Hats Off, a feature-length documentary, profiles the beauty and eccentricities of an extraordinary woman, 93-year-old actress Mimi Weddell.With the style and grace of Katharine Hepburn, the smoky wit and wisdom of Dorothy Parker and her own personal philosophy “rise above it,” Mimi is truly an iconic American original, rising above the mundane and difficult confines of her own daily life, to reach for the stars and fulfill her dreams.Hats Off captures the essence of this unique woman whose full-time acting career began at age 65, and whose daily routine mocks the traditional image of old age. From her 14-hour days…
Author: Bijan Tehrani
After completing a Master’s degree in politics in Paris, François Truffart was Cultural Attaché in charge of cinema promotion at the French Embassy in Hungary, Japan, and the United States (Los Angeles) successively, from 1991 to 2001. In 2002, he was Director of the Cinéfondation at the Cannes Film Festival and then represented Le Marché du Film of the Cannes Film Festival in the US. He has been in charge of programming for COLCOA since 2004 before being assigned as Director and Programmer in 2007. He is a consultant for film finance and acquisitions for the Japanese market, through his…
My Brother is an Only Child is set in a small Italian town in the 60’s and 70’s; the film tells the story of two brothers who want to change the world – but in completely different ways. The elder, Manrico (Riccardo Scamarcio), is a handsome, charismatic firebrand who becomes the prime mover in the local Communist Party.Accio (Elio Germano), the younger, more rebellious brother, finds his own contrarian voice by joining the reactionary Fascists. What starts as a typical tale of sibling rivalry becomes the story of the polarizing and paralyzing politics of those turbulent times and the rift…
Throughout the 1950’s and 60’s, William Castle produced and directed a series of horror films featuring some nifty audience-participation gimmicks. Castle treated moviegoers to buzzing seats, flying skeletons, luminescent ghosts and mock life insurance policies, and they loved every minute of it. In the documentary Spine Tingler! The William Castle Story, audiences are served up a different kind of treat: a rags-to-riches tale about one of the last great American showmen, a master of self-promotion and exploitation who, privately, was plagued by a fear of failure and a desperate desire to be respected among his peers. Castle’s first breakout film…
Bam 6.6 is the story of the human condition. The film weaves together stories of survival, loss, and healing, as we explore the humanity of the Iranian people through the prism of the devastating 2003 earthquake that struck at the heart of Bam, an ancient Iranian village.Bam 6.6 subjects come from different walks of life – A Jewish-American woman, an American businessman, and the Iranian residents of Bam. Through their experiences, viewers will witness how a natural disaster can overcome religious and political barriers, dispel stereotypes, and unite disparate members of the human family.Jahangir Golestan-Parast, producer/director of Bam 6.6, was…
Roger Durling has been at the helm of the Santa Barbara International Film Festival for the past five years. He was born and raised in Panama and has a graduate degree from Columbia University. He has been teaching Film Studies at Santa Barbara City College for the past three years. He writes a column about film entitled Roger Durling¹s THE BIG PICTURE in Santa Barbara¹s weekly paper the Independent and serves on the Board of Directors of Santa Barbara’s Downtown Organization. In 2004, he was recognized as Santa Barbara¹s Citizen of the Year.Bijan Tehrani: Congratulations on a wonderful 2008 festival.…
BIG RIG is a broad portrait of modern America as seen through the eyes of long-haul truck drivers. Spanning 21,000 miles, 45 states, and dozens of truck stops, director Doug Pray and producer Brad Blondheim (the team who created SCRATCH) went far beyond just stereotypical chrome and coffee culture and made a film that delves deeply into the lives and personal struggles of these working-class heroes, who are, literally, carrying the nation upon their backs. From New York City’s Hunt’s Point Market, where semis arrive at 3am to deliver produce to feed the entire Northeast, to California’s San Joaquin Valley,…
Hollywood – February 24 – Tonight The Counterfeiters , directed by Stefan Ruzowitzky from Austria won the Best Foreign Language Film Award. Before the Academy Awards ceremony Stefan Ruzowitzky told Bijan Tehrani, Editor in Chief of Cinema Without Borders: “Even becoming nominated was very important. The Counterfeiters is opening in the US and also in a few European and Asian countries in the past few weeks. The Academy Awards are an important mean in promoting a film. It brings a lot of awareness towards the nominated films. If we get to the stage tonight, it’s a great win, and if…
Hollywood – February 24 – Tonight Freeheld , directed by Cynthia Wade won the Best Documentary Short Film Award. Here is a Cinema Without Borders exclusive interview with Cynthia Wade. Cynthia Wade is a NYC-based documentary filmmaker. Her short documentary “Freeheld” won a Special Jury Prize at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival, and her award-winning HBO documentary “Shelter Dogs” was broadcast in seven countries. Wade directed the 1999 Cinemax Reel Life documentary “Grist For The Mill”, which The Hollywood Reporter called “a delight…full of quirky moments and clever humor” and Variety called “a jewel … extremely comical.” She was co-producer and…
XXY is about Alex is a 15-year-old teenager with a secret. Soon after her birth her parents decide to leave Buenos Aires to make a home out of an isolated wooden cabin tucked away in the dunes of the Uruguayan shoreline. XXY begins with Alex´s parents receiving a couple of friends and their 16-year-old son Álvaro from Buenos Aires. Álvaro´s father is a plastic surgeon who accepted the invitation because of his medical concern for their friend´s daughter. The inevitable attraction between both teenagers forces them all to face their worst fears… Rumours are spreading around town. Alex gets stared…