A narrow body of water separates Estonia and Finland and the two cultures have been intertwined for centuries. This special relationship is again being played out with the Focus On Finnish Cinema program at POFF, the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, which continues through the weekend in the capital city of Estonia. The effort is supported by the Finnish Film Foundation, the Soome Instituut and the Embassy of Finland in Tallinn. The program is a mix of contemporary and classi...

  THE NECESSITIES OF LIFE (Canada) by Sandy Mandelberger, Festival Dailies Editor FESTROIA is set in the beautiful coastal city of Setubal, surrounded by water and mountains in the Sado region of Portugal. Its idyllic setting makes it a natural environment for a meditation of ecological issues and the Festival expresses its interest in a competition section entitled Man And His Environment.   This theme is expressed in the section in a combination of featur...

The 32nd Portland International Film Festival’s Audience Awards The 31,000 audience members at this year’s 32nd Portland International Film Festival have selected their favorite films from among the 78 feature and 36 shorts screened February 6-22. Tying for first place for Best Feature Award are Toa Frazer’s DEAN SPANLEY (New Zealand) and Dorie Dörrie’s CHERRY BLOSSOMS (Germany). Two films also tied for the Best Documentary Award—Festival guest Jennifer Grausman’s film PRESSURE COO...

The focus is on world cinema, as the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival enters its final week of international and independent offerings. Films from around the world make up a considerable share of the premieres at the Festival, and offer South Florida audiences the unique opportunity to see films that may never open commercially.The range of international films on tap for Monday alone is impressive. The program begins with the Florida premiere of the Dutch film JOHAN, directed by Nicol...

Monday, November 6-----The focus is on world cinema, as the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival enters its final week of international and independent offerings. Films from around the world make up a considerable share of the premieres at the Festival, and offer South Florida audiences the unique opportunity to see films that may never open commercially. The range of international films on tap for Monday alone is impressive. The program begins with the Florida premiere of the Dutch fi...