Antwerp, Belgium
Helsingborg, Sweden
Tomelilla, Sweden
Osby, Sweden
Eslöv, Sweden
South Korea
Cardiff, Canton, UK
Rodos, Greece
Espinho, Portugal
Moscow, Russia
Fredrik Gertten, Lina Bertilsson, Emma Svensson and Margarete Jangård from WG film, having a nice lunch break in the local park.
The subject of court injunctions and multiple attempts at suppression, BANANAS!* isn’t your usual documentary. Dogwoof are delighted to be able to bring this astonishing film to the UK on DVD.
The DVD comes in an eco-friendly Dogwoof DVD sleeve and contains an exclusive interview with director Fredrik Gertten, trailers and the short film "Pictures from a Banana Plantation". Find out just what Dole wanted to repress by getting hold of one of the most talked about documentary films of recent years on DVD today. UK fans: buy here!
I bought a rainforest gets its Scandinavian premiere at the festival Nordisk Panorama in Bergen, Norway between September 24 - 29. The film is one of 12 documentaries selected to compete in the category New Nordic Voices.
Nordisk Panorama is one of the top film festivals in the North, and is held for the 21st time in September. Producer Margarete Jangård and Lina Bertilsson and directors Jacob Andrén and Helena Nygren will be there to present the film.
BANANAS!* won second prize in the "feature length" category at the Ecofilms festival 2010 in Rodos, Greece.
Words from the jury:
"A surprisingly well told story of killer capitalism told as a haunting legal thriller and a gripping court room drama. A gripping drama of poor workers in Nicaragua that try to get justice in THE court rooms of Los Angeles against powerful multinationals. A suspenseful saga of David and Goliath in a world where justice does not always come to those who need or deserve it." Read full article..
The “Rodon” open air cinema at the award ceremony of the 10th annual Ecofilms festival.
Last week BANANAS!* returned to Los Angeles for a one night screening at the Downtown Independent theater. Recently the film was also shown on Moscow International Film Festival (Russia), Ecofilms - Rodοs International Film Festival (Greece) and FICA International Film Festival (Brazil). This week the film is screened in the UK at The Chapter, Cardiff.
Director Fredrik Gertten was meant to meet Dole in the LA-court the day after the screening in the US, but Dole once again requested to postpone the hearing in the BANANAS!* case.
The new date in court will be August 19. Read more...
The Canadian co-producer of BANANAS!*, Bart Simpson, just returned from FICA Environmental Film Festival in Goiás, Brazil - with great news - BANANAS!* won the Audience Award for favourite film!
Bart Simpson from BANANAS!* team with Audience Award at FICA 2010, along with Croatian animator Milivoj Popovic and translator Juliania Passos.
"From the 28 films in official compeition (all lengths and genres, including Oscar®-winner The Cove), the audience chose BANANAS!* as best film. Very flattering, and a great burst of energy for our production team after dealing with lawsuits, misinformed US media articles and a halted release strategy. Most importantly, it keeps the spotlight on the conditions of the workers in Chinandega. The win is already reported in the Nicaraguan press." - Bart Simpson. Read more...
London based distributor Dogwoof brought BANANAS!* to UK cinemas on Friday 16th April with a two week run at Londons ICA and the Queens Film Theatre, Belfast. BANANAS!* has gone on to be booked in cinemas in every capital city in the UK with upcoming bookings in Cardiff and Edinburgh. Updated booking links will be published as and when they are live online and can be found here.
Dogwoof has a track record for bringing the best in socially minded and ethically aware films to UK cinemas and teaming these releases with innovative campaign to raise awareness of the films themselves and the issues surrounding them.
The Age of Stupid set a world record for the highest ever attendance at a film premiere for the satellite broadcast of its world premiere in April 9 while Burma VJ (Academy Award® nominee) was the first film ever screened at No. 10 Downing Street on the eve of the 64th Birthday of Burma’s detained former leader Aung San Sui Kyi.
The official home page for our new documentary I bought a rainforest is now open! On www.iboughtarainforest.com you can read more about the film and get to know the characters that have dedicated their lives to save the rainforest!
The site also holds important information about the rainforest, and what you can do to save it! On the page "Threats" in the top-menu you can watch 35 minutes of exclusive extra-material that never got in the film! Take me there!
Now it is official that our film, I bought a rainforest gets its world premiere at the famous documentary film festival Hot Docs in Toronto, Canada! The film is in competition for best documentary in the category Small acts.
Directors Jacob Andrén and Helena Nygren is attending the festival as well as the producers Margarete Jangård and Fredrik Gertten. Hot Docs this year shows 166 films from 41 countries. The festival runs from June 29 April - 9 May.
Viewing hours are:
Sun 2 / 5 12.00 - The ROM Theater
Tues 4 / 5 21.30 - The ROM Theater
Our sales agent for I bought a rain forest is Jan Rofekamp at Films Transit, Montreal, Canada and this year the festival takes on a special Jan Rofekamp initiative with attention to his films. The film is also available in the festival's own Doc Shop, a marketplace for distributors, buyers and festival agents, which last year had over 400 visitors and 10 000 unique views of films.
Between the 16-18, 21-22, 24-25th of April, BANANAS!* will be screened at the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) in London, UK.
The ICA, established in 1947 by a collective of artists, poets and writers to explore contemporary culture across the broadest platforms, the ICA has been at the forefront of artistic experiment since its formation and has presented some of the most radical exhibitions, artists, films, music and thought to have shaped our world. It continues today as a dedicated space for new, experimental and independent arts practice and ideas.
Oscilloscope Laboratories, a New York based film production and theatrical distribution company, has snapped up the US rights to BANANAS!*.
Oscilloscope was launched in 2008 by Adam Yauch of the Beastie Boys, who modeled the company after the indie record labels that he grew up around, choosing films and then marketing them with the same artistic integrity with which they were made. The company, which is an extension of Yauch’s recording studio of the same name, has an in-house DVD distribution and production arm, and the paper packaging is reminiscent of the heyday of LP record jackets. All of the company’s DVD packaging is (free of any plastic) printed on FSC Certified 80% post-consumer waste paper and produced in a carbon neutral, hydroelectric, ISO- 9001 and ISO- 14001 certified plant.
"The Oscar with brain" - Bob Geldof
BANANAS!* has been nominated for the International Green Film Award 2010 at the Cinema For Peace Gala in Berlin on February 15th. It´s a strong field of competitors for this prestigious award with movies like James Cameron´s Avatar amongst the nominated.
Words from the jury:
"With BANANAS!* you did not only chronicle a landmark court case. In realizing this upsetting feature you also carry a message for humanity: You intentionally provoke basic important questions about power relations in our globalized world."
The prize will be announced and handed out by actor Leonardo DiCaprio and former president Mikhail Gorbachev. DiCaprio was awarded last year along with Gus Van Sant and his feature film Milk. During the gala the international film industry will meet to display and honour social and humanitarian achievements connected to the world of film. This is the ninth time the annual gala is held, and it will take place on Monday, February 15th, at Konzerthaus Berlin.
Read more at www.cinemaforpeace.com
For ticket requests, send an e-mail to guest@cinemaforpeace.com
WG Film returns to Central America in the new documentary I bought a rainforest, directed by Jacob Andrén and Helena Nygren. The film premieres, in competition, at Gothenburg Film Festival on January 30.
Jacob Andrén, an ordinary young man, is thinking back upon his days in primary school. He is wondering about what happened to all those trees that he and his classmates bought after raising money on a flea market. They received a certificate, he recalls. But that was almost 20 years ago.
Did their effort really make a difference?
Is the forest still there?
The film is competing in the category Dragon Award - Best Swedish Documentary on Gothenburg Film Festival (January 29 - February 8). It's produced by WG Film in co-operation with Gebrüder Beetz (Germany), SVT (Sweden) and Film i Skåne (Sweden).
Two men of the Swedish parliament Mats Johansson and Luciano Astudillo who demanded that Dole Food Company shall withdraw the lawsuit of the producers of the film BANANAS! * is now raising the question to the Government.
Thursday, October 15, 1.30 p.m the Swedish minister of culture Lena Adelsohn Liljeroth meets with the director Fredrik Gertten, the expression-lawyer Percy Bratt, and the two deputies to get a deeper insight into the matter.
Mats Johansson and Luciano Astudillo has on the same day invited representatives of the Swedish food chains Coop, ICA and Axfood to an informal lunch in the parliament so they can get a clearer picture of why the Swedish parlament have reacted so strongly against Doles lawsuit.
BANANAS!* was screened in a fully booked meeting room in the Swedish parliament on October 1. The will to defend free speech was overwhelming from politicians from left to right.
After the screening, parliament members Mats Johansson (m) and Luciano Astudillo (s) launched a cross-party petition, collecting names in the Parliament. In the petition they are asking Dole to withdraw their lawsuit. Read more...
Free speech lawyer Percy Bratt and director Fredrik Gertten.
Photo: Olof Lavesson.
Following a press release about the meeting, Michael Carter, Executive Vice President of Dole, sent a letter to Johansson and Astudillo. In the letter, Carter provides Dole’s perspective on BANANAS!* and “a more complete understanding, given the October 1 screening”. Read more...
MAY 5th
BANANAS!* is selected for competition at the Los Angeles Film Festival.
JUNE 5th
BANANAS!* is moved out of competition, because the pressure from Dole to take legal actions was too big.
JUNE 20th
BANANAS!* is screened at the festival, out of competition. At least ten people from Dole are sitting in the audience, taking notes.
JULI 8th
Fredrik Gertten, producer Margarete Jangård and WG Film are sued by Dole for showing the film at the festival despite their warnings.
Read the full timeline on BANANAS!* official homepage
www.bananasthemovie.com
Kerstin Übelacker and Michael Cavanaghs documentary The Leftovers has been selected for the 2010 edition of FEST - International Film Festival in Espinho, Portugal between June 20-27th.
Read more...
Fredrik Gertten is in Warsaw for the Polish premiere of BANANAS!*, held at the legendary Kinoteka theater in the great palace of culture (see picture).
Poland will go BANANAS! *. The movie will be released on cinemas, DVD and television in Poland by the Polish distributor Against Gravity.
Andrés Habegger's movie Final Image won the main prize at the Al Jazeera Film Festival in Qatar - Al Jazeera Golden Award. The film competed with 52 other documentaries and the winning score of 50.000 Qatari Riyal was awarded to the film's main producer and director.
The 94-minute film tells about Leonardo Henrichsen, an Argentine journalist who was able to capture on camera his own death when he was shot, as he filmed an attempted military coup against Chilean President Salvador Allende in 1973.
Our sales agent Autlook Filmsales has now sold the cinema and DVD rights to more countries:
Mongrel Media (Canada),
Projektor (Germany),
Stadtkino (Austria),
Against Gravity (Poland),
Oscilloscope (U.S) and
Dogwoof (U.K)
During this summer and autumn, we at WG Film will develop five new documentaries and hopefully with the support from EU's MEDIA SLATE FUNDING!
On the picture, four proud employees of WG film that has just completed the heavy application to MEDIA. We welcome our new co-worker Lina Bertilsson, who started here just in the middle of this heat (far right in picture).
Our London based distributor Dogwoof will be bringing BANANAS!* to the UK cinemas from Friday 16th April. Dogwoof is now planning the relase of the film on British cinemas. The DVD is relased in England later this spring.
The Academy Award-nominated documentary Burma VJ, that has won over 50 international prices so far is released on DVD in Sweden. The DVD is distributed by Noble Entertainment and is avaliable in our web-shop. Don't miss this fantastic movie!
Swedish website Filmnyheterna.se compiles the Swedish critic scores for Swedish cinema releases 2009. BANANAS!* hits nr 5 with an average score of 3.56.