‘Hell and Back Again’ wins 2 awards at this year’s Sundance Film Festival
Hell and Back Again Directed by Danfung Dennis
What does it mean to lead men in war? What does it mean to come home? Hell and Back Again is a cinematically revolutionary film that asks and answers these questions with a power and intimacy no previous film about the conflict in Afghanistan has been able to achieve.In this groundbreaking work of cinema, two overlapping narratives are brilliantly intercut the life of a Marine at war on the front, and the life the same Marine in recovery at home, creating both a dreamlike quality and a strikingly realistic depiction of how Marines experience this war.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Afghan Star winds Best Foreign Film in one of the most important award ceremonies in the world!
Awarded by rottentomatoes.com, Afghan Star achieved '100% fresh'...meaning we didn't have one negative review.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Afghan Star wins a Grierson 2010 for Best Documentary on a Contemporary Issue. Hoorah!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
'Afghan Star', a documentary co-produced by Roast Beef Productions has won two major awards at the Sundance Film Festival 2009.
Havana Marking was awarded Best Director for a Documentary (the World Cinema Directing Award).
'Afghan Star' was presented with the People’s Choice Award (the World Cinema Audience Award for a Documentary).
'AFGHAN STAR' (Director Havana Marking) tells the story of an Afghan Pop Idol TV series in which people from across the country compete for a cash prize and record deal. 2000 people audition, including three brave young women. The viewers vote for their favourite singers by text message and for many this is their first encounter with democracy. This timely film follows the dramatic stories of four young contestants as they compete but it takes a terrifying turn as one young woman dances on stage, threatening her own safety and the future of the show itself. In Afghanistan you risk your life to sing.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
'Marking’s light touch and unpatronising tone makes for a film that entertains as much as it informs. Scenes where young people discuss sex, love and relationships feel revelatory, and the unfolding narrative is riveting – when we weren’t laughing, we were on the edge of our seats.'
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -