Agron Domi has graduated from Linguistics and Literature Faculty of Tirana University in 1994. He is a member of Union Journalists of Albania and program Director NTV, Nesër Television. Agron Domi is part-owner of Fasada Studio as the first publicity, graphic design and video-film production company in Albania. He is also the co-founder of Tirana International Film Festival, as the first international one in Albania and festivals executive director since 2003 and co-founder of Albania Film Commission. Agron Domi`s motto is: THINK DIFFERENT, SEE ALIKE
AGRON DOMI
MANUELA CERNAT
Ph.D., D.H.C. Manuela Cernat is a major representative of the Romanian academic society and an important Romanian cultural ambassador. Film historian and writer, journalist and essayist, author of scripts for cinema and TV documentary films, she is member of the Romanian Writers Union and of the Romanian Filmmakers Union, Vice-President of Société Européenne de Culture (Venice), President of the Romanian Foundation for Cooperation with Central and Eastern Europe, Honorary President of S.E.E.C.S. (South Eastern European Cinema Schools).
RADA SESIC
Rada Sesic (Croatia) is a critic and member of FIPRESCI, film maker, lecturer and a programmer. She is specialized in South Asian and Eastern European cinema. She is associated with IDFA, IFFR and NIF (Dutch Institute for film education) as well as Sarajevo Film Festival and Kerala Film Festival. She directed four award winning shorts and documentaries in the Netherlands and several in Sarajevo where she lived before.
DAVID NICHOLAS WILKINSON
David Nicholas Wilkinson, founder and current owner of Guerilla Films is probably unique in the UK entertainment industry in that he has been involved in so many different areas since he entered the industry in 1969. He was an award winning actor. He has produced and/or distributed around 100 feature films in the cinema, on DVD, TV and online. He has also hosted and organised over 400 Q&A’s/ PA’s events in the UK and Ireland. In 1982 he pioneered the “ Reverse Co-Production” with the BBC making him effectively the first true independent producer with the Corporation. His first production To The Lighthouse was nominated for a BAFTA Award.
FAISAL A. QURESHI
Faisal A. Qureshi has worked on a variety of productions on various roles ranging from writing to producing. He is a part-time lecturer on editing and producing and is regular visitor at the Escula Internacional Cine y Tv in Cuba, Salford University and Leeds Metropolitan University in the UK. made his first taste of film making at 19 when his treatment was commissioned by Channel 4 and made into a short award winning documentary. He later went to Northern Film School to study editing and sound design whilst also helping on the critically acclaimed 8 hour Stanley Kubrick documentary “Stanley & Us”. Since then Faisal has worked as a writer on various projects with features and TV series in development with broadcasters and production companies and also on various projects in Europe and the US and was Associate Producer on the BAFTA award winning film, FOUR LIONS. Faisal Qureshi has also worked on the British Council “I, Belong” project in Pakistan and the “Film ON” project in Uzbekistan.
RASTKO CIRIC
Rastko Ciric was born in Belgrade, Serbia and graduated from the Faculty of Applied Arts, University of Arts in Belgrade. Currently he is a fulltime Professor of Illustration and Animation at the Faculty of Applied Arts and also Vice-Rector at the same university. In the frames of his academic carees, Rastko is Head of the Digital Arts Group of the Interdisciplinary PhD art studies at the University of Arts, Belgrade and Professor of Animation and Head of the Animation Department at Dunav Film School, Belgrade (1996–2006).
He has 42 one-man exhibitions around the world and 14 animated films and won more than 70 awards and mentions for animation, graphics and public work. Rastko Ciric is the Art Director and co-founder of European Student Animation (FESA) in Belgrade.
INTER NATIO NAL COMPE TITION
A PUNISHMENT
НAКАЗАНИЕ
2016 / 14’30’’ FRANCE
Director: Cyril Roc
Writer: Cyril Roc
Cinematography: Maxime Gérigny
Composer: Thomas Mercier
Editor: Benjamin Aujon
Producer: Cyril Roc
Cast: Lena Kowski, Mateo Goumis Режисьор:
A student comes to his punishment, guarded by one of the most feared high school teachers. But the punishment will gradually turn against the Professor.
Passionate about Polanski and Fincher, my interest to tell stories about tension and thrill goes far far away. Studied Cinema after school and did many shooting, then writing a lot of scripts for clips and commercials.
ORDINARY LIFE
Director: Sonia Rolland
Writer: Sonia Rolland, Damien Barranger
Photography: Christophe Larue
Composer: Emmanuel Dorlando, in collaboration with Thomas Parent
Nadia, 15 years old, has to take care of the education of her 11 years old brother, of home maintenance and studies, her mother being in training at the other end of France. She will have to face her mother and make choices.
With her new documentary “Rwanda: From chaos to miracle” (2014 – 2015) in the works, the former Miss France is hoping to inspire other African nations to follow the example of Rwanda by encouraging the people to participate in the ongoing change. Today, she leaps at the opportunity to direct her first short film “An Ordinary Life” inspired by her childhood living in Burgundy.
Overprotected by his mother Caroline, Daniel is a young teenager living reclusively and isolated from the outside world. Since the death of his father, Daniel is forced to undergo the daily routine, boring and oppressive, set up by his mother.
Paolo Cedolin Petrini is a young Italian director who grew up in the Principality of Monaco. He decided to move to Paris when he was 18 to study cinema and improve his technical skills. In 2013, during his studies, he decided to direct and produce his first full-length movie called “Incompatibles”. Paolo even had the privilege to direct the British actor Sir Roger Moore. In 2016, Paolo directed and wrote a short movie called “Are You Happy” with the French actress Gabrielle Lazure, and now he is working on two main projects: a comedy film and two short movies, a drama and a comedy.
ASSHOLE
Director: Krzysztof Komander
Writer: Krzysztof Komander
Cinematography: Jakub Cachro
Composer: Szymon Kania, Marek Grucka
Editor: Marcin Sucharski
Producer: Jerzy Lukaszewicz, Krzysztof Kieślowski Faculty of Radio and Television of the University of Silesia in Katowice
Cast: Bartosz Gelner, Agnieszka Żulewska
A young man tries to break up with his girlfriend, but everything gets complicated, when he gets beaten and he needs to spend a few more days with her in her place.
Krzysztof Komander, born 1987 in Katowice. Lives and works mostly in Silesia, where he also studied at Krzysztof Kieślowski Faculty of Radio and Television at the University of Silesia in Katowice.
BACK AND FORWARD INC.
2014 / 13’42’’
Director: Martin (Martn) Demmer
Writer: Martin (Martn) Demmer
Cinematography: Martin (Martn) Demmer
Composer: Dominik Leube
Editor: Martin (Martn) Demmer
Producer: Martin (Martn) Demmer
Cast: Pawel Hajnos, Tabea Tarbiat, Stefan Heuer
Being good is no longer good enough! Back and Forward INC. is a company of a nonverbal near future science fiction story about our society and the up speeding constant work. The short film observes Paul, one of the Back and Forward INC. Costumers.
The Director Martin (Martn) Demmer studied Cinematography but finished his Studies with the Shortfilm „Back and Forward INC.” as Director and DOP / Writer / Producer / Editor. Since ever Martn´s focus was to serve the story by visual storytelling and his nonverbal visual metaphors are his main joy in the field of cinematic storytelling as Director and DOP.
Мартин Демер (Мартн)
Оператор: Мартин Демер (Мартн)
Композитор: Доминик Любе
Монтажист: Мартин Демер (Мартн)
Продуцент: Мартин Демер (Мартн)
Актьорски състав: Павел Хайнос, Табеа Тарбиат, Стефан Хюер
Да бъдеш добър вече не е достатъчно! Back and Forward INC. е компания от близкото бъдеще - една фантастична история за нашето общество, потъващо в неспирна и все по-забързана работа.
Режисьорът Мартин Демер (Мартн) завършва кинематография с
BALCONY
БАЛКОН
2015
Director: Toby Fell Holden
Writer: Toby Fell Holden
Cinematography: Brian Fawcett
Composer: Terrence Dunn
Editor: Matteo Bini
Producer: Tom Kimberley, Ali Mansuri
Cast: Charlotte Beaumont, Genevieve Dunne
Tina, a troubled teenage girl, is attracted to Dana, an Afghani girl, whom Tina tells us is oppressively victimized by her controlling substance abusing father, Karim. Initially, we trust Tina and admire her protectiveness of Dana from the other kids at school and on the violent estate, but as we watch their friendship blossom we come to suspect that something is off.
Toby Fell Holden is a British writer-director based between New York and London. He graduated from Columbia’s Film MFA in 2013 and holds a B.A. in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from Oxford University. His short BALCONY won a Crystal Bear at the 66th Berlinale and Best International Short at Oscar qualifiers Flickerfest, Calgary and Urbanworld, along with a nomination for Best British Short at the BIFAs. LITTLE SHADOW, his thesis film, was long-listed for a BAFTA and nominated by the Casting Society of America (CSA) for an Artios. Toby is a Screen International Star of Tomorrow for 2016. He is a 2016 recipient of a John Brabourne Award and has been awarded fellowships from the Moving Picture Institute and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Toby is currently developing his first feature with Western Edge Pictures.
Director: Toby Fell Holden
Writer: Toby Fell Holden
Cinematography: Brian Fawcett
Composer: Terrence Dunn
Editor: Matteo Bini
Producer: Tom Kimberley, Ali Mansuri
Cast: Charlotte Beaumont, Genevieve Dunne
BEAUTIFUL
КРАСИВА
2015 / 12’00’’ ITALY / ИТАЛИЯ
Director: Alessandro Capitani
Writer: Alessandro Capitani
Cinematography: Luca Nervegna
Composer: Francesco Clemente, Daniele Giannetti, Peter Vercampt
Editor: Adriano Patruno
Producer: Alessandro Capitani, Pina Turco
Cast: Giusy Lodi, Emanuele Vicorito, Antonio Orefice, Gennaro Cuomo, Sabrina Zazzaro, Giuseppe Landolfo
Veronica is twenty years old. She is a prisoner of her own huge body. During a party in a nightclub a boy makes fun of her. Veronica is deeply hurt: she goes to the toilet, locks the door and stays where no one can see her.
Alessandro Capitani is an upcoming Italian director. His short films and documentaries have won prizes in Italy and abroad. In 2013 his short-film “JENNIFER’S LAW” gave him international recognition and was awarded with a bursary that enabled him to travel to Hollywood to attend a Master organized by Universal Studios, who also bought the distribution rights of the film.
BIRTHDAY
Director: Guy Lichtenstein
Writer: Guy Lichtenstein
Cinematography: Georg Geuterbrueck
Composer: Alon Lotringer
Editor: Alexander Rauscher
Producer: Guy Lichtenstein, Georg Geuterbrueck
Cast: Nitai Gvirtz, Almuth Hattwich
On their last night together, Clara, a young Austrian tourist, and Tomer, an Israeli student, find themselves in an unexpected search for the “Morning after pill”. The cultural and personal gaps create a distance between them, confronting the realities of two worlds apart. Those being illuminated through the background of multicultural Jerusalem, with its extreme figures, who the two encounter on their nightly search. Tomer and Clara try to open up to each other, but every chance they have of closeness is being interrupted by the outside world.
Guy Lichtenstein was born and raised in Tel Aviv, Israel. He completed his undergraduate studies at Tel Aviv University’s Faculty of Arts before spending a year at the Sam Spiegel Film & Television School in Jerusalem. In 2010 he began studying film direction at the University for Music and Performing Arts Vienna, Austria under masterdirector Michael Haneke.
BLIGHT
2015 / 15’00’’ IRELAND
Director: Brian Deane
Writer: Paul Kowalski
Cinematography: Paddy Jordan
Composer: George Kallis
Editor: Eamonn Cleary
Producer: TW Films Ireland
Cast: George Blagden, Alicia Gerrard, Marie Ruane, Joe Hanley, Matthew O’Brien, John Delaney
A young priest is summoned to battle dark supernatural forces threatening a remote Island community.
Brian is an Irish writer/director from Cork and graduate holder of a BA in English & Philosophy and a MA in Film production. He won his first short film award for his graduation film ‘Without Words’ in Cannes in 2008 as part of Spike Lee’s International Film Festival and has been seen by 400,000 people on YouTube.
Млад свещеник е призован да се пребори със свръхестествени сили, заплашващи
Брайън Дийн е ирландски писател/режисьор от Корк. Притежава бакалавърска степен по английска филология и философия, както и магистърска степен по филмово продуциране. Печели първата си награда за късометражен филм със своя дипломен филм “Without words” в Кан през 2008 година като част от Spike Lee’s International Film Festival, гледан от над 400,000 души в YouTube.
BLUE BORSALINO
Director: Mark Lobatto
Writer: Mark Lobatto
Animation: Name Surname
Cinematography: Eben Bolter
Composer: David M. Saunders
Editor: Dave Silver
Producer: Annabel Wigoder
Cast: David Warner, Margot Leicester, Bart Edwards, Laura Dale, Amanda Drew Режисьор:
When his first and only client wakes from a coma, a retired private investigator reveals a secret that has cast a shadow over his life for close to fifty years.
Mark’s last short Silent Treatment starred Hollywood actress Lily James (Cinderella). It was shown in 10 film festivals, on US TV and Tribeca chose it to be shown on United Airlines. Mark has been a personal assistant to feature film directors such as the Wachowskis & Jonathan Liebesman. He is currently developing his feature screenplay.
UNITED KINGDOM ВЕЛИКОБРИТАНИЯ
филм на Марк Лобато участва холивудската актриса Лили Джеймс
BLUEY
БЛУИ
2015 / 13’53’’ AUSTRALIA /
Director: Darlene Johnson
Writer: Darlene Johnson
Cinematography: Tristan Milani
Composer: Guy Gross
Editor: Bin Li
Producer: Heather Oxenham
Cast: Tasia Zalar, Matt Nable
Bluey, an angry young woman trapped in a life of violence, meets a mystery mentor who could change everything. Bluey is a story of courage, heart and the fight for survival.
Darlene Johnson is from the Dunghutti people of NSW. She loved hearing her mother’s stories of life as Obelia the Mermaid in the travelling sideshows of the 1950’s. Darlene has continued exploring race, identity and perception - mainly in documentaries - from “Stolen Generations” which was nominated for an International EMMY Award, to “Stranger in my Skin” and the making of Phillip Noyce’s “Rabbit-Proof Fence”.
BON VOYAGE
БОН
2016 / 21’00’’ SWITZERLAND /
Director: Marc Wilkins
Writer: Marc Wilkins
Cinematography: Burak Turan
Composer: Balz Bachmann
Editor: Jann Anderegg
Producer: Joël Jent
Cast: Stefan Gubser, Annelore Sarbach, Jay Abdo, Amal Omran, Hala Elula, Amed Ali, Abdusalam Mutaj Shagaj Nur, Abdinuv Yusuf, Erkan Aydogan, Tugba Dogan, Sahverdi Ali, Osman Muslu, Abdülhamit Basibüyük, Mehmet Öztürkoglu
A couple‘s compassion is put to the test when they come across a sinking ship of refugees while on a pleasure trip across the Mediterranean.
Born 1976 in Switzerland, Swiss-British, raised in Germany, he directed his first short film when he was 16. While developing feature film projects and creating award winning short films, Marc directed over 200 commercials for clients all around the globe. He lives in New York and Berlin, preparing his first long feature film. Besides creating film, Marc is a passionate sailor. He crossed the Atlantic, explored the Greek Islands and sails the East Coast of North America since many years.
CHANGE IN THE WEATHER
2015 / 16’52’’ IRELAND /
Director: Muiris Crowley
Writer: Muiris Crowley
Cinematography: Marine Klin
Editor: Matteo Bini
Producer: Muiris Crowley
Cast: Muiris Crowley, Joe Mullins
Michael, a young man living in rural Ireland, struggles to adjust to a sudden change in his furtive lifestyle.
Muiris Crowley is an actor and director from County Kerry in the South West of Ireland.
COLOURS
Director: Peter Lee Scott
Writer: Peter Lee Scott
Cinematography: Aaron Szogi
Composer: Hotel Flamingo
Editor: Lizzy Graham
Producer: Prudence Beecroft
Cast: Harry Jarvis Makir Ahmed George Somner Connor Catchpole
In the aggressive and often hostile world of youth grass roots football, Adam (17) faces an ultimatum from the team captain, Mike, when they discover Adam’s best friend Tom is gay.
Peter is a Director and Producer with experience in feature film production, television, commercials and branded content in the UK, Europe, North and South America, Asia and the Middle East.
DOPADO
НАНИ-НА
Director: Piotr Wieckowski
Writer: Piotr Wieckowski
Cinematographer: Kamil Plocki
Composer: Bartosz Chajdecki
Editor: Michal Zielinski
Producer: Piotr Wieckowski
Cast: Manon Chammah, Lukasz Musial
It’s getting late. Aleks’s wife hasn’t come back home yet. Their 3 years old daughter Emilie refuses to go to sleep. The phone rings. Aleks picks it up. What he finds out makes his old wounds open up. His emotions get out of control and his anger rises. How much does it take to destroy the perfect order completely?
The film tells us about fears and anxieties of a young father and how often parents burden their kids with their own problems. Very often balance of an everyday life can be damaged in one second, and the damage done may last for a long time.
Piotr Więckowski was born in Warsaw. He was 11 when his whole family escaped from the communist Poland. His first memories of a little town in Normandy were a nightmare. He found himself in this rainy region of France, not understanding a word in French and not knowing anyone. He started escaping to the world of his own imagination to make up stories. It kept him distanced from his problems. He was 16 when he got a job as a cashier in a movie theatre. That was when he discovered that he wants to become a director. A few years later Piotr became a father and began working in the French film industry. He worked as a set designer for Yves Boisset’s and Jerome Boivin’s feature
EDEN HOSTEL
ПАНСИОН “ЕДЕН”
2016 / 14’00’’ SPAIN / ИСПАНИЯ
Director: Gonzaga Manso
Writer: Gonzaga Manso
Cinematography: Juan Santacruz
Composer: Rafael Arnau
Editor: Gonzaga Manso
Producer: Luis Manso,Paco Ponce de León
Cast: Mario Alberto Díez, Yanet
Sierra, Juana Andueza, Rafael Revuelta
The Eden Hostel is a humble and dirty place run by an elderly couple. Hanging from the wall of one of its rooms there’s a statue of the Virgin Mary who narrates, from her peculiar point of view, the stories of the various guests who stayed there through the years. One of those stories, the one of Yolanda and Felix, will make a huge impact on her.
My name is Gonzaga, I’m a director and photographer and I’m mainly focused on advertising and artistic work. I’ve had the pleasure to work for clients like Pepsi, Movistar, Sony and Smart, and with agencies like DDB, McCann-Erickson, Contrapunto BBDO and TBWA. Some of these works have been awarded at important international festivals, others haven’t. As a director of photography I have worked along such prestigious Spanish directors as Javier Fesser, Borja Cobeaga and Julio Medem. Eden Hostel is my first short film.
Zohar must get more photos for her exhibition. So she asks Ella, her ex, to remake things that happened to them when they were together, and photograph it. Camera is ready. Fake it. Shoot. This is not real. Or maybe it is? Two women. One love. And all the past is yet to come.
Tel Aviv University, The Department of Film and Television, MFA Graduate. Specialize in Acting for Camera direction.
FLESH AND BLOOD
ПЛЪТ
Director: Merlin Camozzi
Writer: Merlin Camozzi
Cinematography: Julia Swain
Composer: Julian Scherle
Producer: Merlin Camozzi, David Oh, Tim Lewis, Ben Haigh
Cast: Clint Jordan, Hannah Telle, Charlotte Alexis White Режисьор:
When a sweeping pandemic threatens to turn her father into a violent monster, 18 year-old Max must lead both him and her younger sister through a rugged wilderness in search of a cure.
Merlin Camozzi is an MFA film director in his final year of study at UCLA, where he is currently finishing his thesis film. He recently wrote and directed the winning spot in the Sprite Films contest, WHAT WE NEED, which ran in over 3,000 theaters and on nine television networks and garnered 3 million views on YouTube. He was also named to Variety’s prestigious 2015 list of Student Directors to Watch.
Когато
GOLDFISH
ЗЛАТНИ РИБКИ
2016 / 29’59’’ GERMANY / ГЕРМАНИЯ
Director: Facundo V. Scalerandi
Writer: Álvaro Parrilla Álvarez
Cinematography: Brendan Uffelmann
Composer: Michael Haves
Editor: Daniel Scheuch
Producer: Mathias Murmann
Cast: Ben Nicolas Behrend, Mateusz Dopieralski, Daniel Drewes, Michael Hornig, Katharina Kron, Irina Potapenko
„Gertrud is on vacation“- said August always to his children. Through fake postcards August managed to satisfy his kid´s yearning for her mother for over a decade. But before his 60th birthday, he starts receiving postcards from her. She is planning a return. Better than anyone he knows that´s just not possible. Or is it?
Facundo V. Scalerandi was born on February 14, 1986 in Cordoba, Argentina. He is a director and writer, known for Alpha (2014), Funny Games (2013) and Die Liebe im Zeitalter ihrer technischen Reproduzierbarkeit (2007).
“Funny games”(2013) и “Die Liebe im Zeitalter ihrer technischen Reproduzierbarkeit”(2007).
After an accident at the lake, 11 year old MELLY experiences a strange metamorphosis. Her Mother HILDE desperately tries to keep up normality.
Born in 1980 in Vienna, Austria. After his postproduction studies at SAE he works for several years as art director for an Austrian gaming company. He increasingly combines his skills in postproduction with his passion for writing and directing. In 2016 he finishes his studies in directing at film Arche Berlin. След
I STILL BLEED INSIDE
2016 / 24’00’’ BRAZIL / БРАЗИЛИЯ
Director: Carlos Segundo
Writer: Carlos Segundo
Cinematography: Roberto Chacur
Editor: Carlos Segundo
Producer: Carlos Segundo, Daniela Aun
Cast: Beta Rangel, Vinicius Ferreira, Juliana Nazar
There’re some pains that aches in your body and no eyes can see it
Doctorate degree in Cinema [Multimedia - Unicamp] Master of Psychoanalysis (UFU - Federal University of Uberlândia) Postgraduate in Philosophy of Art by UEG (2007/08). Graduated in film, television and digital media – UNITRI (2005/06).
“Филми, телевизия и дигитални медии” в UNITRI (2005/2006).
JACKED
РАЗБИТИ
2015 / 15’00’’
Director: Rene Pannevis
Writer: Rene Pannevis
Cinematography: Tim Sidell
Composer: Tony Coote
Editor: Richard Graham
Producer: Jennifer Eriksson (Silk Screen Pictures)
Cast: Charley Palmer Rothwell, Thomas Turgoose, Nick Asbury Dying, Patsy Palmer, Tim Chipping, Nicki Pocklington
Friends Waylen (Thomas Turgoose) and Russell (Charley Palmer Rothwell) are semi-professional car thieves, but when they break into a car and find some very personal property, they have to consider the morality of their actions. Will they decide to do the right thing?
Rene attended NYU Tisch School of the Arts Film Program under the tutelage of directors such as Oliver Stone and Todd Solondz. In May 2013, he received his Masters in Fine Arts in Directing for Film. Before that, he studied Film Theory at the University of Utrecht and obtained more professional experience by working for two and a half years at Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam as a filmmaker and editor. JACKED is Rene’s first film since relocating to London, and he has brought with him his experiences growing up on the streets of Rotterdam to the gritty, urban landscape of British crime cinema.
UNITED KINGDOM ВЕЛИКОБРИТАНИЯ
LAST ACT OF A DYING HORSE
2016 / 07’16’’ AUSTRALIA /
Director: Imogen McCluskey
Writer: Imogen McCluskey
Cinematography: Lucca Barone-Peters
Composer: Isha Ram Das
Editor: Imogen McCluskey
Producer: Imogen McCluskey
Cast: Jordan Keyes-Liley, Rory Brown, Lily Bennett, Alex Chalwell, Katherine Williamson, Freya Aisbitt, Louise Dietz-Henderson, Juliette Beck, Ellie Bailey, China White, Justyna Stanczew, Jack Atherton, Kiki, Zohara Piscopo, André Shannon, Courtney Mulvay
After a string of rejections a young girl explores her sexual desires, vulnerabilities, surreal dreams, and yearnings to be anywhere else.
Imogen McCluskey is a writer and filmmaker based in Sydney. A current student of Australian Film Television and Radio School, her work explores the intimate and sometimes absurd reality of individual experience. This is her first short film.
Gur and his sister Daniel return to their empty home every day after school. While Daniel tries to cope with the world outside, Gur still feels home is his only safe shelter and womb.
Elad grew up in Jerusalem, lives and works in Tel Aviv. He graduated MA & MFA at the Film and Television Department of Tel Aviv University. In 2010-2011 Elad was director and chief editor of two seasons of the TV Show “24 Hours with..”. In 2012-2013 he co-directed the Tel Aviv International Student Film Festival. Last year Elad co-established “Casquette Productions”, where he serves mainly as director and cinematographer.
LITTLE SHOP
2016 / 25’52’’ GERMANY / ГЕРМАНИЯ
Director: Constantin Jahns
Writer: Daniel Butterworth
Cinematography: Felix Baermann
Composer: Jonas Grauer
Editor: Sarah Birnbaum, Nicolas Schulze
Producer: Constatin Jahns
Cast: Robinson von Lindenschmit, Wolfgang Grabow, Konstantin Moreth
Alex, a young bailiff, is confronted with the seizure of his father’s bankrupt antique shop. Instead of carrying out the objectionable task, they put their differences aside and join forces to give a boost to the ailing business. A race against the clock begins...
Constantin Jahns studied directing at the Hochschule Macromedia University of Applied Sciences. Eine kleine Spende/A Little Change was his first professionally realized short film and made it under the Top 10 at the Shocking Shorts Award 2013 and won “Short of the Week” at LA Shorts Fest. He is currently working on his first feature.
Hochschule Macromedia University of Applied Sciences.
Director: Claudia Seibl
Writer: Claudia Seibl, Paul Thiem
Cinematography: Paul Thiem
Composer: Blackout Problems
Editor: Malte Wilhelm
Producer: Hochschule Macromedia, Bayerischer Rundfunk Cast: Tim Ahern, Pääru Oja
What’s further? There or back again? Or maybe just standing still? These are questions that Neil Goldman, an aging travel book author from the USA, and Janek, a young Estonian emigrant, have to face the night before Christmas at Tallinn Airport.
Claudia Seibl, 28, is a director from Munich, Germany. After studying law, she decided to follow her passion for filmmaking and studied directing from 2011 to 2015 at the Hochschule Macromedia in Munich.
Blackout Problems
Hochschule Macromedia, Bayerischer Rundfunk
LOVE IS A STING
Director: Vincent Gallagher
Writer: Benjamin Cleary
Animation: Gary O’Neill
Cinematography: Evan Barry
Composer: Barry Gorey
Editor: Martha Meyler
Producer: Ian Hunt Duffy
Cast: Ciarán Hinds, Seán T. Ó’Meallaigh
Written by Academy Award Winner Benjamin Cleary, ‘Love is a Sting’ tells the story of struggling children’s book writer Harold Finch. At his lowest point, Harold gains an unexpected house guest in the form of an ageing, hyper-intelligent mosquito named Anabel. Anabel has literally been the fly on the wall throughout history, but has never managed to communicate with a human being. She will attempt to do so now, even if it kills her.
Vincent is a director that works in both Live Action and Animation. Driven by seeing everyday occurrences in extraordinary ways, Vincent seeks out unique stories to tell visually.
MADAM BLACK
2015
Director: Ivan Barge
Writer: Matthew Harris
Cinematography: Andrew Stroud
Composer: Justyn Pilbrow
Editor: Sam Burnette, Jarrod Wright & Ken Sparks
Producer: Ivan Barge
Cast: Jethro Skinner, Pearl Everard, Yvette Parsons, Richard Knowles & Rebekah Davies
When a glamour photographer runs over a child’s pet, he’s forced to fabricate a story about its disappearance.
Ivan Barge is a New Zealand based producer/director, his short film ‘Madam Black’ has been selected for over 120 festivals across six continents winning numerous accolades. Most notably the Prix du Public at Clermont Ferrand, the worlds biggest Audience Award for short film. The film has been licensed to SVT Sweden, RTI Italy, Canal + France and Telepool Germany. Meanwhile, his first short ‘Snooze Time’ was featured in the New Directors section of ‘Shots’.
NEW ZEALAND
MS. LILIANE
2015 / 11’26’’ CANADA / КАНАДА
Director: Junna Chif
Writer: Junna Chif
Cinematography: Félix Fradet-Faguy
Composer: Davio Robitaille
Editor: Junna Chif
Producer: Junna Chif
Cast: Catherine Bérubé, Zachary Villeneuve
In a primary school, teacher Liliane anxiously awaits an important phone call. Her student Mathieu is even more of a disturbance than usual, but after Liliane receives a distressing call, Mathieu turns a difficult day for Liliane into a magical one.
Junna Chif is a Montreal filmmaker. She graduated from Film Production at Concordia University. Her film It’s Beautiful Today was short-listed for Best Short Film at the Jutra Awards and screened in numerous festivals. Her latest short-film Ms. Liliane won several awards around the world, including Best Student Short-Film in Canada at the Canada’s Top Ten TIFF.
6 year old Nirin and his two younger brothers have been promised a trip by their mother. But the journey doesn’t go the way Nirin had imagined.
Born on July 6th 1986 in Madagascar and Swiss by adoption, Josua Hotz has lived in Neuchâtel since 1995 where he went to school. Fascinated by video and new technologies, he has studied at ERACOM (School of Arts and Communication, Lausanne). In 2010, he started film studies at ECAL in Lausanne, graduating with honors in 2015. Owner of Niri Studios.
MADAGASCAR / SWITZERLAND
PEDRO
2016 / 20’00’’ PORTUGAL / ПОРТУГАЛИЯ
Director: André Santos, Marco Leão
Writer: André Santos, Marco Leão
Cinematography: Hugo Azevedo
Composer: Bruno Cardoso
Editor: André Santos, Marco Leão
Producer: João Figueiras / BlackMaria
Cast: Filipe Abreu, Rita Durão, João Villas-Boas and Marcello Urgeghe
Pedro gets home at dawn. Before the young boy falls asleep, his lonely mother drags him to the beach.
André Santos and Marco Leão started their long lasting collaboration in 2008. Since then, they co-directed “Our necessity for comfort”, “Wild Horses”, “Infinite” with Le Fresnoy/IndieLisboa and “Bad Blood”, doubly awarded at Indie Lisboa ’13 and “Driving Lesson”, recently awarded with a special mention at the Festival du Nouveau Cinema. All their films were screened in several film festivals around the world. Besides their work as filmmakers, André also works as a cinematographer and Marco as a sound operator.
/ BlackMaria
Педро се прибира у дома призори . Преди младото момче да заспи
Андре Сантош и Марко Леао започват своята дългосрочна колаборация през 2008 година. Оттогава са корежисирали филми като “Our necessity for comfort”, “Wild horses”, “Infinite” с Le Fresnoy/IndieLisboa и “Bad Blood” - два пъти награждаван на Indie Lisboa 2013, както и филма “Driving Lesson”, наскоро отличен на Festival du Nouveau Cinema. Всички техни филми са прожектирани в няколко филмови фестивала по целия свят. Освен работата им като филммейкъри, Андре работи като оператор, а Марко като звуков опратор.
PENROSE TRIANGLE
Director: Michaël Boucherie
Writer: Victoria Jones
Cinematography: Edmund Curtis
Composer: Jan Borré
Editor: George Clemens
Producer: Michael Bray
Cast: Mariana Marteleto, Emer Mulcahy, Craig White
Stuck in an unhappy relationship, Rose is looking for a way out. Seeking solace in the arms of a girlfriend, she finds that it is not love that binds us together.
Michaël is a director and choreographer with a strong interest in the complexities of human relationships. Trained as a dancer from a young age, he performed professionally throughout Europe, with additional apprenticeships in Australia and the USA. His fascination with behavior, storytelling and cinematography led him to work extensively with narrative on film. He holds master degrees from both Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, and the Drama Centre London. Оказала
UNITED KINGDOM
POTAPOV’S CONJECTURE
Director: Mark Rasskazov
Writer: Andrey Grafov
Cinematography: Alexey Surkov
Composer: Vladimir Chaba
Editor: Alexey Nazarchuk
Producer: Igor Demin
Cast: Olga Kabo, Andrey Smolyakov, Igor Gaydarov, Sofia Yurzinova
An ordinary security guard by the name of Potapov finds the solution to the famous mathematical puzzle, Goldbach’s conjecture. He has no clue that his little daughter has deliberately helped him to solve it. Trying to prove his solution is correct, Potapov hands his notes over to his mistress. She, however, has plans of her own for his discovery…
Graduated from The Advanced School of Scriptwriters and Film Directors in 2008 (Andrey Gerasimov and Andrey Dobrovolsky’s Directing Workshop). Member of the Directors Guild of Russia since 2008. Directed and produced several films using own script. Participated in the Cannes Film Festival with three films in 2008, 2009 and 2010 (And Silence Has Come, Farewell and Her Picture).
Graduated from the Nikita Mikhalkov Academy of Cinematographic and Theatre Arts in 2016 (Vladimir Khotinenko and Vladimir Fenchenko’s Directing Workshop).
2016 / 25’00’’ RUSSIA / РУСИЯ
Director: Andrew English
Writer: Andrew English
Cinematography: Benjamin Maier
Composer: Kompass and Semen Klimovskii
Editor: Stefano De Marco & Andrew English
Producer: Andrew English, George Bartlett, Monika Kalinowska
Cast: Jan-Martin Muller, Jeff Burrell, Georg Bütow
Ambitious journalist Leo is working for Russian state TV, covering the war in Ukraine. At the ‘2013 Ukraine peace talks’ in Berlin, Leo’s camera man Felix happens upon a secret conversation recording between Politicians.
Andrew was born in Melbourne, Australia and studied Performing Arts & Film at University. He settled in Berlin in 2012 and wrote and directed the short film ALWAYS GREENER. After working as a video journalist for two years, Andrew wrote and directed REAL SOLDIERS, which was inspired by his experiences as a journalist.
Sara is supporting a refugee protests camp where she met her friend Patrick, a refugee activist. The fight for equality seems adventurous at day and romantic at night, until one night a sexual assault happens. The film stops, changes its form completely, and begins a 360° pan shot in which all arguments concerning the incident are discussed. SAFE SPACE is a daring and important discourse film that asks a lot of questions and leaves us with the difficult task of finding our own answers.
Zora Rux was born in 1988 in Berlin. After working at Roy Andersson’s “A Pigeon Sat On A Branch” as Casting Director she has been studying Directing at the German Film and Television Academy Berlin (DFFB) since 2011.
SAMIRA
САМИРА
2016 / 16’28’’ GERMANY
Director: Charlotte A. Rolfes
Writer: Fentje Hanke
Cinematography: Moritz Moessinger
Composer: FOXOS Rick Jurthe
Editor: Angela Tippel
Producer: Janina Sara Hennemann, (Creative Producer)
Janosch, an interpreter, is called to help during a police deployment at the Port of Hamburg. A young African woman has barricaded herself in a container ship and threatens to commit suicide. In order to get her out, Janosch promises to help her, an offer which bears unexpected consequences.
Born in 1987 in Herdecke | higher education entrance qualification in 2006 | numerous jobs at the art-departement for cinema-, television and advertising films | two semester of film studies in Cologne | 2009 to 2013 several jobs as stand-by-props-manager in international and national film productions | 2008 to 2012 finished degree in directing.
SEMELE
СЕМЕЛИ
2015 / 13’05’’ CYPRUS / КИПЪР
Director: Myrsini Aristidou
Writer: Myrsini Aristidou
Cinematography: Pepe Avila del Pino
Composer: Jake Pavek
Editor: Myrsini Aristidou
Producer: Reinaldo Green
Cast: Yiannis Stankoglou, Vasiliki Kokkoliadi
Semele will do anything to spend some time with her long absent father. A school note becomes just the excuse for her to visit him at his workplace, where her presence highlights their fragile relationship.
Born in Cyprus, Myrsini is an award winning writer and director. She is currently receiving her MFA in Film Production at NYU with a Full Scholarship. In 2013 she completed her BFA in Film and History of Art, at Pratt Institute. Her latest short film SEMELE (TIFF Official Selection 2015, Berlinale Generation 2016) won the Jury Prize for Best Short.
SEPTEMBER
СЕПТЕМВРИ
2016 / 30’00’’
Director: Leonor Noivo
Writer: Leonor Noivo
Cinematography: Vasco Viana
Editor: Francisco Moreira, Luísa Homem, Victoria Radoslavova
Producer: Joao Matos, Vanya Rainova
Cast: Pedro Completo, Marta Mateus, João Ferro Martins, Francisca Alarcão
PORTUGAL / BULGARIA
ПОРТУГАЛИЯ
Mother and son return to their country, their city, their past, after years spent abroad. They take diverging paths to reclaim what has been lost; the son in search of an absent father, the mother seeking the possibility of love.
Leonor Noivo studied Architecture and Photography before joining the Lisbon Film School in 1997, where she specialized in Editing and Directing. In 2008 she co-founded the Cinema Production company TERRATREME FILMS and has directed and produced many award-winning projects since.
SOMEWHERE ELSE
2015 / 14’42’’ GERMANY / ГЕРМАНИЯ
Director: Borbála Nagy
Writer: Borbála Nagy, Halina Joanna Rasinski
Cinematography: Marianne Andrea Borowiec
Composer: Boti Ikvai-Szabó
Editor: Borbála Nagy, Máté Feles
Producer: Margarita Amineva
Cast: Vin Kumorek, Tinka Fürst, Levente Orbán
The 8-year-old Sebastian has never seen his father. In order to meet him, the boy flees into a fantasy world where his parents are still together. However the negative memories of the mother start interfering with the child’s illusions. Sebastian has to find the solution somewhere else.
Borbála Nagy was born in 1984 in Budapest, Hungary. She made her first short movies during her studies of Movie Sciences in Budapest. Later on she worked as a freelance journalist and translator. In 2011 she moved to Rostock, Germany and worked as a festival organizer. Since 2012 she studies at the DFFB in Berlin, as a director.
Director: CyrusNeshvad
Writer: Guillaume Levil
Cinematography: Nikos Welter
Composer: Nathalie Garcia
Editor: Yves Dorme
Producer: Cyrus Neshvad
Cast: Hervé Sogne, Brigitte Urhausen Режисьор:
Sébastien whose son is in the coma seems to get worse and worse, sees his son appear to him strangely.
Cyrus Neshvad is a Luxembourgish film director born in Iran. He produced and directed several short films. His short film “Antoine” was selected in 91 festivals and was 19 times rewarded. Себастиен,
SPEECHLESS
БЕЗМЪЛВНИ
Director: Robin Polák
Writer: Robin Polák
Cinematography: Frank Lamm
Composer: Hearoes
Editor: Katja Fischer
Producer: Jan Fincke, Thorne Mutert, Anja Wedell, CZAR Pictures
Cast: Heike Makatsch, Noah
Papadimitriou, Matilda Florczyk, Samir Fuchs, Stefan Nagel Режисьор:
A little boy walks through a toy store full of people talking a strange and incomprehensible language.
Robin Polák was born in Prague, Czech Republic. He emigrated with his parents to Germany in the early 80s. After matriculation he worked as a runner on a German film set thereafter he became boom operator in Studio Babelsberg. 2000 he went for an internship at MTV and continued as a trainee.
Cast: Teresa Tavares, Pedro Caeiro, Stefano Fregni, Jeremiah Waysome, Monika Miles Режисьор:
Sara moved to London to find a job in graphic design but she’s stuck in a restaurant kitchen. Today, after one more rejection, the reality of her life sinks in. Torn between what’s been left behind in Portugal and the possibility of a better future.
Sofia Bost was born in Switzerland in 1986 but grew up in Portugal. After completing a degree in Communication Sciences in Lisbon, Sofia was accepted by The London Film School. She directed and edited several projects and was awarded an MA with distinction upon completion of her film “Swallows”.
TERRIER
ТЕРИЕР
2016 / 24’00’’ GERMANY
Director: Ozan Mermer
Writer: Ozan Mermer
Cinematography: Moritz Tessendorf
Composer: Sebastian Fitz
Editor: Andreas Baltschun
Producer: Dreifilm, University of Television and Film Munich
Cast: Max Schimmelpfennig, Jonathan Berlin, Svenja Beneke, Gerdy Zint, Isabella Wolf, Gisa Flake
After two years in juvenile hall Heinrich (19) returns home. Heinrich has to realize that not only he himself, but also his familiar environment has changed fundamentally. Also, his beloved Great Dane Hamlet has disappeared. Heinrich tries everything to find Hamlet and his place in the family. Together with his old buddy Roller he goes in search for the dog, which leads the two friends to the dog fight milieu.
Born (1987) and raised in Berlin, he graduates school in Bavaria and studies Editing in Munich. In 2012 he begins his studies of directing at University of Television and Film Munich, and his first exercise film „Fremdkörper“ („Out of Place“) is shown at many international festivals around the world and won the award for BEST SHORT on „Durban International Film Festival“ DIFF 2014. His second short exercise “Bauchladen” (“Pick and Mix”) won the prestigious STARTER FILMPREIS of the city of Munich. His recent movie „Terrier“ is his second-year-movie and premiered on the prestigious Film Festival Max-Ophuels-Preis in Saarbrücken 2016 and just won BEST FILM at Brno 16 (CZ). Currently he is studying documentary film at the CCC in Mexico-City.
Dreifilm, University of Television And Film, Мюнхен
THE BOY IN THE OCEAN
Director: Friedrich Tiedtke
Writer: Ida Åkerstrøm Knudsen, Friedrich Tiedtke
Cinematography: Nicholas Bluff
Composer: Nikolaj Hess, Friedrich Tiedtke
Editor: Daniel Brinck
Producer: Ida Åkerstrøm Knudsen, Friedrich Tiedtke
Cast: Mika Seidel, Barbara Philipp, Andrea Nickl, Fie London
The 12 years old Mathias discovers the need of sexual experiences on a sailing boat. Surrounded by water, trapped on a boat with his parents, who still treat him like a child, his desire is to have new experiences with a girl on land.
Born in 1991 in Eckernförde, Northern Germany, Friedrich Tiedtke started making films when he was a child and has been director of numerous award winning short films. 2011 he finished school, lived and worked three years in Berlin and is doing an education programme at ZENTROPA Productions in Copenhagen/ Denmark now.
THE DRIVING SEAT
ШОФЬОРСКОТО МЯСТО
2016 / 09’10’’
Director: Phil Lowe
Writer: Phil Lowe
Cinematography: Adrian Brown
Composer: Alastair Widgery
Editor: Nick Saunders
Producer: Alexei Slater
Cast: Janie Dee, James Lailey, Dennis Herdman
One Saturday morning, a middle aged couple decide to make love in their car in the driveway to put a spark back in their marriage – only to find it has rather the opposite effect.
Phil Lowe is the author of two novels and several plays for young people. He has written comedy for BBC Radio in the UK and currently has two feature film projects at funding stage. The Driving Seat is his screen directing debut.
UNITED KINGDOM
THE MALTESE FIGHTER
Director: Arev Manoukian
Writer: Monika Maslowska, Arev Manoukian
Cinematography: Matthew Taylor
Composer: Samuel Bisson
Editor: Will Cyr
Producer: Maltafilm, Spy Films
Cast: Malcolm Ellul, Nico Fenech
In a time when Malta’s political violence was at its peak, Carmelo, a struggling single father and boxer from alletta, is forced to join a corrupt underworld as he tries to provide for his only son Giuseppi.
Arev Manoukian made a hugely successful short film, the stunning hyper-real fantasy “Nuit Blanche”, winner of the Grand Prize at the LG Film Festival and featured at an exhibition at the MMOMA. Arev then directed commercials for Sony, Nokia, 20th Century Fox, Cineplex Cinemas and a music video for six-time Grammy Award winning artist Skrillex. After shooting the short film “The Maltese Fighter” he is currently developing his first feature film.
Film
THE MISSING KNIFE
2016 / 14’35’’
Director: Bella Monticelli
Writer: Bella Monticelli
Producer: Ken Morris
Cast: Julia Eringer
AUSTRALIA /
A childhood hunting experience leaves Niara terrified of knives. Pregnant and alone she hides the knives and realizes one is missing. A wolf appears at her window triggering flashbacks from her past and threatening the lives of herself, her husband and her unborn child.
Bella studied at the prestigious Central St Martins School in London. Spending 2 years in BA Womanswear, then transferring to BA Fine Arts. Неприятно
вълк, носещ сцени от миналото, застрашаващ живота на нея, съпруга и нероденото и дете.
Бела Монтичели учи в престижния Cental St London School в Лондон. Прекарала две години, следвайки специалност “Моден дизайн”, Бела се прехвърля в специалност “Изящни изкуства”.
THE PIONEERS
НОВАТОРИТЕ
2016 / 09’00’’ FRANCE / ФРАНЦИЯ
Director: Gaby Ohayon
Writer: Gaby Ohayon
Cinematography: Benjamin Rufi
Composer: Ben Osmon & Guillaume de la Chapelle
Editor: Julien Viala
Producer: Liza Benguigui
Cast: Camille Loubens, Lounes Belaïdi, Jonathan Cohen
Zyto and Momo, both circumcised, meet in their school’s toilets. While Momo has no qualms with his circumcision, Zyto feels that this difference holds him back from integrating with others. In order to help his friend move past his impediment, Momo hatches a farfetched plan…
After studying cinema at La Sorbonne in Paris, Gaby Ohayon directed his first short film, F@ceworld, in 2010 - which went on to have considerable success on the festival circuit. Following this, he amplified the rhythm of film shoots, nourishing his experience by working as an assistant on several films and directing music videos and commercials. In 2015, at 26 years old, he directed his second short film entitled The Pioneers, produced by Elemiah.
THE RAVENS
2015 / 23’07’’ AUSTRALIA /
Director: Jennifer Perrott
Writer: Jennifer Perrott
Cinematography: John Brawley
Composer: Michael Yezerski
Editor: Veronika Jenet
Producer: Jennifer Perrott
Cast: Jeremy Lindsay Taylor, Sarah Snook, Indianna Gregg
When young Ruby’s father returns unexpectedly from war, his volatile state makes it difficult for the family to reconnect. Ruby’s anxieties are projected onto a pair of ravens, vigilantly defending their nearby nest, who become a catalyst for the troubled family’s journey from crisis to healing.
Jennifer is an award-winning writer/director/producer working between Europe and Australia who won a Best Young Director Award at the Broadcastnow / BBC B+Young Talent Awards. She has directed prime time UK and Australian TV drama and attended the selective Binger Lab in Amsterdam as a writer/director of her feature script Dust of Life, also a semi Finalist in 2013 International BlueCat Screenplay competition.
THE SLED
2016 / 19’00’’
Director: Emanuela Ponzano
Writer: Emanuela Ponzano & Simone Riccardini
Cinematography: Giuseppe Maio
Composer: Teho Teardo
Editor: Paolo Vanghetti
Producer: Emanuela Ponzano, Andrea Leone
Cast: Riccardo Specchio, Ivan Franek, Emanuela Ponzano, Alban Pajolli
A sled brings together two boys from different countries and cultures and carries them through the winter woods of the Italian mountains, far away from their parents’ prejudices and isolation. Two children, one sled and a lasting friendship...
Born in Brussels, Emanuela is an actress and director in both Cinema and Theatre. She divides her time working mainly between Rome, Paris and Brussels. In 1995, having completed her degree in Political Science at the ULB in Brussels, Emanuela decided to study dramatic arts at the Conservatoire Royal in Liège, Belgium. In 2008 she directed two short films “Bagnasciuga” and “Riflessi” that have since been shown at many national and international festivals. The Sled is her second short fiction film selected in more than 70 international film festivals in 2016.
TOUCH
ДОКОСВАНЕ
2016 / 15’00’’ CANADA /
Director: Noel Harris
Writer: Noel Harris
Cinematography: Nigel Markham
Composer: Greg Hawco
Editor: Chris Darlington
Producer: Mark O’Neill
Cast: Darryl Hopkins, Krystin Pellerin, Jorja King, Benjamin Harris
When a single mom, facing eviction, is offered a night’s work, she unsuccessfully seeks a babysitter for her two small children. Desperate, she reaches out to the last person she wants to ask for a favour.
Noel Harris has been working in the film business for 20+ years. Touch is his sixth short film.
YULYA
Director: André Marques
Writer: André Marques
Cinematography: André Marques, Paulo Castilho
Editor: André Marques
Producer: André Marques – AMP, Joana de Verona, MárioPatrocínio – BRO, Paulo Castilho, JúlioAlvesRIOT FILMS
Cast: Joana de Verona, Miguel Borges, Damian Victor Oancea, João Saboga, Mafalda Lencastre, Diana de Sousa, Lucília Raimundo, Manuel Simões, André Aguilar
YULYA is a film that, without having any dialogues, develops itself as an exploratory and sensorial movement which follows the emotional journey of Yulya, a fragile and precious young woman.
André Marques (b. 1984) is a Portuguese writer/director/ producer. He works in fiction, experimental, documentaries and advertising.
33 MICROLITER
Director: Manuel Zimmer
Writer: Manuel Zimmer
Cinematography: Manuel Zimmer
Composer: Robert Rabenalt
Editor: Manuel Zimmer
Producer: Manuel Zimmer
Cast: Johannes Paetzold
Sperms, Cells and Teardrops. ‘33 Microliter’ calculates the sense of life in two minutes.
Manuel Zimmer, born in Berlin in 1966, has worked as a director and DoP for more than 25 years. After a successful period as a well-educated autodidact he studied at the film-academy in Potsdam Babelsberg (HFF) and stayed addicted to documentary films ever since. 2015
A BIT NORMALITY
Director: Thomas Toth & Michael Schaff
Writer: Thomas Toth
Cinematography: Michael Schaff
Composer: Florian Högerle
Editor: Thomas Toth, Michael Schaff
Producer: Michael Schaff & Thomas Toth
“A good actress?”, you ask yourself in the first moment. But then you realize the Genre and try to resist, but it´s overwhelming intensely, the bit of normality from Julia and Samuel.
Thomas Toth is based in Cologne. He studied Time based Media at the University of Applied Science in Mainz. Together with Michael Schaff he creates documentary films that have been shown on different film festivals wolrdwide (e.g. Qalqiliyas Zoo). He graduated with the documentary “A bit of Normality”. Thomas Toth is working at Westdeutscher Rundfunk in Cologne and finishes his Masters in Film.
Michael Schaff, was born in Bielefeld 1989. In 2010 he has accomplished an three month internship at Seequence and an one year internship at the Film House Bielefeld. Subsequently he began his studys in Mainz at the University of Applied Science in the field „Time based media“. During his studys Michael Schaff went for a semester abroad tot he Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design Jerusalem.
“Добра
DRAGON CIRCLE
2016 / 19’15’’ GERMANY / ГЕРМАНИЯ
Director: Gertrud Schulte Westenberg
Writer: Gertrud Schulte Westenberg
Cinematography: Martin Lutz
Composer: Jahzzar, Kevin MacLeod, Jordan Sin, Caspa Mamel
Editor: Anthony Lew Shun
The film follows five metal artists from Berlin who are creating fire-spitting dragons for the world-famous Fusion Festival. The artists are using shower hoses, weighing machine parts, metal wheels, panels, and a great variety of metal bits and piece.
Gertrud Schulte Westenberg, born in Lower Saxony near the Dutch border, studied educational science in Bielefeld and economics in Berlin. She became involved with filmmaking in 2009 by her acquaintance with a director from Munich and has been working as a producer ever since. Филмът проследява петима артисти, работещи с метали, които създават огнедишащи
метални частици.
Гертруд Шулте Вестенберг, родена в
2016
Director: Eve Jeffery
Cinematography: David LOwe
Composer: Matt Ottley
Editor: David Lowe & Eve Jeffery
Producer: David Lowe & Eve Jeffery (Cloudcatcher Media)
Cast: Jordy Davis, Tome Davies, Faith
Faith finished work in Byron Bay, Australia and began the short walk home. It was the start of a 5 hour ordeal that mothers have nightmares about. A man trapped, raped and attempted to murder her. Now, 22 years after the attack, Faith has emerged a strong woman who is ready to speak to the world.
Eve Jeffery was born in Melbourne, Australia in 1963 and worked as an actor, journalist, apple picker and photographer. In 2012 Eve became interested in making films in response to the local fight against unconventional mining and quickly broadened her scope to include environmental and social justice issues. Together with Cloudcatcher Media partner David Lowe, Eve has created several shorts films as well and music videos, some of which have been screening internationally. Her most recent project was winning a place in the St Kilda Film Festival’s Olympus Filmmaker Challenge where she was one of six filmmakers from across Australia whose concept was chosen to be brought to the screen in a 4 week time frame – the resulting film was Faith.
HEIDI AT THE FOLEY ARTIST
2016 / 14’00’’ SWITZERLAND /
Director: Christian Frei
Writer: Christian Frei
Cinematography: Peter Indergand SCS
Composer: Chick Corea
Editor: Thomas Bachmann, Christian Frei
Producer: Isabelle Zampiero, Vincent Adatte, Francine Pickel
Cast: Anuk Steffen, Amadeus Bodis
Nine-year-old Anuk Steffen plays the title role of the new Heidi film. Full of curiosity, she watches the film crew at work, and is especially intrigued by the sound engineer. Anuk takes us to a mysterious studio, where she becomes part of a fascinating experiment. Together with the Foley artist, she learns to dangle, plop and wriggle objects, adding sound effects to a scene from one of the first film adaptations of the famous novel by Johanna Spyri. An enlightening lesson about a legendary film character and the importance of the soundtrack in a film.
From the very start of his career, Christian Frei established a reputation as an exacting documentarist, with a perfect grasp of his subjects. He follows his protagonists closely, always in search of authentic moments, and always keeping the whole picture in mind. His films are considered humanistic and universal, as much as subtle and insistent. The Swiss author, director and producer is one of the most successful documentary film directors in the world.
Kamal has a dream: he wants to fly, but many say paragliding is an impossible dream for a man in a wheelchair. An inspiration in the Paralympic community, he’s helped many beat the odds. Now it’s his turn to try.
Award-winning filmmaker Maria Ibrahimova made her debut film, the documentary MISS GULAG, with the support of the Sundance Institute and the Ford Foundation. The film premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival and traveled the world to more than 40 international festivals.
JOURNEY BIRDS
2015 / 09’08’’ ISRAEL / ИЗРАЕЛ
Director: Daphna Awadish
Animation: Daphna Awadish
Cinematography: Daphna Awadish
Composer: Ady Cohen
Editor: Daphna Awadish
Producer: Daphna Awadish
While abroad, I spoke with many immigrants who discussed their experiences and feelings about moving to a different country. Their stories were unique, but they all contained longings for their homeland intertwined with curiosity and delight in their new home. The movie relates a visual and cinematic commentary, in which people appear as a hybrid between man and bird.
Daphna Awadish is an Israeli filmmaker and illustrator who recently graduated from the animation department at Bezalel Academy of Art and Design in Jerusalem. Currently she is part of the team working on a feature animation production as well as being an independent artist and illustrator. Most of her recent work focuses on the subject of immigrants and what home means to them. Daphna is developing a unique and creative language of portraying personal narratives using mixed media. Докато
копнеж по родината, преплетен с любопитство и възторг
Director: Simon Panay
Writer: Simon Panay
Cinematography: Nicolas Canton & Simon Panay
Composer: Philippe Fivet
Editor: Nicolas Canton
Producer: Simon Panay Режисьор:
Perma gold mine, Benin. Some dream to find something, others realized there was nothing to be found. Some dig relentlessly hoping to become rich, others died in the process. And a few of them say that here, nobody dies.
Simon Panay is 23. He made his first fiction short film «Drôle de Guerre» at 19. In 2012, he shot his first documentary film in Africa : Tontines, une affaire de femmes (52min) and 2014 his second documentary «Waiting for the (t)rain» (26min). This film got 132 Official Selections all over the world, 31 Awards. In 2014, he received a prize of best talented young director of the year from the prestigious organization ARP.
Златната мина “Перма”, Бенин. Някои мечтаят
други загиват в процеса. Малцина казват, че там никой не умира.
Симон Панай е на 23 години. Създава първия си игрален късометражен филм “Drole de Guerre” на деветнайсетгодишна
филм в Африка“Tontines, une affaire de femmes” (52 мин), а втория си през 2014 година -
NORIAKI
НОРИАКИ
2016 / 09’00’’ NORWAY / НОРВЕГИЯ
Director: Bjørn Ståle Bratberg
Writer: Bjørn Ståle Bratberg
Cinematography: Ed Edwards, Rina Yang, Bjørn Ståle Bratberg
Composer: Birger Clausen
Editor: Herbert Hunger
Producer: Bjørn Ståle Bratberg
Noriaki has been a ski jumper as long as he can remember and has no plans of retiring. In the world’s biggest ski jumping hill, all his skills and experience will be tested.
Bjørn (b. 1978) is a Norwegian cinematographer and filmmaker, based in United Kingdom. He works as a cinematographer for TV drama and feature films in the UK as well as in Norway.
PRISON FIGHT
2015
Director: Robert Pilichowski
Writer: Robert Pilichowski
Animation: Ryan Cherewaty
Cinematography: John Tran
Composer: Ari Posner
Editor: Steve Guise, Robert Pilichowski
Producer: Ann Shin
Cast: Sean McNabb, Komkit Agorn Ketnawk
Prison Fight tells the profoundly moving story of Sean McNabb, who has recently taken up the sport of Muay Thai after the passing of his older brother. Eager to make his brother proud, he travels to the birthplace of the sport to partake in Prison Fight, an event that pits foreigners against inmates. Prisoners are given a chance at rehabilitation and the possibility of even lessening their sentences. Sean’s journey brings him face to face with Komkit Ketnawk, who has been incarcerated for drug trafficking. While Sean fights to honor his brother and to build a name for himself, Komkit literally fights for his freedom.
Based in Toronto, Canada, Robert Pilichowski is a filmmaker with an animation and documentary background. Robert’s work has been displayed on a number of screens from a variety of music videos and documentaries, to major motion pictures (most notably, the eerie opening title sequence for David Cronenberg’s eXistenz.) He’s directed two episodes of the music documentary series Rawside for IFC Canada, along with three short music documentaries for the series City Sonic, which aired on Aux TV. His first feature documentary, All Out War premiered at the NXNE music festival in 2014. His credits include: Prison Fight (bravoFACTUAL), All Out War (CBC) awarded Special Jury prize at the Cabbagetown Short Film & Video Festival.
THE LAST TRICK
2015 / 10’48’’ POLAND / ПОЛША
Director: Marcin Nowak
Writer: Marcin Nowak
Cinematography: Marcin Nowak
Editor: Marcin Sucharski
Producer: Ewa Jastrzebska, Munk Studio –Polish Filmmakers Association
Zenon Andryjewicz has been running a children’s circus school in Lviv for many years. Nowadays, his thoughts are turning more and more often to retirement.
Marcin Nowak - a photographer, cinematographer and director. Marcin Nowak has made a number of documentaries and collaborated with television companies to film more than a dozen reports. His photographs have won awards at exhibitions both in Poland and abroad.
THE SOLOIST OF THE ORCHESTRA
СОЛИСТЪТ
Director: Arantxa Echevarría
Writer: Arantxa Echevarría
Cinematography: Pilar Sánchez Díaz
Composer: Antonio Belmonte
Editor: Renato Sanjuán
Producer: Pilar Sánchez Díaz
Cast: Antonio Belmonte, Antonio Belmonte Padre, Maria Jose Madre, Adam Ockelford, Derek Paravicini
The uniqueness of Antonio is his absolute pitch. Only one in 10,000 people have it. It is the ability to recognize a note just by hearing it. Mozart and many great musicians had it. But in another facet Antonio is more common: One in 80 people have autism.
Arantxa Echevarria worked for 20 years in cinema. Her first short films Panchito and Don Enrique de Guzman have been selected and awarded in more than thirty festivals. Suddenly one night was nominated for the Goya in 2014. Me, the President was named best project in the Festival of Medina del Campo. She just finished the documentary The Soloist of the Orchestra and her latest short film The Last Bus. She has co-written the screenplay for the film Tama feature film in post-production.
TIME TO DIE, MOTHERFUCKERS
2016 / 15’ 20’’ GERMANY
Director: Annika Sehn, Jonas Spriesterbach
Writer: Annika Sehn, Jonas Spriesterbach
Cinematography: Jonas Spriestersbach
Composer: Elena Tabaranova
Editor: Annika Sehn, Jonas Spriestersbach
Producer: Ferdinand Freising, Philippe Miquel
You should be strong, you must be hard, cause hard it is, and that’s the only way to rise above, above! A consideration of modern recreational sports.
Annika Sehn was born in 1988. Since 2012 she is a student of the documentary film department at University of Film and Television Munich Jonas Spriestersbach was born in 1982. From 2008 on he specified in cinematography at the university of film & TV in Munich.
Режисьор: Аника Зин, Йонас Шпристербах
Сценарист: Аника Зин, Йонас Шпристербах
Оператор: Йонас Шпристербах
Композитор: Елена Табаранова
Монтажист: Аника Зин, Йонас Шпристербах
Продуцент: Фердинанд Фрейсинг, Филип Микел
Трябва да бъдеш силен, трябва да си твърд, защото това е единственият начин да се издигнеш. Oчерк на съвременния развлекателен спорт. Аника Зин е родена през 1988 година. От 2012 година е студент в Департамент по документално кино в University of Film and Television, Мюнхен.
ZERO-G
Director: Jannis Lenz
Writer: Jannis Lenz
Cinematography: Carolina Steinbrecher
Composer: Erokia
Editor: Jannis Lenz
Producer: Jannis Lenz, Filmakademie Wien
Янис Ленц
Erokia
онтажист: Янис Ленц
Янис Ленц, Filmakademie Wien
Originating in the Parisian suburbs, Parkour is a “kinetic” art form that involves jumping walls and other obstacles in urban environments.
Jannis Lenz, born in Filderstadt near Stuttgart, collected his first camera and directing experiences by filming himself and his friends doing Parkour and Freerunning, a performing art in urban environment. Since 2010 he studies Directing at the Filmakademie Wien with Michael Haneke and Wolfgang Murnberger.
Originating in the Parisian suburbs, Parkour is a “kinetic” art form that involves jumping walls and other obstacles in urban environments.
Jannis Lenz, born in Filderstadt near Stuttgart, collected his first camera and directing experiences by filming himself and his friends doing Parkour and Freerunning, a performing art in urban environment. Since 2010 he studies Directing at the Filmakademie Wien with Michael Haneke and Wolfgang Murnberger.
A woman who can’t have children steals the imaginary friend of a little girl and keeps this a secret from her husband. While the woman enjoys life with her imaginary child the gap between her and her husband grows bigger. When the little girl comes to claim back her imaginary friend, it’s the power of imagination that brings everyone together.
Job, Joris & Marieke is a Dutch studio for animation, illustration, character design and music. Their work can be described as cute, funny, poetic and sometimes disturbing. The studio was founded in 2007 in Utrecht by Job Roggeveen, Joris Oprinsen Marieke Blaauw. They work on commercials, educational projects, music videos and short films. The music for all their work is composed by Happy Camper, an award winning music project by Job.
ALIKE
ЕДНАКВИ
2015 / 08’ 01’’ SPAIN / ИСПАНИЯ
Director: Rafael Martínez Lara & Rafa Cano Méndez
Writer: Daniel Martínez Lara & Rafa Cano Méndez
Animation: Rafa Cano Méndez, Abel Tébar, Esteban Errando, Albert Papaseit, Alan Carabantes, Nacho Garrando, Pedro Florido
Cinematography: Daniel Martínez Lara & Rafa Cano Méndez
Composer: Óscar Araujo
Editor: Daniel Martínez Lara & Rafa Cano Méndez
Producer: Nicolás Matji
In a busy life, Copi is a father who tries to teach the right way to his son, Paste. But...what is the correct path?
Daniel Martínez Lara: (Madrid,1972) has worked on films, shortfilms, and publicity, with several companies such as: Ilion Animation Studios, on “Planet 51” as animation tools developer and storyboard artist, Pyro Studios, as animation supervisor, REM Infografica or Furia Digital , among others. Currently he co-directs together with Rafa Cano Méndez the animation short film “Alike”.
Rafael Cano Méndez: Rafa (Madrid, 1982) came into the world of animation 10 years ago having a 2D animation course at the studio DIBUS SL in Seville, where he learnt traditional animation and concept arts. He ended his Art degree in “Universidad Autonoma” de Barcelona, and later he joined the team of Nikodemo Animation, working as concept artist and animator in severals projects.
A scarecrow, a storm, a broken leg. The resonant sound of a sea shell.Leaving forever.
Born in Switzerland in 1974, Rafael Sommerhalder studied Film Direction at ECAL in Lausanne and Animation at the Royal College of Art in London. He lives and works as an animator/filmmaker in Zurich, Switzerland.
Плашило, буря, счупен крак. Резониращият звук от черупка на рапан. Напускащ завинаги. Роден в Швейцария през 1974 година, Рафаел Сомърхолдър учи “Филмова режисура” в ECAL, Лозана и “Анимация” в Royal College of Art, Лондон. Живее и работи като аниматор и филммейкър в Цюрих, Швейцария.
BIG BUNNY AGAIN?
2015 / 06’12’’
Director: Emilie Pigeard
Writer: Emilie Pigeard
Animation: Emilie Pigeard
Cinematography: Emilie Pigeard
Composer: Jean-Marc Fort & Emilie Pigeard
Editor: Emilie Pigeard & Arnaud Viémont
Producer: Jean-Christophe Soulageon
Cast: Alice Fort, Jean-Marc Fort, Emilie Pigeard
Last summer, I returned to see my family, for the occasion of a Sunday lunch. It allowed me to see my grandfather again and the dog which I had when I was a girl. Something had changed...
Emilie Pigeard integrates les Arts Décoratifs of Paris in 2010 where she chooses the animation film. She says to herself that through animation, she can tell her stories. It is through her graduation in Ensad, that she directed “Big Bunny Again?”. She likes participating in collective projects and makes punctually didactic animated short films with her friend Cindy Lo, such as “the word on the tip of the tongue” or “If Picasso was a word “. She dedicates herself mainly to projects which oscillate between the documentary and the fiction. “Tata Mimie” new project produced by Les Films Sauvages is currently cooking in her pot.
FRANCE
/ ФРАНЦИЯ
BROKEN
Director: Volker Schlecht, Alexander Lahl
Writer: Alexander Lahl, Max Moench
Animation: Volker Schlecht
Cinematography: Volker Schlecht
Composer: Hannes Schulze
Editor: Volker Schlecht
Producer: Alexander Lahl, Max Moench
Cast: Birgit Willschuetz, Gabriele Stoetzer
Gabriele Stötzer and Birgit Willschütz were political inmates at Hoheneck Castle, the most notorious women’s prison in East Germany. Their story is one of overcrowded cells, despotic hierarchies, ruthless everydays, and the enduring effects of incarceration. Most of all, however, it is about the crushing pressure of forced labour. Prisoners at Hoheneck manufactured millions of pantyhose, bed sheets, and other products for West German retailers, bringing enormous profits to both sides of the Iron Curtain. Part of the young animadoc tradition, the seven-minute film pairs original audio interview extracts with abstract, monochrome animation.
Volker Schlecht works as an Illustrator, Graphic Designer and Filmmaker in Berlin. He studied communication design at the Burg Giebichenstein University of Art and Design Halle, later on he taught at the animation department of the HFF Konrad Wolf Potsdam-Babelsberg. Currently he also works as a professor of sequential illustration at the BTK University of Art and Design. Together with Alexandra Kardinar he founded their collaborative label DrushbaPankow in 2002. 2016 / 07’02’’
Alexander Lahl was born 1979 in Berlin (GDR). He studied cultural sciences in Berlin, Wroclaw and Frankfurt (Oder). He works as a writer, filmmaker and producer and co-founded the media label Die Kulturingenieure. Latest work together with Max Mönch: „Treibsand. A graphic novel about the last days of the GDR“, published by Metrolit. Currently he is working mainly on oceans subjects.
CHILD DREAM
2015 / 10’00’’ FRANCE /
Director: Christophe Gérard
Writer: Christophe Gérard
Animation: Gilles Cuvelier, Gabriel Jacquel, Samuel Guénolé, Claire Trollé, Marine Blin, Marion Le Guillou, Pierre Lesca
Cinematography: Christophe Gérard
Composer: Pierre Caillet
Editor: Christophe Gérard, Gilles Cuvelier
Producer: Richard Van Den Boom
Floating barges, water that suddenly takes human form and rainfall that leaves puddles deep enough to drown in… Is this merely a child’s dream?
Writer and director of fiction and animation films screened and broadcasted around the world, such as Drip Drop, Annotations and Peace on Earth, Christophe Gérard has also designed and directed the scenography of hugely successful shows held in the Oberhausen Gasometer – Blaues Gold –and at the Hayward Gallery, London – Bruce Nauman (voted by Time Out readers as one of the most stunning exhibitions of the decade), Sonic Boom, an exhibition on sound, and Eyes, Lies & Illusions, on the origin of the moving image.
He is currently working on his first feature film – Par-delà les plaines, an intimate and violent tragedy on a Wild West backdrop –, and on the cinematographic adaptation of Epileptic, David B.’s graphic novel.
DESIGN THINKING
2016 / 03’00’’ SPAIN / ИСПАНИЯ
Director: Aida Argüelles
Writer: Aida Argüelles
Animation: Imanol Ramos
Cinematography: Fernando Rey
Composer: Paul Hottram
Editor: Imanol Ramos
Producer: Aida Argüelles
Design Thinking is an explanation in stop motion language of a proven and repeatable problem-solving protocol that any business or profession can employ to achieve extraordinary results.
Aida Argüelles (Bilbao 1975) comenzó su trayectoria en el teatro audiovisual, desarrollando todo tipo de formatos teatrales durante una década (Cuenta cuentos B-Sides, monólogos “Yo digo!”, cuentos infantiles “L”, Obras de teatro “N” World, series teatrales, “900- HOPE”, etc).
“Дизайн мислене” е своеобразно обяснение, използващо езика
доказан протокол за разрешаване на проблеми, който може да бъде приложен във всеки бизнес и професия за постигане на необикновени резултати. Аида Аргуелес (Билбао, 1975) започва своята кариера в аудиовизуалния театър, разработвайки
видове театрални формати
едно десетилетие (Cuenta cuentos B-Sides, монолозите “Yo digo!”, историите за деца “L”, Obras de teatro “N” World, театралната поредица “900HOPE” и други).
IN DEEP WATERS
Director: Sarah Van Den Boom
Writer: Sarah Van Den Boom
Animation: Gilles Cuvelier, Gabriel Jacquel, Samuel Guénolé, Marine Blin, Marion Le Guillou, Denis Fleurion, Pierre Lesca (Studio TrainTrain), Sarah Van Den Boom
Cinematography: Sarah Van Den Boom
Composer: Pierre Caillet
Editor: Sarah Van Den Boom, Annie Jean
Producer: Papy3D Productions, ONF / NFB
Cast: Richard Jutras, Miranda Handford, Julian Casey, Joanna Noyes
Three characters have in common a secret and intimate experience which seems to have a strong impact on their life...
Sarah graduated from the National School of Arts Decoratifs in Paris in 2000. She creates in 2006 “Papy3D productions” with a group of animation director friends, and start collaborating with “Acme Filmworks” in Los Angeles. She works and lives around Paris and makes short films, adverts and videoclips, but also lots of writing, plants watering, cakes and children.
FRANCE / CANADA
Продуцент: Papy
Productions, ONF / NFB
National School of Arts Decoratifs,
LEAD IN THE HEAD
2016 / 07’45’’ FRANCE / ФРАНЦИЯ
Director: Aurore Peuffier
Writer: Aurore Peuffier
Animation: Aurore Peuffier
Editor: Aurore Peuffier
Producer: Olivier Chantriaux
Cast: Chloé Gorin
A wolf is taken down and brought back to the village as a trophy. But the animal is not dead and the bullet lodged in its skull and has repercussions on its psyche.
Aurore Peuffier is a young director born in the Paris region. She studied animation at ENSAD, which led her to work on various different techniques. Lead in the head is her first produced film.
Вълк е повален и занесен в селото като трофей. Животното обаче не е мъртво, куршумът е заседнал в черепа му и въздейства
RABBIT BLOOD
ЗАЕШКА
Director: Yagmur Altan
Writer: Yagmur Altan
Animation: Yagmur Altan
Cinematography: Yagmur Altan
Composer: Mehmet Aydin
Editor: Yagmur Altan
Producer: Yagmur Altan
Just an ordinary day at an old mysterious Turkish country house where its residents have an extraordinary way of brewing tea.
Yagmur Altan is a 3D artist, born and raised in Istanbul, Turkey and currently working as a principal designer at AOL, Inc in NYC, focusing on digital production on face and facial feature tracking. He wrote and directed his first animated short film Rabbit Blood during his MFA 3D Animation degree at SVA, shown in more than 100 film festivals in 30 countries in 2016. Official selections include Montreal World Film Festival, Morbido Film Fest and New Orleans Film Festival.
Режисьор:
TURKEY
ТУРЦИЯ
SHIPS OF YEARS PAST
2015 / 15’24’’ RUSSIA / РУСИЯ
Director: Georgiy Boguslavskiy
Writer: Georgiy Boguslavskiy
Animation: Georgiy Boguslavskiy, Vasiliy Chirkov
Cinematography: Alexandr Pötzsch
Composer: Jason Webley
Editor: Georgiy Boguslavskiy
Producer: Pchela studio
This is his last day on the ship as a sea captain before two lanky and nasty bureaucrats writing him off ashore. And now the old captain is left on a tiny island, with enough space only for the Lighthouse.
Georgiy Boguslavskiy (Moscow, 1987) is an artist, animator, director and teacher. He studied in school-studio SHAR in Moscow. In 2010 he co-founded Invisible Friends creative team, community of animators, artists and filmmakers. Year later Georgy made his graduation animated film The Last Gulp.
STRINGS
ВЪЖЕНЦА
2014 / 10’52’’ SPAIN / ИСПАНИЯ
Director: Pedro Solís García
Writer: Pedro Solís García
Animation: David Ordieres
Cinematography: Juan Jesús García Galocha
Composer: Víctor Peral Urbina
Editor: Pedro Solís García
Producer: Nicolás Matji
Cast Voices: Belén Rueda, Miriam Martín Режисьор:
‘Strings’ is a short film written and directed by Pedro Solís García. ‘Strings’ was the 2014 winner of the the Goya ® award for ‘the Best Spanish short film animation’.
Pedro Solís García (Barcelona, Spain, 10/15/1968) comes from the video game world, in which he has developed different tasks. He has worked from 3D Artist to co-producer on several titles for PC and consoles.
“Въженца” е късометражен филм, написан и режисиран от Педро Солис Гарсия. Носител е на награда
Педро Солис Гарсия (Барселона, Испания, 10/15/1968) идва от
THE CRYPTOZOOLOGIST
Director: Vicente Mallols
Writer: Fernando Cortizo
Animation: Vicente Mallols, David Caballer, Iván Sarrión, Carla Pereira, Ana Esteve
Cinematography: Celia Benavent
Composer: Vincent Barriere
Editor: Vicente Ibañez
Producer: Paloma Mora
Cast: Joe Lewis, Toby Harper
Bernard, a veteran cryptozoologist who has spent all his life searching for cryptid creatures, has the chance to hunt one of these greatest challenges, the Mosquifant. After travelling to a distant island in the North Sea, he will live an adventure full of difficulties and surprises trying to capture this strange creature.
Vicente Mallols, (Valencia, Spain, 1975) Animator Stop motion in projects such as TV series Los Caracolímpcos (Truca Films, 2000-2002), the feature film Pos Eso (Conflictivos Productions, 2014), and TV series Clay Kids (Clay Animation, 2014). In 2015, he directs his first short film The Cryptozoologist.
Малолс (Валенсия, Испания, 1975) е стоп
аниматор в проекти като телевизионния сериал “Los Caracolimpcos” (Truca Films, 2000-2002), пълнометражния филм “Pos Eso” (Conflictivos Productions, 2014), както и телевизионния сериал “Clay Kids” (Clay Animation, 2014). През 2015 година той режисира първия си
филм “Криптозоология”.
WHAT IS YOUR BROWN NUMBER?
КАФЯВО НОМЕР?
2016 / 04’20’’
Director: Vinnie Ann Bose
Writer: Vinnie Ann Bose
Animation: Vinnie Ann Bose
Composer: Rajat Dholakia
Producer: Nilima Eriyat, Studio Eeksaurus Mumbai
Cast: Sonia Nair, Soman Nair, Saattvic, Ram Menon
“What is your brown number?” talks about Indiaʼs obsession with skin colour, and how there is a sense of idealism and beauty associated with fair skin, whereas it is negativity and repulsion that is associated with dark skin. A concept of “brown number” has been introduced in this film. Every person is born with a brown number that corresponds to the shade of their skin colour. Darker the shade, higher the brown number, lower the worth. The film is a montage of people’s reactions to ‘brown number’. These reactions have all been written based on real life experiences of people living in India.
Vinnie Ann Bose created “What is your Brown Number?” as part of her graduation project at National Institute of Design, India. The film was sponsored by Studio Eeksaurus, Mumbai, and Vinnie created the film under the mentorship of the Studio Director, Suresh Eriyat.
“What is your brown number?” is Vinnie’s second student film from NID, from where she graduated in January 2016. After working as a freelancer on animation, illustration and comic book projects for a few months, Vinnie applied to La Poudriere, to pursue her Post graduation studies in Animation Film Direction. Currently she is a student at La Poudriere, an Animation Film Direction school in Valence, France.
INDIA / ИНДИЯ
му. Колкото по-тъмен е цветът, толкова по-голям е номерът,
WOOLEN COGWHEELS
2015 / 13’54’’ POLAND / ПОЛША
Director: Bartosz Kedzierski
Writer: Bartosz Kedzierski
Animation: Bartosz Kedzierski
Cinematography: Krzysztof Opieka
Composer: Piotr Dziubek
Editor: Bartosz Kedzierski
Producer: Piotr Krzykwa, Kineskop
Kineskop
An ageing couple Aniela and Konstanty lead a quiet life together. She gives herself over to knitting while he eagerly works on some invention. Although their everyday life seems extremely well-organized there is something deeply lacking.
Bartosz Kędzierski was born in 1976 in Wrocław. He is a Polish screenwriter and director. He studied Film Directing at the Radio and Tv Faculty of University of Silesia. He gained some recognition in Poland thanks to his animated series „Lordz of Flys”. The huge success of the series allowed him to produce a feature version of it.
NATIO NAL COMPE TITION
INTERVIEW
What was the inspiration for this story?
The screenplay was written by Theodora Markova. I liked this topic and we decided to do it. It is a real life story. She saw the guy passed of in front of her and she was about to wait the ambulance. That is how the inspiration came.
In your movie, I like an idea of unconsciousness where the fainted man is a mirror of two people unconsciousness who randomly met. Yes, actually the man is not unconscious, but the other two people are unconscious. The focus is on them. This is the main topic. We all live more or less unconscious, unaware of what we are doing. It is because we follow others’ opinions and choices. Sometimes you make your choices not because of your own feelings. Many times your action depends on your concerns and so on. In this era, we have started to follow not our own paths. Therefore, something big has to happen which stops you to see where you are and what you want to do.
In the final scene of the film, each character goes away with their decision. But the end is a little bit open because he throws away his papers and she dissolves her hair. Yes, both of them decide not to go where they meant to go and maybe change their lives. It is an open final but the point is not to put them together, it is not a romance. This situation which happens to them makes them to change their lives.
But do they like each other?
Yes, they do but we left this open. The focus is on awareness and consciousness in our own lives. If we really understand how we are living: this is the main topic. That’s why I didn’t want something to happen between them, otherwise it would be a romance.
Each character is in a hurry until they pick up their phone. And later, the call change their behavior. Is this a turning point?
Yes, we see that her mother and his wife push them under pressure. This turning point we made them to happen simultaneously. It was quite tricky to do it while not being awkward.
What do you think about the sector of short films in Bulgaria?
This is my first short movie and honestly I don’t follow them. From my experience I can speak only about full length movies. But I think filming is increasing in the whole world. Nowadays people do more and more movies, because it is
getting cheaper. You only have to have an idea. Therefore, movies are made by people which are not trained enough and don’t have a dramaturgic vision. Although I think interest of the public is decreasing. What I see as a problem is that short movies are not for the audiences, but for the festivals. The main target should be an audience, not the directors and other professionals.
Was it hard for you to make this short movie?
Yes, I financed it on my own and it was quite hard. The main goal for me and the screen writer was to make a story which could be accomplished with less money. There are two outdoor scenes during the day light which were quite easy. It is actually a low budget production which was meant to be like this from the beginning.
What can you tell us about the filming and cast?
We shot it for day and a half only. The preparation was longer of course. Regarding the cast, I chose them without casting. They are professional actors. I know them and their characters correspond with their real life. They actually play themselves. Therefore, it was easy for them. On the other hand, they are great professionals.
Would you like to go abroad to explore new environments or to study and to attend courses?
I am reading books and I don’t have time for this now. I am a painter and illustrator and for the last 15 years I’ve been working in advertising. Through this I started shooting commercials and this is how it came with the movie. Now my life is too rush and I live unconsciously. I don’t have time for full time studying so I have to look for information that I need to direct this way.
Does attending film festivals allow you to make connections with other directors and professionals?
I don’t do it so far, but I agree it is very good. I plan to go to Balchik, where I will see the whole program and maybe I will make connections with cinematographers, musicians and others. Sharing ideas and making networking is very important.
What are your future projects?
I have ideas about one short movie and one full length movie. Let’s see what happens. I have ideas and I hope my screenwriter, – my wife–, will deliver it for me.
Director: Martin Markov
Writer: Teodora Markova
Cinematography: Petko Lungov
Composer: Nickolay Madzharov
Editor: Martin Markov
Producer: Martin Markov, Petko Lungov
Cast: Elena Telbis, Yavor Baharov
Trapped in their breathless life a young man and woman meet as an old man faints on the street. Waiting for the ambulance, they realize their unconscious existence and decide to change their lives.
Born in Sofia, Bulgaria, in 1980, Martin Markov has a Master’s Degree in Illustration from the Academy of Fine Arts, Sofia. For the last 15 years he has worked in Advertising where his passion for directing has been revealed. He has shot more than 20 commercials prior to this first step into narrative storytelling.
INTERVIEW
First, I would like to ask if you attend regularly IN THE PALACE International Short Film Festival.
Yes, sure, every chance I get. Actually, I think, so far, each edition since the 10th I’ve been coming and watching.
You belong to the new generation of filmmakers, how important is it for you to participate in this national festival?
As far as I know, what concerns short films, this is one of the most important festivals in Bulgaria, so I think it’s very good for you as a filmmaker to be part of IN THE PALACE. First of all, when you take part in it, you get more involved and you see a lot of other films from different countries. Besides, you can also see your fellow colleagues from your home country and you can kind of compare and see how they are making more steps forward. I think it is a good thing to be a part of it, especially when you participate with your own film.
Do you prefer to make short films rather than feature films?
At this point, yes, but I’m actually working on something longer right now. It’s a restriction really. It’s a nice challenge to tell something that you really care about in a short space of time.
During the Q&A session, you interact with your actors, you let them tell their own ideas about the film. So, for you, the film is a team work, not only a director work?
Yes, definitely. At some point I do things on my own, I like having certain responsibilities. But when you are starting a film, you have to be really aware of your team, everybody is in it and everybody can have a very good idea about what can happen or what should happen and most of the time actually I like asking people.
So you want the film to mirror your personality and their personality?
Yes, in a way, with actors and especially my cinematographer. I like asking them how they feel about the script or about different scenes. I ask for their opinion also when I am not feeling sure about certain things. It’s a constant conversation. I love to create for my actors this feeling that we should be having a good time while making the film, because for me it’s very important that they feel relaxed on the set.
There are some elements of comedy in your film. Although it starts like a drama portraying a difficult relationship between father and son, we see some elements of comedy as well. Why this choice? Did you want to make it easier and lighter for the audience?
At first, I wanted to make a comedy, but to a certain degree it is always expected from me to do drama. I still wanted to experiment with comedy and see what happens, so, as far as I can tell, it’s not a pure comedy. I don’t think I can manage to do a comedy because it always has to have a deeper meaning. There were some elements of parody as well, especially in the scene of the fight. That was the main idea. We didn’t want to make a really cool
fight. It’s more about people who don’t know how to fight and they basically do their best job. It’s such a stupid situation because people are failing to understand each other. That was the main idea.
Would you say that the car represents the relationship between the main characters?
Yes, and also the father’s masculinity in a way. It’s something that the son did when he was small but I felt like I shouldn’t give it to the audience so easily, so I found that it would be nicer to see. The whole story was around this idea, it doesn’t really matter if it is the real car in the end. What always matters is their relationship which is what the car represents. At some point in the earlier script that I wrote there was an indefinite end if this is their car or not, but in the end the development of their relationship is more important.
Then I would like to ask you: why Batman?
I was always a fan. He is like really cool, one of the coolest superheroes in films. And also there are a lot of jokes around Batman. It was nice and really easy to explain to everyone. It’s like a universal role model. I don’t know if you are very into this, but Batman is the only hero that doesn’t have super powers, actually.
Do you think that there is room for Bulgarian cinema abroad? How do you see the future of Bulgarian cinema abroad? Right now there is something that we can call a “wave”. It’s mostly festival films which are getting recognized, awarded and screened outside of Bulgaria, and then they are getting bought by TV channels, etc. It’s a sign but mostly they are festival films, I mean, films that are not being watched here in Bulgaria but are being watched outside of Bulgaria.
Are they rejected or they don’t fit?
It’s not a matter of rejection, for example, I don’t know if you know the movie “Godless”, it has been awarded and recognized everywhere and it’s been shown in a lot of elitist festivals, but here, if you make people go and watch it, they will probably hate it because it’s dark and it shows what is already seen outside, like bad stuff. The audience does not want to be educated. They just want to see Batman (laughs).
Could it be the role of festivals to educate the people? Maybe the best way is to have a very nice blend between commercial and festival cinema. I don’t know, maybe by supporting more authors and directors we can do this. We have another two Bulgarian directors who are husband and wife, their first film was really successful and they made another one which is going around festivals and it’s getting good reviews and awards. But at the same time they tried to combine the two and I was really surprised in a good. I think this is much better because you get people to go to the cinema and get the message, because, otherwise they would just say: “No, thank you, I don’t want to eat my medicine, I want to eat a burger.”
BATMOBILE
Director: Deyan Bararev
Writer: Deyan Bararev
Cinematography: George Marinov
Composer: Daniel Donchov, Angel Simitchiev, Mihail Slavov
A smart tragicomedy about the relationship of a father and a son that touches the spectator in a very deep way. Great acting and a great plot plenty of metaphors that make the spectator enjoy from the first to the last frame.
Deyan Bararev (born 1987 in Sofia, Bulgaria) is a graduate student in Film Directing and Business Administration in New Bulgarian University. He is a former participant of the Berlinale and Sarajevo Talents 2015 and Nisimasa’s ESP 2015. Една
INTERVIEW
Why the idea of this story? Do you have any experience with cheating?
No, I don’t have any experience with it. I created the story because I really love the apartment in which the movie takes place; it is from a really close friend of mine, and I really wanted to use the bed somehow. And I think that in this movie the best way to show sex is not showing sex; I think I will develop this idea in my next project. I wanted to make the story as easy as possible; this is probably the only film in the whole festival where the camera is not moving at all, is on a tripod. It was made in a very simple and classic way. I’m a huge fan of Italian movies, the old ones, and some of my friends could tell you that I’m very much influenced by Antonioni. This is the subject he is also dealing with, alienation between people, and we could say that this is a subject that is really interesting. I would like to explore it more, not in eight minutes I hope, I would like to make something much better.
How would you describe the relationship between the couple? We could say for sure that the couple lives together for a long time. They have some history behind and he is of course surprised from the message that he sees on her phone and chooses not to confront her. That’s how I would react too; I have been in these situations where I had the right to be offended, but I chose not to, so I just smiled and moved on. I believe that everybody sees what is best for them; people are spending so much time and nerve on things that in the end of the day don’t matter. On the other hand, this opinion probably makes me appear a bit like a robot.
There are not a lot of dialogues in the movie, is this a director’s choice?
The perfect movie shouldn’t have any dialogues. In cinema the maxima is “show, don’t tell”, so I wanted to keep it simple, also in the dialogues. Moreover, I have been married and I pretty much know how it is, at a certain point you get used to it. So yes, four lines of dialogue were enough.
Do you really think a message is enough to break a relationship?
A message is enough because it drags your imagination. We are so used to text messages; that’s the way we are communicating. If you think about it, 20 years ago there was no internet, life was much simpler; all we wanted from a girl was to have a nice ass and that was it… now we are checking even their spelling and it’s weird, in a way. But due to the way we are communicating today, through all the media (the phone, computer etc.), I just thought that a message would be just enough to make the imagination of the character and of the audience work.
How do you think are love and sexual relationships perceived in Bulgaria?
Sex and this kind of stuff are still a taboo. I believe that sexual revolution in Bulgaria is something like 30 years late; it’s still to happen.
There is some kind of symbolism in the broken eggs and in the open window?
Yes, we can say so. Everything is broken: their relationship, the eggs, the attempt to make the breakfast goes to hell… and yes, the girl in the street is a possible new beginning, so he is not sure if he is going to make it for dinner.
The end is open, of course the girl eating the apple is young and charming, but is he going to hit on her or will he stay dreaming looking out of the window?
In the final I wanted to show that there’s a possible new beginning with the girl. But actually I’m not really happy with the result, I had a different final in my mind that I couldn’t shoot. It would have involved not just the girl outside, but her doing something. I couldn’t shoot it for a very funny reason; just because parking on that sidewalk was not allowed and I wanted to have three cars there. I could have done it, because we shot very early in the morning, on a Sunday morning, but in the end I didn’t and I still regret it.
So why not to choose another street? She has just the wall of a building as background, so you could have used any other sidewalk, right?
That’s a good question, I was thinking about it. But the scene had to be in the city centre, I needed a narrow street… I needed the opposite thing of where I am living now, in the outskirts, where you can see those ugly blocks and there is nothing interesting there, unless is something involving kids on drugs.
Why the girl at a certain point laughs eating the apple?
The editor had so many laughs in the footage and he just left it there… so why not laughing? It makes people confused and the reaction was so natural, is something that could happen to anyone.
But in general, are you satisfied with the result?
I still get some feedbacks about the movie and I know I made a lot of mistakes. This movie was like a never ending party.
How does it feel to be back in school again?
I was expecting something different from the classes, more related with the practical side of filmmaking. Fact is that I’m also not used to be surrounded by people that are 15 years younger than me and to interact with them; and what I noticed about their generation, or at least the colleagues in my class, they struggle to be focused on one thing for more than one minute.
What starts as an ordinary morning for a couple ends with challenging consequences.
Dimitar Stratev is a 2nd year student, studying film making at New Bulgarian University.
INTERVIEW
When did you start doing short films?
More or less 9 years ago. I have two other shorts, shot in 2007 and 2008 and since then I have been working in post-production. I also have a documentary.
Do you find any connection between cinema and theatre? Could you find any similarities?
Well, the most obvious similarity would be the opportunity to express myself. But beyond that, they are two different languages, two different methods.
Which one is the more demanding and harder to materializetheatre of film?
It definitely depends on the project. In theatre everything is performed live, so you spend a lot of time practicing and rehearsing, and then you just lead the actors; you are a mentor for them and then you leave them space.
Something about the film; I think that many topics were raised, but I was wondering, what was the one that inspired you? What was the main stimulation that engaged you to materialize this idea?
I would say that I was kind of angry with the world today! (He laughs). I needed to say something so I found a way to put in there this part of my thoughts. I think that it’s important to take it seriously - for everybody - because it’s not an issue that comes and goes. We`re in a moment of real changes in the world so I couldn`t leave this topic aside; I had to say something. This was the starting point, so I started making questions about it and how this was going to be. I begun by implementing the local thing (the carnival) and put it together with my idea.
I thought that the main focus was the carnival, but maybe it’s the other way around. So I was wondering, how did you come up with this connection?
I think connections are everywhere. In this situation, it`s because of these masks that we wear and because of this carnival we’re living in.
For me, one of the main issues of the western world is that they are trying to be so polite and tolerant.
The most disturbing thing is that everything is centered on individuality and society. We need to break free from our comfort zone and we need to stop putting ourselves in boxes. Within this crisis - social, political, economic - we are afraid of the otherness, we are insecure. Why did you choose these specific characters? Is there any reason you chose German society and a German protagonist instead of any other European? Is this a specific critique towards Germany? No, not at all; I am trying to be global. I’m not saying that Germans are like this. I wanted to show both a western view in one hand, and a middle-eastern on the other hand. And I personally believe that both sides are manipulated. The western world in one way, and the
middle-eastern world in a different way, through religion or whatever. We miss the core of our relationships.
Instead of letting us come together, global understanding of society splits us even more. Do you think that we are more prejudiced than ever?
I think that’s true. Societies with high standards are creating consumers instead of thinkers and the poorest countries are manipulated with specific tools.
Why did you decide to start a dialogue on immigration seeing it through a sex game? How did you come up with this connection? And why did you think to play with audience’s expectations about the ending?
They are a couple and in the carnival games everything is about love. So they are looking to make their lives more interesting and funny; by playing this game they are, at the same time, telling the truth to each other but without knowing it they are staying honest, without realizing it … and then this honesty explodes - it fires up and releases all the feelings and emotion. This is the game. They decided to play the game and to be honest…and they couldn’t manage any more games; they had to be together
What about the mask? Which is, in your opinion, our most hidden anxiety and insecurity? What is the thing that we don’t let other people see?
The most important thing for me is to be honest with ourselves. We lie to each other - I want a career, I want money, material things…
The burning of the puppet reminded me of something primal and a kind of a savage practice that you probably don’t expect to see in a contemporary society; like the ancient archaic fests where there were no rules, rights or wrongs. Does it say anything about our human nature?
It has to do with our growth; it starts with our parents, our teachers and environment. They put us in the line and teach us the same things. Here in Bulgaria there are people who are not afraid to cross the line but, for example, in Germany people are so strict and afraid to cross the line that if someone comes and tells them “you can do it”, they’re afraid! Like you have been living in a box and suddenly you get out and realize the real life.
I think that these constructed roles are so internalized we take them for granted. Probably this is the most difficult obstacle to overcome. Which is the most efficient way to deal with it and get out of our convenience?
I’d say education. We need to teach kids and generations to really think critically. You are doing something, but what is the reason?
“I should do this”, but why? When you start thinking and analyzing different things, you can use them to see clear the goal that is offered in front of you.
I personally think that we have to teach our kids and ourselves to really analyze and to not to do superficial things.
Any plans for the future?
I have no concrete plans right now but I’m really motivated for the future.
CARNIVAL GAMES
Director: Daniel Ahmakov
Writer: Daniel Ahmakov
Cinematography: Dimitar Rozov
Composer: Aleksander Andonov
Editor: Daniel Ahmakov
Producer: Haritina Vladimirova
Cast: Tina Harry, Tony Stoyanov
It is Carnival week. The two main characters are pushed into a breaking point situation. Will they play by the carnival rules or they will trust their hearts? An intense story of anger, revenge, love and dual roles.
Daniel Ahmakov´s made his directing debut with a dance theatre performance of “When the Gods Were Born” (2006) with actors suffering from hearing loss. In 2007, he moved behind the camera. In 2012 he moved to Germany. Recently, Daniel earned a Masters degree in film directing.
BULGARIA / GERMANY
INTERVIEW
You are from Dominican Republic and you are filming in Bulgaria, Have you found some language barrier when filming with a big team from other country?
All the team spoke English, even some of them could speak spanish but we had no problems. The most important thing was to be ble to communicate with Leonid Yovchev (the main character), since he was the main part of the film. It was for him that I could make this film. He uses to do theatre play, you can not watch him doing movies that often. He chooses his films very carefully.
So, you knew he was the right person since the very beginning.
Yes, sure. It was one time in the set when I was watching him acting with Anni that my hair stood on end. In that very moment I knew he was the right one. And I feel really proud to have him in my film because he usually refuses any film script.
Did you choose the short film format for some particular reason?
Actually the movie was created in the beginning as a thirty five minutes length film, but to meet the requirements of several festivals they said it had to have twenty minutes maximum. That means fifteen minutes were cut, so I think the film could be much better.
Do you miss something special from that fifteen ‘stolen’ time?
One scene, one dialogue, something that now you think ‘I should put it in the final edition’?
There were a lot of scenes we couldn’t use because they were out of focus or because it wasn’t the best performance of the actor. It may could be better, but we did it. This film was shot in 2015 but postproduction took me a year because of the music and some sound and color issues. But we did it finally.
How was born the idea for this project?
I wanted to do something different. Cause all the movies I’ve seen lately are about political or world problems somehow. Bulgarian short films usually are focused in Bulgarian issues, like some social problem or things like that. For me it’s too depressed, too much based in reality.
So when I decided to do this movie I was inspired by Edgar Allan Poe’s tales. I was in that moment reading tales about people that went mad because they couldn’t be with the person they loved. I was also inspired by the movie Secret Windows with Jonny Depp. All of this combined push me to write this movie.
Would you say it is a romantic film or a thriller? Cause it is hard to choose one or another due to the plot. It starts like a kind of shy strange love story and then it all change so bad. And one doesn’t know if it is really happening or is just the imagination of the main character. It’s kind open to interpretation, especially the end.
Actually, the very first time that Leonid Yovchev saw the script, he told me that he liked that kind of movies cause at the end the audience is not pretty sure about what is the ‘reality’. Each person can read the end in a different way. Maybe is not as much clear as I wanted. I mean, she is his master piece, so in the moment she rejects him, he knows he has to kill her. He says something like ‘if you are not for me, you are not for no one else’.
Regarding this sentence, and this parallelism between the cello and the woman as an instrument, It is an accidental idea in the movie? Did you want to talk about sexism? Because the character is so possessive and he feels the right to have her even is she doesn’t want.
It’s true that back in my country there’s a lot of sexism. Men think they are the owner of their partners. And there are people that kill themselves because they break off or they can not be with the person they love. So it is all about that, not being able with the person you love, and this is another possible ending, he decides to kill her instead kill himself or whatever.
What about making a feature film?
I don’t feel ready for that. I want to improve my skills with short films first, my technique. And it’s not that easy the short film format cause in a short time you have to tell an story full of feelings and you need to explain so many things in such a short time. But I’ve got clear what kind of movie I would like to make, something like Sweeny Todd by Tim Burton. For me it is one of his master pieces. It’s a musical but it is kind machiavellian too. It’s unique, I really enjoyed it.
Music is a central part in the film, Is there any particular reason for that?
Classical music can be very Machiavellian, very strong, Can be very beautiful and very evil at the same time so it fits perfectly with the tone.
In witch genre do you feel more comfortable writing or directing?
In this moment I’m focused into thrillers. I feel really comfortable with it, drama, for example, is something I’ve never liked. I can’t write drama, I like to watch it but I’m not interested in that path.
Have you got any future/next projects?
Right now I’m working in some scripts. On of them is something about politics, not something current but in a global way. It’s about a murder. Actually, it will be scientifically a natural death, but it’s an implemented death created to look like natural. It’s a thriller obviously.
Is it going to be another Bulgarian project?
Probably yes. I’d like to film it back in Dominican Republic if it’s possible. But it’s cheaper to film here so, I don’t know.
CELLO
2016 / 20’ 00’’ BULGARIA
Director: Nicolas Akrabov
Writer: Nicolas Akrabov, Lyubo Yonchev
Cinematography: Simona Ravalieva
Composer: Alexander Kostov
Editor: Lyubo Kirov
Producer: Lyubo Yonchev, Lyubo Kirov
Cast: Leonid Yovchev, Daniela Marinova
Alexander, a music and photography lover falls in love with his new neighbor Anita. In his mind he thinks she finds him interesting, while in her mind she thinks he is just a common weird wannabe artist. In the end we find out that he is quite the mental artist.
Nicolas Akrabov was born in Switzerland in August 30th 1990. Raised in Dominican Republic by Bulgarian father and Italian mother. Graduated from Catholic school and then moved to Bulgaria in 2012 to pursue his dream as a film director.
INTERVIEW
From where comes this idea? Where did you get inspired?
It’s somehow like a personal story, it is somehow something I have experienced in my childhood. It was very different back then in Sofia, no so many cars and the change to capitalism… that’s why we chose those places to shoot and it doesn’t look exactly like in the movie, it’s not the typical places in Sofia. In a way it a little bit like old school. I also wanted to present the attitude, I don’t think there are now a days many people with this attitude. The kid specially has this attitude, throwing the apple to the neighbor, kicking the other boy…
How did you chose the actors?
I didn’t do a real casting, with the boy I was lucky, a friend of mine is teaching kids in small theatre workshops they’re doing, she showed me some kids and I liked this one for some reason. We met, we talked and it happened, very fast. The old man and the woman were also in the film ‘The unfortunate events of Mr. Maznikow’ and I met both of them through a friend of mine. Actually the woman will be in my next movie.
What about the music? Why jazz?
I think this is the sound of the city and the boy, I mean, it fits. It is not the music that the kid would listen, but the
music that he represents. Since there’s not much dialog, music is very important and I think it gives the right feeling. This is the feeling I had walking though the street, and the way he walks… I didn’t see the point for a conversation. For me the last moment in the bench is the most important, a little bit inspired by Truffaut.
What are your future plans?
For the next year I have a new project, actually I have a pitching in the Academy …. A fiction.
Have you planned going abroad to study or record? I was in Croatia last year for six months and I liked it over there. Actually, I think part of my last movie is inspired there, not the story itself, but I had time to think about many things and there is where we got the idea to shoot in Plovdiv.
What about the critics? Are you listening to them?
I listen when it’s built and explained, in those cases I try to understand, but when somebody tells me “I don’t like it”, it is very subjective, I can not do anything. Actually I know a lot of my mistakes during the process so sometimes people tell me some mistakes that I already know the reasons why it happened.
DESIRE
ЖЕЛАНИЕ
2015
Director: Veselin Zografov
Writer: Marina Alexiadu, Veselin Zografov
Cinematography: Dimitar Tenev
Composer: Mark Allaway
Editor: Bohos Topakbashian
Producer: Veselin Zografov
Cast: Atanas Slavov, Krasimira Puleva
A hungry boy roams the streets of the city. A situation brings him not only food but compassion.
Veselin Zografov graduated the First English Language School in Sofia. He was involved in a lot of documentaries, short and feature films as sound recordist and sound editor. At the moment he is studying film and tv directing at NATFA “Kr. Sarafov”. In the last couple of years he directed the short documentary “The Last Second” and three short films.
INTERVIEW
First I would like to ask you why you select this festival to submit your film?
I like this festival because it’s a great international spot for meeting film directors and curators from all around the world so it’s an interesting place to see other movies, with a mixed audience, mixed ideas of people from all around the world.
I have participated in a couple of festivals out of Bulgaria. The last festival was a Russian festival in the Gerasimov Institute of Cinematography of Moscow, which is another international festival.
Do you think there is enough space for Bulgarian cinema abroad?
I think we need more space but it’s good that we have this type of “new wave cinema” that is coming out now so we should make more space for ourselves making better movies. There is a whole new generation that is coming now through short movies. Every year in every festival I see better and better short films. So the level is getting up and the films are getting more complicated with more interesting ideas. I think the level is going up.
It’s very interesting that you mentioned the short film format, it’s difficult to build a complete story in a limited time?
It’s very difficult because you always have to sacrifice some points of view, some characters or a parallel story that maybe is going on at the same time as the main one.
But still I think that you manage to have some parallel stories: the story with the doctor was pretty clear.
Yes, but maybe we needed to show parallel stories, the point of view of people from the village and the point of view of the “bad guy” because he is not only a “bad guy”, he is just a person that is scared, who’s washed out by media. There are not good or bad people, there are points of view, but in a short format you can not show everything.
Right, you have to focus in a specific aspect of your story. How big is the step from short format to feature film? Are short films an exercise for you to go to the next level?
There are many schools of thought to answer this question. I think short films are in a way a different discipline from making feature films because there are such different rules to play in this game of short films, but it’s definitely an exercise for a big film. Everyone from us want to make a feature film.
But despite that, you still manage to show several parallel stories. For example, the story with the doctor was pretty clear. Yes, but maybe it would be necessary to show several other parallel stories as well – the point of view of the people from the village, the point of view of the bad guy, because he’s not only the bad guy, he’s actually a scared person, washed out by media. There are no good or bad people, but there are different points of view, and in a short format you can’t show it all. There are a lot of questions arising in a short film, but it’s not possible to give all the answers because you only have a limited amount of time, so you have to focus on one specific aspect of your story.
How big is the step from short format to feature films? Are short films like an exercise before going to the next level – feature films?
There are many ways how to answer this question. I think short films are at the same a different discipline and also an exercise, because everyone who makes short films wants to make a feature film at some point.
Which one do you prefer – short films or feature films?
I’ve never made a feature film, so I don’t know what it’s like, but in general I prefer to have more time for telling my story. More time for going deeper and explore all the points of view.
Maybe that can make feature films tricky as well, because if you want to show everything, you miss the point?
Yes, maybe you miss the focus of the film, and then the film will be about nothing specific.
In your film, it seems that you selected a universal issue in order to illuminate a specific aspect of Bulgarian society. Is that true?
Was that one of your goals?
First of all, my main goal was to tell a story about two different people. They are isolated, and it’s very important for them to find a way to communicated. They are in a strange situation alone, but then there’s also the historical and political context of the refugee crisis in Bulgaria.
You can find the same story in Greece, for example. Yes, and it is a story for humanity, based on very specific circumstances that serve as the setting for the film.
In the film, the protagonist gives a new name to the refugee, it’s like a new start, because they make a new family together. It’s typical for Bulgaria, maybe also for Greece, that some older people in the villages have the tendency to make things that are foreign to them Bulgarian. If they encounter a foreign term, they translate it to make it closer to them. In the film, you can hear the song about Dobry. The shepherd knows his name, he is close to him and this is some kind of fate he has for this man.
When I saw the scene where the man changes the name of the refugee, it seemed to me like he became his father. It is a very interesting way of looking at it. This is one of the good things about festivals, because you get to hear other interpretations of your film. I didn’t have this idea in mind for this scene, but now, when you say it, it’s actually true.
So you are open to different interpretations of your movie, you appreciate them?
Of course I am. I believe that everybody has the right to see and interpret everything in their own way.
You already said that you would like to make a feature film. How difficult is it to do it in Bulgaria?
It is very difficult and very time consuming. You have to convince a lot of people to work for free, you have to find money and maybe coproduction. You also have to be very brave and confident about what you want to do, because if people see you doubting, they will leave you very quickly. It’s important to make a strong team.
Can a short film be commercial?
I’m not sure. If it’s a comedy, then maybe, but it’s very different from feature films, because with short films your main target is always the festivals. So it doesn’t matter if you want to tell a dramatic story, to approach a heave subject.
DOBRY
2016 / 27’ 00’’ BULGARIA /
Director: Orlin Milchev
Writer: Orlin Milchev & Radoslav Petrov
Cinematography: Daniel Delchunkov
Editor: Dimitar Andreev
Producer: NATFA
Cast: Lamine Bamba,Yordan Petkov,Tony Todorov, Emil Markov
Bulgarian shepherd stumbles upon a lost illegal refugee in the boundless Balkan mountains near the border. Their meeting is a connection between two worlds – different ethnic backgrounds, language and culture. Soon they will have to clash with the fear and agression of the people from the local village.
Born in 1987 in Sofia, Bulgaria. He made his first short film after graduating from Saint Sofia school of languages. In 2016 he graduated from the National Academy of Theatre and Film Arts as a film director.
INTERVIEW
How did you choose the topic for your film?
I made this film about things that have always interested me, such as the ambiguity of the other person, loss, solitude, women and so on. But this is all too vague... Besides that, I have been in a similar situation as the main character of the film. It was when I went to get some money, and the woman who was supposed to pay to me received a phone call about her dog’s death. I felt really bad, because I didn’t know what to do and I didn’t know the woman, but she kept herself together and paid me. In this film, I tried to recreate the situation by imagining what could happen and what two people could do for each other. This was the main reason for making the film, but, of course, I added more details and more issues that bother me.
At the very beginning of the film, there is a homeless character who does not appear anywhere later in the film. Why did you decide to introduce this character? What purpose does he serve?
First of all, we wanted to see a real and alive dog in the film, and the homeless guy is with a dog. But I also wanted to create a situation that puts the two main characters in contact at the very beginning and makes them to form an opinion about each other, especially because the woman sees the man being rude to the homeless guy.
What did you use in order to portray the dead dog in the film?
It’s not a dead dog, of course. We used a fur of a wolf that looked like a dog. And for the dog at the beginning of the film we went to a veterinary clinic and used a sedated dog, so no dogs were killed or hurt during the filming.
I suppose that you as a director have many ideas for films that you would like to make. How do you choose one specific idea for each new film?
I don’t simply choose something that I like. It has to be an idea that troubles me and that does not give me peace. Then I can get rid of this idea by making it into a film. There are many stories that people want to tell, but there are also those stories that you simply have to tell, and these are the stories that I choose for my films.
And what was the idea that troubled you while making “Dog”?
Without going into details and giving away too much, I can just say that it was mainly the connection between two strangers.
Did you have any particular difficulties while shooting this film? No, actually it was really fun, because we were very well prepared. I had a great crew, I had people that I like around me, and for this reason I enjoyed the process. I believe that preparation is 90% of the film, so we did not have any difficulties.
The main female character in the film puts her dog in the first place before her job. Is it common in Bulgaria?
It’s true that her actions don’t seem very logical, but it is exactly because of the situation, the death of her dog, that she acts like this. But I cannot speak about Bulgarian people in general, it depends on the person, but I suppose that there are people who would take a day off if something happens to their dog.
In the last part of the film, when both of the main characters are in the woman’s apartment, there is a moment of silence between them. What feeling did you want to create with this moment?
I wanted to show that in this moment everything is possible for them. In a way, they tell each other the truth about themselves. My intent was to create a quiet moment of appreciation and humility. Usually, in these kinds of moments people decide to speak, but I really insisted on the silence and on the man not giving any comfort to the woman. Because, in my opinion, people don’t really understand what’s going on with others around them. We pretend that we understand, but actually we don’t.
Another interesting moment in the end of the film is when the main male character buys a baby stroller. Why was this detail included in the film?
Because during the film we don’t really get many details about him and his personal life. It makes you read the story in a different way, but it’s just a hint about what his life is or could be. We don’t really know if he has a baby, or he is expecting a baby, or maybe he is buying the stroller for someone else. Just the fact that he spent the day with a woman he does not know and then bought a stroller makes the story more interesting and even funny in a way.
This scene doesn’t really look funny in the film, because it’s rather grim, but when you think about the whole situation, it’s quite amusing. I think if people were to verbalize the events of their day every evening, they would realize that they are experiencing and doing a lot of interesting and even extraordinary things.
Could you tell something about your future plans in filmmaking?
I am making another short film in spring, and it will be very different stylistically. I will make a film with a very small crew and probably shoot it with mobile phones. In any case, it will be something completely different. The subject of the film will be digital images and how much they affect our daily lives, how we perceive other people through them. And it will be also about violence – not physical, but other forms of violence.
2016 / 24’ 10’’ BULGARIA / БЪЛГАРИЯ
Director: Vladimir Petev
Writer: Vladimir Petev, Guillaume Protsenko
Cinematography: Boris Slavkov
Sound: Ivan Andreev
Editor: Victoria Radoslavova
Producer: Petar Valchanov, Kristina Grozeva
Cast: Delyana Hadjiyankova, Delyan Iliev, Ivan Savov, Stanislava Nickolova, Irina Andreeva, Julian Petrov, Stefan Denolyubov
Two strangers have to spend a day together. One is Boyan - a bruised eye man in his thirties trying to receive a fee he badly needs. The other is Albena - a detached middle aged woman who is responsible for the payment. Suddenly the woman’s dog turns out to be very sick. She needs to decide whether to put it to sleep and the only person she can rely on in that moment is this total stranger.
Born on March 5th 1985 in Sofia. Since graduation from the Russian State University of Cinematography /VGIK/ in 2010, has been working as a director and scriptwriter of short films and as a first assistant director on long feature films and several TV series. He has also been a director of TV series episodes, commercials, social advertisements and videos.
INTERVIEW
How did you choose such a topic for your film?
Actually, food is kind of a family obsession – my mum is an excellent chef and she has even published a book on how people eat, what they eat and the attitude towards food in different cultures.
When I graduated in 2010 from the Theatre Acting and Directing Department here in Sofia, my theatre piece as a director was called “I’m Hungry”. It was about addictions – not so much food, but rather in the traditional sense of the word. Then I also had an animation project with my sister about desire, and it’s called “Appetite”, so food and food-related references is a recurrent theme in my works.
Food is very important to me. I believe the saying “You are what you eat” to be true, and I think that people often underestimate the power of food over their body and mind.
Do you have any specific dietary habits?
I really love cooking, and mostly I eat vegetarian dishes. For example, right now is the season of soups. I also like to experiment with new recipes and to learn new things from my mom.
In this film you show some kind of a confusion related to food, because it is difficult to choose what to buy, knowing that most of the food contains or has been processed with different chemicals. How do you deal with this issue in your daily life?
I try to buy food locally as much as I can, but obviously it’s not always possible. In any case, I really pay attention to what I am buying and try to avoid eating junk food. But it’s tricky, and what really annoys me is that bio and eco food has become a trend, it’s being treated as something special while it should be a normal thing. I’m actually dreaming of having a house and being able to grow vegetables in my own garden.
The chemicals given to animals are also the main reason why I avoid eating meat. I am not against eating meat, but against how we obtain it. Back in the day, people had to hunt animals, which means they had to fight for the calories they would later eat, but the Western world is now so spoiled, and we don’t even know where the meat comes from, what has been given to the animals and in what conditions these animals have lived their lives. And I don’t want to be a part of this system, because I see that, together with the food that becomes robotic, also people are becoming robotic. To be honest, I find it really scary.
You started approaching the subject of today’s society. Could you elaborate your thoughts on that?
I don’t want to underestimate the progress in science and technologies, it’s really impressive, but at the same time the progress in humanity and human values is going backwards. I feel that people nowadays, even in art world, are scared. They choose the conventional way of doing things instead of trying something new. And people like me who try to be different very often are not understood.
People are often shy about speaking their minds out on different subjects, also in art, but in my opinion art is not the place for being politically correct. Of course, it’s also necessary to distinguish between art and commercial products, and this is where the problem lies, because most of us have to live from our art. And of course, we want to reach as many people as possible and be successful, but at the same time to remain free in our expression.
Hasn’t that always been a problem in art?
In a way, yes. But nowadays I see only trends, for example, right now social dramas are very trendy and they get chosen for all the big festivals such as Cannes. From there, they gain recognition and continue to be screened and awarded in other festivals. I am not saying that these films are not good, because they are, but there are many other great films that don’t get noticed at all. Another thing that really bothers me is that directors who come from a specific country are expected to work in a specific genre. In Bulgaria, I am expected to do films about the difficult situation in our country, about how hard it is to live here. That’s what the big festivals usually choose, and if you don’t play by these rules, you’re out of the game.
And I’m speaking from my personal experience. Even though “Eat Me!” has participated in several festivals and received some awards, it’s also been criticized quite a lot. Mainly because it’s not a personal story based on an emotional idea, but rather on a concept. Besides that, you can kind of relate to the main character, but you don’t really feel for her, at least not in the traditional way. I have been told that the film is entertaining, but it does not really affect the audience emotionally.
Have you thought about developing further the idea of this film in your future projects?
Our relationship with food is something that I would like to explore further, and actually I would love to make “Eat Me!” into a feature film. Of course, it would be very different, starting with the setting. But I would also take on a more emotional approach, and the main character would have a journey of a hero that makes it more relatable for the audience.
In the film, you also approach the way that we treat not only food, but things and even people in general. We throw away and replace everything so quickly – our things, our relationships – without trying to fix them if something is wrong. Is that one of the messages you wanted to convey in your film?
Yes, definitely. I wanted to show that things are interrelated, and of course there are several themes in the film, but they all lead to the same thing – we are what we eat, and the way we eat affects how we treat each other in our relationships.
If in our eating habits we act like members of this consumer society, it inevitably comes into our personal lives and relationships as well. We have all these dating apps, where we can kind of throw people away. It’s our way of life now. However, there is also an advantage in this, because the generations before us were often forced into relationships and marriage. We have more liberty, but it comes with a cost – there are actually more lonely people nowadays than ever. The loneliness amidst the abundance of our communication possibilities is astounding.
How do you personally feel about these changes that you see in the society?
I am trying not to be scared, even though I am, because I feel like I am a part of the underground community, especially here in Bulgaria. Wherever I go – concerts, films, and such – we are always the same small group of people interested in the same things, and that makes me sad.
Glittering socialite Laura starts slipping from the daily reality of a weight obsessed rich man’s mistress. While on a fancy dinner with her gluttonous lover she enters a strange world where food dances and sings. The whirlwind of dance blows the air out of Laura’s head and she becomes a different type of girl... How people treat each other is mirrored in the way we treat our environment and our food. That’s why “Eat me” focuses on our attitude to food, its dubious contents and food waste through the prism of a skewed relationship.
Ilina Perianova is from Sofia, Bulgaria. She has participated in theatre classes since childhood and afterwards studied theatre acting and directing in France and Bulgaria. In 2016 Ilina became a graduate from the MA program in Film Directing in the Baltic Film and Media school in Tallinn, Estonia.
INTERVIEW
What was your role as director assistant in the making of this film?
I worked closely together with the director, I had many organizational tasks, such as finding sets and making work schedule for the team. Besides that, I also worked with the director on different ideas by sharing our opinions and trying to find what works best in the film.
What was the most interesting part for you in working on this film?
The entire film was interesting to work on, because we had some bigger scenes for which we had to find extras and then organize these people who often were found only in the last minute.
Another really exciting thing was to see the process of how this story was actually made into a film, because the work on it was started already in 2012. The shooting started in 2013 and there were only two or three scenes missing, when Kiril (Kiril Totev – director of “For Eva”) realized that it was not the film he had intended to make and he didn’t finish it. Then, in 2015, he decided to start again from scratch. This is also when I joined the project, because we had met while working on another film.
I was very fascinated by the story, because it is classical, but at the same controversial. I mean, it’s a story about a father who is hiding his child from the mother, and it’s hard to tell if he’s doing the right thing or not. It also makes it difficult to find the right way how to show it in a film, so that audience wouldn’t say that they like the film, but that the father is a bad guy, because he is neither good nor bad. Besides, the film has kind of an open ending which gives people space to think and form their opinion. For me, it was very interesting to see how we would make this work – from script to shooting and all the way to the viewers. And I think we did a good job.
Were you involved with any other parts of making the film, such as music or editing?
My contribution for the musical part was that I contacted Aleksander Karagiozov who is currently studying composing, but he has already worked on several short and feature films. He had previously composed music for my own film. He did it in 24 hours and the music fit perfectly, so when “For Eva” was finished, I thought that he was the right man for composing the music also for this film. And he really did an amazing job – Kiril didn’t even have any remarks after listening to it, it was perfect.
FOR EVA
ЗА
2016 /
Director: Kiril Totev
Writer: Kiril Totev, Viktor Petrov
Cinematography: Emilian Dechev
Composer: Aleksander Karagiozov
Editor: Kiril Totev, Viktor Petrov
Producer: Kiril Totev
Cast: Iveli n Penchev, Luizabel Nikolova
A young girl, suffering from a rare form of amnesia, wakes up every morning in an unknown place her home. Her memories fade away when she falls asleep and the only thing that gives her strength to continue in life is a letter she writes to herself every evening. Will this be enough for her to let close a complete stranger, who will cure her from the feeling of loneliness?
I was born in Sofia, Bulgaria in 1985. I started my career as a filmmaker with several short films created by himself. In 2002 I took a step further and created a small filmmaking studio named Clapboard Film Studio. There I managed to persuade some passionate filmmakers to help him with the creation of independent short films. In 2012 I started “Kino bukvar” web series intended for filmmaking enthusiasts.
INTERVIEW
Is it the first time that you participate in this festival? What were your expectations for being here as a director?
I’ve been participating for ten years at IN THE PALACE, but this is the first time that I’m here as a director. My expectations are to increase the recognition of my work among the audience here in Sofia. There are a lot of events and screenings, and I think that the communication with the public has improved lately. There are some people coming with classes and lectures, and it has become more interactive.
Also the Q&A sessions are really interesting. I thought they were going to be the usual kind of Q&A sessions that are not always exciting, but in the end I liked them very much, because you can talk freely about your film projects with other people that really know how it works.
So it was an opportunity to socialize and to get in touch with colleagues and perhaps event to create new partnerships?
Yeah, for example today I met some people that are scriptwriters and I’m really interested in them. Until now I have written my own scripts but for the next project I want to find somebody who can help me doing it.
Is it because you don’t like writing scripts or is there another reason?
No, it’s just that there are other people that do it better. Actually, I like writing, but I think that when you are strictly a writer and you’re not a director, you work better because you go much more in the detail of the stories and of the characters you create, while the directors always have good ideas about shooting, post-production.
Actually it’s the first time I hear this kind of choice for the production of a movie.
I guess that’s because there is so many people doing it without revealing it. Maybe people are afraid to say they’re not able to do something in the proper way. It’s really hard to find someone that would match with your creativity and with your way of working.
I saw that your crew is international. Was that an intentional decision or just an accident I definitely prefer it this way. My lifestyle is very international. I don’t live strictly in Bulgaria, I graduated film studies in Madrid, I lived in Spain for ten years, then I came back and started to work here but I’ve traveled a lot. I like meeting people from other countries and some of my crew members I actually met at international film festivals. The international atmosphere is an essential aspect for my work.
Let’s talk about your film. It’s a love story, isn’t it?
Yes, it is. But the main topic for me was forgiveness, that’s the reason for the title. There isn’t a clear narration, it’s rather poetic. It’s a love story of a broken dream and it’s very important that in life, when you fail to do something the way it should be done, to forgive yourself. But it’s also very difficult. I think that the main story of my film is about a guy who is trying to find a way how to forgive himself for the mistakes he’s made.
And what about black and white?
Actually, I don’t like black and white used for everything just to make it look more artistic. Usually I never chose this way of editing.
But in this project the esthetic was so much good in black and white for the outcome of the movie, giving at it the cherry on top.
Have you ever thought of making a feature film?
Yes, definitely. I’ve shot a lot of different things, like documentaries, commercials, music videos… Now I’m doing a short movie that is in post-production. I am almost sure that this is going to be my last short, so maybe I can focus on a feature movie. I think I really need a wider audience and not just only the film festival people whom I don’t feel being my target. It’s important to grow the range of your audience, in all kinds of industries. That’s why I like doing music videos and commercials.
Can a short film be a mainstream target?
No, I don’t think so. Short films give you so much freedom for your choices of narrative, of structure, for different experiments. And I love it but I don’t love that at the end my film just goes to some festivals and even if it’s a big one the audience is never a wide range of people.
Regarding your audience goals, let’s talk about your project ‘Conscious Cinema’. I really find it very interesting. That’s a project that went directly to the public and I’m really proud of it. It was not esthetically perfect because of the budget, but as a concept it’s an amazing idea that made a connection with the feelings of people of the street. We were in different cities of Bulgaria and all kinds of people came to the ‘Conscious Cinema’ cabins, watched and discussed with us. It was a success as a social experience.
Is it still running?
The project is still available for all the cities in Bulgaria, but you have to know that what we have created was just a demo. The idea was to make it much bigger, but at the moment I’m not sure. If at some point I’m able to find a new budget, I’m going to continue developing it.
Is it difficult to find some financial help for projects like this? No, it isn’t. But there is a little bit of competition.
I also want to ask you something about Bulgarian cinema. What do you think of your generation of filmmakers?
Well, I think it’s starting to grow and some good films have been released lately. Every time that I watch a Bulgarian movie there is always this Bulgarian person inside my head telling me that it was a good movie, but if I watched it with different eyes, in an international way, I would think there are still so many things to do to reach a better quality, like it was in the past.
And do you think you can join this development process of Bulgarian cinema or do you think you are going to work in the international circuit?
I don’t feel I’m 100% part of a movement in Bulgaria, at all. Maybe in the future, but right now my artistic view is not really connected with what’s going on here.
FORGIVE
ПРОШКА
2015 / 12’ 30’’ BULGARIA
Director: Marieta Petchanska
Writer: Marieta Petchanska
Cinematography: Dimitar Nedelchev
Composer: Ivo Paunov
Editor: Matadora Films
Producer: Marieta Petchanska, Denis Mujovic
(New Ground Productions)
Cast: Mala Rodríguez, Veselin Veselinov, Andrey Assenov, Marin Marinov
A short poem of a broken dream. When you cannot change the past, the only remedy is forgiveness.
Marieta Petchanska graduated film studies and started her career as a visual artist in Madrid, Spain. She has directed several shorts, documentaries and music videos. Her visual art has been shown in plenty of international cinema and music festivals around the globe. Marieta Petchanska has gained popularity in Bulgaria with her innovative project Conscious Cinema.
INTERVIEW
The film has won many awards in other festivals. Could you tell us a bit more about the tour?
The film has been almost in a hundred festivals. So, yes, it’s been a long tour. I`ve gone to a couple of them like in Italy or in Spain, where we won two awards. This is a great thing cause people from different countries accepted the film quite well.
It’s really interesting to see how people react to your work. And I was curious, are they going to get the jokes? And will they understand that this world, that phenomenally looks upside down, is actually exactly like ours? That nothing has changed, that everything it the same. I was really glad that people understood it very well and they laughed that much with every gag. In the other hand, I also got a comment which was brilliant, a girl commented beneath my film that she liked it but she didn’t understand what it was about! Something which was really good for me!
But this is the interesting part, right? I mean the matter of perspective, the multiple readings, all the different layers in there.
Totally agree, actually when we did the first editing of the film, it was about 30 minutes of length. And there were a lot of sub-plots in that film that you don’t really see in this one. We made a lot of screenings with friends and people from the industry to see if we were telling the same story. People reacted very bad in some of the small stories, they couldn’t grasp them, so we cut a lot of things that weren’t working and we tried to focus on the main story. Some of that plots were beautifully shot, but somehow they didn’t fit on the story I was trying to tell.
In the final scene, what was the message for you? Well, the guy is trying to change himself but in the end he kind of reject all what society expects from him because he likes her. I think that’s the point I like the most in the film, and in the ending, of course. I think it was important to show this, he accepting himself, she accepting hi as well, apart of the society standards of beauty and expectative.
It seems that there’s a lot of to tell about this world you’ve created and these characters, Was it mean to be a short film since the very beginning or you may thought film as a feature film at some point?
A lot of people think the same, but in my opinion this film could not be done as a feature film properly because in feature films we have an hour and a half and you have to explain meticulously every single tiny thing…What is happening with the grass or the small pebbles in the street or when you open the window? You have to answer a lot of questions and in the end you will make a film that is super high tech with special effects but you will get a story that will be underdeveloped and in the end the physics will not be true after all. You can even remove the moon from our space - I don`t know how it would react, but I am not sure it would change gravity dramatically. In an hour and a half you will have too many holes in the story and you have to explain everything you are doing. And somehow in twenty minutes you can play with the details easier.
Have you worked in other short films as director?
This is my debut actually. I have also done a short documentary after that and I`m also working on an animation right now. I’ve also written a feature film and I’m trying to work it out. It’s a comedy. But I have worked in three feature films as an editor.
Actually, working as editor I have learned a lot from other director’s work, how they approach their work, their perspectives, their doubts, I have seen everything. And I can say I have learned a lot of things and also one of the directors helped a lot with this film.
Do you think there is an open communication or collaboration between bulgarian directors?
Directors are quite selfish but there are people who offered their help for the film. In my opinion, you have to be open to criticism and accept everything. This is the only way that all this is going to work. After all, you have to work with yourself, you have to talk with a lot of people about your films so that you can make them better.
Do you prefer comedy rather than other genres?
I’m not sure. As an artist, I like comedy, I like this kind of absurd comedy. My short documentary is kind of the same humor as this film, it’s super naive, funny and sad at the same time. My animation on the other side is a drama, I have never worked on drama so I’m excited to see how this is going to work. I don’t think you can only do one thing. As an artist, you have to experiment, not to repeat yourself, try different things.
What kind of films have inspired you? Which are the filmmakers that you like the most?
Of course as an artist I’m influenced by other artists and there are directors that I love. For example, for this film, the art director took the inspiration from King`s speech. That was the aesthetic I wanted for the movie. Since the beginning, I wanted this film to be full of contrasts and contradictions. And originally we had a sort of a dispute with my colleague because he wanted something different, but then the colorist came up and showed us about how colors work and how they react with the story. I wanted to create a specific image in my mind, in between Wes Anderson and Amelie’s aesthetic. Finally we had a huge discussion and it was developed in the way you see in the film, more or less our idea.
And what about your future animation film?
It’s a new experience. Being and animator is a new thing for me, too many details and so many colors! So it’s exciting and unknown for me at the same time. You have to pay attention to things you wouldn’t do in a normal movie and you have to find an answer to everything. It is a completely different world which I love to explore.
GETTING FAT IN A HEALTHY WAY
2015 / 22’ 00’’ BULGARIA /
Director: Kevork Aslanyan
Writer: Kevork Aslanyan, Georgi Merdzhanov
Animation: Filip Popov (visual effects)
Cinematography: Boris Slavkov
Composer: Julien Diaz
Producer: Toma Waszarow, Anna Stoeva
Cast: Ovanes Torosyan, Petyo Cekov, Keti Raykova, Tsvetomira Daskalova, Ivan Matev, Silva Petrova, Lyudmila Daskalova, Ana Topalova, David Torosyan, Dimitar Katsarov and Toma Waszarow
In a world where gravity is weak and skinny people fly into the sky, Constantine has never left the apartment he shares with his father Atanas. But one day the beautiful stewardess who moves into the building will change Constantine’s life forever.
Director Kevork Aslanyan started out as an editor. He graduated in 2009 as Film and TV Editor from the National Academy for Theatre and Fine Arts in Sofia, Bulgaria and went on to work on such multiple international award winning feature films as Shelter (2010) and Zift (2008) as well as numerous short films.
Simultaneously directing his own short films during all that time, he then applied to the London Film Academy from which he has just graduated as writer-director (March 2012) with a 12 minute pilot for black comedy Brit grit feature film (No White) and a co-written feature script.
INTERVIEW
Your film is a really hard story, full of trauma and childhood nightmares somehow. But at the same time there’s a clear definition of love (the sacrifice for the other, the dependence, the caring). It has several interpretations of course, but, How did you decide for filming this kind of story?
In my university, I had a workshop about the psychoanalysis and movies based on true stories. After one week I met a few women who shared their stories with me (about their childhood and one of them - about “Oedipus complex” and her father). I was shocked by what I heard, so then I decided that these stories had to be told. Of course, “I love you, daddy” is not only a real story, but I think that this (hidden) reality must be shown and also known by the audience.
Anyway, it is not an story about sexual abuse but love, isn’t it? Yes, kind of disturbing, but as the title says ‘I love you daddy’. It was an idea made in purpose? Like love is weird, and full of lies and strange relationships. That was the intention? The tiny line between love and sickness? The limit between the relationships is always very tiny. Is not only about the love. Is more the education, the religion (in the education) and the sickness in the society. Yes, I know that a lot of people aren’t in love in theirs daughters or fathers, but in this film I talk about the mistakes and the missed chances in the life (mostly in the childhood).
There are some shots for telling the most sensitive parts of the story that are beautifully filmed actually. They could be more agresive but they help you to understand the relationship (I mean one of the last escenes, for example, when the father gets into the house and opens his trousers). Did you have to think a lot about these kind of moments, on hw to tell such a sensitive information without being that painful for the audience? Yes, I’m agreed that I could choose the other shots, but the story is so heavy and ugly if you want, that you don’t need to see more of this. I had a great shooting team, we were
discussing a lot of time about certain scenes and how to shooting them. I hope that was the best decision.
There is this thing about religion also, It was important for the plot to introduce this religious crisis in the character?
For me- yes. The part of the religion explained some of the Veronica’s actions and reactions. Today, the religion is interpreted in the wrong way (more and more every time). Everyday we hear something about that. But I wanted to show, that the “religion terrorism’’ is not only with kalashnikov and explosion. Sometimes is more deeply.
After this project, what’s next? Maybe a feature film? I’m actually working for my next project. It’s about Syria and Bulgaria, about two childhoods, the hope, the war and something other.
In witch genres do you feel more comfortable? Drama, always drama. Hahah. It’s true that I write only drama stories, this time will be drama too and a little bit war movie.
I LOVE YOU, DADDY
2015 / 13’ 18’’ BULGARIA
Director: Rositsa Trayanova
Writer: Rositsa Trayanova
Cinematography: Dimitar Tenev
ComposerМ Milen Apostolov
Editor: Ilhan Mustafa, Theo Lauren
Producer: Zlatka Keremedchieva, Thomas Dahirel
Cast: Zornitsa Georgieva, Alia Madjarova, Alexander Hristozov, Zlatka Keremedchieva
Veronica is a young 25 year old woman who works as a prostitute to save her father who has cancer. Veronica’s mother was so strict that once she left the little girl without diner because she didn’t pray for the food. Veronica grew up and she became an adult. She remembers her mother, her punishment, her leaving, his father who saved her from her mother and who loved her all his life.
Rositsa Trayanova is a Bulgarian film director and screenwriter. In 2012 she graduated from Art College of Screen Arts in Sofia, Bulgaria. After that she continues her education in EICAR, St. Denis, France. During her education Rositsa shot many documentaries and short feature films but “I love you, daddy” is her first debut, selected to more than 10 international festivals and awarded by ARFF Berlin and Los Angeles Cine Fest, the film took also place in Short Film Corner on the festival in Cannes.
INTERVIEW
Is this film your first official submission for a festival? I filmed my degree final project but I didn’t submit it in festivals. I didn’t think there was any point in doing it. I also didn’t graduate from a film university, so I hadn’t the back up of my university, which I think is always helpful. I was studying something completely different: media technology, where I did very diverse things, such as video production, audio recording production and mixing; even programming, 3D and other things.
So, in a way, you knew how to put something together in terms of technical skills, but not in a sense of creating it as a director.
Yes, absolutely. But I didn’t want to study directing at first place. For me, directing is a perspective; you figure it out in the way. Of course, it is always good to have someone to show you the basics of it. That’s why I did a screen writing course in London, and while I was doing that I decided to write something with an existing structure. I wanted to work on someone else’s work so I can practice for my own.
Is this the reason why you based your film on a play? Did you want to be more confident about yourself and then start doing some completely original?
Yes, in some way. Also, it turns out that trying to transform a play into a film is ridiculously hard. I worked on the script for 4 months and I was never particularly happy about it. You have to cut a lot of it, for example all these theatrical long monologues that couldn’t be included. I wrote something very different in terms of structure.
Was it supposed to be a feature film at first place? I never thought about the duration itself. I just wanted to make a film based on a play – regardless of the form – just trying to tell that story and feed my personal experience through it. It was practice, experiment and my personal need to do that.
What about the idea? You wanted to tell some particular things and then the play came and both of them fitted together? Or did you see the play and you wanted to include your personal thoughts?
It is more like the second. I saw the play myself – my sister was in it as an actress – and I felt it was very sentimental. When I watched it during Christmas of 2013, it was a time when we already knew that our mother was ill but she was getting better; at least that is what the doctors were saying. But, unfortunately, she passed away unexpectedly two weeks after that. So, I was in a particular state of mind for some months after that. I didn’t think about writing, or reading, or working.
But this project was her wish, so I needed to get something done. That’s how it started: me trying to think and work through this anger, because there is always anger apart from the sorrow. Hate and anger towards the disease. That’s why the characters approach the disease in a different way. We see someone who experiences anger and someone else who is really scared of what is coming, and then other person who embraces the disease and falls in love.
How was working with your sister? Particularly since the film is a personal project and speaks about an issue you both experienced deeply.
It was difficult in a way, but it worked well in the end. We both knew why we were doing this; we both had the same emotional baggage with us and something to release, while helping each other. I feel that she took it as a personal project as well and she is really professional and good at what she does. So I didn’t have any particular problems even the circumstances were not easy during filming: we filmed everything in 8 days actually, with almost no sleep.
What about the location?
It was shot in Rhodopi Mountain, very close to a place where we have a house. I really like this mountain; it has so much “energy”… it makes me calm and sleep a lot better that anywhere else. We stayed in the hut of a forest ranger. They were really kind to let us using it for shooting and staying there. There was no electricity, so we felt this confinement and isolation; but this was actually the point.
Is there any acceptance from the characters towards the disease in the end? Do they accept the disease or each character has its own course and they can never come to terms with that?
Probably there is an acceptance in a way, only because they have this feeling that they will get cured. In my perspective, we can only find the cure in nature and not in medicine. The characters were only smiling and laughing when they were out in the nature; that’s the hidden meaning inside. The music is strong as well. It’s original from a friend of mine who is a very experienced conductor, so it was a gift to have this music.
Any future plans?
Now I am busy with a project in Plovdiv called “Cultural Cosmos”. We are trying to create a cultural centre in an old cinema which was supposed to be demolished to build a car park instead, but people reacted and saved the building.
INTRUSION
НАХЛУВАНЕ
2015 / 25’ 16’’ BULGARIA /
Director: Jordan Chichikov
Writer: Jordan Chichikov, Based on the play “Intrusion” by Frédéric Sonntag
Cinematography: Lora Musheva, Yordan Paunov
Composer: Martin Panteleev
Editor: Bohos Topakbashian
Producer: Jordan Chichikov, Georgi Nikolov, Irmena Chichikova
Seeking seclusion, two couples have withdrawn to a solitary house. The unexplained arrival of a girl with abnormal behaviour confronts them. She appears to have intruded from within. Her persistent attitude and presence gradually becomes disturbing and malignant.
Jordan Chichikov (1988, Plovdiv, Bulgaria) got his degree in Media Technology at Oxford Brookes University. After graduating in 2011, he started working in advertising and film production in London, in the meantime completing a Screenwriting course at Central Saint Martins. In 2014 he set up developing a number of personal film projects, short and full length, and in 2015 completed his first short film «Intrusion».
INTERVIEW
Where did you find the inspiration for making this film?
At the Krastyo Sarafov National Academy for Theatre and Film Arts, where I am currently studying, we had an assignment to adapt a novel or a short story and make a film. While many of my colleagues decided to adapt works of foreign writers, I really wanted to choose a Bulgarian author. First of all, I wanted to find a story that I would be able to use for shooting a film of less than thirty minutes in length. Besides that, I also wanted a story that would be close to me.
To be honest, at first I had intended to use a different story, but I changed my decision, because I found out that the rights for adapting the first story into a film were already sold to a well-known Bulgarian production company and a famous director was going to work on it. When I found out about this, it was only two weeks before pitching my project in front of the board of my university, so I spent a lot of sleepless nights thinking about what to do. And it was during one of these sleepless and restless nights that I read the story that I finally chose for my film.
Are there any personal reasons for choosing this story?
Yes, the story caught my attention, because I had a similar situation in my family 10 years ago when my father died. My parents were divorced, and I lived with my mother, while my father lived quite far in a village with a bad reception, so we could not talk very often. Besides, he was a climber and I knew that when he went climbing, I would not hear anything from him for quite a while. One of these times, there was an accident and he died. It happened in June, but my family did not tell my anything until September, because I was pregnant at the time. I only found out about my father’s death two days after giving birth to my child.
When I look back at this time of my life, I can remember how my mother came home from visiting my father with presents and greetings from him when she had actually been to his funeral. She even told me that he was making a wooden stroller for my baby.
When I found out the truth, my first reaction was to blame my mother, my husband and the rest of the family. Only much later I realized how difficult it must have been for them, and I don’t know if I would have done the same, but I know that my family did it out of love.
Interestingly enough, this film was finished on the tenth anniversary of my father’s death. And now, after all these years, I realized that actually these months without knowing the truth was an additional time with my father, because I thought that he was still alive, so I feel grateful towards my family for what they have done for me. This is also the
reason why I could relate to this story and why I wanted to tell it.
Could you tell about how the film has been received in different festivals?
I have participated in several festivals in Asia and have also received awards, for example, for directing in Beijing. In Bulgaria, it has been in Golden Rose Film Festival and So Independent Film Festival where “Love” received the award as the best Bulgarian short film. Without listing all the festivals, I would like to mention a festival in Syria which was organized with the idea of creating art despite the war, and we won the first prize there. Although we did not attend the festival because of the war, we were surprised to find out that they even have financial awards despite the difficult situation in the country. I have decided to invest this money to make a film, featuring Syrian actors, about immigration in Bulgaria and about acceptance of the people who arrive from the Middle East. I want to show that these people are not necessarily a threat to our country. I think that shooting this film will be a very interesting experience, especially because the actors have only just arrived to Bulgaria and they don’t even speak Bulgarian.
2015 / 24’ 4’’ BULGARIA /
Director: Boya Harizanova
Writer: Simeon Ventsislavov
Cinematography: Viktor Roev
Composer: Ivo Ignatov
Editor: Emil Granicharov
Producer: Petar Harizanov
Cast: Viktor Ivanov, Katerina Robova, Nikola Pashov
Boris arrives in a mountain village to give back the deceased Radko’s belongings to his only living relatives – Radko’s grandmother and grandfather. Todorka doesn’t know about her grandson’s death. While worried about the health condition of Atanas she decides to hide the truth from him.
Boya Harizanova was born on May 10th 1981 in Ruse, Bulgaria. After graduating as a journalist at Sofia University, she entered the National Academy of Theater and Film Arts in Sofia as a film director. During her educational years in NATFA she filmed four documentaries and two feature movies. Each of them is selected at national and international film festivals.
MAYBE
Director: Martin Iliev
Writer: Martin Iliev, Georgi Ivanov
Cinematography: Alexander Stanishev
Composer: Dieter Dolezel
Editor: Martin Iliev
Producer: Maria Metodieva, Matthias
Zentner, Martin Iliev, Alexander Stanishev
Financed by: Bulgarian National Film Center, Sofia Municipality Program “Culture” 2016, National Culture Fund of Bulgaria, In The Palace
Cast: Mariy Rosen, Simona Halacheva
Hidden behind a telescope, Lone, a modern-day hermit falls in love with a quirky woman from the building opposite. He has to cross the threshold to finally meet her… Maybe tomorrow.
Born in 1985, Martin graduated as a film director from the National Film Academy. Director and writer of several short films, numerous commercials and music videos. Martin took part in the 8th Talents Sarajevo in 2014 with his latest short - “Maybe Tomorrow”. Since then, in 2015 Martin took part in Torino Film Lab Script&Pitch development workshop as a co-writer of the feature film “Pig” (dir. Drago Sholev). Martin is now developing his debut feature “Beetle”.
BULGARIA / GERMANY
PULSE
ПУЛС
2015 / 13’ 58’’
Director: Daniel Delchunkov
Writer: Tania Ilcheva
Cinematography: Alexander Kenanov
Composer: Iskren Iskrenov
Editor: Bohos Topakbashian
Producer: Teodora Andretsudis
Cast: Stanka Kalcheva, Slobodan Aleksich, Georgi Gotsin, Peter Dochev
Dimiter Kalenderov, doctor and veteran from the Second World War suffers from a terminal cancer. His days in the hospital seem like a constant hell despite doctor Radeva’s care. His memories from the war become a safety net for the old man, who once needed to respond to the appeals of the bad wounded soldiers and euthanise them. Now he asks doctor Radeva for the same. Two medics - one against the other, on the front of death. The question that weighs the most - “Am I a murderer?”
Master of Financial Management, Master of Cinematography and Directing at NATFIZ “Kr.Sarafov”, Master of Screen Arts. Since 2007 works as a freelancer in a huge number of feature and documentary movies. Winner of festival awards. Creator of many TV commercials, short films and music videos. Owns a huge experience in product and artistic photography.
BULGARIA
/ БЪЛГАРИЯ
INTERVIEW
Ivan Vazov is an important Bulgarian author; why did you decide to use one of his stories?
When I started working on this movie, in 2015, it was the 165th anniversary of Ivan Vazov and there were many events in his honor. Furthermore, I’m in a master’s degree with Georgi Djulgerov, which is a famous Bulgarian director, and one of his classes is about making movies based on novels or shorts stories. The short story of Vazov that I decided to use is “Who will civilize Shopsko”, that is the area around Sofia.
This is a traditional story; do also the elements in the movie come from this tradition?
If we look historically to Bulgaria, we will know that Bulgarians in the past have been always influenced by European culture, especially after the Ottoman Empire. This influence is continuing also today, not just from Europe, but also America, from all the north-west in general. For example, Elena wearing this lace around her neck; this is not Bulgarian, this comes from the European tradition. All this influences are in Vazov story, he designed it like that.
Were these occidental influences well accepted in the Bulgaria of the XIX century?
It’s interesting to notice that in this story the two lovers are both serving a master (the mistress of the house and the military officer) and they are who bring the occidental element. The representatives of the higher classes, on the other side, are the ones that want for the tradition to keep going. It’s interesting the comparison between the conservative high class, and the lower class that bring the influence from the outside culture.
How it was to create a movie that takes place in a different period of time?
Everything in the movie was made up because this is not our world; even if it’s kept now, the interiors were shot in the museum of Ivan Vazov, which used to be his house. But even if it’s kept as much as possible as the original one some things have changed; so we had to work to hide the windows, or to cover the tables. The exteriors were shot in a villa close to Sofia, which is a new construction and was built in a traditional style; but again we had to hide the metal drain pipes and the material of the roof. It was a big work, because the best set and costumes are those which look natural; the ones that you cannot tell if someone worked on them
Which kind of research did you made to recreate all of this?
The setting of the story is not so long time ago (late XIX sc.), so we had pictures available to take example from and also paintings. There is one painter, Ivan Murkvichka, who made this painting where the subject was a maid and he painted all the details, the way she is dressed, the way she looks…
So the look of the characters is based on his paintings?
We dressed the maids with these original clothes from some old ladies of Vakarel, the region from which Murkvichka comes. They are the owners of the dresses and they came also with the braids made of their own hair, and we just needed to attach them to the actresses’ hair.
Did you also see that they were putting make up but with coal?! This was their way to make themselves beautiful.
Were the unified eyebrows that Stoyana makes up in her face the fashion of that time?
Vazov wrote her like this and we tried to stay closer as possible to the original story. That’s what represents beauty for this character and this is also an excuse for the mistress to find out that something is happening.
What about the uniform of the soldier?
That was rented from a costume atelier and it’s also the correct one for the setting of the movie. We went to the National Museum of Military History and we talked with the archivist there; she made a whole book about costumes of several periods of time.
Anyway, even if the story is based on Vazov novel, the title of the movie is Rendezvous; did you want to put in evidence the first romantic date between the main characters?
I wanted to make the story more about the relationship between the girl and the boy and the fact that their story is going on without the mistress of the house to know. This is their first love, but we also have to notice that in love there is always some sacrifices to make. When you are young, sacrifice comes more natural and easy. It’s true that the soldier is also a servant, but for the maid, in order to gain her freedom, she needs to free herself from the mistress. However, this freedom will be just in order to marry him, that’s her goal. So it’s very hard to tell what freedom is and what this word means for different people. If she marries him she goes back to the village, and anyway she will still have to work because she needs to feed the family.
You think that the mistress is jealous of Elena?
Yes, my answer is yes. The mistress is a really strong and influential person, and she wants to take care of the young maid. She wants to prevent her to get in love and get married. She wants her to be a more civilized person.
On the verge of the XX century, a poor peasant girl is a maid in a wealthy house. Overworked by her demanding mistress, she can hardly find time for her lover, to whom she wants to get married and by doing so to get rid of serving. But will the obstacles between the two lovers deepen their feelings for each other or will that be the reason for their separation?
A director, actress and performer in television broadcasting. One of her documentary films was sold to some television channels in Bulgaria. All films are highly valued, as an evidence of this is the nomination of the film “The Lamb bleats” for Creative Portrait at The European Media Festival The Eight Muse in Sofia 2007. The script “Friends” was awarded for second best screenplay in Film school 2015 in Nu Boyana Film Studio. In 2014 – 2016 Masters’ student in the Master class of prof. Djulgerov in Film and TV Directing at New Bulgarian University. “RANDEZVOUS” has been selected for the National Festival of Cinematography art “GOLDEN EYE” 2016 in Popovo town, Bulgaria.
INTERVIEW
‘Red Light’ is such a beautiful way to introduce so many complicated topics using such a n ordinary situation as a day-to-day bus trip. In this film, you manage to portray the whole scope of modern society through a small group of people - How did you arrive to this idea? How was the project born?
Actually it came from a real story, I read in a newspaper that this happened in somewhere in Poland, it is an special situation. I think in Poland the driver’s motivation was probably totally different, cause they want to be like Germans, they want to be strict and follow the rules. And I thought how our society (Bulgarian) would react in this situation. Even if we are the same European Union, following the same values, the same way of life, this is a totally different society. No one is following the common things, it’s kind of selfish. I mean, speaking generally of course, so these characters in the bus are kind like this.
This short movie introduces several important issues, such as being a good man or being a good worker. What does “red light” mean for you? Was it a moment of your life when you had to stop and ask yourself these kind of questions?
What I wanted to discuss through this film is ‘what are we, what do we mean’. I mean, do we exist as an “us” or is it just you and the ‘others’? Is there a feeling of “us” in society? In the movie the bus stops in front of a broken red light and the driver refuses to move the vehicle because it goes against the rules, so he stays there, and doesn’t let anybody get out because it’s against the rules to do so. Somehow, our society has similarly stopped at a red light and it’s not going anywhere.
Do you feel more comfortable with fiction genre or do you prefer to go back to the documentary as in the early stages of your filmmaking career?
Yes, I’ve edited a lot of documentaries and I’ve shot them too. But I think I prefer fiction despite some people have advice me to keep going with documentaries since they think I’m pretty good in there.
You’ve been awarded as best feature film editor by The Bulgarian Film Academy. Between directing and editing, witch one would you prefer? Why?
Well, I studied film directing in the university, so I were supposed to be a director. But I spent a lot of time wondering if i was good for this, if I should do this. And all this arguing with myself made me do the things slower. I was writing
some scripts, shooting some shorts, waiting for doing my feature film. But maybe I wasn’t ready then. Now I’m almost forty and I feel almost ready for directing my first feature film.
Maybe you haven’t found the right topic for a documentary, something that really touches you?
I don’t think so, there are a lot of topics I’d like but I always have a project in the desk for doing, and they are most of them fiction. Somehow is magnetic.
What kind of projects attract your attention? What is the criteria by which you choose a project? Are you normally looking for something specific: topic, genre, story, characters?
Well, if I want to make something is because there’s something to say about, some message.
This is your fifth short film, Would you say you are ready for a feature film? Have you got any future projects in this sense?
I almost already answered this, I feel ready and I want but I’m going to make another short film first. I already have it and I’m just finding the money for that. I have a long queue of projects. And I want to find my tone. I think I found it in Red Light. I liked filming with that humor tone. When you get inside people with humor, everything is more understandable, easier to connect. In my projects I want to talk about the bad things in the world but in a funny way.
Last weekend we had the 48 hours sofia film challenge for filmmakers to film and edit a short in two days and there were a lot of young people participating, Any tips for young/new filmmakers?
I’ve participated in this kind of challenges so many times too. I don’t think no one is going to want to listen my advices. But if you want to make films you need to feel the necessity of filming. That you need to do that. If you just want to success or being famous, then is not going to work. Even if you film and upload in youtube, for example, and you have one thousand views, Is it worth really? Do people need to watch it? The most important question for any filmmaker is: Why am I doing this?
RED LIGHT
2016 / 21’
Director: Toma Waszarow
Writer: Toma Waszarow, Viktor Dessov
Animation: Name Surname
Cinematography: Martin Balkansky
Composer: Toma Waszarow
Editor: Vladimir Gojun / Toma Waszarow
Producer: Toma Waszarow / Ivan Kelava
Cast: Tsvetan Daskalov, Plamena Getova, Vulcho Kamarashev, Nikolay Varbanov, Yavor Borissov, Zhanet Jovcheva, Boris Kashev, Georgi Sirkatov
In a small Bulgarian village, a bus stops at the only intersection, where the traffic light is stuck on red. Stoyan (63), the bus driver, refuses to move forward which provokes a conflict with the passengers and the local law enforcement. A story about the funny side of apathy, selfishness, and loneliness in a world where following the rules is a misunderstanding.
Toma Waszarow was born in 1977. Started directing short films since 2002. Today he is producer, director and editor. His multi-awarded one-minute short film THE KISS was seen by more than 13 millions of viewers in YouTube. In 2015 and 2016 he was awarded by the Bulgarian film academy for best feature film editor. Red Light is his last short film project, produced in 2016, awarded at many important festivals.
BULGARIA / CROATIA
INTERVIEW
How did this project started? How did you get inspired?
I got inspired in the book “Dandelion Wine”. I read the book in the summer of 2014 and I wanted to make a film about the scene where two friends have to be separated. The book is based in the beginning of the XX century, when it was harder to separate for example 60 miles. I wanted to make a movie in 2016, that’s why I had to send the kid to Australia (laughing).
How was the filming process and the building of the story?
At the beginning I had another idea and I had to change it a little bit because of the actors. The main idea was that there were different kind of people since the contraries attract each other themselves, I wanted to have a loud boy and the quiet boy, but at the end they both were quiet (laughing) so I had to change that.
I was sure I wanted to create all the character that appear in the film. I wanted to have a girl a little brother, a fiend that is lazy and nobody knows what he’s doing and the other team.
How did you choose the actors? Did you know them or did you make a casting?
I wanted all of the kids to be from that village. My aunt is the director of one of the schools so we made a casting there. The two main actors are from Sofia. We wanted to bring them in order to be sure that everything was going to be fine. They are actually best friend in real life and one of them is going to live to Sweden, although it’s the contrary as in the film. Despite of that, it was really good for the acting since they knew what they had to feel. From the rest, just the girl is not from that school and this is because we had a problem where the girl we had taken from the beginning. She did not show up for two or three rehearsal and we couldn’t find her, so we decided to take someone else. I have a friend who is a photographer and knows somebody that works in a theatre group with children so they recommended me this girl, and I’m very happy I had her. This girl is the only one that is related with the acting, the rest isn’t.
Many topics appear in the film: friendship, migration, girl in boy’s world… What was the main topic you wanted to speak about?
I wanted to bring the topic of friendship, more specifically, if it is possible that a friendship lasts after something like this. I wanted to shoot it with children since they are very honest, they will tell you anything they think or feel. So in this case, it was about the reaction of the friend when his friend tells
him in the last moment that he’s leaving. Is he going to still be his friend or not?
A secondary topic that I wanted to bring was the life of a girl in boy’s company. She likes the boy that is leaving, but at the end they remind as friends since friendship is more important for them. Also the little brother… at the beginning he’s nothing to his brother, but at the end he means everything to him.
I actually wanted to show one more thing, but I think I didn’t manage. I wanted to show that the other group, they’re not friends, but at the end, when this big problem comes out, they’re all friends. Emigration was not part of the topic, it is just the excuse to have a complicated situation that put their friendship over the edge.
Do you already have future projects? Can we know a little bit about them?
Yes, I do have a new project in mind, but I’m right at the beginning. I have a script, but I have to change it. It is completely different to this film, although it is also a story about friendship and again there is a problem. It is about a group of people and the main topic is treachery. There are people in this life that can even betray their own friends. It is based in the old ages.
To the editor / director’s assistant: What was the most complicated thing while editing the film?
It was an incredible process. We had the time to make as many variants as we wanted. I was enough open to try many things so we could make the best that we could. It’s really important for director and editor to work together so there can be compromises. There were several versions and we end up with the best result. The process was around seven months of work.
It was very interesting to work with kids, they were so precise with the movements that there were actually no problem from the editing point of view. They were really responsible and Reni made them trust her, what I think it is the most important thing when working with kids.
To both: In how many projects have you work together? And how do you like it?
We have mainly made music videos and also a couple of short films. It is very nice to work together. We plan to keep working together. We are friend for seven years now.
SOLSTICE
СЛЪНЦЕСТОЕНЕ
2016 / 14’ 35’’ BULGARIA
Director: Reni Yoveva
Writer: Reni Yoveva
Animation: Ivan Gegov, Tsveti Dimitrova
Cinematography: Svetlin Yordanov
Composer: Alexander Karagiozov
Editor: Hristina Hadzhidimanova
Producer: Reni Yoveva
Cast: Angel Pepelanov, Toni Paskalev, Steven Yankov, Yoana Anina, Nikolai Nikolov, Yulian Kirilov, Alberto Sedefov, David Vasilev
Krum and Boyan are 12-year-old boys from a small country town who are inseparable. Every day they play football with their friends – Nicky (12), Presiyana (12), and Krum’s little brother – Assen (10) against the team of Boris (12), Plamen (12), and David (12); and every afternoon they measure the sun. Assen is always the one following the score, and Presiyana is the girl who plays with the boys. It is the longest day of the year when Boyan tells Krum that he is leaving for Australia the same night. A friendship is put to the test, a girl proves herself, a boy will no longer just record scores…
Born in Varna. Visual arts - Cinema and Television - Film and television director in New Bulgarian University, Sofia, Bulgaria.
Anny wants to steal the most precious family heir loom – a porcelain service set from Kazakhstan – in order to punish – her grandmother for lack of care. A broken cup and the ringing cell-phone turn girl’s world upside down.
Emanuela graduated directing at New Bulgarian University and screenwriting at National academy of film and theater art, Bulgaria. During her study she has done shorts films, being participant in screen writing developing program 4 Corners.
INTERVIEW
You are participating in the student competition, we would like to know a little bit more about you educational background.
I’m a student in Sofia University in Political Science, I enter there because back then I didn’t know I liked cinema so much. I haven’t studied cinema. I’m learning by myself. Actually three years ago my brother got married three years ago, actually in Balchik, in the Palace, and we bought a camera so I could record it and ever since I have the camera I just want to shoot. Gradually I got into cinema, I started to watch many movies, maybe too much and now I make films and that is what I’m going to do with my life.
Where did you get the idea to shoot this film? Where did you get inspired?
I just wanted to shoot a short film and I thought about what I had in my disposal. I had the actors, actually the main character, I knew him and I knew he was a great actor, so I started to make a roll for him and it really evolved, at the beginning it was more like a detective kind of film. I like this kind of things, mystery, surrealism…
What about your style? Are you somehow inspired by Orson Welles?
For me Lynch is the big guy, of course, Orson Welles is great…. I like deep focus shots, a lot of technical staff. I copy a lot since I cannot already make my own staff. I think this is my personal style, since it’s a little bit of everything that I like.
Your first work and you’re already in an international short film festival, congratulations, what do you think about it?
I can’t believe it and I’m very happy. I submitted it via Feelfreeway and I just found 3 or 4 festivals around the world that were free so I just sent it to them, but I never expected to go anywhere with it.
What about the critics so far?
For me I would say it is too long and I think I could have done differently. But I think it’s normal. Technically it was just a two days job.
About the actors? Are they famous?
Well, no. About the main actor, I think he should be more famous, because he’s a fantastic actor
About the rest of the cast, the actress I wanted for the woman roll didn’t want to take part of the film, so the main actor recommended me Diana, the actress that is in the film is actually a theatrically actress, so for her it’s a little bit different to work in cinema, I guess.
You told us before you paid for everything? Was it hard? How big was the budget?
It depends on how you counted, because actually there’s this segment and I wanted a DHS camera, I got it and it worked, but in the day when it was supposed to, it didn’t, so there went 100 dollars of the budget. In total it was like 300 dollars for food, drinks, etc. It took three days, the problem was that I thought I was well organized, but I wasn’t, on the second day, which was supposed to be the last one, it was midnight and we just had one third of the film.
What was the most difficult thing during the process production?
I guess the organization because I made storyboards at home and I had everything planned out and on the last minute.
Any future plans?
I have a couple, I’ll try to shoot next time I’m back in Bulgaria since I spend part of the year in the United States, so maybe in spring I’ll try to shoot my next project and I hope it’ll be better, more professional, like with real camera, etc.
Maybe I’ll do a couple of more short films and afterwards if I feel confident enough and I have enough funding, I’ll try with a feature film.
We would like to know more about the topic? Why organ trafficking?
Actually the film is about regret, the topic it’s just the excuse, the plot, I wanted it to be something that would be inexcusable, and irreversible, so I was thinking about it and it either rape or murder, but murder itself is not that bad, but if it’s the murder of a young girl and meant with financial gain, it makes things different, so that’s why, it’s not that I like human trafficking (laughing). I think it also helps to create an atmosphere, and for me, when I watch a film, atmosphere is the most important thing.
A mysterious man visits The Address - the scene of a terrible crime some 15 years ago...
Film director and cinephile from Sofia, Bulgaria. Owner and writer for www.mustseecinema.com - a cinema portal offering film recommendations, reviews and articles. Part of the Youth Jury of the 19th Sofia International Film Festival (SIFF). “The Address” is his first organized short film project.
INTERVIEW
This movie is your graduation project, is there anything autobiographic in it?
The movie takes place in Plovdiv, which is my home town, and the house in which the movie was shot is my family house; actually my grandmother still lives there. She was in the house during the shooting, lying on the sofa. When Assen (actor) goes in the house to get the asthma medicines for the grandma, she was there talking to him.
How old is the actress that interprets the character of the grandma?
The actress that interprets the grandma is 80 years old and this is her first movie. I chose her after some friends of mine, who knew I was shooting in Plovdiv, showed me a picture of her. Since it’s her first experience it was a bit like a lottery, but she was great. She really suffers from asthma, and in the script the character was designed with breathing problems, so she was the perfect match. I just had to ask her to be herself and it was perfect.
Does “The House” have any symbolic meaning?
The house is what the main character sees first from the car; the house is where he lived, where he spent his childhood and in the street in front of the house is where everything happens. The most important thing to me is the connection with grandparents and parents; in this case is the grandma that raised him.
Assen Blatechki is a famous actor in Bulgaria; why did you choose him?
He is a great actor, I know him for professional reasons since I worked with him as an actress in two projects. He created for himself this image of sex symbol and I wanted to break it. In the first minutes of the movie we still see him as a sex symbol, in the club with the 2 girls; then his character goes through different things and in the end we can see him really emotional, broken, like a human being.
You are also an actress; do you prefer to be an actress or a director?
I prefer directing, I can say it straight. When you are a director you have the power to choose and to create the whole project; I mean, you are the creator of the whole thing. As an actor you are in someone else’s creation and the best thing is that you don’t have the responsibility. But creating and telling my own stories, not someone else’s stories, is really important for me. That’s why I prefer directing.
And on the same line, do you prefer theatre or cinema?
This is a though one. It’s the same job, but it’s totally different. In the theatre you rehearse something, and then you are in front of the audience and every time is different. In movies you go there, you are just in front of the camera and that’s totally different. What you do there stays there, never changes. Not even if you want to change it, it is done and that’s it.
Don’t you miss the feedback of the public during the shootings?
You can feel the feedback of the public also in the cinema hall; you can see how your audience receives it during the screenings. After going to different festivals I could see how my movies are changing slightly through the audience eyes. Sometimes it can go really well and sometimes not that much, but it depends of the audience.
What do you think about short movies?
I think that short movies are a good way to gain experience; they don’t require much money and there is less pressure in the making off. They have a good format for who is approaching to this art; they permit you to learnexperiment and develop. They are a good training for making feature films.
So, do you think you gathered enough experience to create a feature movie?
I feel ready to make a feature movie. I already have a documentary of 40 minutes, so I feel prepared and I have a story to tell. That’s what I think is important, which kind of story you tell, and the one that I have right now is a feature story. That doesn’t mean I’m done with short movies, but at this point I feel like making a feature. Actually, the script is ready and I’m going to receive funding from the Bulgarian National Film Centre. I’m just waiting for the right moment.
THE HOUSE
Director: Yana Titova
Writer: Yana Titova
Cinematography: Martin Balkansky
Editor: Bohos Topakbashian
Producer: Monika Balcheva, Aleksandar Aleksiev
Cast: Asen Blatechki, Ivaylo Angelov, Elitza Mateva, Neli Toleva
After yet another night of heavy partying, Victor finds himself trapped by his own actions and sees the truth regarding himself through the eyes of the past.
Yana Titova has just graduated MA in Filmmaking at New Bulgarian University. She has done three short movies , a documentary and is currently working on her first feature project called “ Dyad”.
Режисьор:
INTERVIEW
In the film you show the disconnection between the government and the population. Do you think that is happening now in Bulgaria?
I think it’s happening for the last couple of years, not now, but in general, even in cover style.
Also in that, we see the props of the film are inspired in the communist. Do you want to express something with that?
I wanted to express bureaucracy in a way that is more understandable for the people from Bulgaria. For the foreigner I don’t know how they feel about it, because I guess they have a different perception of it.
The tragic final surprised me because usually a person that have a lot of power takes care of his family and closest friends, in that case did you want to express selfishness?
In a way the selfishness, express the idea that we are all a family, meaning we live in the same country. In the film, I express this idea with an actual family, mother, father and son. This makes the idea more understandable. So maybe you don’t like the situation, but you have to accept it, like in a family.
What do you think about the short films of Bulgaria in this sector in Sofia?
For me there are many cool ideas I think we have a lot to develop and work on and it’s not a matter of money, it’s a matter of finding the right way to express yourself. The equipment now is available, so if you have a good idea, you can develop it. It would be great if the government would recognize it as media that it’s presented worldwide and that affect a lot of people and not just as something mediocre.
Is this kind of cinema so alternative that is difficult to find funding to carry out a project?
Honestly, the feature movies that come out from the National Film Center aren’t making any money neither, but the get huge budgets from 500.000 to 600.000 Euros so it’s hard to get the money back. I think there’s a mathematical equation that depends on the money you invest and the people you reach.
Another question, why did you select this festival to submit your movie?
I was in Balchick a long time ago and I thought it was very special, but to be honest, I’m not the best example of somebody promoting his work.
Are you participating in other festivals abroad?
No, because I’m not sending the movies. We did a couple of disclaims and that was it. I’m not that kind of producer that is updated and send the work to every festival, that takes a lot of time.
Do you have a collective to prepare that documentaries or fictions?
Usually someone calls you and you start knowing the people. I always try to keep the same team, although there can be some changes.
One question about the Mr. Maznikow, the character of the vice-ministry he was acting like a secretary more or less, what did you want to express with him?
I think it’s pretty straightforward, with the bowties, same color but smaller, this is like the internal desire not to be the replacement but the real one. Actually at the end, he fulfils his desire, he is the only positive ending of the movie. But I do believe that in this system where you cannot afford, you have open relationship even though there’s the … horizontal. And this is not happening in Bulgaria and I don’t think it’s happening in the rest of the world.
THE UNFORTUNATE EVENTS OF MR. MAZNIKOW
Director: Veselin Zografov
Writer: Slav Vulev, Veselin Zografov
Cinematography: Orlin Ruevski
Editor: Bohos Topakbashian
Producer: Bambashka LTD
Mr. Maznikow as a minister has the difficult mission of not doing anything. Meanwhile his family depends on his decisions in their journey to the city. At last the circumstances leave the choice of nature to decide the outcome.
Veselin Zografov graduated the First English Language School in Sofia. He was involved in a lot of documentaries, short and feature films as sound recordist and sound editor. At the moment he is studying film and TV directing at NATFA “Kr. Sarafov”. In the last couple of years he directed the short documentary “The Last Second” and three short films.
INTERVIEW
You are part of NO BLINK! Could you share with us how your team got together?
The team of No blink! is together since university, where we shared a common class and we started working together in our first seven short films. I wanted to continue working together with my group for more things so we came up with No blink! and this is the result of our work.
Are you planning any feature films or your focus is on short films for the moment?
We are going to make a feature film, for sure. Just by the moment we are working for short films format because we feel more confidents about our work on this level. We have made five films during this year and we are planning to do four more.
We are not only a studio, there is also No Blink! media. So, after production, we want to support all these films and screen them to a wider audience, especially in Bulgaria. There are so many films being unattended and there are not enough opportunities for them to be screened, except some local festivals, so we want to help them to reach a wider audience.
Is it hard to make a short film the Bulgarian filmmaking industry these days?
Yes, it is. We have an online platform and every Friday we screen a different movie. We also have a lot of media partners giving us material. Our main goal is to make Bulgarian short films more popular among the audience. Apart of the online platform, a research about the Bulgarian audience conducted by ourselves highlighted that the youngsters have a big interest in short films. We have more than 20,000 views in one month. Witch means that is it possible to reach the wide audience using this kind of media platforms.
How did you come up with the story?
There is a short story, “Old Henry” witch the topic of bread is based on. But the development of the romance was my idea. It’s a story written in the beginning of the 20th century so we adapted it to fit to the 60’s Bulgarian society. In the past people used to produce everything, but it was
harder to produce your own bread, so everyone bought it from the shop, it was a place for socializing, for women to get together and communicate. This lace and the pub for men were very important places in that time.
There is a feeling of nostalgia and community in the film, that everyone knows everyone. Is this your actual feeling of this period in Bulgaria?
I tried to represent that kind of reality because this was true for me in that decades. But nowadays I don’t think there is the same feeling between people anymore, we don’t have the same warm relationships with each other, even though, I try to be like that, to live this way, to connect to people, to communicate with them.
WHAT’S THE PURPOSE OF BREAD
Director: Nicky Stoichkov
Writer: Nicky Stoichkov
Cinematography: Blagovest Zlatkov – Bocko
Editor: Nicky Stoichkov
Producer: Nicky Stoichkov
Cast: Marta Vackova, Georgi Kolev, Aunt Katya, Kostadin Sultov
Miss Martha (middle age) has a small shop in Aldomirovtsi village near Sofia, Bulgaria. Quite a few women her age with far less success were already married while Miss Martha’s daily routine passes monotonously with one and the same clients. A man, evidently younger than the rest of the regular clients, started visiting the shop, and he always buys an old bread and every time diligently counts his cents. Miss Martha started to take interest in him and decides to win him over as she puts fat in the following old bread. Is the love between them going to flame or the ambition of miss Martha to win his heart will crush her world?
Engineer and director by education, but his passion is entrepreneurship. He graduated from the Technical university- Sofia, studying Master degree in New Bulgarian university. He has always been passionate about cinema and television, it just took him 20 years to make sure that this is his vocation. Now he is sure about his direction and nothing can stop him.
INTERVIEW
Why the choice of homosexuality as topic?
Homosexuality actually is not the main topic; I wanted to show more the story by itself, the relationship between the main characters. The relations ship between the main characters is the big twist and shock in the story. This is a story with and unexpected end, a story about humanity, made to touch your heart.
Why the title “So Beautiful”?
Because this movie is about a innocent boy that decides to show his real personality, without caring about the society opinion, and this is beautiful. He shows to the whole world that his mind and soul are open, his life is his choice and doesn’t hurt anyone with it.
The biggest problem of the contemporary society is that the people choose to hide their real face behind a mask, but believe me nobody cares about the life of the others, or, at least, I don`t care. I think that when you show your real self, is easer and nicer.
During the dinner, finally the boy smokes a cigarette in front of his parents, is this action meant to be a sign of hope for the communication between the family?
Yes, this is a family where there is no trust and communication and the boy decides to smoke cigarette in front of his parents, because, this is a really small thing compared to the one that they learned during the day, so smoking doesn’t look like a problem anymore. The boy choose to be himself and this is a small symbol of his choice.
The network that the main character use for the date is a real one, there was any research about this?
This is one of the biggest web pages of that kind. It is property of Dutch company, is called Planetromeo.com. In the beginning we were thinking about using an invented one, but this is a platform that is used all over the world, and it has very high reputation.
We create fake profiles and started to use the platform. We also send the movie to Planetromeo.com and they were very glad that we are using their network and they suggested to us a free advertisement in their online space, so right now they are kind of sponsors for us; we are very glad about this, because they had their right to don’t wanted to appear in the movie, and then we should have used a fake one. The only condition they asked us was to hide pictures of
real users.
During the screenings in the moment the father and the son meet the audience was laughing and I found it quite peculiar, why do you think it happened?
The moment when the father and the son meet is a really special one, in this moment the father and the son understand each other, this is a situation that is very rare and the reaction of the father is very nice and gentle. I imagined that the audience could have be laughing about this pathetic moment, because is much more easier to have fun on some others unfortunate life. This meeting was planned buy the writer Alexander Manoilov. Actually, thinking about it this story is very comic by itself, but is in a way also shocking, with a big inner tragedy.
The song of the closing scene, really reflects the situation, was specifically written for the movie?
This song is create for the movie by Milena Ivanova, she is a jazz music composer and I think she is wonderful musician and singer. We give her the script before the movie was shot and she wrote the song for it. She was in charge of the all composition, she create the rhythm, the lyrics, everything. Whit this song she inspired also a friend that is working in Canada preparing the soundtrack for a movie and he decided to insert this song played by a symphonic orchestra. And also she inspire our friend who is working in Canada, he is making a film music over there and he made a version of that song with symphonic orchestra.
The video of this song was shoot with the support of NDK that let us use the roof top as setting; it was shot with drones.
Cast: Robert Radev, Milena Stanojevic, Danail Obretenov
You are beautiful” is a short story about a very special day in the lives of three people. Each of them learns a secret about some of the other two and each of them doesn’t know something that the others do. At dinner, when they gather, this leaves them speechless.
My name is Hristo Poriazoff. I’m Bulgarian based TV Director. Through the years, I worked with many Artists, Performers, mainly for the Bulgarian National Television. In May 2014 I started the Project I’m most proud of. The name of the short movie is “YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL”. In the current moment the film is ready. It is my Director’s debut. The short film is not intended for commercial purposes, we only want to show our creation on some film festivals around the globe.
INTERVIEW
The film shows the extreme conditions of the Antarctic, what was your inspiration to shoot this documentary? There are several reasons: Antarctic is a very strange and beautiful place, Bulgaria has had a base there for 25 years and I find that the global warming is a huge problem. Global warming is above all a real one, we can already see its consequences.
Is it global warming the main point of the documentary? Yes. I also work in Nova TV and I had a report about the situation of some animals there. So this gave me the idea.
Could you tell us more about how you prepare the shooting?
We were only three people organizing: an operator, an editor and me. I got in contact with the Professor Pipirov and the Arctic Institute, but we had problems to finance the project. In Bulgaria it is not easy to get money for cultural projects. Finally, a company decided to sponsor us. The cinematographer used his own equipment, which was a normal GoPro.
How could you reach the Antarctica?
There is kind of procedure to go there. You need to confirm your participation and it’s not possible to go there without it. It was this professor who gave us the certificates and permissions.
Did the sponsors ask for something in exchange? Actually no. They didn’t even want the logo in the documentary. They did it just for the shake of the science, which is very rare.
How long did you stay in Antarctica and how long did the shooting took?
We stayed there nine days, all of them recording. Then we needed five days for the edition. The movie is actually longer, but we had to cut it for this festival. The special thing about this movie is that we were just three people and for something like this, the crew is normally composed for 20.
What was the best moment during your adventure? And the worst one?
That’s a difficult question… I think one of the best moments was when we got inside of the volcano. And the worst when we were sealing with the boats.
Are you planning to record another documentary?
I am travelling there again on the 6th of January, this time on my own and only with my little camera. Everything can change a lot in just one year so I want to check.
So do you film a movie per year?
No, it’s quite hard to shoot movies there. A lot of money is required and not anyone can manage to shoot there. The schedule is very strict and you have to know exactly what you are doing. You are also all alone, without any connection with the rest of the world and only a satellite phone.
Is the routine there hard?
When you are there you have a strict schedule that need to be respect.
In the documentary we see some scenes that look very dangerous. Is it really that dangerous? It is true that you can be beaten at any moment. It is entirely your responsibility to keep yourself safe. This is the risk of the professional.
THE WHITE LOVER
Director: Jivko Konstantinov
Writer: Jivko Konstantinov
Cinematography: Blagoy Momchilov
Editor: Stefan Todorov
Producer: Marina Tsekova
Jivko Kostantinov leads us in this journey through one of the most dangerous and wonderful sides of the planet. Despite the difficulties of setting, thanks to the poetic photography we learn to know the beauties, the peculiarities of the Antarctic region, but also the risks that it’s facing.
Jivko Konstantinov is a news reporter and documentary filmmaker from eight years in National NOVA TV.
INTERVIEW
20 Kicks are the price of what? Is it the price of happiness?
The main character lives in a world, in which the exchange system is compounded by slaps and fists. In this way the film is raising the question of the price we pay for the small pleasures and the sacrifices we make to attain true happiness. I said that when a man is selling his body, he becomes a spiritual hooker. Nowadays it is very hard to be an artist, however it is much more easier to touch someone`s art. If you want to buy yourself nice things, you must work on something else that is not connected with your art. So the main character in the film is a poet and he’ll get paid those 20 kicks. He has been kicked because he is working on a job that is not for him and when he receives 20 kicks, they will become his currency. The script of the film is written by Delyan Elenkov who is living in this situation. He cannot start to work because he likes drinking from the morning. He drinks wine from one leva and he is drunk until noon, after that he’ll starts to write and then he’ll start all over. But he is very talented. However, the movie contains other symbols. There is the issue between the mind and all the muses that are leading our artwork. Everything changes so fast… but we still have the money and they are a main meaning for some people.
So it is suffering the only way to be happy?
Oh, yes! If someone wants to make something important with their life, they will meet this ugly reality. They will feel the struggle. If you live only to buy stuff and earn some money, you will never hit into this.
At one point in the film, the main character is shown in a circle, in a kind of Vitruvian Man of Leonardo Da Vinci, it’s just a quote or it’s there a deeper explanation? I used this Leonardo circle because it represents the soul searching. The main character is making wings from this circle. This is a symbol of breaking the system. He opened the circle as Leonardo, searching the exit, but this is not literal.
You said one of your projects is to make films ever shorter but more and more often, until you get even just a 1-minute movie. Don’t you think that this kind of production approaches more to the work of a You tuber? And what do you think about these platforms?
This is my answer to everything that we can see in You Tube or else: I will make my films faster, so they won`t be able to forget them. Maybe it sounds like I am crazy, but this is my mission for now.
Could you tell us something about future projects? Right now I am working on my last work. It should be ready at the end of the week and I am going to send it to you.
20 KICKS
20 РИТНИКА
2016
Director: Dimitar Dimitrov - Animiter
Writer: Dilyan Elenkov
Animation: Dimitar Dimitrov - Animiter
Cinematography: Dimitar Dimitrov - Animiter
Composer: Samuel Pocreau
Editor: Dimitar Sardjev
Producer: Neli Gacharova
Cast: Leonid Yovchev
This body, which follows the ramblings of my desires, and pays the bill for them while the soul is trying to find its way…
Dimitar Dimitrov was born on 30/03/1975 in Sofia, Bulgaria. In 2003 he graduated with Masters degree in animation at the National Academy for Theatre and Film Art. Working in the field of classical cartoon, animation performances and theater productions, as well as television productions. Currently he works as 3D animator, and Special effects artist at Gameloft Sofia and 3D animator in Nova Broadcasting Group. Това
INTERVIEW
With your film, are you trying to give a message to create another type of society?
The film talks about freedom, which it’s possible only on a personal level. It’s a metaphorical or symbolic way of presenting it because the main characters are the guy alone (the person in himself) and the society from the other sites so these are the 2 protagonists and antagonist in this film so we tried to look at that.
Can we see the Bulgarian history in your film?
Yes, a lot of elements are related with the Bulgarian history, like the symbols, the horse or the flag. In that way it’s not strictly an historical film but it borrows a lot of our roots.
You have your own, young, company. Right?
It has his ups and downs, but I think that so far we are making it possible. We experienced some difficulties lately but both of us we are doing animation, also we are working in this artistic collective (NOM), so we are doing commission work and we are trying to develop our project. If you believe in what you are doing, even if there are difficulties, your can make it possible.
Can you make a living from your artistic work or do you have to me some commercial works?
Time to time we have to do it, but we didn’t do pure commercials for a couple of years because there are enough projects. We try to choose these works which give us freedom of expression.
The world that you are in is very commercial, is it difficult to keep on that?
We try to balance because if you only make one thing you lose your sensibility for the other, and a lot of films which we lately produced there are a sorted collaborative work but it’s still artistic. We believe people can create in their individual style and collaborate with each other, we don’t believe in the hierarchy way. We search for subjects and try to work with people that can improve, upgrade and influence each other so we really believe in the collaborative work.
What is your statement about the animation sector in Bulgaria?
Nowadays there is a small scene but in the communist time that sector was sponsored by the government, so Bulgarian animation was around the world. So the people of that generation think that the truly Bulgarian animation
is gone, but actually there are a lot of younger and small teams doing animation. Also it’s a totally different situation because in the communist regime you couldn’t say whatever you want, but now, it’s the opposite, there are much less animation films but now the people are free to say whatever they want. Also in our point of view, we can proudly say we feel presence in the international scene of the Bulgarian animation.
We know you emigrated and were living abroad, were you inspired by this fact to make the film?
Actually, the idea of the film stayed very long time with us. We were trying to think and write the first drafts probably 16 years ago, so it was an idea that was with us a lot of time before.
Can you tell us something about your future projects?
We have several projects and collaborations and probably what will happen is that, even though we are working together, we also have separate things, so that every time we try not to use the same formula and search different ways to express ourselves.
It’s time to create something abstract and personal, it’s not going to be as massive as Travelling countries because make a film like this consumes a lot of time (12 drawings per second), so I’ll try something more achievable for a small team. After a big project is nice to refresh yourself with something smaller.
TRAVELLING COUNTRY
Director: Vessela Dantcheva, Ivan Bogdanov
Writer: Vessela Dantcheva, Ivan Bogdanov
Animation: Ivan Kosutic, Jelena Oroz
Composer: Petar Dundakov
Editor: Ivan Bogdanov
Producer: Vessela Dantcheva, Vanja Andrijevic
Once upon a time, there was a country on the back of a giant horse, but it was ruined by stupidity and greed. Now, only the horse’s tail remains of its former glory, while the people live in the shadow of what used to be a happy world. Travelling Country is a film about the collision of past, present and future. It is a fantastic tale about the search of one’s true identity and freedom.
Vessela Dantcheva (1975) and Ivan Bogdanov (1973) are a director duo who have been working together for 15 years. In 2002, they graduated from the Willem de Kooning Academy, Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences. In 2004, they co-founded FinFilm animation studio and in 2008 they founded Compote Collective production company in Sofia, Bulgaria. They made several films together, including the internationally acclaimed Father (2012) and Anna Blume (2009), which screened at numerous film festivals around the world.
BULGARIA / CROATIA
БЪЛГАРИЯ
ON FOCUS
ACADEMY AWARDS - OSCARS
The Academy Awards, officially known as the Oscars, is a set of twenty-four awards for artistic and technical merit in the American film industry, given annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), to recognize excellence in cinematic achievements as assessed by the Academy’s voting membership.
The name for the Academy Award for Live Action Short Film was introduced in 1974. For the three preceding years it was known as “Short Subjects, Live Action Films”.
ENEMIES WITHIN
2016 / 27’33’’ FRANCE
Director: Sélim Azzazi
Producer: Benjamin De Lajarte, Sélim Azzazi, Frédéric Serve
An interview at a local police station turns into an inquisition during which a French-Algerian born man sees himself accused of protecting the identities of possible terrorists. This close-up on France’s troubled history with its former colonies has one man controlling the fate of another with the stroke of a pen during a turbulent period in the 1990s.
Sélim Azzazi was born in Lyon France. He’s been working as a sound editor and sound designer since 2001 with directors such as Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Jean-Jacques Annaud, Oliver Stone, Luc Besson or Michel Hazanavicius.
Having a strong interest in acting and directing, he’s been a member of the Jack Garfein Studio in Paris. “Ennemis intérieurs” is his first film.
LA FEMME ET LE TGV
2016 / 30’ SWITZERLAND
Director: Timo von Guten
Producer: Giacun Caduff, Bela Böke, Jean De Meuron
Elise Lafontaine has a secret routine - every morning and evening for many years, she has been waving at the express train that passes her house. One (faithful) day, she nds a letter from the train conductor in her garden and her lonely life is tur- ned upside down. She engages in a promising correspondence through poetic and thoughtful letters where the two anonymous writers share their worlds with each other. But Elise’s fairytale is cut short when the train line permanently detours for a shor- ter route to Paris. Not willing to do without her daily delight, Elise prompts a daring escape from her comfort zone and sets out to nd the train conductor. La femme et le TGV is inspired by true events and stars actress Jane Birkin in the leading role
2016 La femme et le TGV
2016 Le Voyageur
2014 Mosquito
2013 Eastern Winds
2012 Poupée
2011 Acht Blumen
2011 Monsieur Du Lit
Born 1989 in Zurich, Timo von Gunten is the founder of BMC Films and works as a screenwriter and director out of Switzerland.
SILENT NIGHTS
2016 / 30’ DENMARK
Director: Aske Bang
Producer: Tivi Magnusson & Kim Magnusson
Inger volunteers at a homeless shelter and falls in love with the illegal immigrant Kwame. Both live a hard life. Kwame finds comfort in Inger’s arms, but says nothing about his family and children in Ghana. When his daughter becomes ill, he is forced to steal money from the homeless shelter to pay the hospital bill. Inger believe his lies about the theft and have compassion. Kwame moves in with Inger and they are happy for a while, until the day when Kwame’s mobile phone reveals everything about his life in Ghana. Inger painfully recognizes that Kwame’s love was genuine, and her own great love begs her to help Kwame home to Ghana again.
Aske Bang (1988) is a Danish actor and director. He is one of the new talents from The National Film School of Denmark. He graduated in 2015 and Silent Nights marks his first film since graduating. During his time at film school Aske Bang directed several notable short films (The Stranger, Julie & Rafiq). Furthermore he has directed his own shortfilms (Ladyboy, Fly on the Wings of Love). Aske Bang is also an actor and has appeared in leading roles in Danish film and television.
SING
2016 / 25’ HUNGARY
Director: Kristof Deák
Producer: Anna Udvardy & Kristof Deák
Zsofi is struggling to fit in at her new school - singing in the school’s famous choir is her only consolation, but the choir director may not be the inspirational teacher everyone thinks she is. It will take Zsofi and her new friend Liza to uncover the cruel truth. “Sing” is a childhood drama with a lot of music set in 1990s post-socialist Budapest, Hungary. Based on a true story, it follows an award-winning school choir and the new girl in class facing a tough choice: to stand up against a corrupt system - or to fit quietly into it.
Kristof Deák (1982, Budapest) is a Hungarian born, London based Film and TV director working internationally since 2010 on projects ranging from web content to TV drama to comedy series. Kristof started his career in editing before studying directing at Westminster Film School. His recent short film SING has won numerous awards at festivals worldwide and has sold to HBO Eastern Europe. He is currently developing a series for Paramount Channel, a period TV drama and his first feature film.
TIMECODE
2016 / 15’ SPAIN
Director: Juanjo Giménez
Producer: Juanjo Giménez, Daniel Villanueva, Arturo Méndiz
Luna and Diego are the parking lot security guards. Diego does the night shift, and Luna works by day.
Juanjo Giménez was born and lives in Barcelona. He has directed a few shorts, including “Rodilla” (2009), “Nitbus” (2007), “Maximum Penalty” (2005) and “Indirect Free Kick” (1997), all of them awarded at national and international festivals. His last short, ‘Timecode’, won the Cannes Palme d’Or and is nominated for next European Academy Awards. He’s the director of the feature films “Tilt” (2003), awarded in Rome, Las Palmas and Ourense, “Dodge and Hit”
(2010), co-directed with Adan Aliaga, best documentary in Alcances Film Festival Cadiz and Courmayeur Noir, and “Contact Proof” (2014), also premiered in Alcances.He’s also the founder of the production companies Nadir Films and Salto de Eje. Some of their productions are “My grandmother’s house” (Adan Aliaga, 2005), Joris Ivens Award at IDFA, “Stigmata” (also directed by Adan in 2009) Pilar Miró Award for Best First Film in Seminci-Valladolid, and “Anas, an Indian film” (Enric Miró, 2009) awarded at Documenta Madrid, Alcances and premiered at Karlovy Vary.
Two astronauts go on the conquest of an unknown planet but an unusual situation will put their professionalism to the test.
The directors of Asteria are a team of students of the ESMA School (École Supérieure des Métiers Artistiques), one of the best animation, design and special effects schools in France. During production, everyone worked on the modeling, working on finding FX, working on Character Design and sets and chipped in the finalization of the script.
BLIND VAYSHA
2016 / 8’11’’ CANADA
Director: Theodore Ushev
Producer: Julie Roy, Marc Bertand
Vaysha is not like other young girls; she was born with one green eye and one brown eye. But her odd eyes aren’t the only thing that’s special about her gaze. Her left eye sees only the past. Her right, only the future. Like a terrible curse, Vaysha’s split vision prevents her from living in the present. Blinded by what was and tormented by what will be, she remains trapped between two irreconcilable temporalities. “Blind Vaysha,” they called her.
In this metaphoric tale of timeless wisdom and beauty, filmmaker Theodore Ushev reminds us of the importance of living in present moment.
Theodore Ushev was born in Kyustendil, Bulgaria, in 1968 and graduated from the National Academy of Fine Arts in Sofia. He first made a name for himself as a poster artist in his native country before settling in Montreal in 1999. Ushev found fertile ground for developing his own original artistic style at the National Film Board of Canada. The Man Who Waited and Tzaritza (2006) quickly earned the respect of audiences and peers, as did his acclaimed trilogy on the relationship between art and power: Tower Bawher (2006), Drux Flux (2008) and Gloria Victoria (2013). In Blood Manifesto (2014), a poetic and ferocious short which Ushev animated with his own blood. . His latest project, Blind Vaysha (2015), is a philosophical tale about the importance of living in the moment.
BORROWED TIME
2015 / 6’43’’ USA
Director: Andrew Coats, Lou Hamou-Lhadj
Writer: Andrew Coats, Lou Hamou-Lhadj, Mark C.Harris
Composer: Gustavo Santaolalla
Editor: Kathy Toon
Producer: Amanda Deering Jones
Cast: Greg Dykstra, Nick Pitera, Steve Purcell
A weathered Sheriff returns to the remains of an accident he has spent a lifetime trying to forget. With each step forward, the memories come flooding back. Faced with his mistake once again, he must find the strength to carry on.
Born in Peru of Colombian and Scottish parents, Andrew grew up around the world before settling in the US at the age of 16. Meanwhile, Lou’s childhood took root in the culturally rich suburbs of exotic southern New Jersey. Despite their disparate upbringings, their shared passions for fine arts and film led both Andrew and Lou to study Film at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. It was here that they first met, and learned they could combine those passions into the most
rewarding of art forms: animation. Kindred spirits in their love for bringing things to life one frame at a time, they both worked on each other’s shorts during school, and vowed to someday make a film together when the time was right. Lou enjoyed the next 8 years at Pixar as a Character Artist on WALL•E, Toy Story 3, Partly Cloudy, Day & Night, Brave, Toy Story That Time Forgot, and The Good Dinosaur. For the first 3 years, he and Andrew stayed in close contact while Andrew rose through the ranks at Blue Sky Studios, animating on Horton Hears a Who, Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs and finally serving as a Character Lead on Rio. Andrew then joined Pixar in 2010 where he has animated on Cars 2, Brave, Toy Story ON OF TERROR!, Inside Out and The Good Dinosaur.
ONCE UPON A LINE
Director: Alicja Jasina
Writer: Alicja Jasina
Animation: Alicja Jasina
Composer: Aaron Gilmartin
A man leads a monotone, humdrum existence until he suddenly falls in love. His world turns upside-down after he meets a red-haired woman who manages to break his established routine. What follows is a short portrait of a difficult relationship marked by a struggle for control and preserving one`s identity, and finally loss and depression. The ending gives hope for a new begginning and a change of perspective.
Alicja Jasina is a Polish film-maker who has recently graduated with a Masters degree in Amination and Digital Arts from University of Southern California in Los Angeles. Before that, she obtained a Bachelors degree in Illustration and Animation at Kingston University in London. Her short films have been awarded at festivals wordwide.
PEAR CIDER AND CIGARETTES
2016 / 35’ USA
Director: Robert Valley
Writer: Robert Valley
Composer: Mass Mental, Anitek
Producer: Cara Speller, Andrew Ruhemann
Drink and smoke...that’s what Techno Stypes really like to do, and fight. He was in no condition to fight. He was sick, really sick. His disease had whittled him down to a shadow of his former self. He was crippled from a car accident when he was 17 but that’s not how he lost his big toe. He lost that in a motorbike accident, yeah he was broken alright… what the hell was he fighting for anyway and what was he still doing in China? His father had given me two clear instructions: 1. Get Techno to stop drinking long enough to receive the liver transplant, and 2. Get him back home to Vancouver. This was not going to be easy.
Hailing from Vancouver, Canada, Rob graduated from the Emily Carr College and was soon in demand for commercials as well as storyboarding on animated TV series. Then followed Gorillaz videos, his Massive Swerve graphic novel series, and an Annie Award as lead character designer on Disney’s Tron: Uprising. Pear Cider & Cigarettes is Rob’s first short film.
PEARL
Director: Patrick Osborne
Producer: David Eisenmann
Pearl follows a father and daughter on the road together, tracing his struggles to make it as a musician and parent, and her coming-of-age and musical journey to fulfilment.
Patrick Osborne graduated in 2003 from Ringling College of Art & Design with a BFA in Computer Animation. He has animated on Sony and Disney Animation films such as Surf’s Up, Bolt, Tangled and Wreck-It Ralph. Patrick took home the 2015 Oscar for Best Animated Short with Feast.
Director: Alan Barillaro
Producer: Marc Sondheimer
Directed by Alan Barillaro and produced by Marc Sondheimer, “Piper,” the new short from Pixar Animation Studios, tells the story of a hungry sandpiper hatchling who ventures from her nest for the first time to dig for food by the shoreline. The only problem is, the food is buried beneath the sand where scary waves roll up onto the shore. “Piper” debuted in theaters worldwide with “Finding Dory” in 2016.
Barillaro resides in Oakland, Calif., with his family. PIPER
Alan Barillaro joined Pixar Animation Studios in January 1997. Barillaro has worked on almost every Pixar film as an animator, including “A Bug’s Life,” “Toy Story 2,” “Monsters, Inc.,” and the Academy Award®-winning features “Finding Nemo,” “The Incredibles,” “WALL•E” and “Brave.” On those last three features, Barillaro was given the role of supervising animator and was therefore responsible for overseeing the team of animators who worked to bring the characters in the films to life.
Following his work on “Brave,” Barillaro went to work with Pixar’s software development team to help craft an animation tool that would help provide additional creative flexibility to the studio’s filmmaking process. As a proof of concept, Barillaro created a short animation test about a small bird – a sandpiper – on a beach. This animation test soon grew into a full-fledged short film, “Piper,” directed by Barillaro and debuting theatrically with “Finding Dory” in 2016. Growing up in Niagara Falls, Canada, Barillaro’s interest in animation began at a young age. He worked his way up through the ranks at various commercial houses during high school and continued his studies at Sheridan College for Animation.
THE HEAD VANISHES
2016 / 9’28’’ CANADA
Director: Franck Dion
Producer: Franck Dion, Julie Roy, Richard Van Den Boom
Jacqueline isn’t quite in her right mind anymore, but she’s determined to take the train to the seaside, as she does every summer. Only this year, she’s constantly being followed by some woman who claims to be her daughter, and the trip takes some unexpected, phantasmagorical turns.
Franck Dion’s gentle, poetic film invites us to share the journey of an elderly woman living with degenerative dementia, as her confused mind leaves her open to danger.
Born in Versailles in 1970, Franck Dion has worked as an actor, theatre set designer, and illustrator. In 1999, he launched the first version of his website, Les voyages imaginaires de Franck Dion (www.franckdion.net); it won a 2001 Golden Net award as best artistic website. In 2003, he made his first animated short film, L’inventaire fantôme, which won an award at the Annecy International Animation Festival. In 2006, with a group of friends, he founded the production company Papy3D, which produced his second film, Monsieur Cok (2008), which was selected for the Sundance Film Festival and went on to win several festival awards. His third short film, Edmond Was a Donkey (2012), marked the first collaboration between the National Film Board of Canada, Papy3D and ARTE. It won the Special Jury Prize at Annecy and the FACT Award for Best Canadian Short at the Worldwide Short Film festival in Toronto. In 2014, Dion designed the poster for the Annecy Festival, and the following year, in collaboration with Chloé Delaume, he created Alienare, a digital-app-enhanced novel. The Head Vanishes (Une tête disparait, 2016) is his fourth animated short and the second co-production of the NFB, Papy3D and ARTE.
ЕUROPEAN FILM AWARDS
The European Film Awards annually honour the greatest achievements in European cinema. Voted for by the members of the European Film Academy, over 3,000 filmmakers from across Europe, the awards are presented in a total of 20 categories.
First celebrated in 1988, the Awards Ceremony takes place in Berlin every second year. In the other years, the Awards travel: London, Paris, Rome, Barcelona, Warsaw, Copenhagen, Tallinn, Valletta, Riga and others.
SHORT MATTERS is the European Film Academy’s Short film tour which brings the nominated short films to audiences across Europe –and beyond. The program featuring the European Short Film Nominees 2016 is a manifold panorama of young contemporary European filmmaking. This year’s programs composed of productions/ co-productions from Belgium, Bulgaria, Chile, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Kosovo, Lebanon, Lithuania, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Syria, The Netherlands, and the UK.
9 DAYS – FROM MY WINDOW IN ALEPPO
2015 / 13’ 00’’ THE
NETHERLANDS/SYRIA
Director: Thomas Vroege, Floor van der Meulen, Issa Touma
Writer: Issa Touma
Cinematography: Issa Touma
Composer: Tom Jansen
Editor: Thomas Vroege, Floor van der Meulen
Producer: Jos de Putter
One morning in August 2012, renowned Syrian photographer Issa Touma saw young men lugging sandbags into his street. It turned out to be the start of the Syrian uprising in the city of Aleppo. Touma grabbed his camera and spent nine days holed up in his apartment, recording what was happening outside. The result? An unprecedented glimpse into a war that has been raging for three years now.
Floor van der Meulen (1989) studied Audiovisual Design at the Willem de Kooning Academy in Rotterdam and graduaded in 2012. Her graduation film YOU & I (Jij & Ik) was shown on multiple festivals in Europe. In 2014 she made her international debut as a documentary filmmaker with STORMING PARADISE (Paradijsbestormers) which premiered at DokLeipzig.
Thomas Vroege (1988) graduated from Sint Joost Academy of Arts with the short documentary film THE SON & THE STRANGER which won a ‘WILDCARD’ award from The Netherlands Filmfund. He made the poetic documentary SO HELP ME GOD (2015) and worked as an editor for the documentary film installation Oil & Paradise by Ad Nuis.
9 DAYS is a collaboration between them both and Syrian photographer Issa Touma. In 1996 he established Le Pont, a gallery and workshop for photography. In 1997 he started the International Photography Festival Aleppo. His work can be found in international collections, including the Victoria & Albert Museum, London.
90 DEGREES NORTH
2015 / 21’ 00’’ GERMANY
Director: Detsky Graffam
Writer: Detsky Graffam
Cinematography: Hanno Moritz Kunow
Composer: Mathieu Karsenti
Editor: Karl Peglau
Producer: Marianne Graffam
Cast: Carsten Clemens (Karl), Stefan Dietrich (Herr Harms), Jürgen Haug (Herr Gruber)
It’s a fact: good Germans wait at red traffic lights. But what do you do when the green man simply won’t appear? Taking place almost entirely on the most pernicious traffic island imaginable, 90 DEGREES NORTH is a humorous, fantastical parable offering an extreme take on the notion of following the rules of a civil society.
Detsky has worked as a director and editor for the BBC, Channel 4, Nickelodeon and Comedy Central. His short films have won several awards and prizes. In 2006 PEACE OF MY
MIND won the First Prize at the ITV Cobravision Awards. HOW I LEARNED TO LOVE RICHARD GERE received the Caroline’s Comedy Emerging Talent Award at the Hamptons IFF 2008. SLITHER (Morgengrauen) won Second Prize at the Going Underground FF Berlin 2008. The short film DOWN UNDER won first place at the 20th Century Fox Sehnsucht Australian Awards. Detsky is currently developing his feature film debut. The short film MINISTRY OF GUILT is at present doing the festival circuit and has just won the Audience Award at the Isle of Man FF.
A MAN RETURNED
2015 / 30’ 00’’ UK/LEBANON/DENMARK/ THE NETHERLANDS
Director: Mahdi Fleifel
Cinematography: Mahdi Fleifel
Composer: Dario Swade
Editor: Michael Aaglund
Producer: Patrick Campbell
Reda is 26 years old. His dreams of escaping the Palestinian refugee camp of Ain El-Helweh ended in failure after three years of being trapped in Greece.
He returned with a heroin addiction to life in a camp being torn apart by internal strife and the encroachment of war from Syria.
Against all odds he decides to marry his childhood sweetheart. A love story, bittersweet as the camp itself.
Mahdi Fleifel is a Danish/Palestinian filmmaker based in Amsterdam. He graduated from the UK National Film and Television School in 2009. His debut feature, A WORLD NOT OURS, was widely acclaimed, earning over thirty awards including prizes at the Berlinale, the Edinburgh IFF and DOC NYC.
His upcoming feature, MEN IN THE SUN, is based on the themes and characters encountered while making his recent works, and is currently being developed in collaboration with Final Cut For Real in Denmark.
AMALIMBO
2016 / 15’ 00’’ SWEDEN/ESTONIA
Director: Juan Pablo Libossart
Writer: Juan Pablo Libossart
Animation: Roland Seer, Denis Chapon, Miguel Mealla Black
Composer: Åsa Carlson, Anders Kjellberg
Editor: Juan Pablo Libossart
Producer: Johanna Lind
Cast: Margaretha Ulfendahl (Tipuana) Anna Odell (Older Tipuana)
AMALIMBO is the story of Tipuana, a five year-old girl who experiences the limbo when she tries to pass to ”the other side” in her desperate urge to meet again with her recently deceased father.
It is a short story that happens in an undefined place, and also in an undefined future.
Born in 1978 in Argentina, Juan Pablo Libossart re-located to Sweden in 2001. He completed the MBS’s European Master of Audiovisual Management (MEGA) in 2010 and EAVE in 2013. Juan Pablo Libossart has produced films for Erik Gandini, Marcus Lindeen and Jesper Ganslandt, to name but a few. AMALIMBO is his debut as a director and writer.
EDMOND
2015 / 9’ 00’’ UK
Director: Nina Gantz
Writer: Nina Gantz
Animation: Adam Watts, Nina Gantz, Terri Matthews
Cinematography: Ian Forbes
Composer: Terence Dunn
Editor: Nina Rac
Producer: Emilie Jouffroy
A story of all-consuming love, told with handmade felt puppets and 2D drawn animation.
Born in Amsterdam, Nina Gantz grew up in Rotterdam. Whilst attending St Joost Art School in Breda, she discovered her passion for ANIMATION: and produced her first notable hand drawn film, ZALIGER (2010), which went on to be selected at 37 festivals winning the Golden Panda for best student film at the Sichuan Festival in China.
After setting up Studio Gantz in Rotterdam, she was commissioned to be head of ANIMATION: for a live action feature film in the Netherlands, TOEGETAKELD DOOR DE LIEFDE by Ari Deelder.
Since completing her Masters at the National Film and Television School, she is working freelance on all sorts of projects, developing a feature and a new short, still concentrating on new combinations of techniques.
HOME
2016 / 20’ 00’’ KOSOVO/UK
Director: Daniel Mulloy
Writer: Daniel Mulloy
Animation: Carl Phillips
Cinematography: Victor Seguin, Paul Mackay
Composer: Jon Clarke
Editor: Philip Currie
Thousands of men, women and children struggle to get into Europe as a comfortable English family sets out on what appears to be a holiday.
Daniel Mulloy has made several short films on subjects he has a strong connection with and his films are known for a nuanced and sensitive exploration of characters and often concentrate on story worlds with strong social themes.
Producer: Afolabi Kuti, Shpat Deda, Chris Watling, Scott O’Donnell, Tim Nash
An 88-year-old Basque native, Josebe, lives in a nursing home in Chile. She’s obsessed with finding out where the rest of the elder people she lives with comes from. Everyone tells her that they are Chilean, not Spanish as she is. Josebe insists on thinking about her youth in the Basque Country. After a full year living in that house, she struggles to remember that she is living in a nursing home. After 70 years in Chile, she still lively remembers her homeland.
Giedrė Žickytė
Born in 1980, Giedrė Žickytė is a Lithuanian film director and producer. She graduated with an MA in Visual Arts from the Vilnius Art Academy in 2007 and has been working in the international documentary film market since 2010. Her films have been screened at many international film festivals
including IDFA, DokLeipzig, Vision du Reel, Sheffield Doc/ Fest, Rotterdam IFF, Goteborg IFF, Warsaw IFF, Krakow IFF, Hot Docs and others, have received various awards and been distributed theatrically.
Maite Alberdi
Maite Alberdi is a Chilean director and producer. She studied Film and Aesthetics at the Universidad Católica de Chile. As a director she has developed a highly particular style that achieves an intimate portrayal of the characters she works with through everyday stories in small-scale worlds. In 2011 she premiered at IDFA her first feature film THE LIFEGUARD. Her film TEA TIME also premiered at IDFA (2014), was broadcast during POV (point of view) season 2015 and received various awards, among them Best Female-Directed Documentary at IDFA and Best Documentary and others.
IN THE DISTANCE
2015 / 7’ 00’’ GERMANY
Director: Florian Grolig
Writer: Florian Grolig
Animation: Julian Vavrovsky
Composer: Tobias Boehm, Christian Wittmoser
Editor: Florian Grolig
Producer: Florian Grolig
It’s calm and peaceful above the clouds. But chaos lurks in the distance and each night, it draws closer.
Florian Grolig is an independent ANIMATION: filmmaker and game designer. He graduated from the School of Arts and Design in Kassel, realised some award-winning short films and computer games as well as commissioned ANIMATION:, and co-founded the Black Pants Game Studio. Currently he’s living and working in Berlin.
LIMBO 2016 / 30’ 00’’ FRANCE/GREECE
Director: Konstantina Kotzamani
Writer: Konstantina Kotzamani
Cinematography: Yorgos Karvelas
Composer: Lawrence English
Editor: Yannis Chalkiadakis
Producer: Ron Dyens, Maria Drandaki Cast: Felix Margenfeld (Dead Boy)
The leopard shall lie down with the goat. The wolves shall live with the lambs. And the young boy will lead them. 12+1 kids and the carcass of a whale washed ashore …
Born in Komotini, Konstantina Kotzamani is a graduate student of the Film Department of Fine Arts of Thessaloniki. Her short films have participated in several international festivals and have won several awards. Her film WASHING-
TONIA premiered in 2014 in the Berlinale Shorts competition. It was awarded by the Hellenic Film Academy as Best Short Film 2014 and nominated for the European Film Awards 2015.
Konstantina Kotzamani was selected to present her work in Future Frames at the 50th Karlovy Vary Film Festival 2015. Her last short film YELLOW FIEBER premiered at the Locarno FF 2015 in the international competition ‘Pardi di Domani’.
SHOOTING STAR
2015 / 28’ 00’’ BULGARIA/ITALY
Director: Lyubo Yonchev
Writer: Lyubo Yonchev
Cinematography: Damian Dimitrov
Composer: Alexander Kostov
Editor: Lyubo Kirov
Producer: Lyubo Yonchev, Lyubo Kirov, Carola Jessica De Lucia
Lilly is a divorced mother of two – Martin, who has recently come of age, and little Alexandra. One cold winter evening Martin picks Alexandra up from kindergarten. In the dark streets of the neighbourhood they become a part of a tragic accident that can hardly be forgotten or erased. Lilly and her kids have to make tough decisions, the consequences of which will change their life for good.
Lyubo Yonchev was born in 1983 in Pleven, Bulgaria. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Acting and Directing from the New Bulgarian University, and a Master’s degree in Film and TV Art. He is a producer, writer and director of several short student films which have been selected and awarded at many international festivals. A member of the Union of Bulgarian Filmmakers (UBFM – Film Academy), Lyubo Yonchev has been festival manager and programmer of the International Student Film Festival “NEW WAVE” since 2014.
Welcome to the Dvergsnes family! In this short film we follow the Dvergsnes family from Kristiansand, Norway, through three events that took place during the fall and winter of 2014.
Even Hafnor
Born in 1985, Even Hafnor has worked with short films since 2011.
Lisa Brooke Hansen
Lisa Brooke Hansen lives in Oslo, Norway. She works as a scientist at the Institute of Basic Medical Sciences at the University of Oslo.
THE FULLNESS OF TIME (ROMANCE)
Director: Manon Coubia
Writer: Manon Coubia
Cinematography: Nicolas Rincon Gille
Composer: Aline Huber
Editor: Manon Coubia
Producer: Nicolas Rincon Gille
Cast: Malika el Barkani, Annie Alonso
Seated on the edge of the gaping rift, she waited so long, too long for the mountain to give back her lover, prisoner of the ice.
Born in Thonon-les-Bains (France), Manon Coubia got her degree in Film Direction at INSAS, Belgium, and is a member of the cinéastes collective Voa Films in Brussels. She has directed various films: SONATE BLANCHE, her student film in 2007, as well as a medium-length documentary film, BLEU CERISE, in 2012. In 2016 she received the Golden Leopard «Pardi Di Domani» for the Best International Short Film at the Locarno IFF for THE FULLNESS OF TIME (ROMANCE). LES ENFANTS PARTENT A L’AUBE, her latest short film, is now in pre-production. 2016 / 14’ 00’’
Rosana, a Bolivian maid, has worked for Angela, the elder matriarch of the Vidal family for the last ten years. On the day of the funeral of her beloved Angela, Rosana is not allowed to grieve with the rest of the family. On the contrary: she is forced to work. THE GOODBYE is an intimate story about how emotional bonds supersede social conventions, racial labels or family regimes.
Clara Roquet is a writer and director from Spain, and a current student of the Film MFA at Columbia University in the USA. She is the co-writer of the feature film 10,000KM (2014), EFA-nominated and winner of various awards. THE GOODBYE is her directorial debut.
Clara is currently in post-production of her new short film THE GOOD GIRLS, shot in Spain during August 2016.
THE WALL
2015 / 8’ 00’’ BELGIUM
Director: Samuel Lampaert
Writer: Samuel Lampaert
Animation: Mikros Image Liège
Cinematography: Bernard Vervoort
Composer: Pierre Gillet
Editor: Nicolas Bier
Producer: Nicolas George Cast: Yves Yan, Steven Eng, Cathy Min Jung
Hongkong. A multitude of concrete skyscrapers without personality. Inside, cramped studios where the anonymous live among themselves. Until the day when bachelor Chung decides to hang up a picture …
Born in Brussels in 1968, director Samuel Lampaert lives in Wallonia. He has made five short films that have traveled to numerous international festivals and were broadcast on television, e.g. on Canal +. His latest film, THE WALL, won Best Short at the FF Gent and the Audience Award at the Festival Leuven. His feature film scenarios were selected for the “Maison des Scenaristes” at Cannes, the eQuinoxe program in Paris and the Capalbio writing workshop in Italy.
A group of men is waiting at the fringes of a coastal woodland for the journey to Europe. They get trapped in a temporal threshold. A film is shot there with the men playing themselves. The landscape changes and where they are is no longer their motherland. There are no beautiful beaches, the water is not transparent, not clear. Legends from the colonial past collide with the present time, memory survives.
Keina Espiñeira was born in Spain in 1983. She holds a Master’s degree in Direction and Production of Documentary Films from the Documentary Film Association in Madrid. She has also worked as social researcher in California, the Netherlands, Spain and Morocco. Borders play a pivotal role in her work.
WE ALL LOVE THE SEA SHORE is her first film.
EUROSHORT 2016 COMPILATION
EuroShort is a network of nine European short film festivals developing a tangible collaboration in order to promote the circulation of European short films of young filmmakers.
EuroShort would like to be a different partnership proposal: transparent, thanks to the publication of aims, actions, and results on its own website; efficient and innovative, thanks to real actions implemented by each festival forming the network.
COFFEE TO GO
2014 / 13’ CATALONIA
Director: Patricia Font
Writer: Patricia Font
Cinematography: David Valldepérez
Editor: Jaume Martí
Producer: Sergi Casamitjana
Cast: Alexandra Jiménez, Daniel Grao, Alba José, Jordi Domènech
Busy discussing the details of her wedding on the phone, Alicia walks into the first café she sees and orders a coffee to go. As fate would have it, she unexpectedly bumps into Javi there.
Patricia Font was born on January 3, 1978 in Spain. She is known for her work on Café para llevar (2014), Cites (2015) and Duna y el ogro (2001).
It’s a story about Nicola, a 8-years kid who grows in a little sardinian village in the 60’s. One day he meets Anna, a little girl from Milan. They will spend only a day together, but they will never forget it...
He was born in Rome in 1983. Since 2008 he has been working as assistant director and since 2012 as a director. She takes part in films like Shadow by Federico Zampaglione, My Mother by Ricky Tognazzi and Gomorra 2 - the series. 2015 / 20’45’’
ISABELLA
2015 / 09’ 19’’ UK
Director: Duncan Cowles, Ross Hogg
Writer: Duncan Cowles, Ross Hogg
Animation: Ross Hogg
Cinematography: Duncan Cowles
Editor: Duncan Cowles, Ross Hogg
Producer: Duncan Cowles, Ross Hogg
Cast: Isabella Hogg
At the age of ninety-two, Isabella struggles to remember... As she becomes ever more fragile and her shortterm memory begins to falter, her past is explored, questioned and brought to life. How much of your life do you need to remember to remain yourself?
Duncan Cowles is a director and cinematographer, known for Isabella (2015), Radio Silence (2013) and Directed by Tweedie (2014).
Ross Hogg is an animation filmmaker based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Graduating from the Glasgow School of Art in June 2013, Ross creates dexterous, hand-crafted animation using a variety of materials, celebrating the vibrancy and physicality of the medium.
LANDING
2016 / 16’ 00’’ PORTUGAL
Director: Filipe Martins
Writer: Né Barros, Filipe Martins
Cinematography: Filipe Martins, Francisco Vidinha, Miguel Sevivas Luzio, Raul Sousa
Editor: Filipe Martins
Producer: Né Barros, BALLETEATRO and AVANCA FILM FESTIVAL and FILMOGRAFO
Metaphorical characters intersect in a story told through gestures, body and places.
Life, from beginning to end. And the great conflict that runs through this route is the always incomplete landing: a landing that will not ultimately more than the arrival to a state of things, a definitive immobility. It is the eternal conflict between the rapture of the passions and the hidden desire for serenity, to the balance, to conformism and death.
Director, film professor and researcher in communication science and aesthetics.
PhD in the specialty of Social Semiotics (University of Minho, 2014), with fellowship by FCT. Degree in Art and Communication (ESAP, 2002) and Master degree in Contemporary Culture (New University of Lisbon, 2005). Co-founder, co-director and programmer of the International Film Festival «Family Film Project». Organized conference cycles as the Forum of Cinema and Audiovisual (ESMAE) and the colloquium Narrative, Medium and Cognition (FLUP). Professor at the Higher School of Music, Arts and Performance (ESMAE), in the graduation and master degree courses.
Director: Boya Harizanova
Writer: Simeon Ventsislavov
Cinematography: Viktor Roev
Composer: Ivo Ignatov
Editor: Emil Granicharov
Producer: Petar Harizanov
Cast: Viktor Ivanov, Katerina Robova, Nikola Pashov
Boris arrives in a mountain village to give back the deceased Radko’s belongings to his only living relatives – Radko’s grandmother and grandfather. Todorka doesn’t know about her grandson’s death. While worried about the health condition of Atanas she decides to hide the truth from him.
Boya Harizanova was born on May 10th 1981 in Ruse, Bulgaria. After graduating as a journalist at Sofia University, she entered the National Academy of Theater and Film Arts in Sofia as a film director. During her educational years in NATFA she filmed four documentaries and two feature movies. Each of them is selected at national and international film festivals.
NAIL
2016 / 33’ UKRAINE
Director: Philip Sotnychenko
Writer: Philip Sotnychenko
Cinematography: Roman Himey, Yarema Malashchuk, Dave Spencer, Igor Chernytskyi
Producer: Kyiv National Karpenko-Kary University of Theatre, Cinema and Television, NGO «CUC»
Valentina works as a lawyer in a Lichtenstein bank. She is responsible for the Eastern-European relations. She remembers Ukraininan and Russian languages since she was a kid, as she has lived in Kiev until the age of 13. In 1996, in the midst of hard transitive economic period in Ukraine, Valentina with her mother and stepfather emigrated to Switzerland. 20 years have passed.
Born in 1989 in Kyiv, into a family of filmmakers. Studied film criticism at the Kyiv National Karpenko-Kary Theatre, Film, and Television University and this year, he is graduating from the directing workshop. He is also the co-founder of the NGO «CUC» (Contemporary Ukrainian Cinema) and works as program director at the national competition at the festival of modern arts GOGOLFEST.
Cast: Emіlіa von Albertіnі, Lamara von Albertіnі, Valentina Zabolotna, Natella Dubashydze, Anatoliy Petrov, Volodymyr Romanko, Olena Pustovalova, Viktor Korchynskyi, Tetiana Dobrovolska
THE LIVING SPIRIT
2016 / 15’30’’ BULGARIA
Director: Emil Denev
Writer: Emil Denev, Aleksandar Partulov
Cinematography: Yavor Georgiev, Stoil Vatev
Editor: Emil Denev, Aleksandar Partulov
Producer: Aleksandar Partulov, Emil Denev
There are lots of mysterious rumors, about a house in the Bulgarian village Musachevo. The media says the house killed twelve people for the last four decades and nobody wants to buy it. In the middle of all this, appears a priest who believes he can banish the evil spirits, and buy the haunted place. The house has an owner. His wife died and he wants do something in her memory.
Emil Denev was born in 1989 in Sofia, Bulgaria. He graduated from the National Vocational High School in Precision Engineering and Optics “M. V. Lomonosov “Cinema and Video “ class.
Currently he works as a freelance director of commercials, full-length and short films.
THE SOUND OF CONCRETE
2015 / 30’ 00’’ HUNGARY
Director: István Kovács
Writer: Kálmán Gasztonyi
Cinematography: Zoltan Devenyi
Composer: Attila Áts
Editor: Péter Gábor Duszka
Producer: Miklós Bosnyák, Petra Iványi, István Major, Gábor Osváth, Judit Romwalter
Dia is a young female kickboxer who lives in the suburbs of Budapest with her mom and younger brother. Her dream is to compete in Germany where she can earn good money. All she has to do is win her upcoming championship. Two weeks prior to that Dia finds out that she is pregnant from her lover, who also happens to be her coach. Now she must face not only her competition, but time and the thought of abortion aswell.
Cast: Dóra Sztarenki, László Mátray, Tünde Szalontay, Álmos Galló, Dóra Dyékiss, Gina Chamie, Alexa Bakonyi, Gábor Krausz, Farkas Tamás, Tibor Gáspár, Mari Sziopisz
Born in 1985 in then-Yugoslavia as a Hungarian minority, István Kovács spent most his youth in the Southern Hungarian town of Szeged. He got enrolled to the University of Theatre and Film Arts of Budapest in 2011, where he recently got his Director BA degree in the class of János Szász. The Sound of Concrete was his BA graduation project, and his second collaboration with Filmfabriq.
THE TRANSLATOR
2015 / 23’ 00’’ UNITED KINGDOM, TURKEY
Director: Emre Kayiş
Writer: Emre Kayiş
Animation: Name Surname
Cinematography: Nick Cooke
Editor: Ricardo Saraiva
Producer: Oytun Kal
Cast: Sherko Ali, Gamze Kaçak
Yusuf, a Syrian refugee boy who lives in an exile in a remote Turkish border town is chosen for his newfound power but he has to experience how to use it, at the cost of his innocence.
Emre Kayiş who is both script writer and director lives in Istanbul. He has graduated from the London Film School and he focuses on shooting films concerning social subjects.
WHITE ROOM STORIES
2016 / 12’42’’ CROATIA
Director: Silva Ćapin
Writer: Silva Ćapin
Cinematography: Luka Matić
Editor: Iva Ivan
Producer: Nina Križan, Academy of Dramatic Art in Zagreb
Cast: Dora Polić-Vitez, Vinko Kraljević, Urša Raukar, Bojan Valentić, Ivan Jončić
Musicals are a genre related exclusively to the medium of film. When the elements of musicals start to emerge in the everyday life of certain people, they become seriously traumatized. Jazz hands, Technicolor vision, song and dance become part of their reality which they can not handle.
After graduating Comparative Literature (2010.) and Film and TV Directing (2012. BA and 2015. MA) in Zagreb, she started working for Croatian Radiotelevision (HRT) as an external associate in field of directing. She co-written and co-directed TV series ‘Film Stories’ for HRT3 and is currently writing a screenplay for animated series ‘Vakuum’ and prepairing her first feature (‘Secretaries or How to Choose a Fax Machine’) for whitch she got an award for the best Pitch at Sarajevo Film Festival in 2016. Except television work, she is interested in radio plays (writing and directing), film (feature and short) and theatre.
HEZARFEN FİLM GALERİ
Hezarfen Film Galeri, with a very experienced staff at both national and international levels, is engaged in introducing the cinema of Turkey to the world and bring the world cinema to our local audience.
Enjoying a solid reputation, our aim is to promote our independent cinema both in Turkey and abroad as well as cultivate engaged audiences for art house and fo reign films.
Hezarfen Film Galeri is an institution that organizes various encounters between a work of art and a viewer. Thus film festivals, special screenings, workshops and exhibitions are designed throughout the year by our experienced staff.
Nesim Bencoya - Curator
7 CENTIMETERS
Director: Metehan Şereflioğlu
Writer: Metehan Şereflioğlu
Cinematography: Burçin Esin
Editor: Metehan Şereflioğlu
Producer: Metehan Şereflioğlu
Cast: Özgür Molla, Murat Kapdağlı, Zeynep Eser, Ali Düşenkalkar, Orhan Öztokatlı, Jülide Kara
Erdem goes to high school. The principle warnes him to cut his hair for him to obey the school rules. When his parents also pressure him for the same reasons he falls into hesitation because the girl he likes, likes his hair.
He was born in 1991, in İstanbul. in 2011, he started to study Dokuz Eylül University Fine Arts Faculty, Designing Movie and Directing Department. He worked as a director assistant in many tv-series on tv called “Öyle Bir Geçer Zaman Ki”, “Firar” etc. He has four short movie, as a director.
TURKEY
BLACK RING
2016 / 14’ 58’’ TURKEY
Director: Hasan Can Dağlı
Writer: Hasan Can Dağlı, Turgay Doğan, Cem Özüduru
Animation: Name Surname
Cinematography: Olcay Oğuz
Composer: David Kiledjian
Black Ring is fantastic, thriller genre short film about a group of people organizing a bizarre photoshoot event in an abandoned mansion.
Hasan Can Dagli was born on 1987, in Istanbul, Turkey. While studying political science in university he developed passion into films. Later he graduated with an MFA in Directing from School of Visual Arts, New York, USA (2010), after he went back to Istanbul and completed a MA in Cinema Studies at the Marmara University, Istanbul (2012). Black Ring was his sixth short film. It is produced and shot in Istanbul, Turkey by the beginning of 2016. The main idea was to analyze the relation between human and matter, how people can turn into matter was the main start point and the idea led the script into a slow pace thrilling picture.
Editor: Hasan Can Dağlı
Producer: Hasan Can Dağlı, Serhat Cinisli, Luigi Comandatore
Cast: Turgay Doğan, Dounia Jauneaud, Tolga Akman, Yüce Eşer, Serdar Aras
2016 / 12’ 26’’ TURKEY
Director: Melisa Üneri
Writer: Melisa Üneri
Cinematography: Birkan Yorulmaz
Composer: Feryin Kaya
Editor: Özcan Vardar
Producer: Melisa Üneri, Öykü Aytulun
Cast: Inan Hira, Cem Avnayim
NO FRIES, PLEASE is a tragicomic story about the moments of frustration and isolation that modern society has driven us into.
Melisa Üneri was born and raised in Finland. Her first feature length creative documentary Daddy’s Girl premiered at DOK Leipzig in 2015 and has since been screened in several prominent festivals such as Sheffield Doc/Fest. In 2016, Melisa directed her first short film No Fries, Please, which premiered at the renowned International Antalya Film Festival. Currently, Melisa lives in Istanbul where she works as a script doctor, while developing a her feature length fiction film The Only Slut Around. NO FRIES, PLEASE
THE TRANSLATOR
2015 / 23’ 00’’ UNITED KINGDOM, TURKEY
Director: Emre Kayiş
Writer: Emre Kayiş
Animation: Name Surname
Cinematography: Nick Cooke
Composer: Name Surname Sound: Raoul Brand
Editor: Ricardo Saraiva
Producer: Oytun Kal
Cast: Sherko Ali, Gamze Kaçak
Yusuf, a Syrian refugee boy who lives in an exile in a remote Turkish border town is chosen for his newfound power but he has to experience how to use it, at the cost of his innocence.
Emre Kayiş who is both script writer and director lives in Istanbul. He has graduated from the London Film School and he focuses on shooting films concerning social subjects.
A small town near to the western Turkish border, early morning... Two men goes deep into the forest with a jeep which belongs to public authorithy. Beauty and death will find them unprepared.
Borned in Ankara, 1987. After finishing Faculty of Communication in Ankara University, he continued his education in Lodz Polish National Film School, directing department. His first short story book published in 2013 by İletişim Publishing House. He currently lives in İstanbul.
ITALIAN SHORT FILM CENTER
The Italian Short Film Center is an AIACE Nazionale (Italian Association of Arthouses) project realized jointly with the Museo Nazionale del Cinema (National Cinema Museum) and supported by the MiBACT (the Ministry of Fine Arts and Cultural Activities), the Regione Piemonte (Piedmont Region) and the bank foundation, Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio di Torino. It was set up in 2007 as a film library and agency to promote Italian shorts. The Center has, to date, restored and digitalized 300 films (film and magnetic tape). It operates on domestic productions of all genres up to a maximum of 30’.
The Center operates on major international markets and acts as an interface at festivals and for foreign buyers. Furthermore, it provides information about the production and distribution of Italian shorts.
Jacopo Chessa - Curator
BLACK COMEDY
2015 / 15’ ITALY
Director: Luigi Pane
Writer: Carlo Ambrosini, Luigi Pane
Cinematography: Davide Manca
Composer: Federico Tummolo, Maria Yudina
A rough and seasoned playwright and his young, bright and good-looking companion are the opposite sides of the same mirror. The couple is together in life and also in this “black comedy”. A young journalist will follow their story and, through a series of puns and verbal exchanges, they will break the wall that separates reality from fiction.
Luigi Pane was born in Sorrento in 1981 and graduated in Rome in History and Criticism at the University of Tor Vergata with a thesis on Stanley Kubrick. It has always been divided between its two often passionate, film and writing passions. In 2015, he shot “Black Comedy”, his first short film, with Fortunato Cerlino and Antonia Liskova. He lives in Rome, but whenever possible he returns to Sorrento, who considers himself a bit like his Itaca.
Editor: Andrea Gagliardi, Guru Sound
Producer: Luigi Pane
Cast:
Fortunato Cerlino, Antonia Liskova, Paolo Perinelli, Beniamino Marcone, Cosimo Ricciolino, Bruno Petretti, Sara Andreoli
IT WAS YESTERDAY
Director: Valentina Pedicini
Writer: Francesca Manieri
Cinematography: Jakob Stark
Composer: Martin Fliri, Stefano Grosso, Elisa Natali
Editor: Luca Mandrile
Producer: MEPRODUCODASOLO SRL
Cast: Giorgia Argese
Gio’ is a 13 year-old girl living in the south of Italy, head of a boys’ gang. She’s secretely in love with young Paola, and she’s ready to compete with male opponents to win her heart. In the last day of summer, innocence ends.
Valentina Zucco Pedicini was born in Brindisi in 1978. She moved to Rome when she was 18 to study philology and Italian linguistics, with a thesis on the Pugliese dialect in contemporary film. She went on to attend the ZeLIG School for Documentary, Television and New Media and graduated in film directing with honours. Her documentaries have been selected for numerous national and international festivals. Pedicini also received a grant to study in Belgrade under the director Milcho Manchevski. 2016 / 15’ ITALY
Director: Giovanni Fumu
Writer: Giovanni Fumu, Giovanni Aloi
Cinematography: Hynsuk Yang
Composer: Diego Schiavo
Editor: Giovanni Fumu
Producer: 37thDEGREE ,Giovanni Fumu
Cast: Eun U, Soonwoo Kwak
Suburb of Seoul, early afternoon. Hidden in the privacy of a shabby love motel, Minhui and Junho, a teenager couple, have to face an important decision that could change their lives forever.
Born in Assisi on April 3, 1985 and graduated between DAMS Cinema in Bologna and the Sorbonne in Paris, Giovanni is co-founder and creative director of 37thDEGREE, a Seul-based international manufacturing company. As director he directed shorts and advertisements between Europe, Asia and USA. Right now, John lives in Seoul and has just finished writing his first feature film.
IT’S FINE ANYWAY
Director: Marcello Saurino
Writer: Marcello Saurino
Cinematography: Simone Mogliè
Composer: Pivio, Paolo Amici
Editor: Marcello Saurino
Producer: Creuza srl
Cast: Jun Ichikawa, Pivio e Aldo De Scalzi, Riccardo Floris, Agnese Emiliiozzi
Two women meet and have a relationship, presumably one night. They greeting in the morning with the promise to meet again. But their second appointment will have an unexpected nature. For different reasons, they will both be involved in a clandestine fight without shutting down.
Editor and filmmaker freelance based in Rome. I graduated from Centro Sperimentale di Cinematografia, with specialization in Film Editing, under the supervision of the great Film editor Roberto Perpignani. I worked for Feature films, documentaries, short films, music videos, commercials, Tv shows, and any kind of audiovisual. 2016 / 11’
Director: Chiara Caselli
Writer: Chiara Caselli
Cinematography: Matteo Cocco
Composer: Antonio Barba
Editor: Enrica Gattolini
Producer: Ubulibri
Cast: ENRICO CAROTENUTO as LEOPOLD BLOOM,CHIARA CASELLI as MOLLY BLOOM and others
It is the dead of night and Molly, in her bed, cannot get to sleep. Next to her face are the feet of her husband Leopold, who fell asleep upside-down and fully dressed. Molly’s voice, her irreverent, tragic, and childlike spirit, will lead us on a journey through her life and the people who inhabit it, whether living or imaginary. The present is then interwoven with a past that haunts her and a future that offers her what she feels she has lost, forever.
Chiara Caselli was born in Bologna on December 22, 1967. She graduated from the Bologna School of Music. A great actress with an atypical talent in 1991 has her great opportunity to debut in America Very disgruntled person of his private life knows very little apart from a long relationship with Dionysus.
MOLLY BLOOM
2016 / 20’ ITALY
VIOLA, FRANCA
2017
/15’ ITALY
Director: Marta Savina
Writer: Marta Savina , Andrea Brusa
Cinematography: Topher Osborn
Composer: Ilaria Acella
Editor: Ashley Monti
Producer: Mira Film Marta Savina
Cast: Claudia Gusmano, Carlo Calderone, Ninni Bruschetta, Maurizio Puglisi
It’s Sicily in 1965, and Franca is forced to marry her rapist to avoid becoming a pariah in her traditionalist community, but she rebels against the established custom and sets a precedent that alters the course of Italian history, paving the way for women’s rights.
Marta Savina is a director and assistant director, known for Viola, Franca (2016), Ward 3(2012) and Caruso (2013).
AMIRA
2016 / 9’ ITALY
Director: Luca Lepone
Writer: Luca Lepone, Paola Randi
Cinematography: Guido Michelotti
Composer: Giordano Corapi
Editor: Andrea Vacca
Recplay Vincenzo De Marco, Oz Film Francesco Cucci
Cast: Alice Attala as AMIRA Alaa Arsheed
A young woman is walking rapidly through the streets of a big city. Suddenly she stops, takes a breath, smiles and starts wandering aimlessly, seemingly in the grip of a feeble madness. She moves among people who pass by indifferently and only have time to consider her mad.
Luca Lepone was born in Rome in 1976. After classical maturity he enrolled in biological sciences. At 23, he won a selection for assistant director in Rai and joins the company, so he still works. Then he becomes a film-maker, editor, filmmaker, and makes video for television and events. In 2015 she knows Paola Randi in a workshop she has held and with whom she writes and produces her first short film, Amira.
A TRAVELLING GIRL
Director: Davide Vigore
Writer: Davide Vigore
Cinematography: Daniele Ciprì
Composer: Luca Bertolin, Danilo Romancino e Silvia La Porta
Editor: Giulia Flora Andorka
Producer: Davide Vigore, Agostino Sella
Cast: Eurydice El-Etr, Serena Barone, Ada Simona Totaro, Lorenza Denaro
You can steal a girl his youth? Hind has worked for years as a caregiver at the home of an elderly lady, spends his days doing always the same activities, his is an endless routine of the same day, thus living in a continuous present, the agonizing wait for something, someone . In the evening, after putting to bed the old lady takes refuge in his room full of dreams.
It will be the old lady to make her understand the importance of youth.
Davide Vigore, director and screenwriter, was born in Enna in 1989. From 2010 to 2013 he produced his first shorts (Amira, The Lamentations of the Convent, Italy, Short Circuit, Ego Te Absolvo), video clip Li Culura and the spot for ‘ Enel Green Power “Ciaula discovers the moon”. In 2013, he produced the documentary WHO WANT TO SAY, in 2014 the FUORIGIOCO documentary and in 2015 the LA COMPAGNA SOLITUDINE documentary produced by the Experimental Center of Cinematography during the years of study. 2016 / 15’
Director: Andrea Brusa, Marco Scotuzzi
Writer: Andrea Brusa, Marco Scotuzzi
Cinematography: Marco Nero
Composer: Flavio Marini, Alessio Zanin
Editor: Marco Scotuzzi
Producer: Nieminen
Cast: Laura Tombini, Zena Abram
When a Syrian refugee has to cross the Italian border she discovers that just one thing can save her: her breath.
Marco Scotuzzi and Andrea Brusa first met when they where classmates in film school. Marco has realized videos for many international clients. Andrea has moved to Los Angeles where he graduated in screenwriting at UCLA and has received many awards for his writing. In 2013, they have created the creative group Nieminen together with their producer and partner Andrea Italia. Several projects produced by Nieminen have been selected and won awards in numerous film festivals.
Fatma and her mother are refugee refugees in Italy. During their hospital sight, Fatma should translate what the doctor is saying to her mother, but she keeps silent.
Ali Asgari is a director and writer, known for Bishtar az do (2013), Silence (2016) and La bambina (2014). 2016 / 14’
PENALTY
2016 / 14’ ITALY
Director: Aldo Iuliano
Writer: Severino Iuliano
Alessandro Giulietti
Cinematography: Daniele Ciprì
Composer: Margutta Digital Int., Enrico Melozzi
Editor: Marco Spoletini
A group of kids plays a football match other than the others.
Director and comic book designer, after completing his degree in Communication Sciences, runs his first independent feature film entitled “The King of Bastons” (with Roberto Vecchioni and exclusive images with Luciano Ligabuepost-production). He has also signed movies, video clips, experimental short films in Italy and abroad. His last work as director is the short-comedy “Fulgenzio”.
Producer: Freak Factory Cast: Nyaringel Yawo, Danish Bhutto, Edris Mahmoudzadeh,Seidu Haruna,Ibrahim Baba and others
TABIB
Director: Carlo D’Ursi
Writer: Carlo D’Ursi, Ana Puentes
Cinematography: Nestor Ruiz
Composer: Jaime Lardiés
Editor: Guillermo Vidal
Producer: Carlo D’Ursi
Cast: Josean Bengoetxea, Son Khouri, Marta Romero, Jimena La Motta, Juan Martín Gravina
April 27, 2016- Aleppo (Syria).The Al Quds Hospital is bombed by the allied air force. During the attack, the last pediatrician left in the city dies. This is the story of the last minutes of his life.
Carlo d’Ursi has more than a decade experience as a film producer, with coproductions that achieved selections in important festivals. Teacher and conferences activity collaborating with important European and American Universities and Film Organizations and Institutes programs. Involved in the fields of script-writing and direction, obtained the award Media New Talent Prize.
2017 / 8’ SPAIN
ZAZA, KURD 2016 ITALY
Director: Simone Amendola
Writer: Simone Amendola
Cinematography: Matteo Cocco
Composer: Ziao Trabelsi, Pino Pecorelli
Editor: Tullio Arcangeli (montaggio del suono)
Producer: Floriana Pinto, Simone Amendola
Hamza has been living in Italy since 1999 as a refugee. Since at the age of 19, he had to flee from Turkey to save himself from a political trial that sentenced him, innocently, to 12 years in prison. In 2015, after 16 years of physical and emotional resistance, the Kurdish party wins the election and begins to undermine many unconstitutional laws. Hamza, with tears in his eyes, on December 13, 2015 will climb the plane that will take him home. Waiting for him, trepidating, his family and many friends. Everyone armed with smartphones document every moment of those hugs inspired.
Simone Amendola has received several awards for her works, including Ilaria Alpi Award for Narrative Documentary, Solinas Award for Screenplay, In-Box Award for Contemporary Dramaturgy. Among his best-known works, the doc ‘Alisya in Wonderland’ and the show ‘The Man in the Flood’ telling both of the oppressed angles of migrations.
