20th Annual Films From The South Festival

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Parent Category: Film Festivals

Category: Previews

Published on Saturday, 09 October 2010 20:06

Written by Film Festival Traveler Staff

Celebrating 20 years, Oslo’s Films from the South Festival is Northern Europe’s leading festival dedicated exclusively to film from Asia, Africa and Latin America. The Festival runs from October 7 - 17, 2010, in the Norwegian capital.

Films from the South was born at the University of Oslo in 1991 by idealistic film enthusiasts. The dream was to show that one billion people in Asia, Africa and Latin America could not be wrong. In spite of the large and vital film production on these continents almost none of the production reached Norwegian cinemas.

Presenting a wide selection of features, documentaries and short films for professionals and general audiences, Films from the South is the biggest festival in Oslo. Films from the South 2010 celebrates its 20th anniversary and has grown to become one of the most popular film events in the country. Annually FFS screen around 100 films from nearly 50 countries for over 22,000 spectators.

The festival invites prominent representatives from the world cinema to conduct workshops for Norwegian filmmakers.

Former guests include among the many others:

• Hirokazu Kore-eda
• Raoul Peck
• Fernando Solanas
• Hana Makhmalbaf
• Tran Anh Hung
• Abbas Kiarostami
• Tsai ming-liang
• Shunji Iwai
• Rodrigo Plá
• Jonás Cuarón
• Amos Gitaï
• Jafar Panahi
• Bahman Ghomadi
• Lúcia Murat
• King Ampaw
• Maria Victoria Menís
• Masahiro Kobayashi
• Mark Lee Ping-bing

On October 10, 2010, legendary Brazilian author/director Mario Peixoto's 1931 masterpiece, Limite, will be screened in a newly restored version. Celebrated Norwegian composer/musician Bugge Wesseltoft has composed new music for the film and will present it live in collaboration with acclaimed Brazilian musicians Naná Vasconcelos, Marlui Miranda and Rodolfo Stroeter.

The Norwegian Crown Prince, His Majesty Haakon and film director/actress Liv Ullmann officially open this Film & Music Live Gala screening at The Norwegian Opera. A presentation of the World Cinema Foundation, it is one of 12 films restored through the project that will be screened for the first time during the festival.

The World Cinema Foundation (WCF) is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving and restoring neglected films from around the world – in particular, those countries lacking the financial and technical ability to do so.

Established by Martin Scorsese, the Foundation supports and encourages preservation efforts to save film worldwide, ensuring that they are preserved, seen and shared. Its goal is to defend the body and spirit of cinema in the belief that preserving works of the past can encourage future generations to treat film as a universal form of expression.

Representing WCF will be Executive Director Kent Jones and a member of the Filmmakers Board, Haitian director Raoul Peck. Also expected from the WCF Filmmakers Board is Mali director Souleymane Cissé, as well as restoration coordinator Cecilia Cenciarelli.

“Both Films from the South Festival and WCF are devoted to promoting the international language of film,” said FFS Creative Director Lasse Skagen. “With this special screening at The Norwegian Opera and the full retrospective of WCF restored films, Films from the South and WCF are joining forces to celebrate the preservation of the Film Heritage.”

A conversation about the World Cinema Foundation with Jones, Cenciarelli and film critic Peter Cowie as moderator, will take place as part of the FFS Forum.

All proceeds from the event at The Norwegian Opera will go to support the work of the World Cinema Foundation.

A follow up of the Film & Music Live Gala Event of Limite is being planned for a São Paulo, Brazil, premiere in February of 2011.

The event is supported by: Oslo Kino, the French Embassy, FIAF (the worldwide film archive association), The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Culture, The City of Oslo, Film & Kino, The Norwegian Composers Association, The Brasilian Embassy in Oslo and Norwegian Film Institute.

For more info visit: www.filmfrasor.no

And for info on The World Cinema Foundation go to: http://worldcinemafoundation.net/

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