Volunteer Spotlight: Julia Macnelly
SEEfest Staff Writer | November 16, 2014, 8:05 PM
Get to know Julia Macnelly, SEEfest 2014 Festival Coordinator and World Traveler.
Здрасти от България!
I’m writing to you from Tryavna, a very small and equally quaint town in the center of Bulgaria that is known for artisan crafts like wood carving, silver filigree, and icon painting. We also have cobblestone streets and a clocktower that sings an operatic rendition of a famous local poet’s verse every night at 10 pm, seriously. I’m living here for the year on a Fulbright grant, teaching English to the students in 8-12th grades at Petko Slaveikov uchilishte (school). The town is situated within the Balkan mountain range, so you can basically walk ten minutes in most directions for beautiful razxodki (hikes…did I mention this blog post is also a Bulgarian language lesson?)
I’ve made several trips around Southeastern Europe in the last few years, so in some ways it feels very familiar being here in the region—but mostly my life feels so completely different. I am learning the ways of the Bulgarian school system (lots and lots of bureaucratic busywork. Your signature is literally required at least 3 times per day for various things) and trying to communicate with my very welcoming colleagues in Bulgarian (I have so far heard that I either have a Czech, Polish, Croatian, Russian, Slovenian, or Romanian accent, but never an American one, so maybe I’m on my way?) I’m also starting a chapter of the BEST Foundation (Bulgarian English Speech Tournament, http://bestfoundation.bg/) at my school, which means I will be coaching students in performing prose, poetry, original work, and debates, all in English—obviously they’re brave souls!
I will be here through the end of the school year next June, which means, sadly, that I will have to miss SEEfest’s 10th anniversary. I had such a wonderful experience working with the festival for the first time this past May and can’t wait to rejoin the team when I’m back in the States. I have loved sharing my stories about Southeastern Europe with friends and family, and so I’m truly proud to be a part of this event which brings this slice of the world to an even wider audience. I hope this year is the best yet, and I look forward to keeping up with the festival from overseas.
– Julia
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South East European Films at AFI 2014
Vera Mijojlic | November 2, 2014, 6:36 PM
We are excited to see the SEE films represented at AFI this year!
The American Film Institute Film Festival is opening this week; from November 6th to November 13th. Among the great films lined up, they are featuring five SEE films.
SEEfest is sponsoring Viktoria and The Vanquishing of the Witch Baba Yaga. Viktoria is a Bulgarian Film about a young woman growing up in the midst of political upheaval. The Vanquishing of the Witch Baba Yaga is a look into a famous Slavic folktale. The film is represented by the USA, Ukraine, Russia and Poland. Follow the links above to see a full synopsis, director’s bio and trailer.
In addition to the films we are sponsoring, there are three other SEE films in the festival. Rabbitland, a Serbian short film, The Blue Wave, a Turkish feature, and A Portrait of Marina Abramovic, a Short American Doc about a Serbian Conceptual Artist.
Join us for this years festival and support SEE cinema!
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Volunteer Spotlight: Shae Popovich
I was born in Niagara Falls, Canada and moved to LA after winning a green card in the lottery. I’ve been an actor for many years but in 2002, with the drumbeat of war in Iraq, I put my acting on the back-burner and got involved in social justice causes. I was the Associate Director of a non-profit peace and justice organization called Office of the Americas from 2007-2010. While there, I was fortunate enough to be sent on two fact-finding delegations in the Gaza Strip and Cairo, as well as work with several organizations including Codepink, and the ACLU. I have a passion for social justice!
Currently, I work part-time as an Assistant and Manager of a small business and I’ve recently returned to my love of performing and recently shot an indie film entitled “Citizens United” and will be guesting on a web series in Vermont entitled “Queen Dad”. I write poetry, I am learning to play guitar, I love to read and play tennis and study conversational French.
I am pleased to be helping out with SEEfest 2015. One of my favorite pastimes is watching foreign films and documentaries and SEEfest has an amazing lineup of films. SEEfest’s promotion of the cultural diversity of Southeast Europe in it’s presentation of films from the region, provides me with a window into the area where my father and his family are from in Serbia as well my mother’s family in Croatia. SEEfest’s incredible leader, Vera Mijolic, is a pleasure to work with. I first volunteered for Vera many years ago when she ran the International Rescue Committee and I am happy to be back with her and the hard-working and oh so fun volunteers!
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“Waiting for August” Romanian Film in U.S. Theaters
SEEfest Staff Writer | October 6, 2014, 1:01 PM
We are excited to announce the Romanian documentary “Waiting for August,” directed by Teodora Ana Mihai, has landed limited theatrical distribution in the States!
The film won Best Documentary at Karlovy Vary and Best International Feature Documentary at HotDocs.
The synopsis reads:
Georgiana Halmac turns 15 this winter. She lives with her six brothers and sisters in a social housing condo on the outskirts of Bacau, Romania. Their mother Liliana was forced to leave her family behind to go to 
Turin, Italy, to earn money. She won’t be back before summer. During their mother’s absence, Georgiana has been catapulted into the role of head of the family, responsible for her siblings. Her adolescence is cut brutally short.
Caught between puberty and responsibility, Georgiana moves ahead, improvising as she goes. Phone conversations with her mom are her only guidelines. Intimate scenes from the daily life of the seven siblings show us – in an uncensored, fly-on-the-wall style – how real events are experienced and interpreted with great imagination by the children.
The film will be distributed by Rise and Shine and will be playing at Laemmle theaters until October 9th.
To see show times and purchase tickets click, here.
To learn more about the film visit the following websites:
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Support South East European Films in their Bids for the Best Foreign Language Film
Vera Mijojlic | September 30, 2014, 4:02 PM
Films from countries clustered in and around the region of South East Europe (SEE) represent 20 percent of all submissions for the Best Foreign Language Fi
lm! And if you add films from countries not from the same geographical region but which are thematically about it, such as the acclaimed Swedish entry last year (“Eat, sleep, die”), the SEE contingent is proportionally even bigger.
SEEfest congratulates ALL filmmakers whose films are traveling to Hollywood this Fall. We invite all our fans and many SEE expats who live and work in Hollywood to support the films and help spread the word. As a block of non-affiliated industry supporters (“NAIL”), all of us can influence and champion, promote and help our colleagues regardless of the country. Twenty percent will get us attention, and that is the name of the game this Fall: getting the attention of voters. Let’s lock ‘em some votes, and nail that Hollywood spotlight! We have 20 times more power as a block of influencers to do that.
Here’s the complete list of films:
Austria, The Dark Valley, Andreas Prochaska (director of this year’s SEEfest sold-out gala premiere of SARAJEVO)
Bosnia Herzegovina, With Mom, Faruk Loncarevic
Bulgaria, Bulgarian Rhapsody, Ivan Nitchev
Croatia, Cowboys, Tomislav Mrsic
Estonia, Tangerines, Zaza Urushadze – (story based in Georgia)
Georgia, Corn Island, Giorgi Ovashvili
Greece, Little England, Pantelis Voulgaris
Hungary, White God, KornÈl Mundruczo
Kosovo, Three windows and a hanging, Isa Qosja
Macedonia, To the Hilt, Stole Popov
Montenegro, The Boys from Marx and Engels Street, Nikola Vukcevic
Romania, The Japanese Dog, Tudor Cristian Jurgiu
Serbia, See You in Montevideo, Dragan Bjelogrlic
Slovenia, Seduce me, Marko Santic (shared this year SEEfest Grand Prix for Best Film)
Turkey, Winter Sleep, Nuri Bilge Ceylan
Help champion the voice of independents!
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The World Traveler: Hungary
SEEfest Staff Writer | September 14, 2014, 11:28 AM
Kohary Winery – Eger, Hungary
Courtesy of Cathy and Carey Roth
We were on a Rick Steves’ Tour of Eastern Europe which included Hungary. Our tour bus pulled into the lovely vineyards and winery building where a fine lunch was served as we sampled the surprisingly good wines of Kohary. A wonderful violinist, Tony, serenaded us with soaring classic and contemporary melodies. The sun was bright and the setting was perfect to enjoy Hungarian country hospitality.
Gelato!
What a surprise! Krakow had by far the best gelato in Eastern Europe! We enjoyed the all-natural flavors and beautiful colors of their luscious creations! Who could resist? The shopkeepers tempted us with their wares overlooking the sidewalks, sometimes more than one per block! They used local summer fruits we wouldn’t find at home. Gelato was our afternoon treat.
In the evening, we dined at a charming outdoor restaurant on the square. Part of the ambiance was that the whole square was lined with such restaurants, so we were one of many couples having a romantic meal. From our table we could see the shiny white horse-drawn carriages going by. The horses were large, strong, and handsome; none of the run-down kind we’ve seen in many cities. We had already taken the carriage ride up to the castle to get the view. Later we walked down the cobblestone street to our hotel.
We also tasted Krakow home cooking at the Milk Bar, a hold-over from Communist days when people needed cheap food. It is still super inexpensive ($4.00 for lunch), and super good: a large roasted chicken leg, mashed potatoes, and choice of salad. Yum!
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Submit Your Film for SEEfest10
Vera Mijojlic | September 3, 2014, 4:21 PM
We are ecstatic for our 10th annual South East European Film Festival and we can’t wait for you to be a part of it. Submit your film today!
We are welcoming features, narrative documentaries, short documentaries, short features and animated shorts. To qualify, films must be from or about South Eastern Europe. Submissions are free and are due no later than January 15, 2014. SEEfest is a non-profit organization that fosters communication and collaboration between Southern California and South Eastern Europe through film, art and culture. The festival is made possible by some of the most prestigious organizations and professionals worldwide.
Become a part of the SEEfest family and submit your film, here.
Want to see some previous SEEfest action? Check out our galleries!
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SEEfest is Making LA the Best Place to Play
Vera Mijojlic | August 28, 2014, 2:49 PM
Balkan – L.A. Cultural Crossroads is a GOOD initiative to increase awareness of Balkan culture in LA.
What is GOOD? Good is an initiative to make LA the city of our dreams in 2050.
Our challenge: How would you use $100,000 to make LA2050 the best place to play?
Our idea: SEEfest will put on a yearlong program that showcases the cultures of the Balkans through film and live performance by Los Angeles artists. To achieve this, we will partner with KLCS-TV and the Los Angeles Unified School District, specifically LAUSD’s career technical education divisions. These partnerships are two-fold, contributing toward development of our programs and ideas, and channeling student integration in the programs with job training.
Our Plan: No less than 10 multi-disciplinary programs, including original production of performances by California-based artists, providing audiences with a vibrant snapshot of the art, music, film, popular theater and dances from South East Europe (SEE). The program will also serve as the training ground for our partner’s career technical education students to apply their skills and get access to creative industries, jobs and marketplace. Our Project will promote social cohesion among Americans from
Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece, Georgia in the Caucasus, Hungary, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Turkey (and other ‘pockets’ of smaller ethnic/linguistic groups from Eastern Europe) and will achieve this with programs that are representative of these cultures and possess qualities that can attract more mainstream American audiences at large.
Here’s how YOU can help: Come September 2nd, we need all of you to vote come. Every person can vote once; all you need to do is create an account. We need your help to expand Balkan Culture in LA.
Let’s make LA the best place to play! #BalkansLA
For more info about our initiative, click here.
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The 67th Edition of the Locarno Film Festival
The 67th Locarno Film Festival opened today and The Hollywood Reporter has your MUST-SEE events of the festival. Read the full article here.
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