The Aruba International Film Festival (AIFF) announced today that its third edition will take place June 22-28, 2012. Initial details surrounding the 2012 Film Festival were unveiled today at a press conference by AIFF Founder and executive producer Jonathan Vieira.
Ce...
To commemorate one of the world's oldest and most respected festivals during this 68th Venice International Film Festival, I present you with an in-depth interview with one of the prestigious Golden Lion winners for Best Director, Milcho Manchevski, who won the award in 1994 for his epic masterpiece BEFORE THE RAIN (1994). This interview has a story. We began it in the gardens of the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Aruba during the 2nd annual AIFF in June, continued in Sarajevo during the 17th annual...
The film THE INVOCATION (2010) is one of the most enterprising documentaries to come out of the past year, tackling the endlessly debated question: is world peace possible? Many contest that human nature is conflict and thus war is and always will be inevitable. But others maintain that peace indeed is possible, and THE INVOCATION explores how. These filmmakers, Emmanuel Itier and Claude Budin-Juteau, took it upon themselves to travel all around the world speaking to some of the most important...
Aruba withdrawals. In one month since the 2nd annual Aruba International Film Festival (AIFF) ended, I've traveled to four countries and two festivals, but still I've got Aruba on my mind. Like a sentimental long distance love affair Aruba has captured my heart. Whether it’s the pristine Caribbean blue beaches and powdery sable-blanc or the potpourri Latin tongue and warm welcoming locals or...
Polish director Lech Majewski of the film THE MILL AND THE CROSS (2011) appeared at the second annual Aruba International Film Festival as a special guest where his film screened and he attended a panel discussion, 'Conversations With', led by journalist Rollo Ross. Apparently, Lech had so much to say about his film and the history of the painting that Rollo only asked three questions and that led Lech to talking for over and hour and a half about his film. Now that’s inspiration!Starring Ru...
On the night of Milcho Manchevski’s ‘Conversations With’ we spoke briefly on the red carpet about his experience in Aruba.ME: So, Milcho. You just did your ‘conversations with’ panel. How did it go?MILCHO: It went extremely well. I've been extremely happy with the whole thing. We had a whole thing, the issues we touched upon, the feedback, the viewers who were there. It was nice.ME: How does it feel to be in Aruba right now? I mean, you've been to a 1000 festivals with your latest fi...
One of the films screened at this year's Aruba International Film Festival (AIFF 2011) was Spain's Oscar Entry, EVEN THE RAIN (2010).
EVEN THE RAIN was directed by Iciar Bollaín and written by award winning screenwriter Paul Laverty. The film takes place in the village of Cochabamba, Bolivia, in 2000. The premise was to make an epic film about Christopher Columbus's arrival in the Americas. It is a fiction film in the style of a documentary about this film crew and its director, Sebast...
Radiant Venezuelan actress Prakriti Maduro appeared at the second annual Aruba International Film Festival (AIFF) for the screening of the Venezuelan/Cuban film HABANA EVA (2010). The morning after seeing the film, I spoke at length with Prakriti about her film with its many layers and her active acting career in general. We met at the Hyatt Grand, Aruba overlooking the stunning Edenic beaches below. ME: So, how are you today? Are you enjoying the Aruba Film Festival? PRA: Yes, I love it...
Aaron Hose at AIFF 2011 Last year one of the films to premier at the inaugural Aruba International Film Festival was Aruba native director Aaron Hose’s award-winning documentary film VOICES IN THE CLOUDS (2010). This year Hose acted as director of the Caribbean Spotlight Series (CSS) for the 2nd annual AIFF. When I asked Aaron what that was like he said, ‘it was a great learning experience that I hope to repeat next year’. Aaron’s film VOICES IN THE CLOUDS is a poignant l...
Costume Designer Michael Kaplan attended an ‘In Conversations With’ panel in Aruba during the Aruba International Film Festival 2011. Journalist Brandon Harris conducted the interviews. The panel went on for over and hour. Below is transcribed part of the Q and A that followed (to the best of what I could transcribe). Q: How are you able to keep yourself and your soul in the work that you do when it is for someone’s film and they have a specific idea of what they want? And als...
Costume Designer Michael Kaplan
My interview with Costume Designer Michael Kaplan
Fantastic fashion figure, costume designer Michael Kaplan attended the 2011 Aruba International Film Festival for a 'Conversations With' panel session led by journalist Brandon Harris. He spoke at length to press and film aficionados about his illustrious career in Hollywood as costume designer for some of the most celebrated films of cinematic history.
Before his ‘Conversations With...
actress Barbara Mori I spoke with the luminous Uruguayan/Mexican actress Barbara Mori on her way up the red carpet during the Aruba International Film Festival the night of her Aruba premier of the Hollywood/Bollywood film KITES (2010/1). She approached me and greeted me with a kiss. ME: Oh, I get a kiss. So sweet! Hi Barbara, I'm Vanessa with filmfestivals.com. Can you tell us a little bit about your film KITES and how it is to be here? I mean, you're Uruguay born and now a Mexican actress and...
Interview with 50 Cent in Aruba at AIFF INTERVIEW WITH 50 CENT AT AIFF.On June 15th, 2011 I had the opportunity to interview Mr. Curtis ’50 Cent’ Jackson at the Hyatt Grand Hotel in Aruba during the 2nd annual Aruba International Film Festival. ’50 Cent’ and I spoke about his music career and his highly anticipated acting role in the soon to be released film THINGS FALL APART (2011) by director Mario Van Peebles. ’50 Cent’ stars in the film and also worked as producer. ME: Hi ...
While in Aruba during the 2nd annual Aruba Film Festival, I spoke with Mexican director Sergio Sanchez Suarez about his romantic nostalgic Mexican film TEQUILA (2011) which held its international world premier the previous night in Aruba's Paseo Herencia Theater. Here is what he had to say about TEQUILA. ME: Hi Sergio. How are you? Can you start by telling us a bit about your film TEQUILA?SERGIO: Well, it’s a love story about a guy who gets deeply in love with a woman he can't have...
Daniela Schmidt on TEQUILA I interviewed the stately and sultry actress Daniela Schmidt, star of the Mexican film TEQUILA, ‘a story of a passion’ while at the Aruba Film Festival. Our interview was held the day after the film’s world premier which took place in the Paseo Herencia where the filmmakers watched the film for the first time with audiences. Here is what Daniela had to say about this very hot-blooded ill-fated love story.ME: Can you start by telling us something about your rol...
MOTHERS (2010) by director Milcho Manchevski screened at the 2nd annual Aruba International Film Festival (AIFF) 2011. Here find a review of the award-winning film that saw its opening in Toronto at TIFF 2010 and continues to travel to festivals around the globe. MOTHERS, a rave review! Fiction, nonfiction, and everything else in between and without- this is the dizzying dialectic of Milcho Manchevski’s latest film MOTHERS (2010). MOTHERS is a feature film structured as a triptych of three pa...
" The Coffee Project" producer and actor, Bruno Chatelin (center) producer of "Ensemble".
"The Invocation" team on the right: Emmanuel Itier and Claude Budin Juteau
Watch out for the interview by Vanessa McMahon
...
Bruno Chatelin: Giuseppe I have just screened Ensemble by Mohamed Fekrane as part of the Tolerance day film program, this is a great idea, how did it start?
Giuseppe Cocciarelli: I received two months ago an email from this group of filmmakers in Tel Aviv where Palestinians and Israeli worked together on the same subject and made the film called “The coffee project”.
"Coffee – Between Reality and Imagination" is a cinematic collaboration between young Israeli and P...
During the 2nd annual Aruba International Film Festival, the film VOICES FROM MARIEL (2011) screened to a tearful audience. The film ran in competition with five other films in the selection of ‘Caribbean Spotlight Series’ and director Jim Carleton received the CSS Special Jury Award for the film. When the film had finished, festival producer Jonathan Viera went up to speak to the filmmakers, in tears:JONATHAN: You know, the whole time I was watching the film, I had to check my phone ...
Interview with Alessandro Calza in Aruba at AIFF 2011. Alessandro Calza part wrote and starred in the film CIAO (2008), a love story about two lovers brought together from two different worlds through the internet, and through the loss of a mutual lover. With Ale, I did a double up interview with Getty Images UK. I asked the questions and cameraman Chris rolled camera and recorded. We began the interview with Ale’s views on social systems in various countries before jumping in to talk a...
Interview with actresses Paola Cortellesi and Lucia Ocone from the film NESSUNO MI PUO GIUDICARE (2011) by director Massimiliano Bruno. While in Aruba, their film had its international premier and we held an interview on the 5th floor of the Hyatt hotel during the 2nd annual Aruba International Film Festival (AIFF). ME: Can you first speak a little about your film, NESSUNO MI PUO GIUDICARE (2011)? PAOLA: This is a comedy but it’s also quite a serious subject too about a desperate woman ...
On Saturday night, June 11, 2011, the Divi Resorts group hosted a select assembly of international media and film industry guests for an exclusive cocktail social sponsored by Moet & Chandon at its Windows on Aruba restaurant. The social, which was attended by Golden Globe Award–winning actress and Sex & The City star, Kim Cattrall, was an official after-party for the 2nd Annual Aruba International Film Festival that immediately followed the screening of a new film.
"...
Paola Cortellesi and Lucia Ocone
On the second night of Aruba International Film Festival (AIFF) 2011, it was Italian Night on the red carpet and the actresses from the Italian comedy hit NESSUNO MI PUO GIUDICARE (2011) were there to present their film. I asked the radiant actress Paola Cortellesi some questions on the carpet.
ME: Is your film a comedy? And how do you feel about Italy now with a public that mostly wants just to see comedies?
PAOLA: Yes. Well, this...
Alessandro Calza On ‘Italian Night’ of the 2nd annual Aruba International Film Festival, actor Alessandro Calza from the film CIAO (2008) answered questions on the red carpet. ME: With the name ‘Ciao’ are you saying ‘hello’ or ‘goodbye’?ALE: Actually, ‘Ciao’ means ‘slave’ in Italian and it’s an old way of saying, ‘I serve you’ or ‘I am your slave’. It’s also an Italian way of saying ‘hello’ and/or ‘goodbye’. So, you can say it when you’re meet...
Cioccarelli Giuseppe 
