Tofifest 2015. Best debuts from around the world in the ON AIR competition
"The Magnificent 12", one could say, when looking at the competitors of the Main Competition at the Tofifest IFF. We will see the Venezuelan winner of this year's Venice IFF and the best debut from Berlinale. We will have films from Afghanistan, Costa Rica, or Mexico, as well as the touching Mediterranea that shows Europe through the eyes of refugees. The majority of the films in this competition will have its cinema premières at the festival in Torun.
The ON AIR competition is comprised of carefully selected debuts from international film festivals, but they are not the only sources of films featured in the competition. There are also original discoveries made by the decision-makers that select films for Tofifest. The winner of the Golden Angel of Tofifest will be announced on 24th October.
The review of the films in the competition starts with the Polish première of From Afar (Desde allá) by Lorenzo Vigas, which has won the Golden Lion Award at the 72nd edition of the Venice IFF. The winning film from Venezuela, which surprised everybody at the film event in Venice, is a story about a complicated relationship between a 50-year-old man from middle class and a violent, rebellious teenager from slums. The film by Lornezo Vigas is not only a comprehensive panorama of society in the capital city of Caracas, but also a treatise on loneliness, longing for emotions, and craving for love.
The issue of refugees fleeing to Europe has been analysed in the French film Mediterranea directed by Jonas Carpignano (POLISH PREMIERE). It is a controversial take on the tragedy of refugees, seen through the eyes of two Africans, who set on a perilous journey to Italy to find a better life. Carpignano is very brave in expressing his opinion about racism and hostility that refugees in Europe must face. The film by the Italian director is referred to as "a cousin of Beasts of the Southern Wild", which also commented on the problem of migration. Mina walking (POLISH PREMIERE), an Afghan-Canadian co-production, offers a film perspective on the life of women in Islamic Afghanistan. The film was directed by Yosef Baraki and nominated for the Crystal Bear at Berlinale 2015. The director tells a story about Mina, a 12-year-old girl, who sells trinkets on the street of Kabul and becomes the sole family supporter. The inspiration for the film came, when Baraki met a group of child street sellers working on the streets of Kabul. The entire film was made by a very small crew comprised of just a few people. There is only a limited number of professional actors featured in the films, all other are amateurs.
Another of the films featured in the competition is considered to be a serious candidate for Academy Awards in 2016, in the Best Foreign Language Film category. It is the Mexican drama 600 Miles (600 milas) by Gabriel Ripstein, considered to be one of the most acclaimed films at this year's Berlinale, where it won an award for the best debuting film. The young director has presented a carefully thought through and intense road movie, spiced up by a very realistic panorama of drug dealing in Mexico, under the rule of drug cartels. The main protagonist is portrayed by excellent Tim Roth.
The Here After (Efterskalv) by Magnus van Horn represents Poland in the ON AIR competition. This successful debut by a Swedish director is a multi-aspect social drama, interestingly combining Scandinavian minimalism and emotional heavy-weight taken directly from films by Krzysztof Kieslowski. John, main protagonist, is released from juvenile detention and wants to start his life anew, but society rejects him. He is considered an "intruder". This Polish-Swedish co-production had its première at Cannes. The author of cinematography is Lukasz Zul, who was previously nominated for Academy Awards for his work in Ida.
The Columbian-French co-production Land and shade (La tierra y la sombra) by César Augusto Acevedo has won the Caméra d'Or Award at this year's Cannes IFF. In his film, the Spanish director and screenwriter weaves a story about an old worker from a cane sugar plantation, who returns home after many long years to take care of his bed-ridden son, who has developed a pulmonary disease. It is a story about struggling for forgiveness, set in the austere reality of a post-colonial town.
The ON AIR competition will also include this year's winner of Sundance, i.e. Me and Earl and dying girl from the USA, directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon (famous for directing many episodes for the Glee or American Horror Story TV series). This masterpiece of directing tells a story of Greg, a high school student, who isolated himself from the world around and stays away from establishing closer relationships. Everything changes, when he befriends Rachel, his peer, who has been diagnosed with leukaemia. The girl will turn his life upside down.
Scandinavian cinema in the ON AIR competition is represented by Rams from Iceland, directed by Grímur Hákonarson (POLISH PREMIERE). This is a slightly oneiric story about two brothers, who have not spoken to each other in 40 years. It is only when a flock of sheep -- the most valuable of their possessions -- is in danger that they make an effort to rebuild their relationship. The drama by Hákonarson was awarded in Cannes and screened at the TIFF, and it is also considered to be a strong candidate for Academy Awards.
The Main Competition at Tofifest also includes four fresh discoveries - debuts of young filmmakers. The Canadian Sleeping giant by Andrew Cividino is a story about teenage Adam, who is spending summer holidays with his parents. His life changes, when he meets two peers who love risking their lives. The friendship they develop will change them forever. It is a very bold and uncompromising film about coming of age in the shadow of unfortunate events. The film by Cividino has been awarded for directing at this year's TIFF. Canada is also represented by Granny’s dancing on the table by Hanna Sköld. This is a story of a young girl with unique power of imagination, who lives under the rule of her tyrannical father -- a religious fanatic. The film premièred in Toronto and the screening at Tofifest will be its Polish première.
Viaje by Paz Fabrega (POLISH PREMIERE) is a toned-down black and white story about a spontaneous relationship between Luciana and Pedro. They meet by chance at a party and all of a sudden decide to go on a trip together, deep into the woods of Costa Rica. Both protagonist soon fall for each other and this process is portrayed by the director in a non-conventional and youthful manner. The Croatian You carry me (Ti mene nosis; POLISH PREMIERE) by Ivona Juka is being compared to Crash or 21 grams. It is a bold and expressive illustration of the modern Croatian society, presenting the interweaving fates of the main protagonists: a neglected young girl with big dreams, a director of soap operas for TV, and a woman struggling to accept her pregnancy. The director creates a colourful panorama of strong personalities showing each of them struggling to save their dreams in a merciless world. The cast in the film is a unique combination of top actors from Croatia and amateurs, who are surprisingly convincing on screen.
Tofifest 2015 Main Competition, Golden Angel Award: The ON AIR International Competition of Debuts and Second Films
- 600 Miles (600 milas), by Gabriel Ripstein, 2015, Mexico/USA
- From Afar (Desde allá), by Lorenzo Vigas, 2015, Venezuela/Mexico, POLISH PREMIERE
- Granny's dancing on the table, by Hanna Sköld, 2014, Sweden, POLISH PREMIERE
- The Here After, by Magnus van Horn, Poland, 2015
- Land and shade (La tierra y la sombra), by César Augusto Acevedo, Columbia/France, 2015
- Me and Earl and dying girl, by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, USA, 2015
- Mediterranea, by Jonas Carpignano, 2015, France /Germany / USA / Great Britain / Italy, POLISH PREMIERE
- Mina walking, by Yosef Baraki, Afghanistan / Canada, POLISH PREMIERE
- Rams, by Grímur Hákonarson, Iceland, 2015, POLISH PREMIERE
- Sleeping giant, by Andrew Cividino, Canada, 2015
- Viaje, by. Paz Fabrega, Costa Rica, 2015, POLISH PREMIERE
- You carry me (Ti mene nosis), by Ivona Juka, 2015, Croatia, POLISH PREMIERE
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