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We met two of the most eager festival guests, who have arrived in Izola before the official opening. Pablo Trapero and Lisandro Alonso, the godfather and the enfant terrible of the new Argentinian cinema provided us with some insights into their work and a few fresh impressions on the festival hustle and bustle. Both interviews were made by the prolific international Happy DV gonzo-outfit (Salud!).

Olaf Möller, for Isola Cinema

Roger Gnoan M'Bala, famous for his social satires, once said – but does he still believe it, does it still work like that? Gnoan – born in 1943 in Grand Bassam; educated in the craft of directing in France and Sweden – belongs, together with the late and production-wise sadly marginal Etienne N'Dabian Vodio, to the second generation of filmmakers from the Ivory Coast.

Helmut Groschup, for Isola Cinema

African filmmaking is too often equated with film production from Mali, Senegal and Burkina Faso. It is true, of course, that these countries have produced many excellent directors, such as Djibril Diop Mambéty from Dakar, Bamako’s Souleyman Cissé and Idrissa Ouédraogo from Ouagadougou. Yet the cinema of these countries is largely influenced by the traditions of their colonial past. Besides being critical, it also reflects a conformity which is the inevitable result of economic restrictions. Being involved in filmmaking means, first and foremost, complying with the dictates of the market and with production demands.

Stout boys and girls from the volunteering brigade and their friends from the happy dv workshop have certainly had their hands full yesterday. The festival camp - Shrimp was finally conceived! But this is not the only victory of the day for the Shrimp got company - a brand new festival Fish. To see more photos of yesterday, click here.

The Travelling Island is the Isola Cinema film festival action with an aim to connect the festival with other cinemas in Slovenia, Croatia and Friuli-Venezia Giulia. From the end of April to the end of May the Isola Cinema cinema caravan is going to pass through numerous towns throughout the regions and organize film nights in cooperation with local clubs, societies and film lovers.

“I wish you keep the festival simple as it is – so fragile, intimate that it is precious.” This words arrived a few days ago by e-mail from Apichatpong Weerasethakul. And, as a matter of fact, they encompass all our wishes for the next year. Let it be like it was as much as it possibly can, is our unusually conservative starting point. The first Isola Cinema festival turned out well, surprisingly for us too, and now we would like to keep it such: we will not even change its date – see you then between May 25 and May 29, 2005.

Dear friends, very happy 2005 for you, too!

I'm happy to hear that Otok is going strong. I'm currently in Brazil, but flying back to Helsinki in a couple of weeks. "Honey Baby" is going to be released in Finland in the end of January and later in Germany, France and Russia.

Thanks for your mail and i too wish all the friends at Isola film festival a happy new year. I have just completed my new film called "Hasina", which deals with the a muslim women and her blind daughter.

Hope I will be able to present the film at Isola sometime in future.

Regards,

Girish Kasaravalli

Your email reminded me of a nice time I had in Slovenia - albeit short. I remember I was enjoying Kitano's outdoor screening even though I didn't understand a word. I wish I could go back to experience the sun and the people again in the future.

a festival diary by olaf möller

More guests pop up: Mika Kaurismäki, Asa Mader - who seems to make a lot of the females of the species mighty nervous... -, Shaji Karun, Girish Kasaravalli, and my special friend Želimir Žilnik - so, they all really came.
Apichatpong seems to enjoy himself immensly - Izola is probably a Godsend after the usual Cannes-terror. Also, the table-football is in constant demand: Another good sign ...