Janis Rafa's Kala azar is exclusively showing on Mubi starting June 2, 2021 in many countries in the Debuts series.Before the cat that looks at me naked, would I be ashamed like an animal that no longer has the sense of nudity? Or on the contrary, like a man who retains the sense of his nudity? Who am I therefore?—J. Derrida, The Animal That Therefore I Am, 1997On The SCREENPLAYLike in nature discovery documentaries, the plot of Kala azar slowly unravels the different species and inhabitants of a particular landscape. The film is set at the margins of a big city somewhere in the south of Europe. The various characters -human and non-human, living or dead- are all of equal importance in the understanding of this place. In this desolate environment there is an ominous post-apocalyptic atmosphere. The couple, the parents, the migrant workers and the male hunters are the human residents of this land,...
- 5/27/2021
- MUBI
Dating back to her childhood in Greece, first-time director Janis Rafa has spent the better part of her life contemplating death. The title of her feature-length debut, “Kala Azar,” takes its name from the parasitic disease that swept through the country in the 1990s, ravaging the animal population. In Rafa’s childhood home, which included both domesticated animals and strays the family had taken in, her father served as an erstwhile gravedigger, burying pets that had been claimed by the disease, or accidents, or natural causes.
Echoes of that arresting memory resurface years later in “Kala Azar,” which centers on a young couple (played by Pinelopi Tsilika and Dimitris Lalos) living on the outskirts of an unnamed city in the south of Europe, collecting and cremating dead pets and returning the ashes to their owners. The fragile barrier between life and death is ever-present in the film, as is the...
Echoes of that arresting memory resurface years later in “Kala Azar,” which centers on a young couple (played by Pinelopi Tsilika and Dimitris Lalos) living on the outskirts of an unnamed city in the south of Europe, collecting and cremating dead pets and returning the ashes to their owners. The fragile barrier between life and death is ever-present in the film, as is the...
- 11/15/2020
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
The Hong Kong International Film Festival Society (Hkiffs) today announces a series of special in-theatre screenings to mark the reopening of cinemas in Hong Kong.
The CineFest series will feature films from the previously cancelled 44th Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF44) and Cine Fan programmes, including this year’s Firebird Award winners.
Supported by Create Hong Kong and the Film Development Fund, all screenings will take place daily for five weeks from 30 September at K11 Art House in Tsim Sha Tsui.
Hkiffs Executive Director Albert Lee said Hkiffs would announce weekly line-ups and screening schedules starting today.
“Despite this year’s cancellations and disruptions, we have not stopped anticipating ways to re-engage Hong Kong’s film-lovers and to share our choices and discoveries with them once the situation returns to normal,” Mr Lee said.
To ensure public safety, Hkiffs will continue to comply with every in-theatre health measure mandated...
The CineFest series will feature films from the previously cancelled 44th Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF44) and Cine Fan programmes, including this year’s Firebird Award winners.
Supported by Create Hong Kong and the Film Development Fund, all screenings will take place daily for five weeks from 30 September at K11 Art House in Tsim Sha Tsui.
Hkiffs Executive Director Albert Lee said Hkiffs would announce weekly line-ups and screening schedules starting today.
“Despite this year’s cancellations and disruptions, we have not stopped anticipating ways to re-engage Hong Kong’s film-lovers and to share our choices and discoveries with them once the situation returns to normal,” Mr Lee said.
To ensure public safety, Hkiffs will continue to comply with every in-theatre health measure mandated...
- 9/27/2020
- by Grace Han
- AsianMoviePulse
The Cloud In Her Room and This Is Not A Burial, It’s A Resurrection were named as best films.
Zheng Lu Xinyuan’s The Cloud In Her Room and Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese’s This Is Not A Burial, It’s A Resurrection were named as best films at this year’s Hong Kong International Film Festival (Hkiff), which was cancelled due to Covid-19, but went ahead with online judging for its competition sections.
Both films also won best actress in their respective sections – Jin Jing for The Cloud In Her Room in the Young Cinema Competition (Chinese-language), and Mary...
Zheng Lu Xinyuan’s The Cloud In Her Room and Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese’s This Is Not A Burial, It’s A Resurrection were named as best films at this year’s Hong Kong International Film Festival (Hkiff), which was cancelled due to Covid-19, but went ahead with online judging for its competition sections.
Both films also won best actress in their respective sections – Jin Jing for The Cloud In Her Room in the Young Cinema Competition (Chinese-language), and Mary...
- 8/20/2020
- by 89¦Liz Shackleton¦0¦
- ScreenDaily
The movie by China’s Zheng Lu Xinyuan has won the 2020 edition of Iffr; European victors included A Perfectly Normal Family, Kala azar and Les Misérables. As has been the case in recent years, International Film Festival Rotterdam (Iffr) brought this year’s edition to a close with an awards ceremony in De Doelen, one of the main festival locations. In his last year as festival director, Bero Beyer’s speech hinted at his sense of pride after another successful edition: “We are incredibly impressed with the quality of this year’s Tiger Competition, which in many cases generated a significant festival buzz. We thank all the filmmakers for their ambitious and creative approaches to cinema. Remember these names because we’re sure to see much more from them in the future.” During the 49th edition, the Tiger Award went to Zheng Lu Xinyuan’s The Cloud in Her Room.
The artistic director reflects on this year’s festival.
Bero Beyer, the outgoing artistic director of International Film Festival Rotterdam (Iffr), says new talent should not try to compete with Disney if they are to be successful in the film industry. “You’re not going to beat Disney at their own game. So don’t even try.”
To foster this mindset, the theme of the final year of his five-year stint at the helm of the Rotterdam Film Festival was ‘New Talent.’ In March, Beyer will take over as CEO of the Netherlands Film Fund.
“What I hope to be...
Bero Beyer, the outgoing artistic director of International Film Festival Rotterdam (Iffr), says new talent should not try to compete with Disney if they are to be successful in the film industry. “You’re not going to beat Disney at their own game. So don’t even try.”
To foster this mindset, the theme of the final year of his five-year stint at the helm of the Rotterdam Film Festival was ‘New Talent.’ In March, Beyer will take over as CEO of the Netherlands Film Fund.
“What I hope to be...
- 2/1/2020
- by 1101024¦Kaleem Aftab¦0¦
- ScreenDaily
With the 2020 International Film Festival Rotterdam’s Tiger competition underway, five of the 10 directors up for the event’s top prize came together on Sunday to discuss their work.
Alongside themes relating to identity and national political discourse, there was one distinctly more unusual similarity between two of the titles: they both starred the filmmakers' fathers.
Greek filmmaker Janis Rafar, whose debut feature Kala azar is competing, revealed that her father acted in the film, which is about the spiritual connection between human and animal and follows a young couple cremating collected roadkill.
Going one step further for his ...
Alongside themes relating to identity and national political discourse, there was one distinctly more unusual similarity between two of the titles: they both starred the filmmakers' fathers.
Greek filmmaker Janis Rafar, whose debut feature Kala azar is competing, revealed that her father acted in the film, which is about the spiritual connection between human and animal and follows a young couple cremating collected roadkill.
Going one step further for his ...
- 1/26/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
With the 2020 International Film Festival Rotterdam’s Tiger competition underway, five of the 10 directors up for the event’s top prize came together on Sunday to discuss their work.
Alongside themes relating to identity and national political discourse, there was one distinctly more unusual similarity between two of the titles: they both starred the filmmakers' fathers.
Greek filmmaker Janis Rafar, whose debut feature Kala azar is competing, revealed that her father acted in the film, which is about the spiritual connection between human and animal and follows a young couple cremating collected roadkill.
Going one step further for his ...
Alongside themes relating to identity and national political discourse, there was one distinctly more unusual similarity between two of the titles: they both starred the filmmakers' fathers.
Greek filmmaker Janis Rafar, whose debut feature Kala azar is competing, revealed that her father acted in the film, which is about the spiritual connection between human and animal and follows a young couple cremating collected roadkill.
Going one step further for his ...
- 1/26/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
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