"Was it dangerous to make a documentary about the Russian mob?" Alexander Gentelev was asked after his Thieves by Law premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival (April 22 to May 2, 2010). "We will find out after the protagonists see the movie," he deadpanned. The heroes Gentelev was referring to are three retired godfathers of Russia’s underworld who muse about their colorful exploits on camera. As he explained, "A lot of criminal kingpins were willing to mout...

2009 Boston Jewish Film Festival: Family to Fables; Homeland to HomesickOpening November 4 and continuing through November 15, the 21st annual Boston Jewish Film Festival presents a wide range of films exploring themes of "home." These films survey families, faith, doctrinal sects, nationalities, immigration, and exile as facets of our powerful stories of "home.""Home is a word that acts like a Rorschach test," said Sara L. Rubin, artistic director. "Some of our images are intensely unique and p...

Sponsorship Association „Friends of the German-Russian Film Academy“ constitutedIn the run-up of an official German-Russian Cinema Agreement, on Wednesday (July 29th, 2009) night the sponsorship association “Friends of the German-Russian Film Academy” was founded in Berlin. Peter Dinges, head of board of the Filmförderungsanstalt (FFA) called this funding a historical act, underlining that the long preparations for German-Russian cinema relations had finally resulted in concrete activit...

OPENING CEREMONY The Thessaloniki Documentary Festival - Images of the 21st Century enters its second decade as of Friday, March 13, with the Opening Ceremony of the 11th edition at the Olympion Theatre. Stavros Kalafatis, Minister of Macedonia-Thrace, launched the Documentary Festival, and the screening of Chao Gan’s The Red Race followed. Despina Mouzaki, Director of the Thessaloniki International Film Festival, welcomed the audienc...