Guam International Film Festival

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HAGATÑA, GUAM, USA (August 10, 2013) – The Guam International Film Festival (GIFF) is scheduled to run its 3rd annual event starting fromTuesday, September 24, 2013, through Sunday, September 29, 2013 at the Agaña Center Stadium Theatres. For 2013, GIFF stretches its festival duration from 3 days to 6 days and will showcase over 45 films, including films from the 2013 Festival de Cannes and from Japan Short Shorts Film Festival. 

“Along with some riveting local films, we'll be showcasing award winners from this year's Sundance and ECU (European Independent Film Festival). Even filmmakers that have been showcased in Cannes earlier this year have reached out to us, so it's very gratifying to know that GIFF is gaining global recognition for its knowledge and appreciation of independent cinema; even if we are all the way out here on Guam. I think that's what makes it special,” says Festival Programmer and Co-founder Kel Muña.

This year, the GIFF call for entries brought in nearly 300 submissions from over 30 countries, exceeding the numbers from GIFF 2012. Among the films to be showcased will be 5 Guam-related films, 12 World Premiers, 8 U.S. Premieres, 18 Pacific-Asia Premieres and 2 Guam Premieres. GIFF 2013 will also feature ‘The Illness and the Odyssey’ as its centerpiece film and ‘Alagway (Breakaway)’ as its closing night film. 

GIFF 2013 will be bringing 15 delegates from around the world: Porter Franklin Ersiman, director of ‘Crocodile in the Yangtze’; Director O Muel of ‘Jisuel’; Ian Dean Lorenos, Rommel Sales and Marjorie Jovita Darunday of ‘Alagwa (Breakaway)’; Ian Thomas Ash of ‘A2’; Berry Minott, director of ‘The Illness and the Odyssey’; Seong-hyeok MOON and Jang-eun CHO of ‘SHE (GeuNyeo)’. Also joining the list of delegates and teaching GIFF 2013’s master class is Raymond Red, one of the pioneers of modern Filipino independent and alternative cinema and the first Filipino to be awarded the Cannes Palme d’Or Award.

This year, GIFF will also see the return of delegate Tom Brislin, Ph.D. who is heading the 2013 GIFF Grand Jury Panel and has played a vital role in materializing the Festival’s community and educational outreach through his highly-attended industry workshops during the past GIFF Festivals. Alongside Brislin on the Grand Jury Panel are Gabrielle Kelley, Associate Professor of Arts at the New York University, Tisch Asia School of the Arts and Co-Founder of the International Alliance of Women Cinematographers; Baltazar Aguon, who received degrees at the University of Guam and the American Film Institute’s Center for Advanced Film and Television Studies and is one of Guam’s established artists and educators; and Daniel Ferranti who has studied film at New York University and theater at University of Massachusetts Boston, and is a consultant for Warner Bros. Digital Distribution.

Taking their eco-friendly efforts to another level, GIFF is also pleased to announce the launch of the GIFF App for iPhones and Android phones sponsored by FestPro. With the app, festival patrons will be able to view the schedule and read synopses for the featured films and purchase tickets. This app adds to the festival’s green incentive, alongside GIFF’s paperless online submissions. 

GIFF 2013 and its special events, including award ceremonies, is made possible by the following sponsors: Cars Plus, United Airlines and Tango Theatres. For more information including the complete film listing and show times, please visit the festival website at www.guamfilmfestival.org.

GIFF 2013 SELECTIONS:

NARRATIVE FEATURE FILMS:

• BREAKAWAY (ALAGWA) (Philippines, Dir: Ian Lorenos)
• GIRL SHAPED LOVE DRUG (United Kingdom, Dir: Simon Powell)
• JISEUL (Korea, Dir: O Muel)
• MANILA SKIES (Philippines, Dir: Raymond Red)

DOCUMENTARY FEATURE FILMS:

• A2-B-C (Japan, Dir: Ian Thomas Ash)
• CROCODILE IN THE YANGTZE (China, Dir: Porter Erisman)
• FLEX IS KINGS (United States, Dirs: Deidre Schoo and Michael Beach Nichols)
• THE ILLNESS AND THE ODYSSEY (Guam, US, Dir: Berry Minot)
• LIVING ALONG THE FENCELINE (Guam, Puerto Rico, Japan, Philippines, South Korea, Dir: Lina Hoshino)
• E HAKU INOA (TO WEAVE A NAME) (US, Dir: Christen Hepuakoamana'a Marquez)

NARRATIVE SHORT FILMS:

• ADONIS (US, Dir: David Dibble)
• AMERICAN CAPITALISM, A SELF PORTRAIT (France, Thibault Le Texier)
  Thibault Le Texier
• BABY BOX (India, Dir: Jayaprakash P. Koroth)
• BACHELORETTE (Germany, Dir: Anna Linke)
• THE BLANK PAGE (US, Dir: Andrew Nelson)
• BUMPY NIGHT (Germany, Dir: Julie Kreuzer)
• FICTION (Guam, Dir: James Davis)
• GIRLY (US, Dir: Kira Bursky)
• HATCH (Austria, Dir: Christoph Kuschnig)
• HEAD IN A BOX (United Kingdom, Dir: Joshua Kerr)
• HEART (US, Dir: Stephanie Hough)
• IN YOUR HEAD (Japan, Dirs: Kevin Foster and Steven LeFever)
• KORE (US, Dir: Eric Dinkian)
• LEGEND OF FAMILY (Japan, Dir: Toshiyuki Teruya)
• LITTLE KYOTA NEON HOOD (Japan, Dir: Satsuki Okawa)
• MO IKKAI (Japan, Dir: Atsuko Hirayanagi)
• MOTHER OF THE GROOM (Japan, Dir: Tsukasa Kishimoto)
• PIZZA BOY (Guam, Dirs: Niel Romero and Justin Baldovino)
• THE RIDICULE (US, Dir: Mete Sozer)
• SHE (GEUNYEO) (Korea, Dir: Seong-hyeok Moon)
• SYNCHRONICITY (Australia, Dir: Tony Ferrieri)
• THROUGH MOSCOW (Russia, Dir: Ruslan Lagutin)
• TIME WARP (PARA PODER PARAR O TEMPO) (Brazil, Dir: Marcel Lee)
• ZORI (Marshall Islands, Dirs: Jack Niedenthal and Suzanne Chutaro)

DOCUMENTARY SHORT FILMS:

• BRAINERD (US, Dirs: Josiah Bultema and Kyle Gilbertson)
• CAVEDIGGER (US, Dir: Jeffrey Karoff)
• MY JOURNEY AS BASKETBALL MAN (US, Dir: Timothy Wynn)
• STRAIGHT WITH YOU (Netherlands, Dir: Daan Bol)

ANIMATION FEATURE FILMS:

• FROM UP ON POPPY HILL (Japan, Dir: Goro Miyazaki)

ANIMATION SHORT FILMS

• HOME (Australia, Dir: Jessica Harris)
• HSU JI BEHIND THE SCREEN (France, Dir: Thomas Rio)
• HUMANEXUS (US, Dir: Ying-Fang Shen)
• LOOK BOX (US, Josiah Patrow)

MUSIC VIDEOS:

• PUTIN LIGHTS UP THE FIRES - PUSSY RIOT (US, Dir: Erik Boccio)

TO BE DETERMINED:

• SHORT FILMS FROM GIFF MASTER CLASS: FEATURING RAYMOND RED