COLLECTIVE BY GERMAN-ROMANIAN DIRECTOR ALEXANDER NANAU SELECTED AS ROMANIA’S OSCAR® ENTRY FOR BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE
Press releases 15-10-2020Award-Winning Timely Documentary Highlights The Vital Role Of Journalism In The Fight Against Corruption at The Highest Levels of Government
Berlin, October 15, 2020 - The Romanian Film Centre/CNC Romania has selected Alexander Nanau’s critically acclaimed observational documentary COLLECTIVE as Romania’s official Oscar® entry for Best International Feature, the first time a Romanian documentary has been the country’s official submission.COLLECTIVE is sold internationally by Cinephil and will be released on November 20th in the USA by Magnolia Pictures and Participant and in the UK and Ireland by Dogwoof and Participant. On November 25th it will be in French Cinemas released by Sophie Dulac distribution. COLLECTIVE will be released in many other countries this fall including Israel, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Switzerland. The film is also currently available in 20 countries through HBO Europe.
COLLECTIVE had its world premiere in Venice last year, before having its North American premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. COLLECTIVE also screened at Sundance earlier this year, and was an official selection of New Directors/New Films, IDFA, True/False, CPH DOX, the San Francisco International Film Festival, Göteborg International Film Festival, Full Frame, and Hamptons International Film Festival, where it recently won Best Documentary Feature. The film will next screen in Germany at DOK Leipzig. At the end of November, it will be broadcast by Germany’s MDR.
COLLECTIVE is part of the European Film Awards Shortlist and can be voted for a nomination in the category European Documentary. The film also recently won Best International Documentary at It's All True Brazil, Best Documentary Conscience Competition at Docville Belgium, Best International Documentary at DocAviv Film Festival, Best International Documentary at Zürich Film Festival, and Best International Documentary at Luxemburg, among others.
Directed by Alexander Nanau (TOTO AND HIS SISTERS), COLLECTIVE follows a team of investigative journalists as they uncover shocking, widespread corruption. After a deadly nightclub fire, the mysterious death of the owner of a powerful pharmaceutical firm, and the quiet resignation of a health minister—seemingly unrelated events, all within weeks of each other—the team of intrepid reporters exposes a much larger, much more explosive political scandal. COLLECTIVE is a fast-paced, real-life thriller about truth, accountability, and the value of an independent press in partisan times.
“The hospital corruption and subsequent government cover up in COLLECTIVE took place in Romania,” said Nanau. “Yet this is not just a local story. There is a universality that is even more relevant post Covid. Government corruption is sadly all too familiar across the world and the need to safeguard social justice and press freedom feels more urgent than ever. These are freedoms that have been compromised lately around the world. There could not be a more important time to bring this film to an international audience.”
Directed and filmed by Alexander Nanau, COLLECTIVE is produced by Nanau and Bianca Oana, Bernard Michaux and Hanka Kastelicová. The film is an Alexander Nanau Production in co-production with Samsa Film Luxembourg and HBO Europe, with the support of Romanian Film Centre, Luxembourg Film Fund, and Sundance Documentary Fund, with the participation of Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk (MDR), Radio Télévision Suisse (RTS), RSI Radiotelevisione Svizzera, YES Docu and the support of the Sundance Documentary Fund. Executive producers are Antony Root and Philippa Kowarsky.
Watch the Trailer for Collective
BUCHAREST: Romanian directors Anton and Damian Groves are developing their debut feature King Wray, which will use an innovative animation technique. The project received the CEE Animation Workshop Award at the October 2020 CEE Animation Forum, where it was looking for international coproducers and financing.
BRATISLAVA: Slovak director/writer/producer Marko Škop’s critically lauded film film Let There be Light / Nech je svetlo will be shown as part of the Slovak Film Week, which is scheduled for 20 – 26 October 2020.
From the butt in the backyard to the passion of the wastepaper collector – Short Film and U18 Youth Film Competition of the 30th FFC
Festivals 15-10-2020The 30th FilmFestival Cottbus will take place from November 3 to 8, 2020 in Cottbus and five other locations in the region as well as online from November 3 to 21 nationwide.
PRAGUE: Nine documentaries that cover the breadth of the CEE region will screen in the Between the Seas competition of the online edition of the 24th Ji.hlava IDFF, which runs 27 October – 8 November 2020.
WARSAW: The New Horizons IFF and the American Film Festival have announced that they will be held online 5 – 15 November 2020. The festival will hold a few symbolic screenings in cinemas.
PRAGUE: CEE Animation has opened a call for filmmakers from low capacity film countries for its CEE Animation Workshop, a year-long project to take place online.
Carlo S. Hintermann's film will open the 36th edition of the Polish festival, which will wrap on 18 October, 2020.
The Book of Vision
Counting Terrence Malick among its executive producers, the film premiered at the Venice Film Festival. "Terry really understands that when you want to do something new, you really need support. He received this support from Arthur Penn, Irvin Kerschner and then he helped Andrew Dominik, Jeff Nichols and many others. Through the years, I had a chance of establishing a nice relationship with him, I worked on The Tree of Life, and when I decided to make this film he was supportive as well. He is very brave, as a director and as a producer" – Carlo S. Hintermann said in the interview for the festival website.
“Initially, our biggest fear was that there would be no films to screen. They weren’t shot during the lockdown, but surprisingly, we received almost 3,000 submissions from 96 countries,” festival director Stefan Laudyn explained to Cineuropa when talking about the programme, which includes 105 features and 68 shorts from 56 countries.
“I am particularly happy with its geographical and cultural diversity,” he said. “We have a strong programme from Eastern Europe, Asia and Latin America, and there are a number of interesting debuts, but also some remarkable returns: new films by Alexei Uchitel, Martin Šulík, Petr Zelenka, Adilkhan Yerzhanov, Bogdan George Apetri and Uberto Pasolini. Most of them we expect to come to Warsaw in person.”
The 36th edition of the festival, held in Warsaw while respecting the Covid-19 regulations, will wrap on October 18.
The Riga International Film Festival Invites Industry Professionals to Gather Online for the Upcoming Edition of RIGA IFF FORUM
Festivals 09-10-2020
The seventh Riga International Film Festival (RIGA IFF) will take place from October 15–25. Most festival films will be screened both in theaters and online simultaneously, but in response to the ongoing global health crisis, all RIGA IFF FORUM industry events will be held completely online. This decision has opened up a great opportunity – everyone, regardless of their location, will be able to join in and meet other film professionals.
Dear friends,
As a result of measures introduced by the government of the Czech Republic yesterday – which include complete closure of cinemas in the country – we were forced to move the 24th Ji.hlava IDFF to a fully online edition.
Both the film selection and the rich festival’s industry programme will be presented next week, as planned. Please find our official statement below:
Ji.hlava is moving to digital asylum. We have always preferred the festival to happen physically as we draw our inspiration primarily from screenings in cinema halls, discussions and personal meetings. However, the situation has changed and we respect that. Therefore, we want to see the currently closed cinemas in the Czech Republic as an opportunity and a challenge. This year again, we will treat you to a full-fledged festival programme as well as the tenth edition of the Inspiration Forum, sharing all the events online, in a surprising and engaging form. Join us in this endeavor!
Thank you for your support and trust!
