Monthly Film Festival

December 12, 2020 12:00pm PST - 09:00pm PST
FESTIVAL INDUSTRY DELEGATION MEMBERS
Abe Cohen Hoffing
WME (Endeavor)
Allison Wasserman
HBO
Babacar Diene
Voltage Pictures
Brian Harvey
Amazon Studios
Effie Brown
Gamechanger Films
Hilarie Holt
Sony Pictures Television
Lucy Tashman
Agency for the Performing Arts (APA)
Mikey Schwartz-Wright
United Talent Agency (UTA)
Niels Swinkels
Universal Pictures
Sandino Moya-Smith
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)
Timur Bekbosunov
ACE Pictures Entertainment
PROGRAM MODERATORS
Malina Saval
Variety
Serge Bakalian
Arab Film and Media Institute

NewFilmmakers Los Angeles (NFMLA) and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) with presenting partners Dutch Culture USA (Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in New York) and the Arab Film and Media Institute (AFMI) co-host a virtual edition of the annual NewFilmmakers Los Angeles (NFMLA) Film Festival InFocus: Middle Eastern, Arab & Dutch Cinema program, powered by Seed&Spark. The weekend will feature an international lineup of films by talented emerging filmmakers across three short film programs. The event will include virtual screenings, filmmaker Q&A’s and industry panels.

The day of programming begins with InFocus: Dutch Cinema, a collection of exciting work from up-and-coming Dutch short film directors co-presented by Dutch Culture USA (Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in New York) and curated in partnership with SEE NL. This year’s program, which includes 2020 Student Academy Award Nominated crime drama Porfotto by director Edson da Conceicao and Marieke de Zwaan’s meditative So I Stay, this year’s winner of Go Short’s Academy-Qualifying Dutch Competition, asks us to ponder what we value in our world and how we find our place in it.

The second program of the evening is InFocus: Arab Cinema, a compelling program of short films was curated in partnership with the Arab Film and Media Institute (AFMI) and showcases Arab storytellers from across the world, featuring stories that cinematically capture resilience and community amidst the hardships of immigration, political instability and personal loss.

The night concludes with InFocus: Middle Eastern Cinema, a selection of striking short films from Middle Eastern filmmakers who have made their work all over the world – Lebanon, Israel, Iran and the US. They tell thrilling and thoughtful stories of taking risks, finding and embracing authenticity, the struggle of persecution and the strength of those who fight it.

Schedule Details

Program #1: InFocus: Dutch Cinema
12:00 PM – 1:30 PM – Suggested Screening Time
1:30 PM – 2:30 PM – Audience Q&A

Program #2: InFocus: Arab Cinema
2:45 PM – 4:45 PM – Suggested Screening Time
5:00 PM – 6:00 PM – Audience Q&A

Program #3: InFocus: Middle Eastern Cinema
6:15 PM – 7:45 PM – Suggested Screening Time
8:00 PM – 9:00 PM – Audience Q&A

InFocus: Dutch Cinema Program
Sad Beauty
Dir. Arjan Brentjes
10 Mins | Netherlands
Stuff
Dir. & Writ. Malu Janssen
13 Mins | Netherlands
Beautiful Alexander Thumbnail
Beautiful Alexander
Dir. & Writ. Marc Wagenaar
13 Mins | Netherlands
Porfotto Thumbnail
Porfotto
Dir. & Writ. Edson da Conceicao
29 Mins | Netherlands
Ink
Dir. Erik Verkerk & Joost van den Bosch
2 Mins | Netherlands
So I Stay Thumbnail
So I Stay
Dir. Marieke de Zwaan. & Writ. Rosanne Groenendijk
20 Mins | Netherlands
InFocus: Arab Cinema
Barzakh Thumbnail
Barzakh
Dir. & Writ. Karina Dandashi
10 Mins | USA
The Present
Dir. & Writ. Farah Nabulsi
24 Mins | Palestine
Appel Manqué Thumbnail
Appel Manqué
Dir. & Writ. Maya Jaafar
12 Mins | Lebanon
Manara
Dir. Zayn Alexander & Writ. Pascale Seigneurie
16 Mins | Lebanon
Ahmed’s Song
Dir. & Writ. Foued Mansour
30 Mins | France
Rosa
Dir. & Writ. Suha Araj
23 Mins | USA
InFocus: Middle Eastern Cinema
Follow Me
Dir. & Writ. Elinor Nechemya
18 Mins | Israel
Bye Bye, Body Thumbnail
Bye Bye, Body
Dir. & Writ. Charlotte Benbeniste
10 Mins | USA
Inner Self
Dir. & Writ. Mohammad Hormozi
15 Mins | Iran
ÃH Thumbnail
ÃH
Dir. & Writ. Alex El Dahdah
15 Mins | Lebanon
Alina Thumbnail
Alina
Dir. Rami Kodeih & Writ. Nora Mariana Salim
25 Mins | USA