Robert DiNero opens 07 Lisbon Village Festival Opening night World Premier of "FUEL"
Final evening televised Award's Event FUEL's Michael Nash & Justin Hogan win 1st Prize
PRESS
Greenwich Village Gazette Review
Review by Josh Grant 07/14/2007
This provocative, in your face cinema verite styled film is truly a wake up call for the world and for the digital film industry. In his debut film which tackles the issue of global warming, first time writer/director Michael Nash knocks it out of the park with his cutting edge film making style and story telling intensity. Two weeks ago, Fuel world premiered to standing ovations during the International Lisbon Village Film Festival, taking the European community by storm.
Film producer Justin Hogan stated, "We felt Portugal being ahead in the green movement would be a great place to world premier a film about the destructive path the human race is on." He could not have been more correct. Fuel beat a very impressive and award winning list of feature films from around the world, winning Lisbon’s top prize The Grand Jury Award for the 2007 international festival.
"FUEL" is the story of a troubled genius who attempts to invent a magnetic engine to end the world's oil addiction. Based on current events, this conspiracy drama/thriller follows the journey of Dan Tort, a reclusive intellect, who must battle demons from his past as he searches for a new form of reusable energy. Shot in a cinema verite (documentary filmmaking) style, the film mixes factual events and original footage, leading the viewer down a frightening path filled with intrigue and conspiracy.
Nash’s movie details the machinations of a young inventor who actually comes up with a logical and easily produced alternative energy source that powers automobiles. He is shadowed, harassed, threatened and driven to near derangement by a Military –Industrial Complex that will stop at nothing to keep him down.
Audiences are blown away by the film’ raw attention to detail and by some very sincere scenes played for real to all in the crowd.
This is a probing, provocative work that has already drawn great critical acclaim and you should write to your local theater and ask them to screen it if they are not already. People need to get this message for there is little time to spare if all the scientific data is true.
This zero budget creative gem contends with the likes of El Mariachi, Pi and The Brothers McMullen, something we haven’t witnessed in over a decade. If you have a chance to see this film, don’t walk to the theater, run. I had a chance to speak with director Michael Nash after the festival.
When asked why he made this film, Nash replied, "It’s time to change the power and power the change. Look the fact is, if we don’t change the way we live, to our grandchildren we will be but villains." Currently, Nash has two film projects in the pipeline. I will be the first one standing in line to see them.
go to www.nycny.com
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Lisbon Village Festival's award ceremony
25-06-2007
The Lisbon Village Festival's closing ceremony was last saturday at BBC - Belém Bar Café and will be soon broadcasted by RTP - The National Public Television.
In a party presented by Ana Galvão, the cristal trophys (produced with the support of Atlantis) were delivered to the films chosen by the jury as the best in each category on competition. Don Boyd (british director), Heinrich Dahms (south-african director), Elena Vilardell (responsabile for the Ibermedia Program in Spain), Zoe Valdes (cuban writer) and Filipe Duarte (portuguese actor) gave the prizes of best international feature film to "Fuel", by the north-american Michael Nash (30.000 €), of best international short film to "The Famous Joe Project", by the north-american Eli rarey (15.000 €) and of best portuguese spoken short film to "Frio", by the portuguese director Artur Serra Araújo (7.500 €). The special mentions went to “Pretty in the face”, by the north-american Nate Meyer (in the “international feature films" category), “Single Bed”, by the greek George Kouvaras (in the “international short-films" category) and to “Ctrl Alt Fly”, by the Portuguese director Victor Santos (in the “portuguese spoken short-films" category).
The critique Jury - composed by the portuguese journalists Ana Markl, Nuno Henrique Luz and Vitor Moura - gave yet a spetial mention to the movie they elected as the best international feature film: “Diggers”, by the north american director Katherine Dieckmann.
The closing ceremony was animated by the musical participation of bands such as EZ Special and Tambor and, after its end, it continued all night long at the beautiful space of BBC, near Tejo river.
go to www.lisbon.villagefestival.net
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"Fuel" vence Prémio para Melhor
Longa-Metragem do Lisbon
Village Festival"
Em competição estiveram nove longas-metragens e 13 curtas metragens na secção internacional, e ainda quatro curtas portuguesas na competição nacional
"Fuel" vence Prémio para Melhor Longa-Metragem do Lisbon Village Festival
O filme "Fuel", do norte-americano Michael Nash, venceu o Prémio para a Melhor Longa-Metragem do Lisbon Village Festival, no valor de 30.000 euros.
O filme conta a história de um génio, Dan Tort, que tenta inventar uma máquina para pôr fim à dependência mundial de petróleo.
O Prémio para a Melhor Curta-Metragem, no valor de 15.000 euros foi para "The famous Joe Project" de Eli Rarey, também dos Estados Unidos, um filme sobre a solidão, promiscuidade e "a deformidade induzida através da tecnologia", afirma a organização do Festival.
O mote do filme é um jovem que grava a sua vida sexual através de uma webcam.
O Prémio Cidade de Lisboa, para a Melhor Curta-Metragem em Língua Portuguesa, no valor de 7.500 euros foi para "Frio", de Artur Serra Araújo.
Menção Especial da Crítica, atribuída pelo Júri da Crítica à Melhor Longa-Metragem Internacional foi para o filme da norte-americana Katherine Dieckmann, "Diggers".
"Diggers", de 2005, narra a perda de qualidade de vida numa pequena cidade dos EUA na década de 1970. Uma comunidade de apanhadores de amêijoa de Long Island (Nova Iorque) vê-se ameaçada por uma multinacional.
O actor Nuno Melo foi distinguido com o Prémio Prestígio RTP. Entre outras séries, o actor participou no tele-romance "Chuva na areia" (1985) ao lado de nomes como Vírgilio Teixeira, Mariana Rey-Monteiro, Alina Vaz, Armando Cortez e Maria Cristina.
A Menção Especial para Longas-Metragens Internacionais foi para "Pretty in the face" de Nate Meyer dos Estados Unidos, que narra a história do encontro de dois jovens.
A Menção Especial para Curtas-Metragens Internacionais distinguiu o filme "Single bed", do grego George Kouvaras.
Para Curtas-Metragens em Português coube a "Ctrl alt fly", do português Vítor Santos, a Menção Especial.
O realizador britânico presidiu ao júri composto pelo cineasta sul-africano Heinrich Dahms, pela escritora cubana Zoe Valdés, pelo actor português Filipe Duarte e pela espanhola Elena Vilardell, uma das responsáveis pelo Programa Ibermedia.
A estreia do filme "The Lovebirds", de Bruno Almeida, no Cinema S. Jorge em Lisboa, a 18 de Junho, abriu o II Lisbon Village Festival que termina este domingo com a exibição dos filmes vencedores pelas 19:15, na mesma sala.
Em competição estiveram nove longas-metragens e 13 curtas metragens na secção internacional, e ainda quatro curtas portuguesas na competição nacional.
Todos os filmes a concurso foram feitos em suporte digital, um formato que o presidente do júri considerou, na conferência de imprensa de apresentação, ser um caminho para a revolução, sobretudo ao nível da criatividade.
"O que aprendemos em cem anos de cinema vamos integrar no cinema digital", afirmou Don Boyd.
