See an award-winning Spanish/Bolivian film and meet IC alum and casting director RODRIGO BELLOTT

UPSTATE NEW YORK PREMIERE: Even the Rain is a narrative feature film that chronicles a filmmaker who goes to Bolivia to make a film about Columbus in the New World, and encounters the indigeneous people dealing with the Cochabamba water issues.  Casting director and IC alum Rodrigo Bellott will be on hand for the post-screening discussion.

ONLY TWO SCREENINGS AT CINEMAPOLIS (NOTE THAT THERE IS NO FRIDAY SCREENING): 

THURSDAY APRIL 14  7:20
SATURDAY  APRIL 16 7:10

Use your FLEFF pass, or $9.50 general admission, $8 for students and senior citizens.

About the film:

Even the Rain (Iciar Bollain, Spain, 2010; 104 min)  Filmmaker Sebastian arrives in Cochabamba accompanied by a cast and crew ready to make a film about Columbus’s first voyage to the New World and the subsequent subjugation of the indigenous population. Sebastian wants to focus on the experience of Bartolome de las Casas and Antonio de Montesinos who was so distraught over the treatment of the natives that he dedicated the rest of his life to their cause. His producer Costa has chosen Bolivia, the poorest country in South America, because it makes sense economically. Extras are willing to work long hours for just two dollars a day.

About Rodrigo Bellott 

Rodrigo Bellott  was born in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. He has a BFA in Film, Photography and Visual Arts from Ithaca College. His first student film, DESTIERRO, was one of five films around the world nominated for a student Academy Award in 2001.

In college, Rodrigo wrote and directed DEPENDENCIA SEXUAL (Sexual Dependency), his first feature film with its world premiere at the 2003 Locarno Film Festival. It won the FIPRESCI award. The film was a box office success in Bolivia, marking the re-birth of Bolivian cinema as the country's first official selection competing for "Best Foreign Language Film" at the 2004 Academy Awards. Rodrigo's second feature as director, WHO KILLED THE WHITE LLAMA?, the highest grossing box office success in Bolivian History.

In 2007, VARIETY named Rodrigo as one of the TOP TEN Latin American talents to watch.  In 2007, he   worked as CASTING DIRECTOR for CHE part I and II, directed by Academy Award winner Steven Soderbergh, starred by BENICIO DEL TORO. He has worked as Casting Director in 10 other international films In January 2010, CONTRACORRIENTE, a Perubian film Casted by Rodrigo, received the prestigious Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival, in Park City Utah. Cannes.

Rodrigo’s last two features as a Casting Director were CONTRACORRIENTE and EVEN THE RAIN,  recently been selected by their respective countries (Peru and Spain) to compete for “Best Foreign Film” at the Academy Awards.

Like crocuses popping up in Spring, it's the return of an annual tradition at FLEFF:  a panel of entertainment industry insiders sharing the inside scoop.

Directors, screenwriters, distributors, and global innovators tell their stories of how they got their breaks. And they also reveal how YOU can break into the industry, from Hollywood, to indiewood, and to all the other exciting emerging zones of global media worlds.

Moderated, with his usual good cheer and elan, by FLEFF advisory board member and TVR faculty member Steve Gordon, formerly of Viacom.

Friday, April 15
4-5:30 p.m.
How to Get Your Break  
Williams 225
Ithaca College 
FREE

Moderated by Steve Gordon, featuring

Rodrigo Bellott (Even the Rain and IC alum)

Rodrigo Brandao (Kino Lorber Films and IC alum)

Karin Chien (dgenerate films)

Tina Mabry (Mississippi Damned)

FLEFF: A Different Environment  

For more information on festival events and screenings for FLEFF 2011 Checkpoints running April 10-17, check here:  www.ithaca.edu/fleff

FLEFF and Cinemapolis have unspooled a one-week only treat for festival goers to celebrate that we are now back from Web 2.0 to RL (real life):

$35 for five extraordinary Finger Lakes Environmental Film Festival films at Cinemapolis for our 2011 edition for faculty and staff.

But only if you buy before Friday, April 8 at 5 p.m. It's a ONE WEEK ONLY PRE-FESTIVAL PRICE.

Passes increase to $45 for five once the IC Bookstore closes its doors on Friday.

If you are an IC student, run, jog, walk, skip to the IC Bookstore ASAP to secure a FLEFF festival five pass for the all-time low price of $20.  Only the first 200 passes will be sold to students at this price--and we are nearing our quota. So don't procrastinate!

This year FLEFF's 2011 edition Checkpoints hosts more filmmakers, more music, more industry professionals, and more films downtown than ever before: Danny Schechter, David Brancaccio, Jenny Stein, James LaVeck, Helen de Michiel, Karin Chien, Maple Razsa, Rodrigo Bellott, Rodrigo Brandao, Arthur Smith, Tina Mabry, Franklin Lopez, Tom Swartwout, Carol Jennings, Cynthia Henderson, Karen Rodriguez.

Plus:  live music for silent film by Fe Nunn and Friends, Robby Aceto, Chris White, Peter Dodge, and John Stetch.

Plus: performances by Cynthia Henderson and Josephine Baker.

Plus:  62 screening downtown alone, with films from Boliva,Spain, Israel, US, Palestine, Thailand, China, the Arctic, Mexico, UK, Canada, France, Russia and Indiewood.

See you at the Checkpoint.

FLEFF, A Different Environment

www.ithaca.edu.fleff