Editor

East Silver is not only a specialised market focused on central and eastern European countries, but also helps to promote high quality documentary films from those regions throughout the world. For that two unique tools were designed that runs during the year, East Silver Caravan and East Silver TV Focus. Caravan represents the best from the current East Silver Market catalogue. Special selection of films is submitted to various documentary film festivals for programme pre-selection. TV Focus is on the other hand aimed to support broadcasting of east European documentary films in television, not only in Europe, but also USA, Canada etc.

For detailed info about East Silver and its activities see our website: http://www.eastsilver.net/

Current successes of East Silver Caravan titles and their destinations:

Hot Docs, Canada

(Toronto, April 29 - May 9)

One of the biggest Canadian documentary film festivals - Hot Docs in Toronto - will include also several titles from East Silver Caravan into its official programme. To be more specific following documentaries were selected: Osadne (Marko Skop, Slovakia, 2009), short-length documentary Arsy-Versy (Miro Remo, Slovakia, 2009) and Silver Eye Award winner for feature documentary, Disco & Atomic War (Jaak Kilmi, Estonia, 2009).

North America's largest documentary film festival runs for 11 days, April 29 - May 9, presenting over 170 films from more than 35 countries and welcoming hundreds of international filmmakers and industry delegates to Toronto. Important part of the festival is industry section and its Toronto Documentary Forum (TDF) - a dynamic pitching event that stimulates international co-production financing for projects at various levels of completion. Apart from that festival runs The Doc Shop market that offers an interactive, on-demand viewing experience, with access to an extensive selection of documentary films and factual entertainment programs from around the world. The Doc Shop is a fully digital, on-site video library that offers accredited industry passholders on-demand access to 1500+ documentaries, including many of the Festival's official selection.

For additional information see http://www.hotdocs.ca/

Arsy-Versy | Miro Remo | Slovakia | 2009 | 23 min.

Honoured Silver Eye Special Mention on East Silver Market 2009

The film is a story of a mother and her son Lubos who lives in a world turned upside-down, or, arsy-versy. Lubos broke free from the world as generally conceived by others to arrive at the supreme human-nature symbiosis; he flew away to a planet purely inhabited by butterflies - intelligent beings. The sole focus of his life energy, enriched by a great deal of empathy, is being channelled into his amateur photography and film making, the climax of his fascination with natural phenomenon being his unique study of bats. By way of communicating with the upside-down creatures he is fascinated with, he attempts to achieve the utmost understanding between man and beast. He is assisted by his mother who has been a great research and life support to him, but is now apprehensive about her son's future. „What will become of the kid?" she wonders. Those who „knew" him thought him lost up to the moment they saw the arsy-versy film; now it's them who are losing it!

Osadne | Marko Skop | Slovakia | 2009 | 65 min.

Best Documentary Film Award, 44th Karlovy Vary IFF 2009

Osadne is a film about an encounter between current top European leaders and the local politicians from the last village on the edge of the European Union. The small village of Osadné welcomes a delegation from the European Parliament. And vice versa - the mayor and priest from OSADNÉ visit Brussels institutions on invitation from the European Parliament.

Disco & Atomic War | Jaak Kilmi | Estonia | 2009 | 80 min.
Silver Eye Award, East Silver Market 2009, 13th Jihlava IDFF

Disco and Atomic War tells the story of a strange kind of information war in which a totalitarian regime stands face to face with the heroes of popular culture. And loses. Western popular culture had an incomparable role shaping Soviet children's worldviews in those days - in ways that now seem slightly odd. Finnish television was a window to a world of dreams that the authorities could not block in any way. Though Finnish channels were banned, many households found some way to access the forbidden fruit. Disco and Atomic War offers its own version of recent history, mixing spy games into a human tragicomedy.

Visions du réel, Switzerland
(Nyon, April 15 - 21)

The objective of Visions du Réel is to show the world as it is perceived, to break away from the mainstream. All the players of the brand Visions du Réel are mobilised to ensure a very high level of quality in their work and to contribute to the common good. The Festival offers a diversity of committed and inspired points of view whilst making it possible to correlate experiences, reflections and aspirations. (http://www.visionsdureel.ch/ )

Visions du réel film festival also picked Arsy-Versy by Miro Remo into its programme as well (programme section "Tendances"). Arsy-Versy, short Slovakian documentary appears to be real shooting star, since it was selected into programmes of many documentary film festivals throughout the world. As we informed before, Arsy-Versy was selected for festivals in Zagreb (http://www.zagrebdox.net/2010/), Amsterdam (http://www.cinestud.nl/send-in-your-film/terms-and-condition), Play-Doc in Vigo (Spain, http://www.play-doc.com/), Krakow (http://www.krakowfilmfestival.pl/), U.A.E. (http://www.gulffilmfest.com/), or Teheran (http://www.isfpf.ir/) 

As part of the "Séance Spéciale" section Visions du réel will also presents the whole collection of Breathless - Dominance of the Moment, a documentary film project of Zipp - German-Czech Cultural Projects, the Institute of Documentary Film, Prague, and DOK Leipzig. Zipp is an initiative of the German Federal Cultural Foundation. Czech and German films supported by this project were premiered at the international festivals DOK Leipzig 2009 and Jihlava 2009.
Introducing five subtle films and their original takes on the subject of time and the contemporary world, the collection includes a visual rendering of the diary entries of an ordinary woman (I Love My Boring Life by Jan Gogola, Czech Republic); a cinematic exploration of time as a physical quantity (The Phantom of Liberty II by Karel Žalud, Czech Republic); a documentary about the performance of a John Cage composition that is set to last 639 years (One Day Today Will Be Once by Anca Miruna Lazarescu, Germany); a portrayal of the post-industrial stasis of a region in Montana (Milltown, Montana by Rainer Komers, Germany), and a depiction of an endless moment in time occurring as the result of a car accident (Time's Up by Marie-Catherine Theiler & Jan Peters, Germany).
http://www.breathless-films.com/

I Love My Boring My Life | Jan Gogola jr. | Czech Republic | 2009 | 27 min.

Winner of the award for the best Czech documentary from 13th Jihlava IDFF 2009

The diary of a grandmother from the Prague neighbourhood of Zbraslav as a diary of eternity. Using informal language, for five years grandmother Alena Němcová from Zbraslav has been writing down weather forecasts, dreams, morning exercise, cooking, regular house bustle, global events as well as notes concerning relationships, religion and the general spirit of the age - matters of a private, family, social, real and also surreal nature. The film captures the life in her house, as a place that could represent a slice of the world and merge various events and connections, both of a daily and timeless nature. It points out that banality can indeed be part of our perception but not of the world itself. The device is just a change of banality to singularity.

Phantom of Liberty II. | Karel Žalud | Czech Republic | 2009 | 59 min.

In the so-called global age, man is caught in the trap of time he has set for himself and then got stuck in it along with his freedom. Film about time, which consists of several fragmentary documentary sequences. Each of them shows how subjective the protagonists' perception of time is: an undertaker transporting coffins every day, a group of aging actors celebrating a birthday on a train, or soldiers rehearsing a manoeuvre. The stories are connected in free association and told circularly to make palpable that all these times exist simultaneously. The film explores time's physical quantity as well as its crucial impact on our actions, behaviour, perception, social rituals and our outlook on the world.

Milltown, Montana | Rainer Komers | Germany | 2009 | 33 min.

Time inscribes itself into Rainer Komers' meticulously composed images and impressive sound collages of MILLTOWN, MONTANA. Each picture tells a story of a place that once belonged to the largest mining area in the United States that was contaminated by toxic substances and heavy metals. But the film does not only show the devastated landscape. Without dialogue, it sensitively portraits the people living and working there: cowboys branding their calves, Blackfeet Indians laying down the foundation stone for a new educational centre, trappers and golfers, workers in a silicium plant, old miners, and young scholars competing in a mining contest. MILLTOWN, MONTANA is visibly scarred by man and trapped in a post-industrial phase of standstill. By alluding to its former wealth but showing the area's actual lack of prospects, the film dramatically undermines the image of the American Dream.

One Day Today Will Be Once | Anca Miruna Lazarescu | Germany | 2009 | 27 min.
In a small church in Halberstadt, in the former East Germany, a pipe organ plays avant-garde composer John Cage's „Organ2/ASLSP" (Organ squared/As SLow aS Possible) a single note at a time - and will do so without interruption until the year 2640, resulting in a 639-year long concert. In a humorous but also thoughtful way the film shows different sides of this mind-boggling project: on one hand the long and overly intellectual wrestles among the initiators, on the other the volunteering staff members' direct and practical way of dealing with all the work that surrounds such a project. These two perspectives make ONE DAY TODAY WILL BE ONCE a film bursting with moving as well as humorous moments - attuned to the question of humanity's perception of time.

Time's Up | Jan Peters, Marie-Catherine Theiler | Germany | 2009 | 15 min.

Being confronted with the finiteness of life in a car accident while having their unborn baby inside, the filmmakers Marie-Catherine Theiler and Jan Peters suddenly realize that their lives have become way too hectic. They spend too much precious time rushing from one appointment to another, hunting deadline after deadline. They decide to change their lives and slow down, but how? During a humorous odyssey from one time-expert to the next, Marie-Catherine and Jan ask the questions most of us would like to know the answers to... Within the timeframe of Marie-Catherine's pregnancy, the directors of TIME'S UP leave no stone unturned, examining with wit and irony how today's society - and above all they themselves - deal with the subject of 'time'.

PLANETE DOC REVIEW, POLAND
(Warsaw, May 7 - 16)

An important film event dedicated to documentary filmmaking in Europe, will be held in Warsaw for the seventh time. Last year's festival had attracted 25000 viewers and won the Polish Film Institute prize as Poland's most important international film event of the year. http://www.docreview.pl/2010/

Breathless‘ films already proved itself that this special co-production project was important move for quality creative documentaries. Two Czech documentary films created as a part of the Czech-German project Breathless, Phantom of Liberty II. (Karel Zalud) and I Love My Boring Life (Jan Gogola jr.), were selected for the programme of Planete Doc Review festival in Warsaw. Phantom of Liberty II. will be also pushing its luck in the MAGIC HOUR competition for the documentaries under 70 minutes.

CROSSING EUROPE, AUSTRIA
(Linz, April 20 - 25)

Traditional film festival of contemporary European cinema, Crossing Europe, that takes place from 20th to 25th of April in Austrian city Linz, selected into its program also several titles from East Silver Caravan: The Circle - A Portrait of a Demonstration (Tereza Reichova), Osadne (Marko Skop) and Milltown, Montana (Rainer Komers).

Since its beginning in 2004 the Crossing Europe festival focuses on contemporary European cinema, including not only feature films, but also documentary, animated and experimental film. Apart from the main sections presents also retrospectives of European filmmakers and this year for the first time will introduce in collaboration with ORF new documentary film award, Crossing Europe Award for European Documentary.
http://www.crossingeurope.at/

Titles in program:

The Circle - A Portrait of a Demonstration | Tereza Reichova | Czech Republic | 2009 | 62 min.

Portrait of one demonstration in Litvínov that ended up with a fight on the streets.This was break-through in the Czech history, because local people marched against the ghetto of gypsies for the first time along with Neonazis.

Osadne | Marko Skop | Slovakia | 2009 | 65 min.
Best Documentary Film Award, 44th Karlovy Vary IFF 2009

Osadne is a film about an encounter between current top European leaders and the local politicians from the last village on the edge of the European Union. The small village of Osadné welcomes a delegation from the European Parliament. And vice versa - the mayor and priest from OSADNÉ visit Brussels institutions on invitation from the European Parliament.

Milltown, Montana | Rainer Komers | Germany | 2009 | 33 min.

Time inscribes itself into Rainer Komers' meticulously composed images and impressive sound collages of MILLTOWN, MONTANA. Each picture tells a story of a place that once belonged to the largest mining area in the United States that was contaminated by toxic substances and heavy metals. But the film does not only show the devastated landscape. Without dialogue, it sensitively portraits the people living and working there: cowboys branding their calves, Blackfeet Indians laying down the foundation stone for a new educational center, trappers and golfers, workers in a silicium plant, old miners, and young scholars competing in a mining contest.MILLTOWN, MONTANA is visibly scarred by man and trapped in a postindustrial phase of standstill. By alluding to its former wealth but showing the area's actual lack ofprospects, the film dramatically undermines the image of the American Dream.

This film is part of the ‘Breathless - Dominance Of The Moment' documentary film project.

Anasy Documentary Awards 2010, United Arab EMIRATES
(Abu Dhabi, April 25 - 28)

Anasy Documentary Awards are considered to be the first of its kind in the U.A.E, specializing in documentary films and grants awards that are of the highest value in the Arab World. Anasy Awards, that are organized biannually under the patronage of H.E. Sheikh Nahyan Bin Mubarak Al-Nahyan, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, and this time in coordination with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) and twofour.54.

This year's edition will be the second volume, since they were introduced for the first time in 2008. The total value of the awards is Dh 1.5 million. A sum of Dh 500,000 will be given to the winner of the first award. Half of this sum (Dh 250,000) will be given in cash and the other half in the form of production support in cooperation. http://www.anasydocawards.com/

Following titles were selected through East Silver Caravan and will compete for the Anasy Awards:

Katka | Helena Trestikova | Czech Republic | 2009 | 90 min.
New documentary film by holder of the European Film Awards for her previous film, René (2008)
A long-term observational documentary about drugs, love, prison and responsibility. Thirteen years in the lives of a group of drug addicts who live on the streets of Prague, hustling up drugs and stealing. I first met Katka in 1996 at a drug rehab centre. After half a year, she ran away from the centre. I looked for her and found her in the company of a heroin addict, Láďa. Cut to 2007. Láďa serves prison time for attempted murder. Katka is now 30 years old and lives in a squat with her boyfriend Roman. We find out that Katka is pregnant and about to undertake the most difficult trial of her life. Can she stay clean and look after her child? This film is about the replenishing power of life, about motherhood and about children born into this world addicted to drugs.

In Comparison | Zum Vergleich | Harun Farocki | Germany, Austria | 2009 | 62 min.
Bricks are the resonating fundamentals of society. Bricks are layers of clay that sound, like records just simply too thick. They appear in series, but every brick is slightly different - not just another brick in the wall. They resonate in a way that tells us if they are good enough or not. Bricks form the fundamental sound of our societies, but we haven´t learned to listen to them. Farocki´s film has our eyes and ears consider them in comparison - and not in competition, not as clash of cultures. Farocki shows us various brick production sites in their colours, movements and sounds. Brick burning, brick carrying, brick laying, bricks on bricks, no off-commentary. The film shows us that certain production modes require their own duration and that cultures differentiate around the time of the brick.