JULY

DOCUMENTARY CHANNEL ACQUIRES MULTIPLE SMILEY TITLES

The local broadcaster, Documentary Channel, has acquired a package of titles from Smiley. The package encompasses a variety of topics and subjects from various regions; from a one-time Australian heroine trafficker on death row in Singapore (Just Punishment) and the practise of matchmaking in modern day Orthodox Jewish communities (Match & Marry), to the notorious US consumer activist Ralph Nader (An Unreasonable Man). Some of Smiley's New Zealand titles will get a chance to be seen in their homeland - 5 Hours with Raja, Chance of a Lifetime and Pacific Solution have been acquired in this deal. The Documentary Channel also acquired an "Oscar package" consisting of the winners and nominees of the Academy Awards®; namely The Blood of Yingzhou District (2007 Winner) , Freeheld (2008 Winner), Smile Pinki (2009 Winner) and The Witness: From the Balcony of Room 306 (2009 Finalist and Nominee). Smiley's more recently acquired titles are having their NZ premiere with Documentary Channel: When the World Breaks and Kiri Wai Inner Skin will be broadcast after successful screenings at the Documentary Edge earlier this year. Other titles that were acquired include Intifada NYC, Taking Root: The Vision of Wangari Maathai, Whatever Happened to Brenda Hean?, Terra Incognita, Abel Raises Cain, Kamp Katrina, The Slanted Screen, Tongzhi in Love and the Peabody Winner, Braindamadj'd... Take II.

ANATOMY AND INTIMIDAD TO UR

Smiley sold to the Swedish broadcaster, UR, “Muscle” and “Heart” from the critically acclaimed Australian series, Anatomy and the poignant tale of a young Mexican couple, Intimidad. Anatomy explores the relationship between the physical body and artistic expression , offering unique perspectives on the creative process involved in varying forms of art. “Muscle” follows a travelling acrobatic group on their physical and emotional strain, delving beneath the stylised and artificial realm of circus performance and “Heart” explores the origins of creative inspiration through an artist's portrait of her long-time muse ("Heart"). Series 2 dealing with the themes of “Eye”, “Face” and “Mind” will be released shortly and Series 3 is soon going in production. Intimidad is the personal story of a working couple in the booming global production centre, Reynosa, Mexico, and their struggles and sacrifices in trying to build a better life for their young family. Their journey is intimately captured against the backdrop of rapid industralisation and consumer culture that fuels such modern-day global production centres.

5 HOURS WITH RAJA SELECTED TO SCREEN IN TAIPEI

The NZ doc, 5 Hours with Raja, has been selected by the Kaohsiung Film Festival. The Taipei screening will be the film's International Premiere. 5 Hours with Raja is a moving story of a young couple who chose to carry their unborn baby to full term in spite of the diagnosis of a fatal birth defect. At surface a dark tragedy, 5 Hours actually comes out on top as a surprisingly uplifting story that leaves the audience inspired and empowered. Kaohsiung Film Festival will take place from 22nd October to 4th November.

DRUGS AND DEATH AT ST LOUIS FILMMAKERS SHOWCASE

The documentary on the use of controversial anti-malaria drug Lariam on US bases, Drugs and Death at Bagram, won top honours at the St Louis Filmmakers Showcase held 17th - 22nd July. The St Louis Film Critics Association awarded the film with Best Documentary Feature, Best Director, and Best Cinematography. The Showcase was the film's World Premiere. Drugs and Death at Bagram delves into the mystery surrounding the death of a young US soldier on-base in Afghanistan, which initially begins with suspicions of foul play and drug abuse but eventually reveals links to Lariam - an anti-malaria drug prescribed routinely by the Army to its personnel with side effects including suicidal tendencies, anxiety, aggression and paranoia. Congratulations to Shaun McCanna (director), Lee Ann Nelson (producer), Andy Thayer (for cinematography) and the team behind the film.

JUNE

JAQUIE BROWN DIARIES PREMIERES ON MTVN’s LOGO, USA

On Saturday 12th June, the popular hit comedy series, The Jaquie Brown Diaries, made its US television premiere on MTV Network's Logo channel. The series takes a satirical look at the life of a C- grade celebrity as Jaquie Brown romances and stomps her way up the media ladder. The series premiered to positive reviews from The Boston Globe, which heaped praise on the script for its "consistently wry attitude", putting "the likes of CBS' 'Rules of Engagement' to shame". Series 2, “The Jaquie Brown Odyssey” premiered on TV3 in New Zealand and will be available for international release shortly.

JULIA'S STORY SOLD TO AETN NETWORKS

Julia's Story, a documentary by the Oscar-winning duo, Ruby Yang and Thomas Lennon, has been sold to the Singapore-based AETN Networks. This groundbreaking documentary follows Julia, a university student in China who contracted the HIV virus through heterosexual intercourse, and became the first woman to share her story publicly in China. Julia's Story follows Julia’s journey from the months preceding her 'coming out' in the media with her story and thereafter.

SALE OF THE WITNESS TO MULTICANAL, SPAIN

The Academy Award-nominee, The Witness: from the Balcony of Room 306, has been acquired by the Spanish programmer, Chello Multicanal. Through recollections of the last surviving witness to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's death, Rev Samuel Kyles, and other civil rights luminaries, The Witness is a poignant retelling of a crucial turning point in the American civil rights movement. The film premiered on HBO in the US and has been sold to Viasat Broadcasting (Scandinavia & Eastern Europe) and Yes DBS (Israel).

WARSAW SHORT FILM FESTIVAL TO SCREEN TWO SMILEY TITLES

Two Academy Award films from the Smiley catalogue have been selected by the Warsaw Short Film Festival for its 2010 programme. The two films are Smile Pinki which won the Academy Award for the Best Documentary: Short Subject in 2009 and The Witness: from the Balcony of Room 306 which was nominated for an award in the same year. The Warsaw Short Film Festival is a key international film festival in Poland, taking place this year from 8th - 17th October.

MAY

CONTROVERSIAL DOC ON CATHOLIC CHURCH ABUSE ACQUIRED BY NOGA CHANNEL 8

The Israeli broadcaster, NOGA, has acquired the Hand of God - an intimately-told documentary of one family's experience with the Catholic Church sexual abuse scandal. The film generated new interest at the recent MIPTV market in light of the current headlines surrounding the Vatican's failure to acknowledge a history of cover up within its highest ranks. Hand of God reveals systematic cover up by the Archdiocese 30 years after the abuse. However, beyond the headlines, filmmaker Joe Cultrera grounds the story of his brother Paul by openly tackling the personal dynamics taking place between Paul and his elderly devout Italian Catholic parents and delivering their tale with a wry sense of humour intact.

PEABODY-WINNER REMAINS A HIT AMONG FESTIVALS AND BROADCASTERS

The 2007 Peabody Award winner, Braindamadj'd... Take II, continues its presence in the international festival circuit with screenings at the Documentary & Short FF of Kerala, India and the ReFraming Reality Festival, Israel. The worldwide appeal of the film has also seen additional runs being sought by international broadcasters such as NHK Japan and most recently UR in Sweden. Braindamadj'd is the inspiring, poignant and humorous story of Paul Nadler, a television and music video producer, who after suffering from Traumatic Brain Injury, rejected the medical profession’s prognosis of permanent disability and continued to live life to the fullest.

5 HOURS WITH RAJA SOLD TO YES DBS

The New Zealand doc, 5 Hours with Raja, from emerging local director, Anna McKessar, has been sold to the Israeli broadcaster, Yes DBS. In 5 Hours with Raja McKessar followed a brave young couple who decided to carry their unborn baby to full term despite the diagnosis of a fatal birth defect. It charts the events from the moment of diagnosis, to delivery and the 5 hours of the baby’s life and the profound impact that the short-life of the baby Raja would have on the couple and their extended family in years to come. A heart-wrenching and deeply inspiring film, 5 Hours with Raja goes beyond the pro-life / pro-choice debate and instead presents an enlightening story on the affirmation of love. The director, Anna McKessar, was awarded with the Best Emerging Talent Award at the Documentary Edge Festival in March this year.

DOUBLE DEAL FOR ASSUME NOTHING

Smiley has sold New Zealand documentary, Assume Nothing, to the Finnish broadcaster, YLE. The film has also been acquired for distribution by VEA, a major non-theatrical distributor in Australia. Smiley has previously sold the film to Films for Humanities & Sciences (USA), Rain TV (Russia), and Noga (Israel) and the film was showcased at the Against the Gravity Festival in Poland earlier this year.

3 TITLES SOLD TO PRESS TV, IRAN

Iranian broadcaster, Press TV, has acquired Intifada NYC, Water Discourses and A Soldier's Peace. Water Discourses looks at how the water management crisis came to a head during the 4th World Water Forum in Mexico, which attracted journalists, high-flying corporate executives and activists from around the world. Water Discourses critically examines the important issues of water scarcity and hydraulic politics of the day. Both Intifada NYC and A Soldier's Peace have previously been sold to Russia Today and Yes DBS.

APRIL

NEW FICTION FEATURE: BARAH AANA

The newest addition to Smiley's fiction slate is Barah Aana; a comedy of real life, set in today's Mumbai. The story revolves around three unlikely friends who unwittingly becomes involved in the world of crime. Visually tantalising, Barah Aana is a dark comedy from the perspective of the common man in today's India which is driven by economic growth, the rise of the middle class and a culture of consumption. Barah Aana is directed by Raja Menon and features Naseeruddin Shah (Monsoon Wedding, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen), Vijay Raaz, Arjun Mathur and Violante Placido.

BRAND NEW DOC: LOOT

Buried treasures, family secrets and dark wartime histories come together in Smiley's latest addition to its doc genre, LOOT. The director, Darius Marder, follows two WWII veterans across the globe in search of buried wartime treasures that they feel are their own. With their health failing and faint memories of the past, they are assisted by a used car salesman who throws himself into their dubious quests to unearth the past. Described by Morgan Spurlock as "one of the most perfect documentaries", LOOT is a must-see for all.

DOUBLE DEAL WITH AL JAZEERA QATAR AND AL JAZEERA INTERNATIONAL

Al Jazeera International, based in Kuala Lumpur, has acquired two of Smiley's titles: Intifada NYC and Praying with Lior. Intifada NYC has been sold also to AJI's Arabic sister channel, Al Jazeera Qatar, based in Doha.

RUSSIAN BROADCASTER BUYS 7 SMILEY TITLES

Rain TV has acquired a package of Smiley titles on a range of subjects, including Abel Raises Cain, Terra Incognita, Darling! the Pieter Dirks-Uy Story, Braindamadj'd...Take II, Smile Pinki, Praying with Lior, and Assume Nothing.

ANATOMY SERIES TO SHOW AT DOXA FF

The 3-episode Anatomy series has been selected to show at the DOXA Documentary Film Festival next month. Anatomy is an art series comprising of unusual and compelling stories exploring how the body work as driving forces in the creative process. Season 1 features: Muscle, which follows a three-piece physical performance troupe on tour and delves beneath the artificial realm of circus operformance; Skin, which examines the relationship between the tatoo artist eX de Medici and her long-time client, Geoff, who is considering having his 'body suit' preserved and exhibited after he dies; and Heart which explores the changing nature of love within the creative process following an artist's portrayal of her long-time muse. Season 2 is in production and follows other themes around the human anatomy including the face, eye and mind. DOXA runs from 7 May to 16 May in Vancouver.

MARCH

FEDERAL COMMISSION AFFIRMS DISCRIMINATION AND MEDIA MANIPULATION PLAYED PART IN RESIGNATION OF PRINCIPAL FEATURED IN INTIFADA NYC

The ousted principal of an Arabic dual-language school in Brooklyn NY featured in the film, Intifada NYC, achieved a small victory this month in her long-running struggle to get her job back. The United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has found that the New York City's Department of Education discriminated against Ms Debbie Almontaser "on account of her race, religion and national origin" by forcing her to resign. In mid-2007, Ms Almontaser was pressured to resign following the school's opponents labeling her as "9/11 denier" and a "jihadist", culminating in sensationalist reporting by the media on innocuous ties to a Muslim group. Director David Teague follows the principal's struggle to get her job back, the outcry against the school, and the debate provoked about tolerance and freedom of speech. Importantly, the film's examination on exploitative journalism and media manipulation prominent in USA today has been affirmed by the EEOC in its finding, which stated: "Significantly, it was not her actual remarks, but their elaboration by the reporter, creating waves of explicit anti-Muslim bias from several extremist sources - that caused DOE to act".

CATHOLIC CHURCH SEXUAL ABUSE COVER-UP CONFRONTED IN FORCEFUL DOCUMENTARY FEATURING AMERICAN-ITALIAN FAMILY IN 1960s MASSACHUSETTS

Recent revelations of sexual abuse within the Irish Catholic Church prompting Pope Benedict XVI to issue a pastoral letter acknowledging the sense of betrayal felt by victims and their families have dominated world headlines. The Pope's statement, however, falls short of addressing the demands by victims' groups for an admission that abuse was systematically covered up by the Church. Director, Joe Culterera's feature length documentary, Hand of God, is an intimate and frankly told tale of such betrayal and deception by one family in the 1960s Massachusetts. In a search for truth for the subject, who is none other than the director's own brother, Hand of God presents an engaging and vivid portrait of survival delivered with intimacy and even with humour intact. Hand of God continues to offer a powerful and relevant insight in balancing faith against disappointment and speaking truth to power. Hand of God premiered in the US on PBS Frontline and has subsequently been sold to territories worldwide including The ABC in Australia. The Hand of God Frontline premiere became one of their most talked about shows prompting over 650 emails on their website shortly after its airing. Variety in reviewing the film described the film as “Cerebral...forceful, especially as an indictment of the Catholic Church protecting its own.”

7 SMILEY FILMS SOLD TO MTS

Maori Television Service, the local broadcaster in New Zealand, has bought 7 titles from Smiley's catalogue, including the 2007 Academy Award® winner The Blood of Yingzhou District and a festivals favourite, Praying with Lior. Other titles acquired are LUMO, Intimidad, The Alpha Diaries, In Search of Shilan and Taking Root: the Vision of Wangari Maathai.

NEW LINE UP: THE BORDER CITY 2 (KOREA), WHEN THE WORLD BREAKS (USA), KIT & MAYNIE (NZ)

Smiley is pleased to announce a series of exciting new acquisitions to the already-outstanding catalogue. A Korean documentary, The Border City 2, follows the homecoming and subsequent trial of a Korean philosophy professor and a political exile. Professor Song is scrutinised for claims that he was a North Korean spy and becomes sucked into a growing divisions in the South between progressives and conservatives. Premiering at the Documentary Edge Film Festival in New Zealand, When the World Breaks explores one of the most formative and creative decades in the American history: the 1930s Depression era. WTWB looks at creativity and survival in the most desperate of times and draws parallels to our current recession. Kit & Maynie: Tea, Scones and Nuclear Disarmament, a humorous New Zealand documentary with a serious message follows the exploits of two octogenrians who juggled peace and nuclear testing demonstrations alongside weekend bake stalls. Kit & Maynie is a heartwarming film of their travels and commitment to worldwide peace.

SMILEY AT DOCUMENTARY EDGE FORUM

Mrs Ewa Bigio, Smiley's founder and Managing Director, attended the Documentary Edge Forum as a panel member alongside other industry professionals such as buyers from Al Jazeera International and ZDF/ARTE. Documengary Edge Form (formerly the DOCNZ Summit), held 1st - 3rd March this year, is a key event in the Australasian documentary film industry calendar that includes seminars, panels, master classes, and a pitching forum for local and overseas filmmakers, funders, buyers, broadcasters and festival programmers.

3 TITLES FOR NON-THEATRICAL DISTRIBUTION IN AUS

Smiley has sold the non-theatrical rights to The Slanted Screen, Taking Root: the Vision of Wangari Maathai and Made In Taiwan to VEA in Australia. VEA is a major non-theatrical distributor and supplies to secondary, university and other tertiary-level training institutions. Another Smiley film VEA currently distributes is Mardi Gras: Made in China.

ANNA MCKESSAR (5 HOURS WITH RAJA) NAMED THE BEST EMERGING TALENT

The director of one of Smiley's newly acquired films, 5 Hours with Raja, has been honoured with the award for the Best Emerging Talent at the Documentary Edge Film Festival. Smiley congratulates Ms. McKessar and is extremely pleased to be representing the outstanding and important project for international sales.

SMILE PINKI TO SHOW ON KOREAN AIRLINES

The 2009 Academy Award winner, Smile Pinki, is due to be shown on the inflight services on Korean Airlines. In this real-life fairy tale, the 5 year old Pinki journeys from her home in rural India to the scared city of Banaras where she undergoes a life-changing cleft lip surgery. The film premiered on HBO in the US and has recently been sold to BeTV (Belgium).

JULIAN SHAW AWARDED BEST YOUNG AUSTRALIAN FILMMAKER OF THE YEAR

The Byron Bay International Film Festival andthe Sydney International Film School have named Julian Shaw the Best Young Australian Filmmaker of the Year for his short, Clearing the Air. The BBFF award is Julian's first major award for fictional film since critical accolades for his winning documentary Darling! The Pieter-Dirk Uys Story - a Runner Up for the Panorama Audience Award and a recipient of the British Film Institute gong. Congratulations to Julian for his latest achievement. Smiley represents the worldwide foreign sales rights to Darling! and has licensed the film previously to broadcasters Link TV ( USA ), YES DBS ( Israel ), TVP ( Poland ) and Free Speech TV ( USA ).

FEBRUARY

ACADEMY AWARD WINNER, SMILE PINKI, SOLD TO BELGIUM

The 2008 Academy Award winner for Best Documentary Short, Smile Pinki, has been acquired by Belgian broadcasters BeTV. Smile Pinki is an inspirational tale of a young girl, Pinki, born into poverty with the stigma of a cleft lip and her life-changing surgery.

SMILEY IS OPEN FOR BUSINESS IN BERLIN AND ATTENDS BERLINALE 2010

Smiley has launched its new operations in Berlin and will be represented at the Berlinale by Festivals Manager, Ms Diana Kluge. Ms Kluge is running Smiley’s European office and will be concentrating primarily at the outset on festivals management and strategy, as well as acquisitions and licensing for German territories.

IN SEARCH OF SHILAN ACQUIRED BY A SCOTTISH GAELIC CHANNEL

The UK broadcaster, BBC ALBA, has acquired the Australian documentary, In Search of Shilan, for its Scottish Gaelic feed. In Search of Shilan is a poignant love story set against the backdrop of political struggle and guerrilla warfare in the Kurdish and Turkish region.

5 HOURS WITH RAJA: NEWEST ADDITION TO SMILEY

A New Zealand documentary, 5 Hours with Raja, is Smiley’s latest acquisition in preparation for the upcoming MIP market in April. 5 Hours is an exceptional and moving documentary which follows a young mother carrying her baby to term, despite the diagnosis of anencephaly, a birth defect in which the baby would be born without a major portion of its head and therefore could not survive. The film follows the extraordinary journey of the young couple from the time they were informed of their baby’s defect and the decision that they had to make to either terminate or keep the pregnancy. The film spans the pregnancy, features extraordinary footage of the baby’s birth and the profound impact that 5 hours with Raja had on the family over the following months and years that followed. At face a story about death, 5 Hours is ultimately a story about love and the affirmation of life.

JANUARY

THE JAQUIE BROWN DIARIES ACQUIRED BY MTV NETWORKS IN A LANDMARK DEAL

The critically acclaimed New Zealand series The Jaquie Brown Diaries has been acquired by Logo of the MTV Networks in the US in a landmark sale for a New Zealand series. The Jaquie Brown Diaries, directed by Gerard Johnstone and produced by Young, Gifted and Brown for TV3, is a comedy series about an insecure, overambitious, status-obsessed TV reporter Jaquie Brown and takes a satirical look at the life of a C-grade celebrity. The first series won Best Comedy at the Qantas Film and Television Awards and was declared best local comedy in several publications such as The Listener, Metro magazine NZ Herald Timeout. The second series went on to be declared 'Best TV show on TV' by Sunday magazine. The co-creator and executive producer, Jaquie Brown, was voted one of the New Zealanders of the Year by both the New Zealand Herald and the North and South Magazine. Jaquie is also the winner of 2009 Women In Film and Television’s award for Success in Television.

FOUR SMILEY TITLES SOLD TO VIASAT, UK

Viasat Broadcasting UK has acquired four of Smiley’s titles for its Scandinavian territories: The Slanted Screen, Chance of a Lifetime, Taking Root: The Vision of Wangari Maathai and The Witness: From the Balcony of Room 306.

NEWEST ADDITION TO SMILEY: MATCH & MARRY, A HUMOROUS AND CHARMING DOCUMENTARY ON MATCHMAKING

Smiley has acquired for worldwide sales and broadcast rights Match & Marry, which offers a fresh look into the ancient tradition of matchmaking that dates back thousands of years. Director, Suzannah Warlick, has immersed herself into the world of Orthodox Jewish matchmaking and presents tales, anecdotes and surprises of matchmaking, dating and marriage in the Orthodox Jewish community.

DANISH DISTRIBUTOR SPOR MEDIA ACQUIRES TAKING ROOT

Taking Root: The Vision of Wangari Maathai, on the Kenyan Nobel Peace Prize winner’s fight for democracy, environment and empowerment of women, has been sold to the Danish distributor, SPOR Media. SPOR Media will focus on non-theatrical markets for educational use and non-profit organisations in Denmark, Greenland and The Faroe Islands.

FILM ABOUT CONTROVERSY SURROUNDING THE FIRST ARABIC LANGUAGE PUBLIC SCHOOL IN NY ACQUIRED BY RT

Smiley has sold the broadcast rights for Intifada NYC to RT, a major Russian broadcaster aimed at international English speaking audiences. Intifada NYC recounts the inspiration and struggle behind the opening of USA’s first Arabic language public school and the controversy surrounding it in a post-9/11 New York.

DECEMBER

ASSUME NOTHING AND THE SLANTED SCREEN ACQUIRED FOR US DISTRIBUTION

Kirsty MacDonald’s compelling documentary on gender and sexuality, Assume Nothing, and Jeff Adachi’s entertaining examination of Hollywood’s portrayals of Asian men, The Slanted Screen, has been acquired by Films for Humanities and Sciences. FHS is a leading non-theatrical distributor for higher education in the USA.

NOGA ACQURES AUSTRALIAN ART SERIES, ANATOMY

Israeli broadcaster, Noga, has acquired the rights to the Australian series, Anatomy, exploring the relationship between sexuality, the body and the creative process. Anatomy is comprised of three episodes, each offering a personal and unique perspective. “Muscle” follows an acrobat troupe and the physically and spiritually demanding performances. “Skin” presents a remarkable story of a tattoo artist and her long-time client, who embarks on a journey to preserve his inked skin after death. “Heart” explores the relationship between the artist and her muse in the artistic process.

SMILEY ACQUIRES WORLDWIDE RIGHTS TO CONTROVERSIAL DOCUMENTARY ABOUT DRUG ABUSE AT US AIRBASE IN AFGHANISTAN

Drugs and Death at Bagram which follows one family’s journey for the truth of their young soldier son’s death in Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan, is the latest addition to Smiley’s film catalogue. Not satisfied with the official report of suicide, the Torres family sought to affirm their belief that the U.S. military personnel may have targeted their son for talking openly about heroin abuse at the base. Their search, however, reveals an unexpected link between the mood swings that the young soldier was experiencing prior to his suicide and Lariam – a drug prescribed routinely by the Army to its personnel. At its core, Drugs and Death at Bagram probes at issues such as corporate responsibility, in particular that of the pharmaceutical industry, professional ethics among medical practitioners, government transparency, and the duty of care among military ranks.

ISRAELI BROADCASTER ACQUIRES PROVOCATIVE FILM, INTIFADA NYC

YES DBS, a broadcaster in Israel, has bought the rights to Intifada NYC. The film follows the opening of USA’s first Arabic language public school and the controversy surrounding the school. With an original score and a mix of graphic novel-style illustrations, Intifada NYC explores the varying reactions of a cross-section of Americans to the opening of the school. It questions the impact that the media had on the outcome of the story and the fall-out that led to the forced resignation of the school principal.

GOLD PANDA AWARD SELECTS TWO SMILEY FILMS AS CONTENDERS

The International “Gold Panda” Awards for Documentary by the Sichuan TV Festival 2009 have chosen The Witness: From the Balcony of Room 306 and Intifada NYC as Selected Entry contenders. “The Witness” recounts the last hours of Dr Martin Luther King’s death and “Intifada NYC” covers the controversy surrounding the opening of the first Arabic language public school in the US. Hosted by the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT) and Sichuan Provincial People’s Government, the Festival has been staged nine times since 1991 and has become one of the most reputable international TV & Film festivals in China and Asia. The International "Gold Panda" Awards for Documentary is core to the Festival, with the aim of creating a platform for Chinese and international filmmakers and exploring the diversity and development of culture. The Festival was held 6th-8th of November. We wish the films the best of luck in the competition.

NOVEMBER

TONGZHI IN LOVE TAKES AWAY SILVER AWARD

The 81st Academy Award short-listed Tongzhi in Love won the Silver Award at the Mix Brasil Festival, which took place in São Paulo between 12th – 22nd November. The Festival also toured with an abridged program to Brasilia in early December. Mix Brasil Festival is an internationally renowned film festival about sexual diversity. Congratulations to Ruby Yang and Thomas Lennon on their fantastic achievement.

SKIN ACQUIRED BY OVATION TV

Award winning documentary Skin, produced by Melbourne based Big and Little Films and commissioned by ABC Australia as part of the Anatomy series has been acquired by Ovation TV in the US. Skin examines the fifteen year collaboration between tattooist/artist Ex De Medici and her subject Geoff O, as they negotiate the possibility of bequeathing Geoff's almost completely tattooed skin as an artwork when he dies. The film has been shown at leading film festivals worldwide including the Sydney International Film Festival, TriBeCa and IDFA.

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2009

INTIFADA NYC AT MARGARET MEAD FILM & VIDEO FESTIVAL

A thought-provoking and timely film on the opening of the United States’ first Arabic language public school, Intifada NYC, has been selected for the Margaret Mead Film & Video Festival. The director, David Teague, will also be present at the screening for discussion and debate. The Margaret Mead Film & Video Festival is the longest-running, premiere showcase for international documentaries in the United States. It runs from 12 November to 15 November 2009.

ASSUME NOTHING STILL ACTIVE IN FESTIVAL CIRCUIT

After a successful screening at DOK Leipzig in Germany, the provocative New Zealand documentary Assume Nothing will hit the international festival circuit. Assume Nothing has been selected for Competition at the Beloit International Film Festival in the United States, running from 18 February to 21 February 2010. It has also been selected for Planet Doc Review FF in Poland, running from 7 July to 16 July 2010.

NEW APPOINTMENTS AT SMILEY

Ms.Go Eun Yoon has been appointed to join the sales team at Smiley effective from the 16th of November. Go Eun, a multi-lingual (English, Korean, French, Spanish) New Zealand born lawyer of Korean descent will be assisting Managing Director Ewa Bigio primarily with licensing and sales matters. Ms. Diana Kluge has been appointed to the new position of Festivals Manager and will be operating from Berlin from the end of 2009 where she will be responsible for Smiley's wordwide day to day festivals distribution and licensing operations. We congratulate Ms Kluge on her promotion and welcome Ms Yoon to her new position with the sales team at Smiley.

SMILE PINKI AND THE WITNESS AT MOSTRA INDEPENDENT DE CURTEMETRAGES

The 81st Academy Award winner and nominee Smile Pinki and The Witness were selected to be screened at Mostra Independent de Curtmetratges, MIC09 in Barcelona, Spain. MIC is a short film festival that in Vilanova i la Geltrú running from 6 November to 8 November 2009. In the category, “Alternative Visions Documentaries”, in which only Academy Award winning and nominated films are featured, two of the three featured films were represented by Smiley.

SALE OF A SOLDIER'S PEACE TO RUSSIA TODAY

Smiley has sold the broadcast rights to A Soldier's Peace to premier Moscow based satellite broadcaster, RT (Russia Today). A Soldier's Peace tells the remarkable story of former Iraqi war veteran and journalist Marshall Thompson and his courageous walk across the length of his hometown Utah in protest of US military presence in Iraq.

THOMAS LENNON ATTENDS CINÉMA VÉRITÉ, PARIS FOR THE BLOOD OF YINGZHOU DISTRICT

Cinéma Vérité, an international film festival based in Paris focusing on commitment to the 8 Millennium Development Goals by the United Nations, hosted Thomas Lennon, the producer of the 79th Academy Award winner The Blood of Yingzhou District and the co-founder and director of China Aids Media Project Beijing, in a debate on combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases.

SMILEY AT PUSAN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2009

Managing Director Ewa Bigio was recently a guest of the 2009 Pusan International Film Festival and participated in both key markets - the PPP (Pusan Promotional Plan ) as well as the AND Documentary Pitching Session. The agency expects to acquire some new projects in the coming months as a result of this and is in talks with a number of Korean producers looking for international representation.

AUGUST 2009

SMILEY AT MIPCOM THIS OCTOBER 5th - 9th

Managing Director Ewa Bigio is pleased to annouce that Smiley will return to MIPCOM this October as an exhibitor with its own independent stand. According to Ewa, "Smiley is looking forward to introducing an exciting slate of television programming and feature film projects that include Smile Pinki, the Oscar winning short subject documentary from the 81st Academy Awards, a provocative documentary series, Anatomy, that explores how sexuality and the body work as driving forces in the creative process as well as an indie horror feature film project, Vida Nocturna, to be directed by one of Hollywood's foremost cinematographers, Dean Cundey. Cundey's legendary cinematography in Halloween and The Fog has made them classics of the genre." Smiley's stand will be located at the A0.09 at the entry level to the Festival Palais. For further information contact info@smileyfilmsales.com or call 00 64 9 360 0325.

WITH AND WITHOUT YOU SALE TO ICELAND

With and Without You is continuing its trailblazing ride across Europe having just been sold to Icelandic broadcaster RUV. The film previously sold to other European territories, Sweden and Belgium and has been attracting strong interest amongst Northern European buyers. The impacting film about suicide is a multiple award-winning film that has gained high distinctions including Gold Ribbon Awards at the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) Awards and a nomination for Best Documentary in the Social & Humanitarian Documentaries category at the Banff World Television Awards.

ASSUME NOTHING TO PREMIERE AT DOK LEIPZIG

Provocative New Zealand documentary Assume Nothing will participate in the 52nd edition of DOK Leipzig running from the 26th of October - 1st November 2009. The film will feature in the International Programme section. Assume Nothing is also a finalist in the Qantas Film and Television Awards for Best Arts/Festival/Feature Documentary. The Awards night is September 5th in Auckland. The film recently secured a distribution deal with Films for the Humanities & Sciences in the US for non-theatrical distribution and will have its international broadcast premiere on Noga Channel 8 in Israel.

PBS BROADCAST FOR NEW ZEALAND FILM MADE IN TAIWAN

New Zealand film Made in Taiwan has been acquired for North American broadcast on PBS. The TV3 commissioned film which stars Nathan Rarere and Oscar Kightley, follows the two as they embark on a journey in order to discover their roots through DNA sampling. The journey takes the two protaganists, who are of Polynesian descent back to Taiwan as they discover surprising and unexpected links to their ancestry. The film is directed by Dan Salmon and produced by George Andrews, both of whom are veteran film-makers in the New Zealand film industry.

SMILEY CONTINUES ITS OSCAR WINNING STREAK REPRESENTING 81ST ACADEMY AWARD WINNER, SMILE PINKI FOR INTERNATIONAL SALES

Smiley Film Sales Ltd has acquired for worldwide sales the broadcast television rights to Smile Pinki. Smiley currently also represents Oscar winners The Blood of Yingzhou District and Freeheld which won Oscars in 2007 and 2008 respectively. Smile Pinki and its 5 year old heroine Pinki, captured the hearts of Academy voters, beating tough competition such as The Witness: from the Balcony of Room 306 , the moving documentary about the final days of Martin Luther King, Jr as told from the perspective of one of the remaining witnesses to the assasination, Reverend Samuel "Billy" Kyles. In this real-life fairy tale, the young protaganist Pinki journeys from her home in rural India to the scared city of Banaras where she undergoes a lif-changing cleft lip surgery. The film has been acquired by HBO in the US for television broadcast.

TAIWANESE BROADCASTER ACQUIRES RIGHTS TO TONGZHI IN LOVE AND JULIA'S STORY

Taiwanese broadcaster PTS has acquired the licenses for Chinese films by Oscar winning team Ruby Yang and Thomas Lennon. The first of these is Julia's Story, a story about the first woman to publicly come out to the media about having contracted AIDS in China. It will be the international broadcast premiere for this film which has only ever been seen in China. This ground-breaking story is now available as a companion piece to Tongzhi in Love for those broadcasters looking to fill a one hour slot. Tongzhi in Love combines animation, gritty photography and eye-opening fly-on-the-wall interviews and in the process weaves a compelling portrait of life for the modern gay man in Beijing still caught by the demands of Chinese tradition and values.

JULY 2009

SMILEY FILM SALES FOUNDER AND DIRECTOR HONOURED BY WIFT 2009 AWARDS NOMINATION

The Founder and Managing Director of Smiley Film Sales, Ewa Bigio is being honoured by the industry for her work in establshing and running the international film sales agency. Ewa is one of the 4 finalists nominated for the WIFT 2009 Entrepreneurship Award . Ewa who was also nominated earlier this year by the Minstry of Women's Affairs as a candidate for the NZ FIlm Commission Board is thrilled by the nomination. The WIFT Awards take place at Sky City on August the 6th. Congratulations also go out to past and current Smiley clients Leanne Pooley (South Pacific Pictures Achievement in Film), Jaquie Brown (Images & Sound Success) in Television and Julia Parnell (Great Southern Film & Television Woman To Watch) who are also being honoured the same evening. Our congratulations to these wonderful women and their outstanding work in film and television to date.

TV CUT OF ASSUME NOTHING SOLD TO NOGA CHANNEL 8

A 56 minute version of Assume Nothing which explores the boundaries of the male and female form and "alternative" gender identity has just been sold to Israeli broadcaster Noga. The provocative film stirred strong US distribution interest having been acquired eventually by one of the largest and most established distributors in North America, Films for the Humanities and Sciences earlier this month. The 56 minute version is now available for international broadcast release.

TAKING ROOT SOLD TO UK BROADCASTER AND CAPTIVATING AUDIENCES WORLDWIDE

The memorable film Taking Root about Kenyan Nobel Prize winner and environmentalist Wangari Maathai is conitnuing to captivate audiences around the world. UK audiences will also get an opportunity to preview the film as Teachers TV has acquired the broadcast TV rights to show the film. Earlier this month, the film was nominated by US audiences for the Independent Lens Audience Award - one of four films selected. The film was also loved by Canadian film festival go-ers who nominated the film as an Audience Award Winner at HOTDOCS.

PROVOCATIVE ALTERNATIVE GENDER IDENTITY DOCUMENTARY ATTRACTS DISTRIBUTION DEALS IN THE US

Major US distributor Films for the Humanities and Sciences has made a bid for the rights to the thought-provoking "alternative" gender identity documentary Assume Nothing by director Kirsty MacDonald. The hotly contested documentary which blurs the boundaries of conventional male and female gender identification attracted 3 offers for distribution from US distributors. The film features candid discussions on the topic and explores the creative work of a number of alternative gender artists through their photography, performances and art. The film premiered last month at the Frameline Festival in San Francisco and will be showing next at the Rhode Island Film Festival this August.

SMILEY FILMS IN COMPETITION AT THE FESTIVAL OF LIBERTIES 2009, BRUSSELS

In Search of Shilan and Taking Root: The Vision of Wangari Maathai will be featuring in the competition section of The Festival of Liberties 2009 in Brussels this October. The festival runs from the 22nd till the 31st.

TAKING ROOT FINALIST IN INDEPENDENT LENS AUDIENCE AWARD

Taking Root: The Vision of Wangari Maathai is one of the four finalists in the Independent Lens 2008/2009 broadcast season AUDIENCE AWARD!For more details on this and to vote go to http://pbs.com/independentlens/award2009runoff.html. Taking Root tells the story of Kenya’s Green Belt Movement, a grassroots organization encouraging rural women and families to plant trees in community groups, and follows Maathai, the movement’s founder and the first environmentalist and African woman to win the Nobel Prize. Maathai discovered her life's work by reconnecting with the rural women with whom she had grown up. They told her they were walking long distances for firewood, and that clean water was scarce. The soil was disappearing from their fields and their children were suffering from malnutrition. “Well, why not plant trees?” she suggested. Maathai soon discovered that tree planting had a ripple effect of empowering change. In the mid-1980s, Kenya was under the repressive regime of Daniel arap Moi, whose dictatorship outlawed group gatherings and the right of association. In tending their nurseries, women had a legitimate reason to gather outside their homes and discuss the roots of their problems. They soon found themselves working against deforestation, poverty, ignorance, embedded economic interests and government corruption; they became a national political force that helped to bring down the country’s 24-year dictatorship. Using archival footage and first-person accounts, the film documents dramatic political confrontations of 1980s and 1990s Kenya and captures Maathai's infectious determination and unwavering courage through in-depth conversations with the film’s subjects. TAKING ROOT captures a world view in which nothing is perceived as impossible. The film also presents an awe-inspiring profile of one woman's three-decade journey of courage to protect the environment, ensure gender equality, defend human rights and promote democracy—all sprouting from the achievable act of planting trees (source:Independent Lens website).

JUNE 2009

HAND OF GOD TO BE DISTRIBUTED BY THE ABC IN AUSTRALIA

The ABC in Australia which earlier acquired Hand of God for its Compass slot has also just acquired the distribution rights for the film following its successful premiere in March of this year which generated much discussion and interest. The film previously aired on Frontline on PBS and the controversial premiere provoked well over 650 email responses to the Frontline message board. In the Kansas City Star, reviewer Robert Butler said that the Hand of God was "...quite possibly the most gripping and illuminating documentary ever made from the point of view of a sexual abuse victim...The film works not only as journalism but also as cinematic art.." In Hand of God, director Joe Cultrera grounds the story of his brother Paul's sexual abuse in the details of their Sicilian-American Catholic upbringing. From baptism to abuse; silence to dialogue; resignation to action, the film follows also his own internal and external journey from potential priest to scathing critic of the Catholic Church.

HAT TRICK FOR CHANCE OF A LIFETIME AT THE REEL EARTH FILM FESTIVAL 2009

Chance of a Lifetime has won four awards at the annual New Zealand environmental film festival Reel Earth. The film was bestowed with the following honours, Reel Earth Festival Award, Best Cinematography Award, Best New Zealand Film Runner Up award and Best Feature Film Honourable Mention Award. The film also received an Honourable Mention Award at Bayou City Inspirational Film Festival 2009. Chance of a Lifetime is an inspirational 49 minute documentary that charts the survival of a community of wild falcons in the face of forestry logging and captures a turning point in the ecological evolution of the birds. The film has won numerous awards internationally for its creative storytelling in the wildlife and ecological non-fiction genre and has been praised for its outstanding cinematography of the New Zealand landscape.

RHYS DARBY TO STAR IN SECOND SERIES OF THE JAQUIE BROWN DIARIES

Flight of the Choncords star Rhys Darby is set to feature in the second series of The Jaquie Brown Diaries currently under production. The Kiwi actor who shot to Hollywood fame has most recently been seen starring alongside Jim Carrey in Yes Man and Philip Seymour Hoffman in The Boat that Rocked. The series has been acquired by SBS in Australia and will be subdistributed by Madman through SBS Home Sales. The series has generated both format and acquisition interest in North America and Europe.

THE WITNESS STRIKES ITS FIRST FOREIGN DEAL

YES DBS has continued with its acquisition of Smiley's award-winning films including The Witness: from the Balcony of Room 306 which was nominated for an Oscar earlier this year. The Witness tells of the final days leading to Martin Luther King's assasination in 1968 as told from the perspective of Rev. Billy Kyles. The film had its US broadcast premiere on HBO in February of this year.

SMILEY ACQUIRES RIGHTS TO INTIFADA NYC

The opening of the United States' first Arabic language public school provoked a firestorm of allegations that the school would teach radical Islam or even produce terrorists. Smiley is pleased to announce its acquisition of Intifada NYC, the latest film by David Teague, editor of the Academy Award winning Freeheld which explores the controversy surrounding the opening of the school, the media incident which led to the resignation of the school principal and her spirited fight to become reinstated. The brilliant story cunningly probes the opposing forces at play - the press, activists, objectors, local council politicians, the school board and the ordinary subjects whose lives were turned upside down when photographs of t-shirts being sold by a Muslim women's arts group bearing the slogan "Intifada NYC" became linked with the school founder and resulted in her forced resignation. Intifada NYC raises fundamental questions about the role of the public school system, the limits of freedom of speech and religious tolerance. It also features graphic-novel style illustrations alongside an original score that fuses classical, jazz and Middle Eastern styles.

CONSTANTINE’S SWORD TV VERSION NOW AVAILABLE FOR PREVIEW

The 1 hr. television cut-down of Constantine’s Sword, the latest film by Oscar–nominated director Oren Jacoby which had been theatrically released in the USA by First Run Features to critical success is now available for preview. Constantine's Sword is an astonishing exploration of the dark side of Christianity, following acclaimed author and former priest James Carroll on a journey of remembrance and reckoning. Carroll, a National Book Award winner and columnist for the Boston Globe, is a practicing Catholic whose search for the truth leads him to confront persecution and violence in the name of God - today and in the Church's past. He discovers a terrible legacy that reverberates across the centuries- from the Emperor Constantine's vision of the cross as a sword and symbol of power, to the rise of genocidal anti-semitism, to modern-day wars and conflicts sparked by religious extremism. At its heart, Constantine's Sword is a detective story, as Carroll journeys both into his own past - where he comes to terms with his father's role as a three-star General in the U.S. Air Force preparing for nuclear war - and into the wider world, where he uncovers evidence of church-sanctioned violence against Jews, Muslims, and others. Visiting the Air Force Academy, he and Jacoby expose how some evangelical Christians are proselytizing inside US armed forces and reveal the dangerous consequences of religious influence on American foreign policy. Warning of what happens when military power and religious fervor are joined, Constantine's Sword asks the timely question: Is the fanaticism that threatens the world today fueled by our own deeply held beliefs? (Text Source: First Run Features)

MAY 2009

TEHRAN BASED BROADCASTER RAISES EYEBROWS WITH ITS ACQUISITION OF ISRAELI DOCUMENTARY, THE ALPHA - DIARIES

The Iranian broadcaster PRESS TV has raised eyebrows with its acquisition of the Israeli film, The Alpha - Diaries. The Alpha - Diaries is an unflinching look at Israeli military reserve life and follows the soldiers as they go about in their daily routine. The film has won numerous film festival awards and was commissioned by Noga's Channel 8 which co-produced another controversial film Waltz with Bashir. Smiley has wrapped up a deal with Press TV for a package of 5 films which includes Aki Ra's Boys, In Our Name, Kamp Katrina and Intimidad.

FILM ABOUT ASIAN MALES IN HOLLYWOOD PROVING POPULAR WITH INTERNATIONAL BUYERS

The Slanted Screen which explores the portrayal of Asian males in Hollywood has generated strong interest from international buyers with early deals being done with Singapore based AETN Networks for their Biography Channel and Israeli broadcaster YES DBS. The entertaining and thought-provoking documentary features over 50 clips of Asian male actors in Hollywood with legends such as Bruce Lee and silent screen star Sessue Hayakawa to contemporary players such as Bobby Lee of MAD TV and John Cho and Kal Penn of Harold and Kumar Go to Whitecastle fame. According to TimeOut New York film critic Lewis Beale, “the film is a comprehensive look at how Asian men have been portrayed and often stereotyped; as “yellow peril” villains, asexual geeks, cruel exotics like Fu Manchu and inscrutable brainiacs in the Charlie Chan mold.” Smiley is currently in negotiations with US distributors as well as in discussions with various European and Australasian buyers for the rights to the film. In the US the film was broadcasted on PBS ( where over 1.2 million viewers tuned in ) and Turner Classic Movies Channel where it featured in their Race and Hollywood series.

ABEL RAISES CAIN ON HULU IN THE US

US viewers will now get the opportunity to preview Abel Raises Cain on Hulu. Hulu is a website that offers commercial-supported streaming video of TV shows and movies such as Family Guy, 30 Rock and The John Stewart Show from NBC, Fox and many other networks and studios. In addition, the film will feature on Link TV's Doc Debut Series in May. Abel Raises Cain is an unprecedented glimpse into the life and bizarre career of infamous underground media prankster, Alan Abel. Over the past half-century, Abel has made a name for himself several times over with stunts that are just ridiculous enough to be believable, especially to a media that feeds on salacious, far-fetched stories. Alan's daughter, Jenny, tells her firsthand account of what it was like growing up with this lovable but slightly demented prankster for a father. Abel Raises Cain takes the audience on a roller coaster ride through the myriad of elaborate hoaxes and schemes that Abel pulled off over the years, all of which were designed to provoke and amuse, while at the same time, make people question everything that they see, hear and read (source: Link TV).

FRENCH BROADCASTER ACQUIRES AWARD WINNING FILM ABOUT GAY LIFE IN BEIJING

Planete France has acquired the broadcast rights for Tongzhi in Love, the outstanding film that deals with gay life in Beijing was produced by Thomas Lennon and directed by Ruby Yang who also won an Academy Award for their work in The Blood of Yingzhou District. The film has also recently just claimed another victory - the Best Documentary Short Award at the San Francisco International Film Festival.

TONGZHI IN LOVE WINS AT THE SAN FRANCISCO INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2009

Tongzhi in Love has won the Best Documentary Short Award at the 2009 San Francisco International Film Festival. The film has been a popular choice with film festivals around the world having made appearances at the 50th International Festival of Documentary and Short Film of Bilbao, Spain, the 31st edition of the International Women’s Film Festival in Créteil, France and recently at the 24th edition of the Torino International Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, Italy.

SMILEY CONFIRMS ITS FOURTH DEAL AND THIRD BROADCAST LICENSE FOR FRENCH-CANADIAN FILM WITH AND WITHOUT YOU

Smiley is pleased to announce that VRT in Belgium has picked up the TV license for French-Canadian film, With and Without You. The network has previously acquired other award - winning titles from Smiley's line-up including Peabody winner Braindamadj'd and Academy Award winner The Blood of Yingzhou District. VRT intends to schedule the film for broadcast later in the year.

APRIL/MARCH 2009

AL JAZEERA (QATAR) ACQUIRES 3 MORE FILMS

Further to its earlier acquisition of An Unreasonable Man , the Qatar based Arabic channel Al Jazeera has made three further acquisitions from Smiley including the series Battle of the Brains, What Are We Doing Here? and The Blood of Yingzhou District.

TERRA INCOGNITA AWARDED PRESTIGIOUS PEABODY AWARD

Smiley is pleased to announce that Terra Incognita has been awarded the prestigious Peabody award. In its official press release the awards organisation praised the film as having neither sacrificed "scientific facts nor ethical complexity nor emotional drama" in telling the story of the neurologist Dr Jack Kessler who took on the case for embryonic stem-cell research after his beloved daughter suffered a spinal injury. For the full release and recipients for this year's ceremony taking place on May 18th go to http://www.peabody.uga.edu/index.php . Another of Smiley's represented films var box = document.getElementById("contentbox"); var boxes = getElementsByClassName(document, "DIV", "contentboxes"); function swap1(e) { for(var i=0; i