2nd International Nicosia Documentary Festival

The 2nd Documentary Festival – Views of the World is here! Wiser with time and full of fresh ideas it reemerges in 2009, eager to continue where it left off last March: on the steep road towards a more open society, in terms of its social, environmental and cultural concerns.  Faced with pessimistic predictions about the future, this year’s festival responds with a fresh set of images, on its way to making a difference: the International Nicosia Documentary Festival calls for the new cinema of truth!
 
Creating bridges of communication between the public and remote parts of the world, the Festival is a direct line into the unseen aspects of reality, while at the same time offering alternative interpretations to everyday life. Take the urban setting as an example: have you ever wondered why we have chosen to live in angular buildings rather than round igloos? What type of satisfaction do we gain from public monuments and how is our faith affected by the architecture of places of worship? The 2nd International Nicosia Documentary Film Festival introduces a creative tribute to Architecture and its various trends, with a collection of inspiring films. The culmination of the tribute will be the screening of Nathaniel Kahn’s masterpiece “My Architect”, which was nominated for an Oscar, telling the story of the double life of Louis Khan, the film maker’s father, who was one of the most prominent architects of the 20th century and who was found dead in public toilets in 1974.  Nathaniel travels all over the world, trying to restore his love for his dead father through the famous buildings he had designed, while at the same time uncovering the dark secrets of his troubled life, facts may have been better left uncovered. 
    
The Festival continues with the new Student Section, organized in collaboration with the University of Nicosia and Media Zone.  In this section, we will be hosting the first creative works of the new generation of film makers.  The contributors are Cypriots who study in various parts of the world.  The reward for their endeavors will be the Prize of the Public, kindly offered by Media Zone: the chosen film-maker will have access to all the technical audio-visual equipment at the University of Nicosia, with the purpose of creating a high-standard professional documentary film which will be officially screened in the 2010 Festival.
 
Another significant Cypriot endeavor is the work of Anna Tsiarta, a film maker with intense humanitarian concerns, relevant to us all. In the context of the Festival, she will share the process behind her latest work, which deals with the Missing Persons of Cyprus, entitled “The Metamorphosis” (Η Μεταμόρφωση).   By presenting exclusive footage, as she is entering the final stage for the completion of the film, Tsiarta will participate in an open discussion concerning the topic of the Missing Persons of Cyprus, entering into the dangerous realm of memory and the extension of the Missing Persons issue in contemporary society.  In this process of exploration, the participation and contribution of the public will be of the essence.
 
The Masterclass section of the Festival, returns with a vengeance, presenting the dynamic Greek Giorgos Avgerinopoulos, a documentary film maker and activist, an artist who has been documenting aspects of contemporary reality with the Eksandas team for many years –legally and sometimes illegally-.  Through viewings of his latest work, Avgerinopoulos will offer a virtual trip around the world and urge us to take a stance towards all that is happening around us, even things we believe do not concern us.    «Documentaries, except for being a contemporary form of documenting history, are a form of activism.  A documentary film needs to take a stance, needs to have the good guys and the bad guys, but do that through solid arguments», states the artist.  So, take a stance right next to Eksandas and keep an ear out for the titles of the films shown in the context of the Festival.
 
One of the most important international scholars in the field of Television studies, Jonathan Bignel (Professor University of Reading, Chair of the Department of TV studies) will be hosted by the Festival and will speak on the topic of Docudrama.  His presence is extremely note-worthy, since he comes from a rich environment in the tradition of film and TV studies.  His presentation will focus on the film and acting techniques utilized in docudrama, with the purpose of initializing a comparative investigation of docudrama with cinematographic documentaries and even fiction films.
 
Following Jonathan Bignel’s Masterclass, the Rooftop Theatre Group (local experimental theatre group) will conduct two short workshops on Docudrama, focusing on the writing process that stems from the idea of documenting facts, seen through the prism of the dramatic (theatrical) structure.
 
The second guest of the Masterclass section comes from an entirely different creative environment.   By making cinematographic portraits of Cypriot artists, Paschalis Papapetrou will share the joy of small things: by documenting the representatives of local culture and artisans whose professions are heading for extinction, Papapetrou tries to put a leash on the industrial storm which threatens the delicate work and the rich artistic history of the local artists.
 
The Festival continues to open the horizons of documentation, with another section dedicated to music. A few examples of what will be screened: the festive rebirth of the Beatles in the fantastic show entitled «All Together Now» by the Cirque du Soleil.
 
It should be noted, that the public will chose the Festival’s top movie.  This Festival institution strengthens the relationship between the Festival and the Public, and it gives a chance to the members of the audience to have a critical eye towards the artistry and the effectiveness of the films. 
 
And to start things off, the Festival will kick off on March 24th with a concert by Stavros Lantsias.  The artist, accompanied by four musicians will be coming from Athens to offer us a unique journey of music.

For more info visit www.cyprusdocfest.org