Film Festivals

  • 21st New York Jewish Film Festival Announces Schedule, Runs Jan 11 thru 26, 2012

    [caption id="attachment_2013" align="alignnone"]100 Voices A Journey Home[/caption]

    The 21st annual New York Jewish Film Festival will run at the Film Society’s Walter Reade Theater and Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center, Jan. 11-26, 2012. The festival’s 35 features and shorts from 11 countries – 28 screening in their world, U.S. or New York premieres – provide a diverse global perspective on the Jewish experience. Many film screenings will be followed by filmmakers and special guests in onstage discussions.

    The festival opens on Wednesday, January 11, with the New York premiere of Guy Nattiv’s “Mabul (The Flood).”  Yoni, almost 13 and smart but physically underdeveloped, faces bullying by classmates, parents who barely say a word to each other, and a 17-year-old autistic brother who returns home from an institution right before Yoni’s bar mitzvah.  Buried secrets come to light, and Yoni’s bar mitzvah Torah portion – Noah and the flood – becomes a metaphor for the family’s fragile and frozen existence.  Nominated for six Ophir Awards (Israeli Academy Awards), “Mabul” features unforgettable performances by Ronit Elkabetz, Tzahi Grad and Michael Moshonov.

    [caption id="attachment_2014" align="alignnone"]Welcome to Kutsher’s: The Last Catskills Resort[/caption]

    The closing night film, the world premiere of Caroline Laskow and Ian Rosenberg’s “Welcome to Kutsher’s: The Last Catskills Resort,” focuses on the last surviving Jewish resort in the Catskills, in its heyday one of the legendary “Borscht Belt” hotels.  These resorts were not only a Jewish vacation paradise, they also had significant influence on enter­tainment, stand-up comedy and sports. This enjoyable documentary features a young Wilt Chamberlain play­ing ball and working as a bellhop at Kutsher’s, Freddie Roman’s classic comedy routine, ice skating instructor Olga Duffy hopping up on the Zamboni, and an abundance of hearty kosher feasts.

    Four other documentaries receive their world premieres.  Jonathan Gruber and Ari Daniel Pinchot’s “Follow Me: The Yoni Netanyahu Story” presents a moving portrait of  Jonathan “Yoni” Netanyahu, who was killed at the age of 30 leading Israeli special forces in the 1976 hostage rescue mission at the Entebbe Airport in Uganda. Yoni’s life is explored through his own poetry, prose, and letters.  The film also includes rarely seen footage of the Entebbe raid itself, as covered by journalism legend Walter Cronkite, home movies, and interviews with such figures as Yoni’s brother, Benjamin Netanyahu.  Avishai Yeganyahu Mekonen and Shari Rothfarb Mekonen’s “400 Miles to Freedom” documents the 1984 escape from Ethiopia to Israel of the Beta Israel, a secluded 2,500-year-old community of observant Jews in the northern Ethiopian mountains.  Co-director Avishai Mekonen breaks his silence about the kidnapping he endured as a ten-year-old child in Sudan during the community’s exodus.  Joel Katz explores what it means to be white in America through the story of his own family across generations in “White: A Memoir in Color.”  Katz’s father’s role as a white professor at Howard University, a traditionally black college, during the civil rights era comes to bear on his and his wife’s decision to adopt a mixed-race child.  Sam Ball’s fascinating portrait, “Joann Sfar Draws from Memory,” details the life of graphic novelist and filmmaker Joann Sfar, author of the popular The Rabbi’s Cat series and director of the recent film, Serge Gainsbourg (Vie Héroïque), as he visits favorite Parisian neighborhood spots, and muses on his artistic process and the influence of his Algerian and East European family heritage.

    [caption id="attachment_2015" align="alignnone"]Mary Lou[/caption]

    Music plays a large role in four Festival films.  In Eytan Fox’s drama “Mary Lou,” receiving its New York premiere, a young man searching for his glamorous mother, years after she mysteriously disappears, learns about love with the help of the Tel Aviv gay community and Israeli pop music while performing as a drag queen.  A cross between the television series Glee and the musical Mama Mia, by way of La Cage aux Folles, Mary Lou garnered the equivalent of the Israeli Emmy Award for best mini-series.  Gili Gaon’s “Iraq ‘N’ Roll,” also a New York premiere, reveals the story of Salah al-Kuwaiti and his brother Daud, highly acclaimed Jewish musicians in 1930s Iraq considered the creators of modern Iraqi music; and details the efforts of Salah’s grandson, popular Israeli rock musician Dudu Tassa, to remix the old tunes for contemporary listeners.  Danny Gold and Matthew Asner’s “100 Voices: A Journey Home” is a compelling and uplifting documentary that looks at Jewish culture in Poland, past and present, through a unique focus: 100 cantors from around the world who come together for concerts at the Warsaw Opera House and the Nozyk Synagogue.  Richard Oswald’s 1933 musical, “My Song Goes Round the World,” showcases the talents of the great tenor Joseph Schmidt (1904-1942), known as the Jewish Caruso, telling the tale of a talented singer who faces challenges in his career and love life because he is less than five feet tall.

    The New York premiere of “Shoah: The Unseen Interviews” offers a rare opportunity to see powerful unused footage from three interviews filmed for Claude Lanzmann’s landmark documentary Shoah – Abraham Bomba, who was a barber in Treblinka; Peter Bergson, who struggled to publicize Nazi crimes against the Jews; and the deeply affecting Ruth Elias.  Following the January 15 screening, Raye Farr, director of the Steven Spielberg Film and Video Archive at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, will discuss the painstaking process of preserving the 16mm film and editing these segments for viewing.

    A restored version of the archival film, “Breaking Home Ties,” directed by Frank N. Seltzer and George K. Rowlands, will receive its United States premiere.  Long thought lost, this 1922 drama about a Jew who flees pre-revolutionary Russia for America, is a gem of the silent era, presented in a new restoration by the National Center for Jewish Film, with piano accompaniment by Donald Sosin.

    Three dramatic works receive their United States premieres.  Adrian Panek’s dazzling period drama, “Daas,” explores the  influence of 18th-century false messiah Jacob Frank.  The film presents a tale of intrigue and conspiracy, showing Frank’s influence as seen through the lives of a Viennese lawyer investigating him as a threat to the Austrian Empire, and a Jewish former disciple seeking justice.   Branko Ivanda’s “Lea and Darija” tells the story of Lea Deutsch, known as the Croatian Shirley Temple, and her friend and dancing partner Darija Gasteiger, talented and exuberant 13-year-old girls who were great stars in Zagreb before World War II.  Nazi persecution of Jews and, later, German nationals’ flight from communists test their friendship.  In Thierry Binisti’s “A Bottle in the Gaza Sea,” a 17-year-old Frenchwoman living in Jerusalem writes a letter expressing her refusal to accept that only hatred can reign between Israelis and Palestinians, and has her brother throw it into the sea near Gaza.  A few weeks later, she receives a response from a mysterious young Palestinian named Naïm. This engrossing and hopeful drama starring Hiam Abbas is based on the award-winning novel by Valérie Zenatti.

    The documentary, “The Silent Historian,” receiving its United States premiere, explores the life of director Simonka de Jong’s grandfather, the Dutch historian Loe de Jong, known for his research on the history of the Netherlands during World War II. After his death, the family made a discovery – Loe had concealed personal documents about his twin brother Sally, who didn’t survive the war.  Why did Loe never give these letters to Sally’s children, who spent their lives looking for information about the family that was broken apart by the war?

    Five other dramas receive New York premieres.  In Katia Lewkowicz’s romantic comedy, “Bachelor Days Are Over,” a young man (Benjamin Biolay) prepares for his wedding, and copes with his fiancée, who has seemingly flown the coop. Faced with a charming chanteuse, demands from family, and workers renovating his apartment, he is forced to decide between marriage or passionate love, family past or marital future.  Ronit Elkabetz delivers a stunning performance in Michal Aviad’s “Invisible,” about two women, both victims of the same serial rapist 20 years earlier, forging a friendship that empowers them to face their disturbing past and to seek justice.  Ami Drozd’s “My Australia” portrays two brothers in a poor neighborhood in 1960s Lódz, Poland.  Members of a gang with a strong anti-Semitic bent, they are stunned to discover that though raised as Catholics, they are in fact Jews.  Telling the younger brother they are going to Australia, the land of his fantasies, the family boards a ship to Israel.  Inspired by actual events, Anna Justice’s “Remembrance” depicts a remarkable love story that blossomed in a Nazi concentration camp in 1944 Poland, only to end when the lovers are forcibly separated after the war, each convinced that the other has died.  More than 30 years later in New York City, the woman believes she has seen her lover interviewed on television and begins to search for him again.  Joseph Madmony’s sensitive drama “Restoration” depicts a Tel Aviv man struggling to keep his antique restoration business afloat. Featuring outstanding performances by Sasson Gabai and Sarah Adler, the film was nominated for 11 Ophir Awards (Israeli Academy Awards), and won the Dramatic Screenwriting Award at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival.

    [caption id="attachment_2016" align="alignnone"]Dressing America: Tales from the Garment Center,[/caption]

    Also receiving New York premieres are: Stephen Fischler and Joel Sucher’s “Dressing America: Tales from the Garment Center,” focusing on the post-World War II heyday of the garment district in Manhattan and the Jewish immigrant roots of the industry; Duki Dror’s “Incessant Visions: Letters from an Architect,” a meditation about architect Erich Mendelsohn, based on his letters and a memoir by his wife Louise, who helped him become the busiest architect in Germany after World War I; and Michal Tkaczynski’s “The Moon Is Jewish” telling the story of a Warsaw skinhead who discovers he has Jewish ancestry and undergoes a complete spiritual and physical transformation to become an Orthodox Jew.

    Judy Lieff’s “Deaf Jam,” receiving its New York City premiere, explores the beauty and power of American Sign Language (ASL) poetry through the story of deaf teen Aneta Brodski’s bold journey into the spoken word poetry slam scene.  In a remarkable twist of fate, Aneta – an Israeli immigrant living in New York – meets and then collaborates with Tahani, a hearing Palestinian slam poet.

    Other documentaries in the Festival include: Yasmine Novak’s “Lost Love Diaries,” a combination detective story and love saga in which a woman confronts the past when after 65 years she reads a diary sent to her by her first love on the day of her wedding to another man; “My Father Evgeni,” a moving portrait of filmmaker Andrei Zagdansky’s father, who was editor-in-chief of the Kiev Popular Science Film Studio; “The Queen Has No Crown,” Tomer Heymann’s poignant meditation on family and loss, using home movies as well as more recent footage shot over the past decade to navigate the intimate lives of five brothers and their mother; and Ronit Kertsner’s “Torn,” the remarkable journey of  an ordained Polish Catholic priest who discovers that he was born to Jewish parents, and, unable to renounce either identity, finds himself rejected by both religions and the state of Israel.

    The New York Jewish Film Festival, Jan. 11-26, 2012

    Detailed Program and Schedule Information

     



    OPENING NIGHT

    Wednesday, January 12



    NEW YORK PREMIERE

    Mabul (The Flood)

    Guy Nattiv | Israel/Canada/France | 2010 | 101m | Hebrew with English subtitles

    Everything is complicated in Yoni’s life. He’s almost 13 and smart, but physically underdeveloped. His classmates bully him and his parents barely say a word to each other. As if all this weren’t enough, his 17-year-old autistic brother Tomer returns home from an institution right before Yoni’s bar mitzvah. Buried secrets come to light and Yoni’s bar mitzvah Torah portion—Noah and the flood—becomes a metaphor for the family’s fragile and frozen existence.  Nominated for six Ophir Awards (Israeli Academy Awards), Mabul features unforgettable performances by Ronit Elkabetz (The Band’s Visit), Tzahi Grad (Eyes Wide Open, NYJFF 2010; Someone to Run With, NYJFF 2008) and Michael Moshonov (Tehilim, NYJFF 2008).

    PRECEDED BY

    U.S. PREMIERE

    Howl

    Natalie Bettelheim & Sharon Michaeli | Israel | 2011 | 7m | No spoken language

    An intriguing hand-drawn animated short featuring a “wild child” wolf girl and her loving mother.

    Wed Jan 11: 1:00pm and 6:00pm





    CLOSING NIGHT

    Thursday, January 26



    WORLD PREMIERE

    Welcome To Kutsher’s: The Last Catskills Resort

    Caroline Laskow & Ian Rosenberg | U.S. | 2012 | 73m | English

    Kutsher’s Country Club is the last surviving Jewish resort in the Catskills, and in its heyday was one of the legendary “Borscht Belt” hotels. The resorts were not only a Jewish vacation paradise, they also had significant influence on entertainment, stand-up comedy and sports. In this enjoyable documentary, watch Wilt Chamberlain playing ball and working as a bellhop at Kutsher’s; laugh with Freddie Roman as his classic routine still brings down the house; see ice skating instructor extraordinaire Olga Duffy hop up on the Zamboni; and marvel at the abundance of hearty kosher feasts.

    Thu Jan 26: 3:45pm and 8:30pm





    NEW YORK PREMIERE

    100 Voices: A Journey Home

    Danny Gold & Matthew Asner | U.S. | 2012 | 91m | English

    A compelling and uplifting documentary that looks at Jewish culture in Poland, past and present, through a unique focus—100 cantors from around the world come together for concerts at the Warsaw Opera House and the Nozyk Synagogue. The film traces a lineage from cantorial superstar Moishe Oysher, also star of the Yiddish stage and screen, to contemporary counterparts including Alberto Mizrahi and Jacob Mendelson.

    Thu Jan 19: 1:00 pm and 6:00pm





    WORLD PREMIERE

    400 Miles to Freedom

    Avishai Yeganyahu Mekonen & Shari Rothfarb Mekonen | U.S./Israel | 2012 | 60m | English, Hebrew and Amharic with English subtitles

    In 1984, the Beta Israel—a secluded 2,500-year-old community of observant Jews in the northern Ethiopian mountains—began a secret and dangerous journey of escape. Co-director Avishai Mekonen, then 10 years old, was among them. In this film, he breaks his 20-year silence about the kidnapping he endured as a child in Sudan during his community’s exodus. This life-defining event launches an inquiry into identity, leading him to other African, Asian and Latino Jews in Israel and the U.S.

    PRECEDED BY

    U.S. PREMIERE

    Panta Rhei

    Amos Holzman | Israel | 2010 | 20m | Hebrew with English subtitles

    A young Israeli has a meltdown during his army exam. A typical teenager, he is an attractive smart aleck with attitude.

    Wed Jan 11: 3:45pm

    Wed Jan 18: 6:00pm





    NEW YORK PREMIERE

    Bachelor Days Are Over

    Katia Lewkowicz | France | 2011 | 96m | French with English Subtitles

    A few days before his wedding, a young man (Benjamin Biolay) has to make unexpected decisions, and cope with his fiancée, who has seemingly flown the coop. Enter a charming chanteuse (Sarah Adler), his preoccupied mother, critical sister (Emmanuelle Devos, Coco Before Chanel), unintelligible in-laws, patient pals and workers renovating his apartment.  Marriage or passionate love, family past or marital future, balloons or no balloons, flower petals or sugar almonds…how can he deal with such crucial issues at stake?

    Sat Jan 14: 6:30 pm

    Sun Jan 15: 8:45pm







    U.S. PREMIERE

    A Bottle in the Gaza Sea

    Thierry Binisti | France | 2010 | 90m | French, Hebrew, English and Arabic with English subtitles

    Tal is a 17-year-old Frenchwoman who has settled in Jerusalem with her family. She writes a letter expressing her refusal to accept that only hatred can reign between Israelis and Palestinians. She slips the letter into a bottle, and her brother throws it into the sea near Gaza, where he is carrying out his military service. A few weeks later, Tal receives a response from a mysterious “Gazaman,” a young Palestinian named Naïm. This engrossing and hopeful drama starring Hiam Abbas is based on the award-winning novel by Valérie Zenatti.

    Sun Jan 22: 6:00pm

    Mon Jan 23: 1:00pm





    U.S. PREMIERE OF RESTORED VERSION

    Breaking Home Ties

    Frank N. Seltzer & George K. Rowlands | U.S. | 1922 | 78m | B/W, silent with English intertitles and live piano by Donald Sosin

    Thinking he has killed his friend Paul in a jealous rage, David Bergmann flees pre-revolutionary Russia for America. In New York he becomes a successful lawyer and woos smart, independent Rose, also the boss’s daughter. Meanwhile, his wealthy parents sell their fancy home in St. Petersburg and emigrate to New York. Unable to find their son, they fall into poverty. Will David marry Rose? Will the Bergmanns be reunited? And what happened to Paul? This drama, long thought lost, is a gem of the silent era, presented in a new restoration by the National Center for Jewish Film.

    Sun Jan 15: 1:00pm





    U.S. PREMIERE

    Daas

    Adrian Panek | Poland | 2011 | 102m | Polish with English subtitles

    A dazzling period drama, Daas explores the influence of 18th-century false messiah Jacob Frank. Claiming powers of mystical healing and prophecy, Frank promises immortality to his converts. A Viennese lawyer investigates Frank, seeing him as a threat to the Austrian Empire, and a former disciple seeks justice. Adrian Panek brings us a tale of intrigue and conspiracy, conjuring the time and place with a painterly aesthetic.

    Sat Jan 21: 9:00pm

    Thu Jan 26: 1:00pm and 6:00pm





    NEW YORK CITY PREMIERE

    Deaf Jam

    Judy Lieff | U.S. | 2011 | 70m | Spoken English and American Sign Language, fully subtitled

    This high-energy documentary explores the beauty and power of American Sign Language (ASL) poetry through the story of deaf teen Aneta Brodski’s bold journey into the spoken word poetry slam scene. In a remarkable twist of fate, Aneta—an Israeli

    immigrant high school student living in New York—meets and then collaborates with Tahani—a hearing Palestinian slam poet. Poetry, friendship and respect transcend politics as the two young women create a hearing/deaf duet.

    Tue Jan 17: 1:00pm

    Thu Jan 19: 8:30pm





    NEW YORK PREMIERE

    Dressing America: Tales from the Garment Center

    Stephen Fischler & Joel Sucher | U.S. | 2011 | 57m | English

    From the directors of From Swastika to Jim Crow (NYJFF 2000) comes this fascinating documentary exploring the post-World War II heyday of the garment district in Manhattan.  Mavens of the “shmatte” business pay tribute to the Jewish immigrant roots of the garment industry, when Sam, You Made the Pants Too Long was a top musical hit and American designers challenged the hegemony of Paris fashion.

    PRECEDED BY

    NEW YORK PREMIERE

    Orbit

    Jessica Dorfman | U.S. | 2011 | 19m | English

    In this short drama, a young girl ponders her place and develops a crush on a waiter at her father’s second wedding.

    Mon Jan 16: 1:00pm

    Tue Jan 24: 8:15pm





    WORLD PREMIERE

    Follow Me: The Yoni Netanyahu Story

    Jonathan Gruber & Ari Daniel Pinchot| U.S.| 2012 | 80m | Hebrew and English with English subtitles

    Jonathan “Yoni” Netanyahu, then a commander in the Israeli army, was killed at the age of 30 leading the 1976 hostage rescue mission at the Entebbe Airport in Uganda. In Follow Me, documentarian Jonathan Gruber (Jewish Soldiers in Blue and Gray, NYJFF 2011) presents a moving portrait of Yoni’s life through his own poetry, prose and letters.  Ultimately a portrait of a young country through a young man, the film also features fascinating rarely seen footage of the 1967 war and the Entebbe raid itself, as covered by journalism legend Walter Cronkite.

    Thu Jan 12: 8:15pm

    Mon Jan 23: 6:00pm





    NEW YORK PREMIERE

    Incessant Visions: Letters from an Architect

    Duki Dror | Israel | 2011 | 70m | Hebrew and German with English subtitles

    A cinematic meditation about architect Erich Mendelsohn, based on his letters and a memoir by his wife Louise.  As a young man, he drew sketches on tiny pieces of paper and sent them, from the trenches, to the young cellist waiting for him in Berlin. She believed in his genius and after World War I helped him become the busiest architect in Germany. When she planned to leave him for a communist poet, he built a perfect house for her.  When the Nazis came to power, the couple escaped the house and Germany, and he turned his talents to creating buildings in the U.S. and Israel.

    Tue Jan 24: 6:00pm

    Wed Jan 25: 1:00pm





    NEW YORK PREMIERE

    Invisible

    Michal Aviad | Israel | 2011 | 90m | Hebrew with English subtitles

    The magnetic Ronit Elkabetz (The Band’s Visit, Late Marriage, Or) delivers a stunning performance in this drama. Two women discover they were both victims of the same serial rapist 20 years earlier. While one wishes to keep the past buried, the other becomes consumed with uncovering as much as she can about the rapist. Their friendship empowers them to face their disturbing past and to seek justice. Based on genuine crimes committed in Tel Aviv in the 1970s, this gripping film includes period television reports of the case.

    Wed Jan 11: 8:45pm

    Thu Jan 12: 3:30 pm





    U.S. PREMIERE

    Lea and Darija

    Branko Ivanda | Croatia | 2011 | 101m | Croatian with English subtitles

    A captivating drama tells the story of Lea Deutsch, known as the Croatian Shirley Temple, and her friend and dancing partner Darija Gasteiger. The two talented and exuberant 13-year-old girls were great stars in Zagreb on the eve of World War II. They played to sold-out houses around Europe, were filmed by Pathé Paris and Berlin’s UFA and lived in the rarefied world of the 1930s Croatian National Theater’s “Children’s Realm.” The Nazi persecution of Jews and later, German nationals’ flight from communists, tests their friendship.

    Sun Jan 22: 3:20pm

    Mon Jan 23: 8:30pm





    Lost Love Diaries

    Yasmine Novak | Israel | 2011 | 53m | Hebrew, English and Dutch with English subtitles

    On the morning of her wedding day, Ellis receives a package in the mail. It contains a diary kept by the first love of her life, Bernie, during his time underground in World War II. When Bernie did not return, Ellis married another man and moved with him to Palestine. She kept the diary hidden for 65 years until her historian daughter prevailed upon her to read it and try to find out what happened to Bernie. This gripping documentary is a combination detective story and love saga.

    PRECEDED BY

    NEW YORK PREMIERE

    Iraq ‘N’ Roll

    Gili Gaon | Israel | 2011 | 52m | Hebrew and Arabic with English subtitles

    Popular Israeli rock musician Dudu Tassa embarks on a mission to revive his grandfather’s traditional Iraqi songs by remixing the tunes for contemporary listeners. Salah and his brother Daud al-Kuwaiti were the highly acclaimed Jewish musicians in 1930s Iraq.  They arrived in Israel in the 1950s and found they were unknown and unappreciated.  In this musical documentary, Tassa engages in a labor of love to research and perform his family’s musical past.

    Mon Jan 16: 3:15pm

    Wed Jan 18: 8:30pm





    NEW YORK PREMIERE

    Mary Lou

    Eytan Fox | Israel | 2010 | 150m | Hebrew with English subtitles



    Acclaimed Israeli director Eytan Fox (The Bubble, Walk on Water, Florentine) brings to life a modern fable with a catchy musical message and a story based on the songs of Israeli pop legend Svika Pick.  Meir, a young man whose glamorous mother mysteriously disappears, searches for her in Tel Aviv. He learns about love with the help of the gay community and Israeli pop music while performing as a drag queen named Mary Lou.  A cross between the TV series Glee and the musical Mama Mia, by way of La Cage aux Folles Israeli style, Mary Lou garnered the equivalent of the Israeli Emmy Award for best mini-series.

    Sat Jan 14: 9:00pm





    NEW YORK PREMIERE

    My Australia

    Ami Drozd | Israel/Poland | 2009 | 100m | Polish and Hebrew with English subtitles



    In a poor neighborhood in 1960s Lódz, Poland, 10-year-old Tadek and his brother are in a gang with a strong anti-Semitic bent. When they are arrested, their mother, a Holocaust survivor, has no choice but to reveal that though raised as Catholics, they are in fact Jews. Telling the younger boy they are going to Australia, the land of his fantasies, the family boards a ship to Israel. This tender and humorous drama is based on the filmmaker’s own experiences.

    Thu Jan 19: 3:30pm

    Sat Jan 21: 6:30pm





    My Father Evgeni

    Andrei Zagdansky | U.S./Ukraine | 2010 | 77m | Russian with English subtitles

    Andrei Zagdansky (Interpretation of Dreams, NYJFF 1992) returns to the NYJFF with a moving portrait of his father, who was editor-in-chief of the Kiev Popular Science Film Studio.  Father and son worked in the same studio for 11 years, until Andrei immigrated to New York with his family.  Evgeni’s letters to Andrei and Andrei’s narrative of his father’s life intertwine, creating a portrait of the man and a particular moment in Soviet culture.

    PRECEDED BY

    WORLD PREMIERE

    Three Promises

    Edward Serotta | Serbia/U.S. | 2011 | 19m | Serbian with English subtitles

    Through family photographs, sisters Breda and Matilda Kalef take us into the world of Sephardic pre-World War II Serbia and the dramatic story of their flight to safety.  The family photo album, containing 169 pictures, remained in Belgrade. When the Kalefs returned after the war, the album was still there, but nearly all those in it had been killed.

    Tue Jan 17: 9:00pm at the Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center

    Wed Jan 18: 3:30pm





    My Song Goes Round the World

    Richard Oswald | England | 1933 | 85m | English

    A musical film showcasing the talents of the great tenor Joseph Schmidt (1904-1942), known as the Jewish Caruso.  Paralleling Schmidt’s own life story, this drama by Richard Oswald (Different from the Others, NYJFF 2000) tells the tale of a talented singer who finds challenges in both his career and his love life because he is less than 5 feet tall.  Schmidt, who also performed as a cantor and radio star, sings with great power and passion in this charming and humorous film set in Venice.

    Sun Jan 22: 1:00pm

    Wed Jan 25: 6:00pm





    The Queen Has No Crown

    Tomer Heymann | Israel | 2011 | 82m | Hebrew and English with English subtitles

    Tomer Heymann (Paper Dolls) brings us this poignant meditation on family and loss using 8 and 16mm home movies and more recent footage he shot over the past decade to navigate the intimate lives of five brothers and their mother. Three of the Heymann sons take their families and leave Israel for “better” lives in America. They fulfill their own dreams, but shatter those of their mother.  She is left in Israel with her two bachelor sons—one straight and the other, Tomer, gay. Exploring the politics of belonging, displacement and sexuality, the film examines the hard decisions one family has to make and the intractable bonds that unite them in the face of difficult life choices.

    PRECEDED BY

    NEW YORK PREMIERE

    Grandmothers

    Michael Wahrmann | Brazil | 2009 | 12m | Portuguese with English subtitles

    Do all grandmothers give socks and underwear as birthday presents? 10-year-old Leo is much more intrigued by his grandpa’s gift—a Super-8 movie camera.

    Sun Jan 22: 8:30pm

    Mon Jan 23: 3:30pm





    NEW YORK PREMIERE

    Remembrance

    Anna Justice | Germany | 2011 | 105m | English, German and Polish with English subtitles

    Inspired by actual events, Remembrance depicts a remarkable love story that blossomed in the terror and squalor of a Nazi concentration camp in 1944 Poland. In a daring escape, Tomasz, a young Polish prisoner, rescues his Jewish lover, Hannah. In the chaos of the end of the war, they are forcibly separated and each is convinced that the other has died.  More than 30 years later in New York City, Hannah believes she has seen her Tomasz interviewed on television and she begins to search for him again. Anna Justice (Max Minsky and Me, NYJFF 2009) directs this powerful and artfully crafted drama.

    Mon Jan 16: 6:00pm

    Tue Jan 17: 3:15pm





    NEW YORK PREMIERE

    Restoration

    Joseph Madmony | Israel | 2010 | 105m | Hebrew with English subtitles

    Joseph Madmony (The Barbecue People, NYJFF 2004) returns with this sensitive drama in which a Tel Aviv man struggles to keep his antique restoration business afloat. Amidst conflicts with his son, a stranger comes to town and a complex love triangle complicates his plans. Featuring outstanding performances by Sasson Gabai (The Band’s Visit) and Sarah Adler (Ultimatum, NYJFF 2010). Nominated for 11 Ophir Awards (Israeli Academy Awards), and winner of the Dramatic Screenwriting Award at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival.

    Sun Jan 15: 6:00pm

    Mon Jan 16: 8:45pm





    NEW YORK PREMIERE

    Shoah: The Unseen Interviews

    U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum | U.S. | 2011 | 55m | English



    This program presents a rare opportunity to see powerful, unused footage from three interviews filmed for Claude Lanzmann’s landmark documentary Shoah—Abraham Bomba, who was a barber in Treblinka; Peter Bergson, who struggled to publicize Nazi crimes against the Jews; and the deeply affecting Ruth Elias.  Raye Farr, director of the Steven Spielberg Film & Video Archive at the USHMM, will discuss the painstaking process of preserving the 16mm film and editing these segments for viewing.

    Sun Jan 15: 3:30pm





    U.S. PREMIERE

    The Silent Historian

    Simonka de Jong | The Netherlands | 2011 | 55m | Dutch with English subtitles

    A fascinating documentary about the filmmaker’s grandfather, the prominent Dutch historian Loe de Jong, known for his research on the history of the Netherlands during World War II. De Jong grew to national prominence when the war history of public figures such as Prince Claus came to light. After his death, the family made a discovery—Loe had concealed personal documents about his twin brother, Sally, who didn’t survive the war. Why did Loe never give these letters to Sally’s children, who spent their lives looking for information about the family that was broken apart by the war?

    PRECEDED BY

    WORLD PREMIERE

    Joann Sfar Draws from Memory

    Sam Ball | U.S./France | 2012 | 46m | French with English subtitles

    Sam Ball (Poumy, NYJFF 2005 and Pleasures of Urban Decay, 2000) returns with another fascinating documentary portrait, turning his lens on graphic novelist and filmmaker Joann Sfar, author of the popular The Rabbi’s Cat series and director of the recent film, Serge Gainsbourg (Vie Héroïque). The film follows Sfar to his favorite neighborhood spots, as he muses on his artistic process and the influence of his Algerian and East European family heritage.

    Wed Jan 25: 3:00pm and 8:30pm





    Torn

    Ronit Kertsner | Israel | 2011 | 72m | Hebrew, English and Polish with English subtitles

    Can one be a Catholic priest and an observant Jew at the same time? Twelve years after he was ordained as a priest, Romuald Waszkinel discovers that he was born to Jewish parents. This powerful documentary by Ronit Kertsner (The Secret, NYJFF 2002) follows his amazing journey from conducting mass in a church in Poland to life as an observant Jew on a religious kibbutz in Israel. Romuald is torn between two identities.  Unable to renounce either one, he finds himself rejected by both religions and the State of Israel.

    PRECEDED BY

    NEW YORK PREMIERE

    The Moon is Jewish

    Michal Tkaczynski | Poland | 2011 | 45m | Polish with English subtitles

    Pawel was a skinhead in Warsaw, obsessed with soccer and violence, when his girlfriend discovered he had Jewish ancestry.  He underwent a complete spiritual and physical transformation and is now an Orthodox Jew.  This compelling documentary, which takes its title from provocative poet Marcin Swietlicki, tells an extraordinary story of identity and belonging.

    Tue Jan 17: 6:00pm at the Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center

    Wed Jan 18: 1:00pm





    WORLD PREMIERE

    White: A Memoir in Color

    Joel Katz | U.S. | 2012 | 59m | English

    In this personal documentary, Joel Katz (Strange Fruit, NYJFF 2002) explores what it means to be white in America through the story of his own family across generations. His father’s role as a white professor at Howard University, a traditionally black college, during the civil rights era comes to bear on his and his wife’s decision to adopt a mixed-race child. Original score by Don Byron.

    PRECEDED BY

    Letters Home

    Melissa Hacker | U.S. | 2010 | 9m | English

    An elegantly made short based on correspondence from the director’s great-aunt Freda, written as she traveled through Germany and Austria in the American Army Women’s Corps in 1945.

    Thu Jan 12: 1:30pm and 6:00pm



     

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  • First 10 Films Announced for 2012 Miami International Film Festival

    [caption id="attachment_1992" align="alignnone"]Blood of My Blood[/caption]

    The Miami International Film Festival (MIFF) announced the line-up of ten Ibero-American premieres  that will compete for $45,000  in jury prizes at its 29th annual event, March 2 – 11, 2012.

    The lineup includes four International/North American premieres and two U.S. premieres, including new films from acclaimed veteran directors Carlos Sorin, David Trueba and Andrés Wood.

    “As of today, only one of the films in the competition has U.S. distribution secured – Strand Releasing will be releasing Bonsai later in 2012,” noted MIFF’s executive director Jaie Laplante.  “It is our hope that U.S. buyers attending the Festival will discover many more riches– and see through our MIFF audiences how U.S. audiences respond to these amazing films.”

    2012 MIFF Knight Ibero-American Competition films:


    The Porcelain Horse (Mejor no hablar de ciertas cosas) (Ecuador, directed by Javier Andrade): In Javier Andrade’s startling debut, two brothers steal a porcelain horse from their parent’s home in order to buy drugs, leading to a fight that will haunt the family for the rest of their lives.  North American Premiere

    I’d Receive the Worst News From Your Beautiful Lips (Eu Receberia As Piores Notícias De Seus Lindos Lábios) (Brazil, directed by Beto Brant and Renato Ciasca): Set against a steamy Amazonian backdrop, a sensual melodrama of a beautiful woman caught in an unstable situation between two men. North American Premiere

    Blood of My Blood (Sangue do Meu Sangue) (Portugal, directed by João Canijo): Two  adult sisters struggle fiercely to hold their family together in the harsh world of a Lisbon slum, but the ticking time bomb of the situation is in grave danger of exploding. East Coast Premiere

    Pescador (Ecuador/Colombia, directed by Sebastián Cordero): After a drug shipment miraculously washes up on a beach, Blanquito (Andrés Crespo) has the opportunity to finally leave his small fishing village and go to the big city, in this major tonal new direction for acclaimed director Cordero. North American Premiere

    Bonsái (Chile/Argentina/Portugal/France, directed by Cristián Jiménez):  Based on the seminal novel by Chilean author Alejandro Zambra. Julio, a struggling writer, pens a book about his first experience with love, in order to keep up a lie he’s told his lover.  Bonsai marks director’s Cristián Jiménez second appearance in MIFF’s Iberoamerican competition. Florida Premiere

    Zoo (Zoológico) (Chile, directed by Rodrigo Marín): Set in an affluent Santiago suburb, a social commentary on today’s youth follows three teens (Alicia Rodríguez, Luis Balmaceda and Santiago de Aguirre) consumed in Americanized customs: malls, the Internet, pornography, skateboarding and angst. North American Premiere

    The Cat Vanishes (El gato desaparece) (Argentina, directed by Carlos Sorin): When Beatriz (Beatriz Spelzini) picks up her husband Luis (Luis Luque) from the sanatorium, she doesn’t quite believe the psychiatrist’s pronouncement that he is cured. But after the family cat vanishes, she questions her sanity as well as her husband’s in Sorin’s unsettling psychological mystery. U.S. Premiere

    Madrid, 1987 (Spain, directed by David Trueba): The balance of power and desire shift during the meeting of an older journalist (José Sacristán) and a young student (María Valverde) in a beautifully-written, dusk-to-dawn meditation on youth, age and the music of the spheres. East Coast Premiere

    Violeta Went to Heaven (Violeta se fue a los cielos) (Chile, directed by Andrés Wood): portrait of famed Chilean singer, folklorist and multifaceted artist Violeta Parra (Francisca Gavilán) filled with her musical work, her memories, her loves and her hopes. East Coast Premiere

    The Sleeping Voice (La voz dormida) (Spain, directed by Benito Zambrano): In Benito Zambrano’s portrayal of the dark days following the Spanish Civil War, two sisters (Maria Leon and Inma Cuesta) find themselves caught up in the frightening politics of the divided country. U.S. Premiere

    All 10 directors in MIFF’s Knight Ibero-American Competition are expected to attend the Festival and present their works to Miami audiences in person.

     

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  • IFFR unearths São Paulo’s ‘60s, ‘70s and ‘80s low-budget film culture

    [caption id="attachment_2399" align="alignnone"]OH! REBUCETEIO (Claudio Cunha, 1984)[/caption]

    In the Signals section’s theme programme ‘The Mouth of Garbage: Sub Culture and Sex in São Paulo’, the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) will present a vast panorama of features and shorts from São Paulo’s so-called ‘Boca do Lixo’ (Mouth of Garbage), the nickname for the working class neighborhood in the center of the Brazilian metropolis. These quick and dirty productions frequently highlighted the sleazy underbelly of Brazilian society using established genres such as noir, horror, the western, and pornography.

    In the Boca do Lixo district a constellation of entrepreneurial producers and up-and-coming filmmakers came together to create low-budget films in the mid 1960s, remaining active for nearly thirty years. An accessible option to burgeoning directors who felt excluded from high-end studio filmmaking and elite artistic movements such as Cinema Novo, the Boca do Lixo yielded some of Brazilian filmmaking’s chief talents, among them: Rogério Sganzerla, Carlos Reichenbach, José Mojica Marins (Coffin Joe), Ozualdo Candeias, and others.

    Despite the fact that several of the Boca films were hugely successful with national audiences, producers at the time found themselves fighting constantly against government censors and the constraints of a distribution landscape saturated with Hollywood product. Some films managed to cleverly elude government control and market limitations even as they presented a fiercely critical outlook; others were banned or phased-out of the commercial distribution circuit outright. As a result, large portions of the films associated with the Boca have remained elusive.

    The International Film Festival Rotterdam presents about eighteen films in tribute to the Boca do Lixo, including rare works by João S. Trevisan, Claudio Cunha, Ody Fraga, and Jean Garret, many of them presented in new transfers made from the films’ original 35mm negatives.

    ‘The Mouth of Garbage: Sub Culture and Sex in São Paulo’, curated by film scholar Gabe Klinger and IFFR programmer Gerwin Tamsma, is supported by The Netherlands Film Fund as part of the Central de Cultura program. The Central de Cultura program aims to intensify and extend cultural exchange and cultural cooperation between Brazil and The Netherlands. The IFFR also thanks the Cinemateca Brasileira in São Paulo for its generous collaboration.

    The lineup of ‘The Mouth of Garbage: Sub Culture and Sex in São Paulo’, to be announced shortly, includes:

    THE MARGIN (Ozualdo Candeias, 1967) – Truck driver-turned-director Candeias fled the commercial filmmaking scene to be able to tell this neo-realistic story of São Paulo’s underprivileged citizens living near the Tietê river.

    THE PORNOGRAPHER (João Callegaro, 1970) – A pop art portrait of the trials and tribulations of a young man hired to edit a porno rag run by a shady madame.

    ORGY OR: THE MAN WHO GAVE BIRTH (João S. Trevisan, 1970) – Celebrated novelist Trevisan’s sole feature is a radical, plotless re-envisioning/critique of Cinema Novo, loosely recounting the journey of a deranged youth who has killed his father. Summarily banned by the military, IFFR will present the world premiere of the director’s cut of the film made from a new 35mm transfer especially for the occasion of the retrospective.

    THE VAMPIRE OF THE CINEMATHEQUE and THE INSIGNI FICANT (Jairo Ferreira, 1976 and 1980) – Free-flowing essay/diary works in Super 8 featuring many of the Boca’s luminaries in candid moments compiled by the critic and scholar Ferreira.

    SNUFF – THE VICTIMS OF PLEASURE (Claudio Cunha, 1977) – One of the biggest box-office successes of its era, Cunha’s William Castle-like production deals with two American filmmakers who come to Brazil and attempt to make a snuff film in a remote barn.

    THE EMPIRE OF DESIRE/SENSUAL ANARCHY (Carlos Reichenbach, 1981) – Though unfairly maligned by critics of its day, this wild road trip sex romp has recently been hailed as one of the great Brazilian films by a few noted scholars. Long unavailable, IFFR presents Reichenbach’s masterpiece in a new 35mm transfer.

    OH! REBUCETEIO (Claudio Cunha, 1984) – A hard-core porn Chorus Line parody featuring an egomaniacal theater director who inspires his actors to perform lurid, freeform sexual acts on stage.

    SIT ON MINE AND I’LL ENTER YOURS (Ody Fraga, 1985) – A witty diptych about a talking vagina and a man with a strange penile outgrowth on his head, Fraga’s surreal farce is full of zingers and has a lighthearted sensibility reminiscent of Russ Meyer and Radley Metzger’s classics.

    FUK FUK BRAZILIAN STYLE (Jean Garret, 1986) – A class conflict satire featuring little person actor Chumbinho as a domestic-cum-slave who escapes the home of his wealthy employers to go on dream-like journey through a subterranean universe of repressed sexual yearning.

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  • Octavia Spencer to be honored at Palm Springs International Film Festival

    The 23rd annual Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF) will present Octavia Spencer with the Breakthrough Performance Award.  Presented by Cartier, the Awards Gala will be held Saturday, January 7, at the Palm Springs Convention Center.  Hosted by Mary Hart, the Awards Gala will also present awards to previously announced honorees George Clooney, Glenn Close, Michel Hazanavicius and Michelle Williams.  The Festival runs January 5-16.

    “Octavia Spencer is a consummate actress who seamlessly blends her dramatic and comedic talents, creating performances of uncommon depth,” said Film Festival Chairman Harold Matzner.  “As the irascible Minny in The Help, she captures the essence of awoman who deals with life head on, relishing confrontation and serving as a source of courage and humor for those whom she loves. To Octavia Spencer, it is therefore a great honor for the Palm Springs International Film Festival to present the 2011 Breakthrough Performance Award.”

    Spencer has most recently been seen starring in Tate Taylor’s The Help. Set in Jackson, Mississippi during the 1960s, The Help chronicles the relationship between three different and extraordinary women who build an unlikely friendship around a secret writing project that breaks societal rules and puts them all at risk.   Screenplay by Tate Taylor and Kathryn Stockett, based on the critically acclaimed No. 1 New York Times best-selling debut novel by Kathryn Stockett.  The DreamWorks Pictures and Participant Media film is directed by Tate Taylor and also stars Emma Stone, Viola Davis and Bryce Dallas Howard.

    Spencer’s acting career began with her big screen debut in 1995 in Joel Schumacher’s A Time to Kill, opposite Sandra Bullock.  Spencer’s extensive feature film credits include Peep World, Dinner for Schmucks, Small Town Saturday Night, Herpes Boy, Halloween II, The Soloist, Drag Me to Hell, Seven Pounds, Pretty Ugly People, Coach Carter, Charm School, Win a Date with Tad Hamilton, Bad Santa, Spiderman, Big Momma’s House, Being John Malkovich and Never Been Kissed.  She was recently lauded by Entertainment Weekly online for her comedic timing when she was named to their esteemed list of the “25 Funniest Actresses in Hollywood.”  Spencer also won Best Supporting Actress from the Washington DC Area Film Critics Association.

    Past recipients of the Breakthrough Performance Award include Carey Mulligan, Marion Cotillard, Jennifer Hudson, Mariah Carey, Felicity Huffman and Freida Pinto.

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  • Jean Dujardin and Bérénice Bejo to be honored at Santa Barbara International Film Festival for their performance in The Artist

    The Santa Barbara International Film Festival, will honor Jean Dujardin and Bérénice Bejo with the Cinema Vanguard Award for their performances in the silent film The Artist at the 27th edition of the Festival which runs January 26 – February 5, 2012.

    The Cinema Vanguard Award was created in recognition of an actor who has forged his/her own path – taking artistic risks and making a significant and unique contribution to film. The award has previously been presented to Nicole Kidman, Christoph Waltz, Vera Farmiga, Stanley Tucci, Peter Sarsgaard, Kristin Scott Thomas and Ryan Gosling.

    Dujardin and Bejo are currently receiving wide praise for their lead performances in The Artist, directed by Michel Hazanavicius. In late 1920’s Hollywood, many actors witnessed the decline of their careers with the rise of the talking picture. This is just the case for silent film superstar George Valentin (Dujardin), who crosses paths with rising starlet Peppy Miller (Bérénice Bejo). Resistant to the conversion, Valentin is faced with the demise of his career while Miller embraces it and emerges a star. Through his performance, Dujardin offers a striking portrayal of the silent era male superstar, packed with the conviction and suave on par with the likes of Rudolph Valentino. No sooner does Peppy Miller enchant fictional audiences, than does Bejo with the real, through her pure charm and genuine charisma. Together Dujardin and Bejo’s masterful talent, make for one of the most compelling stories in film.

    Born in Rueil-Malmaison, France, Jean Dujardin got his break on the talent show Graines de Star in 1996 as part of the comedy group Nous C Nous. Following he went on to star as Jean ‘Loulou’ in the comedy television series Un Gars, Une Fille from 1999 to 2003. Continuing in the realm of comedy, Dujardin broke onto the big screen as aspiring surfer Brice Agostini in The Brice Man (2005). 2006 marked Dujardin’s first collaboration with Bejo through his role as Hubert Bonisseur de La Bath in the espionage film OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies. Dujardin reprised the role in 2009 for OSS 117: Lost in Rio.

    Bérénice Bejo was born in Buenos Aires and moved to France at the age of 3. Bejo got her start working in an assortment of French television shows. She landed her first recurring role as Sophie on the comedy series Un Et Un Font Six (1997-1999). American audiences were introduced to her when she appeared in 2001’s A Knight Tale as Christina. Bejo returned to French films acting in a number of films including her role as Larmina in OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies (2006) alongside Jean Dujardin.

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  • No Staten Island Film Festival in 2012, Future Uncertain

    Blaming the economy – dwindling contributions and attendance, SI Live is reporting that unless someone steps and takes the rein from the current organizer, Staten Island Economic Development Corporation, the Staten Island Film Festival will not return next year.

    “The board made a decision…based on the shrinking funding for film festival, and the fact that we weren’t seeing the economic impact that other film festivals have on their areas, we thought it might be best not to host the festival,” said Cesar Claro, president of the SIEDC. “I think, what you’re going to see, if there is a need for it, and if people really want it, you will see smaller film festival type things popping up and it’s our hope that a group of committed young artists maybe can get something going. My advice out of the gate, knowing what I know about the lack of money that’s out there, would be start slow, start small.”

    In 2006, the festival raised $400,000 in corporate and private sponsorships, however, last year, in large part due to the economy, sponsorships were down to about $170,000. Organizers also mentioned that even though the films were free at last year’s festival, only about 5,000 people attended, down from more than 7,000 in previous years. Additionally, local businesses near the festival venues showing the films never got the economic boost that organizers expected.

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  • The Last Rites of Joe May Takes Top Awards at 2011 Best of the Midwest Awards

    [caption id="attachment_1975" align="alignnone"]The Last Rites of Joe May[/caption]

    The 2011 Best of the Midwest Awards, an annual ceremony that celebrates Chicago’s Midwest Independent Film Festival, were presented on Tuesday, December 6th in downtown Chicago. Hometown film, “The Last Rites of Joe May,” directed by Joe Maggio was the big winner, taking home the prizes for Best Feature, Best Actor for Dennis Farina and Best Actress for Meredith Droeger.

    “The Last Rites of Joe May, chronicles the last days in the life of Joe May, an aging, short money hustler who, despite a life of loss and failure, has always believed that a glorious destiny awaited him. Now in his sixties, his health failing and resources dwindling, Joe is presented with one last shot at greatness.

    The 2011 Best of the Midwest Award Winners are as followed….

    Best Feature
    “The Last Rites of Joe May,” directed by Joe Maggio

    Best Director
    Mike Diedrich, “Ballhawks”

    Best Actor
    Winner: Dennis Farina, “The Last Rites of Joe May”

    Best Actress
    Winner: Meredith Droeger, “The Last Rites of Joe May”

    Best Music Video
    Winner: “Call the Press and Send Their Best,” directed by Michael Starcevich and Mattew Achterberg.

    Best Short Film
    Winner: “A Certain Breed,” directed by Scott Smith

    Best Editing
    Winner: Randy Palmer, Jr. and Brooks Ruyle, “Ballhawks”

    Best Cinematography
    Winner: Joel Edwards, “Mumbai Golf”

    Best Screenplay
    Winner: Dean Peterson, “Incredibly Small”

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  • RESTLESS CITY and the Winners of 8th Bahamas International Film Festival

    [caption id="attachment_1970" align="alignnone"]RESTLESS CITY[/caption]

    The 8th Bahamas International Film Festival (BIFF) awarded the film RESTLESS CITY with the New Visions prize, but the audience voted the Jamaican film BETTER MUS’ COME the Best Film at the now wrapped festival. Restless City, an official selection of the 2011 Sundance Film Festival, tells the story of an Africa immigrant surviving on the fringes of New York City where music is his passion, life is a hustle, and falling in love is his greatest risk.

    [caption id="attachment_1971" align="alignnone" width="550"]Better Mus Come[/caption]

    Better Mus’ Come set in 1970’s Jamaica, is a violent film that captures the deep rooted conflict at the heart of Jamaican politics.

    [caption id="attachment_920" align="alignnone"]MARATHON BOY[/caption]

    MARATHON BOY about the four-year-old boy in India famous for running long distance races and his relationship with his mentor-trainer was awarded the Spirit of Freedom: Documentary award.

    BIFF 2011 winners are:

    New Visions
    RESTLESS CITY (USA) / Director: Andrew Dosunmu

    First Look
    Best Feature: AMOS (The Bahamas)  / Director: Karen Arthur, Thomas Neuwirth

    Best Short: FIVE BONES (The Bahamas) / Director: Tyler Johnston

    *Honorable mention to TALL TALE OF AN ACCIDENTAL TOURIST (The Bahamas) / Director: Jason Evans

    Spirit of Freedom: Narrative
    VIPS (Brazil) / Director: Toniko Melo

    *Honorable mention to BETTER MUS’ COME (Jamaica) / Director: Storm Saulter

    Spirit of Freedom: Documentary
    MARATHON BOY (USA/UK/India) / Director: Gemma Atwal

    *Honorable mention to ZERO PERCENT (USA) / Director: Tim Skousen

    Short Film
    HOMECOMING (USA) / Director: Gursimran Sandhu

    2011 BIFF Audience Awards
    Best Narrative Feature: BETTER MUS’ COME (Jamaica) / Director: Storm Saulter

    Best Documentary: ON THE WINGS OF MEN (USA/The Bahamas) / Director: Calvin Dwight Harris

    Winning screenplay in BIFF’s Filmmakers’ Residency Program is Danea Cash’s screenplay MARCH ON.

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  • 2012 San Joaquin International Film Festival unveils Official Selections

     

    The 5th San Joaquin International Film Festival (SJIFF) annouced its official selections. The Festival will run in Stockton, California from January 12th-14th at the Stockton Empire Theatre (1825 Pacific Avenue), and January 15th at the Janet Leigh Theatre (3601 Pacific Avenue) on the campus of University of the Pacific. The Festival will launch on Thursday, January 12th, 2012 with the original Swiss comedy “The Sandman” with Director Peter Luisi in person, and will wrap on Sunday, January 15th with the American biographical documentary “Carol Channing: Larger than Life.”

    – From Founder-Director Sophoan Sorn: “Selections for 2012 come from master directors, auteurs and new talents of 16 countries, including winners from the European Film Awards, Festival de Cannes, the Goyas (Spain), the Ophirs (Israel) and the Student Academy Awards; while several films are running for the 2012 Oscars. We feel so proud to be a gateway and a unique opportunity for the people of San Joaquin to experience some of the best of recent World Cinema. Now in its fifth year, the San Joaquin International Film Festival has become an annual tradition for the community.”

    – From SJ Film Society Chairman Shane Williamson: “This year’s festival is filled with impressive films from across the globe which were carefully hand picked. The line-up showcases not only diverse subjects for broad audiences but impeccable award winning quality and films with relevant topics of our world today.”

    FEATURES

    “Amigo” – A village mayor caught in the murderous crossfire of the Philippine-American War, in a powerful drama of friendship, betrayal, romance and heartbreaking violence. Director John Sayles, The Philippines/USA, 124min.

    “Chico & Rita” – Havana, 1948. A passionate love story between a young jazz pianist called Chico and Rita, a singer with a bewitching voice. Directors Fernando Trueba, Javier Mariscal, Tono Errando, Spain/UK, 94min. Valley Premiere.

    “Le Havre” – When an African boy arrives by cargo ship in the French port city of Le Havre, an aging shoe shiner takes pity on the child and welcomes him into his home. Director Aki Kaurismäki, Finland/France, 93min. Centerpiece Film.

     

    [caption id="attachment_2238" align="alignnone"]My Wedding and Other Secrets[/caption]


    “My Wedding and Other Secrets” – A romantic comedy based on a true story of a New Zealand-born Chinese woman convincing her traditional Hong Kong parents to let her marry her Caucasian boyfriend. Director Roseanne Liang, New Zealand, 88min.

    “Remembrance” (“Die verlorene Zeit”) – A remarkable love story that blossomed amidst the terror of a German concentration camp in 1944 Poland. Director Anna Justice, Germany/Poland, 108min. Valley Premiere.

    “Restoration” (“Boker tov adon Fidelman”) – A triangle of fatherhood ties, a triangle of love. A drama about a family’s effort to save their antique restoration business. Director Yossi Madmony, Israel, 105min. Valley Premiere.

    “The Sandman” (“Der Sandmann”) – One fine morning, Benno finds sand in his bed. While he tries to ignore this at first, he soon must realize that he himself is loosing the sand… Director Peter Luisi (In Person), Switzerland, 88min. Opening Night Film. Valley Premiere.

    “Winter’s Daughter” (“Wintertochter”) A heartwarming film for the family about a young Polish girl who searches for her Russian sailor father. Director Johannes Schmid, Germany/Poland, 93min. Valley Premiere.

    DOCUMENTARIES

    “Being Elmo: A Puppeteer’s Journey” – The Muppet Elmo is one of the most beloved characters among children across the globe. Meet the unlikely man behind the puppet – the heart and soul of Elmo – Kevin Clash. Director Constance Marks, USA, 80min. Centerpiece film.

    “Carol Channing: Larger than Life” – The story of legendary performer Carol Channing’s life is as colorful as the lipstick on her big, bright smile. Feel the magic and vivacity of the 90-year-old icon – both onstage and off…past and present. Director Dori Berinstein, USA, 84min. Closing Night film.

    [caption id="attachment_2239" align="alignnone"]Rice Field of Dreams[/caption]

    “Rice Field of Dreams” – The journey of Cambodia’s first national baseball team. Director Daron Ker, Cambodia/USA, 75min.

     


    SHORTS

    “Between Heaven and Earth” – Brothers Koroballa and Tiemogo try to escape the brutality of African life by sneaking into the landing section of a plane. York-Fabian Raabe, Germany/South Africa, 15min. Fiction short. Valley Premiere.

    “I Don’t Want to Go Back Alone” (“Eu Não Quero Voltar Sozinho”) – A 15 year-old blind teenager deals with the jealousy of his friend Giovana while figuring out the new feelings he’s having towards his new friend, Gabriel. Director Daniel Ribeiro, Brazil, 17min. Fiction short. Valley Premiere.

    “The First Anders” (“Den Første Anders”) – A father tries to teach his artistic and troubled young son a valuable lesson, with a story spanning over one thousand years of Danish history and countless generations of the family Andersen. Director Kristian Ussing Andersen, Denmark, 9min. Fiction short. Northern California Premiere.

    “Kahanikar – The Storyteller” – Seven-year-old Nirmala attempts to grapple with the demons of her granddad’s dementia when he starts to forget the details of her favourite story. Director Nandita Jain, UK, 10min. Animated short. Northern California Premiere.

    “A Salton Soul” – June Eilers came to the Salton Sea when her father opened the Date Palm Beach resort in the Roaring Twenties. As the sea slowly begins to dry up, she reflects on a lifetime of priceless memories. Director Mike Agnew, Greg Balkin, Tim Kressin, USA, 13min. Documentary short. Northern California Premiere.

    “Tuba Atlantic” – Oskar is dying, and is ready to forgive his brother for a disagreement years ago. Will he reach his brother, who he believes live on the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, before it is too late? Director Hallvar Witzø, Norway, 25min. Fiction short. Northern California Premiere.

    “The Vermeers” – Experience Jan Vermeer’s paintings (1632-1675) through the contemporary digital palette. Director Tal S. Shamir, USA, 5min. Experimental short. Northern California Premiere.

     

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  • Toronto International Film Festival unveils its 2011 top 10 Films

    [caption id="attachment_1963" align="alignnone" width="550"]Hobo With a Shotgun[/caption]

    Toronto International Film Festival unveiled the top 10 best features and top 10 best short films of 2011.  Canada’s Top Ten films are chosen from features, shorts, documentaries, animation and experimental films. Each film must have premiered at a major film festival or obtained a commercial theatrical release in Canada in 2011. The filmmaker must be a Canadian citizen or resident, and have a history of working in Canada or on Canadian-financed films.

    Monsieur Lazhar, Canada’s Canada’s official entry for Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award     and audience favorite film at the just wrapped Whistler Film Festival made the list, along with Edwin Boyd, about the mid-century Canadian bank robber, and Starbuck, about a sperm donor who learns he’s fathered more than 500 children.


    Canada’s Top Ten feature film selections for 2011 (in alphabetical order):

    Café de flore — Jean-Marc Vallée (Alliance Films)
    A Dangerous Method — David Cronenberg (Entertainment One)
    Edwin Boyd — Nathan Morlando (Entertainment One)
    Hobo With a Shotgun — Jason Eisener (Alliance Films)
    Keyhole — Guy Maddin (Entertainment One)  
    Marécages — Guy Édoin (Mongrel Media)
    Monsieur Lazhar — Philippe Falardeau (Entertainment One)
    Starbuck — Ken Scott (Entertainment One)
    Take This Waltz — Sarah Polley (Mongrel Media)
    Le Vendeur — Sébastien Pilote (Entertainment One)



    Canada’s Top Ten short film selections for 2011 (in alphabetical order):

    Choke — Michelle Latimer
    Doubles With Slight Pepper — Ian Harnarine
    The Fuse: Or How I Burned Simon Bolivar — Igor Drljaca
    Hope — Pedro Pires (Phi Group)
    No Words Came Down — Ryan Flowers and Lisa Pham
    Ora — Philippe Baylaucq (National Film Board of Canada)
    Rhonda’s Party — Ashley McKenzie
    La Ronde — Sophie Goyette (Locomotion Films)
    Trotteur — Arnaud Brisebois and Francis Leclerc (Phi Group and Cirrus Communications)
    We Ate the Children Last — Andrew Cividino

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  • Monsieur Lazhar Wins Audience Award at 11th Whistler Film Festival

    [caption id="attachment_1958" align="alignnone"]Monsieur Lazhar[/caption]
    Quebec director Philippe Falardeau’s Monsieur Lazhar, starring Fellag, Marie-Ève Beauregard, Marie Charlebois and Evelyne de la Chenelière, took home the Audience Award at the eleventh annual Whistler Film Festival (WFF), which wrapped on Sunday night. Winner of Best Canadian Film At TIFF and Canada’s official entry for Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award, Monsieur Lazhar follows Bachir Lazhar, a 55-year-old Algerian immigrant, who goes to a Montreal elementary school to offer his services as a substitute teacher having learned of a teacher dying abruptly in the newspaper. Quickly hired to replace the deceased, he finds himself in an establishment in crisis, while going through his own personal tragedy. WFF Audience Award runner up was Rasta: A Soul’s Journey (dir: Stuart Samuels). Other audience favorites included three BC films: Foreverland (dir: Maxwell McGuire), and Marilyn (dir: Christopher Petry), which both had their world premieres at the Festival, and Doppleganger Paul (Or A Film About How Much I Hate Myself), directed by Dylan Akio Smith and Kris Elgstrand.

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  • 64 Short Films Selected for 2012 Sundance Film Festival

    [caption id="attachment_1956" align="alignnone"]92 Skybox Alonzo Mourning Rookie Card[/caption]

    64 short films have been selected to screen as part of the Short Film program at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival. The Festival will be January 19 through 29 in Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden and Sundance, Utah.

    The Short Film program at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival is presented by Yahoo!. As part of its sponsorship, a special selection of short films from the Festival will be featured on Yahoo! Screen, Yahoo’s premium video destination, where an audience of millions will be able to vote for their favorite. The winning filmmaker will be presented with the Yahoo! Audience Award at the end of the Festival.


    U.S. SHORT FILMS
    This year’s 32 U.S. short films were selected from 4,083 submissions.

    U.S. NARRATIVE SHORT FILMS
    ’92 Skybox Alonzo Mourning Rookie Card (Director: Todd Sklar, Screenwriters: Todd Sklar, Alex Rennie) — Jim and Dave are brothers who haven’t spoken in years and don’t like each other very much, but are forced to come together for a week when their dad dies in Kansas City. A limited edition 1992 Skybox Series Alonzo Mourning rookie card is a point of contention.

    The Arm (Directors and screenwriters: Brie Larson, Sarah Ramos, Jessie Ennis) — In an attempt to keep up with social pressure in a technologically advanced world, Chance starts a texting relationship with Genevieve, a girl he meets at a yogurt shop.

    The Black Balloon (Directors: Benny Safdie, Josh Safdie) — The Black Balloon strays from the herd and experiences what life as an individual is like. He explores New York City in the deepest way, seeing all of its characters.

    Dol (First Birthday) (Director and screenwriter: Andrew Ahn) — A gay Korean American man yearns for a family life just out of reach.

    Famous Person Talent Agency: Pearls of Asia (Director: Ivan Hurzeler, Screenwriter: Cami Delavigne) — Jackie Diamond is a luckless talent agent who never stops dreaming. He believes in his clients and he believes in show business. Jackie reaches for the stars from a shabby office in Queens – the Famous Person Talent Agency.

    FISHING WITHOUT NETS (Director: Cutter Hodierne, Screenwriters: Cutter Hodierne, John Hibey) — A story of pirates in Somalia, told from the perspective of the pirates themselves.

    The Fort (Director and screenwriter: Andrew Renzi) — On a rainy day, a young boy builds a fort in the woods when a man appears and offers to help.

    FOURPLAY: TAMPA (Director: Kyle Henry, Screenwriter: Carlos Trevino) — Louis loops into a local mall to grab lunch in the food court and a quickie in the public restroom. Paranoid about his own small package and clearly nervous about the situation, he scouts for possible partners, letting his imagination take over when reality proves thoroughly unsatisfying.

    Hellion (Director and screenwriter: Kat Candler) — Little seven-year-old Petey falls prey to his older brothers’ hellion ways.

    Henley (Director: Craig Macneill, Screenwriters: Craig Macneill, Clay McLeod Chapman) — Meet nine-year-old Ted Henley, budding motel manager and roadkill entrepreneur.

    L TRAIN (Director and screenwriter: Anna Musso) — Sunny is a self-regarding teenager fighting her way through an inner city blizzard, until she encounters someone who forces her to consider an altruistic, if not absurd, action.

    Life and Freaky Times of Uncle Luke (Director: Jillian Mayer, Screenwriter: Lucas Leyva) — A modern Miami adaptation of the 1962 French short film La Jetee, the film recounts Luke’s (Uncle Luke, legendary rapper from the hip-hop group 2 Live Crew) rise to fame as he changes the face of hip-hop and fights for first amendment rights- and later as he ushers Miami into a golden era of peace and prosperity as Mayor.

    OK BREATHE AURALEE (Director and screenwriter: Brooke Swaney) — Auralee wants a baby and will go to great lengths to get what she wants.

    Rolling on the Floor Laughing (Director and screenwriter: Russell Harbaugh) — Two grown brothers return home for their widowed mother’s birthday, only to find themselves competing with a strange man for her affection.

    Song of the Spindle (Director and screenwriter: Drew Christie) — An animated, humorous and informative conversation between a sperm whale and a man. Each one tries to convince the other that his brain is bigger.

    spoonful (Director and screenwriter: Jenée LaMarque) — Three sisters return to their childhood home after the death of their father in order to pack up the family house. To make matters worse, the oldest sister has been separated from her baby for the first time.

    The Thing (Director: Rhys Ernst, Screenwriters: Rhys Ernst, Avery McTaggart) — Zooey has spent weeks planning a road trip to a mysterious roadside attraction known as ‘The Thing’ in the hopes that she and Tristan will reconnect. Both Tristan, an FTM transman, and his fluffy cat Steven struggle to find places to comfortably pee, while Zooey learns the open road isn’t everything she hoped it would be.

    UNA HORA POR FAVORA (Director and screenwriter: Jill Soloway) — A woman hires a day laborer for an hour and gets more than she bargained for.

    U.S. DOCUMENTARY SHORT FILMS
    AQUADETTES (Directors: Drea Cooper, Zackary Canepari) — The Aquadettes are a group of elderly synchronized swimmers from Leisure World, a retirement community nestled in Orange County, California. One of them, Margo Bauer, is fighting multiple sclerosis and using medical marijuana to ease her pain and to keep on swimming.

    The Debutante Hunters (Director: Maria White) — In the Lowcountry of South Carolina a group of true Southern belles reveal their more rugged side, providing a glimpse into what drives them to hunt in the wild.

    Family Nightmare (Director: Dustin Guy Defa) — A dizzy trip through the mid-1990s with a dysfunctional American family. Reliving a distracted child’s birthday party, an emotionless wedding, a Halloween in a garage and a Christmas marked with alcohol, drugs and perversion, the film is a crumpled letter from a filmmaker to his family: a shattered kaleidoscope of the destructive patterns that have trapped and wounded its members.

    The Meaning of Robots (Director: Matt Lenski) — The benevolent Mike Sullivan, age 65, has been shooting an epic stop-motion robot sex film in his apartment for the last 10 years. Obsessed with constructing the miniature robot porn stars, his apartment now overflows with thousands of them.

    The Movement: One Man Joins an Uprising (Directors: Greg I. Hamilton, Kurt Miller) — In 2004 Rick Finkelstein was paralyzed in a ski accident on Aspen Mountain. With a severed spine and severe internal trauma, he wasn’t expected to live. Six years, nine surgeries, and a lifetime of rehab later, cameras captured his dramatic return to Aspen and skiing.

    Odysseus’ Gambit (Director: Àlex Lora Cercós) — A gambit is a chess opening in which a player sacrifices a pawn with the hope of achieving a resulting advantageous position. The protagonist is a Cambodian American guy looking for his place in the game.

    Pluto Declaration (Director: Travis Wilkerson) — Restore the classical definition of planet! Bring back planet Pluto! The solar system is 12!

    The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom (Director: Lucy Walker) — Survivors in the areas hardest hit by Japan’s recent tsunami find the courage to revive and rebuild as cherry blossom season begins. A visual haiku about the ephemeral nature of life and the healing power of Japan’s most beloved flower.

    U.S. ANIMATED SHORT FILMS
    38-39° C (Director and screenwriter: Kangmin Kim) — A man with a big birthmark on his back enters an old public bathhouse. He falls into a dream where he confronts his father who has the same birthmark.

    Avocados (Director and screenwriter: Kataneh Vahdani) — A journey with many characters in one day through a city.

    Dr Breakfast (Director and screenwriter: Stephen Neary) — One day at breakfast, a man’s soul bursts out of his eyeball. A surreal meditation on the quirky but rejuvenating nature of friendship.

    It’s Such a Beautiful Day (Director and screenwriter: Don Hertzfeldt) — Bill wakes to find himself in a hospital struggling with memory problems, in this third and final chapter to Don Hertzfeldt’s EVERYTHING WILL BE OK.

    Night Hunter (Director and screenwriter: Stacey Steers) — In this handmade film, composed of more than 4,000 collages and shot in 35mm color, the actress Lillian Gish is seamlessly appropriated from silent-era cinema and plunged into a new and haunting role.

    Once It Started It Could Not End Otherwise (Director and screenwriter: Kelly Sears) — Terrifying and strange happenings descend on a 1970’s high school.
    INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILMS
    This year’s 27 international short films from 16 countries were selected from a record 3,592 submissions.

    INTERNATIONAL NARRATIVE SHORT FILMS
    Barbie Blues / Israel (Director and screenwriter: Adi Kutner) — When Mika, a suburban teenager finds a disturbing creature in her swimming pool she asks her neighbor Gershon for help. What starts off as a friendly encounter between two neighbors turns into an unexpected lesson on the borders of control.

    BEAR / Australia (Director: Nash Edgerton, Screenwriters: Nash Edgerton, David Michôd) — Jack means well, but sometimes good intentions have horrible consequences.

    Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared / United Kingdom (Directors: Joseph Pelling, Rebecca Sloan) — A short film about teaching creativity by This Is It Collective.

    Frozen Stories (Opowiesci z chlodni) / Poland (Director and screenwriter: Grzegorz Jaroszuk) — Two worst employees of a supermarket have been ordered to find a goal in their lives.

    Fungus (Svamp) / Sweden (Director and screenwriter: Charlotta Miller) — Katrin decides to face her old boyfriend, who is back to collect some of his stuff.

    Girl / Sweden (Director: Fijona Jonuzi, Screenwriter: Gustaf Boman Bränngård) — Hanna, 32, randomly finds a party consisting of of five 20-year-old boys. At first she feels uncomfortable, but after a little adjusting, she soon feels like she’s one of them.

    The Hidden Smile (El somriure amagat) / Spain (Director: Ventura Durall, Screenwriters: Ventura Durall, Miguel Llansó) — Following a 10-year-old kid who arrives at the Ethiopian capital after escaping from his home and his misfortunes to integrate into a street children group, The Hidden Smile constructs a realistic tale on the values that flourish in a society formed by children.

    Juku / Bolivia (Director: Kiro Russo, Screenwriters: Gilmar Gonzales, Kiro Russo) — The dark mass between the screen and the room can beat again like once the first darkness did. Deep in it a man moves. He has a lamp, and the light it makes forms the rocks that will end up taking over the screen. About ten thousand people enter daily into Posokoni, the largest tin mine in Bolivia.

    Killing the Chickens to Scare the Monkeys / Sweden (Director and screenwriter: Jens Assu) — Nine scenes unfold in the grey area between black and white, where national politics and strategy have unforeseen consequences on a young teacher’s life.

    Las Palmas / Sweden (Director and screenwriter: Johannes Nyholm) — A middle-aged lady on a holiday in the sun tries to make new friends and have a good time.

    LAZAROV / France (Director and screenwriter: Nieto) — Refusing to accept the decline of the USSR, a handful of Russian scientists work secretly to resurrect the Soviet power. Here are some new images of the mysterious program Lazarov.

    Long Distance Information / United Kingdom (Director and screenwriter: Douglas Hart) — Da always said not to talk to strangers…but you’ve got to phone home sometimes.

    Moxie / United Kingdom (Director and screenwriter: Stephen Irwin) — A pyromaniac bear misses his mother.

    Playtime (Spielzeit) / Germany (Director and screenwriter: Lucas Mireles) — A seamless journey of German youth and innocence on a Sunday afternoon.

    Random Strangers / United Kingdom (Director: Alexis Dos Santos, Screenwriters: Laurence Coriat, Alexis Dos Santos) — Rocky and Lulu live in opposite sides of the planet: they bump into each other in ChatRoulette and decide to stay in touch. Using video diaries, secret confessions, fictional representations of facts of their lives made with toys, dance performances and songs, they create a place where they can truly be themselves. But how real is their world?

    The Return (Kthimi) / Kosovo (Director: Blerta Zeqiri, Screenwriter: Shefqet Gjocaj) — A man comes back from a Serb prison to his wife and son. Much has changed since he was declared missing and continuing where they left off four years ago may not be as easy as it seems.

    Surveillant / Canada (Director and screenwriter: Yan Giroux) — It’s another quiet summer day in Park Dufresne. The neighborhood youth loiter around the park until a new park monitor appears for his first day of work. Two universes clash and a territorial struggle begins.

    Tooty’s Wedding / United Kingdom (Director: Frederic Casella, Screenwriters: Laura Solon, Ben Willbond) — A young couple’s marriage hilariously hits the rocks during a weekend wedding in the country.

    Tumult / United Kingdom (Director and screenwriter: Johnny Barrington) — A tribe of Norse warriors traipse across a barren land after battle. Bloodied and wounded, their chief is near death. He is about to hand over power to his son when an army of a completely different kind descends upon them.

    INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTARY SHORT FILMS
    Into the Middle of Nowhere / United Kingdom (Director: Anna Frances Ewert) — The documentary is about the uniqueness of childhood and the exploration of the human mind. In an outdoor nursery based in the woods, children create their own individually constructed worlds and can test out the boundaries of reality.

    Stick Climbing / Austria, Switzerland (Director: Daniel Zimmerman) — A contemplative walk leads to a bizarre climbing tour going from everyday village life to a seemingly impossible ascent.

    INTERNATIONAL ANIMATED SHORT FILMS
    663114 / Japan (Director: Isamu Hirabayashi) — I am a 66-year-old cicada. There was a big earthquake. There was a big tsunami. There also was a big accident.

    Belly / United Kingdom (Director: Julia Pott) — Oscar is coming of age, against his better judgment. In doing so he must experience the necessary evil of leaving something behind, but he can still feel it in the pit of his stomach.

    BOBBY YEAH / United Kingdom (Director: Robert Morgan) — Bobby Yeah is a petty thug who lightens his miserable existence by brawling and thieving stuff. One day, he steals the favorite pet of some very dangerous individuals, and finds himself in deep trouble. He really should learn, but he just can’t help it.

    A Morning Stroll / United Kingdom (Director: Grant Orchard) — When a New Yorker walks past a chicken on his morning stroll, we are left to wonder which one is the real city slicker.

     

    Robots of Brixton / United Kingdom (Director: Kibwe Tavares) — The trials and tribulations of young robots surviving at the sharp end of inner city life, living the predictable existence of a populous hemmed in by poverty, disillusionment and mass unemployment.

    Slow Derek / United Kingdom (Director: Dan Ojari) — The tale of Derek, an office worker, as he struggles with the true speed of planet earth.

    NEW FRONTIER SHORT FILMS
    An electrifying celebration of innovation in filmmaking, these New Frontier shorts, through bold color and thought-provoking messaging, electrify and energize the mind.

    The Conquerors (Les Conquérants) / Canada, France (Directors and screenwriters: Sarolta Szabo, Tibor Banoczki) — What exactly we need to build new civilization? Bravery? Courage? Power? Or the only thing we need is to successfully destroy an already existing one.

    The Diatom / U.S.A. (Director: Chris Peters) — The diatom is the most numerous species on the planet, the basis of the aquatic food chain, produces most of the oxygen on earth, and is a key scientific indicator of the health of a water system. In order to understand our place in the world this mixed-mode ‘science film’ observes renowned Utah-based scientist Sam Rushforth and his team in the wide isolated landscape then in the lab and finally goes through the microscope to the diatom itself.

    Fragments of Dissolution / U.S.A. (Director: Travis Wilkerson) — A poetic, anguished cry from the heart of a rotting empire. Four women describe their own unique hells. Children, brothers, and friends burned alive while simply trying not to freeze. Husbands and sons deployed over and over, who kill themselves rather than fighting again. From Ft. Lewis to Detroit, the empire is devouring its own intestines.

    Moving Stories / Belgium (Director and screenwriter: Nicolas Provost) — Two young passengers adventure towards a mysterious future.

    SEEKING THE MONKEY KING  (Director: Ken Jacobs) — The film could have well been called KICKING AND SCREAMING but that only describes me in the process of making it, questioning its taste. Cut through the flashy swastikas and one sees the German Nazis were Christians fulfilling historic obligation (The Final Solution) with relatively few so well-read as to imagine themselves Nietzscheans. SEEKING THE MONKEY KING is a reversion to my mid-20s and that sense of horror that drove the making of STAR

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