Dr. Denis Mukwege in The Man Who Mends Women – The Wrath of Hippocrates[/caption]
Dr. Denis Mukwege, world renowned Congolese surgeon and the subject of the documentary “The Man Who Mends Women – The Wrath Of Hippocrates” was today awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
The Man Who Mends Women – The Wrath Of Hippocrates is the portrait of the impressive life and work of internationally renowned gynecologist Dr. Denis Mukwege from the Democratic Republic of Congo. He received the 2014 prestigious Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, for his struggle against sexual violence. Dr. Mukwege medically assisted over 40,000 sexually abused women in sixteen years of professional practice. He is a winner of the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize for his work.
Sexual violence against women has been used as a weapon of war for years in the violence-ridden and poverty-stricken Democratic Republic of Congo. In order to provide medical, psychological and emotional aid to the victims, Dr. Mukwege founded the Panzi hospital in Bukavu in 1999. Besides his work as a physician Dr. Mukwege also defends human rights and seeks to raise global awareness on the issue of sexual violence in his country. He condemns the political reluctance to tackle the problem and is not afraid to hit the nail on the head.
His work is not without danger, as Dr. Mukwege experienced in 2012, when armed men entered his home and started shooting. Mukwege and his family survived the attack, but his guard was killed. The doctor now lives cloistered in his hospital in Bukavu under the protection of the United Nation peacekeepers. The women, whose physical and emotional integrity and dignity have been restored, stand beside him, true activists for peace, and hungry for justice.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KU62X6iV1ZINews
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Dr. Denis Mukwege Subject of Documentary THE MAN WHO MENDS WOMEN Awarded Nobel Peace Prize [Trailer]
[caption id="attachment_14272" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] Dr. Denis Mukwege in The Man Who Mends Women – The Wrath of Hippocrates[/caption]
Dr. Denis Mukwege, world renowned Congolese surgeon and the subject of the documentary “The Man Who Mends Women – The Wrath Of Hippocrates” was today awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.
The Man Who Mends Women – The Wrath Of Hippocrates is the portrait of the impressive life and work of internationally renowned gynecologist Dr. Denis Mukwege from the Democratic Republic of Congo. He received the 2014 prestigious Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought, for his struggle against sexual violence. Dr. Mukwege medically assisted over 40,000 sexually abused women in sixteen years of professional practice. He is a winner of the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize for his work.
Sexual violence against women has been used as a weapon of war for years in the violence-ridden and poverty-stricken Democratic Republic of Congo. In order to provide medical, psychological and emotional aid to the victims, Dr. Mukwege founded the Panzi hospital in Bukavu in 1999. Besides his work as a physician Dr. Mukwege also defends human rights and seeks to raise global awareness on the issue of sexual violence in his country. He condemns the political reluctance to tackle the problem and is not afraid to hit the nail on the head.
His work is not without danger, as Dr. Mukwege experienced in 2012, when armed men entered his home and started shooting. Mukwege and his family survived the attack, but his guard was killed. The doctor now lives cloistered in his hospital in Bukavu under the protection of the United Nation peacekeepers. The women, whose physical and emotional integrity and dignity have been restored, stand beside him, true activists for peace, and hungry for justice.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KU62X6iV1ZI
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Nadia Murad, Subject of Documentary ON HER SHOULDERS, Awarded Nobel Peace Prize [Trailer]
Yazidi genocide survivor-turned-global advocate Nadia Murad, the subject of Alexandria Bombach’s documentary ON HER SHOULDERS, was announced today as the recipient of the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize for her efforts to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war and armed conflict.
A deeply moving documentary portrait, ON HER SHOULDERS was the winner of the Sundance Film Festival’s U.S. Documentary Directing Award and has won awards at some of the world’s top film festivals. It will open on Friday, October 19 at New York’s Village East Cinemas, followed by Los Angeles on October 24, with a national rollout to follow.
Twenty-three-year-old Nadia Murad’s life is a dizzying array of important undertakings—from giving testimony before the U.N. to visiting refugee camps to soul-bearing media interviews and one-on-one meetings with top government officials. With deep compassion and a formal precision and elegance that matches Nadia’s calm and steely demeanor, director Alexandria Bombach (who also shot and edited the film) follows this strong-willed young woman, who survived the 2014 genocide of the Yazidis in Northern Iraq and escaped sexual slavery at the hands of ISIS to become a relentless beacon of hope for her people, even when at times she longs to lay aside this monumental burden and simply have an ordinary life.
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Denzel Washington to Receive AFI Life Achievement Award
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Denzel Washington in Roman J. Israel, Esq.ael[/caption]
Denzel Washington will receive the 47th AFI Life Achievement Award, America’s highest honor for a career in film, awarded annually the American Film Institute (AFI). The award will be presented to Washington at a Gala Tribute on Thursday, June 6, 2019, in Los Angeles, CA, and the AFI Life Achievement Award Tribute special will return for its seventh year with Turner Broadcasting to air on TNT, followed by encore presentations on sister network Turner Classic Movies (TCM).
“Denzel Washington is an American icon,” said Sir Howard Stringer, Chair, AFI Board of Trustees. “As an actor, he stands tall as a heroic, stoic embodiment of the best in all of us, and he does so with heart, humanity and one of the brightest smiles to ever light up the screen. Equally formidable as director and producer, he is a creative force to be reckoned with — and one of the most vital, relevant artists working today. AFI is proud to present him with its 47th Life Achievement Award.”
Actor, director and producer Denzel Washington is an iconic leading man whose career spans five decades — an esteemed repertoire ranging from screen to stage, in works defined by his towering presence as heroic everymen, troubling antiheroes and real-life figures with complicated, often controversial histories. His cinematic legacy includes powerhouse, Academy Award®-winning performances in GLORY (1989) and TRAINING DAY (2001), as well as celebrated roles in CRY FREEDOM (1987), MALCOLM X (1992), THE HURRICANE (1999), FLIGHT (2012) and ROMAN J. ISRAEL, ESQ. (2017), earning additional nominations for each. Washington has crafted compelling, unforgettable characters in recurring collaborations with master directors past and present, bringing stalwart grit and nuanced complexity to films essential to the American canon, such as Jonathan Demme’s PHILADELPHIA (1993), Spike Lee’s INSIDE MAN (2006) and Ridley Scott’s AMERICAN GANGSTER (2007) — and to blockbuster, crowd-pleasing fare such as Edward Zwick’s (AFI Class of 1975) CRIMSON TIDE (1995), Tony Scott’s MAN ON FIRE (2004) and Antoine Fuqua’s THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN (2016). A creative force behind the camera as well, Washington has helmed critically acclaimed films, including ANTWONE FISHER (2002) and THE GREAT DEBATERS (2007), in which he also stars. He won a 2010 Tony® for his performance in the play “Fences,” and directed, produced and starred in the 2016 film adaptation that earned him Best Actor and Best Picture Oscar® nominations, as well as AFI AWARDS recognition.
Washington’s filmography also includes MO’ BETTER BLUES (1990), MISSISSIPPI MASALA (1991), THE PELICAN BRIEF (1993), COURAGE UNDER FIRE (1996), THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE (2004), THE EQUALIZER (2014) and THE EQUALIZER 2 (2018).
AFI Life Achievement Award Recipients
1973 John Ford 1974 James Cagney 1975 Orson Welles 1976 William Wyler 1977 Bette Davis 1978 Henry Fonda 1979 Alfred Hitchcock 1980 James Stewart 1981 Fred Astaire 1982 Frank Capra 1983 John Huston 1984 Lillian Gish 1985 Gene Kelly 1986 Billy Wilder 1987 Barbara Stanwyck 1988 Jack Lemmon 1989 Gregory Peck 1990 David Lean 1991 Kirk Douglas 1992 Sidney Poitier 1993 Elizabeth Taylor 1994 Jack Nicholson 1995 Steven Spielberg 1996 Clint Eastwood 1997 Martin Scorsese 1998 Robert Wise 1999 Dustin Hoffman 2000 Harrison Ford 2001 Barbra Streisand 2002 Tom Hanks 2003 Robert De Niro 2004 Meryl Streep 2005 George Lucas 2006 Sean Connery 2007 Al Pacino 2008 Warren Beatty 2009 Michael Douglas 2010 Mike Nichols 2011 Morgan Freeman 2012 Shirley MacLaine 2013 Mel Brooks 2014 Jane Fonda 2015 Steve Martin 2016 John Williams 2017 Diane Keaton 2018 George Clooney
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Alan Alda to Receive SAG Life Achievement Award
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Alan Alda in Wanderlust[/caption]
Award-winning actor, writer, director, producer, Alan Alda has been named the 55th recipient of SAG-AFTRA’s highest tribute: the SAG Life Achievement Award for career achievement and humanitarian accomplishment. Alda will be presented the performers union’s top accolade at the 25th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards®, which will be simulcast live on TNT and TBS on Sunday, Jan. 27, 2019, at 8 p.m. (ET)/ 5 p.m. (PT).
Given annually to an actor who fosters the “finest ideals of the acting profession,” the SAG Life Achievement Award will join Alda’s exceptional catalog of pre-eminent industry and public honors. His career has earned him induction into the Television Hall of Fame, an Oscar® nomination, six Emmys® (plus an International Emmy® Special Founder’s Award and 29 additional Emmy® nominations), four SAG Award® nominations, six Golden Globes®, four DGA Awards (including the D. W. Griffith Award), the WGA’s Valentine Davis Award, three Tony Award® nominations and more. In fact, he is one of only six people to receive Oscar®, Tony® and Emmy® nominations in the same year. This abbreviated list doesn’t even mention his numerous honors from the scientific community, including most recently the National Academy of Sciences Public Welfare Medal.
“It is an honor and privilege to announce that our SAG Life Achievement Award will be presented to the fabulous Alan Alda,” said SAG-AFTRA President Gabrielle Carteris. “He is an artist whose body of work is a testament to the craft and the magic of our business. His ability to make us laugh, to think and to feel is extraordinary. From theater to television, movies, and new media Alan’s dedication and talent are exceeded only by his contributions to a just and caring society.”
Alda landed his first movie role in 1963’s Gone Are the Days!, which starred the legendary Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee (both of whom preceded Alda as SAG Life Achievement Award recipients). He went on to show his range in dozens of additional movies, including his Oscar® nominated role as Senator Ralph Owen Brewster in 2004’sThe Aviator.
Among Alda’s many other films are Bridge of Spies (2015, Best Picture Oscar winner), The Longest Ride (2015),Wanderlust (2012), Tower Heist (2011), Everyone Says I Love You (1996), Manhattan Murder Mystery (1993),Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989), Neil Simon’s California Suite (1978), Same Time, Next Year (1978), The Mephisto Waltz (1971) and Paper Lion (1968). He also starred in and wrote The Seduction of Joe Tynan (1979), and starred in, wrote and directed A New Life (1988), Sweet Liberty (1986) and The Four Seasons (1981).
But he’s not resting on his laurels. Alda will next be seen in the as-yet untitled Noah Baumbach project starring Scarlett Johansen and Adam Driver.
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Gustav Möller’s Thriller THE GUILTY is Denmark’s Entry in Oscar Race for Best Foreign Film [Trailer]
[caption id="attachment_27745" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]
The Guilty[/caption]
Gustav Möller’s minimalist thriller ‘The Guilty‘ has been selected as Denmark’s official entry for the 2019 Foreign Language Oscar category. ‘The Guilty’ is Gustav Möller’s feature debut. The film was selected from a shortlist that included Bille August’s ‘A Fortunate Man’ and Hlynur Pálmason’s ‘Winter Brothers.’
The Guilty’ by Gustav Möller takes place over one single night at an emergency call center, following a policeman’s race against time to save a kidnapped woman, with the phone as his only tool. The film won the Audience Award at its world premiere at Sundance and has since met with a warm critical reception across the board.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXeeVRazqFM
In Denmark, 139,000 tickets have been sold since it premiered in June, and in France, so far 260,000 cinema-goers have seen the thriller. The film is to be released in US theaters on 19 October by Magnolia Pictures, which also saw the US launch of the three Danish Oscar nominated films ‘A Royal Affair,’ ‘The Hunt’ and ‘A War.’
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will announce the five nominations for the title as Best Foreign Language Film on 22 January. The 2019 winners will be announced on Oscar Night taking place in Los Angeles on 24 February.
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Five Documentary Film Projects Win 2018 SFFILM Documentary Film Fund Awards Totaling $125,000
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In Real Life – Liza Mandelup[/caption]
SFFILM on Friday announced the five winners of the 2018 SFFILM Documentary Film Fund awards totaling $125,000, which support feature-length documentaries in post-production. Jennifer Maytorena Taylor’s The Gut (working title), Ljubo Stefanov and Tamara Kotevska’s Honeyland, Liza Mandelup’s In Real Life, Hassan Fazili’s Midnight Traveler, and Jessica Kingdon’s Untitled PRC Project, were each awarded funding that will help push each project towards completion.
The SFFILM Documentary Film Fund has a track record for championing important films that in recent years, left a mark on the festival circuit and beyond. Previous winners include RaMell Ross’ Hale County, This Morning, This Evening, which won a Special Jury Prize at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival; Peter Nicks’s The Force, which won the 2017 Sundance Film Festival Directing Award for documentary and SFFILM Festival’s McBaine Bay Area Documentary Feature Award, before being released theatrically by Kino Lorber; Peter Bratt’s Dolores, which won the 2017 SFFILM Festival Audience Award for Documentary Feature following its Sundance premiere; and Zachary Heinzerling’s Cutie and the Boxer, which won Sundance’s Directing Award for documentary and was nominated for the 2014 Academy Award® for Best Documentary Feature; among many others.
Since its launch in 2011, the SFFILM Documentary Film Fund has distributed more than $750,000 to advance new work by filmmakers nationwide. The 2018 Documentary Film Fund is made possible thanks to support from Jennifer Battat and the Jenerosity Foundation.
2018 DOCUMENTARY FILM FUND WINNERS
The Gut (working title) – Jennifer Maytorena Taylor, director/producer; Jim Sabataso and Asma Bseiso, producers; Jen Bradwell and Youssif Salah, editors – $25,000 Filmed over two years in a small New England community that is struggling to emerge from the opioid epidemic and finds itself caught up in a battle over Syrian refugee resettlement, The Gut closely follows the lives of several intersecting but very different characters to explore what changes — and what doesn’t — when white, rural Americans see themselves in “the other.” Honeyland – Ljubo Stefanov and Tamara Kotevska, co-directors; Atanas Georgiev, producer/editor – $25,000 The last female bee hunter in Europe struggles to save the bees and restore the natural balance when a family of nomadic beekeepers invade her land and threaten her livelihood. Honeyland is an exploration of an observational Indigenous visual narrative that deeply impacts our behavior towards natural resources and the human condition. In Real Life – Liza Mandelup, director; Lauren Cioffi and Bert Hamelinck, producers; Alex O’Flinn, editor – $25,000 This intimate contemplation on modern youth follows 16-year-old Austyn Tester as he flirts with the world of social media fame. Driven by a wide-eyed desire for stardom, Austyn cultivates a singularly positive online persona that’s at odds with growing up in small-town Tennessee. Midnight Traveler – Hassan Fazili, director; Su Kim, producer; Emelie Mahdavian, producer/editor – $25,000 Midnight Traveler follows a family of Afghan filmmakers on the run from the Taliban. Told from refugee/director Hassan Fazili’s unique first-person perspective, this story provides unprecedented access to the complex refugee experience as it encounters the West. Untitled PRC Project – Jessica Kingdon, director; Kira Simon-Kennedy and Nathan Truesdell, producers – $25,000 Untitled PRC Project examines megatrends of today’s China through an impressionistic collage of the new “Chinese Dream.” This observational film reveals paradoxes born from prosperity of the newest world power through the flow of production, consumption, and waste.
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PHANTON THREAD Voted FIPRESCI 2018 Grand Prix for Best Film of the Year [Trailer]
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Phantom Thread[/caption]
Paul Thomas Anderson’s Phantom Thread starring Daniel Day-Lewis has been voted Best Film of 2018 by the members of FIPRESCI, the International Federation of Film Critics. The vote was decided by 473 critics from all over the world, who chose this production from among all of the films premiered after 1 July 2017. The other three finalists were Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri by Martin McDonagh (City of Donostia / San Sebastian Audience Award 2017), Zimna wojna / Cold War by Pawel Pawlikowski, Best Director Award in Cannes, and Zama, by Lucrecia Martel.
This is the third time that Paul Thomas Anderson will have received the award in San Sebastian. In 2008 he received the accolade for his film There Will Be Blood and in 2000, for Magnolia. The North American filmmaker has received the Golden Bear in Berlin for Magnolia, the Best Director Award in Cannes for Punch-Drunk Love (2002) and the Silver Bear for Best Director and two Academy Awards with There Will Be Blood.
Since its creation in 1999, the Fipresci Grand Prix has gone to highly-acclaimed filmmakers including Pedro Almodóvar, Michael Haneke, Cristian Mungiu, Jean-Luc Godard, Richard Linklater, Roman Polanski, George Miller, Maren Ade and Aki Kaurismäki.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNsiQMeSvMk
PHANTOM THREAD
PAUL THOMAS ANDERSON (USA)
Renowned dressmaker Reynolds Woodcock is at the centre of British fashion. Women come and go through Woodcock’s life, until he comes across the young Alma, who soon becomes a fixture in his life as his muse and lover. Once controlled and planned, he finds his carefully tailored life disrupted by love. With his latest film, Paul Thomas Anderson paints an illuminating portrait both of an artist on a creative journey, and the women who keep his world running.
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49 Feature Films Eligible for European Film Awards 2018
BORG/McENROE 49 films have been named by the European Film Academy for this year’s EFA Feature Film Selection,
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So Young Shelly Yo and Erica Liu Win $35,000 2018 Sloan Science in Cinema Filmmaker Fellows
Two filmmakers -So Young Shelly Yo and Erica Liu have been selected by SFFILM to receive 2018 Sloan Science in Cinema Filmmaker Fellowships, which will support the development of their narrative feature screenplays. Funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, Sloan Science in Cinema Filmmaker Fellowships are part of the organization’s efforts to support programs that cultivate and champion films exploring scientific or technological themes and characters. SFFILM fellowships, awarded under the auspices of the organization’s artist development program, SFFILM Makers, are presented to film artists developing screenplays that tell stories related to science or technology.
SFFILM Sloan Science in Cinema Filmmaker Fellowships include a $35,000 cash grant and a two-month residency at FilmHouse, SFFILM’s suite of production offices for local and visiting independent filmmakers. Fellows will gain free office space alongside access to weekly consulting services and professional development opportunities. SFFILM will connect each fellow to a science advisor with expertise in the scientific or technological subjects at the center of their screenplays, as well as leaders in the Bay Area’s science and technology communities. In addition to the residency and grant, SFFILM’s artist development team will facilitate industry introductions to producers and casting, financing, and creative advisors—investing in fellows from early script development stages through to release with the goal to further professional development and career sustainability.
The jury noted in a statement: “We are delighted to support these two immensely talented women. Each filmmaker is taking a strikingly different approach to capturing the life of a female scientist, but they share a commitment to deepening the science in their screenplays in order to more fully realize those characters and the worlds they move in.”
The 11th Endeavor
So Young Shelly Yo, writer/director; Mark Castillo, producer
A fiery female biotechnologist, hoping to break ground outside the realms of her lab, competes to be Korea’s first astronaut on the nationwide televised Korean Astronaut Program. In her obsessive quest to become Korea’s first astronaut, So Yeon steps into a world of unmeasurable physical and mental stress and discovers shocking revelations about her country. Based on the true story of Yi So Yeon, South Korea’s first astronaut.
So Young Shelly Yo is a Korean-American filmmaker currently based in Los Angeles. She is a recent graduate of the MFA film program at Columba University, where her thesis film Moonwalk with Me was awarded faculty honors. Her short films have screened and received accolades at film festivals around the world including the Mecal Barcelona International Short Film Festival, Sarasota Film Festival, and New Filmmakers LA, among others. Prior to schooling, Shelly worked as a video editor for a tech company known as ZEFR and as an assistant in the freelance commercial film industry.
The Mushroomers
Erica Liu, writer/director; David Yu-Hao Su, producer
Following her husband’s death, a young mycologist attempts to sublimate her grief by embarking on an offbeat project to heal a contaminated old-growth forest using only super fungi, but Mother Nature and the mechanics of her own mourning prove far fickler than she had anticipated.
Erica Liu is a Taiwanese-American writer/director based in Los Angeles. She participated in the AFI Conservatory Directing Workshop for Women in 2015. Her films have screened at Clermont-Ferrand, AFI Fest, and Palm Springs International Shortfest, among others. Springtime aired on public television nationwide via KQED and affiliate stations. The Disappointment Tour received a Will & Jada Smith Family Foundation grant. Erica earned her MFA from NYU Tisch Asia and previously spent five years working and shooting throughout Asia, collaborating with companies including BBC, Google, and China Film Group. Erica is currently incubating her first feature, The Mushroomers.
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Martin Sulik’s THE INTERPRETER is Slovakia’s Entry in Oscar Race for Best Foreign Film [Trailer]
Martin Sulik’s The Interpreter has been selected by the Slovak Film and Television Academy (SFTA) to represent Slovakia in the category of Foreign Language Film at the 91st Academy Awards.
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Filmmaker Christi Cooper Wins Inaugural SFFILM Environmental Fellowship
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Youth v. Gov[/caption]
SFFILM awarded its inaugural SFFILM Environmental Fellowship along with the $25,000 cash prize to filmmaker Christi Cooper and her documentary Youth v. Gov. Cooper will also receive a year of mentorship and services to support the development, production, and impact campaign for the film.
The SFFILM Environmental Fellowship in partnership with Paul G. Allen’s Vulcan Productions is geared towards mid-career filmmakers with a feature documentary project in development or early production that focuses on pressing environmental or conservation issues. Cooper is an Emmy Award-winning cinematographer with a passion for transforming complex issues into compelling storytelling. Youth v. Gov will chronicle a landmark lawsuit brought by 21 youths who are suing the U.S. government and fossil fuel industry for creating a climate emergency and endangering their futures.
Youth v. Gov was selected from a field of 70+ submissions by a committee of film and environmental experts from SFFILM, Vulcan Productions, Sierra Magazine, EarthX and the Redford Center.
“Talented filmmakers are telling powerful stories about climate change and the environment, and we are proud to be able to help bring this particular story to life via this new partnership with SFFILM,” said Carole Tomko, general manager and creative director of Vulcan Productions. “We support Christi’s incredibly timely film and recognize the importance of providing filmmakers financial and creative support.”
“We’re thrilled to partner with Vulcan to add to our commitment to the crucial early development stage of this documentary and elevate emerging voices tackling such significant issues of the environment and conservation,” added Caroline von Kühn, Director of Artist Development at SFFILM. “Through this process, it was really quite encouraging to see how many talented filmmakers are out there tackling these critical issues, but we are especially excited to support Christi and this timely, inspiring story of the next generation fighting for the future of our climate.”
“We are incredibly honored for this needed support to continue documenting this important story,” said Cooper. “We are once again at a point in history where youth are rising up and demanding change, from gun reform to social justice. These youth plaintiffs are on the frontlines of the climate crisis in our highest courts of law, holding their government accountable to protect their rights and inspiring other youth to take action. This story also has the power to change our discourse on climate change in a time of intense partisan divide, and to reframe it as a paramount responsibility of our government to protect our future.”
The SFFILM Environmental Fellowship supports a documentary filmmaker over the course of six months who is creating a powerful story about conservation and the environment. In addition to the $25,000 grant, the fellow will travel to San Francisco and Seattle to participate in filmmaking and environmental workshops and to cultivate connections within the entertainment industry. The program consists of three key components: a residency at SFFILM’s FilmHouse for artistic support and mentorship; guidance from a dedicated environmental advisor; and development of a community outreach campaign and educational plan. The fellowship will run from June to December 2018.
An Emmy-award winning cinematographer, Christi Cooper grew up in Boulder, Colorado, where she was fortunate to be surrounded by people that nurtured and helped her develop a strong connection to nature and the outdoors. She obtained an M.S. in Microbiology from Colorado State University and a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from the University of Regensburg, Germany. After significant time in basic research and teaching at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, she made the decision to pursue her dream of an MFA in Science and Nature Filmmaking at Montana State University. In addition to communicating sometimes very complex issues through storytelling and visual narrative, her primary goals are to combine her research skills and in-depth knowledge of science with her desire to create compelling narratives focused on raising awareness about socio-political issues. In what little “free” time she has, she enjoys being a mother and a partner, growing her own food, and relishing in the incredible beauty and lifestyle of Montana.
In 2015, 21 young plaintiffs, ages 8 to 19, filed suit against the U.S. government asserting a willful violation of their constitutional rights. Youth v. Gov follows this turbulent legal battle as the government and fossil fuel industry take extraordinary measures to get the case dismissed. The case will go to trial on October 29, 2018 in Eugene, Oregon.
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Refugee Crisis Documentary ELDORADO is Switzerland’s Entry in Oscar Race for Best Foreign Film [Trailer]
The refugee crisis documentary Eldorado by Oscar nominee Markus Imhoof has been selected to represent Switzerland in the category of Foreign Language Film at the 91st Academy Awards. Eldorado had its world premiere earlier this year at the 2018 Berlin Film Festival.
Drawing inspiration from his personal encounter with Giovanna, the refugee child who was taken in by his family during World War II, Markus Imhoof tracks today’s refugees on their dangerous journey to Europe. Eldorado was screened out of competition at the Berlinale 2018 and received a Special Mention from the jury of the Amnesty International Film Prize.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwfMCvY33pY
Additionally, four short film productions from Switzerland are eligible for a nomination at the 91st Academy Awards in the categories of Animated Short Film, Live Action Short Film or Documentary Short Subject as a result of winning awards at Oscar-qualifying festivals: COYOTE by Lorenz Wunderle; INTIMITY by Elodie Dermange; BLACKJACK by Lora Mure-Ravaud; and ANTHONY, THE INVISIBLE ONE by Maya Kosa and Sergio Da Costa.
On behalf of the Federal Office of Culture, the promotion agency SWISS FILMS has been assigned the task of coordinating and carrying out the selection process of the official Swiss entry for the Academy Awards in the category of Foreign Language Film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will announce the short list in December, and the Oscar nominations on January 22, 2019. The 91st Academy Awards will be held in Los Angeles on February 24, 2019.