latest releases from sjfs
Monday, December 22, 2008
San Joaquin Film Society announces Cinema Italia 2009 Official Selection and Spring Gala, February 21 to 23, 2009
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
San Joaquin Film Society and Cibo di Vino - Matinée Movie Lounge Presents SJFS Cinema Room: 40 Nights of Innovative Film Programs
Monday, November 17, 2008
Michel Ocelot's Critically-Acclaimed "Azur and Asmar: The Princes' Quest" Leads a Vibrant Collection of 21 Films from 7 Countries to Open the 1st San Joaquin Children's Film Festival, January 16 to 18, 2009
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Call for Entries for 2009 San Joaquin International Film Festival (Revised)
new releases
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, December 22nd, 2009
Contact:
Sophoan Sorn, Founder
Email: ssorn@sjiff.org
Phone: (209) 518 9882
Official Website: www.sjiff.org
SAN JOAQUIN FILM SOCIETY ANNOUNCES CINEMA ITALIA 2009 OFFICIAL SELECTION AND SPRING GALA, FEBRUARY 21 to 23, 2009
Stockton, California, USA - The San Joaquin Film Society announces the 2009 SJFS Spring Gala and the Official Selection of Cinema Italia series, to take place February 21 to 23, 2009 at the Stockton Empire Theatre.
SJFS Spring Gala will be held on the Opening Night of Cinema Italia, on February 21, 2009, and will be an exquisite celebration featuring the highly-anticipated announcement of The Official Selection of the first 100 films of May 2009's San Joaquin International Film Festival, the California Central Valley's premier celebration of global cinema. Guests at the Gala will be treated to complimentary Italian-American appetizers and fine wine.
Experience three nights of Cinema Italia, from February 21 to 23, 2009: Opening with Silvio Soldini's "Days and Clouds," the 5-time, David di Donatello Award-nominated (Italian Oscar®) drama about a well-to-do Italian family in a time of economic hardships after the breadwinning husband is fired from his high-paying job; a retrospective screening of Ferzan Ozpetek's "Facing Windows," about a married bookkeeper's constant desire for her handsome neighbor and a friendship with a Jewish Holocaust survivor who changed her life; Agostino Ferrente's keepsake of the heart-warming, cross-cultural creation of "The Orchestra of Piazza Vittorio;" and Il Film Corto, a rare and riveting, discovery collection of six short films from rising and new Italian directors making USA and California premieres, including Andrea Lodovichetti's "Under My Garden" - winner of Spike Lee's 2008 Babelgum Online Film Festival Looking For Genius Award, about a boy's passion for insects and desire to solve a local murder mystery.
The eclectic collection share the themes of family, immigration, romance, friendship, cultural exchange, globalization, the economy, history, coming-of-age, sports, and ethical issues.
FEATURE FILMS
1. "Giorni e nuvole / Days and Clouds" by Silvio Soldini (Italy, Switzerland - 2008) Spring Gala - Opening Night
2. "La Finestra di fronte / Facing Windows" by Ferzan Ozpetek (Italy, Turkey, Portugal, UK - 2003)
3. "L'Orchestra di Piazza Vittorio / The Orchestra of Piazza Vittorio" by Agostino Ferrente (Italy - 2006)
IL FILM CORTO - ITALIAN SHORT FILMS DISCOVERY PROGRAMME
4. "Il Malato / Sick of It" by Antonello Schioppa (Italy - 2007) USA Premiere
5. "Lo Zio / The Uncle" by Duccio Chiarini (Italy, 2008)
6. "Oggi ho altro da fare / Today I Have Something Else to Do" by Antonello Schioppa (Italy - 2007) USA Premiere
7. "Sotto il mio giardino / Under My Garden" by Andrea Lodovichetti (Italy, 2007) California Premiere
8. "Voci di donne Native e Migranti / Voices of Native Italian and Migrant Women" by Rossella Piccinnio (Italy, 2008) USA Premiere
9. "Wanted in Rome" by Rossella De Venuto and Ji Un Choi (Italy, 2008) USA Premiere
Cinema Italia site: www.sjiff.org/cinemaitalia09
Ticket sales begin in mid-January 2009: www.sjiff.org/tickets
ABOUT THE SAN JOAQUIN FILM SOCIETY
The new San Joaquin Film Society (SJFS) is the home of the San Joaquin International Film Festival, California Central Valley's premier celebration of global cinema. For 2009, in addition to the international film festival in May, SJFS will launch an ambitious year of events that will include the 1st San Joaquin Children's Film Festival in January, the 1st California International Documentary Film Festival in December, the year-round Cinema Room film programs, Cinema Italia series in February, Jewish Film Week in June, Greek Cinema series in September, special events, and educational programs. SJFS is dedicated to celebrating the artistry, diversity, and power of filmmaking; and to bringing the world's best cinema to the culturally-rich, Valley communities.
For more information, visit official website at www.sjiff.org
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Mailing Address:
San Joaquin Film Society
P.O. Box 690341
Stockton, CA 95269-0341
USA
Email: filmsj@gmail.com
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, December 17th, 2009
Contact:
Sophoan Sorn
Email: ssorn@sjiff.org
Phone: (please email for number)
Official Website: www.sjiff.org
SAN JOAQUIN FILM SOCIETY AND CIBO DI VINO-MATINEE MOVIE LOUNGE PRESENTS SJFS CINEMA ROOM: 40 NIGHTS OF INNOVATIVE FILM PROGRAMS
Stockton, California, USA - The San Joaquin Film Society, in association with Cibo di Vino Restaurant and Matinée Movie Lounge, proudly introduce SJFS Cinema Room: a unique exhibition partnership to present 40 nights of film programs and special events from February to November 2009 at the Matinée Movie Lounge in Stockton's Miracle Mile district.
Within the intimate settings of the Matinée Movie Lounge, SJFS will present a richly-diverse collection of films, featuring: international and award-winning narrative features from all around the world; ground-breaking documentaries; American indies; shorts programs; special screenings; selected films from SJFS festivals; and films of cultural and global significance. Select special events will include the presence of guest filmmakers, guest artists, and mixed-media showcases.
SJFS Cinema Room will launch on Thursday, February 5, 2009 at 6:00PM and will carry forward with programs on select Wednesday and Thursday nights through November 2009.
Official line-up of films will be announced soon. For up-to-date program information and tickets, visit www.sjiff.org
ABOUT THE SAN JOAQUIN FILM SOCIETY
The new San Joaquin Film Society (SJFS) is the home of the San Joaquin International Film Festival, California Central Valley's premier celebration of global cinema. For 2009, in addition to the international film festival in May, SJFS will launch an ambitious year of events that will include the 1st San Joaquin Children's Film Festival in January, the 1st California International Documentary Film Festival in December, a 3-part global cinema series, the year-round Cinema Room film programs, special events, and educational programs. SJFS is dedicated to celebrating the artistry, diversity, and power of filmmaking; and to bringing the world's best cinema to the culturally-rich, Valley communities.
For more information, visit official website at www.sjiff.org
###
Mailing Address:
San Joaquin Film Society
P.O. Box 690341
Stockton, CA 95269-0341
USA
Email: filmsj@gmail.com
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, November 17th, 2008
Contact:
Sophoan Sorn
Email: director@sjiff.org
Official Website: www.sjiff.org
MICHEL OCELOT'S CRITICALLY-ACCLAIMED "AZUR AND ASMAR: THE PRINCES' QUEST" LEADS A VIBRANT COLLECTION OF 21 FILMS FROM 7 COUNTRIES TO OPEN THE 1ST SAN JOAQUIN CHILDREN'S FILM FESTIVAL, JANUARY 16-18, 2009
Stockton, California, USA - The San Joaquin Film Society (SJFS) is proud to announce the Official Selection of its inaugural San Joaquin Children's Film Festival (SJCFF09), a new film festival for kids of all ages set to open January 16 to 18, 2009 at the Stockton Empire Theatre in Stockton, California.
The festival will feature special presentations of the English-language version of "Azur and Asmar: The Princes' Quest" (presented by The Weinstein Company and GKIDS), a new, animated masterpiece by French animator Michael Ocelot. The flagship film will screen at the Opening Night Gala, and will lead a unique, vibrant, and dynamic collection of 21 feature and short films from around the world, including: nationally-acclaimed, award-winning, American documentaries "Darius Goes West" (Saturday Night Feature) and "Going on 13" (Closing Night Film); and a global collection of 18 short films, including Student Oscar® winner "Zoologic" and Festival de Cannes Short Films Corner-selected "His Good Will" and "Papiroflexia." These 21 films have screened at over 300 festivals around the world, collectively. In addition, a young filmmakers' workshop and conversations with guest artists are slated for the festival's first edition.
For detailed synopses, movie trailers, and more information, visit SJCFF09's official festival site at: www.sjiff.org/sjcff09
OPENING NIGHT GALA
1. "Azur and Asmar: The Princes' Quest" by Michel Ocelot, France
DOCUMENTARY CINEMA
2. "Darius Goes West" by Logan Smalley, USA
3. "Going on 13" by Kristy Guevara-Flanagan and Dawn Valadez, USA
A WORLD OF SHORTS PROGRAMME
4. "Abridged" by Arjun Rihan, USA
5. "American Dream" by Joseph Mann, USA
6. "The Chestnut Tree" by Hyun-min Lee, USA
7. "Colours" by Lee Chee Tian, Singapore
8. "Gyerekdalok - Nursery Songs" by Nagdolna Hegyi, Hungary
9. "His Good Will" by Cayman Grant, USA
10. "Hose" by Kevin Watkins, USA
11. "Huhu - Pole Hole" by Alexei Alexeev, Hungary
12. "Hungarian Folk Tales: The Hare-Herder" by Lajos Nagy, Hungary
13. "Jungle Gym" by David Badgerow, USA
14. "KJFG No. 5" by Alexei Alexeev, Hungary
15. "Leila" by Louise-Marie Colon, Belgium
16. "Little Jerboa" by Delphine Hermans and Siona Vidakovic, Belgium
17. "Miriam's Theatre" by Priit Tender, Estonia
18. "Papiroflexia" by Joaquin Baldwin, USA
19. "Sooner or Later" by Jadwiga Kowalska, Switzerland
20. "The World is Round" by Jadwiga Kowalska, Switzerland
21. "Zoologic" by Nicole Mitchell, USA
ABOUT "AZUR AND ASMAR: THE PRINCES' QUEST"
"Magnificent! Entrancing!"
– Variety Magazine
"Beautiful!...the movie has a terrific flair for arabesque patterning, a gemlike luminosity of surface and a handsome, classical cast of mind."
–
Nathan Lee, New York Times.
“Cinema whose every frame could be hung on an art gallery wall.”
– Financial Times
The flagship of the 2009 San Joaquin Children's Film Festival is "Azur and Asmar: The Princes' Quest," a film that received a standing ovation at its World Premiere at the 2006 Festival de Cannes and grossed $16 million at the French box office, is a story of two boys raised as brothers. Blonde, blue-eyed, white skinned Azur and black-haired, brown-eyed, dark-skinned Asmar are lovingly cared for by Asmar's gentle mother, who tells them magical stories of her faraway homeland and of beautiful, imprisoned Fairy Djinn waiting to be set free.Time passes, and one day Azur's father, the master of the house, provokes a brutal separation. Azur is sent away to study, while Asmar and his mother are driven out, homeless and penniless.
Years later, as a young adult, Azur remains haunted by memories of the sunny land of his nanny, and sets sail south across the high seas to find the country of his dreams. Arriving as an immigrant in a strange land, Azur is rejected by everyone he meets on account of his "unlucky" blue eyes, until finally he resolves never to open those eyes again. The once-beautiful child clad in gold is reduced to a blind beggar. Yet, blind though he is, little by little and step by step, he discovers a beautiful and mysterious country. Meanwhile, back in her homeland, Azur's nanny has become a wealthy merchant and Asmar has grown into a dashing horseman. Reunited but now as adversaries, the two brothers set off on a dangerous quest to find and free the Fairy of the Djinn. (99 minutes, GKIDS)
ABOUT MICHEL OCELOT
According to uniFrance: "Born on the Côte d'Azur, Michel Ocelot spent his childhood in Guinea, his adolescence in Anjou, and lives now in Paris. After studying art, he has dedicated his whole career to animated films and personal creation. Since the very beginning, all his works have been based on his own screenplays and graphic designs. He has directed a number of animated series and short films, works which helped establish his name on the festival circuit and in professional circles (for six years Ocelot has been President of ASIFA, or Association Internationale du Film d'Animation). He first reached a wider audience with his first feature-length film, "Kirikou and the Sorceress" (1998), a magical African tale..."
In his career, thus far, the world-renown Michel Ocelot has received prestigious awards from BAFTA, Annecy International Animation Film Festival, César (French Oscars®), among other accolades. Ocelot's rich portfolio includes: "Princes and Princesses" (2000); "Kirikou and the Wild Beasts" (2005); "Azur and Asmar: The Princes' Quest" (2006, 2008); and in 2007, he directed a music video for "Earth Intruders," a song recorded by Icelandic artist Björk.
ABOUT THE SAN JOAQUIN FILM SOCIETY
The new San Joaquin Film Society (SJFS) is the home of the San Joaquin International Film Festival, California Central Valley's premier celebration of global cinema. For 2009, in addition to the international film festival in May, SJFS will launch an ambitious year of events that will include the 1st San Joaquin Children's Film Festival in January, the 1st California International Documentary Film Festival in December, a 3-part global cinema series, special events, and educational programs. SJFS is dedicated to celebrating the artistry, diversity, and power of filmmaking; and to bringing the world's best cinema to the culturally-rich, Central Valley communities.
For more information, visit official website at www.sjiff.org
###
Mailing Address:
San Joaquin Film Society
P.O. Box 690341
Stockton, CA 95269-0341
USA
Email: filmsj@gmail.com
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Revised: Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Contact:
Sophoan Sorn
Email: director@sjiff.org
Official Website: www.sjiff.org
INTERNATIONAL CALL FOR ENTRIES FOR 2009 SAN JOAQUIN INT'L FILM FESTIVAL
Stockton, California, USA - The San Joaquin Film Society (SJFS) announces the global call for entries for feature and short films for the 2nd Annual San Joaquin International Film Festival (SJIFF09), to be held in May 2009.
Film submissions are open to filmmakers, artists and production companies worldwide. Entry fees range from $17.00 to $55.00.
Early Deadline: Friday, November 7, 2008
Primary Deadline: Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Late Deadline: Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Selected films will become part of the Official Selection and will be screened during various events of the festival.
All information, registration, rules and regulations are available through official festival website: www.sjiff.org/sjff09
ABOUT THE FESTIVAL
Presented by the new SJFS - formerly San Joaquin Cross-Cultural Media - the San Joaquin International Film Festival is the California Central Valley's premier celebration of global cinema. With the theme "Imagine Our World," the second annual festival will be held May 14 to 21, 2009 in Stockton, California, U.S.A. and will feature over 100 films from over 30 countries, in 60 programs and events across the multi-cultural city. Featuring: a bold collection of international and award-winning narrative features, documentaries, American indies; highlights to include cinema spotlights, tributes, and an exhilarating collection of the world's top short films; guest filmmakers, parties, and programs for all ages.
During its inauguration from June 4 to 8, 2008, the festival showcased a dynamic collection of 54 feature and short films from 18 nations, in 34 events of screenings, galas, forums, conversations with filmmakers, and cultural arts programs in six historic venues in Stockton.
For more information; and opportunities for sponsorship, advertisement, and volunteerism - visit official website at www.sjiff.org
###
Mailing Address:
San Joaquin Film Society
P.O. Box 690341
Stockton, CA 95269-0341
USA
Email: filmsj@gmail.com
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television
Sacramento & Company
June 2, 2008 interview with Sophoan Sorn (view video)
News10
June 4, 2008 interview with Sophoan Sorn and filmmaker Jessica Sison (view article and video)
radio
Capital Public Radio
June 5, 2008 NPR interview with Sophoan Sorn and filmmaker Erahm Christopher (listen to audio)
print
Variety
August 19, 2008 Beta adopts 'Clown and the Fuhrer
(read article)
Elegant Lifestyle Magazine
June 2008 Lights, Camera...
(read article)
The Record
June 6, 2008 Experience the World...
(read article)
San Joaquin Magazine
May 2008 A Cinematic Endeavor
(read article)
(view virtual magazine)
reviews
The Record - Letters to the Editor
June 17, 2008 Kudos to International Film Festival Organizers
(read messages)
209Vibe Blog
June 10, 2008 The Vibeys!
(read blog)
209Vibe Blog
June 5, 2008 Film Fest by Ian Hill
(read blog)
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