Bali film festival 2014

Bali is already known as a hot holiday destination for the stars, with the likes of David Hasselhoff, Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis all spotted swanning around the island. But for a full week starting from today, October 12th, Bali will be rolling out its red carpet for a full blown Hollywood affair.

Between cocktails at Potatohead and surf sessions at Kuta beach, you can occupy yourself with world movie premieres, meeting your favourite stars and experiencing the magic of Hollywood on one of the most multifaceted islands in the world. Welcome to the BALINALE 2014.

Life doesn’t get much better than this! And there is just enough time to dust off your tuxedos and polish your high heels.

Bali film festival: how it began

About eight years ago, the festival founders, Christine Hakim and Deborah Gabinetti, had a vision: to build a platform to explore and celebrate the art of film-making and create an inspirational and cultural exchange in the form of the island’s own film festival. And what an amazing job they did!

The Bali film festival is growing rapidly every year. Last years, Balinale featured 50 movies from 20 different countries, including South Korea, Thailand, Italy, the United States, Hong Kong, the Philippines, New Zealand and Indonesia. Since Julia Roberts went on her spiritiual journey in the box office hit eat.pray.love, Bali has become an important destination for the movie industry worldwide.

The Balinale was established in 2007 by Bali Taksu Indonesia Foundation and is a non-profit organization. 2014 looks set to be another unforgettable year of thought-provoking and award-winning independent films.

On the Balinale 2014 facebook page, the committee have posted that they have received some of the best films they have seen since they started the festival eight years ago. So, happy days are ahead for movie buffs across the island.

Individual tickets or festival passes are available at several outlets located throughout the island or can be purchased online here.

And if it’s not enough that you will be entertained with some mind blowing movies that no one else has seen before, every penny of your ticket will go towards educational advancement of the children of Bali.

Bali film festival 2014

This year, the jury has received a record number of entries from all over the world. All genres, from fiction and documentary to feature and short films, will be shown in this extraordinary seven day line up.

The focus will be on ‘Women in Film’, with the presenter being none other than Jill Gwen Braginets, Senior Vice President of Finance and Operations for Fox Searchlight Pictures. Jill has worked on a variety of award-winning films including 12 Years a Slave, Slumdog Millionaire, Black Swan, Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Beasts of the Southern Wild, 127 Hours, Tree of Life, Juno, Little Miss Sunshine, Sideways, and The Full Monty. Impressed much?

The global cinema marathon kicked off at 10am today with a Children’s Charity Program, and throughout this week, 59 movies from all over the world will be shown. The Bali film festival will present 21 Asian Premieres, 4 International Premieres and 3 World Premieres at Cinema XXI Beachwalk Mall, Kuta Beach, Bali – with things coming to an end on Saturday the 18th of October.

The official opening film, “Manto Acuifero” (The Well), sails in from Mexico and was directed by the Mexiacan-Australian film maker Michael Rowe. “The Well” is the follow-up film of the highly regarded drama, Año Bisiesto (Leap Year), for which Michael won the Golden Camera at the Cannes International Film Festival in 2010.

On the Balinale website, you can check out the entire screening program schedule and find out more background info about the 2014 event.

One more highlight of this year’s festival is the presence of award winning actress Chelsie Preston-Crayford, who will be conducting acting workshops throughout the festival.

Bali film festival 2014 partnership

This year, the Bali film festival is partnering with AMERICAN FILM SHOWCASE (AFS), who showcased a series of films throughout Bali and Indonesia in the lead up to the festival.

The American Film Showcase brings award-winning contemporary American documentaries to audiences around the world, offering a view of American society and culture as seen by independent documentary filmmakers. Funded by a grant from the US State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and administered by the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts, the showcase highlights the value of documentaries in fostering understanding and cooperation, dialogue and debate.

Another special cinematic treat for Bali took place in September, with the prestigious Sundance Institute, Film Forward, choosing a Bali film as one of eight movies to tour eight international destinations across the world.

The filmmakers participated in screenings, attended Q&As, and held workshops and master classes at nearby universities. Furthermore, they visited film centers and other community and cultural venues, as their mission was to cultivate an engaged dialogue, foster appreciation of other viewpoints, and develop new audiences for independent films.

So, ladies and gentlemen, if you’re not already moseying around Bali, there is still time to jump on a plane to this magical island. Just remember to pack your evening gowns along with your bikinis.

See you on the red carpet!