Bratislava IFF Presenting Slovak films

In its 16th edition, Bratislava International Film Festival (Nov. 4-9, 2011) traditionally presents Slovak films: Besides the films screened within the International Competition of First and Second Films, the Panorama section and the Filmmaker's Tribute section, the Slovak full-length and short films produced in the last year, are presented in the program section Made in Slovakia.

More information you find here: Slovak Films at Bratislava IFF 2011

Three Slovak Films in the Program of Thessaloniki IFF

International Film Festival Thessaloniki presents three Slovak films in the official festival programme: The House (Dom, by Zuzana Liová, SK – CZ 2011) and Alois Nebel (by Tomáš Luňák, CZ – SK – DE, 2011) are included in the International Competition of the festival. Gypsy (Cigán, by Martin Šulík, SK – CZ) is presented in the section Open Horizons.

More information here: What´s Slovak in Thessaloniki?

Slovak Film Week in Budapest:

Three significant events presenting Slovak films will take place in Hungary during November 7 - 13, 2011. The Slovak Film Week will present six Slovak films in Budapest and the traditional Film Seminar for the students of Slovak Language will take place both in Budapest and the Hungarian town Szeged.

More information here (both in English and Hungarian!): What´s Slovak in Budapest?

If you feel you need more updates on Slovak cinema, you are welcome to visit us –follow us - “like” us – on Twitter and Facebook:

twitter: www.twitter.com/filmovyustav

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Sendind my very best regards to all,

Alexandra

Alexandra Strelková

______________________________

National Cinematographic Centre - Slovak Film Institute

Grösslingova 32, SK 811 09 Bratislava, Slovak Republic

Tel: +421 2 5710 1527 ,

Fax: +421 2 5273 3214,

Cell: +421 905 730 040

www.sfu.sk, www.aic.sk

FB: www.facebook.com/filmovyustav

TW: www.twitter.com/filmovyustav

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The 10th anniversary of Baltic Event brings the seventh annual Co-Production Market to Tallinn from November 29 - December 2, 2012. The market features 12 projects from 9 countries. This market edition's focus country, Azerbaijan, brings a 13th promising project to Tallinn to round out the slate. Baltic Event takes place during the Black Nights Film Festival and in cooperation with Black Market.

Nordic neighbours Estonia and Finland are making quite strong showings in this edition of the market. Estonia's most successful auteur director-producer team Veiko Õunpuu and Katrin Kissa (Autumn Ball, The Temptation of St. Tony) pair once again on their next project, the optimistic anti-Western Free Range (Homeless Bob Production). With his previous films premiering in Venice and Sundance and winning numerous international awards, Õunpuu's next film is sure to continue this successful run. Revolver Film's Karin Reinberg-Shestakov will present promising, young director Liina Paakspuu's film Meat, another strong project from Estonia, which was developed in the EAVE workshop.

And Estonia's Northern neighbour, Finland, makes the strongest showing of all with three projects from renowned directors and successful producers. Acclaimed director Petri Kotwica's (Black Ice, Rat King from BE 2009 in post-production) previous film competed at the Berlinale. His next project, Fleeing Dreams, will be presented at the market by First Floor Production's Pauli Pentti. Finland is also represented by a historical drama/thriller Never Alone from filmmaker Klaus Härö, who has brought home awards from Shanghai, Montreal, Mar del Plata, Berlin and numerous other festivals. Top-tier producer Ilkka Matila of Matila Röhr Nordisk Oy will produce the film. And the third project from Finland is from BE long-time friend, producer Aleksi Bardy (Helsinki-filmi) who will present Jukka-Pekka Siili's project The Beacon at Baltic Event. Baltic Event market is also proud to present another Nordic project: Sweden's leading production company Sonet Film's project The Things You Cannot See, produced by Sandra Harms and directed by Maria Nygren.

Eastern European countries are also present in the project list. One of Ukraine's most successful producers, Olena Yershova (My Joy by Sergei Loznitsa, Cannes IFF 2010), will present her project Sense of Sex by director Maryna Gorbach. Russia is represented by director Oxana Bychkova's Land of Good Children, a family adventure film from producer Natalia Mokritskaya (New People Film Company) who was very successful with her last film Piter FM.

In 2011, Baltic Event also presents two projects from new territories. Producer Nariman Mammadov will present Leonardo's Corridor, the mysterious story about a corridor of mirrors and a boy named Elik that will surely capture the minds of Azerbaijani and Europeans alike. Georgia is represented by one of the country's most acclaimed directors, Levan Koguashvili, with his project Teacher in Love, a tragicomedy about modern Georgian society undergoing a difficult transitional period.

As always, the aim of Baltic Event is give a comprehensive overview of the regional film industry, and the anniversary edition will be no different. The event includes Coming Soon presentations, Baltic Event screenings of recently completed films from the region, an Industry Day focusing on topics of interest to the local film industry, and the POWR script pitching workshop.


Baltic Event Co-Production Market 2011 project list:

1. „Fleeing Dreams" producer Pauli Pentti, First Floor Productions, Finland, director Petri Kotwica

2. „Free Range" producer Katrin Kissa, Homeless Bob Production, Estonia, director Veiko Õunpuu

3. „Godly Shift" producer Ferenc Pusztai, KMH Film, Hungary, director Márk Bodzsár

4. „Land of Good Children" producer Natalia Mokritskaya, New People Film Company, Russia, director Oxana Bychkova

5. „Meat" producer Karin Reinberg­-Shestakov, Revolver Film, Estonia, director Liina Paakspuu

6. „Never Alone" producer Ilkka Matila, Matila Röhr Nordisk Oy, Finland, director Klaus Härö

7. „Santa" producer Kestutis Drazdauskas, Artbox, Lithuania, director Marius Ivaskevicius

8. „Sense of Sex" producer Olena Yershova, Tatofilm, Ukraine, director Maryna Gorbach

9. „The Beacon" producer Aleksi Bardy, Helsinki-filmi, Finland, director Jukka-Pekka Siili

10. „The Redheads" producer Marta Bite, Ego Media, Latvia, director Astra Zoldnere

11. „The Things You Cannot See" producer Sandra Harms, Sonet Film, Sweden, director Maria Nygren

12. „Wednesday Child" producer Károly Fehér, Popfilm, Hungary, director Lili Horváth

13. „Leonardo's Corridor" producer Nariman Mammadov, Narimanfilm, Azerbaijan, director Ilgar Safat

14. „Teacher in Love" producer Levan Koguashvili, Ori Bu, Georgia, director Levan Koguashvili


POWR projects and scriptwriters:

1. „Do You Love Me", Lina Luzyte, Lithuania

2. „Life", Dovile Sarutyte, Lithuania

3. „Survivors", Hanna Bergholm, Finland

4. „Härregud", Vesa Heikki Virtanen, Finland

5. „The Boy from the Sea", Christjan Wegner, Sweden

6. „Thin Skin", Kristina Hjertén av Gedda, Sweden

7. „Landscape of Fear", Ulvrik Kraft, Norway

8. „Elvira and Sixten", Marianne Hansen, Denmark

9. „Angelmaker", Line Langebæk, Denmark

10. „Sanatorium of Ashes", Davis Simanis, Latvia

11. „Those That Remained Free", Pauls Bankovskis, Latvia

12. „The Desperate Mermaid", Edina Csüllög and Hedda Maurer, Estonia


Supporters and partners of Baltic Event are the Estonian Film Foundation, the Estonian Ministry of Culture, the Cultural Endowment, MEDIA Programme, the National Film Centre of Latvia, the Finnish Film Foundation, Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, Moscow Co-Production Forum, EAVE, Cannes Marche du Film's Producers' Network, Screen International, Cinelink, Film New Europe.


Additional information:

Lili Pilt,
Baltic Event co-production market manager
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
+372 533 24 618

Riina Sildos
Baltic Event general manager
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
+372 50 48 985

http://be.poff.ee

Eda Koppel
Baltic Event
Event manager
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

WARSAW: The European Documentary Network www.edn.dk will host an online session on 8 November 2011 (10am -12) with Piotr Bernas, director of the documentary film Paparazzi produced by Wajda Studio. The film has been nominated for the European Film Awards and will premiere at IDFA in Amsterdam.

www.liffe.si

Advance sales and catalogue: 19 October 2011

LIFFe has placed Ljubljana and Maribor on the world map of cinema.

Last year

The program included 119 films, of which 21 shorts.

24 films were screened in Maribor.

This year

The program includes 114 films, of which 12 shorts.

24 films will be screened in Maribor.

Opening Ceremony

22nd LIFFe will officially commence on Wednesday, 9 November, at 20.00 in Linhart Hall of Cankarjev dom, with The Guard by John Michael McDonagh.

Festival Sections

Perspectives, the official competitive section of new filmmakers competing for the Kingfisher Award, sponsored by Mobitel, d.d.

Avant-premieres, the world's finest films purchased for Slovenian distribution

Kings and Queens, films by notable and award-winning virtuosos of contemporary cinema

World Film Panorama, front-runners of five-continent festivals

Extravaganza, so-called late-night cinema of daring idiosyncratic artists addressing sensual topics

Focus, an insight into one or more of the hottest national cinematographies; this year contemporary Greek cinema

Retrospective, the so-called meta-film phenomenon; a style of film-making which presents the film as a story about film production; films that blur the fine boundaries between the real and the imaginary; a condensed presentation of a festival- and media-exposed filmmaker; this year dedicated to early films by Canadian David Cronenberg

Tribute, carte blanche to the illustrious Ferroni Brigade, classical Finnish cinema of the 1940s and 1950s

Kinobalon, a selection of films for children aged 7 to 14; in association with Kinodvor Cinema

Kino-integral, an overview of Spanish avant-garde cinema school

World in Short, competitive programme of contemporary short films

Screenings of films for young audiences especially for high schools (14-18 years)

Group bookings: P (01) 24 17 172 E This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Awards

Kingfisher, international jury award granted by the general sponsor, Mobitel, d.d., to the best film of the Perspectives section

Dragon, audience award securing Slovenian distribution. Awarded by the donor Tobačna Ljubljana.

FIPRESCI Prize, presented by the international jury of the World Association of Film Critics and Journalists

Best Short Film Award

ITAK Award, to Best Itak Director

International Juries

Kingfisher Award

Vanja Kaluđerčić

Carlos Reviriego

Želimir Žilnik

Best Short Film

Nenad Borovčak

Olga Bielańska

Boris Petković

Audience Voting

Selecting from 34 feature films that have not been purchased for Slovenian distribution, the spectators will be able to vote for their favourite picture, which will receive the DRAGON Award, granted by donor Tobačna Ljubljana, d.o.o.. The viewers will vote until 18 November inclusively.

17 Girls; Delphine Coulin, Muriel Coulin

22nd of May; Koen Mortier

Once Upon a Time in Anatolia; Nuri Bilge Ceylan

The Fatherless; Marie Kreutzer

Black Bread; Agustí Villaronga

Elena; Andrej Zvjagincev

Faust; Aleksandr Sokurov

Finisterrae; Sergio Caballero

Hospitalité; Koji Fukada

Play; Ruben Östlund

Karate-Robo Zaborgar; Noboru Iguchi

A Stoker; Aleksej Balabanov

Michael; Markus Schleinzer

Viva Riva!; Djo Munga

Nana; Valérie Massadian

Alicia, Go Yonder; Elisa Miller

Norwegian; Wood Tran Anh Hung

The Colour Wheel; Alex Ross Perry

Beyond; Pernilla August

Poliss; Maiwenn Le Besco

Here; Braden King

Road to Nowhere; Monte Hellman

Truce; Svetlana Proskurina

Shame; Steve McQueen

A Woman's Way; Panos H. Koutras

Target; Aleksander Zeldovič

Terri; Azazel Jacobs

You Are Here; Daniel Cockburn

Vampires; Vincent Lannoo

All Your Dead Ones; Carlos Moreno

Knifer; Yannis Economides

Wasted Youth; Argyris Papadimitropoulos, Jan Vogel

Shelter; Dragomir Šolev

Historias; Jualia Murat

Accompanying Programme

Talks with festival guests and filmmakers

3 Nov - 18 Dec 2011

Small Gallery, admission free

Filmogram

Film and Photography

Exhibition

Film and photography in a manner that cancels the established reading and comprehension of the first medium through the prism of the narrative and the second through the prism of fine art. The exhibition spotlights the works by Slovenian filmmakers and photographers who consciously make use of this thrilling and intrinsic interplay of film and photography to enrich or even construct their artistic expression.

Curated by: Jan Babnik, Jurij Meden, Peter Rauch

In cooperation with the Fotografija magazine, Contemporary Culture and Science Institute ZSKZ, Institute for the Development of Photography FAIR and the Slovenian Cinematheque.

THU, 10 and FRI, 11 November 2011

E1, E2 Halls

4th Neighbouring Coproduction Meeting - NCM with Young Promising Producers

The Ljubljana International Film Festival is to host the fourth Neighbouring Coproduction Meeting of Slovenia, Austria, Croatia, Italy and Hungary - an initiative of five neighbouring MEDIA Desks and Antennae, Cankarjev dom and the Slovenian Film Centre. The aim of this year's meeting is to encourage the young film experts from these five countries, to provide an in-depth training in the efficient financial planning of films in development to the chosen promising film producers of the younger generation.

Linda Beath, a distinguished film finance consultant and international coproductions expert as well as an acknowledged lecturer at numerous MEDIA supported training courses (EAVE, Screen Leaders, MAIA...) is going to share her experience. A dense and informational map on how to search for coproduction partners in Europe will be provided: different financial models for the development and production periods will be discussed and examples of specific financial plans presented. Applications: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

TUE, 15 November 2011 at 11.00

E1 and M1 Halls, admission free

A Different Perspective on Film

Films adapted for deaf and hearing-impaired as well as the blind and visually impaired audiences

A roundtable and screening of excerpts from adapted films.

Watching films on television is nowadays so commonly embraced that we don't even ask ourselves whether hearing- and visually-impaired people are able to watch them too. According to the World Health Organisation, there is approximately one tenth of hearing- or visually-challenged people in each society.

TV Slovenia started to subtitle its programmes in Slovenian in the 1980s, when it introduced the television information retrieval service or broadcast teletext, where closed captioning information is also transmitted in the teletext signal. First steps towards adapting the programme for the blind and visually-impaired audiences were taken in 2000, when TV Slovenia ran the France Prešeren series. After a ten-year lapse, Rooster's Breakfast, a Slovenian film production, was adapted last year. In 2011, plans have been made to provide at least six films with additional narration track, the so-called audio description, among others also the first foreign documentary film.

With the participation of: Janez Lombergar, Miša Molk, Sandra Bašić Hrvatin, Jože Vogrinc, Marko Naberšnik, Miha Hočevar

THU, 17 November 2011 at 15.00

E1E2 Hall, admission free

Mitja Okorn, director

From Low- to High-Budget Filmmaking

From Here and There to Letters to St. Nicholas; From Slovenia to Poland - Making of Letters to St. Nicholas

Audio & Visual Discussion Forum

Director Mitja Okorn will share his personal experience of filmmaking, illustrating the cases of Here and There, a low-budget film, and Letters to St. Nicholas that received a funding of two million euro. The dissimilarities of filmmaking in Poland and Slovenia will also be discussed.

Itak Director Competition

Mobitel is the main sponsor of 22nd LIFFe. Its Itak competition promotes mobile phone filmmaking. This year the inspiration is quotidian living. Why? Because life is a drama, comedy, tragedy, action, even a thriller.

The Itak Director competition has been launched, and the Itak Corner will feature a workshop with acknowledged filmmakers. Further information at www.itak.si, Itak Facebook and Itak Twitter.

See you at LIFFe. Anyways.

Premiere of The Orchestra

On 11 November Liffe will premiere The Orchestra (Orkestar) by Pjer Žalica.

The shooting of the documentary that chronicles the 25-year career of Saša Lošić and the legendary Sarajevo band Plavi orkestar, against the backdrop of the disintegration of the former Federative Republic and the subsequent Yugoslav Wars, lasted for five years. The documentary witnesses a period of time and a generation that lived through the disintegration of their country and a change of value system but has remained loyal to itself. It's a film about optimism, strength and the indestructibility of talent, friendship, and music.

The director said that it was "a film about an intimate journey through the times that first pampered us and then crushed us. A choir song about the ambience and the circumstances that suppress the voices in the throat, but - one has to continue living and singing... And therefore this is not a story about bad times, but about good people. The people who even in the most difficult circumstances find the strength and encouragement to act creatively and to believe in a better future." (Pjer Žalica)

Festival Venues

Cankarjev dom: Linhart Hall, Kosovel Hall, Lili Novy Club, Foyer II; Ljubljana cinemas: Kinoklub Vič, Kolosej Maribor Hall 5; Slovenian Cinematheque; Kinodvor Cinema; Kino Šiška

Welcome to the Foyer II

Press centre, festival box office, socialising and entertainment premises, guest chat room.

Admission

Avant-premieres EUR 5.60, other sections EUR 4.90, Kinobalon EUR 4.50
Kolosej Maribor EUR 4.30

Discounts
Advance sales 19 October - 8 November inclusively

Younger than 25, seniors 65 + and pensioners: Avant-premieres EUR 5, other sections EUR 4.50, Kolosej Maribor EUR 3.60

6 tickets for different films 15 %

9 tickets for different films 20 %

12 tickets for different films 25 %

15 tickets for different films 30%

20 tickets for different films 35% discount and a complimentary 22nd Liffe catalogue

Regular sales 9 - 20 November

Younger than 25, seniors 65 + and pensioners: Avant-premieres EUR 5, other sections EUR 4.50, Kolosej Maribor EUR 3.60

6 tickets for different films 10 %

9 tickets for different films 15 %

12 tickets for different films 20 %

15 tickets for different films 25%

20 tickets for different films 30% discount and a complimentary 22nd Liffe catalogue

Discounts can be claimed at all festival venues and are non-combinable. No discounts apply for opening and closing ceremonies.

Catalogue: EUR 8

LIFFe T-shirts and Mugs

Available from the Festival Box Office in the Foyer II of CD, at Kinodvor Cinema and online at www.liffe.si; T-shirt EUR 15, mug EUR 5

Points of Sale

Advance sales 19 October - 8 November inclusively

- CD Information Centre until 1st November inclusively, during business hours (workdays 11.00 - 13.00 and 15.00 - 20.00, Saturday 11.00-13.00, holidays closed)

- This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; receive tickets by post when using IVANKA Card

- Festival Box Office in the Foyer II of CD; 2 - 8 November inclusively, 11.00 - 20.00 (except for holidays)

- Online at www.liffe.si (MasterCard, Eurocard, Visa, Diners, Ivanka, Moneta); no discounts apply for online purchases

- By phone (01) 24 17 300 weekdays 9.00 - 18.00 during regular business hours

- Kolosej Maribor: advance sales 19 October - 8 November inclusively

- Other Cankarjev dom official points of sale (Kompas, M Holidays, Alpetour, Petrol...); no discounts apply.

Regular sales 9 - 20 November

- Festival Box Office in the Foyer II of CD, from 11.00 until the beginning of the last screening

- This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; receive tickets by post when using IVANKA Card

- Komuna Cinema, Kinodvor Cinema, Kino Šiška and Slovenian Cinematheque an hour prior to screenings

- www.liffe.si (MasterCard, Eurocard, Visa, Diners, Ivanka, Moneta); no discounts apply for online purchases

- By phone (01) 2417 300 weekdays 9.00 - 18.00

- Kolosej Maribor

- Other Cankarjev dom official points of sale (Kompas, M Holidays, Alpetour, Petrol...); no discounts apply.

Online also at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

22nd LIFFe Partners

22nd LIFFe is being devised in cooperation with Kolosej zabavnimi centri, d.o.o., Kinodvor City Cinema, Kino Šiška Center of Urban Culture and Slovenian Cinematheque.

22nd LIFFe Sponsors

Main sponsor: Telekom Slovenije, d.d.

Donor: Tobačna Ljubljana, d.o.o.

Media sponsor: Delo, d.d.: Delo, Pogledi

With the support of the Media programme

____________________________________________________________________

Information

Janina Pintar P (01) 2417 146 E This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

__________________________________________________________________________

Information throughout the Festival:

W www.liffe.si

CD Information Centre P (01) 2417 299 during business hours

Festival Box Office Foyer II of Cankarjev dom by phone (01) 2417 400, from 11.00 until the beginning of the last screening

Slovenian Cinematheque by phone (01) 43 42 520 (morning), (01) 43 42 524 (afternoon - box office)

Komuna Cinema by phone (01) 241 84 00

Kinodvor Cinema by phone (01) 239 22 13, (01) 239 22 17 (box office)

Kino Šiška by phone (01) 500 30 00

Kolosej Maribor by phone (02) 230 14 40

____________________________________________________________

Press Accreditations

The applications are most conveniently submitted at www.liffe.si (novinarji / akreditacije).

Online submission is strongly recommended!

Press accreditation applications can also be submitted at press conferences to take place on 20 October at Cankarjev dom and 21 October at Kolosej Maribor. Submission deadline is 25 October 2011.

Don't miss out!

As of Monday, 17 October 2011, the Delo daily newspaper will be renovated in terms of content and design. Why not have your share of the restyling - enjoy 6 days of complimentary reading by ordering free delivery to your personal address. Visit www.delo.si/6dnibrezplacno or phone 080 11 99.

Delo. Making sense of my world.

Competition films announced for 15th Black Nights Film Festival!

The Black Nights Film Festival (PÖFF), which runs from 18th to 30th November 2011, has announced its full competition programmes. From established names to debut features, from festival hits to new discoveries, the competitions at PÖFF promise to deliver the very best in world cinema.

Films include the Cannes hit We Need To Talk About Kevin, the brilliant homage to silent films The Artist, Estonia's own The Idiot and many, many more besides.

READ MORE >>>

From 10 to 12 November
Cankarjev dom cultural and congress centre, Foyer II, hall E1–2

In 2011 the MEDIA programme of the European Union proudly celebrates the twentieth anniversary of its successful promotion of the European audio visual heritage, encouragement of the transnational circulation of films, and fostering the audiovisual industry competitiveness. Therefore between 10 and 12 November 2011 the Ljubljana International Film Festival (LIFFe), one of the European festivals selected to receive the long term MEDIA programme support, is to host the fourth Neighbouring Co production Meeting (NCM) of Slovenia, Austria, Croatia, Italy and Hungary – an initiative of five neighbouring MEDIA Desks and Antennae, Cankarjev dom and the Slovenian Film Centre.


The aim of this year's meeting is to encourage the young film experts from these five countries, since it is to provide an in-depth training in the efficient financial planning of films in the making to the chosen promising film producers of the younger generation. Linda Beath, a distinguished film finance consultant and international co productions expert and an acknowledged lecturer at numerous MEDIA supported training courses (EAVE, Screen Leaders), is going to share her experience with these producers and the interested professional public at the open educational seminar taking place on 10 November.
The goal of the co production part of the meeting (closed for public) is to foster the development of documentary and fiction projects and mutual cooperation of the chosen international participants. It will consist of an interactive strategic film financing workshop as well as personal "one on one" meetings with Linda Beath and informal co production meetings between various producers from 10 to 12 November.
The Neighbouring Co production Meeting will also provide an opportunity for the representatives of important film institutions from five neighbouring countries to consider the means and systems for a more effective encouragement of the regional film industry.

Working language at the meeting: English.

The seminar with Linda Beath on November 10 (13:30-16:30) is open to the interested professional festival public and there is no registration fee for the participation. However, the number of participants is limited, so you are kindly asked to book your seat in advance by sending an e-mail to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with subject: "NOV 10 NCM open seminar participant" latest until November 7.

The deadline for young producers with projects in development is now closed.
Fifteen production companies from five countries have been selected to participate in NCM.
Invitation for Young Producers (en)
Application form (en)

more information
MEDIA Desk Slovenija: www.mediadeskslovenia.eu
E: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

organised by
MEDIA Desk Slovenija / Slovenia
Cankarjev dom – LIFFe
Slovenian Film Centre, a public agency

in cooperation with
MEDIA Desk Austria
MEDIA Desk Croatia
MEDIA Desk Hungary
MEDIA Desk Italy
MEDIA Antena Torino

(Rialto Theatre, Limassol)

Press Release No. 6
After a successful eight-day run, the curtain fell on the International Short Film Festival of Cyprus on Saturday, October 22, at Rialto Theatre. The Festival hosted films and filmmakers from around the world and attracted the interest of short film lovers.

The first International Short Film Festival of Cyprus was dedicated to our fellow countryman and great director Michael Cacoyiannis and included 57 films from 37 countries in its competitive program, 5 parallel events, workshops, students participating as filmmakers and audience, and live music at both the Opening and Closing Ceremony.

The Jury notes that the Festival has offered a rich and fascinating program.

“The development of the program by the Festival’s Artistic Directors, Alexia Roider and Ioakim Mylonas, was extremely interesting. In addition to fiction films and documentaries, we had the opportunity to watch films with important content. We also value our acquaintance with the work of filmmakers who opt to narrate personal themes in a particularly poetic manner.”

The Jury successfully concludes with a brief, yet critical, report of the aims that a good international festival should have and which completely match those of the organizers’ vision for the 1st International Short Film Festival of Cyprus.
“We believe that it is very important for filmmakers to showcase their films in festivals and to have the opportunity to watch the work of others, as well as to exchange ideas and experiences with filmmakers of different nationalities and cultures. This should be the purpose of a good international festival.”

The 1st Prize for the Best Short Film was awarded to Garagouz by Abdenour Zahzah from Algeria, “...an excellent story of life in contemporary Algeria, told through the journey of a father and son. Social issues are subtly addressed combined with a persistence of creative vision. All elements, performance, cinematography, sound, directing beautifully serve this story. Full of emotional truth, it has strong moments of lightness, jeopardy and hope”. (Jury Rationale)

The 2nd Prize for Best Short Film was awarded to Conversation Piece by Joe Tummer from the United Kingdom. The film was described by the Jury as “…original, with great sense of humour, good performance and pace - it made us laugh...”.

The Best Director Award was given to Bread for Bird by Aleksandra Strelyanaya from Russia. The Jury in their announcement spoke of “…a beautiful and unusual way to make a family history film with finely judged images and colors...” Mr. Thodoris Papadoulakis, the member of the Jury who announced the winner, said that the film was “ ...Full of warmth and layers of meaning”.

Mr. Fabrizio Ferrari presented the Documentary Award to Machine Man by Alfonso Mome & Roser Corella from Spain, explaining that “this documentary uses moving and poetic images to talk about the working conditions of manual labor in Bangladesh... - an important subject simply and effectively told...”.


The 1st Best Cypriot Film Award of the Ministry of Education and Culture was given to Stahia by Simon Farmakas. According to the Jury, it is “…a film in which form and content work harmoniously. A strong cinematic approach of a story well expressed. A work that shows potential and a film mind at work...”.

The 2nd Best Cypriot Film Award of the Ministry of Education and Culture was given to 11.50 by Stylianos Konstantinou. The Jury describes the film as “…a good example of an intriguing short film that successfully manages without dialogue in a minimal setting to hold our attention. With a strong central performance, good lighting, camera work and sound”.
In addition to the 6 main awards, the awards included 13 special mentions for Best Animation, Best Male Actor and Female Actress, Best Production, Best Sound Design, Best Music, Best Cinematography, Best Screenplay, Best Poetic Film, as well as a Students’ Prize, the Dinos Katsouridis Best Direction Award and the KODAK Cinelabs Best Cinematography Award.

During the Festival’s Closing Ceremony, there was a screening a video of the highlights of the Festival, which illustrated the celebratory atmosphere that marked the festival week. After the screening of the winning film, the official Festival ended with a closing party, with James Adams Quartet in jazzed up funk music.
Photos and videos at www.isffc.com.cy / www.rialto.com.cy

Facebook Page:
http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Intl-Short-Film-Festival-of Cyprus/153554168064996?sk=wall


RIALTO THEATRE ΘΕΑΤΡΟ ΡΙΑΛΤΟ
Anastazia Anastassiou Αναστάζια Αναστασίου
Τ: (+357) 25 34 39 00 Τ: (+357) 25 34 39 00
F:(+357) 25 74 96 63 Φ: (+357) 25 74 96 63
www.rialto.com.cy www.rialto.com.cy

During the Closing Ceremony, which was televised live on ČT24, the awards of the 15th Jihlava International Documentary Film Festival were presented.

CZECH JOY

2011 Best Czech Documentary Film

The jury recognized the film Solar Eclipse (Czech Republic, 2011) by Martin Mareček for "its surprising and impressive capturing of the Czech development help to Zambian people".

FilmAFRICA follows two Central Europeans on an adventure to Zambia to repair village‘s solar panels. They are aware of the value of their work, whose purpose they see in helping the villagers - these, however, are not satisfied with their lives. Black and white mindsets subtly, humorously, and touchingly collide.

- synopsis from the Jihlava IDFF 2011 catalog

The jury also gave a special mention to the film 31 Beginnings / 31 Endings (Czech Republic, 2011) by Rafani for "the innovative approach to the documentary film".

FilmCOLLECTIVE was realized by the Rafani art group known for their diverse works including photography, video and public event. The film treatise has the structure of a city, following the direction from the periphery to the centre, which is perceived as the centre of power, hegemony and normativity. Each part of the city/film introduces a representative of Czech art or Czech thinking.

- synopsis from the Jihlava IDFF 2011 catalog

Jurors:

Josef Pazderka / Journalist and commentator (Czech Republic)

Ondřej Provazník / Director, screenwriter, and journalist (Czech Republic)

Martin Dušek / Director (Czech Republic)

Terezie Pokorná /Editor and Journalist (Czech Republic)

Jiří David / Painter, photographer, and writer (Czech Republic)

OPUS BONUM

2011 Best International Documentary Film

James T. Hong as the single jury of this section chose the film Lost Land (Territoire perdu, Belgium, 2011) by Pierre-Yves Vandeweerd.

FilmSAND, with its rough 8mm texture, exists on the boundary between art-house meditation, philosophical-ethical reflection, and social documentary listening to the people of the Western Sahara, whose difficult life on this contested piece of Africa, partially ruled by Morocco and partially controlled by rebels, is marked by struggle, kidnapping, and refugee camps.

- synopsis from the Jihlava IDFF 2011 catalog

Juror commented on his decision: "Lost Land's simple cinematic gestures express a fleeting beauty infused with a knowing sadness - that questions our own ignorance of the Sahrawi situation. Its political resistance isn't overtly propagandized, but rather modestly presented as a lost series of profoundly beautiful images and scenes, which lead the viewer closer and closer to an almost imaginary but all-too-physical wall. To me, Lost Land is an urgent, aestheticized work of mourning - a lost memory of a lost people in a lost landscape filmed in a lost format."

Juror:

James T. Hong/Director (U.S.A.)

BETWEEN THE SEAS

2011 Best Central and Eastern European Documentary Film

The jury of the Between the Seas section awarded the film Bakhmaro (Bakhmaro, Georgia, 2011) by Salome Jashi for its respect, artistry and quest for surprise.

FilmAPATHY uses a restaurant in the western Georgian town of Chokhatauri to symbolize the decline of the southern Caucasus and the people's weariness from economic failure and political ills. The owners are patient, but there are few guests. Election posters and TV ads promise a better life, but it looks like nothing can change.

- synopsis from the Jihlava IDFF 2011 catalog

The jurors commented that "with an attentive and personal approach the filmmaker transforms an ordinary microcosm into a unique narrative and playful visual experience. Through an effective and assured cinematic language this film reveals the mood and the spirit of a society struggling with its internal hopes and contradictions."

Film New Europe Visegrad Prix 2011

For its rhapsodic effort to expand the responsibilities of filmmaking the award for Best Central & Eastern Co-production goes to Obscurantist and His Lineage or the Pyramids' Tearful Valleys (Tmář a jeho rod aneb Slzavé údolí pyramid, Czech Republic, 2011) by Karel Vachek.

FilmNOVEL about extraterrestrial civilization living not only in space but also on Earth. The film by the classic of Czech documentary opens by quotations from the famous operetta Mam'zelle Nitouche which is confronted with environment of a convent, theatre, and barracks. The director, too, enters these to discover and define the thin border between internal faith in God and institutionalized religion.

- synopsis from the Jihlava IDFF 2011 catalog

Statement by the Jury: "By engaging enduring philosophical themes and by constantly tinkering with the crafts of cinema the filmmaker courageously demonstrates how cinema can contribute and enrich the modes of human perception and thinking. The film reveals an uncompromising faith in humanity - especially when recognizing its innumerable failings - and an enthusiastic personal belief in cinema as an inexhaustible form of expression and experience."

Jurors:

Paolo Benzi / Producer (Italy)

Pavel Jech / Screenwriter and Dramaturgist (Czech Republic)

Necati Sönmez / Director of a documentary film festival in Istanbul (Turkey)

Aida Vallejo / Film historian (Spain)

FASCINATIONS

2011 Best Experimental Documentary Film

The jury recognized the film Endeavour (Endeavour, Austria, 2010) by Johann Lurf.

FilmCOSMOS playfully and ingeniously edits NASA footage in order to take a look at America's last space shuttle. \hallucinatory images of daytime and nighttime launches and flights become a brutal attack on the viewer's attention and perception, thus giving audiences a chance to study the universe of their visual perceptions.

- synopsis from the Jihlava IDFF 2011 catalog

"We were most fascinated by the film Endeavour which regularly combines the scenes from six cameras placed in a space shuttle. The resulting film is similar to the functioning of the human brain which also interconnects the functioning of the left and right hemisphere into a single whole. Although the film was made by a machine and shows primarily the machine, it is most telling of mankind as such. At the beginning, the spectator watches the camera images, however, the regular rhythm of image and sound provides space for reflection," said the jury about their decision.

Jurors:

Alice Růžičková / Filmaker, teacher, and projectionist (Czech Republic)

Jan Růžička/Entomologist (Czech Republic)

Vítek Růžička / Student (Czech Republic)

Kajetán Růžička (Czech Republic)

AUDIENCE AWARD

The Audience Award (awarded under the auspices of the general manager of Czech Television) was presented by Czech Television's programming director Martin Fridrich to Solar Eclipse (Czech Republic, 2011) by Martin Mareček.

CONTRIBUTION TO WORLD CINEMA AWARD

The Contribution to World Cinema Award went to Vittorio de Seta, one of the Italian cinema's great imaginative realists of the sixties.

Most beautiful 2011 festival poster

Toronto Hot Docs festival's poster from 2010 was chosen by the participants of the workshop Festival Identity.

Spectators' Prize for most beautiful 2011 festival poster

Brno 16 was selected by visitors for the prize of The Most Beautiful 2011 Festival Poster.

THE INDUSTRY PROGRAMME IN JIHLAVA ORGANIZED BY INSTITUTE OF DOCUMENTARY FILM


The awards to the documentaries presented in Jihlava by the Institute of Documentary Film were announced at the festival closing ceremony.

Silver Eye Award for the best documentary from Central and Eastern Europe finished in 2010 or 2011 was obtained by three out of 250 films from East Silver Market.

The winners are: the feature-length Solar Eclipse (Pod sluncem tma), Martin Mareček, Czech Republic 2011, the mid-length Crulic - the Path to Beyond (Crulic - Drumul spre dincolo), Anca Damian, Rumania, Poland 2011 and the short documentary I Will Forget This Day (Ya zabudu etot den), Alina Rudnitskaya, Russia 2011. All three of them are getting 1 500 Euro and the East Silver Caravan festival service - an assistance with the submission to prestigious documentary festivals and markets throughout the year.


Awards also go to unfinished documentaries. The IDFA Award and the submission to the Amsterdam pitching in November goes to Croatian - Rumanian project Gangster of Love. "It's real surprise. We didn't succeed ourselves getting to Amsterdam. And now we will be there anyway," said the director Nebojša Slijepčevič.


Golden Funnel Award for the best-developing project goes to Bells of Happiness from Marek Šulík and Jana Bučka, Slovak Republic. It's a story from a poor Roma settlement in Eastern Slovakia. Pregnant Mariena and her cousin remake a famous song from Czechoslovak pop stars Karel Gott and Dara Rolins. The two filmmakers will get a special service from the Institute of Documentary Film throughout the year.



Marek Hovorka / Festival Director / This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Katarina Holubcová / Executive Director / 774 101 655 / This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.



Festival Supported By:

Ministry of Culture Czech Republic

State Fund for Support and Development of Czech Cinematography

City of Jihlava

Media Programme

Vysočina Region

European Commission Representation in the Czech Republic

ROP South-East

Embassy of the USA

Embassy of Spain

Embassy of the Netherlands

The Royal Norwegian Embassy

Embassy of France

Embassy of Canada

Embassy of Portugal

Slovak Institute

Polish Institute

Czech Centres

"Support us" Partner:

Volksbank

Official Festival Car:

Chevrolet

Regional Partners:

Bosch

Kronospan

PSJ

Yashica

Media Partners:

Advojka

aktuálně.cz

Cinema

Cinepur

Film a doba

His voice

Plakát s.r.o

Rádio 1

Revolver Revue

Regional Media Partners:

Jihlavské listy

Deník Vysočina

Jihlavský expres

SNIP & CO

Foreign Media Partners:

Film New Europe

Kino Ikon

Kinečko

Partner of Inspiration Forum:

OKD Foundation

Main Media Partners:

Czech Television

Czech Radio

Lidove noviny

Respekt

Co-organizer of the Industry Section:

Institute of Documentary Film

Partner Project:

Doc Alliance Films

Festival Partners:

Gordic

Jihlavské terasy

Lobkowicz

Official Shipping Partner:

TNT Express

Official Airline Partner:

Brussels Airlines

Toner supplier

Tonera

Official suppliers:

Biofarma Sasov

Cinestar

Easytalk

elvia pro

exit 112

Hot AV servis

ICOM transport

Messenger

Model Obaly

M-soft

net-profi

Palet Pro

Porta Design

Skori

Svaz výrobců vlnitých lepenek

Vinárna Vinové

Media Co-operation:

25fps

H_aluza

kult.cz

Metropolis

Nový prostor

Sedmá generace

Xantypa


During the Closing Ceremony, which was televised live on ČT24, the awards of the 15th Jihlava International Documentary Film Festival were presented.

CZECH JOY

2011 Best Czech Documentary Film

The jury recognized the film Solar Eclipse (Czech Republic, 2011) by Martin Mareček for "its surprising and impressive capturing of the Czech development help to Zambian people".

FilmAFRICA follows two Central Europeans on an adventure to Zambia to repair village‘s solar panels. They are aware of the value of their work, whose purpose they see in helping the villagers - these, however, are not satisfied with their lives. Black and white mindsets subtly, humorously, and touchingly collide.

- synopsis from the Jihlava IDFF 2011 catalog

The jury also gave a special mention to the film 31 Beginnings / 31 Endings (Czech Republic, 2011) by Rafani for "the innovative approach to the documentary film".

FilmCOLLECTIVE was realized by the Rafani art group known for their diverse works including photography, video and public event. The film treatise has the structure of a city, following the direction from the periphery to the centre, which is perceived as the centre of power, hegemony and normativity. Each part of the city/film introduces a representative of Czech art or Czech thinking.

- synopsis from the Jihlava IDFF 2011 catalog

Jurors:

Josef Pazderka / Journalist and commentator (Czech Republic)

Ondřej Provazník / Director, screenwriter, and journalist (Czech Republic)

Martin Dušek / Director (Czech Republic)

Terezie Pokorná /Editor and Journalist (Czech Republic)

Jiří David / Painter, photographer, and writer (Czech Republic)

OPUS BONUM

2011 Best International Documentary Film

James T. Hong as the single jury of this section chose the film Lost Land (Territoire perdu, Belgium, 2011) by Pierre-Yves Vandeweerd.

FilmSAND, with its rough 8mm texture, exists on the boundary between art-house meditation, philosophical-ethical reflection, and social documentary listening to the people of the Western Sahara, whose difficult life on this contested piece of Africa, partially ruled by Morocco and partially controlled by rebels, is marked by struggle, kidnapping, and refugee camps.

- synopsis from the Jihlava IDFF 2011 catalog

Juror commented on his decision: "Lost Land's simple cinematic gestures express a fleeting beauty infused with a knowing sadness - that questions our own ignorance of the Sahrawi situation. Its political resistance isn't overtly propagandized, but rather modestly presented as a lost series of profoundly beautiful images and scenes, which lead the viewer closer and closer to an almost imaginary but all-too-physical wall. To me, Lost Land is an urgent, aestheticized work of mourning - a lost memory of a lost people in a lost landscape filmed in a lost format."

Juror:

James T. Hong/Director (U.S.A.)

BETWEEN THE SEAS

2011 Best Central and Eastern European Documentary Film

The jury of the Between the Seas section awarded the film Bakhmaro (Bakhmaro, Georgia, 2011) by Salome Jashi for its respect, artistry and quest for surprise.

FilmAPATHY uses a restaurant in the western Georgian town of Chokhatauri to symbolize the decline of the southern Caucasus and the people's weariness from economic failure and political ills. The owners are patient, but there are few guests. Election posters and TV ads promise a better life, but it looks like nothing can change.

- synopsis from the Jihlava IDFF 2011 catalog

The jurors commented that "with an attentive and personal approach the filmmaker transforms an ordinary microcosm into a unique narrative and playful visual experience. Through an effective and assured cinematic language this film reveals the mood and the spirit of a society struggling with its internal hopes and contradictions."

Film New Europe Visegrad Prix 2011

For its rhapsodic effort to expand the responsibilities of filmmaking the award for Best Central & Eastern Co-production goes to Obscurantist and His Lineage or the Pyramids' Tearful Valleys (Tmář a jeho rod aneb Slzavé údolí pyramid, Czech Republic, 2011) by Karel Vachek.

FilmNOVEL about extraterrestrial civilization living not only in space but also on Earth. The film by the classic of Czech documentary opens by quotations from the famous operetta Mam'zelle Nitouche which is confronted with environment of a convent, theatre, and barracks. The director, too, enters these to discover and define the thin border between internal faith in God and institutionalized religion.

- synopsis from the Jihlava IDFF 2011 catalog

Statement by the Jury: "By engaging enduring philosophical themes and by constantly tinkering with the crafts of cinema the filmmaker courageously demonstrates how cinema can contribute and enrich the modes of human perception and thinking. The film reveals an uncompromising faith in humanity - especially when recognizing its innumerable failings - and an enthusiastic personal belief in cinema as an inexhaustible form of expression and experience."

Jurors:

Paolo Benzi / Producer (Italy)

Pavel Jech / Screenwriter and Dramaturgist (Czech Republic)

Necati Sönmez / Director of a documentary film festival in Istanbul (Turkey)

Aida Vallejo / Film historian (Spain)

FASCINATIONS

2011 Best Experimental Documentary Film

The jury recognized the film Endeavour (Endeavour, Austria, 2010) by Johann Lurf.

FilmCOSMOS playfully and ingeniously edits NASA footage in order to take a look at America's last space shuttle. \hallucinatory images of daytime and nighttime launches and flights become a brutal attack on the viewer's attention and perception, thus giving audiences a chance to study the universe of their visual perceptions.

- synopsis from the Jihlava IDFF 2011 catalog

"We were most fascinated by the film Endeavour which regularly combines the scenes from six cameras placed in a space shuttle. The resulting film is similar to the functioning of the human brain which also interconnects the functioning of the left and right hemisphere into a single whole. Although the film was made by a machine and shows primarily the machine, it is most telling of mankind as such. At the beginning, the spectator watches the camera images, however, the regular rhythm of image and sound provides space for reflection," said the jury about their decision.

Jurors:

Alice Růžičková / Filmaker, teacher, and projectionist (Czech Republic)

Jan Růžička/Entomologist (Czech Republic)

Vítek Růžička / Student (Czech Republic)

Kajetán Růžička (Czech Republic)

AUDIENCE AWARD

The Audience Award (awarded under the auspices of the general manager of Czech Television) was presented by Czech Television's programming director Martin Fridrich to Solar Eclipse (Czech Republic, 2011) by Martin Mareček.

CONTRIBUTION TO WORLD CINEMA AWARD

The Contribution to World Cinema Award went to Vittorio de Seta, one of the Italian cinema's great imaginative realists of the sixties.

Most beautiful 2011 festival poster

Toronto Hot Docs festival's poster from 2010 was chosen by the participants of the workshop Festival Identity.

Spectators' Prize for most beautiful 2011 festival poster

Brno 16 was selected by visitors for the prize of The Most Beautiful 2011 Festival Poster.

THE INDUSTRY PROGRAMME IN JIHLAVA ORGANIZED BY INSTITUTE OF DOCUMENTARY FILM


The awards to the documentaries presented in Jihlava by the Institute of Documentary Film were announced at the festival closing ceremony.

Silver Eye Award for the best documentary from Central and Eastern Europe finished in 2010 or 2011 was obtained by three out of 250 films from East Silver Market.

The winners are: the feature-length Solar Eclipse (Pod sluncem tma), Martin Mareček, Czech Republic 2011, the mid-length Crulic - the Path to Beyond (Crulic - Drumul spre dincolo), Anca Damian, Rumania, Poland 2011 and the short documentary I Will Forget This Day (Ya zabudu etot den), Alina Rudnitskaya, Russia 2011. All three of them are getting 1 500 Euro and the East Silver Caravan festival service - an assistance with the submission to prestigious documentary festivals and markets throughout the year.


Awards also go to unfinished documentaries. The IDFA Award and the submission to the Amsterdam pitching in November goes to Croatian - Rumanian project Gangster of Love. "It's real surprise. We didn't succeed ourselves getting to Amsterdam. And now we will be there anyway," said the director Nebojša Slijepčevič.


Golden Funnel Award for the best-developing project goes to Bells of Happiness from Marek Šulík and Jana Bučka, Slovak Republic. It's a story from a poor Roma settlement in Eastern Slovakia. Pregnant Mariena and her cousin remake a famous song from Czechoslovak pop stars Karel Gott and Dara Rolins. The two filmmakers will get a special service from the Institute of Documentary Film throughout the year.



Marek Hovorka / Festival Director / This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Katarina Holubcová / Executive Director / 774 101 655 / This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.



Festival Supported By:

Ministry of Culture Czech Republic

State Fund for Support and Development of Czech Cinematography

City of Jihlava

Media Programme

Vysočina Region

European Commission Representation in the Czech Republic

ROP South-East

Embassy of the USA

Embassy of Spain

Embassy of the Netherlands

The Royal Norwegian Embassy

Embassy of France

Embassy of Canada

Embassy of Portugal

Slovak Institute

Polish Institute

Czech Centres

"Support us" Partner:

Volksbank

Official Festival Car:

Chevrolet

Regional Partners:

Bosch

Kronospan

PSJ

Yashica

Media Partners:

Advojka

aktuálně.cz

Cinema

Cinepur

Film a doba

His voice

Plakát s.r.o

Rádio 1

Revolver Revue

Regional Media Partners:

Jihlavské listy

Deník Vysočina

Jihlavský expres

SNIP & CO

Foreign Media Partners:

Film New Europe

Kino Ikon

Kinečko

Partner of Inspiration Forum:

OKD Foundation

Main Media Partners:

Czech Television

Czech Radio

Lidove noviny

Respekt

Co-organizer of the Industry Section:

Institute of Documentary Film

Partner Project:

Doc Alliance Films

Festival Partners:

Gordic

Jihlavské terasy

Lobkowicz

Official Shipping Partner:

TNT Express

Official Airline Partner:

Brussels Airlines

Toner supplier

Tonera

Official suppliers:

Biofarma Sasov

Cinestar

Easytalk

elvia pro

exit 112

Hot AV servis

ICOM transport

Messenger

Model Obaly

M-soft

net-profi

Palet Pro

Porta Design

Skori

Svaz výrobců vlnitých lepenek

Vinárna Vinové

Media Co-operation:

25fps

H_aluza

kult.cz

Metropolis

Nový prostor

Sedmá generace

Xantypa


The juries for the 15th Black Nights Film Festival promise to bring debate and intensity to their careful scrutiny of competition films as they head to Tallinn, Estonia between 16th and 30th October 2011. Jury members include Sergei Loznitsa, the director of the hugely praised My Joy which won the Grand Prix at PÖFF 2010, and Oscar nominated filmmaker Juanita Wilson

The International Competition EurAsia Jury will award a Grand Prix and jury prizes for Best Director, Actor and Actress from a diverse and excellent selection of films from Europe and Asia., Sergei Loznitsa (Russia) - who has directed 11 documentaries and seen his feature debut “My Joy” premiered in the main competition at the Festival de Cannes and Juanita Wilson (Ireland) - whose first short film “The Door” was nominated for an Academy Award in 2010 and who has recently been named among Variety’s top ten directors to watch for in 2011 – will both be amongst those deciding on the Grand Prix winner. They will be joined by Karen Young (USA)– an actress who has appeared in over two dozen films and is a regular on the New York stage, appearing last year in actor/director Ethan Hawke's revival of Sam Shepard's “A Lie of the Mind”- and Peter Zeitlinger (Austria) who has been working with Werner Herzog since 1995 when he was the director of photography on Herzog's documentary Death For Five Voices. This has led to an intensive collaboration on films such as Grizzly Man, Encounters at the End of the World and Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans. The jury will be rounded off by Indu Shrikent (India), the festival director of Osian’s- Cinefan Film Festival of Asian and Arab Cinema, and a member of FIPRESCI and Peeter Urbla (Estonia), a producer, director and screenwriter whose most famous films are Ma pole turist, ma elan siin, Agent Sinikael”, Lilja 4-ever and Stiilipidu.

The Tridens Baltic Feature Film Competition will concentrate on the best films emanating from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Here the jury will consist of Dita Rietuma (Latvia), a member and founder of the FIPRESCI in Latvia, expert at the Cultural Foundation of Latvia and the Ministry of Culture and lecturer at Latvian University and the founder of film school Kinoskola; Xavier Garcia Puerto (Spain), the co-founder and Art Director of REC International Film Festival of Tarragona and Laufey Gudjónsdóttir (Iceland), currently a board member of Einar Jonsson's Museum, MEDIA in Iceland, International Women's Film Festival in Iceland, Icelandic Literature Fund and Nordisk Film & TV Fond.

The North American Independent Film Competition jury will consist of Gabor Greiner (Germany) a former acquisitions executive at international sales agent The Match Factory who now works at French-German sales company Films Boutique, Youngjoo SUH (South Korea) the founder of, Cineclick Asia in 2000 and producer of such films as Kim Ki-Duk’s 3 Iron and Peeter Rebane (Estonia) and entrepreneur, producer and film director. They will attempt to find North American films that have the best potential for distribution.

Other juries are the Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema (NETPAC) which will consist of Marjan Riahi (Iran), a member of various film and journalism organizations and the founder and manager of Short Film News the first news network on short films and documentaries in Iran and Asia, Brian Bennet (Thailand), the festival director of Bangkok’s largest short film festival 9FilmFest and Joonas Kiik (Estonia), a film aficionado who regularly writes about films on the Internet and in various Estonian newspapers and magazines from Eesti Ekspress to Kinoleht; the International Federation of Film Clubs which will be represented by Emelie Sundberg (Sweden), Bijan Sen Sarma (India) and Birgit Pajust (Estonia) and the International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI) which will be made up of by respected film critics Donald Tomberg (Estonia), Pamela Pianezza (France) and Katja Čičigoj (Slovenia)

The director of the Black Nights Film Festival Tiina Lokk said:

“It’s great to welcome our Grand Prix winner back to take a place on the jury alongside many other friends both old and new. We are sure that – despite their difficult tasks – they will have a great time watching a diverse range of excellent movies that the Black Nights Film Festival is famous for screening”

Full programme information about the Black Nights Film Festival will be released over the coming days.

PÖFF is part of the programme of the European Capital of Culture Tallinn 2011.