The Demons[/caption]
The 2016 San Francisco International Film Festival taking place April 21 to May 5, announced the films in competition for the Golden Gate Awards (GGA).
SFFS Executive Director Noah Cowan said “With more than a thousand new films from around the world hitting the major festival circuit each year, inevitably some great films get overlooked and some important voices go unheard. The Golden Gate Awards are here to celebrate these artists and their work, providing an additional chance for international exposure and recognition.”
The GGA New Directors Prize winner will receive a cash prize of $10,000, the GGA Documentary Feature winner will receive $10,000 and the GGA Bay Area Documentary Feature winner will receive $5,000.
2016 GGA NEW DIRECTORS PRIZE (NARRATIVE FEATURE) COMPETITION
As I Open My Eyes, Leyla Bouzid, Tunisia/France/Belgium
Her family assumes that Farah, a high-achieving student in Tunis, will continue her studies, but she just wants to sing. When her mom hears that she’s performing politically provocative material with a group of male friends, a powerful story unfolds of female independence that stands in the face of conservative Muslim beliefs.
The Demons, Philippe Lesage, Canada
Documentary filmmaker Philippe Lesage’s narrative debut is an exquisitely observed portrait of a delicate 10-year-old Quebec boy grappling with the insecurities and confusion of impending adolescence. The fragility of innocence is foregrounded through minor humiliations and petty cruelties that unfold in pastel, sun-soaked locations. Infused with an unsettling air of ambiguity and dread that portends terrible crimes to follow, this restrained and coolly beautiful film is an unforgettable portrait a child forced to confront the dangers of growing up.
From Afar, Lorenzo Vigas, Venezuela/Mexico
When a middle-aged single man, who cruises his Caracas neighborhood for rough trade, takes a tough young boy into his home, a gritty exploration ensues as these two angry men negotiate a relationship that resides somewhere between lover and friend and a paternal father/son dynamic. Winner of the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival, Lorenzo Vigas’s debut feature is a tour-de-force exploration of a relationship’s darker side.
Home Care, Slávek Horák, Czech Republic/Slovakia
Dedicated home-care nurse Vlasta (Karlovy Vary winner Alena Mihulová) traipses around the south Moravia countryside on bus and foot tending to (and bantering with) patients too infirm or elderly to travel. When she herself is diagnosed with a serious illness, she turns to alternative therapies and the company of women healers. The Czech Republic’s Oscar submission for Best Foreign Language Film is a rueful, touching mix of realism, absurdity, irony and daring gallows humor.
Mountain, Yaelle Kayam, Israel/Denmark
Yaelle Kayam’s debut feature is strikingly shot against the tombstones of Jerusalem’s Mount of Olives, where an Orthodox woman’s longing for her husband’s love sets in motion a transformational journey into a nocturnal world of pimps and prostitutes. A mesmerizing performance by Shani Klein keeps viewers riveted to a character study that is by turns tender and startling.
Neither Heaven nor Earth, Clément Cogitore, France/Belgium
In this suspenseful war film that uses fear of the dark to great effect, a French army contingent operating in Afghanistan is beset by mysterious disappearances. While Captain Antarès (Jérémie Renier) initially and understandably blames local villagers for the loss of his men, the real cause could be something supernatural, a force that implies the profound wrongness of these men being on soil that doesn’t belong to them.
Thirst, Svetla Tsotsorkova, Bulgaria
When water becomes scarce due to drought, a laundress living in rural southwest Bulgaria with her husband and son invites a dowser and his spirited daughter onto their property to search for hidden springs. Wonderfully atmospheric, the film gracefully depicts how the teenaged girl’s combative nature and the oppressive heat surrounding them all upset the family’s balance, for good and bad.
Thithi, Raam Reddy, India/USA
In a small South Indian village, a cantankerous centenarian keels over and dies, setting the stage for a capricious comedy of errors among three generations of dissimilar sons. Conflict, confusion, corruption and a series of ill-conceived actions all come to a head at the funeral celebration (the titular thithi). With its charming cast of non-professional actors — both human and ovine — director Raam Reddy’s feature film offers a playful portrait of intergenerational conflicts and differences.
Very Big Shot, Mir-Jean Bou Chaaya, Lebanon/Qatar
Two brothers are bitten by the movie bug when they conceive an idea to smuggle drugs in empty film canisters in this often hilarious satire of politics and filmmaking. With an easily manipulated director on board, their controversial storyline involving forbidden love catches the eye of local authorities and their original plan takes a backseat to their cinematic ambitions.
2016 GOLDEN GATE AWARDS DOCUMENTARY FEATURE COMPETITION
Cameraperson, Kirsten Johnson, USA
Simultaneously an astute observation of nonfiction filmmaking’s dilemmas, and a wonderfully creative autobiographical collage, Cameraperson is a must-see for all documentary enthusiasts. Acclaimed cinematographer Kirsten Johnson, who has lensed such acclaimed films as Citizenfour, Very Semi-Serious and Darfur Now, assembles moments from 25 years of location shoots — including a birthing clinic in Nigeria, a Bosnian farm, a detention center in Yemen and a boxing ring in Brooklyn — and stiches together an illuminating, emotional patchwork memoir.
Dead Slow Ahead, Mauro Herce, Spain/France
We are embedded on a massive cargo freighter as it chugs slowly across the vast Atlantic ocean in this haunting, meditative and expansively ambient film. Humanized by the melancholy of a hard-working crew as they struggle against the elements, Mauro Herce’s insightful and poetic cinematography emphasizes the smallness of human experience against the crushing and mighty mechanical grind of the ship, and the unknowable vastness of the open sea.
haveababy, Amanda Micheli, USA
Amanda Micheli’s stirring and suspenseful documentary follows several aspiring parents who desperately want to have a baby but are struggling with infertility and the high cost of treatments. They place themselves in the hands of Las Vegas doctor Gregory Sher and his annual contest offering a prize of a free round of in-vitro fertilization treatments — with no guarantee of pregnancy. A rollercoaster of hope and despair awaits them all.
The Joneses, Moby Longinotto, USA/UK
Filmmaker Moby Longinotto’s fascinating, thoroughly candid documentary invites audiences to pull up a chair at the never-dull family table in a Mississippi trailer park home. Everything is on the menu: dashed dreams, seething resentments, sexual awakenings and dollops of unconditional love. Overseeing all the tumult is unflappable, 73-year-old transgender matriarch Jheri Jones, whose dedicated ministrations keep her family going.
National Bird, Sonia Kennebeck, USA
Executive produced by Wim Wenders and Errol Morris, this elegant and chilling documentary provides a glimpse of what the US government doesn’t want you to know about drone warfare by focusing on three veterans whose service experience caused them to question the usage of drones in overseas combat.
Notes on Blindness, Peter Middleton, James Spinney, UK/France
A taped journal that theologian John Hull kept after the onset of blindness in 1980 forms the basis of this elegant and moving depiction of struggle and transcendence. Hull’s own voice provides the audio, though an actor plays the deceased writer, as he learns to negotiate his condition and endures a crisis of faith. Sublime sound design further enhances this evocative documentary, making manifest Hull’s discovery that the loss of one sense leads to the sharpening of others.
NUTS!, Penny Lane, USA
Penny Lane’s documentary — comprised of archival material, animated sequences and the occasional talking head — blooms into an incredible almanac of early 20th-century quackery and innovation as she focuses on JR Brinkley, an early broadcasting baron, direct-mail pioneer and an evangelical proponent of goat-testicle implants. An empire built on spurious claims and fear mongering seems unstoppable — until an obscure regional newspaper dares to question its foundations.
The Return, Kelly Duane de la Vega, Katie Galloway, USA
After California voters reversed the state’s Three Strikes law, thousands of inmates became suddenly eligible for resentencing and release. This provocative and touching documentary chronicles what happened next. Filmmakers Kelly Duane De la Vega and Katie Galloway (Better this World, SFIFF 2011) focus on the journeys of the newly free and their families, as well as the Stanford-based lawyers working on behalf of nonviolent offenders, illuminating the multifaceted struggle behind every transition from incarceration to freedom.
Salero, Mike Plunkett, USA/Bolivia
Moises Chambi Yucra and his family stand at the crossroads of time. For generations, they have has made a humble living harvesting salt from Bolivia’s Salar de Uyuni, the world’s largest salt flat, but beneath Uyuni sit massive amounts of lithium, a mineral instrumental in powering smartphones and electric vehicles. With stunning cinematography that captures both the vibrancy and the solitude of the land and life, director Mike Plunkett captures the final days of an age-old way of life.
Under the Sun, Vitaly Mansky, Russia/Latvia/Germany/Czech Republic/North Korea
Shot with the permission and supervision of North Korean authorities, Russian director Vitaly Mansky’s film turns a propaganda effort into a deep-cover documentary about life inside one of the world’s most repressive nations. Its subjects — a young girl in Pyongyang and her family — rigorously stick to the ideological script, but by keeping the camera rolling between takes of their carefully staged “real life,” Mansky reveals the grinding gears of the totalitarian message machine.
A Young Patriot, Du Haibin, China/USA/France
Du Haibin’s insightful documentary captures five years in the life of a young Maoist zealot in northern China and provides an unforgettable portrait of China in transition. As the tumult of the country’s recent history unfolds, cracks in the armor of Zhao’s patriotism appear on multiple fronts. Communist Party corruption scandals, the rise of capitalism and the inhumane treatment of his family due to a reclamation project erode his bright optimism.FROM AFAR
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20 Films to Compete for Golden Gate Awards at San Francisco International Film Festival
[caption id="attachment_9418" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] The Demons[/caption]
The 2016 San Francisco International Film Festival taking place April 21 to May 5, announced the films in competition for the Golden Gate Awards (GGA).
SFFS Executive Director Noah Cowan said “With more than a thousand new films from around the world hitting the major festival circuit each year, inevitably some great films get overlooked and some important voices go unheard. The Golden Gate Awards are here to celebrate these artists and their work, providing an additional chance for international exposure and recognition.”
The GGA New Directors Prize winner will receive a cash prize of $10,000, the GGA Documentary Feature winner will receive $10,000 and the GGA Bay Area Documentary Feature winner will receive $5,000.
2016 GGA NEW DIRECTORS PRIZE (NARRATIVE FEATURE) COMPETITION
As I Open My Eyes, Leyla Bouzid, Tunisia/France/Belgium
Her family assumes that Farah, a high-achieving student in Tunis, will continue her studies, but she just wants to sing. When her mom hears that she’s performing politically provocative material with a group of male friends, a powerful story unfolds of female independence that stands in the face of conservative Muslim beliefs.
The Demons, Philippe Lesage, Canada
Documentary filmmaker Philippe Lesage’s narrative debut is an exquisitely observed portrait of a delicate 10-year-old Quebec boy grappling with the insecurities and confusion of impending adolescence. The fragility of innocence is foregrounded through minor humiliations and petty cruelties that unfold in pastel, sun-soaked locations. Infused with an unsettling air of ambiguity and dread that portends terrible crimes to follow, this restrained and coolly beautiful film is an unforgettable portrait a child forced to confront the dangers of growing up.
From Afar, Lorenzo Vigas, Venezuela/Mexico
When a middle-aged single man, who cruises his Caracas neighborhood for rough trade, takes a tough young boy into his home, a gritty exploration ensues as these two angry men negotiate a relationship that resides somewhere between lover and friend and a paternal father/son dynamic. Winner of the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival, Lorenzo Vigas’s debut feature is a tour-de-force exploration of a relationship’s darker side.
Home Care, Slávek Horák, Czech Republic/Slovakia
Dedicated home-care nurse Vlasta (Karlovy Vary winner Alena Mihulová) traipses around the south Moravia countryside on bus and foot tending to (and bantering with) patients too infirm or elderly to travel. When she herself is diagnosed with a serious illness, she turns to alternative therapies and the company of women healers. The Czech Republic’s Oscar submission for Best Foreign Language Film is a rueful, touching mix of realism, absurdity, irony and daring gallows humor.
Mountain, Yaelle Kayam, Israel/Denmark
Yaelle Kayam’s debut feature is strikingly shot against the tombstones of Jerusalem’s Mount of Olives, where an Orthodox woman’s longing for her husband’s love sets in motion a transformational journey into a nocturnal world of pimps and prostitutes. A mesmerizing performance by Shani Klein keeps viewers riveted to a character study that is by turns tender and startling.
Neither Heaven nor Earth, Clément Cogitore, France/Belgium
In this suspenseful war film that uses fear of the dark to great effect, a French army contingent operating in Afghanistan is beset by mysterious disappearances. While Captain Antarès (Jérémie Renier) initially and understandably blames local villagers for the loss of his men, the real cause could be something supernatural, a force that implies the profound wrongness of these men being on soil that doesn’t belong to them.
Thirst, Svetla Tsotsorkova, Bulgaria
When water becomes scarce due to drought, a laundress living in rural southwest Bulgaria with her husband and son invites a dowser and his spirited daughter onto their property to search for hidden springs. Wonderfully atmospheric, the film gracefully depicts how the teenaged girl’s combative nature and the oppressive heat surrounding them all upset the family’s balance, for good and bad.
Thithi, Raam Reddy, India/USA
In a small South Indian village, a cantankerous centenarian keels over and dies, setting the stage for a capricious comedy of errors among three generations of dissimilar sons. Conflict, confusion, corruption and a series of ill-conceived actions all come to a head at the funeral celebration (the titular thithi). With its charming cast of non-professional actors — both human and ovine — director Raam Reddy’s feature film offers a playful portrait of intergenerational conflicts and differences.
Very Big Shot, Mir-Jean Bou Chaaya, Lebanon/Qatar
Two brothers are bitten by the movie bug when they conceive an idea to smuggle drugs in empty film canisters in this often hilarious satire of politics and filmmaking. With an easily manipulated director on board, their controversial storyline involving forbidden love catches the eye of local authorities and their original plan takes a backseat to their cinematic ambitions.
2016 GOLDEN GATE AWARDS DOCUMENTARY FEATURE COMPETITION
Cameraperson, Kirsten Johnson, USA
Simultaneously an astute observation of nonfiction filmmaking’s dilemmas, and a wonderfully creative autobiographical collage, Cameraperson is a must-see for all documentary enthusiasts. Acclaimed cinematographer Kirsten Johnson, who has lensed such acclaimed films as Citizenfour, Very Semi-Serious and Darfur Now, assembles moments from 25 years of location shoots — including a birthing clinic in Nigeria, a Bosnian farm, a detention center in Yemen and a boxing ring in Brooklyn — and stiches together an illuminating, emotional patchwork memoir.
Dead Slow Ahead, Mauro Herce, Spain/France
We are embedded on a massive cargo freighter as it chugs slowly across the vast Atlantic ocean in this haunting, meditative and expansively ambient film. Humanized by the melancholy of a hard-working crew as they struggle against the elements, Mauro Herce’s insightful and poetic cinematography emphasizes the smallness of human experience against the crushing and mighty mechanical grind of the ship, and the unknowable vastness of the open sea.
haveababy, Amanda Micheli, USA
Amanda Micheli’s stirring and suspenseful documentary follows several aspiring parents who desperately want to have a baby but are struggling with infertility and the high cost of treatments. They place themselves in the hands of Las Vegas doctor Gregory Sher and his annual contest offering a prize of a free round of in-vitro fertilization treatments — with no guarantee of pregnancy. A rollercoaster of hope and despair awaits them all.
The Joneses, Moby Longinotto, USA/UK
Filmmaker Moby Longinotto’s fascinating, thoroughly candid documentary invites audiences to pull up a chair at the never-dull family table in a Mississippi trailer park home. Everything is on the menu: dashed dreams, seething resentments, sexual awakenings and dollops of unconditional love. Overseeing all the tumult is unflappable, 73-year-old transgender matriarch Jheri Jones, whose dedicated ministrations keep her family going.
National Bird, Sonia Kennebeck, USA
Executive produced by Wim Wenders and Errol Morris, this elegant and chilling documentary provides a glimpse of what the US government doesn’t want you to know about drone warfare by focusing on three veterans whose service experience caused them to question the usage of drones in overseas combat.
Notes on Blindness, Peter Middleton, James Spinney, UK/France
A taped journal that theologian John Hull kept after the onset of blindness in 1980 forms the basis of this elegant and moving depiction of struggle and transcendence. Hull’s own voice provides the audio, though an actor plays the deceased writer, as he learns to negotiate his condition and endures a crisis of faith. Sublime sound design further enhances this evocative documentary, making manifest Hull’s discovery that the loss of one sense leads to the sharpening of others.
NUTS!, Penny Lane, USA
Penny Lane’s documentary — comprised of archival material, animated sequences and the occasional talking head — blooms into an incredible almanac of early 20th-century quackery and innovation as she focuses on JR Brinkley, an early broadcasting baron, direct-mail pioneer and an evangelical proponent of goat-testicle implants. An empire built on spurious claims and fear mongering seems unstoppable — until an obscure regional newspaper dares to question its foundations.
The Return, Kelly Duane de la Vega, Katie Galloway, USA
After California voters reversed the state’s Three Strikes law, thousands of inmates became suddenly eligible for resentencing and release. This provocative and touching documentary chronicles what happened next. Filmmakers Kelly Duane De la Vega and Katie Galloway (Better this World, SFIFF 2011) focus on the journeys of the newly free and their families, as well as the Stanford-based lawyers working on behalf of nonviolent offenders, illuminating the multifaceted struggle behind every transition from incarceration to freedom.
Salero, Mike Plunkett, USA/Bolivia
Moises Chambi Yucra and his family stand at the crossroads of time. For generations, they have has made a humble living harvesting salt from Bolivia’s Salar de Uyuni, the world’s largest salt flat, but beneath Uyuni sit massive amounts of lithium, a mineral instrumental in powering smartphones and electric vehicles. With stunning cinematography that captures both the vibrancy and the solitude of the land and life, director Mike Plunkett captures the final days of an age-old way of life.
Under the Sun, Vitaly Mansky, Russia/Latvia/Germany/Czech Republic/North Korea
Shot with the permission and supervision of North Korean authorities, Russian director Vitaly Mansky’s film turns a propaganda effort into a deep-cover documentary about life inside one of the world’s most repressive nations. Its subjects — a young girl in Pyongyang and her family — rigorously stick to the ideological script, but by keeping the camera rolling between takes of their carefully staged “real life,” Mansky reveals the grinding gears of the totalitarian message machine.
A Young Patriot, Du Haibin, China/USA/France
Du Haibin’s insightful documentary captures five years in the life of a young Maoist zealot in northern China and provides an unforgettable portrait of China in transition. As the tumult of the country’s recent history unfolds, cracks in the armor of Zhao’s patriotism appear on multiple fronts. Communist Party corruption scandals, the rise of capitalism and the inhumane treatment of his family due to a reclamation project erode his bright optimism.
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TANGERINE, JAMES WHITE, ROOM, NASTY BABY Among 2015 Los Cabos International Film Festival Official Selections
The 2015 Los Cabos International Film Festival announced the films chosen for its fourth edition’s Official Selection, which is composed of Competencia Los Cabos (Mexico, USA and Canada) and México Primero sections. Nine films are in competition for Competencia Los Cabos, where North American films appear side-by-side, films that are from or co-produced with Mexico, USA and/or Canada can participate; and six films are in competition for México Primero, focusing on Mexican films.
The nine films in competition for Competencia Los Cabos:
From Afar “Desde allá” by Lorenzo Vigas (Mexico/Venezuela).
Tangerine by Sean Baker (USA) – Premiere in Mexico. (pictured above)
Room by Lenny Abrahamson (Canada/Ireland)
Chronic by Michel Franco (Mexico).
James White by Josh Mond (USA) – Premiere in Latin America
The Loved Ones “Les Êtres Chers” by Anne Émond (Canada) – Premiere in Mexico
A Monster with a Thousand Heads “Un monstruo de mil cabezas” by Rodrigo Plá (Mexico/France).
Nasty Baby by Sebastián Silva (USA/Chile) – Premiere in Mexico.
Sleeping Giant by Andrew Cividino (Canada).
The six competing films for México Primero are:
Semana Santa by Alejandra Márquez.
Sabrás qué hacer conmigo by Katina Medina Mora.
Charity “La caridad” by Marcelino Islas.
The Chosen Ones “Las elegidas” by David Pablos.
I Promise You Anarchy “Te prometo anarquía” by Julio Hernández Cordón.
Almacenados by Jack Zagha.
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63rd San Sebastian International Film Festival Award Winners; SPARROWS Wins Best Film
Rúnar Rúnarsson’s “Sparrows” is the winner of the Golden Shell for Best Film at the 63rd San Sebastian Film Festival. “Sparrows” is a drama about Ari, 16, who has been living with his mother in Reykjavik and is suddenly sent back to the remote Westfjords to live with his father Gunnar. Here he has to navigate a difficult relationship with his father, and he finds his childhood friends changed. In these hopeless and declining surroundings, Ari has to step up and find his way.
63rd San Sebastian International Film Festival Award-Winners
Golden Shell for Best Film
SPARROWS
RÚNAR RÚNARSSON (ICELAND – DENMARK – CROATIA)
Special Jury Prize
EVOLUTION
LUCILE HADZIHALILOVIC (FRANCE – BELGIUM – SPAIN)
Silver Shell for Best Director
JOACHIM LAFOSSE
LES CHEVALIERS BLANCS / THE WHITE KNIGHTS
JOACHIM LAFOSSE (BELGIUM – FRANCE)
Silver Shell for Best Actress
YORDANKA ARIOSA
EL REY DE LA HABANA (THE KING OF HAVANA)
AGUSTÍ VILLARONGA (SPAIN – DOMINICAN REP.)
Silver Shell for Best Actor
(tie)
RICARDO DARIN
TRUMAN
CESC GAY (SPAIN – ARGENTINA)
(tie)
JAVIER CÁMARA
TRUMAN
CESC GAY (SPAIN – ARGENTINA)
Jury Prize for Best Cinematography
MANU DACOSSE
EVOLUTION
LUCILE HADZIHALILOVIC (FRANCE – BELGIUM – SPAIN)
Jury Prize for Best Screenplay
ARNAUD LARRIEU, JEAN-MARIE LARRIEU
21 NUITS AVEC PATTIE / 21 NIGHTS WITH PATTIE
JEAN-MARIE LARRIEU, ARNAUD LARRIEU (FRANCE)
Jury Special Mention
EL APÓSTATA ( THE APOSTATE)
FEDERICO VEIROJ (SPAIN – URUGUAY – FRANCE)
Kutxabank-New Directors Award
LE NOUVEAU / THE NEW KID
RUDI ROSENBERG (FRANCE)
SPECIAL MENTION
TJUVHEDER / DRIFTERS
PETER GRÖNLUND (SWEDEN)
SPECIAL MENTION
VIDA SEXUAL DE LAS PLANTAS (SEX LIFE OF PLANTS)
SEBASTIÁN BRAHM (CHILE)
Horizontes Award
PAULINA
SANTIAGO MITRE (ARGENTINA – BRAZIL – FRANCE)
SPECIAL MENTION – LUIS SILVA
DESDE ALLÁ (FROM AFAR)
LORENZO VIGAS (VENEZUELA – MEXICO)
SPECIAL MENTION
TE PROMETO ANARQUÍA ( I PROMISE YOU ANARCHY)
JULIO HERNÁNDEZ CORDÓN (MEXICO – GERMANY)
Irizar Basque Film Award
AMAMA (WHEN A TREE FALLS)
ASIER ALTUNA IZA (SPAIN)
SPECIAL MENTION – IRENE ESCOLAR
UN OTOÑO SIN BERLÍN
LARA IZAGIRRE
Audience Award
UMIMACHI DIARY / OUR LITTLE SISTER
HIROKAZU KOREEDA (JAPAN)
AWARD TO THE EUROPEAN FILM
SHAN HE GU REN / MOUNTAINS MAY DEPART
JIA ZHANG-KE (CHINA – FRANCE – JAPAN)
EZAE Youth Award
PAULINA
SANTIAGO MITRE (ARGENTINA – BRAZIL – FRANCE)
International Film Students Meeting Awards
FIRST PRIZE
NUEVA VIDA (NEW LIFE)
KIRO RUSSO (ARGENTINA – BOLIVIA)
Universidad del Cine (Argentina)
SECOND PRIZE
EL ENEMIGO (THE ENEMY)
ALDEMAR MATIAS (CUBA)
Escuela Internacional de Cine y TV (EICTV) (Cuba)
THIRD PRIZE
WADA’ / PREDICTION
KHALED MZHER (GERMANY)
Deutsche Film – und Fernsehakademie Berlin (Germany)
ORONA AWARD
NUEVA VIDA (NEW LIFE)
KIRO RUSSO (ARGENTINA – BOLIVIA)
Universidad del Cine (Argentina)
TORINO AWARD
VOLANDO VOY (I’LL FLY HIGHER)
ISABEL LAMBERTI (NETHERLANDS)
Netherlands Film Academy (Netherlands)
Tokyo Gohan Film Festival Award
NOMA, MY PERFECT STORM
PIERRE DESCHAMPS (UK – DENMARK)
Films in Progress Awards
ERA O HOTEL CAMBRIDGE / THE CAMBRIDGE SQUATTER
ELIANE CAFFÉ (BRASIL – FRANCE)
Films in Progress Industry Award
Ibermedia TV Films in Progress Award
Europe-Latin America Co-production Forum. EGEDA Best Project Award
LA OMISIÓN (THE OMISSION)
SEBASTIÁN SCHJAER (ARGENTINA – GERMANY – FRANCE)
SPECIAL MENTION TO THE PROYECT
MEMORIAS DEL CALABOZO
ÁLVARO BRECHNER (SPAIN-URUGUAY)
Directed by Álvaro Brechner and Tornasol Films
TVE-Another Look Award
PAULINA
SANTIAGO MITRE (ARGENTINA – BRAZIL – FRANCE)
Spanish Cooperation Award
LA TIERRA Y LA SOMBRA (LAND AND SHADE)
CÉSAR AUGUSTO ACEVEDO (COLOMBIA – CHILE – BRAZIL – NETHERLANDS – FRANCE)
FIPRESCI Award
EL APÓSTATA ( THE APOSTATE)
FEDERICO VEIROJ (SPAIN – URUGUAY – FRANCE)
Zinemaldia FEROZ Award
TRUMAN
CESC GAY (SPAIN – ARGENTINA)
SIGNIS Award
MOIRA
LEVAN TUTBERIDZE (GEORGIA)
SPECIAL MENTION
AMAMA (WHEN A TREE FALLS)
ASIER ALTUNA IZA (SPAIN)
Guipuzcoan Blood-Donors’ Association Corresponding to the Solidarity Award
FREEHELD
PETER SOLLETT (USA)
Sebastiane Award
FREEHELD
PETER SOLLETT (USA)
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FROM AFAR, and HEART OF A DOG Added to 2015 BFI London Film Festival | TRAILER
FROM AFAR (Desde Allá) the feature debut from Venezuelan writer-director Lorenzo Vigas, which won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival, and multidisciplinary artist Laurie Anderson’s deeply personal, lyrical and compelling film HEART OF A DOG, have been added to the lineup for the 2015 BFI London Film Festival.
FROM AFAR (Desde Allá) will screen in the Festival’s Dare strand.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGxY3tu9mDg
In the film, wealthy middle-aged Armando (Alfredo Castro) lures young men to his home with money. He doesn’t want to touch, only watch from a strict distance. He also follows an elderly businessman with whom he seems to have had a traumatic relationship. Armando’s first encounter with street thug Elder (Luis Silva) is violent, but this doesn’t discourage the lonely man’s fascination with the tough handsome teenager. Financial interest keeps Elder visiting him regularly and an unexpected intimacy emerges. But Armando’s haunted past looms large, and Elder commits the ultimate act of affection on Armando’s behalf. Set in Caracas’ chaotic lower class communities, Vigas’ turbulent story reveals the complex bond between two men worlds apart.
HEART OF A DOG will screen in the Festival’s Love strand. HEART OF A DOG is Laurie Anderson’s cinematic journey through love, death and language. Centering on Anderson’s beloved rat terrier Lolabelle, who died in 2011, HEART OF A DOG is a personal essay that weaves together childhood memories, video diaries, philosophical musings on data collection, surveillance culture and the Buddhist conception of the afterlife, and heartfelt tributes to the artists, writers, musicians and thinkers who inspire her.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Ly_3i-jyes
Fusing her own witty, inquisitive narration with original violin compositions, hand-drawn animation, 8mm home movies and artwork culled from exhibitions past and present, Anderson creates a hypnotic, collage-like visual language out of the raw materials of her life and art, examining how stories are constructed and told – and how we use them to make sense of our lives.
The 2015 BFI London Film Festival runs from Wednesday October 7 to Sunday October 18 , 2015.
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Award Winners of 2015 Venice International Film Festival, Lorenzo Vigas’ FROM AFAR Wins Golden Lion for Best Film | TRAILER
DESDE ALLÁ (FROM AFAR) by Lorenzo Vigas is the winner of the Golden Lion for Best Film at the 72nd Venice International Film Festival. In the film, wealthy middle-aged Armando lures young men to his home with money. He doesn’t want to touch, only watch from a strict distance. He also follows an elderly businessman with whom he seems to have had a traumatic relationship. Armando’s first encounter with street thug Elder is violent, but this doesn’t discourage the lonely man’s fascination with the tough handsome teenager. Financial interest keeps Elder visiting him regularly and an unexpected intimacy emerges. But Armando’s haunted past looms large, and Elder commits the ultimate act of affection on Armando’s behalf.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGxY3tu9mDg
Official Awards of the 72nd Venice International Film Festival
Golden Lion for Best Film to: DESDE ALLÁ (FROM AFAR) by Lorenzo Vigas (Venezuela, Mexico)
Silver Lion for Best Director to: Pablo Trapero for the film EL CLAN (Argentina, Spain)
Grand Jury Prize to: ANOMALISA by Charlie Kaufman and Duke Johnson (USA)
Coppa Volpi for Best Actress: Valeria Golino in the film PER AMOR VOSTRO by Giuseppe Gaudino (Italy)
Coppa Volpi for Best Actor: Fabrice Luchini in the film L’HERMINE by Christian Vincent (France)
Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best Young Actor to: Abraham Attah in the film BEASTS OF NO NATION by Cary Joji Fukunaga (USA)
Award for Best Screenplay to: Christian Vincent for the film L’HERMINE by Christian Vincent (France)
Special Jury Prize to: ABLUKA (FRENZY) by Emin Alper (Turkey, France, Qatar)
LION OF THE FUTURE – “LUIGI DE LAURENTIIS” VENICE AWARD FOR A DEBUT FILM
Lion of the Future – “Luigi De Laurentiis” Venice Award for a Debut Film Jury at the 72nd Venice Film Festival, chaired by Saverio Costanzo and comprised of Charles Burnett, Roger Garcia, Natacha Laurent and Daniela Michel, has decided to award:
Lion of the Future – “Luigi De Laurentiis” Venice Award for a Debut Film to: THE CHILDHOOD OF A LEADER by Brady Corbet (United Kingdom, Hungary) (ORIZZONTI)
as well as a prize of 100,000 USD, donated by Filmauro di Aurelio e Luigi De Laurentiis to be divided equally between director and producer
ORIZZONTI AWARDS
The Orizzonti Jury of the 72nd Venice Film Festival, chaired by Jonathan Demme and composed of Anita Caprioli, Fruit Chan, Alix Delaporte and Paz Vega having viewed the 34 films in competition has decided to award:
the Orizzonti Award for Best Film to: FREE IN DEED by Jake Mahaffy (USA, New Zealand)
the Orizzonti Award for Best Director to: Brady Corbet for THE CHILDHOOD OF A LEADER by Brady Corbet (United Kingdom, Hungary)
the Special Orizzonti Jury Prize to: BOI NEON (NEON BULL) by Gabriel Mascaro (Brazil, Uruguay, The Netherlands)
the Special Orizzonti Award for Best Actor to: Dominique Lebornein the film TEMPÊTE by Samuel Collardey
the Orizzonti Award for Best Short Film to: BELLADONNA by Dubravka Turic (Croatia)
the Venice Short Film Nomination for the European Film Awards 2015 to:
E.T.E.R.N.I.T. by Giovanni Aloi (France)
VENEZIA CLASSICI AWARDS
The Venezia Classici Jury, chaired by Francesco Patierno composed of 25 students of Cinema History, chosen in particular from the teachers of 12 Italian Dams university programmes and from the Venice University of Ca’ Foscari, has decided to award:
the Venezia Classici Award for Best Documentary on Cinema to:
THE 1000 EYES OF DR. MADDIN by Yves Montmayeur (France)
the Venezia Classici Award for Best Restored Film to:
SALÒ O LE 120 GIORNATE DI SODOMA by Pier Paolo Pasolini (1975, Italy, France)
Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement 2015 to:
Bertrand Tavernier
Jaeger-LeCoultre Glory to The Filmmaker Award 2015 to:
Brian De Palma
Persol Tribute Visionary Talent Award 2015 to:
Jonathan Demme
L’oréal Paris per il Cinema Award to:
Valentina Corti
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14 Latin American Films on Horizontes Latinos Program at 63rd San Sebastian Festival
The Horizontes Latinos program of the 63rd San Sebastian Festival will include fourteen films from Argentina, Brazil, Columbia, Cuba, Chile, Guatemala, Mexico, Peru and Venezuela. Films that have competed or premiered at important international festivals, but which have not yet been screened at a Spanish festival or had their commercial release in Spain.
The Horizontes Latinos program will open with Pablo Larraín’s El club, Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize at the last Berlin Festival. The film tells the tale of four men who share a secluded house in a small beach town, sent there to purge the sins they have committed in the past.
The selected films compete for the Horizontes Award, decided by a specific jury and coming with €35,000, of which €10,000 will go to the director of the winning film, and the remaining €25,000 to its distributor in Spain.
EL CLUB (THE CLUB) (pictured in main image above)
PABLO LARRAÍN (CHILE)
Opening Night Film
Pablo Larraín won the Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize at the last Berlin Festival with this film. Four men share a secluded house in a small beach town, sent there to purge the sins they have committed in the past.
600 MILLAS (600 MILES)
GABRIEL RIPSTEIN (MEXICO)
Arnulfo Rubio, a young gun trafficker between the United States and Mexico, is being followed by ATF agent Hank Harris. After a risky mistake by Harris, Rubio makes a desperate decision: he smuggles the agent to Mexico. Best First Feature Award in the Panorama section of the Berlin Festival.
EL ABRAZO DE LA SERPIENTE (EMBRACE OF THE SERPENT)
CIRO GUERRA (COLOMBIA – ARGENTINA – VENEZUELA)
Premiered at the Cannes Festival Directors’ Fortnight, the latest film from Ciro Guerra tells the epic story of the first contact, encounter, approach, betrayal and, eventually, life-transcending friendship, between an Amazonian shaman and two Western explorers.
EL BOTÓN DE NÁCAR (THE PEARL BUTTON)
PATRICIO GUZMÁN (FRANCE – CHILE – SPAIN )
Chilean filmmaker Patricio Guzmán talks to us in his latest documentary about water, the cosmos and ourselves, human beings. It all begins with the discovery of two mysterious buttons in the depths of the Pacific Ocean, off the coast of Chile.
CHRONIC
MICHEL FRANCO (MEXICO – FRANCE)
David is a nurse who works with terminally ill patients. Efficient and dedicated to his profession, he develops strong and even intimate relationships with each person he cares for. But outside of his work David is ineffectual, awkward, and reserved. Best Screenplay Award-winner at the Cannes Festival.
DESDE ALLÁ (FROM AFAR)
LORENZO VIGAS (VENEZUELA)
Armando, aged 50, looks for young men in the streets of Caracas and pays them to come back to his house with him. He also regularly spies on an older man with whom he seems to have ties from the past. One day he meets Elder, aged 17, leader of a small band of thugs. Competitor in the Official Selection of the Venice Festival.
LAS ELEGIDAS (THE CHOSEN ONES)
DAVID PABLOS (MEXICO – FRANCE)
David Pablos’s second film took part at the San Sebastian Co-production Forum in 2014 and premiered in the Un Certain Regard section of Cannes Festival. Sofia, 14 years old, is in love with Ulises. Because of him, in spite of him, she is forced into a prostitution ring in Mexico. To set her free, Ulises will have to find another girl to replace her.
IXCANUL
JAYRO BUSTAMANTE (GUATEMALA – FRANCE)
María, a 17 year-old Mayan girl, lives and works with her family in a plantation on the Guatemalan plateau. Her days go by uneventfully until her parents arrange her marriage to the estate foreman, Ignacio. A film that landed a special mention at the last edition of Films in Progress and competed at the Berlin Festival, where it won the Alfred Bauer Award.
MAGALLANES
SALVADOR DEL SOLAR (PERU – ARGENTINA – COLOMBIA – SPAIN)
Winner of Films in Progress at last year’s Festival. Magallanes recognises a woman getting into a taxi. It’s Celina, the young peasant girl he randomly arrested more than twenty years ago, when he was a soldier. They both have unfinished business. And for Magallanes, this is an opportunity to redeem himself. Damián Alcázar, Magaly Solier and Federico Luppi play the leading parts.
LA OBRA DEL SIGLO (THE PROJECT OF THE CENTURY)
CARLOS M. QUINTELA (CUBA – ARGENTINA – GERMANY -SWITZERLAND)
Amidst a mosquito plague, Leonardo, struggling with the breakdown of his relationship, moves back to live with a grandfather who fights with everyone and everything, and a father living with the melancholy of the unfinished. Tiger Award-winner at the last Rotterdam Festival.
PAULINA
SANTIAGO MITRE (ARGENTINA – BRAZIL – FRANCE)
Paulina decides to leave her brilliant law career to teach in a downtrodden Argentinian region. In a hostile atmosphere, she will set about her pedagogical mission, even if it means losing her boyfriend and confrontation with her father. Fipresci Prize-winner at the last Cannes Festival Critics’ Week.
PARA MINHA AMADA MORTA (TO MY BELOVED)
ALY MURITIBA (BRAZIL)
Fernando is a good man who takes care of his only child, Daniel, a shy and sensitive boy. Following the death of his wife Ana, every night Fernando recalls their love as he sorts out his beloved dead spouse’s belongings. One day he finds a VHS tape that will change everything. This movie participated in the Films in Progress section at the last Festival. The film took part at the Co-Production Forum in 2014.
TE PROMETO ANARQUÍA (I PROMISE YOU ANARCHY)
JULIO HERNÁNDEZ CORDÓN (MEXICO – GERMANY)
Julio Hernández Cordón’s new film was selected for the Locarno Festival Competition. Miguel and Johnny have known each other since childhood. They spend their time skateboarding and having fun. To make easy money and continue skateboarding, they sell their own blood clandestinely. They turn the ploy into a business, until a major transaction doesn’t turn out as they’d expected.
LA TIERRA Y LA SOMBRA / LAND AND SHADE
CÉSAR AUGUSTO ACEVEDO (COLOMBIA – CHILE – BRAZIL – NETHERLANDS – FRANCE)
Winner of the Caméra d’Or at the Cannes Festival, after having participated at the San Sebastian Co-Production Forum in 2013, this film portrays a family as they try to repair the fragile ties that bind them in the face of their imminent disappearance, brought about by the overwhelming power of progress.