Ceau, Cinema! Festival from Timisoara, Romania announces the call for entry to the international competition section dedicated to feature films (fiction, non-fiction or animation). The call is open for filmmakers from countries with minorities in the Banat region.

Ceau, Cinema! Competition provides a setting for the cinematographic expression of the traditional minorities from the Banat region. Productions or co-productions from the following countries are accepted in competition: Armenia, Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Germany, Israel, Italy, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Turkey, Ukraine, Hungary, and also productions which bring into the spotlight different ethnic groups such as Aromanians, Rroma, Tatars. In case of co-productions, we will only accept films with their main co-producer coming from a country listed above.

To be eligible, the submitted films must meet the following criteria:

1. To be feature films which were released (date of the premiere) after January 1st, 2014

2. The submitted disc must be HD DVD.

3. The films will be presented in the original version with English and/or Romanian subtitles. Romanian films entered in the competition do not need to have subtitles. In case the film is selected, the distributor/ producer must provide  the organizers the film dialogue list in English/ Romanian, in a common format that MUST contain the film timecode (.srt, .stl, .sub, .ssa etc.). No .pdf or .xls files are accepted.

4. There is no maximum time limit (but it must have at least 60 minutes) or other restrictions regarding the feature film genre. Fiction films, as well as non-fiction (documentary) and animations are admitted.

5. The festival DOES NOT pay screening rights for the films entered in competition.

The producer or distributor who owns the screening rights of the film must fill in the entry form and send a printed copy of the entry form along with a DVD and a synopsis of the film to 6 Crivaia Street, Timisoara 300764, Romania no later than May 15th, 2015.

The Ceau Cinema! Festival Award is endowed with 1,000 euro. The prize will be awarded to the film director. There will also be an Audience Award, in value of 500 euro.

We have created this interethnic competition section to reflect the multiculturality of the Banat region, through a fresh and succulent film cocktail. The curator of the competition is the journalist and film critic Ionut Mares.

Further details on the competition, the entry form and FAQ are available on www.ceaucinema.ro or through e-mail at: festival@ceaucinema.ro.

The second edition of Ceau, Cinema! will take place between July 22nd and July 26th, 2015, in Timisoara and Gottlob (the first village in Romania with a renovated movie theater) and will host numerous screenings, workshops and outdoor events, in cinemas and alternative spaces of screening.

The Ceau, Cinema! Film Festival is organized by the Associations Marele Ecran and Pelicula Culturala. It is the first film festival dedicated to the European film in Timisoara. The event is entirely accomplished by volunteers.

Partners: Vitas Romania, Kathrein Romania, [e-spres-oh], Timis County Department of Culture, Gottlob City Hall, French Institute of Timisoara, German Cultural Centre, Balamuc, Super Smooth Studio, Electronic Resistance.

1st Edition of Le Montreal International Animation Film Festival www.leMIAFF.com announces launch and partnership with TELETOON, Meridien Hotel, TOONBOOM, www.FilmFestivals.com Animation World Network (AWN.com), Rosalie, and more

Programming, sponsors, industry conferences, Montreal University and CEGEP participation were presented at Rosalie Restaurant, Tuesday March 31st, 11am

Montreal-based film producer, Laurie Gordon (producer of Ryan Larkin’s final film, Spare Change) and the ANIMAZE team are set to launch ANIMAZE/Le Montreal International Animation Film Festival (MIAFF). April 16 -19,  2015 at Concordia University

The festival will be Montreal’s first to be exclusively focused on animation in both cinema and technology. Ms. Gordon, together with sponsors TELETOON, Meridien Hotel, TOONBOOM, www.FilmFestivals.com, Rosalie, KMF COM, and key members of the MIAFF team, spoke with the media.                                                                      

Some of the topics were: le MIAFF’s world-scale, world-class dimension - participants will come from as far afield as South Africa, Japan, Israel, Iran and Germany, Argentina, in addition to a strong Montreal-based contingent. Also to be presented are the industry conferences, and the MIAFF’s promotion of linkages between Montreal-based animators and related specialists, as well as this year’s international partners.

“Being a Montrealer, and a film producer, I envisaged le MIAFF! to celebrate  animation in all its forms whether through film and technology, video games... all very strong industries in Montreal.  Le MIAFF/ANIMAZE unites all of these sectors for great celebration in Montreal facilitating interplay among the various players and bringing together everyone engaged in animation in all its forms, while providing an opportunity to promote such a key sector of Montreal's economy and culture", said Ms. Gordon  

Rosalie, 1232 de la Montagne, Montreal  

From The Special Need to FEFF 17, here to play, in just 40 seconds, with the iconography of the Far East!

April 3rd 2015 press release 

Please cascade as appropriate

UDINE – The ability to synthesize information is definitely a talent that can also cross over into virtuosity. And it can as well turn into an extreme sport. Just ask all the filmmakers, from Pang Ho-cheung to Matteo Oleotto, who through the years have taken on a very complicated task: creating Far East Film Festival’s very own trailer. Or you could just go ahead and ask him, Carlo Zoratti, who, from that mission, has just come back a winner!

FEFF 17’s trailer, shot in Amsterdam and produced by Brenninkmeijer & Isaacs with art direction by Marina Rosso, bears his mark. It is the mark of a young Udinese video-maker, well-known for his award-winning first work, The Special Need, who in just 4 words and 40 seconds has summarized the spirit of and the meaning behind this Festival: “the emotional chain reaction”.

A set, a director (watch out for his hat: it is a tribute to the one and only Ozu!), a group of actors: each character represents one distinctive trait of Far Eastern filmmaking and each of their actions determines and effects the other, just like with domino tiles, creating an emotional chain reaction. The wrath of an elegant samurai lady causes the awkward maneuvering of a karateka, whose awkward maneuvering gets in the way of a suicidal attempt (pure Kitano style!) and the suicidal attempt, in the end, blurs into a couple’s love kiss…

«I’ve been attending FEFF, as a spectator, for more than 10 years - says Zoratti - and all the movies have always stricken me for the extreme creativity and the incredible ability to floor the audience. I’d walk in expecting to watch a comedy and I’d end up going out crying. I’d expect to watch a family drama and then I’d find myself clutching the armrests while a dead kid haunted his poor father! So when C.E.C. asked me to work on the trailer, I decided to give tribute to that: an emotional chain reaction. Because that’s how FEFF is: an insane and fun emotional chain that always ends up with a kiss or with confetti falling from the sky…».

Carlo Zoratti, born in 1982, graduated from the University of Torino in Interaction Design. He worked for the Interactive department of Fabrica (Benetton’s communications research center, founded by Oliviero Toscani) and then as a freelancer in Holland, Italy and Germany. He is the director of many video clips, took part in the founding of web tv “Pronti al Peggio” and was the artistic director of Jovanotti’s 2013 tour. He debuted as a filmmaker in 2014 with The Special Need, distributed by Friulian distributor Tucker Film.

Most awaited as always, in Udine, fromApril 23rd to May 2nd, FEFF17 will showcase more than 60 films from the best Asian productions: from smash hit blockbusters  to soon-to-be cult movies, passing (as usual) through outsiders worth betting on. Numerous distinctive realities (Hong Kong, China, Japan, South Korea, Thailand, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan) under the broad and keen scrutiny of both the organizers, who supervise the quality range without any artistic discrimination, and the audience, who is looking forward to sliding, wandering and getting lost… away from the West.

To watch the new festival trailer, please click here:

The 34th Istanbul Film Festival Opening Ceremony, presented by actor Cem Davran and hosted by İKSV General Director Görgün Taner and Akbank General Manager Hakan Binbaşgil, started with plaque presentation to the institutions and organizations that have supported the festival, particularly to AKBANK, the festival’s sponsor for 11 years now.

The ceremony continued with the presentation of the festival competitions and the juries. A total of 49 films will be competing in the 34th Istanbul Film Festival for the International and National Golden Tulip Competitions, FACE Human Rights in Cinema, Seyfi Teoman Best Debut Film, and the newly launched National Documentary Competition categories.

The next section in the Istanbul Film Festival Opening Ceremony was the tributes, honouring the figures of the cinema, culture, and art world who passed away during the previous year. Talat Halman, Turkey’s first Minister of Culture and Chairman of İKSV Board of Trustees, and Yaşar Kemal, one of the most internationally renowned authors to have come out of Turkey, were given special mention in this section.

The annual Cinema Honorary Awards of the Istanbul Film Festival were given to five distinguished figures who have long served the Turkish cinema. Safa Önal was the first to receive his Honorary Award at the ceremony. A holder of Guinness World Record title for his 395 filmed screenplays, Önal is one of Turkey’s most prolific filmmakers, with more than 500 scripts for TV series episodes and over 60 photonovelas to his credit as writer and nearly 40 films as director. During the course of his career spanning 60 years, he has written the scripts for some of the classics in the Turkish cinema, including the O Beautiful Istanbul, Hep O Şarkı, Dila Hanım, and My Prostitute Love. Actress Türkan Şoray presented Safa Önal his award in the ceremony.

Musician Cahit Berkay received the second Honorary Award of the night. Berkay is not only renowned as a founder of the Anatolian rock music with his authentic style, but also a favourite of cinephiles for his exceptional film scores. He has more than 180 films, including Abbas in Flower and The Girl with the Red Scarf, and more than 70 television series to his credit as composer since 1962. He is among the founders of the band Moğollar and has also collaborated with many musicians, including Barış Manço, Cem Karaca, Selda Bağcan and Derya Petek. Cahit Berkay received his award from rock singer Şebnem Ferah, while also giving a surprise performance of a selection of his film scores.

The third Honorary Award of the night was presented to Yılmaz Atadeniz. Director, producer, and a genius in editing, Atadeniz is another prolific artist in the film business with a filmography that spans almost all genres, from comedy to adventure and to comic book adaptations. During the course of his career, which he started over 60 years ago as an editor, he has contributed greatly to the development of the Turkish fantastic cinema, making some of the cult films in the genre. Director Çağan Irmak presented Yılmaz Atadeniz his award on stage.

The fourth recipient of the five Honorary Awards was Süleyman Turan, who has portrayed unforgettable supporting characters with whom the audiences identified deeply, whether it be in comedy or drama. Turan’s childhood passion for painting grew into a profession, which he pursued as an illustrator in a wide spectrum ranging from comic books to cartoons, from posters to book covers. His acting career started with his role in Mehmet Dinler’s Sayın Bayan in 1963, when he won the competition organised by the Ses Magazine. Actress Hale Soygazi, with whom he acted in My Dear Uncle–of which he also wrote the screenplay– presented Süleyman Turan his award.

The final Honorary Award of the night was presented to actress Nebahat Çehre. A distinguished actress in the Turkish cinema, renowned for both her exceptional talent and beauty, Çehre entered the film business with her role in The Wild Rose in 1961. Her critically acclaimed performances in a wide variety of genres from melodrama to historical and fantastic films included many highlights such as Bitter Life, Seyyit Han, Balatlı Arif, Eşrefpaşalı, Bride of the Earth, and Kamalı Zeybek. In the second millennium, Çehre’s popularity got beyond the borders of Turkey with her roles in internationally televised series such as Night of June, Forbidden Love, and Magnificent Century. Nebahat Çehre received her award from actor Selçuk Yöntem.

The 34th Istanbul Film Festival Opening Ceremony was broadcast live on CNN Turk. The video projections that accompanied the entire show were prepared by the İKSV Studio team, Selçuk Metin and Erman Pehlivan. The stage director of the show was Turkish State Opera and Ballet Chief Director Yekta Kara.

Following the award ceremony, the 34th Istanbul Film Festival kicked off with the screening of
Ernesto Daranas Serrano’s film Conducta / Behavior. The film will also be screened during the festival in the section of From the World of Festivals.

The city eyes the festival

For two weeks until Sunday, 19 April, the Istanbul Film Festival will host over 200 films at eight movie theatres, along with free events like talks and workshops by doyenne filmmakers, master classes, and special activities.

The festival programme is on the festival’s official website film.iksv.org, as well as on İKSV Mobile application, which is updated with the contribution of İKSV Official Communication Sponsor Vodafone and is free for download on AppStore and Google Play.

For detailed information about the 34th Istanbul Film Festival:

film.iksv.org/en

Follow Istanbul Film Festival on social media:

facebook.com/istanbulfilmfestivali

twitter.com/ist_filmfest

instagram.com/istfilmfest

istfilmfest.tumblr.com

youtube.com/iksvistanbul

#istfilmfest15

After its successful focus on France last year, Film Fest Gent is to include a British focus as part of its next edition. Following this focus Film Fest Gent will also celebrate the rich tradition of British film music by organising the concert GREAT BRITISH FILM MUSIC at the Bijloke, that will provide an anthology of the work of both classical and contemporary film composers, whom have made a remarkable contribution to the image and success of British cinema.

Virtually every significant name in British film music will be highlighted, from William Walton to John Barry, George Fenton and Michael Nyman. Their celebrated scores will be accompanied by excerpts from celebrated British films, including Richard III, Henry V, Shakespeare in Love, Far from the Madding Crowd, Murder on the Orient Express, Dangerous Liaisons, Battle of Britain, The Ipcress File and The Knack.

As for the film programme, the British films will be programmed in a separate section with twelve to fifteen new films that are true examples of films that show the dynamic and diversity of current British cinema, which in recent years has really flourished. Other British films will as well be programmed in the usual festival sections such as the Competition, Galas & Specials, Classics and Out of the Box sections. Numerous filmmakers from the UK are set to attend the festival and present their latest work. Q&A's and director's talks will also be held during the festival.

The annual film music seminar will also shine a light on British Cinema. Composers Stephen Warbeck, Patrick Doyle and George Fenton (regular composer of Ken Loach) have already committed to participate. Other names of directors and composers will be confirmed in the coming months. More information on Film Fest Gent’s focus on British Cinema and the concert can be found attached here at 'Downloads' and on the website.

The 42nd Film Fest Gent will run from 13 until 24 October 2015 in Ghent, Belgium. The full programme will be announced on September 24th 2015. The Great British Film Music concert will be held on 22 October 2015 at Bijloke Ghent, Belgium.

Tickets are available at www.filmfestival.be

Festival Runs April 23 - May 7

The San Francisco Film Society today announced the complete schedule of films and events that will make up the 58th San Francisco International Film Festival, running April 23 - May 7 at Sundance Kabuki Cinemas, the Castro Theatre and the Clay Theatre in San Francisco and the Pacific Film Archive in Berkeley.

Download the Festival program here.

Browse the full public program info at festival.sffs.org.

Find press releases, high-resolution film stills and awardee images, logos, program guides and more at sffs.org/pressdownloads.

SFIFF 2015 by the Numbers:

181 Films
65 Narrative Features
35 Documentary Features
2 New Vision Features
79 Shorts
46 Countries Represented
33 Languages
2 World Premieres
5 North American Premieres
5 US Premieres
59 Women Directors

Highlights from today's press conference included these announcements:

A new Collaborations Program, in which we will be enhancing a number of screenings from films across various sections with very special added content, leveraging the intellectual and cultural wealth of the Bay Area to explore more deeply the issues in those films. Read the full press release.

Douglas Trumbull, the VFX icon who pioneered the effects in '2001: A Space Odyssey' and a dozen or so more of the most important science fiction films of all time, will be giving this year's State of Cinema Address. Read the full press release.

The lineup for the Festival's popular Live & Onstage program is as strong as ever. Innovative live music and film presentations include electro-pop duo Cibo Matto performing newly commissioned scores with a program of short films, and the legendary Kronos Quartet performing with a new work by master experimental filmmaker Bill Morrison. Read the full press release.

There's a strong showing of films that were supported by San Francisco Film Society Filmmaker360 program the SFIFF58 lineup. There are official selections supported by every Film Society support initiative, from the flagship SFFS / KRF Filmmaking Grant, to the Documentary Film Fund, to FilmHouse Residencies and more. Titles include Jennifer Phang's Advantageous, Jason Zeldes' Romeo Is Bleeding, Jenni Olson's The Royal Road, Kris Swanberg's Unexpected, Leah Wolchok's Very Semi-Serious and Bill and Turner Ross' Western. Read the full press release.

As a way of welcoming to Alamo Drafthouse to San Francisco -- the company opening a new cinema complex this summer -- SFIFF has given over its Dark Wave late-night fan-favorite genre section to Tim League to guest curate and co-host. Read the full press release.

The Golden Gate Persistence of Vision Award, which each year honors the achievement of a filmmaker whose main body of work is outside the realm of narrative feature filmmaking, is going this year to master documentarian Kim Longinotto, who will come to the Festival to present her new film Dreamcatcher. Read the full press release.

The Mel Novikoff Award, given to a behind-the-scenes figure making significant contributions to the world of cinema, will go to the amazing film sleuth Lenny Borger. Borger is the force behind the re-subtitling of many of French cinema's classics, and a master archival explorer who has located film elements that have saved several "lost' silents. Read the full press release.

Browse the complete list of SFIFF58 press releases here, including the previously-announced Opening Night, Centerpiece and Closing Night programs, the tribute to Irving M. Levin Directing Award recipient Guillermo del Toro, the Peter J. Owens Award tribute to Richard Gere, and more.

The deadline for media accreditation for the 2014 San Francisco International Film Festival is Friday April 10. To learn more about media accreditation and for instructions on how to apply, contact Press Office Coordinator Luis Mamayson at lmamayson@sffs.org.

J’aimee Skippon-Volke and some of the Young Australian Filmmakers at this year’s BBFF, including on her right, Brodie Poole, whose Flight of the Buffalo won the award.

More than 100 young Australian filmmakers entered their work in the Byron Bay Film Festival this year, hoping to have their films shown alongside those of masters of the medium such as Wim Wenders and Tony Ayres, and to rub shoulders with stars of the calibre of David Wenham and Jack Thompson on the BBFF Red Carpet.

Australian Directors aged under 25 and as young as 13 travelled from all over Australia to attend the festival.

Ten of their films were selected as the final nominees, all of whom attended with their films screened in a special session judged by former Channel 9 Film reviewer Peter Thompson.

He chose Queenslander Brodie Poole’s Flight of the Buffalo for the top gong.

"The calibre of films made by up-and-coming talent from all over Australia was outstanding this year,” said Festival Director J'aimee Skippon-Volke, “yet Brodie's work shone strongly as the main contender, because his style is unique, quirky and universally engaging.

“We are very keen to see the work he will be creating in the future.”

The anti-CSG mining film Frackman picked up two awards on the night.

Richard Todd’s documentary story of ordinary Aussie bloke Dayne Pratzky taking on the giant mining corporations played to a packed house during the festival and won the top honours for Best Film and Best Environmental Film, the latter sponsored by the NSW Greens.

The awards ceremony took place during Saturday’s Closing Gala, in which visiting and local filmmakers joined film fans for a waltz down the red carpet and the World Premiere of a documentary on the work of North Coast death activist Zenith Virago.

Zen and the Art of Dying was filmed in Byron Shire by American Broderick Fox (The Skin I’m In) after he met Zenith at BBFF2012 and the film also played to a capacity crowd, as did the Opening Night documentary Will and Testament, an intimate portrait of the life and political career of outspoken socialist MP Tony Benn.

Film fans flocked to the Community Centre theatre on Sunday night to see the documentary about the extraordinary creative community of western Sardinia, Cabras Where Fables Are Born, which brought the festival’s 10 days of intensive screenings, workshops and glamorous parties to an end.

Frackman was one of a dozen films singled out for acknowledgment at the festival.

The Best Byron Film award, sponsored by the Echo, went to Nyangbul woman Lois Cook for her study of the mass killings of her people on the North Coast, Babe in the Reeds: a story of massacres and resilience.

The Slap’s director Tony Ayres picked up Best Dramatic Feature for his tough crime drama Cut Snake and an honorary mention was given to A Fighting Season, Oden Roberts’ drama about the recruitment methods used by the US military.

In other awards, the Best Cinematography prize went to horror film III; Best Short Film to the Polish Matka Ziemia (Mother Earth); Best Surf Film Learning to Float; Best Music Video Claire - The Next Ones to Come; Best Experimental Film Gaia; Best animation Flow.

The 2015 festival was “the most successful yet”, according to Ms Skippon-Volke.

Next year marks the festival’s 10th anniversary and preparations for a spectacular event were already under way, Ms Skippon-Volke said.

Fast Film Facts for BBFF 2015:

• Films officially selected: 225
• World premieres: 24
• International premieres: 5
• NSW premieres: 18
• Australian premieres: 86
• Byron premieres: 80
• Sessions: 51
• Venues: 6
• Number of films by Young Australian Filmmakers (under 25): 17

FESTIVAL DU CINEMA DE BRIVE / 12ème EDITION

14-19 AVRIL 2015

LES TEMPS FORTS

. SELECTION OFFICIELLE / COMPETITION EUROPEENNE 2015  / 22 FILMS

. LE DIALOGUE ENTRE CINEASTES

  Céline SCIAMMA a choisi de rencontrer Pierre SALVADORI

. MADE IN JAPAN / PANORAMA DU MOYEN METRAGE JAPONAIS

  CONTEMPORAIN présenté par Clément Rauger (8 films)

. RETROSPECTIVE / FREE CINEMA

  présentée par Marie Anne Guerin, Eva Markovits, Samuel Petit (15 films)

. FOCUS

  WERNER HERZOG

   (La Grande Extase du sculpteur sur bois Steiner, Gasherbrum,

   Wodaabe, les bergers du soleil, Leçons de ténèbres)

   présenté par Stéphane du Mesnildot et Potemkine Films

   DOUGLAS SIRK (Le Malade imaginaire, Deux génies) présenté par Elsa Charbit

   PAUL VERHOEVEN (Un lézard de trop, La Fête) présenté par Harry Bos

   HOMMAGE A RENE VAUTIER  (Un peuple en marche, Vous avez dit français?)

   présenté par Moïra Vauthier (sous réserve)

. SERIES

   LE PRISONNIER / Patrick Mc Goohan (7 épisodes), présenté par Samuel Petit

   BERGMAN AU TRAVAIL (Ingmar Bergman Makes a movie - INEDIT –

   accompagné du film Les  communiants)

. SEANCES SPECIALES

   Crazy Quilt de François Lebrun, en sa présence

   Nolot en verve, Ecrire, jouer, filmer de Estelle Fredet, présenté par Bernard Benoliel

. SEANCE GRANDE REGION (Emilie Lamoine, Lucie Borleteau, Blandine Lenoir)

. SEANCE AGENCE DU COURT-METRAGE (Laurent Achard, Jacques Maillot)

. CINE CONCERT

   MUSHISHI, accompagné par la formation d’Ulysse Klotz, AAMOUROCEAN

. & sur CINE+ / Week-end spécial Brive

   IL EST DES NOTRES de Jean-Christophe Meurisse / GRAND PRIX CINE + 2014

   TANT QU’IL NOUS RESTE DES FUSILS A POMPE de Caroline Poggi et Jonathan Vinel

   PRIX SPECIAL CINE + 2014

ET AUSSI

LE WORSHOP PITCH MOYEN METRAGE

TABLES RONDES (Enjeux actuels de la diffusion du moyen métrage, La musique au cinéma, Master Class production Tant qu’il nous reste des fusils à pompe suivi d’une rencontre avec Caroline Poggi, Jonathan Vinel et l’équipe du GREC)

SEANCES SCOLAIRES & ATELIERS (Autour de Free cinéma par Marie Anne Guerin ; Séries TV & cinéma ; Ciné-concert Max Linder par François Chamaraux; Buffer Zone de et avec Philippe Petit accompagné de Sarah Leonor et F.J. Ossang ; Rencontres avec les équipes des films en compétition) ; CINE PETITS ;

DEDICACES Jean-Pierre Darroussin et F.J. Ossang

Contact presse / Karine Durance 06 10 75 73 74

ABOUT ARKIPEL

The word ARKIPEL was taken from ‘archipelago’ which refers to a term in Indonesian language ‘nusantara’. The word was known since the early 16th century. Nusantara is a group of thousand of islands keeping long globalization history of politics, cultural, and economics. More than 500 years ago, this region has become one of main destinations for Western explorer whom tried to find new areas to be colonized or as trading partner. Besides the European, there were also people came from the East (China, Arab, and India) which made this Nusantara region as an exploration destination in their trading missions of spices and silk. ARKIPEL International Documentary and Experimental Film Festival was initiated by Forum Lenteng to read a global phenomenon in social, political, economic and culture contexts through cinema. Of cinema, it is expected to capture the global society phenomenon, both in terms of aesthetic and socio-political context through the language of documentary and experimental filmmaking.

ARKIPEL is intended to be able to deliver quality documentary (not TV documentary) and achievement of experimentation in cinema to Indonesian, Southeast Asian, and International audiences. In addition, the festival will always see the development of the cinematic language with critical thinking, regardless of the terms ‘cinema industry’ or independent cinema. For this reason, ARKIPEL will always bring a critical discourse to observe it through curatorial programs, symposium, and public lecture to broaden the knowledge of the ever-changing cutting-edge cinema aesthetics.

Forum Lenteng adalah organisasi non-profit berbentuk perhimpunan dengan anggota individu yang didirikan oleh pekerja seni, peneliti budaya, mahasiswa komunikasi/jurnalistik pada tahun 2003, yang bekerja mengembangkan pengetahuan media dan kebudayaan melalui pendidikan alternatif berbasis komunitas. Forum ini bertujuan menjadikan pengetahuan media dan kebudayaan bagi masyarakat untuk hidup yang lebih baik, terbangunnya kesadaran bermedia, munculnya inisatif, produksi pengetahuan, dan terdistribusikannya pengetahuan tersebut secara luas.

CONTACT

Forum Lenteng
Jl. H. Saidi No. 69 RT.007/RW.05, Tanjung Barat, Jakarta - 12530
info@arkipel.org
arkipel.org

Welcome to the USA Film Festival, a 45-year-old, Dallas-based, year-round 501(c)3 organization dedicated to the recognition and promotion of excellence in the film and video arts and to bringing filmmakers and audiences together.

How did we get our name? When the festival was created in 1970, it was the first program in the world to exclusively recognize and celebrate The American Filmmaker.  Our program reach may have expanded since then, but we maintain our name and commitment to great works and great filmmakers who inspire us with their talent and dedication.

2015 Program dates -- April 22 - 26, 2015

Click here to view the FULL SCHEDULE OF PROGRAMS

For the poster of its 54th edition, La Semaine de la Critique found inspiration in a still from Breathe, second feature film directed by Mélanie Laurent and part of last year’s selection. Lively, bold, freed of all constraint, the heroine played by the actress Lou de Laâge, embodies the breath of fresh air carried by emerging talents. The poster was designed by the Parisian agency “Les bons faiseurs“ from a photograph by Jérôme Plon.

Since its creation in 1962 within the Cannes Film Festival, La Semaine de la Critique continues to promote young promising filmmakers worldwide by selecting first and second feature films, as well as short films.

Which young talents will follow the footsteps of such famous foregoers as Alejandro González Iñárritu, Ken Loach, Wong Kar-wai, Andrea Arnold, Leos Carax, Arnaud Desplechin, Guillermo del Toro, Jacques Audiard or Miranda July, all revealed by La Semaine? The 54th selection of La Semaine de la Critique, composed of 10 feature films and 10 short films, will be announced on April 20th.

Film d’animation on a remix of Cannes musical theme "Le Carnaval des animaux" by Camille Saint-Saëns, with an arrangement conceived by two swedish musicians, Patrik Andersson and Andreas Söderström.

Mercredi 8 avril

REV 10h00 — 18h00	Maison des Associations du 14ème 22, rue Deparcieux, 75014 Paris Entée libre
	Atelier de Miloš Tomić. Jour 2.
PRESENT 19h00	Maison du Danemark 142 Avenue des Champs-Élysées, 75008 Paris
	Genetic Me (Documentaire, Danemark, 2014, 56’, C, VOSTF) de Pernille Rose Grønkjær Les histoires personnelles se mêlent avec les avancements de la recherche génétique afin de proposer une nouvelle réponse à la question « Comment suis-je devenu moi ?».
MEUTE 19h30	Goethe Institut 17 avenue d’Iéna, 75016 Paris
	Scènes de chasse en Bavière / Jagdszenen aus Niederbayern (Fiction, Allemagne de l’Ouest, 1969, 88’, NB, VOSTF) de Peter Fleischmann Abram, un jeune mécanicien, s’installe chez sa mère dans un village bavarois. Mais très vite, des rumeurs sur sa sexualité se propagent. En présence du réalisateur Peter Fleischmann
REV 19h40	Cinéma l’Entrepôt 7 / 9 rue Francis de Pressensé, 75014 Paris Plein tarif : 8 € | Tarif réduit : 6.5 € | Membre AAFEE : Entrée libre
	Projection en collaboration avec TEAS. Sélection de courts-métrages d’Azerbaïdjan.
	Offside (Documentaire, Azerbaïdjan, 2014, 5’, C, VOSTF) de Thomas Goltz La région de Karabakh en Azerbaïdjan vue à travers l’histoire d’une équipe de foot.
	The Wound / Yara (Fiction, Azerbaïdjan, 2014, 17’, NB, VOSTF) de Teymur Hajiyev Deux hommes. Un voyage nocturne. Ils désirent tout deux se libérer du poids du passé. En présence du réalisateur Teymur Hajiyev
	Le Dernier / Sonuncu (Fiction, Azerbaïdjan/Russie, 2014, 15’, C, VOSTF) de Sergey Pikalov Histoire imaginaire sur l’ancien combattant de la Seconde guerre mondiale, le dernier survivant sur Terre. En présence de la productrice Maria Ivanova
	Torn (Fiction, Allemagne/Azerbaïdjan, 2014, 22’, C, VOSTF) de Elmar Imanov et Engin Kundag Deux vies, deux mondes : un homme et un enfant. Ils sont liés mais ils sont déchirés. En présence des réalisateurs Elmar Imanov et Engin Kundag
HM 20h00	Auditorium Jean XXlll – Mutuelle Saint-Cristophe 277 rue Saint Jacques, 75005 Paris Entrée libre
	Return of the Poet (Documentaire, Arménie, 2006, 84’, C, VOSTF) de Harutyun Khachatryan Jivany, poète et philosophe, est une des personnalités les plus connues de la culture arménienne du 20ème siècle. Un portrait lyrique.

6th Annual International Film Finance Forum

Intercontinental Carlton Hotel | Cannes, France

Presented by Winston Baker

May 15, 2015

in partnership with filmfestivals.com

REGISTER using our PROMO CODE: FEST21 and save 30% off the standard rate thru May 2nd!

OVERVIEW:

Winston Baker will host its annual international program during the 68th Festival de Cannes at the prestigious Carlton Hotel located on the Boulevard de la Croisette. This particular forum will be a half-day program on the afternoon of May 15, 2015 geared towards global strategies for financing films, mitigating risk, aligning interests with partners worldwide, and identifying viable distribution in the age of “watch it when you want and where you want it.”

Key topics of discussion at the forum will include:

- View From the Director’s Chair: Banking on Content vs. Talent

- Is it Real Movie Money or Just Another Big Yacht Passing By?

- Staying Ahead of the Growing Co-Production Curve

- Breaking into the China Market: Power Players and Strategic Partnership Opportunities

- Distribution Re-Defined: Selling Films and Making Money in the On-Demand Age

At the end of the forum, a private reception will be hosted for speakers, sponsors, and registered attendees.

ATTENDEE PROFILE:

Each year, the Cannes forum hosts a targeted group of between 150 and 200 film financiers, producers, sales agents, buyers, and seasoned advisors. The Winston Baker forum is an effective way to stay connected with award winning producers and active industry deal-makers, as well as make new contacts at a film festival that hosts thousands of people each year.

In 2014, attendance at the Marché du Film reached a record 11,806 registered participants, including 1,927 buyers for 5,036 companies. 116 countries were represented that year, with 8 new countries making an appearance. In such a huge market, there is no better way to establish visibility with the right contacts than by attending a high-level film finance and distribution conference?

Winston Baker’s 2015 Cannes forum will be featuring outstanding speakers such as David Glasser, President and Chief Operating Officer of The Weinstein Company, Jim Berk, Chief Executive Officer of Participant Media, Micah Green, Co-Head, Film Finance and Sales Group, Creative Artists Agency and industry leaders from IM Global, Universal Pictures International, IFC Films, and so many others!

More information on programming is available on the International Film Finance Forum website.

REGISTRATION DETAILS:

Canadian premiere - The 5th edition of the International Uranium Film Festival will be held in Quebec City from April 15 to 25, 2015

The International Uranium Film Festival will be held in Quebec City this year from April 15 to 25. Over 50 films about the nuclear age will be screened throughout the ten-day festival at the Concorde Hotel on Grande Allée. Opening night festivities on April 15 promise to be vibrant, with a spectacular circus performance, surprise cocktails and various uranium-related events.

This festival – which has previously been held in Washington, New York, Berlin, Munich, Lisbon and Mumbai – is a first in Canada since it was founded in Rio de Janeiro in 2010. This special edition marks the 70th anniversary of the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the 29th anniversary of the tragedy at Chernobyl and the 4thanniversary of the Fukushima disaster.

"I am proud that this year's Festival will be held in Canada, one of the largest uranium producers in the world," said Norbert G. Suchanek, founder and director of the Festival. "I would especially like to thank the Grand Council of the Crees for making this special event possible."

The Grand Council of the Crees (Eeyou Istchee) is the event's principal host. For a number of years, the Cree Nation has been vocal in its opposition to uranium exploration in Eeyou Istchee, their territory in Northern Quebec. The Cree Nation will present, for the first time in Quebec, a short film on the subject, entitled The Wolverine: The Fight of the James Bay Cree. The Cree Nation also launched the "StandAgainstUranium" social media campaign last year.

Special film screenings will be held in Mistissini, the largest Cree community in Quebec, on April 18. Screenings will also be held in Montreal on April 23, and will be kicked off with a 5 à 7 cocktail, which will be attended by a number of celebrities. Hundreds of international uranium experts will also be gathered in Quebec City for the World Uranium Symposium, from April 14 to 16 at the Centre des congrès de Québec. They will also attend the opening ceremony of the Uranium Film Festival.

After the festival in Quebec the International Uranium Film Festival continues in Brazil. July 9 - 19 it will be held in Rio de Janeiro's Modern Art Museum (Cinemateque) and October 5 - 7 the festival will be guest in Florianopolis.

La semaine du Cinéma Ukrainien à Paris

18TH CINE LAS AMERICAS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES

PROGRAM SELECTION OF FILMS, INCLUDING "HECHO EN TEJAS" SHOWCASES

 Cine Las Americas International Film Festival announced today its 2015 program, including what has become a signature of the festival lineup, the Hecho en Tejas showcases. All films are presented in English or with English subtitles (if English is not the original language). The 18th Cine Las Americas International Film Festival is scheduled for April 22-26, 2015, in Austin, Texas.

"The film review committee and programming team have risen to the challenges presented this year, to curate a strong program, from locally-produced work to national and international titles," said festival director Jean Lauer. "We're confident that fans and newcomers to the festival alike will find themselves engaged with the selections, and we're pleased to present the Hecho en Tejas screenings among the many options for attendees to experience vibrant, entertaining, and sometimes challenging work from voices representing contemporary cinematic landscapes."

The full festival lineup includes 41 feature films, 49 short films, and 5 music videos, in representation of 18 countries' participation in production and co-production of the films. Together, they highlight a diversity of themes, genres and styles characteristic of contemporary national and international cinema trends. Films will be presented at partnership venues The Marchesa Hall & Theatre, The Mexican American Cultural Center and St. Edward's University Jones Auditorium at the Ragsdale Center.

Hecho en Tejas films are shot and/or produced in Texas and showcase the wide variety of work by filmmakers with varied backgrounds and experience. These selections compliment the Festival's national and international line up, and include films from both up-and-coming talent and veteran filmmakers. For the sixth consecutive year, Cine Las Americas is pleased to count on a partnership with the Texas Archive of the Moving Image (TAMI), to present a jury award to the best "Hecho en Tejas" film.

This year, the Hecho en Tejas program includes two feature films, six short films, and two music videos. The Hecho en Tejas film presentations will take place during the festival on Saturday, April 25th and Sunday, April 26th at the Marchesa Hall and Theatre, with more details to come.

About the Hecho en Tejas Films

Features

Agave is Life

Dir. David Brown, Meredith Dreiss

Historical/Cultural Documentary, 2014

AGAVE IS LIFE is the story of mankind's alliance with the agave plant, from which tequila is derived. Told through the lens of archaeological and historical investigations, and narrated by Edward James Olmos, the film explores ten thousand years of the human-agave relationship. Once a critical resource for hunter-gatherers, agave was a source of food, drink, textiles, fuel, and medicines. We learn that this unique desert plant, once embedded in cultural identity, mythology, art, and rituals, faces an uncertain future. Today, ancient folkways, from fiber craftsmanship to traditional pulque and mescal productions, are rapidly disappearing. While entrepreneurs and scientists work to turn the tide, a loss of diversity of both cultivated and wild species may be the ultimate arbitrator.

What's the Use?

Dir. Nicole Elmer

Alternative/Comedy/Drama, 2014

Seventeen year-old Sara defends her pride from a career oriented greasy-spoon waitress and her potty mouth. In the gymnastics of her self-defense, she recalls the night when she moved home to live with her father Tony, a skinny loser fresh out of rehab. Determined to start their lives over, he throws her a birthday party, only to have it wrecked by Shy, a dangerous loan shark. Pissed by her father's passive retreat into his bedroom, Sara sets off to find Shy and take care of her father's debt on her own. On her journey through the 4th of July heat of Austin, Texas, she meets a love-starved perfectionist, a professional Love Guru, and an eccentric who is planning a painless suicide. Finally reaching Shy, he pushes her fragile ego to the edge, where she is forced to finally see her family's dark secret and realize she might be her own greatest enemy.

Shorts

¿Por qué el recuerdo? (The Solitude of Memory), Dir. Juan Pablo González

El fuego detrás (The Fire Behind), Dir. Leo Aguirre

Jornaleras (Women Workers), Dir. Marcela Moran

Morgan Robyn Collado, Dir. Danea Johnson

Sunrise, Dir. Diego Rico

Yo soy Juan (I am Juan), Dir. Patrick Rangel

Music Videos

El marinero y la sirena (The Sailor and the Mermaid), Dir. Patricia Vonne

Whispers and Dreams, Dir. Sharon Arteaga

Film Titles from Full Program, by Program Section

New Releases

OPENING NIGHT: The Martini Shot, Dir. Demetrius Navarro, USA

CLOSING NIGHT: Mr. Kaplan, Dir. Álvaro Brechner, Spain/Uruguay/Germany

ADDITIONAL TITLES:

Buscando a Gastón (Finding Gaston), Dir. Patricia Perez, USA/Peru

Castanha, Dir. Davi Pretto, Brazil

Dólares de arena (Sand Dollars), Dir. Israel Cárdenas, Laura Amelia Guzmán, Argentina/Mexico/Dominican Republic

Feriado (Holiday), Dir. Diego Araujo, Ecuador/Argentina

La isla minima (Marshland), Dir. Alberto Rodríguez, Spain

La voz en off (Voice Over), Dir. Cristián Jiménez, Chile/France/Canada

The Lodge, Dir. Terril Calder, Canada

This May Be the Last Time, Dir. Sterlin Harjo, USA

Tres D (Three D), Dir. Rosendo Ruíz, Argentina

Viejos amigos (Good Old Boys), Dir. Fernando Villarán, Peru

Narrative Feature Competition

Climas, Dir. Enrica Pérez, Peru

El futuro (The Future), Dir. Luis López Carrasco, Spain

Los enemigos del dolor (The Enemies of Pain), Dir. Arauco Hernandez, Uruguay

O Último Cine Drive-in (The Last Drive-in Theater), Dir. Iberê Carvalho, Brazil

Viento aparte (A Separate Wind), Dir. Alejandro Gerber Bicecci, Mexico

Documentary Feature Competition

Gazelle - The Love Issue, Dir. Cesar Terranova, Brazil/French Polynesia/USA

Hotel Nueva Isla, Dir. Irene Gutierrez, Javier Labrador, Cuba/Spain

La Violencia: The Untold Truths of Guatemala, Dir. Pia Janning, Til Frohlich, Ireland/Guatemala

Poder e impotencia, Un drama en 3 actos (Power and Impotence: A Drama in 3 Acts), Dir. Anna Recalde Miranda, Paraguay/France/Italy

Tres mujeres guerreras (Three Women Warriors), Dir. Alexander Preuss, Germany/Colombia

Ambulante Showcase

El hogar al revés (Upside Down Home), Dir. Itzel Martínez del Cañizo, Mexico

H20mx, Dir. José Cohen, Mexico

Retratos de una búsqueda (Portraits of a Search), Dir. Alicia Calderón, Mexico

Panorama Features

Algún lugar (On the Road, Somewhere), Dir. Guillermo Zouain, Dominican Republic

Anatomía de un vestido (Anatomy of a Dress), Dir. Flora Pérez Garay, Puerto Rico

Asolagados (Flooded), Dir. David Vázquez Vázquez, Spain

Ati y Mindhiva (As the Tree Under the Hurricane), Dir. Claudia Fischer, Colombia

BKLYN 11211, Dir. Zac73dragon, Spain/Bolivia/USA

Chuy, El hombre lobo (Chuy, The Wolf Man), Dir. Eva Aridjis, Mexico

Dos Aguas (Two Waters), Dir. Patricia Velásquez, Costa Rica/Colombia

Flory's Flame, Dir. Curt Fissel, USA

Genoveva, Dir. Paola Castillo Villagran, Chile

Icaros, Dir. Georgina Barreiro, Argentina/Peru

Les indiens, l'aigle et le dindon (The Indians, the Eagle and the Turkey), Dir. Iphigénie Marcoux-Fortier, Karine van Ameringen, Canada

Movimientos espectaculares (Spectacular Movements), Dir. Mateo Hinojosa, Bolivia/USA/Venezuela

Oil & Water, Dir. Francine Strickwerda, Laurel Spellman Smith, USA

Salgán & Salgán: A Father-Son Tango, Dir. Caroline Neal, Argentina

Narrative Shorts Competition

Bolero para surfear en Moravia (Bolero for Surfing in Moravia), Dir. Valerio Mendoza Guillén, Venezuela/Czech Republic

El sermón de la montaña (Sermon on the Mount), Dir. Pepe Puertas Piñero, Spain

Indigo, Dir. Amanda Strong, Canada

La carta (The Letter), Dir. Mara Soler, Mexico

Leonard Peres, Dir. Missy Hernandez, USA

Documentary Shorts Competition

Dona Rosa, Dir. Mathias Mangin, Lucas Mandacaru, Brazil

Elena Asins - Génesis, Dir. Álvaro Giménez Sarmiento, Spain

Flor de la mar (Flower of the Sea), Dir. Jorge Thielen Armand, Venezuela

I Was Born in Mexico, But..., Dir. Corey Ohama, USA

Nuestro hogar (Our Home), Dir. Detsy "Mara" Barrigon, Iván Jaripio, Panama

Music Videos

C.T.R.L, Dir. Mariana Conde, United Kingdom

El marinero y la sirena (The Sailor and the Mermaid), Dir. Patricia Vonne, USA (Hecho en Tejas)

La ciudad (The City), Dir. Javier Orman, Tom Farrell, USA

Nitahkôtân (I Have Arrived), Dir. Moe Clark, Canada

Whispers and Dreams, Dir. Sharon Arteaga, USA (Hecho en Tejas)

Indigenous Shorts Program - Retrospective

Día 2 (Day 2), Dir. Dante Cerano Bautista, Mexico

Late, Dir. Christi Bertelsen, USA

Mohawk Midnight Runners, Dir. Zoe Leigh Hopkins, Canada

Poi Dogs, Dir. Joel Moffett, USA

Roberta, Dir. Caroline Monnet, Canada

Search for the World's Best Indian Taco, Dir. Steven Judd, USA

Smoke Break, Dir. Sally Kewayosh, USA

Panorama Shorts

2 and 2, are 4, Dir. Pedro Sena Nunes, Portugal

Aceito (I Do), Dir. Felipe Cabral, Brazil

Beyond Recognition, Dir. Michelle Grace Steinberg, USA

Bloodlines, Dir. Christopher Cegielski, USA

Caballo de mar (Knight of the Seas), Dir. Fernando Alcántara, Iñaki Gaztañaga, Spain

Deseo (Desire), Dir. Carolina Cortella, Argentina

En la orilla (At the Edge), Dir. Liza Hoos, Xavier Basurto, Mexico

Inch' Allah, Dir. Angélica Romanini, Mexico

Nudo (Knot), Dir. Juliana Gómez Castañeda, Cuba

Soberano papeleo (Sovereign Paperwork), Dir. Lala Severi, Uruguay

Una pared (A Wall), Dir. Javier Ferreiro, Cuba

YO, la PEOR de TODAS (I, the WORST of ALL), Dir. Francisco Lupini, USA

Emergencia "Youth Film" Special Presentation

Cine Joven Latinitas Showcase, Various Directors, USA

Emergencia "Youth Film" Competition Lineup

A Harmonious Cacophony, Dir. Marielle Boland, Isabela Reid, USA

A Pirate's Life, Dir. Isabella Olaguera, Nick Haaf, USA

Can I Help You?, Dir. Pedro Salles Leite, Brazil

Ella (Elle), Dir. David Hebrero, Spain

Growing, Dir. Allison Coon-Come, Canada

Háblame (Talk to Me), Dir. Alba Linares, Spain

Kayna Wawaiki Jamuni (Now I Come as Your Son), Dir. Nicolas Page, Chile

La boda de las calaveras, Dir. Ricardo Miguel Salazar, USA

Little Red, Dir. Wynter Rhys, USA

Never Comes Easy, Dir. Naate, Canada

Pleasant, Dir. Miranda Whitus, USA

Sin madre (Without A Mother), Dir. Buffy Almendares, USA

The Lonely Baker, Dir. Cyntheara Tham, Allison McInerney, Ayanna Marte, USA

The Only Road, Dir. Sergio Valencia, Nathan Miguel, Alan Bagh, USA

For the 18th consecutive year, Austin will serve as host to a wide range of international films and filmmakers as the festival creates networking opportunities for industry professionals, and provides a rich cultural experience for statewide audiences. The festival will showcase contemporary films from the US, Canada, Latin America, and the Iberian Peninsula. All films are presented in English and/or subtitled.

As in past editions, the 2014 New Directors/New Films series in New York, now in its 44th year, organized by the Film Society of Lincoln Center and the Museum of Modern Art, offered a wide range of cinematographic and narrative approaches. From hundreds of films Dennis Lim from the Film Society and Rojendra Roy from Moma selected 24 feature and 16 shorts, mostly the filmmakers’ first or second productions. They covered superb traditional departures (Creation of Meaning), issue oriented filmmaking (The Fool), psychological investigation (The Kindergarten Teacher), enigmatic story telling (Ow), neo-realistic presentations (The Tribe), and metaphorical frames (White God), to offer a small sampling. The boundaries between genres remain fluid and a growing documentary impulse prevails.       

Creation of Meaning

This production is a superbly structured cinematic essay about how perception of the past is structured by focusing on an Italian farmer who is selling his small farm as a summer retreat to a German.  Interpretations of  the partisan struggle with the German occupiers during the second world war are woven around teaching  school  children the past, divergent recollections by the few survivors of the war years, the re-enacting  of partisans’ resistance for a home movie, and the talk between the farmer and his German client. Radio commentaries by contemporary Italian politicians and the discussion of the Italian malaise and the past complete the picture. The German wonders how Italians could get along so well with tourists and land speculators from his country in light of the massacres but learns that in this remote isolated area of Toscana the population was on good terms with ordinary German soldiers. The film has a strong documentary affinity and outstanding painterly camera work.

The Fool, Russia 2014, Yurly Bykov

Portraying the fight of Dima, an honest plumber, to save hundreds of people in an aging housing project building about to collapse is the stage for the film maker to demonstrate the pervasive corruption in a Russian city which prevents repairing the building. There is the noteworthy depiction of the grim existence of the tenants who live at the bottom of society. Dima is criticized even by his mother for being naïve, a fool, since he does not work the system to his advantage as all others do.  Most people from the building, adults and youth are shown as low lives involved with violence, drugs and alcohol. They live in crowded apartments which are filthy, run down and provoke little sympathy. At a birthday party for the deputy mayor, Dima’s reports his suspicion of the building’s imminent collapse and has his claim verified by the building inspector. Dima suggests an immediate evacuation and prompts an animated disputation among the functionaries representing the city’s departments.  No matter which department they are in charge of be it police, housing, hospitals, fire or administration   they all have been involved in bribery and theft enriching them, facts they openly admit.   Their agencies are broke, there are no funds for the evacuation, and several voice no sympathy but contempt for the impoverished residents of the building. The problem is solved by killing the building inspector and the deputy’s administrator, burning all files with evidence of the corruption. Dima is forced to leave the city with his family. In the end, despite being rejected by all except for his father DIMA returns to warn the residents but is beaten up by them for stirring up unrest.

The Kindergarten Teacher   Israel France 2014, Nadav Lapid

Lapid presents in her charming but provocative film the growing relationship between Nina, a middle aged married mother and pre-school teacher and Yoah a five-year old poet child prodigy. She is drawn to his ability to instantly create poetry about basic human emotions far beyond the comprehension his age permits. She tunes into his poetry and records it no matter what the circumstances are. Her interest turns into an obsession as she tries to protect him and his poetry from an outside world which has no space for poetry. She antagonizes his womanizing wealthy father who does not care about his son’s gift or his mother who abandoned them. After Yoah is moved by his father to a different kindergarten Nina abducts him and takes him to a hotel resort where Yoah continues to create his poems. There is no dissonance between them yet Yoah locks her into the bathroom and follows her instructions to call the police with directions to the hotel.  The performance of Sarit Larry as Nina and Avi Shnaidman as Yoah are outstanding and compelling, Avi is totally at ease and natural in his role as Yoah is in reciting poetry. Sarit brings evocative composure and sensitivity to the kindergarten teacher’s obsession.

Ow, Japan 2014, Yohei Suzuki

Suzuki presents an enigmatic film about members of a family, policemen and others transfixed and immobilized by a mysterious force who turn catatonic once released. Various strands are followed by the director including film noir, surrealism, journalism, police incompetence, dysfunctional family patterns, science fiction, etc. leaving the audience as confused  about what is happening as the reporter is who is investigating the incident.

The Tribe, Ukraine 2014, Myroslav Slaboshpytsky

Following its acclaim in Cannes this raw neo-realistic feature was probably the most unusual, fascinating, and shocking selection in this year’s New Directors / New Films edition. There are no subtitles for The Tribe because the entire cast is deaf communicating in sign language only.  The audience has to decipher the meaning of interactions embedded in the grim story of survival in a squalid state boarding school for the deaf in Kiev, Ukraine. It chronicles the newly admitted Sergey’s rise in a criminal gang of inmates terrorizing the institution – with the collaboration of its staff. No instruction appears to go on.  Beatings, robberies, prostitution, humiliation, and exploitation characterize the gang’s activities, behavior normally not associated with deaf people.  Transactions take place in an eerie silence and mostly at night time. An abortion, acts of violence, and even a rare act of making love are accompanied by gestures only. Camera work restricted to essential elements, persuasive acting, the story line, and the gritty physical context make The Tribe a demanding film one has to view.            

White God, Hungary, Sweden, 2014, Kornel Mundruczo

With equal attention at Cannes White God presents the revolt of dogs against their white masters. In this society mixed breed race dog owners have to pay a special tax and loose unfit dogs are caught by catchers to be impounded.   Lili, a young girl, has a mutt, Hagen, which is abandoned on the street by her father.  The film tracks her attempt to find Hagen and the radicalization the dog that experiences severe abuse by humans, and is trained for dog fights. Hagen escapes but winds up in the dog pound. He liberates hundreds of other mutts from the pound and leads a bloody uprising against their masters seeking revenge for the suffering imposed on them. Lilia finds Hagen and succeeds in appeasing the dogs. The film gathered much acclaim for the successful training of a large number of dogs to carry out warfare. It serves as an innovative metaphor of an oppressed minority getting revenge. Though the image of remarkable dog packs roaming the streets dominates the story and seems more persuasive.

The appealing 2015 selection offered an excellent perspective on the issues young US and foreign filmmakers are concerned with. Purely aesthetic considerations recede into the background in light of the issues presented which we are facing on all levels.

Claus Mueller

filmexchange@gmail.com

READ one letter after the other....surprise video by Fabian and Fred  who will have their short DAEWIT in the festival.