There are hundreds of film festivals out there and hardly a weekend goes by without a city announcing one of its very own. Whether you’re thinking of heading to your first film festival or you’ve dipped you toes in the water already, we’ve put together a list of the five best European film festivals to visit next year, as well as a guide as to what you should take along with you.
European film festivals
Cannes
Probably the most well-known European film festival, Cannes occurs every May and runs for two weeks. The most coveted prize is the Palm d’Or and big winners have included Francis Ford Coppola and Quentin Tarantino.
Venice
Known as the oldest film festival, Venice runs in late August or September every year. Past winners of the prestigious Golden Lion include Mike Lee and Darren Aronofsky.
Berlin
The final of the big three European film festivals,...
European film festivals
Cannes
Probably the most well-known European film festival, Cannes occurs every May and runs for two weeks. The most coveted prize is the Palm d’Or and big winners have included Francis Ford Coppola and Quentin Tarantino.
Venice
Known as the oldest film festival, Venice runs in late August or September every year. Past winners of the prestigious Golden Lion include Mike Lee and Darren Aronofsky.
Berlin
The final of the big three European film festivals,...
- 11/26/2015
- by Kyle Reese
- SoundOnSight
Song from the Forest
Written & Directed by Michael Obert
Germany | USA | Central African Republic, 2013
From harmony comes peace. Michael Obert’s luminous documentary, Song from the Forest, is a celebration of one man’s harmony that resonates from the heart of the jungle. At the same time, there’s an undeniable melancholy lacing every frame. The result is a deceptively complicated film that captures the inscrutable beauty of finding one’s place in the world and the economic realities of preserving it.
When Louis Sarno heard the beguiling music of a Pygmy tribe playing on his radio in 1985, he couldn’t possibly imagine that it would change his life forever. With only a few hundred dollars, a tape recorder, and a one-way ticket, Sarno journey deep into the rain forest to find the music that had so thoroughly possessed him. He encountered the Bayaka; a Congo River tribe that existed in almost perfect isolation.
Written & Directed by Michael Obert
Germany | USA | Central African Republic, 2013
From harmony comes peace. Michael Obert’s luminous documentary, Song from the Forest, is a celebration of one man’s harmony that resonates from the heart of the jungle. At the same time, there’s an undeniable melancholy lacing every frame. The result is a deceptively complicated film that captures the inscrutable beauty of finding one’s place in the world and the economic realities of preserving it.
When Louis Sarno heard the beguiling music of a Pygmy tribe playing on his radio in 1985, he couldn’t possibly imagine that it would change his life forever. With only a few hundred dollars, a tape recorder, and a one-way ticket, Sarno journey deep into the rain forest to find the music that had so thoroughly possessed him. He encountered the Bayaka; a Congo River tribe that existed in almost perfect isolation.
- 4/10/2015
- by J.R. Kinnard
- SoundOnSight
There are moments in Song From the Forest where the documentary's core narrative comes close to inducing groans: A white American travels to a rainforest in central Africa and finds a people (in this case, the Bayaka pygmies) whose pure culture and simple life connect him with the best part of himself, revealing to him the superficiality of his own culture. The traveler is Louis Sarno, who has devoted himself to the Bayaka for over 25 years. He's married to a Bayaka woman, and they have a thirteen-year-old son, Samedi. Sarno's one-of-a-kind recordings of traditional Bayaka music document a culture that has already lost much to modernity, which pains him. Song is filled with great beauty and moments of everyday life that show that director Michael Obert ha...
- 4/8/2015
- Village Voice
The saga of Louis Sarno has never been a secret. In the 1980s, American writer and musicologist visited the remote Bayaka Pygmy clan in the Central African Republic to record their unique music; with time, he settled among them, married a member of the tribe and started a family. In 1993, he published a memoir of his experiences, followed by an album collecting the Bayaka's earthy acoustic melodies in 1996; in 2010, Lavina Currier's feature-length "Oka!" fictionalized Sarno's journey with Kris Marshall cast as an embellished version of Sarno. But the true record of his unique tale finally comes together in "Song From the Forest," documentarian Michael Obert's perceptive and utterly gorgeous look at Sarno's life today and his experience returning to his old haunts in New York. Through an elegant juxtaposition of jungle and city life, "Song From the Forest" (which takes its name from Sarno's book) not only shows what...
- 4/6/2015
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
Read More: Gorgeous 'Song From the Forest' Tracks How Louis Sarno Joined a Pygmy Tribe, Started a Family and Returned to New York U.S. born ethnomusicologist Louis Sarno once heard a song on NPR radio that stuck with him. He followed this music to the Central African rain forest -- and never returned. Indiewire has the exclusive trailer for director Michael Obert's "Song From the Forest," which tracks Sarno's amazing journey from the rainforest, where he met a Bayaki tribe woman and had a child, and back to New York more than 20 years later. "Song From the Forest" opens on April 10 in New York and April 17 in Los Angeles. Expansion to additional cities is to follow.
- 3/9/2015
- by Travis Clark
- Indiewire
International and documentary competitions include The Skeleton Twins, ‘71 and The Look of Silence. A total of 17 world premieres secured for the festival, which has received a budget boost.
The 10th Zurich Film Festival (Sept 25 – Oct 5) has revealed its full line-up, which comprises 145 features – up from 122 last year – from 29 countries.
Co-director Nadja Schildknecht revealed a rise in budget for the festival as well as growth in anticipated guest numbers.
“This year, we expect some 500 guests (previous year 450) from around the world to accompany their films,” she said.
“And the budget has increased accordingly to CHF6.9m ($7.4m) (previous year CHF6.1m/$6.5m).”
As previously announced, Tate Taylor’s James Brown biopic Get On Up will open the festival on Sept 25. The closing film has yet to be revealed.
International competition
The International Feature Film Competition includes 14 titles, some of which have received critical acclaim at previous festivals such as Yann Demange’s action thriller ‘71, which debuted at the...
The 10th Zurich Film Festival (Sept 25 – Oct 5) has revealed its full line-up, which comprises 145 features – up from 122 last year – from 29 countries.
Co-director Nadja Schildknecht revealed a rise in budget for the festival as well as growth in anticipated guest numbers.
“This year, we expect some 500 guests (previous year 450) from around the world to accompany their films,” she said.
“And the budget has increased accordingly to CHF6.9m ($7.4m) (previous year CHF6.1m/$6.5m).”
As previously announced, Tate Taylor’s James Brown biopic Get On Up will open the festival on Sept 25. The closing film has yet to be revealed.
International competition
The International Feature Film Competition includes 14 titles, some of which have received critical acclaim at previous festivals such as Yann Demange’s action thriller ‘71, which debuted at the...
- 9/11/2014
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
Fury (David Ayer)
[via the BFI]
The programme for the 58th BFI London Film Festival launched today, with Festival Director Clare Stewart presenting this year’s rich and diverse selection of films and events. The lineup includes highly anticipated fall titles including David Ayer’s Fury, Bennett Miller’s Foxcatcher, the Sundance smash Whiplash, Jean-Luc Godard’s Goodbye to Language 3D, The Imitation Game starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Mike Leigh’s Mr. Turner, Jason Reitman’s Men, Women and Children and Jean-Marc Vallee’s Wild.
As Britain’s leading film event and one of the world’s oldest film festivals, it introduces the finest new British and international films to an expanding London and UK-wide audience, offering a compelling combination of red carpet glamour, engaged audiences and vibrant exchange. The Festival provides an essential profiling opportunity for films seeking global success at the start of the Awards season, promotes the careers of British and...
[via the BFI]
The programme for the 58th BFI London Film Festival launched today, with Festival Director Clare Stewart presenting this year’s rich and diverse selection of films and events. The lineup includes highly anticipated fall titles including David Ayer’s Fury, Bennett Miller’s Foxcatcher, the Sundance smash Whiplash, Jean-Luc Godard’s Goodbye to Language 3D, The Imitation Game starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Mike Leigh’s Mr. Turner, Jason Reitman’s Men, Women and Children and Jean-Marc Vallee’s Wild.
As Britain’s leading film event and one of the world’s oldest film festivals, it introduces the finest new British and international films to an expanding London and UK-wide audience, offering a compelling combination of red carpet glamour, engaged audiences and vibrant exchange. The Festival provides an essential profiling opportunity for films seeking global success at the start of the Awards season, promotes the careers of British and...
- 9/3/2014
- by John
- SoundOnSight
Obert Plays A Polyrhythmic Requiem of Cultural Sovereignty
Director Michael Obert’s Vpro Idfa Award winning, SXSW imported Song from the Forest meditatively chronicles the aloof livelihood of Louis Sarno, an American whose interest in the exotic musical stylings of the Central African Bayaka Pygmy tribes led him away from his disheartening city dwelling to a permanent life of hunting, gathering, ethnographic field recording and eventually, fatherhood, and in doing, the vibrant songs of celebration once captured in moments of profound communal exuberance begin to seem more like tragically transitional requiems mourning the loss of an irreplaceable culture on the outs. Sarno himself and the traditional ways of the Bayaka lifestyle are beginning to fade, his health and spirits waning as globalization encroaches upon the forest he’s called home for the last 25 years. Embraced by the native community as one of their own, he remains an alien interloper of sorts,...
Director Michael Obert’s Vpro Idfa Award winning, SXSW imported Song from the Forest meditatively chronicles the aloof livelihood of Louis Sarno, an American whose interest in the exotic musical stylings of the Central African Bayaka Pygmy tribes led him away from his disheartening city dwelling to a permanent life of hunting, gathering, ethnographic field recording and eventually, fatherhood, and in doing, the vibrant songs of celebration once captured in moments of profound communal exuberance begin to seem more like tragically transitional requiems mourning the loss of an irreplaceable culture on the outs. Sarno himself and the traditional ways of the Bayaka lifestyle are beginning to fade, his health and spirits waning as globalization encroaches upon the forest he’s called home for the last 25 years. Embraced by the native community as one of their own, he remains an alien interloper of sorts,...
- 3/14/2014
- by Jordan M. Smith
- IONCINEMA.com
Sundance just ended, and we are already preparing for the next big film festival, South By Southwest. Not too long ago, the festival announced a few of the films premiering this year, but now they’ve announced the main slate. The midnight selections and some inevitable late-breaking additions are still to be announced, but this should be more than enough to get you excited. Along with many World Premieres, and Sundance favorites like Richard Linklater’s Boyhood and Gareth Evans’ The Raid 2, the line up also includes an anniversary screening of The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, and an extended Q&A screening of The Grand Budapest Hotel with Wes Anderson. SXSW 2014 runs March 7 through 15 in Austin, Texas. Check out the line up after the jump.
****
Narrative Feature Competition
Eight world premieres, eight unique ways to celebrate the art of storytelling. Selected from 1,324 films submitted to SXSW 2014. Films screening in Narrative...
****
Narrative Feature Competition
Eight world premieres, eight unique ways to celebrate the art of storytelling. Selected from 1,324 films submitted to SXSW 2014. Films screening in Narrative...
- 1/31/2014
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
Today the South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Conference and Festival announced a diverse features lineup for this year’s Festival, the 21st edition and running March 7 – 15, 2014 in Austin, Texas. The 2014 program expands on SXSW tradition of embracing a range of genres and span of budgets, featuring a wealth of vision from experienced and developing filmmakers alike.
For more information visit http://sxsw.com/film.
Listed in the announcement are 115 of the features that will screen over the course of nine days at SXSW 2014. The lineup below includes 68 films from first-time filmmakers, and consists of 76 World Premieres, 10 North American Premieres and 7 U.S. Premieres. These films were selected from a record 2,215 feature-length film submissions composed of 1,540 U.S. and 675 international feature-length films. With a record number of 6,482 submissions total, the overall increase was 14% over 2013. The Midnighters feature section and the Short Film program will be announced on February 5, with the complete...
For more information visit http://sxsw.com/film.
Listed in the announcement are 115 of the features that will screen over the course of nine days at SXSW 2014. The lineup below includes 68 films from first-time filmmakers, and consists of 76 World Premieres, 10 North American Premieres and 7 U.S. Premieres. These films were selected from a record 2,215 feature-length film submissions composed of 1,540 U.S. and 675 international feature-length films. With a record number of 6,482 submissions total, the overall increase was 14% over 2013. The Midnighters feature section and the Short Film program will be announced on February 5, with the complete...
- 1/31/2014
- by Movie Geeks
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
After announcing earlier this month that Jon Favreau’s Chef and the Veronica Mars movie will be making their world debuts at SXSW this year, the festival has revealed its full line-up, including further very promising world premieres, alongside appearances from some of the year’s most high-profile films.
The Midnight programme will be announced early next month, along with the Shorts line-up, and the complete Conference slate a little later as well.
Led by Seth Rogen and Zac Efron, Nicholas Stoller’s anticipated R-rated comedy, Neighbors, will be making its world debut at the festival, notably marked out as a ‘work-in-progress’ ahead of its theatrical release in May.
David Gordon Green’s acclaimed Joe will make its Us premiere, having bowed at Venice and then Toronto last year. Early reviews have Nicolas Cage giving one of the finest performances of his career, with Tye Sheridan (Mud) excellent alongside him.
The Midnight programme will be announced early next month, along with the Shorts line-up, and the complete Conference slate a little later as well.
Led by Seth Rogen and Zac Efron, Nicholas Stoller’s anticipated R-rated comedy, Neighbors, will be making its world debut at the festival, notably marked out as a ‘work-in-progress’ ahead of its theatrical release in May.
David Gordon Green’s acclaimed Joe will make its Us premiere, having bowed at Venice and then Toronto last year. Early reviews have Nicolas Cage giving one of the finest performances of his career, with Tye Sheridan (Mud) excellent alongside him.
- 1/30/2014
- by Kenji Lloyd
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Not sure if there is a Short Term 12 equivalent in this year’s Narrative Feature Comp, but on paper SXSW programmers are serving up a mean (and the usual lean group of 8 out of a whopping 1,324 film entries) for the upcoming competitiuon of eight which includes notable entries (that we’ve been tracking for a good time now) such as Zachary Wigon’s The Heart Machine, John Magary’s The Mend, Leah Meyerhoff’s I Believe in Unicorns and Lawrence Michael Levine’s Wild Canaries. Undoubtedly one of the most anticipated docs of the year, on the non-fiction side we find Margaret Brown’s The Great Invisible. Below you’ll find a breakdown of the other sections (notable world preems in We’ll Never Have Paris and Faults (see Mary Elizabeth Winstead above), some Sundance items with Texan connections and other nuggets.
Narrative Feature Competition
Eight world premieres, eight...
Narrative Feature Competition
Eight world premieres, eight...
- 1/30/2014
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
The awards winners for the 26th Idfa were announced in Amsterdam on Friday night.
Song from the Forest by Germany’s Michael Obert won the main prize at Idfa (International Documentary Festival Amsterdam) tonight (Nov 29).
The film won the Vpro Idfa Award for Best Feature-Length Documentary, worth €12,500.
The film tells the story of American Louis Sarno, who has lived for 25 years with a tribe of Pygmies in the jungle of Central Africa and decides to take his son to the Us for the first time.
The Special Jury Award went to A Letter to Nelson Mandela by Khalo Matabane (South Africa / Germany), in which the filmmaker takes a critical look at Nelson Mandela, his status and role in the reforms that took place in South Africa in the 1990s.
Twin Sisters by Mona Friis Bertheussen won the BankGiro Loterij Idfa Audience Award.
The Russian collective Gogol’s Wives Productions won the Ntr Idfa Award for Best Mid-Length...
Song from the Forest by Germany’s Michael Obert won the main prize at Idfa (International Documentary Festival Amsterdam) tonight (Nov 29).
The film won the Vpro Idfa Award for Best Feature-Length Documentary, worth €12,500.
The film tells the story of American Louis Sarno, who has lived for 25 years with a tribe of Pygmies in the jungle of Central Africa and decides to take his son to the Us for the first time.
The Special Jury Award went to A Letter to Nelson Mandela by Khalo Matabane (South Africa / Germany), in which the filmmaker takes a critical look at Nelson Mandela, his status and role in the reforms that took place in South Africa in the 1990s.
Twin Sisters by Mona Friis Bertheussen won the BankGiro Loterij Idfa Audience Award.
The Russian collective Gogol’s Wives Productions won the Ntr Idfa Award for Best Mid-Length...
- 11/29/2013
- by geoffrey@macnab.demon.co.uk (Geoffrey Macnab)
- ScreenDaily
The nominations in the various competition sections have been announced at the documentary festival.
Idfa (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam) has announced the nominees for its 26th edition. Winners will be named on Friday evening in Amsterdam.
The jury of the Idfa Competition for First Appearance will also present an extra Award in memory of Peter Wintonick, who died earlier this month.
The BankGiro Loterij Idfa Audience Award, worth €5,000, and the Idfa Music Audience Award, worth €2,500, will then also be presented.
In addition, the Mediafonds Kids & Docs Award 2013, which consists of € 15,000 with which to develop a new youth documentary, will be presented by a youth jury.
Idfa Competition for Feature-Length Documentary (€12,500)
Ai Weiwei The Fake Case by Andreas Johnson (Denmark);Ne Me Quitte Pas by Sabine Lubbe Bakker and Niels van Koevorden (the Netherlands / Belgium);Song from the Forest by Michael Obert (Germany).
Idfa Competition for Mid-Length Documentary (€10,000)
Kismet by Nina Maria Paschalidou (Greece / Cyprus);Pussy Versus...
Idfa (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam) has announced the nominees for its 26th edition. Winners will be named on Friday evening in Amsterdam.
The jury of the Idfa Competition for First Appearance will also present an extra Award in memory of Peter Wintonick, who died earlier this month.
The BankGiro Loterij Idfa Audience Award, worth €5,000, and the Idfa Music Audience Award, worth €2,500, will then also be presented.
In addition, the Mediafonds Kids & Docs Award 2013, which consists of € 15,000 with which to develop a new youth documentary, will be presented by a youth jury.
Idfa Competition for Feature-Length Documentary (€12,500)
Ai Weiwei The Fake Case by Andreas Johnson (Denmark);Ne Me Quitte Pas by Sabine Lubbe Bakker and Niels van Koevorden (the Netherlands / Belgium);Song from the Forest by Michael Obert (Germany).
Idfa Competition for Mid-Length Documentary (€10,000)
Kismet by Nina Maria Paschalidou (Greece / Cyprus);Pussy Versus...
- 11/27/2013
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
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