“Lungie - A True Story“ wins One World Award

June 5, 2018

"Lungie-A True Story" won the 2018 One World Award. The award is given by the International Quorum of Motion Picture Producers (IQ) to a film that contributes to global understanding and international cooperation. The Rotary Foundation was the client for the film made to encourage fundraising for international NGO projects. It was entered by Goodlight Films, Zurich, Switzerland.

The film features Lungiswa Nzube, a 14-year old orphan who has lost her mother and her only sister. It tells the story of how she overcame adversity and became a role model and source of inspiration for a new generation of students in Langa, Cape Town, South Africa, through the help of funds from Rotary. The production was filmed on-site with local actors and local staff. It was written by Alex Szombath and Bernie Forster, who also served as editors and directors. Production was by Goodlight Film. An additional credit went to Walder Werber, Uster.

“Lungie – A True Story” also received a Silver Screen Award. Learn more about IQ at iqfilm.org.

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Panelists at gathering

Advice: Find ways to expand project audiences 

March 22, 2018

US International Film & Video Festival (USIFVF) Chairman Lee Gluckman spoke recently on film making at a gathering of the Russian Association of Communication Directors and Corporate Publishing (AKMR) group in Moscow. He discussed filmmaking trends based on his personal experience as a filmmaker and as head of the annual film competition, which accepts Corporate, Documentary, Education and Entertainment films.
Gluckman’s film competition is more than 50 years old and, as he noted, has seen all of the changes in the film industry driven by technology. What has not changed, he stressed, is the need for storytelling. He also encouraged the audience to think about how a specific project might be expanded for greater use.

“I’ve never come across a project that doesn’t have the potential for another audience or two,” he said.

“Often nothing has to be changed in the production to communicate to those other audiences. However, many times a small additional investment in narration and editing can bring the same message to an expanded audience without having to start from the beginning again. In this way, you can spread the expense of the initial production across multiple audiences.”

AKMR was established in 2004; its president Igor Ignatiev, is vice chairman-director of Cooperation with Governmental Authorities at Shell Exploration & Production Services.

The trade group provides opportunities for executives in communications to exchange experiences and expand their professional development and compete with their projects.  Gluckman also announced that FreeMotion Group, one of AKMR’s members -- and a winner in USIFVF competition -- is the newest member of the International Quorum of Motion Picture Producers (IQ). Gluckman is the longest-standing member of the global network of producers.

LBL Production (FreeMotion Group), Novosibirsk, won Best of Show in Corporate Films in 2017 with “Breadwinner,” work done for Minsk Traktor Works, Belarus.

Markus Kellenberger (from left), Coordinator of Counter-espionage, Federal Intelligence Service (FIS); Lee Gluckman, chairman of US International Film & Video Festival, and Thomas Schöttli, Assistant Director General, FIS (FIS Photo)

Swiss FIS Officials Accept Top Awards

November 17, 2017

BERN, SWITZERLAND –Markus Kellenberger, Coordinator of counter-espionage, Federal Intelligence Service (FIS), and Thomas Schöttli, Assistant Director General, FIS accepted awards in November 2017 for “Focus – Federal Intelligence Service,” chosen Best of Festival-Educational in the 2017 competition.
The event was held at FIS headquarters, Bern, with Producer Lukas Ramseyer and Director Aron Nick in attendance.

Lee Gluckman presented Best of Festival and Gold Camera awards for “Focus – Federal Intelligence Service,” produced by the Centre of Electronic Media. “Focus” tells the story of how a fictional Swiss firm became the target and victim of a foreign intelligence service seeking intellectual property. The film features many area locations, including a restaurant in the town of Thun where Gluckman enjoyed lunch with members of the ceremony party.

IQ ONE WORLD AWARD

IQ conference attendees in Mexico City join the on-screen One World Award winners

Belgium Winners On-Screen in Mexico

October 18, 2017

MEXICO CITY -- Director Peter Bostoen and Producers Marc Van Eyken and Jo Goossens of Bozo Film Company, Rotselaar, Belgium, appeared on screen to accept an award at the recent International Quorum of Motion Picture Producers (IQ) annual meeting in Mexico City. The director and producers were responsible for “Dare To Think,” which won the One World Award in the 2017 US International Film & Video Festival competition.

The award is sponsored by IQ, which selects a film for its contribution to global understanding and international cooperation. “Dare To Think” was done for 200-year-old Ghent University in Belgium. The school wanted an internet film promoting it as a socially committed and pluralistic university that offers independent research and education with a critical, open-minded approach. Ghent University's motto is 'Sapere Aude,' loosely translated as “dare to think.”

The film was shot over six months, but with a small crew and only 15 actual shooting days. Except for a few extras, all characters are real students, deans and researchers. Ghent also has campuses in Kortrijk and Ostend, Belgium, and a global campus that is part of the Songdo Global University Campus (SGUC) in Incheon, Korea.

For more about IQ, visit http://internationalquorum.com or visit them on Facebook @InternationalQuorum or on Twitter @IQFilm

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“Tuning the Battle” Producer Ritsu Inoue (from left) with  Hiroko Ninomiya of Documentary Japan and Satoko Niizu of the Production Company

NHK Won a Best of Festival award; 11 others

September 7, 2017

Lee Gluckman, chairman of US International Film & Video Festival, in early September presented 12 awards at NHK offices in Tokyo. One was for Best of Festival-Documentary, won for "88 Hours: The Fukushima Nuclear Meltdown," an expansion of the background story of the March 2011 accident at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. "Design Ah! #109," from NHK Educational Corporation, was nominated for Best of Festival-Education.

             
 Other awards included:

• “Tuning the Battle: Behind the Chopin Piano Competition," which received a Gold Camera award and a nomination for Best of Festival-Documentary;
• Receiving Silver Screen statuettes were the staffs of "Rakugo The Movie (Okiku's Plates/The Wallet)" in Entertainment: Dramatic Comedy; "The Brave-Wrongful Conviction Lawyer" in Documentary: Biography; "Miracle Body: Russia's Golden Mermaids" in Documentary: Sports, Recreation; "When Caregivers Kill Within the Family" in Documentary: Social Issues; and "The Great Amazon: The Last 'Isolados' Unknown People of the Amazon" in Documentary: Environment, Ecology.
• Certificates for Creative Excellence went to "Runaway Women Episode 1: Wound of Innocence" in Entertainment: Drama; "Cosmic Front: Stargazing in Bolivia & Chile VR" in Documentary: Virtual Reality; "Asia Insight: Home Alone in China" in Documentary: Social Issues; and "Miracle Lesson-World's Greatest Coaches and their Students: Basketball Muggsy Bogues (USA)" in Documentary: Sports, Recreation.

Children’s ‘mockumentary’ a top winner

Wayne Hope, Producer, and Robyn Butler, Producer and Writer/Director of Gristmill with scene from “Little Lunch: The Nightmare Before Graduation”

Bernadette O’Mahony (left), Head of Development and Production, ACTF, with Jenny Buckland, ACTF CEO, with Best of Festival and First Place Gold Camera statuettes.

September 1, 2017

When it’s tea time – or “little lunch” time -- in an Australian school, youngsters can have funny and touching adventures. That was the premise of "Little Lunch-The Nightmare Before Graduation," from The Australian Children's Television Foundation, Melbourne. One of the show’s segments earned a Gold Camera statuette in Entertainment: Children's and was selected Best of Festival-Entertainment.

“Little Lunch,” which debuted in 2015, takes a look at the 15 minutes that interrupt a day at primary school through profiles of six students and their teacher. The production takes the form of a mockumentary, using the structure of a serious documentary to satirize its subject. The show is based on books written by author and columnist Danny Katz  and illustrated by Mitch Vane and adapted by Wayne Hope and Robyn Butler of Gristmill production company, Melbourne. The entry tells about funny and touching adventures during snack time in the school playground.  The series was filmed at the historic St. Kilda primary school, Melbourne.

Butler, Hope and Ben Grogan of Gristmill were the producers; Butler also directed. Butler and Hope, husband and wife, are both actors; their company specializes in comedies. The show also is available through Netflix. ACTF is a national nonprofit foundation.

One World Award Entrants Sought

Filmmakers whose topics speak to global understanding are invited to compete for the One World Award given annually by US International Film & Video Festival.  The award recognizes a production that demonstrates international cooperation and has been sponsored for 25 years by the International Quorum of Motion Picture Producers (IQ).  

Entry information is available on our Competition Info page. 

In the past decade, winners have represented 10 countries and addressed topics such as AIDS, nuclear power, religious tolerance, green technology, child labor and counterfeit products. US International Film & Video entrants nominate their own works for One World consideration. Judges in the festival also can recommend works for the award.

“We encourage filmmakers to enter their works with this recognition in mind as the award not only speaks to the abilities of the producers and others, but it brings attention to global concerns,” says Lee Gluckman, chairman of US International Film & Video Festival.

Didier Clerens of Arizona Films, Brussels, (center) receives the One World Award from Lee Gluckman, chairman of US International Film & Video Festival, and Donna Hampton, president of International Quorum of Motion Picture Producers and CEO, Capitol Productions, Sydney, Australia

Entrants in any of the competition’s categories – Corporate, Documentary, Education and Entertainment – can ask to also be considered for the One World Award. The winner gets an opportunity to have a work shown to an international audience and bring attention to the topics that mean most to the filmmaker. 

An international panel of IQ members selects the winner. In 2016, IQ celebrated its 50th year with a gathering in Miami attended by members of Arizona Films, Brussels, which received the One World Award for “Wattway – Solar Roads.” The film was done for Colas Group Paris, a civil engineering firm, and considers the possibilities of innovative road technology as a source for energy.

GMA News TV, The Philippines, received the award in both 2014 and 2015. A 2014 documentary, "Brigada (The Brigade): Gintong Krudo (Black Gold)," raised awareness of the 5.5 million Filipino children considered child laborers. The 2015 winning program, “Front Row: ALS,” exposed the hardships of families caring for members with the debilitating disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. 

Other One World winners have included:

2004    "Walk the World"
Momentum NL, The Netherlands

2005    “Gorbachev’s Revolution”
Director Fern Levitt and Barna-Alper Productions, Toronto, Canada
 
2006    "Tracking the Monster: Confronting AIDS in Africa"
Boom Pictures, New York City
 
2007    "The Battle of Chernobyl"
Discovery Networks International (USA)
 
2008    "Five Times God"
Kanguruh-Film Berline GmbH, Berlin
 
2009    "Beyond Beliefs"
Closer Productions, Adelaide for Issues Deliberation Australia/America (IDA)
 
2010    "IBM Multitask—Popsicle—Heart"
Wizz Design, Clichy, France
 
2011    “New Standard for Environmental Action”
Pohjantahti-Elokuva, Helsinki, Finland
 
2012    “Heritage Saved is History Preserved”
Henk van Mierlo VOF for NV Bergkwartier, Deventer, The Netherlands
 
2013    “Counterfeit Culture”

Veteran U.S. filmmaker shares the trends

By Vern Oakley

CEO, Tribe Pictures

With 2016 finally in the rearview mirror, it seems like a good time to reflect on the trends we see happening in the world of video and how they may be addressed in 2017 and beyond.

• 1) Welcome to the video tsunami. Video is by far the way more and more people want to receive messages and information. We're at the crest of the wave, and the surf is up. By 2020, 84 percent of all Internet traffic will be video. That's an astounding number.
  
  
• 2) Video continues to move in-house. Many of the Global 1,000 corporations have in-house video departments.  We worked with more internal video departments in 2016 than in any other year. The middle market is looking to outsource the whole video thing and avoid staff and space allocations.
  
  
• 3) There's a lot of bad video out there. The barrier to entry is so low in terms of money for the equipment, and business is so thirsty for video, which means that there is a profusion of mediocre video and much of it is ignored. Don’t believe me? Spend 10 minutes on YouTube, pick a category, and look at few videos and check out the number of views.


• 4) Smart businesses demand ROI and ROI demands context. To understand and create effective video content is a skill unto itself. What distinguishes the merely acceptable from the truly great in our field is an advanced level of strategic and creative thinking, a firm grip on the business challenges, and the societal context your audience is experiencing.


• 5) Virtual Reality is a contender. We've barely scratched the surface of VR's massive potential for corporate and institutional applications. While VR is currently in the "trough of uncertainty" stage of its development, there's no doubt that more immersive and interactive video experiences are here to stay. We [Tribe] did some exciting work with BASF with 360-degree video in 2016 and will continue to do a lot more of it in the coming years.


• 6) Culture beats strategy. Cultural differentiators are the most surefire (some might say only) way to stand out in a crowded global business environment. It starts at the top – no secret there.  Most of Tribe’s work over the last year can all be categorized under the umbrella of "culture.” We found we have helped our clients most when solving a specific communication challenge around building and improving a company's culture.


• 7) Video is more global than ever. Video is the only truly common world language. Global companies, with global viewpoints balanced with U.S.-based operations; that sums up much of Tribe's 2016 corporate client list: Allergan, Pfizer, BASF, UBS, Verizon, KPMG, Colgate-Palmolive, BD, American Express, Stanley Black & Decker, Hubbel, Hess, Vera Wang and Lonza.


• 8) 30 Years of Pattern Recognition. Tribe celebrated 30 years in business in 2016, and while we're not patting ourselves on the back too much (we did pause for a celebratory Tribe lunch!), we feel we are at the top of our game, but must keep climbing higher. Having 30 years of experience allows us to notice patterns and execute projects in a more cohesive, cogent manner and more efficiently. (And we also have some very dynamic young people on staff to keep us honest and up-to-date.)


• 9) Business has two speeds: faster and faster. So much of our work in 2016 was completed under tight time constraints. This is result of the speed of business and the reality of the lives of our clients. In order to serve them properly, we need to understand their pressure and work with it. To survive and thrive we have to be a nimble business and so we've learned how to assemble pop-up teams at a moment's notice, and how to do great creative work under duress.


• 10) Publishing a book reveals who you are - really. This is a more personal one. I wrote a book called Leadership in Focus: Bringing Out Your Best on Camera, which will be published by Greenleaf in April of 2017. Figuring out just what I wanted to say and then the best way to share that message with the world has been an unparalleled experience and a lesson in self-discovery.

French solar film wins IQ One World
“Wattway – Solar Road,” which highlights a French experiment using solar panels on a roadway to generate electricity, has won the One World award in the 2016 festival. The award is given annually by the International Quorum of Motion Picture Producers (IQ) to a film that best promotes understanding of world issues and cooperation. IQ members select the winner. The group has 96 members across 47 countries.

“Wattway,” produced by Arizona Films, Brussels, explains a test project in which France expects to lay 621 miles of solar roadway in the next five years, enough, if successful, to furnish electricity to 5 million people. The project is a collaboration between the National Institute of Solar Energy and Colas, considered a world leader in road infrastructure with operations in more than 45 countries. 

The film’s producer was Didier Clerens with Patrick Vandebroeck as director and Phoenix Post as editor. Cinematographer was Oliver Imfeld, and Ronald Vanhuffel was responsible for sound.

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September 10, 2015

Grand Prix Winner Combines Entertainment and Education

Magdalena Warzala-Wojtasiak (course author) and Wojciech Wojtasiak (scriptwriter, course author)

 “Olive Green,” an online project that combines an interactive movie, a computer game and an English learning application, proved to be the perfect marriage of entertainment and education --“edutainment” --  in the 2015 US International Film & Video Festival, Los Angeles. The movie, produced for SuperMemo World, Poznan, Poland, by Ekstasy Ltd. of Harrow, U.K., won Best of Festival (Grand Prix) – Entertainment. It also received a Gold Camera Award in Entertainment: Entertainment Programs: Action / Adventure. A presentation event took place in September 2015 in Poznan at SuperMemo World where the idea of creating an interactive action English course movie originated.

SuperMemo World has been providing innovative solutions for foreign language learning for more than 20 years. As Lee Gluckman underlined during the ceremony: “What you have created in the framework of your business to improve education and language studies I think has really been way out of the curve.” Also in attendance at the presentation were Suki Singh, director of “Olive Green”; Wojciech Wojtasiak, scriptwriter, and Magdalena Warżała-Wojtasiak, co-author of the English course that is based on the film.

The movie works with an online English course that can take students from beginner to advanced English, based on a syllabus developed according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). The CEFR guideline is used to describe achievements of learners of foreign languages across Europe and other countries such as Colombia and the Philippines. Aimed at self-learners aged 16 to 35, the movie uses games, quizzes and plot twists that support the SuperMemo learning method of memorization. Instruction and subtitles are available in 10 languages.

The movie’s plot has Olive Green, a smart art thief, at its center. Olive is commissioned by a mysterious British businessman to steal a precious painting from a country manor. The mission is nothing like what she expected. She ends up messing up with high-profile criminals, being betrayed, chased and brutalized. And – what she never anticipated – she finds … love.

The film’s dialogues introduce the English language and expose viewers to different accents. Also, users can play the film characters’ roles in interactive dialogues and read about their adventures in new contexts beyond the film.

 
The movie was edited by Ilinca Calugareanu. Chris Fergusson was director of photography.  More about the project can be found at www.OliveGreenTheMovie.com and at Olive Green's fan page.  View the trailer.

 
February 6, 2015

Awards and wine sampling in Adelaide

Minister of Tourism Leon Bignell (from left), Gluckman, James Rickard, kwp! Creative Director

In mid-January, Lee Gluckman traveled to Adelaide, Australia, to present awards related to the 2014 Best of Festival-Corporate winner, “Barossa. Be Consumer,” done by kwp!  In addition to two events related to the award, he got a tour of the Barossa wine country of South Australia and sampled it products, even bought a bottle at the Henschke winery. 

The trip included events at the South Australia Press Club and at kwp! offices.

During the Press Club event, the Best of Festival award was given to the Leon Bignell, South Australia Minister for Tourism, and James Rickard, Creative Director, kwp! Advertising. Seated at the head table with Gluckman were Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen, NBC sports journalists and commentators, who were in town for an international bike tour event.

Gluckman later met with staff at kwp! offices.

See more about Barossa at http://beconsumed.southaustralia.com 

The advertising film “Barossa. Be Consumed” reflects the luxurious accommodations, award-winning wines and applauded cuisine of Australia’s wine capital about an hour from Adelaide. The work was done for the South Australia Tourism Commission and produced by Moth Projects. It was directed by Jeffrey Darling and edited by Adam Wills.
 

 June, 2015

GMA News TV (Philippines) Wins One World Award

“The Brigade” documentary, which won the One World Award in the US International Film & Video Festival, for GMA News TV, revealed that an estimated 5.5 million Filipino children are considered child laborers. The GMA film was designed to “encourage government and non-government organizations from here and abroad to institutionalize projects to help end child labor,” according to the entrant statement.

The segment submitted for the competition tells the story of “12-year old Bisaya, who goes out to sea every morning with two of his friends, 11-year old Christian and 13-year old Ruben, to salvage crude oil dumped by ships.” When the boys find patches of oil, they dive in and collect the oil with a sponge. They get paid about a dollar a pail of oil. Lee Joseph Marquez Castel was Program Manager for “Black Gold,” and Harvey Bayona was Executive Producer. Directors were Bryan Kristoffer Brazil and Lorna Bayani. Jessica Soho hosts the news magazine show. "The Brigade” also won a Gold Camera award and was one of eight awards for GMA entities, including GMA Network and GMA Channel 7.

GMA received a nomination for Best of Festival-Documentary for “Eternal: Real-life Love.” It received Gold Camera awards for “Eternal: Real-life Love Stories” and “Brigada: White Gold.” Silver Screen Awards went to “Reel Time: Dungkoy,” “Reel Time: Off the Grid”; “State of the Nation with Jessica Soho (Super Typhoon Yolanda Coverage)”; “Front Row “Orphaned,” and “Reporter’s Notebook (Scars of Tragedy.” GMA also won a Certificate for Creative Excellence in Entertainment. For “Picture! Picture!”

Meet GMA Staff
King Baco Director	Nessa Valdellon GMA News TV Head	Criselda St. Domingo and Nowell Cuanang Executive Producer and Program Manager	Myla Torres Executive Producer	Jayson Bernard Santos Executive Producer

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IQ attendees with Micaela Papa in Iceland - Photo by Malcom Carter, chronsphotography.com

June 2015

One World Award Has Worldwide Judging Panel

Each year, the International Quorum of Motion Picture Producers sponsors and selects a One World Award winner from among the entries in US International Film & Video Festival. The award recognizes work with themes that broaden understanding of other cultures and issues.

The 2014 IQ judging panel was chaired by Donna Hampton, CEO/Executive Producer at CAPITOL Productions Pty Ltd., Sydney, Australia, and president-elect of IQ. Other panel members were Rudolf Isler, Zurich; Branko Kos, Zagreb, Croatia; Pamela Drewe, Madrid; Ricardo Barria, Panama; Roberto Sanchez, San Jose, Costa Rica; Giacomo Arrigoni, Milan, and Corinne Burns Bruno, Montefiascone, Italy; Joe Solis, Mexico City; Klaus Schiang-Franck, Copenhagen, Denmark; Mark Erder, Hong Kong, China; Ricardo Amunategui, Santiago, Chile; Ralf Lobel, Stockholm; Charles Drouin, Paris; Gautam Pandey, New Delhi, and Salim Amin, Nairobi.

IQ judges from the U.S. were Jean Sharony, Weston, Fla.; Jim Bigham, Miami; Steve Minor, Kingston Spring, Tenn.; Vern Oakley, Chatham, N.J.; Thom Gonyeau, Atlanta, and Bestor Cram, Boston.