Director: Jano Rosebiani.
Five years following the infamous chemical and biological bombing of Halabja, Diyari, a Kurdish/ American good Samaritan, returns to his homeland to build an orphanage in what is left of Halabja. He meets Jiyan, a ten-year old orphan and a survivor of the chemical attack, doomed to live with a burn scar covering most of her right cheek.. A strong bond between the two ensues and later he names his orphanage after her. During the course of his stay in Halabja, Diyari meets a colorful bunch of townsfolk, many of whom remain physically and/or psychologically marked with the effects of the chemical agents. Among them is Jiyan's only living relative, Shérco, a twelve-year old who has also lost his family to the poison gas. While Shérco dreams of marrying her one day, Jiyan dreams of seeing flowers, a picture of which she finds on the back of a magazine. In addition to building the orphanage, Diyari brings a spark of hope and happiness to Shérco's and Jiyan's lives. However, this affair is short lived. As he leaves, the two orphans turn back to their lonely shells with very little light to look forward to - a familiar state of mind echoing throughout Halabja. Diyari departs with a promise to return, but now leaving a tearful Jiyan at the place where he first meet her - on a swing under a lonely tree on a small lonely hill.
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After the success of last year’s event, organisers of the 2009 British Urban Film Festival (BUFF for short) are to once again offer free tickets to the public in what’s been dubbed ‘credit crunch cinema’, part of its’ strategy to capitalise on the growing interest in urban independent film and making it accessible to the public at large.
Launched last December when the credit crunch began to hit people financially, over 400 people took advantage of free tic...
The World Premiere of Sam Taylor-Wood's Nowhere Boy will close the Times BFI 53rd London Film Festival. The Closing Night Gala of The Times BFI 53rd London Film Festival will be the World Premiere of Ecosse Films' Nowhere Boy, the highly anticipated debut feature from British artist Sam Taylor-Wood.Imagine John Lennon's childhood... Liverpool 1955: a smart and troubled fifteen year-old is hungry for experience. In a family full of secrets, two incredible women clash over John. Mimi, the buttoned...
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THREE BLIND MICE
12:30 p.m. on Saturday, November 1st @ ArcLight Hollywood 10
7:10 p.m. on Wednesday, November 5th @ Mann Chinese 6
Australia’s THREE BLIND MICE resurrects an old-fashioned, actor-centric style of film with both energy and honesty.
“I wanted to write a story about people, not politics,” says
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three of the millions of men and women around the world who get up in
the morning and risk thei...
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SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE will be Closing Night Gala of The Times BFI
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Equally at home filming Death in Vegas on stage or Tom Jones for a
commercial, there isn’t much musically that Giles Borg hasn’t captured
on film. He’s won acclaim worldwide for his short films, showing at
major festivals around the globe, and now you can catch his charming
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The Closing Night Gala of The Times BFI 52nd London Film Festival will be the European Premiere of Danny Boyle's SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE.
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE is the story of Jamal Malik, an 18 year-old orphan from the slums of Mumbai, who finds himself just one question away from winning a staggering 20 million rupees on India's ‘Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?'. Arrested on suspicion of cheating, Jamal tells the police the incredible story of his life on the streets, and of the girl he love...
The Festival’s provision of services to the Industry has increased in 2008 and ranges from ground-breaking international events to UK focused debates and leading talent development projects. This expanded and diverse slate is possible thanks to continued funding from Film London, the London Development Agency, the Mayor of London, and new industry sponsor, Production Base.Innovations for 2008 include a major event UK and India:The Shape of Things to Come, in association with the UK Film Counci...
The Times BFI 52nd London Film Festival runs from 15 October – 30 October. The programme, announced today by Artistic Director Sandra Hebron, includes a record number of world and international premieres with a total of 189 features and 108 shorts screening alongside a stellar line-up of special events and expected guests.Opening Night film, Ron Howard’s FROST/NIXON, is one of the Festival’s 15 world premieres and the Closing Night Gala is the European premiere of Danny Boyle’s SLUMDOG M...
SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE is the story of Jamal Malik, an 18 year-old orphan from the slums of Mumbai, who finds himself just one question away from winning a staggering 20 million rupees on India's ‘Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?’. Arrested on suspicion of cheating, Jamal tells the police the incredible story of his life on the streets, and of the girl he loved and lost. But what is a kid with no interest in money doing on the show? And how does he know all the answers? When the new day dawns ...
FESTIVALS AGENDA SUBMISSION CALENDARS Festivals calling for your films... This week, this month... _______________________________________________________________________________________ FESTIVALS IN ACTION - THE VIDEO DAILIES Coverage from fest21.com on London Rome ...
FESTIVALS AGENDA SUBMISSION CALENDARS Festivals calling for your films... This week, this month... _______________________________________________________________________________________ FESTIVALS IN ACTION - THE VIDEO DAILIES Coverage from fest21.com on London Rome ...
Friday, November 2--------This was my first time at the London Film Festival, a storied event that just concluded its 51st edition, making it one of the oldest and most venerated film festivals in the world. London is a great city and it does have a great film festival.....an event that delivers an equal measure of star power and filmmaker discoveries, includes intimate special events and gala premieres, and also serviced the professional industry and aspiring filmmakers. The series of market...
Friday, November 2---------At the Closing Gala of the 51st Times bfi London Film Festival, held last evening at the close of the 14-day festival marathon, a host of awards were announced. While the Festival does not have a Competition Section per se, films screening in its various sections are eligible for some special awards.The Sutherland Trophy is awarded to the director of the most original and imaginative first feature film screened at Festival. The winners were the French directing team ...
Thursday, November 1---------At the Closing Gala of the 51st Times bfi London Film Festival, a host of awards were announced. While the Festival does not have a Competition Section per se, films screening in its various sections are eligible for some special awards.The Sutherland Trophy is awarded to the director of the most original and imaginative first feature film screened at Festival. The winners were the French directing team of Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud for the animated film...
After 10 successful years, European Film Promotion (EFP) has changed the concept for SHOOTING STARS: for the first time, EFP has appointed a jury of prominent industry figures to select the best nine from a variety of talented up-and-coming actors from the most diverse of European countries. They will be presented as SHOOTING STARS to an international professional audience during the 58th Berlin International Film Festival in 2008. 22 EFP member countries have each nominated an actor. The jury w...
Wednesday, October 31--------Truth be told, I left the London Film Festival on Monday morning, October 29th (also my birthday in case anyone wants to send me a belated box of chocolates). So, unfortunately, I missed an event that I truly wanted to cover. But through the art of the press release, I am able to report that on that same Monday evening (when I was blowing out I won't tell you how many candles), the Times BFI London Film Festival along with trade publication Variety presented the 20...
Wednesday, October 31--------Truth be told, I left the London Film Festival on Monday morning, October 29th (also my birthday in case anyone wants to send me a belated box of chocolates). So, unfortunately, I missed an event that I truly wanted to cover. But through the art of the press release, I am able to report that on that same Monday evening (when I was blowing out I won't tell you how many candles), the Times BFI London Film Festival along with trade publication Variety presented the 20...
Wednesday, October 31----------The London Film Festival hosted its final Filmmaker Breakfast this morning, giving attending press and distributors a chance to get up close and personal with invited film directors from all over the world. The Breakfast initiative is a welcome one, giving journalists and distribution execs a chance to meet with filmmakers in a normal, non-chaotic zone (as opposed to the Red Carpet or the madly crowded theater lobby). This is an approach that other film festivals s...
Tuesday, October 30----“We realized pretty quickly that the existing system was not going to work in our benefit…..so we decided it was easier to create a new alternative rather than battle the system that was in place”, filmmaker Lance Weiler declared at the Power To The Pixel Conference last Friday at the London Film Festival. And thus, the gauntlet was launched, as a new generation of filmmakers, distributors and marketers discussed the myriad ways that the digital revolution is upend...
A few words from an interview with Sandra Hebron, Head of The London Film Festival 2007 WHAT DO YOU REGARD AS THE KEY INGREDIENTS OF A ‘GREAT’ FILM FESTIVAL? Well I think the key ingredients really are great films; you can’t have a great film festival if the films themselves aren’t up to scratch. So, everything starts from the programme and the quality of the films. Of course, a festival is always about more than just films. So, having people here to present the films and talk about ...
TONIGHT AT THE BFI, WES ANDERSON TALKS ABOUT HIS NEW FILM 'THE DARJEELING LIMITED'.... PREMIERES AT THE LONDON FILM FESTIVAL TOMORROW, LEICESTER SQUARE!...
Tuesday, October 30---------As the London Film Festival moves into its final days, it has, it might be argued, saved the best for last. In the next few days, the Festival will present a strong array of films and will welcome an international group of film talents to the Red Carpet. On Tuesday, the Festival will offer the UK Premiere of FAR NORTH, director Asif Kapadia's thrilling epic tale set in the forbidding tundra of the Arctic North. Joining the director on the Red Carpet are co-writers ...
Monday, October 29----------In these sangfroid days when nearly everything is acceptable on the big screen, the sight of a mother giving a handjob to her son is still, please excuse me, a little controversial. That scene, that serves as the kind of climax (no pun intended) of SAVAGE GRACE, the long gestating project from American indie director Tom Kalin, may be one of the reasons that the project has taken more than a decade and a half to reach the big screen. However, the London Film Festiva...
