Someone to Watch 2009
In 2003 at the 27th CIFF we launched our Someone to Watch Award series. The purpose of this
program is to highlight the works of mid-career filmmakers who we believe are rising stars in
International filmmaking. Over the years we have celebrated filmmakers who have had their
talent embraced at movie theaters across the country and the world. This year is no
different.
Our two Someone to Watch 2009 Filmmakers:
Gerardo Naranjo
Born in the small town of Salamanca, Mexico, Gerardo Naranjo experienced much
of the youthful angst of his films’ central subjects. Yet, despite a few forays
into the world of rebellion, he eventually concentrated most of his efforts on studying film,
especially the work of Jean-Luc Godard and the French New Wave. After years of schooling
himself and his friends, he began his formal education at the Universidad Iberoamericana in
Mexico City where he wrote film criticism and began directing. He then moved to Los
Angeles to earn his MFA at the American Film Institute and to direct an award-winning thesis
film. In 2004 he released his first feature film "Malachance."
Two years later he wrote and directed DRAMA/MEX, which garnered international acclaim as it
traversed the festival circuit. Most recently his film I'M GONNA EXPLODE, lauded as an
integral player of the rebirth of Mexican cinema, has established his unique artistic vision.
Films Screening:
Drama/Mex (Mexico)
I’m Gonna Explode (Mexico)
Ramin Bahrani
Writer-director-producer Ramin Bahrani has set his three feature films within two places
of personal import: Winston-Salem, North Carolina, where he was born of Iranian parents, and New York City,
where he received his BA in film from Columbia University. Yet, before beginning his career as a
filmmaker, Bahrani continued his study of film abroad, spending three years in Iran and a brief period in
France. Upon his return to the United States, he began working on his first feature film, MAN PUSH
CART, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival and earned praise around the world. After the
critically acclaimed release of his second film, CHOP SHOP, Bahrani received the “Someone to
Watch” Independent Spirit Award in 2008. His third and most recent film, GOODBYE SOLO, won
the international film critics' FIPRESCI award for best film at the Venice Film Festival and continues to
garner overwhelming approval as it makes its way through the festival circuit. In his eclectic,
ever-growing oeuvre, Bahrani offers astute portraits of the outsiders, the immigrants, the old, and the
young who embody the hope and hardships of contemporary America.
Films Screening:
Chop Shop (USA)
Goodbye Solo (USA)
Man Push Cart (USA)
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