The LifeArt Global Media Festival 2017 is an initiative inspired by the vision of the late director Michael Cacoyannis, established in Athens, Greece in cooperation with L.A. based companies and supporting partners around the world. Its unique identity lies in the fact that it is amongst the very few Festivals worldwide which covers the full range of filmmaking media thus supporting and promoting artists across the board and embracing the future of film.LifeArt has received over 300 submissions from countries across the globe and has earned the support of renowned artists around the world such as Academy Award winning director, Oliver Stone, who has endorsed the project, encouraging filmmakers to “Be a Part of it!”.The launching event took place at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, on the 9th of April 2017 (http://www.lifeartfestival.com/lagala).

The Festival will be taking place between the 10 -12 of July 2017 at the Michael Cacoyannis Foundation. On the 10th of July the Festival will open with a Special Screening of the spectacular National Geographic documentary concerning climatic change, “Before the Flood” directed by Leonardo di Caprio and Fisher Stevens, produced by Martin Scorsese, at Michael Cacoyannis Foundation. The event, which is by invitation only, aims to promote the unique value of open-air cinemas in Greece to the foreign press from Europe and the U.S. who have been invited to attend. All day screenings of the films in competition will be held at the Cinema Hall of the Michael Cacoyannis Foundation, including Q&As with some of the artists.

On the 12th of July, during the Closing Ceremony, the sci fi thriller “The Circle”, with Tom Hanks and Emma Watson, will be shown in a Pan-Hellenic premiere screening. The screening will be followed by the Awards Announcement, presented by George Satsides. The incredibly aesthetic “ZOE” awards, which have been crafted by Zolotas House of Jewels, are modeled on the Cycladic Figurine.  The Grand Prize is a 50.000 euro budget and full access to the Nu Boyana Studios, awarded to the Best Feature Film. The evening will close with a cocktail party at CLAP the Restaurant on the 3rd floor of the Foundation.

The Festival program includes:

Documentaries which teach us about life:  Never Ending Man: Hayao Mizaki ( the legendary Japanese artist and founder of the Ghibli Studios, Hayao Mizaki, decides to return to action because he “prefers to leave this life doing something creative, rather than leave it doing nothing at all”), Boobs (Pan-Hellenic premier at the 19th Thessaloniki Documentary Festival” – a candid look at breasts by Agnes Sklavou and Stelios Tatakis), Last Ride (the moving tribute by Andrea Pellerani to the owner of the last nomadic funfair, and to his father, Women are the Answer (the humanistic solution offered by Indian women, to the problem of overpopulation), All love Schmidt (the brave path forward of Bruno Schmidt, a paraplegic athlete), Who’s Gonna Love Me Now (the story of Saar, a homosexual ousted by his family due to his sexual orientation – received the Audience Award at last year’s Berlinale.)

In the Humanitarian Award category, amongst others:  Mixed Feelings (by Academy Award nominee, Guy Davidi) and Birthday (by Dimitris Katsimiris, starring Arieta Moutousi).In the Feature Film Category we have submissions by some incredible new talent such as Natalie Kaplan with Once there was a Girl and Akis Constantakopoulos with Land of Leopold. The program also includes 10 short films such as Au Revoir Balthazar, Nine Days, The Owls, Lunch Time (nominated for the Palme d’Or at the 70th Cannes Film Festival), Trust No one by the actor/scriptwriter/director, Simon Kassianides (Quantum of Solace), and more.In the TV Series Category, to mention but a few:  Crisis, which premiered worldwide during the last MIPTV event at Cannes, the Russian animation Paper Tales. The Web Series Category includes Blue Boys which takes a close look at sexual orientation bullying, Hollywood, which highlights the harsh, cruel reality of casting, Courtside, the daily reality of two brothers living in an urban neighborhood.

And last but not least:  VR which is fast taking over a large portion of the movie market and according to Alejandro González Iñárritu, whose 6minute film, Carne Y Arena was presented at the 70th Cannes Film Festival: ‘in a few years time this new medium will radically change the way movies are made’.LifeArt has chosen some of the best examples of VR to present during the Festival such as, Out of the Blue, by the well-travelled filmmaker and writer, Sophie Ansel, Virtually Inside HMS Belfast, about the most technologically advance light cruiser during the Second World War, Sepsis, the heartrending story of a mother who, following what appeared to be a bout of flu, ended up with all four of her limbs surgically removed, Songs of the Vine, an incredible journey into the depths of the Amazon and the life of one of the last native tribes, the Shipido.

              

For more information:  www.lifeartfestival.com