The winners of the 13th Cinemanila International Film Festival were announced last November 17, 2011 at the Awarding Ceremony at Bonifacio High Street, Taguig City. Complete list below.

MAIN COMPETITION

BEST ACTRESS – YOON JUNG-HEE for her role in POETRY by Lee Chang-Dong (South Korea)

BEST ACTOR – GEORGE PISTEREANU for his role in IF I WANT TO WHISTLE, I WHISTLE by Florin Serban (Romania)

BEST DIRECTOR – NURI BILGE CEYLAN for ONCE UPON A TIME IN ANATOLIA (Turkey)

GRAND JURY PRIZE – CENTURY OF BIRTHING (SIGLO NG PAGLULUWAL) by Lav Diaz (Philippines)

LINO BROCKA GRAND PRIZE – GANGOR by Italo Spinelli (Italy)

DIGITAL LOKAL

BEST DIRECTOR – MES DE GUZMAN for SA KANTO NG ULAP AT LUPA

GRAND JURY PRIZE – SAKAY SA HANGIN by Regiben Romana

LINO GRAND PRIZE – SA KANTO NG ULAP AT LUPA by Mes de Guzman

SOUTHEAST ASIAN COMPETITION

BEST SOUTHEAST ASIAN FILM – GOLDEN SLUMBERS by Davy Chou (Cambodia)

SPECIAL MENTION – BOUNDARY by Benito Bautista (Philippines) and MIRROR NEVER LIES by Kamila Andini (Indonesia)

YOUNG CINEMA

BEST SHORT FILM – 123 by Carlo Obispo

ISHMAEL BERNAL AWARD FOR MOST OUTSTANDING YOUNG FILIPINO FILMMAKER – CARLO OBISPO for 123

SPECIAL MENTION – SARANGHAE MY TUTOR by Victor Villanueva

http://www.cinemanila.org/2011/

Cinemanila, the festival traces its roots to the desire of continuing the legacy of Lino Brocka. In 1974, the great filmmaker created “Cinemanila,” an independent production outfit. With immortal classics like Mortal and Tinimbang Ka Ngunit Kulang, Brocka was able to associate Cinemanila to films that are uniquely Filipino yet able to play to international markets. In turn, Cinemanila the film festival was envisioned to be a nurturing environment for the future of the Filipino film industry. By exposing them to international-caliber films, Cinemanila aimed to rouse the yearning among young and upcoming filmmakers to be more globally competitive and to be optimistic that they too can create world-class films worthy of exhibition abroad.

Since its inception in 1999, the Cinemanila International Film Festival (CIFF) has endeavored to revive the Philippines as the center of Southeast Asian cinema and encourage the creation of international caliber, yet uniquely Filipino films. Over the years, the major goals of the Festival have been to 1.) Nurture young Filipino directors by providing them with the opportunity to see to the best of World Cinema, which would otherwise be unavailable to them; 2.) Unearth new talents in the Philippines and Southeast Asia in order for the Philippines to become the hub of Southeast Asian films; and 3.) Create a revitalized Filipino Film Industry that will become a major player in the Asian Content Industry. For the past 11 years, Cinemanila has championed the spirit of independent filmmaking and has given tributes to master filmmakers and their groundbreaking films.

The central features of the festival are Philippine Cinema and Southeast Asian Cinema, or SEA Cinema. The direction and framework of the festival have provided the focus for its programs to provide to the world a window on Philippine cinema in particular and Southeast Asian cinema in general.

In previous editions of the festival, film luminaries such as iconic director Quentin Tarantino (Kill Bill), Indonesian actress/producer & Cannes International Film Festival Jury member Christine Hakim, Filipino-American actors Lou Diamond Phillips and Tia Carrere, Academy Award-nominated Brazilian filmmaker Fernando Meirelles (City of God, Constant Gardener), have graced Cinemanila and conducted Master Class workshops to an enthusiastic audience of Southeast Asian filmmakers.

Jogja-NETPAC Asian Film Festival will feature the other side of Asia by showing films from Kyrgyzstan on December 13-17 2011.

Jogja-NETPAC Asian Film Festival (JAFF) is the only film festival in Indonesia which focuses on the development of Asian cinemas, with a humble character and its role for the society, education, entertainment, tourism and cultural arts. The films presented in JAFF are curated by Philip Cheah.

Each year, JAFF gives awards to the best film in Asia through several awards such as Golden Hanoman Awards, Silver Hanoman Awards, NETPAC Awards, Geber Awards, and Blencong Awards.

Kyrgyzstan Programme 1: – Almaz (Elnura Osmonalieva/Documentary/58 mins, CDF, 2010)

Kyrgyzstan Programme 2: -

Tower (Aydos Toktobaev/10mins, CDF, 2011)

Letter to the Santa (Akjol Bekbolotov/17 mins, Aytysh-film, 2010)

Circles in the Sand (Naizabek Sydykov/16 mins, Kyrgyzfilm, 2010)

The Earrings (Nargiza Mamatkulova, Kyrgyzfilm & KTU Manas, 2010)

Home (Kuban Toichubaev/13 mins, CDF, 2010)

Pencil Against Ants (Mirlan Abdykalykov/20 mins, CDF & Oy Art, 2010)

http://jaff-filmfest.com/

13th International Film and Culture Festival in Patras.
www.independent.gr

International Competition Section

In total: 80 films from 36 countries

Short films: 53
Documentaries: 14
Animation films: 4
Video Art: 5
Video Dance: 3

Participating Countries:
Austria, Albania, Algeria, Armenia, Bulgaria, Brazil, Germany, France, Denmark, Switzerland, United Kingdom, USA, Japan, Iran, Ireland, Italy, Spain, Israel, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Latvia, South Korea, The Netherlands, Hungary, Ukraine, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Taiwan, Czech Republic, Turkey, Finland, Philippines.

Greek Competition Section

In total: 80 films

Feature Films: 5
Short films: 39
Documentaries: 20
Animation films: 4
Video Art: 11
Video Clip: 1

UNITS :

“Walk around our neighbourhood”, “Passing through Europe” , “Images we love, images we dream of, Greek Cinema”, “27 of Europe”, “… From children’s (?) dreams to today’s screen”, “Thesssaloniki – Patras a festival road” “The feminine writing of dreams” “One sea, two nations, one hope”, “Worldwide poetry from images”

TOTAL: 160 Films

PARALLEL EVENTS

• Tribute to documentaries shown in “The 27 of Europe”, a TV programme of NET greek public TV station.
• Tribute to the animation, with the cooperation of the artist George Melissaropoulos.
• Photo exhibition under the title: “A click to the Plus and Minus of Patras”.
• Poetry display, poems from all over the world written for women.
• Film tribute to women artists under the title: “Women, the other half of the sky”.
• Drama happenings with the title: “Woman, creator of culture”.
• The opening film will be “The list of silence”, a documentary of P. Nerantzis, journalist of ET3.
• Screening of the winning film in the 1st Short Film Festival for New Filmmakers, organized by “ONEIRODROMIO.

shareComments 4The annual mentoring program takes place alongside the Busan International Film Festival.
SEOUL — The Asian Film Academy announced the dates for its 2011 program, set to run partly concurrent with the Busan International Film Festival, with AFA to be held Sept. 29 through Oct. 15.

The program consists of short-film productions, workshops and master classes by prominent Asian filmmakers.

Since the academy launched in 2005, the program has nurtured many new Asian talents in cinema through classes by prominent Asian directors such as Kurosawa Kiyoshi and Hou Hsiao-Hsien. Last year, world-renowned filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami was invited as the dean of the AFA.

The AFA 2011 is co-hosted by Dongseo University, the Busan Film Commission and the BIFF. The academy will select 24 fellows. The submission deadline is May 10. All programs are conducted in English.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/asian-film-academy-sets-dates-164942

News from Wise Kwai’s Thai Film Journal

The 1st Doi Saket International Film Festival wrapped up on Saturday night, with a ceremony on the grounds of Wat Suan Dok.

I think it’s probably historic, unique and definitely so very Thai that the film festival should open and close at a Buddhist temple. Aside from the mountaintop opening venue at Wat Doi Saket and at Wat Suan Dok in the city, films were screened at various locations around Chiang Mai’s Doi Saket district and Chiang Mai city.

The closing film was Wisit Sasanatieng’s Tears of the Black Tiger (Fah Talai Jone), a western set in 1950s Thailand that’s just as timeless today as it was when it first played in Thai cinemas 10 years ago.

Kingyo / Japan and Malaysia

Love Suicide / Malaysia

Kinulayang Kiti / philippines

Four Seasons / thailand

Awards were also given on closing night, with the highlight being the presentation of a Lifetime Achievement honor by local Chiang Mai filmmaker Apichatpong Weerasethakul to the daughter of the recently deceased photographer, filmmaker, activist and and co-founder and director of Images Asia, Sitthipong “Sam” Kalayanee. A retrospective of his work over 20 years screened as a video installation most every day at the Media Arts & Design building at Chiang Mai University.

The Best Film winner was House of Roses (Dom w różach), a 16-minute short by Kuba Czekay from Poland. It also won for best production design.

Here’s the list of winners:

* Best Film – House of Roses, directed by Kuba Czekay (Poland)
* Best Thai Film – Four Seasons, directed by Chaisiri Jiwaragsan, and Whispering Ghost, directed by Taiki Sakpisit (Thailand)
* Best Director – Love Suicides, directed by Edmund Yeo (Malaysia)
* Best Cinematography – Hawker, directed by Dustin Feneley (Australia_
* Best Production Design – House of Roses, directed by Kuba Czekay (Poland)
* Best Editing – Kingyo, directed (and edited) by Edmund Yeo (Malaysia-Japan)
* Best Actor – Main actor from Tailang (Thailand)
* Best Actress – Main actress in Hand Painted Feathers (Philippines)
* Jury Prize – This Prison Where I Live, directed by Rex Bloomstein (UK), about Burmese comedian Zarganar
* Best Youth Film – No (Thailand)
* Special Mention – To be announced
* Lifetime Achievement – Dome Sukwong, Thai Film Archive
* Lifetime Achievement – Sam Kalayanee (Thailand)

The jury members were Santiphap Inkong-ngam, Pierre Laburthe and Soraya Nakasuwan.

http://thaifilmjournal.blogspot.com/2010/11/winners-of-1st-doi-saket-international.html

A provincial movie showcase that aims to make cinema more accessible and encourage communication between artists and audience.

It’s the first Doi Saket International Film Festival (DSIFF), and from Oct 23 to 30 it will be at different venues in Doi Saket district and other locations within the city of Chiang Mai.

It is open to artists, students, children and young people – in fact anyone who’s keen to watch an assortment of films from Thailand and abroad, entirely free of charge.

The organisers of DSIFF have a laudable ambition: they want it to be a model for providing opportunities for film festivals and filmmakers to communicate with members of local communities free from the restrictions imposed by the standard system of theatre screenings.

They hope that a less formal and less restrained approach will enable people in the community to feel free to come in and watch the films, as well as foster direct communication between artists and the public.

“It’s often been said that non-mainstream or independent films are not suitable for Thai people,” said Patavee Viranuvat, the festival’s director.

“What we seem to have forgotten is that a lot of Thai people simply don’t have the money to travel to a movie theatre to watch a film.

“That’s why there’s a gap in communication – and the filmmaker misses out, too, because his work won’t be seen by people who live in more remote areas.”

The festival will see the screening of some 80 films from over 20 countries. Productions from Thailand include Mundane History (Jao Nok Krajok) by award-winning director Anocha Suwichakornpong and produced by Soros Sukhum and Anocha Suwichakornpong.

Mundane History received support from the Rotterdam International Film Festival’s Hubert Bals Fund for script development, in addition to post-production support from the Asian Cinema Fund (ACF) of Pusan International Film Festival. It had its world premiere at Pusan last year.

Other interesting films are Pan Fah directed by Hamer Salvala, and Four Seasons, directed by Chaisiri Jiwarangsan, both from Thailand, Love Suicides from Malaysia, directed by Edmund Yeo, Monkey Love from Japan, directed by Royston Tan, and Supergirl from France, directed by Juliette Sales and Fabien Suarez.

Highlights of the festival include a discussion on freedom of expression in Thailand, and the screening of CalArts Shorts: Portrait Documentaries from a Woman’s Perspective, made possible by the support of the 7th Bangkok World Film Festival 2009.

There will also be an awards ceremony for films in a number of categories: Best Film, Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, Best Editing and Best Actor, all of whom have been selected by jury members of DSIFF.

The festival will also see the presentation of a Lifetime Achievement Award for two people who have made significant contributions to the film industry, and who are considered an inspiration to emerging artists and filmmakers.

This year, DSIFF will present this award to Dome Sukawong, who has dedicated himself to the establishment of the National Film Archive of Thailand, and posthumously to the late Sitthipong Kalayanee, the founder and the director of Images Asia Inc, filmmaker and life-long human rights exponent.

The first Doi Saket International Film Festival is supported by Alliance Francaise – Chiang Mai, Rajamangala University of Technology Lanna, Kaewpanya and Digital Mixes Co.

For more information about the Doi Kaset Festival, please visit http://www.dsiff.tumblr.com, email doisaket.interfilmfest@gmail.com or call 084-438-3405.

TADGELL’S BLUEBELL HONOR AWARD
(Short films made by adults about/for children)
A Film About Poo Emily Howells & Anne Wilkins Animation 1’30” UNITED KINGDOM 2009
Basket Bronx Mart Rosete Fiction 14’ SPAIN ~ USA 2009
Beam Lawrence Ong Fiction 15’ SINGAPORE 2010
Dear Child Jesus Jesړ Pɒez-Miranda Fiction 09’ SPAIN 2009
Ednas Tag Bernd Sahling Documentary 18′ GERMANY 2009
Father Gave Water Mahdi Jafari Fiction 3’ IRAN 2008
Jalil Anna Shepilova Animation 4’48” RUSSIA 2010
Hand-Painted Feathers Richard S. Legaspi Fiction 24’ PHILIPPINES 2009
Lizard John Skibinski Animation 2’36” AUSTRALIA 2009
Love Child Daniel Wirtberg Fiction 6’ SWEDEN 2009
Mushrooms of the Storm Jan Stelizuk Animation 13′ POLAND 2009
Penny’s Sweet Demise Debora Setnik Fiction 9’31” UNITED KINGDOM 2009
Seeding Dreams Carpentier Pierre-Antoine Fiction 15’ FRANCE 2009
Sis Deborah Haywood Fiction 11’ UNITED KINGDOM 2010
So Hot Eurico Da Costa Ng Fiction 11′
The Children of the Brash Hussein Jahani Documentary 12′ AUSTRALIA ~ KURDISTAN 2010
The Green Pencil Jan Stelizuk Animation 10′ POLAND 2009
The Swimming Lesson Danny de Vent Animation 9’ BELGIUM ~ NETHERLANDS 2008
Wasting Earth Celina Kurihara and Cassia Mary Itamoto Animation 5’44” BRAZIL 2009
Wee Dreaming Robin de Crespigny Fiction 15’ AUSTRALIA 2009
Yelda (The Longest Night) Roberto Lozano Bruna Documentary 12’ SPAIN 2009

http://cinewest.org/welcome/?p=972

CANNES, France — The hypnotic Thai film “Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives” won the top honor at the Cannes Film Festival on Sunday, while Academy Award winners Juliette Binoche and Javier Bardem earned acting honors.

“Uncle Boonmee,” directed by Apichatpong Weerasethakul, traces the dreamlike final days of a man dying of kidney failure as the ghost of his dead wife returns to tend him and his long-lost son comes home in the form of a furry jungle spirit.

“I would like to thank my mother and my father, who 30 years ago, they took me to a little cinema in our little town, and I was so young and didn’t know what it was on the screen,” said Weerasethakul, who previously won the third-place jury prize at Cannes with his 2004 film “Tropical Malady.” “I didn’t know the concept of cinema. With this award, I think I know a little more what cinema is, but it still remains a mystery. I think this mystery keeps us coming back here and to share our world.”

Binoche, an Oscar winner for “The English Patient,” won best actress for the cryptic love story “Certified Copy,” directed by past Palme d’Or winner Abbas Kiarostami.

During her speech, Binoche pleaded for the release of Kiarostami’s countryman, detained Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi — who had been asked to be on this year’s nine-member jury.

“I hope he will be here himself next year,” Binoche said, as she clutched a nameplate emblazoned with the director’s name. “It’s hard to be an artist and an intellectual, and the country needs you.”

Bardem, an Oscar winner for “No Country for Old Men,” shared the Cannes best-actor prize, earning his honor for Mexican director Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s “Biutiful,” a grim portrait of a dying father supporting his family with a variety of criminal rackets in Barcelona. Also playing a father in crisis, Elio Germano shared the best-actor award for Italian filmmaker Daniele Luchetti’s “Our Life,” a drama about a widower with three sons.

“I’m very happy that we are sharing the best actor,” Bardem said at a news conference alongside Germano, adding it should happen more often “so less people lose. It’s very hard for people to lose in the sense of, in a festival, you can’t really say what’s best. I mean, it’s nine people’s opinion, and I’ve been on the jury here, and I can assure you that it’s very, very difficult to put nine people in agreement to like anything.”

The second-place grand prize went to French director Xavier Beauvois’ solemn drama “Of Gods and Men,” based on the true story of seven French monks beheaded during Algeria’s civil war in 1996.

Chadian director Mahamat-Saleh Haroun’s stark film “A Screaming Man” received the third-place jury prize. The film chronicles the tragic consequences for a father after he loses his cherished job as a swimming pool attendant to his son amid his country’s civil war.
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French actor-filmmaker Mathieu Amalric won the directing award for “On Tour,” in which he plays the manager of a troupe of American burlesque strippers performing around France. Amalric invited his five stripper stars to join him on stage as he accepted the prize.

The screenplay honor was presented to South Korean director Lee Chang-dong for “Poetry,” his gentle portrait of a grandmother (Yun Junghee) struggling to write a poem as she copes with the onset of Alzheimer’s and her troublesome grandson.

The festival’s Camera d’Or award for a first-time filmmaker went to Michael Rowe’s “Leap Year,” a romance that plays out in Mexico City.

South Korean filmmaker Hong Sangsoo’s “Ha Ha Ha,” a drama of alternating memories shared by two friends over drinks, won a secondary competition called “Un Certain Regard.”

Films from two British past Palme d’Or winners — Mike Leigh’s “Another Year” and Ken Loach’s “Route Irish” — were shut out for prizes.

Also coming away empty-handed was the lone American film among the 19 contenders, Doug Liman’s “Fair Game,” a drama about former CIA operative Valerie Plame that stars Naomi Watts and Sean Penn.

Leigh’s film received some of the festival’s best reviews, so its shutout came as a surprise.

“Each and every one of us has some favorites that didn’t make it,” said “Alice in Wonderland” director Tim Burton, who headed the nine-member jury that chose the winners.

“We tried to invent more prizes,” joked fellow jury member Kate Beckinsale.

Critics generally were unimpressed with the lineup Cannes presented at the 12-day festival along the French Riviera. A handful of films stirred some buzz but most of the entries premiered to lukewarm receptions. That contrasted with last year’s powerhouse slate, which had included films from Quentin Tarantino, Jane Campion and Pedro Almodovar.

The two top winners last year, “The White Ribbon” and “A Prophet,” went on to earn Academy Award nominations for foreign-language film.
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This year’s festival also was lighter on star power, with a few non-competition films such as “Robin Hood” and “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps” providing the main celebrity sightings, including Russell Crowe, Cate Blanchett and Michael Douglas.

After the awards ceremony, the festival closed with the premiere of French director Julie Bertuccelli’s mother-daughter drama “The Tree,” starring Charlotte Gainsbourg, who won the best-actress prize at Cannes last year for Lars von Trier’s “Antichrist.”

By NINIEK KARMINI, Associated Press Writer Niniek Karmini, Associated Press Writer – Mon May 17, 10:13 am ET

JAKARTA, Indonesia – An Indonesian filmmaker said Monday that his upcoming movie about the childhood of President Barack Obama will portray how the diversity of Jakarta influenced the future president.

Obama lived in the city with his mother and Indonesian stepfather from 1967 to 1971.

Director Damien Dematra is basing his movie on a fictionalized account of Obama’s childhood that he published earlier this year, using interviews with neighbors and friends of Obama and his family. The movie will be in both English and the Indonesian language.

“We want to show the world that Obama lived in Indonesia’s pluralistic environment, with different religions and races, and his experiences of pluralism led him to become a great man,” Dematra said.

“Obama Anak Menteng” (“Obama, the Menteng Kid”) began shooting last week in the west Java city of Bandung, about 110 miles (180 kilometers) southeast of Jakarta.

Dematra said parts of Bandung look similar to Jakarta in the 1970s, particularly Menteng, the upscale neighborhood where Obama lived.

A 12-year-old American, Hasan Faruq Ali, plays the title role. Ali, born in New Mexico, has lived in Jakarta for years with his parents, who are members of a popular musical group.

“He speaks fluent English, but not too fluent in Bahasa Indonesia,” Dematra said of Ali. “It fits with Obama’s character as a boy.”

Dematra said some former neighbors were hired as consultants to ensure the actor’s mannerisms matched the young Obama’s.

British model Clara Lachelle plays Obama’s late mother, Stanley Ann Dunham, who moved with her 7-year-old son to Indonesia after she married her second husband, Lolo Soetoro, whom she met when they were studying at the University of Hawaii.

Obama’s half-sister, Maya, was born in Indonesia, but after four years Dunham sent Obama back to Hawaii, where he lived with his maternal grandparents and attended school.

Dematra said the 100-minute film will be screened in Indonesian cinemas by June 17, in time for Obama’s expected visit to Indonesia.

He hopes the president will watch the movie but said it was not made just for Obama.

“This film is dedicated to Indonesian children,” Dematra said. “I hope this film will inspire children to achieve their dreams.”