San Joaquin International Film Festival

Swiss director and screenwriter, Peter Luisi, will be honored in person with the Film Society’s Independent Award at the Opening Night of the 5th San Joaquin International Film Festival (SJIFF). The Opening Night film is Mr. Luisi’s “The Sandman.”

The Independent Award honors a spirited innovator who empowers independent filmmaking through impactful creativity, exemplary talent and steadfast leadership.

Mr. Luisi was born in 1975 in Zurich, Switzerland. He studied film production in North Carolina and UC Santa Cruz in the United States of America. In 1999, he founded his own company, Spotlight Media Productions AG. He has since worked as an independent director and screenwriter. Mr. Luisi’s films have garnered eight nominations from the Swiss Film Prize, the national film award of Switzerland. His debut film “Crazy Love Crazy” (2004) won the Zurich Film Award. In early 2011, “The Sandman” won the Audience Award at Filmfestival Max Ophuels Prize in Saarbrücken, Germany; and was nominated for three Swiss Film Prizes, including Best Fiction Film.

History of the Award: Mr. Luisi will be the second honoree of this award. The first honoree was Jon Gunn, whose film “Like Dandelion Dust” was the Closing Night selection of SJIFF in 2009.

Swiss Cinema at SJIFF: “The Sandman” is the second film from Switzerland selected to open the San Joaquin International Film Festival: Denis Rabaglia’s “Marcello Marcello” opened the festival in 2009, and the film’s lead actor Francesco Mistichelli was honored with the San Joaquin Film Society’s Discovery Award.

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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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The San Joaquin International Film Festival will open its 5th Anniversary with the Valley Premiere of the Swiss comedy “The Sandman (Der Sandmann)” with the honorable presence of Director-Screenwriter Peter Luisi on Thursday, January 12, 2012 at 7:00pm at the Stockton Empire Theatre (1825 Pacific Avenue). Mr. Luisi will participate in a post-film Q&A following the film’s screening.

• From Director Peter Luisi: “I am delighted that my film ‘The Sandman’ has been chosen to open this year’s festival and that I have been invited to attend. Independent film festivals such as San Joaquin have become an increasingly important meeting point for us filmmakers and us film enthusiasts.”

• From SJIFF Founder Sophoan Sorn: “We are honored to welcome director and screenwriter Peter Luisi all the way from Zurich, Switzerland to Stockton. His original and sensational comedy ‘The Sandman’ – along with his presence and delightful behind-the-scenes stories – will make the Opening Night of the 5th Anniversary San Joaquin International Film Festival an unforgettable experience!”

Synopsis: “One morning, Benno finds sand in his bed. While he tries to ignore this, he soon realizes that he himself is the source of the sand. Day after day the sand increases, and time is running short. Finally, left with no choice, he asks Sandra the neighbor who runs a coffee shop under his apartment for help. Although Benno hates her with a passion, he starts having dreams of her each night. What could Sandra and the dreams have to do with the sand?” Starring Fabian Krüger, Irene Brügger, Beat Schlatter, Florine Elena Deplazes. (88 minutes; in Swiss German with English subtitles; produced in Switzerland in 2010-2011)

“The Sandman” held its World Premiere at Film festival Max Ophuels Prize in Saarbrücken, Germany in January 2011, where it won the Audience Award. The film was nominated for three Swiss Film Awards, including Best Picture and Best Screenplay. It won over 20 awards around the world and screened at festivals in Solothurn and Locarno in Switzerland, Newport Beach and Berlin & Beyond in San Francisco.

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The 5th Anniversary San Joaquin International Film Festival will close with “Carol Channing – Larger than Life,” a documentary film directed by Broadway producer Dori Berinstein. The film will screen on Sunday, January 15, 2012 at 7:30pm at the Janet Leigh Theatre on the campus of University of the Pacific (3601 Pacific Avenue).

Synopsis from Hot Docs Canadian Documentary Film Festival: “With an incomparable voice and presence, Carol Channing burst onto the Broadway scene in 1941, rising to stardom with lead roles in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes and Hello, Dolly. No stranger to documenting Broadway heavy-hitters, Dori Bernstein profiles the iconic star’s expansive career and vivacious persona. Now 90 years old, Channing is as outspoken and vibrant as ever, batting her signature false eyelashes and flashing her mile-wide smile as she candidly recounts tales of showbiz. A late-in-life romance seems to fuel this unstoppable entertainer. Now in her seventh year of marriage to her junior-high sweetheart, after nearly 70 years apart, Channing shows us true love may be the key to youth and vitality. An advocate for gay rights and AIDS awareness, Channing still lights up the stage with song and dance. You’re looking swell, Dolly, and it’s so nice to have you back where you belong.” –Lynne Crocker, Hot Docs

(83 minutes; in English; produced in USA in 2011)

This film also contains candid interviews with Lily Tomlin, Debbie Reynolds, Barbara Walters, Chita Rivera and Jerry Herman.

“Carol Channing – Larger than Life” held its World Premiere at the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival, and was well-received at the prestigious Hot Docs Canadian Documentary Film Festival.

Director Dori Berinstein is a Broadway producer and an award-winning director, producer, and writer of film and TV. Her 11 Broadway shows include: Legally Blonde (seven Olivier nominations), Thoroughly Modern Millie (Tony Award), The Crucible (Tony nomination), One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (Tony Award), Fool Moon (Tony Award), and Flower Drum Song (Tony nomination). (source: Tribeca Film Festival)

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[caption id="attachment_2090" align="alignnone"]Le Havre[/caption]

The 5th San Joaquin International Film Festival (SJIFF) announced that its Centerpiece films will be the Valley premiere of “Le Havre” (Finland’s official entry for the 2012 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film) by Finnish auteur Aki Kaurismäki and “Being Elmo – A Puppeteer’s Journey” by American documentary filmmaker Constance Marks.

The films selected for the Centerpiece program are cinematic stories that capture the essence of humanity, power of expression and universality of cinema arts.

“Le Havre ” will screen Saturday, January 14th, 2012 at 7:00pm at the Stockton Empire Theatre (1825 Pacific Avenue).

“Being Elmo – A Puppeteer’s Journey” will screen Sunday, January 15th at 3:00pm at the Janet Leigh Theatre on the campus of University of the Pacific (3601 Pacific Avenue).

LE HAVRE

“A stylized and sentimental fairy tale about the way the world might be… Aki Kaurismäki has become a major inheritor of the comic-humanist tradition of Charlie Chaplin, Jean Renoir and Jacques Tati.” –A.O. Scott, The New York Times

“Four stars! There is nothing cynical or cheap about it, it tells a good story with clear eyes and a level gaze, and it just plain makes you feel good.” –Roger Ebert, The Chicago Sun-Times

Synopsis from Janus Films : “In this warmhearted portrait of the French harbor city that gives the film its name, fate throws young African refugee Idrissa (Blondin Miguel) into the path of Marcel Marx (André Wilms), a well-spoken bohemian who works as a shoeshiner. With innate optimism and the unwavering support of his community, Marcel stands up to officials doggedly pursuing the boy for deportation. A political fairy tale that exists somewhere between the reality of contemporary France and the classic cinema of Jean-Pierre Melville and Marcel Carné, Le Havre is a charming, deadpan delight..” (93 minutes; in French with English subtitles; produced in Finland, France and Germany in 2011)

“Le Havre” held its World Premiere in Competition for the Palm d’Or at the prestigious Festival de Cannes in May 2011, where it won the FIPRESCI International Federation of Film Critics Award. After Cannes, it was selected for many of the world’s leading international film festivals, including Toronto, Busan, San Sebastian, Karlovy Vary, Stockholm, Sarajevo, Rio de Janeiro, Taipei, Torino, Melbourne, Haifa, Haugesund Norwegian, New York, Telluride and Hamptons. In Munich, it was honored with the Arri-Zeiss-Award. In Locarno, it screened to 8,000 spectators at the open-air Piazza Grande. In Chicago, it won the top prize, the Gold Hugo. “Le Havre” is currently nominated for four 2011 European Film Awards, including Best Picture and Best Screenwriter.

Director Aki Kaurismäki was born in Orimattila, Finland. His early work was featured in the Festival’s 1988 Spotlight programme. His feature films include Crime and Punishment (83), Calamari Union (85), Shadows in Paradise (86), Hamlet Goes Business (87), Ariel (88), Leningrad Cowboys Go America (89), The Match Factory Girl (90), I Hired a Contract Killer (90), La Vie de Bohème (92), Total Balalaika Show (94), Take Care of Your Scarf, Tatjana (94), Drifting Clouds (96), Juha (99), The Man Without a Past (02), Lights in the Dusk (06) and Le Havre (11).” –Toronto International Film Festival


BEING ELMO – A PUPPETEER’S JOURNEY

[caption id="attachment_2231" align="alignnone"]BEING ELMO – A PUPPETEER’S JOURNEY[/caption]

“Critics’ pick! A winning tale of the persistence and creativity behind one of the most famous and fuzziest faces in the world.” –Neil Genzlinger, The New York Times

“Production values are top-notch, particularly the cinematography by James Miller and Joel Goodman’s energetic, fanciful score. ‘Being Elmo’ is a rare documentary that will connect across generations and cultures to delight viewers worldwide for years to come.” –Justin Lowe, The Hollywood Reporter

Synopsis from BeingElmo.com: “Beloved by children of all ages around the world, Elmo is an international icon. Few people know his creator, Kevin Clash, who dreamed of working with his idol, master puppeteer Jim Henson. Displaying his creativity and talent at a young age, Kevin ultimately found a home on Sesame Street. Narrated by Whoopi Goldberg, this documentary includes rare archival footage, interviews with Frank Oz, Rosie O’Donnell, Cheryl Henson, Joan Ganz Cooney and others and offers a behind-the-scenes look at Sesame Street and the Jim Henson Workshop.” (85 minutes; in English; produced in USA in 2011)

“Being Elmo – A Puppeteer’s Journey” held its World Premiere at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival where it won a Special Jury Prize. It won the Audiencec Award and a Special Jury Award at the Traverse City Film Festival, and has screened at various festivals around the world, including Hot Docs Canada International Documentary Film Festival, AFI/Discovery Channel Silverdocs, SXSW and Mill Valley. It is currently nominated for the Audience Award at IFP’s 2011 Gotham Awards.

Director Constance Marks is an award-winning independent documentary filmmaker. She is the founder and president of Constance Marks Productions, Inc., a documentary production company based in New York City. Marks began her filmmaking career over 30 years ago as an assistant editor for the renowned Cinema Verite pioneers, David and Albert Maysles.Marks’ critically acclaimed films have been shown theatrically, broadcast widely, and garnered numerous awards. Her productions include Return to Appalachia which aired on PBS, Let’s Fall in Love: A Singles Weekend at the Concord Hotel. which was selected by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences as one of the outstanding documentaries of the year, and Green Chimneys – a full-length documentary feature film which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and aired on HBO. Marks has produced numerous films focusing on important social issues including homelessness, the elderly, experimental charter schools and substance abuse recovery residences. –beingelmo.com

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Founder Sophoan Sorn will serve as guest curator and director of the 5th San Joaquin International Film Festival (SJIFF5), taking place January 12th-14th, 2012 at the Stockton Empire Theatre on the Miracle Mile, and January 15th at the Janet Leigh Theatre at University of the Pacific.

Sophoan Sorn is presently director of San Francisco’s Berlin & Beyond Film Festival.

Sorn inaugurated SJIFF in June of 2008. During his three-year tenure through 2010, he expanded SJIFF into the year-round San Joaquin Film Society – curating unique programs as the San Joaquin Children’s Film Festival, Cinema Italia and French Cinema Days; while building strong collaborations with many institutions across the area, such as University of the Pacific, San Joaquin Delta College, The Haggin Museum and Modesto’s State Theatre. As the 4th SJIFF took place in March of 2011, Sorn contributed to its program as Guest Curator.

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