LINE UP 2009
HIGHLIGHTS
GIGOLA Pre-Sales
2009 – France –– Color – Erotic – In Production
Directed by Laure CHARPENTIER
Original language: French
Cast: Vahina Gocante, Philippe Torreton, Marisa Paredes, Marisa Berenson, Amira Casar, Anne Parillaud
Synopsis: “GIGOLA” is the story of George, a charismatic and adventurous young woman, born from an old, catholic family, who, in her teens, falls in love with a female teacher named Sybil. Devastated by her lover’s eventual suicide, some years later, George embarks on an exciting and reckless journey to the depths of Pigalle’s nightlife, circa 1960. After an encounter with a very wealthy, still attractive, but older woman, Odette, who offers her money and gifts in return for sexual favours, George becomes Gigola, a kind of gigolo for women only.
Based on the controversial Best Seller novel “Gigola” by Laure Charpentier. The book was first printed in 1972 but immediately retrieved by the censorship. 30 years after “Gigola” became one of the most fascinating character of the 60’s nightlife in Pigalle.
Produced by :
Denise Petitdidier (MARIE AMELIE PRODUCTION) - FR
NIKOVANTASTIC FILM - DE
AH! THE LIBIDO
HD / 35 mm 2009 – France – 80 min – Color – Drama
Directed by Michèle ROSIER
Original language: French
Cast: Claude Degliame, Audrey Dana, Sarah Grappin, Anna Mihalcea
Synopsis: This is a week of surprising adventures for Paula, Betty, Charlotte, Sandy, women of different ages, who work at the French daily Liberation and relish lunching together at the cafeteria. Betty, the gutsiest one, talks the others into making a date with a toy-boy (or one-shot boy). And on Sunday, the quartet will meet to compare notes. The Libido is not so much about sex, but a portrait of four high-spirited and distinctly different Parisian working women.
Produced by GO-FILMS
GIVE ME YOUR HAND (DONNE-MOI LA MAIN)
2009 – France/Germany – 76min – Color
Directed by Pascal-Alex Vincent
Original language: French
Synopsis: Twin brothers Antoine and Quentin, eighteen years old, leave their house in the North of France and hit the road to go to Spain for the funeral of their mother, whom they barely knew. When the most reserved one reveals his homosexuality, their relationship changes.
Produced by Local Films, Adam Production, Busse & Halberschmidt Filmproduktion
Festivals:
Torino Film Festival 2008 - Official Competition, Italy
Gay & Lesbian Film Festival of Paris 2008, France
ROBBER GIRLS (RÄUBERINNEN)
HD/ 35 mm - 2009 – Switzerland/ Luxemburg – 80 min – Color – Erotic comedy - In Post Production
Directed by Carla LIA MONTI
Original languages: German, Swiss-German, Luxemburg
Cast : Nina Bühlmann, Alexandra Prusa, Myriam Muller, Mathis Künzler, Nils Althaus, Hanspeter Ull
Synopsis: Set some time in the undeterminable past: Emily is sent to work and live in his excellency's castle. She manages to escape into the woods, where she meets some lively hookers. Together they become «Robber Girls» taking a stand and fighting the patriarchy.
Produced by DSCHOINT VENTSCHR FILMPRODUKTION, PAUL THILTGES DISTRIBUTIONS
BLIND SPOT
HD - 2009 – Netherlands – 80 min – Color/ B&W – Drama
Directed by Ad BOL
Original languages: Dutch, German, English
Cast: Jango Edwards, Micky Hoogendijl, Johnny Melville, Hugo Metsers, Maike Moeller
Synopsis: A young woman, Anya, dons a blindfold to dance mysteriously in her private atelier. It is rhythmic but also tragic, melancholic and gripping. Suddenly, Anya awakes screaming. Her husband tries to comfort her: yet another nightmare... He begs her to see a specialist but she just shrugs off the idea. Anya enters a warehouse under the watchful eye of a distinguished middle-aged man. In his hand a Colt revolver. Upstairs in the studio Anya preens herself in some sexy underwear. A knock at the door startles her. She opens and the man barges in, holding the gun to her head…
Produced by Eager Films B.V., Maximum Films
THREE WISE MEN (KOLME VIISASTA MIESTÄ)
HD / 35 mm - 2008 – Finland – 95 min – Color – Drama
Directed by Mika KAURISMAKI
Original language: Finnish
Cast: Kari Heiskanen, Pertti Sveholm, Timo Torikka
Synopsis: Matti (51), a police inspector, Erkki (51), photographer and Rauno (51), actor, are childhood friends, who haven't seen each other for a long time. They meet coincidentally in a Christmas Eve in Helsinki and spend the night together in a karaoke bar. Between drinking and singing they tell about the joys and sorrows of their lives, revealing some painfull experiences and taking even their friendship apart. The events take a dramatic turn, when a mysterious woman enters the bar.
Produced by Mika Kaurismäki (Marianna Films Oy)
Festivals:
Toronto International Film Festival 2008, Canada
Pusan International Film Festival 2008, South Korea
Valladolid International Film Festival 2008, Official Competition, Spain
Festival on Wheels, Ankara Festival of European Films 2008, Official Competition, Turkey
Upcoming Festival:
Goteborg International Film Festival 2009, Sweden
World Premiere in Toronto Contemporary World Cinema Programme Section
FIRAAQ A mesmerizing social tale
2008 – India – 101 min - Color – Drama
Directed by Nandita DAS
Original languages: English, Hindi, Urdu, Gujarati
Cast: Naseruddin Shah, Paresh Rawal, Raghuveer Yadav, Deepti Naval, Sanjay Suri
Synopsis: Aarti is a housewife silently haunted by the sight of Muslim women begging for sanctuary in her house, that she ignored. Her only hope for salvation comes when she takes in an orphaned Muslim boy as a servant, pretending to her family he is Hindu. Khan Saheb (Naseeruddin Shah) is a great Muslim musician who lives in a Hindu suburb, refusing to comprehend the fractured world around him. Muneera has hidden with husband during the riots but returns to find her home gutted and trust in her neighbours destroyed. Middle class Sameer, married to a Hindu wife, is torn between fleeing town or staying and being recognised as a Muslim.
Produced by PERCEPT PICTURES COMPANY
Festivals:
Telluride Film Festival 2008, USA
Toronto International Film Festival 2008, Canada
Vancouver International Film Festival 2008, Canada
Pusan International Film Festival 2008, Korea
New York South Asian International Film Festival 2008, USA
Kolkata International Film Festival 2008, India
Thessaloniki International Film Festival 2008,Official Competition, Greece
Singapore Asian Pacific Festival of 1st Films 2008, Singapore
Dubai International Film Festival 2008, Official Competition, UAE
Upcoming Festivals:
Tromso International Film Festival 2009, Norway
Palm Springs International Film Festival 2009, USA
European Premiere un London BFI Film Festival - World Cinema Section
Awards:
Everyday life: transcendence or reconciliation award 2008,Thessaloniki, Greece
Best Film, Singapore Asian Pacific Festival of 1st Films 2008, Singapore
Best Screenplay Singapore Asian Pacific Festival of 1st Films 2008, Singapore
Foreign Correspondents Association “Purple Orchid” Award for the Best Film Singapore Asian Pacific Festival
of 1st Films 2008, Singapore
Muhr AsiaAfrica Feature Award, Best Editor Sreekar Prasad ,Dubai International Film Festival 2008, UAE
FRANÇAISE
2008 – France/Morocco – 84 min – Color
Directed by Souad EL BOUHATI
Original language: French, Arabic
Cast: Hafsia Herzi, Farida Khelfa, Maher Kamoun, Alexandra Martinez, Amal Ayouch
Synopsis: Sofia, born in France of Maghrebian parents, spends a happy childhood in the countryside. Her father missing his country, she ends up in a farm in Morocco. She is only ten years old. She swears she’ll pass her degree in order to return to France at the age of eighteen. But life always arranges to disrupt our plans ...
Produced by Jacques Kirsner (JEM Productions)
Awards:
Muhr Arabic Feature Best Actress Award : Hafsia Herzi
Festivals:
Pusan International Film Festival 2008, South Korea
Dubai International Film Festival 2008 , Official Competition, UAE
Rotterdam International Film Festival 2009, The Netherlands
Upcoming Festivals:
Göteborg Film Festival 2009, Sweden
Cinéfranco Toronto French Film Festival 2009, Canada
HAFSIA HERZI Shooting stars of 2009, the annual new talent forum at the Berlinale
2009 Cesar Nominations: Best Film, Best First Film and Best Original Script
COMME UNE ETOILE DANS LA NUIT
2008 – France – 90 min – Color -Drama
Directed by René FERET
Original language: French
Cast: Salomé Stévenin, Nicolas Giraud, Jean-François Stévenin, Maryline Canto
Synopsis: When Anne and Marc decide to have a child, Marc discovers he has Hodgkin disease. Fighting to preserve their love from fear, death and sadness, they will both live a senseless joy…
Produced by Fabienne Camara (Les FILMS ALYNE)
2009 Cesar nominations: Best Film, Best Original Script
STRAIGHT TO THE HEART (EN PLEIN COEUR)
2008 – Canada– 105 min – Color – Romance -Drama
Directed by Stéphane GEHAMI
Original language: French
Cast: Julie Deslauriers, Pierre Rivard, Bénédicte Décary, Patrice Godin
Synopsis: Benoît, a 32 year old teenager, talented car stealer who falls in love compulsively, roams from girl to girl. Jimi, a little man of 13, supports his depressive mother earning money teaming up with Benoît. From stolen Jeep to stolen Jeep, with their fists, with their guts and with their hearts, those two are launched into a story which will turn around Benoît’s life.
Produced by Stéphane Géhami (PRODUCTIONS FILM PLEIN COEUR)
Festival:
World Premiere in Montreal, World Competition, Official Competition, Canada
ANOTHER MAN (UN AUTRE HOMME)
2008 – Suisse – 89 min – Black & White – Drama
Directed by Lionel BAIER
Original language: Suisse
Cast: Robin Harsch, Natacha Koutchoumov, Elodie Weber, Bulle Ogier
Synopsis: François and his girlfriend have settled in the country. Although he is not a journalist, he contributes to a small local weekly, describing the life of the region’s inhabitants and the films shown at the valley’s only movie theatre. Since he is no film critic, he doesn’t know what to make of the films he’s supposed to write about. So he ends up copying word for word the reviews in “Travelling”, a highly specialized cinema review. Very quickly, movies become his passion, and he sets off for Lausanne to view the press screenings. Here he meets Rosa, a critic for a benchmark-setting daily. A kinky relationship develops between the two of them, leading François to discover the inner workings of desire: desire of a woman and of a critic.
Until the day his cheating is discovered...
Produced by Robert Boner (SAGA Production)
Festival:
World Premiere in Locarno Film Festival 2008 ,Official Competition, Switzerland
Pusan International Film Festival 2008, Korea
Warsaw International Film Festival 2008,Official Competition, Poland
LOLA MONTES
HD REMASTERED & 35 mm – 1955/2008 – France – 105 min – Color – Drama/Historical
Directed by Max OPHULS
Original language: French
Based on the book by Cecil St. Laurent
Cast: Martine Carol, Peter Ustinov, Anton Walbrook
Synopsis: Reduced to a state the total degeneration, Lola Montès, under the big top of a gigantic circus, is forced to reinact her dramatic past. The life story of a 19th century courtesan told via flashbacks while being exhibited in a stylised circus somewhere in America. Lola Montes pantomimes her own image, caught between being a caged animal and a femme fatale, she travels around the world creating a caricature of her decline until the tragic conclusion during a show : a leap into the void...
Produced by Les Films du Jeudi
Festivals:
Cannes Film Festival 2008, Opening Film Cannes Classics, Official Screening, France
Chungmuro International Film Festival of Seoul 2008 , Korea
II Cinema Ritrovato Film Festival 2008, Bologna, Italy
Paris Cinéma Film Festival 2008, France
Telluride Film Festival 2008, USA
Seoul Film Festival 2008, Korea
Los Angeles Directors’ Guild, USA
New York Film Festival, USA
ARP-Dijon Film Festival, France
Antalya Film Festival, Turkey
IFFI Goa Film Treasures, India
NOISE AND FURY (14-18, LE BRUIT ET LA FUREUR)
2009 – France/ Belgium – 100 min – Color – Documentary
Directed by Jean-François DELASSUS
Original language: French
Voice over by Alexandre Astier
Synopsis: Not everything has been told about World War One. This documentary tries to explain the inexplicable: how tens of millions of men could have suffered the unbelievable toughness of life in trenches during 4 years, season after season, day after day, night after night? How could they have accepted the idea of a sure death or injury while they could not even tell the exact reason why they were fighting?
What you are about to see can seem crazy: WW1 was maintained by a general consent.
14 – 18, the Great War is a documentary based on rare archives for the first time colorized, restored and sonorized as never before. Broadcasted on prime time with top rated audience.
Produced by PROGRAM 33, ECPAD, IOTA PRODUCTIONS, RTBF
HIDDEN HEART
HD 2008 – Germany – 90min - Documentary
Directed by Cristina Karrer, Werner Schweizer
Original language: English/German
Synopsis: Christian Barnard from Capetown didn't write the great success-story of the first heart transplantation in 1967 alone. Hamilton Naki, a black man, was equally part of the sensational operation. «Hidden Heart» tells the story of two men, glamour, injustice and uprising.
Produced by Dschoint Ventschr Filmproduktion, Lichtblick, Big World Cinema (RSA)
Festivals:
Solothurn Film Festival 2008, Switzerland
Seville European Film Festival 2008, Eurodoc Competition, Spain
A POLICE ROMANCE (UN ROMAN POLICIER)
HD / 35 mm 2008 – France – 95min – Color – Drama
Directed by Stéphanie DUVIVIER
Original language: French
Cast : Olivier Marchal, Hiam Abbass, Marie-Laure Descoureaux, Abdelhafid Métalsi, Théo Trifard,
Synopsis: In a small police station, Lieutenant Emilie Carange finds herself sexually attracted to Jamil Messaouden, a young rookie officer. When an old Algerian woman reports that she’s seen drug dealers operating in the neighbourhood, they find themselves in over their heads in an investigation. Night after night, Emilie’s desire grows. The drug investigation gets out of hand and so does Emilie …
Produced by Richard Magnien (Mat Films)
Awards:
Rainer Werner Fassbinder Prize - Mannheim-Heidelberg International Film Festival 2008
Festivals:
Ciné Premières Film Festival 2008, The Netherlands
Montréal Festival du Film Français 2008, CINEMANIA, Canada
Mannheim-Heidelberg International Film Festival 2008, International Competition, Germany
Festival Cinéma Méditerranéen in Bruxelles 2008, Belgium
2009 Cesar nominations: Best Film, Best First Film, Best Original Soundtrack, Best Original Script
CHILDREN OF DON QUIXOTE (ACT 1) (LES ENFANTS DE DON QUICHOTTE ACTE 1)
2008 – France – 75min – Color – Documentary
Directed by Ronan DENECE, Augustin LEGRAND, Jean-Baptiste LEGRAND
Original language: French
Synopsis: On October 26th 2006, two citizens, Augustin Legrand and Pascal Oumaklouf decided to federate the homeless people and force the French government to respect their fundamental rights. They set up a true entrenched camp in the heart of Paris, on the Canal St Martin, where a new resistance stood up.
This is the story of their struggle and this film was conceived as a tool, a weapon to extend their fight.
Produced by Jean-Baptiste Legrand (SOCIETE CENTRALE ELECTRIQUE) and co-produced by MNP production (Mathieu Kassovitch)
Festivals:
Cannes International Critics' Week 2008, France
Mar del Plata International Film Festival 2008, Argentina
CPH:DOX, Copenhagen International Documentary Film Festival 2008, Denmark
Produced by MNP “Mathieu Kassovitz” with Augustin LEGRAND “13 TZAMETI”
2009 Cesar nominations: Best Film, Best Documentary Film, Best Original Script
HIGHLIGHTS: FEATURE FILMS & DOCUMENTARIES
LANDSCAPE NO. 2 (POKRAJINA ŠT.2)
2008 – Slovenia/ Serbia – 90min – Color – Drama- Thriller
Directed by Vinko Möderndorfer
Original language: Slovenian and Serbian
Cast : Marko Mandić, Slobodan Ćustić, Barbara Cerar, Maja Martina Merljak, Janez Hočevar
Synopsis: The burglars Sergej and Polde steal a valuable painting Landscape No.2. By coincidence Sergej also takes a mysterious document dating back to the end of the World War II. Instructor is ordered to recover the stolen painting and the document, which triggers a diabolic mechanism of the past.
Produced by Forum Ljubljana (Eva Rohrman), Delirium (Biljana Prvanović), RTV Slovenija, VPK (Andrej Kregar)
Awards:
Best Film Award, Festival of Slovenian Film 2008 , Slovenia
Best Director Award, Festival of Slovenian Film 2008, Slovenia
Best Supporting Actress Award (Maja Martina Merljak), Festival of Slovenian Film 2008, Slovenia
Best Cinematography Award, Festival of Slovenian Film 2008, Slovenia
Best Production Design Award, Festival of Slovenian Film 2008, Slovenia
Best Music Award, Festival of Slovenian Film 2008, Slovenia
Festivals:
Warsaw International Film Festival 2008, Official Competition, Poland
FSF - Festival of Slovenian Film 2008, Official Competition, Slovenia
Upcoming Festival:
Adelaide Film Festival 2009, Australia
World Premiere: Venice Days / Giornate Degli Autori 2008, Italy
I DREAMT UNDER THE WATER (J’AI RÊVÉ SOUS L’EAU)
2009 – France – 73min – Color – Drama
Directed by HORMOZ
Original language: French
Cast: Hubert Benhamdine, Caroline Ducey, Christine Boisson, HPG
Synopsis: 20-years-old Antonin is secretly in love with Alex his best friend. After Alex's brutal death, Antonin succumbs to an overwhelming sexuality that leads him into prostitution. One day, he meets Juliette. It is love at first sight, but a drug issue starts to interfere between them. After some happy weeks, the young woman decides to run away. Close to despair, Antonin finally finds comfort in the arms of Baptiste, one of his former clients, while Juliette remains in his heart.
Produced by Sebastien Burnet (Triskel Film), Loïc Magneron (WIDE Management), TLA entertainment
Upcoming Festival:
Goteborg International Film Festival 2009, Official Competition, Sweden
HER NAME IS SABINE (ELLE S’APPELLE SABINE)
2008 – France – 85min – Color – Documentary
Directed by Sandrine BONNAIRE
Original language: French
Cast: Sabine Bonnaire
Synopsis: A sensitive portrait of Sabine Bonnaire, a 38-year-old autistic woman, filmed by her closest sister. The film tells her story through personal footage filmed by the actress over a period of 25 years, and her life today in a suitable facility. After a tragic five-year stay in a psychiatric hospital, Sabine found a new lease on life-even if these capacities remain altered-in a home in the Charente region. The film exposes the penury of specialized institutions and the dramatic consequences they can lead to.
Produced by Thomas Schmitt (Mosaique Films)
Award:
FIPRESCI Award, Cannes Director’s Fortnight 2007
Jury Special Prize, Festival International du Film Francophone of Namur 2007, Belgium
Audience Award, Festival International du Film Francophone of Namur 2007, Belgium
COL COA, City of Light, City of Angels Los Angeles Film Festival 2008, Jury Special Citation, USA
Nominated for Prix Europa : “Best TV documentary of the year 2008”
2009 Cesar nominations : Best Film, Best Documentary
MAI 68, LA BELLE OUVRAGE
1968/2008 – France – 52/117min – Black & White
Directed by Jean - Luc MAGNERON
Original language: French
Synopsis: A rare documentary about the Mai 68 riots in Paris with many testimonies from unknown and well-known witnesses. Shot during the events by Jean - Luc Magneron, this poignant documentary with interviews brings a new light on the events. On April 1998, some excerpts, entitled “It was your May 68”, were broadcasted during french TV show “La Marche du siècle” hosted by Jean-Marie Cavada, at the occasion of the 30th birthday of the events.
Produced by Loïc Magneron (WIDE Management)
Festivals:
Glasgow & Edinburgh French Film Festival 2008, UK
Décade Cinéma et Société 2008, Special Screening, France
Danish Film Institute, Cinematheque 2008, Denmark
Norwegian Film Institute ,Cinematheque 2008 Oslo, Norway
Cinema ZED Leuven 2008, Special Screening, Belgium
Cinéma Les Carmes,2008, France
Film and Art Festival 2008, Two Riversides, Poland
Rio de Janeiro International Film Festival 2008, World Panorama Section, Brazil
"Cinema Verite" Iran International Documentary Film Festival DEFC 2008, Section Our Era, Iran
Torino Film Festival 2008 , Italy
MUSIC : FEATURES & DOCUMENTARIES
BALLERINA
DIGITAL – France – 77 min – Color – Documentary
Directed by Bertrand NORMAND
Original language: Russian
Synopsis: Ballerina. Fascinating, enthralling, shrouded in mystery. Hers is a rare art. Her craft as demanding as an athlete. Her dancing life as brief as a butterfly. All to a vision of fragile beauty. A vision of what it is to be a woman. And Russia, land of absolutes, of the cult of beauty, of immensities and of nostalgia where that feminine ideal is celebrated and held dear. Russia is par excellence the land of the Ballerina. This film follows the destinies of five female dancers of the Kirov Ballet in Saint-Petersburg. Their lives weave together to tell the story of the Russian Ballerina of our time, from her beginnings as a child in dance school to the peak of her glory on the world stages. In this intimate gaze at the lives, the courage, the disappointments and triumphs of these women, this film unveils the vitality and uniqueness of the Russian Ballerina today. We come to understand her lasting allure as we begin the 21st century. Ballerina, as old as Russian history, as new as today.
Produced by Frédéric Podetti (Adesif Productions), Yann Brolli (Les Films du Tamarin)
English Voice Over by Diane Baker
Available version : English, Russian, French
Festivals:
Vancouver International Film Festival 2007, Canada
Palm Springs International Film Festival 2008, USA
Beloit International Film Festival 2008, USA
Spokane International Film Festival 2008, USA
Washington International Film Festival 2008, USA
Warsaw International Film Festival 2008, Poland
2009 Cesar nominations:
Best Film, Best Documentary Film, Best Original Soundtrack
SVETLANA ZAKHAROVA & ULYIANA LOPATKINA
2008 – 2 x 26 min – Color – Documentary
Directed by Laurent Gentot
Synopsis: Two portraits of two great stars, icones of today’s Russian ballet. Svetlana Zakharova is star from the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow and Ulyiana Lopatkina is star from the Marinsky Theater in Saint Petersburg.
Produced by Injam Film
REDEMPTION SONG
HD - 2009 – France – 90 min – Color – Documentary
Directed by Markus HANSEN, Jean-Marie BOULET
Original language: English, Vietnamese
Synopsis: In March 1967, Billy Bang was conscripted to fight in Vietnam, an experience that left him emotionally desolate and profoundly confused about his American identity. Upon his return, he tried to forget his nightmares through alcohol, drugs and music. Forty years later, he decides that the only way he will be able to repair his emotions and find some closure to his trauma, is to return to Vietnam, this time with his violin. This film is about the desire to overcome and transcend the trauma of war through music and art.
Produced by Loïc Magneron (WIDE Management)
ANOTHER LOVE STORY (MARÉ, NOSSA HISTÓRIA DE AMOR)
HD and 35mm - 2008 – Brazil/France/Uruguay – 104min – Color – Drama
Directed by Lucia MURAT
Original language: Portuguese
Cast: Cristina Lago, Vinícius D´Black, Marisa Orth, Jefchander Lucas, Babu Santana
Synopsis: Living in a slum divided between two rival gangs of drug traffickers, Analídia is the daughter of one of the gangs’ leaders and Jonatha is a childhood friend of the other gang leader. Both study in a dance group situated exactly in the middle of the two territories, looking for solace in art. Openly inspired by Romeo and Juliet, the film is a salute to the strong sense of Brazilian music, to the relevance of national contemporary dance, and to the strange mix found today in slums, where violence lives alongside the artistic paths enabled by social projects.
Produced by Lúcia Murat (Taiga Filmes e Video), Laurent Lavolé (Gloria Films), Natacha López (Lavoragine Films)
Awards:
Special Jury Prize for Babu Santana, Rio de Janeiro International Film Festival 2007, Brazil
Behind the Scenes Award, Film Festival Open Doek 2008, Belgium
Best Direction Award, Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival 2008, USA
Woman and film award, San Francisco Latino films Festival 2008
COLLECTIONS
MIKA KAURISMAKI COLLECTION
Mika Kaurismäki’s first film The Liar (1980) was an overnight sensation, when first shown in Finland; it marked the beginning of the cinema of the Kaurismäki brothers and started a new era in the Finnish cinema. After the high school Mika Kaurismäki used to work as a painter of houses and apartments in a small town of Kuusankoski in the Southeastern part of Finland. In the autumn of 1976, when the winter was coming and the annual high season for painting houses was over, he thought of doing something else in life. Mika Kaurismaki studied cinema in Munich, Germany, (Hochschule für Film und Fernsehen) 1977-1981 and made his diplom film The Liar in 1980 in Finland. His younger brother Aki Kaurismäki, then a student of journalism, played the main role and also co-wrote the screenplay. After the success of The Liar, Mika Kaurismäki decided to stay in Finland and together with his brother and some friends he founded the production company Villealfa Filmproductions.
During the active Villealfa years, Mika co-founded the legendary Midnight Sun Film Festival (1986) and the distribution company Senso Films (1987) and the Andorra cinemas in Helsinki. The 90’s meant a gradual disappearance of the Villealfa spirit and both Mika and Aki started to produce their films through their own production companies. In 1994 Mika returned to the Brazilian jungle with Samuel Fuller and Jim Jarmusch and made the feature length documentary Tigrero – a film that was never made. The film was awarded the International Critics’ Award at the Berlin Film Festival in 1994. In the course of the 90’s Mika established his base and second home in Rio de Janeiro and started to concentrate more in international co-productions. In 1996 in Philadelphia he directed the no-budget thriller Condition Red with James Russo, Cynda Williams and Paul Calderon. His biggest production so far is the comedy LA without a map (1998), with David Tennant, July Delpy, Vincent Gallo, Johnny Depp, James Le Gros, Anouk Aimee, Joe Dallesandro.
In 2003 he directed Honey Baby, a road movie between Germany and Russia, starring Henry Thomas, Irina Björklund and Helmut Berger. Brasileirinho, a film about Brazilian choro music, premiered at the Berlinale 2005 and Sonic Mirror.
Three Wise Men (Kolme viisasta miestä), Sonic Mirror, Brasileirinho, Honey Baby, Moro No Brasil, Highway Society, Condition Red (Jatkuva hälytystila), Tigrero: A Film That Was Never Made (Tigrero - Elokuva, joka ei valmistunut), The Last Border (Viimeisellä rajalla), Zombie and the Ghost Train (Zombie ja Kummitusjuna), Amazon, Paper Star (Paperitähti), Cha Cha Cha, Helsinki Naples All Night Long, Rosso, The Clan Tale of the Frogs (Klaani), The Worthless (Arvottomat), Jackpot 2, The Liar (Valehtelija)…
More than 30 hours of programs.
HD masters available for the first films
RENÉT FERÉT COLLECTION
After studies in Lille, he took classes at the Actor school of the TNS of Strasbourg. Script, writer, producer, director, TV director, actor, and teacher, René Feret has been involved in more than 40 features films and documentaries from 1975 to nowadays. Some of his film has been selected in competition for major festivals worldwide, such as La Communion Solennelle (Official selection in Cannes FF in 1977) and Mystere Alexina (Un certain regard in Cannes 1985).
Directed by : Comme une etoile dans la nuit, But Once Mom Had Gone... (Il a suffit que Maman s’en aille), L’enfant du pays, Rue du retrait, Les frères Gravet, La place d’un autre, Promenades d’été, Baptême, Mystère Alexina, Fernand, La communion solenelle, Histoire de Paul
Produced by :
Dakan, Un homme deux femmes, Itinéraire Bis, Sarah, A vendre
More than 27 hours of programs.
GIGOLA Pre-Sales
2009 – France –– Color – Erotic – In Production
Directed by Laure CHARPENTIER
Original language: French
Cast: Vahina Gocante, Philippe Torreton, Marisa Paredes, Marisa Berenson, Amira Casar, Anne Parillaud
Synopsis: “GIGOLA” is the story of George, a charismatic and adventurous young woman, born from an old, catholic family, who, in her teens, falls in love with a female teacher named Sybil. Devastated by her lover’s eventual suicide, some years later, George embarks on an exciting and reckless journey to the depths of Pigalle’s nightlife, circa 1960. After an encounter with a very wealthy, still attractive, but older woman, Odette, who offers her money and gifts in return for sexual favours, George becomes Gigola, a kind of gigolo for women only.
Based on the controversial Best Seller novel “Gigola” by Laure Charpentier. The book was first printed in 1972 but immediately retrieved by the censorship. 30 years after “Gigola” became one of the most fascinating character of the 60’s nightlife in Pigalle.
Produced by :
Denise Petitdidier (MARIE AMELIE PRODUCTION) - FR
NIKOVANTASTIC FILM - DE
AH! THE LIBIDO
HD / 35 mm 2009 – France – 80 min – Color – Drama
Directed by Michèle ROSIER
Original language: French
Cast: Claude Degliame, Audrey Dana, Sarah Grappin, Anna Mihalcea
Synopsis: This is a week of surprising adventures for Paula, Betty, Charlotte, Sandy, women of different ages, who work at the French daily Liberation and relish lunching together at the cafeteria. Betty, the gutsiest one, talks the others into making a date with a toy-boy (or one-shot boy). And on Sunday, the quartet will meet to compare notes. The Libido is not so much about sex, but a portrait of four high-spirited and distinctly different Parisian working women.
Produced by GO-FILMS
GIVE ME YOUR HAND (DONNE-MOI LA MAIN)
2009 – France/Germany – 76min – Color
Directed by Pascal-Alex Vincent
Original language: French
Synopsis: Twin brothers Antoine and Quentin, eighteen years old, leave their house in the North of France and hit the road to go to Spain for the funeral of their mother, whom they barely knew. When the most reserved one reveals his homosexuality, their relationship changes.
Produced by Local Films, Adam Production, Busse & Halberschmidt Filmproduktion
Festivals:
Torino Film Festival 2008 - Official Competition, Italy
Gay & Lesbian Film Festival of Paris 2008, France
ROBBER GIRLS (RÄUBERINNEN)
HD/ 35 mm - 2009 – Switzerland/ Luxemburg – 80 min – Color – Erotic comedy - In Post Production
Directed by Carla LIA MONTI
Original languages: German, Swiss-German, Luxemburg
Cast : Nina Bühlmann, Alexandra Prusa, Myriam Muller, Mathis Künzler, Nils Althaus, Hanspeter Ull
Synopsis: Set some time in the undeterminable past: Emily is sent to work and live in his excellency's castle. She manages to escape into the woods, where she meets some lively hookers. Together they become «Robber Girls» taking a stand and fighting the patriarchy.
Produced by DSCHOINT VENTSCHR FILMPRODUKTION, PAUL THILTGES DISTRIBUTIONS
BLIND SPOT
HD - 2009 – Netherlands – 80 min – Color/ B&W – Drama
Directed by Ad BOL
Original languages: Dutch, German, English
Cast: Jango Edwards, Micky Hoogendijl, Johnny Melville, Hugo Metsers, Maike Moeller
Synopsis: A young woman, Anya, dons a blindfold to dance mysteriously in her private atelier. It is rhythmic but also tragic, melancholic and gripping. Suddenly, Anya awakes screaming. Her husband tries to comfort her: yet another nightmare... He begs her to see a specialist but she just shrugs off the idea. Anya enters a warehouse under the watchful eye of a distinguished middle-aged man. In his hand a Colt revolver. Upstairs in the studio Anya preens herself in some sexy underwear. A knock at the door startles her. She opens and the man barges in, holding the gun to her head…
Produced by Eager Films B.V., Maximum Films
THREE WISE MEN (KOLME VIISASTA MIESTÄ)
HD / 35 mm - 2008 – Finland – 95 min – Color – Drama
Directed by Mika KAURISMAKI
Original language: Finnish
Cast: Kari Heiskanen, Pertti Sveholm, Timo Torikka
Synopsis: Matti (51), a police inspector, Erkki (51), photographer and Rauno (51), actor, are childhood friends, who haven't seen each other for a long time. They meet coincidentally in a Christmas Eve in Helsinki and spend the night together in a karaoke bar. Between drinking and singing they tell about the joys and sorrows of their lives, revealing some painfull experiences and taking even their friendship apart. The events take a dramatic turn, when a mysterious woman enters the bar.
Produced by Mika Kaurismäki (Marianna Films Oy)
Festivals:
Toronto International Film Festival 2008, Canada
Pusan International Film Festival 2008, South Korea
Valladolid International Film Festival 2008, Official Competition, Spain
Festival on Wheels, Ankara Festival of European Films 2008, Official Competition, Turkey
Upcoming Festival:
Goteborg International Film Festival 2009, Sweden
World Premiere in Toronto Contemporary World Cinema Programme Section
FIRAAQ A mesmerizing social tale
2008 – India – 101 min - Color – Drama
Directed by Nandita DAS
Original languages: English, Hindi, Urdu, Gujarati
Cast: Naseruddin Shah, Paresh Rawal, Raghuveer Yadav, Deepti Naval, Sanjay Suri
Synopsis: Aarti is a housewife silently haunted by the sight of Muslim women begging for sanctuary in her house, that she ignored. Her only hope for salvation comes when she takes in an orphaned Muslim boy as a servant, pretending to her family he is Hindu. Khan Saheb (Naseeruddin Shah) is a great Muslim musician who lives in a Hindu suburb, refusing to comprehend the fractured world around him. Muneera has hidden with husband during the riots but returns to find her home gutted and trust in her neighbours destroyed. Middle class Sameer, married to a Hindu wife, is torn between fleeing town or staying and being recognised as a Muslim.
Produced by PERCEPT PICTURES COMPANY
Festivals:
Telluride Film Festival 2008, USA
Toronto International Film Festival 2008, Canada
Vancouver International Film Festival 2008, Canada
Pusan International Film Festival 2008, Korea
New York South Asian International Film Festival 2008, USA
Kolkata International Film Festival 2008, India
Thessaloniki International Film Festival 2008,Official Competition, Greece
Singapore Asian Pacific Festival of 1st Films 2008, Singapore
Dubai International Film Festival 2008, Official Competition, UAE
Upcoming Festivals:
Tromso International Film Festival 2009, Norway
Palm Springs International Film Festival 2009, USA
European Premiere un London BFI Film Festival - World Cinema Section
Awards:
Everyday life: transcendence or reconciliation award 2008,Thessaloniki, Greece
Best Film, Singapore Asian Pacific Festival of 1st Films 2008, Singapore
Best Screenplay Singapore Asian Pacific Festival of 1st Films 2008, Singapore
Foreign Correspondents Association “Purple Orchid” Award for the Best Film Singapore Asian Pacific Festival
of 1st Films 2008, Singapore
Muhr AsiaAfrica Feature Award, Best Editor Sreekar Prasad ,Dubai International Film Festival 2008, UAE
FRANÇAISE
2008 – France/Morocco – 84 min – Color
Directed by Souad EL BOUHATI
Original language: French, Arabic
Cast: Hafsia Herzi, Farida Khelfa, Maher Kamoun, Alexandra Martinez, Amal Ayouch
Synopsis: Sofia, born in France of Maghrebian parents, spends a happy childhood in the countryside. Her father missing his country, she ends up in a farm in Morocco. She is only ten years old. She swears she’ll pass her degree in order to return to France at the age of eighteen. But life always arranges to disrupt our plans ...
Produced by Jacques Kirsner (JEM Productions)
Awards:
Muhr Arabic Feature Best Actress Award : Hafsia Herzi
Festivals:
Pusan International Film Festival 2008, South Korea
Dubai International Film Festival 2008 , Official Competition, UAE
Rotterdam International Film Festival 2009, The Netherlands
Upcoming Festivals:
Göteborg Film Festival 2009, Sweden
Cinéfranco Toronto French Film Festival 2009, Canada
HAFSIA HERZI Shooting stars of 2009, the annual new talent forum at the Berlinale
2009 Cesar Nominations: Best Film, Best First Film and Best Original Script
COMME UNE ETOILE DANS LA NUIT
2008 – France – 90 min – Color -Drama
Directed by René FERET
Original language: French
Cast: Salomé Stévenin, Nicolas Giraud, Jean-François Stévenin, Maryline Canto
Synopsis: When Anne and Marc decide to have a child, Marc discovers he has Hodgkin disease. Fighting to preserve their love from fear, death and sadness, they will both live a senseless joy…
Produced by Fabienne Camara (Les FILMS ALYNE)
2009 Cesar nominations: Best Film, Best Original Script
STRAIGHT TO THE HEART (EN PLEIN COEUR)
2008 – Canada– 105 min – Color – Romance -Drama
Directed by Stéphane GEHAMI
Original language: French
Cast: Julie Deslauriers, Pierre Rivard, Bénédicte Décary, Patrice Godin
Synopsis: Benoît, a 32 year old teenager, talented car stealer who falls in love compulsively, roams from girl to girl. Jimi, a little man of 13, supports his depressive mother earning money teaming up with Benoît. From stolen Jeep to stolen Jeep, with their fists, with their guts and with their hearts, those two are launched into a story which will turn around Benoît’s life.
Produced by Stéphane Géhami (PRODUCTIONS FILM PLEIN COEUR)
Festival:
World Premiere in Montreal, World Competition, Official Competition, Canada
ANOTHER MAN (UN AUTRE HOMME)
2008 – Suisse – 89 min – Black & White – Drama
Directed by Lionel BAIER
Original language: Suisse
Cast: Robin Harsch, Natacha Koutchoumov, Elodie Weber, Bulle Ogier
Synopsis: François and his girlfriend have settled in the country. Although he is not a journalist, he contributes to a small local weekly, describing the life of the region’s inhabitants and the films shown at the valley’s only movie theatre. Since he is no film critic, he doesn’t know what to make of the films he’s supposed to write about. So he ends up copying word for word the reviews in “Travelling”, a highly specialized cinema review. Very quickly, movies become his passion, and he sets off for Lausanne to view the press screenings. Here he meets Rosa, a critic for a benchmark-setting daily. A kinky relationship develops between the two of them, leading François to discover the inner workings of desire: desire of a woman and of a critic.
Until the day his cheating is discovered...
Produced by Robert Boner (SAGA Production)
Festival:
World Premiere in Locarno Film Festival 2008 ,Official Competition, Switzerland
Pusan International Film Festival 2008, Korea
Warsaw International Film Festival 2008,Official Competition, Poland
LOLA MONTES
HD REMASTERED & 35 mm – 1955/2008 – France – 105 min – Color – Drama/Historical
Directed by Max OPHULS
Original language: French
Based on the book by Cecil St. Laurent
Cast: Martine Carol, Peter Ustinov, Anton Walbrook
Synopsis: Reduced to a state the total degeneration, Lola Montès, under the big top of a gigantic circus, is forced to reinact her dramatic past. The life story of a 19th century courtesan told via flashbacks while being exhibited in a stylised circus somewhere in America. Lola Montes pantomimes her own image, caught between being a caged animal and a femme fatale, she travels around the world creating a caricature of her decline until the tragic conclusion during a show : a leap into the void...
Produced by Les Films du Jeudi
Festivals:
Cannes Film Festival 2008, Opening Film Cannes Classics, Official Screening, France
Chungmuro International Film Festival of Seoul 2008 , Korea
II Cinema Ritrovato Film Festival 2008, Bologna, Italy
Paris Cinéma Film Festival 2008, France
Telluride Film Festival 2008, USA
Seoul Film Festival 2008, Korea
Los Angeles Directors’ Guild, USA
New York Film Festival, USA
ARP-Dijon Film Festival, France
Antalya Film Festival, Turkey
IFFI Goa Film Treasures, India
NOISE AND FURY (14-18, LE BRUIT ET LA FUREUR)
2009 – France/ Belgium – 100 min – Color – Documentary
Directed by Jean-François DELASSUS
Original language: French
Voice over by Alexandre Astier
Synopsis: Not everything has been told about World War One. This documentary tries to explain the inexplicable: how tens of millions of men could have suffered the unbelievable toughness of life in trenches during 4 years, season after season, day after day, night after night? How could they have accepted the idea of a sure death or injury while they could not even tell the exact reason why they were fighting?
What you are about to see can seem crazy: WW1 was maintained by a general consent.
14 – 18, the Great War is a documentary based on rare archives for the first time colorized, restored and sonorized as never before. Broadcasted on prime time with top rated audience.
Produced by PROGRAM 33, ECPAD, IOTA PRODUCTIONS, RTBF
HIDDEN HEART
HD 2008 – Germany – 90min - Documentary
Directed by Cristina Karrer, Werner Schweizer
Original language: English/German
Synopsis: Christian Barnard from Capetown didn't write the great success-story of the first heart transplantation in 1967 alone. Hamilton Naki, a black man, was equally part of the sensational operation. «Hidden Heart» tells the story of two men, glamour, injustice and uprising.
Produced by Dschoint Ventschr Filmproduktion, Lichtblick, Big World Cinema (RSA)
Festivals:
Solothurn Film Festival 2008, Switzerland
Seville European Film Festival 2008, Eurodoc Competition, Spain
A POLICE ROMANCE (UN ROMAN POLICIER)
HD / 35 mm 2008 – France – 95min – Color – Drama
Directed by Stéphanie DUVIVIER
Original language: French
Cast : Olivier Marchal, Hiam Abbass, Marie-Laure Descoureaux, Abdelhafid Métalsi, Théo Trifard,
Synopsis: In a small police station, Lieutenant Emilie Carange finds herself sexually attracted to Jamil Messaouden, a young rookie officer. When an old Algerian woman reports that she’s seen drug dealers operating in the neighbourhood, they find themselves in over their heads in an investigation. Night after night, Emilie’s desire grows. The drug investigation gets out of hand and so does Emilie …
Produced by Richard Magnien (Mat Films)
Awards:
Rainer Werner Fassbinder Prize - Mannheim-Heidelberg International Film Festival 2008
Festivals:
Ciné Premières Film Festival 2008, The Netherlands
Montréal Festival du Film Français 2008, CINEMANIA, Canada
Mannheim-Heidelberg International Film Festival 2008, International Competition, Germany
Festival Cinéma Méditerranéen in Bruxelles 2008, Belgium
2009 Cesar nominations: Best Film, Best First Film, Best Original Soundtrack, Best Original Script
CHILDREN OF DON QUIXOTE (ACT 1) (LES ENFANTS DE DON QUICHOTTE ACTE 1)
2008 – France – 75min – Color – Documentary
Directed by Ronan DENECE, Augustin LEGRAND, Jean-Baptiste LEGRAND
Original language: French
Synopsis: On October 26th 2006, two citizens, Augustin Legrand and Pascal Oumaklouf decided to federate the homeless people and force the French government to respect their fundamental rights. They set up a true entrenched camp in the heart of Paris, on the Canal St Martin, where a new resistance stood up.
This is the story of their struggle and this film was conceived as a tool, a weapon to extend their fight.
Produced by Jean-Baptiste Legrand (SOCIETE CENTRALE ELECTRIQUE) and co-produced by MNP production (Mathieu Kassovitch)
Festivals:
Cannes International Critics' Week 2008, France
Mar del Plata International Film Festival 2008, Argentina
CPH:DOX, Copenhagen International Documentary Film Festival 2008, Denmark
Produced by MNP “Mathieu Kassovitz” with Augustin LEGRAND “13 TZAMETI”
2009 Cesar nominations: Best Film, Best Documentary Film, Best Original Script
HIGHLIGHTS: FEATURE FILMS & DOCUMENTARIES
LANDSCAPE NO. 2 (POKRAJINA ŠT.2)
2008 – Slovenia/ Serbia – 90min – Color – Drama- Thriller
Directed by Vinko Möderndorfer
Original language: Slovenian and Serbian
Cast : Marko Mandić, Slobodan Ćustić, Barbara Cerar, Maja Martina Merljak, Janez Hočevar
Synopsis: The burglars Sergej and Polde steal a valuable painting Landscape No.2. By coincidence Sergej also takes a mysterious document dating back to the end of the World War II. Instructor is ordered to recover the stolen painting and the document, which triggers a diabolic mechanism of the past.
Produced by Forum Ljubljana (Eva Rohrman), Delirium (Biljana Prvanović), RTV Slovenija, VPK (Andrej Kregar)
Awards:
Best Film Award, Festival of Slovenian Film 2008 , Slovenia
Best Director Award, Festival of Slovenian Film 2008, Slovenia
Best Supporting Actress Award (Maja Martina Merljak), Festival of Slovenian Film 2008, Slovenia
Best Cinematography Award, Festival of Slovenian Film 2008, Slovenia
Best Production Design Award, Festival of Slovenian Film 2008, Slovenia
Best Music Award, Festival of Slovenian Film 2008, Slovenia
Festivals:
Warsaw International Film Festival 2008, Official Competition, Poland
FSF - Festival of Slovenian Film 2008, Official Competition, Slovenia
Upcoming Festival:
Adelaide Film Festival 2009, Australia
World Premiere: Venice Days / Giornate Degli Autori 2008, Italy
I DREAMT UNDER THE WATER (J’AI RÊVÉ SOUS L’EAU)
2009 – France – 73min – Color – Drama
Directed by HORMOZ
Original language: French
Cast: Hubert Benhamdine, Caroline Ducey, Christine Boisson, HPG
Synopsis: 20-years-old Antonin is secretly in love with Alex his best friend. After Alex's brutal death, Antonin succumbs to an overwhelming sexuality that leads him into prostitution. One day, he meets Juliette. It is love at first sight, but a drug issue starts to interfere between them. After some happy weeks, the young woman decides to run away. Close to despair, Antonin finally finds comfort in the arms of Baptiste, one of his former clients, while Juliette remains in his heart.
Produced by Sebastien Burnet (Triskel Film), Loïc Magneron (WIDE Management), TLA entertainment
Upcoming Festival:
Goteborg International Film Festival 2009, Official Competition, Sweden
HER NAME IS SABINE (ELLE S’APPELLE SABINE)
2008 – France – 85min – Color – Documentary
Directed by Sandrine BONNAIRE
Original language: French
Cast: Sabine Bonnaire
Synopsis: A sensitive portrait of Sabine Bonnaire, a 38-year-old autistic woman, filmed by her closest sister. The film tells her story through personal footage filmed by the actress over a period of 25 years, and her life today in a suitable facility. After a tragic five-year stay in a psychiatric hospital, Sabine found a new lease on life-even if these capacities remain altered-in a home in the Charente region. The film exposes the penury of specialized institutions and the dramatic consequences they can lead to.
Produced by Thomas Schmitt (Mosaique Films)
Award:
FIPRESCI Award, Cannes Director’s Fortnight 2007
Jury Special Prize, Festival International du Film Francophone of Namur 2007, Belgium
Audience Award, Festival International du Film Francophone of Namur 2007, Belgium
COL COA, City of Light, City of Angels Los Angeles Film Festival 2008, Jury Special Citation, USA
Nominated for Prix Europa : “Best TV documentary of the year 2008”
2009 Cesar nominations : Best Film, Best Documentary
MAI 68, LA BELLE OUVRAGE
1968/2008 – France – 52/117min – Black & White
Directed by Jean - Luc MAGNERON
Original language: French
Synopsis: A rare documentary about the Mai 68 riots in Paris with many testimonies from unknown and well-known witnesses. Shot during the events by Jean - Luc Magneron, this poignant documentary with interviews brings a new light on the events. On April 1998, some excerpts, entitled “It was your May 68”, were broadcasted during french TV show “La Marche du siècle” hosted by Jean-Marie Cavada, at the occasion of the 30th birthday of the events.
Produced by Loïc Magneron (WIDE Management)
Festivals:
Glasgow & Edinburgh French Film Festival 2008, UK
Décade Cinéma et Société 2008, Special Screening, France
Danish Film Institute, Cinematheque 2008, Denmark
Norwegian Film Institute ,Cinematheque 2008 Oslo, Norway
Cinema ZED Leuven 2008, Special Screening, Belgium
Cinéma Les Carmes,2008, France
Film and Art Festival 2008, Two Riversides, Poland
Rio de Janeiro International Film Festival 2008, World Panorama Section, Brazil
"Cinema Verite" Iran International Documentary Film Festival DEFC 2008, Section Our Era, Iran
Torino Film Festival 2008 , Italy
MUSIC : FEATURES & DOCUMENTARIES
BALLERINA
DIGITAL – France – 77 min – Color – Documentary
Directed by Bertrand NORMAND
Original language: Russian
Synopsis: Ballerina. Fascinating, enthralling, shrouded in mystery. Hers is a rare art. Her craft as demanding as an athlete. Her dancing life as brief as a butterfly. All to a vision of fragile beauty. A vision of what it is to be a woman. And Russia, land of absolutes, of the cult of beauty, of immensities and of nostalgia where that feminine ideal is celebrated and held dear. Russia is par excellence the land of the Ballerina. This film follows the destinies of five female dancers of the Kirov Ballet in Saint-Petersburg. Their lives weave together to tell the story of the Russian Ballerina of our time, from her beginnings as a child in dance school to the peak of her glory on the world stages. In this intimate gaze at the lives, the courage, the disappointments and triumphs of these women, this film unveils the vitality and uniqueness of the Russian Ballerina today. We come to understand her lasting allure as we begin the 21st century. Ballerina, as old as Russian history, as new as today.
Produced by Frédéric Podetti (Adesif Productions), Yann Brolli (Les Films du Tamarin)
English Voice Over by Diane Baker
Available version : English, Russian, French
Festivals:
Vancouver International Film Festival 2007, Canada
Palm Springs International Film Festival 2008, USA
Beloit International Film Festival 2008, USA
Spokane International Film Festival 2008, USA
Washington International Film Festival 2008, USA
Warsaw International Film Festival 2008, Poland
2009 Cesar nominations:
Best Film, Best Documentary Film, Best Original Soundtrack
SVETLANA ZAKHAROVA & ULYIANA LOPATKINA
2008 – 2 x 26 min – Color – Documentary
Directed by Laurent Gentot
Synopsis: Two portraits of two great stars, icones of today’s Russian ballet. Svetlana Zakharova is star from the Bolshoi Theater in Moscow and Ulyiana Lopatkina is star from the Marinsky Theater in Saint Petersburg.
Produced by Injam Film
REDEMPTION SONG
HD - 2009 – France – 90 min – Color – Documentary
Directed by Markus HANSEN, Jean-Marie BOULET
Original language: English, Vietnamese
Synopsis: In March 1967, Billy Bang was conscripted to fight in Vietnam, an experience that left him emotionally desolate and profoundly confused about his American identity. Upon his return, he tried to forget his nightmares through alcohol, drugs and music. Forty years later, he decides that the only way he will be able to repair his emotions and find some closure to his trauma, is to return to Vietnam, this time with his violin. This film is about the desire to overcome and transcend the trauma of war through music and art.
Produced by Loïc Magneron (WIDE Management)
ANOTHER LOVE STORY (MARÉ, NOSSA HISTÓRIA DE AMOR)
HD and 35mm - 2008 – Brazil/France/Uruguay – 104min – Color – Drama
Directed by Lucia MURAT
Original language: Portuguese
Cast: Cristina Lago, Vinícius D´Black, Marisa Orth, Jefchander Lucas, Babu Santana
Synopsis: Living in a slum divided between two rival gangs of drug traffickers, Analídia is the daughter of one of the gangs’ leaders and Jonatha is a childhood friend of the other gang leader. Both study in a dance group situated exactly in the middle of the two territories, looking for solace in art. Openly inspired by Romeo and Juliet, the film is a salute to the strong sense of Brazilian music, to the relevance of national contemporary dance, and to the strange mix found today in slums, where violence lives alongside the artistic paths enabled by social projects.
Produced by Lúcia Murat (Taiga Filmes e Video), Laurent Lavolé (Gloria Films), Natacha López (Lavoragine Films)
Awards:
Special Jury Prize for Babu Santana, Rio de Janeiro International Film Festival 2007, Brazil
Behind the Scenes Award, Film Festival Open Doek 2008, Belgium
Best Direction Award, Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival 2008, USA
Woman and film award, San Francisco Latino films Festival 2008
COLLECTIONS
MIKA KAURISMAKI COLLECTION
Mika Kaurismäki’s first film The Liar (1980) was an overnight sensation, when first shown in Finland; it marked the beginning of the cinema of the Kaurismäki brothers and started a new era in the Finnish cinema. After the high school Mika Kaurismäki used to work as a painter of houses and apartments in a small town of Kuusankoski in the Southeastern part of Finland. In the autumn of 1976, when the winter was coming and the annual high season for painting houses was over, he thought of doing something else in life. Mika Kaurismaki studied cinema in Munich, Germany, (Hochschule für Film und Fernsehen) 1977-1981 and made his diplom film The Liar in 1980 in Finland. His younger brother Aki Kaurismäki, then a student of journalism, played the main role and also co-wrote the screenplay. After the success of The Liar, Mika Kaurismäki decided to stay in Finland and together with his brother and some friends he founded the production company Villealfa Filmproductions.
During the active Villealfa years, Mika co-founded the legendary Midnight Sun Film Festival (1986) and the distribution company Senso Films (1987) and the Andorra cinemas in Helsinki. The 90’s meant a gradual disappearance of the Villealfa spirit and both Mika and Aki started to produce their films through their own production companies. In 1994 Mika returned to the Brazilian jungle with Samuel Fuller and Jim Jarmusch and made the feature length documentary Tigrero – a film that was never made. The film was awarded the International Critics’ Award at the Berlin Film Festival in 1994. In the course of the 90’s Mika established his base and second home in Rio de Janeiro and started to concentrate more in international co-productions. In 1996 in Philadelphia he directed the no-budget thriller Condition Red with James Russo, Cynda Williams and Paul Calderon. His biggest production so far is the comedy LA without a map (1998), with David Tennant, July Delpy, Vincent Gallo, Johnny Depp, James Le Gros, Anouk Aimee, Joe Dallesandro.
In 2003 he directed Honey Baby, a road movie between Germany and Russia, starring Henry Thomas, Irina Björklund and Helmut Berger. Brasileirinho, a film about Brazilian choro music, premiered at the Berlinale 2005 and Sonic Mirror.
Three Wise Men (Kolme viisasta miestä), Sonic Mirror, Brasileirinho, Honey Baby, Moro No Brasil, Highway Society, Condition Red (Jatkuva hälytystila), Tigrero: A Film That Was Never Made (Tigrero - Elokuva, joka ei valmistunut), The Last Border (Viimeisellä rajalla), Zombie and the Ghost Train (Zombie ja Kummitusjuna), Amazon, Paper Star (Paperitähti), Cha Cha Cha, Helsinki Naples All Night Long, Rosso, The Clan Tale of the Frogs (Klaani), The Worthless (Arvottomat), Jackpot 2, The Liar (Valehtelija)…
More than 30 hours of programs.
HD masters available for the first films
RENÉT FERÉT COLLECTION
After studies in Lille, he took classes at the Actor school of the TNS of Strasbourg. Script, writer, producer, director, TV director, actor, and teacher, René Feret has been involved in more than 40 features films and documentaries from 1975 to nowadays. Some of his film has been selected in competition for major festivals worldwide, such as La Communion Solennelle (Official selection in Cannes FF in 1977) and Mystere Alexina (Un certain regard in Cannes 1985).
Directed by : Comme une etoile dans la nuit, But Once Mom Had Gone... (Il a suffit que Maman s’en aille), L’enfant du pays, Rue du retrait, Les frères Gravet, La place d’un autre, Promenades d’été, Baptême, Mystère Alexina, Fernand, La communion solenelle, Histoire de Paul
Produced by :
Dakan, Un homme deux femmes, Itinéraire Bis, Sarah, A vendre
More than 27 hours of programs.
posted by Wide Management at 2:57 AM
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