Renowned Greek festival programmer Dimitri Eipides, the man who established the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival in 1999 and directed it ever since until 2016, is given a carte blanche at the 19^th Thessaloniki Documentary Festival to select
10 documentaries that will be screened in this year's event.

The festival thus honours a special person that has been devoted to cinema for many decades; “a godfather of interesting cinema”, as the director Jim Jarmusch put it during his attendance at the 54^th TIFF. 

Dimitri Eipides selected 10 documentaries of recent production (2005-2013) that have been presented in previous festival editions. These films touch upon various aspects of human reality, resembling a huge puzzle that brings together images of our world, then and now.

The films:

Blockade, Sergei Loznitsa, Russia, 2005, 52’

Kinbaku - Art of Bondage, Jouni Hokkanen, Finland, 2009, 29’

Music Partisans, Miroslaw Dembinski, Poland, 2007, 53’

My Sweet Canary, Roy Sher, Israel-France-Greece, 2011, 89’

Steam of Life, Mika Hotakainen & Joonas Berghall, Finland-Sweden, 2010, 84’

The Imposter, Bart Layton, UK-Spain-USA, 2011, 91’

The Last Days of Shishmaref, Jan Louter, Netherlands, 2008, 93’

The Mother, Antoine Cattin & Pavel Kostomarov, Switzerland-France-Russia, 2007, 80’

The World According To Ion B., Alexander Nanau, Romania, 2009, 61’

Where Is My Son?, Chaimin Ahn, South Korea, 2013, 52’

The 19^th TDF is financed by the European Union - European Regional Development Fund under the ROP of Central Macedonia 2014-2020.

19^th Thessaloniki Documentary Festival

3-12 March, 2017

“We only see what we look at. To look is an act of choice”

John Berger

The 19^th Thessaloniki Documentary Festival hosts a special tribute that honors the iconic late British art critic, author and painter John Berger (1926-2017), a highly influential, multifaceted intellectual whose legacy will be cherished.

The tribute presents two documentary films: The Seasons in Quincy: Four Portraits of John Berger by Tilda Swinton, Colin MacCabe, Christopher Roth and Bartek Dziadosz and John Berger: the Art of Looking by Cordelia Dvorák. In addition, an exhibition titled “John Berger - A Radical Humanist” with original artwork by John Berger that will be presented for the first time since his passing, will take place at the Contemporary Art Center of Thessaloniki (Warehouse B1, Thessaloniki Port). The exhibition is organized by the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival and the Contemporary Art Center of Thessaloniki – State Museum of Contemporary Art.

 A few words about John Berger:

“A radical humanist”, according to his close friend actress Tilda Swinton, Berger shared his progressive ideas with the public through books, art, television and film. His best-known work was Ways of Seeing, a book and a BBC television series that redefined the way we perceive and interpret art. In his groundbreaking oeuvre he also spoke about the ideology of visual aesthetics, as well as the political background that stands behind every human action. This particular philosophy that characterized Berger throughout his life, justifies acts such as donating half of his Booker Prize money to the Black Panthers, the revolutionary African-American movement, in 1972. His rich body of work, restless spirit and unique personality will always remain an inspiration.

The films:

Set in the village of Quincy at the French Alps, where Berger spent more than 40 years of his life, The Seasons in Quincy: Four Portraits of John Berger is a captivating portrait of his, compiled by four essay films directed by Tilda Swinton, Colin MacCabe, Christopher Roth and Bartek Dziadosz. The documentary looks at different aspects of Berger’s life and work; in the segment “Ways of Listening” Berger is highlighted as a mentor and a father figure for Tilda Swinton, with whom he shares a truly affectionate friendship, while “Spring” captures his love for nature and animals. In “A Song for Politics” Berger talks about modern politics and capitalism. The documentary’s epilogue “Harvest” centres on the young generation, who embodies hope for the future.

Another intimate approach to Berger’s biography, Cordelia Dvorák’s John Berger: The Art of Looking focuses on his personality and work on the occasion of his 90^th birthday. Art, politics and motorcycles set the tone in this engaging documentary where John Berger leads us in his favourite role as the storyteller through his ways of seeing of today. His art of looking is highlighted through the testimonies of various artists, as well as two of his children; film critic Katya Berger and painter Yves Berger.

The exhibition:

Thirty drawings and paintings by John Berger complement the tribute on his work held by the 19^th TDF. Most of them were lent to the festival exclusively for this exhibition by Berger’s son, Yves, while others are part of private collections. The exhibition also includes screenings of films, video extracts and TV shows about Berger, as well as copies of his books. The exhibition is curated by TIFF’s Director Orestis Andreadakis and Syrago Tsiara, director of the Contemporary Art Center of Thessaloniki.

Info: March 4 – April 13, 2017, Contemporary Art Center of Thessaloniki (Warehouse B1, Port) // Opening Hours: Tuesday-Saturday 10:00-18:00 // Entrance: 3 euro, 1,50 euro reduced, 1,00 euro group ticket, free access to certain individuals and groups with valid ID

Official Opening: 8 March, 19:30 – A round-table discussion about Berger’s work will take place at the opening with the participation of Tom Overton (writer, curator and researcher, British Library) and Antonis Kotidis (Professor Emeritus, Department of the History of Art, School of History and Archaeology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki).

The 19^th Thessaloniki Documentary Festival, part of the Thessaloniki International Film Festival, presents approximately 213films (shorts and features) by directors from all over the world, as well as a full parallel events program.

FILM PREMIERES

The 19^th TDF presents 1 world, 14 international, 4 European and 183 Greek premieres:

World Premieres:

Upon The Shadow, Nada Mezni Hafaiedh, Tunisia, 2017, 80’ – Human Rights

International Premieres:

78/52, Alexandre O. Philippe, USA, 2017, 91’ - Cinema

Buba & Sharon, Chiel Aldershoff, The Netherlands, 2016, 16’ – Docs for Kids

Deltas, Back To Shores, Charlie Petersmann, Switzerland, 2016, 77’ – International Competition

Foreign Local, Moriya Ben Avot, Israel, 2016, 12’ - Kaleidoscope

Jesser and the Sugarcane, Godelieve Eijsink, The Netherlands, 2016, 15’ – Docs for Kids

Koropa, Laura Henno, France, 2016, 19’ – Human Rights

Spotlight on Merna, Mirjam Marks, The Netherlands, 2016, 15’ – Docs for Kids

Stories Our Cinema (Did) Not Tell, Fernanda Pessoa, Brazil, 2017, 80’ – International Competition

The Social, Gilles Perret, France, 2016, 84’ - Kaleidoscope

Transitioning: Transgender Children, Roser Oliver I Olivella & Lluis Montserrat I Satorre, Spain, 2016, 52’ – International Competition

Vergot, Cecilia Bozza Wolf, Italy, 2016, 60’ - Kaleidoscope

Woman on Fire, Julie Sokolow, USA, 2016, 84’ – Minorities tribute

Zaatari Djinn, Catherine Van Campen, The Netherlands, 2016, 90’ – Human Rights

Zooland, Pary El-Qalqili, Germany, 2016, 33’ - Kaleidoscope

European Premieres:

Death By A Thousand Cuts, Juan Mejia Botero & Jake Kheel, USA-Dominican Republic, 2016, 73’ - Habitat

It's Not yet Dark, Frankie Fenton, Ireland, United Kingdom, USA, 2017, 81’ –International Competition

Rumble, the Indians Who Rocked the World, Catherine Bainbridge & Alfonso Maiorana, Canada, 2017, 90’ – International Competition

To The Moon and Back, Susan Morgan Cooper, Russia-USA, 2016, 85’ – Kaleidoscope

INTERNATIONAL JURY

This year for the first time the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival will feature an International Competition section with 12 films of over 50’ will compete for the Golden Alexander and the Special Jury Award. The Golden Alexander award is accompanied by a €5,000 cash prize, sponsored by the Municipality of Thessaloniki. Τhe Special Jury Award is accompanied by a €2.000 cash prize, sponsored by ERT, the Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation.

The five-member International Jury called to judge the films of the International Competition section is composed of:

Paul Pauwels, director of the European Documentary Network (EDN), Belgium - Jury President

Dina Iordanova, professor of film studies, Bulgaria

Laurent Rigoulet, journalist, France

Talal Derki, film director, Syria

Marianna Economou, film director, Greece

FIPRESCI JURY

An international FIPRESCI (International Federation of Film Critics) jury will hand out one award to a film of the International Competition section.

The three-member FIPRESCI Jury is composed of:

Roberto Tirapelle, Italy, President

Bettina Hirsch, Germany

Christos Skyllakos, Greece

OPENING FILM

The Rolling Stones Olé Olé Olé!: A Trip Across Latin America

by Paul Dugdale, UK, 2016

The 19^th Thessaloniki Documentary Festival opening film (Friday March 3^rd, Olympion theatre) celebrates rock & roll. Paul Dugdale’s euphoric documentary The Rolling Stones Olé Olé Olé!: A Trip Across Latin America focuses on the legendary band’s tour in Latin America, while they visit Cuba for the first time and rock an entire continent.

SIDEBAR EVENTS

EXHIBITION “JOHN BERGER: A RADICAL HUMANIST”

March 4 – April 13, 2017, Contemporary Art Center of Thessaloniki (Warehouse B1, Port) // Opening Hours: Tuesday-Saturday 10:00-18:00 // Entrance: 3 euro, 1,50 euro reduced, 1,00 euro for groups & free access to certain individuals and groups with valid ID

Thirty drawings and paintings by John Berger complement the tribute on his work held by the 19^th TDF. These works are presented for the first time only two months after his passing. Most of them were lent to the Festival exclusively for this exhibition by John Berger’s son, Yves, while others are part of private collections. The exhibition will also include screenings of films, video extracts and TV shows about Berger, as well as copies of Berger’s books. The event is organized by the Contemporary Art Center of Thessaloniki – State Museum of Contemporary Art and the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival (Curation: Orestis Andreadakis, Syrago Tsiara).

*Official Opening: 8 March, 19:30 – A round-table discussion about Berger’s work will take place with the participation of Tom Overton (writer, curator and researcher, British Library) and Antonis Kotidis (Professor, Department of the History of Art, School of History and Archaeology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki).

EXHIBITION “WITHOUT A KNIFE AND FORK”

March 3 – August 30, 2017, Cinema Museum of Thessaloniki (Warehouse A, Port)
// Opening Hours: 10.00 – 20.00 // Entrance: 2 euros

On the occasion of the festival’s new section “Food vs. Food”, an exhibition dedicated to the role of food in the Greek cinema will take place at the Cinema Museum of Thessaloniki. The exhibition focuses on food as highlighted in films like A Touch of Spice by Tassos Boulmetis (2003), Htypokardia sto Thranio by Alekos Sakellarios (1963) and The Fear by Kostas Manousakis (1966), inter alia. The event is organized by the TDF and the Museology Laboratory of the University of the Aegean (curation: Anastasia Chourmouziadi, Assistant Professor of Museology, University of the Aegean).

CARTOON EXHIBITION: “MICHAEL KOUNTOURIS, MADE IN EUROPE: DESCRIBING THE REFUGEE CRISIS WITHOUT WORDS”

March 4 – 19, 2017, MOB Café (Ionos Dragoumi & 2 Papadopoulou str.) // Opening hours: 10:00 - 02:00 (Sundays 11:00 - 02:00) // Opening: March 4, 19:00

The exhibition presents works by the Greek cartoonist Michael Kountouris, all of them generated by the refugee crisis, xenophobic Europe and societies of closed borders and wars. The artist expresses the pain and desperation of the people who were forced to abandon their home and family, in search of a new life. All these topics are highlighted without words, but through the power of the universal language of image and symbolism. The exhibition is organized by the Greek street magazine “Schedia” and MOB Café, with the support of the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival.

MOVING SILENCE EVENT

March 10 – 11, 2017, Contemporary Art Center of Thessaloniki (Warehouse B1, Port) // Entrance: free with voluntary contribution // info & screenings: www.cact.gr

Moving Silence, the Berlin-based platform for contemporary silent film, presents an international program of short films accompanied by live music by musicians based in Thessaloniki, as well as a GIF exhibition. The event is organized by Moving Silence, the Contemporary Art Center of Thessaloniki – State Museum of Contemporary Art and the Goethe Institut Thessaloniki, with the support of the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival (program curators: Matthias Fritsch, Co-Founder & Co-Director Moving Silence and Eirini Papakonstantinou, Music Program Curation and coordination, Art Historian, SMCA Curator).

“HOME NEW HOME” PROJECT: REFUGEES AND CITIZENS FROM 6 WELCOMING COUNTRIES FILM THE REFUGEE CRISIS

March 10, 12:00, Pavlos Zannas theatre (free entrance)

Cultural Institutions, Universities and NGOs from Germany, Greece, Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Palestine, participated in an intercultural film project titled “Home New Home”, in which Syrian refugees and citizens from six welcoming countries took part in documentary filmmaking workshops in Athens, Lesvos, Izmir, Tyr, Ramallah and Amman. The project is supported by the Anna Lindh Foundation and the main partners are StoryDoc (Greece), Yasar University (Izmir, Turkey), Theater House (Tyr, Lebanon), Palestinian Young Filmmakers’ Association (Palestine) and Arab Women Media Center (Amman, Jordan). Three short documentaries will be screened during the 19^th TDF, presented by the Greek directors/producers Marco Gastine, Angelos Kovotsos and Kostas Spiropoulos, tutors of the project. The event is organized by StoryDoc, with the support of the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival.

MUSIC AT THE KAPANI MARKET

March 4, live 12:00-15:00 (Kapani Market) & dj set 22:30 (Uberdooze)

On the occasion of the new “Food vs. Food” segment, the 19^th TDF in collaboration with the cultural organization “Kapani project”, invite you to a special music event. From 12:00 to 15:00 there will be live performances by two Thessaloniki-based bands -Τhe Coconaut Rockers and Deep in the Top- at the Kapani Market in Thessaloniki, while a dj set will take place at 22:30, at Uberdooze (Danaidon & Sfetsiou str).

BOOKPRESENTATIONS

“Techni” in Thessaloniki: The Film Club 1955-1967

March 9, 12:00, Pavlos Zannas Theater, free entrance

On the evening of November 11, 1955, the “Techni” Film Club was founded. Its soul was the acclaimed Greek author, translator and intellectual Pavlos Zannas, who was 26 years old at the time. The last screening of the Club took place on Sunday April 16, 1967, after showcasing approximately 300 films and tributes. The introductions to these screenings are presented half a century later by Ermis Publishers and the “Techni” Macedonian Arts Society, in a book edited by Alekos Zannas. The speakers of the event are: Chryssoula Saatsoglou-Paliadeli (Professor Emeritus, Department of the History of Art, Faculty of History and Archaeology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki), Alecos Zannas (editor), Yannis Bakoyannopoulos (film critic) and Ioanna Manoledaki (painter-set designer, Professor Emeritus, Theater Department, School of Fine Arts, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki).

“Small Adoptions” by Stavros Psillakis

March 11, 12:00, Pavlos Zannas theatre, free entrance

“Making a documentary film is like an act of adoption. It’s like waking up one morning and finding a baby on your doorstep. It’s up to you to decide what to do: ignore it or adopt it”, notes the Greek director Stavros Psillakis about his book “Small Adoptions”. The edition, an initiative of the Chania Film Festival, is presented during the 19th TDF in an event that features the following speakers: Orestis Andreadakis (Director of the Thessaloniki IFF), Electra Venaki (General Director of the Greek Film Centre), Matthaios Frantzeskakis (Director of the Chania FF, publisher), Angelos Kovotsos (film director), Stratos Kersanidis (journalist), Kostis Mavrakakis (architect) and Stavros Psillakis.

JUSTTALKING

5-11 March (inclusive), 16.00–17.30, Olympion Complex, “Room with a view” Café

The Just Talking event, introduced in 2006, brings filmmakers from various parts of the world together and creates a platform of communication, promoting creativity and collaboration. Daily discussion groups of directors and producers revolve around issues that concern documentary filmmakers. Apart from the groups, all other accredited festival attendees are admitted and can either simply listen or participate.

THESSALONIKI CINEMATHEQUE LIBRARY

Inaugurated in March 2013, the Thessaloniki Cinematheque Library, yet another institution of the Thessaloniki International Film Festival, is the largest film library in the country, containing Greek and international books and magazines that cover a wide range of topics regarding information, study and research on the art of film. The collection consists of approximately 15,000 books, as well as Greek and international magazines about film. Part of the collection is available in digital form which allows easier access to the Library’s public. The Thessaloniki Film Library is hosted at the Cinema Museum – Cinematheque, in Warehouse A’ (City Port).

19^th TDF FILM LINE-UP

INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION

·         DELTAS, BACK TO SHORES, Charlie PETERSMANN, Switzerland, 2016, 77’

·         DREAM EMPIRE, David BORENSTEIN, Denmark, 2016, 73΄

·         IT'S NOT YET DARK, Frankie FENTON, Ireland, United Kingdom, USA, 2017, 81΄

·         MACHINES, Rahul JAIN, India, Germany, Finland, 2016, 71’

·         MEMORY EXERCISES, Paz ENCINA, Argentina, Paraguay, France, Germany, 2016, 70’

·         RUMBLE: THE INDIANS WHO ROCKED THE WORLD, Catherine BAINBRIDGE & Alfonso MAIORANA, Canada, 2017, 90΄

·         SACRED WATER, Olivier JOURDAIN, Belgium, 2016, 56’

·         SHINGAL, WHERE ARE YOU?, Angelos RALLIS, Greece, Austria, Belgium, 2016, 103΄

·         STORIES OUR CINEMA (DID) NOT TELL, Fernanda PESSOA, Brazil, 2017, 80’

·         THE EXTRA MILE, Victoria VELLOPOULOU, Greece, 2016, 74΄

·         TRANSITIONING: TRANSGENDER CHILDREN, Roser OLIVER I OLIVELLA & Lluis MONTSERRAT I SATORRE, Spain, 2016, 52’

·         VILLAGE POTEMKIN, Dominikos IGNATIADIS, Greece, 2016, 85΄

HUMAN RIGHTS

·         BORDERS, Damjan KOZOLE, Slovenia, 2016, 10΄

·         CAHIER AFRICAIN, Heidi SPECOGNA, Switzerland, Germany, 2016, 119΄

·         DIL LEYLA, Asli OZARSLAN, Germany, 2016, 71΄

·         EYES OF EXODUS, Alexandra LIVERIS, USA, Greece, 2016, 27΄

·         I AM NOT YOUR NEGRO, Raoul PECK, USA, France, Belgium, Switzerland, 2016, 93΄

·         KOROPA, Laura HENNO, France, 2016, 19΄

·         NOWHERE TO HIDE, Zaradasht AHMED, Norway, Sweden, 2016, 86΄

·         PRISON SISTERS, Nima SARVESTANI, Sweden, 2016, 94΄

·         SPECTRES ARE HAUNTING EUROPE, Niki GIANNARI & Maria KOURKOUTA, Greece, 2016, 99΄

·         STRONG ISLAND, Yance FORD, USA, 2017, 107΄

·         THE GROWN UPS, Maite ALBERDI, Chile, The Netherlands, France, 2016, 82΄

·         THE LAST DECISION, Antonis TOLAKIS, Greece, 2016, 56΄

·         THE PEARL, Christopher LAMARCA & Jessica DIMMOCK, USA, 2016, 94΄

·         THE SNAKE CHARMER, Nina Maria PASCHALIDOU, Greece, Cyprus, 2017, 58΄

·         UPON THE SHADOW, Nada Mezni HAFAIEDH, Tunisia, 2017, 80’

·         WHOSE COUNTRY?, Mohamed SIAM, Egypt, France, USA, 2016, 57΄

·         ZAATARI DJINN, Catherine VAN CAMPEN, The Netherlands, 2016, 90΄

HABITAT

·         ANGRY INUK, Alethea ARNAQUQ-BARIL, Canada, 2016, 85΄

·         DAYS OF A LAKE, Pandora MOURIKI, Greece, 2017, 48΄

·         DEATH BY THOUSAND CUTS, Juan Mejia BOTERO & Jake KHEEL, USA, Dominican Republic, 2016, 73΄

·         GREEK ANIMAL RESCUE, Menelaos KARAMAGHIOLIS, Greece, 2016, 65΄

·         OLYMPUS - FOUR PATHS TO REACH THE GODS, Nikos DOURLIOS, Greece, 2017, 93΄

·         PLASTIC CHINA, Jiu Liang WANG, China, 2016, 83΄

·         SAFARI, Ulrich SEIDL, Austria, 2016, 91΄

·         SAMUEL IN THE CLOUDS, Pieter VAN EECKE, Belgium, The Netherlands, 2016, 70΄

·         SEA TOMORROW, Katerina SUVOROVA, Kazakhstan, Germany, 2016, 92΄

·         THE BORNEO CASE, Dylan WILLIAMS & Erik PAUSER, Sweden, Germany, United Kingdom, Norway, The Netherlands, 2016, 78΄

·         THE ISLANDS AND THE WHALES, Mike DAY, Scotland, Denmark, 2016, 81΄

·         WHEN TWO WORLDS COLLIDE, Heidi BRANDENBURG & Mathew ORZEL, United Kingdom, Peru, 2016, 100΄

MEMORY-HISTORY

·         A BASTARD CHILD, Knutte WESTER, Sweden, Norway, 2016, 57

·         ALKI'S LONG WALK, Margarita MANDA, Greece, 2017, 88΄

·         ANDREAS LENTAKIS - A ROMANTIC FIGHTER, Menos DELIOTZAKIS, Greece, 2017, 83΄

·         AUSTERLITZ, Sergei LOZNITSA, Germany, 2016, 94΄

·         BOBBY SANDS: 66 DAYS, United Kingdom, Ireland, 2016, 105΄

·         BONES OF CONTENTION, Andrea WEISS, USA, 2017, 75΄

·         EXILE, Rithy PANH, France, Cambodia, 2016, 77΄

·         HOUSTON, WE HAVE A PROBLEM!, Ziga VIRC, Slovenia, Croatia, Germany, Czech Republic, Qatar, 2016, 88΄

·         LETTERS FROM ATHENS - PORTRAIT OF MY FATHER IN TIMES OF WAR, Timon KOULMASIS, Germany, Greece, France, 2016, 90΄

·         MY HOMELAND'S FLAG IS BLUE..., Stelios HARALAMBOPOULOS, Greece, 2016, 109΄

·         PORTOLAGO - GHOSTS IN THE AEGEAN, Ioanna ASMENIADOU - FOKA, Greece, 2017, 60΄

·         REMEMBRANCES, Nikos KAVOUKIDIS, Greece, 2016, 128΄

·         THE GREAT UTOPIA, Fotos LAMPRINOS, Greece, Ukraine, 2017, 90΄

·         THE SETTLERS, Shimon DOTAN, France, Canada, Israel, Germany, 2016, 96΄

·         TOWER, Keith MAITLAND, USA, 2016, 82΄

·         WRITING ON THE CITY, Keywan KARIMI, Iran, 2015, 60΄

KALEIDOSCOPE

·         ΑΜΑΖΟΝΑ, Clare WEISKOPF &Nicolas VAN HEMELRYCK, Colombia, 2016, 82΄

·         A GREEK WINTER, Ingeborg JANSEN, The Netherlands, 2016, 65΄

·         ALL GOVERNMENTS LIE: TRUTH, DECEPTION AND THE SPIRIT OF I. F. STONE, Fred PEABODY, Canada, 2016, 92΄

·         AMA-SAN, Claudia VAREJAO, Portugal, 2016, 112΄

·         AMATEURS IN SPACE, Max KESTNER, Denmark, 2016, 90΄

·         AMERICAN ANARCHIST, Charlie SISKEL, USA, 2016, 80΄

·         BOOBS, Stelios TATAKIS & Agnes SKLAVOU, Greece, 2017, 55΄

·         BOONE, Christopher LAMARCA, USA, 2016, 75΄

·         CHINA’S VAN GOGHS, Yu HAIBO & Kiki TIANQUI YU, China, The Netherlands, 2016, 81΄

·         COMMUNION, Anna ZAMECKA, Poland, 2016, 72΄

·         DEADLINE, Menios KARAYANNIS, Greece, 2017, 78΄

·         DELICATE BALANCE, Guillermo GARCIA LOPEZ, Spain, 2016, 83΄

·         DIALOGUE OF BERLIN, Nicos LIGOURIS, Greece, Germany, 2017, 80΄

·         DRIFTING GENERATION, Stella Nikoletta DROSSA, Greece, Germany, 2017, 114΄

·         DUGMA - THE BUTTON, Paul Salahadin REFSDAL, Norway, 2016, 60΄

·         FOREIGN LOCAL, Moriya BEN AVOT, Israel, 2016, 12’

·         GAZA SURF CLUB, Philip GNADT & Mickey YAMINE, Germany, 2016, 87΄

·         ICHTHYS, Christos KARALIAS, Greece, 2017, 33΄

·         LAUGHING TO DEATH, Stelios KOULOGLOU, Greece, France, Belgium, Germany, 2016, 92΄

·         MAPPLETHORPE: LOOK AT THE PICTURES, Fenton BAILEY & Randy BARBATO, USA, 2016, 108΄

·         MISS KIET'S CHILDREN, Petra LATASTER CZISCH &Peter LATASTER, The Netherlands, 2016, 113΄

·         MONSTER IN THE MIND, Jean CARPER, USA, 2016, 87΄

·         SANTOALLA, Andrew BECKER &Daniel MEHRER, USA, Spain, 2016, 83΄

·         SHADOW WORLD, Johan GRIMONPREZ, USA, Belgium, Denmark, 2016, 90΄

·         SHASHAMANE, Giulia AMATI, Italy, 2016, 80΄

·         THE CHALLENGE, Yuri ANCARANI, France, Italy, 2016, 70΄

·         THE DAZZLING LIGHT OF SUNSET, Salome JASHI, Georgia, Germany, 2016, 74΄

·         THE GOOD POSTMAN, Tonislav HRISTOV, Finland, Bulgaria, 2016, 80΄

·         THE SOCIAL, Gilles PERRET, France, 2016, 84΄

·         THE WAR SHOW, Andreas DALSGAARD & Obaidah ZYTOON, Denmark, Finland, Syria, 2016, 100΄

·         THE WONDER KID, Yorgos PANTELEAKIS, Greece, 2017, 72΄

·         TO THE MOON AND BACK, Susan MORGAN COOPER, Russia, USA, 2016, 85΄

·         TUTTI A CASA: POWER TO THE PEOPLE?, Lise BIRK PEDERSEN, Denmark, Norway, Finland, 2016, 90΄

·         VENUS, Mette Carla ALBRECHTSEN & Lea GLOB, Denmark, Norway, 2016, 85΄

·         VERGOT, Cecilia BOZZA WOLF, Italy, 2016, 60΄

·         YIANNIS KASTRITSIS: THE MAN AND HIS SHADOW, Dimitris KOUTSIABASAKOS, Greece, 2017, 52΄

·         ZOOLAND, Pary EL-QALQILI, Germany, 2016, 33΄

FOOD vs. FOOD

·         ANTS ON A SHRIMP, Maurice DEKKERS, The Netherlands, 2016, 88’

·         BITTER GRAPES - SLAVERY IN THE VINEYARDS, Tom HEINEMANN, Denmark, 2016, 57’

·         BUGS, Andreas JOHNSEN, Denmark, 2016, 76’

·         HERITAGE OF MOUNT ATHOS, Christos MATZONAS, Greece, 2016, 72’

·         MY HUMAN SELF, Loukas AGELASTOS & Spyridoula GKOUSKOU, Greece, 2017, 77’

·         PRIORAT, David FERNANDEZ DE CASTRO, Spain, 2016, 68’

·         THE CHOCOLATE CASE, Benthe FORRER, The Netherlands, 2016, 90’

·         THE FIRST SUPPER - THE JOURNEY OF FOOD, Andreas APOSTOLIDIS & Yuri AVEROF & Nikos DAYANDAS & Lefteris HARITOS, Greece, 2016, 58’

·         THEATER OF LIFE, Peter SVATEK, Canada, 2016, 93’

CINEMA

• 76 MINUTES AND 15 SECONDS WITH ABBAS KIAROSTAMI, Seifollah SAMADIAN, Iran, 2016, 76΄
• 78/52, Alexandre O. PHILIPPE, USA, 2017, 91΄
• CINE THISSION OF ATHENS, Maria DOUZA, France, Greece, 2016, 52΄
• CINEMA NOVO, Erik ROCHA, Brazil, 2016, 92΄
• CINEMA, MANOEL DE OLIVEIRA AND ME, Joao BOTELHO, Portugal, 2016, 81΄
• DAWSON CITY: FROZEN TIME, Bill MORRISON, USA, 2016, 120΄
• MIDNIGHT RETURN, Sally SUSSMAN, USA, 2015, 99΄
• MIFUNE, THE LAST SAMURAI, Steven OKAZAKI, Japan, 2016, 80΄
• TAKE ME HOME, Abbas KIAROSTAMI, Iran, 2016, 16΄
• THE GRADUATION, Claire SIMON, France, 2016, 115΄

MUSIC

·         BEATBOX AND WINDS - NICOS DIMINAKIS, Gina GEORGIADOU, Greece, 2016, 54΄

·         CURRENTZIS. THE CLASSICAL REBEL, Christian BERGER, Austria, Germany, 2016, 52΄

·         EVERY SINGLE DAY, Spyros GEROUSIS, Greece, 2017, 55’

·         I CALLED HIM MORGAN, Kasper COLLIN, Sweden, 2016, 86΄

·         LA CHANA, Lucija STOJEVIC, Spain, Iceland, USA, 2016, 83’

·         LIBERATION DAY, Morten TRAAVIK & Ugis OLTE, Norway, Latvia, 2016, 100΄

·         LUTE ELECTRIC, Vassilis DIMITRIADIS & Mike GERANIOS, Greece, 2016, 45΄

·         PLACEBO: ΣΤΗΝ ΕΝΑΛΛΑΚΤΙΚΗ ΡΩΣΙΑ/PLACEBO: ALT. RUSSIA, Charlie TARGETT-ADAMS, United Kingdom, 2016, 67’

·         POI E: THE STORY OF OUR SONG, Tearepa KAHI, New Zealand, 2016, 94’

·         STRING-LESS, Angelos KOVOTSOS, Greece, 2017, 86΄

·         THE ROLLING STONES OLE OLE OLE!: A TRIP ACROSS LATIN AMERICA, Paul DUGDALE, United Kingdom, 2016, 101΄ 

>>FILM FORWARD

·         LAYLA MEETS LANCELOT, Joana LINDA, Portugal, 2016, 27΄

·         MINUTEBODIES. THE INTIMATE WORLD OF F. PERCY SMITH, Stuart A. STAPLES, United Kingdom, 2016, 54΄

·         THE BEACH, Pedro NEVES, Portugal, 2016, 23΄

SHORT DOC EXPERIMENTS OBERHAUSEN

• 489 YEARS, Hayoun KWON, France, 2016, 11΄
• ELEGANCE, Virpi SUUTARI, Finland, 2015, 25΄
• FAMILIAR MEMORIES, Pol MERCHAN, Germany, 2016, 4΄
• FREEDOM AND INDEPENDENCE, Bjorn MELHUS, Germany, 2014, 15΄
• INITIATION, Teboho EDKINS, Germany, South Africa, 2016, 11΄
• JUS SOLI, Simon JENKINS, United Kingdom, 2015, 16΄
• LA ESTANCIA, Federico ADORNO, Paraguay, 2014, 14΄
• MALEVOLENT MOUNTAINS, Helen MICHAEL, United Kingdom, 2015, 4΄
• NIMMIKAAGE (SHE DANCES FOR PEOPLE), Michelle LATIMER, Canada, 2015, 4΄
• PERRY, Susanne STEINMASSL, Germany, 2016, 3΄
• RETROSPECTIVE, Salla TYKKA, Finland, 2016, 15΄
• RETURNING TO AEOLUS STREET, Maria KOURKOUTA, Greece, France, 2013, 14΄
• SOUND OF MY SOUL, Wojciech BAKOWSKI, Poland, 2014, 13΄
• VENUSIA, Louise-Adelaide CARRIN, Switzerland, 2015, 34΄
• ZAGREB CONFIDENTIAL - IMAGINARY FUTURES, Darko FRITZ, Croatia, 2015, 13΄
• ZLATE PIESKY ROCKET LAUNCH, Josef DABERING, Austria, 2015, 10΄

GREEK PANORAMA

·         A ROAD WITH A LONG HISTORY, Damianos MAXIMOV & Anatoli KARIPIDOU, Greece, 2016, 56΄

·         AKYLLAS KARAZISIS MEETS HOVARTH WITH FAITH, HOPE, CHARITY, Apostolia PAPAIOANNOU & Elias YANNAKAKIS, Greece, 2016, 65΄

·         COSTA TSOKLI: THE WHAT, THE HOW AND THE WHY OF ART, Andonis KIOUKAS, Greece, Cyprus, 2017, 55΄

·         DRAGGED OFF CLIFF, CRETE 1947,Costas DANDINAKIS, Greece, 2017, 66΄

·         FEELING OF A HOME, Michalis KASTANIDIS & Io CHAVIARA, Greece, 2017, 26’

·         FOUR DIMENSIONS AND ONE LAMP, Thanassis NEOFOTISTOS, Greece, 2017, 30΄

·         I AM A DANCER, Stavros PETROPOULOS, Greece, 2016, 79΄

·         I THINK ABOUT THE GIRLS WHO FELL IN LOVE, Yorgos BOUGIOUKOS & Spyros SKANDALOS, Greece, 2016, 18΄

·         IN THE CITY, Avrilios KARAKOSTAS, Greece, 2016, 14΄

·         MAN AT HOME, Stratis VOGIATZIS & Konstantinos KOUKOULIS, Greece, 2016, 46΄

·         MY MOTHER THE TOBACCO GROWER, Stathis GALAZOULAS, Greece, 2016, 21΄

·         NO SILENCE, Maria THEODORAKI & Konstantinos KARAPANAGIOTIS & Maria NIKOLAKI, Greece, 2016, 47΄

·         REFUGEE HIGHWAY, Chronis PEHLIVANIDIS, Greece, 2016, 72΄

·         SAINT VALENTINE'S SECRET TRIP, Yiannis XIROUHAKIS, Greece, 2016, 55΄

·         SECOND LIFE - FROM A THORN COMES A ROSE, Nikol ALEXANDROPOULOU, Greece, 2016, 50΄

·         SOLON, TAKSIMI IN THE TIME, Yannis ADRIMIS, Greece, 2016, 20΄

·         SYRAKOS DANALIS - JOURNEY TO THE LIGHT, Dimitris GOUZIOTIS, Greece, 2017, 75΄

·         THE ARTIST VASSILIS THEOCHARAKIS, Yannis VAMVAKAS, Greece, 2017, 85΄

·         THE CARPENTER AND HIS WIFE, Constantinos GEORGOPOULOS, Greece, 2016, 16΄

·         THE EXPERIMENT OF VENEZOUELA, Iason PIPINIS, Greece, 2016, 65΄

·         THE GLASS DRAGON, Konstantina OUROUMI, Greece, 2017, 10΄

·         THE LAST RESORT, Thanos ANASTOPOULOS & David DEL DEGAN, Italy, Greece, France, 2016, 119΄

·         THIS IS NOT A COUP, Aris CHATZISTEFANOU, Greece, 2016, 80΄

·         VIVE LA FUITE, Evi KARAMBATSOU, Greece, 2017, 74΄

·         WALL DEMOCRACY, Valia KARDI & Nefeli KOSKINA, Greece, France, 2016, 26΄

·         WE ARE HELLENES, GEORGIUS GEMISTUS PLETHO, Stamatis TSAROUHAS, Greece, 2016, 61΄

·         WHERE I HAVE BEEN, WHERE I AM, WHERE I'M GOING - AMPHITHEATRE VOICES, Yorgos KERAMIDIOTIS, Greece, 2016, 85΄

·         X APARTMENTS, Leonidas KONSTANTARAKOS, Greece, 2016, 55’

·         YEDI KOULE A PLACE OF REMEMBRANCE, FILMFABRIKERS & Anastasia CHRISTOFORIDOU, Greece, 2016, 19΄

VITALY MANSKY TRIBUTE

·         PRIVATE CHRONICLES. MONOLOGUE, Russia, 1999, 95΄

·         BROADWAY. BLACK SEA, Germany, Russia, Czech Republic, 2002, 78΄

·         GAGARIN'S PIONEERS, Germany, Russia, 2005, 100΄

·         MOTHERLAND OR DEATH, Russia, 2011, 99΄

·         PIPELINE, Russia, Czech Republic, Germany, 2013, 117΄

·         UNDER THE SUN, Russia, Germany, Czech Republic, Latvia, North Korea, 2015, 106΄

·         CLOSE RELATIONS, Latvia, Germany, Estonia, Ukraine, 2016, 112΄

JOHN BERGER TRIBUTE

• THE SEASONS IN QUINCY: FOUR PORTRAITS OF JOHN BERGER, Bartek DZIADOSZ & Tilda SWINTON & Colin MACCABE & Christopher ROTH, United Kingdom, 2016, 89΄
• JOHN BERGER OR THE ART OF LOOKING, Cordelia DVORAK, Germany, 2016, 55΄

YERVANT GIANIKIAN & ANGELA RICCI LUCCHI TRIBUTE

·         NOCTURNE, Italy, 1997, 18΄

·         BALKAN INVENTORY, Italy, 2000, 62΄

·         IMAGES OF THE ORIENT: VANDAL TOURISM, Italy, France, 2001, 62΄

·         OH! UOMO, Italy, 2004, 72΄

·         BARBARIC LAND, France, Italy, 2013, 65΄

MINORITIES TRIBUTE

·         A HOLE IN THE HEAD, Robert KIRCHHOFF, Slovakia, Czech Republic, 2016, 88΄

·         KAISA'S ENCHANTED FOREST, Katja GAURILOFF, Finland, 2016, 82΄

·         THE RETURN, Zahavi SANJAVI, Sweden, 2016, 54΄

·         TO ANOTHER LIFE, Laurent LAUGHLIN, Greece, 2016, 46΄

·         WOMAN ON FIRE, Julie SOKOLOW, USA, 2016, 84΄

CARTEBLANCHE: DIMITRI EIPIDES

·         BLOCKADE, Sergei LOZNITSA, Russia, 2005, 52΄

·         KINBAKU - ART OF BONDAGE, Jouni HOKKANEN, Finland, 2009, 29΄

·         MUSIC PARTISANS, Miroslaw DEMBINSKI, Poland, 2007, 53΄

·         MY SWEET CANARY, Roy SHER, Israel, France, Greece, 2011, 94΄

·         STEAM OF LIFE, Mika HOTAKAINEN & Joonas BERGHALL, Finland, Sweden, 2010, 84΄

·         THE IMPOSTER, Bart LAYTON, United Kingdom, Spain, USA, 2011, 99΄

·         THE LAST DAYS OF SHISHMAREF, Jan LOUTER, The Netherlands, 2008, 93΄

·         THE MOTHER, Antoine CATTIN & Pavel KOSTOMAROV, Switzerland, France, Russia, 2007, 80’

·         THE WORLD ACCORDING TO ION B., Alexander NANAU, Romania, 2009, 61΄

·         WHERE IS MY SON?, Chaimin AHN, South Korea, 2013, 52΄

DOCS FOR KIDS

·         AHMAD'S HAIR, Susan KOENEN, The Netherlands, 2016, 23΄

·         BUBA & SHARON, Chiel ALDERSHOFF, The Netherlands, 2016, 16΄

·         CAMBRIDGE, Eldora TRAYKOVA, Bulgaria, 2015, 64΄

·         CHE!, Elsbeth FRAANJE, The Netherlands, 2016, 14΄

·         CHILDREN DEPORTED: FARIDA, Ragnhild SORHEIM, Norway, 2015, 16΄

·         JESSER AND THE SUGARCANE, Godelieve EIJSINK, The Netherlands, 2016, 15΄

·         SCOTT + JULIA, Annelies KRUK, The Netherlands, 2016, 22΄

·         SPOTLIGHT ON MERNA, Mirjam MARKS, The Netherlands, 2016, 15΄

·         THE GIRL OF 672k, Mirjam MARKS, The Netherlands, 2016, 18΄

·         THE OTHER KIDS, Pablo DE LA CHICA, Spain, 2016, 85΄

·         WHEN I HEAR THE BIRDS SING, Trine VALLEVIK HABJORG, Norway, 2016, 7΄

19^th Thessaloniki Documentary Festival

3-12 March, 2017

MINORITIES TRIBUTE

The first openly transgender firefighter in New York, Roma survivors of the Holocaust, the odyssey of the Kurdish refugees, the persecution of the Sami tribe, a lesbian refugee in search of a better life; people from all over the world who endure, claim and fight for equal opportunities and a better future, take centre stage in the "Minorities" tribute of the 19^th Thessaloniki DocumentaryFestival.

Since its establishment, the Thessaloniki Documentary Festival has given voice to those who are struggling to be heard, promoted social awareness and defended human rights. The “Minorities” tribute presents 5 documentaries of recent production that shed light on various aspects of a topic that has always been to the forefront of public discussion.

The films:

• “Brave” is the least one could say about Brooke Guinnan, the first openly transgender firefighter in New York; not only does she fight fire, but mainly other people’s prejudices, in Julie Sokolow’s Woman on Fire.

• They live with the scars of the past in their bodies and souls. The tragedy suffered by the Roma during the World War II is explored in Robert Kirchhoff’s A Hole in the Head.

• A Kurdish refugee camp, a young volunteer nurse and a woman who stubbornly refuses food or any contact with the world outside her tent. Images that are hard to describe in words are captured in The Return by Zahavi Sanjavi.

• A warm friendship that knows no borders and a crusade across Europe to save the Sami tribe: this is the subject of Katja Gauriloff’s Kaisa's Enchanted Forest. The director chronicles the story of the great grandmother and looks at her nation’s painful history.

• A lesbian Syrian refugee claims a better future. She will arrive at the island of Lesvos and eventually at the German parliament to tell the story: ΤοAnother Life by Laurent Laughlin.

The tribute "Minorities" has free admission, and is implemented through the Operational Program “Human Resources Development, Education and Lifelong Learning” and co-funded by the European Union (European Social Fund) and national funds.

19^th Thessaloniki Documentary Festival

3-12 March, 2017

                                              DOC MARKET AWARDS       

The awards of the Docs in Progress section of the TDF’s Doc Market were presented on Wednesday March 8, 2017, at the packed “Room with a view” Café of the Olympion complex, in the framework of the 19^th Thessaloniki Documentary Festival.

The awards were bestowed by the international Docs in Progress jury that consisted of Yuri Averof (producer, Anemon Productions, Greece), Monika Mikušova (programme acquisitions, RTV Slovakia, Slovakia) and Francis Kandel (programme acquisitions, Canal +, France).

The first award of up to 15.000 euro in post-production services sponsored by 2|35 Inc Post-Production House was given to the film Castle by Hamed Zolfaghari – Iran (Production Company: Crazy Woodpecker Film Studio, Producers: Hamed Zolfaghari, Nina Amin Zadeh).

The second MuSou award for music and sound services, amounting up to 6.500 euro, was given to the film Kiruna 2.0 by Greta Stocklassa - Czech Republic (Production Company: Analog Vision s.r.o., Producer: Veronika Kührová, Michal Kráčmer, Co-producer: Ondřej Šejnoha, FAMU).

The Docs in Progress section of the TDF’s Doc Market presents projects from Central Europe, the Balkans and the Mediterranean region that participate in closed sessions for Thessaloniki’s invited industry professionals, sales agents, distributors, producers and festival representatives. 

The Los Angeles based Israel Film Festival, the largest showcase of Israeli films in the U.S., is launching its 31st edition by hosting an awards luncheon honoring CAA’s Adam Berkowitz, award-winning producer David Shore and real estate developer/philanthropist Max Webb, it was announced by Festival Founder and Executive Director Meir Fenigstein. Berkowitz, the co-head of the television department at Creative Artists Agency, has been named the 2017 IFF Career Achievement Award recipient. Writer/producer Shore will receive the 2017 IFF Visionary Award, and Max Webb, the founder of Shapell Properties, will collect the 2017 IFF Lifetime Achievement Award. The gala luncheon will take place on Thursday, March 16 at the Four Seasons Hotel, with Elon Gold serving as Master of Ceremonies.

Berkowitz is co-head of the television department at Creative Artists Agency (CAA), where he works with many of the world's leading television producers, writers and directors. Berkowitz has been instrumental in packaging and selling numerous television programs, including Seinfeld, Everybody Loves Raymond, Arrested Development, Two and a Half Men, Masters of Sex, True Detective, Justified, Rescue Me, Big Love and Netflix's House of Cards, amongst others. Additionally, he sold the first Israeli series ever to Netflix, The Greenhouse, as well as the critically acclaimed Israeli series Fauda. Berkowitz also represents many of Israel's leading production companies, writers, directors and actors. Prior to joining CAA in 1997, Berkowitz was an Agent at the William Morris agency. He currently serves on the board of the Hollywood Radio & Television Society and is chairman of the entertainment division of the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles.

Shore created what was at one point the world's most watched television program, House. The first-season episode "Three Stories" won him a Peabody, a Humanitas Prize and the 2005 Emmy® Award for Outstanding Writing. Since then, David co-created Battle Creek for CBS and Sneaky Pete for Amazon, and served as an executive producer of Houdini and Doyle, which aired on Fox in 2016. David has served as a director of the Writers Guild of America, West; the Writers Guild Foundation; the Humanitas International Foundation; and the International Board of Israel based Save a Child's Heart, an organization that saves children throughout the world who have congenital heart defects.

Webb, who just celebrated his 100th birthday this month, was born on March 2, 1917 in Lodz, Poland, one of seven children to Avraham and Sheva Weisbrot. During the war, Max survived twelve labor camps and six concentration camps, including Auschwitz Birkenau, where in 1943 he met Nathan Shapell, with whom he developed a lifelong friendship and partnership. Max, along with his brothers-in-law Nathan and David Shapell, founded Shapell Industries in 1955. For over 60 years they have provided thousands of homes throughout California as well as commercial areas. Having survived the nightmare of the camps is a constant reminder that his life was given back to him as a miracle from G-d. Following liberation Max promised to do whatever he could to help those less fortunate and to rebuild the Jewish people. As a great humanitarian, he has kept that commitment over the years by giving generously of his time and money to numerous worthwhile causes and organizations.

For over 30 years, the Festival has presented nearly 1,000 feature films, documentaries, television dramas and short films to close to million filmgoers and brought hundreds of Israeli filmmakers to the U.S. to share their art. The Israel Film Festival is produced by IsraFest Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization created in 1982. Among the Sponsors of the 31st Israel Film Festival are long-time partners Millennium Films, Rabinovich Foundation, New Regency Productions, Adelson Family Foundation, Israel Film Fund, The Hollywood Reporter, Eclipse, Variety, IAC (Israeli American Council), Israel Consulate in Los Angeles, Maurice Marciano Family Foundation, Diane & Guilford Glazer Foundation, Izek & Aline Shomof, IDB Bank, Four Seasons Hotel, The Orlando Hotel, Clear Channel, joined by Creative Artists Agency (CAA), Netflix, Showtime and Lionsgate.

www.israelfilmfestival.com *  310-247-1800/213-948-8800  *  info@israelfilmfestival.org

by Quendrith Johnson, Los Angeles Correspondent

“Hello World,” is usually a newbie’s first line of code in programming, but as of Wikileaks Vault 7 data dump about CIA covert hacking on Mar. 7, followed by Julian Assange’s “Press Conference” on Mar. 9, the whole world is actually reeling, as in the wake-up call: Hello World!

But fear not, leave it to the much-maligned Entertainment Journalists to tread where no investigative reporter dare to go.

Later on, the actual self-conducted Q & A that Julian Assange held via video press conference is included in a very compelling transcript form. Glean from that what you will, it’s like the ultimate star hacker interview.

For now, when you look at Vault 7 in relation to the July 8 release of Alex Gibney’s documentary ZERO DAYS about the Stuxnet virus, it all makes sense. You can read this later, linked here, but for now just stare hard at the self-released description by tricky Wikileaks itself. Ready?

Wikileaks Vault 7 is “The first full part of the series. ‘Year Zero,’ comprises 8,761 documents and files from an [undisclosed internal server at Langley, CIA HQ]. ‘Year Zero’ introduces the scope and direction of the CIA's global covert” cyber weapons exploits. Zero Days, Year Zero, hmm.

Located on the interwebs at https:// wikileaks.org/ciav7p1/ (which is not linked live here for security reasons and not to endorse Wikileaks), Year Zero alone says quite a lot. So let’s have some fun with it. One reporting agency had a pundit on who sarcastically commended the CIA hacking team on its excellent choice of code names, such as UMBRAGE, whereby the CIA pretends to be other hacking entities by mimicking their stolen code, but they entirely missed on Year Zero subtext.

Meaning, the bromance between comic nerds and hackers is writ large here.

First, for nerd creed background, Year Zero” is also “an alternate reality game (ARG) based on the Nine Inch Nails concept album of the same name.” These internal hackers are toying with us. As in, how about with an alternative reality game reference twist that is a clue to a shadow alternative government or deep state?

But wait, there’s more.

"Zero Year" is also “a year-long comic book crossover event published by DC Comics that began in June 2013 and ended in July 2014, featuring the superhero Batman. Which is the Vault 7, Part One, start date Assange mentions, being 2013.

DC Comics describes this as “The second arc of BATMAN: ZERO YEAR is collected as the New 52 origin of The Dark Knight delves into Bruce Wayne’s past with the Red Hood Gang and his run-ins with aspiring District Attorney Harvey Dent! You won’t want to miss the moment that Bruce becomes Batman! [BATMAN #21-24].”

Red Hood Gang is so close to a hoodie reference, specifically Edward Snowden’s red hoodie he wears in CITIZEN FOUR to shield himself while on the interwebs.

Not to mention that if Bruce Wayne as Batman goes up against the DA, District Attorney, being the Gotham government, well isn’t that analogous to the CIA defying the actual government with their new cyber hacking superpowers?

Hey, if the Right Wing can have it’s conspiracy theories, there’s the extent of a comic book conspiracy. InfoWars and those YouTube conspiracy theorists only wish they’d seen these parallels.

Back to reality, or in Wikileaks version of reality, Year Zero must mean a year of undetectable cyber exploits by the CIA, which are now hit hard by daylight.

While these revelations may shock many around the world, Alex Gibney, the documentary filmmaker behind the Eliot Spitzer expose, already bumped up against this internet leviathan, this covert sea monster of cyber space, by landing actual ex-CIA and NSA officials on the record in his documentary about the Stuxnet virus at the center of ZERO DAYS.

CIA’s brave Gen. Michael Hayden even uses his actual identity as he hints at an internecine war between spy agencies in ZERO DAYS.

Stuxnet is described in the movie as a “self-replicating computer malware (known as a ‘worm’ for its ability to burrow from computer to computer on its own) that the US and Israel unleashed to destroy a key part of an Iranian nuclear facility, and which ultimately [mutated] and spread beyond its intended target.”

Pay close attention to that “computer to computer” line, because Julian Assange will refer to an “air-gap” later, and you need to know what that is to understand the ramifications of this new class of weaponzied programs.

Air-gap jumpers mean the virus can literally jump without a wire, through the ether to infect nearby computers, thus a potentially endless domino effect of digital disaster.

Filmmaker Alex Gibney basically told the world about what was to come in Wikileaks Vault 7 when he categorically stated for ZERO DAYS, the following: “I started out making a small film investigating ‘Stuxnet…’ What I discovered was a massive clandestine operation involving the CIA, the NSA, the US Military and Israel’s intelligence agency Mossad to build and launch secret cyber ‘bombs’ that could plunge the world into a devastating series of… attacks on critical infrastructure, shutting down electricity… this science fiction scenario…”

And it was only Oscar short-listed for 2017, even though, pyrrhic victory, it is now vindicated as a contender.

Symantec anti-virus whiz Eric Chien, who is in ZERO DAYS, said “when you have black motorcycles, wearing all black following you, behind you, you start to wonder.”

On why Stuxnet wasn’t part of the Snowden leak, he casually mentioned, “Edward Snowden didn’t leak this because those files are stored on a different server.” Unbelievably important information, now backed up by Wikileaks Vault 7, and Julian Assange himself.

Speaking of the white-haired, self-conflicted, quasi-programming wizard from Oz, Australian-born Assange speaks here in his own words. Granted, some of his Britishisms have been covered to American English (i.e.; favour to favor).

This is the Mar. 9, transcript, presented in it’s entirety, so as to honor the tradition of unedited versions that Wikileaks trademark. 

Assange tends to be long-winded and overuses the word “problematic” as a euphemism for all hell breaking loose, but it’s worth a read to draw your own conclusions about the Vault 7 data dump that is literally as important as a big budget Hollywood release in its footprint in the media.

(Note the linked ZERO DAYS article at the end, which includes a complete 101 download on hacking terms.)

JULIAN ASSANGE INTERVIEWS HIMSELF, STREAMING ON VAULT 7JULIAN ASSANGE:

We now need a digital Geneva convention that will commit governments to protecting civilians from nation-state attacks in times of peace and just as the Fourth Geneva Convention recognize that the protection of civilians require the active involvement of the Red Cross - protection against nation-state cyber-attacks requires the active assistance of technology companies and companies like Wikileaks which can provide information about these attacks. The tech-sector plays a unique role as the internets first responders and we therefore should commit ourselves to collective action which will make the internet a safer place affirming a role our role as a neutral digital Switzerland that assists people all over the world to be secure. So now I will go on to some questions, first of all I confess this is one from me.

Q: Does Wikileaks have a position on this sort of material?

Well Wikileaks has a position on publishing in general - we fight for the rights of publishers to publish, we fight for the rights of sources to be protected and we fight for media accuracy. Having obtained a perfect record in the last 10 years it's one of our comparative advantages, but otherwise we don't have a position on particular issues that we're publishing about but in this case we do have a position. We have a position because these types outside the weapons are used to attack the communication technology the journalists use to communicate with their sources and with each other. The sorts of technology that investigative reporters reporting on the national security sector reporting on war crimes use to communicate their information within their media organization and back-and-forth with their sources. For example the New York Times has put up a tip line - it is based upon the signal protocol. Now Signals a good encryption system for mobile smart phones, now what's the problem - well if you control the smart phones it doesn't matter how good the encryption system is. So signal and telegram from that perspective can simply be bypassed by attacking the endpoints, attacking one of the telephones belonging to the source or one of the telephones belonging to the journalist.

And the New York Times has a central tip-line - one phone that all of its tips go to for the signal protocol and of course that phone can be hacked it doesn't matter what the security system is, as a result you see the numbers coming into the coming into it and you see the messages exchanged. So Wikileaks does have a position - we want to secure communications technology because without secure communications technology journalists are not able to effectively hold the state to account. WikiLeaks protections for its sources, are they affected by this? No they're not affected not directly - why is that well because we're specialists in this area, we're specialists in source protection and I've known in general about this type of problem for a long time. So our systems are developed to not be exposed and not based on smart phones for example we have specialised cryptography that is not susceptible to these types of attacks. On the other hand are our lawyers susceptible to these types of attacks ? Yes they are - a lot of them are susceptible to these types of attacks. Are our key security security staff ? No because we understand that, but we want to protect all our staff and the rights of journalists and sources to communicate effectively. Ok so that's my question now I'll go onto the others - the question from CNN:

Q: As long as these are overseas targets isn't it legal for the CIA to do this?

Well first of all I'd just like to .. It's a legally important question in the United States but there are many questions that might be asked by CNN, and one that seems to defend the interests of the CIA I think is a bit problematic* to have been the first question to be asked. Well the answer is this - unfortunately the CIA does have a history of attacking not only the political parties operating overseas we just published how the central intelligence agency issued instructions to its staff to penetrate the last French election cycle in 2012, the last French presidential election. It has a habit of behaving badly inside the United States as well.

That's an extensive habit going on for years. Most recently in 2014 the CIA was denounced by the US Senate Intelligence Committee because it had hacked their investigation in Congress into the CIA torture program and had used its hackers to retrieve documents that the Senate Intelligence Committee had evidencing what the Central Intelligence Agency did in terms of torture. Why did it do that ? I mean it's given various excuses, the answer probably is because it perceived that information would be a threat to itself as an institution.

That's how institutions behave especially intelligence institution - the CIA is the largest intelligence agency in the world by budgetary expenditure and of course it wants to maximize its own institutional power. And key individuals also want to defend their programs or increase their roles, get themselves into a position where they can cash out and go to work for defense contractors.

What about WikiLeaks material in the first part of Vault 7 - does it demonstrate the CIA attacking targets within the United States ?

That's an interesting question the answer is not known. There are more than 22,000 IP addresses that we have detected, internet addresses that correspond to computer systems within the United States.

Now one of the large research programs projects we have underway is to discover: How many of those systems are attack systems that are used to relay and pass attacks from the CIA out into the rest of the world. How many of those intermediary victims - that is say an internet service provider which is hacked in order to create an attack somewhere else overseas. How many are direct victims.

How many corresponding to say a visitor to the United States from a foreign country. How many correspond to joint operations between the CIA and the FBI, with the CIA providing technical support . It's a complex question that is not resolved but there are more than 22,000 IP addresses corresponding to CIA activities in the United States.

Q: Is there proof that the CIA are involving in an internal struggle [vs NSA] - leaking as opposed to something else?

Well we can't we can't comment directly on sourcing. As someone who's studied the behaviour for many years of intelligence agencies in different countries it is an unusual time in the United States to see an intelligence agency so prominently involved in domestic politics.

Now it's a level of principle that's quite problematic , there are arguments on the other side that obviously - if there's an extreme government then perhaps it does call for illegal behaviour by an intelligence agency. We don't have an opinion on whether that is the case yet or not the United States. Wikileaks is intellectually intrigued to see this conflict occurring because it does tend to generate whistleblowers and sources on both sides of the equation.

Q: What are the implications for journalists and sources?

I explained previously these types of the technology are used to penetrate the computers and phones that journalists used to communicate with each other and communicate and protect their sources. I think that's an incredible problem. In response to the Edward Snowden disclosures and some others much more encryption has been used by individual companies specializing in it like with Whisper Systems, like Telegram but also included into Apple and Microsoft and other products so that is fairly effective at hindering bulk interception, which is what the national security agency's been doing. Passively taking all the information say that flows from Latin America to North America or from North America to Europe.

But in response the Central Intelligence Agency at least has diversified to specialise on attacking the endpoints prior to encryption occurring or after decryption occurring. And say okay but that at least means that they have to engage in target in attacks which is more more expensive and might have more of an audit trail - that's true but we have exposed the particular section of the central intelligence agency called the automated implant branch. So that is not just to develop viruses and other attacks to put into people's computer systems to facilitate a CIA hacker in doing that but also to automate how that is done.

So you can you can see that between an individual targeted attack which is direct and invasive and massive passive bulk interception the intermediary point which is the increasing automation of targeted attacks. Their automated enough they start to approach the level of bulk capacity intersection we're not there yet for most countries but we are shifting significantly away from one CIA officer directing one hacker who attacks one target.

Rather we're seeing systems developed and whole branches of the Central Intelligence Agency to automate attacks and infestations of CIA malware into targets.

Q: How do these practices by the CIA impact on members of the general public?

With android phones, iPhones, Samsung TVs etc, well in a number of ways. So you might think as a member of a kind of average person well is the CIA interested in you? We have this problem that increasing automation of these attacks means that the interest may not have to be that high.

You might be you might know someone who knows someone who say works for the French government will be the target of such an attack because they're involved in decision-making about large French exports, and we published a previous document showing how the ODNI - that's the oversight body for all intelligence agencies instructed the CIA to try and get hold of every single French contract valued at over 200 million dollars. Similarly in the information we revealed about CIA attacks on the French political parties there was two instructions to try and determine where the French political parties will try and go for a more German oriented economic policy of increasing exports.

Now really what's going on is that the Central Intelligence Agency and the ODNI through who they tend to be involved in contracting is close to organizations say like Boeing and then wants to assist Boeing in unfair competition say against Airbus which the French have a stake in.

Q: About redaction, WikiLeaks has often stated they only redact in exceptional cases [i.e.; what is the policy]?

Well there's been a lot of false reportage about what our redaction policy is. Our redaction policy is essentially the same as the Freedom of Information Act which is - we don't react unless there are important ground to do so and then we only do so for a limited period of time until those important grounds have elapsed. In this particular case we redacted some 78,000 pieces of information for Vault 7 part 1.

That information corresponds as i said before to IP address of targets and attack machines. Well why did we redact that - well because we want to investigate which ones are targets, which ones are attacking scenes which ones were victims that were attacked to get a place hold to make another attack and if we publish them all immediately it'll be harder to create that investigation.

Q: What is the time period that these publications relate to?

The time period is 2013 to 2016 for the part 1 publication be published on Tuesday. Other material in Vault 7 is also recent and there is some old material. Interestingly one of the key systems, attack systems developed by the Central Intelligence Agency which affects multiple computer types at once it's called HIVE and if you look carefully you'll see that in our publications on Tuesday there's a reference to HIVE being first started more than a decade ago.

So the CIA has been involved in this for quite a long period of time gradually expanding its capacity as it managed to get budgetary and political pre-eminence over its chief bureaucratic and budgetary rival the National Security Agency. That's a very interesting story about the conflict between these two rival agencies over time. The CIA budget used to be smaller than the national security budget and it's now something like 1.5 times the size of national security budget, as a result the CIA has been able to build its own drone air force and massively expand its hacking operation so it doesn't need to ask the National Security Agency for favors. And of course if you also want a favor a favor can be asked back but also a lot of the operations of the CIA conducts are a bit questionable for example that operation conducted against the Senate Intelligence Committee.

Now if the CIA had no capacity that it would have had to ask National Security Agency to provide it with hackers to help it attack and try and take those documents off Dianne Feinstein and her staff. Now it wasn't able to, didn't need to disclose that to the National Security Agency because it has the capacity to do it itself and the National Security Agency having been in the media so prominently especially after it's complications in 2013 , has far more oversight and accountability for its digital operations then the Central Intelligence Agency does. It's a real question whether in practice there can be meaningful oversight. I don't think there can be - I think it's an illusion that there can be meaningful oversight although one has to try because you can't leave a regulatory ground unoccupied because it it will simply, the bureaucratic organization will expand into that regulatory ground and occupy it.

Q: So why can't the CIA hacking operations be effectively regulated?

Well they're done in secret, its arcane complex technology and look what has happened with the CIA - loss of control over it's entire cyber weapons arsenal. So if the CIA which is certainly, it's highly motivated to try and keep control of it - if it can't even control its entire cyber weapons arsenal because information can flow without oversight - then what is the chance that it can control how that Arsenal is used ? It can't, there's absolutely nothing to stop a random CIA officer or contractor or liaison agent working for the British using that technology against whoever they like whatever personal reasons they like.

The technology is designed to be unaccountable, it's designed to be untraceable, it's designed to hide itself, it's designed to to remove traces of its activity, it's designed to throw off people looking to see where there are fingerprints that might demonstrate who authored that technology.

And that is done by collecting viruses and malware from mafia and various groups in other states and assembling them, that's something that we published that there's a whole section of the CIA working something called umbrage which is designed to do that. And we have quite a lot more material that talks about these attempts to throw off authenticated, sorry to throw off attribution to discover who was really behind a particular cyber attack.

Already an antivirus expert has come forward to say that a sophisticated malware that he had attributed to a state either Iran or China or Russia now he believes actually is from Central Intelligence Agency, because the type of attack system that uses corresponds directly to a description that we published of an attack system and it's rare enough that it seems unlikely it would be independently discovered discovered. Unless of course that China has already gotten hold of these parts of the CIA arsenal and that China is using them to pretend to be the CIA.

Q: is the CIA causing commercial damage to companies through these practices?

es - potentially billions of dollars of damage because if say you're in China which is now the world's largest economy and you run a company and you want to equip all your employees with particular phones or particular computers - do you trust that if you go and buy a dell computer or computer running Microsoft or Apple phone can you trust that it's not vulnerable to these CIA attacks ? Well because Apple and Dell and so on are all based in the United States where it's understood that the u.s. government is breaching previous promises that is made which is to tell us industry about these vulnerabilities - then it starts to look like that the u.s. government and US industry is in cahoots and then you can't trust any exports from United States.

So one report just at the time of Edward Snowden's revelations suggested that practice by the National Security Agency of imperiling US industry would cost 40 billion dollars in exports, so this sort of behavior by the Central Intelligence Agency undermining those commitments by the Barrack Obama administration to tell US technology companies about vulnerabilities before they were exploited by foreign intelligence agencies or by cyber Mafia - that breach of promise decreases trust both in the US government but also in US exports.

Q: How do these publications shed light on the ability of the CIA to penetrate high security networks not connected to the internet?

Important question - they're called air-gapped network so if your worried about being attacked over the internet make your machines internet disconnected that's what most police network do for example or networks that are inside companies say like Boeing, they disconnect the network so that hackers they think can't attack them - but the CIA has created a number of viruses one for example called HammerDrill which are air gap jumping virus. So they sit on a computer waiting - this particular one HammerDrill sits on a computer, windows computer waiting until someone goes to burn a cd-rom, put software on a cd-rom and it jumps onto the cd-rom and infects the executable programs that you put on the cd-rom so they want to go somewhere else it then affects the other computer and starts a channel.

There's a number of at least 30 different types of malware that the CIA has created to try and do that, some that are designed for CIA hackers and CIA agents to say pretend to go somewhere and pretend to give a presentation or use VLC a video player to play a video to give a presentation, meanwhile behind the scenes the video presentation software and it's trojanised version of VLC goes into the computers that it's plugged into - surveys them, infects them and ransacks the material and brings it back. If you invite someone into your company or government department to give a presentation they put this into the presentation computer and now its infected. Similar to play a video and it's infected, many other different things.

One is even a virus scanner someone is pretending to be a computer security consultant to remove viruses from an organization and in fact the virus checking program is the CIA virus that is used to infest the rest of the computer network and retrieve information.

Q: Among the list of possible targets are there any references to extremists or transnational criminals?

Not in the material that we published on Tuesday [Mar. 7] - Vault 7 part 1. No. It's conspicuous, there's there's no reference to terrorism theres no reference to extremists, there are references to many other target types for example liaison agents so Allied intelligence agencies that speak to the central intelligence agency.

And the CIA has developed a menu of frequent attacks include attacking the liaison officers coming only from QCHQ or the DGSE which is a French intelligence agency who think that they are cooperating with the CIA but really the CIA is infesting the liaison agent. So they're all there in a menu called "fine dining" it's a list which literally describes itself as a menu of frequent attacks and attack types that is given to CIA case officers and they say yeah I want to attack and infest some agent that I control, a liaison, someone working for a foreign government department etc.

What is not there is any reference to terrorists any reference to extremists and that actually shouldn't be a surprise to anyone , no one no one who studies the intelligence world it shouldn't surprise them because even if you just look at the budgets that came out in 2013 to the US intelligence black-budget you don't see anything like the majority of the body going towards extremism even though they are very strong political reasons to try and catch any operation in counter terrorism and counter extremism to get more money despite that political pressure.

Something like a third of the US the entire US intelligence budgets is described as countering various forms of extremism and the overwhelming majority is not but particularly for the CIA the vast majority of the expenditure and attack types are geopolitical.

They're about, you know similar to the information revealed about the attacking of the French election cycle - understanding who could be pals with the CIA , who could you know help out the institution in one way or another so for example spy on Airbus, that information you then pass to the US Chamber of Commerce among others which is listed in the material and US Chamber of Commerce and then adjust what is doing in order to that is Boeing and these companies are closely connected to each other. It's not even about what is the policy that can help us industry the most, boost US economy the most, it it's about which elements of the US economy and or related intelligence organizations in the United States and outside the United States are best able to ask for favors because they have proximity - they have interpersonal proximity or they have institutional proximity.

Q: About the story that's in the press with possible hacking monitoring of President Donald [Trump] and his team, do these revelation shed any light on what is possible in this regard?

Well that there were earlier Press reports that the Trump cabinet has been using a encryption system called confide where the messages disappear quite quickly it's sort of like an extra encrypted version of snapchat. Well it doesn't matter it's on smartphones the software attacks smartphones, doesn't matter what encryption you're running on telegram or signal or confide if you can bypass that encryption you can turn on the microphones, it can monitor movements, it can activate the camera to look at photos that have been taken. Has the CIA done that ? This material doesn't comment on whether it has done that to the president Trump.

I suppose a question that is of interest, because there was a lot of press - there were numerous Press reports from New York Times, The Washington Post and some in Politico that people close to Donald Trump had been monitored in a counterintelligence activity. Possibly by some parts of the US government, possibly by the FBI, FBI had been mentioned, NSA had been mentioned - on the other hand it seems that many of the leaks to the media are coming from the Central Intelligence Agency based upon how they're described.

There are a number of collaborations that are evidenced by the material that we publish between the FBI and CIA and the National Security Agency and CIA so I think there's a real question whether that technology is being used or has been used in these types of investigations - that is a separate tech question to whether CIA officers have been pressing the button on that technology. What is often done in the commercial industry, the commercial spying industry - if you're in the commercial industry you can be prosecuted for hacking someone - so what happens in the commercial industry and we did a big publication we of Hacking Team where we published more than more than million emails from an Italian computer hacking contractor called Hacking Team, it sets up attack sites and it writes the software and then it helps configure it for a hacking attack and then it gives the people they've told it to in a government department, Intelligence Agency, Police Service - the ability to press the button so they hope to that removes them from being accountable for the attack.

They've just created the system to attack the actual button was pressed by different party so that's obviously a possibility in the United States in relation to a number of different attacks.

Publications don't say anything directly about the President and cabinet but that is a general phenomenon of people creating attack systems and facilitating attacks in some way but being careful about the legalities of actually pressing the button.

Q: How many parts to the vault 7 series?

What we have a lot of material - it's a big journalistic investigation from us, from our partners, we need more partners. So that those who engaged in journalistic excellence on reporting and material that we have published so far and there have been some good report, we will look at those people and trying to produce some of them to get them in - there is more work than WikiLeaks can do on its own that's quite typical with some publications, so we assemble international teams to try and get as much understanding in as many different languages as possible.

And then also finally make sure a lot of the material is published so the public can also catch any angles that us and the combined journalistic have missed - in this case we have extra problem which is that we have quite a lot of exploits that is this key attack code that we want to disarm before we think about publishing it. And to have that discussion we're going to work with some of these manufacturers that have called for it to try and get those antidotes out there before we publish more information that can give clues to the cyber mafia or other intelligence agencies on how to do this. There is a fair criticism I think of that methodology and we're watching closely which is that the CIA was so careless to produce this material, this enormous cyber weapons arsenal and lose control of it at least once and that it has spread. So does the various Cyber Mafia already have it, do foreign intelligence agencies already have it. Well I think that's a serious question, they were securing it very well so it's quite possible that numerous people could have it also it has spread appears to have spread within a number of individuals within the US intelligence community.

So how much more will it spread ? I think it's quite hard to control even if Wikileaks quickly doesn't publish any of these cyber weapons I think it is quite hard to stop the spread elsewhere which might have already occurred so therefore what you want is the fastest possible antidotes, and for that to work the fastest way of course it's just publish everything but at the moment we're watching to see whether there is a spread, and analyze what we have, work with some of the manufacturers to create, to create antidotes to these weapons.

Q: Why is Wikileaks focusing only on problems from the United States?

That's not true, we've published just in the last few months very significant collections of materials from Germany from Turkey in fact in response to our Turkish publications the Turkish government put seven Turkish journalist who has reported on our publications into prison. A very serious situation - one of those Turkish journalists is fortunate enough that he was a foreign correspondent for Geseit which is german newspaper and so he's getting a bit of support from Germany but the the other six are in a serious situation - completely outrageous that they're simply reporting on what we published and the Turkish government, Erdogan’s government has abused concerns about the coup that occurred a few months ago - to crack down on reporting about corruption. In this case the emails that were from Erdogan's son-in-law who was the minister for energy and that's what we published you can look them up at Baret's Box.

On Russia and China we have published hundreds of thousands of things most of them are critical about 80% critical and more than 2.3 million from the Syrian government including our Bashar Al-Assad's personal emails. So all cultures tend to just look at themselves and speak to themselves, they speak their own language and they're aware of themselves and what other people say about then all what's being published about their culture.

When it's published about another culture, another country then don't pay attention. Of course but people raise this for you know distracting reasons to try and question the messenger because the content itself is so powerful.

Ok that's it . Let me just break, I’ll just break for about three minutes and see if any other questions that are really important have come in and if so i might answer them…

G'day my name's Julian Assange , Welcome back to the Wikileaks press conference we have found some other questions from Fox, CBS, ABC and another journalists. We'll start first of all with CBS Jeff Pegues who asks:

Q: Why did you release the documents on Tuesday, can you comment on the timing?

We have a description of the timing in the frequently asked questions, it was as soon as we were ready but it wasn't the weekend anymore.

Those were the only factors involved - interestingly the administration says it's going to prepare some response on cyberwar, not sure exactly when it is they said within 30 days but 30 days might have already elapsed but it didn't play a part in our timing.

Nothing else played a part in our timing, it's quite a you know you can imagine it's quite a difficult effort to pull this kind of thing together. There has been also a number of attacks on our players and on even the various forms of streaming hardware that we used to create these press conferences.

Secure systems are all fine, but the streaming system is insecure because it's for the public. It went down and we have some workaround for some parts, I'm not sure if some of the other glitches that you've seen today if it has anything to do with that probably not, probably just glitches.

What occurred on Tuesday was much more serious, but to be fair I mean we're publishing an epic scoop on the CIA, the biggest in it's history and they deserve to have a little comeback.

Ok Bryan Ross from ABC:

Q: Mr. Assange have you ever been paid by the Russian government or state funded outlet RT?

The answer is no, but quite interesting to see the ABC taking that line. This is the largest publication of Central Intelligence Agency documents - number 1.

An enormous journalistic scoop about all sorts of things that affect journalists and almost every individual within the United States and in many other countries about the in some sense the future of what it means to be a state, where is the border between one state and another?

Borders are created by sea and land, borders are also created by one army meeting another army and then making a truce , that's where borders come from. On the internet there's no borders and if there's something like the use of force, that's a very interesting question as to how much state computer hacking is like a use of force in some ways it isn't in some ways it is, then obviously borders because start to become pretty mushy so enormously interesting that instead here we have a pretty sad question trying to divert from epic publication to something else.

Hillary Vaugn from Fox asks:

Q: How long do you anticipate it will take to help tech companies to issue fixes or secure devices?

What is the timeframe - that is a very important question. My experience as a computer security guy which is what I used to be in my previous profession, well some of those fixes will be fast. Ones that just affect a little part of the system with a little part that you can make a hole in and go through but the fix is just plugging this little hole, tweaking a little, distributing it, testing and distributing. Those can be issued potentially in just two or three days.

Problems that affect more critical aspects of computer code that's in a telephone or TV or somewhere else, some of them can take a lot longer to fix. And for some systems like Android with many manufacturers possibly like those Samsung TV's, there is no automatic update this isn't some people have to manually try and pull something so that the only people who are aware of it can fix the problem.

If you're not aware of it,the problem is not fixed. That's a question journalists should be asking of the the various manufacturers involved. It is an important question and it's important to put pressure on those companies to make it, basically to make security something that the market cares about and they'll respond, and they are to a degree already responding.

If they can get away with it they'll say nothing that's what that's what google did initially was to just say nothing at all hoping perhaps that maybe we wouldn't discuss it because Android is significantly more insecure than iOS - which is the software is used on Iphone.

Both of them have severe problems, that are described in these CIA documents that were published but Iphone has slightly slightly less.

Another journalist says:

Q: Is it clear which countries were among the targets of the program?

Partly - we have a lot of records in this part 1 material, a lot more in the others that we're studying that reveals tens of thousands of targets so yes many of the targets are revealed but many are also not to do with how the CIA split up the different it's different sections and branches some of the operational branches only within that branch can be quite closely held do they know what the target are.

In other cases there's collaboration between branches and support of one branch to another and the information about targets can spread further but as we have already stated there are more than 22,000 just in this initial batch of material, IP addresses that correspond to the United States. It's not clear which are attack infrastructure, intermediary victims or targets.

But there's also as we've stated attacks, numerous attacks on Europe and Latin America including Brazil including Ecuador and we're still assessing which parts of the those governments and individuals have been attacked but Brazil and Ecuador are not really known for their extremists. [end transcript]

Assange signs off with “Ok that's it thanks guys, bye.”

If this isn’t a premise for movie, you really wish it was, because the unelected official unauthorized entity known as Wikileaks is really unleashed here.

Plus, he implies there will be a sequel Part Two, possibly more.

Whomever gave Assange/Wikileaks the virtual keys to the kingdom at Langley, CIA headquarters, in Virginia is being sought out by any means necessary and dubbed the next Edward Snowden, and it just adds to the political chaos of the moment.

So we even are given a protagonist or anti-hero depending on which way the intel spins on the next data dump.

Luckily we have movies like Alex Gibney’s meticulously and prescient documentary ZERO DAYS to sort through the mire.

ZERO DAYS should have won Best Documentary, only this was Oscar’s Year Zero, where everything went haywire in Hollywood too, with the wrong winner “leaked,” sigh.

In the end, all we really want is for all government, even a shadow government, to mind its own business, except in the movies, where it’s appropriate to find outlandish scenarios and world-breaking intrigue.

But this is not a movie folks, it’s happening in America right now. Maybe it’s time to pull the cash plug on some of these alphabet agencies, scrub the black ops, and ask for receipts. ZERO DAYS was released by Magnolia Pictures back in July, and can be viewed via links here.

# # #

By Maria Esteves
The 54th New York Film Festival 2016 (NYFF54) Closing Night Premiere Press Conference of THE LOST CITY OF Z, with director James Gray; cast members , Sienna Miller, Robert Pattinson, Tom Holland, and Angus Macfadyen moderated by festival director Kent Jones, NYFF, was held at the Walter Reade Theater, NYC, Saturday, October 15, 2016.

Questions posed to director Gray and cast members by moderator Jones and members of the press included: When did you read this material for the first time, the David Grann’s https://www.davidgrann.com book? Can you talk about your experience shooting in the jungle and how difficult it was? Did you familiarize yourself with Herzog’s www.wernerherzog.com work in the Amazons? If you did, what is different in this film in what you tried to achieve? The actors, how did they oriented themselves within the world of this movie? How did you cultivated the father and son relationship? THE LOST CITY OF Z in select theaters April 14, 2017. Watch trailer

By Maria Esteves
The 54th New York Film Festival 2016 (NYFF54) Closing Night Premiere Press Conference of THE LOST CITY OF Z, with director James Gray; cast members , Sienna Miller, Robert Pattinson, Tom Holland, and Angus Macfadyen moderated by festival director Kent Jones, NYFF, was held at the Walter Reade Theater, NYC, Saturday, October 15, 2016.

Questions posed to director Gray and cast members by moderator Jones and members of the press included: When did you read this material for the first time, the David Grann’s? Can you talk about your experience shooting in the jungle and how difficult it was? Did you familiarize yourself with Herzog’s work in the Amazons? If you did, what is different in this film in what you tried to achieve? The actors, how did they oriented themselves within the world of this movie? How did you cultivated the father and son relationship? THE LOST CITY OF Z in theaters April 14, 2017. Watch trailer

NYFF54 The Lost City of Z Press Conference: L-R, festival director
Kent Jones, NYFF, director James Gray, actress, Sienna Miller, actors
Robert Pattinson, Tom Holland, and Angus Macfadyen.

NYFF54 The Lost City of Z Press Conference: Actress, Sienna Miller.

NYFF54 The Lost City of Z Press Conference: Festival director Kent Jones,
NYFF, left, and director James Gray.

NYFF54 The Lost City of Z Press Conference: Cast members Robert Pattinson,
left, and Tom Holland.

NYFF54 The Lost City of Z Press Conference: L-R, Cast members actor Robert
Pattinson, actor Tom Holland, and actor Angus Macfadyen.

Aamir, Nasir, Tahir, Tariq, Mansoor, Amjad: Movies, Masti, Modernity, Flashback 5

To remind you, Aamir is indeed Aamir Khan, Amjad is definitely Gabbar Singh, and the triple M above is to acknowledge that it was Akshay Manwani’s biographical book on the cinema of Nasir Hussain that got me delving into the period of about 15 years, when I interacted with the Hussain Khans (first five) and the bare Khan (last, but the most imposing personality). Actually, Mansoor did not use his middle name, so he can be called a ‘Khan’ too! Tahir stands for Nasir’s (younger) brother, Tahir Hussain.

Nasir Hussain (1931-2002) was already a in my favourites list much before I met him. Now, the story of my interactions with him is picked-up from the last paragraph of Flashback No. 4.

“I need not remind you that in the film, young Tariq was played by a child called Aamir Khan, Tariq’s cousin, and son of Nasir Hussain’s younger brother, Tahir Hussain, who had already produced Caravan and was now planning Anamika.”

That is Hindi for nameless. Tahir Hussain was making a film based on a Hindi novel by Surendra Parkash, his first under the independent banner of TV Films. (Caravan, which he had produced earlier, was a Nasir Hussain vehicle to launch kid brother Tahir). Raghunath Jhalani was directing Anamika, R.D. Burman has been retained for the music score and the stars were Sanjeev Kumar, a very fresh Jaya Bhaduri, Asrani, and, in a debut of sorts, a 20-going-on-21 Siraj Syed.

Thanks to nephew Tariq, Tahir knew me as the boy who had helped in giving a novel look the marathon song dance number in Yaadon Ki Baaraat, which was a golden jubilee (50 weeks’ run in cinemas, a rare landmark, even in the 70s). Some of the boys and girls seen on the screen for the first time in YKB were students of my (and Tariq’s) alma mater, National College, Bandra West, Bombay. We had a campus with a driveway, and the opening scene of Anamika was to be shot in the driveway of a college campus.

The scene went like this: Renowned writer Devendra Dutt (Sanjeev) is invited to our college Hindi Association’s function as the Chief Guest. He comes with his Secretary (Asrani), who is hard of hearing, and this fact is the basis of some comedy in the story. The Principal (played by a Junior Artiste, sometimes unfairly referred to as an ‘extra’) and the Secretary of the Hindi Association, Lakshman Singh, are out there to receive the author. Getting impatient, the Principal looks at his watch and grumbles (approximate translation): “You are getting anxious for no reason. No big novelist would arrive right on time.”

Contradicting the old man, Lakshman retorts, “But Sir, it is a well-known fact that Devendrajee is always punctual. In fact, you can set your watch to the correct time, based on his arrival.” “That’s all very well,” counters the Principal, “but look (shows his watch), it’s time already, and ...?” “...and there he is (Lakshman looks at his own watch; car enters the college gate), right on time.” Principal, Lakshman and a few others proceed to receive Dutt, as he gets out of his car. Lakshman garlands him and offers the folded-hands greeting, Namastey. Dutt responds similarly. Secretary watches, clueless

Okay, so you have guessed that I played Lakshman Singh. Being a huge fan of Sanjeev Kumar after seeing two sharply contrasting films called Nishan and Sunghursh, to have him as the star of my first scene was dream come true. To have it shot in my college, with my friends and I literally playing ourselves was the icing on the cake. I was thrilled to bits. There weren’t too many lines, but the next scene was to be shot in a regular auditorium and the film’s opening credit titles were to be superimposed after a freeze, with us seated on the dais. Wow!

Not now. Not yet. Two developments soured my sweet moments. Firstly, the Junior Artiste playing the principal could not get his lines right even after the fifth take, and I was bundle of nerves by then, having got my handful right every time. That too, passed. What I saw on the screen when I was invited a preview days before its release broke my heart. Lakshman Singh was not speaking in my voice! It had been dubbed! Why on earth? Well, the scene was outdoors, and the Mitchell and Arriflex cameras of yore whirred, not to mention ambient sounds and external noises, so outdoor scenes shot in that period had to be dubbed, almost without exception. Get it? But why use another voice to dub mine? Was I not fit to dub my own dialogue? I didn’t get it.

Having worked on the professional stage and in radio for about three years till then, I knew more than the average person about language, dialogue and voicing. What’s more, my friend, producer Shanti Sagar, had established a record of sorts by placing me on one microphone and the late Ajay Chaddha on another, to dub some twenty voices for his film Daraar, which he had shot in Kashmir, with mainly locals, most of them non-actors. Even if they could dub for themselves, the cost of getting them to a Bombay dubbing theatre would have been prohibitive. Thus, in my first ever dubbing assignment, I had modulated my voice to match 10-12 bit players, as had Chaddha, who was 12-15 years my senior, and a veteran in the profession.

What would have been a mere wound to anyone else became salt being rubbed into my wound. You just do not get another person to dub the voice of someone who is a proven dubbing artiste himself. It’s not the ‘done thing’. I was really sore. But honestly, the opportunity (a one-off stroke of my normally bad luck) of working with Sanjeev Kumar was some compensation. (Check it out, if you may).

What’s more, unlike in Yaadon Ki Baaraat, my scene in Anamika was not deleted. It just couldn’t be. When you soot scenes that introduce your hero and insert your credit titles, you make sure that the scenes are retained. Though I was very hurt about someone dubbing my voice (I have dubbed for some 200 characters since, in films, TV and video), many of my acquaintances did not notice the difference. Even if they did, the looks were unmistakable. There are advantages of playing yourself, and never mind the Lakshman Singh bit. Finally, I was in a movie, approximately 14 years after I first faced the camera for Ghunghat Ke Pat Khol (directed by Mehboob Khan’s famed writer, Ali Raza; starring Sunil Dutt, Nimmi, Baby Naaz and a seven year-old debutant, Siraj Syed; never completed).

A girl called Mumtaz was around in the campus shoot, and it turned out that she, too, was a big fan of Sanjeev Kumar. I was not the “May I please have your autograph?” kind; she was. She came up and asked me to get the needful done. I gathered my wits and wet up to Sanjeev, “Mumtaz is a fellow student and a great fan yours. Would you mind giving her an autograph?” Sanjeev smiled, and obliged. Years later, Mumtaz’s daughter Baby Guddu was to become probably the most prodigious and popular child actor of her time. I still bump into Mumtaz, occasionally, while taking a walk on Carter Road.

Tariq did not have a role in Anamika, but he was to act in the two forthcoming films made by his two uncles: Zakhmee (Tahir) and Hum Kiseese Kum Naheen (Nasir). Given that both YKB and Anamika (to a lesser extent) were box office boosters, and that I had also been called to get my ‘crowd’ to appear in films like Bobby and Agent Vinod, would this ‘crowd-puller’ (I am getting indulgent) be far behind? Haven’t you heard the ....song...from Zakhmee, ‘Nothing is impossible?’

Coming-up: Flashback 6

Aamir, Nasir, Tahir, Tariq, Mansoor, Amjad: Movies, Masti, Modernity, Flashback 6

To remind you, Aamir is indeed Aamir Khan, Amjad is definitely Gabbar Singh, and the triple M above is to acknowledge that it was Akshay Manwani’s biographical book on the cinema of Nasir Hussain that got me delving into the period of about 15 years, when I interacted with the Hussain Khans (first five) and the bare Khan (last, but the most imposing personality). Actually, Mansoor did not use his middle name, so he can be called a ‘Khan’ too! Tahir stands for Nasir’s (younger) brother, Tahir Hussain.

Nasir Hussain (1931-2002) was already a in my favourites list much before I met him. Now, the story of my interactions with him is picked-up from the last paragraph of Flashback No. 5.

Tariq did not have a role in Anamika, but he was to act in the two forthcoming films made by his two uncles: Zakhmee (Tahir) and Hum Kiseese Kum Naheen (Nasir). Given that both YKB and Anamika (to a lesser extent) were box office boosters, and that I had also been called to get my ‘crowd’ to appear in films like Bobby and Agent Vinod, would this ‘crowd-puller’ (I am getting egotistic) be far behind? Haven’t you heard the ....song...from Zakhmee, ‘Nothing is impossible?’

Zakhmee tapped the ‘three heroes’ formula, as did HKKN. After Madhosh, with Phir Janam Lenge Hum (small budget Hindi Gujarati bi-lingual) and Zakhmee, Tahir Hussain moved on from RDB, to a barely out of his teens, Bappi Lahiri. Bappi called Kishore Kumar ‘Mama’ (maternal uncle), and his preference for the singer was well-known. The only other singer who was naturally expected on the list when Bappi Lahiri was composing music for a film was Bappi himself. I met Bappi in TahirSaahab’s office, along with his illustrious father, Aparesh. We become acquaintances, and I often visited their home, a bare two kilometres from mine. Aparesh’s composition, ‘Jai RadheyShyam’, rendered by Mukesh, from a little-known film called Netaji Subhashchandra Bose, was gem of a bhajan (Hindu devotional number).

One song in Zakhmee was to be picturised on Rakesh Roshan, Tariq Hussain Khan and Reena Roy. In an attempt to make it stand out, Tahir asked me to get him an all female orchestra team. There was one beat group that I remember that had made some headlines then, and Tahir has probably seen/heard them/of them. The song was called, “Nothing is impossible,” and it had a racy, dance beat. Mohammed Rafi and Kishore Kumar had done the playback, and, even on first hearing, it was decidedly a chart-mover.

A city-wide search was launched, to find six girls, in their late-teens or early 20s, who could at least pretend to play Western musical instruments, swig to the mood, look good and be willing to don ‘glamorous’ (read ‘short’) costumes, not to mention attend shooting for 2-5 days, for a not-too-grand pay packet. How I found them is another story, but find them... I did! Tahir Hussain, (Marathi) director Raja Thakur and Tariq were mighty pleased. I guess we went with the attributed-to-Napoleon quote, “The word impossible is not to be found in my dictionary.” ‘Nothing is impossible’ was a rocking experience, though Bappi used Rafi’s voice only very, very, rarely.

By this time, my reputation had travelled across Mumbai’s filmdom. Calls came from RK Films (Bobby), Subodh Mukerji Productions (Mr. Romeo), Rajshri Productions (Agent Vinod), Navketan (Bullet), and more. What had begun as a friendly favour now became a paying (albeit modestly) proposition. There came a time when I had to say “No” because dates clashed, or the producers weren’t willing to pay much or because the girls and boys were not willing. Many for them were students, and this was not a profession for them. The film industry had just about begun to emerge from the label of a vice racket, and get some recognition, as a regular industry.

Junior Artistes and Dancers, members of their respective associations and labour unions, began to perceive me as a threat to their livelihood, and I had to face some awkward moments. Junior Artistes Suppliers had to take upon themselves to persuade the unions to allow these exceptions as a one off, in return for a certain number of the members getting placements too. In some instances, the Suppliers approached me directly, and even made temporary membership cards for the group called Siraj Associates, to prevent any untoward incident. Amidst this scenario, Nasir Hussain was planning the song-dance-massive crowd-disco-club medley, written by Majrooh Sultanpuri, composed by Rahul Dev Burman and sung by Mohammed Rafi, Kishore Kumar, Asha Bhosle and Pancham (RDB) himself, to end all medleys. His film was titled Hum Kiseese Kum Naheen.

“I want all of Yaadon Ki Baaraat, and more,” he declared.

I guessed what was coming. “How many?”  

“As close to one thousand as you can get,” came the reply. I gulped.

“There is a dance competition. Chintoo (Rishi Kapoor) and Tariq are the main combatants. I am introducing a new girl, a college student called Sunita Kulkarni (K.C. College, a sister concern of National). We have re-named her Kaajal Kiron. Both love her, but she taunts Tariq and shows her preference for Chintoo, an impersonator.

“From a swinging dance competition, we move to a sad song, by Tariq. Amjad Khan, our main villain, in disguise is watching secretly, as is Sanjana. Get me 400-500 girls and an equal number of boys. I need a fabulous male dancer to compete with Chintoo, and lose, obviously. Oh! I need panel of three judges too. You will play the main judge. Get me two more. You will announce the rules of the competition on screen, declare the results at the end and garland the winners. I want it to be the highlight of the film, so don’t let me down.”

I was still swallowing hard.

“This medley will be shot at Filmistan Studios, Goregaon. There’s another song too, it’s a ...kind of ballad for Chintoo, a musical introduction, a solo song, with some chorus. I need an orchestra group for that too, and some 500 crowd. Don’t look so worried. You have done this many times in the last 2-3 years. And I haven’t forgotten what you did for us in YKB. You will be paid well. Now, get moving!”

Munir Khan, a friend, Nasir, Siraj, Tariq and Bhatt

Both song numbers were shot on fabulous, dazzling, even if a little garish, sets. ‘Bachna aye haseeno’ was managed somehow, and you must have seen the razzmatazz a dozen times. But the medley was a back-breaking job. I had to find 900 (another 100 were union members; that made a thousand strong crowd presence) presentable boys and girls, to sit and swing on cue, devise chorus dancing to match the movements on the stage, find two judges (model Vilas Kalgutkar, now an ace photographer, was one find) serve as the Chef Judge myself, find an ace-dancer to match the formidable Rishi Raj Kapoor (we found an incredibly rubber-boned guy named Nazeer), control the proceedings from my position in the middle of the stadium-like set, using a mega-phone, and make sure nobody slips out during breaks, attracting the wrath of the director for a jerk in continuity. Some assignment, this.

To break the monotony of the shooting, which needed several takes for each shot, I made a quip about Amjad Khan’s baby son not being able to recognise his own father, thanks to an elaborate disguise. Not be outdone, Amjad made a rather obscene comment, and yelled it out when I was explaining the rules, on the mike, just before the take. That I found unfair. My aside was just that, an aside, spoken privately. Amjad had made it public. So I went public too. Unlike him, I toned down the double entendre, but the innuendo went home, and the crowd was on my side. A truce was called.

What you saw on screen in the final version was much shorter than what had been shot. To my dismay, as I was announcing the results, and awarding the prizes, a title card saying ‘Intermission’ came up, and obliterated all my lines. The unduly long film had to be trimmed, and these few lines on a ‘nobody’ just had to go, to save some twenty seconds. But some of the opening lines were essential, though here again, when I said “15 seconds to go” the visual moved from me to a clock!

Another littler nugget that I can share with you is that Nazeer’s dancing attracted Choreographer Suresh Bhatt’s awe! “He’s just too good, Siraj. Even Chintoo feels the same. How can he lose to Chintoo? Audiences will not be convinced. We wanted a good dancer, but not so bloody good! Do you have someone else?”

Someone else? Now? In the middle of a shot? Nazeer, a regular disco-goer, was grinning. That was when a filmy solution dawned on me. “Sureshjee, make him fall. He will supposedly sprain his ankle, and Manjeet (Rishi) will get a walk-over.” “Good idea,” chorused both Bhatt and NasirSaahab. Bad idea, felt Nazeer. He just would not fall, naturally, and limp off. And remember, he was to make sure he did not really hurt himself in the bargain.

It appeared contrived because: A. Nasir was not an actor B. He was dancing as good as, if not better than, Rishi, which was something he could be proud of and C. Losing the contest by falling down appeared unpalatable to him. It took some convincing and several retakes, and all was well in the end. What you see in the film is the end product, where the contribution of another Khan must also be acknowledged--Director of Photography, Munir Khan, an amiable man who was always lovingly addressed as “Khan” by Nasir, a Khan himself.

What were the tracks included in the medley? No, I don’t need to tell you that. You know that all the songs in the film were chart-toppers, and I had sensed as much—I could have bet there and then that they would be smash hits. What I will share is with you is that RD was present for part of the picturisation, and readily mingled with us, happily posing for pictures too.

An unexpected but just dessert came my way when my Ustaad (Guru), Ameen Sayani, summoned me to voice the character of Rishi Kapoor, in the radio advertising campaign of HKKN. I had, till then, already represented the character played by Chintoo in films like Bobby and Zehreela Insaan. Bobby was his first film as actor. It was my first film as radio voice. Somehow, I was identified with Rishi, and conveyed the character through voice, with three others in the campaign, including Mr. Sayani himself.

Directly, or indirectly, I was part of some 18 minutes of screen time, and several hours of radio time, although I was seen for less than a minute. 1976-77 proved a good year for Nasir Hussain Films. Hum Kiseese Kum Naheen proved the block-buster of the year, even without any major star in its cast. Without doubt, its real stars were its song and dance numbers. ‘Bachna aye haseeno’ was remixed for Rishi’s son Ranbir Kapoor some 30 years later, in the film with the eponymous name.

One track, ‘Tere liye’, was a clear lift from ABBA’s ‘Mamma mia’ and another, ‘Tum kya jaano’, was reprised from Sholay’s ‘Mehboba’, which in turn, was a plagiarised from Egyptian-Greek singer Demis Roussos’s ‘Say you love me’. However, it was the resurgent Mohammed Rafi, who won the National Award for Best Playback Singer for the dulcet, smooth as silk and heart-rending lamentation, at the same time, ‘Chaand mera dil’. Can you imagine Hum Kiseese Kum Naheen without these numbers?

Coming-up: Flashback 7

MOMA’s presentation of innovative nonfiction films was held from February 16-26 with more than 20 features and 10 shorts, including a section of new media Canadian nonfiction films and a retrospective of Emiko Omori with six productions. As in prior editions the program covered a broad range of themes and issues as well as innovative approaches in documentary film making. This year’s edition presented an outstanding selection of films investigating global issues and problems faced by contemporary societies.

Rahul Jain’s feature Machines, (2016, India/Germany/Finland) opened the program. This first production by a film maker still attending school provides a superb visual exploration of a huge textile factory in Gujarat, India including interviews with workers and managers setting the political context of the documentation. Workers seem to be part of the machinery they attend. Given extensive unemployment for the semi and unskilled labor force in that and other Indian areas employers can readily replace workers. One worker states that those who rebel are considered dangerous and get killed. Workers in turn become dependent on minimal wages because they cannot assert themselves. During the first six months of their employment only half of the salary is paid because they are in training.  Workers, including many teenagers and children, complete 12-hour shifts under dreadful conditions. As Jain’s visual exploration of the work process and the aged machinery shows, there is virtually no modern technology or automation used, thus there is no need to hire skilled labor which would require higher wages.  Management expresses contempt for their workers and even suggests that they are overpaid. Yet the verbal exchanges recede behind the visual imagery, the long cuts and a superb score. Colorful textiles dominate the screen yet they are balanced by the juxtaposed images of the environmental damage the production process causes. As Jain pointed out in the post screening discussion, American features tend to have more than a thousand cuts while Machines has only about 170. The score uses sounds recorded by 70 contact microphones which Jain attached o to the factory machinery. Rahul Jain plans to rent theatres in India to show his film and wants to present it on Indian television, stimulating a debate of the issues presented.

Plastic China, Jiu-liang Wang, 2016, China. 

The filmmaker finished Beijing Besieged by Waste in 2011, a comprehensive documentary that received widespread attention in China and caused the government to force the municipality of Beijing to address the problem[MM1]  of environmentally sound waste disposal. Plastic China investigates an equally important issue, disposal of highly toxic plastic waste. China is the world’s largest importer of plastic waste generated by advanced industrial societies, specifically the United States. More than half of the global plastic waste is imported by China. In 2011 one million tons were shipped from the US to China, a figure that is much higher now given the growing costs of recycling in the US. Whereas advanced technologies permit the US to process some plastic waste the bulk of it is shipped to China. 30 Chinese towns handle the imported plastic with devastating consequences for the environment, polluting air, water, and impairing the health of the people processing it. Increased consumption in China adds to the amount that must be processed or recycled. The work is carried by mainly small family based enterprises and requires few skills. Jiu-lang Wang investigates two families with children, which make a living processing the waste that surrounds them. In Machines, the surplus of unskilled labor in India forces people to accept poorly paying work to survive. The same holds for the plastic waste processing in China. Sorting out plastic waste requires few skills and as large numbers of people migrate from the countryside to cities where farming skills cannot be applied plastic processing can becomes one of few options for employment. Income is needed to survive but also to pay for the schooling of children; motivating their parents to engage in dirty labor and forcing the children to help. There are upsetting images in this documentary. A family literally lives in the plastic toxic trash which serves as a playground for the children, eating food found in the waste. They also get dead fish from a polluted creak and after frying they eat the fish. According to the film maker his documentation resulted in the closure of some processing facilities. Hopefully, this film will help to foster the consideration of toxic waste pollution which has not yet figured prominently as an issue in Chinese public discussion.

Austerlitz, Sergei Loznitsa, 2016, Germany 

There is no single documentary answer to reporting about the challenging theme of concentration camps. Loznitsa does not probe what his images present, holocaust tourism.  His camera does not move and remains fixed recording black and white images of visitors to two concentration camps near Munich and Berlin; Dachau and Sachsenhausen. Dressed like summer tourists we see them entering and leaving the camps and buildings which harbored horror. We watch those taking pictures of themselves in front of and behind the ignominious Arbeit Macht Frei[MM2]   (Work Liberates) sign of the entry gate. They talk with each other sometimes, and listen to the tour guides. The documentary has no score and is restricted to few excerpts of the explanations offered by the guides. The facial expressions of the visitors do not reveal the impact of what they see, or at least their faces do not seem to show emotions when they inspect the furnaces where thousands were cremated. Rather, we see selfies of the visitors taken from all kind of angles. The inscriptions on their casual t-shirts reflect the tourist mentality. They seem to be consuming the experience of the camp, apparently disconnected from the horror and murder that took place seven decade ago. There is no discernible link. As the film’s title Austerlitz , referring to a vaguely known century-old battle implies,  a clear memory of the  historical and the dreadful seems to be drifting away. The question remains in the discussion of the tourism which Loznitsa depicts, what motivates individuals to visit places of horror and destruction. Is their curiosity restricted to the consumption of visual images or does it still encompass learning and commiseration?

Wolf and Sheep, Shahrbanno Sadat, 2016, Denmark/France/Sweden/Afghanistan.

The filmmaker who is Afghanistan’s first female feature director received the 2016 Cannes Art Cinema Award for Wolf and Sheep, a film which crosses the traditional boundaries of filmmaking. Her presentation of everyday life in a small Afghan shepherd village is a mélange of ethnographic and naturalistic folkloric elements incorporating the fairy tale of a green nude female visible for brief moments.  There are no actors and the story is carried by dozens of imported villagers and children playing themselves. The action takes place in a village which the director recreated for security reasons in neighboring Tajistan because her crew consisted of foreigners and the film’s tale was considered offensive to the Taliban. The audience gains an intimate view of the life of male and female villagers and their children whose spheres are gender segregated. Time seems to stand still for these people and their communication is shaped by gossip and their daily experiences. Young girls and boys tend the flock of sheep and the adults continue repetitive activities which have remained unchanged over decades. Slowly paced, the story evolves with some high points, a funeral opening the film, wolfs killing some sheep, a boy losing an eye in a slingshot accident, and, closing the story, the villagers deserting their homes because of outsiders threatening them. The superb photographic and sound work in this film and the captivating delivery of the story by non-actors conveys to Wolf and Sheep authenticity.

Claus Mueller,  filmexchange@gmail.com

,

SaveSave

SaveSave

A true-life drama, centering on British explorer Col. Percival Fawcett, who disappeared while searching for a mysterious city in the Amazon in the 1920s, The Lost City of Z has great cinematography and a wonderfully crafted script.  A classic timeless film hands down. Producers Brad Pitt production company Plan B co-founded with  Brad Grey and Jennifer Aniston in 2001 has  become influential in supporting auteur-driven works.

The Lost City of Z is a film based on a true story and is the name given by Col. Percy Harrison Fawcett, a British surveyor, to an indigenous city that he claimed existed in the jungle of the Mato Grosso region of Brazil. Based on early histories of South America and his own explorations of the River Amazon region, Fawcett theorized that a complex civilization once existed in the Amazon region and that isolated ruins may have survived. Fawcett then found a document known as Manuscript 512, housed at the National Library of Rio de Janeiro, believed to be by Portuguese bandeirante João da Silva Guimarães (pt) who wrote that during 1753 he'd discovered the ruins of an ancient city that contained arches, a statue, and a temple with hieroglyphics. The city is described in great detail without providing a specific location. This city became a secondary destination for Fawcett after "Z". Manuscript 512 was written after explorations made in the sertão of the province of Bahia, see Fawcett's own book "Exploration Fawcett".

Fawcett was preparing to find "Z" when World War I intervened. During 1920 he attempted on his own to find the city, but withdrew after suffering from fever and shooting his pack animal. During a second 1925 expedition, Fawcett, his son Jack, and Raleigh Rimell disappeared in the Mato Grosso jungle.

David Grann's New Yorker article "The Lost City of Z" (2005) was expanded into a book The Lost City of Z (2009). At the dawn of the 20th century, British explorer Percy Fawcett journeys into the Amazon, where he discovers evidence of a previously unknown, advanced civilization that may have once inhabited the region. Despite being ridiculed by the scientific establishment, which views indigenous populations as savages, the determined Fawcett, supported by his devoted wife, son, and aide-de-camp, returns to his beloved jungle in an attempt to prove his case. on the book "The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon"

Darius Khondji cinematographer does an exquisite job of framing every shot creating each scene into a palette of vibrant colour and motion. A dynamic cast brings the story alive with exceptional direction by James Gray (Little Odessa)

 Tom Holland as Jack Fawcett and Sienna Miller as his wife Nina are paired to perfection with a chemistry which permeates the screen.  With anticipation of a spring release The Lost City of Z is sure to win a large audience and hopefully picking up a few awards along the festival circuit.

Story by Laurie Gordon

resources: IMDB Wikipedia

19^th Thessaloniki Documentary Festival

3-12 March, 2017

The International Jury of the 19^th Thessaloniki Documentary Festival comprised of:
Paul Pauwels, director of the European Documentary Network (EDN), Belgium - Jury President

Dina Iordanova, professor of film studies, Bulgaria

Laurent Rigoulet, journalist, France

Talal Derki, film director, Syria

Marianna Economou, film director, Greece

Bestows:

THE AWARDS

Best Documentary - Golden Alexander for a film over 50’ in the International Competition section:

DREAM EMPIRE by David Borenstein, Denmark, 2016

The Golden Alexander award is accompanied by a €5.000 cash prize, sponsored by the Municipality of Thessaloniki.

Special Jury Award for a film over 50’ in the International Competition section:

MACHINES by Rahul Jain, India-Germany-Finland, 2016

Τhe Special Jury Award is accompanied by a €2.000 cash prize, sponsored by ERT S.A., the Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation.

And a Special Mention to the film:

SHINGAL, WHERE ARE YOU? by Angelos Rallis, Greece-Belgium-Austria, 2016

“HUMAN VALUES AWARD” OF THE HELLENIC PARLIAMENT
The “Human Values Award” (presented by the Hellenic Parliament) Jury consists of:

Kostas Dimos (Head of Programming)
Aris Fatouros (Program Consultant)
Vassilis Douvlis (Film director)
 

Awards the best film in the International Competition section to:

MACHINES by Rahul Jain, India-Germany-Finland, 2016

ERT S.A. DOC ON AIR AWARD
ERT S.A., the Hellenic Broadcasting Corporation, bestows the Doc on Air award to the best project of the Pitching Forum of EDN, judged by the EDN committee. The award is equivalent to the sum of 3.000 euro and is sponsored by ERT S.A.

The award is bestowed to:

THE WATCHMEN by Madeleine Leroyer (Producer Valérie Montmartin, Little Big Story, France)

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL AWARD
The Amnesty International Jury consisting of:
Konstantinos Kyriakos (Assistant Professor of the University of Patras, writer)
Christina Zoniou (Professor of the University of the Peloponnese, President of the Hellenic Theatre/Drama and Education Network, Founding Member of the Theatre of the Oppressed Activist Group)
Kyriakos Katzourakis (Director, painter)
Katerina Kalogera (President of Amnesty International Greece, scriptwriter, director)
Marianna Leontaridou (Member of Amnesty International, film critic)

Awards the best film in the HUMAN RIGHTS section to:

I AM NOT YOUR NEGRO by Raoul Peck, USA -France-Belgium-Switzerland, 2016

WWF AWARD
The WWF Jury consisting of:
Iasonas Kantas (Head of Media at WWF Greece)
Vicky Barboka ("Better Life” Project Associate)
Christi Sotiriou (Head of “Fish Forward” Project)
Alex Kandarakis (Communications officer at WWF Greece)

Awards the best film in the HABITAT section to:

DAYS OF A LAKE by Pandora Mouriki, Greece, 2017

FIPRESCI AWARD

The FIPRESCI (International Federation of Film Critics) Jury consisting of:

Roberto Tirapelle, Italy – JuryPresident

Bettina Hirsch, Germany

Christos Skyllakos, Greece

Awards the best film of the International Competition section to:

MACHINES by Rahul Jain, India-Germany-Finland, 2016

THE GREEK FILM CRITICS ASSOCIATION (PEKK) AWARD to a Greek film:
VILLAGE POTEMKIN by Dominikos Ignatiadis, Greece, 2017

FISCHER AUDIENCE AWARDS 2017

- The Peter Wintonick Audience Award for a film over 50’ in the International Selection goes to:
NOWHERE TO HIDE by Zaradasht Ahmed, Norway-Sweden, 2016

- The Audience Award for a film under 50’ in the International Selection goes to:
AHMAD'S HAIR by Susan Koenen, The Netherlands, 2016

 
- The Audience Award for a Greek film over 50’ goes to:
STRING-LESS by Angelos Kovotsos, Greece, 2017
 
- The Audience Award for a Greek film under 50’ goes to:
THE GLASS DRAGON by Konstantina Ouroumi, Greece, 2017
 

YOUTH JURY AWARDS

The Youth Jury, comprised of Anthi Antoniadi, Iliana Deligiannidou, Panagiotis Kountouras, Maria Bellou and Yorgos Tsaousakis, students of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, bestows two awards:

Best Film Award to:

THE SNAKE CHARMER by Nina Maria Paschalidou, Cyprus-Greece, 2017

Special Jury Award to:

EYES OF EXODUS by Alexandra Liveris, USA-Greece, 2016
 

DOCS IN PROGRESS AWARD 2017

The Docs in Progress international Jury, consisting of:
Yuri Averof (producer, Anemon Productions, Greece)

Monika Mikušova (programme acquisitions, RTV Slovakia, Slovakia)

Francis Kandel (programme acquisitions, Canal +, France)

Bestows two awards:

The first award of up to 15.000 euro for post-production services sponsored by 2|35 Inc Post-Production House to:

CASTLE by Hamed Zolfaghari – Iran (Production Company: Crazy Woodpecker Film Studio, Producers: Hamed Zolfaghari, Nina Amin Zadeh)

The second award of up to 6.500 euro for music and sound services sponsored by MuSou:

KIRUNA 2.0 by Greta Stocklassa - Czech Republic (Production Company: Analog Vision s.r.o., Producer: Veronika Kührová, Michal Kráčmer, Co-producer: Ondřej Šejnoha, FAMU)

Focus on documentaries / more than 100 films from Japan /
diverse supporting program

From May 23 to 28, 2017 the seventeenth edition of the Nippon Connection Film Festival will take place in Frankfurt am Main. With more than 100 short and feature length films, it is the biggest festival for Japanese film worldwide, offering a varied and exciting insight into Japanese cinema. Many directors and actors are present to introduce their works to the local audience for the first time. Apart from the films, a diverse supporting program gives visitors the chance to delve into the multi-faceted culture of Japan. The main venues are at Künstlerhaus Mousonturm and at Theater Willy Praml in der Naxoshalle.

Focus on documentary films

At this year's festival a special attention will be directed at documentary films. Among others, Atsushi Funahashi will present his film Raise your Arms and Twist, in which he observes the everyday life of Japanese pop idol singers of the group NMB48. The director skillfully combines social and media critique without degrading the stars or their fans. In her film 95 and 6 to Go young American filmmaker Kimi Takesue explores the history of her Japanese ancestors who emigrated to Hawaii, taking the conversations with her grandfather as a starting point. Steven Okazaki's Mifune: The Last Samurai portrays the life and work of legendary actor Toshiro Mifune, who has written film history through his cooperation with Akira Kurosawa.

Numerous German premieres

Once more, many films can be seen for the first time on German screens. Nippon Honor awardee Kiyoshi Kurosawa mixes love drama and subtle horror in his latest work, Daguerrotype. It is the first film the renowned director shot outside of Japan. A tough and uncompromising approach is chosen by 35-year-old director Tetsuya Mariko in his drama Destruction Babies, awarded at last year's Locarno Film Festival. The film tells the story of Taira, a youth without prospects, and his descent into a spiral of violence.

Filled with tender humor, Ryota Nakano's award-winning drama Her Love Boils Bathwater unfolds the story of Futaba, who is terminally ill and tries to reunite her scattered family during her last days. In the drama The Long Excuse by Miwa Nishikawa, a lonely writer must get a grip back on his life after a heavy blow of fate. Director Miwa Nishikawa will attend the festival. In his family drama Harmonium, director Koji Fukada shows how the appearance of an old acquaintance can turn an ordinary family life upside down. Harmonium received the Jury Prize in the section “Un certain regard” at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival.

As a highlight of the Nippon Animation section, Nippon Connection presents the German premiere of Naoko Yamada's anime A Silent Voice in cooperation with Kazé. Based on the manga of the same title by Yoshitoki Oima, the film centers around the character of Shoya Ishida, who had bullied his deaf classmate Shoko Nishimiya in school. A couple of years later, Shoya, stricken by remorse, starts looking for Shoko to apologize for his behavior.

Reboot of Nikkatsu Roman Porno films

In the 1970s and 1980s the so-called Roman Porno films from the Japanese film studio Nikkatsu served as a field of experimentation and a stepping stone for young directors. For the 45th anniversary of that genre, the Nippon Connection Film Festival shows two installments of the “Roman Porno Reboot Project” as German premieres. Kazuya Shiraishi's Dawn of the Felines deals with three young women and their work as prostitutes in Tokyo. Akihiko Shiota's Wet Woman in the Wind depicts the relationship between theater author Kosuke, who lives as a recluse in the woods, and the nymphomaniac waitress Shiori.

Extensive cultural program

Apart from the films, the festival offers a wide variety of workshops, lectures, and exhibitions, inviting the audience to get to know more about Japanese culture. Interested visitors can participate in the manufacturing of kyogen masks in a wood carving workshop, or they can learn about vital points of the human body and their application in the martial arts in the kyusho jitsu workshop. In cooperation with Weltlesebühne e.V., Ursula Gräfe, known as a translator of the works of Japanese star author Haruki Murakami, will give insight into various aspects of her work.

Again, there are also many exciting events for the youngest visitors in the Nippon Kids section. The wonderful puppet animation film Chieri and Cherry by Makoto Nakamura will be shown as a children's film with German live dubbing. Kids can have a go at traditional Japanese drums in the taiko workshop or they can try out preparing tasty Japanese sweets in the panda dango cooking class. Taruto Fuyama, professor at Tokyo University of the Arts in Yokohama, will show in his workshop how to create handmade painted animation films.

The festival

The Japanese Film Festival Nippon Connection is organized on a voluntary basis by the 70 members of the non-profit Nippon Connection registered association. The festival is under the patronage of Peter Feldmann, Mayor of the City of Frankfurt am Main, and Takeshi Kamiyama, Consul General of Japan in Frankfurt am Main. Festival centers are located at Künstlerhaus Mousonturm and Theater Willy Praml in der Naxoshalle. Additional events take place at Mal Seh’n Kino, the German Film Museum, Ausstellungsraum Eulengasse and the Theater Die Käs.

The complete program as well as tickets will be available from April 29, 2017 at the festival website: www.NipponConnection.com

Further information
www.NipponConnection.com
www.facebook.com/NipponConnection
twitter.com/NipponFilmfest

Filmmaker Philippe Mora recreates his family history through painting images of his family's survival during WWII 

Berlin Film Review: 'Monsieur Mayonnaise'

Production

Crew

With

Read the entire review in Variety

Monsieur Mayonnaise is an artist’s epic adventure into his family’s secret past. 

Australian artist and film-maker, Philippe Mora, investigates his father’s clandestine role in the French Résistance in WW2 and his mother’s miraculous escape enroute to Auschwitz. 
Philippe, a Hollywood cult-horror movie director and artist, adopts a Film Noir persona to tell his dramatic family story. He also packs his paints and easel, embarking on a journey to create an audacious comic book about his parents, their survival and the Holocaust. 

Philippe’s mother is Parisian born, Melbourne artist Mirka Mora. His late father Georges was a restaurateur, gallery owner and modern art pioneer. After the war, they settled in Australia and Philippe grew up in the epicentre of the 1950s Melbourne café-arts scene. His parents spoke French and loved mayonnaise. His father also hated all-things German, but was enigmatic and mysterious about why and much more…
As an adult Philippe discovered that his father was born in Leipzig, Germany, worked for the French Resistance and was code-named ‘Monsieur Mayonnaise’. But he only uncovered part of the story. 

Now the clock is ticking and Philippe wants to find out all he can about his father’s wartime missions and intriguing alias, so he sets off from his home in West Hollywood to track down those who knew his father…before it’s too late.
Philippe soon discovers ‘truth is stranger than fiction’ as he uncovers the real story behind his father’s mysterious code-name ‘Monsieur Mayonnaise’, his work with legendary mime artist Marcel Marceau and their connection with nuns, Nazi border guards, baguettes and French mayonnaise …It’s the stuff of wild fiction, or comic books! And in so doing he learns much more about the father he loved so much, and misses terribly ….even today.
From LA to Berlin, Paris to Melbourne, Monsieur Mayonnaise is a richly layered, road movie starring madcap artists, comic stories, real life heroes, Nazi villains … and baguettes with lashings of tasty French mayonnaise!

Edited for filmfestivals.com by Laurie Gordon

SaveSave

SaveSave

SaveSave

In recent times, if one were to discuss key events related to politics and society in India, most people are likely to evoke the assassination of Indian prime minister Mrs. Indira Gandhi in 1984 by her Sikh bodyguards and subsequent violence perpetrated against Sikh community in Indian subcontinent. It was a grim chapter of post independence Indian history when old friends turned into mortal foes. These two tragic events form the backdrop of a new Indian documentary film “When the sun didn’t rise”. This film is based on director Teena Kaur Pasricha’s personal experiences when as a child she saw how the tragic events of 1984 distressed countless Silk families especially women who witnessed brutal massacre of their men at the hands of frenzied mobs. According to estimates, more than 3000 people were killed in New Delhi during four days of violence when the state machinery failed to protect innocent people. It is the result of her anger towards marauders of holding an entire community responsible for an act of violence committed by two people.

In her film “When the sun didn’t rise”, director Teena Kaur Pasricha aims to throw light on 1984 tragedy albeit through a feminine perspective from women who continue to suffer. She conveys the key message that justice is still denied to Sikh community even after 33 years of senseless violence. Made over a period of 5 years, “When the sun didn’t rise” brings viewers closer to the sufferings of strong women who continue to fight for justice. A high degree of authenticity is maintained by Ms. Pasricha with the inclusion of detailed interviews with victims, politicians and lawyers. Much of the film’s action takes place in “Widow’s Colony”, New Delhi where we get to know more about the lives of two brave ladies who lost their husbands. It is in this locality that the issue of tragedy of 1984 has not completely faded from public memory as annual memorial celebrations are held, young children take blessings from martyrs’ photos and political parties pay visits in order to garner sympathy from Sikh community.

About the tragedy of 1984 it can be said that hitherto a couple of feature films namely Amu directed by Sonali Bose have been made. However, “When the sun didn’t rise” is unique as it is a rare documentary film about 1984 tragedy wherein the story has been told from the perspective of people who were actual victims of the tragedy. Lastly, it can be surmised that the documentary film “When the sun didn’t rise” is intended primarily for viewers from Sikh community. However, this film’s quest for justice would surely involve people from all beliefs, faiths and ideologies who are interested in learning more about the fight of ordinary citizens in their quest for justice which continues to be denied for a long time.

 © Mr.Lalit Rao (FIPRESCI)