Film Fest To Honor New Talent
The upcoming Palm Springs film festival will honor one of a dozen features from international talents marking their feature film debut, with the additional stipulation that the films have no current U.S. distribution.
The so-called New Voices/New Visions collection of films includes:
— “40” (Turkey), a suspense tale set in Istanbul, about three people on a collision course over a bag that may hold the answer to each of their dreams. Director: Emre Sahin. U.S. Premiere.
— “The Albanian” (Germany/Albania), about an Albanian illegal immigrant in Berlin. Winner, Best Actor, Special Jury Prize, Moscow Film Festival. Director: Johannes Naber. North America Premiere.
— “As if I Am Not There” (Ireland/Macedonia/Sweden), about the Bosnian War of the 1990s and a schoolteacher forced into sexual slavery by Serbian soldiers. Director: Juanita Wilson. U.S. Premiere.
— “Beyond” (Sweden/Finland), in which actress Pernilla August makes her directing/writing debut in a story about a woman who tries to overcome her grief over her dark childhood as the daughter of bitter, hard-drinking Finnish immigrants. Winner, Audience Award, Critic’s Week Venice Film Festival; Best Film, Nordic Film Days, Lubeck. Director: Pernilla August. Cast: Noomi Rapace, Ola Rapace, Outi Maenpaa, Ville Virtanen, Tehilla Blad. North America Premiere.
— “Black Field” (Greece), a forbidden love story involving a wounded young soldier and novice nun set in 1654, when Greece was under the rule of the Ottoman Empire. Director: Vardis Marinakis.
— “Eighteen Years Later” (Italy), in which two brothers who haven’t spoken for 18 years are forced by their father’s will to undertake a road trip together to bring his ashes to Southern Italy. Director: Edoardo Leo.
— “Hello! How Are You?” (Romania/Spain/Italy), a comdey about a couple in a passionless marriage, while the characters around them are in a constant state of sexual arousal. Director: Alexandru Maftei. U.S. Premiere.
— “Nothing’s All Bad” (Denmark), a daring and dark film about a mother confronting the death of her husband while her daughter faces life after a mastectomy; a father, who can’t control his need to expose himself in public; and a son cursed by his good looks. Director: Mikkel Munch-Fals.
— “Oxygen” (Belgium/Netherlands), about a teen with cystic fibrosis. Winner, Grand Prix of the Americas, Montreal Film Festival, Variety New Talent Award, Zurich Film Festival, Alice in the Cities Award, Rome Film Festival. Director: Hans Van Nuffel. U.S. Premiere.
— “Paper Birds” (Spain), about a traveling entertainment troupe in post-civil war Spain, celebrates vaudeville and features performances by Spanish acting royalty Imanol Arias, Lluis Homar and Carmen Machi. Winner, Audience Award, Montreal World Film Festival. Director: Emilio Aragan.
— “Sound of Noise” (Sweden/France), a comic cocktail of modern city symphony, police procedural and love story. Directors: Ola Simonsson and Johannes Stjarne Nilsson.
— “Square Meter” (Chile), about a couple with emotional as well as physical baggage. Director: Nayra Ilic. U.S. Premiere.
The festival also will present the John Schlesinger Award for outstanding first documentary.
Ten films are eligible:
— “The Arbor” (United Kingdom), which reconstructs the life of British playwright Andrea Dunbar (Rita, Sue and Bob Too), who died at age 29. Winner, Best Documentary, Tribeca Film Festival. Director: Clio Barnard.
— “Autumn Gold” (Austria/Germany), about five senior athletes, 82-100 years old, who seek to compete in track and field at the 2009 World Masters Championships in Finland. Director: Jan Tenhaven. U.S. Premiere.
— “Bill Cunningham New York” (USA), about the photographer who contributed to the Style section of The New York Times, redefining ideas of fashion in post-WWII America. Director: Richard Press.
— “David Wants To Fly” (Germany/Austria/Switzerland), a documentary that follows German writer-director David Sieveking on his road to enlightenment, a journey that involves cult director David Lynch, various headquarters of the Transcendental Meditation movement and the icy source of the Ganges. Director: David Sieveking.
— “Garbo: The Spy” (Spain), about an extraordinary Spanish double agent who helped change the course of history during WWII. Director: Edmon Roch.
— “In the Garden of Sounds” (Switzerland), about a blind man who builds a magical garden of sound in which he works with severely disabled children. Director: Nicola Bellucci.
— “The Pipe” (Ireland), about a gas discovery off Ireland’s west coast that has the locals upset with the Shell oil company. Winner, Best Documentary, Galway Film Festival. Director: Risteard O’Domhnaill. U.S. Premiere.
— “Precious Life” (Israel/USA), Israeli TV correspondent Shlomi Eldar’s provocative documentary about Israel’s 2008-09 blockade of Gaza. Director: Shlomi Eldar.
— “Steam of Life” (Finland), a documentary about men of all backgrounds, shapes and sizes baring their hearts, souls and bodies in saunas throughout Finland. Director: Joonas Berghall.
— “Summer Pasture” (China/Tibet/USA), about nomads in eastern Tibet who follow 4,000-year-old traditions but are lured by a permanent life in the city. Director: Lynn True.
