The Festival of German Film in Moscow maintains a promising future. Besides cinematic showings of current German productions with top-quality guests including directors and actors, German Films will be continuing its successful cooperation with the video-on-demand service ivi.ru from 2014: parallel to the 14th edition of the festival (2 – 6 December 2015) German films will be presented online as well, thus consolidating new exploitation possibilities.  

A total of 14 contributions, encompassing current German feature films, documentaries and shorts will be presented to Russian audiences and the local film industry in the Formula Cinema Horizont. Here, too, the special focus will be on the future, in the shape of young cinema from Germany.

The festival will be opened with the boxer-Drama A HEAVY HEART (DEPARTURES Film, deutschfilm), which celebrated its world premiere at the key Toronto International Film Festival. A HEAVY HEART is the full-length feature film debut of Student Oscar® prizewinner Thomas Stuber. Both the director and the leading actor Peter Kurth will be on the spot to introduce their film to a Russian audience.

Leading actors Clemens Schick and Paula Beer will be presenting Theresa von Eltz’s FOUR KINGS (C-Films, Tatami Films) – another full-length feature debut, which won the main prize in the independent section Alice nella città at Rome Film Festival.

Matthias Bittner can look back on an impressive festival career already with his graduation film from the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg WAR OF LIES (Zischlermann Filmproduktion/Berlin, FFL Film- und Fernseh-Labor/Ludwigsburg) about an Iraqi chemical engineer, whose information about mobile laboratories to produce weapons of mass-destruction was used to legitimize the invasion of Iraq. In Moscow he will face questions from a Russian audience. Director Pascal Flörks will also be attending in person to represent BÄR, an entry from the German Films NEXT GENERATION SHORT TIGER 2015 program of short films. 

The weak rouble exchange rate is making it difficult for Russian distributors to acquire European films at present. It is all the more important, therefore, to promote alternative forms of exploitation for German productions. Last year, German Films cooperated for the first time with the Russian VoD service ivi.ru , which adopted a German section into its program. This was a complete success – in the very first week, it was viewed around 23,000 times – and will be continued with 23 films this year. The German section at ivi.ru can be seen here.

All films in the program of the Festival of German Film in Moscow 2015:

Feature films: 
A HEAVY HEART (HERBERT) by Thomas Stuber (DEPARTURES Film, deutschfilm) (opening film)
AS WE WERE DREAMING (ALS WIR TRÄUMTEN) by Andreas Dresen (Rommel Film/Berlin, Iskremas Filmproduktion, Cinema Defacto
SANCTUARY (FREISTATT) by Marc Brummund (Zum Goldenen Lamm Filmproduktion)
TOUR DE FORCE (HIN UND WEG) by Christian Zübert (Majestic Filmproduktion, VIAFILM)
HEAD FULL OF HONEY (HONIG IM KOPF) by Til Schweiger (Warner Bros. GmbH, Barefoot Films)
WINDSTORM 2 (OSTWIND 2) by Katja von Garnier (SamFilm, Constantin Film Produktion, Alias Entertainment)
FOUR KINGS (VIER KÖNIGE) by Theresa von Eltz (C-Films, Tatami Films)
THE KINGS SURRENDER (WIR WAREN KÖNIGE) by Philipp Leinemann (Walker+Worm Film)
THE CHAMBERMAID LYNN (DAS ZIMMERMÄDCHEN LYNN) by Ingo Haeb (Sutor Kolonko, 58Filme, Pandora Film)

Documentary films: 
WAR OF LIES (KRIEG DER LÜGEN) by Matthias Bittner (Zischlermann Filmproduktion/Berlin, FFL Film- und Fernseh-Labor/Ludwigsburg)
SCORPIONS – FOREVER AND A DAY by Katja von Garnier (Tempest Film)

Short films:
LAMBS (LÄMMER) by Gottfried Mentor (Studio FILM BILDER)
CONNECTED (DIE SPINNERIN) by Manuela Buske (Filmuniversität Babelsberg Konrad Wolff)
WE WILL STAY IN TOUCH ABOUT IT by Jan Zabeil (aug&ohr medien) 
NEXT GENERATION SHORT TIGER 2015


Partners of German Films at his year's festival are: Goethe-Institut Moscow, Deutsche Zentrale für Tourismus, Coolconnections

Current information about the Festival of German Film in Moscow is available on the website as well as on Facebook.

German Films organizes festivals of German cinema worldwide, together with various partners, so presenting current German films internationally and helping to improve awareness, create a greater degree of popularity, and promote sales abroad. In addition to Moscow, such festivals take place e.g. in Paris, Madrid, New York, Buenos Aires, China and Australia.  

IFFI Goa 2015, Festival Diary, VIII: Did the best ones win?

Without any doubt, my favourite for Best Picture was Embrace of the Serpent (Colombia) directed by Ciro Guerra. The Jury, too, found the black and white film about the Amazon, its rape by greedy foreigners and the destruction of the mythical but pristine lives of its native inhabitants “mind-blowing”, which is reason for feeling vindicated. This is the eighth or ninth time, out of eleven IFFIs at Goa, that my pick for the Golden Peacock winner co-incided with the Jury’s verdict, which makes it ‘not a bad record’, doesn’t it!

Born in 1981, cinematographer-writer-director Guerra studied film and television at the National University of Colombia. After directing four short films, he wrote and directed Shadow Walker, his first feature, which was selected in more than 60 film festivals around the world, including Cannes. The Wind Journeys, his second feature, was a road movie, looking to foster a closer relationship between the viewer and Caribbean music.

Embrace of the Serpent, Official Selection, at the Directors' Fortnight, Cannes, this year, tells the epic story of first contact, meeting, approach, betrayal, and possible friendship that transcends life, between Karamakate, an Amazonian Shaman, the last survivor of his tribe, and two scientists, who forty years apart, travel the Amazon in search of a sacred plant that could cure their ills. It is based on the diaries of early explorers who travelled the Colombian Amazon, Theodor Koch-Grunberg and Richard Evan Schultes, and co-written by Guerra. You cannot help recalling Werner Herzog’s Aguirra-The Wrath of God, in terms of locale and subject, but the inspiration must cease there.

‘Best film’ was clearly deserved, but so were ‘best director’ and ‘best actor’. The only reason Guerra did not get the director’s prize must have been the need to be socialistic and distribute the prizes, rather than club them all together. EOTS actors    Jan Bijvoet, Antonio Bolivar Brionne Davis  , Yauenkü Migue and Nicolás Cancino could each walk away with an acting honour. That was not to be, as other options were considered and selected.

British Film director Peter Greenaway bagged the award for Best Director, for Eisenstein in Guanajuato (EIG), which has a Dutch producer of Indonesian extraction. A visual spectacle of form and style, it was the chronicling of a chapter in the life of Russian director Sergei Eisenstein, known for the all-time classic, Battleship Potemkin. (His surname is often mis-read as Einstein, after his almost namesake, the great American scientist, a fact addressed in the film too).

Russian archives reveal that he was born in 1898, in Latvia, as Sergei Mikhaylovich Eisenstein, of Jewish descent (through his paternal grandparents). His father worked in ship-building, until 1910, when the family moved to St. Petersburg, where his training as an architect and engineer had a great influence on his future film-making. Watching the insurgent crowds during the 1917 October revolution bearing down on the Winter Palace of the Czars in St. Petersburg, Eisenstein foresaw his future. He enlisted in the Red Army, helped organise and construct defenses and, as his first step in his career, produced entertainment for the troops.

In 1920, having decided that a military life was not for him, he entered the Proletkult Theater (the Theater of the People) in Moscow as an assistant stage designer, where he quickly became a co-director.  Eisenstein's first film, the revolutionary Strike, was produced in 1924. It recounts the repression of a strike by the soldiers of the Czar. Eisenstein juxtaposed shots of workers being mowed down by machine guns with shots of cattle being butchered in a slaughterhouse. The effect was striking, but the objective reality was falsified. Thus, he introduced a new editing form, the ‘montage of attractions’, in which arbitrarily chosen images, independent from the action, would be presented not in chronological sequence, but in whatever way would create the maximum psychological impact, in stark contrast with the  American-style ‘narrative montage’.

In 1925, in order to commemorate the Russian Revolution of 1905, the Communist Party commissioned the renowned film Potemkin (also called Battleship Potemkin). The film was made in the Black Sea port of Odessa. In 1958 it was voted the best film ever made, by an international poll of critics. Eisenstein's next film was the two hour film, October or Ten Days That Shook the World, dealing with the shifts of power between the 1917 February and October revolutions, Lenin's entering the scene and the struggle of the Bolsheviks with their opponents. Greenaway uses this title to give his present film an alternate name, Ten Days That Shook Eisenstein.           

Continually seeking to expand the film-making craft, Eisenstein drew upon his early interest in Japanese Kabuki theatre, Noh drama and their use of masks in his last film, Ivan the Terrible. During World War II, Eisenstein began work on this epic film about the 16th-century Czar, Ivan IV, whom Stalin admired. One battle scene, with Ivan’s close-up diagonally bisecting the frame in the foreground, remains an indelible image. Before he could finish the third part of the film, Eisenstein died, a few days after his 50th birthday.

But before his death, he had made a trip to Hollywood, and was commissioned to make a film tentatively titled Que Viva Mexico, in Mexico. During the shooting of this film, Eisenstein, apparently a latent homosexual, entered into a relationship with his local Mexican contact. He exposed hundreds of thousands of feet of film raw stock negative, but the film was never edited, completed or released. Greenaway has explored the sexuality in great, graphic detail, as his wont (The Draughtsman’s Contract; The Cook the Thief, His Wife and Her Lover—both films shown at earlier IFFIs). To me, this obsession with nudity and homosexuality detracts from the remarkable angles, excellent use of split-screen technique and some robust camera movements that underscore Greenaway’s directorial skills.

I would have given the Best Director award, albeit based on a thin margin, to Barcelona-based Julia Vargas-Weise (Sealed Cargo/Bolivia). Shekhar Kapur, Chairman of the Jury, said that he has been a Greenaway fan since the times when he was an accountant in London, so he might not have wanted to tilt the scales away from Greenaway. (There is a problem with chronology, though. Kapur had moved to India in the mid-70s, while Greenaway made his first feature in 1980. Perhaps Kapur was referring to his documentary films, beginning 1962). As it happened, Julia, a writer, actress and photographer, besides a director, had to be content with the Special Jury award.

Sealed Cargo is an absurd tale about a cargo train under the care of a railroad engineer and three policemen, with an innocent undercover woman passenger, that carries a hermetically sealed load, presumably toxic waste, that turns out to be cursed. They all seek their destiny on the Bolivian Altiplano in an unexpected adventure, during which the characters are attacked by enraged towns-people, betrayed and deceived, in ways that change their lives and affect the whole country. Seldom has an absurd black comedy, shot in an action thriller style, made so much sense, and dealt with a grave international issue like pollution in such a riveting manner. Vargas-Weise studied photography in Switzerland and is probably the first Bolivian woman to achieve international fame as a photographer.

Two days before the awards were announced, I met Serbian director Goran Radovanovic in the Maquinez Palace courtyard, which had been converted into an outdoor restaurant-cum-beer bar for IFFI 2015, and told him that his film Enclave was among the top five films I had seen at IFFI this year, so far. In the end, it was one of the five that bagged awards. The Special Mention Award was less than what the film deserved, but competition was hot. EOTS and EIG managed to pip Enclave at the post.

French actor Vincent Lindon (56, also director-writer) won the best Actor (male) award for The Measure of a Man, which was screened on the very last day, a mere four hours before the closing ceremony. I could not see it, so no comment on the choice.

The Best Actor (Female) award was shared by five actors (“actresses”, if you please, insisted host Kabir Bedi) of the Turkish film Mustang. Set in a remote Turkish village, Mustang depicts the life of five young orphaned sisters, and the challenges they face, growing up in a highly conservative society. Gunes Sensoy, Doga Doguslu, Tugba Sunguroglu, Elit Iscan and Ilayda Akdogan were awarded the Silver Peacock(s) at the ceremony, in absentia. This five-in-one must surely be unprecedented in IFFI history, and well-deserved too. As Kapur reminded us, the chemistry the five girls brought to the screen, especially when they were together in any scene, was palpable and electrifying.

An additional award, instituted this year, the ICFT-UNESCO Fellini Prize, was given to the Bengali movie Cinemawala by Kaushik Ganguly. The award, presented in collaboration with the International Council for Film, Television and Audiovisual Communication (ICFT), Paris and UNESCO is to be presented to a film which reflected the ideals of peace, tolerance, non-violence and friendship, promoted by UNESCO. Cinemawala is a laboured film, with ostensibly noble intentions, which could garner nothing at the main awards. Point is, what or who was it competing against, for this prize?

By Alex Deleon

 

The Marrakech Film Festival has slowly been gathering steam ever since the its inception

 in 2001.  With the fifteenth edition running from Dec. 4 ~ 12 this is not just an exotic place to visit with 

nice mild winter weather but a major new station on the European and international festival trail.

The most obvious indication that this festival has now come of age is that fact that  no less a figure than 

American Godfather director Francis Ford Coppola  will preside over the jury and special guests to receive tributes include such prestige actors as Bill Murray and Willem Defoe plus will-of-wisp German-Turkish director Fatih Akin. (He is known for not showing up at festivals to which he was invited -- (such as  Munich earlier thus year).  Others on this class jury include 

French director Jean-Pierre Jeunet (62) helmer of the gigantic International French hit "Amélie", and Dutchman Anton Corbijn who diected George Clooney in "The American" (2010) and helmed the most unusual James Dean biopic "Life“ released earlier this year.  Clearly personalities of this ilk do not bother to attend minor festivals. 

The opening film will be Barry Levinson's latest opus "Rock the Kashbah" set in contemporary Afghanistan and starring Bill Murray and Bruce Willis.  Murray will undoubtedly be there to introduce the film.

The closure is another prestige film, CAROL, by Todd Haynes, an American lesbian love story set in the New York of the fifties and starring Cate Blanchett.  

A major new Moroccan film, "La Marche Verte" (Al Massira ~The Green March) dealing with an important incident in Moroccan political history, will have its world premiere out of competition.

Fifteen film competing for the festival grand prix - L'Étoile d'Or -- are primarily first or second works by emerging directors from as many countries; Belgium, France, Ivory Coast, Turkey, Kosovo, Kazakhstan, Morocco, Czech Republic, Spain, Argentina, Italy, South Korea, and Japan.  Many ifbthese films have islamic casts and take up Islamic migration themes in a variety of settings. 

Other prestige films to be screened are Atom Egoyan's post Holocaust thriller "Remember" which premiered  at Venice in September and "Mr. Holmes", the Sherlock Holmes in old age fantasy starring senior British  actor Ian McKellen. This popular festival film opened at Berlin in February and has been travelling the festival circuit ever since. A class lineup from stem to stern  promises that the fifteenth installment of this still young and growing festival will be the best ever.

Alex, Budapest

The Bahamas International Film Festival (BIFF), celebrating its 12th anniversary and taking place December 1-12, today revealed the lineup of films screening in the festival’s competition and sidebar sections. The program was announced by BIFF Founder and Executive Director Leslie Vanderpool.

This year, the Festival will showcase more than 130 films from 40 different countries including nine international premieres, 28 Caribbean premieres, and all are Bahamian premieres.

The four competition categories at BIFF are Spirit of Freedom: Narrative; Spirit of Freedom: Documentary; New Visions; and Short Film. Additional categories out of competition are World Cinema Narrative and World Cinema Documentary; Caribbean Spotlight Narrative and Caribbean Spotlight Documentary; Comedy; and non-Jury Short Films.

There will be special screenings throughout the Festival of Brian Klugman’s “Baby Baby Baby”, Ben Bowman’s “Knucklehead”, Daryl Wein’s “Consumed”, Julien Leclercq’s “The Crew”, Samuel Benchetrit’s “Asphalte” (Macadam Stories)” and Jean Michel Costeau’s “The Secret Ocean”.

“More than 500 films were submitted to BIFF this year and those films selected shape the festival and its overall global vision,” said Leslie Vanderpool, founder and Executive Director of BIFF. “The Bahamas International Film Festival is one of the world’s leading Caribbean film festivals. As the cultural gateway to the Caribbean, a region that is nascent and erupting for stories to be shared, it is important for BIFF to showcase films that speak to the country, the world and to our souls. Filmmakers expose the audiences to the world, raising social consciousness. The question of freedom of expression is crucial, especially with January’s events in France, the continuing debate over gun control in the USA, and the increasing tensions over immigration and wars of religion and values in Europe and Asia. This is the reason that BIFF is continuing for the 12th year the Spirit Of Freedomcategory.

“For 12 years, the Bahamas International Film Festival has offered a platform to promote diverse culture, introducing the film industry to our region and providing an economic booster to The Bahamas. The Festival has upgraded the scale of its events and in turn, its social impact through the years, and also helped substantially in promoting cultural exchanges and professional collaborations.”

The official BIFF feature lineup is comprised of the following films:

WORLD CINEMA DOCUMENTARY (Sponsored by CornèrTrader)

In addition, a list of the 94 short films screening at the festival in and out of competition can be found online at http://www.bintlfilmfest.com/the_festival/film_guide/program/89

BIFF 2015 kicks off on Tuesday, December 1stand will run through Saturday, December 12th. For the fourth consecutive year, BIFF will be coming to Harbour Island on December 1-4, showcasing ten feature and short films and hosting the Screenwriters Residency Program. BIFF will then screen all short films in a festival-within-a-festival on Governor’s Harbour December 5-8. The Festival then concludes in Nassau with the main program lineup of features and documentaries, along with some select shorts, screening from December 9-12.

Additional announcements pertaining to the Festival and filmmakers attending will be made in the coming weeks.  For additional information, please visit www.bintlfilmfest.com.

About the Bahamas International Film Festival

The Bahamas International Film Festival (BIFF) is a nonprofit organization committed to providing the local community and international festival-goers with a diverse presentation of films from The Bahamas and around the world. In addition to showcasing films that might not otherwise be released theatrically, BIFF provides unique cultural experiences, educational programs, and forums for exploring the past, present and future of cinema. BIFF aims to raise the level of filmmaking, participation and education throughout The Bahamas and the world. For additional information, please visit www.bintlfilmfest.com.

Established in 2010 DOC NYC had become by 2014 the largest documentary festival in the United States and is considered by Movie Maker  as one of the top five documentary film festivals in the world, and by the Wall Street Journal  as “One of the city’s grandest  cinematic events”. DOC NYC was presented from November 12-19 in three Manhattan locations with over 200 films of which 107 were feature length productions. The program included 27 world and 15 U.S. premieres. The festival continues to expand, adding this year 50 more films. Though some observers question the rapid growth, virtually all of the 2015 screenings were sold out and many of the top documentary film makers showed up.  Continuing its 2013 and 2014 track record, numerous 2015 DOC NYC titles are contenders for the Oscar documentary awards. The mission of the fest covers education and audience growth, networking, expansion of distribution, a stronger social component, ’create social space’, and ‘make the most of New York City’. Mission building involved several day long conferences, an outstanding selection of films, galas, special events and visionary tributes to Jon Alpert, Barbara Kopple, Frederick Wiseman, Kim Longinotto, and Tom Quinn. The conferences covered first-time filmmakers, pitching productions, masterclasses, funding, and reaching the audience to name but a few. The interests of the audience were certainly met by the careful selection of films and topical seminars and conferences.

The Anthropologist, Daniel A. Miller / Jeremy Newberger, USA, 2015     Depicting the insights of two prominent anthropologists, Margaret Meade and Susie Crate, and the work of their daughters who focus on climate change, the documentary provides through its case studies investigated by Mary Catherine Bateson, and Susie Crate, a rather depressing view of our condition and ability of adapting to the rapid ecological changes faced. Certainly, anthropological knowledge is an important repository, and salvaging of cultural systems and human reactions to disruptions, yet global warming has consequences beyond our control to which Miller and Newberger’s documentary offers a superb introduction. Warming of US coastal waters has resulted in declining fishing catches. In remote Siberian regions the permafrost under the land is thawing leading to a flooding of agricultural lands and forests depriving the rural population of their livelihood. Rising sea levels threaten the very existence of low level island nations, destroying agriculture through sea water, and settlements through storms. The only adaptive option available is resettlement of the inhabitants to other countries. In the Peruvian highlands, and other regions, ice caps of the mountain areas melting has led to severe water shortages. Due to atmospheric warming,  crops in Peru must be planted at a higher altitude resulting in a reduction of plant diversity and lower yields. An effective adaptive response is not in sight. What is troublesome in these well documented field studies as supported by empirical data and extensive interviews is the impotence of the people who are impacted. Anthropological concern about climate change is certainly supported by scientific estimates of a possible rise of sea levels by about 20 feet in this century if Greenland’s ice sheet and polar icecaps continue to melt and global warming is not constrained.

Thank You For Your Service, Tom Donahue, USA, 2015   Superbly filmed, the documentary revisits in the American Perspectives section of the fest, focusing on the unresolved fundamental mental health problem soldiers are facing returning from Afghanistan and Iraq with post-traumatic stress disorder. More than half of the soldiers receiving VA treatment suffer from PTSD as intensified by the non-linear untraditional combat they experienced and aggravated if they had several tours of duty. These soldiers have severe problems readapting to their private lives and assuming their old identities, as evidenced by higher family break ups, criminal offence rates, and suicides. As in the case of the Vietnam War, where 54.000 soldiers died in combat but 150,000 killed themselves after the war, a similar scenario is arising now. Twenty two veterans commit suicide each day. Being haunted by the guilt of having survived, of having killed civilians, and suffering from various forms of PTSD they experience an inner void and difficulty reconnecting with civilian life. Through interviews with several veterans and senior department of defense officials and officers, as well as empirical data, the documentary provides persuasive evidence that PTSD treatment has not been a priority for the military and that no significant steps have been taken to date to provide mental health and behavior services to PTSD victims. As depicted in the documentary’s call for action, there are some privately run effective treatment models such as the Save a Warrior program, and successful steps have been taken by some veterans to get closure. But in spite of universal agreement of the severity of the PTSD problem and its devastating impact, no major initiatives have been taken by the Department of Defense to remedy it. Rather, there is a massive policy failure. Amazingly, this isn’t a new problem, during World War II Roosevelt ordered the establishment of remedial programs for affected soldiers to attend before being released from the armed force. 

Newman, Jon Fox, USA, 2015   Joseph Newman invented in 1978 a perpetual motion machine that generated more energy than it consumed, apparently overturning century old laws of physics and contradicting the majority of opinions of the scientific communities. His evidence based invention created a revolutionary magnetic motor which could have terminated the dependence on carbon generated energy. The Newman machine and its support by close to 50 scientists, public presentation of the unit, congressional hearings, and law suits generated massive media attention. Thus Jon Fox was able to reconstruct the history of the Newman machine as supplemented by interviews with scientists who worked with and supported Newman. His documentary covers 37 years and ends with filming a lengthy disputation between Newman and a potential investor shorty before Newman’s death in 2015 after he had destroyed in his remaining days the only remaining perpetual motion machine. Fox covers the life of an individual who fought for his invention and sacrificed his marriage and fortune in that obsessive pursuit He demonstrates how a genius inventor is slowly driven into embittered isolation and is no longer able to communicate rationally. The film also shows that thinking and acting outside the conventional mental box can have punishing results.

A Journey Of A Thousand Miles: Peace Keepers, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, Greeta Gandbhir, USA/Pakistan, 2014    This somehow puzzling documentary records the peacekeeping mission of 150 Bangladeshi women who spent one year on a mission in Haiti assisting the local authorities in crowd control, public safety and police work. After some para-military training they embark on their assignment to a country without knowledge of the local language, its culture or customs. As mostly Muslim women from traditional backgrounds their assignment was, with some exceptions, not fully supported by their families. Not all are treated with a warm welcome after their return. In Haiti’s shaky environment their only safe place is the barracks they live in, but even the competence of the Bangladeshi group is questioned by a male training officer. The population encounters them with suspicion and resentment because UN peace keepers from Nepal had brought Cholera to Haiti with devastating consequences, a situation the women were not prepared for. They were also struck by the poverty and violence prevalent in Haiti, conditions they knew only from Bangladesh.  On a more positive note, the emancipatory actions and courage of Muslim women getting engaged in police work and travelling abroad demonstrated that the patriarchal culture they are born into has its limits. The filmmakers provide a rounded picture. By focusing on several women of the group the audience gets a grasp on their home life and of the family conflicts of the mission, recording reactions before and after their mission to Haiti.

I Am Sun Mu, Adam Sjoeberg, 2015, USA    Sun Mu or ‘no boundaries’, is the pseudonym of an established Korean artist who escaped famine by defecting from North Korea in 1998. He wants to remain unknown and refuses to be photographed. He remains faceless because he fears for the life of his parents and South Korean family. Sjoeberg’s documentary covers his life and work on an exhibition scheduled for Beijing. The film maker creates a fabulous production which is superbly edited. He shares outstanding visual imagery of the work Sun Mu is creating and innovative animation underlies most of the commentary. Sun Mu worked in North Korea as a gifted propaganda artist for several years, creating posters and paintings for the regime. After arriving in South Korea in 2001 he transformed the imagery and style of North Korean poster propaganda and mass manifestations into a unique visual style that has been called political pop art by observers. It also could be characterized as a purified version of subverted socialist realism focusing on individuals and events rather than glorifying work and collectives.  His mastery of color is impressive. Much of his art work is satirical and the idealized pictures of children and North Korean leaders are surreal or too good to be true. His paintings frequently offer commentaries on political events. We accompany Sun Mu as he prepares his Beijing art show and hides his identity when going to China. After the exhibitions opens it is closed immediately by the Chinese police and he narrowly escapes from being arrested. His art work for the show, a commentary on North Korean society, is still locked up in Beijing.

Class Divide, Marc Levin, USA 2014   Two worlds face each other, mostly minority children living in the Chelsea-Elliott public housing project and primarily white students attending the Avenues: World School across 10th Avenue at the West 26^th street intersection.  Average annual family income in the housing project is about $20,000. A high proportion of the residents are unemployed and survive on welfare, including many without working papers. Across the street parents pay about $50,000.00 per student in annual tuition for the Avenues World School. Their large luxurious apartments and homes provide a stark contrast to the overcrowded flats in the housing project. Interviewing students from that school and the project, Levin detects communalities and the tremendous socio-economic class gap separating both groups. There is an obvious concern with money and education and a shared anxiety. The low-income minority students are afraid of losing their safety net and not getting jobs after leaving school. The high income white students are anxious about not meeting their parents’ expectations and not matching their success.  Both groups cannot cross the class divide, and to date there not a single scholarship student at the World School has come from the housing project.  The class segregation of the school system is pushed to the extreme here, though one must note that New York City is notorious for the segregation, only 20% of its schools and just 24% of the white students are exposed to low income students. Social class is the determining factor driving the gentrification of most New York City neighborhoods and eradicating economic diversity. Over the last decade rents have risen steeply and much low income housing has disappeared. Though Marc Levin did not intend to produce a political film, the message about growing disparity has clear political overtones. The public educational system is underfunded, whereas the private system can use the most advanced educational technologies and hire the best teachers. The Avenues World School is funded by private investors from equity firms expecting a return of at least 10%.  The school is marketed as an alternative to the top rated private schools such as Horace Mann, Dalton, and Brierley which have  admission rates  below that of Harvard.  If their children are not admitted to these schools, the Avenues World School becomes instantly appealing for affluent upscale white parents. Nevertheless, when opened, only 25 of the 350 applicants for a kindergarten slot could be accommodated. It is noteworthy that the SAT scores of World School students are below those from the top private schools.

Motley’s Law, Nicole Horanyi, Denmark, 2015  The Grand Jury Prize winner of the  2015 the DOC NYC festival, this documentary provides a unique insight into the seven year law practice of the  Afro-American Kimberly Motley in Afghanistan as a defense attorney. As the only female Western lawyer accredited at Afghani Courts, Motley represents U.S and Western expats who are caught in that country’s system of justice, but also takes on pro-bono cases of imprisoned Afghan women entangled in an apparently archaic traditional legal system. Practicing under life threatening circumstances and growing political instabilities in Kabul Motley left her husband and children in the United States, only seeing them periodically. She started her work in Kabul motivated by income but developed a commitment for human rights which are disregarded by the local legal system and neglected by the international community. Motley’s Law offers perceptive insights into a disorganized and inefficient Afghani justice system and depicts prevailing corruption and the threats Motley experiences. Her work seems to be ending there because the withdrawal of foreign troops from that country has generated more threats and chaos.

There is no question that this year’s edition of DOC NYC provided a comprehensive overview of the problems faced by contemporary societies and of the domestic and international issues we are confronted with. There does not seem to be much room for optimism.

Claus Mueller

filmexchange@gmail.com

Sundance Institute Celebrates New Frontier 10th Anniversary with Exhibition of New Work at 2016 Sundance Film Festival, Mobile Virtual Reality Experiences, Events at MoMA and Walker Art Center

  
(L-R) #100humans, Credit: 8i; theBlu: Encounter, Credit: Wevr; Queen Rose Family (da Stories), Credit: Kalup Linzy Studio.

30 Virtual Reality Experiences, 11 Installations, Three Feature Films and One Live Performance Selected for New Frontier at 2016 Festival

Slithering Screens Exhibition to Premiere at MoMA in April;
Walker Art Center with Northern Spark Event in June

A revolution a decade in the making, Sundance Institute celebrates the 10th Anniversary of its New Frontier program with an exhibition of new work at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival, including immersive cinematic works, virtual reality installations, an extensive lineup of documentary and narrative mobile VR experiences and an inside look at the innovations being developed at some of world’s leading media research labs. 10th Anniversary exhibitions will also be presented with MoMA in New York City in April, and the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis as part of Northern Spark in June.
 
The 2016 edition of New Frontier at the Festival includes three feature films and a live performance, as well as 30 VR experiences and eleven installations in the more than 10,000-square-foot exhibition, taking place at multiple venues: Park City’s historic Claim Jumper, The Gateway, a large-scale installation on Swede Alley by Chris Milk and a performance by Gingger Shankar at Festival Base Camp Presented by Canada Goose. In addition to a physical exhibition at the Festival, audiences everywhere will be able to experience more than 20 virtual reality pieces on mobile VR headsets. This year’s Festival will also include a program of New Frontier short films to be announced at a later date.
 
Robert Redford, President and Founder of Sundance Institute, said, “For me, New Frontier has always embraced risk and innovation in a way that reflects the heart of Sundance and the ever-evolving nature of film. It champions films, artists and installations that use new media technology to expand, experiment and explode traditional storytelling. Independent artists continue to fuel the broader community with artistic innovation, bold thinking and groundbreaking narratives that can change the art of film forever.”
 
Keri Putnam, Executive Director of Sundance Institute, said, “The 10th anniversary of our New Frontier program offers an opportunity for us to reflect on the growth and celebrate the excitement of the field in this time. Sundance’s New Frontier program has grown over the last decade to support groundbreaking artists with grants, the New Frontier Story Lab, regional workshops and a new virtual reality-focused residency. Our artists have evolved as quickly as the technology, and the program continues to produce work way ahead of its time.”
 
Shari Frilot, Sundance Film Festival Senior Programmer and Chief Curator, New Frontier, said, “This year’s program provides a sensory experience that powerfully transports audiences to uncommon places and ways of being, offering an opportunity to become viscerally aware of the vital connections between our brains, bodies and biosphere. The future of storytelling affords us the ability to observe ourselves and our instincts and become more conscious of the way we make choices and decisions.”
 
Since its inception, the New Frontier program has showcased and advanced the work of artists and technologists working together to push the boundaries of storytelling, which have included Doug Aitken, Jennifer Steinkamp, Aaron Koblin, Pipilotti Rist, James Franco, Nonny de la Peña and Joseph Gordon-Levitt. The 10 New Frontier exhibitions since 2007 chronicle new media growth and advancements, including the progression of story-based, virtual reality-enabled experiences, which are viewed by many as the next big thing in film and entertainment. The VR headset first showcased in New Frontier at the 2012 Festival with Nonny de la Peña's Hunger in Los Angeles morphed months later into the Oculus Rift prototype.
 
In addition to curating and showcasing work at the Sundance Film Festival, New Frontier activities extend year round. The Institute hosts an annual New Frontier Story Lab for artists to develop new work. In cities across the United States, artists can participate in New Frontier Day Labs to seed their creative practice while learning from alumni and adviser projects. Additionally, the New Frontier Residency Program collaborates with partners to date including MIT Media Lab's Social Computing Group and Jaunt Studios, which provide state-of-the-art tools, training and resources to independent artists innovating new data-visualization and virtual reality story experiences.
 
The Slithering Screens exhibition at MoMA in April will showcase landmark cinematic works that hack the theater space drawn from the past 10 New Frontier exhibitions and is curated by Shari Frilot and Rajendra Roy, Celeste Bartos Chief Curator of Film, Museum of Modern Art. In June New Frontier will host a VR-focused celebration with Walker Art Center in Minneapolis and Northern Spark. Individual works to be featured will be announced this winter.
 
These activities will be further complemented by two commissioned immersive journalism experiments from a program designed to enable independent journalists to explore VR as a way of communicating crucial stories. The project is supported by Sundance Institute with a grant from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.
 
In addition to the New Frontier program announced today, films in the U.S. and World Competitions, NEXT and Midnight sections have been announced and are listed at sundance.org/festival.
 
 
FILMS AND PERFORMANCE
 
Cameraperson / U.S.A. (Director: Kirsten Johnson) — By exposing her role behind the camera, Johnson reaches into the vast trove of footage that she has shot over decades around the world. What emerges is a visually bold memoir and a revelatory interrogation into the power of the camera. World Premiere
 
The Illinois Parables / U.S.A. (Director and screenwriter: Deborah Stratman) — This suite of Midwestern parables about faith, force, technology, and exodus questions the role belief plays in national identity. In our desire to make sense of the inscrutable, who do we end up blaming or endorsing? Cast: C. Felton Jennings II, Anna Toborg, Joshua Frieman, José Oubrerie, Daniel Verdier, David Gatten. World Premiere
 
Nari
Artists: Gingger Shankar, Dave Liang, Sun Yunfan
The unsung story of Lakshmi Shankar and her daughter, Viji—two extraordinary artists who helped bring Indian music to the West in the 1970s through their close collaboration with Ravi Shankar and George Harrison. This arresting, multi-generational, multimedia mash-up features animation, family archives, and a live performance. U.S. Premiere
 
Notes on Blindness / United Kingdom, France (Directors and screenwriters: Peter Middleton, James Spinney) — After losing his sight, John Hull knew that not understanding blindness would destroy him. In 1983, he began to keep an audio diary. His recordings represent a unique testimony of loss, rebirth, and renewal, excavating the experience of blindness and documenting his discovery of "a world beyond sight." Project includes a mobile VR experience. Cast: Dan Skinner, Simone Kirby. World Premiere
 
 
INSTALLATIONS

Double Conscience
Artist: Kahlil Joseph; Key Collaborator: Kendrick Lamar
A lush portrait of contemporary Compton, California, set to a booming soundtrack by Kendrick Lamar, depicts everyday moments of black life suffused with creativity, joy, and sadness. From buoyant adolescent moments to ominous nighttime scenes, reality and fantasy dance to a haunting soundscape flashed across two screens. Cast: Bijan Faby, Shenelle Bullock, Chris Lewis, Rykeis Tyson, Jordan Dupree, Kamr Bailey.
 
Escape Pod
Artist: Jonathan Monaghan
This seamlessly looped computer animated film chronicles a golden deer through glossy environments of wealth, power, and authority through one continuous tracking shot. The journey imagines a new reality devoid of humans, left only with material desires and ambitions.

Giant
Artists: Milica Zec, Winslow Porter; Key Collaborators: E.A. Donahue, Jack Caron, Todd Bryant
Trapped in an active war zone, two parents struggle to distract their young daughter by inventing a fantastical tale. Inspired by true events, this immersive VR experience transports the viewer to the family's makeshift basement shelter. As the bombs draw closer and closer, the parents' fairy tale intensifies. Cast: Zoë Winters, Clem Mcintosh, Jordana Rose.
 
The Holo-Cinema
Artist: ILMxLab; Key Collaborators: John Gaeta, Hilmar Koch, Nick Rasumussen
This new scenic design and experience theatre allows participants to step into iconic story moments while spatially perceiving the performing characters and exploring worlds. As they portal inside a fully immersive media environment, they experience 4-D viewing as if walking through film sets in the real world. Cast: Mat Brady, Peter Bogatsky, Frank La Monaca, Meghan Mowery, Rachel Rose.
 
In the Eyes of the Animal
Artists: Barnaby Steel, Robin McNicholas
A 360-degree virtual reality experience presented on sculptural headsets, this work is an artistic interpretation of the sensory perceptions of three British animal species. Immerse yourself into this world from the forest floor to the tops of trees, and tread carefully as you observe through the eyes of the animals.
 
Inextinguishable Fire
Artist: Cassils
Using techniques borrowed from Hollywood stunts, Cassils experiences the very real terror of being lit on fire.

The Leviathan Project
Artists: Alex McDowell, Bradley Newman; Key Collaborator: World Building Media Lab
It's 1895, and you're in a scientific lab inside a massive flying whale. This augmented-reality-to-VR setting, based on Scott Westerfield's best-selling trilogy Leviathan, lets participants engage physically and emotionally with the setting and with human and animal characters. The best part is the ability to fabricate a brand-new creature. Cast: Gildart Jackson, Isabella Schloss, Austin Nimnict, A.J. Helfet, Ellis Greer, Alex Ho.
 
Queen Rose Family (da Stories)
Artist: Kalup Linzy
The story of the fictitious Queen Rose family is told through episodic videos, collages, and a multimedia installation based on the “Pepper’s ghost” technique. Experience the melodrama often seen in primetime soap operas presented in an art installation. Cast: Kalup Linzy, Michael Stipe, Leo Fitzpatrick, Tunde Adebimpe, Hank Willis Thomas, James Everett Stanley.
 
Real Virtuality: Immersive Explorers
Artists: Sylvain Chagué, Caecilia Charbonnier; Key Collaborators: Bart Kevelham, David Hodgetts
A multiuser immersive platform that combines motion capture with virtual reality headsets allows users to move freely within the physical space, interact with objects and other participants, and virtually visit 3-D interactive environments. Cast: Gilles Jobin, Susana Panades Diaz.

The Treachery of Sanctuary
Artist: Chris Milk; Key Collaborators: Brian Chasalow, Aaron Meyers, James George
A large-scale interactive triptych, this story of birth, death, and transfiguration uses projections of the participants' own bodies to unlock a new artistic language.
 
Walden, a Game
Artist: Tracy Fullerton; Key Collaborators: Todd Furmanski, Lucas Peterson, Michael Sweet
In this game simulation of Henry David Thoreau's experiment in living at Walden Pond from 1845 to 1847, players walk in Thoreau's virtual footsteps, attend to the tasks of a self-reliant existence, discover the beauty of a virtual landscape, and engage in the ideas and writings of this unique philosopher. Cast: Emile Hirsch.
 
 
VIRTUAL REALITY
 
#100humans
Artists: Daniel Schechter, Linc Gasking, Rainer Gombos; Key Collaborators: Preya McMahon, Alexander Burke, Christina Webber
#100humans is the story of the first humans who walked through 8i's doors to help invent a new medium. Using 3-D video technology to record real people for VR, this story explores a new level of emotional connections and sense of presence that brings viewers the most lifelike intimate experience. Cast: Ashley Martin Scott, Logan Paul, Young Guru, Denise Garcia, Brent Bushnell.
 
6x9: An Immersive Experience of Solitary Confinement
Artists: Francesca Panetta, Lindsay Poulton
Right now, more than 80,000 people are locked in tiny concrete boxes where every element of their environment is controlled. They are confined to spaces with no human contact, and the sensory deprivation they endure causes severe psychological damage. These people are invisible to us—and eventually to themselves.
 
The Abbot's Book
Artists: Michael Conelly, Lyndon Barrois; Key Collaborators: Keith Goldfarb, William Telford
Four generations of an Italian noble family are cursed by the corrupt power of an ancient book unearthed from the catacombs beneath their estate. Rich with traditional gothic-inspired mythology, the story follows a scion of this cursed family attempting to shield his heirs from the inevitable darkness. Cast: JB Blanc.
 
Across the Line
Artists: Nonny de la Peña, Brad Lichtenstein, Jeff Fitzsimmons
This immersive VR experience puts the audience on the scene with anti-abortion extremists trying to intimidate patients seeking sexual and reproductive health care at Planned Parenthood. Using documentary footage and a montage of real audio, viewers gain intimate knowledge of the harassment outside and compassion inside health centers across the country. Cast: Samantha Collier, Kristina Nailen, Raegan McDonald-Mosley MD, Charles Gilbert, Lee Sherman, Joe Spence.
 
theBlu: Encounter
Artists: Jake Rowell, Neville Spiteri, Ben Vance
Encounter an 80-foot blue whale while experiencing the awe, wonder, and majesty of underwater habitats, designed as beautiful moments in passing or a collection of memories.
 
Cardboard Crash
Artists: Vincent McCurley, Loc Dao
A virtual reality experiment questions the ethics of artificial-intelligence algorithms in self-driving cars when they are faced with difficult decisions during an unavoidable crash event. Given varied cultural and individual ethics, who should be designing these algorithms, and how should they be chosen?
 
Collisions
Artist: Lynette Wallworth
Journey to a remote desert in western Australia that is home to indigenous leader Nyarri Morgan and the Martu tribe. Nyarri's first contact with Western culture was in the 1950s via a dramatic collision between his traditional world view and the cutting edge of modern technology. Cast: Nyarri Nyarri Morgan, Curtis Taylor.
 
Condition One
Artists: Danfung Dennis, Casey Brown, Phil McNally; Key Collaborators: Jay Brown, Andrew Delpit, Chris McClanahan
Encounter a majestic jaguar deep in the jungle, lie with a nesting sea turtle on a windy beach, and fly with monarch butterflies, all before they disappear. This powerful virtual reality experience is a glimpse into the habitats of Earth's endangered species.
 
Defrost
Artist: Randal Kleiser; Key Collaborator: Tanna Frederick
In this futuristic, sci-fi virtual reality adventure, viewers are put in the seat of a woman who wakes up after being frozen for nearly 30 years to reunite with her family. The reunion is bittersweet, as the passage of time has caused her loved ones to become strangers. Cast: Carl Weathers, Bruce Davison, Tanna Frederick, Christopher Atkins, Ethan Rains, Clinton Valencia.

fabulous wonder.land
Artists: Toby Coffey, Lysander Ashton, Ollie Lindsey; Key Collaborator: Mahdi Yahya
Fall down the rabbit hole and experience the magical and vibrant digital world of the Royal National Theater’s wonder.land stage show. Watch and listen with VR technology as the Cheshire cat hovers above like a magnificent holographic airship while serenading you to "Fabulous," a song from the show. Cast: Hal Fowler.
 
Hard World for Small Things
Artist: Janicza Bravo
A day in the life of a tight-knit community in South Central Los Angeles. Cast: Keith Stanfield, Brandon Scott, Hannah Heller, Idara Victor, Jodie Smith.
 
A History of Cuban Dance
Artist: Lucy Walker
Organic, spontaneous, sexy dances progress chronologically through Afro-Cuban Santería rumba, mambo, cha-cha-chá, salsa, breakdancing, and reggaeton, with optional audio tracks reflecting the broader story of Cuban history as revealed in the moves. This live-action virtual reality documentary was filmed on location in Cuba and features Ballet de la Televisión Cubana. Cast: Ballet de la Televisión Cubana.
 
Irrational Exuberance
Artist: Ben Vance; Key Collaborators: Sam Bird, Joel Corelitz
Uniquely designed for room-scale VR, this interactive art experience gives the viewer an intimate connection to the possibilities and wonders of space, where mysterious phenomena, hidden beauty, and the infinite await.

Job Simulator
Artists: Alex Schwartz, Devin Reimer
This experience of manning an office cubicle is a unique blend of storytelling, comedy, and intuitive game mechanics that focuses on micro-interactions. Pick up a tomato, smash a glass, and explore a sandbox world with childlike wonder, while ignoring established gaming systems.
 
Kiya
Artist: Nonny de la Peña; Key Collaborator: Emblematic Group
In this harrowing virtual reality story of a real-life domestic violence homicide, two sisters engage in a doomed struggle to save the third from being shot and killed by her ex-boyfriend. Utilizing audio and imagery captured at the real event, this piece transforms the audience from viewers to active witnesses. Cast: Lee Sherman, Toyin Moses, Tripp Pickell, Diana Toshiko.

The Martian VR Experience
Artists: Robert Stromberg, Ridley Scott; Key Collaborators: Fox Innovation Lab, RSA Films, VRC
Step into the shoes of astronaut Mark Watney as he performs tasks that will facilitate his chances for survival and rescue. Viewers can fly onto the surface of Mars, steer at zero gravity through space, and drive a rover, deepening the experience of key scenes from Ridley Scott’s hit film, The Martian.
 
Nomads: Maasai
Artists: Felix Lajeunesse, Paul Raphael; Key Collaborator: Stephane Rituit
Witness the Maasai tribe’s living heritage in the village of Enkutoto, Kenya, through repeated walkabout visuals in the Great Rift Valley. Watch jumping-dance competitions, the men’s unmatched hunting abilities, and the women’s skills in building mud houses, long-distance water collection, and bead artwork.
 
Nomads: Sea Gypsies
Artists: Felix Lajeunesse, Paul Raphael; Key Collaborators: Stephane Rituit, Jean-Pascal Beaudoin
In this episode of Nomads, viewers share the Bajau tribe's nomadic existence on crammed houseboats that sway to the motion of river waters. Watch as the families travel with fellow boat-dwelling relatives, always sharing a communal spirit.
 
Notes on Blindness—Into Darkness
Artists: Arnaud Colinart, Amaury Laburthe, Peter Middleton, James Spinney; Key Collaborators: Arnaud Desjardins, Béatrice Lartigue, Fabien Togman
After losing his sight in 1983, John Hull began to record an audio-diary documenting his discovery of "a world beyond sight." Hull's original recordings form the basis of this interactive documentary, which uses real-time 3-D, virtual reality, and binaural sound to explore the world of the blind. Cast: John Hull.

Perspective 2: The Misdemeanor
Artists: Rose Troche, Morris May; Key Collaborator: Charles Ottaway
When two men are stopped by a police officer, a simple misdemeanor spirals out of control, turning the situation rapidly antagonistic. With each party suspecting the other, no one is able to stop the chain of events that follows. Cast: Shemar Jonas, Javon Jones, Joey Auzenne, Johnny Tchaikovsky.

The Rose and I
Artists: Eugene Chung, Jimmy Maidens, Alex Woo; Key Collaborators: Terry Kaleas, Ryan Shore, Nick Sung
An immersive, animated VR film crafted by the artists, hackers and storytellers of Penrose Studios, The Rose and I is about loneliness, friendship, love, and loss. Come meet a lonely Rose living in the unlikeliest of places, and be transported into a brand new universe. Cast: Rachael Bigelow.
 
Sequenced
Artists: Emilie Joly, Sylvain Joly, Michaël Martin; Key Collaborators: Maria Beltran Reyes, John Howe, Richard Johnson
A teenage girl becomes guardian of the last city on Earth to change its fate by fusing her instinctive knowledge of nature with an AI's benevolence, analysis, and foresight. This interactive animated series made for virtual reality relies on your focus for the story to evolve. Cast: Peter Coyote, Morgan Burch.
 
Sisters
Artists: Robyn Gray, Andrew Goldstein, Michael Murdock; Key Collaborator: Philip Eberhart
Be careful where you look because someone or something doesn't want you here. Otherworld presents two chapters in their popular horror series. Experience two sets of thrills and chills as you physically walk through a haunted house and experience a virtual reality ghost story that will scare your pants off. Cast: Julia Chalker, Greg Vogt.

Sonar
Artists: Philipp Maas, Dominik Stockhausen
When a drone receives a faint distress call emerging from an unknown asteroid, it journeys to locate the source of the signal and ventures into a deep, ancient labyrinth that holds a secret even darker than space itself.
 
Stonemilker
Artist: Andrew Thomas Huang; Key Collaborator: Björk Guðmundsdóttir
A virtual reality collaboration between Vrse.works creator Andrew Thomas Huang and Björk explores the possibilities that VR holds for performance platforms outside of the traditional music video world.
Cast: Björk.
 
Surge
Artist: Arjan van Meerten
An abstract meditation on the evolutionary process and its relentless march towards complexity, this virtual reality music video was produced over the course of a year, with Arjan van Meertan creating all of the music, animation, and code himself.
 
The Unknown Photographer
Artists: Loic Suty, Osman Zeki, Claudine Matte; Key Collaborators: Catherine Mavrikakis, François Lafontaine
This immersive documentary unveils a journey into the heart of the First World War through hundreds of photographs that were found in the abandoned workshop of a country house in Quebec, Canada. Cast: Julian Casey, François Papineau.

Viens! (Come!)
Artists: Michel Reilhac, Carl Guyenette; Key Collaborators: Mélanie Le Grand, Xavier Servas, Sebastian Shorter
Three women and four men, all naked, appear out of nowhere in the white, sunny space of a bright room outside of time. They meet, touch, share their energy, and are transformed spiritually; they let themselves become one with the world. Cast: Amador Jojo, Ayoti, Christophe De La Pointe, De La Fouquette, Flozif, Yumie Volupté.
 
Waves
Artists: Benjamin Dickinson, Reggie Watts, Luis Blackaller; Key Collaborators: Anthony Batt, Neville Spiteri
Reggie Watts weaves a virtual reality story that is a dream-within-a-dream meta-ride down the rabbit hole, where the only constants seem to be his philosophical musings, comedic insights, and musical genius. Cast: Reggie Watts, Nathalie Emmanuel.
 
Waves of Grace
Artists: Gabo Arora, Chris Milk; Key Collaborators: Imraan Ismail, Samantha Storr, Patrick Milling Smith
In this experience viewers are transported to the most populous slum in the capital city of Liberia, where Decontee Davis, an Ebola survivor, uses her immunity to help others affected by the disease. Cast: Decontee Davis.
 
 
The 10th Anniversary of the Sundance Institute New Frontier Program is presented by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. Generous support is provided by Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art, Time Warner Foundation, Annapurna Pictures and Vrse, Fox Innovation Lab, Google, Oculus Story Studio, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Ford Foundation and IM360.
 
The Sundance Film Festival®
The Sundance Film Festival has introduced global audiences to some of the most groundbreaking films of the past three decades, including Boyhood, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Fruitvale Station, Whiplash, Brooklyn, Twenty Feet from Stardom, Life Itself, The Cove, The End of the Tour, Blackfish, Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, Super Size Me, Dope, Little Miss Sunshine, sex, lies, and videotape, Reservoir Dogs, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, An Inconvenient Truth, Precious and Napoleon Dynamite. The New Frontier initiative, celebrating its 10th Anniversary in 2016, has showcased groundbreaking media works by artists and creative technologists including Chris Milk, Doug Aitken, Palmer Luckey, Klip Collective and Nonny de la Peña. The Festival is a program of the non-profit Sundance Institute®. 2016 Festival sponsors to date include: Presenting Sponsors – Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Acura, SundanceTV, Chase Sapphire Preferred®, and Canada Goose; Leadership Sponsors – Adobe, Airbnb, DIRECTV, Tequila Don Julio™, Samsung, and YouTube; Sustaining Sponsors – BROOKSIDE Chocolate, Canon U.S.A., Inc., Dropbox, GEICO, The Hollywood Reporter, LUNA Bar/Clif Bar & Company, Omnicom, and Stella Artois®. Sundance Institute recognizes critical support from the Utah Governor's Office of Economic Development, and the State of Utah as Festival Host State. The support of these organizations helps offset the Festival’s costs and sustain the Institute's year-round programs for independent artists. sundance.org/festival
 
Sundance Institute
Founded in 1981 by Robert Redford, Sundance Institute is a nonprofit organization that provides and preserves the space for artists in film, theatre, and new media to create and thrive. The Institute's signature Labs, granting, and mentorship programs, dedicated to developing new work, take place throughout the year in the U.S. and internationally. The Sundance Film Festival and other public programs connect audiences to artists in igniting new ideas, discovering original voices, and building a community dedicated to independent storytelling. Sundance Institute has supported such projects as Beasts of the Southern Wild, Fruitvale Station, Sin Nombre, The Invisible War, The Square, Dirty Wars, Spring Awakening, A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder and Fun Home. Join Sundance Institute on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube.
  

The 16th edition of the Asia TV Forum & Market (ATF) and 5th edition of ScreenSingapore (SS), Asia’s leading platform for TV and digital entertainment content, concluded last Friday on 4 December with an all-round record breaking performance; from the show attendance to sales transactions on the market floor.

The co-located TV and film events saw 5011 attendees from 60 countries who visited the show from 1 to 4 December at the Marina Bay Sands Convention Centre.

ATF and all3media International (UK) also announced that both parties will head into a global partnership to launch the ATF Formats Pitch 2016; a competition aimed to facilitate the exchange of ideas and talent between the leading international distribution arm of award-winning content and asian-based producers. all3media is also partnering ATF’s sister event, MIPFormats, for a similarly tailored competition.  

Expanded ATF Marketplace Registered Record Performance

ATF & SS 2015 also saw a wide range of partnerships which were secured between the international content buyers and sellers. Sales transactions with an indicative value of US$263.19 million were charted during the active three-day market. A pre-market conference was held prior to the official opening on 1 December.

With Asia’s burgeoning investment climate in the media sector, ATF 2015 experienced a surge in request from content companies for exhibition space, resulting in an overall expansion of the marketplace. Key international brands such as BBC Worldwide Asia, CBS Studios International, Disney, NBCUniversal International Television Distribution, Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures Television, Viacom International Media Networks, and Warner Bros International Television exhibited at ATF 2015.  

ATF & SS also welcomed three new pavilions from China, Spain and the United Kingdom participating in the show, increasing the total count of official pavilions from 13 in 2014 to 16 in 2015.

Encouraged by the very successful performance, Ms Yeow Hui Leng, Senior Project Director, shared, “Committed to staying ahead of the curve in the entertainment content landscape, ATF and SS 2015 has placed a stronger emphasis on digital business strategies and content creation.  We are especially encouraged by the strong showing and support from the industry.  It has truly been a record-breaking year for ATF and ScreenSingapore in terms of attendance and secured business partnerships. With the strong ATF market performance, we are already receiving early interest from content companies to participate in ATF 2016.”

Serving as the quality platform for the entertainment eco-system in Asia, ATF & SS invited a strong line-up of 88 industry thought leaders to share their insights on a carefully curated programme that focused on emerging TV and film formats and strategies in today’s digital age.

Keynote speakers for ATF such as DJ Lee, President, Media Content Division, CJ E&M (Korea), René Rechtman, Head, International, Maker Studios (USA) elaborated on current hot topics and digital trends in the content industry while many other industry veterans shared more insights on kids content at Junior@ATF and emerging television trends at Formats@ATF.  

Strong Support from ATF & SS 2015’s marketplace

Attendees from the market floor, be it exhibitors, buyers, participants, collectively voiced strong support from the vibrant market floor.

·         Matthieu Béjot, Executive Director, TV France International of the French Pavilion (TVFI) said, “It has been a long standing tradition for French companies to participate at ATF.  It has been a pretty good year with 30 companies participating here at the French pavilion. We saw buyers that we don’t necessary see at the other trade shows so it is beneficial for us to showcase our content to them.”

·         Patrick Yong, CEO, MyChina Channel shared, "We are happy to be a part of ATF this year and to meet with many potential partners at this event. We have also announced the news of our partnership with CBN to co-develop two brand new infotainment/documentary series as well as 100 hours of financial business content in English. With the formalisation of our new kids' channel, MaxToon, on StarHub, we believe there will be many opportunities for us to work with the new friends and to bring in quality content to the region."  

·         Gilda Demirtas, VP International Sales, Dynamic Television (USA), said, “ATF is a good place to meet Southeast Asian clients outside of sister event such as MIPTV and MIPCOM.” Dynamic Television is currently distributing the hit Syfy series Z Nation, CONAN, the #1 18-34 year old late night variety show and a new supernatural thriller series, Wynnona Earp.

·         Mohammad Haghshenas, Head of Sales of IRIB Media Trade (Iran), who is a first-time exhibitor at the show said, “It’s my first time at ATF and it is very exciting for us. We are a Middle Eastern company and our culture is similar to Asia so we want content, new technologies, new platforms as well as to learn about the future of TV at ATF.”

·         Diana Zakis, Vice President Sales, Latin America and Asia at Content Television, commented, “We’re delighted to announce these new deals at Asia Television Forum - demand for international scripted drama content continues to be on the rise throughout Asia, and we’re seeing a lot of interest for our new programming as well as our library feature films and series. With their well-established fan base, our ‘game-to-screen’ properties always resonate particularly well in the region, and we’re expecting our new feature Halo: The Fall of Reach to be very popular when it makes its debut in Singapore.”

·         Sharon Gomes Thomas, Vice President, Little Airplane Productions (USA) shared, "Thanks for a great ATF. Little Airplane closed two deals here. And met more fantastic potential business opportunities. See you next year!"

Market Announcements at ATF 2015

·         PCCW, a leading media group in Hong Kong and TV Chosun, general entertainment channel in South Korea have signed a pre-sale contract deal of TV Chosun's upcoming drama Say Only You, starring Nam Gung Min and members from K-pop idol group U Kiss. Say Only You is slated to air in January 2016 on TV Chosun.

·         Two key deals were closed by the Chinese production company, Cathy Audiovisual Global Media Co Ltd with Philippines’ Telesuccess Productions Inc which acquired the broadcast rights for Chinese pugilistic classic The Romance of Condor Heroes, while Han Media Culture from Thailand bagged the broadcasting rights for several programs, including The Gods.

·         Leading South East Asia film producer, marketer, distributor and financier mm2 Entertainment announced a series of international collaborations and exciting insights to various local projects for 2015, for example the latest “Ah Boy To Men 4” would be ready in 2017 to coincide with NS50, the fiftieth anniversary of military conscription service in Singapore.

·         German broadcaster, Deutsche Welle, closed four deals and a fifth potential in the pipeline.  They sold 50 hours of factual, science and lifestyle content to broadcasters in China, South Korea and Thailand.

·         Philippines’ broadcaster GMA is localizing Spike TV format, Lip Sync Battle, scheduled to air in February 2016. This will mark the fourth adaption in Asia after China, Indonesia and Vietnam. The airing dates are estimated to be around February on Sohu.com and Shenzhen TV; July and October for Vietnam and Indonesia respectively.

Film Financing Takes Centrestage at ScreenSingapore 2015

At ScreenSingapore (SS) 2015, the theme was centred on film financing, a subject that is close to the heart of the Southeast Asian film industry. Film professionals benefited from the mega panel of film financiers where representatives from Silver Group Media, Union Investment Partners, Dragonslate Media, Surya Ventures, Starlight Media Consultants and Sony Pictures Entertainment talked about the innovative ways to source for investment to finance film projects.

This year, SS launched the inaugural Southeast Asian Film Financing (SAFF) Project Market, which was created in partnership with Southeast Asian Audio-Visual Association (SAAVA) and Europe’s Ties that Bind producing programme.

A total of 148 project submissions from 22 countries were received and the top 10 shortlisted projects were matched with potential investors and co-production partners to bring the projects to fruition.

Selected SAFF projects were awarded with prizes sponsored by industry partners;

Said Mattie Do, a film director from Lao, “Being one of the 10 selected projects has been an amazing experience. There’s nothing quite like SAFF that exists in Southeast Asia that not only looks to connect us with producers and financiers, but also like-minded creatives in the region too. Truly an awesome opportunity.”

Under the umbrella of Singapore Media Festival, the 2015’s Asia TV Forum & Market and ScreenSingapore wrapped up yet another successful edition, proving once again to be the must-attend event for Asia’s leading TV and film content marketplace.

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IFFI Goa 2015, Festival Diary, X

NFDC and Incredible India’s Film Bazaar

This year, the Bazaar saw participation of more than 1,100 delegates, from over 38 countries. Approximately 157 new South Asian films were shown in the viewing room, and 37 participants from 5 different countries were in the producers' lab. 19 projects were selected in the co-production market and 18 scripts in the three screenwriters' labs. Encouraging figures.

A newspaper report, on 26 November 2015 read (excerpts), “After four days of intellectually stimulating knowledge sessions, interactions with both amateur and established film-makers, and value-adding film exchange between the South Asian film industry and the global film fraternity, NFDC's Film Bazaar ended on Tuesday.

At the closing ceremony, managing director of NFDC India, Ms. Nina Lath Gupta, said, "For me, every film that does well is my baby, I take immense pride. Each award, every bit of critical acclaim earned by you all over the world is my award." (She said nothing about films that do not do well. It would be highly unusual if she did.

Anything wrong with that eulogising such an event? Not at all. Except that it reads like another press release-based coverage in a rival daily, and ...And what? Two more things. First, let us read another report, in the same newspaper, this time from October 2014: “The five-day Film Bazaar, held parallel to the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) each year to facilitate the business aspect of film-making, will be taken over by the Goa government body, Entertainment Society of Goa (ESG), from the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) of the Union government, from 2015.

ESG chairperson Damodar Naik said on Wednesday that the memorandum of understanding (MoU) being signed between the Goa government and the Union Information & Broadcasting (I&B) Ministry this year, vests more powers in the festival related decision-making with Goa. “We will have a larger say in the festival organisation and it will be more visible from the 2015 edition of IFFI, where ESG will host the film bazaar," Naik said.

“We will also look at tapping the film industry to create more employment through the film bazaar. We will also focus on providing more visibility to Goa in different kinds of films, to promote it further as a tourist destination," Naik said.

Whatever happened to that MoU? Nothing more was heard about it. Not that ESG is likely to do a better job of organising the Bazaar. This year too, NFDC continued to team up with the tourism marketing initiative of the Union Government, called Incredible India. That arrangement is questionable. Goa was, is and is likely to remain, a prime tourist destination for Indians and foreigners alike. There might be occasional dips in volume, year on year, attributable to a host of factors, but Rajasthan, Varanasi and Goa have always been tourist favourites. So what is Incredible India doing at the Marriott hotel in Goa every year? Putting-up various state tourism stalls and hosting cocktails every evening. Besides, they got their logo printed on the festival’s free carry-bag. Ground reality was hardly motivating: in the three years that I checked out, there were not more than three persons visiting the ten-odd stalls. Many stalls did not even have any staff manning them.

During previous editions, I happened to meet old friend and hardcore film aficionado, Parvez Dewan, at the Bazaar. Dewan took charge as the chairman and managing director of India Tourism Development Corporation in 2006. The company recorded its three highest-ever profits under him, and declared the only three dividends that it has, since 1997. He was the Tourism Secretary of the Government of India during 2012-14. In 2014, Dewan took voluntary retirement. Parvez, looking glum and edgy, confided in me that Incredible India was not getting the expected mileage out of the event, and he was wondering whether it was worth associating with the Film Bazaar any more. I could not agree more. I have yet to see merit in any claim that the Film Bazaar is the right platform to promote tourism in states like Chhattisgarh. So, what merit does Incredible India see in continuing to bear the sponsorship expenses? Merit or no merit, it is still there. In 2015, they have tried out adding a Film Tourism Symposium and a pre-Bazaar film Tourism Workshop. Hope these efforts bear fruit.

Now to the second contentious aspect of the eulogising press coverage of the Bazaar. Almost over-the-top coverage itself raises doubts about journalistic integrity and unbiased reporting. But when you know for a fact that the coverage comes from journalists who have been flown to and fro the event from great distances, and provided four/five-star stay and hospitality, it raises even more serious concerns. Which publication/journalist will be part of such a junket, and still have the gall (or stupidity) to criticise his/her hosts or any aspect of the host’s event? During the reign of the current MD of NFDC, public relations agencies, like Loudspeaker Media, have been retained to garner 100% positive press stories. Having 20 pliable media-persons on your side also means ignoring and alienating the 200-odd media-persons who are present in Goa to cover IFFI, some of who might also want to drop in at the Bazaar, which is not surprising, since it is definitely an IFFI spin-off, conducted with the active support of IFFI.

The hostilities began years ago by denying the shoulder bag to journalists who were not on the NFDC list. The bag made it convenient to carry the thick Bazaar guides, and other paraphernalia. It was given to the select few, though. Others were told that stocks had run out and would be replenished later, a canard that was repeated when they happened to visit the next day, and the next. Later, the Bazaar media desk thought it best to tell visiting journalists that the bags were either given first come first served, or were not meant for them. This discrimination spilled over to lunch, which is free to registered delegates and all invitees, including chosen journalists. Others were told that they were not entitled to lunch coupons. Going one-step further, such journalists were denied entry to the daily cocktails too. And, finally, taking no chances, many were simply told that they were not welcome to the Bazaar.

A Bazaar registration allows access to IFFI; an IFFI registration does not allow access to the Bazaar. IFFI gives accreditation to any journalist who fulfils minimum criteria, free, but does not fly anyone at its expense. The Bazaar PR agency sends repeated emails to journalists to “register”, only to clarify when they respond that the mail was for them to publish, not respond to, sent as publicity/press release, to help register greater number of revenue generating participants, for the various sections of the Bazaar, and not register the journalists themselves.

Besides various sponsorships and partnerships, the Bazaar earns through a multitude of fees: Rs. 5,000 (US$75) for submitting a project for co-production, Rs. 14,000 (around US$212) for mere participation (lunch and cocktails included), screenings fees @ Rs. 10,000/film, hiring out stalls @ US$1035-1380/each. Besides, NFDC has around 100 event partners. So, clearly, it is not treating the Bazaar as a socialistic, philanthropic directive of the Indian constitution, and, in all probability, is, if not making too much, at least recovering all its investment substantially. Why then does it have to stinge so much, and get unscrupulous?

Imagine this: You are a film-critic and are visiting the Bazaar. A young, hopeful film-maker comes up to you, and asks you to attend his screening. It is 12 noon. The show will begin in another 15 minutes, at 12.15. It will end around 2.15-2.30. After the show, everybody else around you will rush to the buffet round the corner, in the Marriott restaurant, except you. You will have to go out of the hotel and find an affordable eatery, some 2 km away, at 3 pm. Moreover, the logic behind heavy screening and weeding out of journalists who have come on their own, and not cost the NFDC one paisa, is perverse.

Many of them will write, and do write, about the Bazaar, some might not. That is what PR is all about. Even if the non VIP scribes partake of the food and beverages, the stuff is sponsored and heavily subsidised too. The NFDC brief, to Ms. Mauli Singh, obviously, is, “Here is the money, these are the names. Get us favourable coverage in these publications, and keep all others at bay.” The arrangement must be working well for both NFDC and Ms. Singh, because, after 2014, she was retained in 2015 too.

Having seen senior journalists being maltreated/denied entry at IFFI 2012-13, I told her in 2014 that she should simply ask for pre-registrations, and facilitate entry at the venue, without any bitterness. She kept stalling. When I visited the Bazaar in 2014, all that has been chronicled above was evident in close-up. Very disappointed, I went away, back to the main Festival. Weeks later, later, in Mumbai, where we both live, I asked her why did she/her team not allow me (and others like me) normal access to the Bazaar? I am a film-critic since 1970 and a lecturer in PR since 2005. She replied that she had her own list of journalists who were to be flown to Goa and put up at her expense, and my name did not figure in it. It was only then that I discovered the existence of such a favoured list. Since I was not on the list, I might not have been welcomed to the Bazaar, she pointed out. On second thought, seeing that I was appalled, she apologised, “Think of me as your daughter, and forgive me for my mistake. I will make sure that you are put on that list in 2015,” she assured.

Three weeks ago, history repeated itself. I did not ask her to take me on her junket, while it was clear that she never had any intention of getting me on it. But I have been attending IFFI on my own since 1976, on my own, and have even flown from Singapore on a few occasions at my own cost, being based there during 1996-2004. So, I was there on the 18th evening. On the 19th of November, a day before the inauguration of both IFFI and the Bazaar, I bumped into a student of mine, now in her mid-20s and a trainee at a Mumbai-based newspaper. She said she had come to Goa on a junket organised by Ms. Mauli Singh, to cover the Film Bazaar.

When I went there the next day, I was, miraculously, registered at the media desk, and, after some hesitation, given a bag too. I asked for Mauli, and found her in the Media Room. She looked at me and said, “Why are you giving me such harsh looks? Somebody please attend to him and let him have what he wants.” I asked for some water. It took 15 minutes to arrive, because, I was told by the NFDC official seated next to where I was standing, that each small bottle of water had to be sanctioned first. No sooner had the water flowed down my throat, I walked along the Bazaar area, towards the state tourism stalls. They were completely deserted, as usual. It was now getting to be 1 pm, and soon I would need to have my lunch, after which I would catch a 2.30 film screening. I had already kept packed food in my hotel room, and that is where I headed, to have a bite before catching a screening. Good luck, Film Bazaar 2015.

That same day, this item appeared in another leading daily, contributed by a Pune scribe. Excerpts:

FTII student made to leave Goa film fest

I&B officials say the intern could have been a ‘threat’ to the 10-day international film festival.

A student of Film and Television Institute of India (FTII), who was interning at Film Bazaar, an ancillary event organised by National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) during International Film Festival of India (IFFI), was asked to leave, by Information and Broadcasting (I&B) ministry officials, saying he “could be a threat” to the festival.

FTII students, who had staged a four-and-a-half-month-long strike this year to protest what they call as “unjust appointments” on the institute’s society, had threatened to protest at the venue during the festival, to press the I&B Ministry to accede to their demands.

V. Raghavender, a second-year film editing student at FTII, said he was selected as an intern at the Film Bazaar, along with other students from Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute, Kolkata (SRFTI). He reached Goa on Thursday morning, and started to work. However, around late afternoon, officials asked him to leave, saying he could be a “threat” to the film festival.

“A senior had recommended me for the internship. The Film Bazaar organisers invited me to Goa as an intern, but said I would not get paid for it. I took up the offer for the experience. I reached Goa on Thursday morning,” said Raghvender, who hails from Hyderabad. According to him, higher officials from the National Film Development Corporation of India (NFDC), Directorate of Film Festivals (DFF) and I&B Ministry were meeting everyone at the venue.

“When NFDC Director General Nina Lath Gupta came for a round and I was introduced as an FTII student, she asked me if I was still studying in the institute. I said yes. An hour later, my team in-charge came to me and requested me to leave. She said higher officials felt I could be a threat and disturb the festival,” said Raghavender, adding that SRFTI students were allowed to continue with their internship.

Asked why the intern was asked to leave, Gupta said, “It’s not unusual for us to let off interns if we don’t need them.”

P. S. With the NFDC having a huge section on co-productions, why did IFFI and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) organise a joint, rival session on co-production, at a venue that was far nearer the IFFI complex, the Hotel Taj Vivanta, than the Bazaar venue? We were welcomed there with open arms, with beverages and lunch on the house. The crowd was small, the ambience good and no journalist had been flown from anywhere. Appreciated, Ms. Leena Jaisani (FICCI). Not appreciated, Ms. Nina Lath Gupta and Ms. Mauli Singh.

Following the overwhelming success of its 2015 season, the Alliance Française French Film Festival will return to Palace Nova Eastend Cinemas Adelaide from 31 March 2016, with an exceptional array of contemporary French cinema. 

Presented by the Alliance Française in association with the Embassy of France in Australia, uniFrance Films and the gracious support of globally renowned Principal Sponsor, Peugeot, this cherished cultural event, which is proudly celebrating its 27th season, will delight, stimulate and indulge those seeking the ultimate in French cinema. 

At the Festival’s helm, Artistic Director, Emmanuelle Denavit-Feller, has sourced a truly thrilling line-up of 48 titles featuring the acting talents of Fanny Ardant, Louise Bourgoin, Patrick Bruel, Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi, Isabelle Carré, Vincent Cassel, Cécile De France, Julie Delpy, Catherine Deneuve, Gérard Depardieu, Jean Dujardin, Catherine Frot, Isabelle Huppert, Tchéky Karyo, Sandrine Kiberlain, Mélanie Laurent, Vincent Lindon, Fabrice Luchini, Noémie Lvovsky, Benoît Poelvoorde, Denis Podalydès, Audrey Tautou, Karin Viard and many more ‘artistes’ from a film industry acknowledged as one of Europe’s most prolific and successful. 

Highlights of the 2016 programme, which will be showcased across nine evocatively named sections, include director Jacques Audiard’s 2015 Palme d’Or winning masterpiece Dheepan, as well as A Perfect Man, Love at First Child, Marguerite, Mon Roi, First Growth, La Belle Saison, Taj Mahal, Un Plus Une and Valley of Love. 

In addition to the fabulous contemporary films to be unveiled, the 27th Festival will also present five of France’s most popular television shows, screening the first two episodes of each as one session per title. This selection will include the epic political series, Baron Noir, the WW2 drama,Un Village Français, the espionage thriller,The Bureauand the hit comedy,Call My Agent!

National dates and venues for the 2016 Alliance Française French Film Festival are:

www.affrenchfilmfestival.org

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Dear filmmakers friends do not miss these Festivals in Focus. The next eBlast is December 21 with more festivals to follow.

The theme of the Transilvania Shorts is Building Bridges; bridges within oneself – mind, heart, body and soul; between friends, family and communities; across generations, locations, and cultural and social demographics; and connecting a diverse range of curriculum areas.

AN ECLECTIC PROGRAM

Every year the festival gains importance. The program offers over a hundred films, concerts, ski days, movie quizzes, parties at O'Chaud, masterclasses with Niels Arestrup and Xavier Beauvois, professional events and the novelty of this 7th edition, the Interactive Village.

DON’T MISS THE OPENING FILM!

The Wave by Norwegian director Roar Uthaug will be screened at 6:30PM at the Centre Bernard Taillefer in Arc 1800 in the presence of the team. We can’t wait to meet you at the opening ceremony!

MANY PERSONALITIES

The official competition is represented by : Julie Gayet, Luca Guadagnino, Kjartan Sveinsson, Danielle Arbib, Damien Chapelle, Finnegan Oldfield, Eva Husson, Paul Hamy, Tom Geens, Corinne Masiero, Paul Higgins, Jérôme Kircher, Robin Pront, Jan Bijvoet, Olmo Omerzu et Athina Rachel Tsangari.

Many personalities are also coming for the film premieres: Mélanie Thierry, Grégoire Colin, Slimane Dazi, Marion Vernoux, Grégoire Ludig, Mark Stanley Robert Sheehan, Emmanuel Finkiel, Nicolas Duvauchelle, Paul Katis, Victoria Bedos, Jonathan Cohen, Lucile Hadzihalilovic et Joséphine de Meaux.

Waterfront Festival of International Films is a an upcoming project of Films and Film Festivals , an initiative of JSWM Productions 

Films and Film Festivals is a platform for the benefit of independent filmmakers, directors, media, distributors, producers, artists, entertainment professionals, models and event Managers to interact, create and benefit from various opportunities.

JSWM Productions was established in 2010, as a Content Creation, Aggregation and Production Company. With expertise in producing Motion Pictures, Television Software, Film Festivals and Special Projects, JSWM Productions is equipped to meet the content needs of both consumers and clients alike by providing customized solutions across segments. JSWM Productions aims at producing innovative and quality films through an efficient film making process, by integrating content production, distribution, tie-ups for festivals and exhibitions and broadcasting. Its deep understanding of the global audience, genres and markets has led to aiming at meaningful and commercially viable cinema products. Its corporate practices include adopting new systems and technologies, following transparent accounting practices, expanding entertainment markets, improving consumer connect through content, market research, and showcase social issues and concerns in the area of public interest

Projects Accomplished

Ziyarat (The Pilgrimage), Award winning Feature Film

“Ziyarat” ( The pilgrimage), a journey beyond borders is inspired by the internal displacement and mass migration of a complete community of Kashmiri Pandits (Hindus) from their motherland Kashmir, which is also known as the Paradise on earth.

Accreditations

Awarded in Los Angeles new wave International Film  Festival  2011

Awarded in Fame walk International Film Festival, Hollywood 2011

Selected for a special screening as a spiritual film in Dhaka  International Film Festival (January 2012)

Official selection at International Forum of New Cinema Calcutta 2011

Appreciated at Nashville Film Festival 2011

Part of the Mumbai International Film festival Market 2012

Official selection as the  bouquet film in Delhi International Film festival 2012

Selected for an International Forum on Anti Terrorism Peshawar, Pakistan

Nominated for the GollapudiSrinivas Memorial Foundation Chennai   Best Debut Director Award March 2012  

Official selection as the  bouquet film in Gandhi Nagar Film festival 2012

Official selection film New Horizon International   Film Festival, Tehran, Iran

Exempted from Entertainment tax in The Jammu & Kashmir State

“Ziyarat”, a film by Suresh Goswami is a well-made film. It touches the chords of painful emotions very well under which Kashmir

 is   undergoing since last so many years…….Ashoke Pandit

"Ziyarat" is very soul touching and realistic film............State Times

"Ziyarat" made the audience emotional..............DainikJagaran

"Ziyarat" film's story is heartwarming and ...International News and  Views

“Ziyarat” A must see and Important film for every Indian........Film           Samiksha                                                   

"Ziyarat" Stringent one - man effort........Film India Worldwide

My Heroes   Award Winning Documentary Film

The documentary “My Heroes” is all about the physically

and Mentally challenged children who take challenges much

beyond challenges setting extraordinary examples for us.

Accreditations

Official selection at Delhi International Film Festival 2013

Official Screening At Jaipur International Film Festival 2013

 Official Selection at Six Sigma Film festival, March 2013

Official selection at We Care film Festival, May 2013

Official / Special Screening at Swimmathon Event February 2013

Was part of Goa International Film Festival  Market 2013

Official selection / screening at Nashik  International Film Festival 20- 23 March 2014

Official Screening at Rolling Frames Short Film  Summit 2014 at  Bangalore 6 July 2014                                                                                            

Official Selection at Best Shorts Competition,  California, USA 2014

Official Selection at Pink City International Short Film Festival 2014

Official Selection at International Independent Film Awards,  California, USA 2014  

Most Popular film award at COFFI, six sigma film festival 2013

Best Film Award at We Care Film Festival (A United Nations Enabled  Film Festival). 2013

Best Documentary Film International Golden Camera Award Nashik  International Film  Festival  March 2014

Best Director Award at Rolling Frames Short Film Summit 2014 at Bangalore 6th  July 2014                                    

Award of Merit at Best Shorts Competition, California, USA 2014

Award of Appreciation at Pink City International Short Film Festival  September 2014

Honorable Mention Award at International Independent Film  Awards, California, USA 2014

Burning Sapphires   
Award winning Historical Fiction Book Published at Partridge Publishing, A penguin company

http://www.flipkart.com/burning-sapphires-english/p/itmeyyusywffecax

Synopsis of “Burning Sapphires”

“Burning Sapphires” , Historical Fiction is inspired by Kashmir - The Paradise Lost

Infestation of terrorism, violence and atrocities resulted in Exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from their Home Land on one hand and the other hand continued turmoil which never paused in the valley disrupting and destroying the life of each common man, The Kashmiri.

Part of Innocent Kashmiris who fled from the valley have been struggling to survive for the last 22 years in refugee camps around Jammu, Nagrota, Udhampur in J& K State, and some other locations across India. And the others who were left behind are continuously humiliated, their esteems destructed, their women raped, and their young ones murdered leaving countless homes devoid of life……..for what purpose?

The purpose may be ANY but the fact remains that The Paradise, its people r and their stories are getting lost as they go through a merciless genocide ……..

“Burning Sapphires” is a creative fiction about one such woman who despite all the odds in life, takes on the responsibility and leads the entire community towards a progressive solution and revives the injured spirits and minds of Kashmiris

A seven years old girl Ghulab Sahib living in Machail is unaware of life and its complications. 9,500 feet above sea level, the Machail village is surrounded by high mountains, thick deodar forests and attractive meadows that are fully covered with thick snow for most of the year except in the summer months. Machail village is situated in Paddar, in the Jammu and Kashmir State, India. Living her child hood in this most spectacular village she doesn’t know that destiny is going to disrupt her peaceful life and propel her through a maze of grueling fateful events. But these fateful events do not destroy her….instead a woman of great knowledge, substance, experience and unparalleled strength emerges in the being of Shahzadi Ghulab Sahib who takes charge Kashmiri’s, leading them towards a life of contentment, dignity and pride.

Accreditation 

Awarded at Hollywood Book Festival, Los Angeles 2014

Awarded best fiction at Lit-O-Fest, the literary Festival Mumbai 2015

Reached Table of Honor, Los Angeles  

http://tableofhonor.com/?s=Burning+Sapphires

Projects in the making

Waterfront Festival of International Films Lavasa, kicking off on 1st January 2016 with submission calls   

Short film "Warasgaon Warriors" is under Post Production

Feature Film “Burning Sapphires”  an adoption of the award winning Historical Fiction Burning Sapphires

Feature Film “My Paradise has No Angels”  A Historical Fiction on the Missing Persons and emerging  unidentified clusters of graves in Kashmir    

Feature Film (No Title yet), based on true stories   on Illegal  immigrants to Europe  with Europe based Co- Producers

Feature film "Perfect Husband"

Feature Film "Red Light"

 Visit the web site:       www.filmsandfilmfestivals.com