The 26th edition of FESTROIA, the oldest and most prestigious film event in Portugal, concluded last weekend with the announcement of the Golden Dolphin Awards. This has been a rough period for cultural organizations in Portugal, with an already uncertain economy facing new challenges from what could be a long period of austerity. However, despite this, Festival Director Fernanda Silva continue the traditions begun by Festival founder Mario Ventura to create an event that reaches hig...
by Sandy Mandelberger, Festival Dailies Editor
It takes a tremendous amount of courage and insight to make a film that cuts so close to the bone, but in ENTRE NOS, an American Independent film screening at FESTROIA, the actress/writer/director Paola Mendoza delves into her own troubling past to create a universal story of perseverance and triumph.
Mendoza, who co-wrote and co-directed the film with Gloria La Monte, also stars as Mariana, a Colombian refuge...
Wednesday, June 7---The political thriller THE WAR WITHIN, which is being shown as part of the American Independents competition at the Troia International Film Festival, has been generating controversy and much discussion.
The film, directed by Joseph Castelo, tells the unsettling story of a young Pakistani man who is sent to New York City to be a suicide terrorist. His target is New York's beautiful Grand Central Station, a Beaux Arts train station right in the heart of Manhattan.
The Paki...
Tuesday, June 6---New York filmmakers always have the added advantage of shooting in a city that is in itself a major character in their films. No matter the genre, or even the time period, shooting on the New York streets offers an ambience that is instantly recognizable to a world audience (and sorry, cannot be faked on the too-clean streets of Toronto, Chicago or, God forbid, Los Angeles).
Anthony Ng, born and raised in Hong Kong, went to the famed New York University Film School, and ins...
Monday, June 5----One of the more anticipated programs at the TROIA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL is its annual competition for American Independent films. The Festival, over the past 22 years, has been an important showcase for films made outside the Hollywood studio system. This year, six worthy films are competing for the award. The first of them kicks off the section this evening.
FLANNEL PAJAMAS, which had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival, is unique in two important ways. It...
Tuesday, June 6----The Troia International Film Festival is presenting a celebration of the 100th anniverary of Norwegian cinema. The program, which is sponsored by the Norwegian Film Institute in cooperation with the
Norwegian Embassy
in Portugal, is showcasing 10 films, which range from an early silent gem to two films from the current Norwegian auteur Bent Hamer.
The Tribute program began on the Festival opening night, with the rare screening of the 1917 silent film TERJE VIGEN, directed b...
