International Diaspora Film Festival 10

International Diaspora Film Festival 10
Directors: Peter Brosens and Jessca Hope Woodworth Country: Belgium, Germany, The Netherlands Year: 2009 Runtime: 109 min Awards: Best Film, Environmental Awareness Award, Bangkok International Film Festival 2009 Canadian Premiere
Saturday, 6 November 2010, 3:15 p.m.
Altiplano
Altiplano is a lyrical and probing film about our divided yet inextricably linked world. War photographer Grace, devastated by a violent incident in Iraq, renounces her profession. Her Belgian husband Max is a cataract surgeon working at an eye clinic in the High Andes of Peru. Nearby, the villagers of Turumbamba succumb to diseases caused by a mercury spill from a local mine. Saturnina, a young woman in Turubamba, loses her fianc to the contamination. The villagers turn their rage on the foreign doctors, and in the ensuing riot Max is killed. Saturnina takes drastic measures to protest against the endless violations towards her people and their land while Grace sets out on a journey of mourning to the place of Maxs death.
Director: Christophe Le Masne Country: France Year: 2009 Runtime: 32 min Canadian Premiere
Annie de Francia
Two sisters and their mother embark on a road trip through Spain to go to the wedding of a cousin they've never met. For Annie, a 45-year old mother and the daughter of a Spanish political refugee in exile, this trip is a way to reconnect with her roots.
Director: Su Turhan Country: Germany Year: 2010 Runtime: 83 min Awards: Audience Award, Stony Brook FF 2010 North American Premiere Thursday, 4 November 2010, 9:00 p.m.
Ayla
Ayla examines cultural and generational clashes in a new society. Ayla, a young German girl of Turkish descent has been completely assimilated into German culture and customs, much to the chagrin of her father who has disowned her. She meets Ayhan, a Turkish-German photographer who has even greater problems bridging this cultural gap. When Ayla and Ayhans relationship becomes intimate, all these problems come to the foreground and make for an absorbing and thought-provoking film.
Director: Dong-il Shin Country: South Korea Year: 2009 Runtime: 117 min st Awards: Best Film, 31 Festival of 3 Continents of Nantes 2009; Audience th Award, 11 Seoul International Youth Film Festival; Jurys Special Award, Japan Tanabe Benkei Film Festival North American Premiere
Bandhobi
Min-suh, a 17-year old rebellious high school Korean girl, lives in a small apartment with her mother and her mother's penniless lover. She hates her mother's lover and doesn't understand their relationship. Karim, a 29-year old migrant worker from Bangladesh has to leave Korea in a month. Before departing, he is trying to find his ex-boss to retrieve his unpaid salary. One day, as Min-suh's summer vacation begins, she encounters Karim on a bus, and together they set out on an emotional journey.
Director: Diederik Van Rooijen Country: The Netherlands Year: 2009 Runtime: 85 min North American Premiere
Bollywood Hero
Nick, a young Dutch actor, comes to Mumbai to film a Bollywood musical. Once there he is involved in the accidental death of a street girl and discovers that his movie camera is capable of identifying (by way of a penumbra) people who are in need of help. The scenes of Nick on the set and Nick on the street make for an effective contrast--Bollywood vs. the slums of Mumbai. Facing a personal crisis of his own, Nick may be trying to help others in order to compensate for his father's failing memory. With the best of intentions, he manages to misread the situations of people who are trapped in a rigid caste system and ends up doing more harm than good. Bollywood Hero makes for a strange journey, but a rewarding one.
Directors: Olivier Broudeur and Anthony Qur Country: France Year: 2010 Runtime: 20 min Canadian Premiere
Thursday, 4 November 2010, 7:00 p.m.
Dounouia, La Vie
Dounouia, La Vie tells the story of Modibo, a 16-year old boy from Mali who has just arrived in France and his struggle to fit in.
Director: Tony Gatlif Country: France Year: 2009 Runtime: 111 min Toronto Premiere
Friday, 5 November 2010, 9:00 p.m.
Freedom
In his latest film, Tony Gatlif (Exiles, Crazy Stranger) follows a gypsy family travelling the roads of France during World War II. Little Claude, a young orphan boy follows them. Upon arriving at a town where they traditionally stop to work for a few months, they learn that a new law forbids them from being nomads. Theodore, the town's mayor, and Miss Lundi, the schoolteacher, try to protect and help the gypsies.
Director: Cuong Ngo Country: Canada Year: 2009 Runtime: 15 min Award: Best Canadian Short, Inside Out FF 2009
The Golden Pin

A young Vietnamese-Canadian swimmer finds himself struggling between the expectations of his family and the demands of his heart. His mother, haunted by a past romance, hopes her son will stand up for what he believes.
Director: Alexei Gubenco Country: Romania Year: 2009 Runtime: 3 min Canadian Premiere
Great Expectations
A handkerchief on a clothesline wishes it could be free and fly with a flock of birds. Can the handkerchief make its dreams come true?
Director: Darko Lungulov Country: Serbia, USA, Germany Year: 2009 Runtime: 85 min Award: Best Film, Best New York Film, Tribeca FF 2009; Jury Award, Spirit of Independent Award, Ft. Lauderdale FF 2009; Best Director, Young Jury Award, FIPRESCI Prize, Geneva Cinema tout Ecran 2009 Canadian Premiere
Sunday, 7 November 2010, 3:00 p.m.
Here and There

Robert is a burnt-out musician, trying to survive in Manhattan. When his fedup friend Rose throws him out of her apartment, the destitute Robert reluctantly makes a deal with the young Serbian, Branko, who's moving his stuff out. For a hefty fee, Robert agrees to fly to Belgrade and marry Branko's girlfriend Ivana so that she can move to New York. Branko gives him a down payment, and Robert goes to Belgrade and moves in with Branko's mother, Olga. Robert is predictably miserable there, unimpressed with the city's culture and unresponsive to Olga's kindness. Back in New York, Branko faces his own struggles. While he's desperately trying to raise the money to pay Robert, his van is stolen. He begs Robert to stay in Belgrade for another week until he can send the money. Devoid of options, Robert agrees, and, despite himself, slowly begins to enjoy his stay. Here and There marks the narrative feature debut of writer-director Darko Lungulov. International Diaspora Film Festival 10
Director: George Gittoes Country: Australia, Pakistan Year: 2009 Runtime: 93 min Award: Official Selection, Telluride FF 2009 Canadian Premiere
Miscreants of Taliwood
The Miscreants of Taliwood takes viewers on an extraordinary journey to a zone forbidden to most: the remote tribal belt of Pakistan's Northwest Frontier. In order to gain access to this world, the director dresses in local costume and agrees to become an actor in the low budget Pashto tali movie industry. Teaming up with Pashto action and comedy stars, they make an over-the-top action drama, played out in what must be one of film history's craziest locationsjust a cave or two away from the reputed hiding spot of Osama Bin Laden.
Director: Granaz Moussavi Country: Australia Year: 2009 Runtime: 96 min Toronto Premiere Sunday, 7 November 2010, 5:00 p.m.
My Tehran for Sale

Filmed on the sly in the streets of Tehran against the backdrop of rarely seen urban subcultures, My Tehran for Sale provides viewers with an unauthorized look at the states underground scene and the muted rebellion of its youth. Director Granaz Moussavi tells a fictional yet intensely personal story based on a group of her middle class friends living in Tehran. Marzieh Vafamehr stars as a stage actress named Marzieh, a strong woman struggling to reconcile her love of her country with her desire for cultural freedom. She meets Saman (Amir Chegini), an Iranian with Australian citizenship, at an illicit rave and soon is plotting her escape from a life of secrecy and fear.
Director: Beadie Finzi Country: Brazil, UK Year: 2009 Runtime: 78 min Toronto Premiere
Wednesday, 3 November 2010, 7:00 p.m.
Only When I Dance

Defying the idea that ballet is an art form steeped in the history of the white upper class, this documentary captures the dreams of two black youth from the favelas in Brazil, who, despite rampant prejudice, are both determined to follow their dreams, using dance as an escape from the tough realities of their daily lives.
Directors: Various directors Country: Canada Year: 2010 Runtime: 70 min Toronto Premiere
Diaspora in Short; Roots

Under our regular Diaspora in Short program, this year we are presenting the Roots project in collaboration with CBC Radio Canada International. Roots tells the stories of individuals of various cultural backgrounds while exploring the theme of roots using different narrative styles.
Director: John McNulty Country: France Year: 2009 Runtime: 14 min Canadian Premiere
Saturday
Told over the duration of a few hours, Saturday is a recounting of the final moments of a relationship - a requiem for a love story. Saturday explores the difference between France and the US in terms of human relations, cinema and language.
Director: Oliver Paulus Country: Austria, Germany, Switzerland Year: 2008 Runtime: 100 min North American Premiere
Tandoori Love
At the local supermarket, Sonja, a sommelier at a Bern Oberland inn which belongs to her fianc Markus, bumps into Rajah, the cook of an Indian film crew shooting in the area. Stricken by love at first sight, Rajah convinces Markus to hire him, then proceeds to dazzle him with his exquisite recipes. Meanwhile, the film crew he has left for Sonja's pretty eyes falls into chaos. Swiss romantic comedy mixing Bollywood kitsch and Bernese Alps drama.
Director: Ali Razi Country: France Year: 2010 Runtime: 110 min North American Premiere
Tuesday, 2 November 2010, 7:00 p.m.
Twenty Days That Shook Tehran

Directed by Ali Razi, Twenty Days That Shook Tehran focuses on the presidential campaign that preceded the contested re-election of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in June 2009, as seen through the eyes of the members of a theatre troupe determined to stage a play based on the events of the election. A discussion panel follows the screening. Please visit the website for details.
Director: Shahram Alidi Country: Iraq Year: 2009 Runtime: 88 min Award: Jury Prize, Bratislava FF 2009; In Competition: Cannes FF 2010 Canadian Premiere
Whisper with the Wind

Whisper with the Wind is an engaging drama set in Iraqi Kurdistan that tells the story of a postman who travels the countryside recording and delivering the voices of Iranian soldiers and war refugees during the war with Iraq to give to their relatives. Described by Le Monde as one of the most contemplative films to watch today, a visual poem crammed with unbelievable landscapes, elegiac sequencesimpressive in their sheer majesty, Whisper with the Wind is a touching film that uses landscape and nature to express the degree of suffering experienced during war.
Director: Igor Drljaca Country: Canada, Bosnia Year: 2010 Runtime: 14 Award: Sarajevo FF, Go East FF, Palm Spring International Shortfest, Telluride FF Canadian Premiere
Sunday, 7 November 2010, 3:00 p.m.
Woman in Purple
A young Sarajevo boy is exploring the prospect of earning easy money. When he is confronted with the consequences he is forced to make a decision.
Director: Noah Pink Country: Zambia/Canada Year: 2010 Runtime: 42 min Award: Official Selection, Cannes Film Festival 2010 Toronto Premiere
Wednesday, 3 November 2010, 7:00 p.m.
ZedCrew
Shot on location in Zambia, ZedCrew is a compelling portrait of three young men with big hopes of making it as rappers. When they find out that getting to New York is next to impossible, Hong and his boys resort to desperate measures to pursue their dreams. Discovered by director Noah Pink, Zambian hip-hop artist Alvin Fungo delivers a breakout performance, backed by his own original music. ZedCrew provides fresh, raw insight into the modern urban lives of young Zambians today.
Event Description: Music Night Sunday, 7 November 2010, 8:45 p.m.
Concert: Light of East

The Light of East is an instrumental band performing music from the Near and Middle East, including traditional, folk, classical, and modern urban music of the 20th century from regions such as Armenia, Greece, Turkey, Egypt, Lebanon, and Syria. The rhythms and melodies are instantly captivating. For people of Near East and Middle East descent, the music becomes a vehicle for a nostalgic journey back to their home countries. The Light of East Ensemble has appeared in various venues and events such as the Aeolian Performing Arts Centre, Sunfest World Music and Jazz Concert Series 2009 - 2010, Home County Folk Festival, and Stratford Summer Music Festival among many others. The Light of East Ensemble was nominated for Jack Richardson Music Award and London Music Award in 2008, 2009, and 2010.

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International Diaspora Film Festival 10

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International Diaspora Film Festival 10

Saturday, 6 November 2010, 3:15 p.m.