New Hope Film Festival

Announcing the 2011 Award Winners

2011-07-18T12:28:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to all the filmmakers who screened at our 2011 festival! Some walked away with trophies, and for the record here is the complete list of award winners and nominees:

Best Picture (Danny Award)
Winner
Habermann (Juraj Herz, Austria, Czech Republic, Germany)

Honorable Mention
Among Us (Johan Brisinger, Sweden)

Nominees
Meteoro (Diego de la Texera, Brazil)
Greasewood Flat (Susan Brigham, USA)
99 Percent Sure (Pat Taggart, USA)
The Fallen Faithful (Csaba Bereczky, USA)
Where I Begin (Thomas Phillips, USA)
Asylum Seekers (Rania Ajami, USA)
The Bad Penny (Todd Bellanca, Thailand, USA)

Best Documentary
Winner
The World's Tallest Man: Still Growing (Stuart Clarke, UK)

Nominees
For Aaron the Documentary (Justin Jarrett, USA)
Call of the Maestro (Lou Hamilton, UK)
Beatboxing: The Fifth Element of Hip Hop (Klaus Schneyder, Germany)
Concrete, Steel and Paint (Cindy Burstein, Tony Heriza, USA)
Love & Valor—The Intimate Civil War Letters (Charles Larimer, USA)

Best Short Film
Winner
The Mirror (Sebastien Rossignol, France)

Nominees
The Desperate (Ben Hur Sepehr, USA)
Surviving Hunger (Balgum Song, USA)
The Moment (Paddy Slattery, Ireland)
Dreaming American (Lee Percy, USA)
...for peace comes dropping slow... (Lisa Vandegrift Davala, Ireland)

Cultural Spirit Award
Winner
Concrete, Steel and Paint (Cindy Burstein, Tony Heriza, USA)

Nominees
Call of the Maestro (Lou Hamilton, UK)
Where the Streets Have No Name (Vijaykumar Mirchandani, Australia)
Healing Neen (Laura Cain, USA)
Scientists Under Attack (Bertram Verhaag, Germany)
March On (Laura McFerrin, USA)
DHS: Give Us Back Our Children (Phoebe Jones, USA)

Indie Spirit Award
Winner
Director's Cut (Elana Mugdan, USA)

Nominees
My Brother's War (Whitney Hamilton, USA)
Where I Begin (Thomas Phillips, USA)
For Aaron the Documentary (Justin Jarrett, USA)
99 Percent Sure (Pat Taggart, USA)
Bucks County (Jason Sherman, USA)
Radio Cape Cod (Andrew Silver, USA)

Artistic Spirit Award
Winner
For Aaron the Documentary (Justin Jarrett, USA)

Nominees
Greasewood Flat (Susan Brigham, USA)
Earth Songs (Brian Luke Seaward, USA)
Director's Cut (Elana Mudgan, USA)
Z: The World of Zbigniew Fiks (Brad Besser, Vince Clemente, USA)
Call of the Maestro (Lou Hamilton, UK)

New Hope Award
Winner
Healing Neen (Laura Cain, USA)

Nominees
Humble Beauty (Judith Vogelsang, Letitia Schwartz, USA)
The Road Home (Phil Hopper, USA)
For Aaron the Documentary (Justin Jarrett, USA)
Where the Streets Have No Name (Vijaykumar Mirchandani, Australia)

Best Student Film
Winner
The Forgery (Gabriella Loutfi, USA)

Nominees
Toot Toot (Andrea Boo, Singapore)
Classroom 417 (Adrian Halter, Canada)
The Christmas Valentine (Zack Birlew, USA)
Controlled Burn (Dan Van Wert, USA)

Audience Choice - Best Feature Film
99 Percent Sure (Pat Taggart, USA)

Audience Choice - Best Documentary
For Aaron the Documentary (Justin Jarrett, USA)

Audience Choice - Best Short Film
Bubblegum (Marco Chiavarelli, Italy)

Audience Choice - Best Mid-Atlantic Film
Bucks County (Jason Sherman, USA)

Audience Choice - Best Student Film
Behind the Door of a Secret Girl (Janessa Starkey, Jack Kohler, USA)

Audience Choice - Best Mid-Atlantic Student Film
A Day at the Mall (Scott Schuler, USA)

Habermann

2011-07-08T20:34:00.000-07:00

Happy Opening Day New Hope Film Festival!

To kick off the festival, here’s our feature on Habermann, which made its NHFF premiere tonight at the New Hope Arts Center. I hope you enjoyed the film as much as we did, and discover new favorite films all week!

Habermann

By Sarah Leventer

It’s meant as no insult that Habermann has all the trademarks of generic WWII film: a love story faced with insurmountable obstacles, a family on the brink of fracturing, a young soldier coming of age and a once-close community taking sides, often against neighbors they’ve known for a lifetime. What Habermann does with these trademarks though, is something special. The grit and emotional power of the opening scene, for instance, is shocking, easily eclipsing the infamous Saving Private Ryan opening without the raw violence that film employed. The film feels especially poignant when it’s kept in mind that it’s based on the true story of August Habermann, a German man trying to protect his family in a Czechoslovakian town hungry for justice during and after years of Nazi occupation.

In Habermann’s opening, a woman is torn from her child by her neighbors who spit and shout obscenities while a man tries in vein to reach them, passionately calling out the woman’s name. As mother and daughter are put on a train, destination unknown, we begin to rewrite the plot for ourselves, scrambling to fill in gaps of a story we don’t yet understand—who is this woman and why have her neighbors turned on her? Who is the man who calls for her and what relation does this all have to a war that just ended? The editing of this sequence creates active viewers who, like detectives, look for clues to fill in a story we’re immediately invested in thanks to beautifully composed shots that provide a surprising amount of information (the setting, time, character of this woman and the long road she has already been down). The construction of the scene involves us emotionally and informs us with impressive efficiency, with little dialogue and before we even know this woman’s full name, Jana Habermann. The rest of the film is equally engrossing not just because of the subject matter, but because that content is handled with intelligence and subtlety.

The masterful construction of the opening scene tells viewers we’re in capable hands; director Juraj Herz certainly knows the power of good editing and the “twist,” as the later part of the film reveals. This second, arguably stronger, half is replete with issues viewers will want to debate after Habermann ends: the unconscionable things good people do when they’re scared; the devastation xenophobia and scapegoating inevitably cause; what it means to be “crippled” by a traumatic injury, as one character puts it, and the randomness of suffering and luck. To be sure, Habermann deals with the extremes of human experience and wants to ask big questions. It does deliver on most of those questions by the film’s end but has to lay a lot of groundwork in the first half to do so. As such, viewers looking for a whiz-bang kind of war film will find something different here. However, the film is punctuated with small moments that drop like a bomb, like when Jana sees a train full of Jewish children and can do nothing to rescue them, or the final twist that reverberates long after the film stops rolling.

Habermann ends on a landscape that fades into a sepia image, as though the story was animated freshly for us, and is now returning to its places as a memory, a faded photo in a history book. The image reminds us the film depicts a moment that has now passed, and what is most surprising is that we need reminding of that fact at all—that Habermann’s story feels so immediate, and teaches its lessons with such fresh urgency that it feels like the story is happening right now is a measure of the film’s success. As those who love WWII films can attest, to tell that history in an original way, to get audiences to feel the sacrifices of those who lived that period, is an impressive achievement indeed.

Your Very Own Recession Buster

2011-06-21T11:21:00.000-07:00

Whether we're in an official recession or not, it sure feels that way to many people. When stocks and housing prices were flying and no one marched in the streets over fiscal irresponsibility, the world had far better employment numbers and the thought of travel wasn't as daunting. But we live in a different era now, and if you want one of the most reasonably priced and interesting entertainment values on the planet, hold onto your seat, because New Hope Film Festival is about to begin!

Whether you love a thrilling drama or a film inspired by classic poets such as Yeats or Frost, it will all be in New Hope, Pennsylvania from July 8-17. Filmmakers are flying here from Singapore, Brazil, the UK, Ireland, Canada and across the United States. If you live in the Mid-Atlantic region, you can experience the sights and sounds of the world right here—many of our films are world and U.S. premieres—and do so for a small fraction of the cost of international travel.

Our full lineup of 89 films from 21 countries is available on Slated.com's online program guide, where you can watch trailers, post reviews, create calendars, tweet and so much more. And tomorrow, the printed guide will be distributed to over 200,000 subscribers to The Intelligencer and Bucks County Courier Times.

This dynamic, eclectic festival continues to grow; come join us!

Sisir Sahana Gains National Recognition in India

2011-03-16T16:17:00.000-07:00

India's leading newspaper, The Times of India, ran a probing interview with NHFF award-winning filmmaker Sisir Sahana on the Edit page of every edition nationwide on March 11, 2011. You can read the breakout interview by Ratnottama Sengupta here: Sahana Interview.

Black Field Makes U.S. Theatrical Debut

2011-02-17T12:30:00.000-08:00

Sara Canning as Homesteader Maggie McGregor

New Hope Film Festival is proud to announce the U.S. theatrical debut of Black Field. One of NHFF's top award winners in 2010, this film has been specially selected by the festival's directors, including myself, for this event.

The County Theater in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, a cutting-edge and historically significant fixture of life here in Bucks County, will be hosting this special NHFF screening at 7:30 PM on March 21, 2011. Advance tickets will be available on the County Theater website sometime in March.

Expect buzz in the regional press over the coming weeks.

The Dispensables Nominated for 2011 German Film Critics Award

2011-02-13T11:04:00.000-08:00

NHFF's 2010 Danny Award - Best Picture winner, The Dispensables (Die Entbehrlichen), is one of five 2011 German Film Critics nominees for Best Debut Film. The honoree will be announced during this week's uber-prestigious Berlin International Film Festival.

A searing portrayal of a down-and-out family in post-war Germany, The Dispensables stunned our audience at Stephen J. Buck Memorial Theater, and in doing so, the film also captured NHFF's Audience Favorite award in the feature film category.

New Hope Film Festival's directors are thrilled that underdog helmer Arnstedt is gaining such lofty and mainstream recognition.

Fine Performances by (left to right) Steffi Kuhnert (Silke Weiss), Andre Hennicke (Jurgen Weiss) and Oskar Bokelmann (Jacob Weiss) Mark This Exceptional Indie Debut

Lilly's Thorn Nabs Distribution Contract

2011-02-13T10:35:00.000-08:00

Lilly's Thorn has been picked up by Vanguard Cinema. Congratulations to Rocky Yost and his team!

Rocky Yost Signs With Film Marketing Services

2011-01-21T06:56:00.000-08:00

Geraldine Lemay as Shopkeeper Lilly Nash

Films hardly get more mainstream Americana than Lilly's Thorn, the Capraesque tale of a shopkeeper's struggle to halt a developer who is bent on ruining a small town. Rocky Yost's feature film played to a crowded Stephen J. Buck Memorial Theater at NHFF's 2010 festival, and now Los Angeles-based producer rep Jon Gursha of Film Marketing Services is busy taking this sparkling film to a much wider audience.

When Police Become Prey Gets Representation

2011-01-18T19:22:00.000-08:00

Mainstream newspaper journalist Candis McLean's hard-hitting documentary about two Saskatoon police officers who were railroaded in a Canadian court has landed at Beverly Hills-based Ostrow and Company. When Police Become Prey world premiered at NHFF, where it captured the Audience Favorite - Documentary award, and followed up this strong debut with a screening at LA Femme Film Festival.

One thing is certain about McLean: she's not afraid to challenge the tenets of political correctness, and she does so in the pursuit of justice. When Police Become Prey will be landing on distributors' desks in the coming days.

Earthwork Lands Distribution Deal

2011-01-12T16:02:00.000-08:00

One of NHFF's 2010 nominees for Best Picture, Earthwork has been picked up by Shadow Distribution. This captivating film earned rave reviews from the audience at our screening.

Look for theatrical release in 2011.

Black Field - A Film to Watch

2010-08-06T09:46:00.000-07:00

Black Field, a gorgeous, literary-quality and superbly crafted period piece, has been picked up by Altadena Films. Based in London, Altadena is a world-class boutique with satellite offices in Los Angeles and New York. Black Field won Honorable Mention - Best Picture at NHFF 2010.

Elias Plagianos in USA Today

2010-08-04T09:29:00.000-07:00

Filmmaker Elias Plagianos, winner of NHFF's 2010 Audience Favorite award in the Action Film category, recently spoke about his film The Crimson Mask in a July 27 cinemaspy.com piece. You can check out Phil Gule's engaging interview here.

Then John Frankenheimer picked up the story at USA Today. Here's a link.

Congratulations to Plagianos for garnering the buzz. The Crimson Mask made its world debut at Cannes Film Festival on May 17.

All This and Novels, Too

2010-07-29T19:21:00.000-07:00

Many people who've discovered the New Hope Film Festival don't realize I've been publishing literary novels for almost five years. Two of my novels, Shadow Fields and Dasha, are on the back burner for film adaptations and the third, Snooker Glen, also exists as a screenplay. I have a farcical romantic comedy with the working title Peg on my iMac's hard drive and three more novels in progress, two of which are complete in first draft form.

Although it's the height of summer and I'm taking it pretty easy, no one could accuse me of sloth. For the better part of a year, I put most of the writing on hold to get NHFF off the ground, but now I'm moving ahead with projects.

I spent most of today integrating my film and literary worlds, and I have to say it's an exciting moment! With a new sense of focus and purpose, I'm writing again; and in that spirit, I'm also running a special on the Kindle editions of Dasha (USD $2.99) and Snooker Glen ($4.99). These prices are good through August 31st. If the lower price points attract the kind of readers I want, that is, those who are looking for more than a cheap beach read, I may extend the low-price model indefinitely. I also lowered the Shadow Fields price to $9.99, as Amazon.com no longer requests a price that is 100% in line with the paper version.

If you want to experience the art created by the man behind NHFF's curtain, now is a great opportunity. They're beautifully written and lots of fun, and many say they were, and still will be, prophetic. They were certainly a joy to write, although as living documents, they never feel finished.

Black Field-NHFF Honorable Mention, Best Picture

2010-07-09T07:53:00.001-07:00

Morning everyone! I hope you all found some new favorite films at our Festival a few weeks back. Here's a review of one of my mine--check it out, and let us know what your favorites were.

Black Field

Dir. Danishka Esterhazy, Canada

By Sarah Leventer

Black Field, a historical drama set in the 1870s, follows sisters Maggie (The Vampire Diaries’ Sara Canning) and Rose McGregor (Ferron Guerreiro) as they struggle to make a life on the Canadian prairies. Their parents died years ago, leaving Maggie as the family farm’s and her sister’s only protector, a role complicated by the arrival of the mysterious, handsome French Canadian, David. This role is even further complicated when Rose goes missing.

The McGregor women live constricted lives typical of the time period, but have the same depth and self-possession as Jane Eyre and other Gothic heroines that inspired Esterhazy when making her film. Maggie is particularly wise, flawed and untamable. The desperation verging on wildness in her eyes, coupled with her conviction and protective instincts make for powerful tension as she searches for Rose and sets off a final chain of events that alters hers and her sister’s life forever. Complimenting Canning’s captivating performance is Mathieu Bourguet as David, who matches Maggie in intelligence with the charm (and moral ambiguity) of a lost Romantic poet.

These strong performances are what give the film life, along with Paul Suderman’s striking cinematography. Especially stunning is Rembrandt-style lighting and shadows created during the Black Field’s darker scenes. When the three leads share a meal early in the film, the budding connection between David and the much younger Rose first becomes clear to Maggie and the audience. As Maggie’s awareness crystallizes, the camera moves to a close-up of her face glowing out from the darkness in the center of the room as she seems to vibrate with worried energy—the candles around her face visually separate her from Rose and David, with a hauntingly beautiful effect.

The night scenes in the McGregor home form an even more striking contrast with the stark, day-lit prairie—the film as a whole is beautifully shot, and in look as well as in tone, has a palpable Gothic influence. As is perhaps obvious, however, this is not the castle-on-a-dark-stormy-night, pulpy kind of film.

Black Field is Gothic in the classic, literary sense of the word, meaning the film tells a story about 19^th century characters in a style true to that place and time. The end result of Esterhazy’s almost scholarly devotion to matching style to content is a film that actually takes the viewer somewhere: not to the could-be-next-door set often expected in independent films, or the glamorous, recognizable locales of Hollywood cinema but inside a fully-realized, earthbound fantasy.

To learn more about the director, see some gorgeous cast photos and watch trailers for Black Field, check out: Black Field Movie and Danishka Esterhazy

2010 Jury Award Nominees

2010-06-29T16:02:00.001-07:00

Greetings!

If you follow our Facebook page, you already know we announced the 2010 award winners on Sunday night. But we haven't posted the nominees anywhere, and rather than let these recognitions fade into obscurity, I want to present the news here. The people in the photos are: (left photo) Tom Mulligan holding the solid bronze Danny Award trophy and (top photo, left to right) Doug Whipple (me!), Andre Hennicke, Andreas Arnstedt and Tom Mulligan. Arnstedt and Hennicke took the top jury honor by winning the Danny Award - Best Picture.

In the lists below, the information in parentheses represents the director, country of production and submission category. Only English titles are listed.

Danny Award - Best Picture Nominees
Hope (Steve Thomas, Australia, Documentary)
The Good Fight: James Farmer Remembers the Civil Rights Movement (Jessica Schoenbaechler, USA, Documentary)
Black Field (Danishka Esterhazy, Canada, Art House Feature)
Earthwork (Chris Ordal, USA, Art House Feature)
The Dispensables (Andreas Arnstedt, Germany, Art House Feature)
The Soil and the People (Sisir Sahana, India, Art House Feature)
The Book of Tomorrow (David Yohe, USA, Student)
Breathtaking (Vojin Vasovic, Serbia/Montenegro, Short)

Artistic Spirit Award Nominees
This award honors artistic quality and bravery in the face of substantial obstacles.
The Soil and the People (Sisir Sahana, India, Art House Feature)
Esther's Diary (Mariusz Kotowski, USA, Art House Feature)
The Journey (Chineze Anyaene, Nigeria, Student)
When Police Become Prey (Candis McLean, Canada/UK, Documentary)
Made in America (Jessica Thoubbouron and Mike Infante, USA, Student)
Bakhtiari Alphabet (Sima Sedigh and Reza Ghadyani, USA/Iran, Documentary)
Overload (Robert Fritz, USA, Art House Feature)
A Little Bit of Love: The Making of a Message (Scott Hatfield, Uganda/USA, Short)

The Dispensables-Film Review

2010-06-22T06:05:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone!

I'm Sarah, a recent addition to the New Hope Film Festival--I'm looking forward to meeting you all! I just got a chance to screen Andreas Arnstedt's, The Dispensables. Here's my take on the film--you can check it out this Saturday (6/26) at the Stephen J. Buck Auditorium in New Hope, PA. It's definitely worth the price of admission so I hope you can all check out, and let me know what you think!

The Dispensables

Dir. Andreas Arnstedt, Germany

By Sarah Leventer

The Dispensables is a beautifully shot family drama, reminiscent in look and tone of Andrei Zvyagintsev’s The Return. Based on a true story, the film follows 11-year-old Jacob (Oskar Böckelmann) as he tries to hide a devastating secret about his father, Jürgen (André Hennicke), and opens as a drunk Jürgen publicly defaces a German political campaign poster with an axe. This opening suggests that, also like The Return, The Dispensables is an intensely personal story with connections to a much longer, complicated national history, another aspect that sets it apart from the air-brushed perfection of Hollywood summer blockbusters of late. However, it is worth noting that The Dispensables’ nationalistic tone is subtle and understated, meaning references to Germany’s past are there for those who choose to see them, but majoring in German is not a prerequisite to appreciate the film.

Fitting its semi-autobiographical content, The Dispensables is told in first-person so the audience gets to experience the world as Jacob does. While lying beside his father, Jacob looks up lights that remind him of a carnival, and flashes back to a date with his girlfriend, Hannah (Kathi Hahn); this is one of many instances when Jacob’s memories erupt (often unexpectedly) into the present-day. Moments like these are an interesting comment on the way memories work in life, coming unexpectedly and often “out of order,” and also give insight into Jacob’s current situation in a subtle, artful way. As Jacob snaps out from the memory of the carnival, for instance, the audience realizes that, because of the man lying beside him, this date will be the last carefree memory he’ll have for a very long time.

Andreas Arnstedt treats the children who anchor his film with a great deal of respect and authenticity. The director successfully resists the urge to infantilize his protagonists though they don’t sound straight off the set of Dawson’s Creek either. Jacob and Hannah are at once thoughtful, considerate and thoroughly childlike—they are also wiser than adults give them credit for, another aspect that makes watching the world from their perspective a uniquely worthwhile experience: especially compared to their precocious or alternatively 20-somethings-playing-a-14-year-old Hollywood counterparts.

In addition to Hannah, Jacob’s world is populated by compelling characters like his grandmother, Rosemarie, (Ingeborg Westphal) the only truly reliable adult in his life, Mr. Rott (Mathieu Carrière), an elderly neighbor who is a haunting reminder of Germany’s past and Jacob’s only other friend, and Jacob’s parents, Jürgen and Silke (Steffi Kühnert). Demonstrating a wisdom few first-time directors have, Arnstedt shows both the loving and damaging sides of Jacob’s parents, giving their performances the same meaningful complexity as the rest of his film.

To buy tickets to the U.S. premier of The Dispensables, go to: https://new-hope-film-festival-ltd.ticketleap.com

Happy Filmgoing!

Links on Facebook

2010-06-17T06:23:00.000-07:00

If you're the type of person who dives into anything you do, and you want to learn more about our movies, check out the dynamic Links section of our Facebook page.

Sarah Leventer, a terrific and new addition to New Hope Film Fest, earned her Master's of Fine Arts in Film Studies at Boston University last year and now, in addition to working as a freelance writer, she's heading up our online efforts.

Don't miss the terrific reviews, interviews and other gems she's finding all over the World Wide Web!

Now on Twitter!

2010-06-10T11:11:00.000-07:00

For helpful thoughts, updates and comments about NHFF, follow my new Twitter feed!

Twenty Five Hundred & One

2010-05-13T06:34:00.000-07:00

Los Angeles filmmaker Patricia van Ryker has been making the festival rounds with her touching portrayal of Oaxacan artist Alejandro Santiago, and after screening at the Cannes Independent Film Festival this month, she heads to New Hope.

For six years, Santiago, his family, and many assistants worked tirelessly to bring “2501 Migrantes” to life. Sculpted from local clay and painted with colors derived from the soil near his birthplace in Mexico's Sierra de Ixtlan Mountains, these "lost soul" sculptures speak for those who are gone. They are the voice of those who return only on holidays, those whose only presence is a Western Union money gram, and those who will never return. Graciela Cervantes, the artist's representative in Oaxaca, says "...what Alejandro has dreamt, he has made reality."

As van Ryker puts it, "Alejandro's Migrantes are a haunting reminder of the common problems we face. For, in our global life, what affects one, affects all." You can watch the trailer here: 2501 Preview

Announcing World Premiere: The Soil and the People

2010-05-07T16:29:00.001-07:00

Sisir Sahana already enjoyed an international reputation as a painter and sculptor when he decided to write, produce and direct his first feature film. He lives in India. But an actual event in a rural town inspired him to branch into a new direction, and the result is The Soil and the People (Maati-O-Manush).

The film employs elements of visual art——impressionism, pointillism and modernism——in a denunciation of community predators who tormented a beautiful soul for their own gratification, ideology and political profit. The accusation against her? Witchcraft. As someone with an ancestor who was hanged at the Salem Witch Trials, I consider the message timeless and universal.

The Soil and the People will fascinate anyone who's open to something offbeat and provocative, and actress Rimjhim Gupta clears the way with an aching performance as a mute lady who, despite loving life and her village with all her heart, finds her life utterly shattered. You can watch the trailer here: The Soil and the People

I Am Somebody

2010-04-15T07:06:00.000-07:00

With an all-star cast that includes Hollywood legend Ernest Borgnine, Theresa Russell, Timothy Bottoms, Christopher Atkins, Olivia Hussey, Danny Trejo and many others, I Am Somebody: No Chance in Hell is a compelling and powerful look at race and injustice in the Wild West frontier of the 1870s.

Auteur Aki Aleong is one of New Hope Film Festival's many American filmmakers, and he's no beginner to the world of filmmaking, having amassed an impressive career over more than 50 years as a producer, actor, writer, singer and activist. If you love films with substance, a strong sense of social relevance, fine historical details and of course excellent directing, acting and cinematography, you need to watch I Am Somebody: No Chance in Hell. I'll say this, too: there's plenty of chance in hell that this film will delight and inspire audiences.

Here's the trailer: I Am Somebody

Announcing U.S. Premiere: The Dispensables

2010-04-13T07:18:00.001-07:00

Films hardly get more sensitive and wonderful than The Dispensables, the remarkable true-life story of debut filmmaker Andreas Arnstedt. Already a famous television actor and comedian in his native Germany, Arnstedt took a brave step when he decided to produce his first movie; foundations and powers-that-be simply didn't want anything to do with a raw and honest look at poverty and child abuse in post-war Germany.

But Arnstedt has many friends, as evidenced by the gifted actors and filmmakers he assembled for this underground project. The results are groundbreaking: The Dispensables shatters many perceptions of how Germany should be portrayed in film.

Parental discretion is advised for this trailer: The Dispensables

Interviewed on Comcast Newsmakers

2010-04-08T12:53:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Comcast Corporation, an Official Sponsor of New Hope Film Festival, I've had the opportunity to give television and web viewers a chance to learn more about our first annual festival through an interview with Comcast Newsmakers's Jill Horner.

If you live in the Bucks County area, you'll see the segment on Comcast Headline News at various times until the festival. You can also watch the interview on YouTube: Comcast Newsmakers Interview

Buzz in the Press: Resident Media Pundit

2010-04-03T10:34:00.000-07:00

Few commentators in the blogosphere match residentmediapudit.com's Greg Robson, a mainstream media reporter on Long Island who runs a website in his spare time, for coverage of what's hot and happening in the indie music, film and book worlds. Robson recently interviewed NHFF's Executive Director - Submissions, Tom Mulligan, and has posted excerpts from the interview plus insights into our festival on RMP.

You can check what he's saying here: RMP Story

Announcing World Premiere: Pawned

2010-03-24T12:46:00.000-07:00

Shot over a six day period in Denver, Colorado, Pawned peers into a realm seldom examined and talked about: the world of the homeless. In an age when losing one's home is becoming a more tangible risk for many, filmmaker Randal Kirk decides to journey inside this alternate reality by living with homeless people and hearing them speak.

According to Kirk, "Some shared stories of tragic events that would shatter any spirit, some spoke of dreams unfulfilled and a few revealed a spirit of adventure and dreams still alive. They were a mix of heroes, artists, tragic figures and some very ordinary people just extraordinarily down on their luck."

Pawned will be screened at New Hope Film Festival along with Abandoned Heroes, a short documentary about American war veterans who also feel detached from the mainstream. Here's the trailer: Pawned

Announcing World Premiere: Plink

2010-03-24T09:57:00.001-07:00

Virginia Beach filmmaker J. Darin Wales tells a tale in Plink that evokes thoughts of smoky, backwoods America, pick-up trucks and a way of life not often associated with foreign and art house films. All the more reason to add Plink to our lineup, because NHFF is a global film festival and, after all, our globe includes this land of Wales's imagination.

So here's a world premiere. We love the acting: Plink The Trailer

East Coast Premiere: One Day

2010-03-23T08:38:00.000-07:00

North Hollywood producer and director Bernard Garceau tells the story of a crime and its tense aftermath in this 19-minute thriller. The film was an undergraduate project at Baylor University.

The lead character has the body in a trunk, but what should he do now? Watch the trailer here: One Day

Announcing World Premiere: Tracking Agatha

2010-03-21T12:48:00.000-07:00

Trace the rarefied footsteps of Agatha Christie in this rich and exquisitely shot combination of travelogue and biography by director Petra Haffter, who currently resides in Los Angeles. Executive producer Sarah Sieber is based in Leipzig, Germany.

So intimate is this film, you'll almost swear you feel the rumble of the Orient Express in your seat and sense breezes that waft through windows casually left open. Unexpectedness and wonder abound in Tracking Agatha; you are there, writing your own novel, and in style.

The documentary is narrated in English and Petra Haffter has generously provided three clips of her film, which you should preview here: Tracking Agatha

Sweeping America: Father and Sister

2010-03-19T13:45:00.000-07:00

Father and Sister, an animated short film by South Korea's Soyeon Kim, will be sweeping the nation in 2010, having been accepted at Beverly Hills Short Film Festival, Memphis International Film Festival, Central Florida Film Festival and elsewhere. A prolific artist, Kim currently resides in Marina del Rey, California. Here's her website: Soyeon Kim

Told with a wry sense of humor, the story entails a chance occurrence and plenty of temptation taking place within an otherwise unassuming church. How will Kim's two protagonists, a father and a nun, handle their perilous situation?

Here's the teaser: Father and Sister

Announcing World Premiere: Chris & Steve

2010-03-18T06:36:00.000-07:00

Go cross-country with your best, shaggiest, and most cantankerous puppet friend? Why not, I suppose? In this offbeat take on the classic road trip movie, Los Angeles actor Dan Gordon—a native of New Hope's Delaware River neighbor, Yardley, and a graduate of local Pennsbury High School, I might add—makes his world debut as an executive producer.

The results are, well, scruffy...and lovable. Watch the trailer on IMDb: Chris & Steve

The Ice Cream Man

2010-03-17T09:07:00.000-07:00

Set amongst the warm breezes and sunshine of Venice Beach, California, The Ice Cream Man tells the story of a man from Moscow who suddenly finds himself jockeying for customers in a rickety ice cream truck. Executive producer and director Dylan Rush and his co-producer, Cynthia Carlomagno, both from Santa Monica's The Bus Note Press, premiered this short film in North America at the San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival in March 2002.

Now they get to make their splash on the East Coast. You'll find the trailer on their website by clicking on "video."

Announcing World Premiere: Conditional Affection

2010-03-16T16:10:00.000-07:00

Montreal-based Red Barlo Productions makes its world premiere with Conditional Affection, a film that addresses the psychological repercussions of adultery. This is a first project for producer/director Michael Mando and his co-producers Amber Mullin and Joseph Mroue.

The filmmakers are keenly interested in exploring moral questions and I'm looking forward to finding out where their ambitious metier takes them. Here's the trailer: Conditional Affection

Announcing World Premiere: Autology

2010-03-12T09:57:00.001-08:00

Out there on the existential edge is Autology, a world premiere short film by California filmmaker Mark Preciado. This highly experimental piece captures the story of a woman searching for her voice between a daily, soul-depriving hell where no one hears her and a vocalless world where there's nothing to say.

This film preview only hints at what's in store for the audience: Autology Trailer

Announcing World Premiere: Wages of Spin

2010-03-11T10:01:00.000-08:00

Payola in exchange for getting your record on American Bandstand? Hear it from the artists themselves in this probing documentary by Arkansas producer/director Shawn Swords. Wages of Spin provocatively asserts that the game in the Philadelphia music scene from 1952 through 1963 was rigged; decide for yourself after watching this documentary.

The film has been shown to select audiences but this is a festival premiere. Filmmaker Swords plans to be at the screening in June and will field questions about his work. You can watch the trailer here: Wages of Spin

Gus: An American Icon

2010-03-10T11:59:00.000-08:00

Part biography and part testimonial, Gus: An American Icon is a tribute to Gus Giordano, the founding father of jazz dance. This lively documentary includes several extracts of his choreography, including a full performance of "Wings."

Filmmaker Pedro Brenner is screening his film for the second time at NHFF, having premiered at Chicago's Jazz Dance World Congress in 2009. You can watch the trailer here: Gus

A Little Bit of Love: The Making of a Message

2010-03-10T06:11:00.000-08:00

This socially aware film by Scott Hatfield, who is based in Philadelphia, features an upbeat, catchy, MTV-styled hit on the topic of HIV/AIDS prevention. The film has been making the festival rounds since premiering at the Mid-Atlantic Black Film Festival in July 2007 and NHFF is delighted to help Hatfield & Co. get out their message.

As people walk and sing down Parliament Avenue in Kampala or share their thoughts in a roadside cafe, the vibe is always uplifting and positive in A Little Bit of Love: The Making of a Message, so the film does indeed offer hope that a little bit of love will bring better tomorrows.

Here's the trailer: A Little Bit of Love

Announcing World Premiere: Number 9

2010-03-09T05:25:00.000-08:00

Filmed amidst the ruins of Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia, this underground film probes the difference between entrapment and psychological freedom. Filmmakers Erin Davis and Nathan Edmondson are based in Philadelphia and this is Edmondson's first project.

Eastern State is the oldest penitentiary in the United States, and when English novelist Charles Dickens visited in 1842, he described the "slow and daily tampering with the mysteries of the brain" at the prison as "immeasurably worse than any torture of the body."

Here's the trailer: Number 9

Announcing World Premiere: The Good Fight

2010-03-08T14:10:00.001-08:00

The Good Fight: James Farmer Remembers the Civil Rights Movement is a powerful documentary about one of the African-American Civil Rights Movement's most dynamic and relentless leaders. This is the first feature film for producer/director Jessica Schoenbaechler of Dallas, Texas.

James Farmer fought the good fight at great cost to himself and his family, and Schoenbaechler delves into this personal side of a man who's remembered for his nonviolence, dignity and effectiveness.

You can watch the trailer here: The Good Fight

Naco

2010-03-08T13:25:00.000-08:00

With awards for Best Short Film and Best Screenplay under his belt, Puerto Rico's Julio Benito Cabrera makes his way to the mainland with Naco, the story of two brothers who are having a little too much fun with a homeless man.

And you don't wanna mess with Naco. Here's the trailer: Naco Trailer

Announcing World Premiere: Basket Bronx

2010-03-08T12:37:00.000-08:00

Produced as a final thesis at New York Film Academy by Spanish producer Martin Rosete, Basket Bronx deals with an African-American kid named Alex who dreams of playing basketball. The problem: the older boys in the neighborhood insist he can't. But just as things look grim for diminutive Alex, a Chinese girl teaches him something about Zen...

You can watch the trailer here: Basket Bronx

Announcing World Premiere: Invincible Summer

2010-03-08T06:30:00.000-08:00

This 16-minute drama by New Jersey-based filmmaker Sophia Eptamenitis is loosely based on her true-life experiences as a teenage cancer survivor. Anyone familiar with ABC's after school specials and CBS's Afternoon Playhouse will readily understand the intent behind this film, which is at once intensely compassionate and edifying.

When Faith, a 16 year-old girl recovering from cancer treatment, begins to reclaim her life as she once knew it, she finds that much has changed: her friends, her school, her secret crush. But what has changed most of all, the audience learns, is Faith's determination to live.

You'll find a trailer on IMDb: Invincible Summer

Announcing World Premiere: Expansive Grounds

2010-03-07T14:39:00.000-08:00

This deeply unsettling and penetrating documentary by German filmmaker Gerburg Rohde-Dahl involves conversations with Berliners during and after the construction of the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. Through her film, Rohde-Dahl reflects upon her family's role during the Nazi era and examines the broader significance of collective guilt.

American architect of the Holocaust Memorial, Peter Eisenman, has this to say about Expansive Grounds: "I must say it is the most moving and poignant film that I have seen using a project of mine as a backdrop for another narrative. I have shown it to several people who, in their own way, have been equally moved by it."

You can watch the trailer here: Expansive Grounds

Announcing World Premiere: The New, True, Charlie Wu

2010-03-07T13:22:00.000-08:00

If you love gospel music and something that urges you to follow your dreams, see The New, True, Charlie Wu, a World Premiere film by Murfreesboro, Tennessee filmmaker Bob Pondillo.

The story involves Charlie Wu, a twentysomething accountant who's stuck in a career rut. He wants to break free, but can't until a woman—the Queen of his Soul—appears in a dream. That's when the par-tay begins. Here's a teaser: Charlie Wu

When Beliefs Are Questioned

2010-03-07T13:02:00.000-08:00

This 19-minute drama asks whether it's possible to be both a homosexual and a Christian in a small town. The film includes footage of Lambertville, New Jersey, which is directly across the Delaware River from New Hope.

Filmmaker Jeannie Sconzo explores her challenging material with both delicacy and grace through close-up examinations of her main characters, Jean and Maryann; the actresses who play these lead roles bring emotional weight and impact to what is already a thought-provoking theme. Here's the trailer for this East Coast Premiere: When Beliefs Are Questioned

Announcing North America Premiere: Annie's Life in Numbers

2010-03-06T13:22:00.000-08:00

Do we measure our lives by numbers? Can we stand our ground in spite of them? These questions and others are explored in Annie's Life in Numbers, a 13-minute short film from Calgary, Alberta. Producer/director Michal Lavi focuses her camera on Annie, whose awkward but poetic wanderings take us on a journey of self-discovery—for Annie and ourselves.

Here's the trailer: Annie's Life in Numbers Trailer

Announcing World Premiere: When Police Become Prey

2010-03-06T12:52:00.000-08:00

Canadian director Candis McLean makes her festival world premiere with this hard-hitting documentary about a drama that took place on the outskirts of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. The situation involved two Saskatoon constables, Dan Hatchen and Ken Munson, who were convicted and jailed for a terrible crime; but did they commit it? Or was this actually a witch hunt? Find out what happened in the shocking, so-called "Starlight Tours" episode in When Police Become Prey.

Here's the trailer: When Police Become Prey Trailer

Announcing World Premiere: Lilly's Thorn

2010-03-05T12:37:00.000-08:00

This feature-length world premiere enters New Hope Film Festival in the Mid-Atlantic category; filmmaker Rocky Yost is based in Virginia.

A fast-paced, funny and irreverent dramedy about a young shopkeeper named Lilly Nash who takes on a you-love-to-hate-her real estate mogul named Hillary Thorn, Lilly's Thorn is as biting as it is enjoyable. Watch the sparks and jokes fly in this Capraesque tale of the little guy versus the corporate machine.

Here's the trailer: Lilly's Thorn

Announcing World Premiere: Esther's Diary

2010-03-04T14:50:00.000-08:00

Esther's Diary tells the haunting yet inspirational story of two second-generation Holocaust survivors, Maria and Sarah, who are brought together by a diary that links their family histories. Through their struggle to understand and cope with the past, they find deeper meaning in their lives today. As you'll see in the trailer, the movie features some beautifully acted scenes.

Born in Poland, debut filmmaker Mariusz Kotowski is now producing films in the United States. You can watch the trailer here: Esther's Diary Trailer

Announcing World Premiere: The Restaurant

2010-03-04T06:55:00.000-08:00

A man enters a restaurant needing cash. The employees are too broke to comply. A hair-trigger situation. How will this go down? Find out as filmmaker Rick Gioiello, who made this 9-minute short as a student final piece at an advanced directing workshop, makes his festival premiere.

Here's the trailer: The Restaurant

Announcing World Premiere: Overload

2010-03-03T11:34:00.001-08:00

If you're the kind of person who loves to curl up on the sofa and watch a Friday night thriller, you have to check out Overload, filmmaker Robert Fritz's first full-length feature film. An intellectual and artist, Fritz is already an accomplished author and pioneer on structural dynamics, but he shows his storytelling chops—no doubt a testimony to his training at the Boston Conservatory of Music—in creating such a seat-of-pants, intelligent and creatively plotted thriller.

With its love story subplot, Overload is a worthy date movie, and if you're anything like some of the festival's judges, the film will keep you glued to your seat. Here's the Trailer.

Announcing World Premiere: Strange Little Girl

2010-03-03T06:34:00.000-08:00

Turkish filmmaker Bessy Adut makes her world debut with this heartfelt story of a girl who doesn't fit in. Shot as a college final project and completed in May 2009, Strange Little Girl exhibits Adut's keen eye for nuance, remarkable sensitivity, and dedication to her craft.

The youthful lead in the movie finds a way to alter her perceptions through the lens of a video camera, and through doing so, Adut alters us, as well. You can watch the trailer here: Strange Little Girl Trailer

Announcing World Premiere: NZ XPRESS

2010-03-03T06:18:00.000-08:00

This visually arresting and experimental film was shot entirely in the sweeping and varied landscapes of New Zealand. Montreal-based filmmaker Patrick van der Heyden is making his world premiere at New Hope.

Centering on a displaced traveler who lands in New Zealand in a fantastical way, the filmmaker takes us on a journey through some of earth's most exotic treasures. The film is better watched than described, so here's the trailer: NZ XPRESS Trailer

The Crimson Mask

2010-03-02T15:57:00.000-08:00

This award-winning movie by Brooklyn filmmaker Elias Plagianos has won accolades ranging from Best Feature Film to Best Director and enters our festival under the Action category. This is the producer/director's first feature film.

The plot involves two men, a wealthy businessman named Thomas Caine and a down-and-out pro wrestler named Parker, both of whom find themselves unwitting prey in an age-old conspiracy. You'll find a taste of Plagianos's imaginative thriller here: The Crimson Mask Trailer

Announcing World Premiere: The Journey

2010-03-02T07:16:00.000-08:00

Nollywood filmmaker Chineze Anyaene marks herself as the youngest lady in the history of Nigeria to shoot a film on 35mm with her debut, The Journey (Ije). And after witnessing the professional-level craftsmanship and acting, moviegoers will be doubly impressed to learn it was a student final project funded by Port Harcourt, Stella Maris Scholls Abuja Nigeria, Kodak and Panavision. If you're still wondering why we have a Student film category, here's your answer.

The story involves Chioma and her restless sister, Anya, who after growing up in the Nigerian countryside find themselves fighting for justice as Anya is accused of killing three people, one her husband, in a Hollywood Hills mansion. Don't miss the trailer: The Journey (Ije) Trailer

Announcing North American Premiere: Hope

2010-03-02T04:19:00.000-08:00

There's something poetic about premiering a film called Hope in New Hope Film Festival's inaugural year.

This 1 hour and 44 minute documentary tells the story of an Iraqi refugee, Amal Basry, who goes from watching Titanic in a Baghdad cinema to clinging to a floating body in the waters between Indonesia and Australia. Australian producer and director Steve Thomas and co-producer Kim Anning collaborated with their courageous subject in this North American premiere.

Here's the trailer: Hope Trailer

Fantastic Glass Portrait

2010-03-01T12:16:00.000-08:00

Having screened in 2009 at Asian American International Film Festival and CUNY Asian American Film Festival, this student film made its way to New Hope under our Mid-Atlantic Student category. Filmmaker Arckii MunJong Kim shot the 30-minute short as a final project.

The film tells the story of Archii, a Korean immigrant to New York City who creates art in a secret drawing room for 16 years until her American-born daughter discovers the secret, unlocking an identity crisis long hidden from view.

Here's the trailer: Fantastic Glass Portrait Trailer

Announcing Northeast Premiere: Slice of Pie

2010-02-27T11:05:00.000-08:00

Southern California filmmakers Tim Reischauer and Rick Hall have served up a slice of genuine American pie in a short film that is racing through the festival circuit. Although this is Reischauer's first film project, the pair is charming audiences and winning awards, having won trophies in Beverly Hills, Nevada and elsewhere.

New Hope Film Festival is delighted to present Slice of Pie to the Northeast. You can check out the trailer here: Slice of Pie Trailer

Announcing World Premiere: Bakhtiari Alphabet

2010-02-26T20:15:00.000-08:00

Set in the majestic and remote mountains of west Iran, this world premiere documentary by Sacred Heart University professor Sima Sedigh is an intimate portrait of the Bakhtiari, one of the world's most ancient tribes. She produced the film on a modest budget and frequently in perilous conditions, which makes her contribution of bringing this footage to a U.S. audience all the richer.

New Hope Film Festival is pleased to exhibit Bakhtiari Alphabet; it's hard to find a documentary like this anywhere else. A picture gallery and trailer are available here.

East Coast Premiere: The Book of Tomorrow

2010-02-26T07:12:00.000-08:00

Undergraduate student David Yohe displays more than hint of Steven Spielberg's fun and magical E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial era in this East Coast premiere. This was Yohe's first project at California State University Northridge.

In this 19-minute short film, Young Billy Allen is pulled into an incredible adventure when he discovers an abandoned chest containing a comic book that possesses unimaginable powers. Now he must learn to master his discovery if he hopes to avert a disaster heading straight for Robertstown.

Here's the film trailer.

Announcing World Premiere: Breathtaking

2010-02-24T15:43:00.000-08:00

Produced in Serbia and Montenegro, this 32-minute short film by Vojin Vasovic deals with the theme of power in an unusual way. Through psychological drama and ideas on the Pirandellian opinion of life, where "nothing is sure and there is no real truth," this debut filmmaker shows us how we can destroy far more than we wanted to. Just puff...and gone.

The film includes English subtitles and you can watch the trailer here: Breathtaking (Dasak) Trailer.

Announcing U.S. Premiere: Black Field

2010-02-22T19:26:00.000-08:00

On behalf of New Hope Film Festival's directors, I'm delighted to present the following U.S. premiere:

Black Field is the first feature film by Winnipeg, Canada-based producer and director Danishka Esterhazy. Set in the Canadian prairies of 1874, this gothic drama tells the story of two sisters and the man who comes between them. The film had its world premiere at Vancouver International Film Festival in October 2009 and we're honored to introduce Ms. Esterhazy's art to the United States.

Tickets will be available in March. Please follow this link to the film's trailer.

Online Program Guide - Coming Soon

2010-02-20T19:06:00.000-08:00

The film festival's online program guide is coming in March and will be available on our website. As the festival's resident tech geek, I personally sent the batch data file to our partner B-Side on Thursday. In the meantime, I want to give everyone some hints on what to expect:

We've accepted 86 films versus 268 submissions, and the rich variety of countries represented includes: USA and Puerto Rico, Spain, Canada, Uganda, Germany, Serbia, Turkey, Australia, South Korea, Nigeria, India, United Kingdom and Italy.

Many are world or U.S. premieres, and that's very exciting to me: I founded this festival because I thought worthwhile art wasn't always getting the recognition and push it deserved through existing channels. We directors of New Hope Film Festival love our films and we are, quite frankly, astounded by the quality we received in our first year. We also took measured risks, as did many of our filmmakers. This festival has an indie edge, and I think that's appropriate.

We look forward to meeting our audiences and finding out which films win the audience favorite awards in each category. That, moviegoers, will be up to you. The festival will also be a chance to rub elbows with actors, filmmakers, and maybe even a music star or two. The filmmakers are excited, I can tell you. Many will be flying in from Hollywood, Berlin, India, Canada...and we expect patrons from far beyond New Hope, Pennsylvania, too.

That's all for now! More later...

A Message from the Chairman

2010-01-15T04:51:00.000-08:00

Greetings from New Hope, Pennsylvania and thank you for visiting our blog! The New Hope Film Festival's directors and I are heading down the home stretch of our submissions season and our final decisions will be tough ones because we have so many outstanding films. We look forward to making this a lively blog in the future, so please settle in and post comments once things get rolling.

We plan to announce our slate of films in March. In the meantime, get excited for a world class festival and be well!

Welcome to the New Hope Film Festival 2010!

2010-01-14T14:31:00.000-08:00

Emanating from a 1710 land grant, the New Hope area has a storied history. It began as a trading post and ferry terminal, and by the 1940s, New Hope's reputation in the arts, spurred by the multitudes of playwrights, directors and actors who traversed its bustling streets, became legendary.