7 Documentaries for Locarno

7 films are selected to be screened at Festival del Film Locarno in the Semaine de la Critique that takes place August 7-14. They are world or international premieres. I know about three of them, have watched two and am very happy for the choice of “Lampedusa in Winter”, directed by Jakob Brossmann with former Zelig Film School student Cornelia Märki as editor. She sent me the film a couple of months ago to have my opinion and I answered “I have no objections, I think this is an important film to get out now, it is very well put together, an impressive piece of observational documentary filmmaking that stays away from dramatizing but IS dramatic anyway – the strike of fishermen, the refugees, the humanistic Paola, the same for the mayor… good rhythm…” yes, it is indeed a very timely film that for sure will travel on from Locarno to other festival destinations.

Otherwise Poland is again taking the lead with 3 selected films.

The interesting, touching winner from the Krakow Film Festival by Karolina Bielawska, “Call Me Marianna”, “K2. Touching the Sky” by Eliza Kubarska and the long-awaited “Brothers” by the master Wojciech Staron (“Siberian Lessons” and “Argentinian Lessons”). I am dying to see that film!

The remaining 3 are “The Day The Sun Fell” by Aya Domenig, “The Ground We Won” by Christopher Pryor and “My Name is Gary” by Blandine Huk and Frederic Cousseau.

Take a look at the website and you will notice the extensive, signed descriptions to each film, must be critics writing. Some words about the Semaine de la Critique:

… is an independent section, organised by Swiss Association of Film Journalists, in cooperation with the director and organisers of the Locarno International Film Festival. The Semaine de la critique has its own jury which awards the Prix SRG SSR/Semaine de la critique worth 8000.– CHF for the best film in competition and the Premio Zonta Club Locarno for a film with extraordinary social commitment. The Semaine de la critique was first held in 1990. Since then it has reviewed state of the art documentary film-making annually with a selection of works chosen for their specific expressive value or essence.

To date, a total of 137 films have been screened, including productions by Erroll Morris, Fredi M. Murer, Nicholas Philibert, Richard Dindo, J. van der Keuken, Zhang Yuan, Davide Ferrario, B.Z. Goldberg, Thomas Riedelsheimer or Samir, among others.

http://www.semainedelacritique.ch/

Arman Yeritsyan: One Two Three

Mikhail is 80 years old, he has never been married, he has no children and he lives in a small appartment full of clothes in bags and whatever he has collected, making it impossible for him to move around. He has to crawl to reach his bed and his kitchen table has ”been emprisoned since the 1990’es”. He is, however, part of the dancing and singing choir ”The Chosen Ones”, where he performs with full energy together with Aida (74), Hovsep (74), Mariam (58), Martik (61) and several others. They perform together on stage, on television, even in the streets. And it helps them to stay alive.

Mikhail is the one in the middle with his appartment liberation story as the red thread. The film paints a warm and generous portrait of this lovely old man, who is still very much connected to his mother, shown in some poetic moments where he, partly hidden by a mountain of bags, sings to her and visits her grave.

Aida considers the choir as a family, hairy Hovsep would so much want to have a woman by his side (at the end it is suggested that the two of them could get together…) and the atmosphere is constantly full of joy when they practice their ”One Two Three”. But of course there is the other side of the coin – getting old means getting defects and the film does not hide that as it does not hide the sadness of Anahit, who has lost 8 children (!) or the true tristesse of Mariam, afraid of the opposite sex, but at the next moment she is a smiling dancing queen to an old Elvis Presley song.  

It’s been a difficult film to make with so many characters, I have seen several cuts, but with this final version the wonderful people of Bars Media (Yulia, Inna, Vardan… and director Arman) has found a balanced narrative solution that works with ”the freedom struggle” of Mikhail in the foreground of an extraordinary warm ”message” film to all of us: Sing and Dance! Will do my best, writes this 67 year old blogger!  

Armenia, 2015, 75 mins.

Riga Welcomes Documentary Projects

… for the 19th time under the headline Baltic Sea Docs (previously Forum), a development workshop and pitching forum for 25 projects from 13 countries, organized by the National Film Centre of Latvia with the two women on the photo, Zanda Dudina and Lelda Ozola, as perfect hosts and organizers… I can say so as one of the tutors during all the years, and I will be there again September 2-6.

And that is also the reason, why I can say that the selection done has given a fine variety of experienced filmmakers and producers and newcomers, including names which have been on this site several times.

I refer to Estonian Aljona Surikova, who is there with a project on the city of Sotchi after the Winter Olympic Games . To Russian Askold Kurov who presents an investigation into the case of the in Crimea by Russians arrested Ukranian filmmaker Oleg Sentsov, to Estonian Marianna Kaat who is there with a “fresh look at the 3rd generation of migrants and the newcomers who feel obsessed with languages and fucked by the politics but desire to secure their children’s future, to Georgian Ana Tsimintia and her “The Pioneers Palace”, to Davis Simanis (photo on the top of filmkommentaren.dk), who has picked up “4 terrifying historical photos, 4 places of war crimes, and the imprint of their past on nowadays.”

I could go on but loves to end on stressing the participation of two important Russian documentarians – Alina Rudnitskaya and Marina Razbezhkina. The latter as producer for Anna Moiseenko and Pavel Loparev on a film, “Returness”, that has the following interesting description: “2014 showed the record number of Russian people who left their homeland. This film is telling the story of those who instead decided to come back. Several young people spent their childhood and youth in the West and decided to come back to Russia to start a new life.”

And Rudnitskaya with the title “Fatel and the Sea” which is about: “When a man fights his dream, he risks more than his life. He puts his family at risk, too. On Rikord Island, off the south-east coast of Russia, Fatei battles the local authorities. In his efforts to help others, he finds himself on the wrong side of the law.”

The Baltic Sea Docs also includes a mini-documentary festival, programme will be announced later.

http://www.mediadesklatvia.eu/baltic-sea-docs-2015/selected-projects-2015/

Pärnu Film Festival 2015/ Awards

Take a look at the photo – it’s a festival award, the main one at the Pärnu Film Festival, characteristic for the originality with which Mark Soosaar runs his festival, this one being the 29th.

And the winner was – as in so many festivals during the last year – Hanna Polak’s “Something Better to Come”. On her FB site Polak writes: “This is the amazing award we got last night from Pärnu Film Festival: The Estonian People’s Award, voted by the audience of Estonian TV. This beautiful piece of art is made by talented Christi Kütt
a, student of a beautiful Artist Anu Raud.”

In the section for the best Estonian documentaries two films were awarded: “Christ Lives in Siberia” by Arbo Tammiksaar and Jaak Kilmi and “How I saved Africa” by Kullar Vilmne. I have seen both and have a lot of heart for the latter that has this overall content: “Siisi is an active and attractive young woman who’d have enough energy to send Estonia’s spacecraft to Mars. But instead, the urge to make the world a better place sends Siisi far away to Uganda, where she plans to open a café with the help of donators to offer work to the local young handicapped people…” It’s funny and warm and gets close to both the main character and some of the people who work in the café.

http://www.chaplin.ee/filmfestival/awards-public.htm

”Beyond the Fear” in Jerusalem/ 5

Finally an Israeli competent, reflective review of the film by Herz Frank and Maria Kravchenko, written by Nirit Anderman in  Haaretz yesterday July 12th. The introduction goes like this:

“If you hoped to find out why a married mother of four fell in love with Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin’s assassin, the film ‘Beyond the Fear’ will not leave you any wiser. But the controversial documentary about Amir, his wife and son, has other lessons…”

The extensive review (read it all) has this paragraph that for me is spot on: “The important thing that this film does manage to do, however, and the reason the title the filmmakers chose is successful is this: It reflects and emphasizes the extent to which the public’s attitude toward Amir and Trimbobler is colored by a prism of hatred and fear, and the extent to which this prism has made the discussion shallow. Nearly 20 years after the despicable murder Amir committed, the film helps viewers see how the newspaper headlines relate to him and his wife in demonic terms and how politicians and citizens propose denying them basic rights. This is also what was done in recent weeks by Miri Regev, opposition leader MK Isaac Herzog and former president Shimon Peres, who wanted to shelve the film and thereby preserve the demonic image of Amir and Trimbobler instead of grappling with the fact that they are flesh and blood people who also have softer and gentler sides…”

http://www.haaretz.com/life/movies-television/.premium-1.665571?utm_campaign=Echobox&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook

Golden Apricot 2015

The film festival in Yerevan that starts today and runs until the 19th is a true red-carpet festival with film stars, glorious receptions, tributes to local hero Charles Azanavour – but also with a fine selection of documentaries to take part in a competition.

Lithuanian Giedre Zickyté is there with wonderful ”Master and Tatyana” – the master being the phenomenon Vitas Luckus – a clip from my review: ”the film is first of all a love story told primarily through the photos of Vitas and Tatyana, a love story that is so obvious, when you watch how he composes the portraits of Tatyana, how the camera is constantly caressing the beautiful woman, with or without clothes. Her face is so full of expressions and you can see that he has caught her in true observational documentarian style as well as in arranged situations…”

Alexander Nanau’s ”Toto and His Sisters” is there, it has had a well-deserved international festival career, two films touch upon Syria, British Sean McAllister’s recently awarded ”A Syrian Love Story” and the masterpiece ”Sivered Water, Syria Self-Portrait” by Ossama Mohammed and Wiam Simav Bedirxan. As well as Viestur Kairiss Latvian ”Pelican in the Desert” that had deserved a much better international life than it has had.

However, what I first and foremost look forward to watch is the

final version of Arman Yeritsyan’s Armenian ”One, Two, Three” (PHOTO) that has been on its way to completion for a long time with young Yulia Grigoryants as a very active pitching producer around Europe. I have had the chance to watch material of a film that it is very promising. Here is the synopsis of the festival website: Through the amazing, heartfelt, and sometimes hilarious story of Mikhail, the film shows the journey of The Chosen Ones. It collects each character’s personal narrative and artfully weaves them together around the main protagonist. Although each story is deeply personal, and the struggles of The Chosen Ones are defined by their lives in Armenia, the larger issues addressed by the film are much more universal. In every country, every city, and every community people grow old and need more care and attention. Mikhail and his friends take the first steps and in the sunset of their lives, finally start to live a full life…

http://www.gaiff.am/en/1364562736

“Beyond the Fear” in Jerusalem/ 4

The film by Herz Frank and Maria Kravchenko was shown on the 8th of July, the day before the official opening of the Jerusalem Film Festival, whose leaders felt they had to play according to the rules of the Israeli Minister of Culture, who had told them that the funding for the festival would not happen if the film was shown as part of the festival. The Times of Israel (link below) put it like this: (The film was shown) in the small auditorium of Jerusalem’s Mishkenot Sha’ananim center. The screenings were held at the nearby arts center to avoid unnecessary publicity and to abide by the agreement with Regev to keep the film separate from the partially state-funded Cinematheque. There were no protesters in sight… Both screenings were sold out.

I have been in contact with Guntis Trekteris, main producer of the film, who was there with Maria Kravchenko and Israeli co-producer Sagy Tsirkin (photo Trekteris to the left). Trekteris reported that he publicly thanked the Minister of Culture for making this the third time the film opened a festival (the others were in Riga and Moscow) – the film is, even if not shown at the festival venue, the Cinematheque, still part of the official documentary competition!

Trekteris: Yesterday was an alternative (outdoor) screening in the Jerusalem Park opposite to the Old city Park organized by Israeli filmmakers during the official opening of the festival. Very special atmosphere. Many said to us that its a very important film for Israel…

Chapeau for the Israeli filmmakers, who made this act of solidarity!

http://www.timesofisrael.com/an-assassins-tale-through-the-eyes-of-the-family-he-started-in-prison/

 

Docu Talents from the East 2015

… is a popular event within the Karlovy Vary festival with the Jihlava International Documentary Film Festival as organiser. Even if you are not there the website (link below) gives you good news about what kind of quality films you can expect to premiere this year and in 2016.

12 projects were presented from Russia/Ukraine, Slovakia, Poland, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Czech Republic, Serbia, Romania.

Let me just mention two of the projects that I have met before:

Vitaly Mansky’s ”Close Relations”, where the director ”explores Ukrainian-Russian relations through the eyes of his closest relatives: his mother Victoria, his aunts and their families in Lvov, Odessa, Crimea and Donetsk. Although they are closely related, these relatives represent very different walks of life and perceive the conflict in very different ways. This unique personal approach provides the viewers with the opportunity to gain a profound understanding of the roots of the Ukrainian-Russian crisis.”

And Salomé Jashi’s “The Station”: “Dariko is a sole journalist and a staple of Jikha TV – a two-man broadcasting station based in a small town. She travels around the town in search of news, quietly unveiling the aspirations of the locals. The film is a mosaic, made of various components, which are united by the TV and the circumstances related to being on the stage. The TV station is now facing major challenge. It has to switch to digital broadcasting. With old equipment and scarce income, the station might be counting its last days. It might also be the last chance for the locals to appear on the TV screen before nationwide broadcasters take over.”

On the photo Salomé Jashi in pitch action in Karlovy Vary together with her German production partner Urte Fink.

http://www.dokument-festival.com/industry/docu-talents-from-the-east/2015#projects

Dokufest Prizren 2015

The Kosovo festival that runs from August 8-16 has already announced that it will have a Tribute to Albert Maysles, who died earlier this year – as says artistic director of the festival Veton Nurkollari about Maysles (photo), “Curious and generous, a teacher and mentor, a filmmaker that revolutionized non-fiction storytelling and inspired generations of filmmakers”.

And yesterday the content of the section “Sound of My Soul”, music films, was published. It is Pamela Cohn who puts that together, read a bit of her fine introduction text:

We are all familiar, by now, with the typical music documentary – a fairly reliable recipe of the makings of a band or a musician, and how they/he/she came from humble beginnings to rise to superstardom – and then, usually, how they/he/she crashed and burned. Or, at the very least, faded back into the obscurity from whence they/he/she once came. Add some talking head interviews from colleagues, friends and family, some archival bits, some concert/recording studio/home movie bits, and stir.

This year’s music program – now a long-standing tradition at DokuFest – presents something a bit different. Well, quite a bit different. A mix of documentary, essay, fiction, and experimental feature and short work from an international cast of artists and filmmakers…

http://dokufest.com/2015/

Pärnu Film Festival 29th Edition

Yes, it is a tradition to pay tribute to the festival in Pärnu Estonia that runs now and until July 19th – and let me repeat the introductory text from last year:

”the Pärnu International Documentary and Anthropology Film Festival (is) initiated and run by film director, visual artist, politician and showman, Mark Soosaar, whose mark is still very strong on a festival with a huge number of films, competitions, out-of-competition screenings, from all over the world…”

Including the Estonian People’s Award where 6 films that are broadcast by Estonian Television are competing for the viewers vote. Among them are this year titles like ”Happily Ever After” by Croatian Tatjana Bozic, Hanna Polak’s ”Something Better to Come” and ”Waiting for August” by Romanian Teodora Ana Mihai from Belgium.

For Mark Soosaar there is a reason to make cultural events including a film festival like this. Here is a long quote from his foreword to the catalogue that you can download for free from the website:

Although the same car brands are racing on highways and the same jets flying in the skies, millions of people are feeling annoyed, terrorised and … anguished. Is the peace of several generations really coming to an end and bound to be replaced by a bloodshed?

What makes me ponder most of all is the fuss of certain groups (not to say political forces) preaching hatred against the different fellows to make space for their own clan only. Haven ́t they really learned from history or given it any thought where would their hate lead us to?

Two links related to Mark Soosaar, one about a visit to his island last year, another (in Danish) a review of a film made by Soosaa: visit to his island  review

http://www.chaplin.ee/filmfestival/catalogue-public.ht 

It is not in vain that there are lots of docs on this summer ́s Festival program which could easily be drawn under one roof writing the word TOLERANCE on it. Tolerance and a helping hand for those who have had to flee for life from their homeland, just like our ancestors in the last years of World War II. As well as tolerance of the family models of the 21st century formed by love.

http://www.chaplin.ee/filmfestival/catalogue-public.htm