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SEE THE WORLD FROM A DIFFERENT ANGLE
OSLO 8-18 OCTOBER
2009
19 th FILMS FROM THE SOUTH FESTIVAL
WWW.FILMFRASOR.NO

THE 19 th FILMS FROM THE SOUTH FESTIVAL
8 - 18 OCTOBER 2009
The Golden Bear winner from this year’s film festival in
Berlin, The Milk of Sorrow, will open the 2009 Films from
the South Festival and thereby set the standard for ten
eventful days. Vika Kino, Klingenberg, Ringen and the
Cinematheque in Oslo will become the arena for highlights
from international film festivals like Rotterdam, Berlin,
Ouagadogou, Guadalajara and Cannes.
Especially noteworthy are Films from the South’s retrospectives
on Hirokazu Kore-eda and Carlos Reygadas. Two
of the most important voices of World Cinema today, that
mark the art of film with their own distinct approach. Hirokazu
Kore-eda will visit Norway in conjunction with the
national premiere and theatrical release of his masterpiece
Still Walking. Carlos Reygadas will hold a three-day Master
Class for Norwegian filmmakers, as well as participate
in the seminar Platform Norway/Mexico, an initiative to
further co-operative efforts and co-productions between the
two countries. To Films from the South it is a great honor
to be the host of two such renowned directors, and we regard
it as an important function of our work to be an arena
for such encounters between filmmakers from the North
and the South.
New this year is our Gala Screenings at Ringen Kino.
Ringen is a fully digitalised cinema and the screenings will
consist of previews of upcoming films to be released this
fall. Norway is a world leader in the implementation of digital
cinemas. Films from the South is concerned that also
films with a narrower appeal shall benefit from this technical
development. The festival’s effort in this department is
also an attempt to gage how the situation will become for
festivals in the future when movie theatres will only have
equipment for screening films in the DCP format (Digital
Cinema Package).
Latin American cinema has distinguished itself with
countries such as Argentina, Brazil and Mexico leading
the way. This year, films from Chile and Colombia as well
have been much talked about at festivals all over the globe.
Films from the South will follow with a mini-focus on
WELCOME 3
both of these countries. Through the Film Pool co-operation,
the festival has secured this year’s Cannes contribution
from Colombia, The Wind Journeys. The Film Pool is
a co-operative effort between the three Norwegian festivals
BIFF, TIFF and FFS, the distributor Arthaus and the TV
channel NRK. The goal is to further films from Asia, Africa
and Latin America. During its ten year existence this
co-operation has resulted in 30 films from these continents
enjoying a long life at festivals, in theatrical release and
on national TV. This is an important initiative in order to
give a film-loving audience a wider choice, also beyond the
intense days of our festival.
Lasse Skagen Julie Ova
Creative Director Managing Director

4 THANK YOU
MAIN SPONSORS
THANK YOU
MAIN PARTNERS
Festivalutvalget, Nina Refseth, Elin Erichsen, Arild Støfring,
Arthaus, Bens Café, Narullah Qureshi, Bente Erichsen,
Bettina Moum, Anders Moen, Kjell Nyhus, Blå Oktober,
Fernando Rodrigues, Capa, Fortissimo Films, BUG, Atle
Ellingesen, Niels Lind Larsen, Charlotte Førli, Christin
Berg, Siril Bull Mathiesen, Sergio Lima, Anders Narverud
Moen, Romain Brun, Nathalie Carratié, Brigitte Collet,
Centre Culturel Français d’Oslo, Dag Sødtholt, Tonje Skar
Reiersen, Deichmanske Bibliotek, Oslo Freedom Forum,
Elin Øyen Vister, Egil Trohaug, Erik Zmuda, Tonje
Hardersen, Jon Lundell, Carl Morten Iversen, Mahmood
Amiry-Moghaddam, Hege Duckert, Ola Elvestuen, Fidalgo,
Sandrew Metronome Norge, NFK, Filmkritikerlaget, Frank
Stavik, Fredrik Luihn, Geir Friestad, Håkon Ødegård, Ida
Meyn, Jan Erik Holst, Jan Langlo, John Petter Oppdahl,
Jørgen Stensland, Katharina Barbosa, Brynjar Bjerkem,
Anne-Karin Lundeby, Dag Sødtholdt, Kikki Hjorth Engelbrektson,
Kjell Runar Jensen, Per Elvestuen, Torunn
Nyen, Kalle Løchen, Stine Svendsen, Christina Latini, Ivar
Iversen, Latin-Amerika gruppene, Linda Sjødal, Finn Erling
Røgnes, Liv Ulveseth, Liz Palm, Ola Ødegaard, Mari Linløkken,
Mathieu Boucher, Media Star, Mikkel Aakervik, MS
INSTITUTIONAL SPONSORS
PARTNERS
Innvik, Jarl Solberg, Dominic Wilson, Nelson H.H.Vasquez,
Nita Kapoor, Nobels fredssenter, Nordic Black Theatre,
Filmhuset, Bjørn Håvard Solem, Scanbox, Actionfilm, Tour
de Force, Tor Fosse, Oro Film, Pål Kreim, Torunn Nyen,
Håkon Skogrand, Filmoptimistene, Ola Renolen, Martha
Otte, Norsk Filmfond, Oslo Kino, Oslo kommune, Skeive
filmer, Steinar Storløkken, Sherpa distribution, Thorstein
Horne, Svein Kojan, Svend B. Jensen, The Embassy of
Brazil, The Embassy of France, The Embassy of Chile, The
Embassy of the Argentinean Republic, The Embassy of
Cuba, The Embassy of Japan, Tutu Jacobsen, Unnur Sande,
alle i Klapp, Vigdis Lian, Zoomin’, Olav Kjeldsen, Elisabeth
Opdal, Rogerio Santana, Norske ambassaden i Cuba,
Norske ambassaden i Mexico, Erlinda Munoz, Fernando
Biamont, Egil Ødegård, Jarle Namtvedt, Stine Helgeland,
Øyvind Sunde, alle kinomaskinistene, personell ved Vika,
Klingenberg og Cinemateket, våre tålmodige familier, alle
flittige frivillige, programrådet, styret i Film fra Sør, juryene,
skribentene og alle andre bidragsytere.
Films from the South Staff
Managing Director: Julie Ova
Creative Director: Lasse Skagen
Festival Producer: Lene Juliussen
Programme and Print Coordinator: Sandra Mileo
Workshop Producer: Arild Støfring
Webmaster: Kjetil Svendsen
Press Coordinator: Camilla Sogn
Marketing Advisor: Ingvild Berg
Sales: Cecilie Baann
Information Assistants: Guro Rugstad Jenssen, Tonje Finvold Lacher
Seminar Co-ordinator: Sarah Prosser
Festival Photographer: Gouen Bae
Staff Coordinators: Cathrine Berg-Nielsen, Maria Wasvik, Karen Steinfeld,
Cecilie Baann, Eirik Schmidt Holst, Siri Hovland, Pia Ilonka Schenk Jensen
Festival Assistants: Trine Aamodt-Hansen, Maria Amaral Cappelen, Ida Reinton,
Andreas Larsen, Ann-Kristin Traaen
Films from the South Board Members
Silje Riise Næss (Chairwoman of the Board), Brynjar Bjerkem,
Alexandra Stølen Archetti, Hannah Wozene Kvam, Tom G. Eilertsen,
Truls Kontny
Films from the South Programming Advisors
Anne-Karin Lundeby, Brynjar Bjerkem, Katharina Barbosa, Sarah Barari
Executive Editor
Julie Ova
Editor
Barbra Elise Grøgaard
Editorial Assistant
Ida Barratt-Due Solum
Contributors
Audun Braaten (lab), Rannveig Falkenberg-Arell (rfa), Eivind Evjemo (ee),
Pia Ilonka Schenk Jensen (pisj), Anniken Kjeserud (akek),
Christina Langangen (cl), Maria Moseng (mm), Ida Barratt-Due Solum (ibds),
Jan Storø (js), Einar Yoshuke (ek), Kyrre Aashamar (ka), Tina Louise Ådland (tlå),
Julie Ova (jo), Lasse Skagen (ls), Katharina Barbosa (kb), Brynjar Bjerkem (bb)
Translation
Dag Sødtholt
Design
Klapp Media
Edition
2000
Festival Office
Filmens Hus
Dronningensgt. 16
0152 Oslo
Norway
Tel: + 47 82 24 80 – 83
E-mail: mail@filmfrasor.no
www.filmfrasor.no
CONTENT
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Ticket Information 6
Venues 7
Awards 9
Jury 11
Opening Film 14
Closing Film 15
Competition 17
New Directions 33
Documentaries 49
Gala Screenings 55
Special Screenings 58
From Festival to DVD 61
Africa Today 62
Asian Mix 65
Focus Middle East 67
Chile 69
Colombia 70
Latino Mix 71
Film and Music 73
Kore-eda Retrospective 74
Reygadas Retrospective 78
Cuba Retrospective 82
Fonds Sud Cinéma 87
Seminars 89
Index 95
5

ONNING
6 VENUES
TICKET INFORMATION 7
ROYAL
PALACE
VIKA CINEMA
MAUDS GATE
RUSELØKKVEIEN
MUNKEDAMSVEIEN
VIKA KINO
Ruseløkkveien 14 (next to Oslo Concert Hall)
Opening hours: 14:30-21:15 Monday to Friday,
12:30-21:15 on Saturday and Sunday.
Advance sales for Opening and Gala Screenings from Friday
11th September, other screenings from 25th September.
www.oslokino.no
KLINGENBERG
Olav V’s gate 4
Opening hours: 15:30-21:15 Monday to Friday, 14:30-21:15
Saturday and Sunday.
Advance sales for Opening and Gala Screenings from Friday
11th September, other screenings from 25th September.
www.oslokino.no
RINGEN KINO
Ringnes Park, Sannergata 6D
Opening hours: 11:00-21:30 Monday to Saturday,
12:00-21:30 Sunday
Advance sales for Opening and Gala Screenings from Friday
11th September, other screenings from 25th September.
www.oslokino.no
KRISTIAN IV’S GATE
OLAV V’S GATE
KLINGENBERGGATA
NATIONAL THEATRE
TRAIN STATION
KLINGENBERG KINO
TOWN HALL
AKERSHUSSTRANDA
KARL JOHANS GATE
STORTINGSGATA
RÅDHUSGATA
KRISTIAN IV’S GATE
ØVRE VOLLGATE
NEDRE VOLLGATE
NS GATE
ARBEIDERGATA
AKERSGATA
ØVRE SLOTTSGATE
PRINSENS GATE
NEDRE SLOTTSGATE
MYNTGATA
KONGENS GATE
BANK
PLASSEN
REVIERSTREDET
KIRKEGATA
AKERSGATA
TOLLBUGATA
KONGENS GATE
KIRKEGATA
GRENSEN
RÅDHUSGATA
DRONNINGENS GATE
GRUBBEGATA
STOR
TORGET
PRINSENS GATE
PERGATA
MØLLERGATA
TORGGATA
DOMKIRKEN
KARL JOHANS GATE
DRONNINGENS GATE
FFS OFFICE &
THE CINEMATEQUE
SKIPPERGATA
OLLBUKAIA
YOUNGS
TORGET
STORGATA
FRED OLSENS GATE
THE CINEMATHEQUE (TANCRED AND LILLEBIL)
Filmens Hus, Dronningens gate 16
Opening hours: During the festival period the box office
opens one hour before the first screening. During daytime,
tickets are sold through Filmbutikken.
Advance sales from Friday 25th September in Filmbutikken
(box office from October 1st)
No ticket reservation
www.nfi.no/cinemateket
MS INNVIK & NORDIC BLACK THEATRE
Langkaia, Bjørvika
Opening hours: During the festival the box office opens
one hour before the first screening.
No advance sales
No ticket reservation
www.msinnvik.no
Please be aware that all screenings begin promptly, without
film commercials. The seats are unnumbered.
OSLO CITY CENTER GRÜNERLØKKA
PLØENS GATE
STRANDGATA
5 MIN. TO GRÜNERLØKKA
MS INNVIK &
NORDIC BLACK THEATRE
CENTRAL
STATION
NATIONAL
OPERA
A K E R S E LV A
FOSSVEIEN
STENSTRUPSGATE
SANNERGATA
MARKVEIEN
MARKVEIEN
ØVREFOSS
SEILDUKSGATA
GRÜNERS GATE
MARKVEIEN
HELGESENS GATE
OLAF
RYES
PLASS
THORVALD MEIERS GATE
RINGEN CINEMA
THORVALD MEIERS GATE
RING 2
GATE
TOFTES
TOFTES GATE
TOFTES GATE
VALDRESGATA
SANNERGATA
HESSELBERGS GATE
BIRKELUNDEN
SCHLEPPEGRELLS GATE
SEILDUKSGATA
RING 2
FAGERHEIMGATA
KØBENHAVNGATA MALMØGATA
TEGLVERKSGATA
HELGESENS GATE
SOFIENBERGPARKEN
SOFIENBERGGATA
GØTEBORGGATA
DÆLENGGATA
TICKET INFORMATION
KLUBB SØR MEMBERSHIP CARDS
In September 2009, Films from the South launched two new
membership cards, the Festival Card and the Festival Pass, providing
favourable benefits for its holders both during and after
the festival period. Both cards can be bought at Oslo Kino (Vika,
Klingenberg, Ringen and Saga) and at the Cinematheque.
TICKET PRICES
Regular single ticket evening: NOK 90
Daytime screenings starting earlier than 16:00: NOK 65
Gala Screenings at Ringen Kino: NOK 100
With a Klubb Sør festival card the price of all evening
screenings is NOK 75 *
A Klubb Sør festival pass provides free admission to all
screenings.
* NB: Discounted tickets can not be bought on the Internet;
they can only be obtained at respective sales locations.
Tickets for Vika, Klingenberg and Ringen are sold exclusively
at Oslo Kinos sales locations or at www.oslokino.no
Tickets for screenings at the Cinematheque are sold exclusively
at Filmens Hus in Dronningens gate 16.
Tickets for screenings at MS Innvik are sold on site starting
one hour before the first screening.
PROGRAMME AND CHANGES
Films from the South reserves the right to make changes
to the programme during the festival. All changes will
be announced at the screening venues and at
www.filmfrasor.no. On our website you will find further
write-ups of the films, articles about topical issues. We
also have information stands at Vika Cinema, Klingenberg
Cinema and the Cinematheque where our volunteers will
answer questions about films, screenings and programme
changes. Further information about the festival and its
events at the Ringen Cinema and MS Innvik venues.
RING 2
KLUBB SØR FESTIVAL CARD
Price: NOK 130
Valid until 1 September 2010.
The Festival Card provides membership benefits for one year,
with a discount on all evening screenings during the 2009 festival
and free admission to every Klubb Sør event after the festival
(10 membership screenings during a one year period).
The festival card is personal and must be shown on your own
accord during ticket purchase and control. Any invalid use will
lead to confiscation.
KLUBB SØR FESTIVAL PASS
Price: NOK 950
Valid until 1 September 2010.
The Festival Pass provides membership benefits for one
year, with a free admission to all screenings during the 2009
festival and free admission to every Klubb Sør event after the
festival (10 membership screenings during a one year period).
NB! Even with a Festival Pass a (free) ticket must be obtained
before the screening.
The Festival Pass is personal and must be shown on your own
accord during ticket purchase and control. Any invalid use will
lead to confiscation.
www.filmfrasor.no
OFFICIAL FESTIVAL HOTEL
Films from the South co-operate with Comfort Hotel
Børsparken that offers rooms at discount prices for festival
guests. Please inform the reception that you are visiting the
festival to obtain the discount. For more information see
www.filmfrasor.no.
Comfort Hotel Børsparken is located in the heart of
Oslo, with Filmens Hus and the new Opera as its closest
neighbours. The hotel has been recently refurbished and is
suitable for both business and leisure guests.
Comfort Hotel Børsparken
Tollbugaten 4, 0152 Oslo
Telephone: +47 22 47 17 17, Fax: +47 22 47 17 18
E-mail: co.borsparken@choice.no

CAN’T GET ENOUGH OF
FILMS FROM THE SOUTH?
IN SEPTEMBER 2009 FILMS FROM THE SOUTH LAUNCHES A NEW MEMBERSHIP CARD THAT
PROVIDES FAVOURABLE BENEFITS FOR ITS HOLDERS BOTH DURING AND AFTER THE FESTIVAL.
1 SEPTEMBER 2009 - 1 SEPTEMBER 2010
SIGNATUR:
F E S T I V A L K O R T
01034
KLUBB SØR FESTIVAL CARD
in red (NOK 130) gives a ticket price of NOK 75 (regular NOK 90)
during the festival and all benefits for one year.
1 SEPTEMBER 2009 - 1 SEPTEMBER 2010
SIGNATUR:
THE KLUBB SØR CARD GIVES YOU FILMS AND BENEFITS
THROUGHOUT THE YEAR
F E S T I V A L P A S S
01034
KLUBB SØR FESTIVAL PASS
in gold (NOK 950) gives free admission to any screening during
the festival and all benefits for one year.
Through Klubb Sør we organize preview screenings and offer our members exclusive access to the
festival programme before it is made available to everyone else. Our members get access to news about
South films in theatrical release and on DVD, our blog and the festival’s discussion forum.
The card is available for purchase from 11. September at Vika Kino, Klingenberg, Saga and Ringen,
and at the Cinematheque at Filmens Hus from 1 October.
Register yourself, your family and friends at Klubb Sør and embrace films from Asia, Africa and Latin America.
SEE THE WORLD FROM A DIFFERENT ANGLE – THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, FOR FREE – WITH THE KLUBB SØR CARD
THE SILVER MIRROR
FOR BEST FILM IN COMPETITION
The Silver Mirror is Films from the South’s award.
A jury consisting of three persons choose a winner among
the films in the main Competition. The prize money,
NOK 100,000, goes to Norwegian import of the film, and is
granted by Film & Kino.
THE FIPRESCI AWARD
FOR BEST FILM IN NEW DIRECTIONS
The FIPRESCI Award is an international critics award and
is chosen by a jury of three members. This year the jury
consists of only Norwegian critics. The jury is appointed by
the Norwegian Film Critics Association. The winning film
is guaranteed “S” Film support for DVD import and launch.
The Norwegian company Platekompaniet will account for
the distribution of the winning film.
DOK:SØR
FOR BEST FILM IN THE DOCUMENTARY COMPETITION
The award goes to the best film in the Documentary Competition.
Dok:Sør is Films from the South’s documentary award.
A jury of three persons select the winning film, which receives
DVD distribution through Sherpa Distribution.
OSLO MUNICIPAL CINEMA’S
MARKETING AWARD
The Oslo Municipal Cinema’s Marketing Award is given to
one of the films that have already been imported by a Norwegian
distributor. The winning film will receive marketing
support in Oslo at the value of NOK 50,000.
THE AUDIENCE AWARD
All films screened during the Films from the South festival
compete for the Audience Award. The voting takes place at
the Films from the South web site. The winning film will be
acquired for programming at the TV channel NRK, and will
be shown on television during the following year. The prize
is valued at NOK 75,000.
09
AWARDS
9

Comfort hotel
Comfort Hotel Børsparken ❘ e-mail : co.borsparken@choice.no ❘ tlf: 22471717 ❘ choice.no
eNKeltrom 695 NoK
DoBBeltrom 895 NoK
UrBANt
effeKtIVt&
EVA SØRHAUG
SILVER MIRROR JURY
Film director Eva Sørhaug’s first feature was Cold Lunch.
She had previously directed various short films, several
of them written by Per Schreiner. She has worked with
advertising films for Kraftwerk and Moland, and directed
episodes of Hotel Cæsar.
HISHAM ZAMAN
Hisham Zaman was educated as a director at the
Norwegian Film School. He has won several national and
international prizes for his short films, including Bawke.
In 2007 Zaman opened Tromsø International Film Festival
with the critically acclaimed film Vinterland. It was nominated
for three Amanda Awards and won for Best Actor.
He is currently in the development stages of his first
feature film.
NINA REFSETH
Nina Refseth has since 2008 held the position of Director
at the Norwegian Film Institute, with responsibility for
the merger of the Norwegian Film Fund, Norwegian Film
Development and the current Norwegian Film Institute.
She has previously been a Director and General Manager
for the publishing and literary department at Stiftelsen Det
Norske Samlaget. She has a Master of Arts majoring in the
History of Ideas and holds a number of board positions for
Det Norske Teater, the newspaper VG and Lillehammer
Literature Festival among others.
11

12 FIPRESCI JURY
DOCUMENTARIES JURY
13
KAREN MOE MØLLEROP
Karen Moe Møllerop (Jury President) is a member of the
Norwegian Film Critics Association and has a background
as journalist. She currently works as an information adviser
at the Ministry of Culture and Church Affairs. She majored
in Media Studies at NTNU in Trondheim. In 2006 she was
editor of the catalogue for the Kosmorama film festival and
worked for Films from the South in 2007.
MARIUS VARTDAL KRISTOFFERSEN
Marius Vartdal Kristoffersen is a freelance film critic for
several publications, including Film&Kino. He studied Film
Studies at the NTNU and law at the University of Oslo. He
has held several leading positions in various film societies
and in his younger days he ran the local Mobile Cinema.
He is a member of the Norwegian Film Critics Association
and has previously been a member of the jury of the
Amandus Festival.
JON IVERSEN
Jon Iversen has a background from the film society movement
and is the General Manager of the Norwegian Federation
of Film Societies. He has worked as a film reviewer for
various newspapers and monthly publications. He is the
former editor, and currently a member of the editorial staff,
for the film periodical Z.
HELGA FJORDHOLM
Helga Fjordholm worked with short films and documentaries
during the entire 1990s and held leading positions at
the Norwegian Short Film Festival for more than 20 years.
During the last decade she has produced and edited at
Fjordholm Film Production, including: Gi meg en grunn til å
være kvinne (1999), Det tause korets sang (2003), La meg være
ung! (2005), Proximity (2006), Sakte vals (2007) and Lucky
og villkattene (2009).
TRULS LIE
Truls Lie is the editor of DOX – European Documentary
Magazine (2009-) and a filmmaker/critic. He has been
working as publisher/editor-in-chief of the political radical
monthly Le Monde diplomatique (2003-2008, Nordic
edition) and the weekly cultural newspaper Morgenbladet
(1993-2003). His university degree is in philosophy and
media/economics.
AGNETHE S. BUUS JENSEN
Agnethe S. Buus Jensen was educated in visual culture at
the Lillehammer University College. She has worked with
feature film production at Friland, Maipo and Nordisk Film,
as well as TV productions for the NRK. She has worked
with marketing of theatrical releases at Sandrew Metronome
and internet marketing at Mediacom. She is currently
Managing Director and Producer for Ekkofilm.

OPENING FILM
CLOSING FILM
14 15
Moving characterstudy
in the shadow of the
Peruvian Civil War
Claudia Llosa (1976) was born in Peru
and educated in Lima, Madrid and New
York. After just two feature films, she
has already established herself as one
of Latin America‘s most uncompromis-
ing new female voices in filmmaking,
with a stylistically distinct mix of
absurdity and realism. She is the niece
of the novelist Mario Vargas Llosa.
Selected filmography
The Milk of Sorrow 2009
Madeinusa 2006
THE MILK OF SORROW
La teta asustada
This year‘s winner of the Golden Bear from
Berlin is an uncompromising story of awakening,
from a Peru where the violent conflict
between the government and the Maoist
guerrilla Sendero Luminoso is still casting long
shadows. The trauma of the 1980’s civil war is
said to be so intense that it has been carried on
to the next generations through the mothers
milk. It is precisely this unofficial diagnose
that Fausta is suffering from. We meet this
young woman at the outskirts of Lima. The
anxiety is so deeply embedded in her existence
that she carries a sprouting potato in her
vagina as protection against rape, a precaution
both anachronistic and a threat in itself. Alle-
gories and a hint of magical realism in an easy
mix with an obsession with ethnographic detail
and a patient portrait of everyday life make this
a strangely unsentimental film about healing
wounds of the past. It gives a fascinating depth
to what is basically a characterstudy as much
as an exploration of how people live. And, not
least, it provides generous space for Magaly
Solier’s interpretation in the role of the wry
Fausta. With a background as a quechua, Solier
lends the charachter a virtually wordless yet
moving and intense presence. A performance
that alone make the film a must-see. mm
This film will be announced by its Norwegian title:
Faustas Perler.
Peru, Spain 2009 Director Claudia LLOSA Script Claudia LLOSA Camera Natasha BRIER Cast Magaly SOLIER, Susi SÁNCHEZ,
Efraín SOLÍS Prod. Wanda Visión Sales The Match Factory, info@matchfacroty.de Language Spanish, Quechua Subtitles Norwegian
Duration 94 min Format 35mm
LA NANA
The Maid
Raquel has sacrificed her entire adult life for
the family she works for. She is past 40, has
never had an intimate relationship with a
man, and is only sporadically in touch with
her own family. She gives her life meaning
through children not her own, out of desire
to be part of the family and not just belong.
The household chores are rough and timeconsuming,
with endless exhausting repetitions.
Even though Raquel does everything to be the
perfect maid, she does not have the strength.
When her mistress suggests hiring an additional
maid to lighten her burden, she fights
back. The housework is her domain and she
will go far to defend her position in the family,
and in the house.
Catalina Saavedra has won praise and
prizes for her performance as Raquel.
La nana puts a face on a profession that is the
backbone of bourgeoisie households around
the world. Raquel is trapped in a hopeless
emotional position as a subservient caregiver,
and when her frustrations reach the surface
they will have consequences for her surroundings.
La nana won the Jury Special Prize
during the Sundance Film Festival this year,
and several other awards in Cartagena and
Guadalajara. jo
Chile, Mexico 2009 Director Sebastián SILVA Script Sebastián SILVA, Pedro PEIRANO Camera Sergio ARMSTRONG
Cast Catalina SAAVEDRA, Claudia CELEDÓN Prod. Forastero, Tiburón Filmes, Punto Guion Punto Producciones
Norwegian distributor Action Film Language Spanish Subtitles English Duration 95 min Format 35mm
La Nana is a dark comedy
about a maid whos job
consumes her life
Sebastián Silva is a multi-faceted artist
who also works as a painter, illustra-
tor and musician. His paintings have
been exhibited in Santiago and New
York, and one of his three bands, Los
Mono, is distributed in the US and the
UK through Sonic360. His debut film
La vida me mata has won a number of
prizes both in Chile and abroad.
La nana is his second feature film.
Selected filmography
La nana 2009
La vida me mata 2007

Abbas Kiarostamis
SHIRIN
Abbas Kiarostamis nye film følger i fotsporene til filmene Ten (2002) og Five (2003). Over 100 berømte iranske
teater- og filmskuespillerinner og en fransk stjerne (Juliette Binoche) er stumme tilskuere til en film om Khosrow
og Shirin – personer fra et romantisk persisk epos fra 1100-tallet. Vi ser aldri filmen, vi bare hører den. Alt vi
ser er ansiktene til kvinnene og deres reaksjoner. Abbas Kiarostami går stadig nye veier for å utforske filmmediet,
og Shirin er et ypperlig eksempel på dette.
Vises:
TOR 15. OKT KL. 18.00, ONs 21.OKT KL. 21.00, TOR 22. OKT KL. 21.00, sØN 25. OKT KL. 19.00, TiR 27. OKT KL. 19.00,
ONs 28. OKT KL. 19.00, TOR 29. OKT KL. 21.00, FRe 30. OKT KL. 21.00
CiNeMATeKeT
Norsk Filminstitutt, Dronningens gt. 16, 0105 Oslo
cinemateket@nfi.no | 22 47 45 00
www.nfi.no/cinemateket
MÅNEDENS FILM
PÅ CINEMATEKET
The Films from the South Competition Programme consists
of films that in our opinion mirror the world – with humour
and satire, drama and pathos, or through powerful and violent
means. The films in the Competition Programme have
been selected with an eye for the good film that deserves
a wide audience. The selection criterion is that they must
appeal to our senses and to our gut feeling. For better or
worse. The films treat subjects like injustice, nostalgia,
political apathy and human inadequacy. But there are also
films about joy and the quality and meaning of life.
Some of them have already won international acclaim
with an accompanying high status in film and festival
circles, others are golden experiences that have not yet
received the attention they deserve. A Gift to Stalin by
Rustem Abdrashitov is in this latter category. It is warm,
brutal and moving, with a humanist retrospective look at
some of the darker years of history. The same goes for
For a Moment Freedom by Arash T. Riahi, a truly magnificently
told film about how one’s first encounter with the
West can be experienced.
A tightly controlled Mexican minimalism has struck
a chord in the world arena during the last few years.
Parque Via by Enrique Rivero is a stylistically assured
COMPETITION
COMPETITION
story which has garnered several international awards.
Slow and introverted, yet still engaging in its close study
of human beings. Turkey has achieved credibility for a
number of young new talents, while some of its established
names continue to make good films. Yesim Ustaoglu’s
latest, Pandora’s Box, explores – with a precise eye
– how the elderly are treated in society. Films from Chile
have been talked about a lot at festivals over the last
year. Turistas by Alicia Scherson is a small gem about
finding equilibrium in life.
The films of the Competition Programme are exclusive
contributions from World Cinema that we believe deserve
to reach a movie theatre audience in Norway. They
compete for an import and distribution prize, supported
by the organisation Film & Kino. The background for this
prize is a wish to make sure that quality films from Asia,
Africa and Latin America will reach an audience over the
entire country, through a regular theatrical release. Our
goal is therefore to have a varied programme, with great
appeal and high quality.
Julie Ova
17

18
COMPETITION
Directorial dissection of
the relationships of man
and woman
Asghar Farhadi was born in 1972 in
Isfahan, Iran. He has a Master in Film
Direction from the University of
Teheran. In 2001 he wrote the screen-
play for the critically acclaimed film
Low Heights directed by Ebrahim
Hatamikia. His had his directorial
debut in 2003 with
Dancing in the Dust.
Selected filmography
About Elly 2009
Firework Wednesday 2006
The Beautiful City 2004
Dancing in the Dust 2003
ABOUT ELLY
Darbareye Elly
With Fireworks Wednesday, screened at Films
from the South in 2007 – director Asghar
Farhadi established himself as a sharp-sighted
and highly intelligent observer of the relationships
between man and woman. In About Elly
he takes his extraordinary talent to a higher
level with a masterful psychological drama
– which will remain with the viewer for a
long time. Three families leave for a weekend
trip to the sea. Along for the outing is Elly, a
young, beautiful and unmarried pre-school
teacher. A recently divorced brother comes
along, not unexpectedly, and some envisage
that they could become a couple. The outing
proceeds very cheerfully, until a sudden turning
point where one of the children almost
drowns and Elly disappears without a trace.
But has she drowned or run away? With a
sharp rhetorical knife the director cuts into
the relationships among those left behind,
revealing lies, cowardice and violence under
the surface. ls
Iran 2009 Director Asghar FARHADI Script Azad JAFARIAN Camera Hayedh SAFI-YARI Cast Golshifteh FARAHANI,
Taraneh ALIDOOSTI Prod. Simaye Mehr Sales DreamLab Films, info@dreamlabfilms.com Language Farsi, English Subtitles English
Duration 119 min Format 35mm
AIR DOLL
Kûki Ningyô
Hideo is a middle-aged man who lives alone
with the inflatable doll Nozomi as his only
companion. He confides in her, they have dinner
together and they share a bed every night.
What he does not know is that Nozomi comes
to life every morning after he has left for work.
Dressed in uniform, she wanders around
by herself on expeditions in the city, with a
child‘s sense of wonder and enthusiasm. Every
afternoon she returns to revert to a lifeless
doll. Then one day, Nozomi meets Junichi in
a video store and falls in love. She gets a job
there and through the movies they watch together,
Nozomi learns about the outside world.
A world that literally takes her breath away.
The film about inflatable Nozomi, who
springs to life and love, has already enthralled
audiences in Cannes and Toronto. Cinematographer
Mark Lee Ping-bing‘s (In the Mood
for Love, 2000) stylistically assured and visually
ravishing universe lends a seductive depth
and intensity to the film. Air Doll is a film
about the loneliness that our modern urban
world also holds. Director Kore-eda is already
regarded as a cinematic genius by many. Air
Doll is likely to convince the rest. red
This film is part of the Kore-eda Retrospective.
Japan 2009 Director KORE-EDA Hirokazu Script KORE-EDA Hirokazu, GODA Yoshiie Camera Mark Lee PING-BING Cast BAE Doona,
ARATA, ITAO Itsuji, Joe ODAGIRI Prod. TV Man Union, Inc. Sales Fortissimo Films, info@fortissimo.nl Language Japanese
Subtitles English Duration 116 min Format 35mm
COMPETITION
The master director
Kore-eda breathes life into
Nozomi in this stylistically
beautiful film
Hirokazu Kore-eda was born in Tokyo in
1962. His first feature film, Maborosi,
won The Golden Lion at the Venice Film
Festival in 1995. Recurrent motifs in
his films are the polarities of life and
death, grief and loneliness. Kore-eda is
a filmmaker with a growing reputation
and his films are screened at festivals
all around the world.
Selected filmography
Air Doll 2009
Still Walking 2008
Hana 2006
Nobody Knows 2004
Distance 2001
After Life 1998
Maborosi 1995
19

20
COMPETITION
Two stories of grief are
intertwined in this cruel
yet majestic film
Peter Brosens (Belgium, 1962) worked
for thirteen years with various projects
in Mongolia, of which the most well-
known is the Mongolia Trilogy. Jessica
Woodworth (USA, 1971) studied
literature at Princeton University and
thereafter classical theatre at Oxford.
Together they run Bo Films, an indepen-
dent Belgian production company.
Selected filmography
Altiplano 2008
Khadak 2006
The Virgin Diaries (doc.) 2002
ALTIPLANO
Altiplano
When Grace, a war photographer, is forced
to take a picture of her interpreter as he is
shot by Iraqi insurgents, her life falls apart.
In search for answers, she finds herself in the
middle of a fateful struggle where an indigenous
people struggle to protect their religious
territories. From a holy spring nearby a mysterious
illness spreads through the population.
Focusing on the greed of international
politics and its consequences, this film is a
marvellous visual journey, where a quiet and
poetic atmosphere is played out against the
majestic backdrop of the mountain panoramas
of Altiplano. A contemplation of geographical
as well as cultural borders between
groups of people, Altiplano is a journey of
grief about the unknown struggle for freedom
in the Peruvian mountains. ee
Peru, Belgium, Germany, Netherlands 2009 Director Peter BROSENS, Jessica Hope WOODWORTH Script Peter BROSENS,
Jessica Hope WOODWORTH Camera Francisco GÓZON Cast Magaly SOLIER, Jasmin TABATABAI Prod. Bo Films Sales Meridiana Films,
helen@meridianafilms.com Language Spanish, French, English Subtitles English Duration 109 min Format 35mm
BURIED SECRETS
Dowaha
Aicha, Radia and their mother have found a
hiding place on an abandoned property were
they have set up camp in the servant‘s house.
They have several reasons to hide and have
lived in isolation for some time. Then one day
a young couple moves into the main building.
The three women decide that they will not
reveal themselves to their new neighbours
and hope that they will go away as soon as
possible. Quite soon, however, Aicha, the
youngest, becomes increasingly curious about
them and the possiblility of a meeting lurks
behind the next door.
Buried Secrets is a different film about
living in hiding and observing the outside
world. It was recently screened at the Biennale
in Venice, Italy. Hafsia Herzi, who was
presented as a Shooting Star during this
year‘s Berlinale, gives the film both believability
and liveliness in her role as Aicha, the
charming younger girl. The film‘s beautiful
and lingering images and pace contribute to
strengthen an atmosphere of confinement
and isolation. Raja Amari charmed many with
her film Satin Rouge, which was also screened
at Films from the South. With Buried Secrets
she further confirms her position as one of
North Africa‘s most interesting and promising
directors. red
Tunis 2009 Director Raja AMARI Script Raja AMARI Camera Renato BERTA Cast Hafsia HERZI, Sondos BELHASSEN, Wassila DARI,
Rim El BENNA Prod. Fortissimo Film Sales Sales Fortissimo Films, info@fortissimo.nl Language Arabic Subtitles English
Duration 91 min Format 35mm
COMPETITION
Charming and believable
about life in hiding, from
one of Tunisia’s most
promising directors
Raja Amari was born in 1971 in Tunis
and performed as a professional dancer
at the Conservatory there for many
years. After working as a film reviewer
for Cinécrit, she began studying film in
Paris. Her first film, Red Satin, was very
well received. She has also written and
directed several short films, including
the award-winning One Evening in July.
Buried Secrets is her second
feature film.
Selected filmography
Buried Secrets 2009
Seekers of Oblivion 2004
Satin Rouge 2002
One Evening in July (short) 2001
April 1998
21

22
COMPETITION
Ruthless and brutal film
about one of the worst war
crimes in modern time
Chan Lu (b. 1970) is regarded as one
of China‘s most talented directors.
He started out as a screenwriter for
Black Hole, one of the most popular
TV series in China. His first film was
Missing Gun from 2002 followed by
Mountain Patrol in 2004, both previ-
ously shown at Films from the South.
Selected filmography
City of Life and Death 2009
Missing Gun 2004
Mountain Patrol 2002
CITY OF LIFE AND DEATH
Nanjing! Nanjing!
City of Life and Death is like a stranglehold on
the mind – a ruthless war film that can only
be compared to Elem Klimov‘s brutal epic Go
and See. The film takes place in 1937, a turning
point in the Sino-Japanese war, the largest
Asian conflict of the 20th century. It tells the
controversial story of the Battle of Nanjing
and depicts the Japanese‘s perverse treatment
of Chinese prisoners of war during six
cruel weeks. The event has been named “the
Nanjing Massacre“ and “the Rape of Nanjing“.
The narrative moves through numerous
fictional and historical characters: a Chinese
soldier, a teacher, a Nazi businessman who
was behind the safety zone in the city and
who saved several thousand people. Depicting
some of the worst war crimes of our age, City
of Life and Death hits the viewer with explicit
images of atrocities. It has become controversial
because of the fact that the war is still a
festering wound between China and Japan.
Where Germany has paid billions in damages
to its victims, Japan has celebrated its
soldiers as war heroes. Make yourself ready
for a cinematic eruption of a rare magnitude,
brought to the big screen by one of China‘s
most talented directors. ee
China, Hong Kong 2009 Director LU Chuan Script LU Chuan Camera YU Cao Cast YE Lui, YUANYUAN Gao, NAKAIZUMI Hideo
Prod. China Film Group, Jiangsu Broadcasting System Sales Media Asia Distribution, wwdist@mediaasia.com Language Japanese,
Mandarin Subtitles English Duration 132 min Format 35mm
CYRANO FERNÁNDEZ
Cyrano Fernández
Cyrano Fernández is the story of a tough and
romantic vigilante who fights for justice in
Latin America‘s largest favela. Cyrano is deeply
in love with the beautiful dance teacher
Roxana, and lets out all his love on paper in
the form of tear-jerking lyrics for a local rap
artist. One day, the young Christian Caracas
arrives, having fled New York after revenging
his brother‘s death. Roxana soon falls for his
charm. But how can Christian manage to tell
her that he loves her back? And what kind of
future will the lovers have in a city where 150
people are murdered every day? This classic
drama‘s dark and melodramatic undercurrent
is cultivated and used for all that it is worth. It
ends as a modern tragedy where money and
power are at stake, and where Cyrano and his
gang the Tupanmaros gather to fight violence
and corruption. The camera alternates
between fast movements in the back streets
of the favela, and gliding panoramas of the
enormous shantytowns. Similarly, the story
of Cyrano shifts between the fate of individuals
and this fate‘s potential meaning for the
collective. Idealism may not be dead, and
there may still be hope in the bloodstained
favela. tlå
Venezuela 2007 Director Alberto Arvelo MENDOZA Script Alberto Arvelo MENDOZA Camera Cezary JAWORSKI Cast Édgar RAMÍEZ,
Jessica GRAU, Pastor OVIEDO Prod. Indigomedia, S.A. Sales Centro Nacional Autónomo de Cinematografía (CNAC) Language Spanish
Subtitles English Duration 100 min Format 35mm
COMPETITION
Honour is not dead, it
hides in Latin America’s
largest favela
Alberto Arvelo is a recognised and
award-winning director and screenwriter
well known both in Venezuela and
abroad. Since his debut in 1986,
Arvelo has written, directed and
produced both fiction films, minise-
ries for TV, and documentaries. He
lives in Venezuela, where he teaches
screenwriting and direction at Escuela
Nacional de Medios Audiovisuales in
the city of Merida.
Selected filmography
Cyrano Fernández 2007
To Play and to Fight 2006
Habana Havana 2004
House With a View of the Sea 2001
One Life and Two Trails 1997
La Canción de la Montaña 1986
Candelas en la Niebla 1986
23

24
COMPETITION
Freedom – so close,
but still so far away
Arash T. Riahi (born in 1972 in Iran)
is an award-winning Austrian- Iranian
filmmaker who has lived in Vienna
since 1982. He started work for the
Austrian TV channel ORF after graduat-
ing filmstudies and in 1998 established
the production company Golden Girls
Filmproduction. Riahi has directed
documentaries, commercials, animation
films and music videos. For a Moment,
Freedom is his first feature film.
Selected filmography
For a Moment, Freedom 2008
Exile Family Movie (short) 2006
FOR A MOMENT, FREEDOM
Ein Augenblick Freiheit
Money changes hands and we follow a trek
through snow-covered landscapes. When the
Iranian refugees at last have crossed the Turkish
border they do not know that only half
of the journey towards freedom is done. The
winner of the prize for Best Debut Film at the
Montreal World Film Festival depicts people
fleeing, with everything this entails of hardship,
but does not show tragic destinies. For
a Moment, Freedom also portrays friendship,
love and dreams of a better life. Three stories
are interwoven as the struggle to achieve
refugee status begins, a struggle it is far from
certain that any of them will succeed in.
The director has created a humorous, engaging
and bittersweet story about an important
subject, showing us how people‘s destinies
are governed by politics. The story is never
reduced to a one-sided demonstration of human
suffering, but shares the good moments
with us as well, even those that arise in the
worst imaginable of situations. With impressively
powerful performances from everyone
involved, especially Swedish-Lebanese Fares
Fares, this is a film you should definitely not
miss. tlå
Turkey, Iran, Austria, France 2008 Director Arash T. RIAHI Script Arash T. RIAHI Camera Michi RIEBL Cast Navíd AKHAVAN, Pourya
MAHYARI, Payam MADJLESSI Prod. Les Films du Losange, Pi Film, Wega Film Sales Les Films du Losange, info@filmsdulosange.fr
Language Turkish, English, Persian Subtitles English Duration 110 min Format 35mm
THE GIFT TO STALIN
Podarok Stalinu
In this humanist historical drama, the
grown-up Sashka thinks back on the summer
of 1949, when as a boy he was saved from
certain death on the way to a gulag by a group
of good-hearted Kazakhs. The film‘s title
refers to the fact that the Soviet dictator Stalin
turned 70 that summer, and every child was
encouraged to give him a gift. This innocentlooking
version of subtle propaganda stands
in stark contrast to the picture director
Abdrashov paints of oppression and abuse of
power from both the Soviet military and local
Kazakh police, which together turn the film
into an emotional experience.
Abdrashov shows how different cultures
and religions – here a Jewish boy, Moslem
men and Russian-Orthodox Christians –
functioned together locally during the Soviet
era, while the various beliefs and local colours
were subjected to violent oppression from
central authorities. The film is told through
extended flashbacks with the grown-up
Sashka‘s highly emotional voice-over, while
an exquisite flute music and a tender use of
string instruments lends the film a nostalgic
and melancholy soundscape. Abdrashov also
shows us the Kazakh steppes in all their glorious
and pastoral power, lending the film an
epic visual form. lab
Kazakhstan, Russia, Poland, Israel 2008 Director Rustem ABDRASHITOV Script Pavel FINN Camera Khasan KIDIRALEIV
Cast Nurzhuman IKHTYMBAYEV, Dalen SHINTEMIROV Prod. Aldongar Productions Sales Aldongar Productions
Language Kazakh, Russian, Hebrew Subtitles English Duration 97 min Format 35mm
COMPETITION
Emotionally engaging
humanist drama from
Soviet era Kazakhstan
Rustem Abdrashov was born in 1970
in Almaty, Kazakhstan. He studied
scenography at the film school in
Moscow, and worked for several years
as a scenographer for the company
Kazakhfilm. Abdrashov‘s feature debut
was Rebirth Island, which became the
first Kazakh film to win a FIPRESCI
Award, when it was met with critical
acclaim at the 2005 goEast festival.
Selected filmography
The Gift to Stalin 2008
Patchwork 2007
Rebirth Island 2004
25

26
COMPETITION
How do you know
when one white lie,
is one too many
Lyes Salem was born in Alger in 1973.
After studying acting at Conservatoire
National Supérieur d‘Art Dramatique in
Paris in 1998, he performed at several
of France‘s most prestigious theatres.
Salem has made two short films,
Jean Farès from 2001, and Cousines
from 2004. Masquerades is his
first feature film.
Selected filmography
Masquerades 2008
Cousines (short) 2004
Jean Farès (short) 2001
MASQUERADES
Mascarades
Mounir Mekbek lives with his family in a
small village far out in the Algerian countryside.
Both proud and confident, he dreams of
one day getting the respect he deserves from
the other villagers. But it is far from ideal to
be saddled with a stubborn narcoleptic sister
who constantly ruins the image he attempts
to establish for himself. Rym falls asleep anywhere
and the neighbours are convinced that
she will remain unmarried forever. Fed up
with people making fun of his sister, Mounir
comes home drunk one evening, hollering
all over the village that he has found a suitor
for his sister. The lies accumulate and sud-
denly Rym is engaged to an imaginary rich
foreign businessman. Preparations for the
wedding start but without a groom in sight.
The strength of this amusing comedy lies in
the performances but also in a screenplay that
draws upon the situation comedy of classical
theatre. In addition to the marvellous humour,
it is also liberating to see an Algerian
film that does not, as the director himself puts
it, primarily talk about the difficulty of being
from Algeria. tlå
Algeria, France 2008 Director Lyes SALEM Script Lyes SALEM, Nathalie SAUGEON Camera Pierre COTTEREAU
Cast Lyes SALEM, Sarah REGUIEG, Mohamed BOUCHAÏB Prod. Dharamsala, Laïth Média Sales Umedia, clement@umedia.fr
Language Arabic Subtitles English Duration 94 min Format 35mm
PANDORA’S BOX
Pandora’nin kutusu
A bittersweet film about a family‘s confrontation.
When the aging matriarch Nusret suddenly
disappears from her home in the mountains,
her children must put their differences
aside in an attempt to save her. They find
her exhausted and lost in the forest, and take
her back to Istanbul. She is diagnosed with
Alzheimer, in a very advanced state. Ustaoglu
paints a warm yet distressing portrait of a fragmenting
family who are forced to find their
way back to each other for their mother‘s sake.
The oldest daughter, Nesrin, desperately tries
to keep her own family together, while her son
Murat does what he can to get away from his
mother‘s controlling grip. Murat would rather
stay out with his uncle Mehmet, a slacker who
has broken with his sisters a long time ago.
The youngest daughter, Guzin, has enough
keeping her own existence afloat, and in the
end it is Murat who, somewhat reluctantly,
has to take care of his increasingly demanding
grandmother.
Veteran Tsilla Chelton‘s marvellous
performance as Nusret leads an ensemble
who succeedes masterfully in portraying both
familial dysfunctionality and loyalty. The
alternation between a claustrophobic Istanbul
and the open hillsides give the film an added
dimension, without Ustaoglu having to resort
to clichés. akek
Turkey, France, Germany, Belgium 2008 Director Yesim USTAOGLU Script Yesim USTAOGLU, Selma KAYGUSUZ Camera Jacques BESSE
Cast Onur ÜNSALA, Derya ALABORA, Tsilla CHELTON Prod. Ustaoglu Film Yapim, Les Petites Lumieres Sales The Match Factory,
info@matchfactory.de Language Turkish Subtitles English Duration 112 min Format 35mm
COMPETITION
Pandora’s Box is a warm
story about complex family
relationships
Yesim Ustaoglu (b. 1960) made
her first feature film, The Track, in
1994. Her films have won awards in
Berlin, Istanbul, San Sebastian and at
Sundance. Ustaoglu has also pursued
a career as an arts and film writer, and
served in the jury at the Venice Film
Festival in 2002.
Selected filmography
Pandora’s Box 2008
Waiting for the Clouds 2003
Journey to the Sun 1999
The Track 1994
27

28
COMPETITION
Parque vía is a skilful and
stylistically assured film,
built on taciturn and
intimate characterstudies
Enrique Rivero Huerta (b. 1976,
Mexico) studied engineering, and
worked for a time in international
banking before deciding to study film.
He made two shorts before his debut
feature Parque vía.
Selected filmography
Parque vía 2008
Schht (short) 2005
Nidra (short) 2004
PARQUE VÍA
Parque vía
Parque vía is a skilful and stylistically assured
film, with taciturn and intimate studies of
the few people in the story. Beto is a caretaker
who has lived in and looked after the same
apartment for thirty years. His life changes
abruptly, however, when the owner finally, after
many years, manages to sell the house. To
a caretaker whose sole task has been to never
leave the house, the prospect of an existence
out among people is hard to live with.
The film belongs to the new Latin American
hyper-realistic school and has more in
common with Lisandro Alonso‘s formalism
than countryman Carlos Reygadas‘s nihilism.
The film is visually strong, relying heavily
on close studies of interesting faces. Despite
its minimal realism, it remains engaging
throughout. The actors are all amateurs, and
he leading man Nolberto Coria‘s real job is
comparable to the one he has as Beto.
Parque vía has received numerous
awards, including the Debutant Award at the
Havana film festival and the main prize (The
Golden Leopard) during the 2008 Locarno
festival. It is one of the most acclaimed Latin
American film on this years festival circuit. bb
Mexico 2008 Director Enrique RIVERO Script Enrique RIVERO Camera Arnau Valls COLOMER Cast Nolberto CORIA, Nancy OROZCO,
Tesalia HUERTA Prod. Una Comunion Sales Fortissimo Films, info@fortissimo.nl Language Spanish Subtitles English
Duration 86 min Format 35mm
TEZA
Teza
Haile Gerima is one of Ethiopia‘s most recognised
directors, and with his award-winning
Teza he definitely proves his worth. Teza is
a film that dares to challenge us as viewers,
with a formal language that masterfully mirrors
the mood of its protagonist.
Aaron Arefayne magnificently makes his
character Anberber come alive and it is impossible
not to be carried away by his experiences.
Teza is told through a series of overlapping
time periods, where we follow Anaber on his
return to a country he left behind a long time
ago. He has spent several years in Germany
studying medicine. He returns to Ethiopia with
professional optimism and political naiveté,
but is met by a country marked by many years
of dictatorship. Will he be able to find his way
back to the long lost world of his childhood
innocence? How will he adapt to a country
which is no longer like the one he remembers?
The film revisits periods of Anberber‘s
years in Germany, such as the fall of the
Berlin Wall – a time reminicent of more
than glasnost. We also learn about a troubled
Ethiopia that has to deal with present and
past ghosts. Through Anberber‘ eyes we are
invited on a bold cultural and geographical
journey. akek
Ethiopia, Germany, France 2008 Director Haile GERIMA Script Haile GERIMA Camera Mario MASINI Cast Aaron AREFE, Abeye TEDLA,
Takelech BEYENE Prod. Negod-Gwad Productions Sales The Match Factory, info@matchfactory.de Language Amharic, English, German
Subtitles English Duration 140 min Format 35mm
COMPETITION
A powerful and
personal film about a
journey between
continents and cultures
Haile Gerima (b. 1946) is one of
Ethiopia‘s most recognised filmmakers.
His most well-known film Sankofa (1993),
concernes the modern consequences of
the age of slavery. In 1968 he moved to
the US, where he has worked as a Profes-
sor of film at Howard University since.
Selected filmography
Teza 2008
Adwa – An African Journey 1999
Imperfect Journey 1994
Sankofa 1993
After Winter: Sterling Brown 1985
Ashes and Embers 1982
Wilmington 10 -- U.S.A. 10,000 1978
Harvest: 3000 Years 1976
Bush Mama 1976
29

30
COMPETITION
Subtle cinematic
analysis of the psychology
of modern man
Alicia Scherson won international rec-
ognition when her first feature Play won
awards at the prominent film festivals
in Karlovy Vary, Montréal and Tribeca.
Scherson was born in Santiago, Chile in
1974, and has also directed the shorts
Baño de Mujeres and Crying Underwa-
ter before her second feature.
Selected filmography
Turistas 2009
Baño de Mujeres (short) 2005
Play 2005
Crying Underwater (short) 2002
TURISTAS
Turistas
The action of Turistas takes the form of an
outer, physical journey – a vacation – but
the essential travels that takes place in
the film are nevertheless internal, mental
journeys into the protagonists‘ selves. With
a mood that is almost threatening the film
is reminiscent of the genre of classic slasher
films. Director Scherson is mainly concerned
with subverting the expectations of
conventional genre cinema. One of the most
important story elements occur right at the
beginning of the film, and it is this mental
foundation that the main character Carla
must try to work through. The journeys of the
film appear in many ways as pure escapism,
from problems, partners, identity, the very
core of the modern self.
Turistas is both a cinematic analysis of
the psychology of modern man and a highly
psychologising film experience. The music,
tender and dissonant at the same time, contributes
to an unnerving mood that Scherson
knows how to exploit, with visual devices of
nature and darkness. The forest, fauna and
lake where the action takes place are themselves
threatened from the outside by urban
and polluting forces, something that becomes
a subtle parallel to the inner conflicts some of
the characters feel threatened by. lab
Chile 2009 Director Alicia SCHERSON Script Alicia SCHERSON Camera Ricardo de ANGELIS Cast Aline KUPPENHEIM, Diego
NOGUERA Prod. La Ventura Sales Latinofusion, latinofusion@latinofusion.com.mx Language Spanish Subtitles English
Duration 105 min Format 35mm
THE WINDOW
La Ventana
Bedridden after a cardiac arrest, Antonio
(Antonio Larreta) lies waiting for his son.
Bound to his bedroom by an intravenous
drip, he sees the fields, the sun and the life
outside his window. From his bed Antonio is
in total control of what goes on in his house
and all the preparations for his son‘s homecoming.
Despite the well-meaning advice of
his nurses, and without their knowing, he
embarks on a trip into the world to which he
once belonged.
To honour his son, a world-famous pianist,
he has asked that the house piano shall
be tuned and the piano tuner‘s notes wind
their way throughout the film. These frail
notes, together with the buzzing of the bees
and the merciless ticking of a grandfather
clock, make the film experience quiet and
poetic. Similarly, nothing in the film is overly
spelled out, instead it is entrusted to the
subtlety of suggestion.
Sorin masterfully draws parallels between
the circle of life and the circle of Antonio‘s
last day. Strongly influenced by Ingmar Bergman‘s
Wild Strawberries, this is a film that
celebrates mortality and the down to earth. ek
Argentina, Spain 2008 Director Carlos SORÍN Script Carlos SORÍN Camera Julían APEZTEGÍA Cast Antonia LARRETA, María del Carmen
JIMÉNEZ Prod. Guacamole Films, S.A Sales Bavaria Film, sales@bavaria-film.de Language Spanish Subtitles English Duration 85 min
Format 35mm
COMPETITION
Even the dying can wait
for something worth
living for
Carlos Sorin (b. 1944) is perhaps
best known for his Historias Mínimas
(2002) for which he has won several
awards, including one at the Tromsø
International Film Festival. With his
background as a director, producer and
screenwriter, he is a prominent figure in
Argentinean cinema.
Selected filmography
The Window 2008
El Camino de San Diego 2006
El Perro 2004
18-j 2004
Historias Mínimas 2002
La Película del Rey 1986
31

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New Directions is a programme section in which
we choose to focus on first and second-time directors.
Previously it has been open to directors who
consciously use the artistic means peculiar to the
medium to stand out visually, aesthetically or in the
way their stories are told. This will still be a recurrent
criterion for most of the films, but the selection is
now limited to directors who have made just one or
two feature films.
Sometimes new directors also function as the
producer, co-screenwriter, editor and perhaps even
the cinematographer for the project. These are firsttime
filmmakers with a specific goal in mind and
a clear vision, and who want to be in control of all
stages of filmmaking. Feature film debutant Gerardo
Naranjo, I’m Gonna Explode, has stated that he had
an urgent personal need to tell his story, in order to
really reach an adult state of mind. I’m Gonna Explode
is a youth drama which has been characterised
as a mixture of Bonnie and Clyde (Arthur Penn) and
Pierrot le fou (Jean-Luc Godard).
At other times, a co-operative effort is the main
goal, as in the case of the directors Scandar Copti
and Yaron Shani, who worked together on their film
Ajami. Their background, coming from both sides of
the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, has in this compli-
NEW DIRECTIONS
cated action drama helped create a mosaic of images
that demonstrate the complexity of this area.
However the keyword for all film production is
usually co-operation. When Films from the South
nevertheless has decided to emphasise first-time
directors, this is because it is here one often finds
films that dare to explore the medium, break new
ground and express themselves uncompromisingly.
Such an attitude contributes to creating a wide range
in the expressive modes of cinema. In New Directions
the audience will find examples of quiet stylised film
art, as in Ye Zhao’s subdued masterpiece, Jalainur
(China) or in Özcan Alper’s Autumn (Turkey). There
are human dramas investigating how the turn of history
influences the fate of individuals, in Pesantren,
Nurman Hakim’s story of Moslem schoolboys, or
Firaaq, Nandita Das’s powerful portrait of the conflict
between Hindus or Moslems.
The films in New Directions shall move, disturb
and not necessarily please our audience. They also
compete for the Critics Award, where the winner will
receive a Norwegian DVD release through Platekompaniet.
Julie Ova
NEW DIRECTIONS
33

AJAMI
Ajami
Ajami is a neighbourhood in Jaffa, Israel
– a cultural and political melting pot where
Moslems, Christians, Jews and illegal Palestinian
refugees live side by side. The film is
a realistic story of city life told from several
points of view, with a voice-over giving an
early warning that things will not end well.
Arms and drugs are part of everyday life for
people who are forced into crime because of
things beyond their control. We meet a Palestinian
family who are subjected to threats and
danger after an uncle accidentally wounds a
prominent gang member. 13-year-old Nasri
and his elder brother Omar ask for protection
from a local big shot and restaurant owner.
His workers include a Palestinian refugee
hoping to earn enough money to pay for an
operation that can save his ill mother. The
brother of a Jewish policeman gets killed and
he does everything in his power to catch his
murderer. Ajami relocates the Middle East
conflict from high-level politics to a local
arena, and provides personal entrypoints to
complex issues. Things are not simplified by
this fact, but one of the world‘s most complex
conflicts is here seen with a different gaze,
told in a rough filmic language and framed as
a gangster movie. jo
Israel, Palestine 2009 Director Scandar COPTI, Yaron SHANI Script Scandar COPTI, Yaron SHANI Camera Boaz Yehonatan YAACOV Cast
Foudad HABASH, Nisrine RIHAN, Elias SABA Prod. Insonan Production, Twenty Twenty Vision Filmproduktion GmbH, Vertigo Films
Sales The Match Factory, info@matchfactory.de Language Arabic, Hebrew Subtitles English Duration 120 min Format 35mm
NEW DIRECTIONS
The world’s most
complicated conflict is
given the genre treatment
– as a gangster movie
Scandar Copti is a Palestinian who
lives in Israel where most of his family
has been in exile since 1948. He was
educated as an engineer, but followed
his dream of becoming a filmmaker.
Yaron Shani is a descendant of Jewish
settlers who left Europe before World
War II. He was educated at the Tel Aviv
University Department of Film and
Television, and has written and directed
several shorts.
Selected filmography
Ajami 2009
Disphoria (Yaron Shani) 2004
35

36
NEW DIRECTIONS
A quiet and visually
beautiful Turkish film
with a dark political
undercurrent
Özcan Alper (b. 1975, Turkey) has
worked as an assistant director and
production manager on a number of
films since 1997. He has previously
made two short documentaries and a
short film. Autumn is his first
feature film.
Selected filmography
Autumn 2008
Rhapsody and Melancholy in Tokai City
(short doc.) 2005
Voyage in the Time With a Scientist
(short doc.) 2002
Grandmother (short) 2001
AUTUMN
Sonbahar
Yusuf is released after ten years in prison,
incarcerated because of his active participation
for the political left during his university
days in Istanbul. After a longstanding hunger
strike his lungs are ruined, leaving him with
just a short time left to live. Upon his release
he returns to his mother‘s place in a mountainous
area by the Black Sea in the north.
The Soviet socialist ideal society has dissolved
during his ten years away, and is now exporting
prostitutes to his home area. He embarks
upon a quiet friendship with Eka, a Georgian
woman trapped in Turkey, earning money
in her own way to support a young daughter
back home. To Yusef it is late autumn in life
in a landscape approaching winter. Autumn is
a quiet and visually beautiful film marked by
wistfulness. It is also a story complimenting
that of The Storm, which portrays precisely the
struggle for political freedom of speech in the
Istanbul of the 1990‘s. bb
Turkey, Germany 2008 Director Özcan ALPER Script Özcan ALPER Camera Feza CALDIRAN Cast Onur SAYALAK, Cihan CAMKERTE,
Megi KOBALADZE Prod. Filmfabrik, Kuzey Film Sales Media Luna, info@medialuna-entertainment.de Language Turkish, Georgian,
Armenian Subtitles English Duration 99 min Format 35mm
CITY IN RED
Ciudad en Rojo
In Santiago de Cuba, one of the revolution‘s
most bloody battlegrounds, there are daily
newspaper reports of casualties under the
codeword Bertillón 166. In the late 1950‘s
revolutionary Cuba this concept functioned
as the peoples protection against censorship.
Where the police‘s attempts to subdue the
rebellion led to intense battles and skirmishes,
the city was painted red in blood. Over
the course of 24 hours, we follow the rebels‘
struggle against Fulgencio Batista‘s brutal
military dictatorship, in increasing bursts
of escalating violence. The Cuban director
Rebeca Chávez‘s debut film is about guerrilla
warfare in a city landscape, where soldiers
and civilians walk side by side. The film is
based on José Soler Puig‘s popular novel
Bertillón 166. No doubt owing to Chavez‘ longtime
career as a documentary filmmaker,
City in Red is also documentary-like in its
form, and explores the experiences of individuals
living in a war zone. In this manner, the
film manages to create a historical account of
Cuba‘s revolutionary past, while still retaining
a current cinematic expression. red
This film is part of the Cuba Retrospective.
Cuba 2008 Director Rebeca CHAVEZ Script Xenia RIVERY Camera Ángel ALDERETE Cast Diana Rosa PÉREZ, Elena ROSALES
Prod. ICAIC Sales ICAIC, internacional@icaic.cu Language Spanish Subtitles English Duration 90 min Format 35mm
NEW DIRECTIONS
Santiago de Cuba is
painted red in its peoples
blood
Rebeca Chávez is one of only a very few
female directors of feature films from
Cuba. She draws on her experiences
from making documentaries in her first
feature film Ciudad en Rojo.
Selected filmography
Ciudad en Rojo 2009
Antes del 59 (doc.) 2004
Entre el arte y la cultura (doc.) 2004
37

38
NEW DIRECTIONS
Award-winning
Indian drama from a
society marked by
divisions and change
Nandita Das was born in New Dehli in
1969 and has received numerous inter-
national awards both as a director and
an actress. As an actress she is best
known from the films Fire (1996), and
Earth (1998), both previously screened
at FFS. For her directorial debut Firaaq,
Das has already won several prizes at
festivals in Asia and in Europe.
Selected filmography
Firaaq 2008
Before the Rains (actress) 2007
Kamli (actress) 2006
Aamaar Bhuvan (actress) 2002
Daughters of the Century (actress) 2001
Bawandar (actress) 2000
Earth (actress) 1998
Fire (actress) 1996
FIRAAQ
Firaaq
Based on what is said to be a great number
of true stories, Firaaq starts one month after
the riots in the state of Gujarat. In 2002
about 2000 Moslems were massacred as a
revenge for the death of 58 Hindu pilgrims
when Moslem extremists set fire to the train
they travelled with. Through the course of 24
hours we meet various people from several
social strata and religions in a state strongly
marked by what is described as the bloodiest
religious strife in India in a decade.
With empathy and soberness human
fates are portrayed – people who in various
ways were struck by the riots. Aarti, a middle-
aged Hindu woman is haunted by a black
conscience because she did not let a Moslem
woman fleeing from a raging mob in.
Mohsin, a young Moslem, becomes homeless
because of the riots and searches desperately
for his father, meanwhile a married couple
see their store being burnt down and wish to
flee to Dehli. The stories intertwine, giving
the impression of how inextricably linked
the inhabitants‘ lives are. Firaaq is regarded
as a more somber Slumdog Millionaire, and it
has already won awards both in Asia and in
Europe. red
India 2008 Director Nandita DAS Script Nandita DAS, Schuchi KOTHARI Camera Ravi K. CHANDRAN Cast Deepti NAVAL, Naseeruddin
SHAH, Paresh RAWAL, Raghuvir YADAV Prod. Percept Picture Company Sales WIDE Management, wide@widemanagement.com
Language English, Hindi, Urdu, Gujarati Subtitles English Duration 112 min Format DigiBeta PAL
THE FIRM LAND
The Firm Land
The class society of India is explored in
Chapour Haghighat‘s very humane drama
The Firm Land, where the value of benevolence,
life experience and wisdom also are in
focus. After sudden illness and death have
stricken a small and poor coastal village with
a high degree of illiteracy, a group of men
decide to go to the big city to plead their cause
to the country‘s health authorities – where
they meet little sympathy and much blunt
brutality and rejection. In this way, Haghighat
focuses on the tardiness of bureaucracy and
its nearly Kafkaesque absurdity, as a serious
case becomes caught in a slow and highly
inefficient process.
Haghighat gives his film a documentary style,
with amusing and to-the-point elements of
a cinematic meta-perspective. This includes
a use of self-reflexive devices like visible
microphones and people addressing the
camera, as if we are witnessing the news or
an interactive documentary. Haghighat plays
around with the medium, and also gives a
cautious but comical comment on spectacular
blockbusters from both Hollywood and Bollywood.
The Firm Land puts entirely different
human and cinematic elements in the centre,
and thus becomes a tender-hearted film about
hope and warmth. lab
Iran, France 2008 Director Chapour HAGHIGHAT Script Chapour HAGHIGHAT Camera Mrinal DESAI Cast Prem DATTA, Abu LALA,
Mansoor SETH Prod. Perspectives Nomades Sales Perspectives Nomades, persnomades@wanadoo.fr Language Hindi
Subtitles English Duration 95 min Format 35mm
NEW DIRECTIONS
Tender-hearted drama
focusing on benevolence,
hope and warmth
Chapour Haghighat was born in Garm-
sar, Iran in 1974, but moved to France
as a child. He has distinguished him-
self as a versatile artist, with novels and
stage plays in both French and Farsi,
in addition to writing and directing two
feature films. Before his first feature in
2006, he made a documentary about
landless farmers in Brazil.
Selected filmography
The Firm Land 2009
The Nightly Song of the Travellers 2006
39

40
NEW DIRECTIONS
In his highly personal
manner, director Teguia
provides a portrait of
modern Algeria
Inland is the second feature by director
Tariq Teguia, born in 1966 in Algeria‘s
capital Alger. In his home country
Teguia studied art and philosophy
before starting work as a photographer.
He has also worked as an art history
teacher. His first feature film, Rome
Rather Than You (2006), was screened
at a number of important film festivals,
including Venice.
Selected filmography
Inland 2008
Rome Rather Than You 2006
The Fence (short doc.) 2002
INLAND
Gabbla
With Inland director Tariq Teguia provides a
highly personal portrait of modern Algeria;
a fragmented society that appears to have
trouble finding its way into a new age.
Malek, a topographer, is sent on a mission
to bring electricity to a village in Algeria‘s
desolated inland, a dangerous area where the
presence of terrorism can still be felt. From
the worn-down container where he lives, he
can hear land mines go off during the night,
but aside from that the days are generally uneventful
– until he discovers a young woman
in the container, the sole survivor of a group
of illegal immigrants on their way to Spain.
Using a markedly slow pace, Teguia lets the
viewer physically feel the hesitant lack of
direction and creates distance with flat images,
unusual framings and large panoramas
of barren landscapes. He provides contrast,
however, by cutting to animated debates from
the underground political scene – but it is
only words that are raging, with no apparent
action in sight. Events are also conveyed in a
distanced and fragmented manner as we are
given small glimpses of the Algerian society –
from herdsmen and oil workers to the police
and other officials. The feeling of a period of
upheaval is emphasised by the music, which
ranges from rock to traditional raï. rfa
Algeria, France 2008 Director Tariq TEGUIA Script Tariq TEGUIA, Yacine TEGUIA Camera Nasser MEDJKANE, Hacéne Aït KACI
Cast Abdelkader AFFAK, Ines Rose DJAKOU Prod. Neffa Films Sales Annebelle Thomas, annabelthomas@yahoo.fr
Language French, Arabic, English Subtitles English Duration 140 min Format 35mm
I’M GONNA EXPLODE
Voy a explotar
I‘m Gonna Explode is about teenagers who do
not fit in, neither with their parents nor other
teenagers. Román and Maru meet at their
end-of-junior high school ceremony. Román
is the son of a wealthy conservative politician
and is rebelling by constantly faking his own
suicide. During a talent competition at school
he produces a show where it looks like he
is hanging himself, Maru is the only one to
applaud. The two 15-year-olds find each other
with an intense feeling that the outside world
is uninteresting and impenetrable and that
any relief is impossible. The plot of the film
revolves around the two youths and their urge
to trick their parents. As the game gradually
evolves, it become more serious and more
difficult to end. The film can be regarded as a
Bonnie and Clyde for teenagers, with a similar
off-beat tone as Harold and Maude and
Heathers. The director has captured the
explosiveness of being a teenager and stated
after the screening in Berlin that it was totally
necessary for him to make such a film in order
to be able to enter the world of adults. The
film balances between pace and restlessness
and reflects the teenagers‘ immense need to
be seen and appreciated. jo
Mexico 2008 Director Gerardo NARANJO Script Gerardo NARANJO Camera Tobias DATUM Cast Juan Pablo de SANTIAGO,
Maria DESCHAMPS Prod. Canan Films, Cinematografica Revolcadero Sales Elle Driver, julie@elledriver.eu Language Spanish
Subtitles English Duration 106 min Format 35mm
NEW DIRECTIONS
Teenage rebellion and
a fake suicide
Gerardo Naranjo was born in Sinaloa,
Mexico. He started his own film society
while he was still at school and also
wrote film criticism. In 1998 he began
studying film in Mexico City, fol-
lowed by film direction studies at the
American Film Institute. His first film
was screened at Cannes in 2006. I‘m
Gonna Explode premiered at the 2008
Venice Film Festival.
Selected filmography
I’m Gonna Explode 2008
Drama/Mex 2007
Malachance 2004
The Last Attack of the Beast (short) 2002
Perro Negro (short) 2001
41

42
NEW DIRECTIONS
Friendship and isolation
are central in the quiet
and beautiful Jalainur
Jalainur is Zhao Ye‘s second feature
and won him the FIPRESCI Award at
the Pusan Film Festival in 2008. His
debut was Ma Wu Jia in 2007, and he
has also made the short animation film
Cai Wei in 2004. Zhao Ye studied art
at college and animation at the film
school in Beijing before his feature de-
but, and states that he draws a sketch
of every single frame before shooting it.
Selected filmography
Jalainur 2008
Ma Wu Jia 2007
Cai Wei (short) 2004
JALAINUR
Zhai lai nuo er
Friendship, exile and isolation emerge as the
primary focus of Chinese director Zhao Ye‘s
subdued and quiet, yet strikingly beautiful
film Jalainur, a Mongolian word that means
“ocean like lake”. After more than thirty years
driving a train at the coal mines in inner
Mongolia, the veteran Zhu is about to retire
and return home. Zhu‘s younger colleague
Zhihong has problems accepting this, so he
accompanies his mentor on the long journey
back home. Moments of both intimacy and
confrontation transpire between the men, who
are different in both nature and dispositions.
The cold climate and the rugged landscape
are expressed by the director, who has a keen
eye for how a feeling of melancholy can be
created through the expressionistic effect
and extreme long-shots of pristine nature.
The paradoxical clash between the forces of
nature and human civilisation are expressed
through children playing football on a frozen
lake, or men playing basketball on a desolated
plain. Zhao Ye also lets the camera linger for
a long time on the flight of a plastic tarpaulin
– dancing in the wind it reminds us of Zhu‘s
increasing awareness of the transience of
time and life at the end of an epoch. lab
China 2008 Director YE Zhao Script YE Zhao Camera YI Zhang Cast LIU Yuan-sheng, LI Zhi-zhong Prod. Tianlin Film Productions
Sales Tianlin Film Productions, cuiricks01@yahoo.com Language Mandarin Subtitles English Duration 92 min Format DigiBeta NTSC
A MOMENT IN JUNE
A Moment in June
Pakorn, a stage director, is conflicted about
both his choice of job and lover. Should he
play it safe or move onto uncertain ground?
He gives his girlfriend Phon an ultimatum
before leaving for Chiang Mai. He is going to
produce a play there about a love affair from
1970’s Bangkok, where a woman about to get
married falls for her boyfriend‘s best man.
On her way to Chiang Mai, the writer Arunya
meets her former lover Krung again. They
had a short and intense affair and the meeting
makes Arunya doubt whether she has
made the right choices in her life. She finds
herself talking about her doubts with a total
stranger, Phon, who is agonised with his own
decisions.
An irresistible seduction of our senses, A
Moment in June is an aesthetic pleasure both
visually and dramaturgically. Accidental meetings
and fates elegantly intertwine, fiction
and reality interweave both in the past and
the present. The yearnings of love provide the
framing of this hypnotically beautiful drama
from one of South East Asia‘s most promising
directors. red
Thailand 2008 Director O. NATHAPON Script O. NATHAPON Camera David Ethan SANDERS Cast Shahkrit YAMNARM,
Krissada SUKOSOL Prod. Story of O Sales O Nathapon, nathapon@mac.com Language Thai, Japanese Subtitles English
Duration 106 min Format 35mm
NEW DIRECTIONS
Seductive and elegant
from Thailand, about
love’s turns and yearnings
O. Nathapon was born and raised in
Thailand, but has lived and attended
school in Bangkok, Los Angeles and
London. His first short, Bicycles &
Radios, was specially selected to be
screened in Cannes. O. Nathapon is
regarded as one of South East Asia‘s
most promising young film directors.
He has stated that he wants everyone
of his films to be inspired by his home
country.
Selected filmography
Raising Baby Rio 2009
A Moment in June 2008
Bicycles & Radios (short) 2004
43

44
NEW DIRECTIONS
In a strict religious
environment outside
Jakarta, Indonesia, dreams
are put to the test
Nurman Hakim was born on Java in
Indonesia and educated at the Faculty
for Film and TV in Jakarta. He started as
a director of commercials before moving
on to short films. His first feature film,
Pesantren: 3 Wishes 3 Loves has been
screened at several festivals around the
world. He is currently working on a docu-
mentary about corruption in Indonesia.
Selected filmography
Pesantren: 3 Wishes 3 Loves 2008
PESANTREN: 3 WISHES 3 LOVES
3 doa 3 cinta
Huda, Rian and Syahid are best friends and
live at a Moslem school outside Jakarta, a very
conservative community led by the religious
leader Kyai Wahab. Their days are spent in
prayers and meditation, while they are educated
by militant teachers who force the youths
to believe that there is a religious war between
Moslems and Jews. Meanwhile, the boys
fight their own personal battles: Huba tries
to find the reason why his mother left him to
an orphanage, Rian wants to fulfil his dream
of working for a film company, while Syahid
tries to collect enough money to pay the bills
for his sick father. We also meet the beautiful
Dona who visits her mother‘s grave during
daytime and sings at the amusement park
with her rock band at night, while dreaming
of becoming a soap opera actress. But then
the World Trade Center falls and a bomb explodes
on Bali, everything changes suddenly
and brutally, exactly when the three friends
are about to leave school. Pesantren 3 Wishes 3
Loves is a colourful film from within a closed
religious society. The larger political picture
is contrasted with the trials of three youths on
their way into an unknown future. ee
Indonesia 2008 Director Nurman HAKIM Script Sastha SUNU Camera Nurman HAKIM Cast Dian SASTROWARDOYO,
Nicholas SAPUTRA Prod./Sales Triximages, triximages@gmail.com Language Indonesian Subtitles English
Duration 100 min Format 35mm
RAIN
Lluvia
It has been raining intensely in Buenos Aires
for many days. Alma has been living in her
car ever since she left her boyfriend. While
she is stuck in a traffic jam, a man suddenly
enters her car for shelter. He seems just as
confused as her, and for a few days they find
solace in each other‘s company. Roberto has
just arrived from Spain and finds himself
in a difficult situation in his life which is
gradually revealed throughout the film. These
two wounded people bond in a mixture of
scepticism, shyness and attraction, through
moving and truthful performances by Valeria
Bertuccelli and Ernesto Alterio. The actors
give depth to this introvert drama where outer
circumstances and inner moods are portrayed
in a highly impressive fashion, also through
cinematography and sound. Bertuccelli creates
a genuinely confused and vulnerable
character. Rain has won a number of awards
and recieved much critical acclaim. The director
has stated that the film explores the risk
you run when you start to focus on who you
really are, rather than who you want to be. jo
Argentina 2008 Director Paula HERNÁNDEZ Script Paula HERNÁNDEZ Camera Guillermo NIETO Cast Ernesto ALTERIO,
Valeria BERTUCCELLI Prod. Patagonik Film Group, Visions Sud Est Sales Film Sharks International, alpha@filmsharks.com
Language Spanish Subtitles English Duration 110 min Format 35mm
NEW DIRECTIONS
Outer circumstances and
inner moods intermingle
in a contemplation of
vulnerability
Paula Hernandez was born in Buenos
Aires, Argentina. She graduated from
Augustin Alezzo‘s drama workshop
(1992), Instituto Vocacional de Arte of
BA Townhall (1988) and Universidad
del Cine (1996). She has worked in
the Argentinean film industry for many
years. Rain is her first feature film.
Selected filmography
Rain 2008
Familia Lugone (doc.) 2007
Vientos de agua (TV) 2006
Eva (short) 2003
Kilometro 22 (short) 1996
Rojo (short) 1992
45

46
NEW DIRECTIONS
Despite the abuse of
occupying forces, they
attempt to live a
normal life
Najwa Najjar worked as a short film
and documentary filmmaker before this
feature debut. The process of making
this film has won her the Amien Script-
writing Award, as well as participation
in Sundance‘s Middle East Screenwrit-
ers Lab and the Mediterranean Films
Crossing Borders Workshop in Cannes.
Selected filmography
Pomegranates and Myrrh 2008
Yasmine’s Song (short) 2005
Naim and Wadee’a (short doc.) 2000
POMEGRANATES AND MYRRH
Al-Mor wa al rumman
Kamar and Zaid are newlywed Christian
Arabs who have recently taken over the responsibility
for the family‘s olive farm outside
Ramallah. Then Israeli soldiers move in to
confiscate the property and Zaid is arrested.
Kamar and her parents-in-law have to survive
as best they can, against armed settlers ready
to take their land.
Director Najwa Najjar‘s first feature film
presents a group of Palestinians who despite
suffering the abuse of the occupying forces
still insist on carrying on with a civilised life.
Even during the ordeals, Kamar insists on
maintaining her role in a local dance ensemble.
It is led by a young instructor who has
just returned to Palestine with ambitions to
lead the group to a large performance in the
city. Kamar is thrown into a dilemma when
she develops feelings for her dance teacher,
while Zaid is still in prison. bb
Palestine, France, Germany, UK 2008 Director Najwa NAJJAR Script Najwa NAJJAR Camera Valentina CANIGLIA Cast Hiam ABBASS,
Yasmine Al MASSRI, Ali SULEIMAN Prod. Ustura Films, ZDF/ARTE Sales Ustura Films, pomegranates.myrrh@yahoo.com
Language Arabic, English, Hebrew Subtitles English Duration 95 min Format 35mm
TREELESS MOUNTAIN
Treeless Mountain
Even though Treeless Mountain is in its core
a tragic story about neglect and fragmented
families, director and screenwriter Kim
chooses instead to turn this film into a testimony
of children‘s fundamental strength and
enormous adaptability. Left to an alcoholic
aunt in a cold and poor city environment, the
small sisters Jin and Bin show how children‘s
joy in small things, and the hope to see their
mother again, constitute a mental survival instinct
that grown-ups should admire. A piggy
bank that is to be filled with change thus
becomes a poetic symbol of the sisters‘ hope
for a reunion. The film is made in a realistic
and sober style. An unsteady and extremely
mobile handheld camera and sudden cuts
constantly keep the focus on the children,
especially the big sister Jin, who in addition
to her great longing must carry the burden of
responsibility for her sister. The total absence
of film music, evident improvisation and the
children‘s powerful performances lend the
film an inestimable mood of authenticity and
emotional nakedness. Director Kim neither
can nor wants to beautify the surroundings
or events. The film is honest and a genuinely
painful experience. lab
South Korea, USA 2008 Director KIM So Yong Script KIM So Yong Camera Anne MISAWA Cast KIM Hee-yeon, KIM Mi-hyang,
KIM Song-hee Prod. Parts and Labor Sales Memento Films, sales@memento-films.com Language Korean Subtitles English
Duration 89 min Format 35mm
NEW DIRECTIONS
Honest and painful about
neglect and the adaptability
of children
So Yong Kim was born in South Korea
in 1968, but grew up in Los Angeles.
She shot her first feature there,
In Between Days, in 2005 – a film in
the Do It Yourself tradition of indepen-
dent movies. Kim works intimately with
her husband Bradley Rust Gray, and
states that she is strongly influenced
by documentaries and the
Dardenne brothers.
Selected filmography
Treeless Mountain 2008
In Between Days 2006
47

ARTHAUS
PRESENTERER FILMER
FRA SØR HELE ÅRET
STILL WALKING
av Hirokazu Kore-eda
Lavmælt og humoristisk
om familiebånd
På kino fra 30. oktober
DJEVELENS TREKKSPILL
(Los viajes del viento)
av Ciro Guerra
En episk road-movie i
eselfart fra Colombia
På kino i april 2010
MED ÅPNE ØYNE
(Eynaim pekukhot)
av Haim Tabakman
Vakker beretning om
forbudt kjærlighet
i Jerusalem.
På kino våren 2010
SE FILMENE FØRST PÅ ÅRETS
FILM FRA SØR-FESTIVAL!
FILMPOOLEN er et samarbeid mellom
Film fra Sør, Bergen filmfestival og
Tromsø filmfestival, NRK og Arthaus.
Sammen gir vi filmer fra Sør et langt
liv i Norge. Fra festival til kino og
fjernsynsvisning.
”Documentaries are a creative treatment of reality”.
This is how the documentary legend John Griersen
described his way of making films. Films from the
South aim to provide the audience with an opportunity
to experience realities unlike their own.
This year’s programme includes The One Man
Village, the story of Seeman El Habre. He is the sole
remaining inhabitant of a Lebanese village after the
war has driven everyone else away. The film tells a
beautiful story of a man in harmony with his surroundings,
despite all the ravages of war. Rough
Aunties is Kim Longinotto’s story of a group of South
African women who started the organisation Bobbi
Bear – in an attempt to find and help maltreated and
sexually abused children. These are tough ladies who
DOCUMENTARIES
DOCUMENTARIES
can bear the brunt, being there for the small ones
who were let down by everyone else. Also in this
year’s programme is Blue Gold: World Water Wars,
Sam Bozzo’s exploration of what could become the
next world-spanning war. About this subject we have
to ask ourselves: What is truth? And what is fiction,
falsehood and nonsense? Perhaps the Canadian writer
and activist Maude Barlowe will have an opinion on
this as our guest during the festival.
DOK:SØR presents many different points of view.
”See the world from a different angle” is our own
motto. In Dok:Sør we present documentaries that do
precisely that.
Lasse Skagen
49

50
DOCUMENTARIES
Brazil, France 2008 Director/Camera Andrea SANTANA, Jean Pierre DURET
Cast NEGO, COCADA Prod. Ex Nihilo, Kissfilms, Mikros Image Sales Umedia,
clement@umedia.fr Language Portuguese Subtitles English Duration 90 min
Format DigiBeta PAL
Kenya 2008 Director Juan REINA, Eric KABERA Script Juan REINA
Camera Thierry DUSHIMIRIMANA, Fabien MUHIRE Prod. Vivid Features
Sales Vivid Features, nickqhuges@gmail.com Language Rwandese, English
Subtitles English Duration 55 min Format DigiBeta NTSC
USA 2008 Director Sam BOZZO Script Sam BOZZO Camera Sam BOZZO
Prod. Purple Turtle Films Sales Purple Turtle Films, sam@purpleturtlefilms.com
Language English Duration 90 min Format DigiBeta NTSC
BECAUSE WE WERE BORN
Puisque nous sommes nés
Duret and Santana followed the teenage boys Nego and
Cocada and their families for six months when they shot
Because We Were Born. Like flies on the wall and with minimal
interference from the directors, we follow the boys‘
everyday life when they hang out at the local gas station
and hear the drivers talk about a world they can only dream
of. The fatherless Cocada is determined to become a truck
driver...or a criminal, while Nego has more than enough
with his nine siblings. Because We Were Born is a moving
and heartfelt documentary. red
ISETA: BEHIND THE ROAD BLOCK
Iseta: Behind The Road Block
In 1994 a group of neighbours were accidentally filmed in
a quiet street in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda. At the same
time, the genocide that killed almost a million of the country‘s
inhabitants began. Recreating the scene, this documentary
shows the fates of the victims, the military and the
witnesses. This quiet street saw some of the first casualties
fall, accidentally caputred by a British photographer.
The documentary provides insight into some of the many
involved in the conflict, and shows unique images from a
time that the rest world would like to forget. red
BLUE GOLD: WORLD WATER WARS
Blue Gold: World Water Wars
The most primary of all our natural resources, water, we
should not take for granted. Focusing on human-made
problems, Blue Gold investigates pollution, drought and privatisation
of water resources. The message is conveyed both
visually and through encounters with researchers, politicians
and activists. They all have an important common
message: the world supply of drinking water is about to
become a disastrous crisis if we do not act soon. Blue Gold
will radically alter public understanding of this our most
fundamental resource. js
India 2008 Director Rajesh S. JALA Camera Rajesh S. JALA
Prod. Fortissimo Film Sales Fortissimo Films, info@fortissimo.nl
Language Hindi Subtitles English Duration 74 min Format DigiBeta PAL
Mexico, USA 2009 Director Natalia ALMADA Script Natalia ALMADA
Camera Chuy CHAVEZ Prod. Altamura Films Sales Louise Rosen Ltd., lrosenltd@
aol.com Language Spanish Subtitles English Duration 83 min Format DigiBeta
NTSC
Venezuela, Poland 2009 Director Franco de PEÑA, Francisco Arteaga PÁEZ
Script Franco de PEÑA, Francisco Arteaga PÁEZ Camera Ernesto Pérez MAURI
Cast LILIAN, CARLOS, Yon GOICOECHEA, Freddy GUEVARA Prod. Studio Filmowe
Everest Sales Franco de Pena, francodepena@gmail.com Language Spanish
Subtitles English Duration 64 min Format DigiBeta NTSC
CHILDREN OF THE PYRE
Children of the Pyre
DOCUMENTARIES
At the world‘s largest cremation ground in Varanasi, the
fire is burning around the clock. We meet seven young boys
who live, work and sleep around the funeral pyres. Considered
to be “dalit”, untouchables, the boys are fair game for
physical and verbal abuse. They make a living by helping
with the cremations, and by selling used burial shrouds
that they collect or steal. Children of the Pyre gives a unique
insight into the lives of these boys, their dreams and nightmares.
Shot in a simple style, the film is visually haunting
and will leave a lasting impression. ka
THE GENERAL
El General
With six hours of audio tapes, Natalia Almada weaves her
family history into the last 100 years of Mexican political
past. Her grandmothers voice talks about her life as
the daughter of one of Mexico‘s dictatorial men, former
president Plutarco Elias Calles. Even today the director sees
the same desperation among the people, as marked the
last century. Her grandmother‘s voice is enthralling, while
archive footage, photographs, historical facts and reflections
provide sharp contours to the shadows of the past, shadows
that still spread a chill over the nation. ls
HUGO REY
Hugo Rey y su doncella
In 2007 Venezuela‘s President Hugo Chávez started his
campaign to change the constitution, to allow for unlimited
re-elections of the President. Through TV-footage
and personal presence, this documentary follows the time
leading up to the referendum, showing what enormous
engagement it created both among Chávez’s sympathisers
and his opposition among studens. We also find Liliana, a
singel mother among hundreds of thousands in the slums
of Caracas, who in return for promises of a government
sponsored housing supports the President in his yearning
for power. rfa
51

52
DOCUMENTARIES
India, Italy 2008 Director Raffaele BRUNETTI, Marco LEOPARDI Camera Gianni
MAITIAN, Marco PASQUINI, Marco LEOPARDI Prod./Sales B&B Film Srl.,
contact@bbfilm.tv Language Italian, Telugu, Bengali, English Subtitles English
Duration 75 min Format DigiBeta PAL
Mali, Portugal 2008 Director Manthia DIAWARA Prod. Maumaus-School of Visual
Arts Sales Jurgen Bock, jurgenbock@mail.telepac.pt Language Portugese, English
Subtitles English Duration 58 min Format HDCam
Israel, France, Belgium 2008 Director Simone BITTON Script Simone BITTON
Camera Jacques BOUQUIN Cast Rachel CORRIE Prod. Ciné-Sud Promotion, arte
France Cinéma Sales Umedia, clement@umedia.fr Language English, Arabic,
Hebrew Subtitles English Duration 101 min Format DigiBeta PAL
HAIR INDIA
Hair India
Hair India is about one of India‘s most lucrative export
products – temple hair. We get to see Indian hair travelling
around the globe, to Italy, Hollywood and back to India
again. The story starts in West Bengal where a young girl
sacrifices her hair in a Hindu temple. The hair is sorted by
quality and length and is then sold to the Italian company
Great Lengths, with wealthy clients waiting around the
world. Hair India shows, without moralising, how
globalisation, ideals of beauty and traditional rituals together
create a thriving business. ibds
TROPICAL HOUSE
La maison tropicale
Manthia Diawara follows the artist Ângela
Ferreira‘s´project Maison Tropicale, Portugal‘s contribution
to the Venice Biennale. The project is inspired by
Jean Prouvé‘s well-known designer house from the 1940’s,
which became a prototype for the French colonial administration
buildings in Africa. The houses have later been
moved around, to exhibitions all around the world, and sold
for millions. An interesting and informative insight into
how the age of colonialism still casts shadows over African
history and identity. red
RACHEL
Rachel
The 23-year old activist Rachel Corrie was crushed by an
Israeli bulldozer when she tried to stop a Palestinian house
from being demolished. Director Bitton is looking for
answers: did the driver see Rachel or not? Through testimonies
from activists, doctors and politicians, as well as
archive footage favouring both sides, an extremely complex
and brutal picture is created of a hopeless political situation.
Rachel is a rough documentary which will remain
with the viewer for a long time. The Norwegian Touring
Theatre staged an adaption based on Rachel‘s story earlier
this year. ee
South Africa, England 2008 Director/Camera Kim LONGINOTTO
Cast Jackie BRANFIELD, Mildred NGCOBO Prod. Vixen Films, Rise Films
Sales Women Make Movies, dzimmerman@wmm.com Language English, Zulu
Subtitles English Duration 103 min Format DigiBeta PAL
Nepal 2008 Director Julie BRIDGHAM Camera Julie BRIDGHAM, Dinesh DEOKOTA,
Kumar SHRESTHA Prod. Butter Lamp Films Sales Women Make Movies,
dzimmerman@wmm.com Language English Subtitles English
Duration 92 min Format DigiBeta PAL
Israel 2007 Director/Script Tamar YAROM Camera Shiri BAR-ON, Daniel GAL,
Itmar MENDES-FLOR Prod. First Hand Films Sales Women Make Movies,
dzimmerman@wmm.com Language Hebrew Subtitles English
Duration 59 min Format DigiBeta PAL
ROUGH AUNTIES
Rough Aunties
DOCUMENTARIES
Rough Aunties is a group of women who have devoted their
lives to help abused children in Durban, South Africa. The
film follows five of these tough ladies through their daily
struggle to help the most vulnerable in society. At the Bobbi
Bear Centre, an organisation that works for children‘s
rights, abuse, violence and poverty are parts of everyday
life. Despite all this, the women find strength and hope in
each other, and Rough Aunties is in many ways a film about
faith and friendship, where the protagonists come across as
strong representatives for a better world. ibds
SARI SOLIDERS
Sari Soliders
After a massacre where ten members of the royal family
were killed, King Gyanendra takes the power and throne.
Nepal is torn between an oppressive government and the
revolutionary Maoists. We follow the country‘s thorny path
to a democratic system, through the stories of six women
who, each from their own conviction, fight for a new Nepal.
Rajani is a soldier in the royal army, Ram a courageous
political activist, while Devi wants justice for her daughter,
who disappeared during the civil war. Moving and informative
about Nepal‘s brave women and the country’s modern
history. pisj
TO SEE IF I´M SMILING
Lir’ ot Im Ani Mehayechet
Israel is the only country in the world with compulsory
military service for women aged 18 to 20. In this awardwinning
film by Tamar Yarom we hear the testimony of six
of these women, stationed in Gaza and at the West Bank.
They describe their experiences of the conflict zone: the
feeling of being dehumanised, the need to hide their femininity
and the deep scars that the mentality of war leave in
their lives. What does it do to a human being working in an
environment where killing is legalised? ee
53

In co-operation with a select group of Norwegian film
distributors, Films from the South, Oslo Kino and
BUG, invite you to attend a series of gala screenings
at Ringen kino. They will consist of preview
screenings of upcoming films that are to be released
in the coming year, and will be presented with a
red carpet, torches and in the presence of specially
invited guests.
In this way, Films from the South wants to draw
attention to films that have already been picked
up by a Norwegian distributor but not yet released.
The concept of a film festival is to create richer film
experiences. In order to make a film festival different
from the regular movie experience, Films from
the South invites you to debates, puts the films in
context or enables the directors behind them to meet
their audience. Usually there is no dress code when
attending a festival screening, but sometimes the
chance to dress up is exactly what is required to turn
the evening into a festive occasion. We propose this
not simply for ornamental purposes, or to emphasise
glamour rather than the quality of the film, but in the
hope of elevating the experience and creating a
GALA SCREENINGS
GALA SCREENINGS
different atmosphere. A film is an autonomous
cinematic expression, but the experience of watching
can vary greatly depending on the surroundings
in which the film is watched. At a gala screening the
film is of utmost importance and the experience of
watching takes centre stage.
What make these screenings special is the fully
digitalised equipment of Ringen Kino and that
the films are only screened in DCP format (Digital
Cinema Package). We find ourselves in a time of
great upheaval for the cinema industry, where Film &
Kino is prepring the ground for a nearly revolutionary
development around the whole country.
Films from the South is concerned with securing
films with a narrower appeal a share of this technical
advance. Our hope is that not only the blockbusters
will benefit from this great effort, and we are furthermore
anxious to find out what effect the digital development
will have on the supply of films for festivals
in the time to come.
We would like to thank Oslo Kino for great cooperation
in this project, BUG for preparing digital
prints, and the distributors Arthaus, Fidalgo, Filmhuset,
Scanbox and Tour de Force for their diligent
effort in obtaining material for the digital screenings.
Julie Ova
55

56
GALA SCREENINGS
Marocco 2008 Director Nour-Eddine LAKHMARI Script Nour-Eddine LAKHMARI
Camera Luca COASSIN Cast Anas ELBAZ, Omar LOTFI , Mohamed BENBRAHIM
Prod. Sigma Technologies Sales Soread 2M Norwegian distributor Filmhuset
Language Arabic Subtitles Norwegian Duration 125 min Format DCP
Sri-Lanka 2008 Director Uberto PASOLINI Script Uberto PASOLINI, Ruwanthie
De CHICKERA Camera Stefano FALIVENE Cast Dharmapriya DIAS, Ruwanthie De
CHICKERA Prod. Babelsberg Film Sales Beta Cinema Norwegian distributor Fidalgo
Language Sinhala, English Subtitles English Duration 109 min Format DCP
Iran, USA 2008 Director Cyrus NOWRASTEH Script Cyrus NOWRASTEH, Betsy
Giffen NOWRASETH, Freidoune SAHEBJAM Camera Joel RANSOM Cast Shohreh
AGHDASHLOO, Jim CAVIEZEL Prod. Roadside Attractions, Mpower Pictures
Sales / Norwegian distributor Scanbox Entertainment Language Persian, English
Subtitles Norwegian Duration 116 min Format DCP
CASANEGRA
Casanegra
In an underground Casablanca, labyrinthine, continental
and extremely cinematic, Karim and Adil are two friends
who do their best to get cash and stay out of trouble. They
succeed in this in varying degrees, but life as petty criminals
nevertheless appears as one of few available forms of
existence in a society still marked by its heritage from feudal
society. There are many nuances, however, and subtle
criticism is directed at both class distinctions and materialism.
It is provoking, not least when the dream of a gilded
future is symbolised by a postcard from Malmö. mm
MACHAN
Machan
Absurd stories from real life does not lack in the film industry,
but in Machan an otherwise serious and realistic situation
gets a comic turn. A lack of prospects for the future
gives a group of Tamil and Singalese men the idea to apply
for a handball tournament in Bayern, where they pose as a
non-existent Srilankese national team. In Machan serious
subjects like poverty and refugee policies are treated with
humour, warmth and optimism, and the likeable characters
are guaranteed to charm audiences. Watch out for some
hysterical handball comedy! lab
THE STONING OF SORAYA M
The Stoning Of Soraya M
Based on a true story, The Stoning of Soraya M has won
prizes and recognition at a number of film festivals, and
engaged and shocked audiences. During a trip in Iran in
1986, a journalist learns the story of young Soraya. She
lives in a violent marriage, which does not improve when
her husband decides that he wants a divorce so that he
can marry a 14-year-old girl. The result is dramatic in this
shocking story, which focus on women‘s lack of rights. red
Japan 2008 Director KOREEDA Hirokazu Script KOREEDA Hirokazu Camera
YAMASAKI Yutaka Cast YOU, ABE Hiroshi, NATSUKAWA Yui Prod. TV Man Union
Sales Celluloid Dreams, info@celluloid-dreams.com Norwegian distributor Arthaus
Language Japanese Subtitles Danish Duration 114 min Format DCP/35mm
South Korea 2009 Director PARK Chan-wook Script PARK Chan-wook, JEONG Seo-
Gyeong Camera CHUNG Chung-hoon Cast SONG Kang-ho Song, KIM Ok-vin, KIM
Hae-sook Prod. Prod./Sales CJ Entertainment, CJ Entertainment, Focus Focus Feature Feature Sales Norwegian Tour de Force distributor Language Tour
Korean de Force Subtitles Language norsk Korean Duration Subtitles 133 Norwegian min Format Duration Annet 133 min Format DCP
The Digital Cinematheque
The cinematheques in the Norwegian cities of Bergen, Lillehammer,
Oslo, Stavanger, Tromsø, Trondheim and soon also Sandnes,
are a result of the Norwegian Film Institute project called The
National Digital Cinematheque. The goal is to take advantage of
the conversion from 35mm film to digital screenings in regular
movie theatres, and use it as an opportunity to make both classic
and more recent films available to movie theatres across the
country. Coming premieres will include two 2008 works,
Shirin by Abbas Kiarostami and the sumuous animation film
www.cinematekene.no
STILL WALKING
Aruitemo aruitemo
GALA SCREENINGS
Junpei gave his life to save a young boy and each year his family
come together on the anniversary of his death to honour his
memory, a memory so sacred that it overshadows the rest of
the familymembers. Especially the brother Ryota, has trouble
adapting to the fragile peace. This year the commemoration
is made even more complicated when the boy Junpei saved
comes to visit. Again Kore-eda demonstrates how he masters
the unspoken, and what lies between the lines. Still Walking
is a beautiful and warm film, where a smile is always ready to
break out along with the tears. akek
This film is part of the Kore-eda Retrospective.
THIRST
Bakjwi
Thirst is located somewhere between the mythology of vampire
films and the classic love story. Sang-hyun is a priest
who has problems with a world he feels is full of pain. He
volunteers for an experiment to find a vaccine against a
deadly virus, but the experiment fails. When he wakes up
he has become a vampire. While fighting his new thirst he
meets Tae-ju, the wife of a childhood friend, who wants to
escape her present life. Their relationship evolve, without
Tae-ju knowing the truth about his new dietary habits. ibds
Immigrants L.A. Dolce Vita by Gábor Csupó from Hungary.
Both films will be shown digitally in 2K resolution.
As one of the first countries in the world, Norway has created a
chain of digital cinematheques, and The new Digital Cinematheque
has attracted considerable attention abroad.
Because of it, the supply of film classics for digital screening
is now strongly increasing.
57

58
SPECIAL SCREENINGS
Mexico, France, USA 2008 Director Amat ESCALANTE Script Amat ESCALANTE,
Martín ESCALANTE Camera Matthew UHRY Cast Jesus Moises RODRIGUEZ, Rubén
SOSA Prod. Mantarraya Producciones Norwegian distributor Arthaus, arthaus@arthaus.no
Language Spanish Subtitles Norwegian Duration 90 min Format 35mm
Israel, France 2009 Director Haim TABAKMAN Script Merav DOSTER Camera Axel
SCHNEPPAT Cast Ran DANKER, Tzahi GRAD, Ravit ROZEN Prod. Arte, Istael
Film Fund Norwegian distributor Arthaus, arthaus@arthaus.no Language Hebrew,
Yiddish Subtitles Norwegian Duration 91 min Format 35mm
Bangladesh 2008 Director Sadik AHMED Script Sadik AHMED, Heather TAYLOR
Camera Sadik AHMED Cast Tariq ANAM, Tanveer HASAN, Rubel AHMED
Prod. BreakThru Films Limited Sales BreakThru Films Language Bengali
Subtitles English Duration 80 min Format DigiBeta PAL
LOS BASTARDOS
Los Bastardos
For Fausto and Jesus life in the US is tough. As Mexican
immigrants without a green card they depend on taking
badly paid jobs. Every day they stand in the same spot
waiting for a potential employer to pass by. It is a hopeless
situation for the two day workers, locked in a pattern of
poverty and at the mercy of ruthless employers. But one
day Jesus brings a weapon to work... Los Bastardos is a quiet
crime drama that slowly builds up to a shocking and brutal
conclusion. kå
EYES WIDE OPEN
Eyes Wide Open
What happens when a relationship develops between two
men in a Jewish Orthodox community? The family father
Aaron takes over as a butcher after his father dies. One day
the beautiful Yeshiva student Ezri turns up and a fateful attraction
starts building between the two men. But such passion
will easily provoke people in a highly traditional Jewish
neighbourhood. In a tender and poetic filmic language,
director Tabakman leads us into a closed microcosm we seldom
enter. Eyes Wide Open was screened in the Un Certain
Regard programme during this year‘s Cannes festival. pisj
This film will be announced by its Norwegian title: Med åpne øyne
THE LAST THAKUR
The Last Thakur
An armed stranger arrives in a city marked by a struggle of
power between two rival leaders. He offers his services and
soon the Moslem politician and the Hindu land owner overbid
each other to secure his help. But the stranger also has
his own personal agenda. Set in rural Bangladesh, the film
vividly portrays one man‘s quest for revenge. Director Sadik
Ahmed provides insights into a society marked by political
and religious strife, and the beautiful visuals bear witness
of his background as a cinematographer. ek
Iran 2008 Director Abbas KIAROSTAMI Script Abbas KIAROSTAMI
Camera Gelareh KIAZAND Cast Niki KARIMI, Golshifteh FARAHANI
Sales MK2 Language Persian Subtitles Norwegian
Duration 92 min Format DCP
Mexico, USA 2009 Director/Script Cary Jôji FUKUNAGA Camera Adriano GOLDMAN
Cast Marco Antonio AGUIRRE, Leonardo ALONSO Prod. Canana Films, Creando
Films, Primary Productions Sales Foucus Features, press@filminfocus.com
Norwegian distributor SMN Norge Language Spanish Subtitles English
Duration 96 min Format 35mm
Columbia 2009 Director/Script Ciro GUERRA Camera Paulo Andrés PÉREZ Cast
Marciano MARTÍNEZ, Yull NÚÑEZ Prod. Arte, Cine Ojo Sales Elle Driver,
julie@elledriver.eu Norwegian distributor Arthaus Language Spanish
Subtitles Norwegian Duration 120 min Format 35mm
SHIRIN
Shirin
SPECIAL SCREENINGS
More than 100 famous Iranian theatre and film actresses
are silent viewers of a film about Khosrow and Shirin –
characters in a romantic Persian epic from the 12th century.
But all we get to see are the faces of the women and their
reactions. Abbas Kiarostami is regarded as one of the greatest
and most uncompromising directors of our time. His
films have been celebrated at international festivals while
he himself constantly takes new directions to challenge the
cinematic artform. Shirin is part of Kiarostami‘s avantgarde
project Five Dedicated to Ozu. cinemateket
SIN NOMBRE
Sin nombre
Sundance winner from a brutal environment where loyalty
is everything. First-time director Cary Fukunagra spent two
years in research, where he among other things sat on the
roof of trains together with immigrants crossing Mexico,
and got to know people from the feared Maras environment.
The result is a story of friendship and love, where
moments of personal experience contrast the strong use of
violence and the epic qualities of the film. The design and
cinematography are impressive for a debut film, while still
maintaining a high degree of realism. jo
THE WIND JOURNEYS
Los Viajes del vient
His whole life Ignacio Carillo travelled from village to
village to entertain people. Rumour had it that his instrument
was enchanted –that it once had belonged to the
Devil. When Ignacio‘s wife suddenly dies, he decides to
make one last journey and give the instrument back to his
old teacher so that he can never play again. On his way he
meets 10-year-old Fermín, who dreams about becoming a
“juglar“ like Ignacio. Together they embark upon the long
journey. A film about Colombia, its music and traditions, it
is a fascinating encounter with a beautiful country. tlå
This film will be announced by its Norwegian title:
Djevelens trekkspill
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60
W I N N E R 2 0 0 9
B E S T D I R E C T O R
B E S T C I N E M AT O G R A P H Y
FROM FESTIVAL TO DVD
FROM FESTIVAL TO DVD
Films from Asia, Africa and Latin America are available
to the public as never before. Not only at a movie theatre
near you but more and more often at a DVD retailer not far
away. Thanks to Norwegians’ willingness to invest in buying
DVDs, interesting titles constantly turn up in this format.
In many cases these are films that undoubtedly would
have deserved the big screen. For it is no longer true that
straight-to-DVD films are synonymous with B movies, like
many thought before. The distribution of DVDs has rather
become a necessary and important addition to the movie
“
Hard-Hitting tHriller!”
Vanity Fair
P Å K I N O 6 . N O V E M B E R
w w w. s a n d r e w m e t r o n o m e . n o
trade, both in the big city and the rest of the country.
The DVD distributors seem to find a market among a niche
audience who do not always go to the movies. A concern
of Films from the South is to draw attention to the great
variety of South films available in Norway, both at the
cinema and through DVDs, and we therefore present, in
co-operation with Film & Kino, a small selection of festival
films that will be released on DVD this fall.
A FILM BY CARY JOJI FUKUNAGA
VIsEs uNdER FILM FRA sØR
Mexico, USA, Argentina 2008 Director Guillermo ARRIAGA Script Guillermo
ARRIAGA Camera Robert ELSWIT, John TOLL Cast Charlize THERON,
Kim BASINGER, John CORBETT Prod. 2929 Productions, Costa Films
Norwegian distributor Sandrew Metronome Language Spanish, English
Subtitles Swedish Duration 111 min Format 35mm
Mexico, USA 2008 Director/Script Carlos CUARÓN Camera Adam KIMMEL
Cast Gael García BERNAL, Diego LUNA, Jessica MAS Prod. Canana Films,
Focus Features Norwegian distributor SMN Norge Language Spanish
Subtitles English Duration 104 min Format 35mm
San Salvador, Mexico 2008 Director/Camera Christian POVEDA Prod. Aquelarre
Servicion Cinematograficos, El Caiman, La Femme Endormie Sales WIDE
Management, wide@widemanagement.com Norwegian distributor Sherpa Film
Language Spanish Subtitles English Duration 90 min Format DigiBeta PAL
THE BURNING PLAIN
The Burning Plain
FROM FESTIVAL TO DVD
The feature film debut of Guillermo Arriaga, the screenwriter
behind Amores Perros and Babel premiered at the
Venice Film Festival. With a stellar cast of actors like Charlize
Theron and Kim Basinger, it is about the relationship
between two families at the border between the US and
Mexico. Themes like guilt, the consequences of shirking
responsibility and a lack of ability to come to terms with the
past are treated in stylistically assured fashion. The action
unfolds in two different time planes, trough which the
families are involuntarily connected. jo
RUDO Y CURSI
Rudo y Cursi
Rough football epic with Mexico‘s film favourites Gael
Carcìa Bernal and Diego Luna. Two brothers live side by
side in a love-hate relationship on the Mexican countryside.
With football as their main interest, both dream of a life
as professional players. One day a talent scout is coming
to town to watch their team, and only one is selected to
go to the capital and realise his dream. To succeed proves
difficult, however, with women and gambling as constant
distractions. When the second brother also goes professional,
a fateful match is set to be played both on and off
the pitch. red
LA VIDA LOCA
La Vida loca
A shocking and intimate documentary that reflects a
depressing and hopeless reality. The gangs in El Salvador
are called Maras, groups of young people, like the Los
Angeles gangs or the A or B Gangs in Oslo. Their extreme
violence and lack of empathy make Maras‘s terror feared
all over Central America. In this documentary we observe
everyday life on the outskirts of San Salvador, and the daily
routine in a culture that attacks the principles of democracy
and spreads fear and death threats to a young generation
without a future. jo
61

62
AFRICA TODAY
Ethiopia, USA 2008 Director/Script Yehdego ABESDOM Camera Tarrina REED,
Justin TALLEY, Pete VILLANI Cast Sammy AMARE, Tsion FIKRESELASSIE Prod.
Abeselom Productions Sales Resolve Entertainment, info@resolveentertainment.com
Language Amharic, English Subtitles English Duration 100 min Format DigiBeta NTSC
Senegal, France 2009 Director Mama KEÏTA Script Mama KEÏTA Camera Remi
MAZET Cast William NADYLAM, Ibrahim MBAYE, Jackie TAVERNIER
Prod./Sales Kinterfin, kinterfin@gmail.com Language French, Wolof
Subtitles English Duration 84 min Format DigiBeta PAL
Morocco, France 2008 Director/Script Souad EL-BOUHATI Camera Florian
BOUCHET, Olivier CHAMBON Cast Hafsia HERZI, Farida KHELFA, Maher KAMOUN
Prod. 2M, France 2 Cinéma Sales WIDE Management, wide@widemanagement.com
Language Arabic, French Subtitles English Duration 84 min Format DigiBeta PAL
13 MONTHS OF SUNSHINE
13 Months of Sunshine
13 Months of Sunshine is the story of two Ethiopians who
try to fulfil their dreams in the US. Solomon works in a
typically American coffeeshop but coming from the home
of the coffeebean, he wants to start his own bussiness and
give the beans the treatment they deserve. His start-up capital
arrives but comes attached to various compromises such
as a pro forma marriage with the newly arrived Hanna.
Waiting a year for their green card, they must try to keep
balance grasping on to their Ehiopian culture and identity
while still attempting to adapt. rfa
THE ABSENCE
L’absence
Award-winning realism from Senegal, last screened at the
Rotterdam Film Festival. Adamas homecoming is not as
successful as he hoped for when returnign to Senegal after
15 years in France. The reunion with a poor and violent
home country shocks him deeply. Despite his promise to
stay he decides to return to France after just a couple of
days. In the meantime he learns that his sister has become
a prostitute and that she urgently needs his help. The past
collides brutally with the future in this authentic and engaging
drama from Senegal. red
FRENCH GIRL
Française
Sofia lives in France with her Moroccan family. Her father
is unemployed and has trouble filling their needs. One
day he suddenly sells everything they own and forces the
family to return to Morocco. Despite adapting to this new
society, Sofia cannot completely forget her past in France.
When she gets old enough to become a student, Sofia
dreams about going back to her former home country, but
her family shuts down her initiative and forces her into a
traditional female role. Will she ever achieve the freedom
she desires? ee
Senegal, Congo 2008 Director Bakee LEANDRE-ALAIN Script Miguel MACHALSKI,
Léandre-Alain BAKER Camera François KUHNEL, Makhète DIALLO
Cast Ismaila CISSÉ, Suzanne DIOUF, Viktor LAZLO Prod. Huit Production Sales
Mediatik S.A, mediatik94@hotmail.com Language French Subtitles English
Duration 90 min Format DigiBeta NTSC
Morroco, Spain 2008 Director Chus GUTIÉRREZ Script Chus GUTIÉRREZ, Juan
Carlos RUNIO Camera Kiko de la RICA Cast El Hussein AGHAZAFF, Miguel ALCÍBAR
Prod. Maestranza Films, Muac Films Sales Cinema Vault, sales@cinemavault.no
Language Spanish Subtitles English Duration 95 min Format DigiBeta PAL
South Africa, Zimbabwe 2008 Director Michael RAEBURN Script Michael
RAEBURN, Malcolm KOHLL Camera Jamie RAMSAY Cast Lionel NEWTON, Eduan
van JAARSVELDT Prod. Red Pill Productions, Sycamore Films, GH Films
Sales Michael Raeburn, mrmichaelraeburn@gmail.com Language English,
Afrikaans Subtitles English Duration 88 min Format 35mm
RAMATA
Ramata
AFRICA TODAY
Key elements of loneliness and desire figure in this poetic
film that takes us through Dakar‘s narrow and dimly lit
streets. Ramata is a beautiful woman in her fifties who
lives on the sunny side of Dakar with her husband and two
children. Life as the wife of the Minister of Justice seems
comfortable and joyful. One late afternoon, Ramata enters a
taxi that turns out to be hi-jacked by Ngor Ndong, a homeless
and charming young man. She is pursued into taking
a trip to the infamous Copacabana, and emotions she
thought were long gone are slowly awakened during the
magic of the night. red
RETURN TO HANSALA
Retorno a Hansala
Return to Hansala portrays grief and love with great sensitivity.
Despite the fictional form, this film is based on brutal
reality. In 2001 37 bodies were washed ashore on the beach
of a Spanish coastal town. Thirteen of them came from the
city of Hansala. The film starts with this event and concentrates
on Leila, a refugee who had encouraged her brother
to come to Spain, against her family‘s wishes. Now he is
among the many deceaced. She decides to bring him back
to the family and embarks upon a hazardous trip to the
interior of Morocco. jo
TRIOMF
Triomf
Dark humour and brutal reality define this fast-paced
drama. South Africa, March 1994: The same day as the
first free elections, Lambert Benade turns 21 and his uncle
Treppie promises to get him a gorgeous girl as a present. In
parallel with the election narrative we meet other characters
from the Triomf neighbourhood in the outskirts of Johannesburg,
an area with a growing white underclass. Absurd
situations and sharp performances collide in a drama
that was well received in Cannes last year, and has been
screened at a number of film festivals since. red
63

TRE DAGER, ETT STED, EN VERDEN!
Rådhusplassen
Fre 6. - søn 8. august 2010
Musikk • Dans • Utstillinger • Film • Kunsthåndverk • Eventyr • Mat
Mela er en unik feiring av internasjonal kunst, kultur og kreativitet fra
alle verdensdeler som arrangeres av Stiftelsen Horisont. Mela har blitt
en av de største eksponentene av musikk, dans og kunsthåndverk fra
Afrika, Asia og Latin-Amerika.
Mela 2010 vil finne sted i perioden fredag 6. til søndag 8. august. Mela ønsker
enda mer kunsthåndverk og flere boder fra alle verdenshjørner. Ta kontakt!
Mela arrangeres av:
Fri entré
melafestivalen.no
China 2008 Director YING Lang Script YING Lang, PENG Shan Camera LI Rongsheng,
YING Lang Cast LOU Liang, WANG Qiang, ZHU Jing Prod. 90 Minutes Film Studio,
Tianlin Film Productions Sales Tianlin Film Productions, cuiricks01@yahoo.com
Language Cantonese Subtitles English Duration 103 min Format DigiBeta NTSC
Turkey 2008 Director/Script Semih KAPLANOGLU Camera Özgür EKEN
Cast Basak KÖKLÜKAYA, Melih SELCUK, Riza AKIN Prod. Kaplan Film
Sales The Match Factory, info@matchfacroty.de Language Turkish
Subtitles English Duration 102 min Format 35mm
Turkey 2008 Director Kazim ÖZ Script Kazim ÖZ Camera Ercan ÖZKAN Cast Gahit
GÖK, Selim AKGUL, Asiye DINCSOY Prod. Mesopotamia Cinema, Yapim 13 Film
Production Sales Mezopotamya Cinema, info@mezopotamyasinema.com
Language Turkish Subtitles English Duration 156 min Format 35mm
GOOD CATS
Hao Mao
ASIAN MIX
Luo Liang has managed little so far in life. We see him consult
a fortune teller who promises him wealth and success.
He strongly doubts this and we soon have to agree. As a
driver and a debt collector for a local speculator in the fastgrowing
Zigong City he is no bully by nature, but his employer
has many enemies. His marriage is going downhill,
and his life may be heading in the same direction. Ying
Liang is one of the most exciting film voices from the new
China, with an ability to fill an otherwise realistic film with
unexpected turns and inventiveness. bb
MILK
Süt
Yusuf lives alone with his young mother in a relatively
miserable village existence. His greatest wish is to write and
win recognition as a poet. His mother also dreams of another
life. However, the changes they want have wider consequences.
Milk is narrated in an elegant visual language,
where key information is kept just outside both the frame
and our limits of understanding. Kaplanoglu is an unusually
interesting director from the Mediterranean tradition.
This is the second film in a trilogy beginning with the film
Egg, which was screened at FFS two years ago. bb
THE STORM
Bahoz
The film takes us back to the first half of the 1990’s, an
active period in Turkish student-political life. 18-year-old
Cemal has succeeded in getting a place at the university in
Istanbul, but arrives unprepared for a student scene that is
boiling over with political engagement, with surroundings
that without scruples descend on the activists. To Cemal,
becoming a student is a chance to escape his Kuridsh
village background, but at the university he is soon challenged
by a student movement to live up to his identity as
a Kurd. bb
65

YOU DECIDE WHO WINS THE
THE AUDIENCE AWARD!
All films screened during the Films from the South festival compete for the Audience Award.
The voting takes place at the Films from the South web site. The winning film will be acquired
for programming at the TV channel NRK, and will be shown on television during the following.
The prize is valued at NOK 75,000.
WWW.FILMFRASOR.NO
Palestina, Tunisia, Nederland 2008 Director/Script Rashid MASHARAWI Camera Tarek
ABDALLA, Nestor SANZ Cast Mohamed BAKRI, Areen OMARI, Nour ZOUBI Prod.
Cinema Production Center, Cinétéléfilms Sales Fortissimo Films,
info@fortissimo.nl Language Arabisk Subtitles English Duration 71 min Format 35mm
Lebanon 2008 Director/Script Simon EL HABRE Camera Bassem FAYAD, Marc
KARAM Cast Semaan El HABRE Prod. Beirut DC Sales MEC Films,
info@mecfilm.de Language Lebanese Subtitles English Duration 86 min
Format DigiBeta NTSC
Lebanon 2007 Director Philippe ARACTINGI Script Philippe ARACTINGI, Michel
LÉVIANT Camera Nidal Abdel KHALEK Cast Nada Abou FARHAT, Georges
KHABBAZ Prod. Rhamsa Productions Sales Memento Films, sales@mementofilms.com
Language Arabic, English, French Subtitles English Duration 98 min
Format 35mm
LAILA’S BIRTHDAY
Eid milad Laila
FOCUS MIDDLE EAST
On the West Bank even a judge must drive a taxi to make
ends meet. All Abu Laila wants to do on his daughter‘s
birthday is to buy her a present and a cake, but things don‘t
go exactly as planned. Laila‘s Birthday is a wry film depicting
some of the absurdity of everyday life in Palestine. With
an eye for detail director Rashid Masharawi portrays the
characters and their stories with humour and not entirely
without irony. The political undercurrents are also obvious
– even though no Israelis are shown in the film their
presence is conspicuous. ek
ONE MAN VILLAGE
Semaan Bil Day’ia
Semaan is the last man standing on what used to be a
village in the Lebanese mountains. Abandoned during
the Lebanese Civil War he continues his life among cows,
poultry and old memories. Those who left return at times
to work the land, but only Seeman remains when the sun
goes down. This rural one-man show provides us with a
delightful mix of melancholy and goodhearted humour.
Topped with excellent cinematography The One Man Village
becomes an unforgettable experience. Lingering yet to the
point, it provides both time and space for reflection. red
UNDER THE BOMBS
Sous les bombes
During the one-month war in 2006 large parts of Lebanon
were struck by Israeli bombing raids, and hundreds of
thousands of civilians were forced to flee. Under the Bombs
tells the story of a woman who travels through the war-torn
country in search of her son and sister. The film was shot
in Lebanon while the conflict still raged, and only the main
protagonists are actors. The characters we meet on the way
are real people fleeing the bombs, thus providing us with
a realistic insight into the conflict in a film that pushes the
boundaries between drama and documentary. ka
67

Chile, Mexico 2008 Director Rodrigo ORTUZAR Script Julio ROJAS, Paula Del FIERRO
Camera Juan Carlos BUSTAMANTE Cast Jesús OCHOA, Martha HIGAREDA, Maya
ZAPATA Prod. Jazz Films, Panamax Films Sales Film Sharks, alpha@filmsharks.com
Language Spanish Subtitles English Duration 95 min Format DigiBeta NTSC
Chile, USA 2008 Director/Script Elizabeth FARNSWORTH, Patricio Lanfranco
LEVERTON Camera Vicente FRANCO, Esteban MEDEL, Michael ANDERSON Cast
Juan GUZMÁN Prod./Sales Westwind Productions, rob@westwindproductions.org
Language English, Spanish Subtitles English Duration 84 min Format DigiBeta NTSC
Chile, Brazil 2008 Director Pablo LARRAÍN Script Pablo LARRAÍN, Alfredo CASTRO,
Mateo IRIBARREN Camera Sergio ARMSTRONG Cast Alfredo CASTRO, Paola
LATTUS, Amparo NOGUERA Prod. Fabula Productions Sales Funny Ballons,
info@funny-ballons.com Language Spanish Subtitles English Duration 97 min
Format 35mm
ALL INCLUSIVE
Todo Incluido
CHILE
When Jesús Ochoa takes his family to a luxurious resort it
results in enverything other than harmonious quality time
and family idyll. Rather than telling his family about his
waning health, he takes his chance to get away with a local
beauty, while his wife follows her growing interest in a local
gigolo. Their grown-up children do not have a very good
relationship either, and quarrel constantly. Quite soon it
turns out that there will be a storm both outside and inside
the walls of the resort. red
THE JUDGE AND THE GENERAL
The Judge and the General
During Pinochet‘s 17-year military regime in Chile, more
than 3000 of his opponents were killed or went missing.
This documentary follows Judge Guzmán during the criminal
investigation that started in 1998 to determine Pinochet‘s
role in the oppression. Through archive footage and
new interviews, the historic events are presented in parallel
with Guzmán‘s digging. The film‘s great strength lies in the
witness accounts, from both sides, relatives, survivors – and
a former torturer. The Judge as well will meet his former
self as part of the legal system of Pinochet’s time. rfa
TONY MANERO
Tony Manero
In the shadow of Pinochet‘s dictatorship Raúl dreams about
dancing like John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever. He lives
in a poor area of Santiago, where he is staging a dance
show at a dreary cabaret. He also trains to win a lookalike
contest by impersonating Travolta‘s twisting character. But
Raúl is also a serial killer, impotent and devoid of empathy,
a man who is irritated by the fact that Grease has replaced
his favourite film at the cinema, and kills for that reason.
The film arrives from the Havana Film Festival with great
critiques and several awards. kb
69

70
COLOMBIA
Columbia, USA 2009 Director/Script Gloria LA MORTE, Paola MENDOZA
Camera Bradford YOUNG Cast Paola MENDOZA, Sebastian Villada LOPEZ
Prod. Indiepix Studios Sales Paola Mendoza, pmendoza44@gmail.com
Language Spanish, English Subtitles English Duration 80 min Format HDCam
Colombia 2008 Director/Script Rafael LARA Camera Mauricio VIDAL
Cast Carlos DUPLAT, Montserrat EESPADÁLE Prod. Fractal Films Sales Film
Sharks, alpha@filmsharks.com Language Spanish Subtitles English
Duration 106 min Format 35mm
Colombia 2009 Director Luis Alberto RESTREPO Script Diego Vasquez MONCAYO,
Luis Alberto RESTREPO Camera Sergio Garcia MORENO Cast Andrés PARRA,
María Cecilia SÁNCHEZ Prod. Caracol Televosíon, Senal Creativa, Universidad
Nacional de Colombia Sales Alberto Amaya, alamaya@cable.net.co
Language Spanish Subtitles English Duration 86 min Format 35mm
WE CAN
Entre Nos
Both Gabriel and Andrea grew up in Colombia without
their father. He immigrated to New York to earn money
so his family could get a better life. At last his family joins
him, but upon arrival it turns out that the father has already
decided to move on to Miami to work. They realise that he
will not ask them to join him again, and the small family is
left behind in the big city almost without money and languageskills.
A deep solidarity arises when they have to work
hard together to survive. Entre Nos, has won several awards,
and is both unforgettable and gripping. red
LA MILAGROSA
La Milagrosa
Powerful hostage drama based on a true story of a man‘s
experiences as a prisoner of the FARC guerrilla. This Colombian
drama follows Eduardo as he is taken hostage by
the guerrillas and his subsequent imprisonment. The story
is dark and conveyed through dark images. Using a modern
filmic language, it is reminicent of war reportage and bleak
drama. The fact that the film is based on true events and
that such kidnappings are still frighteningly common in
Colombia results in an emotional and touching film experience.
js
THE PASSION OF GABRIEL
La pasión de Gabriel
Religion, desire and civil war are the ingredients of this
complicated drama from today‘s Colombia. Gabriel is an
unorthodox priest who lives in a corner of Colombia where
the conflict between the army and guerrilla reigns. Gabriel
loves life, he loves his calling and he loves a young woman
he cannot marry because of his priesthood. To his small
local community Gabriel is a symbol of hope and the joy of
life, he works to help people to enter meaningful professions,
and his local engagement is an inspiration to many.
To some, however, it becomes too much. jo
Uruguay 2009 Director Álvaro BRECHNER Script Álvaro BRECHNER, Gary
PIQUER, Juan Carlos ONETTI Camera Álvaro GUTIERREZ Cast Gary PIQUER,
Jouko AHOLA, Antonella COSTA Prod. Baobab Films, Global Film Initiative Sales
Bavaria Film, sales@bavaria-film.de Language Spanish, English Subtitles English
Duration 100 min Format 35mm
Argentina, Spain 2007 Director Marcos CARNEVALE Script Marcos CARNEVALE,
José Antonia FÉLEZ Camera Juan Carlos GOMÉZ Cast Ramón AGIRRE, Facundo
ARANA, Raúl ARÉVALO Prod. Shazam S.A., Tesela Producciones Sales Sogepaq,
sogepaqfestivals@sogecable.com Language Spanish Subtitles English
Duration 109 min Format 35mm
Argentina 2008 Director Lucas BLANCO Script Lucas BLANCO, Roberto
MONTINI Camera Sebast ián GALLO Cast Damián CANDUCI, Lucas CRESPI,
Sabrina GARCIARENA Prod. Pensa & Rocca Producciones Sales Lucas Blanco,
lucasblanco@gmail.com Language Castellano Subtitles English
Duration 91 min Format 35mm
A BAD DAY TO GO FISHING
Mal Dia Para Pescar
LATINO MIX
Prince Orsini is a petty criminal whose talent is considerably
exaggerated – by himself. He makes a living going
from village to village with the over-the-hill wrestler Jacob
van Oppen to trick people into challenging the former
champion, rusty as he is after many rounds with the bottle
rather than in the ring. So one day in the village of Santa
Maria it looks like Orsini may be fooled himself when a
strong young man that is obviously drunk enters the ring.
A fresh and funny gem from Uruguay guaranteed to give
you a laugh. red
MAKE A WISH
Tocar el cielo
From the director of Elsa y Fred, Make A Wish is a film
about hope, dreams and love, spanning two continents. We
follow a group of family and friends, some in Argentina
and others in Spain, during a New Year‘s Eve celebration.
Simultaneously, both parties let loose a balloon, with a personal
wish on a piece of paper, a tradition they have shared
for years. As the story develops we dig deeper into the
relationships between these people. With a colourful cast of
characters and an intricate story with many parallel threads,
this film is an inspiring drama. kå
TRANSIT LOVE
Amor En Tránsito
Juan goes to Buenos Aires to visit an old loveinterest but
finds Micaela instead. Mercedes wants to go to her girlfriend
in Barcelona but meets Ariel. Two beautiful stories
slowly intertwine, and the game of love unfolds with the
journey as a thematic backdrop. Director Lucas Blanco has
made a warm and pleasant film. The subject is well-known
and important but the film remains lively and playful. On
a trip you can, even though you are not really looking for
something, find exactly the thing you did not know you
were looking for. ek
71

Velkommen til codafestiValen
16 dager | 30 forestillinger
13 norske premierer | 4 norske urpremierer
dans & ny teknologi | inkluderende dans
FORESTILLINGER | WORkShOp | SEmINaRER | kLubb | FILm
arenaer
OpERaEN | DaNSENS huS | bæRum kuLTuRhuS
bLack bOx TEaTER | ROm FOR DaNS
billettinfo
WWW.cODaDaNcEFEST.NO
9–24 oktober www.codadancefest.no
“aLaRm!” baby-Q DaNcE cOmpaNy (Jp). FOTO yOShIkazu INOuE
Brazil 2008 Director Leandro HBL, Wesley PENTZ Script Ricardo MEHEDFF, Wesley
PENTZ Camera Leandro HBL Cast MC CATRA, Deise TIGRONA, MC LELECO Prod.
Mad Decent, Mosquito Sales Bananeira Filmes, bernardob@bananeirafilmes.com.br
Language Portuguese Subtitles English Duration 80 min Format Beta SP NTSC
Argentina, Germany, Japan 2008 Director German KRAL Camera Sorin DRAGOI,
Ricardo DEANGELIS Cast Cristina de los ÁNGELES, Inés ARCE Prod. Estudio
Massa Sales Atrix Films GmbH, info@atrix-films.com Language Spanish
Subtitles English Duration 88 min Format 35mm
Senegal, France, Egypt, USA 2008 Director/Script Elizabeth Chai VASARHELYI
Camera Hugo BERKELEY, Nick DOOB, Scott DUNCAN, Jojo PENNEBAKER
Cast Youssou N’DOUR, Peter GABRIEL, Moustapha MBAYE Prod. Groovy Griot
Sales Celluloid Dreams, info@celluloid-dreams.com Language French, Wolof,
English, Arabic Subtitles English Duration 102 min Format 35mm
FAVELA ON BLAST
Favela on Blast
FILM AND MUSIC
Favela on Blast tells the stories of sex, love, poverty and
pride for Rio’s marginalized people. It shows the culture
surrounding ”Funk Carioca,“ a musical rhythm that mixes
the American electronic funk of the 1980‘s with the most
diverse influences of Brazilian music. Wesley Pentz, better
known by his stage name Diplo, is a world renowned DJ
who, together with Leandro HBL, has created a portrait of a
subculture that defines the youth of Rio‘s dismissed population.
The music is dirty, violent and loud – but regardless,
it is the soundtrack of these people‘s lives. red
EL ULTIMO APLAUSO
El Ultimo Aplauso – Historias de Tango
en Buenos Aires
Through a number of years, a group of aging tango musicians
have performed at a little bar called El Chino in Buenos
Aires. After the death of its owner the music fell silent
and the bar was closed. In El Último Aplauso the musicians
provide us with a backward glance into their lives, both
on and off-stage. In an emotional finale the veterans are
reunited for a last concert assisted by a group of young musicians.
This is tango at its best: dramatic but still genuine
and down to earth, and with a range of emotion from the
melancholy to the comical. ka
YOUSSOU NDOUR: I BRING
WHAT I LOVE
Youssou Ndour: I Bring What I Love
Youssou N‘Dour has been called Africa‘s greatest musician
and is doubtless one of its most successful artists. Throughout
his musical career, a profound social awareness has coexisted
with spirituality and religion. In 2004 he released
Egypt, with Islam as the central subject. The record aimed
to provide an alternative perspective to Islam, and led to
great controversy in his home country Senegal. I Bring
What I Love follows Youssou N‘Dour in the period after the
release, bringing us up close to the artist and his music. ka
73

74
HIROKAZU KORE-EDA
The Presence of Absence
The memory of, and yearning for the people of our closest
relationships open up a sensitive gallery of human experience
in Japanese filmmaker Hirokazu Kore-eda’s realistic but
deeply symbolic and poetic films.
After a while in Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Nobody knows there is
a moment that is different from yet elegantly sums up the
essence of the Japanese filmmaker’s work: Four children,
who except for the big brother have been kept hidden by an
absent mother their entire lives, dare for the first time to
venture out into the summer weather. To these neglected
siblings, it is as if the lost paradise of childhood is reconquered
through this everyday yet – to them – unspeakably
beautiful and vigorous experience.
The episode is unusual for a Kore-eda film because
it appears to erase the memory of and yearning for their
mother; it is a scene that liberates the children from a heavy
past. At the same time, the scene is typical of Kore-eda’s
recurrent themes, because the children’s new experience
springs from yearning and absence, and because the
tragedy of death is waiting just around the corner. This
sequence out in the open also shows the Kore-eda motif of
letting loose the film medium’s visual and lyrical potential,
where a focus on detail opens up an opportunity to observe
the poetic properties of the trivial.
Born in Tokyo in 1962, Kore-eda originally wanted
to become a writer. However during his literature studies
at Waseda University, he changed his mind and instead
turned to cinema. For several years he worked as an assistant
director at a TV station called Man Union, and before
his feature film debut Maborosi in 1995, he directed eight
short documentaries about life on the outside of conformist
Japanese society. The influence from documentaries makes
itself gradually felt as a distinct signature of Kore-eda’s
works, where long takes with a static camera, natural light
and sparse use of close-ups often create an impression of a
non-manipulative, virtually naturalistic recording of human
interaction. In several of his films a lack of film music contributes
to this mood and aesthetic expression, even though
this is not entirely consistent throughout the director’s work.
Death forms a nearly constant backdrop in Kore-eda’s
films, and already in Maborosi a death is the background for
the action, as Yumiko’s husband commits suicide. The reason
for his choice is inexplicable to Yumiko, but the young
woman nevertheless attempts to create new meaning in her
KORE-EDA RETROSPECTIVE
life by raising their son and then remarrying. She moves
to a small fishing village, where the weather-beaten coastal
landscape becomes a metaphor for her turbulent inner life.
The landscape also gives Kore-eda an opportunity to make
people appear small in their encounter with a powerful
nature, and mirrors Yumiko’s feeling of powerlessness
towards the tragedy of her past.
Distance similarly marks the four protagonists of
Distance (2001), who have in common that they are all
familymembers of a doomsday sect who committed suicide
after a terrorist act. In the film the bereaved are forced into
a deeply felt confrontation with their problematic past and
the distance it has created to the memories of their closest
ones. Like in Maborosi, nature forms a lyrical and visual image
of what goes on in the inner plane of the characters.
In After Life (1998) death takes centre stage. In fact,
the film explores a project in which newly deceased people
have arrived in some sort of limbo, or way station, where
they are forced to select just one memory that shall stay
with them in the eternity of death. Kore-eda here continues
to employ devices from documentary film, something
that seems paradoxical with the symbolic and non-realistic
nature of the story in mind.
In many ways, After Life expresses the essence of Koreeda’s
artistic humanism, because the treatment of human
memory and past is here firmly at the centre of the film,
while in his other films it forms the thematic foundation
for more realistic planes of action. In comparison to much
of Japanese contemporary cinema, where extreme depictions
of violence and sexual perversions mark the work of
many directors, Kore-eda’s films are quiet meditations and
gems of beauty, more in line with past masters like Ozu
and Mizoguchi than iconoclasts like Oshima and Imamura.
Balanced, sensitive, human, and always full of small but
meaningful observations. Kore-eda’s films are microcosmos
that mirror the universal in the lives of all human beings.
Lars Audun Bråten
75

KORE-EDA RETROSPECTIVE
Japan 1995 Director KORE-EDA Hirokazu Script MIYAMOTO Teru, OGITA Yoshihisa
Camera NAKABORI Masao Cast ESUMI Makiko, NAITÔ Takashi, ASANO Tadanobu
Prod. TV Man Union Print Celluloid Dreams, info@celluloid-dreams.com
Language Japanese Subtitles Danish Duration 110 min Format 35mm
AFTER LIFE
KORE-EDA RETROSPECTIVE
76 Wandâfuru raifu
Hana yori mo naho
77
Japan 1998 Director/Script KORE-EDA Hirokazu Camera SUKIATA Masayoshi,
YAMASAKI Yutaka Cast ARATA, ODA Erika, NAITÔ Takashi Prod. Engine Film,
Sputnik Productions, TV Man Union Print Celluloid Dreams, info@celluloiddreams.com
Language Japanese Subtitles Danish Duration 118 min Format 35mm
Japan 2001 Director/Script KORE-EDA Hirokazu Camera YAMASAKI Yutaka
Cast ARATA, ISEYA Yusuke, TERAJIMA Susumu Prod. CineRocket, Distance
Project Team Print Wild Bunch, edevos@wildbunch.eu Language Japanese
Subtitles English Duration 132 min Format 35mm
ILLUSION
Maboroshi no hikari
Maborosi is Kore-eda‘s debut film, and a great introduction
to what later became this director‘s signature theme: how
inner feelings can be expressed through the physical, visual
world. Through composition of details and scenography,
Kore-eda manages to convey an extra dimension in his
characters. In Maborosi we meet Yumiko, a young widower,
who struggles to understand her husband‘s seemingly inexplicable
suicide. She moves to the coast with her son, where
she tries to put the past behind her with a new husband,
who himself is troubled by his grief over a loss. akek
After Life is an unusual depiction of life‘s endstation, or
more correctly: life‘s last stop before the souls are set free.
On their last trip the deceased must find one memory they
want to take with them into the afterlife, with a team of
bureaucratic soul-guides to help them make their choice.
These memories shall later be reproduced and recorded.
The film is visually pared down to make room for the
relationships, Kore-eda‘s great strength. With equal doses
of humour and warmth, he provides a new outlook on life
and death, great questions that here are made liberatingly
down-to-earth. akek
DISTANCE
Distance
Four seemingly widely different people seek shelter in a
small cabin in the forests outside Tokyo. They all have relatives
who three years earlier were involved with a cult who
polluted Tokyo‘s drinking water and killed several hundred
of its inhabitants. Through the night, these survivors
are forced to confront themselves, their memories of the
deceased and why they acted the way they did. In Distance
Kore-eda flirts with the Dogme style, something that makes
the characters appear highly vulnerable and at times completely
mentally exposed. akek
Japan 2004 Director/Script KORE-EDA Hirokazu Camera YAMASAKI Yutaka
Cast YAGIRA Yûya, KITAURA Ayu, KIMURA Hiei Prod. Bandai Visual Company,
Cine Qua Non Film Print Action Film Language Japanese Subtitles Danish
Duration 141 min Format 35mm
Japan 2006 Director/Script KORE-EDA Hirokazu Camera YAMASAKI Yutaka
Cast OKADA Junichi Okada, MIYAZAWA Rie Prod. Hana Film Partners
Sales/Print Shochiku Language Japanese Subtitles English Duration 127 min
Format 35mm
MEET HIROKAZU KORE-EDA
Wednesday October 14th 18:30 after the
screening of Air Doll in Competition at Tancred
(Cinematheque, Filmens Hus)
Thursday October 15th 21:00 introducing the
Gala Screening of Still Walking at Ringen kino
Air Doll, see page 19
Still Walking, see page 57
NOBODY KNOWS
Dare mo shiranai
In Nobody Knows Kore-eda employs devices from both
fiction films and documentaries to tell a shocking story of
a family‘s fate. Keiko is a single mother who moves into a
small apartment in Tokyo with her four children, all from
different fathers. They live isolated but happily with their
mother, until she one day disappears. Left to themselves
and forced to live in hiding in the apartment, the siblings
construct a separate universe, with bleak undercurrents.
The knowledge that Nobody Knows is based on a true story
makes the film experience even more powerful. akek
HANA
Hana is a stylistically assured Samurai film from 19th
Century Japan. The young Samurai Aoki Sozaemon has left
his village to avenge the murder of his father. At stake is the
family honour and a promise of a large estate as a reward.
In Edo (today‘s Tokyo) Aoki settles in a poor area and soon
becomes part of the colourful neighbourhood. He teaches
the children and falls in love with Osae, a beautiful widow.
His thoughts of revenge dwindle and he has doubts. And
with his clumsy handling of the sword and peaceful disposition,
Aoki is not exactly an ideal Samurai. red

78
CARLOS REYGADAS
– A Cinematic Iconoclast
Mexico is an extraordinarily complex country. In the
middle of all the oil revenue, people leave their home
districts because of poverty and unemployment. Wealth
is highly unequally distributed and corruption often
devastates the poor. In the wake of drugs trafficking and
illegal immigration, an extremely brutal sort of
criminal has emerged. But a young generation of film-
makers has come of age in this environment, artists
with the ability to reflect upon our paradoxical age, in
works that strive for high artistic quality. One of the most
important directors in contemporary Mexican cinema is
Carlos Reygadas.
Carlos Reygadas (b. 1971) had an instant cinematic breakthrough
in Cannes with his debut film in 2002. Japón
was screened in the side programme Director’s Fortnight
and immediately captured people’s attention. Apparently
unstructured, it is more like a journey into a psychological
landscape than a film in the traditional narrative sense,
reflecting the human condition rather than human actions.
People familiar with the surrealist Alejandro Jodorowsky
(El Topo 1970, The Holy Mountain 1973) may be able to trace
references to the Mexican film heritage, while many draw
parallels to Andrei Tarkovsky. Frustrating and appealing at
the same time, Japón immediately announced to the world
the arrival of a talented new director.
”Narrative for me is just a vehicle that is probably an evil but a
necessary evil. You do need a story but I don’t care about story
because I know that the same story told in a mediocre way is
mediocre and the same story told properly is a great story.”
– Carlos Reygadas
Both of Carlos Reygadas’s later films, Battle in Heaven
(2005) and Silent Light (2008), have had theatrical release
in Norway. Battle in Heaven is an urban tragedy centred on
Marcos, a security guard who ends up committing a pair
of terrible deeds. The first one happens before the start of
the film, when with his wife Marcos kidnaps a small child
that inexplicably dies while under their care. The other
one, where the monumental basilica serves as a backdrop,
marks the start of Marcos’s process toward self-destruction.
Battle in Heaven comes across as a landmark urban
epic. And even though there are many indications that
Reygadas inspiration comes from Europe (Bruno Dumont,
the Dardenne brothers) rather than the melodramatic Latin
tradition, both the setting in Mexico City and the connection
to the Catholic faith are central in the film. Reygadas
shows us the conflict-ridden Latin American soul, not by
speaking of religion as a relation between heaven and earth,
where salvation is possible, but by using the human rituals
directly connected to the human body. This is also the reason
for the importance of sex in Reygadas’s works.
Carlos Reygadas has won distinction as one of our ages
most sincere and uncompromising filmmakers. Always
in search of making a thoroughly good film, Reygadas is
hunting for no less than a rebuilding of the cinematic art,
where the story is given lower priority while the subversive
qualities of the film medium is emphasised. In his debut
REYGADAS RETROSPECTIVE
film camera movements functioned as a crucial element,
and in Battle in Heaven editing is central. While in the latest
of his works, Silent Light, the power of the film must be said
to rest in the cinematography.
With this third film, Reygadas has won universal recognition.
From being a racy iconoclast, Silent Light is film art
in the spirit of Dreyer, where Reygadas treats moral dilemmas
in a much more subtle way.
As a producer for young talents, Reygadas helps stimulate
directors to make films after their own hearts, and
functions as a mentor for young filmmakers. One of these
is Amat Escalante, who was assistant director on Battle in
Heaven, and for whom Reygadas produced both Sangre and
Los Bastardos. The latter is ready for Norwegian movie theatres
this fall, and is also included, as are all of Reygadas’s
films, in the Films from the South programme.
Julie Ova
A modified version of this article have previously
been printed in Filmtidsskriftet Z
OPEN SHORT FILM
SCREENING AND INTERVIEW
Films from the South has the pleasure of presenting
Carlos Reygadas’s short films at the Cinematheque in
Oslo. The short films were all made before his major
breakthrough and consist of:
Adulte (6 min. 1998, Super 8mm. Black & white)
Prisonniers (20 Min. 1999, 35mm. Colour)
Oiseaux (9 min. 1999, MiniDV. Colour)
Maxhumain (8 min. 1999, 8mm. Black & white)
These works are rarely screened and on this occasion
they will be introduced by Carlos Reygadas himself,
before the start of an exclusive in-depth interview
with the director.
The screening will take place at
The Cinematheque, Tancred:
Tuesday 13th October, 19:00
79

80
REYGADAS RETROSPECTIVE
MASTER CLASS WITH CARLOS REYGADAS
Films from the South and the Norwegian Film Institute
host a three-day Master Class for film professionals with
the award-winning director Carlos Reygadas.
”The Mexican is a highly gifted storyteller, a lyrical
and mature filmmaker with a rare ability for empathy
and uncompromising consequence. Great film art and
deep insights into life.”
- Per Haddal, Aftenposten
From the 13th to 15th of October 2009 Carlos Reygadas
will hold a Master Class for a selected group of Norwegian
film directors, producers and screenwriters. The goal
is to stimulate individuals in the Norwegian film industry
who wish to develop and cultivate a personal style of
storytelling in film.
FILMOGRAPHY:
Feature films
Silent Light (2007)
Battle in Heaven (2005)
Japón (2002)
AWARDS:
Carlos Reygadas has won a number of awards in the
classes of Best Film and Grand Prix all over the world.
In Cannes he has received:
The Jury Prize in 2007
Nomination for the Palme d’Or in 2005 & 2007
The Camera d’Or – special mention 2002
Mexico, Germany, Netherlands, Spain 2002 Director/Script Carlos REYGADAS
Camera Diego Martínes VIGNATTI Cast Alejandro FERRETSI, Magdalena FLORES
Prod. NoDream Cinema Print Coproduction Office Language Spanish
Subtitles English Duration 131 min Format 35mm
Mexico, Belgium, France, Germany 2005 Director/Script Carlos REYGADAS
Camera Diego Martínes VIGNATTI Cast Marcos HERNANDÉZ, Anapola
MUSHKADIZ Prod. Mantarraya, NoDream Cinema Print Tour de Force
Language Spanish Subtitles Norwegian Duration 98 min Format 35mm
Mexico 2007 Director/Script Carlos REYGADAS Camera Alexis ZABE Cast Elisabeth
FEHR, Jacobo KLASSEN, Maria PANKRATZ Prod. Nodream Cinema, Mantarraya
Sales BAC films Print Arthaus Language Plautdietsch Subtitles Norwegian
Duration 137 min Format 35mm
JAPÓN
Japón
BATTLE IN HEAVEN
Batalla en Cielo
REYGADAS RETROSPECTIVE
Already in his sensational feature film debut Reygadas
proves his ability of creating completely unique and inscrutable
characters – a central element of his cinematic
explorations of the surface of the world and human beings‘
existential self-flagellation. In a plot reminiscent of Abbas
Kiarostami, an aging artist withdraws into the desolate
Mexican countryside to take his own life. However, his
melancholic character is forced into something other than
apathy by the merciless landscape and the old god-fearing
woman with whom he is lodging. mm
In an unforgettable opening scene Reygadas turns towards
the sublime in the shape of the human body. This means
not least that sex and raw nudity play a central part. Marcos
is a driver with an indefinable and unhealthy relationship
to his boss‘ daughter. Moreover, he kidnapped a baby with
his wife who died accidentally as a result. The characters
are stripped bare in a manner that is devoid of moralising,
while their large, meaty bodies insist on their sculptural
value. Rarely are cinema‘s visual conventions challenged
like this. mm
SILENT LIGHT
Stellet Licht
Not even the virtuous Mennonite (of German origin)
society in Mexico stand above the ramifications of desire;
the family father Johan struggles with his concience and
with God as he falls for another woman, in this painfully
beautiful exploration of love and forgiveness. With
amateurs in nearly every part and a patient and insistent
camera, Reygadas creates something as unlikely as a minimalist
melodrama. The spiritual theme and modelling with
light is a homage to Dreyer, while the portrait of the devout
and hardworking Mennonites is dignified, original and
exotic. mm
81

82
CUBA
50 years of government-sponsored
film production
ICAIC, Cuba’s national film institute, is a state finan-
cier of film production and distribution, which has been
instrumental in the development of several great and
important artists. The production of films has been a
central area of interest for Cuban authorities since the
revolution. Right after ICAIC was established, Cuban
cinema entered a golden age, of which several films have
become milestones in film history. ICAIC functions both
as a production centre where several filmmakers and
animators have their workshops, and also as a distibutor
and international provider of information about Cuban
cinema. The most important thing about ICAIC is that it
has always prioritised the artistic aspect of cinema and
that the artform therefore arguably has been an area of
greater opportunities for free expression. In 2009 the
Cuban film institute reaches its fiftieth anniversary, and
Films from the South thinks it an excellent opportunity
to draw attention to some of the highlights of Cuban film
history during the latest half-century.
Julie Ova
Since its emergence in 1959, the Cuban Institute of Art
and Film Industry (ICAIC) agglutinated the Cuban and
Latin American intellectuality around a unique and renovating
project whose bigger achievement was the creation
of a really autochthonous cinema. This new cinema offered
to the world a reflexive vision of the processes taking place
in Cuba. It offered to filmmakers the possibility to reflect
their own version of the history of the country, and contributed
to new recognition of Cuban cinema as a whole.
The institution of ICAIC was devoted to the production,
distribution and exhibition of Cuban film, at the same
time as the foundation of the Cinematheque, the ICAIC
Latin American News and the magazine Cuban Cinema.
Another fundamental concern was the formation of a culturally
involved public, able to enjoy films in any genre and
of diverse cinematographies. This result can be observed
annually in December during the Festival of the New Latin
American Cinema when the movie theaters of Havana all
overflow with a passionate multitude of the seventh art.
The decade of the 1960’s is considered the most
productive and creative of the Cuban cinema. It is in these
years we find classic titles such as Memorias del Subdesarrollo,
La muerte de un burócrata and Lucia. It was also when
Santiago Álvarez impressive documentals appeared. In
the 1970’s this genre acquired a more important role and
influenced fiction, giving place to testimonial works in the
careers of directors such as Manuel Pérez Paredes, Sara
Gómez and Pastor Vega.
The 1980’s were characterized by increasing production
of comedies and the reappearance of the musical
genre. Also, works of the International School of Cinema
and Television of San Antonio de los Baños and the Hermanos
Saís Association began to appear. In the 1990’s,
as a consequence of the economic crisis after the crash of
socialism, the industry was depressed to such a point that
only one film was made in the year of 1994.
Nevertheless, emblematic titles also appeared during
this period, such as the acclaimed Strawberry and
Chocolate (Fresa y Chocolate) by Tomás Gutiérrez Alea (Titón),
one of the most famous figures of the first decades of the
ICAIC and of Cuban cinema as a whole. Titón opened the
doors for a critical and genuine cinematography. With a
polemic proposal, Strawberry and Chocolate, maybe his most
honored film, broke with certain thematic taboos, at the
same time as it created a dialogue with traditional arguments
of emigration and politics. Amid the deep economic
CUBA RETROSPECTIVE
crisis, this film became a call to tolerance and inclusion.
In the same decade, Fernando Pérez stands for a more
personal and experimental cinema, an aesthetic he would
assume until his last productions. His films are all pieces
of a controversial and paradigmatic art. Live is whistling (La
vida es silbar) breaks with the populist and melodramatic
precepts of the traditional Cuban cinema with a newfangled
and fearless proposal.
More recently City in Red (Ciudad en Rojo), the last film
of Rebeca Chávez is a story of a rebel generation towards
the end of the 1950’s. It is an image of a city and its people
before the triumph of the Cuban revolution.
A new wave of film productions came with the arrival
of the new millennium. The young graduates of the art
schools agglutinated around the New Film Makers Festival,
and did not delay in proposing their own way of perceiving
life through the lens. This nascent generation of film
directors captures an audacious and rebellious view in new
formats and genres of creation.
The Cuban cinematography, mainly after the emergence
of the ICAIC, can presume to be sincere and free.
In March of 2009 we celebrated the 50th Anniversary of
our institution: half a century of fight for a true art. With
the marvelous Films From the South Festival we invite the
audience to look not only to our cinema, but also to the history,
culture and idiosyncrasies of our country.
Susana Molina
Vice President on International Relationship, ICAIC
POSTER EXHIBITION
9th - 18th October
At Filmens Hus, 1st Floor
A unique selection of Cuban film posters, reflecting
the art of Cuban cinema, and the special Cuban
tradition of making artistic posters.
Films from the South wish to thank the Cuban Embassy
in Norway and Ambassador Rogerio Santana,
The Norwegian Embassy in Cuba, The Norwegian
Film Institute and ICAIC for invaluable support in
making the exhibition and retrospective possible.
83

CUBA RETROSPECTIVE
Cuba 1966 Director Tomás Gutiérrez ALEA Script Alfredo L. Del CUETO, Ramón F.
SUÁREZ Camera Ramón F. SUÁREZ Cast Salvador WOOD, Silvia PLANAS, Manuel
ESTANILLO Prod. ICAIC Sales ICAIC Print NFI Language Spanish
Subtitles Norwegian Duration 85 min Format 35mm
Cuba 1968 Director Humberto SOLAS Script Julio García ESPINOSA, Nelson
RODRIGUEZ, Humberto SOLÁS Camera Jorge HERROR Cast Raquel REVUELTA,
Eslinda NUNEZ, Adela LEGRA Prod./Sales ICAIC Print NFI Language Spanish
Subtitles English Duration 160 min Format 35mm
Cuba 1969 Director Manuel Octavio GÓMEZ Script Alfredo L. Del CUETO,
Julio García ESPINOSA Camera Jorge HERRERO Cast Adolfo LLAURADÓ, José
RODRÍGUEZ Prod. ICAIC Sales ICAIC Print NFI Language Spanish
Subtitles Norwegian Duration 84 min Format 35mm
DEATH OF A BUREAUCRAT
La muerte de un burócrata
Death of a Bureaucrat is a dark comedy with a macabre
starting point: A worker is killed in an accident and is put
to rest. His workbook, the very symbol of his proletarian
status, is placed in his grave with him. The problem is that
his widow needs precisely this book in order to be able to
collect his pension. The film is a biting attack on Cuban
politics and was banned in its time. Director Tomás Gutiérrez
Alea, best known for his successful drama Strawberry
and Chocolate, started out as a documentary filmmaker
with a clear political agenda, with evident inspiration from
italian neo-realism. cinemateket
LUCIA
Lucía
THE FIRST CHARGE OF THE MACHETE
La primera carga al machete
This historical drama takes place in October 1868, in the
Oriente Region of Cuba, where rebels are fighting the
Spanish occupying forces, and finally occupies the city of
Bayamo. With a handheld camera, director Manuel Octavio
Gómez makes this portrait of a dramatic and decisive
event in the Cuban history, lively and exciting. Visually
and thematically, the film revolves around the machete, a
central weapon in the Cuban struggle for independence.
cinemateket
Cuba 1985 Director Juan PADRÓN Script Ernesto PADRÓN, Juan PADRÓN Camera
Julio SIMONEAU Cast Manuel MARÍN, Margarita AGUERO, Frank GONZÁLES Prod.
ICAIC, Radio Televisíon Espãnola (RTVE) Sales ICAIC Print NFI Language Spanish,
English Subtitles English Duration 72 min Format Beta SP PAL
Cuba, Spain 1998 Director Fernando PERÈZ Script Humberto JIMÈNEZ, Fernando
PERÈZ Camera RaúlPérez URETA Cast Luis Alberto GARCÍA, Coralina VELOZ
Prod. ICAIC Print Arthaus Language Spanish Subtitles Norwegian
Duration 106 min Format 35mm
LIFE IS TO WHISTLE
La vida es silbar
CUBA RETROSPECTIVE
STRAWBERRY AND CHOCOLATE
Fresa y chocolate
84
Lucía is the protagonist in three stories in this film, which
all reflect on women‘s role in Cuban society, with central
David is proud to be a son of Fidel Castro‘s Cuba. His
loyalty to the Cuban revolution seems unbreakable, but a
85
historical epochs as backdrops. In 1895 the Cuban patriot
sudden break-up with his girlfriend leaves him spiritualy
Lucía was seduced and tricked into revealing the hiding
and mentaly confused. Then Diego appears – gay and with
place of the rebels against Spain. One of them her own
a lifestyle that is very different from his own. The two ac-
brother. In 1933 she sympathises with a young militant
cidentally meet over a strawberry and chocolate icecream,
against the dictatorship of Machado, and falls out of favour
and despite their many differences a friendship forms. But
with her family. During the 1960’s Lucía barred from going
then David starts to suspect that Diego is an enemy of com-
to work, because her husband is jealous of a young activist
who tries fight illiteracy. cinemateket
munism. cinemateket
Cuba 1994 Director Tomás Gutiérrez ALEA, Juan Carlos TABIO Script Senel PAZ
Camera Mario García JOYA Cast Jorge PERUGORRÍA, Vladimir CRUZ Prod. ICAIC
Sales ICAIC Print NFI Language Spanish Subtitles Norwegian
Duration 108 min Format 35mm
VAMPIRES OF HAVANA
Vampyros en La Habana
Joseph, a trumpet player, lives in happy ignorance of the
fact that he is actually a vampire. His uncle has used him
for testing of a drink that makes it possible for him to
survive in daylight. When rumours spread to the rest of
the world about these experiments, the vampires flock to
Cuba. Joseph ends up in the middle when a war is looming
between East European and American vampires, with
sporadic intervention from an extraordinarily authoritarian
police force. The legendary trumpet player Arturo Sandoval
creates the musical backdrop for this film‘s animated
adventures. ibds
Julia, Elpidio and Mariana are three, in many ways, very
different people in today‘s Havana, the capital of Cuba.
Havana‘s three chosen ones have one thing in common
though – they are sad. Happiness has left their lives. But
on Cuba fate is always lurking. And this time fate is called
Bébé, and is an 18 years old girl. She helps our heroes
towards a happier life. Life is to Whistle was chosen as Best
Film during the 1999 Films from the South Festival for
the following reason: a film that masterfully unites magical
realism, poetry, politics and audience appeal. Arthaus

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FONDS SUD CINÉMA
In co-operation with the French Embassy, the French
Culture Centre in Oslo and Films from the South is
pleased to present a number of films supported by Fonds
Sud Cinéma during this year’s festival.
Since 1984, Fonds Sud Cinéma has worked to help
strengthen the multitude of international film production.
The French Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs and
the Ministry of Culture co-fund the project, which has
helped more than 400 films see the light of day. The films
are mainly produced in Africa, Asia, the Middle East and
Latin America.
Cinema is an extraordinarily powerful medium and
contributes to the building of both cultural and
FILMS SUPPLIED BY FONDS SUD CINÉMA PRESENTED
AT FILMS FROM THE SOUTH 2009
INLAND
Tariq Teguia
Algeria 2008
p. 40
TEZA
Haïle Gerima
Ethiopia 2008
p. 29
TRIOMF
Michaël Reaburn
Zimbabwe 2008
p. 63
Welcome to the rich experiences of Cinéma Sud!
FONDS SUD CINÉMA
political opinions and identity. Films from the South believe
that Fonds Sud Cinéma’s initiative is a sound way to
help modern storytelling, through the cinematic medium,
to gain international foothold and not only to be reserved
for economically powerful countries. Films from the South
is working to initiate a similar fund in Norway, with pooled
resources from the Norwegian Foreign Office, the Ministry
of Culture and the Norwegian Film Institute.
Through many years, various films made with such
support have been a natural part of the Films from the
South programme.
THE FIRM LAND
Chapour Haghighat
Iran 2008
p. 39
PESANTREN
Nurman Hakim
Indonesia 2008
p. 44
LAILA’S BIRTHDAY
Rashid Masharawi
Palestine 2008
p. 67
LOS BASTARDOS
Amat Escalante
Mexico 2008
p. 58
BATTLE IN HEAVEN
Carlos Reygadas
Mexico 2005
p. 81
BURIED SECRETS
Raja Amari
Tunisia 2009
p. 21
87

Ekstrem forvandling
Å j o b b e e t t å r i e t a n n e t
l a n d g j ø r n o e m e d d e g .
STERKERE RYGGRAD
STØRRE HJERTE
STØRRE BALLER
ØKT FORSTÅELSE
NYTT SPRÅK
Fredskorpset arbeider med gjensidig utveksling av arbeidskraft
mellom Norge, Afrika, Asia og Latin-Amerika. Møter mellom
mennesker etterlater kunnskap, forståelse og innlevelse.
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The Critical Room is the festival forum for film and debate. Since the
programme was established in 2003, with the support of Fritt Ord, close
to a hundred discussions have been organised between invited guests and
the audience. Using documentaries and sometimes fiction films as a point
of departure, the goal has been to dig deeply into various issues
connected to Asia, Africa and Latin-America.
THE CRITICAL ROOM
SUPPORTED BY FRITT ORD
FILM AND DEBATE
Films spark debate. The buzz of a crowd departing a cinema
is infectious and exciting. When the film in question
is a documentary about modern day issues of controversial
and revelatory nature, that buzz takes on a new level of
importance and can have long-lasting effects on individual
and group opinions. In recognition of this The Critical
Room programme is a vital part of the festival’s aim of
enabling the viewer to see the world from a different angle.
In collaboration with the Nobel Peace Center, we are
delighted to welcome Women Make Movies to Oslo. The
executive director of this institution, Debra Zimmerman,
will be participating in a debate about the importance of
never forgetting women’s voices and the ways they work
to ensure that this will not happen. In addition we will be
screening three films from the WMM portfolio (directed
by Kim Longinotto, Tamar Yarom and Julie Bridgeham)
and hearing from guests such as Jackie Branfield (the
main character in Rough Aunties).
THE CRITICAL ROOM
Other highlights not to be missed are: Maude Barlow, the
Canadian author, activst and advisor to the UN, telling us
her views on matters concerning how access to water can
be made a basic human right. She will be joined by Veeraraghavan
Suresh from India after the film Blue Gold, as
part of our collaboration with Blue October. Activism and
engagement is the focus of the debate following the film
Rachel about Rachel Corrie killed by an Israeli bulldozer
in Gaza. Talking about the wider issues of naivety vs
change through participation, is Dahlia Wasfi, an Iraqi/
American who was inspired to become a dedicated antiwar
activist on hearing Rachel’s story. The Stoning of
Soraya M is a film that makes us question how stoning
has managed to remain a part of Iranian legal system, a
question discussed by director Cyrus Nowrasteh.
Some of the festivals most truly enriching and rewarding
events are to be found inside The Critical Room.
89

THE CRITICAL ROOM
Following the film:
Blue Gold: World Water Wars
Sam Bozzo, Canada, USA, 2008,
94min
Thurs. 8. okt 18:30 Vika 2
AS WATER BECOMES MORE PRECIOUS THAN OIL
IN WORLD SECURITY POLITICS, WE ASK: CAN
NORWAY SEE BEYOND ITS OWN WATERFALLS?
Strange things are happening – military bases are being established near
major aquifers, constitutions are being changed to prevent major corporations
privatising water, and both the UN and local communities are
increasingly aware of the implications of not having water entrenched as
basic human right.
In a country where water is taken completely for granted, Norway
nonetheless seeks to help the billions in a less fortunate position. Norway
promotes itself as a major aid donor and as an energy nation, exporting hydropower
know-how to developing countries. Are the current policies the
right way to go? We hear from Maude Barlow (activist, advisor to the UN,
and author whose book the film is based upon) what, in her opinion, needs
to be done. We hear what Norway is currently doing - politically, through
development projects and through state-supported commercial projects.
And we hear from those being affected by these issues, represented by Dr.
Veeraraghavan Suresh from India.
THE CRITICAL ROOM
90 91
With: Maude Barlow - Senior Advisor on Water to the
President of the UN General Assembly, and
Dr. Veeraraghavan Suresh, advocate at Madras High Court
and Adviser appointed by Supreme Court of India for Tamil
Nadu to the Supreme Court Commission on Food Security
Organised by: Blue October, Films from the South.
Following the film:
King Hugo and his Damsel
by Franco De Pena, Poland/Venezuela
2009, 47 min
Sun. 11. okt 18:30 Vika 2
THE POPULIST PERPETUATION OF POWER
Since 2007 Venezuelan’s President Hugo Chavez has been linked to the
search for absolute power through constitutional changes and an increasingly
populist style. While supporters maintain fundamental changes in
society have been occurring for the better, evidence from the favelas seem
to indicate otherwise. Is he a totalitarian demagogue or a true leader of the
left? Our invited guests have fundamentally opposing views.
With: Franco da Peña: director of King Hugo and his Damsel, and
Richard Gott: author of Chavez and the Bolvarian Revolution.
Following the film:
The Judge and the General
by Elizabeth Farnsworth and Patricio
Lanfranco, 2008
Sat. 10. okt 18:30 Vika 2
PROSECUTING PINOCHET: THE WIDER IMPACT
Juan Guzmán, the judge with the job of investigating, prosecuting and trying
Pinochet, made the transition from supporter of atrocities in the name
of preventing communist revolution to a judge driven to see justice done
for the same crimes, even if that meant overthrowing impunity and rewriting
human rights law. We consider what has happened to Chile during the
same period: has the case resulted in the reconciliation that can contribute
to the healing of a divided society? And what can be learnt regarding the
overturning of impunity to give concrete prosecutions in other countries
and continents.
With: Inès Vargas, Deputy Justice Minister in the Allende Government at
the time of the coup, and Gunnar Ekeløve Slydal: Deputy Secretary
General in the Norwegian Helsinki Committee
Organised by: Films From the South.
Following the film:
A QUESTION OF MORAL COURAGE
The Stoning of Soraya M
Cyrus Nowrasteh, 2008
Turs. 15. okt 18:00 Ringen 2
The stoning of women and men is still practised openly in some moslem
countries, among them Iran.The film takes accusation after which Soraya M
gets stoned in a horrific way, secondly by another woman that tells the story to
a journalist, and in doing so reveals her identity - just as much of a death sentence
as the initial execution, but ensuring the story is told to the international
society. The discussion will focus on three crucial questions.
1. Why does international political pressure fail to work in stopping
this medieval practice?
2. What can be said about the after-effects of such moral courage as
shown by the film’s main character?
3. What are the medias responsibilities in conveying and protecting
sources of this kind of information?
With: Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, Iran Human Rights Organisation, and
researcher Cyrus Nowraseth: Director The Stoning of Soraya M. Chaired by
Per Elvestuen, Oslo Freedom Forum
Organised by: Films From the South, Oslo Freedom Forum, and
Norwegian PEN
VIOLENT CONFLICT AND WAR IS
A MAN’S GAME. RIGHT?
Following the film:
The Sari Soldiers
Julie Bridgham, US/Nepal, 2008,
90 mins
Tue. 13. okt 18:30 Vika 2
Women fight for justice in their own way, by becoming human rights lawyers,
activists, or sometimes by taking up arms either in national armies or
as freedom fighters. War and violent conflict seem to be stereotyped as a
male domain. When we think of war, when we see most films, the images
we see of war are almost always of men with guns. We focus on where
the women are in this picture: the impact these men (and of course now
sometimes women) with guns have on women’s lives.
With: Toiko Tõnisson Kleppe, Advisor at FOKUS Forum for Women and
Development, and Debra Zimmerman, Women Make Movies.
Organised by: Films From the South, Women Make Movies,
Nobel Peace Center.
Following the film:
ROUGH LIVES, AMAZING AUNTIES
Rough Aunties
Kim Longinotto, South Africa, 2008,
103 minutes
Thurs. 14. okt 18:30 Vika 2
“Operation Bobbi Bear is unique. We’re the cowboys. We go to the children,
kick in the door if necessary and rescue them so that we may cut down on the
risk of HIV.”
Jackie Branfield is the founder of the Bobbi Bear, a grass-roots organisation
lead by five remarkable women, fighting for the rights of abused
children. Their ultimate aim is to stop the spread of HIV in children that
have been raped. The obstacles and attitudes they overcome to achieve this
aim are enormous and entrenched. Jackie talks to Hannah Helseth about
the inspirational team of women running the centre, the people they work to
help, and the culture within which this is going on.
With: Jackie Branfield – Bobby Bear Centre, Durban South Africa, in conversation
with Hannah Helseth, author and columnist in
Klassekampen
Organised by: Films From the South, Women Make Movies,
Nobel Peace Center
Following the film:
WOMEN MAKE MOVIES – VOICES
AND STORIES FROM ’THE OTHER’ ANGLE
Women’s voices are heard all too infrequently when it comes to telling the
stories that influence opinions and create the pictures of communities that
truly reflect what is going on out there. Both behind and in front of the
camera it is all too easy to forget to include these stories - be it intentional or
not, they consistently get pushed into the background.
Women Make Movies has been an inspirational and fundamental institution
when it comes to getting films made by women, about women and for everyone.
The films are distributed to colleges, prisons, museums and cinemas.
They carry a brand of strong cool films by and about women all over the
world. They are prize-winners at the biggest festivals and often come from
small beginnings through coaching and support programmes.
During this seminar the audience will be able to hear how all this has been
achieved. We hear the stories from inside WMM, from filmmakers (Mexican
and Norwegian) who have been welcomed as part of the portfolio offered,
and from the viewpoint of some of the incredible women represented in the
stories these films tell.
Introduced by: Bente Erichsen, Nobel Peace Centre
To See if I’m Smiling
Tamar Yarom, Israel, 2007,
59 minutes
Wed. 14. okt 18:30 Vika 2
The Panel:
Debra Zimmerman: executive director of Women Make Movies since 1983.
During her tenure it has grown into the largest distributor of films by and
about women in the world.
Natalia Almada from Mexico was encouraged and supported by WMM during
her first film All Water has a Perfect Memory, now distributed by Women
Make Movies. Natalia is at FFS with her most recent film: El General
Beate Arnestad: Norwegian director of My Daughter the Terrorist which
WMM distribute in North America.
Jackie Branfield: Founder of the Bobbi Bear Centre in South Africa (featured
in Rough Aunties).

92
THE CRITICAL ROOM
Following the films:
Xinã Bena – New Era
2006, 52 min
Sun. 11. okt 18:30 Vika 2
Imbé Gikegü – The Scent of Pequi Fruit
2006, 36 min
BRAZIL: INDIGENOUS PEOPLE AS FILMMAKERS
Video in the Villages (Vidoe nas Aldeias- VNA) was established in 1987
and has proved itself as a pioneer in giving indigenous people the possibility
of producing films about themselves, aimed at a wide viewing audience.
The Indians learn through workshops how to adapt to, and work with,
the medium of film to most effectively communicate their own stories.
Vincente Carelli initiated the VNA project, and has now seen over 70 films
produced by the Indians, most of which have won prizes both in Brazil
and internationally. NORAD and the Norwegian Embassy in Brazil have
been supporting these projects since the 1990s. One of the more recent
productions is the “Indigenous Filmmakers Collection” and includes films
from the Huni Kui, Kuikuro and Panará indigenous groups. VNA is now
considered as an international reference source for how indigenous people
can fight for their right to make their own films. We discuss the significance
and power of this type of filmmaking.
Xinã Bena (New Era) 2006, 52min, Hunikui (Kaxinawá)
The daily life in São Joaquim, a Hunikui village by the Jordão River, in the
state of Acre. Augustinho, the village’s medicine man (Pajé) and patriarch,
his wife and his father-in-law remember the captivity in the rubber tree
plantations and celebrate the new era.
Imbé Gikegü (The Scent of Pequi Fruit) 2006, 36min, Kuikuro
Linking the past to the present, Kuikuro filmmakers tell a tale of dangers
and pleasures, of sex and betrayal, where men and women, hummingbirds
and alligators build a shared world.
With: Torkjell Leira, Brazil Programme Coordinator, The Rain Forest
Foundation Norway.
Cecilie Øien, Researcher at FAFO, Oslo. PhD in Visual anthropology and
expert in ethnographic documentary film tradition including indigenous
film production.
Espen Wæhle: Advisor, The Rain Forest Foundation Norway.
Expert on indigenous topics and ethnographic documentary film.
ACTIVISM: WHERE TO START
AND WHERE TO STOP
Following the film:
Rachel
Directed by: Simone Bitton, Belgium/
France, 2008, 101 min
Fri. 9. okt 18:30 Vika 2
What does activism mean to young and old alike in today’s world? What are
people prepared to demonstrate for? And what not? (Compare the support
for Palestine with that for the Tamils). Is there a limit to non-violent activism
such as that promoted by International Solidarity Movement and the Peace
Brigade? How do solidarity and naivety relate? After a decade of rebellion
against party politics and the importance of forums such as the World Social
Forum, it might be that there are signs of increasing arguments to be active
within the system rather than against it, for instance the success of the leftist
movements in Latin America and the democrats in USA. This debate looks
at the balance of bringing about change through direct versus arms-length
participation.
With: Dahlia Wasfi – American/Iraqi anti-war activist living in the US, Iffit
Qureshi – Scottish/Pakistani activist in Norway,
Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, Iran Human Rights Organisation and
researcher.
Organised by: Nobel Peace Centre, Films From the South
PLATFORM NORWAY/
MEXICO 2009
The Norwegian Crown Prince and Princess headed the official
state visit to Mexico in March 2009. Norwegian film and
architecture were cultural areas presented to Mexican counterparts.
At the Guadalajara Film Festival a conference was set
up between the two countries film industries and a variety of
connections were established. Films From the South festival,
being part of this initial meeting, has continued the initiative
during this year’s edition of the festival and will organise a
follow up in association with The Norwegian Film institute.
Platform Norway/Mexico 2009 will include a series of
events where Norwegian and Mexican directors, filmmakers
and audience interact.
THE REYGADAS TALKS
Carlos Reygadas holding a three day master class for
Norwegian directors, producers and scriptwriters.
A CLOSED SEMINAR
Conducted at Filmens Hus on October 13, hosted by the
Norwegian Film Institute. Bringing together Mexican
producers and directors such as Amat Escalante (Los
Bastardos), Natalia Almada (El General) and Paola Herrera
(Parque Via) with high profiled representatives of
the Norwegian film industry. Targeting possible future
co-operation between the two countries.
FILM SCREENINGS
Films from the South will screen a wide series of Mexican
films during the festival
Parque Vìa, Enrique Rivero, Competition
I’m Gonna Explode, Gerardo Naranja, New Directions
El General, Natalia Almada, Dok:Sør
Los Bastardos, Amat Escalante, Special Screenings
Sin Nombre, Cary Fukunaga, Special Screenings
The Burning Plain, Guillermo Arriaga, From festival to DVD
Rudo y Cursi, Carlos Cuarón, From festival to DVD
Japón, Carlos Reygadas, Reygadas Retrospective
Battle in Heaven, Carlos Reygadas, Reygadas Retrospective
Stellet Licht, Carlos Reygadas, Reygadas Retrospective
FILMS FROM THE SOUTH FOR SCHOOLS
FILMS FROM THE
SOUTH FOR SCHOOLS
Films from the South has since 2006 participated in
Den Kulturelle Skolesekken (a public programme for
cultural activities in schools). In 2009 we have the
pleasure continuing this project and offering pupils in
the 9th and 10th grade in the City of Oslo, film experiences
for the heart and the mind from Thursday the
8th to Thursday the 15th of October.
On weekdays during the festival there will be special
daytime screenings for pupils at Vika Kino at 10:00
and 12:30. Films from Asia, Africa and Latin America
will be screened with free admissions for pupils within
Den Kulturelle Skolesekken. Registration is available
at the website of Den Kulturelle skolesekken in Oslo,
at Fronter.
This year’s films explore topical issues concerning:
* double identity
* international politics
* the environment
* war and conflicts
Films from the South provide study-sheets and a
teaching plan that will be included in the instruction
both before and after the screening. Each film will be
introduced by a specialist in the area or a director, and
will end with a discussion that includes the pupils in
reflection around the topics presented in the film.
The project is supported by Den Kulturelle
Skolesekken in Oslo and Film & Kino.
93

Utstilling om borgerrettighetskampen i Usa på 1960-tallet
– en nær og viktig historie. Få med deg de viktige begivenhetene,
stemningen, mUsikken og retorikken. martin lUther king Jr. banet vei
For barack obamas historiske valgseier.
Tirsdag – søndag kl.10 – 18
Rådhusplassen, Oslo
www.nobelsfredssenter.no
13 Months of Sunshine 62
About Elly 18
Absence, The 62
After Life 76
Air Doll 19
Ajami 35
All Inclusive 69
Altiplano 20
Autumn 36
Bad day to go Fishing, A 71
Bastardos, Los 58
Battle in Heaven 81
Because We Were Born 50
Blue Gold 50
Buried Secrets 21
Burning Plain, The 61
Casanegra 56
Children of the Pyre 51
City in Red 37
City of Life and Death 22
Cyrano Fernández 23
Death of a Bureaucrat 84
Distance 76
Eyes Wide Open 58
Favela on Blast 73
Firaaq 38
Firm Land, The 39
First Charge of the Machete, The 84
For a Moment, Freedom 24
French Girl 62
General, The 51
Gift to Stalin, The 25
Good Cats 65
Hair India 52
Hana 76
Hugo Rey 51
I’m Gonna Explode 41
Illusion 77
Inland 40
Iseta: Behind The Road Block 50
Jalainur 42
Japón 81
Judge and the General, The 69
Laila’s Birthday 67
Last Thakur, The 58
Life is to Whistle 85
Lucia 84
INDEX ENGLISH TITLE
Machan 56
Make a Wish 71
Masquerades 26
Milagrosa, La 70
Milk 65
Milk of Sorrow, The 14
Moment in June, A 43
Nana, La 15
Nobody Knows 77
One Man Village 67
Pandora’s Box 27
Parque vía 28
Passion of Gabriel, The 70
Pesantren: 3 Wishes 3 Loves 44
Pomgranates and Myrrh 46
Rachel 52
Rain 45
Ramata 63
Return to Hansala 63
Rough Aunties 53
Rudo y Cursi 61
Sari Soldiers 53
Shirin 59
Silent Light 81
Sin Nombre 59
Still Walking 57
Stoning Of Soraya M, The 56
Storm, The 65
Strawberry and Chocolate 85
Teza 29
Thirst 57
To See If I´m Smiling 53
Tony Manero 69
Turistas 30
Transit Love 71
Treeless Mountain 47
Triomf 63
Tropical House 52
Ultimo Aplauso, El 73
Under the Bombs 67
Vampires of Havana 85
Vida loca, La 61
We Can 70
Wind Journeys, The 59
Window, The 31
Youssou Ndour: I Bring What I Love 73
95

INDEX ORIGINAL TITLE
INDEX COUNTRY
13 Months of Sunshine 62 Mal Dia Para Pescar 71
Algerie
Ethiopia
Absence, L’ 62 Mascarades 26
Inland 40 13 Months of Sunshine 62
Ajami 35 Milagrosa, La 70
Masquerades 26 Teza 29
Al-Mor wa al rumman 46 Moment in June, A 42
Altiplano 20 Muerte de un Burócrata, La 84
Argentina
Guinea
Amor en tránsito 71 Nana, La 15
El Ultimo Aplauso 73 Absence, L’ 62
Aruitemo aruitemo 57 Nanjing! Nanjing! 22
Make a Wish 71
Bahoz 65 Pandora’nin kutusu 27
Rain 45 India
Bakjwi 57 Parque vía 28
Transit Love 71 Children of the Pyre 51
Blue Gold 50 Pasión de Gabriel, La 70
Window, The 31 Firaaq 38
Bastardos, Los 58 Pesantren: 3 Doa 3 Cinta 44
Hair India 52
Batalla en Cielo 81 Podarok Stalinu 25
Bangladesh
Burning Plain, The 61 Primera carga al Machete, La 84
Last Thakur, The 58 Indonesia
Casanegra 56 Puisque nous sommes nés 50
Pesantren: 3 wishes, 3 dreams 44
Children of the Pyre 51 Rachel 52
Brazil
Ciudad en Rojo 37 Ramata 63
Because We Were Born 50 Iran
Cyrano Fernández 23 Return to Hansala 63
Favela on Blast 73 About Elly 18
Darbareye Elly 18 Rough Aunties 53
Firm Land, The 39
Dare mo shiranai 77 Rudo y Cursi 61
Chile
For a Moment Freedom 24
Distance 76 Sari Soldiers 53
All Inclusive 69 Shirin 59
Dowaha 21 Semaan Bil Day’ia 67
Judge and the General, The 69 Stoning of Soraya M, The 56
Eid milad Laila 67 Shirin 59
Nana, La 15
Ein Augenblick Freiheit 24 Sin Nombre 59
Tony Manero 69 Israel
Entre Nos 70 Sonbahar 36
Turistas 30 Ajami 35
Eyes Wide Open 58 Sous les bombes 67
Eyes Wide Open 58
96 Favela on Blast 73 Stellet Licht 81
China
Rachel 52
97
Firaaq 38 Stoning Of Soraya M, The 56
City of Life and Death 22 To see if I’m Smiling 53
Firm Land, The 39 Süt 65
Jalainur 42
Française 62 Teta Asustada, La 14
Good Cats 65 Japan
Fresa y chocolate 85 Teza 29
Air Doll 19
Gabbla 40 Tocar el cielo 71
Colombia
After Life 76
General, El 51 Todo Incluido 67
Wind Journeys 59 Distance 76
Hair India 52 Tony Manero 69
Entre Nos 70 Hana 76
Hana yori mo naho 76 Treeless Mountain 47
Milagrosa, La 70 Maborosi 77
Hao Mao 65 Triomf 63
Passion of Gabriel, The 70 Nobody Knows 77
Hugo Rey y su doncella 51 Turistas 30
Still Walking 57
Iseta: Behind The Road Block 50 Ultimo Aplauso, El 73
Cuba
Japón 81 Vampyros en La Habana 85
City in Red 37 Kazakhstan
Judge and the General, The 69 Ventana, La 31
Death of a Bureaucrat 84 Gift to Stalin, The 25
Kûki Ningyô 19 Viajes del vient, Los 59
First Charge of the Machete, The 84
Last Thakur, The 58 Vida es Silbar, La 85
Life is to Whistle 85 Kongo
Lir’ ot Im Ani Mehayechet 53 Vida loca, La 61
Lucia 84 Ramata 63
Lluvia 45 Voy a explotar 41
Strawberry and Chocolate 85
Lucía 84 Wandâfuru raifu 76
Vampires of Havana 85 Lebanon
Maboroshi no hikari 77 Youssou Ndour: I Bring What I Love 73
Under the Bombs 67
Machan 56 Zhai lai nuo er 42
One Man Village 67
Maison Tropicale, La 52

98
INDEX COUNTRY
Mali
Tropical House 52
Mexico
General, The 51
Vida Loca, La 61
Bastardos, Los 58
Battle in Heaven 81
Burning Plane, The 61
I’m Gonna Explode 41
Japón 81
Parque Via 28
Rudo y Cursi 61
Sin Nombre 59
Silent Light 81
Morocco
Casanegra 56
French Girl 62
Return to Hansala 63
Nepal
Sari Soldiers 53
Palestine
Laila’s Birthday 67
Pomegranates and Myrrh 46
Rachel 52
Peru
Altiplano 20
Milk of Sorrow, The 14
Rwanda
Iseta: Behind the Road Block 50
Senegal
Youssou Ndour: I Bring What I Love 73
Abscence, The 62
South Africa
Rough Aunties 53
Triomf 63
South Korea
Thirst 57
Treeless Mountain 47
Sri Lanka
Machan 56
Thailand
A Moment in June 43
Tunis
Buried Secrets 21
Turkey
Autumn 36
For a Moment Freedom 24
Milk 65
Pandora’s Box 27
Storm, The 65
Uruguay
Bad day to go Fishing, A 71
USA
Blue Gold 50
Venezuela
Cyrano Fernandéz 23
Hugo Rey y su Doncella 51
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