Productions from Taiwan, Japan, Poland and Germany have received Best of Festival (Grand Prix) awards in the 2015 US International Film & Video Festival. They are among 12 nominees in Corporate, Documentary, Education and Entertainment.
► "UKAI "Legend" from Wizard Films, New Taipei City, Taiwan, won Best of Festival-Corporate.
The entry was done for UKAI, Tokyo, restaurants’ 50th anniversary and displays the preparation and serving of artistic and beautiful food dishes. The film was produced by Thomas Shih-Ming Chen and directed by Shih-Ming Chang (Yuan Ze University). Director of Photography was Cliff Yu-Yu Tang; Editor was Do-Do Chen, and sound work was by Johnny Shu-Huan Yao.
Learn more at http://www.ukai.co.jp/english/index.html
► "Gutenberg in the Cyberstorm," from Deutsche Welle, Berlin, Germany international broadcaster, won Best of Festival –Documentary.
The film looks at how books and culture are changing in the digital age visiting Germany, where Gutenberg invented the printing press, and the United States, the hub of digital innovation. Jaron Lanier, writer and Internet pioneer; historian Michael Knoche; Jeff Jarvis, media expert; Yvonne Hofstetter, artificial intelligence expert, and the authors Daniel Suarez and Marc Elsberg reflect on the future of the book, the current debate over the power of giant online companies and the future of digitalization. Executive Producer is Rolf Rische, and Author and Director is Susanne Lenz-Gleissner.
See a video of the making of the film at http://www.dw.com/en/making-of-gutenberg-in-the-cyberstorm/g-18120059
► "Mimicries – The Secret of Black and Yellow" entered by NHK Corp, Tokyo (Japan Broadcasting Corporation), won Best of Festival-Education.
The film points out the similarities in nature of colors, shapes, patterns and behavior, such as the swirl on a snail or a swirl in a typhoon. It was produced by NHK Educational Corp., Tokyo, for a pre-school-kindergarten audience and features young students interacting with nature and graphics.
► "Olive Green," entered by SuperMemo World sp. z.o.o., Poznan, Poland, was selected Best of Festival-Entertainment.
It was produced by Ekstasy Ltd, Harrow, United Kingdom, and features a professional art thief who finds trouble and love in her venture to steal a painting for a private collector. Producer is Mike Saraswat; Director, Suki Singh; Editor, Ilinca Calugareanu; Director of Photography, Chris Fergusson; Sound, Ben Metsers; General Design, Coordination & Management, SuperMemo World; Idea & Consultancy, Krzysztof Biedalak. The film is designed to help users learn English.
Learn more at https://olivegreenthemovie.com/about/en/home/
Other nominees included:
Corporate
"Celebrating a Renovated Building," by Novo Nordisk A/S, Bagsvaerd, Denmark, offers a humorous look at how employees adjusted to being relocated to tight quarters in the basement of a building being renovated. A senior vice president narrates the film from a comfortable office elsewhere while appearing to share the difficulties of the employees who did the work. Producer is Mille Lykke Soerensen, and Director/Editor is Michael Ryelund
"Legimus Talboëcker," produced by Pophunters Film & TV AB, Uppsala, Sweden, for client Myndigheten for Tillgangliga Medier, Johanneshov, Sweden, uses an undertone of humor to show the varied uses of Legimus Talboëcker's audiobooks for persons with a reading disability. Producer is Petter Schanche; Director, David Stavenow, Cinematographer, Calle Persson; Editor, Magnus Öhrlund, and Sound, Philip Jurdell.
Documentary
"Diaghilev and the Ballets Russes," from the National Gallery of Art, Landover, Md., USA, traces the vast influence of founder Serge Diaghilev on the Ballets Russes from 1909-29 and the company’s efforts to fuse art, music, dance and fashion. “Diaghilev and the Ballets Russes, 1909–1929: When Art Danced with Music” was on exhibit at the gallery through October 2013. Executive Producer is Susan Arensberg; Producer/Director/Writer, Carroll Moore; Associate Producers, David Hammer and Elizabeth Laitman Hughes; and Narrator, Tilda Swinton.
"The Way of the Warrior: FIA WEC 6h of Fuji 2014," from Kemper Kommunikation GmbH, Frankfurt, Germany, relates seven virtues of the warrior lifestyle to the outstanding performance of the Porsche auto racing team in the six-hour race in Fuji last year. bee Film GmbH, Frankfurt, produced the entry for Dr. Ing. H.c.F. Porsche AG, Stuttgart. Director and Editor is Bernd Seiboldt, Sound Track & Fields, Berlin. Executive Creative Director is Silke Telgen.
Education
"Summiteers," done for client Schweizer Salinen, Basel, Switzerland, by Seed Audio-Visual Communication, Zurich, is an introduction to salt production and salt’s vast number of uses through a visit to the Swiss Saltworks. Producer is Felix Courvoisier; Director, Daniel Leuthold; Cinematographer, Michael Saxer; Editor, Christoph Menzi, and Sound, Triplet Studios, Zurich.
"PCYC NSW Traffic Offenders Intervention Program," from Good Eye Deer, New Castle, NSW, graphically portrays the effects of thoughtless decision making while driving and the impact on both those who cause accidents and those who are killed or maimed. It was done for Police Citizens Youth Clubs (PCYC) NSW, Sydney, Australia. Producer is Olivia Olley; Cinematographer & Director, Gavin Banks; Editors, Anthony Dempsey and Gavin Banks, and Sound, John Roy.
Entertainment
"Boat to the Moon," portrayal of relationships of a young couple who just met and a couple who has enjoyed many years of marriage. It was produced by CBC Television Co., Ltd., Nagoya, Japan, for TI Com Net, Sapporo. Producers are Masato Horiba, Nisayo Ota, and Mieko Sakurai; Director: Masato Horiba; Cinematographer, Tsuyoshi Sataka, and Sound, Harumi Fuuki.
"Cricket World Cup 2015 Host City Destination Video," from Omnicron Productions, Auckland, New Zealand, features former NZ cricketer Simon Doull hosting a colorful travelogue of Auckland and the surrounding area for visitors attending the 2015 World Cup. Producer is Daniel Arnold; Director, Jon Wild; Cinematographer, Rhys Duncan; Editor, Eddie Burrow.
Grand Prix winners and nominees also received a Gold Camera Award. Information on all winners of Gold Camera, Silver Camera and Certificate for Creative Excellence can be found at www.filmfestawards.com.
