Trending
    • Jasmin Mozaffari’s short film ‘Motherland, wins TIFF award
    • Poor Thing, Wins Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival
    • Toronto Film Festival 2023
    • Iranian Influential Women: Rakhshan Bani-Etemad
    • Sundance Film Festival Asia
    • Enea, review
    • French rising star, Adèle Exarchopoulos, 4 top favorite movies
    • Cinematography director Morteza Pursamadi dies at 70
    Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Cinema Without Borders
    • Home
    • Feature Story
    • News
    • Conversations
    • Festivals
    • Cinema Tech
    • Film Reviews
    • CinéEqual
    • Other Arts
    • Archives
    Facebook Twitter Instagram
    Cinema Without Borders
    You are at:Home»News»2015 HP Bridging The Borders Award Nominees, Palm Springs International Film Festival

    2015 HP Bridging The Borders Award Nominees, Palm Springs International Film Festival

    0
    By Luz Aguado on 01/05/2015 News

    Burbank, CA – January 6, 2015: Today, Cinema Without Borders has announced the six nominees for HP’s Bridging The Borders Award at 2015 Palm Springs International Film Festival selected by Palm Springs International Film Festival Programers. The Bridging The Borders Award at the 2015 Palm Springs International Film Festival will be given to the most successful film in bringing the people of our world closer together.

    The six nominees for HP’s Borders Bridging The Borders Award are selected by Palm Springs International Film Festival programmers are: A FEW CUBIC METERS OF LOVE (Afghanistan), CHARLIE’S COUNTRY (Australia), Corn Island (Georgia), THREE WINDOWS AND A HANGING (Kosovo), TIMBUKTU (Mauritania) and TODAY (Iran). The Bridging The Borders Award winning film will be announced on Sunday, January 11th, at the Palm Springs International Film Festival award ceremony.

    2015 HP’s Bridging the Borders Award, is offered by Cinema Without Borders and Prize provided and Award sponsored by HP Workstations. Director of the winning film will receive an HP ZBook 15 with a built-in HP DreamColor display, an approximately $3000 value. The second place winner for Cinema Without Borders’ “Bridging the Borders” award will receive a certificate for an upcoming Method Acting Intensive provided by The Lee Strasberg Theater & Film Institute in West Hollywood,  valued at $2000. A jury of Cinema Without Borders decides the winners.

    Nominees:

    A Few Cubic Meters Of Love
    Chand Metre Moka’ab Eshgh
    Afghanistan, 2014, 90 Minute Running Time
    Additional Countries: Iran
    Topic: Romance
    Program: Awards Buzz
    Language: Persian English Sub-Titles

    Set in a shantytown on the outskirts of Tehran where a factory owner employs a horde of illegal Afghan workers, this affecting social issues drama centers on a forbidden relationship. Without belaboring the point, it also makes clear the (at best) second-class status Afghans have in Iran and how this rankles their pride. Orphaned teen Saber is part of an Iranian team laboring at a ramshackle scrap-metal workshop. Afghans work alongside Iranians, but they receive only half the salary of their local counterparts because they have no working papers. Moreover, if police come to inspect the facility, they must quickly grab their children and tools and hide in a drainage pipe, knee-deep in water. Saber is involved in a chaste but charming relationship with an Afghan girl, Marona. The two youngsters meet daily, hiding from prying eyes inside an empty, rusting container in the cargo yard next door, where they exchange gifts, share confidences and make plans for the future. But Marona fears the consequences if Saber were to ask her dour, ailing father for her hand. Winner: Best First Feature, Best Director, Fajr Film Festival.

    DIRECTOR: Jamshid Mahmoudi
    Producer: Navid Mahmoudi
    Editor: Sepideh Abdolvahab
    Screenwriter: Jamshid Mahmoudi
    Cinematographer: Morteza Ghafouri
    Music: Sahand Mehdizadeh
    Principal Cast: Saed Soheili, Hassiba Ebrahimi, Nader Fallah, Alireza Ostadi, Masoud Mirtaheri

    Charlie’s Country
    Australia, 2014, 108 Minute Running Time
    Topic: Drama
    Program: Awards Buzz
    Language: English

    Awards: Best Actor Award at Un Certain Regard for David Gulpilil, Cannes Film Festival

    Aboriginal actor David Gulpilil made his screen debut in Nic Roeg’s Walkabout at the age of 16. Since then, he has limned indelible characters in numerous films. Now 60, the actor has teamed with director Rolf de Heer for a third time, to co-write and star in a hypnotically beautiful film that parallels his own troubled life and epitomizes the cultural dislocation that aboriginal people face in contemporary Australia. “The work that Rolf de Heer and David Gulpilil have done together in the past dozen years will take an exalted place in the history of Australian film…. Through The Tracker (2002), Ten Canoes (2006) and now this beautiful, culminating film, they have created a patchwork of Aboriginal stories, both spiritual and temporal. Charlie’s Country is much more brutal and possibly the best of the three. […] Gulpili’s extraordinary grace and physical ease is still there but his face is now ravaged by time and history, and some of the close-ups here are terribly haunting. These films are a powerful window on Aboriginal culture, made as a collaboration… In every sense, they’re a gift to the nation.” Paul Byrnes, The Sydney Morning Herald Winner: Best Actor, Un Certain Regard, Cannes Film Festival

    Director will be attending screening(s).

    DIRECTOR: Rolf de Heer
    Producer: Nils Erik Nielsen, Rolf de Heer, Peter Djigirr
    Editor: Tania Nehme
    Screenwriter: Rolf de Heer, David Gulpilil
    Cinematographer: Ian Jones
    Music: Graham Tardif
    Principal Cast: David Gulpilil, Peter Djigirr, Luke Ford, Peter Minygululu, Jennifer Budukpuduk Gaykamangu

    Corn Island
    Simindis kundzuli
    Georgia, 2014, 100 Minute Running Time
    Topics: Drama, Seniors, War
    Programs: Another Europe, Awards Buzz
    Language: Abkhazian English Sub-Titles

    Awards: KVIFF Grand Prize

    The Inguri River forms a natural border dividing Georgia from Abkhazia. Tensions between the two nations have not abated since the war of 1992–93. This fable-like drama, shot on 35mm, captures the inexorable cycle of life in this harsh place, which is nevertheless full of wild, expressive beauty. Every spring the river brings fertile soil from the Caucasus down to the plains of Abkhazia and northwestern Georgia, creating tiny islands. The islands are havens for wildlife and occasionally also for local peasants who find them perfect for the cultivation of a crop to supplement their income. An old Abkhaz farmer builds a hut for himself and his teenage granddaughter on one of these islands. He ploughs the earth and together they sow corn. As his granddaughter blossoms into womanhood and the corn ripens, border patrol boats from the two feuding countries frequently pass, reminders of the dangers of cultivating in no-man’s land. “An astonishing feat of cinema presented with the utmost modesty… an unparalleled big screen experience.” Peter Debruge, Variety Winner: Best Film, Ecumenical Prize, Karlovy Vary Film Festival; Grand Prix, Split; Audience Award, Athens

    Director will be attending screening(s).

    DIRECTOR: George Ovashvili
    Producer: Guillaume de Seille, Nino Devdariani, Eike Goreczka, George Ovashvili
    Editor: Sun-min Kim
    Screenwriter: Roelof Jan Minneboo, George Ovashvili, Nugzar Shataidze
    Cinematographer: Elemer Ragalyi
    Music: Iosif Bardanashvili
    Principal Cast: Ilyas Salman, Mariam Buturishvili, Irakli Samushia, Tamer Levent

    Three Windows and a Hanging
    Tri dritare dhe nje varje
    Kosovo, 2014, 93 Minute Running Time
    North American Premiere
    Topics: Drama, War, Women
    Programs: Another Europe, Awards Buzz
    Language: Albanian English Sub-Titles

    Awards: Connecting Cottbus 2012, Best Pitch Award; Sarjevo Film Festival 2013, Cinelink’s Work in Progress

    Set in a traditional Kosovar village a year after the war with Serbia, this finely written and directed drama provides a critical look at a patriarchal culture threatened by the knowledge that the enemy violated their women. When a local woman anonymously reveals to an international journalist that she and others were raped, the fallout from this once-repressed secret threatens to tear apart the fabric of village life. The action takes place in a scenic mountain enclave that is trying to rebuild after the war. When the article about the wartime rapes appears, the controlling mayor tells the local men that schoolmarm Lushe must be the source, and advises them to shun both her and her lad. While they are happy to comply because they believe Lushe has brought shame on them and their village, they can’t stop wondering about the identities of the three other raped women mentioned in the article. The choice of Three Windows as a foreign-language Oscar entry signals a coming to terms with something previously considered too shameful to discuss. Winner: Cineuropa Award, Sarajevo Film Festival

    DIRECTOR: Isa Qosja
    Producer: Shkumbin Istrefi, Mentor Shala
    Editor: Agron Vula
    Screenwriter: Zymber Kelmendi
    Cinematographer: Gökhan Tiryaki
    Principal Cast: Irena Cahani, Luan Jaha, Donat Qosja, Orik Morina, Aurita Agushi, Leonora Mehmetaj

    The Square (Al Midan )
    Egypt, 2013, 99 Minute Running Time
    Additional Countries: USA
    Language: Arabic English Sub-Titles

    “The people demand the downfall of the regime!” This slogan echoed throughout Cairo’s Tahrir Square during the revolutionary fervor of the Arab Spring that gripped Egypt and enthralled the world. But who were the people shouting the slogan, what drew them to “The Square,” and, given the convoluted events that followed, what did it all mean, anyway?

    These questions are addressed in the most cinematic way possible in Jehane Noujaim’s revelatory documentary. From Mubarak’s fall to the removal from power of Mohamed Morsi, The Square focuses mainly on the lives of three charismatic activists. No mere chronological recitation of events, The Square provides all the elements of a great movie: compelling, complex characters; a propulsive and unpredictable plot; a succession of eye-popping images; and, most important, an emotional core that connects with our own inner lives and gives the movie its universal appeal.

    “[The Square] puts you in the center of the action to the extent that the protesters’ passion is so contagious, it seems to leap off the screen and into your heart.”
    – Stephen Holden, The New York Times

    Winner: Audience Awards, Sundance and Toronto Film Festivals

    DIRECTOR: Jehane Noujaim
    Producer: Karim Amer
    Editor: Christopher De La Torre, Mohamed el Manasterly, Pierre Haberer, Stefan Ronowicz, Pedro Kos
    Cinematographer: Muhammad Hamdy, Ahmed Hassan, Cressida Trew
    Music: H. Scott Salinas, Jonas Colstrup
    Principal Cast: Khalid Abdalla, Magdy Ashour, Aida Elkashef, Ramy Essam, Ahmed Hassan, Ragia Omran
    Filmography: Rafea: Solar Mama (2012)
    Storm from the South (2006)
    Control Room (2004)
    Startup.com (2001)

    Timbuktu
    Le chagrin des oiseaux
    Mauritania, 2013, 97 Minute Running Time
    Additional Countries: France
    Topics: African Interest, Political, Religion
    Program: Awards Buzz
    Language: French English Sub-Titles

    Awards: Francois Chalais Prize, Ecumenical Jury, Cannes; Best Feature Film Award, Jerusalem Film Festival

    Sissako’s first feature since 2007’s Bamako is a swift, forceful response to the brief but traumatic months in 2013 when foreign Jihadists seized control of the northern Malian city and imposed Sharia law (an incursion eventually repelled by the former colonial power, France). Unsurprisingly, the film shows little sympathy for the insurgents, whose zealotry rides roughshod over Timbuktu’s traditionally moderate Islamism. Women are instructed to cover their heads and hide their hands. Music and soccer is banned. Much worse is to come. Timbuktu is distinguished by Sissako’s supple navigation of a wide spectrum of individuals and moods (including a fair bit of humour and warmth) and refusal to caricature even men whose intolerance marks them as his polar opposite. His images have an easy, graceful flow and balance. This is often a very beautiful film to watch and listen to (DP Sofian El Fani shot Blue is the Warmest Color) even if it’s also difficult not to avert your eyes as the Jihadists exert their merciless, calamitous authority over the lives of proud Tuareg cattle herder Kadine and his family. Winner: Ecumenical Award, Cannes Film Festival

    Director will be attending screening(s).

    DIRECTOR: Abderrahmane Sissako
    Producer: Sylvie Pialat, Abderrahmane Sissako
    Editor: Nadia Ben Rachid
    Screenwriter: Abderrahmane Sissako, Kessen Tall
    Cinematographer: Sofian El Fani
    Music: Amine Bouhafa
    Principal Cast: Ibrahim Ahmed, Toulou Kiki, Abel Jafri, Fatoumata Diawara

    Today
    Emrouz
    Iran, 2014, 87 Minute Running Time
    Topics: Drama, Middle East
    Program: Awards Buzz
    Language: Persian English Sub-Titles

    Awards: Rabat: Best Film, Audience Award and Best Performance by an Actor (Parviz Parastui)

    At times it seems a chasm of cultural difference stretches on towards infinity between Iran and U.S.A. With her film Today, director and co-writer Reza Mirkarimi offers insight into what it is to be a pregnant woman without a man in that country. And this subtle yet profound offering somehow shrinks that daunting void down to something tender and relatable. Mirkarimi does not spell it out, but if you observe carefully and do the math, you can see trouble coming from the moment Youness spots a pregnant young woman standing across the street. She slips into his cab and asks him to take her to hospital. After a journey wrought with misinformation and rerouting, you just know Youness should move on. But he doesn’t. Her agenda is unclear and although danger seems to be lurking, his compassion pushes him forth. It is heart-rending to watch as a host of mis-perceptions conspire to condemn the kind-hearted and victimize the victim. And although this young woman is manipulative, in the end, one is left with the question, “What would I have done?” Winner: Best Film, Best Actor, Audience Award, Rabat Film Festival

    DIRECTOR: Reza Mirkarimi
    Producer: Reza Mirkarimi
    Editor: Reza Mirkarimi
    Screenwriter: Reza Mirkarimi, Shadmehr Rastin
    Cinematographer: Houman Behmanesh
    Music: Amin Honarmand
    Principal Cast: Parviz Parastui, Soheila Golestani, Shabnam Moghadami

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email
    Luz Aguado

    Luz Aguado was born in Guanajuato, Mexico and grew up in East Los Angeles. She is the oldest of four siblings. Prior to attending The Art Institute, Luz was a student at the University of California Riverside where she studied biology and aspired to become a medical doctor. Now she studies Media Arts and Animation at The Art Institute of Los Angeles and hopes of one day having the opportunity to work for Disney Animation Studios. Three dimensional animation and the innovative techniques that have given animation a more realistic appearance is something that she wishes to focus on while at The Art Institute.

    Related Posts

    Poor Thing, Wins Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival

    Sundance Film Festival Asia

    French rising star, Adèle Exarchopoulos, 4 top favorite movies

    Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

    You must be logged in to post a comment.



    Most donations are tax deductible.
    Latest Stories
    09/19/2023

    Jasmin Mozaffari’s short film ‘Motherland, wins TIFF award

    09/10/2023

    Poor Thing, Wins Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival

    09/07/2023

    Toronto Film Festival 2023

    09/07/2023

    Iranian Influential Women: Rakhshan Bani-Etemad

    Bridging The Border Award

    At a time when physical, religious, racial, cultural, and economic borders divide the population of our planet, efforts to bridge those borders should be appreciated. In that spirit, Cinema Without Borders presents Bridging the Borders Award to the films that are most successful in bridging and …Read More

     

    I, Immigrant, International Film Festival
    CineEqual

    CinéEqual represents filmmakers, institutions, and community members with a focus on social justice cinema. As an integrated unit of CWB, it promotes a diverse, inclusive, and equitable democratic society that values the worth of all humans…Read More

     

    About
    About

    Cinema Without Borders is a meeting place of independent cinema. Based in Los Angeles, CWB puts the spotlight on rising talent around the globe to achieve its mission, which is to serve and strengthen communities of filmmakers and film students across real and virtual borders.

    Copyright Cinema Without Borders@2018

    Popular Posts
    01/02/2001

    Cinecon 46-The 46th edition of the Classic Film Festival

    10/09/2006

    An Interview with Jonathan Wolf, Managing Director of AFM

    10/11/2006

    Film & TV production in Afghanistan

    Article Photos
    NasserFarhoudiWP
    SiggrpphSlider
    FundingCoverImage
    6-RADUSlider
    Nouredin-WP-Slider
    NOHOFestival-WP-Slider
    MiamiFF-WP-Slider
    MarkTamez-WP-Slider
    LouderThanBombs-WP-Slider
    HP-Rick-WP-Slider
    HP-Bridging-2-WP-Slider
    HP-Bridging-1-WP-Slider
    Contacts & Credits

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.