Dear friends of documentary cinema, 

We are thrilled to share with you the list of films selected for the 23rd Ji.hlava IDFF! You can nowbrowse through 277 films selected from 3700 submissions. The programme this year includes 91 world, 47 international and 17 European premieres. The screening schedule day by day is now online as well. 

Cristi Puiu will select from nine Opus Bonum premieres

The Opus Bonum is the Ji.hlava's competition section, which presents the most noteworthy documentaries representing diverse trends from around the world. All nine films are significant and so the festival traditionally invites one juror - this year the renowned Romanian filmmaker Cristi Puiu - to pick one glowing work. Films from Egypt, France, Germany, India, Italy, Madagascar, Palestine, Switzerland, the Czech Republic and the United Kingdom have been selected. Read all about the films in competition here.

Six world and ten international premieres in Between the Seas

The Between the Seas section – the only competition focusing on the region of Central and Eastern Europe – will feature sixteen remarkable films from Belarus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Ukraine. Apart from this main section, the Between the Seas student competition will again present mainly debuts by authors studying at the region’s film schools.

First Lights will introduce best documentary debuts

The First Lights section presents first feature-length documentaries by international filmmakers, with the aim of highlighting the search for new forms and the changing nature of subjects and styles. We focus on the works of emerging filmmakers, convinced that they will become a strong voice in documentary cinema. The section comprises debuts directed by five women and four men coming from very diverse film environments. Read all about the films in the competition here.

Ji.hlava’s official spot: After Godard, Dvortsevoy

We are proud that our official festival spots are keeping track record of being made by remarkable film directors. After Jóhann Jóhannsson, Godfrey Reggio or Jean-Luc Godard in 2018 we are honoured that the author of this year's festival spot  is Kazakhstani director Sergey Dvortsevoy. The trailer consists of a single take: a look on the face of actress Samal Yeslam who won the best actress award in Cannes for her role in the latest Dvortsevoy’s feature film, Ayka. However, the scene in the spot is captured just by chance; the scene was not scripted, here Yeslam is being ‘just herself‘. The festival will present also a comprehensive retrospective of Dvortsevoy’s films.

Short Joy: Vote for the Best Short Film now!

Short Joy is a traditional competition section of Ji.hlava IDFF presenting the best short documentaries. This year again, we invite the public to become the jurors. Voting is possible viaDoc Alliance portal, where you can watch all the films in the competition online and for free until October 22 midnight (CEE time). The winner, which will be announced at the Ji.hlava's opening ceremony on October 24, is automatically eligible for the pre-selection in the Documentary Short Subject category of the Academy Awards®.

Virtual Reality at 23rd Ji.hlava, online reservations open

This year, Ji.hlava will again present the largest collection of virtual reality works in the Czech Republic, which reflects the dizzying pace of change in their design, as well as technological and visual qualities. You can look forward to linear 360° films which we present in a VR cinema in four curated programme blocks, and six interactive experiences that will be presented as installations. You can now make online reservations for the VR cinema. More information here.

Matchmaking Accelerator will help your networking

Over 1,100 film professionals are expected to arrive to the festival this year to the Ji.hlava’s richIndustry programme. From October 16 you can start planning your meetings in Ji.hlava via our matchmaking service. Simply turn to our matchmaking coordinator and we will advise you and suggest who you can meet. You can also visit our online Industry guide to see who and when is attending the festival.

Silver Eye Awards at Ji.hlava IDFF

Ji.hlava will see the eleventh Silver Eye Awards given by the Institute of Documentary Film to the best films from Central and Eastern Europe submitted to the East Silver Market. International juries will select winners in two categories: short- and feature-length. This year, 21 films (10 shorts and 11 features) were nominated from 1027 submitted films. Film professionals at Ji.hlava will be able to use the services of the East Silver video library consisting of almost 300 film titles.

27/09: Symposium at KIFF
27/09: Artist Film in Focus at KIFF
28/09: Screening at KIFF
28/09: Artist Film in Focusat KIFF

Join us for the On & For events and coinciding 
Kaunas International Film Festival programme.

„On & For Production and Distribution Symposium“ is a project focusing on questions dedicated to artist moving image production and distribution. Symposium will host discussions among film and art curators, producers, artists. Event is composed of talks, discussions, film screenings and Q&As with filmmakers.

SYMPOSIUM

open to the public
27/09/19
9:30 - 16.00
Location: VDU Didžioji aula, Gimnazijos g. 7, Kaunas

Programme

9:30 – 10:00 Welcome and coffee

10:00 - 10:05 Introduction and moderation by Ilona Jurkonytė (Researcher, Film Curator, Artistic Director of Kaunas IFF) 

10:05 – 12:00 Two Approaches to Understanding Artists’ Moving Image: National/Institutional and an Artist Film Case Analysis

Two talks on artists’ moving image (AMI) production experiences, addressing how different production contexts and frameworks affect the kinds of works that are being produced in different countries and how production and dissemination can be centred around individual artistic practices.

10:05 – 11:05 Navigating the Foggy Seas of Artists’ Moving Image Production – Len Murusalu (Artist, Filmmaker, Producer at ChronoLens, EE)

11:05 – 12:00 “On & For Production” Case Study: Labour Power Plant (FR, DE, 2019, 83 min) by Romana Schmalisch (Artist, Filmmaker, DE) and Robert Schlicht (Artist, Filmmaker, DE)

— Labour Power Plant (FR, DE, 2019, 83 min) by Romana Schmalisch and Robert Schlicht will be screened on September 28: Artist Film in Focus. 

13:30 - 16:00 Defining Artists’ Moving Image Production and Distribution 

How do different institutions participate in AMI production and distribution processes? How does the production process influence not only the kind of work that is being produced, but also its dissemination potentials? What are the best ways to foster new forms of cinema? Do language and formal requirements set by commissioners and funding bodies help open the potentials of audio-visual critical thinking? How can we redefine the notion of “success” in relation to audio-visual work? How can we rethink existing funding structures and initiate more suitable ones? 

Speakers: Lene Berg (Artist, Filmmaker, NO), Mindaugas Bundza (Chief of Staff, Lithuanian Council for Culture, LT), Dr. Lolita Jablonskienė (Lithuanian National Gallery of Art Chief Curator, LT), Audrius Kuprevičius (Film Production Department, Lithuanian Film Centre, LT), Len Murusalu (Artist, Filmmaker, EE), Asta Vaičiulytė (Curator, Contemporary Art Centre, LT), and Dagnė Vildžiūnaitė (Producer, Just a Moment, LT).

Curator Ilona Jurkonytė
Curator’s Assistant Agnė Valatkaitė

Read more on our website:Symposium

Image: Labour Power Plant (2019) by Romana Schmalisch and Robert Schlicht

Artist Film in Focus
Screening and Q&A

open to the public
27/09/19
19:30
Location: Kauno kultūros centras, Kęstučio g. 1

The Artist Film in Focusat KIFF invites Lene Berg to screen her latest film, False Belief (NO, 2019, 105 min), and to engage in a conversation on the making of the film together with her protagonist, known as D in the film. 

False Belief is the love story of a couple caught up in the gentrification of a neighborhood that is wiping out a seminal African-American cultural legacy and displacing its original residents. In 2008 Norwegian artist and filmmaker Lene Berg moved in with her partner, a black New York publisher, who will be referred to as D. After giving a statement to the police about being harassed by his neighbor in Harlem, D was arrested, prosecuted, and imprisoned. But for what exactly? This initiated a journey where D's faith in the American justice system put everything he cherished in life at risk.

Curator Ilona Jurkonytė
Assistant Curator Agnė Valatkaitė

Read more on our website:Artist Film in Focus

SCREENING
open to the public
28/09/19
16:00
Location: Kauno kultūros centras, Kęstučio g. 1

On & For is delighted to screen the latest films of Beatrice Gibson, I Hope I am Loud When I’m Dead (UK, 2018, 20 min) and Two Sisters Who Are Not Sisters (UK, 2019, 23 min), at Kaunas International Film Festival.

I Hope I am Loud When I'm Dead

Reframing our current political moment in intimate terms, Gibson's urgent snapshot of social calamities doubles as a document of practical resistance. Pauline Oliveros' music and the words of poets CAConrad and Eileen Myles imbue images of street riots and refugee migration with graceful complexity.

Two Sisters Who Are Not Sisters

Two sisters (who are not sisters), two pregnancies, a two-seater car, a beauty queen, a poodle. The election of a second fascist – this time in Brazil. A crime thriller without a crime, Two sisters unfolds like a dream. 

Curator Ilona Jurkonytė
Assistant Curator Agnė Valatkaitė

Read more on our website: Screening

ARTIST FILM IN FOCUS
Screening and Q&A
open to the public
28/09/19
17:00

The Artist Film in Focus at KIFF welcomes back the artists Robert Schlicht and Romana Schmalisch to On & For to screen their film Labour Power Plant (FR, DE, 2019, 85 min) and to engage in a conversation on the film. 

A new production centre, set in an undetermined future. What is being produced here? People with their own wills, interests and desires are being equipped with the different physiological, cognitive, psychological and social core competencies to transform them into human resources. Welcome to Labour Power Plant.

Labour Power Plant was one of the first projects to be supported by On & For Production, with a Work Session in 2014, and we are thrilled to see it released!

Don't miss the artists discussing the production of this film during the On & For Production and Distribution Symposium in Kaunas on 27 September. 
Location: Kauno kultūros centras, Kęstučio g. 1

Read more on our website: Artist Film in Focus

On & For Production and Distribution

On & For Production and Distribution (On & For) is a cooperative European project that is conceived to advance and strengthen the field of artists’ moving image. 

On & For is a project initiated by Auguste Orts (BE) in collaboration with Kaunas International Film Festival (LT), LUX/LUX Scotland (UK) and Nordland Art and Film School (NO).


With the support of the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union.

Europa Distribution will hold its 13^th Annual Conference in the scope of MIA Market – Mercato Internazionale Audiovisivo – in Rome. The event will take place from October 16 to 19 and will bring together around sixty independent distributors, all members of the European network. 

Continuing with the now traditional “Everything you always wanted to know about distribution but were afraid to ask” talk series, on Saturday October 19 from 09.30 to 11.00 Europa Distribution and MIA will co-host an open panel entitled “Why Together is Better: How collaboration between sectors can help the promotion of independent films.”

The discussion will focus on the role of film distribution today and on the value of the synergy and cooperation among the different players involved in film production, distribution and exhibition. Because of their specific place in the value chain, distributors are playmakers linking the creative and production part of a film’s life with the exhibition part and the audiences. They have a pivotal role in creating a market for a film when it moves to its b2b life to the b2c one. This role makes them work with each other as well as with other sectors of the value chain, essentially the international sales and the exhibition sectors.  Times are tough and collaboration has rightly won its place in the current debates, notably as part of the Distribution Selective Scheme. This panel wants to be a place where all players can discuss with the audience the needs of their evolving sector, and how to make it better for the sake of independent films.

The confirmed panellists are the film director Gianni Zanasi, the producer Ed Guiney(Element pictures, Ireland), the sales agent Katarzyna Siniarska (New Europe Film Sales, Poland), the distributor Stefano Massenzi (Lucky Red and Co-president of Europa Distribution, Italy), the exhibitor Kim Foss (Grand Teatret Copenhagen, Denmark), and the VoD platform representative Guido Zucchini (CHILI, Italy).

Attending distributors will also participate in the MIA activities, including works in progress and special screenings, meetings and networking events. Europa Distribution’s General Assembly will provide an opportunity for members to discuss the activities of the Association, while the many evolutions to come for the independent distribution sector, will be addressed during dedicated round tables. Together, distributors will explore ideas to increase the circulation and promotion of independent films.
  

Europa Distribution is the association of independent film distributors. With around 120 leading independent distributors representing 30 countries in Europe and beyond, it serves as the voice of the sector, and acts as a network and a think tank. Since 2006, Europa Distribution has been creating new bridges for its members to share knowledge and mutualise experience. Through dedicated brainstorming and training sessions, open panels, informal gatherings, the Association’s aim is enhancing the circulation of information and ideas and to improve the curation, promotion and distribution of independent films. 

On Monday, October 14, the hustle and bustle will start in the historical center of Sibiu and it will last for 7 days during the 26th edition of Astra Film International Festival, an event of great significance and high cultural standing. The official programme of the 2019 edition is impressive: 126 documentaries were selected, 46 of which will be competing in the 4 competition sections, 58 will have their premiere at AFF 2019, 55 screenings will be followed by Q&A sessions with the Romanian and foreign directors who will be attending the festival and 29 films will be screened in VR and full-dome format.

Hundreds of cinematic events will carry the film enthusiasts between 9 screening venues in the historical center of Sibiu: Thalia Hall, Thalia Glass Hall, Gong Theatre, Astra Film Cinema 1, Astra Film Cinema 2, Cinema Ion Besoiu – Large Hall, Cinema Ion Besoiu – Small Hall, Full-dome and VR dome, while a series of events will take place at Hub AFF Thalia. The audience will discover diverse and profound stories about the world we live in through the directors’ lens.

This edition of Astra Film Festival promises to be one of superlatives from its very first day. The opening gala will be marked by two exceptional events: the Romanian premiere screening of “State Funerals” directed by Sergei Loznitsa, one of the most important voices in world cinema, and the panel discussion on communism and post-communism with Emil Hurezeanu, one of the most valuable   political analysts from Romania, who has been acting as Ambassador of Romania in Berlin since 2015. The opening film that Loznitsa describes as “a visual study of the nature of Stalin's personality cult” fit to cause unrest in the current global context will be the starting point in the discussion. The event will be held at Thalia Hall, at 7:00 PM, in the presence of hundreds of special guests.

The cinematic adventure will continue during the following days with hundreds of screenings, absolute premieres, guests from all over the world and spectacular events. A series of films followed by discussions with the authors and special guests thoroughly explore significant topics in contemporary society. The phenomena of corruption is tackled by the screening of the documentary “The House with a Lock” and the discussions that will follow with director Dana Gavrea, Dumitru Borțun (SNSPA professor, interviewed in the film), political analyst Cristian Pârvulescu and Marius Panduru, Eugen Kelemen and Cristian Radu, members of the production team. What is justice and who are the people behind the court cases are questions that will be answered by the screening of “People of Justice” and by the protagonists themselves, Iulia Georgescu and Theodor Ioniță, during the Q&A session. The Romanian education system is scrutinized in the film “Teach” followed by a discussion with director Alex Brendea. The screenings that will be attended by the authors, protagonists or other special guests are marked with the Q&A sign on the festival programme.

This year, the festival proposes 12 diverse, complex and captivating special programmes that will fully engage the members of the audience, pushing them towards introspection and guiding them out of their comfort zone: “The Family Camera”, “Marriage, Sex and Beyond”, “Unknown China”, “DokStation”, “Europe 30: Between Walls”, “Great Masters”, “Sex Work Stories”, “Power is Feminine”, “The Legal System under Scrutiny”, “Videograms Romania 1989”, “The Professional Foreigner. Asen Balikci and Visual Ethnography” and “Special Screenings”.

The programme of this year’s edition of the festival is completed by live music performances (Adrian Naidin, Disco Sigaretta, Balkan Taksim, Om la lună and Ungo Visuals), the DocumentaryTank@AFF programme, which also includes Astra Film Lab, a development programme for documentary film projects that will bring to Sibiu around 50 specialists with international experience, event-meetings such as “The Film Collector” with director Andrei Ujică or “Astra Film: Life in Documentaries”, a panel discussion with legendary Peter Dale (Head of Documentary Department at the National School of Film and Television), during which he will present his prestigious career and his perspective on storytelling in documentary film-making.

”Over the past 26 years, Astra Film Festival has gained international recognition. Consequently, many filmmakers want to present their films in Sibiu charmed by the original festival programming, the warmth with which the public receives the films, the permanent flux of ideas and the multicultural atmosphere within the former medieval citadel. Having the experience of previous editions I can attest to the fact there are lots of established directors who first came to Astra Film Festival. That is why it is important that you watch as many films from our generous programme. The official selection is filled with documentaries that can penetrate the minds of audience members and remain forever imprinted in their memory”, said Dumitru Budrala, founding director of Astra Film Sibiu.

You can find the complete festival programme here: https://www.astrafilm.ro/en/program/

Tickets for AFF 2019 can be purchased online: https://eventbook.ro/festival/astra-film-festival

Astra Film Festival Sibiu is held under the High Patronage of the Romanian Presidency.

Astra Film Festival 2019 is coordinated by Astra Film, CNM Astra and the Astra Film Foundation, with the support of the Sibiu County Council, the Ministry of Culture and National Identity and the National Center of Cinematography. The event is co-financed by the Sibiu Local Council through the City Hall of Sibiu.

From over 3000 eligible submissions, the sub-festival of Black Nights Film Festival selected a total of 40 short films to the live action short film competition programmes, with 24 in the Live Action Competition and the festival's student section entitled New Talents hosting 16 films.

The PÖFF Shorts live action competition consisting of films from across the world will see the International Premiere of CHRISTMAS STORIES (Ukraine), directed by Valeria Sochyvets and Philip Sotnychenko, the team behind TECHNICAL BREAK which won the PÖFF Shorts Best Live Action Film in 2017.

Also being welcomed back will be Even Hafnor who won the festival’s Grand Prix award in 2013. He, along with co-director Lisa Brooke Hansen, will present the darkly funny FUN FACTORY (Norway). Other highlights will include THE DISTANCE BETWEEN US AND THE SKY. (Dir: Vasilis Kekatos, Greece, France), the winner of this year’s Palme d’Or for Best Short Film, THE SANDS OF VENUS (UK), directed by frequent Terry Gilliam collaborator Tony Grisoni and starring stalwart British actors Ian Hart, Toby Jones and Shirley Henderson, and FROM MATTI WITH LOVE (Dir. Jarno Lindemark, Finland) starring Estonia’s own Rain Tolk.

The New Talents competition will include a screening of ALL CATS ARE GREY IN THE DARK (Dir. Lasse Linder, Switzerland), the documentary that won the IWC Short Cuts Award for Best Short at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival.

The international short film and animation festival PÖFF Shorts comprises of three competition programmes: live action and animation with their respective student sections known as New Talents, and a National Competition to showcase the best of Estonian short form cinema.

Full programme will be revealed online by November 8.

The international short film and animation festival PÖFF Shorts will be held from November 19-27, 2019.

For more information on PÖFF Shorts go to http://2019shorts.poff.ee/en/english/
For more information on Black Nights Film Festival go to: www.poff.ee
Press accreditation for the 23rd Black Nights Film Festival now open: https://vp.eventival.eu/poff/23
PÖFF Shorts 2018 Flickr gallery: https://www.flickr.com/photos/poffihunt/collections/72157700601395162/

Full list of live action films in competition:

SHORTS INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION: LIVE ACTION 

12 K. MARX STREET. Dir: Irine Jordania, Georgia
A SISTER. Dir: Delphine Girard, Belgium
BANALITY. Dir: Balázs Simonyi, Hungary
CHRISTMAS STORIES. Dir: Valeria Sochyvets, Philip Sotnychenko, Ukraine
DANCING FOR YOU. Dir: Katarzyna Lesisz, Poland
DO THE BLIND GAZE THROUGH A WINDOW? Dir: Bora Topaloglu, Turkey
ELECTRIC SWAN. Dir: Konstantina Kotzamani, France, Greece, Argentina, 
FROM MATTI WITH LOVE. Dir: Jarno Lindemark, Finland
FUN FACTORY. Dir: Even Hafnor, Lisa Brooke Hansen, Norway, Germany
FUNFAIR. Dir: Kaveh Mazaheri, Iran
GYPSY HUNT. Dir: Mikkel Andreas Smidt, Denmark
HOLY FAMILY. Dir: Margarida Lucas, Portugal
IN BETWEEN. Dir: Samir Karahoda, Kosovo
MONSTER GOD. Dir: Agustina San Martín, Argentina
SHOOTING MS REHA'S FILM. Dir: Elvin Adigozel, France, Azerbaijan
SILENCE OF THE FISH. Dir: Hilke Rönnfeldt, Iceland, Denmark, Germany
TEN O'CLOCK. Dir: Samuel Tebandeke, Uganda, Kenya
THE DEVIL'S HARMONY. Dir: Dylan Holmes Williams, United Kingdom
THE DISTANCE BETWEEN US AND THE SKY. Dir: Vasilis Kekatos, Greece, France
THE EVIL EYE. Dir: Leonore Kasper, Germany, Romania
THE LAMB. Dir: Nina Violic, Croatia
THE SANDS OF VENUS. Dir: Tony Grisoni, United Kingdom
VINEGAR BATHS. Dir: Amanda Nell Eu, Malaysia
VIRAGO. Dir: Kerli Kirch Schneider, Estonia

SHORTS NEW TALENTS COMPETITION: LIVE-ACTION

ALL CATS ARE GREY IN THE DARK. Dir: Lasse Linder, Switzerland
APRIL. Dir: Kinsey Zhang, China
BINI. Dir: Erblin Nushi, United States
ELEPHANTBIRD. Dir: Masoud Soheili, Afghanistan
I AM MACKENZIE. Dir: Artemis Anastasiadou, United States
LIKE A GOOD KID. Dir: Arian Vazirdaftari, Iran
MY PLANET. Dir: Valery Carnoy , Belgium
PARENTAL ADVISORY. Dir: Benjamin Belloir, Belgium
PERFECT MOMENT. Dir: Matthew Noydens, Belgium
SECRET LIVES OF ASIANS AT NIGHT. Dir: KEFF, United states
SEÑOR. Dir: Masha Clark, United Kingdom
STORMY. Dir: Jeong-gil HAN, Korea
THE APRICOT TREE. Dir: Gideon Van Eeden, Netherlands
THE PREGNANT GROUND. Dir: Haolu Wang, China
THE RASPBERRY TASTE. Dir: David Noblet, Belgium
THE YEARNING. Dir: Cesar Reyna, Estonia
THEM. Dir: Tim Dünschede, Germany

PÖFF Shorts 2018 award ceremony. Photo: Lampros Rousodimos / PÖFF

PÖFF Shorts 2018 Night Cinema screening. Photo: PÖFF

In our Documentary competition section, picking just one or two films to recommend would be simply too difficult. Stories about dancers, bands, forgotten tribes or Filipino oligarchs will keep you in the cinema for the whole day. 

The Kingmaker, dir. Lauren Greenfield

"I tend to work in a more hanging-out-with-the-character kind of way. And then you have this woman, who seems so charismatic and kind, and generous, only to suddenly start talking about her lovely friends, Saddam Hussein and Gaddafi. I needed to give some context to what she was saying, because when you are making a documentary, people believe that what you put forward is the truth. When I realised she is an unreliable narrator, I needed to bring in other people. That's her power – she is incredibly convincing" – said Lauren Greenfield on our festival blog."I think that’s what I have always been trained to do as a documentary filmmaker and as a photographer – you try to document and understand the people you are with. She is somebody who can laugh at herself but I never laugh at my subjects.”

143 Sahara Street, dir. Hassen Ferhani, Algeria, France, Qatar 2019, 100’

A tiny cafe in the Sahara. One table, coffee, omelettes. Malika the elderly owner listens to the stories shared by travellers. The film was a prize-winner of this year’s Locarno festival.  

After Munich, dir. Francine Zuckerman, Canada 2019, 78’                           
The massacre during the Munich Olympics in 1972. For the first time, this story will be told through the eyes of four women directly affected by that day.     

Born2Drive, dir. Daniel Fahre, Norway 2019, 88’              
A fast and furious documentary about 15-year-old Oliver Solberg, the world’s youngest rallycross driver. A riveting film, even for those who don’t have much to do with cars.       

Citizen K, dir. Alex Gibney, USA, UK 2019, 128’       
The Oscar-winning director creates a film portrait of Mikhail Khodorkovsky and post-Soviet Russia, where nothing is true and everything is possible. Alex Gibney’s latest documentary was screened at the Venice and Toronto film festivals.    

In My Blood It Runs, dir. Maya Newell, Australia 2019, 84’             
Ten-year-old Dujuan is from the Arrernte indigenous people. He is a healer, a good hunter and speaks three languages, but the colonial school system only sees a backward Aborigine.

KULT FILM, dir. Olga Bieniek, Poland 2019, 80’   
This is not a film about the band’s history. We watch them in a way that enables us to get closer to them. No one has been this close before.     

Lil’ Buck: Real Swan, dir. Louis Wallecan, France, USA 2019, 85’            
An exuberant documentary about an extraordinary dancer who combined a fluid street dance style from Memphis with classical ballet: Lil’ Buck, who has toured with the likes of Madonna. 

Lonely Runners: Moving On!, dir. Martin Repka, Slovakia 2019, 82’
The story of the extraordinary friendship of three great Slovak modernist poets who formed the legendary literary group The Lonely Runners in 1963. A story of an inspirational friendship.

Never Happened, dir. Barbora Berezňáková, Slovakia, Czech Republic 2019, 80’            
Once upon a time, in a Central-Eastern European country, the son of the president was kidnapped. A story about crimes committed in the newly established democratic Republic of Slovakia. 

Our Little Poland, dir. Matěj Bobřík, Poland 2019, 70’             
Every year a group of a dozen or so Japanese students decide to sign up for Polish Language and Culture Studies at the University of Tokyo. One of the tasks is to stage a play in Polish.  

Overseas, dir. Sung-A Yoon Belgium, France 2019, 90’             
A training centre for Filipino women deployed abroad to work as domestic workers. Among other things, they prepare themselves for the abuse they will likely face. 

The Gift, dir. Giuliano Fratini, Italy 2019, 89’
In 1983, Andrei Tarkovsky is shooting Nostalgia in Italy when his permit to work abroad expires and he is required to return home. Instead, he decides to break with the Soviet Union. 

The Kingmaker, dir. Lauren Greenfield, USA, Denmark 2019, 101’
Imelda Marcos, wife of the former president and dictator of the Philippines, is 90 today. Despite many setbacks, she persistently works to restore her family to greatness. 

The Last American Colony, dir. Bestor Cram, Mike Majoros, Puerto Rico, USA 2019, 90’
Puerto Rico, which many see as the last colony in the Western Hemisphere, is still a US unincorporated territory. A moving story about the universal human need to fight for one’s identity.

Words Can’t Go There, dir. David Neptune, USA, Japan 2019, 89’
The extraordinary journey of John Kaizan Naptune, a surfer from California who became a master player of the shakuhachi Japanese flute and an innovator of this traditional instrument.

ANIMARKT Pitching is a great opportunity to present your puppet short film project to an international jury and attract partners for its realization. The final projects were presented on 11th October during the ANIMARKT Stop Motion Forum, which was held in Łódź for the fourth time.

Pitching is one of the ANIMARKT Stop Motion Forum program sections - the world’s only industry event dedicated to stop motion and puppet animation. 15 finalists took part in the competition for puppet short animations at the development stage. The jury composed of: Luce Grosjean (Distributor, Miyu Distribution), Kerdi Oengo (Producer, Nukufilm), Jacek Spychalski (Set design and stop-motion animation specialist, CeTA) awarded 11 prizes. The Glass Elephant project was the big winner, as it won four awards, including a special accolade from CeTA Film Studio (the Audiovisual Technology Centre in Wroclaw) - a voucher worth PLN 60,000 (ca €14.000) for using the studio and its facilities for film production.

The full list of winners of ANIMARKT Pitching: 

– Special accolade from CeTA Film Studio (the Audiovisual Technology Centre in Wrocław), namely voucher worth PLN 60,000 (ca €14.000): Glass Elephants, dir. Vykintas Labanauskas & Dominyka Adomaitytė (Lithuania)

– Special accolade from CeTA Film Studio (the Audiovisual Technology Centre in Wrocław), namely voucher worth PLN 40,000 (ca €9.300): Money and Happiness, dir. Ana Nedeljković & Nikola Majdak jr. (Czech Republic, Serbia)

– Co-production Award sponsored by Folimage: Glass Elephants, dir. Vykintas Labanauskas
& Dominyka Adomaitytė (Lithuania)

– Distribution Award by Radiator IP Sales: Glass Elephants, dir. Vykintas Labanauskas & Dominyka Adomaitytė (Lithuania)

– Dragonframe 4 licence with a Bluetooth keypad: Rest in Piece, dir. Antoine Antabi (Germany, Syria, Quatar)

– Ale kino+ Award. The TV channel will buy the license rights for one pitched project when it’s finished: Albert, dir. Szandra Pataki (Hungary), Au, dir. Katarzyna Majsner (Poland) and Luthier, dir. Carlos González Penagos (Colombia)

– Accreditation for MIFA 2020 at Annecy Festival: Luthier, dir. Carlos González Penagos (Colombia)

– Expert consultations with puppet maker Marcin Zalewski, available at the production stage of the awarded project: Hain, dir. Alejandra Jaramillo (Chile)

– APALAB award, consisting of a 2 weeks writing and development residence in the Animation Production Center Quirino Cristiani in Cordoba, including accommodation in the castle, or in a house close to the castle. Also including mentoring/development consultancy in scriptwriting, production and art for development stage, and meetings with producers, considering international co-production fund for animation in Cordoba (Argentina): No Happily Ever After, dir. Gabriela Plačková & Alžběta Göbelová (Czech Republic) 

- CEE Animation Forum Award – one accreditation to the CEE Animation Forum, local transport (Prague-Trebon-Prague) and 3 night’s accommodation for one person sponsored by CEE Animation: Glass Elephants, dir. Vykintas Labanauskas & Dominyka Adomaitytė (Lithuania)

The ANIMART Stop Motion Forum is organized by MOMAKIN – an organisation dealing with the popularization of animation, as well as supporting its creators in Poland and internationally through comprehensive activities in the field of production, distribution, promotion and education. 

ANIMARKT is organised thanks to the co-financing from the International Visegrad Fund, the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage from the Culture Promotion Fund and the Polish Film Institute. More info is available at www.animarkt.pl

The main partner of the event is EC1 Łódź - City of Culture and Łódź Film Commission. All the events of the fourth edition of ANIMARKT took place in the EC1 complex, which is located in the redeveloped buildings of the first commercial power plant in Łódź, which was established in 1907 and operated until 2000. Currently it is an open space for various cultural and scientific activities, which is the seat of the EC1 Science and Technology Centre, the National Centre for Film Culture, the Łódź Film Commission and the Centre for Comics and Interactive Narration.

The 26th edition of the International Astra Film Festival had its opening on Monday, October 14, and from the very first day it seems that it will register as a real box office success. The festival started in the company of an impressive audience, sold-out screenings and a festive atmosphere. The festival takes place between 14-20 October in 11 venues spread out across the city of Sibiu.

Astra Film Festival opened its 26th edition with the nationwide premiere of the documentary “State Funerals” directed by Sergei Loznitsa, in the presence of a large audience consisting of Romanian and foreign special guests who have arrived in Sibiu for the festival. Before the screening held at Filarmonica de Stat Sibiu, the founding director of Astra Film Sibiu, Dumitru Budrala was awarded with the distinction of the High Patronage of the Romanian Presidency, event followed by a discussion with Emil Hurezeanu, the Romanian ambassador in Berlin.

”In the 26 years that have passed since the first edition of the festival, 10% of approximately 20.000 films that had applied to be selected were shown on the screens of Astra Film Sibiu, which means that over 2.000 directors have presented their works during the festival. Some directors sought to bring us stories, histories, human experiences and occasionally they have risked their lives to complete their films. The Astra Film mothership took off this morning with the most cherished programme of the festival, Astra Film Junior. The things happening this week in Sibiu are miraculous and those who claim that the interest in culture and education has died should take a closer look at this festival”, said Dumitru Budrala, founding director of Astra Film Sibiu.

”I am very glad to be your guest once again in Sibiu and I congratulate the extraordinary performance of the organizers of hosting the most interesting documentary film festival from this geographical area in Sibiu. I must emphasize that this is one of the few festivals in Romania that has survived these past difficult years”, said Emil Hurezeanu, the ambassador of Romania in Berlin. 

”I wish you success and a long life”, was the message sent by Klaus Iohannis, President of Romania, to the organizers of the festival.

”We are honored to offer our support to such events. Astra Film Festival has become a significant part of our cultural heritage and it makes Sibiu a city of superlatives. We are here today because a young teacher from a forgotten village followed his dream with passion, perseverance and a lot of work. Dumitru Budrala managed to infect many people with his passion for cinematography. In the era of Mineriads, he managed to create a film festival in Sibiu, something that was unheard of at that time”, declared Daniela Cîmpean, President of Sibiu County Council.

”Astra Film Festival animates a touristic city during the autumn season and it serves as evidence that when state institutions and authorities collaborate, fabulous things can happen, such as this festival”, said Ciprian Ștefan, general manager of CNM ASTRA, the main partner of the festival.

Astra Film Junior also started on Monday, 14 October, bringing children from every school in Sibiu county in the movie theatres. Currently at its 11th edition, Astra Film Junior has broken a new record of registrations and the official data will be published at the end of the festival. Tickets for Monday at the Dome in the Large Square were sold out as audiences crowded to watch the scheduled films.

Astra Film Festival continues until Sunday, 20 October, and the vast and diverse programme of the 2019 edition proposes a very wide, panoramic overview that extends both geographically on large territories and over time, going back to the past and coming back to the present, while also looking towards the future using new technologies. Over 400 cinematographic events, absolute premieres, dozens of Q&A sessions, event-meetings, prestigious guests from the industry, debates and concerts will literally make the historical center of Sibiu and many other areas come to life.

You can find the complete festival programme here: https://www.astrafilm.ro/en/program/

Tickets for AFF 2019 can be purchased online: https://eventbook.ro/festival/astra-film-festival

 

Astra Film Festival Sibiu is held under the High Patronage of the Romanian Presidency.

Astra Film Festival 2019 is coordinated by Astra Film, CNM Astra and the Astra Film Foundation, with the support of the Sibiu County Council, the Ministry of Culture and National Identity and the National Center of Cinematography. The event is co-financed by the Sibiu Local Council through the City Hall of Sibiu.

• New Europe Market (NEM) is bringing some of the key players from the TV industry from USA, UK, Hungary, Belgium, The Czech Republic and Estonia to Zagreb

• TV Writing Contest is a unique opportunity for talented screenwriters regardless of their experience

Zagreb, September 24th 2019 – NEM Zagreb 2019, the winter edition of the renowned New Europe Market event, offers a unique opportunity for all TV creatives. Along with numerous panels, workshops and lectures, NEM is also organising a TV Writing Contest. Regardless of the level of screenwriting experience, this competition is an excellent opportunity to present one's ideas to international names from the TV industry looking for new ideas in two categories: 

• scripted (drama, thriller, crime, fantasy, SF, comedy) 
• unscripted (game show, factual reality, reality, docuseries)

The independent expert jury panel is made up from professionals who work on screenplay development, are organizing script contests or workshops for screenwriters and are in touch with various TV projects daily.

 

• Farah Abushwesha (United Kingdom), Rocliffe represetative and producer nominated for the prestigious BAFTA award (The British Academy of Film and Television Arts) and founder of BAFTA's New Writing Showcase and Competition.
  She has produced hits like "The ABC Murders" with John Malkovich and Rupert Grint, as well as Netflix's "Irreplaceable You" with Christopher Walken. She is also the author of Amazon bestsellers "Rocliffe Notes - A Professional Approach for Screenwriters and Writer-Directors" and "Rocliffe Notes - A Guide to Low Budget Filmmaking: Taking Your Film from Script to Screen".
• ScreenCraft (USA), a consulting agency that connects writers and filmmakers with renowned Hollywood production companies and studios like Netflix, CBS Studios International, NBC Universal, 20th Century Fox, Lionsgate, Paramount, Sony Pictures Television, Warner Bros., 3 Arts Entertainment, The Sundance Institute and many others.
• Joyrider (Hungary), a creative network of producers and writers involved in developing projects for numerous platforms. “Launching our scripted content company JOYRIDER into the international market, we are incredibly grateful that our region finally has an event like NEM Zagreb. We are looking forward to the opportunity to introduce our slate to potential partners, scout new projects and meet fresh talents.” said Gábor Krigler, the founder and executive creative of the Joyrider company, with many years of experience working at HBO Europe, which is now one of their main clients.
• Cineuropa.org (Belgium), the first European portal dedicated to cinema and the audio-visual arts in four languages. A special project on the portal is ScriptAnalysis, a programme that provides screenwriters with feedback on their idea and work provided by TV professionals.

Domenico La Porta, the portal's chief editor supports NEM's initiative: "Cineuropa supports this initiative because we believe that every successful creative project starts with good writing. Writers must be encouraged financially but also critically by confronting them with experienced professionals who are in touch with the reality of the market."

• Black Nights Film Festival (PÖFF) (Estonia), a five-day film festival which has over time become a central hub bringing together professionals from Asia and America, connecting them with key regional decision-makers. “We are really excited to be part of NEM Zagreb, eager to read interesting projects and attend all the panels and case studies. I look forward working with NEM platform as our Central European counterpart, share the know-how and experiences, and develop the collaboration between professionals.” stated Triin Tramberg, coordinator of international TV/drama series script competition Script Pool taking place at Industry@Tallinn &; Baltic Event, a programme held during Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival
• MIDPOINT (The Czech Republic), a platform aimed at developing screenplays and projects, as well as bringing together industry professionals: screenwriters, directors and producers from the CEE region.

In the preselection round, the independent jury panel will select 30 screenplays from each category, and from these a selected 10 screenwriters will be given the opportunity for meeting top people from companies like BBC Studios, Beta Film, RAI, ZDF, CBS Studios International and Croatian Radio-television. The best three screenplays from both categories will be presented in the main conference hall to all participants of NEM Zagreb, which will also include representatives

from the leading production companies listed above, and the best screenplay in each category will receive a prize in the amount of 5000 euros.

NEM Zagreb/Dubrovnik: A platform for concluding key deals 

New Europe Market has been recognised for years as the central meeting spot for professionals from the audio-visual industry. Numerous deals have been made at the Dubrovnik event, and one of them popularised the Croatian series The Newspaper. The producers Nebojša Taraba and Miodrag Sila (Drugi plan) were able to establish cooperation with the Israeli production and distribution company Keshet, which bought global distribution rights. Soon after this, the series also appeared on Netflix as the first Croatian series on that platform. Another person making a dream deal was Lars Lundström, the producer of one of the most popular Scandinavian series Real Humans. It was at NEM that he met members of the top management of AMC International, which then bought the format and filmed the British version titled Humans.  

NEM Zagreb, the first Zagreb edition of the New Europe Market event, will be held from the 11th to the 13th of December 2019 at the Esplanade Zagreb Hotel.  

You can find more details about NEM Zagreb and TV Writing Contest on New Europe Market's official web page - https://neweumarket.com/.

Industry@Tallinn & Baltic Event announce projects for the third edition of the script competition Script Pool Tallinn, and POWR Baltic Stories Exchange international forum. 

Script Pool Tallinn is an international script competition for film, TV and drama series scripts. Its main goal is to gather talented scriptwriters with producers attached, in order to provide them support enhancing the script and maximizing its production and distribution potential.

At the Script Pool Tallinn event five teams consisting of scriptwriters and producers will be competing in Tallinn at the open pitch on the 28th of November. The winner of the competition receives the prize of 5000 euros, provided by the leading international sales & distribution company Global Screen GmbH.

Triin Tramberg, Script Pool competition coordinator comments: “We are happy to see that our relationship with directors are growing with the years and more and more filmmakers come back to Tallinn with their new films and new projects to set out into the big world.”

Selected projects:

TRANSITION by director and scriptwriter Artem Semakin.
Feature directorial debut “Transition" from Artem Semakin, who is mainly known for being an actor and producer in Russia, but who brings out an interesting family drama mixing road movie and raising transgender issues.

IN THE BELLY OF A TIGER by director, scriptwriter Jatla Siddhartha.
Siddartha Jatla returns to Tallinn after his directorial debut, Love and Shukla, written with his collaborator Amanda Mooney. Love and Shukla had its European premiere at Tallinn in 2017, and later went on to conquer audiences at festivals around the world before its release on Netflix. Jatla returns to Tallinn with his and Mooney’s intriguing new story, In the Belly of a Tiger. The film follows an elderly couple in rural India as they decide who will be killed by a tiger in order to claim government compensation for their family’s survival.

MOLLY by scriptwriter Nicole Paglia, producer Jessie Mangum.
"Molly" is inspired by true events from 1960’s Soviet Russia, when an American defector and radio DJ broadcasts American pop music and propaganda into a top secret US military base which is buried under the ice in Greenland. Scriptwriter Nicole Paglia has written on Disney’s "101 Dalmation Street", story edited on "The Amazing World of Gumball", and is currently developing a number of TV series. Producer Jessie Mangum’s film "Looted" will have its world premiere in this year’s Black Nights First Feature Competition.

REPLY TO A LETTER FROM HELGA by scriptwriter and director Ása Hjörleifsdóttir. 
Scriptwriter and director Ása Hjörleifsdóttir whose latest film “The Swan" gained a lot of attention around the world at festivals comes with her new project "Reply to a letter from Helga” - a beautiful yet painful love triangle set in magical Iceland.

DROPS OF WATER by scriptwriter and director Robert Budina. 
Robert Budina’s new project “Drops of Water” is yet again a strong drama this time focusing on the love of a mother and how far will she go to protect her family, especially when things aren’t as they seem. His last film "A Shelter Among the Clouds”, premiered in the Black Nights Film Festival’s Official Selection in 2018.

MELCHIOR THE APOTHECARY by scriptwriters Elmo Nüganen, Olle Mirme Kristian Taska. It is the first Estonian project in the Scriptpool Film Competition. “Melchior The Apothecary" by well-known Estonian scriptwriters Elmo Nüganen, Olle Mirme and Kristian Taska is based on the best-selling novel “Apothecary Melchior and the Mystery of St. Olaf’s Church” by Indrek Hargla, and the original script created by the author.

Since 2018, Industry@Tallinn has partnered with MIDPOINT, a training and networking platform with the aim to strengthen the creative collaboration between writers, directors and producers in the development process in Central and Eastern Europe. 

POWR Baltic Stories Exchange is a 4-day scriptwriters’ workshop, that gives Nordic and Baltic screenwriters an opportunity to present their projects and writing talent at the largest regional film market in Northeastern Europe.

Like last year, the workshop will be run by experienced tutors Valeria Richter and Helene Granqvist. Selected scriptwriters will present their projects on the 28th of November. It is an opportunity to hear the new voices and stories from the Baltic & Nordic film communities, and a voice from this year’s focus region Industry@Tallinn &; Baltic Event 2019 – Ireland.

Selected projects:

HYNDAN - Viktor Granö (Finland)

THE EXPLORER (working title) - Hilke Rönnfeldt (Denmark)

JUST DESSERTS - Orla Murphy (Ireland)

ORIGINAL VOICE - Sandra Olsson (Sweden)

QUIET - Larissa Curi (Estonia) 

THE BURLAKS - Gatis Ungurs (Latvia) 

POWR Baltic Stories Exchange was launched by our region’s MEDIA Desks with the goal to bring forward the young talent of the Nordic and Baltic countries. Over the years, many participating projects have found a producer from the Industry@Tallinn &; Baltic Event.

PHOTOS
Script Pool Tallinn Tallinn 2018 session

Read more about Industry@Tallinn & Baltic Event
More information about Script Pool Tallinn
More information about POWR Baltic Stories Exchange