Cannes 2023: what you should know before you go

As I'm writing this, the countdown for Cannes 2023 is on. People are making their plans, hoping to make the connections that will push their project forward. If you are thinking of attending, take a few moments to work out what you want to achieve and how to actually achieve it. 

A few things to remember and a few things to do:

• Remember that the Cannes festival is mostly a trade fair for producers, distributors and financiers. Scriptwriters do attend, but not much is done for them. The exception is the French organisation Maison des Scénaristes (Writers' House) which organises interviews, get-togethers and offers a place to meet. All languages are welcome.
• Set your priorities: do you want to meet producers, find co-producers, meet talent or announce an upcoming movie or career change?
• Are you looking for local contacts or do you want to reach out to other countries? Most European movies are international co-productions. This expands your possibilities.
• Draw up a list of people you want to reach out to. You'll find most of them in the Film Market database and/or Cinando.
• Work that pitch until you can give 3-, 5 and 7 minute versions comfortably. Practice on everyone you know. 
• Start sending those e-mails, and personalise them.
• Check if your country is hosting a pavilion and if you can register there (handy for meetings).
• If you manage to get a meeting, keep it short and punchy - these people are busy and appreciate people that get to the point. 
• Remember that it is extremely unlikely that you will get a firm commitment at Cannes. What you are aiming to achieve is the permission to get back to the producers or directors after Cannes. 
• Fill every free moment by attending interviews, workshops, presentations, etc. It's tempting, but skip actual screenings. They take a lot of time and it's unlikely that you will meet the right people there. Plus, you can catch them at home later anyway.
• Don't give up! If things are going badly, you'll have time to moan later at home. Go check another reception or happy hour on the German pavilion - just don't drink too much.

Further resources: 

• Should I pay to access the Cannes Film Market?
• The Cannes Starter Guide (full e-book)

German World Premieres at 30th Warsaw fest

14 German films and co-productions will be shown at the 'A' festival in Warsaw this year. AGNIESZKA by Tomasz E. Rudzik (Kordes & Kordes Film Süd, Arri Film & TV - photo) will have its world premiere in the 1-2 Competition for first and second films, and the same goes for WHEN UNDER FIRE - SHOOT BACK! by Marc Wiese (Engstfeld Filmproduktion) in the Documentary Competition. KAFKA'S THE BURROW by Jochen Alexander Freydank (Mephisto Film) will have its European premiere in the Free Spirits Competition for "innovative and rebellious films".

Iram Haq's "I'm Yours" wins Brussels Film fest screenplay award

 The 10-day Brussels Film festival wrapped on Saturday, with a gala screening of Hossein Amini's "The Two Faces of January". The evening was also given over to handing out awards to the films in competition. The Brussels Film Festival focuses entirely on European cinema, with films coming from places as far apart as Greece and Iceland.

The winner of the 2014 screenplay award went to "I am Yours" (Jeg er din), written and directed by Norwegian actress Iram Haq, the tale of a 27 year-old single mother's search for love in Norway. This is Haq's first film as a director, although she has been working as an actress for several year. "I am Yours" was Norway's candidate for the foreign-language Oscar this year.

The full list of winners.

► OF HORSES AND MEN (Iceland) won The GOLDEN IRIS AWARD.
► THE WHITE IRIS AWARD goes to THE REUNION (Sweden)
► JURY AWARD : ACES (Spain)
CONGRATULATIONS to Benedikt Erlingsson, Anna Odell & Alfonso Zarauza !
And also:
► FEDEX CINEPHILE AWARD: THE REUNION by ANNA ODELL
► CINEUROPA AWARD : VIS-A-VIS by NEVIO MARASOVIC
► BEST SCREENPLAY AWARD : I’M YOURS by IRAM HAQ
► AUDIENCE AWARD : THE DOUBLE by RICHARD AYOADE
► PRIME AWARD : FAREWELL TO THE MOON by DICK TUINDER
► BETV AWARD : THE DARK VALLEY by ANDREAS PROCHASKA
► RTBF AWARD : THE REUNION by ANNA ODELL

It is worth noting the three prizes that went to Anna Odell's "The Reunion".

On a personal note, other films worth watching were "Jack Strong" by Wladyslaw Pasikowski (an effective and emotional thriller based on the true story of a Polish general that worked as an agent for the CIA) and "La chambre bleue" by Mathieu Amalric.

Brussels Film Festival opens with Chambre Bleue

La chambre bleue

After showcasing his "Tournée" in 2010, the Brussels Film Festival is opening its 2014 edition with Mathieu Amalric's "Chambre Bleue" (Blue Room). The film premiered at Cannes and is being sold under the logline, "In a room, a man and a woman live their passion in secret. Their desire is intense. But one day Julien has to explain himself to the police". It's a deep and disturbing exploration of a man facing his intricate relationships with women.

The Brussels Film Festival (June 6-14) built its reputation on first and second features by European directors, and now claims to show the best of European cinema. Located in the impressive Art Deco Flagey building in Brussels, it features exclusive screenings (a total of 70), open-air shows, encounters and masterclasses.

Foremost amongst these will be a session with Alan Parker, who is also the subject of a big-screen retrospective.

Notable films in competition include "The Enemy Within", "Miss Violence", "The Double" and "Los Angeles". The festival closes with Hossein Amini's thriller "The Two Faces of January".

For details, visit the Brussels Film Festival.

UPDATE: Two screenwriting masterclasses have been announced.  On Tuesday June 10, Pierre Salvadori (Dans la cour") will talk about a recurrent theme in his work: depression. Using extracts of his films such as "Les apprentis" and "Après vous", he will talk about character weaknesses as a source of comedy, the state of comedy and the virtue of lying.

Pascal Bonitzer

In a different register, Pascal Bonitzer (La belle noiseuese) will talk about the link between intimacy and politics, seen through a comedian's eyes, and what happens when the grotesque meets the tragic. Friday June 13 from 4-6pm.

Entrance free upon reservation at +32/2/762 08 98.

Sweden's "Bloody Boys" win brussels script award

The Best Screenplay Award went to Sweden's "Bloody Boys/JÄVLA POJKAR), written and directed by Shaker K. Tahrer. The films traces three families going through rupture and turmoil. More here.

The full list of awards is as follows:

• GOLDEN IRIS AWARD for best film + Cineuropa Award DEATH FOR SALE by Faouzi Bensaïdi (France/Belgique/Maroc)  
• WHITE IRIS AWARD for best first film CLIP (KLIP) by Maja Miloš (Serbia)  
• AUDIENCE AWARD ITALY LOVE IT OR LEAVE IT by Gustav Hofer and Luca Ragazzi (Italy/Germany)   
• FEDEX CINEPHILE AWARD KAUWBOY by Boudewijn Koole (Netherlands) 
• RTBF TV AWARD QUAND JE SERAI PETIT by Jean-Paul Rouve (France)   
• Be TV AWARD NO REST FOR THE WICKED (NO HABRÁ PAZ PARA LOS MALVADOS) by Enrique Urbizu (Spain)  
• PRIME TV AWARD THE DEEP BLUE SEA by Terence Davies (USA/UK)   
• BEST SHORT FILM AWARDS: A NEW OLD STORY by Antoine Cuypers (Belgium) LE CRI DU HOMARD de Nicolas Guyot (Belgium) and ROBYN O. by Cecilia Verheyden (Belgium).

For more informtion, visit the Brussels Film festival.

THOMAS BIDEGAIN TO GIVE MASTERCLASS AT BRUSSELS FILM FEST

Thomas Bidegain

The 10th edition of the Brussels Film Festival is about to kick off on June 8, 2012. The festival has historically favoured first films from European directors. This year's event will have special Polish, Italian, Spanish and Walloon (the French-speaking half of Belgium) evenings.

The festival also has a series of masterclasses lined up that include Peter Aalbaek, the producer of Lars von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg (director of "The Hunt"), Jean-Michel Bernard (Michel Gondry's composer) and directors Peter Greenaway and Lucas Belvaux. Scriptwriters should block June 10, as Thomas Bidegain, writer of two exceptional films at this year's Cannes - "De Rouille et d'Os" (Rust & Bone) by Jacques Audiard and "A perdre la raison" by Joachim Lafosse, will be giving a 4-hour masterclass from 2pm at the Flagey centre.

The official competition features 12 European films competing for a total amount of €45,500, among which €10,000 for the Golden Iris Award for best film. The jury is composed of Frédéric Fonteyne (director), Tania Garbarski (actress), Peter Greenaway (director), Edouard Molinaro (director), Koen Mortier (director), Mireille Perrier (actress) and Bernard Yerles (actor).

For details, visit Brussels Film Festival.  List of films in competition.

GERMAN FILMS AND CO-PRODUCTIONS AT MIFF 2011

The 60th Melbourne International Film Festivals (21 July – 7 August 2011) will showcase a large number of German productions and co-productions this year.


International Panorama

DREI (THREE) by Tom Tykwer, X Filme Creative Pool
THE FUTURE by Miranda July, Razor Filmproduktion (DE/US)
IM ALTER VON ELLEN (AT ELLEN’S AGE) by Pia Marais, Pandora Filmproduktion
INNOCENT SATURDAY by Alexander Mindadze, Bavaria Pictures (RU/DE/UA)
JEAN GENTIL by Laura Guzmán, Bärbel Mauch Film (MX/DE)
LE HAVRE by Aki Kaurismäki, Pandora Filmproduktion (FR/DE/FI)
MELANCHOLIA by Lars von Trier, Zentropa International (DK/SE/FR/DE)


Prime Time

DREILEBEN – EINE MINUTE DUNKEL (DREILEBEN – ONE MINUTE OF DARKNESS) by Christoph Hochhäusler, Heimatfilm
DREILEBEN – ETWAS BESSERES ALS DEN TOD (DREILEBEN – BEATS BEING DEAD) by Christian Petzold, Schramm Film Koerner & Weber
DREILEBEN – KOMM MIR NICHT NACH (DREILEBEN – DON’T FOLLOW ME AROUND) by Dominik Graf, BurkertBareiss


Accent on Asia

BI, DON’T BE AFRAID by Phan Dang Di, TR9 Film (VN/FR/DE)


Documentaries

CAVE OF FORGOTTEN DREAMS by Werner Herzog, Werner Herzog Filmproduktion (US/FR/DE)
EL BULLI: COOKING IN PROGRESS by Gereon Wetzel, if productions
KHODORKOVSKY by Cyril Tuschi, Lala Films


TeleScope

SCHLAFKRANKHEIT (SLEEPING SICKNESS) by Ulrich Köhler, Komplizen Film (DE/FR/NL)


Backbeat

MICHEL PETRUCCIANI by Michael Radford, Looks Film (FR/DE/IT)


Next Gen

WINTERTOCHTER by Johannes Schmid, schlichtundergreifend (DE/PL)


Documentary Shorts

LEONIDS STORY by Rainer Ludwigs (DE/UA)


Our Space

RUHR by James Benning


See Your Music

CYMASONICS – MATRIX OPTIMIZER 1.0.1


The Light Kinetic

LIQUID/LIGHT/FLOW

TEMPUS.RUHR



Networked

MEDIANERAS by Gustavo Taretto, Pandora Filmproduktion (AR/DE/ES)


The Natural World

DARWIN AND HIS FABULOUS ORCHIDS by Ralph Heinsohn, Tilt


MIFF 60th Retrospective

CLASS RELATIONS by Jean-Marie Straub, Danièle Huillet

“Three” to open KINO!2011 at MoMA in New York

German Films will be presenting the 32nd edition of KINO!2011: New Cinema from Germany from 27 April-2 May 2011 as part of the annual film season curated by program founder Laurence Kardish (Senior Curator, Department of Film) at The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York.

A total of seven new films and TV productions will be shown in the presence of numerous German artists. KINO!2011 will open with THREE (DREI) by Tom Tykwer, who will personally introduce his film which has been nominated for six German Film Awards. The US distributor, Strand Releasing, will release the film in US cinemas later in the year.

Also showing in the program: the Regina Ziegler-produced TV mini-series THE WEISSENSEE SAGA: A BERLIN LOVE STORY (WEISSENSEE) by Friedemann Fromm. The prize-winning screenwriter Annette Hess and other crew members will travel to New York for the presentation along with the director and producer. In addition, there will be screenings of the two documentaries HOW TO MAKE A BOOK WITH STEIDL by Gereon Wetzel in the presence of the director and producer Ingo Fliess, as well as DANCING DREAMS (TANZTRÄUME) by Anne Linsel. Three screenings will be dedicated to Germany’s up-and-coming generation: German Films’ short film program NEXT GENERATION 2010, as well as the German Film Award-nominated film THE DAY I WAS NOT BORN (DAS LIED IN MIR) by Florian Cossen and PICCO by Philip Koch. The Goethe-Institut New York will also be organizing a workshop with Philip Koch and Florian Cossen about their work as filmmakers.

Details at Goethe New York.

Polanski, Van Dormael awarded at Tallinn

Roman Polanski's "The Ghost Writer," a story of a journalist hired to ghostwrite the memoirs of a British prime minister, was designated best film at the European Film Award in Tallinn, Estonia. Polanski, who was awarded the Silver Bear for best director at the Berlin Film Festival, also took five other prizes at the ceremony, including best screenwriter.

In other awards, Swiss actor Bruno Ganz was given a lifetime achievement award and Belgian director Jaco Van Dormael left with the audienc award for "Mr Nobody".

Full list of winners:

EUROPEAN FILM 2010
THE GHOST WRITER, France/Germany/UK
directed by Roman Polanski
written by Robert Harris & Roman Polanski
produced by Robert Benmussa, Alain Sarde & Roman Polanski

EUROPEAN DIRECTOR 2010
Roman Polanski for THE GHOST WRITER

EUROPEAN ACTRESS 2010
Sylvie Testud in LOURDES

EUROPEAN ACTOR 2010
Ewan McGregorin THE GHOST WRITER

EUROPEAN SCREENWRITER 2010
Robert Harris & Roman Polanski for THE GHOST WRITER

CARLO DI PALMA EUROPEAN CINEMATOGRAPHER AWARD 2010
Giora Bejach for LEBANON

EUROPEAN EDITOR 2010
Luc Barnier & Marion Monnier for CARLOS

EUROPEAN PRODUCTION DESIGNER 2010
Albrecht Konrad for THE GHOST WRITER

EUROPEAN COMPOSER 2010
Alexandre Desplat for THE GHOST WRITER

EUROPEAN DISCOVERY 2010- Prix FIPRESCI
LEBANON, Israel/Germany/France
written & directed by Samuel Maoz
produced by Moshe Edery, Leon Edery, David Silber, Uri Sabag, Einat Bickel, Benjamina Mirnik & Illan Girard

EUROPEAN FILM ACADEMY DOCUMENTARY - Prix ARTE 2010
NOSTALGIA DE LA LUZ (Nostalgia for the Light), France/Germany/Chile
Directed by Patricio Guzmán

EUROPEAN FILM ACADEMY ANIMATED FEATURE FILM 2010
THE ILLUSIONIST by Sylvain Chomet

EUROPEAN FILM ACADEMY SHORT FILM 2010
HANOI - WARSZAWA (Hanoi – Warsaw), Poland
by Katarzyna Klimkiewicz

EUROPEAN CO-PRODUCTION AWARD – Prix EURIMAGES 2010
Zeynep Özbatur Atakan, producer

EUROPEAN FILM ACADEMY LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Bruno Ganz, actor

EUROPEAN ACHIEVEMENT IN WORLD CINEMA 2010
Gabriel Yared, composer

PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD for Best European Film 2010
MR. NOBODYwritten and directed by Jaco van Dormael
produced by Philippe Godeau

15th Festival of German Films to open in Paris

The 15th Festival of German Films will be held in Paris from 29 September to 5 October, 2010. A total of eleven new feature films, six shorts and the NEXT GENERATION 2010 program of shorts will be presented in the Cinéma L’Arlequin.

The festival will open with Pia Marais’ AT ELLEN’S AGE (IM ALTER VON ELLEN) which was enthusiastically received at the international festival in Locarno. Members of the cast and crew will be present.

Other new German films to screen include: THE ALBANIAN (DER ALBANER, Johannes Naber), ALL MY FATHERS (ALLE MEINE VAETER, Jan Raiber), BERLIN `36 (Kaspar Heidelbach), IN THE SHADOWS (IM SCHATTEN, Thomas Arslan), THE LAST EMPLOYEE (DER LETZTE ANGESTELLTE, Alexander Adolph), MY WORDS, MY LIES – MY LOVE (LILA LILA, Alain Gsponer), RUN IF YOU CAN (RENN, WENN DU KANNST, Dietrich Brueggemann), GRAVITY (SCHWERKRAFT, Maximilian Erlenwein), DANCING DREAMS (TANZTRAEUME, Anne Linsel, Rainer Hoffmann) and VINCENT WANTS TO SEA (VINCENT WILL MEER, Ralf Huettner). Some of the directors will be travelling to Paris to present their films in person.

EVERYONE ELSE (ALLE ANDEREN) by Maren Ade, THE ROBBER (DER RÄUBER) by Benjamin Heisenberg and THE CITY BELOW (UNTER DIR DIE STADT) by Christoph Hochhaeusler will be shown in the "Nouvelle Vague allemande" sidebar being programmed by the Goethe Institut.

Full details: Festival du Cinéma Allemand

Balada Triste de Trompet picks up screenwriting award at Venice

The implausibly named "Balada Triste de Trompet" (Trumpet's sad ballad?) picked up the scriptwriting award at the 67th Mostra de Venezia. Writer/director Alex de la Iglesia is perhaps best known for the bitter comedy "Ferpect Crime" in 2004. He also picked up the Best Director award at Venice.

Complete list of winners
The Venezia 67 Jury, chaired by Quentin Tarantino and comprised of Guillermo Arriaga, Ingeborga Dapkunaite, Arnaud Desplechin, Danny Elfman, Luca Guadagnino, Gabriele Salvatores, having viewed all twenty-four films in competition, has decided as follows:

GOLDEN LION for Best Film:
SOMEWHERE by Sofia COPPOLA (USA)

SILVER LION for Best Director to:
Álex de la Iglesia for the film BALADA TRISTE DE TROMPETA
(Spain, France)

SPECIAL JURY PRIZE to:
ESSENTIAL KILLINGby Jerzy SKOLIMOWSKI
(Poland, Norway, Hungary, Ireland)

COPPA VOLPI
for Best Actor:
Vincent GALLO
in the film ESSENTIAL KILLING by Jerzy SKOLIMOWSKI
(Poland, Norway, Hungary, Ireland)

COPPA VOLPI
for Best Actress:
Ariane LABED
in the film ATTENBERG by Athina Rachel TSANGARI (Greece)

MARCELLO MASTROIANNI AWARD
for Best Young Actor or Actress:
Mila KUNIS
in the film BLACK SWAN by Darren ARONOFSKY (USA)

OSELLA for Best Cinematography to:
MIKHAIL KRICHMAN
for the film SILENT SOULS (OVSYANKI) by Aleksei FEDORCHENKO (Russia)

OSELLA for Best Screenplay to:
Álex de la Iglesia
for the film BALADA TRISTE DE TROMPETA by Álex de la Iglesia
(Spain, France)

SPECIAL LION FOR AN OVERALL WORK to:
Monte HELLMAN

Just Between Us awarded Best European Film award at Karlovy Vary

"Just Between Us" (Neka ostane medju nama) has been awarded the Europa Cinemas Label as Best European Film in the 45th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.

Written by Rajko Grlić and Ante Tomic and directed by Rajko Grlić, "Just Between Us" is a wicked, indiscreet contemporary story set in Zagreb about the whirling erotic passions that percolate beneath the dull, composed surface of everyday bourgeois life and manners. It is about things that happen in well-established families that are mainly kept secret, but that nevertheless remain painful.

The film had already won 8 awards at the Pula festival. Visit the official site.

Toronto festival to feature European films

The Toronto International Film Festival (September 9-19) will feature an unprecedented number of European films this year. They include Tom Hooper’s The King’s Speech (UK/Australia); Andy de Emmony’s East is East sequel West is West; Mike Leigh’s Another Year, Danis Tanovic’s Cirkus Columbia, Alejandro González Iñárritu’s Biutiful and the premieres of Guillaume Canet's Little White Lies and Eric Lartigau’s The Big Picture.

For details, visit TIFF.

Brussels festival showcases new European directors

Every year at the same time, the Brussels Film Festival competes with hot weather while hosting a selection of first and second films from European directors. This year, there are some 60 films being premiered, with free open-air screenings and concerts.

The official competition consists of:

• AWAYDAYS, Pat Holden (UK, 2009, 105')
• LA CASA SULLE NUVOLE, Claudio Giovannesi (Italy, 2008, 96')
• COUNTRY WEDDING, Valdis Oskarsdottir (Iceland, 2008, 95')
• DONNE-MOI LA MAIN, Pascal-Alex Vincent (France, 2009, 80')
• THE HIGHER FORCE, Olaf de Fleur Johannesson (Iceland, 2008, 80')
• IN YOUR VEINS, Beata Garderler (Sweden, 2009, 92')
• JOUEUSE, Caroline Bottaro (France, 2009, 101')
• KATALIN VARGA, Peter Strickland (Romania, 2009, 82')
• MACHAN, Uberto Pasolini (Italy, 2008, 105')
• NORTH, Rune Denstadt Langlo (Norway, 2009, 90')
• SOMEWHERE BETWEEN HERE AND NOW, Olivier Boonjing (Belgium, 2009, 74')
• UNMADE BEDS, Alexis Dos Santos (UK, 2009, 93')
• LA VERGUENZA, David Planell (Spain, 2009, 107')
• WRONG ROSARY, Mahmut Fazil Coskun (Turkey, 2009, 89')

There is also a selection of recent Belgian films, European award-winners and the Cinematek's Age d'Or sidebar featuring recent world cinema releases.

Amongst the events are talks by the various directors, and Eliot Grove presenting his No-to-Lo Budget Film-making Masterclass.

Check out the full programme here.

L'Aquila movie festival to go ahead

Despite the huge damage caused by the recent earthquake there, the Italian town of L'Aquila has decided to go ahead with its annual festival. This third edition has been made possible by the support of hte festival of Salerno. The competition is open to short, medium and feature films, with a deadline on July 15, 2009.

For details, visit Idea de Cleves.

La Palme dort!

Brilliant headline from France's "Scénaristes" magazine: "La palme dort". Translated, it means "The Palm is sleeping". Sub-headline: "The world's biggest film festival continues to marginalise scriptwriters. How about a change?"

An example? It's probably worth remembering that last year the scriptwriters of France's biggest hit (by far), "Bienvenu chez les Ch'tis/Welcome to the Sticks", were not invited to attend the screening at Cannes. No room on the list, apparently. Cannes is basically a celebration of the cult of the director-as-author, to the point where the actual writers drop off the map. I'm not sure if Scénaristes can change that. But the French writers' union UGS that publish the magazine are very active at Cannes, organising a script market tied with breakfast meetings with producers and directors, as well as a "white night" - definitely worth checking at Cannes. Check here for details. Way to go.

German shorts go on the road

I just received an e-mail from German Film.de about German shorts that are going on the road (there's a pun there that I will resist!).

The 41st Sitges Film Festival (02.-12.10.2008) is showing FULL EMPLOYMENT (ARBEIT FUER ALLE) by Thomas Oberlies and Matthias Vogel and KINGZ by Benni Diez and Marinko Spahic in the Official Fantstic Shorts competition. A6/A9 by Johannes Schiehsl and FREQUENCY MORPHOGENESIS by Onni Pohl were invited to screen in the section entitled Animat Shorts.

THE GIRL WITH THE YELLOW STOCKINGS (DAS MAEDCHEN MIT DEN GELBEN STRUEMPFEN) by Grzegorz Muskala, SEA DOG'S DEVOTION (SEEMANNSTREUE) by Anna Kalus and A SUNDAY IN WINTER (EIN SONNTAG IM WINTER) by Hella Wenders are competing in the short films competition of the 37th Festival Nouveau Cinéma Montreal
(08.-19.10.2008). MY HAPPY END by Milen Vitanov, A SUNNY DAY (EIN SONNIGER
TAG) by Gil Alkabetz and VIDEO 3000 by Joerg Edelmann, Joern Grohans, Jochen Haussecker and Marc Schleiss can be seen in the childrens programmes. EXIT by Jochen Kuhn is screening in Prsentation Spcial, the programme Temps/Nouvelles Images will be showing DESCENDANTS
(NACHKOMMEN) by Heiko van der Scherm.

BROTHER, BROTHER (BRUDER, BRUDER) by Lars Kreyig and ILLUSION by Burhan Qurbani were invited to the student films competition of the 2nd Middle East International Film Festival Abu Dhabi (10.-19.10.2008).

The 53rd Cork Film Festival (12.-19.10.2008) will be showing ON THE LINE (AUF DER STRECKE) by Reto Caffi (DE/CH), JOURNEY TO THE FOREST (REISE ZUM WALD) by Joern Staeger and SUNRISE DA CAPO by Nina Poppe in the International Shorts competition. MY HAPPY END by Milen Vitanov can be seen in the section for Family Screenings.

The 52nd London Film Festival (15.-30.10.2008) has selected five German shorts. 7 MORE MINUTES by Izabela Plucinska (DE/PL), ON THE LINE (AUF DER STRECKE) by Reto Caffi (DE/CH) and W. by The Vikings will screen in Short Cuts & Animation. REMOTE INTIMACY (FERNE INTIMITT) by Sylvia Schedelbauer and PNEUMA MONOXYD by Thomas Koener (DE/RS) will be shown in the Experimenta sidebar.

The 46th Viennale (17.-29.10.2008) has invited 2 ODER 3 VERSUCHE, EINE IDEE UMZUSETZEN by Jan Peters and Marie-Catherine Theiler (DE/CH), MONA by Agnes Rossa (EG/DE), PIANOFORTE by Christoph Girardet and SCOPE and TEACHING THE ALPHABET by Volker Schreiner to its short film sections.

ON THE LINE (AUF DER STRECKE) by Reto Caffi (DE/CH), TOMORROW-YEAH! by Daniela Abke and WHEN WE ARE IN HEAVEN (UND WENN WIR DANN IM HIMMEL SIND) by Daniela Risch will be running In Competition at the 27th International Short Film Festival Uppsala (20.-26.10.2008). A SUNNY DAY (EIN SONNIGER TAG) by Gil Alkabetz and WHITE (WEISS) by Florian Grolig can be seen as Childrens Films.

HASTINGS by Nikolas Jger will be shown in the sidebar Brick Film Fest, while 40 SQUARE METERS (40 QUADRATMETER LEBEN) by Eva Thron is being shown in the programme of Gay/Lesbian: At Home and Out and About. AMIN by David Dusa (FR/DE/NL) is part of Short Matters.

ENERGY! (ENERGIE!) by Thorsten Fleisch and SUPER SMILE by Effi Wu are invited to the Shorts Competition of the 22nd AFI Fest Los Angeles (30.10.-09.11.2008).

"Louise Michel" picks up screenwriting award at San Sebastian

Gustave Kervern and Benoît Delépine (photo) have picked up the Best Screenplay award at Spain's 56th San Sebastian Film Festival for "Louise Michel". Their third feature, the film stars Yolande Moreau, Bouli Lanners, Benoît Poelevorde and Matthieu Kassovitz (who also co-produced) in a goofy tale of a hit-man and his client chasing an unscrupulous company boss. The film will screen at the London Film Festival (October 15-30) and open in Belgium on December 24. Overall winner at San Sebastian was the Turkish film "Pandora's Box" by Yesim Ustaoglu (co-written by Selma Kaygusuz), which also won Best Actress.

For details, check the 56th San Sebastian Film Festival.

Italian films score at home, move to Toronto

Italian films made an impact at Venice this year, putting the country's cinema back on the map to a degree. Amongst the title that picked up the best reviews were Ferzan Ozpetek's Rome-set family drama "Perfect Day" (pictured right), the directorial debut of Marco Pontecorvo with "Pa-Ra-Da", the true story of the Franco-Algerian clown Miloud Oukili and Marco Bechis' "Birdwatchers". The first two are programmed for the upcoming Toronto festival.

In other Venice news, the challenging British movie "Hunger", about the IRA hunger striker Bobby Sands that died in prison, has picked up the Gucci Group award. "Hunger" was directed by Steve McQueen and written by McQueen and Enda Walsh ("Disco Pigs").

Italian movies to dominate Venice Mostra

With 18 feature films being show, the Venice Film Festival will have a clear Italian tone to it this year. The 65th festival will be unlike any other, as it is going through a deep re-think of where it is in the festival circuit. The Rome festival is pulling some of the glamour later in the year, for example, which means producers and distributors often have to choose between the two. Venice also competes with Toronto and Cannes.

The Italian focus is also due to a lower number of American films, as the effects of less production due to the writers' strike are felt. Italian films in competition include Italian-Turkish director Ferzan Ozpetek's "Un Giorno Perfetto," featuring the events of one day on a group of people, and Pupi Avati with "Il Papa' di Giovanna," the story of a father dealing with his daughter's horrible crime.

Italian cinema has a low profile for the moment. This is not helped by political changes amongst the bodies that promote it - plus the fact that the news sites are no longer translated into English or French.

Interesting sites such as Cinecitta News are now monolingual. One of the most bizarre sites is Cinecitta's page about the festival, which details the architecture of the Spazio Italia it is hosting there but doesn't mention any films. This reflects the in-fighting going on inside the institutions at the expense of effective promotion.

If Venice sounds too exotic and far away for scriptwriters or directors, think again. I attended it a few years ago, flying low-cost and staying in a 'pensione' (very basic accommodation). For lunch, I chose to eat in working mens' canteens that were both tasty and cheap. At night, I ate in the self-service canteens at the festival. The only problem is finding tickets to the actual screenings. But there are plenty of opportunities to network anyway. Plus, Venice is truly one of the most magnificent towns on the planet.