The 2015 Toronto International Film Festival announced the lineup for the Short Cuts program. Thirty-eight international shorts join the previously announced Canadian shorts, which will screen in 11 curated program. The compelling lineup encompasses works from filmmakers representing an impressive 35 countries. From provocative narratives to compelling animation, from insightful dramas to profoundly moving documentaries, the works in Short Cuts showcase unique, yet universal, stories about the human condition, in short form.
The 40th Toronto International Film Festival runs September 10 to 20, 2015.
Films screening in 2015 Toronto International Film Festival Short Cuts Program include:
(Otto)
Joris Oprins, Marieke Blaauw and Job Roggeveen, Netherlands, 10’ World Premiere
As one couple try, and fail again, for the baby they’ve dreamed of, a little girl accidentally leaves her imaginary baby brother, Otto, behind at a restaurant. Suddenly, the definition of ‘baby’ takes on a new and completely unexpected dimension. Will Otto find a way back home? From the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival filmmakers who brought us the Oscar-nominated animation A Single
Life.
7 sheep
Wiktoria Szymanska, Poland/United Kingdom/Denmark/Mexico, 21’ World Premiere
A lonely little girl tries to create a new world for herself and an equally lonely man. In a visually stunning dreamscape, she finds that freedom and home are synonymous — and that they come at a steep cost.
Barbados
Misha Manson-Smith, USA, 7’ World Premiere
David is a middle-class guy with middle-class problems, despite his lovely home and beautiful middle-class wife. His son Gary is the same, just 30 years younger. Both are looking for a way out from suburbia and all its trappings. One Sunday lunchtime, however, when the police come knocking, David’s world suddenly becomes even more claustrophobic. Starring Michael Sheen, Radha Mitchell and Ty Simpkins.
Beneath the Spaceship (Under Rymdskeppet)
Caroline Ingvarsson, Sweden, 15’ World Premiere
A young girl and her older neighbour share an unusual friendship. Together they are inseparable until the outside world peeks in.
Bird Hearts
Halfdan Olav Ullmann Tøndel, Norway, 25’ North American Premiere
Benjamin and Maya share a life in Oslo. During a late-night dinner party, Maya tells a story about a sexual experience she had in Brazil. As a consequence, Benjamin’s insecurities begin to surface. Bird Hearts is a film about the power of the stories lovers tell. Starring Stine Sørensen, André Sørum and Trine Wiggen.
Blue Spring
Andreea Cristina Bortun, Romania, 15’ World Premiere
A woman confronts the uselessness of words when confronted by the inevitable departure of her much younger lover.
The Boyfriend Game
Alice Englert, Australia, 7’ World Premiere
Twelve-year-old friends Tomika and Edith set out in the bush to play their creation, The Boyfriend Game, only to struggle when the lines between real and pretend become blurred.
Bunny
Megha Ramaswamy, India, 19’ North American Premiere
Bunny is an elegiac look at how fantastical childhood is, and evocative of the heartbreak with which we leave it behind. Wreathed in surrealist imagery, the story is about a little girl and her pet toy Bunny. Starring Syesha Adnani and Faizan Mohammad.
The Call
Zamo Mkhwanazi, South Africa, 11’ Canadian Premiere
This arresting urban drama from Johannesburg’s Zamo Mkhwanazi focuses on a key moment in the relationship between a taxi driver and a prostitute. When Sibongiseni finds out that Purity is pregnant, he begins to question his own place in the world. Starring Fana Mokoena, MoMo Matsunyane, Ronnie Nyakale and Abena Ayivor.
Concerning the Bodyguard
Kasra Farahani, USA, 10’ World Premiere
An anonymous henchman fulfils his role in a rigid hierarchy of power and control in this adaptation of a razor-sharp satire written by Donald Barthelme; and recited with great relish by Salman Rushdie.
Deszcz (Rain)
Malina Maria Mackiewicz, Australia, 5’ World Premiere
In the summer of 1983 in Kraków, Poland, prisoners sentenced to death are not informed of the date of their execution. As Jedzrej waits for his lover Magda in the visitation hall of the Montelupich Political Detainment Centre, a sun shower pours down on Kraków. Each visit could be their last. Starring Lech Mackiewicz and Victoria Haralabidou.
Dragstrip
Pacho Velez and Daniel Claridge, USA, 4’ World Premiere
At the Lebanon Valley Dragstrip in New York state, spectators, drivers and mechanics wait for their races.
Dream the Other (Soñar el otro)
Abril Schmucler Iñiguez, Mexico, 16’ International Premiere
Diego is a lonely man with a humdrum life in Mexico City. In his sleep, he dreams of the (far more invigorating) life of a man named Alejandro Valle. As his friend Fabian looks on in disbelief, Diego’s shifting realities begin to take on new forms and new meaning.
El Adiós
Clara Roquet, Spain 15’ Canadian Premiere
Rosana, a Bolivian maid, has worked for Angela, the elder matriarch of the Vidal family for the last 10 years. On the day of the funeral of her beloved Angela, Rosana is not allowed to grieve with the rest of the family. On the contrary: she is forced to work. El Adiós is an intimate story about how emotional bonds supersede social conventions, racial labels or family regimes.
End of Puberty (Kamaszkor vége)
Fanni Szilágyi, Hungary, 13’ International Premiere
On a beautiful summer day, teenage twins meet a boy — he acquaints them with matters of sex, anger and jealousy. This is the end of puberty.
Exit/Entrance or Trasumanar
Federica Foglia, Italy/Canada, 7’ World Premiere
A flow of words and images portrays an artist’s journey through a variety of Italian landscapes and interiors, evoking an eminently modern strain of melancholy: the feeling of belonging to two places and being fully at home in neither. Starring Antonio De Luca.
The Fantastic Love of Beeboy & Flowergirl
Clemens Roth, Germany, 10’ North American Premiere
Peter is being followed by killer bees; Elsa collects exotic flowers from all over the world. To be together, they both have to overcome their fantasies. But what if love itself is nothing but fantasy? Starring Elisa Schlott and Florian Prokop.
A Few Seconds
Nora El Hourch, France, 16’ North American Premiere (pictured in main image above)
Five girls live at a Paris home for wayward teens, each of them branded by a deeply troubling past. Forming an ad hoc communitywithin-a-community, the girls struggle to identify themselves no longer as victims but as something new and hopeful. Starring Marie Tirmont, Charlotte Bartocci, Camille Lellouche, Maly Diallo and Charlotte-Victoire Legrain.
Following Diana (Sendiri Diana Sendiri)
Kamila Andini, Indonesia, 40’ International Premiere
Diana, a 30-year-old housewife, lives with her husband and son at home, across the street from a building construction site. She spends every day with her only child until her husband comes from work in the evening. One night, Diana’s husband presents her with a chart that reveals his shocking plan to share their little family with another woman. Starring Raihaanun, Tanta Ginting and Panji Rafenda Putra.
Hide & Seek
Kimie Tanaka, France/Japan/Singapore, 22’ International Premiere
Shoichi, a Japanese male nurse living in the city, returns home to the countryside after his mother’s sudden death to sort out the situation of his younger brother Kotaro, who’s been a shut-in for over a decade. Shoichi seeks help from social services, only to be disappointed with their bureaucratic treatment. Frustrated, Shoichi makes a radical decision. Starring Masaki Miura, Kuniaki Nakamura and Sachiko Matsuura.
Latchkey Kids (Yaldey Mafteah)
Elad Goldman, Israel, 22’ North American Premiere
Gur and his sister Daniel have a remarkably close relationship after years of caring for each other in their empty house. Although Daniel is looking outside for a chance to grow up and fall in love, Gur feels safer at home and refuses to let their bond come undone. Starring Yoav Rottman, Gaia Shalita Katz, Hillel Cappon and Tamara Friedland.
The Magnetic Nature (El ser magnético)
Mateo Bendesky, Argentina, 17’ North American Premiere
Fifty-five-year-old Aldo and his older brother Pablo live together and take part in a religious practice invented by their father, whose congregation meets mainly online. But for Aldo, the allure of the world outside the garden gates is growing much stronger than “philosophical magnetism.” Starring Claudio Rangnau, Claudio Kustin and Iván Moschner.
Maman(s)
Maïmouna Doucouré, France, 21’ North American Premiere
The family of eight-year-old Aida is thrown into chaos when her father returns from Senegal with young Rama, whom he introduces as his second wife. Aida may not exactly understand the details, but she understands that her mother is in deep distress, and that there seems to be but one way to make things better again. Starring Sokhna Diallo and Maïmouna Gueye.
New Eyes
Hiwot Admasu Getaneh, France/United Kingdom 12’ North American Premiere
A girl who is in the transition of puberty, Selam, encounters something that arouses her sexually for the first time. She becomes restless as the day goes by in her oblivious semi-urban environment.
Nulla Nulla
Dylan River, Australia, 6’ North American Premiere
Fresh out of the academy, White Cop experiences his first taste of aboriginal community life, as Black Cop puts him to the test. Starring Wayne Blair, Khan Chittenden, Pamela Nangala Sampson and Audrey Napanangka Martin.
One Last Night (Laila Acharon)
Kerem Blumberg, Israel, 22’ International Premiere
It’s the last night Noa and Orr have together in Tel Aviv, before Orr leaves for Berlin. Outside a punk gig, when the police arrive and Orr jumps in to help a friend, both she and Noa get arrested. Now Noa will have to make a final decision about their relationship at the police station. Starring Michal Korman and Agam Schuster.
Oslo’s Rose
The Sporadic Film Collective, Norway, 7’ International Premiere
For more than two years, Nader has been head over heels in love with Janne but unable to let her know, making for an untenable situation for both his work and creativity. At last, one night at the bar, it appears Nader may be able to finally speak and free himself from the writer’s block that has plagued him.
Paradise (Het Paradijs)
Laura Vandewynckel, Belgium, 6’ Canadian Premiere
Paradise is the story of people heading for a better place on either side of the ocean. Although at times their paths do cross, they never really seem to meet. Starring Thomas Bellinck, Nico Sturm, Liesje De Backer, Jerom Sturm and Rocky Sturm.
Peacock (Furiant)
Ondrej Hudecek, Czech Republic, 26’ International Premiere
Set in a 19th-century Bohemian village, this twisted queer romance tells a taboo true story about revered Czech writer Ladislav Stroupežnický. Starring Julius Feldmeier and Cyril Dobry.
People Are Becoming Clouds
Marc Katz, USA, 15’ World Premiere
We follow John and Eleanor, a married couple who are faced with a problem: Eleanor keeps turning into a cloud. The couple visits Weather and Relationship Specialist Dr. Corduroy, hoping to resolve unusual situation. He tries to counsel them through the difficulties in their relationship and also get to the bottom of why exactly people are becoming clouds. Starring Libby Woodbridge, David Ross and Sean Cullen.
Peripheria
David Coquard-Dassault, France, 12’ World Premiere
A journey into the heart of a large and abandoned council estate, Peripheria portrays an urban environment becoming wild: a modern Pompeii where the wind blows and dogs roam.
Rate Me
Fyzal Boulifa, United Kingdom, 17’ North American Premiere
A portait of a teenage escort known only as Coco.
The Return of Erkin
Maria Guskova, Russia, 29’ North American Premiere
Erkin gets out of prison and wants to return to his former life, but everything has changed and he does not know if he can live as a free man. Starring Kahramonjon Mamasaliyev.
Semele
Myrsini Aristidou, Cyprus/Greece/USA, 13’ World Premiere
Semele will do anything to spend some time with her long absent father. A school note becomes just the excuse for her to visit him at his workplace, where her presence highlights their fragile relationship.
The Signalman (O Sinaleiro)
Daniel Augusto, Brazil, 15’ World Premiere
A railroad signalman is haunted by a series of otherworldly events in this adaptation of a Charles Dickens short story. Are they truly ghostly manifestations, or the signalman’s psychological response to his isolation and repetitive work?
The Society (Al mujtamaa) Osama Rasheed, Iraq/Germany 13’ World Premiere
Lovers Muhamad and Ahmed live in a society that not only rejects homosexuality but also actively and insistently pressures its young men into marriage and fatherhood. Starring Muhamad Atshan, Ahmad Moneka and Fouad, Yaser.
A Tale of Love, Madness and Death (Un Cuento de Amor, Locura y Muerte)
Mijael Bustos Gutiérrez,
Chile, 22’ North American Premiere
“My uncle is schizophrenic and my grandmother suffers from a terminal illness. My grandfather, who is unable to take care of them both, must decide between his wife and his son.” So begins the remarkable documentary from Mijael Bustos about his family, caught between love and duty.
THAT DOG
Nick Thorburn, USA, 15’ World Premiere
A dark comedy of errors unfolds as two interloping idiots inadvertently wreak havoc on the lives of others. Starring Michael Cera, Tim Heidecker and Andrea Riseborough.
Tuesday (SALI)
Ziya Demirel, Turkey/France, 12’ North American Premiere
An ordinary day for a teenage girl in Istanbul and her encounters with three different men as she goes to school, plays basketball and takes a bus home. Starring Melis Balaban, Zeki Ocak, Yonca Hiç and Can Karaçayli.
Violet
Maurice Joyce, Ireland, 8’ North American Premiere
There are many natural enemies for a self-loathing youth. But for Violet O’Reilly, the worst of them all was an unforgiving rectangle that hung on the wall. Violet is the cautionary tale of a young girl who despises her reflection. Tired of the abuse, Violet’s reflection decides she’s not going to take it anymore.
Waves ’98
Ely Dagher, Lebanon/Qatar, 15’ North American Premiere
In the crumbling tower blocks of post-war Beirut, Omar is restless and isolated, until a luminescent light draws him across the segregated city to a utopian world of enchantment — and he finds himself drifting further away from home.
Wellington Jr.
Cécile Paysant, France, 12’ World Premiere
A tentative young hunter sets out into the wilderness under the tutelage of his seasoned father. But the rite of passage leads to increasingly surreal and grisly developments in this stop-motion animated marvel. Starring Aurélien Gabrielli and Rémy Lacquittant.
Canadian shorts previously announced include Ashley McKenzie’s 4 Quarters, Marie-Ève Juste’s A New Year, Sol Friedman’s Bacon & God’s Wrath, Hector Herrera’s The Ballad of Immortal Joe, Howie Shia’s BAM, Sherren Lee’s Benjamin, Ryan J. Noth’s Beyond The Horizon, Grayson Moore and Aidan Shipley’s Boxing, Connor Jessup’s Boy, Kent Monkman’s Casualties of Modernity, Trevor Mack and Matthew Taylor Blais’ Clouds of Autumn, Cristina Martins’ Dogs Don’t Breed Cats, Phillip Barker’s Dredger, Jean-François Leblanc’s The Guy From Work, Don McKellar’s It’s Not You, Kevin Papatie’s KOKOM, Joël Vaudreuil’s The Magnificent Life Underwater, Barry Avrich’s The Man Who Shot Hollywood, Amanda Strong and Bracken Hanuse Corlett’s Mia’, Caroline Monnet’s Mobilize, Mark Slutsky’s Never Happened, Kathleen Hepburn’s Never Steady, Never Still, Halima Elkhatabi’s NINA, Steven McCarthy’s o negative, Patrice Laliberté’s Overpass, Vivieno Caldinelli’s Portal to Hell!!!, David Bryant and Karl Lemieux’s Quiet Zone, Luiza Cocora’s Remaining Lives, Katherine Monk’s Rock the Box, Zack Russell’s She Stoops To Conquer, Theodore Ushev’s The Sleepwalker, Olivia Boudreau’s The Swimming Lesson, Bahar Noorizadeh Wolkaan, and Chelsea McMullan and Douglas Nayler’s World Famous Gopher Hole Museum.
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The 26th New Orleans Film Festival (NOFF), taking place October 14 to 22, 2015, revealed the 24 feature films selected for competition: eight films in the Narrative Films in Competition category, seven films in the Documentary Films in Competition category and nine films in the Louisiana Features category.
NARRATIVE FEATURES (IN COMPETITION)
“Cover Me” (dir. Garrett Bradley | USA | 2015 | 60 min. | Louisiana Premiere) A young musician grapples with isolation in a changing landscape as it permeates her romantic relationships and artistic career. This film is the result of a remarkable artistic collaboration between director Bradley and avant-garde artist Tameka Norris, who plays the leading role in the picture. (Also in competition as a Louisiana Feature.)
“Cowards Do It Slow” (dir. Sean Loftus & Michael Padraic Scahill | USA | 2015 | 99 min. | World Premiere) A love letter to American films of the 1970s and late-night bar culture, “Cowards Do It Slow” looks into the funny, dark heart of an aspiring country singer, a Kentucky boy trying to take his career to the next level as he drunkenly stumbles through the Chicago nightlife and holds on to the spoils that come with it.
“Driving While Black” (dir. Paul Sapiano | USA | 2015 | 94 min. | Louisiana Premiere) A dark comedy about racial profiling, “Driving While Black” follows Dimitri (played by Dominique Purdy, who also co-wrote the script), who delivers pizzas for a living in Los Angeles. But as a young black man, he is faced with more than his fair share of unnecessary attention from the cops.
“Embers” (dir. Claire Carré | USA, Poland | 2015 | 86 min. | Southern Premiere) After a global neurological epidemic, those who remain search for meaning and connection in a world without memory. Five interwoven stories explore how we might learn, love and communicate in a future that has no past.
“French Dirty” (dir. Wade Allain-Marcus & Jesse Allain-Marcus | USA | 2015 | 72 min. | Southern Premiere)
Against the skyline of Los Angeles, Vincent ruminates on his parents’ failed marriage, his own arrested development and the choice he must make to become a better man.
“It Had To Be You” (dir. Sasha Gordon | USA, Italy | 2015 | 83 min. | Louisiana premiere) Surprised by a sudden proposal and subsequent ultimatum from her boyfriend, Sonia has three days to decide which path her life will take. A whimsical romantic comedy that’s raunchy and yet gentle, “It Had To Be You” explores the choices women face today, while satirizing cultural expectations of gender and romance.
“Jackie Boy” (dir. Cody Campanale | Canada | 2015 | 87 min. | World Premiere) This gritty character drama centers on Jack, a self-destructive womanizer who substitutes his emotional insecurities with drinks, drugs and one-night stands. It’s only when he meets fiery, spirited Jasmine that he decides to change his ways. Little does he know she has something different in mind.
“Jason and Shirley” (dir. Stephen Winter | USA | 2015 | 79 min. | Louisiana Premiere) (pictured in main image above) “Jason and Shirley” imagines what went on behind the scenes during the filming of the landmark 1967 documentary “Portrait of Jason,” as Jason Holliday regales filmmaker Shirley Clarke with stories of racism, homophobia, abuse and prostitution in pre-Stonewall New York City.
DOCUMENTARY FEATURES (IN COMPETITION)
“Deal With It” (dir. Shamira Raphaëla | The Netherlands | 2014 | 58 min. | Southern Premiere) In this intimate family portrait, we enter the chaotic and colorful world of director Shamira Raphaëla’s loved ones: her drug-addicted father, Pempy, and her brother, Andy, who is following in his father’s footsteps. “Deal With It” is a raw and personal film about destructive family patterns and unconditional love.
“Hotel Nueva Isla” (dir. Irene Gutierrez | Spain, Cuba | 2014 | 71 min. | Louisiana Premiere) Despite the building’s imminent collapse, the last inhabitant of a once luxurious hotel in Old Havana refuses to leave: he remains convinced that treasures—hidden by the hotel’s original owners—lie waiting within its walls. The film is a meditation on a country that exists in a state of permanent resistance.
“Missing People” (dir. David Shapiro | USA | 2015 | 81 min. | Louisiana Premiere) This tense, nonfiction mystery unfurls around Martina Batan, the director of a prominent New York City gallery who investigates her brother’s long unsolved murder, while obsessively collecting and researching the violent work and life of Roy Ferdinand, a self-taught artist from New Orleans.
“Portrait of a Lone Farmer” (dir. Jide Tom Akinleminu | Germany, Nigeria, Denmark | 2013 | 76 min. | Louisiana Premiere) When filmmaker Jide Tom Akinleminu returns to his father’s chicken farm in Nigeria, his initial intention is to create a film about his parents’ marriage. But life, as is often the case, has other plans.
“Scrum” (dir. Poppy Stockell | Australia | 2015 | 54 min. | Southern Premiere) In the lead up to the 2014 Bingham Cup, the lives of a self-assured Canadian jock, a chubby Irish backpacker and a stoic Japanese outsider change when they vie for a position on the Sydney Convicts, the world’s premiere, gay rugby team.
“The Seventh Fire” (dir. Jack Pettibone Riccobono | USA | 2015 | 78 min. | Louisiana Premiere)
Terrence Malick presents this haunting and visually arresting nonfiction film about the gang crisis on Indian reservations, through the stories of a Native American gang leader recently sentenced to prison for a fifth time, and his 17-year-old protege.
“Touch the Light (Tocando La Luz)” (dir. Jennifer Redfearn | Cuba, USA | 2015 | 72 min. | Southern Premiere) In this intimate, character-driven film from Oscar-nominated filmmaker Jennifer Redfearn, three blind women from Havana, confront their heartbreaks and hopes, and navigate their profound desire for independence.
LOUISIANA FEATURES (IN COMPETITION)
“Consequence” (dir. Jonathan Nguyen & Ashley George | USA | 2015 | 81 min. | World Premiere) The lives of three college coeds are shaken after a weekend camping trip results in the accidental death of a fellow student. Instead of reporting the accident, they decide to conceal the student’s death, a decision that seems logical at first, but slowly begins to eat away at their friendship—and their sanity.
“Delta Justice: The Islenos Trappers War” (dir. David DuBos | USA | 2015 | 48 min. | World Premiere) “Delta Justice” gives a true account of St. Bernard Parish’s violent fight over land rights in the mid-1920s. The film sheds new light on an important, yet little-known part of Louisiana’s history.
“Dog Man” (dir. Richie Adams | USA | 2015 | 57 min. | World Premiere) “Dog Man” recounts the life story of world-renowned trainer Dick Russell, who worked with an estimated 30,000 dogs through his basic obedience class in South Louisiana and introduced the pivotal training technique of Large Field Socialization to North America.
“Forgive and Forget” (dir. Aaron Abdin | USA | 2015 | 101 min. | World Premiere) Brian believes that he has a loving wife, brothers and grandmother but, after a tragic accident claims the life of one of his brothers, the entire family collapses into a mass of secrets, lies and emotional turmoil. Brian is led down a road of discovery, which forces him to choose between holding onto the past or striding towards the future.
“The King of New Orleans” (dir. Allen Frederic | USA | 2015 | 83 min. | Louisiana Premiere) In pre-Katrina New Orleans, Larry Shirt is an aging taxi driver whose fares include the city’s hustlers, tourists, socialites, musicians, housekeepers, weirdos and reporters, as well as an aimless student, with whom he shares a special bond.
“Love Me True” (dir. Kirby Voss | USA | 2015 | 85 min. | World Premiere) A debilitating fetish for blond-haired women constantly thwarts any chance that Eric has for happiness, until a hairless man named Stanley enters his apartment and claims to be the reincarnation of Russian novelist Fyodor Dostoevsky.
“The Mourning Hills” (dir. R. Todd Campbell | USA | 2014 | 81 min. | New Orleans Premiere) Mattie and Kate are sisters. They’re also orphans. Their mother died in a tragic accident, while their father took his own life in the beautiful and terrifying wilderness known as “The Mourning Hills.” When Mattie convinces Kate to run away with her, they decide to head for the very place where their father made them orphans.
“The Phantasmagorical Clarence John Laughlin” (dir. Gene Fredericks | USA | 2015 | 88 min. | North American Premiere) This documentary explores the enigmatic life of New Orleans native Clarence John Laughlin, considered the father of American Surrealist photography and often described as “Edgar Allan Poe with a camera.” The film includes the only known video footage of this unique individual, taken in 1977.
“Yazoo Revisited: Integration and Segregation in a Deep Southern Town” (dir. David Rae Morris | USA | 2015 | 84 min. | Louisiana Premiere)
This film examines the history of race relations and the 1970 integration of the public schools in Yazoo City, Mississippi. Featuring interviews with local citizens of many ages and backgrounds, “Yazoo Revisited” paints a fascinating picture of the triumphs and failures of the Civil Rights Era.
CMT will air the original documentary, Johnny Cash: American Rebel that celebrates the life and artistry of the late Man in Black as captured through the unique perspective of his greatest songs. The film combines original interviews with his family and friends featuring John Carter Cash,Rosanne Cash, Carlene Carter, Eric Church, Sheryl Crow, Rodney Crowell, Clive Davis, Merle Haggard,Kris Kristofferson, John Mellencamp, Kid Rock, Rick Rubin,Willie Nelson and more. For the first time, Cash’s children, John Carter Cash and Rosanne Cash, along with June Carter’s daughter Carlene Carter, will appear together in a film about Johnny Cash. “
EMBRACE OF THE SERPENT (El abrazo de la serpiente) by Colombian director Ciro Guerra, and winner of the Art Cinema award in Directors’ Fortnight section of the 2015 Cannes Film Festival 
The 7th Milwaukee Film Festival, announced Film Feast for a second year. This program presents a diverse lineup comprised of films that explore and celebrate the culture of food and drink.
A series of seven documentaries span the continents: from an exploration of Danish bio-dynamic farming in Good Things Await to a WISCONSIN’S OWN program featuring local stories in Old Fashioned: The Story of the Wisconsin Supper Club and Tale of the Spotted Cow to the whirlwind tour that is Foodies, in which five established taste-makers travel the globe to critique the world’s most acclaimed restaurants.
“I’m extremely excited about the wide array of films we’re presenting in this year’s Film Feast program,” explains Megan Benedict, Executive & Programming Coordinator. “One highlight for me is King Georges, which tells the story of world-renowned chef Georges Perrier who struggles to hand over one of the country’s finest French restaurants, Le Bec-Fin, to Top Chef’s Nicholas Elmi. Hold on to your spatula!”
Following last year’s A Year in Burgundy, influential wine-importer-turned-filmmaker Martine Saunier returns to the festival with the documentary A Year in Champagne. Born from her travels and love for the French wine making region, Saunier takes viewers to France’s Champagne region in this beautifully shot exploration of all things sparkling. Yet, to watch and not drink would be a sin and so Milwaukee Film is hosting a Champagne Tasting event in conjunction with the Lowlands Group and Kyle Cherek, host of Wisconsin Foodie.
2015 MILWAUKEE FILM FESTIVAL
FILM FEAST
COAST-TO-COAST CUISINE
Off the Menu: Asian America
(USA / 2015 / Director: Grace Lee)
Festival alum Grace Lee (American Revolutionary: The Evolution of Grace Lee Boggs, MFF 2013) provides a road trip through our nation of immigrants, examining the intersection of faith, family, tradition, and great food from Houston to Oahu to Milwaukee (Lee filmed portions of this while attending our festival previously!).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hopCbfaAi0
The Sturgeon Queens
(USA / 2014 / Director: Julie Cohen)
One hundred years, four generations, and an incalculable amount of smoked fish are chronicled in this history of New York’s famed Jewish lox and herring emporium Russ & Daughters, topped with testimonials from customers Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Maggie Gyllenhaal.
https://vimeo.com/81294910
Foodies
(Sweden / 2014 / Directors: Thomas Jackson, Charlotte Landelius, Henrik Stockare)
You may claim to love food, but the five influential food bloggers at the heart of this documentary give new meaning to the term “foodie.” We follow these diverse tastemakers (among them a former European fashion model and a former U.S. oil company commander) on their globetrotting journey to the world’s most exclusive restaurants. With the Michelin Guide as their North Star, they encounter unique, mouthwatering concoctions that they can make or break with the click of a mouse. No dry aperitif, this is a full-on cinematic banquet, filled with wry humor and cutting observations — the year’s most delicious movie experience.
https://vimeo.com/92708700
Good Things Await (Så meget godt i vente)
(Denmark / 2014 / Director: Phie Ambo)
Married octogenarian couple Niels Stockholm and Rita Hansen are pioneers in the world of biodynamic farming, a holistic method that treats every aspect of the farmland (from the tiniest shrub to prized red cattle) as ecologically connected and worthy of the utmost respect — an ethos that has led to them supplying their home country of Denmark’s most prestigious restaurants. However, their farming style is threatened by a Danish government more concerned with persnickety EU regulations. An absorbing documentary combining poetic philosophizing with lush cinematography (think Babe meets Terrence Malick), this film shows the difficulties in maintaining a moral, ethical business in our modern age of farming.
https://vimeo.com/103508293
Just Eat It: A Food Waste Story
(Canada, United Kingdom, USA / 2014 / Director: Grant Baldwin)
Between foodie blogs, TV cooking competitions and myriad culinary magazines, it’s clear that we love food. So why are we throwing away 50% of it? Documentary filmmaking couple Jen and Grant are horrified by this food waste and quit grocery shopping cold turkey, pledging to live only off of food that is thrown away. A deep dive into our nation’s dumpsters, Just Eat It is a shocking exposé of our food industry — from farm to retail and all the way to the back of our fridge — and its systematic obsession with expiration dates and the aesthetics of perfect produce.
https://vimeo.com/88023628
King Georges
(USA / 2015 / Director: Erika Frankel) (pictured above in main image)
With Le Bec-Fin, one of the country’s finest French restaurants, set to be sold, documentary filmmaker Erika Frankel seeks out its iconic proprietor, Georges Perrier, to film a fitting tribute to this landmark Philadelphia eatery, only to get far more than she bargained for. Perrier withdraws the sale and seeks to reinvigorate Le Bec-Fin, bringing aboard Chef Nicholas Elmi (of “Top Chef” fame) as his successor, only to find letting go far more of a struggle than he anticipated. Archival footage and interviews with world-renowned chefs make this feast for the eyes a portrait that also touches the heart.
Love and Lemons (Små citroner gula)
(Sweden, Norway / 2013 / Director: Teresa Fabik)
Cheated on by her rock-star boyfriend and fired from her job all in one day, Agnes looks to pick up the pieces by putting everything she has (parents’ life savings included) into becoming part owner in a new restaurant. A disastrous start to this entrepreneurial exercise makes it all the more important for Agnes to put her knowledge that her neighbor David is actually the famed food critic Lola to the test, by taking him on a date to what is, unbeknownst to him, her restaurant. A winning romantic comedy that proves a recipe for disaster can turn out to be something quite sweet.
WISCONSIN’S OWN
Old Fashioned: The Story of the Wisconsin Supper Club
(USA / 2015 / Director: Holly L. De Ruyter)
A local dining tradition that has managed to persevere, the supper club is a unique experience that places the emphasis on family and hospitality, and this documentary celebrates the wonderful history and tradition behind this uniquely Wisconsin dining experience.
https://vimeo.com/21115804
Tale of the Spotted Cow
(USA / 2015 / Director: Bill Roach)
This is a touching and inspiring documentary about the founders of New Glarus Brewery, creators of Wisconsin’s signature craft beer. Their rags-to-riches tale is a vital story in the rich tapestry that is our state’s hop-filled history.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B-9kKyTODCY
A Year in Champagne
(USA, France / 2014 / Director: David Kennard)
If one is going to celebrate in style, one must do so with champagne, and champagne is only truly champagne when it comes from the region of France that is its namesake. Journey on a rare behind-the-scenes look into the production of the bubbly, from small independent winemakers who still observe classic traditions (turning the bottles by hand in their wine cellars) to the massive businesses that have made champagne into the worldwide brand it is. This is an effervescent portrait of this art form’s past, present and future, with an end product that is as much a fizzy delight as the sparkling wine it documents.
https://vimeo.com/74411492
The Film Society of Lincoln Center announced the complete details for the 53rd New York Film Festival Convergence, which will take place on 
The Academy has voted fifteen students as winners of the 42nd Student Academy Awards competition. The Academy received a record number of entries this year — 1,686 films from 282 domestic and 93 international colleges and universities — which were voted upon by a record number of Academy members. Past Student Academy Award winners have gone on to receive 47 Oscar® nominations and have won or shared eight awards. Previous winners include Pete Docter, John Lasseter, Spike Lee, Trey Parker and Robert Zemeckis.
The winners are (listed alphabetically by film title):
Alternative
“Chiaroscuro,” Daniel Drummond, Chapman University, California
“Zoe,” ChiHyun Lee, The School of Visual Arts, New York
Animation
“An Object at Rest,” Seth Boyden, California Institute of the Arts
“Soar,” Alyce Tzue, Academy of Art University, San Francisco
“Taking the Plunge,” Nicholas Manfredi and Elizabeth Ku-Herrero, The School of Visual Arts
Documentary
“Boxeadora,” Meg Smaker, Stanford University
“I Married My Family’s Killer,” Emily Kassie, Brown University
“Looking at the Stars,” Alexandre Peralta, University of Southern California
Narrative
“Day One,” Henry Hughes, American Film Institute, California
“Stealth,” Bennett Lasseter, American Film Institute
“This Way Up,” Jeremy Cloe, American Film Institute
Foreign Film
“Everything Will Be Okay…,” Patrick Vollrath, Filmakademie Wien, Austria
“Fidelity,” Ilker Catak, Hamburg Media School, Germany
“The Last Will,” Dustin Loose, Filmakademie Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany
Students will arrive in Los Angeles for a week of industry activities that will culminate in the awards ceremony on
Mexican director Arturo Ripstein will be honored at the upcoming 
The Film Society of Lincoln Center announced the complete NYFF Shorts Programs and filmmaker talks for the 
The Montreal World Film Festival has added the world premiere of The Girl King, directed by Mika Kaurismäki to its official competition. “I was seduced by Michel-Marc Bouchard’s script,” says producer Arnie Gelbart. “It’s an unusual story of an extraordinary woman. The characters are very contemporary, young, ambitious and full of passion, torn between duty and desire, and it’s all been brought to the screen by a great director.” The international cast features Swedish stars Malin Buska and Michael Nyqvist, Canadians Sarah Gadon and Lucas Bryant, Finnish actress Laura Birn, French actor Hippolyte Girardot, veteran Belgian actor Patrick Bauchau and German actors Peter Lohmayer and Martina Gedeck. The Quebecer François Arnaud is also part of the cast and Guy Dufaux was the director of photography. The English version of the script has been written by awarded Linda Gaboriau.
The Girl King was scripted by Quebec playwright Michel-Marc Bouchard who had great success in 2012 with his play on the life of Queen Christina of Sweden when it was staged in Montreal TNM and later at the Stratford Festival.
It’s the 1600s and Queen Christina is set on making Sweden the most sophisticated country in Europe. Having been raised as a prince under strict Lutheran control, the enigmatic, flamboyant, and unpredictable queen faces powerful resistance in her quest to educate her subjects and end the bloody Thirty Years War between the Protestants and Catholics. Amidst all this, Christina struggles to come to terms with an irresistible passion for her lady in waiting, the stunning Countess Ebba Sparre. Her quest to understand love runs parallel with her quest to understand humanity and the violent and restrictive forces conspiring against her. Torn between the conflict of political and personal aspirations, Christina chooses to make one of the most controversial decisions in history.
Born in Orimattila, Finland in 1955, Mika Kaurismäki studied film in Germany and his first film, his graduation production, THE LIAR (1980), was an overnight sensation; it marked the beginning of the cinema of the Kaurismäki brothers and started a new era in the Finnish cinema. Eventually, Mika established a base and second home in Brazil and concentrated on international co-productions, among them, CONDITION RED (1995), L.A. WITHOUT A MAP (1998), HONEY BABY (2004), BRASILEIRINHO (2005, shown at the MWFF), THREE WISE MEN (2008), BROTHERS (2011) and ROAD NORTH (2012).
The MWFF runs from August 27 to September 7, 2015.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ags39i275ro
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