The 2018 Fajr International Film Festival has announced the names of films playing in its Cup of Divination (Festival of Festivals) section.
According to the Secretariat of the annual event, 11 movies from Argentina, Spain, Austria, Lithuania, France, Poland, Romania, Belgium, Bosnia, and South Korea are screening. Three Iranian movies will also screen in this section, whose names will be announced later.
The lineup:
A sort of Family
Director: Diego Lerman
Writer: Diego Lerman, María Meira
DOP: Wojciech Staron
Editor: Alejandro Brodersohn
Music: Caio Mariano
Sound: Benjamin Laurent, Tomas Alem, Bernardo Uzeda
Cast: Bárbara Lennie, Daniel Aráoz, Claudio Tolcachir, Yanina Ávila, Paula Cohen
Producer: Nicolás Avruj, Diego Lerman
Production Co: El Campo Cine, 27 Films Production, Bellota Films, Bossa Nova Films, Instituto Nacional de Ciney Artes Audiovisuales, Productora MG, Red Rental, Snowglobe Films, Staron Film, Televisión Federal
Language: Spanish
Country, Year, Runtime: Argentina, Brazil, Poland, France | 2017 | 95 min
Synopsis:
Malena is a middle-class doctor in Buenos Aires. One afternoon she receives a call from Dr. Costas, telling her she must leave immediately for the north of the country: the baby she was expecting is about to be born. Suddenly and almost without a thought, Malena decides to set out on an uncertain voyage, packed with crossroads at which she has to deal with all sorts of legal and moral obstacles to the extent that she constantly asks herself to what limits she is prepared to go to get the thing she wants most.
Festivals / Awards:
2017: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences of Argentina / Chicago International Film Festival, Best Feature Film / CPH PIX / Philadelphia Film Festival / San Sebastián International Film Festival, Jury Prize for Best Screenplay / Miami Film Festival
About Director:
Diego Lerman debuted in 2002 with feature film Tan de Repente (Suddenly, 2002), Silver Leopard winner at the Locarno Festival, among other awards. Next came Mientrastanto (Meanwhile, 2006), a participant in the Official Selection at the Venice Festival. In 2007, he directed the documentary Servicio Sprestados, presented in Locarno. His two other films, La Mirada Invisible (The Invisible Eye, 2010) and Refugiado (2014), were screened in the Directors’ Fortnight at the Cannes Festival. He also directed the TV series La Casa (2015).
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Giant (Original Title: Handia)
Director: Jon Garano, Aitor Arregi
Writer: Andoni De Carlos, José Mari Goenaga, Aitor Arregi, Jon Garaño
DOP: Javier Agirre Erauso
Editor: Laurent Dufreche, Raúl López
Music: Pascal Gaigne
Sound: Iñaki Díez
Cast: Joseba Usabiaga, Eneko Sagardoy, Iñigo Aranburu, Ramón Agirre, Aia Kruse
Producer: Xabier Berzosa, Iñaki Gómez, Iñigo Obeso
Production Co: Irusoin, Kowalski Films, Moriarti Produkzioak, EITB, TVE
Language: Basque
Country, Year, Runtime: Spain | 2017 | 116 min
Synopsis:
After the First Carlist War, Martín heads back to his family’s farmhouse, where he finds out his little brother Joaquín is much taller than usual. Martín becomes convinced that people will be willing to see the “Tallest Man on Earth”, so they travel around Europe, and the wealth and the level of fame they achieve changes the family forever.
Festivals / Awards:
2017: 65th San Sebastián International Film Festival, Special Jury Prize / 2018: V Premios Feroz, Best Original Soundtrack, Best Film Poster / 32nd Goya Awards won Best New Actor, Best Original Screenplay, Best Production Supervision, Best Editing, Best Original Score, Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design, Best Makeup and Hairstyles, Best Special Effects
About Director:
Writer-director Jon Garaño was born in 1974 in San Sebastián, Spain. He is known for For 80 Days (2010), Flowers (2014), and Giant (2017).
Writer-director Aitor Arregi is known for Giant (2017), Lucio (2007), and Flowers (2014).
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Life Guidance
Director: Ruth Mader
Writer: Martin Leidenfrost, Ruth Mader
DOP: Christine A. Maier
Editor: Niki Mossböck
Music: Manfred Plessi
Sound: Heinz Ebner
Cast: Fritz Karl, Katharina Lorenz, Florian Teichtmeister
Producer: Gabriele Kranzelbinder
Production Co: KGP Kranzelbinder Gabriele Production
Language: German
Country, Year, Runtime: Austria | 2017 | 101 min
Synopsis:
The film is set in the near future, in a world that has perfected capitalism. Society is sustained by a class of top achievers. These cheerfully motivated people populate a bright, friendly, transparent and efficient middle-class world. Meanwhile, so-called minimum recipients live under sedation in Fortresses of Sleep. The great majority of top achievers view themselves as happy and self-fulfilled. An outsourced agency has been established for the rest: Life Guidance is charged with turning these individuals into optimal people as well.
Festivals / Awards:
2017: Chicago International Film Festival
About Director:
Ruth Mader (born in 1974) is an Austrian film director and screenwriter. She has directed six films between 1992 and 2003. Her film Struggle was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival. Her other films include Endstation Obdachlos (1992), Gatsch (1993), Kilometer 1235 (1994), Gfrasta (1999), Null Defizit (2001), and Struggle (2003).
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Miracle (Original Title: Stebuklas)
Director & Writer: Egle Vertelyte
DOP: Emil Christov
Editor: Milenia Fiedler
Music: Krzysztof A. Janczak
Sound: Wojtek Mielimska, Giedrius Aleknavicius
Cast: Vyto Ruginis, Egle Mikulionyte, Daniel Olbrychski, Andrius Bialobzeskis
Producer: Lukas Trimonis, Pavlina Jeleva, Radoslawa Bardes, Magdalena Zimecka
Production Co: In Script Geopoly Orka
Language: Lithuanian
Country, Year, Runtime: Lithuania, Bulgaria, Poland | 2017 | 92 min
Synopsis:
The lives of the owners of a nationalized pig farm in a small village are turned upside-down when a handsome American arrives, pledging to save the struggling enterprise. But as Irena, the owner, begins to fall for his charms, she realizes that his intentions may not be entirely innocent.
Festivals / Awards:
2017: Toronto Film Festival
About Director:
Egle Vertelyte was born in Šiauliai, Lithuania. She studied history at Vilnius University, filmmaking at the European Film College, and screenwriting at the National Film and Television School, in England. She is the writer of the shorts Robomax and Romantic Delusions of the Bird, and director of the documentary Ub Lama. Miracle is her debut feature.
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Oblivion Verses
Director: Alireza Khatami
Writer: Alireza Khatami, Dominique Welinski, René Ballesteros
DOP: Antoine Heberlé
Editor: Florent Mangeot
Music: Matt Robin, Fred Bellaiche, Jacques Denis
Sound: Miroslav Babic
Cast: Juan Margallo, Tomas Del Estal, Manuel Moron, Itziar Aizpuru, Amparo Noguera, Gonzalo Robles
Producer: Frédéric Bellaïche, Vincent Wang,
Production Co: House on Fire
Language: Spanish
Country, Year, Runtime: France, Chile, Germany, Netherlands | 2017 | 92 min
Synopsis:
The elderly caretaker of a remote morgue possesses an impeccable memory for everything but names. He passes his days showing corpses to those searching for their lost ones and tending to his beloved plants. When protest in a nearby city breaks out and the militia covertly raids the morgue to hide civilian casualties, he discovers the body of an unknown young woman. Evoking memories of personal loss, he embarks on a magical odyssey to give her a proper burial with the help of a mystic undertaker gravedigger who collects stories of the dead, an old woman searching for her long-lost daughter, and a hearse driver tormented by his past.
Festivals / Awards:
2017: Venice Film Festival: Best Screenplay, Best Debut, Best Film (Interfilm Award), Best Screenplay (Venice Horizons Award) / Sao Paulo International Film Festival / Nantes Three Continents Festival, Young Audience Award (Director) / Mumbai Film Festival / Chicago International Film Festival / 2018: Festival Premiers Plans D’Angers / Rotterdam International Film Festival
About Director:
Alireza Khatami is a writer, director, producer based in the United States and France. He was selected in the 24th session of Cinefondation Residency of the Cannes Film Festival in 2012. He is also an alumnus of the Berlinale Talent Campus and the Talent Lab of the Toronto International Film Festival. Born in Iran, he studied Creative Multimedia in Malaysia and gained a Master of Fine Arts degree in film production from the US.
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Once Upon a Time in November
Writer & Director: Andrzej Jakimowski
DOP: Adam Bajerski
Editor: Cezary Grzesiuk
Music: Tomasz Gassowski
Sound: Sebastian Branski, Jacek Hamela
Cast: Agata Kulesza, Grzegorz Palkowski, Edward Hogg
Producer: Andrzej Jakimowski, KasiaKucia, Masgorzata Jurczak, Radostaw Drabik, Marcin Kryjom, Adam Bajerski, Cezary Grzesiuk
Production Co: Adam Production, Blue Dream Film, Canal+ Polska, D35, Film and Music Entertainment, Gigant Films, PolskiInstytut Sztuki Filmowej
Language: Polish
Country, Year, Runtime: Poland | 2017 | 92 min
Synopsis:
The film tells the story of a mother and son who lose their flat in Warsaw after being evicted in 2013. The story is played out against the backdrop of actual events, including a large-scale nationalist march and riot.
Festivals / Awards:
2018: Cleveland International Film Festival, Nominee George Gund III Memorial Central and Eastern European Film Competition
About Director:
Andrzej Jakimowski (born in Warsaw) is a Polish film director, writer and producer, best known for Squint Your Eyes (Zmruzoczy) and Tricks (Sztuczki).
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Pororoca
Writer & Director: Constantin Popescu
DOP: Liviu Marghidan
Editor: Corina Stavila
Sound: Mihai Bogos
Cast: Bogdan Dumitrache, Iulia Lumânare, Constantin Dogioiu, Stefan Raus, Adela Marghidan
Producer: Liviu Marghidan, Lissandra Haulica
Production Co: Scharf Advertising, Irreverence Films
Language: Romanian
Country, Year, Runtime: Romania, France | 2017 | 152 min
Synopsis:
Cristina and Tudor Ionescu are a happy family couple with two children, Maria and Ilie. They are in their thirties and live in an apartment in a small town. He works for a phone company and she is an accountant. One Sunday morning when Tudor takes the kids to the park, Maria disappears, which changes their lives forever.
Festivals / Awards:
2018: Göteborg Film Festival / 2017: San Sebastián International Film Festival, Seashell for Best Actor, Nominee for Best Film / Zurich Film Festival
About Director:
Writer-director Constantin Popescu was in 1973 in Bucharest, Romania. He is known for Portrait of the Fighter as a Young Man (2010), Tales from the Golden Age (2009), and Principles of Life (2010).
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Resurrection
Writer & Director: Kristof Hoornaert
DOP: Rimvydas Leipus
Editor: David Verdurme
Music: Wim Coryn, Steve Willaert
Sound: Yanna Soentjens
Cast: Johan Leysen, Gilles De Schryver, Kris Cuppens
Producer: Mariano Vanhoof, Geoffrey Enthoven
Production Co: Flanders Audiovisual Fund, Fobic Films
Language: Dutch
Country, Year, Runtime: Belgium | 2017 | 110 min
Premiere Status: National Premiere
Synopsis:
An old man who isolated himself from civilization receives an unexpected visitor.
Festivals / Awards:
2017: Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival / Capri, Hollywood: Capri Breakout Director Award / 2018: Rotterdam International Film Festival
About Director:
Writer-director Kristof Hoornaert studied Audiovisual Arts in Ghent and Brussels. His first short film Kaïn premiered in the official competition of the 59th Berlin International Film Festival, where it got nominated for the Golden Bear. He also edited the short film Nuclear Waste by Ukrainian filmmaker Myroslav Slaboshpytskiy, which premiered in the official competition of the 65th Locarno International Film Festival, where it won the Silver Leopard. In 2013 he wrote, directed and produced his second short film The Fall – a 17-minute no-budget short film that was shot in one day. The film won several awards and got selected in more than 40 film festivals worldwide. Empire, his third short film, premiered in the world competition of the 39th Montreal World Film Festival and got selected for the 59th BFI London Film Festival. His first feature film Resurrection premiered in the First Features Competition of the 21st Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival.
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Never Leave Me
Writer & Director: Aida Begic
DOP: Erol Zubcevic
Editor: Redzinald Simek
Music: Igor Camo
Sound: Igor Camo
Cast: Carol Abboud, Motaz Faez Basha, Isa Demlakhi, Feyyaz Duman, Nisreen Faour, Ossama Mahmud Himeli
Producer: Aida Begic, Adis Djapo, Muhammed Emin El-Huseyni
Production Co: Cineplanet
Language: Arabic, Turkish
Country, Year, Runtime: Turkey, Bosnia and Herzegovina | 2017 | 96 min
Synopsis:
This is a story about pain, search for meaning in life and friendship. Syrian boys – Isa, Ahmed and Muataz – live as refugees in the Turkish city of Sanliurfa. In their search for a better life, they find happiness and love in themselves.
Festivals / Awards:
2017: Antalya Film Festival, Dubai International Film Festival
About Director:
Writer-director Aida Begic was born in 1976 in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. She is known for Snow (2008), Children of Sarajevo (2012), and Prvosmrtnoiskustvo (2001).
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Excavator
Director: Lee Ju-Hyoung
Writer: Kim Ki-Duk
DOP: Choi Seong-chel
Editor: Choi Hee-young
Music: Son Yeol-Mae
Sound: Lee Junho
Cast: Um Tae-Woong, Kim Kyung-ik, Shim Jung-wan
Producer: Kim Ki-Duk, Kim Dong-Hoo
Production Co: Kim Ki-duk Film
Language: Korean
Country, Year, Runtime: South Korea | 2017 | 110 min
Synopsis:
Kim Gang-Il is a paratrooper sent to Gwangju to suppress the Gwangju Democratization Movement in May, 1980. After his release from the military, Kim Gang-Il works as forklift driver. After an incident, he finds an uncomfortable truth hidden for 20 years.
Festivals / Awards:
2017: Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, Official Selection, Best Director / 2018: KOSMORAMA Trondheim International Film Festival, New Directors / Bengaluru International Film Festival, Asian Cinema Competition
About Director:
Lee Ju-hyoung made the short animation Tapis Roulant in 2009, which was invited to screen at the Japanese Film Fest and Indie Anifest. His next work was the mid-length We’ve Never Seen a Night Which Has Finished by Reaching a Day, which in 2010 screened at the Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival. He moved onto his first feature film in 2013. Written, edited and executive produced by the enfant terrible of indie Korean cinema, Red Family had its debut at the Tokyo International Film Festival, where it earned the distinction of receiving the Audience Awards. A comedy-drama about a group of North Korean spies posing as a family in the South. Red Family also screened in the Göteborg and Torino Film Festivals.
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Beyond Words (Original Title: Miedzyslowami)
Writer & Director: Urszula Antoniak
DOP: Lennert Hillege
Editor: Natalia Alonso Casale, Milenia Fiedler
Sound: Jan Schermer
Cast: Jakub Gierszal, Andrzej Chyra, Christian Loeber, Justyna Wasilewska
Producer: Lukasz Dzieciol, Floor Onrust
Language: German, Polish, English
Country, Year, Runtime: Poland, Netherlands, France| 2017 | 85 min
Premiere Status: National Premiere
Synopsis:
Nothing in Michael, a young and successful Berlin lawyer, gives away his Polish roots. The sudden appearance of his father, who was long presumed dead, plunges Michael into an identity crisis. After his father leaves, Michael can’t return to his former life as a German.
Festivals / Awards:
2017: Cameraimage, Polish Films Competition, Poland / Les Arcs European Film Festival, France / Polish Film Festival, Poland, Best Cinematography, Best Sound / Toronto International Film Festival, Contemporary World Cinema Section, Canada
About Director:
After her studies at the Polish and Dutch Film Academy, Urszula Antoniak wrote and directed her debut film Nothing Personal (2009) which won six awards in Locarno and was nominated for 2 European Film Academy Awards. Her second feature Code Blue (2011) premiered in Cannes’ Directors Fortnight. Her third feature Nude Area was released in 2014. In that same year Life According to Nino, a children film for which she wrote the screenplay, won Best International Feature at Cinekid. Beyond Words is Antoniak’s fourth feature film.
For all Festival goers who are already planning their visit, check screening time and other information at www.fajriff.com, or email us at infor@fajriff.com. Presided over by Iranian film writer and director Reza Mirkarimi, the 36th edition of Fajr International Film Festival will be held in Tehran on April 19-27.
