4th International Documentary Film Festival of Nicosia

Provocative, educational and, best of all, entertaining, the 4th International Documentary Film Festival of Nicosia is here to stay. Going back to its roots – namely the Melina Merkouri Hall where it all begun back in 2008 – the festival has every intention of monopolizing your attention and causing endless controversy!

The three-day affair will kick off proceedings with a live show, courtesy of the Michael Messius trio, before delving head first into documentary land. Frist up are two films that challenge everything you thought you knew about men. A transsexual performer and a gay father change the name of the game, stretching gender limits to the max:

In What’s in a Name, infamous New York performance artist Jon Cory whose female sensibilities run deeper than most, decides to get breast implants in order to enhance his performance. Only problem is, he’s at a loss what to call himself. A man or a woman? This and more will soon be answered by director Eva Küpper, who spent endless hours with him during the shoot, and is scheduled to join Cypriot audiences in the presentation of her film.

Family Matters is nothing but a family portrait, only the dad prefers to pose in heels. The eccentric patriarch - once infamous for his flamboyant fashion shows and opulent feasts - does what he can to convince his son that just because he liked to wear women’s clothes, it doesn’t mean he loved him any less. As for the supposed chain reaction of love-sex-marriage-family-children , it doesn’t always go hand in hand with heterosexuality. At least not in their family!

Changing tunes, Cinema Komunisto is a nostalgic little gem all the way from Serbia that will resonate with every sworn cinephile in the world. Not only does it recount former Yugoslavia’s film history, but also infiltrates one-time president Josip Broz Tito’s inner sanctum. The film crazed leader often spent the entire night watching Westerns, and was so determined that his country develop a bustling movie industry that soldiers often served their entire duty as extras in war films! First time director Mila Turajlic documents his beautiful madness, intricately entwined with Yugoslvia’s glorious past only to come back to a crumbling present, haunted by rotting old studio complexes and fading memories.

Screenings

Friday 11.03.2011
18:00 GreenLit! (50')
19:30 Opening Ceremony
20:00 Kinshasa Symphony Orchestra (90')
21:30 Jazz Concert with Michael Messios Trio

Saturday 12.03.2011
11:00 Kinshasa Symphony Orchestra (90')
16:00 Piece of Summer (23')
16:30 Family Matters (27')
17:30 What's in a name (70') at the presence of the director Eva Kupper
20:00 Gaza we are coming (49')
21:00 Nostalgia de la luz (90')

Sunday 13.03.2011
11:00 Cinema Komunisto (100')
16:00 Nostalgia de la luz (90')
18:00 Third Motherland (55') at the presence of the directors Costas M. Constantinou and Giorgos Kykkou Skordis
20:00 Closing Ceremony (70')
20:30 Into Eternity (49')
22:00 Closing Party (90') Experimental Documentary projections & DJ set

For more information, please visit our website cyprusdocfest.org and e-mail us at [email protected].