Inaugural Eko International Film Festival Opens Wednesday July 7 in Lagos
The inaugural Eko International Film Festival (EKOIF) opens Wednesday July 7 at the prestigious Genesis Deluxe Cinemas at The Palms in Lekki, Lagos.
Award winning filmmakers from Germany, UK, Spain, France, Albania, Kenya and Nigeria are participating in the film fiesta with over 25 films including the thrilling Glamrock City and the King of Palma.
The thrilling tale of the femme fatale, "ART ET DECES aka Glamrock City," written and directed by Christophe Kourdouly and Stéphane Jauny, opens the film festival and to be followed by the screening of other films from Wednesday to the closing day at the weekend.
The following is the list of the selected films.
Short Films
1. The Man in the Ground Director:Jesus Risueno Duration:19minutesSynopsis:winter,every nigh in the city streets, on unknown person is brutally murdered. There is no relation between the victims, no purpose no evidence. Year:2010 Country: Spain
2. El Forjador De Historias(The Storymaker) Director: Jose Gomez Gaugo Duration:15 minutes Synopsis: For better or worse, Nothing escapes my will. Year 2009 Country: Spain
3. The Cortege(Elr Cortejo) Director ;: Marina Sereseky Duration: 14 minutes Synopsis: Cap is the oldest to grave digger in the cemetery. Used to working amidst the suffering of others and the jokes of his colleagues there is only one person capable of taking him out of his daily routine. Every month for the last couple of years he has waited for months to take flowers to the groove of her husband. She is his last hope. Year:2009 Country :Spain
4.Thunderbolt And The Mermaid Director: Diego Sanchidrian Rubio DURATION:11minutes Synopsis: It is said that dreams are unreachable for they are far away,hiding beyond the stars. But in order to make them come true you do not have to know where they hide, you just do not have to be bold enough to
5. Balcony Boy Director: Pilar Palomero Duration: 10 minutes Synopsis: Balcony Boy, poor balcony boy. His fault? Having big ears. His bad habit? Putting his head where he shouldn’t have. Year: 2005 Country: Spain
6. Fearful John (Juan Con Miedo) Director: Daniel Romero Duration: 11 minutes Synopsis: During the holidays at his grandparents village, John meets Mary, a mysterious girl who tells the terrifying legend surrounding the peasant’s old house. John, unlike the character in the tale is fearful, Mary is not. Year: 2010 Country: Spain
7. Antena Director: Geatian Rexhep Koci Duration: 19 minutes Year: 2010 Country: Albania
8. Jinx in a Jiffy Director: Geatian Rexhep Koci Duration: 18 minutes Year: 2010 Country: Albania
9. Trope Zones Director: David Macian And Eduardo Molinari Duration: 6 minutes Synopsis: He’s crazy about food; she’ll do anything to please him. A perfect romance as long as something is in the fridge. Year : 2010 Country: Spain
10. La Union Director: Carlos A. Sambricio Duration: 18 minutes Synopsis: Sara encounters her boyfriend Fran, who died in a car crash six months earlier. A mysterious and breathtaking develops as Fran employs a hypnotic seduction game in order to convince Sara that he is real and that they can be together again. Year: 2008 Country: Spain
11. Out Of Here Director: Chino Moya Duration: 8 minutes Synopsis: After a dispute, a young woman leaves her older boyfriend’s comfortable apartment. She has nowhere to go, so she wanders the streets aimlessly, eventually ending up in a café where she has a random encounter. Year: 2010 Country: Spain/UK
12. Weightless Director: Oliver Krafcht Duration: 10 minutes Synopsis: 18th Century: Five children spend the day outside in a mysterious garden. When they try to fly a kite, they discover a tree full of red berries. The oldest girl Elsie warns that these fruits are poisonous, but the children don’t listen and try them. They are sweet, but soon the poison begins to work… Year: 2010 Country: Germany
13. Dolls Director: Rosa Marquez Duration: 14 minutes Synopsis: Ana wakes up in an old abandoned stable; next to her, there is a mysterious girl who seems to have been there for a long time, but the only thing she can find out about her is her name: Irina. Ana will try desperately to get Irina’s help to escape from their captor. Year: 2009 Country: Spain
14. Ansiedad (Anxiety) Director: Eduardo Casanova Duration: 25 minutes Synopsis: Violeta Largertija is a great prima donna with social phobia. Violeta can neither speak nor relate by anybody that knows her, with her lovesick character, she survives feeding on tranquillizers. Bertlo is crazy in love with Violeta, but he knows her problem and has a plan to know her. Anxiety is a story about tranquillizers, an eccentric story, egocentric, excessive, melodramatic, dark, but especially anxious. Year:2009 Country: Spain
15. Pumzi – The Outside Dead Director: Wanuri Katchiu Duration: 20 minutes Synopsis: Futuristic Africa, 35 years after World War 3, the water war…. Nature is extinct. The outside is dead. Asha lives and works as a museum curator in one of the indoor communities set up by the Maitu Council. When she receives a box in the mail containing soil, she plants an old seed in it and the seed starts to germinate instantly. Asha appeals to the Council to grant her permission to investigate the possibility of life on the outside but the Council denies her exit visa. Asha breaks out of the inside community to go into the dead and derelict outside to plant the growing seedling and possibly find life on the outside. Year: 2009 Country: Kenya
16. Bonnie and Clyde Director: Omoyemi Jolaoso Synopsis: Bonnie and Clyde is a short film about two young people looking for survival in a harsh terrain of Lagos city. They engage in stealing mobile phones, gadgets and electronics being the most popular survival tools in Lagos. Year: 2010 Country: Nigeria
17. Made In Japan Director: Ciro Altabás Duration: 6 minutes Synopsis: Pedro J. Marquez and I grabbed and went to Japan late last year to film a documentary about the culture video games. Year: 2007 Country: Spain
Film Category : Feature Length :-
1. The King Of Palma Director: Alix Francois Meier Duration: 80 minutes Synopsis: The king of Palma moves like Charlie Chaplin, looks like Mr. Bean and seems an aging film star when he walks his best friend Flocky, a little white dog, through the old part of town in a slightly bent position and with a cigarette in his mouth. When he's excited or happy, he rubs his hands together. His black hair is short and parted with great precision. When he talks to you, his kind blue eyes are both curious and penetrating at the same time. “My name is Monsieur Bruno Regnault de Maulmin. I live in this street. And I am, maybe I am, how could I say, I might be the King of Palma. One could say: The King of Palma. I don't know if everybody knows. I think that I am the King of Palma, because I am sitting in the café and I go for a walk with my dog. But I am not like the King of Spain. I am the King of Palma, because I behave respectably." Every day the Frenchman roams his kingdom in the heart of Palma de Mallorca. His quarter has the charm of a small Italian village: Sandstone-colored walls line the narrow, winding streets and alleys, sturdy houses with small doors stand next to venerable palaces and convents. This is his exterior world. Bruno's inner world is the world of a twelve-year-old boy, one that he perceives in a very personal way. Bruno is a diagnosed schizophrenic. What matters to him are the little things in life, and his everyday encounters. What matters is when God talks to him, when he's helpless because his dog Flocky won’t accept his lead, when he's wondering why the police haven’t arrested him on his walk, when his 10-year old niece puts him into fancy dresses, or when a forgotten jar of mayonnaise runs out in his pocket. Bruno lived in Paris by himself until 1991. He was all on his own, unable to cope with daily life. He would simply spend money until he had nothing left. In order to avoid sending him to a home for the mentally disabled, his French-Majorcan family decided to take him in. With much love and understanding, they help him to lead a relatively normal life. Bruno is very vital and optimistic. He often discovers new things in his life and is amazed at them. He hates maliciousness, violence, injustice and immoral behaviour. He could be considered a perfect citizen, if it weren’t for his illness with his changing moods and the fact that even small things can completely disconcert him. The film accompanies Bruno through his daily routine. The deeper we delve, the more we realize that Bruno’s life isn’t always as easy as it looks. And when his best friend Flocky disappears, his life goes completely out of control. Year: 2010 Country: Germany
2. Glamrock City aka Art et Décès Director: Christophe kay Kourdouly, Stephanie Jauny Duration: 90 minutes Synopsis: A thrilling tale of the femme fatale, "ART ET DECES aka Glamrock City," written and directed by Christophe Kourdouly and Stéphane Jauny, screened at the Marche on May 19th. Produced by Antetime Production, the film is of two girls who in search of inspiration kill men to capture their last breath of life and create Art from Death for their next painting exhibition. The film showed great emotion and an intriguing plot line that keeps your attention. In a twist, the directors listed above, including the third director, Luc Job, casted themselves into the final scene. An emotional and riveting tale, Glamrock City is a story of love taken to the extreme. Year: 2010 Country: France/ UK
Documentary
1. Paisajes Interiores (Interior Landscapes) Director: Gabriel Folgado Duration: 80 minutes Synopsis: Interior landscapes tells the story of mining industry in El Bierzo an area located in the Spanish province of León. Three generations of miners from the same family unfold the secrets of what it means to be a miner and live in a mining community. Through their memories, experiences and impressions we glimpse the reality of a group of people who share not only a job, but also a special way of life. Year: 2008 Country: Spain
2. Hobby Director: Ciro Altabás Duration: 50 minutes Synopsis: Hobby was conceived by director Ciro Altabas as a visual document to witness the release of the Nintendo Wii and the video-game culture in Japan. However, it slowly morphed into a showcase of some of the many ways in which the Japanese spend their leisure time. Watch this brilliant and very funny film over Christmas on RENDERYARD. Year: 2008 Country: Spain
3. Dundun (Talking Drum) Director: Kayode Ibisankale Duration: Synopsis: A documentary on the Yoruba Talking drum called Dundun. Year: 2010 Country: Nigeria
Reported By Orikinla Osinachi
Lagos, Nigeria.