The 2017 edition, the fifth under Carlo Chatrian as artistic director, has ended successfully and has been crowned by the Pardo d’oro for the film MRS. FANG directed by WANG Bing.
261 films in 11 days, 16 under the open sky in the Piazza Grande and 18 in the Concorso internazionale. Among great guests attending this year feature unforgettable greetings to the Piazza by Todd Haynes and by Jean–Marie Straub, the toast by Mathieu Kassovitz, Michel Merkt’s roar and a touched Adrien Brody. José Luis Alcaine, Nastassja Kinski, Aleksander Sokurov have also appeared along with them on stage for the section dedicated to Locarno70 and the Premio Cinema Ticino awarded to Esmé Sciaroni.
Tributes to great artists who have passed on, such as Jeanne Moreau, Hans Hurch and George Romero, have not been forgotten.
In the context of this evening’s Award ceremony on the Piazza Grande, it was announced that the Prix Public UBS is awarded to THE BIG SICK, by Michael Showalter.
Carlo Chatrian, Artistic Director: ”Locarno70 is about to end, and the first provisional assessment is positive. The magical moments that characterised the evenings on the Piazza Grande have been many, just like the guests who offered the public precious moments, or the films that occasioned a full house, or the proposals which aroused interest in the press and professionals. Locarno has confirmed itself as a hub for discerning what direction the currents of independent cinema are taking, but also as a meeting venue between those who create cinema and those who enjoy it, between those who come from very far away and those who on the other hand represent a territory. Seeing the queues outside the new PalaCinema, or the GranRex cinema packed in every one of its rows for a retrospective which has hit its target, fills us with joy and makes us look towards the future with optimism.”
Mario Timbal, Chief Operating Officer: “According to our intentions, this edition wished to be both a celebration for the seventieth anniversary and a springboard for the next years of the Festival at the same time. The rising attendance and the many positive feed-backs we received clearly indicate that our targets have been met. The new screening rooms have consolidated the basic infrastructure of the event, and the meeting areas and many collateral events have demonstrated a great potential which can be developed further over the coming years, allowing the Festival to look confidently towards the future.”
The Awards PDF may be downloaded here.
The evening on the Piazza Grande will end with the official awards and the screening of the closing film GOTTHARD – ONE LIFE, ONE SOUL by Kevin Merz.
The 71st Locarno Festival will take place from 1 to 11 August 2018.
Locarno Festival’s Signs of Life Award electronic-art.foundation for Best Film has been granted to COCOTE by Nelson Carlo De Los Santos Arias.
Signs of Life aims to explore new ground, narrative forms and innovative cinematic language. Originally out-of-competition when founded in 2014, Signs of Life is now a competitive section. This year’s jury is composed of Chris Fujiwara, film critic and programmer (USA, Japan), Jordan Cronk, film critic and programmer (USA) and Maria Bonsanti, programmer (Italy).
The Signs of Life Award electronic-art.foundation for Best Film 2017 is awarded to COCOTE(Dominican Republic, Argentina, Germany, Qatar) by Nelson Carlo De Los Santos Arias from the Dominican Republic.
The Signs of Life jury awarded Nelson Carlo De Los Santos Arias’ film for “its capacity to reinvent the traditions of anthropological cinema in a creative manner”.
The Fundación Casa Wabi – Mantarraya Award was given to director Dane Komljen for PHANTASIESÄTZE (Germany, Denmark) “for its rigorous and fascinating approach to landscape, language and memory”.
The jury has given a Special Mention to ERA UMA VEZ BRASÍLIA (Brazil, Portugal) by Adirley Queirós “for its original and ambitious construction”.
The Signs of Life Award electronic-art.foundation worth 5,000 Swiss francs was made possible thanks to the support of electronic-art.foundation (Zurich). The foundation’s mission is to sustain innovative cultural projects on an international scale.
The Fundación Casa Wabi and Mantarraya, in collaboration with the Festival Internacional de Cine de Morelia, have given support for Fundación Casa Wabi – Mantarraya Award which consists of an up to three-month-long residence in the Casa Wabi in Puerto Escondido (Mexico).
The awards will be presented tonight at the 9.30 PM Piazza Grande screening.
The names of prizewinners for the Open Doors Hub coproduction platform and the Open Doors Lab producer-training workshop were announced today, 8 August.
The 2017 session was the second in the three-year cycle dedicated by Open Doors to exploring eight countries in Southern Asia: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal, Maldives, Myanmar, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
The prizes, both cash and in the form of tangible assistance, have been awarded to projects and participants in the international platform Open Doors Hub and the training workshop Open Doors Lab, with the aim of supporting their progress after the Festival.
The aim of the Open Doors Hub coproduction platform (2-8 August) is to allow director/producer teams from the eight countries involved to discuss their projects with potential partners, fostering international collaborations and funding.
The Open Doors Jury awarded the following prizes to Open Doors Hub projects in support of their future development or production:
Open Doors Grant (50,000 Swiss francs)
An award financed by Open Doors in collaboration with the City of Bellinzona and the Swiss film production fund Visions Sud Est, with the backing of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC):
35,000 Swiss francs
BADESZENEN, by Dawood Hilmandi (Afghanistan)
15,000 Swiss francs
ONE SUMMER DAY, by We Ra Aung (Myanmar)
CNC grant (8,000 euros)
ONE SUMMER DAY, by We Ra Aung (Myanmar)
Prix ARTE International Open Doors (6,000 euros)
MADE IN BANGLADESH, by Rubaiyat Hossain (Bangladesh / France)
Also bringing this year’s session to a close today is the Open Doors Lab: a five-day workshop dedicated to eight emerging producers from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
Three participants in the Lab have received one special mention and two awards, respectively from representatives of Initiative Film and the TorinoFilmLab. The former provides the winner with a distance development package, while the latter offers an invitation to the TFL Meeting Event in Turin, allowing the attendee to continue commercial negotiations with European decision-makers.
Open Doors to development – Initiative Film Grant
Rasitha Jinasena with his project MAHAMAYA (Sri Lanka)
Special mention to Jawed Taiman with his project THE LAST NIGHT (Afghanistan)
Open Doors – TFL Award
Jami Mahmood (Pakistan)
“Residency Internationale Kurzfilmtage Winterthur @ Villa Sträuli”
The Winterthur International Short Film Festival, in collaboration with Villa Sträuli and the Locarno Festival, offer a two-month residency to applicants in the Open Doors, Leopards of Tomorrow and Filmmakers Academy programs who are from Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe or Latin America.
PRADEEPAN RAVEENDRAN, Open Doors Screenings, Sri Lanka
Special mention to RATI TSITELADZE, Filmmakers Academy, Georgia
The program of Open Doors Screenings presents a selection of 22 films from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Sri Lanka and continues until the end of the Festival.
From the very beginning Open Doors has been able to count on the invaluable and loyal partnership of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA).
From the 3rd to the 9th of September 2017, in Timișoara, recent productions from 16 countries, nationally and internationally awarded, exhibitions, debates, concerts, film workshops in various projection spaces (Cinema Timiș, Libertății Square, Iulius Mall, Cetate, Dacia Square, Hall 2 of the National Theater, Casa Artelor, Cărturești) will all be gathered in the Central European Film Festival.
From a competitive and thematic point of view the Central European Film Festival is emerging this year as an interethnic and intercultural dialogue through selected films, as well as through many other related artistic events. Therefore prepare yourselves for exploration, search, contemplation in a cultural melange from which we’ll mention:
Happy End Meets EYOT: The cineconcert from the opening of CEFF at 21:00, in Libertății Square is a combination of jazz and film, creative sounds portrayed by the Serbian quartet EYOT with gorgeous images of Czech director Oldřich Lipský’s 1967 film Happy End.
An Exhibition of Foreign Posters of Romanian Films from the communist period can be seen during the whole festival in the entrance area of Timiş Cinema. It features 40 foreign and Romanian designed posters for the export of films made during 1965-1985 and shows a selection from the impressive collection of American producer Christopher Landry.
Book launches: "J. Negulescu, a Romanian in Hollywood" by Manuela Cernat, Rasvan Popescu's "The Fish with Wings", "Pseudokinematikos 3. Between Life and Movies" by Marian Sorin Rădulescu, "Radu Gabrea. Biography of an Achievement" by Călin Stănculescu. The conference "Multi- and Interculturality in Banat region seen in Romanian and European Contexts" and the symposium on the "Creative Europe" EU cultural programme will also bring new ideas to light.
The sections of the festival are:
Competition: fiction films from the last two years and having a certain degree of representativeness for specific countries as they have been awarded prizes at festivals in the respective countries or have been nominated for the Oscar for Foreign Film by a national jury will enter this section. This year's competition will bring together films from the Central European countries (Austria, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary and Romania) and films from South-Eastern European countries (Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Greece, Albania).
Panorama: new and exciting films from around the globe are featured in this section, movies that are intensely discussed and which the Romanian public has not yet had the chance to watch.
EU Capitals of Culture: will start with documentaries about cities that will become European Capitals of Culture in 2021: Timișoara, Novi Sad (Serbia) and Eleusis (Greece).
Student films: a selection of recent short films by students of the National University of Theatre and Cinematography "I.L. Caragiale".
Yiddish Movies: A collection of classic films restored and offered by Brandeis University and the New York Jewish Film Center.
Radu Gabrea Retrospective: A tribute to Radu Gabrea (1937-2017), the great Romanian director and initiator of this festival, including some of his best films.
Cultural diversity and minorities: Fiction and documentary films that promote cultural, linguistic, cultural tolerance and diversity.
Short Matters! A selection from the European Film Academy short film festival, which brings short films nominated for European Cinema Awards to European film festivals, and is presented at CEFF by our partners form Timishort Film Festival.
Bela Lugoji Cinema in Lugoj, On September 11 and 12 the winner of the Best Movie award of the CEFF 2017 edition and La Danseuse by french director Stephanie di Giusto will be shown in Lugoj.
CEFF is organized by the Euro Fest Association in cooperation with Timișoara City Hall, and co-financed by the Ministry of Culture and National Identity, the Romanian Cultural Institute, the Timiș County Council, the Union of the Romanian Fillmakers (UCIN) and with the help of the Federation of Jewish Communities in Romania.
Sponsors: KPMG Romania, Casa Auto, Brewtiful.
Partners: Serbian Cinematheque, Association of the German Economic Club, New Acropolis Association, Cartureşti, German Cultural Centre, Cinetic, Jewish Community of Timişoara, County Department for Culture, Faculty of Music at the West University of Timişoara, FITT, Gărâna Jazz, French Institute Timișoara, Iulius Mall, La Căpițe, Museum of Art Timișoara, OSUT, Ozz Vintage House, Retim, Merlin Theatre, National Theatre Timișoara, Teddy Necula, Via Rumania, Kimball Electonics, Asociația Piața Unirii, UNATC, UVT.
Entrance to all events in the festival is free.
More information at http://www.cefftm.ro or at https://www.facebook.com/CEFFTM/
Contact
Diana Petruţ
PR Central European Film Festival Timișoara
Tel. 0731048583
BIAFF 2017 announces Line-Up of International Competition – Doc and Feature films Sections
Festivals 24-08-2017XII Batumi International Art-house Film Festival will be held in Batumi during September 17-24 September, 2017. Festival organizer – “Batumi Art-house ARGANI”, official partner – Batumi City Hall.
BIAFF festival management finalized the selection of films for international competition sections for Doc and Feature Films.
BIAFF line-up of feature films competition section:
- A Man of Integrity, Mohammad Rasoulof, Iran, 2017, 117min.
- Birds are Singing in Kigali, Joanna Kos-Krauze, Krzysztof Krauze, Poland, 2017, 113 min.
- Claire Obscure, Yesim Ustaoglu, Turkey/Poland/France, 2016; 100 min.
- Dede, Mari Khachvani, Georgia/Qatar, 2017; 97 min.
- Gentle Creature, Sergei Loznitsa, Ukraine/Germany/Netherlands/Russia/Lithuania, 2017; 143 min.
- How Viktor “the Garlic” Took Alexey “the Stud” to the Nursing Home, Alexander Hant, Russia, 2017; 90 min.
- Jupiter’s Moon, Kornél Mundruczó, Hungary / Germany, 2017, 123min
- More, Onur Saylak, Turkey, 2017, 115 min.
- Party, Sally Potter, UK, 2017; 71 min.
- Take OFF, Ehsan Abdipour, Iran, 2017
Nominations of Feature Films Competition Section - International Jury consisting of 5 members and headed by famous Iranian film director Mohsen Makhmalbaf will award prizes in following nominations - Grand Prix, Best Director, Best Male Actor, Best Female Actor, Jury Special prize
BIAFF line-up of Doc films competition section:
- Austerlitz, Sergei Loznitsa, Germany, 2016; 94 min.
- Burma Storybook, Peter Lom, Netherlands/Norway, 2017; 81
- City of Ghosts, Matthew Heineman, USA, 2017; 90 min
- City of Sun, Rati Oneli, Georgia, USA, Qatar, Netherlands, 2017; 104 min.
- Dixie Land, Roman Bondarchuk, Ukraine/ Latvia/ Germany, 2016; 60 min.
- Liberation Day, Uģis Olte, Morten Traavik, Norway/Latvia, 2016; 100 min.
- My Suburban Stories, Yunus Kurkut, Turkey, 2017
- Taste of Cement, Ziad Kalthoum, Germany, Lebanon, Syria, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, 2017; 85 min.
- To Stay Alive – A Method, Arno Hagers, Erik Lieshout, Reinier van Brummelen, Netherlands/Belgium, 2016, 70 min
Nominations of Doc competition section - International Jury consisting of 5 members and headed by Georgian film director Alexander Rekhviashvili will award prizes in following nominations - Best Doc Film, Jury Special Mention
BIAFF film screenings locations - Cinema “Apollo”, Hotel “Wyndham” conference hall, OPEN AIR cinema at ERA Square
How to Attend BIAFF festival - Attending Film Screenings are free of charge. To attend film screenings in cinema APOLLO person should take “FREE TICKETS” (it is used for better control and access to film screenings) in cinema APOLO at BIAFF info center.
Media Accreditation – representatives of various media, can apply for accreditation via online - http://biaff.org/media-acreditation
Festival Sponsors – Batumi City Hall, Ministry of Culture of Georgia, Georgian National Film Center, Ministry of Cultura of Ajara AR, Hotel Wyndham Batumi
Festival Supporters – British Council, Goethe Institute Georgia, Cinema APOLLO, Hotel Rcheuli, Hotel Batumi Plaza, Tourism Department of Ajara AR, HQ propaganda, Tour Company “Wonderland”
Festival Media Partners – Georgian Public Broadcaster, Radio Fortuna/Fortuna+, Adjara TV, Publicity Group (www.publicity.ge), www.newswire.ge, Film New Europe (www.filmneweurope.com), Newspaper BATUMELEBI, netgazeti.ge
Contact information: Tel: 599-482181, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , For accreditation – This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
www.biaff.org; www.facebook.com/biaffbatumi; www.biaffbatumi.wordpress.com
WARSAW: Film professionals from Poland, Czech Republic, Georgia and Romania are among the mentors of the 5th SOFA - School of Film Agents. The first part of the workshop will be held in Warsaw from 27 August to 1 September 2017, while the second one will take place in Tbilisi from 22 to 28 April 2018.
Only few more days before some of Europe’s leading film professionals reach Warsaw to conduct the 5th SOFA workshop. Who will be guiding this year’s participants in Poland?
WARSAW: Dariusz Gajewski is currently shooting Legions, a major costume drama about the Polish Legions set up by Józef Piłsudski (1867-1935).
BERLIN: Thirteen majority and minority coproductions from CEE countries are among the 51 titles in EFA Feature Film Selection, the list of feature fiction films recommended for a nomination for the European Film Awards 2017.
It is with great pleasure that the European Film Academy and EFA Productions announce the titles of the 51 films on this year’s EFA Feature Film Selection, the list of feature fiction films recommended for a nomination for the European Film Awards 2017! With 31 European countries represented, the list once again illustrates the great diversity in European cinema.
