The Los Angeles based Israel Film Festival, the largest showcase of Israeli films in the U.S., is launching its 31st edition by hosting an awards luncheon honoring CAA’s Adam Berkowitz, award-winning producer David Shore and real estate developer/philanthropist Max Webb, it was announced by Festival Founder and Executive Director Meir Fenigstein. Berkowitz, the co-head of the television department at Creative Artists Agency, has been named the 2017 IFF Career Achievement Award recipient. Writer/producer Shore will receive the 2017 IFF Visionary Award, and Max Webb, the founder of Shapell Properties, will collect the 2017 IFF Lifetime Achievement Award. The gala luncheon will take place on Thursday, March 16 at the Four Seasons Hotel, with Elon Gold serving as Master of Ceremonies.

Berkowitz is co-head of the television department at Creative Artists Agency (CAA), where he works with many of the world's leading television producers, writers and directors. Berkowitz has been instrumental in packaging and selling numerous television programs, including Seinfeld, Everybody Loves Raymond, Arrested Development, Two and a Half Men, Masters of Sex, True Detective, Justified, Rescue Me, Big Love and Netflix's House of Cards, amongst others. Additionally, he sold the first Israeli series ever to Netflix, The Greenhouse, as well as the critically acclaimed Israeli series Fauda. Berkowitz also represents many of Israel's leading production companies, writers, directors and actors. Prior to joining CAA in 1997, Berkowitz was an Agent at the William Morris agency. He currently serves on the board of the Hollywood Radio & Television Society and is chairman of the entertainment division of the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles.

Shore created what was at one point the world's most watched television program, House. The first-season episode "Three Stories" won him a Peabody, a Humanitas Prize and the 2005 Emmy® Award for Outstanding Writing. Since then, David co-created Battle Creek for CBS and Sneaky Pete for Amazon, and served as an executive producer of Houdini and Doyle, which aired on Fox in 2016. David has served as a director of the Writers Guild of America, West; the Writers Guild Foundation; the Humanitas International Foundation; and the International Board of Israel based Save a Child's Heart, an organization that saves children throughout the world who have congenital heart defects.

Webb, who just celebrated his 100th birthday this month, was born on March 2, 1917 in Lodz, Poland, one of seven children to Avraham and Sheva Weisbrot. During the war, Max survived twelve labor camps and six concentration camps, including Auschwitz Birkenau, where in 1943 he met Nathan Shapell, with whom he developed a lifelong friendship and partnership. Max, along with his brothers-in-law Nathan and David Shapell, founded Shapell Industries in 1955. For over 60 years they have provided thousands of homes throughout California as well as commercial areas. Having survived the nightmare of the camps is a constant reminder that his life was given back to him as a miracle from G-d. Following liberation Max promised to do whatever he could to help those less fortunate and to rebuild the Jewish people. As a great humanitarian, he has kept that commitment over the years by giving generously of his time and money to numerous worthwhile causes and organizations.

For over 30 years, the Festival has presented nearly 1,000 feature films, documentaries, television dramas and short films to close to million filmgoers and brought hundreds of Israeli filmmakers to the U.S. to share their art. The Israel Film Festival is produced by IsraFest Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization created in 1982. Among the Sponsors of the 31st Israel Film Festival are long-time partners Millennium Films, Rabinovich Foundation, New Regency Productions, Adelson Family Foundation, Israel Film Fund, The Hollywood Reporter, Eclipse, Variety, IAC (Israeli American Council), Israel Consulate in Los Angeles, Maurice Marciano Family Foundation, Diane & Guilford Glazer Foundation, Izek & Aline Shomof, IDB Bank, Four Seasons Hotel, The Orlando Hotel, Clear Channel, joined by Creative Artists Agency (CAA), Netflix, Showtime and Lionsgate.

www.israelfilmfestival.com *  310-247-1800/213-948-8800  *  info@israelfilmfestival.org

By Maria Esteves
The 54th New York Film Festival 2016 (NYFF54) Closing Night Premiere Press Conference of THE LOST CITY OF Z, with director James Gray; cast members , Sienna Miller, Robert Pattinson, Tom Holland, and Angus Macfadyen moderated by festival director Kent Jones, NYFF, was held at the Walter Reade Theater, NYC, Saturday, October 15, 2016.

Questions posed to director Gray and cast members by moderator Jones and members of the press included: When did you read this material for the first time, the David Grann’s? Can you talk about your experience shooting in the jungle and how difficult it was? Did you familiarize yourself with Herzog’s work in the Amazons? If you did, what is different in this film in what you tried to achieve? The actors, how did they oriented themselves within the world of this movie? How did you cultivated the father and son relationship? THE LOST CITY OF Z in theaters April 14, 2017. Watch trailer

NYFF54 The Lost City of Z Press Conference: L-R, festival director
Kent Jones, NYFF, director James Gray, actress, Sienna Miller, actors
Robert Pattinson, Tom Holland, and Angus Macfadyen.

NYFF54 The Lost City of Z Press Conference: Actress, Sienna Miller.

NYFF54 The Lost City of Z Press Conference: Festival director Kent Jones,
NYFF, left, and director James Gray.

NYFF54 The Lost City of Z Press Conference: Cast members Robert Pattinson,
left, and Tom Holland.

NYFF54 The Lost City of Z Press Conference: L-R, Cast members actor Robert
Pattinson, actor Tom Holland, and actor Angus Macfadyen.

MOMA’s presentation of innovative nonfiction films was held from February 16-26 with more than 20 features and 10 shorts, including a section of new media Canadian nonfiction films and a retrospective of Emiko Omori with six productions. As in prior editions the program covered a broad range of themes and issues as well as innovative approaches in documentary film making. This year’s edition presented an outstanding selection of films investigating global issues and problems faced by contemporary societies.

Rahul Jain’s feature Machines, (2016, India/Germany/Finland) opened the program. This first production by a film maker still attending school provides a superb visual exploration of a huge textile factory in Gujarat, India including interviews with workers and managers setting the political context of the documentation. Workers seem to be part of the machinery they attend. Given extensive unemployment for the semi and unskilled labor force in that and other Indian areas employers can readily replace workers. One worker states that those who rebel are considered dangerous and get killed. Workers in turn become dependent on minimal wages because they cannot assert themselves. During the first six months of their employment only half of the salary is paid because they are in training.  Workers, including many teenagers and children, complete 12-hour shifts under dreadful conditions. As Jain’s visual exploration of the work process and the aged machinery shows, there is virtually no modern technology or automation used, thus there is no need to hire skilled labor which would require higher wages.  Management expresses contempt for their workers and even suggests that they are overpaid. Yet the verbal exchanges recede behind the visual imagery, the long cuts and a superb score. Colorful textiles dominate the screen yet they are balanced by the juxtaposed images of the environmental damage the production process causes. As Jain pointed out in the post screening discussion, American features tend to have more than a thousand cuts while Machines has only about 170. The score uses sounds recorded by 70 contact microphones which Jain attached o to the factory machinery. Rahul Jain plans to rent theatres in India to show his film and wants to present it on Indian television, stimulating a debate of the issues presented.

Plastic China, Jiu-liang Wang, 2016, China. 

The filmmaker finished Beijing Besieged by Waste in 2011, a comprehensive documentary that received widespread attention in China and caused the government to force the municipality of Beijing to address the problem[MM1]  of environmentally sound waste disposal. Plastic China investigates an equally important issue, disposal of highly toxic plastic waste. China is the world’s largest importer of plastic waste generated by advanced industrial societies, specifically the United States. More than half of the global plastic waste is imported by China. In 2011 one million tons were shipped from the US to China, a figure that is much higher now given the growing costs of recycling in the US. Whereas advanced technologies permit the US to process some plastic waste the bulk of it is shipped to China. 30 Chinese towns handle the imported plastic with devastating consequences for the environment, polluting air, water, and impairing the health of the people processing it. Increased consumption in China adds to the amount that must be processed or recycled. The work is carried by mainly small family based enterprises and requires few skills. Jiu-lang Wang investigates two families with children, which make a living processing the waste that surrounds them. In Machines, the surplus of unskilled labor in India forces people to accept poorly paying work to survive. The same holds for the plastic waste processing in China. Sorting out plastic waste requires few skills and as large numbers of people migrate from the countryside to cities where farming skills cannot be applied plastic processing can becomes one of few options for employment. Income is needed to survive but also to pay for the schooling of children; motivating their parents to engage in dirty labor and forcing the children to help. There are upsetting images in this documentary. A family literally lives in the plastic toxic trash which serves as a playground for the children, eating food found in the waste. They also get dead fish from a polluted creak and after frying they eat the fish. According to the film maker his documentation resulted in the closure of some processing facilities. Hopefully, this film will help to foster the consideration of toxic waste pollution which has not yet figured prominently as an issue in Chinese public discussion.

Austerlitz, Sergei Loznitsa, 2016, Germany 

There is no single documentary answer to reporting about the challenging theme of concentration camps. Loznitsa does not probe what his images present, holocaust tourism.  His camera does not move and remains fixed recording black and white images of visitors to two concentration camps near Munich and Berlin; Dachau and Sachsenhausen. Dressed like summer tourists we see them entering and leaving the camps and buildings which harbored horror. We watch those taking pictures of themselves in front of and behind the ignominious Arbeit Macht Frei[MM2]   (Work Liberates) sign of the entry gate. They talk with each other sometimes, and listen to the tour guides. The documentary has no score and is restricted to few excerpts of the explanations offered by the guides. The facial expressions of the visitors do not reveal the impact of what they see, or at least their faces do not seem to show emotions when they inspect the furnaces where thousands were cremated. Rather, we see selfies of the visitors taken from all kind of angles. The inscriptions on their casual t-shirts reflect the tourist mentality. They seem to be consuming the experience of the camp, apparently disconnected from the horror and murder that took place seven decade ago. There is no discernible link. As the film’s title Austerlitz , referring to a vaguely known century-old battle implies,  a clear memory of the  historical and the dreadful seems to be drifting away. The question remains in the discussion of the tourism which Loznitsa depicts, what motivates individuals to visit places of horror and destruction. Is their curiosity restricted to the consumption of visual images or does it still encompass learning and commiseration?

Wolf and Sheep, Shahrbanno Sadat, 2016, Denmark/France/Sweden/Afghanistan.

The filmmaker who is Afghanistan’s first female feature director received the 2016 Cannes Art Cinema Award for Wolf and Sheep, a film which crosses the traditional boundaries of filmmaking. Her presentation of everyday life in a small Afghan shepherd village is a mélange of ethnographic and naturalistic folkloric elements incorporating the fairy tale of a green nude female visible for brief moments.  There are no actors and the story is carried by dozens of imported villagers and children playing themselves. The action takes place in a village which the director recreated for security reasons in neighboring Tajistan because her crew consisted of foreigners and the film’s tale was considered offensive to the Taliban. The audience gains an intimate view of the life of male and female villagers and their children whose spheres are gender segregated. Time seems to stand still for these people and their communication is shaped by gossip and their daily experiences. Young girls and boys tend the flock of sheep and the adults continue repetitive activities which have remained unchanged over decades. Slowly paced, the story evolves with some high points, a funeral opening the film, wolfs killing some sheep, a boy losing an eye in a slingshot accident, and, closing the story, the villagers deserting their homes because of outsiders threatening them. The superb photographic and sound work in this film and the captivating delivery of the story by non-actors conveys to Wolf and Sheep authenticity.

Claus Mueller,  filmexchange@gmail.com

,

Focus on documentaries / more than 100 films from Japan /
diverse supporting program

From May 23 to 28, 2017 the seventeenth edition of the Nippon Connection Film Festival will take place in Frankfurt am Main. With more than 100 short and feature length films, it is the biggest festival for Japanese film worldwide, offering a varied and exciting insight into Japanese cinema. Many directors and actors are present to introduce their works to the local audience for the first time. Apart from the films, a diverse supporting program gives visitors the chance to delve into the multi-faceted culture of Japan. The main venues are at Künstlerhaus Mousonturm and at Theater Willy Praml in der Naxoshalle.

Focus on documentary films

At this year's festival a special attention will be directed at documentary films. Among others, Atsushi Funahashi will present his film Raise your Arms and Twist, in which he observes the everyday life of Japanese pop idol singers of the group NMB48. The director skillfully combines social and media critique without degrading the stars or their fans. In her film 95 and 6 to Go young American filmmaker Kimi Takesue explores the history of her Japanese ancestors who emigrated to Hawaii, taking the conversations with her grandfather as a starting point. Steven Okazaki's Mifune: The Last Samurai portrays the life and work of legendary actor Toshiro Mifune, who has written film history through his cooperation with Akira Kurosawa.

Numerous German premieres

Once more, many films can be seen for the first time on German screens. Nippon Honor awardee Kiyoshi Kurosawa mixes love drama and subtle horror in his latest work, Daguerrotype. It is the first film the renowned director shot outside of Japan. A tough and uncompromising approach is chosen by 35-year-old director Tetsuya Mariko in his drama Destruction Babies, awarded at last year's Locarno Film Festival. The film tells the story of Taira, a youth without prospects, and his descent into a spiral of violence.

Filled with tender humor, Ryota Nakano's award-winning drama Her Love Boils Bathwater unfolds the story of Futaba, who is terminally ill and tries to reunite her scattered family during her last days. In the drama The Long Excuse by Miwa Nishikawa, a lonely writer must get a grip back on his life after a heavy blow of fate. Director Miwa Nishikawa will attend the festival. In his family drama Harmonium, director Koji Fukada shows how the appearance of an old acquaintance can turn an ordinary family life upside down. Harmonium received the Jury Prize in the section “Un certain regard” at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival.

As a highlight of the Nippon Animation section, Nippon Connection presents the German premiere of Naoko Yamada's anime A Silent Voice in cooperation with Kazé. Based on the manga of the same title by Yoshitoki Oima, the film centers around the character of Shoya Ishida, who had bullied his deaf classmate Shoko Nishimiya in school. A couple of years later, Shoya, stricken by remorse, starts looking for Shoko to apologize for his behavior.

Reboot of Nikkatsu Roman Porno films

In the 1970s and 1980s the so-called Roman Porno films from the Japanese film studio Nikkatsu served as a field of experimentation and a stepping stone for young directors. For the 45th anniversary of that genre, the Nippon Connection Film Festival shows two installments of the “Roman Porno Reboot Project” as German premieres. Kazuya Shiraishi's Dawn of the Felines deals with three young women and their work as prostitutes in Tokyo. Akihiko Shiota's Wet Woman in the Wind depicts the relationship between theater author Kosuke, who lives as a recluse in the woods, and the nymphomaniac waitress Shiori.

Extensive cultural program

Apart from the films, the festival offers a wide variety of workshops, lectures, and exhibitions, inviting the audience to get to know more about Japanese culture. Interested visitors can participate in the manufacturing of kyogen masks in a wood carving workshop, or they can learn about vital points of the human body and their application in the martial arts in the kyusho jitsu workshop. In cooperation with Weltlesebühne e.V., Ursula Gräfe, known as a translator of the works of Japanese star author Haruki Murakami, will give insight into various aspects of her work.

Again, there are also many exciting events for the youngest visitors in the Nippon Kids section. The wonderful puppet animation film Chieri and Cherry by Makoto Nakamura will be shown as a children's film with German live dubbing. Kids can have a go at traditional Japanese drums in the taiko workshop or they can try out preparing tasty Japanese sweets in the panda dango cooking class. Taruto Fuyama, professor at Tokyo University of the Arts in Yokohama, will show in his workshop how to create handmade painted animation films.

The festival

The Japanese Film Festival Nippon Connection is organized on a voluntary basis by the 70 members of the non-profit Nippon Connection registered association. The festival is under the patronage of Peter Feldmann, Mayor of the City of Frankfurt am Main, and Takeshi Kamiyama, Consul General of Japan in Frankfurt am Main. Festival centers are located at Künstlerhaus Mousonturm and Theater Willy Praml in der Naxoshalle. Additional events take place at Mal Seh’n Kino, the German Film Museum, Ausstellungsraum Eulengasse and the Theater Die Käs.

The complete program as well as tickets will be available from April 29, 2017 at the festival website: www.NipponConnection.com

Further information
www.NipponConnection.com
www.facebook.com/NipponConnection
twitter.com/NipponFilmfest

Adele Hartley, Dead by Dawn's Festival Director announced that The Evil Within will have its UK premiere at her event:  Scotland's International Horror Film Festival 24th Edition / 20 - 23 April, 2017 www.deadbydawn.co.uk

FB: www.facebook.com/DeadByDawnHorrorFestival

Twitter: @deadbydawnfest

* THIS IS HORROR Award Winner: UK EVENT OF THE YEAR *

The SF Film Society will present a special tribute to acclaimed actor, writer, and filmmaker Ethan Hawke at the 60th San Francisco International Film Festival.

Thank you to the Annual Copenhagen Film Festival for selecting #TheUnwilling#Horror Feature in their international competition.

The last week of April will belong to Visegrad Film Forum, which is going to be held at the Faculty of Film and Television of Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava, Slovakia. As a consequence of critically acclaimed and trending TV series along with growing demand for new media formats, the new names closely linked with television production were brought to the programme of this extraordinary educational and networking event.

Great beauty of architecture by Ludovica Ferrario!

A key member of Paolo Sorrrentino's team Ludovica Ferrario brings breath-taking settings with great sense of details, proportions and geometry in Oscar awarded Great Beauty, Youth and latest TV mini-series Young Pope. As she was not allowed to shoot in sacred buildings of Vatican she recreated full scale replica of Sistine chapel and St. Peter facade in Rome's studios. Her career as a production designer had begun with the work of director Franco Zeffireli. Furthermore, she cooperated with creators such as Wim Wenders at Palermo Shooting and Certified Copy with Abbas Kiorostami. 

Steve Matthews - grey eminence of TV production!

London based producer Steve Matthews became globally known after his work on all three Neil Jordan's historical-fiction drama television series The Borgias following controversial family from Vatican set in 16th century. At present he is defining trends and future of the European TV standard as an executive producer of HBO film channel for the Middle and Eastern Europe. His projects are open mainly to filmmakers coming from Visegrad countries. He is currently working on a Polish TV series Blinded by lights and had prepared a ground for recently aired Czech criminal series Wasteland and Hungarian action drama Golden Life. 

Master of observational cinema Sergei Loznitsa

The Cannes Festival awarded hawk-eyed filmmaker, Sergei Loznitsa, who brought attention with the feature length documentary Maidan capturing anti-government protests in Ukraine. His recent documentary Austerlitz is exploring the phenomena of tourists’ behaviour while visiting Nazi extermination camps. With regard the Loznitsa documentary he was the first-ever Ukrainian filmmaker to compete for Cannes' Palme d'Or, making his feature film debut My Joy in 2010. The film was followed by In the Fog describing story from western frontiers of the USSR. 

Visegrad Film Forum expands outside Europe!

Students of El Nahda Association for Scientific & Cultural Renaissance from exotic Cairo, Egypt will meet with National Film School; IADT Dun Laoghaire from Dublin, Ireland; University of Arts from Belgrade, Serbia; and National I. K. Karpenko-Kary Theatre, Cinema and Television University from Kiev, Ukraine including schools from V4 countries - The Academy of Performing Arts - Faculty of Film and Television in Bratislava; University of Silesia in Katowice; Eszterházy Károly University in Eger and The Film Academy of Miroslav Ondříček in Písek.

New names, new master classes and some extraordinary experiences!

6th Visegrad Film Forum (VFF) will take place at the Faculty of Film and Television in Bratislava from April 25 - 29, 2017. Participants will enjoy five amazing days full of screenings of student films, master classes with renowned experts, case studies of interesting film projects, discussions, and workshops. All together with exceptional guest Colin Arthur. Father of phenomenal creatures and legendary British SFX artist with a massive impact on films such as 2001: A Space Odyssey, Conan the Barbarian and The Neverending Story. Everything he did with almost no CGI! 

Visegrad Film Forum 

Venue: Faculty of Film and Television VŠMU

Deadline for online accreditation: April 15, 2017

Deadline for accreditation with special discount: March 30, 2017

Accreditation with special discount: 25 Eur / 15 Eur for students (the price without discount will be 30 Eur / 20 Eur for students)

You can register here: www.as.visegradfilmforum.com

website: www.visegradfilmorum.com

facebook: www.facebook.com/VisegradFilmForum

Organiser: Boiler, NGO
Co-Organizer: Faculty of Film and Television VŠMU 
Financially supported by: International Visegrad Fund 
Partner schools: The Academy of Performing Arts - Faculty of Film and Television in Bratislava (FTF VŠMU Bratislava), University of Silesia in Katowice, Eszterházy Károly University in Eger (EKU Eger), The Film Academy of Miroslav Ondříček in Písek (FAMO Písek), Faculty of Dramatic Arts in Belgrad (FDA Belehrad), National I. K. Karpenko-Kary Theatre, Cinema and Television University in Kyjev (KNUTCT Kyjev), Dún Laoghaire Institute of Art, Design and Technology in Dublin (IADT Dublin), El Nahda Association for Scientific & Cultural Renaissance in Cairo 

Under the patronage of the Mayor of Bratislava Ivo Nesrovnal. 

infovff@gmail.com | www.visegradfilmforum.com | https://www.facebook.com/VisegradFilmForum

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In its 20th Anniversary Edition, the American Sephardi Federation (ASF) today announced the programs for its weeklong celebration of diverse stories and rich histories portrayed in film at the New York Sephardic Jewish Film Festival (NYSJFF).

The Festival features a different themed program each day. Select nights are dedicated to the Moroccan, Iraqi, Greek, and Yemenite Jewish communities.

For the first time at the Festival, the untold stories of how Sephardic Jews from Algeria, Tunisia, and Greece suffered during the Holocaust are shared during a full day of films, “Sephardim in the Shoah” (Sunday, April 2). “From Ethiopia to Israel” (Tuesday, April 4) explores the challenges of emigration.

“An Evening of Empowering Sephardi Women” (Monday, April 3) showcases three films that explore women’s experiences and highlight differences in gender relations and expectations between Ashkenazi and Sephardi communities. ASF’s Young Leadership Board is hosting “Love, Sephardi Style” (Tuesday, April 4) an evening of short films that explore modern romance and relationships from several Sephardi perspectives, including Israeli and Persian. An interactive discussion will follow with an award-winning Jewish Iranian-American filmmaker.

“For this important NYSJFF 20th Anniversary Edition, we are proud to present poignant and powerful programs that speak to the issues of our time and all time,” said Sara Nodjoumi, Artistic Director of the New York Sephardic Jewish Film Festival. “There are stories of immigration, persecution, and resistance. Perspectives on everything from the making of the modern Middle East to the modern experiences of finding romance in traditional Sephardi communities. The number of quality films this year is a sign of vitality and the increasing interest in the varied experiences of Sephardim,” Nodjoumi said.

NYSJFF Artistic Director Sara Nodjoumi produced The Iran Job and is a programming alumna of the Tribeca Film Festival. “Sara has scoured the globe for movies of Sephardi interest and the results are the strongest film line-up in the NYSJFF’s storied history,” said Jason Guberman-P., ASF's Executive Director.

Joining her as the NYSJFF's Producer is French opera singer, David Serero. Serero previously created and starred in ASF's successful theatrical season (Merchant of Venice, Othello, and Nabucco). Most recently he performed at ASF for the President of Portugal. “We are elated that David is applying his many talents to make this NYSJFF the most memorable yet,” said Guberman.

The Festival will screen all films and events at ASF’s home, the Center for Jewish History (15 West 16^th Street), near Union Square in Chelsea. The complete list of selected NYSJFF films with dates, times and ticket information can be found at www.nysephardifilmfestival.org and below:

March 30 – Thursday: Opening Night

7:00 p.m. Reception

Pomegranate Award Ceremony

April 1 - Saturday: - Iraqi Night

8:30 p.m. Letters from Baghdad directed by Sabine Krayenbühl & Zeva Oelbaum

Feature Documentary, USA, France, UK, 2016, 95 min

Letters from Baghdad is the story of a true original—Gertrude Bell—sometimes called the female “Lawrence of Arabia.” A British spy, explorer, and political powerhouse, Bell played a pivotal role in the creation of Iraq. Voiced and executive produced by the Academy Award-winner Tilda Swinton and featuring newly discovered primary source documentation and rare footage, the film unveils this dramatic story of the modern Middle East.

Filmmakers in attendance for Q&As.

April 2 – Sunday: Sephardim in the Shoah

2:00 p.m. TheNight of Fools directed by Rami Kimchi

Docu-Drama, Israel, 2014, 56 min

This film reveals the little-know story of Algeria’s mostly Jewish underground movement during WWII. With only 400 volunteers versus the Vichy garrison of 25,000 troops, the underground succeeded in taking control of Algiers for one night, before handing the city over the Americans, who arrive via an amphibious landing the next morning.

            4:00 p.m. Victor Young Perez directed by Jacques Ouaniche

            Feature Narrative, France, 2013, 110 min

Victor "Young" Perez is the heartbreaking true story of a Tunisian Jew, the World Flyweight Champion in 1931 and 1932, who was deported to Auschwitz.

            6:30 p.m. Cloudy Sunday directed by Manoussos Manoussakis

Feature Narrative, Greece, 2016, 118 min

Set in Thessaloniki (Salonica) during the Nazi occupation in 1943, this film tells the story of the forbidden love between Estrea, a young Jewish woman, and Giorgos, the brother-in-law of the famed composer Vassilis Tsitsanis.

April 3 - Monday: An Evening of Empowering Sephardi Women

            5:00 p.m. Dimona Twist directed by Michael Aviad

            Feature Documentary, Israel, 2016, 70 min

Like most of Israel’s southern periphery, Dimona was a town created for primarily Middle Eastern Jewish immigrants and refugees. Seven courageous Sephardi women share their stories about being shipped to this desert town originally built in the 1950s. Determined to create meaningful lives they found creative ways to overcome poverty and discrimination.

7:00 p.m. TheWomen’s Balcony directed by Emil Ben-Shimon

Feature Narrative, Israel, 2016, 96 min

When a women’s balcony collapses during a Bar Mitzvah—a close-knit Sephardic congregation in Jerusalem fractures along gender lines. This popular crowd-pleaser about women speaking truth to patriarchal power is accompanied by stirring music and sumptuous food.

This will be preceded by the World Premiere of A Gravedigger’s Daughter, directed by Shira Gabay (15 min narrative short, Israel).

April 4 – Tuesday: From Ethiopia to Israel

5:00 p.m. Red Leaves directed by Bazi Gete

Feature Narrative, Israel, 2014, 80 min

Meseganio Tadela, 74, is a hard, obstinate man who emigrated from Ethiopia to Israel 28 years ago with his family. After losing his wife, Meseganio sets out on a journey that leads him through his children's homes realizing that he belongs to a rapidly disappearing class that believes in retaining Ethiopian-Jewish culture.

            Young Professionals Night: Love, Sephardi Style

            7:00 p.m. Dear God directed by Erez Tadmor and Guy Nattiv

            Short Narrative, Israel, 2014, 16 min

Aaron is a simple man who guards the Wailing Wall. Day after day, a mysterious woman puts a note in between the ancient stones, and Aaron, recovering and reading the papers, fulfills her deepest wish.

7:15 p.m. Jewish Blind Date directed by Anaëlle Morf

Short Narrative, Switzerland, 2016, 16 min

Unhappy in love, Mary Lou decides to reconnect with her religious roots by marrying an observant Jew. In order to get married, she has to pass the “Shidduch Test,” which will determine whether her life will be a success or failure.        

8:00 p.m. Love, Iranian-American Style directed by Tanaz Eshaghian

Feature Documentary, USA, 2006, 63 min

Sexual purity, money, and a mother's worries come together in this humorous guided tour of America's status-obsessed Iranian Jewish community. As Tanaz’s Iranian family attempts to marry her off now that she's reached the age of 25, she vacillates between soppy American ideas of romance, and a more business-like Persian approach, and in the end may be unable to execute either.

Filmmaker in attendance for Q&As.

April 5 - Wednesday: A Greek Odyssey

6:00 p.m. Trezoros: The Lost Jews of Kastoria directed by Lawrence Russo & Larry Confino

Feature Documentary, Greece, USA, 2016, 93 min

Using never before seen archival footage, this moving documentary set in the idyllic city of Kastoria, illuminates the lives of the Greek Sephardic community until Nazis took control of the town - dooming the substantial and storied community that had existed since the times of the Roman Empire.

Filmmakers in attendance for Q&As.

8:00 p.m. The Queen of Rebetiko: My Sweet Canary directed by Roy Sher

Feature Documentary, Greece, 2011, 90 min

The story of three young musicians from Greece, Turkey, and Israel who embark on a musical journey to tell the story of Greece’s best-known and best-loved Rebetiko singer, Roza Eskenazi, a woman who sang the way she lived: with passion, fire, and love.

April 6 – Thursday: Closing Night

Maimonides Friendship Award Ceremony 

7:00 p.m. Sallah Shabati directed by Ephraim Kishon

Feature Narrative, Israel, 1964, 110 min

This sharp, often hilarious satire that became the most successful film in Israeli history, is about new immigrants Sallah and his family, who are left in a shack near their promised apartment and are abandoned for months. This 1964 classic won a Golden Globe Award and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Foreign Film, putting Israel on the international film stage for the first time.

Ticket prices are as follows:

Opening Night plus Festival Pass = $100 

Festival Pass excluding Opening Night = $50

Young Professionals Night= $25 

Individual Film = $10 

About the American Sephardi Federation:

The American Sephardi Federation, based at the Center for Jewish History, proudly preserves and promotes the history, traditions, and rich mosaic culture of Greater Sephardic communities as an integral part of the Jewish experience. ASF hosts high-profile events and exhibitions, produces widely-read online (Sephardi World Weekly and Sephardi Ideas Monthly) and print (The Sephardi Report) publications, supports research, scholarship, and the National Sephardic Library, and represents the Sephardi voice in diplomatic and Jewish communal affairs as a member of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations.

Please visit us at www.facebook.com/americansephardifederation I Download the brochure with the complete program

Come join us for a VR Presentation followed by a discussion open to the audience. 

Presenter:
Mark Sternberg, REVRIE Immersive Works

Get your tickets at http://bit.ly/2nGMVQo!

Sunday, May 7 2 PM - 3:30 PM

Clinton Cameo Studios 
Studio B 
307 West 43 Street
New York, NY 10036

Mark is a co-founder of REVRIE Immersive Works, a cinematic virtual reality production company dedicated to telling compelling narratives, and Cinematic VR NYC, a Meetup group dedicated to helping filmmakers transition into this new medium. Before entering the VR landscape, Mark worked in a creative capacity producing a feature film that received festival recognition, as well as taking on a variety of roles for the production of several short films and web series. He is also an Entertainment Attorney representing independent film, television and new media producers, creative talent, production companies and distributors.

Come join us for a presentation on 3D Scanning and Mixed Reality with Pretend Labs.

PRESENTER:
Brandon Henriquez

Get your tickets at http://bit.ly/2nGAVyq! 
 

Sunday, May 7 4 PM - 5:30 PM

Clinton Cameo Studios 
Studio B 
307 West 43 Street 
New York, NY 10036

Brandon Henriquez is an IT infrastructure expert with more than 10 years experience across multiple industries and runs a NYC based consulting firm. Back in 2014, he had his first Virtual Reality experience at an Engadget expo and was excited about the potential of the technology but wasn't firmly grasped by it until the unveiling of the Microsoft HoloLens in January 2015. Brandon was accepted by Microsoft to develop for the platform, pitching an idea that resembles what is now known as the Galaxy Explorer, and received the device exactly 2 weeks after release. Being one of the first developers not only in NY but across the world, he utilized his technical skills gained in IT to successfully create multiple HoloLens applications for high profile clients. Since then, he has been developing multiple Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality experiences as well as several 360 film experiences to debut in 2017. Brandon has taken the experience he has gained and actively looks to give back, to which he joined VRU in June 2016 in order to help grow the community of Virtual Reality enthusiasts and content creators through bi-weekly events showcasing the technology and how to utilize it.

Crowdfunding for filmmakers - Christine Raia gives a step by step walkthrough of how she raised funds for her films and offers her help to the attendees.

Christine Raia: The only proven path to independence as an artist is a direct connection to your audience. Crowdfunding has become a fundamental piece of most financing plans for independent film. But most filmmakers miss the opportunity to leverage the power of crowdfunding for one film into an audience-building opportunity that can last an entire career – and provide the groundwork for effective distribution. In order to leverage this opportunity, it requires a new way of coming to work, and that’s what you’ll learn here.

We’ve taught this class at over 100 film festivals, schools and organizations around the country, and gathered learning from the thousands of filmmakers we’ve met and hundreds of campaigns we’ve supported. Fun Fact: Filmmakers who have attended these classes have a Seed&Spark crowdfunding campaign success rate of 100%!

Get your tickets at http://bit.ly/2nOH08D! 

Tuesday, May 2 4 PM - 5:30 PM

Producers Club 

Theater G 

358 West 44th Street
New York , NY 10036

The 18th Havana Film Festival New York (www.HFFNY.com) comes to a close with the 8th Havana Star Prize Awards Ceremony followed by the NY premiere of the musical documentary The Forbidden Shore (dir. Ron Chapman) - a portrayal of over 40 exceptional Cuban musicians and artists. With his ambitious new film, Chapman captures the full gamut of what's happening now in Cuba, both the most exciting artists and the distinct musical scenes they move in, from classic son and salsa, to trova, reggaeton, rock, jazz, metal, rap, electronic, classical, choral, pop, rumba, conga, timba, and more! 

 Chapman was born in Toronto, Canada. His 2014 film Who the F**K is Arthur Fogel, (Lady Gaga, U2, The Police, Madonna...) was distributed in over 40 countries, and his 2015 critically- acclaimed award-winning documentary, The Poet of Havana (Carlos Varela, Jackson Browne, Benicio Del Toro...) on HBO.

One of the shining stars of the Cuban underground music movement is the native poetess and rapper, Telmary Diaz. She has collaborated with the likes of Isaac Delgado, Los Van Van, and the Buena Vista Social Club, and performed and recorded with figures from the international hip-hop and electronica community. Her first album "A Diario" was prized the CubaDisco award for Best Hip Hop Album in 2008. Telmary has recently wrapped up recording her second album, "Libre."

HFFNY has established itself as an integral site of cultural celebration for and of the Latino community of NYC, as well as one of the most prominent Latino international film festivals in the U.S. Annually, the Festival promotes the richness and diversity of Latino voices with programs that feature an international variety of award-winning films, Q&A sessions, retrospectives, and panel discussions with notable local and international directors, actors, and producers. As a platform for artistic and cultural exchange, HFFNY celebrates the work of existing and emerging Latino talent while creating bridges between filmmakers and the people of NYC. 

For more information, please visit us at  www.hffny.com.

CONTACT: Isamar Checo - press@hffny.com / 212.687.2146 Please RSVP if you would like to cover the Red Carpet and/or Closing Night Event.

THE 36TH ISTANBUL FILM FESTIVAL ON 5-15 APRIL

Organised by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts (İKSV), Turkey’s biggest international cinema eventIstanbul Film Festival is getting ready to meet cinema lovers for the 36th time. The 36th Istanbul Film Festival, with a roster comprising highlights from Turkey and world cinema will take place between
5 and 15 April.

The Istanbul Film Festival presents a rich programme in its 36th edition as ever, running a gamut from the latest productions of world cinema to cult films, most recent Turkish films, and classics, new discoveries, masterpieces, and hidden treasures. The festival hosts 186 feature films, as well as 17 short films in 21 different categories and in addition to the screening of a total of 203 films by 207 directors from 61 countries, Q&As andfestival talks with guest filmmakers, concerts, and other special events.

The 36th Istanbul Film Festival Press Conference

The press conference of the 36th Istanbul Film Festival was held on Tuesday morning, 14 March at The Marmara Hotel Taksim, the Official Hotel Sponsor of İKSV. İKSV General Director Görgün Taner and Istanbul Film Festival Director Kerem Ayan hosted the conference.

In his opening speech, İKSV General Director Görgün Taner said: “The 36th Istanbul Film Festival will be the first festival that the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts will be realising in 2017. With its carefully designed sections and rich programme, the Festival will once again offer its viewers opportunities to explore the most unique examples of cinema from Turkey and abroad. We will also continue our contributions to the development of the film industry in Turkey with the Meetings on the Bridge workshops and awards. This year for the first time, we will offer 1 TL tickets for students, for daytime screenings on weekdays. This way we hope to increase the accessibility of the festival to students, and we invite all students to our screenings. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the patrons who enable this opportunity, as well as the corporations that support the festival awards with monetary contributions, all our sponsors, international collaborators, and all public institutions, including Turkey’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism who significantly increased their contributions to the festival.”

Istanbul Film Festival Director Kerem Ayan, introducing the 36^th edition of the festival and its programme, later disclosed the films to vie in the Golden Tulip International Competition, Golden Tulip National Competition, FACE Human Rights in Cinema Competition, National Documentary Competition and the National Short Film Competition.

Nine movie theatres to screen festival films

The 36th Istanbul Film Festival films will be screened at nine movie theatres: Atlas and Beyoğlu movie theatres, as well as Pera Museum Auditorium and the Istituto Italiano di Cultura hall in the Beyoğlu region, Rexx movie theatre (two halls) in Kadıköy, Cinemaximum Kanyon in Levent and Cinemaximum City’s (two halls) in Nişantaşı.

The screenings will be at 11.00, 13.30, 16.00, 19.00 and 21.30, with midnight sessions at 24.00 on 7 and 8 April. Also on 11 and 12 April, 19.00 and 21.30 sessions will be held at Zorlu Center Cinemaximum.

The festival has a gift for students this year. With the support of the patrons, student tickets for 11.00, 13.30 and 16.00 sessions on weekdays will be sold for 1 TL.

Cinema Honorary Awards

The Cinema Honorary Awards of the Istanbul Film Festival, presented to distinguished figures of cinema of Turkey, will be presented to five artists this year: one of the most productive scriptwriters of the Turkish cinema Barış Pirhasan, an unforgettable face with her natural and subtle acting Selma Güneri, beloved film and stage actor Macit Koper and an important contributor to the visual language of our cinema, the cinematography master Çetin Tunca. The awards will be presented at the Opening Ceremony of the 36th Istanbul Film Festival on Tuesday, 4 April 2017. Film instructor and cinephile Mithat Alam who was honoured with the Outstanding Contribution to Cinema Award, unfortunately passed away in November 2016. Devoting himself to film literacy, Mithat Alam had established the Boğaziçi University Film Center under his name. The recipients will be presented their awards at the Opening Ceremony of the 36th Istanbul Film Festival at the TİM Maslak Show Center on Tuesday, 4 April.

Ian McKellen, revered stage and film actor is the Istanbul Film Festival's Honorary Guest

One of the most beloved actors on film with his memorable roles in Richard III, Gods and Monsters,Lord of the Rings, and X-Men series, Sir Ian McKellen will be the guest of the festival in cooperation with the British Council to receive the Cinema Honorary Award of the Istanbul Film Festival.

Ian McKellen will receive the award at the Opening Ceremony to be held on Tuesday, 4 April and will also meet film lovers at the screenings of Richard III to be shown in Beyoğlu Atlas and Rexx movie theatres. McKellen will also give a talk at Albert Long Hall at the Bosphorus University on Friday, 7 April.

Ian McKellen was honoured with the "Sir" title in 1990, and knighted for his contribution to the theatre in 1991. McKellen has won numerous prizes such as six Laurence Olivier Awards, a Tony Award, Golden Globe Awards, SAG Awards, BIF Awards, twice the Saturn Award, four times the Drama Desk Award, twice the Critics' Choice Film Award, and nominated twice for the Academy Award.

To date, British Council’s FiveFilms4Freedom Ambassador Sir Ian McKellen has acted in 108 films, written two film scripts and produced a film. He is recognised as a master in Shakespeare renditions in many stage plays he acted in.

The stage play No Man's Land, directed by Sean Mathias, written by Harold Pinter, starring Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart, will also meet theatre lovers co-hosted with National Theatre Live on April 3, 10, 11, 17, 24 and 25 screened at Salon İKSV.

Competitions across the festival

The competitions of the 36th Istanbul Film Festival will begin on 8 April. The winners of the International and National Golden Tulip, FACE Human Rights in Cinema, the National Documentary and the National Short Film competitions will be announced at the 36th Istanbul Film Festival Award Ceremony to be held on Friday,14 April.

INTERNATIONAL GOLDEN TULIP COMPETITION

In the International Competition section of the Istanbul Film Festival, 13 films from 11 countries, under the “New Perspectives in Cinema” theme will vie for the Golden Tulip.

The International Competition Golden Tulip Award, presented in memory of Şakir Eczacıbaşı, will be supported with a 25,000 Euro monetary award given by the Eczacıbaşı Group. The director of the Best Film will be awarded with 10,000 Euros, the distribution company of the film in Turkey will be awarded 10,000 Euros, and the director of the film to receive the Special Jury Prize will be awarded 5,000 Euros.

The jury of the International Golden Tulip Competition, presided by Reha Erdem, comprises director Syllas Tzoumerkas, scriptwriter and producer Katayoon Shahabi, film critic Boyd Van Hoeij and director Gabe Klinger.

International Golden Tulip Competition films:

·       Chez Nous / This is Our Land / Lucas Belvaux / France-Belgium

·       Chemi Bednieri Ojakhi / My Happy Family / Nana Ekvtimishvili, Simon Gros / Georgia-Germany-France

·       Bar Bahr / In Between / Maysaloun Hamoud / Israel

·       La jeune fille sans mains / The Girl Without Hands / Sébastien Laudenbach / France

·       Weirdos / Bruce McDonald / Canada

·       Lady Macbeth / William Oldroyd / United Kingdom

·       Zer / Kazım Öz /Turkey-Germany

·       O Ornitólogo / The Ornithologist / João Pedro Rodrigues / Portugal-France-Brazil

·       Manifesto / Julian Rosefeldt / Germany-Australia

·       Estiu 1993 / Summer 1993 / Carla Simon / Spain

·       Home / Fien Troch / Belgium

·       Casting / Nicolas Wackerbarth / Germany

·       Tiere / Animals / Greg Zglinski / Switzerland-Austria-Poland

HUMAN RIGHTS IN CINEMA: THE FILM AWARD OF THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE (FACE)

The Film Award of the Council of Europe (FACE) is being presented only at the Istanbul Film Festival since 11 years. The FACE Award endorsed by the Council of Europe and its coproduction fund Eurimages comprises a 10,000 Euros monetary prize and a statuette. The FACE Award Jury is comprised of scriptwriter and director Jo Sol, director and actress Derya Durmaz, Council of Europe Media Officer and Spokesperson Can Fişek, and Eurimages fund project manager Susan Newman-Baudais.  

Human Rights in Cinema Competition films:

·       Last Men in Aleppo / Feras Fayyad, Steen Johannessen / Denmark-Germany

·       Félicité / Alain Gomis / France-Belgium-Senegal-Germany-Lebanon

·       Slava / Glory / Kristina Grozeva, Petar Valchanov / Bulgaria-Greece

·       Raftan / Parting / Navid Mahmoudi / Afghanistan-Iran

·       Newton /  Amit Masurkar / India

·       Mavi Sessizlik / Blue Silence / Bülent Öztürk / Turkey-Belgium

·       Exil / Exile / Rithy Panh / France-Cambodia

·       I Am Not Your Negro / Raoul Peck / USA-France-Belgium

·       Plateia Amerikis / Amerika Square / Yannis Sakaridis / Greece-Germany-United Kingdom

·       Noces / A Wedding / Stephan Streker / Belgium-Pakistan-Luxembourg-France

NATIONAL GOLDEN TULIP COMPETITION

12films that were completed in the 2016-17 season will be vying for the Golden Tulip in the National Competition of the festival, 10 of them world premieres and 1 of them Turkey premiere.

The National Golden Tulip Competition Jury chaired by The Taylan Brothers will award prizes in 9 categories: Golden Tulip Best Film, Golden Tulip Best Director, Special Jury Award, Best Actress, Best Actor, Best Screenplay, Best Director of Photography, Best Editing, and Best Music.

Best Film selected by the National Competition Jury will be awarded 150,000 TL, the producer of the film winning the Special Jury Prizein memory of Onat Kutlar will be awarded 50,000 TL. The prizes for Best Actress and Best Actor will be 10.000 TL each. Best Director will be awarded 50.000 TL presented by Türk Tuborg A.Ş.

The National Competition Jury will be headed by directors The Taylan Brothers, with actor Nejat İşler, novelist, story writer and playwright Sema Kaygusuz, cinematographer Emre Erkmen, and editorÇiçek Kahraman as its members.

National Golden Tulip Competition films:

·       Taş / The Stone / Orhan Eskiköy

·       İşe Yarar Bir Şey / Something Useful / Pelin Esmer

·       Mahalle / Inside / Buğra Gülsoy, Serhat Teoman

·       Bütün Saadetler Mümkündür / All Felicities Are Possible / Selman Kılıçaslan

·       Zer / Kazım Öz

·       Kaygı / Inflame / Ceylan Özgün Özçelik

·       Mavi Sessizlik / Blue Silence / Bülent Öztürk

·       Sarı Sıcak / Yellow Heat / Fikret Reyhan

·       Murtaza / Özgür Sevimli

·       Martı / The Seagull / Erkan Tunç

·       Tereddüt / Clair Obscur / Yeşim Ustaoğlu

·       Kırık Kalpler Bankası / The Bank of Broken Hearts / Onur Ünlü

NATIONAL DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION

The Istanbul Film Festival will be awarding a 10,000 TL worth Best Documentary Award, in order to support documentary film-makers and documentary film production in Turkey. The National Documentary Competition jury consists of documentarians Lusin Dink, Ayşe Polat, and Federica Di Giacomo. Seven Turkey premieres will be held within the Istanbul Film Festival National Documentary Competition. 8 of the documentaries will have their Turkey premieres at the Istanbul Film Festival.

National Documentary Competition films:

·       Mana Mou İstanbul / Nihan Arısoy

·       Son Yaprak / The Last Leaf / Handan Erdil

·       Yeşil Kırmızı / The Red Green / Ersin Kana

·       Aşk Bitti / Acabou o Amor / Love is Over / Mert Kaya

·       Sessizliğin Kardeşleri / Birayên Bêdengiyê / Brothers of Silence / Taylan Mintaş

·       Derdo Ana ve Ceviz Ağacı / Mother Derdo and The Walnut Tree / Serdar Önal

·       Üçüncü Bölgeden Hücum Varyasyonları / Attack Variations from the Third Region / Sedat Şahin, Murat Adıyaman

·       Ah / Mustafa Ünlü

·       Blue / Mehmet Sertan Ünver

NATIONAL SHORT FILM COMPETITION

The National Short Film Competition will be held for the second time with the intent of encouraging short film making, supporting the development in this field, and bringing together the audience and short films of quality. The jury composed of directors Vincent Dieutre, Gürcan Keltek and Ziya Demirel will select the Best Short Film among 11 films which will be awarded 5,000 TL. FIPRESCI will also select a film to award the FIPRESCI Prize.

National Short Film Competition films:

·           Hinterlant / Sinan Kesova

·           Rodi / Gözde Yetişkin, Emre Sert

·           Siyah Çember / Hasan Can Dağlı

·           Evbark / Pınar Öğünç

·           Beyazperdeden Yeşil Sahaya / Özgür Demirci

·           İki Parça / Murat Uğurlu

·           Devrialem / Dilek Aydın

·           Nebile Hanımın Solucandeliği / Pınar Yorgancıoğlu

·           Zelal / Filiz Işık Bulut

·           Kot Farkı / Ayris Alptekin

·           Tavşan Kanı / Yağmur Altan

SEYFİ TEOMAN BEST DEBUT FILM PRIZE

The Istanbul Film Festival presents the Seyfi Teoman Best Debut Film Prize in memoriam director and producer Seyfi Teoman, who passed away in 2012. Director of the film awarded with the Seyfi Teoman Best Debut Film Prize will be presented 30,000 TL by CMYLMZ Fikirsanat. All the 13 debut feature fiction films from Turkey in the Turkish Cinema (National Golden Tulip Competition and “New Turkish Cinema”) sections are eligible for the prize. Seyfi Teoman Best Debut Film Prize jury consists of scriptwriter and director Ahu Öztürk, actress Şebnem Bozoklu and producer Sinan Yabgu Ünal.

Films to compete for the Seyfi Teoman Best Debut Film Award:

·           Mahalle / Inside / Buğra Gülsoy, Serhat Teoman

·           Bütün Saadetler Mümkündür / All Felicities Are Possible / Selman Kılıçaslan

·           Kaygı / Inflame / Ceylan Özgün Özçelik

·           Mavi Sessizlik / Blue Silence / Bülent Öztürk

·           Sarı Sıcak / Yellow Heat / Fikret Reyhan

·           Murtaza / Özgür Sevimli

·           Martı / The Seagull / Erkan Tunç

·           Paçi - Av Sanatı / Paçi - The Art Of Hunting / Elçin Elgür

·           Göçebe / Nomad / Emir Mavitan

·           Damat Koğuşu / Groom's Block / İlker Savaşkurt

·           Yeni Başlayanlar İçin Hayatta Kalma Sanatı / The Art Of Survival For Beginners / Burak Serbest / Turkey-Romania-Portugal

·           Orhan Pamuk’a Söylemeyin Kars’ta Çektiğim Filmde Kar Romanı da Var / Don’t Tell Orhan Pamuk That His Novel Snow Is in the Film I Made About Kars / Rıza Sönmez

·           Eşik / Verge / Erkan Tahhuşoğlu, Ayhan Salar / Turkey-Germany

FIPRESCI AWARD

The International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI) will award the FIPRESCI Award to a film each from the International Competition, the National Competition, and the National Short Film Competition. The FIPRESCI jury will be headed by Klaus Eder from Germany, and will include Alberto Castellano from Italy, Ofer Liebergall from Israel, Ladislav Volko from Slovakia and Abbas Bozkurt and Evrim Kaya from Turkey.

New Sections of the Festival

Cinemania

Originated from the love for the art of filmmaking, this section is constructed around “the passion for cinema,” “cinephilia,” and “Cinemania.” A portmanteau section, Cinemania comprises the highlights, the landmarks and milestones, the unforgettables of the world of cinema: masterpieces of a career in memoriam or in celebration; restored classics, lost films, cult movies, films on films, and surprises…

The Cinemania section line-up includes Abbas Kiarostami’s short film he made before he passed away last year, Take Me Home, and 76 Minutes and 15 Seconds with Abbas Kiarostami, the film about the master, directed by Kiarostami's co-worker, painter and photographer Seyfullah Samadian; Şerif Gören’s Yol written by Yılmaz Güney in Sinop Prison, to be shown in memory of Tarık Akan; the epic film of Francis Ford Coppola The Godfather to be shown in memory of Mithat Alam; Dario Argento’s best film and one of the best horror films of all time Suspiria; 1932 science fiction-horror cult film Island of Lost Souls to be shown in memory of Giovanni Scognamillo; 1984 based on George Orwell's classic novel to be shown in memory of John Hurt; Erdoğan Tokatlı’s drama Son Kuşlar / The Last Birds to be shown for the Cinema Honorary Award-recipient Selma Güneri; the original version of the cult cyberpunk manga adaptation Ghost in the Shell; one of the best films of the 2000s and the most original examples of the “new film noir” genre Mulholland Drive; and Minute Bodies: The Intimate World of F. Percy Smith directed by the frontman of Tindersticks, Stuart Staples.

Where are you my love?

Returning to the programme after a hiatus, Where Are You My Love? brings together films that say love has no age or gender and there are a thousand ways to find and look for love. Chavela, which had its world premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival, tells the story of the legendary singer Chavela Vargas, the brave, rebellious and lyrical voice; Irish scriptwriter and director John Butler’s impressive and moving coming-of-age film Handsome Devil, Bruce LaBruce’s provocative and avant-garde The Misandrists which had its first screening in Berlin, andTaekwondodirected by Marco Berger and Martín Farina are among the films in this section.

Festival’s stellar section: Galas

Istanbul Film Festival’s popular section Galas will include the Turkey premieres of 11 most anticipated films by celebrated directors and star actors. This year, the Galas section features a wide array of interesting, award-winning, and striking productions, including Personal Shopper, French director Olivier Assayas’ latest which stars Kristen Stewart; Lisa Azuelos’ Dalida which tells the tragic story of the famous singer; Rock’n Roll written, directed by and starring the acclaimed actor of the French cinema Guillaume Canet; The Midwife by Martin Provost, starring Catherine Frot and Catherine Deneuve; The Odyssey which tells the story of the relationship between “Captain” Jacques Cousteau with his son Philippe; Final Portrait, directed by veteran actor Stanley Tucci and starring Geoffrey Rush with Armie Hammer; Marc Webb’s Gifted starring Chris Evans; Ben Wheatley’s star-studded Free Fire, Jim Sheridan’s drama The Secret Scripturestarring Vanessa Redgrave and Rooney Mara, and Richard III written by and starring one of the most respected personalities of the British cinema, the veteran actor Ian McKellen, with his attendance.

Vincent Dieutre: Exercises in Solitude

The retrospective of Vincent Dieutre, the master of French experimental cinema will meet for the first time with the audience in Turkey in Vincent Dieutre: Exercises in Solitude. The audience will be able to watch films including the third episode of “Films of Europe” which Dieutre dedicates to Pasolini, Roland Wounded; focusing on several months of the Parisian refugees, Jaurés; a modern adaptation of Rossellini’s Journey to Italy, Journey into Post-history; a fragile and delicate story between France, the Netherlands and Belgium, Trilogy of Our Lives Undone; Vincent Dieutre’s first feature length film which he shot while he was writing and giving lectures at university, Rome désolée; a rediscovery of the neighbourhood he resides in Paris, Bonne Nouvelle; an emotional autobiographical documentary overlooking the 1970s Bologna, BolognaCentrale; the second episode of “Films of Europe” cycle in which Dieutre travelled to Berlin with the son of his friend, My Winter Journey; and the first episode of the “Films of Europe”, the emotional road movie Tenebrae Lessons.

A Turkish film classic, Ömer Kavur’s Motherland Hotel is on the screen with its restored copy

The Istanbul Film Festival has been running the project Turkish Classics Revisited for ten years now with the collaboration of Groupama, renovating significant works of the Turkish cinema and reintroducing them to modern viewers. This year sees the renovation of Anayurt Oteli / Motherland Hotel (1987), a film adaptation of Yusuf Atılgan’s novel of the same name directed by Ömer Kavur. The film, renovated by Fanatik Film, will meet the audience 30 years after its production. Anayurt Oteli /Motherland Hotel, regarded as Ömer Kavur’s masterpiece and accepted as one of the strongest literary adaptations in Turkish cinema, stars Macit Koper, and features Serra Yılmaz, Orhan Çağman andŞahika Tekand. The leading role Zebercet, one of the most unforgettable and iconic anti-heros of the Turkish cinema, is played by Macit Koper, one of the recipients of the Cinema Honorary Award of the Istanbul Film Festival this year. The gala screening of the restored version of Anayurt Oteli /Motherland Hotel will take place on Monday, April 10 at TİM Maslak Show Center.

Events of the festival

The 36th Istanbul Film Festival offers a dynamic schedule not only with its film programme, but also with its talks, concerts and events.

Festival Talk: Ian McKellen

Friday, 7 April, 16.00, Boğaziçi University Rectorate Conference Hall

Garnering more than 40 awards throughout his stage and film career, Sir Ian McKellen is a culture icon not only in the UK but also in the world. On stage, his memorable performances as Richard III, Napoleon and Hamlet are alongside the roles he took on in Shakespeare plays, modern theatre, fantasy or science fiction films, as well as two iconic figures: Magneto in the X-Men franchise, and Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings series. The British Council Films4Freedom Ambassador and an LGBTI activist, Ian McKellen will be meeting up at a festival talk with academic and film critic Melis Behlil, in collaboration with the British Council. Please e-mail filmcenter@boun.edu.tr for reservations.

Festival Talk: Yağmur Taylan & Durul Taylan

Wednesday, 12 April, 16.00, Salon İKSV

They have a versatility that encompasses genres such as psychological thrillers, dark comedy and period dramas both in their TV shows and films. They have also directed over 50 commercials. They currently are developing projects for Turkey-Middle East territories as well as for the United States. Heading this year’s jury for the Golden Tulip National Competition of the Istanbul Film Festival, Durul Taylan and Yağmur Taylan have accomplished on TV from Sır Dosyası / Secret Files to Muhteşem Yüzyıl / Magnificent Century, reportedly with an international audience of 200 million; and in cinema, from Okul / The School to Vavien–Best Turkish Film-winner at Istanbul Film Festival. The Taylan brothers will discuss their career in this festival talk, addressing film and TV, directing, genres and further projects. Reservations advised at rezervasyon.iksv.org to participate.

Vincent Deutre: Exercises in Solitude

Thursday, 13 April, 17.00, Pera Museum Auditorium

Vincent Dieutre’s films, which have garnered numerous awards, are both documentary and autobiographical; filled with music, painting and his own personal life, they constantly explore the borders between the cinema and contemporary art, theatrical screening and installation, and radio creation. The French experimental filmmaker who is also the part of the jury of this year’s National Short Film Competition, also has 9 films screened at this year’s festival programme in a special section. Following the screening of Bonne Nouvelle, his film about the neighbourhood he lives in Paris, Vincent Dieutre’s festival talk will take place at Pera Museum on Thursday, April 13 at 17.00. At this festival talk realised in collaboration with FOL Sinema, Dieutre will tell us about his artistic approach, and films adorned with sadness, journeys, observations of Europe, and solitude. Please make a reservation at info@folsinema.com to participate in the event.

Music from Films and Musicals

Saturday, 8 April, 21.00, Salon İKSV

In addition to the interviews and talks, a special concert themed "Music from Films and Musicals" will be realised with the participation of celebrated actors and musicians from Turkey within the scope of the 36th Istanbul Film Festival. Under the sponsorship of 100% Music, the concert will be held on Saturday evening, 8 April at Salon İKSV.

You can follow the up-to-date information on the festival events on film.iksv.org and on our social media accounts.

Meetings on the Bridge

Meetings on the Bridge, organised within the scope of the 36th Istanbul Film Festival for the 12th time, with the support of Istanbul Development Agency (ISTKA), brings filmmakers from Turkey and the neighbouring countries together with professionals from the international industry.

While providing an opportunity for filmmakers to hold the first international presentations of their new film projects at Film Development Workshop and films in post-production at Work in Progress, Meetings on the Bridge also aims to pave the way for co-productions and organises panels, master classes and forums. 

Neighbours platform was launched in 2015 in order to initiate new collaborations and enhance communication between filmmakers from Turkey and the neighbouring countries. The Neighbours platform builds a ground for institutions and individuals to co-operate while facilitating the development of common stories.

At the end of the workshop, projects and films to be selected by an international jury will be presented awards. Meetings on the Bridge Awardof 30,000 TL, Melodika Sound Post-Production Award, Mediterranean Film Institute (MFI) Script Workshop Award, and GeniusPark VFX Award will be given in Film Development Workshop; Color Up Award and Başka Sinema Award will be given in Work in Progress section. Also for the first time this year, Digiflame Post-production Award will be given in the Neighbours platform. The award reception of Meetings on the Bridge will take place on Tuesday, April 11.

Follow the festival on social media

All films in the festival programme were labelled with tags in 65 categories to ensure a smoother and easier selection process for our audiences while making their own itineraries for the Istanbul Film Festival. With this newly introduced system, you can easily distinguish the types and categories of the films with tags and choose the films you like.

You can follow all developments, all information on the films, events, and guests, and tips on the programme of the Istanbul Film Festival on our social media accounts and be the first to know. Enjoy the contests, get to know the programme well, get a chance to win surprise presents. Use the hashtag #istfilmfest17 to be part of the festival yourself. You can also access all information pertaining to the festival on İKSV Mobilapp, developed with the contributions of Vodafone Turkey and downloadable on AppStore and Google Play, and read the festival catalogue on your iPad on the İKSV Kitaplık app, downloadable on AppStore.

#istfilmfest17

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When and where festival tickets go on sale

Festival tickets will be available for purchase as of Saturday, 25 March at10.30. The tickets can be purchased on Biletix sales channels and from the box offices at the Atlas and Rexx movie theatres, without any service charge.

Ticket Prices

Weekday daytime screenings (11.00, 13.30, 16.00) are only8 TL; for students only 1 TL!

Weekday 19.00 screenings and weekends (11.00, 13.30, 16.00, 19.00) are 20 TL; for students and seniors (over 65) 14 TL.

All 21.30 screenings are 20 TL.

Screenings at Pera Museum are 8 TL.

Tulip Card holders will, as always, benefit from the advance sales and special discounts up to25% on the festival tickets. During the advance sale period, tickets can be purchased at the Atlas and Rexx movie theatres, as well as from the Tulip Card Communications Centre (+90 216 556 98 56), and on the Biletix website(biletix.com) and Biletix sales points. Advance sales period for Tulip Card members: 21 March for Black and White Tulip Card members and 22-23-24 March for Red and Yellow Tulip Card members.

An essential guide for filmgoers during the festival, festival catalogue with film synopses, festival schedule, events and all the details, will be on sale for 8 TL at Atlas and Rexx movie theatres and at İKSV as of Monday, 20 March.

Students enjoy weekday daytime screenings at 1 TL

A total of 20,000 festival seats for weekday screenings at 11.00, 13.30, and 16.00 will be reserved for students for 1 TL. Please see film.iksv.org for a detailed list of patrons who have contributed towards the realisation of this project. Students who benefit from 1 TL tickets will be required to present valid student IDs at the entrance. Viewers who do not present a valid student ID will have to purchase additional tickets compensating the difference between full price and discount tickets. These tickets are limited in capacity.

Supporters of the 36th Istanbul Film Festival

The 36th Istanbul Film Festival is held with the support of more than 20 institutions. The festival is organised by the generous support of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Republic of Turkey General Directorate of Cinema. The Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, Beşiktaş Municipality and Beyoğlu Municipality continue their publicity support for the festival.

There are 6 theme sponsors:

-     Türk Tuborg A.Ş.         “National Competition and Turkish Cinema”

-     Sabah Newspaper        “Best of the Fests”

-     ATV                             “Challenging the Years”

-     NTV                             “Documentary Time with NTV”

-     TLC                             “Antidepressant”

-     Nescafé Gold               “Young Masters”

The Istanbul Film Festival continues to reintroduce the distinguished works of the Turkish cinema on the silver screen in its “Special Screening: Turkish Classics Revisited” section, which was launched ten years ago under the sponsorship of the Groupama.

The Istanbul Film Festival continues its collaboration with the Goethe-Institut Istanbul, German Films, and Kino 2017, as it did in 2016, as well as numerous cultural institutes and foreign missions.

Istituto Italiano di Cultura, Institut Français Istanbul and many cultural institutes continue to support the festival this year.

The Leading Sponsor of all İKSV festivals is Eczacıbaşı Group, the Official Communications Sponsor is Vodafone Turkey, the Official Carrier is DHL Worldwide Express, and the Hotel Sponsor The Marmara Collection. The service sponsors are Zurich Sigorta, Memorial Health Group, Navitas, GFK, directComm and AGC.

21/29 April 2017 – Udine – Teatro Nuovo e Visionario

MADE IN HONG KONG

 The 19^th Far East Film Festival, Udine, Italy (April 21-29) will highlight 20 years of Hong Kong cinema in a specially curated programme “Creative Visions: Hong Kong Cinema 1997-2017” presented by Create Hong Kong in partnership with the Centro Espressioni Cinematografiche  which organizes the annual Far East Film Festival. The programme will kick off a series of similarly themed film programmes that Create Hong Kong is screening in 10 cities around the world to celebrate the 20^th Anniversary of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

“The Far East Film Festival began in 1998 with a programme of Hong Kong films,” explained the festival president Ms. Sabrina Baracetti. “The films were enthusiastically received by our audiences, not only from Italy but also from around Europe.” A highlight of the programme will be the international premiere of the 4K restored version of the first feature film by Fruit Chan. “Made in Hong Kong was one of the first films we presented from Hong Kong so we are very pleased to have been instrumental in the restoration of this seminal work. Fruit Chan has since gone on to make his name as one of Hong Kong’s leading filmmakers and producers. Fruit is a great friend of our festival and we are delighted to honour him in this way.” Fruit Chan will attend the screening of Made in Hong Kong in Udine.

Other films in the programme include works by Hong Kong filmmakers such as Johnnie To and Pang Ho-cheung, who have become regular visitors and supporters of the festival. The programme of 10 films also includes work by Ann Hui, Wong Kar-wai, and Soi Cheang among others.

“We are pleased to partner with the Centro Espressioni Cinematografiche and its Far East Film Festival which is now one of the premier showcases for popular Asian films in Europe” said Mr. Wellington Fung, Assistant Head of Create Hong Kong and Secretary-General of the Hong Kong Film Development Council, “Hong Kong filmmakers have shown themselves to be versatile and able to adapt to different trends, technologies and markets. They now make successful films in both China and Hong Kong for a range of markets. We are happy to celebrate 20 years of creativity and commercial instinct of our industry.”

Apart from the screenings, the programme will also include panel discussions with Hong Kong talents.

“Creative Visions: Hong Kong Cinema 1997-2017” is presented by Create Hong Kong, in partnership with the Centro Espressioni Cinematografiche Udine, with support from Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office Brussels. For this series, the Hong Kong International Film Festival is the project manager.

Creative Visions: Hong Kong Cinema 1997-2017 is an accredited event celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the establishment of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR).  

List of films

Made in Hong Kong (Fruit Chan, 1997)

A Simple Life (Ann Hui, 2011)

Love in a Puff (Pang Ho-cheung, 2010)

Infernal Affairs (Andrew Lau/Alan Mak, 2002)

Kung Fu Hustle (Stephen Chow, 2004)

The Grandmaster (Wong Kar-wai, 2013)

The Mission (Johnnie To, 1999)

After This Our Exile (Patrick Tam, 2006)

Ip Man (Wilson Yip, 2008)

Accident (Soi Cheang, 2009)

Create Hong Kong is a dedicated office established in June 2009 by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government to lead, champion and drive the development of the creative economy in Hong Kong. It provides one-stop services and staunch support to the industries, including administration and management of funding schemes related to creative industries, providing facilitation services for location filming in Hong Kong for both local and overseas films, and is responsible for the regulatory control of special effects materials for film shooting and theatrical performances.

The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Brussels (HKETO, Brussels) is the official representation of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government to the European Union and 15 European countries, including Italy. The HKETO, Brussels promotes the bilateral relations between Italy and Hong Kong. 

Far East Film Festival is the world’s largest showcase of Asian popular cinema. More than 70 feature films in 9 days of tight screening programme, a chance to meet the artists, daily themed panel discussions and important retrospectives. Born in 1999 after the enthusiastic success achieved in 1998 by the Hong Kong Film focus, Far East Film is about to reach its 19th edition in Udine (Italy), still representing a unique opportunity to experience current trends in Eastern Asian film-making. Every year, during its nine days of screenings, Far East Film offers the chance to watch the most successful recent Asian releases as well as staging important retrospectives. In the pleasant, informal and relaxing Festival mood, the newest feature films from the Far East (China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, Philippines, Vietnam, Singapore and Thailand) are presented along with tributes and focuses on specific directors.

CROSSING THE SCREEN is a new international film festival taking place in the evocative Town of Eastbourne, East Sussex, meant to showcase innovative and independent forms of visual art from all over the world. 

A successful 1^st year, in 2016, presented 81 International short films (34 UK premieres, 6 International premieres and 5 World premieres), including previous selections from Cannes IFF, Berlin IFF and Sundance IFF.
The Festival also displayed a Virtual Reality Filmmaking workshop, accredited by Creative Skillset, under the umbrella of the BFI.

CROSSING THE SCREEN 2017 (November 2017) will introduce for the first time a section for feature narrative films, running beside a strong short film programme.

Submissions for the 2017 edition are now open and will end on the 15^th of September 2017.

www.crossingthescreen.org
Facebook: www.facebook.com/crossingthescreen/
Twitter: @CrossingScreen

Awards and Cash Prizes 2017:

CROSSING THE SCREEN AWARD (to the Best Overall Feature Production):
£400 + Crossing The Screen Statuette + Certificate

CROSSING THE SCREEN AWARD (to the Best Overall Short Production):
£200 + Crossing The Screen Statuette + Certificate

MMBF Rising Star Award:
£150 + MMBF plaque, opportunities to get work experience within the Film Industry (within the UK only), as well as tickets for film festivals & film related events.

BEST NARRATIVE SHORT FILM:
Award Statuette + Certificate

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT FILM:
Award Statuette + Certificate

BEST ANIMATION SHORT FILM:
Award Statuette + Certificate

BEST EXPERIMENTAL SHORT FILM:
Award Statuette + Certificate

BEST STUDENT SHORT FILM:
Award Statuette + Certificate

BEST SUSSEX SHORT FILM:
Award Statuette + Certificate

The Neuchâtel International Fantastic Film Festival announces what is to come for its 17th edition’s NIFFF EXTENDED. Digital creation, audiovisual storytelling and contemporary literature are but some parts of this multidisciplinary brainstorming and networking forum dedicated to the fantasy genre. It will be composed of four main events: EPIC GAME JAM, IMAGING THE FUTURE, STORYWORLDS and NEW WORLDS OF FANTASY. In addition to being a free and complementary extension of the festival, NIFFF EXTENDED will gather together around 50 Swiss and international experts who will share their vision of the genre’s future.