Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival – Nov. 7-23, 2014

British filmmaker, Mike Downey, will be recognized as Producer of the Decade. Downey produced Mohsen Makhmalbaf’s The President, and will attend the U.S Premiere of his film Lost In Karastan, a gentle black comedy about a confused, washed up British film director, Emil, who is invited to make a national Epic in an obscure Caucasus Republic ruled by an eccentric and corrupt dictator.

Synopsis

Indie Film Director Emil D Miller (Matthew Macfadyen) is down on his luck. Washed-up and mentally unstable. An illustrious start - Academy Award for best short, Hollywood acclaim - has fizzled out into a series of meetings with pretentious advertising types. Jenny, his agent wants him to do some adverts. Maria, his cleaner, wants him to buy more toilet duck. He needs a change. So when he receives an invitation to the Embassy of the Autonomous Republic of Karastan, he decides to go. Besides, the champagne is free. Little does he know that this could be the start of something big. Something Epic.

At the party President Aleluyev invites him to a film festival in the newly formed Republic of Karastan to attend a retrospective of Emil's films. Emil is a little surprised - especially as the festival takes place in one week. Still, what has he got to lose? Besides, it gives him a chance to spend more time with Chulpan, the quick, clever and beautiful film representative.

So he leaves behind Wolfgang, the dog, and heads to Karastan. The retrospective goes well. He meets Christopher Lambert - famous, handsome and on a permanent bender. After a crazy few days during which Lambert propositions him, Chulpan flirts with him and Emil screens his sophisticated adult film to an audience of bemused children, at least Emil is having fun. And the President asks him to direct Tanat, the movie - a huge epic film telling the story of Karastani fourteenth century medieval hero and founder.

In spite of some doubts Emil agrees. He is being followed by a mysterious shadow, the local film - makers are hostile - why is a foreigner making their national epic? And there seems to be some insurrection in the country. But, like all film-makers, Emil is a genius at ignoring inconvenient reality.

Lost in Karastan -- This is a dark geopolitical comedy about a washed-up indie film director who gets invited to Karastan in Eastern Eurasia to be honored at a film festival. It's very funny, at times disturbingly so.

Luce a écrit:Il y a une projection le 5 novembre à l'AFM (American Film Market), annoncée sur le site Phoenix Worldwide Entertainment.