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The 6th edition begings with a screening of films from the finalists of the European Film Academy (winners’ selection) to be held in association with Europa House outside the Suq Market in St. Paul’s Street in Valletta on August 6. This will be followed by a rare performance by Uwe Bastiansen, an experimental musician and filmmaker from Hamburg, Germany. This one-off performance will be held on the roof of the City Lights Cinema in Republic Street, Valletta at 9pm. Both events are free of charge.
The main screening event takes place at the Herbert Ganado Gardens in Floriana on August 7-8.
A focus on British film includes the winner of the UK Film Council Best Short Film award of the 7th London Short Film Festival, You’re the Stranger Here from director Tom Geens. His award-winning films give a disturbing vision of society's outsiders, with a heavy dose of black humour.
Martin Clark’s The Southern General is an observational documentary that glances at the sitcom cliché of the nervous man during labour and childbirth. The pressure on men to act a certain way during this rite of passage is immense. How do they face the real or imagined horror and bloodshed? Must they be brave soldiers? This documentary was filmed at the Southern General Hospital in Glasgow, Scotland.
Also in this year’s programme is The Herd by Irish director Ken Wardrop. This short documentary forms part of the prestigious European Film Academy Awards 2009 selection. The Herd recently picked up the Prix UIP award at the Sarajevo Film Festival and the Best Short Documentary award at the Expression En Corto International Film Festival in Mexico. It also won the Short Documentary Grand Jury Prize at this year’s Seattle International Film Festival and has screened at numerous international festivals including the LA Film Festival, the Hamburg International Short Film Festival and the Worldwide Short Film Festival in Toronto.
Mothmilk by Igor and Ivan Buharov will also be in this year’s programme. Kornel Szilagyi and Nandor Hevesi have been working for 15 years under the pseudonym of Igor and Ivan Buharov. They have created a number of shorts, features, experimental films, documentaries and animation. they have also been involved in the creation of several musical projects and music for the film. Their work balances on the edge of fine art and cinematic art. In their latest short, Mothmilk, the Buharov brothers come back to us as directors. This experiment is successful: those who know their style, made up of existential questions, fear and super 8, will be surprised by the plot's linearity. Those who have never seen one of their films should do their best to watch one - they are not something one sees every day.
Also included in this year's programme is a Danish short The New Tenants by Joachim Back. The film won an Oscar for Best Short Film, live action.
Works from Maltese filmmakers include Magdalene from young director Rebecca Cremona.
This year’s programme also includes a first-ever filmmaking workshop for children (ages 3-7), followed by a screening of children’s films that will take place on Sunday, August 8. This activity is organised with the help of Animateka Slovenia and St James Cavalier Centre for Creativity, Valletta.
Saturday night is also Mid Fest party night. Richard Fearless (Death in Vegas) will deejay at Cavett in Mtarfa. DJs Ali Tollervey and Danjeli will also be playing that night.
Kinemastik collaborated on this year’s festival with European Film Academy, Milano Film festival, Next film festival Romania, Animateka Slovenia, Chaos Filmgruppe Germany and Malta Contemporary Art Foundation.
The festival is supported by St. James Cavalier Centre for Creativity, Malta Film Commission, The British Council, Marks & Spencer, ALDO and Malta Contemporary Art Foundation.
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