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*News* October 25, 2008 You f'n rock! Congrats and thanks for being part of our festival. New and emerging filmmakers are what make this festival great! The submissions for 2009 are rolling in. Keep 'em coming. We're looking forward to a fantastic '09 festival! Send us your work. We want to see it! Not a filmmaker? Just looking forward to the films and fun? Cool! We are looking forward to sharing the best films from around the world in the coolest little film community with you! September 26, 2008 We'd like to thank everyone who participated - our talented filmmakers, our loyal volunteers, our generous sponsors, our dedicated venues and our terrific audience! The festival received excellent submissions from around the world in all genres. The feedback we received on the quality of films shown during the festival was very positive. The audience grew during the course of the festival which meant we were able to build trust and word-of-mouth within the community. We knew Strasbourg would be a hard nut to crack. Both representatives from the city and theaters (center ville) had been quite open about how difficult it was to build an audience in Strasbourg for film festivals. The fact that our main venue was generally full (sometimes packed, sometimes nearly full) for each main event throughout the festival meant that we were able to achieve our goal of bringing the film and the festival into the community. We believe the festival has built a solid foundation which we plan building upon. The festival received local as well as national press - print, radio and TV. Some of the clippings can be seen here. Here is a direct link to the article from Europe1. Some screen captures can be found on the festival's Facebook page from France3's regional TV coverage of the festival. We also received coverage from TV5 and StrasTV. We also had daily announcements on the local popular radio station, 'Top Music' - where events are broadcast three times daily, as well as other local and region radio stations. Additionally, there were announcements and articles in local papers such as L'Alsace and DNA. To check out pics from the festival, visit our Facebook page. You can also upload your own pics from the festival or send them directly to us at info@strasbourgfilmfest.com. We look forward to another wonderful year in 2009! September 14, 2008 Yesterday, I was speaking with a reporter who said, 'Well, maybe it's just that your festival is under underground". I laugh each time I think of it... and well, maybe it is sort of true. Although, we want you to find us, find each other and mingle like the true film enthusiasts we know you are! Our main digs rest at L'artichaut. It is closed on Mondays and we will not be there on Thurday, Sept 18th, each of the other eight days L'artichaut is our homestay. If you are just getting into town or getting acquainted with our whereabouts and what's going on then L'artichaut is the best place to start. Grab a coffee or a meal. The food's great! During the day at L'artichaut we tend to show 2 sets of shorts followed by 1 or 2 feature films. We also have a few panels throughout the week that begin at 2pm. We strongly recommend the panels. Our first panel, "The Process of Making a Low Budget Film" was very stimulating, interesting and informative given by the Producer of 'How to Be' and the Director/Writer of 'Superglue'. Our next panel will be at 2:00 on Wednesday at L'artichaut. Mark it on your calendar! Our second home is La Grotte where we show six days worth of features. It's easy, casual, dark, a bit like a Toulouse Lautrec painting and perfect for our more underground, progressive and edgier films. It's a great place to hang out for a drink after watching the fabulous films in our line-up. Tomorrow, Monday, Sept 15 we have several filmmakers arriving into town. Monday is a slow and gentle day for us and for those getting over jet lag and sort of feeling your way around, take it easy, visit a cafe, have a coffee, see the cathedral and check out one of our evening films. We have two features and an experimental film. The first film of the evening will be the Mainland European Premiere of 'Waiting at the Gate', at Galerie La Pierre Large, 25 rue des Veaux. The director and producer will be available after the screening for a Q & A. The director, Rocky Palladino, is a 20-year-old kid with a great little 'coming-of-age' film and story behind making it. You might also be interesting in asking the producer a few questions as he just acquired the film. Film acquisition stories are always incredibly interesting! I strongly recommend attending this feature and arriving early as space is limited and we expect a strong audience. The European Premiere of Bending Space is our second feature of the evening and begins at 8:00pm at Centre regional baha'i, at 9 rue des Veaux. This is our first screening at this location. It's a very casual place where you can hang out on couches and watch a documentary. Tomorrow's documentary is 'Bending Space'. It's a wonderful documentary about a French artist who is commissioned to create installation pieces in the US. Very interesting. Very different. This is the kind of location where it's okay to bring a tray of pastries or baked goods. It's easy and comfy. We'll supply some juices and snacks. Enjoy! Our third location is the art gallery, Galerie Petits Moutons a l'abreuvoir, where the French Premiere of Chiayi Symphony will play repeatedly throughout the evening. This is a wonderfully unique documentary-ish, experimental, sound-and-sight-oriented film shot in Taiwan by an Italian. Enjoy this very individualized experience. A little history on the past few nights... Sedition is our tiny, little hole in-the-wall space that also happens to be a totally cool, kickin' punk rock clothing store that was willing to do things slightly different by allowing us to show a few of our very edgy films there. We've shown two-out-of-the-three films we plan on screening there and both were jammed packed. Both Saila and Otto will play later in the week at La Grotte and screened at Sedition as kind of a cool, funky little teaser and to stir some interest. It worked! There is only one more screening at Sedition. It will be our second showing of Tin Can Man (Irish) on Sept 19, Friday. This is one messed-up, well-made, intelligently shot, compelling story which is certainly not going to be everyone's cup of tea, but if you tend to enjoy things you never even thought of... try the Tin Can Man at Sedition! In general, the evening features at L'artichaut are filling up nicely. It's best to arrive early if you want to ensure seating... or pillow space up front if the seats are all taken. The right audience is definitely finding it's way to La Grotte and the films there seem to be ideally situated. Young. Edgy. Fun. Different. Out-of-the-Box! Try it. You'll like it! If you're in the mood for intelligent, sophisticated, international films with an artistic bend you'll enjoy the offerings at Galerie La Pierre Large. September 13, 2008 Salia is coming to town. Is damp, dirty and a rough around the edges your thing? Join us for a sneak peek at director Julia Ostertag's feature film, Saila, shot guerrilla style in the Industrial Wastelands of East Berlin. Hard, edgy and very-well made. An excellent combination for our festival. Ostertag's individualist and artistic voice is solidly represented in the European Premiere of her feature film directorial debut. The 8pm screening at LaGrotte on Friday, September 19th will most likely be packed so arrive early to save your seat or come to our 'sneak peek event' at Sedition - our local punk rock clothing store. Grab a seat, kick back and watch one of the bloodiest love scenes ever filmed. This space is very cozy and more about ambiance and feel that capacity, so if you want a unique viewing experience you might want to ensure it. You can do this by purchasing something from Sedition during the festival and showing your receipt at the door. Priorty seating will go to those who purchase an item at Sedition - anything from blue nail polish or a devil rubber ducky to your favorite trendy, punk bondage gear will do the trick. Enjoy this adventure. It's sure to be a rather funky, cool ride. Julia will be present at the Friday night, 8PM LaGrotte screening along with the Strasbourg actor from her film, Nicolas Isner! Congrats to Julia for walking away with Minnesota's Underground Film Festival's Best Feature award, last week. September 12, 2008 Filmmakers Walking Tour of Strasbourg and our venues! Interested in being shown around Strasbourg and becoming acquainted with the our venues. Join us at 10:30am in front of L'artichaut for a little tour around a fabulous city and for a up close and personal look at our fabulous venues! We look forward to seeing you there. The tour drops you off at Place de Republic just in time for the Filmmaker Brunch - or L'artichaut, if it rains! On Saturday Sept 13, Wednesday Sept 17 and Saturday Sept 20 at 11:30am. A great way to start the day! Join us and filmmakers for a brunch at Place de Republic if the weather permits or at L'artichaut if it rains. At 2PM at L'Artichaut there will be a panel/debat on "The Process of Making a Low Budget Film". This is a free event. Come join us and learn about the process of what it takes to make a well-made film for little money. We look forward to seeing you there! September 12, 2008 The festival opened with two showings of How To Be. Both screenings were followed up by a Q&A with the film's producer, Justin Kelly. The second screening was planned as a back up in case we had overflow issues. Turns out the main screening was packed so the additional screening was definitely necessary ensuring people who wanted to see the film had the ability to attend! The response from the audience was wonderful. How to Be was the perfect little quirky film to open our quirky little festival. We thank the filmmakers for their support. September 10, 2008 We are very pleased to announce How to Be as the opening night film of Strasbourg International Film Festival! This wonderfully independent film is an excellent example of a new and emerging filmmaker's ability to make a dent in what often seems an impenetrable industry. How to Be is director, Oliver Irving's, first feature film. His cast and directorial debut are as stellar as his producer, Justin Kelly, is dedicated to the success of this film. We suggest you arrive early. Seating may be free but it is limited. August 31, 2008 The Strasbourg International Film Festival is pleased to announce the WORLD PREMIERE of "Mexican Standoff" - a music video Bill Plympton recently finished. We also have the opportunity to screen "Hot Dog" - the sequel to his Oscar-nominated short "Guard Dog" - in our short film section! Bill Plympton is a two-time Oscar nominated filmmaker! To learn more about Bill Plympton and his work check out his site! Plympton fits into our Inspirational category - as in we feel his approach to filmmaking has the ability to inspire new and emerging, independently-inclined filmmakers, which makes both his approach and his work a perfect fit for our festival! August 26th, 2008 Strasbourg International Film Festival will screen approximately 150 feature, short, documentary and animated films! Over 100 new and emerging filmmakers from around the world will be in attendance. Take part in this opportunity to see films not previously available in Strasbourg with the majority of our films never previously seen in France, Europe, or even the World! This is your opportunity to support cool, edgy, out-of-the-box and maverick filmmakers in all genres! Many of the venues are completely free! Arrive early as space is limited! We are in the process of setting up some fantastic panels and talks for for your enjoyment! For more information, check out our website! July 31, 2008 We are pleased to announce that the Strasbourg International Film Festival has received an overwhelming response film from filmmakers from around the world having received approximately 750 films from over 60 countries! Thank you for your submissions and your support! 
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