Author: CWB News Department

There’s a phone on the floor, and lying next to it is a teenage girl with her hand down her pants, masturbating to the voice of a male phone-sex operator. And thus, Norwegian filmmaker Jannicke Systad Jacobsen introduces moviegoers to the unfamiliar territory of female adolescent sexuality in her raw and poignant comedy, “Turn Me On Dammit!”Based on the novel by Olaug Nilssen, “Turn Me On, Dammit!” is about Alma (Helene Bergsholm), a fifteen year old girl trapped in a dull rural town (when passing the sign for Skoddeheimen, she and her friend Saralou habitually raise their middle-fingers in disgust).…

(Los Angeles, May 8, 2012) – South East European Film Festival, SEE Fest 2012 concluded Monday night at UCLA’s Bridges Theater in Los Angeles with the screening of the Turkish epic FUTURE LASTS FOREVER, an exploration of the parallel pasts and research of Anatolian elegies directed by Özcan Alper, which also won Bridging the Borders award for best feature film of the festival. Honorable Mention went to another Turkish film, DO NOT FORGET ME ISTANBUL, a collection of seven stories by seven directors under artistic direction of Turkey’s auteur Hüseyin Karabey. Both awards are traditionally presented by Cinema Without Borders,…

Burbank, California, May 7th, 2012 – Today, Cinema Without Borders announced that Darryl Macdonald, Director of the Palm Springs International Film Festival, Palm Springs International Short Film Festival & Film Market and Executive Director of the Palm Springs Film Society, will be the winner of the first Cinema Without Borders annual “Friend Of International Cinema Award”. This new award goes to a person or an organization that helps promote international cinema in the U.S. “Darryl Macdonald, through years of working as a festival director, has been a true friend and ally of international cinema. Mr. Macdonald has introduced films from…

The 3rd annual Awareness Film Festival awarenessfestival.org, May 3-6, is a one-of-a-kind film festival that promotes awareness of today’s issues through the timeless art of filmmaking. A dynamic fusion of filmmakers, artists, environmentalists, educators, alternative health practitioners and other industry professionals, the Awareness Film Festival aims to inspire the public through this engaging, entertaining and unique annual event in the film capital of the world.Film categories include but are not limited to: green and eco-friendly living, alternative fuel, veterans’ issues, animal awareness, political topics, preserving nature, alternative healing options, stories of hope, healthcare issues, the arts, spirituality and much more.…

Southeast European Film Festival, Los Angeles opens today and continues until Monday May 7th. With over 30 features, documentaries, and shorts, the festival gives a precious glimpse into the Balkan region, its troubled history, and its cultural diversity. Among the renowned organizations which now support the festival are California Arts Council and the Goethe-Institut, UCLA Center for European and Eurasian Studies, Los Angeles County Arts Commission, ELMA European Languages and Movies in America, Turkish Airlines, Women in Film International Committee, Consulates General of Switzerland, Austria and Hungary, Eurochannel and Dish Network, UCLA Anderson Center for International Business Education and Research,…

Seattle International Film Festival has announced the complete line-up of official selections, galas and special presentations. The 2012 Seattle International Film Festival is produced by SIFF, the non-profit arts organization that reaches more than 250,000 annually through SIFF Cinema, SIFF FutureWave Education and the annual Festival.This year the Seattle International Film Festival will screen 273 features and 187 shorts representing 75 countries, from more than 5,676 submissions worldwide, compared to 5,213 in 2011, with the final selections representing 24 World, 25 North American, 16 U.S. premieres and 56 short film premieres. There will be 180 features at this year’s Festival…

Four films by Parviz Sayyad were presented during the recent Celebration of Iranian Cinema by UCLA’s Department of Film & Television Archive at the Billy Wilder theater in Hammer Museum (April 13-29).Two films from the pre-Islamic Revolution era in Iran:Samad Becomes an Artist, 1973Dead End, 1976And the only two films he made after the Revolution in the US:The Mission, 1983 Checkpoint, 1987 After the showing of the last film on April 28th, when Shannon Kelley, the Festival director introduced Sayyad on stage, he made the following statement before a lively Q&A session: “At this point I would like to thank…

The 7th annual South East European Film Festival, proud recipient of the prestigious grant from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, will take place this year from May 3rd – 7th, at the Goethe-Institut Los Angeles, and UCLA. Commonly known as SEE Fest, the festival presents films that explore religious, ethnic and cultural crossroads of South East Europe, from Albania, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Hungary, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Turkey… With over 30 features, documentaries, and shorts, the festival gives a precious glimpse into the Balkan region, its troubled history, and its cultural diversity. On Saturday May 5th SEE Fest’s Business…

The Consulate General of the Czech Republic in Los Angeles is pleased to announce the first annual Czech Filmfest 2012 which will take place at the Cinefamily in Hollywood on May 16 – 24, 2012. The festival will introduce both new and classic Czech movies to film audiences in Los Angeles and several successful directors and actors will be present to promote their films. “Czech cinema has always been a passion for The Cinefamily. It’s some of the most playful, cinematic, dynamic, and we think underappreciated national lineages in the film world. It’s exciting to work with the Czech Consulate…

UCLA Celebration of Iranian Cinema at Hammer Museum is featuring 3 films by Parviz Sayyad this month. The festival presents:Dead End on Sunday, April 22nd at 7 pm Samad Becomes an Artist on Friday, April 27th at 7:30 pmCheckpoint on Saturday, April 28th at 7:30 pm The 3 films show very different aspects of Iranian society both pre and post the Islamic Revolution and have universal messages very relevant to all of us today regardless of cultural background.There will be an engaging Question & Answer session with Parviz Sayyad after each film. Come let’s support this legend of the Iranian…