VALLETTA: The first edition of Summer Cinema, a film caravan around Malta and Gozo organised by the Film Grain Foundation, will start on 2 August 2019. Five classic films including Kolya directed by Jan Sverak (produced by Biograf Jan Sverak) will be screened in open-air every Friday until 6 September 2019.
PAPHOS: Hollywood producers who visited Paphos recently declared to be interested in the possibility of a film studio being built in this city of Cyprus.
East Silver Caravan titles My Unknown Soldier (by Anna Kryvenko), Home Games (by Alisa Kovalenko), How Big Is the Galaxy? (by Ksenia Elyan), My Father Is My Mother's Brother (by Vadym Ilkov) and King Skate (by Šimon Šafránek) have been successfully screened at various international film festivals recently.
Click HERE the read the full story.
The Lithuanian Film Week, the most extensive presentation project of Lithuanian cinema in Poland over the last few years, kicked off Friday night in Warsaw’s Iluzjon cinema. The occasion crowns the year-long series of events celebrating Lithuanian cinema and the centenary of Lithuanian statehood. The opening of the Lithuanian Film Week invited members of Poland’s cultural community, film lovers and representatives of foreign diplomatic missions residing in Warsaw to see Mindaugas Survila’s celebrated documentary The Ancient Woods. The guests were greeted by the Lithuanian Minister of Culture Liana Ruokytė-Jonsson.
“The Lithuanian Film Week has enriched the cultural exchange between our countries celebrating centenaries of their statehood restoration. This anniversary gave us a good sense that we share not just historical, but also very strong cultural ties. I am sincerely happy about this continuous and developing partnership between Lithuanian and Polish filmmakers and film industries, about active cooperation with Wajda School, about the restoration of Lithuanian film classics with the help of Polish specialists,” Minister Ruokytė-Jonsson said.
The week-long retrospective of over thirty Lithuanian films is a result of strategic cooperation of the Lithuanian Film Centre, Embassy of Lithuania in Poland and the Polish National Film Archive – Audiovisual Institute (FINA). The programme is curated by the film critic Sonata Žalneravičiūtė whose selection spans six decades, between 1959 and today. The film programme is accompanied by a special publication in Polish.
The programme focuses on classic fiction films and documentaries, animation for children and adults as well as internationally acclaimed titles of more recent vintage, including a number of Lithuanian-Polish co-productions: Šarūnas Bartas’ Frost, Eglė Vertelytė’s Miracle, Andrius Blaževičius’ The Saint, Kristijonas Vildžiūnas’ Back to Your Arms, etc.
Rasa Rimickaitė, Cultural Attaché of Lithuania in Poland, says: “We are able to present great Lithuanian films thanks to successful cooperation between the Lithuanian Film Centre and the Polish National Film Archive. After the Lithuanian Film Week in Warsaw, we are taking Lithuanian cinema to other cities across Poland, since many cultural institutions have already expressed their enthusiasm to show Lithuanian films in their respective cities.”
Polish audiences will also meet guests from Lithuania: filmmakers Arūnas Matelis and Mindaugas Survila, the programme’s curator Sonata Žalneravičiūtė, the actor Andrius Bialobžeskis, the screenwriter Teklė Kavtaradzė. Each of them will speak about various movements and periods in Lithuanian cinema.
The Lithuanian Film Week is a continuous project launched in 2015 and aimed at bringing closer Lithuanian and Polish film industries. It has fostered film and talent exchanges in film festivals of Krakow, Wroclaw, Gdynia and Warsaw.
THE LITHUANIAN FILM WEEK PROGRAMME
2018 11 23–29, Cinema Iluzjon, Warsaw
Classic documentary films
Time Passes Through the City („Laikas eina per miestą“), dir. Almantas Grikevičius, 1966
The Dreams of Centenarians („Šimtamečių godos“), dir. Robertas Verba, 1969
A Trip Across Misty Meadows („Kelionė ūkų lankomis“), dir. Henrikas Šablevičius, 1973
No Foe Can Scare Us („Mums nebaisūs jokie priešai“), dir. Edmundas Zubavičius, 1978
Baltic Way („Baltijos kelias“), dir. Audrius Stonys, Arūnas Matelis, 1990
Earth of the Blind („Neregių žemė“), dir. Audrius Stonys, 1992
Classic feature films
Adam Wants to Be a Man („Adomas nori būti žmogumi“), dir. Vytautas Žalakevičius, 1959
Nobody Wanted to Die („Niekas nenorėjo mirti“), dir. Vytautas Žalakevičius, 1966
Feelings („Jausmai“), dir. Algirdas Dausa, Almantas Grikevičius, 1968
The Beauty („Gražuolė“), dir. Arūnas Žebriūnas, 1969
Flight Over the Atlantic („Skrydis per Atlantą“), dir. Raimondas Vabalas, 1983
Children from the Hotel “America” („Vaikai iš „Amerikos“ viešbučio“), dir. Raimundas Banionis, 1990
New documentary films
The Ancient Woods („Sengirė“), dir. Mindaugas Survila, 2017 | Opening film
What We Leave Behind („Močiute, Guten Tag!“), dir. Jūratė Samulionytė, Vilma Samulionytė, 2017
Wonderful Losers: A Different World („Nuostabieji lūzeriai. Kita planeta“), dir. Arūnas Matelis, 2017
New short documentary films
The River („Upė“), dir. Rimantas Gruodis, Julija Gruodienė, 2009
I Am Not from Here („Aš čia tik svečias“), dir. Giedrė Žickytė, Maite Alberdi, 2016
Dead Ears („Šaltos ausys“), dir. Linas Mikuta, 2016
New feature films
Back to Your Arms („Kai apkabinsiu tave“), dir. Kristijonas Vildžiūnas, 2010
Vanishing Waves („Aurora“), dir. Kristina Buožytė, 2012
Together For Ever („Amžinai kartu“), dir. Lina Lužytė, 2016
The Saint („Šventasis“), dir. Andrius Blaževičius, 2016
Miracle („Stebuklas“), dir. Eglė Vertelytė, 2017
Frost („Šerkšnas“), dir. Šarūnas Bartas, 2017
Animated films for children
Laima Determines the Destiny („Taip Laima lėmė“), dir. Jūratė Leikaitė-Aškinienė, 2011
Woods („Miškas“), dir. Ignas Meilūnas, 2015
Running Lights („Kaukai“), dir. Gediminas Šiaulys, 2017
The Goat Luck – Bad Luck („Ne ožkoje laimė“), dir. Ilja Bereznickas, 2017
Last Stop Is the Moon („Paskutinė stotelė – Mėnulis“), dir. Birutė Sodeikaitė, 2017
Animated films for adults
Grandpa and Grandma („Gyveno senelis ir bobutė“), dir. Giedrė Beinoriūtė, 2007
Independence Day („Nepriklausomybės diena“), dir. Urtė Budinaitė, 2012
Non-Euclidean Geometry („Neeuklidinė geometrija“), dir. Skirmanta Jakaitė, Solveiga Masteikaitė, 2013
The Rap of Lithuanian History („Lietuvos istorijos repas“) / Šventinis bankuchenas, dir. Aistė Papartytė, Andrius Alčiauskas, Lukas Šidlauskas, 2016
Ragnarok („Nuopuolis“), dir. Urtė Oettinger, Johan Oettinger, 2016
Shine („Šviesa“), dir. Gediminas Šiaulys, 2018
Jornadas de cine eslovaco (Slovak Film Days) kicking off on Tuesday, November 6 in Havana, will introduce a selection of five successful Slovak films of the past three years, as well as one archive title from the collection of Slovak National Film Archive to Cuban audience.
The showcase will open with nationally and internationally acclaimed thriller The Line, followed by tragicomic road movie Stanko.
Both the films deal with the issues related to borders and reasons to cross them.
The 67th Berlin IFF success Little Harbour(Crystal Bear Award), film inspired by true events about two children, will be introduced by producer Katarína Krnáčová. Coming-of-age drama Filthywill open the theme of sexual abuse and dealing with feelings of guilt, shame and fear.
The weekend programme of the showcase will introduce digitally restored feature animation The Bloody Lady from the collection of National Film Archive of Slovak Film Institute. The Closing Film of Jornadas de cine eslovaco is road movie Out, a man´s odyssey across Eastern Europe full of strangely absurd events that will be introduced to Cuban audiences by the director György Kristóf himself.
The showcase will be held from November 6 to 11, 2018 in Multicine Infanta, Havana, Cuba. All films will be screened in Slovak with Spanish subtitles.
Jornadas de cine eslovaco is organised by Slovak Film Institute on behalf of the Ministry of Culture of the Slovak Republic, in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Cuba, Slovak Embassy in Havana, Embassy of the Republic of Cuba in Slovak Republic, and Instituto Cubano del Arte e Industria Cinematográficos (ICAIC).
Database of upcoming Slovak Films
For more information on Slovak Films, please visit our websitehttp://www.aic.sk/aic/en
MOTOVUN: A White, White Day by Hlynur Pálmason was awarded the Propeller of Motovun at the 22nd Motovun Film Festival, while God Exists, Her Name Is Petrunya by the Macedonian director Teona Strugar Mitevska received the FIPRESCI Jury Award.
BUCHAREST: At its 14th edition the Anim’est International Animation Film Festival will launch for a first time in Romania a competition for VR animated films. The festival will be held this year from 4 to 13 October.
For its 20th anniversary edition on 8-9 November, East-West co-production market connecting cottbus (coco) has assembled a diverse range of networking events and discussions on current buzz topics of today’s production landscape.
Aside from offering industry participants the chance to discover exciting new projects and discuss possible partnerships, coco’s framework programme gives insights into current trends and challenges in film financing, production and distribution, etc.
Sessions at coco will explore topics like the industry’s latest stir (or fright) blockchain. Erwin M. Schmidt, co-founder of the Propellor FilmTech Hub and the Berlin-based FilmTech Office, will bring hands-on information on potential applications of blockchain in media. Influencer marketing is another currently hyped audience engagement tool. Philipp Greulich, Head of Business Development at Polish-run marketing platform indaHash, will talk about how to reach out to potential viewers in an authentic way. Mathias Noschis of UK marketing agency Alphapanda, specialised in digital PR campaigns for independent and Hollywood films, will reflect on possible marketing strategies of two current cocoPITCH projects, while providing general pointers on the viral promotion of arthouse films.
Last but not least, we are happy to welcome back consultant, development and financing expert Linda Beath, for a lecture presented in collaboration with the international training network EAVE. Linda will discuss how to survive as a small indie production company in today’s competitive market, based on her study for Creative Europe MEDIA.
This year’s project representatives will join industry experts in our prep day cocoLAB, to strengthen their presentations. For 2018, coco has implemented a new connectingPOINT, a networking event for coco participants and filmmakers from the parallel running FilmFestival Cottbus. The 20th anniversary Focus coco panel will look at the progress and success of coco alumni projects, some of which are screening in the festival, or even made it onto the entry list of the Academy Awards.
This year’s edition of connecting cottbus takes place on 8-9 November 2018.
connecting cottbus is funded by Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, Creative Europe MEDIA, MDM Mitteldeutsche Medienförderung and The State Chancellery of Land Brandenburg.
The shooting of the feature Half-Sister by the director Damjan Kozole begins
Press releases 29-10-2018On Saturday, 27 October, the director Damjan Kozole began shooting his new feature film Half-Sister in Ljubljana. The screenplay, written by Kozole, Urša Menart and Ognjen Sviličić, focuses on two estranged half-sisters from Izola, whom the circumstances force to live together in a small apartment in Ljubljana. Starring Urša Menart and Liza Marija Grašič, and featuring Peter Musevski, Jurij Drevenšek, Damjana Černe, Anja Novak, the Macedonian actress Labina Mitevska (Before the Rain) and others.
The director Damjan Kozole had the following to say about his new project: "This is a film about people who do not know how to communicate. It is a critical but simultaneously an understanding outlook on life, characterised by family patterns, uncertain feelings, chauvinism, feelings of existential loss, lack of adherence, and, last but not least, feelings of guilt because of actions that we have not committed ourselves. I see Half-Sister as a film of emotional tensions on the one hand, while on the other hand it is full of dramatic spontaneity and moments of human folly, humour, and fortune. We live in dangerous times in which lunatics and psychopaths prosper – and therefore all that we have left is compassion. And humour."
The film crew mostly consists of Kozole's proven associates: director of photography Miladin Čolaković from Belgrade (Night Life), production designer Neža Zinajić, costumes designer Katja Hrobat, makeup designer Mojca Gorogranc Petrushevska, assistant director Irena Gatej, editor Jurij Moškon, production manager Mitja Kozamernik, and producer Danijel Hočevar for the Vertigo production house.
The plan is to shoot the film in 32 days, of which ten days or nights of shooting will take place in Izola, and the rest will be completed in Ljubljana. Half-Sister is a Slovenian-Macedonian-Serbian-Croatian co-production: apart from Vertigo from Ljubljana, the project involves the following minority co-producers: RTV Slovenija, Sisters and Brother Mitevski from Macedonia, Film House Baš Čelik from Serbia, and Propeller Film from Croatia. The film was co-financed by the Slovenian Film Centre, Film Centre Serbia, and the Macedonian Film Agency, while Viba Film Studio participates in the production as well.
During development and financing, the script Half-Sister received the REACT Award (in the context of the WEMW co-production market in Trieste) and the Eurimages Co-Production Development Award at CineLink in the context of the Sarajevo Film Festival. The film was also supported by the MEDIA sub-programme of Creative Europe and the Slovenian Film Centre.
Damjan Kozole is one of the most famous Slovenian directors. His films include box-office hits (Stereotype, Porno Film) that have simultaneously received numerous awards and nominations: Spare Parts premiered in the competition programme of the 2003 Berlin Festival, while Sight and Sound and the British Film Institute have ranked it among ten most important films of the new Europe. The film has also received many awards, among others the Jury Award at the Sarajevo Festival and the Vesna Award for Best Film at the Festival of Slovenian Film. The film Slovenian Girl was screened at the film festivals in Toronto as well as at more than a hundred other film festivals. It has also been purchased for screening in thirty countries and is the first Slovenian film that Netflix has included in its collection. Kozole's last feature, the 2016 film Night Life, received the Crystal Globe for Best Direction at the festival in Karlovy Vary and the Vesna Award for Best Direction at the Festival of Slovenian Film. Damjan Kozole is also the author of numerous award-winning documentaries (Borders, The Long Vacation, Project Cancer, etc.).
International Conference | 15-17 November 2019 | CINETic, Bucharest
Elephants were replaced from Circus shows by holographic images and we are all very happy about it, hoping that soon this will also happen in zoos. Telepresence, plays written by AI, dancing with robots, digital sets have become a daily part in performing arts.
How will the performing arts of the future look like? Will it be a globalized AI controlled world, where avatars of faraway people interact? Will it be performed by cyborgs in virtual sets controlled by the biofeedback of the spectator? Will it be the live development of genetically modified organisms specially designed to blossom and die in front of cheering crowds? How far can we go to express ourselves, how far can we go to get more attention to our work? By technologically augmenting performance and performers do we get closer to our full potential or further from ourselves?
We invite you to submit papers for the international interdisciplinary conference Augmenting Performance held at the International Center for Research and Education in Innovative Creative Technologies – CINETic, in Bucharest, 15-17 November 2019.
The conference is focused on research, development and practices on augmenting artistic performance through interdisciplinary art-technology-science approaches.
We look forward to papers on Human Computer Interaction, Wearable Tech and use of Biosensors, Data Visualization and Sonification, Robotics, Mobile Augmentations, Scripting Interactive Environments, Sound and Music Interaction, Motion Tracking and Gaming Practice used to augment Performing Arts Practices. Papers on interdisciplinary fields like film, animation, VR, theatre, video-gaming or specialized fields of technology will be accepted if they are highly consistent and relevant to the general subject. Projects developed through research and presentations of research results will be highly valued.
We look forward to receive papers of original, provoking work and research.
One section of the conference will be dedicated to presentations of innovative art practice and one section to research papers.
SELECTION PROCESS:
Send an abstract of 1000 words and a biography of 100 words in pdf at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
For case presentations of artistic work, please include 2 images or a video.
Deadline for abstract: 6 September 2019.
Deadline for submitting final papers: 10 October 2019.
All accepted papers will be presented in the conference. Final papers will be put up for peer review with the possibility of them being subsequently published in a volume.
Foreign students and artists will be offered 2 grants covering all expenses for 5 days which will include participation in the conference and visiting the CINETic center and UNATC (travel, housing, food).
Upon request, up to 30 Ph.D. and master students, whose work is accepted, will be hosted in the UNATC student dormitory for the duration of the Conference.
