12th BAFICI News

This Thursday at 10.30AM in the Hoyts 12 of the Hoyts Abasto Complex, this twelfth BAFICI starts the marathon of films that will cover Buenos Aires with the best independent film of the world with the projection of the documentary "Charlie Haden – Rambling boy" by Reto Caduff. Considered one of the most skilled bass players in the history of jazz, Haden is a special character beyond the talented musician. This film, which is a journey through the story of his life and musical work, is a tight portrait of a man of strong convictions and permanent artistic search.

The film "Lo que más quiero" by Delfina Castagnino, the documentary "El ambulante" (picture) by Eduardo de la Serna, Lucas Marcheggiano and Adriana Yurcovich and "Centro" by Sebastian Martinez are the Argentine representatives in the highly competitive grid of the International Official Selection of BAFICI. These three films are first works of young filmmakers who live, from today, a kind of materialized dream: participating as main characters of one of the most important independent film festivals in the world.

In this edition of BAFICI , the jury of the Official International Selection is integrated by well-known personalities of cinema, literature and criticism: the actress Angela Bassett-Vance (photo), unforgettable and vivid Tina Turner in the biopic "What's love got to do with it"; the Argentine writer Cesar Aira, one of the most prolific and respected of his generation; the French critic Olivier Père, current artistic director of the Fortnight of filmmakers of the Locarno Festival; and the talented filmmakers Raya Martin (Philipines) and Joäo Pedro Rodrigues (Portugal).

The Festival’s director Sergio Wolf mentioned it in all his speeches about the 2010 programming: the section "Radical visions from China", consisting of eight documentaries of contemporary filmmakers from the country that is the new global power, casts a light on the daily life, customs and habits, contrasts and contradictions of this cultural time in the Asian giant. An example is "Bing Ai" (picture) by Fang Yan, an intimate portrait of a simple orange harvester with the spiritual strength to live her life in the midst of rural China and, at the same time, face a decision by the powerful government.

One of the fundamental premises of this BAFICI is to focus on films that take risks and make a step forward, give light to grey areas and move emotions from the search. In that sense, the Competition "Cinema of the Future" has a programming grid full of films that do not leave the viewer indifferent. Two good samples of this way of making movies can be seen this Friday. At 6.30PM in the Atlas Santa Fe 2, with “The Anchorage" by C. W. Winter and Anders Edtröm, an intimate chronicle of the everyday life of an elderly woman in a remote Swedish island. And at 7.15PM in the Hoyts 5 with the Argentine film "The road between two points" by Sebastian Diaz Morales.

The exact beginning of this 12th edition of BAFICI took place this past Wednesday night at the 25 de Mayo cinema and theater while the first enigmatic images of the film “Kidnapping and death” by Rafael Fillipelli were screened. But actually, minutes before the film began, the phrase “Long life to BAFICI” pronounced with enthusiasm and satisfaction by BAFICI´s artistic director, Sergio Wolf, was the signal for the beginning of the great independent film festival that Buenos Aires offers to world every year since 1999.

The advance sale of tickets continues 24 hours from the start of the 12th BAFICI. The tickets are on sale from 10AM to 8PM in the House of Culture (Av. De Mayo 575) or in the Hoyts Abasto cinema complex (Av. Corrientes 3247). In order to make the buying process more agile it is highly recommended that you print the QUICK PURCHASE FORM that allows you to make a list of the chosen movies. Tickets can also be bought through the internet at www.festivals.gob.ar. To check ticket availability for each screening all you have to do is go into the “sold out screenings” item inside the “Ticket sale” section.

Inside Panorama, the section “People and Characters” is presented with a diverse as well as attractive programming with 14 films that approach particular life stories and curious characters from little day to day epics. From the retrospective of the carrier of an extraordinary Hungarian soccer player (“Puskás Hungary” by Tamás Almási) to the crude testimony of Giuseppe Pelosi (photo), the Roman boy who was Pier Paolo Pasolini´s victimizer (“La notte quando é morto Pasolini” by Roberta Torre) and going through the dreams of two cariocan (from Rio de Janeiro) dancers close to the most important competition of their lives (“Only when I dance” by Beadie Finzi) and the intimate chronicle of a break-dance championship (“Turn it loose” by Alastair Siddons).

This year, Baficito grows and spreads to an attractive activity designed for children between 6 and 10 years old, to be carried out from Friday the 9th to Sunday the 11th. "Animationbox" is a workshop where children direct their own animation films, participating in the creation and build up process. With cardboard, paper, scissors and web cameras, they are the ones who imagine and produce. The creator of this workshop is Erling Ericsson (photo), Swedish animator and producer. Registration begins and vacancies are limited to up to 30 children per day. For information and registration, you can write an e-mail to animationbox@festivales.gob.ar.

On this Monday, tickets for all screenings of the eleventh edition of Bafici are available for sale. This year, the Festival offers a comfortable system by which the spectator can buy tickets in a very a simple way: online at festivales.gob.ar. They can also be bought personally from 10 am to 8 pm at La Casa de la Cultura, Av. De Mayo 575 and at Hoyts Abasto Complex, Av. Corrientes 3247. In the case of La Casa de la Cultura, we inform the audience that it will be closed this coming Friday 2nd, Saturday 3rd, and Sunday 4th. During the Festival, the tickets may also be acquired at the box-offices of all movie theaters.QUICK PURCHASE