Between 14 and 20 October, Sibiu International Film Festival will screen 20 movies that relate to Romania either by subject or their author: 13 documentaries are in the running for an award in the Romania and DocSchool competitive sections, four films will be shown in thematic programs and in the Astra Film Junior section, and three films are to be shown in special screenings. 

The films that compete in the Romania section cover both intimate, small-scale history, as well as the big History with a capital H. The issues they deal with are some of the most difficult confronting Romanian society and bring about a deeper understanding of the country’s destiny, from its founding in 1918 to the dark years of the Communist dictatorship and later developments like migration or corruption, which have constantly grown in the 30 years since the Romanian Revolution.

Fata de aur (The Golden Girl), directed by Denisa Morariu Tamaş and Adrian Robe, explores a dramatic incident in the history of Romanian sports: the events at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, when gymnast Andreea Răducan was stripped of her gold medal, and her subsequent fight with the people who had betrayed her in the quest to recover her medal and restore her dignity. Pastures New (by Anne Schiltz and Charlotte Grégoire) is about emigration abroad and homesickness as experienced by the people of the Sibiu county village of Mălâncrav. Casa cu lacăt (The House with a Lock), directed by Diana Gavra, is an exploration of corruption, a plague that has taken deep roots in the minds and daily lives of Romanians. Also, the documentary Teach, directed by Alex Brendea, developed in the Romanian Docs in Progress program of AFF 2016, will have its worldwide premiere at this years’ edition of the festival.

30 years after the fall of Communism, Dobrivoie Kerpenisan’s Rebel With A Cause spotlights the unsung heroes of 1989’s Romanian Revolution. Omul care a vrut să fie liber (The Man Who Would Be Free), by Mihai Mincan and George Chiper-Lillemark tells the story of a rebellious young man who decided that he would live free under Communism, in a country plagued by poverty and terror. Dragoș Zămosteanu’s Grup canal ’77 (Group Canal ’77) narrates the story of five young anti-Communists, followers of the Goma Movement, sent to a labor camp for trying to escape the Communist “paradise”. Palace for the People, by Boris Missirkov and Georgi Bogdanov, is a collection of four mini-documentaries that evoke the opulence, grandeur, and sense of oppression seen in Romanian, Bulgarian, Serb, and Russian architecture. Dragoș Turea’s Grădina Sovietică (The Soviet Garden) unveils the truth about the secret nuclear experiments in Moldova’s agriculture from the ’60s to the present time.

Distanța dintre mine și mine (The Distance Between Me and Me), a film by Mona Nicoară and Dana Bunescu, is an ambitious documentary centered on a conversation between author Nina Cassian’s personal recollections and Communist-era archival material. Jurnalul familiei –escu (Being Romanian: A Family Journal) is director Șerban Georgescu’s attempt at connecting life’s small events to history’s great events the nation has witnessed in the 100 years since the Great Union. 

The DocSchool competition also features two films set in Romanian life: La căpșuni (Strawberry Fields), by Priscilla Rasyid and Simon Frey, a Cineimpact Film Academy production, and Angor Pectoris (Sophie Dascal), the recipient of an award at Visions du Réel 2019. 

Other Romanian features are Videograme dintr-o Revoluție (Videograms of a Revolution), a joint feature by Andrei Ujică and Harun Farocki, threads back together the events of 19-25 December 1989 using archival footage and will be screened in the thematic program Videograms - Romania 1989, while Monica Lăzurean-Gorgan’s Oamenii dreptății (People of Justice) reveals the human faces of the Romanian judiciary through a series of portraits of young law professionals. The movie will be screened both as part of the thematic program The Judiciary Examined and in Astra Film Junior, together with Sibiu 1989, by Octavian Repede, and Alexandra Coca-Cozma’s George. 

The Romanian film roster also includes three special screenings: Touch Me Not (directed by Adina Pintilie), Leontina Vătămanu’s Siberia din Oase (Siberia in My Bones) and Între Chin și Amin (Between Torment and Redemption), directed by Toma Enache. Siberia in My Bones, which recounts the horrors thousands of Moldovans met under Stalin’s regime, and the latter movie, thought to be the first fiction feature about the Pitești Phenomenon, will both premiere at Sibiu. After winning the Golden Bear award at 2018’s Berlinale and having been selected at more than 150 major film festivals, Touch Me Not will have a special screening at this year’s AFF. The film will be followed by an educational debate titled “Politics of the Body”, which will give the audience the opportunity to talk to the actors and director Adina Pintilie, for a transformative experience focused on Sibiu’s communities of the disabled that have been invited to be a part of the event. 

Astra Film Festival Sibiu is held under the High Patronage of the President of Romania.

Astra Film Festival 2019 is organized by Astra Film, CNM Astra and Astra Film Foundation, with the support of the Sibiu County Council, the Ministry of Culture and National Identity, and the Romanian Film Center. The Festival is co-financed by the Sibiu Local Council through Sibiu City Hall.

Thirty years have passed since the Fall of the Iron Curtain. This is a good opportunity to question, through some  lmmakers’ point of view, the ways in which profound changes have taken place since 1989 in Hungarian, Polish, Slovak and Czech societies.Thirty years have passed since the Fall of the Iron Curtain. This is a good opportunity to question, through some  lmmakers’ point of view, the ways in which profound changes have taken place since 1989 in Hungarian, Polish, Slovak and Czech societies.The event will o er a series of screenings and debates in the presence of many guests with diverse backgrounds and will take place from October 18th to October 20th 2019 in di erent venues in Paris. This program is a unique opportunity to discover talented and multi-award-winning artists, as well as the newest  lmmaking trends in Central Europe. With the support of Visegrad International Fund and the Paris City Hall - Label Paris Europe.

PROGRAM:

October 18th from 3pm to 6pm - House of Europe (29, avenue de Villiers, 75017 Paris)

Debates: Cinema as a cultural challenge in uni ed Europe

With the presence of: Andor F. Dávid (General Director of the Visegrad International Fund), Julien Ezanno (Department of European and International A airs of the CNC), Szabolcs Hajdu (Filmmaker, Hungary), Markéta Hodouskova (Creative Europe Expert and Czech-In Festival), Catherine Horel (Historian, CNRS), Isabella Kiszka-Ho ik (International Sales, former director of PISF, Poland), Jana Kluková (Producer, Slovakia), Sophie Mirouze (La Rochelle Film Festival and Weekend of East) and Ariel Schweitzer (critic in the Cahiers du cinéma).

Film Screenings:

October 18th at 7pm - Auditorium of the Cityof Paris (5, quai de l'Hôtel de ville, 75004 Paris) Film: Rabbit à la Berlin / Królik po berlińsku, director Bartosz Konopka, Poland,52 minutes, 2009— Screening followed by a cocktail

October 19th at 7pm - Hungarian Institute of Paris (92, rue Bonaparte, 75006 Paris)Film: It’s not the time of my life / Ernelláék Farkaséknál, director Szabolcs Hajdu, Hungary, 81 minutes, 2016— Screening followed by a meeting with the director and a cocktail

October 20th at 4pm - Cinéma Les 3 Luxembourg (67 Rue Monsieur le Prince, 75006 Paris)Film: When the war comes / Až přijde válka, director Jan Gebert, Czech Republic,76 minutes, 2018

October 20th at 6:30pm - Czech Center of Paris (18, rue Bonaparte, 75006 Paris)Film: Cooking History / Ako sa varia dejiny, Director Péter Kerekes, Slovakia, 88 minutes, 2009 — Screening followed by a cocktail

More information: http://kino-visegrad.fr/

The ninth edition of the US in Progress co-production forum will be held from the 6th-8th of November 2019, as a part of the 10th anniversary edition of the American Film Festival in Wrocław (November 5th-11th).

The event aims to facilitate professional networking among European and Polish film professionals and independent filmmakers from the United States. It is held twice yearly (June edition takes place in Paris during Champs-Elysees Film Festival). Invite-only screenings will feature six projects selected from numerous submissions of independent American feature-length films in the final editing stages. 

Congratulations to the 2019 US in Progress Wrocław participants:

• Aleph by Iva Radivojevic 

• In a Silent Way by Collin Levin

• My Heart Can’t Beat Unless You Tell It To by Jonathan Cuartas

• The Unknown Country by Morissa Maltz

• Tiger Style! by Cory Santilli

• Time Now by Spencer King

The directors and/or producers will attend the presentations as well as one-on-one meetings with top European festival programmers and buyers (Cannes, Tribeca, Venice, Berlinale, Bankside Films, Film Republic, WTFilms, among others). 

The 2019 US in Progress Wrocław partners provide in-kind awards of post-production service packages of combined value amounting to $50,000. They are leading Polish sound and image studios:

• Orka (http://www.orkafilm.pl/about/)
• Coloroffon (http://coloroffonfilm.pl/index.php/o-nas/)
• Fixafilm (http://www.fixafilm.pl/en/)

• a score composed by Maciej Zielinski from Soundflower Studio (http://www.polishcomposer.com/

• Platige Image (https://www.platige.com)   

Other awards include an acquisition offer from Ale Kino + and a free pass to Cannes Producers' Network next year and a round trip ticket up to the cost of $1000 USD for post-production in Poland.

The screenings will be complemented by Polish-American co-production meetings, a networking opportunity for Polish producers seeking partners from the US and US producers willing to work in/with Poland. Our event will consist of presentations of Polish production incentives, a scouting trip in Lower Silesia and panel talks about transatlantic collaboration. Guest speakers will include: Andrew Hevia (Moonlight, Leave the Bus Through the Broken Window) and Jay Van Hoy (American Honey, The Witch, The Lighthouse). 

Number of selected Polish producers and filmmakers attending will pitch their ideas to the US producers. Other local professionals are invited to network and learn more about the differences in European and American film production systems.   

This year, for the sixth instalment of the Riga International Film Festival all industry events will be gathered under the name RIGA IFF FORUM. By taking a look into the festivals guest list, one can feel captivated – FORUM will welcome board members of the European Film Academy, Baltic animation industry experts, and virtual reality enthusiasts. It will serve as a platform for foreign guests of the festival and Latvian film professionals to meet and exchange their experiences and ideas.

It's time! After today's press conference at Kinoteka, we are happy to share the list of titles which will battle it out in this year's International Competition and Competition 1-2 of first and second films. As well as some other surprises including the special participation of Gérard Depardieu and the last King of the Belgians, or should we say the first Emperor of Europe?

As the press accreditation for the 23rd  Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival and the affiliated audiovisual industry platform Industry@Tallinn & Baltic Event is already underway we thought we might offer you some insight into the programme of 2019. Please note that a big part of the programme is still to be confirmed so this is a very early overview. You can follow our Pro newsletter and press releases at the bottom of this letter to stay updated.

We can offer foreign press a limited amount of rooms in our hotels and provide transport, but these will not last forever...

23rd Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival | 15 Nov - 1 Dec 2019

As one of the leading film festivals in Northern Europe and the only FIAPF-accredited competitive feature film festival in the region, Black Nights aka PÖFF strives to present our audiences and international guests a comprehensive selection of world cinema in its cultural, geographic and genre diversity, with a special emphasis on discoveries from countries that are comparatively lesser highlighted on the global film markets, mixing them with this year’s highlights from the global festival circuit.

FESTIVAL FACTS

• 1200 international filmmakers, industry professionals and journalists from more than 60 different countries;
• 80000 attendances;
• The festival, along with the two sub-festivals screens approximately 250 feature-length films  and over 250 short films and animations;
• over 50 world and international premieres;
• over 150 journalists in 2018;
• potential global media reach of over 1.5 billion people.

WATCH THE FESTIVAL TEASER

The main programme of the festival will be announced throughout October and November, with the full programme being announced at the press conference taking place on the 6th of November. The programme of the main festival includes the following:

• Official Selection - the major international competition of the festival screening films from all over the world having their world, international or European premieres. Runs from the 21st until the 29th of November;
• First Feature Competition - the international competition for up and coming directors presenting the world or international premiere of their first feature film. Runs from the 21st until the 29th of November. 
• Rebels With A Cause, an international competition showcasing the experimental film-making and bold artistic statements from all over the world, pushing the boundaries of the art of film
• Baltic Film Competition screening the year’s finest films made in the three Baltic countries.
• The festival has several non-competitive programmes, combining a selection of recent highlights of world cinema, including thematic sections for documentaries, genre films, sports and fashion/ urban culture, etc.
• Focus region: Arabia. Every year the festival puts a country or a region in a special spotlight. 2019 will see 15 feature films covering the last 10 years from the Arab filmmakers’ production (Inside of the Arab countries and the diaspora), screening films from Egypt, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Lebanon, Palestine, Jordan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, UAE.

You've probably never heard of a place called Narva or Kohtla-Järve. That's ok, they haven't heard of you either. But these two wonderful towns in Eastern Estonia are the place where we will launch a new side-festival of Black Nights called KinoFF this year! As the majority of the population of this region in Estonia are Russian, the festival will have a focus on Russian-language cinema, screening selected films from the main programme of the festival. We are organising a tour for foreign journalists in the area on the 22nd of November to visit the area and attend the opening of KinoFF in Kohtla-Järve.

Both of the towns have been a source of some controversy in the past years. Narva, literally on the border of Estonia/ the European Union and Russia, was swarmed with the international press a few years ago as it was speculated that this will be the next Donbas (Ukraine), where Russia will test NATO's unity and organise a hybrid war of some kind. Among the places of interest is the massive czarist era factory called Kreenholm, the biggest clothing manufactury back in the czarist empire.

Kohtla-Järve, on the other hand, is the centre of Estonia's oil shale mining - the country's chief source of energy and a dirty energetic secret for Estonia's reputation, allegedly one of the cleanest countries in Europe. The area is covered with enormous areas of artificial landscapes, equally awe-inspiring and scary examples of Anthropocene.

READ MORE

Black Nights film festival has two sub-festivals that are taking place concurrently with the main festival, exploring the many faces of cinema.

PÖFF Shorts | 19-27 Nov, 2019
PÖFF Shorts is the festival section showcasing short films and animations. With four competition programme and exciting specials, a growing number of international guests and a short film market - this is a festival ideal for someone looking for inspiring creative bursts (and has a short attention span). 

Visit HOMEPAGE!

Youth and children's film festival Just Film | 15 Nov - 1 Dec, 2019

A mirror reflection of the main festival with a focus on the younger audiences, Just Film has it all: an international competition programme, juries of all ages and a workshop for youngsters teaching them how to become a future startup founder.

Visit HOMEPAGE!

Audiovisual industry summit Industry@Tallinn & Baltic Event - 25-29 Nov 2019

A vital part of any A-category film event, I@T &; BE is an evergrowing platform of the audiovisual industry with a co-production market, project showcase, the European Film Forum conference, TV drama industry, talent labs, young actors showcase, film music mentorship sessions and much more.

One of the highlights is the European Film Forum Tallinn conference on the 27th of November, held for the fourth time in Tallinn in cooperation with the European Commission.

VISIT HOMEPAGE

We would like to invite you to attend the festival and its side-evens this November, offering a limited number of travel and accommodation packages for the journalists and social media content producers. You can find our contacts at the bottom of this newsletter to discuss this further.

If you want to stay in the loop and find out more, we invite you to join our mailing lists for press and for the audiovisual industry professionals. Just click on the button below to subscribe! 

CLICK HERE TO JOINT OUR PRESS LIST

CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE PRO NEWSLETTER

 

Investment and Development Agency of Latvia (LIAA) is pleased to invite you to the

Magnetic Latvia Film Conference taking place on 18–19 October 2019, in Riga.

During the first day of the Conference, dedicated to film market development in Northern Europe, speakers will address the challenges and factors, which relatively small countries should consider for international marketing, entering major global markets and highlighting the value of local production on the global arena.

On the second day of the Conference, we invite our guests to make a fabulous experience and enduring memories on locations tour

Program: http://rigafilmforum.lv/program/

Join: https://rigaiff.filmchief.com/request-accreditation/mlfc-2019

 

From   15   to   24   September,   we   will   meet   again   for   the   14th   edition   of   Film   Spring   Open   in   Cracow's     Przegorzały.   As   in   previous   years,   the   workshop   days   will   surely   be   a   very   intense   unexceptional   time,   which   will     probably   result   in   little   sleep.   Among   us,   there   are   no   viewers   -­‐‐   we   are   all   creators.   Our   festival   is   about   making     films   and   projects.   About   learning   from   the   best   and   meeting   future   creative   partners.   This   year   over   60     remarkable   technology   companies   will   support   us   with   equipment   worth   over   PLN   12.5   million.   Film   Spring   Open     2019   will   also   be   attended   by   notable   guests   from   Poland   and   aboard.    

One   of   our   special   guests   is   Andrey   Zvyagintsev,   a   prominent   world-­‐‐famous   director,   two-­‐‐time   Academy     Award   and   BAFTA   nominee,   winner   of   the   Venice   and   Cannes   film   festival   awards,   the   Cesar's   Award   and   many     other   international   festivals.   He   is   best   known   for   his   films   Leviathan,   Loveless   and   The   Return.     

Another   guest   is   Ollie   Rankin   from   Canada,   visual   effects   expert   who   worked   for   legendary   Hollywood     productions   such   as   Matrix,   Transformers,   X-­‐‐Men,   Star   Wars,   Lord   of   the   Rings. He   has   been   a   virtual   reality   pioneer     since   the   1980s.     

We   will   also   be   honoured   to   welcome   Tomasz   Kot,   a   brilliant   actor   who   received   acclaim   in   Poland   and     abroad.   He   was   nominated   for   Best   Actor   by   the   European   Film   Awards   for   his   role   in   the   Oscar-­‐‐nominated   Cold     War.     

Another   foreign   guest   will   be   Sophie   Kyriacou,   a   3D-­‐‐animation   artist   with   over   20   years   of   experience   in     BBC,   member   of   BAFTA,   author   of   animation   for   prize-­‐‐winning   feature   films and   documentaries   which   received     worldwide   acclaim.      

During   the   14th   edition   of   Film   Spring   Open   debuting   filmmakers   will   work   in   21   dedicated   groups,     included   below:    

Writing:     

•   Scriptwriting   group   (Jagoda   Szelc)   

Feature   Films:

•   Kids   and   Family   Film   Group   (Dorota   Kędzierzawska)
•   Sport   Film   Group   (Mateusz   Wajda,   Jarosław   Barzan)
•   Criminal   Film   Group   (Paweł   Dyllus)  
•   Actors   Previs   Group   (Sławomir   Idziak)   

Short   movie   formats:

•   Animation   Film   (Kamil   Polak)
•   Commercial   Film   (Marcin   Zębiński)
•   Music   videos   (Kobas   Laksa)  
•   Documentary   Film   (Wojciech   Staroń)  
  

Innovative   Audiovisual   Narration:

•   Film   Close-­‐‐up   (Artur   Reinhart)  
•   Movement   in   film.   Modern   Storytelling   Language   (Michał   Sobociński)  
•   Visual   Mood   Group   (Martin   Demmer)   

Future   and   new   film   formats:

•   VR   and   AR   Group   (Konrad   i   Gabriel   Ziaja)  
•   Virtual   Reality   HP   (Gabriel   Ziaja)
•   Internet   Filmmakers   (Konrad   Kruczkowski)
•   Selfie   TV   (Tomasz   Saliński   i   Łukasz   Kościółek)   
•   Interactive   Movie   Group   (Florent   Pallares)   

Production   and   Post-­‐‐production:

•   SFX   make-­‐‐up   (Wanda   i   Marcin   Kędzierzawscy)
•   CGI   and   modern   editing   (Kuba   Sobek)
•   CGI   w   programie   Nuke   (Agata   Nawrocka)
•   Off   Master   (Wiktor   Obrok)     

This   year   we   want   to   put   emphasis   on   cooperation   between   workshop   groups:    

The   Previs   Group   is   going   to   stage   a   murder   scene   which   will   be   shot   by   the   Crime   Film   Group and   the   SFX   Group     will   be   responsible   for   SFX   make-­‐‐up.   The   CGI   Editing   and   Nuke   Visual   Effects   Groups   are   going   to   deal   with     postproduction.   The   Children   and   Family   Film   Group   will   cooperate   with   the   Art   of   Close   Up   Group   to   jointly     organise   an   audition   for   child   actors.   The   Selfie   TV   Group   will   try   to   create   a   television   with   automatic   video-­‐‐ streaming   to   the   Cinebus,   with   the   use   of   the   Selfie   TV   app   for   Android   and   iPhone.   The   participants   will   have   the     chance   to   watch   the   edited   films   on   our   website.      

The   newest   models   of   movie   equipment   and   software   will   be   presented   by:   Arri,   Canon,   Cinema   4D,   Sony,   HP,     Movie   Bird,   Nikon,   Black   Magic,  SYRP,   Ronin,   Avid,   Edelkrone,   Foton,   ColorChecker,   Kauposil.    

Guest   from   various   innovative   companies   will   share   their   experience   from   the   modern   audiovisual     industry:     

•   Bloober   Team,   a   game   dev   studio   -­‐‐   Piotr   Babieno
•   Kissinger   Twins,   a   creative   duo   -­‐‐   Katarzyna   Kifert   i   Dawid   Marcinkowski  
•   Cinema   4D,   a   software   -­‐‐   Sophia   Kyriacou
•   Unit   9,   an   interactive   production   studio   -­‐‐   Jakób   Brzózka,   Jakub   Jakubowski

  In-­‐‐between   the   group   work   sessions   the   participants   can   attend   excellent   lectures...     

•  "How   to   live   a   good   life   as   a   creator   and   producer?   Psychological   tips   for   young   filmmakers"   -­‐‐   dr   Jacek Santorski     
• "Sound   production   in   feature   films   in   its   esthetic   and   technological   aspect.   About   the   sound   from   script   to the   screen"   -­‐‐   dr   hab.   Jacek   Hamela    
• "Crime   in   film   versus   crime   in   real   life"   -­‐‐   Police   staff   ensigns   Krzysztof   Marek   and   Wacław   Serwin   of   the Cracow's   Regional   Criminal   Police   Headquarters     
• "Become   a   stock   creator   and   earn   money!   Practical   tips   on   how   to   make   videos   for   the   Internet,   sign contracts   with   the   actors,   and   prepare   and   sell   stocks"   -­‐‐   Adam          Strzelecki     
• "Green   Film   Open:   ecology   in   film.   Innovation   for   sustainable   film   and   TV   production"   -­‐‐   Benoit   Ruiz,   Jagoda Szelc,   Sławomir   Idziak    

   ...   and   never-­‐‐ending   film   screenings   await   at   night!     

•   Loveless,   Andrey   Zvyagintsev
•   Sid,   Neil   Corbould,   a   film   created   during   last   year's   Film   Spring   Open
•   Dawn,   Laila   Pakalnina,   cinematography   by   Wojciech   Staroń
•   Cold   War,   Paweł   Pawlikowski,   with   remarkable   Tomasz   Kot,   who   will   deliver   a   lecture   on   his   view   on acting      
•   Sword   of   God,   Bartosz   Konopka
•   Volhynia,   Wojciech   Sarzowski,   sound   editing   by   Jacek   Hamela
•   Crows,   Dorota   Kędzierzawska,   cinematography   by   Artur   Reinhart,
•   Dziwor,   Paweł   Dyllus
•   Atlas,   M.   Kawalski,   cinematography   by   P.   Dyllus,   featuring   Tomasz   Kot
•   Pelé:   Birth   of   a   Legend,   Jeff   Zimbalist,   Michael   Zimbalist,   visual   effects   by   Ollie   Rankin
•   Aside   from   the   above-­‐‐mentioned   titles,   I   encourage   our   participants   to   show   their   films   in   the   "Can   Do" section.   Personally,   I   recommend   F   for   Freaks   created   in   the        Babelsberg   film   school   by   one   of   our     participants,   Sabine   Ethrl,   and   Don't   Change   the   Topic,   a   film   by   Hubert   Patynowski   awarded   this   year   at     the   Gdynia   film   festival.”       

See   you   on   15   October   in   Cracow!    

More   information:     https://filmspringopen.eu/en/ | https://www.facebook.com/filmspringopen.eu/    

Dofinansowano   ze   środków   Ministra   Kultury   i   Dziedzictwa   Narodowego   pochodzących   z   Funduszu   Promocji   Kultury,   Polskiego     Instytutu   Sztuki   Filmowej,   Miasta   Krakowa,   Stowarzyszenia   Filmowców   Polskich. Projekt   realizowany   przy   wsparciu   finansowym   Województwa   Małopolskiego.