Shadow Girl Wins 3 awards in Valparaiso

And I got more news from Docsbarcelona Valparaiso – the beautiful film ”Shadow Girl” that premiered in Barcelona at the DocsBarcelona in May received three awards at the festival: The National Award, the Audience Award and the Interactive Award. The latter was given in connection with the Interactive workshop at the festival. Wow for a film that I wrote about in May:

… And then to the cinema to sit next to Maria Teresa Larrain in a cinema, where her ”Shadow Girl” had its second screening at the festival, where she pitched the film a couple of years ago. The film is strong and emotional in its description of how Maria Teresa grows blind, a film that is without sentimentality but full of reflections on what it means to become blind. She meets blind street vendors, she shows the film to them and it is said that the worst thing about getting blind is to lose your dignity. Maria Teresa does not, she is a role model of great courage in a film that has a clever personal text from her and a visual flow of colours. It must have a long festival life and come on broadcasters, this is also for you, or for us television viewers!…

http://www.filmkommentaren.dk/blog/blogpost/3569/

http://maremotoproductions.net/shadowgirl/en/

Syrian Love Story Wins in Valparaiso

The entreprenant director of DocsBarcelona Joan Gonzalez is also director of DocsBarcelona Valparaiso in Chile, the first edition with a national and an international competition, training sessions – as he proudly texted me some days ago: In the city where Joris Ivens made his film essay ”a Valparaiso” in 1963, which is available for free on vimeo. Link below. Chris Marker wrote the script, Patricio Guzman was one of the cameramen.

The festival closed tonight and the winner was – again – Sean McAllister with his ”A Syrian Love Story”. Here is what I wrote way back reviewing the film: 

…there are few documentarians who like McAllister, goes from the journalistic point of view and the anynomous reportage, to be a true storyteller who captures your attention fully because of the closeness to the characters he can create, because he always involves himself – he is in this case an intruder into the lives and destinies of a refugee family that he met in 2009 and kept a close relation to until this year, 2015…

http://www.docsbarcelonavalparaiso.com/

http://www.filmkommentaren.dk/blog/blogpost/3247/

https://vimeo.com/5690624

VOD for Arabic Creative Documentaries

I had the pleasure to meet Palestinian Reem Bader at the Antalya Film Forum earlier this autumn. She told me about the vod platform she was involved in building up. It looks great. Let me quote from the site:

”Welcome to Minaa video on demand VOD, the first in the world to specialize in harboring, streaming and celebrating Arabic creative documentaries. Each month, you will be introduced to creative docs that are new to Minaa collection and invited to join interactive events with directors. As not to miss an event, we encourage you to join Minaa mailing list and its social media channels.

This fall, Minaa is happy to present it’s newest feature: Collections

of docs curated by partners for you to explore. We also share with you new additions to our library, among those creative documentaries raising indispensable questions on home loss, preserving memories and reconstructing identities.

What happens when one is forced to leave their home and everything they belonged to behind? What does it mean to live in exile or a war that constantly changes features and never ends? What does it mean to care for a family in such a situation? Which values do you teach your children then?

Seven filmmakers from Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine, Tunisia, Algeria and Iraq are tackling these questions in their own creative style and we invite you and audiences worldwide to explore their significance. Because our stories really matter, so let’s tell and retell our history, face present adversities and raise our hopes, way high for a brighter future.”

I know several of the films, let me just mention a couple, to be recommended: ”Coffee for All Nations” by Wafa Jamail and ”Aisha” (PHOTO) by Asma Bseiso. And right now, for free, ”The One Man Village” by Simon El Habre, ” The film is followed by interviews with the team members, speaking about their experience and their role in the film including protagonist Semaan. A film that has travelled festivals all over.

Take a look and why not join – 5$ per month. 50$ for a year.

http://minaa.org/

 

Flying Film Festival 2017

No, we normally don’t promote festivals calling for films, but there are exceptions like this one. A festival in the air, with Francesca Scalisi and Mark Olexa as captains. These are the words from the cockpit, and a link to what I wrote about the edition 2015:

“Fasten your seatbelt. A new edition of the Flying Film Festival is about to take off! We will start accepting applications to participate in the highest altitude festival in the world from January 2017!!!”

Visit their FB page.

http://www.filmkommentaren.dk/blog/blogpost/3130/

Diedie Weng: The Beekeeper and His Son

China, the country of so many stories that we have not yet heard. Here is one. A beautiful one, premiered at the festival in Nyon, a multilayered work, as a good documentary should be, about countryside/city, generation conflicts in a family, man and animals, modern life and old age and so on so forth, I could go on and if it looks like a conceptual social documentary, it’s my fault in describing what is a well told family story with interesting characters, who are developed as the film develops. First of all the two mentioned in the title, the 71 old beekeeper, who struggles to make his profession survive, it’s not easy and to his big

disappointment the son, who has come back after a year in the city does not share the passion for beekeeping, the craft so to say, he is more into the business side of it: How can the beekeeping become more profitable.

It sounds very banal and generation conflicts are not that rare in documentaries but here you get close to the charismatic, pipe-smoking beekeeper and his worries, and the young Maofu adresses his problems with the family quite openly to Didie Weng behind the camera. It is obvious that she, the director, has established a relationship to the family that is built on trust. The beekeeper seems to be happy, when she is around and does not hold back, when he argues with his wife, which he does pretty often – and the other way around.

Gosh how hard a work they have in that family. It’s the bees, it’s the pigs, it’s the making bread, it’s the heating, when winter is there, it’s washing clothes in the lake or river, it’s taking care of the grandchildren when their mother needs to work in the city. He is 71 year’s old, the beekeeper, he looks older and even if his mother is 95, the theme of death is often brought up by him. 

Why is it I like this film so much? Because it has a rhythm that fits the lives of the characters in the countryside, because there is a respect for the family in the film, because there is a sense for creating interesting, content-wise and aesthetically composed images, and because the long time presence of the director has given her moments of magic in and outside the farm house.

Switzerland/Canada, 2016, 80 mins.

http://thebeekeeperandhisson-film.com/en/ 

IDFA: Kogusashvili/ Sarvestani/ Hendrikx

Three more brief reviews of ”Gogita’s New Life” (Levan Koguashvili), ”Prison Sisters” (Nima Sarvestani) and ”Stranger in Paradise” (Guido Hendrikx). With some genre simplification: A docu-comedy, a journalistic/humanistic documentary and a hybrid documentary.

Georgian Koguashvili, whose film, with all respect, a bit surprising was selected for the feature length competition, follows Gogita, who leaves prison after 13 years, comes back to mother and brother, and a computer on which he surfs on the internet to find a wife. He finds a candidate, but mum thinks she is too fat, he has the same opinion, he meets her for a date, she leaves immediately, we don’t hear their conversation, but it must have had something to do with her size. Afterwards, he apologizes, they meet again, things get better, she is a fantastic cake maker, they get married. Voilà! It is funny, there are lovely drinking situations of the nature we know from other Georgian films, but in general I found many scenes far too long and without energy. Too small a story for a feature length documentary.

”Prison Sisters” (PHOTO) by Nima Sarvestani operates on many levels. And is a remarkable documentary. It is a sequel to ”No Burqas Behind Bars” and intends to follow the protagonists from that film, Sara and Najibeh, after their release from the prison. Sara escapes to Sweden to live with the director and his wife, the producer of the film, Maryam Ebrahimi, while noone seems to know what happened to Najibeh. Rumours say that she has been killed. In Sweden the film follows Sara and her experiencing to live in a complete different culture. She receives her residence permit to stay in Sweden and can get her Afghan husband come and live with her. In Afghanistan, however, Nima Sarvestani starts a classic journalistic investigation to find Najibeh. If he succeeds and if Sara gets her husband come to Sweden, I will not reveal, as the film is built like a thriller, one thing leading to another, and with journalist-director Sarvestani as a (no irony) true hero. His – and his wife’s – involvement in the lives of the girls deserves all the praise, it can get. But But I have to ride my hobby-horse: Why all that bombastic music, put on sequences to tell the audience what to feel, unnecessary with that amount… let the audience be part of the film.

Whether Guido Hendrikx ”Stranger in Paradise” is a documentary or not could be discussion in more hard core documentary circles. But it does not take long before you find out that the teacher in the class room is an actor – a very good one – who has a group of migrants in the room to check with them, who qualifies and who not to have an asylum granted. A chamber play, original and intelligent, unfolds according to (that’s where the documentary part comes in) Dutch and European rules for getting an asylum. The film is shot in Italy, an epilogue includes refugees who talk to the actor and asks him where the film can be seen. And what it costs to make a film like that. 180.000€ he says to the refugees who have empty pockets. Of course one can hope that this documentary hybrid full of facts and statistics on the European migration situation can create a debate based on facts and not on feelings.

www.idfa.nl 

Lucija Stojevic: La Chana/ 2

It must be wonderful to get an Audience Award, and especially at IDFA in Amsterdam, where the amount of people who watch your film is huge. Yhe 2016 Audience Award has been decided upon and it went to the film reviewed below on this site. Here is a copy paste of the text from IDFA:

The Audience Award has been handed out annually since IDFA’s inception in 1988. The audience rates the films they have seen by means of a ballot with seven options, ranging from ‘Hopeless’ to ‘Superb’. The award consists of a sculpture and a cash prize of €5,000.
 
The VPRO IDFA Audience Award 2016 has gone to La Chana by Lucija Stojevic, a blistering and intimate portrait of former flamenco dancer Antonia Santiago Amador. The star and director could not attend the final screening at IDFA, but sent a video message to accept the award.

www.idfa.nl

Lucija Stojevic: La Chana

Antonia Santiago Amador, known as La Chana, is the unique personality of the film with the same title. It is on the top of the top ten Audience favourites at the IDFA festival that runs until tomorrow sunday included. It is a warm portrait of an exceptional woman, a flamenco dancer, the best ever, many think and express in the film, that has lots of great archive material that proves, even for a layman, who loves the music and the dance, that she was a star. And still is: the film follows her preparation for a performance, with her dancing seated. She makes it and made me cry touched by her willpower and commitment, and ability to concentrate to show to herself and her many fans that even at an age around 70, she can move her feet.

In the film, that at the beginning is a bit messy in structure, because it becomes anecdotal and jumps to and from archive, where more calm in the storytelling would have helped, La Chana tells her story from childhood till now, through a marriage that was violent from the side of her husband, a situation that made her stop the career. But she comes back – as the film comes back in rythm and flow once all the information about the past is delivered, when the story takes place in present time, where she teaches youngsters, cooks with her daughter, lives a quiet life with her Felix and a dog or goes to the square (in Barcelona I guess) to enjoy with her gypsy friends. And prepares for the performance.

A joyful and entertaining and touching work to give the many films about the problems of the world a break.

www.idfa.nl

Spain, Iceland, USA, 83 mins.

IDFA Nowhere to Hide/Still Tomorrow

I have forgotten why IDFA has decided to announce winners on a wednesday for a festival that goes on until sunday included? But good for those of us, in Amsterdam or online from home, who are still trying to catch up with the many films in competition to get a picture of what the festival selectors found important – yes, yes, I know there are numerous important films outside competition, which could have been there as well but do not qualify for eligibility reasons, previously awarded elsewhere for instance. And it gives of course time to check whether the jury(ies) have made mistakes… Have to admit that I like that game knowing that is not always that easy to be a juror. The two awards in the full-length category went to (Best film) ”Nowhere to Hide” by Zaradasht Ahmed, and (Special Prize) ”Still Tomorrow” by Fan Jian.

The jury, consisting of Yuri Ancarani (Italy), Jordana Berg (Brazil), Tom Paul (U.S.), Ingrid van Tol (The Netherlands), Debra Zimmerman (U.S.) did well, no objections to their choices. Here is their introduction: 

”As a jury we were honored to have the opportunity to watch films from many countries but the ones which stood out and moved us the most were the films from the parts of the world we hear from the least. We want to encourage the inclusion of more films like these in future competitions. We are so pleased that filmmakers in those countries are being given resources and support to create films that reflect their own countries’ concerns. But we are concerned about the increased globalization of documentary filmmaking. We would hope that the next step is to be open to other styles of documentary filmmaking that are different from the Western, European format. We also feel that this year’s selection is not just a set of 15 individual films but as a whole reflects the times we are living in. We fear the political trends which threaten to silence dissent and difference. We need more illumination, not less. If there is a common thread in the films, it is the need for and and the power of empathy is that needed in these disturbing times.”

Disturbing times indeed and it is no surprise that the jury writes a statement that is political as is ”Nowhere to Hide”, that left me in a feeling of sadness at the same time as this film (as Abbas Fahrel’s masterpiece ”Homeland” that I saw in Kosovo earlier this year) documents in details, how hopeless a situation the Iraqis experience right now. And filmed over several years by one of those, who are there with wife and family every day. I am happy I got to know Nori, a true hero. With a documentary eye, there are so many magical moments in the film, that gives hope, in contrast to the many corpses in bags and the many injured people, whose lives have been spoilt.

And the jury motivation for ”Nowhere to Hide”: There are those films which are wonderful to see and there are films that the world needs to see. The film we choose is both of these things. The experience was immersive and left us deeply touched. The Director respected the unique perspective that the only the subject could have and in doing so gave us an unprecedented window into the real life lasting consequences of war.

”Stiil Tomorrow” by Chinese Fan Jian is a family drama, a very direct and frank invitation to meet the poet, disabled Xiuhua Yu, whose life changes drastically when she becomes famous for her poetry.

And the jury motivation for ”Still Tomorrow”: From the start, this film explores the complexity of the human experience in a poetic, intimate and powerful way. The strength of the protagonist is matched by the craft of the filmmaking. It is not easy to make a film about poetry without resorting to cliches. But this film does in a sensitive and revealing portrait of an extraordinary woman.

www.idfa.nl 

Sine Skibsholt: Dem vi var /2

Det er netop i aftes på festivalen i Amsterdam blevet afsløret, at IDFA prisen for “Best First Appearance” går til den danske instruktør Sine Skibsholt for filmen Dem vi var. Filmen er produceret af Helle Faber og selskabet Made in Copenhagen og havde sin internationale premiere på IDFA søndag aften 20. november. Filmen vises for publikum på IDFA næste gang på søndag.

Juryen valgte Dem vi var (Who We Were) med begrundelsen: We (the jury) “encourage filmmakers to tackle the most pressing issues our world is facing. But cinema is also a visual art form, and its power to engage the viewer on an emotional level can bring deep understanding of ourselves and our place in the world. Many films in our category showed us the power of this emotional engagement, however one stood out for its sheer discipline in form and structure, and power in conveying a deeply moving and intimate story. Its unflinching gaze brings us deep inside a family forever changed by one moment, teaching us about both our strength and our essential frailty.” 

FILMKOMMENTAREN anmeldte 14. april kort før den danske premiere filmen sådan:

Manden og kvinden forsøger i en træt tilgivelse at nå hinanden. Han er under rekonvalecens efter en voldsom hjerneblødning, hun er i forvejen overarbejdet i et samliv, hvor hun alene tager sig af de to børn og husholdningen og et lønarbejde. Han har til den frygtelige dag han falder om passet sin karriere, sit firma og familiens ekstraordinære økonomiske grundlag i et stort nyrenoveret hus. Den dag, hun fortvivlet ringer efter hjælp, begynder Dem vi var.

Filmen er bygget over mandens genoptræningsforløbs på alle måder vanskelige måneder i velordnede afsnit med en række øjebliksskildringer af iscenesatte begivenheder som møder med læger og plejepersonale og så særligt: samtaler mellem de to. Der kan være enkelte scener, som hviler på observerende kamera, men både han og hun er beundringsværdigt disciplinerede og medskabende i deres ekstemporerede gennemspil af den langvarige konfliktudviklings fine nuancer i replikker og bevægelser og stemningsskift. Den tekst kan de i hvert fald udenad. Et vigtigt andet lag i konstruktionen er en række steder, ofte i slutningen af en scene, hvor dialogen forsvinder, ikke altid fordi de to bliver tavse, men fordi Sine Skibsholt simpelthen fader dialogfilen ud mens musikken og vel lyddesignet i øvrigt fortsætter eller tager over. De gribende samtaler mellem ham og hende udvikler sig til de forsvinder i en fortvivlelsens magtkamp i en ulykkelig kurve, som bliver filmens storyline, en helt enkel fortælling om et ægteskab i almindeligkrise…

Hjerneblødningen og den uhelbredelige hjerneskade er en stor og omfattende kendsgerning, der selvfølgelig danner en særligog dominerende baggrund, men alligevel er det altså et ægteskab i en almindelig krise. Forskellen til andre ægteskaber i opløsning er at disse ægteskabers mænd og kvinder føler og handler på baggrunde uden denne dominerende enkeltsituation, som er sygdommen, de (det vil således sige vi, der ser filmen) har kriser, hvis årsager blot ikke er tydelige, som regel ikke erkendes. ”Det er ikke ham, det er hans hjerneskade, som siger sådan”, sådan trøster en sygeplejerske kvinden efter en af mandens brutalt sårende replikker. Som månederne går, som filmen skrider frem, som mandens førlighed bliver bedre og de glider længere og længere fra hinanden, tvivler jeg på at sygeplejersken har ret.

Kvinden er på et afgørende tidspunkt nødt til at sige til manden, at hun ikke vil have, at han kysser hende på munden. Hun elsker ham ikke mere. Men jeg venter på et mirakel, på et kærlighedens, på et erotikkens uventede gennembrud på ny. Men det sker ikke. Tilværelsens dramaturgi er en serie points of no return, filmen er én lang elegi i ét langt decrescendo. Det er et ægteskabs forsvindende dialog, som slutter i tavse scener i to adskilte boliger under indretning i to adskilte nye begyndelser. Men jeg leder ved de sidste scener endnu efter et ikke sygdomsforårsaget, et ikke psykologisk udredt grundlag for det gensidige kærlighedstab, finder det måske, når fremstillingen opgiver rationaliseringerne, når replikudvekslingen tones ud og jeg i de smukke tavse scener får mulighed for at tænke mit over filmens sådan var vi. Hvordan var de, da de var dem, de var? Hvordan var vi? Hvordan var jeg? Jeg er en mand uden hjerneskade, men er mit kærlighedsliv lykkedes?

Dem vi var er som socialrealistisk skildring i min læsning mere end en særlig fortælling om en hjerneskades indvirkning på et kærlighedsforhold, den er som en første begyndelse til en meget nutidig filmisk undersøgelse af ægteskabets, samlivets, , samlivets, forelskelsens, erotikkens, altså kærlighedens almindelige forvandlingsformer i moderne tid. Sådan tager jeg den i hvert fald til mig, og det gør ondt at se den film.

Sine Skibsholt: Dem vi var, Danmark 2016, 81 min. Filmen havde DOXBIO premiere 20. april 2016.

Jeg giver den solide film 3 penne og én mere for mandens og kvindens beundringsværdige personlige dobbelte indsats, så i alt 4.

SYNOPSIS

Their life looks like that of so many others: Kristian and Mette Line met 12 years ago. They fell in love, travelled, and focused on their careers. Later ”you and me” became a family when they had their children, Celeste and Cyron. Two years ago they bought their dream house outside Copenhagen where they were supposed to live out their many dreams and ideas about life. But one day, 39-year-old Kristian collapses from a blood clot that destroys one third of his brain. The damage is irreversible, and life as they know it comes to an abrupt end.

 Kristian spends the first year in intense rehabilitation so he can move back home. Mette Line supports him, remodels the house to accommodate Kristian’s new needs, takes care of the children and goes to work. At the same time, she struggles to recognise the man she married, because the brain damage has changed Kristian. And who are “we” when one of us is no longer there?

WHO WE WERE follows the young family during the first year after the fateful accident and is a portrait of love in the face of catastrophe. (Made In Copenhagen site)

http://www.madeincopenhagen.dk/en/content/who-we-were