The Culture & Cultures Intercultural Film Festival has been making good use of the two theaters at the Abbaye Ecole in Soreze this week. Anne and I have been running around the corner and up the street to help out, selling and punching tickets.
Images from The Mountain Thief, the opening movie for the C&CIFF in Soreze.
The Mountain Thief is the first feature film by young director Gerry Balasta. In 2004, Gerry went back to the Philippines, where he was born and raised, and started an acting workshop open to the residents of the Philippine’s largest garbage-collecting town of Promised Land and Urban, Payatas. He used residents of the town who graduated from his workshop as the actors in The Mountain Thief when he shot it on location at the garbage-collecting town with a small crew.
In 2009, Gerry started THE MOUNT HOPE PROJECT, to assist the scavenger-actors who acted in his film. In late 2009, with money raised through the supporters and fans of the film, two of the children involved in the film received medical care, including surgery for one child with a club foot deformity.
Gerry Balasta was present at the screening to answer questions from the audience about the film and his ongoing work with the Mount Hope Project. It was a moving and inspiring start to this remarkable film festival, which, for the second year, is screening some of its films in our little village of Soreze.
More soon.
Love for now.
N2
4 comments:
Wait, you're in the south of France? Sounds like a cool trip - we'll compare notes when I get home. Have fun!
That sounds like a very cool film festival -- and hopefully some of the movies will travel out here to Los Angeles.
Thanks for your kind and very wise words over at my blog today. You are a powerful writer!
I believe that we all change the world, like pebbles tossed into a pond. But some people are more like boulders, Gerry Balasta is one of those. Thanks for highlighting The Mountain Thief.
Hey Ladies, thanks for droppin by!
@Claire: I'm loving reading about your German adventures. What a great way to research your book!
@Elizabeth: I truly admire the way you keep up the good fight for Sophie. My thoughts are with you, Dear.
@Kathleen: Yes, Gerry is a valiant young man using his art to try to help others. His movie is worth supporting.
Hugs to Y'All. N2
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