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info@pendancefilmfestival.com Press Contact 647.238.5360 SEEKERS BOOKS
TABLE / OF CONTENTS FACT SHEET 2 OUR STORY, OUR WAY 3 THINKING DIFFERENTLY 4 FIRST YEAR RECAP 5-6 OFFICIAL SELECTIONS 7 - 22 PENDANCE VENUE 23 FAQ 24 OUR TEAM & FILMMAKERS 25 - 26
PENDANCE
FACT SHEET
#notfakenews
Founded October 3rd, 2017
Launch Date December 15th, 2017
Website www.pendancefilmfestival.ca
Instagram @pendancefilmfestival
Facebook @pendancefilmfestival
Twitter @pendancefilm
Submissions On Filmfreeway until December 5th, 2018
Festival Dates January 31st, 2019 to February 3rd, 2019
Genre Drama, Art, Experimental, Documentary, Short,
Feature, Comedy, Thriller, Horror
Founders Robert Misovic, Andjelika Javorina
Key Sponsors Trius Wines, Beauty Bar LA, Pensare Films,
ACTRA Toronto, Canada Water
Slogan Story Over Everything
2
OUR STORY-OUR WAY
Pendance is an independent film festival supported by a bevy of great sponsors and key artists in
the Canadian film community. We exist to give a serious platform to innovative storytellers and to
spark a new love affair with cinema among modern audiences starving for truth and meaning on the
big screen. Our slogan ‘Story Over Everything’ effectively sums up our event in eight syllables.
ARTISTS & AUDIENCE COME FIRST
Pendance has a unique vibe. Our audience is chock-full of diverse, intelligent, and enthusiastic
cinephiles. All of the chatter around the festival is about the art and craft of cinema. Our elegant
gala sets the mood with a glass of wine, live jazz performances, and an intimate atmosphere for
artists to connect.
We’re big believers in the law of attraction. It is this immutable law that has compelled the best
filmmakers from around the globe to submit to our young festival, and it is the same law that has
drawn in so many amazing people to attend our screenings.
We take the time to thoroughly learn about our selections and the people behind them. We plan
to create a lounge in 2019 for all selected filmmakers to congregate during the festival, with
complimentary food and drinks always on hand. For our 2019 edition, we’ve also committed to
providing hotel accommodations in Toronto for those flying in to screen their films.
We believe that our unique ability as a brand to connect with people has been a driving force behind
our growth in 2018, and we plan to keep a strong organizational focus on audience satisfaction and
building meaningful relationships with filmmakers and key collaborators.
3
Best Canadian Picture Winners 2017: Kalainithan Kalechelvan (left) and Mike Redshaw (right) for Inland Freaks
WE THINK DIFFERENTLY
We’re obsessed with interesting stories, and film as a medium offers an immense range of tools
for artists to craft them. These tools include sound design, writing, music, cinematography, acting,
and editing, among others. Our ‘story over everything’ slogan isn’t limited to a single tool or style.
We’re looking for films that will resonate with audiences, shift perspectives, and convey powerful
emotions. As artists ourselves, we know that each project is the result of months and sometimes
years of work. We try to keep an open mind with each film we receive.
Art is highly subjective, and we never reject films based on the opinion of one programmer alone.
Each submission is watched by no less than two programmers. Films being seriously considered
may be watched up to fifteen times by our entire team. We don’t outsource our screenings to
volunteers for preliminary selections. This attention to detail by our programming team is why there
are no fillers at Pendance. We stand proudly behind every film we’ve ever selected.
WE WORK FOR OUR FILMMAKERS
It’s common industry practice for film festivals to ask filmmakers to promote their screenings. This
shifts the responsibility of filling up the theatre to the filmmakers themselves. Festivals operating
with this mindset often select local filmmakers with access to large networks in their cities.
Pendance is willing to chuck this model in the garbage. We don’t give special treatment to local
submissions or to popular filmmakers. And while filmmakers selected to our festival often blast the
news across social media several times, it’s never because we asked them to.
Our success to date has been the result of the aforementioned programming process, great word-
of-mouth, support from friends and family, and a year-long promotional effort by our in-house
professional designers and film editors.
Having quality designers and film editors already on our team helps us promote filmmakers through
unique and cost-efficient methods. This may mean putting together trailers or presskits for films
that lack them, designing custom advertising campaigns to help raise awareness about projects, or
offering feedback on technical issues with the films themselves.
As filmmakers, we’ve traveled across the country for a film only to screen in front of twelve people.
We’ve been asked to buy tickets to our own screenings and donate them. It’s happened at bigger
and smaller festivals. When we started Pendance, we vowed to create a meaningful and valuable
platform for filmmakers to share their films. The films we select deserve an audience, and we’re
committed to doing our best each year to making sure they find a big one.
4
Pendance Founders Andjelika Javorina and Robert Misovic (right) speak with the Harden-and-Hart Broadcast Team
OUR FIRST YEAR
...NEW KIDS IN THE 6IX
LISTEN UP.
Pendance held its first-year festival on December 15th, 2017. We competed
head-to-head with the opening night of Star Wars, a last-minute snowstorm,
and the busiest date of the year for holiday parties.
We averaged an audience of 400 per-screening, broke even financially, and
had people messaging us for months with comments about how the festival
impacted them. We hosted seven films that had Canadian, International, or
World Premieres at the festival and several selections went on to screen at
dozens of other reputable international festivals throughout 2018.
Over the last ten months, we’ve measured and tracked the growth of our
brand using every comparable measurement; site traffic, engagement,
subscriber growth, quality of film submissions, sponsorships, social media
growth, and international interest in the festival from distributors and
creatives alike. These metrics point to a very promising growth trajectory.
Our first year was executed from start to finish in exactly sixty-four days by
a team of five. It remains to be seen whether a bigger team working over
twelve months with fewer financial restrictions and the added benefit of
experience can put on a drastically better event. But we’re counting on it.
VIEW YEAR ONE EVENT TRAILER HERE and the FESTIVAL TRAILER HERE
1,349 Followers 13,800 views 6,620 Subscribers 2,901 Followers
5
66
PENDANCE OFFICIAL SELECTIONS
ARIA – MYRSINI ARISTIDOU – GREECE
17-year-old Aria’s father promises to take her on her first driv-
ing lesson after work. When he leaves an illegal immigrant in
her care and decides to go gambling with his friends instead,
Aria steals the car and decides to go on a joyride. What could
go wrong?
ONTARIO PREMIERE - Notes: Nominated: 2018 Short Film Grand Jury Prize, Sundance Film Festival. Best Short Film at Venice Film Festival.
Won the Special Jury Mention for Best Narrative Short Film at Athens International Film Festival
ALL THESE CREATURES – CHARLES WILLIAMS –
AUSTRALIA
An adolescent boy attempts to untangle his memories of a
mysterious infestation, the unraveling of his father, and the
little creatures inside us all.
Notes: WINNER: Short Film Palme d’Or at Cannes Film Festival, Best Australian Short Film at Melbourne International Film Festival, Small Golden
Camera 300 at ICFF Manaki Brothers
DEAR CHICKENS – MAURO MUELLER –
USA / SWITZERLAND / MEXICO
When a stubborn old man and a fretful teenaged girl are
forced to share a hospital room, an unexpected friendship
forms over their hatred of fake cheerfulness, chemotherapy,
and bad hospital food.
CANADIAN PREMIERE - Notes: Stars Philip Baker Hall (Zodiac, Seinfeld) Kerris Dorsey (Moneyball, Walk the Line), James Eckhouse (The Aveng-
ers) and is directed by Mauro Mueller (Student Oscar® winner, 2013 for Un Mundo para Raul)
FAKE NEWS – DIMITRIS KATSIMIRIS – GREECE
A popular YouTuber and her partner get their hands on an
anonymously submitted video which shows the disturbing
rape of a white woman by two masked men.
NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE - Notes: Official Selections: 39th ICFF Mankaki Brothers, Athens International Film Festival, Kinosmena International
Film Festival. Stars notorious Greek actress Lena Kitsopoulou
RE: POSSESSED HOMES – MATT LANDRY –
CANADA
Shirley Parker is a go-getter real estate agent and a keen
opportunist. With two children to feed, she uncovers a unique
and untapped market: haunted houses. No one said this was
a sustainable long-term solution.
WORLD PREMIERE - Notes: Features Canadian stars Natalie Lisinska and Jordan Gavaris (Orphan Black)
7
SAMUEL DAVID – NENAD CICIN-SAIN – USA -
Samuel David (Zach Shields) returns from a four-year tour
in Iraq after his base is attacked. As he struggles to piece
his life together while battling PTSD, he finds the life he left
behind has passed him by.
CANADIAN PREMIERE - Notes: Cicin-Sain screened ‘The Time Being’ at TIFF 2012. Lead Actor Zach Shields is a member of Ryan Gosling’s
2-man rock-band ‘Dead Man’s Bones’
CERDITA / PIGGY – CARLOTA PEREDA – SPAIN
Three girls ruthlessly tease an overweight teen named
Sara whom they nickname ‘Cerdita’ (Piggy). They steal her
clothes and belongings, leaving her to walk home in just her
bikini. However, as events unfold, it is Sara who will have
the last laugh.
CANADIAN PREMIERE - Notes: Nominated for Jury Prize at Molins de Rei Horror Film Festival, and ‘Small Golden Camera 300’ award at 39th ICFF
Manaki Brothers
NACHTSCHADE / NIGHTSHADE –
SHADY EL-HAMUS – THE NETHERLANDS
Tarik (11) helps his father Elias (35) to transport illegal immi-
grants into the Netherlands. When an accident occurs, Tarik
gains the acknowledgment from his father he has yearned
for, but at a high price – the loss of his own innocence.
ONTARIO PREMIERE - Notes: Official Selections; Odense, Tokyo, Busan, & Leeds International Film Festival. Won El Gouna Gold Star for Best
Short Film at El Gouna Film Festival in Egypt
DELAY/TAKHIR – ALI ASGARI – IRAN
A father and his two small children are stranded at an
airport waiting for a flight, which is delayed by two hours.
When his daughter vanishes with the stranger whom he
entrusts to watch her, the father must confront the horrifying
consequences of his decisions.
CANADIAN PREMIERE - Notes: Official Selections: LA Film Festival, Leeds Film Festival. Ali Asgari has screened at 600 film festivals, with 150
awards. He’s an Academy member, has had two films in competition at Cannes Film Festival. His feature film ‘DISSAPEARANCE’ was nominated
for a Discovery Award for BEST FILM at TIFF 2017
SPACE GIRLS –CARYS WATFORD – UK -
During a sleepover, four space-obsessed 9-year-old girls
embark on a secret mission in their cardboard rocket.
CANADIAN PREMIERE - Notes: Won Best Children’s Short at Rhode Island International Film Festival 2018. Official Selections: Hollyshorts,
Tacoma, Athens, Oxford, and Gasparilla International Film Festival.
8
AMBI – MARIJA APCEVSKA – MACEDONIA
Another ordinary night for Deno and Sara, going through their
usual routine. Only this time, as tension grows, a decision
which may bring their future into question is born.
CANADIAN PREMIERE - Notes: Official Selections: Manaki Brothers ICFF, Tirana International Film Festival, Hollyshorts Film Festival, Tallgrass
Film Festival
ALL INCLUSIVE – CORINA SCHWINGRUBER ILIC –
SWITZERLAND
A workout on the sun deck, a conga line in the dining hall,
a photo shoot with the captain, or a beauty contest for all
ages: fun around-the-clock is guaranteed on a cruise, while
you float along with your hotel room. The sea-faring holiday
Notes: Official Selections: Toronto International Film Festival, Venice Film Festival, Riga International Film Festival
BOTANICA – NOEL LOOZEN – THE NETHERLANDS
A garden-center employee fears his possible infertility and
realizes that sometimes you have to swallow your pride to
let love overcome.
ONTARIO PREMIERE - Notes: Official Selections: Aspen Shortsfest, Palm Springs Film Festival
MAELSTRØM – CARLOS GOMEZ TRIGO – SPAIN
Karl spins the spoon from his coffee. Something spins even
faster inside Tony’s head.
CANADIAN PREMIERE - Notes: Official Selections: Oldenburg International Film Festival, Courts Mais Trash Film Festival
BAGHEAD – ALBERTO CORREDOR MARINA – UK
Kevin is haunted by grief and has questions that only the
recently deceased can answer. His search takes him to the
most unremarkable of locations, a grotty storage room at
the back of a rundown pub. However, what he finds there is
anything but unremarkable.
CANADIAN PREMIERE - Notes: Official Selections: Dances With Films, HollyShorts Film Festival
9MASCARPONE – JONAS RIEMER – GERMANY -
Francis accidentally crashes into the limousine of gangster
boss Mascarpone. Suddenly he finds himself in a mobster
film. Francis’ dog Farfalle is taken hostage by Mascarpone’s
gang and Francis is being forced to stand guard at their next
bank robbery. When the coup fails he has to rescue his dog
and conquer the heart of the film diva Vivien.
CANADIAN PREMIERE - Notes: Official Selections: Athens International Film and Video Festival, LA Shorts Fest
PALOOKAVILLE– SEM BUCMAN & PIM ALGOED –
BELGIUM
Palookaville is a black comedy about a fortysomething man
who compensates his social isolation with hard work. When
he sees his professional life slipping through his fingers he
decides to fight back.
NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE - Notes: Official Selections: Milano Film Festival, Leuven International Short Film Festival. Stars notorious Dutch
actor Tom Dewispelaere.
NIKKI MARIANNE – GUILLAUME CARAMELLE
FRANCE
Peter is in love with the enigmatic Nikki, but has been stuck
in the dreaded friend zone for over a year. At a school party,
a mysterious older man sweeps her off her feet, as Peter is
left to wonder what might have been.
ONTARIO PREMIERE - Notes: Official Selections: Sose Film Festival, San Francisco Frozen Film Festival
REMBRANDT’S ETCHING – THOMAS GRASCOER –
FRANCE
After losing his eyesight, a collector decides to give his daugh-
ter visiting the family home his most precious possession.
Notes: Official Selections: Short to the Point Film Festival
WHERE FLOWERS BLOOM –CAM BE – US
Cam Be’s documentary explores the rise to climax, and the
struggles of rapper Rapsody. It explores the process of her
album ‘Laila’s Wisdom’, and is an inspirational tale about
the value of sticking to your dreams.
CANADIAN PREMIERE - Notes: Where Flowers Bloom is a Special Selection at Pendance. It is produced by RocNation and Tidel, and directed
by Emmy Award winner Cam Be.
10EQUALLY RED & BLUE –
GEORGIANA MOLDOVEANU – ROMANIA
On the day of her one-year anniversary with Stefan, Ana
offers him an unexpected present – she agrees to be the
surrogate mother for the baby Stefan can’t have with his wife.
In the end, Stefan realizes that he wants something else, but
it’s already too late.
CANADIAN PREMIERE - Notes: Official Selections: Cannes Film Festival, Sarajevo Film Festival
INANIMATE – LUCIA BULGHERONI – ITALY
Katrine leads a normal life, with a normal job and a nor-
mal relationship. But one day she awakes to find the world
around her has changed. Or rather, its the same but she is
seeing it with different eyes, noticing things she never saw
before.
CANADIAN PREMIERE - Notes: Nominee at Cannes Film Festival for the Cinefoundation Award. Won the Jury Award for Best Graduation Film at
the Annecy International Animated Film Festival in 2018.
RUBBER DOLPHIN – ORI AHARON – ISRAEL
A gay love story set in a one bedroom apartment in Tel Aviv.
They meet, they have sex, they fall in love. Will it last until
the morning comes?
CANADIAN PREMIERE - Notes: Official Selections: Cannes Film Festival, Denver Film Festival
THE WOODKIN – MATEUSZ MOTYKA – POLANDAft
After ten years of absence, Krzysiek takes his son for a
hunting trip where he does everything to win the boy back.
While two men are getting closer some lines get crossed.
The Woodkin wakes up.
CANADIAN PREMIERE - Notes: Official Selections: Linz International Film Festival, HollyShorts Film Festival
REVERIE –JULIAN C. WILKINS – CANADA
An old van in the middle of nowhere. One final ritual. Per-
ception, and reality.
WORLD PREMIERE
11JITTERS – OTOJA ABIT – USA
Minutes before his nuptials, a neurotic young man locks
himself in the back room of a church with his best man.
Recalling the women of his past, he questions his decision.
INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE - Notes: Won Best Director Urban World NY. Official Selections: Cleveland International Film Festival, Gasparilla
International Film Festival, Rhode Island International Film Festival.
AUGUST SUN – FRANCO VOLPI – UK/ARGENTINA
Following his father’s death, Javier heads to Buenos Aries to tend to
his mother. As her medical bills pile up and her bipolar disorder wors-
ens, he faces a difficult decision.
CANADIAN PREMIERE - Notes: Made at the London Film School. Official Selection: Palm Springs International Shortsfest. Among finalists for the
2019 Student Oscars.
THE REPLACEMENT – SEAN MILLER – USA
Election night, 2036: As clones roam among us, a
disgruntled janitor must confront reality when one of his
clones is elected President of the United States.
CANADIAN PREMIERE - Notes: Official Selections: Austin Film Festival, Chicago International Film Festival, Newport Beach Film Festival.
THE AMAZON – ALEXANDRA NAOUM – FRANCE
Elie, 30, lost her left breast fighting cancer and decided not
to replace it. At a party, a random encounter with an ex-lover
she thought she’d never see again forces her to confront
doubts and insecurities regarding her new femininity.
CANADIAN PREMIERE - Notes: Naoum is a prolific and accomplished French actress and director, most notable for her leading role in French TV
series PARIS 16, and the feature film ‘FRACTURES’ by Harry Roselmack.
MOGU SAM / ON MY OWN – NIKOLA POLIC –
SERBIA
Marko is living a lie. He has convinced his boss, his friends,
casual strangers, and his mother that things in his life are
going well. Through a series of seemingly irrelevant events,
Marko must finally confront the truth that he has tried to bury
for so long.
NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE - Notes: Polic, 25, is a film prodigy from Belgrade who made his first film at the age of 17. He currently studies at
the most prestigious film school in Serbia, and his films have screened at dozens of festivals internationally.
12RUN IN CIRCLES – MARION REYMOND –
SWITZERLAND
A young man explores the depths of loneliness in the most
beautiful of settings, and to the most heart-breaking results.
CANADIAN PREMIERE - Notes: Official Selection: Port Shorts Film Festival
SCHOOLYARD BLUES – MARIA ERIKSSON-HECHT –
SWEDEN
It’s John’s first day at school. Unexpectedly his eleven-year-
old big brother Mika shows up to follow him to assembly. But
Mika has plans other than just taking John to school.
Notes: Official Selections: TIFF Kids, Aspen Shortfest, Karlovy Vary Film Festival, Nashville Film Festival
A GOOD DEATH – TORI LARSEN – CANADA
Mary Fox welcomes her baby brother Chuck back to their
family home on Staten Island, but at this point in their lives,
these squabbling siblings have nothing in common except
their last name.
CANADIAN PREMIERE - Notes: Tori Larsen is an honors BFA graduate from York University’s Film Production Program. She currently works in
Toronto as an Associate Producer on The Handmaid’s Tale.
HUMAN SUN – CARL BIRD MCLAUGHLIN – USA
A spiritual teacher is having a mental breakdown—and
it’s showtime. His only hope comes from an unassuming
source.
CANADIAN PREMIERE - Notes: Official Selections: Austin Film Festival, LA Shorts International Film Festival, Marfa Film Festival.
A HANDFUL OF DUST – GRAYSON WHITEHURST – USA
Dr. Goodman enables terminal patients’ right to die through
the practice of mercy killing via his one-of-a-kind device. But
when he sets out to fulfill a mother’s request to euthanize
her ‘terminally-ill’ daughter, he suspects that his procedure
might be the crux of an elaborate cult ritual.
CANADIAN PREMIERE - Notes: Whitehurst’s narrative work has toured festivals worldwide and gone viral more than once, and his latest project, a
MasterCard advertisement featuring Red Bull Athlete and WSL 2018 Ride of the Year surfer Ian Walsh, aired during the Masters.
13READY – MELISSA FARMAN – USA
A reclusive mother and her young son celebrate the end of
their relationship before she releases him into the world.
CANADIAN PREMIERE - Notes: First-time-director Melissa Farman played a young Danielle Rousseau on Lost, and Bristol Pain in HBO’s
Game Change
DOG IN THE WOODS – CHRISTIAN CHAPMAN &
PAUL JASON HOFFMAN – USA
A downtrodden house dog chases the psychedelic temptations
of the natural world. The humans have no idea.
Notes: Official Selection: Slamdance Film Festival 2019
VACUUM PACKED – ELENA FIORENZANI – ITALY
Eleonora cheated on her husband but her therapist assures
her that after ten years, she is ready to go on with her life,
therapy-free. It’s at this point that her emotions materialize
in the flesh, taking Eleonora hostage in her own apartment.
CANADIAN PREMIERE - Notes: Elena graduated with honors from The Discipline Arte, Musica e Spettacolo or DAMS in Bologna where she studied
Directing and Screenwriting under Oscar Award Winners: Bernardo Bertolucci, Jane Campion, Paul Haggis, Jean-Luc Godard, Jean-Pierre and Luc
Dardenne.QUEST
CANADIAN PREMIERE
USA
Directed By: Santiago Rizzo
Cinematography By: Florian Stadler
Starring: Dash Mihok, Greg Kasyan, Lakeith
Stanfield, Lou Diamond Phillips, Betsy
Brandt, Sepideh Moafi
Mills is a child in crisis. He’s addicted
to graffiti, is often in trouble with the
law, and has a stepfather who beats
him mercilessly. He’s fallen through the
cracks and has very little to fall back on
in life.
A teacher named Tim Moellering takes
a special interest in helping Mills, at-
tempting to be a beacon hope and truth
for a child so clearly lost in a haze of
confusion. Given his past, Mills certainly
isn’t quick to trust authority figures.
But with enough time, love, and pa-
tience, Tim will try to demonstrate that
he’s the lone pillar in Mill’s life that won’t
crumble when Mills inevitably falls.
The film is based on Santiago Rizzo’s
real-life relationship with his teacher
and coach Tim Moellering, who died
shortly before the film was made.
Notes Official Selection at Slamdance Film
Festival, Cleveland International Film Festival,
Austin Film Festival, Mill Valley Film Festival,
Cucalorus Film Festival, & Gasparilla Film
Festival. Based on a true story of the director’s
childhood. Currently seeking distribution.
Santiago Rizzo
Santiago’s initial interest in story-telling began when he was a teenager, using acting as an
initial path to grace. After growing up in violence and insecurity, he moved in with his teacher,
Tim Moellering in Berkeley, CA. He became an emancipated minor through the court at 16,
and a Quest Scholar. In 2003, Santiago graduated from Stanford with a major in Economics,
minor in Psychology.
After graduating, he moved to Los Angeles to pursue creative expression where he met
mentors like Haskell Wexler, who inspired and guided.Not having the financial cushion to
pursue the arts, Santiago made a strategic decision to leave Hollywood for a job in finance.
In 2013, Santiago shut down his alternative energy hedge fund in order to make QUEST, a
script he originally wrote with Tim 10 years prior.
15TO THE NIGHT
CANADIAN PREMIERE
Austria / USA
Directed By: Peter Brunner
Cinematography By: Daniel Katz
Starring: Caleb Landry Jones, Eleonore
Hendricks, Jana McKinnon, Christos
Haas, Abbey Lee
Caleb Landry Jones plays Norman, a
tormented installation artist at war with
his own mind, and memories of a fire
which claimed the lives of both of his
parents when he was just a child.
Norman shares an apartment with his
partner (Hendricks) and their son, who
despite his best efforts, Norman simply
does not know how to love.
The film starts loosely on Norman’s
29th birthday, a day he wishes not to
celebrate on account of his parents
having died at 29. In a quest to under-
stand himself, Norman tries to recre-
ate the fire. When that fails, he tries to
reboot his brain entirely.
It sounds crazy, but this film packs so
much genius, originality, and emotional
weight, it’s almost incomprehensible.
Notes Caleb Landry Jones headlines a great
cast after breakout performances in films like
‘Get Out’ and ‘Three Billboards Outside Ebb-
ing, Missouri’. The film was shot in New York.
It premiered in 2018 at the prestigious Karlovy
Vary International Film Festival.
Peter Brunner
Peter Brunner, born in 1983, is a Vienna-based filmmaker and musician (Cardiocha-
os). The son of a psychoanalyst and a painting therapist is a former student of Michael
Haneke at the Vienna Film Academy. His work includes short films and music videos as
well as the feature “Sickness of the Youth”, which he directed together with fellow stu-
dents and in which he played the leading role.
His feature film debut “My Blind Heart” premiered at Slamdance Film Festival and in the
Tiger Competition at IFF Rotterdam 2014, and won several awards at international film
festivals, including a nomination for the Golden Frog at Camerimage Film Festival. His
sophomore feature “Those Who Fall Have Wings” was awarded the Special Jury Prize at
the 50th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival 2015.
16FIND THIS DUMB LITTLE BITCH
AND THROW HER INTO A RIVER
Canadian Premiere
The Netherlands
Directed By: Ben Brand
Cinematography By: Paul Ozgur
Starring: Nino Den Brave,
Wim Opbrouck, Senna Fokke
Ben Brand’s masterful feature debut
is about the young boy Remco (15),
who, in a careless act, posts an up-
setting video on the internet. The story
is inspired by true events.
In 2010, a video surfaced online
in which a girl from Bosnia is seen
throwing puppies into a river. Online
communities were outraged, and
many called for the girl to face prison
or bodily harm. The story became so
large in the media that Transform-
ers director Michael Bay placed a
$50,000.00 reward for the girl’s cap-
ture.
Brand explores the story from the
perspective of the boy who posted the
video, and the consequences both he
and his sister suffer as a result of his
senseless actions.
Notes Cinematographer Paul Ozgur was
named to Variety’s Top 10 DOPs to watch,
and has since gone on to work on many
major films and music videos. The film
premiered at the Warsaw Film Festival in
Poland. This will be a Canadian Premiere for
Brand’s controversial film.
Ben Brand
In 2010 Ben Brand graduated as a director from the Dutch Film Academy in Amsterdam. With
his graduation film ‘Day by Day’ he won the grand jury prize for best short at the international
Scottish Arts & Film festival in Edinburg. In addition his commercial for the Young Director
Award festival in Cannes (2011) won the Golden Hammer in Latvia, the Silver Drum in Slove-
nia, a Cresta Award in New York, got nominated twice for the Cannes Lions and gained over
50 million views worldwide.
In 2013 Ben also made two shorts; ‘Life is Beautiful’ (3D animation) and ‘97%’ (Live action).
These films have been shown at over 100 international film festivals and won numerous
awards, including audience awards in France, Germany and Holland, a best director award
at the Cinefiesta film festival in Puerto Rico and a best animated short award at the Tirana
int film festival in Albania. 97% also represented the Netherlands in the Live action short film
category at the Academy awards (2014).
17FRIDAY’S CHILD
Canadian Premiere
USA
Directed By: A.J Edwards
Cinematography By: Jeff Bierman
Starring: Tye Sheridan, Imogen Poots,
Caleb Landry Jones, Jeffrey Wright,
Brett Butler
‘Friday’s Child’ is a visually dynam-
ic film which is anchored by strong
cinematography, a pitch-perfect
score by Colin Stetson, and break-
out performances from Tye Sheridan
(Ready Player One), Imogen Poots
(28 Weeks Later) and Caleb Landry
Jones (Get Out).
18-year old Richie (Sheridan) ages
out of foster care and finds himself
unprepared for the challenges of life
outside the system. Lost and barely
getting by, Richie is helped by two
new friends; a beautiful girl named
Joan (Poots) and a troubled older boy
named Swim (Landry Jones).
In Joan and Swim, Richie sees two
incompatibly distinct paths- both of
which lead to the very hell he is so
desperately trying to escape.
Notes Official Selection at SXSW Film Fes-
tival (World Premiere), Denver International
Film Festival, Shanghai International Film
Festival. Executively Produced by Gus Van
Sant (Good Will Hunting).
A.J Edwards
A.J Edwards is a native of Walnut Creek, California. He started his career as a disciple of
Terrence Malick, working on ‘The New World’, helping cast ‘The Tree of Life’ and serving
as an editor on ‘To the Wonder’. He made a name for himself as a director with his breakout
debut ‘The Better Angels’ which debuted at Sundance in 2014. ‘Better Angels’ was a beautiful
film exploring Abraham Lincoln’s childhood.
Edwards has had a front row seat to Malick’s new age style and he shows he’s capable of
channeling a similar artistic voice with ‘Friday’s Child’, which employs some of the same
camera movement and lens choices which made ‘Tree of Life’ a masterpiece.
18WE THE COYOTES
Ontario Premiere
France/USA
Directed By: Hanna Ladoul,
Marco La Via
Cinematography By: Stephen Tringali
Starring: Morgan Saylor, McCaul Lom-
bardi, Betsy Brandt, Khleo Thomas
Amanda (Saylor) and Jake (Lombardi)
are in love and want to start a new
life in Los Angeles. Will they make the
right decisions? The first 24 hours of
their new life will take them all around
the city, bringing them more surprises
and frustrations than expected.
At its core, ‘We the Coyotes’ is a story
about young love and is beautifully
shot and directed. Morgan Saylor
(White Girl, Homeland) has cemented
herself as one of the brightest young
actors in the world at just 24, and
Lombardi (American Honey) is
charismatic and fully invested in his
character throughout.
This is a special indie film, and it’s
in large part due to smart dialogue
delivery and the fact that it’s just
effortless to invest in and root for both
characters.
Notes Official Selection at Warsaw Film
Festival, Raindance Film Festival, LA
Film Festival, Cannes Film Festival (AciD
program) Co-directors Hanna Ladoul and
Marco La Via are just 27 years old.
Hanna Ladoul & Marco La Via
Hanna Ladoul and Marco La Via are both 27 years old but they were born continents apart.
Hanna was born in Germany to an Algerian father and a German mother. She grew up in
both Paris and Normandy. Marco was born in Santa Barbara, California to an American father
and French mother. He moved to the south of France at the age of 6.
After studying journalism, cinema, and history in Europe, they have now lived and worked in
Los Angeles for the past 4 years. In 2016, they directed their first narrative short film, titled
Diane from the Moon starring Spirit Award winner Mya Taylor (Tangerine). We the Coyotes,
their first narrative feature film, premiered at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival, ACID section.
19IN REALITY
Canadian Premiere
USA
Directed By: Ann Lupo
Cinematography By: Nadine Martinez
Starring: Ann Lupo, Miles G. Jackson,
Kimiko Glenn
Despite boasting rich friendships and
a creative job, young filmmaker Ann
is consumed by the fantasy of finding
true love. Just when she thinks she’s
found it, she is friend-zoned and the
disappointment of rejection shoots her
down a deep rabbit hole of unrequited
love.
Looking for a way to climb out, Ann
picks up a camera and sets her sights
inward. She confronts multiple char-
acters within her conscious, from a
maniacal game show host to a glam-
orous cabaret performer, that guide
her through her investigation of the
relationship and her own neuroses.
Blending docu-style interview with
comedy, drama and hyperbolic fan-
tasies, Ann creates an elaborate,
eccentric world that manages to be
as intensely relatable as it is one of a
kind.
Notes Won Jury Award and Audience Award
at the Austin Film Festival, was a Special
Jury Mention at the LA Film Festival, and won
Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature at
Woods Hole Film Festival.
Ann Lupo
Ann Lupo (Writer, Director, Producer, Actor, Editor) is an award-winning filmmaker, producer,
and actor. After graduating from NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts she traveled the country with
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jose Antonio Vargas filming ‘Documented’, a feature length
documentary she co-directed and co-produced that tells the story of Vargas’ life growing up
as an undocumented immigrant in America. The film premiered at AFI DOCS in 2013, was
distributed by CNN Films, and is now available on Netflix and iTunes.
In 2014 she began working with director Mac Premo who trained her to be the fiercest editor
on the planet. Their notable collaborations include the Vimeo staff-picked ‘Bucket Board’
video (220K views), eight national Ford F150 commercials, and two U2 music videos (45m
views). Since then she has collaborated with Casey Neistat on several short films and ap-
peared in a Samsung commercial that aired at the 2018 Academy Awards. In 2015 she
started production on a film of her own exploring love and romance. Over the course of three
years, it became ‘In Reality’, her first feature film.
20CURTIZ
Ontario Premiere
Hungary
Directed By: Tamás Yvan Topolánszky
Cinematography By: Zoltan Devenyi
Starring: Ferenc Lengyel, Evelin
Dobos, Declan Hannigan
As America prepares to enter WW2,
Hungarian film director Michael Curtiz
grapples with political intervention and
a dysfunctional relationship with his
estranged daughter amid the troubled
production of Casablanca in 1942.
“We are in a time of war, Mr. Curtiz,
and in times of war, there are only
two camps: us and them.” It’s at
this particular crossroads between
history and cinema that the young
Swiss-Hungarian directorTamas Yvan
Topolánszky plunges his audience
with Curtiz, his first feature, a very
sophisticated black and white film
and winner of the Grand Prix des
Amériques in September at Montreal
World Film Festival, something that’s
bound to make cinephiles everywhere
very happy, given that it plunges
us onto the set of one of the film
industry’s most legendary movies:
Casablanca.” - Fabien Lemercier
Cineaeuropa
Notes Won Grand Prix des Ameriques (Best
Film) at the Montreal World Film Festival in
2018.
Tamás Yvan Topolánszky
Tamás Yvan Topolánszky is an award-winning filmmaker, writer and media designer.
He was born in 1987 in Männedorf, Switzerland, but he has grown up and started his studies
in Budapest. In 2015 he graduated as a media designer at Moholy-Nagy University of Art
and Design. During his career, he has written and directed several short films, commercials,
animations, a documentary and a feature film.
He founded JUNO11 Pictures production house with his producer & wife, Claudia Sümeghy.
His most successful short film is Letter to God (2014), which’s distributional rights was picked
up by HBO for Central-Eastern Europe after it won several prizes like the Los Angeles Short
Film Festival and the New York Short Film Festival Best Film and Best Directing award.
21LOST HOLIDAY
Canadian Premiere
USA
Directed By: Michael Matthews &
Thomas Matthews
Cinematography By: Donavan Sell
Starring: Kate Lyn Sheil, Thomas Mat-
thews, Keith Poulson, William Jack-
son Harper, Emily Mortimer
Margaret Rocklan (Kate Lyn Sheil) is
home in DC for the holiday. At an old
high school party, she’s secretly hurt
to see some of her best friends con-
forming to the bourgeoisie and goes
on a bender. Later that night, at a
drug dealers’ on the outskirts of town,
she witnesses what looks like the
pieces of a botched kidnapping.
Over the next few days, rather than
deal with the banality of her own life,
Margaret sleuth’s her way across
town. She gets in over her head,
shocker.
Traversing the weird mixed culture of
our nation’s capital, though, she gets
some perspective.
Notes Lost Holiday makes its World
Premiere at Slamdance Film Festival 2019,
and its International Premiere days later at
the Rotterdam Film Festival. The Canadian
Premiere which ta1kes place on February
2nd at 9:30pm at Pendance will mark the
third festival screening for the film in its first
week.
Thomas & Michael Matthews
Thomas and Michael are brothers who grew up in their nation’s capital. This is their
directorial debut. Michael attended NYU’s Graduate Film program. He previously produced
Newlyweeds, winner of the 2014 Film Independent Someone to Watch Award. Thomas’s
credits include 3 seasons of HBO’s The Newsroom, American Hustle, and Joy. He is also a
founding member of The Attic Theater Company.
22THE REGENT THEATRE - 551 Mt.Pleasant Rd.
The Regent Theatre at 551 Mount Pleasant
Road is an old neighbourhood theatre that
has survived into the modern era. The theatre
opened in 1927 as an entertainment and
movie venue.
It was last renovated in 1988 and renamed
the Regent, and has become a staple of
Davisville Village. It’s the home of several film
festivals in the city.
The theatre combines the most up-to-date
video projection and sound systems with
a superbly well maintained vintage interior
which seats 540 comfortably. It has the charm
of many cinema houses in Europe, and its
rare ability to blend the old with the new has
made it a staple of the Pendance brand.
23
17#storyovereverything / FA Q
What’s new in 2019?
Pendance is launching filmmaker workshops, expanding the number of screenings from 14 to
40+, and including feature films after previously only accepting shorts. We’re also adding a new
genre screening ‘PENDANCE MIDNIGHT’ on February 1st, 2019 which features a mature shorts
program of horror, thriller, comedy, and sci-fi films.
What makes your workshops so special that you
won’t shut up about them?
Both of our founding members have a strong interest and background in education, and bringing
a teaching component to Pendance was important to our entire team. We’re excited because our
workshops are designed and led by credible industry professionals, are limited to 50 students, and
offer a more hands-on style of teaching than the conventional panel/lecture model. Hopefully, this
encourages more dialogue and creates an open learning environment.
What’s the secret sauce behind the growth?
No secret sauce - we just work really f**king hard at it. We’re also fortunate to be supported by
some incredible artists and distributors globally. We started top-down. We brought our message to
the very best film schools, distribution companies, and filmmakers we could find.
We used the contacts and credibility we’d gained as a film studio and parlayed that into a series of
elevator pitches with industry leaders. We gained invaluable insight into the festival industry and
won support by expressing ideas on how we planned to do things differently with Pendance. In
2017, we set out to make Pendance one of the best film festivals in the world. We’re all just a bit
humbled and surprised by how fast that’s actually happening.
January 31st - Feb 3rd in Toronto, Canada...
Do you watch the Weather Network?
We passionately believe in developing a stronger Canadian identity. For decades, the cultural
events calendar in Toronto has been summer/fall heavy, fearing global perceptions about Toronto
winters. Toronto is the third largest market in North America. It’s time to stop caring about whether
Joe from Iowa and Stacy from Kentucky like Toronto winters. This thinking is archaic, and it doesn’t
reflect the reality of this rapidly expanding city in 2018. We’re a Toronto festival that looks like a
Toronto festival. Cold? Bring a hat.
Furthermore, as feature films have increasingly shorter festival runs, those that screen at
Sundance almost never come to festivals in Toronto. Pendance solves this problem, as we
program the week after Sundance each year. In future editions, this will offer filmmakers screening
at Sundance a chance to hop on a flight to Toronto and have an encore a week later.
24ROBERT MISOVIC - Festival Director & Founder
Robert is a Serbian-Canadian film director, and cinematographer. He’s a published author and a
serial entrepreneur. Robert graduated from the University of Toronto in 2011 and began working at
a Boston hedge fund as a proprietary trader. In 2016, he launched Pensare Films, a Canadian film
studio that has now produced 10 films which have screened at over 150 film festivals.
TIJANA MILENKOVIC - Gala Director
Tijana brings fifteen years of experience directing and producing licensed TV franchises such as;
Kitchen Nightmare, X Factor, and Wheel of Fortune. Other experience includes work on feature
films, TV dramas, commercials, and talk shows. She holds a BFA in directing from the
Academy of Arts, Belgrade.
ANASTASIA BUTERINA - Designer & Senior Programmer
Anastasia brings experience through her design and organization work with the Reelworld Film
Festival in Toronto, and the Victoria TX Independent Film Festival in Texas. She has worked as a
graphic designer and web designer for several key brands. Buterina is also the founder of Shut Up
& Yoga online magazine and has worked on 5 films over the past 2 years.
ROBERT CORMIER - Shorts Programmer & Coordinator
Robert is an actor, writer, and producer from Toronto, Ontario. He’s appeared in numerous films,
TV shows, and advertisements. His most recent work includes; A Netflix series, Jasmin Mozaf-
fari’s feature film FireCrackers, which premiered at TIFF 2018 and booking a role on a series set
to debut on Amazon Prime.
BARRY GERMANSKY - Features Programmer
Barry is a playwright, screenwriter, director, and producer. He graduated summa cum laude from
York University in 2013 with an honors BA in humanities. He’s written countless screenplays, stage
plays, and directed the 2016 feature film A Journey to a Journey.
ANDJELIKA JAVORINA - Event Coordinator & Co-Founder
Andjelika graduated from the University of Toronto and NYU. She has performed with the Ca-
nadian Idols and scored 6 films, most notably, Tibor which screened at Hot Docs 2018. She has
performed for former Prime Minister Stephen Harper, for the Chinese Consulate, and the Serbian
Consul General in Toronto. She’s also a member of SOCAN and ORMTA.
TORU GABRIELA MIYAKE GALLARDO - Artistic Director & Sponsorships
Toru’s love affair with cinema started in Japan and has only intensified since her move to Toronto
in 1998. She has established herself as a leader at Pensare Films Film Studio, a relentless entre-
preneur, and a top makeup artist in the Toronto film industry.
AHARON JINJIHASHVILI - Operations & Programmer
Aharon is an Israeli filmmaker and photographer. He studied film at the Camera
Obscure Film School and acting at the Ivana Chubbuck Acting School in Israel. He decided to
move to Canada in order to pursue his dream of directing films and graduated from the InFocus
Film School in Vancouver.
MASHA LITVINAVA - Filmmaker Relations
Masha is a fourth-year student at the Schulich School of Business and has a keen interest in film
and theatre. She is the youngest member of the Pendance team. Masha has also worked as a
production assistant on two of Pensare Films’ biggest projects.
25#thefuture #meetthedirectors These are the first 35 filmmakers selected to PFF2019
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