The 2015 African Diaspora International Film Festival taking place from November 27 through December 13, in Manhattan, will showcase a selection of films coming from the Caribbean and about Caribbean people out of the Caribbean.
The Black British Film Program is comprised of a selection of four films about the presence of Black people in the UK with a very strong Caribbean flavor in front and behind the camera.
Let The Music Talk by Yvonne Deutchmann is a 1981 musical documentary never screened in the USA before. It tells the story of black music in Britain, from the calypso of Lord Kitchener arriving on the SS Windrush in 1948, gospel choirs, griots from Grenada, steel pans in schools and at the Notting Hill Carnival, jazz, Afro-rock, soul-funk with the Real Thing, reggae with Misty in Roots and Eddy Grant.
The Story of Lovers Rock by Menelik Shabazz – a favorite of ADIFF – tells the story of Lovers Rock as a musical genre and gives a voice to the Caribbean descendant people who created that music and culture in the UK.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TiJof_zx2Uk
Honeytrap by Rebecca Johnson plays out as a tragedy. It tells a story of fifteen-year-old Layla (Jessica Sula – Skins), a beautiful and naive Trinidadian girl who, freshly arrived from her native land, quickly embarks on a journey of love, sex, hip hop and violence.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTyYCB_OyL0
“Second Coming” by Debbie Tucker Green is an emotional and intimate drama about a woman in a London family who faces a dilemma with her husband (Idris Elba) and the tensions and communication issues associated with her situation.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LdB5mYbGz8
Other films in the festival have a Caribbean flavor including NY Premiere and festival Centerpiece “Cu-Bop: Cuba – New York Music Documentary” by Japanese filmmaker Shinishi Takahashi. Separated by an ocean, two Cuban jazz musicians continue to perform in spite of the difficulties they face. César López is recognized as Cuba’s premier saxophonist, having founded his landmark jazz band, the Havana Ensemble, in his native country. The gifted young pianist Axel Tosca lives in New York City, the leader of (U)NITY, a band which fuses Afro-Cuban culture with modern jazz and hip-hop. With this documentary for all music lovers, first-time filmmaker Shinichi Takahashi explores the African roots of Cuban jazz and documents what happens when expats return to the source of their inspiration. The screening will be followed by a concert with Axel Tosca and his band.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVOO4ag_4EU
Shot in Haiti and Bangladesh, “A Journey of a Thousand Miles” tells us a story of two countries that are embarked in a mutual discovery of sorts. A contingent of Muslim, Bangladeshi policewomen is deployed in Haiti to serve as UN Peacekeepers to maintain peace after the 2010 earthquake. We then learn, as the camera follows three of these Muslims women, about life in Haiti and Bangladesh and the challenges faced by the population in both countries.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAR3SXSme6c
“Black / Nwa,” a “Hood” film set in Montreal, Canada that chronicles the lives of four people – including several youths of Haitian descent – living in a neighborhood plagued by poverty and violence, aspiring to freedom and happiness.
“Sand Dollars” (pictured in main image above) by Laura Amelia Guzman and Israel Cardenas is a film from the Dominican Republic submitted to the Oscar competition in the foreign film category. “Sand Dollars” is the story of Noeli (Yanet Mojica) whose love affair with Anne (Geraldine Chaplin) a woman double her age, is a rare subject in films.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HeEPnn7ioESAND DOLLARS
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“Sand Dollars” “Honeytrap” “Second Coming” Among Films with Caribbean Flavor at African Diaspora International Film Festival
The 2015 African Diaspora International Film Festival taking place from November 27 through December 13, in Manhattan, will showcase a selection of films coming from the Caribbean and about Caribbean people out of the Caribbean.
The Black British Film Program is comprised of a selection of four films about the presence of Black people in the UK with a very strong Caribbean flavor in front and behind the camera.
Let The Music Talk by Yvonne Deutchmann is a 1981 musical documentary never screened in the USA before. It tells the story of black music in Britain, from the calypso of Lord Kitchener arriving on the SS Windrush in 1948, gospel choirs, griots from Grenada, steel pans in schools and at the Notting Hill Carnival, jazz, Afro-rock, soul-funk with the Real Thing, reggae with Misty in Roots and Eddy Grant.
The Story of Lovers Rock by Menelik Shabazz – a favorite of ADIFF – tells the story of Lovers Rock as a musical genre and gives a voice to the Caribbean descendant people who created that music and culture in the UK.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TiJof_zx2Uk
Honeytrap by Rebecca Johnson plays out as a tragedy. It tells a story of fifteen-year-old Layla (Jessica Sula – Skins), a beautiful and naive Trinidadian girl who, freshly arrived from her native land, quickly embarks on a journey of love, sex, hip hop and violence.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KTyYCB_OyL0
“Second Coming” by Debbie Tucker Green is an emotional and intimate drama about a woman in a London family who faces a dilemma with her husband (Idris Elba) and the tensions and communication issues associated with her situation.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LdB5mYbGz8
Other films in the festival have a Caribbean flavor including NY Premiere and festival Centerpiece “Cu-Bop: Cuba – New York Music Documentary” by Japanese filmmaker Shinishi Takahashi. Separated by an ocean, two Cuban jazz musicians continue to perform in spite of the difficulties they face. César López is recognized as Cuba’s premier saxophonist, having founded his landmark jazz band, the Havana Ensemble, in his native country. The gifted young pianist Axel Tosca lives in New York City, the leader of (U)NITY, a band which fuses Afro-Cuban culture with modern jazz and hip-hop. With this documentary for all music lovers, first-time filmmaker Shinichi Takahashi explores the African roots of Cuban jazz and documents what happens when expats return to the source of their inspiration. The screening will be followed by a concert with Axel Tosca and his band.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVOO4ag_4EU
Shot in Haiti and Bangladesh, “A Journey of a Thousand Miles” tells us a story of two countries that are embarked in a mutual discovery of sorts. A contingent of Muslim, Bangladeshi policewomen is deployed in Haiti to serve as UN Peacekeepers to maintain peace after the 2010 earthquake. We then learn, as the camera follows three of these Muslims women, about life in Haiti and Bangladesh and the challenges faced by the population in both countries.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAR3SXSme6c
“Black / Nwa,” a “Hood” film set in Montreal, Canada that chronicles the lives of four people – including several youths of Haitian descent – living in a neighborhood plagued by poverty and violence, aspiring to freedom and happiness.
“Sand Dollars” (pictured in main image above) by Laura Amelia Guzman and Israel Cardenas is a film from the Dominican Republic submitted to the Oscar competition in the foreign film category. “Sand Dollars” is the story of Noeli (Yanet Mojica) whose love affair with Anne (Geraldine Chaplin) a woman double her age, is a rare subject in films.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HeEPnn7ioE
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Films Starring Idris Elba, Anthony Mackie, Jennifer Connelly Among Lineup for African Diaspora International Film Festival
Idris Elba, Anthony Mackie, Geraldine Chaplin, Epatha Merkerson, Jennifer Connelly, Michael Clarke Duncan, Sonia Sanchez, Rusty Cundieff, Stanley Nelson, and Thierry Michel are some of the names that lead the 23rd African Diaspora International Film Festival.
ADIFF 2015 has selected a total of 57 films from 27 countries. The lineup is rich in topics and themes presenting from different perspectives the human experience of people of color. Chelsea Bow Tie Cinemas, Teachers College, Columbia University and Mist Harlem will host this event from November 27 through December 13. With a world premiere, 9 US premieres and 16 NY premieres, ADIFF is more independent than ever with its rich and eclectic selection of films that cover many parts of the world.
Making their world and US debut in ADIFF 2015 are Opening Night film “The Man Who Mends Women, The Wrath of Hippocrates” by Thierry Michel which tells the story of Dr. Denis Mukwege, a man who has dedicated his life to assist women subjected to rape in his native DRC and World Premiere “Julien’s Bed” by Kirk Shannon-Butts, a visually imaginative film with a poetic story line about an African-American in Paris trying to reconnect with his lover. “Julien’s Bed” will screen in the first ever ADIFF LGBT Evening program with the South-African film “While You Were Not Looking” by Catherine Stewart. This beautifully shot drama explores gay life in South Africa with courage and imagination as the issue of class and the building of the New South Africa are very much at the center of the story.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3v_E75-T2M
The Black British program highlight will be the NY Premiere presentation of TIFF’s official selection “Second Coming” by Debbie Tucker Green starring Idris Elba as a man who enjoys a peaceful life in a marriage that is about to change due to unexpected circumstances.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Qp1_Ay41-A
The Talking about Chicago program will feature the two NY Premieres “70 Acres in Chicago: Cabrini Green” by Ronit Bezale and “Takin’ Place” by Cyrus Dowlatshahi, two documentaries about Chicago’s South Side and its inhabitants that expose an alternative reality to that traditionally presented in the media.
Among the films that explore historical themes will be the US Premiere of “If Only I Were That Warrior” by Valerio Ciriaci – ADIFF 2015 Gala Screening – which moves in and out of Ethiopia, Italy and the United States to tell us a story of unpunished war crimes, colonial wars and African history. “Invisible Heroes: African Americans In The Spanish Civil War,” by Alfonso Domingo and Jordi Torrent that introduces us to the remarkable story of African Americans who fought as volunteers in Spain for democracy and for civil rights that were denied to them in their own country.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WaNg8QnN2rY
Twenty one of the films in ADIFF 2015 are directed by women including “White Lies” by Dana Rotberg – New Zealand’s entry in the 2014 Oscar competition for best foreign-language- and “Asni: Courage & Glamour in Ethiopia” by Rachel Samuel to be presented in the Ethiopia: Past & Present program.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=prcx70v-H6w
Two films will explore the role of women in the armed forces: the drama “Stand Down Soldier” by Jeryl Prescott Sale, the story of Sergeant Stacy Armstrong who returns home from three deployments suffering with PTSD, which undermines her 20 year marriage and the stability of her family life. The documentary “A Journey Of A Thousand Miles: Peacekeepers” by Geeta Gandbhir and Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy follows three women in an all female, predominantly Muslim unit of police officers sent to post-earthquake Haiti as UN Peacekeepers for one year.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YAR3SXSme6c
The Urban experience is global. “Fevers/Fièvres” by Hicham Ayouch – one of leading films in ADIFF’s Urban film selection and winner of the Golden Stallion of Yennenga, FESPACO 2015 – is a French drama with a strong social commentary that follows Benjamin , a young boy who is at war with the world and himself. Canadian thriller “Noir/Black /Nwa” by Yves Christian Fournier depicts stories of young people living in a Montreal ghetto fighting to survive like Dickens, a 16 year-old Haitian who wants to be part of the street gang controlled by his older brother. Other urban films are “Honeytrap” from the UK by Rebecca Johnson, “Impunity” from South Africa by Jyoti Mistry, “License to Operate” from the USA by James Lipetzky, and “Hear Me Move” from South Africa by Scottnes L. Smith.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YUJsgnVOzI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tffnzrVga3U
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EIkzA4U7UbE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xM9mLW7lv2c
Two North African films will have their US premiere in ADIFF: comedy-drama “The Blind Orchestra” by Mohamed Mouftakir, a humorous yet critical look at the life of a group of musicians in Morocco during the early years of the reign of Hassan II and “Private Revolutions” by Alexandra Schneider, a documentary that is a reflection on the life of young Egyptian women after the Spring revolution presented in the Egypt: Before & After the Spring Revolution program to be hosted by Egyptian journalist Barbara Nimri Aziz.
ADIFF 2015 has some delightful encores to offer including titles that had a very short theatrical release and keep audiences talking like “Shelter” – starring Anthony Mackie and Jennifer Connelly- by Paul Bettany, “Tango Negro: The African Roots of Tango” by Dom Pedro, “The Pirogue” by Drissa Touré, “Sand Dollars” -Dominican Republic submission to the Oscars in the Foreign Language category- by Israel Cárdenas and Laura Amelia Guzmán and “Black Panthers: Vanguard Of The Revolution” -Oscar contender in the Best Documentary Feature category- by Stanley Nelson.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwB0-YGivtc
Other important films that will premiere in the festival are “We, Strking” by Denis Gheerbrant about African women on strike against a hotel chain in Paris, Slamdance fest favorite “Dennis Rodman’s Big Bang In Pyongyang” by Colin Offland, and family friendly comedy-drama “White Water” by Rusty Cundieff about a black child obsessed with the idea of drinking water from the Whites Only fountain during the days of Segregation in the South.
ADIFF’s New York Premiere Centerpiece screening of “Cu-Bop: Cuba – New York Music Documentary” by Shinichi Takahashi will be followed with a live concert performance with Afro-Cuban pianist Axel Tosca and his band (U)NITY.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVOO4ag_4EU
ADIFF will have the honor to host writer/poet/activist/professor Sonia Sanchez for ADIFF’s Closing Night screening of the new documentary celebrating her life and legacy: “BaddDDD Sonia Sanchez” (pictured above) by Barbara Attie, Janet Goldwater and Schmidt Gordon.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7cP6g6VBAY
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Complete List of Films + Trailers for 81 Countries in Competition for 2015 Foreign Language Film Oscar
Eighty-one countries have submitted films for consideration in the 2015 Foreign Language Film Oscar category for the 88th Academy Awards®. Paraguay is a first-time entrant.
The 2015 submissions are:
Afghanistan, “Utopia,” Hassan Nazer, director;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZhbfzrKWLw
Albania, “Bota,” Iris Elezi, Thomas Logoreci, directors;
https://vimeo.com/122133505
Algeria, “Twilight of Shadows,” Mohamed Lakhdar Hamina, director;
Argentina, “The Clan,” Pablo Trapero, director;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWia2xcELuI
Australia, “Arrows of the Thunder Dragon,” Greg Sneddon, director;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TSHuWQjixA
Austria, “Goodnight Mommy,” Veronika Franz, Severin Fiala, directors;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7u3GCfr0U94
Bangladesh, “Jalal’s Story,” Abu Shahed Emon, director;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Cu0vvLRKsI
Belgium, “The Brand New Testament,” Jaco Van Dormael, director;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9jEA8uzHwQ
Bosnia and Herzegovina, “Our Everyday Story,” Ines Tanović, director;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OO6fH-cZpzA
Brazil, “The Second Mother,” Anna Muylaert, director;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNjwuQcvGms
Bulgaria, “The Judgment,” Stephan Komandarev, director;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRCAYsrl37s
Cambodia, “The Last Reel,” Sotho Kulikar, director;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1XmFpUAVvw
Canada, “Félix and Meira,” Maxime Giroux, director;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HFbAjkmeYQ
Chile, “The Club,” Pablo Larraín, director;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8c2DYoF7lA
China, “Go Away Mr. Tumor,” Han Yan, director;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65UUtHBHJZM
Colombia, “Embrace of the Serpent,” Ciro Guerra, director;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vS73P3hZvPA
Costa Rica, “Imprisoned,” Esteban Ramírez, director;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFcdWPoxEzo
Croatia, “The High Sun,” Dalibor Matanić, director;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcWDMgipJ78
Czech Republic, “Home Care,” Slavek Horak, director;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdP5dEndQkI
Denmark, “A War,” Tobias Lindholm, director;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRkE5ZrPzs0
Dominican Republic, “Sand Dollars,” Laura Amelia Guzmán, Israel Cárdenas, directors; (pictured above)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HeEPnn7ioE
Estonia, “1944,” Elmo Nüganen, director;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4ni6KeO-AY
Ethiopia, “Lamb,” Yared Zeleke, director;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKh2M2ooD3w
Finland, “The Fencer,” Klaus Härö, director;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocTDfePRAOg
France, “Mustang,” Deniz Gamze Ergüven, director;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ud2yfvjdKRU
Georgia, “Moira,” Levan Tutberidze, director;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myW9KtGw8sA
Germany, “Labyrinth of Lies,” Giulio Ricciarelli, director;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xU0Ywoww70
Greece, “Xenia,” Panos H. Koutras, director;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaZ3mOod9hk
Guatemala, “Ixcanul,” Jayro Bustamante, director;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMMP0Z21zqU
Hong Kong, “To the Fore,” Dante Lam, director;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3_4N1DoFbg
Hungary, “Son of Saul,” László Nemes, director;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDP3TZilWHc
Iceland, “Rams,” Grímur Hákonarson, director;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWOFWaltGRw
India, “Court,” Chaitanya Tamhane, director;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sc8z7zav9A
Iran, “Muhammad: The Messenger of God,” Majid Majidi, director;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95HoUxTWGi0
Iraq, “Memories on Stone,” Shawkat Amin Korki, director;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuBFjhUo5C8
Ireland, “Viva,” Paddy Breathnach, director;
Israel, “Baba Joon,” Yuval Delshad, director;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQLOlq1PfQs
Italy, “Don’t Be Bad,” Claudio Caligari, director;
Ivory Coast, “Run,” Philippe Lacôte, director;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SDrpfbnKUk
Japan, “100 Yen Love,” Masaharu Take, director;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwF-VZMEoFc
Jordan, “Theeb,” Naji Abu Nowar, director;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqUbMKf8c60
Kazakhstan, “Stranger,” Yermek Tursunov, director;
Kosovo, “Babai,” Visar Morina, director;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXnmJBVtFBY
Kyrgyzstan, “Heavenly Nomadic,” Mirlan Abdykalykov, director;
Latvia, “Modris,” Juris Kursietis, director;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWCxsRlW8Bg
Lebanon, “Void,” Naji Bechara, Jad Beyrouthy, Zeina Makki, Tarek Korkomaz, Christelle Ighniades, Maria Abdel Karim, Salim Haber, directors;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_ryTnlrB_s
Lithuania, “The Summer of Sangaile,” Alanté Kavaïté, director;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HoijP-cGzfE
Luxembourg, “Baby (A)lone,” Donato Rotunno, director;
Macedonia, “Honey Night,” Ivo Trajkov, director;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdaM3dbsgNo
Malaysia, “Men Who Save the World,” Liew Seng Tat, director;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DoUf5jSq_s
Mexico, “600 Miles,” Gabriel Ripstein, director;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGINGaYOlGs
Montenegro, “You Carry Me,” Ivona Juka, director;
Morocco, “Aida,” Driss Mrini, director;
Nepal, “Talakjung vs Tulke,” Basnet Nischal, director;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zl-JXV0JTzw
Netherlands, “The Paradise Suite,” Joost van Ginkel, director;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBxz3h3uhos
Norway, “The Wave,” Roar Uthaug, director;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIr90-aG26Y
Pakistan, “Moor,” Jami, director;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUgbkOedFOY
Palestine, “The Wanted 18,” Amer Shomali, Paul Cowan, directors;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekhTuZpMw54
Paraguay, “Cloudy Times,” Arami Ullón, director;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSekF0ANW5o
Peru, “NN,” Héctor Gálvez, director;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZalPtyQSMus
Philippines, “Heneral Luna,” Jerrold Tarog, director;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_T1ykhy3Fg
Poland, “11 Minutes,” Jerzy Skolimowski, director;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8IlSOg1-6Tk
Portugal, “Arabian Nights – Volume 2, The Desolate One,” Miguel Gomes, director;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i59kera1ayM
Romania, “Aferim!” Radu Jude, director;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmTYOY_jQWc
Russia, “Sunstroke,” Nikita Mikhalkov, director;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WypoUHTWH8
Serbia, “Enclave,” Goran Radovanović, director;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dddfro-Vt9M
Singapore, “7 Letters,” Royston Tan, Kelvin Tong, Eric Khoo, Jack Neo, Tan Pin Pin,Boo Junfeng, K. Rajagopal, directors;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dI_Tp92v_OA
Slovakia, “Goat,” Ivan Ostrochovský, director;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOs0PTCC07A
Slovenia, “The Tree,” Sonja Prosenc, director;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQlBmcyyVzg
South Africa, “The Two of Us,” Ernest Nkosi, director;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uv0y8n0Pu0E
South Korea, “The Throne,” Lee Joon-ik, director;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmsD3wvvGP8
Spain, “Flowers,” Jon Garaño, Jose Mari Goenaga, directors;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8L33oXnK75w
Sweden, “A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence,” Roy Andersson, director;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7pna4laaAk
Switzerland, “Iraqi Odyssey,” Samir, director;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTs2IMlv7rY
Taiwan, “The Assassin,” Hou Hsiao-hsien, director;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bqNyl72eBw
Thailand, “How to Win at Checkers (Every Time),” Josh Kim, director;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfXh86HUpAA
Turkey, “Sivas,” Kaan Müjdeci, director;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWeZ0bZz12M
United Kingdom, “Under Milk Wood,” Kevin Allen, director;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqHAwLeJzhU
Uruguay, “A Moonless Night,” Germán Tejeira, director;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GV9N_SNC8DQ
Venezuela, “Gone with the River,” Mario Crespo, director;
https://vimeo.com/117647793
Vietnam, “Jackpot,” Dustin Nguyen, director.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9NEbqrL9jw
The 88th Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Thursday, January 14, 2016, at 5:30 a.m. PT at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills.
The 88th Oscars® will be held on Sunday, February 28, 2016, at the Dolby Theatre® at Hollywood & Highland Center® in Hollywood, and will be televised live by the ABC Television Network at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.
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2015 AFI Latin American Film Festival to Open with Lesbian Romantic Drama SAND DOLLARS | TRAILER
The 2015 AFI Latin American Film Festival taking place at the historic AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center in Silver Spring, Maryland from September 17 to October 7, opens with the romantic drama SAND DOLLARS, based on the novel “Les Dollars des Sables” by Jean-Noël Pancrazi. SAND DOLLARS is the fourth film by directors Laura Amelia Guzmán and Israel Cárdenas (COCOCHI, JEAN GENTIL), and stars Geraldine Chaplin (DOCTOR ZHIVAGO, THE ORPHANAGE) as a wealthy foreign tourist who is head over heels for a much-younger local woman. The film was recently announced as the Dominican Republic’s Official Academy Award® Submission.
In the picturesque seaside town of Las Terrenas, French expat Anne (Geraldine Chaplin, DOCTOR ZHIVAGO) has fallen in love with the much younger local, Noeli (Yanet Mojica). But the feeling isn’t exactly mutual — Noeli makes a living scamming off the kindness of tourists. She shares her earnings with her boyfriend, whom she passes off to Anne as her brother. Things become complicated when Anne promises to take Noeli back to France with her.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HeEPnn7ioE
The Closing Night film, TRASH, directed by Stephen Daldry (BILLY ELLIOT, THE HOURS) and written by Richard Curtis (LOVE ACTUALLY, WAR HORSE), follows three trash-picking boys from Rio de Janeiro who team up with two American missionaries, Martin Sheen (THE WEST WING) and Rooney Mara (THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO, THE SOCIAL NETWORK), to uncover political corruption.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VN08JrXZ9eM
Other highlights include MESSI, a docudrama about the world’s greatest soccer player; the U.S. premiere of Colombia’s ALIAS MARÍA, straight from its debut at the Cannes Film Festival; Kristen Wiig (BRIDESMAIDS) in NASTY BABY, a Brooklyn-set dark comedy from Chilean filmmaker Sebastián Silva; and WITHOUT WINGS, the first U.S. feature to be made in Cuba since 1959.
The complete schedule of the 2015 AFI Latin American Film Festival is available online.