CTIFMF Film Catalogue by CTIFMF

CONTENTS 1

Message From The Director

Juries 3 Main Competition / Features Panorama 360

7 38

LGBT 51 Arabian Nights

China Africa Film Festival

Documentaries 79 Shorts 93

MESSAGE FROM THE DIRECTOR 2 The Cape Town International Film Market & Festival is celebrating a milestone this year. Over these last 10 years, the festival has been the flagship event on the ever-vibrant cultural calendar of the City of Cape Town. The CTIFMF allows movie lovers to discover the people, landscapes and traditions of many different countries & cultures through the art of cinema. Our audience is taken on a cinematographic journey through these countries when they watch the films. This concept has proven to be successful, as witnessed by the growing attendance rate every year. To bring you the best CTIFMF edition ever, our delegation to Cannes and to Singapore has teamed up various filmmakers and distributors. For this year’s festival, we have chosen both Cinema Nouveau and NuMetro in the V&A Waterfront and our Film Market will also take place here at the Waterfront. We are therefore very excited to invite you to discover the line-up of great films in this year’s edition, including the opening film “An Act of Defiance” and several of this year’s Oscar nominees like “By the Time it gets Dark” from Thailand, “Ayla” from Turkey and many more movies that were awarded prestigious film awards. The films from the Nordic countries includes magnificent coming-of-age films such as Guðmundur Arnar Guðmundsson’s Heartstone, the winner of 31 international awards, as well as Rúnar Rúnarsson’s Sparrows, a major winner at the Göteborg, San Sebastián and Chicago International Film Festivals. Both features are lyrical dramas about growing up in Iceland with the glorious landscapes as setting. The exciting Icelandic New Wave is further represented by Dagur Kári’s Virgin Mountain. The festival offers a strong LGBT focus this year. Several cutting-edge features will be screened: Boulevard Voltaire, Bride of Frankie, Centre of My World, Jonathan, ka Bodyscapes and LOEV, one of the first gay films from India. These are just a few names out of the great line up. Our line up would not be complete, of course, without offering our loyal supporters a great line-up of documentaries and Short films from all over the world. Do not miss the screening of Notes on Blindness, which has been described as a moving, intimate documentary, a triumph of sound and image, and a poetic examination of love, loss, memory and marriage. Film festivals around the world have become the go-to place for the top players in the film industry to show off what they’re up to, while shedding light on where the medium could be headed. Here in Cape Town we do not shy away to new ideas and trends and therefore you will have the option to attend several in-depth discussions, Masterclasses, pitching sessions and much more at the Film Market starting on the 18th October. I want to take this opportunity to thank my fellow Board of Directors. They are amazing. They have been working diligently on several projects and situations to address finances, marketing, fundraising and truly deserve our commendations and appreciation. I would like to give a special thank you to our our programmers Prof. Martin Botha (UCT) and Giampietro Balia (Italy). Also to our new Festival Manager Nazeer Ahmed and to Asanda and all his volunteers a big hearty thank you. To the City of Cape Town for allowing us to play our part in this cultural journey during the last 10 years – I thank you for your continued support. To our new sponsors and partners welcome and thank you for joining us on this journey. And lastly to you the audiences that supported us on this journey and still do, to each and every one of you a big big Thank You. Enjoy the films! Leon van der Merwe Festival Director & COO

JURIES 3 Alin Tasciyan was born in 1969 in Istanbul. She was graduated from the University of Istanbul with a BA in journalism and public relations in 1991. During the 16 year period at a media group she has been a journalist, film critic and the editor of the Art Review. Meanwhile she made various cinema programs for the cultural channel of the Turkish Radio and Television TRT 2 including the Magic of Cinema. She has been a critic and a columnist for the Star daily newspaper for six years. She is currently writing for a culture & art website. Tasciyan has been an advisor and programmer for all the leading international film festivals in Turkey. She is the program director of Malatya International Film Festival and the programmer of Filmmor Women’s Film Festival on Wheels. She has served in many national and international film festival juries. She is currently the President of FIPRESCI, International Federation of Film Critics. In 2010, Maher Diab co-founded MAD Solutions, the first pan-Arab studio dedicated to the promotion and distribution of Arabic content to the Arab world and beyond. Diab is MAD Solutions’ Creative Director. In 2015, Diab Co-founded the Arab Cinema Center (ACC), organized by MAD, which functions as an international promotional platform for Arab cinema as it provides the filmmaking industry with a professional window to connect with their counterparts from all over the world through a number of events that it organizes. His creative vision is summoning in a new era of visualizing the Arab film and Entertainment industry, ranking it amongst its international peers. Maher has been continuously present on the industry stage, acting as a jury member on various festivals around the world, allowing for a broader narrative of Arab films to be shared with an ever-increasing global audience. Meg Rickards recently completed her first fiction feature, Tess – a gritty story of a sex worker’s journey to shedding misplaced guilt. The film has garnered a number of awards, including Best South African Feature Film at the Durban International Film Festival in 2016. Meg co-directed the documentary feature 1994: The Bloody Miracle, together with Bert Haitsma. It won the audience award at the Durban International Film Festival in 2014 and the Writers’ Guild award for best documentary script. Meg holds a PhD in Film Studies from the University of Cape Town, studied at London Film School on a British Commonwealth Scholarship, and completed the Writers’ and Directors’ Programmes at the Binger Film Lab in Amsterdam. Azza El Hosseiny, born in Cairo with a degree in Business Administration, Cairo University, 1988 and a degree from the High Institute of Cinema, Academy of Art, 1991. Azza started as an actress and assistant editor, but then focused on directing. She is a culture Activist working with NGO’s and cultural spaces, She is the director of the independent art season for four years and member of independent cultural coalition. Azza is an expert in organizing and coordinating national and international events. Lately, she has been playing a leading role in El Fann Midan monthly cultural event and participated in many seminars represented the independent trend in art and culture.

4 JURIES 4 Yazeed Kamaldien works as a journalist, photographer and independent documentary filmmaker based in Cape Town. His film credits include Imagina na Copa (2014), Inside Kobane (2015) and This Was Our Home (2017). He was the production manager on the Emmy award-winning documentary film Miners Shot Down. He has worked as a researcher, production manager and writer on various film projects. Mandisa Ralane is currently employed by Wesgro, as a Research Specialist in the Special Projects Unit since August 2017. She was the Festival Director for the Encounters South African International Documentary Festival from 2007 to 2012. Mandisa previously worked as a facilitator for various film industry organisations in Johannesburg; including the Independent Producers Organisation, Women in Film and Television and Women of the Sun. In these positions, she organised film festivals, conferences, panel discussions and workshops around Industry issues and developments. She completed a BA in Film and Media Studies at the University of Cape Town (2003 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 2005), where she majored in scriptwriting and studied the documentary genre. Mandisa is currently volunteering for various film industry initiatives focused on audience development and the advancement of emerging filmmakers, and consults for film projects in development. She serves as a board of the Encounters South African international Documentary Festival. Theresa Smith a freelance film writer honed her writings skills working as a film critic for Independent Newspapers for more than 10 years â&#x20AC;&#x201C; she served on several local film juries and is a Rotten Tomatoes certified reviewer.

(Dr) Anna-Marie Jansen van Vuuren is a post doctorate research fellow at the Department of Journalism, Film and Television at the University of Johannesburg. She completed a PhD in Screenwriting from the University of Pretoria in 2015. Anna-Marie has made her name as an award-winning RSG (SABC) radio journalist covering South African Cinema. Since 2008, she has produced and edited radio current affairs stories about 87 South African feature films. In 2013 Anna-Marie presided over the jury for the inaugural Independent Mzanzi Short Film Festival (IMSFF) in Pretoria. When she is not teaching students about storytelling, or running around after a story herself, she enjoys writing down observations about the contemporary South African industry.

JURIES 5 John Badalu came across the film industry by accident. He studied Economics majoring Marketing Management before taking New Media Studies for the post-graduate study at DAMS University in Bologna, Italy. He is one of the founders of the controversial Q! Film Festival, the LGBT-themed festival in the biggest predominantly muslim country of Indonesia. His previous works include Theatre Manager for Goethe-Institut Jakarta and Cultural Assistant for Istituto Italiano Di Cultura, and in Account Service Department of Ogilvy Advertising Agency. Badalu now works as a Festival Delegate and Programmer for Berlin International Film Festival, Shanghai International Film Festival, Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival (Estonia) and QCinema Film Festival (Philippines). He also started to become an independent producer with 4 short films and 6 feature films under his belt. Greg Kriek As one of the senior producers at film and television production company TH Films Greg has produced numerous television and award-winning film projects since 2013. Recently he had the opportunity alongside fellow producer John De Vries to produce international gaming company ATARI’s new wave of international television content including Game On and Codebreaker that will be broadcast across the world on various channels. At the heart of it all Greg is all about using his platform in the entertainment industry to reach and empower others. From creating impactful media, to leading volunteer initiatives, to mentoring youth, to motivational speaking, to conservation projects, to getting his hands and feet dirty wherever neededwhen entertainment and social empowerment are combined Greg comes alive! Abdelkrim Chegrouche was born in 1981 in Algiers; he has several degrees, a diploma in computer science management and another degree in Journalism. From a young age, he provided media coverage for several national and international events. He translated several scenarios of the French language into the Arabic language. He has been assistant director in several documentaries and films. He is a screenwriter; he has produced several series with Algerian television and other private channels. He is a producer at Chic Films Production Sara Blecher is a co-founder of CINGA, a South African based production company that has made a number of award-winning features, documentaries and drama series. An honors graduate of NYU, Sara has made some outstanding and noteworthy documentaries including “Surfing Soweto” and “Kobus And Dumile” for which she won CNN’s African journalist of the year award. Sara currently lives in Johannesburg where she is currently in production on her fourth feature film “Mayfair”. Her first feature film “Otelo Burning” won over 17 international awards and was named by CNN as one of the top ten African films of the decade. She won the Safta award for best director 2016 for her film “Dis ek Anna”.

6 JURIES 6 Brett Michael Innes, born and raised in Johannesburg, is the writer and director of the South African film “Sink”. “Sink” has been heralded by critics as a ‘breakout film that sets a new standard for South African cinema’ and went on to be nominated for 8 SAFTAS at the South African Film & Television Awards in 2017. The film walked away with 5 of the awards, including Best Film, Best Screenplay and Best Editing for Innes. He is also the author of the South African best-seller “The Story of Racheltjie de Beer” and “Rachel Weeping”, the novel on which “Sink” was based on. Dr Ricardo Peach is the Director of the Vrystaat Kunstefees/Arts Festival/Tsa-Botjhaba, a multi-artform arts festival in Mangaung, South Africa. The festival is held annually over a six day period during the second week of July in Bloemfontein, Free State. In his independent role he developed and is the Director of the Program for Innovation in Artform Development at the Vrystaat Arts Festival and University of the Free State, and assisted as a Festival Partner Consultant for the Australian SituateArt in Festivals initiative (2013-2014). Peeter Rebane studied at Oxford and graduated from Harvard cum laude in economics, psychology and visual arts. He studied directing further at the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts and trained at Judith Weston’s studio. In 2013, Peeter was named Entrepreneur of the Year in Estonia. Peeter has traveled the world, sailing around Cape Horn, crossing the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans several times, and hiking the mountains of Tibet. His perspective is global and his passion to tell local human stories that are universally relatable. Peeter’s directing portfolio includes feature films Firebird (2018), Sailing to Freedom (in development), documentaries Tashi Delek (2015) and Robbie Williams: Fans Journey to Tallinn (BBC Worldwide, 2014) and numerous music videos including Moby’s “Wait for Me” and Pet Shop Boys’ “Together”. Peeter produced and directed the concert film Robbie Williams: Live in Tallinn (2013). He has also produced the 2010 European Film Awards, the 2002 Eurovision Song Contest, and hundreds of shows in the Baltic region for artists including Madonna, Robbie Williams, Sting, Elton John, Lady Gaga, Metallica, Queen, etc. Prof Melanie Judge is an adjunct associate professor in the Faculty of Law at the University of Cape Town, and holds a PhD in Women’s and Gender Studies. As a longtime queer activist, she has played a prominent role in advocacy and law reform for sexual and gender rights in South Africa. She is lead editor of the book ‘To Have and To Hold: The Making of Same-sex Marriage in South Africa’. As an independent consultant to local and international NGOs and donors, Melanie is involved in strategy, capacity building and communications for social justice. Her book ‘Blackwashing Homophobia: Violence and the Politics of Sexuality, Gender and Race’ was recently launched. Melanie is the 2016 recipient of the Psychology and Social Change Award, conferred by UCKAR/Rhodes University in recognition of her activism and scholarship in the field of sexuality. She is currently a trustee of Gay and Lesbian Memory in Action, custodians of the LGBTI national archive.

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A Father’s will DIRECTOR: Bakyt Mukul, Dastan Zhaparuulu COUNTRY: Kyrgyzstan RUNNING TIME: 115 min YEAR: 2016

BAKYT MUKUL

DASTAN ZHAPARUULU

Kyrgyz Republic. Dastan ZhaparUulu is a filmmaker from Kyrgyzstan. He was born in 1988. Education: 2010, Graduated from the Kyrgyz State University of Culture and Arts in the Theatre and Cinema Faculty. 2010, Member of the Union of cinematographers of the Kyrgyz Republic. 2016 “A Father’s will” is a debut film by both scriptwriters and directors.

After living as an immigrant in the USA for 15 years, Azat flies to Kyrgyzstan to his family village. His father, Murat, died in the USA a year ago. It was his dying wish to pay back the money he owed to the villagers. Azat discovers the family home derelict. Choro, the younger brother of Murat, and their relations left a long time ago. Despite most villagers not liking him. One day, Choro, who was imprisoned because of Murat, arrives and the most important question about Murat’s will is decided. FESTIVALS AND AWARDS GOLDEN ZENITH for the Best First Fiction Feature film at Montreal World Film

Festival “Tulpar” award in nomination “Best Central Asia film” at Eurasia International Film Festival MINSK INTERNATIONAL Film Festival Listapad. Main Feature Film Competition – The diploma “For a modern view on tradition”. SPECIAL PRIZE of the CIS Executive Committee “Cinema without Borders”. SPECIAL PRIZE of the Minsk city executive committee at Minsk International Film Festival Listapad GRAND PRIX Best Asian film at Bengaluru International Film Festival

SKNouveau6 15 Oct @ 12pm 19 Oct @ 8pm

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A Horizon DIRECTOR: Manouj Kadaamh COUNTRY: India RUNNING TIME: 96 min YEAR: 2017

MANOUJ KADAAMH

Mr. Manouj Kadaamh is a Bachelor of Commerce from University of Mumbai had written several one act plays and also was co-writer for several TV serials.

Kshitij (A Horizon) is the story of a 12-year-old girlâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s struggle to continue her education in the face of severe adversity. Poverty forces her family to leave their village and go to a neighbouring town to do back breaking labour in sugarcane fields. The girl, Vacchi , continues to quietly find time to study amidst days filled with hard toil, much to the irritation of her father a simple farmer who has very little sympathy or understanding for her aspiration. Vacchi faces all these obstacles with a quite positivity that finds a way to solve all these problems as they occur. Her efforts however, bring her closer and closer to a confrontation with her father.

NuMetro6 13 Oct @ 5pm SKNouveau5 16 Oct @ 5pm Q.A

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Accident world première DIRECTOR: Dan Tondowski COUNTRY: South Africa RUNNING TIME: 92 min YEAR: 2017

DAN TONDOWSKI

Dan started his career in France directing David Guetta music videos and television commercials. He has also directed a number of short films with the most recent being Sounds Of Violence (2012). In 2012, Sony France commissioned Tondowski to shoot a short, 3D film using its latest technology and gear. The 3D film has been screened worldwide as a showcase for Sony’s products. Accident (2015) is his first feature film and was shot in a four-week period in Cape Town, South Africa. It showcases Tondowski’s talent to combine a very powerful visual style, backed by strong storytelling and an emphasis on characters.

When a foursome “borrows” a car for one night of fun, what starts as a wild joy ride turns into a nightmare. After a violent crash, they discover that being stuck at the bottom of a ravine in an overturned car is the least of their problems. The psychotic owner of the car that they stole has them in his crosshairs and will stop at nothing to get both the car and its contents back.

Numetro6 18 Oct @ 7.45pm Q&A NuMetro6 19 Oct @ 10.15pm

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An Act of Defiance DIRECTOR: Jean van de Velde COUNTRY: South Africa / Netherlands RUNNING TIME: 124 min YEAR: 2017

JEAN VAN DE VELDE

Jean van de Velde founded his own company and wrote and directed a large number of successful features for several producers including the award-winning Leak and All Stars, the feature film and TV series (winner of the International Emmy Award 2000). He has been on the board of the Dutch Film Fund and the Dutch Film Festival. Jean worked as Intendant for the Dutch Film Fund.He was responsible for developing and guiding over 20 commercial features. Currently he is chairman of the Dutch Screenwriters Guild. In 2004,he was Honored at the Dutch Film Festival as ‘Guest of the Year’ with a retrospective.

I have cherished the ideal of a democratic and free society in which all persons live together in harmony and with equal opportunities. It is an ideal which I hope to live for and to achieve. But if it need be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.” Nelson Mandela’s impassioned speech to the prosecutor of “The Rivonia Trial. ”Apartheid is rampant in South Africa, 1963. When ten men are arrested on a farm in Rivonia for conspiring to commit sabotage and violent acts against the repressive South African government, tenacious lawyer Bram Fisher steps up to the challenge as lead counsel. He soon finds that political leader Nelson Mandela is also on trial. Mandela urges his fellow defendants to plead not guilty and shine light on the systemic corruption against the African people. As the outcome of the trial looks bleak, Mandela gives his famous “I’m Prepared to Die” speech, discussing how the ANC’s resistance is justified. But will Mandela’s impassioned speech save these men’s lives.

Numetro6 18 Oct @ 7.45pm NuMetro7 19 Oct @ 10.15pm

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Ayla: The Daughter Of War DIRECTOR: Can Ulkay COUNTRY: Turkey RUNNING TIME: 124 min YEAR: 2017

CAN ULKAY

Can Ulkay was born in 1964 in Istanbul. He graduated from Marmara University Institute of Fine Arts Cinema and Television Department, and worked in TRT Istanbul Television between 1985 and 1994. Since 1994 he shot thousands of commercials for Coca Cola, Turkish Airlines, P & G, Ford, Turkcell, Turk Telekom, KIA including hundreds of major brands. In 2016, he directed his first feature film named SarıkamışÇocukları. FESTIVALS AND AWARDS OSCAR NOMINEE of Foreign Language Film from Turkey

In 1950, amidst the ravages of the Korean War, Sergeant Süleyman stumbles upon a a half-frozen little girl, with no parents and no help in sight. Frantic, scared and on the verge of death, this little girl captures the heart of Süleyman, who risks his own life to save her, smuggling her into his Army base and out of harm’s way. Not knowing her name and unable to communicate with her, Süleyman names her Ayla, in reminiscence of the moon on the fateful night during which they met. The two form an instantaneous and inseparable bond, and Ayla, almost effortlessly, brings an uncanny joy to the Turkish brigade in the grip of war. As the war comes to aendSüleyman’s brigade is told that they will be returning home. Süleyman cannot bear abandoning Ayla, and does everything within his power to take her with him. After repeated failure, he is forced to give Ayla to an orphanage, but doesn’t give up on the hope of one day reuniting with her. Will the two ever get back together?

SKNouveau6 15 Oct @ 8pm SKNouveau6 20 Oct @7.45pm

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Broers DIRECTOR: Bram Schouw COUNTRY: Netherlands RUNNING TIME: 105 Min YEAR: 2017

A timid young man joins his charismatic older brother on an impromptu hitchhike from Amsterdam to France, only to discover the time may have come to finally go his own way in life. BRAM SCHOUW

Bram Schouw is a director and writer, known for Broers (2017), Sevilla (2012) and Impasse (2009).

SKNouveau6 14 Oct @ 2.30pm SKNouveau4 18 Oct @ 5pm

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Catching Feelings DIRECTOR: Kagiso Lediga COUNTRY: South Africa RUNNING TIME: 115 min YEAR: 2017

KAGISO LEDIGA

KagisoLediga is a celebrated stand-up comedian, actor and writer. He is the creator of the pioneering South African comedy sketch show The Pure Monate Show (PMS), as well as the two time International Emmy nominated Late Nite News with Loyiso Gola (LNN). Kagiso made his directorial debut with Catching Feelings with his second feature Matwetwe (Wizard) hot on the heels of its world première.

Max Matshane (KagisoLediga), is a 34 year old author who wrote a South African bestseller in his 20’s, but whose star has waned and now finds himself as a disgruntled professor, teaching creative writing at the local university. Max lives in a leafy Johannesburg suburb with his exceptionally beautiful wife, Samkelo (Pearl Thusi), whose career is on the rise as a reputable journalist. Despite their love for each other, their relationship has hit a rut. Lacking excitement, the couple have settled into a routine that neither agrees with. Sam longs to travel and resents that they have become too suburban and ‘safe’, their lives missing the spark it had promised when they f irst met. Max, meanwhile, is stuck in an existential void, contemplating his art as a failed writer and the consequences of his identity as a black academic in modern South Africa. With new questions about love and truth thrust upon them, Max and Sam are faced with an unexpected crossroad, as they search for reason and purpose to life.

SKNouveau6 14 Oct @ 2.30pm SKNouveau4 18 Oct @ 5pm

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Flatliners DIRECTOR: Niels Arden Oplev COUNTRY: UK RUNNING TIME: 108 min YEAR: 2017

NIELS ARDEN OPLEV

His 1996 film Portland was entered into the 46th Berlin International Film Festival. He directed The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, the 2009 Swedish film based on Stieg Larssonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s novel of the same title and won critical acclaim internationally. The film has broken box office records in Europe, grossing over $100 million USD. He is set to direct The Keep based again on the novel with the same name and Good People based on the novel by Marcus Sakey. On 30 November 2012 it was announced that Oplev will direct the pilot of a 13-episode mini-series based on the Stephen King novel Under the Dome for CBS.

Five medical students, obsessed by what lies beyond the confines of life, embark on a daring experiment: by stopping their hearts for short periods, each triggers a near-death experience â&#x20AC;&#x201C; giving them a first-hand account of the afterlife.

NuMetro6 13 Oct @ 10.30pm 21 Oct 10.30pm

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Gat in die muur DIRECTOR: Andre Odendaal COUNTRY: South Africa RUNNING TIME: 100min YEAR: 2015

ANDRE ODENDAAL

André Odendaal is a well-known South African actor and established director best known to television audiences for his roles in the kykNET drama series Getroud Met Rugby and Hartland. André has appeared in a wide variety of television productions, including Going Up, Human Cargo and the mini-series Rhodes. Since 1999, André has focused mainly on directing. His directing career started with the e.tv sitcom SOS and continued into other television productions such as Ryhthm City, Binnelanders, Askies Andre’s most recent directing work, besides Gat in die Muur (which is his fifth feature).

Gat in die muur (hole in the wall) is a story about discovering life as one goes on your final journey to death. Riaan is a maverick, lives life and all its pleasures. Money, sex and a good swim. He gets diagnosed with stage 4 colon cancer and chooses to experiment with raw marijuana. He brings his one and only son Ben who lives abroad out to south africa to travel with him and the mysterious Ava on a last road trip to his best friend Tony in the Transkei. On this last journey he introduces life to his son and Ava in a manner which is unusual to both of them, showing his son aspects of his life. A story of life, love, true friendship across the colour line between a white Afrikaner and his Xhosa friend and good coffee. This film has been described by high profile people in the south African film industry as not only a very moving and honest experience but also a watershed film in terms of human relations in our country and a rare cinematic experience. An important story. NuMetro7 15 Oct @ 7.30pm

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Girl from nowhere COUNTRY: South Africa DIRECTOR: Mark Jackson RUNNING TIME: 85min YEAR: 2017

MARK JACKSON

Mark Jackson combined his degree with his strong passion for film and photography, and started out making corporate films for the engineering industry. He learned to use the first digital editing system, which landed him a job as an Assistant Editor working on ‘relatively-low-budget’ American features. He helped finish a feature in Hollywood, and has been committed to trying to create feature ever since. He has gained experience from storyboarding, directing commercials, shooting and directing for TV, making short films, doing documentary work. He is about to launch his next script, The Oracle Machine, as a graphic novel.

A Cape Town couple, Katherine and Hugh, are headed to their private mountain getaway, when they pick up a hitchhiker, Liza, who carries a gun. Liza is invited for lunch, but soon the couple can’t get rid of her. Writer/director Mark Jackson’s first full-length feature, Girl From Nowhere, is an Indie-Arthouse-Thriller set in the beautiful mountains of the Cederberg, in the Western Cape, in South Africa. It stars Tamryn Speirs, Scot Cooper, and the award-winning Christia Visser in her debut performance, in a gripping tale that confronts sexuality and patriarchy. The movie also boasts an inventive and completely original Cape Town soundtrack.

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Handle With Care DIRECTOR: Francesco Clerici COUNTRY: Italy (2017) RUNNING TIME: 102 min YEAR: 2017

After his wife’s death, offshore oil worker Kjetil is having a hard time relating to his adopted son Daniel. In an act of desperation, he brings Daniel along to Colombia to search for the boy’s biological mother. FRANCESCO CLERICI

He is an award-winning documentary director and a writer. Since 2009, he has been collaborating with the Confédération Internationale des Cinémas d’Art et d’Essai and with contemporary artist Velasco Vitali, as well as teaching courses and workshops for schools and universities. In 2012 he published his first book of short stories: 24 Fotogrammi: storiaaneddotica del cinema (SecondavistaEdizioni, 2012). Il gestodellemani (engl. Hand Gestures), his first feature film documentary, was presented at the 2015 Berlin Film Festival, in the Forum section, where he won the International Critics’ Award (FIPRESCI).

SKNouveau5 13 Oct @ 2.15pm SKNouveau6 16 Oct @ 8pm

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Horse Riders DIRECTOR: Marjan Gavrilovski COUNTRY: Republic of Macedonia (2017) RUNNING TIME: 85 min YEAR: 2017

MARJAN GAVRILOVSKI

Marjan Gavrilovski was born on October 9, 1983 in Skopje, Macedonia. After attending film school in Sofia, Bulgaria he directed his first short documentary movie Macedonian Pastorale (2010) followed by five more short titles: Homeless (2010), Life Afterlife (2011), Just An Ordinary Day (2012), Dream It (2013) and Elevation 404 (2015). Horse Riders is his first full length movie released in May 2017.

Horse riders is a story which relies on the human happiness reflected trough three homeless young people. Alec and Muppet are forgotten by the society and pass their days under a neglected bridge. Not having the basic living conditions, there is nothing left but living in an imaginary world of fantasies and looking for their happiness and fulfilment there. When Sarah appears in the whole story, everything turns in a different direction. The fantasy becomes reality which leads toward a bizarre tragic point. This is a story on how little do we need to find the happiness and even less to lose it. FESTIVALS AND AWARDS INTERNATIONAL BOAT of Culture Festival INTERNATIONAL SHORT Film Festival In The Palace LOS ANGELES CineFest MEDFF KRAJINA FILM Festival VÄSTERÅSFILMFESTIVAL CAPE TOWN International Film Market & Festival SIFF –

Switzerland International Film Festival

NuMetro7 18 Oct @ 7.45pm SKNouveau5 19 Oct @ 12pm

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In Blue DIRECTOR: Jaap Van Heusden COUNTRY: Netherlands RUNNING TIME: 102 min YEAR: 2017

A sturdy flight attendant has to deliver a child in mid-air and gets involved in a confusing mother/lover relationship with a young man whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s living under the streets of Bucharest. JAAP VAN HEUSDEN

Before going to film school, Jaap lived and worked in Ouagadougou, West Africa, where he shot a series of most enlightening traffic safety instruction videos and co-founded a platform for young filmmakers that grew into the biggest human rights film festival on the continent, but only after he left. At the turn of the century he entered the Dutch Film Academy where he focused on fiction. He graduated as a director in 2005 with his film A complicated story, simply told, showing the last intense three months in the lives of two friends, before one of them dies.

SKNouveau5 15 Oct @ 12pm NuMetro7 21 Oct @ 12pm

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Indoda world première DIRECTOR: John Warner COUNTRY: South African RUNNING TIME: 68 min YEAR: 2017

JOHN WARNER

John Warner is a South African Independent filmmaker. HIs work has won 11 South African Awards and has been screened at festivals around the world, including Cannes, Berlin, Genova to name but a few. His short film “Note to self” was named as one of the top five South African films in the 2003 Variety International Film Guide. He was invited to the Genova Film Festival in June 2004, where his short film was screened, as a representative of the new exciting directing talent that South Africa has to offer.

Vuyisa is a young boy on the eve of his Xhosa initiation rite. The film follows his story as one decision he makes causes his life to spin out of control. With no friends or family to turn to he is all alone in the wilderness. Through the healing embrace of nature and some odd-ball characters he meets along the way, he grows emotionally and has the courage to battle his fears. He ends up confronting the age-old question of what it means to be an “Indoda” – A Man!

NuMetro7 15 Oct @ 2.15pm Q&A NuMetro6 20 Oct @ 10:15pm

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L’accabadora DIRECTOR: Enrico Pau COUNTRY: Italy RUNNING TIME: 97 min YEAR: 2015

ENRICO PAU

Enrico graduated in Literature with a thesis of stage designers and directors Adolphe Appia and Edward Gordon Craig. He is an Italian professor in high schools and has collaborated with the University of Cagliari, teaching, at a contract, Theater History. For several years, he has also been teaching at the University of Cagliari in Celcam, “Cinema, Audiovisual and Multimedia Language Education Center,” directed by Professor Antioco Floris. He is a journalist and collaborator since the late 80’s, as a theatrical reporter, with the cultural page of the Sassari newspaper “La Nuova Sardegna”.

Annetta kept the inherited secret of mercy killing passed down through her mother. In her ancestral Sardinian world, she is the Accabadora: despite her young age, she is a strong woman compelled to live her life handling with the death under the severity of an ancient ritualism. But World War II is bringing deep social changes, helping Annetta to go beyond the purgatory of her condition discovering the unexplored path of love.

NuMetro6 16 Oct @ 7.45pm SKNouveau6 21 Oct @ 12pm

MAIN COMPETITION / FEATURES 23

Last Broken Darkness DIRECTOR: Christopher-lee dos Santos COUNTRY: South Africa RUNNING TIME:153 min YEAR: 2017

CHRISTOPHER-LEE DOS SANTOS

Eight years after the world ends, humanity has sought refuge underground. One man, with nothing left to lose, finds there is more to himself when he and a young girl are left alone to survive and find their way home after their team is killed off by mysterious creatures.

From writing comic strips in primary school to making home made films with class friends in high school. He always knew his calling was filmmaking. He followed that calling, working hard on making his first film with nothing but a stills camera and an edit suite he built from spare computer parts. He attended AFDA film school in Johannesburg where he graduated with an Honours Bachelors of Arts degree in Directing and Screenwriting for Motion Picture. Today, he has directed four feature films, two of which he has written and co-produced. He runs DS Films Entertainment with his brother Robert. NuMetro7 13 Oct @ 10:15pm Q&A NuMetro6 20 Oct @ 12:15pm

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Mango Dreams DIRECTOR: John Upchurch COUNTRY: United States RUNNING TIME: 93 min YEAR: 2016

JOHN UPCHURCH

Growing up, the best entertainment could always be found at the feet of local storytellers. I love how their stories sparked my imagination, opened my mind to new ideas, and encouraged me to care about the world around me. I started out by passing down their stories to others. Eventually, I began to create my own stories. I learned early that a good story does more than entertain. A good story provokes thought between laughter, promotes healing between tears, transmits a message of hope â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a good story enlightens as it entertains. The greatest thing I can ever hope to do in this life is tell a good story.

Amit must return to his childhood home and confront the memories he has been trying to forget before dementia robs him of his last chance for peace. His son Abhi has come from America to commit his father to an old age home. Amit runs away and encounters Salim, a Muslim auto rickshaw driver whose wife was raped and burned to death by Hindu rioters. Amit had earlier saved the life of Salimâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s son. Salim offers to drive the doctor anywhere, as a way of repaying his debt. When Amit asks to be taken home, Salim cannot imagine how far he will end up going for the doctor, or where the journey will lead both of them. Along the way, Amit and Salim forge an unforgettable friendship and help each other discover the peace they both have been longing for. FESTIVALS AND AWARDS 2016 ARIZONA International Film Festival Tucson 2016 CEBU International Film

Festival Cebu

Numetro7 14 Oct 12pm 20 Oct @ 2.30pm

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Marshall DIRECTOR: Reginald Hudlin COUNTRY: USA RUNNING TIME: 118 min YEAR: 2017

About a young Thurgood Marshall, the first AfricanAmerican Supreme Court Justice, as he battles through one of his career-defining cases. REGINALD HUDLIN

Reginald “Reggie” Alan Hudlin is a prolific American writer, director, and producer who has worked in both TV and in the movies. Along with his older brother, Warrington Hudlin, he is known as one of the Hudlin Brothers. From 2005 to 2008, Hudlin was President of Entertainment for Black Entertainment Television (BET). Hudlin has written numerous graphic novels, He co-produced the 88th Academy Awards ceremony in 2016 as well as other TV specials. Hudlin’s breakout film was 1990’s House Party. Hudlin has worked as a producer, most recently as a producer of Quentin Tarantino’s 2012 film, Django Unchained.

SKNouveau4 15 Oct @ 8pm SKNouveau4 20 Oct @ 8pm

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Matwetwe DIRECTOR: Kagiso Lediga COUNTRY: South Africa RUNNING TIME: 84 min YEAR: 2017

KAGISO LEDIGA

KagisoLediga is a South African stand-up comedian, actor and director. He has written and directed noteworthy television comedies including the cult classic the Pure Monate Show, Late Nite News with Loyiso Gola, and the Bantu Hour

Matwetwe (Wizard) is a coming of age adventure following Lefa and Papi, best friends and recent high school graduates, on the hustle of their young lives. Over the course of one action packed New Years Eve in the iconic township of Atteridgeville, the boys try to score a huge deal, dodge a king pin gangster and his violent minions, get the girl and ultimately save their lives in this hilarious and sometimes very serious escapade.

NuMetro6 21 Oct @ 12.30pm SKNouveau6 18 Oct @ 8pm

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My Fathers Wings DIRECTOR: Kıvanç Sezer COUNTRY: Turkey RUNNING TIME:101 min YEAR: 2016

KIVANÇ SEZER

KıvançSezer (b. 1982, Ankara) studied engineering at university before moving to Italy to take up a career as a filmmaker. He studied editing in Italy for two years at the prestigious Cineteca di Bologna. While there he met a number of important directors who inspired his work. He returned home to Turkey in 2009, making a living as an editor on TV projects and documentaries. In addition, he has created several shorts that have been screened at a variety of domestic and international venues. My Father’s Wings represents his first foray into features as a director.

Set against the backdrop of construction activity promising to fill in the empty spaces of the urban landscape with entirely new neighbourhoods, a story unfolds of an aging construction worker who, unlike his peers, has to drop all plans for the future after being diagnosed with a malignant tumor. This self-assured debut contemplates the dignity of the individual within the context of modern Turkish society. FESTIVALS AND AWARDS KARLOVY VARY International Film Festival DUHOK INTERNATIONAL Film Festival ADANA INTERNATIONAL Film Festival KOLKATA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL Festival des 3 Continents

Numetro6 21 Oct @ 2.30pm SKNouveau6 17 Oct @ 2.15pm

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Sami Blood DIRECTOR: Amanda Kernell COUNTRY: Sweden RUNNING TIME: 110 min YEAR: 2016

AMANDA KERNELL

Amanda Kernell is a writer and director, known for Sami Blood, Northern Great Mountain and Paradiset

A moving, classically rendered coming-of-age tale set against the scarring social prejudices of the 1930s, this handsome debut feature robustly blends adolescent fears that resonate across borders and generations with a fascinatingly specific, rarely depicted cultural context: Swedenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s colonial oppression of the indigenous Sami folk. Following a single, strong-willed teenager as she is forced to choose between remaining with her people or pursuing the education and opportunities otherwise denied her, this stirring but pleasingly unsentimental taleâ&#x20AC;Ś introduces a poised, intelligent young talent in star Lene Cecilia Sparrok.

SKNouveau5 17 Oct @ 12pm SKNouveau6 19 Oct @ 5pm

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Star Boys DIRECTOR: Visa Koiso-Kanttila COUNTRY: Finland RUNNING TIME: 82 min YEAR: 2017

VISA KOISO-KANTTILA

Visa Koiso-Kanttila was born on January 14, 1970 in Oulu, Finland. He is a cinematographer and director, known for The Banished (1998), Father to Son (2004) and Portrait of a Man (2010).

The movie tells what happens when sexual revolution arrives into a conservative and religious small town in Northern Finland, as seen by the Star Boy singers. It’s a powerful story of two families of architects being torn apart by crumbling of moral conceptions and the parents’ endless need for love and freedom. After a fatal toga party, no one and nothing is the same, and the boys’ confusion erupts violently … Even though Star Boys deals with heavy themes, it is ultimately a warm and positive survival story that portrays the persistence and capacity of children to get over even most difficult experiences in life.

SKNouveau4 20 Oct @ 5.15pm SKNouveau6 16 Oct @ 5.30pm

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The13th DIRECTOR: Chris Hastings COUNTRY: United Kingdom RUNNING TIME: 72 min YEAR: 2017

CHRIS HASTINGS

Chris is writer on multi-million selling, BAFTA award winning game Prison Architect for Introversion Software and most recently directed Stanley Tucci for Originator Films. His feature film The 13th was released in 2017 and he is currently in post-production on political documentary, Black Russians. He is also the writer for Sable Films International on their forthcoming feature Suki 3D. Other projects include Canadian thriller Bad Town, baseball biopic Effa directed by Penny Marshall (Big, Awakenings, A League of Their Own), Manchester United biopic. He ia also the co-writer onThe Busby Babes.

Schoolteacher Christopher Shaw receives news of the death of his father, a man he hasn’t seen since being abandoned into foster care as a child. He sets out for the remote Greek island where his father died, seeking closure and to reclaim his family’s possessions; but he finds something much worse. Confronted by a desolate, half-ruined island beset by tragedy, its inhabitants inexplicably taking their own lives, he discovers his father had been obsessively researching a theological artefact, supposedly buried on the island. With the help of a mysterious and beautiful local, Chris learns that his father had believed the artefact responsible for the plague of suicides. With Chris’s own life under threat, the mystery deepens when he learns his own mother, more than a decade earlier, had been the first islander to take her life. He realizes that his own family history is inextricably linked to the curse and the answer to extinguishing its power lies deep within his own unremembered past.

SKNouveau5 18 Oct @ 12pm SKNouveau6 13Oct @ 7pm

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The Connector DIRECTOR: Fakhrul Arefeen Khan COUNTRY: Bangladesh RUNNING TIME: 114 min YEAR: 2017

FAKHRUL AREFEEN KHAN

Arefeen is a visionary independent filmmaker. National award-winning documentary Al Badr marked Arefeenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s entry into the film industry. Apart from winning the prestigious National Award for Best Documentary in 36th National Film Awards, 2011. Al Badar was screened in Commonwealth Film Festival, SAARC Film Festival and Ankara Film Festival. Arefeen continued his journey in making research based documentary making as Al Badr was followed by The Speech and Hawker Ghar. Both of these were critically acclaimed for their content, solid production and authentic research.

The Connector is based on true story of a freedom fighter who did not want to involve himself in the war as warrior. The story begins in 1970 East Pakistan, and ends in 2013 Bangladesh, from Nahir to Ananda Shai. Some days before the historic election in 1970 in East Pakistan, Nahir came to study in Kushtia.(nearest district town) The ongoing countrywide movement for Independence and the elections didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t seem to move him by the slightest, but what was in his mind was the theatre and Farida Begum, friend of his cousin. Nahir wanted to keep himself ordered, but eventually he could not keep himself away from the call for independence from the unwillingness of the Pakistanis to hand over power to the winning parties. Shipra, a nurse of the Calcutta Red Cross, who was a victim of the Partition, inspired Nahir once again. This was the rise of the Freedom Fighter Nahir.

NuMetro6 21 Oct 10am NuMetro7 16Oct @ 7.30pm

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The Cut world premiĂ¨re DIRECTOR: Peter Wangugi Gitau COUNTRY: Kenya RUNNING TIME: 138 min YEAR: 2017

PETER WANGUGI GITAU

A film about a young boy who is trying to save his younger sister from early marriage and FGM. They manage to escape and end up in a very unforgiving slum.

Peter Wangugi Gitau is an award winning filmmaker and has worked collaboratively and individually on a variety of socially engaged interdisciplinary projects for over eight years. He has made theater productions, documentaries and fiction films touching on social economic issues in Uganda, Tanzania and Kenya. Peter has worked with several Non-governmental Organizations on different film projects among them; Film-aid International, World Food Programme, Windle Trust Kenya, Population Services Kenya and AMREF Health Africa. He has also directed award winning Kenyan TV shows Pendo & Prey n Pray among many others. SKNouveau5 16 Oct @ 12pm Q&A SKNouveau6 13 Oct @ 12pm

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The Last Prosecco DIRECTOR: Antonio Padovan COUNTRY: Italy RUNNING TIME: 100 min YEAR: 2017

ANTONIO PADOVAN

Antonio Padovan was born and raised in Venice, Italy. In 2007 he received a full scholarship to attempt a One-Year Program at the New York Film Academy and moved to the United States. He currently lives in New York and works as a writer and film director. In his films, he usually focuses on common people and ordinary problems. Most of his films have been shot in the West Village neighborhood of New York.

The story unravels on the rolling hills where Prosecco grapes are grown; a winemaker Count, fighting to protect his territory, a half Italian half Persian police inspector who is more stubborn than a thick fog; the manager of a cement plant who on a rainy night falls in the mud forever, killed by three gunshots; and a crazy man who scrapes the rust from the tombs in the cemetery, chating blessings. A thriller that tells us about the lure of the land, the effervescence of bubbles, the conflict between greed and respect. A story about the inheritance of beauty and the value of quality.

NuMetro7 21 Oct @ 5.30pm SKNouveau6 13 Oct @ 5pm

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The Lightest Darkness DIRECTOR: Diana Galimzyanova COUNTRY: Russia RUNNING TIME: 83 min YEAR: 2017

When a neurotic private eye who struggles to finish the case takes a train voyage, his own dark secrets begin to reveal themselves. DIANA GALIMZYANOVA

Diana Galimzyanova is an editor and director, known for The Lightest Darkness (2017), February 28 (2014) and Minotauress (2017).

SKNouveau5 20 Oct 12pm SKNouveau6 14 Oct @ 5pm

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The Recce world première DIRECTOR: Johannes Ferdinand Van Zyl COUNTRY: South Africa RUNNING TIME: 155 min YEAR: 2017

JOHANNES FERDINAND VAN ZYL

Ferdinand has secured numerous series development contracts, before throwing his anchor down at The Aleit Group as producer, director and screenwriter for the company’s film division, Afilm. He created countless audio visuals and high-quality music videos for top bands such as AKing. Ferdinand released his directorial debut, “Die Versoening Van Daniel Du Randt”, followed by a dark country gothic short film entitled Selah. He spends his free time writing and developing feature film screen plays. Ferdinand teamed up with producer Jac Williams from Man Makes a Picture where MMAP produced his feature film directorial debut, The Recce.

We begin our story in 1980 at “Fort Doppies”, the headquarters of the South African Special Forces, located in the Eastern part of the Caprivi Strip in former SouthWest Africa. After the SADF (South African Defense Force) wrongfully declares young recce, HenkViljoen, dead behind enemy lines, it’s up to him alone to use every skill and tool in his arsenal to make it back to his grieving wife. With the enemy hot on his trail and a lethal gunshot wound in his gut, Henk’s chances for survival are looking slim as he navigates the treacherous war torn African landscape. A vast and wild savannah.

SKNouveau4 14 Oct @ 8pm Q&A SKNouveau5 21 Oct @ 2pm

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The Testament DIRECTOR: Amichai Greenberg COUNTRY: Israel RUNNING TIME: 94 min YEAR: 2017

AMICHAI GREENBERG

Amichai is a gradute of the Maale Film School in Jerusalem. His graduate film was screened and awarded at festivals worldwide. He has been writing, directing and producing for TV, film and new-media since graduation. His projects include local as well as international educational and commercial institutions such as TV channels 1, 2 & 10, video journal, ZDF, Mandel institute, Yad-Vashem and the Spielberg visual history foundation. The Testament is his first feature film.

Yoel, an international expert in Holocaust research, has spent over fifteen years diligently studying the Naziâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s methods of annihilating Jews in Austria and Hungary. In the course of his research he discovers, almost by chance, classified documents which hint to the fact that his mother is living under an assumed identity. The further he plunges into his research the more he doubts his motherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Jewish identity. A mystery about a man who is willing to risk everything to discover the truth.

Numetro6 20 Oct @ 7.30pm SKNouveau6 17 Oct @ 12pm

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Woodwind DIRECTOR: Fin Manjoo COUNTRY: South Africa RUNNING TIME: 136 min YEAR: 2017

FIN MANJOO

Writer-Director Fin Manjoo lived in many countries, expanding and maturing his understanding of the world, before jumping straight into a story project. The intention was to create deep, thought-provoking films for all people. His life and music research in Vienna, Austria is the groundwork for his debut film, Woodwind (2017). This debut feature Woodwind has started being sent to festivals recently and will have a World Première in the director’s home country, at the Cape Town International Film Festival in October. Here it is nominated for Best Film, Best Director and Best Debut, and will be in competition for many other awards too.

Woodwind is a deep journey of a doubter, a composer who rather believe in his own madness than the existence of the extraordinary. The composer is inspired by the role of his mother and the eternal ‘Mother Nature’ when the artist turns to his roots, becoming an instrument to channel the power of sound. From South America he first tries to explain to his Swiss girlfriend that he received an email from a woman who poetically described his movements in the woods that same day. Searching for the truth, he has to travel across the world to meet this mysterious painter at one tree in the middle of an Indian jungle to understand the meaning of the vision. In his unreachable striving for ultimate happiness and perfection, in his longing his suffering is born, and it is in this struggle between his dreams and aspirations, a spirit is forged. FESTIVALS AND AWARDS CAPE TOWN International Film Festival Cape Town

SKNouveau4 16 Oct @ 8pm Numetro7 21 Oct @ 2.30pm

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Gas Station DIRECTOR: Tanwarin Sukkhapisit COUNTRY: Thailand RUNNING TIME: 110 min YEAR: 2016

TANWARIN SUKKHAPISIT

TanwarinSukkhapisit is a director and actor, known for It Gets Better, A Gas Station and Insects in the Backyard.

It is considered pure love when someone would lay down their life for the sake of love. “A Gas Station” is, according to this general concept, a story of pure love. The nature of love in this film looks like a gas station that stands alone in a desolate field with no trace of visitors. The ultimate thing we can be sure of in the end is the love for oneself in the course of trying to maintain love for another. The love story of Mut for Mun is mirrored in the love story of Mun for Nok, the one Mun loves. Mun in fact does not respond to Nok just like he doesn’t to Mut. Pure love often requires distortion and sacrifice because of its obsession with purity, and the desire to protect it. Mun’s lingering, 20-year love is another name for the barrier to Nok, and Mun sheds tears realizing his love paradoxically caused the farewell. The dreary picture of the gas station overlaps the meaning of pure love.

Nu Metro6 13 Oct @ 8pm 18 Oct @ 12pm

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Alison DIRECTOR: Uga Carlini COUNTRY: South Africa RUNNING TIME: 80 min YEAR: 2016

UGA CARLINI

Raped, disembowelled, nearly decapitated, dumped on the outskirts of a nature reserve, dead – or so they thought. She needed a hero that night, so that’s what she became. This is Alison’s tale. A tale of monsters, miracles and hope.

UgaCarlini has extensive film experience both in front of and behind the camera. She returned to South Africa to become the founding owner of Towerkop Creations, a film company that specializes in female driven heroine stories. Towerkop Creations also prides itself in the fact that it is child friendly. Carlini’s first short, Good Planets Are Hard To Find, which tells the environmentally-themed story of Elizabeth Klarer, South Africa’s controversial, often ridiculed “First Lady of Space” and her claim to an alien love affair and some startling scientific revelations, swept up awards and accolades internationally. NuMetro7 18 Oct @12pm

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Battalion DIRECTOR: Dmitriy Meshiev COUNTRY: Russia RUNNING TIME: 120 min YEAR: 2015

Russia, 1917, WWI. This is the story of the 1st Russian Womenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Battalion of Death, formed as part of an ill-conceived propaganda ploy by the Russian Provisional Government in late May of 1917. DMITRIY MESHIEV

Dmitriy Meskhiev was born on October 31, 1963 in Leningrad, RSFSR, USSR as Dmitriy Dmitrievich Meskhiev. He is a producer and director, known for Battalion, Our Own, and Arrival of a Train (Pribytiepoezda).

Numetro7 14 Oct @ 10pm SKNouveau4 21Oct @ 8.30pm

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By the Time it Gets Dark DIRECTOR: Anocha Suwichakornpong COUNTRY: Thailand RUNNING TIME: 105 min YEAR: 2016

ANOCHA SUWICHAKORNPONG

Anocha Suwichakornpong is a Thai independent film director, screenwriter and producer. She was a recipient of Hollywood Foreign Press Association Fellowship. She attended the Talent Campus of the Berlin Film Festival in 2006, where her feature-length script, The White Room, was among the 15 projects chosen to participate in the Script Clinic. Her thesis film Graceland was selected for the 59th Cannes Film Festival’s Cinefondation program. It was the first Thai short film selected for the Cannes Film Festival. It was also featured at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival and many other festivals.

Story of a young film director researching a project about the 1976 massacre of Thai student activists at Thamassat University is just the beginning of a shape-shifting work of fictions within fictions, featuring characters with multiple identities. Drifting across a dizzyingly wide expanse of space and time, By the Time It Gets Dark offers a series of narratives concerning love, longing, the power of cinema, and the vestiges of the past within the present. Asking quietly profound questions about the nature of memory—personal, political, and cinematic—this self-reflexive yet deeply felt film keeps regenerating and unfolding in surprising ways.

Numetro6 16 Oct @ 2.15pm 20 Oct @10am

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King of the Belgians DIRECTOR: Jessica Woodworth, Peter Brosens COUNTRY: Belgium RUNNING TIME: 94 min YEAR: 2016

JESSICA WOODWORTH

PETER BROSENS

Jessica and Peter’s acclaimed common works to date are Khadak (2006) and Altiplano (2009). Jessica shot her first theatrical movie Urga Song (1999) in Mongolia. After making “The Virgin Diaries”, she chose to join Peter for a fruitful collaboration. Brosens’ first film is an award-winning documentary filmed in Ecuador in 1992, “The Path of Time”. He then directed and produced his internationally acclaimed “Mongolia Trilogy”, consisting of the documentaries “City of the Steppes” (1993), “State of Dogs” (1998) and “Poets of Mongolia” (1999). His last foray into far horizons is Altiplano (2009), a drama set in the High Andes.

The King of the Belgians is on a state visit in Istanbul when his country falls apart. He must return home at once to save his kingdom. But a solar storm causes airspace and communications to shut down. No planes. No phones. With the help of a British filmmaker and a troupe of Bulgarian folk singers, the King and his entourage manage to escape over the border. Incognito. Thus begins an odyssey across the Balkans during which the King discovers the real world – and himself. “An Icelandic volcano erupted and an idea was born: let’s drop a Belgian King in Istanbul, stir up a natural disaster, spark a political crisis and then launch him on a homeward overland journey, incognito, that features trip-ups, show-downs and moments of grace. Displacement as the essence of comedy, in other words.

SKNouveau5 13 Oct @ 12pm SKNouveau6 20 Oct @ 5.15pm

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Law of the Land DIRECTOR: Jussi Hiltunen COUNTRY: Finland RUNNING TIME: 86 min YEAR: 2017

JUSSI HILTUNEN

An arctic western taking place on both sides of the northern Finnish-Swedish border. A retiring police officer learns that his illegitimate son has been released from prison and is terrorizing the area. As his final task, he tries to contain the situation but it soon spirals out of control and turns violent, forcing him to face his past.

JussiHiltunen is a director and writer, known for Hiljainenviikko, Law of the Land and TalvisydĂ¤n.

SKNouveau4 13 Oct @ 5.15pm NuMetro7 16 Oct 12pm

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Pathfinder DIRECTOR: Nils Gaup COUNTRY: Germany RUNNING TIME: 96 min YEAR:1987

NILS GAUP

Nils Gaup (born. 1955) from Kautokeino is a Norwegian/Sámi director. He graduated as an actor from the Norwegian Academy of Theater, and co-founded the Sámi national theatre Beaivváš before directing his first film Ofelaš. Gaup has later directed films in many genres, including The Kautokeino Rebellion which opened TIFF 2008.

Nils Gaup’s intense action adventure Pathfinder. Set on the Finnmarksvidda plateau, it follows Aigin, a young Sámi hunter who sees his family massacred by Chudes, a tribe from the East. Aigin swears revenge, but to save other Sámi who have fled to the coast, he must become a guide and pathfinder for the Chudes on a dangerous path through a rugged winter landscape. Inspired by Sámi oral storytelling, Nils Gaup’s debut feature was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the Academy Awards and has become a milestone in Norwegian film history. The original score is terrific with contributions from the late Sámi artist and composer Nils-AslakValkepää. Prepare yourself for a singular film experience.

SKNouveau5 19 Oct @ 7.30pm Delegates Only

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Sparrows DIRECTOR: Rúnar Rúnarsson COUNTRY: Iceland RUNNING TIME: 99 min YEAR: 2015

Ari’s teenage lifestyle in the big city is disrupted as he is sent by his mother to live with his uninvolved father and his grandmother in a small fishing village. RÚNAR RÚNARSSON

Rúnar Rúnarsson was born on January 20, 1977 in Reykjavík, Iceland. He is a director and producer, known for Sparrows (2015), Volcano (2011) and The Last Farm (2004).

SKNouveau5 14 Oct @ 2.15pm SKNouveau4 19 Oct @ 5pm

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Tanna DIRECTOR: Martin Butler, Bentley Dean COUNTRY: Netherlands RUNNING TIME: 104 min YEAR: 2016

MARTIN BUTLER

BENTLEY DEAN

Set on a remote Pacific island, covered in rain forest and dominated by an active volcano, this heartfelt story, enacted by the Yakel tribe, tells of a sisterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s loyalty, a forbidden love affair and the pact between the old ways and the new.

Martin Butler is a director and producer, known for Tanna (2015), First Footprints (2013) and A Sense of Self (2016). Bentley Dean is a director and cinematographer, known for Tanna (2015), Contact (2010) and First Footprints (2013)

Numetro7 15 Oct 10am 21 Oct @ 10.15pm

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Tragedy at Rodger’s Bay DIRECTOR: Philipp Abryutin COUNTRY: Russia RUNNING TIME: 93 min YEAR: 2015

PHILIPP ABRYUTIN

All the childhood Philipp spent with parents-doctors traveling to the reindeer-herders households in different places of Chukotka. Herders live and their unique stories had a strong influence on Abryutin’s view of the life. Won some literature and historical competitions with the works about Chukotka and its people, Abryutin decided to go to the Allrussian state film institute (VGIK) for studying film directing. He shot some shorts, which got prizes on Russian, and international film festivals. Now he is writing thesis in VGIK about theory of film dramaturgy. Feature “Tragedy on Rogers’ bay” is his debut.

NSRA (Northern sea route administration) inspector Nikolay Zherdev got the order to come on the polar research station on the Wrangel island and commit the doctor Wolfson’s death as an accident. Zherdev doesn’t want to do that and leave her pregnant wife for a long time, but this order is a big chance. His chef says if he’ll do everything “right” he will get a party card and they will forget that Zherdev’s father was the “white officer”. At the first day in Arctic Zherdev understands that his trip will not be easy: anti-semitism and other signs on station says that doctor Wolfson was killed and this death linked with death of some local Inuit and Chukchy people. Risking his career, Zherdev goes against all advices from above and begins the investigation. With local Inuit peoples he saves Wolfson’s wife but his own life is in danger.

Numetro6 14 Oct @ 10pm SKNouveau6 20 Oct @ 2.30pm

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Twee Grade van Moord DIRECTOR: Gerrit Schoonhoven COUNTRY: South Africa RUNNING TIME: 98 min YEAR: 2016

GERRIT SCHOONHOVEN

Schoonhoven’s filmography includes Heartland (2011), written by Deon Opperman and starring Marius Weyers, Sandra Prinsloo, Brumilda van Rensburg and Jan Scholtz. He also directed Binnelanders (2005-2012), a long-running and multiaward winning TV drama series produced by Stark Films. In 2006, he directed Orion, an Afrikaans crime TV drama series (10 episodes) based on the novel “Dead at Day Break” by Deon Meyer, produced by Jungle Media Film and Television and editing by Ronelle Loots. Other television credits include Meeulanders, Plek van die Vleisvreters, Soutmansland and Isidingo.

Aleksa’s perfect life is shattered when husband Ben is struck down by a fatal paralysis and Aleksa’s most difficult patient Tanya (Hilda Cronje) accidentally kills her abusive boyfriend, the hypocritical Sean (Laudo Liebenberg). Aleksa must now decide to act on Ben’s call for assisted suicide and discover the truth of her definition of love and relationships. The film climaxes with Aleksa and Tanya both at the mercy of the legal system for the same crime against humanity – murder. However, one will be absolved and the other will be found guilty. And the law itself will inadvertently be on trial for its definition of what love is.

Numetro6 19 Oct @ 12pm

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Virgin Mountain DIRECTOR: Dagur Kari COUNTRY: Iceland / Denmark RUNNING TIME: 94 min YEAR: 2015

Fusi, a 43 year old man, still lives with his mother. His daily life is characterized by monotonous routine. The appearance of vibrant Sjöfn and young neighbour Hera will upset his old bachelor habits. DAGUR KARI

DagurKári was born on December 12, 1973 in Paris, France as DagurKáriPétursson. He is a director and writer, known for Noi the Albino (2003), Virgin Mountain (2015) and The Good Heart (2009)

FESTIVAL AND AWARDS POLITIKEN AUDIENCE Award – Copenhagen’s 2015 CPH PIX BEST NARRATIVE Feature – Tribeca Film Festival 2015 BEST ACTOR in a Narrative Feature Film – Tribeca Film Festival 2015 BEST SCREENPLAY – Tribeca Film Festival 2015 WINNER – Nordic Council Film Prize 2015

SKNouveau5 14 Oct @ 12pm SKNouveau4 19 October @ 7.30pm

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Body Electric DIRECTOR: Marcelo Caetano COUNTRY: Brazil RUNNING TIME: 95 min YEAR: 2015

MARCELO CAETANO

The summer is coming and Elias has been dreaming of the sea a lot. In the factory where he works, his responsibilities increase as the holiday season approaches. After one more night working overtime, Elias and the workers decide to go out for some beer. That is when new encounters and desires open his horizons.

Marcelo Caetano is a writer and director, known for Body Electric (2017), Verona (2013) and By Your Side (2011).

20 Oct @ 10pm Numetro7 18 Oct @5pm

LGBT 53

Cas DIRECTOR: Joris van den Berg COUNTRY: Netherlands RUNNING TIME: 48 min YEAR: 2016

JORIS VAN DEN BERG

Joris graduated from the Netherlands Film Academy in 2006 and has since then gained much experience as a director for several television series such as ‘Onderwegnaar morgen’, StartUp and ‘Dagboek van eenCallgirl’. He has made the online hit series ‘De meisjes van Thijs’ and worked as a TV format developer at Warner Bros NL. He directed the short films‘Kansloos’ and 10 Minutes Left, which has been screened at several international film festivals and has won Best LGBT-short at the Cannes Short Film Festival 2014.

The seemingly rock-solid relationship between Pepijn (29) and Sjors (33) is put in jeopardy when they invite the lively, 20-year-old student named Cas over to sleep on their couch until he finds a place of his own. Gradually, as Pepijn and Sjors both fall head over heels in love with Cas’ laconic charms, they are forced to reconsider all of their shared future plans. Is the presence of Cas a threat to their relationship or is he actually a blessing in disguise?

Numetro6 17Oct @ 10am Q&A Numetro7 20Oct @ 10am

LGBT 54

Center of my World DIRECTOR: Jakob M. Erwa COUNTRY: UK RUNNING TIME: 115 min YEAR: 2016

After a summer spent with his his best friend Kat to escape his family, Phil goes back to school and starts to question his feelings towards Nicholas, a new classmate. JAKOB M. ERWA

in Graz, Steiermark) is an Austrian director, screenwriter, film producer. After receiving his high school diploma at technical institution of higher education for art and design in Graz in June 2000, Erwa worked for several film production companies in Austria. At the age of nineteen, he wrote his first screenplay One by One – EineTeenietragödie. 2001 he produced his first short movie TrübeAussichten and started his studies at the University of Television and Film Munich, which he completed in February 2007.

Numetro7 19 Oct @ 7.30pm SKNouveau6 18 Oct @ 2pm

LGBT 55

First Girl I Loved DIRECTOR: Kerem Sanga COUNTRY: USA RUNNING TIME: 90 min YEAR: 2016

KEREM SANGA

Kerem Sanga is a writer and director, known for First Girl I Loved (2016), The Young Kieslowski (2014) and Trigger Finger (2012).

While watching a high school softball game, yearbook editor Anne falls for the team star Sasha. She confesses her realization to her best friend Clifton, who reacts badly due to his own feelings for Anne. He kisses Anne, and, after she initially pushes him away, he rapes her, not stopping as she cries through the encounter. Clifton calls her a dyke. Anne visits Sasha and the two begin to strike up a friendship. Their relationship grows over the upcoming weeks, culminating in Anne comforting Sasha after the latter causes her team to lose. Clifton remains engaged in his plan to sabotage Anne, ultimately asking out Sasha himself. However, he begins to regret his actions during a meeting with his guidance counselor, in which he slowly comes to realize that he raped Anne. The two share a period of reflection over her history, in which Anne comments on another coercive sexual experience. Anne discuss her heartache over Sasha and accepts that she is gay.

Numetro6 13 Oct @ 2pm Numetro7 20 Oct @ 10pm

LGBT 56

Jonathan DIRECTOR: Piotr J. Lewandowski COUNTRY: Germany RUNNING TIME: 90 min YEAR: 2016

A young man struggles with the pressure of caring for his terminally ill father while trying to unlock a secret that his father seems determined to keep from him. PIOTR J. LEWANDOWSKI

Lewandowski was born in Warsaw, Poland in 1975. After completing school, he trained as a computer programmer and studied graphic design and business. In 1966, he began working on film projects, and then, between 1998 and 1999, studied film at Goldsmiths College in London. His feature film, Jonathan, was selected at the Berlinale Panorama 2016.

Numetro6 15 Oct @ 8pm 21 Oct @ 8pm

LGBT 57

KA Bodyscapes DIRECTOR: Jaya Cherian COUNTRY: UK RUNNING TIME: 99 min YEAR: 2016

JAYA CHERIAN

KaBodyscapes is Jayaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s new feature film, Papilio Buddha (2013), his critically acclaimed debut feature film, was screened in the Panorama Section at the 64th Berlin International Film Festival. He made several experimental documentaries and narrative shorts such as: Shape of the Shapeless (2010) Love in the Time of Foreclosure (2009), Hidden Things (2009), Soul of Solomon (2008), Capturing the Signs of God (2008), Holy Mass (2007), Tree of Life (2007), Simulacra the Reality of the Unreal (2007), The Inner Silence of the Tumult (2007), Hid-entity (2007), and Tandava the Dance of Dissolution (2006)

Three young people, Haris, a gay painter; Vishnu, a rural kabaddi player and their friend Sia, an activist who refuse to conform to dominant norms of femininity, struggle to find space and happiness in a conservative Indian City.

SKNouveau6 14 Oct @ 12pm Numetro6 16 Oct @ 5pm

LGBT 58

Loev DIRECTOR: Sudhanshu Saria COUNTRY: Italy RUNNING TIME: 92 min YEAR: 2015

A weekend trip between friends takes a sudden turn, making them each question what love is and what it means to them. SUDHANSHU SARIA

Sudhanshu Saria is an Indian filmmaker. Born in the tea estates of Darjeeling, India, he graduated from Ithaca College in New York, with a degree in Bachelor of Fine Arts in Film and Photography.

SKNouveau4 14Oct @ 5pm Q&A NuMetro6 17Oct @ 2pm

LGBT 59

Mrs Mccutcheon DIRECTOR: John Sheedy COUNTRY: Australia RUNNING TIME: 17 min YEAR: 2017

JOHN SHEEDY

John Sheedy is a multi-award winning Australian Theatre Director. Examples of his work include the adaptation of Shaun Tan’s children’s book The Red Tree. Produced for the 2012 Perth International Arts Festival was Susie Miller’s Driving Into Walls. He Hamlet, Storm Boy and adapted and directed Wolf Erlbruch’s children’s book Duck, Death and The Tulip. Storm Boy was nominated for Best Presentation for Children at the 2013 Helpmann Awards and Sydney Theatre Awards. In 2014 John directed Onefivezeroseven, the sequel to Driving Into Walls as part of the Perth International Arts Festival. Mrs McCutcheon is his debut in film.

Having always felt he was born in the wrong body, 10-year-old Tom chooses the name Mrs McCutcheon rather than the name he was given at birth; he also prefers the flow of a dress rather than the cut of a pant. Now at his third school Tom is having trouble settling in and finding acceptance from his newfound peers – except for Trevor, a tough little charmer who also suffers prejudice due to his Aboriginal heritage. With the school dance only days away Tom is thrust on a journey of self-discovery and sacrifices to find his place in the world. Be prepared for a courageous ending that might just revolutionize the school dances forever! FESTIVALS AND AWARDS 63RD INTERNATIONAL Short Film Festival Oberhausen Oberhausen SPECIAL MENTION of the International Children’s Competition 19TH MO &Friese Children’s

Short Film Festival Hamburg THE MO Award for Best Short Film 66TH MELBOURNE International Film Festival Melbourne BEST AUSTRALIAN Short Film

Screens with CAS Numetro6 17 Oct @ 10am NuMetro7 20 Oct @10am

LGBT 60

Driver DIRECTOR: Thitipan Raksasat COUNTRY: Thailand RUNNING TIME: 85 min YEAR: 2017

THITIPAN RAKSASAT

Thitipan was born in Pitsanuloke on 13 July 1973. He graduated in Marketing from Bangkok University and MBA from Institute of International Students, Ramkhamhaeng University. He was a marketing for Scenario Co., Ltd. running MuanthaiRachadalai Theatre. In the present, he is a marketing director for concerts and events director for BEC Tero Entertainment. His main hobby is film making – aiming to make 2 films a year. His past films were It Gets Better (2012), Love Next Door (2013), Love Next Door 2 (2016) and Driver (2017)

Kade is a beautiful woman andher husband Tae disappears after his business trip to Korea. In order to find her missing husband, she asks for help from her husband’s police friend. Failing to help, Kadedecideds to find her husband’s driver Mac. Mac drives her to Tae’s office, where she finds out secrets of her husband. She decides to search for the truth. What she doesn’t know is that a secret is awaiting to be revealed that is going to haunt her for the rest of her life.

SKNouveau4 17 Oct @ 8pm NuMetro6 21 Oct @ 5pm

LGBT 61

Tom of Finland DIRECTOR: Dome Karukoski COUNTRY: Germany RUNNING TIME: 115 min YEAR: 2017

DOME KARUKOSKI

Thomas “Dome” Karukoski (born 29 December 1976) is a Finnish film director. He is considered to be one of Finland›s most successful film directors, with over 30 festival awards, and having directed six feature films that have all become blockbusters in his home country, and which have also received international recognition.

Touko Laaksonen, a decorated officer, returns home after a harrowing and heroic experience serving his country in World War II. But life in Finland during peacetime proves equally distressing. He finds post-war Helsinki rampant with homophobic persecution, and gay men around him are being pressured to marry women and have children. Touko finds refuge in his liberating art: homoerotic drawings of muscular men, free of inhibitions.

SKNouveau6 14 Oct 8pm SKNouveau4 17 Oct @ 5pm

LGBT 62

Screwed DIRECTOR: Nils-Erik Ekblom COUNTRY: Finland RUNNING TIME: 97 min YEAR: 2017

Screwed (orig. Pihalla) is a Finnish drama film, where Miku and Elias find themselves and each other during a summer in the Finnish countryside. Love is not as easy as it seems. NILS-ERIK EKBLOM

Nils-Erik Ekblom is a writer and director, known for Screwed (2017), The Ruined Eye (2010) and Love Between Storeys (2011).

FESTIVALS AND AWARDS FRAMELINE41 SAN Francisco

Numetro6 15 Oct @ 5pm NuMetro7 20 Oct @ 5.15pm

LGBT 63

Boulevard Voltaire DIRECTOR: Alexandre Vallès COUNTRY: France RUNNING TIME: 110 min YEAR: 2017

ALEXANDRE VALLÈS

Alexandre Vallès is an actor, performance artist, singer, songwriter, and poet and was born in 1975. “Bd. Voltaire” is his first full-length feature film.

“Bd. Voltaire” tells the story of three gay couples in Paris, 48 hours before the famous terrorist attacks on Friday, the 13th of November, 2015. Yann and Raoul are madly in love; Yann’s ex-boyfriend Alan and his new lover Julien are looking for an apartment; Jérémy and Aurélien are just trying to sort out some of their relationship troubles. Then comes that fateful day and the friends are leaving for a fun night out at the Bataclan on Boulevard Voltaire …

Numetro7 14 Oct 7.30pm Q&A SKNouveau5 18 Oct @ 2pm

LGBT 64

Heartstone DIRECTOR: Guðmundur Arnar Guðmundsson COUNTRY: Iceland (2016) RUNNING TIME:129 min YEAR: 2016

GUÐMUNDUR ARNARGUÐMUNDSSON

Guðmundur graduated from the Icelandic Art Academy. After graduation he moved to Denmark and studied screenwriting. His short films have been selected for more than 200 festivals and won over 50 international awards. Among these accolades are a Special Mention for Whale Valley (2013) in the Official Competition of the Cannes Film Festival and a nomination for the European Film Awards. Guðmundsson developed and wrote his first feature film Heartstone during a Cannes Cinéfondation Residency. While in development, Heartstone also received an award from the Netherlands Production Platform.

A remote fishing village in Iceland. Teenage boys Thor and Christian experience a turbulent summer as one tries to win the heart of a girl while the other discovers new feelings toward his best friend. When summer ends and the harsh nature of Iceland takes back its rights, it’s time to leave the playground and face adulthood. FESTIVALS AND AWARDS Winner of 31 International awards

SKNouveau4 13 Oct @ 8pm 18 Oct @ 7.45pm

LGBT 65

Abrazame Como Antes DIRECTOR: Jurgen Ureña COUNTRY: Costa Rica RUNNING TIME: 63 min YEAR: 2016

JURGEN UREÑA

Jurgen’s short films have been shown in the film festivals of Cannes, Trieste, La Habana, ClermontFerrand, Washington and Cartagena. His first feature, Russian dolls, received the award for best director at the Icaro Film Festival. His second, Hold me like Before, won Best Central American and Best Costa Rican Films. He received the Áncora Award to the Best Audiovisual Production for the Biennium 2005-2006, and was selected for the meeting of Central American Visual Arts “Doubtful Strait” (2006-2007). He currently teaches lessons in cinema history and documentary at the School of Cinema and Television of Veritas University.

Verónica is a transgender woman who works as a prostitute in a small neighbourhood of Costa Rican capital. When a young thief known as Tato has an accident and breaks an ankle, she takes him to her house trying to give him a better life, but also facing with the painful side of motherhood. Finally, Verónica realizes that giving a hand to Tato was actually giving it to herself.

NuMetro6 13 Oct @ 5pm SKNouveau4 16 Oct @ 5pm

ARABIAN NIGHTS

ARABIAN NIGHTS 67

A Day for Women DIRECTOR: Kamlah Abu-Zikri COUNTRY: Egypt RUNNING TIME: 101 min YEAR: 2016

KAMLAH ABU-ZIKRI

In a shabby neighborhood in Egypt, a youth center decides to allocate one day on the swimming pool for women only. The film follows the consequences of this decision on the social, psycological and emotional life of the women living in the neighborhood.

Numetro7 17 Oct @5pm Q&A SKNouveau6 21 Oct @ 5pm

ARABIAN NIGHTS 68

Abdullah DIRECTOR: Humaid Al Suwaidi COUNTRY: UAE RUNNING TIME: 97 min YEAR: 2015

Growing up in a very conservative family where many things are ‘haram’, Abdullah struggles over the years to hide his love for music.

Humaid was born in Abu Dhabi in 1984. He is a graduate of the New York Film Academy (Los Angeles). “Abdullah” is his directorial debut.

SKNouveau6 13 Oct @ 2.30pm SKNouveau5 16 Oct @ 2.30pm

ARABIAN NIGHTS 69

Hedi DIRECTOR: Mohamed Ben Attia COUNTRY: Tunisia, Belgium, France, Qatar, UAE RUNNING TIME: 88 min YEAR: 2016

MOHAMED BEN ATTIA

In 2005, Romantisme: deux comprimés matin et soir, a short film, was part of twenty Tunisian contributions presented at the Pan-African Film and Television Festival FESPACO in Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso), which were rated by the French daily L’Humanité as “everyday stories, often far from any political idea”. Attia protested that the Tunisian filmmakers could not be “martyrs of life.” Attia won the Juripede Coup de Coeur for the third short film Mouja (La vague) at the francophone film festival of Vaulx-en-Velin. Attia was invited to attend the 64th International Cannes Film Festival, with the participation of other Tunisian short film directors.

Hedi, a young man with dreams is struggling to find his way through social conventions in Tunisia. While his mother tries to control his life. Hedi meets Rym and suddenly he discovers that his world goes beyond and above the normal conventions.

Numetro7 13 Oct @ 7.45pm SKNouveau5 20 Oct @ 2.30pm

ARABIAN NIGHTS 70

My Uncle DIRECTOR: Nassim Abassi COUNTRY: Morocco RUNNING TIME: 107 min YEAR: 2016

NASSIM ABASSI

Nassim’s first produced English feature won the award for Best Feature Film at the International Digital Film Festival in New Delhi (2005). Bila Houdoud (Without Limits) is the second film he wrote and directed. It was the most watched film on Moroccan television when it was broadcast on national television in 2008. Majid, his third film, enjoyed public and critical acclaim in Morocco and took part in more than 30 world film festivals and won over 10 international prizes since it’s release. My Uncle, his fourth feature film as a Producer and Film director is in the post-production phase and will be released in Moroccan cinemas late 2016.

Known for its biting social criticism, My Uncle is an entertaining comedy that does not shy away from addressing cultural struggles in the modern world. In spite of the negative perceptions of women in the acting profession, Alia is a struggling actress, optimistic that she will become famous. One day her Uncle Abderraouf, who she barely knows, visits her from out of town. As a result of his visit, Alia’s life is thrown into a comedic confusion of circumstances as she juggles hosting her uncle, pursuing her acting career, and facing problems with her fiancé and his family.

Numetro7 14 Oct 5pm SKNouveau6 17 Oct @ 5pm

ARABIAN NIGHTS 71

Only Men Go to the Grave DIRECTOR: Abdulla Al Kaabi COUNTRY: UAE RUNNING TIME: 80 min YEAR: 2016

When a blind mother accidentally dies, her family tries to uncover her secret past during the traditional 3-day funeral. ABDULLA AL KAABI

Abdulla directed his first short, The Philosopher 2, in which French actor Jean Reno took the lead role. The latter also liked to show another facet of his acting that he never had the opportunity to interpret: fragility and sensitivity. Produced by Oursinfilms3, a French company also based in Dubai, the film was shot in Paris in mid-September. His next project is his first feature film Culture Shock4, again with Jean Reno and also produced by Oursinfilms3. This romantic comedy will tell the story of a former model (VirginieLedoyen) obsessed with money and glory, who will follow an Arab emirati thinking that he is rich.

SKNouveau5 15 Oct @ 2.30pm 21 Oct @ 12pm

CHINA AFRICA FILM FESTIVAL

CHINA AFRICA FILM FESTIVAL 73

A Paper Marriage DIRECTOR: Zhang Hui COUNTRY: China RUNNING TIME: 91 min YEAR: 2017

ZHANG HUI

Professor Zhang Hui, professor of doctoral degree candidates, the current dean of the Beijing Film Academy School of Acting. He created a number of film and television works such as “Yan Xiang” and received high honor and evaluation within China.

The film is mainly about Wang Feng, an associate professor at an University in Shanghai who in order to sell his house, had to arrange a fake marriage with a female student named Ye Zi that had the qualifications to buy and sell houses in Shanghai. During this transition, the two had to be in the same room, the surrounding environment continued to bring external pressure, yet causing two hearts to become closer and closer. Ultimately Wang Feng gave up the sale of the house. Throughout this relationship, they both found their own spiritual home and their soul achieved freedom. Professor Zhang Hui, professor of doctoral degree candidates, the current dean of the Beijing Film Academy School of Acting. He created a number of film and television works such as “Yan Xiang” and received high honor and evaluation within China.

SKnouveau6 21 Oct @ 8pm

CHINA AFRICA FILM FESTIVAL 74

Love Beyond Eternity COUNTRY: China DIRECTOR: Weiji Miao RUNNING TIME: 95 min YEAR: 2013

WEIJI MIAO

The film tells the classic Princess and the Pauper styled love story. It is a classical Chinese representation of love across social boundaries. The protagonists protected their love for each other against the social and family pressures.

Weiji Miao was born into a military family and entered the film industry in 1981, and has since starred in many films and small screen productions. After graduating from the Beijing Broadcasting Institute, he turned his career to the world of directing and producing.

China Africa opening night-by invite only

CHINA AFRICA FILM FESTIVAL 75

Dear Tutu COUNTRY: China DIRECTOR: Su Da RUNNING TIME: 97 min YEAR: 2013

SU DA

Su Da graduated from Beijing Film Academy(China) and Lille University of Technology(France). She is currently workig for Shanghai Animation Film Studio LTD as an Artistic director. Su Da is also a national director. She has directed Dear Tutu(5 seasons) and Monky King.

There was a little kindergarten boy who was edacious. His only dream was to eat all the delicacies around the world. However, his mother was filled with worries, for she believed that there was not a single talent in her son. Tutu set foot on the tough journey of contest being attracted by delicacies. He unexpectedly became a little star in the spotlight. After getting famous, the family of Tutu was busy with various interviews, advertising endorsements and TV programs. And the â&#x20AC;&#x153;ever-changing little ballâ&#x20AC;? of Mai Xingxing brand invented by the family of Tutu also became the delicacy popular among people and the hot sale, for it was tasty, nutritious and easy to cook. All of these brought the unprecedented sense of satisfaction and pride to the mom but more and more unhappiness to Tutu who was sought after by people. The family of Tutu, having gone through success and failure, worship and distrust, knew better the secret of love and happiness. SKNouveau6 21 Oct @ 2.15pm

CHINA AFRICA FILM FESTIVAL 76

Don’t Let Mom Cry DIRECTOR: Shumei Wang COUNTRY: China RUNNING TIME: 90 min YEAR: 2017

SHUMEI WANG

When Yan Lin found him on a path of crime, he lost his family and career. It was his mother’s love that gave him the right mindset while he’s at the lowest point of life. Through ten years of dedication and love from his mother, he realized that if given the choice again, he would not tread on the same path and make him mother cry.

Shumei Wang is an accomplished film producer and director. She also established the “Guantang Film and Media Company” and received international awards for best producer. Her main field of production is charity films. In her lifetime she has directed and produced multiple big screen films and television productions. Many of which has won international and local Chinese awards.

Numetro7 20 Oct @ 8pm

CHINA AFRICA FILM FESTIVAL 77

Another me in the World DIRECTOR: Lu Han COUNTRY: China RUNNING TIME: 75 min YEAR: 2016

With the help of an angel, five children found their counterparts from around the world. In the process they learned courage, love and dedication. LU HAN

Lu Han is a director for the Children’s segment of Wu Han Television Station. She is also an experienced acting teacher and produced as well as starred in her own musicals. Through her program “Baby Come On”, she received the awards for the most popular children’s show in China. This is just one of her numerous television and film awards that she has won in her life time.

Numetro6 19 Oct @ 5pm

CHINA AFRICA FILM FESTIVAL 78

Forgiven DIRECTOR: Jian Pu COUNTRY: China RUNNING TIME: 101 min YEAR: 2017

JIAN PU

Pu Jian was born in 1968 in Guizhou. 1986-1990 in administration and law school of Wuhan University, Bachelorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s degree. In 1996 graduated from the directing department of Beijing Film Academy, literature (film) a masterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s degree. Current communications University of China School of film and television arts, an Associate Director of performing arts. Directors included: TV movie Zendegi Edame Darad(2001), Liu Erdan home (2002), The Yanzhao Autumn Song (2003), The Lost Ponies (2004), The Dangerous Journey (2007), The Mutton of the Mala (2008).

Beautiful young single mother Li Meihua, use all their savings to start a bridal shop. Unfortunately,a day before the opening of the shop a fire started and the whole shop was engulfed in flames.The two assistants that Li Meihua hired died as a result of the fire. From then on, Li Meihuatook it upon herself to take care of the two families who have lost their loved ones in the fire.

Numetro7 21 Oct @ 8pm

DOCUMENTARIES

DOCUMENTARIES 80

Change of Heart: The Operation that Changed the World world première DIRECTOR: Naudene Leisegang COUNTRY: South Africa RUNNING TIME: 50 min YEAR: 2017

NAUDENE LEISEGANG

Naudene developed formats for slots on the BBC, SABC, National Geographic and Discovery. She edited most of the UK Traffic Cops series which is one of the most consistently watched factual series on UK television. She directed and edited the successful SABC Mediforum series, hosted by her late father Dr Marius Barnard. Naudene boasts a Silvére Cannes award as well as South African Loerie Awards. Natural History films she’s edited have received finalist nominations at Jackson Hole Film Festival, Jules Verne Adventure Festival, Japan Wildlife Film Festival and Durban Wild Talkto name a few.

Daughter of late Dr. Marius Barnard’s daughter, Naudene Leisegang has made this film in commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the first heart transplant. In Dr. Marius Barnard’s final interview, he reveals a secret kept for nearly half a century, we put the rumours of Hamilton Naki’s involvement to bed, look to the future of cardiac surgery, and pay homage to all those involved.

Numetro6 14 Oct @ 5pm Q&A NuMetro7 19 Oct @ 2.15pm

DOCUMENTARIES 81

Che In Congo – Dream Of Liberation world première DIRECTOR: Ben Crowe COUNTRY: United Kingdom RUNNING TIME: 67 min YEAR: 2016

BEN CROWE

Ben is a Palme D’Or nominated filmmaker working across experimental fiction and documentary.

An urgent meditation on the legacy of revolutionary war framed by the combatants, survivors and inheritors of violence. 1965: Che Guevara undertakes a secret mission to DR Congo to support the liberation movement. Fifty years later we travel to Belgium, Cuba and eastern Congo in search of those who fought alongside – and against – this global icon. We find the Belgian former mercenary who says his years fighting in the mountains of eastern Congo were the best of his life; the Cuban generals and Congolese soldiers he trained. We hear from men and women as they strive to raise their children in the long shadows of war and colonialism. Narrated by a Congolese radio journalist, hers is the voice of the new DRC. In her words, and in rare footage and images, the country’s vital future unfolds. Numetro5 13 Oct @ 12pm Q&A SKNouveau6 18 Oct @ 12pm

DOCUMENTARIES 82

District Six Rising From The Dust world première DIRECTOR: Weaam Williams COUNTRY: South Africa RUNNING TIME: 90 min YEAR: 2017

WEAAM WILLIAMS

Weaam’s directorial debut, Hip-Hop Revolution, had its international Première at Silverdocs in 2007 where it was nominated for “best music film”. It won the Best Edited Film award at NYC Reel Sisters Film Festival in 2008. In 2009-2013 she undertook an independent filmmaking project: “A Khoe Story Docu-Tirlogy”, a three part documentary series about the language, genocide and remaining culture of South Africa’s indigenous people. Her latest film, District Six Rising from the Dust, examines the microcosm within the macrocosm and the legacy of intergenerational pain and dispossession of wealth.

In 1960 District Six was declared a whites only area. This declaration was formalized with the Apartheid Group Areas Act of 1966. It is estimated that approximately 60 000 t0 80 000 people were forcibly removed form District Six. One of those families is my own. My mother, Nazley Hartley in her late teens was forcibly removed with her parents, siblings, uncles, aunts and grandparents. A “tribe”, a community uprooted from their home and businesses of four generations. The documentary is a deeply personal story, which examines the microcosm within the macrocosm and the legacy of intergenerational pain and dispossession of wealth. It is visually and aurally rich with moments of “fly on the wall’ perspective as well as access to nuanced moments of the Cape community. Numetro7 15 Oct 5pm Q&A SKNouveau6 19 Oct @ 2.30pm

DOCUMENTARIES 83

Decanted DIRECTOR: Nick Kovacic COUNTRY: USA RUNNING TIME: 82 min YEAR: 2016

Look inside one of the most intimate wine growing regions in the world, Napa Valley, as we follow the journey of new beginnings and mastering a craft. NICK KOVACIC

Nick is an award-winning filmmaker (2014 NYC Food Filmmaker of the Year) (2016 EMMY (Brewmore Baltimore) Documentary) and accomplished entrepreneur. He co-founded Digital Cave Media, based in Baltimore, Maryland. Digital Cave is recognized as a leading provider in digital cinema services in the mid-Atlantic United States. Filmmaking has always been about collaboration and education. Nick has been fortunate to collaborate with many creative people, beginning as a camera assistant on television, commercials, and features, then moving into editing commercials, branded content, and feature narrative and documentary.

SKNouveau6 17 Oct @ 8pm NuMetro6 18 Oct @ 5pm

DOCUMENTARIES 84

Developing Destination DIRECTOR: Sean Cassar COUNTRY: Australia RUNNING TIME: 65 min YEAR: 2017

SEAN CASSAR

Sean became inspired to produce the series during a retreat in the Mojave Desert. He had a realization: “I had a deep feeling of un-fulfillment. I was doing well in every aspect of my life, but I wasn’t doing ‘good’. I wasn’t contributing to society, to the human race. I was focused on my career, my material worth, my industry contacts.” He realized that while his friends were good, positive people, none were making changes to society as a whole. He wanted to create a modern outlet that people could give towards and immediately see the benefit, see the people who are being helped and really understand and know who you are helping.

Journey with Developing Destinations each week, as we venture into unknown territory, exploring worlds living below the line. We step outside the realms of normal travel shows as we take you on a ride into the lives of the few. Delivering stories of hope, dreams and adventure from around the globe. See life from a different perspective as we follow our host as he interviews a vast array of people from locals to human right activists and militia to politicians, in locations where few else dare to go, painting a picture of resilience, strength, dreams and hope, all while discovering the beauty of these developing destinations.

Numetro7 13 Oct @ 4.45pm 16 Oct @ 3pm

DOCUMENTARIES 85

Hanaa DIRECTOR: Giuseppe Carrieri COUNTRY: Italy RUNNING TIME: 87 min YEAR: 2017

GIUSEPPE CARRIERI

Hunter of stars and forgotten stories, Giuseppe Carrieri has always turned his look to hidden stories of our time. With “In Utero Srebrenica” he has narrated the pain of Bosnian Muslim mothers and of their research for their son’s bones, after the genocide of 1995. In the docu-series “Notes on Happiness” he has told in seven different countries (Afghanistan, Pakistan, Mauritania, Vanuatu, Cambodia, Tajikistan, Malawi) how even where happiness seems impossible, everything can happen. “Hanaa” is his first feature length film about interweaving little destinies in a world increasingly bigger for invisible young women.

In India a young girl has been forced to marry because her horoscope said that that was the only way for her to survive. In Nigeria a young girl has been raped by Boko Haram’s soldiers and one night she has tried to escape her kidnappers. In Peru a young girl has become a young mother. In Syria, because of the war, a girl has been sold to the best bidder. Their four destinies will inevitably interweave, starting from the name that they all share: Hanaa.

Numetro7 18 Oct @ 2.15pm Q&A SKNouveau6 15 Oct @ 5pm Q.A

DOCUMENTARIES 86

Inside The Chinese Closet DIRECTOR: Sophia Luvara COUNTRY: The Netherlands RUNNING TIME: 70 min YEAR: 2015

SOPHIA LUVARA

In 2008 Sophia attended the Documentary Filmmaking course at the London Film Academy and directed a number of independent documentaries, including: The Great Mafia Orange Squeeze, about African immigrants who rioted against ‘Ndrangheta mafia oppression in a small town in the South of Italy. The Road to Fureidis, about Arab Israeli women, who receive training to increase their self-confidence and employability. In 2013 Sophia spent two weeks embedded with soldiers on duty in Afghanistan for the MTV documentary Soldati – MissioneAfganistan. Inside The Chinese Closet is Sophia first feature length documentary.

Andy devotes his days and nights to looking for a lesbian wife of convenience who could possibly bear his child; from online search to underground marriage markets, he is meeting all sorts of girls. Cherry has already married a gay man, but the quest for a baby proves to be a far more complex challenge. Will Andy and Cherry deny their own happiness and sexual orientation to satisfy their parents’ wishes? Inside The Chinese Closet follows Andy and Cherry in their search. Along the way, they clash with their parents’ hopes, their love partners and the partners of convenience. It is through these encounters that the film lays bare the challenges that confront gay people in China today.

SKNouveau6 16 Oct @ 12pm 19 Oct @ 12pm

DOCUMENTARIES 87

Mother’s Fears DIRECTOR: Shereen Williams COUNTRY: USA RUNNING TIME: 15 min YEAR: 2017

SHEREEN WILLIAMS

Shereen Williams is a new breakout filmmaker/ documentarian that produces highly evocative and inspired work with strong experimental concepts. In both the art installation “The Art of Escaping the Plantation”, and her documentary “Mother’s Fears”, Shereen utilizes highly performative, avant-garde and unconventional methods to explore contemporary and historical social issues. Her work promotes a strong emotional connection with audiences, while simultaneously boldly addressing complex topics. An established blogger, new media personality, and burgeoning producer, Shereen created www.lareenalarue.com.

“Mother’s Fears” is a participatory documentary that interviews three diverse women with male children of color living in America. All these women come from different social, economic backgrounds. They all share one common fears of safety for their male children. Each story will display a different angle of fears and struggle of seeing her son engaging in today’s society being born into a specific race of color. These selected mothers have agreed to honest and direct regarding the fearful situations that their son will face at one point in time.

Numetro6 17 Oct @ 5pm NuMetro7 19 Oct @ 5pm

DOCUMENTARIES 88

Notes on Blindness DIRECTOR: Peter Middleton, James Spinney COUNTRY: UK RUNNING TIME: 90 min YEAR: 2016

PETER MIDDLETON

JAMES SPINNEY

Peter and James have been working together for the past six years on a range of fiction, documentary and cross-platform projects. During this period they have adapted John’s diary material into a series of award winning short films. The first of these, ‘Rainfall’, won the Best Short Documentary Award at Hot Docs 2013. This was followed in 2014 by the Emmy Award-winning short, also entitled ‘Notes on Blindness’, which screened at Sundance Film Festival and won Best Documentary at Encounters Short Film and Animation Festival.

In the summer of 1983, just days before the birth of his first son, writer and theologian John Hull went blind. In order to make sense of the upheaval in his life, he began keeping a diary on audiocassette. Upon their publication in 1990, Oliver Sacks described the work as ‘the most extraordinary, precise, deep and beautiful account of blindness I have ever read. It is to my mind a masterpiece.’ With exclusive access to these original recordings, Notes On Blindness encompasses dreams, memory and imaginative life, excavating the interior world of blindness.

SKNouveau6 15 Oct @ 2.30pm NuMetro6 18 Oct 2.15pm

DOCUMENTARIES 89

Optimist world première DIRECTOR: Robert Whitehead COUNTRY: South Africa RUNNING TIME: 50 min YEAR: 2017

ROBERT WHITEHEAD

In 2009 Robert was employed by Cooked in Africa films as the in-house editor. He was soon given the opportunity to direct his own show, Charly’s Cake Angels Season 2 (Food Network), which won a SAFTA for best variety show in 2014. He was the content director of Ultimate Braai master series 1,2,3 and 4 (Travel Channel) that won SAFTA’s for best reality show in 2014 and 2015 and he has since directed many other reality shows. He now has his own production company and continues to tell exciting and compelling stories with his creative directing flare and wealth of experience in editing.

A little Optimist vs the Cape of Storms. Greg Bertish, a 2time open heart surgery survivor tells his story of courage and fight for survival against a rare tropical bacteria that attacks his heart. The story unfolds as he sets out to conquer a childhood dream of sailing an Optimist (a tiny 8 foot children’s sailing dinghy) around the Cape of Storms. His 8 day adventure takes him across the shark infested waters of false bay, around Cape Point and up the West coast of South Africa to reach Langebaan lagoon. This journey symbolizing the 200 days he spent in hospital fighting the bacteria, and the R200 000 he aims to raise for the new ICU at Red Cross Children’s War Memorial Hospital. Along the way he meets a young boy called Adam. This is the baby boy that lay next to him on the operating table 14 years ago, the baby that changed his life and set this whole project in motion.

Numetro6 17 Oct @ 5pm NuMetro7 19 Oct @ 5pm

DOCUMENTARIES 90

Samuel Barber: Absolute Beauty DIRECTOR: H. Paul Moon COUNTRY: United States RUNNING TIME: 102 min YEAR: 2017

H. PAUL MOON

Moon is a filmmaker based in Washington, D.C. He creates experimental films of cities, landscapes and contemporary dance. His work includes short and feature-length documentaries, dance films, and experimental cinema. Recent films include “Sitka: A Piano Documentary” about the craftsmanship of Steinway pianos, and “Quartet for the End of Time” about Olivier Messiaen’s transcendent composition. Moon’s latest film about the life and music of American composer Samuel Barber, recently premièred on PBS, and he is currently finishing another documentary feature about Western folklife, cowboy poetry, and the American frontier.

Known for his mournful “Adagio for Strings,” Samuel Barber was never quite fashionable. This acclaimed film is a probing exploration of his music and melancholia. Performance, oral history, musicology, and biography combine to explore the life and music of one of America’s greatest composers. Featuring Thomas Hampson, Leonard Slatkin, Marin Alsop and many more of the world’s leading experts on Barber’s music, with tributes from composers Leonard Bernstein, Aaron Copland, Virgil Thomson and William Schuman. The Philadelphia Inquirer acclaimed the film’s “great visual polish,” adding that the “extremely impressive array of … so much visual evidence is astounding.”

FESTIVALS AND AWARDS SEE THE Sound Film Festival Cologne MUVI INTERNATIONAL Music Film Festival Lisbon CLASSICAL ARTS Film Festival Napa, California

Numetro6 15 Oct @ 2pm SKNouveau6 18 Oct @ 5.15pm

DOCUMENTARIES 91

The Last Animals DIRECTOR: Kate Brooks COUNTRY: Italy RUNNING TIME: 115 min YEAR: 2017

KATE BROOKS

Kate Brooks is an international photojournalist who has chronicled conflict and human rights issues for nearly two decades. She first began working as photographer in Russia while documenting child abuse in state orphanages. The resulting photographs were published worldwide and used by the Human Rights Watch to campaign for orphans’ rights.

The Last Animals is a story about an extraordinary group of people who go to all lengths to save the planet’s last animals. The documentary follows the conservationists, scientists and activists battling poachers and transnational trafficking syndicates to protect elephants and rhinos from extinction. From Africa’s front lines to behind the scenes of Asian markets to the United States, the film takes an intense look at the global response to this slaughter and the desperate measures to genetically rescue the Northern White rhinos who are on the edge of extinction.

Numetro7 14 Oct @ 2.15pm 19 Oct @ 12pm

DOCUMENTARIES 92

The Last Man DIRECTOR: Elena Demidova COUNTRY: Russia RUNNING TIME: 115 min YEAR: 2016

ELENA DEMIDOVA

Elena Demidova is Russian film director, scriptwriter and producer. She was born in Russia. She graduated from Moscow State Technical University in 1987 and Voronezh State University (The Faculty of History) in 1997. Director’s education: filmschool “Internews”, Moscow(workshop of Marina Razbezhkina).

Lyosha is the last man living in his village – the others are gone or passed away. The village is burnt out in 2010 when fires have covered the forests of the European part of Russia, and the victims of this big fire got their new homes in the other village, at 20 km from here. But Lyosha doesn’t want to leave. He wants to find a woman – a wife, but instead, another woman – filmmaker comes to film him. This is the story about the aftermath of the awful fire, about the volunteers and the villagers’ life, as well as an endeavour to look into the relationship between the author and his hero. How deep can we interfere in the other’s life? And how can we find a way out of there afterwards? FESTIVALS AND AWARDS INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTARY Filmfestival “Artdokfest”

Numetro7 15Oct @ 12pm SKNouveau6 20 Oct @ 12pm

SHORTS

SHORTS PROGRAMME 1 94 Numetro6 13 Oct @ 10am | SKNouveau6 16 Oct @ 2.30pm

A Whole World for a Little World DIRECTOR: Fabrice Bracq COUNTRY: France RUNNING TIME: 15 min YEAR: 2017

A woman tells a great story to her baby. In the manner of a tale with princes and princesses, she remains into his memories to pass on his daughter. Fabrice Bracq initially made a feature film. He then worked for ECPAD (cinema armed) where he made many films, both museums, the Defence Communication for TV. In parallel, he made short films and documentaries, including Africa. In 2010, he directed the Inseparable, drama anticipation. In 2012, he realised Split Time and Time 2 Split which now have more than 220 selections around the world and 40 price awards. Diagnosis with Michel Cymes, in the genre of the comedy totals almost 100 selections in festivals and 13 prizes. Dad in maman, his latest short comedy film, has more than 230 selections in the world and nearly 50 prices in the world. Fabrice Bracq started out filming “making of documentaries” for feature films. ECPAD (The cinema organization for French) Army) where he made a variety of films for museums, for Ministry of Defense and for TV. During That Time aussi he directed short films and documentaries, of qui Several Africa. In 2012 he filmed “Love Birds”.

Halfway House DIRECTOR: Leslie Simpson COUNTRY: Australia RUNNING TIME: 15 min YEAR: 2017

When Joseph Blogg’s mundane existence is disturbed by an innocuous bump in the night, the line between reality and imagination, between reason and paranoia is stretched to the limit, and his clumsy attempts at domestic bliss swiftly descend into a waking nightmare. Inspired by true events, Halfway House is a unique take on the home invasion movie; a puzzle, a mystery, a thriller. A film about everyone, and the perils of modern living. Written, Directed and Starring Leslie Simpson (Dog Soldiers, The Decent and Doomsday). Born in Eston, North Yorkshire. Trained at Academy of Live & Recorded Arts in London. A seasoned stage and film actor. Known mainly for his work in genre films such as Dog Soldiers, and The Decent. Former director of threeovereden touring Theatre Company. Wrote and directed critically acclaimed short film, Grandpa. A lifelong Boro fan, he lives among the colonial commoners in Melbourne Australia, and is quite partial to Aussie Rules football.

SHORTS 95

The End of the Good Old Days DIRECTOR: Mehmet Basak COUNTRY: Turkey RUNNING TIME: 20 min YEAR: 2016

Pressures on societies lead to individual tragedies.” Year 1999. Humeyra, who is preparing for her university entrance exams, aims to follow in the footsteps of her elder sister, who is continuing her education abroad because of the headscarf ban. As for her mother – who is in the midst of a risky pregnancy – she desires her daughter to study at home. As for her father, who has used all of his available means to support his eldest – he is caught between supporting the dreams of his daughter and the reality of their situation. The girl’s grandmother, who has returned home to help Humeyra’s mother during the pregnancy, endeavors to resolve the tension. But will Humeyra be able to fulfill her dream? Mehmet Basak was born and lives in Instanbul.His first short film a matter of life and death was screened at over 50 festivals around the world from India to Belize.The end of the good old days is his second short film.

Chocolate Wind DIRECTOR: Ilia Antonenko COUNTRY: Russian Federation RUNNING TIME: 24 min YEAR: 2016

Lonely and indecisive 18 years old Alla feels like a Cinderella dreaming to escape from the poverty and shabbiness of the environment. Her old friend Masha, who is fairly reckless, finds Alla in Skype and like a fairy suggests her making all the dreams come true … Ilia Antonenko – director, screenwriter and producer (1978, StPetersburg, Russia) graduated fiction film and TV-film making class of Sergei Ovcharov, State University of Film and Television, StPetersburg, Russia, 2015.

SHORTS PROGRAMME 2 96 Numetro6 13 Oct @ 12pm | 17 Oct @12pm

3.5 Lira DIRECTOR: Hasan Ali COUNTRY: Turkey RUNNING TIME: 17 min YEAR: 2017

Salih, who lives with his mother in a shantytown where the skyscrapers surround by their walls, is a market employee. He puts the products in to the bags for customers and he carries these bags to the cars of the customers if it is demanded. He makes his living by the tips he gets out of his services. He brings his lunch that with him because the market does not provide him any food either. If there is any food left he eats from the catering service of the market but this happens occasionally. Salih is distantly interested in Hacer, who works as a cleaning assistant in the same market. He goes to cafeteria for lunch one day as taking the advise of a colleague instead of eating his own food that he brought home but the meal he ate is belongs to Hacer. She was late for lunch for a couple minutes. The market manager gives her receipt, which is belongs to contractual catering company. The amount of the receipt is 3,5 lira. Hasan Ali is student in Faculty of Communication in Istanbul University, Department of Radio, TV and Cinema. ¨3,5 Lira¨ is his first short-film project.

Asphyxia DIRECTOR: Alessandra Angeli COUNTRY: Italy RUNNING TIME: 45 min YEAR: 2016

In the next future, Emily, Michael and Connor are forced to flee and take refuge in a mausoleum in ruins. They are led by a soldier, Ivan. From the headland we can see the half-ruined city. The refugees are preparing to set off to find their family members. Their memories waking and sleeping show us how they had to begin to live constantly with oxygen canisters and why they had to flee. A form of pollution, still unknown to all ordinary citizens, is multiplying its effects in the soil, in the water, in the air, and it’s starting to shake the skies. The Earth’s crust is suffering and reacts taking away the lifeblood: oxygen. Born in 1987, Angeli achieves the degree in Cinema in 2009. She starts acting as main character in many films and short films. In the last one, “A Reason to Fight”, she is leading actress and dancer, it is distributed in Italy by 30 Holding srl (DVD/home video), and an English version is ready to be deployed abroad.

SHORTS 97 Asphyxia is her first film (45 minutes) as director and writer, after other experiences behind the set. Asphyxia has been presented with the film “A Reason to Fight” as film of cultural interest at the Italian Chamber of Deputies, the première took place at the Festival de Cannes 2016, Short Film Corner Section, and this year won the award of best action movie for the Global Short Film Awards once more at Cannes.

Road to Freedom DIRECTOR: Tiffany Addison COUNTRY: United States RUNNING TIME: 11 min YEAR: 2017

Rachel goes on a journey to discover her road to freedom starts with forgiveness. During this journey, Tiffany has discovered a deep passion for the artistic industry as well as a solid commitment to educating through the opportunities of bringing creative concepts to life. Tiffany is best known for the hit play “Cut Flowers” Nobel Fool Theatre directed by the late Douglas Alan Mann, “American Menu” Chicago Theatre Company, “Reality Check” MPAACT Theatre; “The Wiz” Theatre47 at the Arie Crown Theater, “King Hedley II” Congo Square Theatre, “Genesis” Definition Theatre, “A Small Oak Tree Runs Red” directed by the acclaimed Harry Lennix at Congo Square Theatre. Tiffany is debut at Trap Door Theater in “Into The Empty Sky” a poetry collection by Polish poet WislawaSzymborska.

My Pretty Pony DIRECTOR: Maciej Barczewski COUNTRY: Poland RUNNING TIME: 14 min YEAR: 2017

An elderly man, nearing death, gives his young grandson an unusual gift and tells him about the transient nature of time Maciej Barczewski is a Polish director and screenwriter. As of 2016 he studies audio visual production at Gdynia Film School. His directorial debut was the short feature adaptation of a story by Stephen King ‘My Pretty Pony’ (2017), starring Marian Dziedziel. He is also a professor of intellectual property and media law in Gdansk, Chicago and New York.

SHORTS PROGRAMME 3 98 Numetro6 13 Oct @ 2pm | NuMetro7 17 Oct @ 2pm

El Sabor de los Nudillos – The Taste of Knuckles DIRECTOR: Dante Silva COUNTRY: MEXICO RUNNING TIME: 26 min YEAR: 2016

Pancho a young scavenger bitterly lives with his Father. One afternoon finds a boxing gym and get training until one day move to the gym leaving father. With effort he gets to fight professionally but loses the fight K.O. Father mocks him when they meet casually in a dumpster where Pancho returned to collect cans; however Pancho replied that prefer boxing to cause pity as he does. Dante Silva born in Cd. Victoria Tamaulipas. He has trained with Jorge Michel Grau directors as Roberto Fiesco. He received the Robert McKee Story Seminar in Mexico City in 2011. He won the International Film Festival of Tamaulipas 2015 with the short film “From what is left.” Fellow 2015 Stimulus Program Creation and Artistic Development by CONACULTA and Tamaulipas Institute for Culture and the Arts. He is director of “The taste of the knuckles”. He was Coordinator Production of Film “Gringo” KerosenProducciones, Monterrey, México. He is currently preparing his first feature film plans in 2017.

They Say Tomatoes Love Rock Music DIRECTOR: JannoJürgens COUNTRY: Estonia RUNNING TIME: 39 min YEAR: 2016

Aleksander maintains a blooming garden surrounding his old house in a sleepy resort town. Karl, his grandson, spends the summer with him and learns about the ways of the nature. Together with autumn rains arrives Aleksander’s daughter Marju, who hopes to inherit the old man’s house. YinkaIdowu is a London-based, Nigeria- born, Powerhouse known in film production circles as Rex ‘the Visionare’. He is a multi talented and multifaceted young director and cinematographer, who has recently transitioned from music videos, fashion photography and short films into the arena of feature film making. He studied Television and Video Production at Westminster Kingsway College from 2001-2003 before moving on to a degree in Digital Media and Film Studies at London Metropolitan University in 2004. In 2007 he briefly enrolled for acting classes at Identity Drama School. In 2011 he produced and directed his first short movie- The Witness followed in 2012 by his debut feature production, a BritishNollywood drama called Hunting 4 Hubbies.

SHORTS 99

When We Meet Again DIRECTOR: William SehestedHøeg COUNTRY: Denmark RUNNING TIME: 20 min YEAR: 2017

Mads has been traveling across Europe for three months with his two childhood friends, Simon and Sara. To celebrate his safe return, Mads’ family has organised a welcome home lunch – but the meal is interrupted by a call from Sara’s father claiming Sara was raped on the last night of the trip. This throws Mads into the biggest dilemma of his life. “When We Meet Again” tells a story about the fragile youth, and how a group of youngsters suddenly needs to deal with the matter of a rape. It naturally opens up a debate towards youngsters and their use of drugs and alcohol, while it also discusses where the line goes regarding sexual abuse. William Sehested Høeg is an autodidact director born in Copenhagen. “When we meet again” is his third short film, produced at the danish production company, Zentropa.William has never attended any kind of film school, but started making films when he was very young. His interest in the art of film intensified during his High School, and ever since graduating has he been working with films. He has done all kind of different film work before finally given the chance to direct. He began working with production and was hired as a Producer Assistant at ASA Film. After ASA, he worked on several commercials as a Production Manager, until he was hired at VICE Virtue as a Director. Meanwhile he wrote and directed three short films; “The Tyrant”, “Balloon” and last, “When We Meet Again”. “The Tyrant”, which was Williams first project as a director, won an Audience Award at the danish film magazine, Ekko Shortlist in 2015.

SHORTS PROGRAMME 4 100 Numetro6 13 Oct @ 12pm | 17 Oct @12pm

Gracie DIRECTOR: Liana Hassim COUNTRY: South Africa RUNNING TIME: 21 min YEAR: 2017

The story is narrated by an ADULT GRACIE reminiscing her life when she was 5 years old. Gracie is a Zulu girl born to a mother who was not ready to have a child, she is looked after by her aunt and uncle who love her dearly. Gracie’s world view shows the harshness of the city of Durban in the grip of xenophobic attacks, but her childlike point of view creates an artistic world of sketches which make some sort of sense of beauty out of the apparent chaos. The main plot is Jeanie’s life as seen by Gracie, even though she lives happily with her lawyer step-mother and professional father. She admires her famous aunty Jeanie who was the oneAfrica brand model and is not disturbed by the fact that Jeanie is her biological mother. The sub-plot involves Gaz the gangster’s world where the underbelly of society has an unfortunate impact on the world of our main characters. BA Drama and Performance – UKZN; BA Motion Pictures – AFDA DURBAN; She loves Me – Short Film 2014; Ruins of Gold – Short Film 2014; Essence of Love – Short Film 2014; The Halfway House – Short Film 2015 (Best Student Film – Simon Sabela Awards); David’s Winter – Short Film 2015; Running with Angels – Short Film 2015;Amandiya – Short Film 2017 (Best Student Film – Simon Sabela Awards)

Met Kind (With Child) DIRECTOR: Darren Kelkens COUNTRY: South Africa RUNNING TIME: 35 min YEAR: 2016

‘With Child’ tells the story of Charlene, a fashion designer for maternity wear who’s greatest desire is a child of her own. In a video journal to her unborn child we learn about her struggles with infertility and how her experience of life systematically gets warped with every passing minute as she waits on the Doctor’s phone call which will either save her soul or leave it shattered forever. ‘Met kind’ (with child) is Darren’s first dramatic short film. He spent the first 20 years of his career as an actor. He turned to directing in 2004 and has directed numerous South African television shows (Egoli, Binnelanders and Isidingo) and short films for large corporates such as Airbus and Vodacom.

SHORTS 101

Under the Static DIRECTOR: Devon Delmar COUNTRY: South Africa RUNNING TIME: 13 min YEAR: 2016

In an attempt to find meaning in her world, a woman builds a strange machine that she believes can communicate across the cosmos. Devon Delmar is a filmmaker, a graduate from the University of Cape Town. Winner of best Student Film at RapidLion 2017 and nominated to shnit Kaapse Bobotie in 2016, Devon hopes to refine his craft and play a part in the South African New Wave of cinema.

Post DIRECTOR: Jesse Brown COUNTRY: South Africa RUNNING TIME: 10 min YEAR: 2016

A retired postman revisits the Cape Town neighbourhood he worked in during the apartheid era. His grandson, filming the dayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s journey on his cellphone, looks out for the interesting and easily overlooked inner workings of the Rondebosch suburb. Jesse Brown is a student filmmaker with a range of interests in the short film medium. His selected documentary short film Post was also screened at the 2017 Rapidlion Film Festival. He was cinematographer for the short film Never a Next Train, which won Best Student Film at Rapidlion. He also edited Under the Static â&#x20AC;&#x201C; another short film being screened at CTIFM this year.

SHORTS PROGRAMME 5 102 NuMetro6 14 Oct @ 10am | Numetro5 19 Oct @ 2.15pm

Make-up and Cigarettes DIRECTOR: ZwoFarisani COUNTRY: South Africa RUNNING TIME: 19 min YEAR: 2017

This story ends and begins in love, everything else in between is merely meant to prepare us for it. Love between a man and a woman who despite very different life experiences, have still managed to look beyond each otherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s circumstances to see the humanity within the other. When a young woman loses her little brother in a tragic accident, distance grows between her and her parents since they blame her for his death. She decides to move out and live on her own with the intention of building a new life. However, despite all her efforts, all she encounters is more trauma and pain. So eventually, she decides to die. Until she is reminded of a reason not to â&#x20AC;Ś This story ends and begins in love. ZwoFarisani was born in Venda, South Africa on the 19th of November 1984. His parents were politically active in the fight against apartheid, which did not sit well with the previous South African government. By the time Zwo was 2 his father had been arrested and tortured by the apartheid government 4 times, forcing his parents to make the difficult decision to uproot their 3 children and flee into exile in 1987. They moved to The Bay Area, California where they lived for 7 years before returning to South Africa at the dawn of freedom. At the age of 9, Zwo struggled to readjust to the changed environment, but one thing that he discovered helped in his adjustment, was his ability to entertain people.So by the time he was 12 he knew that acting was the path he wanted to take. After completing his high school, he applied to drama school at the University of Cape Town, which required an audition that ended up augmenting his foreseen path. After graduating, Zwo became the creative director of a local TV production company at the age of 27.

SHORTS 103

Rhapsody DIRECTOR: Mikhail Swart COUNTRY: South Africa RUNNING TIME: 14 min YEAR: 2017

A short film about a young man that reconnects with a girl from his past. “Mikhail Swart graduated from Oakfields College Faculty of Dance and Performing Arts in 2016. During his studies he performed in theatre productions such as Spartacus of Africa (Dancer), Passing Strange(Supporting Actor) and The Cradle Will Rock (Lead). He conceptualized the story for Rhapsody and asked his brother and film school graduate Emile Leuvennink to guide him in bringing his vision to the screen.”

Until The Silence Comes DIRECTOR: Puleng Stewart, Jannous Aukema COUNTRY: South Africa RUNNING TIME: 29 min YEAR: 2016

‘Until The Silence Comes’ is an experimental short fiction film, which follows the story of two black characters, one a waitress, the other a hired killer, as they navigate a day in their lives in Cape Town. Zinhle, a waitress who works for a seaside restaurant in Cape Town’s upmarket, predominantly white coastal service industry, struggles to shape her identity as a young women continually erased and undermined by the subtle and perverse racism of her industry and clientele. Sizwe, a man who finds himself indebted to a violent society in which he has no control, must carry out the violence of an unknown organisation, one that he can neither challenge nor escape. Both characters are stuck in a hostile world, that by its very existence denies them the right to self-determinacy. The film attempts through the subtle interplay of these two lives, to talk to the violence of becoming in Post-Apartheid South Africa. This is a story of survival, a story that never ends. Puleng is a final year theatre-making student, studying at the prestigious UCT Theatre Department. She was recently shortlisted in the national PEN student writing competition and her work on the original theatre productionFIGS won her and her co-writer the award for Most Promising Upcoming Playwright at the Grahamstown National Arts Festival student festival 2016. Her main focus is in interdisciplinary performance with multi-media integration. She hopes to find new ways to tell stories that question the practices and hierarchies that continue to erode human dignity and self-determinacy for so many within the context of South Africa and Africa as a whole.

SHORTS 104

Honey and Old Cheese DIRECTOR: Yassine El Idrissi COUNTRY: Morocco RUNNING TIME: 25 min YEAR: 2016

Hassan (17) prepares to leave his mountain village in Morocco. He is going to his father in the Netherlands. But how do you leave your home, and what do you take with you? Hassan has got himself a visa. He is preparing to leave the mountain village TiziN’oucheg behind and join his father in the Netherlands. Everyone in the village knows he’ll soon be a foreigner. In a moving and occasionally comic portrait, Hassan says farewell to his friends, the land and its traditions. Yassine El Idrissi started his career as a photojournalist, having discovered a lifelong passion for photography at the age of sixteen. He has been employed by numerous international organizations. His passion for telling the story through images led him to produce and self-finance his first documentary film, Waiting for the snow (2009), which screened at international festivals including the Geneva Human Rights Film Festival, and the Madrid Documentary Festival. Continuing his work as a photojournalist, Yassine captured and integrated the pressing socio-economic and political issues he covered as a photographer in his second documentary, Welcome to the Zoo (2010), which investigates the decay of the Rabat zoo as a metaphor for the urgent change needed in Morocco and the events unfolding in the current Arabic revolution. In 2013 Yassine graduated with a master’s degree from the Dutch Film Academy in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

SHORTS PROGRAMME 6 105 NuMetro6 14 Oct @ 12pm | 15 Oct @ 12pm

I Ran DIRECTOR: MoustaphaSiblini, Yu-jin Lee COUNTRY: United States RUNNING TIME: 11 min YEAR: 2017

In present-day New York City, three unlikely characters cross paths with two different perspectives as they move through their journey … all with one common identity. My innate curiosity about the world has led me to travel and live abroad for the past several years. Time spent living in the Middle East, Europe, Northern Africa, Asia and the United states has deepened my understanding of the world’s cultures and religions and provided fresh perspectives on my own society. As an Executive Producer and a Filmmaker with over nine years of grounded experience in creating cutting-edge films with a strong dedication to quality, I have an insatiable passion for pushing creative boundaries and exploring new ways of visualization. Growing up in Beirut in the 90’s I draw my influences from a vast array of pop culture references, from music videos to commercials, Russian cinematography and international independent films. This passion has brought me from Singapore to the United States to pursue a creative career. With over 20 years in the creative industry, I have worked with Fortune 500 brands in various fields.The combination of my lifelong passion and professional experience has allowed me to bring my first film, ‘I ran,’ to light. “Yu-jin Lee”

Intergalactic Samurai DIRECTOR: Hagar Ben-Asher COUNTRY: Israel RUNNING TIME: 20 min YEAR: 2017

Lia’s younger sister, Daniella was born with straight hair. Their mother and the entire Ethiopian community believe she was born as god’s blessing but Lia vehemently denies this theory and takes her sister on a dangerous journey in hopes to prove to everyone that god does not exist. 2017 – in pre-production of “The war Has Ended” (writer and director). Produced by Transfax, The Match factory, and Madants films. Beginning of shooting – April 2018. 2017 – in pre- production of a TV show “Dead Women Walking” (writer and director), to be shot in LA, California, in August 2017. 2017– writer and director of“The Burglar” (Rotterdam international competition). 2011 at the ”Semaine de la

SHORTS 106 critique”, winner of best director award at the Jerusalem Film Festival. Commercially released in many countries including USA, France, Japan, Germany and more. World sales- “FD – films distributions”. 2009 - Winner of first prize at the Torino Film Lab. 2008- Developed the script for the feature film “The slut” at the “residence- cinefindation, festival de cannes” and “Sundance film lab”. 2007- Writer, director and actress in “Pathways” (short) : premiered in “cinefondation- Cannes Film Festival 2007”, winner of numerous prizes around the world. Continuos – Teaching at the Sam Spiegel film school Jerusalem and directing theatre plays, and shorts.

Calamity DIRECTOR: MaximeFeyers, Séverine De Streyker COUNTRY: Belgium RUNNING TIME: 20 min YEAR: 2017

France meets her son’s girlfriend for the first time. She loses control … Séverine De Streyker was born in Mons on 23.08.75, Severine De Streyker moved to Brussels in 1992. She graduated in cinema studies at INRACI in 1995 and obtained a licence in Screenwriting from the UniversitéLibre de Bruxelles in 1997, while simultaneously attending evening classes in painting at the Academie des Beaux Arts and theatre at Studio Parallax.Upon completion of her studies, she immediately starts work as editor for the film director and anarchist Jan Bucquoy, for whom she edits 3 feature-length films, thus mastering underground film. She then goes on to work with other, more mainstream, Belgian directors (Jean-Marc Vervoort, Manuel Poutte, Michael Alalouf ….). She specializes in the editing of fiction as well as documentaries and also produces current events features for channels such as CNN, ARTE, RTBF and France 24. She regularly abandons her editor’s post to produce her own silent short films and video clips in Super 8 or on video. It is with “LABO” that she produces several Super8 clips for bands. In January 2011, she directed her short film “CINE PALACE”, filmed in Brussels.

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Clash of Morality DIRECTOR: Vinay Pujara COUNTRY: (USA) RUNNING TIME: 17 min YEAR: 2017

Mohamed & Richard stuck in an elevator clash upon their morals. Mohamed confronts Richard upon being judged for his look & his religion. Vinay Pujara is an India born filmmaker. Having started in Bollywood as an actor and then as an Assistant Director. After taking classes at NYU’s filmmaking school as well as others in 2012, he has since completed 9 short films. His company “Sun Om Productions Inc.” is outputting content with strong themes. Vinay has valued his films in the sense of being fearless pieces that tell a story from a view that is not often seen. His past short films have been screened at film festivals around the globe as well as have won some awards.

Shala DIRECTOR: JoãoInácio COUNTRY: Brazil RUNNING TIME: 10 min YEAR: 2016

Shala is the story about Pedro, a young boy living in an orphanage in Amazon who has a hard time being adopted because of several prejudices, which includes the cruel indifference of adoptive parents towards children in his age group. The boy creates situations to draw the attention of adoptive parents, while at the same time creating an imaginary friendship with his only toy, a doll named “Shala.” JoãoInácio has spent 18 years in film production and movie’s exhibition. His production credits include the films Acai com Jaba,, Waldemar Henrique ,The Lost Song and Eleanor, the television miniseries Dog Life and DOCTV ‘s Eleven-rod Shirt. Inácio was also a curator for the Festival Short Para Cine Brazil in Amazon, a developer for alternative film distribution in the Para state and the inclusion of film language in public school curricula. Shala marks his directorial debut and the script for Shala won first price from Brazil’s Ministry of Culture in its national competition for short films, and was one of only 20 short films from across Brazil to win awards from the Ministry’s Support for Unpublished Works in Motion Picture Production competition.

SHORTS PROGRAMME 7 108 NuMetro6 14 Oct @ 2pm | NuMetro7 16 Oct @ 10am

L’échappée DIRECTOR: Jonathan Mason, Hamid Saïdji COUNTRY: France RUNNING TIME: 20 min YEAR: 2016

Hocine Filali is a forty-something taxi driver in the port city of Algiers. His day-to-day routine has him snaking through thick morning traffic, bustling boulevards, and the occasional military checkpoint. In the distance, the sound of the call to prayer mixes with the crash of ocean waves as they bring word of what life might be like elsewhere, across the ocean, in Italy. You see, Hocine is a dreamer. An amateur photographer whose skills are well known from the alleys of the Casbah to the big boulevards downtown, it seems that everyone knows who he is. As his ramshackle taxi drives past the port in search of a passenger, perhaps this will be the day he finally sets sail. JONATHAN MASON (Writer/co-director). A native of France (dual citizen FR/USA), Jonathan has worked most recently as a creative executive for Belladonna Productions and Bullet Pictures in New York. (Whose films have screened at Sundance, Tribeca, Toronto, NYFF, Berlin, and Venice). He has also served as a script consultant/translator/adaptor for companies including Pathé Int’l, Miramax, The MPCA, and the French Film Office/Unifrance USA. Jonathan was the recipient of the Columbia University “Faculty Selects” distinction for his thesis script “No Way Home.” HAMID SAÏDJI(Co-director).With a bachelor’s degree in Philosophy from the Sorbonne in Paris and an M.F.A in film from Columbia University, Hamid Saïdji returned to his native Algeria where he directed the short film “Not in the Mood” (official selection Tangiers International Film Festival), and “Houria” (Winner, Best Short Film at the Oran Arab World Film Festival).

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Jaap DIRECTOR: Ian Morgan COUNTRY: South Africa RUNNING TIME: 26 min YEAR: 2016

After the death of his dog Jaap, Francois a troubled white man, sets off on a road trip across South Africa to spread his dogs ashes in the ocean. Along the way he is helped by a young black man, Lwandle, and reluctantly agrees to give him a lift. Ian Morgan, a.k.a Bean, is a South African based writer and director. Ian is notorious for his off-beat and his tongue-in-cheek approach. This was recognised initially early on in his career, having won the South African Young Film Makers award as well as the best critic film award during his studies at AFDA. Ian then went on to start his own film production company, TinToy Productions. TinToy is a Cape Town based production company, which predominately focuses on the production of commercials and branded content films. Through this, he has had the opportunity of working with major international brands. Ian has recently finished shooting a 25 minute short film and has recently been involved in directing a music video for the Hollywood star Idris Elba.

La Voce / Voiceless DIRECTOR: David Uloth COUNTRY: Canada RUNNING TIME: 20 min YEAR: 2016

Edgar works in a slaughterhouse. He loves opera and Ginette, the stripper of his dreams. Edgar is about to ask her to marry him when he finds her bedding her boss. In shock, he loses his voice and unfortunately finds himself with the voice of a pig. David Uloth tells both comedic and dramatic human stories in his films. His previous 13 shorts have screened at over 200 international film festivals and have been sold to television channels across the globe (e.g. Canal +, NBC Universal, MTV, Bravo!, Chungwa Telecom, CBC, Télé-Québec). His newest short, La Voce, was produced by his film production company, Sure Shot Productions, and recently won the top two short film prizes at the 2015 Montreal World Film Festival (1st Jury Prize and Audience Award for best short film). His previous films have also won 18 national and international prizes, including the ‘Talent Campus Movie of the Week’ screenplay competition at the Berlinale. David is a graduate of both McGillUniversity (in Biology) and Concordia University (in Film Production) and lives in Montreal with his wife, his son who is a ninja and his daughter who is a poo-machine.

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Laws of the Game DIRECTOR: Aegina Brahim COUNTRY: United Kingdom RUNNING TIME: 17 min YEAR: 2017

Zeola is a single mother whose life alternates between her job as a prison guard and her career as a football referee in the men’s league. In her attempt to obtain the international FIFA Badge in an official referee test, Zeola is confronted not only with her own insecurities, but also with the unfairness of the world around her. Brahim is a Dutch national who grew up in Suriname, South America, and is a recent master graduate from the London Film School. She started out as an assistant producer for Dick Clark’s American Music Awards and Golden Globes, then later decided to to pursue a career in film directing. Laws of the Game is her graduation film from the London Film School and Aegina is currently in post-production of her directing debut feature film “Brothers in the Sand.”

SHORTS PROGRAMME 8 111 NuMetro6 15 Oct @ 10am | SKNouveau6 17 Oct @ 10am

One Last Night Without Sadness DIRECTOR: Eric Valiquette COUNTRY: Canada RUNNING TIME: 19 min YEAR: 2017

Fleeing the temptations of the city, two young «marginals» squat a cabin in the heart of the forest. Primarily a writer (short stories) and lyricist, ÉricValiquette specialised in screenwriting for the television and cinema. Having explored multiple ways of story-telling, and wrote for many platforms, he directed his first film «One last night without sadness».

Sudanese Cowboy DIRECTOR: Bradley Van Rooi COUNTRY: Canada RUNNING TIME: 13 min YEAR: 2017

A lonesome Sudanese refugee’s need to connect as a Canadian draws him to the allure of Alberta’s wild horses in an attempt to become a card carrying Cowboy against his family’s wishes. Arefin is one of the few pioneers who are working to save Bangla films from over the top punching bag dramas and action movies. During his education period in Jahangirnagar University Arefin began to make his way to the independent filmmaking in Bangladesh. He entered into the film industry with his first documentary film Al Badar which wins the National Film Award 2011. It is also the recipient of a number of international awards. The film has also shown at the Commonwealth Film Festival, SARAC Film Festival, and Ankara Film Festival. His second documentary film, The Speech is released. The end goal of this documentary is a source for the next generation of youth who want to know more about the Liberation War of Bangladesh. In 2013 another award winning documentary titled Hawker Ghor is released.

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The Angry Men DIRECTOR: Americo Melchionda COUNTRY: Italy RUNNING TIME: 18 min YEAR: 2017

The Football World Cup. Italy play Uruguay. A family, crippled by debts, is faced with the repossession of their home. A bailiff is coming. In desperation, they threaten to blow it to pieces. 12-year old Filippo has an idea to help. Americomelchionda director, born in Italy. He graduated from the Academy of Dramatic Arts in Italy and he attended stages in Warsaw, Vienna and Berlin. He is assistant director of the maestro Vittorio De Seta in the short “Articolo 23” produced for the collective movie All Human Rights for All. He directed the short films Miki, Picciocusu, the documentary Canolo of Aspromonte. Among the shorts directed there is “L’UmanitàScalza” (The Barefoot Humanity), screened at numerous international festivals and won several awards. In 2016 AmericoMelchionda is producer and actor (in the character of Bordiga) in the movie “Gramsci 44”. He founded the Ram Film, a film production company.

The Life of Marie DIRECTOR: Rolf Kasteleiner COUNTRY: Germany RUNNING TIME: 21 min YEAR: 2016

The life of the maid Marie is dedicated to the countess Anne von Borke. While reading a letter for her, Marie unwittingly becomes involved in the end of a love affair between the countess and the bourgeois Mr. Stein. Instead of expressing her emotions, her mistress asks Marie to accompany her to a salon concert dressed in an aristocrat robe from her. Marie decides to redeem her mistress’ honor and recover her first love letter she has sent to Mr. Stein. She has a hard time surviving the night in the upper-class, whose main interest is self- portrayal. It is only Mr. Stein who is demanding civic rights for her – but his quotations from the German master poets Goethe and Kleist are finally just empty shells. When Marie finds out that the countess has been telling salon guests that Marie herself seduced the count, it is hard for her to keep the belief in her mistress alive. „Here to see“ silent-film (2000); Festivals: German-French Shortfilm Meeting 2002, Festival of Nations 2002 (Austria- Price), Nouvelle Generation (Lyon) and ARTE television; „Lied der Stille“ (song of silence) shortfilm (2001); “train in vain” shortfilm after Becketts play “Krapps last tape” (2003); “Valmont II” film after Heiner Müllers play “Quartett” (2004); Festivals: Independent Film Festival Brussels, Sleepwalker Film Festival.

SHORTS PROGRAMME 9 113 NuMetro7 16 Oct @ 5pm | 17 Oct 12pm

LIMITS DIRECTOR: LAUREN GILLIS COUNTRY: SOUTH AFRICA RUNNING TIME: 17min YEAR: 2017

This short documentary tells the story of a severely mentally challenged 30-year-old woman who has had major limitations placed on her ability to achieve goals which would be considered easy for most of the population. Imagine envisaging her taking part in the New York Marathon. It is a dream which all of us would give absolutely no chance of success at all. This is Donna’s story. Lauren Gillis is a business woman, social entrepreneur and passionate about creating opportunities for others. She studied Social Work at Wits University and has developed many philanthropic organisations including The Jardine Joggers, now affiliated to Achilles International based in New York, enabling people with different disabilities to participate in mainstream athletics. She’s spent years in the field of Rehabilitation of the Newly Blinded. Lauren also completed the Comrades Marathon along with training and guiding blind runners. She also prepared and took physically and mentally challenged athletes through the NewYork Marathon, which has been a highlight of her life. Lauren is the founder of Relate, a social enterprise, founded with the vision to help people to better their circumstances, whilst providing an effective, sustainable and tangible fundraising tool for charitable causes. Since 2010 Relate has raised over R45million, sold over 2.6 million bracelets, supported over 90 causes globally and positively impacted thousands of lives.

The Silent Mob DIRECTOR: Harvan Agustriansyah COUNTRY: Indonesia RUNNING TIME:16:33min YEAR: 2016

In the countryside people get picked up to be driven to demonstration. When one day the driver picks up a family in a far-away location, he has no idea that he has just picked up one big bag of trouble. It doesn’t take long and the unexpected rebellion is afoot. Class inequality is all it takes to make ideologies clash. Born in Jakarta, Indonesia, in 1980. Harvan Agustriansyah studied directing at Jakarta Art Institute. After graduated, he worked as assistant director in many Indonesian feature-length films production. As director he has been produced several short film which participated in several international film festival. Currently he in development his first feature length film.

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Thereafter DIRECTOR: YinkaIdowu COUNTRY: United Kingdom RUNNING TIME: 18 min YEAR: 2017

Four women embark on different paths towards healing after devastating betrayal by a pivotal figure in their lives June’s successful life as a motivational speaker masks her inner turmoil. Her mantra is ‘embrace your power’. She wants to forget her past but can she forget when she can’t forgive? Layla’s life has been a direct reflection of her early emotional upheaval as she is passed from abuser to abuser. She finally has a moment of clarity-in order to build a future she has to recover the sense of self- worth she lost so long ago. Amanda and Bukky grew up as close as sisters till a dark secret pushed them apart. Now Amanda has returned after a self-imposed exile to try and reconnect. YinkaIdowu is a London-based, Nigeria- born, Powerhouse known in film production circles as Rex ‘the Visionare’. He is a multi talented and multifaceted young director and cinematographer, who has recently transitioned from music videos, fashion photography and short films into the arena of feature film making.Living in London, Yinka continued on his lifelong ambition to make feature films. He studied Television and Video Production at Westminster Kingsway College from 2001-2003 before moving on to a degree in Digital Media and Film Studies at London Metropolitan University in 2004. In 2007 he briefly enrolled for acting classes at Identity Drama School. In 2011 he produced and directed his first short movie. Since then he has worked on several projects as director of photography, cinematographer and director, honing his storytelling skills.

Trance DIRECTOR: GnanadasKasinatha COUNTRY: United Kingdom RUNNING TIME: 20 min YEAR: 2017

In post-war situation of Sri Lanka, A Woman living in fear and scared of facing reality, finds the courage she needs in a state of TRANCE to express her suppressed feeling and react to the reality. KOKILA, 50, a religious Hindu woman, has become mentally ill by waiting for her young son Athi to return having been caught by the Government Forces towards the end of the war in Sri Lanka. Her husband takes her to a Shaman who in a Trance and possessed by the Goddess Kali tells Kokila, “good news will come very soon!”.What’s more her Fiancée expresses his doubt to Kokila’s husband that Athi is not alive and he was killed. When the CIDs visit

SHORTS 115 next time, Kokila’s Husband, who wants to keep her wife away from the debilitating depression, is about to offer usual gifts. His Daughter is trying to stop him. But when they hear that CIDS have brought letter from Athi they were stunned. The letter asks them to give the CIDS 2 Million Rupees for his release. Gnanadas Kasinathar is an upcoming scriptwriter and director who was the Executive Director of ScriptNet in Sri Lanka, which is an UK based charity facilitating skill sharing in film and television in many developing countries. Having completed his MA in Screenwriting in Bournemouth University in 2011, Gnanadas has been working with other new filmmakers in Sri Lanka for an Independent Film Culture among Tamil speaking people. Gnanadas he has been working as a script consultant for many short and feature films of new filmmakers. In the French Film Festival - 2007, in Colombo Gnanadas won the Best Short Film Award for his first Short Film “Under Pressure”.

When We Listen DIRECTOR: Amr Moustafa COUNTRY: Egypt RUNNING TIME: 15 YEAR: 2016

When We Listen is a 15-minute short film, showing the everyday struggle of Amal, a 20-year-old Syrian female who does not speak English. After losing all her family and being forced to leave the life she once knew, Amal sought refuge in Canada seeking safety, a chance to live again, and finding a place that she could once again call home Amr was born in Alexandria, Egypt. A mixture of Egyptian, Greek, and Turkish blood fused by Alexandria’s Air and Sea created his formula to be an Artist. It came as no surprise to his parents when he wrote his first story booklet “for kids” at age 6, and wrote his first play for school theater at age 8.With a bachelor degree in Art from Alexandria University, he started his career as writer and director. standing for your right to make his dreams come true, he established his production company “Camelot”, however, the reality was dark. Since art needed a freedom to grow.

SHORTS PROGRAMME 10 116 SKNouveau6 16 Oct @ 10am | Numetro6 17 Oct@ 12pm

Bride of Frankie DIRECTOR: Devi Snively COUNTRY: United States RUNNING TIME: 19 min YEAR: 2017

In this darkly comedic feminist nod to Mary Shelley’s FRANKENSTEIN, a not-so-mad scientist builds a mate for her mentor’s lonely creation with electrifying, and deadly, results. Devi (pronounced DAY-vee) is a proud alumnus of the AFI Directing Workshop for Women and was selected to participate in the 2017 inaugural AFI/FOX Bridge program. Her screenplays have won over 50 awards, placing in such competitions as the PAGE Awards, Nicholl’s Fellowships, Sundance Lab and Slamdance film fest. Her films have screened at over 200 festivals worldwide, garnering awards, distribution and critical acclaim. When she’s not writing and making films, she chases monkeys around the world with her anthropologist partner.

First-True-Last DIRECTOR: Luis Fernando Midence COUNTRY: Guatemala RUNNING TIME: 34 min YEAR: 2017

“First-True-Last” is a Guatemalan short film about three relationships between men happening simultaneously in a country without any rights for LGBTI individuals. “First” tells the story of two teenage boys who don’t fit in their school and randomly meet at a birthday party. “True” is a comedy of errors, when Alejandro decides to attend the wedding of his ex-boyfriend and discovers that his future husband has a secret. “Last” is the tragic story of a seven-year long closeted relationship when individuals are not honest with each other and their families. Born and raised in Guatemala, Luis Fernando Midence graduated with a B.A. in Communications from Loyola University New Orleans. He also received a master’s degree in Film Production from the University of Miami (FL), a master’s degree in Theatre Arts from Miami University (OH), and a master’s degree in Humanities from the University of Texas at Dallas. In addition to his studies, Luis Fernando has worked for companies such as Sony Pictures Television, ABC News, PBS, VH-1, New Media at the University Francisco Marroquín, Studio C, EmisorasUnidas, and the U.S. State Department (in Guatemala).

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Lucas DIRECTOR: Ron Jäger COUNTRY: South Africa RUNNING TIME: 18 min YEAR: 2016

The sexually indecisive school outsider Lucas is always humbled by a small group of classmates. Nevertheless, he secretly admires them and would like to be a part of their group. When they offer Lucas the opportunity to finally integrate into the group, he takes his chance in the believe that this is more for them than just a game … Ron Jäger is a twenty years old filmstudent. He studies the courses „Television and Film“ at the DEKRA HochschulefürMedien in Berlin. He specializes on adolescents and the madness of school life in his films.

Never DIRECTOR: Giulio Poidomani COUNTRY: Italy RUNNING TIME: 20 min YEAR: 2015

Claudia travels to a small town in Sicily to get back together with her ex-girlfriend, Anna. She is not interested anymore and abandons Claudia in a town she doesn’t know. Wandering around town Claudia meets Sandro, who questions all her believes.Sandro brings Claudia into a personal journey towards the acceptance and respect of herself. Giulio Poidomani is an Italian director and screenwriter. Born in Sicily, he moved to Rome to study “Film Studies & Entertainment”. After graduation, he worked with Italian Director Roberto Faenza and Oscar Winner Producer Elda Ferri at their Production Company, Jean Vigo Italia. After getting a Master degree in Screenwriting, in 2010 he moved to USA where he wrote and directed several shorts, such as “Disruption” and “Pots&Lids”. In the past year he wrote the web series “What You Want?”, wrote and directed the short movie “Never”, yet to be released, and won the Italian Mattador Award for the feature screenplay “CrisciRanni”.

SHORTS PROGRAMME 11 118 NuMetro7 14 Oct @ 10.15am | SKNouveau5 16 Oct @ 10.30am

The Edge DIRECTOR: Alexandra Averyanova COUNTRY: Russian Federation RUNNING TIME: 12 min YEAR: 2016

An elderly woman lives at a small station, lost in the depth of a country. There’s not a single living creature for miles away. Every day, during many years, she is making the round of the metals. The same days pass in the most ordinary way. The only event in the woman’s life is a train that passes her station without a stop. Alexandra Averyanova began to work at the “Melnitsa Studio” as a set designer of the feature animation film “The Dwarf – Nose”. She then continued as an animator and then as a director of animation series “Kikoriki” (“ Смешарики”) at the computer animation studio “Petersburg”. In 2014 she completed her first author’s short animated film “Shades of Gray”. “The Edge” is her second author`s work.

White Tunnel DIRECTOR: Chien Lan-Chi, Chang Chin-Wei COUNTRY: Taiwan RUNNING TIME: 22 min YEAR: 2016

There is an April day with inconsistent weather. A taxi driver, four passengers, sisters and brother are going to visit their mother. As strangers. Chaos is in silence, in their minds, on the road … Graduated from animation in college and Founded Bicycle Animation Co in 2012. Since 2009, non-stop creativity and breakthrough are revealed by each of animations. Observing things around is the core of our creation. We expect the power of image bring positive influences to people and regard it as a long-term goal. 2013 Short film “HUHU” is nominated by SIGGRAPH2013. Also, is nominated by Italy Bulgaria and Romania international animation festival. 2015“White Tunnel” is Bronze prize of America Short screenplay competition.

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Light Sight DIRECTOR: Seyed M. Tabatabaei COUNTRY: Iran RUNNING TIME:7 min YEAR: 2016

M.E., the imprisoned character in a room is attracted to a hanging light and tries to catch it. But the room itself becomes an obstacle on his way. Besides working as a professional architect and 3d visualizer in architectural firms in Dubai, , Tabatabaei’s passion for multimedia activities encouraged him to devote a major amount of his time to photography, film editing and production of short documentaries. In 2012 He was accepted to study MA. in Animation at Tehran University of Art & Light Sight is presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for this degree. He is currently planning to continue his study in the field of multimedia.

Shades of gray DIRECTOR: Alexandra Averyanova COUNTRY: Russian Federation RUNNING TIME: 10 min YEAR: 2015

Early 20th century. Saint Petersburg. A boy and a girl meet at the Tsarskoselsky railway station, but get separated a few moments later. As they grow up, the two walk the same streets of Petersburg. However, only twenty years later the mystical connection which emerged between them in childhood, brings these young people back to the place where they had first met. During 1991-1996 she studied at Herzsen State Pedagogical University of Russia in Saint-Petersburg. Since 1998 she was working at animation studio “Melnitsa”. As a background artist she took part in the following projects: “Adventures in the Emerald City”, “Technology Series”, “Bears-Rescuers”. From 2000 to 2004 she worked as an artistic director on “The Dwarf’s Nose” feature-length animation project. Since 2005 Aleksandra worked as animatik maker, animator and layout artist at computer animation studio “Petersburg”.

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FILM AWARDS

1. Grand Prix Award

6. Best Script

11. Best Animation Short Film

2. Best Director Award

7. Best Cinematography

12. Best South African Feature Film

3. Best New Director

8. Best Editing

13. Best South African Documentary

4. Best Actor

9. Best Documentary Feature

14. Best South African Short Film

5. Best Actress

10. Best Short Film

15. Audience Award For Best Film At The Festival