Ghent, DECEMBER 18, 2012 - The Belgian short film ‘PLANKTON’ by Mieke Daneels was just named best short film in the international competition during the 15th edition of the International Festival of Independent Cinema “Pure Dreams’ in St. Petersburg (Russia).

The festival is known as one of the largest film festivals for ‘independent films’ in Russia. Each year festival director Alexander Bashirov, one of Russia’s most famous actors / directors, presents a unique collection of experimental and avant-garde films.

The 15-minute short film ‘PLANKTON’ can best be described as a bizarre relationship drama on a beach.

‘PLANKTON’ premiered last month at the Clair Obscur Film Festival in Basel (Austria) and was also selected in Greece at the Thess International Short Film Festival where it could count on rave reviews.

Trailer (Youtube):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rn7RK5DcY-w

Trailer (Vimeo):
https://vimeo.com/36163435

Official website ‘PLANKTON’:
http://www.zoffa.com/plankton

Catalogue of the festival:
http://www.deboshirfilm.ru/index.php?id=150

In its third, renewed edition, Festival of Experimental Film and Video – [X]FEFV, presents recent exeperimental film and video art production enriched by other genre and style hybrids.

Along side with the short-length and mid-length works, festival program features one feature-length film. Four Roses by a Belgian filmmaker Kris De Meester, recalling early Jarmusch, represents an outstanding example of independent cinematography. Through its black-and-white patina, this De Meesters drama introduces us to twelve characters trapped within their hotel rooms, literally killing time, thus forming an ideal framework for exploration of isolation, interaction and being itself.

This year’s Festival of Experimental Film and Video was organized and the works were selected by

Art & Culture Laboratory [KUL], non-profit organization created with the goal of promotion and development of independent cultural and artistic expression and public activity.

http://k-u-l.hr/en/xfefv/

The Belgian feature film “SMOTHERED” (Gesmoord) by Mieke Daneels was just awarded with Prix de Nuit at the 10th edition of the ‘International Festival Signes de Nuit’ which runs until October 16, 2012 in Paris.

“SMOTHERED” is a feature film that can best be described as an experimental drama. It tells the story of a traumatized mother and her 3 children fleeing reality. In a surreal world she tries to find peace and reconciliation. This story is mainly being told visually and by means of reprocessed emotions, the narrative character of the classic movie is hereby largely avoided. Mieke Daneels can be boxed in the more innovative film movement “intuitive cinema”, in which we also find other Belgian filmmakers such as Peter Brosens / Jessica Woodworth (Altiplano, Khadak) and Gust Van den Berghe (Blue Bird, Little Baby Jesus or Flandr).

“SMOTHERED” premiered at the London Independent Film Festival and was previously seen in Paris during the Paris Festival for Different and Experimental Cinemas. Fashion156.com, an important blog about fashion and graphics, described the film as follows: “This film is shot so beautifully you could almost watch it on mute. But When teamed with the soundtrack, Mieke Daneels Creates a fantastically eerie landscape.”

The international jury of the section “Cinema in Transgression” gave the following explanation:
‘Prix de Nuit’ honours films, which are able to balance ambiguity and complexity characterised by enigmatic mysteriousness and subtleness, which keeps mind and consideration moving.

Trailer (Youtube): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGk2RGe00wk
Trailer (Vimeo): https://vimeo.com/33110011
Official Website “BRAISED ‘: http://www.gesmoord.com
Website International Festival Signes de Nuit: http://www.signesdenuit.com/

Kris De Meester (director/producer of ‘Four Roses’) will be co-producing the micro budget feature film ‘Vessel’.

‘Vessel’ was written by and will be directed by Adam Ciancio. It tells the story of Ash (played by Mark Diaco), a thirty something guy with a special gift. He can interface with aliens. He works for the government translating alien communication. A gift he needs to be stripped of by the end of the day or risk succumbing to its side-effects completely. This power is beginning to make him one of them - incredibly calculating, but devoid of any human emotion. He gains valuable time by ingesting prescribed sleeping inhalers which keep the symptoms at bay, but are quickly losing their effect as he grows more and more tired.
 
Co-producer Kris De Meester on the project “I generally don’t like sci-fi stories. Vessel on the other hand is not really a typical sci-fi project. The character Ash can communicate with aliens, but his story is much more about a guy trying to find his place in society and the modern era. Dealing with isolation and the emptiness of being.”

Director Adam Ciancio on the story “It’s a story that I think is universal, dealing with themes of isolation in the modern era and also our place in the universe and how we are not alone. If you can imagine a sci-fi film with no effects, no explosions and no aliens, then you understand what I’m trying to achieve.”

Check out the pitch video by Adam to learn more about the project: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R03vop38NaM
Check out a Levi’s commercial which Adam shot to sense his style: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6BdrqaQGuY

The principal shooting starts May 21 in Melbourne, Australia. The production was mainly funded using crowd funding. We found enough money to start shooting but still need some more money to complete the film.

SUPPORT THIS PROJECT AND JOIN US ON THE AVANT PREMIERE IN AMSTERDAM, BRUSSELS OR GHENT
Check out the ‘Indiegogo’-page (a crowd funding network) on the project and select one of the perks to support this project.
You can choose between different rewards, starting from 10 US dollar for ‘a special thanks credit’, 25 US dollar for 2 tickets of the avant premiere in Amsterdam, Brussels or Ghent, up until 500 or 1,000 US dollar to become one of the producers on this project.

Vessel: http://www.indiegogo.com/vessel-pt2
Adam Ciancio (writer/director/producer): http://adamciancio.com/
Mark Diaco (leading star), showreel: http://vimeo.com/21863836
Kris De Meester (co-producer): http://www.zoffa.com/

Four Roses is making its New York City Premiere on March 13th as an Official Selection in the NewFilmmakers Film Series at the East Village landmark, Anthology Film Archives.

The Festival of Different and Experimental Cinemas: a long story between Hyères in the 70’ and Paris at the end of the 90’, a curious public, and films from the all world.
Since 1999, the Festival program want to be eclectic, geographically and thematically various, and exigent. An important event, a place of meetings and dialog for all
directors of experimental cinema in France and in the world.

Next to the competition a special screening will take place of ‘SMOTHERED’ “to highlight its aesthetic innovation and originality” as Gloria Morano at Collectif Jeune Cinéma (organizer of the festival) says.

Fashion156.com is an online magazine that provides a celebratory platform for emerging talent. Every week the magazine publishes a ‘We Love List’ with a tribute to inspiring new fashion elements. “Smothered” was featured in the latest edition (April 28, 2011) of the list: “This film is shot so beautifully you could almost watch it on mute. But when teamed with the soundtrack, Mieke Daneels creates a fantastically eerie landscape.”