Saturday February 11, 2012 7:54 PM MST
World Cinema Dramatic Competition/First Feature
WORLD CINEMA AUDIENCE AWARD: DRAMATIC In a tiny Peruvian seaside village, where traditions run deep, Miguel (Cristian Mercado), a young fisherman, and his beautiful bride, Mariela (Tatiana Astengo), are about to welcome their first child. But Miguel harbors a scandalous secret. He's in love with Santiago (Manolo Cardona), a painter, who is ostracized by the town because he's gay. After a tragic accident occurs, Miguel must choose between sentencing Santiago to eternal torment or doing right by him and, in turn, revealing their relationship to Mariela—and the entire village. Written and directed by Javier Fuentes-León, and featuring a sizzling international cast, Contracorriente (Undertow ) is rich in the details of legend, tradition, and locale; and it is in these details that the truth lies. Strikingly photographed to accentuate the majestic Peruvian coastline, this sexy, haunting love story transcends place and time. Film Contact Rodrigo Guerrero, Dynamo Email: rodrigo@dynamocapital.net
New Frontier Films
The best art imitates life, but at a slant. Johan Grimonprez adroitly proves this in his highly original film, which locates and develops thematic conjunctions between escapist entertainment and real-life horror; more specifically, between the work and images of legendary film director Alfred Hitchcock and the escalation of the cold war in the 1960s. Appropriating and reprocessing film and television images of Hitchcock, John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, Nikita Khruschev, and others, Grimonprez expands droll generalizations about doppelgangers, guilt, and paranoia into a full-blown analysis of global politics, fear of the bomb, and the mad rush to mutually assured destruction. As public anxieties are sublimated in popular entertainment, so do they sometimes erupt in artistic expressions (such as Hitchcock’s The Birds). In addition to pinpointing the postmodern, movielike unreality of public life, Grimonprez convincingly indicates the precision with which an artist may sketch the public psyche in entertainment, and why Hitchcock still haunts our dreams. Film Contact Donald Krim, Kino International Corporation Phone: (212) 629-6880 Email: dkrim@kino.com
New Frontier Performances and Installations
Attention Google Earth junkies! Digital-media designers Thomas Gläser and Jens Franke invite you to surf the globe with your feet! Their installation, The Earthwalk, offers an intuitive way for the user to control Google Earth and navigate the Earth’s surface by stepping onto an interactive map projected on the floor. Fly around the world in one minute or descend upon the city of your choice and become immersed in your favorite tangle of streets. The Earthwalk lets you soar and explore the planet, one step at a time. Film Contact Jens Franke Email: mail@jensfranke.de
World Cinema Documentary Competition/First Feature/Political/World Premiere
WORLD CINEMA DOCUMENTARY EDITING AWARD Yael Hersonski’s powerful documentary achieves a remarkable feat through its penetrating look at another film—the now-infamous Nazi-produced film about the Warsaw Ghetto. Discovered after the war, the unfinished work, with no soundtrack, quickly became a resource for historians seeking an authentic record, despite its elaborate propagandistic construction. The later discovery of a long-missing reel complicated earlier readings, showing the manipulations of camera crews in these “everyday” scenes. Well-heeled Jews attending elegant dinners and theatricals (while callously stepping over the dead bodies of compatriots) now appeared as unwilling, but complicit, actors, alternately fearful and in denial of their looming fate. Hersonski relentlessly screens each reel as ghetto survivors and (amazingly) one of the original cameramen recall actual events, investing the cryptic scenes with detail, complexity, and authority. Rigorous in its regard for human tragedy and the power of images, A Film Unfinished indicts both the evil and the astounding narcissism of the Nazi state. Film Contact Assaf Mor, Cinephil Phone: +972.3.5664129 Email: info@Cinephil.co.il
World Cinema Documentary Competition/First Feature/Political/Sports/World Premiere
Sarah Khoshjamal, a 20-year-old Taekwondo superstar, is the first female professional athlete from Iran to qualify for the Olympics. This skillful vérité portrait follows the unassuming Khoshjamal in the nine months leading up to the 2008 Beijing games. Living in an Islamic country, she is required to wear a hijab at all times and, unlike her fellow competitors around the world, cannot train with men; however, the power in her fighting resoundingly breaks down stereotypical barriers. Khoshjamal’s experience as a world-class athlete may be familiar, but captured here is the importance of the coach-athlete relationship. The bond she shares with her feisty and much-admired female coach is revealed through everyday moments as both struggle through inequality to make their mark—in sport and society. Though it’s still the male athletes who are ultimately celebrated in her country, Khoshjamal’s accomplishments and lasting influence on scores of girls in Iran are undeniable. Film Contact Fatima Geza Abdollahyan Phone: +49 (0) 177 8046969 Email: fati@fati.net
Spotlight
A famed city of healing, Lourdes offers hope to countless Christian pilgrims who seek miracles. Not particularly pious herself, Christine, a wheelchair-bound young woman, takes trips with a church group mostly to escape her solitary life. Though she finds Lourdes touristy, Christine is conveyed to grottos, baths, and ceremonies by her roommate, a devout older woman, and the starchy group leader, Cecile. Do both sense a miracle? With pitch-perfect sincerity, filmmaker Jessica Hausner nestles Lourdes between religious satire and redemption story. Though she delights in the comical (Lourdes has an office of miracle certification), Hausner is driven by curiosity, not cynicism. She approaches the subject of miracles less interested in whether they’re real than in what they awake in us. In Hausner’s Lourdes, the eternal mystery goes unrevealed, but the human spirit abides. As one woman ponders, “If God is not in charge, who is?”, to which a friend replies, “Do you think there’ll be a dessert?” Film Contact Debbi Berlin, Palisades Tartan Phone: (818) 753-2346 Email: debbi@berlinpublicrelations.com
Shorts/Animation
A troubled relationship between a cat and mouse set in the distant future. Film Contact David OReilly, David OReilly Animation Phone: +49 1577 3355276 Email: mail@davidoreilly.com
New Frontier Performances and Installations
Petko Dourmana’s fascinating interactive multimedia installation invites audiences to explore a postapocalyptic landscape and visit the workplace of a person whose job is to observe the border between land and the rising sea. Upon entering the room, viewers at first think there is nothing but an old caravan there. However, once they alter their ability to see through the darkness with night-vision devices, viewers can experience and explore the hauntingly futuristic landscape surrounding them. Film Contact Petko Dourmana, InterSpace Phone: +359 898 695 010 Email: petko@dourmana.com
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