Five
films with a Bermuda connection will make their world
premieres at the 10 th Bermuda International Film Festival
of world cinema, March 16-24.
Sculptor
Bill Ming is profiled by director Andy Mckay in Bill Ming:
Stories of Wood, Wind and Fire. Bermuda resident James
Martin, meanwhile, directs The Meaning of the 21 st Century,
a documentary about the challenges the earth faces in
the century ahead.
Biologist
Choy Aming has made a 30-minute documentary, My Backyard,
about life beneath the ocean. The filmmaking team of director
Vicky Zabriskie and husband Christian have the latest
instalment of their short film horror series, Beacons,
and Mandela Fubler makes his second festival appearance
with the short film, Jokers Are Trumps.
“Our audiences really respond to films with a Bermuda
connection, and so we are delighted to present five such
films,” says the festival’s director of programming David
O’Beirne. “We expect them all to be hot tickets.”
The
five films are:
Bill
Ming: Stories of Wood, Wind and Fire
(d.
Andrew Mckay, United Kingdom, 60 minutes)
In
2004 and the aftermath of Hurricane Fabian, the Bermuda
Government decided to commission a memorial to those “Lost
at Sea”. The subsequent competition for the island’s first
piece of public art was won by Bermudian born and internationally
renowned sculptor, Bill “Mussey” Ming. While the central
narrative of this film documents the techniques, trials
and considerable tribulations associated with the creation
of the commission – an 18-foot, 12-ton bronze sculpture
entitled “Figurehead” – it paints, also, a vivid picture
of Bill’s life. From his beginnings in the segregated
society of Bermuda, to his period as a seaman, the cultural
adjustment of arriving in England in 1970 and, later,
surviving as an artist, Bill’s story is engaging, humorous,
thoughtful and inspiring. Andy Mckay gives us a fascinating
profile of one of the artists who helped lay the foundations
of Black British Art in the U.K. As the first piece of
Bermudian public art, Figurehead and its creator have
a deserved place of prominence on Bermuda’s artistic stage.
It is a fitting tribute to those who have been lost at
sea.
The
Meaning of the 21 st Century
(d.
James Martin, Bermuda, 90 minutes)
Humanity
is at a crucial turning point. We are facing a moment
of transition unique in human history. Travelling at breakneck
speed into an era of extremes, we have to make the planet
workable for the massive population of the future and
its increasingly wild technology. If we succeed, we have
a magnificent future ahead for all of us. If we fail,
we could well be headed for a new Dark Age. We
have it within us to use our intelligence and technology
to transform the world rather than destroy it. The film
includes the opinions of top authorities who have thought
about the future and the big problems ahead: climate change,
water shortages, growing extremes between rich and poor
nations, religious antagonism and global pandemics, to
name but a few. It has been shot in Bermuda and on all
six continents. While awesome in its content, it is spectacularly
beautiful. This film should be seen by the world’s
youth because the most urgent subject of our time is the
vital transition that is ahead – this is their future.
There may be big problems but there are also big opportunities.
My
Backyard
(d.
Choy Aming, Bermuda, 30 minutes)
One
man. One year. One camera. Biologist Choy Aming explores
the diversity of Bermuda’s marine life. The cast includes
unusual reef creatures, an old Navy tower, Humpback Whales
and a veterinarian who has built his own shark cage. Get
up close and personal with the inch-long Flamingo Tongue
and the 50-foot Humpback as Choy explores our underwater
world. Featuring Neil Burnie.
Beacons
(d.
Vicky Zabriskie, Bermuda, 5 minutes)
A
warning to all to all who already hesitate to enter Bermuda’s
waters, having seen Jaws and heard tales of the Bermuda
Triangle. Watch this film at your own risk! You may never
swim or sail again. Norman Roberts and Marco Santucci
star in the film. Story and cinematography by Christian
Zabriskie.
Jokers
are Trumps
(d.
Mandela Fubler, Bermuda, 17 minutes)
Jokers
Are Trumps is a jigsaw puzzle that takes you on a cinematic
adventure, with a splash of island life, anchored on the
Bermudian-loved game of Euchre. A group of Bermudian students,
along with other card aficionados, share their unique
(and in some cases painful) experiences with playing cards.
The film is written by Mandela Fubler, while the director
of photography is Stephan Johnstone. The film features
Mandela Fubler, Javon Zuill, Paul Franks, Mischa Fubler,
Nathan Swan
Tickets
to BIFF 2007 are available now from the festival web site,
www.biff.bm , or from the box office
at #6 Passenger Terminal, Front Street, Hamilton. The
box office is open daily, except Sunday, from 10 a.m.
to 6 p.m.
The
mission of the Bermuda International Film Festival is
to advance the love of independent film from around the
world, and create a community welcoming to filmmakers
and filmgoers.
Media
Contact:
Duncan
Hall
Deputy
Festival Director
Bermuda
International Film Festival
Tel:
293-3456
Fax:
293-7769
E-mail:
deputydirector@biff.bm