ithacafilmfest

Archive for December, 2010

Film festivals come and film festivals go, yet the Las Vegas Jewish Film Festival has quietly but steadily become Southern Nevada’s longest-running cinematic celebration.

Marking its 10th anniversary Jan. 15-30, the festival will feature 17 narrative and documentary films from around the world, reflecting an eclectic focus that stretches from Hollywood to the Holocaust, gangsters to baseball stars.

Among the highlights: the acclaimed documentaries “Jews and Baseball: An American Love Story,” “Yoo-Hoo, Mrs. Goldberg” and “A Film Unfinished,” plus “127 Hours’ ” James Franco as Beat poet Allen Ginsberg in “Howl” and late great local Tony Curtis as notorious mobster Louis Buchalter, better known as “Lepke.”

Comedies and dramas from Israel’s flowering film industry also turn up, along with contributions from Europe, South America and points between.

Featured titles may have Jewish themes, but the festival — produced by the Desert Space Foundation and Jewish Family Service Agency — is designed to appeal to everyone who loves movies.

In addition to the festival’s home base at the Adelson Educational Campus, festival presentations will be shown at Cinemark’s Suncoast and South Point theaters, UNLV’s Greenspun Hall, downtown Las Vegas’ Historic Fifth Street School and Brenden Theatres at the Palms.

Some screenings during the two-week festival are free of charge; most other screenings are $10.

A selection of 30 feature films and audiovisual works from short films, animation and documentaries made between 1961 and 2009, comprise the display of Cuba as the guest of honor at the International Film Festival in Mexico City (FICCMEXICO).

The meeting, planned by the Ministry of Culture of the Federal District, with support from the Ministry of Tourism, will be held from 4 to 13 February at different sites of Mexico City, among which the Zocalo.

The festival will consist of about 130 titles and sections such as the Mexican Film Festival, will present recent films of national cinematography, including some premieres in the capital. This edition will also feature two competitive sections: National and International and the back, to provide an opportunity to learn about the most important in the history of film making in the Caribbean country and its recent production.

Before 1959 there was in Cuba a film industry, but only isolated attempts, usually co-produced film with Mexico, Spain and Argentina, among other Latin American countries. With the triumph of the Cuban Revolution created the Cuban Institute of Cinematographic Art and Industry (ICAIC), considered the real take-off of Cuban cinema with a distinct cultural identity. Since 1959 the Cuban cinema began to participate in festivals and film.

Thanks to director Santiago Alvarez, separated from the creator and director of new talent, the school was a real documentary. Around these years he founded the Cinematheque of Cuba, who was the first Latin American to store your most important titles of the film, and set the art cinema to serve the people.

Kolkata Bengali filmmaker Qaushiq Mukherjee, better known as Q, is ready to change the perception of a Bengali film with his latest venture Gandu, which has some explicit scenes and bold. There was much curiosity and controversy surrounding the films that are not yet publishing in India.

However, the filmmaker very tense these days Gandu been officially selected for screening at the prestigious “Slam Dance Film Festival in Utah. Responds to that realization, the manager said he is super cool news to get such a wonderful launch of his film. The festival allows new filmmakers a good chance to showcase their talent through the film of their new movie.

The word Gandu is of Hindi origin and is considered to be slang but the filmmaker did not mind using the word as his film’s title. The film has music by Kolkata band ‘Five Little Indians’.

Some critics, including non-mind porn term “because of its content, such as cursing, masturbation, sex, and all the Bengali film have never been studied.

However, it also shows the Bengali rap scene and all that will be presented in black and white. It is sure to attract international audiences, it is not a taboo.

During the 11-day track their steps through the streets of Havana looking for the best choice – in the drizzle, cold or sun – the Cuban moviegoers enjoy a comprehensive view on celluloid.

We are in solidarity with an unemployed father in Brazil for a family desperate (maybe that solidarity is stronger than ever, given the practical nature of the question these days), we have learned about plants Drugs Mexico, listened to poems Keats and listened to jazz seductress, a Spanish cartoon.

Our bodies moved to the rhythm of capoeira and we learned its history.  We traveled through nostalgic times to the ‘90s, and palpably identified with the situation of women in Egypt.

The journey was long and interesting throughout this 32nd edition of the International Festival of New Latin American Cinema, and this past Sunday, December 12, the awards were officially granted.

La vida útil, by the Uruguayan Federico Veiroj, won the Coral for the best sound track, as well as the first place award for fiction.  Other two Uruguayans passed through the festival gracefully: Clever by Federico Borgia and Guillermo Madeiro, who together won the Coral for the best unpublished script; and Gustavo Hernandez’s La casa muda, as a debuting work.

Chile was the country that accumulated the most laurels.  The movie Post Mortem by director Pablo Larrain, in addition to receiving the Second Coral, was awarded for the best script (Larrain and Mateo Iiribarren), best female performance (Antonia Zegers) and best male performance (Alfredo Castro).  That Andean nation also walked away with the Second Coral Award for documentaries, which was earned by El edificio de los Chilenos, by Macarena Aguilo.

Mexico, for its part, received the Third Coral Award in fiction feature films with Maria Novaro’s Las buenas hierbas, which was also recognized for best original music.  Meanwhile, recognition for photography went to Chicogrande, by Damian Garcia, and the First Coral for a premiering work was picked up by Alamar, Pedro Gonzalez-Rubio director.

Accustomed to the presence of Argentina in these festivals, we were not surprised that it received the Editing Coral for Por tu culpa, by Eliane Katz; the second place award in Animation for Marcela, by Gaston Siriczman; and a special award from the jury for the feature film La mirada invisible, by Diego Lerman. The top prize in the documentaries competition went to Pecados de mi padre, by Nicolas Entel.

The Cuban movie Jose Marti: el Ojo del Canario, by Fernando Perez, won the sections for best directing and best artistic direction, as well as best cinema poster.  It also won the majority of the secondary awards: the Roque Dalton award, bestowed by the radio station Radio Havana Cuba; El Megano, presented by the National Federation of Cine Clubs of Cuba; UNICEF 2010, conferred by the United Nations Children’s Fund; and the Premio Caminos, which is given by the Martin Luther King Center.

Adding to the recognition of those institutions was the UNEAC Award, from the National Association of Cuban Writers and Artists, and the National Award of the Cuban Association of the Film Press.

Fernando Perez won a Coral 23 years ago with Clandestinos, his debut. In 1990 he won a first place Coral for Hello Hemingway, and in 1994 he received the special award from the jury for Madagascar.  Four years later he repeated that success with the first place Coral for La vida es silbar and that of best directing.  In 2003, with his documentary Suite Havana, he won the main laurel in that section.  All told, this has transformed him into one of the most award-winning directors at these December festivals.

With the delivery awards which concluded the festival. As always, the public was left with the feeling of having lived other lives that have known other people and other features in a short period. It’s the magic of cinema: to transfer the viewer to other places, other worlds (real or not), and leaves us with the desire to return.

Damascus international jeweler and watchmaker in the Middle East had a huge presence both on the first of 7th Dubai International Film Festival and the following night in an event with stars, adds glamorous as its official Jeweler and partner of the People’s Choice Award.

The collections of the legendary jeweler of choice was selective long list of celebrities wearing fabulous pieces on both nights as Hala Sarhan, one of the biggest celebrities in the Arab world, Egypt, has praised Egypt Libliba actress who received the honorary award Murex life last year, Egyptian actress Mai Al-Sharif, the talented and charming actress and singer Sherine Adel Egyptian and Syrian actress Kandaleft Dima.

Anan Fakhreddin, CEO of Damas, said, “Damas is proud to be showcased in Dubai’s leading film related event of the year. As UAE‘s most acclaimed jeweler and a home grown brand present in over 13 countries today across the world, we fully support the further development of the creative industries in the Emirates and across the region, and take pride in showcasing our world renowned collections at DIFF.”

“Both on the opening night and on the following night of the DIFF 2010 well known celebrities adorned themselves with Damas collections, while six beautiful models collectively showcased our stunning one of a kind jeweler, attracting a lot of attention from guests attending the event, including a number of regional and international celebrities. Our glamorous range of gold, diamond and pearl collections effortlessly matches the international status of the event,” Fakhreddin added.

He added, “Both DIFF and Damas recognize the power of creativity. While the DIFF showcases the power of art through film, Damas acknowledges the art of beauty and the beauty of art through its special one of a kind collections and pieces. It takes a lot of effort and time to craft beautiful jewellery for our discerning customers who instantly feel special and unique.”

The seventh edition of the Dubai International Film Festival 2010 will take place 12 to 19 December 2010, along with Dubai Studio City.

Two Australian films have been elected to contribute in the Robert Redford showcase for independent cinema, the Sundance Film Festival next month.

Mad bastards, set in the Kimberley region of northern Australia, was elected in the theater world and the competition will have its world premiere at the festival.

Director Brendan Fletcher tells the story of a warrior in the urban street meets his competition in the form of a local policeman. The film also weaves music and real people of the Kimberley region, through music musicians Broome Pigram Brothers.

In the documentary section of the competition the Australia/American co-production Shut Up Little Man! An Audio Misadventure has been selected and will also have its world premiere at the festival.

Directed by Matthew Bate, the film follows the story of two friends living in San Francisco who created one of the world’s first viral pop sensations when they tape-recorded the fights of their violently noisy neighbors.

The recordings inspired comic illustrations, plays and songs such as Nirvana’s Dough, Ray and Me and Devo’s Shut up Little Man.

Well known stars appearing in premieres at the festival include Al Pacino, Katie Holmes, Channing Tatum, Pierce Brosnan, Jennifer Connelly, Kevin Spacey, Tobey Maguire, Paul Giamatti and Amy Ryan.

Pacino, Holmes and Tatum star in The Son of No One, a drama set in post-9/11 New York that will close the festival, which runs January 20-30 in Park City, Utah.

Among other premieres: the evangelical tale Salvation Boulevard, with Brosnan and Connelly, the dramatic economic crisis call line, with Kevin Spacey, domestic details romp with Maguire, Elizabeth Banks, and the fight comedy Win, with Giamatti and Ryan.

The 10 day long Goa Film carnival is coming to end on Thursday with the closing ceremony of the international film festival of India.

Today, From Poland, Mexico and Thailand Three movies are to be screened in the international competition section. Counting repeated shows thirty four movies in different sections are to be showcased on before the last day of the festival.

AIR correspondent R. K. Pillai reports that in terms of quality and prize money one of the richest film festivals is coming to a close in a glittering function by tomorrow evening. The mexican film Norteado to be screened today in competition section has already won a handful of awards around the world. Beauty guru Shahnaz Hussian, industrialist Vijaya Mallya, eminent director Mira Nair and actor Nana Patekar were the attraction of the festival yesterday.

For those who could not make to the file festival, the movies of Indian Panorama were screened in different places in Panaji, Apart from the main venue. The inclusion of movies from all continents has transformed the profile of the festival and the same is widely appreciated by the media and film buffs.