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  • Colombian Film EMBRACE OF THE SERPENT Looking at 2016 Release Date in US | TRAILER

    Ciro Guerra's "Embrace of the Serpent." EMBRACE OF THE SERPENT (El abrazo de la serpiente) by Colombian director Ciro Guerra, and winner of the Art Cinema award in Directors’ Fortnight section of the 2015 Cannes Film Festival will be released in the US via Oscilloscope Laboratories. The film is scheduled for an early 2016 theatrical release. Filmed in black and white, and starring Jan Bijvoet, Brionne Davis, Nilbio Torres Antonio Bolivar, Yauenkü Migue, EMBRACE OF THE SERPENT tells the epic story of the first contact, encounter, approach, betrayal and, eventually, life-trascending friendship, between Karamakate, an amazonian shaman, last survivor of his people, and two scientists that, over the course of 40 years, travel through the Amazon in search of a sacred plant that can heal them. Inspired by the journals of the first explorers of the Colombian Amazon, Theodor Koch-Grunberg and Richard Evans Schultes. Ciro Guerra (b. 1981, Río de Oro, Colombia) studied film and television at the National University of Colombia. He made several award-winning shorts and, aged 21, debuted with the feature film The Wandering Shadows (La sombra del caminante, 2004), which won an award at the San Sebastián IFF. He followed this up with The Wind Journeys (Los viajes del viento), which was premiered at Cannes in 2009 in the Directors’ Fortnight section. Both films were subsequently screened at numerous IFFs (including Cannes, Toronto, Rotterdam, Tribeca and Locarno), winning 40 international awards; they were also chosen as Colombia’s Academy Award submissions and have been distributed in twenty countries. The Wind Journeys was selected by critics as one of the top ten most important works in Colombian film history. Embrace of the Serpent is the director’s third film. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ff7TcnqHUc

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  • Horror Film THE HALLOW from Sundance Sets November 6th Release Date | TRAILER

     THE HALLOW directed by Corin Hardy Horror film, THE HALLOW directed by Corin Hardy, and an Official Selection of the 2015 Sundance Film Festival, will be released in theaters on November 6th via IFC Midnight. THE HALLOW stars Joseph Mawle, Bojana Novakovic, Michael McElhatton, and Michael Smiley.
    Deep within the darkness of secluded forest land in rural Ireland dwells an ancient evil. Feared by the nearby superstitious villagers as cursed creatures who prey upon the lost, their secrets have been kept from civilization and remain on their hallowed ground. But when a conservationist from London moves in with his wife and infant child in order to survey the land for future construction, his actions unwittingly disturb the horde of demonic forces. Alone in a remote wilderness, he must now ensure his family’s survival from their relentless attacks. With his feature debut, acclaimed visual stylist Corin Hardy displays an innate talent for the macabre, approaching the medium with a cocksure confidence in his construction of the modern horror fable. Relying upon a precise and layered technical elegance, The Hallow seethes with an uncommonly sophisticated terror that uncoils effortlessly into an atmosphere of disquieting intensity and primal dread. Corin Hardy is an award-winning filmmaker, whose live action and animated work mixes the macabre, the beautiful and the epic to visually dazzling results. Corin studied Special Effects at Wimbledon School of Art before making his award-winning stop-motion short film Butterfly in 2003. This led into directing music videos, beginning with Keane’s ‘Somewhere Only We Know’ and ‘Bedshaped’ and continuing with films for a mix of mainstream acts including The Prodigy, Biffy Clyro, Olly Murs, Paolo Nutini and The Rizzle Kicks as well as underground indies The Horrors, Dry The River, The Horrible Crowes – and recently the 9 minute crime epic for Devlin and Ed Sheeran’s Watchtower, all produced with Academy Films. For the past 10 years Corin has been writing and developing four of his own horror-based feature film projects with production companies in UK & US these include: The Hallow with Occupant Films, Refuge with Big Talk Films, Frogz Legz with Brilliant Films and F E S T with Pari Passu. Corin is also attached to direct Element Pictures teen thriller Where There’s Darkness.
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KL5WfklIB-o

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  • 7th Milwaukee Film Festival Announces Return of Film Feast Program with 8 Food Films

    King Georges (USA / 2015 / Director: Erika Frankel The 7th Milwaukee Film Festival, announced Film Feast for a second year.  This program presents a diverse lineup comprised of films that explore and celebrate the culture of food and drink. A series of seven documentaries span the continents: from an exploration of Danish bio-dynamic farming in Good Things Await to a WISCONSIN’S OWN program featuring local stories in Old Fashioned: The Story of the Wisconsin Supper Club and Tale of the Spotted Cow to the whirlwind tour that is Foodies, in which five established taste-makers travel the globe to critique the world’s most acclaimed restaurants. “I’m extremely excited about the wide array of films we’re presenting in this year’s Film Feast program,” explains Megan Benedict, Executive & Programming Coordinator. “One highlight for me is King Georges, which tells the story of world-renowned chef Georges Perrier who struggles to hand over one of the country’s finest French restaurants, Le Bec-Fin, to Top Chef’s Nicholas Elmi. Hold on to your spatula!” Following last year’s A Year in Burgundy, influential wine-importer-turned-filmmaker Martine Saunier returns to the festival with the documentary A Year in Champagne. Born from her travels and love for the French wine making region, Saunier takes viewers to France’s Champagne region in this beautifully shot exploration of all things sparkling. Yet, to watch and not drink would be a sin and so Milwaukee Film is hosting a Champagne Tasting event in conjunction with the Lowlands Group and Kyle Cherek, host of Wisconsin Foodie. 2015 MILWAUKEE FILM FESTIVAL FILM FEAST COAST-TO-COAST CUISINE Off the Menu: Asian America (USA / 2015 / Director: Grace Lee) Festival alum Grace Lee (American Revolutionary: The Evolution of Grace Lee Boggs, MFF 2013) provides a road trip through our nation of immigrants, examining the intersection of faith, family, tradition, and great food from Houston to Oahu to Milwaukee (Lee filmed portions of this while attending our festival previously!). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hopCbfaAi0 The Sturgeon Queens (USA / 2014 / Director: Julie Cohen) One hundred years, four generations, and an incalculable amount of smoked fish are chronicled in this history of New York’s famed Jewish lox and herring emporium Russ & Daughters, topped with testimonials from customers Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Maggie Gyllenhaal. https://vimeo.com/81294910 Foodies (Sweden / 2014 / Directors: Thomas Jackson, Charlotte Landelius, Henrik Stockare) You may claim to love food, but the five influential food bloggers at the heart of this documentary give new meaning to the term “foodie.” We follow these diverse tastemakers (among them a former European fashion model and a former U.S. oil company commander) on their globetrotting journey to the world’s most exclusive restaurants. With the Michelin Guide as their North Star, they encounter unique, mouthwatering concoctions that they can make or break with the click of a mouse. No dry aperitif, this is a full-on cinematic banquet, filled with wry humor and cutting observations — the year’s most delicious movie experience. https://vimeo.com/92708700 Good Things Await (Så meget godt i vente) (Denmark / 2014 / Director: Phie Ambo) Married octogenarian couple Niels Stockholm and Rita Hansen are pioneers in the world of biodynamic farming, a holistic method that treats every aspect of the farmland (from the tiniest shrub to prized red cattle) as ecologically connected and worthy of the utmost respect — an ethos that has led to them supplying their home country of Denmark’s most prestigious restaurants. However, their farming style is threatened by a Danish government more concerned with persnickety EU regulations. An absorbing documentary combining poetic philosophizing with lush cinematography (think Babe meets Terrence Malick), this film shows the difficulties in maintaining a moral, ethical business in our modern age of farming. https://vimeo.com/103508293 Just Eat It: A Food Waste Story (Canada, United Kingdom, USA / 2014 / Director: Grant Baldwin) Between foodie blogs, TV cooking competitions and myriad culinary magazines, it’s clear that we love food. So why are we throwing away 50% of it? Documentary filmmaking couple Jen and Grant are horrified by this food waste and quit grocery shopping cold turkey, pledging to live only off of food that is thrown away. A deep dive into our nation’s dumpsters, Just Eat It is a shocking exposé of our food industry — from farm to retail and all the way to the back of our fridge — and its systematic obsession with expiration dates and the aesthetics of perfect produce. https://vimeo.com/88023628 King Georges (USA / 2015 / Director: Erika Frankel) (pictured above in main image) With Le Bec-Fin, one of the country’s finest French restaurants, set to be sold, documentary filmmaker Erika Frankel seeks out its iconic proprietor, Georges Perrier, to film a fitting tribute to this landmark Philadelphia eatery, only to get far more than she bargained for. Perrier withdraws the sale and seeks to reinvigorate Le Bec-Fin, bringing aboard Chef Nicholas Elmi (of “Top Chef” fame) as his successor, only to find letting go far more of a struggle than he anticipated. Archival footage and interviews with world-renowned chefs make this feast for the eyes a portrait that also touches the heart. Love and Lemons (Små citroner gula) (Sweden, Norway / 2013 / Director: Teresa Fabik) Cheated on by her rock-star boyfriend and fired from her job all in one day, Agnes looks to pick up the pieces by putting everything she has (parents’ life savings included) into becoming part owner in a new restaurant. A disastrous start to this entrepreneurial exercise makes it all the more important for Agnes to put her knowledge that her neighbor David is actually the famed food critic Lola to the test, by taking him on a date to what is, unbeknownst to him, her restaurant. A winning romantic comedy that proves a recipe for disaster can turn out to be something quite sweet. WISCONSIN’S OWN Old Fashioned: The Story of the Wisconsin Supper Club (USA / 2015 / Director: Holly L. De Ruyter) A local dining tradition that has managed to persevere, the supper club is a unique experience that places the emphasis on family and hospitality, and this documentary celebrates the wonderful history and tradition behind this uniquely Wisconsin dining experience. https://vimeo.com/21115804 Tale of the Spotted Cow (USA / 2015 / Director: Bill Roach) This is a touching and inspiring documentary about the founders of New Glarus Brewery, creators of Wisconsin’s signature craft beer. Their rags-to-riches tale is a vital story in the rich tapestry that is our state’s hop-filled history. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-9kKyTODCY A Year in Champagne (USA, France / 2014 / Director: David Kennard) If one is going to celebrate in style, one must do so with champagne, and champagne is only truly champagne when it comes from the region of France that is its namesake. Journey on a rare behind-the-scenes look into the production of the bubbly, from small independent winemakers who still observe classic traditions (turning the bottles by hand in their wine cellars) to the massive businesses that have made champagne into the worldwide brand it is. This is an effervescent portrait of this art form’s past, present and future, with an end product that is as much a fizzy delight as the sparkling wine it documents. https://vimeo.com/74411492

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  • 53rd New York Film Festival Convergence Completes Lineup, Incl. THE DOG HOUSE Virtual-Reality Dinner Party

    The Doghouse Created by Johan Knattrup Jensen The Film Society of Lincoln Center announced the complete details for the 53rd New York Film Festival Convergence, which will take place on September 26 and 27. The highly anticipated annual program delves into the world of immersive storytelling with a mix of unique films, panels, and live interactive experiences. “This is our fourth year as part of the New York Film Festival and I couldn’t be more excited about the lineup for 2015. There’s a lot of attention focused on virtual reality right now so we are really pleased to feature the U.S. premiere of The Dog House, a 360-degree film that’s going to start a lot of conversations. The program isn’t restricted to virtual worlds either, with several incredible live experiences like Temping, an immersive theater piece designed for one audience member at a time,” said NYFF Convergence programmer Matt Bolish. “The hope as always is to give our audience a chance to experience a wide variety of participatory storytelling projects.” Audiences can explore a multitude of non-traditional film experiences, such as playing a selection of indie storytelling games in the GameScape arcade, assuming the role of master detective Sherlock Holmes to help to solve a string of crimes around the Lincoln Center campus in Sherlock Holmes & the Internet of Things, or attending a performance of filmmaker/writer/singer Cory McAbee’s Small Star Seminar, an anti-motivational event featuring optimistic songs about quitting, accepting our limitations, and the power of sitting quietly. Immersive theater piece Temping, which will be showcased only a few times, will take lucky sole audience members on a strange and comedic journey. Complementing the experiential programs is a series of talks and panels—all free and open to the public—featuring notable storytellers of all stripes (from Lucasfilm, StoryCode, Storyline Entertainment, Pixar, NPR, and more) discussing their work and the evolving state of storytelling in the interactive age. The presentations will also include the World Premiere of the interactive presentation of The Deeper They Bury Me, which plunges audiences into the world of Herman Wallace, who was held in solitary for over 40 years at Louisiana’s notorious Angola penitentiary. NYFF53 CONVERGENCE EVENTS AND DESCRIPTIONS Experiences and Installations The (Dis)Honesty Project Presents The Truth Box Created by Dan Ariely & Yael Melamede Step inside and tell us the truth… about a lie. The Truth Box is a traveling story booth and part of the larger (Dis)Honesty Project, a collaboration between behavioral scientist Dan Ariely and filmmaker Yael Melamede that aims to improve our behavior and ethics. The Truth Box explores the complex impact dishonesty has on our lives, asking participants to sit inside and come clean, on camera, about a lie they have told. Excerpts of stories recorded will be shared on http://thedishonestyproject.com and through social media. The Doghouse Created by Johan Knattrup Jensen, Mads Damsbo & Dark Matters (pictured in main image) Few technologies have elicited as much debate as virtual reality. How will this powerful technology change the way we make and consume films? Audiences can get a taste of a possible future with The Doghouse. A table is set for five, and on each plate rests a virtual-reality headset. Slipping them on plunges the viewer into a fully immersive experience—one of five unique points of view within the same film. Mom and Dad are meeting the older brother’s new girlfriend for the first time while the younger brother just tries to avoid an inevitable disaster. This unique 360-degree cinema experience places its audience right in the middle of a home-cooked family drama and challenges our notions of what short films are… and what they may be in the very near future. U.S. Premiere Gamescape Human beings are hardwired to tell stories. We spin tales about everything in our lives from the mundane to the extraordinary. Some of the most compelling stories being told today are coming from game designers blending sharp narrative and gameplay in new and exciting ways. This selection of gripping, engaging, and even revolutionary independent storytelling games was co-curated by the NYU Game Center and is free and open to the public. Presented with Support from the NYU Game Center. Sherlock Holmes & the Internet of Things Created by Lance Weiler & Nick Fortugno Step into the shoes of Sherlock Holmes for this collaborative storytelling experiment in which participants attempt to solve a string of crimes unfolding throughout Lincoln Center. Do you have what it takes to become a 21st-century Sherlock Holmes? A prototype developed and run by the Columbia Digital Storytelling Lab, Sherlock Holmes & the Internet of Things is part of a massive connected crime scene taking place in over 20 countries this fall. For more information, visit sherlockholmes.io. Presented in partnership with the Columbia Digital Storytelling Lab. Temping Created by Wolf 359; Directed by Michael Rau Somewhere in a filing cabinet in Delaware or Indiana, there is a chart that breaks down how long we’re expected to live. Most of us will never see it… nor would we want to. But what if your job was to update these charts, to record the beginnings and ends of thousands of lives? What if you found the formula to predict your own lifespan? Sarah Jane Tully, a 50-year-old actuary, is taking her first vacation in years, and you’ve been hired to take her place. Temping, the strange and comic tale of an employee’s inner life written by Michael Yates Crowley, is performed for an audience of one by a Windows PC, a corporate phone, a laser printer, and the Microsoft Office Suite. Filling in at Sarah Jane’s cubicle, you’ll update client records, send e-mails, and eavesdrop on intra-office romance. Each performance is unique, depending on which tasks you accomplish and which of your co-workers you decide to trust. Congratulations, you’re the new temp! Get ready to work. Panels and Presentations Brand Meets Story: How Filmmakers and Brands Are Reinventing Digital Content (Panel) Moderated by Bob Garfield The digital-video era has opened up vast opportunities for audiences to enjoy powerful short-form content. Some brands have responded by recruiting professional filmmakers to work in the story-focused new arena of “content marketing.” Bob Garfield, Host of NPR’s “On The Media,” will moderate a discussion with Marjorie Schussel, Corporate Marketing Director for Toyota, along with Academy Award–nominated filmmakers Steve James (Hoop Dreams) and Kief Davidson (Open Heart) and Oscar winner Ross Kauffman (Born into Brothels). They will discuss the partnership and process they established to develop a form of marketing that marries the freedom of creativity with meaningful brand communication goals in order to tell “stories that matter.” Includes World Premiere screenings of three compelling new short films, and a cocktail reception to follow. A Conversation with Diana Williams (Talk) Featuring Diana Williams (Lucasfilm, Roller Coaster Entertainment) The camera opens on a field of stars before revealing a pair of spaceships locked in a deadly chase. Inside the pursued ship, a pair of iconic droids scuttle between rebel crewmen. “We’re doomed,” says C-3PO. “They’ll be no escape for the princess this time!” That exchange stuck with a young Diana Williams—what else had Princess Leia been up to?—and it set her on a course to become a storyteller in her own right. Williams has produced the acclaimed films Our Song and Another First Step; developed The Gatecrashers, a cross-platform storyworld, and Chinafornia, an animated Web series; and collaborated on motion comics for Torchwood, among others. In 2014, she joined the Lucasfilm Story Group, the team charged with developing narrative cohesion and connectivity within the Star Wars universe. Williams will take the stage to discuss her career and personal evolution as a storyteller, from feature filmmaker to cross-platform storyworld builder. The Deeper They Bury Me (Interactive Presentation) Written and directed by Angad Singh Bhalla & Ted Biggs; Produced by Anita Lee for the National Film Board of Canada, Storyline Entertainment An interactive encounter with one of America’s most renowned political prisoners, The Deeper They Bury Me plunges users into the universe of Black Panther activist Herman Wallace, who was held in solitary for over 40 years at Louisiana’s notorious Angola penitentiary. Within the time allotted for a prison phone call—20 precious minutes—users navigate between his tiny cell and his dream of freedom, a fantasy home he envisions through a collaborative art project with artist Jackie Sumell. Sparse, poetic animation evokes his segregated New Orleans childhood and his courageous efforts to build community within a prison system that keeps over 2.3 million citizens behind bars. Join the creators of this compelling portrait of defiance for an immersive live presentation of the interactive experience and a panel discussion featuring leading activists and thinkers. World Premiere. Immersive Storytelling Goes Global: A Live StoryCode Dispatch (Panel) Moderated by Mike Knowlton (Co-founder, StoryCode) StoryCode’s growth into six continents over the past three years has been fueled by an international appetite for new storytelling methods, tools, and experiments. Though still in its infancy, this worldwide phenomenon takes on myriad forms in each region it conquers. StoryCode chapter organizers will share happenings and breakthroughs around the country and the world, and discuss where we are headed in terms of emerging genres, cross-pollination of disciplines, technology, and artistic achievement. Panelists include Kel O’Neill (StoryCode LA), Diliana Alexander (StoryCode Miami), Michael Epstein (StoryCode San Francisco), and Kelli Anderson (StoryCode Washington DC). The Making of a Connected Crime Scene (Talk) Presented by Lance Weiler & Nick Fortugno Join Lance Weiler and Nick Fortugno for a special collaborative think-and-do session. Over the course of 90 minutes, attendees will see and experience the inner workings of what it takes to build a massive collaborative effort like Sherlock Holmes & the Internet of Things. The presentation will pull back the curtain on a yearlong experiment with 1,000 collaborators working in 20-plus countries. Learn methods and solutions that can help you design and build immersive, engaging storytelling projects. Producing for Impact: Finding the Story (Panel) Moderated by Colin Fitzpatrick (Guardian Labs, WNET, Al Jazeera America) As nonfiction crosses platforms, producers have more options than ever to reach, inspire, and activate audiences. The way a production is presented allows producers to realize specific audience end goals previously unobtainable without immense budgets. Tactics using comprehensive data visualization, compelling personal narratives, and sourcing from social media allow journalism and documentary producers today to appeal to emotion as well as the facts when creating issue-driven stories. Producers on this panel will discuss their own projects—from documentary film and interactive docs to social programs and digital newsrooms—and how to create meaningful and moving stories with goals beyond business as usual. Presented in partnership with The Producers Guild of America New Media Council & PGA East Documentary Committee. Pry Created by Danny Cannizzaro & Samantha Gorman (Performance) Danny Cannizzaro and Samantha Gorman will perform excerpts from Pry, an app experience that fuses cinema, video game, and the novella into what the LA Weekly calls “Charlie Kaufman by way of an acid trip.” Six years ago, James, a demolition expert, returned from the Gulf War. Explore James’s mind as his vision fails and the past collides with the present. What happens to story when instead of turning a page, readers open or shut the protagonist’s eyes, pull apart his memories, or read his thoughts infinitely scrolling in every direction? For more, go to prynovella.com. Small Star Seminar (Performance) Presented by Cory McAbee For the first solo music project created by Cory McAbee (Crazy and Thief, The American Astronaut), the filmmaker/musician takes the stage as a motivational speaker who urges people to give up their goals, stop reaching for the stars, and start looking for the stars within their own minds. “Small Star Seminar” features optimistic songs about quitting, accepting one’s own limitations, and the power of sitting quietly. McAbee will address the theory of “Deep Astronomy” and answer questions from the audience. Part of a larger storytelling project, the performance will be documented for an upcoming feature film written and directed by McAbee. The Working Screenwriter (Talk) Presented by Mike Jones (Pixar) Big dreams, wild risks, and seven-figure sales are all part of the typical screenwriter mythos. Yet most of these writers have had a different career, one where a few highs barely make up for the many lows. Working screenwriters must look at the long arc of a career where no models exist. How does a life in the screen trade fit into an everyday life? How do writers maintain their spark among constant rejection, wide financial fluctuations, and family stress? How does failure affect style? And how does a writer change? Mike Jones has never made seven figures. Yet for 15 years he has maintained a screenwriter’s turbulent life while writing for independent producers, major studios, and now Pixar. In this talk, Jones will outline how he built a steady career through checkered success, but became a better storyteller through failure.

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  • 15 Students Are Winners of 42nd Student Academy Awards

    Spike Lee accepting a Dramatic Merit Award for his student film "Joe's Bed-Stuy Barbershop: We Cut Heads", with presenter Ronald Neame at the 1983 (10th) Student Academy Awards ceremony. The Academy has voted fifteen students as winners of the 42nd Student Academy Awards competition. The Academy received a record number of entries this year — 1,686 films from 282 domestic and 93 international colleges and universities — which were voted upon by a record number of Academy members. Past Student Academy Award winners have gone on to receive 47 Oscar® nominations and have won or shared eight awards.  Previous winners include Pete Docter, John Lasseter, Spike Lee, Trey Parker and Robert Zemeckis. The winners are (listed alphabetically by film title): Alternative “Chiaroscuro,” Daniel Drummond, Chapman University, California “Zoe,” ChiHyun Lee, The School of Visual Arts, New York Animation “An Object at Rest,” Seth Boyden, California Institute of the Arts “Soar,” Alyce Tzue, Academy of Art University, San Francisco “Taking the Plunge,” Nicholas Manfredi and Elizabeth Ku-Herrero, The School of Visual Arts Documentary “Boxeadora,” Meg Smaker, Stanford University “I Married My Family’s Killer,” Emily Kassie, Brown University “Looking at the Stars,” Alexandre Peralta, University of Southern California Narrative “Day One,” Henry Hughes, American Film Institute, California “Stealth,” Bennett Lasseter, American Film Institute “This Way Up,” Jeremy Cloe, American Film Institute Foreign Film “Everything Will Be Okay…,” Patrick Vollrath, Filmakademie Wien, Austria “Fidelity,” Ilker Catak, Hamburg Media School, Germany “The Last Will,” Dustin Loose, Filmakademie Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany Students will arrive in Los Angeles for a week of industry activities that will culminate in the awards ceremony onThursday, September 17, at 7:30 p.m., at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.  The medal placements – gold, silver and bronze – in the five award categories will be announced at the ceremony. First-time honors go to Chapman University in the Alternative category and Filmakademie Wien in the Foreign Film competition.  Academy members voted the winners from a field of 33 finalists, announced last month. The 42nd Student Academy Awards ceremony on September 17 is free and open to the public, but advance tickets are required. The Student Academy Awards were established in 1972 to provide a platform for emerging global talent by creating opportunities within the industry to showcase their work. image via pinterestSpike Lee accepting a Dramatic Merit Award for his student film “Joe’s Bed-Stuy Barbershop: We Cut Heads”, with presenter Ronald Neame at the 1983 (10th) Student Academy Awards ceremony.

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  • 53rd New York Film Festival Shorts Lineup + Michael Moore, Jia Zhangke , Todd Haynes, Hou Hsiao-hsien Confirmed as Speakers

    53rd New York Film Festival Shorts Lineup + Michael Moore, Jia Zhangke , Todd Haynes, Hou Hsiao-hsien Confirmed as Speakers The Film Society of Lincoln Center announced the complete NYFF Shorts Programs and filmmaker talks for the 53rd New York Film Festival, taking place September 25 – October 11, 2015. This year, the festival has created four distinct categories for the 53rd New York Film Festival Shorts  Programs: Animation, International, New York and Horror. The NYFF Shorts Program 1: International will spotlight a selection of mostly North American premieres from around the world, with voices from Argentina, Australia, Chile, and more. The new Shorts Program 2: Horror will scare up some screams with a handful of tales from the dark side, including Territory by Vincent Paronnaud (co-director of 2007’s Cannes winner and NYFF45 Closing Night, Persepolis), about a sheepherder and his dog witnessing unspeakable terrors. Shorts Program 3: Animation section will showcase stunning and bold recent works, including the World Premiere of Pixar’s latest gem, Sanjay Patel’s Sanjay Super Team, about modern superheroes and Hindu traditions clashing in the daydreams of a young Indian boy. Shorts Program 4: New York is a new category celebrating the short-form works produced in New York by local filmmakers. The festival is thrilled to announce that the inaugural edition of this program will be sponsored by the City of New York Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment. This year’s exciting selections include the World Premieres of Zia Anger’s black comedy My Last Film, starring Lola Kirke, Mac DeMarco, and Rosanna Arquette; and Pacho Velez & Daniel Claridge’s Dragstrip. Velez is the co-director of Manakamana, which screened at NYFF51. The festival’s annual master class, On Cinema, will feature a conversation between NYFF Director of Programming Kent Jones and one of the world’s greatest living directors, Hou Hsiao-hsien, on Saturday, October 10. In a rare visit to New York, on the occasion his latest film The Assassin screening at NYFF53, the director will discuss some of the works that have marked, haunted, and influenced him as an artist. In the Revivals section, the festival will also present his 1983 Taiwanese New Wave drama, The Boys from Fengkuei. The popular FREE Directors Dialogues returns with three diverse, notable filmmakers, paired with a NYFF selection committee member as they discuss their careers, their craft and views on their own approach to making movies, as well as the current state of filmmaking. This year’s lineup will feature sit-downs with Jia Zhangke (Mountains May Depart) on Tuesday, September 29; Michael Moore (Where To Invade Next) on Sunday, October 4; and Todd Haynes (Carol) on Saturday, October 10. All of these director’s newest films are screening in the Main Slate of the NYFF53. SHORTS PROGRAM NYFF SHORTS PROGRAM 1: INTERNATIONAL (TRT: 85M) Featuring films by a selection of new talents, this year’s lineup of shorts includes lyrical work from Australia and Chile, a pair of Buenos Aires–set romps from Argentine co-productions, and a bittersweet goodbye story from Austria. Programmed by Sarah Mankoff. La Novia de Frankenstein Agostina Gálvez & Francisco Lezama, Portugal/Argentina, 2015, DCP, 13m Spanish with English subtitles Ivana works for an agency that rents out apartments out to English-speaking tourists, but her sticky finger side-hustle suggests self-employment might be more her style. North American Premiere Monaco David Easteal, Australia, 2015, DCP, 13m A young man goes door to door in search of an automotive apprenticeship, and spending his free time kicking up dust doing donuts with his buddies in the outskirts of Melbourne. North American Premiere Carry On Rafael Haider, Austria, 2015, DCP, 22m German with English subtitles When his donkey gets sick, an old farmer is hesitant to betray his fondness for the animal to his matter-of-fact wife who insists on putting the donkey down. Marea de Tierra Manuela Martelli & Amirah Tajdin, Chile/France, 2015, DCP, 15m Spanish with English subtitles On the southern Chilean archipelago of Chiloe, a lovelorn teenage girl on vacation swaps tales of heartbreak with a group of local women who gather seaweed. North American Premiere The Mad Half Hour Leonardo Brzezicki, Argentina/Denmark, 2015, DCP, 22m Juan suddenly balks at commitment, prompting his boyfriend to lead him on a romantic night of wandering city streets. Named for the time of day when house cats go inexplicably wild. North American Premiere NYFF SHORTS PROGRAM 2: HORROR (TRT: 93M) In a program brand-new to the NYFF focusing on the best in genre film—horror, thrillers, sci-fi, twisted noir, and fantasy shorts from around the world—this handful of tales from the dark side features a period piece of terror in distant lands from the co-director of Persepolis, a haunted psyche that reveals itself in very strange ways, a lesson in being bad, horror-film love turned life-threatening, and some silent but deadly revenge. Programmed by Laura Kern. Territory / Territoire Vincent Paronnaud, France, 2014, DCP, 22m French with English subtitles A sheepherder and his trusty dog witness unspeakable horrors in a remote valley of the French Pyrenees in 1957. We Wanted More Stephen Dunn, Canada, 2013, DCP, 16m Laryngitis may be a singer’s worst nightmare, but battling deep anxieties about life’s sacrifices can be even more terrifying. Sânge Percival Argüero Mendoza, Mexico, 2015, DCP, 19m Spanish with English subtitles Upon viewing the mysterious, bone-chilling titular film, a young woman’s horror obsession—taken far from seriously by her boyfriend—blends dangerously with reality. U.S. Premiere How to Be a Villain Helen O’Hanlon, UK, 2015, DCP, 16m In this delightfully demented homage to the golden days of monster movies, Supervillain (a perfect Terence Harvey) leads us on a thrilling guided tour of the ways of evil. Ramona Andrei Cretulescu, Romania, 2015, DCP, 20m One dark night, a no-nonsense blonde carries out a mission of brutal vengeance. NYFF SHORTS PROGRAM 3: ANIMATION (TRT: 56M) An eclectic mix of styles and themes, this program of animated shorts brings New York audiences a selection of stunning recent works from around the globe. Please note: this program is not for children! Programmed by Matt Bolish and Sarah Mankoff. Lingerie Show Laura Harrison, USA, 2015, HDCAM, 8m Drug-addict Lorraine and her boyfriend Caesar are having a nightmarish 24 hours until Lorraine calls up her sister, CiCi, for help. Hot Bod Claire van Ryzin, USA, 2014, DCP, 4m When a lonely man accidentally ingests a grow-your-own-girlfriend expandable water toy, he becomes extremely popular with the coolest dude in town. Whole William Reynish, Denmark, 2014, DCP, 12m Danish with English subtitles After a bad breakup leaves her heartbroken and depressed, Mira goes on a psychedelic trip in search of her spirit animal in order to feel whole again. Denis the Pirate Sam Messer, USA, 2015, DCP, 11m A man tells the story of his great-great-great-great grandfather, Denis the Pirate, and his sidekick monkey, Babe Ruth, with whom he terrorized the Caribbean islands. World Premiere Sanjay’s Super Team Sanjay Patel, USA, 2015, DCP, 7m In the latest short from Pixar, modern superheroes and Hindu traditions clash in the daydreams of a young Indian boy. World Premiere Palm Rot Ryan Gillis, USA, 2014, DCP, 7m While investigating a mysterious explosion deep in the Everglades, a crop duster’s discovery of a lone surviving crate sets off a series of unfortunate events. Food Siqi Song, USA, 2014, DCP, 4m We are what we eat—from cheeseburgers to chocolate-covered pretzels—in this stop-motion documentary that explores how we choose the foods we consume. Rolling Matt Christensen, USA, 2014, DCP, 3m A blissed-out squirrel rolls through a meadow of objects. NYFF SHORTS PROGRAM 4: NEW YORK (TRT: 75m) A new addition to the New York Film Festival, this program showcases recent short-form work from some of the most exciting filmmakers living and working in New York today, an eclectic mix of familiar faces, established names, and unheralded ones to watch. Programmed by Florence Almozini and Dan Sullivan and sponsored by the City of New York Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment. Hernia Jason Giampietro, USA, 2015, DCP, 12m Jason Giampietro’s latest hilarious short follows neurotic hypochondriac Rudy (Stephen Gurewitz), who is convinced he is suffering from a hernia, as he heads out into the night in search of sympathy from his friends, all of whom have lost their patience with him. Riot Nathan Silver, USA, 2015, DCP, 4m The hyper-prolific Nathan Silver’s first documentary draws on his family’s home movies to revisit his directorial debut at the age of 9, as his efforts to dramatize the 1992 L.A. riots are undermined by an uncooperative cast and the intrusions of his mother. U.S. Premiere Sundae Sonya Goddy, USA, 2015, DCP, 7m In this impeccable cringe comedy, an irritated mother drives around in an unfamiliar neighborhood bribing her taciturn 5-year-old son with ice cream in exchange for crucial information. World Premiere Dragstrip Pacho Velez & Daniel Claridge, USA, 2015, DCP, 4m Comprised of images of racing aficionados—drivers, mechanics, and fans alike—in New Lebanon, NY, as they behold the sport they love, this film offers a rare opportunity to look at others in the act of observation, transforming the screen into a kind of ethnographic mirror. World Premiere Special Features James N. Kienitz Wilkins, USA, 2014, DCP, 10m James N. Kienitz Wilkins’s funny and heady work of lo-fi sleight-of-hand centers on an interview between the filmmaker and a man describing a unique experience, but his entertaining reminiscence proves to be not at all what it seems. Six Cents in the Pocket Ricky D’Ambrose, USA, 2015, DCP, 14m This hypnotic work of contemporary cinematic modernism—something like Robert Bresson in Park Slope, but not exactly—concerns a young man apartment-sitting for friends as talk of a plane crash ominously lingers in the air. World Premiere Bad at Dancing Joanna Arnow, USA, 2015, DCP, 11m The Silver Bear winner at this year’s Berlinale comically chronicles the psychodrama and boundary-testing that arises between a needy young woman (Joanna Arnow) and her more confident roommate (Eleanore Pienta) when the latter gets a boyfriend (Keith Poulson). My Last Film Zia Anger, USA, 2015, DCP, 9m An exhilarating whatsit and freewheeling black comedy, Anger’s latest takes aim at the independent film scenes in NY and LA with no-holds-barred ferocity, formal ingenuity, and an eyebrow-raising cast that includes Lola Kirke, Mac DeMarco, and Rosanna Arquette. World Premiere Review Dustin Guy Defa, USA, 2015, DCP, 4m A young woman recounts a story to a group of friends who listen with rapt attention, but the tale sounds very familiar… Another masterful and clever work by one of the world’s premier shorts filmmakers. World Premiere

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  • World Premiere of Mika Kaurismäki’s THE GIRL KING Added to 2015 Montreal World Film Festival | TRAILER

    The Girl King, directed by Mika Kaurismäki The Montreal World Film Festival has added the world premiere of The Girl King, directed by Mika Kaurismäki to its official competition.  “I was seduced by Michel-Marc Bouchard’s script,” says producer Arnie Gelbart. “It’s an unusual story of an extraordinary woman. The characters are very contemporary, young, ambitious and full of passion, torn between duty and desire, and it’s all been brought to the screen by a great director.” The international cast features Swedish stars Malin Buska and Michael Nyqvist, Canadians Sarah Gadon and Lucas Bryant, Finnish actress Laura Birn, French actor Hippolyte Girardot, veteran Belgian actor Patrick Bauchau and German actors Peter Lohmayer and Martina Gedeck. The Quebecer François Arnaud is also part of the cast and Guy Dufaux was the director of photography. The English version of the script has been written by awarded Linda Gaboriau. The Girl King was scripted by Quebec playwright Michel-Marc Bouchard who had great success in 2012 with his play on the life of Queen Christina of Sweden when it was staged in Montreal TNM and later at the Stratford Festival. It’s the 1600s and Queen Christina is set on making Sweden the most sophisticated country in Europe. Having been raised as a prince under strict Lutheran control, the enigmatic, flamboyant, and unpredictable queen faces powerful resistance in her quest to educate her subjects and end the bloody Thirty Years War between the Protestants and Catholics. Amidst all this, Christina struggles to come to terms with an irresistible passion for her lady in waiting, the stunning Countess Ebba Sparre. Her quest to understand love runs parallel with her quest to understand humanity and the violent and restrictive forces conspiring against her. Torn between the conflict of political and personal aspirations, Christina chooses to make one of the most controversial decisions in history. Born in Orimattila, Finland in 1955, Mika Kaurismäki studied film in Germany and his first film, his graduation production, THE LIAR (1980), was an overnight sensation; it marked the beginning of the cinema of the Kaurismäki brothers and started a new era in the Finnish cinema. Eventually, Mika established a base and second home in Brazil and concentrated on international co-productions, among them, CONDITION RED (1995), L.A. WITHOUT A MAP (1998), HONEY BABY (2004), BRASILEIRINHO (2005, shown at the MWFF), THREE WISE MEN (2008), BROTHERS (2011) and ROAD NORTH (2012). The MWFF runs from August 27 to September 7, 2015. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ags39i275ro

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  • 2015 Toronto International Film Festival Short Cuts Program Lineup

    A Few Seconds Nora El Hourch The 2015 Toronto International Film Festival announced the lineup for the Short Cuts program. Thirty-eight international shorts join the previously announced Canadian shorts, which will screen in 11 curated program. The compelling lineup encompasses works from filmmakers representing an impressive 35 countries. From provocative narratives to compelling animation, from insightful dramas to profoundly moving documentaries, the works in Short Cuts showcase unique, yet universal, stories about the human condition, in short form. The 40th Toronto International Film Festival runs September 10 to 20, 2015. Films screening in 2015 Toronto International Film Festival Short Cuts Program include: (Otto) Joris Oprins, Marieke Blaauw and Job Roggeveen, Netherlands, 10’ World Premiere As one couple try, and fail again, for the baby they’ve dreamed of, a little girl accidentally leaves her imaginary baby brother, Otto, behind at a restaurant. Suddenly, the definition of ‘baby’ takes on a new and completely unexpected dimension. Will Otto find a way back home? From the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival filmmakers who brought us the Oscar-nominated animation A Single Life. 7 sheep Wiktoria Szymanska, Poland/United Kingdom/Denmark/Mexico, 21’ World Premiere A lonely little girl tries to create a new world for herself and an equally lonely man. In a visually stunning dreamscape, she finds that freedom and home are synonymous — and that they come at a steep cost. Barbados Misha Manson-Smith, USA, 7’ World Premiere David is a middle-class guy with middle-class problems, despite his lovely home and beautiful middle-class wife. His son Gary is the same, just 30 years younger. Both are looking for a way out from suburbia and all its trappings. One Sunday lunchtime, however, when the police come knocking, David’s world suddenly becomes even more claustrophobic. Starring Michael Sheen, Radha Mitchell and Ty Simpkins. Beneath the Spaceship (Under Rymdskeppet) Caroline Ingvarsson, Sweden, 15’ World Premiere A young girl and her older neighbour share an unusual friendship. Together they are inseparable until the outside world peeks in. Bird Hearts Halfdan Olav Ullmann Tøndel, Norway, 25’ North American Premiere Benjamin and Maya share a life in Oslo. During a late-night dinner party, Maya tells a story about a sexual experience she had in Brazil. As a consequence, Benjamin’s insecurities begin to surface. Bird Hearts is a film about the power of the stories lovers tell. Starring Stine Sørensen, André Sørum and Trine Wiggen. Blue Spring Andreea Cristina Bortun, Romania, 15’ World Premiere A woman confronts the uselessness of words when confronted by the inevitable departure of her much younger lover. The Boyfriend Game Alice Englert, Australia, 7’ World Premiere Twelve-year-old friends Tomika and Edith set out in the bush to play their creation, The Boyfriend Game, only to struggle when the lines between real and pretend become blurred. Bunny Megha Ramaswamy, India, 19’ North American Premiere Bunny is an elegiac look at how fantastical childhood is, and evocative of the heartbreak with which we leave it behind. Wreathed in surrealist imagery, the story is about a little girl and her pet toy Bunny. Starring Syesha Adnani and Faizan Mohammad. The Call Zamo Mkhwanazi, South Africa, 11’ Canadian Premiere This arresting urban drama from Johannesburg’s Zamo Mkhwanazi focuses on a key moment in the relationship between a taxi driver and a prostitute. When Sibongiseni finds out that Purity is pregnant, he begins to question his own place in the world. Starring Fana Mokoena, MoMo Matsunyane, Ronnie Nyakale and Abena Ayivor. Concerning the Bodyguard Kasra Farahani, USA, 10’ World Premiere An anonymous henchman fulfils his role in a rigid hierarchy of power and control in this adaptation of a razor-sharp satire written by Donald Barthelme; and recited with great relish by Salman Rushdie. Deszcz (Rain) Malina Maria Mackiewicz, Australia, 5’ World Premiere In the summer of 1983 in Kraków, Poland, prisoners sentenced to death are not informed of the date of their execution. As Jedzrej waits for his lover Magda in the visitation hall of the Montelupich Political Detainment Centre, a sun shower pours down on Kraków. Each visit could be their last. Starring Lech Mackiewicz and Victoria Haralabidou. Dragstrip Pacho Velez and Daniel Claridge, USA, 4’ World Premiere At the Lebanon Valley Dragstrip in New York state, spectators, drivers and mechanics wait for their races. Dream the Other (Soñar el otro) Abril Schmucler Iñiguez, Mexico, 16’ International Premiere Diego is a lonely man with a humdrum life in Mexico City. In his sleep, he dreams of the (far more invigorating) life of a man named Alejandro Valle. As his friend Fabian looks on in disbelief, Diego’s shifting realities begin to take on new forms and new meaning. El Adiós Clara Roquet, Spain 15’ Canadian Premiere Rosana, a Bolivian maid, has worked for Angela, the elder matriarch of the Vidal family for the last 10 years. On the day of the funeral of her beloved Angela, Rosana is not allowed to grieve with the rest of the family. On the contrary: she is forced to work. El Adiós is an intimate story about how emotional bonds supersede social conventions, racial labels or family regimes. End of Puberty (Kamaszkor vége) Fanni Szilágyi, Hungary, 13’ International Premiere On a beautiful summer day, teenage twins meet a boy — he acquaints them with matters of sex, anger and jealousy. This is the end of puberty. Exit/Entrance or Trasumanar Federica Foglia, Italy/Canada, 7’ World Premiere A flow of words and images portrays an artist’s journey through a variety of Italian landscapes and interiors, evoking an eminently modern strain of melancholy: the feeling of belonging to two places and being fully at home in neither. Starring Antonio De Luca. The Fantastic Love of Beeboy & Flowergirl Clemens Roth, Germany, 10’ North American Premiere Peter is being followed by killer bees; Elsa collects exotic flowers from all over the world. To be together, they both have to overcome their fantasies. But what if love itself is nothing but fantasy? Starring Elisa Schlott and Florian Prokop. A Few Seconds Nora El Hourch, France, 16’ North American Premiere (pictured in main image above) Five girls live at a Paris home for wayward teens, each of them branded by a deeply troubling past. Forming an ad hoc communitywithin-a-community, the girls struggle to identify themselves no longer as victims but as something new and hopeful. Starring Marie Tirmont, Charlotte Bartocci, Camille Lellouche, Maly Diallo and Charlotte-Victoire Legrain. Following Diana (Sendiri Diana Sendiri) Kamila Andini, Indonesia, 40’ International Premiere Diana, a 30-year-old housewife, lives with her husband and son at home, across the street from a building construction site. She spends every day with her only child until her husband comes from work in the evening. One night, Diana’s husband presents her with a chart that reveals his shocking plan to share their little family with another woman. Starring Raihaanun, Tanta Ginting and Panji Rafenda Putra. Hide & Seek Kimie Tanaka, France/Japan/Singapore, 22’ International Premiere Shoichi, a Japanese male nurse living in the city, returns home to the countryside after his mother’s sudden death to sort out the situation of his younger brother Kotaro, who’s been a shut-in for over a decade. Shoichi seeks help from social services, only to be disappointed with their bureaucratic treatment. Frustrated, Shoichi makes a radical decision. Starring Masaki Miura, Kuniaki Nakamura and Sachiko Matsuura. Latchkey Kids (Yaldey Mafteah) Elad Goldman, Israel, 22’ North American Premiere Gur and his sister Daniel have a remarkably close relationship after years of caring for each other in their empty house. Although Daniel is looking outside for a chance to grow up and fall in love, Gur feels safer at home and refuses to let their bond come undone. Starring Yoav Rottman, Gaia Shalita Katz, Hillel Cappon and Tamara Friedland. The Magnetic Nature (El ser magnético) Mateo Bendesky, Argentina, 17’ North American Premiere Fifty-five-year-old Aldo and his older brother Pablo live together and take part in a religious practice invented by their father, whose congregation meets mainly online. But for Aldo, the allure of the world outside the garden gates is growing much stronger than “philosophical magnetism.” Starring Claudio Rangnau, Claudio Kustin and Iván Moschner. Maman(s) Maïmouna Doucouré, France, 21’ North American Premiere The family of eight-year-old Aida is thrown into chaos when her father returns from Senegal with young Rama, whom he introduces as his second wife. Aida may not exactly understand the details, but she understands that her mother is in deep distress, and that there seems to be but one way to make things better again. Starring Sokhna Diallo and Maïmouna Gueye. New Eyes Hiwot Admasu Getaneh, France/United Kingdom 12’ North American Premiere A girl who is in the transition of puberty, Selam, encounters something that arouses her sexually for the first time. She becomes restless as the day goes by in her oblivious semi-urban environment. Nulla Nulla Dylan River, Australia, 6’ North American Premiere Fresh out of the academy, White Cop experiences his first taste of aboriginal community life, as Black Cop puts him to the test. Starring Wayne Blair, Khan Chittenden, Pamela Nangala Sampson and Audrey Napanangka Martin. One Last Night (Laila Acharon) Kerem Blumberg, Israel, 22’ International Premiere It’s the last night Noa and Orr have together in Tel Aviv, before Orr leaves for Berlin. Outside a punk gig, when the police arrive and Orr jumps in to help a friend, both she and Noa get arrested. Now Noa will have to make a final decision about their relationship at the police station. Starring Michal Korman and Agam Schuster. Oslo’s Rose The Sporadic Film Collective, Norway, 7’ International Premiere For more than two years, Nader has been head over heels in love with Janne but unable to let her know, making for an untenable situation for both his work and creativity. At last, one night at the bar, it appears Nader may be able to finally speak and free himself from the writer’s block that has plagued him. Paradise (Het Paradijs) Laura Vandewynckel, Belgium, 6’ Canadian Premiere Paradise is the story of people heading for a better place on either side of the ocean. Although at times their paths do cross, they never really seem to meet. Starring Thomas Bellinck, Nico Sturm, Liesje De Backer, Jerom Sturm and Rocky Sturm. Peacock (Furiant) Ondrej Hudecek, Czech Republic, 26’ International Premiere Set in a 19th-century Bohemian village, this twisted queer romance tells a taboo true story about revered Czech writer Ladislav Stroupežnický. Starring Julius Feldmeier and Cyril Dobry. People Are Becoming Clouds Marc Katz, USA, 15’ World Premiere We follow John and Eleanor, a married couple who are faced with a problem: Eleanor keeps turning into a cloud. The couple visits Weather and Relationship Specialist Dr. Corduroy, hoping to resolve unusual situation. He tries to counsel them through the difficulties in their relationship and also get to the bottom of why exactly people are becoming clouds. Starring Libby Woodbridge, David Ross and Sean Cullen. Peripheria David Coquard-Dassault, France, 12’ World Premiere A journey into the heart of a large and abandoned council estate, Peripheria portrays an urban environment becoming wild: a modern Pompeii where the wind blows and dogs roam. Rate Me Fyzal Boulifa, United Kingdom, 17’ North American Premiere A portait of a teenage escort known only as Coco. The Return of Erkin Maria Guskova, Russia, 29’ North American Premiere Erkin gets out of prison and wants to return to his former life, but everything has changed and he does not know if he can live as a free man. Starring Kahramonjon Mamasaliyev. Semele Myrsini Aristidou, Cyprus/Greece/USA, 13’ World Premiere Semele will do anything to spend some time with her long absent father. A school note becomes just the excuse for her to visit him at his workplace, where her presence highlights their fragile relationship. The Signalman (O Sinaleiro) Daniel Augusto, Brazil, 15’ World Premiere A railroad signalman is haunted by a series of otherworldly events in this adaptation of a Charles Dickens short story. Are they truly ghostly manifestations, or the signalman’s psychological response to his isolation and repetitive work? The Society (Al mujtamaa) Osama Rasheed, Iraq/Germany 13’ World Premiere Lovers Muhamad and Ahmed live in a society that not only rejects homosexuality but also actively and insistently pressures its young men into marriage and fatherhood. Starring Muhamad Atshan, Ahmad Moneka and Fouad, Yaser. A Tale of Love, Madness and Death (Un Cuento de Amor, Locura y Muerte) Mijael Bustos Gutiérrez, Chile, 22’ North American Premiere “My uncle is schizophrenic and my grandmother suffers from a terminal illness. My grandfather, who is unable to take care of them both, must decide between his wife and his son.” So begins the remarkable documentary from Mijael Bustos about his family, caught between love and duty. THAT DOG Nick Thorburn, USA, 15’ World Premiere A dark comedy of errors unfolds as two interloping idiots inadvertently wreak havoc on the lives of others. Starring Michael Cera, Tim Heidecker and Andrea Riseborough. Tuesday (SALI) Ziya Demirel, Turkey/France, 12’ North American Premiere An ordinary day for a teenage girl in Istanbul and her encounters with three different men as she goes to school, plays basketball and takes a bus home. Starring Melis Balaban, Zeki Ocak, Yonca Hiç and Can Karaçayli. Violet Maurice Joyce, Ireland, 8’ North American Premiere There are many natural enemies for a self-loathing youth. But for Violet O’Reilly, the worst of them all was an unforgiving rectangle that hung on the wall. Violet is the cautionary tale of a young girl who despises her reflection. Tired of the abuse, Violet’s reflection decides she’s not going to take it anymore. Waves ’98 Ely Dagher, Lebanon/Qatar, 15’ North American Premiere In the crumbling tower blocks of post-war Beirut, Omar is restless and isolated, until a luminescent light draws him across the segregated city to a utopian world of enchantment — and he finds himself drifting further away from home. Wellington Jr. Cécile Paysant, France, 12’ World Premiere A tentative young hunter sets out into the wilderness under the tutelage of his seasoned father. But the rite of passage leads to increasingly surreal and grisly developments in this stop-motion animated marvel. Starring Aurélien Gabrielli and Rémy Lacquittant. Canadian shorts previously announced include Ashley McKenzie’s 4 Quarters, Marie-Ève Juste’s A New Year, Sol Friedman’s Bacon & God’s Wrath, Hector Herrera’s The Ballad of Immortal Joe, Howie Shia’s BAM, Sherren Lee’s Benjamin, Ryan J. Noth’s Beyond The Horizon, Grayson Moore and Aidan Shipley’s Boxing, Connor Jessup’s Boy, Kent Monkman’s Casualties of Modernity, Trevor Mack and Matthew Taylor Blais’ Clouds of Autumn, Cristina Martins’ Dogs Don’t Breed Cats, Phillip Barker’s Dredger, Jean-François Leblanc’s The Guy From Work, Don McKellar’s It’s Not You, Kevin Papatie’s KOKOM, Joël Vaudreuil’s The Magnificent Life Underwater, Barry Avrich’s The Man Who Shot Hollywood, Amanda Strong and Bracken Hanuse Corlett’s Mia’, Caroline Monnet’s Mobilize, Mark Slutsky’s Never Happened, Kathleen Hepburn’s Never Steady, Never Still, Halima Elkhatabi’s NINA, Steven McCarthy’s o negative, Patrice Laliberté’s Overpass, Vivieno Caldinelli’s Portal to Hell!!!, David Bryant and Karl Lemieux’s Quiet Zone, Luiza Cocora’s Remaining Lives, Katherine Monk’s Rock the Box, Zack Russell’s She Stoops To Conquer, Theodore Ushev’s The Sleepwalker, Olivia Boudreau’s The Swimming Lesson, Bahar Noorizadeh Wolkaan, and Chelsea McMullan and Douglas Nayler’s World Famous Gopher Hole Museum.

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  • 8 Films to Screen in Zinemira section of 2015 San Sebastian Film Festival

    POS ESO (POSSESSED) SAM ORTI MARTI The 2015 San Sebastian Film Festival will present eight feature films in the Zinemira section, dedicated to films produced in the Basque Country. Four world premieres and another four titles from this year’s production make up the selection. All of the premieres compete for the Irizar Basque Film Award, alongside the remaining productions with a minimum of 20% Basque production presented as a world premiere in any of the 2015 San Sebastian Film Festival sections. UN OTOÑO SIN BERLÍN LARA IZAGIRRE World premiere – Basque Film Gala June returns to the town of her birth by surprise after spending time abroad. The return home will be painful: her family and her first love, Diego, have changed. She too has changed, and repairing the broken ties won’t be easy. But just like the autumn wind, June will take the place by storm. DISTRICT ZERO JORGE FERNÁNDEZ MAYORAL, PABLO TOSCO, PABLO IRABURU ALLEGUE What’s in a refugee’s mobile phone? Their recollections, their memory, their identity, contact with the world they’ve left behind. This film narrates everyday life in a mobile phone repair shop in the Zataari refugee camp. GURE SOR LEKUAREN BILA JOSU MARTÍNEZ World premiere Hasparren, 1956. Amid great expectation, a documentary in the Basque language about the Basque Country was released in the local cinema. In the following months it was screened in other Basque and French towns on both sides of the border, and even in Paris, San Francisco and Dakar. But suddenly it disappeared from sight and everyone forgot about it. Sixty years later, filmmaker Josu Martinez sets out to find it. JAI ALAI BLUES GORKA BILBAO RAMOS World premiere A documentary narrating the incredible story of the Jai Alai through its most iconic characters. A great many similarities can be drawn between the biography of our characters and the actual history of the Jai Alai. Beginnings in humble surroundings, huge successes all over the world in pelota courts packed to the hilt with distinguish publics, losses of identity due to adapting a traditional game to societies with completely different values… #JAZZALDIA50 CARLOS RODRÍGUEZ The San Sebastian Jazz Festival looks back over its 50 years of history in this documentary with comments from some of its leading figures and images of extraordinary concerts forever engraved on the memory. POS ESO (POSSESSED) (pictured above) SAM ORTI MARTI Feature film directorial debut from the animation movie director, Sam. La Trini, a world-famous Flamenco dancer, leaves the tablaos in deep depression after her husband’s death. Damian, her 8 year-old son, is possessed by an evil demon who prompts him to commit horrendously cruel and bloody acts. SANCTUAIRE / SANCTUARY OLIVIER MASSET-DEPASSE A film about two adversaries who will learn to know and respect one another, despite their differences: Domingo Iturbe, “Txomin”, head of the ETA military apparatus, and Grégoire Fortin, adviser to Mitterrand’s Minister of Justice. WALLS PABLO IRABURU ALLEGUE, MIGUELTXO MOLINA AYESTARÁN World premiere The world is increasingly more divided by walls. There are human beings on either side of them. The question is not whether their existence is absurd or logical, whether they can be avoided or not, but to demonstrate that the people on both sides are basically exactly the same.

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  • New Films by Miguel Gomes, Tsai Ming-liang Among 2015 Toronto International Film Festival Wavelengths Program

    Lost and Beautiful (Bella e perduta) Pietro Marcello The 2015 Toronto International Film Festival Wavelengths program will present 54 films, videos and installations by some of the world’s most influential auteurs and artists who challenge conventional expression and seek to redefine the art of cinema. Curated by Andréa Picard, with contributions from members of TIFF’s international programming team, Wavelengths comprises experimental film and video art, category-defying feature-length films — many of which flout the traditional fact-fiction boundaries and opt instead for cinema at its most expansive — and immersive, captivating installations, which redefine the potential for moving image art. The 2015 edition features a seductive mix of master filmmakers, award-winning artists and emerging, new talent. Some of the highlights include the critical hit of this year’s Cannes, Miguel Gomes’ breathtakingly inventive, three-part Arabian Nights; disarmingly intimate dialogue-portraits by iconic and iconoclastic auteurs Chantal Akerman and Tsai Ming-liang, respectively; a major new montage film by Ukrainian master, Sergei Loznitsa; World Premieres by Nicolás Pereda, Pablo Agüero, and Mark Lewis; and two important works from a new Italian cinema, Pietro Marcello’s exquisite Bella e perduta, and Roberto Minervini’s powerful and all-too prescient The Other Side. “This year’s Wavelengths is marked by a certain youthful exuberance — one that is caught up in the contradiction of exhibiting energy, inventiveness and ample daring, while taking stock of the world’s various states of emergency, on large levels and intimate scales,” said Picard.“With renewed faith in the image — abstract ones, even frail ones, and those stemming from reality, remembrance or imagination — the filmmakers and artists in this year’s program are actively proving cinema’s singular ability to engage with collective, individual, social and political memory.” Additional highlights of this year’s program include a new short and feature-length film by British filmmaker and artist Ben Rivers; the Festival’s first appearance by this year’s Baloise Art Prize winners, UK artist Beatrice Gibson and French artist Mathieu Kleyebe Abonnenc; the Abraaj Art Prize winner Yto Barrada; new works by emerging filmmaking talents, Lois Patiño and Nelson Carlo de los Santos Arias; a record number of Canadian (and Toronto) contributions, including the World Premiere of a major new film by Montreal-based experimental filmmaker Daïchi Saïto and two recent discoveries presented in restored archival prints of films by Paul Sharits and by Philippe Garrel. New to Wavelengths this year, works outside the cinema include the latest installation by Indian-American filmmaker Shambhavi Kaul; a lecture-performance by Toronto-based artist Annie MacDonell and French artist Maïder Fortuné originally commissioned by Le Centre Pompidou’s Hors Pistes festival; and TIFF’s first collaboration with the Art Gallery of Ontario to present lauded Thai filmmaker and artist, Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s installation, Fireworks (Archives), as well as a new work by Corin Sworn and Tony Romano. Wavelengths 1: Fire in the Brain Like a fire in the brain that lights up perceptive powers, this programme is a seductively surreal visual exploration of the relationship between image, sound, and movement. 3D Movie Paul Sharits, USA (restored archival print courtesy of Anthology Film Archives) Fugue Kerstin Schroedinger, Canada/Germany Prima Materia Charlotte Pryce, USA The Fire in My Brain That Separates Us Benjamin Ramírez Pérez, Germany Something Horizontal Blake Williams, Canada/USA The Exquisite Corpus Peter Tscherkassky, Austria Wavelengths 2: YOLO Subjective experience is channeled through artistic collaborations in this programme, which offers YOLO-infused reflections on identity and contemporary dislocation. A Distant Episode Ben Rivers, UK An Old Dog’s Diary Shai Heredia and Shumona Goel, India The Reminder Behrouz Rae, USA Solo for Rich Man Beatrice Gibson, UK YOLO Ben Russell, USA/South Africa Analysis of Emotions and Vexations Wojcieck Bąkowski, Poland Bunte Kuh Parastoo Anoushahpour, Faraz Anoushahpour and Ryan Ferko, Canada/Germany Wavelengths 3: Light Space Modulator This program explores ways of recording and reshaping space with light, of measuring and mapping our bodily presence and impact vis-à-vis regional, global and abstracted cartographies. Navigator Björn Kämmerer, Austria/Germany Théodolitique David K. Ross, Canada Office Space Modulation Terrarea (Janis Demkiw, Emily Hogg, Olia Mishchenko) Canada Palms Mary Helena Clark, Canada/USA Occidente Ana Vaz, France/Portugal Terrestrial Calum Walter, USA Tarlabaşı Cynthia Madansky,Turkey Wavelengths 4: Psychic Driving Is now a time for outrage? This program of political statements and personal inquiries breathes new life into the politics of the image. Actua1 Philippe Garrel, France (restored archival print courtesy of La Cinémathèque française) Time for Outrage! Friedl vom Gröller, Austria Untitled Behrouz Rae, USA Many Thousands Gone Ephraim Asili, Brazil/USA Neither God nor Santa Maria Samuel M. Delgado and Helena Girón, Spain Psychic Driving William E. Jones, USA UNcirCling John Creson and Adam Rosen, Canada Engram of Returning Daïchi Saïto, Canada PAIRINGS Night without distance (Noite Sem Distância) Lois Patiño, Spain/Portugal North American Premiere An instant in the memory of a landscape: the smuggling that for centuries crossed the line between Portugal and Galicia. The Gerês Mountains knows no borders, and rocks cross from one country to another with insolence. Smugglers also disobey this separation. The rocks, river, and trees: silent witnesses to help them to hide. Night without distance precedes previously announced feature-film, Minotaur by Nicolás Pereda. Santa Teresa and Other Stories (Santa Teresa y Otras Historias) Nelson Carlo de los Santos Arias Mexico/Dominican Republic/USA North American Premiere Dominican filmmaker Nelson Carlo de los Santos Arias radically extrapolates from Roberto Bolaño’s unfinished, posthumous novel 2666, to produce a baroque fictionalized account of Ciudad Juárez. This noir-tinged tale soon begins to dovetail and intersect with a host of other stories recounted by a chorus of disembodied voices, creating a narrative palimpsest that blurs the line between factual documentation, lyrical observation, and fictional imagination. Preceded by: Paradox of Praxis 5 Francis Alÿs, Mexico International Premiere The latest in Belgian-born, Mexico City-based contemporary artist Francis Alÿs’ series of performative videos that politicize absurd or seemingly futile gestures, Paradox of Praxis 5 documents the artist’s nocturnal perambulations through Juárez as he kicks a ball of fire along the city’s desolate streets. Transcending metaphor, the eerie, mobile conflagration traces out an imaginary map of a devastated city. Sector IX B (Secteur IX B) Mathieu Kleyebe Abonnenc, France/Senegal North American Premiere Taking inspiration from L’Afrique fantôme — the controversial diary by surrealist writer Michel Leiris recounting his participation in the ambitious French ethnographic expedition of the 1930s to Dakar and Djibouti — Mathieu Kleyebe Abonnenc’s arresting first feature reflects on identity, cultural appropriation, and the transference of memory though objects. Preceded by: Faux Départ (False Start) Yto Barrada, Morocco/USA North American Premiere The latest film by French-Moroccan artist Yto Barrada observes the elaborate fossil industry in Morocco. Paying homage to the “preparators” in the arid region between the Atlas Mountains and the Sahara Desert, whose intrepid work is fueling a thriving trade in artifacts real, faux and hybrid, False Start is a rebuke to the fetishistic thirst for foreign objects, a sly meditation on authenticity, and a paean to creativity. Previously announced was the pairing of Isiah Medina’s 88:88 preceded by Denis Côté’s short film May We Sleep Soundly. FEATURES Afternoon (Na ri xia wu) Tsai Ming-liang, Taiwan North American Premiere A disarmingly candid, insightful and ultimately very moving conversation between Taiwanese auteur Tsai Ming-liang and his muse, actor Lee Kang-sheng, whose storied relationship represents one of the great collaborations in cinema history. Arabian Nights: The Restless One Miguel Gomes, Portugal/France/Germany/Switzerland North American Premiere A major hit at this year’s Cannes, this epic, three-part contemporary fable by Portuguese auteur Miguel Gomes (Tabu) adopts the structure from the Arabian Nights texts in order to explore Portugal’s plunge into austerity. The first volume of this thrillingly inventive and wildly ambitious triptych includes appearances by cunning wasps, virgin mermaids, an exploding whale, erection-inducing potions and a talking rooster. Arabian Nights: The Desolate One Miguel Gomes, Portugal/France/Germany/Switzerland North American Premiere Part Two of Portuguese auteur Miguel Gomes’ majestic, mutating modern-day folk tale relates how desolation has invaded humanity through stories involving a distressed judge on a night of three moons, a runaway, a teleporting murderer, a wounded cow, a sad, chain-smoking couple in a concrete apartment block, and a ghost dog named Dixie. Arabian Nights: The Enchanted One Miguel Gomes, Portugal/France/Germany/Switzerland North American Premiere The third and concluding volume of Portuguese auteur Miguel Gomes’ Scheherazadean triptych brings this epic to a close with the sound of birdsong and the promise of the ineffable. Eva Doesn’t Sleep Pablo Agüero, France/Argentina/Spain World Premiere One of Argentina’s most visionary and politically engaged cinematic voices, director Pablo Agüero takes the unbelievable story of the transport of the embalmed body of beloved First Lady Eva Perón, and transforms it into a strangely riveting cinema experience, with a supremely creepy performance from Gael García Bernal. The Event Sergei Loznitsa, Netherlands/Belgium North American Premiere Ukrainian filmmaker Sergei Loznitsa follows his monumental documentary Maïdan with this found-footage epic about the failed coup of August 1991 that signaled the fall of the Soviet Union. Lost and Beautiful (Bella e perduta) Pietro Marcello, Italy North American Premiere (pictured in main image above) Part fable, part documentary, part film poem, the latest exquisite feature by Pietro Marcello (La bocca del lupo) pays homage to a humble shepherd who became a symbol of hope and generosity for a struggling and conflicted Italy. No Home Movie Chantal Akerman, Belgium North American Premiere Shuttling between fiction, adaptation, documentary and essay film, Belgian filmmaker Chantal Akerman has created one of the most original, daring and influential oeuvres in film history. No Home Movie is a sober, profoundly moving portrait of Akerman’s mother in the months leading up to her death, when she was mostly confined to her Brussels apartment. A Polish Jew who survived Auschwitz, her mother suffered from chronic anxiety, an affliction that shaped Akerman’s thematic preoccupations with gender, sex, cultural identity, existential ennui, solitude and mania. The Other Side Roberto Minervini, France/Italy North American Premiere In turns tender and disturbing, Italian filmmaker Roberto Minervini produces a powerful hybrid docu-fiction film, profiling drug addicts and private militia in Louisiana, who live on the fringes of society. The Sky Trembles and the Earth is Afraid and the Two Eyes Are Not Brothers Ben Rivers, United Kingdom North American Premiere Partially inspired by Paul Bowles’ short story A Distant Episode, the latest feature by British filmmaker Ben Rivers (Two Years at Sea, A Spell to Ward Off the Darkness) charts a mysterious transformation from observational making-of to inventive adaptation shot against a staggering Moroccan landscape. Previously announced feature films include Mark Lewis’ Invention, and Evan Johnson and Guy Maddin’s The Forbidden Room. INSTALLATIONS Fallen Objects Shambhavi Kaul, USA/India World Premiere Presented in partnership with Scrap Metal Gallery from September 10-20, this new installation by Indian-American artist-filmmaker Shambhavi Kaul is comprised of a large projected video loop composed of seven shots that continuously rearrange themselves based on an internal code, and floorbound sculptures in the form of scraps of cloth — the “fallen objects” of the title. Stripping away the narrative potential of its genre cinema-derived source material, Fallen Objects considers cinematic space outside the cinema and imagines humans inside it. Fireworks (Archives) Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Thailand/Mexico Canadian Premiere Presented in partnership with the Art Gallery of Ontario from September 10-27 (Closed on Mondays), the new installation from Palme d’Or-winning Thai filmmaker and contemporary artist Apichatpong Weerasethakul fuses the artist’s exploration of memory, ephemeral elements like light and phantoms, and the malleable nature of history and storytelling while exhuming Thailand’s political legacy through an ingenious use of pyrotechnics. Previously announced programming includes the lecture-performance, Stories Are Meaning-Making Machines by Annie MacDonell and Maïder Fortuné; and film installations La Giubba by Corin Sworn and Tony Romano; The Forbidden Room – A Living Poster by Galen Johnson; and Bring me the Head of Tim Horton by Guy Maddin, Evan Johnson and Galen Johnson. The 40th Toronto International Film Festival runs September 10 to 20, 2015.

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  • Archive Gala of 59th BFI London Film Festival to World Premiere of New Restoration of Anthony Asquith’s SHOOTING STARS

    Anthony Asquith’s Shooting Stars The Archive gala screening at the 59th BFI London Film Festival will be the world premiere of a new restoration of Anthony Asquith’s Shooting Stars (1928). Asquith’s first film as co-director and scriptwriter, Shooting Stars is a fascinating drama set behind the scenes at a contemporary film studio. Newly restored by the BFI National Archive, Shooting Stars will be presented with a new live score by John Altman, BAFTA and Emmy award-winning composer whose work includes Titanic and Goldeneye. Shooting Stars is a dazzling debut which boasts a boldly expressionist shooting style, dramatic lighting and great performances from its leads. Annette Benson (Mae Feather) and Brian Aherne (Julian Gordon) play two mis-matched, married stars and Donald Calthrop (Andy Wilkes) a Chaplin-esque star at the same studio, with whom Mae becomes romantically involved. Chili Bouchier, Britain’s first sex symbol of the silent era, plays a key role as an actress/bathing beauty, an attractive foil to the comic antics of the comedian. The film manages to operate as a sophisticated, modern morality tale, while it’s also both an affectionate critique of the film industry and a celebration of its possibilities. It teases the audience with its revelations of how the illusions of the world of film-making conceal ironic and hidden truths. Asquith (son of the former Prime Minister Herbert Asquith) had privileged access to see Chaplin making The Circus on a trip to Hollywood and he had also been behind the scenes at German film studios. Both influences are clearly seen in the film. Asquith went on to have a hugely successful international career in the sound era with films such as Pygmalion, The Importance of Being Earnest, The Browning Version and The VIPs. The film has been meticulously restored by a team of BFI experts from materials held in the BFI National Archive, making this the definitive restoration to stand alongside those of previous BFI restorations of Asquith’s Underground (1928) and A Cottage on Dartmoor (1929). Robin Baker, Head Curator, BFI National Archive said, “We are delighted to be showcasing this remarkable film in a brilliant new restoration achieved after months of work from our dedicated teams at the BFI. Shooting Stars is a fascinating debut from one of Britain’s greatest film-makers and to see it with a newly commissioned score performed live in the Art Deco splendor of the Odeon Leicester Square promises to be a very special experience.” The new score by composer, John Altman, has been written for a twelve piece ensemble playing multiple instruments. It is full of a lively jazz influence, inspired by some of the sheet music for the popular song “Ain’t She Sweet” which is seen on screen in the film. Altman is both an authentic and accomplished jazz musician as well as a BAFTA and Emmy award winning composer of music for the big screen. He has composed, orchestrated and conducted for many films including the period music for James Cameron’s Titanic, and he composed the tank chase sequence in the James Bond film GoldenEye and won the Anthony Asquith Award for Achievement in Film Music for Hear My Song. John Altman said, “For the new score I have been inspired by dance band sounds and Duke Ellington in 1927. It’s not a slavish period recreation but I have tried to find an appropriate way of reflecting some of the plot twists and ironic deceptions through a series of interlinked musical themes. The score will be played by a very versatile group of musicians and we will end up using almost as many instruments as a complete orchestra through the whole film. I hope that the music will carry audiences effortlessly through the emotional highs and lows of this brilliant film.” There were famously two opposing reviews published in Variety, one British, one American, with the British review disparaging the film and the American giving it a strong thumbs-up. The film is now however fully appreciated as one of the few undisputed masterpieces of British silent cinema. Only Alfred Hitchcock has a higher critical reputation than Asquith in this period of late silent British cinema. Credits: SHOOTING STARS (UK 1928) Director, AV Bramble, co-directed by Anthony Asquith. Producer: H. Bruce Woolfe. Screenplay: Anthony Asquith and J. Orton Shooting Stars is a dazzling debut from first-time filmmaker Anthony Asquith, audaciously taking the film industry itself as the theme. Despite the director credit going to veteran director A.V. Bramble, this is demonstrably the original work of rising talent Anthony Asquith, exhibiting all the attention-grabbing bravado of a young filmmaker with everything to prove. His original story offers sardonic insight into the shallowness of film stardom and Hollywood formulas by use of ironic counterpoint. He flaunts his dynamic cinematographic style and upgrades design and lighting by bringing in professionals. Synopsis A love triangle develops on set in a British movie studio filmed at Cricklewood in NW London, where a western and a slapstick comedy are being filmed back-to-back. Mae Feather (Annette Benson), a spoiled star jilts her husband, played by Brian Aherne for the comedian played by Donald Calthrop. In one of the best opening scenes of British silent cinema the handsome Brian Aherne appears as a cowboy, with his ‘gal’ in a calico frock in a classic ‘western’ rural romantic scene. The dove she cradles in her hands pecks at her viciously and the illusion is suddenly dispelled as the camera tracks back to reveal a studio’s wooden sets. She becomes the screeching prima donna while her co-star husband remains calm, slightly amused and dignified as the entire studio staff tries to catch the offending bird. He is, in other words the real thing – he is his star persona. She on the other hand is entirely unlike her nice-girl character and is unwilling to give up the romance of the movies for the real thing. The situation spins rapidly out of control. Shooting Stars marked the fiction feature debut of British Instructional Films which went on to produce a short-lived but significant run of very good late silent features including several which have been restored and released by the BFI in recent years: Walter Summers’ The Battles of Coronel and Falkland Islands(1928), Asquith’s Underground (1928), A Cottage on Dartmoor (1929).

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  • 60 Films on 2015 Toronto International Film Festival Contemporary World Cinema Lineup

    Chevalier Athina Rachel Tsangari 60 films from countries across the globe were announced today in the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival Contemporary World Cinema program. Spotlighting work from some of the world’s finest international filmmakers, the lineup delivers an array of compelling films for Festival audiences to savor, journeying through unique and universal stories told on film. Included in the lineup is the latest from directors Christian Zübert, Nabil Ayouch, Rúnar Rúnarsson, Alexandra-Therese Keining, Grímur Hákonarson, Erik Matti, Oliver Hermanus, Rabah Ameur-Zaimeche, Federico Veiroj, Eric Khoo, Sion Sono, Danielle Arbid, Emin Alper, and Jeremy Sims. For the fourth year, The Toronto International Film Festival® partners with the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs on the Contemporary World Speakers series. This initiative pairs six films in the Contemporary World Cinema program with expert scholars from the Munk School. Audiences will have the opportunity to interact with filmmakers and scholars in extended discussions, following each film’s second public screening. Speakers include Stephen J. Toope, Ron Levi, Dan Brenznitz, Robert Steiner, Janice Stein, and Robert Austin. The Contemporary World Speakers series is programmed in conjunction with the TIFF Adult Learning department. Films screening as part of the Contemporary World Cinema program include: 25 April Leanne Pooley, New Zealand World Premiere Award-winning filmmaker Leanne Pooley utilizes the letters and memoirs of New Zealand soldiers and nurses along with state of the art animation to tell the true story of the 1915 battle of Gallipoli. Dramatic, moving, sometimes humorous and often thrilling, the film explores an event whose resonance continues for Australians and New Zealanders to the present day. 3000 Nights (3000 Layla) Mai Masri, Palestine/France/Jordan/Lebanon/United Arab Emirates/Qatar World Premiere After Layal, a newlywed Palestinian schoolteacher gives birth to a baby boy in an Israeli prison, the chief warden threatens to take her baby away unless she agrees to spy on the other prisoners who are planning a major strike. 3000 Nights makes a prison into a metaphor for Palestine under occupation, exploring the complicated interplay of resilience, empathy, and psychological manipulation between women. Layal fights to survive and maintain hope. An Naomi Kawase, Japan/France/Germany North American Premiere Sentaro runs a small bakery that serves dorayakis — pastries filled with sweet red bean paste (“an”). When an old lady, Tokue, offers to help in the kitchen, he reluctantly accepts. But Tokue proves to have magic in her hands when it comes to making “an”. Thanks to her secret recipe, the little business soon flourishes. And with time, Sentaro and Tokue will open their hearts to reveal old wounds. The Apostate (El Apóstata) Federico Veiroj, Spain/France/Uruguay World Premiere A young man finds himself navigating the baffling, labyrinthine bureaucracy of the Catholic Church when he attempts to formally renounce his faith, in this gently absurdist comedy from Uruguay’s Federico Veiroj (A Useful Life). As I Open My Eyes (A peine j’ouvre les yeux) Leyla Bouzid, Tunisia/France/Belgium North American Premiere Tunis, summer 2010, a few months before the Revolution. Eighteen-year-old Farah is at a crossroads: to fulfill her mother’s wish and enroll in medical school or follow her passion for music. She has joined a subversive rock band, “Joujma”. As it becomes more and more visible, she does not suspect the danger of a regime that watches and infiltrates her privacy. Baba Joon Yuval Delshad, Israel World Premiere Set in northern Israel, the film tells the story of three generations of strong-willed men: Baba Joon, the patriarch who emigrated to Israel from Persia years ago; his son Yitzhak who maintains the family farm; and young Moti, who doesn’t feel beholden to Baba Joon or his father for anything. Box Florin Șerban, Romania/Germany/France North American Premiere The story by acclaimed Romanian director Florin Șerban (If I Want to Whistle, I Whistle) follows talented 19-year-old boxer Rafael, for whom a session in the ring is everything; and Cristina, an attractive 30-something mother who finds herself at a critical moment in her life. Two characters with their own secrets, two journeys, two outlooks and an intense drama that penetrates to the core. Campo Grande Sandra Kogut, Brazil/France World Premiere Eight-year-old Ygor and six-year-old Rayane were abandoned by their mother, who left them on Regina’s doorstep in Rio de Janeiro’s Ipanema neighborhood. The sudden and unexpected arrival of these children in Regina’s life and the search for their mother changes their lives. Chevalier Athina Rachel Tsangari, Greece North American Premiere (pictured above) In the middle of the Aegean Sea, on a luxury yacht, six men on a fishing trip have decided to play a game. Things will be measured, blood will be tested. The man who wins will be the best man, and he will wear upon his littlest finger the victorious signet ring: the “Chevalier”. A Copy of My Mind Joko Anwar, Indonesia/South Korea North American Premiere She gives facials in a cheap beauty salon. He makes subtitles for pirated DVDs. They find a soulmate in each other. But their love is threatened to a tragic end when she stumbles upon evidence of a corruption case linked to a presidential candidate’s closest aides. Cuckold Charlie Vundla, South Africa World Premiere Smanga is a successful assistant professor whose life suddenly unravels when his wife leaves him. He spirals into an alcohol, marijuana and sex-fuelled tail spin that places the status of his sanity, career and house in jeopardy. However, with the emergence of a long lost former classmate Jon, he finds the support to fix his life. Embrace of the Serpent (El Abrazo de la Serpiente) Ciro Guerra, Colombia/Venezuela/Argentina North American Premiere A tale of the first encounter, approach, betrayal and life-transcending friendship between an Amazonian shaman, last survivor of his people, and two explorers that become the first men to travel the Northwest Amazon in search of ancestral knowledge. The Endless River (La Rivière sans fin) Oliver Hermanus, South Africa/France North American Premiere A fierce crime drama set against an unforgiving landscape, The Endless River is a story about morality, love, revenge and forgiveness. The Fear (La Peur) Damien Odoul, France World Premiere Gabriel, an introverted young man, finds terror and appalling carnage in the hell-on-earth of the trenches between 1914 and 1918. At the end of his horrifying interior journey through the conflict — full of sound, fury and blood — he will discover his own humanity Frenzy (Abluka) Emin Alper, Turkey/France North American Premiere In the new film from award-winning Turkish writer-director Emin Alper, an ex-con, just released after serving a 15-year sentence, is recruited as a police informant as political violence grips Istanbul. *Stephen J. Toope, Director of the Munk School of Global Affairs and an officer of the Order of Canada, is an international scholar on law, human rights, and global affairs. He will speak about Frenzy in a Q&A session following the second public screening of the film. Girls Lost Alexandra-Therese Keining, Sweden World Premiere Kim, Bella and Momo, three bullied teenage girls, are going through the throes of finding themselves. Surrounded by a dark world of teenage violence, marginalization and sexual confusion, the girls have only each other. They come across a curious magical plant that, when consumed, transforms the girls temporarily into boys. Not only does their gender change, the world around them, and their response to it, is altered. Granny’s Dancing on the Table Hanna Sköld, Sweden World Premiere Thirteen-year-old Eini grows up isolated from society with her violent father, a man afraid of the world, who keeps her very close. The brutality that Eini is exposed to pushes her to almost lose her sense of self — but through the power of her own imagination she is able to create a world from which she can draw strength to survive. A Heavy Heart (Herbert) Thomas Stuber, Germany World Premiere Director Thomas Stuber (winner of the Student Academy Award) tells the story of an aging boxer from the former East who learns he has limited time to try to rectify the mistakes of his past. Homesick (De nærmeste) Anne Sewitsky, Norway Canadian Premiere When Charlotte, 27, meets her half-brother Henrik, 35, for the first time as an adult, it becomes an encounter without boundaries, between two people who don’t know what a normal family is. How does sibling love manifest itself if you have never experienced it before? Homesick is an unusual family drama about seeking a family, and breaking every rule to be one. Hong Kong Trilogy: Preschooled Preoccupied Preposterous Christopher Doyle, Hong Kong World Premiere This is a story of Hong Kong told by three generations. The voices you hear onscreen come from real life interviews. The film is a dream as well as a document, as each generation wonders how to live, here and now. Honor Thy Father Erik Matti, Philippines World Premiere An idyllic family’s life crumbles when the couple, Edgar and Kaye, discover that the investment scheme Kaye runs is one big scam. With friends turning against them and murderous big-time investors at their heels, Edgar is forced to return to his dark roots to save his family. Imbisibol (Invisible) Lawrence Fajardo, Philippines/Japan International Premiere Invisible essays the story of four Filipino migrant workers in Japan, in a crucial encounter that mirrors the difficult challenges that confront the “Pinoy” diaspora. The main characters in the film include Linda, a mail-to-order-bride who married a Japanese “salaryman”; Benjie, an illegal migrant worker who has been jumping from one odd job to another in the last 17 years; Manuel, an overstayer who now works as a male entertainer in a bar in the red light district; and Rodel, a newcomer who works as a day laborer in a logging company. In the Room Eric Khoo, Hong Kong/Singapore World Premiere In The Room deals with love, life and lust. Eric Khoo’s latest film is a tapestry of stories, all of which unfold in a hotel room over several decades. The common thread is sex. That hotel room is Room 27 at the Singapura Hotel, which started out as a ritzy establishment in the 1940s but has, over the decades, lost its sheen of respectability. For some, Room 27 is a nameless numbered room, a place which provides a cloak of anonymity, where one could indulge in indiscretions and the forbidden, where their trespasses will be forgiven once they return the key and sign the bill. Incident Light (La Luz Incidente) Ariel Rotter, Argentina/France/Uruguay World Premiere Since the car accident where both her husband and brother died, Luisa has not been able to put her life back together, until she meets a seductive stranger who forcefully proposes starting over. The new man’s overwhelming energy may be hiding warning signs about his character. But Luisa is confused, and the desire she feels for the new man merges with the absence of the man she lost — the possibility of rebuilding a family blurring with her own inability to accept her husband’s death. Ivy (Sarmaşik) Tolga Karaçelik, Turkey Canadian Premiere Trapped at anchor due to a legal dispute, the skeleton crew of a cargo ship come into potentially deadly conflict with one another, in this slow-burning psychological thriller from Turkish writer-director Tolga Karaçelik. Jack Elisabeth Scharang, Austria North American Premiere One winter’s night a girl freezes to death after suffering brutal injuries. Jack is convicted of her murder. When he is released from prison 15 years later, he goes from being a jailbird poet to a real ladykiller and darling of Vienna’s society. Can a man change so fundamentally? Or is it a case of once a murderer, always a murderer? Journey to the Shore (Kishibe no tabi), Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Japan/France North American Premiere Mizuki’s husband drowned at sea three years ago. When he suddenly comes back home, she is not that surprised. Instead, Mizuki is wondering what took him so long. She agrees to let him take her on a journey. A touching ghost story from Japanese master Kiyoshi Kurosawa (Tokyo Sonata, Pulse). The Kind Words (Hamilim Hatovot) Shemi Zarhin, Israel/Canada International Premiere At the death of their mother, three siblings are shocked to discover that their “real” father may not be their biological father, and he in turn may be an Algerian Muslim. The Kind Words is a warm, sometimes humourous, and often dramatic story about identity and love. *Dan Breznitz, Director of Research and Professor at the Munk School of Global Affairs, is an expert on innovation-based growth and how we respond to global changes. He will speak about The Kind Words in a Q&A session following the second public screening of the film. Koza Ivan Ostrochovský, Slovakia/Czech Republic North American Premiere This subtle fusion of documentary and fiction follows a young Roma boxer as he embarks on a tragicomic return to the ring in order to pay for his girlfriend’s abortion. Koza features Peter Baláž, who competed at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, and Ján Franek, Olympic medallist from Moscow 1980, as his coach. Featuring the outstanding performances of non-professional actors and blurring the lines between representation and presence, Koza is a powerful and haunting challenge to the concept of authenticity. Lamb Yared Zeleke, Ethiopia/France/Germany/Norway North American Premiere After his mother dies and draught hits his village, Ephraïm, a young Ethiopian boy, has to go live with relatives at the other end of the country. He takes his mother’s lamb with him, it is his only source of comfort. One day, his uncle announces that he will have to sacrifice the lamb for the upcoming religious feast, but Ephraïm is ready to do anything to save his only friend and return home. Last Cab to Darwin Jeremy Sims, Australia International Premiere Rex drives a cab and has never left Broken Hill in his life. When he discovers he doesn’t have long to live, he decides to drive across the heart of the country to Darwin, where he’s heard he will be able to die on his own terms; but along the way he discovers that before you can end your life you’ve got to live it, and to live it you’ve got to learn to share it. *Robert Steiner, Director of the Fellowships in Global Journalism Program, is a writer and award-winning former foreign correspondent now teaching journalism at the Munk School. He will speak about Last Cab To Darwin in a Q&A session following the second public screening of the film. Let Them Come (Maintenant ils peuvent venir) Salem Brahimi, France/Algeria World Premiere Algeria, at the end of the 1980s: against the background of mounting violence from a radical Islamist opposition repressed by the army, compelled by his mother, Noureddine marries Yasmina. As the conflict becomes more pronounced, he and his family have to defend themselves from the onslaught of pervasive barbarity. A chilling foray into a very contemporary drama, and remarkable adaptation from the novel with the same title by Arezki Mellal. *Janice Stein, founding Director of the Munk School of Global Affairs and member of the Order of Canada, is an internationally renowned expert on conflict management. She will speak about Let Them Come (Maintenant ils peuvent venir) in a Q&A session following the second public screening of the film. Magallanes Salvador del Solar, Peru/Argentina/Colombia/Spain International Premiere While driving his cab, Magallanes unexpectedly meets Celina, a woman he first met more than 20 years ago, under completely different circumstances. In what would turn out to be a personal quest for redemption, Magallanes will do everything within his power to help her overcome her difficulties, only to find out that Celina would much rather give up everything she owns than accept his help. Mekko Sterlin Harjo, USA International Premiere Mekko, starring Rod Rondeaux and Zahn McClarnon, tells the story of a homeless Native American parolee who discovers a chaotic yet beautiful community living on the streets of Tulsa. He also uncovers an old-world darkness that threatens to destroy them from within, one he must fight before it’s too late. A Month of Sundays Matthew Saville, Australia World Premiere Real estate agent Frank Mollard won’t admit it, but he can’t move on. Divorced but still attached, he can’t sell a house in a property boom — much less connect with his teenage son. One night Frank gets a phone call from his mother. Nothing out of the ordinary. Apart from the fact that she died a year ago. A Month of Sundays is about parents, children, regrets, mourning, moments of joy, houses, homes, love, work, television, Shakespeare and jazz fusion; about ordinary people and improbable salvation — because everyone deserves a second chance. Much Loved Nabil Ayouch, Morocco/France North American Premiere The heat of Marrakesh’s night, money flows freely to the rhythms of lusts satiated and humiliations suffered. Noha, Randa, Soukaina, and Hlima sell pleasures of the flesh. They share an apartment and form a makeshift family, united in their womanhood, full of light, dignity and joy, they manage to keep their spirits and dreams alive. Their families depend on them, and as they move from one embrace to the other, they always go home loveless. A hard-hitting but luminous drama from Moroccan director Nabil Ayouch. *Ron Levi, Deputy Director of the Munk School and Director of the Master of Global Affairs Degree, is an expert on how people respond to crime and violence in a global context. He will speak about Much Loved in an extended Q&A session following the second public screening of the film. Murmur of the Hearts Sylvia Chang, Taiwan/Hong Kong North American Premiere Legendary Taiwanese actress and filmmaker Sylvia Chang directs this magical story of estranged siblings whose shared memories of their mother’s fairy tales begin to draw their lives together once again. One Breath (Ein Atem) Christian Zübert, Germany World Premiere One Breath is the story of two women from different backgrounds but with the same desire: happiness. Elena, young, well-educated and with no perspective in her home country, Greece, is trying to pursue a better life. And Tessa, a 30-something mother and successful manager in Germany, is torn between happiness as an individual and a mother. These two women meet and their encounter changes both their lives forever. *Robert Austin, Associate Professor at the Munk School’s Centre for European, Russian, and Eurasian Studies, is an expert on East Central and Southeastern Europe and coordinates the Hellenic Studies Program. He will speak about One Breath in a Q&A session following the second public screening of the film. One Floor Below (Un Etaj mai Jos) Radu Muntean, Romania/France/Germany/Sweden North American Premiere After being the sole unfortunate witness to a domestic quarrel that ends up in a murder, Sandu finds himself at odds with two very close neighbors. One is the bizarre murderer, the other is his very own conscience. Parisienne (Peur de rien) Danielle Arbid, France World Premiere The new film from Lebanese director Danielle Arbid follows a young Arab immigrant in Paris, whose encounters with three men reveal different facets of her new country, and of herself. Paths of the Soul (Kang Rinpoche) Zhang Yang, China World Premiere Director Zhang Yang blurs documentary and fiction in this account of a band of pilgrims who make a 2,000-kilometre journey on foot to Lhasa, the holy capital of Tibet and beyond. THE PEOPLE vs. FRITZ BAUER (Der Staat gegen Fritz Bauer) Lars Kraume, Germany North American Premiere Germany, 1957. Attorney general Fritz Bauer receives crucial evidence on the whereabouts of SS-Obersturmbannführer Adolf Eichmann, the man responsible for the mass deportation of the Jews. Because of his distrust in the German justice system, Bauer contacts the Israeli secret service Mossad, thereby committing treason. Price of Love Hermon Hailay, Ethiopia North American Premiere A young Addis Ababa taxi driver’s cab is stolen when he gets caught up in the dark side of love. He finds himself stuck in a relationship with a prostitute, making him confront his past and discover the price of love. Rams (Hrútar) Grímur Hákonarson, Iceland Canadian Premiere Winner of the Un Certain Regard prize at this year’s Cannes festival, Grímur Hákonarson’s stunningly shot drama focuses on two Icelandic sheep farmers whose decades-long feud comes to a head when disaster strikes their flocks. Schneider vs. Bax Alex van Warmerdam, Netherlands/Belgium North American Premiere Schneider, a hit-man, is given a task: before the night has passed he must kill the writer Ramon Bax. Song of Songs (Pesn pesney) Eva Neymann, Ukraine North American Premiere 1905. A Jewish Shtetl. Shimek and Buzya are two 10-year-olds. Of course, she is a princess and he is a prince. They live in the same yard, in neighbouring palaces. Years later Shimek begins to understand what Buzya really means to him when he receives the news that she is about to be married. Sparrows Rúnar Rúnarsson, Iceland/Denmark World Premiere Sparrows is a coming-of-age story about 16-year-old Ari, who has been living with his mother in Reykjavik and is suddenly sent back to the remote Westfjords to live with his father Gunnar. There, he has to navigate a difficult relationship with his father, and he finds his childhood friends changed. In these hopeless and declining surroundings, Ari has to step up and find his way. Starve Your Dog Hicham Lasri, Morocco World Premiere Fifteen years after he was dismissed of his functions, the former Minister of Interior during Morocco’s sinister decade of repression steps out of the shadows to make his confessions and disclose the monarchy’s dark secrets. He calls a filmmaker, famous for her daring documentaries during the time when he was in power, before the change of reign. She reunites the technical crew that was once her professional family — and while nothing seems to fall into place, she risks missing the confessions. The Steps Andrew Currie, Canada World Premiere An uptight New Yorker and his party girl sister visit their dad at his lake house to meet his new wife and her rough-around-the-edges kids. When the parents announce they’re adopting a child to bring the family closer together, it has the opposite effect. Starring Jason Ritter, Emmanuelle Chriqui, James Brolin and Christine Lahti. Story of Judas (Histoire de Judas) Rabah Ameur-Zaïmeche, France North American Premiere Rabah Ameur-Zaimeche’s bold re-imagining the story of the Biblical figure of Judas Iscariot proposes that he is not a traitor, but rather Jesus’ most loyal and trusted disciple and steward. As Jesus’ teachings astound more and more crowds, he attracts the attention of resistance groups, high priests and the Roman authorities. When he drives the merchants from the Temple, Judas shows himself to be the guardian of the words of the master. Stranger (Zhat) Yermek Tursunov, Kazakhstan World Premiere Stranger is a film about freedom, with one man’s fate in focus. The times are hard: 1930s to 1940s Kazakhstan. A Kazakh steppe is scourged by famine, wasteland, collectivization and war. Having lost his father, a 9-year-old boy gathers his belongings and disappears. He lives alone in the mountain cave. Years pass by and returning to his village seems almost impossible. Te prometo anarquía (I Promise You Anarchy ) Julio Hernández Cordón, Mexico/Germany North American Premiere Childhood friends Miguel and Johnny are dedicated to skating and having fun. To earn easy money and continue skating they secretly sell their blood. Business is good, until a large transaction turns out to be not as they imagined. Thank You for Bombing Barbara Eder, Austria World Premiere Three international TV correspondents — Ewald (Erwin Steinhauer), Lana (Manon Kahle) and Cal (Raphael von Bargen) — cross paths while waiting for a war that has already begun long ago in their own lives. The Treasure (Comoara) Corneliu Porumboiu, Romania/France North American Premiere Two neighbours set out to unearth a buried treasure in their own backyard, in this delightful fusion of contemporary fairy tale and political parable from Romanian New Wave master Corneliu Porumboiu (Police, Adjective). Truman Cesc Gay, Spain/Argentina World Premiere After being diagnosed with terminal cancer, a Madrid man resolves to spend his last days putting his affairs in order, in this delicate and intimate drama from Spanish director Cesc Gay. A humorous and honest portrait of the courage it takes to accept that death is just another part of life. The Whispering Star (Hiso Hiso Boshi) Sion Sono, Japan World Premiere Sion Sono wrote the screenplay and drew the accompanying storyboards in 1990, and 25 years later they’ve materialized into this black and white science fiction movie. Previously announced Canadian titles in the Contemporary World Cinema programme include Kazik Radwanski’s How Heavy this Hammer, Anne Émond’s Les êtres chers, Philippe Falardeau’s My Internship in Canada and Igor Drljača’s The Waiting Room. The 40th Toronto International Film Festival runs September 10 to 20, 2015.

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