On the edge of the Gobi Desert in Northwest China, Lang returns to his hometown after being released from jail. While working for the local dog patrol team to clear the town of stray dogs before the Olympic Games, he strikes up an unlikely connection with a black dog. These two lonely souls now embark on a new journey together.

Winner of the 2024 Cannes Film Festival’s Un Certain Regard section (which most value higher than the Main Competition), Black Dog is a crowd pleaser.  Don’t worry if you are wondering what’s going on during the first 10 minutes or so, it will all fall into line with the subtleties the director has put in.  The humor, for the most part, is dry, although some bits are spontaneous laugh-out-loud funny.  There is also a great deal of pathos.  And it goes without saying, if you like dogs, this will be a treat… perhaps bittersweet.

Director: Hu Guan / Writers: Rui Ge, Hu Guan / Producer: Jing Liang / Cinematographer: Weizhe Gao / Composer: Brenton Vivian / Cast: Eddie Peng, Jing Liang, Zhangke Kia, Liya Tong, Vision Wei, Hong Yuan, Yi Zhang, Yi Zhao / Contact: marksayre@theforge.biz

DIRECTOR: A graduate of the class of 1991 of the Beijing Film Academy, Hu Guan became 

the youngest director in the Beijing Film Studio. In the 1990s, Guan directed a handful of films, making a name as an important voice of the Sixth Generation, most notably with his debut, 1994's Dirt. A portrayal of Beijing's rock music scene, Dirt was filmed on a shoestring budget and was funded primarily by lead actress, Kong Lin. Dirt is often compared with another major Sixth Generation film about the Beijing rock scene, Zhang Yuan's Beijing Bastards. Unlike that film, Guan paid nearly US$2000 for state studio affiliation, allowing the film to be distributed in China and screened abroad with approval from state regulators.

DIRECTOR STATEMENT: I've found that dogs share similarities with human beings. You can communicate with them. In the film, I see the black dog as not just an animal but as an individual like Lang, fighting both loneliness and prejudice.

Claire returns to Iceland, a place she visited decades earlier, to tend to a difficult task. While on the road she meets Iris, a young aimless hitchhiker, and together they connect and collide as they struggle to come to terms with the realities of their lives.

A fascinating character driven story featuring a septuagenarian in the leading role.

Director, Writer: Lynn Tjerrnan Lukkas / Producer: Lynn Tjerrnan Lukkas, Peter George Frenz/ Cinematography: Eric Schlichter, Lynn Lukkas / Composer: Phil Aaron / Cast: Barbra Anne Berlovitz, Annick Dall / Contact: lukkas@umn.edu

DIRECTOR: Lynn Lukkas, is a filmmaker, artist, and curator. Her award-winning films have been screened at, the Toronto International Women’s Film Festival, the International New York Film Festival, the Rochester International Film Festival, and the Venice Shorts International Film Festival. Lukkas’ film installation works have been shown internationally in the US, Germany, China, and South Africa among other locations.

She has traveled extensively and is a Fulbright Fellow recently completing a six-month research residency in Scotland in preparation for her next two films set in the Faroe Islands and Shetland Islands respectively. She has received artists fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Bush Foundation, the McKnight Foundation, and the Jerome Foundation. Lukkas’ curatorial project, Covered in Time and History: The Films of Ana Mendieta, co-curated with Howard Oransky, (2015 – 2019) was presented at, Martin-Gropius-Bau, Berlin; Galerie Nationale du Jeu de Paume, Paris; and the Berkley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archives, San Francisco.

Lukkas is a Professor of Art in the Department of Art at the University of Minnesota where she has taught moving images since 2000. She was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA, and currently resides there with her family. More information on her work and career is available on her website at www.lynntjernanlukkas.com.

DIRECTOR STATEMENT: I am interested in making films about compelling female characters imbued with complexity and resilience. Creating such films allows me to collaborate closely with gifted women actors and together bring to life fascinating, challenging, and irrepressible characters. My films resist stereotypes and seek to reveal female characters with a full range of human strengths and vulnerabilities.

Ultimately, I am a visual storyteller. My films emphasize images, actions, and gestures to convey the story, providing my films with a visual, emotional, and tactile-like sensibility. I am interested in creating a visually rich character-driven cinema of emotion and empathy allowing the audience to identify with characters and see themselves in the characters.

The story of the colorful and controversial, legendary surfboard designer and builder, Dick Brewer.

Dick Brewer: The father of the modern-day surfboard

His designs have been interpreted, modified, and often copied through the gifted hands of shapers on every coast and in every decade since the 1960s. He has mentored, taught, and at a minimum, inspired the top shapers in the world. Today, his rails, his rockers, and bottom are intrinsic in the surfboard you ride. He is the counter cultural shaper to the brave surfriders.

Dick Brewer was arguably the most influential shaper of surfboards in the world in the 1960s and 1970s. BrewerSurfboards.com

I imagine most of my audience has never caught a wave atop a Dick Brewer board. This is a biography of a fascinating mind. On top of that, the cinematography and archival footage, coupled with this retro soundtrack, will take you back to a kinder, gentler nation that most of us would find as safe haven. This award-winning doc will set you free.

Director: Bob Campi / Writer: Jim Kempton / Producers: Teresa Tico, Allen Sarlo, Steve Morgan / Executive Producers: Bob Campi, Sherry Brewer / Cinematography: / Editor: Bob Campi
/ Featuring: Dick Brewer, Laird Hamilton, Kai Lenny, Garrett McNamara, Derrick Doerner, Jock Sutherland, Jericho Poppler, Sherry Brewer,  / Contact: haenagirl@gmail.com

DIRECTOR: Bob Campi is a three-time Emmy award–winning cinematographer, and the executive producer who produced, wrote, and directed The Shape of Things. As an executive producer of several feature films and award-winning shorts, he’s currently in pre-production of the feature film, Tough Sledding, a bio pic chronicling the 2002 Gold Medal triumph of United States Paralympic Sled Hockey Team. As a worldwide photojournalist for NBC News and currently Director of Photography for Entertainment Tonight for 32 years, Bob has traveled the world with his camera documenting some of history’s most impactful events. He lives in Glendale, California, with his beautiful wife Kerry; daughter and screenwriter Lauren; and son music producer Brian.

In a remote tribal region, young Bheru dreams of bringing electricity to his isolated hilltop home. Struggling with the lack of conventional power sources, he stumbles upon hope when he comes upon a miraculous invention.

One of my favorite films of SAFF15.  The performances are amazing – illustrating the caste system and the villager’s blind acceptance.  I was especially fascinated by the body language exhibited.  It is a very sweet film as well.  Kunal Mehta’s performance as Bheru, is especially moving.  Kudos to Jigdal for putting it all together.

Director, Writer & Producer: Jigdal Madanial Nagda / Cinematography: Gourav Sadoriya / Editors: Vatsal Doshi, Divesh Sonvania / Composer: Keshav Kundal / Cast: Kunal Mehta, Mehender Srivas, Rakhi Mansa, Jigdal Madanial Mgada / Contact: udaipurpictures13@gmail.com

DIRECTOR: Jigdal Madanial Nagda is a postgraduate in Mass Communication from Mumbai University. At the age of 20, he attended an Asian film festival, which sparked his love and passion for filmmaking. For the past 9 years, he has been working in the film industry as an assistant and associate director, learning from some of the best talents including Anurag Kashyap, Onir, Manish Gupta, and Wilson Luis.

Jigar's passion for travel led him to embark on an India tour with just one rupee, an experience that had a profound impact on his life and way of thinking. Upon completing this journey, he decided to pursue his dream of making his own film. Anurag Kashyap, with whom he had worked as a director's assistant for Bombay Velvet, deeply influenced Jigar's perspective on filmmaking. Anurag's belief that if you don't find a producer, you should stand up for yourself and the world will support you, became Jigar's biggest motivation in making his film.

This belief turned out to be true as Jigar successfully completed his first film, "A Boy Who Dreamt with Electricity," and is now eagerly awaiting its release.

Three stories about wine intertwine to become a film. In the first, a photographer will have to photograph “the smell of wine”; in the second, a rich young man will be punished by going to the harvest; in the third, a somber wine merchant over sixty will fall in love like a teenager with a fifty-year-old biologist. Wine solves and is at the center of all stories. Each bottle contains a story.

Giuseppe Gandini is perhaps best known for his on-screen performances (see below), however, he has had extensive writing experience and it shows in the fun, aromatic film.  It captures the spirit and flavors of Italy wonderfully.  

Director, Writer, Producer: Giuseppe Gandini / Cinematography: Gianluca Braccieri / Editor: Davide Vizzini / Composer: Roberto Manuzzi / Cast: Massimo Olcese, Ignazio Oliva, Cristian Borromeo, Claudia Coli, Valentina Bruscoli, Gianantonio Martinoni, Matteo Bonuccelli. Marco Zannoni, Chiara Bono, Augusta Gori, Silvia Mazzotta, Paolo Romano, Luis Molteni, Federico Tocci, Elena Felloni, Aleandro Falciglia, Alisia Ferri, Vanni De Lucia, Mauro Silvestrini, Gaia Benassi, Francesca Fava, Roberto Attias, Emilia Gandini, Roberto Bruscoli, Luca Falocci, Nicola Falocci, Gianfranco Zampetti, Giuseppe Gandini / Contact: giugandini@hotmail.com

DIRECTOR: Giuseppe was born in Ferrara on March 5, 1972. Graduated in Theoretical Philosophy at the University of Ferrara, he has lived and worked in Rome since 1993, where he works as a director, writer and actor.  As director and author, he made the Teen series entitled Radioteen, for Rai Ragazzi broadcast from May 2021 on Rai Gulp and Rai Play.  He then wrote the screenplay On the Same Side of the Table, winner at the MIC of the Selective Contributions for Writing in 2019. In his career as a director he made 7 short films and one medium-length, winning the 1995 Silver Ribbon for the Best Italian Short of the with The Myth of Reality. In 2002 he directed I Giovani d’Oggi, recognized as being of national cultural interest. In 1999 he directed Una Canna con Goldrake, and won the Critics' Prize at the Messina Film Festival. In 2006 he directed the pilot episode of the sit-com Bar Sofi. He has extensive theater credits, having directed 12 plays, including classics of as Beckett and Checov, as well as contemporary texts. He has also written 4 screenplays for cinema and about ten subjects. The screenplay entitled What not… won the 2013 Award for Best Screenplay at the Busto Arsizio festival. In his acting career he won a Silver Ribbon in 1999 as best supporting actor for Ettore Scola's The Dinner. As well as with Maestro Scola he has worked in theater, cinema and television with: Vittorio Gassmann, Fanny Ardant, Stefania Sandrelli, Giancarlo Giannini, Julia Roberts, Javier Bardem, Pierfrancesco Favino,  Ryan Murphy, Ridley Scott and many others, participating in more than 50 works of cinema and TV plus 30 theatrical performances.

DIRECTOR STATEMENT: The philosophical concept of the film is that each bottle contains in
itself its own narration, an ever-changing story that springs from the very nature of wine and the work that Man has poured into it for millennia.

At the start of WWII, Salvatore Todaro commands the Italian Royal Navy submarine, Cappellini. One dark night in October 1940, while navigating in the Atlantic, he comes upon an armed merchant ship sailing without lights. He shoots at the ship and sinks it. The Commander then makes a decision that was destined to go down in history.

It is most unusual to see films depicting the Italian Navy during World War II, even more so with a story surrounding a submarine crew (try to name another). Edoardo De Angelis captures the loneliness in a haunting, ethereal fashion that is frightening. A true story that stars Italy’s, Pierfrancesco Favino.

Comandante was the Opening Night Film of the 2023 Venice Film Festival.

Director: Edoardo De Angelis / Writers: Sandro Veronesi, Edoardo De Angelis / Producers: Edoardo De Angelis, Attilio De Razza, Nicola Giuliano, Pierpaolo Verga, Paolo Del Brocco, Francesca Cima, Carlotta Calori, Viola Prestieri / Cinematographer: Ferran Paredes Rubio / Editor: Lorenzon Peluso / Composer: Robert Del Naja / Cast: Pierfrancesco Favino, 

Massimiliano Rossi, Johan Heldenbergh, Silvia D’Amico, Arturo Muselli, Giuseppe Brunetti, Gianluca Di Gennaro, Johannes Wirix, Pietro Angelini, Mario Russo, Cecilia Bertozzi, Paolo Bonacelli / Contact: mike@darkstarpics.com

DIRECTOR: Edoardo De Angelis was born on 31 August 1978 in Naples, Campania, Italy. He is a writer and director, known for Indivisible (2016), The Vice of Hope (2018) and Perez. (2014). He is married to Pina Turco. They have one child.

DIRECTOR STATEMENT: I wanted to make a film about strength. I was irritated by the way in which strength is often portrayed in relation to oppression and violence. Todaro represents another idea of strength, of an individual holding out their hand to the defenseless.

There was also another theme related to the questions I’ve been asking myself about what it means to be Italian. We’re a nation made up of people of all different origins, but in recent years, an idea has emerged that being Italian is somehow a privilege and an identity that is not open to others. I don’t agree with this. A nation born as a melting pot should be welcoming to others.

Matej and Zuzana Dolinay have many passions, but topping the list are venomous snakes and educating people. Combining the two into a single mission, this driving force has taken them across the globe in search of our planet’s rarest snake species, documenting these findings and sharing the results on their successful YouTube Channel, Living Zoology.

Their next adventure takes them to the remote jungles along the west coast of Africa, in the country of Togo. Here, they hope to make a documentary film about the “Western Green Mamba”, one of the most venomous snakes in the world. Out of the four mamba species spread out across Africa, this is the only one that has eluded the lens of the Living Zoology team.

As their educational expedition unfolds, a surprising similarity emerges, the ironic parallels between working with deadly snakes, and the tenets of living in a healthy relationship. These “Figures” progress throughout the film and romantically capture our zoologists, echoing the love they have for capturing snakes.

Director, Producer & Cinematographer: Rhett Cuttrell / Scientists: Zuzana Dolinay, Matej Dolinay / Composer: Eros Cartechini / Contact: rhett@figuresfilm.com

Director: Rhett Cutrell is an award-winning wildlife and outdoor adventure film producer, bringing Hollywood-grade productions to the most remote regions on the planet. His objective: expose wild stories that have true heart and capture their unique point of view in a way that does justice to their inherent power. After working on exhilarating productions for over 17 years, on six continents, and collaborating with industry giants like National Geographic, Destination British Columbia, and Discovery Channel, Rhett has gained the required knowledge to develop truly immersive experiences in the most difficult of production settings.

Cree filmmaker Neil Diamond and Catherine Bainbridge (Rumble: The Indians Who Rocked the World) team up again for the follow-up to their award-winning documentary Reel Injun. Diamond travels to the corners of Turtle Island and across the Atlantic to dig into the world’s historical fascination with Indigenous Peoples. From fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi drawing inspiration from Nanook of the North to the Carlisle Indian Industrial School’s impact on the NFL, Diamond assembles a compelling collage packed with pop-culture references. Examples of appropriation are revisited by Indigenous scholars, artists and community members, who are revitalizing their cultures and dispelling the myths and lack of understanding that have persisted for more than a century. Clothing, sports, systems of government and agricultural practices all have clear lines to Indigenous ways of knowing and being. As a new generation of Indigenous Peoples draws strength from their ancestors and reclaims their rights, there’s hope for a future where credit is given where it’s due.

Directors & Writers: Neil Diamond & Catherine Bainbridge / Producers: Rezolution Pictures - Lisa M. Roth (Producer), Rebecca Lessard (Co-Producer), Catherine Bainbridge, Linda Ludwick, Ernest Web (Executive Producers), Brittany LeBorgne (Associate Producer), Joanne Robertson (Story Producer) / Composer: Jesse Zubot & Pura Fe / Editor: Rebecca Lessard / Contact: cvatrinet@f3m.ca

DIRECTORS: Neil Diamond is a Cree-Canadian filmmaker based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, born and raised in Waskaganish, Quebec. Working with Rezolution Pictures, Diamond has directed the documentary films Reel Injun, The Last Explorer, One More River, Heavy Metal: A Mining Disaster in Northern Quebec and Cree Spoken Here, along with three seasons of DAB IYIYUU, a series for the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network about Cree elders.

In the 2008 docudrama The Last Explorer, Diamond explored the story of his great-uncle George Elson, a Cree guide who helped to map Labrador as part of an ill-fated 1903 expedition with Leonidas Hubbard and Dillon Wallace, and a return voyage in 1905 with Hubbard’s widow Mina Hubbard.

As of April 2011, Diamond is developing a project with Inuit filmmaker Zacharias Kunuk about the 18th-century conflict between Cree and Inuit, which lasted almost a century.

Catherine Bainbridge is the co-founder, executive producer, and VP of business and creative development at Rezolution Pictures. She directed the Emmy-nominated, Sundance and CSA award-winning feature doc, RUMBLE: The Indians Who Rocked the World, and co-directed the Peabody and CSA award-winning feature doc, Reel Injun. Catherine is also an executive producer on the Crave Original series, Little Bird. Through her work at Rezolution, Catherine has been instrumental in changing the narrative when it comes to diversity and representation in the entertainment industry.

Javi, an undocumented immigrant facing imminent deportation, unexpectedly reunites with his long-lost best friend, Hunter, a vivacious bachelor seeking deeper connections. Together, they embark on a heartfelt journey to prevent Javi's expulsion from the only country he has ever called home.

A light-hearted comedy with two serious subplots.  Really likeable performances by the three leads, Denis Shepherd as Hunter, Rafael Silva as Javi and Caroline Portu as Tracy, win you over.  Spencer Cohen puts together a fun romp with just enough obstacles to keep you hopping non-stop from laughs to suspense.

Director & Writer: Spencer Cohen / Producers: Jennifer Potts, Sara Robin, Victoria Hersey, Alberto Sayan / Cinematography: Ben Heald / Composer: Sergio Torres-Letelier / Cast: Rafael Silva, Denis Shepherd, Caroline Portu, Dakota Lustick, Alfredo Huereca / Contact: spencerc@thecompatriotsfilm.com

DIRECTOR: Spencer Cohen, an award-winning Boston-based filmmaker, is renowned for amplifying unheard voices through his storytelling. His filmmaking journey began in high school, where he made endearingly awkward sketches using his father's old camcorder.

Spencer has held diverse roles in the film industry. He's been a cue card holder for actor Eric Roberts, worked in the art department as a gravedigger for a sci-fi zombie movie, and has significant experience as a film editor and producer

DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT: The story of my best friend Alberto (Beto) and his experiences as an undocumented immigrant. Despite our longstanding friendship since middle school, I was unaware of Beto's undocumented status and the constant fear of deportation he lived with until high school. The introduction of DACA in 2012 offered Beto temporary relief from this fear, allowing him to work legally in the US.

However, in 2016, when DACA's existence was threatened, Beto and I half-jokingly considered marriage as a desperate solution. It was a stark reminder that Beto, as American as myself, faced the possibility of being sent back to a country he barely remembered. This period of uncertainty and anxiety led me to begin writing "The Compatriots," not only as a personal outlet but also to spark conversation about immigration issues.

Through learning about Dreamers – undocumented Americans brought here as children – I realized the depth of their predicament: trapped in a system offering no clear path to citizenship. This film became a personal mission to shed light on the struggles of approximately 3.6 million people in the US who, despite being integral parts of American society, live in constant fear of deportation.

Despite widespread support for granting Dreamers permanent status, political action remains elusive. This film questions whether the lack of progress is due to the issue's low priority in political agendas or a lack of personal connection among most Americans.

"The Compatriots" aims to bridge this gap. While the character of Javi, loosely based on Beto, differs in many aspects, he represents the everyday challenges faced by undocumented individuals. My hope is for the audience to see Javi as a friend, to empathize with his plight, and to be inspired to advocate for policy changes that provide security and permanence for the millions like him in this country.

Lastly, reflecting on my own heritage as a descendant of immigrants who fled antisemitism in the 1920s, I recognize the importance of America's identity as a nation of immigrants. "The Compatriots" is a tribute to this heritage and a call to support all who seek a better life on these shores.

A young widower is deported as his daughter is scheduled for a heart transplant; this will lead him to orchestrate the boldest border crossing plan in history.

Director: Alonso Alvarez-Barreda / Writers: Alonso Alvarez-Barreda, Max Arciniega / Producers: Alonso Alvarez-Barreda, Alejandro Monteverde, Francisco Cordero, Eduardo Monteverde, Ricard Coeto, Omar Chaparro, Max Arciniega / Cinematographer: Tom Campbell / Editor: Vanessa Ruane / Composer: Roberto Murgula / Cast: Omar Chaparro, Will Rothhaar, Hector Jimenez, Max Arciniega, Jesus Ochoa, Leslie Garza, Gustavo Sanchez Parra, Al Coronel, Ramses Jimenez, Cesar Ramos / Contact: aabfilms@gmail.com

DIRECTOR: Alonso Alvarez-Barreda was born in México city and raised in the small town of Tampico, on the eastern coast of Mexico. Despite his father's best efforts, he chose to forgo a career as a professional ping-pong player to pursue his passion for filmmaking.

Mentored by Alejandro Monteverde, Alvarez-Barreda directed his first short, Historia de un Letrero. The entire project was shot in Tampico on a $50 budget, using borrowed equipment and his friends as actors. In 2008, it won the Best Short Film Award at Cannes Film Festival.

Alvarez-Barreda's third short, Crescendo, is an 18th century period piece entirely in German and tells the story of the birth of Beethoven. The project was produced by Mexican business magnate, Carlos Slim. It screened in over 30 international film festivals, including Telluride and New York, and was a finalist for the 2013 Oscars®. The short also landed him the Best Director award at the NBCUniversal Short Film Festival and nominations for Best Writing and Best Film.

Bwinner Best Film and Best  Director FLIFF39

A group of friends try to make a "film" to save their theatre company from falling apart during a pandemic. But filmmaking ineptitude, old affairs, and new betrayals may be the virus that ends their company before any global pandemic does.

A brilliant first-time feature Filmed-ENTIRELY-in-Broward.  The ensemble cast is spot on with the mercurial pulse of a non-profit theatre troupe, where everyone is equal, except not everyone knows it.  The secrets, the secret passions, the tip-toe-poverty, the Hey Mickey & Judy Let’s Do A Show spunk, just perfect.  Timothy Mark Davis handles his dual role as director of the piece and a plot-propelling member of the ensemble.  The single camerawork is a thing of beauty in this low budget but zenith-seeking romp.

Director: Timothy Mark Davis / Writers: Timothy Mark Davis, Luis Roberto Herrera / Producer: Timothy Mark Davis / Cinematography: Chris Behnen / Editor: José Ordóñez Jr. / Production Designer: Ryan Maloney / Cast: Krystal Millie Valdez, Timothy Mark Davis, Alex Joyel, Luis Roberto Herrera, Casey Sacco, Elizabeth Price, Ernesto Gonzalez, Roderick Randle, Abby Nigro, Ilana Jael / Contact: tim@finickypictures.com

DIRECTOR: Timothy is a film and theatre actor, director, producer, and writer. Most recently he produced the short films Konpa, which played in competition at the 2023 Tribeca Festival, and La Vie which premiered at the 2023 Miami Film Festival. In 2021 he wrote and directed the short film The Leap for the 48 Hour Film Project which garnered awards for Best Film, Best Director, and Best Actress. Previously he produced and co-starred in the feature film, Pompano Boy, which premiered at the Heartland Film Festival and received the Best in Broward Award at the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival. He is also the Producing Artistic Director for New City Players, an award-winning, non-profit, professional theatre company in Broward where he has produced nearly 20 productions. He holds an M.A. in Theatre Studies, received the 2017 Silver Palm Award for Outstanding New Theatre Company, the 2019 Remy Service Award for service to the South Florida Theatre League, and the 2020 Carbonell Award for Best Actor for his performance in New City Players’ production of Falling.

Rodrigo and Valentina are in a marriage crisis. The husband is in a severe economic crisis in the real estate company he inherited from his father. By chance, the wife becomes aware that the maid who works in their house has in her possession an old painting of Joaquín Sorolla, the Spanish artist. A painting of great economic value. Rodrigo and Valentina immerse themselves in an odyssey of deception and deceit in a quest to get that painting.

Absolutely delightful… a crowd pleaser!

Director: Gastón Horacio Revol Molina / Producers: Julieta Sanchez Ananes / Cinematography: Marcos Navarro / Editor: Marcos Navarro / Producion Designer: Federico Carabajal Nunez / Cast: Adrian Azaceta, Paula Brasca, Matias Benedetti, Fernanda Cangi, Raul Aliaga, Ronda Vazquez, Ivan Especi Gil, Ricardo Pinelle, Andrea Charras / Contact: grevol@gmail.com

DIRECTOR: Gastón Horacio Revol Molina is a producer, writer, director and founder of Lupa Producciones and Cabustra Arts.

Three young reporters get into a car for a journey that will change their lives forever:

• Serge, a moralist and workaholic journalist

• Paolo, a photographer as jovial as unconscious

• and Claude, a coward Swiss typographer who improvises himself as a filmmaker

In the year following the terrorist attacks of 9/11, young journalist Claude Baechtold finds himself in the war zone of Afghanistan. Not entirely voluntarily, the self-confessed anti-militarist from French-speaking Switzerland is dragged on a tour of the entire country by two fearless reporters. Equipped with a video camera he bought at a bazaar in Kabul, he follows them for two months on a daring journey. With impressive archive footage that was until recently thought lost, Baechtold captures in his humorous road movie doc how he inadvertently becomes a war reporter and is able to thereby deal with his own personal strokes of fate.

Riverboom is amazing because of three main reasons:  1. It is a suspenseful no holds barred thriller;  2. Somehow, it’s incredibly funny; and 3. It’s all true.  Winner Best Doc at FLIFF39.

Director & Writer: Claude Baechtold / Producers: Katia Monla, Luc Peter / Cinematography: Claude Baechtold / Editor: Kevin Schlosser / Production Manager: Aurélie Oliveira Pernet / Featuring: Serge Michel, Paolo Woods, Claude Baechtold/ Contact: g.heron@bacfilms.fr

DIRECTOR: Born in 1972 in Lausanne, Switzerland, Claude Baechtold graduated in Visual Communication from École cantonale d’art de Lausanne (ECAL) in 1996. In 2002, he founded the RiverBoom collective while in Afghanistan and published offbeat travel books ever since. His innovative approach in photography makes him one of the lead figures of new reportage, awarded in 2006 by the Grand Prix Vevey Images and nominated for the Prix Elysée in 2018. He’s now an investigative journalist and a filmmaker.