TELEVISION FILMS
21ST WORLD FILM FESTIVAL
August 22- September 2, 1997

Montreal, August 5, 1997 - This year's selection of Television Films includes personal journeys, cultural tableaus and documentaries that address such varied themes as war, death, disease and love. France, Israel, Great Britain, Canada, Mexico, the Czech Republic, Albania and Hungary are among the countries represented.

In CHARLES AZNAVOUR EN ARM�NIE, French director Mireille Dumas takes us on an intimate journey of Charles Aznavour's difficult yet meaningful return to his native Armenia; and in BOSNIA HOTEL, director Thomas Balm�s presents a philosophical portrait of the experiences of the Samburu warrior tribe of Kenya sent to Bosnia by the United Nations as peacekeepers during the war.

From Israel, HOW I LEARNED TO OVERCOME MY FEAR AND LOVE ARIK SHARON (Eich Hifsakti Lefahed Velamadeti Le'Ehov Et Arik Sharon), written and directed by Avi Mograbi, follows a prominent figure during a campaign, revealing, in the process, the irreconcilable differences between the political Left and Right wings of present-day Israeli government; David Fisher wrote and directed BURIED ALIVE, (Kavru Oto Ve'Hu Chai), the story of an Israeli woman who, while trying to trace the disappearance of her husband, clashes with government and religious authorities.

In KING GIRL, by British director Sam Miller, based on a screenplay by Philomena McDonagh, a fourteen- year-old girl must come to terms with the death of her father and, at the same time, reckon with a girlfriend who perpetually uses her as a scapegoat.

Canada presents the world premiere of six films: M�MOIRE MOIRE DES SOUVENIRS, a documentary directed by Lara Fitzgerald inspired by the autobiographical works of writer and feminist H�l�ne Cixous; DUET FOR ONE, by director Mireille Dansereau, based on the play "Duet for One," recounts the struggle of a great violinist who learns one day that she can no longer play and that she will soon die; L'�PREUVE DU FEU, written and directed by Bernard Emond, documents disasters caused by fire from the perspective of firemen and the victims; AFTER BRENDA, directed by Donigan Cumming, is the story of a quinquagenarian who looses everything in the name of love; and in GERRIE & LOUISE, by director Sturla Gunnarson ("Diplomatic Immunity," World Film Festival 1991), an unlikely couple, a colonel and an investigative journalist, get caught up in the heart of the conflict surrounding the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in South Africa; and WE HAVE SUCH THINGS AT HOME by James Cullingham.

A documentary from the Czech Republic, THE UNSEEN, by director Miroslav Janek, introduces us to a group of blind children who exhibit a strong interest in photography. Their photos reveal a world perceived through sound, touch and other sensual experiences.

THE FOREST IS GREEN, THE MOUNTAIN IS GREEN, LUCK COMES AND GOES (Z�ld Az Erdo, Z�ld A Hegy Is, a Szerencse J�n Is, Megy Is...), from the directors Miklos Jancso and Jozsef Bojte, is a cultural tableau that shares with us a number of remarkable Hungarian episodes, festivals, and events.

THEY DON'T DRINK TEA IN THE BALKANS (Na Balkanot Ne Se Pie Chaj), written and directed by Mladen Krstevski, is the story of a rich Hungarian woman living in the Balkans who must manage the property of her late husband's estate.

Albania presents SOUNDS OF OBLIVION (Tingujt e Harreses), from directors Leonard Bombaj and Alfred Trebicka, a parable about the political situation in Albania, a country torn between its attachment to the past and its aspirations for the future.

EISENSTEIN IN MEXICO: THE ETERNAL CIRCLE (Eisenstein en M�xico: El C�rculo Eterno) by Mexican director Alejandra Islas, is a documentary about the cinematographic adventures of Sergei Eisenstein in Mexico.