NY Intl Children's Film Fest 2011

Details

Parent Category: Film Festivals

Category: Previews

Published on Friday, 11 March 2011 04:23

Written by L E Shannon

The New York International Children's Film Festival (NYICFF) runs March 4 - 27, 2011 in Manhattan at IFC Center and other venues in New York City.

NYICFF is North America's largest festival of film for children and teens, intended to define a new, more provocative and compelling film for juvenile audiences.  

The Opening Night Film is a preview of the new film Mars Needs Moms, directed by Simon Wells and featuring the voices of Seth Green, Dan Fogler, Elisabeth Harnois, Mindy Sterling, Joan Cusack.

Read more: NY Intl Children's Film Fest 2011

SF Intl Asian American Film Fest 2011

Details

Parent Category: Film Festivals

Category: Previews

Published on Wednesday, 09 March 2011 05:00

Written by Lynne Shannon

The San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival runs March 10 - 20, 2011 at several venues in San Francisco, including the Castro Theatre, the Landmark Clay Theatre and Sundance Kabuki Cinemas. In conjunction with this festival is the 10th edition in San Jose, California.

Presented by the Center for Asian American Media (CAAM), the 29th edition showcases an array of films that span all genres, from international horror and romantic comedies to documentaries on Internment, families in crisis, and historical accounts.

Gala Films include:

Clash
Dir. Le Thanh Son (Vietnam)
Vietnam's answer to Angelina has arrived. This female mercenary gathers her own gang of misfits to pull off one last job to save her kidnapped daughter. A cool throwback to 1980s Hong Kong martial arts movies, this was Vietnam's biggest box office hit over a year ago -- against all odds, as it was holiday season and the film was expected to tank. With Ngo Thanh Van and Johnny Tri Nguyen, who will attend the screening.

Surrogate Valentine
Dir. Dave Boyle (White on Rice)
Goh is a low-key indie rocker on tour with a sycophantic Hollywood actor. When he reconnects with a longtime friend, he is forced to make some bold decisions about his life. With Goh Nakamura, Lynn Chen. Boyle and the actors will attend the screening, which includes a live performance by Nakamura, a well-known force in Bay Area music.

Read more: SF Intl Asian American Film Fest...

NY Gives Peace a Chance With Film Fest

Details

Parent Category: Film Festivals

Category: Previews

Published on Wednesday, 09 March 2011 05:00

Written by L E Shannon

The 4th Annual New York Peace Film Festival (NYPFF) is being held March 12 - 13, 2011 at All Souls Unitarian Church in New York City. All of the films have the theme of applying peaceful solutions to the world’s conflicts and asking how to move toward a  peaceful world.

Five of the 12 films being screened deal with issues surrounding nuclear weapons, either their past use or their current threat.  

Twice Bombed: The Legacy of Tsutomu Yamaguchi
Dir. Hidetaka Inazuka
This world premiere film chronicles the later years of a survivor of both atomic bombings.  Approximately 190 people who survived the Hiroshima bombing in 1945 boarded a train to Nagasaki, arriving on August 8. It is not known how many of them survived the Nagasaki bombing the following day. Mr. Yamaguchi remained quiet about his double bombing status because of continuing discrimination against survivors. It was later in life, after his son’s death from cancer believed related to the bombings, that Mr. Yamaguchi became an outspoken proponent of nuclear disarmament.  A Q & A follows the screening.

Beating the Bomb
Dir. Wolfgang Matt and Meera Patel
This film documents the start and growth of the British anti-nuclear movement and its struggles and successes. From mass marches to the on-going vigils at nuclear facilities, the movement has had much more success than in any other country in the world. The world-wide symbol for peace was developed for the British anti-nuclear movement.  A Q & A follows the screening.

Flash of Hope: Hibakusha Traveling the World
Dir. Erika Bagnarello; produced by Peace Boat in association with Costa Rica Films
The Peace boat made a world tour with survivors of the atomic bombings and this film documents that trip. In numerous ports and encounters, the survivors not only tell their personal stories of survival, but also press for a nuclear-free world.  

Free World
Dir. Ashley Michael Karitas
An 18 member delegation of Americans traveled to Japan to speak with survivors of the atomic bombings and participate in ceremonies commemorating the bombings. A Q & A follows the screening.

Each season the NYPFF screens a classic peace film. This year’s selection:

A Thousand Cranes
Dir. Sojiro Kimura (1958)
Sadako was the young victim of the Hiroshima bombing who’s ardent folding of origami paper cranes made it a universal symbol of a nuclear-free world.  

The other selections are:

Another Courage
Dir. Erik Sween
"The images are Iraq, the experiences are Vietnam."  The trauma of battle and the need for help re-integrating into civilian life transcends any specific conflict. A Q & A follows the screening.

Death & Taxes
Produced by the National War Tax Resistance Coordinating Committee
This film documents the full spectrum of people refusing to pay war taxes, from token underpayments to refusing to pay any tax at all; the risks, the tactics, the successes.  

Billboard from Bethlehem
Produced by iwagepeace.org
What happens when Palestinian & Israeli children gather in Bethlehem to paint a mural depicting reconciliation?

The Children of Adam
Dir. Nina Aghaheikzadeh
Reflections on a visit to Iran and the American portrayal of Iran. A Q & A follows the screening.

Silent Screams
Produced and narrated by Karla Hansen
A trip to Iran & a wedding in the Kurdish village of Qarchighah highlight the common threads that unite all people. A Q & A follows the screening.

A Little Bit of So Much Truth / Un Pokito De Tanta Verdad
Dir. Jill Freidberg
A 6-month non-violent uprising in the Mexican State of Oaxaca is violently repressed, but a people find dignity and solidarity.  

Standing Army
Dir. Thomas Fazi and Enrico Parenti
Why does the United States have 716 military bases and 250,000 troops on foreign soil (not including our bases and soldiers in Iraq & Afghanistan)?  How do the populations surrounding the bases view them?

Also presented is an event for children age 3 up, Japanese Storytelling "Kamishibai" - Paper Theater. This is a traditional form of storytelling whereby the storyteller told several stories using a small stage and a set of illustrated boards which were inserted into and out of the stage as the story changed. Some of the stories are "The Mouse's Wedding," "Aogiri's Dream" and "A Story of Katsuji Yoshida".

For more information, go to www.nypeacefilmfest.com.

The Peace & Justice Task Force of All Souls Unitarian Church is co-sponsoring this year’s festival with the American Friends Service Committee, NY Metro Region; Granny Peace Brigade; Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW); New York War Resisters League; Pax Christi, New York; Peace Action New York State (PANYS); and Resistance Cinema.

New York Peace Film Festival (NYPFF)
March 12 - 13, 2011

All Souls Unitarian Church
1157 Lexington Avenue
New York City