India Kaleidoscope Festival Shines at Museum of the Moving Image

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Parent Category: Film Festivals

Category: Previews

Published on Wednesday, 07 December 2016 11:56

Written by Brad Balfour

Tope

The Museum of the Moving Image (36-01 35th Ave, Queens, NY) and The India Center Foundation are launching India Kaleidoscope, a festival celebrating the rich cultural heritages of India and Indian cinema. Running December 8 to the 11th, the festival features eight films tackling societal and changing issues within India.

“India Kaleidoscope is an auspicious start to MoMI’s collaboration with The India Center Foundation. This dynamic partnership is proven by the quality of the Festival lineup and the participation of so many emerging and established film directors,” said the Museum’s Chief Curator, David Schwartz.

One of the highlights of the festival is India in a Day,  which was shot over the course of a single day in October 2015 when thousands across India recorded and shared moments from their everyday lives.  The film was directed by Richie Mehta and executive produced by Ridley Scott.

Films at the festival include:

• Loktak Lairembee (Lady of the Lake) - Director Haobam Paban Kumar attending
  Dir. Haobam Paban Kumar.
  Set amidst the unique community of fishing families that populate the floating islands of northeast India’s Lake Loktak, the spellbinding narrative debut from nonfiction filmmaker Haobam Paban Kumar blends documentary-like realism with a touch of the surreal.
  
  

  

• Lathe Joshi - Director Mangesh Joshi attending
  U.S. PREMIERE
  Dir. Mangesh Joshi
  After losing his job, a lathe worker takes a stand to reclaim his dignity in a society that no longer seems to value him. This lyrical, meditative character study is both a moving portrait of a man and a perceptive look at globalization’s human toll.
  
  
• The Violin Player - Director Bauddhayan Mukherji attending
  NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE
  Dir. Bauddhayan Mukherji
  A chance encounter with an enigmatic filmmaker sets a struggling violinist on a surprising journey of self-discovery. This mesmerizing tale of art and destiny conjures a quietly gripping air of mystery as it builds towards its soul-shaking denouement.
  
  
• Sila Samayangalil (Sometimes)
  NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE
  Dir. Priyadarshan.
  In a doctor’s office waiting room, eight people of varying backgrounds nervously await the results of their HIV tests. When they learn that one among them has tested positive, tensions mount and anxious guessing games begin. This richly emotional comedic drama tackles a serious subject with compassion and unexpected humor.
  
  
• Ghatashraddha (The Ritual) – Director Girish Kasaravalli attending
  Dir. Girish Kasaravalli.
  One of the key works of the Indian New Wave, this spare, haunting drama tells the story of a bond that develops between two outsiders: a Brahmin boy who contends with bullying at school and an unmarried young woman who faces excommunication when she becomes pregnant.
  
  

  

• Harikatha Prasanga (Chronicles of Hari) - Director Ananya Kasaravalli attending
  NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE
  Dir. Ananya Kasaravalli
  The lines between stage and reality begin to blur for a male actor who plays female roles in traditional Yakshagana theater. Taking the form of a faux-documentary, the provocative feature debut of Ananya Kasaravalli examines issues of gender, performance, and identity within Indian society.
  
  
• Tope (The Bait) - Director Buddhadeb Dasgupta attending
  U.S. PREMIERE | CLOSING NIGHT
  Dir. Buddhadeb Dasgupta
  Internationally renowned auteur Buddhadeb Dasgupta directs this seductively surreal, folkloric fable about three fantastical characters—a traveling tightrope walker, a tree-dwelling postman, and a wealthy, tiger-hunting raja—whose lives intertwine in the lush Bengal countryside.

To learn more, go to: http://www.movingimage.us/

India Kaleidoscope
December 8 - 11, 2016

Museum of the Moving Image
36-01 35th Ave.
Queens, NY 11106

10th Annual Other Israel Film Fest Features Film & Music

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Parent Category: Film Festivals

Category: Previews

Published on Thursday, 01 December 2016 20:58

Written by Brad Balfour

Featuring musical guests, special panels, appearances by actors and directors, and a wealth of films, the Other Israel Film Festival (December 1 - 8, 2016, multiple venues across New York City) offers a bountiful slate of film, art, and culture from Israeli and Arab people. This being the 10th installment of the fest is a momentous occasion. “We are thrilled to mark ten years of curating dynamic and inclusive forums for exploration of tough themes related to Israeli society,” says Ravit Turjeman, ‎Director of the Other Israel Film Festival & Fund. “As in past years, we will continue to encourage cinematic expression and creativity that truly celebrate the humanity and daily lives of Arab citizens and other minority groups who are most often overlooked by mainstream culture.”

Films (many of which are US premieres) being shown include:

• A.K.A. NADIA
  Dir. Tova Ascher
  Nadia is a 20-year-old Arab woman having a secret love affair with Nimer, a PLO activist. They move to England, where Nimer is caught by the authorities, leaving Nadia on her own. A shady character provides her with a Jewish woman’s Israeli passport, allowing her to return to Israel. Twenty years later, Nadia is Maya, a successful choreographer married to Yoav, a Jewish official at the Ministry of Justice. When Nimer reappears in Jerusalem, Nadia’s past catches up with her, forcing her to deal with an identity crisis played out against the region’s political backdrop.

• BETWEEN WORLDS
  Dir. Miya Hatav
  When Bina and Meir visit their son Oliel, hospitalized in Jerusalem after a terror attack, they form a bond with Amal, a young Arab woman, seemingly there to attend to her dying father. As the truth unfolds, they all struggle to accept the unlikely circumstances that have brought them together.

• BEYOND THE MOUNTAINS AND THE HILLS
  Dir. Eran Kolirin
  David is discharged from the army after serving 27 years. He finally returns to his family and tries to find himself in his new civilian life. When a friend suggests working for a company that markets dietary supplements, David sees this as an opportunity to get his foot in the door of the business world and make something out of himself. But this decision slowly gets him and his family entangled in the web of dark forces that rule life in Israel.

• FOREVER PURE
  Dir. Maya Zinschtein
  Beitar Jerusalem is the most popular and controversial soccer team in Israel–the only club in the Israeli Premier League never to sign an Arab player. Midway through the 2013 season, a secretive transfer deal by the owner brings in two Muslim players from Chechnya. That deal inspires the most racist campaign in Israeli sports, sending the team spiraling out of control. A look at one season in the life of this famed team provides a window into Israeli society, personal identity, money, and power, showing how racism can destroy a team and society from within.

• HARMONIA
  Dir. Ori Sivan
  Sarah, a morose harpist in the Jerusalem Philharmonic Orchestra, is married to Abraham, the charismatic conductor of the group. They have no children. When Hagar, a young horn player from East Jerusalem joins the Orchestra, Sarah's world erupts. A unique friendship develops between the two women. Hagar, sympathizing with Sarah’s pain, offers to have a baby for Sarah. Ismail, born to Hagar and Abraham, is a wild and gifted pianist whom Sarah raises as her own. When Ismail discovers the true identity of his mother, his world–and that of those around him–falls apart. Unearthing the metaphoric roots of the conflict, Harmonia maintains the essence of the biblical story from Genesis and adds a unique perspective.

Special events during the festival include a short films selection, opening and closing receptions, as well as a concert from Tamer Nafar with  Marcus Mumford. Panel discussion on the power of film includes special guests Michael Moore, Udi Aloni, Chelsey Berlin, Tony Copti, and Maya Zinshtein

To learn more, go to: https://www.otherisrael.org/

Other Israel Film Festival
December 1 - 8, 2016

Various Locations

Denver Film Fest Explores History of Music and Future of Film

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Parent Category: Film Festivals

Category: Previews

Published on Friday, 04 November 2016 18:34

Written by Brad Balfour

For over three decades, the Denver Film Festival has been exploring the depths of cinema with classic revivals, premieres, and international discoveries. The festival returns to it’s home at the Sie FilmCenter (2510 E Colfax Ave, Denver, CO) from November 2 to the 13th.  One of the highlights of the fest is American Epic, a documentary produced by Robert Redford, T Bone Burnett and Jack White, follows the reconstruction of the first recording machine ever used by the music and film industry, a piece of tech that has long since been forgotten.

Other films slated to be shown at the fest include:

• THE EAGLE HUNTRESS – Director: Otto Bell
• FRANCA: CHAOS AND CREATION – Director: Francesco Carrozzini
• INCIDENT LIGHT – Director: Ariel Rotter
• LOVESONG – Director: So-yong Kim
• MOM AND ME – Director: Ken Wardrop
• OVARIAN PSYCHOS – Directors: Joanna Sokolowski & Kate Trumbull-LaValle
• A WOMAN, A PART – Director: Elisabeth Subrin
• ALWAYS SHINE –   Director: Sophia Takal
• DONALD CRIED –   Director: Kris Avedisian
• FOLK HERO AND FUNNY GUY –   Director: Jeff Grace
• FREE IN DEED –   Director: Jake Mahaffy
• HUNTER GATHERER –   Director: Josh Locy
• KATIE SAYS GOODBYE –   Director: Wayne Roberts
• LIVE CARGO –   Director: Logan Sandler
• LOVE WITCH –   Director: Anna Biller
• LUPE UNDER THE SUN –  Director: Rodrigo Reyes
• MA – Directors: Celia Rowlson-Hall
• MIDDLE MAN –   Director: Ned Crowley
• CHECK IT –   Directors: Dana Flor & Toby Oppenheimer
• GROWING UP COY –   Director: Eric Juhola
• THE QUEEN OF IRELAND – Director: Conor Horgan
• STAYING VERTICAL – Director: Alain Guiraudie

Among the festival’s honors is the Krzysztof Kieslowski Award for Best Feature Film, the Maysles Brothers Award for Best Documentary and the achievement-based John Cassavetes Award. The festival also features a series of panel discussions on topics including food in cinema, outreach workshops, historical overviews and more.  The festival will also feature more than 130 filmmaker guests making in-person appearances.

To learn more, go to: http://denverfilmfestival.denverfilm.org/

Denver Film Festival
November 2 - 13, 2016

Sie FilmCenter
2510 E Colfax Ave.
Denver, CO 80206