The Charmer

  • ‘Eighth Grade’ ‘Won’t You Be My Neighbor?’ Among Winners at 2018 Seattle International Film Festival

    [caption id="attachment_27753" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]EIGHTH GRADE EIGHTH GRADE[/caption] The Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF) today announced the winners of the 2018 Golden Space Needle Audience and Competition Awards. Eighth Grade received the Golden Space Needle Audience Award for Best Film and a Best Actress Award for Elise Fisher. Won’t You Be My Neighbor won Best Documentary and Grand Jury prizes went to The Reports on Sarah and Saleem, Dead Pigs, Rust, Inventing Tomorrow, and Thunder Road. Artistic Director Beth Barrett said, “Executive Director Sarah Wilke and I were thrilled to present Ethan Hawke with the Festival’s Outstanding Achievement Award in Cinema before a screening of Blaze, his latest directing effort, as well as welcoming Melanie Lynskey back to the Festival for a special screening of Seattle based local film, Sadie. We also had an incredible lineup of local films, and our documentary film selection continues to be among the best in the country. Back for the second year was SIFF’s New Works-in-Progress Forum, where we screened two narrative and two documentary features in the midst of their creative process to the Seattle audience of industry and festival attendees, as well as continuing our exploration of the intersections between cinema and Virtual Reality at our first Pop-up event, SIFF VR Zone at Pacific Place.”

    2018 GOLDEN SPACE NEEDLE AWARD WINNERS

    The 2018 Golden Space Needle Awards are created by Seattle Artist, Piper O’Neill. GOLDEN SPACE NEEDLE AWARD – BEST FILM Eighth Grade, directed by Bo Burnham (USA 2018) First runner-up: The Last Suit, directed by Pablo Solarz (Argentina/Poland/Spain/France/Germany 2017) Second runner-up: Champions, directed by Javier Fesser (Spain 2018) Third runner-up: C’est la vie!, directed by Olivier Nakache, Eric Toledano (France/Canada/Belgium 2017) Fourth runner-up: Supa Modo, directed by Likarion Wainaina (Kenya/Germany 2018) GOLDEN SPACE NEEDLE AWARD – BEST DOCUMENTARY Won’t You Be My Neighbor?, directed by Morgan Neville (USA 2018) First runner-up: Pick of the Litter, directed by Don Hardy Jr., Dana Nachman (USA 2017) Second runner-up: Return to Mount Kennedy, directed by Eric Becker (USA 2018) Third runner-up: The Most Dangerous Year, directed by Vlada Knowlton (USA 2018) Fourth runner-up: The Russian Five, directed by Joshua Riehl (USA 2018) GOLDEN SPACE NEEDLE AWARD – BEST DIRECTOR Gustav Möller, The Guilty (Denmark 2018) First runner-up: Pablo Solarz, The Last Suit (Argentina/Poland/Spain/France/Germany 2017) Second runner-up: Megan Griffiths, Sadie (USA 2018) Third runner-up: Debra Granik, Leave No Trace (USA 2018) Fourth runner-up: Albert Dupontel, See You Up There (France 2017) GOLDEN SPACE NEEDLE AWARD – BEST ACTOR Miguel Ángel Solá, The Last Suit (Argentina/Poland/Spain/France/Germany 2017) First runner-up: Jakob Cedergren, The Guilty (Denmark 2018) Second runner-up: Ethan Hawke, First Reformed (USA 2017) Third runner-up: Jim Cummings, Thunder Road (USA 2018) Fourth runner-up: Ben Foster, Leave No Trace (USA 2018) GOLDEN SPACE NEEDLE AWARD – BEST ACTRESS Elsie Fisher, Eighth Grade (USA 2018) First runner-up: Rhaechyl Walker, My Name is Myeisha (USA 2018) Second runner-up: Sophia Mitri Schloss, Sadie (USA 2018) Third runner-up: Thomasin Harcourt McKenzie, Leave No Trace (USA 2018) Fourth runner-up: Ana Brun, The Heiresses (Paraguay/Uruguay/Germany/Brazil/Norway/France 2018) GOLDEN SPACE NEEDLE AWARD – BEST SHORT FILM Emergency, directed by Carey Williams (USA 2017) First runner-up: About the Birds and the Bees, directed by J.J. Vanhanen (Finland 2017) Second runner-up: Wishing Box, directed by Wenli Zhang, Nan Li (USA 2017) Third runner-up: Cats Cradle, directed by Jonathan Napolitano (USA 2018) Fourth runner-up: Wave, directed by Benjamin Cleary, TJ O’Grady Peyton (Ireland 2017) LENA SHARPE AWARD FOR PERSISTENCE OF VISION Presented by Women in Film – Seattle Dana Nachman, Pick of the Litter (USA 2017) This award is given to the female director’s film that receives the most votes in public balloting at the Festival. Lena Sharpe was co-founder and managing director of Seattle’s Festival of Films by Women Directors and a KCTS-TV associate who died in a plane crash while on assignment. As a tribute to her efforts in bringing the work of women filmmakers to prominence, SIFF created this special award and asked Women in Film – Seattle to bestow it.

    SIFF 2018 COMPETITION AWARDS

    SIFF 2018 OFFICIAL COMPETITION WINNER

    GRAND JURY PRIZE The Reports on Sarah and Saleem (d: Muayad Alayan, Palestine/Netherlands/Germany/Mexico 2018) JURY STATEMENT: The Official Competition Jury Award goes to a work that through its complex and multi-dimensional characters tells a familiar story of infidelity in an original and wholly disarming way. We were struck by the unexpected journey taken by the two female leads towards empowerment, particularly given the political and social climate of a modern day divided Jerusalem. The Official Competition Jury Award goes to The Reports on Sarah and Seleem. SPECIAL JURY MENTION The Heiresses (d: Marcelo Martinessi, Paraguay/Uruguay/Germany/Brazil/Norway/France 2018) JURY STATEMENT: We would like acknowledge The Heiresses, a remarkable first feature from Paraguay by Marcelo Martinessi. 2018 Entries: The Devil’s Doorway (d: Aislinn Clarke, United Kingdom 2018, World Premiere) Garbage (d: Qaushiq Mukherjee, India 2018, North American Premiere) The Heiresses (d: Marcelo Martinessi, Paraguay/Uruguay/Germany/Brazil/Norway/France 2018, US Premiere) Leave No Trace (d: Debra Granik, USA 2018) Luna (d: Elsa Diringer, France 2017) Pig (d: Mani Haghighi, Iran 2018, North American Premiere) Team Hurricane (d: Annika Berg, Denmark 2017) The Reports on Sarah and Saleem (d: Muayad Alayan, Palestine/Netherlands/Germany/Mexico 2018, North American Premiere) Something Useful (d: Pelin Esmer, Turkey/France/Netherlands/Germany 2017, North American Premiere)

    SIFF 2018 IBERO-AMERICAN COMPETITION

    GRAND JURY PRIZE Rust (d: Aly Muritiba, Brazil 2018) JURY STATEMENT: For highlighting a very important social issue, through an inventive structure and phenomenal performances, we present the Ibero-American Competition Jury Award to Aly Muritiba’s Rust. SPECIAL JURY MENTION Rush Hour (d: Luciana Kaplan, Mexico 2017) JURY STATEMENT: The Jury wants to also recognize a wonderful discovery, told with a subtle, unique point of view. For her examination of suffering and humanity inside of an increasingly automotive environment, the Ibero-American Competition Jury awards a special mention to Luciana Kaplan’s Rush Hour. 2018 Entries: Champions (d: Javier Fesser, Spain 2018) Giant (d: John Garaño, Aitor Arregi, Spain 2017) Gold Seekers (d: Juan Carlos Maneglia, Tana Schémbori, Paraguay 2017) The Heiresses (d: Marcelo Martinessi, Paraguay/Uruguay/Germany/Brazil/Norway/France 2018, US Premiere) Killing Jesus (d: Laura Mora Ortega, Colombia/Argentina 2017) Lots of Kids, A Monkey and a Castle (d: Gustavo Salmerón, Spain 2017) Marilyn (d: Martin Rodriguez, Argentina/Chile 2018, North American Premiere) Retablo (d: Peru/Germany/Norway 2017, North American Premiere) Rush Hour (d: Luciana Kaplan, Mexico 2017) Rust (d: Aly Muritiba, Brazil 2018) Virus Tropical (d: Santiago Calcedo, Colombia/Ecuador 2017)

    SIFF 2018 NEW DIRECTORS COMPETITION

    GRAND JURY PRIZE Dead Pigs (d: Cathy Yan, China/USA 2018) JURY STATEMENT: For building an epic world, grounded in humanity, purposefully depicting the intricacies of the characters who exemplify the changes of a modernizing China, the New Directors Competition Jury award goes to Cathy Yan for Dead Pigs. SPECIAL JURY MENTION Scary Mother (d: Ana Urushadze, Georgia/Estonia 2017) JURY STATEMENT: Using striking and haunting visuals, this filmmaker confidently creates intimate and empathetic characters while depicting the struggle for artistic expression in a society that does not allow the full breadth of it. The jury would like to recognize Ana Urushadze with a special mention for her filmScary Mother. 2018 Entries: After the War (d: Annarita Zambrano, Italy/Belgium/Switzerland 2017) Amateurs (d: Gabriela Pichler, Sweden 2018) The Blessed (d: Sofia Djama, Algeria/France/Belgium/Qatar 2017) The Charmer (d: Milad Alami, Denmark/Sweden 2017) Dead Pigs (d: Cathy Yan, China/USA 2018) Sashinka (d: Kristina Wagenbauer, Canada (Québec) 2017, US Premiere) Scary Mother (d: Ana Urushadze, Georgia/Estonia 2017) Shuttle Life (d: Tan Seng Klat, Malaysia 2017, US Premiere) Supa Modo (d: Likarion Wainaina, Kenya/Germany 2018) Retablo (d: Alvaro L. Delgado-Aparicio, Peru/Germany/Norway 2017, North American Premiere)

    SIFF 2018 NEW AMERICAN CINEMA COMPETITION

    Thunder Road (d: Jim Cummings, USA 2018) JURY STATEMENT: For the bold and unpredictable lead performance and commitment to telling a hilarious and ultimately heartbreaking story of shifting family relations in the face of personal adversity and tragedy, the New American Cinema Competition Jury award goes to Thunder Road by Jim Cummings. 2018 Entries: Jinn (d: Nijla Mu’min, USA 2018) My Name is Myeisha (d: Gus Krieger, USA 2018) Noble Earth (d: Ursula Grisham, USA 2017, US Premiere) Prospect (d: Zeek Earl, Chris Caldwell, USA 2018) Sadie (d: Megan Griffiths, USA 2018) Thunder Road (d: Jim Cummings, USA 2018) Tyrel (d: Sebastián Silva, USA 2018) Wild Nights with Emily (d: Madeleine Olnek, USA 2018)

    SIFF 2018 DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION

    GRAND JURY PRIZE Inventing Tomorrow (d: Laura Nix, USA 2018) JURY STATEMENT: For it’s compelling cast of young visionaries from around the globe who are engaged and looking for solutions to the world’s environmental problems, Inventing Tomorrow offers us a sense of optimism and the certainty that science matters. SPECIAL JURY MENTION Afghan Cycles (d: Sarah Menzies, USA/France/Afghanistan 2018) JURY STATEMENT: For portraying a side of Afghanistan that we don’t usually see and the self confidence and bravery of the young women, we would like to acknowledge Afghan Cycles with a Documentary Competition Special Jury Mention. 2018 Entries: Afghan Cycles (d: Sarah Menzies, USA/France/Afghanistan 2018, US Premiere Inventing Tomorrow (d: Laura Nix, USA 2018) MATANGI / MAYA / M.I.A. (d: Stephen Loveridge, United Kingdom/USA 2018) People’s Republic of Desire (d: Hao Wu, China 2018) Queerama (d: Daisy Asquith, United Kingdom 2017) The Return (d: Malene Choi, Denmark 2018, US Premiere) Unarmed Verses (d: Charles Officer, Canada 2017, US Premiere) Warrior Women (d: Elizabeth A. Castle, Christina D. King, USA 2018, US Premiere)

    SIFF 2018 YOUTH JURY FEATURES & FUTUREWAVE SHORTS AWARDS

    YOUTH JURY PRIZE FOR BEST FILMS4FAMILIES FEATURE Zoo (d: Colin McIvor, Ireland 2017) JURY STATEMENT: For its well-developed, heartwarming plot, spectacular scenery, and believable acting. YOUTH JURY PRIZE FOR BEST FUTUREWAVE FEATURE My Name is Myeisha (d: Gus Krieger, USA 2018) JURY STATEMENT: For its creative and non-linear storytelling that incorporates multiple art forms, including poetry, rap, beat-boxing, and dance, and its holistic portrayal of victims of police brutality. In addition, SIFF presents FutureWave Shorts during ShortsFest Weekend. These inspiring original short films represent some of the best short filmmaking from around the world. WAVEMAKER AWARD (GRAND PRIZE) iRony (d: Radheya Jegatheva, Australia 2017) JURY STATEMENT: We found that the animation was excellent, smart, and gorgeous. This film was paired with emotional and poignant prose about technology in this new world, sustaining our curiosity and interest throughout. PRODIGY CAMP SCHOLARSHIP The winner will be awarded a $1000 partial scholarship to the Prodigy Camp. Roommate (d: Jinho Rhee, USA 2017) FUTUREWAVE SHORTS AUDIENCE AWARD iRony (d: Radheya Jegatheva, Australia 2017)

    SIFF 2018 SHORT FILM JURY AWARDS

    LIVE ACTION GRAND JURY PRIZE Caroline (d: Celine Held, Logan George, USA 2017) JURY STATEMENT: “Perfect” and “flawless” were two words our team used multiple times to describe this intense drama. A searing portrait of motherhood, it sent our blood pressure through the roof and arrested our attention until the very last second with its clever and powerful ending. The winner of the 2018 Live Action Short Jury Award goes to Caroline by Celine Held and Logan George. SPECIAL JURY MENTION Creme de Menthe (d: Jean-Marc E. Roy & Philippe David Gagné, Canada 2017) JURY STATEMENT: Unlike the liqueur for which it is titled, this film is bittersweet and complex, a poignant reminder of every grown child’s desire for parental validation, even posthumously. What the captivating lead finds instead are small victories amidst her “rush” to judgement and the rubble of her father’s later life. Our special mention award goes to the understated and masterful Creme de Menthe by Jean-Marc E. Roy and Philippe David Gagné. SPECIAL JURY MENTION The Victory of Charity (d: Albert Meisl, Austria 2017) JURY STATEMENT: This Austrian farce manages to create comedic gold with a mismatched pair of music professors: turning an act of charity–however maliciously motivated–into a hilarious treasure hunt around Vienna. For its endlessly humorous crafting of two endearingly ridiculous characters, on an earnest and equally ridiculous quest, we award a Special Mention to the short that left us in stitches, The Victory of Charity by Albert Meisl. DOCUMENTARY GRAND JURY PRIZE Juck [Thrust] (d: Olivia Kastebring, Julia Gumpert, Ulrika Bandeira, Sweden 2018) JURY STATEMENT: An unapologetic, empowering, and affecting call to action that demands attention. SPECIAL JURY MENTION The Driver is Red (d: Randall Christopher, USA 2017) JURY STATEMENT: An invigorating revelation of an important, lesser known part of history, full of inventive visuals and tension-filled storytelling ANIMATION GRAND JURY PRIZE Between the Lines (d: Maria Koneva, Russia 2017) JURY STATEMENT: A delightful and whimsical story from a skilled, emerging new voice in animation. SPECIAL JURY MENTION The Driver is Red (d: Randall Christopher, USA 2017) JURY STATEMENT: An invigorating revelation of an important, lesser known part of history, full of inventive visuals and tension-filled storytelling.

    SIFF 2018 CHINA STARS AWARDS

    CHINA STARS BEST FILM AWARD The Taste of Betel Nut (d: Jia Hu, p: Wei Sun, China 2017) CHINA STARS BEST FIRST FILM Dead Pigs (d: Cathy Yan, China/USA 2018) CHINA STARS BEST NEW TALENT Girls Always Happy (d: Mingming Yang, China 2018)

    SIFF 2018 DOCUMENTARY FILM GRANT PROGRAM

    The 2018 Clark Family Legacy Film Grant in the amount of $50,000 was awarded to Jordan Schiele for his film The Silk and the Flame and the Áegis Living Film Grant in the amount of $25,000 was awarded to Sarah Menzies for her film Afghan Cycles. These grants are given to documentary filmmakers who are working with excellence and integrity to bring important human stories to life. Both films were screened at this year’s Festival.

    SIFF 2018 SCREENPLAY COMPETITION

    GRAND PRIZE WINNER Youth Decay by Brandon Hall FINALISTS Anh Sang by Barry Brennessel Kibou by Cassie Hayasaka and Keith Hayasaka Plan B by Paige Gresty SEMI-FINALISTS Amelia Was Here! by Millie West Kelley’s Coffin by Jon Hartz Pale Souls by Michael Lavine The Rodeo King of Brooklyn by Paul Longo Seattle ‘94 by Charles Freeman Strange Trails by Jordan Short

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  • Seattle International Film Festival Announces 2018 Lineup of Over 400 Films

    [caption id="attachment_28016" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot[/caption] This year’s 44th edition of the Seattle International Film Festival revealed today the complete lineup of 433 films, plus guests and events for the 25-day Festival that runs May 17 to June 10, 2018.   Opening night kicks off Thursday, May 17 with The Bookshop from acclaimed Spanish filmmaker Isabel Coixet (Learning to Drive, Elegy), distributed by Greenwich Entertainment. The film is set in a seaside village in England where a grieving widow (Emily Mortimer) pursues her lifelong dream of opening a bookshop. She introduces the townsfolk to the world’s best literature and stirs a cultural awakening, but her efforts are ruthlessly opposed by a powerful local (Patricia Clarkson) causing a reclusive resident (Bill Nighy) to join the fight to keep the bookshop open. The film is based on the bestselling novel by Penelope Fitzgerald. The annual Centerpiece Gala, Sorry to Bother You, pulls no punches in its portrayal of racial dynamics in the workplace. This new film ushers in an utterly original and wildly creative new voice on the film scene from debut director and musician Boots Riley. Director Boots Riley is scheduled to attend the Seattle premiere to take place Saturday, June 2, at 5:30 PM, at the SIFF Cinema Egyptian. The Seattle premiere of Ethan Hawke’s Blaze will also screen at the historic SIFF Cinema Egyptian as SIFF honors Mr. Hawke’s work with the Award for Outstanding Achievement in Cinema. In addition to the award presentation and screening, the acclaimed actor is slated for an on-stage interview at the Friday, June 8 event. Also scheduled is An Afternoon with Melanie Lynskey, where the Festival pays tribute to this celebrated actress. The iconic scene-stealing actress makes her way to SIFF on Sunday, May 27 for the Seattle premiere of Northwest Filmmaker Megan Griffiths’ film Sadie with an onstage discussion following the film. Seattle favorite, Gus Van Sant’s Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far on Foot, closes SIFF 2018 with a bang! Starring Joaquin Phoenix in a transformative performance as Portland cartoonist John Callahan who, after a car accident leaves him disabled, uses his sardonic humor and brutal honesty to battle with a lifetime of addiction. “Sifting through over 4,000 film submissions each year, finding just 240 features is somewhat of a treasure hunt,” said SIFF Artistic Director Beth Barrett. “We’re looking for dynamic, diverse stories. This year, we’re overjoyed to share that over 43-percent of the feature films are female directed. We’re thrilled to jump into the 44th Festival and share these voices from around the globe with over 150,000 film enthusiasts in Seattle over the course of 25 days.”

    GALAS

    Opening Night Gala The Bookshop Spanish director Isabel Coixet heads to the English coast circa 1959, where a headstrong widow (Emily Mortimer) opens a bookstore in a sleepy village and encounters both pride and prejudice from the provincial locals. Winner of Best Film, Director, and Screenplay at Spain’s Goya Awards. (d: Isabel Coixet c: Emily Mortimer, Bill Nighy, Patricia Clarkson, Julie Christie, Hunter Tremayne, United Kingdom 2017, 110 min) Centerpiece Gala Sorry to Bother You Lakeith Stanfield, Tessa Thompson, and Armie Hammer star in the exhilarating directorial debut of musician Boots Riley, a biting and bonkers satire that follows a black telemarketer who discovers an unknown skill which gives him magical selling powers that shoot him up the corporate ladder. (d: Boots Riley c: Lakeith Stanfield, Tessa Thompson, Steven Yeun, Jermaine Fowler, Armie Hammer, Omari Hardwick, David Cross, Danny Glover, USA 2018, 112 min) Closing Night Gala Don’t Worry, He Won’t Get Far On Foot Joaquin Phoenix gives a transformative performance in Gus Van Sant’s sensitive and caustically funny portrait of Portland cartoonist John Callahan who, after a car accident leaves him disabled, uses his sardonic humor and brutal honesty to battle with a lifetime of addiction. The outstanding supporting cast includes Jonah Hill, Rooney Mara, Jack Black, and musician Beth Ditto in her impressive film debut. (d: Gus Van Sant c: Joaquin Phoenix, Jonah Hill, Rooney Mara, Jack Black, Beth Ditto, USA 2018, 113 min)

    SPECIAL GUESTS

    AN AFTERNOON WITH Melanie Lynskey FILM: Sadie Since making her debut at age 16 opposite a young Kate Winslet in Peter Jackson’s Heavenly Creatures, the New Zealand-born Melanie Lynskey has become one of American cinema’s most reliable character actors. From Ever After: A Cinderella Story to Shattered Glass, The Informant! to The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Hello I Must Be Going to I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore, and TV work ranging from HBO’s “Togetherness” and “Animals” and Cartoon Network’s “Over the Garden Wall” to 12 years on CBS’ “Two and a Half Men,” her passionate dedication to her craft has created a class of charismatic characters defined by their grace, sensitivity, quirkiness, and kindness. This afternoon, SIFF will welcome her to the stage for an interview featuring film clips from her career, followed by a screening of one of Lynskey’s latest films, Sadie, directed by Seattle-based Megan Griffiths (The Night Stalker, Lucky Them, Eden), with music by Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready. There will also be an opportunity for audience questions following the screening.

    OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT IN CINEMA

    A Tribute to Ethan Hawke FILM: Blaze A modern day renaissance artist, Ethan Hawke’s creative talent continues to flourish in several realms of expression. An actor, screenwriter, novelist, and filmmaker, his body of work is broad as it is deep in a career that now spans three decades. From portraying a rock-steady police sergeant and cowboy, to a sensitive teenage poet and young heartthrob, his versatility as an actor is renowned, cementing him as one of the great performers of this generation. SIFF will present Ethan Hawke with the Seattle International Film Festival Award for Outstanding Achievement in Cinema. A Q&A with Hawke will follow the screening of his new film, Blaze. Past honorees of the SIFF Outstanding Achievement Awards include Anjelica Huston, Laura Dern, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Viggo Mortensen, Kyle MacLachlan, Sir Ben Kingsley, Kevin Bacon, Edward Norton, Sissy Spacek, Joan Allen, Spike Lee, among others.

    FILMS WITH PARTIES

    Saturday Film and Party The Cake General, North American Premiere SATURDAY, MAY 19, 5:30 PM – Party to follow screening FILM: MAJESTIC BAY PARTY: NORDIC MUSEUM Based on a true story, the directorial debut of popular Swedish personalities Filip and Fredrik is an outrageous, unconventional comedy set in the 1980s about an eccentric resident of “the most boring town in Sweden” who decides to put his sleepy hamlet on the map by assembling the world’s longest layer cake. (d: Filip Hammar, Fredrik Wikingsson c: Mikael Perssbrandt, Helena Bergström, Agnes Lindström Bolmgren, Tomas von Brömssen, Sweden 2018, 101 min) Saturday Film and Party Won’t You Be My Neighbor? SATURDAY, MAY 26, 6:00 PM – Party to follow screening FILM: SIFF CINEMA UPTOWN PARTY: THE HOUSE STUDIOS Oscar®-winning director Morgan Neville (20 Feet From Stardom) presents the heartwarming life of Fred Rogers, whose cherished PBS series, “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” used cardigans, puppets, and the Land of Make-Believe to imaginatively and compassionately inspire children, while not shying away from complicated issues. (d: Morgan Neville f: Fred Rogers, USA 2018, 93 min) Kirkland Opening Night The Drummer and the Keeper THURSDAY, MAY 31, 8:00 PM – Party to precede screening PARTY AND FILM: KIRKLAND PERFORMANCE CENTER When a drummer for an up-and-coming Dublin rock band is diagnosed with bipolar disorder, he is forced to join a weekend mixed-ability soccer team and makes fast friends with a 17-year-old with Asperger’s Syndrome in this poignant and charming bro-com between two odd and lonely souls. (d: Nick Kelly c: Dermot Murphy, Jacob McCarthy, Peter Coonan, Ireland/USA 2017, 93 min)

    SPECIAL PRESENTATION

    L’INFERNO WITH LIVE SCORE BY MY GOODNESS Thursday, May 31 | 7:00 PM | The Triple Door Seattle rock band My Goodness bring their expansive blues-inspired sound to The Triple Door for a live accompaniment to the 1911 Italian silent film, a macabre tour de force inspired by Dante’s “Divine Comedy,” featuring ground-breaking special effects and a cast of thousands.

    SPOTLIGHT PRESENTATIONS

    HIGHLANDER WITH LIVE SOUNDTRACK BY DJ NICFIT Wednesday, May 23 | 6:30 PM | SIFF Cinema Egyptian When originally released in 1986, this franchise-inspiring fantasy adventure about an immortal Scottish swordsman featured a handful of new songs from rock icons Queen. Now, Seattle’s own DJ NicFit reimagines the cult classic with a decades-spanning all-Queen playlist performed live on two turntables. FOUND FOOTAGE FESTIVAL: CHERISHED GEMS Wednesday, June 6 | 9:15 PM | SIFF Cinema Egyptian Ranging from industrial training videos to forsaken home movies, comedians Joe Pickett and Nick Prueher’s vast VHS library features the world’s largest collection of strange, outrageous, and profoundly stupid videos, the best (and worst) of which they have carefully curated and present along with live comedy commentary. EIGHTH GRADE Saturday June, 9, 6:30 PM | SIFF Cinema Egyptian Sunday, June 10, 12:30 PM | SIFF Cinema Uptown Newcomer Elsie Fisher, in a star-making performance, perfectly captures the everyday humiliations and triumphs of a modern-day thirteen-year-old making her way through the last week of her thus far disastrous eighth grade year in the auspicious filmmaking debut of comedian Bo Burnham.

    COMPETITIONS

    Official Competition

    The Devil’s Doorway (d: Aislinn Clarke, United Kingdom 2018, World Premiere) Garbage (d: Q (Qaushiq Mukherjee), India 2018, North American Premiere) The Heiresses (d: Marcelo Martinessi, Paraguay/Uruguay/Germany/Brazil/Norway/France 2018, US Premiere) Leave No Trace (d: Debra Granik, USA 2018) Luna (d: Elsa Diringer, France 2017) Pig (d: Mani Haghighi, Iran 2018, North American Premiere) The Reports on Sarah and Saleem (d: Muayad Alayan, Palestine/Netherlands/Germany/Mexico 2018, North American Premiere) Something Useful (d: Pelin Esmer, Turkey/France/Netherlands/Germany 2017, North American Premiere) Team Hurricane (d. Annika Berg, Denmark 2017)

    New Directors Competition

    After the War (d: Annarita Zambrano, France/Italy/Belgium/Switzerland 2017) Amateurs (d: Gabriela Pichler, Sweden 2018) The Blessed (d: Sofia Djama, France/Belgium 2017) The Charmer (d: Milad Alami, Denmark/Sweden 2017) Dead Pigs (d: Cathy Yan, China/USA 2018) Retablo (d: Alvaro Delgado-Aparicio L., Peru/Germany/Norway 2018, North American Premiere) Sashinka (d: Kristina Wagenbauer, Canada (Québec) 2017, US Premiere) Scary Mother (d: Ana Urushadze, Georgia/Estonia 2017) Shuttle Life (d: Tan Seng Kiat, Malaysia 2017, US Premiere) Supa Modo (d: Likarion Wainaina, Kenya/Germany 2018)

    Ibero-American Competition

    Champions (d: Javier Fesser, Spain 2018, North American Premiere) Giant (d: Jon GaranÞo, Aitor Arregi, Spain 2017) Gold Seekers (d: Juan Carlos Maneglia, Tana Schémbori, Paraguay 2017) Killing Jesus (d: Laura Mora Ortega, Colombia/Argentina 2017) Lots of Kids, A Monkey and a Castle (d: Gustavo Salmerón, Spain 2017) Marilyn (d: Martiìn Rodriguez, Argentina/Chile 2018, North American Premiere) Rush Hour (d: Luciana Kaplan, Mexico 2017) Rust (d: Aly Muritiba, Brazil 2018) Virus Tropical (d: Santiago Caicedo, Colombia/Ecuador 2017)

    New American Cinema Competition

    Jinn (d: Nijla Mu’min, USA 2018) My Name Is Myeisha (d: Gus Krieger, USA 2018) Noble Earth (d: Ursula Grisham, USA 2017, US Premiere) Prospect (d: Zeek Earl, Chris Caldwell, USA/Canada 2018) Sadie (d: Megan Griffiths, USA 2018) Thunder Road (d: Jim Cummings, USA 2018) Tyrel (d: Sebastián Silva, USA 2018) Wild Nights With Emily (d: Madeleine Olnek, USA 2018)

    Documentary Competition

    Afghan Cycles (d: Sarah Menzies, USA/France/Afghanistan 2018, US Premiere) Inventing Tomorrow (d: Laura Nix, USA 2018) MATANGI / MAYA / M.I.A. (d: Stephen Loveridge, Sri Lanka/United Kingdom/USA 2018) People’s Republic of Desire (d: Hao Wu, China 2018) Queerama (d: Daisy Asquith, United Kingdom 2017) The Return (d: Malene Choi, Denmark 2018) Unarmed Verses (d: Charles Officer, Canada 2017, US Premiere) Warrior Women (d: Elizabeth A. Castle, Christina D. King, USA 2018, US Premiere)

    AFRICAN PICTURES

    The African Storm (d: Sylvestre Amoussou, Benin/France 2017) The Blessed (d: Sofia Djama, France/Belgium 2017) Cook Off (d: Tomas L. Brickhill, Zimbabwe 2017, North American Premiere) Ellen (d: Daryne Joshua, South Africa 2017, North American Premiere) I Am Not a Witch (d: Rungano Nyoni, Zambia/France/United Kingdom 2017) Looking for Oum Kulthum (d: Shirin Neshat, Germany/Austria/Italy/Lebanon/Qatar 2017) Maki’la (d: Machérie Ekwa Bahango, Democratic Republic of Congo/France 2018, North American Premiere) Razzia (d: Nabil Ayouch, France/Morocco/Belgium 2017) Silas (d: Hawa Essuman, Anjali Nayar, Canada/South Africa/Kenya 2017) Supa Modo (d: Likarion Wainaina, Kenya/Germany 2018)

    CHINA STARS

    Awards will be presented to: Best New Talent Award: Mingming Yang for Girls Always Happy Best First Film Award: Dead Pigs by Cathy Yan Best Film Award: The Taste of Betel Nut – Angels Wear White (d: Vivian Qu, China/France 2017) Dead Pigs (d: Cathy Yan, China/USA 2018) Girls Always Happy (d: Mingming Yang, China 2018, North American Premiere) Love Education (d: Sylvia Chang, Mainland China/Taiwan 2017) People’s Republic of Desire (d: Hao Wu, China 2018) The Silk and the Flame (d: Jordan Schiele, USA/China 2018, US Premiere) Susu (d: Yixi Sun, China/United Kingdom 2017, US Premiere) The Taste of Betel Nut (d: Jia Hu, Mainland China/Hong Kong 2017, North American Premiere) The Widowed Witch (d: Chenglie Cai, China 2018, North American Premiere) Wrath of Silence (d: Yukun Xin, China 2017, North American Premiere)

    CULINARY CINEMA

    Brewmaster (d: Douglas Tirola, USA/Czech Republic 2018) Constructing Albert (d: Laura Collado, Jim Loomis, Spain 2017) Cuban Food Stories (d: Asori Soto, Cuba/USA 2018) Michelin Stars: Tales from the Kitchen (d: Rasmus Dinesen, Denmark 2017) Schumann’s Bar Talks (d: Marieke Schroeder, Germany 2017) Scotch – A Golden Dream (d: Andrew Peat, Taiwan 2017) Soufra (d: Thomas Morgan, USA 2017)

    FACE THE MUSIC

    Being Frank: The Chris Sievey Story (d: Steve Sullivan, United Kingdom 2018) Blaze (d: Ethan Hawke, USA 2018) Industrial Accident – The Story of Wax Trax! Records (d: Julia Nash, USA/Belgium/Canada/Germany 2018) Looking for Oum Kulthum (d: Shirin Neshat, Germany/Austria/Italy/Lebanon/Qatar 2017) Making the Grade (d: Ken Wardrop, Ireland 2017) MATANGI / Maya / M.I.A (d: Stephen Loveridge, Sri Lanka/United Kingdom/USA 2018) Nico, 1988 (d: Susanna Nicchiarelli, Italy/USA 2017) Rubén Blades Is Not My Name ( d: Abner Benaim, Panama/Argentina/Colombia 2018) Ryuichi Sakamoto:Coda (d: Stephen Nomura, Japan/USA 2017)

    NORTHWEST CONNECTIONS

    Afghan Cycles (d: Sarah Menzies, USA/France/Afghanistan 2018, US Premiere) Automata (d: Van Alan, USA 2017) The Faces of Zandra Rhodes (d: David Wiesehan, USA 2018, World Premiere) The Most Dangerous Year (d: Vlada Knowlton, USA 2018, World Premiere) Prospect (d: Zeek Earl, Chris Caldwell, USA/Canada 2018) Return to Mount Kennedy (d: Eric Becker, USA 2018) Sadie (d: Megan Griffiths, USA 2018)

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  • 2018 Berkshire International Film Festival to Showcase 80 Films, AMERICAN ANIMALS, BAD REPUTATION and More..

    [caption id="attachment_26622" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Jared Abrahamson, Evan Peters, Blake Jenner and Barry Keoghan appear in American Animals by Bart Layton, an official selection of the U.S. Dramatic Competition at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival. Courtesy of Sundance Institute. AMERICAN ANIMALS[/caption] The 13th Annual Berkshire International Film Festival (BIFF) will showcase 80 of the latest in independent feature, documentary, short and family films from 28 countries, from May 31 to June 3 in Great Barrington and June 1 to 3 in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. “Among the many things I love about the BIFF is its increasing reflection on and discovery of our global community,” notes the festival’s Founder and Artistic Director, Kelley Vickery. “The characters and stories in this year’s films are as diverse as ever—showing us unique perspectives of what life is like for a broad range of people in very different places and circumstances. BIFF always celebrates independent filmmakers and we are especially excited to honor the talented and evocative career of Rachel Weisz. We are continuing our “Tea Talks” series with engaging films and discussions and very proud to have a special event with a screenplay reading of MUMBET. We strive to bring a special festival to our vibrant community, so we truly believe there is something for everyone!” On Thursday, May 31, in Great Barrington, the festival opens this year with the Sundance hit AMERICAN ANIMALS. This docudrama is the extraordinary and thrilling true story of four friends who brazenly attempt to execute one of the most audacious art heists in US history. The following day, on June 1, In Pittsfield, BIFF will open at the Beacon in Pittsfield with the rock-and-rolling BAD REPUTATION about the one and only Joan Jett. The documentary follows her incredible, uncompromising and influential career. You will leave singing  “I love rock ‘n’ roll!” The opening night begins with a party at the Beacon Cinema followed by the presentation of the NINTH annual “Next Great Filmmaker Award.” On Friday, June 1 – Tribute Night –  The festival will pay tribute to the Academy Award-winning actor, Rachel Weisz for her remarkable achievement in film. Over the past 25 years, Ms. Weisz has displayed her fearlessness, intelligence and talent in over 64 roles and has won or been nominated for nearly every industry award – from a BAFTA, to a Golden Globe, to an Oscar. We celebrate the incredible body of work she has already created and the creative peaks she continues to climb. As part of the tribute, Ms. Weisz will be in conversation with David Edelstein, New York chief film critic on the stage of the Mahaiwe following by a screening of her new film DISOBEDIENCE. The festival will host the Special Event – Staged script reading of the upcoming film MUMBET and Q&A after the reading with the cast and crew. Director/Producer Alethea Root, writer Stephen Glantz, producer Kim Waltrip, executive producers Jayne Atkinson and Elizabeth Aspenlieder, co-producer Jana Laiz, Diane Pearlman and Jameelah Nuruddin, production designer Carl Sprague, and costume designer Kevin Draves, Governor Deval Patrick and State Representative Smitty Pignatelli will all be in attendance. She could neither read nor write, yet with fearless courage, Elizabeth “Mumbet” Freeman used the very words written by the men she served, “all men are created free and equal” to challenge the courts and sue for her freedom, changing the course of history 80 years before the Emancipation Proclamation. This is the true story of an unsung American hero who was truly a founding Mother of our country.” [caption id="attachment_25672" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]Won’t You Be My Neighbor? Won’t You Be My Neighbor?[/caption] On Sunday, June 3, BIFF will close with the highly acclaimed Sundance hit, WON’T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR? about the life and legacy of Mr. Rogers. The film was directed by Academy Award-winning director Morgan Neville and produced by Nicholas Ma who will be in attendance for a Q&A after the screening. Film courtesy of Focus Features.

    THE JURY

    The BIFF’s EIGHTH Annual Jury includes actors Karen Allen, Jayne Atkinson, Scott Cohen, Michel Gil and Peter Riegert, distribution guru Josh Braun, New York Film Festival director Kent Jones, past Academy president and producer Sid Ganis and producer Nancy Hult Ganis and award-winning producer Darren Dean. There will be five films in competition for feature documentaries and five films in the narrative category. The award will carry a $5,000 prize sponsored by GWFF USA to be presented on Sunday, June 4 at Allium in Great Barrington. The BIFF has become the festival of choice for filmmakers and film lovers who are seeking a unique Berkshire experience and a place to indulge their passion for film. The Festival connects audiences to compelling documentaries, award-winning international releases with incredible parties and events, all just a short drive from New York City and Boston. Films and events will be held throughout Great Barrington and Pittsfield, including the Triplex Cinema, the historic Mahaiwe Theatre, and the Beacon Cinema, as well as area restaurants. The NINTH annual “Next Great Filmmaker” Competition created and sponsored by Berkshire Bank will kick-off online on Friday, April 27. Voting will continue through to May 30 and the winner announced at the opening night presentation in Pittsfield, Friday, June 1 at the Beacon.

    BIFF FILMMAKERS SUMMIT

    For the SEVENTH year, the BIFF will present the annual Filmmakers Summit—a two-day talent academy offered to the 2018 film selection filmmakers. Offering a diverse, multi-dimensional program of panel discussions, lectures, special events, and breakout sessions lead by known industry professionals, the BIFF Filmmakers Summit celebrates and supports the advancement of filmmakers and recognizes film as a relevant and important medium. Beginning on Wednesday, May 31, the Filmmakers Summit is an integral part of the festival experience for filmmakers. Ensuring the freshest and most poignant dialogue in conjunction with incredibly unique events, this Summit goes way beyond networking; it will fortify the festival experience. The Summit features special effects legend Douglas Trumbull, head of CNN Documentaries, and other industry professionals.

    THE LINEUP: FEATURES, DOCUMENTARIES, AND SHORTS

    NARRATIVE FEATURES

    AMERICAN ANIMALS, US (d. Bart Layton with: Evan Peters. Barry Keoghan, Blake Jenner, Jared Abrahamson, Ann Dowd, Udo Kier *EDIE, UK (d: Simon Hunter with: Sheila Hancock, Kevin Guthrie, Amy Manson, Paul Brannigan, Wendy Morgan) Q&A with Simon Hunter following the screening EIGHTH GRADE, US (d. Bo Burnahm with: Elsie Fisher, Josh Hamilton) HOCHELAGA, TERRA DES AMES, Canada (d: Francois Girard with: Samian, Raoul Max Trujillo, Vincent Perez) *L’INSTANT INFINI, France/Switzerland (d. Doulgas Beer with: Jennifer Rihouey, Leonard Delacroix, Mathieu Chardet) Q&A with Douglas Beer following the screening *JULIE, BLUE, US/Ukraine (d: Roxy Topoworyc with: Polina Snisarenko) Q&A with Roxy Topoworyc following the screening LOVELING, Brazil/Uruguay (d: Gustavo Pizzi with: Karine Teles, Otavio Muller, Adriana Esteves, Konstantinos Sarris, Cesar Troncoso) MAZE, Ireland (d: Stephen Burke with: Tom Vaughan-Lawlor, Barry Ward, Martin McCann,Eileen Walsh, Niamh McGrady, Ross McKinney) NO DATE, NO SIGNATURE, Iran (d: Vahid Jalilvand with: Navid Mohammadzadeh, Amir Agha’ee, Hediyeh Tehrani, Zakiyeh Behbahani, Sa’eed Dakh, Alireza Ostadi) PIEDS NUS DANS L’AUBE, Canada (d: Frederic LeClerc with: Shauna Bonaduce, Roy Dupuis, Marianne Fortier) SCAFFOLDING, Israel (d: Matan Yair with: Asher Lax, Ami Smolartchik, Yaacov Cohen, Keren Berger) SHELTER, Israel (d: Eran Riklis with: Golshifteh Farahani, Neta Riskin, orald Liddawi, Haluk Bilginer, Mark Waschke) *SILK ROAD, Denmark (d: Mark de Cloe with: Olivia Lonsdale, Gijs Blom, Jonas Smulders ) Q&A with Mark de Cloe following the screening STREAKERS, Switzerland (d: Peter Luisi with: Beat Schlatter, Doro Muggler, Bendrit Bajra, Luna Wedler) THE CHARMER, Iran/Holland (d: Milad Alami with: Ardalan Esmaili, Lars Brygmann, Stine Fischer Christensen, Austa Lee Jesperson) THE ETERNAL FEMININE, Mexico (d: Natalia Beristain with: Karina Gidi, Tessa La, Danie Gimenez Cacho, Pedro De Tavira) THE GUILTY, Denmark (d: Gustav Moller with: Jakob Cedergren, Jessica Dinnage, Johan Olsen, Omar Shargawi) THE HOUSE BY THE SEA, France (d: Robert Guediguian with: Ariane Ascaride, Jean-Pierre Darroussin, Gerard Meylan, Jacques Boudet, Anais Demoustier) THE INVISIBLES, Germany (d: Claus Rafle with Max Mauff, Alice Dwyer, Ruby O. Fee, Aaron Altaras, Victoria Schulz, Florian Lukas) THE JUNIOR LEAGUE, Canada (d: Eric Tessier with: Antoine-Olivier Pilon, Rémi Goulet, Alice Morel-Michaud) *THE LONG DUMB ROAD, US (d: Hannah Fidell with: Tony Revolori, Jason Mantzoukas, Taissa Farmiga, Grace Gummer, Ron Livingtson, Casey Wilson) THREE PEAKS, Germany/Italy (d: Jan Zabeil with: Alexander Fehling, Berenice Bejo, Arian Montgomery) UNDER THE EIFFLE TOWER, US/France (d: Archie Borders with: Matt Walsh, Judith Godrèche, Reid Scott) UNDER THE TREE, Iceland (d: Hafsteinn Gunnar Siguross with: Steinpor Hrooar Steinborsson, Edda Bjorgvinsdottir, Sigurour Sigurjonsson, Porsteinn Bachmann, Selma Bjornsdottir) WOMAN WALKS AHEAD, US (d: Susanna Wright with: Jessica Chastain, Sam Rockwell, Ciaran Hinds, Michael Nouri, David Midthunder, Michael Greyeyes, Bill Camp)

    DOCUMENTARY FEATURES

    *306 HOLLYWOOD, US/Hungary (d: Elan Boagarin/Jonathan Boagarin) Q&A with filmmaker following the screening *BAD REPUTATION, US (d: Kevin Karslake) Q&A with filmmaker following the screening *BREWMASTER, US (d: Douglas Tirola/Susan Bedusa) Q&A with filmmaker following the screening *GETTING NAKED: A BURLESQUE STORY, US (d: James Lester) Q&A with filmmaker following the screening RYUICHI SAKAMOTO: CODA, Japan/US (d: Stephen Nomura Schibl) CRIME + PUNISHMENT, US (d: Stephen Maing) DARK MONEY, US (d: Kimberly Reed) *DATELINE: SAIGON, US (d: Thomas Herman) Q&A with filmmaker following the screening *GRIT, US/Indonesia (d: Cynthia Wade) Q&A with filmmaker following the screening THE HUMAN ELEMENT, US/Iceland (d: Matthew Testa) *GONE IN AN INSTANT, US (d: Anthony Holt) Q&A with filmmaker after screening *IMPOSED PIECE, Belgium (d: Brecht Vanhoenacker) Q&A with filmmaker following the screening *IT WILL BE CHAOS, US (d: Lorena Luciano, Filippo Piscopo) Q&A with filmmaker following the screening *MOVING STORIES, US (d: Rob Fruchtman) Collaboration with Jacob’s Pillow with Q&A following the screening with filmmaker and dancers *LOVE, GILDA, US (d: Lisa Dapolito) ) Q&A with filmmaker following the screening OF FATHERS AND SONS, Germany/Syria/Lebanon/Qatar (d: Talal Derki) ON HER SHOULDERS, US (d: Alexandra Bombach) *OUT OF MY HEAD, US (d: Susanna Styron) Q&A with filmmaker following the screening *RESTORING TOMORROW, US (d: Aaron Wolf) *DAUGHTERS OF THE SEXUAL REVOLUTION, US (d: Dana Adam Shapiro) Q&A with filmmaker after screening STUDIO 54, US (d: Matt Tyranauer) THE GODDESSES OF FOOD, France (d: Verane Frediani) THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ANDRE, US (d: Kim Novack) THE WORKERS CUP, UK (d: Adam Sobel) THIS IS HOME, US/Jordan (d: Alexandra Shiva) THREE IDENTICAL STRANGERS, US (d: Tim Wardle) WHAT LIES UPSTREAM, US (d: Cullen Hoback) *WON’T YOU BE MY NEIGHBOR? US (d: Morgan Neville) Q&A with filmmaker following the screening

    SHORTS

    BIFF will present two short film programs showcasing 22 shorts. Filmmakers will be in attendance at selected screenings.

    Shorts #1

    *GAME (d: Jeannie Donohue), #SELFIE (d: David M. Lorenz), *DEPORTING MYSELF (d: Julie Neumann), BABS (d: Celine Hand, Logan George), *SURVIVING NEW YORK (d: Megan Miller), *FLY LADY FLY (d: Lucien Flores/Michaela Smith), COOLPOOL ( d: Zachary Myers), NIGHT (d: Christian Scales and *ADVENTURE NOT WAR (d: Max Lowe)

    Shorts #2

    *THE LONG RED LIGHT (d: Chris Hume), EMERGENCY (d: Carey Williams), WALLS (d: Fatmir Dolci/Maik Schuster/Max Poschke), *FEVAH (d: Randall Dottin), *HEIMLICH (d: Lisanne Santor), YOU’RE WELCOME (d: Rebecca Panian), THE SILENT (d: Karen Turner/Dom Lee), *JITTERS (d: Otoja Abit), *EVE (d: Susan Bay Nimoy) and *WITH MY TWO HANDS (d: Michael Baraocas). *denotes filmmakers in attendance.

    VENUES AND TICKETS

    Venues for all of the weekend-long events and screenings include the Triplex Cinema, Daniel Arts Center at Simon’s Rock and the historic Mahaiwe Theatre in Great Barrington and the Beacon Cinema and Hotel on North in Pittsfield.  

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  • #PIFF41 2018 Portland International Film Festival Announces Lineup

    41st Portland International Film Festival The Portland International Film Festival (PIFF 41) has revealed the lineup for this year’s 41st edition of the Festival, which begins on Thursday, February 15th and runs through Thursday, March 1st. The Opening Night selection is the new comedy The Death of Stalin from writer/director Armando Iannucci (Veep, In the Loop). The film, adapted from the graphic novel by Fabien Nury, stars Steve Buscemi, Olga Kurylenko, Jason Isaacs, and Michael Palin. In addition to the Opening Night film, the Festival will host the Portland premiere of a handful of Oscar-nominated films, including Ildikó Enyedi’s On Body and Soul (Hungary), nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award, Laura Checkoway’s Edith & Eddie (United States), which is in competition for the Best Documentary (Short Subject) Oscar, and Reed Van Dyk’s Dekalb Elementary (United States), nominated for the Best Short Film (Live Action) Academy Award. Also present in the lineup are multiple Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award submissions, including Tatiana Huezo’s Tempestad (Mexico), Jonas Carpignano’s A Ciambra (Italy), Deepak Rauniyar’s White Sun (Nepal), Ryôta Nakano’s Her Love Boils Bathwater (Japan), Lucrecia Martel’s Zama (Argentina), Hafsteinn Gunnar Sigurðsson’s Under the Tree (Iceland), and many others. Submissions for the Best Animated Feature Film Academy Award in the festival include Kenji Kamayama’s Napping Princess (Japan), Alberto Vázquez and Pedro Rivero’s Birdboy: The Forgotten Children (Spain), and Benjamin Renner and Patrick Imbert’s The Big Bad Fox & Other Tales (France). As in past years, the Festival features an abundance of short films. This year’s lineup boasts eight discrete short film programs, including two blocks devoted entirely to films made in Oregon, an animated shorts program, a collection exploring innovative experimental short form works, and a program of short films by Charlie Chaplin featuring live musical accompaniment by silent film composer and pianist Robert Israel. Israel has performed solo, and with orchestras, worldwide, in addition to past performances at the festival. Other highlights of PIFF 41 include screenings of Andrew Haigh’s (45 Years) Lean on Pete, Morgan Neville’s (20 Feet from Stardom) Won’t You Be My Neighbor?, Valeska Grisebach’s (Longing) Western, Portland-based director Sky Fitzgerald’s (50 Feet from Syria) 101 Seconds, the late Abbas Kiarostami’s (A Taste of Cherry) final film 24 Frames, Thomas Riedelsheimer’s (Rivers and Tides) Leaning Into the Wind: Andy Goldsworthy, Joseph Kahn’s (Detention) Bodied, Xuan Liang and Chun Zhan’s animated debut Big Fish & Begonia, Sergei Loznitsa’s (My Joy) A Gentle Creature, former Portlander Aaron Katz’ (Cold Weather) Gemini, a trio of features (Claire’s Camera, The Day After, and On the Beach At Night Alone) from South Korean director Hong Sang-Soo (The Day He Arrives), Christina Costantini and Darren Foster’s documentary debut Science Fair, Michael Matthew’s debut feature Five Fingers for Marseilles, Joshua Bonnetta and J.P. Sniadecki’s (People’s Park) El Mar La Mar, Rungaro Nyoni’s debut feature I Am Not a Witch, Ben Russell’s (A Spell to Ward Off the Darkness) Good Luck, Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead’s (Spring) The Endless, Neïl Beloufa’s (Tonight and the People) Occidental, Samuel Maoz’ (Lebanon) Foxtrot, Warwick Thornton’s (Samson & Delilah) Sweet Country, Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani’s (Amer) Let the Corpses Tan, Milad Alami’s (Nordic Factory) The Charmer, Cory Finley’s feature debut Thoroughbreds, and many others.

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  • Palm Springs International Film Festival Announces 2018 Award Winners, “Félicité” Wins FIPRESCI Prize

    [caption id="attachment_26480" align="aligncenter" width="1400"]Félicité (Senegal), directed by Alain Gomis Félicité (Senegal), directed by Alain Gomis[/caption] This year’s juried award winners of the 29th Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF) were announced today at a luncheon at the Hilton Palm Springs on Saturday, January 13, 2018. The FIPRESCI Prize for Best Foreign Language Film of the Year went to Félicité (Senegal), directed by Alain Gomis.  Bursting at the seams with energy, Franco-Senegalese filmmaker Alain Gomis’s Berlin festival prizewinner immerses us in the sights and sounds of Kinshasa while loosely chronicling the day-to-day travails of the eponymous single-mom and nightclub-chanteuse (Congolese singer Véro Tshanda Beya, in an unforgettable performance) at the heart of the film. The film is on the shortlist for the Best Foreign Language Academy Award. FIPRESCI Prize for the Best Actor in a Foreign Language Film went to Nakhane Touré from The Wound (South Africa). South African co-writer/director John Trengove’s balanced docudrama explores a clandestine relationship between two Xhosa men, set against the backdrop of a traditional coming-of-age ceremony. The FIPRESCI Prize for Best Actress in a Foreign Language Film went to Daniela Vega from A Fantastic Woman (Chile). Making a living waiting tables in downtown Santiago while pursuing her dream of becoming an nightclub singer, young transgender woman Marina (Daniela Vega in a stunning debut) finds safety and solace from an often cruel world in her relationship with older divorcee Orlando (Francisco Reyes, Neruda). But when Orlando suffers a violent fall and massive injuries in the last moments of a fatal aneurysm, suspicion falls on Marina, causing her to flee the hospital and the eye of a judgmental city. A special jury of international film critics reviewed 45 of the 92 official submissions for the Academy Awards Best Foreign Language Film category screened at this year’s Festival, and all three films that received prizes are on the shortlist for the Best Foreign Language Academy Award. The New Voices New Visions focuses on films that represent the most distinctive new directors to have emerged in the last year. Each of the twelve films in competition represents the filmmakers debut or second feature.  This year’s New Voices New Visions Award went to The Charmer (Denmark), directed by Milad Alami. A searing and topical exploration of the immigrant experience shot through with elements of psychological thriller and erotic drama, Milad Alami’s striking feature debut follows an Iranian man’s increasingly desperate attempts to secure citizenship by seducing a string of Danish women. Léa Mysius for Ava (France) received the Honorable Mention for Exceptional Direction. Thirteen-year-old Ava’s summer vacation gains a new urgency when she learns she is rapidly going blind. In the face of creeping darkness, she squeezes in all the life she can, rebelling against her mother, stealing a dog, and becoming romantically entangled with a mysterious beach rat, sending her on an unpredictable journey of self-realization. The John Schlesinger Award, named after the director, writer, producer and festival supporter, is presented to the director of a debut feature documentary, and this year’s award went to Brimstone and Glory (US/Mexico), directed by Viktor Jakovleski. Equal parts awe-inspiring and anxiety-inducing, Brimstone and Glory’s chronicle of an annual fireworks extravaganza in Tultepec, Mexico, is a visual, jaw-dropping spectacle like no other documentary before it. The Cine Latino Award is presented to the best Ibero-American film screening at the festival. The award aims to highlight the creativity seen in modern Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American films. The Cine Latino Award went to Killing Jesús (Colombia/Argentina), directed by Laura Mora. When university student Paula witnesses her social activist father’s assassination, the inept, uncaring police force drives her to seek justice on her own. But when she finds herself immersed in the killer’s poverty-stricken world she discovers that they might both be victims of the same broken system.  Honorable Mention was given to A Fantastic Woman (Chile), directed by Sebastián Lelio. The HP Bridging the Borders Award that honors the film that is most successful in bringing the people of our world closer together, went to The Insult (Lebanon), directed by Ziad Doueiri. What should have been a trivial altercation, quickly settled and forgotten, instead propels two men (one a local Christian, the other a Palestinian refugee) to the center of a very public scandal in Lebanon, reopening historical and political wounds on both sides.

    The complete list of 29th Palm Springs International Film Festival Award Winners:

    Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature TBA on Sunday, January 14 Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature TBA on Sunday, January 14 FIPRESCI Prize for Best Foreign Language Film of the Year Félicité (Senegal), directed by Alain Gomis FIPRESCI Prize for the Best Actor in a Foreign Language Film Nakhane Touré from The Wound (South Africa) FIPRESCI Prize for Best Actress in a Foreign Language Film Daniela Vega from A Fantastic Woman (Chile) New Voices New Visions Award The Charmer (Denmark), directed by Milad Alami. Honorable Mention for Exceptional Direction: Léa Mysius for Ava (France) The John Schlesinger Award Brimstone and Glory (US/Mexico), directed by Viktor Jakovleski Cine Latino Award Killing Jesús (Colombia/Argentina), directed by Laura Mora Honorable Mention: A Fantastic Woman (Chile), directed by Sebastián Lelio HP Bridging the Borders Award Winner: The Insult (Lebanon), directed by Ziad Doueiri

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  • 59th Nordic Film Days Lübeck Award Winners – THE CHARMER Wins NDR Film Prize

    Winners and Honourable Mentions of the 59th Nordic Film Days Lübeck

    The Charmer (Charmøren), the feature debut of director Milad Alami from Denmark is the winner of the NDR Film Prize at the 59th Nordic Film Days Lübeck. 

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  • 53rd Chicago International Film Festival Awards – A SORT OF FAMILY Wins Gold Hugo

    [caption id="attachment_25259" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]A Sort of Family A Sort of Family[/caption] Diego Lerman’s A Sort of Family took home the top prize at the 2017 Chicago International Film Festival, the Gold Hugo, in the International Feature Film Competition.   A Sort of Family, which had its U.S. premiere in Chicago, tells the story of a doctor’s desperate journey to adopt a baby girl. The Silver Hugo for Best Director was awarded to Joanna Kos-Krause and co-director Krzysztof Krauze for Birds Are Singing in Kigali (Poland), and the Silver Hugo Special Jury Prize was awarded to Félicité, (Senegal, France, Belgium) directed by Alain Gomis. Iranian director Vahid Jalilvand took home top honors in the New Directors Competition with a Gold Hugo for No Date, No Signature, and the Silver Hugo was awarded to Milad Alami for The Charmer (Denmark). The Roger Ebert Award, presented to an emerging filmmaker with a fresh and uncompromising vision by Chaz Ebert, was awarded to Colombian director Laura Mora for Killing Jesús, and the Chicago Award was taken home by Stephen Cone for Princess Cyd. The Founder’s Award, given to one film across all categories that captures the spirit of the Chicago International Film Festival for its unique and innovative approach to the art of the moving image, was presented to Guillermo Del Toro’s The Shape of Water. “All of the films competing for prizes this year were outstanding, and I salute our jury for rising to the daunting task of selecting those that received the top honors,” said Festival Artistic Director Mimi Plauché. “We are proud to honor such a diverse group of films, shining a spotlight on the extraordinary work being created by men and women throughout the world.  This year’s honorees span the globe, featuring talent from almost every continent, as well as one who lives only a few miles from the theater.”

    2017 Chicago International Film Festival Award Winners

    International Feature Film Competition

    Gold Hugo A Sort of Family (Una especie de familia), Dir. Diego Lerman, Argentina. This film amazed the jury in two ways that are difficult to achieve by themselves and even more difficult together. At a personal level, it delivers a journey of wrenching twists, maintaining tension while also enabling empathy with a complicated, sometimes reckless character in an impossible situation. At a political level, it draws attention to systemic abuses of women, especially poor women, that transpire all over our world. A Sort of Family synthesizes these two tracks seamlessly, with sterling craftsmanship and superb performances throughout. Best Director Birds Are Singing in Kigali (Ptaki śpiewają w Kigali), Dirs. Joanna Kos-Krauze and Krzysztof Krauze, Poland. This film sets itself a huge challenge, both artistic and ethical, of evoking a tragedy without simply re-staging its events or relying on sentimentality to move its audience. The tough, inventive direction allows such risks to pay off, alternating between realist and poetic styles in ways that achieve a tremendous emotional force, expanding the boundaries for how trauma can be commemorated on screen. The jury acknowledges with sorrow the many places around the globe where this story remains relevant, and honors Joanna Kos-Krauze as well as, posthumously, her late husband and co-director, Krzysztof Krauze. Silver Hugo Jury Prize Félicité, Dir. Alain Gomis, Senegal, France, Belgium. This movie transports its audience to a vividly evoked community in Kinshasa, without indulging the stereotypes by which Africa is often depicted on screen. Instead, we meet a tenacious, complex heroine who insists on living by her own terms, even amid situations that deprive her of easy choices. The music in the movie is unforgettable, and its structure is itself musical, building in unexpected movements, interludes, and crescendos toward its rewarding conclusion. Silver Hugo Best Actresses Awarded ex-aequo to Jowita Budnik and Eliane Umuhire in Birds are Singing in Kigali (Ptaki śpiewają w Kigali), Dirs. Joanna Kos-Krauze and Krzysztof Krauze, Poland. The only way to honor these two performances, so dissimilar in style yet perfectly in sync, is to award a joint citation. Each actress brought depth and power to the scenes that emphasized her character, making Anna and Claudine accessible to the audience without divulging all their secrets. When acting together, they conveyed a unique symbiosis, sometimes painful, sometimes comforting, that will bond these women forever. Silver Hugo Best Actor Awarded to Aleksandr Yatsenko in Arrhythmia, Dir. Boris Khlebnikov, Russia, Finland, Germany The versatile Yatsenko, maintaining his fruitful collaboration with director Boris Khlebnikov, hits a new creative peak as a skillful but unreliable paramedic, eliciting the audience’s contempt at times and its sympathy at others. The actor finds endless degrees of human imperfection between these two poles, giving a performance that allows the whole movie to work. Silver Plaque Best Screenplay Awarded to Mohammad Rasoulof for A Man of Integrity (Lerd), Dir. Mohammad Rasoulof, Iran. Early on, this film introduces us to many different facets of its main character’s life that barely seem to relate.  Gradually and powerfully, the script teases out the connections, all of which culminate in a haunting finale. This structure requires patience and discipline from its writer-director Mohammad Rasoulof.  In a festival full of modern spins on film noir, he gives us one of the best, set in an unlikely place. Silver Plaque Best Cinematography Awarded to Chayse Irvin for Hannah, Dir. Andreas Pallaoro, Italy, France, Belgium. Hannah tells the story of a very guarded woman and is itself a guarded film, refusing to spell out the motives or contexts behind a lonely woman’s behavior. The images, then, must convey feelings and ideas that the screenplay and character will not. Through meticulous composition, unexpected framing, and a finely calibrated color palette, they do just that. Best Art Direction Awarded to Václav Novak for The Line (Čiara), Dir. Peter Bebjak, Slovakia, Ukraine, Czech Republic. The jury marveled at the natural locations in The Line, all expertly chosen and photographed.  The built environments, too, abound with subtle and character-revealing detail. Without calling undue attention to itself, the scenery always served the entertaining story, while colorfully avoiding the visual clichés one might expect from a tribute to film noir.

    Founders Award

    The Shape of Water, Dir. Guillermo Del Toro, USA The Founders Award is personally presented by Festival Founder Michael Kutza to the single film he feels best embodies the spirit of curiosity, optimism and love of film that led to his starting the Chicago International Film Festival 53-year ago. “The Shape of Water is beautiful, inspiring and the epitome of why I love the movies,” remarked Kutza.  “Del Toro is a master filmmaker, and this is one of his most magnificent films to date.”

    New Directors Competition

    Gold Hugo No Date, No Signature (Bedoune Tarikh, Bedoune Emza). Dir. Vahid Jalilvand, Iran. The Gold Hugo goes to Vahid Jalilvand’s No Date, No Signature (Iran) for the austere beauty of its imagery and the satisfying complexity with which this assured second feature explores dilemmas of guilt and grief in a medical examiner who may or may not have accidentally killed a small boy. Silver Hugo The Charmer (Charmøren), Dir. Milad Alami, Denmark. The Silver Hugo goes to Milad Alami’s The Charmer (Denmark), a gripping, beautifully lensed drama that continues to haunt us with its portrayal of paranoia and frayed human connection. The journey of an Iranian man seeking courtship in Denmark culminates in a final sequence so startling and deftly executed that it is guaranteed to provoke debate for years to come. Roger Ebert Award Killing Jesús (Matar a Jesús), Dir. Laura Mora, Colombia, Argentina. The Roger Ebert Award goes to Laura Mora’s Killing Jesús (Colombia), which contains the richest example of a quality Roger Ebert treasured in cinema. Mora’s lead heroine tracks down her father’s killer initially in pursuit of vengeance, until she realizes that his crime was merely a symptom of a corrupted society. The film is wise and perceptive in its suggestion that empathy itself can serve as a form of catharsis.

    Documentary Competition

    Gold Hugo The Other Side of the Wall (Al otro lado del muro), Dir. Pau Ortiz, Spain, Mexico. The Gold Hugo goes to The Other Side of the Wall, a film with two of the most riveting characters we’ve had the pleasure to see in a documentary. With intimate access, filmmaker Pau Ortiz tells the poignant story of a family in the midst of crisis, struggling to survive with their matriarch incarcerated. With extraordinary sensitivity, Ortiz presents their lives as an unflinching portrait of the ties that bind. Silver Hugo Mr. Gay Syria, Dir. Ayse Toprak, France, Germany, Turkey. The Silver Hugo goes to Mr. Gay Syria directed by Ayse Toprak, a film that looks at the Syrian refugee crisis through the lens of the LGBT community. At times sad and at times humorous, she captures a slice of life of a community in transition.

    Out-Look Competition

    Gold Q-Hugo BPM (120 battements par minute), Dir. Robin Campillo, France. The Gold Q Hugo Film Award goes to BPM-Beats Per Minute (France) for its necessary honesty, unmatched portrayal of love and loss, but most importantly for embodying what it really means to make the personal political. Silver Q-Hugo God’s Own Country, Dir. Francis Lee, United Kingdom. The Silver Q Hugo Film Award goes to God’s Own Country (UK) for its simple yet robust exploration of masculinity, desire, and   unspoken intimacy within our most important relationships.

    Chicago Award

    Princess Cyd, Dir. Stephen Cone, USA. Princess Cyd won for its clear tonality, lyrical storytelling, and graceful authenticity. With strong writing and relatable characters, director Stephen Cone crafts a very honest, very human story that features a capable and complex female lead. The entire cast plays a substantial role in bringing a subtle delicacy to this coming-of-age story, set against an intimate Chicago backdrop.

    Documentary Short Film Competition

    Silver Hugo The Rabbit Hunt, Dir. Patrick Bresnan, USA. No shot is wasted in this epic 12-minute observational documentary gem. It is truly our privilege to be invited on this journey as seventeen-year-old Chris and his family partake in a local right of passage as well as making ends meet while living in an industrial community in the Florida Everglades. Masterful and precise. Gold Plaque The Streets Are Ours: Two Lives Cross in Karachi, Dir. Michelle Fiordaliso, USA. The Streets Are Ours: Two Lives Cross in Karachi chronicles two women who stand es examples of the ongoing struggle in Pakistan to open up creative and democratic spaces where people of all genders, sexual orientations, creeds and colors can express themselves freely and without fear. This film is a way to inspire people to voice their stories and to work with passion in order to overcome intolerance and silence. Special Mention The Painted Calf, Dir. David Pantaleón, Spain. With its biblical soundtrack and the Canary Islands as a backdrop, this documentary is a reminder that film can say so much about a small place in the world simply through song, cinematography, and pacing. The Painted Calf is a special film because despite its simple story, the film transports the viewer visually, sonically, and most importantly patiently.

    Animated Short Film Competition

    Silver Hugo Airport, Dir. Michaela Müller, Switzerland, Croatia. Great art can make you feel like you are living an experience. Watching Airport gave us all the sensation we were in that space. A film that takes us to a place we don’t want to go  in the most kinetic, sensual way possible. An ominous, topical film that is never heavy-handed. Gold Plaque Drop by Drop, Dirs. Xá, Laura Gonçalves, Portugal. Great transitions and flow combine to create a moving portrait of diminishing returns. Special Mention Beyond Fields of Paper, Dir. Yiyi Ma, USA Special mention to Yiyi Ma for her moving portrait of an artist in transition.

    Narrative Short Film Competition

    Gold Hugo Night Shift, Dir. Marshall Tyler, USA. The jury awards the Gold Hugo to Night Shift for developing a rich character whose Dantesque journey of colorful self-reflection inspires us to break free and gamble on ourselves. Silver Hugo A Gentle Night, Dir. Qui Yang, China. The jury awards the Silver Hugo to A Gentle Night for it’s challenging look at familial complacency, which is exposed when cultural barriers are breached during a crisis. Special Mention Fucking Bunnies, Dir. Teemu Niukkanen, Finland. The jury would like to offer special mention to Fucking Bunnies for its humorous take on finding common ground and celebrating our differences.

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  • 65th San Sebastian Film Festival Awards – James Franco’s THE DISASTER ARTIST Wins Golden Shell for Best Film

    [caption id="attachment_20971" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]The Disaster Artist The Disaster Artist[/caption] James Franco’s The Disaster Artist is the winner of the top award – Golden Shell for Best Film at the 65th San Sebastian Film Festival. The film also won the Zinemaldia FEROZ Award. The Disaster Artist is the true story of the making of the film The Room, which has been called “the Citizen Kane of bad movies”. Tommy Wiseau’s cult classic has been screening to sold-out audiences nationwide for more than a decade. The Disaster Artist is a buddy comedy about two outsiders chasing a dream. When the world rejects them, they decide to make their own movie – and it’s a movie so wonderfully awful due to its unintentional hilarious moments, meandering plots and terrible acting.

    OFFICIAL AWARDS – FIAPF

    Golden Shell for Best Film THE DISASTER ARTIST JAMES FRANCO (USA) Special Jury Prize HANDIA AITOR ARREGI, JON GARAÑO (SPAIN) Silver Shell for Best Director ANAHÍ BERNERI ALANIS ANAHÍ BERNERI (ARGENTINA) Silver Shell for Best Actress SOFÍA GALA CASTIGLIONE ALANIS ANAHÍ BERNERI (ARGENTINA) SPECIAL MENTION ANNE GRUWEZ NI JUGE, NI SOUMISE / SO HELP ME GOD JEAN LIBON, YVES HINANT (FRANCE – BELGIUM) Silver Shell for Best Actor BOGDAN DUMITRACHE POROROCA CONSTANTIN POPESCU (ROMANIA – FRANCE) Jury Prize for Best Screenplay DIEGO LERMAN, MARÍA MEIRA UNA ESPECIE DE FAMILIA (A SORT OF FAMILY) DIEGO LERMAN (ARGENTINA – BRAZIL – POLAND – FRANCE) Jury Prize for Best Cinematography FLORIAN BALLHAUS DER HAUPTMANN / THE CAPTAIN ROBERT SCHWENTKE (GERMANY – FRANCE – POLAND)

    OTHER OFFICIAL AWARDS

    Kutxabank-New Directors Award LE SEMEUR / THE SOWER MARINE FRANCEN (FRANCE) SPECIAL MENTION MATAR A JESÚS (KILLING JESUS ) LAURA MORA (COLOMBIA – ARGENTINA) Horizontes Award LOS PERROS MARCELA SAID (CHILE – FRANCE) Zabaltegi-Tabakalera Award BRAGUINO CLÉMENT COGITORE (FRANCE) SPECIAL MENTION DARYA ZHOVNER (Actress) TESNOTA / CLOSENESS KANTEMIR BALAGOV (RUSSIA) SPECIAL MENTION SPELL REEL FILIPA CÉSAR (FRANCE) City of Donostia / San Sebastian Audience Award THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI MARTIN MCDONAGH (UK) AWARD TO THE EUROPEAN FILM JUSQU’À LA GARDE / CUSTODY XAVIER LEGRAND (FRANCE) Irizar Basque Film Award HANDIA AITOR ARREGI, JON GARAÑO (SPAIN) EROSKI Youth Award MATAR A JESÚS (KILLING JESUS ) LAURA MORA (COLOMBIA – ARGENTINA)

    Films in Progress Awards

    FILMS IN PROGRESS 32 INDUSTRY AWARD FERRUGEM (RUST) ALY MURITIBA (BRAZIL) Ad Hoc Studios, Deluxe-Spain, Dolby Iberia, Laserfilm Cine y Video, Nephilim producciones, No Problem Sonido and Wanda Visión FILM FACTORY AWARD FERRUGEM (RUST) ALY MURITIBA (BRAZIL) CAACI/IBERMEDIA TV FILMS IN PROGRESS AWARD FERRUGEM (RUST) ALY MURITIBA (BRAZIL)

    Glocal in Progress Award

    GLOCAL IN PROGRESS INDUSTRY AWARD DANTZA TELMO ESNAL (SPAIN) Ad Hoc Studios, BTeam Pictures, Deluxe-Spain, Dolby Iberia, Laserfilm Cine y Video, Nephilim producciones and No Problem Sonido GLOCAL IN PROGRESS AWARD DANTZA TELMO ESNAL (SPAIN)

    Europe-Latin America Co-production Forum

    VI EUROPE-LATIN AMERICA CO-PRODUCTION FORUM BEST PROJECT AWARD PLANTA PERMANENTE (PERMANENT STAFF) EZEQUIEL RADUSKY (ARGENTINA) EFADs-CAACI EUROPE-LATIN AMERICA CO-PRODUCTION GRANT EL AGENTE TOPO (THE MOLE AGENT) MAITE ALBERDI SOTO (CHILE – FRANCE – USA) EURIMAGES DEVELOPMENT CO-PRODUCTION AWARD LAS CONSECUENCIAS (THE CONSEQUENCES) CLAUDIA PINTO EMPERADOR (SPAIN – MEXICO) ARTE INTERNATIONAL PRIZE AKELARRE (WITCHES’ SABBATH) PABLO AGÜERO (SPAIN – FRANCE)

    Ikusmira Berriak Award

    REC GRABAKETA ESTUDIOA POST-PRODUCTION AWARD LAS LETRAS DE JORDI (JORDI’S LETTERS) MAIDER FERNÁNDEZ IRIARTE (SPAIN)

    International Film Students Meeting Awards

    212 Short film BOAZ FRANKEL (ISRAEL) The Sam Spiegel Film and TV School- Jerusalem (JSFS) (Israel) Panavision Award. Special nominal mention ZEIT DER UNRUHE / NEWS 23/06/2016 Short film ELSA ROSENGREN (GERMANY) Deutsche Film- und Fernsehakademie Berlin (DFFB) (Germany) Orona Award ZEIT DER UNRUHE / NEWS 23/06/2016 Short film ELSA ROSENGREN (GERMANY) Deutsche Film- und Fernsehakademie Berlin (DFFB) (Germany)

    OTHER AWARDS

    TVE-Another Look Award JUSQU’À LA GARDE / CUSTODY XAVIER LEGRAND (FRANCE) Spanish Cooperation Award ALANIS ANAHÍ BERNERI (ARGENTINA)

    HONORIFIC AWARDS

    Donostia Award AGNÈS VARDA RICARDO DARÍN MONICA BELLUCCI Jaeger-LeCoultre Latin Cinema Award PAZ VEGA Zinemira Award JULIA JUANIZ PARALLEL AWARDS FIPRESCI Award LIFE AND NOTHING MORE ANTONIO MÉNDEZ ESPARZA (SPAIN – USA) Fedeora Award CHARMØREN / THE CHARMER MILAD ALAMI (DENMARK) MATAR A JESÚS (KILLING JESUS ) LAURA MORA (COLOMBIA – ARGENTINA) SPECIAL MENTION PAILALIM / UNDERGROUND DANIEL PALACIO (FILIPINAS) Zinemaldia FEROZ Award THE DISASTER ARTIST JAMES FRANCO (USA) Award to the Basque Best Screenplay XIMUN FUCHS NON / NO EÑAUT CASTAGNET, XIMUN FUCHS Greenpeace – Lurra Award AN INCONVENIENT SEQUEL: TRUTH TO POWER JON SHENK , BONNI COHEN (USA) SIGNIS Award LIFE AND NOTHING MORE ANTONIO MÉNDEZ ESPARZA (SPAIN – USA) SPECIAL MENTION NI JUGE, NI SOUMISE / SO HELP ME GOD JEAN LIBON, YVES HINANT (FRANCE – BELGIUM) SPECIAL AWARD 60 YEARS OF SIGNIS JURY IN SAN SEBASTIAN MATAR A JESÚS (KILLING JESUS ) LAURA MORA (COLOMBIA – ARGENTINA) Guipuzcoan Blood-Donors’ Association Corresponding to the Solidarity Award AU REVOIR LÀ-HAUT / SEE YOU UP THERE ALBERT DUPONTEL (FRANCE) Sebastiane Award 120 BATTEMENTS PAR MINUTE (120 BPM) / 120 BEATS PER MINUTE ROBIN CAMPILLO (FRANCE) SPECIAL MENTION SOLDAŢII. POVESTE DIN FERENTARI / SOLDIERS. STORY FROM FERENTARI IVANA MLADENOVIC (ROMANIA – SERBIA – BELGIUM)

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  • World Premiere of THE CHARMER to Open New Directors of San Sebastian International Film Festival

    [caption id="attachment_24122" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]CHARMØREN / THE CHARMER MILAD ALAMI THE CHARMER (CHARMØREN ) MILAD ALAMI[/caption] The world premiere of  The Charmer (Charmøren) by Iranian director Milad Alami, will open the New Directors section of the San Sebastian International Film Festival.  The Charmer, his first feature, stars a young Iranian desperately trying to meet women who can secure his stay in Denmark. Other films added to the lineup include Daniel Kokotajlo (Manchester, UK), first feature film, Apostasy that follows a family of Jehovah’s Witnesses; and Village Rockstars, the second feature from Rima Das (Assam, India) starring a 10 year-old girl desperate to own a guitar. These three films join the list of thirteen films already announced from Argentina, Belgium, Colombia, Chile, China, France, the Philippines, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and Taiwan, and will compete for the New Directors-Kutxabank Award. The films in this section are also candidates for the EROSKI Youth Award, voted by a jury of a maximum of 300 students between the ages of 18 and 25 years. CHARMØREN / THE CHARMER MILAD ALAMI (DENMARK) Cast: Ardalan Esmaili, Soho Rezanejad, Susan Taslimi, Lars Brygmann OPENING NIGHT FILM Charmøren / The Charmer is an intense psychological drama about Esmail, a young Iranian man who is desperately trying to meet women who can secure his stay in Denmark. As time runs out, he falls in love and his past catches up with him. The film deals with themes of race, class, and the struggle for a better life. APOSTASY DANIEL KOKOTAJLO (UK) Cast: Siobhan Finneran, Molly Wright, Sacha Parkinson, Robert Emms As devout Jehovah’s Witnesses, sisters Alex and Luisa and their mother, Ivanna, are united in The Truth. Alex looks up to her confident older sister, while striving to follow in Ivanna’s footsteps as a ‘good Witness’. But when Luisa starts to question the advice of the Elders, she makes a life-altering transgression that threatens to expel her from the congregation. Unless Ivanna and Alex can persuade her to return, they must shun her completely. This challenge becomes more painful when their family is faced with another heartbreaking test of faith. Written and directed by Daniel Kokotajlo, a former Jehovah’s Witness, Apostasy provides rare insight into the complex nature of faith, family, duty and love. VILLAGE ROCKSTARS RIMA DAS (INDIA) Cast: Bhanita Das, Basanti Das Ten year-old Dhunu lives in a remote village in Assam, India, amidst raging deprivation. She is a free spirit, while her widowed mother struggles daily to put food on the table and raise her children. But this doesn’t prevent her from having dreams, like owning a guitar for the tiny band she wants to put together with some local boys, the ‘Village Rockstars’. Dhunu considers herself to be as capable as boys her age. When the boys eventually relinquish their dream, Dhunu refuses to give up on her ambition to own a guitar.

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