10th edition CIFF – 10-14 April 2024
The organization of Curaçao IFFR is ready to present the line-up of the Yellow Robin Award competition 2015! Five films from talented young directors from the Caribbean compete to win a prize of USD 10,000, the chance to screen their film during the 2016 edition of IFFR in the Netherlands, as well as priority access to industry activities such as Cinemart and Rotterdam Lab.
This competition was launched in 2013 to offer emerging filmmakers from the Caribbean and Latin America a hospitable platform to develop their talent and support them in their careers by opening the doors to the world market through the festival’s connection with IFFR the Netherlands.
The nominees for the Yellow Robin Award 2015 are:
POR AMOR EN EL CASERIO from Antonio Morales/Luis Enrique Rodriquez (Puerto Rico)
This variation on Romeo and Juliet set in the poor neighbourhoods (called caserio) of San Juan,Por amor en el caserio is partially based on the experiences of local amateur actors. Executive producer Antonio Morales previously also wrote the script for the play that aimed to reduce drug-dealing and violence on the streets.
PRIMERO DE ENERO from Erika Bagnarello (Dominican Republic/Costa Rica)
A great road movie about children that also tackles tough adult themes. Crime, divorce and illegality are dealt with airily in the story about a boy who will stop at nothing to find his father’s stolen piano. Because if the piano comes back, his father is sure to follow.
SIN ALAS from Ben Chace (Cuba)
When 70-year old, retired journalist Luis Vargas reads that celebrated ballerina Isabela Muñoz has died, his thoughts return to his brief, passionate, yet impossible relationship with her. A love story with great music and lots of local color.
TÚ Y YO from Natalia Cabral and Oriol Estrada (Dominican Republic)
A tragi-comic documentary on the daily lives of an elderly Caucasian widow and her Afro-Caribbean housekeeper who lives with her. Their quiet days are filled with hard work, soap series and grumbling within four spotless walls. However, sometimes the fact that the gradually intertwined women are from entirely different social classes becomes painfully apparent.
LAS VACAS CON GAFAS from Alex Santiago (Puerto Rico)
When a solitary, eccentric artist and professor hears he’ll go blind, he has to deal with this terrifying fact and reconcile with his daughter, who became alienated from him due to circumstances years ago. Subtle drama about aging and coming to terms with the inevitable.
The winner is announced during the official Award Ceremony on Saturday 28 March.
LOCAL TALENT
There are awards for local talent too! In the annual Short Movies BIG Stories competition for local film talent, 18 films first compete for the Jury Award in their genre. The Jury Award winning films are screened during the festival. The Audience is invited to rate these films and the one with the highest rate wins the Audience Award: a visit for the winning team to IFFR 2016. Jury Award winners are announced on 19 March. The Audience Award is announced during the Award Ceremony on Saturday 28 March.
Talented photographers compete in the Capture Curaçao competition. The top 10 in each category, selected by an expert jury, is published on the website on 12 March. Then the audience can vote for their favorite. The Jury Award winners in each category and the Audience Choice Award are announced on Tuesday 24 March.
On Friday 27 March film fans can test their knowledge about film during the second Curaçao IFFR Film Quiz presented by DJ Maarten Schakel. This is a fun quiz with fun prizes, like entrance tickets to screenings. Details will be announced on the website and social media of Curaçao IFFR.
FOCUS ON YOUTH
For the third consecutive year, the US Consulate General has shown its support and appreciation of the festival by bringing an American filmmaker to the island. After Ben and Joshua Safdie (2013), and Carmen Marron (2014), documentary filmmaker Kathryn Dietz will be present to give lectures and workshops to local youth.
Since the start, the organization has invited students from secondary education to free school screenings to get to know the festival and see something different than the regular blockbusters. Last year, students from primary education were invited as well. This year, the organization received an overwhelming response: almost 3000 students have been signed up for the screenings. A program of short, international, animated films will be screened for students from groups 6 through 8, while senior secondary education students will go and watch GIRLHOOD, a French coming-of-age drama. These screenings takes place on Thursday 26 and Friday 27 March.
To increase participation in the local talents competition, Arts teachers have been invited to discuss and brainstorm about possibilities to have the short film and photography competitions included in the curriculum. Interested Arts teachers are invited to join in these sessions. To register, please contact Percy Pinedo via email Percy@CuracaoIFFR.com.
With the first edition of Pelíkula den Bario (Film in the Neighborhood), the festival reaches out to the youngest children of Curaçao. On Friday 27 March, a program of short, international films is presented at the community center of Seru Fortuna. This program is exclusively for the children of that neighborhood.
Further program information follows on 19 March.