The line-up is to include the world premieres of Zaza Urushadze's The Confession and Once Upon a Time in November by acclaimed Polish filmmaker Andrzej Jakimowski

Balkan Noir (En Balkan Noir), dir. Dražen Kuljanin, Sweden 2017, 74', World Premiere
It has been five years since Nina's daughter went missing and only during the cigarette breaks do we get to follow her hunt for the perpetrator as she returns to Montenegro for one last time.

To Kill a Watermelon (Sha Gua), dir. Gao Zehao, China 2017, 88', International Premiere
One hot summer day, A pedestrian, his wife, a village head, a murderer, an official of the county, and a policeman took turns showing up at the main character Chen's melon shed. For the first time in his life, this quiet and obedient man realizes the meaning of his own existence. 

The Confession (Beri), dir. Zaza Urushadze, Georgia, Estonia 2017, 89', World Premiere
Priest Giorgi, a former film director, is sent to serve the small parish in the mountain village. To bring villagers closer to church he starts showing films there. After the screening of the first picture – Some Like It Hot – the audience imply that the local music teacher Lili looks exactly like Marilyn Monroe. 

The Anniversary (Aniversarea), dir. Dan Chisu, Romania 2017, 87', International Premiere
At Radu Maligan's 94th anniversary the family members and the former colleagues of the old man come to his birthday party. Everything gets complicated when half of the guests try to convince Radu to confess his sins to a priest, while the others think that no one should be forced to do something beyond their will.

Sella Turcica (Tureckoe sedlo), dir. Yusup Razykov, Russia 2017, 75', International Premiere
Ilyich is a former "mole" – an external observation agent in the KGB, then FSB. Now retired, he continues to watch those who catch his attention and curiosity. The doctor diagnoses him with the empty sella syndrome, which he claims poses no danger to the society… 

Beyond Words (Pomiędzy słowami), dir. Urszula Antoniak, Poland, Netherlands 2017, 85'
Young Berlin lawyer’s life is about to change – in a way he could not possibly have imagined. Faced with his long-buried past, his perfect exterior starts to crumble. 

Once Upon a Time in November (Pewnego razu w listopadzie…), dir. Andrzej Jakimowski, Poland 2017, 92', World Premiere
Warsaw, 2013. Son and his mother suddenly find themselves on the streets in a society in which extremist nationalism is developing at top speed.

Sideway (Yol Kenari), dir. Tayfun Pirselimoğlu, Turkey, Greece, France 2017, 119', World Premiere
Poetic black and white film contemplating life and its cruelty, slowly revealing a stagnating society which doesn't react to injustice. 

2557, dir. Roderick Warich, Germany 2017, 111', European Premiere
A young Thai woman gets sucked right into a violently escalating conflict between her Thai and expat friends.

The Bomb (Bomba), dir. Ralston Gonzales Jover, Philippines 2017, 94', World Premiere
In order to survive and provide for the people he cares about, hearing-impaired Pipo will do just about everything he can. That is, until he reaches the breaking point. 

Be Prepared (Czuwaj), dir. Robert Gliński, Poland 2017, 95'
Teenagers from two entirely different worlds suddenly have to face each other. What was supposed to be a valuable learning experience, quickly spins out of control. 

If You Saw His Heart (Si tu voyais son coeur), dir. Joan Chemla, France 2017, 86'
Daniel is cast out of his community after the death of his best friend. He finds refuge in a hotel for castaways and broken souls and drifts into violence. An unexpected ray of light enlivens his existence when he meets Francine. Inspired by the novel Halfway House by Guillermo Rosales.

The Miner (Rudar), dir. Hanna Slak, Slovenia, Croatia 2017, 101', International Premiere
Mehmedalija Alić has been working as a miner for over 30 years. Having been assigned to open a walled-in pit, he finds much more than just another deserted mine, exposing the country's dark underbelly. 

Boarding Pass (Kart– e Parvaz), dir. Mehdi Rahmani, Iran 2017, 88', World Premiere
In Iran, there are people who swallow drugs and then transport them to other countries. They are called the "body packers".  But it's not the arrests that they fear the most. 

Of Skin and Men (L'Amour des hommes), dir. Mehdi Ben Attia, France, Tunisia 2017, 105', World Premiere
Present-day Tunis. Amel lives with her husband Nabil in the apartment owned by her parents-in-law. But her happy life is devastated when Nabil is killed in an accident. 

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

 

VENICE: FNE spoke to Lithuanian director Andrius Lekavicius about why he chose VR for his new project Bloody Sunday / Kruvinasis Sekmadienis about the bloodshed around the TV Tower in January 1991. This year virtual reality even had its own island in the Venice laguna.

The European Film Academy and EFA Productions are proud to present this year's short film nominations. At each of the 15 participating film festivals, an independent jury presented one European short film in competition with a nomination in the short film category of the European Film Awards.

 

This year, AFF returns with the second edition of the section called THE FUTURE IS NOW, dedicated to the new documentary formats. The festival’s audience will have the opportunity to view a broad selection of documentary projects of virtual reality, as well as screenings that are specially presented in the dome theatre, within the most diverse and bountiful programme of virtual cinema, a unique experience in Romania. In the field of virtual reality and 360-degree videos, aside from developing more efficient and reachable systems, novelty also resides in the diversity and usefulness of these innovative technologies being applied to the real world. These new developments can be experienced at AFF.

 WebVR, the latest technical innovation in virtual reality  

The purpose of WebVR applications is to simplify the audience’s access to virtual reality experiences, regardless of the available viewing device, whether it’s headphones or gadgets specific to video games. Three films are included in the WebVR programme: Deprogrammed, offering the perspective of extremism in three different cases, transposing the viewer into a virtual setting that narrows down according to the degree of indoctrination; visiting the Dizengoff Square in Tel Aviv, which no longer exists, is possible in Tzina: Symphony of longing, an experience that blurs the line between the wild world and the virtual world; the perspective of a grizzly she-bear that lives in the Banff National Park in the Canadian Rockies, in Bear 71.

Virtual reality, employed by journalists and NGOs at AFF

Virtual reality is used today in various fields – from architecture, fashion, education, medicine, and up to businesses, the military, journalism or NGOs. Many news and livestream agencies employ the 360-degree technology for a more objective perspective on the events and in order to attract a younger audience. By means of animation, Bashir’s Dream reshapes the real story of a 14-year-old boy who dreams of playing basketball, but got shot by a sniper. The displaced tackles the stories of three children from different places who survived the war, with respect to their lives after the war. Through virtual reality, Inside Auschwitz recreates experiences and moments from the past.

The WebVR themes of the festival’s programme also include topical issues in the contemporary world landscape, such as environmental protection (Out of the blue), social inclusion (A grandmother’s love), women’s rights (Women on the move), domestic violence (Notes to my father), or the possibility to see an exotic and vibrant scenery, with a selection of VR productions from Kenya (Nairobi berries and Let this be a warning), Senegal (The other Dakar) and Ghana (Spirit Robot).

Romanian VR productions

This year, the virtual reality programme will also include three local productions, putting Romania on the map of VR experiments: the testimony of one of the few survivors of the mass murders that took place on the 23rd of January 1941, led by the members of the Iron Guard in the Jilava Forest, in Jilava Massacre; The AI comrade brings the audience the first spy-robot created in 1979 of Communist Romania, and the Vodafone campaign See your future illustrates the potential to picture the jobs of the future.

The dome theatre returns to AFF

For the second time in a row, the AFF viewers have the unique chance to view 360 films on a dome-like screen, which give them the feeling of direct participation in the film. The programme offers a selection of unique projects that introduce a journey beyond the limits of reality, at the crossroads between technology and art. The joint effort of painters, photographers and digital artists presents a new way of experiencing art in Samskara, Art universe, Circles of Time and The Game. Classic music themes or eclectic mixes (Music from the Cosmos – a Visual Concert and Jules Verne’s Voyages), as well as dance, classic tango or with various influences (Tango 360), can be appreciated as exceptional productions in the dome theatre set up in Piata Mare. The full-dome documentaries will try to answer a few questions of virtual reality: Will we ever be able to communicate to other civilizations? (Hello Earth), Could a super-volcano erupt during our era? (Supervolcanoes), What happens during a solar storm? (Solar Superstorms), Can our galaxy be precisely mapped? (Journey to a billion Suns), What does it mean to live in the present-day interconnected world? (Habitat Earth), Can we detect asteroids before they reach Earth? (incoming!), What is the mystery of orchids? (Darwin and his fabulous orchids).

“For 24 years, AFF is a platform connected to the latest technical innovations in documentary film. Given last year’s success, we wanted this year’s edition to give film buffs a quality film experience, with a selection of the latest full-dome, VR or 360 video productions”, stated Dumitru Budrala, founding director of Astra Film Festival.

 

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 sponsor: Construcții SA
Sponsors: Romgaz, Electrica, Banca Transilvania, Takata, Aqua Carpatica, Happy City, HBO, Cinelab
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, 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

 

BIAFF Film festival closing ceremony took place on 24 September, at Batumi State Musical Center.  International Jury awarded prizes in three-competition section – International Feature Films, Doc Films and Short Films section.

BIAFF 2017 international competition section’s Jury consisting of five members – Mohsen Makhmalbaf (Iran/UK), Siddiq Barmak (France), Boris Shulman (Sweden), Diana Ashimova (Kazakhstan), Nutsa Alexi Meskhishvili (Georgia)   awarded following prizes:

• Grand Prix – Gentle Creature,  Ukraine/Germany/Netherlands/Russia/ Lithuania, 2017
• Best Film Director -  Yesim Ustaoglu for “Claire Obscure”, Turkey/Poland/France, 2016; 100 min.
• Best Actress – Ezem Ucun in film “Claire Obscure”, Yesim Ustaoglu, Turkey/Poland/France, 2016
• Best Actor – Merab Ninidze in film “Jupiter’s Moon”, Kornél Mundruczó, Hungary /Germany, 2017
• Special mention to:
• Acting Ensebmle in  “Party” by Sally Potter, UK, 2017
• Dede, Mariam Khatchvani, Georgia/Qatar/Ireland/ Netherlands / Croatia, 2017

BIAFF 2017 Documentary Films international competition section’s Jury consisting of five members Alexander Rekhviasvhli, Georgia (Head of Jury), Mehmet Ali Arslan  (Turkey), Seifollah Samadian (Iran), Volker Kufahl  (Germany),  Sean Mcalister (UK) awarded following prizes:

• The Best Doc film -   Taste of Cement, Ziad Kalthoum, Germany/Lebanon/Syria/ United Arab Emirates/ Qatar, 2017
• Special Mentions to:
• City of Sun, Rati Oneli, Georgia, USA, Qatar, Netherlands, 2017
• Liberation Day, Uģis Olte, Morten Traavik, Norway/Latvia, 2016

BIAFF 2017 – Short Film international competition section’s Jury consisting of   -  Safar Haqdadov, Tajikistan head of Jury,  Hana Makhmalbaf, UK),  Nineli Chankvetadze (Georgia) awarded the following prizes:

• The Best Short film -  Gentle Night, Qiu Yang, China, 2017; 15 min.
• Jury Special Mentions to:
• Ana, Margo Zubashvili, Georgia, 2017
• Three steps, Soso Bliadze, Georgia, 2017
• Valparaiso, Carlo Sironi, Italy, 2016

BIAFF Life time Achievement awards for contribuitone to World cinema was granted to:

• Mohsen Makhmalbaf (Iran/UK)
• Gia Kancheili (Georgia)
• Vakhtang Kikabidze (Georgia)

 

Festival Sponsors – Ministry of Culture of Georgia,  Georgian National Film Center, Ministry of Culture of Ajara AR,    Hotel Wyndham Batumi

Festival Supporters – British Council, Goethe Institute Georgia, Cinema APOLLO, Hotel Rcheuli, Hotel Batumi Plaza, Tourism Department of Ajara AR,   HQ propaganda,  Tour Company “Wonderland”, Batumi Auto-transport

Festival Media Partners – Georgian Public Broadcaster, Radio Fortuna/Fortuna+, Adjara TV, Batumi TV, Publicity Group (www.publicity.ge), www.newswire.ge, Film New Europe (www.filmneweurope.com), Newspaper BATUMELEBI, netgazeti.ge

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