PRESS RELEASE
12/05/2009
Zurich, Switzerland – Dawn Breakers International Film Festival (DBIFF) released its line-up of this year’s selected films to be showcased at the Take 3/2009 film festival. This year, the festival received twice as many submissions in comparison to last year and the entries came from various parts of the world.
The additional days of this year’s festival allowed for the selection of a greater number of projects to be shown in five showcases over the period of four days. The first line-up includes twenty-three selections that are compromised of features, documentaries, shorts, animation, television series, music videos and this year’s new category, webcasts.
The festival will run from December 26 to 31st in Zurich, Switzerland. The Take 3/2009 festival marks the European debut of the Dawn Breakers International Film Festival.
Besides film showcases, the program will also include panel discussions on the art of filmmaking, speakers to discuss the importance and role of film and visual arts in the advancement of a new civilization envisioned by the Baha’is and Q&A sessions with the filmmakers.
Take 3/2009 DBIFF - Official Selection:
18:44:00
/ directed by Behnam Farvardin / New Zealand / Short
A Jew, Christian and a Muslim await the coming of...
Afghan
/ directed by Pardis Parker / Canada / Short
An afternoon surprise forces two friends to make the best of a bad situation. A short film about hate crimes, humour and friendship.
Amor in Motion
/ directed by Andrea Ferrari / Portugal, USA / Short
Two people running the cycle of love. They are at opposite sides, opposite directions in life, but at the same park. When they finally meet something unexpected will happen.
Antes Que O Mundo Acabe (Before the World Ends)
/ directed by Ana Luiza Azevedo / Brazil / Feature
A film about Daniel, a 15 year old boy with an undecided girlfriend, a friend that is being accused of theft and a small city that must be left behind.
Baber Makes An Entrance – Little Mosque in the Prairies
/ directed by Michael Kennedy / Canada / TV
Baber makes the women of the Muslim community enter through a separate entrance only to find that when he has a change of heart, he can’t stop what he's started.
Il Diavolo (The Devil)
/ directed by Andrea Lodovichetti / Italy / Short
An old peasant woman is at death's door. Her son refuses to give her assistance and decides to put her in the care of nun, for a fixed payment. She believes she's struck a fine deal, but the days pass and the old woman won't die...
El Espiritu de mi Mama (The Spirit of My Mother)
/ directed by Ali Allie / Honduras, USA / Feature
A Garifuna woman returns to Honduras to honor the spirit of her mother and re-identify with her culture.
Fast Slow Dissolving Tablets
/ directed by Laheeb Quddusi / Canada / Short
Introducing Fast Slow-Dissolving Tablets, the latest product from Unity Pharmaceuticals. The hilarious infomercial that never materialized due to spiritual reasons.
Fragile
/ directed by Andrea Lodovichetti / Italy / Short
A sudden relocation, an empty house, a piano. An old metronome marks the time of a painful relation between a man and his daughter
Hossain Amanat - Baha'i Architect
/ directed by Ken Zemke / New Zealand / Documentary
The Bahá’ís of Samoa celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of Baha’i faith in Samoa and the twentieth year of the dedication of their beautiful House of Worship with Hossein Amanat, designer of the Jewel of the Pacific.
Le Voyages de Jenny Alexandria (The Voyages of Jenny Alexandria)
/ directed by Justin Cecil / USA / Short
In an alternate version of 1903 A.D. Europe, a young girl who is being forced into marriage instead runs away to live the life of adventure that she has always dreamed of.
LieZi (Master Lie)
/ created by Xia Peng / China / Animation
A glimpse of the life of one of the most outstanding authors of the early philosophical Daoism.
Light Upon Light
/ directed by Poya Manouchehri / Israel / Short
An exploration of the theme “light upon light” and some practical aspects of it. All explained with a bit of humor.
My New Home
/ directed by Amy Lim / Malaysia / Short
The story of a Malaysian-Chinese girl who has grown up in a protective environment and how her family struggles in their new place which is out of their comfort zone.
The Promise of World Peace
/ directed by Cullen Hoback / USA / Documentary
The film explores the beliefs and origins of the Baha'i Faith, which has become the second most widespread religion on the planet. This documentary takes us inside the Baha'i way of life and the daily struggle to promote unity in a conflicted world.
The Providence Effect
/ directed by Rollin Binzer / USA / Documentary
The story of an individual man, the inner city Chicago school he founded, and the student lives the school has changed and saved.
School
/ directed by Faramarz Shaer / Kuwait / Short
The story of a young Baha’i girl in Iran and how she is treated in school by her teacher and other students.
The Study Circle
/ directed by Laheeb Quddusi / Canada / Webcast
The first night of a Ruhi Study Circle in the comedic styles of The Office, an American television show that features Rainn Wilson, a Baha’i actor.
Tanha-e (Solitude)
/ directed by Mehrdad Sheikhan / Iran / Animation
A stone colossus has lived a lonely life on this barren planet for thousands of years. Worn out by his solitude, he decides to change his fate.
Tokaheya Inajin - The First to Arise
/ directed by Erik Kuiper / Suriname / Documentary
As the forerunner for the Great South-American Paw-Waw, Kevin Locke (Tokaheya Inajin) is the first to arise on his journey of the "hoop of Life" from South-Dakota, USA, to the remote Amerindian village of Kwamalasamutu in the South of Suriname.
Two Men, Two Cows, Two Guns
/ Pardis Parker / Canada / Short
An unexpected visitor with odd news and an odder story interrupts a family’s quiet day at the farmhouse, sending it spiraling into a chaotic whirlwind of unfortunate misunderstandings.
United for Baha'i Human Rights
/ created by Muslim Network for Baha’i Rights / Bahrain / Webcast
An animated PSA from by the Muslim Network for Baha’i Rights organization that calls attention to he situation of Baha'is in Iran.
What Goes Around Comes Around / Pardis Parker / Canada / Music Video
Mir is one of the most innovative and melodic new groups to come out of Canada, with a unique, challenging, easily identifiable sound that makes them stand out clearly from the noise.
A second line-up of films, to include a smaller selection, will be announced in the upcoming days. Visit dbiff.bside.com for the complete list.