Get Ready For the 6th Annual Arlington International Film Festival
As we usher in the 6th annual Arlington International Film Festival we ask you to prepare yourselves for a four-day journey around the world via amazing national and international independent films.
The mission of AIFF is to foster appreciation for different cultures by exploring the lives of people around the globe through independent film — to nurture the next generation of filmmakers. In keeping with the mission, AIFF has three distinct components, one being the annual student Poster Contest where the winning poster becomes the face of the Festival, the High School Filmmaker’s Competition that was registered this year with UNESCO, and its master component, that of the film festival that showcases some of the finest and most creative cinematic works in the world, those of independent filmmakers. AIFF are screening films that have been recognized world-wide, chosen to tour internationally with the State Department, official selections of the Cannes Film Festival, Locarno International Film Festival in Italy, Berlin Film Festival, San Sebastian Film Festival, Toronto Film Festival, purchased by HBO and PBS and nominated for Academy Awards.
AIFF takes great pride in its collaborations and its commitment to building vibrant partnerships with organizations, businesses, educational, arts and cultural institutions in New England. It was an honor for AIFF to partner with The Rose Kennedy Greenway Conservancy for the official KICK-OFF of this year’s Festival featuring a special screening of international shorts on The Greenway in Dewey Square, September 23rd.
We look forward to enjoying the film selections with you!
Opening Night | Thursday, October 27, 7:00PM
JIÀOLIÀN [COACH] (75 min) AIFF JURY AWARD FOR “BEST FEATURE DOCUMENTARY”
Esteban Argüello, Producer/Director | USA/China | 2015 | Doc
This is the story of 27-year-old Norman de Silva, who overnight was given the head coaching job of the Chinese Basketball Association’s (CBA) Foshan Long Lions. Although basketball has been in China for over a hundred years, their professional league is still very young. In an effort to make the CBA games more exciting and to enhance the training and development of local players, the CBA allows each team to contract up to two American players and an American coach. For Norman, China is an opportunity at the job he’s always wanted, but as he delves deeper into the lives of his players he sees kids that have been put through exhausting and mundane drills for years to become model athletes. In order to win, Norman has to help his players fall in love with basketball again. Jiàoliàn [Coach] is a rare time capsule of what it means to play basketball in China at a time when age-old Eastern practices are clashing with new Western methods. Official Selection of the Sebastopol Doc Fest, Ethnografilm Festival, Paris, D.C. Asian American FF, Washington DC and Frozen River Film Festival.
Panel Discussion with Esteban Argüello, Producer/Director and Norman de Silva
10:00 PM – midnight | VIP After-Party at Za Restaurant
Saturday, October 29, 4:00 PM
THE DAY OF THE BLEEDING GUMS (5 min) AIFF JURY AWARD FOR “BEST SHORT ANIMATION”
Dimitar Dimitrov-Animiter, Director | Bulgaria | 2014 | Animation | New England Premiere
An animation drawn frame by frame on a smartphone and the message of this short being, a painting has value only in the moment of its creation; the rest is just a postcard from a faraway voyage.
Saturday, October 29, 5:20 PM
PROGRAM 1 INTERNATIONAL SHORTS
THE TIME OF THE LUTHIERS (25 min) AIFF JURY AWARD FOR “BEST SHORT DOCUMENTARY”
Jorge Guerrero, Director | Spain | 2016 | Doc | USA Premiere
For over a century Felipe Conde’s family has been handcrafting Spanish guitars. From its small workshop in downtown Madrid, theirs has become one of the most prestigious brands, having among its clientele outstanding players such as Paco de Lucia and Al Di Meola, Leonard Cohen and Lenny Kravitz. Felipe’s 20-year-old children, Maria and Felipe Jr, are now the fourth generation of their family to join the legacy business. Their father has bequeathed to them all the secrets of the Luthier’s trade, paramount of which is the importance of patience and perseverance, two qualities lacking nowadays.
Saturday, October 29, 5:20 PM
PROGRAM 1 INTERNATIONAL SHORTS
EDEN HOSTEL (14 min) AIFF JURY AWARD FOR “BEST SHORT NARRATIVE”
Gonzaga Manso, Director | Spain | 2016 | Nar | New England Premiere
Hanging from the wall of one of its rooms there’s a statuette of the Virgin Mary who narrates from her peculiar point of view, the stories of the various guests who stayed there.
Official Selection at the Seattle International Film Festival and Vancouver International Film Festival
Saturday, October 29, 10:00 PM
CLIMAS (84) AIFF JURY AWARD FOR “BEST FEATURE NARRATIVE”
Enrica Pérez, Director | Peru | 2014 | Nar | USA Premiere
Three women of vastly differing ages and origins cope with life in three distinct regions of Peru. Eva, a young girl from the lush tropics of the Amazonian jungle, experiences a sexual awakening by way of a forbidden relationship with her uncle. Victoria, a wealthy socialite from Lima, suffers a terrible secret that renders her inner life as grey and melancholic as the city surrounding her. Zoraida, an elderly peasant from a destitute village in the Andean Mountains, confronts her worst fears in the wake of the unexpected return of her estranged son. Three unconnected regions, three introverted women, three stories of discovery shaped by three different geographies, societies and climates of the same fragmented country.
Premiered at the Warsaw Film Festival; Official Selection of the Festival del Nuevo Cine Latinoamericano de Cuba; Epic Award for upcoming Filmmakers at the Festival de Cine de Lima.
Sunday, October 30, 6:35 PM
EAST LA INTERCHANGE (56 min) AIFF JURY AWARD FOR “BEST OF FESTIVAL”
Betsy Kalin, Director | U.S.A. | 2016 | Doc | East Coast Premiere
East LA Interchange tells the story of working-class, immigrant Boyle Heights, the oldest neighborhood in East Los Angeles. Targeted by government policies, real estate laws, and California planners, this quintessential immigrant neighborhood survived racially restrictive housing covenants, Japanese-American Internment, Federal redlining policies, lack of political representation, and the building of the largest and busiest freeway interchange system in the nation, the East L.A. Interchange. The documentary explores how the freeways – a symbol of Los Angeles ingrained in America’s popular imagination – impact Boyle Heights’ residents: literally, as an environmental hazard and structural blockade and figuratively, as a conversational interchange about why the future of their beloved community should matter to us all. The history of Boyle Heights is an example of the promise — and peril — of American progress. The film features narration by Danny Trejo (Machete) and interviews with will.i.am (The Black Eyed Peas), Father Greg Boyle (Homeboy Industries), and Josefina López (Real Women Have Curves) as well as an original song by Raul Pacheco (Ozomatli).
Awards: East LA Interchange won Best Feature Film at the New Urbanism Film Festival, the Audience Award for Best Feature Documentary at the Downtown Film Festival L.A., the Audience Choice Award for Best Feature Documentary at the Highland Park Independent Film Festival, the Award of Excellence for Documentary Feature at Indie FEST, and the Honorable Mention at the Richmond International Film Festival.
Panel Discussion with Director/Producer Betsy Kalin and Associate Producer Ruby Gómez
HIGH SCHOOL FILMMAKER AWARDS
ATTACHED AT THE SOUL (9 min) BEST OF FESTIVAL
William Leon, Writer/Director | USA/CA | 2016 | Narrative
Donald Kline struggles with having to leave his wife Margie’s death bed in order to attend a ceremony where he and his wife will be honored for their life time achievements, which include promoting diversity, equal rights, and acceptance. Donald’s daughter, Theresa, however, convinces him that going to the ceremony is the right thing to do. Donald reluctantly goes to the ceremony, but he is only there physically; mentally, he is back in time to the 1950’s when he first met Margie. We see their struggles as two teenagers from different ethnic backgrounds growing up in the racially divided South. They open their hearts to find acceptance, friendship, compassion, and love. When Donald finally becomes both physically and mentally present, we realize just how close and attached he and the love of his life, Margie, really are.
TODO TIENE SU TIEMPO/EVERYTHING HAS ITS TIME (6min) Best Documentary
Marylys Merida, Director | USA/Massachusetts | 2015 | Doc
A woman opens up about her struggles and how her hard work manifested into her life’s accomplishments. According to AIFF Judge, Michael Mahin, “Todo Tiene Su Tiempo” has been chosen as Best Doc for its simplicity, its technical efficiency, and its pertinent message. “In an age of growing anti-immigrant sentiment, the film acts as an important reminder that these are people, families, human beings who we are discussing. Without pretension or artifice,“Todo Tiene Su Tiempo” explores what it means to make a new home in a new place with those closest to us.” — Director Marlyss Merida
TEACH ME FISH (10 min) BEST NARRATIVE
Asa Minter, Director | USA/Massachusetts | 2016 | Narrative
A lonely boy obsessed with geology gets more than he asks for when he goes out on one of his daily rock hunts. Kevin Wetmore, AIFF Judge, speaks about the film; “It tells a cohesive visual story and is also very funny and likable. All of the performances work well, especially that of the alien visitor. The sound production, sound editing, and music choices all work wonderfully. The cinematography is also a highlight. All the shots seem carefully com- posed and there is a consistent style throughout the film. Overall this film is an accomplishment to be proud of, and the filmmaker should not hesitate to create new work.”
I DON’T NEED U (4 min) BEST EXPERIMENTAL
Alyssa Peguero, Director | USA/Massachusetts | 2015 | Experimental
A girl who grew up without her father writes a letter about her deepest and most sincere feelings about him. “With simple but elegant camerawork and effective voice-over narration, ‘I Don’t Need U’ subtly but powerfully underscores the primordial bond between parent and child – and the pain that can be caused by the absence of this bond,” said film judge Michael Mahin.
