Over 80 locally made films, including 8 feature films, have been selected to screen in the Minnesota Made program at the upcoming 2017 Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival (MSPIFF).
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TIFF Kids International Film Festival Unveils 2017 Lineup, Opens with SMURFS: THE LOST VILLAGE
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Smurfs: The Lost Village[/caption]
From April 7 through 23, TIFF Bell Lightbox welcomes the next generation of film lovers for the 20th anniversary of TIFF Kids, the premier festival for children ages 3 to 13.
The TIFF Kids International Film Festival kicks off on Opening Night with the premiere of Kelly Asbury’s animated film Smurfs: The Lost Village. In this fully animated, all-new take on the Smurfs, a mysterious map sets Smurfette and her best friends Brainy, Clumsy and Hefty on an exciting and thrilling race through the Forbidden Forest filled with magical creatures to find a mysterious lost village before the evil wizard Gargamel does. The festival’s Closing Night screening is the Canadian premiere of the first four episodes of Ronja, the Robber’s Daughter, directed by Goro Miyazaki of the acclaimed Studio Ghibli and featuring a lead voiceover performance by Gillian Anderson.
Other highlights include the 15th anniversary screening of the 2002 Toronto International Film Festival People’s Choice Award winner Whale Rider. This year’s shorts consist of 18 diverse programs showcasing over 125 Canadian and international live-action and animated films that address important issues faced by kids such as making new friends, exploring new cultures, and embracing diversity — in both families and circumstances. The films deal with a range of themes including resilience, empathy, exploration, home, and self-discovery.
FEATURES
Opening Night! Smurfs: The Lost Village dir. Kelly Asbury | USA | English Recommended for ages 6 and up. Recommended for ages 6 and upRabbit School (Die Häschenschule – Jagd nach dem goldenen Ei) dir. Ute Von Münchow-Pohl | Germany | English | North American Premiere Richard the Stork dirs. Toby Genkel, Reza Memari | Germany/Belgium/Luxembourg/
Norway | English | North American Premiere Recommended for ages 7 and up Ballerina dirs. Eric Warin, Eric Summer | Canada/France | English Mr. Frog (Meester Kikker) dir. Anna van der Heide | Netherlands | Dutch | Canadian Premiere Rock Dog dir. Ash Brannon | USA/China | English | Toronto Premiere Recommended for ages 8 and up Born in China dir. Lu Chuan | USA | English | Canadian Premiere Revolting Rhymes dirs. Jakob Schuh, Jan Lachauer | United Kingdom | English | Canadian Premiere Recommended for ages 9 and up Cloudboy dir. Meikeminne Clinckspoor | Belgium/Sweden/Netherlands | Dutch, Swedish, Sami | International Premiere Ivan Tsarevitch and the Changing Princess (Ivan Tsarévitch et la Princesse Changeante) dir. Michel Ocelot | France | French | International Premiere Mr. Twister at the Pitch (Mees Kees langs de lijn) dir. Aniëlle Webster | Netherlands | Dutch | International Premiere Red Dog: True Blue dir. Kriv Stenders | Australia | English | Canadian Premiere Swallows and Amazons dir. Philippa Lowthorpe | United Kingdom | English The Day My Father Became a Bush (Toen mijn vader een struik werd) dir. Nicole van Kilsdonk | Netherlands/Belgium/Croatia | Dutch | Official Selection, 2016 Toronto International Film Festival Recommended for ages 10 and up Into the Rainbow dir. Norman Stone | China/New Zealand | English | International Premiere Not Without Us! (Nicht ohne uns!) dir. Sigrid Klausmann | Germany | German, Arabic, English, French, Hindi, Icelandic, Japanese, Laos, Nepali, Xhosa, Spanish | Canadian Premiere TRIO – The Hunt for the Holy Shrine (TRIO – Jakten på Olavsskrinet) dir. Eva F. Dahr | Norway | Norwegian, English | International Premiere Recommended for ages 11 and up At Eye Level (Auf Augenhöhe) dirs. Joachim Dollhopf, Evi Goldbrunner | Germany | German | Toronto Premiere Fanny’s Journey (Le voyage de Fanny) dir. Lola Doillon | France/Belgium | French
Heartstrings (Le Coeur en braille) dir. Michel Boujenah | France | French | Toronto Premiere
Mountain Miracle – An Unexpected Friendship (Amelie rennt) dir. Tobias Wiemann | Germany/Italy | German | International Premiere
On Wheels (Sobre Rodas) dir. Mauro D’Addio | Brazil | Portuguese | North American Premiere
Room 213 (Rum 213) dir. Emelie Lindblom | Sweden | Swedish | North American Premiere Recommended for ages 12 and up Jeffrey dir. Yanillys Perez | Dominican Republic/France | Spanish | Official Selection, 2016 Toronto International Film Festival
Little Wing (Tyttö nimeltä Varpu) dir. Selma Vilhunen | Finland/Denmark | Finnish | Official Selection, 2016 Toronto International Film Festival
My Life As A Courgette (Ma Vie de Courgette), dir. Claude Barras | Switzerland/France | French | Official Selection, 2016 Toronto International Film Festival
Plastic China (Su Liao Wang Guo) dir. Jiu-liang Wang | Hong Kong/China | Mandarin | Canadian Premiere SHORTS Reel Rascals: Animated Tales Reel Rascals: Animated Tales features a lively assortment of animated short stories from all around the world, carefully selected for young audiences. Join us for thrills, spills, and animal antics; whether that’s riding through the snow with a squirrel on a sled, stomping along with the elephants to the music of They Might Be Giants, or helping a little bird fend off a hungry caterpillar who’s trying to eat its favourite leaf. Recommended for ages 3 and up. A Rhino Named Paul: Everybody Sleeps, dirs. Dave Schlafman, Mike Annear | USA | English Elephants dirs. Jeremy Galante, David Cowles | USA | English Goats (Kozly) dir. Yekaterina Filippova | Russia | No dialogue | North American Premiere Hare’s Big Day (Zaku liela diena) dir. Dace Riduze | Latvia | No dialogue | Canadian Premiere Hey Duggee: The Making Music Badge dir. Grant Orchard | United Kingdom | English | North American Premiere Judith dir. Henning M. Lederer | Germany/United Kingdom/Canada | No dialogue Kiwi & Strit: Wash day dir. Esben Toft Jacobsen | Denmark | No dialogue Konigiri-Kun Shopping (Konigiri-Kun Okaimono) dir. Mari Miyazawa | Japan | No dialogue | Canadian Premiere Leaf (Feuille) dirs. Dante Zaballa, Vaiana Gauthier | Germany | No dialogue | North American Premiere Little Flower dir. Brigette Heffernan | Ireland | No dialogue | Canadian Premiere Moonlight Storytime: Wooly Dragon dirs. Kirsten Lepore, Villamor Cruz, Jr. | USA | English | Toronto Premiere Seven Siblings dir. Julia Ocker | Germany | English | Toronto Premiere The Klumz dir. Neshama Ryman | USA | English | World Premiere The Little Bird and the Caterpillar (Der kleine Vogel und die Raupe) dir. Lena von Döhren | Switzerland | No dialogue | Toronto Premiere The Sled (Belchonok i sanki) dir. Olesya Shchukina | Russia | No dialogue | Toronto Premiere Tiger dir. Kariem Saleh | Germany | No dialogue Reel Rascals Senior: Pack Your Bags! Bring your passport and travel the world in this series of international animated shorts that are certain to charm and entertain. Recommended for ages 5 and up. A hole (El agujero) dir. Maribel Suarez | Mexico | English | Canadian Premiere DAM! The Story of Kit the Beaver dir. Kjell Boersma | Canada | No dialogue In a Cage (La Cage) dir. Loic Bruyere | France | No dialogue | Toronto Premiere Joining Dots dir. Fiona Ryan | Ireland | No dialogue | Canadian Premiere Kiwi & Strit: Football (Kiwi & Strit: Fodbold) dir. Esben Toft Jacobsen | Denmark | No dialogue Klump dirs. Johannes Weiland, Paul Cichon, Michael Bohnenstingl | Germany/United Kingdom | English | International Premiere Melia and Jo: Marshmallow Castle dirs. Jennifer Oxley, Billy Aronson, Brett Hall, Robert Powers | USA | English Silence! For Pete’s Sake! (Ruhe. ZumDonnerwetternocheinmal!) dir. Kai Pannen | Germany | German | Canadian Premiere Simon’s Cat: Bed Sheets dir. Simon Tofield | United Kingdom | No dialogue The Pocket Man (Le Petit Bonhomme de poche) dir. Ana Chubinidze | France/Switzerland/Georgia | No dialogue | Toronto Premiere Unsung Hero dir. Lynton Levengood | South Africa | English | Canadian Premiere New York International Children’s Film Festival: Birthday Shorts Also celebrating their 20th anniversary this year, our neighbours to the south present a selection of new and classic shorts from their two-decade history, filled with stories of growth, change, transformation… and the occasional party hat! Recommended for ages 6 and up. Me Up Front Sometimes it takes a friend to solve a problem or realize ones’ potential. It’s only when we’re encouraged by those around us that we realize the true value of being ourselves. Recommended for ages 6 and up. DAM! The Story of Kit the Beaver dir. Kjell Boersma | Canada | No dialogue Groomed dir. Samantha Armiger | USA | No dialogue | Canadian Premiere Alike dirs. Daniel Martínez Lara, Rafa Cano Méndez | Spain | No dialogue Lost in Spring dir. Fred Leao Prado Wall | United Kingdom | English | Canadian Premiere Picke, dir. Kelsey Snelling | USA | English | Canadian Premiere Sammy Paramaribo: Bittersweet (Sammy Paramaribo: Bitterzoet) dir. Barbara Bredero | Netherlands, Dutch | Canadian Premiere The day I beat the sky (Le jour où j’ai battu le ciel) dir. Hughes Valin | France | French | Canadian Premiere Travel Companions dir. Alex Anderson-Kenney | USA | No dialogue | Canadian Premiere Uka dir. Valle Comba Canales | Spain | No dialogue | Toronto Premiere Through the Woods: A Snow Morning dir. J. Meeka Stuart | USA | English | Canadian Premiere Loot Bag Junior: Animation On Adventure! Embark on action-packed international adventures in several of the year’s best animated shorts! Whether soaring through the night skies in search of a moon gone missing, brewing magical potions in search of the mythical unicorn, or learning the most outrageously intricate secret handshake ever conceived, these shorts know no limits. Recommended for ages 7 and up. Animation (According to Children) dir. Daniela Monzon Leotaud | Canada | English, French | Toronto Premiere The Big Adventure of A Little Line (La grande histoire d’un petit trait) dir. Antoine Robert | France | French, English | North American Premiere The Lost Letter dir. Kealan O’Rourke | Ireland | English | Canadian Premiere Desert Critters dir. Li Wen Toh | USA | No dialogue Ampersand dir. Erin Shea | USA | No dialogue | Canadian Premiere Peppercorn Babycorn Unicorn dir. Makoto Koji | Australia | No dialogue | Canadian Premiere Moroshka dir. Polina Minchenok | Russia | No dialogue | Toronto Premiere Moon of a Sleepless Night (Nemurenai Yoru no Tsuki) dir. Takeshi Yashiro | Japan | Japanese Once Upon a Blue Moon dir. Steve Boot | United Kingdom | No dialogue | Toronto Premiere The Secret Handshake dirs. Susie Webb, Jackson Read, | USA | No dialogue Closing Night! Ronja: The Robber’s Daughter Directed by Goro Miyazaki — and winner of the 2016 International Emmy Kids Award for Animation — Ronja, the Robber’s Daughter follows the adventures of a young girl raised in a mountain fort by her parents and a loving band of robbers. Based on Astrid Lindgren’s book of the same name, this all-new series beautifully blends the classic storytelling of the original with the magical visual style of Studio Ghibli. Recommended for ages 8 and up. Episode 1 – Born in the Storm dir. Goro Miyazaki | Japan | English | Canadian Premiere Episode 2 – First Trip to the Forest dir. Goro Miyazaki | Japan | English | Canadian Premiere Episode 3 – Fear in the Forest dir. Goro Miyazaki | Japan | English | Canadian Premiere Episode 4 – Hearing the Whistle dir. Goro Miyazaki | Japan | English | Canadian Premiere On the Inside Whether coming from within, or driven by a family member, these young protagonists find the confidence within to overcome self-doubt and thrive in challenging situations. Recommended for ages 8 and up. A Well Spent Afternoon (Dobro unovceno popoldne) dir. Martin Turk | Slovenia | Slovene | Canadian Premiere Amelia’s Closet dir. Halima Lucas | USA | English | International Premiere Broken Pines dir. Annie Pace | USA | English | International Premiere Catch (Agkistri) dir. Giorgos Evangelou | Cyprus | Greek | World Premiere Mr. & Mrs. Kim dir. Jaehuen Chung | USA | English, Korean | Canadian Premiere The Crab (Kakkutta) dir. Ishani Jayamaha | Sri Lanka/USA | Sinhalese | Canadian Premiere Soy Yo dir. Torben Kjelstrup | Denmark | Spanish The Reel Deal Offering a window into the real lives of young people from around the world, this collection of short documentaries tracks their progress on the precipice of changes that will affect their futures. Recommended for ages 9 and up. Chickens for Kimaru (Kippen voor Kimaru) dirs. Eriss Khajira, Anne van Campenhout | Netherlands | Dutch, Swahili, Kikuyu, English | International Premiere Emil and the Bridge Divers (Emil und die Brückenspringer von Mostar) dir. Friedemann Hottenbacher | Germany | Bosnian | North American Premiere KOJO: A Short Documentary dir. Michael Fequiere | USA | English | Canadian Premiere Safia’s Summer (Safia’s Zomer) dir. Els Van Driel | Netherlands | Dutch, Arabic | International Premiere Creativity Within The protagonists in this collection of short films use creativity to approach life’s challenges. Their quick thinking and creative problem solving inspire self confidence and acceptance. Recommended for ages 9 and up. Get Up Kinshasa! (Debout Kinshasa !) dir. Sébastien Maitre | France/Ivory Coast | French | North American Premiere Litterbugs dir. Peter Stanley-Ward | United Kingdom | English | Toronto Premiere Sleepover (La Invitación) dir. Susana Casares | Spain | Spanish | Toronto Premiere The Debt dir. Helen Flanagan | Ireland | English | Canadian Premiere Waterbaby dir. Pia Shah | India | English, Konkani | Toronto Premiere Loot Bag Senior: Inspiration x Imagination This international collection of films explores exciting worlds, including a mysterious cloudy mountain, the first magical twilight snowfall in a wintry forest, a wild chase in the streets of London, and a supernova explosion in the depths of infinite space. Jam-packed with laughs, adventures, and thrills, the films in Loot Bag Sr. invite you to experience creative inspiration and imagination. Recommended for ages 9 and up. Nimbus, The Cloud Catcher (Nimbus, o caçador de nuvens) dir. Marco Nick | Brazil | No dialogue | International Premiere Dust Buddies dirs. Beth Tomashek, Sam Wade | USA | No dialogue First Snow (První sníh) dir. Lenka Ivancikova | Czech Republic | English | Toronto Premiere Eagle Blue dir. Will Rose | United Kingdom | No dialogue Novae dir. Thomas Vanz | France | No dialogue
Spring Jam dir. Ned Wenlock | New Zealand | No dialogue | Toronto Premiere Nanuuq dir. Jim Lachasse | France | No dialogue | North American Premiere Jubile dirs. Coralie Soudet, Charlotte Piogé, Marion Duvert, Marie El Kadiri, Agathe Marmion | France | No dialogue | North American Premiere The Gossamer (Pautinka) dir. Natalia Chernysheva | Russia | Russian | North American Premiere Order from Chaos dir. Maxime Causeret | France | No dialogue Sausage (Wurst) dir. Josefine Häßler | Germany | No dialogue | Canadian Premiere The Cat and its Artist dir. Maike Mahira Koller | Germany | No dialogue | Canadian Premiere A Small Escape (Den lilla flykten) dir. David Sandell | Sweden | No dialogue | Canadian Premiere Selfie Cat dirs. Geoffrey Assie, Emeline Bernard, Elsa Divet | France | No dialogue | Canadian Premiere The Heart of Matters Families come in all shapes and sizes, but one thing is universal: each member plays an important role in supporting the others. They try to solve problems for one another and support each other in difficult times. Each protagonist in this programme demonstrates this important quality. Recommended for ages 10 and up. Chalk (Tiza, Craie) dir. Jocelyne Flores | Mexico | Spanish | World Premiere Good Luck, Orlo! (Srečno, Orlo!) dir. Sara Kern | Slovenia/Croatia/Austria | Slovenian | North American Premiere Lost & Found dir. Liam O’Neill | Ireland | English | Canadian Premiere Mdudu Boy dir. Ella Smith | United Kingdom | Swahili | Canadian Premiere Prickly Pear (Bajtra tax-Xewk) dir. Alex Camilleri | Malta/USA | Maltese | English | World Premiere Shahzad dir. Haya Waseem | Canada | English, Urdu | Official Selection, 2016 Toronto International Film Festival A Place Here In a time where questions of nationality, citizenship, and belonging are at the height of debate on political stages, social media, and the news, film has the power to inform and share stories across the globe. This collection of short films explores how prejudice at home can lead to national conflict, as experienced by young people. Recommended for ages 10 and up. Baka dir. Arvid Klapper | Germany/France | Serbian, German | International Premiere DISPLACED dir. Christian Ghazal | Australia | English | International Premiere Halim dir. Werner Fiedler | Austria | Arabic, German | World Premiere THE SLED (LA SLITTA, LA LUGE) dir. Emanuela Ponzano | Italy | Italian | Canadian Premiere True to Me Pressure from classmates, family, and friends can make us feel isolated and rejected. These short films reveal the courage it takes to explore who you really are, regardless of what others may think or feel. Recommended for ages 11 and up. Crush dir. Rosie Westhoff | United Kingdom/Australia | English Invitation dir. Bo-seung Kang | South Korea | Korean | Canadian Premiere The Threshold (Daaravtha) dir. Nishant Roy Bombarde | India | Marathi, Hindi TRiGGA dir. Meloni Poole | United Kingdom | English | International Premiere Reflections Growing up is complicated. The characters and subjects in this programme are striving to assert their independence and explore their self-identity, but extenuating circumstances and self-doubt often get in the way. Recommended for ages 12 and up. Battalion To My Beat dir. Eimi Imanishi | Algeria/USA/Western Sahara | Arabic | Official Selection, 2016 Toronto International Film Festival Chenelva & Sheneeva dir. Léon Bellaart | Netherlands | Dutch | Canadian Premiere Frances Tiafoe dir. Kirk Fraser | USA | English | International Premiere Proxy dir. Eric Schuman | USA | English | International Premiere The Girl of 672K (Het meisje van 672k) dir. Mirjam Marks | Netherlands | Dutch, English | Canadian Premiere First Step Forward The protagonists in these films are all struggling with events in their pasts while attempting to move forward. The challenging circumstances will shape them — and give them the strength they need to regain a sense of control and take that first step forward. Recommended for ages 12 and up. Cast Off (Larguer les amarres) dir. Sandrine Brodeur-Desrosiers | Canada | French | Toronto Premiere Flying Rats (Vliegende Ratten) dir. Emiel Sandtke | Belgium | Dutch | North American Premiere Jellyfish dir. Danielle Bayliss | Canada | English | Canadian Premiere The Loudest Silence (El más fuerte de los silencios) dir. Eduardo Bertaina | Argentina | Spanish | Toronto Premiere When Grey Is a Colour (Grijs Is Ook Een Kleur) dir. Marit Weerheijm | Netherlands | Dutch | North American Premiere CANADA ON SCREEN In celebration of Canada’s sesquicentennial, TIFF continues its free year-long programme Canada on Screen – A co-production between TIFF and three core project partners — Library and Archives Canada, the Cinémathèque québécoise, and The Cinematheque in Vancouver. Highlights at TIFF Kids include the following FREE programming: a special screening of the Canadian classic coming-of-age mini-series Anne of Green Gables with an introduction by director Kevin Sullivan, a screening of The Dog Who Stopped the War and Canada on Screen: Short and Animated programme that showcases some of the best Canadian animated shorts such as The Sweater, Cameras Take Five, and Log Drivers Waltz. All of these titles appear on Canada on Screen’s TIFF’s Essential 150 list. In addition, TIFF Kids will host screenings of classic Canadian films on REEL CANADA’s National Canadian Film Day 150 on April 19th and construct Northern Lights, a collaborative arts project that will take over the third floor of TIFF Bell Lightbox. SELECT SCREENINGS FROM CANADA ON SCREEN’S ESSENTIAL 150 LIST Anne of Green Gables dir. Kevin Sullivan | Canada | English TIFF Kids welcomes director Kevin Sullivan to give an extended introduction onstage prior to a free screening of his Canadian classic coming-of-age mini-series Anne of Green Gables. Recommended for ages 7 and up. The Dog Who Stopped The War dir. André Mélançon | Canada | French, English Dubbed The Dog Who Stopped the War is the story of two rivalry groups from a rural Canadian town who find themselves in a week-long snowball war. Recommended for ages 9 and up. Canada on Screen: Short and Animated The Canada on Screen: Short and Animated programme showcases some of the best award-winning short films from Canada’s rich animated history. Recommended for ages 9 and up. Begone Dull Care, dirs. Norman McLaren, Evelyn Lambart | Canada | No dialogue Black Soul (Âme noire), dir. Martine Chartrand | Canada | French Cameras Take Five, dir. Steven Woloshen | Canada | No dialogue Canada Vignettes: Log Driver’s Waltz, dir. John Weldon | Canada | English The Sand Castle (La Château de sable), dir. Co Hoedeman | Canada | French The Sweater, dir. Sheldon Cohen | Canada | English When The Day Breaks, dirs. Amanda Forbis | Wendy Tilby | Canada | No dialogue MORE CANADA ON SCREEN HIGHLIGHTS AT TIFF KIDS Collaborative Art Project: Northern Lights by Molly Grundy Molly Grundy is a Toronto-based artist and designer who works in everything from stop-motion animation and illustration to costume design and installation. Molly is delighted to be teaming up with TIFF Kids in celebration of Canada’s 150th birthday! This Canada on Screen collaborative art project will transform the third floor of the TIFF Bell Lightbox using 16mm animation filmstrips made by TIFF Kids participants. National Canadian Film Day 150 In celebration of National Canadian Film Day 150 (NCFD 150) on April 19th, TIFF will offer free screenings of Canadian features and shorts for elementary school students, including Sheldon Cohen’s beloved animated short The Sweater (1980). NCFD 150, a one-day, coast-to-coast celebration of Canadian cinema in honour of Canada’s sesquicentennial, is presented by REEL CANADA. For more information on other ways to participate in NCFD 150, visit CanFilmDay.ca. Watermark dirs. Jennifer Baichwal, Edward Burtynsky | Canada | English, Spanish, Hindi, Bengali, Mandarin Following their acclaimed collaboration Manufactured Landscapes, photographer Edward Burtynsky and filmmaker Jennifer Baichwal reunite to explore the ways in which humanity has shaped, manipulated and depleted one of its most vital and compromised resources: water. Recommended for Grades 6 to 8. The Legend of Sarila dir. Nancy Florence Savard | Canada | English Three young Inuit go in search of Sarila, a promised land, hoping to save their clan from famine. It is also the story of a fight to the death between two shamans, the young Markussi who finds Sarila and the aged Croolik who feels that his power is threatened. Recommended for Grades 3 to 5. Ballerina dirs. Eric Warin, Eric Summer | Canada/France | English, French Two best friends — one an aspiring ballet dancer, the other a fledgling inventor — pursue their dreams in 1880s Paris, in this charming animated adventure from Quebec. Recommended for ages 7 and up. The Good Ol’ Hockey Game 2017 marks both Canada’s 150th birthday and the centennial of the National Hockey League and the Toronto Maple Leafs, so it’s a natural opportunity to celebrate Canada’s Game on film. Hockey holds a special place in the hearts of many young Canadians – enthusiastic fans and aspiring players alike. It also teaches us valuable lessons in teamwork, cooperation, and perseverance. Recommended for ages 9 and up. Faith’s Goal, dir. Elizabeth Lee | Canada | English HA’Aki, dir. Iriz Paabo | Canada | No dialogue P.K. SUBBAN SKATE PAST THE NOISE SPECIAL EDITION (P.K. SUBBAN PATINER DROIT DEVANT ÉDITION SPÉCIALE), dirs. Alexandra Toulch, Jack Hackel | Canada | English The Rink, dir. Thelon Deming | Canada | English The Sweater, dir. Sheldon Cohen | Canada | English CANADA À L’ÉCRAN
Toute l’année, le TIFF poursuit son programme gratuit Canada à l’écran, organisé à l’occasion du 150e anniversaire du Canada. Cette initiative est coproduite par le TIFF et trois partenaires de présentation : Bibliothèque et Archives Canada, la Cinémathèque québécoise et The Cinematheque (Vancouver). Parmi les présentations GRATUITES dans le cadre de TIFF Kids : une projection spéciale d’Anne… la maison aux pignons verts, minisérie canadienne classique sur le passage vers l’âge adulte, avec une introduction par son réalisateur Kevin Sullivan; une projection de La guerre des tuques; et un programme de courts métrages d’animation (Canada on Screen : Short and Animated) qui met en vedette certains des meilleurs films brefs canadiens, tels que Le chandail, Cameras Take Five et La valse du maître-draveur. Tous ces titres font partie de la liste des 150 œuvres essentielles Canada à l’écran du TIFF. De plus, TIFF Kids organisera des projections de classiques du cinéma canadien lors de la Journée du cinéma canadien 150 de REEL Canada. Il montera également le projet d’art collaboratif Northern Lights au troisième étage du TIFF Bell Lightbox.
PROJECTIONS SÉLECTIONNÉES : SELON LA LISTE DES 150 ŒUVRES ESSENTIELLES CANADA À L’ÉCRAN
Anne… la maison aux pignons verts réal. Kevin Sullivan, Canada, anglais Le festival TIFF Kids accueille Kevin Sullivan, qui montera sur scène pour introduire la projection gratuite d’Anne… la maison aux pignons verts, sa minisérie classique sur le passage vers l’âge adulte. Âge recommandé : 7 ans et +.
La guerre des tuques réal. André Mélançon, Canada, français doublé en anglais La guerre des tuques est l’histoire de deux groupes rivaux dans un village rural du Canada. Pendant toute une semaine, ceux-ci se livrent une bataille de boules de neige. Âge recommandé : 9 ans et +.
Canada on Screen : Short and Animated Le programme Canada on Screen : Short and Animated présente certains des meilleurs courts métrages primés de l’histoire du cinéma d’animation canadien. Âge recommandé : 9 ans et +.
Begone Dull Care (Caprice en couleurs) réal. Norman McLaren, Evelyn Lambart | Canada | sans dialogue
Black Soul (Âme noire) réal. Martine Chartrand | Canada | français
Cameras Take Five réal. Steven Woloshen | Canada | sans dialogue
Canada Vignettes : Log Driver’s Waltz (Canada vignettes : La valse du maître-draveur) réal. John Weldon | Canada | anglais
The Sand Castle (Le château de sable) réal. Co Hoedeman | Canada | français
The Sweater (Le chandail) réal. Sheldon Cohen | Canada | anglais
When The Day Breaks réal. Amanda Forbis, Wendy Tilby | Canada | sans dialogue
AUTRES ACTIVITÉS CANADA À L’ÉCRAN AU FESTIVAL TIFF KIDS
Projet d’art collaboratif : Northern Lights, par Molly Grundy Molly Grundy est une artiste et designer torontoise qui œuvre dans une foule de domaines, dont l’animation image par image, l’illustration, la conception de costumes et les installations artistiques. Molly est ravie de faire équipe avec TIFF Kids pour célébrer le 150e anniversaire du Canada! Ce projet d’art collaboratif de Canada à l’écran transformera le troisième étage du TIFF Bell Lightbox à l’aide de bandes de films d’animation en 16 mm créées par les participants de TIFF Kids.
Journée du cinéma canadien 150 Afin de célébrer la Journée du cinéma canadien 150, le TIFF présentera le 19 avril des projections gratuites mettant en vedette des longs et des courts métrages du Canada destinées aux élèves du primaire, dont le populaire court métrage d’animation Le chandail (1980) de Sheldon Cohen. La Journée du cinéma canadien 150 est présentée par REEL CANADA.
Watermark (Trajectoires) réal. Jennifer Baichwal, Edward Burtynsky | Canada | anglais, espagnol, hindi, bengali, mandarin Après leur collaboration triomphale sur Manufactured Landscapes, le photographe Edward Burtynsky et la documentariste Jennifer Baichwal refont équipe afin d’explorer comment l’humanité a façonné, manipulé et appauvri l’une de nos ressources les plus essentielles et fragiles : l’eau. Niveaux recommandés : 6e à 8e année.
The Legend of Sarila (La légende de Sarila) réal. Nancy Florence Savard | Canada | anglais Trois jeunes Inuits partent à la recherche de Sarila, une terre promise, dans l’espoir de sauver leur peuple de la famine. Ce film raconte aussi un redoutable combat entre deux chamans : le jeune Markussi qui trouve Sarila, et Croolik, un homme plus âgé qui sent que son pouvoir est menacé. Niveaux recommandés : 3e à 5e année.
Ballerina réal. Eric Warin, Eric Summer | Canada/France | anglais, français À Paris, dans les années 1880, deux meilleurs amis – une future ballerine et un aspirant inventeur – décident de réaliser leur plus grand rêve dans cette charmante aventure animée réalisée au Québec. Âge recommandé : 7 ans et +. Ce bon vieux hockey En plus de marquer le 150e anniversaire du Canada, 2017 correspond aussi au 100e anniversaire de la Ligue nationale de hockey et des Maple Leafs de Toronto. Il était donc naturel de célébrer le sport préféré des Canadiens au cinéma. Le hockey occupe une place inconditionnelle dans le cœur de plusieurs jeunes Canadiens, qu’ils soient des admirateurs ou des hockeyeurs eux-mêmes. C’est aussi un sport qui enseigne le travail d’équipe, la collaboration et la persévérance. Âge recommandé : 9 ans et +. Faith’s Goal, réal. Elizabeth Lee | Canada | anglais HA’Aki, réal. Iriz Paabo | Canada | sans dialogue P.K. SUBBAN SKATE PAST THE NOISE SPECIAL EDITION (P.K. SUBBAN PATINER DROIT DEVANT ÉDITION SPÉCIALE), réal. Alexandra Toulch, Jack Hackel | Canada | anglais The Rink, réal. Thelon Deming | Canada | anglais The Sweater (Le chandail), réal. Sheldon Cohen | Canada | anglais
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AFI FEST Announces 2017 Dates and Filmmakers: Call for Entries
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Writer Saroo Brierley, Nicole Kidman, Priyanka Bose and Dev Patel at AFI FEST 2016 Presented by Audi Special Screening of LION in Hollywood, CA, on November 11, 2016.[/caption]
AFI FEST 2017 has officially announced its dates and call for entries. The 31st edition of AFI FEST will take place in Hollywood, California, from November 9 to 16, 2017.
Entries are now being accepted and filmmakers are invited to submit feature, documentary, experimental and short films. AFI FEST will have three submission date deadlines — early, official and final — for both short films (under 30 minutes) and feature films. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences recognizes AFI FEST as a qualifying festival for the Live Action and Animated Short Film categories for the annual Academy Awards®.
Early Deadline – March 31
Official Deadline – May 5
Final Deadline – July 14
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SXSW 2017: Watch Trailer for DISGRACED Chronicling the 2003 Murder of Baylor University Men’s Basketball Star Patrick Dennehy
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DISGRACED[/caption]
The official trailer was released yesterday for the upcoming documentary film Disgraced, that chronicles the 2003 murder of Baylor University men’s basketball star Patrick Dennehy. Disgraced will world premiere at the 2017 SXSW Film Festival on Sunday, March 12, and on Showtime on Friday, March 31 at 9 p.m. ET/PT.
The revealing documentary chronicles the 2003 murder of Baylor University men’s basketball star Patrick Dennehy, to which fellow teammate and friend Carlton Dotson pled guilty in the only known instance in the history of the NCAA where one student-athlete was convicted of murdering another. Through first-hand accounts from students, investigators, family and friends,Disgraced calls into question the plea and conviction of Dotson.
The film also includes exclusive and revealing interviews with former head coach Dave Bliss, who directly addresses the attempted cover-up and secretly recorded statements he made in 2003 that implicated him in NCAA rule violations. The violations, revealed in part by whistle blower and then assistant coach Abar Rouse, ultimately led to Bliss’ resignation and a partial ban on NCAA play for the Baylor Bears basketball team.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5s_wI5RehI
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Watch at your own risk!! Justine Experiences Side Effects of Eating Raw Meat in New Clip from RAW | Video
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RAW (Julia Ducournau)[/caption]
Watch at your own risk. Focus World has released a brand new clip from Raw in which Justine (Garance Miller) begins to experience the side effects of a hazing ritual in which she was forced to eat raw meat. What started out as harmless fun begins to affect her in ways she couldn’t have possibly imagined, both mentally and…physically.
Raw, from first-time director Julia Ducournau – named one of Variety’s ‘10 Directors to Watch for 2017’ – and starring newcomers Garance Marillier, Ella Rumpf, and Rabah Nait Oufella, hits select theaters March 10, 2017 and expands worldwide this Spring.
Everyone in Justine’s family is a vet. And a vegetarian. At sixteen she’s a brilliant student starting out at veterinary school where she experiences a decadent, merciless and dangerously seductive world. Desperate to fit in, she strays from her family principles and eats RAW meat for the first time. Justine will soon face the terrible and unexpected consequences as her true self begins to emerge…
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6 Latin American Films Selected for San Sebastian Film Festival’s Films in Progress 31
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Half Brother[/caption]
6 films, 5 of them début films, have been selected for Films in Progress 31, the professional platform that supports the production of Latin American feature-length films, organized by the San Sebastian and Cinelatino, Rencontres de Toulouse festivals. Films in Progress fosters the meeting, dialogue and interaction among Latin American and European film professionals, promoting the diversity and talent of independent film makers. The Toulouse edition will be held on March 23 and 24, 2017.
JASMINES IN LÍDICE (JAZMINES EN LÍDICE)
RUBÉN SIERRA SALLES (VENEZUELA – MEXICO)
Meche has not got over the absence of his son Raúl; His room remains intact, his clothes are still in the closet. Challenged by an imminent danger, her daughters Dayana and Anabel try to convince her to leave Lídice, the neighborhood where she has lived her entire life. With Dayana’s birthday for excuse, the family gathers, even Raúl’s wife comes over. The meeting becomes painful, bursting with complaints and open wounds, before the feeble gaze of whom who feels responsible for the misery of those who stayed behind. Debut feature.
MARILYN
MARTÍN RODRÍGUEZ REDONDO (ARGENTINA – CHILE)
Marcos, a seventeen years farm worker, discovers his sexuality in a hostile environment. Nicknamed Marilyn by other teenagers in town, he becomes the target both of human desire and discrimination. Marcos feels himself pushed into a corner more and more. Debut feature.
HALF BROTHER (MEIO IRMÃO)
ELIANE COSTER (BRAZIL)
Sandra (16) is looking for her mother who’s been missing for days. As time goes by, difficulties pile up and she has to seek her half brother Jorge, with whom she has little contact. Jorge lives and works with his father, they install surveillance systems. At the point Sandra finds him, he’s being threatened not to leak a video he made on his phone of a homophobic attack on a male friend to whom he’s secretly attracted to. Debut feature.
THE DESERT BRIDE (LA NOVIA DEL DESIERTO)
CECILIA ATÁN, VALERIA PIVATO (ARGENTINA – CHILE)
Teresa (54) has worked for decades as a live-in maid in Buenos Aires. When the family sells the house, she is forced to take a job in a distant town. Although feeling uncomfortable, she embarks on a journey through the desert. During her first stop, in the land of the miraculous “Saint Correa”, she loses her bag with all her belongings. This incident leads her to cross paths with a traveling salesman, the only one who can help her. What seemed like the end of her world will prove her salvation. Debut feature.
LOS PERROS
MARCELA SAID (CHILE – FRANCE – ARGENTINA – PORTUGAL – GERMANY)
Mariana (42), is a slightly off-the-wall woman, who stands out from the Chilean upper class to which she belongs. Her father, Francisco, has raised her with love and kindness, but also with a strong grip. Pedro, her husband, is a workaholic architect who doesn’t seem to make her happy. She finds solace in the company of Juan (60), a riding teacher and a former colonel with a shady past.
HUNTING SEASON (TEMPORADA DE CAZA)
NATALIA GARAGIOLA (ARGENTINA – FRANCE – USA)
Nahuel has almost finished high school in Buenos Aires when his mother suddenly dies. He is legally obliged to spend the last three months before turning 18 with his father Ernesto, a respected hunter who lives in a small village near the mountains. They haven’t seen each other for more than a decade. As the journey begins and wilderness becomes his new environment, Nahuel is confronted with his ability to love and kill. Debut feature.
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LADY MACBETH Make its NY Debut at New Directors/New Films, Opens in Theaters on July 14 | Trailer
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Lady Macbeth[/caption]
Lady Macbeth, an adaptation of Nikolai Leskov’s 1865 novella “Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk” relocated to Victorian England, will make its New York premiere at the 2017 New Directors/New Films series, and open theatrically on July 14.
The film, the debut feature of acclaimed UK theater director William Oldroyd, written by up-and-coming playwright Alice Birch, is described as a riveting drama of oppression, adultery and murder. Florence Pugh plays Katherine, a young woman stifled by her loveless marriage to a bitter man twice her age, and his cold, unforgiving family. When Katherine embarks on a passionate affair with a young worker on her husband’s estate, a force is unleashed inside her so powerful that she will stop at nothing to get what she wants.
Featuring a breakout performance by British newcomer Florence Pugh, who was only 19 when she shot the film, Lady Macbeth was one of the discoveries of the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival and recently screened at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhSnP7wRIeg
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Pat Healy’s TAKE ME, Starring Taylor Schilling to World Premiere at Tribeca Film Festival, and in Theaters on May 5th
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Pat Healy as Ray Moody and Taylor Schilling as Anna St. Blair in TAKE ME. Photographer: Nathan M. Miller.[/caption]
Pat Healy’s feature debut Take Me, starring Taylor Schilling opposite Healy will world premiere at the upcoming 2017 Tribeca Film Festival, followed by a theatrical and digital release via The Orchard on May 5th.
In Take Me, Ray is in the boutique simulated abduction business. An understandably threadbare market, he jumps at the chance when a mysterious call contracts him for a weekend kidnapping with a handsome payday at the end. But the job isn’t all that it seems. A black comedy that threads the needle between crime thriller and slapstick farce, Take Me is as twisty as it is funny.
The filmmaking team of Take Me recently set up a website promoting the faux-company “Kidnap Solutions LLC” which claims to be a fully immersive exposure therapy that has been known to cure alcoholism, drug addiction, overeating, nicotine addiction, sex/love addiction and bad habits.
Actor, writer and director, Pat Healy began his career on stage at Chicago’s famed Steppenwolf Theatre Company, and went on to appear in over forty feature films and dozens of television series. As a writer, he has authored a dozen feature film screenplays including Snow Ponies, currently in pre-production starring Gerard Butler and directed by Darrin Prescott. He also wrote several episodes of HBO’s critically acclaimed drama series In Treatment. His first short film Mullitt, which he wrote, directed and starred in, premiered at the 2001 Sundance Film Festival.
Pat Healy commented “I was too lazy and/or afraid to direct a feature film for years until I read Mike Makowsky’s inspired script. I knew I had to do it. Thankfully Jay, Mark & Taylor agreed and gave me the chance to make this crazy thing. It’s the weird/funny movie I hope audiences would expect I’d unleash on the world.”
The script for Take Me was penned by Mike Makowsky, with the Duplass Brothers serving as executive producers, and while Mel Eslyn along with Sev Ohanian serving as producers of the film
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Watch Trailer for BURNING SANDS from Sundance 2017, Set to Premiere on Netflix on March 10
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Malik Bazille, Trevor Jackson, Tosin Cole, Octavius Johnson and DeRon Horton appear in Burning Sands by Gerard McMurray, an official selection of the U.S. Dramatic Competition at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival. © 2016 Sundance Institute | photo by Isiah Donté Lee.[/caption]
Netflix has released the trailer for Burning Sands, a powerful, coming-of-age drama that explores the bonds of fraternity and exposes how far some are willing to go in the name of brotherhood.
The film was selected for the 2017 Sundance Film Festival US Dramatic Competition and will be available to Netflix members worldwide on Friday, March 10.
Burning Sands stars Trevor Jackson (ABC’s American Crime) in a breakout performance, along with Alfre Woodard, Steve Harris, Trevante Rhodes, Tosin Cole, DeRon Horton, Imani Hakim and Serayah. It is directed and co-written by Gerard McMurray (producer, Fruitvale Station).
The film was produced by Stephanie Allain (Beyond the Lights), Jason Michael Berman (Birth of a Nation), Reginald Hudlin (Django Unchained) and Mel Jones (Dear White People). Common also contributed an original song, “The Cross”.
Burning Sands takes you on a raw, voyeuristic journey of fraternity pledging through the eyes of one favored pledgee, who is torn between honoring a code of silence or standing up against the intensifying violence of underground hazing. Led by a breakthrough performance by Trevor Jackson, director Gerard McMurray’s feature directorial debut brings an emotional honesty to the classic tale of “rites of passage” and the complicated bonds of brotherhood.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7t-ZivjczEs
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University of Kentucky Men’s Basketball Coach John Calipari will be Subject of ESPN 30 For 30 Series
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John Calipari[/caption]
University of Kentucky men’s basketball coach John Calipari’s will be the subject of the next installment in ESPN Films’ award-winning 30 for 30 series in One and Not Done.
The film, One and Not Done, directed by Jonathan Hock (“Of Miracles and Men,” “Survive and Advance,” “The Best That Never Was”) will premiere on Thursday, April 13, at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Who is John Calipari? To his devotees, he is one of college basketball’s greatest coaches. To his detractors, he represents everything wrong with college sports. Somewhere in between lies one of the most compelling and complicated figures in American sports. “One and Not Done” chronicles the life of Calipari – from high school point guard, to dominating UMass coach, to king of Kentucky. A man who has not only altered the college basketball landscape and become the face of the so-called “One and Done” phenomenon, but has also had two Final Four appearances vacated and evolved as a coach who at one point had to rebuild his career.
“‘One and Not Done’ is really three films in one,” said director Jonathan Hock. “It’s a biography of an immigrant son’s American Dream, an intense and revealing all-access sports film, and a meditation on corruption and the true meaning of big-time college sports. Making this film was a chance to write history while it’s being made, the kind of filmmaking opportunity that keeps me coming back to 30 for 30 year after year.”
Hock takes viewers behind the scenes with never-before-seen footage as Calipari tries to reach the Final Four for the seventh time and win his second national title. “One and Not Done” features exclusive interviews with some of the players whose lives he changed, including Marcus Camby, Lou Roe, Derrick Rose, John Wall and Anthony Davis.
Added says ESPN Films Vice President and Executive Producer John Dahl: “With our 30 for 30 series, it’s unusual for us to focus on someone whose career is still a work in progress. But in this instance, with Jon Hock directing, we thought it was warranted. Few figures in sports today draw such strong opinions and already have the kind of influence and body of work that John Calipari does, and the film provides a deeper understanding of what he’s all about.”
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GET ME ROGER STONE, Documentary on Controversial Republican Political Consultant to World Premiere at Tribeca Film Festival
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Roger Stone in GET ME ROGER STONE. Photo credit: Barbara Nitke/Netflix.[/caption]
Get Me Roger Stone, a documentary on the controversial Republican political consultant, lobbyist, and strategist, will have its world premiere at the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival.
The whole world was riveted by the rise of Donald Trump, but there is only one man who has been with the mogul since the beginning, plotting his improbable ascent. Ever since political consultant Roger Stone became the youngest person called before the Watergate grand jury, his career as a master in the dark arts of politics has intersected many momentous low points in modern political history.
Stone, the subject of the documentary, has had an unconventional political career from engineering political scandals to upending the establishment. His relationship to Trump began in the 1980s, when Stone began planting the seed for the businessman to enter politics, culminating in 2016 with one of the biggest election upsets in U.S. history. A chronicle of the infamous Roger Stone, Get Me Roger Stone gives an up-close look into his rise and the transformation of American Politics.
Get Me Roger Stone, a Netflix original documentary, is directed by Morgan Pehme, Daniel DiMauro, and Dylan Bank and executive produced by Blair Foster, Lisa Nishimura, Jason Spingarn-Koff and Adam Del Deo. The film will launch globally on Netflix in spring 2017.
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Virtual Reality (VR) Returns to Tribeca Film Festival – Presidents, Puppets, Prisons, Poachers, and More Featured in Tribeca Immersive
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The People’s House[/caption]
With 29 virtual reality (VR) and innovative exhibitions, the Tribeca Immersive program at the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival will feature thought-provoking experiences and installations from top creators and emerging artists, including 20 world premieres. This year, Storyscapes and Virtual Arcade exhibitions will run concurrently throughout the Festival at the Tribeca Festival Hub, located at 50 Varick Street. The 16th annual Tribeca Film Festival takes place April 19 to 30, 2017.
Established VR creators and studios debuting new pieces include: Marshmallow Laser Feast, Gabo Arora, Baobab Studios, Oculus Story Studios, Penrose Studios, and Within. Both Storyscapes and Virtual Arcade open to the public on Friday, April 21.
The 5th Storyscapes showcase will tackle topics including an exploration of autobiography in VR, a hunger to connect with the world around us, recounting life in a concentration camp, perception and identity, and the secret lives of strangers. The Virtual Arcade, which debuted at the 2016 Festival, returns with a range of experiences from animated epics to post-apocalyptic landscapes.
2017 Tribeca Immersive
STORYSCAPES
Blackout (World Premiere) Project Creators: Scatter: Alexander Porter, Yasmin Elayat, James George, Mei-Ling Wong Key Collaborators: Hannah Jayanti Blackout is an ongoing participatory, volumetric VR project gathering the reflections of real people living in today’s tense political climate through the lens of the New York subway. By creating a rotating, ‘crowd-sourced’ cast, Blackout addresses the impossible task of representing the extraordinary breadth of human experience in New York City. Each viewing of Blackout is different, surrounding you with a unique group of straphangers taking you to the places their minds go between destinations. Draw Me Close (World Premiere) Project Creator: Jordan Tannahill Canadian playwright-director Jordan Tannahill partners with the National Theatre and the National Film Board of Canada to create Draw Me Close, a vivid memoir about his relationship with his mother in the wake of her terminal cancer diagnosis. Collapsing the worlds of live performance and animation to create an unforgettable encounter between a mother and her son, Draw Me Close tells the story of their past and what is to be their future. This special presentation is a world premiere of the first chapter of Draw Me Close. The Island of the Colorblind (International Premiere) Project Creator: Sanne de Wilde Key Collaborators: IDFA DocLab, de Brakke Grond What does color mean to those who can’t see it? In the late eighteenth century a catastrophic typhoon swept over Pingelap, a tiny atoll in the Pacific Ocean. One of the few survivors carried a rare gene that causes achromatopsia, a condition that includes the inability to distinguish colors. Over generations, the islanders ended up perceiving their world in black and white. The Island of the Colorblind invites the audience to explore this shift in perception through de Wilde’s photography and an interactive installation The Last Goodbye (World Premiere) Project Creators: Gabo Arora, Ari Palitz Key Collaborators: Stephen Smith, Here Be Dragons, MPC, Otoy, LightShed and USC Shoah Foundation In July of 2016, Holocaust survivor Pinchas Gutter toured the Majdanek Concentration Camp in what he vowed would be his final visit. By marrying a stereo video capture of Pinchas within a photoreal roomscale experience, The Last Goodbye reaches profound levels of immersion in service of the first ever VR testimony that will be archived and preserved. The importance of listening to Pinchas’ story is more important now than ever and this is also a beautiful testament to love, compassion and the human spirit. NeuroSpeculative AfroFeminism (New York Premiere) Project Creators: Hyphen-Labs – Ashley Baccus-Clark, Carmen Aguilar y Wedge, Ece Tankal, Nitzan Bartov Imagined futures and contemporary realities come together in NeuroSpeculative AfroFeminism, a multidisciplinary exploration of women of color’s experience through the lens of technology, society and culture. The project includes speculative products, immersive experiences and neuroscientific research. In the VR experience, discover the neurocosmetology lab, a kind of beauty salon, where instead of ordinary braids, customers are fitted with transcranial electrodes that allow access to a surreal alternate world. TREEHUGGER: WAWONA (North American Premiere) Project Creator: Marshmallow Laser Feast Key Collaborators: Natan Sinigaglia, Mileece I’Anson, Cinekid Foundation, STRP, Southbank Centre and Migrations TREEHUGGER : WAWONA is an interactive installation that combines today’s cultural hunger for beautiful immersive experiences with art, science, data, environmentalism and technology. Centered on a vast sculpture of a giant redwood tree, the viewer dons a VR headset, places their head into the tree’s knot and is transported into its secret inner world. The longer someone hugs the tree, the deeper they drift into treetime: a hidden dimension that lies just beyond the limit of our senses.VIRTUAL ARCADE
Alteration (World Premiere) – France Project Creator: Jérôme Blanquet Key Collaborators: James Sénade, Yann Apéry, Antoine Cayrol, Baptiste Chesnais, Pierre Zandrowicz, Jean-françois Blanquet This is a poetic trip into the future: Alexandro volunteers for an experiment carried out to study dreams. He can’t imagine that he will be subjected to the intrusion of Elsa, a form of Artificial Intelligence who aims to digitize his subconscious in order to feed off it. She’s a vampire…bit by megabit. Apex (World Premiere) – The Netherlands/USA Project Creator: Arjan van Meerten Key Collaborator: Wevr The stunning new experience from the brilliant imagination of 3D artist and musician Arjan van Meerten, APEX is the highly anticipated follow up to the creator’s acclaimed and award-winning experience, Surge. Step into a surrealistic and darkly beautiful vision of a fiery urban apocalypse; one populated by skeletal ghost animals, abstract shapes, maniacal smiling giants and, of course, you. Arden’s Wake (World Premiere) – USA Project Creator: Eugene Chung Key Collaborators: Jimmy Maidens The sea levels have risen, and a young woman and her father live in a lighthouse perched atop the ocean’s surface. When he goes missing, she descends deep into the post-apocalyptic waters previously forbidden to her, embarking on a thrilling journey of family history and self-discovery. From the creators of the magnificent Allumette (Tribeca 2016), Arden’s Wake continues the elegant evolution of storytelling from Penrose Studios. Auto (World Premiere) – USA Project Creator: J. Steven Schardt In the near future, self-driving taxi services employ “safety drivers,” a transitional measure of comfort for passengers. On his first day, Musay, an Ethiopian immigrant with 40 years of driving experience, picks up a couple habituated to the service. Not content — not comfortable — with merely sitting, Musay insists on driving, instigating a series of events with substantial consequences. Bebylon – Battle Royale (World Premiere) – USA Project Creator: Cory Strassburger, Ikrima Elhassan Key Collaborators: Alex Underhill, Giray Ozil, Jennifer Chavarria From the minds at Kite + Lightning, this comedic arena battle experience blends a satirical narrative with revolutionary head-to-head VR gaming. Set in a futuristic status conscious society, players compete as crude, narcissistic, immortal babies for fame and fortune. Wielding weaponized status symbols such as gold-plated selfie sticks and big-fisted battle buggies, you can be the “beby” of your most shameless rock star fantasy. Becoming Homeless: A Human Experience (World Premiere) – USA Project Creator: Virtual Human Interaction Lab, Stanford University Key Collaborators: Elise Ogle, Tobin Asher, Jeremy Bailenson Everyone’s story is unique, but the human experience is collective. In this interactive first-person VR experience, you will face the adversity of living without a home. From Stanford University’s Virtual Human Interaction Lab, Becoming Homeless aims to change the way some may think and act about the epidemic of homelessness that exists globally. Broken Night (World Premiere) – USA Project Creator: Alon Benari, Tal Zubalsky, Alex Vlack Key Collaborators: Eko, Hidden Content, Real Motion VFX Broken Night explores a woman’s (Emily Mortimer) unreliable narrative of an intense trauma. Speaking to a detective, her confused memories unfold: returning home in the midst of a fight with her husband (Alessandro Nivola), they encounter an intruder. The viewer is placed in a position of choosing which memories to follow, sharing her confusion before coming to the startling truth. Extravaganza (World Premiere) – USA Project Creator: Ethan Shaftel Extravaganza mixes 3D animation and live-action footage in a bitingly funny satire. You are a puppet trapped in a stunningly offensive puppet show, performing for a clueless executive (Paul Scheer). Confronted with his glaringly obvious blind spots and prejudices, Extravaganza asks: can technology change society for the better, or does it just magnify our worst traits in new ways? Hallelujah (World Premiere) – USA Project Creator: Zach Richter, Bobby Halvorson, Eames Kolar Key Collaborators: Chrissy Szczupak, Orin Green, Jess Engel, ECCO VR, International Orange Chorale of SF, Chris Milk, Aaron Koblin Hallelujah is a revolutionary virtual reality music performance that reimagines Leonard Cohen’s most well-known song. It is the world’s first VR music experience to provide an uncompromised sense of presence with six degrees of freedom using Lytro Immerge technology. A Within Original. Life of Us (New York Premiere) – USA Project Creator: Chris Milk, Aaron Koblin, Pharrell Williams Life of Us is a shared VR journey from Within that tells the complete story of the evolution of life on earth. Created by Chris Milk & Aaron Koblin, with original music by Pharrell Williams. The Other Dakar (World Premiere) – Senegal Project Creator: Selly Raby Kane Key Collaborators: Electric South, Goethe Institut A little girl receives a message and discovers the hidden face of Dakar. An homage to Senegalese mythology and a stunningly visual debut from Dakar-based artist and designer Selly Raby Kane, this magical 360 film transports viewers to a place where past and future meet and where artists are the beating heart of the city. The People’s House (World Premiere) – Canada Project Creators: Félix Lajeunesse, Paul Raphaël (Felix & Paul Studios) The People’s House takes you on a historic visit of President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama’s White House. Through the transportive power of VR, The Obamas take you on an intimate journey inside the West Wing, Executive and Private Residences, reflecting on their time there, and recounting the building’s profound history since its creation over two centuries ago. The Possible: Hoverboard (Season Finale) – USA Project Creator: David Gelb If you could have just one superpower, what would it be? For Alexandru Duru, the answer is obvious: the ability to fly. That’s why he founded Omni Hoverboards, which has transformed hoverboard technology from dream to reality. In “Hoverboard,” you’ll follow his team as they build and test a prototype—then experience the freedom of flight for yourself. The Protectors: Walk in The Ranger’s Shoes (World Premiere) – USA Project Creator: Kathryn Bigelow, Imraan Ismail From Academy Award-winning director Katheryn Bigelow and acclaimed VR creator Imraan Ismail, The Protectors chronicles a day in the life of the rangers in Garamba National Park. These rangers are often the last line of defense in a race against the poachers intent on slaughtering elephants for their ivory tusks. The rangers face constant danger and even death, at the service of these sentient, noble creatures. Rainbow Crow (World Premiere) – USA Project Creator: Eric Darnell, Maureen Fan, Larry Cutler, Claudia Southmartin, Kane Lee Key Collaborators: Michael Hutchinson, Nathaniel Dawson From the Director of Madagascar, Invasion! (Tribeca 2016), and Asteroids! comes Baobab Studio’s latest visionary VR animation. The carefree forest animals imagine spring will last forever. However, winter comes and the animals soon realize that their lives are in danger. What they need is a hero; what they need is Rainbow Crow. Step inside a moving, soon-to-be classic, musical experience for all ages. Remember: Remember (World Premiere) – USA Project Creator: Kevin Cornish If our minds are a map of every memory we’ve had, what do we become if those memories are stripped away? In this cinematic, room-scale VR experience set against the backdrop of an alien invasion, you are a prisoner being brainwashed by a lost love. As you cycle through your memories, the two of you begin to question what is real and what is imagined. Sergeant James (North American Premiere) – France Project Creator: Alexandre Perez Key Collaborators: Avi Amar It’s Leo’s bedtime, but he thinks there is something under his bed. Is it just the harmless imagination of a young boy, or something more sinister? Is it…you? From director Alexandre Perez, Sergeant James recaptures the innocence of youth, the wonder of the unknown, and the folly of fear, while hinting at a far creepier possibility. Step to the Line (New York Premiere) – USA Project Creator: Ricardo Laganaro Key Collaborators: Defy Ventures/ Oculus VR for Good Shot entirely on location in a California maximum security prison, Step to the Line is a documentary that aims to provoke a transformation in the spectator’s eyes about prisoners, the prison system, and even themselves. In this project, we see how release from incarceration can be just as jarring as intake and how parallel lives diverge when someone serves time. Sword of Baahubali (New York Premiere) – India Project Creator: SS Rajamouli, Arka Mediaworks Key Collaborators: Radeon Technologies Group & CNCPT LA Two friends find themselves on a battlefield, as the armies of Bhalladeva and Shivudu are set to charge into battle. As they watch the action unfold, they are unexpectedly asked to participate. Their mission – to find a legendary warrior’s sword and deliver it to him, ensuring victory. Based on S.S. Rajamouli’s World of Baahubali, India’s biggest movie franchise. Talking With Ghosts (World Premiere) – USA Project Creator: Ric Carrasquillo, Roman Muradov, Sophia Foster-Dimino, Maria Yi Key Collaborators: Wesley Allsbrook, Matthew Chadwick, Sebastien Chevrel, Tauni Oxborrow, Saschka Unseld. Talking With Ghosts is the next wave of emerging art in the field of Illustrative VR. Following the success of Dear Angelica, Oculus Story Studio decided to enhance its painting app Quill with comic-like storytelling functionality, enabling anyone to tell their own illustrative stories in VR. The resulting works are called Quill Stories and Talking With Ghosts is a compilation of the very first of their kind, entirely painted and told in VR by four remarkable artists. Made in collaboration with Oculus Story Studios. Testimony (World Premiere) – USA Project Creator: Zohar Kfir Key Collaborators: Selena Pinnell Recent events have dramatically shifted the conversation around sexual abuse in the United States. Despite persistent victim-shaming and the discounting of their experiences, abuse survivors are increasingly coming forward, empowering one another to become agents of change. Testimony is an interactive documentary presenting the narrative accounts of sexual abuse survivors, using virtual reality to engage viewers with an intimate, motion-driven interface. Tree (New York Premiere) – USA Project Creator: Milica Zec, Winslow Porter Key Collaborators: Aleksandar Protic, Jakob Kudsk Steensen See and feel what it is like to become a tree in this haptically enhanced VR experience. With your arms as the branches and your body as the trunk, you experience the growth from a seedling to its fullest form, taking on its role in the majestic rain forest and witnessing its fate firsthand. Unrest (World Premiere) – France/USA Project Creator: Arnaud Colinart, Jennifer Brea, Amaury La Burthe Key Collaborators: Diana Barrett (Fledgling Fund), Lindsey Dryden (Little By Little Films) From the award-winning team behind Notes On Blindness, Unrest allows audiences to access the world of chronic illness and disability in an exploratory, user-led experience. Based on the documentary film of the same name, the project draws upon sensory meditations on pain, fatigue, and neurosensory symptoms, and allows the public a visceral personal experience of a hard-to-understand condition.