ALL THIS VICTORY (JEEDAR EL SOT) (2018)

  • JOKER and Roman Polanski’s J’ACCUSE Win Top Awards at Venice Film Festival 2019. Complete List of Award Winners

    J'Accuse (An Officer and a Spy) directed by Roman Polanski
    J’Accuse (An Officer and a Spy) directed by Roman Polanski

    Joker directed by Todd Phillips won the Golden Lion for Best Film at the 2019 Venice International Film Festival, with the Silver Lion – Grand Jury Prize going to J’Accuse (An Officer and a Spy) by Roman Polanski.

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  • Venice International Film Critics’ Week 2019 Announces Lineup

    Sanctorum directed by Joshua Gil
    Sanctorum directed by Joshua Gil

    The 34th Venice International Film Critics’ Week (SIC) which runs August 28th to September 7th, 2019, is an independent and parallel section organized by the National Union of Italian Film Critics (SNCCI) during the 76th Venice International Film Festival. The program includes a selection of seven debut films in competition and two special events out of competition, all presented in world premiere screenings.

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  • ‘I Do Not Care If We Go Down in History as Barbarians’ Wins Top Prize at 53rd Karlovy Vary International Film Festival

    [caption id="attachment_30637" align="aligncenter" width="1151"]'I Do Not Care If We Go Down in History as Barbarians' Wins Top Prize at 53rd Karlovy Vary International Film Festival Olmo Omerzu, Jiří Konečný, Ada Solomon, Radu Jude (Film Servis Festival Karlovy Vary)[/caption] “I Do Not Care If We Go Down in History as Barbarians” from Romanian film director Radu Jude won the Crystal Globe for Best Feature Film at the 53rd Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. In the film Radu Jude takes up a massacre perpetrated by the Romanian Administration through the Romanian Army on the Eastern Front in 1941, an actual event that a young activist artist decides to stage. “As we are in the Czech Republic and my film was made with the Czech co-production, I would like to thank all the Czech people involved, primarily Jiří Konečný”, said Radu Jude. Barry Levinson received the Právo Audience Award for his thirty-year old movie Rain Man. Levinson also received the Crystal Globe for Outstanding Artistic Contribution to World Cinematography at the Closing Ceremony. “This is really a wonderful festival and an incredible experience for us. And also an extraordinary honour for a boy from Baltimore to be now granted an award for outstanding artistic contribution to world cinema here in the Czech Republic. Film is an artistic form that interconnects the whole world. While differing feelings drive us apart, we should bear in mind that we are in fact all quite similar,” the director expressed his gratitude. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jv4q3sWs8wE The 54th Karlovy Vary IFF will be held from June 28th to July 6th, 2019.

    53rd Karlovy Vary IFF Awards

    OFFICIAL SELECTION – COMPETITION

    GRAND JURY Mark Cousins, United Kingdom Zrinka Cvitešić, Croatia Marta Donzelli, Italy Zdeněk Holý, Czech Republic Nanouk Leopold, Netherlands

    GRAND PRIX – CRYSTAL GLOBE (25 000 USD)

    “I Do Not Care If We Go Down in History as Barbarians” / „Îmi este indiferent dacă în istorie vom intra cabarbari” Directed by: Radu Jude Romania, Czech Republic, France, Bulgaria, Germany, 2018

    SPECIAL JURY PRIZE (15 000 USD)

    Sueño Florianópolis / Sueño Florianópolis Directed by: Ana Katz Argentina, Brasil, France, 2018

    BEST DIRECTOR AWARD

    Olmo Omerzu for the film Winter Flies / Všechno bude Czech Republic, Slovenia, Poland, Slovakia, 2018

    BEST ACTRESS AWARD

    Mercedes Morán for her role in the film Sueño Florianópolis / Sueño Florianópolis Directed by: Ana Katz Argentina, Brasil, France, 2018

    BEST ACTOR AWARD

    Moshe Folkenflik for his role in the film Redemption / Geula Directed by: Joseph Madmony, Boaz Yehonatan Yacov Israel, 2018

    SPECIAL JURY MENTION

    Jumpman / Podbrosy Directed by: Ivan I. Tverdovskiy Russia, Lithuania, Ireland, France, 2018

    SPECIAL JURY MENTION

    History of Love / Zgodovina ljubezni Directed by: Sonja Prosenc Slovenia, Italy, Norway, 2018

    EAST OF THE WEST – COMPETITION

    EAST OF THE WEST JURY Peter Badač, Slovakia Iris Elezi, Albania Myriam Sassine, Lebanon Dounia Sichov, France Andrei Tănăsescu, Romania

    EAST OF THE WEST GRAND PRIX (15 000 USD)

    Suleiman Mountain / Suleiman gora Directed by: Elizaveta Stishova Kyrgyzstan, Russia, 2017

    EAST OF THE WEST SPECIAL JURY PRIZE (10 000 USD)

    Blossom Valley / Virágvölgy Directed by: László Csuja Hungary, 2018

    DOCUMENTARY FILMS – COMPETITION

    DOCUMENTARY FILMS JURY Raúl Camargo, Chile M. Siam, Egypt Diana Tabakov, Czech Republic

    GRAND PRIX FOR BEST DOCUMENTARY FILM (5 000 USD)

    Putin’s Witnesses / Svideteli Putina Directed by: Vitaly Mansky Latvia, Switzerland, Czech Republic, 2018

    DOCUMENTARY SPECIAL JURY PRIZE

    Walden / Walden Directed by: Daniel Zimmermann Switzerland, Austria, 2018

    PRÁVO AUDIENCE AWARD

    Rain Man / Rain Man Directed by: Barry Levinson USA, 1988 CRYSTAL GLOBE FOR OUTSTANDING ARTISTIC CONTRIBUTION TO WORLD CINEMA Tim Robbins, USA CRYSTAL GLOBE FOR OUTSTANDING ARTISTIC CONTRIBUTION TO WORLD CINEMA Barry Levinson, USA FESTIVAL PRESIDENT’S AWARD Robert Pattinson, United Kingdom FESTIVAL PRESIDENT’S AWARD FOR CONTRIBUTION TO CZECHCINEMATOGRAPHY Jaromír Hanzlík, Czech Republic

    NON-STATUTORY AWARDS

    AWARD OF INTERNATIONAL FILM CRITICS (FIPRESCI)

    Awarded by The International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI). FIPRESCI JURY René Marx, France Marita Nyrhinen, Finland Alejandra Trelles, Uruguay Sueño Florianópolis / Sueño Florianópolis Directed by: Ana Katz Argentina, Brasil, France, 2018

    THE ECUMENICAL JURY AWARD

    THE ECUMENICAL JURY Michael Otřísal, Czech Republic Milja Radovic, United Kingdom David Sipoš, Slovenia Redemption / Geula Directed by: Joseph Madmony, Boaz Yehonatan Yacov Israel, 2018

    Commendations

    Winter Flies / Všechno bude Directed by: Olmo Omerzu Czech Republic, Slovenia, Poland, Slovakia, 2018 Miriam Lies / Miriam miente Directed by: Natalia Cabral, Oriol Estrada Dominican Republic, Spain 2018

    FEDEORA AWARD

    Awarded by the Federation of Film Critics of Europe and the Mediterranean (FEDEORA) to the best film from the East of the West – Competition. FEDEORA JURY Stefan Dobroiu, Romania Natascha Drubek, Germany Nenad Dukić, Serbia Suleiman Mountain / Suleiman gora Directed by: Elizaveta Stishova Kyrgyzstan, Russia, 2017

    EUROPA CINEMAS LABEL AWARD

    For the best European film in the Official Selection – Competition and in the East of the West – Competition. EUROPA CINEMAS LABEL JURY Daira Āboliņa, Latvia Simon Blaas, Netherlands Balázs Kalmanovits, Hungary Jan Makosch, Germany “I Do Not Care If We Go Down in History as Barbarians” / „Îmi este indiferent dacă în istorie vom intra ca barbari” Directed by: Radu Jude Romania, Czech Republic, France, Bulgaria, Germany, 2018

    WORKS IN PROGRESS, DOCS IN PROGRESS AND EURIMAGES LAB PROJECT AWARD AT KVIFF 2018

    WORKS IN PROGRESS (100,000 Euro) JURY Matthijs Wouter Knol, Germany Rossitsa Valkanova, Bulgaria Rickard Olsson, Sweden During Works in Progress, eleven projects were presented from countries of Central and Eastern Europe, the Balkans, the former Soviet Union, and now also the Middle East. A prize in the value of 100,000 Euro will be given to the project. The whole award consists of post-production services in UPP (60,000 Euro), Soundsquare (30,000 Euro), and a cash prize of 10,000 Euro from Barrandov Studio. All This Victory / All This Victory Director: Ahmad Ghossein Producer: Georges Schoucair, Myriam Sassine, Marie-Pierre Macia, Claire Gadéa, Fabian Massah Lebanon, France, Germany

    DOCS IN PROGRESS (5,000 Euro)

    JURY Tanja Georgieva, Germany Noemi Schory, Israel Shane Smith, Canada Ten projects from Central and Eastern Europe, the Balkans, the former Soviet Union, and the Middle East were presented within Docs in Progress event which introduced new documentary films that will premiere after the Karlovy Vary IFF. The winning film received a cash prize in the amount of 5,000 Euro. The Projectionist / The Projectionist Director: Yuriy Shylov Producer: Gennady Kofman, Olha Beskhmelnytsina, Dirk Simon, Miroslaw Dembinski Ukraine, Germany, Poland A Special Mention was awarded to the Polish project Little Poland by Matej Bobrik.

    EURIMAGES LAB PROJECT AWARD (50,000 Euro)

    JURY David Kořínek, Czech Republic Dorien van de Pas, Netherlands Christoph Terhechte, Germany KVIFF is the first of four international film festivals in Europe to be awarding the Eurimage prize. KVIFF has selected projects for the Eurimage prize that surpass traditional film methods and are based on international cooperation. The prize was awarded in the value of 50,000 Euro. Eight Eurimages projects were presented at the KVIFF. Normal / Normal Director: Adele Tulli Producer: Valeria Adilardi, Laura Romano, Luca Ricciardi Italy, Sweden

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  • Works in Progress, Eurimages Lab Project and Docs in Progress Prizes Awarded at 2018 Karlovy Vary International Film Festival

    [caption id="attachment_30602" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]ALL THIS VICTORY by director Ahmad Ghossein ALL THIS VICTORY[/caption] On Works in Progress at the 2018 Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, eleven projects were presented from countries of Central and Eastern Europe, the Balkans, the former Soviet Union, and now also the Middle East. The jury chose ALL THIS VICTORY by director Ahmad Ghossein as the winning project. A prize in the value of 100,000 Euro will be given to the project. The Eurimages Lab Project prize went to the winning project NORMAL by director Adele Tulli. KVIFF is the first of four international film festivals in Europe to be awarding the Eurimage prize. KVIFF has selected projects for the Eurimage prize that surpass traditional film methods and are based on international cooperation. The prize was awarded in the value of 50,000 Euro. The Docs in Progress prize went to the winning project THE PROJECTIONIST. For this section, projects are chosen from Central and Eastern Europe, the Balkans, the former Soviet Union, and the Middle East. The winning film received a cash prize in the amount of 5,000 Euro. A Special Mention was awarded to the Polish project Little Poland. ALL THIS VICTORY 90 min, Lebanon, France, Germany Directed by: Ahmad Ghossein Scriptwriter: Ahmad Ghossein, Abla Khoury, Syllas Tzoumerkas Producer: Georges Schoucair, Myriam Sassine, Marie-Pierre Macia, Claire Gadéa, Fabian Massah Camera: Shadi Chaaban Music: Charbel Haber Cast: Karam Ghossein, Adel Chahine, Boutros Rouhana, Issam Bou Khaled, Sahar Minkara Karame, Flavia Juska Bechara, Eli El Choufani, Charles Hbailiny Language: Arabic Genre: fiction Release date: 07/03/2019 Synopsis: Lebanon, July 2006. War is raging between Hezbollah and Israel. During a 24-hour ceasefire, Marwan heads out in search of his father, who has refused to leave his Southern village, leaving his wife Rana alone to prepare their immigration to Canada. Marwan finds no traces of his father and the ceasefire is quickly broken, forcing him to take shelter in the house of Najib, his father’s friend. Marwan finds himself trapped under a hail of bombs with Najib and a group of elders, who are friends of his father. Tension rises inside and outside of the house. Suddenly, a group of Israeli soldiers enter the first floor. The next three days sees the situation spiral out of control. NORMAL 70 min, Italy, Sweden Directed by: Adele Tulli Scriptwriter: Adele Tulli Producer: Valeria Adilardi, Laura Romano, Luca Ricciardi Camera: Clarissa Cappellani, Francesca Zonars Music: Andrea Koch Language: Italian Genre: creative documentary Release date: 01/10/2018 What’s missing: final editing, sound post-production, color grading, international promotion, production financing gap Synopsis: An unsettling visual journey through gender norms in contemporary Italy. Blending realist and experimental aesthetics, Normal sketches a disorienting portrait of the accepted ideas of normality. A kaleidoscopic mosaic of everyday-life scenes observes the ritualized performance of femininity and masculinity in ordinary interactions, from birth to adulthood, interpreting gender as a corporeal and performative practice, a social ceremony, a collective mise-en-scène affecting our gestures, desires, behaviours, and aspirations. With an innovative and visionary film language, Normal meditates on the everyday constraints of gendered reality, producing a poignant reflection on a current and crucial matter. THE PROJECTIONIST 70 min, Ukraine, Germany, Poland Directed by: Yuriy Shylov Scriptwriter: Yuriy Shylov Producer: Gennady Kofman, Olha Beskhmelnytsina, Dirk Simon Camera: Yuriy Shylov, Serafim Kusakin, Illya Ehorov Language: Ukrainian, Russian Genre: dramedy, documentary Release date: 02/11/2018 What’s missing: sales agent, distributors, broadcasters, festivals Synopsis: Valentin is an eccentric projectionist. For 44 years, he’s been working in one of the oldest movie theatres in Kiev’s city centre. In his projection booth, he drinks with war veterans, dances with the show girls from next door or cuts his friend’s hair. Every day at work seems like another adventure. The turmoil on Maidan Square and the war remain behind the scenes, while the life on screen creates an alternative reality. It all comes to an abrupt end when a fire breaks out in the cinema and Valentin is forced to retire. He looks after his dying mother, rushing to help her the moment she calls. With an average life expectancy for men in Ukraine of 64 years, Valentin is aware that he does not have much time left. Still, he fights desperately to find a new meaning in life in a rapidly changing country.

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