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

Cinema & Scenery at Middleburg Film Festival

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Parent Category: Film Festivals

Category: Previews

Published on Wednesday, 19 October 2016 17:33

Written by Brad Balfour

Likened to the English countryside, Middleburg is a slice of scenic beauty in Virginia. Home to rolling hills, colonial era buildings, lush forests, and also the Middleburg Film Festival. Running October 20 to 23 in various venues across Middleburg Virginia (about one hour outside of D.C.).

"We are thrilled to share some of the year's best films followed by thought provoking conversations with festival attendees," said Middleburg Film Festival Executive Director Susan Koch. "The 2016 program includes a mix of Oscar contenders, critically-acclaimed foreign language films and compelling documentaries."

One of the fest’s centerpieces is La La Land starring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone as an jaded jazz musician and an aspiring actress find their way through old Hollywood. American Pastoral, the directorial debut of actor Ewan McGregor is set in the turbulent 1960’s, a man’s life starts to fall apart after his daughter’s political consciousness threatens to destroy his family.

Disturbing the Peace follows former enemy combatants — Israeli soldiers from elite units and Palestinian fighters, many of whom served years in prison -- who have joined together to challenge the status quo of years of violence and war. The Salesman is an Iranian-French drama about a young couple who are rehearsing to be in Arthur Miller’s Death of a Salesman when they’re unexpectedly forced to leave their apartment and head to a new home with a dark secret.

The fest also has several special events. There will be a keynote conversation with Cheryl Boone Isaacs, the President of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, on the topic of her role at the Academy, including recent and ongoing efforts to make Hollywood more inclusive for women and people of color.. One of the festival’s most popular and anticipated events is the Symphony Orchestra Concert and tribute to  Distinguished Film Composer awardee, Henry Jackman. The Shenandoah Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of maestro Jan Wagner, will perform the world premiere of suites from films scored by Jackman.

To learn more, go to: http://www.middleburgfilm.org/

Middleburg Film Festival
October 20 - 23, 2016

Various Locations