The Global Lens film series can be seen in more than 35 locations across the United States and Canada, and is also available in home video, television, educational, theatrical, internet and airline markets. Since its launch, the series has provided a platform for exceptional storytelling and opened a window into the diverse world in which we live.

NEWS: GLOBAL LENS ON VIRGIN AMERICA AND LINK TV!

The Global Film Initiative is kicking off 2009 with two new partners: Virgin America and Link TV!

GFI and Virgin America airlines are partnering to release GFI's critically acclaimed film series — Global Lens — on Virgin America's interactive, in–flight entertainment system, RED™. Films from the Global Lens Collection are now available on all flights and, beginning this month, Global Lens 2009 films will also be available on Virgin America, bringing the sixth installment of the series to the skies! Check out what's now playing on Virgin America, and read more about the partnership here!

Global Lens on Link TV is a new television series dedicated exclusively to showcasing Global Lens films to primetime audiences on the Peabody award–winning network. Twelve feature length selections from the Global Lens Collection make up the series, adding to Link TV's innovative lineup of news, arts, culture, and world cinema programming. Link TV is available in 30 million homes across the United States, delivering Global Lens to its largest audience yet. Check the broadcast schedule and tune in, or find more details about the series here!

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FESTIVALS: FESPACO AND INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL ROTTERDAM

Festival season is in full-swing! Co–founder Susan Weeks Coulter and Board Member Shaari Ergas are attending the 2009 Pan-African Film and Television Festival of Ouagadougou (FESPACO) in Burkina Faso March 1st–March 7th. They'll be meeting with Festival attendees to discuss distribution and funding opportunities available through GFI, and looking for new films to build upon the already stellar lineup of African cinema distributed by GFI!

But that's not all... Santhosh Daniel, Director of Programs and Chris Wiggum, Director of Public Relations and Business Development, recently attended the 2009 International Film Festival Rotterdam, January 24th–30th. They met with a number of filmmakers, producers and sales agents attending the Festival's Cinemart, and also scouted films for the upcoming Global Lens 2010 series — keep an eye out for the fruits of their globe–trotting labor!

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NEWS: GFI ANNOUNCES WORLD CINEMA WEEK!

This Spring, the Global Film Initiative is launching World Cinema Week (WCW) — an original, annual celebration of world cinema and culture hosted by universities, colleges and libraries across the United States and Canada!

World Cinema Week is scheduled to take place April 19th–25th and universities, colleges and libraries are invited to host Global Lens films on-campus as part of a collaborative effort to expand understanding of global culture through the language of cinema. Participants are also encouraged to use GFI educational resources to enhance film screenings, and create on-campus educational global studies events using Global Lens films. (Click here to see how Global Lens films were used in International Education Week last Fall.)

World Cinema Week is an original screening event created by GFI and is an expansion of the Initiative's Education Program, which most recently launched the online film–learning resource Bluescreen, and, in collaboration with Virgin America airlines, the Wing It! student contest. For more information about how to participate in World Cinema Week, Wing It! and other GFI Education-sponsored programs, click here.

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NEWS: GLOBAL LENS KICKS OFF SIXTH SEASON!

Global Lens 2009 kicked off its sixth season with a dynamic, two-week series premiere at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York January 14th–31st. Directors Teresa Prata (Sleepwalking Land) and Sandra Kogut (Mutum), in addition to actor Ilda Gonzalez (Sleepwalking Land) and the H. E. Mr. Filipe Chidumo (the Ambassador Extraordinary and Permanent Representative of the Republic of Mozambique to the United Nations), all attended Global Lens screenings during the premiere. The series was a hit with critics, and received stellar reviews in the New York Times, indieWIRE and more. Read the press coverage here.

Left — Right: Shanty in The Photograph; Museum of Modern Art; Nick Lauro Teresa in Sleepwalking Land.

Global Lens 2009 is now on tour, with upcoming screenings at the Gasparilla International Film Festival, the Cinequest Film Festival and the Minneapolis/St. Paul International Film Festival. One of our most anticipated lineups yet, Global Lens 2009 includes three North American premieres as well as Macedonia's official entry for the 2009 Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award. And don't forget — Global Lens 2009 begins screening on Virgin America this month!

Check out GFI's calendar to see when Global Lens will be coming to a theater near you!

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NEWS: INTRODUCING CHAIRMAN'S CHOICE

As Global Lens enters its sixth year, there are films from series' past that continue to resonate with audiences and stand out in our collective memory; the perspectives and voices of these films remain vital and represent the best of Global Lens. This year, the Global Film Initiative introduces Chairman's Choice: an opportunity for one such film to be screened and experienced by those who missed it initially — or who want to see it again.

The 2009 Chairman's Choice is Margarette's Feast, a film that earned praise from critics and audiences alike when it screened in the 2003/2004 series; it is a rare treat, both evocative of cinema's earliest traditions and the universal trials of modernity. Margarette's Feast exemplifies the cinematic vision of Global Lens and we are pleased to bring it back for an encore.

Email us to host Margarette's Feast and the Global Lens 2009 film series at your theater or venue!

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PERSPECTIVES: JYTTE JENSEN

"We all, no matter what age and background, can be swayed and reached by stories, storytellers and filmmakers from the far reaches of the filmmaking community. For this reason, Global Lens has proven to be formidable, with a unique selection of entertaining, visually accomplished stories that challenge viewers to engage in cultures and environments not regularly given life in our media saturated society."

—Jytte Jensen, Curator in the Department of Film at the Museum of Modern Art

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NOW PLAYING: GLOBAL LENS 2009

• Tampa, FL: Gasparilla International Film Festival (February 25th–April 2nd)

• Lubbock, TX: Texas Tech University (February 25th–April 21st)

• Reno, NV: Truckee Meadows Community College (February 26th–May 6th)

• San Jose, CA: Cinequest (February 25th–March 8th)

• Miami, FL: Florida International University (March 23rd–April 3rd)

• Minneapolis, MN: Minneapolis/St. Paul International Film Festival (April 16th–30th)

Special Screenings

Townhouse Gallery of Contemporary Art, Cairo, Egypt
The Townhouse Gallery in Cairo, Egypt, is back as a "global partner," bringing Global Lens films to audiences in Egypt! The gallery is screening selections from Global Lens 2008, including The Kite, Kept & Dreamless, Bunny Chow and more — screenings are being held through March 11th, so if you're in Cairo check it out!

Montalvo Arts Center, Saratoga, CA
On March 6th, Montalvo Arts Center will present a unique screening of Garin Nugroho's Opera Jawa (Global Lens 2008) as part of a presentation of films from the New Crowned Hope Festival. Peter Sellars, renowned opera, theater and festival director, commissioned the films to celebrate the 250th anniversary of Mozart's birth, and he will be present for a discussion prior to the screening. Opera Jawa and the New Crowned Hope Festival films are presented as part of Montalvo's 2009 initiative AGENCY: The Work of Artists, curated by Julie Lazar. Click here for more information.

Asia Society: New York and Southern California Screenings
The partnership between the Asia Society and GFI continues with three Global Lens Collection screenings this Spring:

March 4th, New York, NY: Let the Wind Blow
March 11th, Santa Monica, CA: Stolen Life
April 16th, New York, NY: Luxury Car

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NEWS: GFI IN THE PRESS

indieWIRE: Bringing the Mountain to Mohammed: Global Lens Spotlights the "Underserved" by Howard Feinstein
"You may recall some excellent atypical, against–the-grain films that...would probably never have been viewed in these parts were it not for the efforts of the nonprofit Global Film Initiative."

Alliance of Women Film Journalists: Women On Film - Women Director's in MoMA's 2009 Global Lens Series
by Jennifer Merin
"Accomplished, entertaining, and thought-provoking, [Global Lens] films are genuine expressions of the social, cultural and political realities of the countries..."

SF60.org: Global Lens on Link TV
by Judy Stone
"Edgy world-cinema narratives...are finding a regular spot in your home theater, courtesy the Global Film Initiative's Global Lens series."

The San Francisco Chronicle: Thinking Globally
by Hugh Hart
"GFI continues to reach out to local film societies..." (Includes an interview with Director of Programs Santhosh Daniel.)

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NEWS: FILMS & FILMMAKERS IN THE NEWS

I Am From Titov Veles, by Macedonian director Teona Strugar Mitevska, was Macedonia's official submission for the 2009 Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award. Mitevska's film was also selected for the 20th European Film Awards. GFI grant awarded in 2005. Featured in Global Lens 2009.

Mutum director Sandra Kogut and Sleepwalking Land director Teresa Prata, were profiled by the Alliance of Women Film Journalists (AWFJ) in articles that appeared on the AWFJ website. Featured in Global Lens 2009.

Blind Pig Who Wants to Fly, by Indonesian director Edwin, won the FIPRESCI (the International Federation of Film Critics) award at the 39th International Film Festival Rotterdam (Netherlands). Edwin's film had its world premiere at the 14th Pusan International Film Festival (South Korea) and was an official selection of the 28th Vancouver International Film Festival (Canada). GFI grant awarded in 2008.

Native Dancer, by Kazakh director Guka Omarova, screened in competition at the 5th Dubai International Film Festival (United Arab Emirates). Omaraova's film was an official selection of the 20th Palm Springs International Film Festival (U.S.), the 20th Stockholm International Film Festival (Sweden) and the 39th International Film Festival Rotterdam (Netherlands) and is nominated for Best Editor at the 2009 Asian Film Awards. GFI grant awarded in 2008.

Trapped Dream (formerly Europe by Road), by Nigerian director Ubaka Joseph Ugochukwu, had its world premiere at the 32nd Göteborg International Film Festival (Sweden). GFI grant awarded in 2007.

Pesantren, by Indonesian director Nurman Hakim, won the Grand Jury Prize for International Film at the Festival International des Cinémas d'Asie (France). Hakim's film had its world premiere at the 14th Pusan International Film Festival (South Korea), screened in competition at the 5th Dubai International Film Festival (United Arab Emirates) and was an official selection of the 32nd Göteborg International Film Festival (Sweden). GFI grant awarded in 2007.

Jermal, by Indonesian director Ravi L. Bharwani had its world premiere at the 14th Pusan International Film Festival (South Korea), and was an official selection of the 39th International Film Festival Rotterdam (Netherlands). GFI grant awarded in 2006.

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REVIEWS: GLOBAL LENS 2009

Song From the Southern Seas (Pesn Juzhnykh Morej)
Screen International — January 28, 2009
"Now into the ranks of the most accomplished Kazakh films... comes Kyrgyz Marat Sarulu's Song From the Southern Seas..." Click here for entire article.

The Photograph, Pictures More Influential Than Words
The New York Times — January 21, 2009
"Leisurely paced and beautifully acted, The Photograph is a haunting — and haunted — examination..." Click here for entire article.

Las Vidas Posibles — Review by Slate
The Brooklyn Socialite — January 21, 2009
"The extremely subtle messages of Gugliotta's beautiful and mysterious film take a while to sink in..." Click here for entire article.

I Am From Titov Veles
j.b. spins — January 20, 2009
"Somehow Mitevska has crafted a film that is both impressionistic and naturalistic... a very personal story and a demanding film." Click here for entire article.

Sleepwalking Land, In Mozambique, a Road to Self-Discovery
The New York Times — January 14, 2009
"...an affecting portrait of life during wartime... a skilled storyteller with a clear, unsentimental eye..." Click here for entire article.

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BUY: GLOBAL LENS MERCHANDISE!!

Global Lens 2009 merchandise is now on sale! Visit our online store and find shirts, mugs, clocks, bags and more. Don't see what you want? Let us know and we can make a custom item just for you!

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BUY: NEW ON DVD — OF LOVE AND EGGS, A WONDERFUL NIGHT IN SPLIT, ANOTHER MAN'S GARDEN, ON EACH SIDE, OPERA JAWA AND THE KITE!

Global Lens films are hitting the shelves — buy them now!


Of Love and Eggs
Director: Garin Nugroho
Indonesia
In sprawling Jakarta, Indonesia, during the Muslim holiday of Lebaran, interwoven stories of family, faith and romantic love are revealed through the eyes of three children. Global Lens 2007


A Wonderful Night in Split
Director: Arsen Anton Ostojic
Croatia
As the clock winds down to midnight on New Year's Eve, three love stories unfold amidst the Croatian city of Split's medieval ghetto. Global Lens 2007



Another Man's Garden
Director: João Luis Sol de Carvalho
Mozambique
A young girl wants to study medicine in Mozambique but faces tremendous obstacles in a country with few opportunities for women. Global Lens 2007


On Each Side
Director: Hugo Grosso
Argentina
Multiple lives are affected by the building of the Rosario-Victoria Bridge in Argentina — a gargantuan undertaking that links two Argentine cities and provinces. Global Lens 2007


Opera Jawa
Director: Garin Nugroho
Indonesia
In the lush interior of Java, a potter's wife is seduced into a tragic love triangle in this stylish adaptation of the Hindu epic, The Ramayana. Global Lens 2008



The Kite
Director: Randa Chahal Sabbag
Lebanon
On the eve of her marriage, a Lebanese girl realizes she is in love with the Israeli soldier guarding the border checkpoint that separates her from her fiancé. Global Lens 2008

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ABOUT THE GLOBAL FILM INITIATIVE:

The Global Film Initiative is a U.S.–based, not–for–profit organization specializing in the support of independent film from Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East. Founded in 2002 to promote cross–cultural understanding through the language of cinema, the Initiative awards numerous grants to deserving filmmakers from around the world each year, and supports a touring film series entitled Global Lens. For more information about the Global Lens film series and Global Film Initiative programs, please visit our website or contact us at gfi–info@globalfilm.org.

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