EFP Screenings of Academy Award ® Entries from Europe
© SeanPavonePhoto - Fotolia.com
22 films submitted in the BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM category
October 29 - November 10, 2014
Wilshire Screening Room, Beverly Hills
European Film Promotion invites you to the screenings of 22 films submitted in the Best Foreign Language Film category for the 87th Academy Awards®.
SCREENING ADDRESS Wilshire Screening Room 8670 Wilshire Blvd, Beverly Hills Free parking available
European Film Promotion Hamburg, Germany +49 40 390 6252 www.efp-online.com Jo Mühlberger Project Director muehlberger@efp-online.com +49 170 800 4156 Tatiana Detlofson LA publicist tatsfilm@gmail.com +1 310 260 2800
Please RSVP for the individual screenings to Screenings@efp-online.com
editors: Jo Mühlberger, Kristina Timmermann. design: Nanke Siemon
Contact during AFM EFP Umbrella Office Loews Hotel #863 +1 310 458 6700 ext. 863
SCREENING SCHEDULE Wednesday, October 29 6:30 PM
Italy: HUMAN CAPITAL by Paolo Virzì (110 min)
8:30 PM Luxembourg: NEVER DIE YOUNG by Pol Cruchten (66 min)
Thursday, October 30 6:30 PM Denmark: SORROW AND JOY by Nils Malmros (107 min) 8:30 PM Spain: LIVING IS EASY WITH EYES CLOSED by David Trueba (108 min)
Friday, October 31 5:00 PM FYRo Macedonia: TO THE HILT by Stole Popov (165 min)
Saturday, November 1 3:30 PM Poland: IDA by Paweł Pawlikowski (80 min) 6:00 PM Serbia: SEE YOU IN MONTEVIDEO by Dragan Bjelogrlic (146 min)
Sunday, November 2 3:30 PM Greece: LITTLE ENGLAND by Pantelis Voulgaris (132 min) 6:30 PM Croatia: COWBOYS by Tomislav Mršić (107 min)
Monday, November 3 6:30 PM Czech Republic: FAIR PLAY by Andrea Sedláčková (100 min) 8:30 PM Iceland: LIFE IN A FISHBOWL by Baldvin Zophoníasson (130 min)
Tuesday, November 4 6:30 PM Finland: CONCRETE NIGHT by Pirjo Honkasalo (96 min) followed by Q&A with the director and the producer 8:30 PM Bulgaria: BULGARIAN RHAPSODY by Ivan Nitchev (108 min)
Thursday, November 6 6:30 PM Norway: 1001 GRAMS by Bent Hamer (93 min) followed by Q&A with the director 8:30 PM Estonia: TANGERINES by Zaza Urushadze (87 min) followed by Q&A with the director and the producer
Friday, November 7 5:00 PM The Netherlands: ACCUSED by Paula van der Oest (97 min) followed by Q&A with the director
Saturday, November 8 3:30 PM Germany: BELOVED SISTERS by Dominik Graf (170 min) followed by Q&A with actors 7:00 PM Lithuania: THE GAMBLER by Ignas Jonynas (109 min) followed by Q&A with the lead actress
Sunday, November 9 3:30 PM Montenegro: THE KIDS FROM THE MARX AND ENGELS STREET by Nikola Vukčević (95 min) followed by Q&A with the director and the producer 6:30 PM Kosovo*: Three WINDOWS AND A HANGING by Isa Qosja (93 min) followed by Q&A with the producer
Monday, November 10 7:00 PM Romania: THE JAPANESE DOG by Tudor Cristian Jurgiu (90 min) 9:00 PM Slovak Republic: A STEP INTO THE DARK by Miloslav Luther (120 min) followed by Q&A with the lead actor and the cinematographer * This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence.
HUMAN CAPITAL Italy Directed by
Paolo Virzì
Wednesday, October 29 at 6:30 pm
HUMAN CAPITAL
(Il capitale umano)
Italy Directed by Paolo Virzì
Synopsis Human Capital begins at the end, as a cyclist is run off the road by a careening SUV the night before Christmas Eve. As details emerge of the events leading up to the accident, the lives of the well-to-do Bernaschi family, privileged and detached, will intertwine with the Ossolas, struggling to keep their comfortable middle-class life, in ways neither could have expected. Dino Ossola (Fabrizio Bentivoglio), in dire financial straits, anticipates the birth of twins with his second wife (Valeria Golino). Meanwhile, Dino’s teenage daughter’s relationship with hedge-fund manager Giovanni Bernaschi’s playboy son complicates an already tricky social dance of status, money and ambition. Director’s Statement This project began first and foremost as a real “love affair” with the wonderful novel by Stephen Amidon, Human Capital, set in an affluent Connecticut suburb in the last decade. Those characters, and that story, seemed emblematic of our times, even in Italy: a wealth that doesn’t come from work, but from the most ruthless of financial speculation; the dashed hopes of climbing the social ladder; the anxiety that money causes; a generation of young people forced to pay a higher price for happiness, because of the fitful ambitions of their parents, or their own frustrations. The story of Drew Hagel—the restless real estate agent who takes advantage of his daughter’s presumed relationship with the son of a wealthy broker to try and join the board of an aggressive investment fund—immediately struck a chord. It seemed written just for us, to express a state of affairs that concerns us all. So we made it an Italian story, the story of Dino Ossola, a real estate agent, who’s enrolled his daughter Serena in a prestigious prep school he can barely afford. We immersed that mosaic of stories and characters in today’s North Italian Provence, a region straddling the border of wealth and desperation. We decided to structure the plot like a real thriller, with a dead body on our hands from the very first scene: a cyclist hit on an icy winter’s night, on the eve of the Christmas holidays. Tracing the steps of the various characters, the entire film retells the story of what happened that night, piece by piece, showing how that accident could change each of their lives. Mainly, however, it tells the story of how money—the angst of multiplying it, the anxiety of losing it—determines the relationships, the fates, and the worth of the people it touches. Director Paolo Virzì Screenplay Paolo Virzì, Francesco Bruni, Francesco Piccolo, from the novel by Stephen Amidon Main cast Fabrizio Bentivoglio, Valeria Golino, Valeria Bruni Tedeschi, Fabrizio Gifuni, Luigi Lo Cascio
Production Company Indiana Production Company, Italy Co- prod. Country France Crime/Thriller Genre Language Italian 2014 Year Length 110 min
www.filmmovement.com/filmcatalog/index.asp?MerchandiseID=372
Contact US-Distributor Film Movement New York +1 212 9417 744 info@filmmovement.com www.filmmovement.com International Sales BAC FILMS Paris, France +33 1 53 53 52 52 info@bacfilms.fr www.bacfilms.com in cooperation with and supported by
Istituto Luce Cinecittà Annabella Nucara Rome, Italy +39 06 722861 a.nucara@cinecittaluce.it www.filmitalia.org Festivals and Awards (Selection) • Athens International Film Festival - Opening Nights 2014: Premiere • Chicago International Film Festival 2014: Main Competition • Cinéalma - L’âme de la méditerranée 2014 • David di Donatello 2014: Best Film, Best Screenplay, Best Actress in a Leading Role (Valeria Bruni Tedeschi), Best Actress in a Supporting Role (Valeria Golino), Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Fabrizio Gifuni), Best Editing, Best Sound (Roberto Mozzarelli) • Filmfest München 2014: Spotlight • Flanders International Film Festival Ghent 2014: Gala • Globi d‘Oro 2014: Best Film • Jerusalem International Film Festival 2014: Gala • Karlovy Vary International Film Festival 2014: Horizons • Motovun Film Festival 2014: Main program • New Zealand International Film Festival 2014 • Seattle International Film Festival 2014: Contemporary World Cinema • Sydney Film Festival 2014 • The Norwegian Int‘l Film Festival - Haugesund 2014: Main Programme • Tribeca Film Festival 2014: World Narrative Competition - Best Actress • Vancouver International Film Festival 2014: Cinema of Our Time
NEVER DIE YOUNG Luxembourg Directed by
Pol Cruchten
Wednesday, October 29 at 8:30 pm
NEVER DIE YOUNG
Luxembourg Directed by Pol Cruchten
(NEVER DIE YOUNG)
Synopsis Guido is born in Pétange/Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg on December 7th, 1959. At the age of 12, he is sent to a boarding school in Arlon/Belgium for three long years. His return to Pétange marks the beginning of his downward spiral. He starts selling heroin to pay for his own consumption and is rapidly confronted with the justice department. The occurrence marking his life forever occurs when he‘s 20 years old. Trying to escape from a police department, where he was just brought to, Guido throws himself head first off an eight-meter high wall. He miraculously survives the fall, but remains paralyzed for the rest of his life. At the re-education center, despite the wheelchair he‘s stuck to day after day, his addiction remains as lively as ever.
Contact International Sales Eastwest Filmdistribution Austria Sasha Wieser +43 6642338411 sasha@eastwest-distribution.com www.eastwest-distribution.com in cooperation with and supported by
Film Fund Luxembourg Françoise Lentz Luxembourg, Luxembourg +352 2478 2179 francoise.lentz@filmfund.etat.lu www.filmfund.lu Festivals and Awards (Selection) • Lëtzebuerger Filmpräis 2014 – Best Documentary
Director Pol Cruchten Screenplay Pol Cruchten Main cast Robinson Stévenin (male voice), Laurence Côte (female voice)
Production Company Genre Language Year Length
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qo0RgluOYoI
Red Lion, Luxembourg Docu-Fiction French 2014 66 min
SORROW AND JOY Denmark Directed by
Nils Malmros
Thursday, October 30 at 6:30 pm
SORROW AND JOY
(SORG OG GLÆDE)
Denmark Directed by Nils Malmros
Synopsis In SORROW AND JOY filmmaker Johannes and his wife, Signe experience the biggest sorrow one can ever imagine when Signe kills their 9-month-old daughter. In the midst of all the hopelessness Johannes has to fight the legal system to secure his wife the lightest possible sentence and at the same time try to reach out to her in order to continue life after death.
Contact International Sales Trust Nordisk Hvidovre, Denmark Lena Juhl Seidelin +45 3686 8703 lena@trustnordisk.com www.trustnordisk.com in cooperation with and supported by
Director Nils Malmros is one of Danish films most significant auteurs - SORROW AND JOY is his most personal film to date and chronicles tragic events from his own life. Director’s Statement My own adolescence has formed the basis of my films describing the loss of innocence and coming of age. They circle around unrequited and unhappy love. With my new film I want to tell a story of how to reach a mutual and mature love through immense sorrow and joy. It may sound grand, but I certainly feel that my words are justified. Nils Malmros 2013
Danish Film Institute Christian Juhl Lemche Copenhagen, Denmark +45 33 74 3400 christianjl@dfi.dk www.dfi.dk Festivals and Awards (Selection) • Edinburg International Film Festival • Rome International Film Festival
Director Nils Malmros Screenplay Nils Malmros, John Mogensen Main cast Jakob Cedergren, Helle Fagralid, Nicolas Bro, Ida Dwinger
trustnordisk.com/film/2013-sorrow-and-joy
Production Company Nordisk Film Production A/S, Denmark Drama Genre Language Danish 2013 Year Length 107 min
Living Is Easy With Eyes Closed Spain Directed by
David Trueba
Thursday, October 30 at 8:30 pm
Living Is Easy With Eyes Closed
Spain Directed by David Trueba
(Vivir es fácil con los ojos cerrados) Synopsis Spain, 1966: Antonio (Javier Cámara) is a teacher and a Beatles fan – facets he combines by getting his pupils to recite the lyrics from “Help” in English class. When he learns that his idol John Lennon is making a film in Almería (Richard Lester’s “How I Won The War”) he resolves to meet him. On the journey he picks up two young runaways: Belén, a pregnant girl fleeing a convent, and Juanjo, a boy escaping a dictatorial father. Director’s Statement The backdrop for Living Is Easy With Eyes Closed is sixties’ Spain: grey, contradictory, dictatorship-driven. Its older citizens are still conditioned by a civil-war past while the new, younger generation craves for moral and social freedom. This contrast is especially pronounced in the southern part of the country; for instance, the severely impoverished province of Almería, where the first waves of massive tourism and foreign super film productions clash with delays and local limitations. In this setting, John Lennon’s arrival in Spain to participate in Richard Lester’s How I Won the War, brightens the mood of a segment of the youth population, symbolizing as he does freedom, a new morality and progress. The Lennon who arrives to Spain is a Lennon in crisis. He has just released his troubles-induced Help. Uncertain about the future of the Beatles, experimenting with drugs and at the brink of a personal and professional divorce, Almería offers Lennon a chance isolate to himself and reflect. It is an introspective period in which his songs reveal a hitherto unknown intimate side, drawing on childhood memories and his later frustrations, many of which originate with the conflicting facets of sweeping success. Musical history notes that during his stay in Almería, Lennon composed one of his most personal pieces, Strawberry Fields Forever. Lennon is not the protagonist in this story; he is rather an unreachable icon, a symbol… The protagonists, in reality, are the three characters who belong to that Spain of the sixties: a demanding and dynamic English teacher, who suspects that social reform is more the product of personal ambition than political planning, a person who allows himself to be swept away by enthusiasm and desire; and two young people who, in different ways, struggle with prevailing social frustrations and the idea that others can govern their destinies. The three characters represent three types of rebellion against the established order. They are not historical characters but anonymous individuals who by waging personal battles, both intimately and zealously, contributed to social change in their country. They are the true agents of a change brought about by atypical, non-traditional heroes. Director David Trueba Screenplay David Trueba Main cast Javier Cámara, Natalia de Molina, Francesc Colomer
Production Company Genre Language Year Length
Fernando Trueba P.C., S.A., Spain Comedy-Drama Spanish 2013 108 min
www.livingiseasywitheyesclosed.com www.livingiseasywitheyesclosed.com/trailer.html
Contact US-Distributor Outsider Pictures Santa Monica +1 310 393 4190 info@outsiderpictures.us www.outsiderpictures.us International Sales 6 Sales Spain Marina Fuentes +34 91 172 37 34 marina@6sales.es www.6sales.es in cooperation with and supported by
ICAA (Spain) Rafael Cabrera Madrid, Spain +34 91 701 7259 rafael.cabrera@mcu.es www.mcu.es/cine/index Festivals and Awards (Selection) • San Sebastian Film Festival, Miami International Film Festival • Göteborg International Film Festival • Festival Internacional de Cine de Punta del Este • The Prague International Film Festival • Espoo Ciné International Film Festival • International Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival
To The Hilt FYRo Macedonia Directed by
Stole Popov
Friday, October 31 at 5:00 pm
To The Hilt
(DO BALCAK)
FYRo Macedonia Directed by Stole Popov
Synopsis Macedonia, a small country at the heart of the Balkans, which was under the yoke of the Ottoman Empire for five centuries, provides the setting for To the Hilt in the years of general collapse and „free fall“ after the Macedonian uprising of 1903 and its bloody suppression. The story is a complex quadrangle between an uncompromising, idealist rebel, a merciless Turkish officer, an opportunist rich man‘s son returning home after his studies in Europe, and a lucid and open-minded European woman, who flirts with the three men and triggers a series of events with dire and unforeseeable consequences. The characters go through turbulent collisions resulting in cathartic experiences and a new self-awareness as the story brings the paradoxes and absurdities of Macedonian history to boiling-point. Director’s Statement The film is a harsh and romantic story in which the eternal Macedonian history quest for identity and independence is viewed through the prism of the relative notions of freedom, justice, love, sacrifice and treason. Caught in a trap, one of the characters declares his radical philosophy: “Fuck life if you aren’t ready to die for it!” It is an unusual story, dated more than a hundred years ago, but appears very modern, ongoing and provocative considering the fatally cycled repetition of history, full of emotions and fierce passion. The aspect of open-ended relation Islam – Christianity makes “To the Hilt” very interesting for contemporary viewers all around the world.
Director Stole Popov Screenplay Goran Stefanovski Main cast Inti Sraj, Martin Jordanovski, Sashko Kocev, Toni Mihajlovski
Drama, fiction, historial Genre Language Macedonian, French, English, Turkish 2014 Year Length 165 min
stolepopov.com/production/to-the-hilt/ www.youtube.com/watch?v=35q1sKuUypw
Contact Production Company Triangle Film Skopje, Macedonia Dancho Chevrevski + 389 75 204 767; +389 70 244 977 dancocevrevski@t-home.mk spopov@t-home.mk in cooperation with and supported by
Macedonian Film Agency Darko Basheski Skopje, Macedonia +389 2 3224 100 d.baseski@filmfund.gov.mk www.filmfund.gov.mk
Ida Poland Directed by
Paweł Pawlikowski
Saturday, November 1 at 3:30 pm
IDA
(IDA)
Poland Directed by Paweł Pawlikowski
Synopsis Poland 1962. Anna is a novice, an orphan brought up by nuns in the convent. She has to see Wanda, the only living relative, before she takes her vows. Wanda tells Anna that Anna is Jewish. Both women start a journey not only to find their family tragic story, but who they really are and where they belong. They question their religions and ideas they believed in. Both are trying to go on living but only one of them can. Director’s Statement IDA is a film about identity, family, faith, guilt, socialism and music. I wanted to make a film about history, which wouldn’t feel like a historical film; a film which is moral, but has no lessons to offer; I wanted to tell a story in which ‘everyone has their reasons’; a story closer to poetry than plot. Most of all, I wanted to steer clear of the usual rhetoric of the Polish cinema. The Poland in IDA is shown by an ‘outsider’ with no axe to grind, filtered through personal memory and emotion, the sounds and images of childhood.
Contact US-Distributor Music Box Films Chicago +1 312 241 1320 info@musicboxfilms.com www.musicboxfilms.com International Sales Portobello Film Sales Copenhagen, Denmark Christian Falkenberg Husum +45 4037 3908 ch@portobellofilmsales.com in cooperation with and supported by
Polish Film Institute Olga Domżała Warsaw, Poland +48 22 4210 497 pisf@pisf.pl www.pisf.pl Festivals and Awards (Selection) • Winner London Film Festival 2013 • Winner Critics Prize – Toronto 2013 • Winner Warsaw Film Festival 2013 • Winner Golden Lion Gdynia Film Festival 2013 • Winner ASC Spotlight Award 2013
Director Paweł Pawlikowski Screenplay Paweł Pawlikowski, Rebeca Lenkiewicz Main cast Agata Trzebuchowska , Agata Kulesza, Dawid Ogrodnik
www.ida-movie.com
Production Company Co-prod. Country Genre Language Year Length
Opus Film, Poland Denmark Drama Polish 2013 80 min
SEE YOU IN MONTEVIDEO Serbia Directed by
Dragan Bjelogrlic
Saturday, November 1 at 6:00 pm
SEE YOU IN MONTEVIDEO
Serbia Directed by Dragan Bjelogrlic
(MONEVIDEO VIDIMO SE)
Synopsis A tale of how Yugoslavia’s football team took part in the 1st world cup in Montevideo, in 1930. Inspired by true events, a football saga that continues in Uruguay’s capital where Yugoslavia’s team finds itself among strong opponents. An underdog team, a team that no one believes in, draws as an opponent Brazil’s national team. Lead by a vision, the Yugoslavian boys, with perseverance and enthusiasm, manage to surprise the global sports scene, as well as a meddling and notorious talent scout. Director’s Statement “When we started working on film, in front of us a whole new and wonderful world started to unfold. A world of simple people who regarded themselves as ordinary, not realizing that they were everything but ordinary. We found ourselves in a time in which romance was a way of life and chivalry the foundation of behavior. Following the football traces, we discovered a magical force. In a time when playing sports was a privilege of the upper class, “the new game in shorts” came over the little people from the margins. And those, to whom most earthly benefits were out of reach, embraced this game, recognizing not only their heroes in it but hope, obtainable by all. We tell the tale about all those things… In a kind of tale that we all love to watch since we can’t all live in it…”
Director Dragan Bjelogrlic Screenplay Ranko Bozic, Dimitrije Vojnov, Dragan Bejlogrlic Main cast Miloš Biković, Petar Strugar, Armand Assante, Viktor Savić, Elena Martínez www.montevideoproject.com http://vimeo.com/92920752
Genre Language Year Length
Historical Melodrama Serbian, English, Spanish, French 2014 146 min
Contact Production Company Intermedia Network Belgrade, Serbia Katarina Radojkovic +38 1631043394 katarina@intermedianetwork.rs www.intermedianetwork.rs in cooperation with and supported by
Film Center Serbia Miroljub Vučković Belgrade, Serbia +381 11 262 5131 fcs.office@fcs.rs www.fcs.rs
Little England Greece Directed by
Pantelis Voulgaris
Sunday, November 2 at 3:30 pm
Little England
Greece Directed by Pantelis Voulgaris
(MIKRA AGGLIA)
Synopsis 1930s, Andros, a Greek island. 20-year-old Orsa is passionately in love with sailor Spyros Maltabes. Orsa won’t reveal her secret to anyone, not even to her sister Moscha. A free spirit, Moscha wants to escape the dictates of local tradition: women marrying sailors and spending their lives in loneliness. The girls’ mother, Mina, the shrewd wife of captain Savvas, is at the helm of the family. Her priority is to marry off her daughters to wealthy husbands. She turns down Spyros’ marriage proposal for Orsa, as he comes from a humble background; Orsa marries Nikos Vatokouzis, a captain and ship owner. After several years, Spyros returns to the island as an accomplished captain and marries Moscha. In the wake of World War II, suppressed feelings are rekindled and cruel games of fate reveal secrets, leading to devastation. Director’s Statement I have been making stories for almost 50 years. Most of all I was inspired by human stories. Tales of existence. Of seamen who are tossed about the oceans, of women tortured by the waves of loneliness. Ioanna Karystiani’s novel “Little England” has a strong storyline with twists and vibrant female and male characters, a particular insight on a specific era, the social conditions, the human adventure.
Director Pantelis Voulgaris Screenplay Ioanna Karystiani Main cast Penelope Tsilika, Sofia Kokkali, Andreas Konstantinou, Maximos Moumouris
Production Company Genre Language Year Length
Mikra Agglia SA, Greece Drama Greek 2013 132 min
mikraaggliafilm.gr www.facebook.com/MikraAggliaFilm vimeo.com/twothirtyfive/review/104484485/2a3ee9b4ab
Contact International Sales Mikra Agglia SA Athens, Greece Katerina Helioti +30 210 4580311 katerina@polembros.gr in cooperation with and supported by
Greek Film Centre Stavroula Geronimaki Athens, Greece +30 210 367 8530 info@gfc.gr www.gfc.gr Festivals and Awards (Selection) • 17th Shanghai International Film Festival 2014: Golden Goblet Awards for Best Feature Film, Best Director & Best Actress • Hellenic Film Academy Awards: Best Picture, Cinematography, Production Design, Costume Design, Make-up, Sound mixing • 38th Montreal World Film Festival: Participation in the “World Greats” section • Euphoria Film Festival Los Angeles: Honorary Screening
Cowboys Croatia Directed by
Tomislav Mršić
Sunday, November 2 at 6:30 pm
Cowboys
(Kauboji)
Croatia Directed by Tomislav Mršić
Synopsis All the world‘s a stage, but only some can be cowboys. Sasha, a successful theatre director, has been offered the opportunity to re-start a neglected local theater in his home town, which is a challenge as the city has no actors. When the theater schedules auditions for a new show, only inexperienced candidates show up. The director and his new ensemble of misfits decide to base their play on classic Hollywood Westerns, their only common ground. As the actors embrace the stereotypes of the genre – the fight between good and evil, the clash between civilization and the wilderness – they develop their stories. Breaking every rule of stagecraft, as time passes they start to view the play as a metaphor for their own destinies, and grasp it as the opportunity of a lifetime. Director’s Statement “Cowboys“ was by the most part inspired by the stage hit, in which eight outsiders are trying to make a musical. The universal dramaturgical framework (template) for the story of a man fighting with himself, and the protagonists of the play develop their life stories and in doing so inevitably affect each other. Genre, movie is positioned somewhere between social drama and a comedy. The place chosen for the small industrial town, a small and claustrophobic enough to live in it being impossible, a large and diverse enough that the story and characters that follow are possible and believable. Dramaturgy wise, „The Cowboys“ shared a lot with the British social drama (Billy Elliot, Full Monty, Brassed Off ...), genre or subgenre as some characterize, in which the emphasis is always on the clear story, functionally profiled characters and subtle social subtext actions outlined.
Director Tomislav Mršić Screenplay Tomislav Mršić Main cast Saša Anočić, Živko Anočić, Matija Antolić, Hrvoje Barišić, Kruno Klabučar, Ivana Rushaidat, Rakan Rushaidat, Radovan Ruždjak www.kabinet.hr facebook.com/kaubojifilm
Production Company Genre Language Year Length
Kabinet, Croatia Comedy Croatian 2013 107 min
Contact International Sales Wide Management Paris, France Loic Magneron +33 6 60 43 96 86 lm@widemanagement.com www.widemanagement.com in cooperation with and supported by
Croatian Audiovisual Centre Katarina Prpić Zagreb, Croatia +385 1 604 1080 promotion@havc.hr URL: www.havc.hr
Fair Play Czech Republic Directed by
Andrea Sedláčková
Monday, November 3 at 6:30 pm
Fair Play
(Fair Play)
Czech Republic Directed by Andrea Sedláčková
Synopsis Set in Czechoslovakia in the 1980, young and talented sprinter Anna (Judit Bárdos) is selected for the national team and starts training to qualify for the Olympic Games. As a part of the preparation she is placed in a secret „medical programme“ where they begin dopeing her with anabolic steroids. Her performance improves, but after she collapses at training, she learns the truth. Anna decides to continue her training without the steroids even though her mother (Anna Geislerova) is worried that she won‘t be able to keep up with other athletes and might not qualify for the Olympics, which she sees as the only chance for her daughter to escape from behind the Iron Curtain.
Contact International Sales Intramovies Rome, Italy Paola Corvino +39 335 841 0149 paola.corvino@intramovies.com www.intramovies.com in cooperation with and supported by
Czech Film Center Markéta Šantrochova Prague, Czech Republic +420 22 1105 321 info@filmcenter.cz www.filmcenter.cz Festivals and Awards (Selection) • IFF Karlovy Vary • Busan IFF • BFI London • Westwind • Stockholm IFF • Ljublana IFF • Chicago IFF
Director Andrea Sedláčková Screenplay Andrea Sedláčková Main cast Judit Bárdos, Ana Geislerová, Eva Josefiková, Roman Luknár www.fairplayfilm.cz
Production Company Co-prod. Countries Genre Language Year Length
Negativ, Czech Republic Slovak Republic, Germany Drama Czech 2014 100 min
Life in a fishbowl Iceland Directed by
Baldvin Z
Monday, November 3 at 8:30 pm
Life in a fishbowl
Iceland Directed by Baldvin Z
(Vonarstræti)
Synopsis After a horrible tragedy, writer Móri, drinks himself into oblivion by going on a twenty-year binge. Eik, a young single mom, moonlights as a prostitute to make ends meet. Young father and good husband, Sölvi, is recruited into the snake pit of the Icelandic international banking system. Soon fate will step in and they will all meet. Director’s Statement “Life in a Fishbowl” is a simple story about three people who must face decisive changes to find some sort of redemption. On closer inspection, the stories unveil layer upon layer of meaning which become ever thicker and more complicated as we delve deeper into each character. What the main character have in common is that they all lead a double life in one way or another. They all have daughters of a similar age and all have some sort of reckoning with the past, present of future looming over them. For my part, it is vital that the audience initially see three characters they think they know everything about. As we get further into the story and get to know the characters better, we find out that they all have a deeper and a more complicated aspects to them. At the end, the audience sees three protagonists they feel they have come to know intimately but not as celluloid characters.
Director Baldvin Z Screenplay Baldvin Z, Birgir Steinarson Main cast Hera Hilmar, Thorsteinn Bachmann, Thor Kristjansson Producers Ingvar Thordarson, Júlíus Kemp
Production Company Co-prod. Countries Genre Language Year Length
The Icelandic Film Company, Iceland Finland, Sweden, Czech Republic Drama Icelandic 2014 130 min
www.kisi.is
Contact International Sales Films Boutique Berlin, Germany Jean-Christophe Simon +49 30 69537850 info@filmsboutique.com filmsboutique.com PR Karen Fried & Associates Los Angeles, US Sara Vahabi +1 818 980-6220 +1 310 993-5458 in cooperation with and supported by
Icelandic Film Centre Laufey Guðjónsdóttir Reykjavík, Iceland +354 562 3580 info@icelandicfilmcentre.is www.icelandicfilmcentre.is
Concrete Night Finland Directed by
Pirjo Honkasalo
Tuesday, November 4 at 6:30 pm
Concrete Night
(Betoniyö)
Finland Directed by Pirjo Honkasalo
Synopsis Concrete Night opens in a cramped, concrete-jungle home in Helsinki. Ilkka, the elder of the two brothers, is leaving to serve a prison sentence. During Ilkka’s last 24 hours of freedom, his younger sibling, vulnerable Simo, follows the brother he admires through the fateful events of that hot summer night. Pirjo Honkasalo‘s bold film is a dream-like odyssey about a fragile mind of a young boy and the loss of innocence as he drifts around the city. Director’s Statement Concrete Night is not a film about school killings, mass murderers or the Chechen brothers in Boston. It’s a film about a young mind that was shattered long before the all-encompassing misanthropy may have got a hold of it. This is a film about the metaphysics of coincidences in a world which we, blinded by our delusional omnipotence, think we have control over and thus the ability to destroy. The protagonist of the film, 14-year-old Simo, is the fragile and sensitive surface reflecting all the rumblings that take place around him. Simo, lacking the ability to distort what he sees or change it to something more pleasing to him, sees the world accurately, just as it is. Life is unbearable when seen without a filter. Humans can‘t live that way. Being an adult means building walls to protect one’s self. This is what Author Marja-Leena Mikkola wrote about Pirkko Saisio’s novel in the 1980s: ”Edvard Munch’s famous painting The Scream arouses a sense of unease in the spectator. The face of the screaming creature has no expression, and yet it draws the spectator in. One is compelled to look intensely at the gaping mouth of the face, one cannot avoid it and one cannot escape from it. I experienced something similar to this when I read Pirkko Saisio’s ‘Concrete Night’. It has been ripped of everything superfluous – pity, tenderness, hatred, irony – all that remained was this scream, this howl. In Concrete Night everything is dead for good. We‘ve seen both mentally and physically neglected young people in suburban ghettos before. They have something that Simo doesn’t; a subculture of their own and some concept of themselves. In Concrete Night Simo is an outsider; a faceless young man. Lifting Simo and his environment into the focus of literal description is an act of love of sorts. The total (and successful) settling inside Simo is an even greater one. The author accepts Simo.” I, too, accept Simo. August 2013, Pirjo Honkasalo Director Pirjo Honkasalo Screenplay Pirkko Saisio, Pirjo Honkasalo Main cast Johannes Brotherus, Jari Virman, Anneli Karppinen, Juhan Ulfsak
Production Company Co-prod. Countries Genre Language Year Length
Bufo, Finland Sweden, Denmark Drama Finnish 2013 96 min
www.concretenight.com www.vimeo.com/71820702
Contact International Sales Film Republic London, UK Xavier Henry-Rashid +44 7835 999 112 xavier@filmrepublic.biz www.filmrepublic.biz PR Silversalt PR New York, US Thessa Mooij +1 212 729 7971 thessa@silversaltpr.com www.silversaltpr.com in cooperation with and supported by Finnish Film Foundation Jaana Puskala Helsinki, Finland +358 9 6220 3026 jaana.puskala@ses.fi www.ses.fi Festivals and Awards (Selection) • World premiere: Toronto IFF 2013 (Masters Series) • St. Petersburg IFF 2013 (Competition Programme) • Warsaw IFF 2013 (International Competition) • Thessaloniki IFF 2013 • Plus Camerimage – The International Film Festival of the Art of Cinematography 2013 (Main Competition) • Rotterdam IFF 2014 • Göteborg IFF 2014 (Dragon Award Competition) • Nomination for Nordic Council Film Prize 2014 • Long-listed for the European Film Awards 2014 • A Golden Arena for Best Feature Film at Pula Film Festival 2014 • Officine Lab Award to the Best not leading Actor at European Film Festival Lecce • 6 Jussi Awards: Best Film, Director, Cinematography, Set Design, Sound Design, Editing
Bulgarian Rhapsody Bulgaria Directed by
Ivan Nichev
Tuesday, November 4 at 8:30 pm
Bulgarian Rhapsody
Bulgaria Directed by Ivan Nichev
(Bulgarska Rafsodia)
Synopsis Summer of 1943. The Jews of Greater Bulgaria must adhere to the laws of Germany. Moni (17), a Jewish youngster from Sofia and Giogio the son of the commissar for Jewish affairs’ driver, meet Shelly (17) a Jewish girl from Kavala (Greece). The two face the values and limits of friendship, as they both fall in love with her, while outside rages their conflicted world. The Bulgarians are ordered to deport the Jews; trains traverse Bulgaria with 11,343 Jews from Macedonia and Tracia. The fate of the three youngsters mirrors the lives of the Balkan Jews during WWII, challenged with the horrors of that period. Director’s Statement Violence afflicted on people is always weaved into my films. Unfortunately, violence takes place not only in times of war. Since WWII, which is the setting of our film BULGARIAN RHAPSODY, have passed more than 70 years. A few days ago, showing my film in Buenos Aires Argentina, I walked along a street and on the pavement for a rather long time I was followed by the memorial bronze plates engraved with the names of the children murdered in the terrorist attack in 1994. Those Children from AMIA (Asociación Mutual Israelita Argentina) kindergarten will never grow up. My film BULGARIAN RHAPSODY is my cry against this violence. This should never happen again.
Director Ivan Nichev Screenplay Yourii Dachev, Ivan Nichev, Tatyana Granitova, Jean Pierre Magro Main cast Kristiyan Makarov, Angela Nedyalkova, Stefan Popov, Moni Moshonov, Tatyana Lolova
Co-prod. Country Genre Language Year Length
Israel Drama Bulgarian, Ladino, German 2014 108 min
www.youtube.com/watch?v=owTDPeS915Q&list=UU3Q4IeLk0WqXJEvGc6aNFwA&n oredirect=1
Contact Production Company Cinepaz Eood Sofia, Bulgaria Nissim Levy +972 52 2577908 cinepaz.eood@gmail.com in cooperation with and supported by
Bulgarian National Film Center Irina Kanousheva Sofia, Bulgaria +359 2 988 38 31 nfc@nfc.bg www.nfc.bg
1001 Grams Norway Directed by
Bent Hamer
Thursday, November 6 at 6:30 pm
1001 Grams
Norway Directed by Bent Hamer
(1001 gram)
Synopsis When Norwegian scientist Marie attends a seminar in Paris on the actual weight of a kilo, it is her own measurement of disappointment, grief and, not least, love, that ends up on the scale. Finally Marie is forced to come to terms with how much a human life truly weighs and which measurements she intends to live by. Director’s Statement Man determines the definition of weight, but in my opinion it is equally important and interesting to understand what the definition of weight does to man. I have for a long time been fascinated by what exists in the area between scientific understanding and human action. That is also what resulted in my film Kitchen Stories in 2003. With 1001 Grams I see an opportunity (beyond measure) to further develop that same type of view upon life through stylized esthetics and poetic humor.
Contact International Sales Les Films du Losange Paris, France Agathe Valentin +33 1 44 43 87 10 a.valentin@FilmsduLosange.fr www.filmsdulosange.fr in cooperation with and supported by
Norwegian Film Institute Stine Oppegaard Oslo, Norway +47 22474500 stineo@nfi.no www.nfi.no Festivals and Awards (Selection) • 2014 Toronto International Film Festival • 2014 Festival do Rio - Rio de Janeiro International Film Festival • 2014 London Film Festival • 2014 Tokyo IFF
Director Bent Hamer Screenplay Bent Hamer Main cast Ane Dahl Torp, Laurent Stocker, Stein Winge
Production Company Co-prod. Countries Genre Language Year Length
www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVIAtIHcehM
BulBul Film AS, Norway Germany, France Drama Norwegian, French, English 2014 93 min
TANGERINES Estonia Directed by
Zaza Urushadze
Thursday, November 6 at 8:30 pm
TANGERINES
(MANDARIINID)
Estonia Directed by Zaza Urushadze
Synopsis Autumn of 1992. An empty village in Caucasia is left with only two villagers. Defying the approaching war, an old man Ivo and his neighbour Markus are the last ones who haven‘t left. Markus has his tangerine plantation to harvest, though the risk of wartime cropping is against Ivo‘s will. The two men become directly involved in battle conflict when Ivo finds a survivor, a Caucasian named Akhmed, on the battlefield and despite the rising threat carries the wounded man to his home. At the same time Markus, while burying perished Georgians, also finds a survivor. The tangerine harvesters must now resolve their own war that expands under their roof with enemies from both sides. Director’s Statement People without borders – is the leitmotif of the film. It is unsettling how irresponsible politicians unleash wars that send ordinary people to die. People, who love life and are unique worlds of their own – death of a person is irreversible, but to politicians that is just statistics. And often the cause of a conflict is artificial to begin with. The film is an attempt to show that even severe enemies can overcome this unnatural opposition and institutionalised slaughtering. It is about trust in the human kindness that will eventually prevail, if people are able to forgive, help and protect each other, even from their own people and at the cost of their own lives.
Director Zaza Urushadze Screenplay Zaza Urushadze Main cast Lembit Ulfsak, Giorgi Nakhashidze, Elmo Nüganen, Misha Meskhi
Production Company Co-prod. Country Genre Language Year Length
allfilm.ee/en/filmid/tangerines/ www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMXjmYmwp-o
Allfilm, Estonia Georgia Drama Estonian, Russian 2013 87 min
Contact International Sales Cinemavault Toronto, Canada Ryan Lee +1 416 363 6060 RyanLee@cinemavault.com www.cinemavault.com in cooperation with and supported by
Estonian Film Institute Lea Kroonmann Tallinn, Estonia +372 627 6060 lea@efsa.ee www.efsa.ee Festivals and Awards (Selection) • Palm Springs International Film Festival 2014 – 2nd Runner-up • Seattle International Film Festival 2014 – 2nd Runner-up • San Francisco International Film Festival 2014 • Warsaw International Film Festival 2013 - Best Director, Audience Award • Mannheim-Heidelberg International Film Festival 2013 – Special Award of Mannheim-Heidelberg, German Distributors Award, Audience Award • Film Festival Oostende 2014 – Best Film • Eurasia International Film Festival 2014 – Best Actor • Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival 2013 – Best Estonian Film, Don Quijote Jury Prize by International Federation of Film Societies • 32nd Fajr International Film Destival 2014 - Best Film, Best Screenplay • Bari International Film Festival 2014 – Best Film • Montreal World Film Festival 2014
Accused The Netherlands Directed by
Paula van der Oest
Friday, November 7 at 5:00 pm
Accused
(Lucia de B.)
The Netherlands Directed by Paula van der Oest
Synopsis Based on a true story. Nurse Lucia (40) has been present at one inexplicable death too many, and the hospital alerts the police. Assistant District Attorney Judith (28), driven by ambition and genuinely outraged, gets caught in the „politics“ of the hospital and her own legal department and Lucia is shockingly sentenced to life in prison. But something keeps troubling Judith, and she discovers inconsistencies in witness statements, and even the suppression of lab evidence. Ignored by her superiors, Judith teams up with Lucia’s lawyer, but at every appeal the original guilty verdict is confirmed. Things look bleak until they get the media involved and the biggest miscarriage of justice in Dutch history is finally reversed. Director’s Statement ACCUSED is a multi-genre film that moves between courtroom drama, thriller and biopic. In its 97 minutes I wanted to investigate the mechanisms and tunnel vision that led to the collective hysteria that got nurse Lucia de Berk convicted for murders she never committed. That no one committed, as it turned out.
Contact International Sales Fortissimo The Netherlands Nelleke Driessen, Laura Talsma +31 20 627 3215 Nelleke@fortissimo.nl Laura@fortissimo.nl www.fortissimofilms.com in cooperation with and supported by
EYE International Claudia Landsberger Amsterdam, The Netherlands +31 20 7582 375 international@eyefilm.nl international.eyefilm.nl Festivals and Awards (Selection) • Selected at The Netherlands Film Festival • Nomination for for Beste Actress for Ariane Schluter at The Netherlands Film Festival • Moniek Kramer in collaboration with Tijs van Marle were nominated for „De Zilveren Krulstaart“. The Zilveren Krulstaart is a price for writers of the best scenario’s of the year. • On 2 May 2014 Accused received a Golden Film status. More than 100.000 people went to see the film all acros the country (in The Netherlands) since its release on 3 April 2014
Director Paula van der Oest Screenplay Moniek Kramer in collaboration with Tijs van Marle Main cast Ariane Schluter, Sallie Harmsen, Fedja van Huêt, Barry Atsma, Annet Malherbe
Production Company Rinkel Film BV, The Netherlands Co-prod. Countries Belgium, Sweden, Luxembourg Drama, Thriller Genre Language Dutch 2014 Year Length 97 min
luciadebdefilm.nl/ www.rinkelfilm.com/en/project/13/lucia-de-b
Beloved Sisters Germany Directed by
Dominik Graf
Saturday, November 8 at 3:30 pm
Beloved Sisters
(Die geliebten Schwestern)
Germany Directed by Dominik Graf
Synopsis The aristocratic sisters Charlotte and Caroline both fall in love with the controversial young writer and hothead Friedrich Schiller. Defying the conventions of their time, the sisters decide to share their love with Schiller. What begins playfully, almost as a game among the three of them, soon turns serious as it leads to the end of a pact... Director’s Statement Producer Uschi Reich proposed the story of BELOVED SISTERS to me: A ménage à trois in the late 18th Century. Two young noblewomen fall in love with the same man – a commoner – who falls for both women, for better or worse. The perfect scenario for a drama. But there‘s hardly any jealousy in this story. All three just want each other to be happy. They agree that one of the two sisters will marry the man, for the other sister is unhappily married already. So the younger sister marries him for the both of them, as it were. No bickering, no rivalry. The utopian threesome. But then life intervenes, time goes by like a river, everyday life takes over… and everything that seemed so simple suddenly gets more and more difficult. In the summer of 1788, Friedrich Schiller and the von Lengefeld sisters Charlotte and Caroline find themselves in this love triangle in the town of Rudolstadt. The girls are from a family of Thuringian petty nobles - who hardly have any more money than the infamous but impoverished poet Schiller. Time stands still for them, the world becomes a idyllic place of falling-in-love, making a few plans and imagining how it could go on with them. Everything gets more complicated the moment summer ends. What attracted me the most from the outset was making a movie about words, words of love, words ofjoyous longing, promise of a life less ordinary. Filming their correspondence, watching the characters write each other, sometime letting them read the letters out loud. Talking about their feelings, about their love triangle, planning, conspiring a little to get to see each other. Three very intelligent people, each complex in their very own way. From a modern perspective, I tried to shoot the movie as if writing a book – as if the film stock were writing paper. Historical characters always seem more interesting to me today. Their world is far away, a mystery, follows other laws and maxims, they‘re not as close-minded as we are – no matter what kind of obstacles they had to overcome – they live with other extreme experiences, they know things we don‘t. This makes historical characters in films seem very beautiful to me. Several parts of this story are mere conjecture and speculation, for important letters and key sources have been lost. Shooting this film was a great joy. Dominik Graf, January 2014 Director Dominik Graf Screenplay Dominik Graf Main cast Hannah Herzsprung, Florian Stetter, Henriette Confurius, Claudia Messner
Production Company Co-prod. Country Genre Language Year Length
Bavaria Filmverleih- und Produktions GmbH, Germany Austria Drama German, French 2014 170 min
www.senator.de/movie/die-geliebten-schwestern www.globalscreen.de/cinema.current_line_up/content/show/355709
Contact US-Distributor Music Box Films Chicago +1 312 241 1320 info@musicboxfilms.com www.musicboxfilms.com International Sales Global Screen GmbH Munich, Germany Julia Weber +49 89 2441295 590 julia.weber@globalscreen.de www.globalscreen.de in cooperation with and supported by
German Films Mariette Rissenbeek Munich, Germany +49 89 599 787 0 info@german-films.de www.german-films.de Festivals and Awards (Selection) Awards: • Winner: Best Cinematography, Bavarian Film Awards 2013 • Nomination: Best Film, Berlin International Film Festival 2014 Festivals: • Berlinale – World Premiere, In Competition, Febuary 2014 • CPH: PIX Copenhagen, April 2014 • Transilvania IFF, May 2014 • Shanghai IFF, Spectrum, June 2014 • Edinburgh IFF, June 2014 • Moscow IFF, June 2014 • Voices Independent Cinema from European Screens Festival, Vologda, June 2014 • New York FF, September 2014 • GI Beirut – Week of German films, September 2014 • Chicago IFF, October 2014 • FilmNeu GI Washington, October 2014 • GoetheFest Belgrad, October 2014 • German Film Festival Ukraine, October 2014 • International Historical FF of Waterloo, October 2014 • GI Hong Kong KINO 2014, October 2014 • German Film Festival Singapore, November 2014
THE GAMBLER Lithuania Directed by
Ignas Jonynas
Saturday, November 8 at 7:00 pm
THE GAMBLER
(LOSEJAS)
Lithuania Directed by Ignas Jonynas
Synopsis Vincentas is the best employee at the emergency services station, whose passion is one – gambling in different games. Whenever he lands in some difficult situation, the medic is forced to grab onto something radical to return the money he is constantly losing. An idea strikes Vincentas to create an illegal game related to his profession. Initially the employees at emergency services are the only ones to be attracted to this macabre engagement. Soon enough, however, the idea kicks off and starts spreading like wildfire. The medic colleagues become betting agents, whereas Vincentas takes control of its bank. As financial matters keep on improving, a coworker Ieva starts objecting to the game. A passionate relationship has just unfolded between her and Vincentas. Soon enough he is going to face making a fateful choice – the game or love. Director’s Statement My generation grew up in the Soviet system, graduated from Soviet schools, and was immersed in double standard thinking. And then suddenly everything changed. Liberated from the communist state, we found ourselves in the capitalist world of unrestrained freedom. Imposed collective egalitarianism was replaced with market economy rules, in which you get as much as you manage to earn for yourself. This is why I wanted to make a film about the moral dilemma that arises within the individual who was formed in the junction of different regimes. The main character of „The Gambler“, Vincentas, is that new hybrid person. He belongs to the two conflicting systems. His duality is best revealed in the critical situations which are experienced by the paramedic, who also happens to be an avid gambler. Balancing between death and life at work and trying to pay back his debts, he creates a game based on human life. Thus, the world-view of the post-Soviet conformist and the capitalist winner converge. This is an explosive mix for any moral system. Ignas Jonynas
Director Ignas Jonynas Screenplay Kristupas Sabolius, Ignas Jonynas Main cast Vytautas Kaniusonis, Oona Mekas, Romuald Lavrynovic, Valerijus Jevsejevas, Lukas Kersys
Production Company Co-prod. Country Genre Language Year Length
www.losejas.lt youtu.be/ViBIaviZ-tU
Studio Uljana Kim, Lithuania Latvia Drama Lithuanian 2013 109 min
Contact International Sales Wide Paris, France Loic Magneron +33 153950464 infos@widemanagement.com www.widemanagement.com in cooperation with and supported by
Lithuanian Film Centre Liana Ruokytė-Jonsson Vilnius, Lithuania +370 5 213 05 47 info@lkc.lt www.lkc.lt/en Festivals and Awards (Selection) • San Sebastian Film Festival – First feature competition • Warsaw Film Festival – International Competition; Special Jury Award • Tallinn Black Nights FF - Tridens Competition • Marrakesh Film Festival – Official competition • 25th Trieste Film Festival - Feature film competition • Santa Barbara International Film Festival - Official competition
THE KIDS FROM THE MARX AND ENGELS STREET Montenegro Directed by
Nikola Vukcevic
Sunday, November 9 at 3:30 pm Montenegro THE KIDS FROM Directed by Nikola Vukcevic THE MARX AND ENGELS STREET (Dječaci iz Ulice Marksa i Engelsa)
Synopsis A story about two brothers during one night: older brother Stanko (30) is going to kill a man for a first time, and his younger brother Vojo (16) is going to make love for the first time. Fifteen years ago, Stanko witnesses murder of his father and swears he‘ll have his revenge (in that moment, Stanko was a singer of a popular band, and his father was a famous basketball coach). Stanko had been shopped by his mother to the police for possessing a gun and was confronted by his father‘s murderer, an influential politician, with the choice of going to prison or the army... or leaving the country. Fifteen years later, Stanko is a successful musician in London and by chance he sees his father‘s murderer. Stanko remembers his unfulfilled pledge and decides to return to Montenegro. In Montenegro, Stanko finds that Vojo (16) has a few problems he can’t fix himself so Stanko tries to help him. That same night, Stanko and his father’s murderer finally meet. Will Stanko find his revenge? On the other side of town, will Vojo find his needs..? ...and what is the price of being filled with satisfaction? Director’s Statement I am confident that this feature project has several important elements that guarantee a strong film story: truth, belief and precise dramaturgy mathematics. Our movie is about personal history, as opposite side of collective history - as fact. Balkan people - knows a lot about those two histories: intimate and collective history. During the last twenty years the history has been relentlessly and violently unfolding on the Balkans: wars, revolutions, strikes, violent government changes, fight for survival, murders, criminal, corruption, twisted system of values. In the shadow of these events, on their margins, are the personal histories of young people: first kisses, emotional growth, first and true loves are thwarted (and hatred, intolerance, vengeance...), twisted by the circumstances in their surroundings. This film places at the centre stage young people whose personal histories have no alternative and whose hopes and desires are stronger than the circumstances that divide them. In the search for their goals - they will learn more than they hoped for. Vojo and Stanko will reveal more than they set out to know, with more than 20 other characters; as a metaphor of way of living in post-transition Montenegro (independent since 2006), as the youngest UN country. One of the film’s “characters” is the city of Podgorica itself. The capital of unknown country Montenegro (it was Former Yugoslavia, up to 2006) is undergoing transformation from old to new, from province to a capital, unsure of its own value but certain of its existence in its specificity, through its urban myths that have not yet been told cinematographically. This will, no doubt, be of interest to international audiences. Director Nikola Vukcevic Screenplay Nikola Vukcevic, Milica Piletic Main cast Momčilo Otašević, Goran Bogdan, Emir Hadžihafizbegović, Ana Sofrenovic, Branka Stanić
Co-prod. Countries Croatia, Serbia Balkan tragy-commedy Genre Language Montenegrin (Serbo-croat) 2014 Year Length 93 min
www.djecaci.me www.youtube.com/watch?v=bsK_aJot70M
Contact Production Company Galileo production Montenegro Montenegro Nikola Vukcevic +382 67258049 galileo01@t-com.me www.djecaci.com in cooperation with and supported by
Ministry of Culture of Montenegro Ilija Subotić Cetinje, Montenegro + 382 41 232 571 ilija.subotic@mku.gov.me www.mku.gov.me Festivals and Awards (Selection) • Herceg Novi - Montenegro Film Festival, August 2014: Best director, Best camera
Three Windows and a Hanging Kosovo* Directed by
Isa Qosja
Sunday, November 9 at 6:30 pm
Three Windows and a Hanging
Kosovo* Directed by Isa Qosja
(TRI DRITARE DHE NJË VARJE)
Synopsis A harrowing tale about a village forced to come to terms with the raping of women by Serb forces during the 1998-99 Kosovo, seeks to tackle a sensitive issue that has largely been kept out of the spotlight for over a decade. Director’s Statement Three Windows and a Hanging has a very tough theme. It was not easy to make a film about it. The characters are psychologically complex, always on the edge of certain emotions. I did not want to make a film that was hard to watch, but I still didn‘t want to avoid the drama and relations between the characters.
Contact International Sales EZ Films Paris, France Ray Meirovitz +33 671 792 026 +33 953 698 094 ray@ez-films.com www.ez-films.com in cooperation with and supported by
Kosova Cinematography Center Arben Zharku Prishtina, Kosovo* +381 38 213 228 info@qkk-rks.com www.qkk-rks.com Festivals and Awards (Selection) • Connecting Cottbus 2012 - Best Pitch Award • Cinelink Work in Progress, Sarajevo Film Festival 2013 Post Republic • Sarajevo Film Festival 2014 – Competition - Cineuropa AWARD • Durres International Film Festival Summer Fest 2014 Golden Gladiator/Best Film
Director Isa Qosja Screenplay Zymber Kelmendi Main cast Irena Cahani, Luan Jaha, Donat Qosja, Aurita Agushi, Leonora Mehmetaj
Production Company Co-prod. Country Genre Language Year Length
CMB, Kosovo* Germany Drama Albanian 2014 93 min
vimeo.com/user13914625/review/101957640/b7b649ff18
* This designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with UNSCR 1244 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of independence.
The Japanese Dog Romania Directed by
Tudor Cristian Jurgiu
Monday, November 10 at 7:00 pm
The Japanese Dog
Romania Directed by Tudor Cristian Jurgiu
(Câinele japonez)
Synopsis Elderly Costache Moldu has lost his wife and all his goods in a flood. The unexpected return of his son, Ticu, from Japan forces them to relearn how to communicate, to become a family again. Costache becomes a real grandfather to his 7 years old grandson, while Ticu straightens mistakes from the past.
in cooperation with and supported by
A delicate film about family reconciliation Director’s Statement From the very beginning I was taken by the simpleness and the ingenuity of Ioan Antoci’s script. I tried to keep this spirit when I did the film. The way in which I restructured the script, my choice of keeping a distance in the picture, the durations, the cuts we did in the editing process, all were aimed at a certain sobriety of the emotion – not wanting to avoid emotion, but trying to accumulate it behind the cold and rough faces and surfaces. Victor Rebengiuc understood this aproach perfectly and he succeded to give the film the exact nuances inbetween the limits of too harsh chill and too dramatic exacerbation. A very emotional contrast emerged from the combination of Rebengiuc’s input and the candour of the figure of the grandson (Toma Hashimoto).
Director Tudor Cristian Jurgiu Screenplay Ioan Antoci, Gabriel Gheorghe, Tudor Cristian Jurgiu Main cast Victor Rebengiuc, Şerban Pavlu, Laurenţiu Lazăr, Kana Hashimoto, Toma Hashimoto, Ioana Abur, Alexandrina Halic
Contact International Sales m-appeal world sales UG Berlin, Germany Aleksandra Abykova +49 30 61 50 75 05 sales@m-appeal.com www.m-appeal.com
Production Company Genre Language Year Length
www.cainelejaponez.ro/en www.youtube.com/watch?v=FC-fbU8uT2M
Libra Film Productions, Romania Drama Romanian 2013 90 min
Romanian Film Promotion Cristian Hordilă +40 733 735 952 hordila@tiff.ro www.romfilmpromotion.ro Festivals and Awards (Selection) • San Sebastian Film Festival, Spain, 2013 • Warsaw Film Festival, Poland 2013 • Mumbai International Film Festival, India 2013 • Thessaloniki International Film Festival, Greece, 2013 • Arras International Film Festival, France, November 2013 • Kerala International Film Festival, India, December 2014 • Bengaluru International Film Festival, India, December 2014 • SBIFF Santa Barbara International Film Festival, USA, January 2014 • New Directors New Films New York, Usa, March 2014 • Vilnius International Film Festival, Latvia, March 2014 • Cleveland International Film Festival, USA, March 2014 • Febiofest International Film Festival, Prague, Czech Republic, March 2014 • Istanbul International Film Festival, Turkey, April 2014 • Romanian Film Festival in Stokholm, Sweden, May 2014 • Seattle International Film Festival, USA, June 2014 • Shanghai International Film Festibal, China, June 2014 • Edinburgh International Film Festival, UK, June 2014 • Pula International Film Festival, Croatia, July 2014 • Five Lakes Film Festival, Germany, July 2014 • Chichester International Film Festival, UK, August 2014 • Haifa International Film Festival, Israel, October 2014
A Step Into the Dark Slovak Republic Directed by
Miloslav Luther
Monday, November 10 at 9:00 pm
A Step Into the Dark
Slovak Republic Directed by Miloslav Luther
(Krok do Tmy)
Synopsis A period drama about a young physician who was forced to carry out executions during the war. He is unable to come to grips with his past and later resists a promising career opportunity offered by the regime. He falls headlong into a passionate and erotic extramarital relationship. Is this physician a hero or a murderer? The troubled fates of our antiheroes from the early Communist period are stories of violence and resistance, weakness and courage, just like today Director’s Statement At the beginning of the fifties of the last century, where our story takes place, I have lived a happy childhood in an unhappy world. Today, I do not know which of my memories of the dark post-war time I really experienced, or just heard or read somewhere, or pieced together from various sources. I know however with certainty, that adults lives passing by me that time, where richer and more contradictory like their simple, black and white interpretations in history textbooks or media. Like today and always, every man is the architect of his own life, the „author“ of the bright and dark side of the conscience. Which is full of love, disappointment, happiness, suffering, kindness, cruelty, generosity, heroism, betrayal... The conscience is the only thing which accompanies us our whole life. Whether we want to or do not want.I believe that with our intense story, almost fictional, we’ll give the perceptive viewer a lot of what he is experiencing in his own life so he will finish watching this film in a deep emotion.
Director Miloslav Luther Screenplay Marian Puobis Main cast Marko Igonda, Monika Haasova, Kristyna Bokova, Miroslav Donutil
Production Company Genre Language Year Length
TRIGON Production s.r.o, Slovak Republic Drama, Romance Slovak 2014 120 min
www.trigon-production.sk vimeo.com/106669979
Contact International Sales Amadeus Entertainment Ltd London, United Kingdom Ivo Fiorenza ivo@amadeus-ent.com www.amadeus-ent.com in cooperation with and supported by
Slovak Film Institute Alexandra Strelková Bratislava, Slovak Republic +421 2 5710 1503 sfu@sfu.sk www.sfu.sk Festivals and Awards (Selection): • Montreal World Film Festival 2014 • Art Film Fest Trencianske Teplice 2014
Programme of the European Union
Creative Europe Support Programme for Europe’s Cultural and Creative Sectors 2014 - 2020 www.ec.europa.eu/culture/creative-europe
For AMPAS, HFPA, guild members and press RSVP: MediaplanRSVP@gmail.com For buyers RSVP: Screenings@efp-online.com European Film Promotion, Friedensallee 14-16, 22765 Hamburg, Germany info@efp-online.com www.efp-online.com watch trailers here
In cooperation with
Bulgarian National Film Center, Croatian Audiovisual Centre, Czech Film Center, Danish Film Institute, Estonian Film Institute, EYE International (The Netherlands), Film Center Serbia, Film Fund Luxembourg, Finnish Film Foundation, German Films, Greek Film Centre, Icelandic Film Centre, ICAA (Spain), Istituto Luce CinecittĂ (Italy), Kosova Cinematography Center, Lithuanian Film Centre, Macedonian Film Agency, Ministry of Culture of Montenegro, Norwegian Film Institute, Polish Film Institute, Romanian Film Promotion, Slovak Film Institute with the support of the EU MEDIA Programme (2007-2013)
EFP is financially supported by