Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Call for entries at African, Asian and Latin American Film Festival of Milan



Deedenow Cinema Production ® Afghanistan has received a message from the African Asian and Latin American Film Festival of Milan for the participation of films from Afghanistan.

The content of the message is posted below for the Afghan Filmmakers who wish to send their films to this festival in Milan Italy.


Dear Madame, Dear Sir,

We are pleased to inform you that the 20th African, Asian and Latin America Film Festival will take place from March the 15th to the 21st 2010.

This is the programme:

“Windows on the World” feature film Competition: the Competition presents fictions films made by directors from Africa, Asia and Latin America (minimum running time 60 minutes).
Prize: €15,000 - Public’s prize: €5000

“Windows on the World” documentary Competition: the Competition presents documentaries made by directors from Africa, Asia and Latin America (minimum running time 60 minutes).
Prize: €6000.

Best African Film Competition: fiction films from the most recent African production (minimum running time 60 minutes).
Prize €7500.

African Short Film Competition: the Competition presents short films (fiction and documentary) only by African directors (maximum running time 59 minutes).
Prize: €7,500.

Non-competitive section: the Competition presents fiction films and documentaries about Africa, Asia and Latin America made by directors who are not from these continents.

If you have any suggestion about new productions, you can contact us by Fax at the (+39) 02.66.71.4338 or by E-mail at our address
festival@coeweb.org

Please, find attached the Rules of the Festival and the Entry form.

Do not hesitate to ask for further information,

We look forward to hearing from you,

With best wishes,

For the COE

Alessandra Speciale

Entry form | Regulations

See the Homepage of the festival here

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Bahrain Human Rights International Film Festival Calls for Entries



Press Release
Bahrain Human Rights International Film Festival (BHRIFF) announced today its call for entries for the third term of the festival, the first of its kind in the Middle East and North Africa which is organized annually and held under the patronage of his majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al-Khalifa, King of Bahrain.
The festival will be organized in the period from 1 to 4 May 2010 according to the organizing team.
Nasser H. Burdestani, Executive Director of BHRIFF said “We will continue year after year and in cooperation with our partners our celebration of films covering issues related to human rights”. He added “We are so keen in this part of the world in contributing to crate a healthy environment for dialogue between different cultures and civilizations and we strongly believe that films can play an essential role in this regard”
Burdestani added “We are so glad to note the success of our festival as recognized by well known human rights film festivals around the world as well as the general public and cinema lovers”.
The last day to accept films as confirmed by the organizing team is 31 January 2010. Selected films will be competing to win the following seven awards: Best Feature Film Award, Best Documentary Film Award, Best Director of Feature Films, Best Director of Documentary Films, Best Actor/Actress, Jury Team Award and Best Film as Selected by the Audience.
Burdestani announced “The Selection Team will be formed very soon consisting of well known specialist in the fields of cinema and human rights in cooperation with our strategic partner Bahrain Cinema Club”. The final list of the selected films will be announced by end of February 2010 while no films produced before January 2005 will be accepted for the competition.

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

The Kabul documentary film workshop on it’s way to autonomy




From July the 29th to October the 12th 2006, a first training workshop took place at the faculty of fine arts of the Kabul University
Ten students, of which four women from various groups of the Afghan society took part in the experience.

The workshop was a success. Ten short documentaries were shot by the ten first participants, depicting today’s realities of a reconstructing country with an insight view. All the films were broadcast by Radio Television Afghanistan in 2007. They had and still have an incredible career in international film festivals.
The equipment – cameras, editing and projection facilities - remained in Kabul at the Goethe-Institut for the students to use.

In 2007 we started a second level workshop around the writing, the production and shooting of a documentary serial “Children of Kabul“. The workshop featured an editing option. Eight people( mostly from the 2006 workshop) took part, five as directors and three as editors.
The project continued in 2008 with the last shootings, a first editing session and the screening of the films in Kabul.

The films were then finally edited in Paris with their young Afghan directors.
The post production of the series (grading, subtitling) was achieved in October.
The series was broadcast in May by our coproducer Ciné Cinéma.
The films have already be screened in three major international film festivals : The Leipzig DOK (end October), Festival des Trois Continents in Nantes (end of November) and last but not least, the Cannes Festival (Pavillon les cultures du monde) in May 2009.

The production of “Children of Kabul“ has been a fruitful experience that led us to define the following


PROGRAM FOR 2009 :
Our group of young filmmakers needs to expand, and new people should join. We are holding another first level workshop in spring 2009 for ten new participants. The workshop has started on the 2nd of may at the Foundation for Culture and Civil Society, our latest partner. The senior students are taking part as tutors of their younger colleagues.

Our young filmmakers have hardly ever been exposed to “film culture“. They need to see films. We will take part in the project of reviving the weekly screenings organised by the French Cultural Centre (CCF) with the Goethe-Institut at CCF.

They need to continue learning how to research, elaborate and write a documentary film project. They also need to become more autonomous. We will continue helping them, but only if they come up with personal projects.

The workshop needs to find an autonomous, independent, permanent basis to host it’s activities. Finding that basis will be one of 2009’s challenges

If we manage to achieve this in 2009, we will be close to what our goal was when we started, creating an autonomous documentary film centre, able to produce and stand as the core of an Afghan “documentary scene“. We will continue helping the group in 2010 as closely as we have been doing so far, and start gradually retreating from 2011, without of course loosing contact.

PROGRAM OF THE 2009 FIRST LEVEL WORKSHOP

The workshop lasts 12 weeks

During the 12 weeks of the workshop each participant shoots a short (around 20 minutes) documentary film.
The first 4 weeks of the workshop are dedicated to learning how to use the equipment, seeing and discussing classic documentary films, shooting exercises, researching and discussing each students’ film project.
For the 5 next weeks, the students are shooting their films on the field. Each student directs his film on camera and is helped by other students on sound. The rushes are seen and criticized by the staff of the workshop with the other students.
The 3 last weeks are dedicated to the editing of the films. Each participant edits for seven days with a professional editor.
The last day of the workshop the films are screened to a large audience.

Festivals and broadcasting of the films

2006 Workshop

All the films were screened several times at the French Cultural Centre of Kabul.

“My Kabul“ by Waheed Nazir

Radio Television Afghanistan (2007); 25th Festival Cinéma d'Alès "Itinérances" France (March 2007) ; 2nd International Documentary and Short Film Festival Kabul (May 2007) ; FIKE, International Short Film Festival of Evora, Portugal (Sept 2007) ; "Champ contre champs" Lassalle France (May 2007), Iran International Documentary Film Festival, section Two neighbours, Irak and Afghanistan (Oct 2007) ; Rotterdam International Film Festival (Jan 2008); Festival International Cinémas d'Asie de Vesoul France (Feb 2008); Festival International du Film de Fribourg Switzerland (March 2008); National Art Gallery Washington USA (July 2008); San Giò Festival, Verona, Italy (July 2008) ; International Documentary Film Festival, Doclisboa, Portugal (Oct 2008) ; Leipzig DOK, (Oct 2008). Films d’autres part, Lausanne Switzerland (Oct 2008) ; Festival des 3 Continents, Nantes (Dec 2008).
Special mention of the jury at the International Short Film Festival of Evora, Portugal, Best documentary editing at the 2nd International Documentary and Short Film Festival Kabul

“Dream of light“ by Ebrahim Bamiani

Radio Television Afghanistan (2007); 25e Festival Cinéma d'Alès "Itinérances" " France (March 2007) ; "Champs contre champs" à Lassalle, Iran International Documentary Film Festival, section Two neighbours, Irak and Afghanistan (Oct 2007) ; Festival International du Film de Fribourg Switzerland (March 2008); Festival International du court-métrage de Téhéran (Nov 2008) ; Leipzig DOK, (Oct 2008) ; Films d’autres part, Lausanne Switzerland (Oct 2008) ; Semaine du film documentaire de Fès (Morocco) (Dec 2008)

“Laila“ by Batol Rezeai Muradi

Radio Television Afghanistan (2007); 24ème Festival d'Alès "Itinérances" (March 2007) ; Iran International Documentary film Festival (Oct 2007) ; Festival International du Film de Fribourg Switzerland (March 2008) ; Split film festival, Croatia (Sept. 2008) ; Films d’autres part, Lausanne Switzerland (Oct 2008)
Special prize of the jury at the Split Film Festival, Croatia

“A day in the life of Rahela“ by Del Afroz Zeerak

Radio Television Afghanistan (2007) ; 2nd International Documentary and Short Film Festival Kabul (May 2007); Leipzig DOK, (Oct. 2008).
Best documentary director award, at the 2nd International Documentary and Short Film Festival Kabul

“Back to Ghawas“ by Sediqa Rezaei

Radio Television Afghanistan (2007); Festival International de Films de Fribourg Switzerland (March 2008) ; San Giò Festival, Verona, Italy (July 2008) ; Films d’autres part, Lausanne (Oct 2008)

“Issa the wrestler“ by Reza Hosseini Yemak

Radio Television Afghanistan (2007); Iran International Documentary Film Festival, section Two neighbours, Irak and Afghanistan (Oct. 2007)

“Lima“ by Mohammad Mehdi Zafari

Radio Television Afghanistan (2007); 2nd International Documentary and Short Film Festival Kabul (May 2007) European Inter University centre for Human Rights and Democratization Venice Italy (summer 2007) ; Berlinale Talent Campus Berlin (Dec 2007)

“The way of Taekwando “ by Nazifa Zakizada
Radio Television Afghanistan; “Splice in program“ at the “24th Kassel Documentary Film & Video Festival“ (Nov. 2007).

“Patcha Khan“ by Taj Mohammad Bakhtari
Radio Television Afghanistan (2007).

“The forsaken“ by Saïd Sulaiman Sanjar Azizi
Radio Television Afghanistan (2007).
Children of Kabul 2008

“Bulbul the city bird“ by Reza Hosseini Yemak,
Leipzig DOK, (October 2008). Festival des Trois Continents, Nantes (November 2008), Cinema encounters of Dignes les bains (April 2009), Pavillon les Cinémas du Monde, Cannes Festival (May 2009).

“Sahar the young carpet maker“ by Taj Mohammad Bakhtari,
Leipzig DOK, (October 2008). Festival des Trois Continents, Nantes (November 2008), Cinema encounters of Dignes les bains (April 2009), Pavillon les Cinémas du Monde, Cannes Festival (May 2009).


“Bricks and dreams“ by Sediqa Rezaei,
Festival des Trois Continents, Nantes (November 2008), Cinema encounters of Dignes les bains (April 2009), Pav. les Ciné du Monde Cannes Festival (May 2009).

“Once upon a time Noor Jehan“ by Ali Hazara,
Festival des Trois Continents, Nantes (November 2008), Cinema encounters of Dignes les bains (April 2009), Pav. les Ciné du Monde Cannes Festival (May 2009).

“The young musicians of Kharabat“ by Waheed Nazir,
Festival des Trois Continents, Nantes (November 2008), Cinema encounters of Dignes les bains (April 2009), Pav. les Ciné du Monde Cannes Festival (May 2009).

The complete series will be broadcast in May by Cine Cinema within a special Afghan week.Ateliers Varan around the world

Ateliers Varan’s hands on documentary filmmaking course encourages students to take a fresh look at the world. Neither a school in the classical nor academic sense, Ateliers Varan’s teaching methods lay strong emphasis on learning through practice.
Students focus on making a full-scale film. Free from audiovisual market constraints, participants are encouraged to dive into the adventure of cinematography. Young filmmakers work their way towards self-expression.
As students move through the different stages of their film, they learn about cinema language, camera handling, sound recording, directing and editing.
Directing your own documentary film speeds up the learning process .

Ateliers Varan, an internationally recognised French film school acts as a consultant to UNESCO and collaborates regularly with the Communication Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Nonprofit association and non-governmental organization, it is a member of CILECT (the association of the world’s major film and television schools).

Varan has set up workshops in various countries around the world. At the end of the filmmaking course, Ateliers Varan stays on for the time necessary to help the group of young filmmakers run the workshop autonomously, thanks to the equipment left in place.

Training courses can be organised at a country’s request, in liaison with representative organisations, such as universities, TV networks, unions, film schools and cultural organisations... 25 years ago, Ateliers Varan chose to give the opportunity of mastering audiovisual tools to those who didn’t have access to them. Today, the use of digital video is available almost everywhere. However, the standardised programmes presented by the media leave little room for an author’s vision and the documentary genre is often absent from everyday audiovisual programmes.

.Since it’s creation, Ateliers Varan, has set up workshops on every continent in over twenty countries :

Afghanistan, Algeria, Bolivia, Brasil, Cambodia, Columbia, Kenya, Laos, Mauritius, Mexico, Morocco, New Caledonia, Norway, Papua New Guinea, Portugal, Philipines, Rumania, Serbia-Montenegro, South Africa, South Caucase, Venezuela, Vietnam

The 2009 workshop participants at the Foundation for Culture and Civil Society

Contacts in Kabul : Séverin Blanchet, severin.blanchet@wanadoo.fr +93 797 33 12 17
Mehdi Zafari, mehdi_zafari2002@yahoo.com +93 799 42 79 18

Monday, May 4, 2009

With a short film in Milan?!



The first thing to do to make a film is to find people who finance to realize it when the script is ready and then the practical production begins.
Usually the short films are not financed for not having revenue, and then they have to be made independently whether with a very low budget or with almost no budget which needs a huge amount of passion and scarification.

However, Amin Wahidi the Afghan refugee filmmaker in Italy is getting prepared for a short film in Milan.


For a short film of almost no budget, the exiled director is in the middle of finding people to produce it and or putting to gather some professionals as a volunteer crew so that his short independent film could be realized.
What is going to be depicted in this short?
This short will be shot in Milan.
The late world economical crisis and its effects on the lives of people around the world, make the main theme, while this time again, Amin Wahidi is going to embrace the children.
In his short film, he wants to see the outer world through the eyes of innocent children who have nothing to do with the crisis but are somehow being affected by it.

A synopsis is not revealed though but the protagonists are a journalist father and his two young children, who play music along with pigeons on the roads of Milan during the economy crisis.

It is really unpredictable that all things will go on alright to realize this short film, but we hope to overcome problems and finally take it on the screens.

Deedenow Cinema Production ® Afghanistan

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Visit Deedenow Cinema for the updates on Afghan Arts and Cinema


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Saturday, March 21, 2009

Happy New Year 1388 to all Afghans around the world!



Nowroz means a new day
Swallows are seen again in the sky these days flying happily while the earth changes its color, snows are melting, water is increasing and blooms blossom in the trees, you feel hot if you wear warm clothes and many more changes are seen everywhere even the mood of humans are changed as well; they are all the characteristics of the nature that always repeat in the same time of the year as the signs of the some changes, something new that is when someone is knocking all the doors and when you open your door to see who it is, there is a surprise; Wow! Spring is coming! And you say “Welcome!” to it happily.
Oh, forgot to say, and if you are in Mazar e Sharif in north Afghanistan, you find tulips every where in the deserts, that is another characteristic too.

You reap what you sowed!
You welcome spring while indeed it is the beginning after an end, and now you are given a period of time in fact another period of time to think, to plan and plant knowing that you reap what you sowed. If you plant poppy you will not reap wheat or if you move as slowly as a turtle you will not get to your destination as quickly as a rabbit, so it totally in your hand, it is you to decide what to do and how.

To touch the God’s place, leave a nice trace behind
Time come and pass, people come and go, but still the system of the universe is always the same, on track, controlled, on going and very accurate and precise as usual, as always, it is only us who discover a bit it of time to time as it goes on and boast on ourselves for what we have found out newly and call it the power of our science and technology. When we see the accuracy and grandeur of the universe, how small we are, how nothing we are in comparison with it we find out, but sometimes we can be big, we can be even great and grand when we change “I” into “We” in all what we do and then when we leave a nice trace behind, a good trace that is praised by all men of mind and sense, this way we touch the place of God who is the creator of the whole universe, so why shouldn’t we be big, great and grand then, when it is possible?!

Happy New Year to all Afghans around the world!

Viva Afghanistan!

Read the New Year message of last year


Follow Voice of Criticism for the socio- political updates in Afghanistan

Visit Deedenow Cinema for the updates on Afghan Arts and Cinema

Follow KabulPress for the latest analysis and reports about Afghanistan and the region

Good news!



Long waiting is over!
Venice a city on water and the home town of Marco Polo, is going to be cuddled by the melody of the Afghan music sounds to let every one feel the eastern world as near as inside their homes.

The city of Shakespeare’s plays is going to host Afghan artists to play and sing for them to let them feel the coming of spring and greenery and to make them touch the nature.

The surprise in this occasion is presence of Dawood Sarkhosh; the singer of hope, the singer of love, the singer of life and the singer of liberty who sings from the depth of his heart and enlivens millions of Afghans with his harmonious voice and unique lyrics.

While Sarkhosh sings, he knocks the doors of hearts, enters into the hearts, inspires every one and then let them think, let them dream and let them hope.

When he plays masterly pieces, with his Danboora* as a travel guide he takes every one to a journey of the central highlands of Afghanistan, to the land of the Giant Buddha Statue and let every one enjoy their presence in Hazarajaat with the sound of his music. That is what Dawood Sarkhosh is famous for.

All Afghans from different corners of Italy are getting together on 22 of March in this lively occasion to celebrate their New Year and to say that they want peace, security and justice in their country.

In addition to this concert, the sky of Venice is going to host many Afghan kites flown by the Afghans to share their happiness with the Italian society.

Through this occasion, the Afghans away from home, while hoping to fly these kites in the sky of their homeland one day, would thank the Italian society for hosting them in their difficult time, while the presence of the Italians in this occasion could mean that; as a part of the international community they are with the Afghans. Join us in this happiness if you can!

We provide you photo reportage of this occasion in the upcoming posts



Follow Voice of Criticism for the socio- political updates in Afghanistan

Visit Deedenow Cinema for the updates on Afghan Arts and Cinema

Follow KabulPress for the latest analysis and reports about Afghanistan and the region

The Community of the Afghan Artists in Italy is born



Along with spring this year, the community of the Afghan Artists in Italy has announced its presence.

It is the second group of the Afghans who make such an association while the first one is the Cultural and Social Association of the Afghans in Italy that is based in Rome.

This new born community of the Afghan Artists as announced in their plans and activities, will be active in making films, documentaries, video reportages, holding conferences and seminars about Afghanistan and representing the Afghan Arts and Culture primarily in Italy and then in Europe level.

Of their first initiatives, is conducting an Afghan Cultural Festival of Flying Kite and the concert of Dawood Sarkhosh in Venice which both take place in the Afghan New Year occasion 21- 22 March 2009.

This concert is supported by municipality of Venice and the Cultural and Social Association of the Afghans in Italy.

The next projects the Arts Community has are two film projects that are now in preproduction stage.

The members of the Artists Community are the, writers, filmmakers, producers, journalists and television programmers who fled Afghanistan for the serious risks they faced because of their cultural - artistic activities and exercise of freedom of speech in their war torn homeland.

We wish them success in their future activities of working for prosperity of Afghanistan.

We provide you with more updates on the activity of Afghan Artists Community in Italy in the upcoming posts. Hope to hear more about it soon

The Community of Afghan Artits in Italy


Follow Voice of Criticism for the socio- political updates in Afghanistan

Visit Deedenow Cinema for the updates on Afghan Arts and Cinema

Follow KabulPress for the latest analysis and reports about Afghanistan and the region

Monday, January 19, 2009

ATELIER VARAN KABUL A DOCUMENTARY MAKING TRAINING WORKSHOP





ATELIER VARAN KABUL
A FIRST LEVEL WORKSHOP IN SPRING 2009
For ten participants

CALL FOR CANDIDATES
From July the 29th to October the 12th 2006, a first training workshop with
Ateliers Varan took place at the faculty of fine arts of the Kabul University.
Ten students, of which four women from various groups of the Afghan society
took part in the experience.
The workshop was a success. Ten short documentaries were shot by the ten
first participants, depicting with an insight view today’s realities of a
reconstructing country. All the films were broadcast by Radio Television
Afghanistan in 2007. They had and still have an incredible career in
international film festivals.


The equipment – cameras, editing and projection facilities - have remained in
Kabul at the Goethe-Institut for the students to use.
In 2007 we started a second level workshop around the writing, the production
and shooting of a documentary serial “Children of Kabul“. The workshop
featured an editing option. Eight people (mostly from the 2006 workshop) took
part, five as directors and three as editors.
The project continued in 2008 with the last shootings, a first editing session
and the screening of the films in Kabul.
The films were then finally edited in Paris by their young Afghan directors.
The films have already be screened in two major international film festivals :
The Leipzig DOK (end of October2008) and the Festival des Trois Continents in
Nantes (end of November 2008).
The production of “Children of Kabul“ has been a fruitful experience that led us
to define the following program for 2009 :
- Our group of young filmmakers needs to expand, and new people
should join. We plan to hold a new FIRST LEVEL WORKSHOP IN
SPRING 2009 for ten new participants. Some of our senior students
will take part as tutors of their younger colleagues.


- CANDIDATES:
We are looking for ten highly motivated students, both male and female.
No particular experience in filmmaking is required, only a strong motivation to
make documentary films, a great openness of mind and a great curiosity.
The candidates will be selected from a list of people proposed by various
actors of the media scene or institutions like cultural centres, local production
companies interested in the field, NGOs etc…
Candidates that are not introduced will not be seen.
Candidates will be selected by the staff of the workshop.
The selection will take place during the first week of February 2009.
We will select a minimum of 4 women. We are looking for a group that would be
representative of the cultural and social diversity of the country.


- CONDITIONS :
The workshop lasts 12 weeks and is a full time activity. The participants agree
that they will not pursue any other activity during this time.
No scholarship will be charged.
An allowance of 20 $ per week will be granted to each participant. Their
transportation costs, catering costs etc will all be at their own charge. Only
some expenses related to the shootings will be refunded if agreed upon in
advance.
We strongly recommend to the participants that have a job in the field of media
to negotiate with their staff to have at least part of their salary maintained.
Others should find sponsors.


- WORKSHOP PROGRAM :
During the 12 weeks of the workshop each participant shoots a short (around
20 minutes) documentary film.
The first 4 weeks of the workshop are dedicated to learning how to use the
equipment, seeing and discussing classic documentary films, shooting
exercises, researching and discussing each students’ film project.
For the 5 next weeks, the students are shooting their films on the field. Each
student directs his film on camera and is helped by other students on sound.
The rushes are seen and criticized by the staff of the workshop with the other
students.
The 3 last weeks are dedicated to the editing of the films. Each participant edits
for seven days with a professional editor.
The last day of the workshop the films are screened for a large audience.


IF YOU THINK OF ANYONE WHO WOULD BE ELEGIBLE TO TAKE PART IN
THIS WORKSHOP AND WILLING TO RESPECT OUR CONDITIONS, PLEASE
LET US KNOW :
manon.blanfumet@ateliersvaran.com

Atelier Varan Kabul is supported by the Goethe-Institut, CCF, the French
Embassy, Arte International, and has partnerships with Afghan Film, RTA andThe Faculty of fine Arts of the Kabul University

Sunday, January 4, 2009