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Egyptian pop sensation Bushra & celebrated Spanish film director Fernando Leon de Aranoa to visit for the premieres of their Official Competition films plus free talks,  Q&As and workshops announced

Madrid born Fernando Leon de Aranoa, will visit Sydney for the Australian Premiere of his feature film Amador. He has won Goya Awards for his films Invisibles, Princesas, Mondays in the Sun (SFF 2003), Barrio and Familia.

Bushra starred in the first Arab sitcom, became a pop star and appeared in numerous films before becoming a prolific producer as well. Bushra stars in Cairo 678, which is also in Official Competition. It’s a bold feature film which tackles the issue of sexual harassment in Egypt.

Further details of both of these international guests of the festival are below.

Meet the Filmmakers: SFF Talks at the Apple Store
To celebrate Sydney Film Festival and the spirit of filmmaking, the Apple Store hosts free events including the popular Meet the Filmmaker series, where you can hear the film industry’s leading writers, directors, producers and actors discuss their latest projects and answer your questions. Limited seating is available.

Miranda July – Sunday 12 June, 2-3pm
One-of-a-kind artist, author, director and actor Miranda July (Me and You and Everyone We Know) talks about her new film The Future, which has its Australian Premiere in Official Competition at SFF 2011 after competing in the Sundance and Berlin film festivals earlier this year.
The Future is screening:
SAT 11 JUN 6:30pm State Theatre
SUN 12 JUN 10:00am State Theatre

Joshua Marston – Monday 13 June, 12:30-1:30pm
American director Joshua Marston has been at the top of the indie must-watch list since his acclaimed debut Maria Full of Grace. He’ll be on hand to discuss his latest film, The Forgiveness of Blood, a drama set in Albania which won a Silver Bear for best screenplay at the Berlin Film Festival and screens at SFF in its Australian Premiere.
The Forgiveness of Blood is screening:

SUN 12 JUN 7:05pm State Theatre

MON 13 JUN 10:00am State Theatre

Phil Rosenthal – Monday 13 June, 2-3pm
Phil Rosenthal, creator of the hit TV series Everybody Loves Raymond, talks about his first feature film Exporting Raymond, the laugh-out-loud true story about the attempt to turn his show into a Russian sitcom. The talk is moderated by the Sydney Morning Herald’s Michael Idato.
Exporting Raymond is screening:
SAT 11 JUN 1:45pm Events Cinema 9, George Street
MON 13 JUN 8:00pm Events Cinema 9, George Street

Metro Screen Filmmaker Studio Series
SFF partners with Metro Screen, the leading independent screen learning and development hub in New South Wales, on an exciting series of filmmaker workshops. The guest filmmakers, all of whom have films screening at SFF 2011, share their knowledge and insights about the creative process and establishing a career in the film business. Workshops include film clips and Q&A sessions.

Jody Shapiro – Friday 10 June, 11am-1230pm
Get a glimpse into many aspects of the film industry with multi-talented Canadian filmmaker Jody Shapiro, who has produced for Guy Maddin and Isabella Rossellini and is director of the unique and adventurous documentary How to Start Your Own Country – screening at SFF 2011 in its Australian Premiere. The workshop is hosted by Mathieu Ravier, artistic director of The Festivalists.
How to Start Your Own Country is screening:
THU 9 JUN 6:30pm Dendy Opera Quays 2
SAT 11 JUN 2:15pm Dendy Opera Quays 2

Amiel Courtin-Wilson and Michael Cody – Tuesday 14 June, 11am-12:30pm
Amiel Courtin-Wilson’s documentaries include the 2009 FOXTEL finalists Bastardy and Cicada. His uncompromising new film Hail screens at SFF 2011. Join Amiel and producer Michael Cody as they discuss the leap from making shorts to features in the Australian film industry. The session is hosted by Sandy George of Screen International.
Hail is screening:
SUN 12 JUN 8:35pm Events Cinema 9, George Street
MON 13 JUN 12:45pm Events Cinema 9, George Street

Hattie Dalton – Wednesday 15 June, 11am – 12:30pm
Aussie filmmaker Hattie Dalton won a BAFTA in 2005 for her short film The Banker. Hattie has worked on a plethora of projects as writer, director and editor. Her debut feature film, the UK production Third Star, has its Australian Premiere at SFF 2011. Join Hattie as she discusses her experience and how it has influenced her directorial style. The workshop is hosted by Rachael Turk, head of drama development for Southern Star Entertainment.
Third Star is screening:
SAT 11 JUN 8:15pm Dendy Opera Quays 2
TUE 14 JUN 12:00pm Dendy Opera Quays 2

Sophie Hyde and Matthew Bate – Friday 17 June, 11am-12:30pm
Join us for a panel about two new Australian-produced documentaries screening in SFF’s 2011 FOXTEL competition: Shut up Little Man!, directed by Matthew Bate, and Life in Movement, directed by Bryan Mason and Sophie Hyde. Guest panelists Bate and Hyde (who also co-produced both films) discuss the challenges of making independent Australian films. The session is hosted by Richard Harris, CEO of the South Australian Film Corporation.
Life in Movement is screening:
SAT 18 JUN 6:15pm Events Cinema 9, George Street

EXTENDED-MIX Q&AS AT THE SFF FESTIVAL LOUNGE
SFF invites you to interact with guest filmmakers in extended question-and-answer sessions in a more relaxed and intimate setting at our official Festival Lounge, Grasshopper. The Q&As are free and open to all festival patrons. (Space is limited)

Joe Lawlor – Sunday 12 June, 6-7pm
As one half of Dublin-born production duo Desperate Optimists, Joe Lawlor creates unique film collaborations with local communities around the world. His latest project, the Singapore-based Civic Life, screens at SFF 2011 in a special feature-length omnibus session – and includes the short Tiong Bahru (also screening at SFF with The Arbor). Lawlor is on hand to discuss his role in inspiring filmmakers in unexpected places. The talk is moderated by Lisa Torrance, executive director of ICE. (Joe Lawlor’s attendance is supported by the British Council.)
Where The Heart Is is screening at SFFTV@Martin Place
Tiong Bahru is screening:
SUN 12 JUN 3:45pm Dendy Opera Quays 2
WED 15 JUN 8:35pm Dendy Opera Quays 2

Alexander Zeldovich – Tuesday 14 June, 1-2pm
Alexander Zeldovich (Moscow) earned a psychology degree at MV Lomonosov Moscow State University before studying at the Film Writers and Directors Institute. He has worked as a director, screenwriter and producer in film and television at Russia’s Studio Mosman since the 1980s.

He joins us to discuss his latest film, the dystopian social satire Target, making its Australian Premiere at SFF 2011 in Official Competition. The talk is moderated by Jason Di Rosso of ABC Radio National’s MovieTime.
Target is screening:
SUN 12 JUN 2:00pm State Theatre
TUE 14 JUN 10:00am Event Cinema 9, George Street

Fernando León de Aranoa – Tuesday 13 June, 3:15-4:15pm
Fernando León de Aranoa is a screenwriter, director and author based in Madrid. His films, including Mondays in the Sun, Princesas and Barrio, have won numerous Goya Awards among other international accolades. Here he discusses his latest work, the black comedy Amador, making its Australian Premiere at this year’s SFF in Official Competition.
Amador is screening:
MON 13 JUN 2:25pm State Theatre
TUE 14 JUN 1:00pm Events Cinema 4, George Street

Jennifer Fox – Friday 17 June, 2:30-3:30pm
Jennifer Fox is an American director, producer, cinematographer and educator known for her internationally-acclaimed documentaries Beirut: The Last Home Movie (which won best documentary at the Sundance Film Festival), An American Love Story and Flying: Confessions of a Free Woman. Here she discusses her latest film, My Reincarnation. Fox spent 20 years documenting the life of a Tibetan Buddhist monk and his Italian-born son for this project, which screens at SFF 2011 in Take Me on a Journey.
My Reincarnation is screening:
FRI 17 JUN 12:00pm Dendy Opera Quays 2
SUN 19 JUN 7:15pm Dendy Opera Quays 2

Chen Kaige – Saturday 18 June, 4:30-5:30pm
Chen Kaige serves as President of SFF’s 2011 Official Competition Jury. Born in Beijing in 1952, he is one of China’s most respected filmmakers. He studied at the newly-reopened Beijing Film Academy before making his feature debut in 1984 with Yellow Earth, signaling him as a prominent member of the Fifth Generation of Chinese filmmakers. His 1993 film Farewell My Concubine was the first Chinese film to win the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. His other films include The Emperor and the Assassin and Together. Chen joins us for a special session to talk about his latest film, the historical drama Sacrifice, which screens at this year’s festival in the Love Me pathway. The talk is moderated by Shelly Kraicer, a writer, critic, and film curator. His criticism on Asian cinema is widely published and since 2007, he has been a programmer of East Asian films for the Vancouver International Film Festival. (Shelly Kraicer’s attendance supported by the University of Sydney Confucius Institute.)
Sacrifice is screening:
WED 15 JUN 8:50pm State Theatre
SAT 18 JUN 2:00pm Events Cinema 8, George Street

Ivan Sen and David Jowsey – Sunday 19 June, 12:15-1:15pm
Australian director Ivan Sen’s debut feature Beneath Clouds won a Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival. His latest film, Toomelah, a drama set in the Aboriginal community of the same name, premiered in Un Certain Regard at the Cannes Film Festival before screening in Official Competition at SFF 2011. Ivan is joined by Toomelah’s producer David Jowsey (Mad Bastards) to discuss their brutally honest and remarkable film.
Toomelah is screening:
SAT 18 JUN 6:30pm State Theatre
SUN 19 JUN 10:00am State Theatre

Filmmaker Talks at Event Cinemas George Street

Athina Rachel Tsangari – Friday 10 June, 4:10-5:10pm
Filmmaker Athina Rachel Tsangari was born in Athens and obtained masters degrees at New York University and the University of Texas at Austin. She produced Yorgos Lanthimos’ films Kinetta and the Academy Award®-nominated Dogtooth before making her feature-directing debut with The Slow Business of Going. Here she discusses her film Attenberg – an audacious and original coming-of-age story set in a Greek factory town, which makes its Australian Premiere at this year’s SFF in Official Competition. The talk is moderated by SFF Festival Director Clare Stewart.
Attenberg is screening:
THU 9 JUN 6:30pm State Theatre
FRI 10 JUN 2:30pm Events Cinema 4, George Street

Julia Leigh – Saturday 11 June 1.45pm-2.45pm
Sydney-based Julia Leigh was named Young Novelist of the Year in 2000 by the Sydney Morning Herald, and ‘one of 21 writers for the 21st century’ by The Observer. Her first feature film, Sleeping Beauty, debuted in Official Competition at the Cannes Film Festival before making its Australian Premiere in SFF 2011’s Official Competition. Jane Campion is one of the most well-known filmmakers in the world; her 1993 film The Piano won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival and received many other international accolades. Her other films include The Portrait of a Lady and Bright Star. Campion was Leigh’s mentor on Sleeping Beauty, and here the two of them join us for a discussion of this boundary-breaking narrative. The talk is moderated by Margaret Pomeranz of ABC-TV’s At the Movies.
Sleeping Beauty is screening:
FRI 10 JUN 6:30pm State Theatre
SAT 11 JUN 12:00pm Events Cinema 4, George Street

Bushra – Thursday 16 June, 3.50pm-4.50pm
Bushra is an internationally famed Egyptian singer, actor and television star whose films include Ouija and Alexandria… New York. She won Best Actress at the Dubai Film Festival for her role in Mohamed Diab’s edgy drama Cairo 678 – for which she also served as executive producer. She will discuss the making of the film, which makes its Australian Premiere in SFF’s 2011 Official Competition, as well as the ways it reflects feminist issues and social turmoil in the Arab world.
Cairo 678 is screening:
WED 15 JUN 6:30pm State Theatre
THU 16 JUN 2:05pm Events Cinema 4, George Street

Town Hall Vestibule
David Stratton and Margaret Pomeranz Films That Divide Us: 25 Years Of David & Margaret – Wednesday 15 June 6-7pm
With their sophisticated and heartfelt critique of big-screen culture, David Stratton and Margaret Pomeranz combine years of experience in the world of film with an encyclopaedic understanding of cinema history. As the yin and the yang of Australian cinephiles, their differences of opinion often illuminate more about a film than could ever be revealed by a single perspective, helping the rest of us decide what’s worth watching and what’s not. Films That Divide Us is their survey of the most contentious, most disputed work they’ve agreed to disagree on over the years. There won’t be blood – but there will be a truly entertaining and stimulating clash of the critics. The event is hosted by SFF Festival Director Clare Stewart.

Films That Divide Us is the 2011 Ian McPherson Memorial Lecture, presented every year by SFF. McPherson helped establish the Sydney Film Festival in 1954 and served on the Festival Board until 1977.

About Sydney Film Festival

Sydney Film Festival screens feature films, documentaries, short films and animations across the city including the State Theatre, Event Cinemas George Street, Dendy Opera Quays and the Art Gallery of NSW. The festival is a major event on the New South Wales cultural calendar and is one of the world’s longest running film festivals. For more information visit http://www.sff.org.au

Sydney Film Festival is supported by the NSW Department of Trade and Investment, through Arts NSW and the Office of Trade, Business and Industry, the Federal Government through Screen Australia, and the City of Sydney. The festival’s Strategic partner is the NSW Government through Events NSW. The festival’s Official Competition sponsor is iShares.

All film images are available for media in the ‘Film Stills’ folder at www.image.net.

For media enquiries please contact:

Emma Collison, Publicist:        02 9690 5314 or 0429 819927
Sydney Film Festival        emma@sff.org.au
Susan Hoerlein, Publicist:        02 9383 4034 or 0422 553 343
The Lantern Group         susan@lanterngroup.com.au