Sunday, May 13, 2012

It’s been an intense few months since we found out that our short film BLINDSIDE would be part of the Cannes Short film Corner as part of Cannes Film Festival 2012.

First came the initial joy and happiness after reading the email of accreditation for the Short Film Corner and then came the question of possibly getting to Cannes. The first thing I had on my mind was “How do I get there? I can’t afford it. How much would the trip cost?”

Then I checked the prices of airfare and accommodation at Cannes.  To get to Cannes and have accommodation I would need around NZ$6,000. The airfare was around the NZ$3,200 from Auckland to Cannes and Accommodation was around $2,200 for the whole 12 days that I would stay there. Usually everyone who visits Cannes for the festival books tickets and accommodation 4-6months in advance to get the best prices. It was a pleasant surprise for all of us that we managed to make it happen.

Thanks to Kay Rayner, Jonathon Rayner-Burt, Phil Greeves and Chantal Rayner-Burt an IndieGoGo fundraising campaign was created at the beginning of April, and with the help of friends, family and fans of BlindSide, we managed to collect half of the amount by 2nd of May just 12 days before I was to take off for Cannes. I worked very hard to collect the other half of the funds I needed and I managed to do so just in time.

My parents helped me with deposits and expenses for the promo materials I am taking to Cannes to promote future projects we have worked on.

ZODIAC ENTERTAINMENT PRODUCTION

I am so grateful to my parents and family for helping me over the years to follow my dreams and become a filmmaker. Right next to them are all my friends, who I love to bits as well, and I am so thankful for their help every day on set and off set, and for their continuous support and encouragement.

THANK YOU EVERYONE.

Now my bags are packed and I hope I haven’t forgotten anything I need for my trip. I thought I would be able to relax a bit before I set off but all the excitement and butterflies in the stomach and happy but nervous feeling are keeping me hyped up and not giving me the chance to relax as much as I’d hoped.

Well, I will have a 10 hour flight from Auckland to Singapore from 12pm tomorrow midday. Then follows a 13 hour flight from Singapore to Paris and then a short flight from Paris to Nice. From Nice I catch a train, or a bus, or any kind of transport, to Cannes. I will be looking forward to a nice sleep I guess after 23-24hour flights.

I will be in Cannes around 9am on the 15th of May. Just the day before opening of the 65th Cannes Film Festival 2012. I will have a nice sleep I hope and then who knows? The next day I go to reception, collect my pass and get to work.

THANK YOU SO MUCH.

This is my first time ever going to Cannes, or to any festival at all. Also, this is my first time out of New Zealand after me and my family arrived in Auckland on 23rd of November 2002 at 14:30pm. I remember that day like it was yesterday. My parents worked for years very, very, hard to get our family to New Zealand to start a new life and give us opportunities in life. It was very hard on my parents to achieve this and I am so grateful for what they did for me, my brother and my sister. Now it’s our turn to make them proud of what they did for us all those years. Mom and Dad, thank you so much. You are the best.

So now back to the topic I started;
I have registered for a few workshops at Cannes. As an accredited filmmaker I received quite a few emails with workshops and events which I had to register for and I had to be approved for me to be able to attend. So far all workshops I applied for I will be able to attend and my schedule is getting quite busy. Since this is my first time I am trying to do as much as I can while I am there.
No time to waste.. haha

I will do my best to keep everyone posted with what’s happening each day and share some photos every day I am there.

Keep an eye on the BLINDSIDE Facebook Page as well as the ZODIAC ENTERTAINMENT Website and you can follow us for more updates on the BLINDSIDE Twitter Page

THANK YOU.

To top up the good news; both BLINDSIDE and PLAYMATES have been accepted to the 7th Cyprus International Film Festival in October 2012.

HUGE Congrats to Cast and Crew.
THANK YOU SO MUCH GUYS…

PLAYMATES is on Facebook

AUT University Journalism Publication “TE WAHA NUI” this week featured an article on Dimi’s Cannes trip;

Happy and humbled – director of dark film heads for bright lights of Cannes

By Reynald Castaneda ⋅ May 10, 2012

An Auckland-based filmmaker is off to this year’s Cannes Film Festival after successfully fundraising for his trip on the internet.

Dimi Nakov is “happy and humbled”
about the success of his short film,
Blindside.  Photo: Supplied

Dimi Nakov, director and producer of Blindside, is “happy and humbled” that his short film is included in this year’s Cannes Short Film Corner digital library.

This inclusion allows Nakov to join film workshops and networking events during the festival and is also an opportunity to sell future projects to international film buyers.

Blindside, a dark film about domestic abuse in Kiwi households, was self-funded by Nakov who was hesitant at first to attend the festival.

Read the full article here