International film festival is on the horizon

The 14th annual Bermuda International Film Festival (BIFF) will feature more than 70 award-winning independent films and documentaries from around the world. The festival, which runs March 18-24, also plays host to numerous social events where you might get the chance to rub shoulders with directors and producers.

The movies screened have competed at the world’s top independent film festivals, including Sundance, Cannes and Tribeca. There are only a couple of local entries this year.

The BIFF 2011 schedule will include Position Among the Stars in the World Cinema category, directed by Leonard Retel Helmrich. The film won the World Cinema Special Jury Award at the Sundance Film

Festival 2011, as well as the Best Feature-Length Documentary Award and the Best Dutch Documentary Award at the International Documentary Festival Amsterdam.

In the Competition Feature category is the Submarine, about fifteen-year-old Oliver Tate who is determined to do two things —save his parents’ marriage and lose his virginity by his next birthday. Based on Joe Dunthorne’s novel of the same title, festival organizers describe it as a “captivating, coming-of-age story with an offbeat edge”.

Everyday Sunshine: The Story of Fishbone has been attracting rave critical reviews. This documentary charts the tumultuous history of the black rock band Fishbone through interviews with band members including eccentric founders Angelo Moore and Norwood Fisher. Think clashing egos, creative chemistry but above all, an enduring friendship.

Then there’s Another World, starring Jim Broadbent and Ruth Sheen. They play a happy couple in their twilight years who routinely invite their less advantaged friends and family over for dinner and lots of wine. Leslie Manville delivers an “awards calibre performance, masking pain and vulnerability with drunken eccentricity”.

In the BIFF Kids category is The Crocodiles, which has been likened to classic kid flick The Goonies. It tells the story of ten-year-old Hannes who is desperate to be in the coolest gang in town — the Vorstadtkrokodile. With Hannes’ lively imagination and his bravery, the gang embarks on a journey to bring down an apparently unbeatable criminal gang.  There are plenty of gadgets, a common cause and strong childhood bonds.

For the full line up, plus ticket information, see: www.biff.bm.

The films will be shown at Liberty Theatre and Speciality Theatre in Hamilton only.