KBOO is a proud sponsor for the Portland International Film Festival's (PIFF) 35th annual showcase of new world cinema.
PIFF seeks to explore the diversity of not only the art of film, but also the world around us.
| Date: | February 9-25, 2012 |
|---|---|
| Where: | In Cinemas all over town |
| Official Website: | http://festivals.nwfilm.org/piff35/ |
This year’s PIFF presents 93 feature and 46 short films from more than three dozen countries, in an inspiring, eclectic snapshot of recent international cinema that will stimulate your filmgoing well beyond the Festival itself. As part of the Film Center’s 40th Anniversary Season, they continue to look forward to the new more than celebrating the past, as they consider the role that film and the Film Center play in animating the regional cultural community.
Opening Night
The Festival opens Thursday, February 9, at the Newmark Theater with the British film Salmon Fishing in the Yemen from director Lasse Hallström. With a script from Simon Beaufoy (Slumdog Millionaire, 127 Hours) based on Paul Torday’s bestselling novel, this witty romantic comedy featuring Ewan McGregor and Kristin Scott Thomas revolves around the effort to make the impossible possible. Following the screening, the Opening Night Party takes place at Nel Centro. No more advance tickets available. Limited tickets available at the door.
Program Highlights
NEW DIRECTORS
Among the surprises in PIFF every year is finding exciting new cinematic voices. While this year’s Festival has its share of new works by established masters—Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, Béla Tarr, Jafar Panahi, Robert Guédiguian, Nanni Moretti, Kaneto Shindo, Lawrence Kasdan, Johnnie To, Mohammad Rasoulof, Michel Ocelot, Tran Anh Hung, and Leá Pool, to name but a few—and new films by maturing talents like Hong Sang-Soo, Jean-Marc Vallée, Nadine Labaki, Mia Hansen-Løve, Cristi Puiu, Joseph Cedar, Jiang Wen, and Fernando León de Aranoa, discovering new directors is part of the Festival’s mission too. If you are looking toward the next generation, these intriguing new works by two dozen first-time feature filmmakers reveal a wealth of new international talent.
Among the filmmakers and films eligible for this year’s New Director Audience Award are: Pablo Giorgelli, Las Acacias (Argentina); Paula Siero, The Water at the End of the World (Argentina); Justin Kurzel, Snowtown (Australia); Karl Markovics, Breathing (Austria); Michael R. Roskam, Bullhead (Belgium); Charly Braun, Beyond the Road (Brazil); Julia Murat, Found Memories (Brazil); Ian Padrón, Habanastation (Cuba); Mikkel Nørgaard, Clown: The Movie (Denmark); Jean-Loup Felicioli and Alain Gagnol, A Cat in Paris (France); Yasemin Samdereli, Almanya—Welcome To Germany (Germany); Rúnar Rúnarsson, Volcano (Iceland); Salim Ahamed, Abu, Son of Adam (India); Alice Rohrwacher, Corpo Celeste (Italy); Tusi Tamasese, The Orator (New Zealand); Jannicke Systad Jacobsen, Turn Me On, Dammit! (Norway); Sameh Zoabi, Man Without a Cell Phone (Palestine/Israel); Marlon Rivera, Woman in the Septic Tank (Philippines); Alexandru Maftei, Hello! How Are You? (Romania); Marian Crisan, Morgen (Romania); Sivaroj Kongsakul, Eternity (Thailand); Tolga Karaçelik, Toll Booth (Turkey); Kimi Takesue, Where Are You Taking Me? (US); Bess Kargman, First Position (US); and David Gelb, Jiro Dreams of Sushi (US).
OSCAR SUBMISSIONS
This year’s Festival features the Portland premieres of 20 films submitted for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar, including: Breathing (Austria); Bullhead (Belgium); Monsieur Lazhar (Canada); Habanastation (Cuba); Declaration of War (France); Patagonia (Great Britain); Attenberg (Greece); The Turin Horse (Hungary); Volcano (Iceland); Abu, Son of Adam (India); Footnote (Israel); Postcard (Japan); Where Do We Go Now? (Lebanon); The Orator (New Zealand); Woman in the Septic Tank (Philippines); José y Pilar (Portugal); Morgen (Romania); The Front Line (South Korea); and Once Upon a Time in Anatolia (Turkey).
DOCUMENTARY VIEWS
This year’s Festival boasts 20 fresh perspectives on the world we live in and the fascinating people and stories that surround us. This year’s nonfiction selections include: A Bitter Taste of Freedom (US); Darwin (Switzerland); The Extraordinary Voyage (France); First Position (US); Gerhard Richter (Germany); Grandma, A Thousand Times (Lebanon); How Much Does Your Building Weigh, Mr. Foster? (Great Britain); The Island President (US); Jiro Dreams of Sushi (US); José y Pilar (Portugal); Last Days Here (US); Pelotero (US); Pink Ribbons, Inc. (Canada); El Sicario, Room 164 (US); Somewhere Between (US); This is Not a Film (Iran); To Be Heard (US); Unfinished Spaces (US); Where Are You Taking Me? (Uganda/US); and Whore’s Glory (Austria).
PIFF AFTER DARK
Our late-night series—for the nocturnally inclined whose cinematic tastes are adventurous—offers special treats for devotees of genre films that push the boundaries. Programmed by Dan Halsted, master of the Grindhouse Film Festival, the screenings will take place at Cinema 21 and will start at 11:30 p.m. The program includes: Headhunters (Norway), Let the Bullets Fly (China), Kill List (Great Britain), and Invasion of the Alien Bikini (South Korea).