First Curaçao IFFR opens 29 March with Marley

Fundashon Bon Intenshon is proud to present the first edition of the Curaçao International Film Festival Rotterdam (Curaçao IFFR). From Thursday 29 March until Sunday 1 April 2012, Curaçao IFFR presents a strong selection of twenty-seven feature length films (both documentary and fiction) as well as eleven short films from around the world in the new six-screen multiplex theatre The Cinemas, located in the Otrobanda district of Willemstad.

The festival programme, made in collaboration with the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR), includes award winning films and audience favorites of the IFFR like Shame (UK, 2011) by Steve McQueen, Oscar®-nominated Monsieur Lazhar (Canada, 2011) by Philippe Falardeau and Hivos Tiger Award-winners De jueves a domingo (Chile, 2012) by Dominga Sotomayor and Egg and Stone (China, 2012) by Huang Ji.
Expanding and enhancing the range of films that can be seen in Willemstad, the Curaçao IFFR presents a high-quality choice of recent independent films, documentaries and shorts films from all over the globe. The event initiated by Gregory Elias of Curaçao-based Fundashon Bon Intenshon and co-organised with the International Film Festival Rotterdam, will expand the range of culture available in Willemstad. The festival wishes to inspire cinemagoers and young talented filmmakers from around the region.

Opening Film
Marley, a documentary on the life, music and legacy of Bob Marley will get its Caribbean Premiere as the Opening Film of the first Curaçao IFFR on 29 March. Scottish director Kevin Macdonald is attending to introduce the screening. Experienced documentary and fiction filmmaker Macdonald is well known for his One Day in September (Oscar® for Best Documentary Feature) and the much-lauded The Last King of Scotland (Oscar®, Golden Globe and three BAFTA’s). For Marley, Macdonald was granted access to the unique family archive and, alongside interviews, uses footage of concerts and excerpts in which Marley speaks. Naturally, the film includes hits such as “No Woman, No Cry” and “I Shot the Sheriff”.

Films from around the world
As Fundashon Bon Intenshon and International Film Festival Rotterdam wish to stimulate artistic film culture in The Caribbean and Latin America, the festival shows works from the region like the Brazilian films Rânia by Roberta Marques and HISTÓRIAS que so existem quando lembradas by Julia Murat. Furthermore Curaçao IFFR includes from Australia Black & White & Sex by John Winter, from Europe IFFR 2012-opener 38 Témoins (France, 2012) by Lucas Belvaux and satirical comedy King Curling (Norway, 2011) by Ole Endresen, from Asia Hivos Tiger Award-winner Egg and Stone (China, 2012) by Huang Ji and from Africa the sparkling Hubert Bals Fund-supported film Soul Boy (Kenya, 2010) by Hawa Essuman.
As Caribbean Classics, Curaçao IFFR presents among others Suite Habana (Cuba, 2003) by Fernando Pérez and the music documentary Panman, Rhythm of the Palms (Sint-Maarten, 2007) by Sander Burger.

World premiere
Curaçao IFFR will present the world premiere of Nochi no ke laga mi bai (The Night Holds Me Back) by Catrien Ariëns, a documentary about the development, repression and the indestructible power of tambú, the traditional music of Curaçao, produced by Amsterdam-based Corona Pictures.

Special guests
Filmmaker expected to attend Curaçao IFFR and introduce the screenings of their films are Kevin Macdonald, director of Marley, Tata Amaral, director of Antonia, Pedro González-Rubio, director of Tiger Award-winner Alamar, Roberta Marquez, director of Rânia and several other guests from Mexico, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba and The Netherlands.
From the IFFR, Rutger Wolfson (Festival Director), Janneke Staarink (Business Director), Iwana Chronis (Hubert Bals Fund Manager) and Juliette Jansen (Programmer) will be attending.

Films for the whole family and for students
Curaçao IFFR will present a variety of films suitable for the whole family ranging from kids’ movie Kikkerdril (Netherlands, 2009) by Simone van Dusseldorp to films highly interesting for young people like Antonia (Brazil, 2009) by Tata Amaral or Who the Hell is Juliette? by Carlos Marcovich (Mexico, 1997). Furthermore, the festival organizes free special educational screenings for groups of secondary school students.

Short films Competition for local film talents
In support of local talent, Curaçao IFFR challenged upcoming filmmakers between the ages of 14 and 25 prior to the festival to participate in the ‘Short Movies, BIG Stories’ competition by sending in their short films of maximum five minutes covering the themes ‘Identity’, ‘Environment/Green’ and ‘Music’.
Curaçao IFFR is proud to announce that thirty-four short films were entered to compete for the Jury Awards, each with a cash prize of NAFl 2,000, in the categories Documentary, Fiction and Music Video. The three Jury Award-winning short films will be shown during the Curaçao IFFR 2012 and are eligible for the Audience Award.

Youth orchestras and camera exhibition
But that is not all there is: enjoy the special film music performances on 30 and 31 March and 1 April by the three youth orchestras of Curaçao (Akademia di Músika Edgar Palm, Fundashon Orkesta Sinfóniko Hubenil Kòrsou, and the Youth Orchestra conducted by Dennis Aalse) on the fountain square next to the Renaissance hotel and admire an exceptional exhibition of classic and vintage cameras dating from 1872. The cameras are carefully selected from the personal collection of the late doctor Van Veldhoven. This unique collection was last shown at a photo exhibition at the Curaçaosch Museum in 1961.

Information and tickets
All information about the Curacao IFFR may be found on www.curacaoiffr.com or follow us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/CuracaoIFFR) or Twitter (@curacaoIFFR).
Tickets may be purchased at the Central Box Office, located in The Cinemas and opened daily from 12:00 till 23:00, starting on Friday morning 23 March 2012 at 12:00.
Standard admission fee: NAFl 13,50 (NAFl 6,50 with a Two-for-One-voucher or for visitors over 60 years)

Fundashon Bon Intenshon was founded in 1990 on Curaçao. The Fundashon, led by Gregory Elias, supports projects in the field of education, culture, sports, poverty alleviation, care and tourism on Curaçao and elsewhere on the basis of social and societal commitment. The Fundashon has been the main sponsor of Dutch premier league football club NEC since the 2008-2009 season, of baseball club Sparta-Feyenoord and of the International Film Festival Rotterdam and is the co-organiser and sole sponsor of the Curaçao International Film Festival Rotterdam and the Curaçao North Sea Jazz Festival, the third edition of which will take place on 31 August and 1 September 2012.
The International Film Festival Rotterdam, one of the Netherlands’ largest cultural events, is not only a must for film fans, but also for adventurous culture lovers. The festival opts for young film talent, for film auteurs with an independent, innovative style and for filmmakers or artists who explore boundaries and transgress these in novel ways. The festival programme consists entirely of films that have never before been screened in the Netherlands. The Hubert Bals Fund, which supports filmmakers from developing countries, and CineMart, the world’s largest co-producers’ market for film projects for small to medium-sized budgets, are also part of the IFFR’s activities. Furthermore, the IFFR has an educational programme, its own DVD label ‘Tiger Releases’ and a YouTube channel. In 2012, the festival attracted 274,000 visitors. The 42nd IFFR will take place from 23 January – 3 February 2013 in Rotterdam.