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2013 Berlin International Film Festival Anounces Winners, Romanian Film Child’s Pose Wins Golden Bear

[caption id="attachment_3214" align="alignnone" width="1200"]Poziţia Copilului Child’s Pose by Călin Peter Netzer[/caption]

The 63rd Berlin International Film Festival came to a close with the presentation of the awards. The Romanian film Poziţia Copilului, (Child’s Pose) by Călin Peter Netzer took the top prize, GOLDEN BEAR for the Best Film. The Bosnian film Epizoda u životu berača željeza, (An Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker) by Danis Tanović was awarded the JURY GRAND PRIX (Silver Bear).

In Poziţia Copilului, (Child’s Pose), Călin Peter Netzer portrays a mother consumed by self-love in her struggle to save her lost son and her own, long since riven family, after he son is arrested. One cold evening in March, Barbu is tearing down the streets 50 kilometres per hour over the speed limit when he knocks down a child. The boy dies shortly after the accident. A prison sentence of between three and fifteen years awaits. High time for his mother, Cornelia, to intervene. A trained architect and member of Romania’s upper class, who graces her bookshelves with unread Herta Müller novels and is fond of flashing her purse full of credit cards, she commences her campaign to save her lethargic, languishing son. Bribes, she hopes, will persuade the witnesses to give false statements. Even the parents of the dead child might be appeased by some cash. In quasi-documentary style, the film meticulously reconstructs the events of one night and the days that follow, providing insights into the moral malaise of Romania’s bourgeoisie and throwing into sharp relief the state of societal institutions such as the police and the judiciary.

Danis Tanović weaves dramatic events, including economic hardship and fear of death into a wintery tale in Epizoda u životu berača željeza, (An Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker). Featuring a non-professional cast re-enacting an episode from their own lives contributes greatly to the film’s sense of authenticity and social realism.

THE AWARDS OF THE 63rd BERLIN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

GOLDEN BEAR for the Best Film
Poziţia Copilului
Child’s Pose by Călin Peter Netzer

JURY GRAND PRIX (Silver Bear)
Epizoda u životu berača željeza
An Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker by Danis Tanović

ALFRED BAUER PRIZE (Silver Bear) – in memory of the Festival Founder – for a feature film that opens new perspectives
Vic+Flo ont vu un ours
Vic+Flo Saw a Bear by Denis Côté

AWARD FOR BEST DIRECTOR (Silver Bear)
David Gordon Green for Prince Avalanche (Prince Avalanche)

AWARD FOR BEST ACTRESS (Silver Bear)
Paulina García in Gloria (Gloria) by Sebastián Lelio

AWARD FOR BEST ACTOR (Silver Bear) Nazif Mujić in
Epizoda u životu berača željeza (An Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker) by Danis Tanović

AWARD FOR BEST SCRIPT (Silver Bear)
Jafar Panahi for
Pardé (Closed Curtain) by Jafar Panahi, Kamboziya Partovi

AWARD FOR AN OUTSTANDINGARTISTIC CONTRIBUTION IN THE CATEGORIES CAMERA, EDITING,

MUSIC SCORE, COSTUME DESIGN OR SET DESIGN (Silver Bear)
Aziz Zhambakiyev for the camera in Uroki Garmonii (Harmony Lessons) by Emir Baigazin

SPECIAL MENTION
Promised Land
Promised Land by Gus Van Sant

SPECIAL MENTION
Layla Fourie
Layla Fourie by Pia Marais

BEST FIRST FEATURE AWARD

BEST FIRST FEATURE AWARD, endowed with 50,000 Euros, funded by GWFF
The Rocket
The Rocket by Kim Mordaunt

SPECIAL MENTION
A batalha de Tabatô
The Battle of Tabatô by João Viana

PRIZES OF THE INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM JURY

GOLDEN BEAR for the Best Short FilmLa Fugue
The Runaway by Jean-Bernard Marlin

THE JURY PRIZE (Silver Bear)
die ruhe bleibt
remains quiet by Stefan Kriekhaus

BERLIN SHORT FILM NOMINEE FOR THE EUROPEAN FILM AWARDS
Misterio
Mystery by Chema García Ibarra

DAAD SHORT FILM AWARD
Aşura
Ashura by Köken Ergun

PRIZES OF THE JURIES GENERATION

Children’s Jury Generation Kplus

CRYSTAL BEAR for the Best Film
The Rocket
The Rocket by Kim Mordaunt

SPECIAL MENTION
Satellite Boy
Satellite Boy by Catriona McKenzie

CRYSTAL BEAR for the Best Short Film
The Amber Amulet
The Amber Amulet by Matthew Moore

SPECIAL MENTION
Ezi un lielpilseta
Hedgehogs and the City by Ēvalds Lācis

International Jury Generation Kplus

THE GRAND PRIX OF THE GENERATION KPLUS INTERNATIONAL JURY for the best feature film, endowed with € 7,500 by the Deutsches Kinderhilfswerk
Mammu, es Tevi mīlu
Mother, I Love You by Jānis Nords

SPECIAL MENTION
Satellite Boy
Satellite Boy by Catriona McKenzie

THE GRAND PRIX OF THE GENERATION KPLUS INTERNATIONAL JURY for the best short film, endowed with € 2,500 by the Deutsches Kinderhilfswerk
Cheong
Cheong by Kim Jung-in

SPECIAL MENTION
Ezi un lielpilseta
Hedgehogs and the City by Ēvalds Lācis

Youth Jury Generation 14plus

CRYSTAL BEAR for the Best Film
Baby Blues
Baby Blues by Kasia Rosłaniec

SPECIAL MENTION
Pluto
Pluto by Shin Su-won

CRYSTAL BEAR for the Best Short Film
Rabbitland
Rabbitland by Ana Nedeljković, Nikola Majdak

SPECIAL MENTION
Treffit
The Date by Jenni Toivoniemi

International Jury Generation 14plus

THE GRAND PRIX OF THE GENERATION 14PLUS INTERNATIONAL JURY for the best feature film, endowed with € 7,500 by the Bundeszentrale für Politische Bildung (Federal Agency for Civic Education)
Shopping
Shopping by Mark Albiston, Louis Sutherland

SPECIAL MENTION
Baby Blues
Baby Blues by Kasia Rosłaniec

THE GRAND PRIX OF THE GENERATION 14PLUS INTERNATIONAL JURY for the best short film, endowed with € 2,500 by the Bundeszentrale für Politische Bildung (Federal Agency for Civic Education)
Första gången
The First Time by Anders Hazelius

SPECIAL MENTION
Barefoot
Barefoot by Danis Goulet

INDEPENDENT JURIES

PRIZES OF THE ECUMENICAL JURY

Competition Gloria (Gloria), by Sebastián Lelio
Special Mention Epizoda u životu berača željeza (An Episode in the Life of an Iron Picker), by Danis Tanović

Panorama The Act of Killing (The Act of Killing), by Joshua Oppenheimer
Special Mention Inch’Allah (Inch’Allah), by Anaïs Barbeau-Lavalette

Forum Krugovi (Circles), by Srdan Golubović
Special Mention Senzo ni naru (Roots), by Kaoru Ikeya

PRIZES OF THE FIPRESCI JURY

Competition Poziţia Copilului (Child’s Pose), by Călin Peter Netzer
Panorama Inch’Allah (Inch’Allah), by Anaïs Barbeau-Lavalette
Forum Hélio Oiticica (Hélio Oiticica), by Cesar Oiticica Filho

PRIZE OF THE GUILD OF GERMAN ART HOUSE CINEMAS
Gloria (Gloria), by Sebastián Lelio

C.I.C.A.E. PRIZES

Panorama Rock the Casbah (Rock the Casbah), by Yariv Horowitz
Forum Grzeli nateli dgeebi (In Bloom), by Nana Ekvtimishvili, Simon Groß

LABEL EUROPA CINEMAS

The Broken Circle Breakdown (The Broken Circle Breakdown), by Felix Van Groeningen

TEDDY AWARD

Best Feature Film W imie… (In the Name of), by Małgośka Szumowska
Best Documentary/Essay Film Bambi (Bambi), by Sébastien Lifshitz
Best Short Film Ta av mig (Undress Me), by Victor Lindgren
Teddy Jury Award Concussion (Concussion), by Stacie Passon

MADE IN GERMANY – PERSPEKTIVE FELLOWSHIP, endowed with 15,000 Euros, funded by Glashütte Original

Jan Speckenbach for Das Klopfen der Steine (The sound of stones)

FGYO-AWARD DIALOGUE EN PERSPECTIVE, endowed with 5,000 Euros, funded by the French-German Youth Office

Zwei Mütter (Two Mothers), by Anne Zohra Berrached
Special Mention Chiralia (Chiralia), by Santiago Gil

CALIGARI FILM PRIZE
Hélio Oiticica (Hélio Oiticica), by Cesar Oiticica Filho

NETPAC PRIZE
Lamma shoftak (When I Saw You), by Annemarie Jacir

PEACE FILM PRIZE
A World Not Ours (A World Not Ours), by Mahdi Fleifel

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL FILM PRIZE
The Rocket (The Rocket), by Kim Mordaunt

CINEMA FAIRBINDET PRIZE
Art/Violence (Art/Violence), by Udi Aloni, Batoul Taleb, Miriam Abu-Khaled

HEINER CAROW PRIZE
Naked Opera (Naked Opera), by Angela Christlieb

READERS’ JURIES AND AUDIENCE AWARDS

PanoramaAudienceAward PPP – fiction film
The Broken Circle Breakdown (The Broken Circle Breakdown), by Felix Van Groeningen

PanoramaAudienceAward PPP – documentary film
The Act of Killing (The Act of Killing), by Joshua Oppenheimer

BERLINER MORGENPOST READERS’ PRIZE
Uroki Garmonii (Harmony Lessons), by Emir Baigazin

TAGESSPIEGEL READERS’ PRIZE
Vaters Garten – Die Liebe meiner Eltern (Father’s Garden – The Love of My Parents), by Peter Liechti

SIEGESSÄULE READERS’ AWARD
W imie… (In the Name of), by Małgośka Szumowska

PRIZES OF THE BERLINALE TALENT CAMPUS

VFF TALENT HIGHLIGHT PITCH AWARD, endowed with 10,000 Euros
Geordie Sabbagh (Canada) for Two Guys Who Sold the World (Two Guys Who Sold the World)

ARTE INTERNATIONAL PRIZE, endowed with 6,000 Euros
Petar Valchanov (Bulgaria) for Urok (The Lesson)

DOLBY® SOUND MARK AWARD
Rutger Reinders (Netherlands)
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Baby Blues and Shopping Win Crystal Bear in Generation 14plus Sections at 2013 Berlin International Film Festival

[caption id="attachment_3006" align="alignnone" width="550"]Baby Blues by Kasia Rosłaniec[/caption]

Baby Blues by Kasia Rosłaniec, Poland 2012, was awarded the Crystal Bear for the Best Film by the the members of the Youth Jury in Generation 14plus at the 2013 Berlin International Film Festival. The jury commented, “In this film we were completely unprepared for the extreme way the story unfolds. Its bold editing style, colorful cinematography and innovative direction gave the film great dynamism. The film showed us strong and complex characters who often behaved in contradictory ways. These teenagers seem to be unable to acknowledge their mistakes and take responsibility for them. They are caught between the desire for freedom and the duties of being a young parent.”

The members of the new International Jury Generation 14plus awarded The Grand Prix of the Generation 14plus International Jury for the best feature film, to Shopping by Mark Albiston, Louis Sutherland, New Zealand 2013. The Jury described the film as ” An extremely compelling first film with a fantastic lead actor. We loved watching him on screen and felt a deep empathy with him. Sharp editing, strong visual choices and a complex, painful and loving portrayal of family. We appreciated the specificity of the world you brought us into. Your dedication to your vision is palpable.”

Other winners (with Jury comments) include:

The members of the Youth Jury in Generation 14plus give the following awards:

Crystal Bear for the Best Film: Special Mention: Pluto
by Shin Su-won, Republic of Korea 2012
Jury commented “Our special mention goes to a film that critiques the educational structures and more broadly society in an original way, reflecting its deep injustices. The characters in this film draw us into a universe of isolation and powerlessness in the face of brutal peer pressure to conform. We felt the cosmic dimensions of the story and the protagonist’s sense that, although being alone in school is harsh, being alone in the universe is devastating.”

Crystal Bear for the Best Short Film: Rabbitland
by Ana Nedeljković, Nikola Majdak, Serbia 2012
Jury commented: “This year’s winner conveyed a thought-provoking theme to us combined with ironic merit and dark humor. Simply and effectively, it critiques the political structures we live under and makes us feel slightly uncomfortable about our everyday lives. The film is of worldwide relevance and was presented to us in a highly skilled and original fashion.”

Special Mention: Treffit
by Jenni Toivoniemi, Finland 2012
Jury commented: “Two young people cross paths in an unusual situation. Before you know it, a common procedure develops into an unconventional date. We were convinced by the film’s ability to tell us far more than it showed. It presented us with a humorous interaction that didn’t immediately reveal the complexity of its themes. The multi-layered meanings of the film stayed with us long after we left the cinema.”

The members of the new International Jury Generation 14plus give the following awards:

The Grand Prix of the Generation 14plus International Jury for the best feature film
Special Mention: Baby Blues
by Kasia Rosłaniec, Poland 2012
Jury commented: “We celebrate a fantastic, strong cinematic voice that confronts harsh realities with unexpected humour and style. Your strong imagery, compelling characters and a hard-hitting narrative captivated us.”

The Special Prize of the Generation 14plus International Jury for the best short film
by Anders Hazelius, Sweden 2013
Jury commented: “For Best Short Film we would like to recognize a funny and surprising film that defies expectations. Insecurity and social pressure force two awkward people together to share a moment of beautiful and genuine honesty. This film displays a strong visual style and is the work of an insightful and relevant filmmaker.”

Special Mention: Barefoot
by Danis Goulet, Canada 2012
Jury commented: “In the short film category the jury would like to thank this filmmaker for taking us into a fascinating world seldom shown on screen. This is a sensitive portrayal of a girl going to extreme and painful lengths to fit in. Your storytelling is important and has strong emotional impact. We are very much looking forward to seeing your future work.”
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REVIEW: The Jeffrey Dahmer Files

Hmmm. How can I start this review? Well, I have always been intrigued with the way people think and how it contributes to their actions, so naturally I would be curious with the way a serial killer thinks and looks – they all seem to have a certain look. Don’t they? So, when “The Jeffrey Dahmer Files” was put on my desk, I of course jumped at the opportunity to write this review and couldn’t wait to get home to watch the DVD.

The movie was not what I expected; it is far from gory and maybe slow at times. The film is an independent film, but aside from that it still looked VERY low budget, but that may be the look the director was going for. I enjoyed watching neighbor Pamela Bass and Detective Patrick Kennedy, they are very interesting and kept me glued to the movie; however the same could not be said for Andrew Swant, the actor portraying Dahmer. Swant, playing Dahmer, basically kept running around, never saying too much – but always paying for stuff with checks. This made me curious was there a connection with Dahmer only using checks or maybe I was trying to pull more from this creepy re-enactment. Jeffrey Jentzen, the medical examiner assigned to the case is a subject also interviewed in the film.

If you’re looking to learn about the gory details, or see pics of his victims, this is not the movie for you. Director Chris James Thompson leaves the victims at peace and with dignity by not exploiting them again, instead he focuses on the community and how Dahmer took advantage of the community and used it as an opportunity to feed his desire to kill and go undetected while he worked on creating a zombie that he could use for sex.

In this film you will feel terrible for the community after the authorities decided to demolish the apartment buildings where Dahmer lived and also murdered his victims. As a result the neighbors lost their homes and they had to leave. My stomach curled as neighbor Pam spoke about how she would sit with Jeff and drink beers and share a sandwich with him, only to find out she too may have eaten some of his victims. While in jail he requested to see Pam but she refused, she said she felt used and violated; however the night she heard of his death and as everyone around her were cheering, she actually cried.

Detective Kennedy made a connection with Dahmer and even dressed him for his hearing. The relationship the Detective Kennedy built with Dahmer was really interesting, but at the same time I wondered if Detective Kennedy used Dahmer to catapult his career.

All being said, on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the highest, I would give “The Dahmer Files” a 2.5, mainly for its sometimes slow pace.

The Jeffrey Dahmer Files opened February 15th, 2013 at the IFC Center, NY, available nationwide on VOD on February 15th, 2013, and opening in LA at the Downtown Independent February 22nd, 2013

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wc5ufsgrtW8
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REVIEW: Big Words

BIG WORDS – 2012, Neil Drumming, USA, 97 min.

A tree grew in the Bronx, which branched out and transcended lines of color, lines of geographic limitation, and language barrier.

It’s branches as a collective spawn a culture; root word, cult. The assembly of a devoted faithful. Its passionists, its offspring, its advocates, its lovers. The symbolism in Big Words is glaring. Satiable for the abstract thinkers, the descendants of poor righteous teachers, of B-Boys and Girls, Backpackers alike. The essence of hip hop and its impact on the lives of so many including Mr Big Words himself, James, is evident scripturally; figuratively, from something came something. Life, Art, Progress, Finance; unified by the culture stands so many, yet divided on principles. An ode to the hip hop of old. Refute it if you will, embrace if it you must. Hip Hop- the only thing that matters.

To a trio of lifelong friends, who for many years shared a dream, only to see it erased by a moment of indecision. A burden to one by way of the literal consequence from a pivotal act, but shared by the rest through the transition their lives have taken subsequently. Holding on subconsciously, perpetuating the rift matter of factly. What once was golden, is now tainted, according to opion- like Hip Hop. Trying for years to erase the memories, the good times if you will for it is “easier to forget, then figure out what it is supposed to be today” (Mr Big Words). No matter how tried and true that may be, it remains, in life and on screen.. What will take years of work, is displayed in moments ofThree minutes and 50 seconds, or one hour and 33 ticks; the rhyme, the reason, the audience, the characters. Big Words, DJs, artists, the fans.

Their growth, their wonderment, their hurdles, or secrets. That which is not always in song but must be shared. The closet that hides them. Is Hip Hop all-inclusive? That is a question for you to answer. All of these things and more, are a muse; are a plot. Big Words, wisely spoken.

The opening night film of the 2013 New Voices in Black Cinema festival, Big Words (2012, 97 min. – Friday, February 16) directed by journalist-turned-director Neil Drumming makes its New York premiere fresh off of its run at the 2013 Slamdance Film Festival.
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After Tiller, and Teacher from 2013 Sundance Fest Scheduled for Released This Year

[caption id="attachment_3207" align="alignnone" width="550"]After Tiller[/caption]

Oscilloscope Laboratories will release Martha Shane’s and Lana Wilson’s directorial debut After Tiller and Hannah Fidell’s feature directorial debut A Teacher. After Tiller premiered last month at the Sundance Film Festival and is scheduled to screen next at True/False Film Festival in Columbia, Missouri. A Teacher also premiered last month at the Sundance Film Festival and is headed to Austin next month where it will play South By Southwest.

After Tiller intimately explores the highly controversial subject of third-trimester abortions in the wake of the 2009 assassination of practitioner Dr. George Tiller. The procedure is now performed by only four doctors in the United States, all former colleagues of Dr. Tiller, who risk their lives every day in the name of their unwavering commitment toward their patients.

Part psychological thriller and part provocative character study, A Teacher explores the unraveling of a young high school teacher, Diana (Lindsay Burdge), after she begins an affair with one of her teenage students, Eric (Will Brittain). What starts as a seemingly innocent fling becomes increasingly complex—and dangerous—as the beautiful and confident Diana gets fully consumed by her emotions, crossing boundaries and acting out in progressively startling ways. Lindsay Burdge delivers a deeply compelling and seamlessly naturalistic performance that brings us into the mind of an adult driven to taboo against her better judgment.

O-Scope plans a theatrical, video-on-demand and digital release later this year for both films.
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Azooma and Family Talk Take the Top Film Prizes at 2013 Beloit International Film Festival

The 2013 BIFFYs were presented at the Launch Party kicking off the eighth annual Beloit International Film Festival which runs February 14 through Sunday, February 17th, 2013 in Beloit, Janesville and Rockford, Wisconsin.

The top prize, the BIFFY for Best Feature Film, went to Azooma, a South Korean film. It is the story of a young mother who seeks revenge for the rape of her 10 year-old daughter. Disappointed by the indifference of the police, she decides to chase down the rapist herself. South Korean filmmaker Jiseung Lee was on hand to receive the award.

The BIFFY for Best Documentary went to Fambul Tok (Family Talk) which tells the story of healing in post-conflict Sierra Leone through intimate stories of perpetrators and victims in an unprecedented program of tradition-based truth-telling and forgiveness ceremonies. The award went to U.S. filmmakers Sara and Rory Kennedy.

Other prizes:

Best Short Film: (under 45 minutes)
This went to Treasure, a sweet coming-of-age Asian film starting with the universal question: What is time? The film explores the concept of time between two generations. The 11-minute film from Singapore (subtitled) is the work of Sun Jun Hui and is part of Short Slot 2 at BIFF.

Best Animation:
The BIFFY for animation went to Kirsten Lapore for her American-made film, Bottle. The six-minute film is animated on location at a beach, in snow and underwater. This stop-motion short details a transoceanic conversation between two characters via objects in a bottle. It is part of Short Slot 1 at BIFF.

Best Student Film:
The award went to The Vampire Formerly Known as Dracula, a campy journey with Dracula as he attempts to assimilate into a modern society. Part of Short Slot 4, it was created by Nate Schardin, a Milwaukee Area Technical College student.

Best Wisconsin Film:
The award went to Little Red and Milwaukee filmmakers Tate Bunker and Miles O’Neil. This hauntingly beautiful adventure film is a contemporary retelling of the childhood Little Red Riding Hood tale as a wolfish stalker pursues preteen Milwaukeean ‘Red’ on her whimsical runaway to Florida. Happily ever after does not come easily or without a price.

Best Screenplay:
This award went to QWERTY. The American made R-rated comedy is the creation of filmmakers Bill Sebastian and Jeremy Truelove and screenwriter Juliet McDaniel. In it, the socially outcast, but verbally gifted Zoe, when not eating, drinking and dreaming Scrabble, works a lonely job at the Illinois Department of Motor Vehicles screening personalized license plates for hidden dirty words or messages. While shopping she meets Marty, a down-on-his-luck security guard in the midst of a career-changing public meltdown.

Visit Beloit International Film Festival for more information and complete list of winners
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REVIEW: Sorting Out Heads: Barbering as a Profession of Identity in The Fade

The Fade chronicles the lives of four Afro-American barbers in acutely different situations from Ghana to Jamaica, with London and New Jersey in-between. This documentary from Andy-Mundy Castle reveals an everyday profession as a conversation between identity, community, and commerce, all occurring in the barber’s chair, before a mirror reflecting the individuals involved. While one barber “sorts out the heads” of neighboring villagers in Ghana, supporting himself through skillful diligence, another travels wherever his services are needed in Jamaica, a third works in a local shop in London, gathering stories, gossip and street talk for his visual artwork, and the final, nicknamed ‘Hollywood,’ handles high profile clients such as Jay Sean. The clients of each barber have an individual sense of trust towards the men cutting their hair, a routine they consider even more personal than the way the hair grows.

“The fade” refers to a specific men’s haircut where the hair thins almost imperceptibly as the hairline reaches the neck. Castle’s documentary takes a commonplace profession and similarly blends it into a community of relationships, which reveal the social values of a race. Here, race means more than the constants between different Afro-American societies. Castle concentrates on the individualizations of different communities among Afro-Americans – from Ghana to Jamaica, with London and New Jersey in between. The barber from London expresses the sentiment that when he travels abroad for work, he feels dislocated. Is he English or African-American? Is this his home or someone else’s? Barbering relocates him, and Castle’s documentary uses a particular profession to relocate a race, reflecting many shades of culture in four barbers’ mirrors.

Fade is playing this weekend at New Voices in Black Cinema, Brooklyn, New York.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m_hFC8tl644

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Third New Voices in Black Cinema Film Festival Returns to Brooklyn Presidents Day Weekend

The third annual New Voices in Black Cinema festival runs from Friday, February 15 – Monday, February 18, 2013. The New Voices in Black Cinema festival reflects the wide spectrum of views and themes within the Black community from Brooklyn to Italy and beyond. The four day film festival showcases 27 of the best in independent feature films, short films and documentaries from up and coming directors, producers, and talent throughout the Diaspora. All films will be shown at BAM (in the Peter Jay Sharp Building) located at 30 Lafayette Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11217, which has been the festival’s home since its inception.

The opening night film Big Words (2012, 97 min. – Friday, February 16) directed by journalist-turned-director Neil Drumming makes its New York premiere fresh off of its run at the 2013 Slamdance Film Festival. This fresh comedic drama starring Dorian Missick (“Southland”, Two Weeks Notice), Gbenga Akinnagbe (“The Wire”) and Yaya Alafia (The Kids Are All Right) takes place in Brooklyn on the eve of President Barack Obama’s history-making 2008 election as three self-absorbed friends, once members of a promising hip-hop trio, cross paths once again and discover that despite dreams deferred and the extreme changes in their lives that some things never change.

18 Ius Soli (2011, 50 min. – Friday, February 15), directed by Italian-born Fred Kuwornudiagnoses the Italian law that denies citizenship to young people born in Italy to immigrant parents from Africa, Asia, and South America, this documentary examines the injustice faced by 18 girls and boys born in Italy.

No Homo (2012, 78 min. – Monday, February 18), directed by Brooklyn filmmaker Goddey Asemota, focuses on two aspiring fashion designers who sell custom shirts on the streets of SoHo. Because of their love of fashion the two are constantly questioned about their sexuality. As a gag they make a shirt with the logo “No Homo” on the front and sell them at their stand, which leads to their unlikely meteoric rise in the fashion world.

The Undershepherd (2012, 108 min. – Saturday, February 17) directed by Russ Parr, with Isaiah Washington (“Grey’s Anatomy”, Clockers) Lamman Rucker (Why Did I Get Married?), Malinda Williams (“Soul Food”) and Vanessa Bell Calloway (Coming to America) is a controversial tale of two ministers, LC (Washington) and Roland (Rucker), best friends and brothers in Christ. When the head preacher of their church plans his retirement, mild-mannered character LC becomes overcome by his access to power, money earned through his ministry, and slowly transforms into a ruthless business man.

ActNow New Voices in Black Cinema Full Schedule:

Friday, February 15
1:30PM ● 18 Ius Soli – Talkback with director Fred Kuwornu to follow film ● Beale St. Blues – Talkback with director Kecia Benson to follow film
4PM ● The Fade
7PM ● Big Words – Talkback with director Neil Drumming & producer Matthew Keene Smith to follow film
9:45PM ● The Kill Hole

Saturday, February 16
12PM ● The United States of Hoodoo
3PM ● High Chicago – Talkback with director Alfons Adetuyi to follow film
6PM ● Aujourd’hui(Tey) – Talkback with director Alain Gomis & actor Saul Williams to follow film
9:15PM ● FunkJazzKafé: Diary of a Decade – Talkback with director Jason Orr to follow film

Sunday, February 17
1PM ● The Central Park Five
4PM ● alaskaLand – Talkback with director Chinonye Chukwu to follow film
7PM● Four – Talkback with director Joshua Sanchez and actors Emory Cohen & Yolanda Ross to follow film
9:45PM ● The Undershepherd

Monday, February 18
1PM ● Stones in the Sun
4PM ● Unbreakable: Shorts Program – Talkback with various directors to follow film
Barbasol
Record/Play
Saudade
ort Greene
Karim
Everything Absolutely
Nigga…Nigga…Nigga!
Make Me A Doorway
7PM ● Gimme the Loot – Talkback with director Adam Leon to follow film
9:45PM ● No Homo – Talkback with director Goddey Asemota to follow film
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Academy Award Nominee War Witch Gets A Release Date

War Witch, the Academy Award nominee for Best Foreign Language Film and Film Independent Spirit Award nominee for Best International Film will open nationwide on VOD on February 26, 2013, and theatrically in New York on March 1st, 2013 at Angelika Theater and Lincoln Plaza. Other US cities to follow.

Written and directed by Kim Nguyen, War Witch follows the story of Komona (Rachel Mwanza) who is only 12 years old when she is kidnapped by rebel soldiers and enslaved to a life of guerrilla warfare in the African jungle. Forced to commit unspeakable acts of brutality, she finds hope for survival in protective, ghost-like visions (inspiring a rebel chief to anoint her “War Witch”), and in a tender relationship with a fellow soldier named Magician (Serge Kanyinda). Together, they manage to escape the rebels’ clutches, and a normal life finally seems within reach. But after their freedom proves short-lived, Komona realizes she must find a way to bury the ghosts of her past.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3bVO_rT9Ww

War Witch release dates for other US cities:

March 8 – Los Angeles, CA; Laemmle Royal Theatre

March 8 – Encino, CA; Laemmle Town Centre 5

March 8 – Pasadena, CA; Laemmle Playhouse 7

March 15 – Seattle, WA; SIFF Cinema

March 15 – Palm Springs, CA; Camelot

March 15 – San Francisco, CA; Roxie

March 15 – Berkely; Elmwood 3

March 22 – Chicago, IL; Music Box Theater

March 22 – Santa Cruz, CA; Nickelodeon

March 22 – Phoenix, AZ; Shea 14

March 22 – Tuscon, AZ; Loft Cinema

March 27 – Boston, MA; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston

March 29 – Miami, FL; Tower Theater

March 29 – Portland, OR; Living Room Theaters

March 29 – Boca Raton, FL; Living Room Theaters

March 29 – San Diego, CA; Gaslamp 15

March 29 – Houston, TX; Sundance Cinemas

March 29 – Salem, MA; Cinema Salem

April 5 – Denver; Sie Film Center

April 5 – Little Rock; Market Street Cinema

April 10 – Boulder; International Film Series

June 14- Detroit; Detroit Institute of the Arts
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Five Films Selected for Miami International Film Festival Miami Encuentros 2013

Miami International Film Festival (MIFF) announced the five film selections for its VeoMiami industry initiative, the 10th MiamiEncuentros.

Miami Encuentros aims to facilitate and support the completion of Latin American and U.S. Hispanic feature film projects in post-production and propel them towards their debuts on the international stage, via a post-production prize of USD$10,000 for one winning project as selected by a jury of industry professionals.

The five selected projects for Miami Encuentros 2013 are:

All About the Feathers (Por las plumas), directed by Neto Villalobosm
Produced by La Sucia Centroamericana Producciones, Costa Rica.

Darwin’s Corner (El rincón de Darwin), directed by Diego Fernández Pujol
Co-produced by Transparente Films, Uruguay and O som e a furia, Portugal

En la caliente – The Cuban Music Revolution, directed by Fabien Pisani
Produced by Mokongo Films, France.

Gypsy River (Rio Cigano), directed by Julia Zakia
Co-produced by Cinematográfica Superfilmes Ltda and Gato do Parque, Brazil

Liz in September (Liz en septiembre), directed by Fina Torres
Produced by Ararare Films C.A., Venezuela
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2013 Arlington International Film Festival Unveils 2013 Poster

Marley Jurgensmeyer, a tenth-grade student at Arlington High School was declared the winner of the 2013 Arlington International Film Festival (AIFF)’s Poster Contest.

“One of the things I learned last year is that I am not a fine artist, but there are many ways to communicate visually using clip art and typography. This year I was more aware of searching for the right images to represent both film and the international aspect of the world. I found the film strip pretty quickly and was immediately struck by its simplicity, its use of color and boldness. I also knew that I could incorporate the international aspect in Photoshop using flags to represent the world because they fit the proportions of the boxes on the film strip. One of the things I really like about this poster is that I believe that it fits into the same visual style as my poster last year and hope that helps to promote the AIFF.” Marley said she was surprised to be named the winner for the second year.

The 2013 Festival is scheduled for October.
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Tumbleweeds Film Festival for Children and Youth in Salt Lake City Announces 2013 Film Lineup

The 3rd annual Tumbleweeds Film Festival for Children and Youth will run from March 15-17, 2013 in Utah, and will feature a jam-packed program of feature-length films from around the world. This year’s festival presents 11 feature films from 7 countries including Latvia/Estonia, Germany and Ireland.

All screenings will be presented at the Rose Wagner Performing Arts Center.

2013 Tumbleweeds Film Festival Line-up

ALFIE, THE LITTLE WEREWOLF /// Dolfe Weerwolfje
Directed by Joram Lürsen
5 min | 2011 | The Netherlands
Presented in Dutch with English subtitles
Recommended for ages 8+
When the full moon rises on the night of his seventh birthday, strange things begin to happen to shy little Alfie: he suddenly grows claws, fuzzy white hair, and begins to howl at the moon. Alfie soon realizes he is no longer a regular kid — he has turned into a werewolf!

BROOKLYN CASTLE
Directed by Katie Dellamaggiore
102 min | 2012 | USA
Recommended for youth 11+
Join the students of Brooklyn’s IS 318 as they work to win another national chess championship and show that playing chess is about more than winning or losing – it’s what helps them overcome the challenges in their lives.

ELIOT AND ME
Directed by Fintan Connolly
52 min | 2012 | Ireland
Recommended for ages 6+
Dublin. The present. Ten-year old Lucy struggles to come to terms with her parents’ separation. She rescues a dog, Eliot, from the local dog shelter. It is love at first sight and her life starts to get better. But tragedy strikes when Eliot goes missing, and Lucy must undertake a dangerous journey to find him.

THE FAMOUS FIVE /// Funf Freunde
Directed by Mike Mazurk
89 min | 2012 | Germany
Presented in German with English subtitles
Recommended for ages 7+
Three siblings, their cousin and a canine companion become summertime sleuths in this adaptation of the famed Enid Blyton novels. Siblings Julian, Dick and Anne aren’t looking forward to spending all summer in a tiny village with their relatives. Things take an exciting turn when they meet Timmy – George’s secret canine friend – and stumble upon a mystery connected to the remote Kirrin Island.

GATTU
Directed by Rajan Khosa
79 min | 2011 | India
Presented in Hindi with English Subtitles
Recommended for ages 6+
Gattu is an orphan who works at his guardian’s scrap yard in a small Indian town. Though he’s small in stature, Gattu has big ambitions – namely, defeating the mysterious black kite, Kali, which dominates the sky above his kite-obsessed community.

LOTTE AND THE MOONSTONE SECRET /// Lotte ja kuukivi saladus
Directed by Janno Põldma and Heiki Ernits
73 min | 2011 | Latvia/Estonia
Presented in English
Recommended for ages 4+
In their last adventure, Klaus and his friends Fred and Ville took three stones from a secret temple. What they didn’t know is that the stones are the only way for the Moon Rabbits to get back home.

A MONSTER IN PARIS /// Un Monstre a Paris – Opening Night Gala
Directed by Bibo Bergeron
90 min | 2011 | France
Presented in English
Recommend for ages 6+
aris, 1910. A shy movie projectionist and a colorful inventor find themselves embarking on the hunt for a monster that’s terrorizing citizens. They join forces with a big-hearted star of the Rare Bird cabaret, an eccentric scientist and his irascible monkey to save the monster from the city’s ruthlessly ambitious police chief.

RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK: The Adaptation
Directed by Eric Zala, Chris Strompolos, and Jayson Lamb
100 min | 1989 | USA
Recommended for ages 10+
As big of an impression as the old serials had left on young Spielberg and Lucas, Indiana Jones left an even bigger one on three Mississippi 12-year-olds. In 1982, childhood friends Eric Zala, Chris Strompolos, and Jayson Lamb began filming a shot-for-shot remake of Raiders of the Lost Ark.

SHAKESPEARE HIGH
Directed by Alex Rotaru
81 min | 2011 | USA
Recommended for Ages 12+
At home many of them face poverty, gangs, drugs, and a lack of role models. But in their high school drama programs, a perse group of SoCal teens find a chance to create a better life. This documentary follows several students as they prepare for, and compete in, the 90th Drama Teachers Association of Southern California Shakespeare Festival.

WILL
Directed by Ellen Perry
102 min | 2011 | United Kingdom
Recommended for ages 8+
Eleven-year-old Will Brennan is Liverpool FC’s biggest fan. At his boys’ school in England, Will’s love and knowledge of The Beautiful Game even outshines his football-obsessed mates. But life is turned upside down when his long-absent father, Gareth, reappears with tickets to the 2005 Champions League Final in Istanbul.

ZARAFA
Directed by Rémi Bezançon, Jean-Christophe Lie
78 min | 2012 | France
Presented in French with English subtitles
Recommended for ages 8+
While on the run from a slave trader, 10-year-old Maki meets a young giraffe he names Zarafa. They set off on journey from Africa to Paris. Maki has one wish: to help Zarafa to return to her native land. Inspired by a true story, this animated film takes you on an adventure from the deserts to the snowy mountains to tell the tale of an everlasting friendship.

ADOBE YOUTH VOICES SHORTS PROGRAM
A collection of short films featuring work from Adobe Youth Voices programs around the world and will include the films produced in the Adobe Youth Voices Film Camp.

GIRL POWER
Recommended for ages 12+
A collection of short film that focus on stories told from a girl’s perspective. The program will feature films directed by Spy Hop students including films created as part of KUED’s “Women Redefined” program.

SHORTS PROGRAM 1
Recommended for ages 4+
A delightful collection of animated and live action films from around the world to captivate wee ones.

SHORTS PROGRAM 2
Recommended for ages 8+
Films collected from foreign lands to fire the creative energy of modern children.
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