Indie Entertainment Media - Cannes 2023

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Gotham Chandna

Nicole Goesseringer Muj

Nicole Goesseringer Muj

Gotham Chandna

Lena Basse

Claude Brickell

Nicole Goesseringer Muj

Rachael Fisher

Arina Kipurova

Cindy Shaoul

Photos Courtesy of: EMS Gallery, HFPA, Movie Stills DB, Tshombe Sampson, Nelson Shen, WikiCommons.

Ruben Östlund: Pushing the Boundaries

By lena basse

The 48-year-old Swedish director who has won the Palme d’Or twice, will now serve as the President of the Jury that decides this year’s winner of Cannes Film Festival

It’s not always easy to describe Ruben Östlund’s films besides the fact that they are all satire. Plots are never straight forward as seemingly innocuous moments snowball into absurd grand finales. And sometimes there’s a literal snowball, like in his 2014 film, Force Majeure, where he was ambitious enough to task his crew to create the “best-looking” avalanche in movie history. However, the avalanche only serves as an exposition for the central conflict of the film. The protagonist, a wealthy middle-aged man, suffers martial tension after prioritizing his own life over his wife and children’s when an avalanche narrowly misses their luxury resort. The story’s focus isn’t about the terrifying natural disaster, it’s about a man who exposes his true self to his family, for better or for worse. This is emblematic of Östlund’s style – forcing, more often than not, successful people to drop their curated facades.

No matter what setting Östlund places his films in, whether it’s a ski resort, a contemporary museum, or a multi-million-dollar yacht, his characters speak plainly in a painfully realistic way. The contrast of grand backgrounds and simple intrapersonal issues, the director is constantly pushing boundaries and exposing the absurdity found everywhere in life, in both the exotic and the mundane. The dialogues in his scripts are too brutally honest to be entirely made up, and in fact, most of his dialogues are inspired, if not near perfect recreations of actual conversations he’s had with family, friends, and strangers. For example, in his most recent film Triangle of Sadness (and winner of last year’s coveted Palme d’Or prize), the argument the young couple have overpaying a dinner bill was lifted from a real argument with

his then-girlfriend, now-wife. Perhaps it’s the simplicity of the script that fascinates the audience.

This kind of simple honesty has been a staple of Östlund’s work since the very beginning, even when he was just shooting skiing and mountain biking videos of his friends in western Sweden during the 80s. Everything began when he was a teenager, and his friend showed him a video on VHS for the first time. He was fascinated with the idea of being able to rewatch something over and over again. Combine that with the fact that he grew up on a Swedish archipelago with no cinema theater, you can imagine the ability to record video was a great alternative to simply watching whatever the television had on. With a VHS camera in hand, the first material he shot were conversations between friends and family, personal and intimate. While

Ruben Östlund

working as a ski instructor in high school, he was able to expand his filmography. In shooting these videos, he was always able to get his friends to jump a little bit higher, jump a little bit longer, get the coolest possible angle of all the tricks.

He was so fascinated with the possibilities of the camera that he decided to attend film school in Gotherburg. There, Östlund continued to explore the relationships between people in his films, unafraid in his search for the truth. He filmed a documentary about his parents, who divorced when he was only four years old. He interviewed them both separately about the divorce and stitched the footage together, naming the film Family Again. Later, he admitted that when watching other people’s films, he prefers to be challenged. He enjoys watching awkward social situations and so enjoys making movies about them.

His enjoyment for awkward situations is demonstrated in his 2017 film, The Square, which was his first Palme d’Or winner. Ö stlund wanted to make an elegant movie, with visual and rhetorical devices to provoke and entertain viewers. The film follows Christian, the respected curator of a contemporary art museum, a divorced but devoted father of two daughters (just like Ö stlund himself) who drives an electric car and supports good causes. His next exhibit is “The Square,” an installation which invites passersby to altruism, reminding them of their role as responsible fellow human beings. But sometimes, it is difficult to live up to your own ideals: as soon as he loses his phone, he rapidly loses all sense

of composure and human decency towards others. The film was inspired by a real art exhibition in Varnämo that tested the visitors’ trust of others. The exhibition had two doors, one that said, “I trust people” and another that said, “I do not trust people.” Although most visitors chose to walk through the “I trust people” door, many of them hesitated to move forward when prompted to leave their cellphones and wallets on the floor.

The Square received critical acclaim in the United States, receiving both Golden Globes and Oscar nominations. Around this time is when I first met Ruben Östlund in Los Angeles. Looking like an actor himself, as if Bradley Cooper spoke with a Swedish accent, he was very approachable and was very engaged in conversation, almost like a child. It was only later that I understood how careful one has to be when talking to him, as he is always observing others and gathering material for his next film.

As much as he talks about writing social satire for today’s world, he considered  Force Majeure ,  The Square , and  Triangle of Sadness as a trilogy about how to be a man in modern society. At the same time, he admits that class is such a big part of our society and it’s almost impossible to leave home without being confronted by the class system in some way. In his most recent film, Triangle of Sadness, class tension becomes the centerpiece of conflict.

The film, like others such as The Menu and the television series The White Lotus, is a class-centered satire, clearly influenced by Oscar winner Parasite Triangle of Sadness turns a more sympathetic eye to the ultra-rich, showing everyone, from the weapon dealers to the superyacht’s toilet attendants from a humanist perspective. While dealing with heavy, global themes the film is as entertaining as a roller coaster and best seen in a theater for an unforgettable experience. For all of the script’s absurdity, it’s all grounded in truth. Östlund himself was once on a yacht that was hit by a storm, and he found it incredibly interesting how despite the number of people getting seasick, nobody wanted to break the social contract.

Triangle of Sadness Premiere

It’s no surprise that his upcoming film also deals with this idea of the social contract as well. Titled The Entertainment System is Down, the film takes place on a 15-hour flight where the entertainment system has stopped working and passengers, who are addicted in some way or another to the dopamine rush of scrolling through a screen, must deal with boredom. The plane’s pilot will be played by Woody Harrelson, who also played the captain of the unlucky yacht in Triangle of Sadness. It looked like the director and actor really got along during the shooting of the film.

After the film’s premiere at the Cannes Film Festival, Woody Harrelson at the film’s press conference noted that, “[Östlund] can make you extremely uncomfortable. He can make you think. He can give you a sense of meaning and like there was a purpose to going to see the film. And at the same time, and perhaps more importantly, he makes you laugh throughout, which is quite a trick.”

Also present at the press conference was star Charlbi Dean, who shockingly passed away only three months after the premiere due to a bacterial resistant infection. In 2008, she suffered a car accident in which her spleen needed to be removed, weakening her immune system. Her portrayal of her character Yaya in Triangle of Sadness was critically acclaimed and considered a breakout performance. She was a model, just like her character in the film, and spoke intelligently on the film saying, “We do have a currency, whether it’s our wealth or our beauty, or our influence or our power. And then, you’re put into a situation where that currency is no longer of value. And then, who are you? What do you bring to the table? And will you be eaten first?”

This year the 76th Cannes Film Festival will take place from May 16 to May 27. Among the official selections are Asteroid City by Wes Anderson, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny by James Mangold, Killers of the Flower Moon by Martin Scorsese, and La Favorite by Maiwenn.

Ruben Östlund has therefore become the third two-time winner of the Palme d’Or to be the President of the Jury, following Francis Ford Coppola and Emir Kusturica, and the very first to take on this role the year after his acclaim in Cannes.

Östlund on premiering at the Cannes Film Festival…

It was so beautiful because people were applauding during like it was a football game. Someone told me it was a football game going on and when Dolly’s character is taking over the control, they’re like, “Yeah.” (laughter) and this is the goal with the movies that we’re going to make in the future. Also, we are combining the best part of the European cinema that is intellectual, that is trying to say something about society, with the best part of American cinema that is like, “Okay, if we don’t make this film successful, we don’t have any job anymore. And we can’t support our children. And they can’t go to college.” These two kinds of pressure and really create cinema that makes it like, “F***ing, I want to go to the cinema.”

Los Angeles 2023

Ruben Östlund with Lena Basse 2017

The Cannes Film Festival is No. 1

By Claude Brickell

Ah, le Festival de Cannes, known to most of the world as the famed Cannes Film Festival, and recognized for hosting the best in cinematic artistic achievement from around the globe. Its international film market has also become the favorite meeting place of major producers and distributors where they exchange ideas, view the latest films and sign their coveted contracts.

Cannes is also a gathering place for cinema enthusiasts celebrating film as an art form. Where the juryless Oscars features glitz and glamour, Cannes is about artistic perfection. It has been said that European film is an artistic business trying to become commercial where American film is a commercial business trying to become art. And the two festivals reflect that polarity.

It all began in Venice in 1938 when Hitler and Mussolini changed the festival’s jury winners for the Mostra (later Venice) Film Festival in favor of a Fascist propaganda documentary. Appalled by that move, the French film elite formed their own festival apply called the International Film Festival in Cannes, officially opening in 1939.

War in Europe was declared on the 3rd of September of that same year when Germany invaded Poland, and it was all the fledgling festival could do to keep itself afloat following that. Funds were

hard to come by and tensions among the organizers flared. For the struggling Rivierabased festival, the war could not end quick enough. It did end, eventually, but the festival did not survive. A new festival, however, soon blossomed out of the original and it became known as the second Cannes Film Festival of 1946. After that, Cannes never looked back. It has become ‘the place to be’ for filmmakers and film lovers the world over.

The postwar years were not without controversy, though. Film was changing and the festival had to find a way to adjust. It knew that if it were to remain relevant on the international festival circuit, it had to make a name for itself with what was nouveau. The earlier festival had introduced us to a new generation of filmmakers who were not always to the festival elite’s liking, but their quirky films fit the bill, films that expressed neorealism or cinéma vérité (La Nouvelle Vague or New Wave Cinema), showcasing French directors like Jean-Luc Godard, Eric Romer, François Truffaut, and others, and neorealsmo showcasing Italian directors like Federico Fellini, Luchino Visconti, Vittorio De Sica, and others. And here is where the Americans came in. We have Brigitte Bardot (who was actually discovered in Cannes) to thank for that, and who Americans could not get enough of (as in Roger Vadim’s And God Created Woman

Claude Brickell attends Festival de Cannes in 1993

To Catch A Thief

featuring her) as well as other French and Italian starlets spicing up foreign film screens, everywhere (starlets such as Sophia Loren, Claudia Cardinale, Gina Lollobrigida, and others). Hollywood producers took note and, suddenly, everyone was talking about Cannes and its new film fare.

The 1950s and ‘60s saw a rebirth in the festival’s US popularity, as a result, and needed funds from American producers began flowing in, hosting lavish parties and parading their own American stars on the Cannes red carpet. Stars like Grace Kelley and Cary Grant who had recently delighted audiences worldwide in Alfred Hitchcock’s box office hit To Catch a Thief, filmed on the Riviera at La Victorine Studios in Nice, where I served as Hollywood studio representative.

Cannes has not escaped scandals, however, over its long and illustrious years. And it has seen more than its share of political and religious controversies, as well, due to contentious film selections. Among them have been Federico Fellini’s 1960 film La Dolce Vita , a Palm d’Or winner, was considered pornographic by conservatives. The film was deemed blasphemous by the Vatican which threatened to excommunicate any Catholic viewing it, and Luis Buñuel’s 1961Viridiana, a Palm d’Or winner, as well, which criticized religion and its deviations. Franco of Spain

tried to censor it but the director sent the film to the festival anyway, which led to his unlawfully returning to his beloved homeland. And, in 1993, Farewell My Concubine, also a Palm d’Or winner, by Chinese film director Chen Kaige, garnered accolades worldwide. A few weeks following its Chinese release, the film was abruptly pulled by the politburo unless and until major changes were made. While allowing the premiere of the film in Beijing, it was denied release in other Chinese cities. The government had objected to the film’s representation of homosexuality, the suicide of a leading character and its description of the political turmoil during China’s repressive Communist period. Farewell My Concubine is considered one of the landmark films of the Fifth-Generation movement that brought Chinese film directors to world attention. I was fortunate to have attended the film’s premier at the Cannes Palais

The Catholic Church in Rome has a longstanding ideological struggle with filmmakers worldwide. My own feature Havana, Habana , filmed both in Havana and Hollywood, was forbidden by the Church to film in one of its sanctuaries for a critical scene in which the dialogue openly criticizes ‘as an addiction’ Church dogma. And filming had to be moved to an adjacent area away from the sanctuary, altogether. The film went on to garner official selection at the Rome Independent Film Festival in Italy.

Today, Cannes is still the number one festival for international stars, class, and artistic excellence. And, if you can get your film noticed, there, you’ve arrived. The Oscars are all glitz and winning there is sure to make you a bundle. But it is at Cannes where the rest of the world takes notice and where the festival honors, internationally, its winners with fame as writers, directors, producers and stars.

La Dolce Vita

Farewell My Concubine

IEM Profiles

Diana Madison — First Generation ArmenianAmerican Breaking Barriers

Diana Madison started her career as an intern for E! News and Entertainment Tonight. When she could not get any on camera opportunities, she launched the YouTube channel Hollyscoop, which became on the biggest entertainment news channels in the world. After some time, one channel became four and Diana was able to sell her digital media studio to American media company Radio One/TV One.

After the sale, she decided to pursue her lifelong passion of acting. She has filmed several movies, including Mob Town, starring David Arquette and Jamie-Lynn Sigler, and I Love Us, starring Katie Cassidy.

In 2020, after executive producing the show Glam Masters for Lifetime, alongside Kim Kardashian, Diana was inspired to launch her beauty brand, Diana Madison Beauty. Her “clean beauty” line is now sold at Neiman Marcus, Revolve, Anthropologie, and Naimies. She currently is in pre-production on the film First Gen (Working Title), and has teamed up with Village Roadshow to executive produce a crime documentary.

NM: Tell us a little about your background?  How did you get into the media industry?

DM: I was born and raised in Los Angeles, in a tiny sector called Little Armenia. My parents were Armenian immigrants who had fled the Soviet Union and were political refugees. In my

backyard was the Hollywood sign and I would dream of one day making it in Hollywood. However, there was no way my immigrant parents were going to let me pursue a career in Hollywood. For my parents, it was either pursuing a career in law or medicine. I studied communications and political science at the University of California, Santa Barbara. When I graduated I got a low wage job working the news desk at Entertainment Tonight at Paramount Studios. I was then pursuing a career as an on air talent. When I realized that they weren’t going to hire me as an on-air talent because I didn’t look like “middle America,” I walked out of the studio with my rolodex and started a YouTube channel. The channel took off, launching my on camera career. I was able to create a digital media studio creating over 21 billion views a year, where I was hosting videos and producing 150 shows a week on Amazon Prime, Roku and YouTube. Right before the pandemic, I sold the YouTube channels to Radio One/TV One.  It was then that I wanted to pursue making longer form content and pursuing my lifelong dream of acting. Currently, I am producing a documentary with Lionsgate and developing a movie titled First Gen, about being first generation Armenian American.

NM: What projects are you promoting at Cannes 2023?

DM: I am currently developing  First Gen, an independent movie about being a first generation Armenian American. It’s a dark comedy and I can’t wait for the world to see this movie.

NM: You are involved in activism (Armenia/Artsakh, prisoner reform). Can you tell us a little more about this part of your work?

DM: My great grandparents were massacred in the Armenian

Diana Madison

Genocide in 1915 by the Ottoman Empire. My great grandparents from both sides of my family were raised as orphans in Lebanon. I grew up hearing stories about the Armenian Genocide and what my ancestors went through to be able to grant me this life that I have now. It wasn’t until the Artsakh war in 2020 that I felt compelled to become an activist. I had always been involved in the Armenian community, but it wasn’t until the war of 2020 where the world stood silent and allowed Azerbaijan to keep committing war crimes. I knew a lot of families who lost their sons in the war, and I was left devastated. I felt helpless and didn’t know what I could do to stand up for my people and take action. Since I am an artist, I have made it my life’s goal to create content to amplify Armenian voices and stories. That is my intention with my movie that I am writing, producing and will act in. I can’t go out on the frontlines and fight for Armenia, but I can use my platform to tell my audience what is going on. I can use my talent and showcase our amazing culture through the arts.

NM: How has your role as an influencer helped you (or hindered you) in your film/TV career?

DM: Social media has always been a platform for me to show my work to my followers. Most of my followers have been following me from my days as a YouTuber. They have seen my journey and support it. They have seen how my career has developed and transformed. My followers know about all my projects because I share it daily with them. I also use social media to meet like minded individuals who have similar dreams and visions. I feel like if you know how to use social media, it can be a great asset in your career in whatever you do.

NM: What shows or films are doing the best job of portraying strong women today?

DM: To be honest, there aren’t enough shows or films out there today that really showcase strong women that I see in my community. Let’s be real, there isn’t any and I plan to change that!  There is no woman that I can connect to on TV or in film right now and that is a big problem.

NM: If being a woman is your superpower, what is your kryptonite?

DM: My kryptonite is sometimes letting people intimidate me in meetings because I am a female minority. There are times I own it and times where I feel that I get pushed in corners in Hollywood because of it.

NM: While there will be others, what do you consider your biggest achievement to date?

DM: Breaking barriers anyway that I can is an achievement. When Entertainment Tonight didn’t hire me as a host and I created an outlet for myself which then beat ET in numbers, it was a way to break barriers for me. When I sold my company and decided to act in my thirties with two kids and everyone laughed in my face and I still booked two movies, which was a big moment for me. Right now, doing meetings with amazing people who are known in the industry for my movie First Gen is an accomplishment in itself. Being in Cannes and speaking on a panel about my work is an accomplishment. I look at all steps whether it is major or minor as an achievement as long as it takes me to my goals.

NM: Who are your mentors?

DM: My film mentor is actor, director and producer Danny A. Abeckaser. He casted me in two movies and always gives me opportunities. He recently gave me the opportunity to come in as a producer and actor for a movie that he is working on. He always gives me the best advice and has really pushed  me to pursue acting. When everyone laughed in my face about becoming an actor in my with thirties with two kids, he gave me hope. When I told him I wanted to make a movie about my Armenian heritage, he told me to write my story. He was one of the first people who read my script and always gives me great advice.

NM: Predict your future! Where are you in 5 years?

DM: In the next five years, I want to be creating movies. shows, documentaries that will amplify diverse female voices. I want to keep breaking barriers!

Spotlight: Filmmaker

Viviane Winthrop

Viviane Winthrop was born in Montreal. Her parents moved to Sedona, Arizona, when she was a teenager. Although her father was a professional actor and her mother a piano teacher, Viviane chose a career in dentistry. After 25 years as a dentist, she has recently retired to pursue her dream as a film director.  The Last of the Winthrops is her directorial debut. The film recently was named Best Documentary at the Beyond Hollywood International Film Festival in Los Angeles.

NM: What’s your origin story?

VW: I was born in Montreal Canada. My mom is French Canadian, and my dad was born in Switzerland and is from the storied Winthrop family of Boston and New York.  I’m an only child and grew up in a little town called Baie Comeau on the St. Lawrence River in Quebec. It was truly beautiful but very, very far away from Hollywood.

The cold was too much for my dad who grew up in the south of France. We moved to Sedona, Arizona, when I was 14½. My dad wasn’t well, so my mom drove the 2,000 miles to Arizona. It was a wild and intense trip to the unknown. I missed my friends and, unfortunately, our dog and cat were too old to make the trip so that was a huge loss. But the trip was exciting and scary, and we were hopeful my dad would feel better in the warmth of Arizona. It was a chance to start new.

Spring forward a few years and I became a dentist. I need to thank my dentist, actually.

He was the one who made dentistry not scary. He helped me overcome my fear, so I wanted to do the same. Most of my career was dedicated to helping underserved populations, so that part was satisfying. So then, I made a feature documentary….

NM: How did you get into the film industry?

VW: I received a text message from this woman who at first said we’re closely related, then emailed me again and said she’s my sister. And she was. I was sitting on my bed and thought this is a crazy story, something I would only see in a movie. So, I reached out to my new third cousin, and he said his cousin would be able to help me write a screenplay.

I had no intention of making a film when I called Adam. He said your life is happening right now. You really should film it now. So, I jumped into the complete unknown and learned by the seat of my pants and Adam K. Singer became my producer. And he’s the one that brought everyone together to make my film happen. I want to send a shout-out to the wives of our editor, April, and our producer, Breanna, who were instrumental in giving their advice and observations!

NM: What was the most surprising thing you faced when you transitioned from working in dentistry to becoming a filmmaker?

VW: Even though I happened onto filmmaking and it wasn’t my original career choice, I loved the whole experience so much so I want to continue filmmaking. The camaraderie, everyone really

Viviane Winthrop

believing in my story and working to make it great. The process with all its details. The sheer talent and professionalism that everyone brought to this project was humbling.

If I had understood the process from the beginning and knew how much to budget for both time and money, then I could have relaxed so much more into the process of it. In addition to the creativity, it surprised me how much I like the business of filmmaking and look forward to understanding it more.

The other surprising thing I faced is that I’m quite literally hands on in dentistry and at first with the film I didn’t get involved in some of the editing process. I realize as the director that I like collaborating with the editor. I found that our editor, Sergio Miranda, could reach into my incompletely processed thoughts and feelings, use the extraordinary footage our cinematographer filmed and translate my vision to what you see on our film. I am in awe of Sergio’s emotional intelligence and his ability to use this medium of film to turn this complex story into a touching film. Ultimately it was a healing experience for me.

NM: What do you consider your biggest achievement to date?

VW: Surviving my mom passing away recently. I miss her. She was involved in making our documentary but didn’t get to see the finished film. My biggest achievements are also finishing my film, having it accepted into film festivals, self-distributing it and learning so many new things. And, facing and walking towards my new life, finding that there is a giant blessing on the other side of fear.

NM: What motivates you in your work?

VW: Once I see the vision of what I’m trying to accomplish, then I want to finish it and make it happen. Starting is always my toughest part because I know when I start, then I have to finish.

NM: What is the biggest challenge to women in your industry?

VW: I worked in the prison system and there were few women in leadership positions there. I imagine it’s the same in the film industry, although that has to be changing. I hope. Being taken seriously without having to become masculine is one of the things I had to learn. Being strong in our femininity and yet allowing kindness to be a strength.

People value confidence but I feel better being authentic. Sometimes I’m not confident but I do get things done. I have

value in my experience. Being heard, being seen and being understood as our authentic selves are all important factors for anyone.

I do hope that my company We Unite As One can provide stepping stones for empowering women of all ages to share their story. There are fascinating women everywhere whose voices need to be heard.

NM: If being a woman is your superpower, what is your kryptonite?

VW: My mom: she’s both my superpower and my kryptonite. Even now that she’s passed away, I wish she were here so I could ask for her advice and guidance. She had a wisdom I miss. Also, my self-doubt is a real hindrance. The struggle is real. And I’m sure I’m not the only one that goes through that. But when I sit quietly - hard to do but sometimes I can do it and open the door from within, the answers are there. I just have to listen.

NM: What does the future hold for you?

VW: I have inner peace more often throughout the day. Travel with my Andre. Touch people’s hearts with my film and give workshops about it. I finish my Tante Vicky’s WWII journals and share her life with the world. She’s the one who made me realize that “Family is who you love and who loves you.”

I’ve made the sequel to  The Last of the Winthrops, written the book that goes with the films, organized my life so it fits in my laptop and somehow I keep on dreaming because age is a state of mind. And if I can see it, We Unite As One is blossoming and uniting people through kindness, respect, love and our stories. I might as well dream big.

Chadwick Pelletier, Founder, DaVinci International Film Festival

Chadwick Pelletier is an award-winning AmericanCanadian screenwriter, filmmaker, and entrepreneur.  As a WGA screenwriter, Chadwick has written, optioned, and sold film and TV content at the highest level in the industry.  His work as a director and producer has earned him numerous awards, including the coveted Golden Eagle statue at San Diego International Film Festival  (For Blood) and two Red Poppy Awards  (She Will Be Loved).

In 2017, Chadwick founded the DaVinci International Film Festival, which hosts an annual event at AMC Theatres, The Grove in Los Angeles, and is ranked among the top best reviewed festival platforms in the world. Chadwick is also the owner and CEO at  Veritas Film & Television  with offices in Los Angeles, California and Vancouver, British Columbia.

NM: Can you tell us about your background?

CP: I was born and raised in Colorado; one of five kids and spent the majority of my formative years in Steamboat Springs where I went to high school and competed as a downhill ski racer. I later went on to attend Colorado University, Boulder before transferring to Harvard where I graduated with honors.

NM: What brought you to this specific career path?

CP: Two letters — E. T. I was eight years old when my life took on what many would call purpose or “calling.” Seriously. Having grown up without a TV and going to movies maybe once or twice a year, I was

immediately pulled into the cinematic experience, and nothing else existed during that time. Well, maybe some popcorn. But I remember that day in 1982 as if it were yesterday: walking a long dirt road to a theater at the distant end with a white-knuckled grip on a couple bucks to catch a matinee that would have a cosmic pull on my life. It was a story about a boy and an alien, and I was dying to see it. That movie changed me in every way and I wanted more. E.T. set me on a 30-year journey in the business to write, direct, and produce compelling stories that would touch the human condition. In time, these experiences lead me to developing a platform for others to feel the same — as creators and viewers, and DaVinci International Film Festival was born.

NM: What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?

CP: After WGA-ATA I had a number of projects land back on my desk — TV and feature films namely, so I’m working to get them back out there again, but I am always writing and currently working on a script that is taking me a bit outside of my comfort zone as a period drama, set during the Spanish Civil War. I’m also looking to go into production on a short format fan film that will showcase at DIFF this year — no spoilers! Come check it out, you won’t want to miss it.

Aside from film and TV, DaVinci International Film Festival is growing at a rapid pace and I’m just trying to keep up. We will be hosting our sixth edition at AMC

Chadwick Pelletier

The Grove in LA this year, OCT 20-22 with a lot of surprises and celebrity events!

And like any good entrepreneur, I have a few other irons in the fire, including an all-new Nashville, Tennessee brand, MuseqCity.com, and a couple NFT projects in the pattern.

NM: Why is it important to have diversity represented in the entertainment industry?

CP: I believe it’s important, if not critical, to represent different voices — voices that stand for and embody a variety of experience, culture, language, and conditioning. Diversity can offer new insight, creative solution, divergent thinking, and a through-line to what it means to be human and how we connect.

Our industry offers an influential platform to share these voices, which makes it all that more important to have more than one.

NM: None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are?

CP: If I were to pick one, it would be my wife. She’s the only one who has read every one of my scripts, good or bad; supports my crazy ideas like … What do you think about launching an international film festival? And has given me the drive to thrive in this business with two children who are my raison d’être.

NM: What’s your favorite  “Life Lesson Quote”?

CP: I don’t know when/where I said this, but it rings true today: If you walk in the shadows of others, you’re bound to be a cold person. I think what this quote really means is that we are meant to lead and not follow as creatives and share our voices.

essence

Jonathan Baker’s Annual Academy Awards Viewing Party Celebrates Elvis, Oscar and the Late Paul Sorvino

Jonathan Baker’s Annual Oscar Viewing Party, presented in collaboration with  French Riviera Film Festival and Indie Entertainment Media (IEM), was held on the eve of March 12 at Baker Manor in Beverly Hills, at the stunning estate that was once home to Warren Beatty. Elvis is Oscar was the theme of the evening and the cover feature story of IEM.

Joining hosts Jonathan and Jenny Baker, and FRFF co-founders Nicole Goesseringer Muj and Gotham Chandna, were Oscar-winner George Chakiris, E! founder Larry Namer, Dee Dee Sorvino (wife of late Paul Sorvino), Consul General of Croatia in Los Angeles Renee Pea, Caroline Lagerfelt (Sweet Magnolias,

Gossip Girl) and Anneliese Judge (Sweet Magnolias), Kat Kramer, Vincent de Paul, Carolyn Hennesy, Frederico Lapenda, fashion designer Sue Wong, founder Pure Flix David A.R. White, Celeste Thorson, Josie Goldberg, Kash Hovey, Dustin Quick and Medi eM, Shalini Vadhera-Potts and Tony Potts, designer Sameyha Rawjee, and many others.

Also on the eve, fellow Brooklynite Larry Namer presented the 2023 FRFF Icon Award to Dee Dee Sorvino, in honor of her late husband, legendary actor Paul Sorvino. The presentation was made prior to Sunday’s live telecast that sadly overlooked the famous actor in its “in memoriam” segment.

Josie Goldberg

Hosts Jonathan and Jenny Baker

Kat Kramer and George Chakiris

Sponsors included Croatian Fine Wines, Moraga Bel Air, Roederer Estate,  Cardinal du Four Armagnac,  Charles & Company Teas and Liqueurs ,  Three Cord Bourbon ,  El Cristiano Tequila ,  St. Hildie’s Spiked Tonics , and  Cookie Pop Candy Pop, with food by Bacon Babe Catering. Partners included filmfestivals. com and Luxury Experience & Co

Gift bag sponsors included BIONOVA Skincare, Dive Into Yoga/Christine Martitz,  Kyvan Foods,  Jonathan Baker Beauty,  MIZANI Haircare ,  Peri Lauren Interiors, Single Tree Lane

Nicole Muj, Ion Muj

Sweet Magnolia’s Anneliese Judge and Caroline Lagerfelt

Pascale Fortunat

Gotham Chandna, Dee Dee Sorvino, Larry Namer, Nicole Muj

Nicole Muj, Medi eM, Dustin Quick, Gotham Chandna

Tony Potts and Shalini Vadhera-Potts

Industry Spotlight: Jon Gosier,

Founder, FilmHedge

Jon Gosier is an executive producer and financier of film and television who develops and co-finances media projects. He is the founder of FilmHedge, a fintech company that provides financing of up to $10 million per film or TV production.

He is the Founder/Owner of Southbox Literary (publishing), Southbox Capital (private equity), and Southbox Entertainment (Film/TV production). Before his work in film, Jon spent ten years in venture capital and tech. His 2014 TED Talk about ethical innovation has been viewed millions of times. Gosier is the founder and former CEO of Audigent, recently named one of the fastest-growing tech companies in the country by INC5000 and Deloitte. He was named one of ‘the new faces of Black Leadership’ by TIME Magazine in 2015. Jon is focused on creating new financial models in the entertainment industry. Audigent provided artists like Camila Cabello, Eminem, Post Malone, Blake Shelton, Bruno Mars, Ed Sheeran, Shakira, Rihanna, Jay-Z, and other entertainers with new ways of understanding audience data. Audigent past and present partners include Raised in Space, Warner Music, Broadscale, Spotify, Tidal, and Nielsen. Before that, he was best known for working in crisis response and counterintelligence in East Africa. While living in Uganda, co-founded various organizations in Africa, including AfriLabs, a network of tech innovation hubs that now reaches 90+ cities, Appfrica,

a tech consultancy that serviced Google, Facebook, and Twitter; was a former director at Ushahidi, estimated to have reached more than 25 million people with its open-source software). The White House lauded his work in these areas in 2010, 2012, and 2013. He is an alumnus of Savannah College of Art and Design and the THNK School of Creative Leadership and Innovation. Guest lecturer and presenter at Yale, Harvard, Princeton, MIT, Lund University in Sweden, NYU, Rollins College, Wharton, Temple, Drexel, U Penn, and more. You can read more about his journey in his book Code Switch: A Memoir.

In April 2023, Gosier and his company FilmHedge proudly sponsored the first annual  CannesATL/ CannesGA  mixer, an event founded to highlight Georgia’s contributions to the international TV/film industry at Festival de Cannes, and the Marché du Film.

Jezlan Moyet and Jon Gosier at Cannes, ATL event

Jon Gosier

What The Hell Happened To Blood, Sweat & Tears?

In June 1970, hot off their spectacular Grammy® win for Album of the Year (beating The Beatles’ “Abbey Road”), Blood, Sweat & Tears becomes the first American rock band to perform behind the Iron Curtain, doing concerts in Yugoslavia, Romania and Poland on a tour sponsored by the U.S. State Department.

Like much of the youth in America, band members have been outspoken and critical of the Nixon administration and the Vietnam War. The Iron Curtain Tour seems to be a curious decision by the band, which was at the very height of their popularity. Upon their return, the band becomes a victim of the significant societal upheaval and culture wars in a polarized America, divided as much then as it is now. Political criticism typically comes from one side or the other.

But in 1970, Blood, Sweat & Tears find themselves in the crossfire from both the Right AND the Left and the group suffers greatly as a result. Suddenly, they are no longer hip and cool and lose support from fans, the media, concert bookers and the recording industry. In short, the Right is outraged by the U.S. government footing the bill for an anti-war/anti-Nixon rock band to tour overseas and refer to Blood, Sweat & Tears members as “Communists”. The Left is critical of the band

By Nicole Goesseringer Muj

for appearing to be an instrument of the U.S. government and/or the CIA.

Through documentary footage shot during the Iron Curtain tour (and thought to be lost) and present-day interviews with band members and historians, as well as the unsealing of government records, What The Hell Happened To Blood, Sweat & Tears? unravels the details of this extraordinary year in the life of the band.

“This is one of the best rock documentaries ever made,” comments Bob Lefsetz and I definitely concur.

IEM had the chance to speak with founding band member Bobby Colomby, and director/producer John Scheinfeld about this provocative documentary, in hopes to shed some light on the question: “What the hell happened to Blood, Sweat & Tears?”

Nicole Muj: Why did you seek out John Scheinfeld to make this film?

Bobby Colomby: I saw Chasing Trane and thought he’d be the right person to help me tell this story.

Bobby Colomby

John Scheinfeld

NM: Why was it important to you for this film to be made?

BC: From my point of view, there’s the tragic comparison of how the extremists from both the Left & Right (the Right more so) are destroying our country and as I was always satisfied with BS&T’s accomplishments, this film serves as a reminder of how that band helped to change popular music.

NM: Do you have any regrets regarding participating in the tour behind the Iron Curtain?

BC: Playing behind the iron curtain as playing anywhere in the world was always an interesting exploration.  However, being sponsored by the State Department was not an association we were interested in.  However when you see the film, you’ll understand that we had little choice.

NM: What personally surprised you most about being on the historic tour?

BC: Performing in Soviet Block countries gave us a up close and personal view of the horrors of dictatorship under Soviet rule.

NM: Have you had any feedback from the US or Romanian governments re: the film?

BC: Nothing so far

NM: Rolling Stone stated that BS&T’s  “inexplicable decision to go on a State Department-sponsored tour of Poland, Romania and Yugoslavia ‘’ was the #7 worst decision in music history. Do you agree?

BC: The decision was hardly “inexplicable.”  We knew the potential harm it would cause the group’s image, but as I stated earlier… we had no choice.

NM: Who is BS&T today?

BC: Since I became the bandleader, when the occasion arose when I had to replace a member, I always strived to get the best player possible that would fit in this band’s format. Curating players and songs has been my position for many decades… the band today is actually man for man, is a great band.  Speaking for myself, the drummer is better and more fun to watch than I ever was.

Blood, Sweat & Tears

What Ever Happened To Blood, Sweat & Tears Poster

NM: What’s next for Bobby Colomby? What are some of the projects you are working on today?

BC: Some of the projects I’m working on can’t be disclosed at this time. My colleague Archie Castillo and myself have  just began working with a young, multi-faceted artist from Colombia artist named Jesus Molina. I look forward to some fun adventures with this wonderful musician/singer.

NM: What was it about the BS&T story that appealed to you?

John Scheinfeld: As a longtime fan of the band, I always wondered why it was unable to maintain the massive success it enjoyed following the explosive release of the second album, Blood, Sweat & Tears. In 1970 BS&T was one of the hottest groups in the world. And then… suddenly…they weren’t. Why? Trying to solve this mystery was just too irresistible. Equally powerful was that the story had elements of a Shakespearean tragedy – in this case, innocent musicians are forced to do something to save themselves and, in the process, are damaged irreparably.

NM: Did you have any idea about this story before Bobby Colomby brought it to you?

JS: None whatsoever. I’m so grateful to Bobby for bringing it to my attention. It’s rare to come across a largely unknown story about a band that was so popular and influential. Solving the mystery of “what the hell happened to Blood, Sweat & Tears?” as a result of

being the first American rock band to perform being the Iron Curtain was a wonderful challenge for me and my creative team. By the time our research was completed, including uncovering thousands of pages of declassified U.S. State Department documents, we had discovered many different aspects of this fascinating and unique story, some of which came as a complete surprise to Bobby and his bandmates.

NM: You have made many docs about music icons. What drives you? How do you decide on the subjects of your films?

JS: It’s all about the story for me. Is it strong and compelling and multi-layered enough to be worthy of a feature-length film? Does it challenge my storytelling skills? Does it nurture my soul, inspire me and/or make me laugh? And just as important, do I have a passion for the subject? Making a film is a lengthy and challenging process, so you want to devote your time, energy and creativity to something you are really passionate about.

NM: Is the political element important to you when you decide to take on a project?

JS: Although I am fascinated by politics and love a good political debate, it’s not an essential element when taking on a new project. On the other hand, I won’t shy away from exploring political components if they are critical to telling a great and riveting story.

Los Angeles Press Conference

Bucharest Concert

Bucharest Concert Security

NM: What were some of the main difficulties you faced in making the film?

JS: One of the things I love most about my job is the detective work. Every film has its own challenges when it comes to tracking down the best, the hard-to-find and never-before-seen audio visual elements with which to properly tell the story. This film presented more challenges than most.

When Bobby Colomby first told me about the events surrounding the Iron Curtain Tour, he mentioned that a documentary film crew had accompanied the band to shoot W for what was intended to be a theatrical documentary. That film was never released, and Bobby had no idea what became of the 65 hours of raw footage shot under the supervision of director Donn Cambern. I loved the mystery and intrigue behind this story, but without that documentary footage we wouldn’t be able to effectively tell it. So, as the pandemic was shutting the country down, my team and I began a search. We cast a wide net around the world to locate this footage, contacting anyone and everyone who had a connection to the documentary film crew, as well as private archives, independent storage facilities and film labs. It was one dead end after another. It appeared that the footage and related elements had completely vanished. And then, finally, success! While searching for the raw footage, we stumbled upon a pristine print of a 53-minute version of the documentary that had been edited for television syndication. This was an unexpected find as no such version was ever broadcast. A new high-definition transfer was made from this print and watching it provided a fascinating time capsule of this group of nine young men on an unprecedented adventure from 50 years earlier. I knew then we had the makings of a fantastic documentary.

NM: What advice would you give to a young documentary filmmaker just entering the business?

JS: First and foremost, be passionate about your subject. The temptation can be great to accept any project

that comes your way, especially if it enables you to get that first foot in the door. But others will judge you by the quality of your work, and I think being passionate about the subject means you will be more thoughtful, dig deeper, take more time to make the best possible film because of how you feel about what you’re doing.

NM: You are best known for your documentary work. Have you ever wanted to work in the fictional feature genre?

JS: Absolutely! I got my start in the business as a studio executive developing comedy and drama projects. After that I began writing my own scripts, eventually being hired to create and write pilot scripts for ABC, NBC and Fox. It is this scripted experience that, I think, distinguishes my documentary storytelling. During some COVID downtime, I actually revisited one of my favorite pilot scripts and re-wrote it for today’s landscape and hope to unleash it on the world soon. I’d certainly love the opportunity to direct a scripted feature film. And being a relentless optimist…;-)

NM: John, what is next for you? (I read there is an Elvis project in the works)

JS: I’ve just finished writing and directing the feature-length documentary, Reinventing Elvis: The ’68 Comeback. The film will begin streaming later this year on Paramount+ and reveals the compelling details behind this seminal pop culture event through the eyes of Steve Binder, the bold and visionary director of that landmark television special. I’ve just begun editing Baseball: Beyond Belief, a fresh and unique take on America’s national pastime, produced in association with Major League Baseball. We’ll take the audience on an entertaining and inspiring journey about hope, happiness, and overcoming life’s challenges. Following that, James Sears Bryant, the Executive Producer of What The Hell Happened To Blood, Sweat & Tears? and I have another project percolating (but I’m not yet at liberty to tell you what it will be…;-).

Photos Courtesy of Blood, Sweat & Tears.

Director Danny A. Abeckaser Presents Films Gemini Lounge and The Engineer to Cannes Foreign Buyers Market

Director, actor and producer Danny A. Abeckaser’s latest anticipated projects include two feature American films set to release this year, both being showcased in the international buyers market during the current Cannes Film Festival.  Each film is already secured with US distribution and will be showcased for foreign sales by Bleiberg Entertainment. Abeckaser is currently in Cannes to partake in the buyers market.

Gemini Lounge

Gemini Lounge is an independent crime thriller produced by Abeckaser’s 2B Films along with Wild7Films (Kyle Stefanski and partner Gustavo Nascimento) and will be showcased with two screenings on May 17th and 19th. The film, based on the true events of American gangster Roy DeMeo, an Italian American mobster in the Gambino crime family, and was written by Kosta Kondilopoulos. Shot in 2022 at Paramount Studios, the U.S. feature film was directed by Abeckaser and is set for a late 2023 release, with Vertical owning North American rights. Logline: After a meltdown, a demoted detective is given the opportunity to go undercover and take down the mob’s most ruthless killer, but his life and only chance at redemption spiral out of control as he loses himself in the role.

The Engineer

Based on true events, the film covers the story of Yahya Ayyash - the mastermind bombmaker who led an army of suicidal soldiers in Israel during the mid 90s. The story follows the

biggest man hunt in the history of Israel to find him. Abeckaser plays the role of agent Yakov.  The movie is produced by Abeckaser under his company 2B Films, along with Yoav Gross and Yoav Gross Productions. For both films, Abeckaser teamed up with Emile Hirsch to star as the male lead. The films are set to release back to back in the U.S. followed by their international release. Hirsh stars in Gemini Lounge, alongside Lucy Hale, Ashley Greene, Robert Davi, Jake Cannavale, Kyle Stefanski and Vincent Laresca, and in The Engineer, alongside Angel Bonanni, Tsahi Halevi, Omer Hazan, Adam Haloon, Oshri Cohen, Lee Keinan, Yarden ToussiaCohen, Robert Davi, and Kyle Stefanski. The film was shot in Tel Aviv, Israel, with music by Lionel Cohen.

Abeckaser notes, “Especially being Israeli, I was intrigued by the international manhunt and back story of The Engineer and have been wanting to tell this story for years. I was thrilled to shoot it with Emile following Gemini Lounge, as he is an incredible leading actor, and a dear friend. It was a true full circle moment to shoot in Israel where it all happened and properly showcase the story.”

Abeckaser’s other recently directed films include I Love Us (2021), Mob Town (2019), and Blackjack: The Jackie Ryan Story (2020).

Under his 2B Films production and distribution company, Abeckaser has directed six films to date since his directorial debut in 2018 and produced over 15 films, including several documentaries.

Abeckaser was recently featured in Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman, acting alongside Robert De Niro and Al Pacino, and co-starred with Sam Worthington, David Elliott and long-time friend Harvey Keitel, in Lansky. His directing career and leading man focus has been a long time in the making.

Global Entertainment Showcase

Diana Madison started her career as an intern for E! News and Entertainment Tonight. When she could not get any on camera opportunities, she launched the YouTube channel Hollyscoop, which became one of the biggest entertainment news channels in the world. After some time, one channel became four and Diana was able to sell her digital media studio to American media company Radio One/TV One.

After the sale, she decided to pursue her lifelong passion of acting. She has filmed several movies, including Mob Town, starring David Arquette and Jamie-Lynn Sigler, and I Love Us, starring Katie Cassidy.

In 2020, after executive producing the show Glam Masters for Lifetime alongside Kim Kardashian, Diana was inspired to launch her beauty brand, Diana Madison Beauty. Her “clean beauty” line is now sold at Neiman Marcus, Revolve, Anthropologie, and Naimie’s. She currently is in pre-production on the film First Gen (Working Title), and has teamed up with Village Roadshow to executive produce a crime documentary.

Chadwick Pelletier is an award-winning American-Canadian screenwriter, filmmaker, and entrepreneur. As a WGA screenwriter, Chadwick has written, optioned, and sold film and TV content at the highest level in the industry. His work as a director and producer has earned him numerous awards, including the coveted Golden Eagle statue at San Diego International Film Festival (For Blood) and two Red Poppy Awards (She Will Be Loved).

In 2017, Chadwick founded the DaVinci International Film Festival, which hosts an annual event at AMC Theatres, The Grove in Los Angeles, and is ranked among the top best reviewed festival platforms in the world. Chadwick is also the owner and CEO at Veritas Film & Television with offices in Los Angeles, California and Vancouver, British Columbia.

Diana Madison Actress, producer, entrepreneur

Chadwick Pelletier Founder, DaVinci International Film Festival

Director, writer, executive producer, and distributor Dr. Viviane Winthrop was born in Montreal. Her parents moved to Sedona, Arizona when she was a teenager. Although her father was a professional Shakespearean actor and her mother a piano teacher, Viviane chose a career in dentistry.

After 25 years as a dentist, she has recently retired to pursue her dream as a film director. The Last of the Winthrops is her directorial debut. The feature documentary recently was named Best Documentary at the Beyond Hollywood International Film Festival in Los Angeles, and is available now on Amazon, iTunes, and other streaming platforms. She is the founder of We Unite As One, LLC, a full-service production company based in Los Angeles that develops and produces narrative and documentary films.

Rehna Azim is a London-based practicing lawyer and freelance journalist who writes mainly about film and lifestyle topics. She was previously the editor of a glossy women’s magazine and is currently awards editor at Movie Marker . Her site www. itsalawyerslife.com is a lifestyle and wellbeing blog for lawyers by lawyers. She has written and produced four short legal dramas.

Dr. Viviane Winthrop Director/producer

Rehna Azim Moderator

FRFF 2023 Program

FRFF DAY ONE

10 am Official Welcome

OUT-OF-COMPETITION SCREENING

Ivalu (Oscar-nominated Live Action Short, 2023)

Based on the graphic novel by Morten Dürr and Lars Horneman, Ivalu follows a young girl named Pipaluk as she searches for older sister Ivalu, who has gone missing in the wilderness of Greenland. As Pipaluk searches for her sister, the audience learns that Ivalu was being sexually abused by the girls’ father.

Director: Anders Walter

Cast: Mila Heilmann Kreutzmann, Nivi Larsen, Angunnguaq Larsens

Producers: Rebecca Pruzan, Kim Magnusson

Country: Denmark/Greenland

DRAMA

FINALISTS

Become The Wounded

A couple tries to mend old wounds but realize it’s not about fixing things – it’s about true empathy.

Director: Amir Zargara

Country: Canada

Cinnamon

The story of a newly elected mayor who has been invited to attend a chat show. Whilst in the waiting room, awaiting to go to the interview of the chat show, the young mayor is reminded by the smell of cinnamon where he remembers observing physical and psychological abuse perpetrated by his father to his mother.

Director: Shahid Kamal

Country: United Kingdom

Deer

Ehsan a nine-year-old boy lives with his family in a far village in the North of Iran. His younger brother has a serious illness that cannot be cured by doctors. From an old story he believes that a death angel comes to get his brother’s life in the shape of a deer.

Director: Hadi Babaeifar

Country: Iran

ESTRO

In a timeless, empty, and minimalist environment, ESTRO shows the WRITER´s creative process, who falls for the main character of his book: WOMAN, a blues singer.

Director:  Daniel Tupinambá

Country: Brazil

People Watching

Two women on the edge of loneliness find each other on a bench at the zoo where the lush imagination of people-watching and their intimate connection awaken the wild of their individual longing.

Director: Kate Campbell

Country: Canada

The Third Defector

What seems like a simple assignment for a spy to keep tabs on an Iranian defector becomes a more complicated game of cat and mouse in the streets of Paris.

Director: John Gray

Country: United States

Til I Return

There is a strange tension in the air. An entire generation of young people is preparing for departure to an unknown destination, far away from the lives they know, for a very long time.

Director: Ramy Moharam Fouad

Country: Belgium

Voiceless

An international high school girl is trapped in and experiences a trauma nightmare that she never experienced before.

Director: Cindy Di Xin

Country: United States

Wherefore Art Thou?

An original reimagining of Romeo and Juliet’s balcony scene— seen through the eyes of an elderly Juliet and the young nurse who embraces her at the end of her life.

Director: Diana Cossa

Country: United States

SPECIAL MENTION (*not screening)

Absolution

A man sees his psychiatrist for help with a difficult problem. The conversation takes a sinister turn, and all is not what it seems.

Directors: Lauren Spohn

Country: United States

Demanded Supply

A brother-sister assassin duo become part of a scheme much bigger than themselves, when a culture vulturing client calls an audible.

Directors: Sean Famoso, Dennis Williams

Country: United States

how I lost my virginity

Using her best friend’s real-life experience of losing her virginity, first-time director Claire Chubbuck explores systematic sexual misperceptions in an award-winning short film - ultimately concluding there is work to do on all sides of the gender perigon.

Directors: Claire Chubbuck

Country: United States

Say Nothing

An undercover voodoo woman is devastated after losing her son to knife violence. Fed up with the youth crime, and tired of the police delay in apprehending the killers, she places a body switch spell on a jaded police officer.

Directors: D’Marie Dowe

Country: United Kingdom

Sob

Valentin and his wife Elena are sick with Covid-19 at its peak when the doors of the hospital are locked. Their last chance is to go to Vladimir Sergeevich, an old, retired doctor with Alzheimer’s. Valentine, accepting his fate, asks to be taken home, but Elena, in desperation, decides to take this last opportunity.

Director: Ekaterina Gorbacheva

Country: Russian Federation

COMEDY FINALISTS A Bad Shag

After a night of depression and alcohol, a man wakes up in a car. He meets the car’s owner, a benevolent senior who welcomes him into his workshop and offers him a coffee. As the conversation progresses, the tongues loosen...

Director:  Jeremy Condamine

Country: France

Hairball

Helen is an older single woman who turns her dates into cats after the tragic untimely deaths of her husband and young adult son.

Director: Nancy O’Brien

Country: United States

Race

An overly confident cop’s first day on the job gets interesting as he navigates unfamiliar territories and people.

Director: Sean Famoso, Dennis Williams, Gladimir Gelin

Country: United States

Take The Chocolate

The story of a two-year-old girl who likes a boy and wants to make him her friend. He is not interested but she wouldn’t give up till he is friends with her.

Director:  Shahid Kamal

Country: United Kingdom

MUSIC VIDEO FINALISTS

Far Away Man – The Dalmations

Director: Wil Allen

Country: Australia

La Tierra Llora – Paulina Aguirre

Directors: Paulina Aguirre, Rick Alanis

Country: Ecuador/United States

Love Louder – The Meeps

Director: Olivier Staphylas

Country: United States

Millionaire - Phara featuring Norhvn

Director: Wellky

Country: France

Next Steps – Nicki White

Director: Sue Vicory

Country: United States

FASHION/LIFESTYLE

FINALISTS

Le Conte D’Hiver / Winter’s Tale

Whatever she touches or sees takes her to a different time and space.

Director: Cansu Boğuşlu

Country: Turkey

/NOT2B - The Last Fashion Show by Eszter Polyak

Going through six phases, presenting six garments from the designer’s new, now eternal, skeleton in which she is about to enclose herself. And the final answer is: not to be. But is it possible to give this answer? Is it possible not to be?

Director: Giuliano Salvatore

Country: Hungary

Qianlong Visits Jiangnan

Emporer and Empress Quianlong visit their subjects in Jiangnan.

Director: Qihan Li

Country: China

Salt

The story of a group of people, who put away their fear of the elemental forces of nature and instead rediscover natural power, returning a bit to their own roots.

Director: Dominik Hill

Country: Germany

The Window

This film is about a complex crisis of a creative man that may be solved by simple meeting. Unexpected human relationships are able to drastically change the lives of the participants involved.

Director: Giorgi Toradze

Country: Georgia

ACTIVISM

FINALISTS A Big Heart

The story of a volunteer boy who helped 1000 families of the elderly during the 2020 lockdown.

Director: Eva Lanska

Country: Israel

I Am Light

A cinematic short film that aims to create an emotional connection with viewers and shed light on the experiences of black people in the UK.

Director: Julia Schönstädt

Country: United Kingdom

Chinese Laundry

A short autobiographical dance film about a trans-generational British Chinese immigrant experience of trying to fit in.

Director: Patricia Zhou

Country: United Kingdom

FRFF DAY TWO

10 am – 11:30 am GLOBAL ENTERTAINMENT SHOWCASE

Panel moderated by Rehna Azim, awards editor Movie Marker Magazine, featuring panelists Diana Madison, Chadwick Pelletier, S.A. Williams, and Viviane Winthrop pls take out S.A. Williams, Should be Chadwick Pelletier, and Viviane Winthrop

Day Two Screenings begin at 12 pm

DOCUMENTARY FINALISTS

Aureo & Mirele

The short explores self-identity and gender through the eyes of a Brazilian immigrant in Paris as he organizes the arrival of a mysterious lady called Mirele.

Director: Filipe Galvon

Country: United States

Dugout Dick

A heartwarming portrait of an Idaho hermit, Richard “Dugout Dick” Zimmerman, who lived in caves that he dug on the banks of the Salmon River.

Director: Harrod Blank, Joanne Shen

Country: United States

Lorraine

Lorraine Battle speaks on the death of her son, Calvin Antoine Battle. One of the biggest burdens a soul can carry is the loss of a loved one.

Director: Jeremiah Marcus Battle

Country: United States

The Key To Heaven

Ara Davidi Ghazaryan describes his relationship with art and the meaning he gives to the path he has taken in his life and work.

Director: Rossano B. Maniscalchi

Country: United States

Translators

In the United States, there are over 11 million child translators. The story follows Harye, Densel, and Virginia as they translate for their parents in everyday situations.

Director: Rudy Valdez

Country: United States

SCI-FI/HORROR FINALISTS Are You Awake?

Dale is a detached woman who earns a living by waking strangers up in the morning. After spending her day making house calls, she agrees to standin for a colleague. When she enters a patient’s house, she’s unsettled by the mess she finds.

Director: Gabriel Caste

Country: United States

Overview

An astronaut volunteers for a solo flight to scour the galaxy in search of life.

Director: Chandler Gray

Country: United States

Storage

After waking up in a basement storage room with no memory of how she got there or who put her there, a pragmatic doctor must learn to work with an emotionally unstable cheerleader in order to escape.

Director: Colin Francis Costello

Country: United States

EXPERIMENTAL FINALISTS Findings

A young woman’s process of finding herself. She no longer fits into her own home, but she cannot find a new home, and loses herself in the search for it…

Director: Kristina Schippling

Country: Germany

Totem

The short complements artist Wallace Chan’s eponymous sculpture exhibition, which launched during the opening week of the 59th Venice Biennale.

Director: Javier Ideami

Country: Spain

You Don’t Deserve This

A dead sea separates the almost-was and the art of letting go.

Director: Shaun Rylee

Country: United States

MICRO SHORT

FINALISTS Only Fire

Only Fire is a visual ode to the birth of a machine conjured from a dream, set to a script that explores the vulnerability of an idea in its infancy.

Director: Neel Kumar

Country: United Arab Emirates

Pandora’s Box

After stealing Pandora’s Box, a couple of outlaws must make their great escape à la Bonnie & Clyde as the Mafia and the FBI are close on their tail.

Director: Teo Marinakis

Country: United States

The Enemy

A visual poem based on the quote from Haruki Murakami’s The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle: “Hatred is like a two-edged sword, when you cut the other person, you cut yourself.”

Director: Stanislav Smyrnov

Country: Ukraine

13 Days Before Winter

A mother condemned by cancer. A son’s suffering. 13 days until the unbearable fate.

Director: Julie Sanchez

Country: France

SPECIAL MENTION

Scrapbooks

While indulging in his favorite hobby, a lonely young man finds himself longing for companionship, especially as two old ladies enter the same patio he’s in and start catching up.

Director: Marie Rouhban

Country: United States

ANIMATION FINALISTS

Las Posadas (The Inns)

Nine-day Mexican Christmas tradition based on the Nativity story of Mary and Joseph’s intrepid trek from Nazareth to Bethlehem in search for a safe place to stay for the birth of baby Jesus.

Director: Patricia Vonne

Country: United States

Somewhere

A story about memory, remembering, and loss, following Vincent, a researcher at the Halo Space Research Center, who makes a detour to Planet Earth to retrieve an item.

Director: Fabrizio Ellul

Country: Malta