Silverdocs Documentary Film Festival
June 15 - 22, 2009
Silver Spring / USA
Silverdocs is an international film festival celebrating the creative vision of independent filmmakers and the power of documentary to expand our world-view and enhance our understanding of the world around us. Silverdocs provides business and creative connections among filmmakers, broadcasters, distributors and funders from both established and emerging media markets at the Silverdocs International Documentary Conference (June 16 - 20, 2009). The conference includes over 60 panels and workshops and is attended by over 650 filmmakers and guests from around the world.
East European documentary films screened at the festival:
BITCH ACADEMY [East Silver Caravan 2009]
Russia 2008, 29 min
D: Alina Rudnitskaya
Section: Short Film Competition
A tragicomic portrait of the women of capitalist Russia, Bitch Academy goes inside a school that trains women to manipulate and seduce men, all in the hopes of snagging a millionaire.
COOKING HISTORY [East Silver Caravan 2009]
Austria, Slovakia, Czech Republic 2009, 88 min
D: Peter Kerekes
Section: Sterling World Competition
This innovative film re-imagines Europe’s troubled past through the unheralded culinary workers who “catered” some of the pivotal armed conflicts of the modern era. Punctuated by recipes, cooking demonstrations and sometimes-fanciful interviews, this record of the quotidian details of military cuisine underscores the futility—and unfortunate persistence—of ethnic and political warfare.
Peter Kerekes presented his film Cooking History at the 2007 Docu Talents from the East in Karlovy Vary.
RENÉ
Czech Republic 2008, 83 min
D: Helena Třeštíková
Section: Sterling World Competition
For 20 years, Czech director Helena Třestíková filmed recidivist criminal René Plášil in his evolution from teen delinquent to career felon. Plášil offers an intelligent accounting of his life and nihilistic beliefs, but the whole truth is more elusive.
Helena Třeštíková attended the 2007 East European Forum with the project Katka; René was presented at the 2007 Panel of Czech Upcoming Documentary Films.
ANOTHER PLANET
Hungary 2008, 96 min
D: Ferenc Moldoványi
Section: Sterling World Competition
This powerful globe-spanning film introduces us to children who are struggling to survive as trash scavengers, soldiers and sex workers. The children speak plainly to the camera about their work, resulting in a film that lands like a hard punch. ANOTHER PLANET offers a rare opportunity to open your heart to another—often forgotten—world.
GLASS TRAP
Poland 2008, 15 min
D: Pawel Ferdek
Section: Short Film Competition
This testosterone-fueled romp features a group of freewheeling Polish toughs who live fast, party hard and gamble away their money on aquarium battles between their prized fighting fish. A darkly stylish mise-en-scène accents this jazzy riff on a peculiar and vaguely menacing subculture.
POSTE RESTANTE
Poland 2008, 14 min
D: Marcel Lozinski
Section: Short Film Competition
What happens to letters addressed to Santa? To deceased relatives? To God? Academy Award-nominated director Marcel Lozinski captures with beautiful photography the birth, delivery and reincarnation of undeliverable letters in Poland.
TILL IT HURTS
Poland 2008, 25 min
D: Marcin Koszalka
Section: Short Film Competition
Relegated to decades of celibacy by his needy and dominating mother, a middle-aged psychiatrist finally finds love outside of his home. Needless to say, mom does not approve.
East Silver Caravan 2009
The East Silver Caravan is a supporting tool for festival and market screenings of documentaries. The East Silver Caravan promotes East European documentary films at the most important international documentary film festivals and markets each year. This travelling showcase of Eastern European documentary films and filmmaking talent can be encountered at the most prestigious international film festivals and markets. The project is co-organized by the Institute of Documentary Film and the Jihlava International Documentary Film Festival.
Contact:
Miriam Šimková / Anna Kaslova
office@eastsilver.net / info@eastsilver.net
T: +420 222 954 526
skype: eastsilver.net
http://dokweb.net/en/east-silver/
