Issue 011 Nice 2017 by Film Fest International

Film

INTERNATIONAL FILMMAKER FESTIVAL OF WORLD CINEMA NICE 2017

FILM: THE MAGAZINE/MAY 2017

THE MAGAZINE

DEDICATED TO THE BUSINESS OF FILM

FOR MORE ON THIS MULTI-AWARD WINNING SCREENPLAY See Pages 20-24

FOR AN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW WITH WRITER & DIRECTOR JACQUELINE MURPHY. SEE PAGE 7

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WELCOME TO INTERNATIONAL FILMMAKER FESTIVAL OF WORLD CINEMA NICE 2017 many years ago is the near total domination of digital filmmaking, followed very swiftly in the last few years with the power and quality of filmmaking that’s now possible with consumer and even smart-phones - films created on the latest generation devices that are even produced in 4K”.

Dear Filmmaker, Firstly, congratulations and thank you for your continued support of all of our International Film Festivals over the past few years, we hope you have a wonderful time with us in Nice and we look forward to meeting all of you! We are as ever continuously amazed with the quality of movies and scripts on show for all of the nominated entries and the enthusiasm and passion that all of the filmmakers share. 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@filmfestinternational.com Dan Hickford Sponsorship & Marketing dan@filmfestinternational.com

On that note it’s worth mentioning once more that we have noticed how many more nominated entries that were filmed in part or sometimes completely using digital consumer equipment including even using iPhone or Android based systems! As a platform these are all excellent examples of how we continue to appeal globally to a whole new generation of filmmakers now that high quality tech is becoming more affordable and available to consumers across the World and how this in turn can lead to movies and documentaries of outstanding quality. Festival President, Carl Tooney commented, “Without doubt, the most noticeable change since we launched our Festivals

And of course, we have Film the Magazine at all of our festivals and beyond which initself 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 work that never ceases to amaze us. The Filmmaker Festival Nice 2017 is delighted to have the continued help and support of our industry experts, Paul Eyres, Neil McEwan, Ray Davies and Brad Blain, here to offer excellent advice to all filmmakers and scriptwriters. The Festival team will be more than happy to assist you in anything that you need whilst you’re here with us and I hope you will continue your support with our future Festivals.

Carl Tooney President & Chief Executive Officer

International Filmmaker Festival of World Cinema Nice 2017

July 8 - 15th - 2017 SeptEMBER 30 - October 7 - 2017

All articles, including all editorial used in this publication (whether printed or digital) do not necessarily represent the views of any of the International Filmmaker Festivals representatives, staff or associates. No part of this magazine, whether printed or electronic may be reproduced, stored or copied without the express prior written consent of the publisher. Requests for permission should be directed to: publishing@filmthemagazine.com Although we make every effort to ensure all of the information in this publication is up to date and accurate the publisher takes no responsibility for any omissions or errors. The publishers accept no responsibility for the material supplied including (but not limited to) all editorial and advertising copy and, any omissions, errors or matters of copyright. All material supplied for use is solely the responsibility of the supplier or suppliers of the material reproduced in this publication, whether in mechanical or digital format.

NOVEMBER 25 - DECEMBER 2 - 2017 FEB - 2018

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YUKA TAKESHIMA TSUKASA ITO MASAYUKI DEAI AKARI UCHIDA MOTOYA IZUMI

Executive Producer Written and Directed by

YUJI KAKIZAKI

STORY In March, 1967. Reiko Akabane lives a peaceful life with her husband and two year old son, Jun. The story begins when Reiko is united with some former suicide pilots after they suddenly visit her one day. These war buddies, who along with Reiko long for and recall the peaceful good old days spent at Reiko’s mother’s restaurant, drink sake and sing war songs every night at her home. After the boys have drunk themselves unconscious and sleep in the living room, Reiko calls her mother Tome. “Mother, can I come home to Chiran next month?” Then two years later, Reiko opens her own shop called The Lady From Satsuma in TakadanoTakadano baba, Tokyo. Her mother’s words made her decide to follow in her mother’s footsteps. “We are survivors. Those boys are too. Surviving means we must do something with our lives. Do what you can do for them.” Reiko, who had been troubled by what she could do for the survivors, flashes back to remember that she wanted to run a shop like her mother. Time fast-forwards to 2014. The Lady From Satsuma has been up and running for 45 years. We see the portraits of Tome and Reiko, both deceased. Jun has proudly kept the shop handed down for his grandmother and mother going and tells the tales of the old days to the actors who appear in the film.

http://www.kart-entertainment.co.jp

When the sun falls MASAYUKI DEAI YUKA TAKESHIMA GO IBUKI MOTOYA IZUMI Executive Producer Written and Directed by

YUJI KAKIZAKI

STORY It is July 12th, 1802, the 2nd year of the Kyowa Era in Feudal Japan, specifically, in the Yotsuya district of Old Edo amongst the tightly lined Samurai estates. Our protagonist Furuta Kyuzo Masanari (hereafter Kyuzo) - a wealthy elite guard of the shogunate - is under house arrest for dereliction of duty by allowing an unauthorized person into Edo Castle. His fate is as of yet unknown. As our story begins, Kyuzo’s wife Yoshino has just been told by their son Komanosuke that a man has a message for her. Yoshino hurries to the gate to find no one there. Yet she hears a voice reciting a poem. “Oh Summer night, On the fleeting river of dreams, The warrior goes off into the brightening edge of the Clouds of the West”. The poetic message is from Kyuzo’s close friend Eto who is forbidden to tell Kyuzo directly of the Shogun’s decree that on the following day Kyuzo will be sentences to Seppuku - ritual suicide. It gives Kyuzo one night to ready himself and his family for his death. http://www.kart-entertainment.co.jp

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YUJI KAKIZAKI

DIRECTOR’s INTERVIEW

Q1. What is really important to you when you create a film? A: The character, the background of the time period. I want to truthfully depict the important parts that make up the core of the story. Q2. What was the best part of making “When The Sun Falls & The Lady From Satsuma? A: For “When the Sun Falls” we shot in sequence. Firstly, as we were following the emotions of the husband and wife characters moment by moment and overnight, we pursued shooting in order as our main goal. Then, in the “seppuku” scene, that was shot in the same place that it actually took place 200 years ago from now. Finally, the best part of making the film was having Izumi Motoya appear in the film. As a leading Japanese “kyogen” actor, he has performed all over the world. With him singing the song “Entrust to a Friend”, he exhibited the full potential of his strength as a kyogen performer and wonderfully sang the song beyond my imagination. That’s the thing to watch in “When the Sun Falls”. As for “The Lady from Satsuma”, since this work took place over a very long period of time, it was hard to convey especially Reiko’s part, from when she was very young, a 14 year old junior high student to the time of having a child and becoming a young mother and then going to the later years of her life and changing the actor with Reiko as a mother or as a daughter, with Tome, the mother. When it comes to the bonds between child and parent or family, since this familyism is very specific to Japanese people, by all means, I hope audiences can watch and think these are the kind of emotions that Japanese have. Finally, as for the suicide attack units, while some people call this terrorism, that’s not so. I firmly believe that throwing down one’s life to protect the country, to protect parents and siblings, to protect one’s beloved homeland, even if this brings us even one step closer to accomplish this then these attacks are different from terrorist suicide bombings as they were limited to military troops. Q3. Looking back on the project, would you change anything?

the media of film. And with this emotion and the world view of that time and the film, I think movies bring about the unification of wanting to express our dreams. Q5. What do you think audiences want when they watch a film? A: Compared to other countries in the West, Japan was a country that opened up later. And in this sense of being later, I mean that Japan’s history, where the wave of civilization was forced upon us, is not that long. It’s been 300 years since Japan the age of national isolation where Japan cut itself off from the world. But because of this, there is plenty of culture that came about. Things like kabuki and sumo are examples of this. This culture that arose out of experiencing these 300 years, along with when the country was opened up, and the constructed culture of the West that they witnessed, this fusion that was achieved is what Japan is today. This goes for movies as well. It could be said that this film being shown here is the true-self of that culture. Q6. Which director or directors do you most admire, can you name one sequence in any film you have seen that has mesmerised you? A: For Japanese directors, Miike Takashi, Kurosawa Akira and Andrzej Wajda. They are total different types of directors but they have influenced me quite a bit. The film that influenced me the most when it comes to filmmaking is Kurosawa Akira’s “Kagemusha”.

A: Almost nothing. However, when the actor is in the moment of emotion, playing the role in a scene, when words that naturally come out end up being a little different from the script, I place a priority on the words that came out of that emotion even if the lines and the portrayal of the character end up being a bit different. Q4. Is film-making addictive? A: Filmmaking is my dream, the dream of my circle of friends, the dream of our company. What is this dream? We want to express via Continued on the next page

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MASAYUKI DEAI

ACTOR’s INTERVIEW

Q1. What was the most challenging part about working on When The Sun Falls & The Lady From Satsuma? A: When I started the work on both films, the hardest part was to fully understand the character as one part of the film that the director was trying to make. As for “When the Sun Falls”, playing the role of Hatamoto, an elite guard to the shogun, was complicated as period pieces tend to be. As for what kind of a job did he perform or what were the state of affairs when it came to the being confined to one’s house, the director instructed me to the upmost in detail and I was able to get close to the character. Then, as I imagined what kind of food people ate at the time or what would happen if they couldn’t do what they liked to do, being restricted and living amongst these restrictions, I was able to live their actual lives to the upmost. That was the hardest part for me. As for “The Lady From Satsuma”, since I performed in a story about the suicide unit before, I had experience regarding the behaviour of former military soldiers. To close myself off to the upmost of the physical world, instead of going home, I lived in a hotel for a while and constructed the character. You might call it tough, I call it a challenge.

Q2. What do you think audiences want when they watch a film? A: As for me, I’m Japanese. I feel it is a film that espectively expresses Japanese traditions and culture. It would make me happy if audiences can honestly and openly interpret and understand these things. As an actor the thing that makes me the happiest is for people to watch the film and feel something from the characters living in the movie.

Q3. What would your dream role as an actor be and why? A: I want play various roles in various films. My dream is to play the lead role and have that film be recognized and find acceptance all over the world. While living my life as an actor, I also learn about Japanese history. As a Japanese person appearing in a Japanese film that is being shown all over the world, I hope the film can be seen all over and I hope audiences can feel Japan in a new manner. I hope audiences will feel my acting and feel the film that I am appearing in. Q4. What do you find to be the hardest part about being an actor? A: It’s the same every time. The hardest part is making sure there is no lying between every line and every movement. For films about every day life, you will make every day movements

but there is meaning in these movements. Of course, some of the movements might be needless, but needlessness is necessary. What hard about this is how real you make it for the character you play. Another hard part starts from when you obtain all sorts of information. Taking that information and processing it through you and making the words and the actions your own is hard. Approaching reality and truth is the hardest part. Q5. What do you think makes Japanese cinema different to Hollywood? A: I have appeared in high budget Hollywood films like 47 Ronin and low budget Japanese films. Since the people and the way of thinking are different, I guess well that all depends. It’s a tough question.

FILM: THE MAGAZINE/NICE/MAY 2017

YUKA TAKESHIMA ACTRESS’S INTERVIEW

Q1. What was the most challenging part about working on When The Sun Falls & The Lady From Satsuma? A: As for “When the Sun Falls”, after I got the script and went to the first read through, the director told me the character that I had prepared was no good. He said I have to go the opposite direction. At first, I imagined that the character was a wife who supported her samurai husband. But the director said that was not so. He wanted me to act as a strong woman who stood above her husband and pulled him along. And he wanted me to bring that acting all the way until when she loses him in the end and everything tumbles down. Then, my thinking changed. As this film was shot in sequence, the very first shot was the hardest for me to bring forth the character I had created. After that, since my emotion naturally flowed day by day, I had no difficulties with the last shot. I was able to act with emotion that flowed from inside me. As for “The Lady From Satsuma”, since this is a true story, I played a person who actually existed. While I had my own thoughts, it was tough to imagine what that person was thinking at the time or feeling at the time. Being born in a different place and in a different age from her, I guess playing the part is like different strokes for different folks as they say. Since this was an actual historic story, I didn’t want to make a mistake while pursuing this reality. I had a hard time playing Reiko.

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Q4. What do you find to be the hardest part about being an actor? A: Millions of things. For every film, what I easily think is that the most difficult thing is that nothing exists before the film is made. While I think every profession has its difficulties, the job of being an actress is tough when it comes to tearing off a piece of someone’s life or expressing that person’s emotions or acting in an imaginary world or showing something that didn’t exist before. But at the same time, these things I are the one’s can’t stop doing and enjoy the most. Q5. Which actress do you most admire, can you name one performance that has mesmerised you? A: People who act by putting everything they have into it. Everyone doing this is wonderful to me.

Q2. What do you think audiences want when they watch a film? A: “When the Sun Falls” is a film set in the Edo period about a samurai who commits karakari. People across the world might think that Japanese people do daring things, but actually, as human beings, we don’t want to die and we want to live. There also is a great deal of trembling emotion when it comes to the threshold between life and death. As Japan has four distinct seasons, I think Japanese are a race where various emotions come forth throughout the year. I hope that audiences around the world will watch this. Q3. What would your dream role as an actor be and why? A: As an actress, I am still inexperienced. But amongst the various professions in life, if there was one thing that I wanted to burn my life for and accomplish, the profession I chose was being an actress. But I can’t just let myself burn out like a candle. I want audiences even if it’s just one more person to see me on fire like this. And after I burn, I want them to see what is left. My goal and my dream is to make other people feel something. I was born into this world as Yuka Takeshima, and I want to leave my footprints on this world in some way, maybe as a memory in the corner of someone’s mind. That’s the kind of work as an actress that I want to accomplish. Continued on the next page

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TSUKASA ITO ACTRESS’S INTERVIEW

Q1. What was the most challenging part about working on When The Sun Falls & The Lady From Satsuma? A: I struggled with the text the most. It is a very distinct dialect and it’s different now from what it was then. Since I was expressing an elderly person’s emotions, I was using expressions that are not used now but were used then. While this is a film during the war, I was not worried as I had the base of performing it on stage. But since we didn’t use the old dialect on stage, I was concerned with how I could convey my emotion to the audience.

A: Depending on what environment you are born, history is different for each country. But then as people living in the here and now, we have to convey that emotion. This is not just limited to Japan; maybe it’s the same in various countries I guess. I hope that audiences will watch and feel a kinship in how one preciously feels towards one’s nation.

A: As for people watching “The Lady From Satsuma”, depending on the situation, there might some things some people cannot accept. As for the audience, how they easily slip into the characters’ lives is important. Letting your emotions and movements take you to where you have to act is truly hard. If one part is missing, it won’t work and the audience sees this. With the cooperation of the many people around you on set, you have to bring forth your own power. And this is what I think is hard each and every day when it comes to being an actor.

Q3. What would your dream role as an actor be and why?

Q5. What advice would you give to someone that wanted to get into the film industry?

A: While I have been acting since I was a child, the end is not in sight. I think I’ll keep being an actress until I become an grannie and maybe never ever understand what my dream is. But I enjoy acting because there is no end in sight and I’ve done amazing work up until now.

A: You’ll work hard and suffer in this tough business, but when you overcome that, there’s plenty of amazing happiness and fun. Once you get a taste of this, you’ll get pulled deeper and deeper into this world. But I hope people will size things up and work hard.

Q2. What do you think audiences want when they watch a film?

Q4. What do you find to be the hardest part about being an actor?

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THE ADMIRED Jacqueline Murphy is the visionary director, producer, writer and lead actress in The Admired...... and here continues her fascinating story with Film The Magazine about how and why she managed to make this stunning short film.

FTM: Can you tell us what your vision was for “The Admired” – and in the end how close was the final film to that vision? JM: I always had this fascination with Hollywood and the movie stars from the 40’s and 50’s. I saw them as these beautiful creatures I fell in love with and wanted to imitate & to be like them. So when I was writing “The Admired”, the line “I want to be a glamorous Hollywood Movie Star, like Veronica Lake”, was part of my inner dialogue ever since I was a young child watching movies on TV with my mom or in the movie theatre. The vision was to take a magical journey with the character of Olivia Spencer of self-discovery. To somehow have her discover a power inside or outside of herself that would let them “Time Travel” and play out her dreams and fantasies. The idea of the handsome Devil tempting her was something I tweaked a bit. I had cast an older actor who was from the Actor’s Studio and really terrific, he had an accident and couldn’t make the shoot. My husband and I were having a reading 2 days before the shoot and the Bartender I’d cast was a 25 year old British Actor Leon Winters and we both thought: He’d be great. We auditioned him and it was beyond perfect. So the vision changed a bit there but for the better in my opinion. I feel like a lot of the movie was planned but a lot of it was the movie telling me what it needed as I was editing it. For example, the music by composer Ruy Folguera and title song, “When Your Admired” by Bridget Brady added so much to the story line and initial vision. But the biggest thing was the visual effects by our Mike Vlasaty. As I was finishing the movie my editor, Dave Bartlett and I looked at each other and said: This is a drama with fantasy elements. To make our vision clear and really go to the next level we needed stars on the tarot cards and rays coming out of the Devils eyes and hands, and his blue eyes needed to turn cobalt. We began to let our imaginations get more invested and go deeper then we were already. So to sum up: I think the visual effects helped us to create the time travel and the magic of it all. I hope to continue with this in the future. At the end of the day, the film was like a growing child that would tell us what it needed. We created it and guided it in the beginning but it demanded and needed certain elements and took its own course at times. That’s when you look at your film and say, “What is needed here, if anything?” And when we saw it needed music or visual effects for example we went for it and felt it did make a difference. The process of filmmaking is pretty incredible. You have to be open to changes in your vision and sometimes it’s for the better or you make a discovery that is a wonderful surprise.

FTM: Was there a particular time that you recognized that filmmaking would be your life and your living? JM: Well Steve, I knew from a very young age I always wanted to be an actress and about 15 years ago I started taking writing classes with Robert McKee known for his breaking down of scripts like “Casablanca” and sharing his knowledge of writing a film script. But it wasn’t until 2 years ago that it just came over me that I wanted to make my own film. I thought, maybe I should write a script with a role I always dreamed of playing. Then when my mentor and friend Mike Tadross a producer at Warner Brothers liked my idea about the script he said “Why don’t you direct”. I said: I haven’t gone to film school. Mike said: Jacqueline, you’ve been a working actress for 25 years and you have the talent, find and surround yourself with a good cinematographer and team and go for it. This opened up a whole new world for me. It was a huge learning curve. But honestly, I’ve never been happier and more empowered in my life. I’m doing what I always dreamed of doing and in addition to acting, the writing producing and directing is so creative and challenging. I LOVE IT!!! I can’t think of anything else I’d rather be doing. FTM: What was the hardest part about making “The Admired”? JM: The hardest part about making “The Admired” was getting over the fear of can I do this, do I know how to do this? I stared fear in the face and jumped into it. My inner voice: You’ve done a lot of difficult things before.

I was a nurse in charge of a floor at 22 and I drew on all my experiences from that as well as having been an actress on set for so many years. I saw it as a challenge and opportunity. I was going to make this film happen and learn whatever I had to with as much joy as possible. FTM: What was the most important lesson you had to learn that has had a positive effect on your film career? JM: The most important lesson for me is coincidently, something I have said for years to myself and others. “When you want or dream of something: Figure out how to give it to yourself. If you can give it to yourself then you can make it happen and give it to others. Its funny how our words become a reality sometimes. And when you think about it: when you create something you usually are in the zone with yourself, a blissful place and when you finish it whether it be a piece of art or a movie other’s have it to”. FTM: How did that lesson happen? JM: At an early age I saw how hard my grandparents worked and my parents. Nothing was handed to them. They encouraged me growing up to work hard and you’d reap the rewards. My mom was an artist and I remember how happy she was during the process of painting and how on our birthday or Christmas she’d give us one of her drawings or paintings. So because of her, I saw how creating something you love to do and sharing a part of yourself with others was so important. That’s what I hope to do with my movies, to share a part of myself with others and entertain them. Continued on the next page

FTM: You are here because of your hard work and how you do it. What are the personal attributes that make for a good filmmaker, and what do you do to make that happen? JM: Now this is an amazing question, because I just wrote the answer above about hard work without knowing this question talks about hard work! You are some amazing interviewer Steve, if I didn’t know better I’d say you were leading me! Thank you for recognizing my hard work and I’m so delighted to be part of the Nice Film Festival as I was in London. It’s quite an honor for me and it was a dream come true to win for Best Lead Actress and Best Original Screenplay in London. I’m doubly grateful to be coming to Nice with 5 nominations from your festival. But back to the personal attributes that make a good filmmaker and what you do to make that happen? Discipline, Focus, Good work habits and decisions, Healthy living but most importantly is PASSION for the work, the LOVE of the work. To me I know its hard work but I believe in myself and trust myself to complete what I’ve started. I know come hell or high water I’ll do my best to finish a project with the quality I feel is so important and to the best of my ability. I also think it’s important to think out of the box and not be too locked in, to look for other possibilities and be open to other ways of doing things.

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FTM: Is it better to be a filmmaker in NY or LA, and why? JM: New York is my hometown and I started out as an Actress 20+ years ago. I worked on many films with some amazing directors that inspired me and shaped the way I see film. My working as an actress in Goodfellas with Martine Scorcese, Hannah and Her Sisters and Radio Days with Woody Allen, Mixed Nuts with Nora Ephron and Regarding Henry with Mike Nichols all left indelible imprints on my creativity. There are a lot of opportunities in NY and I have made many connections there over the past two decades. With the way Film and Television is changing and viewed there are so many more opportunities on both coasts. I feel so fortunate to have had the opportunity to work in NY and LA. I started going out to LA 6 years ago during pilot season: mid Dec-May. I’ve met many filmmakers in LA and somehow I seem to blossom there as well. I did many independent films in LA and used the cast and crew from those films for “The Admired”. I wanted to shoot “The Admired” in LA because the film is about Old Hollywood in the 1940’s. You walk the streets or I should say drive :) and you can just feel it. When you see the old Art Deco Buildings or Graumans Chinese Theatre or Hollywood Walk of Fame your imagination goes to the heyday of Hollywood. But I think once you start the ball rolling and have your connections you can expand to anywhere in the world. What your film is about and where you shoot is when the location is important. FTM: It’s been said that there are only 10 or 12 stories in filmmaking and it’s all been done before so how did you make sure that “The Admired” would be fresh and new? JM: Well the story was out of my imagination, yes there is always the Devil/angel theme but it’s similar to when I’m acting. Two actors can play the same role but the performances will be different. I asked: why is this story important to me, why do I want to tell it and how do I want to tell it. I think my sense of fantasy, wishful thinking and adventure is in “The Admired”. I think the fresh and new comes out of the writers soul and sensibilities. And you’re right to ask that question because the last thing I want for it to be is a story someone’s heard before.

www.theadmired.com

TOP RIGHT: JACQUELINE MURPHY BEING INTERVIEWED BY STEVE GROSSMITH AT INTERNATIONAL FILMMAKER FESTIVAL OF WORLD CINEMA LONDON 2017 - TOP MIDDLE: JULIA KOSTENEVICH AS BUNNY ROGERS AND LEON WINTERS AS “MR Z.” THE DEVIL LOWER MIDDLE: STEVE CARNAHAN AS “BILLY” AND JACQUELINE MURPHY AS “OLIVIA”, HUSBAND AND WIFE IN THE ADMIRED - TOP LEFT: JACQUELINE MURPHY RECEIVES AWARD FOR BEST LEAD ACTRESS IN THE ADMIRED AND BEST ORGINAL SCREENPLAY FOR THE ADMIRED AT THE LONDON INTERNATIONAL FILMMAKER FESTIVAL OF WORLD CINEMA - BOTTOM: JEFF RECTOR AS “THE STUDIO HEAD” AND JACQUELINE MURPHY AS “OLIVIA”.

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TOP RIGHT: DAVID TERRELL AS “VIRGIL FONTENOT”, LYNNE NEWTON AS “QUINN”, JACQUELINE MURPHY AS “OLIVIA”, MARIA ELENA INFANTINO AS “STARLET” AND PETER SOLI AS “ROCCO HUDSON” - MIDDLE: MARIA ELENA INFANTINO & PETER SOLI LAST ROW: DAVID BARTLETT LOWER RIGHT: JACQUELINE MURPHY AND PAMELA MORGAN WEARING SUE WONG GOWNS. - BOTTOM: JACQUELINE MURPHY AS “OLIVIA”, WIFE IN THE ADMIRED.

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FTM: Is it true that it all starts with the script and if so, when did you know that the script for “The Admired” was ready to shoot and what was the process of getting there? JM: I’m a very intuitive person. I approached Lynne Newton in March 2015 with my idea and said: “How would you like to play an Ella Fitzgerald type character opposite me playing a Veronica Lake type character and we’d both TIME TRAVEL”? She was game right away. July 2015 I was in LA acting in a film. We met and started writing the script and even cast a few actors I had worked with while I was there. By November the script was taking shape and we hoped to shoot the film in February. I realized we were so close to the project that we needed a bit of a “polish”. So I asked Leonid Andronov a director/writer who cast me in a lead role in his film “Golden Key” to collaborate with us. FTM: Film is often a compromise between art and commerce. How has your art been shaped by both the money you have had (or didn’t have)? Were you always mindful of your budget when shooting “The Admired”? JM: As this was my first film, I thought go slow don’t spend a lot of money, you’ll probably make a lot of mistakes your first time out of the gate. We thought we could do the film for $5000!! But you realize you need to shoot in the Cicada Club to make the film look real and give it good production value, then your think ok that was my one big expense but after you shoot and are editing, you realize you need a composer! Another expense and then you realize it’s a drama with fantasy elements and you need visual effects!! So I tried to find the best talent I could for what my budget was. You have to be mindful of the budget, because everything costs something and if you are careless about something you may not have the money to do something you really need to do to make the film the best you can. FTM: What role have film festivals played in your life so far? JM: Film festivals have been amazing. My first film festival was with your festival in London. It was a very powerful and life changing experience for me. Being a first time director, I thought at first: “I hope I get into at least one festival!”, but to have three nominations from the London International Filmmaker Festival Of World Cinema and to have come home to the USA with 2 awards in categories I always dreamed of winning in: I mean ever since I was a little girl I wanted to win a Best Lead Actress award and the London Film Festival gave that to me, I will always be so grateful. Once home the way people see you is different. PR, agents, industry people refer to you as “Award Winning” actor or filmmaker, it gives you credibility that your work has been recognized and rewarded. Why are they necessary? The festivals are so important in having a filmmakers work have a venue to be seen, to shine and give a voice to. The connections and learning experiences about the business and learning from other filmmakers are so important. Especially the panels and the advising that the London Filmmaker Festival of World Cinema offer. The professionals were so helpful and really cared and gave advice specifically on your particular project which helped to educate me and inspire me with ideas as to how to move “The Admired” ahead and keep the momentum going.

FTM: Social media is so important now especially in so many aspects of the film making process. Are you on social media and do you use it in your work? JM: Yes I am on FB, Twitter, Instagram, have my own website - www.theadmired.com and IMDb. It’s great; it gets the word out there about your project. FTM: Please can you tell us something about your next project or projects? JM: I am making “The Admired” into a webseries and/or a TV Series or a feature. Expanding on the idea of it. I want my character Olivia Spencer to become more aware of her own inner power vs looking to the Devil to give her her dream-it goes back to what I said earlier: If you want something figure out how to give it to yourself, that is the best gift you can ever give to yourself. So Olivia will become more empowered and empower other’s to become all they can be which is my own personal philosophy and wish I want to have out there. FTM: Finally, please list ten or more keywords to describe your film! JM: Intriguing, beguiling, adventuress, magical, original, appealing, racy, treacherous, devilish, dreamy, glamorous, willful. Classic

Run Time 20 Mins

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THE BRIDGE A film by Cindy Iodice Written by Benton Sen

For many, there is a defining moment when the search for discovery leads back to you. For filmmaker Cindy Iodice, the journey became a bridge, connecting past with present, through a stunning visual display of memory, myth, and the beauty of storytelling. The Bridge, Iodice’s short film, is the story of a place located deep inside all of us. Inevitably, the film is about a women’s love, and her inability to reconcile her guilt and grief over a tragic loss and sudden death. For Iodice, her project is personal. “Prior to moving to Hawaii when I was eighteen, my family suffered a tragic loss. To this day, the events that surrounded the untimely death of my 18-year-old brother remain elusive. Today more than 35 years later, I have resigned myself to the fact that I may never know whether his death was accidental or intentional.” She says that she and her brother were as close as a big brother and little sister could be, and that her loss was devastating and her grief was insurmountable for countless years.

The Bridge has won numerous independent film awards and is praised by many who believe that in different ways, loss is universal. Pain, loss, guilt, grief and tragedy are some of life’s most challenging experiences. When asked about her perspective on the more difficult aspects of life Iodice said, “The capacity for human beings to survive and potentially thrive through these seemingly impossible obstacles is life changing for those who are able to survive such encounters.” The Bridge synopsis reveals that Pono, “a tenacious seven-year old boy who lives with his family in a tree house deep in the rainforest of Hawaii’s Manoa Valley”, finds himself in the middle of conflict. Although “Pono’s father provides critical ancestral knowledge through ancient Hawaiian beliefs, his Caucasian mother, however, is never fully able to embrace the traditional Hawaiian practices and customary beliefs. After a tragic event, Pono’s mom, Rachel, is forced to remain in a life that she has come to despise, on land that she has refused to embrace and in a culture that she’s never been able to fully appreciate.” When Pono encounters a group of night marchers - ghostly apparitions of ancient Hawaiian warriors - he must make a life-altering decision. For generations, encounters with armed spirit warriors or Hawaiian night marchers (huak’i po) believed to be en route to and from ancient battle have occurred on the family homestead, inspiring profound spiritual experiences for those who have come into contact with the primeval Hawaiian ghosts. www.islandgirlpictures.com

These are the phantoms of ancient Hawaiian warriors who are said to roam the islands at night. Hinaleimoana Wong Kalu, Chairperson of the Hawaiian Burial Council for the State of Hawaii and the film’s cultural consultant, says, “Ku puaka o ka po,” – every Hawaiian has heard of the “Marchers of the Night.” They cried, “Kapu o moe!” as a warning to stragglers to get out of the way or to prostrate themselves with closed eyes until the marchers passed. Wong says, “It brings forth elements of Hawaiian culture that speak to the ancestors that still show themselves and we call them “huaka’i o ka po” for those that march along the pathways at night and Hawaiians have a particular understanding of how we conduct ourselves when our ancestors show themselves in that way.” “The night marchers’ job wasn’t to terrorize people”, storyteller Lopaka Kapanui says. “It was simply to protect the most sacred, highranking chiefs. The night marchers showed mercy by traveling at night to spare people from harm. They carry torches. They march to the thunderous sound of drums. They give warning by sounding a conch shell. That’s when you know it’s time to run and hide.”

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“If you’re already in the path of the night marchers’ trail, legend dictates you must strip naked and lie face down. There’s a rumor that peeing on yourself will keep you alive. Whatever you decide to do, don’t look at them! If you’re lucky enough to share a blood line with somebody marching in the procession, you’ll supposedly be saved.” The film emphasizes that there doesn’t necessarily need to be a conflict between cultural and spiritual beliefs and values. It encourages people to think. Like Pono and his mother in the film, what is the bridge that will connect lives? What exactly would I do? Where am I? Hinaleimoana Wong Kalu, also the film’s narrator, concluded with this final message: “...fear not the reflections of our own life experiences, for we of ourselves are the living images of our fore bearers, and you and I if we so aspire to embrace our destinies shall forge onward down the pathways our ancestors once walked. These are the pathways our future generations shall journey as well.” Connie Florez, the film’s producer, said that they shot the film over three dayson a very tight schedule. Preproduction and casting were held at Hawaii’s Filmmakers Collective (HFC). HFC is a community based, independent filmmakers collective, dedicated to encourage, promote and support independent film production in Hawaii, which was founded by Tom Schneider (editor of The Bridge) and Kainoa Rudolfo. (www. hifilmmakers.com.) Award- winning Art Director and Story Consultant Tony Apilado worked closely with Writer/Director Cindy Iodice from the onset. John Kuamo’o, was the Director of Photography, Meghan Paun the Art Director on set while Anthony AkoniIng choreographed the night marcher scene.

Moses Goods from the world-renowned Honolulu Hawaii Bishop Museum handled the Ancient Hawaiian artifacts. Mindful to the protocol of representation of the Hawaiian Culture, we were blessed to have Hinaleimoana Wong Kalu (Chairperson of the Hawaiian Burial Council) as our Adviser/ Consultant who also offered to narrate the film. When the film was screened on the continental U.S. the filmmakers asked for audience feedback. What did they consider the main message? Who are the night marchers? Did the film change their understanding of Hawaiian culture? The post-production team took the feedback seriously and went back to the editing room and made changes that would further the film’s cultural message and make The Bridge more accessible to global audiences. Audience reactions continue to be tremendous. The Bridge has won the following international film awards: The Hawaii International Shorts Film Festival Best of Hawaii Award, Reel Time International Online Film Festival Best Short Film Category Winner (Perth, Australia), New York Film and Television Festival Best Indigenous Film, F.A.M.E.U.S International Film Competition Bronze Award Tampa Bay Arts & Education Network Laurel of Excellence Award - with over 1.3 million television broadcast viewers (Tampa Bay, Florida), The Accolade Global Film Competition Award of Recognition (Los Angeles, California), Best Shorts Competition, Award of Recognition (Los Angeles, CA), and the IndieFEST Film Awards Award of Recognition (La Jolla, California). When asked about the film at one of the screenings, Iodice told the audience “her mother died of a broken heart never fully able to reconcile her guilt and grief over her sudden and tragic loss”. She went on to say, “Writing this screenplay gave me an opportunity to pen a different ending to my mother’s story allowing her to take the slightest step toward hope. The story The Bridge explores isn’t just personal” Iodice adds,” it’s universal.” Drama

Run Time 22 Mins

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OUTCASTE THE HOUSE THAT CAROL BUILT This stunning feature documentary by filmmakers Laura & Colin Graham charts the story of retired school teacher Carol Fraser. In her late 70’s and both deeply spiritual and incredibly capable, Carol wants to build a house in the Himalayas.... but has no money.

This is a unique story of faith and strength of belief of an elderly lady, an untouchable and a lapsed Buddhist monk, a bit like the Marigold hotel meets ‘Lost Horizon’. Carol Fraser is an eternal seeker living between England and India, but with no home and no one to look after her as she ages she has a problem! For her indomitable spirit and holistic way of seeing the world has created a huge spiritual bank account and an empty real one!

COVIRO Productions is one of a new wave of small production houses springing up in Northern Ireland in response to the burgeoning film industry. Formed by Laura Graham and Colin Graham in 2011, it specialises in both narrative based and nonfiction films that have reached international audiences through art galleries, mainstream theatres, DVD, and the Internet. Colin Graham, a Masters graduate in Documentary film making with a background in business and construction is founder and CEO of COVIRO and has co-produced for No Bad Films with Richard Jobson, naming The Somnambulists and Wayland’s Song amongst them. In 2012 he produced IMBOLC, a short film supported by NISCREEN. He has gone on to work with a number of public bodies, producing and directing Internet based public information campaigns for rape awareness and violence. Laura Graham, co director of COVIRO is a visual artist and former solicitor. Her art practice is extensive and multimedia. She wrote and directed her first short IMBOLC, and went on to receive a Best Director award from the Canberra Short Film festival and best musical score for the Madrid International Film Festival. Together they write, direct and produce their films, specialising in micro budgeting using digital formats, HD SLR cameras, and off line editing using adobe and final cut software. This is the first feature from the company, with two in pre-production, developing on themes in this first film. LAURA GRAHAM & COLIN GRAHAM FTM: THAT’S A GREAT DESCRIPTION OF “OUTCASTE” WHERE YOU SAY IT’S A CROSS BETWEEN “MARIGOLD HOTEL” AND “LOST HORIZON”! LG: When I was a child, one of my favourite films was Lost Horizon. I never forgot the mystery, or the sadness implicit in the ending of the 1970’s film but as an adult I much prefer the original Frank Capra film. www.coviro.co.uk

It resonates with themes of hope, and possibility, probably due to the political instability of the time, but it seems more important then ever to create a film that develops on these ideas. It is said, “write about what you love” and this film came about because I had been working with meditation for a number of years and then Colin became interested in it. Once you start down this particular route and experience what has been missing in your lives, you start to think, is there another way to look at the future? That’s really what this film is about, that potential, and in this case it is seen through the filter of Carol – an elderly woman – who has done something extraordinary. She doesn’t allow age to be a factor in any respect, let alone limiting. FTM: HOW DID YOU LEARN OF CAROL? LG: I had been working with a form of meditation for many years, meeting regularly with people from all parts of the globe, and it was through my relationship with these people that I came across Carol. I’ve known her for about sixteen years, and she has been talking about building this house for all that time. The thing is she has never had enough money to even think about beginning, so it seemed to be a bit of a pipe dream. Carol is one of the most highly educated people I have met, and yet she leads an almost itinerant life. She is deeply spiritual, very aware and capable, and a wonderful guiding light for many people and of course, a wonderful example of how age doesn’t mean that you have to curtail your life. CG: Laura would come back from her various trips and talk to me about the characters she had met, at one point she mentioned Carol and said she wanted to build this house.

My first reaction was, this is madness how on Earth is she going to do that with no money and no income? Then we heard the project had begun, and we started to see some pictures, and it became clear that there was a really interesting story here. LG: It became even more interesting when we discovered that Carol was being helped by Chetan, who as an untouchable, or Dalit, a person with no status or wealth, had practically nothing by way of material possessions and yet what little he had, he shared. Then the story became even more interesting when we learned of the involvement of Raju, Carol’s lapsed monk, taxi driving friend. He has an unusual heritage, and that became important to the film. FTM: SO HOW IS CHETAN INVOLVED IN THIS STORY? LG: Chetan, like many poor rural people had a little piece of land to grow crops on. He is Dalit, which means he is too lowly to even be in the Caste system, he is outside the caste system . Dalit’s in India are people with no status and very little opportunity, and there is a battle on to help them improve their human rights. Chetan is particularly unusual. I like to describe him as an Indian “Robert Burns”, not for his poetry, but for his drive to improve his lot and his appreciation of social justice, because he has this drive and wish to learn. He wants to take his family and extended family to a better life through awareness and education. He had this piece of land, an orchard and he had tried to harvest and sell the apples but that had failed. Almost as soon as he met Carol he offered her his land, so he has a great heart. Something very special has happened in this situation and Carol and Chetan have ended up with a quite spectacular house.

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FTM: IS IT THE MOST SATISFYING FILM THAT YOU HAVE MADE? LG: It’s a labour of love and it’s an example of how, if you can change the way you think, you can change your life and the lives of those around you. We are all so interconnected that everything we do has repercussion, creates waves. More and more people are aware of the impact of our thoughts and actions but we have to be careful when we speak about the film, peoples’ eyes can glaze over if they think it’s going to be didactic or preachy, that’s why we’ve been very careful to keep the story and the characters at the forefront. We’ve been practising meditation and a more holistic approach to life for a long time so when we sat down to write this

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story, we wrote what we knew, and we put it down in what we hope is an interesting way –and through the filming and editing highs and lows – we really got to know the three people involved. After that came the research into the structures we were examining, Buddhism, Hinduism, the Caste System, the wonderful country that is India, it gave us whole new level of awareness and respect for the religions and the people. FTM: IS INDIA SOMEWHERE THAT YOU WOULD LIVE? CG: It’s really interesting that you ask that, if you had gone there during the sixties it must have been like paradise, but sadly now, like a lot of places, there are a lot of tourists, and I say that with the

awareness that we are part of the problem. But in terms of the impact on nature and the beauty of the land, you see all these stunning areas and guaranteed you’ll see empty plastic bottles and rubbish. Aside from that India and its people are incredible, so when I look at the mess I have to remember what an incredible place it is, they’re putting satellites into space – and their space program is incredible – it’s a form of organised chaos! That same industry is evident everywhere in the country. LG: And the more mystical side is still there. People have flocked to India for centuries to capture that mystery. At the moment, in Northern India a temple is

being built that is really the most remarkable structure, with a story like no other. Our next film is going to be about that. India for me is like a beautiful memory, like when you were very young playing outside on a summers evening, when you could hear friends and neighbours, and the buzz of family life and you felt safe and happy; we were all out doing things, laughing, being together, that’s what’s attractive about India for me, community, family, love, these are sounds you still hear. As a country it has its problems, and it is dangerous but it is full of families! It is the most amazing country and I do love visiting. I’ll just have to be careful not to drop any rubbish!

Documentary

Run Time 67 Mins

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HARUO

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encounter

jacky woo

With multiple award winnings at the Madrid, Berlin, Milan and the London International Filmmaker Festival of World Cinema 2016 and 2017 for Tomodachi & Kaikou (The Encounter) and “Haruo”, also awarded as Best Film at the Young Critics Circle Film Desk by the Univesity of the Philippines and just completed his latest film Miracle Postcards, Jacky Woo, a producer, composer, director and lead actor is an incredibly talented filmmaker. But who is this man behind this fascinating film career? Following Jacky Woo’s recent role in Tomodachi, We were given the opportunity to speak to the renowned actor and found out more about his background in Japan, getting into film and his future plans to reach out to a European audience. Jacky Woo was born and raised in China Town, Yokohama in Japan where his father owned a Chinese restaurant and he spent a lot of his time. His family played a very important role in his life. His grandfather who was a Kung Fu teacher had influenced him to learn martial art during his childhood days, which inspired his career. Growing up in Yokohama, most of Jacky’s friends were of different nationalities. They helped him know more about diversity. However, living in Japan has not always been easy for Jacky. During his childhood, he was a lot more focused on becoming a performer, which distracted him from school. Being quarter Chinese, not everyone welcomed him into their society and often when he attended Japanese and Chinese parties and festivals, he would be asked why he was there.

Jacky found this difficult and since then he has disregarded either of these countries as his home. This has been reiterated throughout Jacky’s life. In 2002, he was cast in one of the biggest dramas in Japan and felt like he was back home. However, his room was situated with International actors rather than a Japanese actor and this made him realize that he has no home. Jacky always loved films and at very young age he has focused on martial arts and performing. He loved watching Hollywood films but Japanese and Asian films are his favorite because it is always filled with emotions which he tries to incorporate it into his projects. Kung Fu artist, Bruce Lee and Jacky Chan influenced and inspired him to perform on camera. Jacky believes that Akira Kurosawa influenced the Hollywood Industry through his creative directing.

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HARUO

A Major Motion Picture Featuring Jacky Woo A film by Adolfo Borinaga Alix Jr.

Haruo tells the story of a man deserting a crime syndicate but then finds himself inescapably bound up within it. From Manila to Tokyo and back again, Haruo’s plights represents inimitable connections of violence and crime, trauma and memory, sacrifice and salvation, all in a sublimated rendition of a man’s personal quest for expiation. Tadano Hayoshi recruited Monica, a pretty street vendor, to work in Japan. Forced to become a sex entertainer, Monica refused the sexual advances of Tadano’s yakuza fellows but was raped after Tadano’s unsuccessful defence of her. Tadano and Monica escaped and went back to the Philippines. One day, Tadano returned to their residence and found Monica murdered, doubtless by his yakuza fellows. He put her in a drum, covered her with sand, and disposed of the body.

Tadano, now Haruo, lives a normal and unobtrusive life as an itinerant food vendor. He rarely talks to people but is very kind and even gives free meals to a child and a beggar. We now have an unlikely immigrant: poor, plain, and too quiet as to be almost mute. Living in one of the ancient districts of Manila, Tadano is embedded in a milieu of remarkable people. The prostitute Edna, delicately portrayed by Rosanna Roces, is attracted to the silent and mysterious Haruo and who is distracted by his past. Ailing Lydia, who lives with her two grandchildren, is presumably suffering from mental illness. Popoy persistently sells various goods (rubber shoes, denim jeans, luxury watches etc) of dubious provenance. The house in which Haruo rents a room is an old, big, and previously grand abode now with partitioned spaces for numerous occupants. The raid of illegal drug pushers conducted in the house demonstrates the kind of people who inhabit the place: impoverished inhabitants of the city, petty criminals, like Popoy who seems to source his goods from theft, and migrants seeking temporary refuge and anonymity. The last set includes our protagonist. Just as Haruo is trying to live a peaceful life in obscurity, the world of crime seems to catch up with him. He falls in love with Michelle, who suspiciously lives with her cousin in one of the big house’s rooms. One time, a group of men tries to abduct Michelle and Haruo comes in to rescue and thrashes (albeit in awkward, still-to-be-improved fight scenes) all of them in martial arts fashion. The encounter inevitably reveals his tattoos of yakuza vintage. Haruo is now being hounded by the media. And so Michelle has to leave the place because she’s a star witness of a top-level crime and corruption case hiding from powerful people out to take her life; the man who pretends to be her cousin is a police protector whom she accuses of being in cahoots with the criminals. Haruo rescues a woman for the second time around and flees a criminal syndicate once again; he identifies himself as Tadano Hayashi and recounts his

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past to Michelle. But his yakuza brothers found him, after being tipped off by Popoy who, all along, is spying on Haruo. The yakuza persuades him to return the money he has taken and to reunite with the group. When he refuses, they kill Michelle. Enraged, Haruo fights back and kills them. He is stabbed by Popoy, disclosing complicity, only to kill him in return. The film’s excellent cinematography captures our character’s movement away from the world of crime only to be pulled back into it. There is a scene where the old railways of Manila are shown as Haruo is travelling to another side of the city. This moment of pure movement, when nothing yet is definitive concerning Haruo’s (literal and lifelong) direction, deftly mesmerizes one’s vision. In another, a stunning view of two characters on a bridge crossing the Pasig River submits the misery of abandonment as Edna cries while Haruo diffidently commiserates with her. This is the time when Edna’s nephew, who has almost become her son, is probably taken back by her sister. Edna and Haruo, then, share the same plight; both are penitent characters who are unfairly deprived of loved ones with whom they could amend their fate. Conceivably the cause of Haruo’s silence is the unspeakable crime he was complicit with when he brought Monica to Tokyo resulting in prostitution and murder upon his return to Manila, and his sealing of Monica’s dead body in a drum. This sin haunts Haruo and precludes the possibility of a normal life. Every time, he atones for his crime by being kind to the poor and helping a victim of robbery. His fatal attraction to young women coupled with a desire to salvage them from a life of destitution and danger only leads to a life of more danger. Haruo’s existence is a never-ending story of menace and the impossibility of escape: from crime, from reforming one’s character, from unrequited love, from responsibility. In one telling incident, the policeman interviewing

the thief whom Haruo has apprehended and brought to authorities asks “Ilang taon…?” (How many years…) referring not to the age of the criminal but to how many years he, the thief, has been involved in crime. The question could also be asked of Haruo. The man he helped warned him that he should be cautious as it is foreigners like him who are targets of criminals. This highlights his situation as an alien, that is, indubitably marked and Monica’s situation as an alien in Japan who had become a target of the sex industry. A smouldering question in the film is how Haruo – literally “spring time man” – works out his trauma, both as victim and perpetrator, in the violent death of the woman he loved. Dominick LaCapra, in commenting on a recent study of perpetrators of profoundly traumatic events, says that “it is also important to recognize both that the perpetrator may be traumatized by extreme acts and that he or she may transfigure trauma into the sublime, the regenerative, or the sacred”. The sublime gains paramount importance here. It is a thing which cannot be represented in strictly concrete forms, albeit often assuming an aesthetic manner. Haruo’s pain is deeply felt, but unspoken. Silence keeps him from disclosing himself but also prevents him from relating significantly to other people. Our main character, therefore, is in a bind and, owing to a sacrificial disposition; he inevitably exposes himself and reinstates his criminal past. Forever struggling to renew himself, Haruo realizes that there is no spring time in his life. This fact is subtly signified by a petal that falls from a flower, when he is on the verge of redeeming another woman. It is autumn, once again. Haikus by the renowned poet Matsuo Basho suggest intuition of time and nature’s struggles within it. The last one is very telling: “The winds of autumn/Blow: yet still green/The chestnut husks.” Even in the fall, Haruo, like a chestnut, husks so that his essential goodness may come into fruition.

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Such sublime efforts lead us to a burdened viewing, one that probes Tadano’s moral predicament. Analyzing the political uses of the sublime in late nineteenth to twentieth century Japan through its figuration in the aesthetic, Alan Tansman argues on its actual implications that go beyond the aesthetic: “While the sublime moment is aesthetically constructed, it contains existential force, for it depicts a moment when the self is broken down and infused with a higher form of consciousness”. This “higher form of consciousness” is palpably social because “what we feel links us with society”. Tansman studied evocations of the sublime through novels and political tracts at various historical moments in Japan: national identity in modernizing Japan of the 1880s and 1890s, fascism in the imperial 1930s, and the anti-nuclear campaign of the post-war era. In Haruo’s example, the sublime may intimate the individual’s fraught relation to others by means of working through his trauma. Only a retelling of his crime and a painstaking examination of it can deliver closure and set him free and ensure that he does not commit the same mistake once again. Tadano’s mere act of leaving the yakuza could only imperil his rescue of another being who, like him, is running away from the law and its dialectical opposite – crime. The kind of social de-linking that Haruo begets because of his unutterable sins is quintessentially sublime, according to Kant: “we have to note the fact that isolation from all society is looked upon as something sublime, provided it rests upon ideas which disregard all sensible interest. To be self-sufficing, and so not to stand in need of society, yet without being unsociable, i.e. without shunning it is something approaching the sublime—a remark applicable to all superiority to wants”.

There are matters that are instructive for readers who would want to delve into questions of heroism and renewal in this film. Scenes that flash back and forward into Haruo’s present, the repeated —because imprisoned—nature not only of his crime, but his character. Ikebana, the Japanese art of floral arrangement, serves not as a display in the unadorned room of the protagonist, but as an embodiment of the temperance which he struggles to achieve for himself. In that small, suffocating quarter, Haruo regenerates for a new life. The aesthetic of violence raises its moral import. While scenes of fighting the villains may glorify righteous retribution, the sight of a brutally murdered Monica and the equally brutal killing of Michelle may tend to eulogize the women’s contained agency. Could salvation be attained through an individual act of escape and/or speaking truth to wicked power, or through a rescue by a man actively involved in the crime that precisely enslaves the two women? In such a case, Haruo’s struggle is credible: only one who is deeply embedded in sin has the redemptive potential to atone for it. Haruo’s final act commands respect and all the more makes him all-too human, because he chose to risk life over the steady course of death. Perhaps, this is the most sublime undertaking of all. Drama

Run Time 82 Mins

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I AM STILL HERE A Feature film by Mischa Marcus & Stephanie Bell

I AM STILL HERE has been inspiring audiences in dozens of festivals this year. It reveals the horror of human trafficking through the eyes of the resilient and strong character of 10-year-old Layla. So far, the film has been featured at 25 festivals and has won 8 nominations, including Best Drama, Best Breakout Performance, Audience Award, and Visionary Award. Its story was meticulously researched – these things really happen to girls as young as Layla – and it illustrates just how difficult sex trafficking is to eradicate. The performances from Johnny Rey Diaz (Hawaii Five-O), Erika Ringor (Love & Basketball), Ciara Jiana (Sharknado), and in particular, Aliyah Conley (Love Triangle), take a difficult subject and transform it into powerful drama. Clearly, the film has struck a chord, but getting to this point was not easy. The inspiration for the movie came from an FBI sting near the university where writer/director Mischa Marcus was attending. “I was shocked when I learned the brothel had children as young as 10 years old,” explained Mischa. “Hearing this shook me to my core. I was raised to believe I live in the ‘land of the free,’ but that day, I discovered slavery in America is still a very real problem.”

Emmy-nominated and award-winning producer, Stephanie Bell, who focuses on teaming with first-time directors, was brought on board after the first week of filming, after Mischa had been forced to fire her first producer. Stephanie shared, “As a Producer, I knew that no one had been brave enough to tackle this subject matter head on.

The film is repped by Conduit. For distribution inquiries, contact sales@conduitnow.com

When Mischa reached out and I read the script, I knew this was something I wanted to be a part of.” I AM STILL HERE has been nominated for Best Drama and Best Screenplay at the Nice International Film Festival and will be shown on May 19 at 12:55pm in Room 2. Epic Feature Film

Run Time 104 Mins

AUIDIENCE AWARD

JULIEN DUBUQUE INT’L FILM FESTIVAL

DOLLAR DOWN

By J. Michael Aiken

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DOLLAR DOWN A Script by J. Michael Aiken

With over 25 years experience as a Latin America Financial Consultant, J. Michael Aiken already has a very successful career but, his passion for writing has produced his multiple award winning script – “Dollar Down” - which has also been nominated at the Nice International Filmmaker Festival and here, Film the Magazine had a chance to have a detailed interview with the man behind the story… BRIEF Synopsis Haunted by guilt after his wife and son die tragically, a former financial executive searches for redemption while battling an international conspiracy to destroy the U.S. dollar and thrust America into economic ruin. FTM: How did you become a writer? JMA: When I was growing up there was no doubt that I wanted to be a writer, it’s just something that was ever present in my life. I started working on the newspaper in high school, then started writing for the city paper and continued doing that. Everyone expected me to be a journalist however, the thing is, I like writing from inspiration but with journalism I was writing routinely and it had become mechanical. At that time I was also fascinated by business so I changed my career. After I graduated with a masters degree in accounting the first thing I did was go abroad and I became an auditor in Mexico, I continued down that path travelling the world. Travelling got me back into writing; it allowed me to write from inspiration by combining my love of languages and diverse cultures. It gave me a different perspective on life. I always wanted to write screenplays so after 37 years I came full circle.

FTM: Was it hard decision to move away from your passion of writing into accountancy? JMA: No, it wasn’t a hard decision I always loved business. I felt that if I went down the writing road I would be leaving business behind and as I continued to move forward in life and write more I found that this mechanical nature of just getting the piece written was disheartening and so it was at the point when I decided to change. It was a very easy decision and I knew that at some point I would come back to writing. The last 25-30 years my business career has given me an amazing wealth of experiences from which I can draw upon and use in my writing. That’s how I came up with the idea for Dollar Down, something inspirational that will cause people to think and change lives but entertain them at the same time. FTM: From your experience of being a US citizen do you think there are a lot of people in America that haven’t travelled? JMA: I think more Americans should get out and travel; it’s a wonderful experience and allows you to grow as a person. It would just be better in general as you can seek mutual understandings with other cultures and other worlds.

There are a lot of people in the US that don’t travel, and if they do it’s normally to Mexico. I didn’t get on a plane until I was 26 because I was complacent with living there. Americans are very content living in the U.S., and many are not motivated to travel abroad. I have a brother who lives in Columbus, Georgia. He used to tell me jokingly, “Look, if I want to go abroad, I will go across the bridge into Phenix City, Alabama.” That’s his idea of going abroad. FTM: At any point did you think that Dollar Down would make a great novel or did you always plan for it to be a script? JMA: I thought about that but my love of the movies propelled me to write it as a script. Initially I didn’t know how to write a script so I went online and found scripts from movies that I had seen. I would focus on a scene, read the script, and then see how it was produced into a film, that way I learned all the terms and how the film works in association with the script. Continued on the next page

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FTM: Was the process of creating the script difficult? JMA: It was about what I expected it to be; I knew that it would be a challenge. I started with an outline and then began creating the characters so that the dialogue would embody the essence of them. The main character in Dollar Down is a workaholic but with his tragic loss he becomes distraught and alone, however at the same time he still has his 89-year-old Grandfather (Pops) who has faced evil. The Grandfather is a real force and I wanted to develop characters like him who are feisty so I created them individually through dialogue that flowed from the outlines. I also made sure that I had a conflict between the characters; a good script has good conflict. I did 82 iterations of the script before I got the final one! FTM: How long was the process from writing the script? JMA: Once I had a rough draft it was about a 12-week process to complete it, all day everyday, I actually took time out of work to finish it off. When I was travelling I also took every chance that I got to do some research to focus on the film. Why did you bring a car chase into the script? JMA: When I watch movies I like to see good drama, I like to see conflict and humour, but I love car chase scenes. I started studying them and spent several weekends just watching great chase scenes on YouTube until I understood how they were made. I wanted to do something different though so I started with a different type of car, a 1971 Plymouth Barracuda; you don’t see that in movies.

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I said “wouldn’t it be great if Pops had that sitting in his garage and then when the bad guys come and try to take him out he takes off in the car“. I spent a lot of time just working on that one chase scene and I think that if we make Dollar Down into a movie, which I hope it is, it can be an amazing experience for the audience to see. FTM: Should stories and ideas for scripts be drawn from life experiences? JMA: I think it’s good to draw from experience because it gives credibility, when you go to see a movie sometimes they’re too unrealistic. I used my experiences for this script, I know how these things unfold, I’ve lived them and although it has never happened in the USA one of the things the audience is going to have to ask themselves is “could this really happen?”It’s thought provoking and I think people will be talking about it for many months if they go to watch it. FTM: A lot of scriptwriters don’t have campaigns built around the project they’re working on, how did your media campaign come about? JMA: My sister and daughter created the marketing campaign for me; I have a very low profile online so had nothing to work from and called them to ask for their help. We agreed to create a campaign for the project itself so they’re helping me at the moment with Instagram and Facebook. I’ve been entering this script in film festivals since February and I’ve been very fortunate to have already won awards from 7 of them!

What we’re going to do is link the project to the festivals so that audiences can see the awards. The whole idea is to create an image of what the story is about and ramp it up to establish an online presence and create an audience so that Dollar Down can be made into a movie. FTM: Is this the final script or are there still some adjustments? JMA: If I’m fortunate enough to get to the ‘film stage’ I’m going to leave it up to the discretion of the producer and the director so there is some flexibility with it. When I was learning how to script write I was reading screenplays and comparing them to their films, it was different, there was always more dialogue and more depth to screenplay than you saw in the movie because of cost limitations. I know that what I have is a story and I’ve got some really good characters, but when the project is put together there are going to be different personalities and they might want to modify things, which is fine. In the end, all I want is the story. The body and essence of the story are what the audience will see. It’s been a pleasure to write this, I’m just glad that I did it. A lot of people have ideas of what they want to do but they always say “one day”. I’m glad that one day came for me. Hopefully it will continue to do really well in festivals and gain some credibility. I’m going to work very hard so that it can be made into a movie because I’ve got twenty more ideas of things that I’ve seen over time and with any luck Dollar Down will be the first of many scripts to come.

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The Synopsis Dollar Down is a multi-award winning action/thriller screenplay which celebrates the beauty of second chances in life. In Dollar Down, the world of a defeated man accidentally collides with that of a sinister group of international financiers, called Hegemony. The leader of Hegemony is Alexandre Santos, a self-made Brazilian billionaire. Charismatic, devilishly handsome, and well-cultured, Santos is the personification of wealth and power. In the opening scene of Dollar Down, Santos unveils his plot to Hegemony at his mansion in Rio de Janeiro: “My friends, any student of history knows that wealth is never destroyed. It merely changes hands from one person to another...from the ignorant masses to the enlightened few. We are the financial warlords of the twenty-first century. We operate in the shadows. Soon we shall embark upon our greatest endeavor.” Santos clearly sees that America, blinded by greed and arrogance, is vulnerable to a financial attack on its currency. He orchestrates a seemingly perfect plan for “the spread of dread” to accomplish the massive wealth transfer. While Santos and his international bankers begin to prepare for financial warfare, the audience is introduced to Brad Jenkins and his family. Brad is an MBA/CPA, 42-years-old, athletic, and strikingly handsome.

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A former finance executive focusing on U.S.- Latin American business, he currently works as a finance professor at a community college in Austin, Texas. He takes consulting engagements to help make ends meet. The audience soon learns that Brad had his world turned upside down after his wife and son died tragically. To make matters worse, he feels responsible for what happened. Haunted by guilt in his nightmares, he loses faith in himself and begins a terrible downward spiral. Fortunately for Brad, he has the unconditional love of his daughter Liliana and his grandfather Pops. Ten-year-old Liliana is sweet, full of life, and wise beyond her years. She affectionately helps to sustain her father in his painful search for redemption. Pops Jenkins, who looks like Santa Claus dressed as a cowboy, is Brad’s feisty and funny grandfather and a proud Texan. Although he is 89, he defies the aging process. Pops is still astoundingly sharp and agile. He grew up during the Great Depression and fought against the evil Nazi regime in World War II. After the war, Pops returned to Texas and became a cattle rancher. Pops understands what Brad is going through. He provides grand-fatherly advice to help Brad on his path toward redemption: “When you were just eight years old, you got bucked off ole Thunder. You landed real hard and almost broke your arm. You were terrified. Remember what I told ya?”

Brad responds reluctantly, “That if I didn’t get back up and ride him -- right then and there -- I might be too afraid to ever get on a horse again.” Pops then reminds Brad, “And you got right back up on Thunder, and rode him the rest of the day.” Pops puts his hand on Brad’s shoulder and says lovingly, “If a man thinks he’s defeated, he is defeated. It’s up to you, Son.” Brad is also supported by the love of his lifelong friend, Dr. Kerri Watson. They are as close as any brother and sister could be. While Brad has fallen from grace in the business world, Kerri has become one of the top officials at the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Dollar Down also takes the audience into the world of the White House. We meet distinguished-looking U.S. President Randall Steel, 67, now in his second term as U.S. President. In Dollar Down, President Steel faces the biggest challenges of any president in modern history. We also meet Vice President Valentina Quintanilla, 48, a Mexican-American trail-blazer who served her country as a Major in the U.S. Army. A former U.S. Senator, VP Quintanilla is on track to become the first woman and first Hispanic U.S. President. In a cabinet meeting, President Steel expresses his grave concern about America’s growing national debt: “We are twenty-one TRILLION dollars in the hole –- and growing. How are we ever going to pay this back?” Continued on the next page

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U.S. Treasury Secretary Richard Slaughter responds simply that “debt doesn’t matter.” Slaughter is in his mid-40s, clean-cut, wears wire-rimmed glasses and always dresses in his banker’s uniform: a navy blue, pinstripe suit. A former global banking executive who comes from a powerful family, he is egotistical, condescending and arrogant. Slaughter explains that the U.S. dollar is the global currency. The rest of the world needs the dollar to conduct international business. But other countries cannot print dollars like America. They have to earn their U.S. dollars. If America “needs a dollar, or a billion dollars, we don’t have to earn it -– we just print it.” That statement captures the arrogance propelling America toward a destiny with financial chaos. Santos, the Brazilian billionaire, understands the situation very well. He seizes upon this and other vulnerabilities to move forward with his plan to destroy the U.S. dollar and restructure world power. Santos is as greedy as he is brilliant. He readily admits: “I do not believe in the idea of nationhood. I hold no allegiance to any country.” He only believes in making money, regardless of whom he hurts in the process.

Working in conjunction with other powerful members of the shadow group Hegemony, Santos engages many players on the global scene to collaborate in his plan. Much to the dismay of Kerri, one of those players is the IMF. Kerri realizes that the IMF is working toward becoming the central bank of the world and intends to displace the US dollar as the global currency and shift power to the IMF. Kerri knows that many powerful people in other countries feel that the reign of the U.S. dollar as the global currency serves only American interests. They are angry at the fact that this exorbitant privilege has allowed Americans to live well above their means at the expense of the rest of the world.

Kerri’s connections at the White House open the door for Brad to meet with President Steel, VP Quintanilla, and Treasury Secretary Slaughter and warn them about Hegemony’s plan to destroy the US dollar. Slaughter, a man that people love to hate, humiliates Brad in front of President Steel and sends Brad “back to Texas with his tail between his legs.” Santos then realizes that Brad has discovered his plan. The evil financial warlord attempts to erase both Brad and his family off the face of the earth. However, Santos soon realizes that this “nobody” is quite a remarkable man who has hidden talents. One of those talents is that Brad is a fourthdegree black belt in the deadly martial art of Hapkido. For years, Brad has trained vigorously in Hapkido to escape his self-imposed prison of pain and guilt.

As a result, his fighting skills are very sharp, and he is a force to contend with. Brad realizes that he must reach deep within himself and find the man he once used to be. His life and the lives of Pops and Liliana hang in the balance. Dollar Down is filled with interesting plot twists and surprises. Conflict permeates the plot, with humor sprinkled throughout the story. However, Dollar Down is also a wake-up call for America. Could this actually happen in the U.S.? Most importantly, Dollar Down reminds us that in spite of past failures, a person as well as a nation can find redemption if they have the determination and courage to keep moving forward in life and never give up.

This animosity is shared in other supranational organizations as well, and Santos knows how to stir up the hornet’s nest. Another point of weakness which Santos and Hegemony exploit is the fragility in the petrodollar system. If Santos can destroy the petrodollar system, then demand for the U.S. dollar as the global currency will crumble. While Brad is working on a consulting engagement in Venezuela, he accidentally stumbles upon Hegemony’s sinister plan. Brad is stunned by the news and deeply concerned about the future of America. As a former financial executive, he has seen currencies suffer terrible devaluations in Mexico, Venezuela, and Brazil. In the twinkling of an eye, he has seen how a currency collapses and inflation impoverishes the citizens. Since the US dollar serves as the global currency, a collapse of the dollar could cause a financial holocaust. Brad determines that he must act swiftly. jmaikencpa@aol.com

Action Thriller

Screenplay

The filmmakers of “That Way Madness Lies…” thank the Nice International Film Festival for our three nominations: Best Director of a Documentary Feature, Best Documentary Feature, and the Science and Education Award.

THAT WAY MADNESS LIES... A Sandra Luckow Film

An Ojeda Films Production A Film by SANDRA LUCKOW “THAT WAY MADNESS LIES...” Executive Producer REGINA K. SCULLY Executive Producer ABIGAIL E. DISNEY Executive Producer GERALYN DREYFOUS Original Music MICHAEL BACON Director of Photgraphy SANDRA LUCKOW & DUANNE LUCKOW Editor & Co-Writer ANNE ALVERGUE Associate Producer STU ZAKIM Co-Producer DEWEY WIGOD Producer SANDRA LUCKOW Written & Directed by SANDRA LUCKOW ©

SALES AGENTS – We are looking for international representation. Contact stu@bridgestrategic.com

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WHITE BEE A film by Shomshuklla Das

“White Bee is my 5th feature film and second English language feature film. The film was shot in the scenic location of France. We shot in the month of December, which was a great experience in itself. Some of the famous locales we shot in were the Christmas market and the famous European flower market. We even shot in the winter rain, which was a very moving experience, with the cold, gloomy feel. The actors in the film came from different parts of the world which made it a little tough to bring about a fluid sense of communication and coordination; that is why we decided upon and had rehearsals 6 months prior to filming. The team gelled well and everything went smoothly and without a hitch. This was my first time shooting with our American DOP, Alex Megaro. I met him in a festival and we instantly became friends. Ever since we met, we had decided that we want to work together on a beautiful project. The lead actor of my film, Sumanto Chattopadhyay, is a Creative Director with one of India’s most renowned ad agencies - Ogilvy. He had also been part of my directorial debut play in 2006, under the aegis of our theatre company Kali. Our frequencies matched as magic and it shows in the brilliant work we’ve managed to bring together, in perfect harmony.

I met TanuKurien Vaswani, another of our film’s actors, through social media. It’s a great experience when you are able to bring together a terrific team on board. We shot for 7 days at a stretch, staying under one roof and enjoying every moment of the amazing filmmaking experience that ensued. White Bee is a story of a couple that meets after a separation – perhaps for the last time. The woman seems vulnerable, broken by her failed marriage. The man appears blasé about the breakup. If he expresses any doubts, they are about his wife’s ability to cope with the big bad world outside the cocoon of marriage. But as the story unfolds, we realize that the woman is spirited and resilient and it is he who is vulnerable – and needy of the shelter of their togetherness.”

Drama

Run Time 78 Mins

A Film by Shomshuklla Music Ankur Mukherjee DOP Alex Megaro

White Bee Sumanto Chattopadhyay Tanu Kurien Vaswani

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FOUR JOURNEYS Filmmaker: Dr Teresa Mular

This film examines and delves into the lives of four Latin-American women who emigrated to New York. With humility, clarity of purpose, fortitude, unwavering in their commitments and refusing to bend, these four women included in “ Four Journeys “ have kept their ideals above everything else. Their lives matter and so it is the same for all others (whether women or men) who arrive in New York from foreign lands. This film is dedicated to all immigrants.

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DIRECTOR’S BIOGRAPHY Dr. Teresa Mular was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She was raised and educated there, completing her University studies and graduating as a Medical Doctor at age 23. Parallel to that she studied piano and voice at the National Conservatory of Music in Buenos Aires. As a young person she developed a lifelong passion for classical music and the arts. She moved to New York, to further her training at Downstate Medical Center, State University of New York Kings County Hospital, in Brooklyn and became an Associate Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology years later at the same institution and had a long career as a physician and teacher. She is a past president of the New York Gynecological Society (New York City). She has been studying Italian in Florence since 2006 and it is there where she found the germinating seed for making a documentary about the land that witnessed her birth. In 2011 she completed a four part documentary that pays homage to the various artistic complexities and cultural life of Buenos Aires “Volando en las Alas del Tiempo” (Flying on the Wings of Time) that was screened in Florence (Italy), Lucerne (Switzerland) and New York. In 2013 she made another successful documentary “The Muse is the Mountain”, about artisan women living in Costa Rica has won multiple awards in Europe, Asia and the

Director: Nicola Fan Producer: Jessica Kam, Patty Keung The Women’s Foundation Hong Kong

About the Film She Objects is the first documentary of its kind in Hong Kong to explore how traditional and new forms of media create and exacerbate gender stereotypes with often damaging consequences. The film challenges viewers to think critically about and resist the biased and often dehumanising portrayal of women in media. It explores the impact of this on Hong Kong society and breaks new ground in bridging local, regional and global research and trends. Featuring engaging insights from celebrities including singer-writer-actress Joyce Cheng and real-life stories and interviews with leading experts, the documentary explores the correlation between the media’s portrayal of women and eating disorders and self-esteem issues for girls, violence against women and girls, and the erosion of female ambition, and how social media and the selfie culture are contributing to the phenomenon. More than just a film, it is also part of the media-literacy campaign that has been enrolled into Hong Kong secondary schools and colleges, as educational material for social, liberal and journalism studies. www.nicola-fan.net

In 2015 she wrote and directed a short fiction comedy “Now Boarding”, in English, with a Spanish subtitled version as well “Embarcando” was selected for screening on October 3rd at the New York Dog Film Festival 2015. In addition it has been selected at other international film festivals, including the Colour-tape Festival in Brisbane, Australia June 2016, the Dada Saheb Festival in India April 2016, The Jakarta Festival (Indonesia) November 2015, The Finow Festival, in Germany February 2016 and recently The Madrid International Film Festival where it won for Best Original Screenplay of a Short Film. She has just completed in July 2016 her new documentary “ Four Journeys “ about Latin American immigrant women living in New York. Also, Four Journeys has won the following prestigious awards since the beginning of the year! Top Winner Award at the Cinema Grand Prix, Bali 2017 Award of Excellence at the International Film Festival: Women, Social Issues and Zero Discrimination, Bali, 2017 Lakeview International Film Festival, Punjab, India, 2017 NYC Independent Film Festival, New York, USA, 2017 NYWIFT (New York Women in Film and Television) selected 2017 film festival by women directors concerning immigration themes. Documentary

thmular@optonline.net

SHE OBJECTS

Americas; it received an award at the Milan International filmmaker festival of World Cinema for best director of Short Documentary in 2015 and the Best Foreign Language Documentary at the Berlin International Filmmaker Festival of World Cinema 2016.

Run Time 55 Mins

About the Director Nicola Fan is a Hong Kong based filmmaker + graphic designer. A number of her work is recognised internationally. Her first feature length documentary “She Objects”, commissioned by The Women’s Foundation, has been selected for 2016 Hong Kong Sundance Film Festival. It was also nominated for 2 awards at 2017 Nice International Film Festival.

Recommended by Hong Kong International Film Festival, her music video “The Eve” was sponsored by Hong Kong Arts Centre to be sent to film festivals worldwide from 2014 - 2015. She works as a Creative/Art Director for marketing and advertising campaign design; and a Director for commercials, music videos, documentaries and short films. Her clients included Red Bull, Sunkist, Dior, Samsung, New Balance, J. P. Morgan, Time Warner. Documentary

Run Time 60 Mins

OFFICIAL SELECTION

MUMBAI FLO FILM FESTIVAL 2016

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#SHEOBJECTS

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SUICIDE In this revealing short interview filmmaker Molly Ratermann, gives us the lowdown on making her latest film.

FTM: Please can you give us a brief synopsis of “Suicide” MR: Suicide follows Carson McCarthy, a 20 year old suicide planning hobbyist, and her best friend, Franny, as they navigate the new waters of adulthood while on Carson’s daring final suicide mission. FTM: How difficult is it directing yourself - how do you approach that? MR: It’s a bit of a double edged sword. In one sense, I know my downfalls and to look out for them, but I also have to be thinking as if I was a different director, looking in from an outside perspective. I actually really enjoy the challenge.

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FTM: When you’re acting how do you wind down or not let it affect you when you go home, especially if it’s been an intense scene or scenes that you have been shooting? MR: I try my absolute hardest to keep a sports mind about it and “leave it all on the field”, which usually ends up meaning I’ve given it my all by the end of the day so I am way too exhausted to be affected by anything anyway. FTM: Is there something that really annoys you about any aspect of the filmmaking industry at the moment? MR: There is a huge lack of films involving complex female leads, and when there are, audiences don’t normally flock to these films which makes it a harder product to sell. Rather than an annoying sentiment, though, it’s actually exciting. It’s been really cool being a part of the underdog movement making films with complex female leads. Even if it’s a slow effort, I’m happy to be a part of making audiences more empathetic and intrigued to watch a woman’s story on screen; the good, the bad and the ugly bits.

FTM: Some of the shots are stunning, can you explain how you’re in the shot but also “calling the shots”, is it a difficult to juggle that? MR: Luckily I had a great crew who made it easier to switch gears. It definitely keeps my brain working at a high function, staying aware of the set while staying in the moment of the scenes. Weirdly, having no room to mess up, actually works well for me.

Comedy

www.suicidetheshort.com

ERNESTINA

“To (h)err is human; to erase, divine” Director: Vanesa Menalli

The short film “Ernestina” is the merging of two independent related projects: the composition work of artistic the experimentation group “Hebras Danza” and the Second edition of the Argentinian specialized magazine “Danzar Mundos. Opúsculo sobre arte, cuerpo y poéticas cotidianas” - which approaches the interrelation between dance and cinema both directed by Vanesa Menalli. Since 2008, “Hebras Danza “works in a composition process that moves away from the traditional stage space and weaves it with the atmosphere of the places, thoughts or memories that images evoke. That is how Ernestina appeared: a town with only 140 inhabitants, just one hundred and eighty kilometres from the capital city of Buenos Aires. Ernestina had its glorious moment when the train used to stop there, when the boarding school and the theatre - with an acoustic sound worthy of a lyric coliseum that even hosted the soprano singer Lily Pons - were still running. But nowadays Ernestina stands out mainly, because of its mysterious relic: the centenary neo-gothic church, visited by the Prince of Wales, Edward VIII in 1925. Its mouldings and friezes, the riveted forge, its silent and vacant stained glass windows, its unusual bronze www.vanesamenalli.com

Run Time 28 Mins

ceiling, right next to the side-walks made of cobblestone covered with moss, orange trees and bloomed privet; caused an enchantment that, like in “Alice in Wonderland”, led to the other side of this town: its secret poem. The experience of the trip, the hospitality of its inhabitants, the cross-disciplinary process of composition and the script that started to arise, came about through poetry. What was occurring shaped an idea, retrospectively.

The mistaken, the invisible, the incomprehensible, the unpredictable, the unknown and even the abandoned were sources of creation. That is how the narrative of the images, frames, shots and scenes - which concluded in the editing process came to be. Music composed and played in cold and lonely churches of Estonia held the creative investiture, as well as the word of the Argentinian poet Roberto Juarroz in “Everyone

has its own piece of time”, some passages of the Bible, old religious song books and “To Have Done With the Judgement of God” of Antonin Artaud. As a gift of fate, or chance, an essential piece in the composition of “Ernestina”: the discovery of and antique eraser that, dismissed from its function by the passing of time, undertook the commencement as a “Once upon a time...” with: To (h)err is human; to erase, divine”. Drama

Run Time 8 Mins

GOLDEN GATE CREATIONS LLC • Film Production – (Canada, USA and India) • Film Distribution – Theatrical in US/

Canada/UK/Dubai/Bahrain/UAE/Australia/

Far East/India

• Ancillary and Satellite Sales – India and US • Offices – California, Vancouver and India • Contact – vivek@goldengatecreations.com

and 415 657 6652 (US)

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ROCK HAVEN A film by Luis Sebastian Castro Garrote

Luis Castro was born in Venezuela and studied advertising and cinema and, after working as a camera operator and on a steadicam in advertising and for corporate and video clips for more than 20 years, he made his first short film, bringing together a group of technical women and actresses and at the same time

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XING

A Short Film Written & Directed by Rosa Costanza

“Music is what connects me. To my potential, my creative space, my freedom.” House Music. Techno. Dance Music culture has permeated the globe, spreading from humble beginnings at house parties and clubs of the late 80’s to the current behemoth Electronic Dance Music (EDM) festivals that boast an attendance of hundreds of thousands worldwide. XING is a fictional drama that highlights the conflicts of a young woman, Melissa, between her love of music and the allure of drugs. Her troubled home life propels her into the embrace of the early 90’s underground rave culture in New York City, where she pursues her music passion at any cost. The inspiration for XING dates as far back as my immersion in the film industry. As a 16year old who lived in New York City, I followed in the footsteps of two generations of award winning TV and documentary filmmakers within the family. My internships on various film sets evolved into a 15-year career in media production, and my insights into the behindthe-scenes processes prepared me for my role as Film and TV Producer. Recently, I had the honor of serving as a panelist on Post Production at The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) annual Career Summit 2016. xingfilm.com

rescued in digital format the photography that was made during the 1950’s. For Rock Haven he wanted to express the drama that carried Marilyn Monroe and her mother Gladys; Focusing on how much she would like to be that teenager who was pure and free of the lights and makeup.

Drama

Run Time 16 Mins

Drama

Run Time 11 Mins

In 2015 I co-founded Seven Directions Studios (SDS), an entertainment company that discovers, develops, and curates content for the global marketplace. SDS is the management arm of XING and is shepherding the first slate of entertainment projects. The XING short film showcases the achievements of various creative team members, including New York City’s prolific and worldrenowned electronic music producer of 35 years, DJ Onionz, who influenced the music strategy as Musical Director. His soundtrack selections for the short film include the following international line-up, Carl Cox, Frankie Bones, Slam, Funk D’Void and Dave Tarrida. The Film Fest International NICE marks the International Premier of the XING short film, which is a proof of concept for the feature length film in development. The screening is on May 15 at 17:10 in Room 3.

TOP: BEHIND THE SCENES SHOT FROM THE XING SHORT FILM SHOOT IN LOS ANGELES, FEATURING ERNIE OMEGA, JOSEPHINE PEARL LEE (AKA PRINCESS GOLLUM AKA WIFISLILANGEL), SCOTT “SCOTTO” OSMAN, BRYTANI CAIPA, NICKY OTTAV, CHRISTOPHER ARGODALE, AND DJ ZAKMATIC. “CLUB KIDS” PHOTOGRAPHER RACHAEL SALTZMAN - BOTTOM: OFFICIAL SELECTION OF THE XING SHORT FILM AT THE 2017 SAINT LOUIS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL.

In her last moment, Marilyn remembers her life time, her teenage years and the last conversation with her mother in Rock Haven, what did they discuss? What advice did her mother give her? Marilyn is reflected in her mother and in her madness and wants to be here again, as was it was in her adolescence, pure and feels she will become just like her mother. The mother sees it as it really is her, without makeup and without her little girl but schizophrenia leads them both to the same destination and she no longer wants this.

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WHAT WAITS IN THE RED A stunning feature movie by Vanessa Stevenson & David Ince

Corinne and Ryan are homeless and desperate. Driven by frustration and a sense of entitlement, they start down a dangerous, criminal path. Life has also been hard for Amelia Knight. Lonely, isolated, and convinced she is powerless, Amelia is ripe for temptation. When her mother falls victim to Corinne and Ryan, Amelia receives a mysterious Bell, accompanied by a brief and ambiguous warning: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Ring for service. Be careful what you wish for.â&#x20AC;? The bell gives Amelia access to an ancient scheme, where Jabez, a snake-oil salesman, offers her the power to take control of her life. The price, of course, is her soul. When Amelia learns that her life is in danger, that Corinne and Ryan are coming for the bell, the choice she must make becomes even more acute: Will she sell her soul to save her life? What Waits In The Red is a gripping supernatural suspense drama based on the forthcoming novel by the bestselling author of Breathe. www.tycho-pictures.com

Supernatural suspense

Run Time 83 Mins

FILM: THE MAGAZINE/NICE/MAY 2017

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WELL OF DREAMS

The Journey of Anne Okelo

A Feature Documentary From Speaker Films

Well of Dreams is a story of courage, determination, and ultimately, triumph. Imagine a male-dominated world where the mere act of fetching water for your village can have dangerous, even lethal consequences. This is the world in which Anne Okelo lived, in the small village of Angiro in Kenya. But Anne has big dreams and is determined to save the village girls by freeing them from the bondage of traditional societal restrictions. Well of Dreams is a story of hope, when the clarity of one’s vision and the unshakeable faith of one’s heart come together. I will never forget the day that Anne Okelo came to my studio and told her story on camera. As I listened I could hardly believe what I was hearing. “Two strokes”, she said. Every day she would receive two strokes for being late to school. Anne lived in a remote village in Kenya and because the village had no clean water, the young girls in the family would have to walk 8 miles every morning to bring a bucket of dirty water from the nearest river for their family to use. Often they would get to the river and have to wait in line. Or the river was dry and they would have to dig for water. More often than not Anne would return with the water, head to school and find that she was a few minutes late. So she was beaten virtually every day.

When I met Anne she was working on a project to raise $35,000 to build a well in her village. It was within this context that she had come to my studio to share her story on video. She spoke of being an outcast among her village because she refused to be married at 14 and chose rather to pursue her education. She told us about her life and that of her people, how they didn’t even have basic needs met. No bathrooms, no water, no bed to sleep on and often no food. But what surprised me most was that although Anne had just received her graduate degree from the University in my home town, the only thing she wanted to do was to return to the very village in Kenya where she was rejected and ostracized. More than anything Anne wanted to go back and help her people. And getting them water was her starting point.

After knowing Anne for a few months I asked her if I could make a documentary about her story. I told her that I thought a film would help give her greater visibility and a more public platform for doing her work and raising necessary funding. And so together Anne and our team embarked on a journey. The film is called “Well of Dreams: The Journey of Anne Okelo.” I started out by taking a small film crew to Kenya and we spent 10 days with Anne and it changed our lives. We saw poverty that we never knew existed. We witnessed a male dominated society where only men were educated and spoke English. The women we talked with, other than Anne, spoke only their native language. We observed schoolrooms housing 90 children in an area smaller than my living room where only the first third of the children that arrive at school in the morning get to sit on a bench. The other two thirds sit on a dirt floor. We saw a small shack where 11 children lived and I asked where they put the beds and I was told, there are no beds. The children simply lay their heads on a dirt floor at the end of the day. There is no electricity, no bathrooms, no toys, and often no food. During our time in Kenya we witnessed a world that those of us on the crew had never experienced and it was both horrifying and inspiring. It was horrifying in that the conditions and challenges of life in Anne’s small village are unfathomable to us in the USA. But it was also inspiring to witness Anne’s passion and charisma in capturing the hearts and minds of her people and helping to inspire girls in her village and in surrounding villages to stay in school and aspire to a life of independence and hope rather than to succumb to a life of bondage and fear – having no hope and no future. Well of Dreams is about the journey of our dear friend Anne Okelo.

www.wellofdreamsmovie.com

Documentary

Run Time 63 Mins

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RANDOM KARMA Fighting Free

Los Angeles, CA, – April 27th, 2017 – Random Karma, the new independent feature film from director Randy Ayres, MD, deals an action packed punch. Inspired by true life stories and events and immersive fight cinematography the film is non-stop. Fans of high action and mob stories will both be excited to see this film. Ayres and his Random Karma crew took a systematic approach in order to accurately capture the feel of realistic close combat. All of the cast took classes in Judo, Aikido and KravMagatogether to get them all on the same page. The camera operators were incorporated and accounted for within the fight choreography. Ayres explained, “ the camera operator has to be part of the fight, that means the camera moves with the fighters, and the fighters have to learn to do all the punching, kicking, throws and takedowns with a camera in their faces or behind their heads while they are moving, jumping, and slamming down on the mat at full speed.”

The main theme of the film explores what it’s like to be in a cage and working to break free, so it’s fitting that Ayers chose to include elements of MMA, or cage-style, fighting into the sequences in the film. Committed to creating realistic combat scenes, Ayres, enlisted the services of Knuckles Fite Club in Detroit, Michigan. Ayres shared, “Knuckles Fite Club was instrumental to Random Karma. It’s simple: no Knuckles—no Random Karma. We trained our cast and learned to do fight scene cinematography at Knuckles.” Certain constraints are inevitable when shooting a truly independent film. One of the more challenging scenes to shoot for Ayres and his team took place when they placed an integral action sequence in a small room filled with lots of porcelain. The space did not leave any room for error. In order to mitigate any potential problems the cast and crew relied heavily on fight choreography rehearsal and preparation. Ayres emphasized, “the trick was to be organized and know exactly what I needed. And that all came from meticulous pre-production.” Random Karma won awards for Best Feature Film and Best Sound Design at the 2017 London International Filmmaker Festival of World Cinema and has been nominated in the following categories at the 2017 International Filmmaker Festival of World Cinema in Nice, France: Best Film, Best Original Screenplay, Best Lead Actor for Zak Marzouq, Best Director and Best Editing. For showtimes and more information about the festival in Nice please go to their website: http://filmfestinternational.com/nice randomkarmamovie.com

/randomkarmamovie

Teri Gamble, MEDIA CIRCUS teri@mediacircuspr.com

Drama

Run Time 105 Mins

FILM: THE MAGAZINE/NICE/MAY 2017

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Unser Kampf Our Struggle A Feature Documentary by Simon Wieland

The Film The film explores the microcosm of an extended family from Vienna and Cracow, documenting the life and survival of three generations living in Israel, the most hated country in the world. The film shows the fate of family members in the face of nine wars, a permanent state of emergency and ever new threats. As victims and as aggressors. We follow these women and men, who have in turn started families of their own, as they live their lives in the extraordinary environments of Tel Aviv, and Haifa. And through them we meet the parents and grandparents: the second and first generations. Through the eyes of the protagonist family we are offered a familiar but surprising, exciting and disparate picture of a country that is so foreign to us and yet so close. The family saga, as a mirror of Israeli society, is mainly told from the perspective of the young Israelis, the so-called third generation. Thus the film offers new insight into Israel’s society: Suddenly, within the microcosm of three generations of a family, Israeli history,

its wars, conflicts, fears and hopes are given a face, brought to life, made concrete and tangible. The viewer also becomes aware of how strongly the Holocaust continues to influence our “host” family in particular and Israeli society in general, both consciously and subconsciously. In this way, the film seeks to peel away the outer layers of life in Israel until it finally reveals the hidden roots and conflicts of society. Through its depiction of the microcosm of one family’s history, the film offers a unique glimpse into the past, present, and future of the State of Israel, a continuum that is closely intertwined with our own past and at the same time reflects the current areas of conflict between the societies, cultures, and religions of the West and the East. Simon Wieland: Born In 1963, Filmmaker Studied at the University of Television and Film in Munich, Germany, Feature Film Department. His films have received the distinction of “highly recommended” (“besonders wertvoll”) and have earned him a nomination for the German Film Award. He has also won special awards and praise at the San Francisco and Tel Aviv film festivals. Simon lives and works as a writer, cinematographer, and director in Lower Austria, Vienna, and Munich. For many years his work has revolved around contemporary historical themes together with the journalist Andreas Kuba.

www.simonwieland.com

Feature Film Documentary

Run Time 90 Mins

THE BIG SECRET: A Survival Guide for the New Millennium is the latest work by five-time Emmy Awardwinning producer and director, Alex Voss, and, multi award winning film maker and integrative physcian, Susan Downs. This groundbreaking documentary film explores the truth behind some of todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most widely-accepted medical practices, and seeks to expose how the focus on corporate profits influences traditional medical treatment in the United States.

www.thebigsecretmovie.com

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THE PILLARS OF HEAVEN Directed, Filmed, Edited & Produced by Nicholas Rooney

Nominated for two awards at the Nice International Filmmaker Festival for Best Director of a Feature Documentary and Talented New Filmmaker. In this article, FTM were lucky enough to have a chat with the First time filmmaker about why he decided to make this powerful feature documentary as part of a longer interview *.

Synopsis A young and disillusioned British diplomat abandons his diplomatic career, spends his own money, and risks his very life on a journey of faith and war in Ukraine. With the Ukrainian people as his guide, his journey takes him from the idyllic Carpathian Mountains, to the golden cupolas in Kiev to the very heart of the hellish War-zone in Donetsk. He embarks on an odyssey from Christmas Eve to the Epiphany, searching for the soul of this troubled nation and for something which might help to bring a lasting end to the bloodshed and prevent a wider military confrontation between Russia and the West. A profound, relevant and spiritual exploration accompanied by beautiful music.

I’ve seen films that had been made about this already but the problem was they were biased either towards the pro-west or proRussian side and I really tried to make an epic film that dealt with the complexity of the crisis whilst looking at it from a geopolitical, religious, historical, humanitarian angle. Also, it was a journey for me and I hope the viewers will find it a journey as well.

FTM: You had a successful career as a diplomat, so it must have been a huge step to not only give up that and become not a filmmaker, but also to make this your 1st feature? NR: I had been working briefly as a diplomat for the EU and I was working specifically on the Ukraine crisis and it seemed to me that frankly diplomacy, even at the highest level, was not really helping this crisis. And in fact, in my view it was actually making the situation worse and it had just become polarized along cold war lines once again. So I became disillusioned by all of this because I always thought that diplomacy was there to prevent war and sooth tensions and I didn’t feel that we were doing that and I literally thought, what can I do and so I decided to make a film about the conflict.

theatreoflifeproductions@hotmail.com

The full audio interview is available via our Facebook page

Documentary

Run Time 178 Mins

That’s Opportunity Knocking Writer/Director Charles Pelletier

Comedy based on a true story wins 12 film festival awards! “The keen ensemble performances make this funny production hilarious.” Huffington Post Writer/Director Charles Pelletier got the idea for the script “That’s Opportunity Knocking” by an anecdote told by one of the actors, Thomas Anawalt, at a bar after a play in which they were both involved at the Hollywood Fringe Festival. Thomas had been living in New York, and one night got home with his roommate, and went to bed, only to find the next morning that he had been robbed, and the burglars had been in the apartment the whole time they had been home. Hiding. Somewhere. The true story became a comedic “tall tale” in which two wanna-be thugs attempt to rob an apartment; everything goes awry when the owners show up early for a little late-night sex. Toss in the third wheel roommate, fresh out of the mental hospital and comedy was created. “Brilliant writing that is perfectly performed by an extremely strong cast.” Movie-Blogger.com www.thatsopportunityknockingthemovie.com

Director Charles Pelletier’s notes: I was anxious to write a project for some of the very gifted actors I had worked with at the Hollywood Fringe Festival (C. Stephen Foster, Charlotte Gulezian, Moronai Kanekoa, Satchel Andre and Thomas Anawalt), mostly recent graduates of the USC MFA Acting program. Cynthia Webster read the script and was immediately excited about producing it. As a cinematographer, she had won two Emmy’s, so when she agreed to be the DP, it was a perfect scenario for me, as a first-time film director.

Since she owned her own studio, we were able to have many rehearsals over a period of weeks, on the set, and find the characters, in the way you would direct a play. My philosophy is to cast the right people, and stay out of their way. The state an actor is in, when he or she is acting well, is vulnerable. I believe great actors will eventually find their way, if given a safe space and a morsel of guidance, but that journey is largely an internal one. Comedy

Run Time 22 Mins

an award nominated script

MIDNIGHT WITH A SMILE

A FEATURE DOCUMENTARY FILM

THE PILLARS OF HEAVEN BY

NICHOLAS ROONEY

Caolan Flood

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MIDNIGHT WITH A SMILE

As their midnight stroll arrives at its final destination, they sit down watching the sunrise. Cole’s intermittent moments alone, reveal that he is wandering along two separate timelines – his present more confident self, and the memories of that first night he spent in Ari’s company. A midnight adventure with a young girl, years before, whose insights into her own troubles helped him overcome his. Cole’s walk through the past giving him the final closure and ambitious reminder he needs to face life with a dangerous optimism he so desperately needed.

A Script by Caolan Flood

An introverted musician – Cole, lost in a state of melancholia, is startled by a young homeless girl – Ari, while playing on a bridge. Ari mocks his depressing choice of tone, unaware of his internal conflict. Her confidence and assertiveness intrigue him, and she coaxes him into spending the night wandering through the quiet streets in her company. Her outspoken manner contrasting his self-deprecating inner voice. The melancholic melodies, that accompany them on their stroll, evolve as the two grow to enjoy the intrinsic eccentricities which the other displays. Ari wants to see Cole play, perform aloud – to be a musician, despite her being the only member of his audience. Ari’s philosophical insights into her own life, despite the innate complexities shrouding her path, may in turn save Cole from his own inner voice. During their night, Cole seemingly finds himself walking alone – though on these occasions, a more positive external speech replaces his inner voice. The two discuss their own pre-conceptions about morality. Ari’s story overwhelms Cole, as learns the depths of her dark and abusive past.

Documentary

caolanflood@gmail.com

Script

INBAIFU Producer: Kaoru Nishitani Director: Kimihiro Kodama

”inbaifu”(aru jyoko ki) The Prostitute (imbaifu) is a film that actively depicts a diverse range of motives for “escape”. An escape from poverty, from a fear of death, from domination, from life in the country and its restraints on life. This is the first film adaption of Yoshiki Hayma’s short story, The Prostitute (imbaifu). Yoshiki Hayama is a Japanese author associated with the Japanese proletarian literature movement. He spent a lot of time in jail due to his involvement with the labour movement, but later turned away from Marxism and became an enthusiastic supporter of Japanese imperialism. The film is set in Fukuoka, where Yoshiki Hayama and a Director Kimihiro Kodama were born. Kitakyushu is home to Japan’s largest coal fields and industrial area during the Meiji through the Showa Era and during the period from 1900 1940 a diverse range of goods were shipped from the Port of Moji to rest of the world. In a port brothel with a heavy traffic of people, a seaman meets a dying prostitute. Those who have - and those who do not- and faced with hunger and poverty, how will the female factory workers make it through the era? http://neocinemap.asia/2016/09/01/inbaifu

ABOUT THE DIRECTOR - KIMIHIRO KODAMA Kimihiro Kodama was born in Fukuoka Prefecture Yukuhashi. After he graduated from university, he joined Iwapuro, a documentary film production company. He began his career as a film cameraman and

has since been involved in the production and distribution of the documentary film about the Ariake Sea / Isahaya Bay reclamation. In 1998 he became an independent filmmaker and a freelance director. He is currently producing short films and TV documentaries. Drama

Run Time 60 Mins

FILM: THE MAGAZINE/NICE/MAY 2017

PATRIA “The legend of Otger de Cataló and the 9 Barons of Fame” A Stunning New Film Directed by Joan Frank Charansonnet Produced by : Alba López, Susana Plana, Dani Bernabé, Efren Casas & Joan Frank Charansonne

Pàtria tells the legend of “Otger of Cataló and the 9 Barons of Fame” and is a Catalan folk epic legend with great brushstrokes that tells the origins of Catalonia.

BOTTOM IMAGE: OTGER I ARMADURA.

The legend of Otger de Cataló was orally transmitted to the monk Pere Tomic, who was then told to write it down on paper in the Monastery of Sant Llorenc. During the 15th Century, a carriage arrives at the monastery of Sant Llorenç. An illustrious and noble elderly man named Climent de Vallcebre reaches the Benedictine community to spend the last days of life in the company of his old friend, Abat Ponç. Once installed, Climent is visited by the young Pere Tomic, who will be shown as a noble source of wisdom and inspiration for his future book. In the last months of his life, Climent will give the dreamer a point of view which was the origin of the Catalan country, telling the story of Otger de Cataló and the 9 barons of Fame.

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The story of this legend allows the incorporation of several plots and the presentation of different characters of the monastery, whilst opening one of the most important subplots of the film, the roles of power and the mysterious and passionate links that were in the church community . During the narration of Climent de Vallcebre, the plot of the legend is introduced as flashbacks. Otger de Cataló arrives during the 15th Century to Catalonia, shelters in a cave and healing the wounds of battle he has suffered with the Saracens whilst crossing the Pyrenees. In parallel, it develops the legend and we discover the personal stories of their new nobles who gathered to fight to the death for the land that had been born. In each of these personal stories we will learn vital characters in portraying elements such as witchcraft, the first taverns, gallant love, heretics, honour and war. Otger oath States and the nine barons took up arms to liberate every village of the Saracen siege, until the great battle, which should bring down the army of Abderramán, who were twice their number. Epic Feature Film

www.facebook.com/patria.cat

SLIPAWAY A film by Julia Butler and Daniel Mentz

Neglected by her family, Fall, an eclectic elder with good intentions but extreme measures, finds little companionship in our hyper-busy world. When she comes across Adam, a young street musician selling his keyboard, she buys it on a whim under the pretense of wanting to learn piano. Suspicious and wary, Adam agrees to teach her and quickly finds himself trapped in an unsteady home with one feisty lady. “Slipaway is a journey of self-discovery, courage, and unconditional friendship between two solitary souls at opposite ends of life.” Directors’ Statement One weekend, we decided to clean up our garage. Among many things that we wanted to donate, Daniel saw an old keyboard that he found too valuable, so he decided to sell it online. Days later, Julia noticed Daniel packing the electronic piano into his car. “What are you doing?” she asked. “I sold it to a nice lady in Beverly Hills, but she doesn’t have a car,” Daniel replied while adjusting it on his backseat. “You’re gonna spend $50 on gas to drive this thing across town?” Daniel gave Julia a good-bye kiss. “I already promised her. Love you!” And with that, Daniel took off. SlipawayMovie.com

DanielMentz.com

Run Time 111 Mins

Daniel returned numerous hours later and told his love why the delivery took so long. The lady turned out to be Gwen Davis, a published author in her mid-seventies, who wanted to write a musical with a composer friend of hers, a dream she had always wanted to pursue. Julia seemed deeply inspired by this woman. The next morning, Julia suddenly sat up in bed, and shook Daniel awake. “I know the story of our next script!” she exclaimed. “It’s going to be about a feisty, elderly lady and a young pianist who help each other to fulfil their dreams.” A script was written, the production team of our trusted friends (Glasscore Entertainment) was hired, and off we went to shoot our first feature on a sailboat. “It is our hope that SLIPAWAY will not only inspire audiences to follow their dreams, but invoke a sense of curiosity about life and compassion toward one another, no matter the age or background.” Julia-Butler.com

GlasscoreFilms.com

Drama

Run Time 89 Mins

A SCRIPT BY JOSIE KAYE

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MAKING OLIVIA A Script By Josie Kaye

Talking to scriptwriter Josie Kaye gave us a wonderful insight into how she created the script for her short comedy film Making Olivia. It seems that Josie is a woman of many talents as not only is she a scriptwriter but also a producer, photographer, actor and YouTube star. It’s no surprise that her script has been nominated for an award at the Nice Film Festival. FTM: How did your career start? JK: I started out trying to be a model but it wasn’t for me, I actually got scammed by a modeling agency so started taking photos myself. This led me onto starting up my own business, taking headshots for actors. I then started doing YouTube videos, at first I was so scared but I knew that it’s what I wanted to do so I carried on with it until I started feeling comfortable. Things developed after that and I started producing my own commercials before moving to New York to study comedic writing where I built up to working on feature films. FTM: Where did the script Idea for Making Olivia come from? JK: I was trying to come up with something new and my boyfriend told me to write about something I really loved. I was thinking about it and one of the things that I’m really interested in is fashion, I love fashion documentaries. From there I started improvising in front of the camera as Olivia and it just came out. I shot myself for about an hour in my living room and set it up to look like a documentary. I uploaded it to YouTube and it did so well that I knew I needed to write something else for it. Olivia is very relatable so it’s really easy to laugh at her. There’s been interest in it becoming a TV series so I’m looking at that right now! FTM: Is it hard writing a comedy script knowing that other people may not have the same sense of humor as you? JK: I think you have to make yourself laugh first, you can’t write for someone else. I’ve tried to write for other people and work out what they’d think is funny but it’s terrible. I think people can feel when something’s authentic, especially with Olivia. I always feel like when you’re writing for a type of humour that you enjoy it automatically draws in the people who will find it funny too. FTM: Do you sit down with a blank page and start writing or work from a structure? JK: I actually do start out with a blank page and start thinking about the character’s traits and relationships; the more interesting these things are the faster the writing starts to flow. I’ve tried making outlines of what I want but it doesn’t work for me, I even went to classes but felt like I was trying to be someone else. FTM: How do you tackle writing a script? JK: I normally have goals that I want to write towards. I’ve always been this way; even since I was little, I think about the ending first then work backwards. I don’t know why but I write so it’s like solving a puzzle. www.josiekaye.com

@VonKlimpf

FTM: What’s the hardest part of writing? JK: The deadlines! I have a mentor that helps and I feel like that’s what keeps me going, having someone who’s on my side, who wants me to develop my voice and skill. Meeting my mentor every two weeks and getting honest critiques on my writing has really motivated me because it’s given me someone who wants to read my work. Without it I felt like I was floating and procrastinating. FTM: What’s your advice for making a script stand out? JK: I think it goes back to being authentic. There are other projects that I’ve done where I tried to be someone that I wasn’t, projects that were similar to the ones that I’d seen on TV because I thought it was what people wanted. I didn’t understand that people don’t want what they already have, when you try to copy other people it’s not going to work out. FTM: Do you have any future projects? JK: I have another project with a fifteen-year-old comedian she’s awesome. I met her manager at a showcase because he knew I was a female writer so introduced us and now I’m writing two things for her, a live character show and a TV pilot for her which I’m really excited about. Comedy

Script

FILM: THE MAGAZINE/NICE/MAY 2017

PERMANENT A film by John Mosetich

Over a series of two interviews *, Film the Magazine was privileged to interview Erica Derrickson who plays the role of Memphis and Pat Wheyland who wrote the score to this riveting movie. Permanent is no stranger to festivals or awards. Having won a number of Best Feature Film awards and additional nominations for best acting for every primary cast member, this small independent film packs a powerful acting punch. Beautifully crafted by Emmy award winning cinematographer Ken Willinger, critics have called Permanent “Shakespearian” when noting the extreme care and beauty crafted in each shot of the movie.

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FTM: Can you tell us about your 1st audition for the film? ED: It was a wonderful experience, John Mosetich (the writer, director and producer of “Permanent”) is such a wonderful guy, one of the biggest reasons that I was so excited to work on this film was simply because of John. His leadership is amazing and for me where I am with my acting career, that really is the motivating factor of whether I work on a project and I was just thrilled to work with John.

Permanent exhibits nine desperate and damaged souls battling their own personal demons. To supplement their turmoil, these characters grapple the festering grip of the mob underworld as they try to claw out some form of normal. Sex, drugs, guns and God come crashing together in a series of circumstances that changes each life forever. Erica Derrickson - Actress

FTM: Can you please tell us how the role of Memphis came about? ED: I’m an actress from New England and “Permanent” came out of an audition that came from an on-line group that I started locally for filmmakers and actors to network. And, this was originally a shorter film called “Forest Green” that was such a great piece that we worked on and that then turned into this feature film, “Permanent”! FTM: Can you tell us some more about this group you set up? ED: So it was in 2012 that I started this group called Hollywood East Actor’s Group to meet, to connect and to collaborate and the short version of “Permanent” was posted on that group and, that was actually the first audition that I applied to and that I actually got from within that group so I created the environment for the audition to arrive! It was such an honour and especially to see the film evolve from this short film to this feature which I think is such a key to filmmakers today. You know it’s very easy to have these big, grand ideas of things that we want to do but it’s evidenced with this film that you’ve got to start small in terms of business so a minimum viable project and then take it to the marketplace and then to see how the marketplace responds! And then you respond by building something with the information that you then have and that is something that “Permanent” has done very successfully. So to sum it up its independent filmmaking in it’s finest because it was very much a grassroots project that was really driven by social media and also, it’s a great example of how the industry is changing and filmmaking is no longer centralized in one location. www.heartworksproductions.com

FTM: Can you tell us about Memphis, the character that you play in “Permanent”? ED: Memphis is a very damaged young woman, she has a nasty drug habit and she’s also in a relationship that enables that drug habit – it’s a complex story! But her character is also kind of a lynchpin in this story and even though I don’t have as much screen time as some of the other actors in this film a lot of the story revolves around her. So she’s a dark, complex character but underneath I found there to be a lot of goodness in her but she’s just been so abused and so hurt and she’s symbolic of a lot of young people today and a lot of people who are suffering and struggling. But, what I love at the end of the movie is that she does reach out for help and that is a powerful and uplifting message. Pat Wheyland - Composer FTM: Can you tell us how your involvement as the composer for “Permanent” came from the earlier film “Forest Green” and morphed into this project? PW: So as you probably know John Mosetich wrote “Forest Green” first and it was supposed to be a short film but there was always the potential for more! And it was either going to be for TV or, make a feature so I knew that there was probably going to be something bigger and the story just grew and the characters just grew and became stronger and then suddenly, the character development was enough to push a whole film. Both interviews are available to listen to via our YouTube channel.

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FTM: Can you tell us how you actually ended up as a film composer? PW: I started at Berkeley College in Boston and that’s where I actually met John who happened to be in Boston at the same time and we were actually friends through Erica and so I graduated, hadn’t done anything big and John gave me this wonderful opportunity to stretch out and be part of his project. I was also semi-performing in other movies and at the same time being involved with other stuff, musically as well and of course when this came along I knew I had to take it!

FTM: How on Earth do you put a film score together, from scratch? PW: Honestly, it starts with John! His vision was really clear and he had a really concise idea of what he wanted the film to sound like and feel like and I was just kind of bouncing ideas off of him and he was amazing in terms of letting me try stuff out. He was very supportive and he would say this doesn’t work how about we do this and it was just very natural like that. John has a really musical way about him, he plays the guitar, his daughters sing and he actually wrote one of the songs that we used in another film and, his vision for this film was really complete and he is really hearing something when he’s making a movie and it really is a big full picture of what he wants and genuinely, working with directors like that is so incredibly helpful.

FTM: And when you’re putting a score together do have musical cues or some kind of “playbook” that you reference? PW: No, not like stock material, but in the history of film whether Hollywood or independents, there are certain things that have worked in the past so we kind of grabbed from those and then adapt them to the new situation or the new film. So for instance in a gangster movie, there’s a scene where they are in a restaurant so I felt like a fatherly vibe when I watched the film and from that I try to find a melody and then try to shape that to make it seem a little more legitimate and I try to use little tricks to try and help the audience understand what’s happening.

FTM: How do you match the music with the runtime? PW: Well the music comes last which in this instance is quite interesting because we finished matching the music to the film and then there was a new cut and then I had to re-score and then other new cut’s happened! So I think I had over 2-hours of music for the film so I had more than enough, which I think is kind of standard and there are a lot of times where the music isn’t in the forefront at all. And of course that has to be accounted for and it has to be interesting too. FTM: And finally, was composing for this film more difficult that you imagined or was it just about where you thought it would be? PW: Oh yeah, it was much more difficult than I imagined! I hope you can attend our showing!

Crime

Run Time 100 Mins

FILM: THE MAGAZINE/NICE/MAY 2017

Jimmy Narula and Damsels In Distress One again, Vivek Kumar & Barkha Madan show why they are such a talented duo – with two of their scripts in competition in Nice – here is a taste of their journey!

FILM FEST INTERNATIONAL AND OUR FILM JOURNEY: Our company and our film and scripts have had their genesis primarily at the Film Fest International’s various European Film Festivals. We got our first film SURKHAAB, getting multiple nominations in St Tropez (NICE) and although there was no win, the nominations did enough, for us to be noticed. Of course the question is what does the filmmaker do with the nominations? In our own case we were so proud of our nomination, that we talked about it to Sales Agents, Buyers, Content acquisition folks, etc. Not all doors opened, but those that did, were primarily because of the nominations. Eventually the nominations got converted into wins and SURKHAAB became a global theatrical release, then a global digital release, 4 major airlines acquired it and finally it is about to hit the two million views on YouTube (a number that will be accomplished by the time this article makes it to the print). Of course we were confident of our film, but there is no denying the fact that Carl’s festivals, provided the “validation” which we so badly needed.

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Then LONDON happened. The magical city is when real magic started with SURKHAAB. It won the best Foreign Film and from there on started a journey beyond our wildest dreams. We were always confident of the film quality, the big question was, how do we get this quality more visible to the audiences of the globe. London achieved that and more. We have not looked back since London of 2012. Then last year, our unproduced script, SANAK, won in London of 2016. By the time London of 2017 had come around, and after subsequent wins, in Madrid, Berlin and Milan, SANAK, has now procured production funding, again primarily as a result of the recognition (read nomination, the wins are an Icing on the Cake), and what started in early 2016, in London, has boldly made its way to the big screen, in April 2017 and again in May at the Nice Fastival. Again, we were confident of the script, but Film Fest provided us that “packaging” which helped us to reach out to a wider base of investors. This year, Nice 2017, we have two scripts in the running, Jimmy Narula and Damsels In Distress. What awaits, we don’t know, what we do know is we have the nominations and that is the main confidence booster for us. So thank you Film Fest International and our company, Golden Gate Creations, will never ever forget where we found our bearings, which is with your portfolio of festivals and also never ever forget the beautiful city of London, where “something is always in the creative air.”

There will be many who claim that there are bigger festivals in the world and in Europe. They are probably right, and to each their own, but for us, Film Fest International was the “push and shove” we needed when we were getting off the ground and both, Barkha Madan and me, the co founders of our Production Company, Golden Gate Creations, firmly believe in the adage of “never forget where you came from “ and “ never forget who stood by you in the start of the journey.” And the response to both of these, is the Film Festival International. vivek@goldengatecreations.com

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THE DUNNING MAN A Stunning New Movie By Kevin Fortuna

The Dunning Man – A riveting new movie by Kevin Fortuna and filmed by DP Petr Cikhart “Broke, single, and desperate. You’d think he would have learned by now”... Based on his own short story, Kevin Fortuna’s latest film THE DUNNING MAN is a quirky and cautionary tale of love, money, and the dangers of renting to Chechen show folk. This is the revelation for Connor, a young man who has just lost his well-heeled girlfriend in New York, and now finds himself back to where he started in Atlantic City. There, he tries to keep his head above water renting downscale apartments to a lively group of tenants that includes Alice, a feisty single mother and her wise, but not precocious, daughter; Stryker, a rapper in seclusion between best-selling albums; and an iffy group of acrobats with a penchant for dressing up in plush, and for solving business problems with brute force. As Connor negotiates the subtleties of low-finance, he discovers a new relationship to the past and a changed perspective on the future. The film stars James Carpinello, Dawn-Lyen Gardner, Nicoye Banks, Tom Kemp, Langston Fishburne, and Lindsey Blackwell. Clayton directed from his own script, and the film was edited by Ian Blume & Eugenio Richer. “I spent my summers in Atlantic City pretty much since I was born. I have a lot of family in the area in Margate and my uncle actually grew up in the inlet where the movie is set,” Fortuna says explaining why he decided to shoot THE DUNNING MAN in Atlantic City, “A.C. features prominently almost as a character in the movie. “I’ve always been fascinated with Atlantic City and the way that it serves as a place for reinvention, as it has reinvented itself again and again … The movie is actually set right behind Revel. I think it is in some ways a magical place. That’s the way the movie and the story it’s based on present the city. For some people, it’s kind of a blank canvas where they kind of figure themselves out, and that’s what the main character does in the movie.”

www.thedunningman.com

For more information about Petr please visit www.petrcikhart.com

Director of Photography bio - Petr Cikhart Petr started his career as a 19-year-old Assistant Director that covered the war in Chechnya for Czech TV, and was then arrested and held hostage for two days by Russian soldiers during the assignment. It was his first ever field shoot, and he was hooked. After working as a cinematographer for 12 years Petr decided to deepen his knowledge by attending the AFI Conservatory, earning a masters degree in cinematography in 2012. His thesis film FIRST IN FLIGHT competed at the Camera image festival in Poland and was nominated for the ASC Harris Savides Heritage Award. While at AFI Petr won the College Camera Operator of the Year award from the SOC. Subsequently Petr worked as a cinematographer on various feature films including the World War II drama AGAINST THE SUN, TAMARA (Nueva Vision Award, 2017 Santa Barbara Film Festival), Universal pictures ID2:SHADWELL ARMY & DAY OF RECKONING, THE DUNNING MAN, THE NANNY and the recent Tencent China production ESCAPING VALENTINE’S DAY. Travelling & filming in more than 100 countries he also made films including FARMINGVILLE (Special Jury Prize, 2004 Sundance Film Festival) and BLINDSIGHT (Audience Awards, 2006 AFI Film Festival & 2007 Berlin Film Festival). In 2007 Petr won his Prime Time Emmy Award for his work on the THE AMAZING RACE.they kind of figure themselves out, and that’s what the main character does in the movie.”

Drama

Run Time 90 Mins

FILM: THE MAGAZINE/NICE/MAY 2017

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DOG PARK A brilliant short comedy by Katie Enright

Responsible. Kind. Caring. Outdoorsy. These are qualities that any romantic hopeful appreciates in a potential partner. They also happen to be characteristics that make someone the perfect dog owner. This is the logic that Amelia and Jake employ when they head to their local dog park in search of not only canine, but also human connection. The only catch is, neither of them owns a dog! Dog Park is a romantic comedy ripe with the awkwardness and excitement of a first meeting. Without giving too much away, it’s safe to say that viewers will be left with the hopeful feeling that yes, it is possible to find love offline in 2017. At a time when female representation in film, television, and new media is a hot button issue, Dog Park boasts talented women both in front of and behind the camera. The short marks the directorial debut of up-andcoming director Katie Enright, who honed her craft under the mentorship of esteemed directors and authors Mary Lou Belli and Bethany Rooney and as an apprentice with the Warner Brothers Television Directing Workshop. Lead actress Gilli Messer is also the writer of Dog Park. Gilli was recently featured as a writer in both the 2016 and kenright4@hotmail.com

Dog Park is just one of several artistic collaborations between Katie, Gilli, and the film’s assistant director and editor, Jimmy Gadd. As lead editor of network television shows such as The Mentalist and Rosewood and as a graduate of the WBTV Directing Workshop, Jimmy and his talents were invaluable to Dog Park. With the help of producer Colby Hanik, Katie put together an incredible cast and crew to join her, Gilli, and Jimmy. From lead actor Blaise Miller, who has made his mark on the indie film scene in movies such as Homestate,

to the adorable canine actors, without whom the dog park would have just been a park, Dog Park is the result of the collaborative synergy that defines independent filmmaking. Romantic Comedy

Run Time 7 Mins

Drama

Run Time 39 Mins

LAURA Written and Directed by Pedram Tajik

LAURA is about people’s point of view. A point of view that forms our understanding about what goes around us. A point of view that can even lead to misunderstanding. Just like the number 6 in English that from one side it’s 6 but if you turn the page around, it’s 9. So it all depends on whether we know where we’re standing and what we’re doing and realize that we’re the architect of our lives. Everything that we get is because of our own doing despite acceptance or nonacceptance of our deeds by the society. After all, who knows what is right and what is wrong in our personal life, except us? LAURA was my first experience as a filmmaker. The script alone took more than a year and after pre-production and production process, a total time of 3 years I put into this. Which I think is a long time for making a short film and that is an indication of different problems and also experiences that I had to face in order to make this happen.

TOP LEFT: FILMMAKER PEDRAM TAJIK.

2015 ABC Diversity Showcases, and her acting credits include roles on network television shows such as Jessie, 2 Broke Girls, and American Housewife.

I hope that this 3- year effort has not been in vain and given all the shortcomings of the film that I too am aware of them, I sincerely wish you enjoy watching it. tajikpedram@yahoo.com

The

Silent Seed Based on a True Story

Screenplay written by Nancy Haverington

FILM: THE MAGAZINE/NICE/MAY 2017

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EDNA’S DEAREST POSSESSIONS

I like them to change their skins but still be visible as I do have a big respect to my inspirations and as you know, this is called post modernism. If I’m working on a story which is built on an inspiration, than my main idea is obvious, so the original idea does not change much in the writing process, just like happened in Edna’s Dearest Possessions.

A Script By Ozge Gozturk

Please can you tell us a little more about your background? I am Turkish and living in the great city London. I am a textile engineer actually, and have worked as one for 13 years. It was around 2013 when I decided to change my career from textile into a different field, those were hard days actually, and it was quiet a hard decision I have to admit. I took some courses from Oxford University on writing and history, which helped a lot to develop my voice and storytelling skills. And in 2016 my first novel, named Lupu, has been published in Turkey, and in Turkish, by a traditional publishing house. I was honoured, and so happy. I have always been interested in screenplay writing, but not in filmmaking. Last winter some directors were interested in my novel, Lupu, to be turned into a movie. Then I had to work on my Screenplay writing skills. I wrote my first script, which was nominated for four festivals, and won one award so far, and I am so happy that these talented experts of Europe and USA recognize my work.

And as a writer I know that if something bugs you, there is only one way to get rid of it, to write a story about it. The main idea has developed in those days and then I started working on it clearly and decided to write it in screenplay format because of the reasons I just mentioned. And in the end how close was the final script to that idea? I get inspired a lot from classic and contemporary arts or other visual arts like media arts but I never use the same trims or scenes as they use because that would be boring. But I like to refer them in my works. Drama

Script

Drama

Screenplay

THE SILENT SEED Screenplay Written by Nancy Haverington

Based on a true story Owen is a naturalist born deaf and gifted. He struggles to define himself as the deaf and hearing worlds vie for him. As his family disintegrates, nature is the only constant in his life until it, too, threatens to betray him. It will take a mountain to knock the chip off his shoulder, a fish tattoo to open his heart, a young French woman’s arms to absorb his pain, and a nautilus to release his genius and reveal his path. I didn’t plan to write my son’s coming of age story. I lived it, was grateful we both survived it. Why tempt the Fates? Besides, I assumed things had changed. But recently I met the parents of a young deaf child and was shocked to learn otherwise. The Silent Seed is no mere peek into a pre-enlightened past. It’s necessary now. My son’s orientation to the world catapulted me out of my comfort zone of playwriting to write for the screen. His story has to be told visually. And now I’m hooked.

www.nancyhaverington.com

THE PHOTOGRAPH OF NANCY HAVERINGTON WAS TAKEN BY BRYAN EATON, NEWBURYPORT, MASSACHUSETTS.

Can you tell us what your original idea was for “Edna’s Dearest Possessions”? I visited an exhibition in London, a contemporary art oil painting exhibition by Taner Ceylan and I couldn’t forget about it. I just kept thinking about it, months passed but it was still in my mind, changing its clothes and hiding around other subjects, but never going away.

What was the most important lesson you had to learn that has had a positive effect on your film career? How did that lesson happen? I learned to be patient and not so serious in the last few years. These two mottos ease my job! Besides, there are many great people to work and collaborate with, and when you are patient you find these people and create good works with being in a friendly environment, which helps to be even more creative and also encourages you to keep the good work going. Than life becomes happier!

Bio Nancy Haverington is a screenwriter and playwright. Her screenplay, Felicia’s Talk With God, the story of a homeless woman’s last day on earth, was first written as a play. It was produced at the Theatre Studio in New York City and The Actor’s Studio in Newburyport, Massachusetts. Her current screenplay-inprogress is about the turn of the 19th century oracle behind the American Transcendental Movement, since Mary Moody Emerson was born in the 18th century but the story catches up with her in the 19th. Mary Moody Emerson: Angel of Death. Winner of the Harvard Arts Award, her plays have also been produced at the Sackler Museum in Cambridge and Theatre Redux in Boston. The Silent Seed, her first screenplay, has been nominated for best unproduced script by the 2017 International Film Festival in Nice.

nhaverington@live.com

EDNAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S

t s e r a De ssions Posse A Script by

Ozge Gozturk

FILM: THE MAGAZINE/NICE/MAY 2017

NOW BOARDING

She became an Associate Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology years later at the same institution and had a long career as a physician and teacher.

Director Teresa Mular examines the hilarious indignities of airplane travel as seen on a dog-centered airline with her own German Shepherd acting as co-pilot. Seemingly an absurd tale, it is actually based in most part on the director’s experiences as an average passenger checking-in and boarding in various airports, mostly around the United States but also in Europe . In this film, the plot unfolds within the realm of dogs to make the experience more surreal and the unexpected ending gives it a special and memorable flavor.

Currently she is President of the New York Gynecological Society (New York city).

Filmmaker: Dr Teresa Mular

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The Finow Festival, in Germany (February 2016) and now The Madrid International Film Festival. Currently she is working with her new documentary about Latin-American immigrant women living in New York.

She has been studying Italian in Florence since 2006 and it is there where she found the germinating seed for making a documentary about the land that witnessed her birth. She recently completed a four-part documentary that pays homage to the various artistic complexities and cultural life of Buenos Aires “ Volando en las Alas del Tiempo” (Flying on the Wings of Time). Another successful documentary she made “ The Muse is the Mountain “ about artisan women living in Costa Rica has won multiple awards in Europe, Asia and the Americas ; it received an award at the Milan film festival for best director of Short Documentary in 2015. Her last project is a short fiction comedy: “Now Boarding“, in English, with a Spanish subtitled version as well (“Embarcando” ) was selected for screening on October 3rd at the New York Dog Film Festival ( 2015 ). In addition it has been selected at other international film festivals, including the Colortape Festival in Brisbane, Australia (June 2016), the Dada Saheb Festival in India (April 2016), The Jakarta Festival (Indonesia) November 2015,

Also, Now Boarding has won the following prestigious awards over the last few months! Milan International Filmmaker Festival - Best Comedy Colortape Film Festival, Brisbane, Australia Lakeview International Film Festival, Best Film February 2017 Comedy

thmular@optonline.net

Run Time 15 Mins

THE MAN WHO LOVEs TO HURT HIMSELF Directed by Anthony Short

The Man Who Loves To Hurt Himself is a look at a man’s 25+ year career as an extreme performer and his reflection of his life. A documentary about the musician, not the music itself: not a typical “music” documentary but rather a “musician” documentary. It explores how he balances life, love and money with his artistic passions and the undeniable effect his fans express to him about the life altering meaning it has had on them. I spent 2 years following him around the U.S., listening to his inner thoughts and questions about life like a fly on the wall. In his own words he guides us through his world by stream of consciousness. This reflects the conversations he has with himself in his head - a first-person account. If you were to have your life flash before your eyes right before you die...this film is what Steve Austin might see about himself.”

tmwlthh.com

facebook.com/tmwlthh

“Steve Austin, whose noise-laden, experimental and fiercely aggressive musical output over two decades has served as testimony, touched hearts and myriad troubled lives. “not many people can say they have so fully dedicated themselves to what they love and believe as Steve Austin has. To many, he defines the word “legend”. The loose but subdued methodic subtlety of the movie stands in sharp contrast to an artist known in the worldwide underground of extreme music for abrasive, loud, chaotic spectacle neo-violent imagery a slow, brooding and emotional 93-minutes that covers a year of conversations and ride-alongs with the casual aesthetic of natural conversation supported by raw grainy fan shot footage, old pictures, personal home videos, career spanning amulets, in a self examination of the psyche of a modernday “madman” and “master”. Ride along as Austin’s first person account brings balance to these opposing forces, reckoning and stretching himself from the drive to create his musical vision, engaging and performing intense shows around the world, to being home with his wife and children. How one near-death experience led him to connect with the love of his life and begin the transition, fulfilling his destiny as a loving family man while completing his mission to bring relief his followers and overcome being the man who loves to hurt himself”

Director Anthony Short has maintained a fulltime career in the film/video entertainment world since 2001. In that time, he has developed a highly diverse set of skills with both scripted and documentary feature films. Though having a strong focused experience in post-production, he has also been heavily involved in conceptualization, producing and pre-production on several successful projects over his 15 year career.n Documentary

Run Time 93 Mins

W e d n e s d ay M ay 1 7 t h Room 3 16:25pm

Directed by Anthony Short

WOULD YOU SELL YOUR SOUL TO SAVE YOUR LIFE?

A Film by David Ince

WHAT WAITS IN THE RED TYCHO PICTURES presents a film by DAVID INCE starring WILLIAM TURNER RODEN CHARLOTTE DONACHIE VANESSA STEVENSON KIM HARDY MERYL GRIFFITHS make-up & hair design ZOEY OLECHNOWICZ sound recording MAUREEN ‘MO’ O’RIORDAN music JONATHAN VINCENT line producer & assistant director MICHELLE WRAIGHT executive producers IAN BEWICK DANL C PIENAAR produced by VANESSA STEVENSON DAVID INCE cinematography, edited, written & directed by DAVID INCE Follow us @

www.tycho-pictures.com

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MY MECHANICAL FRIEND A short comedy film by Lincoln MacVeagh and Hollie Seidel

My Mechanical Friend is the story of Ophelia, a spirited woman who lives alone without being lonely. When her brother sends her a mechanical friend to be her companion, she is torn between anger, disbelief, and a tender sympathy for the strange robotic creature who seems to need friendship much more than she does.

My Mechanical Friend plays with one woman’s struggle to remain happily independent in a society that loves to couple up with people and devices. Playing off the myriad difficulties faced by unmarried women in our society, it is a comedy that explores what it means to be human. Ophelia is a different type of heroine because she is not afraid of solitude, and in fact, loves it and tries to protect it. She struggles with the same questions all of us face – about ambition, desire, and meaning, but it has never occurred to her that finding a man is the answer to them. She does not judge herself by her relationship status. My Mechanical Friend is a 22-minute pilot written by Lincoln MacVeagh and Hollie Seidel. It has been nominated for a Best Original Screen Play of a Short Film, and Best Short Film award. It is the first episode in a season that will have a 6-episode arc. Filming of the second episode just wrapped in April 2017.

Comedy

http://mymechanicalfriend.com

Run Time 22 Mins

RED BUTTERFLY DREAM A film by Priyantha kaluarachchi

Over one hundred thousand lives were lost due to the ethnic conflict between Sinhalese and Tamils in Sri Lanka. Many people were displaced. However, when the war came to an end in 2009 by defeating the Tamil terrorists, it took years for Tamils to be free from the camps. The film begins with the opening of Jaffna Colombo road, which was closed for 30 years due to the war. Rajini, clueless of the city takes this road to Colombo, in search of her lost sister, who was involved with Tamil terrorists and there were no information about his sister after the war ended. Rajini meets Samantha in Colombo and his friend, Ajith is attached to the underworld. Samantha is suffering from epilepsy. Rajini arrives at Samantha’s apartment and Samantha’s uncle, a Hindu priest runs a kovil. He carries an ancient script which explains that if a virgin girl with four moles in a straight line on her neck is sacrificed, a treasure could be discovered. Samantha meets her uncle and explains to her that he met a girl with four moles in a straight line in the neck. Yet he claims that he is not certain of the virginity of the girl. imaginefilms.lk@gmail.com

However the uncle suggests, the girl is a virgin just by looking at her. Rajini, who failed to find any information on his lost sister meets Samantha’s uncle, who claims if a Puja is performed (a prayer ritual), the sister can be found. Finally, Ajith, Samantha and Rajini leave to live on the outskirts of Colombo in Samantha’s uncle’s home. The uncle then uses this as an opportunity to sacrifice Rajini and find the treasure whilst at the same time, Samantha falls sick and objects to her uncle sacrificing Rajini. RED BUTTERFLY DREAM WAS ALSO SELECTED FOR THE FOLLOWING FILM FESTIVALS:New York Indian film festival 2017 Asiatica Film Festival, Rome 2016 Jogja-Netpac Asian Film Festival, Jakartha (Competition) 2016 Kerala International Film Festival 2016 All Lights India International Film Festival, 2016 Bengaluru International Film Festival, 2017 Thrissur International Film Festival, 2017 Dhaka International Film Festival, 2017 Drama

Run Time 86 Mins

FILM: THE MAGAZINE/NICE/MAY 2017

Creator: Morag Sinkins

WHO IS DOREEN? Doreen is one of the most unique, outrageous characters that travel the world---France, Italy, U.K., Canada, and U.S. Certainly ONE of a KIND!!! As an actress, writer, producer and love of observing all walks of life, Doreen was created. This story shows how Doreen both lived and witnessed all people and her excessive pursuit for the perfect “hunk.” Her escape from having to live a life of perfection takes her on a wild spree amongst the crowds of people. No one knows who she truly is but through her disguise and unstoppable behaviour people are able to see the difference between the “Queen of the World” and her heart of gold.

She will make people laugh. She will touch their souls. Not a dull moment. And she will NEVER stop her love of men, nor her speaking to the poor. Doreen is often asked where they could see her again. Doreen guarantees they will see her but her next location will be a surprise. BUT...WHAT IS SHE HIDING? Morag “Morrie” Sinkins, actress, writer and producer of the Comedy Short Film - WHO? also creator of the character “Doreen” is a Canadian citizen whose life is a movie in itself. Her life has been spent in both Canada and the U.S. she has currently written a pilot for a Comedy TV Series which will be submitted to various locations. Doreen will certainly be in it!! There are wonderful cast members such as Naked Cowboy, one of Doreen’s favourite “hunks”. Cast Members are Morag “Morrie” Sinkins, Robert Burck, Erik Sherr, Gigi Assante, Nick Cho.

who?

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Director/Editor Giovanni Mota Writer/Producer/Creator Morag “Morrie” Sinkins Assistant Director - Anna Filameno Script Consultant - Michael McCarthy Cast Members Morag “Morrie” Sinkins - Doreen Robert Burck - Naked Cowboy Erik Sherr - Businessman Gigi Assante - Homeless Woman Comedy

Run Time 11 Mins

Adventure

Run Time 91 Mins

mosinkins@gmail.com

6 AND 1 IN THE MIND Written & Directed by Lachezar Petrov

The TRUTH. We Are All Looking For It. But Are We Living According To Its Laws? And What Happens, When The Truth Finds Us? If You Do Not Recognise It, It Will Recognise You. One Is The Joy Of Light. The Other Is The Bitterness Of Tears. There Is An Ancient Forgotten Legend. Thousands Of Years Ago, High Up In The Mountain There Was A Brotherhood Which Possessed The Great Knowledge. The Teachers – That’s What They Were Called. They Closely Guarded The Knowledge. To Safeguard It From Human Greed. However, One Of Their Laws Said: The Truth Must Be Protected. www.tlmedia-bg.com

The Truth Must Be Uttered. Once Every 100 Years, They Allowed People In To Undergo Tests To Become Pupils. They Underwent A Difficult Trial In A Place Called Purgatory. A Terrible Place. Few Dared Enter.

Although Not Of A Single Mind About This, They Still Go Along With The Group When It Comes To Extreme Adventures. On This Saturday Our Heroes Find By Accident A Cave Of The Trial From The Ancient Legend. What Happens To Their Friendship? “6 And 1 (In The Mind)” Is A Story About The Everyday Lies In Our Life And How Dangerous They Can Be.we All Need A Change. Right Now.

Only Those Who Were Able To Prove Themselves As Honest, Bold And Prepared To Sacrifice Themselves For Others Came Out. Only Few Were Worthy Of The Truth. Lora, Galya, Iva, Misho Render, Rado Extreme And Kamen Are Co-Workers And Very Good Friends. They Are Inseparable Even At The Weekends. Their Love For Adventure Takes Them Every Weekend To New Places Where They Look For The Proximity To Nature And, Above All, Extreme Experiences.

TOP: BEHIND THE SCENES STILL OF CASEY FULLER ON THE LEFT AND JAMES KING ON THE RIGHT TALKING ABOUT A SCENE. BOTTOM: BEHIND THE SCENES STILL OF EXECUTIVE PRODUCER NATE GRIFFIN, HELPING CAST MEMBER MYKIE FISHER DURING A DIFFICULT SCENE.

FILM: THE MAGAZINE/NICE/MAY 2017

SOUL Film The Magazine were lucky enough to interview James King, the producer, director and Co-writer behind the stunning film – “Soul” which has been nominated for multiple awards at this year’s Nice International Filmmaker Festival.

FTM: Please can you tell us where the idea came from to make “Soul”? JK: The concept emerged from an incident that happened when Casey Fuller, the lead actor, writer, and one of the producers, was held at gunpoint while walking home through a questionable neighborhood in East Nashville. Casey wrote the original draft of the script and approached me about directing. We began production in December of 2011 and the day before commencement of principal photography, our first investor dropped out…so much for handshake deals. I ended up personally shoring up the funds and from that point forward, Casey and I were all in.

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Soul is a dark and brooding suspense drama; it’s not an easy film to watch, and it wasn’t an easy film to make. Soul is the culmination of years of work, a test of endurance and tenacity. Some days we shot without food and more days without sleep. I remember a single production day we shot for 42 hours straight. FTM: We know that filmmaking can be a really tough struggle; can you give us an idea of what you had to endure to get this film made? JK: The core unit of this crew - Casey Fuller, Joel Hartz, and myself - were on the project for the long haul, shooting weekends and nights over the course of a four year period. Joel Hartz, our acting producer, managed to stretch our budget beyond the imaginable; what would normally pay for one day of shooting became two or three. We galvanized into a team of relentless filmmakers that could function on no sleep, with little food, and little hope of finishing. When we couldn’t afford a sound mixer, and had to meet the approaching deadline of the festival Premiere, our producer Joel Hartz and I, set down, cracked open a book and figured out how to mix a film. In every step in the process when a new challenge arose we adjusted to meet that challenge. The story grew and morphed beyond the original tale of love lost - the majority of the original film never leaving Chase’s apartment - into a tell of a man haunted by grief and driven beyond the acceptable bounds of revenge. We have to thank the cast and crew, our set family, who came back week after week and year after year to make this project a reality. Drama

Run Time 112 Mins

FILM: THE MAGAZINE/NICE/MAY 2017

LITTLE SPARTA A Feature Documentary by Mansoor Alyabhouni Al Dhaheri

“Little Sparta” is a new long documentary that derives its name from a statement made by one of the high ranking generals of the international coalition who referred to the UAE as Little Sparta to symbolize the UAE’s armed forces in this (country with tiny area) as an active and impressive force in the military operations in the war against Daesh (ISIL). Sparta was a prominent city-state in ancient Greece and known for its fighting prowess became the dominant military power despite the limited number of its army who faced the Persians who had ambition of expanding into Europe, and defeated them in a way that revealed their valor, courage and exceptional training.

Based on this, the Emirati writer and director Mansour Al Yabhooni Al Dhaheri projects his vision through profound historical reading of the region, documenting its history with highly professional techniques, using state-of-the-art and modern cinematic production tools. Not to mention the documentary script as if you’re browsing through an interesting book. The book which consists of 9 chapters includes an introduction and title for each chapter and a conclusion including the objective and mission of this document. “Little Sparta” is a documentary epic film which is based on the idea that countries are not measured by their size or area, but rather by the strength of their peoples and their deep conviction that by persistence and diligence nations are built. To explain this idea, the film documents numerous facts that manifest itself in a highly professional and clearly written script that starts with the story of the creation of the universe, and man’s struggle for survival in a harsh environment where man was forced to invent tools to protect himself. And here lies the sin! The film’s 9 chapters moves through from one historical era to another through pictures and documents that represent the eternal conflict between the forces of good and evil. It starts with the story of Sparta and the victory of its small regiment over the Persian Empire thanks to their training and determination, and moves into the emergence of Islam and its inspiration of www.alkalemaproductions.com

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hundreds of thousands of people and its spread in the region and its surroundings. It is known that the forces of evil has been ambushing their neighbors and taking advantage to assault them in order to move back to the era of the Kingdom of Ormus. Once again these forces of evil are seeking to control their neighbors through playing on the contradictions and disputes of the empires of that era, but a new victory for the forces of good over evil thanks to the vigilance and coalition of the Arab neighboring countries who overcame that aggression. Moving again to our contemporary age with a brief snapshot of the UAE history and its development, the film highlights with sight and sound one of the most important factors of prosperity in the country as a result of the harmony and peaceful coexistence among members of the society, as well as the tolerance whose foundations were laid down by its rulers the sheiks and its citizens and residents who are provided with decent livelihoods. This scene was preceded by reference to the emergence of the radical and extremist groups in the world and the region who falsely claim to represent Islam. In the light of these two contradictory scenes, the film explains why the nickname “Little Sparta” was used by the international coalition leaders in the war against Daesh, as a symbol of the UAE armed forces soldiers and officers’ valor and the impact they created in this war despite the small size of the country. The film also narrates the history of UAE’s participation in peacekeeping operations, defence of world peace and security, and humanitarian relief operations, documented by events and photos and highlighting the pivotal role played by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces in supporting and sponsoring development and progress the UAE military establishment for over 30 years in all fields. Along the same line, and in a special chapter, the film documents the UAE participation in the Saudiled Operation Decisive Storm to support the legitimate authorities in Yemen, and the role of its wise leadership of His Majesty Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud. Feature Docu-Drama

Run Time 72 Mins

FILM: THE MAGAZINE/NICE/MAY 2017

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THE FISH IN THE WATER Written & Directed by Tulay Kocaturk Produced by Alper Yanar

“Is a person’s will and talent enough to overcome his fate?” The inspiring and breathtaking story of a young swimmer. The Story: Sefa has a natural talent for swimming. He has always wanted to go to university but cannot for financial reasons and is then given an opportunity. Coach Yavuz invites him to the swimming team. This unexpected offer has an impact on Sefa’s family. His father objects whilst his grandmother supports his hope of going to the university on a sports scholarship. So Sefa says goodbye to his village and his one and only love, Ayse and goes to live in Izmir. His new life in the big city is not easier than the one before. When he also hears the news of Ayse’s soon-to-be engagement, his world falls apart. He now needs to make a choice between accepting his fate and swimming upstream against his destiny. But there are more surprises ahead affecting his decision.

www.sudabalik.com

The Fish In The Water aka Suda Balik is a success story about a young man. It is the story of finding his life purpose through his inexperience and confusion. It is rather a neglected genre, the sports films, in Turkey. Nevertheless, we observe that young people are very much into sports, especially swimming because of the increasing number of swimming pools being built even in the cities without a way to the sea. We aim to encourage young people to be interested in swimming by telling a naive story of a village boy whose road to success is through making life choices just as it is in real life. In order to achieve what you want in life, it is not the physical or social obstacles one has to overcome but the mere self and way of thinking.

www.hylbz.com.tr

APE LASAGNA Lasaña de Mono Written & Directed By Federico Santos Produced By Daniel Jatib & Federico Santos

When everything is wrong, someone will always come along to make it worse. Synopsis: A veterinary student, Tito must share his apartment with a total stranger, as he tries to concentrate on his studies for his final thesis so that he may return to his hometown. However, distractions abound, including romance and superstitions relating to Friday, the 13th, all of which combine within the confines of his apartment. A comical diagnosis from a crystal ball results in the preparation of the magical Monkey Lasagna.

Drama

Run Time 134 Mins

Comedy

Run Time 92 Mins

Currently, he is directing and producing a TV show, Viejas Motos and is involved with developing the production company Puerta Amarilla Cine. His career as director, writer and producer has resulted in more than nine short films, two feature films and various TV productions.

About the director Federico Santos was born in Mendoza in 1979. When he was only eleven years old, he created his first short film along with his classmates, leading to his lifelong interest in films. He received a degree from Escuela Regional Cuyo de Cine y Video, and later added degrees in business and management. His first independent feature film, “La Playa”, was released in 2011 and screened at the Buenos Aires Rojo Sangre Festival. www.puertamarilla.com

info@puertamarilla.com

Spanish with English Subtitles

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Pelée A Screenplay by David Earle

Pelée – a non-fictional Historical/Epic Docudrama about the deadliest volcanic eruption of the 20th century (3rd deadliest eruption in recorded history…..Vesuvius/ Pompeii ranking 10th deadliest) where the greatest number of people died more quickly than in any other volcanic eruption ever known when it obliterated the once beautiful port city of Saint-Pierre - then regarded worldwide as the “Paris of the West Indies” – on the French Colonial Caribbean island of Martinique. When a story where fact truly is stranger than fiction comes along that has never before been told cinematically, that is so extraordinary, so unbelievable, so astonishing as to why 30,000 people refused to flee a city a mere 4 miles (7 kilometers) from the crater of the erupting volcano La Montagne Pelée, I realized early on in my three years of writing, research, pouring over hundreds of photos, reading through stacks of books, compiling piles of notes, and traveling to Martinique, that it was not necessary to take dramatic liberties by filling the story with a lot of irrelevant fiction. The events in my detailed true saga of those seven tumultuous days leading up to the eruption was filled with so much political hubris, scientific misjudgment, misguided religious faith, along with the hidden agenda of a deceiving press (that actually encouraged its readers to remain or seek refuge - despite apocalyptic warning signs - in the doomed city of Saint-Pierre for predominantly political reasons during a heated election season), all worked in conjunction with sealing the fate of the 30,000 people who perished that spring morning on May 8, 1902 - a date that Monseigneur Gabriel Parel, Vicar-General of Martinique is quoted as saying; “This date should be written in blood…”

butadream@cs.com

BOTTOM LEFT: DAVID EARLE WORKING ON PELÉE IN SCHŒLCHER, MARTINIQUE - MIDDLE: RUE VICTOR HUGO; SAINT-PIERRE; LA RUE MONT-AU-CIEL TOP: CLOCKWISE L TO R - PROFESSOR GASTON LANDES; PLACE BERTIN; RUE VICTOR HUGO; AMERICAN CONSUL, THOMAS PRENTISS; RUD VICTOR HUGO; PLACE BERTIN

A story of political hubris, misguided religious faith, scientific misjudgment, a deceiving press, trepidation and uncertainty, despite the apocalyptic warnings of impending doom.

TOP RIGHT: SAINT-PIERRE; RUE VICTOR HUGO; GOVERNOR LOUIS MOUTTET; RUE VICTOR HUGO; AUGUSTÉ CIPARIS - MIDDLE: MONT PELÉE IN ERUPTION; MONT PELÉE WITH DAVID EARLE IN FOREGROUND - LEFT MIDDLE: SAINT PIERRE THEATRE; BEFORE; AFTER; TODAY WITH DAVID EARLE - BOTTOM LEFT: RUINS OF SAINT-PIERRE; RUINS OF LA RUE DU FIGUIER; PRISON CELL OF AUGUSTÉ CIPARIS; RUINS OF THE THEATRE; MONT PELÉE; STATUE AT L’ÉGLISE DU FORT.

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With writing Pelée I painstakingly went to great extent in my research to separate fact from myth; assure that all the events and every scene are as they happened in correct chronological order; to do right to the memory of the 30,000 souls who perished on that fateful morning 115 years ago; and to never allow spectacle to overshadow its human drama. All telegrams, letters, proclamations, and newspaper articles within the script are written as they appear on record. Throughout the final seven days of Saint-Pierre, Mont Pelée produced many varying stages of eruption - often times hourly or minute-by-minute. Where eyewitnesses documented these stages of pyrotechnic phenomenon associated with the eruption, it has been noted in the script. The order by which ships and people were struck by the powerful nuée ardent (pyroclastic surge) is written accordingly to where the ships were anchored in the harbor and the exact locations of the people in the city at the time of the eruption. All fatality descriptions following the eruption are depicted as they were described in numerous corresponding factual records. And in nearly every scene there is at least one person who survived to live another day beyond May 8, 1902 to recount the scenes represented in this screenplay.

All of the characters in Pelée are nonfictional. They are people who really did live... EXCEPT for the families Duval and Chopra (my only exception in my pursuit of maintaining no fictionalization). In my unyielding effort to do honor to ALL those who died that morning, I wrote one scene with a fictional East Indian family because by the turn of the century more than 75,000 indentured Indian laborers had traveled from the subcontinent to Martinique making it their new home, thus filling the void for cheap labor that was being created on the plantations when, after slavery was abolished, more and more black laborers were leaving the fields in great numbers to pursue their own businesses. “Habitation” owners turned to India. By 1902 four separate racial groups - Blacks, Whites, Mulattoes and Indians - shared the island, each with their own needs and ambitions. In SaintPierre alone nearly a thousand Indians, the largest Indian community on Martinique, died in the eruption. The Duval family I wrote as a composite of the average black working class that accounted for the majority of lives lost in the eruption. I wrote every scene with the Duval family based on factual documented happenings and conversations made among these people that I drew from the many historical letters, journals and diaries of these forgotten souls. Because Saint-Pierre was a major thriving international port, on any given day there would be a great number of ships in her roadstead flying the flags of many nations. And so it is that the individuals that are portrayed in this script as playing a role during those seven days leading up to May 8, 1902 involve a truly international cast; Americans, Canadians, British, Italians, Indians, Spanish, and, of course, the greatest majority being French. Epic Docu-Drama

Sceenplay

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L’autre THE OTHER A Documentary Music Video by Joe Hoster

Swiss-Lebanese filmmaker Joe Hoster presents his latest creation: The Other, a documentary movie shot camera in hand, out of the sheer and powerful necessity to report and investigate the everyday lives of refugee children populating the streets of Beirut.

How it all began Joe Hoster was in Beirut for a holiday when the “other” struck him: the Lebanese population is made up of a quarter by refugees — one million people, living in camps or in the streets. A lot of these people are kids. Wanting to know more about them, Joe met with Soha Ghandour, a childhood friend, who took on the role of coordinator and interpreter for the project. Camera in hand, they explored the streets and approached the kids, quickly realizing a stunning fact: most of these children are illiterate, and have no access to education. Raised in Lebanon, the inequality of chances given the refugee children of building a better future for themselves struck Joe — and the movie project was launched. The title of the movie came quite naturally to him, after communicating more deeply with these people and at some point, randomly stumbling upon a restaurant sign that read “L’autre”, “The Other”.

http://joehoster.com/uncategorized/theother-story-n-4/

What’s next Joe came back to Switzerland and put together a crew to finalize the movie: the montage was done by José Manuel Garcia (Cuba) and Edouard Lichtenauer (France), with Manon Richard (Switzerland) as external consultant. Joe also got in touch with the NGO Connect Children Now/ Defence Children International and met with their representatives back in Beirut. He quickly resolved that 100% of the profits of the song/movie would be donated to them, in order to help several of their programmes—most notably the ones providing schooling to more than 200’000 Syrian refugee children in Lebanon who have no access to education.

Documentary

Run Time 7 Mins

FILM: THE MAGAZINE/NICE/MAY 2017

HOME AWAY Home Away – a feature motion picture that has been nominated for multiple awards at the Nice International Filmmaker Festival – and here we profile the man behind this stunning film: Oliver Yan.

Oliver Yan was born and raised in Shanghai. He graduated from university in 2002 where he studied physics and he made his first short film “R” that had no dialogue in 2008, screening at the Cannes Film Festival short film corner and then won Best Foreign Short Film in the Washougal international Film Festival in the same year. In 2011, He wrote, directed, shot, edited and produced his first experimental feature “Flipping” which then won the Best Foreign Feature and Best Screenplay (nominated) at the 2012 Madrid International Film Festival. Oliver’s third short film The Help which he wrote, directed and produced won the Award for Best Director in World Film Awards and Best Screenplay in Los Angeles New Wave International Film Festival and also received other nominations including Best Foreign Short Film, Best Director, Best

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Screenplay, Best Supporting Actress at several international film festivals including the European Independent Film Festival, World Art Film Festival 2014. His new feature movie HOME AWAY has won Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, Best Cinematographer, Best Lead Actor, Best Editor at the NYC Indie Film Awards 2017. It was also nominated as Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematographer, Best Lead Actor, Best Lead Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress at the 2017 New York City International Film Festival. Director Statement “As a filmmaker, I believe that film is about stories and is an instrument for story-telling and raising questions by means of which more people may start to think about what human value means, especially in the background of today’s Chinese society. We need to assume responsibility for everything, draw inspiration from everything that happens around us and learn about and recognize our problems. Aside from being an instrument, film art is, more importantly, a medium for awakening the mind”.

FATHER

An 029 Film Production

Drama

Run Time 100 Mins

A film by Lella Satie

Lella Satie, the Director and writer behind this incredible short film explains how she cast the part of Noah and her thoughts on the finished movie. FTM: How did you come across the young actor Nathan Bellinger for your film “Father”? LS: His agent only sent him and all of the other boys that auditioned; some of them had some kind of acting experience or training and some of them were good but, I was looking for someone who is more authentic and natural. And with the boys that had training you could see that they were trying hard and that they were doing what they thought you wanted for the part but with Nathan he didn’t have any acting experience, he just came in with his raw energy and I just knew that he was the right actor for my film. FTM: Because he didn’t have any experience does that mean that he was much more natural in front of the camera? LS: Yeah I would say that but, he also had some kind of performing experience, he was a model so he had been in front of a camera so he liked to perform and that was important. www.ShortFilmFather.com

FTM: Is the film that you put on screen the film that you wanted at the beginning? LS: That’s a great question! It’s very close to the vision that I had in my mind and some things when I saw them on screen they turned out to be beautiful and my cinematographer (Stephen Whithead), he was brilliant in how he managed to take all of this visuals and then create the film that we have. So it was definitely a creative vision and it’s not completely the same as the one I originally

planned – for instance one scene was completely cut out – but it actually shaped itself throughout the process from the script to the very last colour correction! FTM: So if a perfect film is 100% what is “Father”? LS: (laughs) you know what I think this is a 100% film! Because if I had carried on editing it would not be complete, it would not be a 100% but I have finished because I stopped and I said this is the film that we’ve got! Drama

Run Time 9 Mins

W e d n e s d ay M ay 1 7 t h Room 3 16:25pm

Directed by Anthony Short

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MALIBU LIVING Director: Daniel Yonathon Writer: Kalyn Renee Harper

Malibu Living was my first “real” film outside of film school and it was a story that hit extremely close to home. The first day of shooting was excruciating. I had pulled an all-nighter to help emotionally prepare me for the shoot. I threw myself into the bowels of hell for 15 hours. I cried my eyes out for my scenes, over and over and one of the takes was actually 20 minutes long. After a few hours I could not emotionally get myself to cry from my imagination and actually started to kick walls to physically hurt myself to get to the necessary emotion for the scene, which proved my dedication to the authenticity of the project and left with me some gnarly bruises. At one point, I became so lost in my character; that I had to flee the set to calm down. However painful this shoot may have been for me, I’m so proud of the finished project; which is forever captured for the world to appreciate.

My hope is that this short film changes lives even if one person can relate to it and can get help for substance abuse issues they may have. One of my girlfriends from Texas was struggling with cocaine addiction. I started calling her daily just to talk and eventually met up with her, showed her my film and the next day she agreed to fly with me to California and check herself into rehab. She has 18 months sober.

The impact that Marissa has had on my life and my sobriety is so significant that it propelled me to graduate from college, get a job, and try to make something of myself. On the other hand, the trauma of losing her also lead me back into addiction and I almost died. I’m proud to say that today I am sober and thriving. I fell down, I picked myself up, and I started over. That’s all that really matters in my personal life as well as the message in this film: Is that if I can be an example of getting sober than I can be an example of starting over. Anyone can.

The owner of my old sober living offered to buy the rights to the film to show clients in treatment as well as an owner of another sober living in Cleveland who also proposed to buy it. I was very honored by both offers, but I passed because it’s my baby and I’m not done submitting it to festivals to reach more people. Its been two years since the film was made and it has screened at over 8 festivals in the states and out of the country, earned 7 awards, and is still being accepted into festivals.

Drama

Run Time 12 mins

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SUNDAY

11:20 Hope “Hope” tells the Story of a little boy, who is condemned to spend the time he has left in a prisoners’ camp. The memories of his mother are the only thing keeping him alive. 6 minutes

SCREEN 1 10:00 Slipaway Neglected by her family, Fall, an eclectic elder with good intentions but extreme measures, finds little companionship in our hyper-busy world. 89 minutes

11:30 Bright Light A man sits in his car in front of his ex’s house. While time is passing by he smokes one cigarette after another and closely watches her apartment. He gets haunted by a dreamlike world in which people seem to come and go. 7 minutes

11:35 Permanent Finding out how to survive in the underworld, eight lives will be forever changed as a disgraced undercover officer Derrick Forrest struggles through the mob underworld as well as his past demons in order to create a livable future.

11:40 My Brother Two brothers, Umberto and Stefano, have just moved into a new apartment, where they share the bedroom. Since their mother is away, Stefano is forced to look after his younger brother, who is craving for affection and contact. 12 minutes

14TH may

100 minutes

13:20 Into the Unknown A cinematic documentary about people between worlds. Is it not a hopeful sign refugees are warmly welcomed in Germany? Will the beautiful vision of a global village become true, with people peacefully living together regardless of nationality, class or religion - at least for the time being? With rapid changes currently taking place, nobody really knows where this journey will take us all. 96 minutes 15:00 Epigenetics «Epigenetics» is an educational science documentary, especially addressed to young people. This is the first Italian documentary about a growing sector of the scientific. 25 minutes

15:30 Alcoholist An alcoholic spends all his time spying on his neighbor, waiting for the right moment to kill him. 105 minutes 17:20

That Way Madness Lies.... 101 minutes

SCREEN 2 10:00 Laura This movie tells the story of a woman who has been in two romantic relationships with two men in different times , but a same place (seaside) . First , Laura is in love with a man named Amir then after his death , she starts a new love relationship with Babak. 39 minutes 10:40 Condolences A short dramatic film focusing on two sisters sharing their grief after the death of their mother.This tragedy brings them closer together they start to believe wounds can heal. 13 minutes

10:55 Happy Melancholy Two unconventional strangers meet in a janitor’s closet and together take a vacation from reality into a dreamscape of color. 15 minutes 11:10 Water is Life An animated film that talks about the issue of the Standing Rock Sioux Nation and their struggle to survive as they try to protect the water source into their small nation. Narrated by The Standing Rock Chairman. 5 minutes

11:55 Ernestina The short film “Ernestina” materializes the merge of two independent related projects: the composition work of artistic experimentation group “Hebras Danza” and the 2nd edition of Argentinean specialized magazine “Danzar Mundos. 8 minutes 12:10 8 minutes

12:20 Juliette

16 minutes

12:40 Vaishnavi The story revolves around the lead protagonist Vaishnavi who is divulged into a world where caste and societal superiority is everything to her father. At a very young age, she takes a liking towards helping people in need and also helping out old people which builds a sense of responsibility in her character. 116 minutes 14:30 Enemy of Islam?

72 minutes

15:45 The 2 of Us, Tomorrow High school is almost over. Three boys film unique moments of their lives, which are at a turning point. The three boys must think about their future, and to call into question anything they have. 59 minutes 16:50 Emma

72 minutes

18:15 After the Outbreak After a toxic spill creates an infectious outbreak, causing people to be filled with rage and turning to cannibalism, four survivors converge upon a house nestled deep in the woods. Together, they must try to survive the madness happening outside, the uncertainty and each other. 76 minutes 19:35 Out Of SighT Out of Sight takes a close look at how our society treats adolescents suffering from mental illness. It addresses the idea that such issues are best kept out of sight. 68 minutes

SCREEN 3 10:00 Tevanik The first part is about little Aram’s harmonious family who tragically gets separated in just one day. Aram’s entire childhood ends. The second part of the film centers on Astghik. Peace turns to war and she loses her friendship, her love, and her idol. Finally, the third part of the film tells a story of 14-year old, Tevanik. 81 minutes

11:25 6 and 1 (In The Mind) Lora, Galya, Iva, Misho Render, Rado Extreme and Kamen are coworkers and good friends. They are inseparable even at the weekends. Their love for adventures takes them every weekend to new places where they look for proximity to nature and, above all, extreme experiences. Although not of a single mind about this, they still go along with the group when it comes to extreme adventures. 91 minutes

13:00 People of Love and Rage Opened in the early 1980s in the southern suburbs of Rome, “Corviale” is the largest residential building in Europe, hosting some 1,200 apartments and more than 8,000 people within a total length of one kilometer. Corviale is a public housing project inspired by Le Corbusier and the principles of the renaissance “Ideal City”, yet it failed “even before opening” and has always been plagued by intense criminality and lack of social vision. 85 minutes 14:30 Till Death An ex-wife takes her wedding vows to the extreme and plots an extravagant revenge against her philandering ex-husband by making him relive his honeymoon road trip one painful mile at a time. 111 minutes 16:15 City of Joy This ultimately uplifting film centers around Jane, a student in the first class at a center where women who have suffered unimaginable abuse come together to create a revolutionary community of leaders. 74 minutes 17:35 The Castle Based on Franz Kafka’s The Castle.

90 minutes

19:05 Home Away

100 minutes

20:50 Gidi Blues - A Lagos love story Akin is an indulged playboy from an affluent family who accidentally meets an interesting beauty in an unpredictable place. 100 minutes

MONDAY 15TH MAY SCREEN 1 10:00 Citizen Francisco has been summoned to appear before a Ministry. He doesn’t know why, we don’t either. A strange process begins, he doesn’t want to take part on it, but he will have to “fulfill his duty”. 22 minutes 10:25 Crime Confidential Detective Vincent goes a secret mission to discover a mole. Officer Alvin express their deepest condolences for the loss of Vincent’s loyal companion on the field by the hands of the traitor. 20 minutes 10:50 The Inquiry Detective Roberts has worked the murder division for more than two decades and he has seen it all, or so he thought! When Becky hall washes up dead along the river Thames bank, what appears to be a clear prima facie murder case, takes a sinister and darker turn, as motives are questioned and a grieving boyfriend is confronted with the reality that led to her death. 22 minutes

11:15 La Belle Folie A comedy about a desperate actress who attempts to make a black-andwhite french language film, in order to convince her agent that she’s good enough at french to be put up for a foreign language audition. She ropes in her best friend, her dad, and her dad’s friend Mr Harris. It doesn’t go well. 14 minutes 11:35 Mihman (The Sojourner) In this film there is a girl who makes just one puzzle all along her life. She sees the whole picture when the puzzle is finished at the same time close to death. 18 minutes 11:55 ? Allie chases through a dreamlike corridor. She opens door after door into different parts of her life and other worlds, but somehow always finds herself back in the corridor. Realism is mixed with surrealism, dream with reality, live-action with animation. 10 minutes 12:10 Body Experiments A symbiosis of form, color and the flow of movement. 2 minutes 12:15 The Victim Under the shadow of the modern life in big cities, there are thousands of victims hidden from people’s eyes. There women who live and die with no identity and without having legal rights. This time, a prostitute struggling with darkness in last minutes of her life. 8 minutes 12:25 Kawaakari Confronted with the concept of humility @ 1AM // Shot on 16mm film using a Bolex. 3 minutes 12:30 Dog Park It’s hard to find love in 2016. If you don’t fare well with online dating, you’re limited to looking for love on a hike, at a yoga class, in the aisles of Whole Foods, or, as Jake and Amelia come to discover, at the local dog park. Canines, singles, and potential love collide in this romantic comedy. 7 minutes 12:40 The Story of 90 Coins How much is a promise worth these days? An aspiring fashion designer finds out when she has to choose between fulfilling her promise and realising her dream. 9 minutes 12:50 Soul Chase, an artist, lives in the inner city with his girlfriend Alexis. One horrific night he returns home to find she has been murdered. His grief spirals into insanity as he is led on a path to revenge. 112 minutes 14:35 Charlatan Magnifique Charlatan Magnifique is funny mix of great music, spontaneous and comic situations, and also comments of Magnifico and main characters in his life and career. It is a portrait of Slovenian musician with Serbian roots and worldwide fame. But most of all a portrait od a unique person. 87 minutes

16:10 The Hall of Giants Named after the dramatic view corridor under the Aurora Bridge in Seattle, The Hall of Giants is a documentary about the creation and endurance of The Fremont Troll –a sculpture which sits under the bridge’s north end and ranks second only to the Space Needle as a beloved city icon. 62 minutes

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17:15

HOMØE - Looking For Shelter

20:00

NETWORKING

57 minutes

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SCREEN 2

10:00

Mad_Genius

101 minutes

11:45 The Great Unwashed A hapless 20-something is forced to flee the city and hide out with a tribe of hippies after witnessing a brutal murder by a gang of criminal hairdressers. 82 minutes 13:15

Beijing New York

100 minutes

15:00 Life of Significant Soil A struggling young Brooklyn couple is forced to repeat the last day of their relationship over and over again. 73 minutes

16:15 I’ll Be Home This is a documentary about separated family members who were forced apart by Korean division of the country 70 years ago. 69 minutes 17:30 Plant Codes, Unleashing Nature’s... In Gary Null’s newest film, Plant Codes, Unleashing Nature’s Healing Powers, some of the America’s leading doctors and their patients speak out about how a Plant Based Diet can prevent, treat, arrest and cure disease, including type 2 diabetes, obesity, hyper tension, heart disease and many other of the leading causes of death and disability. 90 minutes 19:05

Gray Zone

20:00

NETWORKING

40 minutes

SCREEN 3 10:00 Top Knot Detective Delve into the behind the scenes story of the greatest 90’s Japanese samurai drama that you’ve never heard of. 88 minutes

11:35

Birds

13 minutes

11:55 Redemption A young woman leaves a small town inland to the capital of her state. She says she is looking for a job as a singer, but events show that not everything is what it seems to be! 15 minutes 12:15 The Other A serious and snobbish woman, Evanthia, lives alone in an apartment in central Athens and has no contacts with anyone. However, a cold winter afternoon, she will have an unexpected meeting. 7 minutes 12:25 Rock Haven

16 minutes

12:45 Random Karma Random Karma is a cleverly original ensemble film about an Iraqi war veteran with P.T.S.D. and his energetic, naïve, and yet entertaining, martial arts students who get mixed up with witty mobsters and dirty cops. 105 minutes 14:35 inbaifu

60 minutes

15:40 Zarathustra Still Speaks

57 minutes

16:45 A Farewell to All That

19 minutes

17:10 XING It’s early ‘90’s New York. Melissa comes from a violent home; her fix for it is to get away. Hopping a train to the big city, she seeks refuge with her friends and embraces the drugs, dancing, techno music, and faux family of the underground club life. 11 minutes

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17:25 A Girl Goes For Dinner A young woman travels to the home of an older man for her evening meal. As the two sit down to eat, conversation flows and the darker motives behind this unusual meeting 16 minutes begin to reveal themselves.

10:50 The Vanity When an artist receives an antique vanity from her husband, she becomes obsessed with her appearance and possessed by the former owner.

18:00 Nights of Contrition Overcome with guilt after his fiancee dies in a car crash, Owen awakes to find himself trapped and chained shut in a tiny apartment. Owen’s about to pay the debt of his sins--he just can’t figure out who’s come to collect. 17 minutes

11:05 The Healing of Heather Garden “Prepare to get worse,” Heather a once vibrant young woman is told. Soon confined to a wheelchair, Medical experts added, Your illness is incurable”. Despite a diagnosis of Progressive MS, she refuses the prognosis and sets out on a journey of hope and healing. 29 minutes

18:20 The Hallway Damir (Miljevic) a grocery store clerk and photographer lives his life carefully secluded. He observes life from a distance, and lives his own life vicariously through the lives of others. He will often listen in on Mrs. Jackson, the widow in apartment 910, who listens only to one record by Debussy, but only to drown out the noise of her gentle sobbing. Mr. Khalif, a 50 something year old man in 914 is visited by a twenty year old girl every so often when his wife is out of town. 14 minutes 18:40 For Electra’s Love One word frees us off all the burden and pain of life. That word is...’ This is the question which passionate Electra has to answer. An ambitious and charming actress, named after the mythical heroine of the Sophoclean tragedy, has the unique chance to play the challenging role of her namesake. 15 minutes 19:00 Sirat A father who lost his everything at war dreaming of crossing the border with his son and a piece of peaceful land. But the cold breath of war will never stop haunting those who witnessed it. To pass “Sirat” you need to die first. Sirat is believed to be the bridge one must pass on judgement day in order to enter through the gates of heaven. 17 minutes 19:20 Missy After a full life, an old man struggles to accept change and his own death. 7 minutes 19:30 For My Eyes A suspicious man is detained in a police office. In his eyes a story, reminding the melancholy of youth, a girl with blue eyes, and a well kelp secret. 5 minutes 19:40 Half of a Whole A girl on the cusp of adulthood discovers herself through an encounter with her best friend. 3 minutes 20:00 NETWORKING

TUESDAY 16TH MAY SCREEN 1 10:00 Don’t Sell My Guitars A beloved country musician whispers a final request to his wife. 20 minutes 10:25 Orange Gizem is a desperate married woman who tries to hold the life because she cannot have a baby. Therefore, her husband Muammer becomes estranged to her day by day. One day, Gizem’s girlfriend who sings at the pubs, asks her to take a stage for one night in her place. Gizem reluctantly does accept her request however, Gizem’s life gradually ruins and turns upside down after having made this decision. 22 minutes

13 minutes

11:40 The Light Thief When the essence of Love is snatched from someone and locked away in a vessel with no name, what happens to those persons and how do they change? 19 minutes 12:05 Little India Big Business The average wedding in North America costs $30,000 but if you’re Indian, in Canada, that cost is $100,000. Little India Big Business explores the growth of big, fat Indian weddings in Canada over the last decade. 45 minutes 12:55 The Pillars of Heaven A young and disillusioned British diplomat abandons his diplomatic career, spends his own money, and risks his very life on a journey of faith and war in Ukraine. 180 minutes 16:00

The Last Gospel of the Pagan Babies 95 minutes

17:40 Decanted Look inside one of the most intimate winegrowing regions in the world, Napa Valley, as we follow the journey of new beginnings and mastering a craft. 82 minutes 19:15 Mayur MAYUR, which means “peacock” in Sanskrit, is a 4K (4096 x 2160) resolution abstract, visual music animation inspired by Asian cosmologies, symbols and music. 8 minutes

19:30 It Was Dali It Was Dali tells the story of a bright woman dominated by her husband, a successful software entrepreneur in the Bay Area. 8 minutes 19:45 Sweet Victory A young boy named Cedric attempts to grab a cupcake but is beaten by the much taller and faster adults. However, he soon discovers there is still one cupcake left and tries to take it while assisted by his wild imagination. The boring and gloomy party shifts into a fun and monster-filled jungle through the boy’s eyes. 6 minutes 19:50 Game’s Over A teacher is teaching geography in a primary class. When the class gets over & teacher leaves, one of the kids comes towards the globe to play with it & so comes another one who places his hand on the globe expressing his possession on it too, & upon seeing this the whole class divides into two half’s & a virtual war breaks out. 6 minutes 20:00 Power to Change - The Energy Rebllion This is a film about a great vision – and the people turning it into reality: the rebels of our day. The future of world energy lies in decentralised, clean supplies stemming 100% from renewable sources. 95 minutes

SCREEN 2 10:00 The Watchtower A story of love and survival in New York City’s notorious Hell’s Kitchen as declining West side Irish and Italian gangs compete for their bloody share of the action. 56 minutes 11:00 Joker The movie based on the stories of Anton Chekhov. A young man wins her love, gains favour with her parents, but cannot find the courage to overcome the barrier of his own prejudices and thus falls into the clutches of a wicked blackmailer. 63 minutes

12:05 The Semiotones In the film ‘The Semiotones’ we tell the story of the University of Toronto 50s Rock&Roll Band founded by professor Marcel Danesi in 2007. 32 minutes

12:40 Inherit The Stars A retired Russian-Japanese soldier Eiji Onodera was going to his hometown in Japan. But on his way, he was caught and given a new mission by his ex-colleague Captain Vadim Dadikov. 134 minutes

15:00 Red Butterfly Dream Samantha and Ajith lives in a flat close to Colombo. Ajith is a contract killer with connections to the underworld. His uncle is a preacher at a shrine of gods. Samantha and Uncle hold an ancient script who said that a treasure can be attained by sacrificing a virgin with four birthmarks lined in her neck. 86 minutes

16:30 Elijah’s Ashes Lawrence Shaw is a run of the mill guy who just can’t get accepted for being who he is. He’s not straight enough for his job where he sells testosterone fueled ad campaigns to beer companies and he’s not stereotypically gay enough for his boyfriend. 87 minutes 18:00 Guffpunch The movie follows a group of young comedians in Florida, who perform comedy for little to no pay, with the hopes of one day making it a career. 88 minutes

19:30 A Guidebook to Killing Your Ex A lonely man with an intention of documenting every important detail is planning to kill his ex-girlfriend within 72 hours only to realize things are not as easy as he previously imagined. 71 minutes 20:45 Road to the Sky

93 minutes

SCREEN 3 10:00 I Go Back Home - Jimmy Scott I Go Back Home – Jimmy Scott tells the story of jazz legend Jimmy Scott and disillusioned producer and composer Ralf Kemper who took on the journey to produce an album with the almostforgotten icon. 97 minutes 11:40 Jasmine A year after his wife’s murder, oncesuccessful Hong Kong businessman Leonard To is still reeling from the tragedy. Having lost his job, friends and all sense of order in his life, Leonard becomes obsessed with a mysterious stranger he sees at his wife’s grave, believing him to be responsible for her death. 80 minutes

FILM: THE MAGAZINE/NICE/MAY 2017

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WEDNESDAY

16:50 That’s Opportunity Knocking Two wanna-be thugs attempt to rob an apartment; everything goes awry when the owners show up early for a little late-night sex. A game of cat and mouse ensues. 22 minutes

13:20 The Agreement This multilayer film story regarding the relationship between the Serbs and Albanians, inspired by true events and refracted through the tragic fate of the two heroes and their families, and which, in transferred way, speaks about the attitude towards Kosovo, its history, the present and the future of these two nations.

SCREEN 1

17:15 No Freedom To love Its a LGBT short film in English based on the the recent 377 ACT That was reinstated in India about gay relationship in the month of Jan 2014,this act was decriminalized in 2009 but reinstated again and portrays the impact on the gay community. How a gay person ditch his partner under the pressure of the Indian society and their beliefs. 26 minutes

80 minutes

14:40

BREAK

15:25 “Hitching a Ride on Entropy” There was something bigger than just us going on. It was as if the whole Universe was on our side. Only later we realized it was because of ENTROPY we took over the biggest art festival in the western hemisphere. We had created an entropic movement. 75 minutes 16:45 Soap Opera “Things randomly happen, like a pile of cigarette butts in an ashtray”, his friend Selmo, the only rhino in the circus, once said. At first, Elephant who, like a poor unwelcome animal, didn’t have a proper name, only Elephant, didn’t understand what he meant. Then, when one morning several months later he understood: every position is filled and emptied without any order, haphazardly. 27 minutes 17:15 Dissonant Roberto Ronan is a musician and piano teacher who lives alone and, one day, he receives the news that his father is sick. In a rush, he returns to his home town and meets his father, Claudio, and his brother in the hospital. Spending some time in the house where he grew up, the conflict that Roberto has with his younger brother, Henrique, grows at the same time as revelations about his family history are revealed. 20 minutes 17:40 Four Day Weekend A middle-aged couple, married for twenty-three years, takes a four-day break from each other and the aftermath leaves their relationship shaken and tested but not broken. 20 minutes 18:05 A Place Beyond Now off school for summer, Nicholas has found himself wandering aimlessly, writing poetry to pass the time. Walking on his usual path, he notices strangers beyond the trees and follows them. It is here he finds out just where they were going. 17 minutes 18:25 Wrong Direction Wrong Direction is a story about a young house owner, Abhimanyu Sharma, and a house worker, Dinesh, working under his master for a long time. 24 minutes 18:55 Suicide In a desperate attempt to reject reality, a narcissistic suicide planning hobbyist pressures her concerned best friend to help commit a grand suicide. 28 minutes 19:30 Amnesia The theme of the film is about the human traumas. There are some people who are supposed to forget somebody special for their own traumatic reasons. 13 minutes 19:45

Bad Frank

105 minutes

17TH MAY

10:00 Burqarnaque PARIS 2015: Paul loves Shéhérazade, his wife. He converted to Islam for her and is now called Ali. One day, back from the mosque, he meets Samira, his wife’s friend, who wears a burqa. Intrigued by this mysterious woman, Ali is infatuated with Samira. Far from being jealous, Shéhérazade suggests Ali to ask her to be his second wife. She offers to spend time with her in order to prepare her. 16 minutes 10:20 Belicus From orbital countries, peoples live together in a happy universe, and in a wonderful world. They are different individuals with very specific incantations. Civilizations that try to live with a single currency: “If it goes on like this, it won’t stop.” 7 minutes 10:35 I’m Your Smile Tame the absence takes time but a gesture takes you back to life. 3 minutes

10:45 Vacation Jean lives with his wife and two children in a small building in a working class neighborhood. Like every summer, his neighbors are leaving on vacation. From his balcony, Jean watches them load their cars. One day, Jean gets a run down tent and decides to repair it. 20 minutes 11:10 Two Dollars After a week of leave, Sylvie is back at the Quebec company where she has been an exemplary employee for more than 15 years. She is then requested to attend a bizarre meeting. 10 minutes

11:25 The Last Zombie In a world devastated by a zombie plague, a reality show based on zombie killing and survival in a hostile world has found a huge success... We follow the last candidates still alive on the hunt for the last zombie! 23 minutes

12:00 Juliette

16 minutes

12:20 Zerno What to do if you are already almost 30 and you’ve never met a perfect companion in real life! Her despair and insatiable desire led her to the pharmacy, and a silent pharmacist sold her illegally a seed. She planted the seed in the barrel and began to wait. 23 minutes 12:45 The Idiots

107 minutes

14:40 The Sun Behind You An elite team of Scout Rangers track down lawless Islamist elements in the Southern tip of the Philippines. In the middle of this conflict, two Muslim brothers are caught up in their own Holy Wars. A young Muslim scholar, Omar, has followed his brother Jamiluddin’s footsteps into radical Islam. Unbeknownst to him, Jamiluddin has turned Government informant. 90 minutes

16:15 Trailhead After crossing paths with two mysterious hikers in the Mojave Desert highlands, a young American couple must confront the vast expanse that separates them or face direct consequences. 30 minutes

17:45 Milkshake After their parents died, an adopted teenage boy struggles to live with his adoptive little sister against harsh reality. 30 minutes 18:20 Last Day on Earth A man who was buried in a gold mine ninety years ago comes back home to spend his last day on Earth. He struggles to accomplish his final mission that stops a Professor who tries to prove Higgs boson particle (God’s particle) and eventually he reveals the mystery stone. 17 minutes

20:00

PROFESSIONNAL PANEL

SCREEN 2 10:00 The Elements The documentary film called The Elements reveals the nature of three extreme sports – alpine mountaineering, scuba diving, and BASE jumping, which are associated with the symbolism of the respective characteristic elements - Earth, Water, Air. 87 minutes 11:30 We Are The Nation Billian is the good guy in the Mathare slums in Kenya. But even the good guy can become corrupt, if the pressure is hard enough. 52 minutes 12:25 To Live, To Sail This documentary movie about Mediterranean is narrated through life stories of three characters. 40 minutes

13:10

November 10th (Battle of Surabaya) 110 minutes

15:00 35 Years to the Moon A story about a father’s journey into grief and joy as he remembers the life and passing of his son. 7 minutes 15:10 In the Clouds In this documentary movie I show one flight by the airplane. Images of views from the airplane between clouds are unique. 12 minutes 15:25

Hyménée

23 minutes

15:50

20 Years

90 minutes

17:25

Beast or Raven

12 minutes

17:40 WHO? Who is Doreen? She goes on a wild spree on the streets of the “Big Apple.” She will make you laugh. She will touch you but will you ever know who Doreen really is? 10 minutes

17:55 Odeon - The meaningless search of meaning A director tries to change his own movie in the most noir/pulp way possible, in order to change his own destiny. Violence, murder, cool songs from the 80’s will lead him into the abyss of failure. 11 minutes 18:10 Healing Magdalene A Documentary film intended to stimulate an awareness of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), a practice which predominately takes place against women throughout Eastern, Central and Western Africa. 95 minutes

20:00

PROFESSIONNAL PANEL

SCREEN 3 10:00 What Waits in the Red Corinne and Ryan are homeless and desperate. Driven by frustration and a sense of entitlement, they start down a dangerous, criminal path. 83 minutes

11:25 Heritage - Step to the Future The film features the life of two stars of Russian ballet after leaving the stage. 44 minutes

WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO CHANGE THE SCREENING TIME AND DATE OF ANY FILM IN THE FESTIVAL COMPETITION WITHOUT ANY PRIOR NOTIFICATION.

12:05 Little Sparta A documentary that explores the constant struggle between forces of good and evil all the way from the origin of the human species till the present day. 72 minutes

12:15 The son An eleven-year-old gypsy boy lives together with his parents in an old trailer in the Bulgarian hinterlands. The father encourages and teaches the son everything a man should be able to do to keep the family alive. And then comes the fateful day when his father doesn’t return and the son became the head of the family. 29 minutes 12:50

Walk With Me: The Trials of Damon J. Keith 103 minutes

14:40 Dolls of Darkness / The Art of Michel Nedjar Dolls of Darkness explores the mysteries and profundities of dolls, puppets and marionettes in the context of the grotesque rag dolls of contemporary French artist Michel Nedjar. 63 minutes 15:45 Gun GUN means shooting what we don’t want to be. Our character is at war with a part of himself which he dislikes. He can’t even recognize his own image in the mirror. He makes a choice and loads his weapon. 5 minutes 15:55 The Bridge Pono, a tenacious seven-year old boy lives with his family deep in the rainforest of Hawaii’s Manoa Valley. Pono’s father provides critical ancestral knowledge through cultural transmission to his youngest descendant. After tragedy strikes the family, Pono’s mother blames her youngest son and repeatedly pushes him away. 20 minutes 16:25 The Man Who Loves To Hurt Himself A look at the man’s 25+ year career as an extreme performer and his reflection of his life. A documentary about the musician, not the music itself: not a typical “music” documentary but rather a “musician” documentary. 93 minutes 18:05 Mia Mia is the story of Alain, a private detective who after a forced absence of 10 years from his hometown, returns to Winnipeg on a case to find a missing young girl. 91 minutes

WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO CHANGE THE SCREENING TIME AND DATE OF ANY FILM IN THE FESTIVAL COMPETITION WITHOUT ANY PRIOR NOTIFICATION.

FILM: THE MAGAZINE/NICE/MAY 2017

19:40 A Movie Set A reporter with great ambitions is constantly assigned to cover small local stories that are nothing more than silly events disguised as news for ratings sake. His professional goal to cover big news like wars gets further away from him when his producer assigns him to report on a student feature film that cast a faded movie star from the eighties trying a comeback. 13 minutes

20:00

PROFESSIONNAL PANEL

THURSDAY 18TH MAY SCREEN 1 10:40 Spoken Word

27 minutes

11:10 Memories of a Lake

15 minutes

11:30 Pilgrimage

15 minutes

11:50 Son

15 minutes

12:10 Cacophony

2 minutes

12:15 Nil: No Blood for Coffee A man is pulled out of his daily routine and thrown into a war for java juice. 3 minutes

12:20 Palpitations of Dust Three friends’ lives become complicated when facing choices of love, friendship, need and reciprocity. Everything is hung on a thin string-from desire to love, to dream, to face life’s disarrays, and then to settle on an unexpected destiny. 7 minutes 12:30 The Fish In The Water A gifted young swimmer, finds the opportunity to get out of the circumstances he used to live in and has a chance to show his skills and win the medal. 134 minutes 15:00 The Smell The Smell (Ghraan) is a nostalgic episode of an established businessman- “Ahkam”. One day, stuck in traffic, he takes an unusual road that eventually connects his child-hood memory. His childhood snapshots of struggling family days, unfulfilled desires, friendship, relations and dreams make Ahkam nostalgic. He connects the smell of his father with own father-hood in a very stunning way. 27 minutes 15:30 Spring awakened Spring awakend” is a comedy movie about adolescence, and student life. It follows a double cast story about two friends who live in center of Zagreb. 22 minutes

15:55 Solo “Solo” follows a lovers’ quarrel through the streets of the city. 16 minutes

16:15 Montage: Great Film Composers and the Piano Great Film Composers and the Piano chronicles what happened when celebrated pianist Gloria Cheng challenged the world’s greatest film composers - Williams, Newman, Giacchino, Broughton, Desplat and Davis - to write original pieces for solo piano. 27 minutes

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16:45 Our Struggle “Our Struggle” explores the life and survival of three generations living in Israel, the most hated country in the world. The film shows the fate of family members in the face of nine wars, a permanent state of emergency, and ever new threats. As victims and as aggressors. 92 minutes 18:15 The Iron Dream A revolution was launched after Reza Shah inaugurated the North-South Railway in 1938. Construction of the Iran’s countrywide not only changed the Middle East but it also changed the whole world. 40 minutes 19:00 Kurdistan-Kurdistan The 90s he was forced to leave his homeland and exile in Europe. After 20 years of exile there during a concert in New York he announced his return to the roots. Once in Kurdistan he falls into a deep loneliness, he tries to get out of this state with his master musician who came to join him in the village. His master will transmit its last secret to extinguish the zenith of Dengbej (traditional singer) 100 minutes 20:45 TOMODACHI In 1995, Toshiro, an old Japanese businessman, visits the Philippines to reconnect with Edilberto, a retired Filipino engineer. The reunion rekindles Toshiro’s memory of the friendship they forged as young men in 1938, when he roamed the streets of Edilberto’s hometown in Cavite as an ambulant vendor of assorted goods with unbeatable prices. 98 minutes

SCREEN 2 10:00 Finding Fortune Inspired by true events, when a prize Arabian mare is accidentally sent to slaughter, the quest to save her brings a father and daughter together. 47 minutes 10:50 Backroads Europe - On Roman Routes 52 minutes

11:50 Insania A man’s face, shading off and undefined is set in a dark and thin atmosphere; it is reflected in an old mirror; the man starts talking to an unknown entity... it seems that a long, a too long time is passed, memories find it difficult to emerge and it’s so hard to visualize them. 13 minutes 12:05 The Gospel of Ross McKim A personal and inspiring look into the life and work of Dr Ross McKim - a truly unique dance artist and religious philosopher. 65 minutes 13:10 All About Sec-377 The journey of a Homophobic man ducking & dodging through the days & sleeping with one eye open in the night because of his gay cousin & his boyfriend in the same house, his journey of sweet revelation & funny incidents form the crux of the story that brings to the forefront the transparent thread that binds two people irrespective of their gender. 125 minutes 15:15 Ape Lasagna Tito, a veterinary student must share his apartment with a total stranger, who makes his life miserable and doesn’t let him concentrate on his studies for his final thesis so that he can return to his hometown. 92 minutes

16:50

Sinais (Signs)

34 minutes

17:30

She objects

60 minutes

18:35

The Big Secret

72 minutes

19:50 The Dunning Man Connor Ryan, out of a job and dumped by his girlfriend, returns to Atlantic City to try to rebuild his life with the last source of income that he has. Unfortunately, Connor’s tenants don’t want to pay him. Connor has to take on a pair of Chechen animal trainers with underworld ties. 93 minutes

SCREEN 3

19:05 Somewhere over that Rainbow Coming out is hard, and no one said that once you’re out, life gets any easier. Somewhere over that Rainbow follows the journey of six young people searching for acceptance and freedom. 76 minutes 20:25 The Alley Cat A road movie on a bike that takes place over one night, Jasper leaves an underground bike messenger race and goes on a physical and spiritual journey, through Chicago’s nighttime streets, to an emotion-filled destination. 70 minutes

10:00

Haruo

82 minutes

11:35

Umishu

15 minutes

21:40

The Haitian Polo DocumentarY 88 minutes

11:55 The Lover’s Coat A stevedore has killed a handsome soldier, a rival to his affections for a dockyard girl. The trophy of his kill is the soldier’s coat, the second casualty will be her love. 6 minutes

FRIDAY

12:05 Malibu Living Hayley Scott has hit rock bottom when she enters rehab and makes an unusual friend while on the inside... This remarkable film is based on a true story about a courageous young woman whose life was not lived in vain. 12 minutes

SCREEN 1

12:20 Pickup PICKUP is a compelling film that allows the audience to take a deeper look into the psyche of a woman who appears to have it all. 16 minutes 12:40 Forgotten life I wanted to find out how dementia is for relatives? What are people going through? There are 46.8 million people worldwide suffering from dementia today. In 2030 there will be 74.7 million people worldwide. Nearly every person in the world will have or know somebody with dementia. 4 minutes

12:50 Tatara Samurai A man destined at birth to make Tamahagane Departs on a journey to become a Samurai. People later called this young man The ‘Tatara Samurai’. 135 minutes

19TH MAY

09:50 Patria Pàtria tells the legend of “Otger of Cataló and the 9 Barons of Fame” is a Catalan folk epic legend with great brushstrokes that tells the origins of Catalonia. 103 minutes

11:40 Empty Space Empty Space’ is a coming of age dramedy about, Tom, an overweight young man who takes refuge at his grandmother’s cabin in rural Protection, IL, in an attempt to bury the years of being bullied and feeling rejected. While in town, he meets a precocious blind girl named Lilly, who shows him how to be accepted and loved. 75 minutes

13:00

Sweet Girls

100 minutes

14:45 The Hidden A lonely traveler goes insane after volunteering on a cursed Spanish farm. 75 minutes 16:10

Untitled

88 minutes

15:10 YKT Mumbai YKT Mumbai explores the life behind these stage performances and takes the audience into the world of one such group of passionate Yakshagana performers with an urge to understand what drives them to keep this ancient performing art alive and vibrating in an urban concrete jungle like Mumbai.

17:40 Fat Bald with Mustache Wonderful life story of Arash Shahbazi. A Young happy boy that goes to the hospital for playing with children with cancer and to give them morale. 30 minutes

16:00 Bitxbit - In Bitcoin We Trust This film is all about bitcoin, the developers, and the future of money as a digital currency and trading medium. 78 minutes

18:45 Outcaste This is a unique story of faith, courage and magical thinking. A story of how the dream of an elderly English teacher finally comes true with the help of a rickshaw driver, a lapsed buddhist monk and a journey in to the high himalayas. It’s ‘The Marigold Hotel’ meets ‘Lost Horizon’.

48 minutes

17:25 Curanderismo A film set in the jungles of Peru about shamanism and ayahuasca. 27 minutes

18:00 Well of Dreams

63 minutes

18:15 Little Big Land A Documentary about popular game “CLASH of CLANS”. 30 minutes

66 minutes

20:00

PARTY

SCREEN 2 10:00 My Mechanical Friend Ophelia is happy on her own, but the people around her don’t believe that a woman can ever be truly content by herself. 22 minutes 10:25 Gone Viral Two mental health nurses share a unique pastime by entertaining hundreds of millions of people with comedic 6 second videos. 8 minutes

10:40 Limp Like That A mother hires a young guy to substitute her deceased husband. That way, she’s hoping to help her mourning daughter cope with her grief. 14 minutes 11:00 Now Boarding A comedy of errors based mostly on true facts which took place in the director’s experiences at check in and boarding gates of airports around the world. The director examines the hilarious indignities of airplane travel as seen on a dog-centric airline with a German Shepherd as co-pilot and the surreal ending adds the final touch. 11:20 Read My Lips Slowly

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12:00 Father A young boy caught between two conflicting worlds and values he must make sense of. “Father” depicts a story of a universal theme of childhood struggles. It’s a story seen through the eyes of a young boy. 12:10 Cuckold Picasso

5 minutes

12:15 Rebalda The time has been stopped on Rebalda. Men, women and children have been working in the harsh conditions, the same way as the prisoners of Solovki concentration camps were doing about a century ago. The barbed wire on Rebalda becomes a symbol of the new slavery, which squeezes out the “little” person from modern society. 33 minutes 12:55 I Am Still Here (formerly Blur) 104 minutes

15 minutes 20 minutes

15:40 An open door

10 minutes

17:45

The Great Transmission 55 minutes

9 minutes

14:35 Four Journeys A documentary about four Latin American women who immigrated to New York . These are four stories of courage, stamina, strength and success. All four women are risk takers and they weathered the affairs of a different culture and country to finally succeed . This film is dedicated to all immigrants. 55 minutes

11:45 Unfinished Business A short film about the return of Adam home to her mother, comes to complete the work which, as the boy didn’t manage to follow through, because of his confrontation with his father went badly and had to leave home.

17:25 Forgiveness A patient is attending a session with his hypnotherapist.The purpose is to travel back to childhood through the milestones of the whole past life. 13 minutes

79 minutes

17:00 The Admired Actress, Olivia Spencer dreams of being a glamorous movie star in 1940’s Hollywood. She gets her wish when she meets a handsome ‘Devil’ but all is not what it seems when she’s hurdled into danger and intrigue in the world of the Old Hollywood movie studio system. 20 minutes

PARTY

Genes of our father

50 minutes

10:55 Life Is A Movie 2017 is the 50th anniversary of the Summer of Love. ‘Life Is A Movie’ is a retrospective documentary about a 92-year-old artist who covered to the Summer of Love for a magazine and never left the bay area, living on an anchor-out houseboat for the last half century. 82 minutes 12:20

78 minutes

16:05 Hoda’s Story Twelve years in the life of a girl in Gaza who was blinded by a bullet. 58 minutes

SCREEN 3 10:00

14:40 White Bee A couple meet, after a separation – perhaps for the last time. The woman seems vulnerable, broken by the failed marriage. The man appears blasé about the break-up. If he expresses any doubts, they are about the ability of his wife to cope with the big bad world outside the cocoon of marriage. But as the story unfolds, it emerges that the woman is resilient and it is he who is vulnerable – and needy of the shelter of their togetherness.

March

35 minutes

12:55 29+1 Christy and Joyce have never met each other, and their personalities are night and day. But as fate would have it, Christy makes a temporary move into Joyce’s apartment. Through exploring Joyce’s diary, Christy not only discovers that they share the same birthday, but also learns about the bits and pieces of Joyce’s life. 100 minutes

17:05

Girl, Wavering

20 minutes

17:30

One in a Million

20 minutes

17:55 Arabia Uncovered New archaeological discoveries in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. 30 minutes

18:30

It Gets Better?

18:45

Outcaste

11 minutes

This is a unique story of faith, courage and magical thinking. A story of how the dream of an elderly English teacher finally comes true with the help of a rickshaw driver, a lapsed buddhist monk and a journey in to the high himalayas. It’s ‘The Marigold Hotel’ meets ‘Lost Horizon’. 66 minutes

20:00

PARTY

SCRIPT NOMINEES Edna’s Dearest Possessions Ozge Gozturk

Jihadis Salim Salajee

Red Harvest Legrand McMullen

The Silent Seed Nancy Haverington

The Thursday Whaler Damien Mulvany

Lust For Controversy Richard Spencer

I’m Chrislam Hakar Yousif

Cooper’s Promise Timothy Jay Smith

Michael Wants To Marry Jen Bieser

The Wonderful Demitra Papadinis

Damsels In Diamonds Vivek Kumar

Midnight with a Smile Caolan Flood

Perfect Couple / Lale Berrin Ilhan

Resurrection Time Conspiracy James Carroll

Jimmy Narula Vivek Kumar

Making Olivia Josie Kaye

Steal Away Jon Paul Reese

Blue Sky and I Durnford King

Pelée David Earle

Angels vs Demons I: Gateway to Hell Slavica Bogdanov

Marriage for Beginners Radu Olievschi

Clay Tommy Jared Egol

Dollar Down J. Michael Aiken

Under (Re)Construction Leonard Tachmes

First Kill Elisabeth Hayward

Sacrifice Rassam Feali Simin Azarmehr

Heartland in the Hood John McHale Xavier Jackson

Hawaiian Shirt Laurence FG

Jagged Edge Tamara Herman Twirling At Ole Miss John Matthew Tyson

Pageant Dad Liam Healy Conor Healy The Experiment Lynda Lemberg Jeffrey Allen Russel

WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO CHANGE THE SCREENING TIME AND DATE OF ANY FILM IN THE FESTIVAL COMPETITION WITHOUT ANY PRIOR NOTIFICATION.

FILM: THE MAGAZINE/NICE/MAY 2017