Indie Entertainment Media - Cannes 2022 Special Edition by gotham ch

cannes 2022

Indie Entertainment Media indieentertainmentmedia.com Publishers

Gotham Chandna Nicole Goesseringer Muj

Editor-in-Chief | Managing Editor

Nicole Goesseringer Muj

Chief Digital Editor

Gotham Chandna

Contributors

Claude Brickell Nicole Goesseringer Muj Dr. Laura Wilhelm

Editorial Assistant

Rachael Fisher

Graphic Design

Arina Kipurova

Photos Courtesy of:

Cindy Shaoul, Movie Stills DB, Nelson Shen, Tshombe Sampson, WikiCommons

FOURTH ANNUAL

www.frenchrivierafilmfestival.com

FRENCH RIVIERA FILM FESTIVAL MAY 20-21| CANNES, FRANCE

Elvis the King To Be Celebrated at Cannes

by Dr. Laura Wilhelm, LauraWil Intercultural

Australian director, producer, and screenwriter Baz Luhrmann will attend the 2022 Festival de Cannes in order to present the world premiere of his new film ELVIS. Along with Baz Luhrmann and Tom Hanks, the festival is delighted to welcome Austin Butler (playing Elvis Presley) and Olivia DeJonge (playing Priscilla Presley). Luhrmann’s film explores the complex dynamic between Elvis Presley and his enigmatic manager, Colonel Tom Parker (played by Tom Hanks). Their relationship spanned over 20 years against the panorama of America’s loss of innocence during the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. Elvis’ stunning wife, Priscilla Presley, also loomed large as a central influence on that journey, later becoming a celebrity in her own right. ELVIS will be released in the USA on June 24th, 2022 and the rest of the world on June 22nd, 2002 by Warner Bros. Pictures. The film is produced by Bazmark and The Jackal Group. What can be said about The King of Rock and Roll

ELVIS by Baz Luhrmann

that hasn’t already been said so many times before? Elvis has become a cultural icon for the ages after breaking every record appearing on the pop charts and winning every honor awarded to musicians. Most of our mothers and grandmothers scrawled his name in their school notebooks with a sigh and scarfed peanut butter and banana sandwiches in honor of him. Elvis brought the unmistakable sound of African-American music to the mainstream during a

transformative period in race relations. This controversial strategy drove him to great success that is still felt in American culture. Presley’s “Heartbreak Hotel” was released by RCA Victor in January 1956 and quickly became a number one hit in the USA. Within a year, RCA would sell ten million Presley singles! Elvis also made a huge splash in the scintillating world of film. In November 1956 he made his film debut in 20th Century Fox’s Love Me Tender, a title shared with one of his hit songs. Elvis famously performed Love Me Tender complete with his trademark pelvic gyrations on The Ed Sullivan Show shortly before the song’s release. After that, RCA received more than a million advance orders for the album, making it a gold record even before it went on sale! “Love Me Tender” was later re-recorded by dozens of musical superstars whose diverse ranks include Nat King Cole, Julie Andrews, Johnny Cash, Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Dean Martin, B.B King, Connie Francis, Della Reese, Ricky Nelson, Barry Manilow, Linda Ronstadt, Engelbert Humperdinck, Johnny Mathis, Pat Boone, Amy Grant, Jim Morrison, Barbra Streisand, Jessica Simpson, and Nana Mouskouri. As a historical footnote, Love Me Tender was adapt-

Love Me Tender publicity still

ed from a sentimental Civil War ballad called Aura Lee that was published in 1861. While Aura Lee was most popular with US college glee clubs and military academies, songs like Love Me Tender appealed to the more rebellious side of the American psyche of which Elvis Presley was most certainly the avatar. With his thick black pompadour, well-mus-

cled body, and wild attire, Elvis defied the buttoned-down male stereotypes of the time in every detail. Thousands of women screamed in ecstasy like Dionysian Maenads whenever he went on tour. Elvis Presley’s undeniable influence upon the nation sometimes led him into the political arena. He was looked upon even by stuffy conservatives as a bright young man outside government who had something worthwhile to say.

Austin Butler as Elvis

On December 21st, 1970, Elvis Presley met with President Richard M. Nixon to offer his services for the Nixon administration’s war on drugs. Nixon wore a suit. Presley wore a purple velvet cape and pants, an unbuttoned white shirt with wide lapels, jeweled chains, and a belt with an immense buckle. But these polar opposites shook hands and even hugged in the Oval Office at the White House. In 2018 Presley was posthumously awarded a Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Donald J.

Trump decades after his untimely death in 1977 at the age of only 42. Years of overindulgence in food and drugs and extreme career stress at the hands of an insatiable public always clamoring for more had taken their toll. With over one billion sales worldwide, Elvis Presley is now recognized as the best-selling solo music artist of all time. He was commercially successful in many musical genres including pop, country, R&B, adult contemporary, and gospel. He won three Grammy Awards and received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award at the precocious age of 36. His Graceland estate located on Elvis Presley Boulevard in Memphis, Tennessee still operates as a popular tourist attraction. More to the point, Elvis Presley represents the unassailable power of American free expression. His energetic yet pacifistic presence stood as a potent challenge to a world wracked with wars and socioeconomic instability. The only revolution he caused came from within the minds and hearts of his listeners. “When things go wrong, don’t go with them,” Elvis once said. As the nations of the earth collided and spun out of control, he fought back with flamboyance and sexuality on the home front. He made love, not war. He gave peace a chance. Us writers and performers understand. There is always an alternative. And say what you like about Elvis, no one could ever be more alternative than he was. All hail to the King!

Oscars 2022 On March 27, 2022, producer/director Jonathan Baker hosted an exclusive Oscar viewing party at his Beverly Hills home, Baker Manor, the former residence of Warren Beatty and Annette Bening. The glamourous event was presented by Baker, in collaboration with French Riviera Film Festival founders Nicole Muj and Gotham Chandna. Celebrities and industry executives in attendance included Mike Burns, Larry Kasanoff (Mortal Kombat), Caroline Lagerfelt (Gossip Girl, Sweet Magnolias), Pooja Batra, E! founder Larry Namer, James Van Patten, Chloe King, Kenny & Mimi Griswold, model/actress Erika Stasiuleviciute (featured in the Oscar Is A Woman cover shoot), G.J. Echternkamp, Vincent De Paul, Paulina & Pablo Aguirre, Dustin Quick & Medi eM, Shalini Vadhera-Potts, Dr. Jacqueline Nguyen, Anna Fishbeyn, Pascale Fortunat, Josie Goldberg, and many others. Jenny Ljungberg

Larry Kasanoff

Erika Stasiuleviciute

Gotham Chandna, Vincent De Paul

Mike Burns, Jonathan Baker

Nicole Goesseringer Muj, Medi eM, Dustin Quick

Shalini Vadhera-Potts, Paulina Aguirre

Pooja Batra, Larry Namer

Medi eM, Nicole Goesseringer Muj, Anna Fishbeyn, Dustin Quick, Gotham Chandna

Caroline Lagerfelt, Nicole Goesseringer Muj, Pamela Johnson

Jonathan Baker and daughters Dave & Nicole Stephens, Sue Vicory, Merrick & Peggy McCartha

Alexandra Vino

Hyewon Ahn, Erika Stasiuleviciute, Nicole Goesseringer Muj

Josie Goldberg, Pascale Fortunat

Nicole Goesseringer Muj, Tanvi Sachar

Dustin Quick Baker Manor

Cardinal du Four’s Christophe Namer Lindy Tran, Dr. Jacqueline Nguyen, Gotham Chandna, Kate Elfatah, Terri Marie

Cardinal du Four is the Harmony of Enlightenment and Wonder

www.cardinaldufour.com

COMING SOON

MAGGIE.MEDIA www.maggie.media

@maggiegrimm | maggieisme@gmail.com | 310-502-6467

Spotlight:

Erika Stasiuleviciute By Nicole Goesseringer Muj

Lithuanian-born Erika Stasiuleviciute is a top international model, having graced the pages of many of the world’s top fashion publications, including Vogue, L’Officiel, In Style and Harper’s Bazaar, to name just a few. Represented by Photogenics, the top agency in the United States, Erika is now taking the acting world by storm, being featured in several new film and television projects. She stars in Sweet Lies, an official selection of the French Riviera Film Festival. @erikastas You are a very successful international model, who has transitioned into acting. How was this transition? Do you have a preference, working as a model or actress?

view on life. One of my favorites is Joaquin Phoenix. His acting choices are genius and his vulnerability is very seductive. I am always in awe of his choices and very inspired by them.

You recently were Oscar (literally), featured on the cover of IEM. Can you tell us a little more about the concept of the shoot and what has the feedback been? We had a shoot called Oscar is a Woman and I got to play Oscar. It was a beautiful idea - to embody the actual symbol of success and everything that Oscar represents. I got to work with the world champion body painter Hyewon Anh, which was such a treat and made

I acted from the very beginning of my modelling career. At age 17, I was a guest star in the Lithuanian TV show Kartu, which was equivalent to the American show Friends. I have acted in music videos and TV shows, and played small parts in the movies, but it was almost more of a fun thing, rather than a job. I was so focused on getting my law degree and pursuing my international modelling career that I never gave acting a proper shot. That is until the time that I was booked for the tv show Material Girl. I had so much fun on that set and bonded with people from the production so much. After that experience and sense of belonging, I wanted acting to be part of my life. And so, I moved to Los Angeles to start my professional acting career.

What actors/actresses inspire you? and why? Sometimes I watch talented performances, and I am so blown away by them. They transform me, reconstruct me and create a totally new

the whole experience even more special. To top that up, Hyewon was on the hair and makeup team that received an Oscar for Darkest Hour.

Your film Sweet Lies is a finalist in the French Riviera Film Festival. Can you tell us a little more about the film? I’m thrilled about that and cannot wait to see everyone at the festival. Sweet Lies was created with incredible talents a few years ago. Richard Dee Roberts, who wrote the script, and co-starred with me in it, is an incredibly talented British actor. Gana Bayarsaikhan is a wonderful actress and dear friend of mine. She was the one who suggested that we film this short while she was visiting Los Angeles with Richard. I asked Pascal Lebègue to direct it. He was the lighting director for more than 20 music videos by Madonna, as well as videos by Sting, Bon Jovi, and many more great performers. We filmed it all in just a few days, and I couldn’t believe our luck and success at the film festivals so far.

It will be the first Cannes film festival that I am attending as an actress, and it’s so thrilling. I am eager to see my friends from all over the world, some of whom I haven’t seen in a few years. I cannot wait to reconnect with them, hug them and finally get to see them in person. I’m going to celebrate our movie Sweet Lies being selected for FRFF. I had a small part in Top Gun and I know it

You have definitely been busy. Can you tell us about any of your other film projects about which you are excited? This year has been amazing! I filmed a few exciting pilots, and I hope some of them will be selected by networks! This week I was filming a 19th century crime drama, which was so much fun. I have filmed a few other films, but I am not allowed to share anything about them just yet. Overall - this has been a very creative and productive year with so many amazing productions. I cannot wait to share them all with your readers.

What are your expectations at Cannes this year? Why is it important for you to attend the festival?

premieres in Cannes and I cannot wait to see it. My other movie The Reverend and Mrs. Simpson wasn’t in the Cannes official film selection, however a bunch of the film’s creators will be in Cannes. It’s going to be so wonderful to reconnect with them all during the most important festival of the year.

@chateaudeberne

TOP 100 15

The Legacy of Swedish Film By Claude Brickell cians, and NYU Film School providing film directors. Under the mentorship of legendary Haig Manoogian, NYU Film School has given us such notable directors as Woody Allen, Spike Lee, Ang Lee, Jim Jarmusch, Martin Scorsese and Oliver Stone, to name only a few.

Persona

We have several outstanding film schools across the country. Among the top ones are the American Film Institute, USC Cinematic Arts, NYU Film School and the New York Film Academy in both New York and Los Angeles. It has also been said that only one percent of film students actually end up working in the film industry, and the overwhelming number of those tend to come from one of the aforementioned schools. Beginning with the 1960s, though, there were only two film schools of note, USC Cinematic Arts providing film techni16

In my film class under Haig, only three of us aspiring directors actually made the films: myself, known later for Havana, Habana, Martin Brest, for Scent of a Woman, and Amy Heckerling, for Fast Times at Ridgemont High. All of the other students simply worked on our productions. And, during that time, we all worshiped the Swedish film director Ingmar Bergman, known for his Wild Strawberries, The Seventh Seal, The Silence, Smiles of a Summer Night, Cries and Whispers, Persona and a host of other cinematic masterpieces, many featuring legendary Nordic actors such as Ingrid Thulin, Bibi Anderson, Liv Ullmann, Max von Sydow, and many others. But the film that captured our attention most, perhaps because it spoke to both youth and young love, was a work by another Swedish film director Bo Widerberg, titled Elvira Madigan, about a hopeless romance between two mixed-

matched young lovers, a circus performer and a lieutenant in the army, who escape the constrictions of their own lives to embrace the passions for each other, and before facing their tragic fate. This iconic film, set to a glorious score of Amadeus Mozart music, captivated the hearts of young filmmakers, everywhere, and we all wanted to make our own Elvira Madigan. For my Elvira Madigan offering, I chose a short story by Russian writer Anton Chekov titled Verushka, about a young man from the city who spends a blissful summer in the country where the impressionable daughter of his rural host falls hopelessly in love with him. Affections he spurns in lieu of aspirations awaiting him back in the city, a timely theme of missed opportunities depicted in other works,

such as Tchaikovsky’s opera Eugene Onegin. So, the three of us budding directors at NYU presented our film projects to the class for a vote; after all, the other students would be the ones working on them, and with Haig having the final say. When it came to presenting my project, Amy, who was extremely competitive with both me and Marty, vehemently objected to my project. She had denounced another film of mine, earlier, depicting a scene in which two young men swam nude underwater, like porpoises, diving over each other to rapturous Mozart music. At the class screening of it, she stormed out screaming to us all, “This is a bunch of homosexual crap!” Haig loved the film, however. So, of my Chekov project, she also had issues declaring, “Claude knows nothing at all about Russian culture?” Apparently, she had a Russian family background and was taking aim with my use of the familiar Veruhska instead of Vera (as Chekov had done in his story). The class, however, saw things differently and voted for the project, overwhelmingly. Maybe to appease Amy’s objections, Haig green-lighted the project, anyway, on one condition, I set the film story in America and not in Russia. Later titled The Good-bye, I found the perfect location for the filming of it, the 19th century homestead of the father of American poetry William Cullen Bryant, a one-story farmhouse that had later been elevated to a two-story by former first lady Mary Todd Lincoln, situated up in rural Connecticut. I had visited the property (then a museum) a year before, which was also a working molasses farm with syrup buckets hanging on all the trees leadElvira Madigan

by Ingmar Bergman that had ignited in me a burning desire to become a film director myself. And I am so appreciative of him, and to Widerberg’s Elvira Madigan, to have lit that cinematic spark in me, as I am sure it did for many other young directors who look back on Swedish films of that era as having ignited their own careers. It was, indeed, a memorable legacy to have been inspired by.

The Good-bye

ing up to the estate. And the caretaker of it more than graciously welcomed my filming, there. After completing the shoot, however, I knew that my editing skills vastly unequaled my directorial ones, so, over spring break, I headed west to Los Angeles with nine film cans under my arm. I knew a professional film editor, there, Erwin Dumbrille, who had agreed to cut the film for me if I showed up on his doorstep. I did just that, of course, and the completed featurette later aired on PBS where an associate of Dustin Hoffman saw it and hired me for my first industry position in project development for the actor. And, later on, I moved up to project development for Dustin Hoffman, Barbra Streisand, Paul Newman, Steve McQueen and Sidney Poitier at Phil Feldman’s First Artists Productions on the Burbank lot. So, it was my overwhelming love of films

(After a stint at First Artists Productions, Brickell went on to become executive story editor for Jay Weston Productions on the MGM lot. And in France, he served as Hollywood representative for rd their 3 largest studio helping to bring 20th Century Fox’s The Jewel of the Nile with Michael Douglas, Warner Bros.’ Under the Cherry Moon with Prince and John Frankenheimer’s miniseries Riviera to the South of France lot. As writer/ director, Brickell’s feature films That Summer, a comingof-age story set in Texas the summer before Kennedy’s assignation, and Havana, Habana, a romantic tryst between an American heiress and a Cuban army lieutenant during the Castro takeover (on Amazon Prime Videos) were both official Bergman and Ullmann selections at the World Film Festival in Montreal and the Rome Independent Film Festival in Italy, respectively. He has also taught screenwriting at New York University and his primer, Screenwriting, is a favorite on Amazon. Today, Brickell is back in LA where he has two feature film projects in development.)

Special Industry Screening May 23rd, 1 PM Eden Hotel & Spa 133 rue d'Antibes, Cannes 06400 *followed by VIP Reception email: galaxy360film@gmail.com for more information.

Spotlight:

Arianna Veronesi

by Nicole Goesseringer Muj

Born in Verona, Italy, Arianna Veronesi began her artistic career as a ballet and contemporary dancer. Her international film career then grew momentum after starring in the indie French movie Killer of Beauty, directed by Keja Ho Kramer, followed by playing opposite Sir Anthony Hopkins in Michael Håfström’s The Rite. Since relocating to Los Angeles, Arianna has been cast in several productions, including Francis Ford Coppola’s Distant Vision. She also is credited for writing and starring in her own award-winning, one-woman show My Janis. Most recently, Arianna starred in, wrote and produced the short film “Glaistig,” a finalist in the drama category in FRFF 2022. Congratulations, ‘Glaistig’ is a finalist in the 2022 French Riviera Film Festival. Your role combines your talents as an actress and dancer. How was the experience for you? Thank you, I am excited to be part of the FRFF, I can’t wait to be there! The journey of making this project was immensely gratifying from start to finish. Being able to fully express myself through dance and acting in such a personally meaningful story was a truly cathartic experience. What made it supremely more special was the way in which

the film came to fruition, as if it had a life of its own. From the moment I envisioned the story through enlisting a dream team of other visionaries, notably the director, Abbey Spacil, it felt as though something magical and important was revealing itself. The entire process reflected why we are in this business in the first place, it was the ultimate expression of freedom and creativity. This picture granted me the permission as storyteller to share and honor the most truthful and vulnerable message and, in my opinion, there is nothing more empowering than that. What is the key message of the film and why is it important to you? (as you also are a producer of the film This is my latest tagline: when fitting in is no longer an option, she breaks the mold and becomes whole. I created this film as an effort to explore the purpose of art as a healing tool. To expose the truth of trauma we as women can face every day. To honor those who feel unable to fill the roles they are expected to play in their bodies, communities, careers and beyond. It finally felt relevant to talk about my personal experience growing up female in a predominantly patriarchal society. To shine a light on the challenges of being a foreign actress navigating the misogynistic imperialism of Hollywood. To acknowledge the inherent trauma so many silently suffer through. You have worked with some amazing icons of the industry, Sir Anthony Hopkins, Francis Ford

Coppola, etc. How were these experiences and how did they influence your work? Having any opportunity to work alongside legends like Sir Anthony Hopkins or Francis Ford Coppola is life changing. Merely being in their presence is like being in a forcefield of creative expertise. They are both extremely generous artists while maintaining such specificity in their work. Sir. Anthony Hopkins is like an electrifying tornado. The whole set surges with power when he arrives and his mere presence elevates everyone around him. It was such a privilege to share the screen with him and ride that wave of palpable magic. Francis Ford Coppola is the definitively dream director for every actor who loves the craft. His passion for actors and acting is totally pure and uncompromised, which was extremely inspiring and refreshing. Can you tell us more about your one woman show My Janis? My Janis is an award winning solo performance that I wrote and starred in portraying the icon, Janis Joplin. It’s an intimate glimpse into the life of a gifted artist struggling to find her identity in a very confusing period of history. I have always been fascinated by her bravery and her fight for freedom as a female artist growing up in conservative Texas. I immediately felt a profound connection to her story as a young girl growing up bullied and ostracized for her anti-racist beliefs and more so for not looking or behaving as “a woman should”. This spawned an ever-growing hunger for me to deeply explore and expose the effects of sexism and the roots of the female empowerment movements.

How has your move to Los Angeles impacted your career? Arriving in Los Angeles from Europe felt like landing in the wild west. It was very destabilizing and isolating at first. Yet somehow that sense of the experience of living in a world of chaos and uncertainty proved to be a gift. It allowed me to seek out a way of creating differently. Rather than waiting for a job to be handed over to me, I would make my own work that I found relevant and inspiring. Having this revelation alongside the explosion of the Me Too movement felt like the stars aligning and thus this project was born. What are your goals for Cannes 2022? My chief aim for my time at Cannes 2022 is to be inspired. From the largest cinematic achievements to smallest casual encounters, I am looking forward to being immersed in a community of artists who share my passion for the arts. Beyond that, I would absolutely love the opportunity to find the right platform for Glaistig to find its audience beyond the festival communities.

Do you have any new projects you can tell us about? I am currently writing a feature. While I can’t really go into the specifics of it yet, I can share that it’s the story of a beautifully complex woman named Sofia. She’s a survivor who feels safe in a claustrophobic life until love, loss and supreme bonds between women teach her how to walk free.

*Glaistig will screen on Thursday, May 26 at 1:30 pm at Palais H as part of the Festival de Cannes’ Short Film Corner.

The Villa

Global Short Film Awards

Cannes 2022.

So Much To Do, So Little Time… By Nicole Goesseringer Muj Everyone is definitely excited to be back this May at the world’s top celebration of festival. An invitation to the gala premiere of Baz Luhrmann’s ELVIS is sure to be the hottest ticket in town. Each year, however, IEM likes to place the spotlight on other events of note, and in 2022, not to be missed are luxury suites, panel events, mini festivals and fashion galas. Back on the Croisette is DPA founder Nathalie Dubois, who first introduced the concept of the celebrity gifting suite during the festival in 2005, when she launched her first lounge at the InterContinental Carlton. The 16th annual DPA Cannes Celebrity Gifting Suite is back from May 17- 25 at the JW Marriott, a ‘by invi-

tation only’ event that will welcome the stars attending the festival. The suite will feature more than 35 luxury brands, presented in three different spaces - a Kenyan lounge, curated by the Kenyatta International Convention Centre, will feature amazing bags from Label Saba and Ayana Collective, while another space will showcase Japanese clients, including sake by Takanome, and Kogao the Magician, who will be offering ‘slimming facials.’ The third area will spotlight mostly French clients, including scarves and wraps from Petrusse and Krama Heritage, as well as the clean skincare brand Biosalines. The Festival de Cannes is not the only fest awarding excellence in film this May on the Riviera. Andres

FRFF 2019 Awards Ceremony

Aquino’s Global Short Film Awards in partnership with Couture Fashion Week New York will present the annual Cannes Global Short Film Awards Gala and Luxury Fashion Shows on May 20th. The seventh annual gala will be held at JW Marriott and promises an unforgettable evening of glamour, glitz, film, fashion, and fun. Tickets available at: https://www.eventbrite. com/o/global-short-filmawards-10697309643 Scheduled for May 2021st, French Riviera Film Festival is back once again at Eden Hotel & Spa on

rue d’Antibes, after two years of hybrid events with awards ceremonies at the iconic Beverly Hills Hotel. First launched in 2019, FRFF recognizes and celebrates short-form content created for film, television, Web and all digital platforms. FRFF invites filmmakers from around the globe to participate in the two-day event that includes screenings, panels, VIP receptions, and a closing gala awards ceremony. For passes, visit: https://frff. sparqfest.live/en/ticketing.html

Spike Lee at DPA

Finally, consider yourself blessed, if you’re lucky enough to have scored an invitation to one of the posh, post-premiere soirées at The Villa, the most coveted venue of the city. Each year, event producer extraordinaire Pascale Fortunat, founder of Passions Productions, hosts daily press junkets, photo shoots, VIP receptions and parties at the luxury mansion.

FRFF 2022 Program FRFF DAY ONE 10 AM

Official Welcome

OUT-OF-COMPETITION SCREENING On My Mind

Director: Martin Strange-Hansen Producers: Christian Junget Madsen, Kim Magnusson, Martin Strange-Hansen Starring: Rasmus Hammerich, Camilla Bendix, Ole Boisen Country: Denmark

Student Academy Award® and Academy Award® winner Martin Strange-Hansen’s On My Mind shares a story about a man who is desperate to sing his wife a song whatever it takes. The live action short film was produced by double Academy Award® winner Kim Magnusson and was nominated for an OSCAR® in 2022. The film is inspired by the director’s experience of losing his daughter. In situations like these, singing a song in a sleepy bar suddenly feels so important and meaningful, because it connects you to the life you’ve shared with the one you have to let go. Henrik wants to sing a song for his wife. It has to be today; it has to be now. It’s a question of life, death and karaoke.

DRAMA FINALISTS A Feast Of Longing Director: Ofer Weiser Country: Israel

Grandson Dan-Dan picks up his grandma to spend Yom-Kippur at his parents’ house. The car breaks down, and they spend Yom-Kippur alone, on the road, in his car.

Ellen Ripley Director: Anna Nolskog Country: Sweden

Liv has just become a mother for the first time, but her happiness changes into anxiety when she fails to nurse her newborn daughter Ellen. Glaistig

Director: Abbey Spacil Country: United States

Anna is an immigrant actress determined to succeed, even if it means contorting herself to fit Hollywood’s misogynist standards. While preparing for a job interview we find her nearly unrecognizable and succumbing to the all-consuming trauma, when she revisits a feminist poem that thrusts her into a wild and fantastical journey of total self-reclamation. Phase

Director: Mykola Zaseev Country: Ukraine

A 10-year-old boy Yarik spends the last days of summer vacation with his mother in the country. Playing in the woods, Yarik and his friend Igor see a young woman with a man but perceive their togetherness differently: Igor believes they make love while Yarik is sure that the woman is strangled by the man. Yarik investigates the possible murder while discovering the countryside and his way towards his mother who is in deep grief for her husband killed at war in the east of Ukraine.

Spin

Director: Lisa Marie Tedesco Country: USA

When the curtain descends on their final performance of Romeo and Juliet in drama club, high school seniors Abigail and Sky bid a fair adieu to the stage they loved while letting their most deepest desires for one another surface at the cast party. The Sea Calls For Me

Country: Indonesia

Sura lives alone in the fishing village, waiting for his father to return home. When one day he finds an inflatable sex doll, he finds a companion and a surrogate parent. But this companionship is threatened by Argo, who wants to take it away from Sura.

Director: Alma Buhagiar

Together

Country: Romania

Crina returns to her hometown to take her son on a holiday.

Director: Tumpal Tampubolon

SPECIAL MENTION Ms. Anita Director: Richeler Aladin Country: USA

A dancer training for the role of her dreams is under pressure by her own self-criticisms. Perfect Storm

Director: Morag Brownlie Country: New Zealand

During the perfect storm of the pandemic, the beauty of nature and the connectivity of humanity endures. On the wild west coast of Auckland, New Zealand, we follow one mans enforced isolation. Pacing into the unknown, wondering if those dear to him, will ever be seen again. The Road

Director: Sergiy Luchyshyn Country: Ukraine

When, at a critical moment in life, a person stops, he revises his past.

COMEDY FINALISTS Millicent & Me and The Apple Tree

Director: John Beaton Hill Country: USA

Ella, an impoverished chimney sweep in Hollywood, finds Millicent, a lonely mouse puppet on Hollywood Blvd. Ella’s realistic world is brought into musical fantasy as Ella is inspired by Millicent to explore her biggest wish ever: her wish of becoming a ... movie star! Sweet Lies

Director: Pascal Lebègue Country: USA

Seemingly happily married couple, Jake and Emma, share a dark secret that neither is aware of. But the secret is about to come out… One Small Visit

Director: Jo Chim Country: Hong Kong

In 1969, an Indian immigrant family takes one small step into Neil Armstrong’s tiny Ohio hometown and one giant leap into an unforgettable afternoon. Based on a true story, One Small Visit follows the Abraham family on their incredible journey navigating through 1960s Middle America, in the wake of the moon landing and the civil rights movement, right to the doorstep of the Armstrong home.

SPECIAL MENTION Flip Mode Director: Michael Patrick Gilkison Country: USA

Two fellow comedians ghost write each other’s songs and hit it big.

DOCUMENTARY FINALISTS Destination Angels

Director: Daniel Lir, Jim Sampas Country: USA

Director: Zachary Goodwin, Flynn Harris, Alex Flanagan, Alex Kumph Country: USA

Fences, a singer/songwriter inspired by his literary hero, Beat Generation icon, Jack Keroauc travels up Highway 1 with his close collaborators, retracing Jack’s spiritual quest. Their mission: to create an album in roadside motels inspired by his legacy and all that he stood for. Eyes A short look into a group of people that join together in the meatpacking district of downtown Los Angeles. 9/11 : The Days After : Art Photos & Writing from Those Who Were There

Director: H. Scott Bayer Country: USA

A tribute to the Living Memory of 9/11. Art photos and writing from those who were there set to the song Empty Skyline by Carolynn Black; lyrics by Eric Zaccar.

SPECIAL MENTION Consume As Little As Possible Directors: Elizabeth BlakeThomas, Shelby Thompson Country: USA

An eye opening documentary that raises awareness about our planet and how the human race is slowly destroying it through over consumption of its resources. How I Like It

Directors: Nida Mehboob Country: Pakistan 28

A rare insight into the sexual exploits of Pakistani women, who share their secret intimate experiences as anonymous voices. In stark contrast, public life in a large Pakistani metropolis exposes how men act like kings in what they consider their terrain.

FRFF DAY TWO 10 AM — 11:15 AM

GLOBAL ENTERTAINMENT SHOWCASE Panel moderated by Rehna Azim, awards editor Movie Marker Magazine, featuring panelists Anna Fishbeyn, Wendy Morgan, Eileen Tasca, and Arianna Veronesi

11:30 AM

Day Two Screenings begin at 11:30 am

OUT OF COMPETITION FESTIVAL PREMIERE SCREENING presented by Auteur Academy Down From The Clouds Director: Cansu Boguslu Executive Producer: Ali M. Aksu Starring Lavinya Unluer, Cansel Elcin, Ozlem Conker Country: Turkey

Su is a nine year old girl who waits for her problematic father to come home. He arrives late visibly drunk, but he still wants to keep his promise to his daughter to go get her favorite ice-cream. The two head out for a dangerous night drive in the magical land of Cappadocia. A moment of personal growth is waiting for a little girl as she finds glimpses of her father’s true identity behind her imagination.

ANIMATION FINALISTS IDODO

Director: Ursula Ulmi Country: Switzerland

IDODO adapts a local legend by the Ziag Zagaz clan into film and brings the diverse and unique cultural heritage of Papua New Guinea to the artists, performers and musicians from Papua New Guinea, rooted in cultural authenticity and co-creation.

Nomad

Directors: Abdulrahman El Abyad, Lynne Zakhour, Tamara Qaddoumi Country: Lebanon

By the light of fireflies, the whispers of mythical snakes, and the ushering of a myriad of under worldly creatures, Nomad illustrates the twist and turns of a journey to the individuation of the spirit. Weaving through realms of light and shadow, where every encounter is alive with meaning, the uprooted protagonist takes us from the depths of her unconscious to the illuminations of the divine feminine. New Moon

Director: Jeff Le Bars, Jérémie Balais Country: USA

An imaginative surrealist journey of young Jay Jay and his mother Edie. Their inner city dreams are illuminated by the new moon accompanied by magic of Aretha Franklin playing on a summer’s eve on a transistor radio in a backyard in West Philadelphia.

SCI-FI/HORROR FINALISTS VIA[DOLO] Director: Daniel Keeble Country: United Kingdom

A young woman embarks on a traumatic journey as she overcomes an invisible force N.O.R.A.

Director: Juan Garrafa Country: Mexico

Esteban and Samuel look for the last vestiges that give an account of the existence of women. One day they find a woman, or so it seems, named Nora, who could be the last hope or a terrible punishment for those who still inhabit the earth. Fernweh

Director: Maria Peralta Ramos Country: Argentina

A short film about the longing for unknown, sometimes made up places.

EXPERIMENTAL FINALISTS Delusione

Director: Ilaria Pezone Country: Italy

An examination of dissociation as a means for survival and manipulation. Fueled by lust and love, one’s reality is ultimately designed by one’s desires, leading to a mirage of illusion. Eat A Swede

Director: Daniel Hallberg Country: Sweden

Viewers follow Erik Karlsson, a Swedish scientist with a controversial business idea: to produce and sell labgrown human meat to feed our planet. But you know what, why eat a Swede, when you can eat Swedish! The other side of the soul

Director: Kathrin Schweizer Country: Switzerland

The twins Lucie and Pierre believe they have swapped bodies. Pierre wants to experience pregnancy but is biologically unable to do so. Lucie, on the other hand, becomes pregnant and feels the urge to give her body away, like a coat that no longer fits her, while Pierre learns to understand her decision to have an abortion.

LIFESTYLE FINALISTS The Movement - Francesca Marchisio

Director: Inês von Bonhorst, Yuri Pirondi Country: Italy

An intimate monologue that explores the relationship between us and the natural elements. The protagonist’s thoughts run through a stream of consciousness freely inspired by the principles of thermodynamics, reversible transformations become the key to a more sustainable attitude towards our planet and to create new value from what already exists.

Franciacorta - A Golden Feeling

Director: Enea Colombi Country: Italy

The new fashion film released by The Franciacorta Consortium, in collaboration with the National Chamber of Italian Fashion. Produced by the Milan-based creativity factory The Blink Fish, the video celebrates the opening of Milan Fashion Week with beauty, movement and style.

MUSIC VIDEO FINALISTS A Feast That Never Comes Director: Maria Juranic Country: USA

Four characters inhabit cycles within cycles of contentment, discontentment, inertia, movement, desire, and betrayal. Fine

Country: USA

Sometimes no is enough without having to explain the story of why. This video embodies and presents as many depictions of “no” as possible. It abandons linear narratives to embrace the abstraction & unpredictability uncovered when exploring the world of a sentiment/feeling.

Director: Reza Sholeh

It’s Over

Country: Canada

A day in the life of a senior couple - they have no cieling!

Director: Emma Scotson, Valen-Marie Santos

Jane Director: Sue Vicory Country: USA

Original song written by Stephanie Quayle and Alex Kline for the feature documentary film, She which is inspired by Aimée Baker’s book of poetry Doe.

SPECIAL MENTION Built to Last Director: Sue Vicory Country: USA

New song and video by Blane Howard and Jason Earley, to be included on Howard’s upcoming album. Gravity

Director: Akram Badr Country: United Arab Emirates

What started as a script for a short film was rewritten as a song. The story is about someone who’s always on the look for a meaning or purpose.

FASHION FINALISTS Entrelugar

Director: Pedro Perdigão Country: Brazil

Remain in impermanence. Exercise self-awareness until you notice cracks open, paths for air to enter. Abstract geology. Looking inside, finding gaps, welcoming movements. In search of finding purpose between places, a woman embarks on a journey through different planes and lets herself be guided by energies that manifest in multiple atmospheres. Orange Tree

Director: Patricia Zhou Country: United Kingdom

Focusing specifically on long-distance relationships and how so much of the relationship lies in a shared vision of the future, the short explores the vast amounts of time actually spent alone dreaming of that other person in the relationship, imagining what your lives might be like one day. The Mirror

Director: Giulia Achenza Country: Italy

The latest fashion film for the Milan-based fine jewelery brand Avel Lenttan. The film takes us on a journey of self-discovery, in which we learn to appreciate and love the natural beauty that is hidden within ourselves highlighted by the refined simplicity of the brand’s collection. 33

SPECIAL MENTION Natura Magica Director: Omowonuola Motunrayo Olaogun Country: Nigeria

Preserving the heritage of hand woven cotton and the tradition of hand made prints from Mali to Nigeria by passing on the savoir-faire to today’s younger generation is an epitome of sustainability. Peel

Director: Samantha Mandich Country: France

This film is an attempt to translate Anne’s journey as an artist and a human authentically through dance, fashion and a visual narrative that is unafraid to be experimental and challenge the genre of what a fashion or dance film can be.

MICRO SHORT FINALISTS Apocalypse Director: John Fairchild Country: USA

Two millennials enjoy being the last survivors on earth until they discover they’re not alone. Bye Dummy

Director: Aniruddh K

A serial killer is on the run and trying to escape the country. Before he makes his attempt, he makes one quick stop at a small store to buy food only to bump into a police detective. French Riviera

Director: Teo Marinakis Country: USA

After a big fight with her husband, a young lady is on very, thin, ice...

Mijo Director: Mazdey Snob Country: Mexico

Mijo is a young dreamer, suddenly blessed with the gift of King Midas. However his ability has a unique twist: whatever and whoever he touches is stylishly pimped up. The Right Wing French

Director: Donal O’Dea Country: Ireland

The GPO in Dublin is where people come to protest. Now it’s time that the seagulls had their say...

SPECIAL MENTION A Marriage Story Director: John Fuentes Country: USA

The moment you find out what true love is… You can endure anything! New Test 123…

Director: Anne Gart Country: United Kingdom

New Test 123 is a part of Flammable Formula series. The arthouse film was assembled from strands of thoughts on intersectional feminism floating through culture.

Global Entertainment Showcase Anna Fishbeyn Actor, director, author Award-winning star of stage and screen, a filmmaker, author and actress, Anna Fishbeyn is the founder and president of XOFeminist Productions and Anteriya Films. Her movie Galaxy 360: A Woman’s Playground, which she wrote, directed and stars in, had its red carpet, world premiere during AFM 2021. The pre-release version of the film screened to a packed house at the Cannes and Big Apple film festivals and was a finalist of the Sundance New Frontier Exhibition. Ms. Fishbeyn’s first play Sex in Mommyville premiered in New York City and was recommended by Bloomberg News, while

CBS Radio pronounced her “a comic genius.” Her second play My Stubborn Tongue played off-Broadway at NYC’s New Ohio Theatre and went on tour to the West End in London at the Soho Theatre. Her solo cabaret show at the Metropolitan Room in NYC Anna on Fire and Uncensored was recommended by CBS News New York, Jewish Week, and NiteLife NYC. Ms. Fishbeyn wrote and starred in the award-winning web series Happy Hour Feminism and directed and starred in Invisible Alice, a short musical film is currently on the festival circuit. Pre-production has begun on her next movie How To Seduce Your Dinner Guest, as well as two optioned pilots for television, the comedy Healthy Nuts and the drama Infidelity Club.

Wendy Morgan Actor, director Aw a rd - w i n n i n g a c tress Wendy Morgan’s international career spans 43 years, working alongside some of the most renowned names in the industry. She recently made her directorial debut with the powerful docudrama titled Mercy. In the film, she unveils the truth behind the

Landsbury, Tony Curtis); and Birth of the Beatles. Wendy’s TV work includes The Jewel in the Crown (Charles Dance); Fingersmith (Sally Hawkins); Pictures; Shine on Harvey Moon; The Commander; Midsomer Murders; Doctors, Emmerdale; Wire in the Blood; The Other Wife (Rupert Everett); and Full Stretch. Her theatre work includes The National Theatre: Streetcar Named Desire (Glenn Close); Phedre (Dame Helen Mirren);

devastation caused by animal agriculture, told though the eyes of a pig named Mercy and those involved with and trapped in the factory farming industry.

N.T. Sir Peter Hall Company: Coriolanus (Sir Ian McKellen); Yonadab (Sir Patrick Stewart; Anthony Head; Sir Alan Bates); Martine (Laurence Olivier & Standard Best Actress Nominations); Animal Farm; Hatched and Dispatched (Best Supporting Actress, The Offies); and Henry IV (parts I & II). Recent online Shakespearean work includes Puck in Jenny Hall’s Midsummer Night’s Dream (Rebecca Hall, Dan Stevens); and TSMGO’s: Queen Margaret in Richard III (Best Supporting Actress Online Awards). She is represented by London agents Jo Hole Associates.

Her film work includes the role of Mollie in John Schlesinger’s Yanks (Richard Gere) for which she received the Evening Standard Most Promising Newcomer Award; Mrs. Lowry and Son (Vanessa Redgrave); The Reverend and Mrs. Simpson (Julian Glover, Game of Thrones - set for release in 2022); 84 Charing X Road (Anthony Hopkins); Edie (Dame Sheila Hancock); The Mirror Crack’d (Elizabeth Taylor, Angela

Eileen Tasca Managing director, Alien Films & Task Films Eileen Tasca is managing director of Alien Films and Task Films, a production whose co-shareholder is legendary Polish film director, Jerzy Skolimowski. In 2015, she was executive producer of Skolimowski’s 11 Minutes that premiered at the 2015 Venice Film Festival. The film won top prize at the Lisbon Film Festival and was selected as Poland’s entry for foreign language film for the 2016 Academy Awards. In 2010, she co-financed Essential Killing,

also directed by Skolimowski, that garnered numerous awards at the Venice Film Festival. Working again with Skolimowski, she is the executive producer of the film EO, an official selection of the 2022 Festival de Cannes. EO, which stars Isabelle Huppert, is a parable focused on the life of a simple donkey, set against the backdrop of today’s maddening reality. Previously, she worked in venture capital at Citicorp and as a journalist for Variety and several other trade publications. She is a member of the International Academy of the Television Arts and Sciences.

Arianna Veronesi Actor, writer, producer, dancer

Born in Verona, Italy, Arianna Veronesi started her international career as a ballet and contemporary dancer very early in life. By the time she was 20, she was a soloist for companies such as the Jeune Ballet International de Cannes, London City Ballet and Ballet du Nord (France). Also a sought-after choreographer, Arianna designed for la Compagnie Nomades in Switzerland and la Compagnie d’Après in Paris. Her natural transition into acting through physical theater resulted in receiving a diploma from the Acting International School in Paris. Her international film career then grew momentum after starring in the

indie French movie, “Killer of Beauty,” directed by Keja Ho Kramer, followed by playing opposite Sir Anthony Hopkins in Michael Håfström’s “The Rite.” Since relocating to Los Angeles, Arianna has been cast in several productions, including Francis Ford Coppola’s “Distant Vision.” She also is credited for writing and starring in her own award-winning, one-woman show, “My Janis.” Most recently, Arianna starred in, wrote and produced a film festival favorite, “Glaistig.” A mere four months into the festival circuit, this short film has already received 15 awards, five of which were for Best Actress.

Rehna Azim The panel will be moderated by Rehna Azim, a London-based practicing lawyer and freelance journalist who writes mainly about film and lifestyle topics. She was previously the editor of a glossy women’s magazine and is currently awards editor at www.moviemarker.co.uk. Her site www.itsalawyerslife.com is a lifestyle and wellbeing blog for lawyers by lawyers. She has written and produced four short legal dramas.

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