The snow is heavily falling in Tallinn, as it is across Europe, which has played havoc with travel plans for film professionals this week (I still am waiting for my lost suitcase). However, a big contingent of film professionals is expected in Tallinn this week to attend the professional events in parallel with POFF, the Black Nights Film Festival, which runs from 25 November to 5 December in the capital city of Estonia. Most professionals come from the Baltics, Scandinavia, Russia, E...
As someone who appreciates attending documentary-only film festivals, I must admit that after a few days, it can become a bit of a slog. This is not due to the excellence of the films, particularly at a high-end event like IDFA, the acclaimed International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam, which ends its 11 day run today. If anything, it is the opposite. The films presented are so visceral, so challenging, so disturbing, so awakening, that it truly is a shock to the system to see th...
POSITION AMONG THE STARS (Stand van de Sterren) by Dutch/Indonesian filmmaker Leonard Retel Helmrich was the big winner at the awards ceremony of IDFA: International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam. The film won both the VPRO IDFA Award for Best Feature-Length Documentary (the Festival’s top honor and winner of a cash prize of 12,500 euros) and the Dioraphte IDFA Award for Best Dutch Documentary. The director won the same top prize at the 2004 IDFA for the second film in his trilo...
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Christmas is coming a little early to Tallinn this year, as the Black Nights Film Festival kicked off its 2010 edition last evening with a contemporary Christmas tale. RARE EXPORTS: A CHRISTMAS TALE is the feature debut of Jalmari Helander, a Finnish director who has enjoyed a successful career as an award-winning director of television commercials. He has also made a series of award-winning short films in the run-up to doing his first feature, including the well received “Icema...
Despite the lingering economic doldrums that have hit the film industry (and the world at large) in the past few years, the sales environment at IDFA: the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam, has been remarkably strong. That is the assessment of the market sidebar here, Docs For Sale, which ran until yesterday. The sidebar hosts the screenings of market-invitation films, including those screening in the Festival and others presented by their sales agents, producers or go...
One of the things that a documentary film can do best is to provide a much deeper analysis and background to stories that one first encounters on the daily news or in the newspapers. A case in point is THE GREEN WAVE, a bracing and inventive look at the “green uprising” that spontaneously grew following the fixed Iran elections of 2009. Famous for being the first “televised uprising” that was broadcast to the world by Twitter, the film uses a range of cinematic technique, incl...
Consider it one documentary festival honoring its sister documentary festival across the seas.....it was announced today that Hot Docs, Canada's leading documentary film event, will present IDFA director Ally Derks with the 2011 Doc Mogul Award, recognizing an individual who, over the course of her or his career, has made an essential contribution to the creative vitality of the documentary industry, both at home and abroad. Founder and director of the International Documentary Film Fe...
Animated Dreams, one of the most important animation festivals in the Baltic and Nordic regions which ran between 19th and 23rd November, has revealed the winners for 2010. The International Competition showcased some of the finest global animated shorts selected from more than 400 entries.
The winner of the Grand Prix, in addition to the Wooden Wolf made by Estonian puppet masters, received 1000EUR sponsored by Premia. The international jury members Wiola Sowa (Poland), Tatu Po...
In the run-up to the main event of international feature films that begins later this week at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, the organization is presenting several thematic programs. Just Film is devoted to films, videos and interactive projects for children and young adults. Animated Dreams offers a diverse selection of animation from around the world, as well as showcasing animated films from Estonia and the Baltics.
Running parallel to these programs is Sleepwalkers: ...
While IDFA, the world's larget and most prestigious documentary film festival, brings back veteran directors year after year, this year there are some special programs focusing on emerging talents, both students and fledgling documentary filmmakers. More than 150 people – film students as well as starting filmmakers – from more than 25 countries will be taking part in the IDFAcademy. The emphasis of the program is to introduce the complexities of the documentary industry to those...
In the run-up to the main event of international feature films that begins later this week at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, the organization is presenting several thematic programs. Just Film is devoted to films, videos and interactive projects for children and young adults. Animated Dreams offers a diverse selection of animation from around the world, as well as showcasing animated films from Estonia and the Baltics. Running parallel to these programs is Sleepwalkers: The Student And ...
While IDFA, the world's larget and most prestigious documentary film festival, brings back veteran directors year after year, this year there are some special programs focusing on emerging talents, both students and fledgling documentary filmmakers. More than 150 people – film students as well as starting filmmakers – from more than 25 countries will be taking part in the IDFAcademy. The emphasis of the program is to introduce the complexities of the documentary industry to those looking to ...
The tradition of animation, which has always been a strong cinematic element of Eastern Europe and the Baltics, is again on display at the Animated Dreams Animation Festival, which opens this evening in the cultural heritage city of Tallinn, Estonia. The Festival, one of five under the collective umbrella of POFF, begins its nearly-three week marathon of a diverse slate of films representing every cinematic genre and every corner of the globe. Animated Dreams, one of the most important animation...
Ally Derks, the long-time director of IDFA: the International Documentary Filmfestival Amsterdam, gave the opening address on Wednesday evening for filmmakers, professionals and attending guests assembled for the official opening of the 23rd edition of the much-respected documentary festival. She used her remarks to offer a focus on the challenges facing both documentary filmmakers and supporters of the arts in these austere economic times. What follows are excerpts from her speech: "Dear frien...
Over 2000 national and international guests are descending on the historic city of Amsterdam as the 23rd edition of IDFA: the International Documentary Filmfestival Amsterdam begins its 11-day marathon of film premieres, professional activities and special events. Showcasing more than 300 films and with evening “talk shows” and a full series of conferences and market social networking, this year’s event is a must for makers and lovers of non-fiction film. The unique challenges of producing...
Dutch documentarian Barbara Visser has won the 2010 Dutch Cultural Media Fund Documentary Award, announced by the fund’s chair Jacob Kohnstamm at the opening ceremonies of IDFA, the largest documentary film festival in the world. The prize of € 125,000 was awarded for the realization of her plan for the film C.K. The film concerns an accountant for a large art fund who suddenly disappears from the face of the earth along with his family and millions of euros of public money. Bewildered, the ...
Films Transit International, the premiere distributor of international documentaries with offices in Montreal and New York, is having a record year at this year's IDFA, the world's largest and most prestigious documentary film festival. The company, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary, has an impressive 11 films represented in both the Festival and the parallel Docs For Sale market, including 5 films that are competing in the main Features Competition. The high number of fi...
Dutch documentarian Barbara Visser has won the 2010 Dutch Cultural Media Fund Documentary Award, announced by the fund’s chair Jacob Kohnstamm at the opening ceremonies of IDFA, the largest documentary film festival in the world. The prize of € 125,000 was awarded for the realization of her plan for the film C.K. The film concerns an accountant for a large art fund who suddenly disappears from the face of the earth along with his family and millions of euros of public money. Bewi...
The tradition of animation, which has always been a strong cinematic element of Eastern Europe and the Baltics, is again on display at the Animated Dreams Animation Festival, which opens this evening in the cultural heritage city of Tallinn, Estonia. The Festival, one of five under the collective umbrella of POFF, begins its nearly-three week marathon of a diverse slate of films representing every cinematic genre and every corner of the globe.
Animated Dreams, one of the most i...
Over 2000 national and international guests are descending on the historic city of Amsterdam as the 23rd edition of IDFA: the International Documentary Filmfestival Amsterdam begins its 11-day marathon of film premieres, professional activities and special events. Showcasing more than 300 films and with evening “talk shows” and a full series of conferences and market social networking, this year’s event is a must for makers and lovers of non-fiction film. The unique challenges of ...
Ally Derks, the long-time director of IDFA: the International Documentary Filmfestival Amsterdam, gave the opening address on Wednesday evening for filmmakers, professionals and attending guests assembled for the official opening of the 23rd edition of the much-respected documentary festival. She used her remarks to offer a focus on the challenges facing both documentary filmmakers and supporters of the arts in these austere economic times. What follows are excerpts from her speech: ...
The Moet British Independent Film Awards (BIFA) have announced two of its honorees for its glamorous awards gala next month. Actress Helena Bonham Carter will receive the coveted Richard Harris Award and the Variety Award will be bestowed on actor Liam Neeson. The awards gala takes place at Old Billingsgate on Sunday, 5 December. The Richard Harris Award was introduced in 2003 in honor of veteran actor Richard Harris and recognises outstanding contribution to British film by an act...
It is one of the longest film festivals on the international circuit......running from 19 November to 5 December, nearly 2 1/2 weeks. However, POFF, the local name for the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival in Estonia is actually several different festivals, each with a specific focus.
Festivities begin this Friday with Just Film, which is oriented to children, young adult and family audiences. To celebrate it's 10th anniversary, Just Film: The Children and Youth Fillm Festival (w...
LITTLE ROCK (Mike Ott, USA)
In anticipation of the Gotham Independent Film Awards, the first significant awards show of the season that has been dubbed the "indie Oscars", the Film Department of the Museum of Modern Art will again host public screenings of the five indie nominees in the awards category Best Film Not Playing At A Theater Near You.
As the title suggests, this category is devoted to films that have not yet been seen in theaters and may never find tra...
