“Tahaan” wins the Golden Reel Award for Best Children’s Film at the 9th annual Tiburon International Film Festival in Tiburon, California. The Golden Reel Awards were announced at the Closing Night Party Friday March 26, 2010 at Guaymas Restaurant.

Best Children’s Film: “Tahaan” by Santosh Sivan [India]
Movie Trailer at YouTube

Year: 2008
Running Time: 105 minutes
Country: India
Language: Hindi English Subtitles
Genre: Drama
Venue: Playhouse Theater
Cast: Purav Bhandare, Victor Banerjee, Rahul Bose, Ankush Dubey, Rasika Dugal, Rahul Khanna, Anupam Kher, Sana Shaikh, Dheirya Sonecha
Showtime: Sunday, March 21, 2010 @ 11:00 AM
Director: Santosh Sivan

Description: Tahaan, from award-winning, internationally-renowned director Santosh Sivan (The Terrorist, Before the Rains), is a stunningly shot, fable-like story set in scenic but strife-ridden Kashmir. The conflict is used as a backdrop for the story of an eight-year-old boy, Tahaan, who tries to gain back his beloved pet donkey that has been sold along with his family’s possessions to pay the family debt.

With his father missing in action for three years, Tahaan lives with his older sister, his loving, parable-telling grandfather, and mute mother, but is left more or less on his own to wander village and countryside, navigate border checkpoints, and negotiate with merchants and money lenders in an effort to regain his lost pet. More than a war movie, this is a film about striving, finding life-purpose, and, finally, of right and wrong — as Tahaan is recruited by a young militant to throw a grenade into an army compound, building to a heart-thumping final scene.

Like Sivan’s earlier films, Tahaan is told with warmth, humor and simple honesty, while his gorgeous cinematography offers breathtaking views of Kashmir’s snow-covered mountain passes and shimmering lakes. A recurring encounter with a group of mystic Sufi singers contributes to the atmosphere and provides a compellingly exotic musical bed.

“The Wish Tree” wins the Golden Reel Award for Best Comedy at the 9th annual Tiburon International Film Festival in Tiburon, California. The Golden Reel Awards were announced at the Closing Night Party Friday March 26, 2010 at Guaymas Restaurant.

Best Comedy: “The Wish Tree” by Liina Paakspuu [Estonia]
Movie Trailer at YouTube

Year: 2009
Running Time: 86 minutes
Country: Estonia
Genre: Comedy
Venue: Playhouse Theater
Cast: Elina Pähklimägi, Marilyn Jurman, Ago Soots, Erki Laur, Andres Tabun, Elina Reinold, Anneli Rahkema, Saima Noor
Showtime: Wednesday, March 24, 2010 @ 07:35 PM
Director: Liina Paakspuu

Description: Liina, a young girl from the village, decides to begin an independent life. Looking for opportunities, she comes to Tallinn where her cousin, Ave, has already been living for a year. In the city Liina discovers various microcosms, comprising of the strange and the strangers around us. Each of them has a personal dream, each is heading somewhere. The collision between their wishes and reality generates humor that often borders on the absurd. Fighting against unimaginable obstacles, Liina finally finds something, which allows her to go on; something she had actually come looking for – herself.

The Wish Tree is a darkly humored, visually stylized contemporary drama, which tells the story of an inexperienced, but a very determined village girl’s search for independence in a big city. Society and the mundane situations of our lives are presented in slight caricature, creating resonance among the 18-35 y.o. audience – the younger viewers will find it easy to relate to the main characters and their story, while the older viewers will be rewarded by the rich intellectual and cultural subtext, as well as the visual style of the film.

*****
US Premiere

Attending: Lina Paakspuu

“Diploma” wins the Golden Reel Award for Best Student Film at the 9th annual Tiburon International Film Festival in Tiburon, California. The Golden Reel Awards were announced at the Closing Night Party Friday March 26, 2010 at Guaymas Restaurant.

Best Student Film: “Diploma” by Yaelle Kayam [Israel]

Year: 2009
Running Time: 20 minutes
Country: Israel
Language: Arabic/English Subtitles
Genre: Fiction
Venue: Playhouse Theater
Cast: Osama Arbiaa, Youssra Barakat
Showtime: Friday, March 19, 2010 @ 05:30 PM
Director: Yaelle Kayam

Description: Hebron. The night of the Jewish settlement Masquerade. 15 year old Samer insists on taking his older sister Ayat to collect her diploma from the Palestinian university. Walking through the city rooftops and side narrow allies they must avoid the settlers, the army and the curious foreign news reporters.

*****
US Premiere

Screening with: Bridges

*****
Festivals & Awards:

- Cinefondation, Cannes Film Festival, France
- Jerusalem International Film Festival, Israel

“Next Floor” by Denis Villeneuve [Canada] wins the Golden Reel Award for Best Experimental Film at the 9th annual Tiburon International Film Festival in Tiburon, California. The Golden Reel Awards were announced at the Closing Night Party Friday March 26, 2010 at Guaymas Restaurant.

Best Experimental Film: “Next Floor” by Denis Villeneuve [Canada]
Movie Trailer at YouTube

Year: 2008
Running Time: 12 minutes
Country: Canada
Genre: Experimental
Venue: Playhouse Theater
Cast: Mathieu Handfield, Sébastien René, Emmanuel Schwartz, Simone Chevalot, Ken Fernandez, Ariel Ifergan, Sergiy Marchenko,
Showtime: Saturday, March 20, 2010 @ 05:20 PM
Director: Denis Villeneuve

Description: During an opulent and luxurious banquet, complete with cavalier servers and valets, eleven pampered guests participate in what appears to be a ritualistic gastronomic carnage. In this absurd and grotesque universe, an unexpected sequence of events undermines the endless symphony of abundance.
*****
Screening with: Chicago Overcoat

Craig Johnson for “True Adolescents” wins the Golden Reel Award “Orson Welles Award” at the 9th annual Tiburon International Film Festival in Tiburon, California. The Golden Reel Awards were announced at the Closing Night Party Friday March 26, 2010 at Guaymas Restaurant.

Orson Welles Award: “Craig Johnson” for True Adolescents [US]
Interview with Craig Johnson at YouTube | http://www.trueadolescents.com/

Year: 2009
Running Time: 88 minutes
Country: USA
Genre: Fiction
Venue: Play House Theater
Cast: Bret Loehr Carr Thompson, Mark Duplass, Linas Philips
Showtime: Saturday, March 20, 2010 @ 01:20 PM
Director: Craig Johnson

Description: Meet Sam Bryant. He’s an aging Seattle rocker with no job, no record deal, and no place to stay but with his aunt in the ‘burbs. He’s the last guy you’d pick to take two teens camping for some quality dude time. But camping they go, and it’s all sh*ts and giggles till everyone gets lost in the woods. Now Sam has to get everyone home in one piece. It’s man up or else in this fast and funny coming of age story.
*****
Attending: Craig Johnson (director)

Screening with: True Beauty This Night

“Elchin Musaoglu” for “The 40th Door” wins the Golden Reel Award “Frederico Fellini Award” at the 9th annual Tiburon International Film Festival in Tiburon, California. The Golden Reel Awards were announced at the Closing Night Party Friday March 26, 2010 at Guaymas Restaurant.

Federico Fellini Award: “Elchin Musaoglu” for The 40th Door [Azerbaijan]
Movie Trailer at YouTube

Year: 2009
Running Time: 81 minutes
Country: Azerbaijan
Genre: Drama
Venue: Play House Theater
Cast: Hasan Safarov, Rouvshan Agayev, Guler Nabiyeva
Showtime: Sunday, March 21, 2010 @ 11:00 AM
Director: Elchin Musaoglu

Description: Rustam who lives in the village with his mother receives bad news – his father was killed by Russian mafia. A 14 years old boy having lost his father he becomes a head of the family and felt the burden of the family on his shoulder he moves to city to search a job. Being earned money by various minor works Rustam is attacked by the racket group, which demands a portion of his earnings.

Under this preassure there was born a wish inside of Rustam – to be a musician. Having lived with the wish to buy a musical instrument Rustam becomes a friend of a blinking lamp on the old bridge, which was also alone like him in the darkness…

*****
Screening with: And the Oscar Goes to Mexico

“Bicycle Dreams” wins the Golden Reel Award for Best Sport Film at the 9th annual Tiburon International Film Festival in Tiburon, California. The Golden Reel Awards were announced at the Closing Night Party Friday March 26, 2010 at Guaymas Restaurant.

Best Sport Film: “Bicycle Dreams” by Stephen Auerbach [US]
Movie Trailer at YouTube | www.bicycledreamsmovie.com

Year: 2009
Running Time: 107 minutes
Country: USA
Genre: Documentary
Venue: Corinthian Yacht Club
Showtime: Sunday, March 21, 2010 @ 01:00 PM
Director: Stephen Auerbach

Description: They are seekers, madmen, and angels hell-bent on riding across America on a bicycle in less than ten days. Eager to push their bodies to the limit, they set out on a daunting 3000-mile odyssey. But what begins as the adventure of a lifetime is transformed in an instant when tragedy strikes the race.

These voyagers discover what is truly at stake as they pedal on, praying for the deliverance only the finish line can bring. By journey’s end, some are saved, others are lost, but all learn that the fuel that takes a soul toward its own true destiny is desire.
*****
Attending: Stephen Auerbach (director)

“The Offering” by Michael Zachary Huber [US] and “Solitude” by Merhdad Sheikhan [Iran] win the Golden Reel Award for Best Short Animation at the 9th annual Tiburon International Film Festival in Tiburon, California. The Golden Reel Awards were announced at the Closing Night Party Friday March 26, 2010 at Guaymas Restaurant.

Best Short Animation: “The Offering” by Michael Zachary Huber [US] & “Solitude” by Mehrdad Sheikhan [Iran]
The Offering: Movie Trailer | Solitude: http://www.solitudefilm.com/

The Offering
Year: 2009
Running Time: 9 minutes
Country: USA
Genre: Animation
Director: Michael Zachary Huber

Description: The modern era of computer animation meets an ancient tale of seduction. Is there anything that is not immune to a woman’s powers, even golden statues?

*****
Attending: Michael Zachary Huber

Screening as as part of: World of Animation

Solitude (Tanhaai):
Year: 2008
Running Time: 10 minutes
Country: Iran
Genre: Animation
Venue: Playhouse Theater
Showtime: Wednesday, March 24, 2010 @ 07:50 PM
Director: Mehrdad Sheikhan

Description: A stone colossus has lived a lonely life on his barren planet for thousands of years. Worn out by his solitude, he decides to change his fate.

“The Magistical” wins the Golden Reel Award for Best Animation at the 9th annual Tiburon International Film Festival in Tiburon, California. The Golden Reel Awards were announced at the Closing Night Party Friday March 26, 2010 at Guaymas Restaurant.

Best Animation: “The Magistical” by Rebecca Jones [US]
Movie Trailer at YouTube | www.themagistical.com

Year: 2009
Running Time: 99 minutes
Country: USA
Genre: Animation
Venue: Corinthian Yacht Club
Cast: Beth Bostic, Debra Terry, Megan Blake, Stanley Bernstein
Showtime: Sunday, March 21, 2010 @ 11:00 AM
Director: Rebecca Jones

Description: Once upon a time a guardian was chosen to watch over all living things. She was called the Magistical. Hoping to preserve all precious life, the Magistical created a spell. This spell granted the last of every type of creature, immortality. However, to one very evil Draken, the spell would carry a very different meaning than intended.

By killing all other Drakens, she would become the last. Without fear of death, such a beast could rule the world. Now only one baby cub stands between her and her evil ambitions. And between them stands a small, but determined, obstacle, named Foible.

“Waterfront Access” wins the Golden Reel Award for Best Dance Short Film at the 9th annual Tiburon International Film Festival in Tiburon, California. The Golden Reel Awards were announced at the Closing Night Party Friday March 26, 2010 at Guaymas Restaurant.

Best Dance Short Film: “Waterfront Access?” by Floanne Ankah [US]
http://waterfront-access.thelittlemovie.com/

Year: 2009
Running Time: 10 minutes
Country: USA
Genre: Fiction
Cast: Zoe Schieber, Tajna Tanovic, Melissa Gordon Herring, Johnny DeArden, Juniper Foster, Melanie Gretchen, Floanne Ankah
Director: Floanne Ankah

Description: Waterfront Access? is an experimental film that connects a group of people from the City to the Brooklyn shore. As the dance evolves through various landscapes, life and colors arise, unveiling a message at each location: Just – One – Person – Can – Create – Peace – And – Change – The – World. There are very few areas left in New York City where the general public has access to the waterfront; we would like this to change.

This project is a collaboration between choreographer Floanne Ankah and set installation by Joe Zolkowski, with an original score by Russ Spiegel.

*****
Screening as aprt of: Shorts Program # 1