Cinema of the World

Transcription

Cinema of the World

Cinema of the World
IFFI-2007
CINEMA OF THE WORLD
24
IFFI-2007
CINEMA OF THE WORLD
ASIAN PREMIERE
Argentina
Hunabku
2007, 35mm, Colour, 100 mins, Spanish
At the very moment he begins to cross the line between childhood and adolescence,
Lucas has to leave his home at Buenos Aires and move, along with his parents,
Federico and Mabel, to the mysterious Patagonia, deep in the south of Argentina.
Seduced by a promising work opportunity, the family tries to recreate their home
in the isolated location. But Lucas quickly meets the immensity of the Glacier
and starts wandering along the gigantic ice extension, looking for answers to its
enigmas. Lucas believes something lies beneath the Glacier, something he cannot
translate into language. A vibration. A secret. His parents are unable to listen to
him. Federico is too busy pursuing his material goals while he digs into the land
to build a vacation resort. Mabel cannot sleep at night, so during the day she is
barely awake and stays in the house trying to fight her own daydreams. Soon,
what looked like enjoying an adventure while rapidly becoming rich turns out to
be a labyrinth of infinite directions where everyone has to look for his own way
out. But the warm voice of the anthropologist Nicolás, a lonely scientist who has
lived in Patagonia for many years, may help Lucas to find his road. He might also
help the whole family by revealing that behind all the mysteries and secrets there
lays a simple truth that many have chosen to forget. It is an agile and modern
reflection on middle class people who are estranged from their own selves, and
live in vicious circles of ambition and consumption.
The 1962-born Pablo Cesar has made films like Blood, Aphrodite (the garden of
the perfumes), Unicorn (the garden of the fruits), Grey Fire, Equinox and The
Holy Family. He has also made a number of short films.
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Director
Pablo César
Screenplay
Jeronimo Toubes
Cinematography
Abel Peñalba
Editor
Liliana Nadal
Music
Héctor Magni
Cast
Raul Taibo (Federico), Florencia Raggi (Mabel), Boy Olmi
(Nicolas), Tahiel Arevalo (Lucas). Mauro Cesar Mori
(Mariano), Miwa Oshiro (Liu), Juan Martin Otegui
(Marcelo)
Art
Cecilia Figueredo
Sound
Adriano Salgado, Rodrigo Sánchez Mariño
Production
Mike César, with the support of Instituto Nacional de Cine y
Artes Audiovisuales (INCAA), Universidad del Cine
Festivals & Awards
Amiens, Cinemagic International Film Festival (Northern
Ireland), Cairo
IFFI-2007
CINEMA OF THE WORLD
Argentina-France-Germany
The Other / El Otro
Director
Ariel Rotter
Screenplay
Ariel Rotter
Cinematography
Marcelo Lavintman
Editor
Eliane Katz
Cast
Julio Chavez (Juan Desouza), Ines Molina, Maria Ucedo,
Arturo Goetz
Art
Aili Chen
Sound
Martín Litmanovich
Costumes
Roberta Pesci
Production
Aquafilms
Cabello 3644
C1425APN Buenos Aires,
Argentina
Tel: +54 (11) 4802-4218
Tel/Fax: +54 (11) 4809-3698
email: [email protected];
AireCine (Argentina), Celluloid Dreams (France), Selavy
Productions (Germany)
Festivals & Awards
Berlin (Grand Jury Prize, Silver Bear for Best Actor),
Fribourg (Audience Award, Special Mention IFFS Jury - Don
Quijote Award), Alba-Italy (SIGNIS Award)
A run of the mill, one-day business trip to the country becomes another journey.
On reaching his destination, Juan Desouza - a lawyer in his late 40s, who’s happily
married and his wife is expecting a child – discovers that the man travelling at his
side is not sleeping. He is dead. Secretly, almost like a game, he decides to adopt
the dead man’s identity, inventing a profession for himself, finding a place to
stay: the possibility of not returning. Desouza undertakes an adventure into nature,
into the rediscovery of his tastes and his basic instincts. He tries to grasp the idea
that the life dealt out for him, and which he chose to live, is not the only one
possible. He eventually goes back home, stronger from the spiritual experience.
Born 1973 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Ariel Rotter is a film director and
screenplay writer. His earlier film is Sólo por hoy (2001).
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IFFI-2007
CINEMA OF THE WORLD
Argentina-Germany
Possible Lives / Las Vidas Posibles
Luciano undertakes one of his regular business trips to the Patagonia. After days
when Carla receives no news of her husband, she begins to search for information about his whereabouts. Increasingly desperate, she decides to travel to where
he should have gone. There, she is totally disconcerted to find someone like
Luciano, who leads another life and is married to another woman. From that
moment Carla develops a set of strategies for achieving be close to that man, to
possess and return him to his previous life.
Sandra Gugliotta, whose latest film Tercera invasión (Third invasion) in under
production, has earlier made films like Un día de suerte (One lucky day) (2002)
and Noches áticas (Arctic Nights) (Short-1994).
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Director
Sandra Gugliotta
Screenplay
Sandra Gugliotta, Pablo Fendrik
Cinematography
Lucio Bonelli
Editor
Juan Pablo Di Bitonto, Víctor Cruz
Music
Sebastian Escofet
Cast
German Palacios (Luis / Luciano), Ana Celentano (Carla),
Marina Glezer (Helena), Guillermo Arengo (Gutierrez),
Natalia Oreiro (Marcia), Osmar Nunez (Caretaker)
Art
Fabiana Piotti
Sound
Vincent D’Elia
Costumes
Mariela Fondevielle
Production
El Angel Films
Serrano 820 3-D
(1414) Buenos Aires
Argentina
Tel: +54 11 4775 4377
email: [email protected];
Fieber Film, Grünwald
Festivals & Awards
Berlin (First Prize of the World Cinema Fund)
IFFI-2007
CINEMA OF THE WORLD
Bahrain
A Bahraini Tale / Hekaya Bahrainya
2006, 35 mm, Colour, 96 mins, Arabic
Director
Bassam Al Thawadi
Screenplay
Fareed Ramadan
Cinematography
Shamdat Saimudeen
Editor
Osama Al-Saif
Music
Mohammed Haddad
Cast
Maryam Zaiman, Mubarak Khamis, Jaman Alrowayai, Fatima
Abdulrahim, Yousif Buhalol, Nadeem Zaiman, Saad Abdullah,
Hassan Almajed
Sound
Giles Khan
Production
Bahrain Cinema Production Company
610, Building 203, Govt. Avenue
Manama 304, Bahrain
P.O.Box No. 33223 Isa Town, Bahrain
Tel: +97339721321
Fax: +97317224004
Mobile: +97339666466
email: [email protected]; [email protected]
Festivals & Awards
2006: Dubai, Alwan Film Festival (New York),
2007: Terra Di Siena (Italy), Emirates Film Competition (Abu
Dhabi), Arab Film Festival (Rotterdam), International Arab
Film Festival (Algeria), International Festival of Muslim
Cinema (Kazan), International Euro-Arab Film Festival
(Amal, 2007), Osian’s Cinefan (New Delhi)
Set during the Arab-Israeli war of 1967, this epic drama is both the personal
story of a middle-class Bahraini family and an account of the hopes and faith the
Arab world had in Jamal Abdul Nasser as its leader. Intimately told, it skillfully
interweaves the personal and the general to reveal a society built on male
domination and female sacrifice, as women attempt to enjoy freedom of choice.
This is the third feature film from Bahrain, all directed by Al-Thawadi, who shows
flexibility in both style and subject, always demonstrating a deep sense of reality
and romanticism. The social concerns here are clear and the storytelling simple,
yet help the film explore areas of Arab collective memory more powerfully than
any other film has done in a long time.
Bassam Mohammed Al Thawadi was born in Bahrain on December 13, 1960.
From 1974 to 1978 he made his own series of short films on 8mm - in 1979 he
went to Cairo to study film directing and graduated from the Higher Institute of
Cinema (Cairo) in 1982. In 1990, he produced and directed Al-Hajiz (The Barrier),
the first feature film ever produced in Bahrain. Fourteen years later, he directed
and co-produced Visitor (2004), considered the first Dolby sound system
production in the Gulf. Between those two films he directed many documentaries.
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IFFI-2007
CINEMA OF THE WORLD
Brazil
Not By Chance / Não Por Acaso
2007, 35 mm, Colour, 95 mins, Portuguese
It is a contemporary story about love, loneliness and the desire to control the
uncontrollable with Sao Paulo as one of its characters. Two men have never met,
but they have a common lifestyle based on precision, control and method, until
an unpredictable accident involving two women forever changes the course of
their lives. Ênio and Pedro are about to find that an unpredictable world can rob
them of something precious — then repay them with something else. In this drama
of love and loss, Barcinski films São Paulo with the intimacy of a lover — showing
its built-up streets in sweeping overhead shots during the clean, crisp daylight,
then returning after dark to show its city lights in wooly soft focus. The film
received the Alfred P. Sloan Grant at the Sundance Screenwriters Lab.
The 1972-born Philippe Barcinski studied physics at the University of Rio de
Janeiro before assisting director Luis Carlos Lacerda. In 1992, he decided to
study Film Production as a student of Jean Bernardet. At the University in 1996,
he directed his first short films: The Stairs and The Cage,The Cage a gagne le
prix du Festival de Brasilia, et le Prix spécial du Jury a Gramado. the latter winning
the prize of the Festival of Brasilia, and the Special Jury Prize at Gramado. During
1998 – 2003, he received numerous awards for his short films The White Postcard,
Palindrome and The Open Window, at the film festivals of San Francisco, Mexico
and Odense. He also participated in the festivals in Berlin, London and ClermontFerrand.
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Director
Philippe Barcinski
Screenplay
Fabiana Werneck Barcinski, Philippe Barcinski, Eugenio
Puppo
Cinematography
Pedro Farkas
Editor
Marcio Canella
Music
Ed Cortes
Cast
Rodrigo Santoro (Pedro), Leonardo Medeiros (Ênio), Letícia
Sabatella (Lúcia), Branca Messina (Teresa), Rita Batata (Bia),
Graziela Moretto (Mônica)
Sound
Ana Chiarini
Costumes
Vero Julian
Production
02 Films
World Sales
Ondamax Films
(Eric Mathis/Donald Ranvaud)
1360, Monad Terrace
Suit 1, Miami Beach
FL 33139 (USA)
Tel: +13055353577, +13052152221
email: [email protected]
www.ondamaxfilms.com
Festivals & Awards
Middle East, Chicago
IFFI-2007
CINEMA OF THE WORLD
Canada
Emotional Arithmetic
2007, 35 mm, Colour, 100 mins, English
Director
Paolo Barzman
Screenplay
Jefferson Lewis, based on the novel by Matt Cohen
Cinematography
Luc Montpellier
Editor
Arthur Tarnowski
Music
Normand Corbeil
Cast
Susan Sarandon (Melanie Lansing Winters), Gabriel Byrne
(Christopher Lewis), Max von Sydow (Jakob Bronski),
Christopher Plummer (David Winters), Roy Dupuis (Benjiman
Winters)
Art
Jean-François Campeau
Sound
Dimitri Ménard
Production
BBR Productions inc.
3430, rue Saint-Denis Bureau 300
Montreal, Quebec H2X 3L3
Tel: (514) 288-0080, (514) 288-0081
www.bbrprod.com
Triptych Media Inc.
788 King St. W.
2nd Floor
Toronto, Ontario
M5V 1N6
Tel: (416) 703-8866, (416) 703-8867
Email: [email protected]
www.triptychmedia.ca
World Sales
Celluloïd Dreams
2, rue Turgot
Paris, France - 75009
Tel: 33 1 49 70 03 70
Fax: 33 1 49 70 03 71
www.celluloid-dreams.com
Festivals & Awards
Toronto, Atlanta, San Sebastian
A summer day, a lake, a house, a dinner table set outside, the promise of an
upcoming celebration. Melanie has fulfilled her life’s dream of reuniting Jakob
and Christopher. She hasn’t seen them in more than 40 years since the three of
them were freed in 1943 from a transit camp for those who were to be sent to the
death camps. Jakob was caught in the grips of history; having survived Auschwitz
and Soviet mental institutions, he has now become a poet. Christopher cut himself
off from the world; he studies insects and has buried deep down his untold love
for Melanie. Melanie married David and has survived endless depressions. In her
old age, she has become a lively, crazy nomad in her own story. Can we let past
suffering suffocate our present? And what about love in all of this?
Paolo Barzman began his creative career in painting and graphic arts at the
Académie Jullian in Paris and at the University of California in Los Angeles. At
19, he was hired by director Jean Renoir as his secretary in Los Angeles. Paolo’s
debut as a writer/director was with the feature film Time is Money starring Max
von Sydow, Charlotte Rampling and Martin Landau. A successful television
director in North America and Europe, he has made All Around Town, starring
Nastassja Kinski, and You Belong to Me, starring Lesley Anne Down. Other credits
include Adventure Inc., Highlander, Largo Winch, Relic Hunter, Lonesome Dove,
and 15/Love.
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IFFI-2007
CINEMA OF THE WORLD
Canada
Romeo & Juliette
Juliette, 15, is the only child of an eminent judge and has had the best of education
in the best of schools. Her father is in the limelight because he’s been chosen to
preside over one of the most important trials of the past 10 years: the case of Réal
Lamontagne, a notorious criminal accused of killing a child. Roméo, 17, is the
son of the accused. Even though they come from diametrically opposed universes,
Juliette and Roméo fall for each other. With the charm of Montreal adding a tragic
dimension to the story, love and hate, those polar opposites, find each other in an
ambience of rivalry and social incompatibility.
Yves Desgagnés, is one of Quebec’s most appreciated artistes. In his 30 years in
front of and behind the camera, Desgagnés has acted in more than 50 plays and
shows, in many television series and has acquired a solid reputation as a director.
In cinema, he has acted in such films as Yves Simoneau’s Pouvoir intime, JeanClaude Labrecque’s Les Années de rêves, and Denys Arcand’s Les invasions
barbares. In 2005, he directed his first feature film, Idole instantanée.
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Director
Yves Desgagnes
Screenplay
Normand Chaurette
Cinematography
Pierre Mignot
Editor
Michel Arcand
Cast
Jeanne Moreau, Thomas Lalonde, Charlotte Aubin,
Pierre Curzi, Gilles Renaud
Sound
Marie-Claude Gagné
Production
Cinémaginaire inc.
5144, boul. Saint-Laurent
Montreal, Quebec
H2T 1R8
Tel: (514) 272-5505
Fax: (514) 272-9841
World Sales
Fun Film
5146 Boul St-Laurent Montreal
Quebec H2T 1RB Canada
IFFI-2007
CINEMA OF THE WORLD
Canada
The Ring / Le Ring
2007, 35 mm, Colour, 90 mins, French
Director
Anais Barbeau-Lavalette
Screenplay
Renée Beaulieu
Cinematography
Philippe Lavalette
Editor
Carina Baccanale
Cast
Maxime Desjardins-Tremblay, Julianne Côté, Maxime
Dumontier, Jason Roy-Léveillée,
Stéphane Demers, Suzanne Lemoine, Jean-François
Casabonne
Sound
Olivier Léger
Production
Inis Relève inc.
301, rue de Maisonneuve Est
Montreal, Quebec
H2X 1K1
Tel: (514) 285-1840, 285-1953
www.inis.qc.ca
World Sales
Christal Films Distribution inc.
376, av. Victoria
Bureau 300
Westmount, Quebec
H3Z 1C3
Tel: (514) 336-9696, 336-0607
www.christalfilms.com
Festivals & Awards
Berlin, Montreal, Pusan
Jessy, age 11, dreams of becoming a wrestler. Already, life is a daily fight; home
is chaotic and his innocence is quickly disappearing. Reality hits hard in
Hochelaga-Maisonneuve, a poor area of Montreal, but it cannot compete with the
Friday night wrestling that gives Jessy the courage to escape his destiny. Le Ring
tells the story of a little fighter determined to make his own way.
In 2000, while studying at Quebec’s Institut national de l’image et du son (INIS),
Anaïs Barbeau-Lavalette made her first two documentary films, Sorcières comme
les autres and Les Mots bleus. She then made the documentary Buenos Aires, no
llores. In 2002, she represented Canada at the United Nation’s Volunteers’ Odyssey
where seven teams of young reporters had the opportunity to film nearly 50
volunteer sites in the world. Barbeau-Lavalette made 15 short documentaries.
Later, in Si j’avais un chapeau, she had poor children from Quebec, India, Tanzania
and Palestine create and film their own stories; in Les mains du monde, she
presented six people in their quest to overcome solitiude. Le Ring is BarbeauLavalette’s first fiction feature film.
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IFFI-2007
CINEMA OF THE WORLD
Chile
Pretending / Pretendiendo
2006, 35 mm, Colour, 109 mins, Spanish
When the beautiful Amanda is humiliated by her lover and fired from her job, she
decides to move to a new town and start over – this time, though, she makes
herself into an ugly woman to be taken seriously. When she meets Marcelo, a
cocky new coworker and quintessential ‘player,’ she decides to go one step further
and test him by playing both her ugly persona and her real one (whom she now
calls Helena) against him. But juggling a double life proves harder than she’d
imagined, and when real feelings begin to develop between both Marcelo and
Helena, as well as between Marcelo and Amanda, she finds her comedy of errors
has turned into an odd and sexy love triangle.
It is Claudio Dabed first feature film, and apart from directing it, he has also done
the art direction and produced the film. Dabed studied at UNIACC Film School
in Chile, and after graduating, he worked in advertising films for a short period.
He won the first prize in the Sony Video Art festival. When, during dictator
Pinochet’s period cinema was non-existent in Chile and advertising was the only
visual media produced, he at 24 moved to Bali, Indonesia, where he lived for 11
years designing clothes and furniture. After gathering experiences and releasing
creativity through other channels, he was inspired to return to his passion and
wrote, produced and directed his first feature film. Dabed lives in Los Angeles
and is developing of his second feature.
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Director
Claudio Dabed
Screenplay
Claudio Dabed, Franklin McDonald
Cinematography
Masanobu Takayanagi
Editor
Danielle Fillios
Music
Justin Stanley
Cast
Barbara Mori, Marcelo Mazzarello, Amaya Forch, Gonzalo
Robles, Rodrigo Munoz, Jaime Azócar
Art
Claudio Dabed
Sound
Marcos De Aguirre
Costumes
Carol Raddatz
Production & World Sales
Cada Films
Avda, Jose Pedro Aleasandri 1880
Nunea, Santiago (Chile)
www.pretendicndo.com
Festivals & Awards
Miami, New York Latino
IFFI-2007
CINEMA OF THE WORLD
China
Cherries / Ying Tao
2007, 35 mm, Colour, 106min, Chinese
Director
Zhang Jiabei
Screenplay
Bao Shi
Cinematography
Maruike Osa Me
Editor
Chen Xiao Hong
Music
Yasuda Fu Mio
Cast
Miao Pu, Tuo Guoquan, Long Li
Art
Lou Zhongguo
Sound
Wu Hao, Zhan Xi
Production
Shanghai Film Group Corporation
No. 25, Sinwai St.
Beijing 100082 (China)
Tel: +861062261485
Fax: +861062264100
Festivals & Awards
Tokyo, Montreal
Maternal love is the most common and yet the greatest affection one can experience in the world. It defines sublimity with platitude. This is a story that happened in Southern China in the early 1980s. It’s about an intellectually delinquent young woman and a deserted girl’s deep affection… In a small village on a
mountain in Southern China, there was Cherrie, who was married to Ge Wang,
slim and crippled. He couldn’t walk straight. Because of her mental state, Cherrie
was unable to find a proper job except walking the hogs and feeding the chicken.
Ge Wang alone was hence responsible for feeding the entire family. Making the
ends meet wasn’t easy. Tough living hadn’t diminished Cherrie’s maternal nature. She adored children. On the night of this very day, Cherrie found a deserted
baby girl lying right next to her…Cherrie stopped making love to Ge Wang him
right after Hong Hong joined the family. Cherrie would carry Hong Hong with
her around the house, eating or sleeping. One day, Ge Wang took the baby in
Cherrie’s sound sleep and passed it to a city couple with a red car. After going
through all the hardships looking for the baby, Hong Hong finally came back to
Cherrie. Hong Hong had grown into a smart and lovely girl and also felt embarrassed for her mother who was intellectually delinquent. One day, to pick the
wild cherries for Hong Hong, something happened to Cherrie who was later declared missing.
Zhang Jiabei has earlier made Clay Fear in 2006.
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IFFI-2007
CINEMA OF THE WORLD
China
The Exam / Kao Shi
2006, 35 mm, Colour, 104 mins, Chinese
Ms Qu, the only teacher of Zhaokaitun Primary School, has been working in the
class-mixed school in the lonely island for 20 years. The director general of the
District Education Bureau promised her that she would be transferred to work in
the city as long as her students would have got the first place in straight 10 years
after this examination. Ms Qu treasured the chance greatly as both of her daughters
worked and studied in the city. However, when the exam was finished, Qu found
that, totally not as usual, the students did a very bad job in the papers. After the
investigation, Qu realized the fact that the head of the village had told the students,
if they got the first place, Ms Qu would leave the island. All the kids didn’t want
their dear teacher to leave them, so they wrote the poor papers on the purpose. Qu
was deeply moved and made the final decision to stay on the island. It is based on
a true incident. None of the actors in the film are professionals. All of them are
people from the place where the incident happened and most of them portray
themselves in the movie. Because of the low budget, the movie has not received
substantial promotion and has not yet been released theatrically.
Pu Jian is an assistant professor at the School of Cinema and Television,
Communication University of China. Born in Guizhou Province of China in June,
1968, he received primary and middle school education there. In 1990, he graduated
from the Law Department of Wuhan University and in 1996 did his MA from
Beijing Film Academy. Though he has made several TV films earlier, this is his
first feature film.
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Director
Pu Jian
Screenplay
Chen Bei-ni, Pu Jian
Cinematography
Ma Yong-cheng
Editor
Pu Jian
Music
Jiang An-qing
Cast
Qu Feng-qin (Ms Qu), Zhou Hai-chun (village head), Xu Bo,
Liu Laifu, Yang Xinyu, Xu Jiawen, Xu He, Xu Qiang, Xu
Mingliang, Xu Haoyue
Art
Tan Ze-en
Sound
Wang Jue
Costumes
Liu Yan-yan
Production
Communication University of China
No.1, East St., Dingfuzhuang
Chaoyang District, Beijing
Tele/Fax: +86-10-6578-3316;
Nanjing Film Studio
No.8, Suojincun,
Taipingmenwai, Nanjing
Tel/Fax: +86-25-8541-1477
Festivals
Tokyo, Barcelona Asian Film Fest, Fribourg
IFFI-2007
CINEMA OF THE WORLD
China
The Tokyo Trial / Dong Jing Shen Par
2006, 35 mm, Colour, 119 mins, English-Japanese-Chinese
Director
Gao Qunshu
Cast
Liu Songren, Zhu Xiatian, Lin Xilei, Ying Da, Zeng Zhiwei
Production
Shanghai Film Group Corporation
No. 25, Sinwai St.
Beijing 100082 (China)
Tel: +861062261485
Fax: +861062264100
The Tokyo Trial took place after World War II ended. It lasted two-and-a-half
years, from May, 1946 to November, 1948, about half a year after the start of the
Nuremberg Trials in Europe. All Japanese Class-A war criminals were tried by
the International Military Tribunal for the Far East in Tokyo. The prosecution
team was made up of justices from 11 Allied nations. Seven of the war criminals
were hanged after the trial, including Hideki Tojo, the prime minister of Japan
during the attack on Pearl Harbour in Hawaii in 1941.
Gao Qunshu did a lot of research of firsthand footage of the trial, including varied
video versions shot by the Japanese and Dutch press, to authentically portray the
historical scenes. He found a valuable trial diary in Japan, which recounts its
heated debates. As a result, in the movie, even the details of the actors’ costumes
and gestures at the tribunal strictly follow historical evidence. Ninety per cent of
the movie was shot in English and Japanese as it was in the trial. According to
Gao, the film shows how a Chinese judge involved in the case managed to sway
the opinion of an international panel of 11 judges to “narrowly avert a miscarriage
36
IFFI-2007
CINEMA OF THE WORLD
China
Unfinished Girl
2006, 35 mm, Colour, 90 mins, Mandarin Chinese
The film showcases the solicitude for truth. It is the story of a young girl who falls in
love with self brother-in-law secretly, leading to repercussions.
Cheng Er is a noted film director from China.
37
Director
Cheng Er
Screenplay
Cheng Er
Cinematography
Xu Wei
Editor
Yang Hongyu
Music
Lin Hai
Cast
Gao Yuanyuan, Xu Zheng, Yan Po, Tao Hong
Sound
Wang Danrong
Production
Cheerland Entertainment Organisation
1-2F, Building 1
Madianjingdian Jiayuan, No. 8
Qijiahuozi, Chaoyang District
Beijing (China)
Tel: +861082015522/5511
Fax: +861062018669
email: [email protected], [email protected]
IFFI-2007
CINEMA OF THE WORLD
Cuba
El Benny
Director
Jorge Luis Sánchez
Screenplay
Jorge Luis Sánchez, Abrahan Rodríguez
Cinematography
José Manuel Riera Editor
Manuel Iglesias
Music
Juan Manuel Ceruto
Cast
Renny Arozarena (Benny More), Enrique Molina (Olimpio),
Mario Guerra (Monchy), Carlos Ever Fonseca (Angeluis),
Limara Meneses (Aida)
Art
Erik Grass
Sound
Osmani Olivare, Ricardo Iztueta
Costumes
Nanette Peña
Production
Iohamil Navarro Cuesta
CORAL CAPITAL ENTERTAINMENT, Ltd
Calle 23 No. 1111 e/ 8 y 10 , Vedado
Ciudad de La Habana, CUBA
Tel/Fax: : 00537 833-4826 /00537 833-3281
World Sales
ICAIC International Producter
Street 23 % 10 and 12
Vedado Havana City Cuba
Historico 06070 Mexico DF
TelFax: (5-37) 8383128/(5-37) 3833707
Festivals & Awards
Miami, Palm Springs, Locarno (Boccalino prize for best
performance to Arozarena)
It is the life story of Benny Moré, the greatest Cuban musician of all time, who
died far too young yet profoundly changed the course of Latin music forever.
More famous during his lifetime in Venezuela and Mexico than in his own home
country of Cuba, he was asked in 1957, not long before he died, to play at the
Oscars in Los Angeles. Never having formally studied music, he arranged big
band orchestras and combos from the music he heard in his head and felt in his
soul without being able to read or write music. A true musical genius, Benny was
a man of supreme charisma and passion, but his attraction to the night, the women
and the partying excesses led to his untimely death. His legacy is still felt today
in most contemporary Latin music.
Jorge Luis Sánchez, born in Havana in 1960, was a founder of the Federación
Nacional de Cine Clubes de Cuba - the National Federation of Cine Clubs of
Cuba.He started to work in ICAIC in 1981 as camera assistant, and later as assistant
director. This is his debut feature.
38
IFFI-2007
CINEMA OF THE WORLD
Denmark
Cecilie
2006, 35 mm, Colour, 93 mins, Danish
Cecilie sees and hears things no one else does; places suddenly change appearance,
people aren’t really there. One night she experiences a rape, but no traces are to
be found. Her husband Mads commits her to a psychiatric hospital. With the help
of a psychiatrist, Per, she begins to see a frightening connection between her
condition and a brutal murder that happened more than 30 years before.
Born 1967 in Denmark, Hans Fabian Wullenweber graduated in direction from
the National Film School of Denmark, 1997. He then went to England for further
study. He wrote and directed the short film Udenfor/Still Around (2000), which
was awarded at the international short film festival in Montecatini. Klatretøsen/
Catch that Girl (2002), his feature film debut, was a hit at the domestic box office
and won awards at Berlin, Chicago and Amsterdam festivals. After that he made
Tvilling / Gemini.
39
Director
Hans Fabian Wullenweber
Screenplay
Nikolaj Arcel, Rasmus Heisterberg
Cinematography
Jacob Kusk
Editor
Kasper Leick
Music
Trond Bjerknaes
Cast
Sonja Richter, Anders W Berthelsen, Claus Riis Ostergaard
Art
Christian Svans Kolding
Sound
Bjørn Vidø
Production
Nimbus Film Productions Aps
World Sales
Danish Film Institute
55, Gothersgade DK 1123
Copenhagen K Denmark;
Trust Film Sales Aps
Filmbyen 12
DK-2650 Hvidovre
www.trust-film.dk
Festivals & Awards
Palm Springs
IFFI-2007
CINEMA OF THE WORLD
Finland
Lights in the Dusk / Laitakaupungin valot
2006, 35 mm, Colour, 78 mins, Finnish
Director
Aki Kaurismäki
Screenplay
Aki Kaurismäki
Cinematography
Timo Salminen
Editor
Aki Kaurismäki
Cast
Janne Hyytiäinen, Maria Järvenhelmi, Ilkka Koivula, Maria
Heiskanen
Art
Markku Pätilä
Sound
Jouko Lumme, Tero Malmberg
Costumes
Outi Harjupatana
Production
Sputnik Oy (with support from The Finnish Film Foundation)
Museokatu 13 A
00100 Helsinki
Finland
Tel: +358 9 6877 100
Fax: +358 9 6877 1010
World Sales
The Match Factory GmbH
Michael Weber
www.the-match-factory.com
Festivals & Awards
2006: Cannes, Karlovy Vary, Pula (Croatia), Toronto,
Vancouver, Rio de Janeiro, Reykjavik, Haifa, Pusan, London,
Kiev, Bratislava, Jakarta, Istanbul, Jerusalem
2007: Adelaide, Hong Kong, Troia, Melbourne, Brisbane,
Buenos Aires
Lights in the Dusk concludes the trilogy that started with Drifting Clouds (Kauas
pilvet karkaavat, 1996) and continued with The Man Without a Past (Mies vailla
menneisyyttä, 2002). Where the trilogy’s first film was about unemployment and
the second about homelessness, the theme of Lights in the Dusk is loneliness. Like
Chaplin’s little tramp, the protagonist, a man named Koistinen, searches the hard
world for a small crack through which he could crawl in, but both his fellow
beings and the faceless apparatus of the society see it their business to crush his
modest hopes, one after another. Criminal elements exploit his longing for love
and his position as a night watchman in a robbery they pull off, leaving Koistinen
to face the consequences. This is done with the help of the most callous woman
in the history of cinema since Joseph L. Mankiewicz’s All About Eve (1950). As
a result Koistinen loses his job, his freedom and his dreams. Luckily for our
protagonist, the author of the film has a reputation of being a soft-hearted old
man, so we can assume there is a spark of hope illuminating the final scene.
The 1957-born Aki Kaurismäki has been directing films since early 1980s. His
filmography includes over 15 features and several short films. Among his films
are The Saimaa Gesture (Saimaa-ilmiö) done with his brother Mika Kaurismäki,
Crime and Punishment (Rikos ja rangaistus), Calamari Union, Shadows in
Paradise (Varjoja paratiisissa), Hamlet Goes Business (Hamlet liikemaailmassa),
Ariel and Leningrad Cowboys Go America.
40
IFFI-2007
CINEMA OF THE WORLD
France
99 Francs
Octave is the master of the universe. He is in the profession of copywriting. He
decides today what you will want tomorrow. For him, “man is a product like
everything else”. Octave works for the world’s largest advertising agency, Ross
& Witchcraft, nicknamed “The Ross”. He’s swimming in money, girls and coke.
Even so, he has his doubts. Two events will turn Octave’s life on its head: his love
affair with Sophie, the agency’s most beautiful employee, and a meeting at Madone
to sell an advertisement to this major company in the diary sector. Gifted Octave
loses the plot and decides to rebel against the system that created him, by botching
his greatest publicity campaign. From Paris, where agency bosses negotiate deals,
to Miami, where advertisements get shot while gulping anti-depressants, from
Saint-Germain-de-Près to an isolated island in Central America, will Octave
manage to escape his golden prison?
Jan Kounen was born in Utrecht, the Netherlands, in 1964 and first made a name
for himself by directing around 30 advertising films and music videos, mainly in
Great Britain. In 1989, he directed his first short film, Gisèle Kérosène, that won
the top prize for a short film at the following year’s Avoriaz Festival. In 1990, he
directed L’âge de plastic, a musical with the group Elmer Food Beat. In 1993,
Vibroboy, a “trash fantasy comedy” was awarded the Innovation Prize by the jury
at the Clermont-Ferrand Festival. In1996, he filmed Emmanuelle Béart in the tale
of The Last Red Riding Hood, another musical, with choreography by Philippe
Decouflé. Dobermann was his first feature film. He has since made films like
Blueberry, Darshan, a journey in India, and D’Autres mondes.
41
Director
Jan Kounen
Screenplay
Jan Kounen, Nicolas, Bruno
Cinematography
David Ungaro
Editor
Anny Danche
Cast
Jean Dujardin (Octave), Jocelyn Quivrin (Charlie), Patrick
Mille (Jeff), Vahina Giocante (Sophie), Elisa Tovati (Tamara),
Nicolas Marié (Dujer), Dominique Bettenfeld (Jean-Christian
Gagnant), Antoine Basler (Marc Maronnier), Fosco Perinti
(Giovanni)
Art
Michel Barthélémy
Costumes
Chattoune
Production
Equinoxe Films
IFFI-2007
CINEMA OF THE WORLD
France
Changement d Adresse
2006, 35mm, Colour, 85 mins, French
Director
Emmanuel Mouret
Screenplay
Emmanuel Mouret
Cinematography
Laurent Desmet
Editor
Martial Salomon
Music
Franck Sforza
Cast
Fanny Valette, Frédérique Bel, Dany Brillant,
Emmanuel Mouret, Ariane Ascaride
Art
David Faivre
Sound
Maxime Gavaudan
Production
Moby Dick Films, Les Films Pelléas, Shellac , Velvet Films
World Sales
Shellac
David, a shy, awkward musician who has just moved to Paris, falls madly in love
with his young student, Julia. He tries everything to win her heart. His roommate, Anne, provides encouragement, advice and consolation... passionately! A
film of great passion, the characters are endearing in their naivety.
A native of Marseille, Emmanuel Mouret directed his first short film when he
was 19, before heading for Paris. He started working in cinema as production and
directing assistant on various commercials, while also taking classes at the Drama
School in Paris’s 10th arrondissement. With writing manuals as a guide, he threw
himself into writing and entered the FEMIS, from which he graduated from the
Directing section in 1998. The same year, he directed the short film Promène toi
donc tout nu. Laissons Lucie faire was his first feature film. He has made films
like Un baiser s’il vous plait (2006), Venus & Fleur (2003), Laissons Lucie faire!
(2000), Caresse (1999), Il n’y a pas de mal (1997).
42
IFFI-2007
CINEMA OF THE WORLD
France
Love Songs / Les Chansons D’Amour
2007, 35mm, Colour, France
Every love song tells the same story: “Too many people love you”... “I could
never live without you”... “Sorry Angel”. This film tells that story too.
French director Christophe Honore was born on April 10, 1970 in Brittany. His
past three films were Seventeen Times Cecile Cassard (Dix-Sept Fois Cecile
Cassard) in 2002, My Mother (Ma Mere) in 2004 and Inside Paris (Dans Paris)
in 2006.
43
Director
Christophe Honore
Screenplay
Christophe Honore
Cinematography
Rémy Chevrin
Editor
Chantal Hymans
Music
Alex Beaupin
Cast
ActorsLouis Garrel (Ismael), Ludivine Sagnier (Julie), Chiara
MAstroianni (Jeanne), Clotilde Hesme (Alice)
Art
Samuel Deshors
Sound
Guillaume Le Braz
Costume
Pierre Canitrot
Production
Alma Films
176 rue du Temple
75003 Paris - France
Tel: +33 (0)1 42 01 07 05
World Sales
Alma Films
Paulo Branco
Tel: +33 (0)6 72 97 31 90
Festivals & Awards
Cannes, Toronto
IFFI-2007
CINEMA OF THE WORLD
France
Strange Crime / Le Prix du Desir
2007, 35 mm, Colour, French
Director
Roberto Ando
Screenplay
Roberto Ando
Cinematography
Salvatore Marcarelli, Maurizio Calvesi
Editor
Claudio Di Mauro
Music
Ludovico Einaudi
Cast
Daniel Auteuil (Daniel), Greta Scacchi (Nicoletta), Anna
Mouglalis (Mila), Giorgio Lupano (Fabrizio), Magda Mielcarz
(Ewa), Serge Merlin (Père de Daniel),
Art
Andrea Crisanti
Sound
Luc Yersin
Production
Vision International
Massimo SAIDEL
cel : 06 20 82 73 05
email : [email protected]
Juliette PHAM
Tel : 06 70 79 51 20
Gilles SOUSA
Tel : 06 32 51 00 25;
Canal +, Titti Film, Medusa Film, Agi.di – Italie, Vega Films Switzerland
World Sales
Vision Distribution
Sylvie GROSPERRIN
Tel : 06 19 68 21 64
Festivals & Awards
Venice (Best Script Pasinetti award & Youth Golden Lion
(jury of children); Nominated at Golden Globes (Best foreign
picture); Brussels (Golden Iris)
Famous for his best seller A Journey in Winter, Daniel Boltanski lives with his
wife Nicoletta and her son Fabrizio, to be married in Capri. Daniel has lived
secluded, in his luxurious house on the Lake of Geneva, overprotected by his
agent David Grinsberg. On the boat to Capri, Daniel meets a beautiful younger
girl, Mila and spends the night with her on the island. The next day, at the wedding,
he is surprised to discover that she is Fabrizio’s bride to be. She becomes his
obsession. Shortly thereafter, faced with mysterious blackmail, Daniel must
confront the multiple layers of his “double” life and sexual obsession.
Roberto Ando was born in Palermo in 1959. After studying philosophy, he became
Francesco Rosi and Federico Fellini’s young assistant, before working with
Michael Cimino and Francis Ford Coppola. During his training, he met the great
Sicilian writer Leonardo Scacia, who remained a close friend of him during all
his life. Since 1980, he alternates stage directions – which made him famous both
in Italy and abroad – and his movie projects. In 1994, he signed, with Daniele
Abado and Nicola Sani, the multimedia opera Piece of Apocalypse, with Moni
Ovadia, at the Roma Europa Festival. Between 1994 and 1996, he also directed
Robert Wilson‘s videos Memory Lost. In 1999, he directed his first feature for the
big screen, The Prince’s manuscript, in French, with Michel Bouquet, Jeanne
Moreau, Leopoldo Trieste and Paolo Briguglia. In 2001, he directed, in Palermo,
Harold Pinter’s The room -The birthday party, and Old Times with Greta Scacchi,
Umberto Orsini and Valentina Sperli. This is his second movie as writer-director.
44
IFFI-2007
CINEMA OF THE WORLD
France
The Intimate Enemy/ L’ Ennemi intime
2007. 35mm, Colour, 108 mins, French
Algeria, 1959. Military operations intensify. High in the mountains of Kabylia,
Terrien, an idealistic lieutenant takes command of a section of the French army.
Among the troops, he meets Sergeant Dougnac, a cynical soldier. Their differences
and the harsh reality of warfare quickly put both men to the test. Lost in a war
with no name, they discover that they have no worse enemy than themselves.
Florent Emilio Siri has directed around ten music videos, including the latest two
clips for the group IAM. In addition to Une minute de silence, his first feature
(winner of the Cyril Collard award), he also directed a documentary, La Mort
douce (1992), both of which explore the theme of miners in France’s Lorraine
region. In 1997, he wrote the screenplay for another feature film, Tour de cité.
45
Director
Florent Emilio Siri
Screenplay
Patrick Rotman, Florent Emilio Siri
Cinematography
Giovanni Fiore Coltellacci
Editor
Olivier Gajan
Music
Alexandre Desplat
Cast
Benoît Magimel, Albert Dupontel, Aurélien Recoing, Marc
Barbé, Éric Savin, Fellag, Vincent Rottiers, Lounes Tazaïrt,
Abdelhafid Metalsi
Art
Dominique Carrara
Sound
Antoine Deflandre
Costumes
Mimi Lempicka
Production
Les Films du Kiosque, France 2 Cinéma, SND, Canal +,
CinéCinémas, Agora Films Agora Films
World Sales
SND , France
IFFI-2007
CINEMA OF THE WORLD
France
The Second Wind / Le Deuxieme Souffle
Director
Alain Corneau
Screenplay
Alain Corneau, based on the novel by José Giovanni
Cinematography
Yves Angelo
Editor
Marie-Josèphe Yoyotte
Music
Bruno Coulais
Cast
Daniel Auteuil, Monica Bellucci, Michel Blanc, Jacques
Dutronc, Eric Cantona
Art
Thierry Flamand
Sound
Pierre Gamet, Laurent Quaglio, Gérard Lamps
Production
ARP Sélection/TF1 Films Production
13 rue Jean Mermoz,
75008 Paris, France
World Sales
Wild Bunch
99 rue de la Verrerie - 75004
Paris - France
Tel: +33 1 53 01 50 20
Fax: +33 1 53 01 50 49
Festivals & Awards
Rome, Toronto
It is the end of the 1950s. Gu is a vicious, infamous gangster who has just broken
out of jail, where he was serving a life sentence. He needs to do one last job to
secure enough money to leave the country with his girl, Manouche, whom he
wants to protect from harm at all costs. Despite every police officer in France
working at full-throttle to recapture him, Gu has the skills and the know-how of a
hardened criminal: he carries off the hold up perfectly. However, the police – led
by the steely Inspector Blot – have played dirty tricks behind the scenes, arranging
things in such a way so that Gu’s gang believe him to be an informer. Labelled a
traitor, Gu finds his gang’s loyalty evaporating. Luckily, Manouche reveals her
nerves of steel. She is willing to go to great lengths to defend her man, and so she
sets to work to save Gu and clear his name, whatever the cost.
Alain Corneau was born in Orleans, France, and studied at L’Institut des Hautes
Études Cinématographiques (IDHEC). His feature directorial debut was France
société anonyme (1974). His other features are Police Python 357, La Menace,
Série noire, Le Choix des armes, Fort Saganne, Le Môme, Nocturne indien, Tous
les matins du monde, Le Nouveau monde, Les Enfants de Lumière, Le Cousin, Le
Prince du Pacifique, Stupeur et tremblements and Les Mots bleus.
46
IFFI-2007
CINEMA OF THE WORLD
France
TAXI 4
2007, 35mm, Colour, 87 mins, French
Before being extradited to Africa to stand trial, a notorious Belgian criminal is entrusted
to the Marseilles police department for less than 24 hours. But the wily crook convinces
bumbling policeman Emilien he’s a lowly Belgian embassy employee who got railroaded
by the brilliant master criminal.
After graduating from the I.D.H.E.C. film school, Gérard Krawczyk directed three
short films between 1981 and 1984, all nominated for Cesar awards. The first, The
Subtle Concept, won him eight international prizes including the Grand Prix at the
Montreal World Film Festival. His second short film, Toro Moreno, was awarded the
Grand Prix for a Comedy at the Chamrousse Festival, and his third short, Homicide by
Night, took out the Grand Prix at the Rennes Fantasy Film Festival in 1984. He made
his feature film debut in 1986 with I Hate Actors, starring Jean Poiret, Michel Blanc
and Bertrand Blier. This film was nominated for a Cesar and won the Michel Audiard
Prize. L ‘Eté en pente douce, which he directed in 1987, features Jean-Pierre Bacri,
Jacques Villeret, Pauline Laffont and Guy Marchand. Since 1988 he has directed some
50 commercials and corporate films, and in 1992 he won the Bronze Lion Award at the
International Cannes Advertising Film Festival. From 1990 to 1994, Krawczyk cowrote numerous screenplays.
47
Director
Gérard Krawczyk
Screenplay
Luc Besson
Cinematography
Pierre Morel
Editor
Frederic Thoraval
Music
Simplet Tefane, Weallstar-Da-Octopusss
Cast
Damiens, Mourade Zeguendi, Édouard Montoute, Sidney
Zaoui, Henri Cohen
Art
Hugues Tissandier
Sound
Francois-Joseph Hors
Costumes
Fabienne Josserand
Production
EuropaCorp, ARP, TF1 Films Productions, Apipoulai
World Sales
EuropaCorp
IFFI-2007
CINEMA OF THE WORLD
France
Orchestra seats / Fauteuils d'orchestre
Director
Danièle Thompson
Screenplay
Danièle Thompson, Christopher Thompson
Cast
Cécileé De France, Valérie Lemercier,
Sydney Pollack, Albert Dupontel
A young woman arrives in Paris where she finds a job as a waitress in bar next to
a theatre. She will meet a pianist, a famous actress and a great art collector, and
begin to have her own dreams of fame...
Danièle Thompson is a French film director and screenwriter. She is the daughter
of film director Gérard Oury and actress Jacqueline Roma. Thompson has written
the screenplay for a number of highly-successful films including Cousin, cousine,
La Boum, Belphégor - Le fantôme du Louvre, La Reine Margot and Jet Lag which
she also directed. She was nominated for the 1976 Academy Award for Writing
Original Screenplay for Cousin, cousine. Her 2006 film Fauteuils d'orchestre was
France's entrant for the 2006 Academy Award for Best Foreign Film.
48
IFFI-2007
CINEMA OF THE WORLD
France
Turning Pages / Tourneuse de pages, La
Director
Denis Dercourt
Screenplay
Denis Dercourt, Jacques Sotty
Cast
Deborah Francois, Catherine Frot, Pascal Greggory and Julie
Richalet
Production
Michel Saint-Jean
A small-town butcher daughter, Melanie (Deborah Francois) has a special gift for playing
the piano. She takes the Conservatory entrance exam, but fails after being distracted by
the thoughtless behaviour of the chairwoman of the jury, a well known concert pianist.
Bitterly disappointed, Melanie gives up her musical dream. Some ten years later, while
working as an intern with a law firm, Melanie meets Monsieur Fouchecourt, the husband
of the chairwoman who changed her life. Melanie efficiency and devotion are quickly
noticed and Monsieur Fouchecourt invites her into his home to look after his young
son. His wife, Madame Fouchecourt (Catherine Frot) soon warms to Melanie when her
musical sensitivity shows through, and the young woman becomes the former chaiwoman
page turner, waiting patiently for her revenged...
An outstanding filmmaker in French cinema, Denis Dercourt also moonlights as a
conservatory teacher. This is his first large-scale production.
49
IFFI-2007
CINEMA OF THE WORLD
Russia
Leningrad
2007, 35 mm, Colour, 117 mins, Russian
Director
Alexander Buravsky
Screenplay
Alexander Buravsky
Cinematography
Vladimir Klimov
Editor
M.Scott Smith
Music
Yuri Poteyenko
Cast
Gabriel Byrne (Phillip Parker), Mira Sorvino (Kate
Davis), Aleksandr Abdulov, Vladimir Ilyin, Yuliya Rutberg,
Mikhail Yefremov, Mikhail Trukhin
Art
Alexander Boim, Alim Matvejchuk, Vera Zelinskaya
Sound
Rostislav Alimov, Alexander Kopeikin
Production
Aleksandr Buravsky, Peter Doyle
It is 1941, and World War II rages on; the German army has succeeded in
taking over half of Europe and is charging forward into Russia. The superiorlyequipped Germans are able to push back the Russian defences until they reach
Leningrad and Moscow. Facing a long and protracted struggle on the battlefield,
Hitler decides that he will disperse part of his armoured units from Leningrad to
Moscow, and, instead of taking Leningrad by force, he will surround the city and
starve three million people to death. In the midst of this horrific siege, a young
English journalist named Kate Davis finds herself isolated within the famished
city of Leningrad. “Leningrad” actually ended up in two different versions: a
four-hour television mini series and a two-hour feature film. Although that’s a
common practice in the local film industry, in this case the two resulting works
could hardly be more different in subject and tone. In an interview, Buravsky has
said they shared only about 10 per cent of their material. “When I wrote the
original script, it was as a feature film.When I took it to the producers, their
response was: You wrote ‘Schindler’s List,’ now add ‘Indiana Jones.’ So I wrote
around the original, and that was pretty difficult,” is what he has been quoted as
saying. Buravsky’s script blends the lives of ordinary Russians caught in the siege
with the story of two foreign journalists, the British Kate Davis and the American
Philip Parker.
Alexander Buravsky, a prominent Russian director, depended for his
research for the film on The Blockade Book, a 1981 compilation by the Soviet
writers Daniil Granin and Ales Adamovich, and The 900 Days, an earlier work
by British journalist Harrison Salisbury, the Moscow correspondent for The New
York
Times
during much of World War II. A third source was historian Nikita Lomagin’s
The Unknown Blockade from 2004.
50
IFFI-2007
CINEMA OF THE WORLD
Germany
Counterparts / Gegenüber
2007, 35 mm, Colour, 96 mins, German
Police officer George is very popular amongst his colleagues for always being
calm and cool-hearted. His partner Michael also admires him for his apparently
harmonic marriage with Anne, an attractive primary school teacher. When a
promotion is announced to George, he begins to lose control over the carefully
maintained façade of his ‘intact’ family. During Christmas season, the conflicts
that have been dominating the couple’s life for years, start to surface: Anne’s
struggle for recognition, the patronising of her parents, George’s attempt to always
suit everybody, their children that helplessly look away - while the traces of
domestic violence can no longer be hidden. Under the Christmas tree tragedy
unfolds - “It ain’t no drama, Anne!“ – Well, yes, it is. The director developed the
idea from a newspaper article on a study on domestic violence.
Born in Düsseldorf in April 1979, Jan Bonny has lived and worked in the United
States, the Netherlands and Germany. He received his degree in media arts from
the Kunst-hochschule für Medien Köln and has directed the short film 2nd and A
as well as numerous commercials. This is his first feature.
51
Director
Jan Bonny
Screenplay
Jan Bonny, Christina Ebelt
Cinematography
Bernhard Keller
Editor
Stefan Stabenow
Cast
Matthias Brandt, Victoria Trauttmansdorff, Wotan Wilke
Mohring, Susanne Bormann, Anna Brass, Pablo Ben-Yakov
Art
Tim Pannen
Sound
Martin Witte
Costumes
Frauke Firl
Production
Heimatfilm
Lichtstr. 50
D-50825 Köln
Germany
Tel: +49 221 97 77 99
Fax: +49 221 97 77 99
World Sales
Wide Management
40 Rue Sainte Anne 75002 Paris
France
Festivals & Awards
Cannes (Special Mention “Art et Essai - CICAE” - Director’s
Fortnight), Munich, Pusan, Copenhagen
IFFI-2007
CINEMA OF THE WORLD
Germany
Paperbird
2007, Digi Beta, Colour, 101 mins, English
Director
Vanessa van Houten
Screenplay
Vanessa van Houten, Korbinian Greiner, Natalie Lambsdorff
Cinematography
Philipp Kirsamer
Editor
Susanne Hartmann
Cast
Thomas Fränzel (Nic), Tschagsalmaa Borchuu (Coco), Lars
Rudolph (Charlie)
Art
Andrew Perry
Production
Dor Film-West, Bayerischer Rundfunk (BR),
Hochschule für Fernsehen und Film (HFF), Munich,
ARRI, Schesch Filmproduktion
World Sales
Atrix Films GmbH
Postfach 900702
81545 München, Germany
Beatrix Wesle
Tel: +49 8964282611
Fax: + 49 89 649 57 349
It is a story about love, lost childhood and the search for your own way. Nic, an
eclectic 23-year old young man is waiting in Bangkok for his lost luggage. Whilst
searching for necessities of daily life, he is pulled into Bangkok. Like Alice in
Wonderland, he stumbles with curiosity through a world unknown to him. When
Nic meets Coco her spirit reminds him of a person he once knew in his childhood.
He starts to remember his almost forgotten past und begins his journey to look for
his House of Wishes. Nic is mesmerized by Coco and a love story begins…
Vanessa van Houten was born in San Rafael, California in 1971. She grew up in
the Bahamas, Berlin and Augsburg, Germany. After completing studies of Photography and Photo Design at Polytechnic University in Dortmund, Vanessa van
Houten relocated to New York to study Anthology Film Archives in NYC. During 1997–2007 she studied at Hochschule für Fernsehen und Film, Munich, in the
Department of Feature Films and Telemovies. This is her first feature film and
final graduation film from Film School Munich. She works as a Photographer and
Filmmaker and lives in Melbourne, Australia. She has earlier made Karma Cowboy (2001), a docu-fiction, and numerous short films.
52
IFFI-2007
CINEMA OF THE WORLD
Germany
The Calling Game / Die Anruferin
2007, 35 mm, Colour, 80 mins, German
“Please, can you tell me another story? No, not a bedtime story. A really exciting
one…,” the voice of a lonely child begs somebody on the telephone. Craving for
warmth and compassion, it is Irm, a woman in her early 30s. She calls strangers
and, imitating a child´s voice, pretends she is a young cancer patient. In heartrending conversations, she establishes relationships that she abruptly ends when
they threaten to become too close. This is Irm’s way of reaching out from her
life, a life in which she jobs in a laundrette and looks after her bed-ridden mother.
Though no longer able to talk, her mother still makes it clear that her favourite
was always Irm´s sister Margit. But now Irm has the upper hand and lets her
know it. When she meets the self-assured but emotionally vulnerable Sina, she
comes up against a woman who is in great need of a friend and thinks she´s found
her in Irm. Caught between the pull of her mother´s imminent death and her
manipulative play-acting, Irm is increasingly drawn to the strong, life-loving
woman who offers her friendship. She knows that Sina must learn the truth some
day and is afraid of losing her. But Sina is more tenacious than she thinks - and
believes in Irm more than she does herself...
Felix Randau was born in 1974 in Emden. After studies in German Literature and
Ethnology in Bonn, he enrolled in the directing programme at the German
Academy of Film & Television (dffb) in Berlin. He made several short films before
making his feature film debut with Northern Star (2003).
53
Director
Felix Randau
Screenplay
Vera Kissel
Cinematography
Jutta Pohlmann
Editor
Gergana Voigt
Music
Thies Mynther
Cast
Valerie Koch (Irm Krischka), Esther Schweins (Sina
Lehmann), Franziska Ponitz (The Mother)
Costumes
Sandra Fuhr
Production
Wuste Film West in co-production with ZDF | ARTE
World Sales
Bavaria Film International
Bavariafilmplatz 8
D-82031 Geiselgasteig
Tel: +49-89-6499-2686
Fax: +49-89-6499-3720
www.bavaria-film-international.com
Festivals & Awards
Munich (best actress), San Sebastian
IFFI-2007
CINEMA OF THE WORLD
Germany-France-Belgium-South AfricaItaly-UK-Luxembourg
Goodbye Bafana
2007, 35 mm, Colour, 140 mins, English & Xhosa
Director
Bille August
Screenplay
Greg Latter & Bille August
Cinematography
Robert Fraisse
Editor
Hervé Schneid
Music
Dario Marianelli
Cast
Joseph Fiennes (James Gregory), Dennis Haysbert (Nelson
Mandela), Diane Kruger (Gloria Gregory), Shioh Henderson
(Brent Gregory), Megan Smith (Natasha Gregory), Faith
Ndukwana (Winnie Mandela), Lesley Mongezi (Walter Sisulu)
Art
Tom Hannam
Costumes
Diana Cilliers
Production
Jean-Luc Van Damme, Ilann Gorard, Andro Steinborn
South Africa – 1968. Twenty-five million Blacks are ruled by a minority of four
million Whites under the brutal Apartheid regime of the Nationalist Party
Government. Black people have no vote, no land rights, no rights to freedom of
movement, to own a business, to housing or education. Determined to retain power,
Whites ban all Black opposition organisations, forcing their leaders into exile or
imprisoning them for life on Robben Island. James Gregory, a typical White
Afrikaner, regards Blacks as sub-human. Having grown up on a farm in the
Transkei, he learned to speak Xhosa at an early age. This makes him an ideal
choice to become the warder in charge of Mandela and his comrades on Robben
Island. After all, Gregory speaks their language and can spy on them. However,
the plan backfires. Through Mandela’s influence, Gregory’s allegiance gradually
shifts from the racist government to the struggle for a free South Africa. Goodbye
Bafana tracks the unlikely but profound relationship between these two men.
Through their unique friendship, we witness not only Gregory’s growing
awareness of man’s inhumanity to man, but South Africa’s evolution from
Apartheid to a vibrant democracy. The story, which documents how Mandela
became the most inspirational political figure of the modern world, poses the
questions: Who is the prisoner? And who sets whom free?
Bille August was born in Denmark in 1948. In the late 1960s he attended Christer
Strömholm’s School of Photography in Stockholm and then went to the Danish
Film School in the early 1970s. He worked as a cinematographer on 14 movies
and TV-features, mainly in Sweden, before starting his directing career with films
like In My Life (1979), Zappa (1982) and Twist & Shout (1985). It was Pelle the
Conqueror (1987) which put Bille August firmly on the map of the international
movie world. In 1988, it was awarded the Palme d’Or in Cannes and in 1989 it
won the Academy Award and the Golden Globe as Best Foreign Language Film.
The legendary Swedish director Ingmar Bergman chose August to direct his script
about his parents, The Best Intentions, which won Bille a second Palme d’Or in
1992. August also directed two episodes in George Lucas’ TV-production The
Young Indiana Jones Chronicles. He has made films like The House of the Spirits
(1993), Jerusalem (1995), Smilla’s Sense of Snow (1996), Les Misérables (1997),
A Song for Martin (2001) and Return to Sender (2004). He has been honoured
for his work as a film director with both the Danish and the Swedish Royal Order
of Chivalry and the French order Chevalier dans l’ordre des Arts et Lettres.
54
IFFI-2007
CINEMA OF THE WORLD
Greece-Italy
Uranya
2006, 35 mm, Colour, 98 mins, Greek
Five teenagers struggle to discover love but also the whole world. In a small
village, a group of young people are growing up on dreams, prejudices, secrets
and lies. And passions – both political and “family”. The summer of 1969 will
leave its mark on their dreams… Uranya is a very beautiful woman who lives on
the outskirts of the village, near the sea. The entire male population of the village
passes through her house. The children watch her, drool over her, dream about
her. They are bound by a common oath they have sworn in secret: to save money
so they can pay Uranya a visit and she can finally initiate them in the secrets of
love. Achilleas, a smart and sensitive boy, dreams more than the others. His dreams
to reach the moon: he wants to fly, he wants to see the man who set foot on the
moon, he wants to taste love with Uranya. When the kids are faced by the major
dilemma of whether to buy the first black-and-white television so they can watch
the moon landing or use the money to pay Uranya a visit, opinions differ and
Achilleas is left alone. Will they go back on the oath they gave for Uranya? But
dreams and fantasy prove more powerful. And the deus-ex-machina knows how
to do a good job... Uranya was the brand name of the first television sets in Greece
at the end of the 1960s as well as the name of the film’s lead female character, and
therefore, as Kapakas admits, “the movie title came only naturally”.
Born in 1953 in Rhodes, Costas Kapakas studied and worked in Berlin till 1983.
His first work in film was in animation. He has made several short films that have
won several international awards. He made his first feature film in 1999, called
Peppermint, which won a host of awards.
55
Director
Costas Kapakas
Screenplay
Costas Kapakas
Cinematography
Stefano Falivene
Editor
Giorgos Mavropsaridis
Music
Panayotis Kalantzopoulos
Cast
Maria Grazia Cucinotta (Uranya), Aria Tsapis, Andreas
Kyriakakis, Nikos Vassilikiotis,Yorgos Liatis
Art
Olga Leontiadou
Sound
Marinos Athanassopoulos
Costumes
Eva Nathena
Production
Cinegram S.A.
43, Gounari Street
153, 43, Ag. Paraskevi
Athens (Greece)
Tel: +302106078700
Fax: +302106391318
www.cinegram.gr
World Sales
FilmSharks Intl
43 Gounari Street
153 43 Ag. Paraskevi
Athens-Greece
Tel: +302106078700
Fax: +302106391318
www.filmsharks.com
Festivals & Awards
Houston
IFFI-2007
CINEMA OF THE WORLD
Hungary
Dolina
2006, 35 mm, Colour, 122 mins, Hungarian & Romanian
Director
Zoltán Kamondi
Screenplay
Ádám Bodor, Zoltán Kamondi
Cinematography
Gábor Medvigy
Editor
Zsuzsa Pósán
Music
László Melis
Cast
Adriano Giannini, Piroska Molnár, Stefania Rivi, János
Derzsi, Ioana Abur, Milán Vajda, János Bán, Zsolt Trill, Mari
Törõcsik, Coca Bloos, Gábor Kocsó, Erika Molnár
Art
György Árvai
Sound
György Kovács
Costumes
János Breckl, Edit Szûcs
Production
Honeymood Ltd.
Festivals & Awards
2007: Bitola, Budapest, Karlovy Vary, London Raindance,
Warsaw
Bogdanski Dolina is a rundown town in a remote corner of the Earth that has
been overtaken by terror. At one time Dolina was a flourishing little place, but
now everything shows the signs of destruction and poverty, even though the
inhabitants are doing their best to smarten things up a bit for the arrival of a highranking guest in the person of the Archbishop. Instead of the Archbishop, however,
a certain Gabriel Ventuza arrives. On instructions from his brother, Gabriel has
left behind Western civilization and his medicinal plants, to take the long journey
to Dolina with the aim of exhuming their father Viktor Ventuza, the famous people
smuggler, and bringing back his earthly remains. Those in power of the strange
ecclesiastical unit, the Vicarage, don’t look favourably on the stranger’s arrival.
But Colentina Dunka, the head of one of the most important establishments in
Dolina, the hairdressing salon, takes Gabriel under her wing – at which her
combing ladies promptly fall in love for him. Even so Gabriel’s task is not easy.
It is very costly, and Petrus, Colentina’s jealous foster son, soon turns up on the
scene and does everything in his power to thwart Gabriel’s plans...Based on Ádám
Bodor’s The Archbishop’s Visit.
Zoltán Kamondi was born in 1960 in Budapest. After finishing his studies at the
Faculty of Art, he went on to get a degree in film directing at the Academy of
Theatre and Film Art Budapest, where he graduated in 1988. His examination
film Kiki and the Males won the Best Direction Award at the West-Berlin Short
Film Festival in 1985. In 1990, he made his first feature film Path of Death and
Angels which was screened in the Un Certain Regard section of Cannes. In 1992,
he started to work in theatre and became a highly acclaimed theatre director in
Hungary. In 1997, he began shooting The Hungarian Speckled Variety, a
documentary series, considered by critics as one of the most important documents
of the years after the political changes in Hungary. In 1996, his video film The
Golden Deck Chair won the Best Direction Award at the 27th Hungarian Film
Week. In 1999, his second feature film The Alchemist and the Virgin won the
Best Independent Feature Award at the Manchester International Film Festival.
56
IFFI-2007
CINEMA OF THE WORLD
Hungary
The Eighth Day of the Week /
A hét nyolcadik napja
2006, 35 mm, Colour, 103 mins, Hungarian
After her husband’s death, Hanna Szendrõy, the former prima donna, is caught in the
claws of the real estate mafia. She loses her lavish home and ends up homeless at the
Keleti train station. When she returns to her house, now full of homeless people moved
in by the real estate mafia, an unexpected relationship brings hope into her life again. It
is a tragicomedy that tells its story through the fate of the protagonist; sometimes it is
through the darkest hardships that the possibility of a cleaner and more truthful life
arises, and, that the miracle of love is ageless. The film focuses on today’s familiar form
of helplessness, the problem of the homeless.
Judit Elek graduated from the Academy of Theatre and Film Art - Budapest in 1961. At
the beginning, Elek worked as an assistant director, made several adaptations and
newsreels in Mafilm. Elek is a founding member of Studio Béla Balázs. Among the
films Elek made are La Dame de Constantinople / The Lady of Constantinople (1969).
Peut-être demain / Maybe Tomorrow (1978), La fête de Maria / Maria’s Day (1983),
and Mémoires d’un fleuve / Memories of a River (1989).
57
Director
Judit Elek
Screenplay
Judit Elek
Cinematography
László Berger
Editor
Judit Elek
Music
László Melis
Cast
Maja Komorowska (Hanna Szendrõy), Gyula Bodrogi, Franciszek
Pieczka, Judit Pogány, Sándor Zsótér, Eszter Csákányi, Ádám
Rajhona, Márta Martin
Art
Tamás Banovich
Sound
István Sipos
Costumes
Györgyi Szakács, János Breckl
Production
Dánielfilm Stúdió
Festivals & Awards
2006: Cairo
2007: Budapest, Lagow, Paris, Vienna
IFFI-2007
CINEMA OF THE WORLD
Iran
Iranian Prince
2005, 35 mm, Colour, 101 mins, Persian
Director
Mokammad Nourizad
Screenplay
Mohammad Nourizad
Cinematography
Hosein Maleki Mohammad
Editor
Bahman Dadashi
Music
Mohammad Freshteh Nejad
Art
Iraj Raminfar
Cast
Dariush Arjmand, Yousef Moradian, Asghar Hemmat,
Parvanneh Ma’asoumi, Sorayya Ghasemi, Sirus Sabe
Production
Avini Cultural Institute
Old Golestan Market
Iran Zamin Ave.
Sanat Square
Tehran 1465845375 (Iran)
Tel: +982188572134
Fax: +982188572142
Festivals
Fajr (Iran)
Tender friendship - he convinces the small group of boys to sneak out of school
and go to the cinema down the street. For all of them, the experience is exhilarating.
But the consequences are grim. Mirco is expelled. In the meantime, a broader
struggle goes on. Once upon a time, an Iranian prince was assigned to arrest a
champion and take him to the capital . If he could do that, he would add to the
change in society that is taking place outside. The 1970s political protests are
erupting. Students are taking to the streets. From of his earlier escapades, Mirco
had made friends with Ettore, a blind university student with strong political
awareness. Hearing that Mirco has been expelled, Ettore pushes the whole city to
mobilize. Students and workers protest in front of the Cassone Institute,
threatening to shut down the city’s blast furnace if Mirco is not re-admitted. As a
consequence, the head of the institute is put under investigation. Mirco is finally
re-admitted and granted special permission: to change the year-end show. Instead
of reciting the usual religious poems, the children put on a performance of their
“fairy tale in sound”, before an audience of blind-folded, spellbound parents.
Mokammad Nourizad is a filmmaker who is taking forward Iran’s rich moviemaking traditions.
58
IFFI-2007
CINEMA OF THE WORLD
Iran
A young couple makes a trip to a calm place to rest for few days. On the very first
night, however, an uninvited guest disturbs everything. It turns out that the guest
is not a stranger. The ensuing narrative opens a Pandora’s box, where the weight
of guilt and memory and the oppressions of the past bring each character into
confrontation with the other. A tense and at times a terrifying film, it is an
adaptation of the Ariel Dorfman’s Death and the Maiden to an Iranian context.
The 1968-born Bijan Mirbagheri has an Art diploma in sculpture and a photography
bachelor’s degree from The Art University. Since 1985, he has been as a painting
instructor in the Center of Artistic Creativity (related to the Children and
Adolescents Intellectual Development Center - CAIDC). He has been an animator
in Noghli and the Snow Flecks, and an assistant puppet-maker in The Playmate
directed by Mohammad-Reza Aabedi.
59
The Day Looms / Rooz Bar Miayad
2007, 35 mm, Colour, 90 mins, Persian
Director
Bijan Mirbagheri
Screenplay
Saeed Shahsavari, Bijan Mirbagheri
Cinematography
Mehdi Jafari
Editor
Saeed Shahsavari
Music
Keyvan Jahanshahi
Cast
Dariush Farhang, Amir Aghaee, Yekta Naser, Mehran Rajabi
Sound
Arash Boroumand
Production
IRIB, Channel 3
World Sales
Cima Media International
64 Hedayat St.
Yakhchal Ave.
Tehran 19497 (Iran)
www.cmi.ir
IFFI-2007
CINEMA OF THE WORLD
Israel
No Exit
2006, 35 mm, Colour, 90 mins, Hebrew
Director
Dror Sabo
Screenplay
Amit Leor, Barak Salonim & Dror Sabo
Cinematography
Dror Lebendiger
Editor
Ayelet Gil
Music
Ran Bagno
Cast
Gal Zaid, Ofer Shechter, Noa Barkai, Amnon Wolf, Mali LeviGershon, Michael Moshonov, Yaron Motolla, Eran Sarel, Amit
Leor, Shiri Maimon
Art
Lee Levi
Sound
Michael Emet
Costumes
Maya Mor
Production
Ori Dickstein & Michal Dvash
Shamaim Content & Productions, Ltd
12 Hakeshem St, Herzeliya, 46100, Israel
Mobile: 972 54 522 55 43
email: [email protected], [email protected],
[email protected]
World Sales
Noa - International Film Marketing
146/10, Arlozorov St.
Tel Aviv, 62098 (Israel)
Tel: +97235233678
Mobile: +972523603660
Festivals & Awards
Jerusalem (Best Film, Best Actor), Melbourne, Shanghai
It’s the middle of summer, and Zacky Reibenbach, the creator of the reality-show
Choice of Heart, knows that without an excellent gimmick, there is no chance he
will repeat the success of the previous two seasons. He recalls his film student
from university –Yehuda, who has documented the rehabilitation of his friend
Ethan for the past three years. Ethan became blind under strange circumstances
during his military service. His exceptional rehabilitation process was developed
by Yael, Ethan’s personal trainer and Yehuda’s girlfriend. Yael is Ethan’s eyes,
and with her he is a true phenomenon, which is exactly what Reibenbach is
searching for. Hence, in this season, ten beautiful women will compete to gain
Ethan’s affection, but none of them knows that he is blind…
Dror Sabo graduated with honors from the Sam Spiegel School of Cinema,
Jerusalem. His graduate film Ancestral Desire represented the school in a
retrospective held in the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) in New York in 1996,
and was screened at many film festivals worldwide and received several
international awards. In the last eight years, he has developed and directed
documentary features and TV series that were acclaimed in Israel. In 2004, he
directed one of Israel’s first reality programmes, Project Y . Since 2006, he has
been the head of Channel 10 Documentary Department. This is his first fiction
feature.
60
IFFI-2007
CINEMA OF THE WORLD
Israel
Someone to Run With /
Mishehu Larutz Ito
2006, 35 mm, Colour, 118 mins, Hebrew
Two parallel stories drive this exhilarating coming-of-age tale set in a vibrant, at
times frightening, Jerusalem. Assaf is in search of the owner of a lost dog; Tamar
is in search of her missing brother. As their stories converge, the two discover
themselves and first love. The film is based on the bestselling novel by David
Grossman. The director spins the tale with two parallel story lines — one
representing Assaf’s journey in present day and the other of Tamar’s journey
unfolding from the past, starting two months before her disappearance. This device
is extremely effective in creating not only a context for the story, but also gives
the characters a depth that makes them come alive. The complexity of the story
complements the diversity of the characters in the film and the director succeeds
in defining the characters in his film as human, multi-faceted and real.
Oded Davidoff grew up in Jerusalem and graduated from the Sam Spiegel Film
and Television School. He has directed a number of television commercials for
many of Israel’s leading companies. His first feature film, the award-winning
Clean Sweep, was hailed as an instant cult classic. Oded and screenwriter Noah
Stollman have several new projects in development, including an adaptation of a
story by IB Singer.
61
Director
Oded Davidoff
Screenplay
Noah Stollman, based on a novel by David Grossman
Cinematography
Yaron Scharf
Editor
Ron Omer
Music
Ran Shem-Tov
Cast
Bar Belfer (Tamar), Yonatan Bar-Or (Asaf), Yuval Mendelson
(Shai), Rinat Matatov (Shelly), Tzahi Grad (Pesach), Danny
Steg (Tzahi)
Art
Shahar Bar-Adon
Sound
Aviv Aldema
Production
B&K Productions
18 Levontin Street
Tel Aviv, Israel
Tel/Fax: +972-3-5664129
World Sales
Cinephil
18 Levontin Street
Tel Aviv, Israel
Tel/Fax: +972-3-5664129
Festivals & Awards
Miami (Special Grand Jury Mention), Calgary, Atlantic,
Jerusalem, Melbourne, Warsaw, Atlantic, Chicago
IFFI-2007
CINEMA OF THE WORLD
Israel-France
Tehilim
2007, 35mm, Colour
Director
Raphael Nadjari
Screenplay
Raphaël Nadjari, Vincent Poymiro
Cinematography
Laurent Brunet
Editor
Sean Foley
Music
Nathaniel Mechaly
Cast
Michael Moshonov (Menahem), Limor Goldstein (Alma), Reut
Lev (Dvora), Yonathan Alster (David)
Art
Dror Sarogati, Benny Afar
Production
Shilo Films
113, rue Vieille du
Temple 75003 Paris
France
Tel: +33 (0)1 48 78 98 36
www.shilofilms.com ;
Transfax Film
3 Yagia Kapayim
67778 Tel Aviv - Israël
Tel: +972 3 688 5210
www.transfax.co.il
World Sales:
Films Distribution
Tel: +33 (0)1 53 10 33 99
www.filmsdistribution.com
Festivals & Awards
Cannes
In today’s Jerusalem, a Jewish family leads an ordinary life. But following a car
accident, the father mysteriously disappears. They all deal with his absence and
the difficulties of everyday life as best they can. While the adults take refuge in
silence or traditions, the two children, Menachem and David, try in their own
way to find their father.
Writer and director Raphael Nadjari was born in 1971 in Marseille. In 1993,
Nadjari started working for French television and in 1997, he wrote the television
screenplay for TV drama Le P’tit Bleu. The same year he wrote and directed his
first US feature, The Shade which was released in 1999. At the end of 1999,
Raphael directed his second feature, I Am Josh Polonski’s Brother (2001). In
2004, Nadjari shot Avanim in Tel Aviv.
62
IFFI-2007
CINEMA OF THE WORLD
Italy
Me, The Other / Io, L’ Altro
2007, 35 mm, Colour, 90 mins, Italian
When Yousef arrived from the Tunisia on exile, he began to work as fisherman,
and met who would become his best friend: Giuseppe. The two friends decide to
buy a small fishing boat, but after the 9/11 incident in the United States, the world
seems to have totally changed. Every dimension of the life is decided by this
factor of persisting war. Distant from the land, in the middle of the sea, the culture
of suspicion easily reaches the two friends who in 24 hours will become the two
new “collateral victims” of the so-called war of civility.
Mohsen Melliti was born in Tunisia in 1967 but moved to Rome in 1989. In
1991, he wrote the novel Pantanella hand along the street. This is his debut as a
screenwriter and director.
63
Director
Mohsen Melliti
Screenplay
Mohsen Melliti
Cinematography
Maurizio Calvesi
Editor
Marco Spoletini
Music
Louis Siciliano
Cast
Raoul Bova, Giovanni Martorana, Mario Pupella, Samia
Zibidi, Lina Besrat Assefa, Mohammed Alì
Sound
Gilberto Martinelli
Costumes
Carolina Olcese
Production
Trees Pictures, Sanmarco Film
World Sales
Ondamax Films
(Eric Mathis/Donald Ranvaud)
1360, Monad Terrace
Suit 1, Miami Beach
FL 33139 (USA)
Tel: +13055353577, +13052152221
www.ondamaxfilms.com
Festivals & Awards
Annecy-Italy (Special Jury Prize; Dauphiné Libéré Award),
Durban, Haifa, Rome
IFFI-2007
CINEMA OF THE WORLD
Italy
Ossidiana
Director
Silvana Maja
Screenplay
Silvana Maja, Rolando Stefanelli
Cinematography
Roberta Allegrini
Editor
Giogio Franchini
Music
Davide Massropaow, Leandno Sorrentino
Cast
Teresa Saponangelo (Maria Palliggiano), Renato Carpentieri
(Emilio Notte), Andrea Renzi (Victor), Vincenza Modica
(Madre), Tina Femiano (Clelia), Marco Manchisi (Mario
Persico), Stefania de Francesco (Anna)
Art
Giancarlo Savino
Sound
Lilio Rosato
Costumes
Anna Facchino
Artimagiche / Thule Film
Via Loffredi, No. 7
80138, Napoli (Italy)
Tel: +39814421403/610
Fax: +39815571724
Naples 1957 – 1969. Maria is a young Neapolitan painter, caught up in the wave
of experimentation of the 1960s arts scene. She is a woman who lives her life
enthusiastically embracing the ideals of love and exploration, which for her are
also the most important guiding principles for an artist. She marries Emilio Notte,
director of the Naples Academy of Fine Arts and a leading light in the arts avantgarde. They have already had a son, Riccardo. During these years Maria tries to
reconcile the demands of being a mother, wife and artist, attempting to transform
her life in order to raise it beyond the crude facts of existence. However, the
withering grip of prejudice, the pressure to conform to what she considers to be
unacceptable mores eventually takes its toll, inflicting psychological anguish.
What for others is anxiety, is for her the desire to pursue that tantalising Utopia
of perfection, rigour and youth. During her brief time, Maria Palliggiano strived
to be that person who deep inside herself yearned to flourish. She committed
suicide in 1969.
Silvana Maja was born and raised in Naples, where she also studied law and
sociology of communication. She also trained as a writer and journalist. She had
written her first novel by the age of 18 and began working as a photo reporter,
initially documenting events from the class conflict, and in later years, the working
conditions of women in Southern Italy, India and South East Asia. By the end of
the 1980s, her photo journalism work had shifted its focus to mental illness in
women. At the same time, she wrote constantly, concentrating on themes related
to psychology and relationships. This line of research led her in the following
decade to take a comparative approach to her work, cross-fertilised with input
from painters, photographers and theatre artists, and marking the start of a course
of aesthetic development that would change her perception of her life. In 1997,
she moved to Rome where she now lives and works. The screenplay of Ossidiana
has been adapted from her eponymous novel, published at the end of 1999.
64
IFFI-2007
CINEMA OF THE WORLD
Italy
Red Like The Sky / Rosso Come Il Cielo
Inspired by the true story of Mirco Mencacci, one of the most gifted Italian sound
editors working today, who happens to be blind. A small village in Tuscany,
1971. Mirco is a bright, lively 10-year-old, crazy about the movies - especially
Westerns and adventure films. His father, an incurable idealist, is a truck driver.
One day, while Mirco is playing with an old rifle, the gun accidentally goes off;
the boy is shot in the head. He survives, but loses his sight. At that time, Italian
law considered blind people hopelessly handicapped, and did not permit them to
attend public school. Hence, young Mirco’s parents are forced to shut their son
up in a “special school for the blind”: the David Chiossone Institute in Genoa. In
the beginning, Mirco does not accept his new condition. But he is feisty and
determined. When he finds an old tape recorder and a few used reels and discovers
that by cutting and splicing tape he can create little fairy tales made only of sounds,
a brand-new world opens up to him. His new adventure is opposed by the religious
authorities that run the boarding school, who are convinced that a blind boy is a
disabled person who must not be allowed to harbour illusions. But Mirco will not
give up. He continues to fight in every way possible, and he slowly involves his
classmates, leading them to rediscover their dreams and capacities.
Cristiano Bortone graduated in film and television from New York University
after attending the University of Southern California. In 1991, he formed the
independent production company Orisa Produzioni. Over the years, Bortone has
been involved in a number of professional endeavors as a visual artist and writer.
His work as a director, screenwriter and producer includes features, documentaries
and television programmes for major Italian networks.
65
Director
Cristiano Bortone
Screenplay
Cristiano Bortone, Monica Zapelli, Paolo Sassanelli
Cinematography
Vladan Fadovic
Editor
Carla Simoncelli
Music
Ezio Bosso
Cast
Luca Capriotti, Paolo Sassanelli, Marco Cocci, Simone
Colombari, Rosanna Gentili
Art
Davide Bassan
Costumes
Monica Simeone
Production
Orisa Produzioni
(Daniele Mazzocca, Cristiano Bortone)
Via Marsilio Ficino 5
00136 Rome (Italy)
Tel: +390639750996-64
Fax: +390639889715
www.orisa.it
World Sales
Adriana Chiesa Enterprises Srl
Via Barnaba Oriani
24/a - 00197 Roma (Italy)
Tel: +39068086052
Fax: 0390680687855
IFFI-2007
CINEMA OF THE WORLD
Itlay
Rush Hour / L’ora di punta
2007, 35mm, Colour, 95 mins, Italian
Director
Vincenzo Marra
Screenplay
Vincenzo Marra
Cinematography
Luca Bigazzi
Editor
Luca Benedetti
Cast
Fanny Ardant (Caterina), Michele Lastella (Filippo), Giulia
Bevilacqua (Francesca), Augusto Zucchi (Captain Salvi),
Atonio Gerardi (Donati), Barba Valmorin (Anna)
Art
Beatrice Scarpato
Sound
Sandro Peticca, Remo Ugolinelli
Costumes
Daniella Ciancio
Production
R&C Prods., The French Connection, RAI Cinema
World Sales
Films Distribution
34 rue du Louvre, 75001 Paris, France.
T: (33-1) 5310-3399 F: (33-1) 5310-3398
[email protected]
Festivals & Awards
Venice, Toronto
Vincenzo Marra’s new film covers vast territory in the life of one man. With
often breathtaking, and unsettling, narrative leaps, it follows the singular path of
a protagonist who ultimately remains an enigma but whose choices profoundly
affect the lives of others. The film feels like an epic because of the ground we
travel, but the scale is intimate and small, intently focused on the central character.
Filippo has been commissioned into the Guardia di Finanza, an Italian military
police force under the authority of the Ministry of Economy and Finance. Stiff,
alert, attentive, Filippo – who is proud to be following in the footsteps of his
father – has already caught the eye of his superior. Sent out to audit a company,
he immediately uncovers false invoices and illegal workers, and levies a significant
fine. When the owner approaches him with a bribe, Filippo makes his first key
decision. It is not long before he is a man on the move, confidently navigating the
shoals of Roman society, the only fly in the ointment being a messy split with his
girlfriend whom he is unable to forget. Soon, however, he meets the svelte,
charming, attractive – and older – owner of a gallery while conducting another
investigation. Caterina is well-connected, and before long Filippo is mingling in
society, rubbing shoulders with the high and mighty. Her many acquaintances
lead him to new heights and new aspirations. Will his reach exceed his grasp?
Marra’s previous films contained a subtle critique of Italian society, and this is
no different.
Vincenzo Marra was born in Naples. He has directed the short films Una Rosa
prego (1998) and La Vestizione (1998), and the documentaries Outsiders of the
Crowd (2001) and The Session Is Open (2006). His other feature films are Sailing
Home (2001), which won several awards at the Venice International Film Festival
in 2001, and Vento di terra (2004).
66
IFFI-2007
CINEMA OF THE WORLD
Italy-Bulgaria-Spain-France
The Lark Farm /
La Messeria Delle Allodole
The Avakians are a rich Armenian family. Two family members are Aram, a landowner living in a small town in Turkey, and Assadour, a successful doctor from
Venice. The brothers have not seen each other for a long time and decide to meet
in Armenia. While Assadour prepares himself for his trip to his native land, Aram
began preparing the old family seat. Meanwhile, the political situation has grown
more acute as the times are volatile. Since coming to power in 1913, the
government of Young Turks has made it their goal to create one vast Turkish
empire. In 1915, Italy and France enter into an alliance against Turkey and Austria.
Assadour is hoping to be able to travel from Italy to his homeland when all hell
breaks loose in Armenia. The Young Turks order the massacre of the Armenians.
The two brothers never meet as they get caught in the genocide.
Vittorio Taviani (born 20.9.1929) and his brother Paolo (born 8.11.1931) were
both born in San Miniato, Italy. Vittorio studied law in Pisa and his brother, art.
Developing an interest in film, in 1954, the brothers made their first short film,
San Miniato Lugilo ‘ 44, about their own village. They made names for themselves
abroad with the 1977 work, Padre Padrone. In their long career, they have made
films like L’Italia Non E Un Paese Povero (1960), Un Uomo Da Bruciare (1962),
Il Prato (1979), La Notte Di San Lorenzo (1982), Kaos (1984), Good Morning
Babylon (1987).
67
Director
Paolo & Vittorio Taviani
Screenplay
Paolo Taviani & Vittorio Taviani, based on a book by Antonia
Arslan
Cinematography
Beppe Lanci
Editor
Roberto Perpignani
Music
Giuliano Taviani
Cast
Paz Vega, Moritz Bleibtreu, Angela Molina, Alessandro
Preziosi, Mohamed Bakri
Art
Andrea Crisanti
Sound
Daniel Fontrodona
Costume
Lina Nerli Taviani
Production
Ager 3, supported by MiBAC in collaboration with Rai
Cinema, Eagle Pictures co-production with Nimar Studios,
Sagrera TV TVE (Madrid); Flach Film, France 2 Cinema,
Canal+, 27 Films Production, Ard Degeto (Paris); supported
by Euroimages
World Sales
01Distribution
Festivals & Awards
Berlin, Copenhagen, Jerusalem, Montreal
IFFI-2007
CINEMA OF THE WORLD
Italy-France-Switzerland
The Missing Star / La Stella Che Non C’E‘
Director
Gianni Amelio
Screenplay
Gianni Amelio, Umberto Contarello
Cinematography
Luca Bigazzi
Editor
Simona Paggi
Music
Franco Piersanti
Cast
Sergio Castellitto, Tai Ling, Hiu Sun Ha, Wang Biao
Art
Attilio Viti
Sound
Remo Ugolinelli
Costumes
Cristina Fracioni
Production
Cattleya, Rai Cinema, Babe Films, CaracFilm, RTSI Swiis
Television
Festivals & Awards
Copenhagen, Vancouver, Istanbul, Palm Springs, Seattle, Rio,
Stockholm, London, Toronto
Vincenzo, the maintenance manager of a steel mill in Bagnoli, is charged with
the responsibility of shutting down the plant and selling the molten metal to the
Chinese. When things are just wrapping up, Vincenzo realises that the Chinese
were sold a defective machine, which years earlier had caused the death of a
worker. Having discovered a way to fix to machine, Vincenzo leaves for China
where accompanied by an interpreter, Liu Hua, he will try to track down the plant
and fix the machine. As Vincenzo’s journey carries him deeper and deeper into
the country, Amelio gently teases out the lessons of the tale’s developing
metaphorical dimension. It is a story that serves to illuminate the cultural difference
between West and East. The movie is based on the novel La Dismissione by
Ermanno Rea.
Gianni Amelio was born in San Pietro Magisano, Italy. He has won many
international awards, including the Grand Prix du Jury at the 1992 Cannes Film
Festival for Stolen Children. Five of his features have screened at the Cannes
Festival: A Blow to the Heart (1982), Open Doors (1990), Lamerica (1994), The
Way We Laughed (1998) and The House Keys (2004).
68
IFFI-2007
CINEMA OF THE WORLD
Japan
Beyond the Crimson Sky / Akanezora
2007, 35 mm, Colour, 120 mins, Japanese
Set in Edo (present-day Tokyo) in mid-18th century, it is a story of a way of life,
the subtleties of human nature, and intrigue. Based on an award-winning novel, it
is above all a story about family — the ties that bind husbands and wives, parents
and children, brother and sisters, and the quirks of fate that threaten to pull them
apart. The film opens on a crowded bridge where a little boy is separated from his
parents, and seems to disappear into thin air. He is the sole heir to a long-established
tofu shop. Twenty years later, a young man named Eikichi comes from Kyoto to
open a tofu shop in a friendly neighbourhood. He meets a feisty local girl Ofumi,
who befriends him as he sets up his shop. Kyo-ya, Eikichi immediately encounters
difficulties stemming from cultural differences between the two ancient capitals
— including the favoured taste of the tofu itself. Not easily deterred, Ofumi keeps
a positive attitude while Eikichi maintains his craftsman’s pride by continuing to
make tofu and do business the Kyoto way. Eventually, Eikichi and Ofumi marry.
They have become owners of the tofu shop on a more respectable street. Their
firstborn son, Eitaro beas the burn of other tofu shops’ animosity toward Kyoya’s refusal to comply with Edo’s way of running business. He starts to frequent
a gambling hall run by the mysterious ‘Boss’.
Masaki Hamamoto, born in 1963, earlier made Ekiden in 2000. he built his career
as an assistant director before making his directorial debut. He has previously
worked under Masahiro Shinoda, co-writer of Akanezora, in the renowed director’s
Owls’ Castle and Spy Sorge, and is regarded as one of the most promising directors
today.
69
Director
Masaki Hamamoto
Screenplay
Masaki Hamamoto, Masahiro Shinoda
Cinematography
Tatsuo Suzuki
Editor
Naoji Kawaguchi
Music
Taro Iwashiro
Cast
Masaaki Uchino, Miki Nakatani, Renji Ishibashi, Shima
Iwashita
Art
Naoji Kawaguchi
Production
Akanezora LLP
OLC Rights Entertainment (Japan) Inc
Kyobashi Mitsubishi Building, 8th Floor
1-7-3, Ginza Chou-ku
Tokyo 104-0061 (Japan)
Tel: +81351595050
Fax: +81351595051
World Sales
Open Sesame Co Ltd
Ritsuko Abe/Kaho Nakane
14-6, Ginza, Chuo-ku
Tel: +81351590871
Fax: +81335616262
Festivals & Awards
Taoramina
IFFI-2007
CINEMA OF THE WORLD
Japan
Love My Life
Director
Koji Kawano
Screenplay
Hiroko Kanasugi
Cinematography
Jun Fukumoto
Editor
Hiroaki Morishita
Music
Noodles
Cast
Rei Yoshii, Asami Imajuku, Naomi Akimoto, Miyoko Asada,
Kami Hiraiwa, Hiroyuki Ikeuchi
Sound
Koji Yamada
Open Sesame Co Ltd
Ritsuko Abe/Kaho Nakane
14-6, Ginza, Chuo-ku
Tel: +81351590871
Fax: +81335616262
Festivals & Awards
Atlantic (Nova Scotia), Pusan
Ichiko Lzumiya, 18, goes to language school and works at a CD shop. She lives
with her translator father after her mother passed away. One day, she falls in love
with someone who is very smart, and shows her various worlds. The person’s
name is Ellie. Yes, she is a girl. When Ichiko introduced Ellie to her father, he is
surprised but he understood them at the same time. ‘Thank you Dad! I knew
you’d understand us’, thinks Ichiko. However, she did not know that he would
confess some secrets to her as well. ‘Ichiko, I am gay. And your mother was
lesbian’. She did not see this was coming. What is love? What is usual? What is
myself? Those questions never stops coming to her head, but no one gives her
answers. Is it so hard to live just as oneself? Adapted from the Yuri Manga comic
of the same name by popular female writer Ebine Yamaji.
Koji Kawano was born in Fukuoka in 1972. After graduating from Visual Arts
School, he worked at a film production company where he was involved in the
films of Toshiaki Toyoda, Naoto Takenaka and Edward Yang. This is his feature
directorial debut.
70
IFFI-2007
CINEMA OF THE WORLD
Japan-France
The Mourning Forest / Mogari No Mori
Old Shigeki, suffering from senile dementia, lives in a small retirement home
filled with light and tranquility that sits on the edge of a mighty forest. He holds
on to a special relationship with his dead wife, Mako, his long letters to her the
silent testimony of his undying love. But now the 33 rd anniversary of Mako’s
death is approaching and, according to Japanese Buddhist beliefs, this means the
departed must travel to the land of Buddha. The time has come for the couple to
part forever. Harbinger of this ritual separation is Machiko, a young nurse at the
home who seems to devote special attention to Shigeki, even though she is still
shakily coping with the recent death of her son. Only one syllable separates
Machiko’s name from Mako’s, causing it to echo in Shigeki’s confused mind.
One day, disoriented in the woods, the young woman and the old man lose their
identities, then regain and redefine them. The weaker becomes the stronger, the
caregiver becomes the cared for. The film is set in the breathtaking mountainous
region of Tawara in western Japan, where villagers still perform archaic funerary
rites, and where a spirit of bereavement seems to dwell in the mystical, verdant
forest. Though grounded in the effortless performance of non-professional actor
Uda, the film refuses to rely on a purely anthropocentric narrative. Kawase’s
naturalistic touch creates an inner geography of emotion, gracefully linking it to
the region’s awe-inspiring topography in a way that recalls Japan’s long tradition
of landscape painting. It spotlights Kawase’s harmonious style of filmmaking,
giving us a modern reflection on ageing that also lyrically exalts nature’s primeval
majesty
Naomi Kawase was born in Nara, Japan, and graduated from the Osaka School of
Photography. She made her directorial debut with the short documentary
Embracing (1992), which received a FIPRESCI Special Mention Prize at the
Yamagata International Film Festival, and followed it with her first fiction film,
White Moon (1993). Her first fiction feature was Suzaku (1997), which won
multiple awards including the Caméra d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. Her other
films include This World (co-director, 1995), The Weald (1997), Kaleidoscope
(1999), Hotaru (2000), Shara (2003) and birth/mother (2006).
71
Director
Naomi Kawase
Screenplay
Naomi Kawase
Cinematography
Hideyo Nakano
Editor
Yuji Oshige, Tina Baz
Music
Masamichi Shigeno
Cast
Shigeki Uda (Shigeki), Machiko Ono (Machiko), Makiko
Watanabe ( Wakako), Kanako Masuda (Shigeki’s wife),
Yohichiro Saito (Machiko’s husband)
Art
Toshihiro Isomi
Sound
David Vranken, Vincent Maduit, Shigetake Ao
Production
Kumie Inc./ Celluloid Dreams Productions/ Visual Arts
College Osaka
1026-2 Horen-cho, Nara-shi, Nara 630-8113 Japan.
Tel: (81-7) 4227-2216
Fax: (81-7) 4226-1830
World Sales
Dreammachine
Tel: +33 (0)1 49 70 03 70
www.celluloid-dreams.com
Festivals & Awards
Cannes (Grand Prix), Toronto, Karlovy Vary, Melbourne,
London
IFFI-2007
CINEMA OF THE WORLD
Latvia
Don’t Talk About It / Par to nerunâ
2007, 35 mm, Colour, Latvian
Director
Una Celma
Screenplay
Dace Ruksane
Cinematography
Fanis Eclitis
Editor
Gunta Ikere
Music
Brauns Martins
Cast
Rçzija Kalniòa (Beatrise), Sandra Zvîgule, Ìirts Íesteris, Juris
Þagars, Harijs Spanovskis, Lenarda Íestere, Lâsma Buðmane
Art
Kaspars Karklins
Sound
A Krenbergi
Costumes
Roberts Kraule
Production
Latsfilma
Caka 33-43 Riga, Latvia
Tel: +371 7280111
World Sales
Screen Vision
Beatrise is in her thirties, drifting in her life. She has never made independent
decisions but based her life on unsuccessful relationships collapsing one after
another like sand castles. Forced to re-evaluate her life she realises that the only
way to reach harmony is to start making decisions by herself not relaying to
circumstances, illusory feelings and beautiful words.
Una Celma studied at the University of Latvia Faculty of Law, and at the Russian
State Institute of Cinematography (VGIK) in the Film Directing department. She
has worked at the Riga Film Studio, freelanced for the TV channels NTV-5,
Swedish TV and BBC World Service, and as an audiovisual author’s rights
consultant for the AKKA/LAA (Latvian Copyright Association). As a director
she has made ten films, working in both the documentary and the feature film
fields. The biggest audience and critical response to date has been for her
documentary film, 1960.gada meitenes (The Girls of 1960, 1994) – a biting story
about her female classmates and their fates. Her feature film, Seko man (Follow
me, 1999), a Latvian-Swedish co-production – an ironically-toned domestic
comedy about a Latvian girl’s search for the perfect man in Sweden – provided
her with co-production experience. Olu kundze (Egg Lady, 2000), became an
international film festival bestseller, tugging at heartstrings with its charming
main character, its kind-hearted tone, and its ability to artistically utilise Soviet
Era newsreel material. Sauja lo•u (Handful of Bullets, 2003) was another LatvianSwedish co-production. Un tad es atgriezîðos pa îstam (And Then I’ll Be Back
For Good, 2003), is Una Celma’s documentary research on the Latvian guest
workers in Ireland who have been forced to go abroad to earn a subsistence for
their families. Work on the documentary film about the dreams and real lives of
Swedish women, A Holiday in the Sun (2004), has been completed.
72
IFFI-2007
CINEMA OF THE WORLD
Malaysia
Heir to the Spiritual Tiger /
Waris Jari Hantu
2006, 35 mm, Colour, 110 mins, Malay
Tok Wan Rimau, the custodian of the spiritual tiger, is searching for a female heir
to inherit her powers. Tina and Ari are the relatives of Tok Wan. They are also
best friends. Tok Wan’s spiritual tiger protects her family and their village from
harm. Tina, who is in love with Ari, nurtures her secret dream of marrying him
even though the villagers often ridicule the effeminate Ari as a sissy. Deeply
traumatised by these insults, Ari continues to hide behind his close relationship
with Tina. Despite parental objections, Tina seems destined to be the next in line
as custodian of the mystical tiger. But Ari steps in, offering himself instead...
Based on local folkfore of “Rimau Datuk” (a guardian spirit in the form of tiger).
Shuhaimi Baba has made several feature films till date.
73
Director
Shuhaimi Baba
Screenplay
Shuhaimi Baba, Halina Abd Samad
Cinematography
Mohd Filus Ghazali
Editor
Kamaruddin Abu
Music
Shamsul Cairel Abdul Karim
Cast
Maya Karin Roelcke (Tina), Rusdi Ramli (Ari), Azean
Irdawaty, Kavita Sidhu, Nanu Baharudin
Sound
Ashley Ronald Grenville, Ibrahim Elias
Art
Aida Buyong, Kamarul Nizam
Costumes
Hasnan Yaccob
Production
Pesona Pictures Sdn Bhd
29, Lorong Datuk Sulaiman
7, Tmn Tun Dr Ismail
60000 Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia)
Tel: +60377282427, +60377282316
Fax: +60377291586, +60377281446
www.warisjarihantu.com
IFFI-2007
CINEMA OF THE WORLD
Mexico
Pan’s Labyrinth / El Laberinto del fauno
Director
Guillermo del Toro
Screenplay
Guillermo del Toro
Cinematography
Guillermo Navarro
Editor
Bernat Vilaplana
Music
Javier Navarrete
Cast
Ivana Baquero (Ofelia), Sergi López (Capitán Vidal), Maribel
Verdú (Mercedes), Doug Jones (Pan / Pale Man), Ariadna Gil
(Carmen Vidal), Álex Angulo (Dr. Ferreiro), Manolo Solo
(Garcés)
Art
Eugenio Caballero
Costumes
Lala Huete, Rocío Redondo
Production
Alfonso Cuarón, Guillermo del Toro, Bertha Navarro, Frida
Torresblanco, Alvaro Augustin
Festivals & Awards
Oscar (Best Cinematography, Best Art, Best Make-up),
Cannes, BAFTA Awards (Best Foreign Language Film,
Costume, Make-up and Hair)
Spain, 1944. Officially, the Civil War has been over for five years, but a small
group of rebels fights on unbroken in the northern mountains of Navarra. Dreamy
10-year-old Ofelia moves to Navarra with her delicate, pregnant mother Carmen,
to become acquainted with her new stepfather, Captain Vidal, a Fascist officer
under orders to rid the territory of rebels. Ofelia, who is fascinated by fairy tales,
discovers an overgrown, tumbledown labyrinth behind the mill. In the heart of
the labyrinth she meets Pan, an ancient satyr who claims to know her true identity
and her secret destiny. But first, she must complete three tasks before the moon
grows full. And no one must know: not her ailing mother, or her new friend,
Mercedes. Time is running out, for Ofelia and for the rebels. Both will have to
battle hardship and cruelty in order to gain their freedom. But, who can be trusted
in a time of lies and danger? Is Pan telling the truth...? And if not, who is? Set
against the backdrop of fascist Spain in 1944, Pan’s Labyrinth is a dark fairy tale
that distils his distinctive mix of fact and fantasy, poetry and politics, pain and
pleasure. It’s an epic, poetic vision in which the grim realities of war are matched
and mirrored by a descent into an underworld populated by fearsomely beautiful
monsters - a transformative, life-affirming
Guillermo del Toro Gómez, born in 1964 in Guadalajara, Mexico, is an Academy
Award-nominated film director. Del Toro studied in the Instituto de Ciencias, and
was raised by his Catholic grandmother. Del Toro first got involved with
filmmaking when he was about eight years old. He executive produced his first
feature in 1986 , at the age of 21. Before that he spent nearly 10 years as a makeup designer, and formed his own company, Necropia, in the early 1980s. He also
co-founded the Guadalajara-based Mexican film festival. Later on in his directing
career, he formed his own production company, the Tequila Gang. In 1998, his
father was kidnapped in Mexico, which prompted del Toro to move abroad to
live as an expatriate. Del Toro currently lives in Westlake Village, a bedroom
community in Los Angeles. He has directed a wide variety of films, from comic
book adaptations (Hellboy and Blade II) to historical fantasy and horror films,
two of which are set in Spain during or in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War
under the authoritarian rule of Francisco Franco. These two films, El espinazo
del diablo (The Devil’s Backbone) and El laberinto del fauno (Pan’s Labyrinth),
are among his most critically-acclaimed works. They also share similar settings,
young children as protagonists, and themes . Del Toro, said in an interview about
lists several fascinations that have become regular features in his films: “I have a
sort of a fetish for insects, clockwork, monsters, dark places, and unborn things.”
74
IFFI-2007
CINEMA OF THE WORLD
Mexico
Wait for Me in another World /
Esperame En Otro Mundo
Marcela lives in Mexico City and earns a living as a dance teacher. Her small
world seems to be going fine; there is a prospect of opening to her own academy
and there are love plans ahead. However, she finds out that something is not right
in her parents’ house: an underground discomfort that grows week by week. Her
mother Gloria has started to withdraw, talk about strange things out of the house’
everyday activities and memory drifts. At the same, her father Nacho loses his
job and with it his self-esteem. Marcela tries to do the impossible to save to her
family but how?
Juan Pablo Villasenor was born in Morelia, Michoacán, where he studied
Philosophy and Medicine. In 1982, he joined the Center of Cinematographic
Qualification, from where he graduated with the short film and I who I want so
much to it, winning an Ariel prize. His first film In case I do not return to see you,
won 30 prizes, among them the Ariel de Oro to the Best Mexican film, in 1997,
and several international awards. He is also a writer, and by all means a scriptwriter.
He has written three story books: The shipwrecks of the coffer of Noah, Brothers
and Hearts of smoke.
75
Director
Juan Pablo Villasenor
Screenplay
Juan Pablo Villasenor
Cinematography
Martin Boege
Editor
Miguel Lavandeira
Music
Jimena Jiménez Piece
Cast
Natalia Esperón (Marcela), Margarita Sanz (Gloria), Calf
Fernando (Nacho), Jorge Galván (Dr Zavala), Luis Rábago
(Dr Parra), Zaide Silvia Gutiérrez (Dra. Luengo), Carmen
Huete (Tere)
Art
Claudius Contreras
Sound
Antonio Diego, Ernesto Gaytán
Costumes
Alexander Gastélum
Production
Mexican Film Institute
Insurgentes Sur 674
2nd Floor Del Valle 03100
Mexico City, Mexico
Festivals & Awards
Guadalajara
IFFI-2007
CINEMA OF THE WORLD
The Netherlands
Black Book
2006, 35mm, Colour, 145 mins,
Dutch-German-English-Hebrew
Director
Paul Verhoeven
Screenplay
Gerard Soeteman, Paul Verhoeven
Cinematography
Karl Walter Lindenlaub
Editor
Job ter Burg, James Herbert
Music
Anne Dudley
Cast
Carice van Houten (Rachel/Ellis), Sebastian Koch (Ludwig
Müntze), Thom Hoffman (Hans Akkermans), Halina Reijn
(Ronnie), Waldemar Kobus (Günther Franken),
Derek de Lint (Gerben Kuipers), Christian Berkel (General
Käutner), Dolf de Vries (Notary Smaal)
Art
Wilbert Van Dorp, Maarten Piersma, Wilbert Van Dorp
Sound
Georges Bossaers
Costumes
Yan Tax
Production
Fu Works Productions, Hector, Motel Films, Clockwork
Pictures, Egoli Tossell Film
World Sales
Sony Pictures Classics
Carmelo Pirrone
550 Madison Ave
New York, NY 10022, USA
Tel: 212-833-8833
Fax: 212-833-8844
Festivals & Awards
Venice, Palm Springs, Toronto, Miami
Director Paul Verhoeven returns to Holland to direct this World War II thriller.
Rachel, a celebrated Jewish singer who joins the Dutch resistance to track down
the Nazis who killed her family, is caught in a web of seduction, betrayal, and
revenge. In this complex moral drama, no one is who they appear to be.
Paul Verhoeven directed his first film Een Hagedis Teveel in 1960, followed by
the TV series Floris and the box office hit Turks Fruit (Turkish Delight) starring
Monique van der Ven and Rutger Hauer. His next exploits were Keetje Tippel
(Katie Tippel), Soldier of Orange, Spetters and De Vierde Man (The Fourth Man).
In 1999 Turks Fruit (Turkish Delight) was honoured as the Best Dutch Film of
the Century; it was also nominated for the Oscar for Best Foreign Film.
Verhoeven’s international breakthrough came with RoboCop, followed by the box
office hits Total Recall and the trailblazing Basic Instinct. In 1997 he made Starship
Troopers, an indictment of the establishment. In 2000, he made Hollow Man.
76
IFFI-2007
CINEMA OF THE WORLD
New Zealand
Out of the Blue
Ordinary people find extraordinary courage in the face of madness. On 13-14
November 1990 that madness came to Aramoana, a small New Zealand seaside
village. It came in the form of a lone gunman with a high-powered automatic
rifle. As he stalked his victims the terrified and confused residents were trapped
in the village for 24 hours while a handful of under-resourced and under-armed
local policeman risked their lives trying to find him and save the survivors. It
remains the worst mass murder in New Zealand’s history. Terrified and confused
residents were trapped in their homes for 24 hours, not knowing where David
Gray was – or if they would become his next victim. There were great feats of
bravery on that terrible day – from ordinary people in the most extraordinary of
situations.
New Zealand director Robert Sarkies chose a true-life story based on a tragedy
for his second feature. His debut feature Scarfies was a cult hit in New Zealand in
2000, and also won seven awards at the NZ Film Awards, including Best Picture
and Best Director. Sarkies has had a passion for filmmaking since he first began
making movies in his hometown of Dunedin as an eight-year-old. Combining his
love of drama, technology and pyrotechnics, Rob’s commitment to being a
filmmaker saw him save his lunch money at school and put it towards his student
films. The sacrifice paid off: by his early 20s, his short Dream Makers had won
him first prize at the Semana de Cine Experimental Festival in Madrid, and Signing
Off picked up six international awards, including first prize at the Montreal
International Film Festival.
77
Director
Robert Sarkies
Screenplay
Robert Sarkies, Graeme Tetley
Cinematography
Greig Fraser
Editor
Annie Collins
Music
Victoria Kelly
Cast
Karl Urban (Harvey), Matthew Sunderland (David Gray), Lois
Lawn (Helen Dickson), Simon Ferry (Garry Holden), Tandi
Wright (Julie Ann Bryson), Paul Glover (Paul Knox)
Art
David Kolff, Ken Turner
Sound
Dave Whitehead
Costumes
Lesley Burkes-Harding
Production
Southern Light Films & Desert Road Films Production
World Sales
NZ FILM
Kathleen Drumm
Level 3, The Film centre
119 Ghuznee Street, Wellington 6011
New Zealand
Tel: +64 4 382 7680
Fax: +64 4 384 9719
www.nzfilm.co.nz
Festivals & Awards
Toronto, Goteborg, Dublin, Hong Kong, Natfilm Festival
(Denmark), Singapore, Sydney, Shanghai, Fantasy Film
Festival (Germany), Saint-Tropez Antipodes Film Festival
(France)
IFFI-2007
CINEMA OF THE WORLD
Norway
Reprise / Auf Anfang
2006, 35 mm, Colour, 106 mins, Nordik
Director
Joachim Trier
Screenplay
Eskil Vogt and Joachim Trier
Cinematography
Jakob Ihre
Editor
Olivier Bugge Couté
Music
Ola Fløttum and Knut Schreiner
Cast
Espen Klouman Høiner (Erik), Anders Danielsen Lie (Phillip),
Christian Rubeck (Lars), Odd Magnus Williamson (Morten),
Pål Stokka (Geir), Viktoria Winge (Kari), Silje Hagen
(Lillian), Henrik Elvestad (Henning), Thorbjørn Harr (Mathis
Wergeland), Sigmund Sæverud (Sten Egil Dahl), Elisabeth
Sand (Hanne, Erik’s mother), Tone Danielsen (Inger, Phillip’s
mother)
Art
Roger Rosenberg
Sound
Morten Solum
Costumes
Maria Bohlin
Production
4 1/2 AS
St. Olavsgt. 21C
N-0165 Oslo, Norway
Tel: +47 22 94 24 94
Fax: +47 22 94 24 99
World Sales
Nordisk Film International Sales
Mosedalsvej 14, DK-2500 Valby
Tel: +45 36 18 82 00
Fax: +45 36 18 95 50
www.sales.nordiskfilm.com
Festivals & Awards
2006: Karlovy Vary (Crystal Globe for Best Director, Don
Quijote Award from FICC (International Federation of Film
Societies), Norwegian International Film Festival (Haugesund),
Toronto (Diesel Discovery Award), London, Sundance
2007: Rotterdam (Young People’s Jury Award), Göteborg,
Cleveland, Stockholm, Istanbul (Grand Prize “Golden Tulip”),
Buenos Aires, Minneapolis, Linz, Jeonju (South Korea), San
Francisco, Seattle, Festroia (Portugal), Transilvania,
Melbourne, Milan (Best Film), Umeå (Sweden), Helsinki,
Haifa, Seville, Athens, Riga (Latvia)
It is a playful film about friendship, madness and creativity, about love and sorrow,
great ambitions and the often unpleasant clash between youthful presumptions
and reality. With its somewhat un-Norwegian structure, Reprise has a distinct
style and narrative technique which moves the story forward in a rich and
enthusiastic manner. Erik and Phillip are trying to make it as writers. Erik is
rejected by publishers as lacking in talent, while Phillip’s manuscript is accepted
and the young man becomes a major name on the Norwegian cultural scene
practically overnight. Six months later, Erik and his friends come to visit Phillip
at a psychiatric hospital to bring him home after long-term treatment. Writing is
the last thing on Phillip’s mind, but Erik is continuing his literary attempts and
tries to convince his friend to go back to writing. This film could be seen as a
subtle reflection on youth as a time of promise, plans and hopes which gradually
dissolve under the impact of life experiences. If the style of the narration is
reminiscent of the poetic works of the French New Wave, it’s no coincidence: the
director admits to the influence of François Truffaut, in particular, the latter’s
Jules and Jim, in which fundamental themes are treated with an enchantingly
light touch.
Norwegian-Danish director Joachim Trier makes his feature film debut with
Reprise. Trier, born in 1974, is a graduate of the National Film and Television
School in England. He has already made a string of celebrated short films. Three
of them, Procter (2002), Pietà (2000) and Still (2000), have been screened at
more than 30 international film festivals and won many awards. The most
important accolades include the Prix UIP and the Kodak Short Film Bureau Award
for Best British and Best European Film, which Procter garnered at the Edinburgh
Festival in 2002. Trier also directed commercials in England and Norway for the
company Moland Film AS. Joachim has twice been the National Skateboard
Champion in Norway.
78
IFFI-2007
CINEMA OF THE WORLD
Poland-Italy-Canada
Karol - The Pope, the Man /
Karol un Papa rimasto uomo
2006, 35 mm, Colour, 200 mins, Polish
The sequel to Karol-a Man who Became Pope was long awaited among many
viewers since the director used his best endeavors to make the biopic of John
Paul II most accurate and touching. While the first part dealt with the 1939-1978
period and the early life of Karol Wojtyla, the sequel deals with his long, fruitful
1978-2005 pontiff. The director dynamically presents the Pontiff. The movie is
filled with wonderful symbolic moments.
Giacomo Battiato, born in 1943, is an Italian film director and writer. Born in
Verona, he started his career in 1973 on Italian Rai TV, Ten years later, he made
his debut in cinema with I paladini. He directed two fiction dedicated at Pope
John Paul II, Karol: A Man Who Became Pope (Karol, un uomo diventato Papa,
2005) and Karol: The Pope, The Man (Karol, un papa rimasto uomo, 2006).
79
Director
Giacomo Battiato
Screenplay
Giacomo Battiato, Gianfranco Svidercoschi
Cinematography
Giovanni Mammolotti
Editor
Alessandro Heffler
Music
Ennio Morricone
Cast
Piotr Adamczyk (Pope John Paul II), Dariusz Kwasnik
(Stanislaw Dziwisz), Michele Placido (Dr. Renato
Buzzonetti), Alberto Cracco (Agostino Casaroli), Adriana
Asti (Mother Theresa), Raoul Bova (Father Thomas), Leslie
Hope (Julia Ritter)
Art
Lorenzo D’Ambrosio
Sound
Dave Tinsley
Production
Pietro Valsecchi
World Sales
Jasna 10/120, 00-013
Warszawa Poland
IFFI-2007
CINEMA OF THE WORLD
Poland
Tricks / Sztuczki
2007, 35 mm, Colour, Polish
Director
Andrzej Jakimowski
Screenplay
Andrzej Jakimowski
Cinematography
Adam Bajerski
Cast
Damian Ul, Ewelina Walendziak, Rafa³ Gu¿niczak, Tomasz
Sapryk
Production
Zjednoczenie Artystów i Rzemieœlników Sp. z o.o.,
Wytwórnia Filmów Dokumentalnych i Fabularnych, Telewizja
Polska S.A., Canal+ Cyfrowy, Opus Film
World Sales
Kino Œwiat
Belwederska Str 20/22
00762 Warsaw, Poland
Tel: +48 22 840 68 01
Fax: +48 22 840 68 06
http://www.kinoswiat.pl/
Festivals & Awards
Venice (Best Film)
Six-year-old Stefek challenges fate. He believes that the chain of events he sets
in motion will help him get closer to his father who abandoned his mother. His
sister Elka, 17, helps him learn how to “bribe” fate with small sacrifices. Tricks
and coincidences eventually bring the father to the mother’s doorstep but things
go wrong. In despair Stefek tries his good luck with the most risky of his tricks.
Andrzej Jakimowski, born 1963 in Warsaw, is director and screenwriter. He studied
philosophy at the Warsaw University and film directing at the Krzysztof
Kieœlowski Faculty of Radio and Television of the Silesian University in
Katowice. His debut feature Zmró¿ oczy (Squint Your Eyes) won numerous awards,
among others the Main SKYY Prize at San Francisco IFF 2004, Main Prize “White
Rose” at IFF Kinotavr in Sochi 2004, FIPRESCI Special Mention at MannheimHeidelberg IFF 2002, five awards at the Polish Feature Films Festival in Gdynia
2003: Special Jury Prize, Best Debut, Best Cinematography, Best Set Design,
Best Costumes, four Polish Academy Awards – Golden Eagles 2004: for Best
Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actor. This is his second feature.
80
IFFI-2007
CINEMA OF THE WORLD
Portugal
Dot.Com
2006, 35 mm, Colour, 103 mins, Portuguese
If Jesus were alive today, he would have his own website. Pedro, an engineer
posted in a village in the North of Portugal, waits desperately to be transferred
back to Lisbon. Ever since his road project was cancelled, has had nothing to do
except work in the village website he created. Just when a transfer seems imminent,
Pedro receives a letter from a large multinational. They summon Pedro to close
the site, citing domain name infringement. Failure to do so will result in a 5,00,000/
- Euro lawsuit. But only the village association can close the site. And the villagers
refuse. Their logic: if the site is worth 5,00,000 Euros in damages, then it’s worth
5,00,000 Euros. The situation spins out of control when the Press gets wind of the
story and the villagers plight becomes a cause celebre from New York to Hong
Kong. But as interest rises, so does dissension in the village. Under the media
spotlight, the villagers start to change… The film reflects upon the effect of new
technologies on the lives of people
Luís Galvão Teles was born in Lisbon in 1945, and graduated from law school
before studying film in Paris. He made his first feature film, A Confederação, in
1978 and subsequently directed A Vida é Bela? (1982), Retrato de Família (1992),
Elas (1997) and Tudo Isto é Fado (2003).
81
Director
Luis Galvao Teles
Screenplay
Suzanne Nagle
Cinematography
Miguel Sales Lopes
Editor
Carlos Domeque
Music
Guy Farley
Cast
Joao Tempera, Maria Adanez, Isabel Abreu, Marco Delgado,
Jose Eduardo,
Margarida Caprinteiro, Lia Gama
Art
Luis Costa
Sound
Eladio Reguero
Costumes
Cristina Camargo
Production
Fado Films
Rua Goncalves Zarco
N 18-5, Dto 1400-191
Lisbon (Portugal)
Tel: +351213021032
Fax: +351213021042;
Zanzibar Films
World Sales
Rua Dr. Archer de Lima
32, 1495-682 Cruz Quebrada
Dafundo (Portugal)
Tel: +351213021032
Fax: +351213021042
[email protected]
Festivals & Awards
Rio de Janeiro
IFFI-2007
CINEMA OF THE WORLD
Romania
12:08 East of Bucharest /
A fost sau n-a fost?
2006, 35 mm, Colour, 89 min, Romanian
Direction
Corneliu Porumboiu
Screenplay
Corneliu Porumboiu
Cinematography
Marius Panduru
Editing
Roxana Szel
Music
Rotaria Group
Cast
Mircea Andreescu (Emanoil Piscosi), Teodor Corban (Virgil
Jderescu), Ion Sapdaru (Tiberiu Manescu)
Art
Daniel Raduta
Sound
Alexandru Dragomir, Sebastian Zsemlye
Costums
Monica Raduta
Production
42 km films
15, Costache Marinescu Street
Code 011285, District 1
Bucharest, ROMANIA
Tel/Fax:+4031-1006837
Mobile: +40740 011166
email:[email protected]
World Sales
The Coproduction Office
24, rue Lamartine
75009 Paris
Tel: +33 1 560 260 00
Fax: +33 1 560 260 01
Web: www.thecopro.de
Festivals & Awards
Cannes (Golden Camera & Europa Cinémas Award), Toronto,
Transilvania (Best Film, Audience Award & Romanian Days
Award for Best Romanian Feature)
At 12:08 p.m. on December 22, 1989, Romanians were glued onto their TV sets
watching Nicolae Ceausescu flee in a helicopter from his presidential palace.
Now it’s December 22 again. It’s been 16 years since the Revolution and Christmas
is approaching. Pisconi, an old retiree, is preparing to spend another lonely
Christmas. Manescu, a history teacher, does not want to lose his entire salary to
pay his debts. Jderescu, the owner of the local TV station, doesn’t seem very
interested in vacation. With Piscoci and Manescu’s help, he wants to find an answer
to a 16-year-old question: “Did a Revolution really take place in their city”?
Corneliu Porumboiu was born in 1975 in Vaslui (north-east from Bucharest, in
eastern Romania). A well-known film director and script writer, he has made
other films like Liviu’s Dream in 2004 and Trip to the City in 2003. In 2004, he
won the second prize at the Cinéfondation section with his student short film Trip
to the City and was selected in 2005 for the Résidence du Festival, a
cinematographic project development programme that brought him almost a halfyear stay in France. His last film, Liviu’s Dream, was based on a young man’s
recurrent nightmare about his unborn brother, aborted by his mother in the
Ceauºescu era.
82
IFFI-2007
CINEMA OF THE WORLD
Serbia
Last Waltz In Sarajevo / Belle Epoque
2007, 35 mm, Colour, 135 mins,
Serbian-Bosnian-French-Italian-German
This is a story about the last days of the period known in Europe as “La Belle
Epoque”, the period of tumultuous events on the Balkans, between the years 1910
and 1914. This very important theme is seen from the point of view of the first
Bosnian motion picture cameraman Anton Walitz, who made several significant
film stories and an authentic documentary about the Sarajevo assassination. The
chief historical facts are primarily used as a pretext for the fanciful shaping of a
“dramatic comedy” about the epoch at the beginning of the last century, the epoch
which is, in its variety of aspects, an inverted picture of our epoch at the end of
the century. The cabaret numbers should offer a full range of information about
the setting to the uninformed spectator, utilising first class entertaiment, an erotic
atmosphere and sarcastic humour. This abundant and humorously flavoured picture
about an unusual age, bizarre ambient and dramatic events, combined with romantic
elements of melodrama, should offer excitement, joy and pure cinematic
amusement.
Born in 1942, Nikola Stojanoviæ is a film director and screenwriter, historian and
theorist of cinema, and founder-editor of the highly-esteemed film periodical Sineast. He has wrote and directed seven features and many short films and won a
lot of awards at the local and international festivals. Short and documentary films
include In the Kitchen (1969), The Act (1980), Triptych (1982), The Alternative
(1987), Quo Vadis? (1993), The End of Millennium (1995), Act Five (2002). Feature
films include Dear Irena (1970), Pollen Dust (1974), Autograph (TV, 1977),
Glimpse into the Night (1978), Great Talent (TV, 1984), Apple from Gold (1986),
Belle Epoque / Last Waltz in Sarajevo (l990-2004).
83
Director
Nikola Stojanoviæ
Screenplay
Nikola Stojanoviæ
Cinematography
Radoslav Vladiæ
Editor
Petar Putnikoviæ
Music
Arsen Dediæ
Cast
Davor Janjiæ, Radmila •ivkoviæ, Vita Mavriè, Petar
Bo•oviæ, Boro Stjepanoviæ, Nebojša Kundaèina, Alain
Noury
Art
Miodrag Nikoliæ
Sound
Velibor Hajdukovic, Nebojsa Zoric
Costumes
Emilija Kovaèeviæ
Production
Bosna film d.d.,Sarajevo, Maja film,U•ice
World Sales
Maja film
Bosanska 49
31000 U•ice, Srbija
Tel: +381 31 552 392
Fax: + 381 31 513 493
IFFI-2007
CINEMA OF THE WORLD
South Africa
Tsotsi
2005, 35 mm, Color, 90 mins, Tsotsitaal/English
Direction
Gavin Hood
Screenplay
Gavin Hood, based on the novel Tsotsi by Athol Fugard
Cinematography
Lance Gewer
Editor
Megan Gill
Music
Mark Kilian, Paul Hepker
Cast
Presley Chweneyagae, Terry Pheto, Kenneth Nkosi, Mothusi
Magano, Zenzo Ngqobe
Art
Mark Walker
Sound
Shaun Murdoch
Costumes
Nadia Kruger, Pierre Vienings
Production
The UK Film & TV Production Company Plc
3, Colville Place
London W1T 2BH (UK)
Tel: +442074191060
World Sales
The Little Film Company
12930, Ventura Boulevard #822
South City, CA 19604
Tel: +18087626999
Robbie Little
Festivals & Awards
2005: Toronto (People’s Choice Award), Edinburgh (The
Michael Powell Award For Best New British Feature Film,
Standard Life Audience Award), Thessaloniki (Greek
Parliament’s Human Values Award), Denver (Audience
Award), Cape Town (Critics Jury Award), St Louis (Audience
Award)
2006: Best Foreign Language Oscar, BAFTA Nomination,
Jury Prize for Best Feature, Pan African Film and Arts
Festival (Jury Prize for Best Feature), Santa Barbara
(Audience Award)
Set amidst the sprawling Johannesburg township of Soweto - where survival is
the primary objective – Tsotsi traces six days in the life of a ruthless young gang
leader who ends up caring for a baby accidentally kidnapped during a car-jacking.
It is a gritty and moving portrait of an angry young man living in a state of extreme
urban deprivation. His world pumps with the raw energy of “Kwaito music” - the
modern beat of the ghetto that reflects his troubled state of mind. The film is a
psychological thriller in which the protagonist is compelled to confront his own
brutal nature and face the consequences of his actions. It puts a human face on
both the victims and the perpetrators of violent crime and is ultimately a story of
hope and a triumph of love over rage.
After graduating with a degree in law in South Africa, Gavin Hood worked briefly
as an actor before heading to the US to study screenwriting and directing at the
University of California in LA. After completing his studies, he returned to South
Africa. In 1998 Gavin made his 35mm film directing debut with a 22-minute
short called The Storekeeper. His maiden feature, A Reasonable Man, starred Sir
Nigel Hawthorne.
84
IFFI-2007
CINEMA OF THE WORLD
South Korea
Psychopath
2007, 35 mm, Colour, 79 mins, Korean
Following the modus operandi of two serial rapists’ crimes, this film examines
the rapists’ psychology, the way they justify their crimes, and their manner of
selecting their next victim. Also, the film studies the viewpoint and psychology
of the women who became their victims. The film also questions the
appropriateness of the statutory limitations for sexual criminals.
Shin Hea Kim is among South Korea’s new filmmaking names.
85
Director
Shin Hea Kim
Screenplay
Shin Hea Kim
Cinematography
Sang Hoon Lee, Hak Jin Jeong
Editor
Mi Yeong Kim, Chang Rok Pak, In Yeong Kwon
Music
Wok Hyen Lee
Cast
Wuk Hyun Lee, Won Jo Jeong, Hee Yung Kim, Chol Min Lee,
Hyeon Jin Sa, Ju Na Lee, Lee Seel Lee, Sun Aa Jeong
Art
Jan Di Kim
Sound
Yong Hee Chen, Chang Ju Ji
Shin Hea Kim
E-1210, Sanho Apt
118-16, Wonhyoro 4ga
Yong Sangu
Seoul (South Korea)
Tel: +82112494880
Fax: +8227490754
IFFI-2007
CINEMA OF THE WORLD
Spain-UK
Salvador Puig
2006, 35 mm, Colour, 134 mins, Catalan-Spanish-French
Director
Manuel Huerga
Screenplay
Lluis Arcarazo
Cinematography
David Omedes
Editor
Aixala, Santi Borricon
Music
Lluis Llach
Cast
Daniel Bruhl, Tristan Ulloa, Leonardo Sbaraglia, Joel Joan,
Celso Bugallo
Art
Antxón Gómez
Sound
Alastair Widgery and James Muñoz
Costume
Maria Gil
Production
Eva Carrillo
Telesisteme Mejicaho
SA de CV Balderas
No. 420 Mezanine Col Centro
Historico 06070 Mexico DF
World Sales
Beta Cinema
Isabelle Griessbach
Gruenwalder Weg 28d
Oberhaching, 82041 Germany
Tel: 49-89-6734-6980
Fax: 49-89-6734-6988
www.betacinema.com
Festivals and awards
Seattle, Palm Springs
On March 2, 1974, the young militant of the Movimiento Ibérico de Liberación
(Iberian Liberation Movement), Salvador Puig Antich, became the last political
prisoner to be executed in Spain under the dictatorship of Francisco Franco. This
is his story and that of the desperate attempts of his family, colleagues and lawyers
to avoid his execution. The film is based on the Francesc Escribano book Cuenta
atrás. La historia de Salvador Puig Antich, which describes the execution of
Antich.
Manuel Huerga was born in Barcelona on October 20, 1957. A filmmaker from
an early age, his is a popular name in experimental and avant-garde circuits. Among
his films are Gaudí, which won the critics’ award at the Barcelona International
Film Festival and the documentary Les Variacions Gould. In 1992, he directed
the opening and closing ceremonies of the Barcelona Olympics. His other film
Antartida was released in 1995.
86
IFFI-2007
CINEMA OF THE WORLD
Spain
Under the Stars / Bajo las Estrellas
When Benito Lacunza, a shiftless waiter cum aspiring jazz musician, returns to
his hometown Estella for a few days, he is surprised to learn that his cheerful
brother Lalo - who makes sculptures out of scrap metal - is about to marry. Benito
remembers the bride all too well from his adolescence days. She is Nines, a single
mom who’s seen her share of hard times. Benito decides to prevent the marriage
for his brother’s benefit. But unexpectedly he finds himself up against a formidable
foe in Nine’s daughter, Ainara. Benito ends up forging a one-of-a-kind friendship
with her despite her rebellious nature. When things take a turn for the worst in
this peculiar family, Benito decides for the first time in his life to take control
and offer his assistance - albeit, in his own way - to all those persons that he
genuinely cares for.
Félix Viscarret is one of the known Spanish directors who has made a name for
himself in short-feature length films. This is his first full length feature film.
Born at Pamplona in Spain in 1975, Felix studied on films in the United States.
87
Director
Félix Viscarret
Screenplay
Félix Viscarret
Cinematography
Álvaro Gutiérrez
Editor
Ángel Hernández Zoido
Music
Mikel Salas
Cast
Alberto San Juan, Emma Suárez, Julián Villagrán, Violeta
Rodríguez
Art
Gustavo G Ramirez
Sound
Licio Marcos DeOliveira
Costume
Laura Renau
Notro Films
Lincoln, 11-3-4
08006 Barcelona (Spain)
Tel: (+34) 93 567 05 05
Fax: (+34) 93 567 05 04
www.notrofilms.com
Festivals & Awards
Malaga (Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor),
IFFI-2007
CINEMA OF THE WORLD
Sweden
When Darkness Falls /
Nar Morkret Faller
2006, 35 mm, Colour, 131 mins, Swedish
Director
Anders Nilsson
Screenplay
Anders Nilsson, Joakim Hansson
Cinematography
P A Svensson
Editor
Darek Hodor
Music
Bengt Nilsson
Cast
Lia Boysen, Reuben Sallmander, Per Graffman, Peter Engman,
Anja Lundqvist
Sound
Niklas Skarp
Costume
Marie Flyckt
Production
Swedish Film Institute
(P.O. Box 27126 / Borgvägen 1-5 SE-102 52
Stockholm, Sweden); TV3; PAN Vision (SE);
Multimedia Film und Fernseh;
Film Förderung Hamburg (DE); Sonet Film
World Sales
Sonet Film
Box 20105
161 02 BROMMA
Tel: +46 8 555 248 00
Fax: +46 8 28 58 34
Festivals & Awards
Berlin (Amnesty International Film Award), Mill Valley
(USA)
Two young sisters act against their family’s “code of honour” and their lives
become a deadly nightmare. Two bouncers at a popular club are attacked by
criminals igniting total war. An award-winning journalist presses charges of
spousal abuse against her husband only to become a hated pariah amongst their
common colleagues. But what none of their aggressors could have foreseen is the
enormous will to fight and prevail that is awake in the hearts of those threatened
one time too many. It is a gripping and intense thriller about honour, loyalty, and
the courage to fight for what you believe. It is the last of a trilogy, after Zero
Tolerance and Executive Protection.
Anders Nilsson is one of Sweden’s most-distinguished directors. Both critics and
audiences consider him to be Sweden’s number one director of action-thrillers.
His personal style and use of non-American crime themes has made his films
enormously successful and possibly spawned a new genre. Nilsson was born in
Kil, Sweden, in 1963. At the age of 19 Nilsson began as a camera assistant and
sound editor, but soon worked his way up to the studio’s chief film editor,
cinematographer, and second unit director. Before 30, he had racked up over 100
film credits. While these films where all low-budget action adventures, thrillers,
and comedies, the studio provided Nilsson with freedom to experiment with his
craft and his art, which allowed him to develop his unique personal style.
Currently, Nilsson is writing another trilogy: a historical epic about the ongoing
birth of democracy.
88
IFFI-2007
CINEMA OF THE WORLD
Sweden-Germany-France-DenmarkNorway
You, The Living / Du Levande
2007, 35 mm, Colour, 94 mins, Swedish
You, the Living is about the human being, about her greatness and her
‘miserableness’, her joy and sorrow, her self-confidence and anxiety. A being at
whom we want to laugh and also cry for. It is simply a tragic comedy or a comic
tragedy about us.
Roy Andersson was born in Gothenburg, Sweden in 1943. His first feature A
Swedish Love Story won the main prize at the Berlin in 1970. Giliap, his second
film, was presented at the Directors’ Fortnight in Cannes 1976. In 1975 he started
making unusual and very successful commercials, which won a total of eight
Golden Lions at Cannes. In 1981, he founded Studio 24 in order to produce and
make his films in total freedom. After Something Happened (1987) and World of
Glory (1991), two shorts that returned with the most prestigious awards, he shot
Songs From The Second Floor in his studio (March 1996-May 2000) and won the
Special Jury Prize in Cannes 2000. You, the Living is his fourth feature film.
89
Director
Roy Andersson
Screenplay
Roy Andersson
Editor
Anna Märta Waern
Music
Robert Hefter
Cast
Jessica Lundberg, Elisabet Helander, Björn Englund, Leif
Larsson, Ollie Olson, Kemal Sener, Håkan Angser, Birgitta
Persson, Gunnar Ivarsson
Sound
Jan Alvermark, Robert Sörling
Costumes
Sophia Frykstam
Production
Roy Andersson Filmproduktion AB
Sibyllegatan 24
114 42 Stockholm
Tél. +46 8662 5700
Fax +46 8662 9240
www.royandersson.com
World Sales
Coproduction Office
24, rue Lamartine
75009 Paris, France
Tél. +331 5602 6000
Fax +331 5602 6001
Email [email protected]
A Cannes Riviera L6
Tél. +334 9299 3316
Festivals & Awards
Cannes
IFFI-2007
CINEMA OF THE WORLD
Switzerland-Finland-Germany
Sonic Mirror
2007, 35 mm, Colour, 80 mins, Portuguese-German-English
Director
Mika Kaurismaki
Screenplay
Uwe Dresch, Marco Forster, Mika Kaurismaki
Cinematography
Jacques Cheuiche
Editor
Oli Weiss, Christian Krämer
Music
Billy Cobham, Male Debale Brazil, Okuta Percussion Nigeria,
Tunji Beier/Espoo Big Band Finland, Swiss Mix Switzerland
Cast
Bill Cobham, Randy Brecker
Sound
Uwe Dresch
Production
Marco Forster Productions, Vevey/CH - Marianna Films Oy,
Helsinki/Fi - Uwe Dresch Films Ltd., Köln/D - Doc
Productions GmbH, Zürich/CH
World Sales
WIDE Management
40, rue Sainte-Anne - 75002 Paris
France
Tel: +33 1 53 95 04 64
Fax: +33 1 53 95 04 65
Festivals & Awards
Nyon, Munich
For most people music is a marvellous experience and part of their life whether
or not they play an instrument themselves. They understand music and rhythm as
a fundamental communication tool of mankind. Sonic Mirror is an emotional dive
into the world of rhythm - an extraordinary trip to discover the magic relationship
between Life and Rhythm. Drum legend Billy Cobham takes us from the
bandstands of the Western world to the primal music of African origin with kids
in a Brazilian community and on to the completely secluded world of musical
experiences of artistes. These different worlds are connected in a mystical and
secret way.
Mika Kaurismäki studied cinema in Munich, Germany, and made his diploma
film The Liar in 1980 in Finland. His younger brother Aki Kaurismäki, a journalism
student, played the main role and co-wrote the screenplay. After the success of
The Liar, Mika Kaurismäki decided to stay in Finland and together with his brother
and friends he founded the production company Villealfa Filmproductions that
became a home of vital low- or no-budget film making. During the active Villealfa
years, Mika co-founded the legendary Midnight Sun Film Festival (1986) and the
distribution company Senso Films (1987) with Andorra cinemas (and some bars)
in Helsinki. In the 1990s, Mika started to produce through his company Marianna
Films. He also established his base and second home in Rio de Janeiro and
concentrated in international co-productions. Mika has just finished his last film
Honey Baby, a road movie in the Baltic and Russia.
90
IFFI-2007
CINEMA OF THE WORLD
Thailand
Mid Road Gang / Ma Mha 4 Khaa Khrap
2007, 35 mm, Colour, 90 mins, Thai
The age-old tale of a hero or heroine overcoming humble beginnings to find a
successful and fulfilling future has inspired many a cinema and literary classic.
In the case of this delightfully antic story from Thailand, the hero who pulls
himself up by his bootstraps is a seventy-pound muscular russet mutt named
Makham. Makham becomes the involuntary leader of six stray dogs of various
ages and genetic cocktails: Uncle Kafe, Keng, Piak, Pikul and Sexy, the miniature
French poodle. The dogs are a pretty tight team, scratching out a living on the
mean streets of Bangkok. Catastrophe strikes, however, when the slum they call
home is razed to make way for a supermarket. Homeless, drifting and hungry, the
friends are hounded all over town by the dreaded dog catchers. After Uncle Kafe
is hurt by a speeding motorcycle, Makham realizes his canine family needs to
find a permanent safe harbour. Makham has heard a rumour he wants to believe
is true – that there exists a haven for canines, where every pooch and puppy has
a bed and never goes hungry; a place that some call “Dogtopia”. There’s only one
problem: this refuge lies on the other side of a busy ten-lane superhighway. How
Makham and his ragamuffin pack of friends navigate this treacherous road to
find sanctuary is a gripping adventure story laced with both wit and slapstick.
Pantham Thongsang was born in Bangkok and has a BA in film from
Chulalongkorn University. He has worked as a producer on several films, including
Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s Tropical Malady. His feature filmography includes
Judgment and Mid Road Gang. Somkiat Vithuranich was born in Bangkok and
has a B.F.A. in film and video from the University of Regina in Saskatchewan.
He began his career working as an assistant director and producer.
91
Director
Pantham Thongsange, Somkait Vituranich
Screenplay
Somkait Vituranich
Cinematography
Wardhana Vunchuplou
Editor
Margenta Chumpol Porkar Karun Kumanuwong
Cast
Nitipaisalkul Pichaya, Maneerat Kham-uan, Channarong
Khuntee-tao, Pitchaya Nitipaisankul, Pavarisa Phenjati,
Panissara Phimpru
Art
Karanyapas Khamsin
Sound
Nakorn Kositpaisain
NGR Co. Ltd.
1 Soi Sannibattesabal Ratchadapisek Road
Chankasem Chatuchak, Bangkok 10900
Thailand
Tel: (66-2) 513 -2644
Fax: (66-2) 512-5535
Festivals & Awards
Toronto, Bangkok, Giffony-Italy
(Golden Gryphon best film award)
IFFI-2007
CINEMA OF THE WORLD
Turkey
Lovelorn / Gonul Yarasi
2005, 35mm, Colour, 139 mins, Turkish
Director
Yavuz Turgul
Screenplay
Yavuz Turgul
Cinematography
Soykut Turan
Editor
Soykut Turan
Music
Tamer Çiray
Cast
Sener Sen, Meltem Cumbul, Timuçin Esen, Güven Kiraç,
Devin Özgün Çinar
World Sales
Filma-Cass Film Yapim ve Pazarlama A.S.
Festivals & Awards
Boston Turkish Film Fest, Turkey’s Official Entry
to the 2006 Academy Awards, Palm Springs
(FIPRESCI Award for Best Actress)
Idealist elementary school teacher Nazim (named after the great Turkish poet
Nazim Hikmet) retires and returns home to Istanbul after 15 years of teaching in
a poor, remote Kurdish village in Eastern Turkey. Politely ignored by his own
children who secretly despise him for having chosen his ideals over his family, he
begins a new life as a taxi driver. One night, he meets Dunya, a down-on-her-luck
divorcee who works as a “singer” in a sleazy nightclub. Before he knows it, Nazim
takes Dunya and her daughter in to protect them from Dunya’s stalker ex-husband
Halil.
Born in 1946 in Istanbul, Yavuz Turgul graduated from the Institute of Journalism
in Istanbul University. After working for six years as a journalist for six years, he
began writing scripts, many of which have won accolades. He directed his first
film in 1984. He directed The Bandit (Eskiya) in 1996 which was a great
commercial success in Turkey. Turgul returns after a nine-year absence with
Lovelorn. His other films include Golge Oyunu (1992), Ask Filmlerinin Unutulmaz
Yonetmeni (1990), Muhsin Bey (1987) and Fahriye Abla (1984).
92
IFFI-2007
CINEMA OF THE WORLD
Turkey
Waiting for Heaven / Cenneti Beklerken
2006, 35 mm. Colour, 107 mins, Turkish
Eflatun is a master miniature artist who is living in 17th century Istanbul. One
day, he is taken to the vizier’s mansion by force. There he learns that Danyal, one
of the Ottoman princes who has ignited an insurrection, has been arrested in a
far-off state and is to be executed soon. Eflatun is ordered to make a portrait of
the rebel prince who has been condemned to death in a Western manner to help
the authorities be certain on the identity of him. Acting upon the order, Eflatun
sets off for an arduous journey to Anatolia. He picks up a girl named Leyla en
route. Together, they find themselves in a great adventure fraught with dangers.
Derviº Zaim was born in 1964 in Famagusta, Cyprus. He graduated from Warwick
University in England. He attended a course in independent film production in
London, organised by the Hollywood Film Institute. In 1995, his first novel won
the prestigious Yunus Nadi literary prize in Turkey. Released in 1996, Tabutta
Rövaºata (Somersault in a Coffin) was his debut film as director and screenwriter.
93
Director
Derviº Zaim
Screenplay
Derviº Zaim
Cinematography
Mustafa Kuºçu
Editor
Ulaº Cihan ªimºek
Music
Rahman Altýn
Cast
Serhat Tutumluer (Eflatun), Melisa Sözen (Leila), Mesut
Akusta, Nihat Ýleri, Mehmet Ali Nuroðlu
Art
Elif Tasçioglu, Serdar Yilmaz
Sound
Sándor Balla, Murat Celikkol
Costume
Nadide Argun
Production
Hermes Film, Maraton Filmcilik
Festivals & Awards
Anatalya
IFFI-2007
CINEMA OF THE WORLD
UK
Full Circle
2007, 35mm, Colour, 115 mins, English
Direction
Michael Jaffer
Screenplay
Michael Jaffer and Tim Mills
Cinematography
Franz Pagot
Editor
Raimondo Aiello
Music
Roberto Martinelli
Cast
David Mazzeo (Paul Scott), Michael Howe (Philip
Brockenhurst), Irene Scaturro (Anna), Patrick Kelly (Max)
Sound
Jean-Raphael Dedieu
Simon Kay
Producer
c/o Sugarfree Films Ltd
Churchill House, 137 Brent Street
London NW4 4DJ, UK
Tel:+44-20-8349-1083
Fax:+44-20-8343-2185
www.sugarfreefilms.com
1978. The Wimbledon Tennis Championships. An unknown American qualifier
has the world at his feet as he serves at match point to beat the defending champion
for a place in the semi-finals. He goes on to win the match and the tournament.
The champion, Paul Scott, is now 48 and lives alone. He owes money to Mafioso
bookmaker and with payment due and not a cent to his name. Only a miracle can
save him. A knock at the door brings a visit from a private investigator with
some unexpected news: unbeknown to PAUL, 25 years ago whilst in Italy, he
may have fathered the child of an old flame; the recently-deceased Monica Sersale.
Monica has left him half a million dollars in her will. He travels first class to
Rome to meet with her lawyer. The lawyer introduces Paul to Philip Brockenhurst,
an English aristocrat and explains that as Monica was having affairs with both of
them at the same time her daughter was conceived and had no way of establishing
exactly who the real father was, she included them both in the will. Two men
return to Italy after a 25-year-absence to search for the daughter one of them
may have fathered. What starts as two lonely, bitter, middle-aged men’s race
against time in quest of selfish desire, becomes a journey of self-discovery and
enlightenment when they are forced to confront their past.
British filmmaker Michael Jaffer made his first film, Part Time Lover, in 1993,
primarily as an exercise in film making. He relocated himself to Paris in 1994, to
make his second film, L’Autre Femme (The Other Woman). Jaffer remained in
Paris for his next film, Une Journée Tranquille (A Quiet Day). Between 2000
and 2003, he directed a number of international television commercials.
94
IFFI-2007
CINEMA OF THE WORLD
UK
Love Me Still
Mickey Ronson is released from prison after serving an eight-year sentence for
armed robbery. On his release he finds that his life has been blown apart. His
wife Gemma and his little girl Lucy have gone missing. They have been kidnapped
by his elder brother Bobby. The untimely death of Lenny, his grandfather, brings
the family back together. This gives Mickey an opportunity to take revenge against
his brother Bobby, who is shot dead. Mickey finds himself back behind bars once
again because it was Gemma who actually shoots Bobby but Mickey protects her
and takes the rap.
As a BBC trained director, Danny Hiller directed the BBC feature-length television
drama Trip Trap, a story of domestic and sexual violence in the context of a
respectable middle-class household. Attracting an audience of 10 million viewers,
this programme received a BAFTA nomination for best film. In 2000, Hiller
directed the psychological drama Pretending to be Judith, a feature-length film
screened on ITV. He later worked as a development producer for the BBC,
commissioning, writing and producing for BBC Drama.
95
Director
Danny Hiller
Screenplay
Paul Munns
Cinematography
Shane Daley
Editor
Dei Reynolds
Music
Stewart Copeland
Cast
Andrew Howard (Mickey), Alex Reid (Gemma), Jeffery Bell
(Bobby), Camille Coduri (Maggie)
Art
Nick Somerville
Defiant Films
Danny Hiller
Tel: 07747 610 770
Festivals & Awards
Shanghai
IFFI-2007
CINEMA OF THE WORLD
USA
American East
Director
Hesham Issawi
Screenplay
Hesham Issaw, Sayed Badreya, Brian Cox
Cinematography
Michael G Wojciechowski
Editor
Chris Wright
Music
Tony Humecke
Cast
Sayed Badreya (Mustafa Marzoke), Sarah Shahi (Salwah
Marzoke), Tony Shalhoub (Sam), Anthony Azizi (Murad),
Kais Nashif (Omar)
Art
Frank Bolllinger
Costumes
Swinda Reichelt
Production
Anant Singh, Brian Cox, Ahmad Zahra
It is a poignant drama about Arab-Americans living in post-9/11 Los Angeles. The story
examines long-held misunderstandings about Arabic and Islamic culture, and puts a human
face on a segment of the US population whom most Americans know nothing about, but who
today are of particular interest to them, either from curiosity or suspicion. The story highlights
the pressures under which many Arab-Americans now live by focusing on the points-of-view
of three main characters. Mustafa is a widowed Egyptian immigrant and the owner of Habibe’s
Café, a popular hang-out for people in Los Angeles with Middle-Eastern backgrounds. He is
devoted to providing his children with a moral upbringing despite the pressures of
contemporary American urban life. He also finds himself cast in the role of protector to his
unwed sister Salweh, for whom, by family and tribal custom, he is responsible for finding a
traditional suitor. But his respect for tradition comes up against his own aspirations to adapt
to the American Dream when he decides to open a new restaurant with a Jewish partner – his
friend Sam. This “unholy alliance” is unpopular amongst the habitués of his café and the
insular Arab community in which Mustafa resides. It is one of several personal points of
tension that gradually build against the backdrop of larger, national events affecting the ArabAmerican community and lead to the explosive denouement of the story. It is also the story of
Mustafa’s friend Omar (Kais Nashif) is a struggling actor and Habibi’s Cafe regular, a young
Egyptian man who supports his dream of becoming a movie star by working as a part-time
cab driver for Mustafa’s ragged, one-car taxi company. Because of his Middle Eastern looks
and accent, however, he is constantly cast in the role of a terrorist in American TV shows that
portray only a shallow understanding of Arabs and their culture. When an opportunity for a
non-racially designated role arrives, Omar feels his chance for success - to be seen as an actor
first and not a Muslim - has finally arrived. It is the break he has been waiting for on many
levels: a chance at the financial freedom necessary to marry and support his pregnant American
girlfriend Kate, and a chance for him, and his future child, to be embraced as an American, in
the same way that he has embraced America. But misunderstandings and prejudices related
to his Arabic background conspire against him and his opportunity is lost, pushing Omar to
make a drastic, unreasoned decision that sets off a chain of events leading to a violent
conclusion that affects the lives of all the other characters. Will their American Dreams be
shattered by a climate of distrust and suspicion, or will their hopes and aspirations be embraced
by their fellow Americans?
Hesham Issawi was born in Egypt where he grew up with an insatiable appetite for American
movies. He moved to the US in 1990 to study anthropology, but after taking classes in
photography he changed his major in order to study filmmaking. He attended film school at
Columbia College, Chicago, where he graduated from in 1996, and began his career working
at a local TV station. His initial forays into independent filmmaking were in the documentary
world where he eventually directed a few short subjects of his own. In 1997, he co-produced
the documentary, Saving the Sphinx, for the Learning Channel. Hesham Issawi’s love of film
noir was the inspiration for his first short fictional film, The Interrogation, which he wrote
and directed in 2002. It won Best Creative Short Film at New York Film Festival. In 2003, he
co-wrote and directed the short film, T For Terrorist, which was the winner of the Best Short
Film awards at both the Boston and San Francisco film festivals. This is his feature debut.
96
IFFI-2007
CINEMA OF THE WORLD
USA
Last Stop For Paul
The greatest travel adventure movie of all time! Seriously! Cliff and Charlie live
boring lives in LA. In an effort to spice up their existence, Charlie suggests they
go to the famous Full Moon Party in Thailand. Cliff agrees with the condition
that in order to go they purchase around the world tickets and see the globe first.
Short on cash, the only way they can afford to pull of the trip is by posing as
travel writers for Frommers books so they can get free food and hotel rooms.
Together they embark on a trip of a lifetime as they travel to the Caribbean, South
America, Europe and Asia. Shot in over 20 countries, Cliff and Charlie have
unbelievable adventures in every location and their lives are changed for ever.
Filmed at locations all over the world and using a cast of real people in not so
real-life situations,
Neil Mandt began his career as a journalist winning the National College Emmy
during his junior year at the University of Detroit. After that he went on to be a
reporter for Nickelodeon and ESPN and later focused on Producing and Directing.
Eventually Neil decided filmmaking was what he wanted to do so in September
of 1995 he wrote, produced and directed the critically-acclaimed indie flick
Hijacking Hollywood (1997). Neil has continued directing feature films and short
films for the cinema and television. Over the years Neil has won a variety of
awards including the Audience Award for Best Picture at the 1997 Austin Film
Festival and an Emmy award for his Producing efforts with NBC at the 2000
summer Olympics in Australia.
97
Director
Neil Mandt
Screenplay
Neil Mandt
Cinematography
Marc Carter
Editor
Nick Scown, Eric Wing
Music
Douglas Spicka
Cast
Neil Mandt (Charlie), Marc Carter (Cliff), Gregory Poppen
(Will), Eric Wing (Craig), Heather Petrone (Amy), Ron
Carlson (Art)
Production
Neil Mandt
Festivals & Awards
Rome, Monaco, Edmonton
IFFI-2007
CINEMA OF THE WORLD
USA
Quarter Life Crisis
Dir
ector
Director
Kiran Merchant
Scr
eenpla
y
Screenpla
eenplay
Rehana Mirza, Kiran Merchant
Cinema
to
g ra ph
y
Cinemato
tog
phy
Kiran Deohans, Matthew Wachsman
Editor
Keith Croket
Music
Tim Bright
Cast
Maulik Pancholy (Neil), Lisa Ray (Angel), Russell Peters,
Manu Narayan (Jonathan)
Art
Steven Hall, Arati Nath
Sound
Andrew Halasz
Costume
Nikia Nelson
Pr
oduction
Production
Signs of Love Productions
Festi
vals & Awar
ds
estiv
ards
Atlanta Indo-American Film Festival,
Dominican International Film Festival
Dumped on his 27th birthday by his college sweetheart Angel for being indecisive,
Neil makes a silly bet that takes him on a wild ride through New York’s singles
scene, accompanied by four testosterone-packed imbecile buddies and one crazy
scheming New York taxi driver. On these madcap adventures Neil journeys from
life choice paralysis to real life manhood
Kiran Merchant, an architect in New Jersey, raised half a million dollars for this
first film of his, from several investors who are professionals like him. Merchant
has made an appearance in this film as an actor, as well as in films like Trust the
Man (2005), Fillum Star: The Peter Patel Story (2004) and 200 Cigarettes (1999).
He has also acted on TV.
98
IFFI-2007
CINEMA OF THE WORLD
USA
The Jane Austen Book Club
As five women and one enigmatic man meet to discuss the works of Jane Austen,
they find their love lives playing out in a 21st century version of her novels.
Sylvia is shocked when her husband Daniel, leaves her after 20 plus years and
three children. Jocelyn, her unmarried best friend, distracts herself from her
unacknowledged loneliness by breeding dogs. Prudie is a young French teacher,
in possession of a worthy husband yet distracted by persistent fantasies about sex
with another man. The many times married Bernadette develops a yearning for
one more chance at happiness. Beautiful, risk-taking Allegra, Sylvia and Daniel’s
lesbian daughter, has quit talking to her lover. And Grigg, a young science fiction
fan and computer whiz, seems horribly both out of place and obliviously at ease
as the only man to be invited into the book circle.
Robin Swicord was born in South Carolina and raised in rural Florida and Georgia.
She studied at Florida State University. She has written for both stage and screen
and is known for her screenplay adaptations of Little Women, Matilda, Practical
Magic and Memoirs of a Geisha among others. She directed her first short, The
Red Coat, in 1993. The Jane Austen Book Club, which she also wrote, is her first
feature film as director.
99
Director
Robin Swicord
Screenplay
Robin Swicord, based on the novel by Karen Joy Fowler
Cinematography
John Toon
Editor
Maryann Brandon
Music
Aaron Zigman
Cast
Kathy Baker, Maria Bello, Marc Blucas, Emily Blunt, Amy
Brenneman, Hugh Dancy
Art
Rusty Smith
Sound
Michael J. Benavente
Production
A John Calley/Robin Swicord Production & Mockingbird
Pictures
Festivals and Awards
Toronto
IFFI-2007
CINEMA OF THE WORLD
USA
The Memory Thief
Director
Gil Kofman
Screenplay
Gil Kofman
Cinematography
Richard Rutkowski
Editor
Curtiss Clayton
Music
Ted Reichman
Cast
Mark Webber, Rachel Miner, Jerry Adler, Patrick Bauchau,
Kevin Breznahan
Art
Francesco Luparello
Costumes
Kiki Van Adelsburg
Production
Stark Raving Films and Jane Doe Films
11922 Saltair Terrace
Los Angeles, Ca 90049 (USA)
Tel: +3109680277
Festivals & Awards
Philadelphia, Minneapolis, St. Paul, Seattle, Calgary , Sydney
Underground Film Festival, Edmonton, Tallgrass , St. Louis
Int’l Film Festival (upcoming), Denver, Atlanta
It is the story of Lukas - an aimless, young man in contemporary L.A. who buries
thoughts of his own past in the humdrum routine of a tollbooth clerk. A chance
encounter with a Holocaust survivor suddenly brings into focus a world and an
identity he embraces with frightening intensity - the victimised Jews of World
War II. As he begins to enthusiastically act out his newfound obsession, Lukas
discovers that survivor’s guilt isn’t just for the Jews anymore.
This is the first feature film by Gil Kofman. His connection with the Holocaust
was through his father-in-law, himself a survivor. In writing the script, he strove
to honour those who did and did not survive the Holocaust by actively avoiding
sentimentality and emotional manipulation of the audience.
100
Film India Worldwide
IFFI-2007
FILM INDIA WORLDWIDE
AIDS JAAGO
A
Mirabai Films production
In Association with AVAHAN
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
Executive Producer: Mira Nair
Under the auspices of Mirabai Films and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the AIDS ‘JaaGO’ Project presents four short dramatic films by cutting-edge Indian
directors Mira Nair, Vishal Bhardwaj, Santosh Sivan and Farhan Akhtar that aim to dismantle myths and misconceptions about HIV/AIDS. Each film uses wellknown Indian movie stars to maximize the exposure of the films to audiences throughout India. Actors like Prabhu Deva, Irrfan Khan, Shabana Azmi, Shiney Ahuja,
Ayesha Takia, Boman Irani, Raima Sen, Siddarth and Sameera Reddy have joined a host of other known actors in the collective cast of the film.
This project was the brainchild of Mira Nair and is produced by her company, Mirabai Films. The four AIDS JAAGO films come from different parts of India - each
in its own genre, and each with a different point about HIV/AIDS. AIDS JaaGo literally means “AIDS Awake”. Though this is not the first time that a film has been
made in India with HIV/AIDS as the backdrop, this project is unique because it brings together four highly-talented storytellers on the big screen together, to tell a
story that depicts the impact of HIV/AIDS on the common India, in their own, inimitable way. While Nair herself has directed Migration, she enlisted ace
cinematographer-director Santosh Sivan who has come up with Prarambha, director-music composer Vishal Bharadwaj who has contributed to the project with
Blood Brothers and young Indian cinema’s mascot Farhan Akhtar who has taken a Positive look at the subject.
In Migration, Shiney Ahuja plays a rural labourer who leaves his wife (Raima Sen) for work in Mumbai, where he enters into a forbidden game with a frustrated
woman, played by Sameera Reddy, and her closeted husband, played by Irfan Khan. In Prarambha, ace choreographer Prabhu Deva, who is also an actor and director,
plays a a truck driver who helps a boy on a journey to find his HIV-positive mother. Blood Brothers, on the other hand, is a thriller about a man played by Siddharth
reacting to his HIV diagnosis, even as Positive deals with the tale of a young boy and his parents, played by Arjun Mathur, Boman Irani and Shabana Azmi coping
with the impact of AIDS.
Each of these four short films are planned to be screened before the main movie starts in cinema theatres in India, while all of them would be packaged together for
broadcast on national television.
About the directors:
Mira Nair: Director/Writer/Producer Mira Nair virtually needs no introduction, as
her highly-acclaimed body of work itself is her identity. Born in Bhubaneswar in
1957 and educated at Delhi University and Harvard University, Nair began her artistic
career as an actor before turning her attention to film. She found early success as a
documentary filmmaker, winning awards for So Far From India and India Cabaret.
In 1988, Nair’s debut feature, Salaam Bombay!, was nominated for an Academy
Award, Golden Globe, and BAFTA Award for Best Foreign Language Film. It also
won the Camera D’Or (for best first feature) and the Prix du Publique (for most
popular entry) at the Cannes Film Festival as well as 25 other international awards.
Each of her subsequent films - Mississippi Masala, The Perez Family, Kama Sutra:
A Tale of Love, The Laughing Club of India, Monsoon Wedding, Hysterical Blindness,
Vanity Fair and The Namesake, have been landmark films in more ways than one.
Nair also joined a group of 11 renowned filmmakers, each commissioned to direct a film that was 11 minutes,
9 seconds and one frame long, following the infamous 9/11 attacks on the US. Nair’s film is a retelling of
real events in the life of the Hamdani family in Queens, whose eldest son was missing after September 11,
and was then accused by the media of being a terrorist. Nair has been a mentor in film of the prestigious
Rolex Protégé Arts Initiative, to help guide young artists in critical stages of their development. Now preparing
for her next film Shantaram with Warner Brothers, starring Johnny Depp and Amitabh Bachchan, Nair has
also established an annual filmmaker’s laboratory, Maisha, dedicated to the support of visionary screenwriters
and directors in East Africa and South Asia.
© Antonio Martinelli
Santosh Sivan: Santosh Sivan is from Kerala and is a renowned cinematographer,
having shot a large number of acclaimed films – about 45 features and 41
documentaries. A five times National Award winner for cinematography and a couple
more for direction, his The Terrorist was internationally acclaimed. His latest film,
Before the Rains, had its world premiere at the 2007 Toronto International Film
Festival. He has directed films like Halo, Asoka, Malli, Navarasa and
Anandabhadram.
Vishal Bhardwaj: Bhardwaj, a cricketer who took up music as his profession, turned
a director with Makdee, a children’s film. He received critical and commercial success
from, Omkara, adapted from Shakespeare’s Othello. Arguably one of India’s most
recognized young directors, he has earlier adapted Macbeth to make Maqbool, and
has also made Blue Umbrella, based on a Ruskin Bond story.
Farhan Akhtar: The son of lyricist Javed Akhtar, Farhan Akhtar burst onto the
Indian cinema scene with Dil Chahta Hai, a film that almost became the emblem
for the urban India youth. He made a not-so-successful war movie Lakshya before
recently giving a remake twist to Amitabh Bachchan starrer Don with Shah Rukh
Khan in the lead role.
102
© Antonio Martinelli
IFFI-2007
Canada-India
Amal
2007, 35 mm, Colour, 71 mins, Hindi/Kannada
Richie Mehta’s debut film is an emotionally-evocative story about an
auto-rickshaw driver, Amal, living in New Delhi , who is content with
his small, but vital role in life. His regular client, the lovely Pooja, has
her bag stolen by a little street girl, who gets hit by a car. Amal takes
her to hospital determined to care for her. He drives an eccentric
billionaire, G K Jayaram, disguised as a vagabond. The despairing and
irascible old man is in search of a person who displays a true humanity
to whom he can bequeath his wealth. His own progeny though are
chasing his money. Amal unknowingly gets involved in this family
intrigue. Filmed on location in New Delhi, this modern day fable asks
the important question of what success means to each individual and
ultimately reveals to audiences that the poorest of men are sometimes
the richest.
Director
Richie Mehta
Screenplay
Richie Mehta, Shaun Mehta
Cinematography
Mitch Ness
Editor
Stuart Mcintyre
Music
Dr. Shiva
Sound
Sanjay Mehta
Cast
Rupinder Nagra (Amal), Koel Purie (Pooja), Naseeruddin Shah (G K
Jayaram), Seema Biswas (Sapna Agarawal), Vik Sahay (Vivek Jayaram),
Roshan Seth (Suresh)
Production
Poor Man’s Productions Ltd
1376 Daniel Creek Road
Mississauga ON L5V
1V3 Canada
www.poormansproductions.com
World Sales
Harish Vanjani
P.O.Box 2442
Springfield, Virginia 22152
Tel: 001 703-569-6967
Fax: 001 703-569-7775
Mobile: 001 703-395-6444(cell)
Festivals
Toronto
Richie Mehta was born in Toronto and has studied painting, sculpting
and directing. He has directed several short films that have screened
internationally, including System of Units (2004) and Amal (2004).
He has adapted the latter into his first feature film of the same name.
The concept of Amal was the winner of the Telefilm ‘Pitch This”
Competition at the Toronto 2005 film festival.
103
IFFI-2007
ASIA PREMIERE
USA
The Pool
2007, HD-Cam, Colour, 95 mins, Hindi
Director
Chris Smith
Screenplay
Chris Smith, Randy Russell
Cinematography
Chris Smith
Editor
Barry Poltermann
Music
Didier Leplae, Joe Wong
Cast
Jahangir Badshah (Jahangir), Venkatesh Chavan (Venkatesh), Ayesha
Mohan (Ayesha), Nana Patekar
Sound
Didier Leplae
World Sales
The Pool Film, LLC
220 East Buffalo St #400
Milwaukee WI 53202, USA
Festivals & and Awards
Sundance (Special Jury Award), Vienna
This American film has been shot entirely in Panaji, Goa by 36year-old Chris Smith, and is made in Hindi, a language the director
does not know. Its story follows Venkatesh, who works as a hotel houseboy alongside his staunch buddy, Jahangir. The two make extra money
selling plastic bags to pedestrians. Venkatesh is mesmerized by the
aquamarine glow of a backyard swimming pool, which he gazes from
a mango tree. He gets to know the owners, a wealthy man (Nana
Patekar) originally from Mumbai and his edgy daughter Ayesha, who
take to him in their separate ways. This encounter changes the lives of
the two boys, aspiring to better themselves without the benefit of any
education or skills. The film’s leisured pace and seemingly effortless
telling captures the essential spirit of Goan living, from its mansions,
its music, its street life and its work-force. Director Smith is known
for his searching, introspective documentaries and their natural setting
and universality of theme – attributes that he brings with gentle
understanding to his film, The Pool.
Chris Smith, based in Milwaukee, Philadelphia, is an accomplished
filmmaker whose previous films include his debut feature American
Job (1996), and his documentaries American Movie (1999, Grand Jury
Prize-Sundance Film Festival), Home Movie (2001) and The Yes Men
(2004). The Pool is his second feature film.
104
COUNTRY FOCUS-HUNGARY
IFFI-2007
Hukkle
2002, 35mm, Colour, 75 min
An old man sitting on a bench has the hiccups, a drunken youth snores on a carriage,
a kind old lady picks lilies of the valley, women sew in the dressmaker’s shop,
men are bowling in a pub, the bees make honey, a machine harvests the wheat
that in the mill will be made into flour, and then into dumplings in Grandma’s
kitchen – and throughout it all a policeman investigates a murder... A film with
the deceptive appearance of a documentary, where each scene contains clues to a
detective story. This popular festival film has accumulated a number of trophies
along the way, starting in its home country at the Hungarian Film Week where it
picked up the Critics Award and Best Debut Film. Since then, the film took home
four prizes at Cottbus including the Special Prize, Audience Award and the
FIPRESCI Critics Prize, a Special Mention at San Sebastian and the European
Film Awards European Discovery of the Year nod.
This is György Pálfi’s first feature film.
131
Director
György Pálfi
Screenplay
György Pálfi
Cinematography
Gergely Pohárnok
Editor
Gábor Marinkás
Music
Balázs Barna, Samu Gryllus
Cast
Ferenc Bandi, József Farkas, Attila Kaszás, Ági Margitai,
Ferenc Nagy, Jánosné Nagy, Eszter Ónodi, Józsefné Rácz
Sound
Tamás Zányi
Production
Mokep
Festivals
2002: Ankara, Belfort, Budapest, Chicago, Cottbus, Kiev,
London, Mahhheim, Paris, Pusan, San Sebastian, Santa Fe,
Sao Paulo, Stockholm, Thessaloniki, Torino, Toronto,
Vancouver, Warsaw
2003: Adelaide, Barcelona, Belgrade, Bogota, Brasilia,
Bratislava, Brisbane, Brussels, Calgary, Copenhagen,
Edmonton, Hong Kong, Houston, Istanbul, Leeds, Los
Angeles, Mar del Plata, Melbourne, IFFI-New Delhi,
Philadelphia, Rome, Rotterdam, San Francisco, San Jose,
Santa Barbara, Sarajevo, Seattle, Sydney
2004: Riga, Singapore
2005: Jakarta
2006: Barcelona, Bergen
2007: Skopje
IFFI-2007
Temptations / Kísértések
2001, 35mm, Colour, 88 mins
Director
Zoltán Kamondi
Screenplay
Zoltán Kamondi
Cinematography
Gábor Medvigy
Editor
Zsuzsa Pósán
Music
László Melis
Cast
Juli Básti, Kati Budai, János Derzsi, Julianna Kovács,
Marcell Miklós, Zoltán Seress
Art
György Árvai
Sound
István Sipos
Costume
János Breckl
Production
Nextreme Film
Festivals
2002: Ankara, Berlin, Bratislava, Budapest, Denver, Haifa,
Karlovy Vary. Kiev, Manchester, Minneapolis, Montreal,
Moscow, Pyongyang, Seattle, Shanghai
2003: Cleveland, Palm Springs, Prague
Anna brings up her son Marci on her own. Everyone predicts a great future for
him, but he isn't interested in his career. He is desperate to find his unknown
father and his place in the world. What sort of life should he lead? Should he
relax in Anna's loving devotion? Should he give in to the lure of Elvira, who
shows him the sensual side of life? Should he be a criminal, breaking codes at
banks? Should he follow the example of his father Tibor? Should he be an
alcoholic, a wasted talent who has preserved his sense of freedom, but has never
achieved anything? Or should he find himself in the love of the ten -year-old
gypsy girl with mysterious talent, Juli? Will the unselfish, deep and pure feelings
of this girl resolve his life? Juli accepts with unquestionable devotion and humility
that she belongs to Marci - however, he is incapable of identifying with this archaic
role and this proves to be fatal...
Zoltán Kamondi was born in 1960 in Budapest. After finishing his studies at the
Faculty of Art, he went on to get a degree in film directing at the Academy of
Theatre and Film Art Budapest, where he graduated in 1988. His examination
film Kiki and the Males won the Best Direction Award at the West-Berlin Short
Film Festival in 1985. In 1990, he made his first feature film Path of Death and
Angels which was screened in the Un Certain Regard section of Cannes. In 1992,
he started to work in theatre and became a highly acclaimed theatre director in
Hungary. In 1997, he began shooting The Hungarian Speckled Variety, a
documentary series, considered by critics as one of the most important documents
of the years after the political changes in Hungary. In 1996, his video film The
Golden Deck Chair won the Best Direction Award at the 27th Hungarian Film
Week. In 1999, his second feature film The Alchemist and the Virgin won the
Best Independent Feature Award at the Manchester International Film Festival.
His latest film Dolina is being shown in the Cinema of the World section of this
festival.
132
IFFI-2007
The Porcelain Doll / A porcelánbaba
2005, 35mm, Colour, 75 min
There was once the Farm. Somewhere in Hungary.More precisely: in Europe.
Even more precisely: on planet Earth. Farm folk, who are amiable and simple yet
cunning lived here on this Farm. From time to time strangers come to the Farm.
And it is then that all hell always breaks loose.Because the strangers have also
brought death with them. And destruction. And hate. And jealousy. And vanity.
And shame. And lies.
On this Farm strangers always just cause trouble…Based on Ervin Lázár’s
Csillagmajor Péter Gárdos, who has made a number of documentaries and shorts,
made his first feature film, The Philadelphia Attraction, in 1984. With his later
films he won several awards in film festivals from Montreal to Cairo. His theatrical
directions are also popular in Hungary.
133
Director
Péter Gárdos
Screenplay
Péter Gárdos
Cinematography
Tibor Máthé
Editor
Marianna Miklós
Music
Agens
Cast
Lajos Bertók, Sándor Csányi, Judit Németh
Art
Balázs Hujber
Sound
Ferenc Császár
Costume
János Breckl
Production
Duna Television, Tivoli Filmproduction
Festivals
2005: Ankara, Bratislava, Budapest, Kolkata, Istanbul,
Jerusalem, Montreal, Moscow, Munich, Pusan,
Reykjavik, Toronto, Vancouver
2006: Brussels, Hong Kong, Maine, Minneapolis,
Philadelphia, Seattle, Tampa
IFFI-2007
Vagabond
2002, 35mm, Colour, 102 mins
Director
György Szomjas
Screenplay
György Szomjas
Cinematography
Ferenc Grunwalsky
Editor
Anna Kornis
Music
Ferenc Kiss, folk music
Cast
Judit Ábrahám, Gráci Benke, Kata Horváth, Róbert Kerényi,
Enikõ Kocsis, Csaba Simon, Péter Simon, Réti Attila
Sound
György Kovács
Costume
Zsuzsa Stenger
Production
RF produkció
Festivals
2003: Amiens, Berlin, Bratislava, Karlovy Vary, Maine,
Moscow, Sarajevo, Seattle
2004: Mexico, Sofia, Trieste
Karesz’s childhood was spent in an orphanage. At the beginning, he is a member
of a gang of street urchins who wash car windscreens at traffic lights in the hope
of a tip. Besides this, they are involved in a host of evils offered by the capital:
in-fighting, burglary, drunkenness and drugs. In pursuit of a girl, Zsófi, Karesz
unintentionally finds himself in the dance house where young people practice
folk music and dance, and is smitten by its unique atmosphere. He becomes
friendly with Gráci, an immigrant, moonlighting worker who only ceases to feel
out of place in the big city when he can play the music of his home village at the
dance house. The trio is made up by Szerb, a Hungarian lad from Yugoslavia who
has come to Budapest to escape the Southern Slavonic wars. As Karesz tries to
bring himself to Zsófi’s attention, he learns the dances and even experiments
with some drumming. In this way, Karesz becomes acquainted with Zsófi, with
the group, the dances and the various percussion instruments which are used in
Hungarian, Southern Slavonic and Gypsy music. Meanwhile, his old cronies turn
up and hustle him into participating in a burglary. Later, they all get drunk and
the inebriated Karesz is knocked down by a car. He ends up in hospital, where he
is visited by Zsófi. Once back to health, he is received back into the dance house
circle as a member. He even lives with them. He is beginning to be a talented
percussionist and it is looking as though he will succeed in breaking away from
his old friends of the underworld when…
György Szomjas studied architecture at the Budapest Technical University between
1960 and 1964, and then graduated from the Academy of Performing Arts in 1968.
He was on the board of The Béla Balázs Studio between 1969 and 1974 and was
initiator of the sociological film programme. After his ironic documentaries made
in the early 1970s, he directed his first feature film, The Wind is Whistling under
Their Feet. He has been manager and organizer of Kõbánya Amateur Film Studio
since 1973. He has been chief secretary of the Association of Hungarian Filmand Television Artists since 1995. In the past five years, he has made portrait
films and documentaries about folk music and musicians as well as television
magazines about folk music.
134
IFFI-2007
IFFI Goa Film Treasures
135
IFFI GOA FILM TREASURES
IFFI-2007
The 38th International Film Festival of India, Goa
introduces
IFFI Goa Film Treasures
1st edition - November 27th to December 1st 2007
A new section dedicated to international film heritage
directed by
Thomson Foundation for Film and TV Heritage,
National Film Archive of India and Cinémathèque Française,
with the support of Film and TV Institute of India
***
"IFFI Goa Film Treasures" is a creation of a " classics " section entirely dedicated to film heritage, representing a key part of culture and history as well
as a strong basis for the cinema of tomorrow.
Programming of this first edition "IFFI Goa Film Treasures" 2007, has been designed on a common theme: "Freedom".
• Special Screenings. Treasures from the cinema world :
Nov. 27th : The Grand Illusion (Jean Renoir, France)
Nov. 28th: Modern Times (Charlie Chaplin, USA)
Nov. 29th: The Hole (Jacques Becker, France)
Nov. 30th: To be or not to be (Ernst Lubitsch, USA)
Dec. 1st: The Legend of Bailiff Sansho (Kenji Mizoguchi, Japan)
Venue: INOX Multiplex
• Interactive workshops / masterclasses with cinema personalities (filmmakers, actors, archivists...)
Nov 28th - 1.00-2.30 pm "Creating from scratch": With or without film heritage knowledge, what are the differences in creating a film…?
Nov 29th: 1.30-3.00 pm: "Catching the visible, tracking the invisible": How cinema is reflecting and modeling society
Nov 30th 1.30-3.00 pm: "There is no such thing as an old film!": Why films continue to change overtime to turn into new creations
Venue: INOX Multiplex
"IFFI Goa Film Treasures" partners
Thomson Foundation for Film & TV Heritage:
Thomson Foundation is a non-profit entity, acting worldwide in the field of preservation and promotion of film and TV heritage. Created in 2006 by its
founder Thomson (technologies, services and systems for media and entertainment industry), the Thomson foundation for Film and TV Heritage operates
with archive institutions or film collection entities, public or private, through annual programs run in priority on site, directly and pragmatically. Today, the
Foundation runs programs in more than 6 countries in Asia, Europe and America.
National Film Archive of India (NFAI)
The mission of the National Film Archive of India is to safeguard the heritage of Indian Cinema for posterity and act as a centre for dissemination of a
healthy film culture in the country. Promotion of film scholarship and research on various aspects of cinema also form part of its Charter. Familiarizing
foreign audiences with Indian Cinema and to make it more visible across the globe is another declared objective of the Archive.
La Cinémathèque française, Paris, France
Created in September 1936, the Cinemathèque française is a private organisation, financed by the state for a large part (Secretary of culture and communication
through the Cinematographic National Center), the "Cinémathèque française" is a non-profit association. Since 1981 the "Cinémathèque française" preserves
a part of its collections on security record, at the Saint Cyr Fort (40,000 titles). This collection reflects Henri Langlois' sharp tastes: the basis is international,
with a strong presence of German and American silent films, and 1920's avant-garde movies.
136
IFFI-2007
Film and Television Film Institute of India (FTII)
Established in the year 1960 on the erstwhile Prabhat studio premises at Pune and thereby inheriting a rich legacy in quality Cinema , the Film and
Television Institute of India (FTII) has truly lived up to its avowed objective in the field of imparting training in film making and television programme
production. Today the FTII is considered as a Center of Excellence not only in India but also in Asia and Europe. The FTII is an autonomous body under
the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting of the Government of India.
137
IFFI-2007
"IFFI Goa Film Treasures"
MOVIE PROGRAMMING
Day 1: Opening day: The Grand Illusion - Jean Renoir (France)
"If a French farmer found himself dining with a French financier, those two Frenchman would have nothing to say to each other. But if a French farmer
meets a Chinese farmer they will find any amount to talk about".
Jean Renoir.
DR: Crédit Photo Studio Canal
Plot:
A film about war without a single scene of combat, Jean Renoir's masterpiece suggests that the true divisions of that conflict were of class rather than
nationality. The point is embodied in the friendship between two aristocratic officers, a German (Erich von Stroheim), and a Frenchman (Pierre Fresnay),
both of whom ultimately become sacrificial victims after a nouveau riche Jewish officer (Marcel Dalio) and a French mechanic (Jean Gabin) manage to
escape from Stroheim's fortress to freedom. The relationship between the mechanic and a German widow, who barely speak each other's language, is no
less moving.
By Jonathan Rosenbaum, the Chicago Reader.
Cast:
Erich Von Stroheim, Jean Gabin, Pierre Fresnay, Marcel Dalio, Dita Parlo, Julien Carette, Gaston Modot, Jean Dasté, Jacques Becker.
Director's biography Jean Renoir
Born in Paris on September 15 1894, Jean Renoir was the son of the Impressionist painter Auguste Renoir. Renoir produced his first movie, Une Vie Sans
Joie in 1924, to star his wife, his father's former model, Catherine Hessling. He directed his first film, La Fille d'Eau, in the same year. In 1975 Jean Renoir
has received an honorary Academy Award for his lifetime contribution to film. He is considered one of the first great "auteurs," a cinematic master whose
distinctive style always contained a concern for human issues and a reverence for natural beauty. Jean Renoir died in California in 1979.
France, 35mm print with English subtitles, 113 min, B&W
Released in 1937, 1946, new editing in 1958, restored version in 1997.
Screening in INOX Movie Theater, on Thursday 27th, at 11:00am
138
IFFI-2007
MOVIE PROGRAMMING
Day 2 : The Modern Times - Charlie Chaplin (USA)
"Modern Times marked the last screen appearance of the Little Tramp, the character which had brought Charles Chaplin world fame, and who still
remains the most universally recognized fictional image of a human being in the history of art."
David Robinson, Director of Pordenone Silent Film Festival
DR: Crédit photo Roy Export Company
DR: Crédit photo Roy Export Company
Plot:
Playing a tramp struggling to survive in a modern industrial society, Charlie Chaplin created with Modern Times, one of the most elaborate cinematic
critiques of the effects of mass production on 20th century life. With his usual charm and bad luck, Charlie Chaplin's most famous character The Tramp,
executes some of his most famous slapstick routines around massive/glorified machines, accidentally ends up in the middle of a communist rally, and falls
in love with a street waif played by Chaplin's then real-life partner Paulette Goddard.
Cast:
Charles Chaplin, Paulette Goddard, Henry Bergman, Stanley J. ('Tiny') Sandford, Chester Conklin, Hank Mann, Louis Natheaux, Stanley Blystone, Allan
Garcia
Director's biography Charlie Chaplin:
The first great screen comedian, Chaplin was the most important filmmaker of the silent film era, in addition to being a formidable talent as a writer and
composer. The son of music hall performers from England, he began working on the stage at age five. In 1919, he formed United Artists along with Douglas
Fairbanks, Mary Pickford and D.W. Griffith. In 1929, at the first Academy Awards, he was given the special award "for versatility and genius in writing,
acting, directing and producing" for The Circus (1928). Charlie Chaplin said: "A day without laughter is a day wasted."
USA, 35mm, 87 min, B&W.
Released in 1936.
Screening in INOX Movie Theater, on Wednesday 28th, at 11:00am
139
IFFI-2007
MOVIE PROGRAMMING
Day 3: Le Trou - Jacques Becker (France)
"Becker was interested in what the cinema could do just as he was interested in what men and women do. Never searching for the extraordinary, he
would go to endless lengths to bring out not some abstract rhythm in the lives of people did but the true style and rhythm of their sensibilities."
Dudley Andrew (International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers, 1991)
Plot:
Marc Michel, the protagonist, plays an imprisoned man awaiting trial for the attempted murder of his wife. He is transferred to another cell, where his
fellow prisoners are planning a jailbreak. He decides to go along with the elaborate plan, and the cellmates attempt to tunnel their way to freedom.
The film is based on the true story of a prison escape plan in which the author, José Giovanni, took part. Becker wrote the script with Giovanni and cast the
film with nonprofessionals, one of whom, Jean Keraudy (Roland), played the same role in real life that he plays in the film. Le Trou represents the last film
of director Jacques Becker, who died shortly after its completion.
Cast:
Michel Constantin, Jean Keraudy, Philippe Leroy, Raymond Meunier, Marc Michel, Andre Bervil, J. Paul Coquelin, Eddy Rasimi
Director's biography Jacques Becker:
Jacques Becker was born in 1906. He began his film career in the early 1930s by working as an assistant to film director Jean Renoir on Boudu, sauvé des
eaux (in which Becker appeared as a young poet) and La Marseillaise. Over the next two decades he directed and co-scripted a dozen more films, most
notably the classic Casque D'Or, as well the crime film Touchez Pas Au Grisbi.
France, 35mm print with English subtitles, 132 min, B&W.
Released in 1960.
Screening in INOX Movie Theater, on Tuesday 29th, at 11:00am
140
IFFI-2007
MOVIE PROGRAMMING
Day 4 : To be or not to be - Ernst Lubitsch (USA)
"I let the audience use their imaginations. Can I help it if they misconstrue my suggestions?"
Ernst Lubitsch
Plot:
In Warsaw at the beginning of WWII, Maria Tura and husband Joseph perform anti-Nazi plays with their theatre troupe until they are forced to switch to
Shakespeare's Hamlet. Lt. Stanislav Sobinski falls for Maria and meets up with her during Joseph's famous "To Be or Not to Be" speech as Hamlet. When
Stanislav is eventually dispatched for war, he implicates Maria with Professor Siletsky, who has a secret plan to destroy the Warsaw resistance. The Polish
theatre troupe is then forced to use their theatrical skills to ensure their survival.
By Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
Cast:
Jack Benny, Carole Lombard, Robert Stack, Felix Bressart, Lionel Atwill, Stanley Ridges, Sig Ruman
Director's biography Ernst Lubitsch:
Lubitsch had turned his back on his father's business to enter the theater, and by 1911 he was a member of Max Reinhardt's Deutsches Theater. His first film
work came in 1912 as an actor. Gradually, he abandoned acting to concentrate on directing and in 1918 he made his mark as a serious director with The
Eyes of the Mummy starring Pola Negri. Lubitsch left Germany for Hollywood in 1922, invited by Mary Pickford. With the beginning of the sound era, he
created witty and sarcastic dialogue, and malicious and bizarre comedic situations. In 1939, Lubitsch moved to MGM, and directed Greta Garbo in
Ninotchka. In March of 1947 he has received a special Academy Award for his 25-year contribution to motion pictures.
USA, 35mm, 99 min, B&W.
Released in 1942.
Screening in INOX Movie Theater, on Friday 30th, at 11:00am
141
IFFI-2007
MOVIE PROGRAMMING
Day 5: The Legend of Bailiff Sansho - Kenji Mizoguchi (Japan)
"Mizoguchi is cinema's Shakespeare, its Bach or Beethoven, its Rembrant, Titian or Picasso."
James Quandt, Mizoguchi the Master (Introduction)
Plot:
Sansho the Bailiff is based on an ancient legend and set in the harsh feudal world of eleventh-century Japan. The father of young Zushiô and Anju, is a wellregarded Governor, loved by the masses. Unfortunately, he has opposed the latest Government conscription demand, recognising that if he complies his
people may starve. Inevitably, he is struck from his post and dispatched into exile; all his wife Tamaki can do is wrap their children in the charity of
relatives. Several years later the trio is forced to embark on a difficult journey, to the distant province where the ex-Governor now lives. In a sequence of
heart-rending tragedy, Tamaki becomes separated from Zushiô and Anju. While she is sold into prostitution and they become the slaves of Sanshô dayû. A
decade later, Zushiô and Anju have become inured to their fate…
Cast:
Yashiaki Hanayagi, Kinuyo Tanaka, Kyoko Kagawa, Eitaro Shindo, Akitaka Kohno, Ichiro Sugai, Ken Mitsuda, Masahiko Kato, Keiko Enami
Director's biography Kenji Mizoguchi:
Kenji Mizoguchi was born in 1898, the middle child of a Tokyo family. The abrupt ending of the 1904-5 Russo-Japanese war, dashing his father's attempts
to sell raincoats to the army, precipitated a desperate financial crisis which forced Mizoguchi's older sister Suzu to be given up for adoption then sold to a
geisha house. Though she was fortunately "rescued" and later married by a wealthy patron, the event, along with the death when he was 17 of the mother
he idolised, had a huge impact on Mizoguchi's life and future career as a director- a principal theme of his films being the oppression and suffering of
women.
Japan, 35mm, 120 min, B&W.
Released in 1954.
Screening in INOX Movie Theater, on Saturday 1st, at 11:00am
142

Cinema of the World

Transcription

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