Toronto Human Rights Watch Film Festival » Welcome

Tonight’s Film: ‘Welcome’ With Special Guest Samer Muscati of Human Rights Watch

julie — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 01:00:13 +0000

Samer Muscati, a researcher with Human Rights Watch Middle East and North Africa division, introduces tonight’s film, Welcome, writer-director Philippe Lioret’s dramatic chronicle of intersecting lives.

Set in Calais, Welcome stars Vincent Lindon as Simon, a local swimming instructor privately reeling in turmoil because he dreads an imminent divorce from his wife (Audrey Dana). Soon, his path unexpectedly crisscrosses with that of Bilal (Firat Ayverdi), a 17-year-old Kurdish refugee with two aspirations: swim the English Channel, and join his girlfriend in England. The film has touched a nerve in France and resulted in an unexpected slam from Immigration Minister Eric Besson.

Guest Samer Muscati is a documentary photographer, lawyer and former journalist who has worked in Rwanda, Iraq and East Timor in the fields of human rights and development. His photographs have been published in Time Magazine and other publications in North America and Europe. Samer contributed to The Men Who Killed Me: Rwandan Survivors of Sexual Violence (Douglas & MacIntyre publishers).

Welcome screens at 7 PM at Jackman Hall, Art Gallery of Ontario. For more information or to order tickets, please call the TIFFG Box Office at 416-968-FILM or toll-free 1-877-968-FILM. Tickets can also be purchased online at tiff.net/cinematheque and will be available at the theatre.

Video: Vincent Lindon and Philippe Lioret Meet Students From Sciences Po

julie — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 14:00:54 +0000

Actor Vincent Lindon and director Philippe Lioret present their film, Welcome, to students of the École des Sciences Politiques Lille or Sciences Po. The university, one of nine public institutes in France focused on political studies, trains a large number of the country’s diplomats and civil servants.

Welcome screens Saturday, February 27th, 9 PM at Jackman Hall, Art Gallery of Ontario, part of the 7th annual Toronto Human Rights Watch Film Festival.

Buy your tickets here.

Video: The Critics Discuss ‘Welcome’

julie — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 14:00:40 +0000

The members of “Critique Cinema”, a program airing on CAP 24 in France, discuss Philippe Lioret’s film Welcome. In French.

Welcome screens Saturday, February 27th, 9 PM at Jackman Hall, Art Gallery of Ontario, part of the 7th annual Toronto Human Rights Watch Film Festival.

Buy your tickets here.

Video: Interview with Philippe Lioret (’Welcome’)

julie — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 14:00:18 +0000

French TV interview with Welcome director Philippe Lioret.

Philippe Lioret has been writing and directing films in France since his 1993 debut, Lost in Transit. His 2006 film, Don’t Worry, I’m Fine (Je vais bien, ne t’en fais pas) received 5 César nominations, including Best Film and Best Director. Mr. Lioret was nominated for Lumiere Awards (France’s Golden Globes) in the categories of Best Director and Best Screenplay for Welcome.

Welcome screens Saturday, February 27th, 9 PM at Jackman Hall, Art Gallery of Ontario, part of the 7th annual Toronto Human Rights Watch Film Festival.

Buy your tickets here.

Welcome: Overview

julie — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 19:05:11 +0000

Welcome
Director: Philipe Lioret
Country: France
Year: 2009
Runtime: 110 minutes
Genre: Drama
Screening Times: Saturday, February 27, 7:00 p.m.

Buy tickets from Cinematheque Ontario

Synopsis:
A young Kurdish refugee finds friendship from an unlikely source in Welcome, writer-director Philippe Lioret’s dramatic chronicle of intersecting lives. The tale unfurls in Calais, a seaside community in the north of France where one can glimpse the white cliffs of Dover, England with the naked eye. Vincent Lindon stars as Simon, a local swimming instructor privately reeling in turmoil because he dreads an imminent divorce from his wife (Audrey Dana). Soon, his path unexpectedly criss-crosses with that of Bilal (Firat Ayverdi), a 17-year-old Kurdish refugee with two aspirations: swim the English Channel, and join his girlfriend in England following a lengthy separation. Despite their differing ages, the two men discover that they have a fair amount in common, and soon forge a tight bond marked by similar goals.

Director’s Biography:
Philippe Lioret has been writing and directing films in France since his 1993 debut, Lost in Transit. His 2006 film, Don’t Worry, I’m Fine (Je vais bien, ne t’en fais pas) received 5 César nominations, including Best Film and Best Director. Mr. Lioret was nominated for Lumiere Awards in the categories of Best Director and Best Screenplay for Welcome.

Film Festivals:
Berlin International Film Festival, Berlin, Germany, February 2009
Seattle International Film Festival, Seattle, USA, June 2009
Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, Karlovy Vary, CZ, July 2009
Palm Springs International Film Festival, Palm Springs, USA, January 2010
Toronto Human Rights Watch Film Festival, Toronto, Canada, February 2010

Awards:
Berlin Intl Film Festival “Label Europa Cinemas” and “Prize of the Ecumenical Jury”
Durban International Film Festival “Best Director” Award
European Parliament LUX Film Prize
Gijon Intl Film Festival “Best Screenplay” and “Special Prize of the Young Jury”
Heartland Film Festival Grand Prize for “Best Dramatic Feature”
Warsaw International Film Festival Audience Award

Media Coverage:
Drive-By Times: Film about asylum seekers angers French Immigration minister
Radio France Internationale (English): Breaking the law to help immigrants, a French film sparks controversy
The Guardian: France hails film drama of refugee’s desperate swim across the Channel
The Rumpus: The Rumpus Interview with Philippe Lioret

Overview by Julie Giles