This month’s installment of Deep Cuts Rising features a variety of horror movies. Some selections reflect a specific day or event in July, and others were chosen at random.
Regardless of how they came to be here, or what they’re about, these past movies can generally be considered overlooked, forgotten or unknown.
This month’s offerings feature a giant monster bug, home invaders, a zombie boy, a killer videographer, and a water spirit.
Blue Monkey (1987)
Directed by William Fruet.
As its name suggests, Pandemonium Day (July 14) is all about bedlam. And William Fruet’s Canadian tax-shelter movie Blue Monkey (a.k.a. Insect!) is as chaotic as they come. Originally called “Green Monkey” at one point, this movie’s final title is still a misnomer; there are no monkeys here. Instead, the characters battle a deadly parasite inside a quarantined hospital.
Fruet (Killer Party) delivered a gooey and...
Regardless of how they came to be here, or what they’re about, these past movies can generally be considered overlooked, forgotten or unknown.
This month’s offerings feature a giant monster bug, home invaders, a zombie boy, a killer videographer, and a water spirit.
Blue Monkey (1987)
Directed by William Fruet.
As its name suggests, Pandemonium Day (July 14) is all about bedlam. And William Fruet’s Canadian tax-shelter movie Blue Monkey (a.k.a. Insect!) is as chaotic as they come. Originally called “Green Monkey” at one point, this movie’s final title is still a misnomer; there are no monkeys here. Instead, the characters battle a deadly parasite inside a quarantined hospital.
Fruet (Killer Party) delivered a gooey and...
- 6/30/2023
- by Paul Lê
- bloody-disgusting.com
Focusing on the positive impact that horror can have on people who live with mental illness, Mental Health & Horror: A Documentary is directed by Jonathan Barkan, and Daily Dead Editor-in-Chief Jonathan James has supported this project and will be credited as an associate producer. With the documentary in its final hours of its Indiegogo campaign, we've been provided with an exclusive clip and casting news to share with Daily Dead readers!
We're thrilled to exclusively share that in addition to its already impressive list of interviewees, Mental Health & Horror: A Documentary will also feature interviews with filmmaker and actor Larry Fessenden, filmmaker Ted Geoghegan, and filmmaker and horror host Blair Bathory (Fear Haus)!
Below, you can watch our exclusive clip featuring Fessenden, and to learn more about Mental Health & Horror: A Documentary, visit the documentary's Indiegogo page and official website!
Mental Health & Horror: A Documentary, the upcoming feature-length documentary discussing...
We're thrilled to exclusively share that in addition to its already impressive list of interviewees, Mental Health & Horror: A Documentary will also feature interviews with filmmaker and actor Larry Fessenden, filmmaker Ted Geoghegan, and filmmaker and horror host Blair Bathory (Fear Haus)!
Below, you can watch our exclusive clip featuring Fessenden, and to learn more about Mental Health & Horror: A Documentary, visit the documentary's Indiegogo page and official website!
Mental Health & Horror: A Documentary, the upcoming feature-length documentary discussing...
- 3/17/2022
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
Hello, everyone! This week, we only have a handful of horror and genre titles headed to Blu-ray and DVD, but several of these releases are sure to get you into the holiday spirit, including Scream Factory’s 4K release of Mike Dougherty’s Krampus: The Naughty Cut. Rlje Films is unleashing Creepshow: Season 2 on both Blu-ray and DVD (with the Creepshow Holiday Special included), and if you’re still looking to enhance your holiday spirit even more, there’s always the indie Christmas-themed anthology 13 Slays Till X-Mas coming to Blu-ray, too.
Other home media releases for December 7th include Werewolves Within (one of this writer’s favorite movies of 2021), Blue Monkey, and Broadcast Signal Intrusion.
13 Slays Till X-Mas
On December 24th, five seemingly random men are invited to a dive bar by a mysterious e-mail. They decide to pass the time by resurrecting the old tradition of telling scary stories on Christmas Eve.
Other home media releases for December 7th include Werewolves Within (one of this writer’s favorite movies of 2021), Blue Monkey, and Broadcast Signal Intrusion.
13 Slays Till X-Mas
On December 24th, five seemingly random men are invited to a dive bar by a mysterious e-mail. They decide to pass the time by resurrecting the old tradition of telling scary stories on Christmas Eve.
- 12/7/2021
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
In the upcoming Mental Health and Horror: A Documentary, writer/director Jonathan Barkan and producer Andrew Hawkins look to explore the positive impact horror movies can have on our mental health. The project looks to be a very exciting opportunity to demystify the genre’s appeal for people who don’t consider themselves horror fans while also providing validation for those who may feel weird about finding comfort in these types of films.
I had an opportunity to chat with Hawkins about the documentary, and we took some time to discuss its origins and goals, the crew’s approach to interviewing subjects, and even some of Hawkins’ own relationship with horror and mental health. (Disclosure: Daily Dead’s Editor-in-Chief Jonathan James is credited in this project as an associate producer.)
Where did the idea to do a documentary on mental health come from?
I have to give all the credit for that to Jonathan Barkan.
I had an opportunity to chat with Hawkins about the documentary, and we took some time to discuss its origins and goals, the crew’s approach to interviewing subjects, and even some of Hawkins’ own relationship with horror and mental health. (Disclosure: Daily Dead’s Editor-in-Chief Jonathan James is credited in this project as an associate producer.)
Where did the idea to do a documentary on mental health come from?
I have to give all the credit for that to Jonathan Barkan.
- 7/28/2021
- by Bryan Christopher
- DailyDead
After years of reading his thought-provoking work as a horror journalist, I was thrilled to hear the exciting news that Jonathan Barkan will direct Mental Health and Horror: A Documentary. Spotlighting the positive impact that horror can have on people that live with mental illness, this vital documentary is now available to support on Kickstarter, and we've been provided with an exclusive clip featuring insightful reflections from Abhora, a talented artist and contestant on the second season of The Boulet Brothers' Dragula.
You can check out the exclusive clip and official press release below, and to learn more about Mental Health and Horror: A Documentary, visit Kickstarter and the documentary's official website!
We're also happy to exclusively announce the following people will be joining the documentary cast: Dragpool, Carlos Baena (LA Noria), Molly Henery, and Tristan Risk!
Jonathan Barkan has teamed up with producer Andrew Hawkins to create Mental Health and Horror: A Documentary,...
You can check out the exclusive clip and official press release below, and to learn more about Mental Health and Horror: A Documentary, visit Kickstarter and the documentary's official website!
We're also happy to exclusively announce the following people will be joining the documentary cast: Dragpool, Carlos Baena (LA Noria), Molly Henery, and Tristan Risk!
Jonathan Barkan has teamed up with producer Andrew Hawkins to create Mental Health and Horror: A Documentary,...
- 7/13/2021
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
Over the last few years, we've seen an uptick in horror documentaries, looking at very important aspects of horror that may often be overlooked. I'm very excited to see Jonathan Barkan and Andrew Hawkins (and an excellent team of producers and contributors) moving forward with Mental Health and Horror: A Documentary, which will take a look at the positive impact that horror can have on people that live with mental illness.
Due out in 2022, and with an upcoming Kickstarter, here's the official announcement:
Jonathan Barkan has teamed up with producer Andrew Hawkins to create Mental Health and Horror: A Documentary, a feature-length documentary about the positive impacts and cathartic releases that horror can have on those living with mental illnesses. The documentary is currently in production and will be shooting through 2021 with an anticipated Q1 2022 world premiere.
Mental Health and Horror: A Documentary will feature interviews from horror fans, film critics,...
Due out in 2022, and with an upcoming Kickstarter, here's the official announcement:
Jonathan Barkan has teamed up with producer Andrew Hawkins to create Mental Health and Horror: A Documentary, a feature-length documentary about the positive impacts and cathartic releases that horror can have on those living with mental illnesses. The documentary is currently in production and will be shooting through 2021 with an anticipated Q1 2022 world premiere.
Mental Health and Horror: A Documentary will feature interviews from horror fans, film critics,...
- 6/16/2021
- by Jonathan James
- DailyDead
Hello, dear readers! We have a brand new collection of home media releases to look forward to this week, including one of the best horror comedies of 2020 - Christopher Landon’s Freaky. If you haven’t had a chance to check it out yet, the disaster-centric thriller Greenland also arrives on both Blu-ray and DVD this Tuesday, and for those of you who enjoy your sci-fi with a bit of a horror twist to it, be sure to check out Sputnik from Russian filmmaker Egor Abramenko.
Other releases for February 9th include the Steelbook edition for My Bloody Valentine (1981), Blue Monkey Aka Insect, Tourist Trap: Uncut, Devil’s Express, Devil Times Five, Happy Times, and Santo In The Treasure of Dracula: The Sexy Vampire Version 4K.
Blue Monkey Aka Insect
Take a fifties-style horror film in the tradition of 'Them' and 'The Fly' and the cross it with the spectacular...
Other releases for February 9th include the Steelbook edition for My Bloody Valentine (1981), Blue Monkey Aka Insect, Tourist Trap: Uncut, Devil’s Express, Devil Times Five, Happy Times, and Santo In The Treasure of Dracula: The Sexy Vampire Version 4K.
Blue Monkey Aka Insect
Take a fifties-style horror film in the tradition of 'Them' and 'The Fly' and the cross it with the spectacular...
- 2/9/2021
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
The industry panel showcased recent domestic documentary works that were premiered during this year's Ji.hlava Idff. Czech documentary films were introduced by their directors during the Czech Joy in the Spotlight industry panel, which rounded up recent domestic works that enjoyed their local premiere during this year’s edition of the Ji.hlava Idff. The presentation was organised by the Ji.hlava Idff and the Czech Film Fund, in partnership with Czech Centres. Here is an overview of the films in question. Athanor – The Alchemical Furnace – Adam Oľha and Jan DaňhelSlovakian documentarian Adam Oľha, one of the two directors of Athanor – The Alchemical Furnace, introduced the project during the panel. “The story is very simple: after the last movie by Jan Švankmajer, Insect, which we were part of – I was doing the documentary part, and Jan Daňhel was doing the editing – we were following the whole process of...
Lately when I cruise the video aisles looking for tasty horror to sample, I find myself yearning for something…simple. Nothing with a boatload of subtext or heavy lifting involved; no downers and certainly nothing in the pandemic family, thank you very much. That traipsing up and down the aisles led me to Blue Monkey (1987), a fun throwback to the ‘50s giant monster flicks that flooded the drive-ins whether the teens were watching them or their date.
Released in late September by International Spectrafilm, Blue Monkey was summarily dismissed by critics at the time as just another low-budget shocker, even by horror fans; yes, I passed on this when it came out because I didn’t have a clue what a blue monkey was.
But that’s okay, because as it turns out, the filmmakers didn’t either; one of the kids in the film utters that maybe they’ll...
Released in late September by International Spectrafilm, Blue Monkey was summarily dismissed by critics at the time as just another low-budget shocker, even by horror fans; yes, I passed on this when it came out because I didn’t have a clue what a blue monkey was.
But that’s okay, because as it turns out, the filmmakers didn’t either; one of the kids in the film utters that maybe they’ll...
- 3/28/2020
- by Scott Drebit
- DailyDead
Exhumed Films 24 Hour Horror-Thon Part VIII – Design by Haunt Love
For years now, my good friend James Harris, proprietor of Doc Terror, has urged me to make the trip to Philly for Exhumed Films’ 24 Hour Horror-Thon. It sounded like an amazing time, but Philly is such a long drive for me that it never seemed reasonably possible. My wife and I discussed a way in which we could make it a trip for all of us. So, her and my son, along with her mother, came up and went on the Hershey tour, while I got my horror-thon on. With 4 people in the car, a ton of stops are going to be made. In total, it took us probably 13 and a half hours to make it to the hotel. I had only a few hours to sleep, before I would leave the hotel, en route to the Philly International House,...
For years now, my good friend James Harris, proprietor of Doc Terror, has urged me to make the trip to Philly for Exhumed Films’ 24 Hour Horror-Thon. It sounded like an amazing time, but Philly is such a long drive for me that it never seemed reasonably possible. My wife and I discussed a way in which we could make it a trip for all of us. So, her and my son, along with her mother, came up and went on the Hershey tour, while I got my horror-thon on. With 4 people in the car, a ton of stops are going to be made. In total, it took us probably 13 and a half hours to make it to the hotel. I had only a few hours to sleep, before I would leave the hotel, en route to the Philly International House,...
- 10/28/2014
- by Shawn Savage
- The Liberal Dead
The following is a list of all comic books, graphic novels and specialty items that will be available this week and shipped to comic book stores who have placed orders for them.
Abstract Studios
Rachel Rising #23, $3.99
Action Lab Entertainment
NFL Rush Zone Super Bowl Special Tp, $5.00
Alterna Comics
Fubar Guts And Glory (One Shot), $3.99
Amryl Entertainment
Cavewoman Deadly Venom (One Shot)(Bud Root Special Edition Cover), Ar
Cavewoman Deadly Venom (One Shot)(Rob Durham Regular Cover), $3.75
Cavewoman Deadly Venom (One Shot)(Rob Durham Special Edition Cover), Ar
Antarctic Press
Gold Digger #207, $3.99
Arcana Studio
7 Holes For Air Gn, $19.95
Steam Engines Of Oz Volume 2 The Geared Leviathan #3, $3.99
Archie Comic Publications
Archie 1000 Page Comics-Palooza Tp, $14.99
Archie’s Funhouse Double Digest #2, $3.99
Sonic The Hedgehog #257 (Lamar Wells Station Square Rescue Variant Cover), $2.99
Sonic The Hedgehog #257 (Rafa Knight Regular Cover), $2.99
Ardden Entertainment
Devil’s Hopyard #1, $3.99
Aspen Comics
All New Soulfire #3 (Cover A Kenneth V. Marion), $3.99
All...
Abstract Studios
Rachel Rising #23, $3.99
Action Lab Entertainment
NFL Rush Zone Super Bowl Special Tp, $5.00
Alterna Comics
Fubar Guts And Glory (One Shot), $3.99
Amryl Entertainment
Cavewoman Deadly Venom (One Shot)(Bud Root Special Edition Cover), Ar
Cavewoman Deadly Venom (One Shot)(Rob Durham Regular Cover), $3.75
Cavewoman Deadly Venom (One Shot)(Rob Durham Special Edition Cover), Ar
Antarctic Press
Gold Digger #207, $3.99
Arcana Studio
7 Holes For Air Gn, $19.95
Steam Engines Of Oz Volume 2 The Geared Leviathan #3, $3.99
Archie Comic Publications
Archie 1000 Page Comics-Palooza Tp, $14.99
Archie’s Funhouse Double Digest #2, $3.99
Sonic The Hedgehog #257 (Lamar Wells Station Square Rescue Variant Cover), $2.99
Sonic The Hedgehog #257 (Rafa Knight Regular Cover), $2.99
Ardden Entertainment
Devil’s Hopyard #1, $3.99
Aspen Comics
All New Soulfire #3 (Cover A Kenneth V. Marion), $3.99
All...
- 2/10/2014
- by Adam B.
- GeekRest
During today's Awards Ceremony in de Doelen (Rotterdam), the winners of Iffr’s nineteenth Hivos Tiger Awards Competition, as well as of the second Big Screen Award Competition and of the Netpac, Fipresci, Knf, and MovieZone awards were announced. Tomorrow Saturday, 1 February the festival audience favorites will be awarded the Upc Audience Award for best festival film and the Dioraphte Award for best Hubert Bals Fund-supported film.
Hivos Tiger Awards
Fifteen first or second films by talented filmmakers from around the globe competed in the 2014 Hivos Tiger Awards Competition. The Jury consisted of distinguished filmmaker Elia Suleiman; celebrated Dutch filmmaker Nanouk Leopold, Indonesian filmmaker and former Tiger Award nominee Edwin; Violeta Bava, Bafici programmer and film producer from Argentina and Japanese actress and producer Kiki Sugino. Each Hivos Tiger Award comes with a prize of €15,000 for the filmmaker.
The winners of the three equal Hivos Tiger Awards 2014 are:
Anatomy of a Paper Clip (Yamamori clip koujo no atari)
by Ikeda Akira (Japan, 2013)
“Challenging narrative form with precision and economy, this film elevates observations of the absurd in human behavior, and brings it into the poetic domain.”
Ikeda Akira (1976, Japan) began to make his own short films while studying English literature at Bunkyo University. After being involved in various fields such as theatre, music and dance, he directed his first feature-length film The Blue Monkey in 2006. Anatomy of a Paper Clip is his second feature.
Something Must Break (Nånting måste gå sönder)
by Ester Martin Bergsmark (Sweden, 2014)
“A free-floating personal voyage traces the pains and pleasures of intimacy, recounted in a tender depiction of characters, with a sincere and playful use of cinematographic language.”
Ester Martin Bergsmark (1982, Sweden) trained at the Swedish University College of Arts, Crafts and Design. Together with Mark Hammarberg he made the award-winning documentary Maggie in Wonderland
(2008). In 2010, he made Fruitcake as part of the experimental feminist porn suite Dirty Diaries. She Male Snails (2012) won several awards at the Gothenburg International Film Festival.
Han Gong-Ju
by Lee Su-Jin (South Korea, 2013)
“A skilfully crafted and highly accomplished debut – deviating from classicist structure, this film lures the spectator to participate in the pleasures of storytelling through an extraordinary and intricate narrative puzzle.”
Lee Su-Jin (South-Korea) is a screenwriter and director. He made several award-winning short films in his homeland. His roll of honour continues with his debut feature Han Gong-Ju, which won two awards at Busan, plus the top prize at the film festival of Marrakech.
Hivos director Edwin Huizing:
“Hivos aims to give young filmmakers a voice. To inspire us; to push boundaries. Their work has the potential to break open societies, so thoughts and creativity can flow more freely. The Hivos Tiger Awards give them the recognition they deserve.”
The Big Screen Award
Iffr introduced a new competition in 2013: The Big Screen Award Competition, aimed at supporting the distribution of films in Dutch cinemas. Ten very recent films with no Benelux distributor confirmed were nominated for this prize. An audience jury, chaired in 2014 by Christine de Baan, chose the winner. Iffr will connect a prize of €10.000 to the award in 2014. The money is for the distributor to support the costs of publicity for the releases of the winning film in cinemas in the Netherlands.
The winner of The Big Screen Award 2014 is:
Another Year
(Yeshche odin god) by Oxana Bychkova (Russia, 2014)
“At a time when Dutch media abound with negative news about Russia, Another Year
takes us straight into the daily lives of the young people who will shape its future and makes us open up our hearts to them. More than just a simple love story, it shows us how globalization meets tradition in present-day Russia, how they clash, and how they might be reconciled. Pitch perfect, beautifully acted and choreographed, modest, subtle and utterly convincing.”
Oxana Bychkova (1972, Ukraine) is a screenwriter and director. She studied journalism in Rostov-on-Don, Russia, graduating in 1995. After a career as a radio journalist, Bychkova began studying directing in 2000, focusing on filmmaking. Another Year is her first feature film.
Netpac Award
The Netpac Jury (Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema) awards the best Asian film in the Iffr 2014 Official Selection. The Jury consisted of Paul Agusta, filmmaker, filmcritic and poet from Indonesia; Defne Gursoy, film critic and writer from Turkey; and Anu Rangachar, programme director of the Mumbai Film Festival, India.
The winner of the Netpac Award 2014 is:
28
by Prasanna Jayakody (Sri Lanka, 2014)
“A well-measured and crafted film that emotionally engages the audience through poetic storytelling of a critical subject.”
Prasanna Jayakody (1968, Sri Lanka) was born into an artistic family strongly rooted in traditional Sinhala values, and grew up in a Buddhist environment. This became a major inspiration for his productions. He made his debut at the age of 21 with the stage drama Shadows and Men, which was a critical success. He then started directing television dramas that were loved by the masses and won him numerous television awards. His earlier films Sankara (2006) and Karma (2010) have also screened at Iffr.
Fipresci Award
The Jury of the International Association of Film Critics Fipresci (Fédération Internationale de la Presse Cinématographique) awards the best film among the twenty-two world premieres in Bright Future 2014. The Jury consisted of president Blagoja Kunovski, Macedonia (Mrtv, Kinopis, Sintheses); Maria Fosheim Lund, Norway (Aftenposten, Wuxia); Guilhem Caillard, Canada (Séquences, Panorama-Cinéma, Cineuropa); Alberto Castellano, Italy (Il Manifesto, Segnocinema) and Sasja Koetsier, the Netherlands (De Filmkrant, Tijdschrift Lover).
The winner of the Rotterdam Fipresci Award 2014 is:
The Songs of Rice (Pleng khong kao)
by Uruphong Raksasad (Thailand, 2014)
“Fully relying on its strong cinematography, it creates an immersive sensory experience that makes us part of a vivid community revolving around the cultivation of a tiny grain.”
Uruphong Raksasad (1977, Thailand) studied film and photography at Thammasat University. After graduating in 2004, he worked as an editor and post-production supervisor on several Thai feature films. Since 2004, he has focused on his own career, returning to the region where he was born and shooting his feature debut Stories from the North (2006). The Songs of Rice is his third feature.
Knf Award
For the Knf Award, The Dutch Circle of Film Critics (Knf) Jury chose the winner out of the ten films in The Big Screen Award Competition 2014. The Knf Award consists of a subtitled Dcp. The Knf Jury consisted of Kees Driessen (Vrij Nederland); Paul van Es (Troskompas/TVKrant); Jelle Schot (Vpro/Cinema.nl); Nienke Huitenga (Lola/Filmtab) and Quirijn Foeken (Biosagenda).
The winner of the Knf Award 2014 is:
To Kill a Man (Matar a un hombre)
by Alejandro Fernández Almendras (Chile/France, 2013)
Read the review by Carlos Aguilar Here
“A compelling film with great visual style, impressive acting, and exactly the right length. The story is both simple and challenging. We follow the humiliation of the protagonist step by step and are confronted with our own fears in the process. This unremitting psychological thriller deserves to be seen on the big screen.”
Alejandro Fernández Almendras (1971, Chile) has a degree in journalism and worked as a film critic, photographer and journalist. Since 2002, he makes short films and video installations. His award-winning feature film debut Huacho (Alone)
premiered in Cannes in 2009.
MovieZone Award
MovieZone Jury gives young people the opportunity to fully experience a film festival and present their opinions on film. The MovieZone Iffr Jury consisted of five members between the ages of 15 and 18: Hanneke Bijker; Dzifa Kusenuh; Mauro Casarini; Moeddie Sherif and Floris Detering. In Rotterdam, they selected the winner out of eighteen eligible festival films. The winner of the MovieZone Iffr Award 2014 receives € 1,500 for promotion of the film among young people. The film also has a chance to become part of an Eye educational film programm.
The winner of the MovieZone Award 2014 is:
Jacky in the Kingdom of Women (Jacky au royaume des filles)
by Riad Sattouf (France, 2014)
“It was like a classical fairytale but with a completely different point of view. The makers of the film created a whole new world with the art direction and costume design and the film had a theme that everyone can relate to. The film was really funny but also had a great message.”
Riad Sattouf (1978, France) is a French writer, comic book artist and director with Syrian roots. He has successfully published various graphic novels and has a weekly comic in the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo. In 2009, he made his directing debut with the award-winning film Les beaux gosses. Jacky au royaume des filles is his second film.
Iffr previously announced winners of the Canon Tiger Awards for Short Films
and Arte International and Eurimages for best CineMart 2014 projects...
Hivos Tiger Awards
Fifteen first or second films by talented filmmakers from around the globe competed in the 2014 Hivos Tiger Awards Competition. The Jury consisted of distinguished filmmaker Elia Suleiman; celebrated Dutch filmmaker Nanouk Leopold, Indonesian filmmaker and former Tiger Award nominee Edwin; Violeta Bava, Bafici programmer and film producer from Argentina and Japanese actress and producer Kiki Sugino. Each Hivos Tiger Award comes with a prize of €15,000 for the filmmaker.
The winners of the three equal Hivos Tiger Awards 2014 are:
Anatomy of a Paper Clip (Yamamori clip koujo no atari)
by Ikeda Akira (Japan, 2013)
“Challenging narrative form with precision and economy, this film elevates observations of the absurd in human behavior, and brings it into the poetic domain.”
Ikeda Akira (1976, Japan) began to make his own short films while studying English literature at Bunkyo University. After being involved in various fields such as theatre, music and dance, he directed his first feature-length film The Blue Monkey in 2006. Anatomy of a Paper Clip is his second feature.
Something Must Break (Nånting måste gå sönder)
by Ester Martin Bergsmark (Sweden, 2014)
“A free-floating personal voyage traces the pains and pleasures of intimacy, recounted in a tender depiction of characters, with a sincere and playful use of cinematographic language.”
Ester Martin Bergsmark (1982, Sweden) trained at the Swedish University College of Arts, Crafts and Design. Together with Mark Hammarberg he made the award-winning documentary Maggie in Wonderland
(2008). In 2010, he made Fruitcake as part of the experimental feminist porn suite Dirty Diaries. She Male Snails (2012) won several awards at the Gothenburg International Film Festival.
Han Gong-Ju
by Lee Su-Jin (South Korea, 2013)
“A skilfully crafted and highly accomplished debut – deviating from classicist structure, this film lures the spectator to participate in the pleasures of storytelling through an extraordinary and intricate narrative puzzle.”
Lee Su-Jin (South-Korea) is a screenwriter and director. He made several award-winning short films in his homeland. His roll of honour continues with his debut feature Han Gong-Ju, which won two awards at Busan, plus the top prize at the film festival of Marrakech.
Hivos director Edwin Huizing:
“Hivos aims to give young filmmakers a voice. To inspire us; to push boundaries. Their work has the potential to break open societies, so thoughts and creativity can flow more freely. The Hivos Tiger Awards give them the recognition they deserve.”
The Big Screen Award
Iffr introduced a new competition in 2013: The Big Screen Award Competition, aimed at supporting the distribution of films in Dutch cinemas. Ten very recent films with no Benelux distributor confirmed were nominated for this prize. An audience jury, chaired in 2014 by Christine de Baan, chose the winner. Iffr will connect a prize of €10.000 to the award in 2014. The money is for the distributor to support the costs of publicity for the releases of the winning film in cinemas in the Netherlands.
The winner of The Big Screen Award 2014 is:
Another Year
(Yeshche odin god) by Oxana Bychkova (Russia, 2014)
“At a time when Dutch media abound with negative news about Russia, Another Year
takes us straight into the daily lives of the young people who will shape its future and makes us open up our hearts to them. More than just a simple love story, it shows us how globalization meets tradition in present-day Russia, how they clash, and how they might be reconciled. Pitch perfect, beautifully acted and choreographed, modest, subtle and utterly convincing.”
Oxana Bychkova (1972, Ukraine) is a screenwriter and director. She studied journalism in Rostov-on-Don, Russia, graduating in 1995. After a career as a radio journalist, Bychkova began studying directing in 2000, focusing on filmmaking. Another Year is her first feature film.
Netpac Award
The Netpac Jury (Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema) awards the best Asian film in the Iffr 2014 Official Selection. The Jury consisted of Paul Agusta, filmmaker, filmcritic and poet from Indonesia; Defne Gursoy, film critic and writer from Turkey; and Anu Rangachar, programme director of the Mumbai Film Festival, India.
The winner of the Netpac Award 2014 is:
28
by Prasanna Jayakody (Sri Lanka, 2014)
“A well-measured and crafted film that emotionally engages the audience through poetic storytelling of a critical subject.”
Prasanna Jayakody (1968, Sri Lanka) was born into an artistic family strongly rooted in traditional Sinhala values, and grew up in a Buddhist environment. This became a major inspiration for his productions. He made his debut at the age of 21 with the stage drama Shadows and Men, which was a critical success. He then started directing television dramas that were loved by the masses and won him numerous television awards. His earlier films Sankara (2006) and Karma (2010) have also screened at Iffr.
Fipresci Award
The Jury of the International Association of Film Critics Fipresci (Fédération Internationale de la Presse Cinématographique) awards the best film among the twenty-two world premieres in Bright Future 2014. The Jury consisted of president Blagoja Kunovski, Macedonia (Mrtv, Kinopis, Sintheses); Maria Fosheim Lund, Norway (Aftenposten, Wuxia); Guilhem Caillard, Canada (Séquences, Panorama-Cinéma, Cineuropa); Alberto Castellano, Italy (Il Manifesto, Segnocinema) and Sasja Koetsier, the Netherlands (De Filmkrant, Tijdschrift Lover).
The winner of the Rotterdam Fipresci Award 2014 is:
The Songs of Rice (Pleng khong kao)
by Uruphong Raksasad (Thailand, 2014)
“Fully relying on its strong cinematography, it creates an immersive sensory experience that makes us part of a vivid community revolving around the cultivation of a tiny grain.”
Uruphong Raksasad (1977, Thailand) studied film and photography at Thammasat University. After graduating in 2004, he worked as an editor and post-production supervisor on several Thai feature films. Since 2004, he has focused on his own career, returning to the region where he was born and shooting his feature debut Stories from the North (2006). The Songs of Rice is his third feature.
Knf Award
For the Knf Award, The Dutch Circle of Film Critics (Knf) Jury chose the winner out of the ten films in The Big Screen Award Competition 2014. The Knf Award consists of a subtitled Dcp. The Knf Jury consisted of Kees Driessen (Vrij Nederland); Paul van Es (Troskompas/TVKrant); Jelle Schot (Vpro/Cinema.nl); Nienke Huitenga (Lola/Filmtab) and Quirijn Foeken (Biosagenda).
The winner of the Knf Award 2014 is:
To Kill a Man (Matar a un hombre)
by Alejandro Fernández Almendras (Chile/France, 2013)
Read the review by Carlos Aguilar Here
“A compelling film with great visual style, impressive acting, and exactly the right length. The story is both simple and challenging. We follow the humiliation of the protagonist step by step and are confronted with our own fears in the process. This unremitting psychological thriller deserves to be seen on the big screen.”
Alejandro Fernández Almendras (1971, Chile) has a degree in journalism and worked as a film critic, photographer and journalist. Since 2002, he makes short films and video installations. His award-winning feature film debut Huacho (Alone)
premiered in Cannes in 2009.
MovieZone Award
MovieZone Jury gives young people the opportunity to fully experience a film festival and present their opinions on film. The MovieZone Iffr Jury consisted of five members between the ages of 15 and 18: Hanneke Bijker; Dzifa Kusenuh; Mauro Casarini; Moeddie Sherif and Floris Detering. In Rotterdam, they selected the winner out of eighteen eligible festival films. The winner of the MovieZone Iffr Award 2014 receives € 1,500 for promotion of the film among young people. The film also has a chance to become part of an Eye educational film programm.
The winner of the MovieZone Award 2014 is:
Jacky in the Kingdom of Women (Jacky au royaume des filles)
by Riad Sattouf (France, 2014)
“It was like a classical fairytale but with a completely different point of view. The makers of the film created a whole new world with the art direction and costume design and the film had a theme that everyone can relate to. The film was really funny but also had a great message.”
Riad Sattouf (1978, France) is a French writer, comic book artist and director with Syrian roots. He has successfully published various graphic novels and has a weekly comic in the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo. In 2009, he made his directing debut with the award-winning film Les beaux gosses. Jacky au royaume des filles is his second film.
Iffr previously announced winners of the Canon Tiger Awards for Short Films
and Arte International and Eurimages for best CineMart 2014 projects...
- 2/1/2014
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
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