Santa Clarita Valley Film Festival returns to the Los Angeles area January 8-11, 2009

Posted by editor@vimooz.com on January 1, 2009 under Santa Clarita Valley Film Festival | Be the First to Comment

The Fourth Annual Santa Clarita Valley Film Festival returns to the Los Angeles area January 8-11, 2009 with an exciting line up of independent films from local, regional, national, and international talents appropriate for audiences of all ages.  The weekend’s events take place at the intimate Repertory East Play House in Old Town Newhall, located at 24266 Main Street .

Some of the films include:

• “Catharsis: The Story of a Survivor’s Art” is a work by California State University , Northridge student and Santa Clarita resident Mason Eng.  The documentary features Irving Belfer, a Holocaust survivor whose wife and son passed in the Holocaust, providing a look at his home, which he has filled with folk art and treasured collectibles honoring individuals who lost their lives as a result of the tragic genocide.

• “His Good Will” featuring James Avery, best known for his role in “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.”  This heart-warming story set in 1950 chronicles the story of a young boy struggling against poverty in a small town, and how his innocence and optimism, in the simplest of ways, touch those around him.

• “Reel Life” features filmgoer Eddie Steeples, AKA Crab Man in “My Name is Earl,” in a role where he is magically transported to the world of silent films, meets a starlet, and learns the way of life in a world without sounds.

• “Struck” is a light, fun film about Joel, played by Bodhi Elfman, who is impaled in the chest by a three-foot arrow that doesn’t harm him.  He must learn to live and embrace his newfound protrusion and new way of life, despite the unwillingness of others to accept his strange flaw. [via]

Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) Winners

Posted by editor@vimooz.com on December 19, 2008 under Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) | Be the First to Comment

The Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF) drew to a close last night with a stunning award ceremony to recognize the best films in the festival and in the AsiaAfrica and Arab Muhr Competitions.

The Muhr Awards was expanded this year to include a new AsiaAfrica segment, which embraces films from emerging markets. Some of the entries were submitted from Afghanistan, Turkey, Cameroon and Kazakhstan. The Muhr Awards for Excellence in Arab Cinema was strong than ever this year, with an increased number of applications from filmmakers all over the Middle East and around the world.

Masoud Amralla al Ali, DIFF’s Artistic Director, said: “This year our jury members were hard at work trying to evaluate the merits of truly excellent films. We are extremely proud of the films that we have screened, and choosing between them was very difficult. However, we are pleased with the results, and hope to see these filmmakers back at DIFF in following years with new projects.”

At the beginning of the evening, three awards were presented to Emirati filmmakers: the prize for Best Emirati Talent went to Haydar Mohammed. Best Emirati Female Filmmaker was presented to Nujoom Al Ghanem, and Best Emirati Filmmaker went to Saeed Salmeen Al-Murry.

For the first time, the International Federation of Film Critics, or FIPRESCI, awarded a Best Arab Film prize to one of the films in the Arab Muhr Competition. The prize went to MASQUERADES by Lyes Salem.

Arab Muhr Competition

Short Films:

• First Prize: LA ROUTE DU NORD (THE NORTH ROAD) by Carlos Chahine
• Special Jury Prize: BINT MARIAM by Saeed Salmeen Al-Murry
• Second Prize: SA’ET ASARY (AT DAY’S END) by Sherif El Bendary

Documentary:

• First Prize: THAKIRAT L SABBAR: HIKAYAT THALATH QURA FALASTEENIA (MEMORY OF HE CACTUS: A STORY OF THREE PALESTINIAN VILLAGES) by Hanna Musleh
• Special Jury Prize: SAMAAN BIDIYAA (THE ONE MAN VILLAGE) by Simon El Habre
• Second Prize: MARINA OF THE ZABBALEEN by Engi Wassef

Best Cinematographer: Luca Coassin for CASANEGRA
Best Composer: Sylvain Rifflet for ADHEN - DERNIER MAQUIS
Best Editor: Nicolas Bancilhon for ADHEN - DERNIER MAQUIS
Best Screenplay: Annemarie Jacir for MILH HADHA AL-BAHR (SALT OF THIS SEA)
Best Actress: Hafsia Herzi for FRANCAISE
Best Actor: Anas Elbaz and Omar Lotfi for CASANEGRA

Feature Film:

• Best Film: MASQUERADES by Lyes Salem
• Special Jury Prize: ADHEN - DERNIER MAQUIS by Rabah Ameur-Zaimeche

Muhr AsiaAfrica Awards

Short Films:

• First Prize: SHAO NIAN XUE (YOUNG BLOOD) by Haolun Shu
• Special Jury Prize: EXPECTATIONS by Mahamat-Saleh Haroun
• Second Prize: KAM SANABANYZ (EVERYTHING IS OK) by Akjoltoy Bekbolotov

Documentary:

• First Prize: MENTAL by Kazuhiro Soda
• Special Jury Prize: XIAO LI ZI (SURVIVAL SONG) by Guangyi Yu
• Second Prize: UNE AFFARIE DE NEGRES (BLACK BUSINESS) by Osvalde Lewat

Best Cinematorgrapher: Reza Teymouri for ARAM BASH VA TA HAFT BESHMAR (BE CALM AND COUNT TO SEVEN)
Best Composer: Jorga Mesfin, Vijay Iyer for TEZA
Best Editor: Sreekar Prasad for FIRAAQ
Best Screenplay: Deepa Mehta for HEAVEN ON EARTH
Best Actress: Anh Hong for TRANG NOI DAY GIENG (MOON AT THE BOTTOM OF THE WELL)
Best Actor: Askhat Kuchinchirekov for TULPAN

Feature Film:

• Best Film: TREELESS MOUNTAIN by So Yong Kim
• Special Jury Prize: KYUKA (VACATION) by Hajime Kadoi

The festival had previously announced the results of the second annual Dubai Film Connection (DFC), established to bring Arab and international film professionals together. DFC selected 18 projects from 108 submissions, of which three were awarded a USD 25, 000 Dubai International Film Festival Prize: This is my Picture When I Was Dead, by Mahmoud al Massad (Jordan-Netherlands); Barbershop Trinity, by Chadi Zeneddine (Lebanon); and Ouardia Once Had Sons, by Djamila Sahraoui (Algeria-Morocco). The three producers of the three projects will attend the prestigious 2009 Cannes Producers Network.

Every Day is a Holiday, by Dima El-Hor (Lebanon-France) won the DIFF Desert Door Work in Progress Award, the 6000 Euro ‘International Relations’ prize from French broadcaster Arte went to Death for Sale, by Faouzi Bensaiei (Morocco-France-Belgium); and the new Bahrain Film Production Company Works in Progress Award went to When I Saw You, by Annemarie Jacir (Palestine-Jordan). The new Young Journalist Award, instituted in 2008 to stimulate interest in film criticism as a career in the region, went to Melissa Khan of Mahe Manipal University in Dubai. [via]

Santa Fe Film Festival (SFFF) will run from Wednesday December 3 to Sunday December 7

Posted by editor@vimooz.com on November 12, 2008 under Santa Fe Film Festival (SFFF) | Be the First to Comment

The 9th annual Santa Fe Film Festival (SFFF), will run from Wednesday December 3 to Sunday December 7.

Last year, over 21,000 tickets were sold to an estimated 7,200 patrons from Santa Fe, the surrounding communities in New Mexico, the Southwest region and across the country and world. Increased attendance is expected this year, as outreach expands.

National Geographic returns as a program partner with its All Roads Film Project, bringing about fifteen films from indigenous cultures, representing various countries of the planet. They will also present their annual photographic exhibit. All Roads takes place in Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C., prior to the partnership with the SFFF.

The New York Jewish Film Festival returns with four films, which were presented at their Festival in January at Lincoln Center, sponsored by the New York Jewish Museum. The four films to be shown at the SFFF are sponsored by the Jewish Arts and Culture Group of Santa Fe, as the Santa Fe Jewish Film Festival component of the Santa Fe Film Festival.

The American Film Institute joins the presenting sponsor team with its Project 20/20 program of AFI Fest, bringing filmmakers and films pertaining to cultural and social issues from around the world.  AFI will also help present panels and educational workshops at the SFFF, partnering with the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the President’s Council for the Arts.

Confirmed titles include: SUNSHINE CLEANING, shot in New Mexico with Alan Arkin, by the team of the Oscar-winning Little Miss Sunshine and The Burning Plain, also shot in New Mexico, with Charlize Theron.   Special Presentations include: THE CAKE EATERS, directed by Mary Stuart Masterson, EM, winner of the Grand jury Prize at Seattle International with producer Jim Jermanok, and THE OBJECTIVE, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival, by Daniel Myrick (THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT), with producer Zev Guber.

See the film lineup

The Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film co-sponsors TWO LADIES (DANS LA VIE) and GOOD at the Boston Jewish Film Festival

Posted by editor@vimooz.com on October 17, 2008 under Boston Jewish Film Festival | Be the First to Comment

The Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film (CSIF) will co-present two films as part of the 20th annual Boston Jewish Film Festival: TWO LADIES (DANS LA VIE) on Thursday November 6th, and GOOD in its New England premiere, on Sunday November 9th.

Set in contemporary France, TWO LADIES introduces us to a young Arab nurse who begins working as a private duty nurse to an elderly Jewish woman, while dealing with anti-Israeli anger in her own home. In this compelling story, director Phillipe Faucon offers hope that both religious and generational conflicts can be overlooked when needed. TWO LADIES will screen at 8:30pm Thursday the 6that the Museum of Fine Arts.

In GOOD, an academic (Viggo Mortensen) whose novel attracts the attention of Nazi officials and is drawn further into Party circles despite the concerns of his coworkers and, in particular, his close Jewish friend (Jason Isaacs). Director Vicente Amorim explores the decisions of millions of “good,” ordinary Germans living in a society spirally out of moral control through this one man’s story. Jason Isaacs who plays Lucius Malfoy in the Harry Potter films will be in attendance. GOOD will screen at 3 pm Sunday the 9that the Institute of Contemporary Art.

For the complete schedule of films and film events of the Boston Jewish Film Festival, check its website at http://www.bjff.org/festival/schedule.

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Berkeley Video and Film Festival this weekend

Posted by editor@vimooz.com on September 26, 2008 under Berkeley Video and Film Festival | Be the First to Comment

The 17th annual Berkeley Video and Film Festival, featuring more than 50 independent films and videos, kicks off today and runs through the weekend.

Founded by award-winning filmmakers who were involved with the “independent underground cinema revolution” in the early and mid-1960s, the festival was created in 1990 to provide a venue for independent film and videomakers, organizers said.

Screenings begin at 7:30 p.m. today and at 1 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday at the Landmark Shattuck Cinemas, 2230 Shattuck Ave.

The 2008 films

DOCUMENTARIES

“Stop The Presses: The American Newspaper in Peril” - Mark Birnbaum & Manny Mendoza - 80:00

This documentary should be mandatory viewing for any student or persons working in journalism today. Interviews with the leading publishers and editors of the largest U.S. papers indicate the future demise of this traditional medium. Co-Producer, Manny Mendoza wil answer questions following the films screening.

“The Road to Bonneville” - Brian Darwas - 60:00 - Join this hot rod builder and filmmaker on a shotgun journey with two of the most significantly influential hot rod builders of this generation cruise cross country to the Bonneville Salt Flats and witness a 175 mph run in a ‘32 Ford flat-head powered roadster.

“Ausangate” - Andrea Heckman and Tad Fettig - 61:00

A journey to 20,800’ Ausangate, a great mountain spirit to the Quechua people living around it and how it influences their daily lives and rituals.

“Ellsworth Kelly: Fragments” - Edgar B. Howard and Jo Carole Lauder - 65:00

Insights into the abstract painter, sculptor and printmaker, Ellsworth Kelly, who influenced the development of abstract art in America.

“Hit, Run & Score: The Oakland Banshees Story” - Kenya E. Davis - 35:00

A hard-hitting film following a unique group of female athletes through the challenges of a season playing professional tackle football.

“The James Baldwin Anthology” - Claire Burch - 68:00

A retrospective of the author’s life, featuring a historic speech delivered at UC Berkeley and mixed media.

“Laura Graff Hit & Run Accident: Search for The Driver” - Ed Sharpe - Documentary - 0:37

The Emmy Award winning Glendale Arizona news gatherer, is once again on the scene for this short news spot in the heinous hit and run accident involving local resident Laura Graff, Sharpe’s daily news-webcasts are legendary in Arizona and beyond.www.glendaledailyplanet.com

FEATURES

“FIX”-Tao Ruspoli, Starring Shawn Andrews, Olivia Wilde, Tao Ruspoli, Megalyn Echikunwoke, Dedee Pfeiffer - 93:00 - A frenetic Odyssey-like journey through Los Angeles’ underbelly of drug culture and addiction that explores notions of family, loss and ultimately redemption.

“A bold new style and talent” - Oliver Stone.

“Brash, cool and energetic…a wild ride” - Variety

“Nailed” - A Ben Katz Productions Film - Feature - 84:00 - Directed by Adrian O’Connell.
Starring Charles F. Porter, Sam Sarpong, Wilson Jermaine Heredia, Veronica Borchi & Ray Stoney.
Two hoodlums on the lam seek refuge in what they think is an abonded house, but once inside, they are dying to escape the house’s sinister, horrific clutches.

“Pretty Ugly People” - Brunson Green, Producer and Tate Taylor, Director - 99:00

After getting gastric-bypass surgery and losing all her excess weight, Lucy tricks her college friends into gatheing together again so she can finally feel like one of them. But she soon learns that life isn’t always greener on the other side of obesity.

Carlos Flores Delpino

Founder and Director Academico of the Escuela de Cine de Chile, brings to BVFF the two following Feature Films from Chile, with a Q & A following the screenings:

“Malta con Huevo” (”Scrambled Beer”) - Alberto Fuguet & Sebastian Varela, Producers, Cristobal Valderrama, Director - Chile - 92:00 - A dark comedic past-present-future story of Vladimir, who wakes up one morning after drinking too much ‘malta con huevo’, a concoction made by his friend, Jorge, who has sinister motives.

“Sabado” (”Saturday”- A Real-Time Movie) - Gabriel Diaz, Matias Bize, Producers, Matias Bize, Director - Chile - 63:00 - 60 plus minutes of one hand-held vidcam shot, tracking a bride’s hysterical warpath after discovering her intended is a cheat.

“Black August” - A TCinque Picture, Jan Mabry & Judd Fleming, Producers, TCinque, J.Sampson & Samm Styles, Co-Directors - Feature - 116:00
Starring Gary Dourdan, Darren Bridgett, Ezra Stanley, Vonetta McGee, Elizabeth Nunziato, Leith M. Burke,
Tina Marie Murray & ‘Big’ Leroy Mobley.
Inmate activist George Jackson’s short life became a flashpoint for revolution, igniting the bloodiest riot in San Quentin’s history.

“The Highway Home” - Laurel Hunter -70:00

A disillusioned teen falls in love and runs away to escape a hollow existence; her boyfriend, a small time dealer, is arrested for selling drugs, she is then forced to make her way in an unkind world as she searches for a new place to call home.

“Transmission” - Alex Kopel -7:00 ( The Trailer )

An alien lands in Berkeley on a mission to inform humans that they are destroying the entire universe.

SHORT FEATURES

“Now You See Me, Now You Don’t” - Attila Szasz - Hungary - 30:00

What would you do if your child became invisible?

‘Reflections” - Barry Caldwell - 16:00

Carol sees things in mirrors. Things that have happened before, things that will happen in the future. It’s not a gift. It’s a curse!

“Check Brights” - Barry Levy - 8:14

Take a late night drive through the mind of the ‘driver’, a highly irritable man, who takes his road rage manners very seriously.

“My Worst Nightmare” - Elizabeth O’Neil, Ali Eriekat, Waylon Bacon - 7:00

The cinematic retelling of a nightmare creates results that are both creepy and humorous.

“Honey, I’m Home” - David Branin -5:40

He cheated, She Knows!

ARTS

Premiere*

“Rebel Roar: The Sound of Michael McClure” -

Kurt Hemmer, Tom Knoff, Michael McClure and Harper College -34:00 - Screens Friday Sept 26, 8:45pm

This is the quintessential cinematic Michael McClure primer; this remarkable anthology of McClure’s works includes vintage pics and clips spanning the Beat days to the present, Dennis Hopper once said, “Without McClure’s roar there would have been no sixties”. McClure has been there from the beginning of the Six Gallery in S.F. with Allen Ginsberg and Howl in the ’50’s, he co-wrote Janis Joplin’s “Mercedes Benz”, he was there at the first Be-In with Gary Snyder and Ginsberg, friend of Jim Morrison of the Doors, appeared in Scorces’s “Last Waltz”, Peter Fonda’s “The Hired Hand” and as an outlaw biker in Norman Mailer’s “Beyond the Law”.

This is a ‘must-see’ cinematic marvel with America’s greatest living poet, Michael McClure, Live and in Person with producer Kurt Hemmer providing a Q & A following the film.

“Tilt Project” & “Game Over” - Chiara Scarfo - Italy - 3:25

Directed from her authentic ‘mental institution” studios in Genoa,Italy, reflect a haunting ultra-personal world, only she can share. Scarfo is convincingly becoming one of Italy’s more important renaissance multi-media artists.

“Abattoir, a cinepoem” - LaDonna M. Witmer & Michelle M. Brown - 3:50

In this allegorical cinepoem, meat is a metaphor and in “Abattoir”, death is just part of the daily grind.

“Soul Moves” - Marlene Sinicki - 5:05

A celebration of the improvisational dancer Hallie Aldrich.

“I am a Gladiator” - Carol Saft - 5:00

Starring Todd Godwin, in his most penultimate-sacrificial-ritualistic-narcissistic role to date, with dead incinerated deer, “Greek Fire”, & sword play and then some.

“Why Hillary Swank is My Role Model”- Luis “Louie,Louie” Ramos - 4:18

East Coast “white collar” boxer, and humanitarian, Luis Ramos, struts his stuff and admiration for Hillary.

STUDENT FILMMAKERS

“California King” - Eli Akira Kaufman -21:00

A mattress salesman, who employs faux science to get female customers into bed, falls for a skeptical insomniac who knows her science better than her heart.

“Honor” - Flying Dork Productions & San Francisco School of Digital Filmmaking - 6:35

Three paratroopers patrolling the French countryside; as each soldier fights for his own reason, their fates will be determined by their honor.

“Game Over” - Adrian Avila - Student Filmmaker - 10:38

A man takes his video games a little too seriously and finds out how much thay have an impact.

EDUCATIONAL

“Freedom’s Song: 100 years of African-American Struggle and Triumph” - Randy Rice -75:00

“One Hundred Years of African-American Struggle and Triumph” relates ten important stories from the 20th Century which have either been omitted from textbooks or only marginally discussed. *Bay Area Premiere

EXPERIMENTAL

“Corporate Art Policy” - Neil Ira Needleman - Experimental - 5:30
A film about the art reproductions that hang on the walls of the office complex where I spend my days unconsciously working, while I consciously dream about art.

“Case Histories in Psychotherapy” - Tony Gault - 8:15

Follows the progress of Richard, who began the psychotherapuetic process in a previous film, “Not Too Much Remember”(BVFF’05).

“High Heels” - Dale Sophiea - 14:30

After hearing a Television psychologist say that women are more comfortable being followed by another woman than by a man, Gregory fashions a plan to meet the girl of his dreams. The results are, to put it mildly, not what he was hoping for.

“Torn Asunder” - Bob Barancik - 4:18 - Explores the frayed American National Psyche

YOUNG PRODUCERS

“Jeff Higgins: Dead Blood” - Zack Scott - 14:08 -A “how-to-kill-a-zombie” training video…..with a twist.

“Self-Portrait” - Emma Strebel - 0:45

This self-portrait is an art project, that developed out of a radical intervention to remedy my head lice.

“First Light” - Kevin Walker - 3:39L- Losing a flashlight can have serious consequences…for all of us.

“The Bourne Legacy” - EBMC Summer Teen Media Camp- 7:00

Selections from the Young Producers of Harvard - Westlake School, N. Hollywood

Cheri Gaulke - Video Teacher

“Ridden” -Sebastian Spader & Patrick Hibler - Harvard-Westlake School - Young Producer - -3:16

“The Life and Times of Buster Chaplin” - Evan Hamilton - Harvard-Westlake School - Young Producer - 7:35

“Ticklish” - Max Grey & Drew Foster - Harvard-Westlake School - Young Producer - 7:10

“Castles Made of Sand” - Michael Stampler - Harvard-Westlake School - Young Producer - 2:38

“Ridden” - Sebastian Spader & Patrick Hibler - Harvard-Westlake School - Young Producer - 3:16

“The Amazing Adventure of Sarah Waters” - Danielle Strassman-Harvard-Westlake School -Young Producer- 6:30

“Broken” - Evan Hamilton - Harvard-Westlake School - Young Producer - 8:35

SENIOR PRODUCERS

“Festa Del Redentore” - Richard Randell - 5:30 -A story of old Venice, Italy told in stop motion animation.

“Murder in Moline” - John@Dillinger - 2:00 -Is Ricky Stickle dead, or merely dead drunk? Does it matter?

ANIMATION

“5 Tears” - Colin V. Barton - 3:30

Part poem, part spell, the shedding of past debts, fake religion, fake friends, false society, lost love and loss of innocence.

“Thanks to the Whistleblowers” - David Puls, Fredrick Armstrong - 4:30

An homage to the efforts and risks assumed by those known as “Whistleblowers”.

COMEDY

“BOB” - Waylon Bacon - 2:30

Bob is the most popular guy in town. He is also suicidal.

“The Legend of the Evil Count Spatula” - Ed Sharpe - Comedy - 2:32

Take a trip into the whacky world of Emmy Award winner Ed Sharpe, as he takes the literal challenge of making a common kitchen utensil into an epic maelstrom of comedic proportions.www.glendaledailyplanet.com

“God Libs” - Alex Kopel - 5:47

Be careful what you wish for…..God is listening, and Satan’s got some killer adverbs ready….. !

ETHNOGRAPHIC

“?Tienes Hambre? (Are You Hungry?) - Margo Mercedes Rivera-Weiss - 6:00

A romantic interlude between two Chicanas set in the Taco truck parking lots of the East Oakland Fruitvale neighborhood.

MUSIC VIDEO

“Na Ono o ka Aina - Delicacies of the Land” - Puhipau & Joan Lander - Na Maka o ka Aina Productions - 9:19

Jerry Konanui works to protect the numerous varieties of Hawaiian taro from genetic engineering. Set to a song praising taro varieties for their beauty, taste and spiritual significance.*Bay Area Premiere

“Salam Pax” ( Peace ) - Don Arbor & Pam McCann - 5:00

A peace anthem inspired by an Iraqi blogger who posted stories of Life in Baghdad, during the invasion of Iraq, under the pseudonym “Salam Pax”.

The 2008 Project Twenty1 Film Festival October 4, 5 in Philadelphia

Posted by editor@vimooz.com on September 19, 2008 under Project Twenty1 Film Festival | Be the First to Comment

Project Twenty1, the Philadelphia-based film festival and competition, is holding its 3rd annual Film & Animation Festival the weekend of October 4th and 5th at the 400-seat International House Theater at 37th and Chestnut.

The festival is comprised of two parts, the 21-Day Filmmaking Competition, where Teams of filmmakers had 3 weeks to create 10 minute films from scratch based on a common secret “Element,” and the Philadelphia Film-A-Thon, which exhibits “the best of the best independent shorts and features from around the world,” according to the festival’s Executive Producer Stephanie Yuhas. Project Twenty1 will also host an Awards Ceremony and Opening and Closing night parties.

All films in the 21-Day Competition must be based on a common Element, which stays secret until the launch of the 3 weeks. This year, the Element was “light,” and although most filmmaking teams were based in and around Philadelphia, others participated from as far away as Hawaii, Puerto Rico and the UK. This year’s Competition yielded 30 incredible new shorts, running the gamut of styles and genres from comedy to horror to animation to experimental. All 30 films will have their World Premieres at the 2008 Project Twenty1 Film Festival on October 5, 2008.

The other part of the festival, the Philadelphia Film-A-Thon, will screen a dozen films in addition, both shorts and features. The winner of “Best Feature” from the Film-A-Thon will win the Grand Prize, an offer to be the lead feature on a compilation DVD being distributed by Polychrome Pictures through Warner Bros. Worldwide Home Video. The Best Film from the 21-Day Competition will also be offered a spot on the DVD. Other prizes include storyboard software from Toon Boom, and the coveted Project Twenty1 trophy.

Project Twenty1 prides itself as being ‘Not Just A Film Festival,’ and this year it has expanded its partnerships with other festivals nationwide, including The Slamdance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. “Part of what we offer our Competition films is exposure beyond the scope of our own festival,” says Festival Director Matt Conant, “We’re especially proud of our partnership with Slamdance, which will allow the very best of our Competition films a shot at being screened at the 2009 Slamdance Film Festival, essentially the pinnacle of the independent film festival circuit. We hope to provide a launching pad for some truly inspiring careers.”

The Project Twenty1 Film Festival will take place October 4th and 5th at International House Philadelphia (3701 Chestnut St., 19104). For schedule and ticket information, visit www.projecttwenty1.com or befriend them at www.myspace.com/projecttwenty1.

The Middle East International Film Festival Will Premiere Some Of The Most Important Arabic Films Of The Season

Posted by editor@vimooz.com on September 9, 2008 under Middle East International Film Festival (MEIFF) | Be the First to Comment

Mohamed Khalaf Al Mazrouei, Vice Chairman of the Middle East International Film Festival, has announced that the second year of the festival will premiere seven films from the UAE, Egypt, Morocco,Lebanon and Syria. These films, to be shown in the International Competition Feature Film and Documentary sections, are some of the most important recent Arabic films. Premiering alongside the seven films is a Palestinian film that will see its long-awaited release in the Middle East. 

Executive Director, Nashwa Al Ruwaini announced that the Arabic films taking part in the International Competition Feature Films section of MEIFF would be ‘Fawzia: A Special Blend’ directed by Magdi Ahmed Ali from Egypt, ‘On a Day Like Today’ directed by Amr Salama from Egypt, ‘Haseeba’ directed by Remon Butros from Syria, ‘Beirut Open City’ directed by Samir Habashi from Lebanon, ‘Time of Comrades’ directed by Mohammed Alsharif Al Taribeq from Morocco, ‘Henna’ directed by UAE national Saleh Karama. The Egyptian documentary ‘Bid you Farewell’ directed by Mohammed Kamel El Kaliouby will premiere as part of the International Competition Documentary section of the festival. 

Premiering in the Middle East is the Palestinian film ‘Laila’s Birthday’ by Palestinian filmmaker Rashid Masharawi. The film, about a father who tries his best to overcome the daily chaos in Palestine to make his daughter’s birthday memorable, is set to show at the San Sebastian International Film Festival in Spain.

Nashwa Al Ruwaini, also announced that the second edition of the festival, held in Abu Dhabi from October 10-19, will see major Arab stars attending the festival in support of their films. Among them will be Syrian actress Sulaf Fawakherji from ‘Haseeba’, Egyptian actresses Elham Shaheen, Ghada Abdel Razaq and Hala Sadqi and actors Fathi Abdel Wahab and Ezzat Abu Ouf from ‘Khalta Fawziya’, Lebanese actress Serene Abdel Noor and Egyptian actor Khaled Al Nabawi from ‘Smoke without Fire’, and the world-renowned Palestinian stars Mohammed Bakri and Areen Omari from ‘Laila’s Birthday’ alongside a slew of new and rising faces like Egyptian actors Basma and Ahmed Al Fishawi and Asser Yassin from ‘Zay Al Naharda.’

Arabic programmer for MEIFF and acclaimed Egyptian journalist Samir Farid commented, “We are extremely impressed with this year’s selection of films from the Arab world and are honoured to have a number of world and regional premiers screening during our festival”.

MEIFF is an annual event and a project of the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage (ADACH). The festival is a cultural event dedicated to bringing a diverse slate of international films and programs to the community and introducing filmmakers from around the world to the resources of the region. 

This year’s MEIFF will see several new additions to an already exciting schedule. For the first time, there will be a section of the festival concentrating on Environmental Films as well as a showcase of 16 hours of documentaries highlighting the 60 years since the division of Palestine. The prestigious Black Pearl Awards will also return in the second edition with the total prize money now exceeding $1 million in cash in the categories of fiction, documentary, animation, shorts, student films and animation.

Mediterranean Documentary Festival in Greece

Posted by editor@vimooz.com on September 3, 2008 under Mediterranean Documentary Festival | Be the First to Comment

The 11th Mediterranean Documentary Festival will be held from September 6 to 9 at the Lavrion Technological Cultural Park. This year, the festival screens 26 movies from Greece, Italy, France, Israel, Egypt, Spain, Turkey, Portugal and Palestine. In addition to the traditional areas of work, immigration, political documentary film, people and places, there will also be an eco section, thus inaugurating a collaboration with the eco festival EcoFilms. The festival kicks off with “Cairo” (1991) in memory of the late Egyptian director Youssef Chahine. The festival will also screen “The band’s visit” by Eran Kolirin, a joint production by Egypt and Israel followed by a discussion moderated by Kolirin on behalf of the Greek Film Critics Association. The Mediterranean Documentary Festival is not based on competition and therefore includes movies which are selected on the basis of the mark they have left in their time.

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The 16th Raindance Film Festival Program Announced

Posted by editor@vimooz.com on under Raindance Film Festival | Be the First to Comment

The 16th Raindance Film Festival’s program was today announced by festival patron Ken Loach, with the full line-up which includes 75 features and over 100 shorts alongside a host of live events, exclusive Q&As and masterclasses. The Raindance Film Festival will take place from 1-12 October 2008 in London’s West End with some of the film industry’s most exciting filmmakers sitting on this year’s jury including Oscar-winning Peter Capaldi (Franz Kafka’s It’s a Wonderful Life), Beastie Boys’ filmmaker Adam Yauch (Awesome I F***ing Shot That), Rebecca O’Brien (The Wind that Shakes the Barley) and Nicolas Roeg (Walkabout, Don’t Look Now, Puffball).

Book-ending the fortnight long Festival, the UK premiere of breakout new writer-director Clark Gregg and maverick author Chuck Palahniuk’s (Flight Club) CHOKE, starring Sam Rockwell (Jesse James, Confessions of a Dangerous Mind), Anjelica Huston (The Darjeeling Limited, The Royal Tenenbaums) and Kelly MacDonald, (No Country for Old Men, Trainspotting), opens the event on Wednesday 1st October, and the Closing Gala on Sunday 12th October brings the festival to an end with the World premiere of Mark Tonderai’s directorial debut HUSH, starring William Ash, Christine Bottomley and Guy Burnet.

Anjelica Huston is expected to guest appear for the Opening Night Gala as well as screen goddess Faye Dunaway for her new film FLICK, directed by David Howard and with expected appearances from co-stars Michelle Ryan (Bionic Woman), Liz Smith (The Royle Family) and Mark Benton (Murphy’s Law).

80’s superstar Corey Feldman (Stand By Me, The Goonies) will feature at the festival promoting his new film THE BIRTHDAY, and will participate in a special retrospective event. Cult director Jeremy Podeswa (Six Feet Under, Queer as Folk) will also be in attendance with his new film FUGITIVE PIECES.

Raindance has a strong reputation for it’s interest of music in film and in the past has featured jurors such as Iggy Pop, Lou Reed, Marky Ramone and Mick Jones (The Clash) and has previously programmed films such as: Billy Childish Is Dead, The Devil & Daniel Johnston, Leonard Cohen: I’m Your Man, Neil Young: Heart of Gold and documentaries on The Ramones, Lambchop and Johnny Thunders. This year is no different with films dedicated to Patti Smith, The Beatles, The Arctic Monkeys and a documentary by Beastie Boys’ hip-hop legend Adam Yauch.

The festival will host a special event with Giles Martin, son of the legendary producer Sir George Martin, in aid of the London Premiere of ALL TOGETHER NOW, a new film charting the creation of The Beatles/Cirque du Soleil collaboration LOVE.

The Arctic Monkeys will attend the London Premiere of their new film ARCTIC MONKEYS AT THE APOLLO with director Richard Ayoade (The Mighty Boosh, Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace).

Adam Yauch from old school hip-hop megagroup the Beastie Boys features on this year’s Raindance jury with the European Premiere of his basketball directed documentary GUNNIN FOR THAT #1 SPOT.

Les Claypool (Primus, Fearless Frog Brigade) will also be doing a guest Q&A at the screening of ELECTRIC APRICOT: QUEST FOR FESTEROO, a mockumentary film he directed.

Strongly anticipated UK features for this year’s festival include Matthew Thompson’s directorial debut DUMMY, David Howard’s FLICK starring Faye Dunaway, Michelle Ryan, Liz Smith and Mark Benton, as well as Peter Greenaway’s NIGHTWATCHING, starring Martin Freeman, Emily Holmes and Eva Birthistle.

Acclaimed director and Raindance patron, Mike Figgis will be in attendance presenting a new short film for Sony Ericsson entitled “Life Captured”. The international competition gives participants the chance to take part in the creation of this pioneering new film made entirely out of still mobile phone images. Mike will nominate five Outstanding Achievers who will win a VIP trip for them and a friend to attend the film’s red carpet premiere at the Raindance Film Festival in London on Thursday, 2nd October 2008.

Feature films, documentaries and shorts from around the globe will transport cinema-goers to: Australia, Canada, Palestine, USA, New Zealand, Costa Rica, Brazil, Italy, Serbia, Japan, Kenya, France, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Sovenia, Czech Republic, Austria, Mexico, Columbia, Uraguay, Spain and Argentina.

New to this year’s Festival Awards is the AUDIENCE AWARD, which will be given to the best feature film at the 16th Raindance Film Festival as selected by you. Also new is the DAILYMOTION SHORT CIRCUIT AWARD created with Raindance.tv to search for budding new talent. 60 second short films will be considered by a judging panel led by director Michael Winterbottom. Visit www.dailymotion.com for more details. In addition is the BEST UK SHORT FILM AWARD sponsored by Delta Airlines with a prize of 2 return tickets to anywhere in the US and designed to give UK filmmakers the opportunity to attend screenings of their film in US festivals.

All award winners will be announced before the screening of the Closing Night Film HUSH at the Cineworld Trocadero on Sunday 12 October at 7:30PM.

Festival patron Ken Loach commented on The 16th Raindance Film Festival line-up: “It’s good news that Raindance looks set for another lovely festival.  Let’s hope you make some mischief.”

Elliot Grove, Director of The Raindance Film Festival said: “We are especially pleased to welcome Ken Loach as festival patron for our 16th Anniversary of The Raindance Film Festival. We are excited to present a fantastic line-up of international films which represent the true nature of the festival and excellence within independent filmmaking.”

2008 Woodstock Film Festival to Honor Kevin Smith

Posted by editor@vimooz.com on under Woodstock Film Festival | Be the First to Comment

KEVIN SMITH, the director/screenwriter/actor/editor/comic book writer hailed as “one of the most unique voices to emerge during the American independent filmmaking renaissance of the 1990’s,” will be presented with the 2008 Honorary Maverick Award for his past and continuing work in independent film. Smith’s latest offering, Zack and Miri Make a Porno, will help close the 9th Annual Woodstock Film Festival on Sunday, Oct. 5, courtesy of The Weinstein Company.

Widely known for his inteligent comedies, Clerks, Mallrats, Chasing Amy, Jersey Girl, Jay And Silent Bob Strike Back, Dogma and Clerks II, Smith will receive the Honorary Maverick Award at the WFF Awards Ceremony on October 4th.

“I can’t imagine a single person in the entertainment industry who embodies the spirit of the Woodstock Mavericks more than Kevin Smith” said John Sloss, head of Cinetic Media, member of the Woodstock Film Festival Advisory Board and a long time colleague of Mr. Smith. “From “Clerks” to “Dogma” to the upcoming “Zack and Miri Make a Porno” he has tweaked the noses of the Establishment and expanded the bounds of propriety in a singularly brilliant and irreverent way. More remarkably, all the while imbuing his work with an uncommon humanism, a quality also historically attributed to the Woodstock community,”

Avoiding large Hollywood films, Smith has stayed true to his independent film roots and continued to make intelligent comedies that explore deeper themes such as religion, youth, and romance.

“Woodstock embodies the Maverick spirit as a symbol of creative, risk-taking, independent thought,” said Meira Blaustein, WFF Executive Director and Co-Founder. “This year’s honorary Maverick Award recipient, Kevin Smith, personifies all of these qualities.  His films perceptively pursue humanity with a satiric and fiercely independent eye. He’s an outstanding choice for this award.” Past recipients include Les Blank, D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus, Tim Robbins, Woody Harrelson, Mira Nair, Steve Buscemi, Barbara Kopple and Christine Vachon.

Starting his career in his native state of New Jersey, Smith made his first film, Clerks, for less than $30,000 dollars, shooting it at the convenience store where Smith had worked. It won both the Mercedes Benz award and the Award of the Youth at the Cannes Film Festival, a Filmmaker Trophy at Sundance and was picked up by Miramax.  Since then, Smith has written and directed a number of underground successes including Mallrats, Chasing Amy, and Clerks 2.  He’s also responsible for larger budget films such as Dogma, Jersey Girl, and Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back. Smith’s work has won many film festival accolades including the Independent Spirit Award.

His new project, Zack and Miri Make a Porno, is another smart comedy which stars Seth Rogan and Elizabeth Banks as two friends who, faced with dire financial straits, decide to make a porno movie.  While they agree that the endeavor will remain completely professional and sex won’t get in the way of their friendship, what starts out as a film project turns into much more.   The film is one of two closing films this year…Smith’s film will close in Woodstock. (The Great Buck Howard, directed by Sean McGinly, closes in Rosendale.)

In addition to acting, writing, and directing, Smith has created comics for Marvel and DC and released two lecture DVDs entitled An Evening With Kevin Smith. Last year he also released a memoir/diary, entitled “My Boring Ass Life: The Uncomfortably Candid Diary of Kevin Smith.”

The 9th annual Woodstock Film Festival takes place October 1-5th, 2008.