ViCA ANNOUNCES FAFF 2022 LINEUP

World’s Largest Art Film Festival: Over 100 Films from 32 Countries

Including a Special Screening of the fully restored 1953 Invaders from Mars

(May 5, 2022, Los Angeles, CA) The Venice Institute of Contemporary Art (ViCA) is proud to announce the Official Selections for the 9th Annual Fine Arts Film Festival (FAFF), on June 10-11 in person, and June 10-19, 2022 on Vimeo. FAFF – the world’s largest art film festival – will present over 100 films from 32 countries represented across the globe. Over half of the films were directed or produced by women, and POC directed almost a third of them. 

The Festival will present an in-person-only Special Screening of the influential 1953 INVADERS FROM MARS, directed by the visionary and ahead-of-his-time William Cameron Menzies (US). It’s a classic sci-fi favorite, in which a young boy witnesses a spaceship crash and soon discovers the chilling fact that aliens are taking over the bodies of the people around him, and wonders, will he be next? Ignite Films has made this film available to showcase the world's most advanced film restoration technology. Find out more about the pain-staking and devoted years-long process of the 4K restoration at https://www.ignite-films.com/en-us/pages/restoration-of-invaders-from-mars

A few examples of the rest of the incredible line up are documentaries BREATHE UNDERWATER, by director Eddie Shwartz (Isreal), about a vet dealing with family expectations while suffering from PTSD, WALLACE CHAN—THE ART OF MATERIALS, by Martina Margaux Cozzi (Italy), shows how the Hong-Kong based sculptor develops new work, and CAMPESINOS: AMERICA'S UNSUNG HEROES, by Joe Poni (US), focusing on essential farm workers during the pandemic. Narrative films were also a strong category this year, with HAS BEEN/NEVER WAS, by M.S. Kerr (US), a satirical look at how money corrupts art, SILENCED TREE, by Faysal Soyal (Turkey), about femicide and the nature of evil, and RE-OPENING:A LOCKDOWN MOCKUMENTARY, by Chris Guerra and Matthew John Koppin(US), our first-ever mock-doc. Animated films PHOBIA, by Waseem H. Almarzouki (Syria), and MELANCOLIA, by Alina Poescu (Romania), take a lyrical look at restriction and freedom. Music/performance films include WARRIOR SPIRIT, by Sarah Lois Dorai (Malaysia), combining rock guitar with traditional instruments of indiginous Malaysian culture, and THE OPENING by Nima B. Djavidani (Cyprus), combining opera, poetry, and movement. 

The films (including VR) focus on everything from the struggles of migration or living under quarantine, recent violence against Asians or BLM protestors, overcoming injury or alcoholism, to such topics as cult-like TV evangelists, Himalayan cyclists, dyslexic graffiti artists, and LGBTQ performance artists. This not-to-be-missed 2-day in-person and 10-day online event will include live Q&A’s with filmmakers and artists, to be broadcast during the festival.

Ticketing information is available on the ViCA website. Eight curated series of online films (running an average of 7 hours each) are being offered at $10 per series. A festival pass for ALL online films will be available for just $25. Tickets for the in-person festival start at $10.

The festival is dedicated to presenting the finest new films about how art is made, how artists survive, how they think and work, and what makes creativity our most important skill, and our best hope for mankind.

Official Selections of FAFF 2022 will be offered a distribution deal through the ViCAFilms/Big Pieces Company partnership, which has resulted in the Art/World Collection, viewable now on Vimeo. A group of these films was recently licensed to one of the most popular national streamers, Tubi.

FAFF is now in its ninth year. "Every year we get more films from more countries, of higher and higher quality. It's really exciting to see perspectives that are fresh and different from what I've previously been exposed to. Each film is like entering a new little world to explore,” says Christy Addis-Gutierrez, FAFF Festival Program Director and ViCA’s Film Curator. She adds, “Being able to offer distribution deals to our Official Selections filmmakers helps us continue to attract the very best films from around the world."

The FAFF 2022 Awards Ceremony will be announced shortly.

Sponsors past and present include Blick Art Materials, Beyond Baroque, 4 Brothers Wine Co., Flake, the Estonian American Business Alliance, and many others.

About ViCA

The Venice Institute of Contemporary Art (ViCA) is devoted to presenting and sustaining the unique stories, history and culture of one of the most important centers of independent artistic expression. Through its exhibitions, events, research facilities, and education curriculum, ViCA celebrates the world of art internationally, and the art and culture of Venice Beach/Southern California. Our founding in 2011 marks an ongoing commitment to our community - to present the art world from the perspective of its artists, writers, curators, collectors, and the art viewing public.

Website/Official Selections List: https://www.veniceica.org/fineartsfilmfestival

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