From March 1-12 the Film Society of Lincoln Center and UniFrance presented the 22^nd edition of this annual French Cinema film festival showcasing 23 films including new film makers and established ones exploring a broad spectrum of themes. Among special topics covered by panels and events were interaction and mutual influence of the French and American culture.  As in past editions the Rendezvous with French Cinema included many films that revived motivations for the French equivalent of the Oscars, the Cesar Award. Special events featured Agnes Varda, a free screening of an episode of the French series Call my Agent, a panel, on film as a political factor and seminar on French  film musicians and composers.

This annual fest was co-presented by the Film Society and UniFrance and supported by various French governmental ministries, Renault Nissan, TV5 Monde, the ENGINE Foundation, and other agencies. The sample of films discussed below indicate that contemporary French cinema is innovative and thought provoking, fostering a reflexive view of contemporary society and its issues.

Slack Bay , Bruno Dumont,  2016      

Slack Bay stands out as a semi-surreal depiction of the social class conflict early last century as exemplified by the comedic and awkward encounter of a bourgeois extended family and locals in a small seaside village.  In this period piece the family spends summers in their sea side home with locals providing services.  The members of the bourgeois clan are immured in their clothing and speech patterns, hardly able to engage in meaningful communication with each other, seemingly suffering from mental handicaps. This defect may be prompted by the apparent intermarriages of family members. The cast plays out the family roles in a most convincing fashion. Their counterpart is a local family carrying the well clad bourgeoisie over shallow waters when a boat is not available. The workers and their four children are not as typified as the summer visitors. They wear disheveled clothing all the time and their behavior seems natural, lacking the cardboard appearance of the summer guests.  As a brief scene in the beginning of the story reveals, the children of the workers family enjoy devouring human flesh, prepared by their mother. This food preference is tied to the mysterious disappearance of tourists from that area. The poor capture the rich and kill them for their meal times, a fate that is waiting for members of the visiting family. Among the overdrawn figures are the family members, and a bumbling obscenely obese police chief who cannot stand up without falling Slack Bay celebrates the absurd and is thoroughly enjoyable.

Raw, Julia Durcournau, 2016   

Whereas Dumont’s film is a parody of manners, Raw does not permit for rumor and comedy. Like Slack Bay though, the film is also captivating. Set across a week in contemporary society it focuses on two you women. As a sixteen year old brilliant student Justine has been admitted to a veterinary college where her parents also got their degrees. She joins there her sister Alexia who is an advanced student. During the first week of classes students engage in the traditional ritual of hazing newcomers through established pranks, degradation rituals, orgiastic parties, and submission to the commands of older students.  Justine expected only to study and is totally unprepared for the hazing. Her sister Alexia refuses to help her, supporting and embracing the forced hazing which includes eating raw meat, an abhorrent act for the vegetarian Justine.  Having digested a rabbit’s raw kidney Justine seems to begin changing. When Alexia tries to remove Justine’s pubic hair as part of the hazing she accidentally cuts her own finger off and faints. Following an impulse Justine licks the blood and enjoys eating morsels of the finger’s meat. From this point on she develops a craving for human flesh. Alexia causes a car accident to provide Justine with a body to eat, but Justine refuses.  By now she has realized that that Alexia has a cannibalistic craving.   Justine’s friend Adrien stays over with whom she had her first sexual encounter. Justine discovers in the morning hours that he is dead and much of his leg has been cannibalized. Alexia has blood all over her and Justine cleans her up. Alexia is jailed and after Justine and her father visit her they have dinner. Her father reveals the bite-marks on his chest left behind by his wife when they were young.. Raw is a superb film where all the edits and verbal exchanges have a function. Nothing is superfluous. Ducournau has ensured that all supportive elements have the desired impact; the score, the makeup; scene locations, color coordination, and special effects to mention but some. The film brings the best of independent film making.

Heal the Living  (France Belgium, 2016) 

Co-written and directed by the seasoned Katell Quillevere Heal the Living differs sharply from the surreal parody of manner of Slack Bay and the fate shaping cannibalism in Raw. It explores in two narrative components a heart transplant from a braindead teenager, Simon victim of a car accident, to a middle aged musician suffering from a degenerative heart disease while taking care of her two teenage children. Heal the Living is based on Maylis De Kerangal‘s well-received novel and its screenplay was co-written by Quillevere. The director chose an outstanding cast of actors which in turn delivered a sterling ensemble performance. The film has an outstanding score produced with the help of Alexandre Desplat and equally compelling cinematography by Tom Harari. In the earlier portions of the film Quillevere the characters of Simon, his friends, and his mother who lives separated from his father. Quillevere adopts in the latter portion a more pragmatic and seemingly detached approach in her meticulous recording of the stages of the heart transplant procedures. The presentation of the large medical staff and transport of the heart is clinical and the depiction of the reaction of the teenager’s parents and the musician’s family and close friend to the risks of the transplant somehow detached. The film avoids a melodramatic tone and succeeds instead in making the audience aware of the complexity of the themes presented by the director in her semi-documentary approach.

Claus Mueller      filmexchange@gmail.com 

The Fajr International Film Festival has unveiled the poster for the Eastern Vista (Panorama of Films from Asian and Islamic Countries) category.

The organizers have named the 12 countries which will take part in this category: China, Japan, Turkey, India, Kazakhstan, Georgia, Bangladesh, Singapore, Kyrgyzstan, South Korea, Afghanistan and Jordan. Three Iranian feature length films will also vie for the Simorgh awards.

The 35th edition of Fajr International Film Festival has released the poster for 20th ifm Iranian International Market.

According to the organizers, 47 Iranian and international companies are taking part in this year’s market event, during which they will sell the rights to their Fajr-supported films and TV programs.

This year, Video Data Bank continues its longstanding collaboration with the festival. The section presents an international selection of artists’ film and video work that expands upon our notions of what the moving image can do and be. Drawing on a broad range of innovative modes and techniques, the Video Data Bank brings together a diverse offering of this year’s short, medium, and feature-length works by some of the most vital and groundbreaking filmmakers and artists.

The Film Market section will premiere 33 Iranian feature-length works with English subtitles. The idea is to give these selected films more international exposure. At least 20 distribution companies from 30 countries in the same spending bracket as the major film companies are in participation.

Two workshops are hitting the slopes at the Film Market section as well, hoping to charm young filmmakers and artists they want to bring into the fold.

The 35th edition of Fajr International Film Festival will take place from Friday 21 to Friday 28 April in Tehran.

© Bronx (Paris). Photo : Claudia Cardinale © Archivio Cameraphoto Epoche/Getty Images

“True dialogue implies the recognition of the other for both his identity and his otherness!”

African Proverb

The 12th edition of the International Oriental Film Festival of Geneva (FIFOG) opens on April 1, with the projection of Chaâba, du Bled au Bidonville by Wahid Chaïb and Laurent Benitah, preceded by Make Art, Not War by Yannis Ben Jelloun. Azouz Begag, honorary president of FIFOG 2017 and two of the directors will attend this event.

During this Big Documentary Weekend, several movies dealing with topics like Daesh, Syria, Children rights and 'Living together' will be screened in presence of their directors. Among these movies, the world premiere of Fabrication d'un monstre by Paul Moreira, a Première Lignes production and Canal Plus participation.

FIFOG 2017 IN NUMBERS

·         100 movies

·         Special Documentary weekend: April 1st and 2nd at Fonction : Cinema

·         Opening Movie: Le Chant des hommes by Bénédicte Liénard and Mary Jiménez

·         Closing ceremony: My China Doll by Rachid Ferchiou.

·         3 categories: 16 documentaries, 40 feature films, 44 short films

·         Women directors : 8 documentaries, 11 feature films and 13 short films

·         3 movies by Youssef Chahine    

·         2 movies featuring Samy Naceri 

·         1 movie featuring Paul Riniker    

·         25 screening locations 

·         Partner Geneva Municipalities: Geneva, Vernier, Presinge, Grand-Saconnex, Vandoeuvres, Satigny, Perly-Certoux, Meinier.

·         30 countries: Afghanistan, Algeria, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Armenia, Australia, Bangladesh, Belgium, Canada, China, Egypt, France, Georgia, Great Britain, Iraq, Iran, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Lebanon, Luxembourg, Morocco, Palestine, Netherlands, Qatar, Switzerland, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey and the USA

·         109 directors: 35 women and 74 men

·         80 guests

·         8 competitions with 8 jurys : Competitions for feature films, shorts and documentaries; Golden Critic Award; Swiss Made Competition; 3 scholar competitions

·         More than 150 partners

TRAILER

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zk-93o2C5VU

CATALOGUE 

http://fifog.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/CATALOGUE-FIFOG-2017.pdf

Website:

www.fifog.com

5 – 9 April 2017

The 15th annual Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles opens next week on Wednesday, April 5, and runs through Sunday, April 9. Passes and tickets are now on sale!

Our incredible lineup to celebrate this landmark year is filled with exciting in-person appearances, and has something for every taste.

Adil Hussain joins us for the Closing Night Gala of Shubhashish Bhutiani's debut feature HOTEL SALVATION. The film tells a wry but heartfelt story about an aging man who waits for the end of his life with his dutiful son in the holy city of Varanasi. Bhutiani is an IFFLA alum whose short film KUSH won our Audience Award in 2014. 

We're thrilled to welcome legendary tabla maestro Zakir Hussain and Symphony Orchestra of India associate music director Zane Dalal to the festival, for a screening of short documentary AN INDIAN ACCENT, and then a discussion recounting their work on brilliant orchestra concerto Peshkar. 

Nisha Ganatra, a multitalented director, writer and actor who has proven herself to be one of the leading voices of the filmmaking community, joins us for a discussion of her career along with some of her collaborators including Elaine Hendrix, Parish Cheen and Jason George, following a screening of her dazzling 1999 debut featureCHUTNEY POPCORN.

Filmmaker Roundtable offers the rare opportunity to see many of IFFLA's filmmakers in person all at once. Hosted by Sundance senior programmer John Nein, this event promises to be a lively discussion about the state of the Indian film industry.

The full lineup is here.

Documentaries at IFFLA 2017 This year IFFLA features three stunning and eclectic documentaries. Shirley Abraham and Amit Madheshiya's THE CINEMA TRAVELLERS is a poignant elegy for the end of traditional film exhibition. Khushboo Ranka and Vinay Shukla's AN INSIGNIFICANT MAN follows the AAP's yearlong campaign to wrestle power away from India's political establishment. And Rahul Jain's Sundance winner MACHINES gains almost unlimited access to the dehumanizing world of textile production.

Passes and tickets now on sale! All Access or Fest Pass are the best way to experience the festival. As a Pass holder you have the opportunity to immerse yourself in our entire five-day program of screenings and events (including opening night film LIPSTICK UNDER MY BURKHA, and closing night film HOTEL SALVATION), meet filmmakers and fellow festival goers at parties, and enjoy the IFFLA lounge between screenings. Learn more.

BroadcastAsia 2017, I

At BroadcastAsia 2017, May 23-25, Singapore, major brands and solution providers will be showcasing their latest products in the fields of cinematography and film production.  Among the products to be showcased are:

G-TECHNOLOGY

A transportable, hardware RAID, 8-Bay Thunderbolt™ 2 solution, offering content creators colossal capacity and high definition performance. Designed to support multi-stream 4K workflows and beyond, the G-SPEED Shuttle XL can be configured in RAID 0, 1, 5, 6, 10, features transfer rates up to 1200MB/s, enterprise-class hard drives and the trusted G-Technology 3-year warranty. Leverage on the flexibility of the Evolution Series with 2 ev Series bay adapters which allows use of the G-DRIVE ev. It is the ultimate storage solution for demanding video workflows on location and in the studio.

PANTHER

The Maximus stabilised head employs a completely new proprietary approach to alleviate external rotation disturbances. The product provides incomparable stability and is extremely versatile in movements in all directions with complete freedom to be mounted in any direction. The Maximus 7 stabilised head keeps virtually perfect horizon even under high G-forces. The product has excellent static and dynamic stability, allowing long lenses to be used.

RED

RED EPIC-W™ camera supports RED’s commitment to putting industry-leading cinema tools in the hands of many. EPIC-W with the HELIUM 8K S35 sensor captures 8K full format motion at up to 30 fps and is also capable of simultaneous REDCODE RAW plus Apple ProRes or Avid DNxHD/HR recording.

SONY

Shoot and move. Handheld, shoulder-mount or suspended from a gimbal. FS7 II dramatically improves the experience of shooting with one of the world’s most versatile Super 35mm camcorders. From an all-new lens mount to world-leading Electronic Auto Variable ND system and enhanced ergonomics, transform the possibilities of what you can do.

ZEISS

Made up of 7 different lens families for digital single-lens reflex (SLR) cameras, mirrorless compact system cameras (CSC) or rangefinders, ZEISS photography lenses can also be used for cinematography. The SLR lenses (ZEISS Otus, ZEISS Milvus and ZEISS Classic lens families) offer filmmakers a precise and smooth focus pull, a solid metal barrel, high contrast and an amazing bokeh, while the CSC lenses (ZEISS Loxia lens family) are the perfect companions for Sony PXW FS7, PXW FS5 and for the mirror-less Alpha cameras due to the small size and robustness.

OMEGRANATE AWARD FOR LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT OPENING NIGHT

Morocco’s culture of co-existence between Muslims and Jews will be celebrated on Opening Night of the NY Sephardic Jewish Film Festival’s 20th Anniversary Edition on 30 March. The evening is dedicated to Mr. André Azoulay, who serves as Counsellor to His Majesty Mohammed VI, King of Morocco. US government officials, foreign diplomats, and leaders within the cultural, academic, philanthropic, and business communities will join the American Sephardi Federation (ASF) in honoring Mr. Azoulay.

Mr. Azoulay is receiving ASF’s Pomegranate Award for Lifetime Achievement in recognition of his remarkable life’s work exemplifying the Moroccan tradition of tolerance through the arts, especially with the founding of the Essouira-Mogador Foundation for Arts, Culture, and Heritage and Essouira’s Festival des Andalousies Atlantiques, as well as his support of Association Mimouna, a movement of young Moroccan Muslims who preserve and promote the Moroccan Jewish heritage as an essential part of the Moroccan identity.

Mr. Azoulay’s fête, co-presented with Association Mimouna, will include a reception of kosher Moroccan delicacies and live musical performances, including by Israeli-Moroccan singer Neta Elkayam, who, with her partner Amit Cohen, creates original Moroccan Judeo-Arabic compositions.

The Pomegranate Award is designed by renowned Baghdad-born artist and ASF Board member Oded Halahmy, the proprietor of the Pomegranate Gallery in Soho and Jaffa.

Mr. André Azoulay

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

First preview of the 2017 line-up: from the bizarre comedy - produced by Pang Ho-cheung - Nail Clipper Romance about a red-haired girl who lives off nail clippers through the amazing trans costumes of Die Beautiful to the splatter-horror-gore of The Sleep Curse;

from 52Hz, I Love You, the Taiwanese La La Land, to the International Premiere of Love Off The Cuff and Kung Fu Yoga with Jackie Chan, a packed programme from the most anarchic and surprising corners of Asian cinema.

Press release of the 31 March 2017

For immediate release

Ø  Click here to download hi-res photos

UDINE - Expect the unexpected isn't just the title of a (wonderful) old Hong Kong detective movie by Patrick Yau: it's the short, perfect chemical formula which captures the essence of all – absolutely all - of Asian cinema. There are places, like those we find in fairy tales or in dreams, where anything can happen, and Asian cinema is undoubtedly one of them. The fans know that, as does the Far East Film Festival in Udine  from the 21^st to the 29^th of April, which is about to declare its nineteenth edition open and which has never stopped exploring, experiencing and describing the unexpected.

Nearly twenty years of visions which are extreme, anarchic and unsettling whatever their genre or narrative slant: rather than being a question of technique or aesthetic, it's a question of soul. A natural inclination (and a formidable talent) for the unexpected, in fact, and once again this year visitors will have a great deal to admire. A great deal, running the gamut from comedy to splatter, for example as well as from love story to musical. A preview of the substantial 2017 line-up which, let's not forget, will be unveiled in full on the 13^th of April.

Unexpected is certainly the right word for Nail Clipper Romance by Jason Kwan, produced by one of the FEFF's dearest friends (and based on his own short story): we're talking about that bad boy Pang Ho-cheung, icon of indomitable made-in-Hong Kong creativity, who will also be presenting Love Off the Cuff (third chapter in the bizarre romantic saga that began with Love in a Puff and continued with Love in the Buff) at Udine. The debut film by Jason Kwan, filmed in Hawaii and with a score by Italian composer Gabriele Roberto, stars a girl who is on a slightly unusual diet: ...nail clippers! Is there anything else to say, except that Nail Clipper Romance is a romantic comedy?

Unexpected is definitely the word for the question mark that gave birth to Kung Fu Yoga by Stanley Tong (it will be released in Italy with Notorious): what happens when two completely different disciplines – two disciplines no one (let's be honest) imagines having anything in common – are brought together? His Majesty Jackie Chan makes an appearance is what happens – the super guest of the 2015 FEFF is once again a guarantee of full-power action and comedy! We're in the world of family-friendly popcorn movies here, of course, with the same dream team which in recent years has dominated the Asian box office (Police Story 3: Super Cop, Rumble in the Bronx) and delighted millions of viewers.

Unexpected is also definitely the right word for The Sleep Curse by Herman Yau, another old friend of the Festival, who, to the delight of his most fervent admirers, returns to his first (great) love: splatter. Or, to be precise, gore. If you think you're ready for anything, prepare yourselves to see the glorious duo from Untold Story (1993) and Ebola Syndrome (1996) back in action: yes, the legendary Herman has brought the equally legendary Anthony Wong back to the set ! An extreme film, not recommended for the easily-shocked, which rewrites - in blood - the rules of the genre. 

Unexpected is the perfect description of 52Hz, I Love You by Wei Te-sheng, which we can consider to all intents and purposes Taiwan's answer to La La Land (or should that be the other way round?), and just as unexpected is the Philippine Die Beautiful by Jun Robles Lana: an irresistible, chaotic, multicoloured transgender comedy that is already destined to become a cult! It is the story of Trisha, played by actor Paolo Ballesteros, a beauty queen who dies suddenly during her coronation ceremony. Her last wish is to have an unforgettable wake so, to get around her ultra-right wing father, her friends steal her corpse. They will leave it on display for ten days, as per Filipino tradition, and every night it will be transformed by make up into a different celebrity, from Madonna to Shakira!

Nearly twenty years of extreme, anarchic and unsettling visions bursting from the big screen of the Far East Film Festival, we were saying, and as happens only in fairy tales or in dreams, Asian cinema continues to fill our eyes with wonder...

4 nights of amazing indie films await you as FirstGlance Film Festivals celebrates its 17th year in Los Angeles in a brand new venue in the amazing North Hollywood Arts District at the Laemmle Theatre.

Get ready for more screenings, more films and more nights as FirstGlance expands due to popular demand!

Over 40 award winning films from features to shorts, to webseries and more! One of the most diverse array of filmmakers in our history and amazing films from all corners of the planet!

And for the first time in our history, a LIVE AWARDS CEREMONY on SUNDAY CLOSING NIGHT!

FirstGlance Film festivals began in 1996 in the basement of a small theater in Center City Philadelphia. It started as a small theatre company in Philadelphia that wanted to help fellow filmmakers get their projects shown in a public venue for others to enjoy. Its mission was a one time weekend to show projects that might otherwise not be seen by moviegoers in the Philadelphia area. With a rented video projector and a bunch of large screen TVs, they had a successful weekend showing about 20 projects to about 150 people...The FirstGlance Film Festival was born. FirstGlance decided to move forward and make its festival an annual event. With filmmaker interest, their sister festival opened in Burbank California in 2000 to a similar audience in a 35 seat screening room and has also become a growing annual event.

Having currently produced 34 independent film festivals, FirstGlance is Philadelphia's Independent Film Festival since 1996 and one of the fastest growing indie film fests in Los Angeles!

The 16^th edition of Transilvania International Film Festival (June 2-11, 2017) announces increased joined activities related to film industry, as part of the continuous work to promote cinema and establish a platform for international co-production.

The 4^th edition of Transilvania Pitch Stop (TPS), the successful initiative focused, until recently, only on development and pitching of local feature film projects, extends internationally as of this year. The program was included by Eurimages Fund among the European industry events to present the Eurimages Co-production Development Award amounting to €20,000.

TPS aims to discover a strong selection of projects from Romania and the countries around Romania destined for European co-production such as: Hungary, Bulgaria, Serbia, Ukraine, Russia, Moldova, Greece, Turkey and Georgia. The program aims to foster cross-border cooperation especially between the Black Sea countries and other countries invited to be part of the initiative.

“It's an honor for us to be among the 10 European festivals to grant the Eurimages Co-production Development Award. It's a sign of appreciation for the success of our industry-related initiatives throughout the years and for the efforts to boost international co-productions. We continue our mission, to discover young talents, by developing a platform for the countries around Romania and the Black Sea. It's always hard to co-produce for 1st and 2nd time directors, especially in this part of Europe”, says Dorina Oarga, Head of Industry, Transilvania IFF.

TPS will presents a selection of approximate 12 projects, coming from 1st and 2nd time directors, currently in development and financing to international film professionals, facilitating their international visibility and establishing the right connections to ensure financing for their projects. Directors and producers of the selected projects will be invited to the industry event organized by Transilvania IFF on June 9th & 10th, to publicly present their project, followed by one-to-one meetings and discussions.

A jury of international professionals along with a representative from Eurimages will award the Eurimages Co-production Development Award, which goes to one of the projects presented in the TPS co-production market.

Additionally, first and second time filmmakers from Romania and Moldova are eligible for the TPS development workshop, providing guidance on script development, as well as training and a platform for pitching the projects in front of prospective partners. Up to five projects will take part in a four-day workshop (between June 5th– 8th). Only two of them will be selected to compete, along with the international ones, for the TPS awards.

The regulations can be checked here.

Deadline: 27th of April, 2017
Selected projects to be announced by May 8th, 2017.
In order to submit the project and the required material, applicants need to create an account on eventival.eu, following this link: https://vp.eventival.eu/tiff/2017 

More details on www.tiff.ro.
For inquiries, please contact us: tps@tiff.ro.

***

In 2017, the industry program at Transilvania IFF consists also of Transilvania Talent Lab (TTL), a workshop dedicated to professionals involved in the management of cinemas. Together with Shorts TV, Transilvania IFF will organize the second edition of The Pitch, giving filmmakers from Transylvania the chance to win a € 5,000 funding for their short film. This year, the festival will host project partners LIM - Less is More, the European platform for project development of limited budget feature films created by Le Groupe Ouest, and First Films First, an intensive professional training program aimed at supporting young Southeast European film directors to develop their first feature-length fiction film, initiated by Goethe-Institut Young Directors´ Academy South-Eastern Europe.

The industry program will also include closed screenings for industry members and special screenings of the newest Romanian films, debates and masterclasses, lining-up experts in audience development, and script writing, film directors. 

We have partnered with hundreds of festivals and film Market (Cannes, AFM, MIfed, TIFF) here are afew.

Fantasporto Film Festival 2010 -2017

Bruno Chatelin (left) with Fantasporto Festival Director Mario Dorminsky and Vassilis Mazomenos 

New York Jewish Sephardic Film Festival March 30th - April 6th, 2017