The 15th Anniversary Scandinavian Film Festival L.A.(SFFLA) “Surfs the Celluloid Sea” with cinema from across North Atlantic and Baltic waters Jan 18, 19, 25, 26 at the Writers Guild Theater 135 S. Doheny in Beverly Hills. The annual immersion into Nordic films from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden adds "Hanseatic happenings" to the mix with a Norwegian/German co-production, and “Baltic Film Expo@ SFFLA” offering a film from each of the Baltic neighbors-- Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia.

"Northern European countries have often taken to the seas with a cargo of culture, commerce, and collaboration,” says festival founder/director James Koenig. “And we have an exciting program that follows old routes to new worlds and around the North Atlantic/Baltic neighborhood. We are pleased to be ‘nosey neighbors’ and see what’s going on next door!”

The opening night gala Jan 18 precedes the U.S. premiere of Danish Director Ask Hasselbalch’s ANTBOY. The upbeat kid-flick for kids of all ages illustrates the inspiration of the super-hero genre and proves that Nordic film isn’t all sombre. Opening “day” unreels Icelandic Director Marteinn Thorsson’s XL, a pre-rehab political party. Norwegian short THE WALL leads into Kurdish-Norwegian Director Hisham Zaman’s BEFORE SNOWFALL, an untraditional road movie about family, love, dignity and honor. Then a short animated documentary IT’S UP TO YOU about growing up with a father in jail leads to the Norwegian Oscar entry I AM YOURS from Iram Haq, a love story about a young Pakistani immigrant to Norway making a life and looking for love.    Then it’s Icelandic Oscar contender Benedikt Erlingsson OF HORSES AND MEN, a country romance about “the human streak in the horse and the horse in the human.”

Jan 19 begins with Finnish director Hanna Hemila’s documentary PAAVO, A LIFE IN FIVE COURSES about the man who became butler, chef, and confidant of Ingrid Bergman. Then the Nordic crime film genre gets a decidedly Finnish spin with Director Aku Louhimies’ drug thriller 8-BALL. Then it’s on to a heartfelt account of the difficulties, delights, and dilemma’s of childhood with Finnish Actor/Director/Writer Peter Franzen’s autobiographical feature film debut ABOVE DARK WATERS. ( Paradigm signed Franzen to star in a Pierre Morel-directed spy thriller "The Gunman" opposite Sean Penn and Javier Bardem). The Swedish Oscar submission EAT, SLEEP, DIE follows. The film is Director Gabriela Pichler’s feature film debut about a young girl who loses her job but struggles to stay in her small village despite government pressure to leave. Next comes Danish Oscar submission THE HUNT from Thomas Vinterberg, in which 40 year old Lucas, played by Mads Mikkelsen, struggles after a tough divorce to maintain a relationship with his son, and fights for his life and dignity against small-town hysteria caused by a random lie. The day concludes with Danish Director Billie August’s richly detailed account of a complex, contradictory and ultimately very modern woman-- MARIE KROYER, wife of one of Denmark’s greatest painters, whose life changes drastically after her husband’s health fails and he becomes mentally unstable and she falls in love with Swedish composer Hugo Alfven. His first film in Danish in 25 years, his “Pelle the Conqueror” won the Oscar, Golden Globe, and Palme D’or in 1987. Billie August, who has made many prominent International films, has been a guest at SFFLA where he mentored young film makers.

On January 25 Week II commences with THE HOUR OF THE LYNX from Danish Director Soren Kragh-Jacobsen with a race against time for two women, a psychiatrist and a priest, who embark on a journey into the mind of a disturbed young killer. MUSHROOMING, a comedic political drama follows from Estonian Director Toomas Hussar. Latvia’s Oscar choice MOTHER I LOVE YOU, a striking coming of age drama from Director Janis Nords, continues the day. The Finnish Oscar entry THE DISCIPLE follows from Director Ulrika Bengts. Set on an island in the Baltic Sea a 13 year boy sent to work in a lighthouse wins the keeper’s approval but comes into conflict with the man’s son, as a dark family secret emerges. Then it’s on to a special Swedish award and CALL GIRL. The SWEA (Swedish Women’s Educational Association) Film Grant will be presented to model maker Anders Hellstrom preceding CALL GIRL from Director Mikael Marcimain chronicling the story of a young girl recruited into a ruthless world of prostitution. The night ends “up against an unknown deadly force” in the horror genre with the chilling FROST from Icelandic Director Reynir Lyndal.

January 26 RELIANCE from Swedish Director WIlliam Olsson opens the day. In the aftermath of an assault on a 15 year old girl, a family’s cohesion is tested. Then it’s Lithuanian Oscar entry Giedre Beinoriute’s CONVERSATIONS ON SERIOUS TOPICS. The main subjects of the documentary film are children and teenagers with “a special ability to describe the surrounding world” in conversations that are “at times melancholic, at times comical, at times dramatic.” Next Danish Director Annette K Olesen takes aim with her political thriller THE SHOOTER the tale of a geophysicist who resorts to extreme methods to save the arctic from the slippery slope of oil extraction. Next it’s the German/Norwegian co-production which is Germany’s Oscar submission-- ZWEI LEBEN (Two Lives) from Director Georg Maas, which co-stars iconic Norwegian actor/director Liv Ullmann. After the Berlin Wall has fallen, a woman and her daughter living in Norway, are called to testify in a trial and must ultimately decide what carries more weight, the life they are living or the lie it is based on?

Finally the “sweet, charming, funny” closing film of the festival is Lukas Moodysson’s WE ARE THE BEST. The film was one of the highlights at the Toronto Film Festival. Set in Stockholm 1982, three 13-year old girls who “act tough” to face the world, form a punk band without having instruments, and defy the popular claim that punk is dead.

Parent organization of SFFLA is The American Scandinavian Foundation of Los Angeles. The festival receives support from the Barbro Osher Pro Suecia Foundation, ELMA (European Languages and Movies in America), SWEA (Swedish Women's Educational Association), as well as assistance from Nordic Consulates and Embassies, Baltic Consulates and Embassies, and national film institutes, as well as individual and corporate donors. Complete schedule and ticket ordering information available at sffla.net.

Cinema Made in Italy returns to London in 2014 and will take place at the Ciné Lumière in South Kensington from 5 - 9 March. Once again cinemagoers in the capital can look forward to seeing the best recent Italian productions, and as in previous years screenings will be followed by Q&A sessions with directors and actors. The five day annual event is organised by Istituto Luce – Cinecittà’s promotional department in Rome (Filmitalia), and the Italian Cultural Institute in London. This year’s line-up includes eleven feature films and one documentary:

VIVA LA LIBERTÀ by Roberto Andò 

THOSE HAPPY YEARS(Anni Felici) by Daniele Luchetti

HOW STRANGE TO BE NAMED FEDERICO!(Che Strano Chiamarsi Federico!) by Ettore Scola

THE REFEREE(L’Arbitro) by Paolo Zucca

BORDER by Alessio Cremonini

ZORAN, MY NEPHEW THE IDIOT (Zoran, Il Mio Nipote Scemo) by Matteo Oleotto

THE FIFTH WHEEL(L'Ultima Ruota del Carro) by Giovanni Veronesi

THE THIRD HALF(Il Terzo Tempo) by Enrico Maria Artale

THE HUMAN FACTOR(La Variabile Umana) by Bruno Oliviero

THE FIRST SNOW (La Prima Neve) by Andrea Segre

OFF ROAD(Fuoristrada) by Elisa Amoruso

Screening dates and times will be announced shortly. In the meantime, for further details on the films and Istituto Luce - Cinecittà, please go to:  www.filmitalia.org

Really! Who is funding short films?

Writers and FIlmmakers funds short films through competition. The prize of $25,000 is overkill, especially if you calculate the way the top 10 scripts are chosen (creativity %80, Easy to shoot (10%) and cost of shooting (%10).

We love short films. LOVE them!

Check us out! We launch in about a month!

www.writersandfilmmakers.com

Berlinale Special is part of the official programme and presents recent works by contemporary filmmakers, as well as film portraits of renowned personalities and extraordinary formats. This year 18 productions have been invited to participate in Berlinale Special, including nine world premieres.

With many prominent guests expected to attend, the Gala Screenings are being held, as usual, at the Friedrichstadt-Palast and, for the first time, at the Zoo Palast.

“Wonderful that the legendary Zoo Palast may now be added as a venue for big Berlinale films. In 2014 we will celebrate several Gala Screenings of Berlinale Special at this historic movie theatre. Of course, we’ll also roll out the red carpet at the Friedrichstadt-Palast for the stars of Berlinale Special,” says Festival Director Dieter Kosslick.

The presentations at the Haus der Berliner Festspiele will again include moderated discussions with the filmmakers after the screenings.

The programme:

Berlinale Special Galas at the Friedrichstadt-Palast

A Long Way Down

United Kingdom / Germany

By Pascal Chaumeil (HeartBreaker)

With Pierce Brosnan, Toni Collette, Aaron Paul, Imogen Poots

World premiere

American Hustle

USA

By David O. Russell (Silver Linings, Three Kings)

With Christian Bale, Bradley Cooper, Jeremy Renner, Amy Adams, Jennifer Lawrence

German premiere

Cesar Chavez

USA

By Diego Luna (Abel)

With Michael Peña, America Ferrera, Rosario Dawson, John Malkovich

World premiere

Dans la cour (In the Courtyard)

France

By Pierre Salvadori (Beautiful Lies, The Apprentices)

With Catherine Deneuve, Gustave Kervern

World premiere

Hundraåringen som klev ut genom fönstret och försvann (The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared)

Sweden

By Felix Herngren (Every Other Week, Adult Behaviour)

With Robert Gustafsson, Iwar Wiklander, Mia Skäringer, Alan Ford, David Wiberg

German premiere

The Turning – anthology film

Australia

By Marieka Walsh, Warwick Thornton,  Jub Clerc, Robert Connolly, Anthony Lucas, Rhys Graham, Ashlee Page, Tony Ayres, Claire McCarthy, Stephen Page, Shaun Gladwell, Mia Wasikowska, Simon Stone, David Wenham, Jonathan auf der Heide, Justin Kurzel, Yaron Lifschitz, Ian Meadows

With Cate Blanchett, Rose Byrne, Miranda Otto, Richard Roxburgh, Hugo Weaving

International premiere

Berlinale Special Galas at the Zoo Palast

Das finstere Tal (The Dark Valley)

Austria / Germany

By Andreas Prochaska (Dead In 3 Days, The Unintentional Kidnapping of Mrs. Elfriede Ott)

With Sam Riley, Tobias Moretti, Paula Beer, Thomas Schubert, Carmen Gratl

World premiere

Diplomatie (Diplomacy)

France / Germany

By Volker Schlöndorff (The Tin Drum, The Ninth Day)

With André Dussollier, Niels Arestrup, Robert Stadlober, Burghart Klaussner

World premiere

The Two Faces of January

United Kingdom / USA / France

By Hossein Amini - feature debut

With Viggo Mortensen, Kirsten Dunst, Oscar Isaac

World premiere

Berlinale Special at the Kino International

En du elsker (Someone You Love)

Denmark

By Pernille Fischer Christensen (A Family, A Soap)

With Mikael Persbrandt, Trine Dyrholm, Birgitte Hjort Sørensen, Sofus Rønnov, Eve Best

World premiere

Berlinale Special at the Haus der Berliner Festspiele

Afternoon of a Faun: Tanaquil Le Clercq  - documentary

USA

By Nancy Buirski (The Loving Story)

International premiere

Baal (1969)

Germany

By Volker Schlöndorff (The Tin Drum, The Ninth Day)

With Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Sigi Graue, Margarethe von Trotta

Festival premiere

Kathedralen der Kultur - film project in 3D

Germany / Denmark / Austria / Norway / France 

By Wim Wenders, Michael Glawogger, Michael Madsen, Robert Redford, Margreth Olin, Karim Aïnouz

World premiere

Night Will Fall - documentary (work in progress)

United Kingdom

By André Singer (Forbidden Rites, World in Action)

World premiere

The Galapagos Affair: Satan Came to Eden- documentary

USA

By Dayna Goldfine and Dan Geller (Ballets Russes)

European premiere

The Unknown Known - documentary

USA

By Errol Morris (Standard Operation Procedure, Tabloid)

German premiere

Watermark - documentary

Canada

By Jennifer Baichwal (Manufactured Landscapes), Edward Burtynsky

European premiere

We Come As Friends - documentary

France / Austria

By Hubert Sauper (Darwin‘s Nightmare)

European premiere

LatinWorks, the full-service cultural branding firm named Ad Age's 2012 and 2013 "Multicultural Agency of the Year", has partnered with the cultural arts non-profit organization Cine Las Americas to produce an innovative fundraising platform which showcases an interactive film that provides multiple endings based on donation level. It launches on January 15th and can be viewed at https://savecinelasamericas.org. 

The idea was conceptualized and produced by LatinWorks as part of its ongoing relationship with Cine Las Americas which began at its inception in 1998. Besides sharing a passion for Ibero-American, Latino and indigenous cinema, LatinWorks provides support through ad campaigns, graphic design and production, as well as strategy and audience development. Their on-going brand campaign for Cine Las Americas "if this is our reality, imagine our films" won multiple awards at Cannes and other international festivals.  

The original donation platform was designed to increase awareness and support fundraising efforts for the cultural organization which promotes cross-cultural understanding and growth by educating, and entertaining diverse audiences through film and media arts. In support of this campaign, LatinWorks produced a groundbreaking bank heist-themed short film which includes nine alternate endings that can be unlocked by supporters based on a range of donation levels ranging from $5 to $5,000.

The funds will be used to build a foundation and ensure year round continuity for the organization's operations and programming for the cultural organization which includes its annual Cine Las Americas International Film Festival, now in its 17th year, showcasing an average of 120 films from over 30 different countries, which highlight cultural diversity and artistic excellence. Cine Las Americas is positioning itself as a resource for multinational film production and distribution, creating exhibition spaces for traditionally underrepresented groups and offering special support to minority filmmakers based in Texas and the rest of the United States.

The bank heist-themed film was conceived as a unique alternative to crowd-sourced fundraising sites to showcase the creativity of the Latin community that it was designed to support. The goal was to create a campaign that embodied the innovation and cinematic experiences supported by the organization by combining the essence of successful online fundraising campaign tools with a spin that captured the spirit of Cine Las Americas. The result is a highly interactive experience for cinema fans that serves to entertain and incentivize with a total of nine distinctive endings that encourage users to make multiple donations in an effort to reveal multiple plot lines. The film, which runs a total of 4-5 minutes, was shot in English and Spanish to engage the international film community.

"We have always shared our love for film with Cine Las Americas and this is the foundation of our long-term partnership", said Sergio Alcocer, President and Chief Creative Officer at LatinWorks. "This fundraising effort is part of our strategy to engage a broader audience and make them feel that they are a part of the adventure."

"Cine Las Americas offers a vision deeply committed to cultural diversity and artistic excellence in cinema," said Eugenio del Bosque, Executive Director of Cine Las Americas. "Putting together a week long film festival that offers cultural relevance, high artistic quality and economic development is great enterprise. It takes an entire year of work to do it right, and we have been doing it for seventeen consecutive years.  Today we face the challenge of building a foundation to be a sustainable and permanent institution."

About LatinWorks

LatinWorks is a full-service advertising agency, with specialty in cultural branding, headquartered in Austin, Texas. A certified minority enterprise and member of the Omnicom DAS Global network, LatinWorks brings forth a fresh and progressive vision for a multicultural America that has made them one of the most in-demand and awarded creative agencies in the country. Their mission is to lead brands as Chief Culture Officer; with a relentless focus on consumers, they live to anticipate cultural shifts and help brands successfully navigate today's dynamic marketplace. Some of their clients include: Aio Wireless, Anheuser-Busch, Lowe's, Target, PepsiCo, Mars, Wrigley and Domino's Pizza. LatinWorks is an eight-time Cannes Lions winner and was recently named one of the top 10 agencies in the country by Advertising Age magazine as well as the 2013 Multicultural Agency of the Year. For more information, visit www.latinworks.com.

About CINE LAS AMERICAS 

The mission of Cine Las Americas is to promote cross-cultural understanding and growth by educating, entertaining and challenging diverse audiences through film and media arts. Cine Las Americas is a multi-cultural, 501(c) 3 non-profit organization based in Austin Texas. Cine Las Americas will host its 17th annual film festival in April of 2014. Eugenio Del Bosque is the Executive Director of the festival.

WRITERS AND FILMMAKERS.COM - THAT'S WHO!

We Fund Writers and Filmmakers!

Writers judge filmmakers, filmmakers judge writers!

Winning writer gets their script made by the winning filmmaker!

The writer gets their script made and they get paid. The filmmaker gets funded to shoot it!

Limited entries and everyone gets coverage of their work!

The winning filmmaker wins $50,000 (Feature) or $25,000 (Short) to shoot one of the top 10 scripts. WInning writer receives $20,000 (Feature) or $10,000 (Short) for their script!

The organizers of Sudan Independent Film Festival (SIFF) announced the launch of its inaugural edition on the 21st of January, 2014 in Khartoum. Presided by Talal Afifi, SIFF has also confirmed Egypt as Guest of Honor of the first edition for its substantial role in the film industry of the African continent. SIFF also confirmed scriptwriter Sayed Fouad, President of Luxor African Film Festival (LAFF) as honorary guest the first edition. “I am extremely happy because of the launching of SIFF for the importance of such activities in the development of cinema and the communion between African people”, said Fouad. From his side, Afifi revealed the selection of African films coming from Egypt , Kenya and Ethiopia in addition to the presence of African filmmakers from all over the continent. “Film workshops and lectures will also be organized on the sidelines of the festival including a workshop by Fouad” added Afifi who dedicated the edition to the memory of renowned Sudanese filmmaker Hussein Sharif.

Finally, Mohamed Hanafi, SIFF’s administrator said that the criteria for selecting the films were their originality, creativity and independence outside the authority of the big studios and the dictates of capital funds.

Sayed Fouad will travel from Egypt to Sudan today to attend the different activities and tutor the scriptwriting workshop for young Sudanese filmmakers.

The 18th Annual Mandell JCC Hartford Jewish Film Festival rolls out the red carpet for Hollywood legends, Oscar hopefuls, sleuths and spies, glitzy singers and a gutsy beauty queen March 20 – 30, 2014, with 23 features, thrillers, romantic comedies, shorts and documentaries from 13 countries, screening in 5 venues over 10 days, announced Dr. Benson Monastersky and Ronny Siegel, Festival co-chairs.

Bank-robbing oldsters, thrill-seeking youngsters and Big Apple hipsters share the spotlight with larger-than-life historical heroes, talking animals and even a singing Jewish cowgirl at Connecticut’s largest Jewish global cinema event. Parties, live concerts and Reel Talk conversations with visiting filmmakers and musicians, an author, film subjects, historians and experts will enhance many films.

For the first time, the Festival presents free student screening events at two high schools and six university campuses in Hartford, Farmington, New Britain, New Haven, Storrs and West Hartford.

Fans of Woody Allen (Paris-Manhattan), Isabella Rossellini (The Zig Zag Kid), Sir Patrick Stewart (Hunting Elephants)Susie Essman and Melanie Lynskey (Putzel) will be rewarded with great comedy performances. Music hits the high notes in five films. A piano professor discovers an unfinished score and his true identity in When Day Breaks. Israel’s Cupcakes is a frothy musical comedy about love, life and friends. Violinist Philip Quint and singer Nellie McKay dazzle in New York City’s Downtown Express. Mama Doni Zasloff electrifies the stage in a live song-and-dance concert for young families following Mama Doni’s Jewish Holiday Party – It’s Passover! West Hartford, Connecticut’s Dr. Alby Hurwit composes a symphony in The Gambling Man.

Talking animals provide the punch-lines in shorts Gentledog, The Goldfish and What About Me?, screening with Etgar Keret – What Animal Are You? a behind-the-scenes Big Apple book tour with the quirky Israeli writer.

Fairfield County, Connecticut residents play central roles in two films. Proving that age is no barrier to adventure, eight Fairfield Jewish Home for the Elderly residents travel to Israel in Next Year Jerusalem. Director David Gaynes, a Weston, CT native, will join residents at the screening. Dr. Robert Braun of Fairfield was one of the young boys saved from the Nazis by a Philadelphia couple in 50 Children- The Rescue Mission of Mr. and Mrs. Kraus. He and first-time director Steven Pressman will attend and speak.

Tackling an issue from the headlines, Brave Miss World is a riveting true story about sexual assault, surviving rape and community response. Director Cecilia Peck, daughter of Gregory Peck, will appear live via SKYPE to discuss her film about Israel’s Linor Abargil, who was raped at knifepoint weeks before being crowned Miss World in 1998. New this year, the Hartford Jewish Film Festival expands to six college campuses, where Brave Miss World will be screened for students and faculty.

Fact-based films ignite the festival lineup. The Jewish Cardinal is the astonishing story of Jean Marie Lustiger, the Jewish-born French Cardinal who walked a religious tightrope. Poland’s explosive box office smash Aftermath was inspired by the 1941 massacre of Jedwabne’s Jews. Bethlehem, Israel's foreign film 2013 Oscar entry, is a gritty spy drama about a Shin Bet agent and his young Palestinian informant. The Prime Ministers –The Pioneers brings to life Yehuda Avner’s memoir of Israel’s history-makers. Miriam Weissenstein saves her husband’s photographic legacy in Israel’s Life In Stills.

Ticket prices range from $11 in advance ($14 at door) for most films to $75 for the March 20, 2014 Opening Night film, gala and parking. Tickets for the Sunday, March 30, 2014 Closing Night film and reception are $25 per person. Tickets are on sale in person, via phone and by mail at the Mandell JCC. Seating is limited, advance purchase is recommended to avoid sellouts.

Tickets will be sold at the door subject to availability; all seating is general admission and program is subject to change. All events are under Hartford Kashrut Commission supervision.

For more information about campus screenings, contact Harriet Dobin, Festival Director, 860-231-6350, hdobin@mandelljcc.org.

For tickets, schedules, trailers, directions, and a Festival brochure contact the Box Office, Mandell JCC, Zachs Campus, 335 Bloomfield Ave., West Hartford, CT. 06117, 860-231-6316, visit www.hjff.org or call the Mandell JCC, 860-236-4571.

First Five Short Films Premiere at Private Event at 2014 Sundance Film Festival, will Premiere on Digital Media Platforms Later This Year

Sundance Institute, with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, today announced a new project that will harness the power of independent film to create a global conversation about extreme hunger and poverty. The Sundance Institute Short Film Challenge will spur the production of documentary and narrative films – through a global open call for three-to-eight-minute submissions – that will celebrate imaginative solutions real people are creating to overcome the challenges of extreme hunger and poverty. The project supports Sundance Institute’s mission to empower independent storytellers and connect their work to communities around the world.

The Institute is working with Tongal.com to manage the online call for entries. Winning films will receive a $10,000 grant and travel to a premiere at a private event at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival. Users can submit through July 1, 2014. There is no fee to apply. More information can be found at www.sundance.org/anotheryou.
 

Five new films made with production grants to launch the project premiered earlier today at a private screening co-hosted with the Gates Foundation at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. These five films will become available to audiences online throughout the year via digital media platforms.
 

Keri Putnam, Executive Director of Sundance Institute, said, “With the support of the Gates Foundation, we are proud to launch this short film challenge and support filmmakers around the world in telling stories that inform and engage audiences in ways that are as innovative and imaginative as the solutions people are putting into action every day. ”
 

The first five films for the Sundance Institute Short Film Challenge are:
 

After My Garden Grows

Director: Megan Mylan

India / Documentary
 

A young girl in rural India tills a small plot of land to feed her family and plant seeds of independence and financial freedom in her male dominated community.
 

Director Megan Mylan directed and produced the Oscar-winning film Smile Pinki, which broadcast on HBO and the Sundance Channel. Her film, Lost Boys of Sudan, had a 70-city theatrical release and a national television broadcast on PBS's POV.
 

Am I Going Too Fast?

Directors: Hank Willis Thomas, Christopher Myers

Kenya / Experimental Doc
 

Am I Going Too Fast? is a digital tapestry of the intersecting worlds and interactions of craftspeople, shopkeepers, and ordinary folks whose lives have been transformed by new technologies, cell phone banking, and micro-finance; threads that weave together to form a web of connection and possibility in contemporary Nairobi.
 

Hank Willis Thomas is the creator of Question Bridge: Black Male, a non-fiction new media project and recipient of a New Media Fellowship, New Media Fund grant from the Tribeca Film Institute and Aperture West Book Prize.
 

Co-Director Christopher Myers is an artist and writer best known for his books for young people, which have garnered Caldecott Honors and been shortlisted for the National Book Award.
 

Kombit

Directors: Jeff Reichert, Farihah Zaman

Haiti / Documentary
 

Haiti's internally displaced people start a micro-garden movement to combat post-earthquake hunger and despair.
 

Jeff Reichert and Farihah Zaman produced and directed the feature documentary Remote Area Medical, which premiered at the 2013 Full Frame Documentary Film Festival and was supported by the Sundance Institute Documentary Film Program.
 

The Masterchef

Director: Ritesh Batra

India / Narrative
 

Akhil, a young shoeshine boy, dreams of becoming a gourmet chef when he has a chance encounter with India's most popular TV cuisiner.
 

Director Ritesh Batra's The Lunchbox will screen at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival. It won the Grand Rail d'Or at Cannes 2013 and was acquired by Sony Pictures Classics for North America. Batra also won the Best Director prize at the Odessa International Film Festival.
 

Vezo

Director: Tod Lending

Africa, Madagascar / Documentary
 

A 9-year-old girl tells a tale about how her family and village came back from near starvation after their fishing village adopted sustainable fishing practices.
 

Director Tod Lending is an Academy Award-nominated and national Emmy-winning producer, director, and cinematographer whose work has aired nationally on ABC, CBS, NBC, PBS, HBO, Al Jazeera.

 

Sundance Institute

Founded by Robert Redford in 1981, Sundance Institute is a global, nonprofit cultural organization dedicated to nurturing artistic expression in film and theater, and to supporting intercultural dialogue between artists and audiences. The Institute promotes independent storytelling to unite, inform and inspire, regardless of geo-political, social, religious or cultural differences. Internationally recognized for its annual Sundance Film Festival and its artistic development programs for directors, screenwriters, producers, film composers, playwrights and theatre artists, Sundance Institute has nurtured such projects as Beasts of the Southern Wild, Fruitvale Station, Sin Nombre, An Inconvenient Truth, Spring Awakening, Born into Brothels, Trouble the Water, Light in the Piazza and Angels in America. Join Sundance Institute on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.
 

The programme for the tenth edition of Glasgow Film Festival was announced today, studded with UK, European and World premiere screenings of some hotly-anticipated films, distinguished, fascinating guests and innovative pop-up cinema experiences. The tenth Festival, which is supported by Glasgow City Marketing Bureau, EventScotland and Creative Scotland, will open with the UK premiere of Wes Anderson’s The Grand Budapest Hotel, and close with the Scottish premiere of Under the Skin, which was partly filmed in the city.

As ever at GFF, which in 2014 runs from 20 February – 2 March, Glasgow itself is the biggest star of the Festival. This year, look out for special events in unusual venues across the whole city: the gorgeous Gothic spires of Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum are the perfect surroundings for a fancy dress gala screening of Young Frankenstein, while the former industrial warehouses in North Glasgow become a retro-futuristic arcade for a ‘total cinema’ screening of Tron, and potholing enthusiasts are invited to a never-before-accessed location underneath Central Station for a mystery film. The tenth Festival also taps into the city’s live music and visual art scenes, and pulls out all the stops, collaborating with artists, DJs, musicians, fashion designers, bands, video gaming experts, comic book icons and Hollywood legends in a huge, glorious celebration of cinema in all of its forms.

Opening Gala: The Grand Budapest Hotel     **UK PREMIERE**

Glasgow Film Festival’s first-ever closing gala was WesAnderson’s The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou– it seems particularly fitting that the tenth Festival opens with the UK Premiere of his latest film, two weeks after its world premiere at the Berlinale. The Grand Budapest Hotel is one of Anderson’s most ambitious creations yet, reflecting the political turmoil and social upheaval of Europe between the wars through the hectic lives of the staff and guests at one of the most famous hotels on the continent. The preposterously starry cast, headed by RalphFiennes and TildaSwinton, includes Jude Law, Jeff Goldblum, Bill Murray, Saoirse Ronan, Harvey Keitel and Willem Dafoe. Thursday 20 February (19.30) | repeated Friday 21 February (15.45) | GFT

Closing Gala: Under the Skin    **SCOTTISH PREMIERE**

JonathanGlazer’s adaptation of Scottish-based writer MichelFaber’s extraordinary novel is the kind of audacious, spellbinding cinema you only experience once in a generation. Strikingly original in look and execution, it offers an unsettling exploration of loneliness and alienation located in a desolate Glasgow that feels as remote as a distant planet, with a stunning turn from ScarlettJohansson as a seductive alien entity luring her unsuspecting victims to their doom.  Sunday 2 March (20.00) | GFT

Allan Hunter, Glasgow Film Festival Co-Director, said:

‘In the decade since the Festival began, it’s grown almost beyond recognition. One thing remains essential, though – GFF is and will always be an access-all-areas event, where you can meet the filmmakers, ask awkward questions, and make friends with the person sitting next to you.  Everyone is a VIP here, and in our tenth year we’re pulling out all the stops, trying to create the best possible experiences for our audiences, and involving as much of the city as we can. 2014 is set to be a thrilling year for Scotland with the Commonwealth Games, Ryder Cup and Homecoming attracting visitors from all over the world. Glasgow is at the heart of these celebrations and we are proud to offer our special anniversary programme as part of what promises to be an amazing period in the life of the city.’

Special Events

Over the past few years, GFF has established itself as the home of pop-up cinema, creating exciting one-off ‘total cinema’ experiences in some of the city’s best-loved venues. The programme also explores crossovers between film and music, visual art, comic books and computer gaming, with a series of one-off evenings to remember.

Highlights include:

·         The grandest Gothic gallery in Glasgow plays host to a monstrously good night, with a fancy dress gala and live organ recitals ahead of a screening of 1974 classic Young Frankenstein, at the Monster Mash at Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum.

·         Recruits are sought for a potholing expedition: take part in a mystery cinematic descent deep beneath Glasgow Central Station to a space never before open to the public. Claustrophobes should probably not apply…

·         In a special GFF commission at the Old Fruitmarket, Scottish indie-folk darlings Admiral Fallow collaborate with emerging filmmakers from across the country, and weave footage from the landmark 1951 documentary Glasgow, No Mean City into a one-off live performance.

·         The lo-fi surroundings of warehouse-turned-nightclub The Glue Factory are transformed into a retro-futurist gaming arcade for a special screening of the 1980s classic, in Tron: Off The Grid

·         Celebrate the Motor City with two days of techno, hip hop, documentary and visuals at The Arches. The endlessly funny Detroit hip hop artist Danny Brown teams up with filmmaker Rollo Jackson (who has made music videos for Hot Chip and James Blake) for a live audio/visual set, while godfather of Detroit techno Carl Craig DJs after a screening of Julien Temple’s celebrated documentary Requiem For Detroit?

·         One of Scotland’s most hotly-tipped visual artists, Rachel Maclean, the current winner of GFF’s annual Margaret Tait Award, leads Tae Think Again: Rethinking Identity in Contemporary Scotland, a symposium of artists on Scottish identity, as well as serving up the world premiere of her new film on British nationality and Empire, A Whole New World.

·         Eat along with the on-screen action in foodie classics When Harry Met Sally, Goodfellas, Rataouille and Withnail & I, as GFF teams up with hip feeders Street Food Cartel for Street Food Cinema at The Briggait, Glasgow’s beautiful former fishmarket. 

·         As a continuation of Game Cats Go Miaow!, the programming strand which explores the crossover between video games and cinema, audiences can turn a documentary into their very own gaming-style experience, with the interactive 48 Hour Games.

·         GFF’s partnership with Glasgow’s Tall Ship continues, as we screen Wes Anderson’s The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (the first ever GFF Closing Gala) and John Carpenter’s chilling sea-bound horror The Fog, in the hold of The Glenlee, under the water level. Look out for the smoke machine…

·         A special day of programming celebrating Shetland, in film, poetry and song.

·         A mini-strand of films from Commonwealth countries, connected to Glasgow 2014.

·          The Pop-Up! Programmers, a group of 18-24 year olds dedicated to making cinema accessible in community spaces, organise a series of exciting film events across Glasgow and Ayr.  From a screening of The Steamie in Bridgeton (with special guests from the film and archive footage projected onto a drying green) to In the Mood for Love brought to Glasgow’s Chinese community, they’re bringing cinema directly to the people.

SPECIAL EVENTS CONTINUED

·         Comic books and computers clash in the Geeks vs Gamers Super Quiz, as two celebrity panels, captained by Kapow! strand programmer and Kick-Ass kingpin Mark Millar and Game Cats Go Miaow! programmer / Scots comedy hero Robert Florence, face off in afficienado Armageddon…

·         2013 Jarman Award nominated artist Ed Atkins presents an eclectic compilation of classic artists’ films, strung together with a live karaoke performance, in Man of Steel.

·         The UK premiere of Run & Jump, starring Will Forte, leads into a Scottish Mental Health Arts and Film Festival discussion about the portrayal of mental health issues in cinema, led by Duglas T Stewart (BMX Bandits).

Confirmed Guests

·         Director and Academy Award-winning set designer RogerChristian (Alien, Star Wars) presents the European premiere of his painstakingly-restored short Black Angel, shot in and around Scotland and created specifically to screen before The Empire Strikes Back in cinemas. Christian will also discuss his long Hollywood career and enduring collaboration with George Lucas.

·         Legendary Dutch director GeorgeSluizer discusses Dark Blood, famously River Phoenix’s last film. Sluzier has recently finished a final cut of the film, which has its UK premiere at GFF.

·         Director, actor and writer Richard Ayoade returns to the Festival to discuss his new film The Double, which stars Jesse Eisenberg and Mia Wasikowska

·         JohnSessions, one of the most versatile and accomplished Scottish actors of his generation discusses his incredible career, which includes working with Martin Scorsese, Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, Anthony Hopkins, and a latex puppet of Margaret Thatcher.

·         agnés b., the internationally-renowned fashion designer-turned-producer/director, delivers a masterclass on filmmaking and her cinematic inspiration, as well as the UK premiere of her film My Name Is Hmmm…, which stars Glasgow artist and Turner Prize-winner DouglasGordon.

·         Lauren Mayberry, co-founder of feminist collective TYCI and member of the band CHVRCHES, introduces The Punk Singer, the documentary about Bikini Kill frontwoman Kathleen Hanna.

UK Premieres

This year, a record sixty of the films in the programme – more than ever before – are UK premieres, including:

·         The Opening Gala screening of Wes Anderson’s The Grand Budapest Hotel

·         My Name is Hmmm…, the feature film directorial debut from French fashion icon agnès b.

·         Mr Morgan’s Last Love, starring Michael Caine and Clémence Poésy

·         Mood Indigo, the new film from Michel Gondry, starring Romain Duris and Audrey Tautou

·         Kristin Scott Thomas and Daniel Auteuil in Before the Winter Chill

·         The highly anticipated horror sequel Wolf Creek 2

·         The restoration of James Dean’s star-making film, Rebel Without A Cause.

·         Richard Dreyfuss starring in Cas & Dylan, directed by Jason Priestley

·         Thomas Imbach’s new take on the life of Mary Queen of Scots, starring Camille Rutherford, Sean Biggerstaff, and Tony Curran as John Knox

·         Dear Mr Watterson, an innovative profile of Calvin and Hobbes creator and legendary recluse Bill Watterson

·         Go For Sisters, the latest film from cult director John Sayles

·         The 100 Year Old Man Who Climbed Out Of The Window And Disappeared, based on Jonas Jonasson’s globally bestselling novel.

·         A Thousand Suns, Mati Diop’s hauntingly beautiful tribute to her late uncle Djibril Diop Mambéty’s multi award-winning classic Touki Bouki

·         Quai D’Orsay, the new work from cinema legend Bertrand Tavernier

·         The Red Robin, starring cinema veteran JuddHirsch

• Beyond The Edge 3D, a revolutionary 3D documentary piecing together Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay’s ascent of Everest using archive footage
• Yves Saint Laurent, an evocative, exciting biopic of the pioneering French designer
• Witching and Bitching, which has just received 10 nominations in Spain’s Goya Awards
• Seven of the best new films made in Chile in the last year, as part of CineChile, our homage to Chilean cinema

Glasgow Film Festival is also delighted to host the first-ever public UK screening of the eagerly-anticipated A Long Way Down, based on the novel by NickHornby, starring Aaron Paul, Imogen Poots, Toni Collette and Pierce Brosnan

World Premieres

·         A Whole New World by Rachel Maclean, winner of the 2013 Margaret Tait Award

·         The House of Him, the feature film directorial debut from Burnistoun star Robert Florence

·         David Graham Scott’s Iboga Nights, a revealing insight into a controversial treatment for drug withdrawal

·         Documenting John Grierson, a profile of the Scottish filmmaker who created the documentary format

·         Katie Cassidy, Michelle Tratchenberg and Eliza Dushku team up in the big screen adaptation of Daniel Schaffer’s graphic novel The Scribbler, as part of FrightFest. FrightFest will also screen the European premiere of Jordan Baker’s Torment

·         Video Nasties: Draconian Days, a documentary looking at the restrictive censorship and horror movies of the 1980s

Scottish Premieres

The 2014 programme also features fifty-seven Scottish premieres, including:

·         Locke, starring Tom Hardy

·         Oscar-nominated documentary 20 Feet From Stardom, about the legendary backing singers in rock & roll.

·         The Book Thief, the hugely-anticipated Holocaust film starring Emily Watson and Geoffrey Rush.

·         Tom Hiddleston making a surprising appearance in Joanna Hogg’s excellent third feature, Exhibition.

·         Chiwetel Ejiofor, Thandie Newton and Anika Noni Rose in the film adaptation of Orange Prize for Fiction winner Half of a Yellow Sun

·         Kathleen Hanna profile The Punk Singer

·         Starred Up, the new film from BAFTA Scotland winner David Mackenzie, starring Jack O’Connell

·         Mistaken For Strangers, a rockumentary following The National on their European tour.

·         Our Closing Gala screening of Jonathan Glazer’s Under the Skin, starring Scarlett Johansson

Our FestivalClub takes over CCA’s Theatre and Terrace Bar for the duration of the Festival. A series of free talks and events examines the Scottish film, television and gaming industries from all angles – from casting to criticism, Scotland as film location and inspiration, and how to write for video games. After the discussions, a selection of GFF-associated DJs will keep things busy late into the night, in this unique club space where, if 2013 is anything to go by,  audiences and filmmakers will most certainly meet and mingle.

FESTIVALS WITHIN THE FESTIVAL

Both Glasgow Short Film Festival and Glasgow Youth Film Festival have already released their programmes to the press and public. For copies of these releases please email kirstin.innes@glasgowfilm.org.

Glasgow Short Film Festival: 13–16 February

Scotland’s leading short film festival returns with a packed programme of screenings, workshops and parties devoted to petite and perfectly-formed movies. This year sixty-three films compete for the Bill Douglas Award for International Short Film and the Scottish Short Film Award. GSFF has also taken a major step in developing unique events this year:  the programme explores the slippery relationship between music and film with a major new classical composition, a sonic art installation in an underground car park, and an audio/visual spectacular complete with DJs. There’s also a focus on Miami’s anarchic filmmaking collective The Borscht Corporation and a major discussion on the potential impacts of independence on the Scottish film industry. Tickets are priced at £5 unless otherwise stated, and will go on sale from Friday 24 January. See www.glasgowfilm.org/gsff for full listings.

Glasgow Youth Film Festival: 2 – 12 February

The only film festival in Europe curated entirely by 15-17 year olds presents international film premieres, workshops and events for child, teenage and young adult audiences. Beginning with teenage punks and ending with a band night, this year’s raucous, attitude-laden and hormonally-charged programme focuses on the way that teenage life continues to fascinate filmmakers all over the world. Look out for some great UK Premieres, one-off workshops with industry experts, and a chance to meet Sharon Rooney, the star of E4’s My Mad Fat Diary. Standard GFF ticket prices apply and tickets are on sale now – see www.glasgowfilm.org/gyff for full listings.

COMMENT

Gordon Matheson, Leader of Glasgow City Council and Chair of Glasgow City Marketing Bureau, said: ‘Congratulations to Glasgow Film Festival as it prepares to mark a number of significant milestones this year, including its tenth anniversary – it truly is a momentous year of celebrations for Glasgow! As host city for the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games, we're now firmly in the global spotlight and the calibre of this year's Festival programme is a strong reflection of this - it's eclectic, innovative and packed with talent from across the Commonwealth and beyond; reinforcing Glasgow's enviable status as a cinema city and must-visit destination. This year I am incredibly excited about the pop-up cinema strand, which presents a unique opportunity for citizens and visitors to enjoy a ‘total cinema experience’ in some of Glasgow’s most dramatic and well-loved venues, including a special event at Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum.’

Scotland’s Culture Secretary, Fiona Hyslop said:‘2014 is a big year for the Scotland and Glasgow Film Festival’s tenth programme reflects the size and scale of what is to come this year.  What is impressive is that the festival continues to grow, while retaining the welcoming atmosphere and engaging programme strands which made the first edition in 2005 so successful.  Scotland is the perfect stage for events, and as we welcome the world to Scotland in 2014 Glasgow Film Festival will play a key role in attracting visitors as we celebrate Homecoming.’

Janet Archer, Chief Executive at Creative Scotland, said: ‘Just when you might think Glasgow Film Festival couldn’t possibly get any better, they present us with this fantastic array of premieres, guests and special events.  It’s not only an exciting time for film in Scotland, but also for Glasgow Film Festival as they celebrate their tenth anniversary, and the seventy-fifth birthday of the cinema, and they have not disappointed with this incredible line up.  At a time when the eyes of the world are firmly placed on Scotland and Glasgow ahead of the Commonwealth Games, the Ryder Cup and Homecoming, GFF have pulled out all the stops to present us with an outstanding programme. We look forward to celebrating with them as they host an array of filmmakers and film lovers from across Scotland, the UK and internationally.’ 

Short film funding is hard! Not any longer!

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Writers judge filmmakers, filmmakers judge writers!

Winning writer gets their script made by the winning filmmaker!

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Very limited entries and everyone gets lots of coverage of their work!

The winning filmmaker wins $50,000 (Feature) or $25,000 (Short) to shoot one of the top 10 scripts. WInning writer receives $20,000 (Feature) or $10,000 (Short) for their script!

 The 4th annual HorrorQuest Film Festival is now accepting submissions for 2014. HorrorQuest acceptes Horror, Sci-Fi, Dark Comedies, Fantasy and Animation. HorrorQuest is 100% FREE, no submission fees! To enter your film please visit www.thehorrorquest.com and follow the submissions instructions outlined on the, "Submit Your Flick" page.

 

- See more at: http://www.puntodevistafestival.com/en/noticias.asp?IdNoticia=296#sthash.NsXOs8Ht.dpuf

24th January 2014: Now in its tenth year, THE BIRDS EYE VIEW FILM FESTIVAL (8th – 13th April), is delighted to announce details of its annual International Women’s Day Gala (8th March) and Festival Opening and Closing night films, continuing the organization’s mission to celebrate and support the best international female filmmaking talent.

Nana Ekvtimishvili’s and Simon Groß’s award-winning Georgian feature IN BLOOM will open the Festival on Tuesday 8th April where it will receive its UK Premiere. Lola Bessis and Ruben Amar’s touching French-American family drama SWIM LITTLE FISH SWIM, which will also receive its UK premiere, will close the six day Festival on Sunday 13th April. Ahead of this, there will be a special screening of WONDER WOMEN! THE UNTOLD STORY OF AMERICAN SUPERHEROINES on International Women’s Day which takes place on Saturday 8th March. 

The 2014 Festival promises to be Birds Eye View's biggest and best outing, with a host of UK premieres and special events featuring some of the world's leading female filmmakers and rising new talents. The programme also includes industry programmes supported by the British Council and Creative Skillset, plus much more in six days of endlessly inspiring women from across the globe. This year’s line-up also features a 20th anniversary screening of Gurinder Chadha’s seminal British comedy BHAJI ON THE BEACH which will screen as part of a British Bright Lights day at BFI Southbank on Saturday 12th April, with Chadha in attendance. Birds Eye View’s much-loved Fashion Loves Film programme also returns with classic fashion films, celebrations of countercultures, style icons and celluloid trendsetters, as well as the Sound and Silents live music programme, this year celebrating Women in Jazz with new commissions and touring events.

Celebrated as a major discovery of the 2013 Berlinale, IN BLOOM kicks off the Festival on Tuesday 8th April where it will receive its UK premiere with filmmakers Simon Groß and Nana Ekvtimishvili in attendance.  This beautifully crafted story follows two young girls coming-of-age in post-Soviet Georgia. Tblisi, 1992: as civil war rages in the newly independent state, 14 year-old best friends Eka and Natia just want to talk gossip, music and boys. But as insecurity and fear overcome everyday life, their childhoods come to an abrupt halt in this multi-award-winning, semi-autobiographical drama.

The Festival’s Closing Night Film is the irresistibly charming, bittersweet comedy-drama SWIM LITTLE FISH SWIM, which will have its UK premiere at BFI Southbank with the filmmakers in attendance. The film follows three ordinary people trying to make sense of their lives. A New York nurse works to make ends meet, her idealist musician husband struggles with everyday responsibilities, and the daughter of a world-famous artist seeks independence. Hailed as the French ‘Tiny Furniture’ and packed with brilliantly inventive imagery and a score drawn from NYC’s live music scene, Bessis & Amar’s acclaimed debut is refreshing, moving and often laugh-out-loud funny. 

In addition to the Festival, Birds Eye View is excited to host a special screening of the powerful WONDER WOMEN!, a film which traces the fascinating birth, evolution and legacy of the Wonder Woman figure and introduces audiences to a dynamic group of fictional and real-life superheroines fighting for positive role models for girls, both on screen and off. Directed by Kristy Guevara-Flanagan and produced by Kelcey Edwards, WONDER WOMEN! offers a vital and entertaining counterpoint to the male-dominated super hero genre and is the perfect film to celebrate International Women’s Day at BFI Southbank.

Events and screening will take place at BFI Southbank, Barbican, Curzon Soho, ICA, Electric Cinema and several more venues. The full programme will be announced in February.

http://www.birds-eye-view.co.uk/

The competition of Generation 14plus will open with the British musical feature God Help the Girl by Stuart Murdoch. In his directorial debut, founder and lead singer of the band Belle and Sebastian gives a profound and charming account of a summer love in the beat clubs of Glasgow. Stuart Murdoch and his leading actors, Emily Browning, Olly Alexander and Hannah Murray, are expected to attend the premiere at the Haus der Kulturen der Welt at 7.30 pm on February 7, 2014.

The Generation Kplus competition will open at the Haus der Kulturen der Welt at 3.30 pm on February 7 with the animated film Loulou, l’incroyable secret (Wolfy, the Incredible Secret) by Grégoire Solotareff and Eric Omond. This brilliantly artistic family film from France is one of five feature-length animated films in this year’s programme.

Juries and Prizes

The eleven children on the Children’s Jury and the seven teenagers on the Youth Jury will award the section’s Crystal Bears. Generation’s main prize is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. To date, a total of 64 unique hand-blown trophies have been produced.

For the second time, the International Jury of Generation 14plus will award the Grand Prix for Best Feature (endowed with 7,500 euros) and the Special Prize for Best Short Film (2,500 euros), sponsored by the Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung (The Federal Agency for Civic Education). The three jury members are: Laura Astorga Carrera from Costa Rica, director of the film Princesas Rojas (Berlinale 2013); filmmaker Jan Soldat from Germany, who has presented three much-discussed short films at the Berlinale (including Crazy Dennis Tiger, Berlinale 2012); as well as N. Bird Runningwater, a Cheyenne / Mescalero Apache from the USA who is head of the “Native American and Indigenous Program” at the Sundance Institute, and advisor for the Berlinale’s special series “NATIVe – A Journey into Indigenous Cinema”.

The three jurors of the International Jury in the Generation Kplus competition will award the Grand Prix for Best Feature (7,500 euros) and the Special Prize for Best Short Film (2,500 euros), which has been sponsored by the Deutsches Kinderhilfswerk for 15 years now. The three jury members are: Catriona McKenzie from Australia, director of the film Satellite Boy (Special Mention at the Berlinale 2013); film journalist Christian Bellaj from Germany; and Dutch filmmaker Boudewijn Koole, whose work Kauwboy (Berlinale 2012) won the Grand Prix of the International Jury of Generation Kplus, as well as the Best First Feature Award of the entire Festival.

Berlinale School Project

In collaboration with Vision Kino, a network for film and media competence, Generation is continuing its Berlinale School Project to promote the integration of cinema in the classroom. Under the guidance of film educationalists, some 45 teachers from different types of schools will work with films from the section. Reports with last year’s results can be found at www.visionkino.de.

“Abgedreht! Deine Welt in der Totalen“

The collaboration between Generation and fluter.de, the youth magazine of the Bundeszentrale für politische Bildung, is in its second year. In this workshop young people can learn the basics of online journalism and in February publish their articles about Generation 14plus films at www.fluter.de.

61 Films, 15 Awards, 1 Fantastic Weekend

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: New York, NY (01/15/2014) Local Independent Film Festival Winter Film Awards (WFA), now in its third year, is establishing itself as a staple within the NYC arts community and a worthy stop on the US film festival circuit for out-of-state and international filmmakers alike. Opening night for the 2014 Winter Film Awards Independent Film Festival will take place February 26 with a filmmaker's reception and kick-off party, and the festivities will continue February 27-March 1 with three days of film screenings at the Gray Line New York Theater (777 8th Ave New York), discussion panels, and networking events. The festival will come to a close on the evening of March 1st with the Official Winter Film Awards Ceremony and after-party.

See the Official Selections and Screening Schedule

The WFA team is proud to announce programing for their upcoming Festival and Awards Ceremony. This year the WFA submissions committee was gratified by the high number and outstanding quality of submissions received. After reviewing hundreds of films and painstakingly judging each on a number of technical and artistic criteria, the committee crafted a program sure to interest a wide audience. Among the 61 Official Selections to be screened this year, there is a diverse mixture of documentaries, shorts, narrative features, animation, music videos and horror films, including 8 student films, 17 female directors and representation from over 20 countries.

Highlights of this year’s festival include "Not Anymore: A Story of Revolution", an outstanding short documentary about the Syrian uprising, directed by former Gaddafi prisoner-of-war Matthew VanDyke, which has won 32 festival awards so far, the world premier of "Hipster! the Musical" by first-time director Adam Blair, Wild Rose Independent Film Festival Best Editing winner “Closing Bell,” Shockfest 2014's Best Horror Feature ”The Gauntlet", lovely award-winning documentary short "Herd In Iceland", Belgian and UAE film “Baghdad Messi” which has won over 20 awards in festivals all over the world, and Tribeca Best Short Nominee- Cody Blue Snider’s “Fool’s Day” which has taken a number of titles in festivals throughout the country. Additionally, the winning films from the recent 2013 Winter Film Awards 48-Hour Film Challenge willl be screened at the festival.

Winter Film Awards (WFA) is a volunteer-run and operated celebration of the diversity of local and international film-making. The WFA Mission is to recognize excellence in cinema and to promote learning and artistic expression for people at all stages of their artistic careers with a focus on nurturing emerging filmmakers from around the world. WFA is proud on their diverse collection of Festival selections, allowing audience to enjoy films they normally would not get a chance to see. Winter Film Awards screenings will be held Thursday, February 27 – Saturday, March 1 at the Gray Line New York Theater (777 8th Ave New York), The Awards Ceremony and After-Party will take place Saturday March 1 at 9pm at 230 Fifth (230 Fifth Ave, New York, NY 10001). Original artwork for the 2014 Winter Film Awards was designed by award-winning artist and educator Viktor Koen.

For more information on tickets, schedules, sponsors, film descriptions and more, please visit www.WinterFilmAwards.com and find us on Facebook.

Kickoff Party and Filmmakers Reception will be held Wednesday, February 26 at 7pm at 49 Grove.

Screenings will be held in the heart of the theater district at Blue Diamond Theater, located at 777 8th Avenue all day Thursday February 27 - Saturday March 1.

The Awards Ceremony and After-Party Bash on March 1 will be held at The Empire Room at 230 Fifth, located at Fifth Avenue and 27th Street.

Winter Film Awards 2014 Independent Film Festival is proudly sponsored by Gray Line New York, Ride of Fame, B&H Photo & Video, The Village Voice, Video Blocks, Sony Creative Software, GraphicStock, Glidecam Industries,FEARS Magazine and ProductionHUB, Inc. an online marketplace for broadcast TV, motion picture, pro video, live event, corporate & digital media production.

The twelfth edition of Open Doors will be dedicated to Sub-Saharan Africa.

With support from the Swiss Foreign Ministry’s Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), Open Doors aims to support and highlight films and filmmakers from the South and the East, where independent filmmaking is vulnerable, via a focus on a different region every year. The next edition will explore Sub-Saharan Africa, following the spotlight on Francophone African countries in 2012. 2014 will cover the following nations, which did not participate in 2012:

Angola, Botswana, Cape Verde, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, São Tomé and Príncipe, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Southern Sudan, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

The Festival will select a dozen projects from the region to participate in Open Doors 2014. The objective of the co-production lab (August 9-12) is to bring the finalist projects’ directors and producers together with potential partners, to encourage support for these projects to come to fruition.

Open Doors will continue the new initiative introduced in 2013, whereby, in addition to enabling the selected directors and producers to meet possible partners, there are also workshops for professionals on related film industry issues, with individual meetings and panels on training and marketing. The four-day event will conclude with the awards. The Open Doors Grant, worth 50,000 CHF (ca. 40’000 EUR), is funded by the Open Doors initiative in collaboration with the Town of Bellinzona and the Swiss production support fund Visions Sud Est, also supported by the SDC. Two further awards are offered by the CNC (Centre national du cinéma et de l’image animée) and by ARTE.

In addition to these initiatives for professionals, the section also offers the general Festival audience the Open Doors Screenings, which present a selection of films that are representative of production in the countries involved.

The initiative is organized in close collaboration with Locarno’s Industry Office and enjoys the support of ACE (Ateliers du Cinéma Européen), EAVE (European Audiovisual Entrepreneurs) and the Producers Network Marché du Film (Festival de Cannes).

The 2014 edition of Open Doors is the first to be managed by Ananda Scepka, who succeeds Martina Malacrida. A graduate in philosophy and history from the Sorbonne in Paris, Ananda Scepka has been working with the Festival since 2009.
For this edition of Open Doors, the Festival is working with Alex Moussa Sawadogo, an expert in African cinema and director of the Afrikamera Festival in Berlin.

The 2014 edition is open for applications as of today, via www.opendoors.pardo.ch for projects originating from any of the 25 countries listed above.

The 67th edition of the Festival del film Locarno will take place August 6 -16 2014

Films, Works in Progress, TV Drama and the future

Tomorrow almost 400 guests will arrive at the Göteborg International Film Festival to take part in the 15th Nordic Film Market. The market presents an all time high of 48 fresh films and upcoming projects from Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland and Iceland.

A growing part of the market is TV Drama Vision, our full day seminar dedicated to TV drama with presentations of upcoming projects and a comprehensive overview of the current state of TV drama in the Nordic countries. The international theme this year is Israel and stories that travel, keynote speakers of the TV seminar this year include Sara Johnson from Keshet U.K., creator of the original Israeli series Prisoners of War (Homeland), and Yael Hedaya, writer on the original BeTipul (In Treatment) and Magnus Vidar Sigurdsson from RVK Studios in Iceland.

We’re proud to present a strong programme for this year’s festival. Aside from 18 films, 20 works in progress and 10 projects at Nordic Film Lab Discovery, we’re presenting two works in progress and clips from ten upcoming productions at TV Drama Vision. See all the projects HERE.

This year the festival launches a new multiannual analysis project called Nostradamus, a three-year analysis project to keep track of the latest trends, key industry players and researchers in Europe. We will peer into the near future, focusing on business models and audience behaviour. Some of the panelists and speakers are: Rikke Ennis, TrustNordisk; Michael Gubbins, Sampomedia; Jonathan Marlow, Fandor; Jonathan Olsberg, founder & chairman Olsberg • SPI; Jérôme Paillard, Cannes Film Market; Åsa Sjöberg, TV4 and Bengt Toll, consultant.
See all our speakers HERE.
The first report will be presented at a seminar on Friday, January 31st and can then be downloaded at www.giff.se/nostradamus.

– The borders between TV and film are less pronounced every year and the distribution, rights, business models, technologies and audience expectations are changing rapidly. This is something we want to put a spotlight on to help an industry in a time of change, says Cia Edström, head of Nordic Film Market.

See all guests at Nordic Film Market HERE.

Films at the Nordic Film Market include the festival’s opening film Something Must Break, Blind, The Sunfish, The Quiet Roar, Metalhead, Of Horses and Men, Concrete Night, Letter to the King, Concerning Violence and many more.
See all films and works in progress HERE.