From March 14-21, 2009, the 23d edition of the Fribourg International Film Festival (FIFF) will once again bring the Swiss public new gems from Asia, Latin America and Africa. Today in Solothurn, its artistic direction has revealed the first elements of the program. The international competition will comprise twelve feature films - both documentary and fiction. Six sections, i.e. a grand total of about sixty films, have been announced. Contemporary Indian cinema will feature as a special highlight at the FIFF 2009.
The «Out of Bollywood» panorama will introduce Indian cinematography of the past two years. Edouard Waintrop, artistic director of the FIFF, has delved into the lush abundance of Bollywood and non-Bollywood productions, and has selected thirteen films that reflect the current trends of the genre.
The «Fábulas da favela» section presents twelve Brazilian films based on the theme of the favela, a major social phenomenon. The films question both its evolution and its cinematographic representation. Documentaries, thrillers and musical films: compiled by the Brazilian film critic José Carlos Avellar, this panorama demonstrates how a tragic context can become a source of inspiration of a spate of genres.
With an “Hommage à Francisco Lombardi” created in collaboration with the Lima film archive, the FIFF pays tribute to the talent of a Peruvian film director who, despite having earned the reputation of being one of the most interesting contemporary filmmakers, remains relatively unknown outside of the Spanish-speaking world. Ten films of his imposing body of work – which features several adaptations of novels by Mario Vargas Llosa and Dostoevsky – will be screened in Fribourg.
For the “Godfather in Asia” panorama and its six mafia-related films, Edouard Waintrop has sought for the mark of Francis Ford Coppola’s Godfather trilogy in several Asian cinematographic fields, such as Indian cinema and the previously unknown “Black Mumbai” genre, as filmed and produced by Ram Gopal Varma.
With “Revanches de femmes”, the FIFF introduces a programme centred on American “rape and revenge movies” of the Seventies – films of feminist inspiration in which women strike vengeance upon men who have sexually abused them. A panorama featuring eight films illustrates how this genre has made its way around the world.
“Made in Nollywood” invites spectators to discover Nigerian films and sheds light on a surprising phenomenon: in terms of output, Nigeria has become the world’s fist cinematographic nation. Some 2.000 films – most of them on digital support – are launched each year on the African market. The FIFF will confront the success of this English-speaking industry to the extremely difficult situation of cinema in French-speaking Africa.
Besides three short film programs, the 23d edition will once again organise school screenings for more than 8.000 schoolchildren and students. Following the success of its first appearance, the professional platform Forum@FIFF will be renewed.
The detailed programme, featuring twelve documentary and fiction feature films selected for the international competition and several special evenings, will be revealed during the press conference on Tuesday, March 3, 2009, at 10:15 AM in Fribourg.