"The Outpost" short fiction film by Sayed Jalal Husseini in Busan

"The Outpost" by Sayed Jalal Hussein form Afghanistan in 17th BUSAN international Film Festival.

A middle-aged soldier stands guard at his war-ravaged post, facing a dilemma between duty and humanity. When he leaves a younger solider takes his place and is faced with the same dilemma. Confronted with a history of violence repeated over decades, the young man’s human desires seem meaningless and abstract, like a mirage that cannot actually be grasped. (C...

Pusan International Film Festival in South Korea is one of Asia`s most prestigious film festival in the world. The festival of festivals including the international federation of Association approved by suppliers (FIAPF) is and will follow the rules of the federation.

17th Busan International film festival will take place form 4-13 October 2012.

"The Patience stone" was screening for the first time in Afghanistan

OSCARS: THE PATIENCE STONE CHOSEN TO BE THE AFGHAN ENTRY!

Atiq Rahimi's The Patience Stone has been chosen to be the Afghan entry for the Oscars 2013. Meanwhile, it is persuing its journey in International film festivals after Toronto, such as London, Pusan or Abu Dhabi.

Sony Pictures Classics picked up the movie for U.S. distribution at the Toronto Film Festival in September for 2013 release.

Rahimi, who authored the novel on which the pic is based, co-wrote the script with Jean-Claude Carriere. Story follows a woman (Golshifteh Farahani) who starts a relationship with a young soldier while she is caring for her comatose husband (Hamid Djavdan) .

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will announce the five nominees for best foreign film on Jan. 10. The 85th Academy Awards ceremony takes place Feb. 24.

It was produced by Michael Gentile and co-produced by Studio 37, Corniche Pictures, Agora Films, Razor Films and Arte France.

 "The Patience stone" was screening for the first time in Afghanistan with Sidiq Barmak, En. Latif Ahmadi and some filmmakers at Roya House Production.

If you need a producer for next your film, Don't forget..

Call for Afghan Filmmakers! 

We are putting together a DVD of Afghan films to be sent to potential investors in the United States. One of our goals at the Afghan Film Project is to support Afghanistan's film industry and filmmakers like you. We have spent a lot of time identifying people who might want to invest in Afghan films, and this is your opportunity to show them your work! 

The deadline is October 10th. If you'd like to be included, please email me at sam@afghanfilmproject.com and Masih at masih_taj@hotmail.com

8 Short Film will screened on The 14th Mumbai International Film Festival

Kabul Fresh: New Voices in Afghan Cinema

8 short films by Afghan filmmakers will screened on MFF.

1."The Life" by Mohammad Reza

2. "A Day of Postman Khan Agha by Wahid Nazir

3. "Kabul Cards" by Azaryan, Sahar Fetrat and Sadaf Fetrat

4. "Nazif Gorg" by Hasib Nabizadah

5. "Dusty Night" by Ali Hazara

6. "Good Morning Grandma by Abdul Ghafar Faizyar

7. "The Outpost" by Sayed Jalal Husseini

8. "!" by Hassan Fazili

The 14th edition of the premier event of Mumbai’s culture calendar, the Mumbai Film Festival (MFF) presented by Reliance Entertainment and American Express and organised by the Mumbai Academy of Moving Image, will be held from the 18th – 25th October, 2012 at National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) & Inox, Nariman Point, Liberty Cinemas, Marine Lines as the main festival venues and Cinemax, Andheri and Cinemax Sion as the satellite venues. 

A Filmmaker from Afghanistan in ASIAN FILM ACADEMY

Ramin Mohammadi From Afghanistan in Asian Film Academy, last year 2 filmmakers also from Afghanistan attended to AFA.

Asian Film Academy (AFA) is an educational program hosted by Dongseo University, Busan Film Commission and Busan International Film Festival to foster young Asian talents and establish Asian filmmaker’s network. Over the past 7 years, 171 alumni from 25 countries have been standing out in filmmaking all over the Asia and prestigious film festivals in the world. World renowned directors, such as Hou Hsiao Hsien (Taiwan), Im Kwon-taek (Korea) and Krzysztof Zanussi (Poland) took the role of dean. This year, Jia Zhangke is invited to AFA as a dean and will share his enriched film experience with the fellows. The promising fellows from all over Asia participate in various AFA programs including short film production. Masters and experts in film industry will be working with the fellows for 18 days. The short films will be officially presented in the 17th Busan International Film Festival. Having different cultural experiences during the short film production, the fellows will rediscover themselves and share their passion and inspiration.

"Death to the Camera" by Sayed Qasem Husseini SELECTED TO 16th International Short Film Festival Winterthur Switzerland 2012

Another short film from Afghanistan in International Short Film Festival.

As from 2012, the festival will be extended by one day: the 16th edition of the InternationalShort Film Festival will take place from 6 to 11 November 2012.

About film: A camera moves among woman working their last day on a job site. As they joke and fight – accusing each other of being prostitutes, liars, and racists – the mood repeatedly shifts between belly laughs and rage. The women are left waiting for hours for their pay by the charity that administers the cash-for-work program. As they wait, they consider what debts they’ll pay off, what food they’ll buy, and how they’ll stay warm during the approaching winter. There is lively discussion about what happens to all the aid that never reaches them, and whether Karzai is a crook or a servant of the people.

Is the camera revealing anything truthful, or simply inciting these women to present what they think ‘the other’ wants to hear – or what might get them something from the world on the other side of the camera? Who is on the other side of that camera anyway?
"Death to the Camera" Produced by CS Film.

"Check Point" By Hamed Alizadeh in Taiwan and Italy

"Check Point" Short Documentary by Hamed Alizadeh in The 8th Taiwan International Documentary Festival and in 53th DEL POPOLI INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTARY FILM FESTIVAL.

15 policemen inspect all the cars that enter the city center through Dehbori district. The policemen have been gathered from different provinces to maintain the security of Kabul city, they stay together in 3 green containers with a few facilities of accommodation. They do not know what is exactly happening, because nobody is paying attention to them and informing them about the situation in the city. But they understand and know that the security is the most important issue and essential for the residents of Kabul city and they try to make the city secure...

"The Window" produced

After 2 months "The Window" short fiction film produced.

The story of thirteen years old blind’s boy, which lives in a village.
 Listen to the voice of nature is part of her daily work until he became familiar with music and life of Beethoven with his grandfather’s radio, and he decided to imitate the... "The Window" is 19 min by Hussein Mousavi and Ali Mousavi Azad.

Closing ceremony of The EUNIC Film Festival 2012

In 2010, EUNIC started working on cinema issues in cooperation with Afghan filmmakers. In 2012, EUNIC Afghanistan and the Afghan Ministry of Information and culture launched their first common project, the "EUNIC Young Filmmakers Found", in order to support creative talents and emerging filmmakers to develop their understanding  of the art and part ice of filmmaking. 

Financial and professional support and workshop sessions encouraged 11 young Afghan filmmakers, all of them younger than 30 years, selected form nearly 200 filmmakers, to realize a short film (20 minutes maximum) and to tell their stories using film as a creative tool.

Winners of EUNIC Film Festival 2012

Best Fiction "bicycle" by Ali Ibrahimi
Best Documentary "Koche Kharabat" by Ahmad Monir Rasoli
Best Animation "Nawarha" by Lajeward Haqiqi


About EUNIC Young Filmmakers Fund 

The programme

The EUNIC Young Filmmakers Fund aims at helping creative talents and emerging filmmakers develop their understanding of the art and practice of filmmaking. Financial and professional support provided through a financial grant and workshop sessions should encourage young Afghan filmmakers up to 30 years old to realize a short film (20 minutes maximum) and to tell their stories using film as creative tool. The project should also provide networking opportunities with other filmmakers, guidance and participation in festivals. 

EUNIC Afghanistan

EUNIC is the network of the international cultural relations institutes from the member states of the European Union. They seek to facilitate cultural co-operation; to create lasting partnerships between professionals, to encourage greater understanding and awareness of the diverse European cultures and to encourage greater language learning.

The British Council, the Institut Francais d’Afghanistan (IFA) and the Goethe-Institut Afghanistan are forming the EUNIC-Cluster in Afghanistan.

All institutes look back to long time of partnership with the Afghan cultural scene reaching back into the 1960s and are now sharing their experiences with their local partners among various other projects in the Afghan National Theatre Festival and the International Documentary and Short Film Festival.

Grant Submissions Now Open (Cinereach)

Source: Cinereach

Now you can applying your screenplay for a feature film, also if you're in the development stage for your film...

You can look Cinereach`s grant and awards program.

Cinereach is a not-for-profit film production company and foundation that champions vital stories, artfully told. Created and led by young philanthropists, entrepreneurs and filmmakers, Cinereach empowers fiction and nonfiction filmmakers from all over the world through Grants & Awards, The Reach Film Fellowship, an internal Productions department, and through partnerships with the Sundance Institute and other organizations. Since 2006, Cinereach has disbursed close to $5 million in grant funds to more than 100 projects at the intersection of engaging storytelling, visual artistry and vital subject matter.

Dusty Night in Montreal International Documentary Film Festival

Dusty Night by Ali Hazara after CINEMA DU REEL 34th International documentary film festival now in Montreal International Documentary Film Festival.

"Dusty Night" by Ali Hazara (Afghanistan in 2011 workshop) was selected to be part of the programming of the 15th edition of the RIDM - Dating Montreal International Documentary to be held from 7 to 18 November 2012. 

Dusty Night: Shadows among shadows, the night of Kabul sweepers move a heavy dust along an avenue. Pictures torn from the dust and the night in car headlights, in the light of a shop or a petrol pump.

Ali Hazara

Dusty Night was winner of (Best prize ) 34th Cinema Du Reel INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTARY FILM FESTIVAL.

14th International Student Film Festival Tel Aviv

Closing Ceremony

A full week of cinematic celebration was closed tonight (9/6) with the end of the 14th International Student Film Festival. At the closing ceremony that took place in the Tel Aviv Cinematheque there were young filmmakers and creators, alongside leaders of the world and local cinema industry. During the festival there were screenings of around 200 student films from Israel and throughout the world, including for the first time a film of a student from Iran. 

Winners of the Israeli Competition Best Film Why Does the Sun Director: Efrat Kaufman Best Documentary/Animation/Experimental FilmThe prize was divided between two films: Best Documentary: Wedding Behind the Fence (Directors: Eilon Kotler, Waje Kabha) Best Animation: Beat (Director Or Bar-El) Best ScreenplaySalt of the EarthScreenwriter: Roni Beeri The Rariv Mor Cinematography AwardKetupa Director: Margarita Balaklav Cinematographer: Yaniv Linton Best EditingSister of Mine Director: Oshrat Meirovitch Editor: Yuval Orr The New Israel Fund Award for the Promoting of Social ChangeDocument of Identity Director: Maytal Ben Hamo Audience AwardApartment with Garden EntranceDirector: Omri Shenhar Special Mention Tateh Director: Yaniv Linton Winners of the International Competition Best FilmMy Bow Breathing (Italy)Director: Enrico Maria Artale Jury's Choice: “For its outstanding directing work and its precision and style, this made it a true short film experience”. Due to the amazing selection of documentary, animation and experimental films, the award was divided between two films: Best Documentary FilmInside a Square Circle (Russia)Director: Valeriy Shevchenko Jury's Choice: "5000 children return from a Christmas party and look for their parents. A seemingly banal premise is turned into a humorous and intelligent reflection about the archaic forces of parental love, state authority, succumbing to chaos and cell phones as the modern form of the umbilical cord”. Best AnimationMy Strange Grandfather (Russia)Director: Dina Velikovskaya Jury's Choice: “In the world controlled by dominance of 3D animation, it is rare and courageous to preserve the honesty and the beauty of stop-motion animation. "My Strange Grandfather" pays a tribute to the old masters of stop-motion, with charming story and elegant style it is a film for the heart and a preset for the soul." Best DirectorJanos Richter (Guañape Sur, Italy)Jury's Choice: "Combining craft, vision and aspiration, director Janos Richter is able to lift up the documentary form to a level of an epic story about human condition and create a truly cinematic experience that leaves an unforgettable impression on both mind and heart of the viewer." Best ScreenplayOrit Fouks (Staring Match, Israel)Jury's Choice: "For the brilliant idea of performing the movie in its entirety during the production. For compressing the script, audition, shooting, and in hindsight the finished film in a single unit. For the nightmarish reality of the director/screenwriter that takes an active (and passive) role in the film itself, and for the horror manifestation of the fictional script in the reality of the audition." Best CinematogrpahyHallvar Witzø (Tuba Atlantic, Norway)Jury's Choice: “Visual contrast between death and life, youth and old age, hot and cold, communication and estrangement, and how sound and human relations can transcend immense distances, are all masterfully and playfully depicted in the imagery of Tuba Atlantic" Best Film - Mediterranean and Middle East SpotlightThe award was divided between two films: How I Killed Rabin (Israel) Director: Michael Alalo A Portrait from Sheikh Jarrah (The Palestinian Authority)Director: Rebekah Wingert-Jabi Jury's Choice: "A man wakes up in the morning and discovers strangers are living in his house. This is not a Kafka story, this is the reality of Palestinians in East Jerusalem. The film allows a peak on people, Palestinians and Israeli, who chose to stick to their humanity in the face of the brutal Occupation machine." The Ad Astra Prize was also given to How I Killed Rabin. Special MentionThe Letter (Belgium) Director: Kenneth Mercken Jury's Choice: "Can something like a letter be cinematic? While tackling a contemporary subject the director is not afraid to stray from the well walked path of a traditional narrative to presents psyche of the main character. The film delivers an intimate look at memories, feelings and reflections of the young protagonist consumed by ambitions, fears and need for acceptance." Source