The selection process for the 12th Forum Expanded is currently being finalised. This year’s theme is “The Stars Down to Earth”.

The search for ways to enable art to deal with an increasingly intangible reality forms an essential similarity between the selected works. Bringing one’s gaze back down to earth now seems more necessary than ever before. Yet how can one use film to take hold of something real when that very concept is ever harder to grasp?

The films and installations in the programme approach this question by attempting to both look and listen as closely as possible. In the video installation Twelve, for example, Jeamin Cha examines the pragmatic process underpinning the annual secret wage negotiations held between Korean employer and employee associations. Berlin artist Sandra Schäfer’s video installation Constructed Futures: Haret Hreik investigates city planning and redevelopment in Beirut and the political and religious ideologies they contain.

In her film Studies on the Ecology of Drama, Eija-Liisa Ahtila explores ways of finding film images that move beyond cinematographic anthropocentrism by shifting her gaze away from people and onto their environment.

The Karrabing Film Collective from Australia, whose work Wutharr, Saltwater Dreams is being presented in the group exhibition, shows three different variants of one and the same story, demonstrating how different approaches to a problem don’t just bring forth contradictory solutions but also mutually complimentary ones.

For his part, Joe Namy does away with pictorial representation almost entirely. His installation Purple, Bodies in Translation - Part II of “A Yellow Memory from the Yellow Age” merely shows a purple-colour surface, while the soundtrack explores the question of which details are lost in translation and what additional elements and contradictions are created by the differences between subtitles and image.

The central event location is once again the Akademie der Künste at Hanseatenweg. A group exhibition of works by 14 artists takes place here together with screenings of numerous films. The artists already invited include Haig Aivazian, James Benning, Duncan Campbell, Anja Dornieden and Juan Gonzales, Noam Enbar, Mohamed A. Gawad and Lina Attalah, Eva Heldmann, Laura Horelli, Oliver Hussain, Ken Jacobs, Mahmoud Lotfy, Bernd Lützeler, Peter Miller, Rawane Nassif, Tomonari Nishikawa, Marouan Omara and Islam Kamal, Lukasz Ronduda, Ginan Seidl, Philip Scheffner, Merle Kröger and Izadora Nistor, Fern Silva, and Mohanad Yaqubi.

Forum Expanded will also be presenting different film archives and archive projects as part of a symposium to be held at the Kuppelhalle at the silent green Kulturquartier in Wedding, including ones from Nigeria, Indonesia, and the Palestinian Territories. SAVVY Contemporary are presenting an installation by Israeli filmmaker and artist Amos Gitai in their own exhibition space at the same location.

The Marshall McLuhan Salon at the Embassy of Canada at Leipziger Platz and the Arsenal Cinema at the Filmhaus at Potsdamer Platz form the other festival locations once again.

The full list of participating artists will be announced in the next press release in mid-January.

The works for this edition of Forum Expanded were selected by Stefanie Schulte Strathaus (head curator), Anselm Franke (Haus der Kulturen der Welt), Nanna Heidenreich (ifs internationale filmschule köln), Khaled Abdulwahed (filmmaker and artist) and Ulrich Ziemons (Arsenal – Institute for Film and Video Art), with Bettina Steinbrügge (Hamburger Kunstverein) acting as a consultant.

Selection Process for Feature Film Programme at Halfway Mark

In the two competitions Kplus and 14plus, 15 feature films have already been selected for the 40th edition of Generation. Exhibiting an impressive range of cinematic approaches, these productions tell the stories of young people on inner and outer journeys and capture a sense of longing for new and altered horizons. The complete programme for Generation will be made public in mid-January.

Opening Film 14plus

Michael Winterbottom is slated to open the programme of Generation 14plus in the newly renovated Haus der Kulturen der Welt with a special screening of his vibrant music documentary On the Road. Shot in the characteristic hybrid style that has become the English director’s trademark, his newest outing follows the members of the band Wolf Alice on tour as they travel back and forth across their native Great Britain, where they have caused quite a stir in recent years. The film intimately portrays life on the road, in all its ecstasy and exhaustion. The connection between the musicians and their fans is palpable and there is a fine interplay between watching and listening amongst concert and film audiences.

Generation14plus

Almost Heaven

United Kingdom

By Carol Salter

World premiere

Far from home, 17-year-old Ying Ling practices for her examination to become a mortician at one of China’s largest funeral homes. In addition to frequent qualms and farewell ceremonies, the everyday routine of this unusual occupation also serves up both humorous and life affirming moments. Carol Salter’s debut outing is an empathetic documentary portrait touching on fears, friendship and coming of age amidst ghosts and the dearly departed.

Butterfly Kisses

United Kingdom

By Rafael Kapelinski

World premiere

Jake and his friends pass their time hanging out in the courtyards of their high-rise development or in pool halls, talking about girls, watching pornos and getting drunk. Jake is burdened by a dark secret that distances him more and more from the others and drives him into dangerous isolation. Rafael Kapelinski stages his debut film in contrasting black and white, moving in respectful proximity to his characters, brought to life vividly here by an ensemble cast of new discoveries and young talents (including Thomas Turgoose - This Is England, Generation 2007).

Ceux qui font les révolutions à moitié n'ont fait que se creuser un tombeau (Those Who Make Revolution Halfway Only Dig Their Own Graves)

Canada

By Mathieu Denis, Simon Lavoie

European premiere

With epic scope and stunning polymorphism, the film follows a group of young people in Québec who resolve to form a revolutionary cell together in the aftermath of student protests. This unflinching work from Mathieu Denis (Corbo, Generation 2015) and Simon Lavoie employs its protagonists to play through what it might mean to instigate a revolution and devote one’s life to a cause in today’s world.

Emo the Musical

Australia

By Neil Triffett

International premiere

The forbidden high school love between Ethan, the shy Emo kid with suicidal tendencies, and chipper Christian activist Trinity previously delighted Generation audiences as a short film in 2014. Director Neil Triffett is back with his heartbreakingly funny musical grotesque, now in feature-film length, and chock full of even more colourful characters to light up the big screen.

Mulher do pai(A Woman and the Father)

Brazil / Uruguay

By Cristiane Oliveira

International premiere

After the death of her grandmother, 16-year-old Nalu is left to care for her father alone. Any hope of leaving her dismal village now seems to have receded far off into the distance. Cristiane Oliveira’s coming-of-age drama, a work of slowly paced cinema characterised by respectful intimacy and subtle physicality, paints the complex portrait of a relationship between an adolescent daughter and her blind father.

My Entire High School Sinking into the Sea

USA

By Dash Shaw

European premiere

He’s not exactly popular, he’s got friend problems, he wants to make it big with the school paper and he goes by the name of his inventor, Dash. In the school basement, he discovers a secret that rocks the very foundations of his world. Graphic novelist Shaw hopes that his film will reach 15-year-old nerds who are just as crazy about drawings and paintings as he himself was at their age. This work of animation virtually spilling over with ingenuity (and featuring the voice-over talents of Jason Schwartzman, Maya Rudolph, Lena Dunham and Susan Sarandon) is sure to delight young viewers outside of this particular demographic as well.

Krolewicz Olch (The Erlprince)

Poland

By Kuba Czekaj

European premiere

The action in The Erlprince builds and surges as dramatically as the ballad by Goethe from which it borrows its title. The boundaries between reality, desire and appearance are blurred in this futuristically tinged film about an extraordinarily gifted young man and his ambitious and wondrous mother. Expressed in a form as unconventional as the characters it portrays, the film oscillates between the poles of both science and nature and love and violence.

Weirdos

Canada

By Bruce McDonald

European premiere

Just after the end of the Vietnam War and in the midst of the American bicentennial celebrations of 1976, runaway Kit and his girlfriend Alice hitchhike their way along the east coast of Canada. Bruce McDonald (The Tracey Fragments, Panorama 2007) has managed to create a coming-of-age film that shines equally as a road movie, one driven by a fantastic soundtrack composed of deep cuts from the era in question. A rebellious trip in black and white, in which all sense of certainty gets left by the wayside.

GenerationKplus

As duas Irenes (Two Irenes)

Brazil

By Fabio Meira

World premiere

In the shimmering heat of Brazil, 13-year-old Irene discovers a dark secret her father’s been hiding: he has another family and even another daughter with the same name. Irene embarks on a risky game that could blow up in her face at any moment. The languid summer atmosphere of Fabio Meira’s feature film debut can’t hide the fact that something is simmering right under the surface.

Die Häschenschule - Jagd nach dem Goldenen Ei (Rabbit School - Guardians of the Golden Egg)

Germany

By Ute von Münchow-Pohl

World premiere

Scrappy city rabbit Max finds shelter in a hidden Easter bunny school after a misadventure with a model plane leaves him stranded far beyond the city limits. Here he encounters the keepers of the legendary Golden Egg, itself the coveted prize of scheming foxes. After an initial bout with boredom, the secret techniques of the Easter bunnies finally arouse Max’s curiosity. This lovingly drawn German animation film, based on the 1924 classic, is a pure delight buoyed by imagination and brisk pacing and graced with the voices of Senta Berger, Friedrich von Thun, Jule Böwe and Noah Levi.

Primero enero (January)

Argentina

By Darío Mascambroni

European premiere

Primero enero is the directorial debut of Argentinian filmmaker Darío Mascambroni. 11-year-old Valentino’s life goes off the rails when his parents get divorced, challenging him to see the world from a different angle. In a tender and moving father-son story, the director takes his protagonists and his viewers out to the countryside, into a world of heightened sensitivity.

Red Dog: True Blue

Australia

By Kriv Stenders

European premiere

Australian director Stenders delighted Generation audiences in 2011 with a legendary story about a very special dog. Now, at the centre of this sequel - which is also a prequel-  the red canine is joined by 11-year-old Mick, who treasures his bond with his four-legged friend above all else. Destiny has brought the duo together on a farm in the Australian outback, where the two partake in mystical adventures and Mick encounters his first true love. With great humour and sensitivity, the film is a tale of growing up in a time of transformation.

Richard the Stork

Germany / Belgium / Luxemburg / Norway

By Toby Genkel, Reza Memari

World premiere

Even though everybody else thinks he’s a sparrow – Richard himself holds tight to the conviction that he is in fact a stork. In this fast-paced adventure, Toby Genkel and Reza Memari tell the story of a bird who sets off self-confidently on a winter trip to Africa in a literal rite of passage that simultaneously serves as an empathetic tale about otherness and self-discovery. This German-international co-production provides spellbinding entertainment with its fantastic and fanciful fable showcasing top-shelf animation.

Tesoros

Mexico

By María Novaro

World premiere

Siblings Dylan and Andrea set off with their new friends on a marvellous journey of discovery in search of long lost pirate loot. In refreshingly sunny images, María Novaro gets up close to her characters to tell a story of children confidently indulging their lust for life and curiosity. In a commune on Mexico’s Pacific coast, they are given space to go their own ways and together find something much more valuable than buried treasure.

Shi Tou (Stonehead)

People’s Republic of China

By Xiang Zhao

World premiere

10-year-old Shi Tou, the son of a migrant labourer, grows up alone with his grandmother. It’s so hard to tell right from wrong! Sharing a reward with a classmate or waiting until his father returns, obeying his teacher of protecting his friend – which one should he choose? With documental authenticity, Xiang Zhao paints a portrait of life in rural China and a society in which an entire generation has too often been left to grow up in the absence of their parents.

From February 8 to 16 the German Film Critics Association will present the third edition of the ‘Berlin Critics’ Week’. The annual film and debate series will be launched with a conference on the political dimensions of contemporary cinema and the question, whether its political messages seem to prevail over artistic forms. Amongst others, we will welcome Greek director and producer Athina Rachel Tsangari (“Attenberg”, “Chevalier”), film critic Joachim Lepastier (Cahiers du Cinéma), philosopher Alexander Garcìa Düttmann and Carlos Gerstenhauer, chief producer for cinema and first features at Bayerischer Rundfunk.

After the considerable attention our first conference on the state of German cinema drew in February 2016 an opening conference will become a recurring part of the Berlin Critics’ Week.

Lost in Politics

Do films have to be political?

Or: On contemporary cinema, how it risks being taken over by content and why it is afraid of art

Films defending the weak and presenting moral heroes are ubiquitous. Maybe today there is a real demand for this kind of filmmaking, as it is being celebrated and awarded with countless prizes. Take for example Jacques Audiard’s dramatic refugee thriller “Dheepan”, that won Cannes in 2015, the essay film on Lampedusa, Gianfranco Rosi’s “Fuocoammare”, that triumphed in Berlin 2016 or this year‘s Golden Palm winner in Cannes, Ken Loach’s “I, Daniel Blake”, about a carpenter marginalized by the welfare bureaucracy.

Among the films with a political message we find boring and exciting, outstanding and exasperating ones. Yet all of them have one thing in common: they are being marketed as relevant and important. That also poses a challenge to film critics who far too often take up the political argument handed to them by the film and its defenders instead of actually talking about cinema: the political headline takes the place of aesthetic discourse.

On the eve of the film event that is routinely referred to as the most political of the big festivals, we will inquire the value of the political in cinema and ask how it is possible to make films politically instead of turning cinema into politics.

How seriously do films and their creators take their political engagement? Is a film only important if its topic is political? Or is that only a condition for it to be financed in the first place in a system of subsidies awarded by committees? And especially: what effect does it have on the art of filmmaking if cinema defines itself by thematic content? What does that mean for its most elementary means of expression: the artistic form?

Berlin Critics’ Week

The opening conference will be followed by the third Berlin Critics’ Week, a selection of seven screenings and debates. Contemporary films presented at Hackesche Höfe cinema will spark interdisciplinary discussions on cultural politics and aesthetics. Amongst the guests of the past editions were Richard Brody, film critic for the “New Yorker”, artist Heba Amin, festival directors Charles Tesson (Semaine de la Critique) and Hans Hurch (Viennale), producer Paulo Branco, filmmakers Philippe Grandrieux and Denis Côté, as well as actress Ariane Labed.

The Berlin Critics’ Week is organized by the German Film Critics Association.

FINAL LINE -UP OF THE 

37^Th OPORTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL - FANTASPORTO 2017

Opening Film: The Age of Shadows- Jee-woon Kim- 140’- Coreia do Sul 

Closing Film: Through the Shadow - Walter Lima Jr  (Brasil), 1h 43' 44''-  Bras 

Official Sections

FANTASY FILMS IN COMPETITION  FEATURES

Neil Stryker and the Tyrant of Time- Rob Taylor- 93’ – EUA – International Opening

OMG I’m a Robot- Tai Goldberg, Gal Zelezniak - 90’- Israel 

Realive- Mateo Gil- 103’ – Esp/Fra

El Ataud Blanco (White Coffin) – Daniel de la Vega- 75’ - Argentina

Division 19 – S.A. Halewood- 90’ – UK/ USA - World Opening

The Darkest Dawn- Drew Casson- 78’- UK 

Saving Sally – Avid Liongoren- 95’ - Fra/Filipin – International Opening

Loop – Isti Madarász- 92’ – Hung 

Paranormal Drive – Oleg Assadulin -86’ -  Russia

The White King – Alex Helfrecht, Jorg Tittle- 90’- UK/Hung/Alem/Sue  

Incarnation – Filip Kovacevic-  82’ – Sérvia/Macedónia  

The Evil Within– Andrew Getty- 99’- EU- World Opening 

The Wailing- Na Hong Jin-  156’- Coreia- 

Tuos- Roderick Cabrido – 97’- Filipinas- International Opening

Night of a 1000 Hours- Virgil Widrig – 93’ – Austria/ Lux /Hol 

A Dark Song- Liam Gavin- 99’ – Irl/UK

Rewind – Pedro Joaquim- 79’ – Suiça – World Opening

A Repartição do Tempo/Punch the Clock- Santiago Dellape- 101’- Bras- International Opening

El Muerto Cuenta su Historia- Fabián Forte – 85’ Argentina – World Opening

A Ilha dos Cães- Jorge António – Port/ Angola/São Tomé- World Opening

Caught- Jaimie Patterson – 86’ – UK - World Opening

FANTASY FILMS IN COMPETITION  SHORTS

Lunatique- Gabriel Kalim Mucci- 15’ – Bras

Unhappy Endings- Steve Benson, Wayne Benson- 13’ – UK

 La Voce- David Uloth- 14’ - Canadá 

A Father’s Day – Mat Johns- 9’53- UK

Cenizo- Jon Mikel Caballero- 9’59’’ - Esp

Hada- Tony Morales- 8’ 56’’ – Esp

Journal Animé-  Donato Sansone-4’ 11’ – Fra- 

Time Rodent – Ondrej Svadlena- 15’09- Fra 

Les Animaux Domestiques – Jean Lecointre- 22’06 – Fra  

Jules D. - Norma Vila – 14’ Esp

Roller Monster - Manu Gomez - 12`

Drip Drop- Jonna Nilson- 7’ 25’’- Suécia

Zona-84 – Lonan Garcia- 15’31- Esp

Garden Party -  Théophile Dufresne, Florian Babikian, Gabriel Grapperon, Lucas Navarro, Vincent Bayoux, Victor Claire – 7’25- Fra 

You’re Gonna Die Tonight – Sergio Morcillo- 14’55’ – Esp

Asphalt – Sanghak Lee- 10’55’’ - Coreia- 2016

27^TH DIRECTOR´S WEEK OFICIAL COMPETITION

Pamilya Ordinaryo – Eduardo W. Roy jr-  1h 47’ 18 – Filipinas – Fern Lapuz  

Love is Thicker than Water-  Emily Harris, Ate de Jong - 1h 45' 12'' -  2016- UK  

Sins of the Flesh – Khaled el Agar- 125’- Egipto

Lines- Vassilis Mazomenos- 85’ – Grécia- World Opening

El Ganzo- Steve Balderson- 89’ – EUA

A Floresta das Almas Perdidas- José Pedro Lopes- 71’ – Port- World Opening

The Net – Kim Ki Duk- 114’- Coreia do Sul 

The Age of Shadows- Jee-woon Kim- 140’- Coreia do Sul

Citizen- Roland Vranik- 117’- Hun

Comboio de Sal e Açucar – Licinio Azevedo – 93’ – Port/ Moçambique/ Africa do Sul/ Fra/ Br 

OFFICIAL SECTION ORIENT EXPRESS COMPETITION

Seoul Station- Yeon Sangho- 92’ – Coreia do Sul 

Saving Sally – Avid Liongoren- 95’ - Fra/Filipin – 

The Wailing- Na Hong Jin-  156’- Coreia  

Tuos- Roderick Cabrido – 97’- Filipinas- 

Pamilya Ordinaryo – 1h 47’ 18 – Filipinas

The Net – Kim Ki Duk- 114’- Coreia do Sul  

Dearest Sister – Mattie Do – 100’ -Laos  

The Age of Shadows- Jee-woon Kim- 140’- Coreia do Sul 

OFICIAL SECTION OUT OF COMPETITION

Bloodlands- Steven Kastrissios- 82’ – Australia /Albânia

The High Frontier- Wojciech Kasperski- 93’- Polónia 

Night of the Living Deb- Kyle Rankin – 1h 24’’ 36’’ – EUA

Lost Solace -  Chris Scheuerman - 106´- EUA - 106' 

The Rift – Deran Zecevic- 91’- Sérvia  

Though the Shadow -  Walter Lima Jr - 1h 43' 44''-  Bras-                

Land of the Good Children – Olga Kaptur Tomenko- 79’ – Russia 

Seoul Station- Yeon Sangho- 92’ – Coreia do Sul 

Peelers- Sevé Schelenz- 96’- Can-  

Enclosure - Patrick Rea- 94’ – EUA- 2016 

Attack of the Leatherhosen Zombies- Dominik Hartl- 78’-  Austria 

Heart of Stone (Das Kalte Herz)- Johannes Naber- 121’ – Ale  

Don’t Hang Up – Alexis Wajsbrot, Damien Macé- 83’ UK- 2015

Night of a 1000 Hours- Virgil Widrig – 93’ – Austria/ Lux /Hol 

O Segredo das Pedras Vivas - António de Macedo – 122’ – Port

Land of Light- David Ruf – 68’ – Síria/Turquia/ Ale

Dearest Sister – Mattie Do – 100’ -Laos- 2016 

6º PRÉMIOS CINEMA PORTUGUÊS 2017

Competição

PRÉMIO CINEMA PORTUGUÊS- MELHOR FILME

(ANTESTREIAS MUNDIAIS ABSOLUTAS)

Curtas-metragens

5 Cortes – Rodolfo Herrero, Luís Pedreira- 4’54’’ – Port /Esp (sotaodehistorias@gmail.com)

Encontro a Quatro- Tiago Pimentel – 22’ – Port (tiagovox@gmail.com) (tiago.pimentel@hotmail.com)

 Running Man- Pedro Senna Nunes- 4’ 55’ – Port- pedrosennanunes.educação@gmail.com

Senhor X- Jean Calcagno – 6’ 34’’ – Port- stephane.oliveira@gmail.com

 (Des)fragmentação – Luís Miranda – 3’34’’ – Port - mirandafilmes@gmail.com

Pedra- Gonçalo Robalo- 7’ 06’’- Port- goncalorobalo@yahoo.com

Meta-Semioptika- Luís Lopes- 12’. Port - freshstyler@gmail.com

Intrinsecus- Paulo Zumach – 14’ 55’’ – Port - isabelmlpina@gmail.com

Your Turn- David Rebordão- 11’ – Port- filmografo@filmografo.pt

Um Refúgio Azul- João Lourenço- 23’46’ – Port- laurabarbosaproducões@gmail.com

PRÉMIO CINEMA PORTUGUÊS – ESCOLAS DE CINEMA- Competição

Universidade Lusófona de Lisboa

We are Desperate – Joana  Maria Sousa-15’ 08’’ – Port Univ Lusófona (Lisboa)

A Terceira Metade- Virgílio Pinto, Rodrigo Morais- 10’45’’ – Port Univ Lusófona (Lisboa)

Universidade do Minho

Alice- Barbara Araújo, Hugo Antunes, Silvana Valente - 5 ‘ – Por- UM

Vida de Morte- António Magalhães - 7 ‘ – Por- UM

Nha Storia- Inês Carrola, - 12 ‘ – Por- UM

Cigatriz- Afonso Alves - 2 ‘ – Por- UM

Mergulho- Mariana Noronha - 2 ‘ – Por- UM

Universidade Católica do Porto (Escola das Artes)

O Livro de Tudo- Joana Alves – 16’ 12’’ – Port – UCat

Aqui e não lá- Diogo Pereira- Port- 19’– Port – UCat

Estuário – Rui Oliveira- 16’– Port – UCat

UTAD – Universidade de Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro

O Jardim-  Ivo Lebreiro, João Carvalho, Paulo Ferreira, Ricardo Monteiro- 4’- Port UTAD

Mulheres D’Ouro -  Bruno Brito – Docum-  6’ – Port- UTAD

Dreams- Joana Santos, Nitucha de Oliveira, Inês Filipa Bessa- 5’ - Port UTAD

Contrariedades- Francisca Vilela, Carlos Seixas, Iolanda Pinheiro, José Lima- 3’- Port UTAD

A Náusea –Tiago Machado, João Peixoto, David Gonzalez – 5’- Port UTAD

Sou Puta – Inês S. Pinto, Pedro Pimentel, Rafael Neto, Tiago Machado – 4’ - Port UTAD

Montes de Natureza – André C. Macedo, José Costa- Docum- 9’ - Port UTAD

Escola Artística de Soares dos Reis- Porto  

Copo de Cristal- Paulo Nunes- 5’ – ESSR – Port- 2016

Simões- Ana Rita Ribeiro- 7’ – ESSR – Port- 2016

Frère Jacques- Manuel Rodrigues- 5’ – ESSR – Port- 2016

Triuno- Lídia Neta- 6’ – ESSR – Port- 2016

Flight – Leonor Lima- 6’ – ESSR – Port- 2016

HumDrum- João Araújo – 5’ – ESSR – Port- 2016

Eutopia- Guilherme Nogueira- 6’ – ESSR – Port- 2016

Hocus Pocus-  André Amaral- 6’ – ESSR – Port- 2016

EPI/ETIC (Lisboa)

Schlboski- Tomás Andrade e Sousa- 20’18’’ –Por - ETIC

Twisted – Ricardo Calado – 7’ 42’’ - Por – ETIC

O Estado a que Chegámos – Francisco Afonso-22’ 08’’ - Por - ETIC

ESAD - Escola Superior de Arte e Design de Leiria

Submarino – Rui Mendes- 11’50’’- Port – ESAD-LEIRIA

Polis- João Fortunato – 10’ – ESAD-LEIRIA

Nicho – Ana Luisa Braga- 18’– ESAD-LEIRIA

ESMAD (ex-ESMAE- Escola Superior de Música, Artes e Espectáculo- Porto)

Post-Mortem- Belmiro Ribeiro- 14’06’’- Port -  ESMAD

Monte Zuma FM-Joana Lopes-  5’17’’ - Port -  ESMAD

A Instalação do Medo- Ricardo Leite- 14’- Port -  ESMAD

Marvin’s Island- António Vieira, Filipa Burmester, Pedro Oliveira- 6’10’’- Port -  ESMAD

RETROSPECTIVAS

 O SABOR DAS PAMPAS – TERROR ARGENTINO 

Visitante de Invierno (Winter Visitor)- Sergio Esquenazi -95’- Arg - 2008  

Malditos Sean (Cursed Bastards)- Fábian Forte, Demian Rugno- 120’ – Arg- 2011 

Los Innocentes (The Innocents)- Maurício Brunetti – Arg- 2015 

Ressurección- Gonzalo Calzada – 102’  Arg- 2015 

El Ataud Blanco (White Coffin) – Daniel de la Vega- 75’ – 2016  

Necrofobia – Daniel de la Vega- 75’ – Arg- 2014   

Penumbra- Adrian Garcia Bogliano, Ramon Garcia Bogliano- 90’- Arg - 2011

El Muerto Cuenta su Historia-  Fabián Fuerte –85’ Arg  

A FANTÁSTICA TV  GLOBO 

Produção Fantástica da Rede de televisão brasileira

Amor Eterno- 40’ (1º episódio)

Dupla Identidade- 45’ (1º episódio)

Super Max- 30’ (1º episódio)

Super Max -20’ (2º episódio)

Fantas Classics

Classics of Taiwan Wuxia Films

The Swordsman of all Swordsmen -Joseph Kuo – 85’ -1968 - Taiwan

A City Called Dragon - Tu Chun Hsun – 97’ -1969- Taiwan

Iron Mistress – Sung  Tsun-Shou – 89’ - 1969 - Taiwan

The Grand Passion – Yang Shih-Ching - 84’ – 1970 -  Taiwan

The Fly Dragon Mountain - Chen Hung Min  –85’- 1971 – Taiwan

 A Touch of Zen- King Hu- 3’ 20’’- 1971- Taiwan

Dragon Inn- King Hu- 112’- 1967- Taiwan

SESSÃO ESPECIAL 25 anos DROP DEAD FRED

O realizador holandês Ate de Jong  conhecido pelo filme  “Highway To Hell”  exibido no Fantasporto 2016, depois de ser comprado  pela MGM, revive agora o seu maior êxito, e também filme-culto, “ Drop Dead Fred”. 

Drop Dead Fred – Ate de Jong- 103’ - 1991- EUA/UK

SECÇÃO  MINI ME

Neil Stryker and the Tyrant of Time- Rob Taylor- 93’ – EUA  

Saving Sally – Avid Liongoren- 95’ - Fra/Filipin  

Land of the Good Children – Olga Kaptur Tomenko- 79’ – Russia

Seoul Station- Yeon Sangho- 92’ – Coreia do Sul

The 37th edition of FANTASPORTO- OPORTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL IS HELD BETWEEN 24TH FEBRUARY AND 4TH MARCH 2017, at the Rivoli - Municipal Theatre.

So far over 50 countries have already sent their best films (features of all kinds and fantasy shorts). Our audience and guests of arround the world representing the movies or not (in general, more than 200) will attend the screenings for World, European and Portuguese premieres in the competitve sections- Fantasy, Directors Week /Manoel de Oliveira Award, Orient Express and Portuguese Cinema Award.  This year there will be Homages and Retrospectives  from the action films from Taiwan and Fantasy films from Argentina. Programmes from Brasilian TV Globo and very Special Screenings complete the line-up.

Also available access to special hotel prices (on request)  and passes which include an Industry Card (100€), Daily Passes  ( 15€), Weekend Passes (40€) and Full-Festival Passes (100 €).

WELCOME TO FANTASPORTO 2017

WELCOME TO THE WORLD HERITAGE CITY OF OPORTO

Virtual / Augmented Reality Experiences, Installations, Live Performances Lead Programming, Including Works by Chris Milk, Nonny de la Peña

Une bonne année ..!
 

In splendid form for its 28th season, the Alliance Française French Film Festival will return to Palace Nova Eastend Cinemas with a host of thrilling, contemporary movies and documentaries exemplifying the very best of France’s vibrant film industry with a programme that will celebrate both established and emerging talent. 

Screening from 30 March–23 April 2017, this tantalising feast of cinema, proudly presented by the Alliance Française in association with the Embassy of France in Australia, Unifrance Films and the generous patronage of distinguished Principal Sponsor, Renault Australia, promises to captivate audiences by transporting them to an idyllic sojourn with this evocative and most romantic of cultures. 

Brimming with highlights, the 2017 event will present 45 films, unveiling the artistry of renowned directors ranging from Emmanuelle Bercot, Jean-Pierre & Luc Dardenne, Nicole Garcia, Benoît Jacquot and Mia Hansen-Løve, to Philippe Lioret, Martin Provost, Jérôme Salle, Bertrand Tavernier and Roschdy Zem.   

And in the egalitarian spirit of the Festival, it’s great to note that 17 female directors will be represented, along with the feature-debuts of 7 exciting new filmmakers including Guillaume Senez (Keeper), Sacha Wolff (Mercenary) and Stéphanie di Giusto (The Dancer).

As in past years, actors appearing in the 2017 line-up represent France’s finest, such as Daniel Auteuil, Nathalie Baye, Bérénice Béjo, Juliette Binoche, Dany Boon, Vincent Cassel, Marion Cotillard, François Cluzet, Jean-Pierre Darroussin, Catherine Deneuve, Gérard Depardieu, Catherine Frot, Louis Garrel, Sandrine Kiberlain, Mélanie Laurent, Virginie Ledoyen, Noémie Lvovsky, Fabrice Luchini, Benoît Poelvoorde, Léa Seydoux, Emmanuelle Seigner, Omar Sy and Gaspard Ulliel, to mention just a few.  

At the helm of the Festival for the first time, Artistic Director, Philippe Platel, has assembled a brilliant programme encompassing romance, adventure, comedy, historical tales, thrillers and dramas, that will be showcased across 10 aptly named sections, incorporating many Australian première screenings.  

Treats awaiting audiences include It’s Only the End of the World (Juste la fin du monde), which garnered director Xavier Dolan the Grand Prize of the Jury at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival; the multi-award winning Things to Come (L’avenir) starring Isabelle Huppert; the deliciously comedic Slack Bay (Ma Loute); Planetarium, from writer/director Rebecca Zlotowski in which Natalie Portman and Lily-Rose Depp portray sisters surviving as mediums in 1930s Paris; The Odyssey (L’Odyssée), starring Lambert Wilson and Audrey Tautou as famed oceanic adventurers Jacques-Yves and Simone Cousteau; director Anne Fontaine’s haunting 1940s drama The Innocents (Les innocentes) and The Dancer (La Danseuse), the story of Loïe Fuller, the toast of the Folies Bergères and embodiment of the Art Nouveau movement. 

http://www.affrenchfilmfestival.org

Berlinale Talents welcomes 250 emerging professionals from 71 countries to its 15^th edition. Exploring the theme “Courage: Against All Odds”, the Talents will participate in a six-day programme featuring over 100 events, with many open to the public. Environmental sculptor Christo is going to join Berlinale Talents. The acclaimed artist will be one of around 100 internationally renowned experts presenting and discussing their work. Berlinale Talents will again take place in the theatres of HAU Hebbel am Ufer from February 11 to 16, 2017.

Festival Director Dieter Kosslick comments on the upcoming anniversary edition: “Since 2003 we have welcomed 5,128 young Talents to Berlin, with over 100 returning to the festival or the film market each year. This extended network symbolises cultural exchange across all borders, keeps the festival cutting-edge and is living proof that talent development always pays off.”

An international selection committee chose the 250 Talents out of 2,711 applicants from 127 nations based on their prior achievements and the impact and relevance of their artistic work in their home countries. The 2017 Talents hail from the fields of directing (106), producing (49), acting (15), screenwriting (5), cinematography (17), editing (14), production design (13), film criticism (8), sales and distribution (10), score composing (6) and sound design (8). Out of these, 40 participants with projects in development have been selected for Project Labs in the categories documentary, fiction and short film. The Talents are usually five to ten years into their careers and have extensive professional expertise, considerable festival exposure and, often times, award-winning films under their belts.

ARRI New Co-Partner of Berlinale Talents

In order to further boost its talent development, Berlinale Talents is delighted to welcome ARRI as a co-partner in 2017. Boasting a long tradition, the company is a global leader in the development, manufacturing and marketing of camera and lighting systems for the film industry, and is also active as an integrated media service provider in postproduction and in the rental of camera, lighting and stage equipment. ARRI will support the 2017 Berlinale Talents programme with several events focusing on technical innovation in image and light design as well as digital postproduction. These include, among others, a workshop with leading experts at the “Camera Studio” and a case study on a large TV drama series production.

“ARRI and Berlinale Talents share core values such as a pioneering spirit, a dedication to perfecting their craft and a passion for artistic work. It is an honour for us to have gained a strong and visionary partner such as ARRI, especially on its 100th company anniversary,” Berlinale Talents Project Manager Christine Tröstrum comments.

Dr. Jörg Pohlman, Managing Director of ARRI AG, adds: “Berlinale Talents is where success stories are created and future trends are forged. It’s important to us to actively support this major platform for talent development and to help shape the programme. We very much look forward to the ideas and contributions of the international Talents and wish all participants a successful Berlinale Talents 2017.”

More Information: The 250 Talents | The 40 Accepted Film Projects

Berlinale Talents: www.berlinale-talents.de 

CINEMA MADE IN ITALY: 1 – 5 MARCH 2017

This seventh edition of the festival brings a brand new array of cinematic delights to the South Kensington cinema, with an alluring line-up of recent Italian productions, plus Q&A sessions with the film-makers. The five day annual event is organised by Istituto Luce - Cinecittà’s promotional department in Rome (Filmitalia), with the support of the Italian Cultural Institute in London, the official agency for the promotion of Italian language and culture in England and Wales.  For further details on their activities, please visit: www.filmitalia.org / www.icilondon.esteri.it.

This year’s programme comprises the following nine feature films:

7 MINUTES (7 Minuti), directed by Michele Placido – Opening Night

THE CONFESSIONS (Le Confessioni), directed by Roberto Andò       

EARS (Orecchie), directed by Alessandro Aronadio

IN GUERRA PER AMORE, directed by Pierfrancesco Diliberto aka Pif

I WAS A DREAMER (Il più grande sogno), directed by Michele Vannucci

PAWN STREETS (Le Ultime Cose), directed by Irene Dionisio

PERICLE THE BLACK (Pericle il Nero), directed by Stefano Mordini

SLAM (Tutto per una ragazza), directed by Andrea Molaioli

VANGELO, directed by Pippo Delbono

Opening night film 7 MINUTES (7 Minuti) was selected for the 29th Tokyo International Film Festival Competition, and was in the official selection at the 2016 Rome International Film Festival. The Biennale College Cinema gem EARS (Orecchie) screened at the 2016 Venice International Film Festival, as did Michele Vannucci’s I WAS A DREAMER (Il più grande sogno), Pippo Delbono’s VANGELO, and Irene Dionisio’s PAWN STREETS (Le Ultime Cose).  PERICLE THE BLACK (Pericle il Nero), starring Italy’s much-loved Riccardo Scamarcio, was in the Un Certain Regard section at last year’s Cannes International Film Festival. Roberto Andò’s THE CONFESSIONS (Le Confessioni), starring Toni Servillo, Daniel Auteuil and Connie Nielsen, has screened at a multitude of festivals around the world, and was awarded the Ecumenical Jury Prize at the 2016 Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. Pierfrancesco Diliberto aka Pif is back with his latest feature film IN GUERRA PER AMORE, which was shown at both the Rome and Busan International Film Festivals last October. Andrea Molaioli’s SLAM (Tutto per una ragazza), featuring Luca Marinelli and based on Nick Hornby’s novel of the same name, premiered at the recent Torino Film Festival. 

The 14th annual Big Sky Documentary Film Festival is proud to announce the OFFICIAL SELECTIONS of the 2017 festival, screening February 17-26 in Missoula, Montana.

Over 200 extraordinary films from 50 nations around the world will explore compelling stories of the human condition, nature & environment in the face of climate change, culture & conflict in a globalized world and inspiring personal narratives. Big Sky's most expansive retrospective programming to date will present bodies of work from Academy Award winner Daniel Junge and prolific Montreal-based film collective EyeSteelFilm. In addition to retrospective programs, special events will include HEALING BLUE, a multimedia dance/film performance, and a poignant opening night featuring long time partner HBO Documentary Films' new feature "BRIGHT LIGHTS: Starring Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds.” Closing night will be presented by Big Sky premiere sponsor Showtime Documentary Films.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW ALL 2017 OFFICIAL SELECTIONS >>

Now in its 13th year, True Independent serves as the only regional 501(c)3 dedicated to showcasing digital storytelling platforms. Since 2013, the organization’s mission includes incubating ambitious artists via mentorship, fiscal sponsorship and equipment loans; making it a pivotal design launch pad for emerging new media artists.  True Independent is committed to engaging technology, contemporary culture and design to showcase the TRANSMEDIA art form.

The 31st Teddy Award is presented within the framework of the International Film Festival  (9 Feb. – 19 Feb. 2017)  on February 17th, 2017 at Haus der Berliner Festspiele. For the very first time it is supported by Samsonite RED. 

Since 31 years, the TEDDY AWARD rewards movies and filmmakers, who contribute with engagement and queer topics for more tolerance, equality, acceptance and diversity in society. More than 1500 guests from culture, art, economy, politics and society are expected to attend the ceremony. Films are rewarded in the categories best feature film, best documentary/essay film and best short film. Additionally an audience prize is given away as well as the Special TEDDY AWARD for remarkable accomplishments.

As a TEDDY AWARD Preminum Partner, Samsonite RED will be integrated in the communication regarding the award ceremony and will also attend the event. The TEDDY Interactive Team, which is reporting live from the Berlinale on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, will furthermore be equipped with bags and backpacks. 

”Samsonite RED is a young label with modern collections of bags and backpacks for young professionals with urban lifestyles: mobile, cosmopolitan, spontaneous & creative. These are qualities, that we have in mind while developing our Samsonite RED Collections. This henceforth offers a new perspective and openness for effective partnership in communication. We are happy about the possibility to support this year's Teddy Award” said Dirk Schmidinger, General Manager Samsonite GmbH.

Tickets for the TEDDY AWARD Ceremony in Haus der Berliner Festspiele, 17th February 2017, are available at www.teddyaward.org.

Ticket reservation via e-mail at tickets@papagena.de is possible, likewise via Ticket-Hotline 0(049)30-4799 7474. Tickets without pre sale fee are also available at Prinz Eisenherz bookshop, Motzstraße 23, 10777 Berlin.

The ceremony on 17th February will take place at Haus der Berliner Festspiele, Schaperstraße 24, 10719 Berlin, starting at 9 pm. From 11 pm onwards there will be the hot After Show Lounge and the TEDDY AWARD BACKSTAGE PARTY!

The Midwest Independent Film Festival is Back at Sundance: Monday January 23rd! 

The Midwest Independent Film Festival is the nation's only film festival solely dedicated to the Midwest filmmaker, presenting audiences with regionally produced independent cinema every First Tuesday of the month at Landmark's Century Centre Cinema, 2828 North Clark in Chicago. This year-round film festival sits proudly at the center of the independent film scene in Chicago and the Midwest and is dedicated to celebrating and strengthening that community.

Fourteen Films, including nine full-length fiction and documentary films, have been invited for the Perspektive Deutsches Kino in 2017.

Strong fiction films by millennials characterise this year’s selection. The directors, who are mostly in their early 30s and were coming of age around the turn of the millennium, were shaped and socialised by this period. With them we take a look back into childhood and adolescence. We see kids affected by their parents’ separation, and encounter endless parties and drugs. We accompany the protagonists on their search for personal freedom and stability.

The fiction film Millennials (dir: Jana Bürgelin, prod: Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg) uniquely exemplifies this generation. It is a documentary-style big city tale that follows the two protagonists, Anne Zohra Berrached and Leonel Dietsche, on their “éducation sentimentale” around Berlin. Leo is a photographer and would finally like some recognition for his photos. Anne is a successful film director and wants a child, but since she has no partner, she has, in wise foresight, frozen a few of her eggs. In the fiction film Die Tochter (Dark Blue Girl, prod: Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg) director Mascha Schilinski approaches in an unusual way the problems children have after their parents split up. How must they redefine their positions and attitudes towards their separated parents when it comes to closeness and distance? Seven-year-old Luca (Helena Zengel) - in her desire to remain the only woman in her father’s life and, at the same time, the link between her parents - becomes a master manipulator. Director Adrian Goiginger, who also studied at Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg, took a year off and during this time found production partners for his fiction film Die beste aller Welten (The Best Of All Worlds) in Lailaps Pictures in Munich and RitzlFilm in Austria. In a love story of a different kind, he re-examines his childhood by following seven-year-old Adrian (Jeremy Miliker) into the extremely exciting and adventurous world of his heroine-addicted mother. In the film Zwischen den Jahren (End of the Season, prod: Radical Movies Production, Cologne) by Lars Henning, the world of Becker (Peter Kurth), the film’s protagonist, is very limited. After having served fifteen years in jail, he just wants to lead a quiet life in self-imposed solitude. But then the man whose life he destroyed eighteen years earlier returns to haunt him. It is Lars Henning’s second full-length fiction film and again he has reversed the victim-offender constellation conventional for this genre.

For the first time ever the Perspektive Deutsches Kino will show a film from the Hochschule für bildende Künste Hamburg (HFBK). The film Final Stage by Nicolaas Schmidt stands out for the filmic balancing act it conducts between documentary observation and subtle staging. Gabi, produced at the Filmuniversität Babelsberg Konrad Wolf, will open the Perspektive 2017 together with Back for Good (see press release from December 21, 2016). According to director Michael Fetter Nathansky, it is a cinematic attempt to find expression for what has so often been said but has still been unable to change anything.

Christian von Brockhausen and Timo Großpietsch’s Könige der Welt (We were kings) about the music band “PICTURES” completes the programme. First known as “Union Youth”, the band came together at the turn of the millennium. With their mix of grunge and alternative they quickly became the German “Nirvana”. The film revisits a drug-filled past and accompanies their new start.

On February 19, 2017 – Berlinale Publikumstag – the Perspektive will screen the winners of the Max Ophüls Prize 2017 for best fiction feature  and the First Steps Award 2016 for best documentary (Raving Iran, dir: Susanne Regina Meures).

Film list:

Die beste aller Welten (The Best Of All Worlds)

By Adrian Goiginger

With Verena Altenberger, Jeremy Miliker, Lukas Miko, Michael Pink

Feature film

World premiere

Final Stage

By Nicolaas Schmidt

With Aaron Hilmer, Fynn Grossmann

Medium long feature film

World premiere

Gabi

By Michael Fetter Nathansky

With Gisa Flake, Florian Kroop, Britta Steffenhagen, Martin Neuhaus

Medium long feature film

World premiere

Könige der Welt (We were kings)

By Christian von Brockhausen, Timo Großpietsch

Documentary film

World premiere

Millennials

By Jana Bürgelin

With Anne Zohra Berrached, Leonel Dietsche, Jan Koslowski, Anna Herrmann

Feature film

World premiere

Die Tochter (Dark Blue Girl)

By Mascha Schilinski

With Helena Zengel, Karsten Antonio Mielke, Artemis Chalkidou

Feature film

World premiere

Zwischen den Jahren(End of the Season)

By Lars Henning

With Peter Kurth, Karl Markovics, Catrin Striebeck, Leonardo Nigro

Feature film

World premiere

Films announced so far:

Back for Good

By Mia Spengler

With Kim Riedle, Juliane Köhler, Leonie Wesselow

Feature film

World premiere

Eisenkopf (Ironhead)

By Tian Dong

Documentary film

World premiere

Kontener (Container)

By Sebastian Lang

With Joanna Drozda, Anka Graczyk

Medium-long feature film

World premiere

Mikel

By Cavo Kernich

With Jonathan Aikins

Medium-long feature film

World premiere

Selbstkritik eines bürgerlichen Hundes (Self-criticism of a Bourgeois Dog)

By Julian Radlmaier

With Julian Radlmaier, Deragh Campbell, Beniamin Forti, Kyung-Taek Lie

Feature film

German premiere

Tara

By Felicitas Sonvilla

With Sasha Davydova, Leo van Kann, Lena Lauzemis

Medium-long feature film

World premiere

Ein Weg (Paths)

By Chris Miera

With Mike Hoffmann, Mathis Reinhardt

Feature film

World premiere