I am back in Venice, sketching festival moments again, but this time directly onto copper plates for etching.
Well I just reached the press conference for The Wrestler, jumping from one boat to the next to reach the Lido en tempo.
I had to stand at the conference but sometimes having this profile makes a good view for the sketch. I took the copper plate out of the bag and started to etch what I felt would be the winning plate. Mickey Rourke and Darren Aronofsky were holding the stage here, the angle was the 15 year comeback for Mickey, it was good. He suggested that it's only by realising our struggles that we manage them, and learn to hold up after. Today they announced the film won the Golden Lion for best film. It was a moment of magic, and a true performance.
Nesta
- producing limited edition signature prints of the festival, Golden Lion best film The Wrestler and Lifetime Achievement award Ermanno Olbi.
Saturday, September 6, 2008
Friday, July 18, 2008
CANNES PALME D’OR WINNER TO OPEN NEW YORK FILM FESTIVAL
By Sandy Mandelberger
The winner of this year’s
The Class (Entres Les Murs), a gritty but very human story of the dysfunctional French education system, won the top prize at
The Class is is the fourth Palme d'Or film to open the fest, following Lars Von Trier’s Dancer in the Dark (2000), Mike Leigh’s Secrets And Lies (1996) and Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction (1994). The Class, about high school teachers and students at an interracial inner city school, marked the first time that a French film had taken the Palme d’Or honor since 1987’s Under The Sun of Satan.
Arthouse powerhouse Sony Pictures Classics, a “classics division” of Sony Pictures, picked up the rights to the film after
The New York Film Festival has also announced two special showcases to run parallel to the main programming event. In The Realm of Nashima will feature an exhaustive survey of the work of one of
Asia House presents the first "Asia House Festival of Asian Film
Asia House launches the inaugural "Asia House Festival of Asian Film" in
August. Dedicated to Asian film, it will premiere films from Singapore,
South Korea, Iran, Indonesia and China. Organised and hosted by Asia
House in partnership with Curzon Cinemas, "The Asia House Festival of
Asian Film" celebrates the best in Asian cinema, showcasing films that
have been critically acclaimed at recent film festivals and providing
the first and possibly only opportunity to see these films in the UK.
The Festival runs from 22 - 28 August at the Renoir Cinema, London. The
programme features some of the finest recent films from Asia. The
Opening Night film, 881, is the spectacular number 1 Singapore hit
musical of 2007 directed by Royston Tan. Seven Days is a Korean thriller
starring Yunjin Kim, star of TV's global hit, Lost. Night Bus from Iran
is a suspenseful anti-war film set during the 1980s Iran-Iraq war and
was winner of the 2007 Grand Jury Prize at the Asia Pacific Screen
Awards. The Photograph from Indonesia premiered at the Pusan Film
Festival and comes from a new generation of Indonesian film-makers
exploring social issues affecting their society. After the global
success of Chinese epics such as House of Flying Daggers, our Closing
Night film, Three Kingdoms: Resurrection of the Dragon, is the latest
historical blockbuster starring Andy Lau, Sammo Hung and Maggie Q.
Asia House is the leading UK pan-Asian organisation working to prepare
the people, corporations and institutions of the UK for a future in
which Asia will be the dominant player. Curzon Cinemas is the leading
cinema group presenting the best in independent and alternative cinema.
http://www.asiahouse.org
Monday, July 14, 2008
FINDING SLOVENIAN CINEMA ON THE INTERNATIONAL FILM MAP
By Sandy Mandelberger
What most American do not know about the country of Slovenia could easily fill the mileage that separates the two countries. Well, with the idea that film can be an informative and illuminating guide to other cultures, New York's Film Society of Lincoln Center and the Slovenian Film Fund will be presenting a program of classic and contemporary Slovenian films from July 16 to 22. So ladies and gents, it’s time to brush up on your Slovene savvy.
What most American do not know about the country of Slovenia could easily fill the mileage that separates the two countries. Well, with the idea that film can be an informative and illuminating guide to other cultures, New York's Film Society of Lincoln Center and the Slovenian Film Fund will be presenting a program of classic and contemporary Slovenian films from July 16 to 22. So ladies and gents, it’s time to brush up on your Slovene savvy.
Let’s start with some basics: Slovenia, officially the Republic of Slovenia is a country in southern Central Europe bordering Italy to the west, the Adriatic Sea to the southwest, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north. The capital of Slovenia is Ljubljana. At various points in Slovenia's history, the country has been part of the Roman Empire, the Byzantine Empire, the Republic of Venice, the Holy Roman Empire, the Habsburg Monarchy and the Austro-Hungarian Empire. It became part of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia following World War I and the Socialist Republic of Slovenia after 1945, before gaining full independence in 1991. Slovenia is the only former communist state to be at the same time a member of the European Union, the Eurozone, the Council of Europe and NATO. Through its long and often troubled history, the Slovene people have retained their own distinct cultural identity.
In terms of film, Slovene cinema has a more than century-long tradition with such notable historical film auteurs as Karol Grossmann, Janko Ravnik, Ferdo Delak, France Štiglic, Mirko Grobler, Igor Pretnar, France Kosmač, Jože Pogačnik, Matjaž Klopčič, Jane Kavčič, Jože Gale, Boštjan Hladnik and Karpo Godina. In the past decade and a half, since becoming its one sovereign nation, there has been a generation of film artists who have been referred to as the “renaissance of Slovenian cinema”, including such contemporary film directors Janez Burger, Jan Cvitkovič, Damjan Kozole, Janez Lapajne and Maja Weiss. In all, there have been over 150 Slovene feature films, plus a few hundred documentaries and short films, currently producing between four and six feature films each year.
Film genres have been a mix of domestic comedies, social realist dramas and poetic meditations. As with many films produced in the post World War II era, Slovenian films were often more warmly embraced outside the country than inside it. A case in point is the 1957 film Valley of Peace, for which African-American John Kitzmiller received the Best Actor prize at the 1957 Cannes Film Festival. The same new openness that characterized films from Czechoslovakia and Hungary in the 1960s were evidenced in Slovenia as well, with such international hits as Dance in the Rain and Paper Planes. The post-Communist period was rocky, but the creation of the Slovenian Film Fund in 1994 has been essential in fostering new talents and promoting Slovenian cinema internationally at film festivals, film markets and other events.
Bringing the Slovene sensibility to New York film audiences, At the Crossroads: Slovenian Cinema will showcase more than a dozen classic and contemporary films that chart Slovenian cinema’s continued evolution as a distinct member of the world cinema club. Screenings will be held at the Walter Reade Theater, the flagship for the Film Society of Lincoln Center, with director Marko Nabersnik and author/film scholar Joseph Valencic on hand to introduce screenings throughout the series.
Classic films to savor in the series include: Dance In The Rain (1961, Bostjan Hladnik), a modernist classic about a painter who looks back at his thwarted personal and artistic choices; Paper Planes (1967, Matjaz Klopcic), one of the films that defined the 1960s aesthetic of quietly observed characters and modern sexual relationships between a photographer and a ballet dancer; Raft of the Medusa (1980, Karpo Godina), a surrealistic-tinged debut by cinematographer Godina about two young school teachers who encounter an avant-garde troupe of artists; Valley of Peace (1956, France Stiglic), a World War II-set film about a downed American flyer who is rescued by a group of Slovenian children, which won African-American actor John Kitzmiller a Best Actor prize at the Cannes Film Festival; and Vesna (1953, Frantisek Cap), a gentle college comedy that remains one of the best loved of all Slovenian film.
More contemporary Slovenian cinema ripe for discovery include: Beneath Her Window (2003, Metod Pevec), an offbeat romantic comedy about a dance instructor who becomes involved with a married man; Guardian of the Frontier (2002, Maja Weiss), a feminist tale about a trio of student on summer break that screened at the 2003 New Directors/New Films series; Idle Running (1999, Janez Burger), a quirky low-budget tale of a slacker student and his friends and romances, which screened at New Directors/New Films in 2000; Outsider (1996, Andrej Kosak), the local box office hit about a young man’s growing involvement with a local contingent of punk rockers; Rooster’s Breakfast (2007, Marko Nabersnik), a contemporary box office hit that skillfully mixes coming-of-age, thriller and musical genres; Spare Parts (2003, Damjan Kozole), a searing look at the human trafficking between the new and old Europe; Sweet Dreams (2001, Saso Podgorsek), an adaptation of a popular local bestseller about a young boy’s cultural clash with modernity in 1970s Yugoslavia; and When I Close My Eyes (1993, Franci Slak), a unsettling psychological thriller of family secrets and betrayal that develops into a devastating portrait of a society ruled by suspicion and power games.
For more information on the films in the series, log on to the Film Society’s website: http://www.filmlinc.com/. Once you have experienced the rare screenings of these films from a culture so far and yet so close, you will be able to find Slovenia on the international film map……
Thursday, July 10, 2008
First Look At the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival
By Sandy Mandelberger
Although it does not start for almost two more months, the first press releases from the Toronto International Film Festival (http://www.tiff08.ca/) are already stirring up anticipation for what has become one of the top film festival events in the world. Overlapping with the closing days of the Venice Film Festival and immediately following the boutique Telluride Film Festival in Colorado, the Canadian juggernaut is viewed by many industry insiders as the official start of the fall film season and the first chapter in what has become an extended “awards season”.
The independent and international film industries, which have been battered these past few months with downbeat economic realities and troubling closures of several major American and European distribution companies, are looking to Toronto to provide a ray of sunshine in an otherwise gloomy forecast. Whether Toronto can provide that shot of adrenaline that the industry desperately needs is still unclear, but the first announcements of films to screen at the prestigious showcase are already generating considerable industry buzz and speculation.
Two highly anticipated European films were announced a few days ago in the first of several programming announcements that will be sequentially released over the next month. Good, a UK/German co-production by Brazilian director Vicente Amorim, will have its world premiere at the event. Viggo Mortensen stars as John Halder, a literature professor in the 1930s who writes a novel advocating compassionate euthanasia. His interest in “mercy killing” is quite personal….he has a neurotic wife, two demanding children and a mother suffering from senile dementia. When the book is unexpectedly enlisted by powerful political figures in support of government propaganda, Halder encounters a troubling moral dilemma with personal consequences. The film, director Amorim’s follow up to his 2003 The Middle Of The World, also stars Jason Isaacs, Jodie Whittaker, Mark Strong and Gemma Jones. It was produced by London-based production company Good Films and German shingle Miromar Entertainment. For more information and to view a trailer, visit the film’s official website: http://www.goodthefilm.com/
Toronto serves as the North American festival premiere for the celebrated Italian film Il Divo, directed by Paolo Sorrentino. The Italian/French co-production won the Jury Prize at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. The film is a biopic of the controversial Italian prime minister Giulio Andreotti, who was elected to the office seven times over a 40 year political career. In many ways, he held the fate of Italy in his hands for over half a century until the disconcerting accusations of involvement with the Mafia caused his political downfall. The film has been praised as an insightful, intensely political film that delves into the hidden character of one of the most powerful figures in the history of Italian politics. The film was produced by Rome-based Indigo Films in collaboration with Studio Canal and arte France Cinéma. The project received subsidy support from Il Ministero per i Beni e le Attività Culturali, Centre National de la Cinématographie, Eurimages and the Film Commission Torino-Piemonte. For more information and to view a trailer of the film, visit the official film website at http://www.luckyred.it/ildivo
Other films already announced for the event include: Disgrace, an Australian/South African drama directed by Steve Jacobs and starring John Malkovich; Miracle at St. Anna, a world premiere presentation by iconic American director Spike Lee; Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist, an American indie film set in New York’s rock-n-roll scene directed by Peter Sollett; and the Iraq War drama The Hurt Locker by American director Kathryn Bigelow, with an all-star cast that Ralph Fiennes, Guy Pearce, David Morse, Jeremy Renner and Christian Camargo.
The Festival previously announced that it will open with the World Premiere of Passchendaele, written, directed and produced by celebrated Canadian filmmaker Paul Gross. The 33rd Toronto International Film Festival runs September 4 to 13, 2008.
Although it does not start for almost two more months, the first press releases from the Toronto International Film Festival (http://www.tiff08.ca/) are already stirring up anticipation for what has become one of the top film festival events in the world. Overlapping with the closing days of the Venice Film Festival and immediately following the boutique Telluride Film Festival in Colorado, the Canadian juggernaut is viewed by many industry insiders as the official start of the fall film season and the first chapter in what has become an extended “awards season”.
The independent and international film industries, which have been battered these past few months with downbeat economic realities and troubling closures of several major American and European distribution companies, are looking to Toronto to provide a ray of sunshine in an otherwise gloomy forecast. Whether Toronto can provide that shot of adrenaline that the industry desperately needs is still unclear, but the first announcements of films to screen at the prestigious showcase are already generating considerable industry buzz and speculation.
Two highly anticipated European films were announced a few days ago in the first of several programming announcements that will be sequentially released over the next month. Good, a UK/German co-production by Brazilian director Vicente Amorim, will have its world premiere at the event. Viggo Mortensen stars as John Halder, a literature professor in the 1930s who writes a novel advocating compassionate euthanasia. His interest in “mercy killing” is quite personal….he has a neurotic wife, two demanding children and a mother suffering from senile dementia. When the book is unexpectedly enlisted by powerful political figures in support of government propaganda, Halder encounters a troubling moral dilemma with personal consequences. The film, director Amorim’s follow up to his 2003 The Middle Of The World, also stars Jason Isaacs, Jodie Whittaker, Mark Strong and Gemma Jones. It was produced by London-based production company Good Films and German shingle Miromar Entertainment. For more information and to view a trailer, visit the film’s official website: http://www.goodthefilm.com/
Toronto serves as the North American festival premiere for the celebrated Italian film Il Divo, directed by Paolo Sorrentino. The Italian/French co-production won the Jury Prize at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. The film is a biopic of the controversial Italian prime minister Giulio Andreotti, who was elected to the office seven times over a 40 year political career. In many ways, he held the fate of Italy in his hands for over half a century until the disconcerting accusations of involvement with the Mafia caused his political downfall. The film has been praised as an insightful, intensely political film that delves into the hidden character of one of the most powerful figures in the history of Italian politics. The film was produced by Rome-based Indigo Films in collaboration with Studio Canal and arte France Cinéma. The project received subsidy support from Il Ministero per i Beni e le Attività Culturali, Centre National de la Cinématographie, Eurimages and the Film Commission Torino-Piemonte. For more information and to view a trailer of the film, visit the official film website at http://www.luckyred.it/ildivo
Other films already announced for the event include: Disgrace, an Australian/South African drama directed by Steve Jacobs and starring John Malkovich; Miracle at St. Anna, a world premiere presentation by iconic American director Spike Lee; Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist, an American indie film set in New York’s rock-n-roll scene directed by Peter Sollett; and the Iraq War drama The Hurt Locker by American director Kathryn Bigelow, with an all-star cast that Ralph Fiennes, Guy Pearce, David Morse, Jeremy Renner and Christian Camargo.
The Festival previously announced that it will open with the World Premiere of Passchendaele, written, directed and produced by celebrated Canadian filmmaker Paul Gross. The 33rd Toronto International Film Festival runs September 4 to 13, 2008.
Monday, June 30, 2008
SPIKE LEE HONORED AT SILVERDOCS
By Sandy Mandelberger
SILVERDOCS, the prestigious documentary film festival taking place this week, is, by and large, a non-glam event, with most attendees simply hard-working documentarians, most working without massive media spotlight. However, each year, the event brings some Hollywood-style stardust to the proceedings. In the past two years, the Festival has honored Jonathan Demme and Martin Scorsese, specifically for their documentary work. Last night, it was Spike Lee's turn, as the iconoclastic director was honored with the Guggenheim Symposium for his non-fiction output. The Symposium is named in honor of the late documentary pioneer Charles Guggenheim, who has become a kind of patron saint of the event.
Lee is arguably the most provocative filmmaker of his generation, a visual artist who paints on a wide social canvas and has not been reluctant to include political and social content, even in his genre films. Few directors have examined race, class and other divisive forces in America with both honesty and a signature aesthetic that blends music and imagery to brilliant effect.
Aside from his influential narrative work (including DO THE RIGHT THING, JUNGLE FEVER, MALCOLM X and THE 25TH HOUR), Lee has mixed it up throughout his career with non-fiction films of note. The first was 4 LITTLE GIRLS (1997), a shocking examination of the racist bombing of a Birmingham, Alabama church in 1963 that was one of the catalysts of the civil rights movement. The film offered a profile of the three young girls who were killed on that day and those who were left behind to grieve for them. The film was nominated for an Academy Award as Best Documentary and won the honor with the Broadcast Film Critics, Online Film Critics and Image awards.
In 2002, Lee released a 20 minute film provocation entitled WE WUZ ROBBED, a scathing examination of the 2000 Presidential election, focusing on the state of Florida, where corruption and government malfeasance led to the first Supreme Court-appointed presidential ascension. The film also pointed out how poor and rural blacks were prevented from casting their votes because of ambiguous laws, making it clear that the "one person, one vote" ideal in America has not yet been reached.
Last year, Lee focused his attention on another cataclysm, this one a natural phenomenon with the name Hurricane Katrina. In his epic 4-hour WHEN THE LEVEES BROKE: A REQUIEM IN FOUR ACTS, the director produced a sprawling, exhaustive and furious chronicle of the hurricane itself and its aftermath. The film won three Emmy Awards, a Peabody Award and the Human Rights and Horizon awards at the Venice Film Festival.
While attracted to topics of great import, Lee has also distinguished himself in other documentary genres. He tried his hand at capturing the energy of live performance in THE ORIGINAL KINGS OF COMEDY (2000), a chronicle of the concert tour of some of today's most high profile black comedians. His next project was a fascinating profile of footballer-turned-actor Jim Brown in the engaging JIM BROWN: ALL AMERICAN (2002).
Lee continues to mix documentary work with his fiction films. He is currently serving as the Executive Producer of EVOLUTION OF A CRIMINAL, a documentary film by Darius Monroe about the aftermath of his life of crime, that will be released later this year. Other projects on the hopper include documentary projects on basketball star Michael Jordan and the Los Angeles riots of the late 1990s, which divided a city and the nation.
Before a capacity crowd at the AFI Silver Center, clips from the above documentary films during an on-stage conversation with the always fascinating Lee and Denver Post film critic Lisa Kennedy.
SILVERDOCS, the prestigious documentary film festival taking place this week, is, by and large, a non-glam event, with most attendees simply hard-working documentarians, most working without massive media spotlight. However, each year, the event brings some Hollywood-style stardust to the proceedings. In the past two years, the Festival has honored Jonathan Demme and Martin Scorsese, specifically for their documentary work. Last night, it was Spike Lee's turn, as the iconoclastic director was honored with the Guggenheim Symposium for his non-fiction output. The Symposium is named in honor of the late documentary pioneer Charles Guggenheim, who has become a kind of patron saint of the event.
Lee is arguably the most provocative filmmaker of his generation, a visual artist who paints on a wide social canvas and has not been reluctant to include political and social content, even in his genre films. Few directors have examined race, class and other divisive forces in America with both honesty and a signature aesthetic that blends music and imagery to brilliant effect.
Aside from his influential narrative work (including DO THE RIGHT THING, JUNGLE FEVER, MALCOLM X and THE 25TH HOUR), Lee has mixed it up throughout his career with non-fiction films of note. The first was 4 LITTLE GIRLS (1997), a shocking examination of the racist bombing of a Birmingham, Alabama church in 1963 that was one of the catalysts of the civil rights movement. The film offered a profile of the three young girls who were killed on that day and those who were left behind to grieve for them. The film was nominated for an Academy Award as Best Documentary and won the honor with the Broadcast Film Critics, Online Film Critics and Image awards.
In 2002, Lee released a 20 minute film provocation entitled WE WUZ ROBBED, a scathing examination of the 2000 Presidential election, focusing on the state of Florida, where corruption and government malfeasance led to the first Supreme Court-appointed presidential ascension. The film also pointed out how poor and rural blacks were prevented from casting their votes because of ambiguous laws, making it clear that the "one person, one vote" ideal in America has not yet been reached.
Last year, Lee focused his attention on another cataclysm, this one a natural phenomenon with the name Hurricane Katrina. In his epic 4-hour WHEN THE LEVEES BROKE: A REQUIEM IN FOUR ACTS, the director produced a sprawling, exhaustive and furious chronicle of the hurricane itself and its aftermath. The film won three Emmy Awards, a Peabody Award and the Human Rights and Horizon awards at the Venice Film Festival.
While attracted to topics of great import, Lee has also distinguished himself in other documentary genres. He tried his hand at capturing the energy of live performance in THE ORIGINAL KINGS OF COMEDY (2000), a chronicle of the concert tour of some of today's most high profile black comedians. His next project was a fascinating profile of footballer-turned-actor Jim Brown in the engaging JIM BROWN: ALL AMERICAN (2002).
Lee continues to mix documentary work with his fiction films. He is currently serving as the Executive Producer of EVOLUTION OF A CRIMINAL, a documentary film by Darius Monroe about the aftermath of his life of crime, that will be released later this year. Other projects on the hopper include documentary projects on basketball star Michael Jordan and the Los Angeles riots of the late 1990s, which divided a city and the nation.
Before a capacity crowd at the AFI Silver Center, clips from the above documentary films during an on-stage conversation with the always fascinating Lee and Denver Post film critic Lisa Kennedy.
SILVERDOCS 2008 Award Winners
By Sandy Mandelberger
Monday, June 23-----SILVERDOCS: AFI/Discovery Channel Documentary Festival announced its distinguished award winners, culminating the weeklong Festival activities that included screening 108 films representing 63 countries, free outdoor screenings and live performances, and a five-day concurrent International Documentary Conference attended by over 650 filmmakers, film and television executives and media professionals. Winning filmmakers received over $70,000 in combined cash and in-kind prizes.
With a generally perceived strong program on tap this year, the decisions of the juries were particularly difficult ones to come to. With such a mix of subjects, themes and filmmaking styles, the real winner were SILVERDOCS audiences and the documentary field itself, which now is as varied in tone and content as its feature film cousin. Arguably, some of the best writing, editing, cinematography and direction are to be found in documentary films this year.
This year's SILVERDOCS Sterling Award for a US Feature went to THE GARDEN directed by Scott Hamilton Kennedy. The film documents a 14-acre oasis rising out of the ashes of the 1992 Los Angeles riots. The director will receive $10,000 cash and $5,000 in film stock from Kodak. The Sterling Feature Jury praised the film for “its tenacity in storytelling in the face of injustice, and the filmmaker's singular vision in bringing a gripping, dramatic, and important story to the public eye.” Honorable Mention went to TROUBLE THE WATER by Tia Lessin and Carl Deal. The film weaves together first person footage and the filmmakers’ own chronicle of loss and survival following the cataclysmic events of Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
The Festival made a commitment this year to honor international documentary production with SILVERDOCS Sterling Award for a World Feature. The winner this year was THE ENGLISH SURGEON directed by Geoffrey Smith, which tells the story of British neurosurgeon Henry Marsh, who performs surgery in the Ukraine with the crudest tools. The director will receive $10,000 cash and $5,000 in film stock from Kodak. The jury acclaimed the film as “the most poignant and inspiring film we saw - a film that profiles two human beings who dare to step outside the system to do something extraordinary, and becomes a delicate, deep, and respectful exploration of life, death friendship and hope." Honorable mention went to THE RED RACE directed by Chao Gan, which chronicles Chinese passion for gymnastics against the backdrop of the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics.
The SILVERDOCS Music Documentary Award presented by Gibson Guitars went to THROW DOWN YOUR HEART directed by Sascha Paladino. The film is the inspiring story of banjo virtuoso Bela Fleck's enthralling journey through Africa to uncover the roots of the Banjo and to play with native musicians. The fitting prize in the category was a Gibson Les Paul Standard guitar, valued at $3,700. Honoring the best in cinematography, the SILVERDOCS Cinematic Vision Award went to THE ORDER OF MYTHS directed by Margaret Brown. The film explores the oldest and still segregated Mardi Gras in the U.S. The filmmaker will receive $2,500 cash.
The SILVERDOCS WITNESS Award in honor of Joey R. B. Lozano was given to Festival favorite PRAY THE DEVIL BACK TO HELL by Gina Reticker. The film is an inspiring story about the thousands of Liberian women who peacefully ended the civil war that claimed over 250,000 lives. Through non-violent protests and organizational acumen, the film demonstrates the power of women and the potential for conflict resolution in one of the world’s most troubled corners. The award is given to the strongest documentary about human rights violations or social justice issues. The filmmaker will receive $5,000 cash.
The American Film Market/SILVERDOCS Award for a film that shows exceptional market promise went to KASSIM THE DREAM by Kief Davidson, which chronicles the career of Kassim Ouma, a former Ugandan child soldier who defected to the U.S. and became a world champion boxer. The filmmaker will be presented passes to the American Film Market this fall, airfare, five nights hotel and pre-arranged meetings with potential partners ($5,000 value).
The Writers Guild of America, West and the Writers Guild of America, East have named writer-director Anna Broinowski as the winner of the first-ever WGA Documentary Screenplay Award for her film FORBIDDEN LIE$, which investigates accusations that author Norma Khouri fabricated her biographical tale of a Muslim friend who was murdered for dating a Christian. The award carries with it a prize of $2,500 and the winner will be granted one-year free membership in the WGAW or WGAE Nonfiction Writers Caucus.
The award winners will receive special encore screenings today as part of the final day of SILVERDOCS. The Festival is also bring back “by popular demand” such audience favorites as FOOTBALL UNDER COVER, STRANDED: I'VE COME FROM A PLANE THAT CRASHED ON THE MOUNTAINS, ALL TOGETHER NOW, UNDER OUR SKIN and MAN ON WIRE.
The Festival has its last official event this evening at the Newseum, the first U.S. museum devoted to the history of print and electronic journalism, will the rare screening of ROBERT KENNEDY REMEMBERED by documentary pioneer Charles Guggenheim. Made for the August, 1968 Democratic National Convention just two months after Kennedy’s tragic assassination, the film conveys the essence of the man and the myth. The film will be followed by a panel discussion, featuring AFI founding director George Stevens Jr., journalist and former Kennedy press secretary Frank Mankiewicz, filmmaker Grace Guggenheim and film critic Ann Hornaday.
A fitting ending to a great week of inspiring and provocative films in a Presidential campaign season that already is historic and life-changing. Hats off to Patricia Finneran, Sky Sitney, Jody Arlington and the entire SILVERDOCS team for producing a quality event that will continue to resonate for us in the days and weeks ahead.
Sandy Mandelberger, SILVERDOCS Dailies Editor
Monday, June 23-----SILVERDOCS: AFI/Discovery Channel Documentary Festival announced its distinguished award winners, culminating the weeklong Festival activities that included screening 108 films representing 63 countries, free outdoor screenings and live performances, and a five-day concurrent International Documentary Conference attended by over 650 filmmakers, film and television executives and media professionals. Winning filmmakers received over $70,000 in combined cash and in-kind prizes.
With a generally perceived strong program on tap this year, the decisions of the juries were particularly difficult ones to come to. With such a mix of subjects, themes and filmmaking styles, the real winner were SILVERDOCS audiences and the documentary field itself, which now is as varied in tone and content as its feature film cousin. Arguably, some of the best writing, editing, cinematography and direction are to be found in documentary films this year.
This year's SILVERDOCS Sterling Award for a US Feature went to THE GARDEN directed by Scott Hamilton Kennedy. The film documents a 14-acre oasis rising out of the ashes of the 1992 Los Angeles riots. The director will receive $10,000 cash and $5,000 in film stock from Kodak. The Sterling Feature Jury praised the film for “its tenacity in storytelling in the face of injustice, and the filmmaker's singular vision in bringing a gripping, dramatic, and important story to the public eye.” Honorable Mention went to TROUBLE THE WATER by Tia Lessin and Carl Deal. The film weaves together first person footage and the filmmakers’ own chronicle of loss and survival following the cataclysmic events of Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
The Festival made a commitment this year to honor international documentary production with SILVERDOCS Sterling Award for a World Feature. The winner this year was THE ENGLISH SURGEON directed by Geoffrey Smith, which tells the story of British neurosurgeon Henry Marsh, who performs surgery in the Ukraine with the crudest tools. The director will receive $10,000 cash and $5,000 in film stock from Kodak. The jury acclaimed the film as “the most poignant and inspiring film we saw - a film that profiles two human beings who dare to step outside the system to do something extraordinary, and becomes a delicate, deep, and respectful exploration of life, death friendship and hope." Honorable mention went to THE RED RACE directed by Chao Gan, which chronicles Chinese passion for gymnastics against the backdrop of the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics.
The SILVERDOCS Music Documentary Award presented by Gibson Guitars went to THROW DOWN YOUR HEART directed by Sascha Paladino. The film is the inspiring story of banjo virtuoso Bela Fleck's enthralling journey through Africa to uncover the roots of the Banjo and to play with native musicians. The fitting prize in the category was a Gibson Les Paul Standard guitar, valued at $3,700. Honoring the best in cinematography, the SILVERDOCS Cinematic Vision Award went to THE ORDER OF MYTHS directed by Margaret Brown. The film explores the oldest and still segregated Mardi Gras in the U.S. The filmmaker will receive $2,500 cash.
The SILVERDOCS WITNESS Award in honor of Joey R. B. Lozano was given to Festival favorite PRAY THE DEVIL BACK TO HELL by Gina Reticker. The film is an inspiring story about the thousands of Liberian women who peacefully ended the civil war that claimed over 250,000 lives. Through non-violent protests and organizational acumen, the film demonstrates the power of women and the potential for conflict resolution in one of the world’s most troubled corners. The award is given to the strongest documentary about human rights violations or social justice issues. The filmmaker will receive $5,000 cash.
The American Film Market/SILVERDOCS Award for a film that shows exceptional market promise went to KASSIM THE DREAM by Kief Davidson, which chronicles the career of Kassim Ouma, a former Ugandan child soldier who defected to the U.S. and became a world champion boxer. The filmmaker will be presented passes to the American Film Market this fall, airfare, five nights hotel and pre-arranged meetings with potential partners ($5,000 value).
The Writers Guild of America, West and the Writers Guild of America, East have named writer-director Anna Broinowski as the winner of the first-ever WGA Documentary Screenplay Award for her film FORBIDDEN LIE$, which investigates accusations that author Norma Khouri fabricated her biographical tale of a Muslim friend who was murdered for dating a Christian. The award carries with it a prize of $2,500 and the winner will be granted one-year free membership in the WGAW or WGAE Nonfiction Writers Caucus.
The award winners will receive special encore screenings today as part of the final day of SILVERDOCS. The Festival is also bring back “by popular demand” such audience favorites as FOOTBALL UNDER COVER, STRANDED: I'VE COME FROM A PLANE THAT CRASHED ON THE MOUNTAINS, ALL TOGETHER NOW, UNDER OUR SKIN and MAN ON WIRE.
The Festival has its last official event this evening at the Newseum, the first U.S. museum devoted to the history of print and electronic journalism, will the rare screening of ROBERT KENNEDY REMEMBERED by documentary pioneer Charles Guggenheim. Made for the August, 1968 Democratic National Convention just two months after Kennedy’s tragic assassination, the film conveys the essence of the man and the myth. The film will be followed by a panel discussion, featuring AFI founding director George Stevens Jr., journalist and former Kennedy press secretary Frank Mankiewicz, filmmaker Grace Guggenheim and film critic Ann Hornaday.
A fitting ending to a great week of inspiring and provocative films in a Presidential campaign season that already is historic and life-changing. Hats off to Patricia Finneran, Sky Sitney, Jody Arlington and the entire SILVERDOCS team for producing a quality event that will continue to resonate for us in the days and weeks ahead.
Sandy Mandelberger, SILVERDOCS Dailies Editor
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Winners 24th ISFF Hamburg
AWARD WINNERS 2008
A week packed with 300 short films ended on
Monday June 9th in Hamburg. The 24th
International Short Film Festival screened 214 of
almost 4.000 submitted short films in the
competitive categories and a further 100 films in
non-competitive special programmes. Overall more
than 30.000 euros of prize-money were poured out.
Apart from a large number of accreditated guests
and a high number of interesting films it were
especially the many filmmakers and guests from
Israel who came for the special programme "Yoffi!
Yalla Bye!" that shaped this year's festival.
Due to the wave of summer heat almost 1.000
people gathered together at our open air event A
Wall is a Screen. See you next June again!
For the list of winners click here:
http://festival.shortfilm.com/index.php?id=preise08&L=1
A week packed with 300 short films ended on
Monday June 9th in Hamburg. The 24th
International Short Film Festival screened 214 of
almost 4.000 submitted short films in the
competitive categories and a further 100 films in
non-competitive special programmes. Overall more
than 30.000 euros of prize-money were poured out.
Apart from a large number of accreditated guests
and a high number of interesting films it were
especially the many filmmakers and guests from
Israel who came for the special programme "Yoffi!
Yalla Bye!" that shaped this year's festival.
Due to the wave of summer heat almost 1.000
people gathered together at our open air event A
Wall is a Screen. See you next June again!
For the list of winners click here:
http://festival.shortfilm.com/index.php?id=preise08&L=1
CALL FOR ENTRIES - BIG BANG FILM FESTIVAL - OCTOBER 1 - 5
The call for submissions is now open for the 2008 Big Bang Film Festival (BBFF).
BBFF is a celebration of exciting and inventive films in the Action, Adventure,
Suspense and Asian Action Cinema genres. BBFF also welcomes documentary submissions
featuring extreme sports and athletic events, activities and competitions which have
contributed some of the most entertaining video of death defying speed, skill and
daring. Each year Big Bang Film Festival showcases amazing films, some classics,
some classics in the making. Every submission is posted on the BBFF Submissions
Page so that all of our filmmakers can link to their listing.
We are now calling for submissions. Visit our website for more information on the
festival, our submission process, special events, and opportunities to join our
team!
Big Bang Film Festival
Philadelphia, PA
October 1-5 2008
Action, Adventure, Suspense and Asian Action Cinema.
contact@bigbangfilmfestival.com
www.BigBangFilmFestival.com
www.myspace.com/bigbangfilmfestival
BBFF is a celebration of exciting and inventive films in the Action, Adventure,
Suspense and Asian Action Cinema genres. BBFF also welcomes documentary submissions
featuring extreme sports and athletic events, activities and competitions which have
contributed some of the most entertaining video of death defying speed, skill and
daring. Each year Big Bang Film Festival showcases amazing films, some classics,
some classics in the making. Every submission is posted on the BBFF Submissions
Page so that all of our filmmakers can link to their listing.
We are now calling for submissions. Visit our website for more information on the
festival, our submission process, special events, and opportunities to join our
team!
Big Bang Film Festival
Philadelphia, PA
October 1-5 2008
Action, Adventure, Suspense and Asian Action Cinema.
contact@bigbangfilmfestival.com
www.BigBangFilmFestival.com
www.myspace.com/bigbangfilmfestival
Doc/Fest awarded £175,000 by UK Film Council
Sheffield Doc/Fest has today been awarded £175,000 by the UK Film Council (UKFC) to
help consolidate its position as a festival of national significance.
Already established as one of the best documentary festivals in the world, the
funding from the UK Film Council will help Doc/Fest to widen its reach to a diverse
public audience, particularly young people. The money, which will span over three
years, will be used to make films available on the internet, present major
masterclasses via the Digital Screen Network and help develop the organisation's
infrastructure.
Doc/Fest was one of only seven festivals that received funding from the UKFC Film
Festivals Fund, which seeks to give an increased number of people the opportunity to
enjoy more films, learn about film and meet filmmakers, as well as raise the profile
of British film at home and abroad.
Steve Hewlett, Chair of the Sheffield Doc/Fest Executive Board says: "This is great
news and welcome recognition of Sheffield Doc/Fest's status as a major UK festival.
We are indebted to the UK Film Council. It has shown considerable confidence in
Sheffield and I am certain that Festival Director Heather Croall and the Doc/Fest
team will repay that confidence with interest".
John Woodward, Chief Executive Officer of the UK Film Council says: "People love
film and festivals give people of all ages and backgrounds the opportunity to
immerse themselves in a huge array of exciting and powerful films. This funding
will provide a huge step up for festivals that have major plans to reach out to
thousands more people and raise their profile significantly."
Sally Joynson, Chief Executive of Screen Yorkshire, said: "This is absolutely
wonderful news for Doc/Fest, Sheffield and Yorkshire. Doc/Fest is now one of the top
three documentary festivals in the world and in recognition of that thoroughly
deserves this funding from the UK Film Council. Screen Yorkshire will continue to
support and work with Doc/Fest to ensure further success. I'd like to congratulate
Heather and her team."
help consolidate its position as a festival of national significance.
Already established as one of the best documentary festivals in the world, the
funding from the UK Film Council will help Doc/Fest to widen its reach to a diverse
public audience, particularly young people. The money, which will span over three
years, will be used to make films available on the internet, present major
masterclasses via the Digital Screen Network and help develop the organisation's
infrastructure.
Doc/Fest was one of only seven festivals that received funding from the UKFC Film
Festivals Fund, which seeks to give an increased number of people the opportunity to
enjoy more films, learn about film and meet filmmakers, as well as raise the profile
of British film at home and abroad.
Steve Hewlett, Chair of the Sheffield Doc/Fest Executive Board says: "This is great
news and welcome recognition of Sheffield Doc/Fest's status as a major UK festival.
We are indebted to the UK Film Council. It has shown considerable confidence in
Sheffield and I am certain that Festival Director Heather Croall and the Doc/Fest
team will repay that confidence with interest".
John Woodward, Chief Executive Officer of the UK Film Council says: "People love
film and festivals give people of all ages and backgrounds the opportunity to
immerse themselves in a huge array of exciting and powerful films. This funding
will provide a huge step up for festivals that have major plans to reach out to
thousands more people and raise their profile significantly."
Sally Joynson, Chief Executive of Screen Yorkshire, said: "This is absolutely
wonderful news for Doc/Fest, Sheffield and Yorkshire. Doc/Fest is now one of the top
three documentary festivals in the world and in recognition of that thoroughly
deserves this funding from the UK Film Council. Screen Yorkshire will continue to
support and work with Doc/Fest to ensure further success. I'd like to congratulate
Heather and her team."
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