[NYTr] New Latin American Film Festival in Havana Dec 5-14 Date: Thu, 6 Dec 2007 17:19:50 -0600 (CST) Via NY Transfer News Collective * All the News that Doesn't Fit Granma International - Dec 6, 2007 http://www.granma.cu/ingles/2007/diciembre/juev6/Gabriel%20Garc%EDa%20M%E1rquez.html GarcC-a MC!rquez in Havana: "Ibm not a guest, but one of the founders" ONE of the founders of the Festival of New Latin American Cinema, Colombian Gabriel GarcC-a MC!rquez arrived Wednesday in Havana to take part in the 29th edition of the event. Gabriel GarcC-a MC!rquez"I am not a guest invited to the Festival, but rather one if its founders," GarcC-a MC!rquez, 1982 winner of the Nobel Literature Prize, said in a statement to Prensa Latina shortly after arriving at the capital citybs JosC) MartC- Airport. GarcC-a MC!rquez, an impassioned film aficionado, has written a number of scripts and joins a constellation of cinema figures scheduled to attend the Havana event, such as actors Javier Bardem, Gael GarcC-a Bernal and Diego Luna The festival that will continue through December 14 was inaugurated Tuesday with a concert by Argentine Fito PC!ez, who performed a dozen of his most well-known songs, one a duo with Cuban singer Santiago FeliC:. During the opening gala Jennifer Weiss, one of the producers of the film Redacted, directed by Brian de Palma, read a message from the U.S. director lamenting his countrybs refusal to grant him a visa to attend the premier of the film in Cuba. [See below] Translated by Granma International *** Prensa Latina, Havana http://www.plenglish.com Estela Bravo to Premiere Film in Cuba Havana, Dec 6 (Prensa Latina) US documentary maker Estela Bravo is to present for a first time Thursday in this festival a documentary on the search for kidnapped children during the 1976-1983 Argentinean military dictatorship. The film, entitled "Qui,n soy yo?" is a continuation of the Argentine film "Missing Children," shot in 1984. Bravo told Prensa Latina that the movie presents four of 500 children delivered to friends of soldiers who tortured and murdered their parents, who have been found by the grandmothers of Plaza de Mayo. "These are traumatic processes, difficult to be assimilated, being brought up by those who killed their relatives," she said. The documentary maker stated that this was one of the most complex projects for the stories of their protagonists. The latter of 88 people found so far is called Belen, 29, who was brought up with an adoptive family and appears in the film. "Qui,n soy yo?" is one of the 27 documentaries in competition for a Coral award in the festival, to be run until December 14. hr/iff/may/ag/mf *** Granma International Dec 5, 2007 via Jane Franklin [No URL provided] [The New York Times film critic A.O. Scott calls "Redacted" a "hodgepodge" and writes: "Mr. De Palmabs premise, implicit in his choice of title and stated in many interviews and public pronouncements, is that the truth about Iraq has been edited and obscured, kept away from the American public." The Times noted that it was opening November 16 in "selected cities." Variety's review says the movie's bullet misses the mark. I wonder if this movie is being "obscured, kept away from the American public," who are being persuaded that it's not worth seeing anyway. Meanwhile, Cubans are getting to see it at the Festival of New Latin American Cinema in Havana, but de Palma is not being allowed to go there for the showing. Jane Franklin http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/jbfranklins ] GRANMA International - Dec 5, 2007 29th International Festival of New Latin American Cinema Brian de Palma not authorized to travel to Havana Festival event opens with the screening of "Redacted" and a concert by Argentine Fito PC!ez BY MIREYA CASTACEDA Granma International staff writer BRIAN de Palma, one of the key figures in contemporary U.S. cinema was unable to arrive in person in Havana, because, as he said in a message read out during the opening gala of the Festival of New Latin American Cinema, "The State Department couldnbt find a visa for me." Nevertheless, his most recent film "Redacted," an extraordinary report about the tragedy of the U.S. invasion of Iraq and how it has been presented, or redacted, by the so-called mainstream press, was shown during the inauguration of the annual film event in the capital citybs Karl Marx theater. The theater was filled to capacity with some 5,000 people, silenced by the intense emotion and shock provoked by the film which won De Palma a best directorbs award at the 2007 Venice Film Festival. The film was introduced by its two producers, Jennifer Weiss and Simona Urld, who said that it was an honor to show the film at the Havana festival and for the first time in Latin America. They then read out De Palmabs message in which he reaffirmed his great love for the Cuban people and how much he wanted to have been present: "I identify with the culture so much. It seems that the State Department couldnbt find a visa for me. Toast me with a cafC) con leche!" The inaugural evening opened with a brief concert by Argentine Fito PaC)z on piano, accompanied by a guitarist on two or three songs and joined by Cuban trovador Santiago FeliC: on one occasion. Singing along with his ballads was a predominately young audience but one that also included those who remembered his first visit to Cuba for the Varadero Festival of Song in the late 1970bs. Fito brought a high note of joy to the Festival during which his non-competing filmB?De quiC)n es el portaligas? will be shown. He opened his concert with bYo vengo a ofrecer mi corazC3nb to, as he said, "this always beloved city". As is customary, Alfredo Guevara, president of the Festival, welcomed the continentbs filmmakers. In his message, Guevara recalled the 40th anniversary of the ViC1a del Mar event, "an expression of insurgency and searching" that later gave rise to the New Latin American Cinema and commented that "Latin America today is sowing new dawns and the younger generations are bringing encouraging messages." The Festivalbs December 14 closing event has been announced and will feature the screening of the British documentary Earth, directed by Alastair Fothergill and Mark Linfield, filmed in more than 200 locations in 26 countries. *** * ================================================================= NY Transfer News Collective * A Service of Blythe Systems Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us Our main website: http://www.blythe.org List Archives: http://blythe-systems.com/pipermail/nytr/ Subscribe: http://blythe-systems.com/mailman/listinfo/nytr =================================================================