Aideu - Behind the Screen
Arup Manna | India | 2006 | 81 mins | PG

The Mumbai-trained director makes a bold attempt to document the pioneering spirit of Aideu Handique, who at age 14 acted in the first Assamese movie Joymoti in 1935. At that time, acting in front of the camera was considered an evil deed by the conservative people of the village and she became an outcast. On completion of the film, she had to spend the rest of her life in a small hut apart from the rest of her family, barred from getting water from the publicly-used river and remained unmarried. Aideu died in 2002 at the age of 82.

Before her death, she made one last appearance in Aideu, as herself. Director Arup Manna wanted to tell her story, “not because it has a lot of drama, but because he wanted to pay obeisance”. It took over five years to make because as a film without any song and dance numbers, no producer wanted to take a risk.

Production Company:
Trinayan Media Foundation
Sauj Nagar, Morikolong, Nagaon – 782001, Assam, India
Tel: +91 94351 60736
Email: arupmanna@sify.com

Bakushi
Ryuichi Hiroki | Japan | 2007 | 90 mins | TBA

Only the Japanese could aestheticise the tying up of women, known as kinbaku. Ryuichi Hiroki, whose roots lie in Japan’s “pink film” industry (namely erotic films that are released theatrically), explores the world of those who possess this fetish, namely the Japanese bondage masters, known as bakushi. Three of them, and three of their favourite models, are interviewed for this documentary.

Bakushi shows these practitioners in action, binding their whimpering models with elaborate knots before proceeding to the ritual chastisement for S&M specialist stage shows, photo shoots and videos. We also get a look at the history of S&M practices in Japan, and the visibility of rope-play spectacles in various media, including periodicals, films, and erotic manga. This film illuminates one of the more bizarre instances of the very Japanese attention to detail and taste for ceremony.

Ryuichi Hiroki began his filmmaking career in the “pink film” industry, making erotic films for theatrical release, and came into his own with Catch the Woman Out (Seigyaku-Onna wo Abaku) in 1982. He left this genre when the Sundance Company in Tokyo awarded him a scholarship, which led him to write his first feature film, Tokyo Trash Baby, in 2000 (shown in SIFF 2001). He is one of the pioneers in the use of digital video in Japan. His 2003 film Vibrator swept many prizes in Japan and internationally. He has also received the Grand Prix – Best Film in the 19th Singapore International Film Festival and awards in the 8th Barcelona Asian Film Festival for his 2005 film, It’s Only Talk (Yawarakai seikatsu).

Production Company: Arcimboldo Production www.arcim.com
T. +81 3 5361 3121
F. +81 3 5361 3122
International sales: Gold View, Tokyo
kiyo@goldview.co.jp

Breathing in Mud
James Lee | Malaysia | 2007 | 78 mins | PG

INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE

Azman, a photographer, marries the strong and quiet Lina, but their lives change when Lina’s first husband, Meor, returns from Thailand, where he has been taking refuge these past years. The three of them find out that their lives overlap with love and past friendships, bonds that they fear to break and ones that cannot break.

Production Company / World Sales:
Red Films Sdn Bhd
525, Jalan 17/13, 46400 Petaling Jaya, Malaysia.
Tel: 03-7955 3345
Fax: 03-7958 6678
Email: info@redfilms.com.my

Children of the Prophet
Sudabeh Mortezai | Iran | 2007 | 90 mins | PG

Children of the Prophet offers an intimate insight into the everyday life and the expression of religious practice in contemporary Iran, where the archaic and the post-modern co-exist surprisingly. The film follows four groups of people in Tehran during the Shiite mourning rituals of Moharram, commemorating the death of Imam Hossein, the grandson of Prophet Mohammad. It explores the role of religion in different people’s lives and how traditions are codified, kept alive and transformed to accommodate the needs of modern times.

We follow the protagonists closely with unbiased curiosity. It is their perspective, motivation, expression of faith or doubt, sense of humor and voices that make an otherwise enigmatic, and dramatic mass event palpable and familiar. This utterly personal approach offers a rare and often surprising insight into what is usually obscured by politicized Islam hyped by Islamists and Western media alike.

World Sales:
Autlook Filmsales
Zieglergasse 75/1 1070 Vienna, Austria
Tel: +43 720 55 35 7
Email: welcome@autlookfilms.com
Website: www.autlookfilms.com

Death in the Land of Encantos
Lav Diaz | The Philippines | 2007 | 540 mins | R21

“Beauty is the beginning of terror.” This epigraph by Rainer Maria Rilke forms the premise for this nine-hour opus by Filipino director Lav Diaz. Shot in response to the devastation of the eastern Bicol region of the Philippines by Super Typhoon Durian, Death In The Land of Encantos meditates on the fragility of life and the regenerative power of both nature and art.

An acclaimed Filipino poet named Benjamin Agusan (Roeder Camanag) returns from Russia to his hometown of Padang, to find it buried under landslides of mud and a nascent river. Shocked, he wanders through the ravaged land, reconnecting with distraught friends, lovers and family members.

The stark black and white images of barren trees and rocks paint a bleak and disturbing landscape of loss. Yet Diaz surprises the audience by strategically cutting from these harsh images to quiet scenes of physical and emotional intimacy between characters, expressing a belief in the natural rhythms of life.

Death In The Land of Encantos was awarded a Special Mention in the Orizzonti (Horizons) Documentary Section of the Venice Film Festival in 2007.

Production Company / World Sales:
Produksyung Sine Olivia
11A Mirasol Townhomes, Mirasol Street, Cubao, Quezon City, Metro Manila, The Philippines.
Tel: (63-9) 2023-14708

Denias, Singing on the Cloud
John De Rantau | Indonesia | 2007 | 110 mins | NC16

A boy’s deep desire to get an education leads him to traverse fields, mountains and rivers for days to reach a school in the nearest city. Based on a true story, this film tells the tale of Denias (Albert Fakdawer), who is from a small village in Jayawijaya Mountain in Western Papua Island and his determination to leave ignorance behind and fulfill his dream. But the physical challenges of his journey pale in comparison to the discrimination he faces at school for being a lowly peasant. With the help of his two friends, he finds the strength to press on and surmount these obstacles. The real Denias eventually won a scholarship and now attends senior high school in Darwin, Australia.

Denias was awarded Best Indonesian Feature at the Jakarta International Film Festival in 2007 as well as Best Children’s Feature Film at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards in the same year. It also won Most Favorite Film at the Indonesian Movie Awards. It has been selected as the official Indonesian entry to the 2008 80th Academy Awards, in the Best Foreign Language Film category.

Shot against the rugged beauty of Papua Island, Denias sings of a vision and resolve that rises above ignorance, fear and adversity.

Production / World Sales Company:
Alenia Pictures
Jl. Bacang I No. 8A. Mayestik –Kebayoran Baru,
Jakarta Selatan 12130
Tel: +62 21 72794435
Fax: +62 21 72794435
Email: aleniapro@cbn.net.id

Dol - The Valley of Tambourines
Hiner Saleem | Kurdistan / France / Germany | 2006 | 90 mins | NC16

It is the year of 2005 in the small Turkish-Kurdish village Balliova at the border of Iran and Iraq. The area, shattered by boundary disputes, is controlled by the Turkish military. After frequent armed hostilities with Kurdish guerrilla fighters, the Turkish military is now repressing the villagers.

Despite the difficult circumstances in the village, Azad, and his fiancée Nazenin, want to marry. During the wedding ceremony, a fight with the Turkish military takes place. Azad shoots at the Turkish commandant and escapes from the village Balliova, leaving his fiancée behind.

Azad reaches the Autonomous Region of Iraqi-Kurdistan by hiding in the back of a truck. Here his path crosses other destinies from the different regions of the divided Kurdistan. He meets Cheto, who is coming back to his homeland from Paris because the corpse of his sister were found in an Iraqi common grave, and he meets Jekaf, who as a little girl, was kidnapped by Iraqi solders. Azad also comes to know Taman who brings him along to a guerrilla camp in the Kurdish mountains. There, Kurds are fighting the Iranians.

Azad decides to bring Nazenin from their home village to the mountains, but he is ambushed by the Turkish army...

International Sales:
Mîtosfilm
Gabelsberger Straße 16, 10247 Berlin - Germany
Tel : 0049 30 54 71 94 62
Fax : 0049 30 54 71 95 08
Email: info@mitosfilm.com
Website: http://www.mitosfilm.com

Dragons Beget Dragons
Ariani Darmawan | Indonesia | 2006 | 60 mins | PG

“How much does one know about one’s culture, and moreover, one’s self?” Director Ariani Darmawan poses this question to herself as she goes on a quest to discover the music of her heritage as a “Tionghoa Peranakan” – the Gambang Kromong.

Gambang Kromong is an acculturative form of music adapted from various ethnicities in Indonesia. The Gambang Kromong melody, of Chinese musical notations, was introduced by the Chinese Indonesians as the Chinese musical instruments were slowly adapted. Through cross-fertilization with Javanese, Sundanese, and Deli cultures, a harmonious music form emerged which is now known as a specific art form unique to Jakarta.

Outside of the music, this acculturation extended to include the daily life of the people.

Together with its engaging narration on the history of cultural and musical assimilation, this film describes today’s Chinese-Indonesians as the keepers of the Gambang Kromong musical legacy.

Production Company/ World Sales:
Kineruku Productions
Jl Hegarmanah 52 Bandung, 40141, Indonesia
Tel:+ 62 22 2039615
Email: kineruku@yahoo.com

Flower in the Pocket
Liew Seng Tat | Malaysia | 2007 | 90 mins | PG

Filmmaker James Lee, whose films have been seen in previous editions of SIFF (Before We Fall In Love Again and Things We Do When We Fall In Love), switches roles to act for fellow director Liew Seng Tat’s debut feature film. He plays Sui, a workaholic father whose day job involves mending broken mannequins.

Listless and detached from his parental responsibilities, he neglects his two sons Ma Li Ahh and Ma Li Ohm. The two boys struggle to cope with their lack of guidance by inventing their own unique methods of survival amidst their harsh concrete surroundings.

The title comes from the tradition of wearing a flower in the pocket in celebration of Mother’s Day. The two protagonists agonize over this symbol of their mother due to the absence of a maternal figure in their lives.

Funded and executive produced by fellow director Tan Chui Mui, Flower in the Pocket is a bittersweet comedy about the state of youth and innocence in today’s rapidly changing society. Winner of the New Currents award of the 12th Pusan International Film Festival, Flower in the Pocket continues the success of Malaysian independent filmmakers in recent years.

Production Company:
Da Huang Pictures
118A Jalan Sultan Abdul Samad off Jalan Tun Sambanthan
50470 Kuala Lumpur Malaysia
Tel: (603) 2273 9496
Email: info@dahuangpictures.com

Fujian Blue
Robin Weng Shouming | China | 2007 | 91 mins | NC16

Fujian Blue weaves together two overlapping stories, performed by an untrained cast, in order to offer an insightful commentary on the social change wrought on the southeastern Chinese province of Fujian by exposure to the West. In the first story, Fuqing delinquent Amerika and his friends decide to start making a little extra money by blackmailing housewives who engage in extramarital affairs while their husbands are working abroad. When Amerika's own mother becomes a mark for the gang, the whole charade quickly begins to collapse. In the second tale set on nearby Pingtan island, youth Dragon turns to crime to repay the fees for his older brother’s recent escape to Ireland. Though all hope seems lost when Dragon loses the money that he was going to use to fund his own escape, his family makes a substantial sacrifice in order to ensure his illegal passage.

Production Company / World Sales:
Fantasy Pictures Entertainment
G box Office 612 – 615 Qinglong Hutong No. 1
100007 Dongcheng District Beijing, China
Tel: +86 8418 6666
Fax: +86 10 8418 6677
Email: celinelin@hotmail.fr

Histeria
James Lee | Malaysia | 2007 | 90 mins | M18

INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE

Histeria is a horror film about six female students attending a supposedly haunted school. As part of a prank, they pretend to be hysterical and are so convincing that the school calls in a witch doctor to “cure” them. However, they soon find themselves faced with some truly mysterious occurrences and a series of grisly deaths that could either be caused by supernatural forces or by one of the girls themselves. Histeria is the first of the new Malaysian independent films to be shot on 35mm.

Production Company:
Tayangan Unggul Sdn Bhd
Unit 1, Level 5, Block C
Mines Waterfront Business Park
The Mines Resort City
43300 Sri Kembangan Selangor Darul Ehsan
Tel : 03-95436688
Fax: 03-89457722
Email: marketing@tayanganunggul.com

I Just Didn’t Do It
Masayuki Suo | Japan | 2006 | 143 mins | PG

The director of the original version of Shall We Dance, Masayuki Suo, continues to explore Japanese society's more overlooked sectors. This time he focuses on Japan’s legal system, as viewed through the story of a man falsely accused of molesting a schoolgirl. The film explores what happens in an authoritarian judicial system when an individual struggles with the unchecked weight of state power.

Teppei Kaneko is a very typical young man, working part-time in Tokyo and trying to decide what he wants to do with his life. He is on his way to his first job interview when he is accused of groping a young schoolgirl on the train. Despite his plea of innocence, the police are only interested in coercing a quick confession and closing the books. Before he knows it, he is plunged into an insane world of Japan’s legal bureaucracy.

Being held in custody is a frustrating, brutalizing and lonely experience for Teppei. The prosecutor ignores his explanations of innocence and he's summarily arraigned for trail.

In Japan, the promotion of judges depends on the speed with which they deal with their caseloads, resulting in a 99.9% guilty rate. Lacking trial by jury, unlike most modern democracies, presumption of guilt is reality in all but name.

Despite these odds, Teppei is driven by the purity of his belief that innocence will save him and he secures the services of veteran defense counsel, Mr. Arakawa (played by Koji Yakusho) and greenhorn assistant defense attorney, Ms. Sudo. He experiences the frustration and loneliness of being held in custody while his mother and slacker best friend, Tatsu, attempt to organise an alliance to free him. It’s a race between them and the noose of “justice” to gain control of Teppei’s fate.

World Sales:
TOHO INTERNATIONAL Company, Limited;
1-2-2, Yuraku-cho, Chiyoda-ku Tokyo, 100-8415, Japan
Phone: +81-3-3591-1221
Fax: +81-3-3580-8900
E-mail: tohointl@toho.co.jp

If You Were Me: Anima Vision 2
Ann Dong-hee et al. | Korea | 2007 | 93 mins | R21

In 2003, the Human Rights Commission of Korea funded six promising directors to make short films about issues of discrimination. The result was If You Were Me, an insightful collection of works which received critical acclaim. Despite a noticeable lack of commercial success, the commission decided to fund two sequels to the project: If You Were Me 2 and If You Were Me: Anima Vision 2.

Comprising of six short films, If You Were Me: Anima Vision 2 is an innovative and heartfelt feature-length animation film. Diverse issues relating to discrimination in all its forms are featured, such as the plight of the disabled wishing to have children (The Third Wish ,dir. ANN Dong-hee, RYU Jung-oo); a working mother’s difficulties in bringing up her child (Baby, dir. LEE Hong-soo, LEE Hong-min), the fate of a homosexual forced to marry a woman by his overbearing parents (Lies, dir. PARK Yong-jae), the challenges today faced by men with aspirations of greatness (Peeling, dir Hong Deok-pyo), the widespread discrimination prevalent in today’s societies (Merry Golasmas, dir Jung Min-Young) ; and the troubles of international marriage faced by migrant women (Shine Shine Shining ,dir. GWON Mi-jeong)

International sales:
Indiestory
INDIESTORY INC.
4FL., BaekAk B/D, 135-4, TongIn-dong, JongRoh-gu, Seoul 110-043 Korea
Tel: +82 2 722 6051
Fax: +82 2 722 6055
indiestory@indiestory.com
Website: www.indiestory.com

In The Name Of God
Shoaib Mansoor | Pakistan | 2007 | 170 mins | NC16

Winner of the Silver Pyramid Award at the 2007 Cairo International Film Festival, In the Name of God has been widely lauded as a revival of the Pakistani film industry. Spanning across three continents, it tells the moving story of one Pakistani family and how the events of 9/11 have changed what it means to be a Pakistani abroad.

Mansoor tells the story of two brothers, both accomplished musicians. One is convinced by an extremist imam that his career is immoral, and decides to fight for the mujahideen. Meanwhile, his brother enrolls in an American university to further his music studies, falling in love with an American girl, and ironically falling under suspicion for the sort of activities his brother is involved in, in the aftermath of 9/11. A third subplot, in which the brother's young niece, born and bred in England, is tricked by her father into marrying the extremist brother in an elaborate maneuver to frustrate her romance with her Christian boyfriend.

Ambitious both in scope and depth, Mansoor's film is a timely one which resonates with the dilemma Muslims face today, offering an intimate glimpse into the complexities of adaptation and assimilation in the post-9/11 world. It also offers a fascinating glimpse into Pakistan as a nation increasingly pressured to choose between religious anachronism and modernity.

World Sales:
Geo Films
Printing House, I. I. Chundisigar Road, Karachi, Pakistan
Tel: +92 21 2271027
Fax: +92 21 2214362

Jahaji Music
Surabhi Sharma | India | 2007 | 112 mins | NC16

When Indian labourers arrived in the Carribean two centuries ago, they brought along more than just their meagre belongings and possessions – they carried with them their music and culture. Thus began the evolution of Chutney Music, a motley blend of Carribean flair and Indian beats, a genre indigenous to Trinidad and Jamaica. Surabhi Sharma brings her crew along to discover and document how far this evolution has come.

Jahaji Music brings us on walks with Bob Marley’s teacher and rastafari philosopher Mortimo Planno, introduces us to calypso and soca singers Rikki Jai and Skinner Park, speaks to visual artist Chris Cozier and even brings us along as vicarious guests in an East Indian Hindu wedding. It is a journey of discovery, identity and art. Witness how visual art, culture, music, heritage and climate play off one another in this exotic journey.

Production Company:
SurFilms
A-604, Gayatri Satsang, Thakur Village,
Kandivali East, Mumbai 400 101 India
Tel: +91 22 28851413
Mobile: +91 99673 70546
Email: surabhi.surfilms@gmail.com

Kantata Takwa
Eros Djarot, Gotot Prakosa, Slamet Rahardjo Djarot | Indonesia | 2007 | 95 mins | NC16

Titled after the orchestra performing at a gala concert in Senayan, the film's main location, Kantata Takwa allows music to become the narrator of this film. Using animation and live action, the three directors turn music, theatre and film into a new unity.

Important roles in the film are played by well-known Indonesian figures, such as poet and playwright W.S. Rendra and pop singer Iwan Fals (Indonesia's answer to Bob Dylan).

The film's title Kantata Takwa, after the name of the orchestra, stands for the 'kantata' of love, comprising of patience, dedication and sincerity – a state of mind that strives for dignity and humanism. As co-director Eros Djarot says: 'The central question is: What for? What do we live for in this bloody world? If we can't answer this question, we're finished.'

Despite the independent status and the experimental nature of the film, it had a relatively large budget thanks to the support of the oil billionaire Djodi Setiewan, who also has a walk-on role in the film. The three directors come together from different backgrounds in their attempt to search for the roots of Indonesian culture.

Production company:
Ekapraya Tata Cipta Film, Jakarta, Indonesia.
Tel / Fax: (62.021) 7350372
Email: gotot_prakosa@yahoo.com

Life, The
Dao Duy Phuc | Vietnam | 2007 | 110 mins | PG

It is the 1970s in Vietnam. Linh “the Bear” is in the middle of his wedding celebrations when he is conscripted into the army as a military transport soldier. His family is understandably distressed as his three elder brothers have all perished in the war.

Together with his comrades from the military transportation unit, Linh’s daily responsibility involves driving his truck into the war zone. Linh struggles to balance his patriotism to the nation with his human instincts. On one hand, he understands it is his “sacred” duty to serve his country and the military - even at the expense of his life. On the other hand, he hopes to stay alive and bear a male heir to continue his family lineage.

Production Company / World Sales:
Hang Phim truyen I - Feature Film Studio No.1 (FF1)
151 Hoang Hoa Tham Str., Ba Dinh Dist., Hanoi, Vietnam
Tel: (84) 4 8232147
Fax: (84) 4 8430000
Email: filmstudio1@yahoo.com

Little Girl of Hanoi
Hai Ninh | Vietnam | 1974 | 77 mins | PG

Set in Hanoi during and after the 1972 Christmas bombing of the city by American B-52 bombers, this film tells the story of Ngoc Ha, a 12-year-old music student, as she searches for her family through the ruins of the city. As she walks the once familiar streets, flashbacks of her family life are movingly revealed. This is a poignant tale of the devastation of war, seen through the eyes of a little girl in Hanoi.

This film was the winner of the Golden Lotus at the 3rd Vietnamese Film Festival and the Special Jury Prize at the Moscow International Film Festival in 1975.

World sales:
Vietnam Cinema Department
147 Hoàng Hoa Thám, Quận Ba Đình, Hà Nội, Việt Nam
Tel: 84 (0) 4 845 2402, 84 (0) 4 845 7498
Fax: 84 (0) 4 823 4997
Email: cucdienanh@fpt.vn

Milky Way Liberation Front
Yoon Seong-ho | Korea | 2007 | 95 mins | PG

Korean Director Yoon Seong-ho represents the new wave of digital filmmakers in Korea, and he impresses with this film, imbuing it with a compelling visual style, mixed in with his trademark humour arising from the most absurd circumstances thinkable.

In this film, geeky Young-jae aspires to be a prominent filmmaker. He has a vague idea of making a film about the condition of aphasia, which is a condition of a sudden loss of the ability to speak or understand language. His ever-patient girlfriend decides she has had enough and finally dumps him. To add to his woes, he is unable to secure funding and he is struck with severe writer’s block. Enroute to the Pusan film festival with a bid to convince popular Japanese Punk star Ray Kimura to be his lead actor, Young-jae is ironically afflicted by aphasia himself. Even with the help of his loyal pal, a ventriloquist, the situation turns for the worse and gets out of control.

Afflicted with problems of love and work, can this fledgling director and his ventriloquist pal find a way out of this hellish situation? This unconventional film- within-a-film about the art and perils of filmmaking was shot entirely on HD.

World Sales:
INDIESTORY INC.
4FL., BaekAk B/D, 135-4, TongIn-dong, JongRoh-gu, Seoul 110-043 Korea
Tel: +82 2 722 6051
Fax: +82 2 722 6055
Email: indiestory@indiestory.com
Website: http://www.indiestory.com

Mrs. Nam
Lai Van Sinh | Vietnam | 2000 | 20 mins | PG

Short film preceding Little Girl of Hanoi

Mrs. Do Kim Hong, a nurse by profession, survived the war as a wounded veteran. Despite her ailing health, she strains herself to fulfill what she considers her calling – to sort through the remains of soldiers who were slain on the battlefield and return their remains to their families. She insists on carrying out her duties despite chiding from the community; holding on to the belief that one’s soul would not rest in peace unless its remains are buried in the person’s place of origin.

Production Company:
Documentary and Scientific Films Company
465 Hoang Hoa Tham Street, Hanoi, Vietnam
Tel: 84 4 832 6797

Mrs. Tu Hau
Pham Ky Nam | Vietnam | 1963 | 90 mins | PG

Considered one of the two masterpieces of early Vietnamese cinema, Mrs. Tu Hau's profound realism relates the tale of the tragic life of a southern woman who experiences non-stop suffering in the anti-French war.

Raped by French soldiers who raid her village, Mrs Tu Hau thinks of killing herself. But her infant child preserves her will to live. The death of her husband in the war again plunges her into despair. Her suffering worsens when she loses her child, her only source of hope left.

The first Vietnamese feature to win the Silver Medal at the Moscow International Film Festival in 1963, it was also awarded the Golden Lotus at the 2nd Vietnam Film Festival in 1973.

Production Company:
Vietnam Feature Film Studio

Our Time
Bappaditya Bandopadhyay | India | 2007 | 120 mins | NC16

A fictional drama set primarily in a remote Bengali outpost, Our Time explores the plight of four rural women recruited into prostitution as high-class call girls for lonely politicians and businessmen.

Itu is in love with her music teacher who sells her to an agent involved in human trafficking after a painful abortion. Fatima, an illegal immigrant, is raped by the Border Security forces before also being sold to traffickers. Soma, whose elder sister is a prostitute, decides to follow the same path as poverty deprives her of any other choice. A young widow gets entangled in the same trafficking.

Real drama unfolds when the girls land up in the city and their dreams change and soon the color of money is all that matters. They slowly get lost in the glitter and glamour of being call girls. Things become more intriguing when a European girl, sharing the same fate, shares their apartment. The director calls Our Time a sequel to his earlier work Barbed Wire (Kantatar). Told in a non-linear narrative format, Our Time is a layered piece of work dealing with issues arising from human displacement.

World Sales:
Bappaditya Bandopadhyay
26 S, D.P.P. Road, Kolkata – 700047, India
Tel: +919830867181

Out Of Coverage
Abdellatif Abdelhamid | Syria | 2007 | 100 mins | M18

Out of Coverage is an audacious situational comedy about a Damascus man, Amer, who straddles between the two women in his life – his nagging wife, Salma, and the beautiful Nada, the wife of an imprisoned friend.

Amer’s struggle to mediate this situation is constantly interrupted by his handphone – his metaphoric leash to these two women. Daring and frank portrayals of sex punctuate the film as Amer negotiates his intentions, trapped between his desires and his morals.

The final straw is when Amer learns of his imprisoned friend’s approaching release date, as he faces his ultimate decision – to choose between the two women. Or can he?

A peppering of subplots involving everyday Syrians complete this spicy and fun film depicting everyday Syrian society, garnished with energetic performances from its main players.

Production Company:
National Film Organization - Syria

Paper Cannot Wrap Up the Embers
Rithy Panh | Cambodia/France | 2007 | 90 mins | M18

This award-winning documentary trails the lives of young Cambodian women who are forced into prostitution and presents their painful tales against a backdrop of an already-scarred nation. Cambodia has become almost synonymous with genocide but what most people miss out are the intransigent social problems that have arisen in relatively modern times, albeit as a result of the national tragedy. Cambodian director Rithy Panh brings us off the sunny paths of Cambodia and into the darker alleys of the Khmer society, presenting a warm and heartfelt piece on the various women who turn to prostitution to survive. This documentary received the Prix Arte at the European Film Academy Documentary 2007 awards.

World Sales:
Catherine Dussart Productions
25, rue Gambetta - 92100 Boulogne Pays : France
Tel: + 33.1.46.05.00.22
Fax: +33.1.46.05.02.59
Email: cdpdussart@aol.com

Path of Justice
Lai Vanh Sinh | Vietnam | 2005 | 25 mins | PG

Short film preceding The Enemy Within

Two Generals, who were once on opposing sides of the Vietnamese War, come together in an attempt to find healing for themselves, as well as for the victims of Agent Orange, the devastating chemical agent used in the Vietnam war.

A US Naval Commander-in-Chief sees his family infected by Agent Orange, for which he authorised for use in the water channels of Southern Vietnam. A Major General of the Vietnam People’s Army sees his own daughter born disabled as a result of Agent Orange.

Years after the war, their paths cross, and they decide to work together to resolve the devastation caused by the poisonous chemical agent. A film that shows how Agent Orange has affected the lives of countless people and the ongoing international campaign that seeks justice for the victims. This anti-war film is an appeal for the prohibition of chemical warfare. Winner of the Silver Lotus Award in Vietnam for Best Documentary in 2007.

Production Company:
Documentary and Scientific Films Company
465 Hoang Hoa Tham Street, Hanoi, Vietnam

Philippine Science
Auraeus Solito | Philippines | 2007 | 118 mins | PG

“Pisay” relates the stories of eight Philippine Science High School (PSHS) students during the volatile 1980s when the Philippines was in its greatest moment in history- as the Marcos Dictatorship is ousted by the 1986 People Power Revolution to Cory Aquino's New Government- as they come of age in a time filled with excitement, conflict and change.

It tells of Rom, brilliant son of a fish vendor and an overseas contract worker; Wena, daughter of the landowning Ledesmas; Mat, the pudgy, amorous provincial champion who has trouble in math; friendly Minggoy, who always seems to get himself involved with everything; Liway, daughter of anti-dictatorship activists; Andy, the listless cadet military trainee; Daki, the science genius; and Euri, the boy with artistic flair trapped in a Science High School.

They were the top two hundred students from all over the Philippines who passed the examination for the Philippine Science High School, which was created for the purpose of giving an education highly enriched in the Sciences to exceptionally gifted Filipino children. “Pisay” is the nickname created by the students to their school; an abbreviation of Philippine Science or Phil Sci. Selected from the best and brightest from all over this poor country, they endure college-level courses in biology, chemistry, mathematics, and physics. Those who can make it are hailed as the future science and technology leaders of the New Republic, those who don't are deemed unfortunate victims of natural selection.

Photograph, The
Nan Triveni Achnas | Indonesia | 2007 | 94 mins | NC16

This fourth feature by Nan Achnas sees the unlikely pairing between two disparate characters – Sita (Shanty), a 20-something karaoke bar hostess and Johan (veteran Singapore actor, Lim Kay Tong), an aging Chinese-Indonesian photographer.

Johan operates his portrait business in an Indonesian town and lives alone in a small house after the tragic death of his wife and son many years ago. He reluctantly rents out his vacant attic room to Sita when her landlord evicts her from her room.

Moonlighting as a prostitute in a karaoke bar, Sita sends the money to support her five-year-old daughter in her hometown. After she is gang raped by a group of drunken customers, she decides to quit her job as a bar hostess and offers to be Johan's servant in exchange for lodging. When Johan discovers that he has a terminal illness, Sita tries to help him fulfill his last three wishes, which includes finding a successor for his job before time runs out.

The captivating visuals and strong, authentic performances, transforms this straightforward narrative to another level.

Production Company /World Distribution /Sales:
Salto Films, Triximages, Les Petites Lumières
JI, Sutan Syahrir I C Block 3-4, Jakarta 10350, Indonesia
Tel: +62 21 31925113
Email: salto@cbn.et.id

Raami
Babak Shirinsefat | Iran / Azerbaijan | 2007 | 76 mins | PG

After 10 years spent in a refugee camp, a middle-aged Azerbaijani folk composer’s search for his Armenian wife and their child, results in his hitchhiking to Iran to investigate a decade-old clue. This uncertain quest, based on an Azerbaijani tale of two lovers, is paired with a lyrical and detailed depiction of the musician’s memories and traditional music. In this debut feature, Shirinsefat explores the relationships between nature, war, music and folklore.

International Sales:
Iranian Independents
PO Box 15875-4769 Tehran, Iran
Tel: (+98-912) 3198693

Rebel, The
Charlie Nguyen | Vietnam | 2007 | 103 mins | NC16

1922. Colonial Vietnam. The long-standing French occupation of the country has inflamed anti-French sentiments, triggering guerilla forces to rise up against the foreign invaders. In response, the French employ elite units of Vietnamese agents to track down and distroy these rebels. The story follows Cuong, an undercover agent of the French. Tired of bloodshed Cuong helps Thuy escape French forces in order to save her rebel village. Plagued by patriotic obligations, Cuong is unsure of where his loyalty lies when he is confronted with the brutal reality of French rule and his own humanity reflected in Thuy's eyes.

The Rebel was a big local hit in Vietnam and it also won the Best Audience Choice Award at the Vietnamese International Film Festival (ViFF), 2007. It is also the most expensive Vietnamese film to date. It also played at the 2007 Bangkok International Film Festival, the Austin Film Festival and the Hawaii International Film Festival.The Rebel received the Grand Jury Award at the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, 2007.

World Sales:
Lightning-entertainment
301 Arizona Ave, Suite 400
Santa Monica, CA 90401
Tel: 310 255 7999
Email: hilda@lightning-ent.com

Santa Mesa
Ron Morales | Philippines / USA | 2008 | 82 mins | NC16

ASIAN PREMIERE

Santa Mesa is a poignant story that portrays the courage and the growing pains of a young boy who is forced to come to terms with the death of his mother. At the age of 12, Hector finds himself having to relocate to Manila to live with his grandmother Lita. Shortly after arriving, Hector meets teenage girl Sel, and Miguel, and soon becomes part of Miguel’s Barkada (street gang). One night, Hector is caught by Jose, a 59-year-old photographer when he tries to break into Jose’s home. Jose strikes a deal with Hector and Hector agrees to work for Jose in order to make amends for his wrongdoing.

While performing his daily chores for Jose, Hector unwittingly stumbles across Jose’s past. For years, Jose has been spying on his daughter, Rosa, who is not aware of Jose’s existence. Hector sees this as an opportunity to repay Jose and he takes it upon himself to follow Rosa and reunite them.

Santa Mesa is a firsthand account of life along Manila’s railroad tracks and shanty town. Taking you from the poverty-stricken railroad tracks to the bustling metropolis of Manila, Santa Mesa is a film about family values, love and friendship.

Production Company:
Following Rosa LLC
7 East 14th Street, Unit 726,
New York, NY 10003 USA
Tel: 917 701 8289
Fax: 212 979 8930 Email: louiselovegrove@gmail.com

Shadows Formless
Ashish Avikunthak | India | 2007 | 87 mins | NC16

Set in a forlorn whistle-stop station in a Kerala village, director Ashish Avikunthak weaves with an expert hand the story of a lonely and abandoned wife’s illicit affair which transforms her reality.

Shadows Formless is an experimental love-story shot on a shoe-string budget which obsesses on memory and reality.

Oscillating between doubt and acceptance, denial and counter-denial, the two protagonists move along on their convoluted path where the dividing line between the real and the fantastic blurs.

Shadows Formless is an interpretation of the Malayalam novel Pandavpuram by the distinguished novelist Setumadhavan from Kerala.

Production Company / World Sales:
Ashish Avikunthak Productions
42B, Southern Avenue, Calcutta 700 029, India
Tel: 91 33 2466 5859

Sharp Gravel
Sjuman Djaya | Indonesia | 1987 | 122 mins | PG

Three teenagers from Cilacap, Central Java, are suffering from bad luck. Ganjar (Ray Sahetapy) and Retno (Christine Hakim) have to abandon their plans to get married. When Retno and Inten (Wenty Anggaini) decide to find work, they end up in Jakarta, but get arrested by the police and sent to a youth penitentiary. Subsequently both are hired by a wealthy household as servants, only to run away. Their next job is in a textile factory which has unfair labour issues, especially with its women workers. Retno gets involved in trying to improve conditions, and is made to realise her helplessness when faced with money and power. Meanwhile, Ganjar begins working as driver to sympathetic and wealthy Waty’s (Meriam Bellina) family. His path eventually crosses that of Retno and Inten in unexpected ways.

This film depicts the disintegration of morality due to urbanisation, and the spread of electricity and mass media, the effects of which are felt not only in the city, but in the rural areas as well. Using archetypes, Sharp Gravel explores the plight of the common people in Indonesia.

Production company:
PT Bola Dunia Film (Jiwat KK)

Si Mamad
Sjuman Djaya | Indonesia | 1973 | 110 mins | PG

Sliding between comedy and tragedy, this was one of Sjuman Djaya’s commercially and artistically successful films. Mamad (Mang Udel) finds himself violating his principles, engaging in petty crime such as stealing office stationery, in order to pay for the birth of his seventh child. He is disturbed by these events, but never finds the courage to explain his situation to his pragmatic subordinate (Aedy Moward) nor his boss.

Production company:
PT Matahari Film (Sjuman Djaya Handojo)

Sight, The
Farshid Azari | Iran | 2007 | 17 mins | PG

Short film preceding Dragons Beget Dragons

A musician goes to visit his lover who is painting in the jungle; he completes a piece of music on his way.

Production Company:
Documentary and Experimental Film Center
#17, Ghandi Ave. Shariatist
Tel: +98 21 885 11241-2
Email: int@defc.ir

Sitarasmi
Gotot Prakosa | Indonesia | 2006 | 8 mins | TBA

Short film preceding Kantata Takwa

The Dance depicts the emotions of Sita as her husband King Rama rejects her at the last stage of the Ramayana epic.

Contact: gotot_prakosa@yahoo.com

Slingshot
Brillante Mendoza | Philippines | 2007 | 86 mins | R21

Opening with a police raid, Slingshot explores the intertwined lives of residents of a Manila squatter slum, including a petty thief (Nathan Lopez), an advertising sidecar driver (Coco Martin), not to mention prostitutes, school kids and others.

A restless hand-held digital camera, and many non-professional actors among the large cast, give an intimate look at a day in the life of the crammed warren of streets inhabited by the urban poor of this neighbourhood.

The film depicts these people in a variety of situations, including fights, religious parades, and election campaigns. Shot in an unvarnished style similar to that of Dogme 95, with the social conscience of Lino Brocka, Slingshot is an unapologetic look at what people will do in order to survive, be it accepting the bait of local politicians gathering votes for an imminent election, and generally begging, borrowing and stealing whatever they can.

International Sales:
IGNATIUS FILMS CANADA
947 Busilak Street, Barangka Drive,
Mandaluyong City 1550, Philippines
Tel: +632 747 6742
Fax: +632 531 9831
Mobile: +63 916 234 0268
E-mail: ignatiusfilmscanada@yahoo.ca

Soul of a Demon
Chang Tso-chi | Taiwan | 2007 | 122 mins | M18

In 1895, when China lost the first Sino-Japanese War, Taiwan became a Japanese colony. Some years later, Japan built an important fishing port at Nanfangao. Many Japanese arrived to live and work there. When Japan was defeated in 1945, most of the Japanese returned to Japan, but some decided to settle there.

Sixty years later, the issue of a divided Japanese-Chinese identity still cuts to the heart of the family of Che, a young man who returns to his home in Nanfangao, after completing a three-year jail term for his younger brother, Ren’s crime. Ren has spent the last three years in Japan with their father Chang, who left the brothers and their mother many years ago, and has come to think of himself as Japanese during his long exile.

Now Chang is also coming back to Nanfangao to settle his long-running rivalry with Shun, the father of the boy Ren stabbed. Che is more concerned with re-establishing his relationship with his former girlfriend Pei, who has stopped speaking due to post-traumatic shock, than jockeying for power and status with Shun. But the time comes when he can no longer avoid confronting his father …

International sales:
CMC Entertainment
7F, No. 70, Min Quan West Road, Taipei, Taiwan
Tel: +886 2 2567 0909
Fax: +886 2 2523 4466
Email: isabellaho@cmcentertainment.com

Swift
Abai Kulbai | Kazakhstan | 2007 | 80 mins | NC16

Abai Kulbai’s Strizh (Swift) is a coming-of-age film that draws an intimate portrait of a young girl, Ainur, who struggles with forces beyond her control – a drunken stepfather, a pregnant mother, drugs and violence at school – to find her place in an ice-cold, impersonal, and uncaring Almaty. She wrestles with a myriad of obstacles - schoolmates who tease her at school, an unaffectionate mother who pays more attention to her alcoholic lover, and her best friend who falsely accuses her of something she did not do. Life has tougher lessons in store for Ainur, and the world seems lonelier than ever before.

Kublai's debut feature film is shot in the tradition of modern Kazakh cinema, and offers a rare insight into the youngest generation in Almaty- one that is unaware of the Soviet past and in search of its own identity.

The film won two awards – the NETPAC Award and the Grand Prize in the Central Asian and Turkic Competition at the Eurasia Int'l Film Festival 2007.

Production Company / World Sales:
Kazakhfilm National Company
176 Al-Farabi Ave, 050023, Almaty, Kazakhstan
Tel: +77272783542
Fax: +77272480909
Email: filmcompany@nursat.kz

Teak Leaves at the Temple
Garin Nugroho | Indonesia | 2007 | 71 mins | PG

After winning “Best Film” at the Silver Screen Awards in the Singapore International Film Festival last year, director Garin Nugroho returns to the festival to present his latest film, Teak Leaves at the Temple. Nugroho’s affinity with music is evident as seen in Opera Jawa – which showcased traditional Gamelan-based music. This time, Nugroho chooses to take on an unexpected musical form – Free Jazz, in Teak Leaves at the Temple.

The documentary presents a free jazz collaboration by Western jazz artistes Guerino Mozzola, Heinz Geisser, and Norris Jones, along with the community of Lima Gunung, the Sono Seni Ensemble, and the art community of the Boko, Prambanan and Borobudur temples. The scenes in the film are mostly taken around these three ancient temples.

Drawing reference to the “jazz” of everyday life, Nugroho juxtaposes the domestic life of the village communities with the free form musical structure. In essence, free jazz parallels the lives of these communities: They adjust to the natural forces which affect their surroundings and are flexible to improvise when the need arises.

Teak Leaves at the Temple is a fascinating piece of tapestry weaving together the diverse cultural influences of Indonesia. Under the masterful direction of Nugroho, this film promises yet again to deliver a breathtakingly beautiful journey into the heart of Indonesia’s cultural heritage.

Production Company:
Trimax c/o Winston Marsh
73 C Benson Road, Remuera,
Aucklang, New Zealand
Tel: 64 9 524 0478
Fax: 64 9 524 0205
Email: winmars@xtra.co.nz

The Western Trunk Line
Li Jixian | Japan / China | 2007 | 101 mins | PG

It is 1978, and the arrival in a small Northern Chinese town of a pretty young music student, Yu Xueyan, from Beijing rouses a pair of brothers from their aimlessness. Eighteen-year-old Li Siping, prefers listening to music and spying on female factory workers to thinking about his future, while his 11-year-old brother Fangtou is a cause of anxiety to their parents.

When Xueyan moves into the house across the road from their family, Siping's yearning for her is stirred. Prior to this, his only distraction was secretly receiving radio signals from foreign countries in an old warehouse around the Western Trunk Line. The two of them start a romance, which has to be put on hold when Siping is drafted into the army. He returns to find that the relationship and other circumstances have changed in unpredictable ways.

Wang Yu’s gorgeous cinematography lends an ethereal quality to the muted lives of these young people living in a tiny industrial community.

Production Company & International Sales:
China Film Group Corporation
31 Xin De Jie, Xi Cheng District, Beijing 100088, China
Tel: +86 10 62035305
Fax: +86 10 62034305/62035314
Website: http://www.moviechina.com.cn
Email: office@moviechina.com.cn
Sales agent: kiyo@goldview.co.jp

They Say, I'm a Monkey!
Djenar Maesa Ayu | Indonesia | 2007 | 90 mins | M18

INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE

Adjeng is a young writer haunted by the shadows of her past. She lives two separate lives: an aggressive party-girl to her lovers and friends, and a passive daughter to her mother. She rids herself of her aggression through her writing, yet her mother's objections create a dilemma for Adjeng. Can Adjeng break free from the repression by her mother and make her peace with the past?

Production Company / World Sales:
Intimisi Production
Apartement Istana Sahid Tower Mawar Lt.AA Unit E,
Kompleks Sahid Jaya, Hotel Sudirman,
Jakarta, Indonesia
Tel / Fax: +6221 573 9118
Email: djenar_syuman@hotmail.com

Those Three
Naghi Nemati | Iran | 2007 | 80 mins | PG

Naghi Nemati's first feature is an austere portrait of three soldiers lost in a snowy wasteland. In the tradition of an Iranian cinematic minimalist parable, Those Three nonetheless refrains from the social critique implied by other films in this genre, such as Taste of Cherry by withholding much information about the characters. The reason why nervous Essi (Esmail Movahedian), stern Yousef (Yousef Yazdani) and bespectacled joker Dariush (Dariush Ghazbani) walk into the frozen wilderness is never explicitly explained.

It is subsequently revealed that Essi has children, but the recruits’ phone conversations (they find an old phone and hotwire it to a passing line) and occasional first-person voiceovers do not become sources of information. This refusal to provide a back story heightens the sense of disorientation experienced by the three recruits, who encounter people ranging from an Azeri smuggler to a pregnant woman.

Hooman Behmanesh's stark photography (which won an Asia Pacific Screen Award in Queensland last November) and Ebrahim Irajzad’s soundtrack of the driving, bitter wind enhance the isolation of the humans against the snowscapes, as well as the rare moments of calm. This is a remarkable debut which bodes well for the new generation of Iranian cinema.

International sales:
Iranian Independents
P.O. Box 15875-4769, Tehran 15875 Iran.
Tel: (98-912) 319-8693
Fax: (98-21) 2227-1157
Email: info@iranianindependents.com

Truth be Told, The
Pimpaka Towira | Thailand | 2007 | 110 mins | PG

In 2003, Shin Corporation, one of the wealthiest corporations in Thailand owned by the family of former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, filed a defamation lawsuit against an individual. They demanded compensation of 400 million Baht (US$11 million) from a media rights activist who draws a salary of 14,000 Baht a month. Her name is Supinya Klangnarong, and this documentary chronicles her journey over the subsequent three years.

Made independently through private investments, prominent female director Pimpaka Towira adds a human dimension to the widely impersonal and turbulent political situation in Thailand. Focusing on the story of an individual’s fight against the establishment, this classic David vs. Goliath film depicts the mild-mannered Klangnarong as she copes with her situation with her family.

This timely and amazing film records the shifting political landscape of Thailand in recent times. The Truth Be Told: the cases against Supinya Klangnarong questions the price of the freedom of speech, the role of an individual and her power to affect the political climate of a nation.

Production/ Distribution/ International Sales:
Extra Virgin
72 Soi Attakarnprasit, 11B, Sathorn Tai Road,
Bangkok 10120, Thailand
Tel: +66 2213 1951
Email: extravirginco@gmail.com

Tuya’s Marriage
Wang Quan An | China | 2006 | 96 mins | PG

Life is harsh for those who live in rural north-western Mongolia. Tuya’s Marriage tells the story of a simple Mongolian woman who tries to broker a new marriage in order to survive.

As with most people of nomadic ancestry (Manchuria, Mongolia), the beautiful Tuya refuses to leave her pastureland. She is married to a disabled man, has two children and flocks of sheep, and continues to pursue a harsh life of privation in the vast steppe. Nevertheless, the daily grind of an increasingly harsh life takes its toll on her, something that does not escape her loving husband Bater’s observations. He tries to convince her to divorce him yet Tuya would hear none of it— until the day she falls ill. Then, she has an epiphany which causes her to realise that their family cannot function without her, and that if she were to marry again her new husband must be willing to take care of Bater and her family.

This is when Tuya's old classmate Baolier arrives on the scene with an interest in marriage. Baolier finds a respectable nursing home for Bater, and persuades Tuya and the children to move to town. Unfortunately, the yen for pastures and open fields runs too deep in the blood and both Bater and Tuya find it hard to adapt to the city. When news of Bater’s attempted suicide – prompted by homesickness— reaches Tuya, she finds herself faced with a choice to return or to adapt in this global matrix of a heartless Darwinian capitalism. This film won the Golden Berlin Bear Award 2007.

World Sales:
Cineclick Asia
5700 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 120
Los Angeles, CA 90036
Tel: +1 323-857-6600

Waiting For Love
James Lee | Malaysia | 2007 | 70 mins | PG

In this final part of his Love Trilogy, prolific Malaysian director James Lee continues to explore the complexities of love as played out in three different stories. Three couples, each at the turning point of their relationship, have to confront their personal fears and ideas on love and try to determine where to go next.

In the first story, Lim and Amelia (Lim Kien Lee and Amelia Chen) have been together for almost five years. While he is ready for marriage, she is not sure about their future together. A mysterious letter that Amelia receives and her reluctance to dispose of it, leads to an ugly confrontation. In the second story, Pete and Bernice (Pete Teo and Bernice Chauly) have been a couple for a long time. Tensions arise because Pete does not believe in marriage while Bernice is the one more engaged in the relationship. Finally, Amy and Lai (Amy Len and Loh Bok Lai) are a pair of secret lovers. A young couple at the beginning of a relationship, their love is tender and caring.

Waiting For Love gives us a unique glimpse into the many facets of love, its questions, responsibilities, blame, tenderness and pain.

International Sales:
Da Huang Pictures
118A, Jalan Sultan Abdul Samad, off Jalan Tun Sambanthan,
50470 Kuala Lumpur MALAYSIA
Tel: 603 2273 9496 /603 2274 9496
Email: info@dahuangpictures.com

Years When I Was a Child Outside
John Torres | Philippines | 2007 | 100 mins | PG

An experimental feature, Years When I Was a Child Outside, begins as an attempt by John Torres to make a documentary on his father. However, this becomes one of his many abandoned projects. In the end he decides to use the various images and sounds he has gathered to create a new film on isolation and self-expression.

Production Company /World Distribution / Sales:
Peliculas Los Ostros
43B, Mahiyain Street, Sikatuna Village,
1101 Quezon City PHILIPPINES
Tel: 63 919 8885189
Email: johnotros@gmail.com