International Competition Jurors
Here we introduce the five jurors who will decide the destination of awards including The Robert and Frances Flaherty Prize from the fifteen International Competition films for YIDFF 2011.
Atom Egoyan (Canada; filmmaker)
Born in 1960 in Egypt to parents of the Armenian diaspora. Migrated to Canada as a young child. Made his first short film in 1979 and his first feature in 1984. With fourteen feature films and related projects since, he has won numerous awards, including five prizes at the Cannes Film Festival, two Academy Award® nominations, and many more. Films include Exotica (1994), The Sweet Hereafter (1997), Ararat (2002), and his most recent film, Chloe (2009). He has been on juries at Cannes, Berlin, Venice, Sundance, and other festivals. His art projects have been presented around the world, including the Venice Biennale. In recent years, he has been opening new frontiers by directing operas (Die Walküre, Salome) and stage plays (Samuel Beckett’s Eh Joe) to high acclaim. Arsinée Khanjian, award-winning actress and frequent collaborator on Egoyan’s films, will accompany him on this trip to Japan.
Haile Gerima (Ethiopia, based in USA; filmmaker)
Born 1946 in Gondar, Ethiopia. Teaches at Howard University’s Department of Radio, Television, and Film in Washington, DC. His films are noted for their exploration of the issues and the history pertinent to members of the African diaspora, from the perspectives of Africans themselves. With Harvest: 3,000 Years (1976), which won the Silver Leopard at the Locarno Film Festival, he became known as one of the most important filmmakers of the African continent. Harvest: 3,000 Years was recently digitally remastered and screened in the 2006 Cannes Classic Official Selection. His Ashes and Embers (1982) won the FIPRESCI (International Film Critics Association) Prize at the Berlin Film Festival (Forum), and his Sankofa (1993) was acclaimed again in Berlin in Competition. Teza (2008) premiered at the Venice Film Festival in Competition and received the Special Jury Prize, the OSELLA (for best screenplay), and the SIGNIS Prize.
Ichioka Yasuko (Japan; TV documentary producer/director)
Born in 1939. Joined Nippon Television Network Corporation in 1962 after graduating from Tokyo Metropolitan University. In 1964, began working with Ushiyama Junichi, producer of NTV’s Non-Fiction Theater series (1962–1969), a pioneering TV documentary program. In 1972, joined Mr Ushiyama in establishing Nippon A-V Productions, an independent production house. From 1966 to 1990, she worked as director and producer on the Our Wonderful World series, with a particular focus on the ethnographic filming of life and culture in the Asia Pacific region. Professor at Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University from 2001 to 2007.
Amar Kanwar (India; filmmaker)
Born in 1964, he lives and works in New Delhi. Recipient of the 1st Edvard Munch Award for Contemporary Art (Norway), Kanwar’s poetic and contemplative films explore the political, social, economic, and ecological conditions of the Indian subcontinent. A Season Outside (1997, screened at YIDFF ’99) examined issues of violence and nonviolence along the India-Pakistan border; it was awarded the Golden Conch at the Mumbai International Film Festival and the Golden Gate Award at the San Francisco International Film Festival. A Night Of Prophecy (2002, screened at YIDFF 2003) explored poetry in contemporary India. Torn First Pages (2003–08) is an investigation into the current situation in Burma. He has won many other awards at film festivals, and his films have been featured in special exhibitions at art museums, including the Stediljk Museum, Amsterdam; the Museum of Modern Art, New York; and the National Museum in Oslo, Norway. He also participated in Documenta 11 (2002) and 12 (2007) in Kassel, Germany. The Lightning Testimonies (2007) screened at YIDFF 2009.
- Screening:
The Scene of Crime - INDIA / 2011 / English / Color / HD / 42 min
Fernando Pérez (Cuba; filmmaker)
After graduating from the University of Havana, he began working in the Cuban film industry in 1971 as an assistant director. He directed his first documentary in 1975 and his first feature drama, Living Dangerously (Clandestinos), in 1987. Pérez later directed Life Is To Whistle (La Vida es Silbar, 1998), Havana Suite (Suite Habana, 2003), Madrigal (2007), and other films. Havana Suite, a documentary depicting twelve ordinary people of Havana, was a phenomenal hit seen by 300,000 people in Cuba.