Reggio Film Festival Last Call for Entries

The Reggio Film Festival has announced the theme for the sixth annual fest: Women.
The deadline for entries to the short film festival is July 28. The festival runs Sept. 27-29 held in Reggio, Italy. Reggio Emilia is one of Fort Worth’s seven international Sister Cities.

OFFICIAL RULES
1. The 6th Reggio Film Festival is dedicated to the theme of Women

2. The competition is open to all short film filmmakers and includes the following sections:

Women - open to short-movies of 8.00' or less

Open Category - not limited to the theme, open to short-movies of 20.00’ or less

3. Movies must be sent in DVD format and will not be returned

4. There is no cost for applying and submit works

5. It's mandatory to send a copy with english or italian subtitles if the movie is not in italian

6. The DVD must be sent along with the application and (optional) a few photos from the movie, no later than the 28th of July (the postal print is a proof) to the following address:

CONCORSO REGGIO FILM FESTIVAL

c/o Vincenzo Campi

Centro Postale Operativo

via Piccard 14

42100 Reggio Emilia

Italy

7. The festival organizing committee will select the movies that will be shown at the September 2007 Festival, chosing the right section for each movie.

8. The committee reserves the right to use the films for other non-profit and cultural purposes although the copyrights belong to the authors.

9. The movies sent to the committee will not be returned and will be included in the video file of Reggio Film Festival and University of Modena and Reggio. The organizers are committed not to use the works for commercial purposes.

10. The following prizes will be given:

First Prize of 2000 euro for the best short-film about the theme of Women

Zavattini award offered by ARCI-UCCA to the best short-movies made in the style of Cesare Zavattini

People's choice award for the best short-movie in the Open Category section voted by the Reggio Film Festival audience

11. All filmmakers entering the Film Festival will receive the festival program and the awards-winners will be contacted by phone or e-mail. For info about your entry please contact the artistic direction or check the official website.

The acceptance of the whole regulations is mandatory to enter the competition; the final judgment on any controversy is up the Reggio Film Festival direction.

This Just In: New DVD Releases Ziyi Zhang

Princess Raccoon (Operetta tanuki gotten), 2005, directed by Seijun Suzuki, Japan
Love blooms in Seijun Suzuki's dreamlike musical, which chronicles the romance between Prince Amechiyo (Jô Odagiri) and a raccoon spirit (Ziyi Zhang) who's transformed herself into a beautiful woman. Banished by his jealous father, Prince Amechiyo wanders the forest until Princess Raccoon finds the handsome royal and takes him back to her magical castle. Hiroko Yakushimaru and Mikijiro Hira co-star in this joyfully extravagant production.

The Face of Another (Tanin No Kao), 1966, by Hiroshi Teshigahara, Japan
A commentary on plastic surgery and self-image, Hiroshi Teshigahara's sci-fi drama centers on a man (Tatsuya Nakadai) who gets a new face after a horrible accident. But he soon learns that the lifelike mask he's donned comes with a terrible price. Meanwhile on the other side of town, a scarred young woman finds her own way of coping with facial disfigurement. Machiko Kyô, Miki Irie and Mikijiro Hira co-star.

Woman in the Dunes (Suna No Onna), 1964, directed by Hiroshi Teshigahara, Japan
Hiroshi Teshigahara's award-winning drama centers on a bug expert (Eiji Okada) conducting research who's captured by locals. Held captive in a sandpit with a young widow, he struggles with his imprisonment -- and his growing attraction to the woman (Kyôko Kishida). Based on Kobo Abe's novel, the provocatively erotic allegorical film earned the Cannes Special Jury Prize and two Oscar nominations.

Pitfall (Otoshiana), 1962, directed by Hiroshi Teshigahara, Japan
Hiroshi Teshigahara's crime drama mixes murder, the supernatural and postwar commentary into an eerie tale about a Japanese miner (Hisashi Igawa) who's stalked by a ghostly man in white (Kunie Tanaka) with one intent: to imprison the down-and-out laborer in a ghost town. The plot moves deeper into sociopolitical realms as rival union leaders try to solve a mystery surrounding the miner. Kazou Miyahara co-stars as the miner's son.

Amor Xtremo (Extreme Love) 2006, directed by Chava Cartas, Mexico
Two brothers embark on a life-changing course when Sebastián (Aarón Díaz) persuades his older brother -- who quit bike racing after an accident -- to join him in his quest to become a professional racer. The siblings soon set off for Sin City for a motocross event, where they push themselves to the limit. Irán Castillo, Plutarco Haza and Ximena Sariáana also star in director Chava Cartas' adrenaline-fueled action adventure.

Bodyguard Kiba 2: Combat Apocalypse, 1993, directed by Takashi Mike, Japan
Prolific director Takashi Miike (Audition, Dead or Alive) helms this bloody martial arts thriller. When Naoto Kiba (Hisao Maki) takes on a new security job to earn money for the upkeep of his dojo, he unwittingly finds himself matched up against the Soryu-kai -- the most dangerous gang in all of Okinawa. And to make matters worse, Kiba finds himself falling for his client's beautiful girlfriend, Yoko -- also a target of the Soryu-kai.

Hana & Alice (Hana to Arisu), 2004, directed by Shunji Iwai, Japan
A seemingly innocent scheme to trick a cute boy into believing he has amnesia causes a rift between 15-year-old schoolgirls Hana (Anne Suzuki) and Alice (Yû Aoi). After the boy suffers a bump on the head, the more unconventional-looking Hana succeeds in convincing their confused target that she's his longtime girlfriend. But when he begins to show a preference for the prettier and more popular Alice, the girls' friendship starts to sour.

Mujer Coqueta, 2007, Mexico
A greedy beauty who manipulates men for their money sees her luck run out when she's kidnapped by a rival gang bent on destroying her father's drug ring. The femme fatale's flirty ways won't help this time, and it's up to her husband to rescue her. But the task won't be easy as the husband -- a simple rancher -- must pose as a drug dealer to save his wife. This crime thriller stars Oscar Traven and Abraham Ramos.

Von Donnersmarck Supports Cruise Film

Academy Award-winning director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck has joined the chorus of protests against the German government blocking filming of a film about an attempted assassination of Adolph Hitler.

Von Donnersmarck slammed the government in an ad in the daily Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung.

The film, Valkyrie, directed by Bryan Singer, would star Tom Cruise as Count Claus Schenk von Stauffenberg who was involved in a failed assassination of Hitler.

According to the Deutsche Welle, “While some German politicians have said that Cruise, 44, is unwelcome because of his involvement with the Church of Scientology, officials have said that the decision to prevent filming at the Bendlerblock, now part of the defense ministry, was unconnected with the star's beliefs and was based purely on the disruption it would cause.”

Von Donnersmarck countered that the government for wasting "a golden opportunity," and that the film would promote Germany's image "more than 10 soccer World Cups."

Spikey Italian

Director Spike Lee is scouting locations in Italy for his upcoming movie on African American soldiers fighting in World War II.
The movie is based on the book “Miracle at St. Anna” by James McBride. Lee expects to begin shooting next year at Rome’s Cinecitta Studios with locations in the United States and Tuscany, Italy.
Roberto Cicutto and Luigi Musini, executive producers on Hotel Rwanda, are slated to produce and the film is estimated to cost $45 million.
“This is a wonderful story and what makes it even more wonderful is that it is based upon true incidents,'' Lee told media. “If you look at the history of Hollywood, the black soldiers who fought World War II are invisible”
McBride’s book tells the story of an all-black infantry division trapped in a small Italian village behind enemy lines. The soldiers teamed with locals to fight. Nearly a quarter of the 15,000 African American soldiers died in Italy during the war.
Lee’s movies generally focus on racial themes. Among his most famous are Malcom X and Do The Right Thing.
Casting has not been settled, but there are lead parts for four African American actors, plus German and Italians. Lee said the crew will be largely Italian.

Apply Here for Film Funding

The Global Film Initiative is seeking applicants for the fall feature-film cycle of grants. The GFI, an U.S.-based non-profit, awards grants twice a year to filmmakers whose works “exhibit artistic excellence, authentic self-representation and accomplished storytelling, while contributing to the development of local film industries and offering audiences a variety of cultural perspectives on daily life around the world.”
Grants of up to $10,000 for each applicant are available in this cycle. Application deadline is Sept. 30, 2007.
The Global Film Initiative accepts grant applications from countries in the following regions: Latin America, The Caribbean, Africa, The Middle East, Asia (excluding Japan, South Korea, Singapore, and Taiwan), and Oceania (excluding Australia and New Zealand).
Of Love and Eggs (Rindu kami padamu), directed by Garin Nugroho of Indonesia, was a recent recipient and is currently showing around the country.
For Applications & Guidelines, please visit:www.globalfilm.org/granting.htm.

This Just In: New DVDs

The Taste of Tea (Cha No Aji), 2004, directed by Katsuhito Ishii – Japan
Director Katsuhito Ishii's whimsical episodic tale chronicles a summer in the lives of the quirky Haruno clan, who passes the unhurried days trying to realize their ambitions. As Mom (Satomi Tezuka) attempts to revive her career, her hypnotherapist hubby (Tomokazu Miura) practices on the family. Meanwhile, their pubescent son (Takahiro Sato) feels the pangs of love, and their 6-year-old daughter (Maya Banno) grapples with a pesky dopplegänger.

Look to the Sky (Jon ache Visse Nella Balena), 1993, directed by Roberto Faenza – Germany/Italy
A Jewish boy struggles to survive when he and his parents are thrown into a German concentration camp during World War II in this touching drama that explores the Holocaust from the perspective of a young Dutch child. As Jona (played by Luke Petterson and Jenner Del Vecchio) grows up in the midst of horror, he tries to retain his humanity by clinging to his family and to his fading memories of a world where kindness is not a rarity.

Sodom the Killer (Sodomu no Ichi), 2004, directed by Hiroshi Takahashi, Japan
When his bride dies during the wedding, Lord Sodomu Ichibei kills two innocent girls in a vengeful rampage. Fast-forward 300 years to the present-day wedding of Ichibei's descendant Sodomu Ichiro, who will pay dearly for his ancestor's sins. The ghosts of Ichibei's victims return in unexpected places, prompting a matrimonial massacre that will drive Ichiro to unprecedented depths of despair and wrath. Takashi Urai plays both Sodomu men.

Mexico Pursues Major Studios

The Mexican national film institute has dissolved Conafilm – the National Film Commission – and created a new office for promoting Mexican films and developing addtional world-class studios.

A new division of the Instituto Mexicano de Cinematografia (Imcine) has been created to provide logistical aid to foreign and domestic producers and will manage a catalog of local film service providers and a photo bank of locations, provide consulting services and act as a liaison with local governments, according to Variety’s Michael O’Boyle.

The Mexican Film Union last year were unhappy with Conafilm’s management and apparently political pressure led to it's elimination.

Imcine is charged with developing the country’s infrastructure and creating new studio facilities within a few years. The country’s film industry relies on Estudios Churubusco Azteca in Mexico City – the only major facility in Mexico – for Hollywood-style productions such as William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet.