Palm Springs ShortFest International Film Festival and Market will open on June 20th and will run until June 26th. Like the ten past years, Cinema Without Borders offers HP Bridging The Borders Award to a film that helps bringing people of our planet closer together.
Nominees for the 2017 HP Bridging The Borders Award, selected by a team of festival programmers are: Eyes of Exodus (USA/Greece), Facing Mecca (Switzerland), Facing the Wall (Israel), Love the Sinner (USA), NORTH (Spain), PANTHEON (France), Pria (Indonesia/USA), Spice Sisters (Australia), Towards the Sun (U.K./USA), THE TRANSFER (Germany/Israel), The Wait (USA/Mexico) and The World In Your Window (New Zealand).
The winner of the HP Bridging The Borders Award sponsored by HP will receive a HP Mobile Workstation, a value of $4000.
2017 HP Bridging The Borders Award Jury Members are:
Susan Morgan Cooper
Susan Morgan Cooper is a Director/Producer/ Writer and her credits include:
To the Moon and Back, Documentary, Director/Producer/Writer 2016 (A cinematic act of love and courage’ … Broadway World) – Hopper [In his own words] Documentary, Producer/Writer 2013 (“I was moved to tears” Mike Medavoy) – Mulberry Child, Documentary, Director/Producer/Writer 2012 (‘A powerful and touching film’… 31/2 stars. Roger Ebert) – An Unlikely Weapon [The Eddie Adams Story]..Documentary, Director/Producer/Writer 2008 ( ‘A terrific documentary’ The Hollywood Reporter) – Making Of Shadows in The Sun, Documentary, Director/Producer/Writer 2005 – Heroes And Sheroes. Television Series, Director/Producer/Writer 2000
Mirjana: One Girl’s Journey, Documentary, Director/Producer/Writer 1997 – Stringers, Narrative Short Director/Producer/Writer 1990 – Hadley’s Rebellion, Narrative Feature Associate Producer 1989
Hossein Jafarian
Hossein Jafarian is one of the leading cinematographers of Iranian cinema. He has shot over 50 feature length films over the course of the past four decades. Films that have won much critical praise in international film festivals from Cannes to Berlin to the Academy Awards. His credits include collaborations with some of the masters of Iranian cinema, including Through the Olive Trees with Abbas Kiarostami, Crimson Gold with Jafar Panahi, Under The Skin of the City with Rakhshan Bani Etemad and most recently three films with Asghar Farhadi; Fireworks Wednesday, About Elly and the Oscar-winning The Salesman.
Vera Mijojlic
Vera Mijojlic is the founder and director of SEEfest, the South East European Film Festival in Los Angeles. Over the past dozen years, she has positioned the festival as the premier cinematic showcase of eighteen Southeast European countries. Vera also works as a creative adviser to independent filmmakers, and has a distinguished record in humanitarian work. She began as a cultural reporter and film critic in Sarajevo, and holds a degree in journalism from the University of Belgrade.
Ramin Niami
Ramin Niami has worked as a writer, director, and producer in the US, UK, and Iran for twenty television documentaries, many of them broadcast by Channel Four, PBS, and Iranian TV. His last documentary is the award-winning blues feature Babe’s and Ricky’s Inn. Niami also wrote, produced and directed feature films such as Somewhere in the City, Paris, and Shirin in Love. His films were released theatrically and shown on platforms including HBO, Cinemax, TMC, and Showtime.
Bijan Tehrani
Bijan Tehrani a film director, film critic and writer, works as Editor in Chief of Cinema Without Borders while teaching Language & History of film workshops and organizes film screening events and festivals. Bijan has won several awards in international film festivals and book fairs for his short films and children’s books.
