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BRICS FILM FESTIVAL SHOWCASES EMERGING ARTISTS

(“Follow the Yellow BRICS Road”)

This year’s BRICS International Film Festival is being kicked off today in beautiful Chengdu, China, the capital of Sichuan province, a stunning area in Southwest China, better known for its relaxed atmosphere, fine food, and  as the home of the world famous Panda Bear. 

Supported by a co-operative coalition of five nations - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa -  the BRICS’ Film Festival will run from June 23rd to the 27th and shine the spotlight on fascinating, universal stories from world-class, award-winning filmmakers and new, emerging talent from those five countries, including Academy Award-nominee, Walter Salles, and Venice Golden Lion Award-winner, Jia Zhangke.

The most anticipated film, snagging the coveted Opening Night spot is: Where Has the Time Gone?, a multi-national, feature-length, co-production composed of five intriguing vignettes by masterful directors: Walter Salles from Brazil; Aleksey Fedorchenko from Russia; Madhur Bhandarkar from India, Jia Zhangke from China, and Jahmil X.T.Quebka from South Africa.

The festival roster of 30 films highlights fascinating filmmakers with unique cultural visions and a lot worth saying. It will showcase new works selected for competition, as well as ‘Best Of” and classic cinema from each nation, such as Oscar-nominated Central Station, Nise- The Heart of Madness, The Monk and the Devil, Book of Love, Loktak Lairebee: Lady of the Lake, and Happiness is a Four Letter Word.

An illustrious panel of award-winning filmmakers has been convened to select the Panda Award recipients for: Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress and the judges’ ‘Special Award’. Renowned international judges include: Panel Chairman and director, Xie Fei (China), Sergey Morkrisky (Russia), Eduardo Valente (Brazil) Neelakanta Reddy (India) and Xoliswa Sithole (South Africa).   

Under the inclusive theme of “Different Cultures, Equal Splendor,” each day of the five-day international festival has been earmarked to highlight the unique culture, film and cuisine of the 5-member nations, as follows:  

June 23^rd, China Day

June 24^th, Brazil Day

June 25^th, Russia Day

June 26^th, India Day

June 27^th, South Africa Day

Independent world cinema is a vital and thought-provoking part of the international film community that often gets lost in the neon glitter of Hollywood’s massive blockbusters. 

But, as China’s film market rockets to almost $9 billion, India’s to $2 billion, and Brazil and Russia’s to $2.5 billion combined, Hollywood cannot afford to turn a blind eye to the trends being set at leading international festivals, such as this one. 

We look forward to seeing more unique voices at the 2018 BRICS Film Festival, to be hosted next year in South Africa.