We announce the line-up of the Student Etudes Competition of the 25th anniversary edition of the International Film Festival of the Art of Cinematography CAMERIMAGE.

First held in 1997, Student Etudes Competition supports the development of novice filmmakers and provides unique opportunity to confront cinematic achievements of students from various parts of the world. Each year, a growing number of film schools submit their best etudes for consideration of the Camerimage selection committee. The winners are chosen by an international jury of prominent filmmakers and industry professionals.

The author of the best cinematography wins the coveted Laszlo Kovacs Student Award - The Golden Tadpole. Silver and Bronze Tadpoles are awarded for the second and third place respectively. Additionally, Polish Filmmakers Association will award the winner of the Student Etudes Competition a cheque for PLN 10 000. 

Across the Street
Rose spends her entire days spying on her neighbours trying to find a criminal among them. Her husband quietly endures his wife’s insanity until one day her paranoia seems to become reality... 
Original title: En face
Director: Jeanne Privat
Cinematographer: Tom Durand
School: Institut National Superieur des Arts du Spectacle et des Techniques de Diffusion (INSAS)
Belgium, 2016

All of Us
For almost a decade, Kenya has been targeted by Al-Shabaab’s terrorist attacks. An atmosphere of anxiety and mistrust between Muslims and Christians is growing. That is, until December 2015, when Muslim bus passengers show that solidarity can prevail. 
Original title: Watu Wote
Director: Katja Benrath
Cinematographer: Felix Striegel
School: Hamburg Media School (HMS)
Namibia, Germany, 2017  

Benny Got Shot 
When Naomi, a young autopsy assistant at the LA County Coroner’s office, realises her brother has gone missing on the night of a police shooting, she is forced to confront her worst fear – that his body may be in the morgue. 
Director: Malcolm Washington
Cinematographer: Kristen Correll
School: American Film Institute Conservatory
USA, 2016 

Black Hours 
Frank burns himself to death at work in protest against the inhumane working conditions there. Two stories emerge from this tragic incident. Léa, Frank’s wife, who is searching for the truth; and Igor, an employee who finds the dead body and steals the letter of protest for fear of losing his job. 
Original title: Les Heures-Encre
Director: Wendy Pillonel
Cinematographer: Ramón KönigshausenSchool: Zürcher Hochschule der Künste - Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK)
Switzerland, 2016 

Car Called Victory, A
The late ’40s. A boy ignores his parents´ warnings and talks to a stranger in a brand-new GAZ-M20 ‘Victory’ who promises to teach him to drive. But this promise has severe consequences. 
Original title: Pobeda
Director: Vladislav Mukovnin
Cinematographer: Ermins Baltais
School: Tallinn University Baltic Film, Media, Arts and Communication School (BFM)
Estonia, 2017 

Chocolate Soldier, The
In the twilight of the Second World War, a young refugee girl makes an unlikely connection with an enemy soldier. 
Director: Jackson Smith
Cinematographer: Seannie Bryan
School: Dodge College of Film and Media Arts at Chapman University
USA, 2017  

Come Out of the Woods
Three brothers living in rural Scotland struggle to find intimacy and stability as they attempt to navigate their survival around a corrupt local police officer and the mysterious appearance of a girl’s body on their land. 
Director: Jonny Blair
Cinematographer: Anna MacDonald
School: National Film and Television School (NFTS)
UK, 2017  

Craftsman, A
Herman’s home has never felt so empty: the things she left behind; the cold side of her bed; the loss of his late wife – his life – seeps through every inch of the space they once shared. Overcome with grief, Herman, a skilled woodworker, begins to build the coffin that will be his final resting place. A neighbour visits.
Director: Sanford Jenkins
Cinematographers: Tanmay Chowdhary, Madeline Leach
School: University of Southern California (USC) School of Cinematic Arts
USA, 2017  

Dreaming of Warsaw
One day in the life of three people who are on a collision course. A father and a son leave an immigration camp and move to Warsaw. A young thug, following his father’s orders, tries to take over a car park. Their encounter leads to tragedy. 
Original title: Sen o Warszawie
Director: Mateusz Czuchnowski
Cinematographer: Mateusz Czuchnowski
School: Szkoła Filmowa w Łodzi
Poland, 2017  

Earthly People
Twelve-year-old Ábel has to face the fact that his parents are living in two completely different galaxies in the universe. Now he has to decide which one he belongs to. 
Original title: Földiek
Director: Ádám Freund
Cinematographer: Mátyás GyuriczaSchool: Színház- és Filmművészeti Egyetem - University of Theatre and Film Arts in Budapest (SZFE)
Hungary, 2017  

From Mars and Venus
Gijs (17) sails together with his father on an internship from the Netherlands to Wallonia. It has been a long time since the father and son were dependent on each other. On the deck, their communication flows naturally, but words are not as easily found in their personal conversations. Sometimes Gijs feels the need to dress as a woman. He hides this part of himself, afraid of what others might think. 
Original title: Van Mars en Venus
Director: Kevin Kok
Cinematographer: Olaf Van Dam
School: Hogeschool voor de Kunsten Utrecht - University of the Arts Utrecht (HKU)
Netherlands, 2017  

Harevan
Constrained by her shyness, Clemence struggles to build relationships with others. To help, she spends time with her Armenian neighbour, in whom she finds a confidant. 
Director: Marilou Caravecchia-Pelletier
Cinematographer: Marianne Fortier
School: École des médias l’Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM)
Canada, 2017  

Heimat
A short story about five members of a very specific family. They meet at the police station. Three grown up children have to testify against the man who assaulted their father. 
Director: Emi Buchwald
Cinematographer: Tomasz Gajewski
School: Szkoła Filmowa w Łodzi
Poland, 2017  

Léo
Desperate to make money, Léo accepts a job smuggling a refugee couple through France. However, Léo and the couple have separate expectations concerning their destination. He’s forced to confront the couple, his boss, and himself to understand how far he’s really willing to go for these people he never intended to help. 
Director: Julian Alexander
Cinematographer: Luis Zarzo Escabias
School: Northern Film School, Leeds Beckett University
France, UK, 2017  

Like Father, Like Son
On the eve of his child’s birth, James returns to his childhood home and is overwhelmed by the memories of his workaholic father, Matt, who he finally walked out on when he was 20. James lived, worked, and became successful without much contact with his father. One night he receives a call from a doctor telling him that his father is sick. James visits him one last time and finds that he doesn’t have anyone to help him. 
Director: Kristen Correll
Cinematographer: Han-Seok Yoon
School: American Film Institute Conservatory
USA, 2016  

Lucha: Fight, Wrestle, Struggle
After the death of his father, Mexican luchador (pro wrestler) Jorge returns to the gym where he grew up, facing the violence and memories he long tried to forget. 
Original title: LUCHA
Director: Eddie Rubio
Cinematographer: Emiliano Alcazar
School: Centro de Capacitación Cinematográfica (CCC)
Mexico, 2017  

Manners of Dying
Harry Parlington, the warden of a death row facility, has supervised many executions. He separated himself from the emotions the prisoners evoked by hiding behind a wall of procedures and lies repeated so often that he has started to believe them. It is young convict Kevin Barlow who holds the keys to his humanity. 
Polish title: Rodzaje umierania
Director: Bo-You Niou
Cinematographer: Jessica Pantoja
School: American Film Institute Conservatory
USA, 2016  

Origin
A young boy in rural Yugoslavia is raised to fear the world outside by his war-weary father. As their living conditions deteriorate, the boy begins to doubt his father's sanity and resist his rigid authority. 
Polish title: Geneza
Director: Jordan Nikolic
Cinematographer: Lasse Tolbøll
School: New York University (NYU) - Tisch School of the Arts, Institute of Film and TV
USA, 2016  

Rocco
Carlos’ crisis seems to get worse when he gets home and finds out that his dog, Rocco, bit the neighbours’ son. Although his son, Luis, tries to prove his dog is innocent, Carlos’ neighbours threaten him with the possibility of removing the dog from the building. It seems that Luis is the only one who can save Rocco by telling the truth... 
Director: Gerard Nogueira
Cinematographer: Martín Urrea
School: Escola Superior de Cinema i Audiovisuals de Catalunya (ESCAC)
Spain, 2017  

Säde
Tristan is a single father in his 30s who has spent the past few years in prison for causing a house fire that seriously injured his little daughter. On the day of his release and return home, he aims to meet his 8-year-old daughter, whom he hasn't seen since the accident, and ask for her forgiveness. 
Director: Rebeka Rummel
Cinematographer: Peter Kollanyi
School: Tallinn University Baltic Film, Media, Arts and Communication School (BFM)
Estonia, 2017  

Time to Go
Marta works at her father’s auto repair shop. After her boyfriend is arrested, Marta is faced with a difficult choice: to stay loyal to her father, or to do what it takes to get her boyfriend released. Marta’s situation is complicated by a secret that she needs to reveal to both of the men in her life. 
Original title: Koniec widzenia
Director: Grzegorz Mołda
Cinematographer: Maciej MillerSchool: Gdyńska Szkoła Filmowa
Poland, 2017  

We Take You
Aminah, a Syrian woman, flees from her human traffickers in South Tyrol. A young couple in a camper van take her with them. However, the young tourist is pregnant, so the attempt to smuggle Aminah across the border is particularly risky. 
Director: David Wagner
Cinematographer: Johannes Kaczmarczyk
School: Hamburg Media School (HMS)
Austria, Germany, 2017

 

19 writers, directors and producers are meeting again on October 16th to participate in the second and last residential workshop of this year's MIDPOINT Feature Launch.

Since June's workshop in Macedonia, the teams have been working on their scripts and project development, and are now at the second workshop taking further steps in order to get ready to present their scripts to the national funding bodies as well as to international film industry decision makers. They will work in groups as well as with their tutors individually. 

The Tutors

International experts will give their individual feedback to all projects, as well as cover the wide range of film development – from European film financing and co-production, sales and festival strategies, the art of collaboration and sustainability, to project pitching and marketing strategies. The team of experts are Head of Studies Danijel Hocevar, Core Tutors Anne Gensior, Pavel Jech and Ivo Trajkov; as well as Pitching Trainer Gabriele Brunnenmeyer. We are pleased to also welcome this year's Guest Lecturers, Alessandro Gropplero (When East Meets West), Jan Naszewski (New Europe Film Sales), Christina Pelekani (Feelgood Entertainment, Start Where You Are), Katriel Schory (Israel Film Fund) and Pavel Strnad (Negativ Film Productions). Please see the full program below.

The Awards

The participants compete about various awards. We are delighted to hand out the MIDPOINT Development Award of 8.000 EURO to the best project.

4 projects will get selected to pitch at Connecting Cottbus under the banner MIDPOINT Selection 2017 this coming November.

1 producer will be handpicked to participate in Rotterdam Lab including CineMart access during International Film Festival Rotterdam in January 2018.

The 9 projects

19 – writer/director Kosara Mitic, producer Kornelija Ristovska (Macedonia)

Alive in Moscow – writer/director Grigore Becket, producer Elie Aufseesser (Switzerland/Moldova)

Asunden – writer/director Petter Ringbom, producer Eliza Jones (Sweden)

Images of Love – writer Tomasz Winski, producer Radovan Sibrt (Czech Republic)

Inventory – writer/director Darko Sinko, producer Vlado Bulajic (Slovenia)

Mnk Boy – writer Sibel Altinbas, director Mete Gümürhan, producer Bas Broertjes (Netherlands/Turkey)

Night of the Whale – writer/director Kaveh Daneshmand, producer Jordi Niubo (Czech Republic)

Waterwolf – writer/director Ann-Julie Vervaeke, producer Anastassia Oudovitchenko (Belgium)

Zana – writer/director Antoneta Kastrati, producer Casey Johnson (Kosovo)

Workshop program - open lectures

Tuesday Oct 17

9.00 – 10.30: Marketing is Your Friend – by Christina Pelekani

14.00 – 15.30: Film Financing Possibilities in Europe – by Danijel Hocevar

Thursday Oct 19

9.00 – 10.30: Sales and Festival Strategies – by Jan Naszewski

Friday Oct 20

9.00 – 10.30: How to Survive in the Big Jungle of Co-Production Markets – Alessandro Gropplero

11.00 – 12.30: Filmmaking – A Collaborative Art Form – by Katriel Schory

15.00 – 16.00: Building a Sustainable Production Company – by Pavel Strnad

17.15 – 19.15: Final Pitching of Projects & Feedback of Panelists

19.30 – 20.00: Workshop Conclusions

Find out more about all the lectures here.

MIDPOINT Feature Launch 2017 is realized in collaboration with Ministry of Culture Czech Republic, Czech Film Fund, International Visegrad Fund, Macedonian Film Agency, Creative Europe MEDIA Desk CZ, APA – Audiovisual Producers' Association, COCO – Connecting Cottbus and CineMart.

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Feature Launch 2018 – deadline extended!

We have extended the deadline for next year's Feature Launch till Monday October 26rd giving you 10 more days to apply! The expanded development platform runs for a whole year, from January to January with workshops and presentations in Trieste/Italy, Serbia and Karlovy Vary/Czech Republic. We welcome 1st and 2nd feature filmmakers to apply, and we are very much looking forward to reading your script.

APPLY NOW – deadline Oct 26!

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Shorts 2018 – deadline extended!

A professional project development program open to creative teams of writers, directors and producers. Within two residential workshops the participants get to develop their script as well as prepare the production and promotional aspects of the projects. The feedback format is based on one-to-one tutoring as well as group feedback.

APPLY NOW – deadline Oct 26! 

 

 

One of the biggest and most important projects presenting Lithuanian cinema to Europe will open the series of events in France dedicated to the centenary of the restoration of the state of Lithuania. Three years of negotiations were finalised this week with an agreement between the Lithuanian Film Centre, the Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania in France, and the Paris-based Cinémathèque Française, one of the largest cinematheques in the world. The film programme will begin in January next year and will run for almost a month.

The retrospective of Lithuanian films that were selected by Caroline Maleville, the Programmer at the Cinémathèque Française, will consist of over 30 works. According to the famous French film critic Arnaud Hée, the programme would be exciting, diverse and worth discovering. It will highlight the films of acclaimed Lithuanian filmmakers Jonas Mekas and Šarūnas Bartas. The viewers will also have an opportunity to watch selected documentaries from 1990 to present, the latest shorts, animation films, Lithuanian classics, and feature films created during the years of the country’s independence.

“The presentation of the film programme to the French film society is a huge achievement and acknowledgement of Lithuania,” said Rolandas Kvietkauskas, director of the Lithuanian Film Centre. “The work with the programmers of the cinematheque enabled us to take a look at the national cinematography from a different angle. The retrospective spans several generations of filmmakers as well as a range of genres and styles. We are very happy to make such contribution to the year dedicated to the centenary of Lithuania.”

“I am certain that this collaboration between the Lithuanian Film Centre and the French cinematheque will grow into a long-term relationship and will open channels for most of the Lithuanian filmmakers to present their works to this globally recognised cultural institution,” said Vida Gražienė, the Cultural Attaché of the Republic of Lithuania in France, who has spearheaded the project. “The most important thing is that it’s the cinema that will open the series of events dedicated to the centenary of Lithuania bridging all art disciplines. The events will highlight the achievements of Lithuanian artists to the French cultural society, while Lithuania will be first of all introduced as a country fostering exceptional art traditions, creativity, and dynamic cultural life.”

The retrospective of Lithuanian cinema will be launched in Paris on 15 January 2018. The programme is organised by the Lithuanian Film Centre in cooperation with the Embassy of the Republic of Lithuania in France.

 In one of the pictures: Meeting with the representatives of the French cinematheque. From the left: Vida Gražienė, Cultural Attaché of the Republic of Lithuania in France; Jean-Francois Rauger, Programming Director at the Cinémathèque Française; Caroline Maleville, Programmer at the Cinémathèque Française; and Dovilė Butnoriūtė, Head of Department of Film Promotion, Information and Heritage at the Lithuanian Film Centre.

 

 

Warsaw Film Festival, one of the top cultural events in Poland, will open today with the world premiere of Andrzej Jakimowski’s Once Upon a Time in November.

The festival, with a regular audience of around 100,000 viewers, will show 119 features and 76 short films hailing from 63 different countries.

Apart from the 28 world premieres, 27 international ones and 13 European ones, the viewers will see such festival favourites as Yorgos Lanthimos’ The Killing of a Sacred Deer, already lauded in Cannes, Sergey Loznitsa’s A Gentle Creature or John Cameron Mitchell's How to Talk to Girls at Parties. The programme is divided into five competitive sections (International Competition, Competition 1-2, Free Spirit, Documentary Film Competition and Short Film Competition) and four non-competitive sections. The International Competition will consist of 15 films: A Balkan Noir by Dražen Kuljanin, 2557 by Roderick Warich, Boarding Pass by Mehdi Rahmani, Of Skin and Men by Mehdi Ben Attia, If You Saw His Heart by Joan Chemla, Sella Turcica by Yusup Razykov, Sideway by Tayfun Pirselimoğlu, The Bomb by Ralston Gonzales, The Confession by Zaza Urushadze, The Anniversary by Dan Chisu, The Miner by Hanna Slak, To Kill a Watermelon by Zehao Gao and such films by acclaimed Polish filmmakers as Be Prepared by Robert Gliński, Beyond Words by Urszula Antoniak and Once Upon a Time in November. The winner will be chosen by a jury consisting of film professionals and will be presented with the Warsaw Grand Prix.

The new industry event, Warsaw Industry Days, will include Pitch&Meet Warsaw Coproduction Meetings, First Cut Lab and Doc Lab Poland, a workshop for young filmmakers (Warsaw Next) and film critics (FIPRESCI Warsaw Critics Project), Warsaw Screenings (the presentation of new Polish films), Warsaw Works-In-Progress presentations and “The Art of Film Editing” workshop. The first edition of the event will take place from 19-21 October.

 Contact: Marta Bałaga, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Warsaw Film Foundation /33nd Warsaw Film Festival, October 13-22, 2017

 

 

Held within the 21st Ji.hlava IDFF, the Institute of Documentary Film launches the second session of the yearlong international workshop Ex Oriente Film devoted to developing and supporting creative documentaries from Central and Eastern Europe. This year's 15th edition will welcome fifteen leading experts that will share their experiences and expertise with filmmakers from Central and Eastern Europe within the Ex Oriente Film workshop, as well as in the open programme for Ji.hlava guests. The diverse open programme is full of masterclasses, lectures, and case studies devoted to all aspects of documentary production, co-production and distribution.

In cooperation with the Ji.hlava International Documentary Film Festival, Ex Oriente Film will present two masterclasses by intriguing and inspiring directors. The award-winning Austrian director Andreas Horvath will present his latest controversial documentary Helmut Berger, Actor on October 25th at 17:00. The film centres on the relationship between the director and past celebrity Helmut Berger, and is an insightful commentary on the documentary medium. The screening of the film will be followed by a moderated discussion with the director.

The second masterclass will be presented by Dmitrii Kalashnikov on October 26th at 18:30 and will focus on his found-footage film The Road Movie. This feature documentary paints a portrait of Russia from a unique and unlikely perspective and is composed exclusively of footage from dashboard cameras filmed while on the road. The screening of The Road Movie will precede the discussion with the director.

Another highlight of the Ex Oriente Film open programme is a case study presented by Diana El Jeiroudi and Orwa Nyrabia. Berlin-based Syrian producers/directors will discuss their experiences managing the independent production company No Nation Films and the non-profit DOX BOX, aimed at supporting and empowering the documentary film scene from the Arab World.

Visitors of Ji.hlava IDFF with press and industry passes can also look forward to other parts of the Ex Oriente Film open programme including a lecture on sound design by Danish sound designer Peter Albrechtsen; a lecture on form & structure in documentary film by experienced film editor Yael Bitton; a talk on creating a project identity and branding by marketing specialist Daniel Saltzwedel; a “Production Tour of Europe” devoted to funding, TV slots, and sales companies; an introduction to budgeting by French producer Christine Camdessus; a lecture on understanding international sales by Maëlle Guenegues (CAT&Docs), and a 2 part talk on the legal aspects of co-production by German attorney-at-law Stefan Rüll.

The open programme closes with a lecture by Czech investigative journalist Saša Uhlová. In her latest work, she goes undercover to reveal working conditions in minimum wage jobs around the Czech Republic. This became the basis for the documentary Limits of Work that is part of the docu-series Czech Journal and will be screening during the festival. During her lecture she will reveal some of her methodological approaches to investigative journalism.

In addition to participating in the Ex Oriente Film open programme, the above experts will be providing guidance and support to the 12 Ex Oriente Film projects during the weeklong workshop. Joining them will be the workshop lead tutors for the 2nd session - Norwegian producer Kristine Ann Skaret, Head of Studies at the European Documentary Network Mikael Opstrup, director/producer Filip Remunda, and director/script developer Ivana Pauerová Miloševićová.

All events within the Ex Oriente Film programme except for the masterclasses will take place in Gustav Mahler Hotel (Křížová 4) in Jihlava.

Find the detailed times & location for the open programme here.

 

 

For the 9th time, the Institute of Documentary Film will award the best East and Central European documentaries with Silver Eye Awards.

Within the 14th edition of East Silver Market, which will take place from October 24 to 29 during the Jihlava International Documentary Film Festival, the winners will be selected out of 30 nominees in three categories: Short, Mid-Length and Feature docs. Apart from the designer hand-made award, each winner will obtain a financial prize of 1500€ and a year-long East Silver Caravan festival assistance. The results will be announced during the Festival Hub presentation on October 27 (short and mid-length category) and during the closing ceremony of the Ji.hlava IDFF on October 28 (feature category).

The jurors who will decide about the winners of Silver Eye Award were picked up mainly from the representatives of international documentary film festivals.

The Nominees of Silver Eye Award 2017
Short
About My Sister (Barbora Sliepková, Slovakia, 2016)
Between Us (Maciej Miller, Poland, 2017)
Blueberry Spirits (Astra Zoldnere, Latvia, 2016)
Collection (Marcin Polar, Poland, 2017)
Dust (Jakub Radej, Poland, 2017)
Grandfather's Father (Karlis Lesins, Latvia, 2016)
The Happiest Barrack (Noemi Varga, Hungary, United Kingdom, 2016)
Ionas Dreams of Rain (Dragos Hanciu, Romania, 2017)
Polonaise (Agnieszka Elbanowska, Poland, 2016)
Volte (Monika Kotecka, Poland, 2017)
The Winter Garden's Tale (Symon Mozgovyi, Ukraine, 2017)

Mid-length
Avec l'amour (Ilija Cvetkovski, Atanas Georgiev, Macedonia, 2017)
Cabbage, Potatoes and Other Demons (Serban Georgescu, Romania, Germany, 2016)
I am Hercules (Marius Iacob, Romania, Germany, 2017)
Opera about Poland (Piotr Stasik, Poland, 2017)
Paper Stars (Inna Omelchenko, Russia, 2016)
Rabbits in the Headlights (Alisa Erokhina, Russia, 2016)
The Road Movie (Dmitrii Kalashnikov, Belarus, Russia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, 2016)
The Wall (Dmitry Bogolubov, Russia, 2017)

Feature
The Ancient Woods (Mindaugas Survila, Lithuania, Germany, Estonia, 2017)
The Beksinskis. A Sound and Picture Album (Marcin Borchardt, Poland, 2017)
Girls Don't Fly (Monika Grassl, Germany, Austria, 2016)
The Good Postman (Tonislav Hristov, Finland, Bulgaria, 2016)
Gwendolyn (Ruth Kaaserer, Austria, 2017)
Sand and Blood (Matthias Krepp, Austria, 2017)
The Third Option (Thomas Furhapter, Austria, 2017)
The Trial - The State Of Russia vs. Oleg Sentsov (Askold Kurov, Estonia, Poland, Czech Republic, 2017)
Ultra (Balazs Simonyi, Hungary, Greece, 2017)
Untitled (Michael Glawogger, Monika Willi, Austria, Germany, 2017)

 

 

 

At the Filmfest Hamburg, the five nominated films for the European University Film Award (EUFA) have been announced. Introduced in 2016, this award is presented by university students from across Europe. Based on the lists of 51 feature films and 15 documentaries from the EFA Selections 2017 a committee has decided on the following nominations:

HEARTSTONE (Hjartasteinn) by Guðmundur Arnar Guðmundsson (Iceland, Denmark)
HOME by Fien Troch (Belgium)
LOVELESS (Нелюбовь/Nelyubov) by Andrey Zvyagintsev (Russia, Belgium, Germany, France)
THE OTHER SIDE OF HOPE (Toivon Tuolla Puolen) by Aki Kaurismäki (Finland, Germany)
THE WAR SHOW by Andreas Dalsgaard & Obaidah Zytoon (Denmark, Syria, Finland)

Find HERE more information.

 

The 24th edition of Astra Film Festival brings a series of premieres, offers the opportunity for meetings that take place only once in a lifetime, and paves the way for memorable experiences offered by immersive cinema. Over 360 events will take place throughout the 7 days of the festival, from the 16th to the 22nd of October.

Famous authors and films that received awards within the “Voices of Doc” programme

Voices of Doc is a theme section dedicated to authors whose names have become a synonym of authenticity and creativity in cinema. This section bring the latest works signed by three authors: Wang Bing (China), believed to be the most prominent director of his time, Nikolaus Geyrhalter (Austria), an artist of cinema, famous for his fascinating images and his own rhythm, and Amos Gitai (Israel), a committed director, often vexatious and always controversial because of his uncompromising stance towards the eternal conflict in the Middle East. The films in this section are: Mrs. Fang (by Wang Bing), which has just won the Golden Leopard at Locarno, a disturbing and straightdforward film about the cultural transformation in present-day China, that transposes a millenary civilization into the model of a consumerist society; Homo Sapiens (Nikolaus Geyrhalter), the extraordinary and terrifying view of a post-human world, as disturbing as a SF thriller; and West of the Jordan River (Amos Gitai), the director’s journey into Palestinian territories taken over by Israel in an attempt to find solutions in the energy of the people he meets which politicians are unable to find.

With Bill Nichols about ecstasy, charisma, Werner Herzog and Grizzly Man

About Bill Nichols, the Encyclopedia of the Documentary Film says that he’s “the biggest single influence on theoretical and analytical approaches to documentary internationally”. Author of books that are real bibles of documentary cinema and with a vast experience as distinguished professor at the greatest American universities, Bill Nichols comes to Sibiu as a member of the international jury and he will conduct a masterclass within which he’ll apply his methods of study to an exciting topic: the film Grizzly Man, by German director Werner Herzog.

This exceptional meeting will take place at Thalia Hall, on Thursday, October 19th, at 7 p.m., after the screening of the film Grizzly Man, which starts at 5 p.m. at the same venue. German Director Werner Herzog has an explosive career, with over 70 documentary and fiction films and having won more than 50 awards. The documentary Grizzly Man, having received many awards, tells the story of Timothy Treadwell, a very charismatic idealist, who thought of himself as the only protector of the Grizzly bears. For more than 10 years, Treadwell had been filming and living among the Grizzly bears of Alaska with total recklessness, until 2003, when the inevitable occurred: together with his girlfriend, they were killed and eaten by a bear.  

Les films de Cannes@Astra Film Sibiu

 Astra Film Festival initiates a collaboration with Les films de Cannes à Bucarest, in which there are three documentaries that impressed this year’s Cannes Festival: Nothingwood (by Sonia Kronlund), with a name that paraphrases the famous Hollywood, spotlights Salim Shaheen, actor-director-producer from Afghanistan, who makes Z films incessantly, without being disheartened by the country’s status quo; Venerable W. (by Barbet Schroeder), that deals with the very topical issue of aggressive chauvinism in Burma/Myanmar, a mostly Buddhist country, i.e. the most peaceful religion in the world; 12 jours (by Raymond Depardon), which enters the scary and fascinating world of those who are captive in psychiatric facilities, and analyzes the arbitrariness on which someone’s fate may sometimes depend.

 Access to the 2017 AFF events

We would like to remind you that tickets for the 2017 ASTRA FILM FESTIVAL are available online, on eventbook.ro and in Humanitas bookstores around the country. Starting with Friday, October 13th, they will also be available at AFF pay desks, whose working hours are available at  http://astrafilm.ro/bilete-si-sali.aspx

Access to the la FULLDOME and VR screenings is free, but it’s exclusively based on reservation, upon availability. Reservations can only be made by those who have watched at least one film at the 2017 AFF and can prove they did so by presenting the ticket at the pay desk. Access is only granted to those who have zero-value tickets, which can be obtained online or from the pay desk at Infopoint Piata Mare.  

The price for one ticket is 10 lei, whereas for pupils, students and seniors the price is 7 lei, and at this year’s concerts, tickets are 15 lei. Moreover, organizers make available Day Passes for 25 lei and Full Passes for 125 lei.

For further and up-to date information please go to www.astrafilm.ro.

Astra Film Festival 2017 is organized by Astra Film, CNM Astra and the Astra Film Foundation
With the support of Sibiu County Council, the Ministry of Culture and National Identity, the European Union – through the Creative Europe-Media programme and the National Centre for Cinematography 
Co-financed by Sibiu Local Council through Sibiu City Hall
In collaboration with Lucian Blaga University
Partners: ICR - Romanian Cultural Institute, UCIN – Romanian Filmmakers Union, Consulate of the Federal Republic of Germany in Sibiu, Cinetic, Refresh, Habitus
Digital partner: Urby
Title sponsors: Construcții SA
Sponsors: Romgaz, Electrica, Banca Transilvania, Takata, Aqua Carpatica, Happy City, HBO, Cinelab, Swiss Sponsors’ Fund
Car of the festival: Toyota
Media partners: TVR, Europa FM, HotNews, Revista 22, VICE, Revista Timpul, Transilvania Reporter, Cineuropa, Film New Europe, Radio România Cultural, Radio România Actualități, Radio Cluj, Radio Antena Sibiului, Radio Târgu Mureș, RFI România, Cinemagia, LiterNet, Cațavencii, CineFan, Sub25, All About Romanian Cinema, Cooperativa Urbană, ÎnFestival, Recorder, Iqads, Filmtett, Thinkout of the Box, Zile și Nopți, Tribuna, Turnul Sfatului, Sibiu 100%, Eveniment TV, Ora de Sibiu 

 

 

The 7th edition of the largest meeting place for the international documentary industry in the CEE region invites filmmakers and producers of documentary projects in any stage of development. For the first time, shorts are welcome too.

When: March 3 - 9, 2018
Where: Prague, Czech Republic
Deadline for application: November 10, 2017

More information and the application HERE!
Call press release package to download HERE! 

FEATURE-LENGTH PROJECTS in the development / early production stage are invited to the 16th edition of the East Doc Forum - the oldest and largest central pitch in the region. Almost 150 documentary films have been completed with the direct support of the East Doc Forum, including such international hits as Brothers, The Domino Effect, Blind Loves orRabbit à la Berlin. The pitch is preceded by a 5-day preparatory workshop and followed by two days of feedback round tables and one-on-one Meetings.

The East Doc Market offers the opportunity to meet with over 100 international funders, broadcasters, distributors, sales agents and festival representatives to FEATURE-LENGTH PROJECTS and SERIES in late production and post-production. Over the course of two days, more than 400 pre-booked one-on-one meetings take place.

Projects with innovative technologies used for an immersive, transmedia or interactive storytelling are invited to find partners at the East Doc Interactive. The interactive roundtable pitch is an integral part of the Forum. The projects receive an immediate feedback on the spot and attend one-on-one meetings over the following days.

For the first time, SHORTS are invited to the East Doc Platform, thanks to the collaboration with the Tribeca Film Institute fund & IF/Then distribution initiative. Up to six projects will be selected for the IF/Then Short Pitch competition and take part in the Market meetings. The winner of the pitch receives up to USD 20,000 in production support from IF/Then and will participate in a year-long distribution initiative managed by the Tribeca Film Institute.

Within the East Doc Platform programme, one event is dedicated only to Czech documentary projects. During the presentation Czech Docs... Coming Soon, five upcoming feature documentaries will be introduced to an audience of the invited representatives of prestigious film festivals (FID Marseille, Dok Leipzig, Nordisk Panorama, IFF Rotterdam, IFF Sarajevo, Toronto IFF), sales agents, distributors and to the wide public.

For more information, please contact: Tereza Šimíková / Manager: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

 

 

The seventh edition of US in Progress will be held from the 25th till 27th of October 2017, as a part of the 8th American Film Festival in Wroclaw (October 24-29th).

Thanks to the support of the Polish Film Institute we are happy to initiate the first edition of Polish-American Co-production Meetings, a networking opportunity for Polish producers seeking partners from the US. Panels will consist of producers and publicists working in the US or with collaboration with US and aim to foster transatlantic projects. 

The highlight of the event will be a panel about European Co-Production with America - Struggles & Success Stories. This talk will be moderated by Ania E. Dziedzic from Film Commission Poland and panelists will include Mike S. Ryan (Greyshack Films, producer of Free in Deed, Maya Dardel), George Rush (legal advisor and producer Ping Pong Summer, Menashe), Violetta Krajewska (Apple Productions, producer of Maya Dardel ), Sebastian Aubert (Adastra Films, producer The Strange Ones), and Klaudia Śmieja (Madants Production, producer of The Park, Rams, Porto).

Adam Kersh from the leading NY-based PR company Brigade marketing will provide insight on How to Promote a Non-English Language Movie in the US in a conversation with Steve Dollar (Wall Street Journal, Indiewire).

Four selected Polish producers will pitch their project ideas to US producers and investors. Congratulations to the following chosen projects:

Neon Tears by Karolina Bielawska

Pilot 9/11 by Norman Leto

A Film Odyssey by Piotr Stasik

Lipstick on the Glass by Kuba Czekaj

At one on one meetings Polish producers present will have a chance to personally meet with American experts: producers Mike S. Ryan, George Rush, Kyle Martin (My Entire High School Is Sinking into the Sea, Donlad Cried, Bluebird, Tiny Furniture) and investors Todd Remis and David Moscow (Always Shine, Sylvio, Thirst Street) and present their ideas for Polish-American co-productions.