‘Being John Malkovich’ – what does it mean? Who knows. Anyhow the actor himself affirms that in the noted Spike Jonze’s picture, where his head was being turned into a virtual portal, he just played an odd role of the character with such a name, no way related to him.

Malkovich played over 70 various parts in cinema, including the noblest Athos in The Man in the Iron Mask, but gained great recognition after vicious Vicomte de Valmont in Dangerous Liaisons, and for the psychotic political assassin from In the Line of Fire he was nominated for the Academy Award and the Golden Globe. It might be said that his range stretches between judicial Dr. Jekyll and ominous Mr. Hyde from thriller Mary Reilly, but Malkovich confesses: "I'm drawn to a character with a lack of humanity. People give reasons for being cruel or sadistic but I think it is just a lack of humanity and concern for others. I think I'm good at them because I don't like them”. Paradoxically enough - audiences are attracted to those roles played by Malkovich which he deeply hates. Maybe this makes him agree to participate in the projects where he can parody his dramatic type.
The actor indulges portraying a burlesque of those villains and rogues which made him public’s favourite, with special delight picturing his character’s abasement.

As Malkovich recalls, his first teacher in acting taught, that the worst sin was to be boring. With this lesson in mind he daringly takes up inconceivable tasks always presenting something an audience won't have seen. Nowadays public at large not only in Italy, Germany, Australia or Austria, but also in St. Petersburg and Moscow came to know his operatic talent as he toured with the opera The Infernal Comedy: Confessions of a Serial Killer. His performance of Jack Unterweger, who strangled 11 women, arose a controversial reception; some spectators reproached him of glorifying the monster. But this impression is deceitful: charming as usual in this part, Malkovich just shows that moral monsters often have human face and that the evil may appear very attractive. But his own sympathy wins another charming operatic personage – famous womanizer Casanova in The Giacomo Variations where he plays against Ingeborga Dapkunaite.

Nina Tsyrkun

The winner of the 2011 Golden Bear in Berlin, Nader And Simin, A Separation by Asghar Farhadi will open the Wrocław-based event on the 21^st July. The second opening film will be Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s Once Upon a Time in Anatolia. The closing film on the 31^st July will be Pedro Almodovar’s latest movie The skin I live In.

Among the confirmed guests are Terry Gilliam, Kim Ki-Duk and Bruno Dumont.

All three competitions of the festival are looking strong this year with titles such as Urszula Antoniak’s Code Blue, Paula Markovitch’s El Premio and Nanouk Leopold’s Brownian Movement in the main, New Horizons International Competition and Kim Ki-Duk’s Arirang and Marie Losier’s The Ballad of Genesis and Lady Jaye, among others, in the Films on Art International Competition.

The New Polish Films competition will see the world premiere of Wilhelm Sasnal’s It Looks Pretty from a Distance. Sasnal is a world-famous contemporary artist, whose works are in collections of the Saatchi Gallery and Tate Modern in London.

Jury highlights include Frédéric Boyer (Directors’ Fortnight Director in 2009-2011), Anocha Suwichakornpong (Mundande History), Denis Côté (Curling), Dimitris Eipides (Director of the Thessaloniki IFF) and György Pálfi (Taxidermia).

The Juries will award 65.000 EUR in cash prizes. The winners of the Grand Prix, Audience Award, FIPRESCI Prize and the Films on Art International Competition are guaranteed distribution in Poland.

The festival will host a big presentation of Norwegian cinema and films from the phenomena of pinku eiga, red westerns and midnight movies, as well as retrospectives of Terry Gilliam, Bruno Dumont, Andrzej Munk and Mariusz Wilczyński.

The main music star of the 11. New Horizons International Film Festival will be Nick Cave and Grinderman, who will stage a concert on 29th July.

Project selection started – Receptions in Karlovy Vary and Sarajevo – New award for postproduction

Berlin, July 1 2011- November 3 and 4 will see the 13th edition of the East- West-Co-production market Connecting Cottbus in the context of FilmFestival Cottbus. 13 East European feature film productions will be presented with the goal of initiating co-productions between East and Western Europe. The market that has launched films such as MY JOY (Cannes 2010), TILVA ROSH (Sarajevo 2010), THE TRAP (Berlinale 2008) or PIGGIES (Karlovy Vary 2009) will also be a forum for discussions about current trends in the European film industry. 150 guests from East and Western Europe are expected for the event.

Since the beginning of 2011, Connecting Cottbus has a new director. Bernd Buder, who will leverage his intimate knowledge of the industry acquired as curator, festival scout, and film journalist with a focus on Eastern Europe, succeeded Gabriele Brunnenmeyer who had been the artistic director until 2010. "To take over from Gabriele Brunnenmeyer who developed Connecting Cottbus into a focal meeting point for the industry is an exciting challenge that I am looking very much forward to", says Buder.

Another new addition to the Connecting Cottbus team is Martina Bleis, who can look back on 15 years of working for various film festivals and has vast experiences especially regarding co-production markets.

Buder and Bleis intend to strengthen the program offerings of Connecting Cottbus this year, using panel discussions and workshops to more thoroughly discuss the structural and immediate challenges for European films in the market and lay the foundation for developing future market strategies. The core of the event will still be project pitches, opening on November 3 with the winner of the Special Pitch Awards 2010, the current project of Serbian director Oleg Novković. With his internationally successful feature WHITE, WHITE WORLD, pitched at Connecting Cottbus in 2007, Novković won the Grand Prize of the Jury at the FilmFestival Cottbus for the second time last year. The additional twelve projects will be selected in September by a jury consisting of eight members including Kirsten Niehuus (Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg), Susanne Schmitt (MEDIAAntenne Berlin-Brandenburg) and Franka Bauer (MDR television). The application deadline is July 15, 2011.

Internationally, Connecting Cottbus extends its outreach this year by participating in receptions at the festivals in Karlovy Vary and Sarajevo, organized in collaboration with the Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg and the FilmFestival Cottbus.

Another first for the coming fall is the new "Post Pitch Award". The Berlinbased post production company "The Post Republic" is donating color correction services and the production of a DCP for a suitable project. The winner is chosen by a jury of three film professionals. "The Post Republic" will also run a workshop on processes and budgeting for digital film productions for participants in the pitch.

Connecting Cottbus takes place parallel to the 21st FilmFestival Cottbus - Festival of East European Cinema. The festival, which runs from 1st till 6th of November 2011, will show around 100 films from more than 30 countries, thus providing a unique overview of the current Central- and East European cinema scene. This year's Focus “Eastern Europe by Regions” concentrates on the regional diversity in our Eastern neighbouring countries, with particular emphasis on Poland and the Ukraine, who will be co-hosting the 2012 UEFA European Football Championship. In parallel to Poland taking over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the second half of 2011, an additional separate film series set in the context of the Weimarer Dreieck will investigate the cinematic cultural relationship between Poland, France and Germany. Because of its huge success, the previous year's Focus “globalEAST” now will constitute an independent section within the festival and continue its tracing of East European influences in cinema production around the world. The Retrospective titled “Location Lusatia” will present film locations in Brandenburg and thus will bring its landscape, people and mentalities to life and thereby raise awareness for these in others. Film Submission will be open till the 1st of August 2011.

Connecting Cottbus is supported by Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, the MEDIA Programme of the European Union and MDM/Mitteldeutsche Medienförderung. Connecting Cottbus is organized by pool production GmbH. The partners of Connecting Cottbus are MEDIA Antenne Berlin- Brandenburg, CineLink, EAVE, Moscow Business Square, the Nipkow

Programm Berlin and Sofia Meetings.

Press:

claudiatomassini & associates

International Film Publicity

Saarbrücker Str. 24 | Haus B | 2. OG

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www.claudiatomassini.com

The upcoming Karlovy Vary IFF will present several documentary films from Eastern Europe, many of them in competition. Among them is the Polish documentary film At the Edge of Russia by Michal Marczak, a unique insight into the private worlds of soldiers stationed in a military outpost deep behind the Arctic circle, guarding the Russian border.

Press release Warsaw, 1 July 2011

Cinema City awarded the title "International Exhibitor of the Year"
Moshe Greidinger receives the highest award of the cinema industry in Amsterdam

Moshe (Mooky) Greidinger received yesterday the award "International Exhibitor of the Year" granted by European theatrical community during CineEurope in Amsterdam, the largest convention of cinema industry in Europe. This is the second award for Cinema City following the title "International Exhibitor of the Year" received in 2004 in Las Vegas during ShoWest convention.

"It's a great feeling to receive this title and to receive it for the second time. This is the highest recognition from the industry for all Cinema City team. We believe very strong in bringing modern multiplexes and best standard of services to territories thirsty for good exhibition." said Moshe (Mooky) Greidinger, CEO of Cinema City, the largest multiplex cinema operator in Central & Eastern Europe and in Israel. "We are now operating close to 900 screens in 7 countries and we came a long way from the beginning of our business and a long way even from 2004, when we were running 350 screens in 4 countries. The greatest potential to expand this business lies in emerging countries, where cinema going levels are much behind mature markets. We will be continuing our expansion as there is still so many empty places on the map."

"It is a great pleasure for CineEurope to be able to acknowledge and pay tribute to Mooky Greidinger, who heads up the leading cinema circuits in Israel and Central and Eastern Europe," noted CineEurope managing director Robert Sunshine. "From its humble beginnings as a family business and the first cinema in Haifa, Israel, to the launch of the first multiplex in Israel to their expansion into Europe, Cinema City International are cinema exhibition forces to be reckoned with."

Cinema City International is the largest multiplex cinema operator in Central & Eastern Europe and in Israel. The Company operates 93 multiplexes with 885 screens, in 7 countries: Poland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Slovakia and Israel. In the beginning of the year the Company boosted its screen count by 141 screens through acquisition of the Palace Cinemas chain in the Czech Republic, Hungary and Slovakia. Cinema City is also actively involved in cinema related advertising through New Age Media and film distribution through Forum Film companies, its wholly owned subsidiaries. Cinema City is the fastest growing cinema chain in Europe having binding lease agreements for 35 more multiplexes, which will offer approximately 360 new screens, which are planned to be opened mostly in the coming 2-3 years. The major portion of openings will be in Romania, where in 2010 the admission per capita ratio stood at 0.3.

In 2010 Cinema City reached EUR 235 million cinema related revenues (24.4% more over 2009), EBITDA of EUR 56 million (21.1% over 2009) and EUR 30.4 million net profit (24.5% over 2009). The company sold 30.5 million tickets in six countries. The Cinema City group employs over 4,000 people in 7 countries.

Investor Relations
Cinema City International NV

Office in Warsaw:
37 Fosa Street
02-768 Warsaw
tel: + 48 22 5 666 960
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Dear Colleagues & Friends,

Let me inform you about the strong presence of Slovak films at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival 2011 (direct link).

Please, find attached the newsletter and here a link to more information at the information website www.aic.sk:
SLOVAK FILMS – KARLOVY VARY 2011 (direct link)

Slovak films in the KV Programme:
Official Selection – Competition: GYPSY (orig. Cigán) by Martin Šulík (SK – CZ 2011) - great comeback of Mr. Šulík after 6 years break from feature films
East of the West – Competition: VISIBLE WORLD (orig. Viditeľný svet) by Peter Krištúfek (SK 2011) – first feature film, with Ivan Trojan in the main role

Variety´s 10 Euro Directors to Watch: THE HOUSE (orig. Dom), by Zuzana Liová (SK – CZ 2011) – you surely know this title from the 2011 Berlinale´s selection for the FORUM

2011: Musical Oddyssey: ILJA by Ivan Ostrochovský, SK 2010 – a portrait of one of the leading personalities of Slovak music on 20th century

Czech Films 2010 – 2011 section includes several interesting Slovak and Czech co-productions:
NICKY´S FAMILY (orig. Nickyho rodina) by Matej Mináč (SK – CZ 2011)
I.D. (orig. Občanský průkaz) by Ondrej Trojan (CZ – SK 2010)
Surviving Life (orig. Přežít svůj život) by Jan Švanjkmajer (CZ – SK 2010)

Several Slovak film projects will be presented within Film Industry events, both in Works in Progress and Docu Talents from the East.

For even more, see the newsletter, our website, and/or contact us directly.

Slovak Film Institute Representatives in Karlovy Vary:
Peter Dubecký
Alexandra Strelková July 2-6,2011
Katarína Tomková July 2-6,2011
Miro Ulman July 2-6,2011
Viera Ďuricová July 1-5,2011

W look forward to meeting you in Karlovy Vary!

With my best regards,

Alexandra Strelková
In KV: July 2-6,2011
______________________________
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

MOSCOW: MIFF's business platform Moscow Business Square (27-29 June 2011) chose to focus on the Baltics, Georgia and CIS countries in its third edition giving Russian producers and film professionals a chance to develop coproduction partnerships with their neighbours.

Only three days left to submit your films to Doc Launch – a presentation that showcases 9 soon-to-be-released documentaries from Central and Eastern Europe. Festival programmers, distributors, sales agents, members of the press and audiences get the first glimpse of films in post-production slated for theatrical release over the next year.
Application deadline: June 30, 2011.
http://www.dokweb.net/en/doc-launch/

Entry deadline: June 30, 2011
Dates: October 27 - 28, 2011
Location: Jihlava, Czech Republic
Participants: Filmmaker/producer teams representing 9 selected documentary projects
Organized by the Institute of Documentary Film.
Requirements:
The Doc Launch presentation accepts Central and East European documentary projects slated for release from November 2011 through October 2012. The event is geared towards remarkable feature documentary projects or rough cuts made for the cinema.
For the online entry form, go to: http://www.dokweb.net/en/doc-launch/doc-launch-presentation-application-627/?sac=60
To apply, please send 2 DVD copies with an excerpt, trailer or rough cut, as well as any other additional materials to the following address:

Hana Rezková, Institute of Documentary Film, Školská 12, 110 00 Praha 1

Additional IDF deadlines:
June 30, 2011 – EAST SILVER
September 1, 2011 – EAST EUROPEAN FORUM
September 30, 2011 - INDUSTRY ACCREDITATION

We look forward to receiving your submissions.
Kind regards,




Kristina Valentova




This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Institute of Documentary Film
Skolska 12
110 00 Prague 1
Czech Republic
T: +420 224 214 858
M: +420 739 323 938
www.DOKweb.net

Jan Komasa awarded at ART FILM FEST 2011.

The Blue Angel for Best Director went to Polish director Jan Komasa for his "Suicide Room" (Sala samobójcow). The five-member international jury summed up the picture as:
"[a] violent film steeped in the loneliness of a young generation lost in modern technology, on the backdrop of a society coming to terms with the problems of the post-communist era."

Komasa’s feature debut was presented in Main Competition with 15 other titles among which there was “The Hunter” by Bakur Bakuradze. The nineteenth annual Art Film Fest was held from June 17 to 25 in Trenčianske Teplice and Trenčín.

Art Film Fest was established in 1993 as the first international film festival of its kind in Slovakia. It was originally aimed at presenting exclusively 'art films', hence the festival's original name, Art Film. During its seventeen-year history, the festival has undergone several reorganizations and has grown noticeably in size. Each year in its festival cinemas, Art Film Fest presents films introduced at prestigious international film festivals such as Berlin, Cannes, Venice and Locarno.


Best regards,
Olga Domżała

Olga Domżała
Film Sales Support & PR Manager
Polish Film Institute
Krakowskie Przedmieście 21/23
00-071 Warsaw PL
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Mobile: +48 695 363 335

The documentary movie "Mother" by Jakub Piątek won Best Documentry award during 9th In the Palace International Short Film Festival in Bułgaria, one of the biggest documentary event in Balcan region.

In the Palace International Short Film Festival took a place in Balchik, Bulgaria between 18-25 June. 250 movies up to 45minutes from 44 countries were shown during the Festival.

The Movie was produced by Munk Studio of Polish Filmmakers Association uner the First Documentary Movie program.

"Mother" by Jakub Piatek is a psychological studium of the mother visiting her son in prison.