Added: 12/21/2005 |
International Film Festival Features Highlights of CinematographySince the introduction of a film as a genre where perception and thought come together, film festivals have been seen as prominent events on the international art calendar. The first major film festival occurred in Venice in 1932. It was followed by a number of other film festivals in Cannes, Moscow, Karlovy Vary, and Berlin, which are now seen as the most prestigious film festivals in the world.
Located in the part of town with a number of movie theatres, the festival annually features 300-400 films on 23 screens in Toronto venues. The festival is dedicated to Canadian cinema, featuring also a wide variety of Asian, South American, and African films. However, at present it displays a strong tendency toward mainstream Hollywood films.
The Toronto International Film Festival was home to many prominent films, screened here for the first time, and having afterwards gained a number of film awards. To such films belong Husbands and Wives, The Big Chill, Chariots of Fire, Sideways, Downfall and Thirty Short Films About Glenn Gould.
Since 2004 the program of the festival has been subject to many changes. Thus, Perspective Canada, the program of Canadian films, was replaced by Canada First and Short Cuts Canada. In 2007 the festival plans to open a new facility, aimed at providing year-round cinemas, galleries, and archives.
The Moscow International Film Festival is considered to be the world's second oldest festival after the Venice Film Festival. Held first in 1935 in Moscow, the festival occurred every second year until it became annual in 1995. The top prize of the festival is the statue of Saint George, which was granted to the most famous film, Federico Fellini's 8 ½.
In addition to the top prize, the Stanislavsky Award is presented to the distinguished actors like Meryl Streep and Jack Nicholson. Today the Moscow International Film Festival is an important player on the international arena due to the qualitative growth of the Russian cinema. The program of the festival offers works that differ in theme and style, artistic peculiarities and material used, and in tendency and character. The festival also features a competition program called Films Around the World, aimed at selecting the best movies according to the geographical and cultural principles.
One of the most influential in Europe, and the world, is the Berlin International Film Festival, referred to as Berlinale. Established in 1951, it is arranged annually in February in Berlin. The laureates of the festival are awarded with the Golden and Silver Bears, which are considered to be the symbol of Berlin.
Having survived the World War II, the festival has established its reputation as one of the most prominent dates on the calendar of the international film industry. Annually, about 16,000 film professionals, and nearly 4,000 journalists, represent 80 countries at the Berlin International Film Festival. With approximately 150,000 tickets sold every year, the Berlinale attracts the largest audience than any other film festival worldwide. During two weeks of the festival Berlin turns into the place where business, parties, art, and glamour meet.
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