Press Releases
PRESS RLEASE SEPTEMBER 7th 2021
The I Will Tell International Film Festival has announced the winners in 18 cateogories for the 2021 Film Festival..
Festival Director, Jenny Lee said: "We are delighted to be honouring the hard work, talent and sacrifice of filmmakers from around the world. Their reactions on wining are enough to let us know that we must continue providing a platform for these incredible films that celebrate untold stories, challenge perspectives and catalyse change."
The Festival also congratulated all of this year's Filmmakers who have created beautiful and challenging pieces of work that will continue to be discussed and referenced and a source of inspiration for many years to come.
RISING STAR AWARD
*** WINNER Eddie Sandifolo (Gonarezhou)
BEST ACTRESS IN A FEATURE DRAMA
*** WINNER Tendaiishe Chitima (Gonarezhou)
BEST ACTOR IN A FEATURE DRAMA
*** WINNER Paul Diaconescu The Last Picture Show in Bucharest)
BEST NARRATIVE FEATURE
***WINNER The Last Picture Show in Bucharest (Director: Ludi Boeken)
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
*** WINNER Softie (Director Sam Soko)
BEST NARRATIVE SHORT
*** WINNER Otis’ Dream (Director: Jason & Blue | Writer and Producer Rev Dr Otis Moss III)
BEST ANIMATION SHORT
*** WINNER On/Off (Director: Nicolas P. Villarreal)
BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT
*** WINNER Sharp (Director: Sander Ligthart)
BEST EXPERIMENTAL SHORT
*** WINNER Lotus (Directors: Angelika Fürstler, Austin Ahlborg)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A SHORT FILM
*** WINNER Victor Olusina (The Boy Who Ran)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A SHORT FILM
*** WINNER Valentin Titania (My Mother is the Best)
BEST ACTOR IN A SHORT FILM
*** WINNER Christopher Greer (Otis’ Dream)
BEST ACTRESS IN A SHORT FILM
*** WINNER Daniela Lucas (Never)
I WILL TELL FILM LANGUAGE INNOVATION AWARD
*** WINNER My Protagonist, Mr Weissman (Director: Judith de Leeuw)
I WILL TELL VANGUARD AWARD
*** WINNER Coded Bias (Director: Shalini Kantayya)
I WILL TELL LION AWARD
*** WINNER The Final Fix (Director: Norman Stone)
NDINADSAWAPANGA AWARD
*** WINNER Dying for Gold (Directors: Catherine Meyburgh, Richard Pakleppa)
BEST ENSEMBLE ACTING
*** WINNER Stefan Davis, Christian Jae, Ackeem Gibbs and Gidz Clarke Gayle (Tale of the Fatherless)
PRESS RELEASE 14 September 2020
I WILL TELL INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2020 announced the winners for this year's festival. The festival was applauded by filmmakers and attendees alike as simply one of the best in the world today, and certainly the most inspirational.
Winner for Best Feature Drama
The Fisherman’s Diary (Director Enah Johnscott)
Winner for Best Actor in a Feature Drama
Ryû Morioka ((The Salt of the Earth, Gunpei Yamamuro)
Winner for Best Actress in a Feature Drama
Faith Fidel (The Fisherman’s Diary)
Winner for Best Feature Documentary
Rising Silence (Director Leesa Gazi)
Winner for Best Actor in a Short Drama
Will Catlett (Black Boy Joy)
Winner for Best Actress in a Short Drama
Doyin Ajiboye (Dolapo is fine)
Winner for Best Short Documentary
Moshe Sneh – The Man Who Never Gave Up (Director Amir Har-Gil)
Winner for Best animation
Winter (Director: Xin Li)
Winner for Best Short Drama
Dolapo Is Fine (Director Ethosheia Hylton)
Winner of the I Will Tell Vanguard Award
The Salt of the Earth, Gunpei Yamamuro Director Masatoshi Tojo
Winner of the I Will Tell Lion Award
Women of Faith: Coping with Trauma (Director Angela Heath)
Winner of the I Will Tell Avant-Garde Award
Intolerance No More (Director Sergio Guerrero)
Winner of the I Will Tell Innovation for TV Award
Afro (Director Jenn Shaw)
The Awards Ceremony took place on Wednesday 9 September from 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm on I Will Tell TV.
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PRESS RELEASE 8 September 2020
I WILL TELL INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2020 has announced the nominees for this year's festival.
Nominations for Best Feature Drama
The Fisherman’s Diary (Director Enah Johnscott)
Intolerance No More Director Sergio Guerrero
The Salt of the Earth, Gunpei Yamamuro Director Masatoshi Tojo
Nominations for Best Feature Documentary
The Man Who Wanted to Fly (Director Frank Shouldice)
The Great Disconnect (Director Tamer Soliman)
Rising Silence (Director Leesa Gazi)
Women of Faith: Coping with Trauma (Director Angela Heath)
Nominations for Best Actor in a Short Drama
Will Catlett (Black Boy Joy)
Michael Akinsulire (I Am Joseph)
Nawid Sharifi (Baradar)
Nominations for Best Actress in a Short Drama
Doyin Ajiboye (Dolapo is fine)
Briana Roy (Afro)
Sarah Eastwood (It's Just a Boy)
Nominations for Best Short Documentary
Mong Kok First Aid (Director: Mavis Siu)
Moshe Sneh – The Man Who Never Gave Up (Director Amir Har-Gil)
My Grandpa is a troublemaker (Director Menna Elbezawy)
Nominations for Best animation
Winter (Director: Xin Li)
Curtain Call (Director: Angel Yau)
Nominations for Best Short Drama
Dolapo Is Fine (Director Ethosheia Hylton)
Black Boy Joy (Director Martina Lee)
Alina (Director Rami Kodeih)
Nominations for Best Actor in a Feature Drama
Kang Quintus (The Fisherman’s Diary)
Ryû Morioka ((The Salt of the Earth, Gunpei Yamamuro)
Nominations for Best Actress in a Feature Drama
Faith Fidel (The Fisherman’s Diary)
Paulette Patterson (Intolerance No More)
Miwako Wagatsuma (The Salt of the Earth, Gunpei Yamamuro)
Other Awards to be granted this year:
I Will Tell Vanguard Award
The Salt of the Earth, Gunpei Yamamuro Director Masatoshi Tojo
I Will Tell Lion Award
I Will Tell Innovation for TV Award
I Will Tell Avant-Garde Award
Intolerance No More Director Sergio Guerrero
The Awards Ceremony takes place on Wednesday 9 September from 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm on I Will Tell TV.
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PRESS RELEASE 25 August 2020
It’s time for the Lions to tell their story
I Will Tell International Film Festival announced its 14th annual film festival today … from the top of the plinth from which the Colston statue was recently pulled down.
As Festival Director, Jenny Lee, stood on the plinth with her right arm lifted high in the Black Power salute, car and truck drivers honked their horns. One shouted “Take it back!” A few early morning workers smiled politely as they walked past. One walked past twice. The soul of racial justice is still alive.
“There’s an old African proverb”, Festival Director Jenny Lee began, “Until the story of the hunt is told by the Lion the tale of the hunt will always glorify the hunter.”
The entire message was delivered with Jenny facing the opposite direction to which Colston faced before he was unceremoniously taken down. he entire message was delivered with Jenny facing the opposite direction to which Colston faced before he was taken down. Explaining the reason for this Jenny, a Trinidadian born African descendant, cites the intense interest in topics related to race and racism around the time of the death of George Floyd and the dramatic fall in interest just two months later. “Even if the hashtags are no longer trending, our change of perspective and focus on fighting for justice must be permanent, not a temporary emotional reaction.” She added.
So what does all this have to do with a film festival? One of the greatest barriers to racial equality is a lack of representation. The importance of telling a diversity of stories about the Black Community and indeed of other groups that are discriminated against, cannot be under-estimated and I Will Tell delivers just that. More than 60 films from over 30 countries that will challenge perspectives and, the organisers hope, act as a catalyst for continuing the change that has already begun. For the filmmakers, a festival such as I Will Tell is as refreshing as cold water on a hot day. In the UK, for instance, more than 90% of films that are distributed are in the hands of less than 10 companies who have all admitted openly that there is still a lot of work to be done concerning racial equality within the industry. Black filmmakers in particular find it incredibly difficult to get their films distributed.
This year, for the first time, the festival will be hosted online which means many more people can join in from the comfort of their own home. Screenings will be followed by a Live Interactive Q&A with the Directors.
The films address race issues such as police brutality, beauty, identity, family and the justice system as well as modern-day social disconnectedness, education, migration, abuse, the environment, faith and more. There is also a Children’s Corner and a special Quarantine Creatives section which will be available throughout the festival showcasing short films and micro-shorts created by filmmakers in quarantine during Covid-19 lockdown.
Distribution companies often reject excellent films on the basis that there are questions about their commercial viability. If you want to see more films like these in the mainstream, it starts with supporting festivals such as I Will Tell.
Festival Dates: 30 August to 09 September