Berllain Film Festival
      Prizes of the International Short Film Jury

      The International Berlinale Shorts Jury is comprised of three personalities whose work is linked to the short film genre. It awards the main prizes in the competition of the Berlinale Shorts section: a Golden Bear for the best film and a Silver Bear as a special Jury award.

      Furthermore, this jury selects the winner of the Prix UIP Berlin for the best European short film of the Berlinale Shorts section. The Prix UIP is presented at 14 European film festivals - among them the Berlinale - by the European Film Academy (EFA) and United International Pictures (UIP). The winners are awarded 2,000 euros and automatically nominated for the short film category of the European Film Award.

      In addition, the jury awards a scholarship from the DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service), which includes three months of study in Berlin within the framework of the Artists-in-Berlin programme as well as financial support over this period of time.


      Awards 2008: O zi buna de plaja, Udedh bun, Frankie, B teme, Superfície, RGB XYZ

      The winners of the short film awards are announced during a special ceremony.
      Berlinale Shorts Awards 2008:
      The members of the International Short Film Jury Marc Barbé (France), Ada Solomon (Romania), Laura Tonke (Germany) award the following prizes:
      O zi buna de plaja, Udedh bun, Frankie, B teme, Superfície, RGB XYZ

      Awards 2008: O zi buna de plaja, Udedh bun, Frankie, B teme, Superfície, RGB XYZ
      The Golden Bear to

      O zi buna de plaja
      by Bogdan Mustata (Romania)

      The film raises questions about its issues rather than bring resolution to them. It does so in a very precise and unpredictable way. We feel that it is one of the most precious things when a film stays with you and keeps unravelling long after the final credits have ended.


      The Silver Bear to

      Udedh bun
      by Siddharth Sinha (India)

      The Silver Bear goes to Udedh bun for its modern narration. A sharp focus that relies on a harmony between images and sound rather than words. We are also sensitive to the new erotica brought to the traditional figure of the desired woman in the history of cinema.


      Prix UIP to

      Frankie
      by Darren Thornton (Ireland)

      A simple and powerful approach. The straight forward point of view of a working class teenager on love, responsibility and fatherhood. We also want to re-encourage the director in developing his project of short films for young makers.


      DAAD Short Film Prize

      B teme
      by Olga Popova (Russian Federation)

      We feel this film achieves a physical and sensual intimacy with its subjects without ever violating the secret of this intimacy. We wish to encourage the director’s talent as a filmmaker.


      And two Special Mentions to

      A special mention for directing goes to a film for its precise and sensitive direction on a topic which otherwise would have felt politically correct. Superfície by Rui Xavier.

      A special mention for a very contemporary gesture in animation in a wonderful nasty sense of humour goes to RGB XYZ by David OReilly.

      New Short Film Book on
      Distribution available:
      Focal Press and Amazon

      Swimming Upstream: A Lifesaving Guide to Short Film Distribution
      by Sharon Badal

      Sharon Badal is a Short Film Programmer of the Tribeca Film Festival, screening 1500 submissions annually, and is on the faculty of New York University's prestigious Tisch School of the Arts. She served on the regional jury for the Student Academy Awards in 2005 and the 2007 Toronto Worldwide Short Film Festival.

      Features & Benefits

      * A guide to getting your short film the exposure it deserves
      * Filled with interviews and insider information from the gatekeepers at the gatekeepers at Focus Features, AtomFilms, Apple, Sundance, and more
      * Includes exercises and projects to help you develop a strategy and find the right investors

      Reviews

      "If you are a filmmaker with an interest in making short films you need to read Swimming Upstream. With refreshing candor, Sharon Badal has written a unique book that is a wealth of information and true-life inspiration."
      -Jane Rosenthal, Co-Founder, Tribeca Film Festival

      Forget everything you thought you knew about short films--this book is the real deal!

      Brimming over with the collective wit, wisdom, and insights of the most important players in the world of short films, Sharon Badal's Swimming Upstream tells you everything you need to know about the making and marketing of short films, from original concept to international sales. In equal measures entertaining and essential, It should be required reading for anyone engaged in the art and business of short films.
      --Darryl Macdonald, Executive Director, Palm Springs International Short Film Festival
      Description

      Short films have come into their own, not least in part due to the incredible new ways to distribute them, including the Web, cell phones, new festivals devoted to short--even television and theatres. This is the ultimate guide for anyone who's made a short film and wonders what to do next. Whether your short film is meant to be a calling card, a segue to a feature film, or you just want to recoup some of the costs, this book describes the potential paths for distribution. Written by the short film programmer of the Tribeca Film Festival and featuring contributions from top film festival directors, as well as studio, marketing, and technology executives, this book shows you what's important to the decision makers and gatekeepers. This is the definitive handbook filled with insider information available nowhere else.

      Contents

      Dedication
      Acknowledgements
      Preface

      Introduction
      Swimming Lesson #1 Testing the Waters: The Indie Landscape
      Gore, Penguins and the Cultural Zeitgeist of Distribution by Jack Foley
      The Producer’s Perspective By Jason Kliot
      Conversation with Andrew Herwitz
      Strategizing Specialized Film by William R. Thompson
      Management Matters by Lawrence Mattis

      Swimming Lesson #2 Learning to Float: The Buyers
      Who is This For, Anyway? by Ian Bricke
      Swimming With Dolphins: Shorts Distribution 101 by Anna Darrah
      Who’s Gonna Rescue Me When I Start to Drown?
      by David Russell
      Life Starts When? by Jennifer Chen
      Taking the Brake Lights Off Your Film
      by Linda “O” Olszewski
      Make Your Mark by Joe Amodei
      So You Want to Sell That Short? Not So Fast…
      by Shane Smith

      Swimming Lesson #3 The Deep End: Exploring All Options
      Plympton’s Dogma by Bill Plympton
      The Fragile Emotion by Jon Gartenberg
      Life In Short by Ryan Werner
      Conversation with Tom Quinn and Carter Pilcher
      Rudiments of the Short Film by Derek Cianfrance
      What’s a Short Film Really? by Andrew Lund

      Swimming Lesson #4 How I Learned To Swim: Filmmaker Survival Stories
      Full Circle by Jens Assur
      Trial and Error in Hollywood by Jessica Sharzer
      Dare to Create by David Brind
      Mother’s Journey by Sian Heder
      The Long and the Short of It by Ben Odell
      Conversation with Peter Sollett
      Losing Your Virginity by Seth Grossman
      Interdependent by Tiffany Shlain
      Group Therapy by Joe Turner Lin
      From Nelson to Gowanus and Back by Ryan Fleck

      Swimming Lesson #5 Little Fish, Big Pond: Thinking Globally
      Shorts Down Under by Katherine Shortland
      The International Marketplace for Short Films
      Now with a Digital Assist by Ralph Ackerman
      Short Films in Japan by Seigo Tono
      Magic Little Differences by Margaret von Schiller
      How to Make It with a Short Film in the UK and Europe by Elliot Grove

      Swimming Lesson #6 No Lifeguard on Duty: Internet and New Technology
      Conversation with Megan O’Neill
      Demystifying Mobile Video by Robin Chan
      Conversation with Jim Bankoff
      Brave New Virtual World by Jon Griggs
      Conversation with Bahman Naraghi
      The Power of Distribution, in the Hands of Filmmakers by David Straus

      Swimming Lesson #7 Navigate The Rapids: Film Festivals
      A Briefing On Shorts by Kathleen McInnis
      Show ‘Em Your Shorts by Jamie White
      Conversation with George Eldred
      Some Serious Funny Business by Kevin Haasarud
      Conversation with John Polson
      Your Short Film and the LGBT Film Festival
      by Kimberly Yutani
      Conversation with Trevor Groth

      Swimming Lesson #8 Waterlogged: My Story

      Swim Test
      The Workbook
      Index
      Author Biography

      Publisher Focal click to link

      Sundance Winners-

      The Grand Jury Prize: Documentary was presented to TROUBLE THE WATER, directed by Tia Lessin and Carl Deal. An aspiring rap artist and her streetwise husband, armed with a video camera, show what survival means when they are trapped in New Orleans by deadly floodwaters, and seize a chance for a new beginning.

      The Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic was presented to FROZEN RIVER, directed by Courtney Hunt, about a desperate trailer mom and a Mohawk Indian girl who team up to smuggle illegal immigrants into the United States from Canada.

      The World Cinema Jury Prize: Documentary was presented to MAN ON WIRE/United Kingdom, directed by James Marsh. The film chronicles French artist Philippe Petit's daring dance on a wire suspended between New York's Twin Towers and his subsequent arrest for what would become known as “the artistic crime of the century.”

      The World Cinema Jury Prize: Dramatic was presented to KING OF PING PONG (PING PONGKINGEN)/ Sweden, directed by Jens Jonsson. An ostracized and bullied teenager who excels only in ping pong descends into an acrimonious struggle with his younger, more popular brother when the truth about their family history and their father surfaces over the course of their spring break.

      The Audience Awards are presented to both a dramatic and documentary film in four Competition categories as voted by Sundance Film Festival audiences. The 2008 Sundance Film Festival Audience Awards are presented by Volkswagen of America, Inc.

      The Audience Award: Documentary was presented to FIELDS OF FUEL, directed by Josh Tickell. A look at America's addiction to oil, Tickell is a man with a plan and a Veggie Van, who is taking on big oil, big government, and big soy to find solutions in places few people have looked.

      The Audience Award: Dramatic was presented to THE WACKNESS, directed by Jonathan Levine. During a sweltering New York summer, a troubled teenage drug dealer trades pot for therapy sessions with a drug-addled psychiatrist, and in the process falls for the doctor's daughter.

      The World Cinema Audience Award: Documentary was presented to MAN ON WIRE/United Kingdom, directed by James Marsh. The film chronicles French artist Philippe Petit's daring dance on a wire suspended between New York's Twin Towers and subsequent arrest for what would become known as “the artistic crime of the century.”

      The World Cinema Audience Award: Dramatic was presented to CAPTAIN ABU RAED/Jordan, by director Amin Matalqa. The first feature film to come out of Jordan in 50 years, CAPTAIN ABU RAED tells the story of an aging airport janitor who is mistaken for an airline pilot by a group of poor neighborhood children and whose fantastical stories offer hope for a sad, sometimes unchangeable, reality.

      The Directing Awards recognize excellence in directing for dramatic and documentary features.

      The Directing Award: Documentary was presented to Nanette Burstein for her film AMERICAN TEEN, an irreverent cinema vérité which chronicles four seniors at an Indiana high school and yields a surprising snapshot of Midwestern life.

      The Directing Award: Dramatic was presented to Lance Hammer for BALLAST, a riveting, lyrical portrait of an emotionally frayed family whose lives are torn asunder by a tragic act in a small Mississippi Delta town.

      The World Cinema Directing Award: Documentary was presented to Nino Kirtadze, director of DURAKOVO: VILLAGE OF FOOLS (DURAKOVO: LE VILLAGE DES FOUS)/ France. The film portrays life in a castle outside Moscow, where Mikhail Morozov rules autonomously over young initiates, laying the groundwork for a rapidly growing right-wing movement.

      The World Cinema Directing Award: Dramatic was presented to Anna Melikyan for MERMAID (RUSALKA)/ Russia. The fanciful tale of an introverted little girl who grows up believing she has the power to make wishes come true. She must reconcile this belief with reality when, as a young woman, she journeys to Moscow and grapples with love, modernity and materialism.

      The Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award for outstanding achievement in writing was presented to Alex Rivera and David Riker for their screenplay for SLEEP DEALER. Set in a near-future, militarized world marked by closed borders, virtual labor and a global digital network that joins minds and experiences, three strangers risk their lives to connect with each other and break the barriers of technology.

      The World Cinema Screenwriting Award was presented to Samuel Benchetrit for his screenplay of I ALWAYS WANTED TO BE A GANGSTER (J'AI TOUJOURS RÊVÉ D'ÊTRE UN GANGSTER)/ France. Told in four vignettes, this existential comedy relates the exploits of four aspiring criminals who hope to improve their lot, but find that they might not have what it takes for a life of crime.

      The Documentary Editing Award was presented to Joe Bini for his work on the film ROMAN POLANSKI: WANTED AND DESIRED. The documentary examines the public scandal and private tragedy which led to legendary director Roman Polanski's sudden flight from the United States.

      The World Cinema Documentary Editing Award was presented to Irena Dol for her work on THE ART STAR AND THE SUDANESE TWINS/New Zealand. The film profiles artist Vanessa Beecroft and how her obsession to adopt Sudanese twin orphans drives her marriage to a breaking point and fuels her controversial art.

      The Excellence in Cinematography Awards honor exceptional cinematography in both dramatic and documentary categories. This year's recipients are:

      The Excellence in Cinematography Award: Documentary was presented to Phillip Hunt and Steven Sebring for their work on the film PATTI SMITH: DREAM OF LIFE, an intimate portrait of the poet, painter, musician and singer that mirrors the essence of the artist herself.

      The Excellence in Cinematography Award: Dramatic was presented to Lol Crawley for BALLAST. a riveting, lyrical portrait of an emotionally frayed family whose lives are torn asunder by a tragic act in a small Mississippi Delta town.

      The World Cinema Cinematography Award: Documentary was presented to al Massad for his work on RECYCLE /Jordan. A Jordanian family man living in the hometown of Muslim leader Abu Musa Al Zarqawi struggles to support his family and define his identity in a tense political climate.

      The World Cinema Cinematography Award: Dramatic was presented to Askild Vik Edvardsen for KING OF PING PONG (PING PONGKINGEN)/ Sweden. An ostracized and bullied teenager who excels only in ping pong descends into an acrimonious struggle with his younger, more popular brother when the truth about their family history and their father surfaces over the course of their spring break.

      A World Cinema Special Jury Prize: Dramatic was presented to Ernesto Contreras, director of BLUE EYELIDS (PÁRPADOS AZULES)/ Mexico. When Marina wins a beach getaway trip for two, her desperate search for someone to take with her leads to a complicated relationship and the revelation that she might be better off on her own.

      A Special Jury Prize: Documentary was presented to Lisa F. Jackson, director of GREATEST SILENCE: RAPE IN THE CONGO, for her piercing, intimate look into the struggle of the lives of rape survivors.

      A Special Jury Prize: Dramatic, The Spirit of Independence was presented to director Chusy Haney-Jardine for ANYWHERE, USA, a wildly original look at American manners, prejudices, and family dynamics.

      A Special Jury Prize: Dramatic, Work by an Ensemble Cast was presented to the cast of CHOKE. An adaptation of Chuck Palahniuk's novel, CHOKE is the sardonic story about mother and son relationship, fear of aging, sexual addiction, and the dark side of historical theme parks. Cast: Sam Rockwell, Anjelica Huston, Kelly MacDonald, Brad Henke.

      This year's Sundance jury was - Dramatic Competition: Marcia Gay Harden, Mary Harron, Diego Luna, Sandra Oh and Quentin Tarantino; Documentary Competition: Michelle Byrd, Heidi Ewing, Eugene Jarecki, Steven Okazaki and Annie Sundberg; World Dramatic Competition: Shunji Iwai (Japan), Lucrecia Martel (Argentina) and Jan Schütte (Germany); World Documentary Competition: Amir Bar-Lev (US), Leena Pasanen (Finland/Denmark) and Ilda Santiago (Brazil); American and International Shorts: Jon Bloom, Melonie Diaz and Jason Reitman; and The Alfred P. Sloan Prize: Alan Alda, Michael Polish, Evan Schwartz, Benedict Schwegler and John Underkoffler.

    List of Golden Globe Award Winners

    By The Associated Press – 7 hours ago

    Complete list of winners of the 65th annual Golden Globes announced Sunday at a news conference held by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association in Beverly Hills, Calif.:

    MOTION PICTURES:

    _Picture, Drama: "Atonement."

    _Actress, Drama: Julie Christie, "Away From Her."

    _Actor, Drama: Daniel Day-Lewis, "There Will Be Blood."

    _Picture, Musical or Comedy: "Sweeney Todd."

    _Actress, Musical or Comedy: Marion Cotillard, "La Vie En Rose."

    _Actor, Musical or Comedy: Johnny Depp, "Sweeney Todd."

    _Supporting Actress: Cate Blanchett, "I'm Not There."

    _Supporting Actor: Javier Bardem, "No Country for Old Men."

    _Director: Julian Schnabel, "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly."

    _Screenplay: Ethan Coen and Joel Coen, "No Country for Old Men."

    _Foreign Language: "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly," France and U.S.

    _Animated Film: "Ratatouille."

    _Original Score: Dario Marianelli, "Atonement."

    _Original Song: "Guaranteed" from "Into the Wild."

    TELEVISION:

    _Series, Drama: "Mad Men," AMC.

    _Actress, Drama: Glenn Close, "Damages."

    _Actor, Drama: Jon Hamm, "Mad Men."

    _Series, Musical or Comedy: "Extras," HBO.

    _Actress, Musical or Comedy: Tina Fey, "30 Rock"

    _Actor, Musical or Comedy: David Duchovny, "Californication."

    _Miniseries or Movie: "Longford," HBO.

    _Actress, Miniseries or Movie: Queen Latifah, "Life Support."

    _Actor, Miniseries or Movie: Jim Broadbent, "Longford."

    _Supporting Actress, Series, Miniseries or Movie: Samantha Morton, "Longford."

    _Supporting Actor, Series, Miniseries or Movie: Jeremy Piven, "Entourage."


    Berlinale expecting record numbers for market

    Less than four weeks before the beginning of this year's Berlinale, the European Film Market (EFM) is is expecting to host more than 400 exhibitors from 50 countries at its market venues in the Martin Gropius Bau and the EFM Exhibitor Offices.

    To date, 420 exhibitors are registered with the EFM, including 44 new companies with a presence a t the market for the first time. This tally now also includes the 157 distributors, world sales companies and producers who registered via The Marketplace to participate in the MEDIA Programme's "umbrella stand" in the Martin-Gropius Bau's atrium.

    As the market organisers observed, "the majority of companies come from Germany, Great Britain, France and the USA. Besides the traditionally stronger showing of European firms, exhibitors from Asia and Eastern Europe are gowing annually in significance. And for the first time, companies from Macedonia, Romania and Chile will participate in the EFM 2008."

    Apart from the increase in exhibitors, there is a 10% increase in overall industry registration to date. 636 buyers have registered so far, with new companies coming to Berlin for the first time from Argentina, Australia, and the USA. Last year, the EFM was host to a total 878 buyers from more than 50 countries.

    Similar to last year, the market will have screenings of around 700 titles, of which approximately 75% will be market premieres.

    These will include around 45 films premiered at next week's Sundance Film Festival, which will then be showcased in Berlin in the EFM's "Straight from Sundance" programme.

    In addition, a record 100-plus Latin American films were submitted this year for the EFM's Latin American Works-in-Progress section which sees itself as a platform for new talents. 11 projects from Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Columbia, Chile and Uruguay have been selected for presentation at the market.

    Planet in Focus International Environmental Film & Video Festival is seeking submissions.
    Canada’s most acclaimed international environmental film and video festival, Planet in Focus showcases outstanding and compelling films and videos covering a broad range of environmental themes by Canadian and international filmmakers.

    The festival's mission is to screen and promote the use of film and video across Canada and internationally as a catalyst for public awareness, discussion, and appropriate action on the environmental, ecological and social health of the planet. Recognizing that the 'environment' is contested terrain, both as a biophysical entity and as a philosophical frame, Planet in Focus invites submissions in all genres that critically examine the concept of 'environment' and challenge current human/nature relations.

    Festival Highlights:
    Green Market & Industry Centre: Filmmakers, producers, sales agents, buyers and programmers enjoy exclusive access to our business centre (and networking hub) and have full access to our film library which will consist of all 2008 submissions.

    Green Pitch Competition: Submit your environmental film treatment for the chance to pitch your idea live and have the chance to win development funding for your project.
    Panels, Industry Roundtables: Filmmakers take the spotlight with a series of lively discussions addressing a range of issues that specifically concern activist filmmaking.

    Spotlight on Food: Special consideration will be given for food themed works in all genres.

    Early deadline: May 23rd, 2008 / Final deadline: June 20th, 2008

    For guidelines and submission forms please visit
    www.planetinfocus.org.

    Palm Springs 19th annual International Film Festival

    "Then She Found Me," the comedy-drama about a woman in the midst of a midlife crisis directed, co-written and starring Helen Hunt, earned the Mercedes-Benz Audience Award for best narrative feature at the 19th annual Palm Springs International Film Festival.

    Tricia Regan's "Autism: The Musical," which follows a group of autistic children putting on a show, took the audience award for best documentary feature.

    Winners at the festival, which concludes Monday, were announced Sunday at Spencer's Restaurant in Palm Springs.

    A jury of international critics, who viewed 55 of the 63 films submitted for the foreign-langauge film Academy Award, voted the FIPRESCI Award for foreign-language film to Ognjen Svilicic's "Armin," from Croatia, about a small-town father and son trying to maintain their dignity in the big city.

    Song Gang-ho received the FIPRESCI Best Actor Award for his performance in Lee Chang-dong's "Secret Sunshine," while Anamaria Marinca and Laura Vasiliu were co-awarded the FIPRESCI Award Best Actress prize for their work in Cristian Mungiu's "4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days."

    In the New Voices/New Visions program, featuring first or second films from 10 international directors, the jury singled out Ann-Kristen Reyels' "Hounds," a German coming-of-age story.

    Salvatore Maira's "The Waltz" earned a special jury mention, while Enrique Begne's "Two Embraces" earned a special jury mention for Frederico Barbarosa's cinematography.

    Nadav Schirman received the John Schlesinger Award for Outstanding First Feature (Narrative or Documentary) for his docu "The Champagne Spy," which centers on a 12-year-old boy who discovers that his father is a Mossad spy.

    The Heineken Red Star Award was presented to Nic Balthazar for "Ben X."

    The Israeli film "The Band's Visit," directed by Eran Kolirin, received the Bridging the Borders Award, presented by Cinema Without Borders to the film that is "most successful in bringing the people of our world closer together."

    The festival, which began Jan. 3, screened 212 films, including 65 premieres, from 66 countries. According to festival chairman Earl Greenburg, for the first time in the fest's history receipts from both film ticket sales and the awards gala exceeded $1 million apiece.

    Runners-up for the audience narrative film award were "The Year My Parents Went on Vacation," "Late Bloomers," "Red Like the Sky," "How About You," "Band's Visit," "Shake Hands With the Devil," "The Counterfeiters," "Children of Glory," "Noodle," and "4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days."

    In the competition for docu audience favorite, the runners-up were "Body of War," "Anita O'Day: The Life of a Jazz Singer," "Call Me Troy," "War/Dance," "As Seen Through These Eyes," "Please Vote for Me," "The Business of Being Born," "Hats Off," "The Pixar Story" and "Angels in the Dust."

    SLAMDANCE ANNOUNCES 2008 FESTIVAL EVENTS, FIRESIDE CHATS AND JURY MEMBERS

    The Slamdance Film Festival, now in its 14th year, has always prided itself on the eclectic, exciting, something-for-everyone mix of people, parties and events that it brings together every year in Park City. The 2008 Festival will remain true to that tradition, providing unique professional and social outlets for filmmakers, industry executives, the media, and the general public.

    As always, Slamdance will run concurrently with the Sundance Film Festival, January 17-25, in Park City, Utah. Slamdance headquarters, box office and screening venues are all located at the Treasure Mountain Inn at 255 Main Street. For more information and for a complete listing of films in the Festival, log on to www.slamdance.com or call 323/466-1786. Festival passes and individual tickets are now on sale.

    2008 PARTIES/EVENTS SCHEDULE

    Thursday, January 17th

    Slamdance Housewarming Party presented by Steaz Organic Beverages and Evil Twin Booking Agency

    9:00 p.m., Star Bar (268 Main Street)

    Featured performances include M1 of Dead Prez and Umi of P.O.W with an exclusive set by DJ Joro-Boro of WirelessFM and formerly of the Bulgarian Bar. For more information on artists go to: myspace.com/M1rbg, myspace.com/umisworld and joro-boro.com. Additional performances by Emcee Sick of Pseudo Slang (Fat Beats Records) - NY/Chi-based recording artist/vinyl enthusiast with a rare DJ set + live performance, and The Uprok Records DJs (Salt Lake City).

    Evil Twin Booking Agency organizes university and non-traditional tours for speakers, films and artists. It's entertainment for people who think and act. Clients include Dead Prez, The Yes Men, Lost Film Fest, Joro-Boro, Greg Palast, Timothy Speed Levitch, Bernardine Dohrn of The Weather Underground, Who Killed The Electric Car?, Mark Achbar dir., The Corporation, Derrick Jensen, Ed Begley Jr., and many more. Contact Liz Cole or Scott Beibin. info@eviltwinbooking.org http://www.eviltwinbooking.org

    Steaz Organic Beverages are delicious, fair-trade-certified and sweetened with organic raw cane juice. They are available at all Whole Foods Markets. The energy drinks are powered with Yerba Mate, Acai, Green Tea, and Guarana (Try a HIPPIE KICKER = Steaz Energy + vodka). The sparkling green teas come in a variety of flavors in both regular and diet.

    Uprok Records is Utah's only retail store dedicated to everything hip hop. "From CDs and Vinyl Records to Spraypaint to Clothing, it’s the only stop you will have to make to know what's going on in town." Uprok is located at 342 S. State Street in the heart of downtown Salt Lake City. http://www.myspace.com/uprokrecords

    TICKET INFO: The event is free to Slamdance passholders. Pre-sale tickets are $25, which includes three sponsored drinks. All tickets are 21+ and ticket buyer will need to produce ID when picking up ticket at Slamdance will-call (255 Main Street). $25 tickets available at door for general admission, cash bar. 21+ only.

    Saturday, January 19th-Thursday, January 24th

    Happy Hours in the Lounge

    Every day at 5:00 p.m., Slamdance Lounge in the Treasure Mountain Inn (255 Main Street)

    Happy Hours are open to Slamdance passholders only, based on venue capacity, and are sponsored by Langley Productions, Current TV, MySpace, Focal Press and IndieWire.

    Sunday, January 20th

    Hot Tub Social sponsored by Parish

    6:00pm, Treasure Mountain Inn Spa

    Hosted by co-founder Dan Mirvish and East Coast Director Paul Rachman, the Hot Tub Social offers a chance for 2008 filmmakers to hold court with a variety of surprise alumni in the kind of personal environment Slamdance is known for; those not brave enough to get in the hot tub are welcome to take advantage of the heated benches.

    Monday, January 21st

    7th Annual Filmmaker Sled-Off sponsored by Parish

    Meets at 4:00 p.m., Treasure Mountain Inn lobby

    Marking the seventh year of outdoorsy competition, Slamdance filmmakers face off against each other and anyone else brave enough to participate in the annual Sled-Off. Slamdance co-founder Dan Mirvish began this illustrious sporting tradition; all interested participants must bring their own sled.

    On January 21st, during Happy Hour in the Lounge, there will be a special performance by the Miss Gay America contestants from the documentary feature competition film Pageant.

    Tuesday, January 22nd

    Film Commission Expo

    1:00 p.m., Slamdance Lounge

    Representatives from the Maryland, Tucson, Sedona, Mississippi, and Nevada Film Commissions will be on hand to discuss the shooting and production possibilities that their respective states/cities can offer to filmmakers. Free and open to all.

    Tuesday, January 22nd

    Screenplay Reading

    2:30 p.m. Gallery Screening Room in the Treasure Mountain Inn

    Reading of “Wonder Girls” by Anthony Meindl. “Wonder Girls” is the winner of the 12th Annual Slamdance Screenplay Competition. Free admission, open to all.

    Wednesday, January 23rd

    On January 23rd, during Happy Hour in the Lounge, Thunder from the documentary feature competition film Song Sung Blue will be entertaining Happy Hour attendees. Thunder is one half of the Milwaukee-based husband-and-wife singing duo Lightning & Thunder, who cover crooner Neil Diamond’s most popular tunes.

    Friday, January 25th

    Platinum Studios Presents the 2008 Slamdance Film Festival Closing Awards and Reception

    9:00 p.m., Main Screening Room in the Treasure Mountain Inn

    Announcement of 2008 award winners and closing remarks, mingling. Open to Slamdance passholders only.

    2008 FIRESIDE CHATS SCHEDULE

    The Fireside tradition started at Slamdance ’99 as a way for filmmakers to meet with other filmmakers and industry figures in an informal setting. To date, more than 200 speakers have participated. The Chats feature festival directors, producers, executives, musicians, distributors, technology gurus, and other movers and shakers in indie filmmaking. Chats run daily from 1:00-2:00 p.m. January 18th-24th in the Gallery Screening Room at the Treasure Mountain Inn. All Chats are moderated by Steve Montal except where noted below. Free admission.

    Friday, January 18th

    “Filmmakers on Filmmaking”

    Sponsored by Kodak

    Panelists include filmmakers with films in the 2008 Slamdance and Sundance film festivals. Discussion includes getting a film made, various new film production and post-production technologies, and how to get a film noticed. Moderated by Lorette Bayle, Kodak Account Executive: Independent Features, and independent filmmaker.

    Saturday, January 19th

    “Alternative Funding Methods for Indies”

    Sponsored by Film Riot

    Delve into alternative methods to raise money for indie films. Speak with filmmakers and Internet gurus who are using innovative techniques to take the guesswork out of funding indie films so that you can focus on your story and making the best film possible.

    Sunday, January 20th

    “Online Communities”

    Sponsored by OurStage

    Explore the developments in online distribution for indie filmmakers including building online communities and marketing with digital media. The discussion will also focus on the use of social networking sites to develop and promote independent film.

    Monday, January 21st

    “New Technologies and Online Distribution”

    Sponsored by DivX

    Learn about the latest developments in digital distribution and exhibition of independent films. Panelists include experts who will speak about new opportunities in areas such as digital distribution, mobile devices, wireless networks and online.

    Tuesday, January 22nd

    “The Art, Craft and Business of Screenwriting”

    Sponsored by the Slamdance Screenplay Competition

    Topics include how to work and communicate with producers, executives, agents and managers, how to fully develop material, the Writers Guild's protections and benefits for writers, the role of competitions and how past Slamdance competition winners got produced and screened as festival features.

    Wednesday, January 23rd

    “New Production Technologies”

    Sponsored by Panasonic

    Fall in love all over again with the latest technology for indie filmmaking. Spend time with HD gurus who have shot using different formats and equipment including the HVX200. A discussion of managing budgets and workflow for indie filmmakers will be included in this panel.

    2008 SLAMDANCE JURY MEMBERS

    Slamdance jury members for 2008 have been selected and are as follows:

    Since 1983, Skizz Cyzyk has made more than 50 short films and videos, many having won awards and screened at festivals all over the world. He is the Founder/

    Festival Director for MicroCineFest, the Programming Manager for the Maryland Film Festival, an advisory board member/juror for Alabama's Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival, served ten years as technical supervisor/projectionist for the Atlanta Film Festival, and on juries at many other festivals. This is Skizz's 12th year as a Slamdance projectionist, fifth year on the Slamdance advisory board, and fourth non-consecutive year on the Slamdance jury. He also writes for music and film magazines, is on the Board of Directors for Maryland Lawyers for the Arts, plays drums in popular indie-rock band, The Jennifers, and has a solo ukulele act.

    Amy Dotson is the Producer and Managing Director of Programming for IFP, a 30-year old not-for-profit membership and advocacy organization that supports and serves the independent film community by connecting creative talent and the film industry. Prior to IFP, Amy worked with producer Fred Berner, as well as at Curious Pictures and Miramax Films, where her responsibilities included a wide variety of production, development, administrative and business affairs duties, as well as extensive script and book coverage. Amy is currently producing her first feature documentary with director Brad Beesley on the women of the Oklahoma State Prison Rodeo.

    A graduate of Florida State University's Film School, Erik Jambor was inspired by a Slamdance screening of Hard Core Logo in 1997 to create a film festival in his hometown of Birmingham, Alabama. He co-founded the Sidewalk Moving Picture Festival there in 1999 and served as its Director through 2006, developing a festival that rapidly became a filmmaker favorite and helped to grow the region's independent film scene. Most recently, Erik was Executive Director of the 2007 BendFilm Festival in Bend, Oregon, creating a program that included what Shawn Levy of The Oregonian called "the best crop of fictional features yet to screen at BendFilm." Erik has served on film festival juries including Atlanta, Nashville and SXSW. This is his first year as a juror at Slamdance.

    Laurie Koh is a San Francisco-based writer, editor, and filmmaker. She is Associate Editor of Film Arts, the magazine of San Francisco's Film Arts Foundation, and has also worked as Copy Chief of Girlfriends magazine and Calendar Listings Assistant for leading alt weekly the San Francisco Bay Guardian. Her short documentary Sisterz of the Underground: Extra Credit (2003) has screened around the Bay Area and her short narrative Between the Lines (2005) has screened at film festivals including the San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival, Boston Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, and Inside/Out Toronto Gay and Lesbian Film Festival. Currently she is a member of the shorts screening committee for the 2008 San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival.

    Leah Meyerhoff is a Student Academy Award-nominated filmmaker currently pursuing an MFA at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. Her short film Twitch (Slamdance 2005 honorable mention) has screened in over 200 film festivals, won a dozen international awards, and was picked up for distribution by IFC. Leah has since completed several music videos, including Team Queen, a Planet Out finalist currently airing on LOGO, and Eternal Flame, which was recently picked up by MTV Europe. Leah holds a Bachelor’s degree in Art-Semiotics from Brown University. Leah is currently in development on her first feature film Unicorns, a finalist for the Sundance Screenwriting Labs.

    Sara Pollack is the Manager of Film and Animation at YouTube. Sara is working to ensure that YouTube remains an integral part of the changing landscape of independent film distribution by helping filmmakers reach and engage with their audiences directly. Prior to joining YouTube, Sara was a Production Executive at Big Beach, an independent film production and finance company, where she worked on both feature and documentary films. Before Big Beach, Sara worked at Miramax Films. Sara received her B.A. in English Literature from Brown University.

    Todd Rohal wrote and directed The Guatemalan Handshake, which premiered at the 2006 Slamdance Film Festival where it won the festival’s Special Jury Prize. The film went on to screen at over 30 international film festivals, winning awards for Best Feature at the Arizona International Film Festival and awards for Best Direction, Screenplay and a Special Jury Prize for Outstanding Ensemble Cast Performances at the 2006 Torino International Film Festival. Todd was an accomplished short filmmaker before making The Guatemalan Handshake and also worked as a designer and producer for DVDs. Todd was named one of Filmmaker Magazine’s “25 New Faces of Independent Film” in 2006.

    Most recently, Michael Skolnik directed Without the King, a documentary film about the last ruling monarch in Africa, King Mswati III of Swaziland. The film premiered at the 2007 Full Frame Film Festival and was awarded the Special Jury Prize at the 2007 HotDocs Film Festival. In 2006, Michael co-directed Lockdown USA, and in 2004, made his feature film directorial debut with the award winning On the Outs. Currently, Michael is in post production for a film he is co-directing about Grammy Award winning artist, Wyclef Jean’s quest to bring peace to his homeland, Haiti.

    David Wilson is a documentary filmmaker and the co-founder of the True/False Film Fest, programming and overseeing the Midwestern event now entering its fifth year and considered the snot-nosed punk – with impeccable taste – of the international docfest demimonde, highlighting innovative work with a cinematic scope, creative takes on contemporary currents, and most of all work that provokes dialogue about its subject and discussion of the documentary form itself.

    Celebrating its 14th year, Slamdance continues to be the pre-eminent film festival whose sole mission is to nurture, support and showcase truly independent works, having established a unique reputation for premiering new films by first-time writers and directors working within the creative confines of limited budgets.

    Slamdance 2008 is presented by KODAK. Additional sponsors include the Maryland Film Office, Langley Productions, OurStage, Current TV, Dos Equis, Directors Guild of America, Writers Guild of America, Doc Martens, B-Side, XMission, Jagermeister, FIJI, Zodiac Vodka, Wimbledon Wines and Southwest Airlines.

    Netflix lifts limits on seeing online movies

    The change for those paying $9 or more comes as Apple is set to unveil its online film rental plan.
    By Josh Friedman, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
    January 15, 2008
    Netflix, seeking not to be bypassed in the transition to digital distribution of movies, removed limits on how many films and TV shows subscribers can watch over the Internet. The move comes as Apple Inc. is set to unveil plans for users to rent major Hollywood movies online through its iTunes Store.

    Netflix, which pioneered the online movie rental business in 1997, had capped the number of hours available to its 7 million subscribers based on the price of their monthly plan. The Los Gatos, Calif.-based company faces stiff competition from Apple, Amazon.com Inc. and others working on digital distribution of movies in the hope that video-on-demand can eventually supplant DVDs.
    Now, Netflix customers on subscription plans costing $9 and up can spend unlimited hours streaming movies and TV shows at no extra cost instead of waiting for them to be shipped in the mail. Those on the cheapest plan -- costing $5 -- will get up to two hours of free monthly streaming.

    Most movies just released on DVD and current TV shows are unavailable in the company's "watch instantly" service, however. Netflix, the largest mail-order movie company, offers a library of more than 90,000 DVD titles via postal delivery, but it has only 6,000 movies and TV shows for instant viewing.

    Though that may sound like a huge choice, many of the available titles are movies that would be relegated to the marked-down bin at the video store.

    For the most part, the studios are reluctant to make the newest DVD releases available for streaming and downloading because of fear that it would hamper disc sales.

    "There is a lot of stuff like 'Revenge of the Nerds 4' -- the kind of movies you can already see on TBS," said Michael Pachter, an analyst at Wedbush Morgan Securities in Los Angeles. Even so, he said, the expanded service could help Netflix build loyalty in video-on-demand.

    "They aren't doing this to make money today, but to have the technology in place to be able to participate when the Hollywood studios go to a downloading model," noted Pachter, who rates the stock a "buy."

    The six most-viewed offerings as of Monday afternoon on Netflix's service were episodes of "Heroes," "The Office" and "30 Rock." No. 7 was the movie "Secret Things," an "erotic French thriller" about a stripper and a bartender who decide to "use their sexual powers to invade the corporate world," and No. 8 was "Breasts: A Documentary."

    Since the streaming feature was introduced a year ago, Netflix said, its most popular movie titles have included such mainstream fare as "The Sum of All Fears," "The Italian Job" and "Letters from Iwo Jima."

    A company spokesman declined to say how many subscribers used the service. Pachter estimated that only about 10% of Netflix customers downloaded movies -- many of them rarely.

    Most consumers are reluctant to watch movies on their computers when they can view high-definition DVDs and other programming on their large-screen TVs.

    Netflix spent $40 million to develop its streaming service, including technology and content. Analysts say the cost of adding unlimited streaming would be negligible.

    In Monday's trading after the announcement, Netflix stock fell 64 cents to $22.77.

    As early as today, Apple is expected to unveil a movie rental service through its iTunes marketplace.

    Major studios including Walt Disney, 20th Century Fox, Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros. have reportedly signed up for the digital video-on-demand service, which could offer 30-day rentals at prices from as low as $3 for older films to $5 for high-definition movies.

    Viewers would have 24 hours to watch a film after it began playing.

    Apple hopes the move will boost sales of the Apple TV set-top box, one of several technologies designed to serve as a bridge between the PC -- where movies, photos and television shows are stored -- and the living room TV.

    An Apple spokeswoman declined to comment.

    Netflix already competes with downloading services Blockbuster Inc.'s Movielink and Amazon's Unbox. And cable and satellite TV providers such as Comcast Corp. offer movies and special events via on-demand services of their own.

    Netflix is developing a set-top box with LG Electronics that will allow movies to be viewed on a TV screen. That device is likely to hit the market later this year.

    "We're in the early part of a hybrid phase in which consumers can choose to receive DVDs by mail or watch movies instantly," Netflix spokesman Steve Swasey said.

    Costa-Gavras to serve as Berlinale Jury President

    The Greek-French director Costa-Gavras has been named as president of the International Jury for February's Berlin International Film Festival.

    Costa-Gavras has often seen his films shown at the Berlinale in past years: Music Box, with Armin Mueller-Stahl and Jessica Lange, received the Golden Bear at the 1990 festival, while La Petite Apocalypse, with director-actor Jiri Menzel in the lead role, screened in competition and was the closing film at the 1993 edition.

    In 2002, the first edition of the Berlinale under the direction of Dieter Kosslick, Amen, Costa-Gavras' adaptation of German dramatist Rolf Hochhuth's play The Deputy with Ulrich Tukur, Ulrich Muehe and Mathieu Kassovitz, was selected for the Official Competition.

    Before the world premiere screening in Berlin Costa-Gavras was presented with a Berlinale Camera award by Kosslick for his services to politically committed cinema. Amen attracted some controversy at the festival because of the film's poster design of a crucifix parodied as a Nazi swastika by the Italian photographer Oliviero Toscani.

    Kosslick said at the time: "Toscani's work has often been contentious. That is the function of a good poster."

    After his duties as jury president in Berlin, Costa-Gavras will return to his native Greece after almost 40 years to shoot his new film Eden Is West from March.

    __________________________________________

    ISFA PUBLICATION:
    ISFA PUBLICATION: "eShorts" an eMagazine is for ISFA
    members to respond to the needs of the emerging field of the
    short film. The consumer has been viewing the short film in traditional
    venues but now there are a growing number of new emerging digital
    methods of productionand distribution available, such as mobile phones,
    computers and many other differtent types of PDFs.
    The ISFA's eMagazine, eShorts provides an outlet for filmmakers
    to share their ideas and methods to navigate the new issues of digital
    distribution, funding, production management, marketing, promotion.
    ISFA welcomes your comments, ideas and participation with
    Shorts. All ISFA members can read and download "Shorts"
    as part of their benefit package.
    - Ralph Ackerman, Editor

    Short Film News Below:

    ISFA's iNews Short Takes:

    DIGITAL ENTERTAINMENT (short Film Included) TAKES CENTER STAGE AT THE 2008 INTERNATIONAL CES
    --Ralph Ackerman, reporter at large International Short Film Association Short Takes.

    The latest developments in the content and digital entertainment industries will take center stage at the 2008 International CES®, the world’s largest tradeshow for consumer technology, returns to Las Vegas, January 7-10, 2008.

    ISFA's Founder Ralph Ackerman will speak at the Connections Show on Jan 8, 2008

    The entertainment industries have always had a direct impact on the adoption of new technology, the showcased Electronics Association®, owner and producer of the International CES. “As content development continues to drive new technology innovations, attendees at the 2008 International CES will witness the emergence of new content platforms, as the largest display of digital entertainment debuts along side of the latest consumer technology innovations coming to market.”

    The 2008 CES also will feature Content@CES, a new attraction on the exhibition floor highlighting the latest developments in the content community and the market’s impact on technology. Complete with meeting rooms and a lounge, CES attendees will witness the companies that create, deliver and distribute content in one central location among key exhibitors including EchoStar, Intel, Microsoft, Motorola, Panasonic, Philips, Samsung, Sony, Toshiba and TV Guide.

    Also new for 2008, the John Lennon Educational Tour Bus will make a stop at the International CES. A mobile recording studio outfitted with traditional musical instruments as well as the latest technological advances, the Tour Bus will feature an interactive display where attendees can play music, write songs, engineer recording sessions and produce video using the latest audio, video and live sound equipment.

    For more news on the 2008 International CES before, during and after the show, including information on CES exhibitors, conference sessions and TechZones, visit www.CESweb.org

    About CEA:
    The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) is the preeminent trade association promoting growth in the $148 billion U.S. consumer technology industry through technology policy, events, research, promotion and the fostering of business and strategic relationships. CEA represents more than 2,100 corporate members involved in the design, development, manufacturing, distribution and integration of audio, video, mobile electronics, wireless and landline communications, information technology, digital imaging, home networking, multimedia and accessory products, as well as related services that are sold through consumer channels. CEA's resources are available online at www.CE.org, the definitive source for information about the consumer electronics industry.
    CEA also sponsors and manages the International CES – Where Entertainment, Technology and Business Converge. All profits from CES are reinvested into industry services, including technical training and education, industry promotion, engineering standards development, market research and legislative advocacy.
    ________________

    New Short Film Book available:
    Focal Press and Amazon

    Swimming Upstream: A Lifesaving Guide to Short Film Distribution
    by Sharon Badal

    Sharon Badal is a Short Film Programmer of the Tribeca Film Festival, screening 1500 submissions annually, and is on the faculty of New York University's prestigious Tisch School of the Arts. She served on the regional jury for the Student Academy Awards in 2005 and the 2007 Toronto Worldwide Short Film Festival.

    Features & Benefits

    * A guide to getting your short film the exposure it deserves
    * Filled with interviews and insider information from the gatekeepers at the gatekeepers at Focus Features, AtomFilms, Apple, Sundance, and more
    * Includes exercises and projects to help you develop a strategy and find the right investors

    Reviews

    "If you are a filmmaker with an interest in making short films you need to read Swimming Upstream. With refreshing candor, Sharon Badal has written a unique book that is a wealth of information and true-life inspiration."
    -Jane Rosenthal, Co-Founder, Tribeca Film Festival

    Forget everything you thought you knew about short films--this book is the real deal!

    Brimming over with the collective wit, wisdom, and insights of the most important players in the world of short films, Sharon Badal's Swimming Upstream tells you everything you need to know about the making and marketing of short films, from original concept to international sales. In equal measures entertaining and essential, It should be required reading for anyone engaged in the art and business of short films.
    --Darryl Macdonald, Executive Director, Palm Springs International Short Film Festival
    Description

    Short films have come into their own, not least in part due to the incredible new ways to distribute them, including the Web, cell phones, new festivals devoted to short--even television and theatres. This is the ultimate guide for anyone who's made a short film and wonders what to do next. Whether your short film is meant to be a calling card, a segue to a feature film, or you just want to recoup some of the costs, this book describes the potential paths for distribution. Written by the short film programmer of the Tribeca Film Festival and featuring contributions from top film festival directors, as well as studio, marketing, and technology executives, this book shows you what's important to the decision makers and gatekeepers. This is the definitive handbook filled with insider information available nowhere else.

    Contents

    Dedication
    Acknowledgements
    Preface

    Introduction
    Swimming Lesson #1 Testing the Waters: The Indie Landscape
    Gore, Penguins and the Cultural Zeitgeist of Distribution by Jack Foley
    The Producer’s Perspective By Jason Kliot
    Conversation with Andrew Herwitz
    Strategizing Specialized Film by William R. Thompson
    Management Matters by Lawrence Mattis

    Swimming Lesson #2 Learning to Float: The Buyers
    Who is This For, Anyway? by Ian Bricke
    Swimming With Dolphins: Shorts Distribution 101 by Anna Darrah
    Who’s Gonna Rescue Me When I Start to Drown?
    by David Russell
    Life Starts When? by Jennifer Chen
    Taking the Brake Lights Off Your Film
    by Linda “O” Olszewski
    Make Your Mark by Joe Amodei
    So You Want to Sell That Short? Not So Fast…
    by Shane Smith

    Swimming Lesson #3 The Deep End: Exploring All Options
    Plympton’s Dogma by Bill Plympton
    The Fragile Emotion by Jon Gartenberg
    Life In Short by Ryan Werner
    Conversation with Tom Quinn and Carter Pilcher
    Rudiments of the Short Film by Derek Cianfrance
    What’s a Short Film Really? by Andrew Lund

    Swimming Lesson #4 How I Learned To Swim: Filmmaker Survival Stories
    Full Circle by Jens Assur
    Trial and Error in Hollywood by Jessica Sharzer
    Dare to Create by David Brind
    Mother’s Journey by Sian Heder
    The Long and the Short of It by Ben Odell
    Conversation with Peter Sollett
    Losing Your Virginity by Seth Grossman
    Interdependent by Tiffany Shlain
    Group Therapy by Joe Turner Lin
    From Nelson to Gowanus and Back by Ryan Fleck

    Swimming Lesson #5 Little Fish, Big Pond: Thinking Globally
    Shorts Down Under by Katherine Shortland
    The International Marketplace for Short Films
    Now with a Digital Assist by Ralph Ackerman
    Short Films in Japan by Seigo Tono
    Magic Little Differences by Margaret von Schiller
    How to Make It with a Short Film in the UK and Europe by Elliot Grove

    Swimming Lesson #6 No Lifeguard on Duty: Internet and New Technology
    Conversation with Megan O’Neill
    Demystifying Mobile Video by Robin Chan
    Conversation with Jim Bankoff
    Brave New Virtual World by Jon Griggs
    Conversation with Bahman Naraghi
    The Power of Distribution, in the Hands of Filmmakers by David Straus

    Swimming Lesson #7 Navigate The Rapids: Film Festivals
    A Briefing On Shorts by Kathleen McInnis
    Show ‘Em Your Shorts by Jamie White
    Conversation with George Eldred
    Some Serious Funny Business by Kevin Haasarud
    Conversation with John Polson
    Your Short Film and the LGBT Film Festival
    by Kimberly Yutani
    Conversation with Trevor Groth

    Swimming Lesson #8 Waterlogged: My Story

    Swim Test
    The Workbook
    Index
    Author Biography

    Publisher Focal click to link

    911 Short Film Contest
    911 Media Arts’ ON SCREEN Magazine Announces Fall Short Film Contest “Music in Film,” Winner To Be Screened At SIFF 2008

    ON SCREEN, the magazine of Seattle independent film and media arts, is holding a new short film contest in conjunction with its Fall 2007 “Music in Film” issue. The grand prize winner will be screened at the 2008 Seattle International Film Festival, with prize packages for second and third place including gift packs from sponsors Experience Music Project and Scarecrow Video, broadcasting on the Seattle Channel, and 20 hours of post-production time at 911 Media Arts Center.

    To be accepted, all films must include original music, feature at least one musician character, and reflect the theme “communication breakdown.” They must be shot in Washington State and be no longer than 7 minutes with credits. No music videos are allowed.

    Judging the contest will be some of the most important and influential names in Seattle independent cinema, including: Carl Spence (Seattle International Film Festival), Virginia Bogert (Women in Film), Warren Etheredge (The Warren Report), John Sinno (Typecast Films/Arab Film Distribution), Andy Spletzer (Film.com), and Misha Neininger (911 Media Arts Center).

    The deadline for entries is November 1. All films will be screened at a special program at SIFF Cinema on Saturday, December 1, with winners announced after the show. A downloadable application form and more details are available at:

    http://www.911media.org/shortfilmcontest/

    911 Media Arts’ ON SCREEN, the magazine of Seattle independent film and media arts, launched its Fall 2007 issue August 30 with a gala at the Capitol Hill Arts Center featuring VJ scobot and DJ Hyasynth spinning live beats and video, and tons of free Vitamin Water and Vitamin Energy Drink from sponsor Glaceau. The event brought out amazing filmmakers, media artists, and supporters of the Seattle film scene like Charles Mudede, Peggy Case, James Keblas, Emily Resling, Dom Zook, Webster Crowell, Jacob Stone, Ben Kasulke, Jason Staczek, Joe Shapiro, and many more. We had a great time and anticipate more such networking events in the future!

    Contact:

    Alicia Dara, Short Film Contest Coordinator and ON SCREEN Assistant Editor

    alicia@911media.org

    Adrian MacDonald, ON SCREEN Editor

    adrian@911media.org

    Spike Lee backs online film festival
    Babelgum launches in Venice

    VENICE — Babelgum, the global Internet TV network owned by Italo media magnate Silvio Scaglia, launched a high profile online film fest at the Venice Film Festival Saturday, with Spike Lee on hand as its chief juror and promoter.

    Babelgum, a startup similar in concept to Joost — the Netco that pacted with Viacom — laid out plans for its Babelgum Online Film Festival, clearly targeting global niche auds and trying to connect with the indie film industry worldwide.

    The Babelgum fest will showcase shorts under 45 minutes long, either shot in English or with English-language subtitles.

    There is still some confusion however about requisites for submission to the Babelgum web fest, which will dole out six prizes, each worth Euros 20,000 ($27,000) in categories including documentaries, animation and social/environment-themed shorts.

    At first organizers said entries must previously have unspooled at an international film fest. But Spike Lee subsequently told Daily Variety that he disagrees with that rule and will have it removed.

    "The main thing is we want quality films from bona fide film directors and real production companies," said Babelgum CEO Valerio Zingarelli.

    "We are not a user-generated-content company. We don't want to duplicate YouTube," Zingarelli added.

    Submissions to the online fest will be open between Sept. 15, 2007 and Feb. 15, 2008, with winners to be announced in April 2008. Voting from online viewers will determine the first selection of entries to be judged by Spike Lee and other jurors.

    Toronto International Film Festival Announces Complete Lineup Of Programming Including 349 Films From 55 Countries

    Toronto - Organizers of the Toronto International Film Festival announced final programming details, including the complete lineup of films and programmes for its 32nd edition running September 6 - 15, 2007. At this year's Festival, 349 films from 55 countries will screen, including 275 feature and mid-length films, 85 per cent of which are world, international or North American premieres, and 71 of which are feature directorial debuts. Highlights from today's announcement include Mavericks presentations from former U.S. President Jimmy Carter and wife Rosalynn Carter, Bill Maher and Larry Charles, and Luis Moreno-Ocampo and Don Cheadle; Alain Corneau's LE DEUXIÈME SOUFFLE as a Gala Presentation; the first independent films from Wayne Wang (THE JOY LUCK CLUB) in ten years as part of Masters; cineastes' favourite Dialogues, featuring legendary actor Max von Sydow marking the passing of Ingmar Bergman with a presentation of Bergman's THE VIRGIN SPRING; Michael Moore's film CAPTAIN MIKE ACROSS AMERICA, the documentary MAN FROM PLAINS from Academy Award? winning filmmaker Jonathan Demme (THE SILENCE OF THE LAMBS), IN BLOOM by Vadim Perelman (HOUSE OF SAND AND FOG), JUNO by Jason Reitman (THANK YOU FOR SMOKING) and THE VISITOR by Thomas McCarthy (THE STATION AGENT) as Special Presentations; and Julian Schnabel's documentary LOU REED'S BERLIN as part of Real to Reel. Ticket Passes and Packages now on sale. Gala and Visa Screening Room tickets on sale August 25 at 10 a.m. Tickets on sale Wednesday, September 5 at 7 a.m. For more information, please visit tiff07.ca or call 416-968-FILM or 1-877-968-FILM. The Festival's programme book and Official Film Schedule are available August 28.

    Six Gala Presentations, including Renny Harlin's CLEANER, starring Samuel L. Jackson, Ed Harris, Eva Mendes and Keke Palmer; Richard Attenborough's CLOSING THE RING, starring Shirley MacLaine, Christopher Plummer, Mischa Barton, Neve Campbell, Pete Postlethwaite and David Alpay; Alain Corneau's LE DEUXIÈME SOUFFLE, starring Daniel Auteil, Monica Bellucci, Eric Cantona, Michel Blanc, Jacques Dutronc, and Daniel Duva; Robin Swicord's THE JANE AUSTEN BOOK CLUB, starring Kathy Baker, Maria Bello, Marc Blucas, Emily Blunt, Amy Brenneman, Hugh Dancy, Maggie Grace, Jimmy Smits, Kevin Zegers and Lynn Redgrave; Kenneth Branagh's SLEUTH, starring Michael Caine and Jude Law; and Paul Schrader's THE WALKER, starring Woody Harrelson, Kristin Scott Thomas, Lauren Bacall, Lily Tomlin, Willem Defoe, Ned Beatty, Moritz Bleibtreu and Mary Beth Hurt.

    Four enlightening Mavericks presentations will feature appearances by Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter, Bill Maher, Larry Charles, Luis Moreno-Ocampo, Don Cheadle, Mira Nair, Santosh Sivan and more. Eight presentations in Dialogues: Talking with Pictures will feature Max von Sydow, Bell Festival Centre architect Bruce Kuwabara, Ken Loach, Arthur Dong and Nancy Kwan, Peter Bogdanovich, Ellen Burstyn, Sidney Lumet, and Lord Richard Attenborough showcasing films that have inspired them or have marked a significant period in their careers.

    For the first time in ten years, Wayne Wang returns to the low-budget filmmaking that made him a leader in the American independent cinema movement with A THOUSAND YEARS OF GOOD PRAYERS and THE PRINCESS OF NEBRASKA, two tales about the experience of Chinese immigrants in the United States screening as part of Masters. This year's Masters will feature a complete line-up of 20 films.

    Thirteen titles have been added to Special Presentations for a complete programme of 50 films. Titles announced today include Sidney Lumet's BEFORE THE DEVIL KNOWS YOU'RE DEAD, Melisa Wallack and Bernie Goldmann's BILL, Michael Moore's CAPTAIN MIKE ACROSS AMERICA, Gillian Armstrong's DEATH DEFYING ACTS, Vadim Perelman's IN BLOOM, Jason Reitman's JUNO, Ira Sachs' MARRIED LIFE, Jonathan Demme's MAN FROM PLAINS, Alison Eastwood's RAILS & TIES, Brian De Palma's REDACTED, Brad Furman's THE TAKE, Thomas McCarthy's THE VISITOR, and Anand Tucker's WHEN DID YOU LAST SEE YOUR FATHER?

    Eight documentaries join Real to Reel for a complete programme featuring 32 of the world's finest non-fiction films. Titles announced today include Paul Crowder/Murray Lerner's AMAZING JOURNEY: THE STORY OF THE WHO, Julian Schnabel's LOU REED'S BERLIN, Ran Tal's CHILDREN OF THE SUN, Philippe Kholy's CALLAS ASSOLUTA, Wang Bing's FENGMING: A CHINESE MEMOIR, Grant Gee's JOY DIVISION, Olga Konskaya and Andreï Nekrasov's REBELLION: THE LITVINENKO CASE, and Jia Zhang-ke's USELESS. A series of conversations with directors and producers exploring the how and why of documentary filmmaking, Doc Talks will be open to the public for the first time this year; previously the series was offered exclusively to the Festival's industry delegates.

    The 32nd Toronto International Film Festival is proud to announce a Special Event at which Hollywood great Peter Bogdanovich (THE LAST PICTURE SHOW) will be presented with the International Federation of Film Archives (FIAF) Award for his contribution to film preservation. He has chosen to screen Jean Renoir's historic gem LA GRANDE ILLUSION (1937) as an example of the importance of film restoration.

    The Festival is a presentation of The Toronto International Film Festival Group (TIFFG), a charitable, not-for-profit, cultural organization whose mission is to transform the way people see the world. Its vision is to lead the world in creative and cultural discovery through the moving image.

    Pixar’s Short Films
    on DVD/Blue-Ray,
    Disney to produce
    Toy Story:
    The Musical?

    Pixar Short Film DVDIt looks like the rumors
    are true. Disney will be releasing a collection
    of Pixar short films on DVD. No details have been
    released as an official announcement has not
    been made. But up until now the only way to
    watch most of the Pixar shorts have been in
    the movie theater or on iTunes. And even more
    good news for short film world, because it’s a Dinsey release,
    it will also be available on Blu-Ray disc.
    DVD box art to the right courtesy of DisneyBluray.fr.

    Short Film form is ready to share the spotlight.

    Venice Film Festival List

    64TH ANNUAL VENICE FILM FESTIVAL COMPETITION

    Opening film: "Atonement," Joe Wright, (U.K-U.S.)

    "The Darjeeling Limited," Wes Anderson (U.S.)
    "Sleuth," Kenneth Branagh (U.K.-U.S.)
    "Le Chaos," Youssef Chahine (Egypt)
    "Redacted," Brian De Palma (U.S.)
    "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford," Andrew Dominik (U.S.)
    "Nessuna qualita agli eroi," Paolo Franchi (Italy)
    "Michael Clayton," Tony Gilroy (U.S.)
    "Nightwatching," Peter Greenaway (Canada-France-Germany-Poland-Netherlands-U.K.)
    "En la cuidad de Sylvia," Pilae Lopez De Ayala, Xavier Lafitte (Spain)
    "In the Valley of Elah," Paul Haggis (U.S.)
    "I'm Not There," Todd Haynes (U.S)
    "The Sun Also Rises," Jiang Wen (China-Hong Kong)
    "Help Me Eros," Lee Kang Sheng (Taiwan)
    "La Graine et le mullet," Abdellatif Kechiche (France)
    "Lust, Caution," Ang Lee (U.S.-Taiwan)
    "It's a Free World…," Ken Loach (U.K.-Italy-Germany-Spain)
    "L'ora di punta," Vincenzo Marra (Italy)
    "Sukiyaki Western Django," Takashi Miike (Japan)
    "12," Nikita Mikhalkov (Russia)
    "Il dolce e l'amaro," Andrea Porporati (Italy)
    "Les Amours d'Astree et de Celadon," Eric Rohmer (France-Italy-Spain)

    OUT OF COMPETITION — VENICE MASTERS
    "Cassandra's Dream," Woody Allen (U.K.-U.S)
    "Cleopatra," Julio Bressane (Brazil)
    "La Fille coupee en deux," Claude Chabrol (France)
    "Beyond the Years," Im Kwopn Taek (South Korea)
    "Glory to the Filmmaker," Takeshi Kitano (Japan)
    "Cristovao Colombo-O enigma," (Portugal-France)

    VENETIAN NIGHTS — OPENING AND CLOSING FILMS
    "For a Fistful of Dollars," Sergio Leone (Italy-Spain-Germany) (as part of Spaghetti Westerns retro)
    "Blood Brothers," Alexi Tan (Taiwan-China-Hong Kong)
    "REC," Paco Blaza and Jaume Balaguero (Spain)

    VENETIAN NIGHTS
    "Far North," Asif Kapadia (U.K.-France)
    "The Hunting Party," Richard Shepard (U.S.-Croatia-Bosnia)
    "The Nanny Diaries," Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini (U.S.)
    "Nocturna," Adria Garcia, Victor Maldonado (Spain, France)

    HORIZONS
    "Sad Vacation," Shinji Aoyama (Japan)
    "Mal nascida," Joao Canijo (Portugal)
    "Searchers 2.0," Alex Cox (U.K.)
    "Medee Miracle," Tonino De Bernardi (Italy)
    "Cochochi," Laura Amelia Guzman, Israel Cardenas (Mexico-U.K.-Canada)
    "With the Girl of Black Soil," Jeon Soo-il (South Korea-France)
    "L'Histoire de Richard O," Damien Odoul (France)
    "Autumn Ball," Veiko Ounpuu (Estonia)
    "The Silence Before Bach," Pere Portabella (Spain)
    "Exodus," Penny Woolcock (U.K.)
    "The Obscure," Lu Yue (China)

    Established auteurs rub shoulders with debutants
    A bevy of English-language pics from both Hollywood and Blighty will disembark at the star-studded 64th Venice Film Festival, which will also see robust presences from Europe and Asia and a balanced mix of established auteurs and younger filmmakers.

    One of the strongest Anglo-Saxon contingents ever to land at the Lido fills over half the fest's 22-title competish roster. It comprises world bows from Wes Anderson, Brian De Palma, Todd Haynes, Ang Lee, Paul Haggis, Kenneth Branagh, Peter Greenaway and Ken Loach, among others.

    Woody Allen's London-set crimer "Cassandra's Dream" is unspooling out-of-competish with Allen and key cast Colin Farrell and Ewan McGregor expected. Also non-competing is the international bow of "The Nanny Diaries," toplining Scarlett Johansson as a nanny in a wealthy Manhattan household, from The Weinstein Company.

    As previously announced, fest will open with 35-year-old U.K. helmer Joe Wright's adaptation of the Ian McEwan novel "Atonement," with stars Keira Knightley, James McAvoy and Vanessa Redgrave expected on the red carpet. The "Atonement" launch will be followed by a gala party on the Excelsior beach thrown by the Biennale and Universal Pictures.

    George Clooney is expected on the Lido with Yank first-time helmer Tony Gilroy's legal thriller "Michael Clayton," in which he stars as an elite New York attorney specialized is solving his high-profile clients' messy personal problems.

    Brad Pitt is also likely to be Lido-bound to tubthump long-gestating Western drama "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford," sophomore work by New Zealander Andrew Dominik ("Chopper"), flying the stars and stripes, from Warner Bros.

    "American films and films from Great Britain are still spawned by diverse and dynamic production structures that allow them to take the most risks and be continuously innovative," Venice artistic topper Marco Mueller enthused at a packed presser in Rome's Excelsior Hotel on the Via Veneto.

    "One of the most extraordinary aspects of the American movies we selected is that these are very innovative works featuring really big stars."

    In Todd Haynes' highly awaited "I'm Not There," six such star — including Cate Blanchett, Richard Gere and Heath Ledger — play Bob Dylan at different stages in his life. Eclectic Dylan biopic is to be released Stateside by the Weinstein Company and by BIM in Italy.

    Wes Anderson is coming to the Lido with "The Darjeeling Limited," starring Adrian Brody, Owen Wilson and Jason Schwartzman as three brothers on a satirical spiritual quest in India, from Fox Searchlight.

    Paul Haggis' "In the Valley of Elah," from Warner Independent, stars Tommy Lee Jones, Charlize Theron and Susan Sarandon, in a tale about an Iraq war vet gone mysteriously amiss, while "Redacted," by Brian De Palma, is a montage of stories about U.S. soldiers in Iraq.

    Noting that war in its various aspects is very present as a theme in this Lido edition Muller also cited U.S. helmer Richard Shepard's "The Hunting Party," which stars Richard Gere as a down-and-out journalist hunting down Bosnian war criminals.

    Ang Lee is back at the Lido with Singapore-set spy thriller "Lust, Caution," his return to Chinese-language filmmaking, from Focus Features. Lee took the Golden Lion in 2005 with "Brokeback Mountain."

    Continental Europe is copiously represented with new works from known quantities such as Eric Rohmer, Claude Chabrol and Manoel de Oliveira, as well as lots of promising younger helmers, including Italy's Paolo Franchi and Vincenzo Marra, whose respective sophomore efforts "Nessuna qualita agli eroi" and "L'o ra di punta" are both in competish.

    The grand old man of Egyptian cinema, Youssef Chahine, is in competish with "This Is Chaos," a contemporary look at Cairo touching on the controversial subject of police brutality.

    Asian entries include new works from cult helmers Takeshi Kitano and Miike Takashi.

    Venice, the world's oldest film festival, is celebrating its 75th anni this year, having held its first edition on the Excelsior terrace in 1932. However this is the Lido's 64th edition because WWII and 1968 student protests forced it to skip a few years.

    U.S. producer Bill Mechanic will head the Lion of the Future jury for works by first-time filmmakers, while U.S. helmer Gregg Araki will be the Venice Horizons jury chief.

    The main jury, headed by two-time Golden Lion winner Zhang Yimou, is helmers-only this year. It comprises Alejandro Gonzales Inarritu, Jane Campion, Paul Verhoeven, Catherine Breillat, Emanuele Crialese and Ferzan Ozpetek.

    Deauville plans film marathon
    Festival to screen features around the clock
    Insomniac film buffs with t10 ($13.70) to spare will want to attend the 33rd Deauville American Film Festival.

    In conjunction with the Cinematheque Francaise, Deauville plans to screen classic Hollywood pics around the clock from opening night on Aug. 31 straight through to closing night, Sept. 9, without interruption. The ticket will cover the 10-day run, working out to under 7¢ per pic.

    "We want to inspire younger people to watch American genre classics and rarities as they were meant to be seen, for a price anybody can afford," said co-programmer Jerome Lasserre.

    Sidney Lumet will preem his latest feature, "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead," in the context of a tribute, while Gus Van Sant will enjoy a complete retrospective that will include his lesser-seen shorts.

    Pioneering London-born American actress, screenwriter, producer and director Ida Lupino will be the subject of a tribute 12 years after her death.

    French helmer Andre Techine heads the jury.

    Fest's full lineup will be announced July 30.

    Locarno Intl. Film Festival 2007 lineup

    INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION
    "The Rebirth," Japan, Masahiro Kobayashi
    "Boys of Tomorrow," S. Korea, Noh Dong-seok
    "Captain Achab," France-Sweden, Philippe Ramos
    "Contre toute esperance," Canada, Bernard Emond
    "Extraordinary Rendition," U.K., Jim Threapleton
    "Freigesprochen," Austria-Luxembourg, Peter Payer
    "Sooner or Later," Germany, Ulrike von Ribbeck
    "Fuori dalle corde," Switzerland-Italy, Fulvio Bernasconi
    "Haiti cherie," Italy, Claudio Del Punta
    "Joshua," U.S., George Ratliff
    "Ladrones," Spain, Jaime Marques
    "Las Vidas posibles," Argentina-Germany, Sandra Gugliotta
    "Lo mejor de mi," Spain, Roser Aguilar
    "La Maison jaune," France-Algeria, Hakkar Amor
    "Memories," S. Korea, Eugene Green, Pedro Costa, Harun Farocki
    "O capacete dourado," Portugal, Jorge Cramez
    "Restul e tacere," Romania, Nae Caranfil
    "Slipstream," U.S., Anthony Hopkins
    "Sous les toits de Paris," France, Hiner Saleem

    PIAZZA GRANDE
    "The Bourne Ultimatum," U.S., Paul Greengrass
    "Death at a Funeral," U.S.-Netherlands-Germany-U.K., Frank Oz
    "The Drummer," Hong Kong-Taiwan-Germany, Kenneth Bi
    "Hairspray," U.S., Adam Shankman
    "1 journee," Switzerland-France, Jacob Berger
    "My Brother Is an Only Child," Italy-France, Daniele Luchetti
    "Vexille," Japan, Fumihiko Sori
    "Flight of the Red Balloon," France, Hou Hsiao-hsien
    "Waitress," U.S. Adrienne Shelly
    "Winners and Losers," France-U.S., Lech Kowalski
    "Chicago 10," U.S., Brett Morgen
    "Knocked Up," U.S., Judd Apatow
    "Nothing but Ghosts," Germany, Martin Gypkens
    "Planet Terror," U.S., Robert Rodriguez
    "Vogliamo Anche le Rose," Italy, Alina Marazzi
    "1408," U.S., Mikael Hafstrom

    FILMMAKERS OF THE PRESENT COMPETITION
    "Those Three," Iran, Naghi Nemati
    "Comme a Ostende," Belgium, Delphine Lehericey
    "Estrellas," Argentina, Federico Leon, Marcos Martinez
    "Guillaume et les sortileges," France, Pierre Leon
    "Imatra," Italy, Corso Salani
    "Japan Japan," Israel, Lior Shamriz
    "Juizo," Brazil, Maria Augusta Ramos
    "Lo Bueno de Llorar," Spain, Matias Bize
    "Loren Cass," U.S., Chris Fuller
    "Never Sleeps," France, Philippe Flechaire, Benoit Falize, Jeremy Boury
    "Shadows Formless," India, Ashish Avikuntha
    "Nos vies privees," Canada, Denis Cote
    "Nuage," France, Sebastien Betbeder
    "Nu te supara, dar...," Romania, Adina Pintilie
    "Phantom Love," U.S., Nina Menkes
    "Tagliare le parti in grigio," Italy, Vittorio Rifranti
    "Milky Way," Hungary, Benedek Fliegauf
    "Tussenstand," Netherlands, Mijke de Jong
    "Mid-Afternoon Barks," China, Zhang Yuedong

    ICI ET AILLEURS
    "Beautiful Losers," U.S., Aaron Rose, Joshua Leonard
    "La Capture," Canada-France, Carole Laure
    "Crime and Punishment," China-France, Zhao Liang
    "La Danse de l'enchanteresse," France, Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Brigitte Chataignier
    "Dutti der Riese," Switzerland, Martin Witz
    "Handerson e as horas," Brazil, Kiko Goifman
    "Io non sono un moderato," Italy, Andrea Nobile
    "Kadin," Philippines, Adolfo B. Alix Jr.
    "Little Moth," China, Tao Peng
    "Il pianto della statua," Italy, Elisabetta Sgarbi
    "I promessi sposi," Italy, Massimo d'Anolfi, Martina Parenti
    "Morceaux de conversations avec Jean-Luc Godard," France, Alain Fleischer
    "Preussisch Gangstar," Germany, Irma-Kinga Stelmach, Bartosz Werner
    "Shake the Devil Off," Switzerland, Peter Entell
    "UPA! Una pelicula Argentina," Argentina, Tamae Garateguy, Santiago Giralt, Camila Toker
    "Wierszalin," U.S.-Poland, Francesco CarrozziniLocarno Intl. Film Festival 2007 lineup
    By DEREK ELLEY
    INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION
    "The Rebirth," Japan, Masahiro Kobayashi
    "Boys of Tomorrow," S. Korea, Noh Dong-seok
    "Captain Achab," France-Sweden, Philippe Ramos
    "Contre toute esperance," Canada, Bernard Emond
    "Extraordinary Rendition," U.K., Jim Threapleton
    "Freigesprochen," Austria-Luxembourg, Peter Payer
    "Sooner or Later," Germany, Ulrike von Ribbeck
    "Fuori dalle corde," Switzerland-Italy, Fulvio Bernasconi
    "Haiti cherie," Italy, Claudio Del Punta
    "Joshua," U.S., George Ratliff
    "Ladrones," Spain, Jaime Marques
    "Las Vidas posibles," Argentina-Germany, Sandra Gugliotta
    "Lo mejor de mi," Spain, Roser Aguilar
    "La Maison jaune," France-Algeria, Hakkar Amor
    "Memories," S. Korea, Eugene Green, Pedro Costa, Harun Farocki
    "O capacete dourado," Portugal, Jorge Cramez
    "Restul e tacere," Romania, Nae Caranfil
    "Slipstream," U.S., Anthony Hopkins
    "Sous les toits de Paris," France, Hiner Saleem

    PIAZZA GRANDE
    "The Bourne Ultimatum," U.S., Paul Greengrass
    "Death at a Funeral," U.S.-Netherlands-Germany-U.K., Frank Oz
    "The Drummer," Hong Kong-Taiwan-Germany, Kenneth Bi
    "Hairspray," U.S., Adam Shankman
    "1 journee," Switzerland-France, Jacob Berger
    "My Brother Is an Only Child," Italy-France, Daniele Luchetti
    "Vexille," Japan, Fumihiko Sori
    "Flight of the Red Balloon," France, Hou Hsiao-hsien
    "Waitress," U.S. Adrienne Shelly
    "Winners and Losers," France-U.S., Lech Kowalski
    "Chicago 10," U.S., Brett Morgen
    "Knocked Up," U.S., Judd Apatow
    "Nothing but Ghosts," Germany, Martin Gypkens
    "Planet Terror," U.S., Robert Rodriguez
    "Vogliamo Anche le Rose," Italy, Alina Marazzi
    "1408," U.S., Mikael Hafstrom

    FILMMAKERS OF THE PRESENT COMPETITION
    "Those Three," Iran, Naghi Nemati
    "Comme a Ostende," Belgium, Delphine Lehericey
    "Estrellas," Argentina, Federico Leon, Marcos Martinez
    "Guillaume et les sortileges," France, Pierre Leon
    "Imatra," Italy, Corso Salani
    "Japan Japan," Israel, Lior Shamriz
    "Juizo," Brazil, Maria Augusta Ramos
    "Lo Bueno de Llorar," Spain, Matias Bize
    "Loren Cass," U.S., Chris Fuller
    "Never Sleeps," France, Philippe Flechaire, Benoit Falize, Jeremy Boury
    "Shadows Formless," India, Ashish Avikuntha
    "Nos vies privees," Canada, Denis Cote
    "Nuage," France, Sebastien Betbeder
    "Nu te supara, dar...," Romania, Adina Pintilie
    "Phantom Love," U.S., Nina Menkes
    "Tagliare le parti in grigio," Italy, Vittorio Rifranti
    "Milky Way," Hungary, Benedek Fliegauf
    "Tussenstand," Netherlands, Mijke de Jong
    "Mid-Afternoon Barks," China, Zhang Yuedong

    ICI ET AILLEURS
    "Beautiful Losers," U.S., Aaron Rose, Joshua Leonard
    "La Capture," Canada-France, Carole Laure
    "Crime and Punishment," China-France, Zhao Liang
    "La Danse de l'enchanteresse," France, Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Brigitte Chataignier
    "Dutti der Riese," Switzerland, Martin Witz
    "Handerson e as horas," Brazil, Kiko Goifman
    "Io non sono un moderato," Italy, Andrea Nobile
    "Kadin," Philippines, Adolfo B. Alix Jr.
    "Little Moth," China, Tao Peng
    "Il pianto della statua," Italy, Elisabetta Sgarbi
    "I promessi sposi," Italy, Massimo d'Anolfi, Martina Parenti
    "Morceaux de conversations avec Jean-Luc Godard," France, Alain Fleischer
    "Preussisch Gangstar," Germany, Irma-Kinga Stelmach, Bartosz Werner
    "Shake the Devil Off," Switzerland, Peter Entell
    "UPA! Una pelicula Argentina," Argentina, Tamae Garateguy, Santiago Giralt, Camila Toker
    "Wierszalin," U.S.-Poland, Francesco CarrozziniLocarno Intl. Film Festival 2007 lineup

    Tribeca opens first event in China
    'Planet B-Boy' opened in 798 art district
    The Tribeca Film Festival breakdanced its way to a wider international aud Tuesday when it bowed its first event in the Chinese capital Beijing's hip 798 art district.

    Focus of the event was "Planet B-Boy" by Benson Lee, a documentary about the worldwide resurgence of breakdancing. Pic preemed at theTribeca Film Festival in May, and was developed through the support of the Tribeca All-Access program, and Beijing's breakdancers body-popped in full approval of the choice of movie.

    Public seating of around 200 quickly filled up but room was found for hundreds more fans to watch Lee's movie.

    All too often such events in Beijing are hijacked by the red-carpet brigade, but this was a genuine public success, luring hundreds of film buffs from Beijing and helped in no small way by the fact it took place in the 798 district, an artist neighborhood that has much in common with Tribeca's days as an artist hangout with affordable rents. Screening was followed by a block party.

    "We're not just here to show a film but to create an event," said Patty Newburger, executive veep of Tribeca Enterprises. "This event was about creating a community experience. People were really ready to take part in the Tribeca experience. There was extraordinary kismet here, a natural experience that felt right."

    The Tribeca 798 Film Festival Beijing was a co-prod between Tribeca Enterprises, William Morris Agency and China Interactive Media Group, and emerged from a common interest to bring a film event to Beijing that embraces local audiences and the Chinese filmmaking community.

    The event still focused on one movie, no doubt due to the difficulty of organizing these kind of events in China. Many of those who attended said they felt it was great groundwork for next year's event, which they hoped would be bigger.

    The Tribeca crew was cautiously optimistic.

    "We have to be respectful of processes. The respect was there. And we didn't cause any huge uproars, so if we're invited ...," said Craig Hatkoff, co-founder of the Tribeca Film Festival.

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