Three Surprising Indie Gems from China and Hong Kong / Brazil Well-Represented with Five Films

With the invitation of 24 further feature films, the selection for the Panorama 2017 programme has been completed. 51 works from 43 countries have been chosen for screening in the section, including 21 in Panorama Dokumente and 29 feature films in the main programme and PanoramaSpecial. 36 of these films will be celebrating their world premieres at the Berlinale, while the programme also features six international and nine European premieres  

The German production Tiger Girl by Jakob Lass will open this year’s edition of PanoramaSpecial at Berlin’s Zoo Palast cinema, along with the previously announced Brazilian production Vazante.

In Tiger Girl’s fast-paced narrative, a strong friendship develops between two women, one in which conventional value systems begin to unravel, in what amounts to a veritable moral portrait of the underbelly of today’s German republic. Daniela Thomas’ Vazante represents for its part the programme focus “Black Worlds”, which is also reinforced by the freshly confirmed inclusion of the South African production Vaya by Akin Omotoso, which offers an immersion in the urbanity of Johannesburg.

The fourth film from Brazil is Como Nossos Pais (Just Like Our Parents) by Laís Bodanzky, who depicts the everyday lives of three generations in Sao Paulo as a pyrotechnic display of individual passions and existential delusions staged with a sublime naturalness. The short animated film Vênus - Filó a fadinha lésbica (Venus - Filly the Lesbian Little Fairy) by Sávio Leite rounds off Brazil’s strong presence at this year’s edition of Panorama.

With Discreet, US indie director Travis Mathews, a chronographer of a gay Western modernity, is showing his second film in Panorama. An eerie soundscape floats atop his often elliptically edited story, which revolves around a man approaching middle age who gets caught up in the darker depths of his past.

The original style of Moroccan filmmaker Hicham Lasri was already apparent at Panorama 2015 in The Sea is Behind and on display again last year in Starve Your Dog. Now he returns for the third time with HeadbangLullaby, a visually stunning psychedelic fairy tale swimming in vibrant colour and full of absurd situations, which also takes a long socially critical look at the history of Lasri’s native Morocco.

Naoko Ogigami already enchanted audiences in Berlin with Megane in 2008 and Rentaneko in 2012. In her most recent film Karera ga Honki de Amu toki wa (Close-Knit), the Japanese director employs contemplative, focussed imagery to honour a potential matter-of-factness for non-normative sexualities and the value of families that are defined by love and care and not by conventions.

Three modern arthouse films from China and Hong Kong shed some fresh light on the complex upheavals afoot throughout the vast country. Establishing alternatives for one’s self within authoritarian systems is a great step towards individual freedom: In Bing Lang Xue (The Taste of Betel Nut), we experience the whirlwind of young love on a resort island, while in Ghost in the Mountains and Ciao Ciao, a French co-production, we bask in the breath-taking landscapes of the Chinese highlands through the power of adept cinematography.

In his New Zealand film One Thousand Ropes, Samoan director Tusi Tamasese creates mythic images full of tension and concentration to relate the story of Maea, the baker and male midwife with the healing hands, whose personal demons play an integral role in his everyday life.

Today whole hordes of young cosmopolitans are drawn to Berlin by the promise of happiness that the city has come to represent – three films that pay tribute to this vision in extremely different manners are gathered at Panorama: the psycho thriller Berlin Syndrome by Australian director Cate Shortland, featuring Teresa Palmer, Max Riemelt and Matthias Habich; the feminist fairy tale The Misandrists by Berlinale regular Bruce LaBruce; and the para-pornographic work of underground science fiction Fluidø, by Taiwanese-American artist Shu Lea Cheang.

Europe

Thirteen more films have been confirmed for the final selection from Europe alone. These include works like the Spanish debut feature Pieles (Skins) by Eduardo Casanova, Rekvijem za gospodju J. (Requiem for Mrs. J.) by Serbia’s Bojan Vuletić, Ferenc Török’s 1945 from Hungary and God's Own Country, Francis Lee’s feature-film debut from United Kingdom. Teona Mitevska returns with a bitter depiction of Macedonian adolescents trying to get their bearings in When the Day Had no Name. Also returning to Panorama are Norwegians Ole Giæver, with the emancipatory and philosophical self-examination Fra balkongen (From the Balcony), and Erik Poppe with Kongens Nei (The King's Choice), which deals with the Norwegian king’s resistance to the German armed forces in World War II.

Luca Guadagnino will show his French-Italian account of summer love, Call Me by Your Name, featuring Armie Hammer, Timothée Chalamet, Michael Stuhlbarg and Amira Casar, a screen adaptation of André Aciman’s novel of the same name, co-written with James Ivory.

The Belgian-French-Lebanese co-production Insyriated by Philippe Van Leeuw is an intense chamber drama featuring Hiam Abbass as a woman trapped in the family’s apartment while a war rages on outside. Kaygı (Inflame) by Ceylan Özgün Özçelik tells the story of the incremental roll-out of wide-spread censorship of the press in Turkey and its effect on the work of a young female journalist. And finally there is Georgian director Rezo Gigineishvili’s Hostages, in which a longing for freedom and independence escalates into a readiness to use violence for young Soviet citizens during an airplane hijacking set in 1983.

The Panorama Audience Awards for Best Feature Film and Best Documentary will be presented for the 19^th time together with radioeins and for the first time in co-operation with rbb television. In 2016, over 30,000 audience members cast their votes. On the Berlinale Publikumstag, February 19, the winning films will be presented in CinemaxX7 following the awards ceremony.

For the fifth time, the Heiner Carow Prize will be awarded to a documentary, fiction feature or essay film in Panorama in co-operation with the DEFA Foundation for the Promotion of German Film Culture. Following the presentation of the award on February 16 in Kino International, the Heiner Carow film Bis dass der Tod euch scheidet (Until Death Do Us Part, GDR 1979) will be shown.

Panorama main programme and Panorama Special

1945 - Hungary
By Ferenc Török
With Péter Rudolf, Bence Tasnádi, Tamás Szabó Kimmel, Dóra Sztarenki, Eszter Nagy-Kálózy
European premiere

Berlin Syndrome - Australia
By Cate Shortland
With Teresa Palmer, Max Riemelt
European premiere

Bing Lang Xue (The Taste of Betel Nut)– Hong Kong, China
By Hu Jia
With Zhao Bing Rui, Yue Ye, Shen Shi Yu
World premiere

Call Me by Your Name - Italy / France
By Luca Guadagnino
With Armie Hammer, Timothée Chalamet, Michael Stuhlbarg, Amira Casar, Esther Garrel, Victoire Du Bois
European premiere

Ciao Ciao - France / People’s Republic of China
By Song Chuan
With Liang Xueqin, Zhang Yu
World premiere

Como Nossos Pais (Just Like Our Parents) - Brazil
By Laís Bodanzky
With Maria Ribeiro, Clarisse Abujamra, Paulo Vilhena, Felipe Rocha, Jorge Mautner, Herson Capri, Sophia Valverde, Annalara Prates
World premiere

Discreet - USA                       
By Travis Mathews
With Jonny Mars, Atsuko Okatsuko, Joy Cunningham, Bob Swaffar
World premiere

Fluidø - Germany
By Shu Lea Cheang
World premiere

Fra balkongen (From the Balcony) - Norway
By Ole Giaever
World premiere

Ghost in the Mountains– People’s Republic of China
By Yang Heng
With Tang Shenggang, Liang Yu, Shang Meitong, Xiang Peng, Zhang Yun
World premiere

God's Own Country - United Kingdom
By Francis Lee
With Josh O'Connor, Alec Secăreanu, Gemma Jones, Ian Hart
European premiere

Headbang Lullaby - Morocco / France / Qatar / Lebanon
By Hicham Lasri
With Aziz Hattab, Latefa Ahrrare, Zoubir Abou el Fadl, El Jirari Benaissa, Salma Eddlimi, Adil Abatorab
World premiere

Hostages – Russian Federation / Georgia / Poland
By Rezo Gigineishvili
With Merab Ninidze, Darejan Kharshiladze, Tina Dalakishvili, Irakli Kvirikadze
World premiere

Insyriated– Belgium / France / Lebanon
By Philippe Van Leeuw
With Hiam Abbass, Diamand Abou Abboud, Juliette Navis, Mohsen Abbas, Moustapha Al Kar
World premiere

Karera ga Honki de Amu toki wa (Close-Knit) - Japan
By Naoko Ogigami
WithToma Ikuta, Rinka Kakihara, Kenta Kiritani
World premiere

Kaygı (Inflame) - Turkey
By Ceylan Özgün Özçelik
With Algı Eke, Özgür Çevik
World premiere– Debut film

Kongens Nei (The King's Choice) - Norway / Sweden / Denmark / Ireland
By Erik Poppe
With Jesper Christensen, Anders Baasmo Christiansen, Karl Markovics, Tuva Novotny, Katharina Schüttler, Juliane Köhler
European premiere

The Misandrists - Germany
By Bruce LaBruce
With Susanne Sachsse, Kembra Pfahler
World premiere

One Thousand Ropes - New Zealand
By Tusi Tamasese
With Uelese Petaia, Frankie Adams, Væle Sima Urale, Ene Petaia, Beulah Koale, Anapela Polataivao
World premiere

Pieles (Skins)– Spain
By Eduardo Casanova
with Ana Polvorosa, Candela Peña, Carmen Machi, Macarena Gómez, Secun de la Rosa, Jon Kortajarena, Antonio Duran "Morris", Eloi Costa
World premiere - Debut film

Rekvijem za gospodju J. (Requiem for Mrs. J.) - Serbia / Bulgaria / Macedonia / Russian Federation / France
By Bojan Vuletić
With Mirjana Karanović, Jovana Gavrilović, Danica Nedeljković, Vučić Perović
World premiere

Tiger Girl – Germany
By Jakob Lass
With Ella Rumpf, Maria Dragus
World premiere

Vaya - South Africa
By Akin Omotoso
With Mncedisi Shabangu, Zimkhitha Nyoka, Nomonde Mbusi, Sihle Xaba, Warren Masemola,
Zimkhitha Nyoka, Nomonde Mbusi, Azwile Chamane
European premiere

When the Day Had no Name - Macedonia / Belgium / Slovenia
By Teona Mitevska
With Leon Ristov, Hanis Bagashov, Dragan Mishevski, Stefan Kitanovic, Igorco Postolov, Ivan Vrtev Soptrajanov
World premiere

Supporting Film

Vênus - Filó a fadinha lésbica (Venus - Filly the Lesbian Little Fairy) – Brazil
By Sávio Leite

Already Announced Titles

Centaur - Kyrgyzstan / France / Germany / The Netherlands, by Aktan Arym Kubat
Honeygiver Among the Dogs– Bhutan, by Dechen Roder
Pendular - Brazil / Argentinia / France, by Julia Murat
The Wound - South Africa / Germany / The Netherlands / France, by John Trengove
Vazante - Brazil / Portugal, by Daniela Thomas

The industry programme of the 46th edition.

A wide range of interesting panels, discussions, masterclasses and off course many, many (PRO) screenings will make you feel right at home on Planet IFFR.

Check the online line up of films and events at IFFR2017

The 27^th Annual San Diego Jewish Film Festival presented by the San Diego Center for Jewish Culture at the Lawrence Family Jewish Community Center, JACOBS FAMILY CAMPUS, will run February 8-19, 2017.  The 12-day Festival is the largest Jewish cultural event in San Diego and draws over 17,000 attendees annually and 97 film screenings. The Festival features San Diego film premieres, international guest artists and filmmakers local and international. Screenings will be shown at 5 locations.

This year the festival will showcase a total of 60 films of the best contemporary Jewish themed films from around the world celebrating life, human rights, and freedom of expression. This year the emphasis is on Our Lives Projected because “we show films that mirror the experience that many in our audience have had themselves or may be hearing about for the first time; it’s also intended to expand the notion of “our lives” to show that we are a diverse and divergent community,” according to Festival Director, Jacqueline Silverman.

 The mission of the Film Festival is to offer outstanding world cinema that promotes awareness, appreciation and pride in the diversity of the Jewish people to attendees of the community at large.  Festival programs aim to educate and illuminate through evocative, independent fiction and documentary films that portray the Jewish experience from current to historic global perspectives.

Highlights for this year's event will include a private advance screening on February 8, 2017 at 7:00 pm for the film festival underwriters to Rosenwald, directed by Aviva Kempner who will be in attendance and receive a SDJFF Outstanding Filmmaking Award at the David & Dorothea Garfield Theatre LFJCC, JACOBS FAMILY CAMPUS. This year’s official opening night on February 9th at the Reading Cinemas Town Square at 7:00 pm will feature a San Diego premiere of On the Map, directed by Dani Menkin  and featuring local celebrity Bill Walton. Mr. Menkin will be in attendance. The official closing night film at the Reading Cinemas Town Square will be Body and Soul: An American Bridge directed by Robert Philipson, which focuses on the early performance history of the jazz standard Body and Soul composed by a Jewish composer Johnny Green and how this song smashed the barriers between African Americans and American Jews. Mr. Philipson will be in attendance.

On February 13, 2017 a collection of international short films in 4 different programs begins at 10:00 am to 10:00 pm and will be screened at the ArcLight La Jolla. Cinemas.

Another highlight on February 15th is the centerpiece film The People vs. Fritz Bauer, directed by Lars Kraume, an historical thriller that dramatizes the obstacles that tenacious state attorney general Bauer faced in prosecuting the architects of Auschwitz. Screening at 8:00 pm at the Reading Cinemas Town Square.

A total collection of 60 films in this year’s film line-up will be screened at the following theaters:

 Reading Cinemas Town Square 14 - 4665 Clairemont Drive, San Diego; ArcLight La Jolla Cinemas  - 4425 La Jolla Village Drive, San Diego (west side of Westfield UTC mall); Carlsbad Village Theatre - 2822 State St., Carlsbad; Edwards San Marcos Stadium 18 - 1180 West San Marcos Blvd, San Marcos (next to Restaurant Row); David and Dorothea Garfield Theatre, LFJCC, JACOBS FAMILY CAMPUS - 4126 Executive Drive, La Jolla.

For tickets or information call 858-362-1348 or visit www.sdjff.org. 

Social media postings are on facebook.com/SDJFF/

Festival Convergence Panel at FestForums Sanra Barbara 2016

What happens when the arts converge… a lot! Tribeca, a film festival, also showcases music. Bonnaroo and Outside Lands, music festivals, also focus on culinary experiences. How do festivals maintain their identities as they incorporate new experiences?

Moderator
Steve Knopper
Contributing Editor, Rolling Stone

Speakers
Sharon Badal
VP of Filmmaker Relations and Shorts Programming, Tribeca
David Alan Bernahl,II
CEO, CLM, Pebble Beach & Los Angeles ​Food & Wine Festivals
Noah Cowan
Executive Director, San Francisco Film Society
Alex Machurov
Sr. Director, New Business Dev & Brand Partnerships, Superfly
Mike Shea
Chief Logistics Officer & Partner, SXSW

For many years now, the Berlin International Film Festival has been committed to documentary film and diverse documentary forms. This was evident not only in the programmes of the different sections, initiatives and special series but also in the European Film Market (EFM).

Thanks to the support of Glashütte Original, watch manufacturer from Saxony, the Berlin International Film Festival is launching a new award, the Glashütte Original Documentary Award.

The Glashütte Original Documentary Award is endowed with € 50,000, funded by Glashütte Original. The prize money will be split between the film’s director and producer. A total of 16 documentary entries from the current programmes of the Competition, Berlinale Special, Panorama, Forum, Generation and Perspektive Deutsches Kino sections are nominated for the Glashütte Original Documentary Award.

The prize will be presented during the official Award Ceremony in the Berlinale Palast on February 18. In addition to the prize money, Glashütte Original will also provide the trophy, which will be finely crafted in the company’s manufactory in Saxony.

A three-member jury will pick the winner:

© Fabrizio Maltese

Daniela Michel (Mexico)
Born in Mexico City, Daniela Michel is a film critic and founding director of the Morelia International Film Festival, an annual event launched in 2003 to support a new generation of Mexican filmmakers. After studying filmmaking she received a degree in English Literature. She has curated retrospectives of Mexican cinema in and outside Mexico. Michel has also served on the Jury for the “Un Certain Regard” and “La Semaine de la Critique” sections of the Cannes Film Festival, the Venice Film Festival, the Sundance Film Festival, the Locarno International Film Festival, the San Sebastian International Film Festival, the International Documentary Festival Amsterdam (IDFA), the Sarajevo Film Festival, among other festivals, as well as the Rockefeller Foundation’s Media Arts Fellowships and the Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative.

© Jan Stürman

Laura Poitras (USA)
Laura Poitras, who was born in the USA, first studied at the San Francisco Art Institute and then The New School in New York. Her work crosses the boundaries of documentary film, journalism, and art. In 2006 she began her 9/11 Trilogy with the film My Country, My Country, for which she received her first Oscar nomination. This was followed by The Oath (2010), which like My Country, My Country, was shown in the Berlinale’s Forum section. With CITIZENFOUR, the third part of her trilogy, Poitras won the Academy Award for Best Documentary in 2015. With this film about Edward Snowden, she also took home awards from the German Film Prize, the Director’s Guild of America, and BAFTA. Her reporting on NSA surveillance has appeared in Der Spiegel, The Guardian, and the Washington Post, and received a Pulitzer Prize and the Nannen Prize for Press Freedom. In 2016, she mounted her first solo museum exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art. She is co-creator of the visual journalism project, Field of Vision.

© Dschoint Ventschr Filmproduktion

Samir (Iraq / Switzerland)
Samir was born in Bagdad and moved with his family to Switzerland when he was seven years old. In the 1980s, after studying at Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK) and training to be a typesetter, he began working as a cameraman, director, and screenwriter. Over the years he has made more than 40 short and full-length films. In 1994, he – and documentary filmmaker Werner Schweizer and producer Karin Koch – took over Dschoint Ventschr (spoken like Joint Venture) Filmproduktion, which concentrates on promoting young Swiss talents. Samir has directed both fiction and documentary films for the cinema and television – including Snow White (2005), which received multiple awards – as well as many stage productions. His documentary Iraqi Odyssey was screened in the Berlinale Panorama in 2015 and submitted by Switzerland for an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film.

The following films are nominated for the Glashütte Original Documentary Award:

Competition (1)

Beuys– Germany

By Andres Veiel

Berlinale Special(1)

La libertad del diablo (Devil's Freedom) – Mexico

By Everardo González

Panorama (5)

Belinda – France

By Marie Dumora

El Pacto de Adriana - Chile

By Lissette Orozco

Erase and Forget– United Kingdom

By Andrea Luka Zimmerman

Fünf Sterne (Five Stars) - Germany

By Annekatrin Hendel

Istiyad Ashbah (Ghost Hunting) – France / Palestine/ Switzerland / Qatar

By Raed Andoni

Forum (5)

For Ahkheem - USA

By Jeremy S. Levine and Landon Van Soest

Maman Colonelle (Mama Colonel) - Democratic Republic of Congo / France

By Dieudo Hamadi

El mar la mar - USA

By Joshua Bonnetta and J.P. Sniadecki

Mzis qalaqi (City of the Sun) – Georgia / USA / The Netherlands / Qatar

By Rati Oneli

Tigmi n Igren (House in the Fields) – Morocco / Qatar

By Tala Hadid

Generation (3)

Almost Heaven– United Kingdom

By Carol Salter 

Shkola nomer 3 (School Number 3) - Ukraine / Germany

By Yelizaveta Smith, Georg Genoux

Soldado (Soldier) - Argentina
By Manuel Abramovich

Perspektive Deutsches Kino (1)

Eisenkopf (Ironhead) – Germany

By Tian Dong

All nominated films will celebrate their world premiere at the Berlinale 2017.

In the spirit of its opening conference, Berlin Critics’ Week 2017 closes with a political film ostensibly about a myriad of other things. Fittingly also, an accompanying flicker film follows this inner logic of antithesis which by imposing structures seeks to subvert them. Screened as world premieres will be the longest and the shortest films of the program: a 202-minute-lasting exploration of love in the digital imaginarium (produced in Germany) and a look to analogue film — from Hungary with love (and reverence). Completing this amorous trilogy is an oddball homage to Japanese “Roman Porno” movies of the 70s.

All screenings at Berlin Critics’ Week are accompanied by debates on timely questions of film culture, politics and aesthetics.

Berlin-based director Alexandre Koberidze (“Colophon”, “Der Fall”) will present the world premiere of “Let the Summer Never Come Again”. Shot on location in Georgia, the film uses its length of three hours and twenty-two minutes to demonstrate what images could, can and even ought to do. Brutal reductions of resolution herald the thrills of a pictorial dimension within the digital.

“Aroused by Gymnopedies” by Isao Yukisada (“Go”, “Crying Out Love in the Center of the World”), in which the director pays homage to Japanese “Roman Porno” films of the 70s, has an unambiguous reference point as a low budget film for the old Nikkatsu Studio, yet the film couldn’t be more contemporary. The young girls offering themselves to the superannuated film director have a perfect picture in mind, while he is totally into a tune by Erik Satie.

Screened on the same evening is an experimental film by Hungarian director Bori Máté, whose loosely assembled material in “The Headless Appearance” can be seen as another homage — to color and recollection.

The closing night of the 3rd Berlin Critics’ Week is given over to “Planetarium” by French director Rebecca Zlotowski („Belle Épine”, „Grand Central”). Her film explores film history through a politically complex and formally elaborate perspective: a Jewish film producer seeking to reinvigorate the French film industry of the late 30s finds inspiration in the presence of young spiritualists (Natalie Portman and Lily-Rose Depp). Portman is introduced as a professional medium and re-discovers herself in the spotlights of film sets. All the while on the outside, Europe precipitates into a catastrophe.

Austrian director Siegfried A. Fruhauf will complete this final night with a liberating attack on our retinas. For five minutes, “Fuddy Duddy” scorches the eye with structures that ambivalently offer both uncertainty and hold.

Following the opening conference “Lost in Politics” on the night of February 8, at silent green Kulturquartier, the third Berlin Critics’ Week will take place from February 9 through 16, 2017 at Hackesche Höfe Kino Berlin. The event offers seven nights of film screenings and debates.

The Berlin Critics’ Week is organized by the German Film Critics Association (Verband der deutschen Filmkritik e.V.).

The films at a glance
 

The film program, including all screening dates, are available online at http://wochederkritik.de/en_US/wdk2017/.

Debate topics and official guests follow.

This seventh edition of the festival brings a brand new array of exciting and inspiring films to the South Kensington cinema.  Screenings are followed by Q&A sessions with the film-makers, offering audiences the opportunity to get involved in lively discussions.

This year’s line-up comprises nine new feature films, plus the recently restored version of Gillo Pontecorvo’s 1966 masterpiece THE BATTLE OF ALGIERS (La Battaglia di Algeri), distributed in the UK by CultFilms: www.cultfilms.co.uk. It will be the very first time this restored version is shown on the big screen in the UK.

Opening night film 7 MINUTES (7 Minuti) was selected for the 29th Tokyo International Film Festival Competition, and was in the official selection at the 2016 Rome International Film Festival. The Biennale College Cinema gem EARS (Orecchie) screened at the 2016 Venice International Film Festival, as did Michele Vannucci’s I WAS A DREAMER (Il più grande sogno), Pippo Delbono’s VANGELO, and Irene Dionisio’s PAWN STREETS (Le Ultime Cose). 

PERICLE THE BLACK (Pericle il Nero), starring Italy’s much-loved Riccardo Scamarcio, was in the ‘Un Certain Regard’ section at last year’s Cannes International Film Festival. Roberto Andò’s THE CONFESSIONS (Le Confessioni), starring Toni Servillo, Daniel Auteuil and Connie Nielsen, has screened at a multitude of festivals around the world, and was awarded the Ecumenical Jury Prize at the 2016 Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.

Pierfrancesco Diliberto aka Pif is back with his latest feature film IN GUERRA PER AMORE, which was shown at both the Rome and Busan International Film Festivals last October. Andrea Molaioli’s SLAM (Tutto per una ragazza), featuring Luca Marinelli (who starred in last year’s They Call Me Jeeg) and based on Nick Hornby’s novel of the same name, premiered at the recent Torino Film Festival.

The five day annual event is organised by Istituto Luce-Cinecittà’s promotional department in Rome (Filmitalia), with the support of the Italian Cultural Institute in London, the official agency for the promotion of Italian language and culture in England and Wales. For further details on their activities, please visit: www.filmitalia.org / www.icilondon.esteri.it. Eight titles were chosen by the film critic and festival programmer Maurizio Di Rienzo, and two films were selected by Adrian Wootton, CEO of Film London.

VENUE AND BOX OFFICE INFORMATION

Screenings: Wednesday 1 - Sunday 5 March 2017

Ciné Lumière : 17 Queensbury Place, London SW7 2DT, T +44 (0)20 7871 3515

Tickets:£12/£10 (conc.); £9/£7 (conc.) for films in the ‘Sunday Classics’ section; £5 for viewers aged 25 and under, if registered for the ’25 and Under £5 Scheme’ on the French Institute website

Full programme and booking details:

http://www.institut-francais.org.uk/cine-lumiere/whats-on/festivals-series/cinema-made-in-italy-2017/

FOR PRESS INFORMATION AND INTERVIEW REQUESTS, PLEASE CONTACT:

Fabrice Ouakinine/Clare Leach

firstname.lastname@premiercomms.com

T: +44 20 7292 8330 / www.premiercomms.com

PRESS MATERIAL AVAILABLE ON:

http://ftp.premiercomms.com

User name:        cinemamadeinitaly2017

Password:           f1lm1tal1a

Twitter: @CinemaMadeinIt

Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/Cinema-MADE-in-ITALY-1534214436839796/

SCREENING PROGRAMME

Wednesday 1^st March

6.30 pm                7 Minutes                                                                                                                                                           88’                                         

Intro and Q&A with Clémence Poésy (actress), Ambra Angiolini – TBC (actress), Cristiana Capotondi (actress)

Thursday 2^nd March

6.30 pm                Ears                                                                                                                                                                       90’

Intro and Q&A with Alessandro Aronadio (director)

8.50 pm                Pericle the Black                                                                                                                                              100’

Intro and Q&A with Stefano Mordini – TBC (director) and Riccardo Scamarcio (actor)

Friday 3^rd March

6.30 pm                The Confessions                                                                                                                                              100’

Intro and Q&A with Roberto Andò (director)      

8.50 pm                In Guerra Per Amore                                                                                                                                      99’

Intro and Q&A with Pierfrancesco Diliberto aka Pif (director and writer) and Michele Astori (writer)

Saturday 4^th March

6.15 pm                Pawn Streets                                                                                                                                                    85’

Intro and Q&A with Irene Dionisio (director)

8.50 pm                Slam                                                                                                                                                                     100’

Intro and Q&A with Andrea Molaioli (director) and Nick Hornby – TBC (writer)

Sunday 5^th March

2.00 pm                The Battle of Algiers (distributed in the UK by CultFilms: www.cultfilms.co.uk)                   121’

4.20 pm                Vangelo                                                                                                                                                              87’

Intro and Q&A with Pippo Delbono (director and actor)

6.40 pm                I Was a Dreamer                                                                                                                                              100’

Intro and Q&A with Michele Vannucci (director) and Mirko Frezza (actor)

LINE-UP FOR CINEMA MADE IN ITALY 2017

7 MINUTES (7 Minuti) – Opening Night

Director: Michele Placido – 88 mins

Cast: Ambra Angiolini, Ottavia Piccolo, Cristiana Capotondi, Fiorella Mannoia, Maria Nazionale, Violante Placido, Clémence Poésy, Sabine Timoteo, Anne Consigny, Michele Placido, Bruno Cariello, Mimma Lovoi, Donato Placido, Gerardo Placido, Luisa Cattaneo, Erika D’Ambrosio, Balkissa Maiga, Lee Colbert

Following a takeover, the new owner of an Italian textile plant (played magnificently by Anne Consigny, who was most recently seen in Paul Verhoeven’s Elle), flies in from Paris to propose the plan masterminded in order to preserve the workers’ future.  When the women in the plant’s council learn that nobody will lose their job, provided everyone gives up seven minutes of their daily break, it seems too good to be true. But when they start to analyse what the seven minutes actually represent, it soon dawns on them that more is at stake than merely their workers’ rights. Based on a true story, 7 minutes is a taut and gripping drama featuring emotionally anchoring performances from notably Clémence Poésy, Ambra Angiolini and Ottavia Piccolo.

EARS (Orecchie)

Director: Alessandro Aronadio – 90 mins

Cast: Daniele Parisi, Francesca Antonelli, Silvana Bosi, Masaria Colucci, Silvia D’Amico, Piera Degli Esposti, Ivan Franek, Sonia Gessner, Paolo Giovannucci, Rocco Papaleo, Andrea Purgatori, Re Salvador, Niccolò Senni, Pamela Villoresi, Milena Vukotic, Massimo Wertmüller

Following his brilliant debut feature Due Vite per Caso (which has won over 15 awards), Alessandro Aronadio is back with a sharp and witty comedy. Stylishly shot in black and white, Ears follows a day in the life of a hapless young university lecturer, as he wanders around the streets of Rome, questioning the true purpose of his life. Clarity is obtained after a succession of Kafkaesque situations, which include an encounter with a bevy of mistrusting nuns, an outlandish rapper, and an impertinent ear specialist. Made on a micro budget under the umbrella of the Biennale College Cinema programme, Alessandro Aronadio’s absurdist comedy was an instant hit when it premiered at last year’s Venice International Film Festival.

PERICLE THE BLACK (Pericle il Nero)

Director: Stefano Mordini – 100 mins

Cast: Riccardo Scamarcio, Marina Foïs, Valentina Acca, Gigio Morra, Maria Luisa Santella, Lucia Ragni, Eduardo Scarpetta, Seloua M’Hamdi, Samuel Laurie

Co-produced by the Dardenne brothers, and loosely based on Giuseppe Ferrandino’s Pericle il Nero, Stefano Mordini’s third feature is a contemporary Italian mafia film set in Belgium and France. Riccardo Scamarcio (Burnt, Effie Gray, Third Person) is a loyal Camorra low-life who makes ends meet by doing dirty jobs for Don Luigi, a Neapolitan crime lord and pizzeria owner based in the outskirts of Liège.  When a job goes wrong, he has no choice but to go on the run, and after a brief spell in hiding, ends up in Calais. Alienated, and deep down yearning to be part of a family, he seeks refuge in the form of divorced bakery worker Anastasia, played superbly by French actress Marina Foïs (Paris Follies, Polisse, Irréprochable). They embark on a bittersweet whirlwind romance, as they endeavour to sidestep the shadow of his tormented past.

THE CONFESSIONS (Le Confessioni)

Director: Roberto Andò – 100 mins

Cast: Toni Servillo, Daniel Auteuil, Connie Nielsen, Pierfrancesco Favino, Moritz Bleibtreu, Marie-Josée Croze, Richard Sammel, Johan Heldenbergh, Stéphane Freiss, Aleksei Guskov, Ernesto D'Argenio, Lambert Wilson, Julian Ovenden, Togo Igawa, Andy de la Tour, John Keogh, Giulia Andò

Produced by Angelo Barbagallo (Dear Diary, The Son’s Room, Certified Copy), Roberto Andò’s slick mystery thriller centers on a simple monk of the Carthusian order, who shakes things up at a G8 meeting held in a luxury hotel on the Baltic Coast. After a high-ranking official is found dead in his room, it transpires that the purpose of the state treasurers’ gathering is to introduce radical economic reforms that will have irreparable destructive effects on less-developed countries in the world. Stopping them soon becomes a race against time…. The elegant mise en scène, Oscar-winning composer Nicola Piovani’s exquisite score, along with a stellar cast including Toni Servillo, Daniel Auteuil, and Connie Nielson, make for irresistible viewing.

IN GUERRA PER AMORE

Director: Pierfrancesco Diliberto aka Pif – 99 mins

Cast: Andrea Di Stefano, Pierfrancesco Diliberto aka Pif, Sergio Vespertino, Maurizio Bologna, Miriam Leone, Samuele Segreto, Stella Egitto, Antonello Puglisi, Vincent Riotta, Maurizio Marchetti, Mario Pupella, Aurora Quattrocchi, Rosario Minardi, Orazio Stracuzzi, Lorenzo Patanè, David Mitchum Brown, Forest Baker, Salvatore Ragusa, Domenico Centamore

Following on from The Mafia Kills Only in Summer, Pierfrancesco Diliberto (aka Pif) brings us another funny and touching tale peppered with historical facts.  It is 1943, and World War II is in full swing. In the heart of New York fresh faced Arturo (played by Pierfrancesco Diliberto) has fallen head over heels for his restaurant boss’ daughter Flora. The feeling is mutual, but Flora has been promised to the son of an influential New York mobster. The only way Arturo will be able to marry his beloved, is if he is granted approval by her father, who lives in a small town in Sicily. Young and broke, Arturo enlists in the US Army, which is preparing to invade the island, an event which will change the history of Sicily, Italy, and the Mafia forever. 

Francesco Diliberto (aka Pif) was assistant director to Marco Tullio Giordana on the anti-Mafia film I Cento Passi in 1998. Besides being a film director, writer and actor, he is also a satirical current-affairs broadcaster who has contributed to numerous Italian TV shows, including Le Iene. He has had his own show, Il Testimone, on MTV since 2007 and hosts the radio show I Provinciali on RAI 2, along with his screenwriting collaborator Michele Astori.

PAWN STREETS (Le Ultime Cose)

Director: Irene Dionisio – 85 mins

Cast: Fabrizio Falco, Roberto De Francesco, Christina Rosamilia, Alfonso Santagata, Salvatore Cantalupo, Anna Ferruzzo, Nicole De Leo, Maria Eugenia D'Aquino, Margherita Coldesina, Matteo Polidoro

Set in Turin, Pawn Streets reveals an insider’s view of the goings on behind the closed doors of a local pawnbrokers, and the wheeling and dealing which takes place in the streets outside. Each and every object tells a different story: a cherished fur coat is handed over by a transvestite who has become estranged from her family; a precious gold necklace fetches a moderate price for a desperate mother of two. Meanwhile, a penniless grandfather unwillingly becomes embroiled in black market pawnbroking, so he can afford to buy a hearing aid for his three year old grandson. Irene Dionisio, who is also a documentary film-maker, succeeds in rendering an honest account of some of the circumstances which might drive people to pawn their most cherished belongings, as a last resort. Pawn Streets is produced by Carlo Cresto-Dina, whose previous credits include The Wonders and Corpo Celeste.

SLAM (Tutto per una ragazza)

Director: Andrea Molaioli – 100 mins

Cast: Ludovico Tersigni, Barbara Ramella, Jasmine Trinca, Luca Marinelli, Pietro Ragusa, Fiorenza Tessari, Lidia Vitale, Fausto Sciarappa, Gianluca Broccatelli, Tony Hawk

Sam is a 16 year old skateboarding fanatic who has his whole life ahead of him. When his girlfriend breaks the news that she is pregnant, the only person he can turn to is his all-time hero and skateboarding legend, Tony Hawk. Reminiscent of the film Sliding Doors, Sam is inexplicably hurtled into the future and offered a glimpse of what will be…. or what could be.  At the end of the day, it is up to Sam to make the right decisions. Based on Nick Hornby’s successful novel of the same name, Slam is all twists and turns and heel flips, and features a splendid performance by Luca Marinelli, who starred in last year’s They Call Me Jeeg Robot. Prior to making his first feature film, Andrea Molaioli worked as assistant director and second director on numerous films, including Nanni Moretti’s The Son’s Room and Dear Diary. In 2008 his film The Girl By the Lake won three David di Donatello Awards.

THE BATTLE OF ALGIERS (La Battaglia di Algeri)

Director: Gillo Pontecorvo – 121 mins

Cast: Brahim Haggiag, Jean Martin, Saadi Yacef

The Battle of Algiers tells the story of the life-and-death struggle between the French colonial government of Algeria and the Algerian Liberation Front, the FLN, who wanted the French out and were willing to set off bombs to do it. The French sent in their elite Paratroopers with the order to use Any Means to break the insurgent – torture included. It’s a true story, done on location with many of the FLN appearing in it, including the producer who was an FLN leader. This film, which was first released in 1966, is a passionate yet completely impartial record of struggle which led to Algeria’s Independence.

The Battle of Algiers is distributed in the UK by CultFilms: www.cultfilms.co.uk. Digitally re-mastered in high definition from restored archive elements approved by the filmmakers, this all-time classic release of The Battle of Algiers also commemorates the 50th anniversary of Algerian independence. The new version also includes some previously unseen footage, making this the most complete edition ever. The restoration was curated by Cineteca di Bologna and Istituto Luce-Cinecitta, in collaboration with Surf Film, Casbah Entertainment, and CultFilms.

VANGELO

Director: Pippo Delbono – 87 mins

Cast: Pippo Delbono, Safi Zakria, Nosa Ugiagbe, Petra Magoni, Pepe Robledo, Ilaria Fantin, Bobò Robledo

In Vangelo theatre director Pippo Delbono visits a migrant centre and meets the refugees who have come to seek shelter there. They are in limbo, waiting to find out if they will be allowed to stay, or simply be moved on to the next holding area. He becomes part of their everyday lives, in which they are suspended between painful memories and an uncertain future. Slowly but surely, the refugees open up to him, and tell him their stories. Some of these feature on screen, others remain secret. Through the lives of these people, the inevitable protagonists of a new age, Delbono’s vision for his theatrical production of the Gospel starts to take shape.

I WAS A DREAMER (Il più grande sogno)

Director: Michele Vannucci – 100 mins

Cast: Mirko Frezza, Alessandro Borghi, Vittorio Viviani, Milena Mancini, Ivana Lotito, Ginevra De Carolis

Mirko is a 39 year old father of two, who returns home after an eight year stint in jail. He dreams of being given a second chance, and attempts to leave behind a life of violence and petty crime once and for all. The perfect opportunity arises when he is unexpectedly elected president of the neighborhood committee in his local area in a run-down suburb of Rome. Before long, Mirko starts putting all his energy into transforming the lives of those around him, setting up a soup kitchen and food bank, and even persuading fellow down-and-outs to grow tomatoes on a nearby allotment. Little by little, he manages to reconcile with his two daughters, and prepare for the arrival of his third child, which his ever-patient wife is expecting. Michele Vannucci met lead actor Mirko Frezza when he was auditioning for his graduation film in 2012. Hanging out with him for three years inspired Vannucci to write the screenplay for I Was a Dreamer, which is based on Mirko’s real-life experiences.

PREMIÈRE MUSIC + MEDIA MARKET BERLIN 2017. The largest trade fair for film professionals in the performing arts. More than 700 international participants come to network with other broadcasters, producers and artists, make co-production, broadcasting and distribution deals and find out about the new technologies that can change their industries. Become a part of this spectacular event now! www.avantpremiere.at

ALL indie Films, Animations, Studio movies are welcome to submit your films to us. 

Eddie Brown, Co-Founder\ EVP

iNDYREELS

Humanitarian Event Designed to Inspire Change Will Provide Funds for Health and Education of Cambodian Children

The offical selection of films screening in competition at the 2017 Better Word Forum was revelead today by event founder Manuel Collas De La Roche.

Taking place in Phnom Penh, Cambodia from March 21 - 23, under the Patronage of the Cambodian Royal Family and the Foundation Football for life, the Better World Forum is a one-of-a-kind event with a singular purpose – to highlight works that change the world.

Created to respond to a humanitarian impulse coming from a society in need of authenticity and truth, the Better World Forum aims to be the voice and image of tomorrow’s world. Through a series of narrative feature films and documentaries, the event defends, promotes and supports all creators working on behalf of culture, education, preservation of the environment, and the expansion of compassion worldwide.

Fourteen films have been selected for the carefully curated competition showcase that embodies this mission and identifies with the goals set by the organization. These films are:

• Carole Matthieu (Directed by Louis-Julien Petit / France / Drama/thriller)

• Human (Directed by Yann-Arthus Bertrand / France / Documentary)

• Femme (Directed by Emmanuel Itier and Sharon Stone / USA / Documentary)

• Les pépites (Directed by Xavier de Lauzanne / France / Documentary)

• Swagger (Directed by Olivier Babinet / France / Documentary)

• L’Odyssée (Directed by Jerôme Salle / France / Bio pic)

• Dans les forêts de Sibérie (Directed by Safy Nebbou / France / Adventure)

• The Man Who Mends Women(Directed by Thierry Michel /France/ Documentary)

• Le Petit Prince (Directed by Mark Osborne / France / Animation)

• Jack et la méchanique du Coeur (Directed by Mathias Malzieu / France / Animation)

• Talking to the trees (Directed Illaria Borrelli / France / Drama)

• Ensemble C’est possible! (Directed by Safy Nebbou / France / Documentary)

• La Prenda(Directed by Jean-Cosme Delaloye /France/ Documentary)

• Feminitude (Directed by Soula Saad / France / Documentary)

Highlighting different countries every year, the Better World Forum showcases films from a country whose filmmaking stands out in global comparison, opens new perspectives and broadens the cinematic horizon. This year, the event will showcase powerful works of film from France, as its country of focus – a country known for its intensely personal meditations on the human condition.

The Better World Forum is born from the desire to highlight all forms of charitable, artistic expressions, ideas and solidarity actions that make a positive change for the planet. Among the event’s goals are:

§ Engage in a permanent action to increase mankind’s conscious while facing the evolution of the planet.

§ Reward initiatives targeting sustainable solutions in the social, economic and environmental areas.

§ Present and award a selection of works in all formats with an international jury coming from diverse cultural spheres.

§ Offer a stage for debates and exchanges between artists, humanitarian professionals, scientists, corporates and general public.

The Better World Forum will be held each year in Phnom Penh, but offshoots of the event will also travel to different countries around the year. In totality, The Better World Forum is more than a single event, it is a sustainable movement that will travel all around the world and become a viral movement.

The 2017 Better World Forum will provide funds for health and education of Cambodian children; support French-Khmer Cinematography and award lifelong achievements of the most deserving creative minds.

“Cambodia is a country deepened in a strong spiritual culture and also has one of the most dynamic economies of the world,” said Better World Forum founder Manuel Collas De La Roche. “Actors, writers and leaders will be present as a confirmation of the artistic and human wealth represented by Cambodia.”

Collas De La Roche added, “We are proud to be associated with this meaningful and groundbreaking initiative. Filmmaking has a measureable impact on society and culture as a whole.  The goal of the Better World Forum is to build a viable platform which will support a full offering of creative endeavors for those who wish to inspire change.”

For more information on the event please visit http://www.bwforum.org/

Paris Images Digital Summit (PIDS) est une manifestation dédiée à la création numérique sous toutes ses formes : des effets visuels à la réalité virtuelle, en passant par l’animation et la 3D, le PIDS croise les enjeux créatifs, techniques, économiques et créatifs de cette industrie de la création.

674 professionnels ont participé à la troisième édition du PIDS, soit une hausse de 12% des accréditations par rapport à 2016. Les deux séances ouvertes au public ont par ailleurs attiré près de 500 spectateurs.

Pendant les 2 journées de conférences, 21 tables rondes et études de cas ont été organisées avec près de 50 intervenants.

 
Job Fair : un marché de l’emploi toujours dynamique
 

A travers cette initiative, le Paris Images Digital Summit souhaite renforcer les liens entre la formation et l’industrie en facilitant le recrutement des étudiants des Ecoles, des intermittents ou des professionnels présents à l’événement.

 
Plus de 300 entretiens ont été initiés lors de cette édition 2017 avec entre 300 et 400 emplois proposés par les 11 sociétés VFX et studios d’animation présents sur la Job Fair : Cube, Dneg, Framestore, ILM, Knightworks, Mikros, Illumination Mac Guff, Mathematic, MPC, TeamTO et Trimaran.
 
PIDSVIZ : intégrer les VFX dès l’étape du développement
 

Le Paris Images Digital Summit organisait pour la première fois une rencontre entre porteurs de projet et sociétés d’effets spéciaux numériques. L’objectif de cette initiative est de promouvoir la production de longs métrages français ambitieux et innovants sur le plan du développement visuel. 5 projets étaient présentés cette année. C’est le long-métrage LA FILLE DE L’ESTUAIRE réalisé par Gaëlle Denis et produit par La Voie Lactée qui a remporté le Prix du Jury avec à la clé une dotation de 10 000€ à dépenser auprès d’une société VFX en France.

Retrouvez prochainement les temps forts de la manifestation en images et en vidéos sur notre site et nos réseaux sociaux.

Les dates de l’édition 2017 seront communiquées dans les prochaines semaines.

www.parisimages-digitalsummit.com

@ParisImagesDS #PIDS2017

Paris Images Digital Summit est un événement co-produit par la Commission du Film d’Ile-de-France et la Ville d’Enghien-les-Bains avec son Centre des arts.

La Commission du Film d’Ile-de-France est un Etablissement Public de Coopération Culturelle créé en 2004 à l’initiative de la Région Ile-de-France dans le cadre de sa politique culturelle pour assurer la valorisation de la filière audiovisuelle et cinématographique.

Le Centre des arts, scène conventionnée sur les écritures numériques, véritable pôle ressource de la création numérique marqué tant au détour de sa programmation que de ses résidences artistiques et des projets avec l’international. Situé à 15 minutes de Paris-Gare du Nord.

Le Paris Images Digital Summit est un événement du Paris Images Trade Show qui a pour objectif de développer des synergies entre les manifestations réunies au sein de cette initiative et les organisations professionnelles et associations partenaires, afin de mieux mettre en lumière l’excellence des savoir-faire des techniciens et industries techniques français du cinéma et de l’image animée et de leur offrir une reconnaissance et une visibilité internationale accrues.

 
Relations presse:
Ophélie Surelle
ophelie.surelle@gmail.com 06.28.51.42.70

Indian World Film Festival-2017

Entries Open: Feature Films, Shorts films, Animation, Documentaries & Music Videos.

Submission deadline: 17 Feb 2017

To submit entry visit: http://miniboxoffice.com/indianworldfilmfestival

For Participation Email: IWFF@miniboxoffice.com

In partnership with Canadian Heritage/Canada150, Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier21, RBC, Bell Media/CTV Atlantic, NFB (National Film Board of Canada) and Telefilm Canada, ‘From Away’ is a film competition for Atlantic Canadian post-secondary students produced by the Atlantic Film Festival as part of Canada’s 150th Anniversary of Confederation.

 
The film competition and program presents a multi-faceted opportunity to showcase Atlantic Canada's next generation of visual storytellers. Post-secondary student filmmakers are encouraged to examine, explore or celebrate Canada as home as both a concrete and abstract space - a landscape, a person, a feeling, and a memory - through the medium of film. The challenge will be to construct their own interpretation of the nation that surrounds them and how immigration has shaped their place within it – connecting audiences with Canada’s past and present.
 
“We are so excited to be joining with the Government of Canada and our incredible partners to put a spotlight on the next generation of Atlantic Canadian filmmakers in a unique and once-in-a-lifetime national event,” said Wayne Carter, Executive Director, Atlantic Film Festival. “As we celebrate Canada’s 150^th, the opportunity for these films to be shown to festival audiences nationally provides a real world launching pad for film students telling stories of the global community that inhabits the best country in the world.”
 

“The Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 is delighted to partner with the Atlantic Film Festival on the 2017 ‘From Away’ Film Competition. This competition provides a valuable outlet for new Atlantic Canadian filmmakers to connect with an audience,” said Marie Chapman, Chief Executive Officer.  “As a museum of stories, we understand the need to tell stories that reflect Canada’s diverse immigration experience.”
 
The ‘From Away’ program, featuring the multi-faceted celebration of filmmaking and Canadian identity through the Film Competition, will also include a Film Festival Gala Screening Celebration, an Atlantic Canada-wide school tour, community screenings and online presentations.
 
Interested filmmakers must be currently enrolled in an Atlantic Canadian post-secondary institution and/or be an Atlantic Canadian post-secondary student.
 
Films must not exceed ten minutes in length and in instances where multiple languages are used those films must feature English subtitles. The deadline for submissions is Friday, June 30, 2017. 
 
For more information on the competition and to submit a film, visit: http://www.atlanticfilm.com/from-away-film-competition
 
Regional film industry professionals will jury the Film Competition and ten finalists will be chosen to present their films at the 37th Atlantic Film Festival in Halifax, September 14 - 21, 2017. Finalists will be awarded full AFF registration and a travel bursary with selected films being awarded additional prizes. The Grand Prize winner and a guest will attend the Opening Night Gala at TIFF 2018 as VIP guests of RBC.
 
Finalists will also participate in an Atlantic Canadian regional screening tour for youth as well as an online festival, creating opportunities for engagement, discussion and participation throughout the Atlantic region and beyond.
 
 
 
About the Atlantic Film Festival
 
The Atlantic Film Festival is an eight-day celebration of film, media and music from around the world. Celebrating 37 years in 2017, the Atlantic Film Festival began as a tiny, grassroots operation in St. John’s, Newfoundland in 1981, relocating to Halifax the following year. Just three and half decades later, the Atlantic Film Festival has blossomed into one of Canada’s premier film festivals. Providing an immersive escape and celebration for movie lovers, filmmakers and industry professionals worldwide, the Atlantic Film Festival is Atlantic Canada’s curator of epic and unforgettable stories.

Beyond our eight-day cornerstone event in September, the Atlantic Film Festival celebrates the experience of film, year-round through programs including, ViewFinders: Atlantic Film Festival for Youth, the AFF Outdoor Film Experience, Strategic Partners and Reel East Coast.
  
Receive the most up-to-date information about the Atlantic Film Festival and its Family of Programs, including sneak peeks and festival highlights online at our website: atlanticfilm.com, our Facebook page: /atlanticfilmfestival, our Twitter account: /thefilmfest #FromAway, our LinkedIn company page: linkedin.com/company/atlantic-film-festival, our Youtube channel: youtube.com/user/atlanticfilmdotcom, and our Instagram account: thefilmfest.

Since 1999 the Craic Fest has been the premier Irish film and music festival in the U.S. This year is no exception with an eclectic mix of Irish features, documentaries and short films. 

This year marks the 19th annual Craic Fest, presented by Castle Brands and Stella Artois. Opening night is the U.S. premier of Irish rock documentary Fanatic Heart (about the local legendary Irish band that has rocked NYC for over 25 years) Frontman Larry Kirwan and Director Vic Zemet and Stephanie Silber will be in attendance for Q&A. March 3^rd Friday night gala is the U.S. premier of Rebel Rossa a documentary on . The director Williams Cole will attend the Q&A. Saturday morning is the Kids Fleadh (storytelling, Step Dancing and Short films). The Craic rolls on Saturday afternoon award winning documentaries. Crash and Burn U.S. premier at 1:30pm. Director Sean O’Cualian will be in attendance. At 3:30pm is the U.S. premier of PUCK O THE IRISH about the history of ice hockey in Ireland and how hurling helped evolved the game in Canada. At 5pm is the U.S. premier of the documentary I Am Traveller narrated by Love/Hate star John Connors. John and director Kim Bartley will be in attendance. Closing night film is 66 DAYS. Award winning documentary about Bobby Sands and his 66 hunger strike. Saturday Q&A to follow as well. We are delighted to have such a diverse lineup of award winning documentaries this year and we are doing a filmmaker lounge this year as well for all three days at Cinepolis Theater (formely known as Bow Tie Cinemas W. 23^rd St.)” says Festival Director Terence Mulligan. 

The Craic Music Fest is on the following weekend March 11^th at Mercury Lounge. A stellar lineup with the return of The Pat McGuire Band, Mick Hargan and Natalie Clark. Doors at 8pm at Mercury March 11^th.

So bring along some friends, make some new ones, open your eyes to some of Ireland’s best of the New Irish Cinema, enjoy music and drinks. It’s all part of the Craic!

For more info contact 917-373--6735. Full line-up at www.thecraicfest.com

www.THECRAICFEST.COM

THe craic Festival       T: 917 373 6735  e:THe411@thecraicfest.com

The 8th edition of Bif&st-Bari International Film Festival will take place in Bari (Apulia, Italy) April 22 to 29, 2017.
 

Submissions are now open for the competitive section International Panorama, reserved to new feature films (over 70 minutes), fiction only, produced in 2016-17, absolute Italian premières. No documentaries nor short films are accepted.

Selected films will be screened in the beautiful Petruzzelli Theatre in Bari.

Deadline is March 16th, 2017. There is no entry fee.
Bif&st regulations and online entry form are available here:
http://www.bifest.it/en

Bif&st, directed by Felice Laudadio, is chaired by Margarethe von Trotta. Honorary president is Ettore Scola.

The festival reaches every year 75.000 spectators, and in just seven editions, with its broad offer of the highest cultural level (the 2016 program presented 350 events over 8 days), it has grown to become one of the leading cinematic events in Italy.

Read more about Bif&st: http://www.bifest.it/en/about-bifest

Winter Film Awards Is New York City.  Like the city itself, we showcase the eclectic diversity and excitement of the independent arts world. Winter Film Awards is proudly one of the Top 10 Best Reviewed Festivals on FilmFreeway.

Winter Film Awards 6th annual Indie Film Festival runs Feb 23-Mar 4 in NYC with a jam-packed schedule of 88 films of All Genres -- Free Discussion Panels —$5 Matinees —Bloody Thursday All Horror All Day — Daily Screenings of fantastic films and lots of Free Parties.   Gala Red Carpet & Awards Ceremony to be held @Club230Fifth (230 Fifth Ave) Mar 4 8-11PM. 

Among the awesome films you can see at Cinema Village in the heart of Greenwich Village (22 East 12th Street, New York, NY 10003), is a diverse mixture of 11 Animated films, 8 Documentaries, 11 Feature narratives, 10 Horror films, 12 Music Videos, 24 Narrative shorts and 7 Web series, including 12 student films and 33 first-time filmmakers.  Filmmakers come from 30 countries; 42% of the films were created by women, 45% were created by people of color.

Hollywood might ignore women and people of color, but Winter Film Awards celebrates everyone! #WFA2017 #WFASoDiverse. 

* Tickets on sale now!  http://2017wfa.eventcombo.com/

* Opening Night Filmmaker's Reception & Kick-Off Party…. Feb 23 8-11PM … FREE

* Screenings All Day…. February 24 – March 2

* Cocktail party with Cinematcher - try out the newest app called "the Tinder of Film Casting"…. Feb 27 6-7:30PM … FREE

* Film, Identity and Space: Indie Iranian Films Discussion…. Feb 28 6-7:30PM … FREE

* Getting Financing for your Indie Film Discussion Panel  …. Mar 1 6-7:30PM … FREE

* Understanding Legal Issues for Indie Filmmakers Discussion Panel  …. Mar 2 6-7:30PM … FREE

* The Casting Process – Discussion Panel & Networking Party…. Mar 3 6-9PM … $5

* Awards Ceremony & Gala Red Carpet Party… Mar 4 8PM-2AM … Club230Fifth …FREE

Winter Film Awards beautiful official 2017 Festival artwork was designed by renowned artist and Professor Viktor Koen from the School of Visual Arts in NYC.

Visit www.WinterFilmAwards.com for tickets, schedule and details