Cannes Classics 2016

Last Wednesday fest organizers announced the Cannes Classics program for this edition and later on Friday, April 22 the news were updated. This post has the updated news for the section and yes, it's almost a cut and paste with all the info released as have added some comments when applicable. If you wish to read it at the official site go here.

Bertrand Tavernier with a world premiere preview, a conversation with William Friedkin, a 1966 celebration, the 70th anniversary of the Fipresci prize, Wiseman & Depardon, two giant documentary filmmakers, unknown features from far away countries, film libraries honored, Eastern Europe movies, documentaries about cinema, great popular films, genre films, science fiction, comedies, an animation film, gothic horror, westerns: this is Cannes Classics 2016.

Most of the films which will be presented will be released in theaters and on DVD/Blu-ray. In whole or in part, the Cannes Classics program will be screened at Les Fauvettes theater (Paris), at the festival Cinema Rittrovato (Bologna), at the Institut Lumière (Lyon).

World Premiere preview of Bertrand Tavernier's Documentary about French Cinema

Voyage à travers le cinéma français by Bertrand Tavernier (2016, 3h15, France).
“This work as a citizen and spy, as an explorer and as a painter, as a columnist and as an adventurer that have been described so well by many authors, from Casanova to Gilles Perrault, is not a beautiful definition of a filmmaker that we want to apply to Renoir, Becker, to the Vigo of Zéro de Conduite, to the Duvivier of Pépé le Moko, as well as Truffaut, Franju or Demy. To Max Ophuls and also Bresson. And to less known directors whom, during a scene or a film, sparkle an emotion, find some surprising truths. I would like this film to be an act of gratitude to all the filmmakers, writers, actors and musicians that have appeared suddenly in my life. Memory warms up: this film is a bit of coal for winter nights.”

A Little Bear-Gaumont-Pathé coproduction, with the participation of CANAL+, CINE+, of the SACEM. And with the support Région Ile-de-France, in partnership with the CNC. International sales: Gaumont. Distribution in France: Pathé. The film will be released in theaters in October 2016.

Cinema Masterclass: William Friedkin

The American filmmaker will give the annual Cinema Masterclass hosted by film critic Michel Ciment on Wednesday, May, 18th. He will also introduce a restored surprise film at Buñuel Theater and Sorcerer (1977) at the Cinéma de la Plage.

Sorcerer presented by La Rabbia. A Warner Bros Restoration under the supervision of Ned Price, Vice President of Mastering at Warner Bros. and William Friedkin. Scan 4 K from the 35mm négative. Audio restoration by Aaron Levy from 35mm 4-stereo track. Color-grading supervision by Bryan McMahan. Thanks to Bob Finkelstein, Karen Magid, Craig Kornblau, Dan O’Rourke, Traci Caroll, Wallon Green, Bud Smith.

The Double Palme d'Or of 1966

The Battle of the Rails opened this mini-retrospective and the Festival de Cannes has kept on welcoming the restorations of the films which won the Palme d’Or. In 2016 we are going back to the year 1966 and its two winners, Pietro Germi and Claude Lelouch. They were awarded the prize by the jury presided over by Sophia Loren.

Signore & signori (The Birds, the Bees and the Italians) by Pietro Germi (1966, 2h, Italy/France)
Presented by Cineteca di Bologna, Istituto Luce - Cinecittà, DEAR International. Restored by Cineteca di Bologna, Istituto Luce - Cinecittà and DEAR International at L’Immagine Ritrovata laboratory.

Un Homme et une femme (A Man and a Woman) by Claude Lelouch (1966, 1h42, France)
Presented by Les Films 13. The film has been restored by Eclair laboratory in Vanves. It was scanned and color-graded from the original 35mm color and black and white negative with Claude Lelouch. It was digitally restored and finalized in 2K for the DCP. The sound was restored from the original mono magnetic 35mm.Restoration and digitization with the support of the CNC.

A Crossed Tribute to Raymond Depardon and Frederick Wiseman

Faits divers by Raymond Depardon (1983, 1h30, France)
Presented by Palmeraie et désert with the support of the CNC. Original negative digitized and restored frame by frame in 2K by Eclair. Restoration and color-grading supervised by Raymond Depardon who will introduce his film before the screening.

Hospital by Frederick Wiseman (1969, 1h24, USA)
Presented by Zipporah Films and Blaq Out in partnership with Doc & Film and UniversCiné, Hospital was restored in a 35 mm copy by the Library of Congress Audiovisual Conservation Center from original camera negatives in the Zipporah Films Collection.

Upon this occasion Frederick Wiseman will be present at Cannes and be awarded the Prix Consécration by France Culture radio station.

The First Prize of the FIPRESCI, upon the Ocassion of the Celebration of the 70th Anniversary of the Prize of the International Federation of Film Critics

Farrebique by Georges Rouquier (1946, 1h27, France)
Presented by Les Documents cinématographiques. The film was digitized and restored by Eclair with the support of the CNC. The 2K restoration has been made from a nitrate negative and nitrate interpositive. Cristina Martin at the Documents Cinématographiques coordinated and managed the project.

Nine Documentaries About Cinema

Cannes Classics programs documentaries as every year—a way to tell the history of cinema by cinema itself. Let me remind you that the following plus all the other documentaries will be eligible for the second L'Œil d'or (The Golden Eye), the award created in 2015 by SCAM - Société Civile des Auteurs Multimédia

The Cinema Travelers by Shirley Abraham and Amit Madheshiya (2016, 1h36, India)
Presented and produced and by Cave Pictures (India). The portrait of a traveling movie theater in India, which continues to bear the magic of the images to a stunned audience, is faced with technological, numerous and complex changes. A projector repairman narrates film changes with poetry, philosophy and pragmatism.

The Family Whistle by Michele Russo (2016, 1h05, Italy)
Presented by American Zoetrope, produced par Ulisse Cultural Association. The Coppola family—their arrival in the US, their links with their native Italy and their relationship to music. A lot of interviews and malicious anecdotes from one of the greatest clans of today’s cinema. With Francis Coppola and Talia Shire.

Cinema Novo by Eryk Rocha (2016, 1h30, Brazil)
Presented by FiGa Films. Produced by Aruac Filmes & Coqueirão Pictures, co-produced by Canal Brasil & FM Produções. A political and poetic movie essay, focusing on the major films of the Cinema Novo wave in Brazil. Numerous interviews with directors Nelson Pereira dos Santos, Glauber Rocha, Leon Hirszman, Joaquim Pedro de Andrade, Ruy Guerra, Walter Lima Jr. and Paulo César Saraceni.

Midnight Return: The Story of Billy Hayes and Turkey by Sally Sussman (2016, 1h39, USA)
Presented and produced by Midnight Return LLC, in association with Old Forest Hill Productions, Inc. The story of the film Midnight Express by Alan Parker (1978) as told by those who made it: director Alan Parker, screenwriter Oliver Stone and producer David Puttnam. In parallel the real protagonist Billy Hayes discusses his personal journey and how his life has changed. Turkey, the image and the diplomatic relations of which were affected by the film, gives its point of view, as Billy Hayes tries to go back there to rebuild broken links.

Bright Lights: Starring Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds by Alexis Bloom and Fisher Stevens (2016, 1h35, USA)
Presented by HBO Documentary Films, produced by HBO and RatPac Documentary Films. The life and intimate relationship of two actresses: Carrie Fisher, the heroine of Star Wars, and Hollywood legend Debbie Reynolds who starred in Singing in the Rain. The big story and the small story unfold before our eyes. A tender documentary on two golden ages of American cinema.

Gentleman Rissient by Benoît Jacquot, Pascal Mérigeau and Guy Seligmann (2015, 1h14 minutes, France)
Presented and produced by SODAPERAGA and CINE+ (Bruno Deloye). A film co-directed by Benoît Jacquot, Pascal Mérigeau and Guy Seligmann to unveil Pierre Rissient, a man of discovery—publicist, producer, director and tireless ambassador of world cinema.

Close encounters with Vilmos Zsigmond by Pierre Filmon (2016, 1h22, France)
Presented and produced by FastProd, Lost Films and Radiant Images with the participation of TCM Cinéma. To be released in French theaters. The life of cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond. From the streets of Budapest to Hollywood he describes his out of the ordinary journey. Many performers, including John Travolta and Nancy Allen, and famous cinematographers talk, question him and we discover a complete artist.

Et La femme créa Hollywood (Women Who Run Hollywood) by Clara and Julia Kuperberg (2015, 52mn, France)
Presented and produced by Wichita Films and OCS. Exploring the exciting stories of Lois Weber, Mary Pickford and Dorothy Arzner, we discover a passionate gallery of pioneers who also created Hollywood. What do they have in common? They are all women and they have all been almost forgotten.

Bernadette Lafont et Dieu créa la femme libre by Esther Hoffenberg (2016, 65mn, France)
Presented and produced by ARTE France, Lapsus, Inthemood and INA.A journey with Bernadette Lafont, the most atypical French film actress. The film sweeps her life and stunning artistic career. Her granddaughters go back to Bernadette's dreams and her friends Bulle Ogier and Jean-Pierre Kalfon evoke their artistic and human complicity. Throughout the film Bernadette Lafont with her unmistakable voice of character actress weaves the movie of her life.

Restored Prints

As every year Cannes Classics showcases around twenty restored prints. Extra attention has been paid to invite countries which had never been invited for their patrimonial work (Slovenia, Switzerland, Pakistan, Czech Republic, Cuba, Thailand, Hungary, and Poland). Watch out for rare gems! Also, we have great classics, film libraries and films which give us news.

Perhaps not really rare gems but having the opportunity of watching restored versions of films by Tarkovsky and Mizogushi makes this year Cannes Classics edition absolutely out of the ordinary.

Die letzte Chance (The Last Chance) by Leopold Lindtberg (1945, 1h53, Switzerland)
A presentation of the Cinémathèque suisse. A restoration of the Cinémathèque suisse and the Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen (SRF) with the support of Memoriav at Hiventy laboratory.

Dolina Miru (Valley of Peace) by France Stiglic (1956, 1h30, Slovenia)
A presentation of the Slovenian Film Centre. 2K film and sound restoration from 4K scan of black and white 35 mm intermediate film positive and internegative. Restored sound from a 35mm optical sound negative. Restorations lead by Bojan Mastilović and Janez Ferlan, color grading lead by Janez Ferlan,at Iridium Film, Ljubljana. Sound restoration lead by Matjaž Zdešar. Supervised by project commission: DOP Lev Predan Kowarski and Rado Likon, director Urša Menart.

Ikarie XB 1 by Jindřich Polák (1963, 1h28, Czech Republic)
A presentation of the National Film Archive in Prague (NFA). Source for the digitization were elements preserved in the NFA, image was digitized from the original camera negative and sound from the sound negative. 4K restoration made under the supervision of the NFA in the Hungarian Filmlab. The film was digitally restored within the project "Digital restoration of Czech film heritage" which was supported by a grant from Iceland, Lichtenstein and Norway and co-financed by the Czech Ministry of Culture. Project partners were the National Library of Norway and CESNET.

Jago hua savera (Day Shall Dawn) by Aaejay Kardar (1958, 1h34, Pakistan)
A presentation of the Nauman Taseer Foundation. Image and sound restoration from the best elements possible, since the negative has disappeared, by Deluxe Restoration London. It was commissioned by Anjum Taseer.

Memorias del subdesarrollo (Memories of the Underdevelopment) by Tomás Gutiérrez Alea (1968, 1h37, Cuba)
A presentation of Les Films du Camélia and Cineteca di Bologna. Restored by Cineteca di Bologna/ L’Immagine Ritrovata laboratory, in association with Instituto Cubano del Arte e Industria Cinematográficos(ICAIC) and Les Films du Camélia. The film will be released in French theaters.

Santi-Vina by Thavi Na Bangchang (1954, 1h54, Thailand)
A presentation of Film Archive (Public Organization) in Thailand. The original material of this film was considered lost. In 2014 the original material was found in the British Film Institute as well as the release print in the China Film Archive and at the Gosfilmofond in Russia. A 4K scan and restoration was carried out from the original camera and sound negatives found at the BFI. The restoration work was carried out at L’Immagine Ritrovata laboratory.

Szerelem (Love) by Károly Makk (1971, 1h32, Hungary)
A presentation of the Hungarian National Film Fund and of the Hungarian National Digital Film Archive and Film Institute (MaNDA). A 4K Scan and Restoration from the original 35mm negatives. Digitization and restoration of the sound from 35mm magnetic tapes. Restoration made by the Focus-Fox Studio and Hungarian Filmlab. The film will be released in French theaters.

Howards End by James Ivory (1992, 2h20, United Kingdom/Japan)
A presentation of the Cohen Film Collection LLC with director James Ivory and actress Vanessa Redgrave in attendance. Digital restoration from the original camera negative held at the archive of the George Eastman Museum completed in 4K by Cineric Portugal – Simon Lund. Color grading under the supervision of cinematographer Tony Pierce-Roberts and director James Ivory by Deluxe Restoration (London) - Steve Bearman, Mark Bonnici, Graham Jones. 5.1 audio track restoration by Audio Mechanics (Burbank) - John Polito.

Decakolog 5 (Thou shalt not kill) and 6 (Thou shalt not commit adultery) by Krzysztof Kieślowski (1989, 57mn et 58mn, Poland)
A presentation of MK2 and TVP. Restoration in 2K from original image negatives by TVP in Poland. The color-grading of each episode has been supervised by the DOPs of the episode they photographed.

Momotarô, Umi no shinpei (Momotaro, Sacred Sailors) by Mitsuyo Seo (1945, 1h14, Japan)
A presentation of Shochiku Studio. The digital restoration is scanned in 4K, image restoration and projection in 2K by Shochiku Co., Ltd.

One-Eyed Jacks by Marlon Brando (1961, 2h21, USA)
A presentation of Universal Studios and The Film Foundation. Restored by Universal Studios in collaboration with The Film Foundation. Special thanks to Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg for their consultation on this restoration.

Solyaris (Solaris) by Andreï Tarkovski (1972, 2h47, Russian Federation)
A presentation of Mosfilm Cinema Concern. Digital frame-by-frame restoration of image and sound from 2K scan of the negative. Producer of the restoration: Karen Shakhnazarov.

Ugetsu monogatari (Ugetsu) by Kenji Mizoguchi (1953, 1h37, Japan)
Presented by The Film Foundation, KADOKAWA Corporation, and the Hollywood Foreign Press Association. Restored by The Film Foundation and KADOKAWA Corporation at Cineric Laboratories. Special thanks to Masahiro Miyajima and Martin Scorsese for their consultation on this restoration. Restoration funding provided by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association in association with The Film Foundation and KADOKAWA Corporation.

Dragées au poivre (Pepper Candy) by Jacques Baratier (1963, 1h34, France)
A presentation of the CNC and the Association Jacques Baratier. Digital restoration made from the digitization in 2K of the 35mm negatives. Restoration made by Mikros Image.

Valmont by Milos Forman (1989, 2h17, France)
A presentation of Pathé. Restoration carried out by Pathé en 2016, made in 4K by L’Immagine Ritrovata laboratory, with the support of the CNC.

Gueule d’amour by Jean Grémillon (1937, 1h32, France)
Presented by TF1 Droits Audiovisuels with the suppport of the CNC. A 4K restauration from the original negative made at Hiventy.

Masculin féminin by Jean-Luc Godard (1966, 1h50, France)
A presentation of Argos Films and TAMASA. 2K digitization and restoration from the original negative by Eclair, color-grading supervised by cinematographer Willy Kurant. Sound restoration from the sound negative by L.E. Diapason. The film will be released in French theaters.

Indochine by Régis Wargnier (1992, 2h32, France)
A presentation of Studiocanal. Digitization from the original negative and restoration frame by frame in 4K by L’Immagine Ritrovata.

Adieu Bonaparte by Youssef Chahine (1984, 1h55, France/Egypt)
A presentation of the Cinémathèque française, Misr International Films and TF1 Droits Audiovisuels. A restoration of Misr International Films and TF1 Droits Audiovisuels carried out by the Cinémathèque française with the support of the CNC, of the Fonds Culturel Franco-Américain (DGA-MPA-SACEM-WGAW), of the Archives audiovisuelles de Monaco and the Association Youssef Chahine. The works have been made from the image negative and the sound magnetic tapes at Eclair and at L.E.Diapason studio.

Pit and The Pendulum by Roger Corman (1961, 1h20, USA)
A presentation of Alta Vista Productions and MGM Studios/Park Circus. 35mm archival print made in conjunction with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and producer Jon Davison from the original negative at Fotokem Los Angeles with Mato DerAvanessian and supervised by Roger Corman. Damaged shots were restored digitally and re-cut into the film.

Rendez-vous de juillet by Jacques Becker (1949, 1h39, France)
A 2K restoration presented by Gaumont. Image work made by Eclair, sound restored by L.E. Diapason with Eclair. The film will be released in French theaters and on DVD/Blu-ray.

Cannes Classics Special Screenings

Terrore nello spazio (Planet of the Vampires) (1965, 1h28, Italy/Spain) by Mario Bava
A presentation by Fulvio Lucisano, Nicolas Winding Refn and CSC Cineteca Nazionale. The movie has been digitally restored from the original 35mm Kodak Eastman Color negative, courtesy of Italian International Film. The color correction via colorimetry comparison of an original 35mm positive copy courtesy of the Cineteca Nazionale was carried out under the supervision of assistant director Lamberto Bava. The digital intermediate process using 35mm Kodak polyester copies and 35mm color-positive copies by Fotocinema Roma in 2015.

Tiempo de morir by Arturo Ripstein (1966, 1h30, Mexico)
A presentation by ALAMEDA FILMS and César Santos Galindo, Alain Carradore and Sidonis Calysta. A sélection by Claudia Bollain y Goytia Alba and Michel Rocher. The film has been restored by ALAMEDA FILMS at LABOFILMS MEXICO under the supervision of Enrique Alagón, Adolfo Alagón and Gabriel Elvira at LABODIGITAL under the supervision of Charles Barthe. The film will be soon released in French theaters by Tamasa distribution and on video by Sidonis Calysta.

60th David di Donatello Awards Winners

Last Monday the Accademia del Cinema Italiano had their award ceremony and to the surprise of many the so-called "offbeat superhero" movie They Call Me Jeeg was the big winner of the night as collected seven (7) prizes including best debut director but top awards went to more traditional cinema as Perfect Strangers by Paolo Genovese won Best Picture, Matteo Garrone won Best Director for Tale of Tales and film also won best cinematography plus several tech categories for a total of also seven (7) prizes.

Legend Gina Lollobrigida and venerable auteur duo the Taviani Brothers were honored with Special Davids earlier in the day by Italy’s President Sergio Mattarella and Culture Minister Dario Franceschini.

Have not seen Gabriele Mainetti film as is definitively not my kind of cinema as we all have Hollywood for that kind of movies and somehow regret that countries with extraordinary cinema tradition are choosing to go mainstream, while its great directors go to make English-speaking movies. Something must be happening with Italian Cinema industry and hope soon great Italian master filmmakers will go back to do great Italian Cinema. Sigh.

To read winners at official site go here, available only in Italian. Winners are in *BLUE.

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3/22/16
Francesco Castelnuovo and Gianni Canova announced a few minutes ago the nominations for the 60th edition of the David di Donatello awards and somehow signaled the many changes that the award will have this year.

Actually changes started a few months back when organizers did a major design overhaul to the official site and today there are new, more professional-looking graphics plus for the first time their association with Sky became visible when the nominations were broadcasted live. As a matter of fact for the first time the awards ceremony will be broadcasted by Sky, via Sky Cinema and TV8, on April 18, but more interesting the show will be produced by Sky so we can expect a show with more production values than before as well as probably will be more entertaining. On the not-so-good side of the news, we are not sure IF broadcast will be open to everyone around the world as used to be when RAI was in charge.

The nominations bring attention to films that already have been in the radar of many as most come from the three major festivals, but the BIG surprise is the inclusion of Lo chiamavano Jeeg Robot by newcomer director Gabriele Mainetti that collected 16 nominations! Also with 16 nods Italy's submission to Oscars, Non essere cattivo by Claudio Caligari. Following close is Youth by Paolo Sorrentino with 14 and Tale of Tales by Matteo Garrone with 12.

Most notable among the films nominations is the a documentary that just a couple of months ago won the Golden Bear at 2016 Berlinale, Fuocoammare by Gianfranco Rosi whom, according to Italian press, is rubbing shoulders with some of the contemporary "Gods" of Italian cinema. Also my attetion went directly to the Best Actress category and was surprised to find seven (7) nominees,  definitively there are too many nominees, but definitively approve (lol) the honor given to Juliette Binoche and Valeria Golino.

The most curious observation comes when you realize that this year Ennio Morricone won an Oscar, got a Cèsar nomination and now a David di Donatello nomination with three (3) different films! That's what you can call a very prolific 87-years-old musician. Bravo and Congrats to Morricone.

Best Film
Fuocoammare (Fire at Sea), Gianfranco Rosi
Il racconto dei racconti (Tale of Tales), Matteo Garrone
Non essere cattivo (Dont' Be Bad), Claudio Caligari
*Perfetti sconosciuti, Paolo Genovese
Youth, Paolo Sorrentino

Best Director
Gianfranco Rosi for Fuocoammare (Fire at Sea)
*Matteo Garrone for Il racconto dei racconti (Tale of Tales)
Claudio Caligari for Non essere cattivo (Don't Be Bad)
Paolo Genovese for Perfetti sconosciuti
Paolo Sorrentino for Youth

Best New Director
Carlo Lavagna for Arianna
Adriano Valerio for Banat – Il viaggio
Piero Messina for L'Attesa (The Wait)
*Gabriele Mainetti for Lo chiamavano Jeeg Robot (They Call Me Jeeg Robot)
Fabio Bonifacci e Francesco Micciché for Loro chi?
Alberto Caviglia for Pecore in erba

Best Screenplay
Edoardo Albinati, Ugo Chiti, Matteo Garrone and Massimo Gaudioso for Il racconto dei racconti (Tale of Tales)
Nicola Guaglianone and Menotti for Lo chiamavano Jeeg Robot (They Call Me Jeeg Robot)
Claudio Caligari, Giordano Meacci and Francesca Serafini for Non essere cattivo (Don't Be Bad)
*Filippo Bologna, Paolo Costella, Paolo Genovese, Paola Mammini and Rolando Ravello for Perfetti sconosciuti
Paolo Sorrentino for Youth

Best Actress
Àstrid Bergès Frisbey in Alaska
Paola Cortellesi in Gli ultimi saranno ultimi
Sabrina Ferilli in Io e lei
Juliette Binoche in L'attesa (The Wait)
*Ilenia Pastorelli in Lo chiamavano Jeeg Robot (They Call Me Jeeg Robot)
Valeria Golino in Per amor vostro
Anna Foglietta in Perfetti sconosciuti

Best Supporting Actress
Piera Degli Esposti in Assolo
*Antonia Truppo in Lo chiamavano Jeeg Robot (They Call Me Jeeg Robot)
Elisabetta De Vito in Non essere cattivo (Don't Be Bad)
Sonia Bergamasco in Quo vado?
Claudia Cardinale in Ultima fermata

Best Actor
*Claudio Santamaria in Lo chiamavano Jeeg Robot (They Call Me Jeeg Robot)
Alessandro Borghi in Non essere cattivo (Don't Be Bad)
Luca Marinelli in Non essere cattivo (Don't Be Bad)
Marco Giallini in Perfetti sconosciuti
Valerio Mastandrea in Perfetti sconosciuti

Best Supporting Actor
Valerio Binasco in Alaska
Fabrizio Bentivoglio in Gli ultimi saranno ultimi
Giuseppe Battiston in La felicità è un sistema complesso
*Luca Marinelli in Lo chiamavano Jeeg Robot (They Call Me Jeeg Robot)
Alessandro Borghi in Suburra

David Giovani
Alaska, Claudio Cupellini
Gli ultimi saranno ultimi, Massimiliano Bruno
*La Corrispondenza, Giuseppe Tornatore
Non essere cattivo (Don't Be Bad), Claudio Caligari
Quo vado?, Gennaro Nunziante

Best Cinematography
*Peter Suschitzky for Il racconto dei racconti (Tale of Tales)
Michele D'Attanasio for Lo chiamavano Jeeg Robot (They Call Me Jeeg Robot)
Maurizio Calvesi for Non essere cattivo (Don't Be Bad)
Paolo Carnera for Suburra
Luca Bigazzi for Youth

Best Editing
Jacopo Quadri for Fuocoammare (Fire at Sea)
*Andrea Maguolo and Federico Conforti for Lo chiamavano Jeeg Robot (They Call Me Jeeg Robot)
Consuelo Catucci for Perfetti sconosciuti
Patrizio Maroneper for Suburra 
Cristiano Travaglioli for Youth

Best Sound
Maricetta Lombardo for Il racconto dei racconti (Tale of Tales)
Valentino Giannì for Lo chiamavano Jeeg Robot (They Call Me Jeeg Robot)
*Angelo Bonanni for Non essere cattivo (Don't Be Bad)
Umberto Montesanti for Perfetti sconosciuti
Emanuele Cecere for Youth

Best Score
Alexandre Desplat for Il racconto dei racconti (Tale of Tales)
Ennio Morricone for La corrispondenza
Michele Braga and Gabriele Mainetti for Lo chiamavano Jeeg Robot (They Call Me Jeeg Robot)
Paolo Vivaldi and Alessandro Sartini for Non essere cattivo (Don't Be Bad)
*David Lang for Youth

Best Original Song
La felicità è un sistema complesso with song "Torta di noi" music, lyrics and performed by Niccolò Contessa
Non essere cattivo (Don't Be Bad) with song "A cuor leggero"music, lyrics and performed by Riccardo Sinigallia
Perfetti sconosciuti with song "Perfetti Sconosciuti music by Bungaro e Cesare Chiodo, lyrics and performance by Fiorella Mannoia
Quo vado? with song "La prima repubblica" music, lyrics and performed by Luca Medici (Checco Zalone)
*Youth with song "Simple Song #3" music and lyrics by David Lang performance by Sumi Jo

Best Production Design
*Dimitri Capuani and Alessia Anfuso for Il racconto dei racconti (Tale of Tales)
Maurizio Sabatini for La corrispondenza
Massimiliano Sturiale for Lo chiamavano Jeeg Robot (They Call Me Jeeg Robot)
Giada Calabria for Non essere cattivo (Don't Be Bad)
Paki Meduri for Suburra
Ludovica Ferrario for Youth

Best Costume
*Massimo Cantini Parrini for Il racconto dei racconti (Tale of Tales)
Gemma Mascagni for La corrispondenza
Mary Montalto for Lo chiamavano Jeeg Robot (They Call Me Jeeg Robot)
Chiara Ferrantini for Non essere cattivo (Don't Be Bad)
Carlo Poggioli for Youth

Best Makeup
*Gino Tamagnini, Valter Casotto, Luigi D'Andrea e Leonardo Cruciano for Il racconto dei racconti (Tale of Tales)
Enrico Iacoponi for La corrispondenza
Giulio Pezza for Lo chiamavano Jeeg Robot (They Call Me Jeeg Robot)
Lidia Minì for Non essere cattivo (Don't Be Bad)
Maurizio Silvi for Youth

Best Hairstyle
*Francesco Pegoretti for Il racconto dei racconti (Tale of Tales)
Elena Gregorini for La corrispondenza
Angelo Vannella for Lo chiamavano Jeeg Robot (They Call Me Jeeg Robot)
Sharim Sabatini for Non essere cattivo (Don't Be Bad)
Aldo Signoretti for Youth

Best Visual Effects
EDI – Effetti Digitali Italiani for Game Therapy
*Makinarium for Il racconto dei racconti (Tale of Tales)
Chromatica for Lo chiamavano Jeeg Robot (They Call Me Jeeg Robot)
Visualogie for Suburra
Peerless for Youth

Best Producer
21uno Film, Stemal Entertainment, Istituto Luce-Cinecittà, Rai Cinema, Les Films d'Ici con Arte France Cinéma for Fuocoammare (Fire at Sea)
Archimede, Rai Cinema for Il racconto dei racconti (Tale of Tales)
*Gabriele Mainetti per Goon Films, Rai Cinema for Lo chiamavano Jeeg Robot (They Call Me Jeeg Robot)
Paolo Bogna, Simone Isola and Valerio Mastandrea for Kimera Film, with Rai Cinema and Taodue Film, associate producer Pietro Valsecchi, in colaboration with Leone Film Group for Non essere cattivo (Don't Be Bad)
Nicola Giuliano, Francesca Cima, Carlotta Calori for Indigo Film for Youth

Best Short Film
A metà luce,  Anna Gigante
*Bellissima, Alessandro Capitani
Dove l’acqua con altra acqua si confonde,  Gianluca Mangiasciutti e Massimo Loi
La ballata dei senzatetto, d Monica Manganelli
Per Anna, Andrea Zuliani

Best Documentary
Harry’s Bar,  Carlotta Cerquetti
I bambini sanno,  Walter Veltroni
Lousiana (The Other Side),  Roberto Minervini
Revelstoke. Un bacio nel vento (Revelstoke: A Kiss in the Wind), Nicola Moruzzi
*S is for Stanley, Alex Infascelli

Best European Film
45 Years, Andrew Haigh
Le Tout nouveau Testament (The Brand New Testament), Jaco Van Dormael
*Saul Fia (Son of Saul), László Nemes
Perfect Day, Fernando León de Aranoa
The Danish Girl, Tom Hooper

Best Foreign Film
*Bridge of Spies, Steven Spielberg
Carol, Todd Haynes
Inside Out, Peter Docter and Ronnie del Carmen
Remember, Atom Egoyan
Spotlight, Thomas McCarthy

To read the nominations at official site go here, available only in Italian.

48th Quinzaine des Réalisateurs Selection

A few minutes ago in Paris, la Quinzaine des Réalisateurs Artistic Director, Edouard Waintrop, announced the films in the parallel section of the Cannes Film Festival run by the Société des réalisateurs de films (French Director's Guild) and I'm glad that some of the films I was looking forward to see in Cannes are in this section. Relief.

Waintrop regretted the passing of outstanding filmmaker and actress Ronit Elkabetz, R.I.P. The news hit me hard as she was very young, 51-years-old, and I highly enjoyed her particular performing style as well as her directing style in films she directed with her brother. I'm sad but know that she will live in her body-of-work.

Back to the selection, there are some snubs that puzzle me as was hoping for French cinema filmmakers Bertrand Bonello's Nocturama, Rebecca Zlotowski's Planeatarium and Katell Quillévéré's Répare les vivants; still glad Lafosse made it, as well as the last film by the late Solveig Anspach. Most interesting is the animated film by Claude Barras co-written by none other than Céline Sciamma and I'm extremely curious about Laura Poiras latest documentary but from all the selection the film that wish to watch the most is Neruda by Pablo Larrain.

As previously announced, this year’s Carrosse d’Or,awarded to a director from the international filmmaking community for the innovative qualities, courage and independent-mindedness of his or her work, goes to one of my favorite directors, outstanding master filmmaker Aki Kaurismaki.

Here are the 18 feature films and 11 short films.

Feature films

Opening Film: Fai bei sogni (Sweet Dreams), Marco Bellocchio, Italy and France
Closing Film: Dog Eat Dog, Paul Schrader, USA

Divines, Uda Benyamina, France
Fiore, Claudio Giovannesi, Italy and France
La Pazza Gioia (Like Crazy), Paolo Virzì, Italy
L’economie du couple (After Love), Joachim Lafosse, France and Belgium
L’Effet aquatique (The Together Project), Solveig Anspach, France and Iceland
Les Vies de Thérèse, Sebastien Lifshitz, France (documentary)
Ma vie de courgette (My Life as a Zucchini), Claude Barras, Switzerland and France
Mean Dreams, Nathan Morlando, Canada
Mercenaire, Sacha Wolff, France
Neruda, Pablo Larrain, Argentina, Chile, Spain, USA and France
Poesía Sin Fin (Endless Poesy), Alejandro Jodorosky, Chile, Japan and France
Raman Raghav 2.0, Anurag Kashyap, India
Risk, Laura Poitras, Germany and USA
Tour de France, Rachid Djaïdani, France
Two Lovers and a Bear, Kim Nguyen, Canada
Wolf and Sheep, Shahrbanoo Sadat, Denmark, Sweden and France

Short films

Chasse Royale, Lise Akoka and Romane Gueret, France
Decorado, Alberto Vázquez, Spain
Habat Shel Hakala, Tamar Rudoy, Israel
Happy Endu (Happy End), Jan Saska, Czech Republic, 6'
Hitchhiker, Jero Yun, South Korea, 20'
Import, Ena Sendijarevic, Netherlands
Kindil el Bahr, Damien Ounouri, Algeria
Léthé, Dea Kulumbegashvili, Georgia
Слушая Бетховена Listening to Beethoven, Garri Bardine, Russia
O Segredo De Abigail (Abigail), Isabel Penoni and Valentina Homem, Brazil
Zvir (The Beast), Miroslav Sikavica, Croatia, 14'

Seems the new site has been flooded with requests and was not prepared for the traffic, so it's hard to access it but the list at the official site is here.

This year, after Cannes, the films of the 48th Directors’ Fortnight will be shown in Paris, Marseille, Geneva, Rome, Milan, Florence and Brussels.

The Factory

After the Taipei Factory in 2013, the Nordic Factoryin 2014 and the Chile Factory in 2015 the Directors' Fortnight is glad to continue the adventure this coming year with the South Africa Factory. The Factory project aims at the emergence of new talents on the international scene, allowing young international directors to meet and create together.

The Directors' Fortnight is proud to showcase the result of these exchanges, four (4) 15 minutes short films, co-directed by 4 tandems of young directors.

Zee Ntuli (South Africa) and Isabelle Mayor (France/Switzerland)
Zamo Mkhwanazi (South Africa) and Alejandro Fadel (Argentina)
Sheetal Magan (South Africa) and Martín Morgenfeld (Argentina)
Samantha Nell (South Africa) and Michael Wahrman (Brazil)

24th L'ACID Selection

Today the Association du Cinéma Indépendant pour sa Diffusion (ACID) announced the usual nine (9) films in the selection that promotes diffusion of independent films in movie theaters and encourages debates between authors and audiences for the last 23 years.

The selection of nine films has 14 filmmakers, 2 documentaries and 1 animation; three are first films and five are second films plus only three films have already distribution. But most interesting is the fact that the selection is eclectic with diverse approaches, mises en scène, narrations and genres. From the deadpan comedy to incredible paranoid anti-hero, the movies explode the boundaries and make us take a step aside.

The program is crossed by a major reason, that the uniqueness of the characters that reverse the patterns that surround them: the fragile, the dissimilar, the melancholic, the lonely, the eccentric are endowed with wise words of unalterable will, of fertile imagination, refreshing humor ...

Isola, Fabianny Deschamps, France
La Jeune Fille Sans Mains, Sébastien Laudenbach, France (1st film)
Madame B, Histoire d'Une Nord-Coreene (Mrs. B.), Jero Yun, France and South Korea (documentary)
Le Parc (The Park), Damien Manivel, France
Sac La Mort, Emmanuel Parraud, France
Swagger, Olivier Babinet, France (documentary)
Tombé du Ciel, Wissam Charaf, France and Lebanon (1st film)
Le Voyage Au Groenland, Sébastien Betbeder, France
Willy 1er, Ludovic & Zoran Boukherma, Marielle Gautier and Hugo P. Thomas, France (1st film)

To check the announcement at the official site go here, eventually will be in English but today is available only in French.

Check clips or trailers @MOC

Isola (aka Isola Che Non C'è) by Fabianny Deschamps
Une Chinoise échouée sur un ile perdue au fin fond de l'Italie attend un mari qui ne vient pas. Un Africain naufragé sur les côtes du nord de la Chine attend de rejoindre l’Europe tant espérée. Isola conte les parcours absurdes et cruels des mouvements migratoires d’aujourd’hui. Une histoire faite de rêve mais sans féerie qui s’écrit chaque jour, ici et maintenant, aux portes de l’Europe.

English synopsis: Feature film about the absurd and cruel trajectories of people’s migrations today. A story made of dreams without fairies that happens everyday at the gates of Europe.



La Jeune Fille Sans Mains by Sébastien Laudenbach
With the voices of Anaïs Demoustier and Jérémie Elkaïm
En des temps difficiles, un meunier vend sa fille au Diable. Protégée par sa pureté, elle lui échappe mais est privée de ses mains. Cheminant loin de sa famille, elle rencontre la déesse de l’eau, un doux jardinier et le prince en son château. Un long périple vers la lumière.

In hard times, a miller sells his daughter to the devil. Protected by her purity, she escapes but is deprived of her hands. Walking away from her family, she encounters the goddess of water, a gentle gardener and the prince in his castle. A long journey towards the light…



Madame B, Histoire d'Une Nord-Coreene (Mrs. B.) by Jero Yun
Portrait of Mrs. B., a tough charismatic North Korean woman who smuggles between North Korea, China and South Korea. With the money she gets, she plans to reunite with her two North Korean sons after years of separation.



Le Parc (The Park) by Damien Manivel
In Summertime: two teenagers have their first date in a park. Both nervous and shy at the beginning, they soon discover a strong attraction to each other; they get closer while wandering in the park and end up falling in love. But the night is coming, so it’s time to leave…



Sac la mort by Emmanuel Parraud
In today's Reunion, Patrice must avenge the death of his brother, who has been brutally murdered. But does he have the strength for it, as he has just lost his home?



Swagger by Olivier Babinet
A documentary teen-movie, Swagger carries us in the midst of the astonishing minds of eleven teenagers growing up in one of the most underprivileged neighbourhood in France. Despite their life difficulties, Aulnay and Sevran’s kids have dreams and ambitions. And no one will take that from them!



Tombé du Ciel by Wissam Charaf
Après 20 ans de séparation, Samir, ancien milicien présumé mort, réapparaît dans la vie d’Omar, son petit frère devenu garde du corps à Beyrouth. Entre drame et comédie, Samir doit se confronter à un pays qui ne lui appartient plus et retisser des liens avec sa famille.

In today’s Lebanon, Omar, a bodyguard, has his first client to protect : Yasmine, a punk singer who wants to start a career in politics. One evening, Omar is accidentally reunited with his older brother Samir, a former militiaman, who was considered dead. Between drama and comedy, Samir will have to face a country that he doesn’t recognize and rebuild links with his family.



Le Voyage Au Groenland by Sébastien Betbeder
Thomas and Thomas are going through a rough patch : they are both thirty something actors living in Paris... They randomly decide to leave the city and fly away to Kullorsuaq, one of the most remote villages of Greenland, where Thomas’ father Nathan lives. Among the Inuit community, they will discover the charms of the local customs and find the limits of their friendship.



Willy 1er by Ludovic & Zoran Boukherma, Marielle Gautier and Hugo P. Thomas
Synopsis : à la mort de son frère jumeau, Willy Pruvost, la cinquantaine, légèrement simple d'esprit, décide de quitter sa famille pour prendre son indépendance. « A Yvetot, j’irai. Un appartement, j’en aurai un. Un scooter, j’en aurai un. Des copains, j’en aurai. Et j’vous emmerde ! ». Pour ce faire, il déménage dans le village voisin, à dix-huit kilomètres de son malheur.

When his twin brother dies, Willy, 50, finally decides to leave his parents’ home. He moves to a small nearby town to start afresh. « In Caudebec I’ll live. An apartment, I’ll have one. And friends too. And you can all go to hell ! » Though a misfit, Willy tries to find his place in a world unknown.

1st Audentia Award Winner

Yesterday at the 35th Istanbul Film Festival the jury of the 1st Audentia Award, Yeşim Ustaoğlu, director Angelos Frantzis, and Sanja Ravlic from the Eurimages, announced the winner and is none other than a puzzling animated documentary.

Anca Damian with her film La Montagne Magique



To check announcement at festival official site go here.

The now award winner film has the following storyline:
In the form of an animated docu-drama, the biography of Adam Jacek Winkler wonders through nearly half a century of history. A Polish refugee in Paris, Adam lived a boundless life, wanting to change the world. His adventurous life takes a radical turn in the 80s, as he visions himself a knight of the 20th century and leaves France to fight with both amateurism and courage, alongside commander Massoud against the Soviets in Afghanistan. In the light of September 11th, 2001, his fate mirrors the individual's destiny in relation with the history unfolding and also the introspection of a man on his own fate.

Trailer



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3/18/16
Recently a new annual award was created by the Council of Europe's Eurimages Fund and most interesting, is an award that will be given to female directors. The name: Audentia, which is Latin for courage or bravery; two words that according to awards creators "reflects two vital qualities for any woman wishing to pursue a career in film directing".

With the Audentia Award Eurimages intends to celebrate women who have had the courage to make the filmmaking choice, by giving their work greater visibility and inspiring other women to follow their footsteps. The award, a cash prize of 30,000 euros, has been instigated by Eurimages alongside a raft of other measures to promote greater gender equality in the European film industry.

Each award ceremony will have a patroness and for the first edition the CEO of the Swedish Film Institute, Anna Serner, was chosen for her outstanding courage to advancing the cause of gender equality in the film industry. She is a pioneer who has rendered visible the invisible, and under her leadership, the Swedish Film Institute has achieved parity in the allocation of public funding.

The annual award will be given to the winner during an international film festival and the 35th Istambul Film Festival was chosen to have the honor of having the first edition of the award ceremony on April 15.

15 films have been pre-selected from across all categories and all films by female directors to compete for the first edition of the Prize. Have to confess that looked all over for the pre-selection criteria and wasn't able to find the rules, regulations or something. Also, got no criteria idea from the 15 films as the only thing I could think of are the omissions of well-known female directors like for example Deniz Gamze Ergüven, Emmanuelle Bercot, and many more. Award seems will be given to less-known directors; but then multiple-award winners like Athina Rachel Tsangari, Lisa Aschan and Lucile Hadzihalilovic are well-known to good-cinema lovers and festival circuit. Hope eventually organizers release rules so we can understand what this award is really all about.

3000 Layla (3000 Nights) Mai Masri, Palestine, Farnce, Jordan, Lebanon, Qatar and UAE
À peine j'ouvre les yeux (As I Open My Eyes), Leyla Bouzid, France, Tunisia and Belgium, 2015
Ana Yurdu (Motherland), Senem Tüzen, Turkey and Greece, 2015
Auf Einmal (All of A Sudden), Aslı Özge, Germany and Netherlands, 2016
Chevalier, Athina Rachel Tsangari, Greece, 2015
Det vita folket (White People, aka The Deposit), Lisa Aschan, Sweden, 2015
Évolution (Evolution), Lucile Hadzihalilovic, France, Belgium and Spain, 2015
Ha'har (Mountain), Yaelle Kayam, Denmark and Israel, 2015
Jajda (Thirst), Svella Tsotsorkova, Bulgaria, 2015
Kasap Havasi (Wedding Dance), Çiğdem Sezgin, Turkey
*La montagne magique (The Magic Mountain), Anca Damian, Romania, France and Poland, 2015 (documentary-animation)
Pesn pesney (Song of Songs), Eva Neymann, Ukraine, 2015
Toz Bezi (Dust Cloth), Ahu Öztürk, Germany and Turkey, 2015
Wild, Nicolette Krebitz, Germany, 2016
Yemekteydim ve Karar Verdim (We Were Dining and I Decided), Görkem Yeltan, Turkey, 2016

Feel compelled to share that even when we all find inaccuracies at IMDb and have learned to "live" with them, looking for info about above films was not an easy task there; which only made me think that not only the film industry "forgets" about female filmmakers but also services that live thanks to the industry, sigh.

To read press release at official site go here, it's a pdf file.

#Cannes2016 Press Conference Live Stream

Pierre Lescure, President of the Festival de Cannes, and Thierry Frémaux, General Delegate, present the Official Selection of the 69th Festival de Cannes Press Conference on April, 14th 2016 at 11:00 am (Paris time), or 5am ET.

Please NOTE the the English stream says: April 14, 2016 4:30 AM.  So, maybe there will be something happening from 4:30am ET.

The Festival de Cannes will be held from May, 11th until May, 22th 2016.  As of this moment the Youtube channel will go live in 16:20:04.  See you tomorrow.

English



French

9th La Fabrique des Cinémas du Monde Selection

Waited a couple of days to share the selection for the 2016 edition because organizers had to uncover a new website and yes, now is open, new and a lot easier to browse. Congrats to the Institut Français that by-the-way also has other programs to support cultural diversity like the Cinémathèque Afrique (African Film Archive) and Aide aux Cinémas du Monde (World Cinema Support), a fund which is co-managed with the CNC.

As not many are aware of this Festival de Cannes collateral event let's share some basics about the professional program.

La Fabrique des Cinémas du Monde is a professional program helping talented young directors from emerging countries increase their international exposure. Each year this program, developed by the Institut français, in partnership with France Médias Monde – RFI, France 24, Monte Carlo Doualiya- with the support of The International Organization of La Fancophonie, invites ten directors working on their first or second feature films to attend the Festival de Cannes along with their producers.

During work sessions, directors have the opportunity to discuss their project with the programme’s patron, an internationally renowned director. In addition, they have direct access to the festival’s different compétitive selections (La Semaine de la Critique, La Quinzaine des Réalisateurs) and major Professional events and receive accreditation for the Marché du Film (Producers Network…). They also meet the French and international press accompanied by our press officer. Parati Films will coordinate this year’s Fabrique programme at the Festival de Cannes.

In 2016, six films that previously took part in the Fabrique program are ready for distribution at festivals and in theaters. This year, a partnership has been concluded with the Marché du Film's Doc Corner to showcase the Fabrique’s two documentary projects, and to assist directors and
producers with documentary experience.

This year, there were 130 applications for the Fabrique des Cinémas du Monde program. Ten (10) candidates were invited to Cannes to develop their projects: four (4) first feature films, six (6) second feature films, two (2) documentaries, four (4) director-producers, four (4) female directors and two (2) female producers. These projects, from ten countries with emerging film industries, offer powerful visions of enduring traditions and global evolution's. Four countries will be represented for the first time: Angola, Azerbaijan, Costa Rica and Zimbabwe.

These are the 10 projects that include 8 feature-films and 2 documentaries.

Angola: Girlie by Pocas Pascoal
Azerbaijan: Basket by Iman Hasanov
Brazil: The Fever by Maya Da-Rin
Costa Rica: Dirty River by Gustavo Fallas
Egypt: Amal by Mohamed Siam (documentary)
Georgia: Citizen Saint by Tinatin Kajrishvili
Iran: Yalda by Massoud Bakhshi
Morocco: Saint Unknown by Alaa Eddine Aljem
Philippines: A Wrong Season by Carlo Francisco Manatad
Zimbabwe: The Other Half of the African Sky by Tapiwa Chipfupa (documentary)

French industry press announced today that none other than Jia Zhang-ke is succeeding Claire Denis as the godfather (parrain) of the 2016 edition! News are not in the official site but as soon as they become available will update post.



To read about news in the official site go here, available in French and English. News are also at Institut Français official site here, available only in French as of today.

Below find info about the director and her/his project.

Amal by Mohamed Siam


Mohamed Siam is a director, producer and DOP. His previous projects have received support from international institutes such as the Sundance Institute and the IDFA Bertha Fund. He has taken part in the Berlinale and Durban Talents, won the AfriDocs prize at the Durban FilmMart and won the Robert Bosch Academy’s Film Prize in 2015 for his project Amal.

Synopsis: This documentary has followed a teenager for four years as she comes to terms with her identity and sexuality in a male-dominated society and post-revolutionary police state. Amal embodies the chaos reigning in Egypt, where the people try to fulfil their potential despite the authoritarian regime and political upheavals.



Basket by Iman Hasanov

Imam Hasanov is a young filmmaker from Baku, Azerbaijan. For many years, he directed television dramas. His first feature film, Holy Cow, premiered in the First Appearance Competition at IDFA in 2015. Imam is an active member of Baku’s underground scene and founded Azerbaijan’s first independent theatre. He has participated in the Sarajevo and Berlinale Talents.

Synopsis: Deep in the Caucasus Mountains, no one dares to disobey the ancient customs. To free their parents souls, children must abandon them at the mercy of vultures to be devoured. Sahran, the village’s teacher, disallows this funeral rite.



Citizen Saint by Tinatin Kajrishvili

Tinatin Kajrishvili was born in Tbilisi, Georgia, in 1978. In 2001, she graduated from Georgia’s state theatre and film university as a qualified film director. In 2014, her first feature film Brides premiered and was awarded at the Berlin International Film Festival.

Synopsis: One day, the statue of a crucified saint comes to life. None of the investigators, government officials or locals know what to do with him. The Saint is accused of damaging artwork, ruining the city’s only tourist attraction and being a swindler. Everyone agrees: a saint’s place is on the cross. After interminable discussions, they put him back on his cross and crucify him again. Mary, an employee in a the city’s local museum, wants to protect him.



Girlie by Pocas Pascoal

Pocas Pascoal is Angola’s first camerawoman. She studied cinema in Paris before directing several documentaries and short films. Since 2002, she has participated in a number of contemporary art exhibitions. In 2012, she made her first feature film Alda and Maria, winning seven film festival awards.

Synopsis: Ema (6) lives with her father, a musician, in Lisbon. One day, during an authorised visit, her mother kidnaps her and takes her back to her home country, Cape Verde. Ema’s father attempts to find them, but her mother keeps running away. As Ema travels closer to the country’s heartland, she must face the solitude and mysteries of this new world.



Saint Unknown by Alaa Eddine Aljem

Alaa studied film at ESAV in Morocco and INSAS in Brussels. His films have been selected for festivals around the world, winning several awards. His most recent short film, The Desert Fish, won the critics’, screen-writing and grand prizes at the Moroccan National Film Festival. His first feature film project, Saint Inconnu, featured in the Open Doors section at Locarno Film Festival.

Synopsis: Amine, a thief who has stolen a large sum of money, escapes into the hills with the police hot on his heels. He buries the cash, hiding it under a makeshift tomb, before being arrested. Ten years later, he is released from prison and sets off in search of his money. Meanwhile, a shrine has been built where he buried it to honor an unknown saint.



The Fever by Maya Da-Rin

After studying design and the philosophy of art in Brazil, Maya Da-Rin graduated with honours from the French visual arts school Le Fresnoy. Her work has been shown at film festivals (Locarno) and museums (MoMA). She is working on her first feature, The Fever, selected for a Cinéfondation residence and Torino Script&Pitch, and supported by the Hubert Bals Fund.

Synopsis: Manaus is an industrial city surrounded by the Amazon rainforest. Justino, a 45- year-old Amerindian, works as a security guard at a cargo port and lives with his daughter on the outskirts of town. When she decides to leave to study medicine in the capital, Justino is gripped by a mysterious fever. He believes he is being followed, but he is not sure whether it is by an animal or by a man.



A Wrong Season by Carlo Francisco Manatad

Carlo Francisco Manatad, born in Tacloban City, is an alumnus of the Asian Film Academy, the Berlinale Talent Campus and the DocNet Campus Project. His short film, Junilyn Has, screened at the Locarno and Clermont Ferrand film festivals and since then, has travelled the festivals circuit.

Synopsis: In autumn 2013, in the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan, the strongest typhoon in recorded history, the jail warden temporarily releases the prisoners so they can tend to their families during the disaster. Miguel, one of the released prisoners, looks for his mother and his ex-girlfriend to flee the city. When his mother decides to stay, Miguel’s freedom and life are put in jeopardy.



Yalda by Massoud Bakhshi

Massoud Bakhshi was born in Tehran. Between 1990 and 1998, he worked as a film critic, script writer and producer. He has made ten documentaries and one short film, which have received many prizes. His first feature film, A Respectable Family (distributed by Pyramide in France), was selected for the Directors’ Fortnight at Cannes in 2012. Yalda is his second feature film.

Synopsis: Maryam (26) is “temporarily married” to Naser (65). She accidentally kills him, but is pregnant with his child. In Iran, only a victim’s family can pardon the killer. For Maryam, this pardon plays out on the country’s most popular reality show. She quickly realises that nothing is what it seems, including her own family. She must choose between her child and a pardon, in front of millions of viewers.



Dirty River by Gustavo Fallas

Gustavo Fallas, a director, producer and writer, was born in Costa Rica in 1974. He studied screenwriting at UQAM, Canada, before founding Centrosur, a production company that makes documentaries, music videos, commercials and fiction films. The film Puerto Padre received the Silver Zenith award for Best First Fiction Film at the Festival des Films du Monde de Montréal.

Synopsis: Río Sucio tells the story of the meeting of two strangers: an elderly hermit living alone in the mountains where he hates his only neighbor, and his 12-year-old grandson whose mother has left him in his grandfather’s care. During their time together, the grandfather teaches the boy how to survive life in the mountains, but he also learns a lesson about hate and its fatal consequences.



The Other Half of the African Sky by Tapiwa Chipfupa

An original, eclectic and creative filmmaker, Tapiwa Chipfupa worked on various projects in southern Africa before deciding to study. After gaining a Master’s degree from AFDA, Tapiwa received support from HotDocs (2016), Berlinale Talents (2015), Talents Durban (2013) and AfricaDocs (2010). Her projects have been acquired by broadcasters and won awards worldwide.

Synopsis: Estranged from her family by a dispute over her marriage, Tapiwa Chipfupa attempts to reconcile the situation through encounters with other Zimbabwean women from all walks of life also facing their own challenges. The film develops as a brutally honest story of Zimbabwe’s women that paints a vivid and intriguing portrait of contemporary Zimbabwe and its vast contradictions.