BETI AND AMARE / BETI AND AMARE

2014, Colour, Germany, Ethiopia, Focus on World Cinema 

Production Team

Director : Andy Siege

Screenwriter : Andy Siege

Cinematographer : Andy Siege

Editor : Andy Siege

Cast : Hiwot Asres, Pascal Dawson, Binyam Kore, Yonas An Kidane, Delelegne Sharwe, Mahdere H. Sisay

Music : Alula Araya, Levin Karchner

Film production and Sales : Prod.: Andy Siege, Pascal Dawson, Mahdere Sisay, Kalulu Entertainment Ltd., 84 Oberlindau, Francfort 60323 (Allemagne), andreas.siege@web.de / dawson-pascal@live.com

Synopsis

Ethiopia 1936. Beti, a young Ethiopian girl has escaped Mussolini's troops and found refuge in the peaceful south of the country. But the Italians are marching closer. Beti's only hope... will come from above! 

Director

Born in Nairobi, Kenya in 1985 to German aid workers, Andy Siege studied writing and film in Canada and political science in England. In 2011 he co-founded the production company Kalulu Entertainment. BETI AND AMARE marks his directorial debut. 

ABOUT CAPITAL CINEMA CULTURAL EXCHANGE

The Capital Cinema Cultural Exchange (CCCE), nicknamed "Triple C E", aims to   support dynamic cross-cultural exchange through film. Established in 2014, the Capital Cinema Cultural Exchange is a non-commercial initiative aimed at providing filmmakers with added skills, resources, and opportunities to enhance marketability and help them reach international audiences for their character-driven work. Whether the work is a short, documentary, or feature, CCCE understands how hard it can be to bring a movie from start to finish. Our goal is to provide professional mentoring, educational workshops, cultural exchange, one-on-one consultation, networking and other forms of support, so that filmmakers can shape their work to reach a wider audience. Through interaction with audiences, industry experts and peers, filmmakers can acquire a greater understanding of the language and best practices needed to navigate the creative and business paths from development to marketing, from financing to completion.

We understand there has and may always be conflicts between people and cultures of various nations.  We don't uphold one culture to be less or greater than another, or endorse any political stance.  We understand that great films transcend any particular politics of a region and strive to show the human condition even amidst adversity. A form of international communication, film is a unique language that cuts across cultures and must be preserved and protected, especially during times of conflict and disagreement, such that we might more fully understand our fellow human beings.

     ABOUT CCCE FOUNDER, MICHAEL CAMOIN

Mike Camoin is a firm believer that emerging artists are an integral part to the future of the US culture and economy. Working closely with FilmAlbany.com, Mike has led the independent film movement in northeastern New York for nearly 20 years. Co-founder of Upstate Independents Filmmakers Network, Camoin served as the orgs first president (1995-2000). Camoin established Videos For Change Productions in 1992 and as a filmmaker, Mike Camoin is best known for his documentary series on Adirondack culture, including "Inside the Blue Line" and "How to Make an Adirondack Packbasket," which have screened in northeastern U.S. and Canadian television markets, and "From the Mountaintop: The History of Adirondack Fire Towers." Camoin is currently in post-production of "Life or Death", about two families devastated by mental illness and murder featuring David Kaczynski and Bill Babbitt. Camoin is responsible for the short films "Ruler of Life", "Crossing the Whitestone" and "Relax." The latter made its Russian premiere in 2011 when Camoin was the sole American invited to an intensive 8-day producer's lab in Russia, where the seeds for CCCE were planted. He resides with his wife, and two children in Albany, NY.

Mike wishes to offer a special thanks to his core planning committee Graeme McKenna, Larry Jackson, Norman Berns and Chris Schiller, and his wife, Linda Camoin, without whom the 1st edition would not be possible.

interview by Leopoldo Soto

LA ULTIMA CENA / THE LAST SUPPER

2014, Colour, Mexico, World Competition 

Production Team

Director : Vanessa Quintanilla Cobo

Screenwriter : Vanessa Quintanilla Cobo

Cinematographer : Gerardo Montiel Klint, Fernando Montiel Klint

Editor : Clementina Mantellini

Cast : Rouzanna Lissovskaya

Music : Pepe Stephens

Film production and Sales : Prod. & Ventes/Sales: César Moheno Plá, Instituto Mexicano de Cinematografia (IMCINE), Ave. Insurgentes 674 Col Del Valle, 03100 México, D. F. (Mexique), tél.: + 5255 54485339, difuinte@imcine.gob.mx

Synopsis

A note left on the fridge and aluminum foil out of place will lead Diana to a transformation that will completely alter her tedious domestic duties. 

Director

-- Vanesa Quintanilla Cobo has worked in a wide variety of capacities in film and television, including production, cinematography, animation and graphic design. The Last Supper marks her directorial debut. 

Interview by Leopoldo Soto

LA MEMORIA DE LOS OLIVOS / THE MEMORY OF THE OLIVE TREES

2013, B/W, Spain, Focus on World Cinema 

Production Team

Director : Raúl Romera Morilla

Screenwriter : Raúl Romera Morilla

Cinematographer : Raúl Romera Morilla

Editor : Raúl Romera Morilla

Cast : Marta Serrano, Victor Lamas, Mireia Muguiondo, Max Blanco, Marisa D. Rivas, Antonio Augusto

Music : Alberto Bracero

Film production and Sales : Prod.: Emilio Barrachina, Ircania Producciones del Sur, S.l., c/Goya 133, 2º izq., 28009 Madrid (Espagne), emiliorbarrachina@gmail.com Ventes/Sales: Beverly Hills Entertainment, 110 Brickel Avenue, Suite 601, Miami, FL 33131 (États-Unis), info@bentertainment.com

Synopsis

Spain, September 1936. The civil war, in its early months, hasn't yet affected Rosa who lives is a small house in the country. But that soon changes... 

Director

Born in Seville, Spain in 1976, Raúl Romera Morilla studied architecture but has worked professionally as a photographer, writer and filmmaker. After a few amateur shorts he directed Día de regreso (1978), Para caracoles, Madre no hay más que una (2009), Respeto (2010) and Huida a Venus (2011). THE MEMORY OF THE OLIVE TREES is his first feature. 

BEST CANADIAN ANIMATION. YOSHINO AOKI, unordinary Journey in a an ordinary day.

Inspired by Isaac Newton’s absolute time and space, the film is about a chain of unordinary events occurs in one old woman’s ordinary day.

MONTREAL FILM F. 38o Connor Gaston Norman McLaren Award  Best short film Intervew by Leopoldo Soto

'TIL DEATH

2014, Couleur, Canada, Festival du film étudiant - compétition nationale 

Équipe de production

Réalisation : Connor Gaston

Scénarisation : Ryan Bright

Direction photo : Daniel Hogg

Montage : Betty Lu, Erin McElvaine

Interprètes : Cameron Little, Shani Pichette-Voung, Justin Carter

Musique : Graham Labrecque

Réalisateur

-- Connor Gaston étudie à l'Université de Victoria, en Colombie-Britannique. 

2014, Colour, Canada, Documentaries of the World 

Production Team

Director : Masoud Raouf

Screenwriter : Masoud Raouf, Robin Gorn

Cinematographer : Masoud Raouf

Editor : Arian Aryan

Music : Claude Maheu, Michel Reinhart

Film production and Sales : Prod. & Ventes/Sales: Masoud Raouf, Ciné 3 Productions, 29, 7e Avenue, Lasalle, Québec H8P 2L8 (Canada), tél.: 514-824-2341, masoudraouf@hotmail.com

Director

Born in Iran, Masoud Raouf has lived in Canada since 1988. Educated at Sheridan College in Ontario, he has taught animation at Concordia University. His films: The Trees That I Remember (2002), Blue Like a Gunshot (2003), Waves at Birth (2005). 

BANGLADESHER RIDOY / BANGLADESH'S RIDOY

2013, Colour, Bangladesh, Documentaries of the World 

Saiful Wadud meets Musivision's Laurie Gordon and Masoud Raouf at the 5 à 7  in Montreal 

Production Team

Director : Saiful Wadud Helal

Cinematographer : Saiful Wadud Helal

Editor : Saiful Wadud Helal

Music : Amit Mallick, Sharif Arefin Rony

Film production and Sales : Prod. & Ventes/Sales: Kazi Mira, Mira Media, 77 Monipuri Para #D1 Dhaka 1215 (Bangladesh), tél.: 8801732784283, mira.media@mac.com

Synopsis

In 2013, 42 years after independence in Bangladesh, there was a non-violent uprising demanding punishment of those who committed crimes against humanity during Bangladesh's war of liberation. Among the protestors is 10-year-old Ridoy who refuses to be sent to a madrasa. 

Director

-- Born in Bangladesh, Saiful Wadud Helal graduated in TV production in Montreal and has directed several shorts and documentaries, including APARAJEYO BANGLA (2010), for the small screen. 

(Video by Leopoldo Soto) MAX ZUNINO , mexican director, screened film LOS BAÑISTAS, in First Film Competition.

LOS BAÑISTAS / OPEN CAGE

2014, Colour, Mexico, First Films World Competition 

Production Team

Director : Max Zunino

Screenwriter : Sofía Espinosa, Max Zunino

Cinematographer : Daniela Ludlow

Editor : Yoame Escamilla

Cast : Juan Carlos Colombo, Sofía Espinosa, Harold Torres, Susana Salazar, Armando Espitia

Music : Sebastián Zunino

Film production and Sales : Prod.: Gloria Carrasco, Max Zunino, Sofía Espinosa, Joceline Hernández, Cornamusa / Phototaxia Pictures, Chiapas 139a Col. Roma Del Cuauhtemoc, CP 06700, Mexico (Mexique), tél.: (521-55) 4194 85 38, losbanistas@gmail.com / Películas Aveztruz, maxzunino@me.com

Synopsis

The economy has collapsed: there is a shortage of labour, of will, of resources. The impoverishment of society is both moral and economic ? everyone looks after their own little comforts and survival. In this universe we find Flavia, a spoiled teenager with artistic aspirations that are somewhat frustrated when she is not accepted at the university. Her neighbour Martin, a mature man with rigid routines, is her antipode. When the worlds of Flavia and Martin collide, there are sparks of friction at all times, and the situation does not look to get any better. In the street, outside the building, there is a camp of protesters: people who have lost their livelihood and have gathered in the city to express their discontent. In this group, though human values still govern conduct, its members have a serious problem: they need a shower, a necessary luxury and an essential means to keep their link with the civilized world. Living conditions become more and more difficult for the main characters and their inconvenient neighbours in the street. They must all learn to live together and not only to survive the tough times but also to rediscover the meaning of their lives. 

Director

Born in Uruguay, Max Zunino has lived in Mexico since childhood. After a degree in computer science, he continued his studies at the International Film and Television School in San Antonio de los Baños, Cuba. He has several short films to his credit, including Memory of the Sea (2005), which was shown at over 30 festivals and garnered several honours along the way. He has worked as a director and is currently writing scripts for Mexican serial television. OPEN CAGE marks his debut in features. 

Video by Leopoldo Soto 

SOFIA ESPINOSA, actress in the mexican movie "Los bañistas".

LOS BAÑISTAS / OPEN CAGE

2014, Colour, Mexico, First Films World Competition 

Production Team

Director : Max Zunino

Screenwriter : Sofía Espinosa, Max Zunino

Cinematographer : Daniela Ludlow

Editor : Yoame Escamilla

Cast : Juan Carlos Colombo, Sofía Espinosa, Harold Torres, Susana Salazar, Armando Espitia

Music : Sebastián Zunino

Film production and Sales : Prod.: Gloria Carrasco, Max Zunino, Sofía Espinosa, Joceline Hernández, Cornamusa / Phototaxia Pictures, Chiapas 139a Col. Roma Del Cuauhtemoc, CP 06700, Mexico (Mexique), tél.: (521-55) 4194 85 38, losbanistas@gmail.com / Películas Aveztruz, maxzunino@me.com

Synopsis

The economy has collapsed: there is a shortage of labour, of will, of resources. The impoverishment of society is both moral and economic ? everyone looks after their own little comforts and survival. In this universe we find Flavia, a spoiled teenager with artistic aspirations that are somewhat frustrated when she is not accepted at the university. Her neighbour Martin, a mature man with rigid routines, is her antipode. When the worlds of Flavia and Martin collide, there are sparks of friction at all times, and the situation does not look to get any better. In the street, outside the building, there is a camp of protesters: people who have lost their livelihood and have gathered in the city to express their discontent. In this group, though human values still govern conduct, its members have a serious problem: they need a shower, a necessary luxury and an essential means to keep their link with the civilized world. Living conditions become more and more difficult for the main characters and their inconvenient neighbours in the street. They must all learn to live together and not only to survive the tough times but also to rediscover the meaning of their lives. 

Director

Born in Uruguay, Max Zunino has lived in Mexico since childhood. After a degree in computer science, he continued his studies at the International Film and Television School in San Antonio de los Baños, Cuba. He has several short films to his credit, including Memory of the Sea (2005), which was shown at over 30 festivals and garnered several honours along the way. He has worked as a director and is currently writing scripts for Mexican serial television. OPEN CAGE marks his debut in features. 

Video by Leopoldo Soto

VANESSA QUINTANILLA, presenting "La última cena " at Cine imperial.

Mexican Director, Luis Urquiza in Official Competition, Obediencia perfecta. Perfect Obedience.

OBEDIENCIA PERFECTA / PERFECT OBEDIENCE

2013, Colour, Mexico, World Competition 

Production Team

Director : Luiz Urquiza Mondragon

Screenwriter : Luis Urquiza, Ernesto Alcocer. D'après/Based on: Tercer grado de obediencia perfecta. De/By: Ernesto Alcocer

Cinematographer : Serguei Saldívar Tanaka

Editor : Jorge Macaya

Cast : Juan Manuel Bernal, Sebastián Aguirre, Alejandro de Hoyos, Juan Ignacio Aranda, Juan Carlos Colombo, Luis Ernesto Franco, Claudette Maillé, Jesús Zavala

Music : Alejandro Giacomán

Film production and Sales : Prod.: María de Lourdes Garcia Rivera, Astillero Producciones S.A. de CV, Kepler 74, Col. Anzures del Miguel Hidalgo, C.P. 11590 Mexico (Mexique), tél.: 5531 00 65, astillerofilms2001@gmail.com

Synopsis

When 13-year-old seminarian Sacramento Santos joins a new order, Los Cruzados de Cristo, he hopes to rise through its three levels of obedience: 1. imperfect obedience, 2. imperfect obedience of the second degree, and finally 3. Perfect Obedience. But this progression proves to be more than just a spiritual journey. Sacramento is adopted by the order's founding father, Ángel de la Cruz, and over the course the year in which they live together, they fall in love and surrender to the most intense, blissful, and contradictory episode of their lives. Years later, older and wiser, Sacramento leaves the order regretting that episode, and he decides to seek justice from his old tutor. 

Director

Mexican filmmaker Luis Urquiza Mondragon worked as a producer in television at various levels and in over 15 films, In 2006 he directed a short film, Amore de madre. PERFECT OBEDIENCE marks his directorial debut in features. 

LA SCULTURA / THE SCULPTURE

2014, Colour, Italy, Focus on World Cinema 

Production Team

Director : Mauro John Capece

Screenwriter : Mauro John Capece, Corinna Coroneo

Cinematographer : Marco Fracassa

Editor : Francesca Pasquaretta

Cast : Corinna Coroneo, Adrien Liss, Perpaolo Capovilla, Flavio Sciolè, Gabrielle Silvestrini, Kyrham

Music : India Czajkowska

Film production and Sales : Prod.: Evoque - Officina d'Arte, Viale Olimpica 50, 64011 Alba Adriatica TE (Italie), tél.: +39 08611712824, evoque@hotmail.com

Synopsis

Moses, a talented sculptor totally committed to his art, struggles to eke out a living. He decides to rent a room to Korinne, a beautiful woman who works as an escort. 

Director

Born in San Benedetto del Tronto, Italy in 1974, Mauro John Capece is a director and writer, known for his digital work and innovative filmmaking. His credits include Il sopranista (2005), L'UOMO DEL FUTURO (2007) and EVOQUE: REALITY SHOW (2008). 
 

The Montreal World Film Festival (August 21st to September 1st), will be presenting the world premiere of "Pure Life", the first feature film by French director Jeremy Banster. 
Produced by Cantina Studio, the film tells the true story of explorer Raymond Maufrais on his last expedition to the Amazon Rainforest in French Guyana in 1949.

The movie, an intimate adventure filmed in the heart of the Amazon rainforest, represented somewhat of a challenge taken by the director as is his first film. Much like the plot of the movie, the making of the film itself is a bold endeavour, an experience dedicated to giving its viewers a taste of adventure and travel all while spreading the idea that there is nothing greater than going after your dreams!

"Pure Life" directed by Jeremy Banster

With Stany Coppet, Aurélien Recoing, Daniel Duval, Elli Medeiros and Alex Descas

France

1H33

LA VIE PURE / PURE LIFE

2014, Colour, France, First Films World Competition 

Production Team

Director : Jérémy Banster

Screenwriter : Jérémy Banster, Stany Coppet

Cinematographer : Rudy Harbon

Editor : Fabien Montagner

Cast : Stany Coppet, Aurélien Recoing, Daniel Duval, Alex Descas, Barbara Cabrilla

Music : Nathaniel Méchaly

Film production and Sales : Prod.: Jérémy Banster, Olivier Compère, Fabien Montagner, Cantina Studio, 21 des Peupliers, 92100 Boulogne-Billancourt (France), olivier.compere@cantinaprod.co, jeremy.banster@cantinaprod.com, fabien.montagner@cantinaprod.com

Synopsis

A French explorer on a solitary expedition in the Amazon forest in 1949 leaves behind him a diary about his life and encounters but leaves the mystery of his own disappearance unsolved. 

Director

French actor, writer and filmmaker Jérémy Banster studied at the Paris Conservatory of Dramatic Arts and won the ADAMI prize for young talent at the 1997 Cannes Festival. He has played extensively on stage and screen and made his directorial debut in 1998 with a short, Les Portes blanches. The following year he showed Règlement de contes at the Buenos Aires Festival. Other shorts followed: La Pute (2004), Septembre et moi (2007). In 2011, he founded Cantina Studio, in association with Olivier Compère and Fabien Montagner, and adapted the book by Raymond Maufrais, Aventures en Guyane into the current film, Banster's first feature. 

Serge Losique founder and director of Montreal World Film Festival introducing director Claude Lelouche of France. Up close and personal. Festival de film du Monde de Montreal l'ouverture avec cinéaste Claude Lelouch.