MONO NO AWARE to invite you to MONO X our annual exhibition of expanded cinema arts. This has been a busy year for us with 12 of our former students highlighted in Whitney's Dreamlands exhibition, our own 10th anniversary and obtaining our official 501c3 status.

This year we are celebrating our 10th anniversary with A CITY WIDE FILM FESTIVAL OF CINEMA ARTS!  Last year we presented the work of 33 artists to an audience of 900 at MONO IX, expanded cinema, installation and sculpture.   We planned 21 nights in 3 boroughs presenting the work of 150 filmmakers to an audience of 5,000+ and I'd love to invite you to the remaining 5 nights including our traditional 2-night celebration December 2nd & 3rd along with our special VIP festival reception. (RSVP to this email for details I can provide seats for 2 members of FilmFestivals.com if there is interest). 

Dec 3 Saturday -  MONO X - PROGRAM II - Presenting the work of ADRIANA VILA GUEVARA, LUIS MACIAS, ALFREDO COSTA MONTEIRO, KELLIE BRONIKOWSKI, ERIKA JANE BARRETT, LILY JUE SHENG, MICHAEL SIDNAM, JOSHUA CHURCHILL, PAUL CLIPSON, JOHN DAVIS, SIMON LIU, WARREN NG, & BEN HOZIE. LightSpace Studios 130 Thames, Bushwick Brooklyn NY

Dec 2 Friday - MONO X - PROGRAM I - Presenting the work of ANTONIO CASTLES, LUCAS MAIA, OLYA ZARAPINA, ADAM R LEVINE, THOMAS DEXTER, DANIEL ROBERT KELLY, NOE KIDDER & MARK GALLAY, CAITLIN DIAZ, ANNALISA D. QUAGLIATA, THISQUIETARMY & PHILIPPE LEONARD. LightSpace Studios 130 Thames, Bushwick Brooklyn NY

Dec 1 Thursday @ Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts - (I)MAGESOUND(S) A presentation of films by Jim Hobbs, Andrew Hill, Dennis McNany (D.F.A. Records), Ben Rivers, Hiroshi Yamakazi, Guy Sherwin, Bruce Conner, Stan Brakhage, Mary Ellen Bute, and more. FREE

Nov 30 Wednesday @ EAI, Electronic Arts Intermix, Manhattan - TUNED TO A SHIFTING GROUND A program of film and video by Leslie Thornton with aworld premiere of a new work on 16mm commissioned by and made with the support of MONO. Suggested donation. 

Nov 29 Tuesday @ BRIC Media Arts Center, Brooklyn - MONO MADE A highlights program of Super 8mm and 16mm films made through MONO workshops or with the support of MONO over the last 10 years. First film screening on film ever at BRIC. Free to attend. 

Capri, Hollywood 2016 will be presided over by Barry Morrow (Oscar-winner for the screenplay of “Rain Man”) and by Israeli singer Noa. This year the Festival will revolve around the theme of “Mercy” and  will include such special guests as director Gianfranco Rosi, whose “Fuocoammare” (Italy's Best Foreign Language Film entry in the Oscar's) will be recognized as ‘Best European Film’ and ‘Best Documentary of the Year’; British filmmaker Stephen Frears, who is 2016’s ‘European Director’ for "Florence Foster Jenkins"; Israeli Amos Gitai, who will receive the "Capri Award” for his Lifetime Achievements; and  Bill Mechanic, who has been named ‘Producer of the Year’ for Mel Gibson’s "Hacksaw Ridge".

The 21st edition of Capri, Hollywood is supported by  MIBACT (D.G. Cinema), and the Campania Region in collaboration with the City of Capri and the Municipality of Anacapri,  as well as a number of private sponsors.

www.caprihollywood.com

TAYLOR HACKFORD’S ‘THE COMEDIAN’ TO OPEN

2016 CAPRI, HOLLYWOOD – THE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

Produced By Cinelou and Starring Robert De Niro,

The Oscar®-Contender Will Premiere on December 27th

The European premiere of Cinelou’s highly anticipated comedy-drama “The Comedian,” starring Robert De Niro as a standup comic who can’t shake his best known and, often, most mainstream character, will take place here on December 27th at the Cinema Paradiso in Anacapri, officially launching the 21st edition of Capri, Hollywood – The International Film Festival, which runs through January 2, 2017.

Directed by Taylor Hackford (‘An Officer and a Gentleman,’ ‘Ray’), ‘The Comedian’ also stars Leslie Mann, Danny DeVito (as De Niro’s brother), Edie Falco, Veronica Ferres, Charles Grodin, Cloris Leachman, Pati LuPone and Harvey Keitel and features a cameo by Billy Crystal. The Cinelou Films production was written by Art Linson, Jeff Ross, Richard LaGravenese and Lewis Friedman, with Cinelou’s Mark Canton and Courtney Solomon, producing alongside Linson, John Linson and Hackford.

The film had its world premiere at the AFI Fest in New York City on November 11, 2016, and goes into limited release on December 2nd before opening wide on January 13, 2017. It is distributed in America by Sony Pictures Classics and throughout the rest of the world by Warner Bros. Pictures.

“We thank producers Mark Canton and Courtney Solomon, director Taylor Hackford and Warner Bros. Pictures, who have always been great friends and supporters of Capri, Hollywood, for granting us this exclusive premiere,” said Festival founder and producer Pascal Vicedomini. “This is a true Christmas gift for all the cinema enthusiasts who will join us on the Blue Island to enjoy a variety of high profile movies that are in the running for major year-end awards.”

“Making this movie was a dream come true, because this is De Niro in a really vivid, bucket-list role that is not only compellingly funny but also really emotionally connected,” said Canton. “Bob, Leslie, Taylor, Courtney and I are honored that it has been selected to open this important international film festival.”

“Thanks to an exciting and fresh on-screen dynamic created by Taylor Hackford, Bob, Leslie and our cast of other great actors give the film that extra heartbeat that makes it special, and audiences seem to agree,” Solomon added. “We are looking forward to its European debut at Capri, Hollywood.”

On Saturday, November 19th the Miami Short Film Festival (MsFF) concluded it’s 15th edition with its final screenings and awards presentation. Audiences spent the week at Cinepolis Cocowalk and Miami Beach Cinematheque enjoying a collection of over 100+ films from around the world.

A distinguished panel of filmmakers, film critics, and film curators judged film and awarded 15 categories including Best Cell Short, Best Webisode, Best Experimental, Best Documentary, Best Animation, Best Local Film, Best Short Short as well as Best Narrative in Drama and Comedy. The winners were varied and well received by audiences. Best Cell Short went to the gorgeously photographed THIS MOMENT by director Sven D. and Best Webisode to Bolivian filmmaker Jose Villegas for RENECO, FABIO and GACELA. The diverse categories of Experimental, Animation, and Documentary saw winners in SOPHIE: A STORY OF DISCOVERY by David Todd McCarty, PEARL by Patrick Osborne, and STARRING AUSTIN PENDELTON by directors’ Gene Gallerano and David H. Holmes, respectively. The unique category of Best Short Short, a film under 4 minutes, went to ADOLESCENCE by Javier Blanco from Mexico.

Prompted by an a strong collection of LGBTQ films this year, the festival awarded it’s first LGBTQ award to A MIRACLE OF HANUKKAH shot entirely on a cell phone. Polish filmmaker Adi Spektor, now based in LA, was on hand to accept his award. Likewise, the Audience Award winner went to filmmaker Isabelle Karhu for her familial film POJAT, translated to SONS, who journeyed from Finland for this years festival. Aside from international winners, Best Local film went to OCD by Alexander Beregovoy and Melissa Espinoza for their romantic tale.

In addition, the film TEN YEARS by Ryan Firpo received the Director's Choice Award and STUTTERER, the 2016 Oscar winner for Best Live Action Short, by Benjamin Cleary was honored with the 2016 Jury Award.

Finally, the best narrative films were divided between comedy and drama. Both audience favorites, the Dutch film by Rick Lenzing STEP 8 won in drama and the Canadian film 3-WAY (NOT CALLING) by Molly McGlynn won in the comedy category. was split between a comedy and drama, both audience favorites,

Following the awards night, filmmakers and the MsFF audience celebrated at the closing night party. The evening and the entire festival was a great success due to the work of our wonderful staff, terrific community and audience. A special thank you to our sponsors for their continued support.

This year's festival is made possible with the support of the Miami-Dade County Department of Cultural Affairs and the Cultural Affairs Council, the Miami-Dade County Mayor and Board of County Commissioners, the City of Miami Beach Department of Tourism and Cultural Development, Office of Cultural Affairs, and the Miami Beach Mayor and City Commissioners and the following sponsors:

Stella Artois, The Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany Miami, The Coconut Grove Business Improvement District, Cocowalk, Cinepolis Theaters, Miami Beach Cinematheque, Creative 20/20, Landa & Associates, Guaoo Printing and more, Apollo Payroll-HR- Insurance, Elite Music Studio, Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau.

The following are our Media Sponsors: Withoutabox, Film Freeway, Time Out, Yelp, MAG, Coconut Grove Grape Vine, New Times, Film Miami, Soul of Miami, WLRN, Caracol Radio, Beach Channel, Production Hub, Tropicult and many more.

For more information, please contact info@miamishortfillmfestival.com.

FOCUS announces over 100 industry speakers and 160 exhibitors for the 2016 edition.

6/7 December at Business Design Centre, London

Europe’s only end of year event for the production and locations industry, FOCUS:The Meeting Place For International Production, will be returning to London’s Business Design Centre on the 6th and 7th of December. Now in its second year, FOCUS 2016 boasts even more content, with over 100 speakers at 35 panel discussions, presentations and workshops, covering film, TV, advertising and interactive content. Over 160 exhibitors from 55 countries will be showcasing their filming incentives and services.  FOCUS is completely free to attend for members of the production industry.

The programme, curated by Sue Hayes, has been developed in consultation with a number of leading industry organisations including the Advertising Producers Association, the BFI, the British Film Commission, Creative Skillset, Pact, The Production Guild, the Production Managers Association, UKIE and Women in Film and TV.

With over 100 high-profile speakers scheduled to appear, this year’s sessions will discuss the key topics concerning the production industry today such as sustainability, diversity, accessing the Asian market and the future of television in an era of convergence. Adrian Wootton, Chief Executive of Film London will be opening this year’s iteration of FOCUS with an exclusive interview conducted by Variety. [Click here for full list of speakers and sessions]

Over 160 organisations, including film commissions, locations providers and production service companies, from 55 countries will be exhibiting at FOCUS, ensuring that FOCUS attendees will benefit from a truly global networking experience, that spans all aspects of the production industry.

Attendees can also expect to see a greater UK presence at the event. The new UK village will showcase film-friendly locations and regional agencies, including Creative England, Creative Scotland, Wales Screen and Northern Ireland Screen.  Film Offices UK, comprised of 11 regional film offices, will make their first public debut as a collective on the FOCUS show floor.

China’s Wanda Studios will showcase their new 40% filming incentive, while Arizona’s newly launched Film and Digital Media Office, dubbed ‘Studio 48’, will be making its first public appearance at FOCUS. [Click here for full list of exhibitors]

A total of three bars (LIMELITE Bar, Arizona – Sneaky Big Studios Bar and the FOCUS Lounge Bar) will be in operation, plus there will be happy hours and fringe events to provide attendees with a relaxed environment for networking.

Jean-Frédéric Garcia, Co-founder of FOCUS said: “We are proud to offer this incredible industry resource to the global production community, and look forward to another engaging, exciting edition.”

Attendance at FOCUS 2016 is free to industry delegates. Register at www.tlgfocus.com

The International Film Festival & Awards‧Macao (IFFAM) is delighted to announce the addition of the World Premiere of Fruit Chan’s SHINING MOMENT to the inaugural programme.

After being sidelined by his gymnastics team, Yu (Hins Cheung) quits and reinvents himself as a Latin dance instructor. He assembles a group of children to compete in a Latin dance competition. Can Yu, still facing his own insecurities, teach them to truly dance? Can Yu bring out the best in these children and let them shine on stage?

Born in Guangdong, China, Fruit Chan is a Hong Kong film director and scriptwriter. His film Made in Hong Kong (97) received numerous awards at local and international film festivals. Selected filmography: Finale in Blood (93), The Longest Summer (98), Durian Durian (00), Little Cheung (00), Public Toilet (02), Hollywood Hong Kong (03), Three Extremes: Dumplings (04), The Midnight After (14), Kill Time (15), Shining Moment (16).

SHINING MOMENT will join the 11 other previously announced titles in Official Competition. The IFFAM jury, presided over by acclaimed director Shekhar Kapur, will announce the winners at a prestigious ceremony on Tuesday 13 December.

The International Film Festival & Awards‧Macao (IFFAM) opens on Thursday 8 December with the Asian premiere of POLINA (Polina, danser sa vie), a film by Valérie Müller and Angelin Preljocaj featuring Anastasia Shevtsova, Niels Schneider and Juliette Binoche.

As previously announced, in addition to films in competition, the festival’s screening programme will encompass the following strands:

·         Gala: A selection of 3 of the most important works from the latter half of the year

·         HiddenDragons:  9 films representing the latest trends in contemporary Asian genre cinema

·         Best of Fest Panorama: 9 award-winning feature films from major international festivals

·         Crossfire: 12 non-East Asian, non-US genre films selected by a dozen major East Asian film directors

·         Actress in Focus: 3 films featuring Actress Gwei Lun Mei

·         Special Presentation: 2 films from Director Clemens Klopfenstein

by Alex Deleon

What amounts to a mini-festival of Israeli films is being presented at the  venerable old PUSKIN MOZI (Pushkin Art Cinema) in Budapest. under the sponsorship of the Israeli Embassy here. Not the very latest films but rather an overview of some of the outstanding Israeli film landmarks of the past two decades.

Opening film: "FOOTNOTES" 2012 (Hearat Shulayim)

A tale of father and son as Talmudic rivals. Director, Joseph Cedar. 103 minutes. Stars, Lior Ashkenazi and Shlomo Bar-Aba.

The opening film NOTEBOOK (Hearat Shulayim) on December 1, an unusual story about academic bickering, was an indication that things to come might be contrary to expectation.

The 2012 film was all about a batty old scholar, Eliezer Shkolnik, who has spent his life making notes on the Talmud , and is basically "out of it" (to the point that he doesn't understand what security guards are for at checkpoints) -- but the national Israeli (scholarly?) prize is mistakenly given to his handsome charismatic  professor son Uriel--

who has certain guilt feelings about the misaccreditation and struggles to set things right against stonewalling opposition.
 

The bulk of the picture is taken up with internal academic bickering over whether or not Papa should ultimately be recognized.  Basically a dramatically overweight  father and son rivalry tale. cum inwuiry into academic chicanery.  The  primarily Hungarian-Jewish audience was enthralled, but to me it was a shrill shaggy dog story, basically the making of a mountain out of a molehill. Aren't there more important things to worry about in Israel than who should get the credit for marginal notations on the Talmud?.

The father was played by Shlomo bar-Abba (66) and the son by Lior Askenazi (43) both well known Israeli actors.

 Roger Ebert in one of his last reviews, focusing on the father son relationship, gave this film a rave review mentioning that it was to be seen as a comedy. I personally saw nothing comic in it at all and, while somewhat impressed. was not quite as swept away as Roger. To me it was too much of a talkathon with too many extreme facial closeups.

Nevertheless, interesting for the portrayal of internal academic politics and backbiting.
 

PLOT:

Talmud scholar Eliezer Shkolnik (Shlomo Bar-Aba) has worked in obscurity at Jerusalem's Hebrew University. In contrast, Eliezer's son, Uriel (Lior Ashkenazi), also an academic, has published many books and received numerous accolades. Eliezer looks down on his son's achievements and pursuit of fame, and so the pair have a rocky relationship. Their rivalry comes to a head when Eliezer receives word that, at long last, he is the recipient of the prestigious Israeli Prize.

Sent from my iPad

"Yossi and Jagger", 2002, military based drama and  same sex love story.  Dir. Eytan  Fox, with Ohad Knoller (Yossi)and Yehuda Levi (Jagger) RT. 67 minutes

Nobody can accuse the Israeli cinema of a lack of diversity.

If the yesterday's opening film dealt with the uniquely Israel topic of Talmudic research, the second film of the week takes up the more universal topic of erotic love between men -- but set at a frontline military outpost where machoism in the face of death  is the norm.

 The basic setting: Yossi (Ohad Knoller) commands a company of soldiers in the snow-covered mountains above the Lebanese border (or maybe its the Golan heights).  Secretly he leads a passionate romantic relationship with his second-in-command, Lior (Yehuda Levi), who is called "Jagger" by everyone for his rock star-like handsomeness and his ability  lip-sync Mick Jagger songs. It's not so easy to keep their secret in such a closely knit group.
 

The film opens at a snow covered outpost encased in swirls of barbed wire.Two officers, Yossie and Jagger, out on a patrol get into a playfull snowball fight, are soon rolling in the snow together, and -- whoops, what's this? -- start kissing each other passionately on the mouth in no holds barred closeups -- and we're only five minutes into the picture!  They then get it on right there under their uniforms in the snow. 

The pace has now been set for a swift paced love story (Rt 67 minutes) between men in the unlikely setting of a small military encampment under fire.  This compact smackeroo calls into question all the cliches regarding homoerotic love between men,

especially in the military, while at the same time offering documentary like insight into daily military life in the Israeli army, including the roles routinely played by young female draftees. 

The entire drama plays out in just a shade over an hour but feels like much longer considering all that happens.  There are frequent references to the influence of American films on young Israelis, a kind of ongoing in-joke...for instance at one point one soldier asks another: "Who do like better -- Sharon Stone or Michele Pfeiffer?" --that the answer is Pfeiffer doesn't really matter -- what matters is that Hollywood is the bench mark for beauty in Israel. Also in passing a comment in the depth of the American Israeli relationship.
While Jagger is often ribbed about being "as good looking as a girl" the ongoing affair  between Jagger and Yossi is kept under wraps until the end when Jagger, mortally wounded by a mine explosion, is kissed on the mouth by Yossi in full view of the others. A soldier girl who is strongly attracted to Jagger is greatly disappointed by his lack of interest. At his funeral Jagger's mother mistakes her for his girlfriend. 

In a country which is as militarized as Israel needs to be in order to survive, it is a sign of maturity as a nation as well as of its film industry that such a film can be made and accepted. Apart from that it is quite a good little film on dramatic grounds alone and was very well received by the Israeli public.

Director Eytan Fox (born 1964) is openly gay and has made ten features since 1990, often but not always on gay themes.

In 2006, Fox was the first recipient of the Washington Jewish Film Festival's Decade Award, a prize given to a filmmaker whose work has made a significant contribution to Jewish cinema over a period of at least ten years.

Siraj Syed’s IFFI 2016 diary, Open Forum III: Skill-building through master classes

An essential feature of every international film festival around the globe, mater classes abound at IFFI too. FFSI, in collaboration with DFF, chose to highlight their benefits in skill-building at the third Open Forum. An open-air affair, it did not attract too many attendees. Firstly, the location was remote and secondly the timing that has been a permanent slot for Open Forum at IFFI is from 1.30 pm to 2.30-3 pm, exactly when the audiences take their lunch and head into the scheduled third screening of the day. Moreover, the occasional benevolence of offering tea/snacks to those present has become a rarity, so most enthusiast choose partaking a meal  over skipping a meal.

On the panel were A. K. Bir (Chairman of the Technical and Theatre committee at IFFI; famed director-cinematographer); Ketan Mehta of Qube Cinema (not the namesake film director); another Mehta, Hardik (film-maker, whose film Famous in Amdavad was being shown at IFFI Goa 2016); Astri Ghosh (actress of mixed Norwegian-Indian parentage who grew up in Delhi); Tapan Acharya (who played a lead role in the Konkani film Aleesha, shown at IFFI 2004); Judy Gladstone (casting director and executive producer from Toronto, Canada) and Aseem Chhabra  (Director of the New York Indian Film Festival).

Hardik made a strong case for attending master classes. “The best lessons I learnt were from a master Class by the German genius, Werner Herzog, which I attended in Locarno. Believe me, it’s the best learning experience for a beginner. You can still catch it online. Why, right here at IFFI Goa 2016, there was an enlightening master class on costume design by Rosalie Varda of France, who told us how she turned to museums to recreate period costumes from paintings.”  Tapan predicted that, in the age of online communication, there might soon come a time when IFFI films would be viewed in real-time screenings on TVs, computers and phones across India, just by obtaining a password.

Amazingly gifted, Astri speaks English, Norwegian, Bengali and Hindi. She has translated the plays of renowned Norwegian playwright Ibsen and Bengali/Indian legend, Rabindranath Tagore and acted in two feature films, Life Goes On and Baarish. “It was while attending master classes at film festivals that my desire to take to acting as a profession was spurred on,” she revealed. Judy reminisced about her experiences in Toronto, which has a film festival every week!

“With the advent of Barco’s laser projectors, the era of Xenon lamp projectors is about to end. Also, films that used to be sent to festivals on DCP format are making way for online transfer,” prophesied Ketan. An attendee asked Aseem Chhabra whether the ‘talk-clips-Q&A’ style of master classes could be changed to a much more interactive approach, he replied, “What you are suggesting is that master classes should be more like workshops. A master class is usually conducted in the present manner only.”

Bir shared with the audience that the silver screen and laser technology was in use at IFFI, and it greatly helped in projecting 3D images from two projectors. “A semi-conductor chip, 1/5^th the breadth of human hair, houses innumerable mirrors, on hinges, that move to adjust to the demands of the picture’s luminance. Considering we still do not have a state-of-the-art festival complex (expected in 2019), we are doing quite well, technically.” Commenting on master classes, he had words of wisdom to share, “Any interaction with a master will stimulate a cognitive mind. But, in the end, we will need these three qualities for any creative process to be meaningful: Bounty, restraint and compassion.”

This was to be the last Open Forum at Kala Academy, also the last to be organised by then Federation of Film Societies of India. The baton would be passed on to the India Documentary Producers’ association for the next day, where confusion would prevail. What the confusion would be was an Open guess.

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The 1st International Film Festival & Awards．Macao (IFFAM) today announced its festival programme at a press conference in Macao.

The festival will showcase the best of Asian and international cinema with a programme of 11 competition films, 3 out of competition galas, Hidden Dragons (9 films representing the latest trends in contemporary Asian genre cinema), Crossfire (12 East Asian genre film directors and their chosen genre favourites), 9 award-winning feature films from major international festivals in the Best of Fest Panorama alongside 2 special presentation films. For its inaugural edition the IFFAM have selected Gwen Lun Mei as its Actress in Focus. This will culminate in a special presentation featuring 3 of her films. In addition, the Crouching Tigers Project Lab will welcome twelve projects, each represented by its director and/or producer, to this new destination for industry professionals seeking original opportunities for the co-production and co-financing of their film projects.

Ms. Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes, Director of Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO), President of Organizing Committee of IFFAM; Mr. Alvin Chau, President of Macau Film & Television Productions and Culture Association & Executive Vice President of Organizing Committee of IFFAM and Ms. Lorna Tee, Head of Festival Management of IFFAM were present at the press conference. Ms. Fernandes remarked, “this is the very first film festival in Macao. This is a very new project, and this is the project that supports Macao’s creative industry which can also promote Macao’s image as a creative and cultural centre. And I think this project will provide a brighter future for local film makers in Macao.”

In response to Mr. Marco Müller’s resignation from his post of Festival Director of IFFAM, President of the IFFAM Organizing Committee Ms Helena de Senna Fernandes will take up the post of Acting Festival Director and all the work and responsibilities concerned together with the Secretariat.

Alongside the programme the Festival is delighted to reveal the remaining jury members who will join Jury President Mr. Shekhar Kapur to preside over the official competition strand.

The full Competition Jury is as follows:
• Shekhar Kapur – President
• Athina Rachel Tsangari
• Jung Woo Sung
• Makiko Watanabe
• Stanley Kwan

IFFAM will officially open on Thursday 8 December with the Asian premiere of POLINA (Polina, danser sa vie), a film by Valérie Müller and Angelin Preljocaj featuring Anastasia Shevtsova,
Niels Schneider and Juliette Binoche. It will close five days later on Tuesday 13 December.

In attendance at the press conference was IFFAM Talent Ambassador Mr. Jang Keun Suk. Having made a name for himself after appearing in several Korean drama huge hits, the Korean actor-singer received a lot of attention from overseas fans and Korean fan and became one of the most well-known entertainers in the region. Mr. Jang said, “I am happy to be part of this film festival, to exchange with other producers and international film makers.” He continues, “I am particularly interested in working with director Jiang Wen from China, because he is not only a director but he is also an actor so I think that I may be able to learn a lot from him.”

Also in attendance was the selection committee of the Macao Short Film Competition which includes the following members:
• Representative of MGTO, Sergio Perez
• Representative of MFTPA, Rony Chan
• Director Fire Lee
• Director Tracy Choi
• Director Emily Chan

The award presentation ceremony of IFFAM will be held at the closing night on 13 December. Award winners decided by the jury members from the competition films will receive a trophy designed by production designer Mr. Dante Ferretti, celebrated production designer and 3-time Oscar winner.

Mr. Ferreti also served as president of the jury of Macao Trophy Design Competition. Winners of the competition were revealed in the press conference and the winner was Cheong Wai Pan, whose winning design “Eyes of the Audience” will be used as the trophy of the “Macao Audience Choice Award”. It will be presented to one of the 11 competition films selected by the local audience.

The 1st International Film Festival & Awards‧Macao runs from Thursday 8 December – Tuesday 13 December 2016.

Bruce Hornsby and the Noisemakers (Michael Martin photo)

More than 1,200 films submitted for consideration are being reviewed and scored for a coveted screening among the more than 160 films to be selected for the 23^rd annual Sedona International Film Festival, Feb. 18-26 in magnificent Sedona, Arizona.

Three-time Grammy Award winner Bruce Hornsby will open the 2017 Festival with a performance on Saturday, Feb. 18 and five-time Grammy nominee Michael Feinstein will bring his Ira Gershwin Program and Great American Songbook to the Festival’s final weekend on Friday, Feb. 24.  Both concerts will be at the Sedona Performing Arts Center at Sedona Red Rock High School, 995 Upper Red Rock Loop Road.  Single tickets will go on sale for both concerts after the first of the year.

Films are currently being screened by three committees: Documentary, Features and Short Films under the direction, respectively, of Connie Levinson, Keri Oskar and Denise Strubbe.

“The selection process is never easy because the films we get are incredibly diverse in their subjects, genres, entertainment and production values and quality,” said Sedona International Film Festival Executive Director Patrick Schweiss.  “And each year the decision-making becomes even more difficult because of the reputation of our festival, both as a showcase center and an experience like none other in the industry for filmmakers and film lovers. When you add in performances by the likes of Chicago last year and Bruce Hornsby and Michael Feinstein this coming year, the Sedona International Film Festival has really expanded our reach as an entertainment and independent film destination.”

Advanced-sale Festival packages are on sale through December 31.  Priority pass holders are the first to be able to choose tickets for any film showing during the festival and are admitted first into the theaters.  Ticket selection begins three weeks prior to the festival.

In addition to Hornsby and Feinstein, the 2017 Festival will feature a mid-week salute to Andrew Lloyd Weber’s Broadway and a cabaret-style performance by Emmy Award winner Peter Marshall, whose broad resume includes more than 50 television, movie and Broadway credits, not to mention a 14-year stint as host of hit TV game show, The Hollywood Squares.

Films will run all day beginning Saturday, Feb. 18 on four screens at Sedona Harkins 6, 2081 W. Highway 89A; the Mary D. Fisher Theater, 2030 W. Highway 89A, and the Sedona Performing Arts Center at Sedona Red Rock High School, 995 Upper Red Rock Loop Road.

            Advanced-sale Platinum All-Access Passes on sale through Dec. 31.  Non-member advanced sale price is $840 with Festival members paying $798 before Dec. 31.  After Jan. 1, 2016, the cost is $1,050. Gold Priority Passes are $416 (members: $395) before Dec. 31 and $520 after; 20-ticket packages are $205 (members: $195) before Dec. 31 and $215 after; 10-ticket packages are $105 (members: $100) before Dec. 31 and $110 after. Full-time students can get the 10-ticket package for $90.

Priority Pass holders will be able to select the films they want to see beginning at 9 a.m. on Jan. 30.  10- and 20-ticket pass holders can select films beginning at 9 a.m. on Feb. 6.  Individual film tickets go on sale to the general public on Feb. 13.

Sedona International Film Festival memberships also are available beginning at $65 for a basic membership.  Family memberships for up to four family members living in the same household are $130. Additional membership packages include Cinematographer ($275), Screenwriter ($550), Producer ($1,200), Director ($2,500), Auteur ($5,000), Marquee ($10,000), Executive Producer ($15,000), Indie Angel ($25,000) and Film Star ($50,000).  Benefits are commensurate with membership-fee levels.  Full information is available on the website.

            Packages, other than for full-time students, are available online at www.sedonafilmfestival.org or through the Festival Box office at (928) 282-1177.  Student packages must be purchased through the Box Office and student ID’s are required.

            For more information, visit www.sedonafilmfestival.org.

Siraj Syed’s IFFI 2016 diary, XI: Virtual Reality: Think in 360

Clyde DeSouza found an elderly couple dancing in a Goa bar-restaurant. He captured the image and added perspective, giving it a 360⁰ viewing experience, and projected it at Maquinez Palace I, Panaji, as part of his Master Class at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) 2016. Even as the audience uttered wows, he clipped, “Imagine the same scene with a younger, more dynamic couple!” Welcome to Virtual Reality!

Science-fiction writer and Virtual Reality (VR) developer Clyde DeSouza is the man who has authored a short VR Graphic Novel, ‘Dirrogate’, based on his near-future science fiction novel, Memories with Maya. ‘Dirrogate’, the novel’s film adaptation, is an early example of VR Cinema, a 2015 stereoscopic 3D production, aimed at VR headsets, like Oculus Rift or Gear VR. ‘Dirrogates’ are digital surrogate, real-time 3D stereoscopic incarnations of persons, driven by real movements and body/face language. He made this film at a time when "no 360⁰ cameras were available, neither did we have 2D 360⁰ editing facilities."

“Besides being invaluable for its ability to detect audience engagement in ads, like: whether the audience is really looking at the product name or logo in this shot, and creating dynamic, changing billboards, VR has come to the feature film world too. Ridley Scott’s The Martian and James Wan’s The Conjuring 2 used VR. Cinematic hybrid worlds are the new thing. Video games and story-telling are possible in the same film. Just get the game deviser on the set. If you are making a blend of 3D stereoscopic and VR content, make sure that the cameras are in sync,” he shared.

There were four major international platforms for VR content until now--YouTube 360, Samsung VR, Oculus Store and Vrideo. “Unfortunately, Vrideo has shut shop just last week,” lamented DeSouza. China and Japan are way ahead of the West when it comes to VR. In India, Netflix and Hulu offer VR platforms. Hotstar and Voot are in talks too.” Dwelling on basics, DeSouza identified two set-up brands with cinematic VR cameras locked for 360 live action: one in the 16 configuration and the other in 24, capable of being upgraded to 32, but  “both are priced prohibitively, even after recent cuts,” he regretted.

(Nokia’s Ozo is one such camera. It was selling at US$45,000 in July 2016, compared to US$60,000 when it was first announced, back in December 2015. Each of the Ozo’s eight lenses has a 195° field of view, with a fixed aperture of f/2.4. Behind every lens is a 2K x 2K sensor. There is considerable overlap from one lens to another, which gives the user much more control at the stitching stage. It shoots at 30 frames per second, which is the live video standard, rather than 24 frames you usually see while watching a film).

In an illustration of what VR could achieve, Clyde showed the audience a short film made by an airline about its VR aero-plane at a trade exhibition. Seated in a model aircraft, ‘passengers’ were taken through a journey that promoted all the airlines’ services, and ended on a San Francisco beach. “When they came out, they were greeted by the same crew-member who had served them ‘on-board’, and you can see how excited they were.”

Some of the tips he gave to aspiring game-devisers and other VR hopefuls were:

Build for interaction

Show, don’t tell

Scale is relative, but build to room scale--you cannot cheat with scale.

Clyde DeSouza

Besides being a VR film-maker and advisor to technical bodies, Clyde DeSouza is the author of two books: "Think in 3D", for directors and 3D film-makers. The book has been seen on Hollywood sets of tent-pole productions, and Maya.

"Maya" is his debut novel in hard science fiction which has been received with critical acclaim from science personalities and reviewers.

Watch Dirrogate online at https://samsungvr.com/view/3aS_Berv0Qz

The Jury

The inaugural International Film Festival & Awards‧Macao (IFFAM) officially opened today with the Asian premiere of POLINA (Polina, danser sa vie), a film by Angelin Preljocaj and Valérie Müller, starring Anastasia Shevtsova, Niels Schneider, Guskov Aleksei and Juliette Binoche. The directors, actors Anastasia Shevtsova, Niels Schneider and Guskov Aleksei and producer Didier Creste were in Macao to present the film.

IFFAM is organized by Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO) and Macau Film & Television Productions and Culture Association (MFTPA), co-organized with Cultural Affairs Bureau (Macao), Civil & Municipal Affairs Bureau (Macao), supported by Macao Foundation, with the Galaxy Entertainment Group, Sands China Limited, Wynn Resorts (Macau) S.A., MGM China Holdings Ltd. as Premium sponsors, and THE 13 as Diamond sponsor. IFFAM aims to bring members of the local and international film community together to create opportunities for cultural, creative and business collaboration, and to introduce local audiences to a wide range of genres and styles from across the world.

Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture of the Macao SAR Government Mr.Alexis Tam and President of Organizing Committee of IFFAM Ms. Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes (Director of Macao Government Tourism Office) were present at the opening ceremony. Ms. Fernandes commented, " Macao is a place where cultures from the East and West were orchestrated into a beautiful symphony. It has served as the location for a number of film shootings. Events of international stature demonstrate our capabilities and introduce world-class exchange opportunities to the local cultural and creative industry. The synergy between culture and tourism enriches visitors’ experience in Macao, and steers the tourism industry and the cultural and creative industry towards sustainable development, ultimately supporting Macao's quest to become a World Centre of Tourism and Leisure. "

The opening ceremony and opening night screening were held at the Macao Cultural Centre, one of the Festival’s key venues, and were hosted by actors Eric Tsang (one of the Festival’s Honorary Advisors), Bowie Tsang and Derek Tsang.

Ms. Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes and IFFAM Organizing Committee Executive Vice President Mr.Alvin Chau welcomed an international line-up of guests at this evening’s star-studded event.  Alongside the POLINA team, other guests who attended included:

·         The IFFAM Competition Jury, headed by Jury President Shekhar Kapur, with jury members Jung Woo Sung, Makiko Watanabe, Stanley Kwan and Giovanna Fulvi

·         IFFAM Image Ambassador and actress Zhang Ziyi

·         IFFAM Talent Ambassador and actor Jang Keun Suk

·         Actors and actresses Jessica Sooyoun Jung, Rosamund Kwan Chi Lam, Zhang Jin, Kara Wai Ying Hung, Celina Jade, Ludi Lin, Lisa Lu, Sakuraba Nanami and Vanessa Yeung

·         Directors and Festival Ambassadors Choi Dong Hoon, Clemens Klopfenstein (also the subject of a Special Presentation of two of his films), Kim Jee Woon and Lu Chuan

·         President of Fox International Productions Tomas Jegeus

·         Toronto Film Festival Director Cameron Bailey, Rotterdam Festival Director Bero Beyer, Sabrina Baracetti (Far East Film Festival, Italy), Edinburgh International Film Festival Director Mark Adams, and Busan Festival Director and Chairman Kang Soo Hyun and Kim Dong Ho. 

Also joining industry guests on the red carpet were film industry professionals from worldwide. Local broadcaster Teledifusão de Macau (TDM) and FOX TV will broadcast the red carpet and opening ceremony.  

The festival will showcase the best of Asian and international cinema with a program of 12 Competition films, 3 Galas, Hidden Dragons (9 films representing the latest trends in contemporary Asian genre cinema), Crossfire (12 East Asian genre film directors and their chosen genre favorites), 9 award-winning feature films from major international festivals in the Best of Fest Panorama alongside the Special Presentation of 2 Clemens Klopfenstein films and 2 Jang Keun Suk short films. In addition the Festival will hold a HollywoodSpecialPresentation. For its inaugural edition the IFFAM have selected Gwei Lun-mei as its Actress in Focus and will screen 3 of her films.

In addition, the Crouching Tigers Project Lab will welcome 12 projects, each represented by its director and/or producer, to this new destination for industry professionals seeking original opportunities for the co-production and co-financing of their film projects. There will also be two Masterclasses with director Tom McCarthy (THE STATION AGENT, SPOTLIGHT) and producer Gianni Nunnari. Other activities which have already taken place under the auspices of the Festival include the British Film Academy Project - a one week training course in collaboration with the BFI, with the winning film being screened during the Festival; the CINEFANTASY International Short Film Screenwriting Competition and the Macao Short Film Competition for aspiring local filmmakers.

The Festival will close on December 13 with a glittering awards ceremony. Award winners decided by the jury members from the Competition films will receive a trophy designed by three times Oscar winning production designer Mr. Dante Ferretti, while there will also be a Macao Audience Choice Award presented to one of the films in competition, with the ‘Eyes of the Audience’ trophy designed by local resident Cheong Wai Pan, winner of the Macao Trophy Design competition. In addition, there will be a Career Achievement Award and a MFTPA Special Award for Contribution to Chinese Film Award dedicated to honoring filmmakers with outstanding achievements in the field. The TRAIN TO BUSAN team will also receive Variety Magazine's Asian Blockbuster Film 2016 Award at the ceremony. Local broadcaster TDM will live broadcast and FOX TV will broadcast the closing night ceremony and Awards.

IFFAM has assembled an impressive line-up of local and international advisors to support the Festival’s development. These include; International Advisors: Michael Werner, Oh Jung Wan, Olivier Père (all in attendance this evening), Luis Urbano, Huang Jian Xin, Nansun Shi and James Schamus; Honorary Advisors:  Michael Mecca, Eric Tsang, Wilfred Wong, Alex Dong, Linda Chen, Paco Wong, Grant Bowie and Shi Jun Guo; Special Advisors: Deborah Valdez Hung, Stephen Hung, Tiffany Chen and Charles Heung.

Couching Tigers Project Lab Partners are the Sitges Festival (Spain), the Blood Window Lab at Ventana Sur Market (Argentina) and the Frontières Lab (Canada). The Award sponsors are Fox International Productions, Ivanhoe Pictures and Huace Media.

The 1^st International Film Festival & Awards‧Macao runs from Thursday 8 December – Tuesday 13 December 2016.  The full line-up and additional information on the Festival can be found at http://www.iffamacao.com/en/

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