https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJfIsE24qRk

Great production!

SEEfest to Fete Romanian Cinema |First Ever Lifetime Achievement and Legacy Awards to be Presented on Opening Night at Writers Guild Theater In Beverly Hills

The South East European Film Festival (SEEfest) (seefilmla.org) will celebrate a milestone 10th anniversary year in 2015, unveiling a robust program of feature films, documentaries and fiction,
documentary and animation shorts. 
 
Named one the best “under the radar” film festivals in America by Flavorwire in 2012, SEEfest continues to gain recognition and exposure within the world film festival circuit. The 2015 SEEfest is scheduled from April 30 – May 7, 2015, with screenings at Laemmle’s Music Hall Theatre in Beverly Hills
and the Goethe-Institut Los Angeles, with select complimentary screenings at the Macha Theatre in West Hollywood.

Boasting its largest selection ever of award-winning works from the region, SEEfest will showcase North American and West Coast premieres of eight feature films, 11 documentaries, nine fiction shorts, seven documentary shorts, and 11 animation shorts, with attendance by filmmakers, industry professionals and
cultural dignitaries from Los Angeles and South East Europe

"SEEfest salutes Romanian cinema for everything it has given to theworld in the last 15 years, pioneering a fresh new style of moviemaking, while making a splash on the international scene," comments Vera
Mijojlic, founder and director of SEEfest. "Romanian filmmakers put the region 'on the map' with groundbreaking movies and gave voice to people in a way that has not been seen since the 1960’s Czech new wave and Yugoslav 'black film'." 

Highlights of the eight day festival include the opening night feature The Japanese Dog (Romania), directed by Tudor Cristian Jurgiu. In the drama, an old widower is forced to cope with the aftermath of the recent floods that devastated an entire village. A visit from his estranged son with a young
Japanese family in tow stir deep-seated emotions on both sides.

The opening night gala, to be held at the prestigious Writers Guild Theater, will also feature SEEfest’s inaugural Lifetime Achievement and Legacy Awards, to be presented to legendary Romanian actor Victor Rebenguic, who stars in the evening’s feature presentation, and acting legend George Chakiris,
Academy and Golden Globe Award winner for his role as Bernardo in “West Side Story.” 

Additional noteworthy selections include:
 
Bota (Albania/Italy) By directors, husband and wife team Iris Elezi and Thomas Logoreci, the film is the story of two young waitresses stuck in a roadside cafe where a middle-aged owner presides over a cast of odd patrons, including a construction crew building a new road.  The film was the Critics’ Prize Winner (FEDEORA Award) at the 2014 Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.
 
Cowboys (Croatia) A strong contender for the foreign language film category for the 2014 Academy Awards, the comedy, directed by Tomislav Mršić, is the story of eight outsiders in a deep Croatian province audition for a theater play, breaking every rule of stage craft.

It Takes Two To Fence (Romania) In the story, a former fencing champion is forced out of the sport by
a serious injury, but gets a chance to reenter the fencing world as a coach. He is given the task of training a young woman, and a strong bond develops, leading to an intense romantic rivalry. A rising star on the international scene, the luminous Romanian actress Olimpia Melinte plays the
lead role in the film directed by Andrei Gheorghe.

Down The River (Azerbaijan) Directed by Asif Rustamov, the sumptuously photographed psychological drama powers through rowing races in a provincial town where a coach is caught in a web of his own midlife crisis and a desire to win a trophy at the expense of his trainee son. The first ever title from
Azerbaijan in the festival, the film was nominated for the ‘East of the West’ Award at the 2014 Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.

Rat Poison (Bulgaria/Romania) First debut feature by director Konstantin Burov, the comedy is a story of four young, petty thieves who meet in a juvenile hall on the eve of tectonic changes that swept Eastern Europe with the fall of the Berlin Wall.
 
Documentaries include:

Consumed (Croatia) With more than 30 million minutes of life behind them, a group of seniors are challenged to describe the most important minute in their life, within as many seconds as the number of years they have lived. Directed by Borut Šeparović.

The Cover Story (Croatia) Despite monumental events in 2013 Croatia, the most popular news topic
was the tragic death of Dolores Lambaša, a young actress whom all loved to hate.
The documentary observes her final year and her intense relationship with the media.  Directed by Silvana Menđušić , the documentary is the winner of many international awards.

In the Dark (Serbia) A young coal miner working with his father in southeast Serbia struggles to carve out his own destiny and start a new life while still honoring his family’s expectations.  The
film is the debut work by AFI graduate Goran Stankovic, one of the finalists for the Student Oscar Award in 2014, and was named an official selection at the 2014 IDFA festival. 

Nadeshda (Germany/Bulgaria) Three children who live in Nadeshda, one of Bulgaria’s largest Roma ghettos, dream of becoming professional, classical musicians. Directed by Anna Frances Ewert and Falk Müller.

The complete schedule of films to be screened at SEEfest 2015 is now available online at www.seefilmla.org  
 
Each year, the festival also attracts a contingent of American and expat independent filmmakers who come to see new works and look for opportunities at SEEfest’s annual Business Conference.  
Now in its seventh year, the conference is a free event and open to the public, connecting South East European filmmakers with their American counterparts and Hollywood executives. In the past, featured speakers have included representatives from Warner Brothers, Walt Disney Studio, Mace Neufeld
Productions and Relativity Media. 
 
About The South East European Film Festival (SEEfest)
SEEfest presents cinematic and cultural diversity of South East Europe to American audiences and creates cultural connections through films, artistic and social events. SEEfest was founded in 2006 by Vera
Mijojlic, long-time film critic and cultural entrepreneur.  


Follow SEEfest at www.seefilmla.org, www.facebook.com/seefest, twitter.com/seefilmla
 
www.writersguildtheater.com

 www.laemmle.com

 www.goethe.de/ins/us/los/enindex.htm

www.machatheatre.org



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http://rooftopfilms.com/blog/2014/10/filmwaxradio-episode-245.html

The co-founder and Executive Director of the Woodstock Film Festival,
Meira Blaustein is the first guest. The 15th edition of the much respected
Hudson Valley film festival runs from October 15th through the 19th in the towns
of Woodstock, Rhinebeck, Rosendale, Saugerties, and Kingston. Tickets are
currently on sale for various screenings and panels. Get tickets and details on
their website.


Up next is filmmaker Michael Wechsler (The Red Robin) who
discusses his experiences at IFP’s Independent Film Week
where the interview took place. We also discuss Michael’s career and his latest
project. Coincidentally, The Red Robin will have its next screenings at the
Woodstock Film Festival on Friday, October 17th at the Upstate Films theater in
Woodstock, and again on Sunday, October 19th at the Orpheum Theater in
Saugerties, NY. Tickets may be purchased on the Woodstock Film Festival’s
website.


And last up is filmmaker Kevin Schreck who discusses his feature documentary
Persistence of Vision.
The film is a remarkable examination at one man’s obsession; in this case the
British animator Richard Williams (Who Framed Roger Rabbit) and his 30-year
journey attempting to create his magnum opus. He and a crew of animators hand
drew, frame by frame, what was to be the most elaborate and exceptionally
artistic animated movie of all time, called The Thief and The Cobbler. It never
came to be. Find out why in this fascinating conversation. The next screening of
Persistence of Vision is to take place at The Society of Illustrators in New
York City on October 9th. Find out more.


Filmwax Radio is presented by Rooftop Films.

Barakatt Selects Moscow As The Location To Commemorate The 25th Anniversary Of The Convention On The
Rights Of The Child And Fifth Anniversary Of “Lullaby, The Unicef Anthem”

Award-winning composer, music producer, pianist and singer, Steve Barakatt will unveil his symphonic
production “Ad Vitam Aeternam” to Moscow audiences on November 19, 2014 at the legendary Great Hall of the Tchaikovsky Moscow Conservatory. He will also perform a concert on November 17th in Yaroslavl, the birthplace of Barakatt’s wife, Olympic medalist, gymnast and former Cirque du Soleil artist Elena Grosheva. Barakatt will perform with the 90 musicians of the prestigious Yaroslavl Academic Symphonic Orchestra under the direction of its renowned conductor Murad Annamamedov.

 “I’m thrilled to debut “Ad Vitam Aeternam” for audiences in Moscow. Russia has a very special place in my heart, as my wife is Russian, and thus, our young daughter,” comments Barakatt.  “The event will be extra special as we honor the 25th Anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, as well as the 70th Anniversary of the Yaroslavl Orchestra, and 20th Anniversary of Maestro Annamamedov as their conductor. We will have much to celebrate.”

Written in 16 movements, Barakatt’s “Ad Vitam Aeternam” was inspired by and developed in
 light of various aspects of the human condition – physiological, psychological, emotional and spiritual. In creating “Ad Vitam Aeternam,” Barakatt unveils new musical horizons within today’s orchestral music.

The upcoming event will also commemorate the 5th anniversary of “Lullaby, The UNICEF Anthem” composed by Barakatt, who along with Grosheva, serve as National Ambassadors of UNICEF Canada. The choral symphony first premiered on five continents in orchestra concerts and in Outer Space on the international Space Station on November 20, 2009. 

“This special concert provides a great opportunity to shine a spotlight on such an important worldwide cause. Together, all of us can create a better world for so many children still in need,” adds Barakatt.

For more than 30 years, the music of Steve Barakatt has been recognized throughout the world
for its beautiful, melodic approach, inspiring audiences to explore their innermost feelings. Born in Québec City, Canada, Barakatt, at the young age of four fell under the spell of music and began piano lessons. Over the next ten years, he studied classical music, and then crossed over to jazz. Barakatt
enjoyed many challenging musical experiences from an early age, including being invited as a guest soloist with l’Orchestre Symphonique de Québec, when he was only 13. At 16, he became fascinated by composition, arranging and production, studying new technologies as they became available and quickly mastering all the intricacies of music programming. In 1992, the prestigious Japanese firm Roland invited him to present their new products at the annual NAMM Show in California.

A versatile and imaginative musician, Barakatt has been invited to compose music for films and television and appeared on various recordings and live performances. Over the years, he has collaborated with several renowned artists such as Maxim Vengerov, Myung-whun Chung, Nana Mouskouri, Natasha St-Pier, Angélique Kidjo, Leon Lai, Agnes Chan and many ensembles such as L’Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, The Alexandrov Red Army Choir, The Bilkent Symphony, The Choir of the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra and The Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra.

Recently appointed Cultural Ambassador for LOTTE Hotels & Resorts, Barakatt has completed several very successful concert tours in Asia, and in September, he unveiled “Dear Charlotte-The Lotte Anthem” composed for Lotte Group, one of Asia’s major conglomerates.

Tickets available at www.concert.ru and at the Tchaikovsky Moscow Conservatory box office.

www.stevebarakatt.com
www.yar-filarmoniya.ru
www.concert.ru