Film Focus #02 by fusionfilmfests

@FUSIONFILMFESTS SOUTH EUROPE EDITION VALENCIA 2019 ISSUE: 02

RICARDO PREVE MOVIE MAKER | SCRIPTWRITER | AUTEUR Breaking the waves with the finest in Argentinean filmmaking! See Page 4

A stunning documentary insight See Page 11-13

EDITOR

PHOTOGRAPHY: STUART WATSON

WELCOME TO FUSION Dear Creative’s! We welcome you to our South Europe International Film Festival held in the vibrant Spanish city of Valencia. Those of you that followed or joined us at our inaugural festival in London in February will know how much putting together a film festival means to us. The overwhelming support continues to humble us. The quality of films and scripts we have had submitted to this festival have been of the highest quality, so a huge congratulations for your official selection. We know how much hard work and dedication goes into each aspect of making a film, this is why we recognise such a wide range of categories with our film festival nominations. Navigating the world of independent film festivals can often be a challenge in itself. The aim of Fusion International Film Festivals is to continue to support the industry offering a platform for like-minded creative’s to meet and collaborate. We will always be on hand to offer industry advice should you need it.

And, we know this works – we already have a fantastic working relationship with “Evolutionary Films” - who at our previous Festival in London in February hosted an amazing presentation and then went on to acquire the documentary feature “Miniature Wargaming: The Movie” which was one of the selected films at our Festival. For more details please turn to pages 46 & 47 and we are delighted to announce that Evolutionary films won the National Film Award for Best UK Film Distribution Company of 2019, We would also like to thank Stephen Mina who is very much an unsung hero in our team. His hard work, enthusiasm and support is greatly appreciated. Finally, we would like to say a special thank you to Colin and Laura Graham for their continued support and encouragement.

We have been fortunate enough to connect with a number of industry professionals ranging from UK and international distributors, marketing consultants to colour grading specialists who are keen to support our network of film makers at festivals and from afar.

We hope that you enjoy your time with us and that we may see you at other points on the compass.

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Steve Grossmith Editor & Co-Director steve@fusionfilmfestivals.com Dan Hickford Festival Coordinator & Co-Director dan@fusionfilmfestivals.com Stephen Mina Graphic Designer/Illustrator & Head of Technical mina@fusionfilmfestivals.com

Dan Hickford & Steve Grossmith – Festival Directors

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RICK PREVE - RIDING THE WAVES Breaking away from his previous career, Ricardo Preve became a professional filmmaker and in less than 20-years has created an amazing body of work that encompasses all forms of filmmaking and script-writing. With “Coming Home”, his latest feature documentary he once again weaves performance story-telling using actors, special effects and organic sets to create a stunning, high quality dramatic film. For the Fusion Film Festival Valencia Ricardo has received multiple nominations for his film as well as his latest script “A Grayling Never Dies”.

In October 2014 Italian-Argentine filmmaker Ricardo Preve set off with a team of fellow divers in the hope of resolving one of the outstanding mysteries of the Second World War: where was the wreck of the Macalle? This Italian submarine hit a reef and sunk without trace in 1940, close to Barra Musa Kebir, a small, remote island off the coast of Sudan. But his diving expedition was to reveal more than the submarine’s likely whereabouts. On his last day on Barra Musa Kebir, Preve stumbled across the unmarked grave of Carlo Acefalo, the only submariner to die there before the remaining 44 crewmembers were rescued.

I WILL ASK THIS QUESTION, WHICH YOU HAVE TOLD ME BEFORE YOU ARE ALWAYS ASKED AT THE BEGINNING OF AN INTERVIEW… BUT I SIMPLY MUST. HOW DID YOU COME ACROSS THE STORY OF THE LOST ITALIAN SAILOR?

If we had not visited BMK, or if that particular guide would not have made that comment, I would have never known about the Italian submarine “Macalle”. But fate determined that I should hear that tale, and I started an adventure that was to take me 5 years to complete.

(Laughs). Yes, as you say I am often asked that question. I came upon the story of Carlo Acefalo, a crew member of the WWII Italian submarine “Macalle”, completely by chance.

WHAT HAPPENED WHEN THE SUBMARINE SANK?

I was diving in a region of the Red Sea off the coast of Sudan known as the Suakin Archipelago. The area has thousands of small islands, and countless underwater reefs that come up from the seabed to just below the surface. Some of the islands are no larger than a football pitch, they are completely uninhabited and barren patches of coral and sand, with just a few salt-resistant shrubs and grasses growing on the larger ones. It is a dangerous area to sail even today, with GPS and other modern navigational aids. But precisely because of their remoteness, they harbor a rich and diverse marine habitat with many sharks and other large pelagic fish finding refuge in that secluded and little-visited part of the world. I was photographing marine wildlife there in June 2014 when, as we were leaving this island called Barra Musa Khebir (BMK), one of the dive guides casually mentioned the rumor that, at the beginning of World War 2, an Italian submarine had sunk on a nearby reef, and one of its sailors had been buried on the island.

The “Macalle” had departed Massawa in present-day Eritrea (then an Italian colony) on June 10, 1940, the day Italy entered the war. It was headed north in the Red Sea, towards Sudan, when the crew became intoxicated from a leaking refrigeration system which used a poisonous gas as a cooling agent. The submarine hit the reef at BMK on June 15 and sank, though the 45 crew members were able to all get ashore alive. Three of them, in a tiny row boat, sailed about 150 nautical miles to get help (there had not been time to send a radio SOS from the submarine). They managed to reach Eritrea and on June 22 the Italians were rescued by another submarine, just hours before the British arrived to take them prisoners. All survived except a 24-year old sailor called Carlo Acefalo, from a small town in Piemonte in northern Italy. He had died from the effects of the toxic gas, the brutal heat, and the lack of food and water while awaiting rescue. His mates dug a shallow grave in the sand with their hands and (fortunately as we will find out later), placed a large stone on his face.

CONTINUED

PHOTOGRAPHY: LUIS SENS

HOW DID YOU LEARN ABOUT THE STORY IN SUCH DETAIL? A Commission of Inquiry about the loss of the submarine was held a couple of months after the sinking. The Commission took testimony from most of the survivors of the “Macalle”, who described the events that had occurred, including the death of Carlo Acefalo, and the details of his burial on BMK. The written record of the Commission’s proceedings is still to be found in the Historical Office of the Italian Navy in Rome. It read like a movie script, and in fact I quote often from it in the film. Also, one of the Italian sailors left behind on BMK a copy of his personal diary. I discovered that an English translation is preserved in the archives of Durham University in the UK, and was able to get further insights into the story from that document. DECIDED

INVESTIGATE

Yes, the story seemed interesting but I wanted to do more than just a history film. I wanted to see if there was a human side to it, an aspect about this tragedy that could be translated into very real human terms, and could be understood by an international audience. So, I travelled to Acefalo’s home town of Castiglione Falletto in northern Italy, to see if I could find any relatives that could tell me more about who he was. And, much to my surprise, though he did not have any children, his mother was related to practically everyone in town. I was received by the entire village with open arms, and I learned that his mother had waited in vain for the return of her only child until her own death in 1978. I felt then that I had to go back to BMK, and bring him home to rest next to her in the village graveyard. SO YOU WENT BACK TO THE RED SEA ISLAND OFF THE COAST OF SUDAN WHERE CARLO ACEFALO HAD DIED? Yes, in October 2014 we returned to BMK with a group of fellow divers, some of whom had studied underwater archeology with me. We were a mixed group: Italians, British, Belgians, and I as the Argentine! I admit that my initial interest was to find the wreck of the “Macalle”, as I did not believe the statement given by the captain of the submarine that the wreck lay in over 1.200 feet of water. How was it possible that the submarine had ran aground in 15 feet of water, and then sank so deep? I thought it was just a story the captain was telling his superiors to reassure them that the submarine would not fall in the hands of the British. But when we got back to BMK and began diving along the reef, we realized that the captain was right: the reef drops almost vertically from nearly the surface to thousands of feet of depth, and evidently the “Macalle” slid along that vertical wall to the bottom of the Red Sea. All we found, on a ledge at a depth of about 200 feet, were some metallic pieces which may have come off the submarine as it sank.

PHOTOGRAPHY: ARNE VAN LEUVENHAEGE

AND YOU FURTHER?

PHOTOGRAPHY: LUIS SENS

EARLIER YOU SAID THAT CARLO ACEFALO HAD DIED AND BEEN BURIED ON LAND. HOW DID YOU SHIFT YOUR EXPEDITION’S EFFORTS TO THE SEARCH OF HIS REMAINS ON THE ISLAND? We had rented the “Don Questo”, a former fishing trawler with a wonderful captain and crew that is now a diving boat based out of Port Sudan, for a week. We spent 6 days diving for the “Macalle”, and it was only on the last day that we went ashore to look for the grave. I thought that, after 74 years, our chances to find him were pretty slim. Yet as soon as I saw the circle of stones in a secluded corner of the island, I knew it was the grave of Carlo Acefalo. I have worked extensively on the archeology of graves, and some of my past films have dealt with that: for example, “The Patagonian Bones” in Argentina, or “Ghosts of Machu Picchu” for National Geographic Television in Peru. I have by now developed an eye for what I am looking for, and when I saw on the grave some very old, rusted metal parts (which later turned out to be part of a Davis auto-respirator, an underwater escape device used in submarines in WWII), I felt that we had found our young Italian friend. THAT WAS IN 2014. HOW LONG DID IT TAKE YOU TO GET PERMISSION TO RETURN TO BMK ISLAND AND CONDUCT THE SCIENTIFIC IDENTIFICATION, AND THE RECOVERY OF THE REMAINS?

PHOTOGRAPHY: ESTO DEL CINE SRL

We did not make it back to Sudan and the Red Sea until October, 2017. Before I could do that, I had to not only get the necessary permits from the governments of Sudan and Italy, but also assemble a film crew willing to take some risks, and work under very difficult conditions. And, very importantly, find at least two scientists with experience in forensic archeology who would be willing to accompany me and conduct the excavation of the grave. Luckily, I met a world-renowned scientist who turned out to be the perfect man for the job. Dr. Matteo Borrini is an Italian but teaches at John Moores University in Liverpool in the UK. He is a member of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and has identified missing soldiers

before, but this was the first time he had an opportunity to work on recovering an Italian. He dove into the project with enthusiasm and rigorous professionalism, and was the key person to provide us with the scientific credibility that led to the acceptance by the authorities of the identification work which he carried out over 3 days of grueling work on BMK. Assisting him was another very capable Italian, an archeologist named Cosimo Giachetti, and together with Dr. Borrini, they got the job done. HOW DID YOU COME UP WITH A POSITIVE IDENTIFICATION THAT TOLD YOU IT WAS CARLO ACEFALO? We knew that there are other graves at BMK since local fishermen use the uninhabited island as a cemetery. But it was obvious from the architecture of the grave (the type and disposition of the stones, the presence of the metal parts, etc.) that this was not a local grave. But if fell on Dr. Borrini to provide conclusive forensic evidence and, in this, we were helped by a fact which I mentioned before: Carlo’s crew mates had placed a heavy stone on his face. This was fortunate because since his grave had been dug by hand by a very tired group of people, it was quite shallow and part of his body had become uncovered by erosion with the passing of the years, and the bones had disappeared. But the stone insured that the skull, and thus the face, were well preserved. From this, and from his expert analysis of the rest of the skeleton, Dr. Borrini was able to conclude that it was him. We put his remains in a small case, wrapped them in a flag of the Italian navy, loaded him on the “Don Questo”, and took him back to Port Sudan, and eventually to Italy where we buried him in his mother’s grave on November 24, 2018. When we closed the head stone on the grave, someone pointed out something we had not noticed: it was the day of his mother’s birthday. I IMAGINE THAT IT IS ONE THING TO CONDUCT A SCIENTIFIC EXPEDITION, AND ANOTHER TO PRODUCE A FILM. TELL US HOW YOU WENT ABOUT MAKING “COMING HOME”. I knew from the beginning that I wanted to have some rigorously-accurate, compelling historical recreations in the film. And, I also realized that it would take a fair amount of special effects and CGI post production to achieve a convincing blend between reality and recreation. I enrolled the help of Argentina’s best post production studio, Control Z HD of Buenos Aires. We had them present on set when we built a partial copy of the “Macalle” on a 1:1 scale in a studio, and we shot the interior recreation scenes in the submarine. They were great to work with, and an invaluable help in making sure that we would not have surprises when trying to process the footage shot by our DP Giulia Scintu.

CONTINUED

WHAT ABOUT THE EXTERIOR SCENES FOR THE HISTORICAL RECREATIONS? I UNDERSTAND THAT THOSE WERE QUITE A CHALLENGE TO SHOOT. Yes, I sent my EP Ramon Cardini and my Production Manager Sergio Albertoni on a scouting expedition along the coast of Argentina, looking for a location that would resemble both BMK island, and the coast of Eritrea along which the three “Macalle” crew members had to row for days in search for help. They found a spot that was perfect but with a small production hitch: it was 600 kilometers (400 miles) south of Buenos Aires! But off we went with talent and crew, towing on a trailer an exact reproduction of the small wooden boat which the three Italian sailors used in their quest to get help. During shooting we had near- freezing temperatures, yet the actors (a wonderful group found by Casting Director Marina Guerrero and which included German Rodriguez, Tomas Wolf, Cristian Disabato, Pablo Pieretti, and Jorge Digilio) accepted being sprayed with water and oil to simulate sweat from the stifling heat that the crew of the “Macalle” had to endure in June, 1940.

PHOTOGRAPHY: LUIS SENS

PHOTOGRAPHY: ESTO DEL CINE SRL

THIS FILM IS AN ARGENTINE PRODUCTION. HOW HAS IT BEEN RECEIVED IN ARGENTINA? The film has not been shown there yet. WHY DO YOU THINK THAT IS? AFTER ALL, IT HAS BEEN SCREENED IN SEVERAL COUNTRIES AND WON QUITE AN IMPRESSIVE LIST OF AWARDS. I cannot answer that question with certainty, but there was a tragic coincidence which fueled quite a bit of media speculation, and may have affected the chances for a release of the film in Argentina. We wrapped up principal photography on October 15, 2017. Exactly a month later, for the first time in the history of the Argentine navy, a submarine (the ARA San Juan) sank in the South Atlantic. The entire 44-person crew died in this tragedy. Since “Coming Home” is about 44 Italian sailors who survive a submarine wreck, the media latched on the coincidence of the number and asked, not altogether unreasonably I admit, what were the chances that it was just by coincidence that the loss of the ARA San Juan happened in the very year of my expedition to the Red Sea, and the production of my film. We received many negative comments and threats from people who thought that we decided to produce the film as a result of the sinking of the ARA San Juan. Of course, we know this is not true, given that we had been working on the documentary since 2014, but the shadow of the doubt cast over the issue has certainly had an effect, and people who know about this issue in Argentina have told me so. DO YOU THINK THAT EVENTUALLY THE FILM WILL BE SEEN IN YOUR HOME COUNTRY? I hope so. A group of Argentine submariners came to visit the set when we were shooting the recreations with the replica of the “Macalle” in the studio in Buenos Aires in July, 2017, and we developed a strong bond with them. The film is dedicated to the memory of the 44 of the ARA San Juan. I hope that my film, which should be interpreted as a homage to all young men and women who lost their lives at sea, will be an instrument of comfort to those who suffered this loss, and not be seen as something designed to take advantage of a tragedy.

WWW.PREVEFILMS.COM

Feature Documentary

RUN TIME 88 MINUTES

ASPECT: WITH MODEL SOUNDINGS SHOWING RELATIVELY DRY AIR BELOW 3K FEET...PLAN TO MAINTAIN VFR CEILINGS AND VISIBILITIES IN THE TAFS. PREV DISCUSSION...ISSUED 304 PM SHORT TERM...TONIGHT RATHER AMPLIFIED UPPER LEVEL TROUGH AXIS TO SLIDE IN TONIGHT. SEMI-DARKNESS. EXT: THE TERRITORY. (Iron Oxide Red, natural # 48600) DUSK. QUICKENED, THE BUS OF MANY FACES CIRCLES A STUDIED ERECTION, AN ELEVATED INSTALL OF PRICKED, CRIPPLED CHAIRS. SYMMETRICAL. PASSENGER IN BLACK - AN EX-ACTOR. DESCENDS FROM BUS OF MANY FACES. BENT OF BODY, HE CASTS ABOUT FOR A PERFORMANCE SPACE. SCUFFS AND GOUGES AT EARTH. I’m not sure he knows what to with me. He writes me… (pause) I don’t want to force it. I do not own. (Pause - thinks) Milk and animal fat. Let’s go thru this pain first… can we do ballet? THE HUGE MURDER DESCENDS. THE SECRET CHORUS WAKES. HEAVY SONG, FRAGILE FANTASY OF GROIN AND POISONOUS BIRDS. BENT EX-ACTOR IS AT A LOSS HOW TO BEHAVE. IMPROPER DIGGING IN HIS HANDS, HE SAW PITY, ROCKS, ANTS, AN OILY TWISTED FACE. SULLEN TANGLE ON THE SLY. BRACED IN ENDLESS EXHAUSTS AND SULFUR LIGHT EX-ACTOR PULLS AT A NATION OF CHANCES - PERFORMS. It was the very first time I had ever listened. Not wasting a moment. It lasts about 10 seconds… I used to,…I should look dead AUDIO UNDER: WE HEAR WITNESS AND THE LINEN FOOTFALLS OF THE EMBALMED WOMAN AS SHE MOVES ABOUT THE BALLROOM BACK AT THE HOTEL.

Asphalt, Muscle & Bone

Page 129

Script Scatter* In the beginning was the image. Then came Script Scatter* a book by Bill Hayward based on his award winning film Asphalt, Muscle & Bone. *Forthcoming Spring 2020

DAWN HASN’T COME BY NISREEN AL SBEIHI

There is a place in this world where children die with their toys looking at them. There is a place in this world, where parents die leaving their children alone, permanently looking for them. There is a place in this world that has been in war for more than three years; its people die burning; they die of starvation and disease. This place is called Yemen, the home to mocha coffee. “Dawn hasn’t come,” a movie by director and filmmaker NisreenSbeihi, features the children of Yemen, the victims most affected by the war. It displays more than 10 cases of children who lost their whole family, or a limb, and suffered psychological trauma because of the war. Children are silent victims--victims that fail to defend their rights. Parents carry that responsibility, but when the war takes them away, the children are left without protection. War has murdered their childhood and deprived them of their natural right to life. This film is an outcry and appeal to spare children the atrocities of war. Stop the war!

SHORT DOCUMENTARY

RUN TIME 29 MINUTES

NISREENALSBEIHI@GMAIL.COM

JOHN Y

WHERE LOVE AND PASSION TRIUMPHS.

WITH AN INCREDIBLE PERFORMANCE IN THE LEADING ROLE OF HIS DEBUT FEATURE FILM “MILLION LOVES IN ME”, HERE WE WERE LUCKY ENOUGH TO INTERVIEW THE TALENTED FILMMAKER JOHN Y TO FIND OUT WHAT IT TAKES TO BRING HIS LOVE OF FILM TO THE SCREEN AND WHY HE LEFT A SUCCESSFUL CAREER IN LAW TO CHASE HIS DREAM OF MAKING MOVIES. FF: CAN YOU PLEASE GIVE AN INSIGHT INTO YOUR CAREER AND HOW AND WHY YOU DECIDED TO BECOME A FILMMAKER? JY: So before I was involved in filmmaking I was working as a solicitor in Hong-Kong and I was specializing in litigation but filmmaking was my dream even from when I was very young. This interest all started when I went to the cinemas and it fascinated me and this was really because of my mother, watching movies from when I was just 4-years old. So this was my dream but unfortunately I didn’t have a chance to fulfill my dream until my mother passed away a few years ago and then I migrated from Hong-Kong to Vancouver and then I started to figure out what I really wanted to do next but I was at a crossroads and then it was a case of me carrying on with my legal career in Canada or, to become involved in filmmaking and then I decided, I wanted to try filmmaking! FF: SO WHAT HAPPENED NEXT? JY: So then I started to make my short film “My Dear Banquet” which reflects the economic situation in Hong-Kong the story of which involves my character having a birthday dinner with his mother. After that I completed another short film which I haven’t as yet submitted to any film festivals but I’m hoping to very soon. Then after that I tried to develop what I had learned, so improving how to be in front of a camera and once I had built up my confidence I felt that it was the right time to do a feature film. Actually, there were a number of scripts that I had to choose a feature film from but we tried to be very cautious in choosing the right script. But with “Million Loves in Me” it is a real life experience and actually a real court case that happened in HongKong and I was the lawyer acting on behalf of the main actress (as portrayed in the movie) so I was involved in the whole process and knew the story inside out. So I had so much empathy for the main character and rather than going through all of

the hassle of the casting or hiring stars I took the huge risk of acting as the lead actress. So not only am I taking the risk in the lead role, I’m also acting as the opposite sex so this was very challenging but, because I had a lot of contact with the lady that I was portraying I could really understand what she felt. I could feel her emotions and her expressions, not to imitate her but to act out how she was feeling. And so many people have seen the film and commented on my acting in a really positive way which has been so rewarding. FF: YOUR PERFORMANCE IS ASTOUNDING AND WITH SUCH LITTLE ACTING EXPERIENCE TO PULL OFF THIS ROLE AND OF COURSE THE PRESSURE WAS ON TO GET IT RIGHT! JY: Thank-you so much and yes I had a colleague who told me that I needed to act really well, it was crucial to the film and if I hadn’t acted well, to be honest it would have been a disaster and so I had to keep telling myself that I had to act well in every scene. FF: WHAT WAS YOUR FAVOURITE PART OF PUTTING “MILLION LOVES IN ME” TOGETHER? JY: For me I would say the acting, I love doing that so much and it is so challenging and more so even than being a lawyer! All those court procedures, again and again but in acting every role is different, today I can be this poor lady and in the next I can be a villain and I really do enjoy acting so much. But putting everything together is the hardest part and in particular being a producer, you have to monitor everything that is going on and it is very difficult to deal with human emotions, different people may want different things but in the end the people working on this film were courageous, without them we wouldn’t have been able to finish it particularly with the budget we had and in a way it’s like dealing with a company and as a 1st time producer you have to manage expectations but this was a really good learning experience for us. So in the next film we

CONTINUED

16 should be much more able to control the budget and also to avoid any unnecessary expenses and even small things like taking all of the movie stills in order and making sure each day runs smoothly and so on. But with “Million Loves in Me” we have been very lucky, our film has not only been through many festivals but also it has not been limited to being shown on just one continent, in fact five continents so all over the world which includes the Beijing film festival which is very well known and very prestigious. They have very strict requirements and most films do not make it through and for us this is a real honour to be shown to the audience in China. FF: SO CAN WE TAKE YOU BACK TO THE VERY FIRST TIME THAT YOU SAT THERE WITH AN AUDIENCE THAT WERE WATCHING YOUR COMPLETED FILM, CAN YOU REMEMBER HOW YOU WERE FEELING? JY: So for the first time the cut we showed it was still not quite perfect, there was still a little bit of work to do so details to be added and adjustments to make it polished however, the overall impression and feeling was incredibly strong and when you saw it like that where before it was bits and pieces but then the editor had put it all together, it was amazing and I really liked the ending and in fact, many in the audience liked that as well, they found it very powerful. But of course you need to watch the entire film to understand why they felt this. FF: WERE YOU INVOLVED IN EVERY STAGE IN BRINGING IN THE KEY MEMBERS OF THE CAST? JY: Yes I was and in particular the actress Koon Lan LO who played the mother and the director Sampson Yuen advised us that we should bring in an experienced actress for this part but at the same time it needed to be someone that had been away from television and also the big screen for some time. But in fact Koon Lan Lo was still a very famous actress in Hong-Kong. She had actually migrated into teaching at the academy in Hong-Kong which is why she had been away from the camera for a while and that is why we approached her to play one of the leading characters, we were very lucky as thankfully she said yes. FF: HOW DO YOU FOLLOW “MILLION LOVES IN ME”? JY: So I’ve already drafted the synopsis and screenplay of our next film which is a comedy and will be English speaking and my original idea is that we want it to be much more international, this way it will have a much wider audience, and will give it much greater scope at film festivals as well and I really do appreciate reviews and comments and in fact I think that this is the ultimate role of film festivals to comment on each other’s films and appreciate the movies that are being screened.

ABOUT THE FILM “MILLION LOVES IN ME” follows the story of a wealthy mother and daughter who suffer from the psychological issues of obsessive-compulsive disorders and their controversial private lives are exposed to the public through a charge of their animal hoarding behavior by the police. The topic of animal hoarding, to our knowledge, has never been shown a movie in cinematic history. The film examines the common mental disorders that affect people from all ages across the world, whilst sometimes the sufferers may not even notice their illnesses. In this story, both Katy and her mother are victims of these obsessivecompulsive disorders. “MILLION LOVES IN ME” is produced by Kenny CHAN and John Y, a first time producer of a feature film. Two Hollywood producers, Frank Mayor and Monique R White are added as executive producers when the film secured worldwide distribution by a Hollywood distributor.

DRAMA FEATURE

RUN TIME 110 MINUTES

WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/MILLIONLOVESINME

SIN NOVEDAD/NO NEWS A STUNNING THRILLER BY MIGUEL BERZAL DE MIGUEL

“Sin novedad” (“No News”) is a 2017 Spanish psychological and social drama film. It’s the debut feauture of Spanish writer and director Miguel Berzal de Miguel (1991). The film, starring Silvia Espigado, was premiered at Alicante International Film Festival in 2018. Lola (Silvia Espigado) lives alone with her son, Jorge (Ignacio Jiménez), near to an industrial estate in Madrid. She works a lot of hours for a stingy and strict boss (Gonzalo de Castro) in a storage company. One night, Jorge confesses to her mother that he has begun to keep in touch with his father, Marcos (Fernando Guillén Cuervo), who abandoned them a long time ago...

“No News” received 19 candidatures for the 2019 Goya Awards and 7 selections (included “Best Film”) at the prestigious Forqué Films Awards 2019. It has received great critical reviews at both National and International Film Festivals and from Film Critics in Spain, Italy, France, Switzerland, Germany, the United Kingdom, Iceland, Austria, Malta, Netherlands, Chile and the USA. The comments included: “Raw film”, “A great film with a great cast of actors and intriguing storyline”, “Such a thrilling ride and powerful performances”, “Deep and thought provoking film”, “Fresh and innovative with a gripping storyline” and “Excellent acting and art direction”. AISGE, a very important cultural Spanish media group said of “No News”: “The independent cinema of 2018 in Spain can boast of new jewel. Personal and shocking drama. Spectacular Silvia Espigado”. The Original Music was composed by Javier Berzal de Miguel (1995), the younger brother of the director. Javier has been candidate for “Best Original Music” at Goya Awards and he has won “Best Original Score” at The London Independent Film Awards 2019. Anothers awards include: “Best Director: Miguel Berzal de Miguel” at The Mediterranean Film Festival 2019, Italy and “Best Actor: Fernando Guillén Cuervo” at The London Independent Film Awards 2019, UK.

ABOUT THE DIRECTOR Miguel Berzal de Miguel was born in 1991 in Madrid. After taking his degree in Audiovisual Communication, he then divided his time between a Master’s degree in both Film Directing and Theatre Directing. In 2012, his first book, titled “The Refuge”, psychological shorts stories, was published. Between 2014 and 2016, Miguel wrote and directed three shorts films: “Taking care of Ruth”, “An Encounter” and “Forget-me-nots”. He has received multiple nominations and awards from several Film Festivals. His novel “Between Relatives” (2016) was one of the twenty works selected at “Gregorio Samsa Award for Brief Novel 2016”. “The dead hours” has been an outstanding work at the “Tenth Edition of Ediciones Oblicuas Literary Awards”

THRILLER

RUN TIME 70 MINUTES

WEBSITE: MJBM.ES

WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY MIGUEL BERZAL DE MIGUEL

NO NEWS SILVIA ESPIGADO IGNACIO JIMÉNEZ

ESMERALDA MOYA NICOLÁS CORONADO

and special appereances by Fernando Guillén Cuervo, Silvia Marsó, Gonzalo de Castro and Lola Casamayor

7 SELECTIONS “BEST FILM”, “BEST ACTRESS: SILVIA ESPIGADO, ESMERALDA MOYA AND SILVIA MARSÓ” AND “BEST ACTOR: FERNANDO GUILLÉN CUERVO, IGNACIO JIMÉNEZ AND GONZALO DE CASTRO”

"Captured our attention from beginning to end, such a thrilling ride and powerful performances!"

19 CANDIDATURES PREMIOS GOYA 2019, SPAIN

“Fresh and innovative with a gripping storyline” World Film Fair

Oklahoma Cine Latino Film Festival

“A raw, gripping film”. Cinema New York City

“The independent cinema of 2018 in Spain can boast of new jewel. Personal and shocking drama" Álberto Úbeda-Portugués (AISGE Film Critic)

BALLAD OF A RIGHTEOUS MERCHANT A STUNNING DOCUMENTARY FILM BY HERBERT GOLDER

A fresh and candid glimpse of one of the great masters of cinema at work, by his longtime friend (of more than 25 years) and collaborator (on 10 films) Herbert Golder, BALLAD OF A RIGHTEOUS MERCHANT chronicles Werner Herzog’s making of the feature film, MY SON, MY SON, WHAT HAVE YE DONE (co-written by Golder), which was nominated for a GOLDEN LION at the Venice Film Festival, and which stars Michael Shannon, Willem Dafoe, and Chloe Sevigny. MY SON, MY SON, WHAT HAVE YE DONE was inspired by the true story of an actor who acted out in reality the crime he was supposed to enact on stage in a production of an ancient Greek play: he murdered his mother. BALLAD OF A RIGHTEOUS MERCHANT explores the process through which this true story, itself inspired by a fiction, is transformed back into a fiction—that is, a narrative feature film—once again. Unlike other documentaries which have been made about Herzog, in which he stares almost defiantly into the camera and, in his inimitable way and in his famous voice, articulates his views on life, this film shows a side of him known only to his friends and close collaborators. Although refreshingly candid and surprisingly revealing, this portrait in no way diminishes Herzog’s mystique—quite the contrary—but it does deepen our appreciation of his humanity, and offers, through Golder’s running commentary—as much part of an ongoing conversation with Herzog as a conversation with the viewer—an insider’s insight into his craft. Even as we come closer to knowing Herzog more intimately in this film, we also become increasingly aware of his privacy and the deep solitude that in some essential way defines him. Herzog’s idea that film should be, not analysis, but an “agitation of the mind” informs the telling of the story that unfolds here. Not without its moments of humor and warmth, BALLAD OF A RIGHTEOUS MERCHANT nonetheless manages to explore, through what we see taking shape on screen and through Golder’s voiceover narration, some of the most abiding and deepest themes of Herzog’s films.

DOCUMENTARY FILM

RUN TIME 63 MINUTES

MY GOOD CHINESE COUNTRYMEN A RECOUNTING OF THE MAKING OF THE FILM BY WRITER, DIRECTOR AND PRODUCER LOUYI TANG

STRUGGLE, ADVERSITY AND TRIUMPH: HOW SHEER DETERMINATION TURNED A DISASTER INTO A FINISHED FILM PROJECT THAT WAS THOUGHT LOST FOREVER… “Oh, Lord! I never thought this film could be finished after it was sabotaged by a Chinese co-production company 15 days after the start of production. My Good Chinese Countrymen tells a story about an American who goes to China’s far remote countryside to be a farmer-teacher. The film was inspired by a real American whom I interviewed in 2006 in a small town in China’s Gansu province. I wanted to contrast this American’s life of unselfishness against today’s money-worshipping Chinese society. After the project was funded by a group of good-hearted Americans, we carefully chose a Chinese film production company to work with. According to Chinese government regulations, a foreign film production company must team with a Chinese company in order to shoot a film in China. Soon after the production money was wired to the bank of the Chinese production company, the nightmare began. THE NIGHTMARE In late 2010, a five-person crew from America consisting of the director (myself), lead actor, cameraman and two ACs arrived in China to join a Chinese crew and actors to shoot the film in a remote village in western China. We were told once we had arrived by the Chinese management that the planned shooting days had to be reduced from 30 days to 12 days. (The reason given was that most of today’s Chinese HD films were shot in only 12 days.) It was only then we began to be aware that we were in China with its own laws and regulations. We had lost before the battle had even started. Every shooting day was a struggle under the pressure that the production would be shut down in less than two weeks. The best we could do at the time was to shoot as much as we could. But there was no way to speed up the time required to work with 26 farmer children and often around

100 farmers. Food on set consisted of bland cabbage, potatoes and buns with very little meat, served from basins that had no protection against swarms of hungry flies. As the number of shooting days dwindled, we kept hoping that filming would not be shut down prematurely. During these days, the director and American cinematographer were nearly fired by an increasingly hostile Chinese production team. On the 15th day, disaster struck as the Chinese co-producer announced that the production had been shut down. They seized all footage, of which they declared they were now the rightful owners. The whole crew was summarily dismissed. With the assistance of a lawyer, Tiger Butterfly Films finally wrestled back the entire rights to the production, and most importantly, to the footage. To be more precise, we won back our rights under the condition that the Chinese company would never get sued. We all knew that, in any case, pursuing and winning a lawsuit in China was not realistic. After the stoppage, many people tried to help resume production, but no funding could be secured. Just six months later, the hope of continuing to shoot vanished, as all of the children actors had already become noticeably older.

CONTINUED

22 RESCUING THE DAMAGED FILM Five years later, a young American film colorist approached me after he saw the footage from the 2010 shooting. He insisted that I find a way to finish it. By the end of the year, a small amount of money was raised to rescue this damaged, heart-breaking film. At the end of 2015, a new cinematographer and I went back to China to finish the film. There we were assisted by five Chinese crew. It was a far cry from the 42-person multinational crew we had assembled five years earlier. All the supporting actors and villagers came back to resume shooting, with the full knowledge that their efforts could only partially recover the loss of this savaged motion picture. When our small crew returned to the original filming location, most of the village had been razed due to land subsidence. Only one street could barely be used. The village head pleaded to the local authorities to postpone the rest of the demolition. The delay was granted and the crew was allowed two weeks to finish shooting. As all the children actors had grown up, and the lead American actor could not make it back due to a scheduling conflict, the original story of Martin the American farmerteacher could never be completed. We used a voiceover and a puppet to cover the absence of the lead actor. We had to work with a new group of farmer children. Many scenes were improvised on set. Nobody knew how the film would be cut together, including me. I could only pray and smile. The unusual trajectory of the film resulted in a metamorphosis of story and structure. This difference is indicated in the change of the film’s title from Martin Our Teacher to My Good Chinese Countrymen, as we were never able to actually film Martin teaching a class before the production was halted in 2010. Although it was a great loss that we could never fully recover the intent and purpose of the original film, the resumed shooting brought in new energy and opened up possibilities for a creative and meaningful resolution. To finish this film was a victory for overcoming all obstacles in achieving a goal. It was also a victory for justice.”

THE DIRECTOR Prior to her filmmaking career, Louyi Tang was a professional violinist in the Zhejiang Symphony Orchestra and a teacher at the China Conservatory of Music in Beijing. Her passion for film led her into filmmaking, to which she has devoted her heart since 1991. Louyi was the screenplay co-writer for five films and many TV plays in China. She won awards for best screenplay in China for Shadow Magic and My 1919, and won for best screenplay in Taiwan for Ding Jun Mountain. Chairman Buddha, Louyi’s feature documentary about the religious symbolism of Mao Zedong, won for best director of a documentary and best original score at the 2017 Berlin International Filmmaker Festival, and won again for best director of a documentary at the 2018 Amsterdam International Filmmaker Festival. My Good Chinese Countrymen won the Indie Spirit Best Story Line Award at the 2019 Boston International Film Festival.

DRAMA

RUN TIME 80 MINUTES

MYGOODCHINESECOUNTRYMEN.COM

TERESA MULAR MD WITH TWO FILMS IN COMPETITION AT THE SOUTH EUROPE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL VALENCIA – A DOCUMENTARY AND A COMEDY - TERESA MULAR MD HAS A WONDERFUL GIFT FOR FILMMAKING…

NOW AND THEN This is a personal journey which describes how the architecture and the view of the city of Buenos Aires, where I was born, raised and educated, have changed the landscape of the neighborhood where I lived and I knew so well . ‘Now and Then’ narrates the changes that have occurred between the past (40 years ago) and the present. Memories that are intertwined with landscapes where I spent my childhood and teenage years. Wandering and wondering through the eyes of the filmmaker, who appears on and off, almost as a ghost throughout the project. Recollections of a time that has passed and has left great memories. DIRECTOR STATEMENT Coming to terms with one’s past and present takes much more than “guts”. Thus, to decide and shoot a documentary about the place where you grow up, especially after several decades of being absent from that very place you once knew so well has been a complex process. I believe that anyone who has left his/her own hometown, be that in the same country of birth or as an emigrant, can experience a connection to what was left, what has been replaced and the passage of time in general terms and in a most intimate personal path as well. “Now And Then” has been officially selected at 8 international film festivals: Fusion Film Festival Valencia Edition – May 2019, Golden Earth Film Award - January 2019, ARFF Barcelona International Awards - March 2019, World Cinema Milan - November 2018, The Dada Saheb Film Festival - April 2018, Amsterdam Int Filmmaker Fest August 2018, Madrid Int Film Fest- July 2018, International Filmmaker Fest of World Cinema - December 2018 RUN TIME 27 MINUTES

NOW BOARDING Director Teresa Mular examines the hilarious indignities of airplane travel as seen on a dog-centered airline with her own beloved German Shepherd acting as co-pilot.

Seemingly an absurd tale, it is actually based in most part on the director’s experiences as an average passenger checking- in and boarding in various airports, mostly around United States but also in Europe . In this film, the plot unfolds within the realm of dogs to make the experience more surreal and the unexpected ending gives it a special and memorable flavor. “Now Boarding” has been officially selected at 14 international film festivals: Golden Earth Award - February 2019, Fusion Film Festival Valencia Edition – May 2019, Red Wood Film Festival (California) October 2018, Short Cine Fest - August 2018, Canine Film Festival (Miami , Florida) June 2018, Lake View international Film Festival February - 2017, Nice Int Film Fest - May 2017, Chandler Int Film Fest (Arizona) - November 2016, Best Shorts Comedy (La jolla, California) June 2016, International Independent Film Awards (Encino, California) - March 2016, Colortape International Film Festival (Brisbane, Australia ) - June 2016, Comedy Shorts Film Festival 2015, New York Dog Film Festival (New York City ) 2015, Finow Independent Film and Script Festival - February 2016. RUN TIME 15 MINUTES

DIRECTOR BIOGRAPHY - TERESA MULAR Dr. Teresa Mular was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She was raised and educated there, completing her University studies and graduating as a Medical Doctor at age 23. Parallel to that she studied piano and voice at the National Conservatory of Music in Buenos Aires. As a young person she developed a lifelong passion for classical music and the arts. She moved to New York, to further her training at Downstate Medical Center, State University of New York-Kings County Hospital, in Brooklyn. She became an Associate Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology years later at the same institution and had a long career as a physician and teacher. She is fluent in Italian (which she studied in Florence starting in 2006) and it is in Italy, where she found the germinating seed for making her first documentary about the land that witnessed her birth. She recently completed this four-part documentary that pays homage to the various artistic complexities and cultural life of Buenos Aires, under the title “ Flying on the Wings of Time “ Volando en las Alas del Tiempo”. THMULAR@OPTONLINE.NET

F LY I N G O N T H E WINGS OF TIME

CHAPTER ONE: NOW AND THEN A Short Documentary by Dr Teresa Mular MD

THIS HAPPENED TO YOU ..? ESTO LE PASO A USTED..? A SHORT FILM BY ANA MARIA ESTRADA

Ana Maria Estrada is a renowned Peruvian actress, writer and producer who currently resides between the cities of New York and Miami. She created her own company production in 2014 DAKINI PRODUCTIONS that is based in Lima, Peru and this has produced the famous Peruvian series Santa Rosa de Lima amongst others. Ana Maria wrote, produced and directed her first Short film ´´Esto le Paso aUsted? (This happened to you?),´ which has been nominated and recognized by International film festivals that include The South European Film Festival in Valencia, Spain & The Nice international film festival. The director Ana Maria found inspiration in showing the concerns of people in later years, feeling vulnerable to the threat of Alzheimer’s. This terrible disease can make people prey to be swindled and scammed by

some who want to take advantage of this dreadful situation. Our character Fausto is struggling with his memory when he encounters Jaime. Jaime pretends to know Fausto and Fausto struggles to remember Jaime. This situation makes Fausto follow Jaime but in the end Fausto is deceived when he learns that Jaime has swindled him.

SHORT FILM

RUN TIME 15 MINUTES

ANAMARIAESTRADA.COM

THE RADICALIZATION OF JEFF BOYD WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY UWE SCHWARZWALDER

This drama is about a businessman, Jeff Boyd, who dreams of living in Australia. When he signs an investment contract, he’s full of hope to be able to go with a pocket full of cash. He soon realizes that it’s not that easy. And after a heavy argument with his boss, Jeff’s world collapses. That’s when he meets a young woman, Wendy, also in a delicate state. Their common worries about what the world turns into comes more and more into light, and they decide that they want to change that- with a dangerous plan! The cast includes Uwe Schwarzwalder, Yessica Sanchez, Zarina Tadjibaeva, Jörg Reichlin, Julian Booth, Brian Pinkus, Freigeist van Tazzy, Leonard Kocan, Patricia Sluka and many more. Uwe Schwarzwalder wrote the story only in a few weeks. When searching for the actors, he tried to connect on a personal level instead of the usual audition process. The core scenes were shot within a month while adding additional shots afterwards during a whole year. Post production was eventually a very long process, in cooperation with 4 musicians, Michael Klubertanz, Paco

Periago and Brendan Gillespie who also wrote and performed “Fall” and Amanda Ply with “Waiting”, who all underlined the film with an unusual score. This is his first film as a director. He tried to bring out the essence of each character and to stay truthful to the moment. (So truthful, that one time a real police SWAT team showed up as they suspected a hold up). Also important to him was the logical aspect of the story being told. All had to make sense and be believable as

it would be in real life. And it becomes the real life - with weaknesses, vulnerabilities and motives, even though they might be a little bit crazy, like life itself! THRILLER

RUN TIME 117 MINUTES

WWW.THERADICALIZATION.COM

All men dream, but not equally . . .

Ballad of a Righteous Merchant Filming Herzog ďŹ lming . . . A film by Herbert Golder

THE GRAY WOMAN ONE CALL CHANGES EVERYTHING…

BY HANNI BERGESCH & TÂNIA MARIA RODRIGUES PETERS

NEVER GIVE UP… An idea. A film. A prize. And the world is different. More colorful, light, full of possibilities! And the most important: the confirmation that I can, that I have value as a person. That my ideas are right! This is the trajectory of the movie “The Gray Woman,” and what the leading producer and actress Hanni Bergesch thought of receiving the trophy for “Best experimental film” at the Fusion Film Festival in London. “The prize gave me the strength to continue this fierce war, which is to make movies.” A journalist and publisher, she has lived in Hamburg for nearly 20 years. According to Hanni, who is a member of WIFT (Woman in Film and Television), Germany passes an image of an open and modern country by having a chancellor. Unfortunately in the film industry, we find ourselves in a mentality stuck in the ‘50s: the film business is a male business, women in their 40s and 50s are rarely seen in leading roles. A Brazilian

with white skin, which does not correspond to the clichés expected here (including a head of curly hair), has zero chance of achieving something. And if the mother tongue is not German...forget it! As a result, the Brazilian German began producing films from 2010 onwards. With the feature “Mann im Spagat” she received in 2017 two awards in New York, and one in Canada. The multitalented Hanni is already working on a new project together with the writer and painter, Tania Maria Rodrigues Peters; who incorporated the mysterious woman of the dress and is responsible for the change of direction of the history in “The Gray Woman”. “Tania is a very creative person. She has the ideas, and I turned them into the film. We worked together on the rest of the process, such as the production, and direction. For now, this has been a successful partnership. Let’s see if the next movie, which is also a female story, will have the strength to take the public to theaters. This is one of my great desires,” said Hanni.

SHORT DRAMA

RUN TIME 15 MINUTES

FACEBOOK.COM/DIEGRAUEFRAU

PREMIERE SCREENING IN VALENCIA, SPAIN - THURSDAY | 9TH MAY | 13:25 | ROOM 2

ITO - 1000 YEAR PRINCESS A MAJOR FEATURE FILM BY YASUSHI FULUICHI

1000 years ago. Princess Ito’s small kingdom was very peaceful. Sometimes, even Princess Ito and Gengo, the samurai who served the Princess, helped farmers with their work, and the farmers loved their master and they lived comfortably. However, one night, Uzu Teruaki, who had been banished from the kingdom, launched a surprise attack to usurp the throne. Teruaki offers to spare the Princess if she will bear his child, but Ito refuses. Instead, she commits suicide, but not before placing a curse that will bring her back to life in 1000 years. It has been exactly 1000 years in Uzu-town. Although the town has since flourished in peace, the slaughtered villagers have reincarnated and are gathered in order to have their revenge. Ito knows nothing of her painful past, nor does she understand the meaning of her existence. This is because Gengo, Princess Ito’s greatest protector,

has with his violence kept Ito from damning herself in the fires of the Princess’ vengeance. However, people worry about the ever-battered Ito. Even, ironically, the reincarnation of Uzu Teruaki, who also doesn’t sense their common destiny. The town is growing as the 1000 year festival draws near. Ito and Teruaki are charmed with each other. Gengo and the reborn clan of Ito will stop at nothing to interfere. This story has a hiden message of global peace from Japan. Though it suffered the twin atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and experienced widespread devastation, Japan has let go of its hatred and has instead attempted to focus on the evils of war. As a result, Japan nurtures no hatred towards the Americans and has not waged war in over 70 years. The only way to escape the cycle of war is to abandon hatred, even where forgiveness is impossible.

FEATURE FILM

RUN TIME 123 MINUTES

P l u z a l o u e s t

P r o d u c t i o n s présente

P r é j u g é s

C o u p a b l e s un film de

Jean-Philippe Tranvouez

VANESSA MARLOWE

SOIL MILK

Anto i ne M o u r nè s

avec

S é ba s t i e n B é l i e r

Al e x and r e Tr i aca

«Guilty préjudices, a film about prejudices around homosexuality and ordinary homophobia.» Est Républicain.

OTTO NEURURER HOPE THROUGH DARKNESS WRITTEN BY DR. PETER MAIR & KIRSTEN OSSOINIG DIRECTED BY HERMANN WEISKOPF

SYNOPSIS In May 1940, Catholic priest Otto Neururer suffered an agonising death which lasted 36 hours in Buchenwald concentration camp. Decades later Heinz Fitz, an ageing actor, goes in search of the traces left behind by the blessed priest, together with juvenile delinquent Sofia and Fr. Anton, who is suffering from Parkinson’s disease. Heinz wants to heal the shame of his father’s guilt and find peace. His father was a Nazi and did terrible things. Otto Neururer was abeatified by Pope Johannes Paul II in 1996. DIRECTORS STATEMENT Violence, lack of respect and intolerance seem to be gaining renewed ground in a more and more complex and ephemeral world. The Catholic priest Otto Neururer was brutally murdered by the Nazis for his non-violent resistance in a concentration camp. The profoundly humane way in which he opposed the totalitarian regime is in many respects exemplar, even in our troubled times.

NINA A SCRIPT BY BOJANA SUTIC

Thus, it was particularly important to our film crew to tell this story, which is touching and at the same time tragic, in a way that would be contemporary, instructive and amusing for the audience. Thanks to the tireless contribution of the entire crew “Otto Neururer” has become a remarkable and unique movie, sending a strong message without being overly didactic.

This is not a war story!! This is a story of a family that, like many others, had to abandon their homeland, not only because of the war itself, but because someone, somewhere and for obscure reasons, decided that it was sinful for the blood of different faiths to mix. THIS IS NINA’S STORY, A DAUGHTER OF THESE SINS.

DRAMA RUN TIME 89 MINUTES

WWW.AVGPRODUKTION.COM

Every time she finds herself surrounded by men, either immigrants, who consider her part of their squalid world or by employers who take advantage of her humble means and origins, she falls victim to sexual harassment and molestation...

Young Nina passes her carefree childhood in Bosnia, together with her brother Damir, loved and cared by their parents, father Jusuf, a Muslim and mother, Vera, a Serbian Orthodox, under the protecting wing of adored grandmother Zumra.

This screenplay is more relevant today than ever! It deals, at the same time, with the problems of mass migration, the disintegration of families, the clash between cultures and religions, and violence against women.

When the war breaks out in 1992, the family is forced to move to Italy where Jusuf accepts a humble job as a truck driver.

Lets make a movie!

After a few years, Vera and the children join Jusuf in Italy, but nothing it seems can fill the gap created between the two spouses during their separation. The family breaks apart, this time for good.. From that moment life changes for everybody and becomes a continuous wandering between the harsh reality of the immigrant housing and the struggle with employees, for whom Vera works as a cleaning lady or assists the elderly. Nina is a beautiful young woman! But ironically, her beauty has always proved to be an obstacle.

SCRIPT

SUTICB988@GMAIL.COM

in KOPROduKTiOn MiT

The true story of Catholic priest Otto neururer, murdered by the nazis in a concentration camp

Ottfried Fischer

TRAiLER

WWW.AvGPROduKTiOn.COM

Otto Neururer Hope through Darkness

Otto Neururer – Hoffnungsvolle Finsternis / Otto Neururer – Una luce nelle tenebre Ottfried Fischer Karl Merkatz Lucas Zolgar Heinz Fitz Jasmin Mairhofer Antonio Wannek Hans Jürgen Silbermann Julia Gschnitzer Sophie Resch Peter Miklusz Mathias Renneisen Enzo Weiskopf Hermann Weiskopf Madeleine Weiler Michaela Posch • Produktion: Hermann Weiskopf, Dr. Peter Mair, Robert Müller, Kirsten Ossoinig, Verena Lanzinger, Giovanni Balestriere, Elsa Bral • Make uP & Hair: Aline Krabacher, Barbara Hainz, Claudia Hörtnagl • kostüMe: Gwen Mc Guirk, Eileen Hill • ausstattung: Hannes Leitgeb Vera Larch • song „Bist du Bei Mir“: Marlon Prantl • ton: Massimilano Baccella • tonMiscHung: Tomas Bastian • kaMera-assistenz: Lorenzo Balestriere • kaMera: Jesse Kent • cHefkaMeraMann: Gino Sgreva • scHnitt: Jesse Kent • filMMusik: Bernhard Falkner • dreHBucH: Dr. Peter Mair • regie: Hermann Weiskopf Plakatdesign: wedot.net - Roberta Gobbo, Elsa Bral

BEYOND TRANSPORT, KINDNESS TO BIRDS & ALEXX FINDING HOME BY CHED LOHR

CHED LOHR IS A DIRECTOR AND WRITER WHO CONNECTS WITH INDIVIDUALS ACROSS THE GLOBE AND WITHIN HIS HOMETOWN TO LEARN ABOUT CULTURAL TRENDS AND PROMOTE UNDERSTANDING. HIS THREE NOMINATED FILMS, TWO DOCUMENTARIES AND ONE MUSIC SHORT COVER VERY DIFFERENT SUBJECT MATTERS AND WE WERE LUCKY TO BE ABLE TO FEATURE A SHORT INTERVIEW FOR “ALEXX FINDING HOME” TO GIVE US SOME FASCINATING BACKGROUND AS TO WHY HE DECIDED TO MAKE THIS MOVING DOCUMENTARY. BEYOND TRANSPORT Beyond Transport is a multi-cultural investigation of our openness for direct conversation in the personal device era. In this short documentary, first-time filmmaker Ched Lohr travels to each of the continents to interview taxi drivers and other professionals in the transportation industry on the subject. The idea for Beyond Transport developed during a 2015 backpacking trip in Australia when Lohr observed fellow travelers preoccupied with personal devices and less available for conversation. Prior to departing for home, a casual conversation with a taxi driver led to the man sharing details of his legal career prior to his career driving a taxi. Lohr believed connecting these contrasting experiences would be an interesting and timely topic for a documentary, especially interviewing taxi drivers in multiple cultures. Beyond Transport’s stage includes many alternates beyond the conventional yellow cab including a purple 1950’s Chevrolet in Havana, a limousine in Ho Chi Minh City, and a Bike Taxi in Charleston, SC. The collection of interviews is balanced by spectacular footage of the various cultures during this extensive pursuit. Audiences gain insight on our preferences for communication while passing by public exercise parks in Cambodia, on top of a mountain in Chile, in front of grazing giraffes in Tanzania, and into frigid water beside a host of penguins in an amphibian-like vehicle that transports the small number of travelers making their way onto the glaciers of Antarctica. Lohr calls on taxi drivers, viewing these professionals as a qualified resource to characterize social trends due to the variety of clients who pass through their vehicles.

Having a keen intuition is beneficial and many taxi drivers are also master conversationalists. Their expertise is confirmed through interviews conducted in 14 countries during 16 months of filming. The drivers share insight on passenger’s openness for social conversation and how it has changed in the last 5-10 years, as personal devices have become more integral to our lives. The score for the documentary is every bit as eclectic as the footage but appropriately fits into the background and reinforces focus on the primary point of the documentary- our dialogue. Beyond addressing the primary objective of this documentary, drivers share their own personal stories on topics ranging from family to love to friendship to struggle. These conversations verify the common threads of life that connect us all. We may not know the future ramifications of distraction from habitually checking our phones but we are reminded of the vital importance of continuing to practice the art of conversation. This documentary’s theme is not to disavow personal devices. Instead, the theory that there is no equal substitute for direct interaction is affirmed. Lohr hopes audiences will consider mindfulness after viewing his film to balance use of technology with an openness and interest to converse with fellow human beings. We all have a story to tell; our stories connect us.

DOCUMENTARY

BEYONDTRANSPORTFILM.COM

KINDNESS TO BIRDS Kindness to Birds was inspired by an unexpected moment with a frenzy of birds as the sun was setting. The birds created this aerial spectacle around two women feeding them bread that was complimented by their graceful shadows on the background wall bordering the Thames River. The footage capturing this energetic moment is balanced by a soft classical arrangement composed by the artist Limbic Mojo in celebration of life, kindness to all living beings, and peace. Kindness to Birds premieres at The Fusion International Film Festival South and is nominated for Best Music Video.

FUSION FILM FESTIVAL OFFICIAL SELECTION

Nominated . Best Short Documentary . Best Editing of a Short Documentary . 2018 Amsterdam IFF

Photo by Emily Teague

7 CONTINENTS. 18 TA XIS. ONE HUMAN STORY

ALEXX FINDING HOME Twenty-seven year old Alexx Collins fears delivering her first child on the street. Homeless since 14, the responsibilities and challenges to get home seem insurmountable for a woman without a job, bank account or identification. Alexx Finding Home captures the unsheltered circumstance, the primal instinct to protect family, and the determination to achieve one’s goal, at any cost. With an extraordinary capacity to love and a community uniting to help, Alexx’s journey home shares the power of determined individuals once connected.

AN INTERVIEW WITH CHED LOHR HOW DID YOU LEARN ABOUT ALEXX COLLINS? Alexx’s story made the front page of a local newspaper in my hometown of Chico, CA. I couldn’t get it out of my mind. It was a calling. WHAT WAS IT ABOUT HER STORY THAT COMPELLED YOU TO MAKE A DOCUMENTARY? Alexx’s story is primal, pregnancy inspired her to find a home after being homeless since 14. Alexx encountered seemingly insurmountable challenges but through determination and the support of a community, she accomplished her goal. Alexx’s story also offers insight into the homeless culture and I believe this is valuable. WAS IT DIFFICULT TO CONNECT WITH HER? Yes. After initially reading the article, I wrote to the newspaper writer but did not get a response. After 6 months, I reached out to a social worker from the article. We met and

I was relieved to learn Alexx was well and still in Chico. The three of us met for dinner and I finally got to share my idea for producing a documentary about her journey home. WHAT WAS ALEXX’S INITIAL RESPONSE TO BEING THE SUBJECT OF A DOCUMENTARY? She didn’t understand the power and uniqueness of her story. WHAT MESSAGE WOULD YOU LIKE VIEWERS TO TAKE FROM YOUR DOCUMENTARY? Best summed up by Alexx’s comment during our first encounter: We’re all just a couple of bad weeks, shorted paychecks, and a few emotional breakdowns from being the same. DOCUMENTARY

RUN TIME 56 MINUTES

WWW.ALEXXFINDINGHOME.COM

AWAY FROM THE SHORE PRODUCED BY TRIVIUM FILMS, SOFIA – KOSTADIN BONEV & ODESSA FILM STUDIO – ANDREY OSSIPOV

A talented theatre director has been expelled from the capital for two years. And he has been sent to a small provincial theatre where he wants to put on a play that his thoughts are obsessed with. This play talks about people who are being constantly watched and are living in constant fear of punishment. Gradually, the nightmares of the play begin to move into the life of the troupe... About the project: The Cinema reality is more real than the world that surrounds us. Proof of this is the confidence of the audience. Everything the audience believes in automatically turns into truth. Film reality helps many to understand the mechanisms that make the world go round as well as their lives, too. In cinema there are no such concepts as “past – present – future”. In cinema everything is “here and now”. In this sense, the story of the director expelled from Sofia and his troubles in the small provincial theater makes sense only if the audience (or part of it) knows itself in the story. The fear of being observed, the fear that somewhere somebody is collecting information about you and your relatives, the fact that you do not have your own privacy is not new to the cinema.

The difference in our story is that in order to get rid of his fears and phobias, Zlati puts on a play in which the things I am talking about are the main topic. The play, which is called “Gulls off the Beach”, is about a ship run by a mad captain. Gradually, he imposes an order that makes the crew’s daily routine extremely difficult and dangerous. And the revolt of the discontented sailors begins only when the ship runs out of food. Gradually, the relationship between the seafarers filled with violence begins to move between the actors and puts the performance in jeopardy. Kostadin Bonev

DRAMA

TRIVIUM FILMS KOSTADIN BONEV

BONEVKOST@ABV.BG

SOIL MILK A SCRIPT BY VANESSA MARLOWE

Based on a true story, a sensitive young doctor, dedicated to serving others, loses himself in the process, becoming bipolar. Forming many odd friendships along the way, he finds himself through the love of his family. This is the story of my father, Jean Baggini, a man who gave everything to his medical career and his patients. Dr. B, (As his patients refer to him fondly.)always cared and shared – perhaps too much. As he put it, “It was always such a gift to care for people. I almost felt like I should have been paying them…I guess that’s why I’m broke.” Even in the darkest of times, Jean somehow, miraculously manages to keep his wry sense of humor. Soil Milk chronicles Jean’s life in 1940’s Queens, New York, growing up in a very traditional, Catholic, Italian-American family.

There was laughter, but there was always some sense of guilt. The story follows Jean through the rise and fall of his medical career, and his innate ability to survive. Although my father is certainly not a rich man, what he’s given everyone around him are some of the greatest gifts of all within love itself: compassion and understanding. So, it is with this

growing sense of humanity, in which I sincerely hope that we may make the world a better, brighter place. One story at a time. SCRIPT

VANESSAMARLOWE@GMAIL.COM

‘GPS’ is the latest short film to come from Barn 11 Productions, a new film company out of Ontario, Canada. The film started as a joke, literally. As many of us do, writer/ producer/actor Jordan Heron regularly ignores the directions coming from his GPS when he’s driving in familiar territory. The running joke was that if the GPS had the sentience of a nagging mother, she would be rather disapproving of her son’s driving (and life) choices, and eventually she’d just shut down. Telling the joke to another filmmaker while driving to a festival, Jordan was told to “make it a short film!”His response: It’s not a film – it’s a one-liner, at best. Then one day, looking for inspiration, Jordan recalled that conversation, and started writing. The result was not a joke, but a touching short film about the struggles of familial relationships, and the fervent hope that it is never too late to fix those difficulties and draw closer to the ones we love.

JORDAN HERON

“YOU’RE MY MOTHER?”

ROBEN GOODFELLOW (DIRECTOR) AND ROSS GOODFELLOW (DP) AT THE GPS PREMIER.

A SHORT FILM BY JORDAN HERON DIRECTED BY ROBEN GOODFELLOW

JORDAN HERON AND ROSS GOODFELLOW (THE DP) ON LOCATION.

GPS

Barn 11 Productions came together almost by accident. In 2015, Jordan, an aspiring actor, decided that if no one would give him an acting part, he would give one to himself, and – with no filmmaking experience whatsoever – decided to produce and direct a short, starring himself, called ‘Not the End of the World.’ He pulled together a crew from amongst his friends, all of whom had some relevant experience to bring to the project. Ross Goodfellow was a DP, with background in corporate video and music work. Roben Goodfellow brought together a range of skills, from writing to set medic, to that most precious skill of all – “whatever needs doing”. ‘GPS’ is Roben’s directorial debut.The core team was rounded out by Adam Smith, who had a ton of experience behind the scenes as leatherworker, costumer, and specialty propbuilder for major feature films. On that first film, everyone got paid – directly from Jordan’s pocket. The next year, the core team came back. “We know you can’t afford to do another film, but we had fun. Let’s do it again.” And Barn 11 Productions was born;writing, filming, and producing the work of its own members, with Jordan, an IT Project Manager in his day job, driving the team. Barn 11 has many more projects on tap. No power in the ‘verse can stop them now. SHORT FILM

RUN TIME 13 MINUTES

WWW.BARN11PRODUCTIONS.COM

MEMORIES RECORDED, MEMORIES STORED DIRECTED BY JAKE ALEXANDER MCAFEE

WHERE ARE YOUR MEMORIES STORED? With her distinctive, insightful vision, award winning sculptor, Judith Modrak, takes on a new challenge, creating her first interactive art installation. “Memories Recorded, Memories Stored,” is a documentary short which chronicles the creation of Modrak’s “Our Memories”, a participatory artwork which weaves people’s lives and experiences into a collective memory. The film is nominated in four categories at this year’s South Europe International Film Festival: Best Director, Best Editing, Best Story and Best Short Documentary. Last year, it won “Best Short Documentary” at the 2018 Amsterdam International Film Festival, and was named “Best Documentary Short for Science and Education 2017” at the 6th Annual Madrid International Film Festival, after premiering at the Queens World Film Festival in March 2017. The film follows Modrak as she creates an outdoor installation for the 9th annual Governors Island Art Fair in New York City. Recognizing the need to record one’s personal experience, these neuron-inspired sculptures are, at first, hollow. The idea is for a person to recall a formative event in their lives, and then share it by depositing a color-coded memory stone in a sculpture. The stones are classified into six primary emotive categories based on Plutchik’s color wheel: joy, anger, love, sadness, fear and surprise.

“My vision with the film was to highlight Judith’s style and artistic aesthetic.” Director Jake McAfee says, “I wanted to capture Judith’s drive and spirit as an artist and her journey to create “Our Memories.’” In 2018, new “Our Memories” sculptures made an appearance at the Naumburg Bandshell in Central Park in New York City and were then installed in Thomas Paine Park in lower Manhattan for a year. Modrak explains “the larger vision is to have hundreds of new memory sculptures filled with thousands of experiences from people all over the world – connecting us to our core and to one another.” For Modrak, the excitement continues with an artist residency in Murcia, Spain at AADK where she will be creating a new sculptural installation: “Fluid Pathways”.

SCREENING - FRIDAY 10TH MAY | 13:20 | ROOM 1 RUN TIME 15 MINUTES

MARK@MARKLOBENE.COM

@JUDITHMODRAK

WWW.JUDITHMODRAK.COM

THE PERFECT MURDER AN URBAN CRIME DRAMA

WRITTEN, DIRECTED, EDITED AND PRODUCED BY VIKKRAMM CHANDIRRAMANI

‘The Perfect Murder’ is an 18 minute film which the film’s director, Vikkramm Chandirramani prefers to describe as an ‘urban crime drama’, a mixed genre of sorts. It is reminiscent of the style of the legendary Alfred Hitchcock. The end is quintessential O. Henry, except that the classic storyteller rarely delved into crime. This twist in the tail was visible in the director’s last short film, the award-winning ‘Destiny’, although that was a romantic drama comedy. ‘The Perfect Murder’ is about three flawed individuals and their journey over a period of a few days. A rich heiress, a struggling actor who refuses to let ‘minor obstacles’ like murder stand in his way and his sociopathic love interest. One common gripe with short films is that they are indulgent, often twice as long as they need to be, with mile long takes and on-the-nose writing. None of that applies here. The screenplay is very taut with nary a scene that could be taken out without making the film incomprehensible. Chandirramani gets effective performances from his cast. The slick editing, the cinematography and the background score elevate the film further. In many ways, ‘The Perfect Murder’ is about obsession, about the hedonistic streak that we see in an increasingly entitled world where instant gratification is more and more expected. It acknowledges the dark side that people have. Vikkramm’s writing and direction ensures that even a dark character evokes your sympathy for a while. The two female characters are strong and make no bones about what they expect. Their unapologetic, assertive personas stay with you. Speaking about the inspiration for this film, the director says, “Over the last few years, following prosperity, there’s been a rise in amateur crime in major Indian cities: people killing their partners, amateur kidnappings, getting back at exes in a violent manner. A lot of this crime is by people you would find unremarkable at first sight. It could be someone you sat next to on the bus you took home. Everyone has a dark side and is capable of murder. If you think you aren’t, consider if you would kill to save a loved one’s life if you had no other choice. You probably would! So, everyone is capable of everything in that sense.”

So, what’s next? Apparently, Vikkramm has several scripts in development. “After ‘The Perfect Murder’ I have had several actors reaching out to me. I’ve been talking to some OTT players too and maybe something on those lines could fall in place. I also have a script for a feature that has shaped up very well. Let’s see.” Vikkramm Chandirramani Vikkramm Chandirramani is an award-winning writer, director and editor. His last film ‘Destiny’, a romantic drama comedy was awarded ‘Best Foreign Film’ at The Ridgewood Guild International Film Festival, NJ and was the opening film at The Endless Mountains Film Festival, PA. It passed 4.5 million views on YouTube. ‘The Perfect Murder’ has been nominated in three categories at The South Europe International Film Festival – ‘Best Director of a Short Foreign Language Film’, ‘Best Original Score’ and ‘Best Lead Actor in a Foreign Language Film’. DRAMA

RUN TIME 18 MINUTES

WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/QUESTMERCURY

BLACKBETTY EPISODE 2 | A NOISE AND NOT MUSIC

THERE IS A PLACE BETWEEN THE TRUTH AND THE LIE

F97 FRANCESCA (MARFA KORZUKHINA) IN EPISODE 2 “A NOISE AND NOT MUSIC”

SYNOPSIS

DIRECTORS STATEMENT

An entire city in Eastern Europe is empty. The people of Saltava are dead, except for a few survivors – victims of Blackbetty, a virus of unknown origin. The disease manifests when you sleep. To stay alive, the survivors depend on untested alertness pills and are assigned alphanumeric aliases. F97 (Francesca) is one of the lucky ones, living a surreal and sleepless life, lost in a cycle of wellness checks and a mandate to document her waking dreams in a black book. She still has a sense of humor, albeit a morbid one.

Blackbetty expresses what it means to be forgotten. These “nobody” characters in an impossible situation somehow manufacture their redemption. Their lives do actually matter. Even their dreams are messy and desperate. There is no relief for them, no hope – just making it to the next day.

Another survivor documents his dreams about an invalid mother. Night falls, the walls close in, and Francesca describes how everyone she knew died like animals. We witness the strange details of this place – trees bending in a violent wind, abandoned cars. One person lives, another dies – equally random moments. Francesca surrenders to the disease.

I worked with a number of nonactors, and wrote parts directly for them. Marfa – who plays Francesca - is actually one of my translators! There is a certain authenticity you buy into when you work with real people. Of course, there were some

very challenging parts where we did cast experienced actors, but I still wrote directly for them. I always explain that “we are making a documentary about you in this imaginary situation.” This provides an indie filmmaker like myself the means to shine a whole lot of heart and soul into Blackbetty’s humble storytelling. EPISODE DRAMA

RUN TIME 13 MINUTES

WWW.BLACKBETTYSERIES.COM

LANDSCAPE BY LEONARDO NUSSENZVEIG

This short film, Landscape, is an absurdist comedy about daily life activities and religious beliefs. Surreal situations between workers and employer take place in a rural area of the Czech Republic and are superimposed with an absurdist poem about a boy who carried water in a sieve. Leonardo Nussenzveig is a filmmaker who will graduate in May 2019 from New York University Tisch School of the Arts with a major in Film and TV Production. He wrote

and directed Landscape during a study abroad program from NYU in Prague in collaboration with FAMU International. Leonardo has done internships in film development in Los Angeles, at Color Force and Manage-Ment, and is currently interning in New York at Protozoa Pictures and Jean Doumanian Productions. He wrote and directed

short films since high school and worked in the production of several independent films during college. In addition, he worked in commercials, including an advertisement for Goodyear Footwear. His goal is to direct independent films.

EXPERIMENTAL SHORT FILM

RUN TIME 13 MINUTES

LN780@NYU.EDU

NINA A SCRIPT BY BOJANA SUTIC

PRETTY LITTLE

BUBBLES A SHORT FILM BY NEW TALENT MICKEY CORNWELL AND FEATURING STANDOUT PERFORMANCES BY MAGGIE CORNWELL AND MARIE CORNWELL IN THEIR FIRST STARRING ROLES

Pretty Little Bubbles is powerful and emotional short film about ex soldier Terry coping with life after Afghanistan while struggling to raise his West Ham supporting twin daughters. HIGHLIGHTING PTSD AND DISABILITY. The film is written and produced by Mickey Cornwell, he is the Vice President of West Ham United Women’s team and is a first time film maker, his own 11 year old twin daughters are playing the roles of Terri and Toni and they attend the Pauline Quirke Academy of performing Arts. Other notable cast include cameo Performances from West Ham legend and Sky Sport pundit Tony Gale, West Ham Woman’s star player Rosie Kmita and Billy Drinkwater who served in the 1st Battalion Royal Anglian Regiment on tour in Afghanistan where he lost his right eye and sustained serious injuries to his left eye in an IED attack in 2010. The Soundtrack to the film is by Marcel Somerville of Love Island and Blazin Squad fame.

SHORT FILM

RUN TIME 12 MINS

My Film Works is an international online video platform for independent filmmakers, currently streaming more than 1,100 titles made by filmmakers from more than 50 different countries in 34 different languages.

the film.” says Milena Brankovic, General Manager.

Filmmakers can sign up for FREE and create their screen from where they can share their work with viewers all around the world. The platform screens professionally produced feature films, short films, music videos, sports, documentaries, animated films and many more, without any genre restriction.

My Film Works actively engages on social media with ~ 225,000 followers on Facebook and is connected to 12,000 + filmmakers and people working in the Film and Television Industry on LinkedIn. Their objective is to promote films and filmmakers, so every posted video on their social media page is boosted by them at their own cost. A great benefit to filmmakers who are trying to reach out to audiences around the world.

“This is a one of a kind worldwide network for creative people working in the film industry, where not only can they promote their work, but can also communicate with other filmmakers on the platform via private messaging! The idea was to create something like a combined LinkedIn and Vimeo. Filmmakers can create their page and upload their work, add social media accounts including IMDB, and most importantly, link any funding campaign to their profile. Uploading films is FREE and there is an awesome option for adding up to 5 subtitles, thus expanding the reach of

“We already made some great partnerships with film festivals, webzines and brands amongst others, which you can check out on our partnership page. Our multi-year partnerships have allowed our partners to reach more filmmakers and viewers worldwide, thereby resulting in increased reach and submissions. We are very excited about these partnerships and will be announcing new ones soon. Our goal is to bring more of these festival opportunities to filmmakers, so that they can share their amazing stories and work and get recognized globally.” Milena added.

In addition to offering a platform for filmmakers to showcase their work, My Film Works will be approaching television channels and brands to market this content. “We are aiming to connect filmmakers with commercial brands, so that these brands can benefit from the great story telling skills of our filmmakers to spread their message and deepen the connection with their consumers.” reveals founder, Sanjay Das. My Film Works is actively seeking to expand and collaborate, so feel free to write to them on films@theworksnetwork.com or on via social media. You can also follow them on Facebook to stay informed about latest initiatives.

FREE DIRECTOR SIGNUP

WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/MYFILMWORKS

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EVOLUTIONARY FILMS ACQUIRES DOCUMENTARY FEATURE “MINIATURE WARGAMING: THE MOVIE”AT FUSION NORTH EUROPE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL IN FEBRUARY 2019. Following a presentation held at the Fusion Festival in London, Evolutionary Films CEO John Adams and Creative Director Ross Boyask met with Director/Producer Joseph Piddington to talk about his film. A screening of the film impressed the team at Evolutionary Films, who saw the financial potential of bringing it to market and led to discussions about distribution and marketing strategies. Having won the National Film Award for Best UK Film Distribution Company of 2019, Joseph could see the potential in signing with Evolutionary Films as international sales agents and exclusive distributors of the film across the UK later this year. In addition, Evolutionary Films are proud to be debuting “Miniature Wargaming: The Movie” at the upcoming Cannes film market in May 2019. When asked about his experience of the Fusion Festival, Joseph Piddington said “One of the highlights of Fusion was the industry seminar hosted by John Adams and Ross Boyask from Evolutionary Films.

The seminar was invaluable, giving everyone guidance and knowledge from inside the industry. John and Ross took genuine interest in seeing my film, addressing any questions and concerns I had at the same time. I’m delighted to be working with Evolutionary Films and I look forward to what the future holds”. Evolutionary Films CEO, John Adams,added “It was a pleasure to host an evening at the 2019 Fusion International Film Festival in London and meet such a fantastic group of talented filmmakers. Our ambition is to establish Evolutionary Films as the go-to partner for emerging talent. We’re delighted to be working with Joe on Miniature Wargaming the Movie and to be taking the title to Cannes as part of our line-up.” Evolutionary Films has strong working relationships with broadcasters and digital platforms, having released a number of titles in recent months, including “A Life Lived”, a drama starring Denise Richards and Jennifer Taylor, and “Acceptable Damage”, a hard-hitting drama touching on topics such as anti-bullying, gang culture, and the cycle of abuse.

WWW.EVOLUTIONARYFILMS.COM

BOUNDLESS LOVE BY WANG YIMIN

SYNOPSIS A diary covering almost 50 years closely links the Chinese young man Chen Chang and the Indonesian girl Nova together. The puzzle of the story that happened 50 years ago is unraveled as the two hearts draw closer. Their love which should have been blessed has encountered much opposition and obstacles and also withstood various tests. In the end, can their love supersede the differences of nationality, culture, religion, and bring positive fruits? DIRECTOR: WANG YIMIN Wang Yimin’s microfilms HONGYAN (2013), FLAPPY WINGS (2018), THE ROAD HOME(2014), OFFSPRING OF MOUNT TIANSHAN (2015), and many others have received more than 70 awards at the Asia Micro Films Art Festival, China Pingyao Micro Film Festival, the American International Independent Film Festival, the China Image Film Festival as well as many other international festivals. He was selected into the “Young Filmmakers Training Program” of Focus on China in the 74th Venice International Film Festival, 2017.

DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT “In this film, the love between young people in different countries is by no means common. Nevertheless, I believe you will resonate with the characters in this film. Definitely, you will be immersed in love! In the diary, the lonely love for more than 50 years is the ultimate love I want to showcase! I don’t want an author-oriented film. It’s better to make the audience reflect on themselves in their stepby-step emotional feelings. Thus, they will aspire for beautiful love, draw lessons from the past, and make a review of the present. That’s enough. I like love-based films. It’s an excellent mode of emotional expression that the audience is deeply touched while the characters free themselves from crying. I hope that this love will be deeply implanted into the memories of the audience. It is advisable to recall these emotional feelings in this film after a week or more. That is its ultimate import. Life is great, and such a sincere love in our rush is enough, irrespective of results. Life is short. May our love be forever!”

FEATURE FILM

RUN TIME 102 MINUTES

GUILTY PREJUDICES A FEATURE FILM BY JEAN-PHILIPPE TRANVOUEZ

“Guilty prejudices” is a drama without etiquette. This film, outside the circuit of a standardized production, was born thanks to volunteer contributors and enthusiasts ... Here we have a short interview with the director, JeanPhilippe Tranvouez. HOW WAS THE STORY BORN? With Antoine Mournès, we wrote the scenario during the vote, in France, the law on the opening of marriage to same-sex couples. A period when homophobia resurfaced in a public and assumed in its way in large demonstrations. We thought then that it was necessary to show the daily life of a homosexual couple, to make it understood to the general public that there is finally nothing extraordinary, that it is just normal. WHAT IS IT ABOUT? Léon, 22, and David, 27, plan to celebrate their first birthday, but during this evening, one is savagely stabbed, the other accused of the crime. Fred Darrieu will take advantage of the 48 hours of custody to seek, beyond prejudices, the truth and mourn the same events that he suffered years ago.

The story is built around two narrative times: past and present. David and Leon will be confronted, in the course of history, with prejudices, “ordinary” homophobia and hatred. IT’S A VERY SMALL BUDGET FILM? This film could only exist through a combination of goodwill: all actors and technicians (there are nearly forty) had agreed to work voluntarily. We used crowd funding: about fifty contributors contributed financially to the very small budget of the film (less than 10.000 Euros). Most of the decorations were loaned to us for free. And then, nothing would have been possible without the daily

support of my husband, Ludovic, who supported the 2 years that it took to put this project together. AND YOUR HOPE? We hope to do a lot of festivals show the film as much as possible to fight against homophobia. FEATURE FILM

RUN TIME 84 MINUTES

FR.ULULE.COM/PREJUGES-COUPABLE

POWER PLAY INTRODUCING THE SCREENPLAY POWER PLAY & BASED ON THE NOVEL BY F. ETHAN REPP.

A cancerous political suspense cocktail, based upon deceit, revenge and envy. Our young, handsome mayoral aspirant, Collier Winthrop, is recruited by a crusty old political boss, Al Caso, to upset the statusquo. He soon is faced with opposition from within and without. 1970’s. Before, House of Cards, there was Power Play. SCREENPLAY WRITTEN BY COLIN STEWART, “I wrote the book Power Play in 1978, following a failed run for the US Congress at the age of 33. Full of remaining adrenalin and loss of all consuming activity, I spent the next 4 months writing. Once finished I really didn’t know what to do with it. The popular Mayor of NYC, John Lindsay, a good friend, passed it around to a few publishers, who were complimentary but passed. The work needed editing. I put the typed book

away forever. Two years ago, I told my grandson about the book. He wanted to read it. (Pause) The manuscript was buried somewhere in the garage and I didn’t really know what shape it was in anyway. I rescued the work and began to read. I had forgotten the story but realized, hey this is good stuff. It is real. First Edition Design publishing immediately wanted to publish and claimed that they could scan the typewritten work to Word. We published in 2014, 36 years after being written. Amazon has 12 million books. It is impossible to get noticed. I decided to turn the work into a screenplay. Through the Internet I found a screenwriter anxious to transform my book into the desired format.. As well as being nominated at the Fusion Valencia International Film Festival the script has been nominated and won at several other film festivals including at the Fusion London International Film Festival and Nice International Film Festival. Young handsome, charming Collier Winthrop, heir to Winthrop Manufacturing is enticed by a crusty old political boss, Al Caso to run for Mayor of the City. The scheme is to utilize the reputation of a prominent family to split the opposition party vote majority. But there is a threat of losing some of his own party base through the disappointment of not being anointed themselves. Caso is running a risk and it could be his head if he is not successful. In this story, they talk, up front and personal”. - F. Ethan Repp.

LIL’ TIGER A SHORT FILM BY NICOLA FAN

Based on true events, the film follows a Hong Kong teenage girl, on her first day out of juvenile detention center. Lil’ Tiger takes a glimpse into the hidden and buried issues that marginalized Hong Kong teenagers face at home, school and society. ABOUT THE DIRECTOR

ABOUT THE FILM There exists, what many say, the reckless impulsiveness of youth. Perhaps more often directed towards the teenage demographic, it is made to seem like rash decision making, getting into trouble, and overtly casual attitudes towards anything; therefore easily dismissed by the greater masses and society. However, is there no genuine consideration given to what circumstances might be driving it all?

Nicola Fan is a Hong Kong based graphic designer and award-winning filmmaker. Her first feature length documentary She Objects, was official selection for 2016 Sundance Film Festival Hong Kong. It was awarded “Best Scientific & Educational Documentary” at 2017 Nice International Film Festival. Recommended by Hong Kong International Film Festival, her music video The Eve was sponsored by Create HK to be sent to film festivals worldwide from 2014-2015.

She works as a Creative & Art Director for marketing and advertising campaign design; and a Director for commercials, music videos, documentaries and short films. Her clients included Red Bull, Sunkist, Lee Kum Kee, Dior, Samsung, New Balance, J. P. Morgan, Time Warner.

SHORT DRAMA

RUN TIME 16 MINUTES

WWW.NICOLA-FAN.NET

DON’T WRITE ME OFF A SCRIPT BY YUQING CHI

FOREVER IS OVERRATED, I’LL GIVE YOU SOMETHING TIMELESS INSTEAD. What’s the most profound sacrifice you would do for true love? How many dark stories do you prefer that are all carried by yourself rather than telling him the truth? You will tell all of your answers here in this Short. Yuqing Chi is a writer and director who currently resides in New York. “Don’t Write Me Off” is a short version from her original feature script which is entitled as DWMO. Her idol Riker Lynch – a famous singer and actor who comes from a California based rock band - is the cast leader. The character Will was created on the base of Riker’s figure and that is how Yuqing envisioned him as a fan, magically, when she completed the script. Riker agreed to be a part of this project and as wonderful as Yuqing had imagined, this short turned out to be exactly as she had hoped. So far it has won many national and international awards that include a PLATINUM REMI AWARD at The Worldfest Houston Film Festival; The best short at the Hollywood Just 4SHORT and the best short at the Los Angeles Film Awards and Yuqing is now working on the feature version pre-production.

DRAMA

SCRIPT

YUQING.CLEMENTINE@GMAIL.COM

EYES CAN TELL A DOCUMENTARY FILM BY HEIDI MAJANDER

What is life after you lose your voice and even the ability to move? Otherness can become your strength and aren’t we, in the end, more similar than different from each other. How can you shoo away a mosquito when you can’t move? Or call for help, if you can’t speak? Is it still possible to communicate, work, travel, fall in love or even help others?! Kati van der Hoeven lost all mobility and speech over 20 years ago and wanted to die. Today she is full of life and hasn’t sat still. Kati, her family, friends and people she works with tell a story; how communication is the key and how it changes everything. DIRECTORS STATEMENT Only a fraction of people worldwide in need of communication aid, get help. In 2014 we started a voluntary voice system project and experts told us how a lack of knowledge was a general problem. That was a good motivator for us to do this documentary.

Kati – who is the main subject of this documentary - is member of the project team and also agreed to tell us about her life with locked-in syndrome and ways to communicate for the documentary. Working with her was inspirational and eventful. Kati uses many ways to communicate. One of which is completely ingenious, she writes with her eyes... eyes literally can tell.

DOCUMENTARY

RUN TIME 29 MINUTES WWW.SISULLEAANI.WORDPRESS.COM/ PUHUVA-KATSE-EYES-CAN-TELL/

#BICYCLEDIARY DIRECTED BY SAMI MYLLYS DIRECTOR BIOGRAPHY - SAMI MYLLYS Jaska Halttunen, a 40-something cycling nature blogger, got a new bike some years ago and found a love for cycling all over again. Soon his bike trips were longer and finally Jaska got an idea to ride the full length of Finland, from the south point of Finland in Hanko to Nuorgam, the furthest northeast place in Lapland. With hardly any experience in camping he planned to pack just a hammock and camp in the woods. His over 2000 kilometres route plan included trails, dirt roads and detours to some of Finland’s the most beautiful nature sights such as caves, ravines, rapids and other impressive places. Take a deep breath and and join the adventure. #Fillaripäiväkirja (bicycle diary) was one of Finland 100-years anniversary projects in 2017, recognized by The Office of the President of the Finland. The Finnish television version of #Fillaripäiväkirja documentary film premiered on Finnish television in early 2018 and it has already been seen by over 100.000 viewers. Available with both English and Spanish subtitles.

Working within TV productions since 2008, mostly behind the camera. Cinematographer for some tvdocumentaries and wide experience as a eng-cameraman in tv-news and reality-tv productions. #Bicyclediary was his first feature length documentary production as a director. ”I’m honoured the #Bicyclediary got selected to the South Europe International Film Festival. Jaska’s trip through Finland was a social media phenomenon in Finland and it started an on-going project to increase awareness of Finnish nature, forests and every man’s rights in Finland which gives the possibility for everyone to enjoy our nature. Also Jaska did gather a nice amount of money for children living in foster homes to be used for their sport activities. It was just a story which deserved to be documented and we are pleased to a get new audience for our film and spread the knowledge of our beautiful nature.”

DOCUMENTARY

RUN TIME 57 SECONDS

INTHEMILL.FI

I FORGOT THE WORDS OF MY ETERNAL LOVE J’AI OUBLIÉ LES MOTS DE MON AMOUR ÉTERNEL

FILM POEM BY LUC DUBOIS PERFORMANCE AS MATTI KA ATTAR MICHELINE PAQUETTE VOICE OVER - ILEANA AREND CATEGORY - EXPERIMENTAL MOVIE CONTEXT: A POEM WITHOUT A VISUAL A VISUAL WITHOUT A VOICE A VOICE WITHOUT A VISUAL

Luc Dubois: Poems for me are puzzles I have never seen and for which I wait for, walk to and salute, finding pieces along my daily life and evolution of emotions in their expressions. As an engineer would assemble dream machines, sculpt mechanical raindrops or paint pulverized heart into fluffy clouds . I live for the poetry of space and their visual expressions . Micheline Paquette: As the costumes, sculptures, fashion illustrations, collages, and martial arts performance mix their expressions, I create my best. The search to this empowering act supports my passionate nature toward the realisation of my artistic projects. ORIGIN Micheline and I met in an elevator in 2015 & we were neighbors in Montreal, Canada. The proximity and spontaneity of this first encounter provided the fertile ground for a 10 sec. exchange that evolved into a full bloomed visual creative process. Initially we took small walks along the Lachine canal as Micheline was recovering from a back injury. The pace of the walks and the slow progression of knowing each other through a winter stretch allowed our desire to create something between us. We plunged into the unknown. As the exchange took place, while I pursued my studies in parametric design in Paris, and Micheline’s creative research occured, she was inspired by the word PETRICHOR*, which conveyed for her the expression of her state of mind and body at the time. And through the character of Matti ka attar, she anchored herself into the reality of the collaboration. REALIZATION As an opening occurred to present our collaboration in the visual art exhibition UNBOUND: POINTS OF CONNECTIONS, at the Katzen Rotunda in Washington D.C. nov. 2019; we scheduled the filming of the muay thai warm-up, shadow boxing of Matti ka attar at the Salle Rouge in Montreal in October 2019, and learned there for the first time to work in the same space, time and location. Concentrating on photography and continuous non-stop 5 hours filming of the entire dress-up, and warm-up leading to the performance completion, which was the prime objectives.

Whilst viewing some of the footage in a pizza restaurant in Montreal, Luc realized that some of the movements found in the video corresponded to a poem that had been taking form slowly in Paris. For a sculptor, Micheline’s body and poses struck a correspondence into visual expressions that triggered a cascade of similarity with the poem that had been written and tucked away for almost a year whilst learning to domesticate living in the romantic Paris as a single soul. Luc asked Micheline if some of the footage could be used to match a poem in addition to the photo planned initially to be shown at the Katzen Center as a AR artwork. From that moment, it was clear that a voice would be needed. So, Luc reached out to the french voice of the daughter of a friend which had struck him as beautiful a few months earlier, as the poem was written in french he asked her to record in Paris the poem without seeing any images of

Micheline‘s performance. Luc merged these 3 unsynchronized creative expressions to form a unified expression. Fusion Film Festival of Valencia, with their Experimental Category have given an acknowledgment to this creative assembly. A unique and proper window of expression for a film poem to experience its existence in a larger screening format and reach. *PETRICHOR: The smell of rain, or rain of the Gods. An aerosol explosion of microorganisms as rain hits dry soil produces the earthy smell. PETRA-Stone, ICHOR-Fluid that flows in the veins of Gods. In Uttar Pradesh, India, the smell of rain has long been captured in an ancient art mixing it with sandalwood oil and storing it in leather recipients to further concentrate and accentuate the ethereal fragrance of rain, creating an attar, MATTI KA ATTAR. EXPERIMENTAL

RUN TIME 80 SECONDS

WWW.LUCDUBOIS.CA

THAT’S OPPORTUNITY KNOCKING WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY CHARLES PELLETIER

Comedy based on a true story wins 22 film festival awards! “The keen ensemble performances make this funny production hilarious.” Huffington Post Writer/Director Charles Pelletier got the idea for the script “That’s Opportunity Knocking” by an anecdote told by one of the actors, Thomas Anawalt, at a bar after a play in which they were both involved at the Hollywood Fringe Festival. Thomas had been living in New York, and one night got home with his roommate, and went to bed, only to find the next morning that he had been robbed, and the burglars had been in the apartment the whole time they had been home. Hiding. Somewhere. The true story became a comedic “tall tale” in which two wanna-be thugs attempt to rob an apartment; everything goes awry when the owners show up early for a little latenight sex. Toss in the third wheel roommate, fresh out of the mental hospital and comedy was created. “Brilliant writing that is perfectly performed by an extremely strong cast.” Movie-Blogger.com DIRECTOR CHARLES PELLETIER’S NOTES: I was anxious to write a project for some of the very gifted actors I had worked with at the Hollywood Fringe Festival (C. Stephen Foster, Charlotte Gulezian, Moronai Kanekoa, Satchel Andre and Thomas Anawalt), mostly recent graduates of the USC MFA Acting program. Cynthia Webster read the script and was immediately excited about producing it. As a cinematographer, she had won two Emmy’s, so when she agreed to be the DP, it was a perfect scenario for me, as a first-time film director. Since she owned her own studio, we were able to have many rehearsals over a period of weeks, on the set, and find the characters, in the way you would direct a play. My philosophy is to cast the right people, and stay out of their way. The state an actor is in, when he or she is acting well, is vulnerable. I believe great actors will eventually find their way, if given a safe space and a morsel of guidance, but that journey is largely an internal one.

SHORT COMEDY

RUN TIME 22 MINUTES

THATSOPPORTUNITYKNOCKINGTHEMOVIE.COM

SHAO STUDIOS & SFILMMAKER.COM Shao Studios is an international promotion, production and distribution platform dedicated to connecting media outlets around the world to media producers, distributors and financiers in China- the world’s largest media market. Based in Beijing, Shao Studios was founded by film director Joanna Shao who saw the potential to reach out to China’s diverse independent film-makers and give them an international outlet. Shao Studios’ markets of distribution include, but are not limited to: Internet channels, mobile channels (via telecommunication providers), theatrical channels, air media channels (aboard commercial airplanes) and digital cable providers.

Sfilmmaker is Shao Studios’ film festival registration platform, with over 10,000 film-makers registered to the platform and hundreds of festivals from around the world. Sfilmmaker addresses the problems many small independent Chinese filmmakers have in getting their work into competition and the problems international festivals have finding true Chinese independent cinema. Coupled with Shao Studios’ Young Director Patron Programme and it’s online media education platform which connects Chinese film students with movie experts worldwide, Shao Studios aims to be a voice of development and a bridge between Chinese Media and the World.

PLEASE NOTE THAT WE RESERVE THE RIGHT TO CHANGE THE SCREENING SCHEDULE OF ANY NOMINATED FILM WITHOUT ANY PRIOR NOTICE. FOR AN UP-TO-DATE LIST PLEASE CHECK AT THE FESTIVAL ON A DAILY BASIS OR ON OUR WEBSITE WWW.FUSIONFILMFESTIVALS.COM

SUNDAY | 5TH MAY

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