Apr 23, 2010
(Los Angeles - April 2010)
Fueled by
independent spirit and passion for the cinema of South East Europe, the team
behind Los Angeles-based SEE Fest (South East
European Film Festival) has announced its fifth annual showcase to take
place at the Goethe-Institut Los Angeles, and UCLA, from April 29 through May
3. On May 3 from 9am through 1pm at the Center for Managing Enterprises in
Media, Entertainment & Sports (MEMES) at UCLA Anderson SEE Fest is hosting
its 2nd
annual Business
Conference on South East Europe’s cinema, a half-day seminar on packaging and
financing international productions, producing in South East Europe, and the
role of new media in distribution of foreign films.
“We bring to light
innovative, different films that create an in-depth portrait of south east Europe, where countries are sandwiched between defunct
empires and mixed legacies”, says Vera Mijojlic, festival director.
“They are the voices of a wonderfully expressive diversity, something south
east Europe and Los Angeles
have in common.” Some of the films slated for this year’s SEE Fest include
stories that explore how to stay “Alive!” when confronted with ancient
blood feuds (Albania), seeking “Bells, Threads & Miracles” between
Muslims and Orthodox Christians (Greece), about people taking “A Step into
the Darkness” of radical ideologies (Turkey) or remarkably enduring their
fractured existence thanks to the subversive genius of Balkan humor in “Goodbye,
How are you?” (Serbia).
The South East European
Film Festival is the only festival in the United States devoted exclusively
to South East Europe. Its message is not only to show films but to educate
about the South East Europe’s region, its troubled history, and cultural
diversity.
The fifth
annual SEE Fest runs from Thursday, April 29 through Monday, May 3, 2010.
Screenings April 29 & 30 start at 6:30pm, May 1 & 2 start at 1:00pm and
are held at the Goethe- Institut Los Angeles, 5750 Wilshire Blvd. Suite 100, Los
Angeles, CA 90036. The closing night of the
festival is held on Monday, May 3rd at
6:30pm the James Bridges Theatre on UCLA campus in Westwood. The SEE Fest
Business conference takes place on Monday, May 3 at the UCLA Anderson. For
tickets and further information, go to www.seefilmla.org
or www.itsmyseat.com
(SEE Fest).
FESTIVAL
HIGHLIGHTS
GOODBYE, HOW ARE YOU?-U.S Premiere!
(Dovidjenja,
kako ste?), Serbia 2009, doc, 60 min. Directed by Boris Mitic.
The cult filmmaker of
Pretty Dyana (SEE Fest 2006) is back with a terrific documentary whose
narrative comprises darkly satirical aphorisms and commentary on the lives and
times of the Serbian people in the last two decades. The subversive genius of
Balkan humor is in abundant evidence, matched with images of daily existence
that are both funny and nihilistic.
ALIVE!- Los Angeles
Premiere!
(Gjalle!),
Albania 2009, feature, 90 min. Directed by Artan Minarolli.
From the director of the
elegiac “Moonless Night” (SEE Fest 2008) comes a powerful story about a blood
feud that entangles a young student in a web of complicated relationships
stemming from an antiquated tribal code. “Alive!” has an excellent ensemble
cast and a pitch-perfect atmosphere of uncertainty until the very end.
THE BLACK- U.S. Premiere!
(Crnci),
Croatia 2009, feature, 75 min. Directed by Zvonimir Juric and Goran Devic.
War. A city under siege. A
truce has been signed, and the special ops squad known as “The Blacks” is about
to be disbanded. Despite the cease-fire, the squad commander plans a maneuver
to destroy an enemy dam while retrieving the dead bodies of his soldiers from a
mine-strewn forest. Although the surviving members of the squad are tortured by
their personal doubts and guilt, they move into action behind their leader….
THE OTHER IRENE- Los Angeles
Premiere!
(Cealalta
Irina) Romania 2008, feature, 90 min. Directed by Andrei Gruzsniczki.
Sharing themes as it does
with some of the finest European thrillers, it is hard to believe that The
Other Irene is, in fact, based on a true story. Reluctantly, security guard
Aurel (Vasluianu) lets his wife Irene go on a working trip to Cairo. Having had a breath of fresh air, she
returns transformed and soon sets out again – but this time she does not come
back. Now Aurel's true ordeal begins as he sets out on his own journey: a
search for his wife amidst suspicious bureaucrats, corrupt ministers and
diffident in-laws. The Other Irene reveals the intransigence of Romanian
political and bureaucratic institutions even after the fall of Communism. The
film’s crisp cinematography, especially apparent in the mall where Aurel works,
beautifully emphasizes the main character’s solitude, and actor Andi Vasluianu
performs the brooding desperation of his character with incredible delicacy.
Ronnie Scheib of Variety describes the film as “a cross between The Vanishing
and Jeanne Dielman”.
.9:06- U.S.
Premiere!
Slovenia 2009, feature, 71
min. Directed by Igor Sterk.
This first-rate
psychological drama, directed with masterful precision, takes us to Ljubljana, where police
inspector Dusan (in a terrific performance by Igor Samobor) investigates an
unusual suicide case. His investigation gradually turns into obsession, and he
surreptitiously moves into the apartment of the deceased, delving deeper into
the man's life and gradually assuming his identity.
A STEP INTO THE DARKNES- U.S. Premiere!
(Buyuk
oyun), Turkey 2009, feature, 110 min. Directed by Atil Inaç.
How dangerous do you
become when you have nothing left to lose? A young Turkmen girl is the sole
survivor of a panicked raid on a village in northern Iraq. Desperate to track down her
older brother in Turkey,
the only other family member still alive, she sets off on an arduous journey
over inhospitable terrain. Rescued only to be assaulted by her rescuer, she
eventually finds herself, having lost everything, in the clutches of a
charismatic religious figure who views her as an expendable weapon in his own
violent agenda.
BELLS, THREADS &
MIRACLES-U.S Premiere!
Greece
2008, doc, 65 min. Directed by Marianna Economou.
Is something miraculous
happening at the St. George Monastery on the Princes’ Islands of Turkey? Every
year, on the Saint’s name day, over 100,000 Muslims visit the Greek Orthodox
monastery to pray for a miracle. Are miracles possible in our times? Can
Christians and Muslims meet and bond through a common faith? Bells, Threads
& Miracles explores the seemingly universal human need to believe in
miracles.
TRANSITLAND- U.S. Premiere!
1989-2009
- Presented by lead curator from Berlin,
Kathy Rae Huffman.
Transitland is a
collaborative archiving project initiated on the occasion of the 20th
anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. A selection of 100 single-channel
video works reflects the transformations in post-socialist Central and Eastern Europe. Transitland is not only the
widest-spanning presentation of video art from Central and Eastern
Europe but also a unique attempt to address and reflect upon an
extensive period of transformation and changes.
For tickets and further information go to www.seefilmla.org, or tickets can be bought through www.itsmyseat.com
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