Set in the iMfolozi wilderness, South Africa, in the oldest game park in Africa, the iconic Hluhluwe-iMfolozi park, where the White Rhino was saved from extinction, Sisters of the Wilderness tells the story of five young Zulu women venturing into the wilderness for the first time on a journey of self-discovery, reminding them that we are all intimately linked to nature.
Sisters of the Wilderness, a new South African social impact feature documentary, directed by award-wining filmmaker, Karin Slater, will have its world premiere at the Encounters South African International Documentary Festival in Cape Town and Johannesburg in June; with further festival screenings at the Durban International Film Festival and at the Nature, Environment, Wildlife Filmmakers (NEWF) Congress in Durban in July and at the Mzansi Women’s Film Festival in Johannesburg in August.
The film follows the women as they walk in big game country and camp under the stars, totally surrounded by wild animals. Exposed to the elements and carrying on their backs all they need for the journey, they face emotional and physical challenges, and learn what it takes to survive in the wild.
“We want to ‘transfer’ the audience to an ancient place where no barriers separate human and nature,” says creator / producer, Ronit Shapiro, of One Nature Films, whose experience in the iMfolozi wilderness and a meeting with South Africa’s legendary conservationist, the late Dr Ian Player, inspired her to make this film. “A journey into wilderness is an intense experience where one can expect to undergo a personal transformation and build leadership.”
Director Karin Slater says, “I was born in Empangeni and spent my early years, close to the iMfolozi wilderness. I have a deep love and connection to this area. I know what the wilderness has done for me over the years.”
Sisters of the Wilderness serves as a foundation for an outreach program that will use multiple platforms to re-connect global audiences with nature.
The film also explores the plight of this wilderness area threatened by an open-cast coal mine on its border, as well as the severe poaching that is decimating the rhino population here.
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Watch Trailer for SISTERS OF THE WILDERNESS DOCUMENTARY, 5 Zulu Women on a Journey of Self-Discovery
Documentary, Durban International Film Festival, Encounters South African International Documentary Festival, Mzansi Women Film Festival
Set in the iMfolozi wilderness, South Africa, in the oldest game park in Africa, the iconic Hluhluwe-iMfolozi park, where the White Rhino was saved from extinction, Sisters of the Wilderness tells the story of five young Zulu women venturing into the wilderness for the first time on a journey of self-discovery, reminding them that we are all intimately linked to nature.
Sisters of the Wilderness, a new South African social impact feature documentary, directed by award-wining filmmaker, Karin Slater, will have its world premiere at the Encounters South African International Documentary Festival in Cape Town and Johannesburg in June; with further festival screenings at the Durban International Film Festival and at the Nature, Environment, Wildlife Filmmakers (NEWF) Congress in Durban in July and at the Mzansi Women’s Film Festival in Johannesburg in August.
The film follows the women as they walk in big game country and camp under the stars, totally surrounded by wild animals. Exposed to the elements and carrying on their backs all they need for the journey, they face emotional and physical challenges, and learn what it takes to survive in the wild.
“We want to ‘transfer’ the audience to an ancient place where no barriers separate human and nature,” says creator / producer, Ronit Shapiro, of One Nature Films, whose experience in the iMfolozi wilderness and a meeting with South Africa’s legendary conservationist, the late Dr Ian Player, inspired her to make this film. “A journey into wilderness is an intense experience where one can expect to undergo a personal transformation and build leadership.”
Director Karin Slater says, “I was born in Empangeni and spent my early years, close to the iMfolozi wilderness. I have a deep love and connection to this area. I know what the wilderness has done for me over the years.”
Sisters of the Wilderness serves as a foundation for an outreach program that will use multiple platforms to re-connect global audiences with nature.
The film also explores the plight of this wilderness area threatened by an open-cast coal mine on its border, as well as the severe poaching that is decimating the rhino population here.
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FAMILY IN TRANSITION, WILD, THE DISTANT BARKING OF DOGS Win Top Awards at 20th Docaviv
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Family in Transition – Ofir Trainin[/caption]
Docaviv, the International Documentary Film Festival, which marks its 20th anniversary this year, announced the winners in a ceremony held at Mindspace Tel- Aviv . This year’s festival which concludes today May 26, has had a record-breaking lineup of 125 Israeli and international documentaries, as well as its first ever Shorts Competition.
2018 Docaviv Winners
ISRAELI COMPETITION
The Howard Gilman Award For the Best Israeli Documentary Film Family in Transition Ofir Trainin Jury’s justification: סרט זה משרטט בעדינות סיפור של With great sensitivity, this film tells the story of identities getting to know themselves and each other anew, and changing right before our eyes. The jury commends the filmmaker for the intimate dynamic he has formed with his subjects and for choosing to make their voices heard, unmediated. An important and timely film, it is a reminder of the power of documentary to refresh our experience of the world and make us question distorted worldviews. Behind the strong bond between subjects and audience is the director’s dedication to his subjects, and when the two meet, the magic happens. Special Jury Award A Perfect Housewife Jane Bibi Jury’s justification: A brave new voice, this filmmaker demonstrates an uncompromising relationship to her craft. Smashing through the restrictive taboos of traditional values, she forges new cinematic pathways to create an unforgettable portrait of the tremendous love that can exist between three generations of women. The Mayor of Tel Aviv-Yafo Award for Best Debut Film Wild Uriel Sinai, Danel Elpeleg Jury’s justification: Jumping between chaos and calm, poetry and humor, man and animal, this film transcends the clichés of its genre, providing a profoundly moving reflection on the fragility and preciousness of life. Best Cinematography Award In The Desert – A Documentary Diptych Cinematograper: Avner Faingulernt Jury’s justification: In this opus, the cinematographer succeeds in crafting through his lens an epic allegory of hope infused with biblical intonations. From the harshest landscapes to the most intimate moments of human interaction, the camera is used with respectful restraint to accentuate the creator’s vision. Best Editing Award The Wounded Healer Editor: Yithzhak Sverdlov Jury’s justification: The editor’s authorial stamp is strong and skillful, weaving the story with great sensitivity and leading us from scene to scene with natural confidence. The editing makes a series of twists and turns while compassionately revealing a complex character coming to terms with his tragic past. Research Award You Only Die Twice Research: Niko Hofinger Jury’s justification: Research is the heart and soul of this film, a film where the director works as investigator, uncovering a personal mystery to reveal a profound truth about family, brotherhood and forgiveness. Best Original Music Award A Sister’s Song Composer: Peter Venne Jury’s justification: In this film, a haunting original score interweaves the film’s competing dualities into the soundscape, fusing together the secular and the sacred worlds, the musical motifs succeed in mirroring the personal stories that unfold before us. AIDC Award for Innovative Filmmaking A Sister’s Song Danae Elon Jury’s justification: This award recognizes the daring vision of a filmmaker who has shown a clear and deep understanding of the filmic language. An authorial stamp marks the film on every level, infusing the text with multiple layers of meaning, resulting in a meditative, thought-provoking journey that continues long after the film concludes. Israeli Competition Best Director Award by Fipresci In The Desert – A Documentary Diptych Avner Faingulernt The International Federation of Film Critics award Jury’s justification: A personal and humane look at both sides of one of the biggest conflict zones in the Middle East. The director of In the Desert finds two separate lyrical languages to tell the film’s stories in a way that serves the differences and similarities between the two sides. Despite being challenging and demanding, the film manages not to patronize the viewers or its subjects. In a film that is tough and gentle at the same time, big concepts like ownership, family, spirituality and calling are all translated into human moments.INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION WINNERS
Best International Film Award The Distant Barking of Dogs Simon Lereng Wilmont Jury’s justification: Set in a village near the Ukraine/Russia frontline this highly accomplished film is a unique window into traumatic experience of growing up next to the battle zone in echoes of artillery fire. The International Competition Main Award goes to Simon Lereng Wilmont’s The Distant Barking of Dogs. Honorable Mention The Waldheim Waltz Ruth Beckermann Jury’s justification: The Honorable Mention goes to a film about truth and lies in politics. The filmmaker follows the investigation of the Jewish World Congress about the military past of the former General Secretary of the United Nations and Austrian President Kurt Waldheim, who has tried to hide his involvement in war crimes in Yugoslavia and Greece during World War II. The film combines private archival footage of the filmmaker with international material and shows how Waldheim and his conservative supporters tried to protect the myth of Austria as a victim of the Third Reich. Ruth Beckermann’s Waldheim Waltz is also a statement against growing populism and sometimes not even hidden anti-Semitism today.DEPTH OF FIELD COMPETITION
Artistic Vision Award Playing Men Matjaž Ivanišin Jury’s justification: For its strong, memorable and vibrant cinematic language, its bold and surprising storytelling and its creative and alternative approach to the way we see men. In Playing Men, the male state of being is addressed in a funny, timely and touching way.SHORTS COMPETITION WINNER
Best Short Film Award Tracing Addai Esther Niemeier Jury’s justification: The winner of the Docaviv Shorts Competition is a true story about a son who disappeared without a trace. Addai, a young man, leaves his mother’s home to join a group of Salafi Syrian fighters and disappears, never to return. The director pieces together fragmented memories, facts and moments into a gentle, story loaded with emotion, yet manages to avoid pathos. The storylines converge into an honest examination of grief, regret and lost hope.WINNERS OF THE STUDENTS COMPETITION IN MEMORY AND HONOR OF RUTHI GOTTESMAN
First Prize My Father’s Son Hillel Rate, Ma’aleh School of Television, Film and the Arts Jury’s justification: For its singular, emotionally stirring characters; for letting us glimpse at a uniquely close father-son relationship from a respectful, loving perspective; for drawing an unconventional portrait of religious masculinity. Second Prize The Bride’s Tree Shadi Habib Allah, Sam Spiegel Film and Television School Jury’s justification: For its gentle, patient and lyrical look at nature and its inhabitants; for dealing with history, identity and legacy as seen through the eyes of children being raised into a grim political reality. Third Prize A Train To The Horizon Sharon Shahanny, Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design Jury’s justification: For turning the spotlight on the backyard of Israeli society and showing its personal and social aspects with sensitivity and humor. The day-to-day life stories the director has brought to the screen depict the complex human reality of life in the south of Israel, the far corner of its social consciousness.
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Don’t Let Oleg Die! Imprisoned Ukrainian Film Director Oleg Sentsov Goes on Hunger Strike
The European Film Academy today released a statement, titled “Don’t Let Oleg Die!’ in support of of Ukrainian filmmaker Oleg Sentsov who has been on a hunger strike for twelve days. Oleg Sentsov, best known for his 2011 film Gamer, is serving a 20-year prison sentence in Russia on charges of plotting terrorism acts.
On its website, EFA states, that the Ukrainian filmmaker Oleg Sentsov, who was involved in supporting the Euro Maidan protests in Kiev and who has opposed the annexation of Crimea by Russia, was arrested by the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation (FSB) in his house in Simferopol on 10 May 2014 and brought to Moscow. On 25 August 2015, he was sentenced to 20 years in jail, a sentence that was confirmed iIn late November 2015 by the Russian Supreme Court in Moscow.
Don’t Let Oleg Die! Today is Day 12 of Ukrainian filmmaker Oleg Sentsov’s indefinite hunger strike which his lawyer Dimitri Dinze reports he full plans to follow through to the death should his demands not be met. Oleg Sentsov, who was involved in supporting the Euro Maidan protests in Kiev and who opposed the annexation of Crimea by Russia, was arrested by the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation (FSB) in his house in Simferopol on 10 May 2014 and brought to Moscow where he was detained and awaiting trial for over a year. Although the key witness had retracted his testimony as given “under duress”, the trial, based on the accusation of Oleg Sentsov having committed “crimes of a terrorist nature”, was continued. Although thousands of signatures supporting an EFA letter to the President of Russia and Russian authorities were gathered across Europe, asking for Sentsov’s immediate release, Oleg Sentsov was sentenced to 20 years in prison. At the end of what Amnesty International described as “an unfair trial in a military court”, in late November 2015 the Russian Supreme Court in Moscow confirmed this sentence and Oleg Sentsov was moved to Yakutia. We are deeply worried so once again we ask that his safety is ensured and that he be released immediately and unconditionally! Please help us to help him, contact your foreign minister, your MP and MEP, and the Russian embassy in your country and ask them to do all they can for the release of Oleg Sentsov! We need to act now! (You can use the template below) With the support of Masha Alyokhina, activist (Pussy Riot), Russia Stephen Daldry, director, UK Mike Downey, producer, UK Dariusz Jablonski, producer, Poland Aki Kaurismäki, director, Finland Mike Leigh, director, UK Ken Loach, director, UK Wojciech Marczewski, director, Poland Daniel Olbrychski, actor, Poland Volker Schlöndorff, director, Germany Béla Tarr, director, Hungary Bertrand Tavernier, director, France Krzysztof Zanussi, director, Poland And 1,750 other members and friends of the European Film Academy as well as institutions including ANAC Associazione Nazionale Autori Cinematografici / National Association of Cinematographic Authors (Italy) APA Audiovisual Producers Association (Czech Republic) Directors UK FERA I Federation of European Film Directors PEN America The Austrian Film Academy The Czech Film Academy The European Producers Club The French Directors’ Guild (SRF) The German Film Academy The Polish Film Academy The Presidium of the Slovak Film and Television Academy (SFTA) The Russian Filmmakers Union Kinosoyuz The Ukrainian Film Academy The Union of Filmmakers of Ukraine Deeply worried, Agnieszka Holland & Wim Wenders PLEASE WRITE TO YOUR FOREIGN MINISTER, YOUR MP AND MEP, AND THE RUSSIAN EMBASSY IN YOUR COUNTRY AND CALL ON THEM TO SECURE OLEG’S SAFETY AND RELEASE. YOU MAY WISH TO USE BELOW TEXT. THANK YOU!!! Dear______________________, Don’t Let Oleg Die! Today Ukrainian filmmaker Oleg Sentsov is on day 12 of an indefinite hunger strike which his lawyer Dimitri Dinze reports he full plans to follow through to the death should his demands not be met. Oleg Sentsov, who was involved in supporting the Euro Maidan protests in Kiev and who opposed the annexation of Crimea by Russia, was arrested by the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation (FSB) in his house in Simferopol on 10 May 2014 and brought to Moscow where he was detained and awaiting trial for over a year. Although the key witness had retracted his testimony as given “under duress”, the trial, based on the accusation of Oleg Sentsov having committed “crimes of a terrorist nature”, was continued and at the end of what Amnesty International described as “an unfair trial in a military court”, Oleg Sentsov was sentenced to 20 years in prison. In late November 2015 the Russian Supreme Court in Moscow confirmed this sentence and Oleg Sentsov was moved to Yakutia, where he has now started his hunger strike. I am deeply worried so I call on you to make sure that his safety is ensured and that he be released immediately and unconditionally! My name: My address:
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THE MOST DANGEROUS YEAR, Doc about Transgender Fight, to World Premiere at Seattle Int’l Film Festival [Trailer]
The Most Dangerous Year, a new documentary by Vlada Knowlton, about transgender fight in Washington state, will world premiere at the 2018 Seattle International Film Festival on May 29 and June 2.
In early 2016, when a dark wave of anti-transgender “bathroom bills” began sweeping across the nation, The Hu-man Rights Campaign published a report identifying 2016 as the most dangerous year for transgender Americans. In Washington State six such “bathroom bills” were introduced in the State Legislature. Documentary filmmaker Vlada Knowlton captured the ensuing civil rights battle from the perspective of a small group of embattled parents as they banded together to fight a deluge of proposed laws that would strip away the rights of their young, trans-gender children. As one of the parents, Knowlton presents an intimate portrait of her own struggle to protect her 5-year-old transgender daughter from laws inspired by hate and fear.
From tension-filled Senate hearings in Olympia to intimate household settings of the families involved; from thought provoking conversations with key lawmakers to elucidating facts explained by leading scientists – The Most Dangerous Year explores the transgender civil rights battle in all its richness and complexity. While the film follows the story and outcome of anti-transgender legislation in Washington, it culminates in a moving victory for Knowlton and the other families who, it turns out, won the battle before it even began. They won the moment they made the decision to accept and support their kids for exactly who they are
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR: Vlada Knowlton
Vlada is a Seattle-based filmmaker. Her first documentary feature, HAVING IT ALL, was selected by Washington’s PBS station, KCTS9, as the anchor program for its “Women Who Inspire” series in August, 2015, and went on to also be broadcast by Oregon Public Broadcasting. Its online premiere, presented by the organizations Flexjobs and 1 Million For Work Flexibility, was a press-covered event that included a panel discussion with Kelly Wallace of CNN. Her current documentary, The Most Dangerous Year, was awarded the Professional Grant from Women in Film Seattle and an Open 4Culture Grant. Prior to becoming a filmmaker Vlada worked at Microsoft. She holds a B.Sc. in Psychology from McGill University and a Ph.D. in Cognitive Science from Brown University. https://vimeo.com/264539442
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Danish Actress Trine Dyrholm To Present NICO, 1988 at Karlovy Vary Film Festival [Trailer]
The Karlovy Vary festival’s Horizons section will present the music biopic Nico, 1988, with a personal introduction from Danish actress Trine Dyrholm, who plays the title character.
Nico, 1988 charts the final chapters in the artistic career of music icon Nico, birth name Christa Päffgen. Most often talked about as Warhol’s muse or in connection with the band the Velvet Underground, Päffgen lived a dramatic life full of intensity, one that ultimately saw her rebirth as an artist and her discovery of herself as a woman and mother.
“Trine Dyrholm was key to the film,” says director Susanna Nicchiarelli about her lead actor. “Her contribution to my film and to me personally was tremendous. Trine gave Nico energy and vitality; she provided the movie with the exact amount of energy that was needed.”
Trine Dyrholm started out as the singer for the popular Danish band The Moonlighters. She studied acting and is one of the busiest actors working in Denmark today. Her movie credits include Thomas Vinterberg’s Festen (1998), the comedy In China They Eat Dogs (1999), and the Oscar-nominated historical drama A Royal Affair (2012). In 2016 at the Berlinale she picked up a Silver Bear for best actress in Vinterberg’s The Commune (2016).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38RBdHtWkWo
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Film Projects by Manuel Abramovich, Grigory Kolomytsev, Elena López Riera, Arantza Santesteban, and Nele Wohlatz Selected for 4th Ikusmira Berriak
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CHUPACABRA[/caption]
Filmmakers from Germany, Argentina, Spain, and Russia will develop their audiovisual projects within the framework of the Ikusmira Berriak program, which is celebrating its fourth edition this year.
The selection committee, which is comprised of members from the Tabakalera International Centre for Contemporary Culture, the San Sebastian Film Festival and, for the first time, Elías Querejeta Zine Eskola, has selected the following projects out of the 155 offerings received from 31 countries: in the international category, El oasis, by Argentine filmmaker Manuel Abramovich (Buenos Aires, 1987) and Dormen os peixes de olhos abertos, by Nele Wohlatz (Hannover, Germany, 1982); in the Spanish filmmaker category, El agua, by Elena López Riera (Orihuela, Spain, 1982); among filmmakers residing in the Basque Autonomous Community, 918 gau, by Arantza Santesteban (Pamplona, Spain, 1979); and among Nest alumni (International Film Students Meeting), Chupacabra, by Grigory Kolomytsev (Krasnodar, Russia, 1990).
Projects on daily life in prison, the porn industry, legends, childhood, and alienation inspire the five chosen offerings. The fifth project was chosen thanks to Elías Querejeta Zine Eskola’s partnership in the audiovisual residency program organised by the Tabakalera International Centre for Contemporary Culture and the San Sebastian Film Festival.
Several of the filmmakers chosen have enjoyed considerable success at international festivals. Abramovich has premiered his films in Berlin and Karlovy Vary, where he received a special mention, and last year Soldado, his latest film, was shown at Zabaltegi-Tabakalera; López Riera has presented two of her productions at the Director’s Fortnight in Cannes and Locarno; and Nele Wohlatz won the award for Best First Feature in Locarno and Zinebi with El Futuro Perfecto. Kolomytsev was selected two years in a row (2016 and 2017) at Nest, and the Arantza Santesteban’s latest work, co-directed with Irati Gorostidi, was shown at the last Festival in the Zinemira selection, at the Kimuak catalogue sessions for professionals.
PROJECTS
918 GAU
ARANTZA SANTESTEBAN (SPAIN) In the minuscule cell of a police van, a woman that has spent many years in prison told me: to be able to explain what prison is like, you need to have slept in one. Nearly a decade ago, I spent 918 nights in prison. This film is about what it means to live in an isolated world without images. Director’s bio/filmography A history graduate of the University of the Basque Country. She holds a degree in Creative Documentary from the Centre de Dones Francesca Bonemaison (2012, Barcelona). Likewise, she has trained in Documentary Film Writing with Carmen Ávalos (2013, Barcelona). She has carried out specific training with Víctor Erice (2015, San Sebastian) and Patricio Guzmán (2016, Madrid). In 2012, she began to work as a director in various documentaries, including the noteworthy Passatgeres, her first work. Together with others, she curated the GORPUTZ_GRAFIAK exhibition at the Koldo Mitxelena cultural centre (San Sebastian) in 2015. This work brings together genealogy and research work from the Basque Country’s feminist movement. Together with Irati Gorostidi, she directed Euritan in 2017, which was selected in the 2017 Kimuak catalogue. She has made the rounds at festivals such as San Sebastian, Punto de Vista, Miradas Doc, and the Malaga Film Festival. In 2017, she was selected by the Huarte Centre of Contemporary Art to carry out a curatorial research residency, through which she will curate the Imágenes a través: reflexiones sobre imágenes en conflictos (‘Traversing images: reflections on images in conflict’) international seminar in June of 2018. She is a researcher of the Communication, culture, society, and politics master’s program (UNED-Spain), and studies questions that relate to cinematographic representation, feminism, and contemporary political conflicts. Director’s note There are numerous cinematographic narratives about prison, however, in my opinion, they are always missing something. What these images reflect are not daily conditions in prison, but ways in which the popular consciousness about them works. Cells, yards, fences, organised crime, terrorism, and drugs… These are elements that are a part of our prior characterisations. However, it is practically impossible to represent questions that are fundamental to understanding daily life in prison: the passing of time, isolation from the outside world, the physical and psychological consequences of confinement, opaque spaces of domination, etc. This film will address those topics.CHUPACABRA
GRIGORY KOLOMYTSEV (RUSSIA) Nine years old Andrey lives on the outskirt of a small village near the White Sea. Nervous, tired of poverty and fatherlessness mother keeps Andrey in constant tension and beats him. She threatens to send his son to the orphanage at the slightest misconduct from his side. Once Andrey finds a dead dog on the seashore in a storm – he decides that it is a mystical beast “Chupacabra”, a goat vampire, which will save his mother from ills and help them to reunite. Andrey heard on TV that whom Chupacabra bites at the full moon will become Chupacabra himself. Andrey scratches his hand the dead fang. Director’s bio/filmography Grigory Kolomytsev (1990, Russia) graduated from the Russian State University of Cinematography (VGIK) in 2017 (workshop of the Kott brothers). His debut short film Three Sisters (2015) was Semifinalist of the 43d Student Academy Awards. His next short work Mary was shown at more then 60 festivals including San Sebastian, Cairo, Camerimage, ZINEBI, etc. In 2017 he shooted his diploma film I’m Staying on the Black sea shore where he spent his childhood. It was shown at San Sebastian, Premiers Plans – Festival D’Angers, Winterthur etc. Chupacabra will be his debut feature film. Director’s note For me it is very important to make a debut picture about childhood – the necessary distance has already been passed, but feelings and memories are still hot. I was born near the sea. There was my first death experence. Sound of waves and wind is the sound of my childhood, tears of mother is my main humane feeling. Andrey, this small autistic boy, sincerely believes that there is no death, that he can find love by sacrificing himself. This is a film about the ordeal of a little Holy child. It is a “Life of Saint Andrey”.DORMEN OS PEIXES DE OLHOS ABERTOS
NELE WOHLATZ (GERMANY) Three outsiders in a tropical city, passing through places that could be anywhere. A condominium tower with white, empty rooms, made in China bric-a-brac stores, a shark-infested beach, the sea. Lixue, Ah, and Bo live in a reality that sometimes seems like fiction and, perhaps, a prediction of the future for the world’s cities. Three verses in an incomplete song, but who is speaking through whom? The alienation of the tree, who are so different, yet so similar. Director’s bio/filmography Nele Wohlatz (1982, Hannover) studied art and film in Karlsruhe and Buenos Aires. She created the short films La mochila perfecta and Tres oraciones sobre la Argentina, and co-directed Ricardo Bär. The first full-length film she directed on her own was El futuro perfecto, which was shown at more than 60 international festivals and won numerous awards, including such as the Best First Feature award at Locarno. Director’s note Recife is a city with a great deal of history, yet it seems that urban development is focused on erasing its mark and replacing it with the feeling of an airport: generic towers with private security surrounded by high walls, shopping centres, and urban highways that connect these locations. I want to make a film could take place anywhere, because it is about people that came for different reasons, but do not belong in their new city. After my first visit to Recife I thought, why not here? Behind its anonymous face, the city is full of ruptures, warmth, and peculiarities.
EL AGUA
ELENA LÓPEZ RIERA (SPAIN) It is summertime, and the threat of a powerful storm hangs over a town in the Spanish Levant. Ana is 17 years old and has grown up in the shadows of her mother who disappeared in the last flood, becoming phantasmagorical legend, a character for the townswomen who say that the water there is always mixed with death. In this electric atmosphere before the storm, Ana meets Jose, her first love. Director’s bio/filmography Elena López holds a doctorate in Audiovisual Communication and is a filmmaker. She has directed Pueblo (2015), which debuted at the Director’s Fortnight in Cannes, and Las vísceras (2016), which premiered at the Locarno Festival. She is a member of the Lacasinegra collective, through which she co-directed Pas à Genève. She has also worked as a producer for the Seville, Belfort, and Visions du Réel festivals. Director’s note I was born in Orihuela, a town in the Spanish Levant divided by the Segura, one of Europe’s most polluted rivers. I grew up with my mother, my grandmother, and my aunts, surrounded by women that used to tell all kinds of stories to take the ease off the long afternoons of asphyxiating heat. These stories almost always had a true origin (based on events, secrets whispered between neighbours, or family stories), but changed with each new version until some of them became truly fantastic tales. This is surely why I decided, one day, to make films. It was my way of participating in this popular, collective tale that does not distinguish between history and poetry.EL OASIS
MANUEL ABRAMOVICH (ARGENTINA) “Why do you want to do porn?” they ask at the casting. “Because I love to feign pleasure”. How does pleasure itself become a performance? If an adult film actor transforms their sexuality into a show, where do they find true pleasure? Director’s bio/filmography Manuel Abramovich (Buenos Aires, 1987) is a director, producer, and directory of photography. His work challenges the limits between reality and fiction, and reflects on the concept of an author in so-called ‘documentary filmmaking’. He has directed La Reina (2013), Las Luces (2014), Solar (2016), Soldado (2017), and Años Luz (2017). His works have received numerous awards, and have been shown at festivals and artistic institutions such as the Berlinale, Venice, San Sebastian, MoMA, Cinéma du Réel, IDFA, Tribeca, Tabakalera, Film Society of Lincoln Center, BAFICI, and Documenta Madrid. He was selected for various grants and residencies, including the Fondo Nacional de las Artes (Buenos Aires), Tres Puertos (Mexico and Chile), EMARE (Germany), and others. Currently, he is developing a trilogy focused on sex work and pornography in three cities: Berlin, Mexico City, and Buenos Aires. Años Luz, 2017, Argentina/Spain/Brazil, 72′. Soldado, 2017, Argentina, 73′. Solar, 2016, Argentina, 75′. Las Luces, 2014, Argentina, 6′. La Reina, 2013, Argentina, 19′. Director’s note El Oasis is a film on the construction of intimacy as a show. This is also the second piece of a trilogy that I am producing on the male body used as a business, focused on pornography and sex work in three cities (Berlin, Mexico City, and Buenos Aires). I am interested in the porn industry as a context to talk about sex in a world where the self is constructed by others, where we must be connected to exist and be seen. How does the body itself become a performance? How does pleasure act? The five filmmakers will enjoy a residency of six weeks in San Sebastian from 20 August. In the first four, the filmmakers will develop their projects at Tabakalera’s Creator’s Space, and will receive master classes and guidance from members of this edition’s expert committee, which includes Irish producer Fodhla Cronin O’Reilly, Brazilian filmmaker Sergio Oksman and TorinoFilmLab director, Savina Neirotti, who have guided the judges panel in their selection. In the fifth week of the residency, the participants will prepare the pitching session, which involves a project presentation to the industry during the sixth and final week of the residency. The session is part of the San Sebastian Film Festival. The residents will have the opportunity to arrange meetings with attending professionals who are interested in collaborating in their projects, and will receive an access pass to screenings and the Festival’s other industry activities. Ikusmira Berriak will also provide financial support amounting to 25,000 euros, which will be distributed among the projects selected. In addition, REC Grabaketa Estudioa will offer its feature film post-production services as a prize, which is valued at 35,000 euros. Ikusmira Berriak is a program that seeks to involve new talent as well as producers and people from the audiovisual industry who support innovation and new languages. It is organised by Tabakalera, the San Sebastian Film Festival and Elías Querejeta Zine Eskola in collaboration with REC Grabaketa Estudioa and the Basque Film Archive, and is part of the San Sebastian 2016 European Capital of Culture legacy.
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Watch First Official Trailer for Dark Comedy THE SISTERS BROTHERS Starring Joaquin Phoenix, Jake Gyllenhaal
Brothers by blood. Sisters by name. Here is the first official trailer for dark comedy The Sisters Brothers. The film, written and directed by Jacques Audiard, stars Joaquin Phoenix, John C. Reilly, Jake Gyllenhaal, and Riz Ahmed; and will be released in theaters in Fall 2018.
Based on Patrick Dewitt’s acclaimed novel of the same name, follows two brothers – Eli and Charlie Sisters – who are hired to kill a prospector who has stolen from their boss. The story, a genre-hybrid with comedic elements, takes place in Oregon in 1851. The film is Jacques Audiard’s follow-up to his Palme D’Or Winning DHEEPAN, which premiered at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OwvqKwTKmE
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Actress Emma Thompson to Receive 2018 CineMerit Award at Munich Filmfest
British actress and screenwriter Emma Thompson will receive the 2018 CineMerit Award at Munich International Film festival. In Munich, Emma Thompson will not only present her latest film, “The Children Act“, but will also meet the audience up close at the Filmmakers Live discussion in the Black Box at the Gasteig cultural center. In further homage to Emma Thompson, Munich International Film festival will also be showing three fantastic films in which she has previously starred: “Howards End”, “Sense and Sensibility”, and “Nanny McPhee”.
Witty, charming, profound: Emma Thompson is multitalented. In some 80 films, adapting everything from the works of Shakespeare to Harry Potter, the British actress has portrayed a wide variety of characters alongside Kate Winslet, Meryl Streep, Helena Bonham Carter, Anthony Hopkins, Alan Rickman, Tom Hanks, and many others. Thompson has succeeded in doing what no one else had done before: she received an Academy Award for best actress for her leading role in “Howards End” as well as one for best writing for her screenplay adaptation of Jane Austen’s “Sense and Sensibility”.
“In Emma Thompson, we welcome to the film festival a terrific actress who not only has an incredible sense of humor but who is also very modern and emancipated. The entire festival team is thrilled,” says festival director Diana Iljine. “Honoring Emma Thompson with the CineMerit Award makes an important statement at a time when the film industry is undergoing change. For many years, she has campaigned for equal rights as well as for prudent feminism. This makes her a wonderful example to young women.”
For the film festival, Emma Thompson is bringing her latest film, “The Children Act”, to Munich. In this film adaptation of Ian McEwan’s novel of the same title, Thompson plays Fiona Maye, a High Court judge specializing in family law. The case of a 17-year-old Jehovah’s Witness affects Fiona and her ailing marriage more than she could have imagined. In accordance with his religious beliefs, the teenage leukemia patient refuses a blood transfusion that could save his life. Is his young life more valuable than his religious devotion? Dealing with the boy causes Judge Fiona Maye to experience emotions that she has long suppressed.
Thompson’s acting career began with brief sketches as a member of the Cambridge Footlights, the university theatrical club that produced such comedy greats as Monty Python and Fry & Laurie. The London native soon stood out for her tragic roles, as with only the slightest of facial expressions, she is able to make her characters deeply human — something that few others have mastered. Time and again, her parts have included those of women who dissent with the norms and rules of society and their position in it. The three other films that Munich International Film festival is showing in homage to Emma Thompson have this in common:
In 1993, for “Howards End”, Emma Thompson received the Academy Award for best actress as well as Britain’s renowned BAFTA award. E. M. Foster’s novel was the basis for the story of two young women who find themselves in the world of an extremely affluent family. The estate Howards End comes to symbolize freedom and independence to the Victorian petty bourgeois. Helena Bonham Carter and Emma Thompson play two sisters caught up in a conflict between their youthful attempts at independence and the restraints that the customs of their time impose on them.
Emma Thompson’s love of literature and language is evident not only in the many film adaptations in which she’s acted, but also in her work as a screenwriter. In 1995, she adapted “Sense and Sensibility” for the screen, which earned her a second Academy Award. Munich International Film festival proudly presents this masterpiece by Ang Lee, starring Kate Winslet in one of her earliest roles.
In “Nanny McPhee”, however, the author is a little less benign. As the quirky, homely and strict governess of the title, she magically transforms Mr. Brown’s unruly children into well-behaved little angels. Here, too, Thompson demonstrated her literary talent as screenwriter and combined this with her precise acting.
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Karlovy Vary’s People Next Door Section Will Present Oscar-Winning Short Film THE SILENT CHILD [Trailer]
For the third time the Karlovy Vary IFF will present the People Next Door program section, focusing on films with hearing-impaired protagonists.
One of the motion pictures presented in People Next Door will be The Silent Child (2017), which took this year’s Academy Award® for Best Live Action Short Film. This emotive movie will be presented by actress and screenwriter Rachel Shenton and director Chris Overton.
The Silent Child tells the story of a four-year-old profoundly deaf girl who, thanks to a social worker played by Rachel Shenton, emerges from a world of silence by means of sign language. The script was inspired by the personal experiences of the British actress and writer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxwBd9OMOC4
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LOVE, CECIL, Lisa Immordino Vreeland’s Portrait of Style Icon Cecil Beaton, Sets Release Date [Trailer]
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Cecil Beaton Selfies Late 1910’s[/caption]
Zeitgeist Films, in association with Kino Lorber, will release LOVE, CECIL, a documentary portrait of the legendary Cecil Beaton directed by Lisa Immordino Vreeland (Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has To Travel, Peggy Guggenheim: Art Addict).
Winner of the Hamptons International Film Festival’s Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature, the film premiered at the 2017 Telluride Film Festival and went on to screen at a number of festivals including DOC NYC and Palm Springs. LOVE, CECIL will open in New York on Friday, June 29 at the Film Society of Lincoln Center’s Elinor Bunin Munroe Film Center with a national rollout to follow.
Photographer, Oscar-winning set and costume designer (My Fair Lady, Gigi), writer, painter, and self-professed dandy Cecil Beaton was not only a dazzling chronicler, but an arbiter of his time. From the Bright Young Things to the front lines of war to the international belle monde and the pages of Vogue, and then onto the Queen’s official photographer—Beaton embodied the cultural and political changes of the twentieth century. In this tender portrait, director Lisa Immordino Vreeland blends evocative archival footage and photographs with excerpts from his diaries—wittily narrated by Rupert Everett—to capture his legacy as a complex and unique creative force. Dynamic and lyrical, LOVE, CECIL is an examination of Beaton’s singular sense of the visual, which dictated a style that set standards of creativity that continue to resonate and inspire today.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xznzK0EOwfs
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“To A More Perfect Union: U.S. V. Windsor” Shines Spotlight on LGBTQ Icon Edie Windsor [Trailer]
Filmmaker Donna Zaccaro’s illuminating new documentary “To A More Perfect Union: U.S. V. Windsor” shines a powerful light on historic LGBTQ civil rights figure Edie Windsor. CineLife Entertainment will bring the Ferrodonna Features Inc. acclaimed documentary to more than 150 screens nationwide beginning on June 7, 2018 with Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, San Francisco, D.C., Denver, Atlanta, Austin, Palm Springs, San Diego, etc. timed to the anniversary of this landmark Supreme Court decision.
The film features interviews with notable voices in this civil rights battle, including: Roberta Kaplan (Windsor Attorney), Pam Karlan (Windsor Legal Team & Co-Director, Stanford Supreme Court Litigation Clinic), Rosie O’Donnell (Comedian, Actor & Activist), Frank Rich (Writer-At-Large, NY Magazine), Hilary Rosen (Communications Advisor & LGBT Activist), Richard Socarides (White House Special Assistant & Advisor to President Clinton), Matt Staver (Founder & Chairman of Liberty Counsel), Jeff Toobin (CNN Legal Analyst & New Yorker Staff Writer), Nina Totenberg (Legal Affairs Correspondent for National Public Radio), Tony West (Former Associate U.S. Attorney General), Edie Windsor (Plaintiff), Evan Wolfson (Founder & President of Freedom to Marry), among others.
“It is a true privilege to be working with Donna and the Ferrodonna team on this brilliant and important film” said CineLife Entertainment’s Managing Director Mark Rupp. “We look forward to bringing Edith Windsor’s story to a discerning audience on big screens across the US for Pride Month.”
“To A More Perfect Union: U.S. V. Windsor” shares a rich tapestry of love, marriage, and a fight for equality. The film chronicles unlikely heroes — octogenarian Edie Windsor and her attorney, Roberta Kaplan, on their quest for justice. Upon the death of her spouse Thea Spyer, Windsor was forced to pay a huge estate tax bill because the government denied federal benefits to same-sex couples. Windsor became a renowned LGBTQ civil rights advocate when she chose to sue the United States government to recognize her more than 40 year union– and won. Windsor and Kaplan’s legal and personal journeys go beyond the story of this pivotal case in the marriage equality movement as Zaccaro tells the story of our journey as a culture, and as a country that promises its citizens equal rights for all.
“To A More Perfect Union: U.S. V. Windsor” Director/Producer Donna Zaccaro is the Founder & President of Ferrodonna Features Inc., a non-profit film production company with a mission of producing films about women, women’s issues, and social justice issues. Previously, Zaccaro Directed/Produced “Geraldine Ferraro: Paving the Way,” the critically acclaimed documentary about the trailblazer who made history as the first woman to run for national office on a major party ticket, which debuted on Showtime. Prior to founding her media production company, Zaccaro was an award-winning producer for the “Today” show at NBC News.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2W4CfhlA_6c
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Director Barry Levinson to Receive Award at Karlovy Vary Festival
Screenwriter-producer-director Barry Levinson, who won an Academy Award for Rain Man, will accept the Crystal Globe for Outstanding Artistic Contribution to World Cinema at this year’s Karlovy Vary festival.
The Karlovy Vary festival continues its tradition of recognizing the most important personalities of world cinema, the likes of which include directors William Friedkin, Jerry Schatzberg, and Ken Loach, and screenwriter Paul Laverty. In his writing and directing capacity, Academy Award winner and five-time nominee Barry Levinson deftly combines personal stories with an often satirical look at society, and his movies have fundamentally influenced numerous young filmmakers.
Barry Levinson established himself as a writer of successful television shows. With his onetime wife, Valerie Curtin, he then wrote the movie script for Norman Jewison’s courtroom drama …and justice for all (1979), which brought them an Oscar nomination. He debuted as a director with the comedy-drama Diner (1982), receiving his second Oscar nomination for the script. Ivan Král, a Czech musician based in the US, co-wrote the film music.
Subsequent titles confirmed his reputation with critics and audiences: The Natural (1984) with Robert Redford, Tin Men (1987) with Richard Dreyfuss and Danny DeVito, and Good Morning, Vietnam (1987) with Robin Williams.
This year marks the 30th anniversary of the legendary picture Rain Man (1988), awarded four Oscars (e.g. Best Director for Barry Levinson) and numerous other honors, including the Golden Bear at the Berlinale and the David di Donatello for Best Foreign Film. Under Levinson’s guidance, Dustin Hoffman turned in one of his most memorable performances and Tom Cruise extended his star status while paired up with onscreen girlfriend Valeria Golino. His next movie, the drama Avalon (1991), earned Levinson another Oscar nomination, this time for Best Original Screenplay. The Warren Beatty vehicle Bugsy (1991), based on the life of the well-known gangster, brought Levinson another two Academy Award nominations – for best director and picture.
Recently turned 20, Levinson’s movie Wag the Dog is a behind-the-scenes political parody (once again) starring Dustin Hoffman in an Oscar-nominated role. The film earned Barry Levinson a Silver Bear – Special Jury Prize at Berlinale in 1998.
Similar to his work with Hoffman, with whom he also shot the drama Sleepers (1996) and the sci-fi picture Sphere (1998), he teams up with other Hollywood stars for multiple productions, including Robert De Niro (Wag the Dog, What Just Happened, 2008) and Robin Williams (Toys, 1992; Man of the Year, 2006).
Levinson produces the majority of his movies and has backed a number of ambitious project by other directors, among others Mike Newell’s crime drama Donnie Brasco (1997) and Neil LaBute’s romantic drama Possession (2002).
Barry Levinson will present his latest directorial effort at KVIFF, the HBO-produced drama Paterno, and will introduce Rain Man and the timeless satire Wag the Dog.