The period for submissions for the Dominican Short Film Competition is now closed. The Dominican Global Film Festival (DRGFF) would like to thank you for your interest. - Semi-results - The 11 Special Mentions of the I Short Films Competition are here!
No 1 No 2 No 3 No 4 No 5 No 6 No 7 No 8 No 9 No 10
This III Edition of the DR Global Film Festival wants to honor one of the most representative and bright star of the film scene offering a tribute to the distinguished international actor Omar Sharif.
Born Michel Demitri Shalhoub in Alexandria, Egypt, in 1932. Raised as a Roman Catholic. He graduated in Mathematics and Physics at Victoria College in Alexandria and Cairo University.
After working in the family business he started his acting career in Egypt where soon became a household name. He married his partner on the screen, the Egyptian actress Faten Hamamain and converted to Islam taking the name Omar al-Sharif. The couple had one son, Tarek and, after their divorce in 1974, he never remarried.
Bridge, horses and gambling were his passions since the 60s and for almost two decades co-wrote a syndicated bridge column for The Chicago Tribune. He’s also the author of several books on bridge and has a bridge computer game licensed under his name.
“La Soga” took first prize in the Best Picture category while “P-Star Rising” took the top prize for Best Documentary in the Audience Awards. The winning awards, announced by the directors of the III Dominican Global Film Festival, were chosen by viewers who attended the festival and voted in the various categories.
"La Soga” featuring Dominican actor, Manny Pérez, and the musical documentary “P-Star Rising”, about the life of Priscilla Star won the Audience Awards in the categories of Best Picture and Best Documentary of the III Dominican Global Film Festival.
The films were selected by the viewing public who voted by ballots distributed at the end of every film during the Festival in all of its five venues: Santo Domingo, Santiago, Puerto Plata, Nagua and Cap Cana.
The ballots allowed the audience to evaluate the films with the following ratings: excellent, very good, good, fair and bad.
“P-Star Rising” tells the story of the super-talented Priscilla Star of Harlem who began her rapping career under the name “P-Star” even before her age registered two digits.
Currently she is one of the stars of the successful re-released television series, “The Electric Company,” the soundtrack of which is hip-hop music. This moving documentary is an inspiring look at Priscilla’s rise to fame.
The organizers of the Festival thanked the Dominican public for their enthusiastic participation in the voting process, without which this event would not have been possible.
The films were selected by the viewing public who voted by ballots distributed at the end of every film during the Festival in all of its five venues: Santo Domingo, Santiago, Puerto Plata, Nagua and Cap Cana.
The ballots allowed the audience to evaluate the films with the following ratings: excellent, very good, good, fair and bad.
The III Dominican Republic Global Film Festival will come to an end on Sunday the 22nd with a screening of the documentary Sol Caribe. Following the film, at the National Theater, there will be a spectacular musical performance put on by the popular musicians who appeared in the film.
The documentary aims to show the world the roots, development and current status of popular Dominican music as seen through the eyes of 12 musicians representing the various genres such as popular and typical merengue, bachata and “son” with such musicians as Milly Quezada, Wilfrido Vargas, Joseíto Mateo, Fefita La Grande, Johnny Ventura, el Cieguito de Nagua and Francisco Ulloa.
Well-known bachata performers, or bachateros, José Manuel Calderón, pioneer of the genre and Luis Segura as well as Son musicians Fernando Echavarría, Francis Santana and Cuco Valoy will be on hand. View this Article
Film Synopsis
The music of the Dominican Republic is a gift to the whole world. These influential rhythms and melodies have been exported worldwide by tens of millions of its people throughout the Americas, Europe, and Asia. This Caribbean nation has always been a special place as a breeding ground for new sounds and trends in popular culture, as millions have made their home in New York City and Miami, not to mention Chicago and Los Angeles. About the Film
Grateful is the best word to describe the cast and crew of Touched last night when their film inaugurated the III Dominican Republic Global Film Festival at the National Theater in Santo Domingo. The full house gave a warm welcome to the film’s sizeable cast and crew, headed by the young actor, Shalim Ortiz, who is one of the protagonists in the film as well as the producer.
Based on a true story, the film resonated with many in the audience. This was evidenced by the commentaries heard throughout the screening when, at various moments, the theater was filled with applause and laughter.
If anything can be underscored about the recent closure of the III Dominican Republic Global Film Festival, it was the massive response, not just from the public who came to see films at the five venues, but from the international guests.
The presence of one of the distinguished international guests that fills us with pride, considering that he is a person of international recognition, is one who attended the Festival and inauguration night having been invited by FUNGLODE. Russian dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov honored us with his presence at the National Theater in Santo Domingo by attending the opening film.
Nov. 21 - Teatro Nacional The Rope Brings Down the House in Viewing at the National Theater
After having been selected to inaugurate the Festival in Santiago, The Rope, brought down the house, a full and enthusiastic house at that, when it showed at the National Theater in Santo Domingo.
It was Saturday night, November 21, several hours before the closing of the III Dominican Republic Global Film Festival. With the majority of the film’s cast and crew in the audience, all of them looking extremely satisfied before and after the screening, one can say without equivocation that film and this event marked a clear before and after in terms of filmmaking in the DR. more info +
Nov. 17 - Santiago (Cursa) La Soga Opens Film Festival in Santiago
Directed by Josh Crook, inaugurated the Film Festival in Santiago with a Dominican flavor that paid homage to the “Ciudad Corazon,” birthplace of actor Manny Pérez who created this story after seven years of research and reading. The film recently left its mark on the Toronto International Film Festival where it had its world premiere. But yesterday, it left audiences in Santiago speechless.
Manny Pérez, Miguel Ángel Martínez, Juan, Fernández, Jaime Whitlock, Alfonso Rodríguez, Carmen Milagros Brugal, Vianney Méndez, Cruz Monty, José Bordás Sansón, Fernando Luisiano and Paoli Méndez, with their family and friends atended the screening. There were also a handful of guests of honor as well: Rafael Lantigua, Minister of Culture; Humberto Peralta, Rector of the CURSA; Enegildo Peña, Deputy Minister of Culture in Santiago and Francisco Domínguez Brito, Senator for Santiago.
Born Michel Demitri Shalhoub in Alexandria, Egypt, in 1932. Raised as a Roman Catholic. He graduated in Mathematics and Physics at Victoria College in Alexandria and Cairo University.
After working in the family business he started his acting career in Egypt where soon became a household name. He married his partner on the screen, the Egyptian actress Faten Hamamain and converted to Islam taking the name Omar al-Sharif. The couple had one son, Tarek and, after their divorce in 1974, he never remarried.
In Puerto Plata, nestled along the northeast coast, the cheerful laugh for which Dominicans are known resounded through the auditorium of the Regional University Center of the Atlantic (CURA) with the opening of The Maid, a film by Chilean director Sebastián Silva. The film kept the residents of Puerto Plata pleasantly entertained for an hour-and-a-half starting at 8:00 pm.
The event was presided over by one of the actresses, Andrea García Huidobro; Asunción Sanz, Director of Promotion and Marketing for the Global Foundation for Democracy and Development and Román Racero Lantigua, Director of CURA.
Rector Racero Lantigua, in the main speech of the event, congratulated the Fundación Global Democracia y Desarrollo for putting the Dominican Republic on the huge celluloid map of the film industry. “It is a promotional activity of Dominican creativity.”
Following the Rector, actress Andrea García Huidobro took the stage. “I would like to congratulate the Dominican Republic for its organization, respect and harmony. I have never felt so comfortable in any country as I feel in this one,” said the young Chilean actress who played Camila in the film.
Simply dressed and smiling warmly as the crowd applauded euphorically, she seemed to be filled with a trust and affection toward the audience, which approached her for autographs and photos.
In addition, the great granddaughter of Chilean poet Vicente Huidobro, noted that the Dominican public is very cheerful. “With your smiles, you awakened many emotions in me. I didn’t know that Dominicans laughed so much,” said the 25-year-old Huidobro.
She explained that The Maid is based on a true story taken from the life experience of the film’s director. She said the film was shot at the home of the director and script writer’s father because they were working with a very low budget. Nevertheless, she added, the film has surpassed the expectations of the actors and producer with the success it has achieved.
The event concluded with a fireworks display attended by Heridania Llibre, the Governor of Puerto Plata; René Merette, Regional Director of the Ministry of Culture; Juan Pablo Plácido, Deputy and Vice President of the PARLACEN in the DR and René Balbuena, representative of the Social Forum, among other invited guests and students from the Regional University Center of the Atlantic.
In Nagua, located in northeast of the country, the opening ceremony of the Film Festival was a huge success celebrated at the Regional University Center of Nagua (CURNA). A full auditorium enjoyed the screening of Sin Nombre, a look at the crude reality of crime, robbery and assaults that go on in different neighborhoods and cities in Latin America, especially Central America. The film reveals the trials and tribulations faced by people who try to enter the United States illegally.
Directed by Cary Joji Fukunagua, the film won the Excellence in Directing Award and Excellence in Cinematography Award at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival. And it captivated the audience in Nagua.
The inaugural ceremony was attended by Hollywood film star Michael Madsen as well as local authorities such as the Governor of the province Aristides Victoria Yoep; the Director of the Educational Center, Ramón Enríquez Amparo; Domingo Guerrero, National Director of Provinces of the Culture Ministry; Julián Guzmán, Provincial Director of Culture and Marco Herrera, Executive Director FUNGLODE, representing the Festival organization. At the end of the event, there was a toast to all in attendance and the final act was a spectacular fireworks display.
The music of the Dominican Republic is a gift to the whole world. These influential rhythms and melodies have been exported worldwide by tens of millions of its people throughout the Americas, Europe, and Asia. This Caribbean nation has always been a special place as a breeding ground for new sounds and trends in popular culture, as millions have made their home in New York City and Miami, not to mention Chicago and Los Angeles.
Centuries ago, African and European rhythm and melody came together where Columbus first stepped ashore. What started as traditional music, a celebration of joy in the face of hardship, has evolved into worldwide phenomenon. What began in the D.R. has exploded into countless styles and genres, whether it’s called Merengue, Bachata, Latin, Afro-pop, or World Music. From such humble beginnings, these expressions of a nation’s genius are now performed on Miami street corners, Carnegie Hall, and on the mobile phones of Asian teens.
To capture this phenomenon, performed by those who brought this art form to the world, is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Documenting an unprecedented concert tour of twelve of the Dominican Republic’s music pioneers, this documentary feature will introduce worldwide audiences to the influential music that evolved in the birthplace of the Americas.
Title (Original):Sol Caribe Title (Español): Sol Caribe Title (Ingles): Sol Caribe Country Of Origin: Dominican Republic Year Of Completion: 2009 Running Time: 70 Minutos Format/Color/Bw: Color (Hd Cam Sr) Language: Spanish-English Subtitles:Spanish-English
Film Credits: Director:Felix Limardo Producers: Victor Dume, Felix Limardo Executive Producers: Eddy Martinez, Ron Willens Producer: Maireni Films Screenwriter: Ron Willens Camera: Euripedes Nuñez, Alberto Chaktoura,
Andrea Rosotto, Peyi Guzman Editors: Ivan Torres, Felix Limardo
III Dominican Republic Global Film Festival - 2009
Sponsors The III Dominican Republic Global Film Festival relies on the sponsorship of different Companies and Organizations in the Dominican Republic that support
modern film culture in the Dominican Republic. | Diamond - Platinum - Gold - Support
Friends of the Festival
