DEDICATED TO THE BUSINESS OF FILM
FILM: THE MAGAZINE /MAY 2016
WELCOME TO THE INTERNATIONAL FILMMAKER FESTIVAL OF WORLD CINEMA NICE 2016.
FILM: THE MAGAZINE /NICE/MAY 2016
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FILM: THE MAGAZINE /NICE/MAY 2016
WELCOME TO THE INTERNATIONAL FILMMAKER FESTIVAL OF WORLD CINEMA NICE 2016. Dear Filmmaker, Firstly, sincere congratulations to all filmmakers and scriptwriters who entered their latest project into our Nice Festival! It’s hard to believe but, this is the 10th year of my Festival Group, celebrating films from around the world, great independent films, supported by a dream of mine from many years ago and to create a magazine to run alongside the Festival. And of course, we now have Film the Magazine also supporting filmmakers at all of the festivals and beyond which in-itself has become a runaway success! With the Magazine and the film and scripts working together we are proud that globally we are giving awareness to some incredible Independent movies. So once again we are delighted to be here in Nice, what a great place to do business and make great contacts whether old or new and on that note, we are honoured and fortuitous as a Festival group to have the support of industry professionals, Neil McEwan, Ray Davies, Paul Eyres and Brad Blaine who have been such strong supporters of our Festivals. With new friends that I hope will further support your films over the years, we are also pleased to announce that Shaun Emery and Darren Vickery from Entertainment Vision Sound Insurance Brokers Ltd will also be joining us in Nice to offer expert advice on insurance for your film or television project. Also, please remember the professional network that Paul and Ray host, this is where you can receive first class advice outside of our Festival week, direct to Paul and Ray. This is an unrivalled opportunity to have answers to your questions from skilled professionals. Carl Tooney Publisher publishing@filmthemagazine.com Steve Grossmith Director of Marketing and Editor steve@filmthemagazine.com Shems Ghali Contributing Assistant Editor info@filmthemagazine.com Stephen Mina Graphic Designer/Illustrator stephen@filmthemagazine.com Dan Hickford Sponsorship & Marketing dan@filmfestinternational.com
My team are on hand to be of service whilst you are with us and I hope you enjoy your time and possibly join us in my other Festivals, in Madrid, Berlin, Milan and London. Good Luck! Carl Tooney President Nice International Film Festival
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Writer/Director/Producer: Bulent Gunduz BULENT GUNDUZ, the Filmmaker behind Kurdistan-Kurdistan, gives FTM a fascinating account of the story and background to his latest film that is in competition.
SYNOPSIS Set during the1990’s at a time when the Kurdish language was banned in Turkey, Kurdistan-Kurdistan tells the story of Delil Dilanar, a famous Kurdish singer, who had to flee his Kurdish village in Turkey (Northern Kurdistan) to escape from persecution simply because he had sung Kurdish songs at a wedding. Twenty years later, at his concert in New York City, he announces that he has decided to return to his home country. When Delil finally returns to his birthplace, his family and hundreds of his fans welcome him and despite the overwhelming joy of being united with those that he left behind, he cannot escape the feeling of loneliness and alienation. During his twenty years of exile, Delil’s beloved grandmother had passed away, his nieces and nephews who were only a few years old when he fled have grown into their twenties, whilst at the same time he was meeting others for the very first time. Delil overcomes his unexpected feeling of alienation when his family surprises him by inviting his music master, Egîdê Cimo, from Yerevan, Armenia to join them. After his arrival in the Serhat, which is Delil’s birthplace and a region in Kurdistan, Master Cimo then passes on his secret to his successor, Delil. During a stroll in Serhat Region’s plateaus, meadows and rivers which have always been a source of inspiration for Dengbejs (in Kurdish tradition this is those who have
After Master Cimo shares his secret, Delil begins to celebrate by sharing his beautiful songs, those songs that have always intertwined the reality of his country, Kurdistan and Kurdish people’s struggles, lost childhood, forced migration, and the longing for freedom. Kurdistan Kurdistan - On the film and the “cinema of reality”. In this film, the actors or rather the real characters play themselves and thus embody themselves. The radio used during filming is the same one that uncle Delil used in the 1990’s to listen to Radio Yerevan. In fact, everything was done so as to give the appearance of reality to the film. The twenty years that a mother spent waiting for the return of her child needed to be emphasized as was an incredible scene in which the mother gives her son a bath when he is forty, as if with the cleaning and the washing she wanted to free herself of the weight of those twenty years of waiting. This bath will give him a “balm” to the heart, to the point that after the shooting she would not know how to thank us. When we are talking about the “Dengbej” the area that comes to mind is the Serhat, the Kurdistan region encompassing Bingol, Mus, Erzurum, Van and Agri. We will never forget those long winter evenings spent listening to all of those Kurdish stories wondering what comes next: “Is it that the hero will survive, he will find his way or has he found his beloved”? So many issues for which we would eagerly await answers.
As you can imagine these stories had so much more influence on us than the TV series of today. They told us so much more in a literary and artistic way. Unfortunately, although this influence is very strong, it could not prevent the arrival and growth of television that has managed to penetrate every village and so influence our culture. The story we tell here is not intended to be based entirely on “Dengbej”, it aims to show how after more than twenty years of exile a Kurdish artist can and will rediscover his sense of belonging to the homeland that is deeply rooted in all of us; it is part of our consciousness. Thus one can explain how Delil returning to his native village and meeting his mentor there - Egide Cimo managed to overcome the isolation in which he was plunged during his exile. Nothing was the same again in this village; it is only the presence of his teacher that will allow this “Dengbej” to revive the culture that he had missed so much. Of course, it was inevitable that this films multi-faceted cultural story would eventually find a political reference, since our main character simply considers all suffered pain, exile and repression are only the result of one single thing: being a people without a state.
Run Time 98 Mins
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IMAGES FEATURED ON THIS PAGE WERE TAKEN DURING THE PRODUCTION OF THE KURDISTAN-KURDISTAN.
KURDISTAN KURDISTAN
mastered a rich and complex musical style of Dengbej in which the vocalist enacts multiple roles: a storyteller, musician, historian and linguist simultaneously). Master Cimo tells Delil that this will be his last trip to Serhat Region and that he wants to pursue the sound of a legendary voice with Delil, which he had last heard seventy years ago by Evdalê Zeynikê, one of the greatest masters of Dengbej.
Director: Pavan Kaul Producer: Kaveeta Oberoi Kaul
From its first screening in the Del Oro Theatre, California last May The Answer has been nominated for a plethora of awards including ‘Rising Star Award’ at the 2016 Canada International Film Festival and being nominated for ‘Best Feature Film’ at the Independent Days Film Festival in Germany. This Indian film transforms a true story into a captivating journey, using both debut and experienced actors, including BAFTA nominee Victor Banerjee, to tell the tale of Donald J. Walters, a disciple of a yoga master on a voyage for spiritual truth. The location of the action progresses from the character’s hometown in Romania to America where the story unfolds and Paramhansa Yogananda is introduced, the yoga guru who guides the disciple through his spiritual journey. Set in the mid 20th century Walters’ hunt for ‘the answer’ reinforces the message that one should never give up. Director of the film Pavan Kaul was no stranger to the film industry growing up, his father was a writer/director and his uncle was famous Hindi actor Raaj Kumar. As an 11 year old Kaul was a huge fan of comic books, he would visualise scenes that he was reading and let them fixate his imagination, soon realising that he was spending more time framing the scene in his mind and losing focus on the story in front of him; this was a defining moment for Pavan, his ability to reproduce events was a key factor in his wish to become a director. Clearly a creative individual, Kaul went on to study the arts at university in Mumbai, before securing his first job as an assistant director, working his way up to create adverts and TV serials, which would go on to win RAPA awards for ‘Best Serial’ and ‘Best Thriller’. Alongside this he has also directed a New York Times ‘Critics Pick’ with his 2003 film ‘Ssshhhh’ and has developed a keen following in the build up to ‘The Answer’. However the path to success was not smooth for Pavan, his family didn’t support his initial ventures into filmmaking and instead pushed him to pursue a safer career in music; this was until his father changed his mind and told Pavan to do whatever job would make him happiest, leading him into his first assistant director’s job. Pavan tells us he ‘never saw [himself] as anything else but a film maker’ and despite often getting de-motivated, due to lack of opportunities when he was getting started, has no regrets about choosing a career path he has such a passion for. In this interview we spoke to Pavan along-side the producer Kaveeta Oberoi Kaul, to get the lowdown on The Answer and to find out what it was like to create this film.
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Pavan: At the start of pre production for the film there was already a director in place, she began to lose confidence and eventually resigned, then Kaveeta proposed me to the writer Swami Kriyananda . Once I’d met him it was a life-changing meeting, I’d never met a person like him it was amazing- from then on there was never a question of ever turning back. There was no consideration of money; I just took on the project because I connected with Swami in such a tremendous manner, which had never happened to me before. In short I was just transformed by the experience of meeting him.
THE IMAGES ON THIS PAGE ARE STILLS FROM THE FILM “THE ANSWER”.
THE ANSWER
HOW DID YOU BECOME INVOLVED IN THIS STORY?
Kaveeta: The scriptwriter (Swami Kriyananda) showed me the script a few years ago and I thought that this was a film that needed to be made; I felt that this was a message and voice that needed to be heard. I was very influenced by his way of life and his teachings and his books. I was very happy that he gave me the film to produce and he wanted only me to do it, I felt blessed. It was a difficult project to handle but I think at the end of everything there was always a rainbow, which is shown in the film. When I became producer Swami asked me to bring in another director so I suggested Pavan and introduced them to each other. It was very important that Swami felt comfortable with the director, but he told me that I trust you and whoever you bring to me will be the person for the film and Pavan has done a great job. I think he has grown through the making of this film, I think all of us who were selected for this film were called upon as we needed to grow within ourselves.
HOW REWARDING WAS THIS PROJECT? Pavan: This film has changed me; I’ve only ever worked in India in my own country. In India of course the director and producer and HOD’s are treated with a lot more respect than they are in the west- you have to prove yourself to them each day. The main life changing experience for me on The Answer was the fact I was making the film for this man. The whole thing changed me in a way I know that I will never be the same man again. The kind of compassion I have realised in myself, it was always there I supposed but we always discover things as we mature and as we grow up. I will bring in these other values such as love, compassion into films; I’ve been transformed more as a person. It’s on a philosophical level that I have seen my maximum change and growth because of making The Answer.
Kaveeta: It was very rewarding in a lot of ways because it doesn’t just become a journey of making a film it becomes a journey into your inner self, you kind of extend your boundaries, explore your boundaries and you get to know yourself better- especially in ways that you are challenged. Being an Indian producer and to be shooting all over the world with a foreign crew is no mean task, it was very difficult but it was a formidable job.
I was completely the “gopher” on the set and I was there every single the day; I followed the movie completely from pre production, during the shooting to post production. No job is too menial or too small, I saw to it that I left no stone unturned in contributing, not just as a producer but as a crew member. It’s a very rewarding experience but a very personal project. For me this was not just a film that I was making, it was my mission – It became something that I felt I was interested to do by the higher forces, I had to give it my best.
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HOW PUNISHING IS THE CASTING PROCESS AND HOW DO YOU SPOT THAT ‘SPARK’? Pavan: First of all I’d say that everyone is different, when I’m casting I prefer not to give a brief to the actor as long as he has got the sides and has been told what the scene is. But he can perform anything from his past experience or read anything that he likes because I have more interest in what he has to offer me; this is when they can show you what their true nature is and where their heart lies. Then I decide if that fits into the character that I am fitting him for or if he could fit into other parts, sometimes I can tell before the person has even opened their mouth, by how they walk and by their body language - sometimes you can just look at them and know that they are right. That’s how we got Leonidas Gulaptis, we called him back two or three times just because we wanted to be sure as it was a big responsibility to cast a central part with a total newcomer. Sometimes of course you can be wrong, in the case of the mother Miriam Harris, I felt that she was very pretty and she performed well but she was too young and the other actress who we had narrowed down on backed off at the last minute so we settled for Miriam, I was apprehensive about if she would look old enough but she pulled it off very well, everyone was very happy with her performance.
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WHAT WAS THE MOST POSITIVE THING YOU’VE TAKEN FROM THIS FILM? Kaveeta: Not a single person in the casting has been done without my approval; we cast for every role small or big. We were very keen on getting everybody right, it was difficult but at the end of it I wouldn’t change a single person, I think that if your cast is good then half your battle is won. Personally the most important casting was for Leonidas Gulaptis and Victor Banerjee who played Paramhansa Yogananda. Victors casting was so magical because he’s an international star, I didn’t know that he was going to be interested in a film like ours but I just wrote to him out of the blue as I could see him perfectly for Victor. I expected to get no response but within 12 hours I got a reply saying he’d be happy to be in the film and would love to play Paramhansa. In various times in the movie we put pictures of Paramhansa behind Victor and nobody flinched, nobody said this man can’t be Paramhansa. I would think that Victor made a great Paramhansa; this is going to be his role of a lifetime - he will be remembered for ages for this role that he has portrayed.
Pavan: This is a difficult question for me, I’m still nervous when I go to the set every morning. Despite all these anxieties that you take to the set everyday or take home with you, filmmaking is such a joy to me and every project that I have ever done I have enjoyed thoroughly. I was blessed to have worked with Victor Banerjee, a BAFTA nominated actor. He was such an obedient actor and never questioned anything that I told him to do. In the first place, as a director I’m not the person who is heavy handed I don’t like to tell everybody exactly what to do, as I like to see what they have to offer and then guide them but I never had any difficulties with him. However the most positive part of this project was the transformation experience that I had with the material that I was dealing with in The Answer; I mean it has enriched my life and has brought me further onto the spiritual path. Kaveeta: This film has touched the core of every professional working in the film; some people didn’t take money, some people cried, it was such a moving experience. Everybody felt that this film was something beyond a business deal or a job- this was Gods pulling. That is the amazing part of the journey of this film; it has changed so many lives, its magical really.
WERE THERE ANY PROBLEMS WHILST CREATING THIS FILM? Pavan: I don’t believe that any film is made without having its share of problems and troubles; filmmaking is not an easy task because it’s a collaborating art. You’re handling so many different personalities and so many different people who have their own baggage so directing is not just about being a creative person it’s about managing people and drawing the best out of them. Trouble just happens but it’s often no one’s fault. Budget is also always an issue; money is never enough especially in filmmaking. HOW MUCH OF WHAT YOU SAW FROM THE SCRIPT IS HOW YOU IMAGINED IT TO BE? Kaveeta: Almost 100 percent, sometimes these things are very intuitive. When I got the script three years ago for the first time, the moment I read it a certain vision passed in front of my eyes. When we finally began making the film whatever we couldn’t achieve in shooting we achieved in post-production, it had to convey the story of a saint yet not be too pretentious. I set aside quite a large amount of budget for the postproduction because I anticipated that we might be needing it for this film for things such as special effects. I think the end result has been more than satisfying. WHAT DO YOU THINK AUDIENCES ARE LOOKING FOR IN A FILM?
OVERALL WHAT WOULD YOU SAY IS CHALLENGING ABOUT YOUR ROLE?
Pavan: I think they are looking for a good story, by story I don’t mean literally but filmmaking story-telling, you read a book, you watch a movie, watch television, whatever you do you’re looking at a story. Basically a sharing of an experience so I think that’s what they are looking for, a good story always works. Not everything is about the script, there are times when a script is just a starting point but the whole experience of a film can be amazing.
Pavan: I am the person who prefers to go with the flow and improvise, to work on instinct and be open to so many wonderful things that may happen at the last minute; I don’t shut myself off with one vision of how it’s going to be because that’s limiting yourself. If you’re not ready to think on your feet and improvise as a filmmaker you’re going to suffer.
HAS IT CHANGED THE WAY YOU’D APPROACH FILMS NOW? Kaveeta: Absolutely, I would think that you realise for one that you think you’re in control but you’re not. When you are in control or you think you’re in control you handle things differently, but when you think that you’re just a willing tool of something greater and larger than yourself I think your whole perspective towards things changes, it eases things out a lot. I think anything in life that we do with this perspective brings in the other element, which we cannot see, which is the element that eases the whole situation and puts it in perspective. I really want to make meaningful films now, to do something that touches the heart and souls of people, that leaves an imprint behind in the universe that even if you only change one person’s life it’s worth it, that’s how I want to see my life from now on.
Kaveeta: Initially it would be to get the finance, because obviously financing is never an easy job. At various stages you come across many challenges, or you may meet a crew that is likeminded and shares your passion, shares your vision. Then of course is to get a proper distribution of marketing and recognition, very little recognition is given to the producer. The other thing would be exhibitions; I really think films of our kind need better exhibitions. We have made this film for the big screen for example in the last scene every book title has been created digitally; it was a lot of work. I would be very disappointed if I am not able to get the kind of release that I imagined we would!
www.movietheanswer.com Run Time 108 Mins FILM: THE MAGAZINE /NICE/MAY 2016
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Director/Editor: Felice Leeds
Felice Leeds began work on Unforgotten, The Story of Paul Pender thinking the movie was going to be about a boxer known for his brain as much as his mitts, overcoming broken hands to become World Middleweight Champion. While investigating Paul’s heroic journey, Leeds discovered something unexpected about Paul; something very relevant to young athletes today.
On a break while interviewing his family, Leeds found out that Paul had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s before he died. Paul’s wife, Rose, had donated his brain to medical research, asking that his identity be kept anonymous. Rose agreed to let Leeds interview Dr. Ann McKee, who performed the brain study.
SPIRIT OF THE BULL Written, Produced & Directed By Edwin E. Brochin
Spirit of the Bull is an important film for the country of Mexico and for all Spanish Fighting Bull enthusiasts. If people will spend so much time and money watching them being fought in arenas or running with them in the streets of Pamplona Spain, They will surely flock to Bull Mountain In the state of Nuevo Leon Mexico to see them in all their majesty. They have become the Aurochs of their ancestry! The Spirit Of the Bull Feature film came to life while I was on assignment in the heart of Mexico’s Interior conducting a wildlife survey at the “El Cerrito” Ranch. I was commissioned by one of the owners to visit the ranch to give an evaluation of the herd numbers and health status of its native whitetail deer species. This is a typical service I provide for many clients throughout Indiana, Texas and Mexico so I was expecting just another day at the office. However, all along my client had been harbouring a secret and only to be discovered once I had arrived at the ranch. The owners chanced that once they had me physically on their ranch the story and legend of “El Toron” would rattle the very core of my creative intuition, and they were right!
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Talking with Leeds afterwards, Rose realized that Paul Pender’s story had the potential to create positive change for athletes who would follow in his footsteps. She agreed to have Paul’s full story be told.
unforgotten@coolearthproductions.com Run Time 63 Mins
IMAGES TAKEN FROM THE DOCUMENTARY: “UNFORGOTTEN: THE STORY OF PAUL PENDER”.
THE STORY OF PAUL PENDER
Unforgotten weaves Paul’s life story with the nostalgia and controversy of the Golden Era of US boxing in the 1940’s and 1950’s. The story is told by fellow boxers who knew him, incorporating archival footage, family photographs, and stories from sports writers and historians. The result is a portrait of a boxer and his times that will have a lasting impact on generations of athletes to come.
What had unfolded over the next excruciating 3 years of production was an amazing story of the Spanish Fighting Bull’s triumphant return to the wild. This coupled with the history of the Spanish Civil war and mining operations that had taken place at the El Cerrito Ranch since its acquisition were the key elements that once refined have become cast into pure cinematic gold.
www.eddiebrochinproductions.com Run Time 70 Mins
THIS SECTION FEAURES STILLS TAKEN FROM THE FILM “SPIRIT OF THE BULL”.
UNFORGOTTEN:
What came out of that interview was a revelation. On camera, Dr. McKee reveals that Paul did not have Alzheimer’s at all. In fact, Pender suffered from a case of CTE so severe that she continues to use Paul’s brain study as the “Index Case” for the disease. Dr. McKee is one of the leading authorities on the disease. She has performed hundreds of studies, been published numerous times, and testified to Congress about the dangers of contact sports on the developing brain.
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OTA BENGA Director: Niyi Coker Jr. & Jean Bodon Producer: Jean Bodon
In their eyes, here was Darwin’s theory of evolution in substance. A hundred years after this event, we can look back now and ponder how it came to be that in the United States a human being was actually housed with primates. Several argued then, as some would today that such an action has nothing to do with race.
www.otabengathedocumentaryfilm.com Run Time 55 Mins
THIS SECTION FEAURES IMAGES TAKEN FROM THE FILM “OTA BENGA”.
In 1904 a man was removed from Africa and brought to the Saint Louis Missouri for display at the Worlds Fair as evidence of an inferior species. At the end of the Worlds Fair he ended up at the New York City Bronx zoo housed with primates and displayed again with Monkeys as the “missing link” between human and apes.
BIRTHDAY Director: Alex McCall
A supernatural thriller about an insomniac young woman who wants to stop frightening nightmares recurring every birthday.
It celebrates the enduring, classic chillers from old, and harnesses Freudian concepts – conscious and unconscious knowledge - and applies this to both the audience’s journey and the heroine’s. The story is steeped in symbolism, from childhood fears of the dark, adult fears of insanity and loneliness and male emotions about birth, with links to mysterious hieroglyphs and demonic figures from the ancient Egyptian ‘Book of the Dead’ ALEX McCALL - Biography In his twenty-five years’ experience with the BBC and subsequently as an independent producer/director, Alex has either directed, produced (or both) over ninety films for the UK network on BBC1 and ITV – with many distributed throughout the United States and Europe. He has also worked independently for high-profile corporate
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clients. Nominated for 2 BAFTA Awards, Alex’s extensive experience also includes music and arts television series such as The South Bank Show – Dame Britain (“Hardly puts a frame wrong” – Daily Telegraph) Liza Minnelli at the Royal Albert Hall for Carlton Television and Edward and Mrs Simpson: Going, Going, Gone for Allied Stars and BBC1, Searching for Amy and Test Tube Dads (Inside Story, BBC1 1998, A&E USA). Other corporate and broadcast productions include Putting on the Ritz for Allied Stars, The Biggest Wheel in the World about the British Airways London Eye for BBC2, The Harrods Story and Children of the Sewers for the ITV Network. He has recently completed the feature film version of ‘The Boy David’. In 2007 was co-producer/sequences Director on “Seeking Klimt” for the
BBC’s “Imagine” series with Alan Yentob (the story of a 90-year-old lady’s legal battle through the US Supreme Court against the Republic of Austria for the return of six Gustav Klimt paintings stolen by the Nazis during WW2). This story has since been re-told as a Feature Film ‘Woman in Gold’. Alex has experience of film and video production in many war zones throughout the world, with street children and young adults in South America, in hospitals and institutions in the UK and abroad such as orphanages and mental health establishments where sensitivity is paramount and on the production of video productions and quarterly management reports for high profile clients such as Harrods, P&O and British Airways. Run Time 85 Mins
THIS SECTION FEAURES STILLS TAKEN FROM THE FILM “BIRTHDAY”.
‘Birthday’ is a film about twisted motherly love from beyond the grave.
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THOMAS CHAPIN NIGHT BIRD SONG Director/Producer/Writer/Editor Stephanie J. Castillo Co-Producer/Co-Writer Noel “Sonny” Izon
The title of the film speaks to its subject ---a little known jazz great who had a meteoric rise in New York City and Europe in the 80’s and 90’s but was struck down in 1998 after a year-long battle with leukaemia. Thomas Chapin left too soon at the age of just 40. The essence of this film is to bring him and his powerful music to light, before time itself erodes his indelible mark on music and jazz. NIGHT BIRD SONG alludes to the poetic nature of Thomas’s sound and the filmmakers’ attempt to capture that essence in the telling of this story. EMMY Award-winning filmmaker Stephanie J. Castillo chose the title for several important reasons. For those who knew Thomas’s music, NIGHT BIRD SONG, composed with his bassist and collaborator Mario Pavone, is the seminal piece that mesmerized an audience of thousands at the 1995 Newport Jazz Festival. It was there that the Thomas Chapin Trio was introduced on that stage for the first (and tragically, only) time. And it was there that the trio electrified the crowd transporting them on a magical journey where time stopped and the air was perfumed with the sweetness of a nightingale’s song.
The song also reminded Castillo of a tale Chapin told of being on a midnight walk and hearing a bird singing. He stood there for a half an hour under a lamp post and just listened ---the bird improvising its tune, never repeating itself, creating fresh patterns of song that night. Chapin, says Castillo, was to her that night bird — making music at night in clubs and from small black boxes to huge venues, and yes, never repeating himself as he created, explored and continually expanded the boundaries of his music making. As for the film’s subtitle, “The Incandescent Life of a Jazz Great,” Castillo and Izon struggled to come up with the perfect words for this as well. Slowly the words revealed themselves. Izon felt incandescent was the fitting word to express Chapin’s essence --- his luminous spirituality, his kind and gentle effect on others, his lightness of being.
In recent screenings for the press, VIPS, supporters and the public — both fans and those new to Thomas Chapin, the title of the film and the subtitle rang true. Comments and reactions by those who have viewed it pronounce the film as: “inspiring”...”a masterpiece”...”a coup and tour de force”... “a must see.” And words like “masterful”, “beautiful” and “breathtaking” were an affirmation for the filmmakers’ four-year journey to create their film. Perhaps, Thomas Chapin’s and the film’s raison d’etre is best expressed with a quote from Walter Pater, the British essayist: To burn always with this hard gem-like flame, to maintain this ecstasy, this is success in life. By this standard, Chapin was a success many times over. Though his life was cut short, he packed so much into his four decades of existence that even now new material is still being produced and young generations of musicians are discovering him. The filmmakers hope that this film will bring Thomas Chapin’s incandescence and ecstasy to generations of new audiences around the world for many years to come.
www.thomaschapinflm.com Run Time 150 Mins
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ALL PHOTOGRAPHS ARE PROVIDED COURTESY OF AKASHA, INC., THOMAS CHAPIN’S LEGACY NONPROFIT.
Filmmakers Castillo and Izon devoted much time to choosing a title for their 6th film collaboration. They intuitively knew that if they chose well, the title would provide them with a north star in their filmic journey. It would lead them to their destination. It was a wise gamble.
Screenplay written
by Colin Stewart based on the novel
“Power Play” by F. Ethan Repp.
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A bright spot in a troubled world!
a TOM UHL film
ZYDECO BREAKFAST
Ota Benga
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a Screenplay By Alan Redpath
THE KEYS Composed & Co-Directed by Joe Hoster
Five years ago a young man met an exballerina during the last month of his North American adventure. Little did he know, it was the start of a love story, which would change him, forever. Unfortunately, this romance was short lived as they both traveled back to their homes, 10,000 miles apart. As he mourned, he felt the depths of his soul darkening beyond recovery. He felt as though he had lost a part of himself forever. What was he to do with his life now? Oliver Goldsmith says: “Our greatest glory consists not in never falling, but in rising every-time we fall” Despite this, he wasn’t alone. His family and friends gave him the strength to carry on, and look forward. They became a pillar on which he could lean. Only one more thing made him feel better; made not of blood and bones, but wood and strings; The piano - when he played, he felt uplifted, his heart beating a little faster, tears running down his cheeks. He felt alive. Instrumental to his recovery, the piano became a companion. He bought one score, actually two, started to play the first but never touched the second. Interpreting was not what he liked. He wanted to create beauty out of thin air & imagination. He realized he was destined to be a composer. Joe Hoster was born. Thomas Jefferson says: “Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom” Dear young lady,
FEATURING IMAGES FROM THE FILM “THE KEYS/LAS CLAVES”.
An open letter to share my sincere gratefulness. The instant I met you, you changed the course of my life. We bonded, We made love, we laughed, we argued, we cried, we fell out. It wasn’t easy, but it was worth it. You brought music to a whole different level. Unleashing something I had always felt, but never found. A gift that today I feel must be shared. Albert Einstein says: “Your imagination is your preview of life’s coming attractions” I am here today to thank you; Thank you for opening up a heart which had been closed for too long. Thank you for giving me the impulse which today allows me to see what I’m aiming for. Thank you for the present. We fell & grew apart, although you helped me grow; but wait, what is it we call a Muse?
Many questions remain unanswered, but one thing’s for sure, this piece is inspired by our story.
Once he graduated, then two years full of enriching experiences in the finance industry built his confidence.
With love, Joe Hoster 19th of January 2015
Thereafter, he simply listened to his heart and embraced a new challenge. A telling choice.
BIOGRAPHY The Helvets’ serenity, a Phoenician nose, Germanic rigor, the ardor of Vikings coupled with Armenian dexterity. This is Joe Hoster’s background. First came the business studies, a bumpy ride, to say the least. The climax? His journey to Montreal, which triggered something special. What? A beautiful love story prematurely ended upon his return. And? This is when the piano struck back, after 10 years silenced. It quickly became his favorite tool to express those strong emotions, which some nights overwhelmed him.
“Today I compose, I write, I perform, I stage, I absorb the richness which surrounds us to create . What’s greater than living one’s dreams without an ounce of regret!” Beautiful musical stories, touching human encounters as well as a heartfelt sincerity, await. press@joehoster.com Run Time 10 Mins FILM: THE MAGAZINE /NICE/MAY 2016
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Here, Shomshuklla, the talented Filmmaker behind “Tiktok Tiktok” tells FTM how she came to make her latest film.
Tiktok Tiktok is a psychological, surreal, erotic film. When I wrote the script, I was clear that the story would be told in a manner that is very different from how erotic cinema is visualized. The film is about a restaurateur and a journalist who meet for an interview and the romance that brews. I chose to create visuals and storytelling unique to my style, which is quite abstract and grips the audience’s attention.
Tiktok Tiktok was a great journey because of my team and actors – Uditvanu Das, Mia Maelzar and Sohini Mukherjee Roy. All of them have been collaborating with me since the days of my theatre group Kali Theatre. It was great to be able to complete the film in the way I dreamt it. This is my first English language feature film, and so after three films, holds a very special place for me.
www.stagelines.blogspot.com Run Time 73 Mins
POWER PLAY
Introducing the screenplay Power Play nominated at the Nice International Film Maker Festival for Best Unproduced Script. A cancerous political suspense cocktail, based upon deceit, revenge and envy. Our young, handsome mayoral aspirant, Collier Winthrop, is recruited by a crusty old political boss, Al Caso, to upset the statusquo. He soon is faced with opposition from within and without. 1970’s. Before, House of Cards, there was Power Play. Screenplay written by Colin Stewart, based on the novel, “Power Play” by F. Ethan Repp. “I wrote the book Power Play in 1978, following a failed run for the US Congress at the age of 33. Full of remaining adrenalin and loss of all consuming activity, I spent the next 4 months writing. Once finished I really didn’t know what to do with it. The popular Mayor of NYC, John Lindsay, a good friend, passed it around to a few publishers, who were complimentary but passed. The work needed editing. I put the typed book away forever. Two years ago, I told my grandson about the book.
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FILM: THE MAGAZINE /NICE/MAY 2016
He wanted to read it. (Pause) The manuscript was buried somewhere in the garage and I didn’t really know what shape it was in anyway. I rescued the work and began to read. I had forgotten the story but realized, hey this is good stuff. It is real. First Edition Design publishing immediately wanted to publish and claimed that they could scan the typewritten work to Word. We published in 2014, 36 years after being written. Amazon has 12 million books. It is impossible to get noticed. I decided to turn the work into a screenplay. Through the Internet I found a screenwriter anxious to transform my book into the desired format, about 6 months ago. Today it is nominated at the Nice International Film Festival. Young handsome, charming, ollier Winthrop, heir to Winthrop Manufacturing is enticed by a crusty old political boss, Al Caso to run for Mayor of the City. The scheme is to utilize the reputation of a prominent family to split the opposition party vote majority. But there is a threat of losing some of his own party base through the disappointment of not being anointed themselves. Caso is running a risk and it could be his head if he is not successful. In this story, they talk, up front and personal”. - F. Ethan Repp.
THIS SECTION FEATURES PHOTOGRAPHY FROM THE FILM “TIKTOK TIKTOK”.
Filmmaker: Shomshuklla
FEATURING A PHOTOGRAPH OF ”F. ETHAN REPP”.
TIKTOK TIKTOK
The use of the clock, as a symbol to show the ebb and flow of time is an important character in the film. Props, which I use to enhance my stories, are also used in a very interesting manner not simply aiding the actors but becoming integral by themselves. Poetry too finds a place within the threads of the story as the romance unravels.
THE FILM INDUSTRY NETWORK IS PROUD TO BE PART OF ‘THE INTERNATIONAL FILMMAKER FESTIVAL OF WORLD CINEMA NICE 2016.’ NICE INTERNATIONAL FILMMAKER FESTIVAL, May 2016 - Sees the French launch of The Film Industry Network (TFIN) with membership and advisory services to film makers who wish to seek film advice with regards to film structure, production set up, finance, world sales and distribution. Co-founded by Ray Davies and partner Paul Eyres along with a group of advisors from various areas of film and television expertise, TFIN continues to provide a unique support service that is currently non-existent outside a handful of exclusive producer representatives worldwide.
COPYRIGHT 2015 - CRAIG CONNOLLY - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. (BACKGROUND IMAGE) TAKEN FROM THE PRODUCTION OF “COLD READER”.
“IT’S NOT WHAT YOU KNOW – IT’S WHO YOU KNOW THAT MATTERS” TFIN exists because we have a strong proven working knowledge of this intricate and complicated industry - ‘we know how it works’ and ‘we know how to work it to help clients succeed’ - says Ray Davies of TFIN. TFIN are extremely proud to have available to members access to an extensive list of additional dedicated services and resources essential to satisfy the various and often complicated steps required for any project to reach fruition. These in-house services and ‘Go-To’ relationships built by our team over many decades complete the necessary stages of process and development ordinarily outside the scope of knowledge and certainly beyond normal access of anyone without extensive experience and contacts. We have extensive in-house skills and experience and solid ‘Go-To’ associate agreements in place with leading global resources specifically to ensure we cover every base with total confidence to help members achieve whatever the requirement. Our members can contact us at any stage of a project regarding all or any of ‘the next steps’ as we can advise and support you at every level so you know what to expect and ensure you are fully briefed and covered. Membership costs just $149 annually and can be tailored to bespoke need providing privileged access to film industry mentors with the knowledge, experience (and industry connections) to guide you from the pitfalls and costly mistakes that can spoil or terminally damage what could have been the greatest opportunity.
‘TFIN’ 2016 AND BEYOND! TFIN are looking to open new doors to support client’s needs and in 2016 we will expand on the team, bringing our next service into play. To expand connection further we are looking to appoint relationship managers in Europe and North America rolling out strategies to support TFIN Social networking, Film making, Producers, Directors, Script Writers, Entrepreneurs with new and exciting distribution market strategies. Our fabulous relationship with ‘FFI’ has taken a new step and we would welcome contact from servicing, commercial finance or insurance groups with interest in supporting the next generation of talent in film making. We want to thank everyone that made us feel part of their journey, ‘YES’ we give advice but for us knowledge shared is a huge part of what makes ‘TFIN’ a success. It was not developed to gather aimless members, it was specifically created to drive careers! ‘TFIN’ BREAKING BARRIERS! Take advantage of the 15 minute pitch in ‘The Producers Lounge!’ Finished Product or In Development? Let TFIN FFI’s client liaison team know your needs and reserve a place! This could be the pitch that changes your career path! ‘TFIN’ HELPS YOU TO HELP PROJECTS YOU HAVE AN INTEREST IN, WANT TO KNOW MORE? We believe that paying forward is worth rewarding, refer two friends to TFIN that can really benefit from our support and get your / renewal membership absolutely FREE, complete with access to our showcase to distributors.
“I’m extremely proud to continue this unique service at Nice 2016 Int’l Film Festival” - Ray Davies
Do you have: • a commercially viable
finished film seeking route
to market?
• a script you feel could be
the next big box office
success? • a TV project you feel coul
be the next franchise
success?
Do you need: • help with planning or maybe
just help with a pitch pack?
‘Congratulations! You’ve made it this far, now take the first big step!
For information on how we can help drive and grow a route to market for Producers / Members, email the team: ‘We don’t promise miracles and not every project of course will become an overnight success, but we do promise to look diligently at every project we receive and to give our members genuine and honest feedback, advice and support.‘ For further information please visit our website: www.thefilmindustrynetwork.com Attending the 2016 Nice Film Festival: ray@thefilmindustrynetwork.com paul@thefilmindustrynetwork.com
WARP WINDING “Warp Winding is the incredible story of the men and women who can discover their own diseases, weaknesses and inner complex issues. The epic story of people who were determined to rid themselves of their tough lives based on corrupt customs and traditions and like a brave hero, were able to fight against the wicked devil inside their own turbulent souls”. - Ahmad Seyedkeshmiri
This intriguing documentary is a compelling story of addiction in modern day Iran and is made up of a series of interviews with addicts (and ex addicts) and those who treat and are affected by this difficult subject matter. For most Europeans and International audiences, what this opens up is a very interesting snapshot of a serious story that although we may be familiar with, is shown from a point of view from a region that until very recently was hidden from most of us.
• Documentary feature film: ” Beloved Hand” – 2005 • Short Documentary: “Single Horn”2008 ( Candidate for best production of “Ava Film Festival”–Tehran-2010) • Short narrative: “Siyah Tare bisu” ( An ominous Tar ) -2011 (”Cyprus international film festival”-Special Mention Award for screenplay on a first short film-2011 & “Independent Days doc/2012” – Germany-selected for “Colourful world” section & IranianAmerican film festival Seattle-USA 2014-Nominated for best short movie • Full Length documentary: “Magnificent Nothing”-2011 (- Special Jury Mention award in documentary competition from the “Golden Apricot International film festival-Armenia-2011” & Best portrait documentary award of “Cinema Verite documentary international film festival”-Iran 2011 Nominated for the Best Foreign Language Documentary film at the Nice - International Film Festival 2016 kolbehdigital@yahoo.com afsaneh.heidari@gmail.com Run Time 54 Mins
SHORT FILM:X Writer/Director: Jesper Skoubølling
A struggling actor must fight his agony to find the answer in his identity before he loses it.
Some call it guerilla or rock’n’roll filmmaking, I would call this project Guerilla-Funky-Rock’N’Roll-Style! X (lead role) is my good friend from Vienna, Austria. He was visiting me in Copenhagen, Denmark for a month. One night we were talking over a couple of beers, X told me many stories from his acting career. I became extremely inspired and said enthusiastically that we should shoot a short film during the rest of his stay. I grabbed my computer and went to my bedroom. I came out 3 hours later with the full script and he read it and loved it but then asked me if that would be possible to shoot. I quickly made some calls…
Next day we had a meeting with my production crew and in under a week, we had casted the talent and had reading rehearsals and stunt coordination. However, finding the film-crew, props, film gear and location scouting was not an easy task since we had NO BUDGET! The shooting took place over a single weekend and there was no chance to postpone or shoot anything on other dates. That weekend was set and right before the first day of shooting, we were still short on sound and cast. We managed to sort everything literally out of the blue during shooting. We then shot day and night on that first Friday, then a couple of scenes on the Saturday, to finish everything Sunday so shooting 24 hours straight. We wrapped Monday morning on the beach during an unexpectedly beautiful sunrise. Editing and post-production was amazing and looking back on the whole ambitious project, it was a “mission impossible” and I still wonder how we ever pulled it off! However, I can say that it takes more than good energy and confidence. It takes a strong team effort. Cast and crew is so important and I feel so blessed working with talented lovely people from the infant beginning to the sweet ending all in the line of filmmaking. Run Time 21 Mins
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FILM: THE MAGAZINE /NICE/MAY 2016
PHOTOGRAPHY BY TOR JØRGENSEN
Director: Ahmad Seyedkeshmiri Producer: Afsaneh Heidari
THE IMAGES IN THIS SECTION ARE TAKEN FROM THE FILM “WARP WINDING”.
The talented Iranian director - Ahmad Seyedkeshmiri, has directed both documentaries and works of fiction over a number of years that include the following:
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TIME
FILM TITLE
SUN 8
ROOM 1
10:00
Paddy Mullins - The great Stayer
10:54
TIME
FILM TITLE
19:04
Road Duster
105 minutes
52 minutes
20:55
Delka - Stand Up Tall or Fall
108 minutes
Un Condor
80 minutes
MON 9
ROOM 1
12:19
Port of Little Africa
78 minutes
10:00
Box 25
72 minutes
13:45
Nathan East : For the record
85 minutes
11:19
The way of the Brave
71 minutes
15:09
Tricks on the Dead
90 minutes
12:35
The Chosen Few 2
92 minutes
16:45
Last summer
94 minutes
14:10
Bound for Greatness
26 minutes
18:25
Flytrap
83 minutes
14:45
BREAK
45 minutes
19:55
City of Terror
84 minutes
15:30
Orphans of the Revolution
85 minutes
21:30
Until Cancer Do Us Part
88 minutes
17:00
Plastic in my Water
85 minutes
SUN 8
ROOM 2
18:30
Ali’en in the USA
80 minutes
10:00
ifeel
81 minutes
20:00
My talk with Florence
11:24
Bookbiographies
67 minutes
MON 9
ROOM2
12:40
Part and Parcel - a yoga documentary Satsang
56 minutes
10:00
April Zero One
55 minutes
13:39
New Generation Queen a Zanzibar soccer story
55 minutes
11:00
Adolph Kuhn : An American Journey
36 minutes
14:45
The Dybbuk - A Tale of Wandering Souls
86 minutes
11:55
The County Poorhouse
16:20
The unexpected refugee
70 minutes
12:15
No woman’s face remember
17:34
FSM
91 minutes
12:35
And Tomorrow, I’ll go back to Lisbon
4 minutes
19:10
Kathakali
110 minutes
12:45
If I had a piano (I’d play you the Blues)
6 minutes
20:55
The Rich Flavored Co-Op - Sunflowers Bringing...
104 minutes
12:54
Detach
4 minutes
SUN 8
ROOM3
13:04
7 years before
10 minutes
10:00
World Away
35 minutes
13:20
The Deal
16 minutes
10:39
The Lotus Gun
25 minutes
13:39
Gu
15 minutes
11:10
Spiral Labyrinth
27 minutes
14:00
The Dog Walkers of Buenos Aires
30 minutes
11:45
What’s Next
13 minutes
14:34
At Last
10 minutes
12:09
Jack is Pretty
27 minutes
14:45
BREAK
45 minutes
12:45
Upstairs
22 minutes
15:30
Gaia - The Big Mother
48 minutes
13:10
The ideal
16 minutes
16:25
The Last Journey of the Enigmatic Paul WR
18 minutes
13:30
The noble heirs
15 minutes
16:49
To Feel Human
23 minutes
13:49
The French Revolution
21 minutes
17:19
Millefeuille
22 minutes
14:15
Story of Mi
33 minutes
17:45
The Last One
20 minutes
14:50
Biblical Conspiracies : Secrets of the Crucifixion
49 minutes
18:09
Our Perfect World
20 minutes
15:45
Ota Benga
60 minutes
18:35
Thomas Chapin, Night Bird
16:49
No limits - impossible is Just a Word
60 minutes
21:04
In The Footsteps of Willie Sutton
17:55
12 months
65 minutes
FILM: THE MAGAZINE /NICE/MAY 2016
RUN TIME
RUN TIME
130 minutes
9 minutes 16 minutes
150 minutes 55 minutes
FILM TITLE
MON 9
ROOM 3
10:00
Hamlet’s Ghost
11:35
RUN TIME
TIME
FILM TITLE
14:24
A Sicilian Dream
71 minutes
83 minutes
15:40
In Purgatory
42 minutes
The Sin Of Those Who Love Us
30 minutes
16:25
Undercover Asia: Voices Under the Mango Tree
49 minutes
12:15
Diablo
21 minutes
17:15
The Woman ISIS fears
43 minutes
12:40
Backroad
33 minutes
18:04
The Tribe
13:20
Bernie and Rebecca
15 minutes
20:00
Q&A with Professionals
13:39
Gen A
9 minutes
13:55
Stone
10 minutes
10:00
First is the Worst
14:15
On a Wire
31 minutes
10:15
Only Child
17 minutes
14:45
BREAK
45 minutes
10:39
The Necklace
14 minutes
15:30
Two Zions: The Living Legacy of the Queen...
58 minutes
11:00
Love is like Water
4 minutes
16:34
Second Hand
60 minutes
11:10
At the End of the Line
5 minutes
17:40
First Glimmer
21 minutes
11:19
Kerstin Strom
18:04
Jareedy
28 minutes
11:39
Stars
8 minutes
18:40
Brix and the Bitch
10 minutes
11:55
5 minutes
9 minutes
18:54
Lay it on me
10 minutes
12:09
Sever
15 minutes
19:10
AG - The Mark we Bear
30 minutes
12:30
Titanium
15 minutes
19:45
Zydeco Breakfast
93 minutes
12:49
Sweet Life
5 minutes
21:19
Cesium and a Tokyo Girl
109 minutes
13:00
Does She ?
12 minutes
13:15
Baby Show
12 minutes
TUES 10 ROOM 1
RUN TIME
103 minutes
TUES 10 ROOM 3 7 minutes
15 minutes
10:00
Road to Hope
72 minutes
13:34
Route Canal
27 minutes
11:15
Komatose
73 minutes
14:10
Good Business
25 minutes
12:35
The Loves of Aaron Burr
43 minutes
14:45
BREAK
45 minutes
13:30
The Garden of Hope
75 minutes
15:30
L’ultime Tango - Spaghetti Noir
14:50
BREAK
40 minutes
17:24
Fools
87 minutes
15:30
For You Were Once Strangers
79 minutes
18:54
Unforgotten - The Story of Paul Pender
63 minutes
16:55
Courage
72 minutes
20:00
Q&A with Professionals
18:09
For My Children
69 minutes
WED 11 ROOM 1
19:25
The Northern light - A Magic Experience
27 minutes
10:00
Voyagers Without Trace
80 minutes
20:00
Q&A with Professionals
11:55
Tandem
82 minutes
13:25
Chasing the Win
78 minutes
TUES 10 ROOM 2
WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO CHANGE THE SCREENING TIME AND DATE OF ANY FILM IN THE FESTIVAL COMPETITION WITHOUT ANY PRIOR NOTIFICATION.
TIME
102 minutes
10:00
My Monalisa
51 minutes
15:00
The Answer
10:54
Warp Winding
54 minutes
17:00
Second Chance
87 minutes
12:04
Stepping Forward
54 minutes
18:30
TikTok TikTok
73 minutes
13:04
The ones who stayed
73 minutes
19:49
Spirit of the Bull
70 minutes
21:00
The buried secret
90 minutes
108 minutes
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FILM TITLE
RUN TIME
WED 11 ROOM 2
FILM TITLE
RUN TIME
THUR 12 ROOM 1
10:00
Life Before Life
23 minutes
10:00
Dying
86 minutes
10:30
U Turn
27 minutes
11:30
God’s Acre
88 minutes
11:05
Dyonisus and Apollo
7 minutes
13:00
Driving While Black
94 minutes
11:19
Ostrannenie
9 minutes
14:50
BREAK
40 minutes
11:35
The Right Path
15 minutes
15:30
My Life With a King
90 minutes
11:55
Choices
16 minutes
17:00
Outermost Radio
60 minutes
12:15
Freedom Lost
11 minutes
18:04
The Keys
10 minutes
12:30
Soliloquy
10 minutes
18:15
Droping The S Bomb
78 minutes
12:45
X
21 minutes
20:30
NETWORKING
13:10
Still Closed
20 minutes
THUR 12 ROOM 2
13:34
The Double Cross
18 minutes
10:00
The Guest
14:00
IDeal Wife
30 minutes
10:25
The Turkish Wrestler
14:34
Letting Go
11 minutes
10:34
2 Brothers
15 minutes
14:50
BREAK
40 minutes
10:54
The Jungle
14 minutes
15:30
John Orpheus is Dead
19 minutes
11:15
Silent War
13 minutes
16:15
An Untold Story of Paperboats
22 minutes
11:35
This Modern Man is Beat
18 minutes
16:39
The Day to Choose
24 minutes
12:00
Maria
17:10
Birthday
85 minutes
12:15
Allende
18:35
Gayrouth
32 minutes
12:49
The Dancer
19:15
Cold Reader
12 minutes
13:00
A Tale With Christ And Jesus
30 minutes
19:30
The Pure Hearted Vilain
144 minutes
13:34
The Week End Sailor
74 minutes
15:09
Becoming Lucy
20 minutes 40 minutes
WED 11 ROOM 3
22
TIME
20 minutes 5 minutes
9 minutes 26 minutes 5 minutes
10:00
The Dog Show
93 minutes
14:50
BREAK
11:39
Sara - My Whole Life Was a Struggle
96 minutes
15:30
The Trap
114 minutes
13:20
Inlfuence
78 minutes
17:30
Gour Hari Dastaan: The Freedom File
100 minutes
14:45
BREAK
45 minutes
20:30
NETWORKING
15:30
Fruit of the Fungus
27 minutes
THUR 12 ROOM 3
16:04
The Barber’s Cut
12 minutes
10:00
Despite the Falling Snow
94 minutes
16:25
Bipolar & Cheese
12 minutes
11:39
Look Again
88 minutes
16:45
The Isartaler
16 minutes
13:15
Of Shark and Man
98 minutes
17:05
Therapy
11 minutes
14:50
BREAK
40 minutes
17:19
Aadha Chand Tum Rakhlo
23 minutes
15:30
The Invisible Player
92 minutes
17:40
To The Moon and Back
85 minutes
17:05
Kurdistan Kurdistan
98 minutes
19:04
Gravedigger
50 minutes
20:30
NETWORKING
20:00
For All Eyes Always
FILM: THE MAGAZINE /NICE/MAY 2016
120 minutes
WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO CHANGE THE SCREENING TIME AND DATE OF ANY FILM IN THE FESTIVAL COMPETITION WITHOUT ANY PRIOR NOTIFICATION.
TIME
Director: Ahmad Seyedkeshmiri Producer: Afsaneh Heidari
THE DAY TO CHOOSE Writer/Producer: Kuang-Yu Cheng Director: Leon Lee
Leon Lee, the director of the film, said in an interview, “My Western friends feel that I’m trying to arouse a certain contemplation over the abolishment (of capital punishment), while some Taiwanese people think the film praises the idea of retaining the death penalty, which is quite interesting.” Lee continues: “I deliberately put an open ending in the final scene because I do not intend to preach to the audience but hope they can think deeply after watching the movie. How strongly can a person insist on his/her ideology? If the time and environment are changed, will people still believe what they have believed?”
The original story was written by the producer/investor of “The Day to Choose”, Cheng Kuang-Yu, who is also the Deputy Dean of the Chinese Language Center of Soochow University in Taiwan. Cheng wrote a Hollywood-style script for a feature film but after consulting with the director, Leon Lee, they decided to focus on just one issue in the original story and to amplify it. Cheng gave Lee 100 % trust in forming the film with a new story line, bringing a greater response and discussion from the media and audience. “The Day to Choose” has received the Best Drama Short Film award in the Universe Multicultural Film Festival in the United States. The two will co-operate in the future in creating more well made movies that discuss the complicated issues around humanity.
/thedaytochoose Run Time 23 Mins
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FILM: THE MAGAZINE /NICE/MAY 2016
THIS SECTION FEATURES IMAGES FROM THE FILM ”THE DAY TO CHOOSE”.
The 23-minute film “The Day to Choose” depicts a lawyer and his wife who are both abolitionists of capital punishment. One day, two strange men visit the lawyer’s house and torture the lawyer’s wife to death, whilst offering him three choices: shooting them to death by a gun in front of him, telling the police to catch them and will then ultimately, be sentenced to death, or releasing them and pretending nothing has happened and moving on with his life. “The Day to Choose” brings up philosophical thoughts towards the inner world of abolitionists and their deep concerns. By setting up this plot, the Taiwanese have started to ponder this controversial topic again. It has also generated discussion from other countries.
FILM: THE MAGAZINE /NICE/MAY 2016
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We look forward to seeing you all in Nice. We shall be in reception from 12.00 Noon to meet and greet you and discuss any Film Insurance questions you may have.
Thursday 12th May 2016 Novotel Nice Arenas Aeroport 455 Promenade Des Anglaid Nice CEDEX 03 06299NICE France We continue to support the Film Industry and are pleased to announce the following dates for Film Insurance Workshops in London . There is no entry fee, as we like to give a little back to a great Industry. We shall be holding 3 dates this year. The sessions give you the Producer, a great insight into how Film Insurance works, what it protects and more importantly what it covers. It will help you understand how we protect your budget and make sure your Film is made. We support you from Development, through to delivery and beyond. Whilst Insurance is the least creative element of a Film Production, it is suffice to say it is one of the most important lines within your budget. To reserve your place, please email me with your name and the date you wish to attend. All venues for the workshops will be held in London and the venue will be confirmed nearer the time. Friday 24th June 2016 - 2.00 to 4.00 Friday 26th August 2016 - 2.00 to 4.00 Friday 11th November 2016 - 2.00 to 4.00
Proud to be in partnership with
Book early to avoid dissapointment email - shaun@evsinsurance.co.uk Tel 07914 812064 www.evsinsurance.co.uk
FILM: THE MAGAZINE /NICE/MAY 2016
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NO WOMAN’S FACE REMEMBER
Chuck Griffith the filmmaker behind “No Woman’s Face Remember” and the script “Waterloo” – both of which are nominated at this year’s Nice International Film Festival - was kind enough to meet up with us in London for a filmed in-depth interview the full version of which will be available online.
FTM: WHAT PARTICULARLY DREW YOU TO “NO WOMAN’S FACE REMEMBER”? CG: It all started about 5-years ago, I sat with my Producer Lou Peterson and we were talking about what’s going on with the internet today and so the story ended up about a woman going to an on-line kind of video escort service which is somewhat of an homage to the Wim Wenders film “Paris, Texas”. And we were talking about the idea of entitlement, the millennial generation, what’s going to happen to them when they leave college and get out into the real world, unprepared for what’s going to happen without their mum or dad around? FTM: THE STORY WAS SET AND FILMED IN A TRAILER IN QUITE A REMOTE LOCATION, WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO DO THAT RATHER THAN IN SAY A HOTEL ROOM? CG: There was a kind of apocalyptic, not too distant future where the film takes place and what was important to me was to tell the story from the inspiration that I have from “The Tempest” and the line “No Woman’s Face Remember” which is from the actual play (spoken by Miranda from Act 3, Scene 1). So the idea here is not a deserted island but a desert island and that was really the need to have this contained, tight environment where there is a sense that Chloe is somewhat trapped inside the trailer and so I really wanted to have this kind of claustrophobic feel. It could have been a hotel room but then that starts to suggest other people in the hotel and there was a certain amount of isolation that I wanted for the film, that desert island feel was really important.
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FTM: WITH CHLOE’S CHARACTER IN PARTICULAR, SHE DIDN’T SEEM TO UNDERSTAND WHAT SHE WAS GETTING INTO, WHY DID YOU DECIDE TO CONCENTRATE ON THAT PART OF THE STORY? CG: With my first feature, “Thank You, Good Night” , that was before video streaming and the internet (that we know now) and then it was all about video cassettes, DVD’s and shipping costs and so on. Then of course we advanced so quickly into the digital streaming era and you look at the generation that have grown up with social media and not really thinking about the ramifications or implications of what they are putting out there. So they’re not really thinking about how what I say or do now is going to affect me in 5-years.
FEATURING STILL IMAGES FROM THE FILM “NO WOMAN’S FACE REMEMBER”.
FTM: AND ALTHOUGH CHLOE WENT ALONG WITH THE ENCOUNTER, WOULD IT BE FAIR TO SAY THAT HER HEART WASN’T REALLY IN IT? CG: The thing about Chloe is that she is being brought into that story, reminiscing about her high school glory days and Kat and Budd, if you look at the positioning Kat is on one side and Budd is circling around. And the two of them are just kind of bookmarking Chloe and when she’s reminiscing she starts to get into this performance mode, and so I don’t think that she was necessarily gung-ho about going along with the encounter but, they were putting pictures in her head and Budd was like a surrogate “Prospero” almost with a bag of tricks! For instance he talks about Venice Beach, and Chloe has these images in her head and in a way that kind of brings her in and when we cut to the sex scene there is a kind of fascination from her and for her to see what would happen and of course not thinking about the ramifications. And I suppose if there ever was a feature to come out of this I was always fascinated about taking that story a bit farther along, I mean I’m very happy with the short because at the end of it I really think that she made an empowered decision without any kind of drugs or substances because by then she’s put those away. The funny thing is that if I had a feature I would love to do a scene where Chloe is recognized, maybe she moves to Los Angeles and makes enough money in a “model farm” and she’s out having a drink with a friend and she’s recognized by some creep that’s seen her on-line video. And how does one get out of doing that kind of work, I mean there is plenty of money to be made and I’m not saying that its some kind of amoral or immoral choice but when you hit ten years later where do you go from there and of course, the trouble is you’re branded and it’s out there.
FTM: THE PERFORMANCES ARE QUITE INTENSE, HOW DID YOU APPROACH THAT DURING THE CASTING STAGE? CG: Nudity is always a really sensitive thing to do, particularly in a short film, it’s such a challenge because you have to put it out there during casting and we were a SAG film and it actually took four months to do the casting. And part of the reason for that is because I was flying down from San Francisco where I’m based to LA on a Friday and doing the casting over the weekend then flying back on a Sunday for six solid weeks and it took us a long time to find the actress to play Chloe and who we ended up with, Angelica, she really brought a fantastic method to it. One thing that I insisted on was that any actor that came in had to have memorised the lines or pages from the script (“off book”), if they came in and read off of the script they were disqualified. Then of course as its only three characters the chemistry had to be so strong and once we had selected who would be Chloe and then Budd then it was about call backs after call backs, then eventually we managed to cast Meredith as Kat. Then it was all about rehearsing for the first week and in fact we rehearsed for three days in a theatre and even taped the floor so we knew where the characters would sit and stand and so on. We also rehearsed the sex scene, with their clothes on but just to make the actors more comfortable because as I said earlier it is sensitive having that kind of scene and you don’t want to be exploitive and you want it to be believable. In the end we had very little time to shoot on a shoestring budget for a short so the comfort has to be there right away.
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FTM: HOW DIFFICULT WAS IT TO SHOOT IN THE CONFINED AREA OF THE TRAILER? CG: It was an incredibly small space, but there is a little bit of John Cassavetes inspiration in terms of how we were shooting, for instance if you notice the scene where they are trying to talk Chloe into it, there are no cutaways, that was really rehearsed by
the actors and I had told them it was going to be one take and every time they flubbed a line I said we have to go right back to the beginning and it’s about four pages of dialogue so it was rough on them so by the time that camera was in it was really in their face but, it really paid off with their performances.
FTM: CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR AWARD NOMINATION FOR BEST UNPRODUCED SCRIPT WITH “WATERLOO”, CAN YOU PLEASE TELL US ABOUT THE PREMISE BEHIND THIS LATEST STORY? CG: “Waterloo” is actually the pilot for a planned television series and is set in Iowa, which happens to be the 1st state for nominations for both the Democrats & Republicans and being at the epicentre of the political process, was to me a really exciting instigator about what I wanted to tell. In a nutshell the story is about a playboy from New York, who is a talented marketing executive and through a series of events he grew up in Waterloo Iowa but then left that all behind but now his uncle has handed him an old tractor company. So this company employs around 30,000 people and is roughly based on a very well known tractor manufacturer that is actually in Iowa. So after he inherits this factory he has to decide whether he’s going to sell it to a Chinese company or is he going to take it on and try and transform it? So it’s an interesting story there about the need for companies to adapt to the needs of the 21st Century. Run Time 16 Mins
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inspired by my own life experiences, particularly in dating. Furthermore, as my films were going through the film festival circuit, I frequently heard similar conversations in that filmmakers had all these grand ideas, but didn’t have the funds to execute. As a result, later this year in December, I decided to start the Silicon Valley International Film Festival which I hope can serve as a platform to connect those who work in tech who are interested in being a part of the filmmaking process (producer) with independent filmmakers. Please go to the website for more information!
Filmmaker: Christina July Kim
Not only is Christina July Kim the talented filmmaker behind two films in competition at Nice 2016 – Dropping the S Bomb & Letting Go - she is also launching her own film festival later this year (“Silicon Valley International Film Festival”) and we wish Christina the best of luck! “As an independent filmmaker, I have learned to wear many hats during a production and being an optimistic person, when we didn’t have a car mount for one of our key shots, I got creative”. After graduating from USC with my BFA in Theater Acting, I felt a little lost and overwhelmed living in LA. Working an entry-level job and multiple part time jobs to make ends meet, I found myself sapped of creativity and on the verge of giving up on acting and filmmaking altogether.
Special thanks to Carl Tooney and his fantastic team at Film Festival International for the opportunity to show my work!
It wasn’t until I took a break from acting and moved to the San Francisco Bay Area to work in tech that I was able to get back on track with what I wanted to do with my life. I started writing again and launched my production company Selah Pictures writing stories that were
www.selahpicturesllc.com Run Time 116 Mins
OF SHARK AND MAN
Recently, David has been involved in some major international conservation initiatives, including the Fiji Shark Sanctuary campaign and the creation of the Marshall Islands shark sanctuary for which he was commended for his input by Senator Tony deBrum. David has also been heavily involved in ongoing Stingray conservation and tagging projects with Asociacion Ondine in Mallorca.
Written, Produced, Photographed & Directed By David Diley
David Diley is a thirty-two year old man, trapped in a dead end job in England’s industrial north and his life is going nowhere. He does however, have a lifelong dream...
“Of Shark and Man” is a ground breaking film about one man’s journey to get closer than anyone thought possible, to the world’s biggest Bull Sharks and tell the incredible untold story of Shark Reef in Fiji, one of the greatest marine conservation successes of all time. “Of Shark and Man” is an epic, incredibly ambitious, cinematic and award winning love letter to the world’s most feared predator, in which the shark is the hero. David Diley is an award winning Film-Maker based in the north of England working in Independent Film, TV and Commercial Film. David has been a passionate lover of sharks for 32 years, has been involved with sharks in a specialist capacity for over 20 years and has been an active advocate for shark conservation since the late 1980’s. FILM: THE MAGAZINE /NICE/MAY 2016
He is relatively new to Film-Making, beginning his career in 2011 with his first feature film, “Of Shark and Man” which is released in the summer of 2015. However, his profile has increased rapidly thanks to Film Festival appearances, including headline slots, on various international Film Festivals for his internationally acclaimed short films, “A Ray of Light” and “A Ray of Light II.” David is the owner of Scarlet View Media, a high end, boutique Production House and as a professional Film-Maker and Underwater Cinematographer, specialises in Film, TV and Commercial Films for the UK Diving Industry. In the last few years, David has been featured by the BBC, Diver Magazine, Sport Diver, Dive and “Beyond Limits” amongst others. www.ofsharkandman.com /OfSharkAndMan Run Time 98 Mins
FEATURING IMAGES OF THE FILMMAKER “DAVID DILEY”.
David is also an experienced Shark Diver who is regularly invited by the media to take part in expert panel discussions on the subjects of Shark Attack and Shark Feeding thanks to his specialist expertise in the areas of shark behaviour, shark attacks and Mediterranean sharks.
Should David follow the advice of everyone around him and forget about it, or should he risk everything and against all the odds, take his one chance to fulfil his greatest ambition, an ambition which finds him in the middle of a feeding frenzy with sixty of the world’s most dangerous sharks?
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THE IMAGES IN THIS SECTION ARE TAKEN FROM “LETTING GO & DROPPING THE S BOMB”.
DROPPING THE S BOMB & LETTING GO
DELKA:
STAND-UP TALL OR FALL
TOP RIGHT: PHOTOGRAPHER ED MELLIZA PROPERTY OF MERMAID ENTERTAINMENT @DIMITRI. MIDDLE: PHOTOGRAPHER JEFF KNIGHT PROPERTY OF MERMAID ENTERTAINMENT @RINA.
Story By Delka Nenkova Screenplay by Will V. Moore
“DELKA: Stand-Up Tall or Fall is an inspirational immigration story based on Delka’s life. A story of a gymnast from Bulgaria with a heart of gold and stars in her eyes. She is adopted into a travelling Circus of psychedelic characters and finds herself on a journey, to the Land of the Free. The movie is presented in a magical (almost Fairy Tale) like way but still stays true to Delka’s story, embedded in realism. It is an avant-garde original but still entices with multi-ethnic dance & Circus performances, scored by Roger Suen (X-men, Prometheus). The film has won “Award of Recognition (Accolade Global Film Competition 2015)”, “Best Feature Film (L.A. New Wave International Film Festival 2015)”, nominated “Best Cutting-Edge Film (San Diego Black Film Festival 2016) and DELKA is extremely excited to be nominated for Best Lead Actress alongside Rebecca Ferguson (Mission Impossible) & Rinko Kikuchi (Babel) in the Prestigious Nice International Film Festival 2016. “DELKA: Stand-Up Tall or Fall” has also been nominated for Best Original Screenplay Will V. Moore, (Story) Delka Nenkova & Best Hair/ Make-up.
Mermaid Entertainment has employed an extremely multi-cultural/ethnic and talented crew with strong female & male characters. The cast includes Bulgarian, African, American, Asian, Mexican, Indian, Persian, Italian, straight and... gay….There is also Brent David Fraser (Wild at Heart, opposite Nicholas Cage) and an action sequence involving Daisy “The Lady” Lang (World Champion of Boxing), along with intense drama scenes from Delka Nenkova (Iron Man 2) who’s character undergoes multiple transformations on her journey; she performs her own circus acts, stunts and dance.
The film is a layered “Dream upon a dream upon the dream”. Every character has different idealizations of what their dreams are, no matter whether they are Bulgarian, American, Communist, Capitalist, Socialist or Religious….. Delka’s journey is one of a spiritual melting pot. Her alter ego Rina, personifies a quest to Stand-Up Tall, and fight for her dream life.
The character is named after Delka Nenkova’s mother and “Rayna Knyaginya” the woman who sewed the Bulgarian Flag and led the fight for the Freedom of Bulgaria. She was very proud, strong, beautiful, and similar to Joan of Arc of The French Revolution. Will V. Moore is making his directional debut and is gaining attention as a creative virtuoso and hopes to have developed an international cult classic for the times. Delka Nenkova is back in the United States preparing for her new action film with Sean Stone (son of Oliver Stone) & Aki Aleong (General Hospital). Mermaid Entertainment is currently in pre-production on their next project “Fruit for the Butterfly” which beckons Mickey Rourke. www.mermaid-entertainment.com Run Time 108 Mins FILM: THE MAGAZINE /NICE/MAY 2016
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iDEAL WIFE Filmmaker: Sylvia Congxin Qi
FEATURING FILMMAKER “GRACE GAO” AND A SCENE FROM HER FILM “DIONYSUS & APOLLO”.
FEATURING IMAGES TAKEN FROM THE FILM “IDEAL WIFE”..
The movie iDeal Wife is a sci-fi drama short inspired by Issac Asimov, Charlie Brooker, Andrew Niccol and the always unsatisfied world of ours. It was shot in 9 days in Massachusetts in 2014 and completed in August 2015 as a MFA thesis film at Emerson College.
Life is much easier and happier nowadays because of the evolving science and technology around us. Technology has done a remarkable job on enhancing connections between people and offering services that were unimaginable before. But in fact, what truly made us happier is that we finally have a legitimate way to diffuse selfobsession and to take everything for granted. We finally found it more convenient to consume things rather than producing things. Technology has made people feel less and less guilty about our behavior. That is why I always have a special interest in Science Fiction. It reminds people who we were and who we will become.
I see the film as a story about happiness and guilt. It’s set in a prospective future of an extremely consumer driven system when everyone is provoked to purchase an iDeal product to be a companion and it can even be upgraded after five years of recording the pre-agreed contract of “marriage”. The robots are highly humanized and programed to feel to love while people are absolutely not… Alvin, a mundane guy in the system, who used to own the most advanced and aesthetically pleasing product, iDeal Wife 2, was living a happy life with all of the glories associated with marrying such a woman. However, when a newer version of iDeal Wife came to the market, it soon receives all the attention and ruins the “love” between Alvin and his wife. Alvin cannot stop himself breaking the “contract”. The only option he seems to have is to commit a crime: murder.
www.sylviaqi.com /idealwifemovie Run Run Time Time 10830Mins Mins
GRACE GAO Originally from China, Grace moved to the United States at the young age of 16, and attended high school in Irvine, California. She is currently a third year undergraduate student at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, majoring in film and television, while also minoring in French, Creative Writing, and Entertainment Business. As an aspiring writer and director, she has also studied creative producing, and holds an internship at the Producers Guild of America East, in New York.
Her first student film, a documentary short titled ALL UNDER HEAVEN ARE EQUAL was an official selection at the Hollywood International Independent Documentary Awards. Grace also received Best Woman Filmmaker at the Los Angeles Independent Film Festival Awards, and more recently, the film was accepted to the Short Film Corner of the 2016 Cannes Film Festival. In 2015, while attending a summer study abroad program in Paris, Grace wrote and directed an experimental short film titled DIONYSUS & APOLLO. Her lead cast featured Juliet Doucet, Elias Cambra, and Arnaud Préchac, all local Parisian actors. The film received recognition in numerous artistic categories including directing, acting, and editing, at the International Independent Film Awards, Hollywood International Moving Pictures Film Festival, and the Paris Short Film Festival. The film will proudly make its premiere at the International Filmmaker Festival of World Cinema Nice 2016.
Her upcoming project EDWARD & HIS CHOCOLATE, currently available for Indiegogo tax-deductible donation, is a narrative short film with experimental elements about a college student’s battle with his chocolate addiction, while coping with his past failed relationship. It will enter the festival circuit in September 2016 and is currently being developed into a ten-episode web series. . /dionysusandapollo /EdwardHis-Chocolate FILM: THE MAGAZINE /NICE/MAY 2016
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AT LAST Writer/Director: Anna Skrypka Producers: Anna Skrypka & Charles Ancelle
Nominated at the Nice IFF for Best Comedy & Best Lead Actor In A Short Film.
“At Last” is a short romantic comedy that follows the story of two lonely mid-lifers, separated by thousands of miles, who are trying to find love.
Constantine’s life gets heavily disrupted one day when Natalie decides to show up at his house unbeknownst to him. When she shows up, Natalie makes it clear that she is tired of waiting for their relationship to start, and when she mentions she wants to have sex on that very day, Constantine panics. Dating is universally difficult. But for some reason, most romantic comedies focus on younger people’s struggles to find love. Perhaps this tradition comes from the idea that most older people have either already found love or never will. But that’s not necessarily true, and today, as the divorce rates keep going up and internet dating has exploded, many people in their middle age find themselves dating, and it can often prove as difficult for them, if not more so, as it is for younger people, which is something At Last portrays.
The film was produced in Los Angeles by an international team of producers. Anna Skrypka, who is from Ukraine, wrote, directed it, and she produced it with her partner, Charles Ancelle, who is from France. “I care deeply about Natalie and Constantine as this type of characters way to often left out from movies that end up on the big screen. And while working on this short we were trying to fill the gap, yet keeping the story light and entertaining,” says Producer and Director Anna Skrypka. “We are excited and encouraged by the fact that that festival’s jury appreciated the acting as well as simple story and humor” shares film producer Ancelle. While “At Last” goes around festival circuits for the year, Skrypka and Ancelle have started developing the story into a feature film. www.ascafilms.com Run Time 10 Mins
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TOP: ANNA SKRYPKA - RIGHT TOP: SCREEN SHOT - MIDDLE: LOS ANGELES MOVIE AWARDS - MIDDLE RIGHT: CHARLES ANCELLE - BOTTOM LEFT: SCREEN SHOT
Constantine (Lee Schall) is in his fifties and lives by himself in a large suburban house clearly inherited from his mother, in Los Angeles. He suffers from severe anxiety and doesn’t seem to handle social encounters very well. Natalie (Lisa Goodman) also lives by herself on the other side of the country, in Boston. Constantine and Natalie have now been conversing online for a long time, and seem to be quite attached to each other, but nothing further than daily conversations has happened between them. We can tell Constantine is quite enamored with her, however, as he has placed a clock set in Boston time by his computer, to make sure he always knows what time it is there.
7 years before
A short film by Maged Mohamed
Copyrights: Maged Mohammed/ Photo: Marco Kern
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A SICILIAN DREAM Director: Philip Walsh Producer: David Biggins
Pistons, Passions and Pleasures: A Sicilian Dream is a theatrical documentary that journeys into the very heart of this story, exploring its many intrigues and revelations. Our journey is led by one of Italy’s most preeminent dreamers: Francesco da Mosto, the wellknown Venetian architect, historian and incurable romantic. Franceso invites Alain de Cadenet, an independent racing car constructor and driver, to join him in his quest to discover what compelled so many men and women to seek the glory of winning this death-defying race. 40 years after nearly dying in the Targa Florio himself, Alain de Cadenet retraces the route of the legendary Sicilian mountain race that ignited both the island and the motoring world. Driving the tortuous route and tracing its evolution along with world events, Alain and Francesco reveal the unique allure that saw the Targa Florio endure from the romantic times of the Belle Époque adventures through to its deadly conclusion in the 1970s.
THE PROTAGONISTS Alain de Cadenet is a Renaissance man who has led a life of adventure. But there is at least one horrific memory that he would like to shut the door on forever. In 1971, Alain crashed his Lola prototype car and nearly died in the Targa Florio. He was pulled from the burning wreckage by a random stranger, a Sicilian farmer who found him unconscious. Alain is determined to put the nightmare of the crash behind him for good by driving the Targa Florio route one more time, seeing it as the mother of all road racing and as the glorious race that ignited the world and gave birth to legends and dreams.
Francesco da Mosto is a man with roots in two islands, Sicily and Venice, where he lives in the ancestral palace of his father’s family on the Grand Canal. For Alain, he is the perfect companion: a half-Sicilian historian who can help him uncover the magic of the Targa Florio. For Francesco, Alain’s invitation to drive the route with him is the perfect opportunity to discover more about the race that is part of Sicily’s lifeblood, and in doing so, connect with his Sicilian side – a part of him that he feels is missing. Francesco feels a real kinship with Vincenzo Florio, suspecting that (like many islanders), they are both dreamers and have a quirky sense of adventure. The film begins with Francesco leaving his Venetian home by boat and joining Alain in Sicily at the Tribune, the decaying classical starting point of the Targa Florio. During this opening sequence, we intercut with scenes that immediately hit home the importance of this unique road race. We see the twisting circuit driven by 100 year old period racing cars that are still preserved and capable of achieving unbelievable speeds with their enormous engines. We get our first inkling of just how dangerous the course was through a series of dramatic recreations in original locations. The film tells us the story of Vincenzo Florio’s first motor vehicle, a De Dion motor tricycle, which he raced against a horse and a cyclist in 1899. The horse won! We then see Vincenzo Florio at the wheel of a 1903 Panhard car in 1906 – a time when all he wanted to do was race, have fun and help Sicily in the process. He meets Felice Nazzaro coming from Turin to deliver a fast Fiat car. Felice stays on the island for four years as Florio’s mechanic and companion, winning the 1907 race in a Fiat and eventually returning to Turin to build his own cars. The film then cuts to Francesco and Alain driving a 1913 Nazzaro, similar to the one in which Felice won the 1913 Targa Florio Giro, which by then had become a 600 mile race around the whole of Sicily.
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TOP: PHOTOGRAPH OF ALAIN DE CADENET - MIDDLE: PHOTOGRAPH OF FRANCESCO DA MOSTO - ALSO FEATURING IMAGES FROM THE DOCUMENTARY FILM “A SICILIAN DREAM”.
The Targa Florio was a Sicilian mountain road race that, in 1906, gave birth to an era of motorsport that is still going today. Dreamt up by the younger son of a Sicilian dynasty, Vincenzo Florio, the Targa Florio ran until 1977 and was simultaneously considered both totally insane and an absolute ‘must do’ by drivers and manufacturers alike.
Could Vincenzo possibly have known that the races he created would mirror the fortunes of the island, and indeed of all Europe, for the next three quarters of a century? Could he have foretold their impact? We will never know, but we do know that Vincenzo’s dying dream was that the Targa Florio would not be forgotten. The film illustrates how this dream has been fulfilled and how the race still endures in the minds and souls of many – including Sicilian children born after the Targa Florio ended, and the owners of the 100 year old racing cars who are returning to the island to relive the circuit’s many challenges. Vincenzo is a true child of the Belle Époque and his race is a mirror for what is happening in the world. Europe is at peace. The spirit of the time is all about dreaming, trying new things and exploring new technology. It is a time for adventure. It is also a time for the rich and noble to enjoy travel and witness the incredible feats of endurance shown by the intrepid drivers of these monster vehicles. In the early days, these are characterised by cars with no front brakes, no windscreens and no safety belts, and which need a fleet of mechanics to keep them running and change tyres that rarely last for many laps of the convoluted 90 mile circuit.
Despite the dangerous course, there are no real tragedies in the early years. The race is run on tracks that have only ever seen donkey traffic before. There are no filling stations, with spectators providing petrol cans en route and pushing cars out of ditches. The Sicilian people embrace the Targa Florio, lining the road in droves and jumping in to help out if a driver gets into trouble. As Francesco and Alain drive the circuit in a series of vintage cars, including Alain’s own Targa-winning Alfa Romeo, they take us through the stories that make up the history of the race and of Vincenzo Florio. These are grouped thematically, revealing the different aspects that make the race unique and significant. For example, we illustrate the circuit’s renowned twisting curves with the story of drivers painting rocks and trees with secret signals to themselves to signpost upcoming turns, and with the story of Varzi’s Alfa Romeo which leaked fuel whist still racing – and ended up catching fire. Alain tells us that he has never before seen the glorious mountain vistas they are driving past today, as he couldn’t take his eyes off the road for a second when he was racing. To do so could have meant plunging off a cliff at the next bend.
In the story of English driver, Cyril Snipe, recreated with an original 1912 SCAT car, we see the toll that this kind of driving takes on the drivers. Snipe falls asleep on the roadside – exhausted from driving continuously all the previous day and night. After an hour of sleep, it takes a bucket of water over the head to wake him before he goes on to win the race. As each new aspect of the race is revealed, Alain comes closer to embracing the magic of the race and letting go of the crash, while layer after layer is peeled away from Francesco. He discovers more of the missing Sicilian half of himself with every new car driven, every new village they visit on the race circuit and every story told. Along with Alain and Francesco, we come to see that the race belongs to all Sicilians, not just to the drivers. We now move out of the Belle Époque and into the era between the two World Wars. The world has a new social and economic structure, and a loss of innocence that is reflected in the Targa Florio and the life of its founder. The race becomes more dangerous, recording its first driver death in 1926. The Florio family experience a drastic reversal in their fortunes and Vincenzo Florio eventually loses his grip. The post-war era of peace and stability in Europe, seen as the Golden Age of sports car racing, hits the Targa Florio. This is a time when local hero and school teacher, Nino Vaccarella, wins the race three times. Nino, the race’s greatest proponent, tells us how he grew up dreaming of winning, both because the Targa Florio is Sicily, and because Ferrari, Lancia and Alfa Romeo are fighting a running battle with Porsche and a Mercedes driven by Stirling Moss.
British drivers Brian Redman and Vic Elford both have epic wins for Porsche during this era. Vincenzo Florio flags off the drivers in the 1955 race that marks the Targa’s return to glory, and he is finally able to die poor but happy. However, like the world itself, the race is becoming too dangerous. The stakes are higher and the crashes, when they come, are deadlier. A fatal crash in 1971 signals the end of the Targa Florio as part of the World Championship. And in 1977 the race is stopped part-way and forever when a car ploughs into a group of spectators. The dangers that characterised the final years of the race hit home as Alain revisits the location of the crash that nearly killed him. In an emotional scene, Alain meets for the first time the son of the Sicilian farmer who pulled him free from the car and saved his life. The son witnessed the crash aged just 12 years old and recalls the scene to Alain – enabling him to come full circle from his racing days and finally gain closure. For Francesco, the circle is also closed. As the two men roar down the Buonfornello Straight by the sea and into Floriopolis, his inner journey, as well as his physical one, is complete. By connecting with the Targa Florio, Francesco has rediscovered his Sicilian roots and found the part of himself that was missing. He feels complete. In different ways, the Targa Florio is in the blood: the blood of Alain, Francesco, Vincenzo, the race and the island of Sicily. It is not forgotten. www.siciliandreammovie.com Run Time 71 Mins FILM: THE MAGAZINE /NICE/MAY 2016
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SHADOW OF A SHADOW Screenplay By Alan Redpath
ON THE SURFACE: Obsessed with 1960’s French cinema, a young man from Glasgow creates an imaginary world where his French stars come to life. He falls in love with the image of a glamorous actress from the 60’s, abandons his wife and pursues the love of the now retired actress in Paris. NOW, DIG A BIT DEEPER: As a child, Harris was forced to live with his alcoholic grandmother following the death of his single mother. Despite his failure to rescue his Grandmother from her addiction, he had found wonder and solace in the old French movies he had watched with his mother. Following his Grandmother death, he finds himself seeking another feminine figure to rescue. Unable to liberate his new wife from her addiction to heroin, he eventually escapes the toxic relationship and creates a world of fantasy where 1960’s French cinema and reality become one. His fragmented memories of his mother become adorned with romanticized thoughts of her perfection and in his search for idealism, he falls in love with the image of a beautiful actress in one of his films. When a visiting French star from his imagination refuses to leave, Harris and his new side kick embark on a quest to find the actress from his film, now more than twice his age. Beatrice is long retired from acting and now close to being 60 years old, lives a lonely but quite and stable life. She is resistant to change, disillusioned with love and yet feels a yearning for courage, a courage long forgotten. Harris, with his imaginary side kick in tow, arrives at her apartment unannounced. Deeply in love with the image she represents he is resolved to fight for Beatrice’s love. He embarks on a journey of self-discovery, and in so doing, he challenges Beatrice’s notions of love and truth. Eventually acknowledging her as a woman with faults, failings and discovering a hidden past, he relinquishes his fantasy, allowing them both to explore the possibility of a love between two distant generations. Shadow of a shadow uses cinema as a reflective surface to expose our human need to connect to the past, to something magical and seemingly unobtainable. It explores loves illusory power and ability to deceive us into inventing fantasy from reality. It also stylistically challenges the social and moral boundaries of love when faced with the force of such a fantasy.
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WHERE DID MY STORY COME FROM: I initially created the screen play Shadow of a shadow to link my love for both 1960’s French cinema and Scottish culture, which has expanded to question the social and moral restrictions of love. I remember listening to the words of Jacques Brel’s song “Ne me quitte pas” (Don’t leave me). Jacques had been deeply in love with his mistress Zizou when she threw him out. Zizou was pregnant with Brel’s child, but Brel refused to acknowledge the child as his own which resulted in Zizou’s decision to have an abortion. Brel wrote the song as a sort of mournful hymn. It conveyed his feelings of humiliation with his own selfishness and the loss of the last connection to the dream of what could have been. It made me think about loves illusory power, its ability to deceive our perceptions of the one we love, and to yearn for what is lost. When I heard him sing
“ Laisse-moi devenir, L’ombre de ton ombre, L’ombre de ta main (Let me be for you, a shadow of your shadow, a shadow of your hand) I understood the power of those words. Brel felt as tangible and yet as Insignificant as a shadow of her shadow, like a buried remnant of a love lost. His words lamented his shameful submission to an inertia of cowardice, and idolized her love, as the perfect love which he was unworthy of obtaining. That image we create of love can have such dominion over us and can project our will into a form of unstoppable desire. I wanted a character to feel that desire, that willingness to lose himself, his notions of reality, and to humiliate himself if necessary to attain that imagined perfect love. It struck a chord with my own feelings of connection to the French Nouvelle vague of the 60’s and suddenly Harris was born, that lost soul who could traverse these two worlds and achieve the unachievable. redbow68@yahoo.co.uk
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JAREEDY After winning a best cinematography award in the London Film Maker Festival 2016, Jareedy then competed and was nominated at the Nice Film Festival 2016 for best short film, best cinematography & best film awards.
Then the film heads to Cannes as it’s participating at the Cannes Film Festival film market. That will be followed with a screening in Paris as we are delighted to announce that the International Nubian Committee in France has arranged for a screening to take place in one of the cinemas. The committee invited Mohamed Hisham, the director of the film, after they discovered that he will be in France touring & promoting “Jareedy” as this is the first Nubian narrated Nubian film. Mohamed Hisham did not expect such feedback & interest in his film and the interest in “Jarredy” began in earnest after it had won the best cinematography award at the London Film Maker Festival 2016 and also for the narration & participation of the Tunisian singer Ghalia Ben Ali at the Afrika Film Festival in Belgium. It is hoped that the film will be selected in many more upcoming film festivals including the Madrid Film Maker Festival 2016. Run Time 28 Mins Run Time 116 Mins
THE DOUBLE CROSS Filmmaker: Mark Brocking
The Double Cross is a silent black and white comedy short set in the 1920s, where our hero is a young waiter for hire who gets caught up in a murder plot during a party and eventually rescues the damsel in distress. Award winning director Mark Brocking has been working in the film industry since around 1990. He started his career in 2D animation working on features for Disney, Warner brothers and Spielberg among others.
Around 2003 he entered the field of CG animation at Framestore, London working his way up to supervising animator on films such as Narnia “The Dawn Treader” and “Where the Wild Things Are”. He was nominated for a Bafta for his work as animation director on the tv series “Primeval 2” in 2003.
So why make a silent, B&W short film? “I have always loved the genre and slapstick comedy is very akin to 2D animation which I enjoyed making for many years. Filming without sound and colour was a restriction that I believe brought the best out of cast and crew in under used areas of their skill set as well presenting a very interesting, refreshing challenge to everyone involved.
Unusually the film was shot with a 16mm traditional camera at 18 frames a second to give it an authentic 1920s feel. Using 21st century software, it starts using original, old London footage into which our hero Harry was Mark started writing and composited. directing his short films in 2008 Pre production for the short involved the building of which has so far resulted in many props , the main one being the 20s style bar and two films, “The Double Cross” entertainment area. (Best shorts winner) and “The Barber’s Cut” (winner of 15 TBC was shot in London UK at 1 location and shot over 3 awards so far in 2016). He is weekends in total. Post production took another 4 weeks. currently working on his third All in all a huge effort by a great number of people without film which should come out in whom the film would never have been possible and to 2016. He lives in London, UK whom I owe huge thanks. Having a pianist performing the with his wife and 2 children. music live at the premiere was awesome!”
Run Time 17 Mins
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FEATURING IMAGES FROM THE FILM “THE DOUBLE CROSS”.
From being in competition in Nice to being presented in the film market in Cannes to being screened in Paris....
THIS SECTION FEATURES IMAGES FROM THE FILM “JAREEDY”.
A Nubian narrated film touring France. Directed by Mohamed Hisham
THE SIN OF THOSE WHO LOVE US Filmmaker: Vasco de Oliveira Here, Vasco de Oliveira, the filmmaker behind “The Sin of Those Who Love us” explains why he decided to make this compelling short film.
Growing up, my mother would always tell me that I’d have many friends and lots of relationships, but the people that I could always count on would be the members of my family. What I do find kind of ironic, is that the people who complete this circle of trust weren’t chosen by me. I can’t trade them, or stop being part of their family. Even if we become estranged, we will always be family. Being curious about this subject, I created the original concept of The Sin of Those Who Love Us: a tragedy that would befall a family, whose members would be extreme opposites, and we would see them come together, with all their differences, to solve this. When tragedy strikes us, we have a need to find a meaning, be it facts or beliefs, and that’s what I found interesting having a contrast between science and religion. And the story started to unfold in front of me: a girl who had a condition that could be explained by both religion and science.
THE IMAGES IN THIS SECTION WERE TAKEN FROM THE FILM ”THE SIN OF THOSE WHO LOVE US”.
The religion would be represented by her religious parents who needed a higher answer when all else failed; and science by the estranged homosexual son who had ran away from home after his parents failed to understand, or accept, his sexuality.
As the family searches for the answer to the girl’s condition, the film is conceived as an exploration of the different ways people love one another and how inadvertently they might end up hurting each other, that being the sin of those who love us. Because even though sin refers to a violation of God’s will, outside of religion, what one perceives as sin will change according to their morals. Finally, the film ends up being deliberately ambiguous, because I feel that the audience needs to explore their own ideals, their own beliefs, and try to make up their own answer.
The film was shot in five intensive days, including rehearsals and the rain scene, which took the co-ordination of the whole cast and crew of 21, plus the Firemen. All the cast and crew worked pro-bono on the film, since it is difficult to get support for independent films in Portugal. The film is nominated in the Nice Festival for: Best Foreign Short, Best Editing in a Foreign Film, Best Lead Actor in a Foreign Film (Hugo Tavares) and Best Supporting Actress in a Foreign Film (Elisabete Piecho).
Even though it was a risky concept, I thought it would be good for a first film, because it allowed me as a director to explore distinct approaches to connect the audience emotionally to these characters, while letting me work with the actors right to their core to explore raw human emotions, thus making it a very difficult casting process and I was very fortunate to get to work with such a talented cast. This is Nuno Melo’s last film, since he died of cancer in June 2015, whilst the film was in post-production. He never watched the finished film, “which is one of the things I most regret” says Vasco, “but it was an honour to have this opportunity to work with him.”
It has already won five awards: Best Actress (Margarida Moreira), Best Director (Vasco de Oliveira) and Best Cinematography (Pedro Bessa) in LAIFFA, Platinum Award at the Fameus International Film Festival and a Remi Award at Worldfest Houston.
/opecadodequemnosama Run Time 32 Mins FILM: THE MAGAZINE /NICE/MAY 2016
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THE WAY OF THE BRAVE Director/Producer: Henrik Larsson
“The prophecies surrounding the rise of the near-mythical Rainbow warriors are several in American Indian lore. Paralleled with a traditional Native American pow wow, the film offers a rare glimpse into the magical world of the Rainbow people, during their annual gathering, The story centres around the issues which are not only of concern to them, but greatly affects all of humanity. The result is a powerful statement that defines the true meaning of freedom, as much as it defies the values of presentday consumption culture; Babylon. The Way of the Brave is a gritty documentary, and was shot on a smartphone.”
herrhenriklarsson@hotmail.com Run Time 70 5 Mins Mins
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THE PHOTOGRAPHY IN THIS SECTION IS TAKEN FROM THE FILM “THE WAY OF THE BRAVE”.
“The rainbow represents the full spectrum, and it is important to acknowledge that there are lines in the rainbow, which in effect enables the full spectrum of diversity to exist, and when translating that to a global human perspective these lines essentially equate to the concept of nations and borders, if you will; there to preserve the full spectrum of indigenous cultures. We now see that Babylon, or Globalism as it is also called, is trying to destroy these simply by erasing them, which in practicality will lead to the polar opposite of the rainbow concept-conflict. And what happened to the American Indian is a perfect example, so we have much to learn from their plight, and the way forward is to be brave and stand strong with a life affirming native attitude, honouring and preserving ALL indigenous cultures, not only in far away places, but even in Europe.” Henrik Larsson
ZYDECO BREAKFAST Filmmaker: Tom Uhl
Zydeco Breakfast is a film by first time film maker Thomas Uhl, a construction contractor from Santa Fe,New Mexico and his cinematographer son Anders Uhl. Thomas was inspired by the dancing and joyousness of a Saturday morning dance and breakfast at a small cafe in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana in 2006. So early in the morning and to dance like that!
FEATURING IMAGES TAKEN FROM THE FILM “ZYDECO BREAKFAST”..
It was a celebration, a break from normal life. It was therapy for the dancers!
The film delves into the historical roots of the people, the music and instruments, as well as the present day Zydeco scene. It tells of a community of people who help each other in times of need and value and celebrate their culture, their land and their families and work hard to preserve all three. Zydeco. A bright spot in a troubled world!
He had never witnessed anything like the breakfast and couldn’t shake the urge to film it, although he had no prior film experience.
tjuhl@wildblue.net Run Run Time Time 10893Mins Mins
ROAD TO HOPE Director/Producer: Mike Wargo
NO PARENTS. NO FUTURE. NO HOPE.
Road to Hope explores the realities of life and death in developing countries where hope for a better life is often just an elusive dream for the orphaned children who cared for their dying parents.
THIS SECTION FEAURES STILLS TAKEN FROM THE FILM “ROAD TO HOPE”.
His journey through the process of learning and filming could make a documentary in itself, but as he progressed he was informed that the Zydeco Breakfast was “the tip of the iceberg”. There was a rich heritage among the Afro French of the Lafayette region (known as Creoles) and as he learned more, a much larger story unfolded.
Through penetrating interviews, the filmmakers reveal the hearts and minds of unintentional shepherds who emerge to restore faith in these children who might otherwise have been lost. Together, they walk the road to hope in search of a better life for themselves and for those they encounter along their journey. Superbly narrated by actress Torrey DeVitto (Chicago Med, Pretty Little Liars, Vampire Diaries), the film both entertains and educates the audience about life, death and hope in Sub-Saharan Africa.
During a recent interview with the film’s director, Mike Wargo discussed the difficult task of deciding which stories to include in the film. “As we began to meet literally dozens of children from different countries and diverse cultures, we could see this common thread emerge. They were all searching for the same thing – Hope! That said, every one of their stories was unique and deserving to be told. During post-production, we finally decided on three, but it could just as easily have been 33.” With a World Premiere win for Best Documentary Film at the Hollywood Florida Film Festival and a win for Best Documentary Feature at the recent Geneva Film Festival, the film makes its official French debut at the 2016 International Filmmaker Festival of World Cinema – Nice, where it is doublenominated for both the Jury Award and for Best Story. Road to Hope screens at IFF-Nice on May 10 at 10:00 a.m. in Screening Room #1.
roadtohopefilm.org Run Time 71 Mins FILM: THE MAGAZINE /NICE/MAY 2016
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Director: Bob Bentley
Exploring The Japanese Art Of Kinbaku
EROTIC PERFORMANCE ART This feature documentary explores the Japanese art of rope bondage and the people who practice it, sometimes obsessively. Kinbaku, also called Shibari, has origins in the medieval world. Almost forgotten, it has since been rediscovered in modern times, growing from a niche practice on the BDSM scene into a popular passion for many men, women and couples in Japan and throughout the West.
ROPE ARTISTS REVEALED Many of the world’s top Kinbaku artists contribute, some tying while others are bound and suspended – with a few doing both. Bob balances an up-close and personal portrayal with a respectful distance. He records intimate thoughts and feelings, documenting the dangers and exploring the euphoria. These rare insights reveal the true story of Japanese rope bondage – in narratives that are surprising and at times disturbing!
www.thepleasureofrope.com www.espressomedia.co.uk/the-pleasure-of-rope vimeo.com/ondemand/thepleasureofrope /ropemovie Run Time 5 Mins
THE PHOTOGRAPHYIN THIS SECTION IS TAKEN FROM THE FILM “THE PLEASURE OF ROPE”.
THE PLEASURE OF ROPE
DISCOVERING PASSION & PAIN With footage gathered on a personal journey spanning over four years, award winning director Bob Bentley takes the audience behind the scenes at bondage events in the UK and Japan. With his guidance we meet the people who have made it an integral part of their lives, and observe the passion and pain as we go to homes, workshops and some very unusual locations.
THE CREATIVE GYPSY
Delhi based Neeru and Naveen Khera formed the company with aspirations to identify young talent across the Industry whilst making their films and dreams come alive; believing in creativity, uniqueness and above all, Entertainment.
All three films have achieved recognition at prestigious platforms that include the Cannes Film Festival, Hollywood International Moving Pictures, Nice International Film Festival, Delhi International Film Festival, Jaipur International Film Festival, 6th Dada Saheb Phalke Film Festival and The International Film Festival of Allahabad, - Atharva Short & Documentary Film Festival and many others.
Neeru Khera They set a benchmark by producing the first ever Web-Series about the LGBT community in India called “All About Section 377” which is a law that criminalizes gay activities. The show is light hearted, very emotional and has received rave reviews from critics as well as the audiences and has also been nominated as one of the Top 5 WebSeries whilst at the same time breaking records on the internet. Neeru Khera says, “I love movies. My passion and excitement to produce these kind of interesting films and series brings joy and great content to my company. I am amazed at today’s talented youth, they are my biggest motivators in becoming a producer.”
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The Creative Gypsy has produced Award winning short films that include “An untold story of Paperboats”, directed by Amit Khanna, “SIRI - The Living Scarecrow”, directed by Dabboo Malik and “Aadha Chand Tum Rakhlo”, directed by Mayank Bokolia which portrays various important social issues.
Our upcoming projects include a feature film that will deal with the issue of Breast Cancer which will look at this disease in a new way, along with a short film on the journey of one of the most mysterious humans in India called “Sadhus”. In our journey to create dreams with an underlying social message, we would love to collaborate with various production houses all over the world. The Creative Gypsy is located in Mumbai and Delhi, India. One can visit the production house at 601, Sunshine Building, Shastri Nagar, Lokhanwala Circle, Andheri West, Mumbai - 400053. /TheCreativeGypsyFilms
YOUTUBE CHANNEL
BUSINESS QUERIES: +91-9811022011, +91-2240052002 E-MAIL ID: GYPSYKHERA@GMAIL.COM
Two film and entertainment buffs came together to create a unique production house and YouTube channel called “The Creative Gypsy.”
SOME DREAMS ARE WORTH RACING FOR. DIRECTED BY CHRIS GHELFI AND LAURA SHEEHY
CHASING THE WIN DIRECTED BY CHRIS GHELFI AND LAURA SHEEHY
Screening at the Nice International Filmmaker Festival World Premiere Newport Beach Film 13.25 on at Maythe 11th - Screening Room 1 Festival CHASING THE WIN is a documentary feature APRIL film that follows the meteoric rise of a rookie trainer, a long time SUNDAY 24, 12:15 PM owner, and their beloved racehorse after an unprecedented victory thrusts them into the global spotlight of horse racing. Success and fame are followed by the hard hitting reality of what it means to survive in the Sport of Kings.
STARLIGHT TRIANGLE CINEMA 2 | 1870 HARBOR BLVD, COSTA MESA, CA 92627
www.Chasingthewinfilm.com
Director: Jimmy Gadd
Bound For Greatness, is a short film about a true underdog. Darren is a young man who lives with Asperger’s. He has gone through his life but is unable to connect with anyone. Whilst seeking the comforting sound of crashing waves of the ocean on one blustery day, he happens upon a girl nursing a broken bird on the beach. She needs him and he has never been needed before… Filmmaker, Jimmy Gadd, has been perfecting his craft as a professional editor for many successful movies and television shows for over 12 years. He enriched his talents as a lead editor for The Mentalist for 7 seasons. Currently, Jimmy is editing for another impressive series, Rosewood, on FOX. He has directed short films, music videos, dance, and art projects. As he developed Bound For Greatness, he strove for the best cast and crew for this short film so that he could enter it into the prestigious Warner Brothers Directing Program, where he was selected and certified by Warner Brothers. Recently, Jimmy has endeavoured to get a feature film in motion to direct for the second half of 2016.
Asperger’s seemed like an interesting subject matter for the character to struggle with and for the viewer to experience a different world to learn about along the way. With the help of producer, Briana Morini, countless crew members, and friends who worked alongside Jimmy at Warner Brothers, he was able to build a crew of some of the best people in the industry. His Casting Director, Kendra Patterson, aided Jimmy in selecting some of Hollywood’s up and coming actors: Keir O’Donnell from American Sniper and the Television Series, Fargo; Karen Gillan from Dr. Who and Guardians of the Galaxy; as well as Tim Kang from The Mentalist.
Bound For Greatness is nominated for four awards at the Nice International Film Festival: Best Film, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay of a Short Film, and Best Actress in a Short Film.
This short film was collaboration with writer, Claire Gerety-Mott, who worked with Jimmy to refine the story and to find a new way to tell a story about an underdog.
www.jimmygadd.com Run Run TimeTime 26 Mins 108 Mins
FEATURING IMAGES TAKEN FROM THE FILM “BOUND FOR GREATNESS”.
BOUND FOR GREATNESS
7 YEARS BEFORE In the period of the 1940s it often happened, that a man left his home and his family, because of his belief that he could help bring stability to his country and for this reason also to his family in participating in something called war and also wining for himself courage and glory. “7 years before” is a short film about the last hours before a husband or lover who leaves his girl friend behind, to change his home for an unknown future. The stories’ perspective is from the female point of view. In the centre point of this short film are the emotions and thoughts of this remaining day and of the moment of saying goodbye to each other.
The strong and overwhelming emotional landscape of this women is shown by the choreographer and director Maged Mohamed in his most concrete language, the language of the body called dance. Maged Mohamed is impressed not by just this moment of such strong feelings but also by the thought, that this situation not only happened in the past: No, it is still happening every day to millions of women around the World! Speaking about his film Maged Mohamed said “When I heard the music from Niall Byrne for the first time, I was so touched and immediately the story of the film was on my mind. Even though I worked most of the time on the stage, I knew from the beginning that I wanted to do this story for the screen, because it gave me the option to present it on a whole different level.
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I wanted to combine the reality of the second world war-period with dance, with something very minimalistic and very touching at the same time. Talking about the war from the side of love was always an important matter for me - and the leaving behind of what we actually belong to. I choose the neo classical dance for the most emotional parts of the film, to go deeper, to show the complete landscape of the feelings, thoughts and emotions you have in mind in such a situation. Another wish from my side was also, to present to more people the world of the neo classical dance and to show a part of this huge range dance has”. www.tanzbueromuenchen.de Run Time 9 Mins
THE IMAGES IN THIS SECTION ARE TAKEN FROM THE SHORT FILM: “7 YEARS BEFORE”. (COPYRIGHT MAGED MOHAMMED)
Filmmaker: Maged Mohammed
KEIR O'DONNELL
KAREN GILLAN
winner BEST NARRATIVE SHORT american movie awards
WINNER
INTERNATIONAL FILMMAKER FESTIVAL OF WORLD CINEMA
LONDON WINNER
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Greatness BOUND FOR A FILM BY
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THE TRAP Director/Producer: Carlos Alberto Poe
The Trap, is the Opera Prima or First Work of its director Carlos Alberto Poe (who was born between the mountains and volcanoes in the so-called mountain range of fire of the Pacific, Quito, under the name of Carlos Alberto Larrea) and his film was released in November 2015 in the Ecuador cinema circuits.
The story then grew to the point where we were able to make a feature film. It takes an awful lot of hard work to make a short but, even more for a long feature film. Carlos Alberto Poe tells us that it was a relatively easy decision, “all that enormous effort to run a production, could be focused on a feature film, as it required the same number of players, the same locations and the same complications ... besides, the script was enough for a long feature”.
It is praise to women, a punishment to the abuse of power that though masked in appearance and its apparent acceptance, is an abuse of authority. The focus of exchanging favors is staged clearly, situations to which students are exposed, they are diverse and so are their consequences ... The difficult existence of those who make art as their life is reflected in the sub-plot of the story where the sensitivity of artists, which drives them to succeed or ... fail, but never enough to forget about the most noble of human instincts. Envy, passion and desire could be a very powerful weapon to create a trap, regardless of the dimensions that it can take, allying to evil implies approaching slowly to a tornado that ultimately drags you with all its strength toward perdition, only you can become more dreadful, can you run away? Or finally... give up. The process through its ups and downs... at the end could transform Joaquin into a hero, a criminal avenger or...an artist.
www.latrampafilm.com www.roseland.ec/eclipse.html /latrampaec Run Time 113 Mins
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THIS PAGE FEATURES IMAGES FROM THE FILM ”THE TRAP”.
His fondness for the stories and images since his childhood took him to create a fictional script that initially would be a short film, with its main character, a student of dramatic art, Joaquin a not quite proficient drama student who, due to his immaturity cannot maintain a stable sentimental relationship with Andrea, his fellow student and partner in the Opera de Carmen. He gets into trouble and falls into a trap which leads him to being chased by the police and repudiated by all. His enemies use every resource to destroy him and those he loves. His scarce theatre training, the social networks and an unexpected source of help are his only means to hide from his pursuers. The trap takes a fatal twist that turns against his enemies when Joaquin finds out and prepares his vengeance and returns to demonstrate his innocence and recover his love, Andrea. But his enemies are waiting....
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Writer: Mark Benmore Director: Elisa Kujala Editor: Tuan Hong
A woman is caught up in a tumultuous relationship and plunges into a cycle of adoration and violence.
DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT Inductions is a short film about a tumultuous and passionate relationship which is doomed to fail. We wanted to take part in the Colchester 60 hours Short Film challenge and we were bouncing ideas with the London Short Film Group. The only idea that really caught my eye was Mark Benmore’s script on domestic violence. The script was fast paced and I liked the way we jumped from present to the past. However the actual foundation of the film was created in the edit with the editor Tuan Hong, where we were really able to play around with the film’s structure.
To me the topic is important because to be able to fight against domestic violence we also need to see why it’s so hard for the victims to walk away from the situation. To somebody who’s never experienced a violent relationship it’s hard to think any reason why you wouldn’t just leave the relationship behind if it’s hurting you. With this film I wanted to point out the many sides of the victim-perpetrator relationship; you can be so attached to the world you’ve created that there’s no place to escape to. As a director I always battle with challenging themes and I’m keen on learning more about what makes people do violent things to the people they love and the physiological reasons behind it. Did something happen in their childhood that made them turn cold and have a lack of empathy? It’s a motif I find myself drawn to.
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For more information Please contact: team@londonshortfilm.com
THIS SECTION FEATURES STILLS FROM THE SHORT FILM “INDUCTIONS”.
INDUCTIONS
I think the viewpoint of the script, Jess’s point of view, was an important aspect of the film. I wanted the viewer to see how alluring James could be and how easily you can fall in love with someone who’s still unknown and yet to be uncovered. The adoration that brought these people together makes both of them blind to the obstacles ahead. Whether it was only physical attraction or true chemistry that brought Jess and James together, it still mostly driven by the fear of losing the person she loves the same way she lost her mother to cancer.
in i t be Joh n M don’ alk t wa ovi ch nt to
“X ave rH utt er i s an ….t ele hen ctri sta cal s y in tor the m a dar nd i f yo k” u
76FLIX & DROSTIE PRODUCTION PRESENTS ”X” STARRING XAVER HUTTER.ROLAND MØLLER.DAVID SAKURAI IDA RANDAL.THUE ERSTED RASMUSSEN.KENNETH WRIGHT.ASBJØRN KROGH NISSEN AND MANY MORE PRODUCED BY JAKOB HOLM DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY ANDREW GRANT-CHRISTENSEN EDITING & COLORGRADING COLOR CLUB SOUND DESIGN SUPERSONIC CAMERA EQUIPMENT ONLY RENTAL LIGHTING EQUIPMENT FILM GEAR MUSIC RESOE & DJ NOIZE STILL PHOTOGRAPHER TOR JØRGENSEN COVER ART LARS SCHMIDT HANSEN WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY JESPER SKOUBØLLING FILM: THE MAGAZINE /NICE/MAY 2016
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