Discover ANIMAZE in Streaming CLICK HERE 

KellyAnne Huber won the poster competition for the 12th Annual Bahamas International Film Festival. 

Graphic Designer KellyAnne Huber attended Savannah College of Art and Design in Savannah GA in 2000. She spent 5 years working in various Publication and Advertising Houses in the US after graduating with a degree in Graphic Design and Communication Arts. She also spent time working in the South of France working with a Historic Restoration company.

Geena Davis and ARC Entertainment’s Bentonville Film Festival (BFF), today announced the two films that have been selected to open and close the festival.

TriStar Pictures’ “War Room,” written and directed by the Kendrick brothers’, will screen as the Festival’s opening night film on Tuesday, May 5, while Elizabeth Banks’s comedy “Pitch Perfect 2” (Universal Pictures) will cap the week’s festivities as the closing night film on Saturday, May 9.

“We’re beyond excited to have two highly anticipated studio films open and close the first Bentonville Film Festival. ‘War Room’ is another heartfelt film from Alex and Stephen Kendrick that will set a great tone for the festival,” said Davis. “We’re honored that Universal and Elizabeth have provided us the opportunity to be a launching pad for ‘Pitch Perfect 2,’ which opens in theaters the following week. I can’t think of a better film to close BFF and leave audiences with a positive feeling of what this event is all about!”

Written to entertain audiences of all ages and appealing to both men and women, war Room tells the story of Tony and Elizabeth Jordan who have it all—great jobs, a beautiful daughter, and their dream house. But appearances can be deceiving. Tony and Elizabeth Jordan’s world is actually crumbling under the strain of a failing marriage. While Tony basks in his professional success and flirts with temptation, Elizabeth resigns herself to increasing bitterness. But their lives take an unexpected turn when Elizabeth meets her newest client, Miss Clara, and is challenged to establish a “war room” and a battle plan of prayer for her family. As Elizabeth tries to fight for her family, Tony’s hidden struggles come to light. Tony must decide if he will make amends to his family and prove Miss Clara’s wisdom that victories don’t come by accident.

Like “Fireproof” did with marriage, and “Courageous” did with fatherhood, “war Room” focuses on the transformational role that prayer can play in an individual’s life. Alex Kendrick (“Courageous,” “Fireproof,” “Flywheel”) directed “war Room” from a script he co-wrote with brother Stephen Kendrick (“Courageous,” “Fireproof”).

The film stars Alex Kendrick, Priscilla Shirer (“Praise the Lord”), T.C. Stallings (“Courageous”), Beth Moore (“Living Proof Ministries”) and Karen Abercrombie (“Remnant”).

“war Room” will open in theaters across America on August 28.

Meanwhile, the “Barden Bellas” are back in Universal’s “Pitch Perfect 2,” the follow-up to 2012’s hit. “Pitch Perfect 2” is helmed by Banks, co-star and producer of “Pitch Perfect,” and features the entire cast returning again – led by Anna Kendrick, Rebel Wilson, Brittany Snow, Skylar Astin, Adam DeVine, Anna Camp, Alexis Knapp, Hana Mae Lee, Ester Dean, John Michael Higgins and Banks.

The comedy is produced by Paul Brooks, Max Handelman and Banks and writer Kay Cannon returned to the team to pen the next chapter.

The  “Pitch Perfect 2” screening is a free event and will take place at the AMC Fiesta Square 16 in Fayetteville. The film will open in theaters nationwide the following weekend, on Friday, May 15.

The Bentonville Film Festival runs May 5-9. The complete schedule of events, including dates, times and venue locations will be posted to the BFF website www.bentonvillefilmfestival.com next week.

BFF also recently announced a series of special events that will bring Nick Cannon, Robert De Niro, Bruce Dern, Joey Lauren Adams, Catherine Hardwicke, Soledad O’Brien and Rosie O’Donnell to the festival next month. More high profile names are expected to be announced as the festival draws near.

About the Bentonville Film Festival

BFF is a one-of-a-kind event designed to champion women and diversity in film, and is the first and only film competition in the world to offer guaranteed theatrical, television, digital, VOD and retail home entertainment distribution for its winning films. BFF distribution partners are AMC Theatres (theatrical), Lifetime (TV), Vudu (digital), Vubiquity (VOD), and Walmart (in-store home enternainment / DVD).

BFF is hosted by ARC Entertainment, Walmart, Coca-Cola and AMC Theatres, and is co-founded and chaired by Academy Award® winner Geena Davis, who’s research institute, “The Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media” has sponsored the largest amount of research ever done on gender depictions in entertainment media, covering a 20+ year span. Davis has pioneered the use of rigorous research combined with direct advocacy and education to leading entertainment industry creators and decision makers, causing a sea change in the quality and quantity of female characters on screen.

Following the debut of BFF, the Bentonville Film Foundation as part of the Bentonville Film Festival initiative will launch a year-round event calendar to promote women and minority filmmakers, artists, directors, and producers at colleges and universities around the country in partnership with the Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, which is the official non-profit partner of the festival.

BFF Advisory Board members include a number of notable actors and filmmakers such as Angela Bassett, Nick Cannon, Viola Davis, Bruce Dern, Emilio Estevez, Samuel L. Jackson, Randy Jackson, Eva Longoria, Julianne Moore, Paula Patton, Natalie Portman, Shonda Rhimes, M. Night Shyamalan, and Shailene Woodley.

Walmart is the proud founding sponsor of the Bentonville Film Festival and its investment ensures it is unlike any other nationwide. As the largest seller of DVD and Blu-Ray movies, Walmart is always looking for new and compelling content to offer the 140 million customers who shop their stores U.S. each week. That’s why, for the first time, the winners of three categories - Jury Selection, Audience Award and Best Family Film – are guaranteed distribution in Walmart stores and online through its instant video demand service VUDU.

Walmart’s support of the Bentonville Film Festival is in large part due to its focus on women and minority filmmakers. Empowering women and supporting diversity are two key company initiatives as the retailer believes it is the right thing to do and is important in being a successful business. The festival is also a great opportunity for the retailer to showcase Northwest Arkansas, one of the country’s best-kept secrets.

Coca-Cola values and celebrates diversity in both its consumers and associates. Diversity is more than policies and practices. Inclusion, respect, unity and fairness are values applied across the business and are integral to how the Company operates and views the future.

Coca-Cola understands the importance of women and minorities in spurring economic growth and cultivating sustainable development. Empowering them to succeed is a global focus for
Coca-Cola and supporting the Bentonville Film Festival helps further the Company’s commitment to fostering diversity. Plus, with an inextricable link between Coca-Cola and the movie-going experience, this distinctive festival provides another great opportunity to refresh movie fans.

For more information on the festival please visit www.bentonvillefilmfestival.com

Bruno Chatelin and the Filmfestivals.com Team,

Tiina Lokk, Festival Director Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival,

Laurie Gordon, Festival Director Montreal International Animation Film Festival 

request the pleasure of your company and a bottle from your country to share with fun and with other festival directors and peers at our annual reception in Cannes

SAVE THE DATE

May 21st 11:30 am -1:30 pm at the Estonian Pavilion Village International.

Reserved for Festival Directors, strictly !

RSVP to Bruno Chatelin

WEARABLE TECHNOLOGY: SUBCONSCIOUS CONTENT
H 110 April 17 – 12:00 PM

If you missed it watch it in streaming

Researchers are finding evidence that our decisions are driven by subconscious and emotional response. David Thomas of Impact Research part of Cosette/ Vision7 International leads this panel exploring content measured by biometric tools such as SENSUM technology and the impact it has on artistic choices and the future of film and media content.

PANEL
David Thomas – IMPACT RESEARCH
Mike Wiesmeier – TOONBOOM

Randall Finnerty – NATIONAL FILM BOARD OF CANADA

Mustafa ÖNDER

NEW YORK, NY

The Tribeca Film Festival (TFF) rapper/actor Chris “Ludacris” Bridges performed at the opening night of its 14th edition on Wednesday, April 15, at the Beacon Theatre, presented by AT&T.  The concert followed the world premiere of the documentary Live From New York!, which explores 40 years of American politics, tragedy and popular culture through the comedic lens of SNL, directed by Bao Nguyen and produced by JL Pomeroy and Tom Broecker. The Tribeca Film Festival runs April 15 to April 26.

Photography by Mustafa Önder

“This year’s Tribeca Film Festival is a true celebration of the convergence of music and film and Ludacris is an artist who embodies that cultural collaboration,” said Paula Weinstein, EVP, Tribeca Enterprises. “As both a TFF and SNL alum, he is the perfect entertainer to help us open the Festival and celebrate a beloved institution.”

“Appearing on “Saturday Night Live”– both as a host and a musical guest –were some of the most thrilling moments of my career,” said Ludacris.  “I’m excited to be a part of this premiere and the Tribeca Film Festival Opening Night. As a storyteller through music and acting, it is especially meaningful for me to participate in an event that is centered on spotlighting great stories.”

Ludacris, a multitalented recording artist and acclaimed actor, has sold more than 15 million albums domestically, thanks to the blockbuster success of such singles as “Stand Up,” “Get Back,” “Southern Hospitality,” “Number One Spot,” “Money Maker” and “My Chick Bad.” All of these records were accompanied by ingenious videos that demonstrated Bridges’ far-reaching imagination, and his willingness to stretch the boundaries of what rap videos should look and feel like.

He recently released his 8th studio album, Ludaversal and starred in Furious 7, the seventh installment in the global box-office hit franchise. His other feature film credits include Universal Pictures’ Fast & Furious 6; Fast Five;  2 Fast 2 Furious; Garry Marshall’s ensemble comedy New Year’s Eve; and Ivan Reitman’s romantic comedy, No Strings Attached, opposite Ashton Kutcher and Natalie Portman, and he has given acclaimed performances in film, (Crash, Hustle & Flow), and television, (Law & Order: Special Victims Unit).

Visit www.tribecafilm.com/festival for more information about TFF’s 2015 programs and the full line-up of films. 

Connect with Tribeca: To keep up with Tribeca, visit www.tribecafilm.com/festival. Like the Tribeca Film Festival Facebook page at facebook.com/TribecaFilm. Follow us on Twitter @TribecaFilmFest and on Instagram @tribeca and join the conversation by using the hashtag #TribecaTogether or #TFF2015.

Connect with Live From New York! at www.livefromnewyorkmovie.com. Like the Facebook page at facebook.com/Livefromnewyorkmovie. Follow the film on Twitter at @lfnymovie and on Instagram @lfnymovie

About the Tribeca Film Festival
The Tribeca Film Festival helps filmmakers reach the broadest possible audience, enabling the international film community and general public to experience the power of cinema. It is well known for being a diverse international film festival that supports emerging and established directors.

Founded by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal, and Craig Hatkoff in 2001, following the attacks on the World Trade Center, to spur the economic and cultural revitalization of the lower Manhattan district through an annual celebration of film, music and culture, the Festival brings the industry and community together around storytelling.

The Tribeca Film Festival has screened more than 1,600 films from more than 80 countries since its first edition in 2002. Since inception, it has attracted an international audience of more than 4.9 million attendees, and has generated an estimated $900 million in economic activity for New York City.

About the 2015 Festival Sponsors
As Presenting Sponsor of the Tribeca Film Festival, AT&T is committed to supporting the Festival and the art of filmmaking through access and innovation, aiming to make this the most interactive film festival in the country, where visitors experience the Festival in ways they never imagined.

The Tribeca Film Festival is pleased to announce its Signature Sponsors: Accenture, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, American Express, Bloomberg, BOMBAY SAPPHIRE Gin, Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC), Brookfield Place, ESPN, IWC Schaffhausen, The Lincoln Motor Company, NBC 4 New York, NCM Media Networks, The New York Times, Santander, United Airlines, and VDKA® 6100. The Festival welcomes new Signature Sponsor: Spring Studios and Thompson Hotels.

Charles Tesson, the Artistic Director of La Semaine de la Critique, comments the 2015 selection. With thirteen countries represented and a majority of first films, La Semaine confirms its mission: to discover new talents and to explore the innovative expressions of the cinema worldwide. The upcoming edition will also cast light on the dy namism of the young French cinema, personified by a new generation of very promising actors.
La Semaine de la Critique supports emerging talents with a selection of 11 first and second feature films and 10 medium-length films.

Seeking Volunteers for the 2015 Los Angeles Film Festival, June 10 - 18 at L.A. LIVE

Now in its twenty-first year, the Los Angeles Film Festival showcases the best in new American and international cinema and provides the movie-loving public with access to some of the most critically acclaimed filmmakers, film industry professionals and emerging new talent by bringing them together in the heart of the entertainment capital of the world.

Our volunteers are a key component to making the Festival work. As a volunteer, you get the opportunity to go behind the scenes and be at the forefront of the Festival. Volunteers at the LA Film Fest are ambassadors for the filmmaking community and help ensure an enjoyable experience for both our Festival filmmakers and guests. Whether it’s working in theater operations, answering ticketing questions, or setting up a Q&A panel, volunteers help bring to life a world-class cinematic event.

Requirements:

*Volunteers must attend one mandatory orientation meeting prior to the Festival (May 27 or May 30, 2015)

*Volunteers must work a minimum of 16 hours during the Festival (June 11 – 19, 2015)

Visit shiftboard.com/filmindependent and register to volunteer today.

Visit www.lafilmfest.com/festival-info/volunteer/ for more details on Volunteers and Interns.

Email volunteers@filmindependent.org with any questions.

The 2015 National Film Festival for Talented Youth (April 23-26) focuses on supporting the next generation of filmmakers; provides a stage for rising cinematic talent from around the globe.

The National Film Festival for Talented Youth (NFFTY), the world’s largest and most influential film festival for emerging directors, showcasing work by filmmakers 24 and younger from around the globe, will return for its ninth consecutive year this April 23-26 at the newly remodeled Cinerama in Seattle, WA. This year’s festival features 248 films from 30 states and 25 countries, with directors ranging from age 11 to 24 years.

Founded by three then-teenagers Jesse Harris, Jocelyn R.C., and Kyle Seago in 2007, NFFTY (pronounced “nifty”) has since expanded its reach to an ever-growing number of young artists and audiences of all ages. NFFTY’s programming represents the voice of a new generation, with films covering all topics and genres, from compelling and provocative, to hilarious and uplifting.

NFFTY 2014 launched the “Best Emerging Female Filmmaker” award. In a continued effort to address the issue of gender inequality in film, the 2015 festival will proudly debut its Femme Finale program. This Closing Night presentation will highlight the best works from NFFTY 2015 female filmmakers and will be presented in partnership with Cornish College of the Arts. It is worth noting that 48% of films in NFFTY 2015 lineup were made by young women.

In addition to the Opening Night Gala, Closing Night Program, Awards Show, and Centerpiece Program, other festival highlights (films and programs) include:
 

• TWO AND A QUARTER MINUTES - dir. Joshua Ovalle (16) of Orange County, CA. This short film explores what goes through one's mind in the two-and-a-quarter minutes it takes on average for a person to drown. Says Joshua about the challenge of filming underwater on a budget: “We ended up using a huge fish tank, putting the RED camera inside it, then dunking it a couple feet into the water. We got amazing underwater shots and only spent $120 on a fish tank.”
   
• HOW DO YOU LIKE MY HAIR - dir. Emilie Blichfeldt (21) of Norway. In this personal documentary, the director is determined to learn to accept herself as she is, with hairy legs and a liking for men with big noses. Director Emilie says the hardest part was daring to make a film so personal, but the positive feedback she’s gotten from audiences makes it all worth it.
   
• PASS ME BY - dir. Jared Passante (22), Anna Rich (21), Joe Balewski (24), Graham Carroll (24) of Los Angeles, CA. PASS ME BY is based on the filmmaker’s own experience of attempting suicide, and the brave woman who saved his life. Jared said the hardest part was reliving his experience while making the movie. He adds another challenge was funding: “Like all of my films, I waited tables at a restaurant in Pittsburgh in order to see this story to the screen.”
   
• PORTRAIT OF ABUSE - dir. Nick Chianese (21) of Sewell, NJ. Nick Chianese shares a painful secret from his family’s past for the first time, and how his brother Alex has worked through it through his art. He says that though it was a challenge to remain objective throughout the film, the whole process actually brought his family closer together. Says Nick: “Over the course of the production, my brother, my parents, and I all managed to share our deepest fears and insecurities, to air our dirty laundry. In the end, I believe it helped us to strengthen our bond as a family.”
   
• Real World: Documentaries: These powerful films tackle pivotal themes by diving deep into the ocean of non-fiction storytelling to bring you the tales beneath the surface.
   
• Come As You Are: Six films made by teens exploring LBGT themes.
   
• Reel Animation: An array of animated films crafted by wonderfully creative artists from around the globe.
   
• A Guide to Growing Up: From young to old and everything in between, these films help answer the question of “what does it all mean?!”
   
• Edge of Your Seat: The most bloody, tense, cringe-worthy collection of short films that NFFTY has to offer.
   
• 48-Hour Film Off: Local high schools compete for cash to support their film programs. The challenge: make a three-minute movie in two days!
   
• Building a House: Drama, Dialogue, and Directing with James Foley (GLENGARRY GLEN ROSS, HOUSE OF CARDS).
   

Masterclass: The Journey from Idea to Story with Danish screenwriter Rasmus Heisterberg (THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO)
 

In the first lineup announcement of the 41st Seattle International Film Festival (May 14 - June 7, 2015), SIFF unveils the 14 feature films of its third annual African Pictures program. Since 2013, African Pictures has presented documentaries, narrative features, and short films from 25 African countries. With something for everyone -- from ethereal and experimental to gritty and provocative -- African Pictures showcases a microcosm of world cinema available only at SIFF.

Topping the 2015 program is The Boda Boda Thieves, an absorbing urban narrative from SIFF sophomore Donald Mugisha (The Kampala Story, 2012), who will be in attendance for the North American premiere of his new film. Fans of U-Carmen eKhayelitsha (2005) will be glad to see the North American premiere of director Mark Dornford-May's striking modern South African opera, Breathe Umphefumlo, adapted with deftness and compassion from Puccini's "La Bohème."

Also traveling to Seattle, up-and-coming director Cheick Fantamady Camara will appear at screenings of his expansive drama Morbayassa in its North American premiere, representing Guinean film in African Pictures at SIFF for the first time. This story of inter-generational and inter-continental culture clash is anchored by a masterful performance from Fatoumata Diawara (Timbuktu, 2014). SIFF 2015 will also feature the North American premiere of Sugarcane Shadows, the first film from the island nation of Mauritius ever to play in a US festival.

Making its North American premiere among four short films in African Pictures 2015 is I'm Not Here by 15-year-old South African Jack Markovitz, presented as part of SIFF's youth-centered FutureWave program.

The African Pictures Film & Party will feature Excuse My French, a coming-of-age comedy from Egyptian director Amr Salama (Asma'a, 2011; Tahrir, 2011: The Good, the Bad, and the Politician, 2011). A lively celebration will follow at the Northwest African American Museum in Seattle.

African Pictures is supported by a multi-year grant from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and generous support from Delta Air Lines.

The following African Pictures titles are the first films to be announced among official selections of the 2015 Seattle International Film Festival. Screening details to follow on April 30.

Alyam, Alyam

d: Ahmed El Maanouni, Morocco 1978, 80 min

Following his father's death, Abdelwahad is expected to provide for his mother and his seven brothers.  But faced with the cycle of poverty that rural farmers seem doomed to repeat, he dares to hope for something better. Restored by The Film Foundation's World Cinema Project at Cineteca di Bologna/L'Immagine Ritrovata laboratory.

Beats of the Antonov

d: Hajooj Kuka, Sudan/South Africa 2014, 65 min

Set in the Blue Nile and Nuba Mountain regions of Sudan, Beats of the Antonov celebrates South Sudan's vibrant musical culture surviving by any means necessary in the face of their prolonged civil war.

Beti and Amare

d: Andy Siege, Ethiopia/Germany 2014, 94 min

In this dreamy sci-fi fantasy, teenage Beti is forced to hide away in her uncle's isolated hut to avoid Mussolini's troops. Her strange dreams lead her to fall in love with a man who emerges from a glowing egg and may be a vampire.

Black Girl (La Noire de...)

d: Ousmane Sembène, Senegal/France 1966, 65 min

This 1966 film explores the complex dynamics and larger post-colonial implications that arise between a young Senegalese maid and the French family that employs her. This quiet, observational drama was esteemed African filmmaker Ousmane Sembène's first feature film. Restored by The Film Foundation's World Cinema Project in collaboration with the Sembène Estate, Institut National de l'Audiovisuel, INA and Centre National de Cinématographie, CNC.Restoration carried out at Cineteca di Bologna/L'Immagine Ritrovata Laboratory; 4k scan performed at Eclair laboratories.

The Boda Boda Thieves (Abaabi ba boda boda)

NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

d: Donald Mugisha, Uganda/Kenya 2015, 85 min

On teenage boy Abel's first day of work as a boda boda (moto-taxi) driver to support his poor family, his bike is stolen, leaving him in pursuit of the ruthless thief who stole their livelihood. A Bicycle Thieves for urban Africa.

Breathe Umphefumlo

NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

d: Mark Dornford-May, South Africa/United Kingdom 2015, 89 min

Combining "La Boheme" with the tuberculosis epidemic in South Africa, Breathe Umphefumlo provides a dynamic twist on the classic opera through a uniquely African context and emotional urgency that's not to be missed.

Challat of Tunis (Le Challat de Tunis)

d: Kaouther Ben Hania, Tunisia/France 2014, 90 min

A masked assailant rides through the Tunisian capital on a motor scooter slashing the backsides of women in jeans and short skirts in Kaouther Ben Hania's genre-bending mockumentary about sexist attitudes in Arab culture.

Décor

d: Ahmad Abdalla, Egypt 2014, 116 min

An overworked film production designer begins to lose her grip on reality, slipping into the life she is creating on her latest movie set. This meta-movie playfully comments on the conventions of the classic "women's picture."

Excuse My French (Lamoakhzaa)

AFRICAN PICTURES FILM & PARTY

d: Amr Salama, Egypt 2014, 99 min

In this family comedy and Egyptian box office smash, 12-year-old Hany, a precocious kid from a privileged Coptic Christian family, must adjust when a change in circumstances sends him to the local majority-Muslim public school.

I Am the People (Je Suis le Peuple)

d: Anna Roussillon, France 2014, 111 min

I Am the People chronicles the 2011 revolution in Egypt and subsequent events from the perspective of a poor farming family in the country's south, a depiction of world events refreshing in its warmth, wit, and humanity.

The Malagasy Way (Ady Gasy)

d: Lova Nantenaina, Madagascar/France 2014, 84 min

Filmed with a fascinated lens, this documentary explores the way of the Malagasy people and a third-world community portrait that is anything but bleak, as it celebrates a culture where wealth isn't needed to find happiness and joy in the things you do.

Morbayassa

NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

d: Cheick Fantamady Camara, Guinea 2015, 122 min

Bella befriends a UN worker who promises to help her escape her domineering pimp and find the daughter she gave up for adoption 15 year ago in this tense, female-centered drama.

Run

d: Philippe Lacôte, Ivory Coast/France 2014, 97 min

After assassinating the Prime Minister, Run looks back on the varied mentors in his life, from a village rainmaker to a professional eater to the imperious revolutionary who's living the gangster life, in this striking feature debut which reflects Ivory Coast's recent, tumultuous history.

Sugarcane Shadows (Lonbraz Kann)

NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

d: David Constantin, Mauritius/France 2014, 88 min

Residents of Mauritius fight to maintain their culture despite a pervasive tourism economy and increased globalization. Gorgeous cinematography and non-actor authenticity ground David Constantin's first feature.

The following short films will screen during SIFF 2015 as part of African Pictures.

The Call

NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

d: Zamo Mkhwanazi, South Africa 2014, 11 min

An emotionally disconnected taxi driver realizes that he does not want his prostitute girlfriend to abort the child that could be his.

I'm Not Here

NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE

d: Jack Markovitz, South Africa 2014, 9 min

After his calls are repeatedly ignored, a young man turns to Facebook to tell a girl what he thinks

A Quiet Memory (Uma Memória Quieta)

US PREMIERE

d: Inadelso Cossa, Mozambique 2014, 14 min

Langa dramatically details his history as a political prisoner in 1970s Mozambique.

Treat (Zawadi)

d: Richard Card, Kenya 2014, 12 min

In the Kenyan slums of Kibera, a ten-year-old boy hustles to provide for his family, taking him away from his crush on her birthday.

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Le MIAFF - Montreal International Animation Film Festival April 16 - 19, 2015

LE MIAFF 2015 Closed with Awards to Anima Buenos Aires by Maria Veronica Ramirez

4 days of animation feature films, shorts workshops, panel discussions, interactive performances and parties at The Montréal International Animation Film Festival, in association with Teletoon, www.filmfestivals.com and MTL Digital Spring (Printemps Numerique) has just wrapped up with a stunning closing gala and award ceremony.     MIAFF 2015 Winners     Best Feature in Competition: Anima Buenos Aires by Maria Veronica Ramirez   Best Shor...

 

Fascinating Animaze Conference on Measuring Emotions in Film : View the Streaming Video

WEARABLE TECHNOLOGY: SUBCONSCIOUS CONTENT H 110 April 17 – 12:00 PM If you missed it watch it in streaming Researchers are finding evidence that our decisions are driven by subconscious and emotional response. David Thomas of Impact Research part of Cosette/ Vision7 International leads this panel exploring content measured by biometric tools such as SENSUM technology and the impact it has on artistic choices and the future of film and media content. PANEL David Thomas – I...

 

Streaming of the opening of ANIMAZE

Festival founder Laurie Gordon welcomes the audience on opening ceremony, introducing The interactive demo of The Land of The Magic Flute (based on Mozart 's Opera). Maya Ericksson  Interactive Media Foundation l     click here to stream ...

 

> CANNES and CANNES MARKET DAILIES upcoming!

The Jury of the 68th Festival de Cannes

Joel Coen and Ethan Coen, directors, screenwriters and producers, will be the two Presidents of the Jury of the 68th Festival de Cannes. This year they will be joined by seven key figures in world cinema from Canada, Spain, the United States, France, Mali, Mexico and the United Kingdom. The Jury will thus be made up of nine distinctive voices – four women and five men – each with the same voting rights.  Their task will be to decide am...

 

The Directors' Fortnight 2015 selection unveiled

A Perfect Day  by Fernando León de Aranoa 1h46 Worldwide Premiere Beyond My Grandfather Allende by Marcia Tambutti 1h37 Worldwide Premiere – First film Arabian Nights by Miguel Gomes  Worldwide Premiere Volume 1, The Restless One – 2h05  Volume 2, The Desolate One – 2h11 Volume 3, The Enchanted One – 2h05 Les Cowboys by Tho...

 

La Semaine de la Critique unveils its 54th selection

Charles Tesson, the Artistic Director of La Semaine de la Critique, comments the 2015 selection. With thirteen countries represented and a majority of first films, La Semaine confirms its mission: to discover new talents and to explore the innovative expressions of the cinema worldwide. The upcoming edition will also cast light on the dy namism of the young French cinema, personified by a new generation of very promising actors. La Semaine de la Critique supports emerging talents with a sele...

 

2015 Official Selection revealed this morning

Emmanuelle Bercot will open Cannes with her film La Tête Haute - Standing Tall, she will also be the lead actress in My King Mon Roi by Maïwenn. IN COMPETITION  ...

 

Snapshots Pierre Lescure Thierry Fremaux - Press Conference Cannes 2015

Pierre Lescure et Thierry Fremaux présentent leurs choix et sélections pour la 68ème édition du festival de Cannes   ...

 

Cannes Market Premiere for Howard J Ford's Child Abduction Thriller ‘NEVER LET GO’

Howard J Ford's Child Abduction Thriller ‘NEVER LET GO’ has its market Premiere in Cannes Howard J Ford's (Director/Producer Co-Writer of 'The Dead 1 & 2') latest epic NEVER LET GO. Shot in Morocco, Spain and the US, the film tells the story of Lisa, a single mother (played by Angela Dixon) who takes the law into her own hands to get back her abducted child. The completed film will have its Market Debut Monday 18th May, 5.30 PM at Olympia cinema, ...

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Depth Of Field International Film Festival Fall 2015

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Instead of paying submission fees and getting nothing in return, EVERYONE who submits to DOFIFF.COM will receive one of two benefits: Either 1): your film is already competition calibre, and gets accepted/nominated to compete, OR 2): you will receive a letter outlining exactly what is keeping it from being accepted.  If you can make corrections, you can resubmit for FREE.  Find us at https://filmfreeway.com/festival/DepthOfFieldInternationalFilmFestival and get your money’s worth.

Depth Of Field International Film Festival's blog |Website:  www.dofiff.com I SUBMIT

UNAFF 2015  October 15-25, 2015

Early Deadline – May 5, 2015

UNAFF celebrates the power of international documentary films dealing with human rights, the environment, protection of refugees, famine, homelessness, racism, disease control, women's issues, children, universal education, war and peace.

The 18th UNAFF will be held in Palo Alto, Stanford University, East Palo Alto and San Francisco. This year's theme RUNNING OUT OF TIME continues the ongoing celebration of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and focuses on time-sensitive aspects of the Millennium Development Goals.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:
• Documentaries only
• No runtime limit - UNAFF accepts both shorts and longs

United Nations Association Film Festival UNAFF's blog I Website: www.unaff.org I SUBMIT 

Open Call for Entry into Gwinnett Center International Film Festival, JUL. 31 – AUG. 2!

Submission Deadline: June 26 

Gwinnett Center International Film Festival celebrates the accomplishments of locally produced and funded independent films, while expanding the awareness of films from all over the globe.

This year’s categories range from feature films to music videos to animation shorts and more! The 2015 GCI Film Festival is now accepting submissions thru multiple platforms:

Gwinnett Center International Film Festival's blog I Website: www.gcifilmfest.com I SUBMIT

Burbank International Film Festival Calling
September 9-13, 2015

Late Deadline April 30

The Film Freeway code for a $5.00 discount for www.FilmFestivals.com is: Festival

The Burbank International Film Festival is now accepting Submissions for the 2015 Festival taking place September 9th-13th in Beautiful Downtown Burbank CA. The Media Capitol of the World.

BIFF IS AN IMDB QUALIFYING FESTIVAL

The seventh annual Burbank International Film Festival (BIFF) presents five-days of film screenings from around the world in 20 categories and kicks-off with a special Opening Night Screening and Gala Reception. The Festival continues with Film Screenings, Celebrity Red Carpet Events, After Parties and Receptions and will culminate with a star-studded Closing Night Gala Dinner and Awards Show.

Burbank International Film Festival's blog I Website: www.burbankfilmfest.org I SUBMIT

The Montreal World Film Festival 
August 27, September 7

The regulations and entry forms to submit a film to the 2015 edition of the MONTREAL WORLD FILM FESTIVAL are available for download. Please follow the links to get a copy. 
- 2015 REGULATIONS
- ENTRY FORM FOR THE 2015 MONTREAL WORLD FILM FESTIVAL
- ENTRY FORM FOR THE 2015 CANADIAN STUDENT FILM FESTIVAL

The Montreal World Film Festival's blog I Website http://www.ffm-montreal.org/  I SUBMIT

Hollyshorts 
August 13-22, 2015

The 11th Annual HollyShorts Film Festival and Film Conference/Film Market, scheduled for August 13-22, 2015 at the world famous TCL Chinese Theatre and Roosevelt Hotel, is now accepting submissions. (www.withoutabox.com/login/4655)   2014 HSFF, 3 times named to MovieMaker Magazine “Top 25 Fests Worth the Entry Fee” lists, featured over 400 projects showcasing stars and filmmakers including Sofia Loren, Bill Plympton, Anthony and Joe Russo, and Felicia Day.  HSFF awarded over $150,000 in prizes, including $50,000 in post services courtesy of COMPANY 3 and METHOD STUDIOS for Best Short, Director, Music Video, Cinematography, VFX, and Commercial. Shorts HD distribution deals for winners and Final Draft prizes for Screenplay Contest winners.  

Hollyshorts's blog  I Website http://hollyshorts.com/ I SUBMIT SHORTS I SUBMIT SCREENPLAYS

> FILMS IN FOCUS  

For festival consideration: 

Pseudonym, for festival consideration

First feature by french actor director Thierry Sebban. Produced by la Petite Reine (The Artist) and Diabolo Films (The Suicide Shop).
Synopsis:  Alex is a divorced father, a stressed executive. His daily routine is work, work, work. Tonight he's in a hurry, he's due to meet a beautiful young stranger... who contacted him via the internet. But this blind date will flip him into a downward spiral and disrupt forever the course of his life.  Thriller, 75 min., Scope, Dolby 5.1  Directed by Thierry Sebban  Starring: Simon Abkarian, Igor Skreblin, Perrine Tourneux... Email us for a screener

Rooted in Peace by Greg Reitman

ROOTED in PEACE, 97 minutes -2015

Documentary by SUNDANCE alum GREG REITMAN

Starring: Deepak Chopra, Donovan, Mike Love, David Lynch, Nobel Peace Laureate Mairead Maguire, Pete Seeger, Ted Turner, Archbishop Desmond Tutu

"ROOTED in PEACE challenges viewers to examine their values as Americans and human beings. Today we are at war within ourselves, with our environment, and with the world. Director and award-winning filmmaker Greg Reitman invites viewers on a film journey to take notice of the world we live in, proactively seek ways to find personal and ecological peace, and stop the cycle of violence".

www.filmfestivals.com/blog/greg_reitman/ 

April Selection of Films for your consideration

“Code: Debugging the Gender Gap” at Tribeca

There will only be 1.4 million people in the coding, programming, and computing world by the year 2020 and there will be one million unfilled software engineering jobs in the United States alone. Of the 1.4 million, only 29% will be American, and less than 3% will be women. ‘Code’ examines why women are not seeking out opportunities in the computer science fields. Do stereotypes, education, and cultural beliefs play a role in this digital divide? Even t...

 

Seeking Volunteers (& Interns!) for the 2015 Los Angeles Film Festival, June 10 - 18 at L.A. LIVE

  Seeking Volunteers for the 2015 Los Angeles Film Festival, June 10 - 18 at L.A. LIVE Now in its twenty-first year, the Los Angeles Film Festival showcases the best in new American and international cinema and provides the movie-loving public with access to some of the most critically acclaimed filmmakers, film industry professionals and emerging new talent by bringing them together in the heart of the entertainment capital of the world. Our volunteers are a key component to making the ...

 

Revolution to premiere on Earth Day

Yekra PlayerYekra is a revolutionary new distribution network for feature films.RevolutionRevolution is a feature documentary about opening your eyes, changing the world and fighting for something. A true life adventure following director Rob Stewart in the follow up to his hit Sharkwater, Revolution is an epic adventure into the evolution of life on earth and the revolution to save us.Discovering that there’s more in jeopardy than sharks, Stewart uncovers a grave secret threatening our own s...

 

Watch Revolution

THIS EARTH DAY, THE MULTI AWARD WINNING FEATURE DOCUMENTARY REVOLUTION WILL BE RELEASED AS A FUNDRAISING AND AWARENESS TOOL FOR FOR THE CONSERVATION COMMUNITY. Yekra Player Yekra is a revolutionary new distribution network for feature films. Revolution   Revolution is a feature documentary about opening your eyes, changing the world and fighting for something. A true life adventure following director Rob Stewart in the follow up to his hit Sharkwater, Revolution is an epic ...

 

The program for the International Film Finance Forum in Cannes - May 15

 | May 15, 2015 | InterContinental Carlton Hotel |   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 distributi...

 

‘Autism In Love’ at Tribeca Film Festival 2015

  April is National Autism Awareness month. Become aware! Autism was first diagnosed in 1943 by psychiatrist, Dr. Leo Kanner. Impaired social interactions, difficulties communicating and interpreting social cues, engaging in repetitive movements such as rocking and twirling or self-abusive behavior such as biting or head-banging, and lacking empathy are just some of the characteristics that make up Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), or a range of complex neurodevelopmental di...

 

Margarita, With a Straw, Review: Heady Cocktail of Passions Raw

Margarita, With a Straw, Review: Heady Cocktail of Passions Raw Earlier titled Chhoone Chali Aasman (she’s reaching for the sky), the film settles for an even more abstract title. Margarita, as a drink, might be known only to the club/bar circuit among the upper middle class and upper class of Indian society. Moreover, a large part of the dialogue is in English, often-sub-titled. Then to discover that it is the story of a young woman struck with cerebral palsy, who wants to be a creati...

> THE FESTIVAL CIRCUIT     

The Tribeca Film Festival Has Begun!

Mustafa ÖNDER NEW YORK, NY The Tribeca Film Festival (TFF) rapper/actor Chris “Ludacris” Bridges performed at the opening night of its 14th edition on Wednesday, April 15, at the Beacon Theatre, presented by AT&T.  The concert followed the world premiere of the documentary Live From New York!, which explores 40 years of American politics, tragedy and popular culture through the comedic lens of SNL, directed by Bao Nguyen and produced by JL Pomeroy and Tom Broecker. Th...

 

Official Selection to be revealed 30th of April

ManIFF2015 The Manchester Film Festival’s press release screening of its official feature film selection will take place on Thursday 30th April 2015 11.00a.m at ‘On the 7th’, The Landing, MediaCityUK.  The relaxed gathering of approximately one hour will unveil 18 trailers of the chosen films to showcase the inaugural Manchester Film Festival.   Any press/bloggers etc who would like to attend please email: neil@maniff.com to arrange. Space is very limited. ...

 

BIFF 2015 Poster revealed

KellyAnne Huber won the poster competition for the 12th Annual Bahamas International Film Festival.  Graphic Designer KellyAnne Huber attended Savannah College of Art and Design in Savannah GA in 2000. She spent 5 years working in various Publication and Advertising Houses in the US after graduating with a degree in Graphic Design and Communication Arts. She also spent time working in the South of France working with a Historic Restoration company.     ...

 

> AWARDS WATCH    

Mary Kom wins the Brons horse at Stockholm International Film Festival Junior

 

The Jury of the 16th Stockholm Film Festival Junior has made their decisions. The winner of the Bronze horse is Indian film Mary Kom by Omung Kumar. The Brons Horse for Best film was presented to Mary Kom by Omung Kumar. Mary Kom tells the true story of boxing champion Mary Kom and her struggles to be a boxer. Motivation of the jury: The film tells the compelling story of Mary Kom, whose life can easily be compared to one’s own. Equally, the film gives the viewer the opportunity to b...

 

The Grand Seduction and The Lunchbox Named Winners of TIFF Film Circuit People's Choice Awards

 

TIFF’s national film outreach program, revealed that audiences across the country awarded Don McKellar’s The Grand Seduction and Ritesh Batra’s The Lunchbox as winners of the 11th annual Film Circuit People’s Choice Awards. The Grand Seduction was named Best Canadian Film and The Lunchbox was selected as the Best International Film.   Film Circuit operates through domestic grassroots networks and strong community partnerships, bringing Canadian and international i...

 

Tom Quinn, co-president of RADiUS, to receive the 2015 Visionary Award from The Stanley Film Festival

 

The Stanley Film Festival (SFF) produced by the Denver Film Society (DFS) and presented by Chiller, announce...

 

Inaugural Recipients Announced for SFFS Women Filmmaker Fellowships

        Three Narrative Feature Filmmakers Wor...

 

WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival ~ Wraps 48th Season ~

 “We See Films Differently!”  WorldFest-Houston, the third longest-running International Film Festival in North America, and the Oldest Independent Film Festival in the world, celebrated the conclusion of its 10-day run of film, fun and fanfare in its 48th annual independent film showcase with a 9% increase in box-office despite the torrential downpours!  WorldFest opened this year’s edition with record turnouts fo...

 

'The Elite' and 'Virgin Mountain' win at CPH PIX

 

The winners of the two competitions at the Danish filmfestival CPH PIX have been found. Danish director Thomas Daneskov ('The Elite') won the New Talent Grand PIX and the Politiken Audience Award went to the Icelandic 'Virgin Mountain' directed by Dagur Kári. The international jury Alex Ross Perry, Katrine Wiedemann and Gabe Klinger have selected Thomas D...

 

AWARDS of the 10th edition of the Meetings on the Bridge at the Istanbul Film Festival.

 

34TH ISTANBUL FILM FESTIVAL MEETINGS ON THE BRIDGE AWARD WINNERS ANNOUNCED     The 10th edition of the Meetings on the Bridge was held on 15-16 April 2015 within the scope of the Istanbul Film Festival.   The workshops at the Meetings on the Bridge provided 8 feature films and 2 documentaries, along with 1 feature film and 1 documentary at the post-production stage, from Turkey, made their first international presentations. A total of 100 international filmmakers wh...

 

Disposable Film Festival Award Winners!

 

Disposable Film Festival congratulates this year's award winners! Selected from thousands of films, these are the among the best short films of the past year.  Winners will receive prize packages valued at over $25,000 from Adobe, Outpost Studios, Color A Go-Go, iStabilizer, and Alite Designs.      ...

 

Record 25 Countries Participate in EFA’s Young Audience Award 2015

Nominated Are MY SKINNY SISTER, THE INVISIBLE BOY and YOU’RE UGLY TOO  The European Film Academy proudly announces and congratulates the three nominees for the EFA Young Audience Award 2015:  MY SKINNY SISTER  MIN LILLA SYSTER WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY: Sanna Lenken  PRODUCED BY: Annika Rogell Sweden/Germany THE INVISIBLE BOY  IL RAGAZZO INVISIBILE ...

 

Go Short Awards 2015

 

After five days of festival, the seventh edition of Go Short was a great success. Just like last year, the festival has grown. On Saturday 11 April Go Short announced the award winners of the European Competition, the Dutch and the Breaking Short Student Competition, and the Youth Award. These prizes are handed out by two international jury’s and a youth jury. In the European competition, the prize winning fiction film is Aïssa, Hotel Straussberg won the award for best...

 

Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA) concluded with Awards Night

2015 INDIAN FILM FESTIVAL OF LOS ANGELES ANNOUNCES AWARD WINNERS FOUR COLORS (CHAURANGA) receives Grand Jury Prize for Best Feature Audience Choice Awards go to THE CROW’S EGG for Best Narrative Feature, TOMORROW WE DISAPPEAR for Best Documentary, and JOURNEY (SAFAR) for Best Short Best Short winner is DANDEKAR MAKES A SANDWICH The 13th annua...

 

ÉCU - The European Independent Film Festival announces "Best European Independent Film 2015"

Europe's premier event for independent cinema, ÉCU - The European Independent Film Festival announces its 2015 award-winning films, including its highest honor, "Best European Independent Film 2015".   After showcasing 84 films from 32 countries, ÉCU 2015 ended its indie-packed weekend with a spirited final ceremony recognizing 25 award winners in 14 categories. Winners included: THE ANKLET, directed by Guillaume Levil (France) for Best European Ind...

 

 

Aspen Film Announces Aspen Shortsfest 2015 Award Winners

 

24th Edition of the Shorts-only Festival is a Wrap!   Award-winners clockwise from top left: Dissonance, Two Dosas, Mend and Make Do, The Champion, Shok, The Girlfriend Experience   Aspen Film, a year-round film arts and education organization, announced today the winners of its Aspen Shortsfest International Competition. The 2015 Awards Ceremony was held Sunday, April 12, at Rustique Restaurant in Asp...

> PEOPLE IN THE SPOTLIGHT       

Diane Raver Steps Down as Executive Director from Garden State

  Garden State Film Festival Founder and Diane Raver announced she is retiring from her role as Executive Director. She remains on the board of trustees and will retain some responsibilities, but not the full-time management position she has held for 14 years.   Margaret Fontana, a media professional with Meridian Health and GSFF board member, has been named the new Executive Director.  "When the late, great Bobby Pastorelli and I envisioned and planned the Garde...

 

Seeking Volunteers (& Interns!) for the 2015 Los Angeles Film Festival, June 10 - 18 at L.A. LIVE

  Seeking Volunteers for the 2015 Los Angeles Film Festival, June 10 - 18 at L.A. LIVE Now in its twenty-first year, the Los Angeles Film Festival showcases the best in new American and international cinema and provides the movie-loving public with access to some of the most critically acclaimed filmmakers, film industry professionals and emerging new talent by bringing them together in the heart of the entertainment capital of the world. Our volunteers are a key component to making the ...

 

Sir Sydney Poitier gives his name to The Bahamas International Film Festival Career Achievement Award

BIFF founder and executive director Leslie Vanderpool and Sir Sydney Poitier  Filmfestivals.com Bruno Chatelin (BIFF Advisory Board Member) is particularly happy to announce that The Bahamas International Film Festival (BIFF) announced today that Academy Award® winner and renowned global icon Sir Sidney Poitier has agreed to the naming of the prestigious Career Achievement Award at the Bahamas International Film Festival the “Sir Sidney Poitier Tribute Award.” BIFF f...

 

> STRICTLY BUSINESS   

Partner Film Festivals Calling. Fast-Approaching Deadlines

Need more and better film submissions for your festival? don't miss the one month booster

Filmfestivals.com was established 1995 as world reference in this niche, we are proud of our track record in helping festivals attract more legitimacy, visibility and film submissions from our large base of international film professionals (370 000 unique filmmaker visitors each month), 159 500 subscribers to the newsletter. ONE TIME OFFER We suggest this quick one month booster program for your call for entry including  with 4 newsletter ads, your call for entry promoted one month lon...  

The Bulletin Board

Pro Services's blog |  

Advertise your festival in the next eBlast to our filmmakers.   

> UNE SEMAINE SUR LE CIRCUIT DES FESTIVALS FRANCOPHONES    

LA NEWSLETTER EN FRANCAIS

Major Buzz Factory : Expérience du marketing Digital pour les films

Fort d'une expérience acquise dans la distribution de films pour deux Majors (Sony et Fox mariée sous a direction avec UGC) Bruno Chatelin propose une expérience pointue au service de votre stratégie digitale à Travers sa structure de Conseil MAJOR BUZZ FACTORY Le fondateur Bruno Chatelin : un Professionnel de la communication entouré de spécialistes, son expérience est ancrée sur trois univers La publicité, Le mark.eting et le digital.

NEWS du Festival L' Europe autour de l'Europe - live from Paris: Europe by Europe

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> PAST COVERAGE FROM CANNES

The exhaustive coverage of Cannes competitions as PDF

Your Cannes Market Dailies as PDF
Check videos of our Cannes ambiance coverage on our YouTube Channel

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The bfmiff2015 12th Edition is to return to London after an absence of 4 years. The festival will take place from the 2ndtothe5thJuly2015 at the Bernie Grant Arts Centre (BGAC). 

On July 2nd the bfmiff2015 will open with the documentary “LookingforLove” by pioneer film director/producer and bfmiff2015 festival Founder Menelik Shabazz

The bfmiff2015 has been instrumental in establishing a platform for UK black filmmakers to present their work and for audiences to engage with this work alongside international films drawn from the USA, Europe, Africa, Caribbean, and South America.

bfmiff2015 will continue with this range with a strong line-up of films to include features, documentaries and animation alongside industry led workshops and seminars. The bfm festival, which started in 1999/98 is the longest running black independent film festival in the UK.

Menelik said

 “I am proud to present the 12th Edition of the bfm International Film Festival this year.  We continue to give audiences the best in black world cinema as well as being a platform for film & TV industry seminars and workshops. The black independent sector has long been starved of opportunities to engage with industry as well as to present their work. The festival will/has become the gateway for such engagement”

On 23rd May 2015 the BFI will host a screening of “LookingforLove”.

For more information on the bfmiff2015 schedule visit www.bfmmedia.com.  Festival updates will be on the website soon. Follow: #bfmiff or http:///www.facebook.com/bfmiff

bfmiff2015 is looking for sponsorship and partnerships. Previous support has come from Film London, the BBC, The Independent, BFI and The American Embassy.

Presscontact for print and broadcast media, interviews, reviews, press accreditation requests: Joy at Coco Orange email: bfmfest@coco-orange.com.

The 34th Istanbul Film Festival is now over ending April 19th

Organised by the Istanbul Foundation for Culture and Arts(İKSV) and supported for the 11th time by AKBANK, the Istanbul Film Festival ended on Sunday, 19 April.

The 171 short and feature length films in the festival reached to 130 thousand cinephiles in two weeks in a total of 455 sessions, across 8 movie halls. In more than 100 sessions, either the directors, actors, and/or producers of the film were present in the screening.

In the aftermath of the ordained cancellation of Bakur’s screening due to the lack of a registration certificate, 33 of the films in the National Golden Tulip, National Documentary, International Golden Tulip, and FACE Human Rights Competitions and Out of Competition and New Turkish Cinema Sections cancelled their screenings at the festival. At the press meeting held on Monday, 13 April, the jury members supported this decision, and thus the Competitions and Closing Ceremony of the festival were also cancelled. At the meeting, a call for solidarity was made to the whole sector, festivals, and professional organisations to change the Regulation Pertaining to the Basis and Procedures of Evaluation and Categorisation of Film Products, which requires the films produced in Turkey to have registration certificates in order to be screened at festivals, to extend the exemption implemented for foreign films to locally produced films, as well. We believe that raking up the problems that have been uttered by film professionals for all these years has been a most favourable outcome of this year’s festival and a gain for the Turkish cinema.

Throughout the festival, 6 cinema lectures and panels, 1 concert, and 3 parties were held with the participation of the festival guests, besides the nearly 450 meetings that brought a hundred international cinema professionals together with the directors and producers of the films chosen for the Meetings on the Bridge in its 10th edition.

The Istanbul Film Festival lent colour also to the Asian side of the city with film screenings and events this year. Festival films met with cinephiles in the two halls of the Rexx Movie Theatre, while a free street party, organised in collaboration with the Fil’m Hafızası, enlivened the life in Kadıköy on the first weekend of the festival.

Festival Supporters

The 34th Istanbul Film Festival was held with the support of the Festival Sponsor Akbank, along with the contributions of the Theme Sponsors Anadolu Efes, NTV, Sabah Newspaper, Pupa Bilişim, Nescafé Gold, tv2, and Mubi. Besides the great support of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality and Beyoğlu Municipality continued their publicity support in the festival. In 2015, the guests of the Istanbul Film Festival were transferred by Renault. The leading sponsor of all festivals of İKSV is the Eczacıbaşı Holding, the Official Communications Sponsor is Vodafone Turkey, the Official Carrier is DHL, The Official Accommodation Sponsor is Martı Istanbul Hotel and the service sponsors are Zurich Sigorta, GFK, Memorial Health Group, PDR Group, directComn Marketing Group and AGC.

Metin Erksan’s Masterwork, Revenge of the Snakes, on the Silver Screen after 53 Years

The Istanbul Film Festival’s “Turkish Classics Revisited” project, running with the collaboration of Groupama for eight years now, had Metin Erksan’s Revenge of the Snakes (1962) with Fikret Hakan, Nurhan Nur, Aliye Rona, Kadir Savun, Şadiye Arcıman, and Erol Taş in the lead roles, renovated and reintroduced to the modern viewers. The film was renovated by the Fanatik Film and its screening in the TIM Show Center was attended by one of the leading artists Nurhan Nur, composer of the film’s original music Yalçın Tura, and Işık Baykurt, daughter of Fakir Baykurt, writer of the original novel.

Festival’s Honorary Awards

This year’s Cinema Honorary Awards were presented to director-producer Yılmaz Atadeniz, musician Cahit Berkay, actress Nebahat Çehre, screenwriter-director Safa Önal, and actor Süleyman Turan at the opening ceremony on 3 April.

As a tribute, the festival featured Yılmaz Güney’s Seyyit Han (1968) with Nebahat Çehre in the lead alongside the director himself, Yılmaz Atadeniz’s The Masked Five (1968) with Tamer Yiğit, Selma Güneri, Erol Taş, and Süleyman Tıran in the leads, and Temel Gürsu’s Dikkar Kan Aranıyor (1970) with Süleyman Turan and Ekrem Bora in the leads. Nebahat Çehre, Yılmaz Atadeniz, Süleyman Turan, and Temel Gürsu met with the audiences after the screening of their films.

Panels and Special Screenings Pay Tribute to the Turkish Cinematheque and Onat Kutlar

It has been 50 years that Onat Kutlar, who also was among the founders of the festival, founded the Turkish Cinematheque Association together with his friends. As a tribute to the 50th anniversary of the Turkish Cinematheque and to Onat Kutlar in the 20th anniversary of his death, the Istanbul Film Festival held a special panel at the Istanbul Modern. The attendees had the chance to hear about the legendary Cinematheque from the insiders, about Onat Kutlar from his close friends, and about a highly rattling period in the history of Turkish cinema from the witnesses themselves. The panel was moderated by the ex-director of the Istanbul Film Festival, Hülya Uçansu, who had run the post for 25 years. Cinema writer Atilla Dorsay, who is among the festival’s founders and currently an honorary member of the advisory board, journalist-author Zeynep Oral, author-critic Vecdi Sayar, who was the artistic director of the festival for 13 years, and Jak Şalom, who was among the founders of the Cinematheque and its first member, were the speakers at the panel.

Following the panel, Il Gattopardo / The Leopard (1963) by LuchinoVisconti, one of Onat Kutlar’s favourite directors, was given a special screening. Onat Kutlar’s article on Visconti, originally published in the Cinematheque’s Yeni Sinema Magazine in 1967, was also featured in the festival catalogue and website.

Special Sections In This Year’s Festival

This year’s festival featured sections special to the 2015 edition, along with the established sections of Akbank Galas, From the World of Festivals, Masters, New Visions, Documentary Time with NTV, Mined Zone, Midnight Madness, and Kid’s Menu. This year, the Istanbul Film Festival dedicated a special section to the cinema of the Balkans.

The “Balkans: Cinema of Flames”, brought 7 of the best and the most contemporary films from this very special region. The ties that constitute a family - the most sanctified and the most criticized social institution of all - were questioned in the Family Ties section.

The short films produced by the Istanbul Modern in its 10th anniversary as a tribute to the centenary of the Turkish cinema, all of which contribute to the country’s cinematic history from a contemporary point-of-view, received a block screening in the festival, under the title, “Little Truths”.

Held with the collaboration of the Goethe-Institut and curated by Annegret Richter, Programmer of Animated Films at the DOK Leipzig, the New German Animation section comprised two block screenings.

A leading figure in the New Argentine Cinema, screenwriter-director Lisandro Alonso’s entire filmography was screened for the first time in Turkey, within the scope of the festival.

Festival’s Guests

Out of the 455 screenings in the festival, 115 were held with the participation of the film’s director, actors, screenwriter and/or producers, who presented their film before the screening and answered the questions from the audience afterwards.

This year, many directors, producers and actors including Rolf De Heer, Lone Scherfig, Christian Petzold, Raoul Peck, Elmer Bäck were in Istanbul to present their films at the 34th Istanbul Film Festival. Also, directors of the films that the festival screenings were cancelled met the audience at the screening times of their films. Cafer Panahi sent a solidarity message to be read at the screening of his film Taxi. Shawkat Amin Korki, Hisham Zaman and Mehmet Aktaş from Memories on Stones and Letter to the King met the audience at the festival even though they cancelled the screening of their films to support the films produced in Turkey. Also Veit Helmer, Amal Ramsis, Guy Myhill, Ayat Najafi, Chiara d’Anna, Jan-Willem van Ewijk, Najwa Najjar, Anne Benjamin ve Guillaume Clere,  Suha Arraf, Kris Thykier, Konstantina Stavrianou, Reza Mirkarimi, Nima Javidi, Jamshid Mahmoudi, Syllas Tzoumerkas, Angeliki Papoulia, Wasim Zakir, Tom Hardiman, Brice Cauvin, Fatemeh Motamed Arya, Samuel Theis, Angélique Litzenburger, Paul Poet,  Kevin Eastwood, Jens Östberg, Fatmir Koçi, Margarita Manda, Michael Sturminger, Matthew Myers, Bahman Ghobadi, Fabrizio Ferracane, Klaus Maeck, Gerard Johnson, Vikram Mohinta, Duccio Chiarini, Laurent Bécue-Rénard, Rüdiger Suchsland, Luigi Lo Cascio, Dana Ivgy, Nelly Tagar, Gust Van den Berghe, Ernesto Daranas Serrano andAmir Fekri and jury members Bence Fliegauf, Cedomir Kolar, George Ovashvili, Paul Poet, Syllas Tzoumerkas, Wieland Speck were among the guests of the 34th Istanbul Film Festival.

Representatives of international film festivals such as Venice, Cannes, Berlin, Thessaloniki, Moscow, Hamburg, Batumi, Gothenburg, Sarajevo, Busan, Sofia, Amiens, Tbilisi, Locarno, Fantasia, Yerevan, Vilnius, Odessa, Karlovy Vary, Forum des Images were among over 350 guests of the festival.

Meetings on the Bridge

Celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, the Meetings on the Bridge has contributed to the completion of
29 film projects, and raised close to 430.000 Euros for 36 different projects since its inception in 2006.

8 feature-length and2 documentary film projects, along with 1 feature and 1 documentary in their post-production stage were presented in the Meetings on the Bridge. Following the presentations in the Film Project Development Workshop, the international jury comprising Gabrielle Dumon (Le Bureau Films), Giovanni Robbiano (Mediterranean Film Institute - MFI), Khalil Benkirane (Doha Film Institute), Meinholf Zurhorst (ZDF), and Sergio Garcia De Leaniz (Eurimages) chose the award winning projects.

The winners of the 8th Film Project Development Workshop are as follows.

·         For his project Dead Horse Nebula, director Tarık Aktaş received the Meetings on the Bridge Support Award of 10,000 USD

·         Zekeriya Aydoğan’s project, Death of a Father and Son received the French National Centre for Cinema (CNC) Award of 10,000 Euros.

·         Mahmut Fazıl Coşkun’s project Announcement received the Melodika Sound Post Production Award that covers all the sound production of the film.

·         Sinem Sakaoğlu’s project, The Crooked House received the Mediterranean Film Institute (MFI) Scenario Award, which comprises four stages.

The projects to be supported by the Turkish-German Co-Production Development Fund are as follows.

·         Mehmet Can Mertoğlu - Album– 30,000 Euros (Production Support)

·         Hüseyin Karabey - Hamarat Apartment - 20,000 Euros

·         Nefin Dinç - The Memoirs of Antoine Köpe - 20,000 Euros

·         Melisa Önel - 16 - 10,000 Euros

·         Çayan Demirel - Songs of Fraternity - 10,000 Euros

·         Erol Mintaş - Crows - 15,000 Euros

·         M. Cem Öztüfekçi - Idle Moments - 10,000 Euros

Following these incidents, 3 of the films that were selected for the Work in Progress Workshop decided to cancel the presentation of their films and therefore, the Work in Progress Award within the scope of the Meetings on the Bridge was also cancelled.

The Istanbul Film Festival will return in the April of 2016.

Maryland Film Festival (May 6-10 in downtown Baltimore) proudly announces its complete 2015 lineup today, unveiling its Closing Night film, the titles for its annual Opening Night Shorts Program, and a few late-breaking features.

Maryland Film Festival’s Closing Night film will be Crystal Moselle’s The Wolfpack, the mind-blowing buzz documentary that took home the U.S. Documentary Grand Jury Prize at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival. MFF also announced 5 additional emerging features for its lineup, including new work from Joe Swanberg, Rick Alverson, and Andrew Bujalski; and two repertory screenings guest-curated by key figures in Baltimore’s cultural scene: musician Abdu Ali introducing Spike Lee’s Do The Right Thing, and Wham City’s Alan Resnick and Dina Kelberman introducing Paul Verhoeven’s Showgirls.

Maryland Film Festival first devoted its Opening Night to celebrating shorts filmmakers in 2002, and has done so each year since 2004. Opening Night will take place in the Maryland Institute College of Art’s Falvey Hall the evening of Wednesday, May 6th. Each Opening Night short will be hosted by its filmmaker. MFF 2015’s Opening Night shorts are:

BAD BOY OF BOWLING (Bryan Storkel) From the co-director of Fight Church, a high-octane portrait of a bowling star with a plus-sized personality.

CHARLOTTE (Angel Kristi Williams) A coming-of-age story from the director of MFF 2012’s The Christmas Tree, a Baltimore native.

MELVILLE (James M. Johnston) A rapper struggling with personal pain finds release in music. Directed by the producer of Ain’t Them Bodies Saints.

PINK GRAPEFRUIT (Michael Mohan) A couple sets up two friends for a romantic weekend. Winner of the narrative shorts jury award at SXSW.

SHARE (Pippa Bianco) A young woman returns to high school after being shamed by an explicit video. Winner of a special jury prize at SXSW.

Feature films announced for MFF 2015 today:

Best of Enemies (Robert Gordon, Morgan Neville) In 1968, a ratings-starved ABC coordinated a series of debates between conservative journalist William F. Buckley, Jr. and liberal novelist and thinker Gore Vidal. The network garnered huge audiences—and perhaps a bit more than they bargained for, as high-level political discourse collided with name-calling and meltdowns. This Sundance-premiered documentary comes courtesy of Twenty Feet From Stardom director Morgan Neville, and author/filmmaker Robert Gordon (of MFF 2012’s Very Extremely Dangerous).

Digging For Fire (Joe Swanberg) When young parents Tim (Jake Johnson) and Lee (Rosemarie DeWitt) agree to house-sit for a wealthy acquaintance, Tim finds something suspicious on the grounds—and an initial spark of intrigue becomes a consuming obsession. Joe Swanberg continues to take his unique working methods to the next level, with an amazing cast that includes Orlando Bloom, Brie Larson, Sam Rockwell, Anna Kendrick, Jane Adams, Sam Elliott, and Mike Birbiglia, all working together to deliver an infectious mix of comedy, drama, romance, and thrills.

Do the Right Thing (Spike Lee, 1989) Spike Lee’s modern classic, detailing racial tensions and police brutality on the hottest day of summer in Bedford-Stuyvesant, has never been more crucial and relevant.  With the sounds of Public Enemy’s “Fight the Power” blasting from boomboxes, this seminal film boasts cinematography from Ernest Dickerson, and an Academy Award-nominated screenplay (not to mention an iconic performance) from Lee; his phenomenal ensemble cast includes Ossie Davis, Danny Aiello, Ruby Dee, Rosie Perez, Joie Lee, Bill Nunn, John Turturro, and Samuel L. Jackson. Selected and guest-hosted by musician, DJ, and curator Abdu Ali.

Entertainment (Rick Alverson) Gregg Turkington, perhaps best known for his persona Neil Hamburger, stars as The Comedian, a beleaguered, Hamburger-ian performer who endlessly tours Grade-Z clubs and non-venues across America, shocking and dismaying audiences with his lewd and convoluted punchlines. At turns bleak, poignant, disturbing, and darkly hilarious, this fascinating and beautifully composed provocation from the director of The Comedy also features Amy Seimetz, John C. Reilly, Tye Sheridan, Lotte Verbeek, and Michael Cera. 

People, Places, Things (Jim Strouse) In this thoughtful and hilarious rom-com, Jemaine Clement of Flight of the Conchords and What We Do in the Shadows stars as a graphic novelist whose comfortable life is shaken after walking in on his wife with another man. Downgraded to a tiny apartment and weekends-only status with his twin daughters, a bright spot appears when a student in a college art course he teaches challenges him to be more social and adventurous.

Results (Andrew Bujalski) High-octane personal trainer Kat (Cobie Smulders) works for her friend, fitness guru and entrepreneur Trevor (Guy Pearce)—both of whom have their lives turned upside-down when nouveau-riche couch potato Danny (Kevin Corrigan) arrives at their gym. The director of MFF 2013’s Computer Chess follows up that highly experimental work with something different: a romantic comedy with a stellar cast and a massive heart.

Showgirls (Paul Verhoeven, 1995) Intentional camp? Brilliant social commentary? A noble failure? Irredeemable trash? Books have been written exploring what Paul Verhoeven (RoboCop, Starship Troopers, The Fourth Man) was going for with this follow-up to mega-hit Basic Instinct. Starring Elizabeth Berkley, Kyle MacLachlan, and Gina Gershon, this seedy, Vegas-set film was derided upon its release but has lived on as a midnight movie and cult favorite. Selected and guest-hosted by Alan Resnick and Dina Kelberman of Wham City.

The Wolfpack (Crystal Moselle) CLOSING NIGHT This extraordinary documentary brings us into the lives of the Angulo brothers, who grew up homeschooled and in extreme isolation from the outside world in a Lower East Side apartment. Home video became their only window into the outside world, and they took to recreating their favorite scenes and styling themselves after films such as Reservoir Dogs. But when one of the brothers escapes the confines of their apartment, all of their lives are forever changed. A sensation at Sundance, where it won the U.S. Documentary Grand Jury Prize, this is a documentary that delivers on the buzz, built on amazing access to a truly incredible story and unforgettable characters.

Previously Announced Feature Films for Maryland Film Festival 2015:

6 YEARS (Hannah Fidell)

BEATS OF THE ANTONOV (Hajooj Kuka)

THE BLACK PANTHERS: VANGUARD OF THE REVOLUTION (Stanley Nelson)

BREAKING A MONSTER (Luke Meyer)

CALL ME LUCKY (Bobcat Goldthwait)

CHRISTMAS, AGAIN (Charles Poekel)

CROCODILE GENNADIY (Steve Hoover)

DEEP WEB (Alex Winter)

DRUNK STONED BRILLIANT DEAD: THE STORY OF THE NATIONAL LAMPOON (Douglas Tirola)

FIELD NIGGAS (Khalik Allah)

FOR THE PLASMA (Bingham Bryant and Kyle Molzan)

FRAME BY FRAME (Alexandria Bombach and Mo Scarpelli)

FUNNY BUNNY (Alison Bagnall)

A GAY GIRL IN DAMASCUS: THE AMINA PROFILE (Sophie Deraspe)

GIRLHOOD (Céline Sciamma)

GOD BLESS THE CHILD (Robert Machoian and Rodrigo Ojeda-Beck)

HENRY GAMBLE’S BIRTHDAY PARTY (Stephen Cone) World premiere.

IN THE BASEMENT (Ulrich Seidl)

JAUJA (Lisandro Alonso)

KILLER JOE (William Friedkin, 2011) Hosted by John Waters.

LIMBO (Anna Sofie Hartmann) Hosted by Matthew Porterfield.

PROPHET’S PREY (Amy Berg)

THE REAPER (Zvonimir Juric)

REBELS OF THE NEON GOD (Tsai Ming-liang, 1992)

SAILING A SINKING SEA (Olivia Wyatt)

SON OF THE SHEIK (George Fitzmaurice, 1926) With a live original score by Alloy Orchestra.

STINKING HEAVEN (Nathan Silver)

TAB HUNTER CONFIDENTIAL (Jeffrey Schwarz)

TIRED MOONLIGHT (Britni West)

TWO SHOTS FIRED (Martin Rejtman)

UNCLE KENT 2 (Todd Rohal)

UNEXPECTED (Kris Swanberg)

VENICE (Kiki Álvarez)

WELCOME TO LEITH (Michael Beach Nichols, Christopher K. Walker)

WESTERN (Bill and Turner Ross)

A WONDERFUL CLOUD (Eugene Kotlyarenko)

For more information, contact Melina Giorgi, melina@mdfilmfest.com, 410-752-8083

Web: www.mdfilmfest.com

Twitter: @MdFilmFestival

Facebook: facebook.com/MarylandFilmFestival

Hashtag: #MDFF2015

​Best of Enemies (Robert Gordon, Morgan Neville)

​Digging For Fire (Joe Swanberg)

​Do the Right Thing (Spike Lee, 1989)

​Entertainment (Rick Alverson)

​People, Places, Things (Jim Strouse)

​Results (Andrew Bujalski)

​Showgirls (Paul Verhoeven, 1995)

​The Wolfpack (Crystal Moselle) CLOSING NIGHT FILM

Panorama Europe Film Festival Returns for its Seventh Year,

with a Slate of Sixteen Outstanding New Movies

FESTIVAL to Run from May 29 – June 14, 2015 at Museum of the Moving Image and Bohemian National Hall

"Xenia" Strand Releasing

Panorama Europe 2015, the seventh edition of this vital festival of new European cinema (formerly known as Disappearing Act), presented by Museum of the Moving Image and the European Union National Institutes for Culture (EUNIC), returns to the Museum and the Bohemian National Hall with a slate of sixteen new features from May 29 through June 14.

The opening weekend includes special screenings of GODS (Poland, 2014), with director Lukasz Palkowski in person on Friday, May 29, and BOTA (THE WORLD) (Albania, 2014), with co-director Iris Elezi in person, on Sunday, May 31. Both screenings will be followed by conversations with the filmmakers, and receptions. Other festival titles include films from Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Lithuania, Slovenia, and Spain.

The festival informally kicks off on Thursday, May 28, at 7:30 p.m. with a screening of short European films at Tribeca Cinemas, followed by a party, as part of the NY Portuguese Short Film Festival (NYPSFF).

The Closing Night film is Bas Devos’s award-winning VIOLET (Belgium, 2014), which screened as part of this year’s New Directors/New Films series. The screening will be preceded by live musc by the Flemish band St. Grandson in the Museum’s courtyard and followed by a reception.

"This year's Panorama Europe lineup is exceptional,” said Chief Curator David Schwartz, who programmed the festival. “Many of the films are fascinated with questions of identity and history, on both personal and national levels. And this year, many films use humor, often dark, to explore their subjects.”

The festival continues its mission of showcasing the best in European filmmaking by introducing a wide-ranging selection of contemporary cinema in varying genres that cover many current social and cultural themes. Panorama Europe offers New York audiences what may be their only chance to see these acclaimed films on the big screen. Some of the highlights of this year’s edition include Petr Václav’s 2015 Czech Lion best film THE WAY OUT, Panos H. Koutras’s multiple award-winning XENIA (Greece), Virág Zomborácz’s AFTERLIFE (Hungary), Ignas Jonynas’s THE GAMBLER (Lithuania), with star Oona Mekas attending, and BREATHE (RESPIRE) (France), the sophomore feature directed by the actress Mélanie Laurent (INGLORIOUSBASTERDS, BEGINNERS).

The festival Board, headed by Kristýna Milde and chaired by the Czech Center, is comprised of the Austrian Cultural Forum, the Czech Center, the Delegation of the European Union to the United Nations, the Cultural Services of the French Embassy, Goethe-Institut New York, the Hungarian Cultural Center, the Italian Cultural Institute, the Onassis Foundation (USA) and Consulate General of Greece , and the Polish Cultural Institute New York.

Additionally, festival partners include the Albanian Institute, the Arte Institute, the Consulate General of the Republic of Croatia and Croatian Audiovisual Centre, the Consulate General of Estonia, the Consulate General of Spain, the Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania, the General Representation of the Government of Flanders to the U.S., the Embassy of the Republic of Slovenia and Slovenian Film Centre, and Instituto Cervantes.

“We are thrilled to bring New York audiences the best of the current European cinema,” said Milde. “Panorama Europe is the only festival in New York showcasing such a comprehensive selection of European films, as well the largest collaborative event of the EUNIC members in New York, which includes the European cultural institutes, consulates, and the European Union Delegation to the United Nations. This year the festival celebrates its seventh anniversary, and it’s exciting to see it evolving and growing into such a significant and strong showcase. Bringing European films to New York in this format has proven itself over the years to be vital to the cultural fabric of the city and I am looking forward, together with the moviegoers, to discovering, celebrating and enjoying the art of European film.”

The full lineup of Panorama Europe 2015:

Bota (The World), Albania, Dir. Iris Elezi, Thomas Logoreci / Opening Weekend Film & Reception

Gods, Poland, Dir. Lukasz Palkowski / Opening Weekend Film & Reception

Violet, Belgium, Dir. Bas Devos / Closing Night Film & Reception

Afterlife, Hungary, Dir. Virág Zomborácz

Age of Cannibals, Germany, Dir. Johannes Naber

Breathe, France, Dir. Mélanie Laurent

Cowboys, Croatia, Dir. Tomislav Mrsic

The Gambler, Lithuania, Dir. Ignas Jonynas

I Can Quit Whenever I Want, Italy, Dir. Sydney Sibilia

In the Basement, Austria. Dir. Ulrich Seidel and the short film Exterior Extended

In the Crosswind, Estonia, Dir. Martti Helde

Magical Girl, Spain, Dir. Carlos Vermut

The Tree, Slovenia, Dir. Sonja Prosenc

The Unexpected Life, Spain, Dir. Jorge Torregrossa

The Way Out, Czech Republic, Dir. Petr Václav

Xenia, Greece, Dir. Panos H. Koutras

Please see below for full schedule and locations. To view the schedule online and to order tickets, visit http://www.movingimage.us/panorama-europe

European Union National Institutes for Culture (EUNIC):
European Union National Institutes for Culture (EUNIC) (http://new-york.eunic-online.eu) in New York presents cutting-edge and thought provoking artistic and intellectual European achievements to New York and U.S. audiences. EUNIC partners with eminent American and other European institutions to provide programs in the arts, languages, education, and academia. EUNIC is part of a global coalition of national cultural institutes and cultural diplomatic services from the European Union that works in more than 80 cities on all continents. EUNIC New York was founded in 2007 and has 13 full members and 31 associate members and observers.

Museum of the Moving Image (MOMI):
Museum of the Moving Image (movingimage.us) advances the understanding, enjoyment, and appreciation of the art, history, technique, and technology of film, television, and digital media. In its stunning facilities—acclaimed for both its accessibility and bold design—the Museum presents exhibitions; screenings of significant works; discussion programs featuring actors, directors, craftspeople, and business leaders; and education programs which serve more than 50,000 students each year. The Museum also houses a significant collection of moving-image artifacts.

The Bohemian National Hall (BNH):
The Bohemian National Hall (www.bohemiannationalhall.com), a recently redesigned, award-winning landmark building on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, is a center for Czech culture in New York City. Since it was established in 1896, it has served as a focal point for its community as well as a place for exchange and dialogue with the American audience. Residing here is the Czech Center New York (CCNY) (www.czechcenter.com), a cultural institute of the Czech Republic, dedicated to promoting Czech art abroad and fostering interaction with the international community in New York City by hosting a wide range of free events showcasing contemporary Czech art together with international collaborations in music, fine art, and design, featuring annual film festivals and seasonal rooftop screenings. Established in 1995, the CCNY is part of an international network of Czech Centers supporting artists, professionals, and cultural exchange in 23 countries on 3 continents.

NY Portuguese Short Film Festival (NYPSFF):
Since 2011 the NY Portuguese Short Film Festival (arteinstitute.org/nypsff) has presented  an annual two-day showcase of short Portuguese films, produced and hosted by Arte Institute at Tribeca Cinemas. This is the first year the festival is partnering with Panorama Europe.

VENUES AND TICKETS

Museum of the Moving Image
36-01 35 Avenue, Astoria, New York. Subway: M, R to Steinway Street or N, Q to 36 Avenue. Tickets for Panorama Europe films are $12 each ($9 seniors and students / free for Museum members at the Film Lover level and above). Advance tickets are available online at movingimage.us.  Complimentary industry and press passes are available.

Bohemian National Hall
321 East 73 Street, between 1st and 2nd Avenues, New York. Subway: 6 to 68 Street Hunter College or 77 Street. Visit new-york.czechcentres.cz for more information.
Tickets for Panorama Europe at the Bohemian National Hall are free.
Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis.

Tribeca Cinemas
54 Varick Street, New York (at the corner of Laight and Varick Streets, one block south of Canal Street). Subway:
1, A, C, E  to Canal Street. More information and tickets at arteinstitute.org/nypsff.

SCHEDULE AND DESCRIPTIONS FOR PANORAMA EUROPE, MAY 29–JUNE 14, 2015*

Unless otherwise noted, screenings take place in the Sumner M. Redstone Theater or the Celeste and Armand Bartos Screening Room at Museum of the Moving Image, 36-01 35 Avenue in Astoria, OR at Bohemian National Hall, 321 East 73 Street, Manhattan.

*Program may be subject to change

OPENING WEEKEND FILM
Gods
With Lukasz Palkowski in person, followed by reception
FRIDAY, MAY 29, 7:00 P.M.
Poland. Dir. Lukasz Palkowski. 2014, 120 mins. With Tomasz Kot, Piotr Glowacki, Szymon Piotr Warszawski. This enormously entertaining biopic chronicles the groundbreaking work of Zbigniew Religa, the pioneering Polish surgeon who defied the Communist bureaucracy of the 1980s to perform the country’s first heart transplant. Told with wit, verve, and a fastidious attention to period detail, Gods is an engrossing portrait of a larger-than-life personality.

Afterlife
SATURDAY, MAY 30, 2:00 P.M.
Also showing: Thursday, June 4, 7:00 p.m. at Bohemian National Hall
Hungary. Dir. Virág Zomborácz. 2014, 93 mins. With Márton Kristóf, László Gálffi, Eszter Csákányi. A pastor and son with a strained relationship get a shot at reconciliation—after the older man’s unexpected death. Part tender coming-of-age tale, part darkly comic ghost story, Afterlife is a surprising, poignant fable from one of the most distinctive new voices in Hungarian cinema.

The Tree
SATURDAY, MAY 30, 4:00 P.M.
Slovenia. Dir. Sonja Prosenc. 2014, 90 mins. With Katarina Stegnar, Jernej Kogovsek, Lukas Matija. A mother and her two sons live as prisoners in their own home. But what is it about the outside world they fear? Told from three points of view, a riveting family tragedy gradually reveals itself in this acclaimed Slovenian chamber drama, which masterfully maintains an air of steadily mounting tension.

I Can Quit Whenever I Want
SUNDAY, MAY 31, 2:00 P.M.
Italy. Dir. Sydney Sibilia. 2014, 100 mins. With Edoardo Leo, Valeria Solarino, Valerio Aprea. A group of underemployed academics hope to earn quick cash by entering the drug racket. But when their new designer drug turns out to be all the rage, can they handle the success? One of the funniest Italian comedies in years, this ultra-entertaining box office smash plays like Breaking Bad meets Reservoir Dogs.

Xenia
SUNDAY, MAY 31, 4:00 P.M.
Greece. Dir. Panos H. Koutras. 2014, 128 mins. With Kostas Nikouli, Nikos Gelia, Aggelos Papadimitriou. A gay teen and his older brother journey across Greece in search of their estranged father in this alternately surreal and stirring road movie. Juxtaposing the realities of present-day Greece with imaginative slips into dream logic, this bold coming-of-age saga swept this year’s Hellenic Film Academy Awards, winning Best Picture and six other awards.

OPENING WEEKEND FILM
Bota (The World)
With co-director Iris Elezi in person; followed by reception
SUNDAY, MAY 31, 7:00 P.M.
Albania. Dir. Iris Elezi, Thomas Logoreci. 2014, 104 mins. With Flonja Kodheli, Artur Gorishti, Fioralba Kryemadhi. The intersecting lives of three people working at an offbeat café in a small village form a captivating portrait of modern day Albania in this poetic drama, which confronts a particularly troubling chapter of the country’s Communist past.

The Way Out
FRIDAY, JUNE 5, 7:00 P.M.
Also showing: Tuesday, June 2, 7:00 p.m. at Bohemian National Hall
Czech Republic/France. Dir. Petr Václav. 2014, 102 mins. With Klaudia Dudová, David Ištok, Sára Makulová. The Way Out follows a young Romany woman who perseveres in the face of anti-gypsy racism to find steady employment. This heartrending drama, shown in competition at Cannes, is rendered with admirable understatement and an almost documentary-like realism. The Way Out, winner of the Czech Film Critics Award,
was named Best Film at the Czech Lion awards.  New York Premiere.

Cowboys
SATURDAY, JUNE 6, 2:00 P.M.
Croatia. Dir. Tomislav Mrsic. 2013, 107 mins. With Sasa Anocic, Zivko Anocic, Matija Antolic. The Wild West and Eastern Europe collide in this infectious Croatian comedy, in which a prominent theater director mounts a hilariously bizarre cowboy musical in a bleak industrial town. Croatia’s Academy Awards entry for Best Foreign Language Film “is a nifty blend of social drama and absurdist comedy” (Variety).

In the Crosswind
SUNDAY, JUNE 7, 2:00 P.M.
Estonia. Dir. Martti Helde. 2014, 87 mins. With Ingrid Isotamm, Laura Peterson, Mirt Preegel, Einar Hillep, Tarmo Song. This startlingly original “landmark film” (The Hollywood Reporter) recounts one woman’s harrowing, true-life tale of survival in the midst of Stalin’s ethnic cleansing of the Baltic region. Told via stunning, monochrome tableaux vivants that freeze characters in time and space, In the Crosswind is both a visually and emotionally overwhelming experience.

The Gambler
With actress Oona Mekas in person
SUNDAY, JUNE 7, 4:00 P.M.
Lithuania. Dir. Ignas Jonynas. 2013, 109 mins. With Vytautas Kaniusonis, Oona Mekas, Rimas Blockis. This twisted, ultra-stylish thriller serves up a shocking premise: Vincentas, a paramedic with a gambling addiction, collects big time when he starts taking bets on whether his patients live or die. As the scheme spreads throughout the hospital, Vincentas begins raking in the money—but has he sold his soul? The Gambler is a noirish plunge into the darkest depths of amorality, and was Lithuania’s Oscar submission for Best Foreign Language film.

In the Basement
SUNDAY, JUNE 7, 7:00 P.M.
Austria. Dir. Ulrich Seidl. 2014, 85 mins. With Fritz Lang, Alfreda Klebinger, Manfred Ellinger. Best known for his “Paradise” narrative trilogy, Seidl returns to the documentary form by visiting the basements of middle-class Austrians to share the odd, disturbing, and touching findings in these intimate private spaces. Preceded by Exterior Extended (Austria. Dir. Siegfried A. Fruhauf. 2013, 8 mins. 35mm).

Breathe (Respire)
SATURDAY, JUNE 13, 2:00 P.M.
France. Dir. Mélanie Laurent. 2014, 91 mins. With Joséphine Japy, Lou de Laâge, Isabelle Carré. Two teenage girls’ seemingly perfect friendship turns toxic in this gripping sophomore feature from actress-turned-director Mélanie Laurent (Inglourious Basterds, Beginners). Boasting standout, César Award-nominated performances from its lead actresses, Respire captures the turbulence of the adolescent years with raw emotional honesty.

The Unexpected Life
SATURDAY, JUNE 13, 4:00 P.M.
Spain. Dir. Jorge Torregrossa. 2014, 107 mins. With Javier Cámara, Raúl Arévalo, Tammy Blanchard. An actor and Spanish ex-pat living in Manhattan bonds with his more conventional cousin in this bittersweet comedy. A charming valentine to New York City, The Unexpected Life offers wise and witty insights into what it means to be a foreigner in a new country.

Magical Girl
SUNDAY, JUNE 14, 12:00 P.M.
Spain. Dir. Carlos Vermut, 2014, 127 mins. With Marina Andruix, Julio Arrojo, Luis Bermejo. This mind-bending neo-noir begins as a tale of a father desperate to fulfill his dying daughter's last wish: to own an extravagantly expensive dress from her favorite Japanese anime. The lengths to which he goes to secure the garment lead him down a rabbit hole of depravity. The film won the Golden Shell award for Best Film and the Silver Shell for Best Director at the 62nd International Film Festival in San Sebastian, Spain.

Age of Cannibals
SUNDAY, JUNE 14, 3:00 P.M.
Also showing: Tuesday, June 9, 7:00 p.m. at Bohemian National Hall
Germany. Dir. Johannes Naber. 2014, 93 mins. With Sebastian Blomberg, Devid Striesow, Katharina Schüttler. Passed over for a promotion, two slimy international business consultants head for a breakdown of epic proportions in this scorching satire of capitalism at its dirtiest. Propelled by tour-de-force performances, Age of Cannibals goes to extremes to expose the dehumanizing effects of the corporate rat race. The film won multiple German Film Critics Awards, including Best Feature Film, among others.

CLOSING NIGHT FILM
Violet
Preceded by live music by the Flemish band St. Grandson in the Museum Courtyard (5.45 – 6:45 pm )
Followed by reception offered by The General Representation of the Government of Flanders to the U.S.
SUNDAY, JUNE 14, 7:00 P.M.
Belgium. Dir. Bas Devos. 2014, 82 mins. With César De Sutter, Raf Walschaerts, Mira Helmer. This “intensely stylized, highly original and utterly mesmerizing” (Variety) film viscerally evokes the disorientation of grief as a troubled teen deals with the emotional fallout of witnessing his friend’s murder. Stunningly shot partly in 65mm, Violet favorably recalls Gus Van Sant’s portraits of teenage angst as it builds towards a heart-stopping climax.

4° HONG KONG

SALENTO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2015

The Salento International Film Festival has become an International event thanks to our “touring” concept, which started with film screenings in London at the Prince Charles Cinema (the only independent cinema in Central London) back in 2010. Since then SIFF Tour has presented many independent films around the world in cities like Zurich, Moscow, St Petersburg, Hong Kong, Santiago del Chile and more.

Our tour offers several distinct programs of recent independent feature films and short films from the Salento International Film Festival. The tour provides filmmakers with the unique opportunity of having their work screened in front of an international audience, and the audience with a rare opportunity to appreciate quality independent movies, which would generally not reach mainstream distribution.

The 5-day Hong Kong event, from May 6 through May 10 2015, will bring a selection of six feature films and two short-films. Three Features from new first time Italian directors: the drama Without Pity by Michele Alhaique starring Pierfrancesco Favino, about a construction worker who sidelines for his criminal uncle collecting debts and roughing people up. The italian-born director Andrea Pallaoro charts the breakdown of a California farming family in his visually ravishing but dramatically diffuse debut with his feature film "Medeas". Lorenzo Corvino introduces innovative film touts itself as the first “selfie” movie"Wax: We Are the X", a desire to capture the spirit and frustrations of Generation X, the post baby boomers who inherited the economic crisis of the prior generation and who now struggle to compete with the increasingly tech-savvy younger generations.

Three international films from Kosovo, Russia and Brasil:  "Agnus Dei", the multi-awarded film directed by Agim Sopi based on a true story of Peter who lives together with his mother in Serbia during the Kosovo war. A drama directed by Eva Pervolovici,  "Marussia", about a Russian mother and her 6 year-old daughter, who find themselves living on the streets of Paris, and the Brasilian action thriller “Chess Game” directed by Luis Antonio Pereira.

To complete the showcase we have the pleasure to present Sofia Loren latest movie “Human Voice”, a 23 min short-film, directed by her son Edoardo Ponti. Inspired by Jean Cocteau's iconic one-woman play presented last year at Cannes Film Festival. The program will be concluded by another short-film, that had its world premiere in Cannes Film Festival last year: “The Visit” directed by Israeli filmmaker Inbar Horesh.

A special thanks go to the Consul General of Italy Hon. Antonello De Riu and to the Italian Cultural institute Director Mr. Matteo Fazzi. Our sincere thanks also go to The Grand Cinema and to Mr. Jude Cheung and his staff for their constant help and valuable support.

LE PROGRAMME 2015

TÉLÉCHARGER LE PROGRAMME [pdf]