Nine documentary projects from Central and Eastern Europe that will premiere in the autumn of 2005 or in 2006 were presented by a documentary film panel yesterday. The panel was organized by the Institute of Documentary Film and the International Festival of Documentary Film in Jihlava and it heralds the establishing of a film market for Central and Eastern European documentaries right at the Jihlava festival. “We wanted to take documentary films out of the shadows of acted films, because we b...
45th KRAKOW SHORT & DOCUMENTARY FILM FESTIVAL "L'embarras de choix" The 'Krakow Internationl Festival of Short and Documentary Films', which is now its 45th incarnation Making it one of the oldest and most prestigious festivals of this kind in the world, has shortened its official monicker to a more simple "KRAKOW INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL" and has expanded its offerings to a mind-boggling 440 films -- all screened within six days as singleton showings in four different locations. With this ...
ZLÍN 2005 – INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL FOR CHILDREN AND YOUTHMay 29 – June 4, 2005The 45th International Film Festival for Children and Youth, which will last until Saturday, June 4, was started in Zlín on Sunday, May 29, 2005.Every year, the Zlín film festival brings its viewers dozens of films from all over the world. The main pillars of the festival are international competitions of feature and animated films for children and youth. Within the framework of support for young filmmakers...
"THE PEACEKEEPERS",WINNER OF THE VACLAV HAVEL SPECIAL AWARD,OPENED THE 7TH EDITION OF ONE WORLD The Opening Ceremony of the 7th Annual One World International Human Rights Documentary Film Festival took place on Wednesday, April 27th, 2005 in the large auditorium of Prague's Municipal Library. Within the framework of the opening evening, Paul Cowan´s documentary "The Peacekeepers" will be awarded with the Václav Havel Special Award. From the beginning of the One World festival, Václav Havel...
FIPRESCI Prize: PRIVATE (Saverio Costanzo, Italy, 2004)Jury Statement – Marcelo Janot, Henry Sheehan and Zlatko Vidackovic We found that PRIVATE combined creative ingenuity and passion in ways that would be unusual for a seasoned director, never mind for someone making a debut feature. Saverio Costanzo has created a dramatic situation that could easily have lent itself to sloganeering: A self-confident and educated Palestinian family suddenly finds its house occupied by an Israeli army platoon...
19th Teddy awards during BerlinaleFebruary 18, 2005At the Berlinale, films with gay, lesbian or transgender content have always been an integral component of all its sections. A nine-member TEDDY Jury views the works and selects the TEDDY-winners for best short film, feature film and documentary / essay film. Every year some 40 films from the different sections of the Berlinale compete for the three TEDDY awards. This year’s film programme and screening schedule will be announced on February 1...
WINNERS OF THE 15TH LJUBLJANA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (10th-24th November)After 14 days, 110 films shown, more than 50 000 visitors, 15th LIFFe is finished. At the closing ceremony on the 24th of November three awards were given to three different films screened at the festival.First the FIPRESCI jury, of the International Federation of Film Critics, composed of renowned film critics, Marco Lombardi, Maya Dimitrieva and Peter Kolsek, bestowed the Grand Prix to Czech Dreams by Vit Klusak and ...
14TH FILMFESTIVAL COTTBUS GALA EUROPEAN OPENING AT THE FESTIVAL FOR EAST EUROPEAN CINEMA IN THE STAATSTHEATERThe Prime-Minister of the State of Brandenburg and the festival patron, Matthias Platzeck, will open the 14th FilmFestival Cottbus – Festival of East European Cinema on November 2 in the Staatstheater Cottbus. The opening programme consists of the world premiere of three films from the series entitled EUROPE’S OLD NEW FACES / VON DEN SOCKELN, a co-production by Rundfunk Berlin-Branden...
Cottbus festival will open on November 2 in the large auditorium of the Staatstheater Cottbus with the world premiere of three films from the series EUROPE’S OLD NEW FACES / VON DEN SOCKELN, a co-production by Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg (RBB) and LOOKS as well as partners in the ten new EU member states in cooperation with ARTE. The documentary series, which was made in 2004, analyses national monuments and myths and is the festival's contribution to the "Cultural Year of the TEN."The members...
TORONTO BIZ BUZZ 1SONY PICTURES CLASSICS HAS A RECORD TORONTOThe first few days of the Toronto International Film Festival has seen a spurt of buying for US distributor Sony Pictures Classics. The company already has a record six films screening in Toronto, including Festival opener Being Julia (directed by Istvan Szabo), Pedro Almodovar’s Bad Education, Zhang Jimou’s House of Flying Daggers, John Duigan’s Head In The Clouds, and Al Pacino-starrer The Merchant of Venice, has announced som...
The Censor Board of India recently banned Rakesh Sharma's internationally-acclaimed documentary - Final Solution. An online petition has been created by Anand Patwardhan to protest against the ban. The petition asks Central Government to intervene and revoke the ban immediately. As you may already know, under clause 6 and 9 of the Cinematograph Act, the Central Government is empowered to overturn any decision/ recommendation by the Censor Board.People who have already signed the petition include...
Some of KVIFF 04 A-list visitorsThis year was no exception and Karlovy Vary’s Grand Hotel welcomed again many film industry A-listers for the International Film Festival. Among them was Taxi Driver, Pulp Fiction and Thelma and Louise star Harvey Keitel, the world’s favourite little hobbit Elijah Wood, Monty Python’s most memorable, John Cleese and many others. Prominent Czech political figures visited the festival too such as president Vaclav KLAUS, and former president Vaclav Havel. Harv...
AT KARLOVY VARY, THE FILM FESTIVAL COTTBUS PRESENTS ITS FOCUS 2004:„NEW CZECH CINEMA: THE VELVET GENERATION“At the 39th International Film Festival in Karlovy Vary, the Film Festival Cottbus will be making its traditional presentation in the section „East of the West“, this year showing the film LITTLE MEN by Nariman Turebaev (France/Kazakhstan 2003). The film experienced its German premiere at last year’s festival in Cottbus.In addition, the Cottbus Festival - along with its media par...
MEDIA Salles was hosting a reception yesterday evening at the ‘Pavilion of the European Union – Int’l Village’ for the traditional rendezvous marking the publication of the MEDIA Salles’ Newsletter “European Cinema Journal” no. 3/2004,which includes the figures on cinema-going in 2003.MEDIA Salles’ coming initiatives were presented:The “Focus on Europe” events:- Kidflix Special at the 44th Zlín International Children’s Film Festival, Prague and Zlín, Czech Republi...
WEDNESDAY MAY 12THE SECOND MEMORY by Bea Visser17:03 SFC - the Short Film CornerA photographer's model, from found photos taken in the early fifties in Prague, was brought back to life (11 min.).Dir: Bea de VisserProd: Bea de Visser THURSDAY MAY 13A FATHER'S AFFAIR by Maarten Treurniet9:30 Palais D - Market ScreeningSome things you have to say, no matter how difficult. Some things you can't say, no matter how necessary (drama - 105 min.).Dir: Maarten TreurnietProd: 24fps features THE EMPEROR'S W...
One World, 6th Annual Human Rights Documentary Film Festival Prague, Czech Republic, 15-22 April 2004The Minister of Culture of the Czech Republic Award for the Best Film:Arna's Children, directed by Juliano Mer Khamis and Danniel ArnaDanniel, Israel, Netherlands, Palestine When you sign on as a juror for the One World International Human Rights Film Festival you know you will be meeting people whose rights are being wronged and whose stories are deeply moving. But few of us jurors expected to m...
International PEN (London) and One World Human Rights Film Festival (Prague)Fourteen Nobel Literature Laureates are joining Vaclav Havel, former President of the Czech Republic and renowned playwright, and Jiri Grusa, acclaimed Czech writer and President of International PEN to urge Senior General Than Shwe of the Burmese Military Junta to immediately release Nobel Peace Laureate Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and other imprisoned Burmese writers. Burmese writers serving long sentences include 74-year-old...
For the 17th time, one of the greatest European multimedia events will be taking place in Osnabrueck, from 21 to 25 April: over a period of five days, the EUROPEAN MEDIA ART FESTIVAL (EMAF) will present current trends and the latest developments in international media art.As an international forum for experimental films and videos, performances, multimedia installations, CD-ROM, DVD and Internet projects, the EMAF will introduce both creative newcomers and renowned artists.In its exhibition (bei...
One World, 6th Annual Human Rights Documentary Film Festival Prague, Czech Republic, 15-22 April 2004 Organised by People in Need - Czech TV Foundation, One World has quickly emerged as one of the largest and most important human rights film festivals in Europe and is firmly established as one of Prague's premier cultural and media events. One World 2004 will present 155 films from around the world. The Festival center will be located at the Archa theater. Other screenings will be held in popula...
John More speaks to the Actress Silvia Colloca
“Van Helsing” a US May 7 release written and directed by Stephen Sommers, (“The Mummy” and “The Return of the Mummy”) starring Hugh Jackman (Van Helsing, Anna Valerious (Kate Beckinsale), Richard Roxburgh (Dracula) and his 3 wives: Silvia Colloca...
“ABOUT THE FILM VAN HELSING”
John More: Hi Silvia, you have an important role in the Hollywood film “Van Helsing”, can you tell us about the synopsis?
Silvia Colloca: Set...
The Director's View Film Festival, having just completed its 5th annual program celebrating and honoring the director's role in filmmaking, has announced its 2004 winners. They are:The Director's View 2004 Independent Narrative Festival:Grand Prize: The Fall Before Paradise, Director: Steven Gillilan, Reisterstown, MDFirst Prize, Feature: Nothing Really Happens, Director: Fred Newman, New York CityFirst Prize, Short: 51 Kilohertz, Director: Julius Sevcik, Prague, Czech RepublicThe Director's Vie...
