This year in its 54th edition, the Antalya Film Festival is bringing the Turkish and global film industry closer together with the mission of establishing a cultural and communications platform and increasing its influence on an international level.

Aiming at promoting Antalya internationally as a film-friendly city, the festival has appointed a new artistic director, Mike Downey – a well-respected and established independent European film producer who has made over 60 films and who has extensive film festival experience having served on over 20 international film festival juries. Also joining the team as a strategic consultant is Mirsad Purivatra, an art and culture entrepreneur, and the Festival Director of Sarajevo Film Festival.

As Turkey’s first and most well established festival,  these changes are part of Antalya Film Festival’s continued development as a leader in Turkey’s festival culture.

For the first time this year, the festival will also feature an international competition section – which will include the work of masters of world cinema to be curated by Artistic Director Mike Downey.

Mike Downey said: "The Antalya Film Festival can be a place of discovery and ritual, where film and cinema can be explored and consumed by audiences of all ages and interests.  Film festivals have many roles in the 21st century – we can discover great films, and we want to make the best of world cinema accessible, to curate the film makers and the audience, and to allow opportunities for the film industry. But increasingly I believe that the main purpose of film festivals is enhancing the film experience for audiences through events, Q&As and bringing to that precious audience an element of surprise and delight."

International Antalya Film Festival aims to create a joyful and productive atmosphere for all local and international film professionals as well as creating a unique experience for all the residents.

This year, the Festival will continue to support Antalya Film Forum that has become one of the most important events throughout Europe within the first 3 years of its establishment, including hosting countless projects that held their world premieres recognized by prestigious festivals. Antalya Film Forum continues its aim of connecting 200 international industry professionals with the film professionals of Turkey, as well as supporting them.

Antalya Film Forum is directed by Zeynep Atakan, producer of Palme D’or winning film “Winter Sleep”, directed by Nuri Bilge Ceylan.  Atakan, recognized for her many achievements, including spearheading one of the most important components of the Festival.

Antalya Film Festival continues its tradition as showcasing Antalya as a film friendly city which forms a bridge where international cultures meet.

The Festival, which will run 21-27th October this year, will continue its traditional parade and gala screenings to bring all film professionals and film lovers together to have a unique experience – where important delegates from the international film industry will share their knowledge and the magic of the big screen will be brought to the residents of Antalya.

Key sections of the festival lineup include:

54th IAFF SECTIONS

International Competition:

A selection of the work of masters of world cinema to be curated by Artistic Director Mike Downey.

Gala Screenings:

Gala screenings of some of the most anticipated world cinema releases – to be attended by key stars

Children and Family Section:

This section is aimed at developing children’s vision about world cinema and creating opportunities for them to build ties with art and cinema by expanding their vision. Aside from screenings, the festival will also host workshops and talks with surprise guests.

Retrospectives:

Profiling films from two masters of world and Turkish cinema . Screenings will be accompanied by panels attended by filmmakers and audiences. will take place.

Culinary Section:

Four films on gastronomy will be screened. After each film a meal will be prepared for the audience by 4 different chefs inspired by the film that is screened.

 

Today, the Baltic Focus events dedicated to Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia are launching within the programme of the industry days of the International Odessa Film Festival.

During the discussion “Opportunities of cooperation with Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia” representatives of the national film agencies from all three countries will present the film funding mechanisms put in place in their countries, share good practice. With the cultural ties between Lithuania and Ukraine strengthening during the past several years, film industries of both countries are seeking and finding partners for joint projects, and a number of co-productions have been launched.

During a special session „Baltic „Works in progress“ projects“ filmmakers will present seven Baltic films currently in production looking for partners and additional funding opportunities. Lithuania will be represented by the filmmaker Marija Stonytė with her documentary Gentle Warriors (prod. „Moonmakers“) and the producer Stasys Baltakis with the feature film Isaac (dir. Jurgis Matulevičius, prod. „Film Jam“). The filmmakers hope that their projects will appeal to distributors, festival programmers and sales agents. Both films are expected to be finished in 2018–2019.

Gentle warriors follows a journey of five girls who chose voluntary military service. They live and train in an isolated military facility among 600 men for nine months. Isaac is a story about a Lithuanian activist who killed a Jew Isaac in Lietukis garage in Kaunas in 1941. After many years, the guilty of murder is to chase his grandson.

The Lithuanian-Ukrainian-French co-production Stasis (dir. Mantas Kvedaravičius), currently in post-production stage, will be presented in the main industry competition programme “Works in progress”, which consists of 11 leading Ukrainian and international feature film projects. Stasis is a psychological drama sweeping in three cities – Athens, Istanbul and Odessa, and weaving the threads of heroes life: Garip killed Ibrahim, Ibrahim and Sofia, who were madly in love once.

The films in post-production stage will be presented to important Ukrainian and international distributors, sales agents, festival representatives and industry professionals to provide wide film dissemination in local and foreign markets as well as to compete for a monetary prize.

There are more Lithuanian accents in various festival film programs. Frost by Lithuanian director Šarūnas Bartas (coproduction of Lithuania, Ukraine, France, Poland), Pretenders directed Vallo Toomla (coproduction of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia) and A Gentle Creature by Sergei Loznitsa (coproduction of France, Germany, Dutch, Ukrainia and Lithuania) will be screen.

Lithuanian Film Centre
Department of Film Promotion, Information and Heritage
Tel.: +370 5 213 79 79 │ This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. │ www.lkc.lt/en/

 

Bartosz Nowacki's film On the Road is qualified for the 21st edition of L.A. SHORTS in Los Angeles.

LA Shorts International Film Festival ranks among the most prestigious and largest international short film festivals in the world. The festival is accredited by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts & Sciences, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts and the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television (ACCT) presenters of the Canadian Screen Awards.

In past years, a total of 50 LA Shorts filmmakers have earned Academy Award nominations, with 15 taking home the Oscar.

On the Road cast: Magdalena Boczarska, Szymon Bobrowski, Adam Bobik, Przemysław Bluszcz and Jakub Papuga.

Film was written and directed by: Bartosz Nowacki.
Director of photography: MichałSterzyński.

Production Company (Poland): ALISTAN

Co-producers (Poland): STERN PICTURES and POZNAN FILM COMMISSION regional film fund.

Those who have been honored at the festival include directors, Jon Favreau, Paul Haggis, Bryan Singer, Jan de Bont, Shane Black, and actors Gary Oldman, James Woods, Martin Landau and Richard Dreyfuss. Many recognized actors and directors have screened films and attended the festival such as Scarlett Johansson, Demi Moore, Ashton Kutcher, Courteney Cox, Tim Burton, Jason Reitman, Terry Gilliam, Spike Jonze, Eva Mendes, Jessica Biel, Rachel Weisz, Hilary Swank, Josh Brolin, Kirsten Dunst, Rita Wilson, Ralph Macchio, Ricky Gervais, Vin Diesel and many more.

The 21st annual LA Shorts International Film Festival will be held at L.A. LIVE Regal Cinemas and the Laemmle NoHo 7 Theatres.

Official website of the film: http://nadrodzefilm.pl

Official festival website: http://lashortsfest.com/content.asp?PageID=2

 

 

A collaboration of  Wrocław's T-Mobile New Horizons IFF and the European Film Academy (EFA), the 6th edition of 'A Sunday in the Country' gathers a dozen of young film journalists from Europe for a retretat/workshop in the first weekend of the festival. The participants gather for 3 days in a remote country house near Wrocław (Zagórze Śląskie on Bystrzyckie Lake) where they get to know each other, watch films and discuss them, meet special guests (filmmakers brought by the New Horizons) and talk about issues such as: What’s the responsibility, if there is one, of a critic towards (national) film productions? And towards the reader? What is the reality for film critics in different countries? They exchange their professional experiences and build international relations.

In 2017 A Sunday in the Country in Wrocław will take place during the 17th T-Mobile New Horizons IFF from August 5th till 8th.

For the 6th edition of the exceptional retreat-get-together 11 participants have been selected from 9 different countries: Austria (Franziska Bechtold), Denmark (Samina Jakobsen), the Netherlands (Hugo Emmerzael), Israel (Shani Kiniso), Germany (Karl-Leontin Beger), Portugal (Tiago Silva), Romania (Andra Petrescu) and Italy (Edoardo Becattini) and including 3 Poles: Piotr Czerkawski, Sebastian Smoliński and Patrycja Mucha.

They participants will work and network under the guidance of the established critic from the Austrian Celluloid Magdalena Miedl as well as co-ordinators of the New Horizons Association and EFA. They will meet established filmmakers-guests of the New Horizons FF, jury members Hadas Ben Aroya and Gaston Solnicki as well as the director of The Ornithologist Joao Pedro Rodrigues and author of78/52 documentary, Alexandre O. Philippe.

The event is supported by the Polish Film Institute, Austrian Cultural Forum, Camoes Institute, Danish Cultural Center, the Embassy of the Netherlands, Italian Cultural Institute, Romanian Institute of Culture, Polish Cultural Institutes in Berlin and Tel Aviv,blog.filmpolska.de, Kulturbrauerei e.V. and organized in collaboration with Krzysztof Mętrak Award for young critics.