9th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival that finished on Sunday was a feast for Asian films as two of the jury's main prizes went to the works from this region. At festival closing ceremony on the 10 December the Grand Prix of competition programme EurAsia was handed to the Chinese film "Shanghai Dreams"(dir. Wang Xiaoshuai), Hou Shiao-shien from Taiwan received the award for best director for his epic "Three Times". The Audience Award went to Asia as well - Kim Ki-duk won Estonian viewers’ fav...
The head of the jury was this year Eva Isaksen (Norway). Other members of the jury included :Yesim Ustaoglu (Turkey), Jaak Allik (Estonia), Thomas Mauch (Germany) and James Ragan (USA).GRAND PRIX FOR BEST EURASIAN FILM (with cash award of 10.000 EUR) SHANGHAI DREAMS /QING HONG (Wang Xiaoshuai, China)JURY PRIZE FOR THE BEST DIRECTORHOU SHIAO-SHIEN (Three Times / Zui Hao De Shi Guang, Taiwan / (China))JURY PRIZE FOR THE BEST ACTORJESPER CHRISTENSEN (Manslaughter / Drabet, Denmark)JURY PRIZE FOR TH...
Jorgen Leth interview by Wendy Dent Festival dei Popoli, Florence 7 December 2005WD: This festival was very unique in that it expanded my definitions of what documentary is and this is what stunned me about your films, is they were staged and it really broadened my idea of what documentary is but made me wonder where is the line, where is the definition? Once you start to have actors and you make a comment about society, but even drama is a comment on humanity so I am wondering what you feel abo...
The International Jury of the 27th Festival des 3 Continents composed of : Gela Babluani - georgian director ; Joao Botelho - portuguese director ;Ben Hackworth - australian director ; Stéphane Lerouge - french music producer.Ira Sachs - american producer.has awarded : Golden Montgolfier : "Melegin düsüsü" (Angel's Fall) by Semih Kaplanoglu / Turkey Silver Montgolfier ex-aequo : "A Perfect Day" by Joana Hadjithomas and Khalil Joreige / Lebanon and "Sayonara Midori-chan" by Tomoyuki Furuyama ...
The 9th edition of Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival kicked off on 2 December with the traditional combination of silent film and live music. 1928 classic "The Passion of Joan of Arc" by Dane Carl Theodore Dreyer was presented with electronic music by Frenchmen Hector Zazou with Valentin Z.The international competition programme "EurAsia" brings together 19 new features from the whole continent. Films in competition include European co-productions "The Piano Tuner of the Earthquakes" by Brother...
The 36th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) - 2005 came to a close here today with the screening of Belgium-France film ‘L’Enfant’, directed by Jean Pierre & Luc Dardene. Iranian film ‘Iron Island’, directed by Mr. Mohammad Rasoulof bagged the best film award and won the Golden Peacock and a cash prize of Rs.Ten lakhs for originality, deep thoughtful narration, powerful cinematic expression and great creative strength. The most promising Director award went to Directors Ms. ...
RICHARD PENA ON HIS WORK III Do you think that the continued expansion of film festivals is indication of the growing cinematic interest by the audience?I wish it were that. I don’t know. It is probably an indication of more people looking for ways of having jobs that are more glamorous. I am not sure how much it helps films. The vast majority of the festivals have no impact on the films at all. In the best possible of all worlds it is a nice cultural activity, but they do not really affec...
Perhaps Love takes home Best Foreign Language Film Award at the Queens International Film Festival Lavish musical romantic drama rallies support in pre-Oscars movePeter Ho-Sun Chan’s new film Perhaps Love was voted the Best Foreign Language Film on the closing night of the third annual Queens International Film Festival (QIFF), which took place in New York from November 17th to 20th. Perhaps Love competed against four other international entries in the Best Foreign Language Film category, inc...
This is the first of a three part interview for filmfestivals.com by Claus MuellerRichard Peña on his WorkRichard Peña, noted film curator and scholar, is in charge of the New York Film Festival and the programs of the Film Society of Lincoln Center. Since his appointment in 1988, Mr. Peña has enhanced festival standing as the most selective and influential cinema event in North America, and extended the Film Society’s programs to cover in depth year-round retrospectives of influential film...
Hawaii filmmakers flourish winning a record 6 awards1. First Hawaiian Bank Golden Maile AwardsCAVITE [PHILIPPINES] - Golden Maile: Best Feature FilmSISTERS IN LAW [CAMEROON] – Golden Maile: Best Documentary Film2. Russell Boyd [MASTER AND COMMANDER] wins the Eastman Kodak Award for Excellence in Cinematography3. Film in Hawaii Award presented to the late Kayo Hatta [PICTURE BRIDE].4. The Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema (NETPAC) Award goes to SEASON OF THE HORSE [CHINA].5. Inaugura...
The Forsaken Land, a controversial film set in war-torn Sri Lanka, has won Best Picture award at Bangkok’s 3rd annual World Film Festival (WFF) which ends today (Monday 24 October).The Forsaken Land : Directed by Vimukthi Jayasundara and produced by Philippe Avri, the film had already achieved international recognition by winning the Camera d’Or award at Cannes Film Festival earlier this year, was selected at Toronto and was a clear favourite with Thai audiences.“Cannes was extremely kind ...
7th International Panorama: 24/9 to 1/10 The International Panorama of Independent Creators appeals to young creators and it offers them the chance to present prolusions or not, with the only precondition to respect the culture and values of every population, to creators who do not have the financial support of governmental institutions and big studios. In this way the International Panorama is concerned with the “creator” cinema and the presented films are little “gems” of the internati...
American Film Market the Cannes of the US is growing each year and in 2005 they are set to with an impressive up coming market. With a record number of exhibitors, 410 are scheduled to participate this November 2nd to the 9th. For AFM thisgrowth will make this years the largest market in the event's history. Exhibitors will come from 33 countries and with this news the Le Merigot Hotel will now host exhibitors to accommodate the influx of attendance. Le Merigot Hotel is located next door to the...
The Italian journalists so far think that George Clooney's Good Night and Good Luck is the best film in the international competition but the journalists don’t select the awards. Still, often what film critics think turns out to be right. Add to the list Fernando Meirelles' The Constant Gardener , screened today at the fest, another strong contender for the Lion. The Venezia 62 international jury is composed of the Chinese scriptwriter and author Acheng, French filmmaker Claire Denis, Israeli ...
The 11th Annual International Family Film Festival is set to open on September 23, 2005 at the Regal/Edwards Grand Palace Theater with a slate of 80 films from 12 countries. The opening film is Come Away Home, a California premiere, from American Family Films, directed by Doug McKeon, written by Robert D. Slane and starring Lea Thompson, Paul Dooley, Martin Mull, Thomas Gibson, David Keith and Jordan-Claire Green. The film is the heartwarming story of a 12-year-old New York girl who leaves th...
JAPAN'S SHORT SHORTS FILM FESTIVAL AWARDS $60,000 IN PRIZESThe Short Shorts Film Festival kicked off its 7th annual competition and tour of Japan earlier this month with screenings in the trendy Harajuku neighborhood of Tokyo. $60,000 in prizes was awarded to filmmakers in three categories: National (Japan), International (non-Asian), and Asian. “Rien de Grave” (dir. Renaud Philipps, France) took home the Grand Prix, and “SHIROTAKU” (dir. Toshiro Sonoda, Japan) was honored with the Asa...
Cannes jury members of the different sections could feed 10 smaller festivals. Some of them have very strong ties with the festival and accept to pay an hommage to a festival that did so much for their career. Kusturica can be considered an icon among them.FEATURE FILMS JURYEmir KUSTURICA, President (Director - Serbia-Montenegro)Toni MORRISON (Writer -United States)Nandita DAS (Actress - India)Salma HAYEK (Actress - Mexico)Agnès VARDA (Director - France)John WOO (Director - China)Fatih AKIN (Di...
The Udine Far East Film Festival kicked off on April 22 by FENG Xiaogang's with A World Without Thieves a highly entertaining film from China mixing Western style action with martial arts and cunning physical feats. As with many new films from China, mainland and Hong Kong, the central theme concerns the poverty of migrants from the north and their vulnerability to thieves in the larger cities. In Feng’s new film, Roob (Baoqiang Wang) a Buddhist temple painter has saved up enough money to ret...
PHILADELPHIA FILM FESTIVAL SETS NEW RECORD OF 65,000 ATTENDANCE AND 90 SELL-OUTS The 2005 Philadelphia Film Festival ended its 14-day celebration of cinema by posting an attendance record of 65,101, beating last year’s record of 61,000. Of the 300 screenings the Festival held from April 7-20, a record 90 sold out, and 20 films drew an audience of over 600.At its Closing Night on April 20, the Festival announced Jury Prizes and Audience Awards. Leading the list of winners were the feature fil...
It is the largest panorama of Asian film in the world, and it starts April 22 and runs through April 29. The opening film: "A World Without Thieve"s, by Feng Xiaogang, China, stars mainland China’s Ge You, Hong Kong’s Andy Lau, and Taiwan’s René Liu Ruo-ying. Mystery, comedy, action adventure, spiritual odyssey, romance--all rolled into one film by China's box office master Feng Xiaogang! The film involves a train ride with a Buddhist temple painter and a band of thieves. The love story b...
Questions and Answers with Thierry Frémaux Cannes Festival Managing Director and Artistic Director.Cannes May 11-21, 2005 - What makes up the Official Selection?As it does every year, the Official Selection of the Festival de Cannes 2005 comprises the Compétition, Un Certain Regard, Hors Compétition screenings, special screenings and midnight screenings. It also offers a short film competition and a film school competition (Cinéfondation). Cannes Classics is a selection of heritage films, sh...
REAPING THE BONUS HARVEST ON "GETAWAY DAY" IN BERLINAlthough the festival officially ended on Saturday with the distribution of the Golden and Silver Bear awards, the real "getaway day" was Sunday, with a full schedule of repeat screenings at all festival venues for the benefit of fans and professionals who were unable to get around to all the films they needed to see in the hectic ten days preceding. Without the distraction of press conferences, cocktail receptions and other side-bar events to...
Adelaide Festival HighlightsThe Adelaide Film Festival’s program has several spotlights to illuminate the range and possibilities of global cinema to an Australian audience. In a region where the commercial distribution of genuine art cinema is limited, both the diversity and quality of the schedule has a particular resonance with local and international cinephiles. Of particular note is the focus on some strong recent Asian art cinema. Documentaries also run strongly throughout the fortnight,...
IMAGINA AWARDS 2005 2005, an excellent year for the Imagina Awards!The competition has had unprecedented success and has not finish growing.654 works registred this year and 62 countries participating in the IMAGINA AWARDS 2005 : Europe, USA, Canada, Malaysia, India, China, Japan, Taiwan, Australia, Moldavia, Israel, Brazil, Ireland, Poland, New Zealand, Lithuania, Finland...It’s the most important competition of computer graphics and SFX in the world. A very high level competition which rhy...
34th International Film Festival Rotterdam26 January - 6 February 2005During the CineMart 2005 Closing Night Party, Wednesday February 2, 2005 in the Rotterdam 'Schiecentrale', the first Arte France Cinema Awards went to CineMart 2005 Projects FIVE WORLDS and DARATT (DRY SEASON) and the fifth Prince Claus Fund Film Grant was awarded to CineMart 2005 Project HAMACA PARAGUAYA.Forty-seven film projects have been selected for the 22nd CineMart, the first and largest co-production market worldwide, h...
