Primera Mirada, a privately funded works-in-progress showcase, formed to promote Central America and Caribbean cinema, screened five films out of a total submission of 46 works-in-progress during the Panama Film Festival.
Evaluated by an international jury during the International Film Festival of Panama 2016, two works in post-production won awards and three won kudos as well. “Noeli Overseas”/ “Noeli en los países” will screen in the Cannes Market this May.
Serving as international jury of Primera Mirada were Iván Giroud Gárate, director of the Havana International Film Festival, Yissel Ibarra, responsible for Strategic Projects of the Mexican Institute of Cinematography (Imcine), and Jaie Laplante, director the Miami International Film Festival. I can hazard a guess that these films will be screened in Jaie’s and Iván’s respective festivals when they are completed. All five have great strengths, which is, of course, why they were chosen out of 46 submitted works-in-progress.
The jury awarded the prize of Us$ 10,000 to the Dominican film “Noeli Overseas”/ “Noeli en los países” by director Laura Amelia Guzmán, with the expectation that this award will help the film find its way in the international scene. Laura Amelia Guzmán is a producer and director, known for “Cochochi” (2007), “Jean Gentil” (2010) and “Sand Dollars” (2014). Producer Desiree Reyes comes out of Cuba’s Eictv and has produced Laura’s films “Sand Dollars” and “Jean Gentil” as well as numerous more recent films. In this documentary, Noelí becomes an actress and travels to Europe, where she reunites with her mother and starts feeling homesick.
The jury also awarded Us $5,000 to the Panamanian debut film “Sultán” by director Enrique Castro, with the hope that this support will help its completion and help this story be seen by many around the world. December 20th 1999, a grandmother, her daughter-in-law and her grandson live a conflict and mourn. They blame each other for the death of a man - her son, her husband, his father - the night of the brutal U.S. military invasion of Panama ten years ago. It all gets worst when Sultan, the grandmother's dog, kills her grandson's puppy. Now only the deceased can reconcile them with their past.
This industry section is solely funded by the private equity, whose monetary contributions are directly handed to the winner.
Primera Mirada’s winning film, “Noelí en los países," will also benefit from an agreement between Iff Panama and Marché du Film de Cannes; one of the few agreements between Cannes and Latin America (aside from their partnership with Ventana Sur). The film will screen in the Marché, an integral part of the Cannes Film Festival, widely regarded as one of the most prominent film festivals and film markets around the world. Travel and accommodations are included in the prize package. In addition, Boogie Man Media, a renowned design company that specializes in creative advertising campaigns, will design the film’s poster.
"Noeli Overseas"/ "Noelí en los países" will screen as part of the Panama film showcase along with the Audience Award winning “Salsipuedes”.
Read interview with filmmakers of "Salsipuedes".
Primera Mirada was created in 2015, and its first winner was Guatemalan director Julio Hernández-Cordón and his film "I Promise You Anarchy"/ "Te prometo anarquía". The film premiered in Locarno, continued to Tiff and a surprisingly long list of top festivals in the international film festival circuit, while also receiving critical acclaim. “I Promise You Anarchy" was finally projected at Iff Panama 2016, much to its audience’s delight. Latido represents international sales. The Film Collaborative holds U.S. rights.
Evaluated by an international jury during the International Film Festival of Panama 2016, two works in post-production won awards and three won kudos as well. “Noeli Overseas”/ “Noeli en los países” will screen in the Cannes Market this May.
Serving as international jury of Primera Mirada were Iván Giroud Gárate, director of the Havana International Film Festival, Yissel Ibarra, responsible for Strategic Projects of the Mexican Institute of Cinematography (Imcine), and Jaie Laplante, director the Miami International Film Festival. I can hazard a guess that these films will be screened in Jaie’s and Iván’s respective festivals when they are completed. All five have great strengths, which is, of course, why they were chosen out of 46 submitted works-in-progress.
The jury awarded the prize of Us$ 10,000 to the Dominican film “Noeli Overseas”/ “Noeli en los países” by director Laura Amelia Guzmán, with the expectation that this award will help the film find its way in the international scene. Laura Amelia Guzmán is a producer and director, known for “Cochochi” (2007), “Jean Gentil” (2010) and “Sand Dollars” (2014). Producer Desiree Reyes comes out of Cuba’s Eictv and has produced Laura’s films “Sand Dollars” and “Jean Gentil” as well as numerous more recent films. In this documentary, Noelí becomes an actress and travels to Europe, where she reunites with her mother and starts feeling homesick.
The jury also awarded Us $5,000 to the Panamanian debut film “Sultán” by director Enrique Castro, with the hope that this support will help its completion and help this story be seen by many around the world. December 20th 1999, a grandmother, her daughter-in-law and her grandson live a conflict and mourn. They blame each other for the death of a man - her son, her husband, his father - the night of the brutal U.S. military invasion of Panama ten years ago. It all gets worst when Sultan, the grandmother's dog, kills her grandson's puppy. Now only the deceased can reconcile them with their past.
This industry section is solely funded by the private equity, whose monetary contributions are directly handed to the winner.
Primera Mirada’s winning film, “Noelí en los países," will also benefit from an agreement between Iff Panama and Marché du Film de Cannes; one of the few agreements between Cannes and Latin America (aside from their partnership with Ventana Sur). The film will screen in the Marché, an integral part of the Cannes Film Festival, widely regarded as one of the most prominent film festivals and film markets around the world. Travel and accommodations are included in the prize package. In addition, Boogie Man Media, a renowned design company that specializes in creative advertising campaigns, will design the film’s poster.
"Noeli Overseas"/ "Noelí en los países" will screen as part of the Panama film showcase along with the Audience Award winning “Salsipuedes”.
Read interview with filmmakers of "Salsipuedes".
Primera Mirada was created in 2015, and its first winner was Guatemalan director Julio Hernández-Cordón and his film "I Promise You Anarchy"/ "Te prometo anarquía". The film premiered in Locarno, continued to Tiff and a surprisingly long list of top festivals in the international film festival circuit, while also receiving critical acclaim. “I Promise You Anarchy" was finally projected at Iff Panama 2016, much to its audience’s delight. Latido represents international sales. The Film Collaborative holds U.S. rights.
- 4/18/2016
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Iff Panama’s first-look sidebar for central American and Caribbean projects awards grants for market visibility and completion of features in post.
The jurors are Ivan Giroud, director of the Festival de Cine de la Habana, Miami Film Festival executive director Jaie Laplante, and Imcine’s Yissel Ibarra.
The five Primera Mirada selections chosen from 46 submissions are: Jurgen Ureña’s Hold Me Like Before (Costa Rica); Yanillys Pérez’ Jeffrey (Dominican Republic); Maria Govan’s Play The Devil (Trinidad & Tobago); Laura Amelia Guzmán’s Noeli Overseas (Dominican Republic); and Enrique Castro Rios’ Panamanian selection, Sultan.
The recipient of the $15,000 Iff Panama-Cannes Film Festival Alliance award will screen at the French market on the Croisette in May and the director will get a paid trip to Cannes and full festival accreditation.
Boogieman Media will design the winning film’s official poster and has worked on such titles as The Clan, Wild Tales and Aire Libre.
All projects...
The jurors are Ivan Giroud, director of the Festival de Cine de la Habana, Miami Film Festival executive director Jaie Laplante, and Imcine’s Yissel Ibarra.
The five Primera Mirada selections chosen from 46 submissions are: Jurgen Ureña’s Hold Me Like Before (Costa Rica); Yanillys Pérez’ Jeffrey (Dominican Republic); Maria Govan’s Play The Devil (Trinidad & Tobago); Laura Amelia Guzmán’s Noeli Overseas (Dominican Republic); and Enrique Castro Rios’ Panamanian selection, Sultan.
The recipient of the $15,000 Iff Panama-Cannes Film Festival Alliance award will screen at the French market on the Croisette in May and the director will get a paid trip to Cannes and full festival accreditation.
Boogieman Media will design the winning film’s official poster and has worked on such titles as The Clan, Wild Tales and Aire Libre.
All projects...
- 3/31/2016
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Jurors at the 2015 Los Cabos International Film Festival unveiled their winners as the Mexican festival came to a close at the weekend.
In the Parallel Awards, the Cabos Discovery Ctt Exp & Rentals Award – equivalent to four weeks of filming equipment – was presented to Paulina del Paso for her film A Flor De Piel (Skin Deep). The award carries a $75,248 (Mxn 1,256,000) prize.
The Cabos In Progress Chemistry Award carrying a $45,000 prize in colour correction services went to Sebastián Hiriart for Carroña (Carrion),
The Cabos In Progress Fox+ Award went to La Habitación (The Bedroom) directed by Carlos Carrera, Daniel Giménez Cacho, Carlos Bolado, Ernesto Contreras, Alfonso Pineda Ulloa, Alejandro Valle, Iván Ávila Dueñas and Natalia Beristáin. The award carries a $30,000 cash prize and rights to broadcast the film in Latin America.
The Producers Network Badge Award went to producer Mayra Espinosa Cabos Discovery entry Calla (Keep Quiet).
The México Primero Art Kingdom Award was presented to Jack Zagha...
In the Parallel Awards, the Cabos Discovery Ctt Exp & Rentals Award – equivalent to four weeks of filming equipment – was presented to Paulina del Paso for her film A Flor De Piel (Skin Deep). The award carries a $75,248 (Mxn 1,256,000) prize.
The Cabos In Progress Chemistry Award carrying a $45,000 prize in colour correction services went to Sebastián Hiriart for Carroña (Carrion),
The Cabos In Progress Fox+ Award went to La Habitación (The Bedroom) directed by Carlos Carrera, Daniel Giménez Cacho, Carlos Bolado, Ernesto Contreras, Alfonso Pineda Ulloa, Alejandro Valle, Iván Ávila Dueñas and Natalia Beristáin. The award carries a $30,000 cash prize and rights to broadcast the film in Latin America.
The Producers Network Badge Award went to producer Mayra Espinosa Cabos Discovery entry Calla (Keep Quiet).
The México Primero Art Kingdom Award was presented to Jack Zagha...
- 11/15/2015
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Panama’s place in the panoply of Latin American cinema is growing with careful and conscious nurturing. The three films screening in the Cannes Marche 2015 were “Invasion,” which became Panama’s first foreign-language Oscar submission, “Te prometo anarquía” (“I Promise you Anarchy”) a Mexico-Panama-Guatemala coproduction from Guatemalan director Julio Hernández-Cordón that won the Iff Panama’s 1st Primera Mirada for works-in-progress and “Panama Canal Stories” (“Historias del Canal”).
“Invasion," “Panama Canal Stories,” along with “Breaking the Wave” (“Rompiendo la ola”) and “Reinas,” were the four local productions that made a mark commercially at the Panamanian box office in 2014. Thirteen features have been produced in Panama since 2012, compared with just three local productions completed between 2007 and 2012 and two between 2001 and 2007. Panama is growing in productivity as nations rush to invest their capital in the country in anticipation of the enlarged canal which will permit the Chinese cargo ships passage to Latin American and U.S. ports.
Pituka Ortega-Heilbron was one of the five directors of “Panama Canal Stories” whose international premiere in Cannes was an important event for those who knew of its debut. The other directors of the film were Carolina Borrero,Pinky Mon, Luis Franco Brantley, and Abner Benaim, all relative newcomers to directing.
The importance of the film is three fold. For one, the unique history of the Panama Canal and its impact on Panama and the world has never been told. These five Panamanian directors focus their attention on the lives of every day folk directly and from each particular story a universal issue and truth emerges, all of which converge into “freedom”.
A second important aspect of the film is its showcasing new talent.
Carolina Barrero, one of the two female directors in this omnibus, is a talent to watch. Her story, “1913” unfolds with a scene that looks like a stunning Salgado photograph. It then follows a romance which unfolds as the Panama Canal is under construction by a legion of foreigners who come to the site searching for an opportunity of a better life. The majority came from the Antilles, aka West Indies: Jamaica, Barbados, Trinidad + Tobago, Martinique with some European and North Americans. To see the mix of people, most of whom were of African descent and to see how two connected in love was not only interesting and touching, but also bears witness to the budding talent of Carolina Barrero and the star. When Clarice Thompson, played by Lakisha May, as the daughter of the pastor and the canal worker, Philip Clay, exchange a stone inscribed with their names, they set off a violent incident whose violence is promulgated throughout this series of five vignettes and only comes to a full resolution in the fifth sequence, directed by the second woman director, Pituka Ortega Heilbron.
Pituka Heilbron is also one of the three producers (Ileana Novas and Pablo Schverdfinger are the other two) and is the Director of the Panama International Film Festival, an event now approaching its fourth year and gaining an important spot in the Latin American film business.
Another emerging talent to watch is Lakisha May who plays Clarice Thompson in “1913” and Clarice Jones, her great grand daughter in the last segment “2013”, who rediscovers her great grandmother and finds her own voice.
Lakisha May is an actress based in the U.S. whose delicately beautiful Latino African looks and the fire in her acting mark her as an up and coming talent. This Spellman University graduate who received her Mfa in Acting from the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco in 2010 creates two distinct personalities which are intriguing and attractive, leading the audience into wanting to know more about them, particularly in the final segment where she plays a singer who is not able to perform because of a creative block which is only lifted when she comes to recognize her great grandmother’s legacy.
Key to “Panama Canal Stories”, the great grandmother wrote her memoirs and was also a correspondent for the great Marcus Garvey, the Jamaican political leader ,publisher, journalist, entrepreneur, and orator who was a staunch proponent of the Black Nationalism and Pan-Africanism movements and whose influence in the U.S. is still felt today. And as a side note, check out Lakisha May’s short here. It shows her talent as a polemic filmmaker as well.
Pinky Mon’s story “1950” depicts the discovery of the Panama Canal Zone through the eyes of an American kid who lives with his mother who was recently widowed and drowns her sorrow in alcohol. He witnesses the Anglo-Panamanian tensions first hand with his playmates, first the Anglo children of the Canal Zone, which in the 1950s numbered some 65,000 people living in privileged conditions, and then with the Panamanian boys living on the outskirts of The Zone which included the canal and an area extending five miles on every side of its center, excluding Panama City and Colón which were regarded as U.S. territory.
The separateness and colonial nature of this setup antagonized the Panamanians. In the short time allotted to this segment of the movie, director Pinky Mon captures a feeling of time and space which is recognizable but which depicts an event we have never actually considered before. If the audience is like me, as a U.S. citizen I am so used to Panama being a satellite of the U.S. and while I recall U.S. taking down Noriega (who we put there in the first place) for his corruption, I know very little about Panama itself. The child and his mother eventually return to her hometown in the U.S. and he feels as so many did, that he will always miss this “lost paradise”.
Luis Franco Brantley’s story “1964” takes place in the midst of a fatal protest that took place on January 9th, as it is filtered through the eyes of two young people who belong to opposite sides of the fight. The tension it portrays which in reality resulted in the shooting death of 24 Panamanians and the government of Panama’s breaking diplomatic relations with the U.S., the first time a Latin American country took such a measure, is flawed by the story itself and the acting of Hannah Schöbitz in her first role, as an American white girl who has a brief affair with a young Panamanian photographer played by Ivan González.
Abner Benaim’s story “1977” portrays the life of a taxi cab driver hired by the U.S. to act as chauffeur for two U.S. State Department executives and who is a spy for the Panamanian government during the negotiation of the Torrijos–Carter Treaty. Again, previously unknown views of the conflicts U.S. faced in its colonization of Latin America makes an interesting backdrop to what unfolds. The problem of this segment is the inconsistencies in the story itself.
The good fellowship between the driver and his two Americans and the relationship with his Panamanian “boss” are both so ambiguous that the story often seems more like a comedy played with a heavy hand rather than a suspenseful spy story. It affect is confusing. The two actors I would like to see more of however are the extremely handsome Luis Manuel Barrios who is the driver and his “boss” who obviously thinks he is a total fool, José Angel Murillo. Both seemed out of their element in this story but both have a magnetism on the screen which holds up throughout this odd story.
Pituka Ortega Heilbron’s closing story examines the Panama Canal in 2013 and its expansion project (also called the Third Set of Locks Project) which will double the capabilities of the Canal by 2016. Clarice Thompson of “1913” returns here as Clarice Jones who in discovering her heritage finds her voice in a literal sense. “2013” is metaphoric; not only does Clarisse finds her voice-- a nation finds its voice,” Producer Heilbron says. “It was the hardest story to come up with of the five stories.” “2013” completes the circle begun in “1913” and nicely rounds out the 100 year history of Panama and the Panama Canal.
Somewhat conventional filmmaking is offset by stories which are unique and even riveting as they uncover a history of the Panama Canal which expands beyond what little we may know of the country’s history. Under the stewardship first of the French and then of the North Americans intent on building a canal which cost many lives, 25,000 of the 75,000 working on the Canal died from malaria, Yellow Fever (Remember our own history lessons about Dr. Walter Reed discovering the cause of Yellow Fever?), landslides, explosions and horrid living conditions.
The third point of importance for this film telling stories that are particular to a segment of society we have not seen on screen before is the universality of their stories. The people who were there building the Canal enlighten us about what personal conflicts they themselves were experiencing. The audience of industry professionals left the screening room with feelings of surprise and pleasure for “discovering” this film. While this privately financed $2.5 million film is not an “art film” nor is it a “popular”, that is “studio” film, it will appeal most to the educated and middle class audiences who delight in new stories as they pertain to U.S. and its policies. This includes segments of the white arthouse audience as well as the African diaspora wherever it may be and to the Latino audiences sharing such interests. If it is aimed for audiences in the U.S. I would estimate a box office success at $500,000 - $1,000,000 with proper marketing via trailers in theaters and online along with wide social networking. The beauty of the place and actors might even surprise us with higher grosses. Having stated this, I await news on its distribution.
“Invasion," “Panama Canal Stories,” along with “Breaking the Wave” (“Rompiendo la ola”) and “Reinas,” were the four local productions that made a mark commercially at the Panamanian box office in 2014. Thirteen features have been produced in Panama since 2012, compared with just three local productions completed between 2007 and 2012 and two between 2001 and 2007. Panama is growing in productivity as nations rush to invest their capital in the country in anticipation of the enlarged canal which will permit the Chinese cargo ships passage to Latin American and U.S. ports.
Pituka Ortega-Heilbron was one of the five directors of “Panama Canal Stories” whose international premiere in Cannes was an important event for those who knew of its debut. The other directors of the film were Carolina Borrero,Pinky Mon, Luis Franco Brantley, and Abner Benaim, all relative newcomers to directing.
The importance of the film is three fold. For one, the unique history of the Panama Canal and its impact on Panama and the world has never been told. These five Panamanian directors focus their attention on the lives of every day folk directly and from each particular story a universal issue and truth emerges, all of which converge into “freedom”.
A second important aspect of the film is its showcasing new talent.
Carolina Barrero, one of the two female directors in this omnibus, is a talent to watch. Her story, “1913” unfolds with a scene that looks like a stunning Salgado photograph. It then follows a romance which unfolds as the Panama Canal is under construction by a legion of foreigners who come to the site searching for an opportunity of a better life. The majority came from the Antilles, aka West Indies: Jamaica, Barbados, Trinidad + Tobago, Martinique with some European and North Americans. To see the mix of people, most of whom were of African descent and to see how two connected in love was not only interesting and touching, but also bears witness to the budding talent of Carolina Barrero and the star. When Clarice Thompson, played by Lakisha May, as the daughter of the pastor and the canal worker, Philip Clay, exchange a stone inscribed with their names, they set off a violent incident whose violence is promulgated throughout this series of five vignettes and only comes to a full resolution in the fifth sequence, directed by the second woman director, Pituka Ortega Heilbron.
Pituka Heilbron is also one of the three producers (Ileana Novas and Pablo Schverdfinger are the other two) and is the Director of the Panama International Film Festival, an event now approaching its fourth year and gaining an important spot in the Latin American film business.
Another emerging talent to watch is Lakisha May who plays Clarice Thompson in “1913” and Clarice Jones, her great grand daughter in the last segment “2013”, who rediscovers her great grandmother and finds her own voice.
Lakisha May is an actress based in the U.S. whose delicately beautiful Latino African looks and the fire in her acting mark her as an up and coming talent. This Spellman University graduate who received her Mfa in Acting from the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco in 2010 creates two distinct personalities which are intriguing and attractive, leading the audience into wanting to know more about them, particularly in the final segment where she plays a singer who is not able to perform because of a creative block which is only lifted when she comes to recognize her great grandmother’s legacy.
Key to “Panama Canal Stories”, the great grandmother wrote her memoirs and was also a correspondent for the great Marcus Garvey, the Jamaican political leader ,publisher, journalist, entrepreneur, and orator who was a staunch proponent of the Black Nationalism and Pan-Africanism movements and whose influence in the U.S. is still felt today. And as a side note, check out Lakisha May’s short here. It shows her talent as a polemic filmmaker as well.
Pinky Mon’s story “1950” depicts the discovery of the Panama Canal Zone through the eyes of an American kid who lives with his mother who was recently widowed and drowns her sorrow in alcohol. He witnesses the Anglo-Panamanian tensions first hand with his playmates, first the Anglo children of the Canal Zone, which in the 1950s numbered some 65,000 people living in privileged conditions, and then with the Panamanian boys living on the outskirts of The Zone which included the canal and an area extending five miles on every side of its center, excluding Panama City and Colón which were regarded as U.S. territory.
The separateness and colonial nature of this setup antagonized the Panamanians. In the short time allotted to this segment of the movie, director Pinky Mon captures a feeling of time and space which is recognizable but which depicts an event we have never actually considered before. If the audience is like me, as a U.S. citizen I am so used to Panama being a satellite of the U.S. and while I recall U.S. taking down Noriega (who we put there in the first place) for his corruption, I know very little about Panama itself. The child and his mother eventually return to her hometown in the U.S. and he feels as so many did, that he will always miss this “lost paradise”.
Luis Franco Brantley’s story “1964” takes place in the midst of a fatal protest that took place on January 9th, as it is filtered through the eyes of two young people who belong to opposite sides of the fight. The tension it portrays which in reality resulted in the shooting death of 24 Panamanians and the government of Panama’s breaking diplomatic relations with the U.S., the first time a Latin American country took such a measure, is flawed by the story itself and the acting of Hannah Schöbitz in her first role, as an American white girl who has a brief affair with a young Panamanian photographer played by Ivan González.
Abner Benaim’s story “1977” portrays the life of a taxi cab driver hired by the U.S. to act as chauffeur for two U.S. State Department executives and who is a spy for the Panamanian government during the negotiation of the Torrijos–Carter Treaty. Again, previously unknown views of the conflicts U.S. faced in its colonization of Latin America makes an interesting backdrop to what unfolds. The problem of this segment is the inconsistencies in the story itself.
The good fellowship between the driver and his two Americans and the relationship with his Panamanian “boss” are both so ambiguous that the story often seems more like a comedy played with a heavy hand rather than a suspenseful spy story. It affect is confusing. The two actors I would like to see more of however are the extremely handsome Luis Manuel Barrios who is the driver and his “boss” who obviously thinks he is a total fool, José Angel Murillo. Both seemed out of their element in this story but both have a magnetism on the screen which holds up throughout this odd story.
Pituka Ortega Heilbron’s closing story examines the Panama Canal in 2013 and its expansion project (also called the Third Set of Locks Project) which will double the capabilities of the Canal by 2016. Clarice Thompson of “1913” returns here as Clarice Jones who in discovering her heritage finds her voice in a literal sense. “2013” is metaphoric; not only does Clarisse finds her voice-- a nation finds its voice,” Producer Heilbron says. “It was the hardest story to come up with of the five stories.” “2013” completes the circle begun in “1913” and nicely rounds out the 100 year history of Panama and the Panama Canal.
Somewhat conventional filmmaking is offset by stories which are unique and even riveting as they uncover a history of the Panama Canal which expands beyond what little we may know of the country’s history. Under the stewardship first of the French and then of the North Americans intent on building a canal which cost many lives, 25,000 of the 75,000 working on the Canal died from malaria, Yellow Fever (Remember our own history lessons about Dr. Walter Reed discovering the cause of Yellow Fever?), landslides, explosions and horrid living conditions.
The third point of importance for this film telling stories that are particular to a segment of society we have not seen on screen before is the universality of their stories. The people who were there building the Canal enlighten us about what personal conflicts they themselves were experiencing. The audience of industry professionals left the screening room with feelings of surprise and pleasure for “discovering” this film. While this privately financed $2.5 million film is not an “art film” nor is it a “popular”, that is “studio” film, it will appeal most to the educated and middle class audiences who delight in new stories as they pertain to U.S. and its policies. This includes segments of the white arthouse audience as well as the African diaspora wherever it may be and to the Latino audiences sharing such interests. If it is aimed for audiences in the U.S. I would estimate a box office success at $500,000 - $1,000,000 with proper marketing via trailers in theaters and online along with wide social networking. The beauty of the place and actors might even surprise us with higher grosses. Having stated this, I await news on its distribution.
- 7/15/2015
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Oakland Underground Film Festival
The Oakland Underground Film Festival is offering a very special promotion for readers of Bad Lit: The Journal of Underground Film who want to submit a film to their 4th annual festival, which will run on Sept. 27-30 in California’s Bay Area.
It is now completely free to submit to OakUFF for all filmmakers who mention Bad Lit with their submission materials. That’s right, your entry fee will be waived as long as you say you’ve read about this offer on Bad Lit. Their final deadline for submissions is June 1.
OakUFF typically screens a wide variety of work. Last year, they screened the semi-autobiographical drama Yelling to the Sky by Victoria Mahoney, the music documentary/narrative fusion of Marimbas From Hell by Julio Hernández Cordón, and the campy Devious, Inc. by xuxE, among other films. You can check out last year’s full lineup here.
The Oakland Underground Film Festival is offering a very special promotion for readers of Bad Lit: The Journal of Underground Film who want to submit a film to their 4th annual festival, which will run on Sept. 27-30 in California’s Bay Area.
It is now completely free to submit to OakUFF for all filmmakers who mention Bad Lit with their submission materials. That’s right, your entry fee will be waived as long as you say you’ve read about this offer on Bad Lit. Their final deadline for submissions is June 1.
OakUFF typically screens a wide variety of work. Last year, they screened the semi-autobiographical drama Yelling to the Sky by Victoria Mahoney, the music documentary/narrative fusion of Marimbas From Hell by Julio Hernández Cordón, and the campy Devious, Inc. by xuxE, among other films. You can check out last year’s full lineup here.
- 4/12/2012
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
Like its predecessors, the 3rd annual Oakland Underground Film Festival, which runs Sept. 22-24, is mostly devoted to music-based movies, both fictional and documentary.
There’s the docu-narrative hybrid Marimbas From Hell, the musical Devious, Inc., the Bollyood punk upstart Gandu, and the Bay Area documentary The Furious Force of Rhymes.
In addition, the Opening Night film is Victoria Mahoney’s Yelling to the Sky, starring rock royalty Zöe Kravitz; the cute Japanese children’s film Komaneko, The Curious Cat; plus, a program of experimental short films and more.
For more info on the fest, including screening locations, please visit the official Oakland Underground Film Festival website. The full lineup is below:
Sept. 22
8:00 p.m.: Yelling to the Sky, dir. Victoria Mahoney. A semi-autobiographical account of director Mahoney’s urban adolescence. Starring Zöe Kravitz and Gabourey Sidibe.
Sept. 23
7:30 p.m.: Marimbas From Hell, dir. Julio Hernández Cordón.
There’s the docu-narrative hybrid Marimbas From Hell, the musical Devious, Inc., the Bollyood punk upstart Gandu, and the Bay Area documentary The Furious Force of Rhymes.
In addition, the Opening Night film is Victoria Mahoney’s Yelling to the Sky, starring rock royalty Zöe Kravitz; the cute Japanese children’s film Komaneko, The Curious Cat; plus, a program of experimental short films and more.
For more info on the fest, including screening locations, please visit the official Oakland Underground Film Festival website. The full lineup is below:
Sept. 22
8:00 p.m.: Yelling to the Sky, dir. Victoria Mahoney. A semi-autobiographical account of director Mahoney’s urban adolescence. Starring Zöe Kravitz and Gabourey Sidibe.
Sept. 23
7:30 p.m.: Marimbas From Hell, dir. Julio Hernández Cordón.
- 9/20/2011
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
The 14th session of the Berlinale World Cinema Fund (Wcf) will fund eight new film projects: four at the production stage and four at the distribution stage.
Nader and Simin, A Separation a film by Asghar Farhadi that won the Golden Bear at the 61st Berlinale will receive distribution funding.
The World Cinema Fund jury made their selection from 135 submissions from a total of 41 countries. Production funds totalling 140,000 euros as well as distribution funds totalling 22,500 euros will be awarded.
The submission deadline for the next round of production funding is August 4, 2011. For further information, go to www.berlinale.de
Production funding:
In What City Does it Live?, director: Seng Tat Liew (Malaysia), Producer: Everything Films, Malaysia. Feature film. Funding: 50,000 €
Round Trip, director: Meyar Al Roumi (Syria), Producer: Maranto Films GmbH, Deutschland. Feature film. Funding: 30,000 €
Polvo (Dust), director: Julio Hernández Cordón (Guatemala), Producer: Melindrosa Films, Guatemala. Feature film. Funding: 30,000 €
Girimunho (Swirl...
Nader and Simin, A Separation a film by Asghar Farhadi that won the Golden Bear at the 61st Berlinale will receive distribution funding.
The World Cinema Fund jury made their selection from 135 submissions from a total of 41 countries. Production funds totalling 140,000 euros as well as distribution funds totalling 22,500 euros will be awarded.
The submission deadline for the next round of production funding is August 4, 2011. For further information, go to www.berlinale.de
Production funding:
In What City Does it Live?, director: Seng Tat Liew (Malaysia), Producer: Everything Films, Malaysia. Feature film. Funding: 50,000 €
Round Trip, director: Meyar Al Roumi (Syria), Producer: Maranto Films GmbH, Deutschland. Feature film. Funding: 30,000 €
Polvo (Dust), director: Julio Hernández Cordón (Guatemala), Producer: Melindrosa Films, Guatemala. Feature film. Funding: 30,000 €
Girimunho (Swirl...
- 7/8/2011
- by NewsDesk
- DearCinema.com
"The indie Texan filmmaker David Lowery receives a double bill at the reRun Gastropub Theater in Dumbo, Brooklyn, and while Pioneer, a 16-minute short, and St Nick, an 86-minute feature, don't provide hard answers to their mysteries, both are deeply intriguing," writes Andy Webster in the New York Times. Regarding St Nick, a "potentially stifling ambience is deflected by quiet suspense and the awe-inspiring compositions of the cinematographer, Clay Liford. Decaying rustic interiors evoke Andrew Wyeth still lifes; pastoral long shots suggest a Southwestern walkabout. And Mr Lowery seems ready for a bigger canvas."
"Obliquely charting the terror, loneliness, and liberation of navigating a cold, callous grown-up world, St Nick follows nameless brother and sister runaways (played by real-life siblings Tucker and Savanna Sears) who take up impermanent residence in an empty Texas house," writes Nick Schager in Slant. "David Lowery's debut feature is long on silence and laden...
"Obliquely charting the terror, loneliness, and liberation of navigating a cold, callous grown-up world, St Nick follows nameless brother and sister runaways (played by real-life siblings Tucker and Savanna Sears) who take up impermanent residence in an empty Texas house," writes Nick Schager in Slant. "David Lowery's debut feature is long on silence and laden...
- 4/23/2011
- MUBI
The 2011 Miami International Film Festival wrapped this weekend, concluding nine days of over 100 films from 30 countries screening across Miami-Dade county. Denis Villeneuve's Oscar-nominated "Incendies" helped do so on Saturday night, screening as the festival's "Awards Night Centerpiece" following a ceremony that handed out various prizes to films at the fest. Among the winners was "Marimbas From Hell" (Las marimbas del infierno), directed by Julio Hernández Cordón, which ...
- 3/14/2011
- Indiewire
"The Interrupters" director Steve James (left) and Miami International Film Festival doc programmer Thom Powers celebrated at the closing night party of the festival. James's film won the best documentary prize at the fest earlier that night. Other major winners at the festival included Zhang Meng 's "The Piano in a Factory" (Gang de qin) in the world cinema category and Julio Hernández Cordón's "Marimbas From Hell" (Las marimbas del ...
- 3/13/2011
- Indiewire
Debra Granik's backwoods drama, "Winter's Bone," continues its winning streak taking home two trophies at the 28th Torino Film Festival including Best Film and Best Actress for Jennifer Lawrence who tied with Anahi Berneri for "Port u Culpa." ("Winter's Bone" Movie Review)
The last U.S. production that won best film at Torino was David Gordon Green's "George Washington" in 2000. Besides the prestigious trophy, "Winter's Bone" also took home a cash prize of 25,000 which is about $32,500.
Winners of the 28th Torino Film Festival
Best Film (25,000) to:
Winter.S Bone by Debra Granik (Us, 2010, 35mm, 100.)
Special Jury Award ex-aequo (Total of 10,000) to :
Les Signes Vitaux by Sophie Deraspe (Canada, 2009, 35mm, 87.)
&
Las Marimbas Del Infierno by Julio Hernández Cordón
(Guatemala/France/Mexico, 2010, HDCam, 73.)
Best Actress Award, in collaboration with Max, ex-aequo to:
Jennifer Lawrence for Winter.S Bone by Debra Granik (Us, 2010, 35mm, 100.)
&
Erica Rivas for Por Tu Culpa by Anahí Berneri (Argentina/France,...
The last U.S. production that won best film at Torino was David Gordon Green's "George Washington" in 2000. Besides the prestigious trophy, "Winter's Bone" also took home a cash prize of 25,000 which is about $32,500.
Winners of the 28th Torino Film Festival
Best Film (25,000) to:
Winter.S Bone by Debra Granik (Us, 2010, 35mm, 100.)
Special Jury Award ex-aequo (Total of 10,000) to :
Les Signes Vitaux by Sophie Deraspe (Canada, 2009, 35mm, 87.)
&
Las Marimbas Del Infierno by Julio Hernández Cordón
(Guatemala/France/Mexico, 2010, HDCam, 73.)
Best Actress Award, in collaboration with Max, ex-aequo to:
Jennifer Lawrence for Winter.S Bone by Debra Granik (Us, 2010, 35mm, 100.)
&
Erica Rivas for Por Tu Culpa by Anahí Berneri (Argentina/France,...
- 12/6/2010
- by Manny
- Manny the Movie Guy
0101 Viva Riva! (Djo Tunda Wa Munga, Democratic Republic of the Congo)
“Oh my god, this is a Tony Scott film,” said a friend, during one of the many times we leaned towards one another over the empty seat between us during this, our first screening. The hushed conferences continued as if we needed mutual verification not just of the gratuitous torturing violence and sweaty, ass-oriented sex scenes we were watching, but above all for the expertly excited genre work continually, expressively surprising us. If it weren’t for a psychologically blank, feckless-slick playboy in the lead, the film may be perfect, an efficient and fluidly caricatured crime story where money is the focus of all desire and movement, be it of plot or cinema. Starting with a glorious opening montage dissolving between wads of cash, a central city square energized by a population hungry for scarce automobile gas, and shots...
“Oh my god, this is a Tony Scott film,” said a friend, during one of the many times we leaned towards one another over the empty seat between us during this, our first screening. The hushed conferences continued as if we needed mutual verification not just of the gratuitous torturing violence and sweaty, ass-oriented sex scenes we were watching, but above all for the expertly excited genre work continually, expressively surprising us. If it weren’t for a psychologically blank, feckless-slick playboy in the lead, the film may be perfect, an efficient and fluidly caricatured crime story where money is the focus of all desire and movement, be it of plot or cinema. Starting with a glorious opening montage dissolving between wads of cash, a central city square energized by a population hungry for scarce automobile gas, and shots...
- 9/10/2010
- MUBI
From evil Santas to Australian killers, the Discovery program brings the best of the coming generation of film talent to Toronto. Making the grade this year are:
As If I Am Not There Juanita Wilson, Ireland/Macedonia/Sweden World Premiere
As If I Am Not There explores one woman's experience of the horrors that took place at the beginning of the Bosnian War. Disturbing and powerful, the film is an important testament to the survivors of the atrocities in the former Yugoslavia.
Attenberg Athina Rachel Tsangiri, Greece North American Premiere
A dying architect and his emotionally stunted daughter inhabit a once booming industrial community in the middle of nowhere, now populated by the precious few who didn't have the heart to leave it behind.
Autumn Aamir Bashir, India World Premiere
Shot in striking, widescreen images in India's Kashmir region, Bashir's debut tells the story of Rafiq, a young man struggling...
As If I Am Not There Juanita Wilson, Ireland/Macedonia/Sweden World Premiere
As If I Am Not There explores one woman's experience of the horrors that took place at the beginning of the Bosnian War. Disturbing and powerful, the film is an important testament to the survivors of the atrocities in the former Yugoslavia.
Attenberg Athina Rachel Tsangiri, Greece North American Premiere
A dying architect and his emotionally stunted daughter inhabit a once booming industrial community in the middle of nowhere, now populated by the precious few who didn't have the heart to leave it behind.
Autumn Aamir Bashir, India World Premiere
Shot in striking, widescreen images in India's Kashmir region, Bashir's debut tells the story of Rafiq, a young man struggling...
- 8/24/2010
- Screen Anarchy
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