2nd Horror and Fantasy Film Festival to be held in the Estonian resort town of Haapsalu from 22 - 25 March.Haapsalu will be overrun by nearly 20 acclaimed fantasy and horror films from all over the world. Hosted by a community that is itself home to a legendary ghostly apparition – the White Lady – the 2nd Haapsalu Horror and Fantasy Film Festival is organised in cooperation with the town of Haapsalu, Black Nights Film festival and Haapsalu Culture Centre."The boundaries between fantasy and ...

New York Jewish Film Festival, 2007 edition took place January 10 to 25.Playing to a captive, though a bit aged, audience the 16th edition of theNY Jewish Film Festival presented 31 feature film, documentaries and shortsdepicting the complexity of Jewish lives, its history and culture and the endless themes of coping with a murderous past. Paradoxically, only few productions in the program focused on Jewish life in Israel and the problems that country faces, possibly due to the Israeli Film Fest...

"Chosebuz" is the traditional name of the city of Cottbus in the local Sorbian (Wendish) language, a minority Slavic tongue which is now unfortunately on the verge of extinction, but the culture of which survives in various forms in this border region of East Germany. The Cottbus Film Festival, now in its 16th edition was established in 1991 in order to promote the films of Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. This is one international film festival (as opposed to single country film we...

"Chosebuz" is the traditional name of the city of Cottbus in the local Sorbian (Wendish) language, a minority Slavic tongue which is now unfortunately on the verge of extinction, but the culture of which survives in various forms in this border region of East Germany. The Cottbus Film Festival, now in its 16th edition was established in 1991 in order to promote the films of Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. This is one international film festival (as opposed to single country film we...

Warren Beatty would be the first to admit it. When he talks, he tends to ramble and to answer an interview question at such great length that both he and the questioner have forgotten the original query. At the press conference held on Tuesday afternoon at Alice Tully Hall, following the press screening of his masterpiece REDS, Beatty covered a lot of territory in a wise, witty and rambling style that had the audience eating out of his hand. Such is the power of the movie star who also happens t...

In the business world a well known adage informs us, that "When it comes to the success (or failure) of a business enterprise, the three most important things are: Location, Location, and Location!" It being one of the hard facts of life that large-scale film festivals are large scale business enterprises as well, the Karlovy Vary film festival -- which has been hard put at times to survive from one year to the next -- is fortunate enough to be graced with one of the most beautiful and user-fr...

Once a year hundreds of foreigners from around the world flock to the picturesque city of Jeonju, in Jeollabuk province, where one of Korea’s top festivals is held. Praised for both its audience record and its organization, the 7th Jeonju International Film Festival (JIFF) is set to take off next week for a 9-day run. Beginning April 27th, over 190 films from 42 countries will be presented to the general public. Both Koreans and expats, seeking a reprieve from the smog and bustle of the capita...

One of the great assets for a journalist at the Berlin film festival is the very well organized press conference structure and the constant parade of leading figures, directors, stars and others, from film industries around the world. The day here starts out with two matinee press screenings of films in competition in the same giant hall, the Berlinale Palast, where the gala red-carpet screenings are held in the evening. These press screenings are immediately followed by a press conference in th...

At a special gala ceremony at the Museum of World Culture, the Göteborg Film Festival Nordic Film Award went to the director Dagur Kári for Dark Horse (Voksne Mennesker), which, “with a young careless rebel in focus, with insight and humour unites fragments from an alienated society into an artistically challenging unity”. The award consists of 150 000 SEK and the Filmdraken (Film dragon)statuette."To be nominated for an award like this is like having a race horse", expressed a happy Dagur...

This year’s CINECITY, the Brighton Film Festival (17 November – 4 December), presents a season of ten films - nine features and one short, including: Havana Blues the ‘Buena Vista Social Club for the MTV Generation’; the epic 1964 Soviet/Cuban collaboration I am Cuba, and the 2005 Spanish box office smash and Cannes Film Festival winner, Viva Cuba – all of which explore Havana, the capital of Cuba – providing a rare chance to see both new and classic films from the cinema of a revolu...

Central Asian Film Festival at the Pacific Film ArchiveThe notion of 'new wave' is probably one of the most meaningless concepts used in film criticism. Since the French nouvelle vague of the sixties, each time a nation produces two or three talented directors, the critics start to talk about a new wave. If this term had existed in the twenties, German expressionism and French impressionism would surely have been described as such. In the last four decades, however, there are few new waves that ...

VIVA PEDRO! An exclusive evening with Pedro Almodóvar, the legendary Spanish director of Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown, All About My Mother, Talk to Her, and the upcoming Bad Education. Highlights from the director's rich career will be screened, followed by a conversation between Mr. Almodóvar and Richard Peña, NYFF Selection Committee Chairman. We expect onstage appearances by special guests who have appeared in Mr. Almodóvar's films. 7A Thu. Oct. 7, 6:15 pm Alice Tully Hall HB...

Eighteen movies (three in the Official Section and fifteen in Zabaltegi-New Directors) will compete at the 52nd San Sebastian International Film Festival for the Altadis-New Directors Award, sponsored by Altadis and carrying Euro 90,000 (approx US$95,000).Seventeen countries feature in this selection offering an overview of films with very little in common. Two Argentine movies and another from Colombia represent Latin American cinema. Europe is present with titles from Switzerland, Italy, Germa...

The 26th MIFF Competition Films program will include: ANGULIMALADirector: Sutape Tunnirut, Thailand, 2003Cast: Nopachai Jayanama, Stella Malucchi, John Rattanaveroj, Caterina Grosse A parable based on the code of Buddhist morality. The story allegedly happened in India more than 2,500 years ago. Ahimsaka was born of Brahmin parents, the social group of high virtue in the Hindu caste system. Despite his noble birth, Ahimsaka was predestined to become a murderous bandit killing those people to who...

THE 44th KRAKOW Int'l FESTIVAL of SHORT and DOCUMENTARY FILMS "A STRONG ENGLISH PRESENCE AND A CANTONESE TWIST"The Krakow festival of short and documentary films is one of the oldest and most prestigious events of its kind in the world. Launched in 1961, this, the 44th instalment of the festival, was held here from May 28 to June 1st. There are two competition sections, one for international films and one for indigenous Polish films. Retrospectives are another strong feature of the festival whil...

PROGRAMME FOR THE 39TH KARLOVY VARY IFF 2004The Karlovy Vary IFF is the most important international film festival in Central and Eastern Europe and the only A-grade festival in the Czech Republic. Its A-grade status (a “non-specialised festival with a feature film competition”) ranks the Karlovy Vary IFF among a group of prestigious festivals which e.g. also includes Cannes, Berlin, Venice and Tokyo. The conception of the festival, screening over 200 new films from all over the world for t...

Billy Crystal will host the Academy Awards for the eighth time this February 29 (CTV/ABC), he'll have his lucky charm in his pocket: his childhood's ttothbrush.Billy Crystal has created one of the most versatile and prolific careers in the entertainment industry, finding success in front of the camera, as a performer in film and television, and behind the scenes as a writer, director and producer.His family owned and operated the legendary Commodore label and record store, so Crystal grew up in ...

Billy Crystal will host the Academy Awards for the eighth time this February 29 (CTV/ABC), he'll have his lucky charm in his pocket: his childhood's ttothbrush.Billy Crystal has created one of the most versatile and prolific careers in the entertainment industry, finding success in front of the camera, as a performer in film and television, and behind the scenes as a writer, director and producer.His family owned and operated the legendary Commodore label and record store, so Crystal grew up in ...

The selection of films for the 34th International Forum of New Cinema has now been completed. An extensive programme of works from 23 countries presents new focuses, little-known filmmaking countries and many debuts from around the globe. Thirty of the films – more than half of the programme – are world premieres.The Wolfgang Staudte Award Jury – which this year includes filmmakers Catherine Breillat (France) and Thomas Arslan (Germany) as well as Imruh Bakari (Tanzania), the director of t...