MILANO FILM FESTIVAL 2006

Eleventh edition
15-24 September 2006
Piccolo Teatro

"A new start, towards something different, unexplored, unexpected. A festival for people that don't have any preconceptions, that are eager to be surprised."

Eleventh edition

The submission deadline has passed, the selection is in progress. A thorough search through film schools, producers, distributors and independent festivals resulted in the submission of more than 2000 films from more than 90 countries: from Mexico to Palestine, from South Africa to Finland, from India to Chiapas.
The eleventh edition is a chance to start anew: the Festival will be a meeting point for film lovers, for not-festival-goers, for children, for music enthusiasts, for professionals, for students, for people that believe that films can portray important aspects of the world.

At the eve of a new decade, Milano Film Festival focuses its attention and energies on its various parts that are blended together to create a unique all-round event.

The Festival

For eleven years Milano Film Festival has attracted films and filmmakers from all over the world. It is independent - from the interests of major distributors, from institutional politics, from money, from fashion, from critics. But it is also dependent - on the filmmakers' creativity and talent, on the expertise, the experience and the skills of the people that organize it, on the work and commitment of hundreds of volunteers, on the curiosity and willingness to take risks of the selection committee. This Festival scouted and promoted emerging talents, for whom the Festival has often been a springboard to international success. For ten days, this festival transforms places and people that pass through them.

Overview of the 2005 edition:

* 85,000 visitors
* 80 journalists with accreditation card
* 1,200 film professionals involved in the Borsa Democratica del Cinema
* 495 films screened
* 130 filmmakers attending the festival
* 250 international guests - directors, producers, actors and film enthusiasts

First information on the competitions and out-of-competition sections

Short film competition and Feature film competition
The competitions are open to short and feature films of any genre and running time, on any format and in any language, provided that they were produced after January 1st, 2005. They won't be divided into sections and will be screened in their original language with English and Italian subtitles. Filmmakers are invited to present their films to the festival audience.

Colpe di Stato
A collection of documentaries that depict crimes, injustice and slaughters under the banner of freedom, security and religion. These screenings mark an interesting but disturbing journey around the world.

Histoire(s) du cinéma - Cinema according to Jean-Luc Godard
Through the quotes scattered in the Histoire(s) du cinéma, a video by Jean-Luc Godard in which the filmmaker traces the history of filmmaking, this season aims to show this entire work for the first time in Milan and to highlight different central films from which this flow of images moves.
In collaboration with Fondazione Cineteca Italiana - Spazio Oberdan.

motion&picture against poverty
The UN campaign for the 8 Millennium Development Goals relies on alternative means of communication, including films.
The motion&picture against poverty section, which is currently under construction, was first launched during the festival's 2005 edition to create a film season dedicated to human rights and to different issues linked with the development goals. This section is particularly focused on countries that produce films despite economic, political and social hindrances.

Incontri italiani
This section features young Italian filmmakers, screenings and meetings to help directors get together, exchange ideas and projects and create new collaborations.

Focus animazione
A search through different styles, traditional techniques and cutting-edge technologies.

Salon des refusés
A section managed by non-selected directors - democratic, open to all the films submitted to the festival.


Borsa Democratica del Cinema

After the success of the first edition and the positive feedback from exhibitors, professionals and visitors, the 2nd edition of the Borsa Democratica del Cinema will run from 21st to 24th September at the Fondazione Antonio Mazzotta.
Directors, screenwriters, actors and set designers, producers and distributors, film schools, institutions and young independent filmmakers will gather to present ideas and projects and analyse the current situation of the film industry. The aim is to perform a change by creating new cultural, professional and business relationships.
For further information: expo@milanofilmfestival.it.


Holiday project - Filmmakers' House

The Filmmakers' House is a project developed to offer alternative hospitality to filmmakers, professionals and film lovers that will attend the festival in Milan - a facility set up as a solution to the lack of low-cost accommodation in Milan, to become a meeting point and a common area.
For further information: holidays@milanofilmfestival.it.

Accreditation and discounts

Milano Film Festival has launched an accreditation campaign that offers discounts to different typologies of applicants: students, film professionals, journalists, people aged over 65.
For further information: info@milanofilmfestival.it.


Festival organization

Milano Film Festival is organized by esterni - an association of young people that have organized cultural events for eleven years. Through public spaces such as squares, tunnels, parks, disused factories and building sites, esterni boosts culture and social interaction.

Main aim of the association is the implementation of the cultural role of public spaces by means of big events such as Milano Film Festival, the Sciopero Nazionale dei Telespettatori (National TV Viewers' Strike) and the Salone dell'Arredo Urbano (Street Furniture Fair).

For further information on esterni and its events: media@esterni.org, www.esterni.org

Chichester Film Festival

The Seaward 15th Chichester Film Festival will continue its commitment to showing the best new and yet-to-be-released films from around the world. The Festival’s Opening Gala is Pedro Almodovar’s Volver starring Penelope Cruz, and the Closing Gala will be Jeremy Brock’s Driving Lessons starring Julie Walters, Laura Linney and Rupert Grint.

Alongside the many premieres, previews and treasures from the archives we will be hosting retrospectives

John Miller, Dame Judi Dench’s biographer, will be giving a talk to launch this season on Thursday 24 August.

The season includes: Mrs Brown, Chocolat, The Shipping News, Iris, Shakespeare in Love, Ladies in Lavender, The Cherry Orchard (2 versions), Macbeth,
Ghosts, Last of the Blonde Bombshells, A Fine Romance and Saigon, Year of the Cat.
The Seaward 15

The published programme will be available out at the end of July and on
the website www.chichetercinema.org

16 Days – 70 Films – One Cinema
Over 35 Premieres and Previews
ADRIFT (US/Germany) Hans Horn
ANTIBODIES (Germany) Christian Alvet
ATOMISED (Germany) Oskar Roehler
DARK HORSE (Denmark) D. Kári
THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA (USA) D. Frankel
DRIVING LESSONS (UK) J. Brock
EROS (China/USA/Italy) W. Kar-Wai / S. Soderbergh / M. Antonioni
50 WAYS OF SAYING FABULOUS (New Zealand) S. Main
THE GREAT ECSTASY OF ROBERT CARMICHAEL (UK) T. Clay
HALF LIFE: Journey to Chernobyl (UK) P. Grabsky
HAPPY ENDINGS (USA) Don Ross
HOTEL HARABATI (France) B. Vauvin
INNOCENT VOICES (Mexico) L. Mandoki
INTO GREAT SILENCE (Germany) P. Groening
THE JOURNEY (India) J. Pullappally
KEANE (USA) LH. Kerrigan
KEKEXILI: MOUNTAIN PATROL (China) L. Chuan
KRISANA (Fallen) (Germany / Latvia) F. Keleman
LADY IN THE WATER (USA) M. Night Shyamalan
MAN PUSH CART (USA) R. Bahrani
MARIO’S WAR (Italy) A. Capuano
MASJÄVLAR (Sweden) M. Blom
MÜETTER (Alsace / Germany) D. Lienhard
PLAY (Chile) A. Scherson
QUINCEAÑERA (USA) W. Westmoreland
A SCANNER DARKLY (USA) R. Linklater
SHANGHAI DREAMS (China) W. Xiaoshuai
SHUT UP! (France) F. Verbel
SNOWCAKE (UK / Canada) M. Evans
TEXAS (Italy) F. Paravidino
TO DIE IN SAN HILARIO (Spain) L. Mana
TOWARDS SUNSET (Iran) I. Emami
TWELVE AND HOLDING (USA) M. Cuesta
UNVEILED (Germany) A. Maccarone
VOLVER (Spain) P. Almodovar
THE WEST WITTERING AFFAIR (UK) D. Scheinmann

FINAL CUT DVD

With its high-profile celebrity stars, improvised storyline and edgy ‘mock-doc’ style, Final Cut, the dark drama from the creative team behind The Krays, is one of the most bizarre and distinctive British films of the late ‘90s. It will be released on DVD courtesy of Infinity on 25 September 2006.

Made in 1998, Final Cut stars two of the most successful British actors working in
movies today: Oscar nominee Jude Law (Alfie, The Talented Mr Ripley, Cold
Mountain) and Ray Winstone (Sexy Beast, King Arthur, The Proposition). It also
features Law’s ex-wife, actress and fashion entrepreneur Sadie Frost (Shopping,
Coppola’s Dracula).

In Final Cut, the cast play characters named after themselves and the action takes
place at the funeral wake of successful writer Jude – played by Jude Law - as the
mourners gather to watch a film he’d been secretly working on for the past two years.
What they see is shocking: Jude has been filming his so-called friends’ most intimate
and depraved behaviour: stealing from each other, abusing their spouses, sleeping
with hookers, cross-dressing and worse. Husbands turn against wives and friends
against friends as the true nature of their lives and relationships is revealed. But
Jude’s biggest revelation is yet to come.

Final Cut is devised, directed and produced by Dominic Anciano and Ray Burdis,
the creative team behind such films as The Krays, Love, Honour & Obey, The
Reflecting Skin and the TV series Operation Good Guys. It was nominated for a
Golden Hitchcock award at the 1999 Dinard British Film Festival.

Extras include: Director’s Commentary, cast interviews.
Title: Final Cut Release Date: 25 September 2006 RRP: £15.99

‘this mischievous little jape…exerts a certain
fascination’
Time Out

A FUNNY BUSINESS

An in depth look at the day to day life of The Comedy Club

10.30pm - Thursday, 3rd August 2006 on BBC3

Every year with the approach of August, virtually everyone’s thoughts turn to The Edinburgh Festival. It is the time of year when Comedy steps into the limelight and takes over the stage. When comedians from around the world put on shows in the hope of fame and fortune and that ever elusive Television deal. But what goes on behind the scenes? Who are the people responsible for giving the Comedians that first boost up the ladder of success?

It is no coincidence that A Funny Business has been programmed for transmission for Thursday, 3rd August, the start of The Edinburgh Festival Fringe…

Commissioned by Ben Gale at BBC3, and Produced by Award-winning Dai4 Films, A Funny Business is a ‘fly on the wall’ documentary that looks at the sometimes chaotic, sometimes confrontational – but never dull - day to day management of one of the UK’s leading entertainment businesses. This one-hour documentary is a unique opportunity to see for the first time what it really takes to stay afloat in one of the world’s most cutthroat and fickle industries.

Without a good management team behind them, Comedians will often vanish from the Comedy Circuit within months of their first appearance - passed over by a public who are always searching for the next new laugh. As the programme unfolds it becomes obvious that there is much more to comedy than just a good punch line. With bookings across the UK and abroad, The Comedy Club manage their clients’ diaries and make sure, with very few exceptions, that they are in the right place at the right time, whether that involves entertaining the passengers of a cruise ship in the middle of the ocean, launching a new comedy club in Prague or just making the punters laugh at one of the many comedy venues around the country. For The Comedy Club owner, Ian Franklin – a former entertainer himself – running the Company has become a way of life far more than just a nine to five job. With a great team behind him, Ian works constantly for the betterment of his clients, realising that their livelihoods are his responsibility. But when things go wrong they can go disastrously wrong and that’s when his skills as a diplomat and problem solver become indispensable.

This year The Comedy Club celebrates a decade as one of the leading lights of the Comedy Industry. No mean feat in an industry where companies and performers appear and disappear with the speed of a magician’s rabbit. Dai4 Films shadowed Ian, his staff and his clients for four months in order to achieve as realistic a view as possible of the energy and drive that Ian and everyone involved in Company invest in bringing tears of laughter to the eyes of audiences everywhere.

A FUNNY BUSINESS IS TRANSMITTED AS PART OF BBC3’S DOCUMENTARY SERIES WELCOME TO OUR WORLD.

www.hahaheehee.com

BBC New Music Shorts

A new filmmaking initiative from the BBC

21 July 2006. A new filmmaking initiative called BBC New Music Shorts was launched today. BBC Electric Proms, BBC Film Network and BBC New Talent are offering a challenge to new filmmakers to develop original and creative ideas around music filmmaking as part of the programme for this Autumn?s BBC Electric Proms festival.

The BBC enjoys unparalleled links with new film talent, and has partnered with the UK?s leading independent record labels - Warp Records, Ninja Tune, Domino and 679 Recordings - who have provided six tracks from their latest releases to offer filmmakers the chance to make films inspired by them. From 17 July, budding filmmakers are invited to log on to www.bbc.co.uk/filmnetwork and submit innovative ideas for new music shorts.

The BBC New Music Shorts team will commission the best and provide a budget of up to £5,000 to fund production of each short. Each piece will be produced by Warp Films and the films will be premiered at the forthcoming BBC Electric Proms festival and online at Film Network, the BBC?s interactive showcase for new British filmmakers.

BBC Electric Proms is taking place at the Roundhouse, and a selection of other North London venues from 25 ? 29 October 2006. A mix of headline acts will front the performances at BBC Electric Proms on the main stage each night, alongside upcoming artists and acoustic sets in other parts of The Roundhouse. The film strand will complement the programme of events taking place including screenings, masterclasses and other musical and visual installations.

So, what are the BBC New Music Shorts team looking for? Ideas can be for films in any genre ? documentary, animation, drama, experimental or even a straight promo ? and run any length from one to ten minutes. The challenge is to create a film that captures the music in an original way, to create a ?new music moment? in the spirit of the BBC Electric Proms.

BBC Electric Proms Festival Director Lorna Clarke said, ?BBC Electric Proms is about encompassing all elements of the musical and cultural mix. The BBC has been a long term supporter of new filmmakers and the BBC New Music Shorts programme will develop and build on that heritage.?

BBC Electric Proms will be broadcast across a number of BBC television and radio networks including BBC Two, BBC Three, Radio 1, Radio 2, Radio 3, 1Xtra, 6 Music, BBC Asian Network and BBC World Service. There will be extensive online coverage, and digital television viewers will be able to enjoy performances on demand at the push of the red button.

PREMIER LEAGUE BACKS NEW CARTOON ON CBBC

The FA Premier League has agreed an exclusive deal to work with animation property ‘The Likeaballs’, a new cartoon that has kicked off on the CBBC Channel.

The cartoon is aimed at five to nine-year-olds, and involves a team of football-shaped aliens, the Likeaballs, who do battle with their adversaries, the Dislikeaballs. The 10 minute episodes show the Likeaballs using positive attitudes such as teamwork and fair play to get through a series of challenging situations.

This is the first time that the FAPL has agreed any association with a children’s TV property. The Likeaballs is a 26-part series currently being broadcast on CBBC every day at 4pm.

Premier League Chief Executive, Richard Scudamore, said: "Although the Premier League is involved in a number of football-based community initiatives that are aimed at young people, we have never come across a property with the kind of potential that ‘The Likeaballs’ has to communicate with children on a level like this.

“The Likeaballs has the right kind of attitude and is able to get across positive messages in a fun and interesting way that youngsters can understand and relate to.

“I am delighted that we have found this innovative new way to use football in a positive fashion.”

Likeaballs creator Jim Quick added: "All of us down here at Likeaballs' Headquarters are very excited that the Premier League has decided that the Likeaballs represent the same values and principles that the FAPL hold. Together we will deliver the motto of the Likeaballs..."Let the Fun and Games Begin"’.

Likeaballs has also appointed 4KIDS International to be their global distribution partner.

The Likeaballs is broadcast every day on the CBBC at 4pm. There are 26 episodes running at 10 minutes each.

For more on the cartoon series, visit: www.likeaballs.co.uk