2008 wishes

Eid Mubarak

wishes for Eid and a nice picture from today's celebrations

last days in Dubai

The film festival is over! Masoud and Simon announced the projects for next year Competition Asia Africa We went to see the opening of the group exhibition Life Drawing approaches to figurative practices at the Third Line gallery http://www.thethirdline.com/ It took a while to find it cause the taxi driver didnt realy know the area but it was worth it .Hayv Kahraman an Iraqi who lives in Sweden was my favouritre work from what I saw..all hermpaintings are doing a strong statement with a great aesthetic technique.I also loved her matriochkas! I am posting some reflections on that on my other blog http://alwaysthesea.blogspot.com/ Later on came Adel Khozam and Samuel Shimon an Iraqi who lives in London who publishes with his wife Margaret the very interesting magazine Banipal http://www.banipal.co.uk/ now celebrating its 10th year.I read very good poetry in this magazine including Adel's.In the picture Adel and Samuel at the third line in an engaged conversation. The next day we met again with another group of writers who have published an anthology of UAE writers in French ! I long to read and i will try to publish it in Greece.We had a chance to discuss about contemporary Arab litterature we shared stories of exile home language and country and we asked a girl to make a group picture..Later on Adel's friend Mohammed Kazem came and the conversation switched into visual arts too

Margaret von Trotta participated in this year's DIFF jury The picture is from the closing party in the desert.And me with the help of Hannah discovered the beauty of the local dress and went thus to the dinner offered generously by the very good greek restaurant Elia,situated at the HC floor of the Majestic Hotel Chef is Mr Baxevanis. Thanks for an excellent dinner!Mario gave an extensive interview to Alexander Lizardos who attended this year's Diff on behalf of Greek Tv

War Dance wins Diff people's choice award

War Dance, one of the films in The Destination Documentary line up I programmed this year, was awarded Dubai's First Peoples Choice Award for documentary. The film is directed by Andrea and Sean Fine.........Patongo’s refugee camp packs 60,000 people into its endless squalor. There is no electricity, no running water, and no safe place. The bullet holes in the school walls tell the stories the children would rather forget. Each child has a story to tell. Rose, a 13-year-old choirgirl, is trying to piece her life back together after witnessing the brutal aftermath of her parents’ grisly murder. Dominic, 14, is an escaped child soldier and virtuoso xylophone player who is haunted by the memory of the two people he was forced to kill. And Nancy, a 14-year-old dancer, struggles to keep herself and her three baby siblings alive. But amidst the grief and violence, voices are heard – children’s voices – singing strong, without fear. Their bodies shake and stomp to the rhythms of their ancestors. They dance about their homeland, they dance about their future, they dance to be children…and they dance to win.

The war has stolen their homes, their parents, and their childhood.Despite the odds, the children endlessly practice their performances, driven by heart, talent, and the need to rebuild their lives. If their bus can safely make it through rebel territory, they’ll take the stage and give it their all. Win or lose, these children will show what true heart can achieve. www.wardancethemovie.com

war dance people's choice award at Diff 07

Alexander did the video and I forgot half of what I was meant to say ..however this is the proof..!

exclusive takes from the Soup Eaters scene!!

shot entirely in black and white this rare footage from the first days of shooting the soup eaters scene with backstage exclusive material ..starring the soup eaters themselves !!

..excuse me would you happen to know where is the boat?..

this was a world premiere of the Soup Eaters!!

usefull links

http://www.happysoupeater.com/

http://www.soupsong.com/z50900.html

http://thetaoofgoodhealth.com/

http://www.cinnamonhearts.com/WntrSoup03.htm

http://www.easy-appetizer-recipes.com/soup-tips.html

We have to declare holy war against what does not reach..The Ecstatic Truth

Encounters at the End of the world is the new film of Werner Herzog shot in Antarctica, we selected for this years Destination Documentary section of DIFF.. This gives me a chance to remember some of the rare ecstatic words of Werner Herzog The film screens in Dubai Thursday 13th Madinat theatre 14.30 and Saturday 15th Cinestar 11 at 20.45 Dont miss it

Herzog said some time ago and I believe he would repeat the same now ...if you switch on television it is destructive it is killing us talk shows will kill us they kill our language We have to declare holy war against to what we see on television against commercials
If you want to do a film steal a camera sneak into a lab and do it
Who is society less I have kept wondering ever since I have been in contact with audiences and I wondered what film stands for It give us some insight.

Films could cause a revolution and they don’t films may change our perspective of things and ultimately in the long term it may me something valuable there is a lot of absurdity involved

It makes me into a clown iti s because what we do as filmmakers is immaterial is what we do all your life makes you a clown and it is inevitable it is illusionist work It is embaracing to be a filmmaker and sit here like this
Give us adequate images we lack adequate images our civilisation does not have adequate images and I think our civilisation is going to die out like dinosaur if it does not develop and adequate language and adequate images Environment problems overpopulation generally it is not understood yet that we do not have adequate images and this is what I ma working on a new grammar of images
at another interview in 2006 he said.......Everything is pointing towards a redefinition of reality we have to start seeing and working and articulating the reality of the movies in a different way cinema verite was the answer of the sixties Today is something else out there Reality has to be seen in a new way The interesting side is where is truth on that Cinema Verity is the accountants truth I have insulted many with that I have always been after an Ecstatic Truth and what I call an ecstasy of truth Facts create norms they do not create truth they do not create an illumination There has to be a major shift in dealing with reality it is as simple as that an din my documentaries they are always very close to feature films and often I stage and direct and repeat like in a feature film and the feature films that I made have a common borderline with documentaries
You do not move mountains with money you move mountains with faith
Hollywood is mainstream it has rituals it has always been capable of doing magnificent staff It is wonderful to see how the dreams of the world are organised and manufactured in Hollywood The collective dreams During a BBC interview I was shot on camera by an LA snipper and I had a leather jacket and a catalogue In it it was probably not a very serious bullet so I was only slightly wounded and I did not realise what it happened I thought the camera had exploded and something brunt me and I only realised when I see the man hitting the ground I did not want to have police called because they would have overreacted and this was not a serious bullet I have been shot with more serious bullets before in my life
The bottom line is the poet must not avert his eyes you have to take a bold look of your environment of what it is around you Even the ugly things even the decadent things

the video presents Clips from Les Blank's classic 1980 short, "Werner Herzog Eats His Shoe." The film documents Herzog fulfilling a bet he made with Errol Morris: if Morris would finish his brilliant first feature "Gates of Heaven," Herzog said he would eat his shoe. He uses this public stunt to say some very serious things about American pop culture, filmmakers becoming "clowns" to promote their work, and the culture of images (or lack thereof).

dubai film festival 2

Here we are at the Dubai International Film Festival watching films... Florence and Elen from one of my favourite film choices for this year -first award and audience award at my.. festival http://www.ecofilms.gr/ in Rodos- SURYA, FROM ELOQUENCE TO DAWN give interviews at the radio and television and so does the president of the festival A.Juma.. The weather is great and so are some views towards the ocean.. Yesterday I also watched the beautiful film Frozen!! and Amar's visual and generous poem Jerusalem HD almost entirely shot in Rodos last year during the festival.. Well done Amar and thanks to Masoud for selecting and programming it

memory...and the obligation to tell the story of the Missing.. Chile

Documentaries that I proposed in Diff's http://www.dubaifilmfest.com/ Destination Documentary selection this year start screening tommorow with the screening a Promise to the Dead on Ariel Doffman A must see!
Peter Raymont the director of the film is attending DIFF. see the trailer http://www.whitepinepictures.com/promise/trailer.htm
about the film On September 11, 1973, the Chilean military attacked its own government, staging a coup against socialist president Salvador Allende. Allende anticipated the violence, and the government’s key figures were called to the capitol buildings to stand against their attackers and face certain death. Ariel Dorfman should have been called; he later discovered his name was stricken from the list so he could survive to tell the story of what happened that day. Filmmaker Peter Raymont travels to Chile with Dorfman at the time when Dorfman’s long-time nemesis, Augusto Pinochet, is dying. Dorfman held the post of Cultural Adviser to Allende and is a greatly respected writer, human-rights activist and winner of the Sir Laurence Olivier Award for the play Death and the Maiden. Raymont follows Dorfman to personal landmarks that are powerful both emotionally and historically; during the journey, they explore exile, memory and the search for justice. Dorfman retraces the steps of a jubilant pro-Allende demonstration and stands before the balcony where, just prior to the coup, he saw Allende saying goodbye to the people. This loss, suffered more than thirty years ago, still clearly moves him. With Dorfman as chronicler, we discover the extent of domestic espionage that took place as he explores a massive tangle of tapped telephone wires left behind by Chilean Intelligence. “Every wire is a life,” he says. We meet the loved ones of those killed by Pinochet, without whom Dorfman says he could not have written. And, most startlingly, we are with him as the death of Pinochet is announced. As with Raymont’s unforgettable documentary, Shake Hands with the Devil: The Journey of Roméo Dallaire, this story of exile and battle scars is as personal as it is political. Chile was in upheaval as Pinochet lay dying, and Dorfman, a lifelong and indefatigable critic, faces Pinochet’s mourners and wrestles with what the General’s death means for a country living in his shadow. Raymont weaves previously unseen archival footage with highly charged contemporary sequences. The resulting film reveals how memory and the obligation to tell the story of the Missing have propelled both the intellect and the passion of this major writer and activist.

George Clooney at DIFF a pleasant surprise!!

It was a great pleasure to listen to the laid back but also full of intersting content poress conference George Clooney gave yesterday and to appreciate his views on politics and cinema Some audio.....clips George Clooney about politics good!!http://archive.gulfnews.com/images/07/12/10/clooney_politics.mp3

about being an enviornmentalist http://archive.gulfnews.com/images/07/12/10/clooney_green.mp3

about portraying a world political leader http://archive.gulfnews.com/images/07/12/10/clooney_leader.mp3

If it was not for ER I could not be able to bring my films to the Dubai Film festival! said in a packed press conference George Clooney who will attended with Sharon Stone, the opening of his film Michael Clayton at DIFFs opening Gala I expect to rule the world with Michael Clayton! he said laughing..and he said he was pleased with the reviews the film received..I cant stop anybody taking my picture even if I wanted so but I want to stop people violating every possible law...

dubai international film festival

Ναμαστε λοιπον για 4η χρονια στο Ντουμπαι τον παραδεισο του καταναλωτισμου,της ραγδαιας οικιστικης αναπτυξης, μια Ντισνευλαντ μακρυα απο καθε πραγματικοτητα χτισμενη πανω στην ερημο με βαση το πετρελαιο οσο υπαρχει ακομη στη περιοχη εδω χτιζεται ενας ψευτικος παραδεισος Πριν απο 5 χρόνιατο σινεμα απαγορευοταν στη χωρα, οπως ακομη απαγορευεται στη Σαουδικη Αραβια, σημερα όμως το Ντουμπαι φιλοξενει ενα απο τα πιο πολυεξοδα κινηματογραφικά φεστιβαλ του κοσμου.Εγω εδω επιλεγω τα ντοκυμαντερ Η ομαδα προγραμματισμου του Φεστιβαλ προερχεται απο καθιερωμενα διεθνη φεστιβαλ του κοσμου Ροττερνταμ, Λονδινο,Κεραλα Βανκουβερ κλπ και κανει εξαιρετικη δουλεια Εδω και 2χρονια αρχισε και ο διαγωνισμος των Αραβικων ταινιων με καλλιτεχνικο διευθυντη τον Αραβα ποιητη και συνεργατη μου στη ταινια 'Κρατησε Με' Μασουντ Αμραλλα. Ετσι το φεστιβαλ του Ντουμπαι αποτελει πια μια μοναδικη ευκαιρια να ενημερωθει κανεις για τη συγχρονη παραγωγη στις Αραβικες χωρες.Ηδη εχουν αρχισει δειλα να γινονται οι πρωτες ταινιες με υπογραφη σκηνοθετων απο τα Ηνωμενα Αραβικα Εμιρατα.. στη φωτογραφια οι συναδελφοι μου στην ομαδα προγραμματισμου στη πρωτη σημερινη μας συναντηση στο Φεστιβαλ ενω τρωμε σε ενα Λιβανεζικο εστιατοριο και μελεταμε τις τελευταιες τεχνικες λεπτομερειες της διοργανωσης

Οππεραα orientation meeting

με μεγαλη συμμετοχη εγινε η πρωτη αναγνωριστικη συναντηση του Οππεραα.Στη δεξαμενη σκεψης κατατεθηκαν οι πρωτες ιδεες που θα ταξιδεψουν αυτη την πρωτοβουλία με αεροπλανα και βαπορια.Ενας βεβαιος σταθμος θα ειναι το Κινηματογραφικο φεστιβαλ της Ροδου www.ecofilms.gr οπου προγραμματιζονται ορισμενες παραλληλες εκδηλωσεις.Συντομα οι ανακοινωσεις και ....καλοταξιδη η πρωτοβουλια

πρόσκληση σε μια δεξαμενή σκέψης...

Ο ΟΠΠΕΡΑΑ, (Όμιλος Προβληματισμού για το Περιβάλλον και την Αειφόρο Ανάπτυξη), διοργανώνει την πρώτη δημόσια παρουσία του και σας προσκαλεί σε εκδήλωση - συζήτηση με θέμα: Η Οικολογική Πολιτική και η Πολιτική Οικολογία στην εποχή της κλιματικής αλλαγής Η εκδήλωση προγραμματίζεται να γίνει στην Αθήνα, τη Δευτέρα 3 Δεκεμβρίου στις 18.30, στην αίθουσα Tricky Trick Art, Αιόλου 48-50, γωνία με Κολοκοτρώνη, 1ος όροφος.
Τι είναι ο Ο.Π.ΠΕΡ.Α.Α.Ο Όμιλος Προβληματισμού για το Περιβάλλον και την Αειφόρο Ανάπτυξη, (ΟΠΠΕΡΑΑ), ιδρύθηκε για να διαδραματίσει το ρόλο ενός Οικολογικού Forum, μιας σύγχρονης δηλαδή Αγοράς για τη διακίνηση ιδεών και την ανάληψη πρωτοβουλιών στο χώρο της Πολιτικής Οικολογίας. Ο ΟΠΠΕΡΑΑ υποστηρίζει τη συλλογική δράση για την προάσπιση των κοινών αγαθών και επιδιώκει τον επαναπροσανατολισμό του πολιτικού συστήματος στην κατεύθυνση της προστασίας του δημόσιου χώρου.Πρόκειται για μια νεοϊδρυθείσα Δεξαμενή Σκέψης, ένα σύγχρονο βήμα διαλόγου και δημόσιας παρέμβασης, που επιδιώκει να συνδυάσει:την αξιοπιστία του επιστημονικού λόγου, την κοινωνική ευαισθησία των οικολογικών οργανώσεων, τη δημιουργικότητα της τέχνης και το ρεαλισμό της εφαρμοσμένης πολιτικής Τι δεν είναι ο Ο.Π.ΠΕΡ.Α.Α.
Ωστόσο ο Ο.Π.ΠΕΡ.Α.Α δεν είναι:Μια νέα επιστημονική οργάνωση, παρόλο που κάποια από τα ιδρυτικά στελέχη του προέρχονται από τον ακαδημαϊκό χώρο. Μια ακόμη ΜΚΟ με οικολογική κατεύθυνση και χαρακτήρα. Ο ΟΠΠΕΡΑΑ σέβεται την αυτονομία του οικολογικού κινήματος, αναγνωρίζει τον κοινωνικό του ρόλο και θα προσπαθήσει να δράσει συμπληρωματικά με αυτό. Μια νέα πολιτική κίνηση και πολύ περισσότερο ένας νέος πολιτικός φορέας, με φιλοδοξίες συμμετοχής ή και εκπροσώπησης σε μαζικούς ή άλλους χώρους. Τα ιδρυτικά του στελέχη άλλωστε είναι γνωστά για τις διακριτές πολιτικές θέσεις και εντάξεις τους και διατηρούν την αυτονομία των πολιτικών τους απόψεων. Τα ιδρυτικά μέλη του Ο.Π.ΠΕΡ.Α.Α:Βάσω Κανελλοπούλου,Μαργαρίτα Καραβασίλη ,Σάκης Κουρουζίδης,Γιώργος Μπαλιάς,Ιωσήφ Μποτετζάγιας ,Γιάννης Μυλόπουλος ,Ευθύμης Παπαδημητρίου,Μιχάλης Προμπονάς,Λουκία Ρικάκη,Γιάννης Σακιώτης,Κώστας Σκορδούλης,Γιάννης Σχίζας,Κίμων Χατζημπίρος

reflecting images

ειδαμε περιπου 100 ταινιες αλλες υπεροχες αλλες αποκαλυπτικες αλλες αφηγηματικες αλλες ποιητικες αλλες αφηρημενες.Μετα απο την παρελαση ολης αυτης της εικονας και της πληροφοριας μια βολτα στα ποταμια της πολης μολις εμφανιστηκε γιαλιγο ο ηλιος ηταν ευεργετικη.Ετοιμαζουμε μια πολυ καλη επιλογη για το Φεστιβαλ της Ροδου www.ecofilms.gr ενα γυρος του κοσμου μεσα απο μερικες δεκαδες ταινιες τολημρων και ευφανταστων σκηνοθετων που αψηφουν το mainstream και καλα κανουν για αποδεικνυουν ακομη μια φορα οτι ολοι οι θεατες εχουν εν δυναμει καλο γουστο και ειναι ανησυχοι αρκει να συναντηθουν με τα αντιστοιχα ανησυχα ερεθισματα Υπομονη ως τον Ιουνιο Η φετεινη Ροδος θα ειναι εξαιρετικη