.S. combat veterans as they abandon pharmaceutical drugs to seek relief through the controversial, mind-expanding world of cannabis, ayahuasca and MDMA, known as ecstasy. Documentary 3100: Run And Become captured the Director’s Choice Award. This sweeping examination of running’s spiritual nature, follows long-distance runners in Arizona, Finland, New York City, the Japanese highlands and Africa’s Kalahari Desert. The ILLUMINATE Film Festival Impact Award went to Secret Ingredients by Amy Hart and Jeffrey Smith, which highlights through both personal stories and scientific input the role that pesticides and GMO’s are playing in compromising health on a large scale.
2018 ILLUMINATE Film Festival Award Winners
Debut Feature Competition Jury Prize Winner You Are What You Act Honorable Mention for Social Impact From Shock to Awe Honorable Mention for Unearthing a Hidden Truth Calling All Earthlings Debut Short Film Competition Jury Prize Winner Living Music Honorable Mention for Cinematography VISION: Seeing is Believing Mangurama Award for Conscious Documentary Storytelling From Shock to Awe Audience Award for Best Feature Winner (TIE)* The Push Stay Human Audience Award for Best Short Film Winner Black Star Runner-Up Living Music Director’s Choice Award Winner 3100: Run and Become Impact Award Winner Secret Ingredients
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Ground Breaking Immersive Documentary FACE TO FACE to World Premiere at Sheffield Doc/Fest

FACE TO FACE, the ground breaking immersive story/documentary/installation directed by the award-winning photo journalist, Michelle Gabel and co-directed by immersive storyteller/filmmaker Michaela Holland will world premiere at the Sheffield Doc/Fest beginning June 7 to 12, 2018. Imagine if a shotgun blast took away your eyes, nose and upper palate leaving you permanently blind and unable to smell. FACE TO FACE is the true story of Michelle, who was the victim of this accidental shooting and is currently raising her two daughters. A shotgun blast took away Michelle Fox’s eyes, nose, and upper palate, leaving her permanently blind and unable to smell. Years of photojournalism and audio interviews work in tandem with a virtual reality piece as viewers explore an immersive, three-act installation. FACE TO FACE is an intimate look at gun injury and human resilience. The film is an immersive documentary that blends years of photojournalism with virtual reality to create a three-act installation. This intimate look at gun injury and human resilience is based on the life of a woman who wears a facial prosthesis after a near fatal shooting accident. The installation will bring the viewer up close and personal, as we experience only a fraction of a day in the life of the main character. Years of photojournalism and interview audio is the foundation and cornerstone of this project. These traditional mediums work in tandem with a virtual reality piece as guests explore the film/installation. FACE TO FACE was chosen from a record number of highest quality entries to be awarded the 2018 Alternate Realities Commission . It was awarded due to the project’s ability to push the boundaries of what is possible within factual storytelling and its strong commitment to innovation in the realm of non-fiction. FACE TO FACE is a part of Sheffield Doc/Fest’s Alternate Realities programme, which is a leading forum for interactive, augmented reality, and virtual reality projects. Here, the festival explores game-changing forms of storytelling through experimenting with technology, for fully immersive experiences. Image: Michelle in her daily ritual just before she puts her face on – in a scene from FACE TO FACE – an immersive documentary directed by Michelle Gabel and co-directed by Michaela Holland.
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Documentary AFGHAN CYCLES to East Coast Premiere at Brooklyn Film Festival [Trailer]

Following a new generation of young Afghan women cyclists, the documentary Afghan Cycles uses the bicycle to tell a story of women’s rights – human rights – and the struggles faced by Afghan women on a daily basis, from discrimination to abuse, to the oppressive silencing of their voices in all aspects of contemporary society. These women ride despite cultural barriers, despite infrastructure, and despite death threats, embracing the power and freedom that comes with the sport. Afghan Cycles will have its East Coast premiere at the Brooklyn Film Festival, screening on June 7 and 8, 2018. Focusing on local impact, Afghan Cycles is partnering with local organizations Women for Afghan Women, Get Women Cycling, Bicycle Habitat, BikeStyle and Girls on Bikes. On Thursday, June 7, Get Women Cycling will be hosting a group ride to the screening, and following the screening on Friday June 8, the partner organizations will join Afghan Cycles Director Sarah Menzies for a panel discussion following the film. “The women in this film represent the positive impact that sports can have in oppressive societies. Cycling has empowered these women to get around more freely and independently when they would otherwise have to rely on a man. This is not unique to Afghanistan. In fact, in many countries women do not have the freedom of mobility and are dependent on men to travel safely,” says Menzies. “This brave group of Afghan women are challenging that type of traditional thinking that is quite prevalent throughout the world, and by telling their story, we hope that it inspires more women to get on bicycles internationally.”
Panel participants:

Fatima Rahmati, Women for Afghan Women
Fatima was born in Kabul, Afghanistan and at the age of four, she and her family fled as refugees from Afghanistan to Australia. Fatima traces back her experiences of being raised in the projects of Australia and her father’s legacy of educator and social activism as the path which paved the way to philanthropy. Moving to New York City 13 years ago, Fatima found herself naturally gravitating towards education, social justice, and philanthropy. When deciding on how to best serve her father’s legacy and her own passions, Fatima decided a school bearing his name in the country he loved would be fitting – a project she is currently working on. She joined Women for Afghan Women in 2015 as the Program Assistant for a brief period, she then took on a leading role in WAW’s Junior Board. Starting January 2018 she took on the role of Coalition and Outreach Coordinator at WAW. Fatima is fluent in Dari and English
Lydia Moore, Bicycle Habitat/BikeStyle
Lydia works as a bicycle mechanic in brooklyn, with a belief in the need to redistribute resources, knowledge and access to bicycles. In the white cis male dominated bike industry she has created a workshop and ride series called BikStyle. Sharing the resources and space of Bicycle Habitat, BikeStyle centers queer and trans cyclist of color. Lydia is passionate about the bicycle as a tool for change. She is a founding board member of the Bike Worker Advocacy Project. A worker Center with a mission to organize the work force of bike messengers and bike shop workers in NYC.
Kala La Fortune, Girls on Bikes
Kala grew up and currently resides in Newark, NJ. A graduate of Rutger’s University Newark with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business, Kala founded Girls On Bikes as a Senior in college while pursuing a career in Fashion. Her initial goal was to get more girls in her community to cycle as a way to get connected, have fun, and exercise. Now the organization has worked with over 150 students in the Newark Public Schools teaching them how to build bicycles from scratch and discussing the negative stigmas they may encounter while cycling in the urban community.
Screening times:
Thursday June 7, 2018 @ 7:30 pm, Wythe Hotel Friday June 8, 2018 @ 6:30pm, Windmill Studios NYC, panel discussion to follow
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Zanzibar International Film Festival Announces Official Selection of Films in 2018 Competition

Supa Modo

The Zanzibar International Film Festival (ZIFF) announced the official selection of films in competition for the upcoming 2018 festival taking place in various venues in and around Stone Town Zanzibar from July 7th – 15th, 2018.

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Romantic Hip-Hop Comedy THE MOST BEAUTIFUL GIRL IN THE WORLD Starring Luna Wedler to World Premiere at Munich FilmFest

[caption id="attachment_29801" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Luna Wedler[/caption] Aron Lehmann’s romantic hip-hop comedy “The Most Beautiful Girl in the World”, featuring rising star Luna Wedler, newcomers Aaron Hilmer and Damian Hardung, and preeminent German actresses Anke Engelke and Heike Makatsch will world premiere at the Munich International Film Festival. Watching streaming movies on a laptop alone is an everyday experience for any teenager. Cinema can offer so much more: a shared live experience. At the film festival, this even includes meeting stars as well as other fans. Once again, Munich International Film Festival is offering big-screen entertainment to young people between the ages of 14 and 24. The festival started in 2016 with the successful fantasy gem trilogy “Ruby Red”, “Sapphire Blue”, and “Emerald Green”. Last year, with the world premiere of Ute Wieland’s “Tigermilch” and an exclusive sneak peek at “Windstorm and the Wild Horses”, directed by Katja von Garnier, the focus was on brave girls. In 2018, the festival is pleased to continue this tradition by presenting, in cooperation with Tobis Film, the youth event “The Most Beautiful Girl in the World”. With his new film, director Aron Lehmann puts in his third appearance at Munich International Film Festival. His first feature-length film, “Kohlhaas oder die Verhältnismäßigkeit der Mittel”, opened the New German Cinema series in 2012, while “The Last Pig” was shown as part of that series in 2016. New pupil Roxy, played by Luna Wedler, is turning all the boys’ heads. The quick-witted 17-year-old has just flunked out of her old school and is not at all interested in going on a trip with her new classmates. On the bus to Berlin, however, she soon befriends sensitive outsider Cyril (Aaron Hilmer), who quickly falls for her even though he doesn’t believe he has much of a chance with her. Roxy is interested in pretty boy Rick (Damian Hardung), who — unlike Cyril — isn’t very eloquent. And pick-up artist Benno (Jonas Ems) is also in the picture. This sounds tricky, and it is: In a daring matchmaking attempt, Cyril aims to protect Roxy from the player Benno, even if it means helping Rick to score with Roxy. He writes cool song lyrics and romantic text messages, and Roxy really goes for it. At first. But who will, in the end, win the heart of the most beautiful girl in the world? In the comedy “The Most Beautiful Girl in the World”, European rising star Luna Wedler (“Blue My Mind”) as Roxy impresses not only newcomers Aaron Hilmer (“Sex, Pity and Loneliness”) and Damian Hardung, known from the VOX series “Red Bracelets” and the remake of “The Name of the Rose”. Director and screenplay co-author Aron Lehmann uses fresh hip-hop beats and clever turns of phrase to help narrate this turbulent and intricate romantic adventure story. This modern version of “Cyrano de Bergerac”, the famous play by Edmond Rostand from 1897 also features Anke Engelke as Cyril’s mother, Heike Makatsch and Johannes Allmayer (“Jesus Loves Me”) as teachers, and YouTube stars Jonas Ems and Julia Beautx as classmates. The world premier of “The Most Beautiful Girl in the World” will be on Friday, June 29 at 4.30 pm at the Mathäser cinema. The national film release will be on September 6, 2018 (distribution: Tobis Film).
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‘The Best of All Worlds’ ‘Jamaica Man’ Among Award Winners of 9th NYC Independent Film Festival

[caption id="attachment_20689" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] The Best of All Worlds (Die Beste aller Welten) by Adrian Goiginger[/caption] Congratulations to the winners, nominees, and all the participants of the 2018 NYC Independent Film Festival. Winners include The Girl in The Woods by Sebastian Sdaigui taking the awards for Best Director and Best Short Film; Jamaica Man winning the awards for Best Cinematography plus Best Documentary Feature; and Adrien Goiginger’s The Best of All Worlds, winning the award for Best Narrative Feature. The Girl In The Woods is a short film which explores crime, honor and violence in a post truth, hyper real world. It follows two social outcasts, Beatrix and Charlie, who find solace in one another while facing quirky characters they meet on the way from brothel girls to art dealers. In the quest to save the orphanage where they not only met but had the only sense of home, they find the money to pay off the orphanages debt by stealing from a Snuff director, Mr Sunshine. Triggering a showdown between between bad and not as bad. This short combines crime, comedy and a splash of blood. Jamaica Man is a subjective documentary profile of British expat Nigel Pemberton. A biographical picaresque, inspired narratively by Spalding Gray and visually by Slim Aarons, the film is a highly stylized and unconventional portrait of a raconteur nearing the end of his life. The Best of All Worlds (Die Beste Aller Welten) is a kid’s true story of his life in the unusual world of his heroin addict mother and their love of each other.
Award Winners of 9th NYC Independent Film Festival
The Girl in The Woods Best Director Sebastian Sdaigui, The Girl in the Woods Jamaica Man Best Cinematography Laura Hudock, Jamaica Man Best Narrative Feature The Best of All Worlds, Adrien Goiginger Best Short Documentary My Indiana Muse, Ric Serena, Jen Serena Best Documentary Feature Jamaica Man, Michael Weatherly Best Short Film The Girl in the Woods, Sebastian Sdaigui Best Super Short Film Strawberries, Donggyun Han Best Animation In a Heartbeat, Esteban Bravo, Beth David Best Music Video Closer, Luke Slattery Best Art/Experimental Film EGO, Kaya, David-Simon Dayan Best Short Sketch Comedy There’s Something About My Sister, Rebecca Shaw Best Web Series Saaba, Brandon Kramer TV Pilots Greenport, Shannon Goldman Best Actor Obi Abili, Forgotten Man Best Actress Marama Corlett, Afterword Best Short Script Finalist Graphic Best Short Script “Magic Trick”, Gerald Teaster, Kelley Cantrel Rone Best VR Video Rone, Lester Francois
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