Foreign Language Films

FLOWERS, Spain’s Oscar Entry, to Be Released in US | TRAILER

FLOWERS (Loreak), Spain’s submission for 2015 Foreign Language Film Oscar category for the 88th Academy Awards, will be released in the US, later this Fall 2015, via Music Box Films. The film opens at New York’s Paris Theater on Oct. 30, followed by Los Angeles on Nov. 27. Directed by Jon Garaño and Jose Mari Goenaga, Flowers is the story of three women, three lives altered by the mere presence of bouquets of flowers. Ane’s life takes a turn when a bouquet of flowers is delivered to her house every week. Always at the same time and always anonymously. Lourdes and Tere’s lives are also affected by some mysterious flowers. A stranger leaves a weekly bouquet in memory of someone important in their lives. This Flowers that will make feelings blossom inside them that had seemed long forgotten… But in the end, they are nothing more than flowers. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8L33oXnK75w
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Complete List of Films + Trailers for 81 Countries in Competition for 2015 Foreign Language Film Oscar

Eighty-one countries have submitted films for consideration in the 2015 Foreign Language Film Oscar category for the 88th Academy Awards®. Paraguay is a first-time entrant. The 2015 submissions are: Afghanistan, “Utopia,” Hassan Nazer, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZhbfzrKWLw Albania, “Bota,” Iris Elezi, Thomas Logoreci, directors; https://vimeo.com/122133505 Algeria, “Twilight of Shadows,” Mohamed Lakhdar Hamina, director; Argentina, “The Clan,” Pablo Trapero, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWia2xcELuI Australia, “Arrows of the Thunder Dragon,” Greg Sneddon, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TSHuWQjixA Austria, “Goodnight Mommy,” Veronika Franz, Severin Fiala, directors; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7u3GCfr0U94 Bangladesh, “Jalal’s Story,” Abu Shahed Emon, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Cu0vvLRKsI Belgium, “The Brand New Testament,” Jaco Van Dormael, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9jEA8uzHwQ Bosnia and Herzegovina, “Our Everyday Story,” Ines Tanović, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OO6fH-cZpzA Brazil, “The Second Mother,” Anna Muylaert, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNjwuQcvGms Bulgaria, “The Judgment,” Stephan Komandarev, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRCAYsrl37s Cambodia, “The Last Reel,” Sotho Kulikar, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1XmFpUAVvw Canada, “Félix and Meira,” Maxime Giroux, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HFbAjkmeYQ Chile, “The Club,” Pablo Larraín, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8c2DYoF7lA China, “Go Away Mr. Tumor,” Han Yan, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65UUtHBHJZM Colombia, “Embrace of the Serpent,” Ciro Guerra, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vS73P3hZvPA Costa Rica, “Imprisoned,” Esteban Ramírez, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFcdWPoxEzo Croatia, “The High Sun,” Dalibor Matanić, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcWDMgipJ78 Czech Republic, “Home Care,” Slavek Horak, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdP5dEndQkI Denmark, “A War,” Tobias Lindholm, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRkE5ZrPzs0 Dominican Republic, “Sand Dollars,” Laura Amelia Guzmán, Israel Cárdenas, directors; (pictured above) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HeEPnn7ioE Estonia, “1944,” Elmo Nüganen, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4ni6KeO-AY Ethiopia, “Lamb,” Yared Zeleke, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKh2M2ooD3w Finland, “The Fencer,” Klaus Härö, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocTDfePRAOg France, “Mustang,” Deniz Gamze Ergüven, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ud2yfvjdKRU Georgia, “Moira,” Levan Tutberidze, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myW9KtGw8sA Germany, “Labyrinth of Lies,” Giulio Ricciarelli, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xU0Ywoww70 Greece, “Xenia,” Panos H. Koutras, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaZ3mOod9hk Guatemala, “Ixcanul,” Jayro Bustamante, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMMP0Z21zqU Hong Kong, “To the Fore,” Dante Lam, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3_4N1DoFbg Hungary, “Son of Saul,” László Nemes, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDP3TZilWHc Iceland, “Rams,” Grímur Hákonarson, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWOFWaltGRw India, “Court,” Chaitanya Tamhane, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sc8z7zav9A Iran, “Muhammad: The Messenger of God,” Majid Majidi, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95HoUxTWGi0 Iraq, “Memories on Stone,” Shawkat Amin Korki, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuBFjhUo5C8 Ireland, “Viva,” Paddy Breathnach, director; Israel, “Baba Joon,” Yuval Delshad, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQLOlq1PfQs Italy, “Don’t Be Bad,” Claudio Caligari, director; Ivory Coast, “Run,” Philippe Lacôte, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SDrpfbnKUk Japan, “100 Yen Love,” Masaharu Take, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwF-VZMEoFc Jordan, “Theeb,” Naji Abu Nowar, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqUbMKf8c60 Kazakhstan, “Stranger,” Yermek Tursunov, director; Kosovo, “Babai,” Visar Morina, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXnmJBVtFBY Kyrgyzstan, “Heavenly Nomadic,” Mirlan Abdykalykov, director; Latvia, “Modris,” Juris Kursietis, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWCxsRlW8Bg Lebanon, “Void,” Naji Bechara, Jad Beyrouthy, Zeina Makki, Tarek Korkomaz, Christelle Ighniades, Maria Abdel Karim, Salim Haber, directors; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_ryTnlrB_s Lithuania, “The Summer of Sangaile,” Alanté Kavaïté, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HoijP-cGzfE Luxembourg, “Baby (A)lone,” Donato Rotunno, director; Macedonia, “Honey Night,” Ivo Trajkov, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdaM3dbsgNo Malaysia, “Men Who Save the World,” Liew Seng Tat, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DoUf5jSq_s Mexico, “600 Miles,” Gabriel Ripstein, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGINGaYOlGs Montenegro, “You Carry Me,” Ivona Juka, director; Morocco, “Aida,” Driss Mrini, director; Nepal, “Talakjung vs Tulke,” Basnet Nischal, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zl-JXV0JTzw Netherlands, “The Paradise Suite,” Joost van Ginkel, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBxz3h3uhos Norway, “The Wave,” Roar Uthaug, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIr90-aG26Y Pakistan, “Moor,” Jami, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUgbkOedFOY Palestine, “The Wanted 18,” Amer Shomali, Paul Cowan, directors; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekhTuZpMw54 Paraguay, “Cloudy Times,” Arami Ullón, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSekF0ANW5o Peru, “NN,” Héctor Gálvez, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZalPtyQSMus Philippines, “Heneral Luna,” Jerrold Tarog, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_T1ykhy3Fg Poland, “11 Minutes,” Jerzy Skolimowski, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8IlSOg1-6Tk Portugal, “Arabian Nights – Volume 2, The Desolate One,” Miguel Gomes, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i59kera1ayM Romania, “Aferim!” Radu Jude, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmTYOY_jQWc Russia, “Sunstroke,” Nikita Mikhalkov, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WypoUHTWH8 Serbia, “Enclave,” Goran Radovanović, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dddfro-Vt9M Singapore, “7 Letters,” Royston Tan, Kelvin Tong, Eric Khoo, Jack Neo, Tan Pin Pin,Boo Junfeng, K. Rajagopal, directors; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dI_Tp92v_OA Slovakia, “Goat,” Ivan Ostrochovský, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOs0PTCC07A Slovenia, “The Tree,” Sonja Prosenc, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQlBmcyyVzg South Africa, “The Two of Us,” Ernest Nkosi, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uv0y8n0Pu0E South Korea, “The Throne,” Lee Joon-ik, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmsD3wvvGP8 Spain, “Flowers,” Jon Garaño, Jose Mari Goenaga, directors; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8L33oXnK75w Sweden, “A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence,” Roy Andersson, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7pna4laaAk Switzerland, “Iraqi Odyssey,” Samir, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTs2IMlv7rY Taiwan, “The Assassin,” Hou Hsiao-hsien, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bqNyl72eBw Thailand, “How to Win at Checkers (Every Time),” Josh Kim, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfXh86HUpAA Turkey, “Sivas,” Kaan Müjdeci, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWeZ0bZz12M United Kingdom, “Under Milk Wood,” Kevin Allen, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqHAwLeJzhU Uruguay, “A Moonless Night,” Germán Tejeira, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GV9N_SNC8DQ Venezuela, “Gone with the River,” Mario Crespo, director; https://vimeo.com/117647793 Vietnam, “Jackpot,” Dustin Nguyen, director. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9NEbqrL9jw The 88th Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Thursday, January 14, 2016, at 5:30 a.m. PT at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills. The 88th Oscars® will be held on Sunday, February 28, 2016, at the Dolby Theatre® at Hollywood & Highland Center® in Hollywood, and will be televised live by the ABC Television Network at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.
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20 French Films to be Presented at Seattle’s French Cinema Now Showcase

The Seattle International Film Festival in partnership with TV5MONDE will present 20 French films from around the world as part of the 2015 French Cinema Now showcase. The Opening Night film is Dheepan, Winner of the Palme d’Or at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. This powerful drama from director Jacques Audiard (A Prophet, Rust & Bone) follows a former Tamil Tiger soldier as he flees from the aftermath of the Sri Lankan civil war to begin a new life in a Parisian suburb. An after-party will take place at Bastille Café + Bar in Ballard. Half Sister, Full Love with director Marion Vernoux scheduled to attend and a post-film discussion with Director Lynn Shelton. The French adaptation of Seattle filmmaker Lynn Shelton’s Your Sister’s Sister (and the second of Shelton’s films adapted à la française) introduces Pierre, a young man still suffering after his brother’s recent death, who accepts his best friend Tessa’s invitation to recuperate at her family home in the French countryside, only to find the house already occupied by her heart-broken sister. In The Chef’s Wife two of France’s most versatile and accomplished actresses, Karin Viard (Polisse, Delicatessen) and Emmannuelle Devos (Coco Before Chanel, Read My Lips), come together for this crowd-pleasing romantic comedy. Carole can no longer stand working alongside her talented Michelin-starred chef husband Sam, so she meets with Marithé, who helps people explore new career opportunities. The two become friends, but when Marithé meets Sam, their mutual attraction complicates her motives in helping Carole to start over. Adama, a stunning animated feature combining traditional painted backgrounds with clay sculpted characters, follows 12 year-old Adama, who leaves his small West African village on a quest to rescue his brother from the frontlines of WWI. Adama travels to “the land of breaths” – the village’s term for war-torn Europe – for a coming-of-age odyssey that is also a tale of outstanding love, courage, and humanity. Appropriate for ages 8+. French Master Cédric Kahn’s Wild Life is based on a true story, and produced by the Dardenne Brothers. This tale of a father’s reckless but all-consuming love follows married couple Carole and Philippe (Céline Sallette and Mathieu Kassovitz, both giving riveting performances) who renounce civilization and lead a nomadic life in their caravan. But when Carole tires of their itinerant lifestyle and moves back to the city, Philippe refuses to allow his sons to be raised according to the societal codes he abhors. Carl Spence, SIFF Artistic Director, says “We’re very excited about this year’s lineup, being able to bring such a diverse group of films to the Francophile Seattle audience. Our continued partnership with TV5 Monde has allowed French Cinema Now to reach not only the Seattle viewers, but nationally through the TV5 Monde channel.” Dheepan Opening Night Film & Party France | 2015 | 110 minutes | Jacques Audiard Winner of the Palme d’Or at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, this powerful drama from director Jacques Audiard (A Prophet, Rust & Bone) follows a former Tamil Tiger soldier as he flees from the aftermath of the Sri Lankan civil war to begin a new life in a Parisian suburb. The Tournament France | 2015 | 83 minutes | Elodie Namer An international chess tournament becomes the setting of a compelling psychological thriller, when a 22-year-old French mastermind finds that his chief adversary is an unknown 11-year-old prodigy, leading to his emotional unraveling. Anton Chekhov – 1890 France | 2015 | 96 minutes | René Féret A pivotal period in the life of Russian literary master Anton Chekhov is brought to life in this expressive biographical tale. A humble Russian doctor, Chekhov (Nicolas Giraud) starts writing stories for magazines to earn extra money. As his talent gains notice, an unexpected tragedy sends him on a journey to Siberia, and the trip inspires some of his most brilliant and famous works. Half Sister, Full Love France | 2015 | 95 minutes | Marion Vernoux Director Marion Vernoux scheduled to attend with post-film discussion with Director Lynn Shelton (Your Sister’s Sister). The French adaptation of Seattle filmmaker Lynn Shelton’s Your Sister’s Sister (and the second of Shelton’s films adapted à la française) introduces Pierre, a young man still suffering after his brother’s recent death, who accepts his best friend Tessa’s invitation to recuperate at her family home in the French countryside, only to find the house already occupied by her heart-broken sister. You Sleep Nicole Canada (Québec) | 2014 | 93 minutes | Stéphane Lafleur Filmed in gorgeous black and white, the latest feature from Québécois director Stéphane Lafleur is a slice of life comedy about summer indolence. 22-year-old Nicole is fresh out of college, and plans to spend the summer hanging out her best friend Véronique. But things take an unexpected turn when a heatwave, Nicole’s growing insomnia, the persistent courtship of a 10-year-old boy, and a visiting rock band put their friendship to the test. Adama France | 2015 | 82 minutes | Simon Rouby This stunning animated feature, combining traditional painted backgrounds with clay sculpted characters, follows 12 year-old Adama, who leaves his small West African village on a quest to rescue his brother from the frontlines of WWI. Adama travels to “the land of breaths” – the village’s term for war-torn Europe – for a coming-of-age odyssey that is also a tale of outstanding love, courage, and humanity. Appropriate for ages 8+. Number One Fan France | 2014 | 105 minutes | Jeanne Herry In this cleverly suspenseful and satirical thriller, Sandrine Kiberlain gives a Cesar nominated performance a beautician who would do literally anything for her idol, the French crooner Vincent Lacroix. Her loyalty is put to the test one night when Vincent shows up on her doorstep and asks for her help in a most nefarious task. The Chef’s Wife France | 2014 | 90 minutes | Anne Le Ny Two of France’s most versatile and accomplished actresses, Karin Viard (Polisse, Delicatessen) and Emmannuelle Devos (Coco Before Chanel, Read My Lips), come together for this crowd-pleasing romantic comedy. Carole can no longer stand working alongside her talented Michelin-starred chef husband, Sam, so she meets with Marithé, who helps people explore new career opportunities. The two become friends, but when Marithé meets Sam, their mutual attraction complicates her motives in helping Carole to start over. Métamorphoses France | 2014 | 102 minutes | Christophe Honoré Visionary director Christophe Honoré’s enchanting, slyly satiric, and erotic updating of the of Ovid’s magnum opus transports mythological tales to present-day France, where the Gods – Jupiter, Orpheus, Bacchus – transform into different forms and fall in love with humans. The Anarchists France | 2015 | 101 minutes | Elie Wajeman Tahar Rahim (A Prophet) and Adèle Exarchopoulos (Blue Is the Warmest Color) star in this sweeping historical crime drama set in turn of the century Paris, where police officer Jean Albertini is tasked with infiltrating a band of anarchists, and unexpectedly falls in love with a passionate, and persuasive, member of the movement. Torn between duty and his heart, Jean will have to choose his allegiance. The Great Man France | 2014 | 107 minutes | Sarah Leonor This stylistic tale of pristine visual sensibility and French Legionnaires (reminiscent of Claire Denis’s Beau Travail) is an intimate metaphysical look at two men trying to piece their life together after war. Told in five chapters, the story follows a soldier (Jérémie Renier) who is reunited with the man who saved his life, and unexpectedly finds himself able to repay his debt. The Sweet Escape France | 2015 | 105 minutes | Bruno Podalydés Packed with visual flair, delightful banter, and a whiff of Wes Anderson, this bittersweet coming-of-middle-age comedy follows 50-something graphic designer Michel (director Bruno Podalydés), who, longing for a sense of freedom and adventure, takes up kayaking. Michel’s virgin voyage is a pastoral adventure, but it doesn’t lead him very far down stream. The Clearstream Affair France | 2014 | 110 minutes | Vincent Garenq This ripped-from-the-headlines political thriller follows journalist Denis Robert (Gilles Lellouche) and Judge Renaud Van Ruymbeke (Charles Berling), who shake up the French governing class by exposing a dark political financial machine called the Clearstream system, which allowed financial institutions and wealthy investors to hold secret accounts for hiding unreported income and money laundering. High Society France | 2014 | 95 minutes | Julie Lopes Curval A delicate exploration of young love, artistic expression, and social class, High Society tells of the relationship between 20-year-old Alice (Ana Girardot, “The Returned”), a working-class artist whose talent leads her to design school in Paris, and privileged aspiring photographer Antoine. While their differences initially prove exciting, they begin to find that the pull of bourgeois society and artistic ambition changes the dynamic of their tender affair. I’m Dead But I Have Friends Belgium | 2015 | 96 minutes | Guillaume Malandrin, Stéphane Malandrin Filled with unexpected twists and delightfully deadpan humor, this comic road movie follows the ageing members of a punkish Belgian rock band who lose their lead singer but decide to maintain their concert dates in Los Angeles with vague plans to place the dead friend’s funeral urn in front of the microphone. Nothing – absolutely nothing – goes according to plan. Fatima France | 2015 | 79 minutes | Philippe Faucon A sweet, insightful, and emotionally complex portrait of immigrants living in France, Fatima dives into the life of a Moroccan-born mother living in Lyon and struggling to raise her two teenage daughters, one rebellious, the other starting medical school. When she is put on leave from her job as a cleaning woman, Fatima starts to write letters to her daughters in Arabic, telling them all the things she can’t express in French. Cosmodrama France | 2015 | 105 minutes | Philippe Fernandez A slyly funny mix of “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” and 2001: A Space Odyssey, this retro-futuristic sci-fi story begins when seven astronauts – including Sigmund Freud look-alike, an overly communicative chimp, and a friendly dog – wake up on a spaceship, not knowing where they have come from nor where they are heading. As the ship operates by itself, they have ample time to meditate on matter, life and the universe. Tokyo Fiancée Belgium | 2014 | 100 minutes | Stefan Liberski A young Belgian woman who is obsessed with all things Japanese travels to Tokyo and falls into a whirlwind romance with a Japanese student who is obsessed with all things French. This charming comedy about young love and cultural discovery, is filled with complications, misunderstandings, and double meanings in both French and Japanese. Young Tiger France | 2015 | 87 minutes | Cyprien Vial Set in Paris’ suburban Sikh community, this drama features newcomer Harmandeep Palminder in a touching lead performance as a 17-year old boy from Punjab, India, who is trying to lead the life of a typical teenager, yet finds a crushing responsibility to financially support his parents in India pushes him into unprecedented danger. Wild Life France | 2014 | 114 minutes | Cédric Kahn Based on a true story, and produced by the Dardenne Brothers, this tale of a father’s reckless but all-consuming love follows married couple Carole and Philippe (Céline Sallette and Mathieu Kassovitz, both giving riveting performances) who renounce civilization and lead a nomadic life in their caravan. But when Carole tires of their itinerant lifestyle and moves back to the city, Philippe refuses to allow his sons to be raised according to the societal codes he abhors.
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Romania’s Oscar Entry, AFERIM! to open in NYC & LA on January 22, 2016

AFERIM!, Romania’s Official Entry for the 88th Academy Awards (Best Foreign Language Film) will be released in the US in 2016 via Big World Pictures. Directed by an acclaimed Romanian filmmaker, Radu Jude, AFERIM! was the winner of the Silver Bear for Best Director at the 2015 Berlin International Film Festival, and was the Official Selection at the 2015 Tribeca Film Festival. AFERIM! will open at Lincoln Plaza Cinemas in New York, and at the Laemmle Royal in Los Angeles on January 22, 2016. A national release will follow. The only contemporary Romanian film to address the issue of Gypsy slavery, AFERIM!, with dark humor, touches upon the long history of anti-Roma prejudice in Romania. Eastern Europe, 1835. Two riders cross a barren landscape in the middle of Wallachia. They are the gendarme Constandin and his son. Together they are searching for a gypsy slave who has run away from his nobleman master and is suspected of having an affair with the noble’s wife. While the unflappable Constadin comments on every situation with a cheery aphorism, his son takes a more contemplative view of the world. On their odyssey they encounter people of different nationalities and beliefs: Turks and Russians, Christians and Jews, Romanians and Hungarians. Each harbors prejudices against the others which have been passed down from generation to generation. And even when the slave Carfin is found, the adventure is far from over… Radu Jude’s third feature has been aptly compared to films as diverse as THE SEARCHERS, THE LAST DETAIL and PULP FICTION (the latter for its rambling, coarse and endlessly entertaining dialogues), but the film is ultimately a moving parable about late-feudal Europe developed from historical documents and songs: its power structures and hierarchies, people’s ideas of themselves and others, interaction with minorities and the resulting conflicts. A Balkan Western in black-and-white that brings the cacophony of the times strikingly to life and explores the thematic arcs that stretch into the present. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmTYOY_jQWc
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Swedish Horror Film SENSORIA World Premiere at Fantastic Fest |TRAILER

SENSORIA, a “stylish” new psychological thriller/horror film directed by Christian Hallman, World Premiere at Fantastic Fest on Sunday, and will screen again this coming Wednesday. SENSORIA follows Caroline, a woman in her late thirties, who has lost everything she cares for in the world. In the search for a new beginning, she moves into an old apartment and quickly begins to realize that she is not as alone as she thought she was. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieszRmpc-hM SENSORIA Sweden, 2015 World Premiere, 82 min Director – Christian Hallman Caroline Menard is a woman in her thirties who has lost everything. As she moves into a new apartment searching for a new start, she’s unaware that something ancient is waiting for her.
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TALVAR Starring Irrfan Khan to Open in US on October 2nd | TRAILER

Following its well-received World Premiere at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, the new crime thriller TALVAR starring Irrfan Khan (Jurassic World, The Lunchbox, Life of Pi) will be released in U.S. theaters next week on October 2. Co-starring Konkona Sen Sharma, the film takes a thrilling new look at the real Aarushi Talvar murder investigation which rocked Delhi in 2008. Talvar is a fictional dramatization of true life events revolving around the Aarushi Talvar murder case investigation. Known as the ‘Noida Double Murder Case’, it happened in the city adjoining India’s capital, Delhi, in 2008. The incident still resonates in the minds of the public, as there is no sense of closure in the case in spite of a guilty verdict – the parents of the murdered girl have been sentenced to life for killing her. Boasting of power packed performances by Irrfan Khan (The Lunchbox, Life of Pi), Konkona Sen Sharma and Neeraj Kabi, it also has Tabu (The Namesake) in a special appearance. With Gulzar’s lyrics, Vishal Bharwaj’s music and cinematography by Pankaj Kumar (Haider, Ship Of Theseus), the thriller is a work of fiction which is based on one if the most intriguing and talked about murder cases in recent Indian history https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7FquLnfzLjs
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San Francisco Film Society to Present 2015 Taiwan Film Days Series with Spotlight on Director Hou Hsiao-hsien | TRAILER

The San Francisco Film Society will present the 2015 Taiwan Film Days, from October 12 to 13, showcasing Taiwanese cinema to Bay Area audiences. This year’s 6th edition of Taiwan Film Days features a very special spotlight on master filmmaker Hou Hsiao-hsien, who received the Best Director prize at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, and is expected to attend the series kickoff event. Taiwan Film Days kicks off with a special early look at Hou Hsiao-hsien’s latest film The Assassin, then continues with the documentary Flowers of Taipei: Taiwan New Cinema, which delves into the history and legacy of the Taiwanese New Cinema movement, and wraps up with a newly restored version of Hou’s timeless classic The Boys from Fengkuei. The Assassin Hou Hsiao-hsien (Nie Yinniang, Taiwan 2015) To open the sixth installment of Taiwan Film Days, the series presents one of the most heralded films of 2015 — winner of the Best Director prize at the Cannes Film Festival — master filmmaker Hou Hsiao-hsien’s The Assassin. Set in ninth-century China, the film centers on Nie Yinniang (played by a smoldering Shu Qi) a female killer appointed to slay corrupt government officials by her master, Jiaxin, a nun who raised her from the age of ten. When Yinniang displays mercy by failing to kill during her duties, Jiaxing punishes her with a ruthless assignment designed to test Yinniang’s resolve. Written by Hou Hsiao-hsien, Chu Tien-wen, Hsieh Hai-meng, Zhong Acheng. Cinematography by Mark Lee Ping Bing. With Shu Qi, Chang Chen, Zhou Yun. 105 min. In Mandarin with subtitles. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bqNyl72eBw Flowers of Taipei: Taiwan New Cinema Chinlin Hsieh (Guangyin de gushi: Taiwan xin dianying, Taiwan 2014) The Taiwanese New Cinema movement of the 1980s and ’90s captured the imaginations of audiences and filmmakers worldwide. This comprehensive documentary features interviews with leading critics, curators and filmmakers mixed with glorious archival clips from some of the most beloved and inspiring films of the era. Pitch perfect, Flowers of Taipei is an ideal introduction to and celebration of one of the most vital film movements of our time. Cinematography by Olivier Marceny. 109 min. In Mandarin and English with subtitles. Print provided by Ablaze Image. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-EyPN-L3SCQ The Boys from Fengkuei Hou Hsiao-hsien (Fengkuei-lai-te-jen, Taiwan 1983) Hou Hsiao-hsien’s beautiful fourth feature-length film follows three bored teenagers who move from the small island of Fengkuei to the port of Kaohsiung. Elegantly recalling the excitement, confusion, anxiety and directionless possibilities of youth in transition to adulthood, the film reveals director Hou in a transition of his own to a canny naturalism that will mark his films for a decade. Restored at the Cinémathèque Royal de Belgique in collaboration with Hou Hsiao-Hsien and the Film Foundation’s World Cinema Project.Written by Chu Tien-wen. Cinematography by Ch’en K’un-hou. With Doze Niu, To Tsung-hua, Lin Hsiu-ling. 100 min. Print provided by Cinematek Belgium. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LpVRXV36o2s
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Drafthouse Films to Release Danish Comedy MEN & CHICKEN in 2016 | TRAILER

Anders Thomas Jensen’s bizarre familial comedy feature, Men & Chicken set to make its acclaimed North American premiere at Toronto International Film Festival, will be released in the U.S. via Drafthouse Films. Men & Chicken will open in a theatrical release across North America in 2016. Written and directed by Jensen, described as one of Denmark’s most prolific cinematic voices (whose work includes the 1999 Oscar®-winning short film Election Night, plus scripts for the 2010 Academy-Award® Best Foreign Language Film winner In A Better World and Sony’s upcoming adaptation of Stephen King’s The Dark Tower), Men & Chicken is the story of two brothers who, through meeting their long-lost family, also discover a horrible truth about themselves. On full, carnivalesque display here are Jensen’s inimitable darkly comedic stylings, as can be seen in his earlier films Flickering Lights and The Green Butchers, both featuring star Mads Mikkelsen. Men & Chicken was recently announced to be on Denmark’s shortlist for the Best Foreign Language category at the 2016 Oscars as well as the Danish entry to the European Film Awards. In his boldest role to date, Mikkelsen (“Hannibal,” Casino Royale, The Hunt) reunites with Jensen to deliver an unforgettable––and, for North American fans mostly familiar with his dramatic work, wholly unexpected––comic turn as bumbling and harelipped Elias, alongside the equally against-type David Dencik (Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, both The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo films) as his loathsome and harelipped brother Gabriel. Together, they venture to a sequestered island where they meet the harelipped Franz (Soren Malling, A Hijacking, Denmark’s “The Killing”), the harelipped Gregor (Nicolaj Lie Kaas, The Idiots, The Absent Ones) and the harelipped Josef (Nicholas Bro,Nymphomaniac, War Horse). What follows is a genre-wrenching spectacle that encapsulates all types of comedy, from grand slapstick to biting wit, coalescing in an astounding exploration of “Denmark’s most twisted family tree since Hamlet” (Variety). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ag1miLsTpeQ
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Angelina Jolie’s Controversial Ethiopian Drama DIFRET Finally Gets Release Date | TRAILER

The controversial award-winning film DIFRET, directed by Zeresenay Berhane Mehari and executive produced by Angelina Jolie Pitt, finally has a release date in time for the awards season. DIFRET which premiered at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival where it won the World Cinematic Dramatic Audience Award, and the Panorama Audience Award for Best Fiction Film at the Berlin Film Festival 2014, will be released on October 23. Difret is a powerful drama based on a true story. In Addis Ababa, lawyer Meaza Ashenafi has established a network providing poor women and children with free legal representation. She takes on the case of 14-year-old Hirut who is abducted and raped on her way home from school and shoots dead her tormentors as she escapes. Accused of murder, Hirut may face the death penalty even though she was acting in self-defence – for in rural Ethiopia the tradition of ‘Telefa’ or marriage by abduction still exists. The NY Post’s Page Six reported that the woman who said she inspired the project, Aberash Bekele, had reportedly sought an injunction on the night of its Ethiopian premiere to block its release, saying she didn’t give filmmakers permission to use her story. However, the matter was eventually settled out of court.
Three hours outside of Addis Ababa, a bright 14-year-old girl is on her way home from school when men on horses swoop in and kidnap her. The brave Hirut grabs a rifle and tries to escape, but ends up shooting her would-be husband. In her village, the practice of abduction into marriage is common and one of Ethiopia’s oldest traditions. Meaza Ashenafi, an empowered and tenacious young lawyer, arrives from the city to represent Hirut and argue that she acted in self-defense. Meaza boldly embarks on a collision course between enforcing civil authority and abiding by customary law, risking the ongoing work of her women’s legal-aid practice to save Hirut’s life. Beneath the layer of polite social customs, an aggressively rooted patriarchy perpetuates inhospitable conditions for women in this engrossing and significant film, based on a real-life story. Ethiopian writer/director Zeresenay Berhane Mehari portrays, with panoramic beauty, the complexity of a country’s transformation toward equal rights, featuring the courageous generation that dares to own it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hz4NbqGeEZQ
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MUSTANG and TOTO AND HIS SISTERS Win Top Awards at 21st Sarajevo Film Festival

MUSTANG directed by Deniz Gamze Ergüven is the winner of the Heart of Sarajevo Award for Best Feature Film at the 21st Sarajevo Film Festival. Mustang stars Güneş Sensoy, Doğba Doğuslu, Tuğba Sunguroğlu, Elit Işcan, Ilayda Akdoğan, Nihal Koldaş, and Ayberk Pekcan.
It’s the beginning of the summer. In a village in the north of Turkey, Lale and her four sisters come home from school, innocently playing with boys. The supposed debauchery of their games causes a scandal with unintended consequences. The family home slowly turns into a prison, classes on housework and cooking replace school, and marriages begin to be arranged. The five sisters, driven by the same desire for freedom, fight back against the limits imposed on them.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rU9JAN8LtIk TOTO AND HIS SISTERS / TOTO ŞI SURORILE LUI directed by Alexander Nanau is the winner of the Heart of Sarajevo Award for Best Documentary Film.
TOTO ŞI SURORILE LUI brings us the astonishing family story of Toto (10), and his sisters, Ana (17) and Andreea (15). During their mother’s imprisonment, Toto passionately learns dancing, reading and writing, while his sisters try to keep the family together in a world that has long forgotten what the innocence of childhood should be. What happens when we discover that we can get more from life than our parents have to offer ?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXtjJbB1Oh4 21st Sarajevo Film Festival Awards OFFICIAL AWARDS COMPETITION PROGRAM – FEATURE FILM HEART OF SARAJEVO FOR BEST FEATURE FILM MUSTANG Turkey, France, Germany, Qatar Director: Deniz Gamze Ergüven SPECIAL JURY PRIZE SON OF SAUL / SAUL FIA Hungary Director: László Nemes SPECIAL JURY MENTION CHEVALIER Greece Director: Athina Rachel Tsangari HEART OF SARAJEVO FOR BEST ACTRESS Güneş Şensoy, Doga Doğuşlu, Tuğba Sunguroğlu, Elit İşcan, Ilayda Akdoğan (MUSTANG / Turkey, France, Germany, Qatar) HEART OF SARAJEVO FOR BEST ACTOR Yorgos Kéntros, Vangelis Mouríkis, Panos Kóronis, Makis Papadimitríou, Yorgos Pyrpassópoulos, Sakis Rouvás (CHEVALIER / Greece) COMPETITION PROGRAMME – SHORT FILM HEART OF SARAJEVO FOR BEST SHORT FILM A MATTER OF WILL / BISERNA OBALA Montenegro Director: Dušan Kasalica SPECIAL JURY MENTION DAMAGED GOODS / KALO Bosnia and Herzegovina Director: Nermin Hamzagić SPECIAL JURY MENTION TUESDAY / SALI Turkey, France Director: Ziya Demirel COMPETITION PROGRAMME – DOCUMENTARY FILM HEART OF SARAJEVO FOR BEST DOCUMENTARY FILM TOTO AND HIS SISTERS / TOTO ŞI SURORILE LUI Romania Director: Alexander Nanau SPECIAL JURY PRIZE FOR COMPETITION PROGRAMME DOCUMENTARY FILM TITITÁ Hungary Director: Tamás Almási SPECIAL JURY MENTION FLOTEL EUROPA Denmark, Serbia Director: Vladimir Tomić HUMAN RIGHTS AWARD ONE DAY IN SARAJEVO / JEDAN DAN U SARAJEVU Bosnia and Herzegovina, Austria Director: Jasmila Žbanić Award for the best film of the Competition Programme – Documentary Film dealing with the subject of human rights. HONORARY HEART OF SARAJEVO Atom Egoyan, director Benicio Del Toro, actor KATRIN CARTLIDGE FOUNDATION AWARD 2015 Ran Huang CINELINK AWARDS EURIMAGES COPRODUCTION DEVELOPMENT AWARD A BALLADE Aida Begić / Adis Đapo ARTE INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS CINELINK AWARD HAMARAT APARTMENT Huseyin Karabey / Su Baloglu MACEDONIAN FILM AGENCY CINELINK AWARD THE SON Ines Tanović / Alem Babić LIVING PICTURES SERVICE CINELINK AWARD SOLDIERS Ivana Mladenović / Ada Solomon SYNCHRO FILM VIENNA CINELINK AWARD A BALLADE Aida Begić / Adis Đapo HAMARAT APARTMENT Huseyin Karabey / Su Baloglu THE SON Ines Tanović / Alem Babić EAVE SCHOLARSHIP Alem Babić WORK IN PROGRESS AWARDS POST REPUBLIC AWARD THE FIXER Adrian Sitaru / Anamaria Antoci RESTART AWARD GODLESS Ralitza Petrova / Rossitsa Valkanova YOUNG AUDIENCE AWARD NEXT TO ME Serbia Stevan Filipović 21st SARAJEVO FILM FESTIVAL PARTNERS AWARDS HT ERONET AUDIENCE AWARD FOR BEST FEATURE FILM MUSTANG Turkey, France, Germany, Qatar Deniz Gamze Erguven HT ERONET AUDIENCE AWARD FOR BEST DOCUMENTARY FILM CHASING A DREAM Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Croatia Mladen Mitrović ASSOCIATION OF FILMMAKERS IN B&H – “IVICA MATIĆ” AWARD Mirsad Purivatra for his contribution to B&H cinema Zoran Galić for his contribution to B&H cinema CINEUROPA PRIZE SUPERWORLD Austria Karl Markovics CICAE AWARD THE HIGH SUN Croatia, Serbia, Slovenia Dalibor Matanić EDN TALENT GRANT I LIKE THAT SUPER MOST THE BEST Croatia Eva Kraljević SARAJEVO SHORT FILM NOMINEE FOR THE EUROPEAN FILM AWARDS 2015 TRANSLATOR Turkey Emre Kayiş Best Pack & Pitch Award (Talents Sarajevo Pack & Pitch) The best pitch Anda Puscas Ismet Kurtulus BH FILM STUDENT PROGRAMME AWARD Best film: VEJDA: ENCHANTED WORLD OF FAIRIES Julia Klier (ASU Sarajevo) Special Jury Award IMPERATIV Jelena Ilić Todorović (Akademija umjetnosti Banja Luka) Special Jury Mention WOYZECK Adi Selimović (ASU Sarajevo) DOCU ROUGH CUT BOUTIQUE AWARDS Work in Progress Digital Cube Award KORIDA Siniša Vidović HBO Adria Award KORIDA Siniša Vidović IDFA Award LITTLE BERLIN WALL Toma Chagelishvili CAT &Docs Award CINEMA, MON AMOUR Alexandru Belc Croatian Radiotelevision Award (HRT) CINEMA, MON AMOUR Alexandru Belc
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Australian Film PARTISAN Starring Vincent Cassel as Cult Leader, Sets Release Date of October 2nd | VIDEO

PARTISAN directed by Ariel Kleiman and starring Vincent Cassel as Gregori, a cult leader, along with Jeremy Chabriel and Florence Mezzara will open in theaters and On Demand October 2, 2015. PARTISAN premiered earlier this year at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival where it won the World Cinema Dramatic Special Jury Award: Cinematography. On the edge of a crumbling city, 11-year-old Alexander (Jeremy Chabriel) lives in a sequestered commune alongside other children, their mothers, and charismatic leader, Gregori (Vincent Cassel). Gregori teaches the children how to raise livestock, grow vegetables, work as a community – and how to kill. With the birth of a new baby brother weighing on his mind, Alexander begins to question Gregori’s overpowering influence on the children and their training to become assassins. Threatened by his increasing unwillingness to fall in line, Gregori’s behavior turns erratic and adversarial toward the child he once considered a son. With the two set dangerously at odds and the commune’s way of life disintegrating, the residents fear a violent resolution is at hand in this Sundance award-winning thriller. Directed with subtle elegance, Ariel Kleiman’s feature length debut, PARTISAN, follows his award winning short, YOUNG LOVE, which received an Honorable Mention in Short Filmmaking at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival and DEEPER THAN YESTERDAY, which had its world premiere at Cannes Film Festival’s Critics Week, winning the Kodak Discovery Award for Best Short Film and the Petit Rail d’Or. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mknTeGPP29o
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2015 Woodstock Film Festival Unveils “NEW” World Cinema Competition + Focus on Dutch Cinema Lineup

The Woodstock Film Festival announced its New for 2015 World Cinema Competition, including a special Focus on Dutch Cinema in partnership with the Netherlands Consulate General in New York. The Woodstock Film Festival has programmed three Dutch narratives to showcase the vast range Dutch cinema has to offer: RENDEZ-VOUS, MEET ME IN VENICE, and SUMMER. All Dutch filmmakers will be in attendance. Sparked by this joint venture with the Netherlands Consulate and the superb selection of other international films at the festival, the 2015 Woodstock Film Festival has launched its inaugural World Cinema Competition Award. Joining the three Dutch films are two additional World Cinema highlights, MOSCOW NEVER SLEEPS (Irish-Russian) and THERE SHOULD BE RULES (Swedish), to forge a strong line-up of international competition. WORLD CINEMA COMPETITION FILMS: FOCUS ON DUTCH CINEMA- THE NETHERLANDS RENDEZ-VOUS, DIRECTED BY ANTIONETTE BEUMER (pictured in main image above) US PREMIERE Simone needs a change. Together with her husband Eric and their two children, she buys a decrepit mansion in the south of France, to turn it into a home and B&B. While the chaos of the renovation grows, Simone flees into a thrilling affair with one of the French construction workers, the gorgeous twenty-year-old Michel. She slowly loses control of her life and the French dream turns into her worst nightmare. MEET ME IN VENICE, DIRECTED BY EDDY TERSTALL US PREMIERE Recounted by Lisa through a video she makes for her son, this Dutch father-daughter story of reconciliation unfolds between a woman and the father she first meets in adulthood. When the absentee Mauro invites Lisa to join him in Venice, she decides to go. But the journey doesn’t stop there, and the father-daughter road trip takes them from Italy to Istanbul along the Orient Express route, with breathtaking imagery of the Balkans and heartwarming musical interludes. In getting to know her father, Lisa gets to know herself. SUMMER (ZOMER), DIRECTED BY COLETTE BOTHOF NEW YORK PREMIERE “Zomer” (“Summer”) is sweltering in a Dutch village where everyday life is dominated by the continually droning power plant. Anne, a quiet girl who longs to escape the confines of her small town, often feels like an outsider — until she meets Lena, a new girl in town who rides a motorbike, wears leather and is different from everybody else. With the awkward tenderness of youth and innocence, the two girls quickly form a bond and the audience gets to watch as young love unfolds. Authentic performances and cinematography that captures the languor and heat of summertime create a beautiful story of sexual awakening and a girl daring to be different. For those who have traveled beyond the teenage years, it is a reminder of the possibilities life holds. MOSCOW NEVER SLEEPS, DIRECTED BY JOHNNY O’REILLY RUSSIA – US PREMIERE Moscow Never Sleeps is a multi-narrative drama about the hidden bonds that connects us all. The film dives headlong into the volatile intersections of contemporary Moscow and the intimate lives of five people. O’Reilly’s short The Terms screened at the 2001 Woodstock Film Fest, winning for Best Short Film. THERE SHOULD BE RULES, DIRECTED BY LINDA-MARIE BIRBECK SWEDEN – EAST COAST PREMIERE Mia and Mirjam, two passionate, free-spirited 14-year-olds, along with Karl, who is inventive and wise beyond his years, are a close knit threesome in a small town in Sweden where nothing ever happens. Mia wishes there were no rules and tempts life again and again. Mirjam, seeking love, finds her road to adulthood in a steamy romance with an older man who claims he loves her. Karl, supporting Mia’s sense of loss as her best friend is pulled away by new love, helps concoct ways to bring Mirjam back to them. While friendship and family bonds are tested and facades eventually crumble, the teens declare, “we are never becoming ordinary.”
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