1998
"Lift" (USA)
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"La Vida Es Silbar(Life Is to Whistle)" (Latin America)
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"Where Eskimos Live" (Europe)
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"The Bleep Brothers" (Japan)
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Lift
2001 / USA / 85min.
*2001 Urbanworld Film Festival Grand Jury Prize
*2001 Sundance Film Festival
[SYNOPSIS]
Niecy is a salesclerk and shoplifter; she sells stolen goods at a low price. Niecy decides to give her mother a necklace, which is harder to steal. Around the same time, she finds out about her pregnancy. The baby's father swears to clean up his act, but is caught in the crossfire. Niecy is arrested on suspicion for the jewelry theft and then.
[DIRECTOR]
DeMane Davis and Khari Streeter
DeMane Davis and Khari Streeter's first film "BLACK & WHITE & RED ALL OVER" was screened in competition at the Sundance Film Festival. In 1997, Davis and Streeter participated in the Sundance Writer's and Director's Workshops, following which the "LIFT" screenplay won them the Maryland Filmmakers Fellowship. Since then, Streeter and Davis have created many cutting edge commercials, including the Alan Iverson spots for Reebok and a series for K Mart.
[Staff]
Director / Screenwriter : DeMane Davis and Khari Streeter
Music : Ryan Shore
Director of Photography : David Phillips
Editor : Peter Barstis and Lee Percy
[Cast]
Niecy : Kerry Washington
Elaine : Lonette McKee
Angelo : Eugene Byrd
France : Barbara Montgomery
Camille : Samantha Brown
Quik : Sticky Fingaz
Christian : Todd Williams
Aunt Lily : Jacqui Parker
Uncle Michael : Naheem Allah
Shelly : Susan Alger
Miss Kearns : Annette Miller
Kira : Georgia Lyman
Mac : Sean Conant
La Vida Es Silbar(Life Is to Whistle)
1998 / Cuba / 106min.
*1999 Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize
*1999 Berlin International Film Festival Forum of New Cinema C.I.C.A.E. Award
[SYNOPSIS]
It is set at the end of the century in Havana. A young girl, Bebe, tells the lives of three Cubans. Mariana takes a vow of chastity with God to get the title role in "Giselle". Julia suffers from fainting sets off by the word "sex". Elpidio, left by his mother, is afflicted by sever distress. What will happen to them on the day of Saint Barbara?
[DIRECTOR]
Fernando Pérez
Fernando Pérez was born in La Havana, Cuba in 1944.
Perez, who began his film career as assistant director to Tomas Gutierrez Alea and Santiago Alvarez, stands apart from his Cuban counterparts for his ability to portray human dilemmas in quirky, unpredictable ways.
He has directed "LA VIDA ES SILBAR"(1998), "MADAGASCAR"(1994), "HELLO HEMINGWAY"(1991),
"CLANDESTINOS"(1987) and "CASCOS BLANCOS"(1975) and acted in "NUNCA LLEAGARÁEL FINAL"(1994) and "CULPA"(1993) directed by Eleuterio Santacruz. His documentary, "HAVANA SUITES"(2003) was released theatrically in Japan.
[Staff]
Director : Fernando Pérez
Producer : Camilo Vives
Executive Producer : Rafael Rey
Screenwriters : Fernando Pérez / Humberto Jimenez / Eduardo Del Llano
Cinematography : Raúl Pérez
Editor : Julia Yip
Production Designer : Raúl Oliva
Music : Edesio Alejandro
Production : ICAIC/ Wanda Distribution S.A.
[Cast]
Elpidio Valdes: Luis Alberto García
Chrissy : Isabel Santos
Julia : Coralia Veloz
Dr. Fernando : Rolando Brito
Bebe : Bebe Perez
Mariana : Claudia Rojas
Ismail : Joan Manuel Reyes
Where Eskimos Live
2001 / Poland=Germany=USA / 95min.
*2002 Sundance Film Festival
*2002 Avignon Film Festival Prix Tournage
*2002 Moscow Film Festival
[SYNOPSIS]
Sharkey travels to Bosnia as a UNICEF-envoy in disguise.In fact, he is engaged in the illicit child trade being smuggled into Western Europe. He cannot find the boy he was supposed to pick up, so he instead takes Vlado, a war orphan he meets by chance. As they risk their lives to go to Poland through war-torn Bosnia, they start to build a strong bond with each other.
[DIRECTOR]
Tomasz Wiszniewski
Tomasz Wiszniewski is a graduate of the prestigious National Film Academy in Lodz, Poland, and his early career involved him working with other graduates, including Roman Polanski and Wojciech Has. Wiszniewski's feature-film debut was THE WRETCH, an award winner at the Polish Film Festival. He has also directed several short films, TV films, documentaries, and commercials. His screenplay for WHERE ESKIMOS LIVE won the Hartley Merrill International Screenwriting Prize.
[Staff]
Director : Tomasz Wiszniewski
Screenplay : Robert Brutter and Tomasz Wiszniewski
Producer : Chris Burdza
Music : Michal Lorenc
Director of Photography : Aleksei Rodionov
Editor : Henry Richardson
Costume : Dorota Roqueplo
[Cast]
Sharkey : Bob Hoskins
Vlado : Sergiusz Zymelka
Krzysztof Majchrzak
Lukasz Komosa
Rafal Nakoneczny
Wojciech Smolarz
The Bleep Brothers
2000 / Japan / 102min.
*2001 Sundance Film Festival
*2002 Yubari Fantastic Film Festival Minami Toshiko Award
[SYNOPSIS]
Though brothers aspire to become the best comedian duo in Japan, their personalities get in the way. They are always booed by the audience at the striptease theater in Juso, Osaka. One day, they meet a TV director who encourages them to go on TV. It is a big chance for them, but their jokes are too obscene, so that.
[DIRECTOR]
Yoshiyasu Fujita
Born in Osaka, 1957. Graduate of Kobe University's Faculty of Letters.
Upon graduation, hired by Japanese beverage and spirits maker Suntory as a copywriter in their advertising division. Generated hit after hit by naming best-selling products. Started directing TV commercials in 1993.
Winner of various advertising awards for his unique style in TV commercials.
While remaining active in the advertising world, Fujita began to passionately pursue his lifelong dream of filmmaking. Won the Sundance/NHK International Filmmakers Award for his original screenplay, "THE BLEEP BROTHERS" in 1998. Took part in the Sundance Director's Laboratory (famous for distinguished alumni such as Quentin Tarantino) to study directing techniques.
In 1999, participated in the writer's workshop sponsored by Equinoxe, the first Asian filmmaker to be invited to the program.
The film, "THE BLEEP BROTHERS" takes full advantage of the keen sense of visuals and clear narrative skills Fujita honed in the United States and Europe. The power of the film's artistic direction makes it hard to believe that this is the first film Fujita has directed. This signals the emergence of a film director of global stature, an uncommon achievement in Japan.
[Staff]
Director : Yoshiyasu Fujita
Screenwriter : Yoshiyasu Fujita
[Cast]
Tatsuo : Kentaro Seagal
Ikuo : Zenjiro
Fumie : Mireiyu
Arisawa : Teruyuki Kagawa
Toyoko : Yuko Tanaka
Tokuzo : Ittoku Kishibe
Koyanagi : Taro Kida
Miki : Asako Kobayashi