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By OGOVA ONDEGO. NAIROBI, KENYA (CINEMA MINIMA) — AFRICAN FOLK TALES ANIMATED, a compilation of three films and three songs made at 2nd Lola Kenya Screen in Nairobi in August 2007 has been selected for screening in Finland in March 2008.

The 5th annual Children’s and youth’s Videotivoli festival (2008 March 4-9) in Tampere, Finland,selected Lola Kenya Screen’s MANANI OGRES, LITTLE KNOWLEDGE IS DANGEROUS and THE WISE BRIDE from among 500 submissions they received from 35 nations around the world.

MANANI OGRES, a fascinating animation on the imporatance of vigilance, was created by Joseph Hongo, Marcus Joseph,Norick Joseph,and Samuel Musembi to show that drumming, music and dance must be employed where vigilance fails. Music, the short shows,has power on every living thing, including man-eating ogres.

Made by Samora Michelle, Adede Hawi NyOdero and Karama K Ogova, LITTLE KNOWLEDGE IS DANGEROUS, on the other hand, shows that one who tries to shock others by one’s clever-by-half antics, usually ends up frying oneself in one’s own oil. The message is passed through Mjinga, Juha, and Mwehu with the playful use on Kiswahili carrying the message across. This film won the Most Creative Project at Lola kenya Screen in 2007.

The message passed through THE WISE BRIDE is that when more than one suitor compete for a beautiful girl, only the girl’s ingenuity carries the day.This film with a twist in the tale was conceived and executed by Alexandria Ngini, Aysha Satchu, Layla Satchu and Flora Wanjiru.

First shown at the closing ceremony of Lola Kenya Screen on 2007 August 11 and also at KIFF in October 1, 2007, AFRICAN FOLK TALES were shown in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, in October 2007. The compilation is scheduled for screening in Denmark, Germany, Sweden, Uganda, Rwanda and Tanzania, among other places.

FILMS BY CHILDREN FOR CHILDREN, made by participants aged 9-15 years at the inaugural Lola Kenya Screen film production workshop in 2006, not only won the Grand Prize at the 5th World Summit on Media for Chilren and Kids for Kids Africa film festival, but was screened to great acclaim in Kenya, Uganda, South Africa, Poland, Senegal, Tanzania, Germany, and Holland, among other places globally.

Meanwhile, preparation for the 3rd Lola Kenya Screen (2008 August 4-9),an annual international audiovisual media production workshop, festival and market that seeks to equip children and youth with skills to understand, appreciate, and create quality films and creative works to advance literacy, gender-equity, self-expression and global health, are undeway.

To this end, the presenters of Lola Kenya Screen are looking for children and youth who are knowledgeable, opinionated and interested in film, journalism, and cultural events’ presentation to apply for positions on her four programmes during the 3rd Lola Kenya Screen (2008 August 4-9).

Interested applicants may visist www.lolakenyascreen.or.ke and www.artmatters.info for details on how to be involved.

BY ANDRÉ SOARES. HOLLYWOOD (CINEMA MINIMA) — The Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television has announced the nominees for the 28th Genie Awards. David Cronenberg’s thriller EASTERN PROMISES and Roger Spottiswoode’s Rwanda genocide tale SHAKE HANDS WITH THE DEVIL, each received 12 nominations. They were followed by Sarah Polley’s AWAY FROM HER, with seven nods; and THE TRACEY FRAGMENTS, with six.

The violent EASTERN PROMISES, which is up for the best British film BAFTA (it’s a co-production), stars Viggo Mortensen as a dangerous Russian hitman. Mortensen, director David Cronenberg, supporting actor Armin Mueller-Stahl, and screenwriter Steve Knight are all up for Genies.

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BY CYNDI GREENING, PARK CITY, UTAH (CINEMA MINIMA) — Documentaries are selling well at Sundance 2008.

ESPN announced that it has acquired Sundance soccer documentary KICKING IT, the story of seven soccer players from six countries as they participate in the 4th annual Homeless World Cup. The film was directed by Susan Koch and produced by Ted Leonsis (who executive produced last year’s NANKING). ESPN will retain exclusive television rights worldwide, and execute the film’s digital distribution while working with the filmmakers to secure theatrical, DVD and other distribution.

ROMAN POLANSKI: WANTED AND DESIRED has been acquired internationally by The Weinstein Company, the company announced Saturday morning. The international deal excludes all U.S. and Canadian rights, as well as U.K. television rights. The film was directed by Marina Zenovich.

Other documentaries rumored to be close to selling or in negotiations include RECRUIT (formerly AN AMERICAN SOLDIER), director Edet Belzberg’s story of Louisiana Sergeant, First Class Clay Usie, one of the most successful recruiters in the history of the U.S. Army; director Nanette Burstein’s AMERICAN TEEN, which is really about a group of Indiana teens, and SECRECY, the Peter Galison and Robb Moss documentary about the U.S. government’s penchant for keeping things hidden from the public.

It was reported earlier that THE BLACK LIST: VOLUME ONE was acquired early by HBO Documentary Films and international competition doc UP THE YANGTZE was acquired by Zeitgeist Films.

In the realm of dramatic film, all international rights outside the U.S. for Lance Hammer’s BALLAST have been acquired by Paris-based Celluloid Dreams.

Fortissimo Films has announced a deal for worldwide sales rights to the closing night film, CSNY DEJA VU. A look at Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young’s 2007 “Freedom of Speech Tour,” the film was directed by Neil Young.

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BY CYNDI GREENING, PARK CITY, UTAH (CINEMA MINIMA) — Festival 2008 is full under sail and the acquisitions have begun. Given the Writer’s Strike and the possibility of a future with limited purchase options, there is some expectation that the mini-major studios and distributors such as Sony Pictures Classics, Magnolia Pictures and IFC Films will heat up the buying at the festival.

UP THE YANGTZE was the first acquisition announced at the festival. The Three Gorges Dam, an enormous and hotly contested symbol of the Chinese economic development, provides the backdrop for the film. Beautifully shot and edited, the film tells Yu Shui’s story. Among the two million losing their livelihood to the dam, the Yu family must send their daughter off to work.

HBO Documentary Films said it picked up THE BLACK LIST: VOLUME ONE. Timothy Greenfield-Sanders directed the movie which features interviews with black cultural figures and icons ranging from Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Sean Combs to Colin Powell.

Of great personal interest to me is U2 3D. The film is a feature-length compilation of U2 concert footage shot using a new generation of digital 3D cinema technology in which the blue and red cardboard glasses of the earlier 3D films have been replaced by sleeker polarized black glasses. The film’s technology is the work of two companies: Burbank-based 3ality and Beverly Hills-based Real D. At the Sundance premiere, the film will be shown in Dolby 3D Digital Cinema.

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BY CYNDI GREENING, ARIZONA, USA (CINEMA MINIMA) — Readers of this blog know that I started attending Sundance in 1996. Because of that, I have an extensive archive of Sundance Podcasts and Videocasts. To get yourself in the Sundance spirit, you might want to check out some of the past panel discussion and Q&A’s.

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BY OGOVA ONDEGO, NAIROBI, KENYA (CINEMA MINIMA) -

Despite the unrest ocassioned by post-election violence in Kenya, organisers of Lola Kenya Screen audiovisual media platform for children and youth in eastern Africa are asking colleagues, friends and well-wishers around the world to submit their films to the 3rd edition of this annual international film festival, production workshop and market for children and youth in eastern Africa.

Moreover, films made by children and youth during the 2nd Lola Kenya Screen film production workshop in Nairobi are lined up for showcasing in Finland in March 2008.

AFRICAN FOLK TALES ANIMATED, the three-film and three-song compilation, has been selected for screening at the 5th Annual Children’s and Youth’s Videotivoli festival in Tampere, Finland (2008 March 4-9).Comprising MANANI OGRES, LITTLE KNOWLEDGE IS DANGEROUS, and THE WISE BRIDE, AFRICAN FOLK TALES ANIMATED was among more than 500 films submitted to the festival for consideration.

Within two months of its release AFRICAN FOLK TALES ANIMATED was shown in festivals in Kenya and Holland. It has also been submitted to festivals in Germany, Norway, Sweden, Poland, and Rwanda.

A Press Statement issued in Nairobi on 2008 January 10, says in part, “This is to remind our colleagues, friends and well wishers around the world that the film submission process to 3rd Lola Kenya Screen and 2nd Kids for Kids Africa is still on course despite the kind of political uncertainty in Kenya that the mass media are reporting.
Please note that we at Lola Kenya Screen are well and going about our work in organising the festival and receiving and processing film entries. Please note that the deadline, April 15, 2008, remains unchanged for both Lola Kenya Screen and Kids for Kids Africa. Please send in your submission to avoid disappointment.”

Lola Kenya Screen says they are “looking for children and youth living in Nairobi and its environs, and who are  knowledgeable, opinionated and interested in film, journalism, and cultural events’ presentation to serve on our four programmes during the 3rd Lola Kenya Screen (2008 August 4-9).”

Selected applicants will serve as members of the Film Selection Committee, Film jury, Film Press, Programme Presentation (MCs), and Film Production Workshop.

Lola Kenya Screen, as in the previous editions in 2006 and 2007, will guide successful applicants through the acquisition of skills of appreciating and judging films, film reporting and events presentation.
Articles filed by participants will be published daily during the six days of festivities at the internationally-acclaimed arts and culture publication, http://www.artmatters.info/, and http://www.lolakenyascreen.or.ke/

While the Film Selection committee sits in May 2008, the jury, press, production workshop, and events presentation will work in August 2008.

Details of these opportunities is available via the festival website, www.lolakenyascreen.or.ke and also by writing to director@lolakenyascreen.or.ke

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BY OGOVA ONDEGO, NAIROBI, KENYA (CINEMA MINIMA) -

Despite the unrest ocassioned by post-election violence in Kenya, organisers of Lola Kenya Screen audiovisual media platform for children and youth in eastern Africa are asking colleagues, friends and well-wishers around the world to submit their films to the 3rd edition of this annual international film festival, production workshop and market for children and youth in eastern Africa.

Moreover, films made by children and youth during the 2nd Lola Kenya Screen film production workshop in Nairobi are lined up for showcasing in Finland in March 2008.

AFRICAN FOLK TALES ANIMATED, the three-film and three-song compilation, has been selected for screening at the 5th Annual Children’s and Youth’s Videotivoli festival in Tampere, Finland (2008 March 4-9).Comprising MANANI OGRES, LITTLE KNOWLEDGE IS DANGEROUS, and THE WISE BRIDE, AFRICAN FOLK TALES ANIMATED was among more than 500 films submitted to the festival for consideration.

Within two months of its release AFRICAN FOLK TALES ANIMATED was shown in festivals in Kenya and Holland. It has also been submitted to festivals in Germany, Norway, Sweden, Poland, and Rwanda.

A Press Statement issued in Nairobi on 2008 January 10, says in part, “This is to remind our colleagues, friends and well wishers around the world that the film submission process to 3rd Lola Kenya Screen and 2nd Kids for Kids Africa is still on course despite the kind of political uncertainty in Kenya that the mass media are reporting.
Please note that we at Lola Kenya Screen are well and going about our work in organising the festival and receiving and processing film entries. Please note that the deadline, April 15, 2008, remains unchanged for both Lola Kenya Screen and Kids for Kids Africa. Please send in your submission to avoid disappointment.”

Lola Kenya Screen says they are “looking for children and youth living in Nairobi and its environs, and who are  knowledgeable, opinionated and interested in film, journalism, and cultural events’ presentation to serve on our four programmes during the 3rd Lola Kenya Screen (2008 August 4-9).”

Selected applicants will serve as members of the Film Selection Committee, Film jury, Film Press, Programme Presentation (MCs), and Film Production Workshop.

Lola Kenya Screen, as in the previous editions in 2006 and 2007, will guide successful applicants through the acquisition of skills of appreciating and judging films, film reporting and events presentation.
Articles filed by participants will be published daily during the six days of festivities at the internationally-acclaimed arts and culture publication, http://www.artmatters.info/, and http://www.lolakenyascreen.or.ke/

While the Film Selection committee sits in May 2008, the jury, press, production workshop, and events presentation will work in August 2008.

Details of these opportunities is available via the festival website, www.lolakenyascreen.or.ke and also by writing to director@lolakenyascreen.or.ke

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Seven days until the 2008 Sundance Film Festival begins. A couple hundred films will be screened in the shadow of the Wasatch range and many of them will acquire distribution during the festival. Distribution is the “holy grail” of independent filmmaking. Elusive and extremely difficult to secure, selection in the Sundance Film Festival often anoints indie product as viable. In little over a week, we will be covering the distribution deals that thrust the new indie filmmakers into the industry.

As we complete the Zambian feature and documentary, we too are looking at distribution. According to RISKY BUSINESS, the book by Mark Litwak on indie financing and distribution, the three things that make a film more appealing to a distributor are …

• STAR POWER … participation by recognized industry creatives
• FESTIVAL FEVER … selection in a key festival
• GREAT REVIEWS … recognition by film critics

According to Litwak, there are between 800 and 1000 indie films available for sale at any given moment. So your film is competing with a glut of product. Presenting the strong selling points of your films is the key to distribution. Oh sure, there are tons of panels, books and articles on the many potential distribution avenues … including the web, DVD, tape and international markets. So, I spent most of the day, recalling our Zambian production adventures and trying to think of why that might be interesting to a potential audience (and therefore a distributor).

Because of the scenes she was editing, Pamela Jo kept reminding me how grumpy I had been on certain shooting days … oh the hours and hours and hours we waited … and while the clock ticked, I kept wondering if we’d ever get the film done. Knowing our return flights had already been booked, the clock reverberated like a prescient death knell. To this day, it amazes me that we finished shooting both films. The next few months will reveal if the story is of interest to an audience. We will document the process for you indie filmmakers.

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