Swiss documentary film festival Visions du Réel (VdR) has unveiled the lineup of its 54th edition, which features a broad panorama of both established names and newcomers from around the world.
The festival kicks off on April 21 with the world premiere of “Nightwatchers” by Juliette de Marcillac and runs through April 30. The event will screen a total of 163 films from 46 countries, with a 50-50 parity between female and male directors.
No fewer than 12 out of 14 films in the main International Competition and 13 out of 15 in the Burning Lights section, the festival sidebar dedicated to new documentary expression, are world premieres, bearing testimony to the fest’s reputation for setting the trend on the global doc scene.
“I am thrilled to see that Visions du Réel is confirming both its role as a trailblazer – there are 24 first feature length films whilst 82 of the films screened are world premieres – and strong ties...
The festival kicks off on April 21 with the world premiere of “Nightwatchers” by Juliette de Marcillac and runs through April 30. The event will screen a total of 163 films from 46 countries, with a 50-50 parity between female and male directors.
No fewer than 12 out of 14 films in the main International Competition and 13 out of 15 in the Burning Lights section, the festival sidebar dedicated to new documentary expression, are world premieres, bearing testimony to the fest’s reputation for setting the trend on the global doc scene.
“I am thrilled to see that Visions du Réel is confirming both its role as a trailblazer – there are 24 first feature length films whilst 82 of the films screened are world premieres – and strong ties...
- 3/28/2023
- by Lise Pedersen
- Variety Film + TV
Edition runs April 23-27.
Swiss documentary festival Visions du Réel has unveiled the industry projects to be pitched and presented at its 2023 edition, taking place April 23-27.
This year’s selection includes Latvian filmmaker Laila Pakalnina whose new project Cat On My Mind will participate in VdR-Pitching. Pakalnina’s Ausma (2015) and In The Mirror (2020) played in competition at the Blak Nights Tallinn International Film festival while her shorts have screened at Berlin and Cannes.
Also participating in VdR-Pitching is Italy-us filmmaker Mo Scarpelli with her new project Faith about two young girls who live together in an abandoned classroom. Her...
Swiss documentary festival Visions du Réel has unveiled the industry projects to be pitched and presented at its 2023 edition, taking place April 23-27.
This year’s selection includes Latvian filmmaker Laila Pakalnina whose new project Cat On My Mind will participate in VdR-Pitching. Pakalnina’s Ausma (2015) and In The Mirror (2020) played in competition at the Blak Nights Tallinn International Film festival while her shorts have screened at Berlin and Cannes.
Also participating in VdR-Pitching is Italy-us filmmaker Mo Scarpelli with her new project Faith about two young girls who live together in an abandoned classroom. Her...
- 3/10/2023
- by Ellie Calnan
- ScreenDaily
Fifteen countries represented amongst the 18 individuals.
European producers platform Ace Producers has selected 18 producers for the latest edition of its Ace Producers’ Network programme, running in 2022 and 2023.
The 18 producers include Nadim Cheikhrouha of France’s Tanit Films, who will produce Tunisian director Kaouther Ben Hania’s next feature Mime. Cheikhrouha and Ben Hania secured an Oscar nomination for best international feature film last year for The Man Who Sold His Skin.
Scroll down for the full list of producers
Sara Laszlo, CEO at Hungary’s Campfilm, is another Ace Producers participant, through Denes Nagy’s The Vacation. Laszlo’s previous...
European producers platform Ace Producers has selected 18 producers for the latest edition of its Ace Producers’ Network programme, running in 2022 and 2023.
The 18 producers include Nadim Cheikhrouha of France’s Tanit Films, who will produce Tunisian director Kaouther Ben Hania’s next feature Mime. Cheikhrouha and Ben Hania secured an Oscar nomination for best international feature film last year for The Man Who Sold His Skin.
Scroll down for the full list of producers
Sara Laszlo, CEO at Hungary’s Campfilm, is another Ace Producers participant, through Denes Nagy’s The Vacation. Laszlo’s previous...
- 9/12/2022
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Alliance 4 Development, a co-development initiative for film projects from Austria, France, Germany, Italy and Switzerland hosted by Locarno Pro, has revealed 11 titles selected for its 7th edition.
The majority of the projects will be directed by women, from Giorgia Wurth’s “Allegra” about a late-life sexual awakening to Malina Mackiewicz’s “Bottom of the Ocean Electric Fish” and Mariko Minoguchi’s upcoming “Element.” The latter will address some environmental fears as a team of scientists tries to ensure that Earth’s water supply won’t suddenly disappear.
Minoguchi, who previously co-wrote the script to Tim Fehlbaum’s “The Colony,” is hoping to develop a German science fiction film that “doesn’t shy away from big emotions or images,” she stated, “that makes you think and reflect and, above all, is a moving and impressive cinematic experience.”
Big emotions will also fuel Manon Coubia’s “Songs of the Fallen Mountains,” with...
The majority of the projects will be directed by women, from Giorgia Wurth’s “Allegra” about a late-life sexual awakening to Malina Mackiewicz’s “Bottom of the Ocean Electric Fish” and Mariko Minoguchi’s upcoming “Element.” The latter will address some environmental fears as a team of scientists tries to ensure that Earth’s water supply won’t suddenly disappear.
Minoguchi, who previously co-wrote the script to Tim Fehlbaum’s “The Colony,” is hoping to develop a German science fiction film that “doesn’t shy away from big emotions or images,” she stated, “that makes you think and reflect and, above all, is a moving and impressive cinematic experience.”
Big emotions will also fuel Manon Coubia’s “Songs of the Fallen Mountains,” with...
- 8/3/2022
- by Marta Balaga
- Variety Film + TV
Christine Vachon, the legendary U.S. indie film producer behind “Far from Heaven,” “Boys Don’t Cry” and HBO miniseries “Mildred Pierce,” will deliver a masterclass at Locarno Pro, the expansive industry program of the Locarno Film Festival.
Further masterclasses will be given by Katriel Schory, an architect of the modern build in Israel cinema as executive director of the Israeli Film Fund for 20 years; and by Lucius Barre, the renowned international film publicist who has represented early crossover films by Pedro Almódovar, Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, Atom Egoyan, Johnnie To and Tom Tykwer.
Neon Distribution will be the subject of a panel presentation on original-language film distribution in the U.S. Locarno Pro will also host four keynote speeches on the status of the film industry today, from its audience to audiovisual consumption in the post-pandemic era, to social impact in the film industry.
Channelled via StepIn and U30, the latter for young professionals,...
Further masterclasses will be given by Katriel Schory, an architect of the modern build in Israel cinema as executive director of the Israeli Film Fund for 20 years; and by Lucius Barre, the renowned international film publicist who has represented early crossover films by Pedro Almódovar, Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, Atom Egoyan, Johnnie To and Tom Tykwer.
Neon Distribution will be the subject of a panel presentation on original-language film distribution in the U.S. Locarno Pro will also host four keynote speeches on the status of the film industry today, from its audience to audiovisual consumption in the post-pandemic era, to social impact in the film industry.
Channelled via StepIn and U30, the latter for young professionals,...
- 7/4/2022
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
European Film Promotion has been playing host at the Cannes Film Festival to 20 up-and-coming European producers, selected for its Producers on the Move program. Variety invited the producers to share details of their upcoming projects.
Maarten Schmidt, Belgium
Project: “Under the Surface”
Director: Guido Verelst
Anne, born premature, has Asperger’s and wants nothing more than to be able to live underwater as a mermaid. But she has to learn how to live independently above the surface with her new boyfriend.
Katya Trichkova, Bulgaria
Project: “Gambit”
Writers: Konstantin Bojanov and Petar Krumov
Director: Konstantin Bojanov
Nina, a criminally minded young woman, spots a weakness in the security system of an art museum and concocts a plan to rob it. Soon, however, she finds herself caught between her desire to cash in on the bounty and her deepening feelings for her lover Philip, whom the police unjustly accuse of being part of the heist.
Maarten Schmidt, Belgium
Project: “Under the Surface”
Director: Guido Verelst
Anne, born premature, has Asperger’s and wants nothing more than to be able to live underwater as a mermaid. But she has to learn how to live independently above the surface with her new boyfriend.
Katya Trichkova, Bulgaria
Project: “Gambit”
Writers: Konstantin Bojanov and Petar Krumov
Director: Konstantin Bojanov
Nina, a criminally minded young woman, spots a weakness in the security system of an art museum and concocts a plan to rob it. Soon, however, she finds herself caught between her desire to cash in on the bounty and her deepening feelings for her lover Philip, whom the police unjustly accuse of being part of the heist.
- 5/26/2022
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Jordanian director Rama Ayasra’s “Harvest Moon,” a documentary that tells the story of two activists on a mission to bring back the cultivation of wheat and its lost heritage to its original homeland of Jordan, took the top prize in the Pitching Forum of the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival’s Agora Docs industry program, which wrapped March 16.
The award ceremony Wednesday night brought a close to a successful session that saw more than 300 industry professionals taking part both physically and online. “I think it’s the best proof that the industry is ready to be back in business – if it ever stopped,” said the festival’s general director, Elise Jalladeau.
In its selection of “Harvest Moon” (pictured), which is produced by Mariam Salim (New Productions) and co-produced by Asmahan Bkerat, the jury offered its hope that the award “can help the seeds of an idea grow into a beautiful and important documentary.
The award ceremony Wednesday night brought a close to a successful session that saw more than 300 industry professionals taking part both physically and online. “I think it’s the best proof that the industry is ready to be back in business – if it ever stopped,” said the festival’s general director, Elise Jalladeau.
In its selection of “Harvest Moon” (pictured), which is produced by Mariam Salim (New Productions) and co-produced by Asmahan Bkerat, the jury offered its hope that the award “can help the seeds of an idea grow into a beautiful and important documentary.
- 3/17/2022
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
19 films on international, 14 on documentary list.
Julia Ducournau’s Palme d’Or winner Titane and Andrea Arnold’s Cow have made the longlists for best international independent film and best documentary respectively at the 2021 British Independent Film Awards (Bifa).
Titane is one of 19 titles on the international list, alongside fellow Cannes 2021 titles A Chiara, Compartment No. 6, Drive My Car, Great Freedom, Paris, 13th District and Red Rocket.
Scroll down for the full list of titles
Six of the 19 international titles hail from North America, with 12 from Europe and one from Japan. Nine of the 19 directors are women.
Alongside Cow on...
Julia Ducournau’s Palme d’Or winner Titane and Andrea Arnold’s Cow have made the longlists for best international independent film and best documentary respectively at the 2021 British Independent Film Awards (Bifa).
Titane is one of 19 titles on the international list, alongside fellow Cannes 2021 titles A Chiara, Compartment No. 6, Drive My Car, Great Freedom, Paris, 13th District and Red Rocket.
Scroll down for the full list of titles
Six of the 19 international titles hail from North America, with 12 from Europe and one from Japan. Nine of the 19 directors are women.
Alongside Cow on...
- 10/26/2021
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Held online over Oct. 20-22, 2021’s Spanish Screenings-Málaga de Cine mark Spain’s biggest national cinema showcase anywhere in the world, its equivalent of UniFrance’s Paris Rendez-vous. 113 recent Spanish titles were made available to 218 carefully-targeted international buyers, distributors and fest heads with a record of screening movies from Spain. Such a spectacular smorgasbord also says much about Spanish production trends and the state of the international market at large. Six takes on this year’s screenings:
A Sign of the Times
Last year, Malaga unveiled 20 market premieres. This year, the number were way down, with screenings dominated by titles brought onto the market as finished films at Cannes, Toronto and San Sebastian. That’s a sign of the times. With a huge international distributor release bottleneck, sales agents used the Spanish Screenings to wring more sales out of the titles they did have, rather than bringing new titles onto a clogged market.
A Sign of the Times
Last year, Malaga unveiled 20 market premieres. This year, the number were way down, with screenings dominated by titles brought onto the market as finished films at Cannes, Toronto and San Sebastian. That’s a sign of the times. With a huge international distributor release bottleneck, sales agents used the Spanish Screenings to wring more sales out of the titles they did have, rather than bringing new titles onto a clogged market.
- 10/22/2021
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
After having won the Silver Biznaga for best documentary director at this June’s Malaga Festival with “El Father Plays Himself,” which screens now at the Spanish Screenings, director-cinematographer Mo Scarpelli is leaping into fiction with her new project, “A Song That Slays.” Following a number of eye-catching doc titles that have always generated festival buzz whether “El Father Plays Himself” at last year’s Visions du Réel, “Anbessa” at the 2019 Berlinale and Frame by Frame at 2015’s SXSW – Scarpelli’s production company Rake Films has now been joined on her new project by Rome-based Dispàrte, which has boarded as lead producer.
Soon finishing the development workshop Less is More (Lim), organized by Le Groupe Ouest, which will stage a showcase event on Nov. 9-10 of in Brittany, “A Song That Slays” is a drama set among the Pokot nomadic community of western Kenya, based on the legend of a...
Soon finishing the development workshop Less is More (Lim), organized by Le Groupe Ouest, which will stage a showcase event on Nov. 9-10 of in Brittany, “A Song That Slays” is a drama set among the Pokot nomadic community of western Kenya, based on the legend of a...
- 10/22/2021
- by Emiliano Granada
- Variety Film + TV
‘Stillwater’ is eOne’s first theatrical release since October 2020.
Augustine Frizzell’s film of Jojo Moyes’ book The Last Letter From Your Lover leads the new titles in UK-Ireland cinemas this weekend, looking to work towards the result of previous Moyes’ adaptation Me Before You.
Released by Studiocanal in 550 locations, The Last Letter From Your Lover follows an ambitious journalist who attempts to solve the mystery of a forbidden affair at the centre of a series of secret love letters from 1964. A co-production between the UK’s Blueprint Pictures and Canada’s The Film Farm, it is being released by Netflix in the US.
Augustine Frizzell’s film of Jojo Moyes’ book The Last Letter From Your Lover leads the new titles in UK-Ireland cinemas this weekend, looking to work towards the result of previous Moyes’ adaptation Me Before You.
Released by Studiocanal in 550 locations, The Last Letter From Your Lover follows an ambitious journalist who attempts to solve the mystery of a forbidden affair at the centre of a series of secret love letters from 1964. A co-production between the UK’s Blueprint Pictures and Canada’s The Film Farm, it is being released by Netflix in the US.
- 8/6/2021
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Mo Scarpelli cannily captures family dynamics in this documentary about the filming of Jorge Thielen Armand’s La Fortaleza, which starred his hard-drinking dad
Here’s a behind-the-scenes documentary in the tradition of Burden of Dreams, Les Blank’s making-of film about Werner Herzog’s Fitzcarraldo. This one even has a wild-man actor, Jorge Thielen Hedderich – though he’s not quite a match for Klaus Kinski in the ego stakes. Actually, he’s not even an actor by trade, but he is starring in a movie about his own life directed by his son Jorge Thielen Armand. Or, at least he’s meant to be. His rum-fuelled all-nighters, tantrums and fits of rage are constantly threatening to bring the production crashing down. Though when El Father – as everyone on set calls him – is in a good mood, on full-wattage, his charisma is dazzling.
This documentary is directed by Armand’s partner,...
Here’s a behind-the-scenes documentary in the tradition of Burden of Dreams, Les Blank’s making-of film about Werner Herzog’s Fitzcarraldo. This one even has a wild-man actor, Jorge Thielen Hedderich – though he’s not quite a match for Klaus Kinski in the ego stakes. Actually, he’s not even an actor by trade, but he is starring in a movie about his own life directed by his son Jorge Thielen Armand. Or, at least he’s meant to be. His rum-fuelled all-nighters, tantrums and fits of rage are constantly threatening to bring the production crashing down. Though when El Father – as everyone on set calls him – is in a good mood, on full-wattage, his charisma is dazzling.
This documentary is directed by Armand’s partner,...
- 8/2/2021
- by Cath Clarke
- The Guardian - Film News
Less Is More (Lim), a European development scheme for limited-budget feature films, has unveiled its selection of 16 projects, a majority of which are from women filmmakers and talents coming from theater, visual arts or documentary.
In spite of the pandemic, the 7th edition received as many as 350 applications from more than 70 countries. The final roster includes projects from territories that were not represented in previous editions, such as Uganda, Vietnam and South Africa.
Among the projects selected are “I Love My Guodoheaddji,” set in the Arctic Circle within Norway’s Sámi community; “I Matter,” about a Romany community in Romania, and “A Song That Slays,” set in a Pokot tribe in Kenya. Other projects explore a cult in Czech Republic (“Goddess), sex addiction in Lithuania (Sofia’s World), and Celtic tales (“Birds of a Feather…).
Lim, which develops first, second and third feature projects, is organized by the Groupe Ouest,...
In spite of the pandemic, the 7th edition received as many as 350 applications from more than 70 countries. The final roster includes projects from territories that were not represented in previous editions, such as Uganda, Vietnam and South Africa.
Among the projects selected are “I Love My Guodoheaddji,” set in the Arctic Circle within Norway’s Sámi community; “I Matter,” about a Romany community in Romania, and “A Song That Slays,” set in a Pokot tribe in Kenya. Other projects explore a cult in Czech Republic (“Goddess), sex addiction in Lithuania (Sofia’s World), and Celtic tales (“Birds of a Feather…).
Lim, which develops first, second and third feature projects, is organized by the Groupe Ouest,...
- 3/1/2021
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Grasshopper Film has picked up North American non-theatrical and digital distribution rights to Mo Scarpelli’s “El Father Plays Himself,” as the documentary of the Italian-American director and cinematographer screens at the 33rd IDFA Best of Festivals Selection – after having won a special mention for best international feature at Switzerland’s Visions du Réel.
The New York based distributor is looking to release the title on digital markets in early 2021.
A doc feature that played at the Krakow Film Festival and won another special mention at Perso Perugia Social Film Festival, follows the re-encounter of a father and son as the latter attempts to shoot a film about the life of the father in the midst of the Venezuelan Amazon.
A kind of “making of” documentary that explores with father-son dynamics with a keen eye the dynamics as they unfold under the pressure of shooting a movie, “El Father Plays...
The New York based distributor is looking to release the title on digital markets in early 2021.
A doc feature that played at the Krakow Film Festival and won another special mention at Perso Perugia Social Film Festival, follows the re-encounter of a father and son as the latter attempts to shoot a film about the life of the father in the midst of the Venezuelan Amazon.
A kind of “making of” documentary that explores with father-son dynamics with a keen eye the dynamics as they unfold under the pressure of shooting a movie, “El Father Plays...
- 11/26/2020
- by Emiliano Granada
- Variety Film + TV
Mo Scarpelli’s documentary follows a turbulent film shoot.
El Father Plays Himself, Mo Scarpelli’s documentary about a turbulent film shoot that is currently screening at IDFA, has been picked up by Dutch distribution outfit Picl for the Netherlands.
The deal was secured directly with Manon Ardisson’s production company Ardimages UK. Picl is planning a theatrical and digital platform release from December 17.
The film marks the third documentary feature from Italian-American director and cinematographer Scarpelli, whose Frame By Frame began a long festival run at SXSW in 2015 and whose Anbessa premiered at the Berlinale in 2019.
In El Father Plays Himself,...
El Father Plays Himself, Mo Scarpelli’s documentary about a turbulent film shoot that is currently screening at IDFA, has been picked up by Dutch distribution outfit Picl for the Netherlands.
The deal was secured directly with Manon Ardisson’s production company Ardimages UK. Picl is planning a theatrical and digital platform release from December 17.
The film marks the third documentary feature from Italian-American director and cinematographer Scarpelli, whose Frame By Frame began a long festival run at SXSW in 2015 and whose Anbessa premiered at the Berlinale in 2019.
In El Father Plays Himself,...
- 11/24/2020
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
Pia Borg’s ‘Michelle Remembers’ and Lucrecia Martel’s ‘Chocobar’ among those to win awards.
Pia Borg’s “documentary horror” Michelle Remembers was among a raft of winners at TorinoFilmLab’s annual Meeting Event, which shifted entirely online this year due to the pandemic.
The co-production forum, which usually takes place in the Italian city of Turin, virtually awarded its prizes this evening, marking the end of the five-day event that ran November 16-20.
Scroll down for full list of winners
The first of two €50,000 Tfl production awards, funded by Creative Europe, went to Michelle Remembers, a documentary exploring the...
Pia Borg’s “documentary horror” Michelle Remembers was among a raft of winners at TorinoFilmLab’s annual Meeting Event, which shifted entirely online this year due to the pandemic.
The co-production forum, which usually takes place in the Italian city of Turin, virtually awarded its prizes this evening, marking the end of the five-day event that ran November 16-20.
Scroll down for full list of winners
The first of two €50,000 Tfl production awards, funded by Creative Europe, went to Michelle Remembers, a documentary exploring the...
- 11/20/2020
- ScreenDaily
The initiative is a good pointer to next year’s festival favourites.
International festival directors, sales agents, distributors and producers tuned in online to the Coming Soon pitch event at the auspicious TorinoFilmLab (Tfl) this week.
Of the eight feature projects, six were unfinished, in post-production or never seen before.
Unusually for Coming Soon and due to unprecedented circumstances of this year, a further two had already played at festivals: El Father Plays Himself (Visions du Réel) and The Salt In Our Water (Busan and London).
Previous Coming Soon selections of recent years have included Massoud Bakhshi’s Yalda...
International festival directors, sales agents, distributors and producers tuned in online to the Coming Soon pitch event at the auspicious TorinoFilmLab (Tfl) this week.
Of the eight feature projects, six were unfinished, in post-production or never seen before.
Unusually for Coming Soon and due to unprecedented circumstances of this year, a further two had already played at festivals: El Father Plays Himself (Visions du Réel) and The Salt In Our Water (Busan and London).
Previous Coming Soon selections of recent years have included Massoud Bakhshi’s Yalda...
- 11/20/2020
- by Gabriele Niola
- ScreenDaily
The initiative is a good pointer to next year’s festival favourites.
International festival directors, sales agents, distributors and producers tuned in online to the Coming Soon pitch event at the auspicious Torino Film Lab this week.
Of the eight feature projects, six were unfinished, in post-production or never seen before. Unusually for Coming Soon and due to unprecedented circumstances of this year, a further two had already played at festivals: El Father Plays Himself ( Visions du Réel) and The Salt in Our Water ( Busan and London).
Previous Coming Soon selections of recent years have included Massoud Bakhshi’s...
International festival directors, sales agents, distributors and producers tuned in online to the Coming Soon pitch event at the auspicious Torino Film Lab this week.
Of the eight feature projects, six were unfinished, in post-production or never seen before. Unusually for Coming Soon and due to unprecedented circumstances of this year, a further two had already played at festivals: El Father Plays Himself ( Visions du Réel) and The Salt in Our Water ( Busan and London).
Previous Coming Soon selections of recent years have included Massoud Bakhshi’s...
- 11/20/2020
- by Gabriele Niola
- ScreenDaily
Mo Scarpelli’s El Father Plays Himself, which premiered at Visions du Réel, is now at Doc NYC and will next be hitting IDFA, is one complicated multilayered journey, both logistically and emotionally. It began when Scarpelli decided to train her documentary lens on a narrative feature in the making — specifically her partner Jorge Thielen Armand’s La Fortaleza (which premiered at Rotterdam). La Fortaleza in turn is based on the hard-hitting, hard-drinking life of Jorge Roque Thielen, the director’s father, who stars as himself in his own story. That “el father” remains as wild and unpredictable […]
The post “There is No Film Safe from Some Version of Exploitation...”: Mo Scarpelli on her Doc NYC Feature El Father Plays Himself first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post “There is No Film Safe from Some Version of Exploitation...”: Mo Scarpelli on her Doc NYC Feature El Father Plays Himself first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 11/13/2020
- by Lauren Wissot
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Mo Scarpelli’s El Father Plays Himself, which premiered at Visions du Réel, is now at Doc NYC and will next be hitting IDFA, is one complicated multilayered journey, both logistically and emotionally. It began when Scarpelli decided to train her documentary lens on a narrative feature in the making — specifically her partner Jorge Thielen Armand’s La Fortaleza (which premiered at Rotterdam). La Fortaleza in turn is based on the hard-hitting, hard-drinking life of Jorge Roque Thielen, the director’s father, who stars as himself in his own story. That “el father” remains as wild and unpredictable […]
The post “There is No Film Safe from Some Version of Exploitation...”: Mo Scarpelli on her Doc NYC Feature El Father Plays Himself first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post “There is No Film Safe from Some Version of Exploitation...”: Mo Scarpelli on her Doc NYC Feature El Father Plays Himself first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 11/13/2020
- by Lauren Wissot
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
The Amsterdan event is planned as a hybrid physical-digital edition.
International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (Idfa) has unveiled the first titles selected for edition, which is set to go ahead as a mix of physical and virtual events from November 18-29.
The festival will screen 30 documentaries first selected for the Berlinale, Sundance and Cannes under the banner Best of Fests.
Scroll down for full list of titles
The titles include The Truffle Hunters by Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw, which debuted at Sundance before being being selected for both Cannes and Telluride (although neither took place); and Elizabeth Lo’s Stray,...
International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (Idfa) has unveiled the first titles selected for edition, which is set to go ahead as a mix of physical and virtual events from November 18-29.
The festival will screen 30 documentaries first selected for the Berlinale, Sundance and Cannes under the banner Best of Fests.
Scroll down for full list of titles
The titles include The Truffle Hunters by Michael Dweck and Gregory Kershaw, which debuted at Sundance before being being selected for both Cannes and Telluride (although neither took place); and Elizabeth Lo’s Stray,...
- 9/29/2020
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
“There are audiences in remote places that we wouldn’t have imagined would’ve been interested.”
Visions du Réel artistic director Emilie Bujès said attracting new audiences has been the highlight of the 2020 online edition (April 17 - May 2), as the festival handed out its prizes on Sunday.
She said “there are still some feelings of sadness” over having to move the entire event online following the coronavirus shutdow but also ”some excitement because we’ve realised that there are audiences in remote places in Switzerland that we wouldn’t have imagined would’ve been interested”.
“There is this potential to...
Visions du Réel artistic director Emilie Bujès said attracting new audiences has been the highlight of the 2020 online edition (April 17 - May 2), as the festival handed out its prizes on Sunday.
She said “there are still some feelings of sadness” over having to move the entire event online following the coronavirus shutdow but also ”some excitement because we’ve realised that there are audiences in remote places in Switzerland that we wouldn’t have imagined would’ve been interested”.
“There is this potential to...
- 5/4/2020
- by 1101321¦Ben Dalton¦26¦
- ScreenDaily
Francesca Mazzoleni’s “Puntasacra,” Francisco Bermejo’s “The Other One” and Nick Brandestini’s “Sapelo” scooped the top prizes in the three major sections at Switzerland’s Visions du Réel prize ceremony Sunday night, held online as the whole of the documentary festival.
Major plaudits in the festival’s main International Feature Film Competition also went to Markku Lehmuskallio and Johannes Lehmuskallios “Anerca, Breath of Life,” Afsaneh Salari’s “The Silhouettes,” Mo Scarpelli’s “El Father Plays Himself” and José Permar’s “Off the Road.”
The Audience Award, one of the key prizes for distributors,was nabbed by Chines-German feature “Mirror Mirror on the Wall.”
Acquired by Italy’s True Colours for world sales, “Puntasacra” won Visions du Réel’s top Sesterce d’Or la Mobilière for a doc feature that portrays the resilient inhabitants of the last triangle of habitable land at the mouth of the Italy’s Tiber...
Major plaudits in the festival’s main International Feature Film Competition also went to Markku Lehmuskallio and Johannes Lehmuskallios “Anerca, Breath of Life,” Afsaneh Salari’s “The Silhouettes,” Mo Scarpelli’s “El Father Plays Himself” and José Permar’s “Off the Road.”
The Audience Award, one of the key prizes for distributors,was nabbed by Chines-German feature “Mirror Mirror on the Wall.”
Acquired by Italy’s True Colours for world sales, “Puntasacra” won Visions du Réel’s top Sesterce d’Or la Mobilière for a doc feature that portrays the resilient inhabitants of the last triangle of habitable land at the mouth of the Italy’s Tiber...
- 5/3/2020
- by John Hopewell and Jamie Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Premiering worldwide at Visions de Réel and looking for wider distribution, Mo Scarpelli’s “El Father Plays Himself” will stream April 27 to May 2 to a limited audience of 500 as the Swiss festival handles the almost ontological dilemmas that come with the pandemic.
Produced by Rake Films, Ardimages U.K. and La Faena Films, in association with Channel6 Media, the documentary follows a father and son as they shoot a film in which the Father plays himself, in the middle of the Amazonian Jungle.
What comes out is a deeply human portrayal that, much like the trailer, manages to speak volumes while saying very little explicitly; a not at all easy task that seems almost effortless under the eye of its director and cinematographer Mo Scarpelli, who has shown a talent for finding images that establish a dialogue with their viewer. Variety talked with Scarpelli for the release of the new trailer.
Produced by Rake Films, Ardimages U.K. and La Faena Films, in association with Channel6 Media, the documentary follows a father and son as they shoot a film in which the Father plays himself, in the middle of the Amazonian Jungle.
What comes out is a deeply human portrayal that, much like the trailer, manages to speak volumes while saying very little explicitly; a not at all easy task that seems almost effortless under the eye of its director and cinematographer Mo Scarpelli, who has shown a talent for finding images that establish a dialogue with their viewer. Variety talked with Scarpelli for the release of the new trailer.
- 4/23/2020
- by Emiliano Granada
- Variety Film + TV
Claire Denis, Petra Costa and Peter Mettler to give online masterclasses.
Swiss documentary festival Visions de Réel, which was to have taken place from April 24 to May 2 in the lakeside town of Nyon, has revealed details of the online format it has developed to replace the physical event which was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“Visions du Réel 2020 will not take place at the Place du Réel, in the cinemas, in the tent and in the bar, in Nyon,” said artistic director Émilie Bujès, referring to the event’s traditional festival and industry hubs. “But it will resolutely be held on the internet,...
Swiss documentary festival Visions de Réel, which was to have taken place from April 24 to May 2 in the lakeside town of Nyon, has revealed details of the online format it has developed to replace the physical event which was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“Visions du Réel 2020 will not take place at the Place du Réel, in the cinemas, in the tent and in the bar, in Nyon,” said artistic director Émilie Bujès, referring to the event’s traditional festival and industry hubs. “But it will resolutely be held on the internet,...
- 3/31/2020
- by 1100388¦Melanie Goodfellow¦0¦
- ScreenDaily
Claire Denis, Petra Costa and Peter Mettler to give online masterclasses.
Swiss documentary festival Visions de Réel, which was to have taken place from April 24 to May 2 in the lakeside town of Nyon, has revealed details of the online format it has developed to replace the physical event which was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“Visions du Réel 2020 will not take place at the Place du Réel, in the cinemas, in the tent and in the bar, in Nyon,” said artistic director Émilie Bujès, referring to the event’s traditional festival and industry hubs. “But it will resolutely be held on the internet,...
Swiss documentary festival Visions de Réel, which was to have taken place from April 24 to May 2 in the lakeside town of Nyon, has revealed details of the online format it has developed to replace the physical event which was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“Visions du Réel 2020 will not take place at the Place du Réel, in the cinemas, in the tent and in the bar, in Nyon,” said artistic director Émilie Bujès, referring to the event’s traditional festival and industry hubs. “But it will resolutely be held on the internet,...
- 3/31/2020
- by 1100388¦Melanie Goodfellow¦0¦
- ScreenDaily
A masterful work of sensory ethnography even if falls a bit short of having an emotional impact, Anbessa is a tender and observant film that recalls the works of filmmakers like Lisandro Alonso, Ousmane Sembène, and Apichatpong Weerasethakul. While categorized as a documentary it could very easily be considered a hybrid feature, produced in close collaboration with the film’s star Asalif, a ten-year-old boy, and his mother. The picture is not afraid to explore the inner imagination of its star as he channels his spirit animal and takes to the forest in the film’s most thrilling passage, breaking its otherwise observational mode. His inner “Anbessa,” or lion, is a persona he adapts to fight back against the invaders that threaten to displace his small family.
The story, on the surface, is quite a simple one. The film largely observes Asalif at play as the world he comes to...
The story, on the surface, is quite a simple one. The film largely observes Asalif at play as the world he comes to...
- 11/23/2019
- by John Fink
- The Film Stage
One of New York City’s best summertime diversions for cinephiles, Rooftop Films has unveiled its current slate for its 2019 Summer Series, presented by SundanceTV. This year’s series will take place May 17 – August 23, featuring more than 45 outdoor screenings in more than a dozen spectacular outdoor venues, with live music, filmmaker appearances, and special enhanced screenings of the best, new, independent films from around the world.
The series will kick off on Friday, May 17 at Green-Wood Cemetery with This is What We Mean by Short Films, Rooftop’s annual collection of some of the most innovative short films from the past year. The 23rd Summer Series will continue through August with screenings of new indies and festival favorites, including “Brittany Runs a Marathon,” “My Days of Mercy,” “Mickey and the Bear,” “Saint Frances,” “The Sound of Silence,” “Pink Wall,” “Premature,” “Sister Aimee,” and “Greener Grass.”
“Last year, all of us...
The series will kick off on Friday, May 17 at Green-Wood Cemetery with This is What We Mean by Short Films, Rooftop’s annual collection of some of the most innovative short films from the past year. The 23rd Summer Series will continue through August with screenings of new indies and festival favorites, including “Brittany Runs a Marathon,” “My Days of Mercy,” “Mickey and the Bear,” “Saint Frances,” “The Sound of Silence,” “Pink Wall,” “Premature,” “Sister Aimee,” and “Greener Grass.”
“Last year, all of us...
- 5/10/2019
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Director Peter Strickland’s “In Fabric” starring “Game of Thrones” star Gwendoline Christie is set to open the fifth Mammoth Lakes Film Festival, the organization has announced today along with their film lineup.
The festival in Mammoth Lakes, Calif., will take place May 22-26 and feature several films’ U.S. debuts. In addition to the narrative feature categories, a short films program will include 50 narrative, documentary, animated, experimental and episodic shorts.Strickland’s horror comedy from A24 follows the life of a cursed dress as it travels to different owners, all with devastating consequences.
“We’re excited to bring such an amazing and eclectic lineup of films to this milestone year of our festival,” said festival director Shira Dubrovner. “We’re also thrilled to be hosting over 100 filmmakers this year, who will get to experience all the scenic wonder that the Eastern Sierras has to offer.”
A panel of jurors,...
The festival in Mammoth Lakes, Calif., will take place May 22-26 and feature several films’ U.S. debuts. In addition to the narrative feature categories, a short films program will include 50 narrative, documentary, animated, experimental and episodic shorts.Strickland’s horror comedy from A24 follows the life of a cursed dress as it travels to different owners, all with devastating consequences.
“We’re excited to bring such an amazing and eclectic lineup of films to this milestone year of our festival,” said festival director Shira Dubrovner. “We’re also thrilled to be hosting over 100 filmmakers this year, who will get to experience all the scenic wonder that the Eastern Sierras has to offer.”
A panel of jurors,...
- 4/25/2019
- by Jordan Moreau
- Variety Film + TV
Photo courtesy of Pablo Ocqueteau and Berlinale 2019Below you will find our favorite films of the 69th Berlin International Film Festival, as well as an index of our coverage.AwardsFAVORITE Filmsdaniel KASMANHeimat Is a Space in Time (Thomas Heise)Just Don’t Think I’ll Scream (Frank Beauvais)Fourteen (Dan Sallitt)I Was at Home, But... (Angela Schanelec)Synonyms (Nadav Lapid)The Plagiarists (Peter Parlow)Delphine and Carole (Callisto McNulty)Holy Beasts Years of Construction (Heinz Emigholz)Bait (Mark Jenkins)Giovanni Marchini CAMIASynonyms (Nadav Lapid)I Was at Home, But... (Angela Schanelec)The Plagiarists (Peter Parlow)Just Don't Think I'll Scream (Frank Beauvais)The Blue Flower of Novalis (Gustavo Vinagre & Rodrigo Carneiro)The Portuguese Woman (Rita Azevedo Gomes)The Last to See Them (Sara Summa)Earth (Nikolaus Geyrhalter)Heimat Is a Space in Time (Thomas Heise)Ms Slavic 7 (Sofia Bohdanowicz & Deragh Campbell)Jordan Cronki Was at Home, But... (Angela Schanelec...
- 2/28/2019
- MUBI
Ghost Town AnthologyThe titles for the 69th Berlin International Film Festival are being announced in anticipation of the event running February 7-17, 2019. We will update the program as new films are revealed.COMPETITIONThe Ground Beneath My FeetThe Golden Glove (Faith Akin, Germany/France)By the Grace of GodThe Kindness of StrangersI Was at Home, but A Tale of Three SistersGhost Town Anthology (Denis Côté, Canada)Berlinale SPECIALGully Boy (Zoya Akhtar, India)BrechtWatergate (Charles Ferguson, USA)Panorama 201937 Seconds (Hikari (Mitsuyo Miyazaki), Japan)Dafne (Federico Bondi, Italy)The Day After I'm Gone (Nimrod Eldar, Israel)A Dog Called Money (Seamus Murphy, Ireland/UK)Waiting for the CarnivalChainedFlatland (Jenna Bass, South Africa/Germany/Luxembourg)Greta (Armando Praça, Brazil)Hellhole (Bas Devos, Belgium/Netherlands)Jessica Forever (Caroline Poggi, Jonathan Vinel, France)AcidMid90s (Jonah Hill, USA) Family MembersMonos (Alejandro Landes, Columbia/Argentina/Netherlands/Germany/Denmark/Sweden/Uruguay) O Beautiful Night (Xaver Böhm,...
- 1/2/2019
- MUBI
The first films in the Generation section at the 2019 Berlin Film Festival have been unveiled. The 16 movies will play in the Kplus and 14plus competition at the Berlinale, with organizers highlighting the recurring theme of young people looking for meaning in an uncertain world, and the number of female-centric stories that will be told.
“These are brave films from courageous filmmakers, with their fingers on the pulse of the time and an acute feel for the social, cultural and political developments of our present moment,” said section head Maryanne Redpath.
An initial eight films were announced for 14plus, with projects hailing from China, India, South Korea and the U.S. They will all have their European or world premieres in Berlin. The lineup includes “Stupid Young Heart” from Oscar-nominated director Selma Vilhunen and “Goldie” from Sam de Jong, whose “Prins” was the opening film for Generation 14plus in 2015.
The Generation...
“These are brave films from courageous filmmakers, with their fingers on the pulse of the time and an acute feel for the social, cultural and political developments of our present moment,” said section head Maryanne Redpath.
An initial eight films were announced for 14plus, with projects hailing from China, India, South Korea and the U.S. They will all have their European or world premieres in Berlin. The lineup includes “Stupid Young Heart” from Oscar-nominated director Selma Vilhunen and “Goldie” from Sam de Jong, whose “Prins” was the opening film for Generation 14plus in 2015.
The Generation...
- 12/19/2018
- by Stewart Clarke
- Variety Film + TV
Seven world premieres amongst 16 films.
The first 16 titles from the 2019 Berlin Film Festival (Feb 7-17) Generation section have been revealed.
For the 42nd edition of the Generation strand, there are eight films for Generation 14plus and eight for Generation Kplus so far.
Titles in the former include the European premiere of Stupid Young Heart from Finland’s Selma Vilhunen, who was nominated for the best live action short Oscar for Do I Have To Take Care Of Everything? in 2014.
There will also be a European premiere of Bulbul Can Sing from Indian director Rima Das. Das’ previous film Village Rockstars...
The first 16 titles from the 2019 Berlin Film Festival (Feb 7-17) Generation section have been revealed.
For the 42nd edition of the Generation strand, there are eight films for Generation 14plus and eight for Generation Kplus so far.
Titles in the former include the European premiere of Stupid Young Heart from Finland’s Selma Vilhunen, who was nominated for the best live action short Oscar for Do I Have To Take Care Of Everything? in 2014.
There will also be a European premiere of Bulbul Can Sing from Indian director Rima Das. Das’ previous film Village Rockstars...
- 12/19/2018
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Editor's Note: During Documentary Week every year, the Cinema Eye nominees are taken on a "field trip" around New York City. In a special guest post, "Frame by Frame" director Mo Scarpelli recounts the evening for us. Read More: ’The Look of Silence' Dominates the 2016 Cinema Eye Honors Awards Shivers course through us as we stand in line on a dark Manhattan street. Faces are alight in anticipation, nervous chatter ricochets the icy sidewalk, and we wait. In moments, we file into obscurity: an unmarked door to a cavernous hallway, where we’re each handed a beak-like mask, then through a heavy velvet curtain to a burgundy lounge. Smoke crawls through dim golden light of suspended lamps and chandeliers. A sultry voice drifts over the crowd from a man on stage cradling a deco microphone, dapper in his 30’s-style suit, gently directing us to have our cocktail, have our fun,...
- 1/21/2016
- by Mo Scarpelli
- Indiewire
Mo Scarpelli and Alexandria Bombach are documentary filmmakers and co-directors of award-winning film Frame by Frame. The documentary follows four Afghan photojournalists as they face the realities of building a free press in a country left to stand on its own after decades of war and rule under the oppressive Taliban regime. The film had its world premiere at SXSW 2015, has screened at over 50 other festivals, garnered several awards, was voted one of the Top 10 Audience Favorites at Hot Docs Film Festival, and is nominated for a Cinema Eye Honors Award for Spotlight Doc. Right now, Mo […]...
- 11/19/2015
- by Elaine Sheldon and Sarah Ginsburg
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Mo Scarpelli and Alexandria Bombach are documentary filmmakers and co-directors of award-winning film Frame by Frame. The documentary follows four Afghan photojournalists as they face the realities of building a free press in a country left to stand on its own after decades of war and rule under the oppressive Taliban regime. The film had its world premiere at SXSW 2015, has screened at over 50 other festivals, garnered several awards, was voted one of the Top 10 Audience Favorites at Hot Docs Film Festival, and is nominated for a Cinema Eye Honors Award for Spotlight Doc. Right now, Mo […]...
- 11/19/2015
- by Elaine Sheldon and Sarah Ginsburg
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
It’s hard to imagine that, in a civilized world, something as seemingly mundane and normal as taking a simple photograph would not only cause civil unrest, but become illegal. Well, that was exactly the case in Afghanistan, while under the rule of the Taliban.
From 1996 until 2001, Afghanistan was under the strict, disturbingly fundamentalist control of the Taliban, implementing Sharia law. Things ranging from the above mentioned criminalization of simple things like photographs to forcing women to not only wear a traditional burqa, but keeping them from being educated for much of their early youth, until allowing them to learn the Qur’an.Then came 2001. Out of a revolution came a fledgling free press, and not much else in the way of true progress. An area as dangerous as they come and still fraught with death, corruption and fundamentalism, Afghanistan was once one of the world’s vibrant locales, only...
From 1996 until 2001, Afghanistan was under the strict, disturbingly fundamentalist control of the Taliban, implementing Sharia law. Things ranging from the above mentioned criminalization of simple things like photographs to forcing women to not only wear a traditional burqa, but keeping them from being educated for much of their early youth, until allowing them to learn the Qur’an.Then came 2001. Out of a revolution came a fledgling free press, and not much else in the way of true progress. An area as dangerous as they come and still fraught with death, corruption and fundamentalism, Afghanistan was once one of the world’s vibrant locales, only...
- 11/6/2015
- by Joshua Brunsting
- CriterionCast
Watch: See Afghanistan Through a Bold New Lens in Exclusive 'Frame by Frame' Trailer On September 28, co-directors Alexandria Bombach and Mo Scarpelli joined the International Documentary Association (Ida) to screen and discuss their upcoming documentary "Frame By Frame," which follows the journey of four Afghan photojournalists who fight against an oppressive Taliban regime to pursue the freedom of press. The official film synopsis reads: "When the Taliban ruled Afghanistan, taking a photo was a crime. After the regime fell from power in 2001, a fledgling free press emerged and a photography revolution was born. Now, as foreign troops and media withdraw, Afghanistan is left to stand on its own, and so are its journalists. Set in a modern Afghanistan bursting with color and character, 'Frame by Frame' follows four Afghan photojournalists as they navigate an emerging and dangerous media landscape – reframing Afghanistan for the world, and for themselves.
- 11/4/2015
- by Tarek Shoukri
- Indiewire
The St. Louis International Film Festival has announced the films nominated for the Awfj Eda Awards.
Awfj will partner once again with Sliff to recognize the Best Female-Directed Narrative Feature and Best Female-Directed Documentary. The 24th Annual Whitaker St. Louis International Film Festival will be held Nov. 5-15, 2015. Check out the full lineup here.
Here’s a glimpse of the films that have been selected:
Narratives
Fidelio: Alice’S Odyssey – Lucie Borleteau (France)
A rare woman in the man’s world of seafaring, 30-year-old Alice signs on as a replacement engineer on the freighter Fidélio. Although she loves her job and does it well, Alice remains a woman even when wearing greasy blue overalls, and there’s some doubt that the all-male crew will remain totally insensitive to her charms. The situation has further complications: Alice has a fiancé back on shore, but when she discovers that the Fidélio is captained by Gaël,...
Awfj will partner once again with Sliff to recognize the Best Female-Directed Narrative Feature and Best Female-Directed Documentary. The 24th Annual Whitaker St. Louis International Film Festival will be held Nov. 5-15, 2015. Check out the full lineup here.
Here’s a glimpse of the films that have been selected:
Narratives
Fidelio: Alice’S Odyssey – Lucie Borleteau (France)
A rare woman in the man’s world of seafaring, 30-year-old Alice signs on as a replacement engineer on the freighter Fidélio. Although she loves her job and does it well, Alice remains a woman even when wearing greasy blue overalls, and there’s some doubt that the all-male crew will remain totally insensitive to her charms. The situation has further complications: Alice has a fiancé back on shore, but when she discovers that the Fidélio is captained by Gaël,...
- 10/27/2015
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Summer may be over, but with this year marking the 35th anniversary of Friday the 13th, it's never too late to visit the lake. Ahead of the event's November 4th start date, the folks behind the Denver Film Festival have announced the first wave of programming, including a special November 13th 35mm screening of Sean S. Cunningham's monumental slasher film.
Press Release: October 9, 2015 (Denver, Colo.) - The Denver Film Festival (Dff), produced by Denver Film Society (Dfs), announced its first wave of programming. Recognized as the Rocky Mountain Region's premier film event, the festival will feature a focus on Polish Cinema, sidebars for CinemaQ, CineLatino, Late Night and Women+Film, as well as robust Shorts Packages and Music Spotlight programming.
"In keeping with our long and rich tradition of presenting the best in Eastern European cinema, we at the Denver Film Festival are proud to announce that this year's...
Press Release: October 9, 2015 (Denver, Colo.) - The Denver Film Festival (Dff), produced by Denver Film Society (Dfs), announced its first wave of programming. Recognized as the Rocky Mountain Region's premier film event, the festival will feature a focus on Polish Cinema, sidebars for CinemaQ, CineLatino, Late Night and Women+Film, as well as robust Shorts Packages and Music Spotlight programming.
"In keeping with our long and rich tradition of presenting the best in Eastern European cinema, we at the Denver Film Festival are proud to announce that this year's...
- 10/14/2015
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
At first glance, "Frame by Frame," a documentary about Afghanistan's photojournalists, and "Happy 40th," a narrative drama about a middle-aged wheelchair-bound woman hosting a birthday weekend with friends, have little in common. But, in fact, they have at least a couple of things in common: They were both first features by female directors. At a recent BendFilm Festival (Bff) panel about first-time filmmaking, the films' directors, Alexandria Bombach and Madoke Reine, respectively, were on hand to discuss how they made their first features. Read More: Watch: See Afghanistan Through a Bold New Lens in Exclusive "Frame by Frame" Trailer Bombach, who co-directed (with Mo Scarpelli), produced, shot and co-edited "Frame by Frame," which was screening in the Documentary Competition at Bff, said she initially started out making a short film in Afghanistan before realizing she had a feature on her hands. "I was seeing life on the streets,...
- 10/13/2015
- by Paula Bernstein
- Indiewire
Read More: 'Afghan Cycles' Showcases Women Who Subvert Gender Norms on Two Wheels' The upcoming documentary "Frame by Frame" follows a group of individuals who are the first group in a decade to learn about photography in Afghanistan since the Taliban's decree against the medium. Though they now have the power to share a cultural identity with the rest of the world through photos, they face new forms of oppression from those who want to silence their images. The doc is directed by Alexandria Bombach and Mo Scarpelli and is as much about preserving the memory of a people as it is trying to figure out what Afghanistan's future should look like. Through the lens of a camera, audiences will see how some believe celebrating and sharing photography is a moral obligation. "Frame by Frame" will open in Los Angeles at the Laemmle Music Hall on November 6 and in New York City...
- 10/6/2015
- by Elle Leonsis
- Indiewire
The 59Th BFI London Film Festival Announces Full 2015 Programme
You can peruse the programme at your leisure here.
The programme for the 59th BFI London Film Festival in partnership launched today, with Festival Director Clare Stewart presenting this year’s rich and diverse selection of films and events. BFI London Film Festival is Britain’s leading film event and one of the world’s oldest film festivals. It introduces the finest new British and international films to an expanding London and UK-wide audience. The Festival provides an essential platform for films seeking global success; and promotes the careers of British and international filmmakers through its industry and awards programmes. With this year’s industry programme stronger than ever, offering international filmmakers and leaders a programme of insightful events covering every area of the film industry Lff positions London as the world’s leading creative city.
The Festival will screen a...
You can peruse the programme at your leisure here.
The programme for the 59th BFI London Film Festival in partnership launched today, with Festival Director Clare Stewart presenting this year’s rich and diverse selection of films and events. BFI London Film Festival is Britain’s leading film event and one of the world’s oldest film festivals. It introduces the finest new British and international films to an expanding London and UK-wide audience. The Festival provides an essential platform for films seeking global success; and promotes the careers of British and international filmmakers through its industry and awards programmes. With this year’s industry programme stronger than ever, offering international filmmakers and leaders a programme of insightful events covering every area of the film industry Lff positions London as the world’s leading creative city.
The Festival will screen a...
- 9/1/2015
- by John
- SoundOnSight
In our last article, we went over the history and exciting things the Brooklyn Film Festival offers its contestants. And now it’s time to meet the films and the winners.
16Mmonster: directed by Jacob Kindlon; a 12 minute short from the Us.
20 Years Of Madness: directed by Jeremy Royce; a 90 minute documentary from the Us.
Abby Singer/Songwriter: Directed by Onur Tukel , a 75 minute film from the Us.
Abigail Deville’S Harlem Stories: Directed by Nick Ravich, a 7 minute American documentary.
After A Dream: Directed by Tobias Schmuecking, a 17 minute short from Germany.
And It Was Good: Directed by Graham Waterston, a 19 minute short from the Us.
Winner of the Short Narrative Spirit Award
Big Bag: Directed by Ricardo Martin Coloma, a 13 minute animation from Spain.
Block And Piled: Directed by Marc Riba & Anna Solanas, a 5 minute animation from Spain.
Blue-eyed Me: Directed by Alexey Marfin, a 7 minute short from England.
16Mmonster: directed by Jacob Kindlon; a 12 minute short from the Us.
20 Years Of Madness: directed by Jeremy Royce; a 90 minute documentary from the Us.
Abby Singer/Songwriter: Directed by Onur Tukel , a 75 minute film from the Us.
Abigail Deville’S Harlem Stories: Directed by Nick Ravich, a 7 minute American documentary.
After A Dream: Directed by Tobias Schmuecking, a 17 minute short from Germany.
And It Was Good: Directed by Graham Waterston, a 19 minute short from the Us.
Winner of the Short Narrative Spirit Award
Big Bag: Directed by Ricardo Martin Coloma, a 13 minute animation from Spain.
Block And Piled: Directed by Marc Riba & Anna Solanas, a 5 minute animation from Spain.
Blue-eyed Me: Directed by Alexey Marfin, a 7 minute short from England.
- 8/23/2015
- by Catherina Gioino
- Nerdly
James Napier Robertson’s acclaimed New Zealand drama picked up a couple of honours as the 2015 Seattle International Film Festival came to a close.
The 25-day festival kicked off on May 14 and featured 450 films representing 92 countries and featured 49 world premieres.
Siff 2015 Golden Space Needle Audience Awards
Golden Space Needle Award - Best Film
The Dark Horse by James Napier Robertson
Golden Space Needle Award - Best Documentary
Romeo Is Bleeding by Jason Zeldes
Golden Space Needle Award - Best Director
Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, Me And Earl And The Dying Girl
Golden Space Needle Award - Best Actor
Cliff Curtis, The Dark Horse
Golden Space Needle Award - Best Actress
Nina Hoss, Phoenix
Golden Space Needle Award - Best Short Film
Even The Walls, directed by Sarah Kuck, Saman Maydáni
Lena Sharpe Award For Persistence Of Vision
Frame By Frame by Mo Scarpelli, Alexandria Bombach
Siff 2015 Competition Awards
Siff 2015 Best New Director
Grand Jury Prize
Liza, The Fox-Fairy...
The 25-day festival kicked off on May 14 and featured 450 films representing 92 countries and featured 49 world premieres.
Siff 2015 Golden Space Needle Audience Awards
Golden Space Needle Award - Best Film
The Dark Horse by James Napier Robertson
Golden Space Needle Award - Best Documentary
Romeo Is Bleeding by Jason Zeldes
Golden Space Needle Award - Best Director
Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, Me And Earl And The Dying Girl
Golden Space Needle Award - Best Actor
Cliff Curtis, The Dark Horse
Golden Space Needle Award - Best Actress
Nina Hoss, Phoenix
Golden Space Needle Award - Best Short Film
Even The Walls, directed by Sarah Kuck, Saman Maydáni
Lena Sharpe Award For Persistence Of Vision
Frame By Frame by Mo Scarpelli, Alexandria Bombach
Siff 2015 Competition Awards
Siff 2015 Best New Director
Grand Jury Prize
Liza, The Fox-Fairy...
- 6/7/2015
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
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