Email from Nati to Geshe Zopa on the awards won by Unmistaken Child Movie

If you are interested to read more about the Full Frame Documentary Film Festifal awards won by Unmistaken Child Movie and the other awards presented, please scroll down for more details.

Dear Geshe-la,

Rejoice, today (April 5, 2009) we won several awards in U.S. Festival! They are very important documentary Festival in U.S.There are total 3 awards, 2 Awards and an Honorable Mention at Full Frame Film Festival ;
Special Jury Award: "Unmistaken Child"
Inspiration Award: "Unmistaken Child"
Emerging Artist Award - Honorable Mention: "Unmistaken Child" directed by Nati Baratz

Rejoice :)

Thanks for everything.

Nati
[Pls visit Nati's face book @ Unmistaken Child Group ]

About Full Frame

The Full Frame Documentary Film Festival is an annual international event dedicated to the theatrical exhibition of non-fiction cinema. Each spring Full Frame welcomes filmmakers and film lovers from around the world to historic downtown Durham, N.C., for a four-day, morning to midnight array of over 100 films as well as discussions, panels, and southern hospitality. Set within a single city block, the intimate festival landscape fosters community and conversation between filmmakers, film professionals and the general public.

The festival is produced by Doc Arts, Inc., a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, and receives support from corporate sponsors, private foundations and individual donors whose generosity provides the foundation that makes the event possible. To learn more on the mission of Full Frame or for information on membership or sponsorship opportunities, scheduled films or festival passes visit www.fullframefest.org. More news on awards presented at http://www.fullframefest.org/releases/2009/090405.php.

Full Frame Documentary Film Festival
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Full Frame Documentary Film Festival is one of the United States' premier documentary film festivals, held over the course of four days each spring at the Carolina Theater in Durham, North Carolina. It began in 1998 with no more than a few hundred patrons and has grown tremendously since then.

The festival is renowned[citation needed] for its presentation of both new and curated documentaries as well as panel discussions, seminars, and question and answer sessions, along with the support it has garnered from filmmakers, film industry executives, and the general public.[citation needed] Produced by the non-profit organization Doc Arts, Inc., the festival is funded by private sponsors, some corporate. A few examples of sponsors include The New York Times (which left in 2009),Duke University, A&E, HBO, and the city of Durham.

Full Frame has reached national recognition not just from its impressive programming but also the presence of numerous filmmaking celebrities. Over the years, those attending have included Morgan Spurlock, Michael Moore, DA Pennebaker, Martin Scorsese, Danny DeVito, Ken Burns, Joan Allen, Mira Nair, Al Franken, Sydney Pollack and many others.

The festival receives over 1,000 new films for consideration, the most of any documentary awards festival in the United States. In 2007 alone, the 10th anniversary of the festival, Full Frame received over 2,100 submissions, of which a select 85 were chosen.

Letter from a student who is studying in Film Producing who got inspired after watching Unmistaken Child Movie

Dear Nati,

I hope this letter finds you in an up-lifted mood. Sorry for taking your time. I just want to say how grateful I am for what you've done for all of us. Your amazing persistence and talent in making the movie 'Unmistaken Child' inspired many many people. It's changed my life as I found an opportunity to use my student break and go to Himalayas and to Kopan Monastery in particular. By the way, I'm studying at Film Producing in London. So may be one day I'll help you with another significant spiritual project

Kindest regards,
Alexey

UNMISTAKEN CHILD Premieres at Berlinale

Extracted from http://beyondthebox.org written by Ilil Alexander, producer of UNMISTAKEN CHILD

Berlin––a cosmopolitan, exciting capital, a city of culture with international appeal. In the middle of it all: Berlinale–not only the city’s largest cultural event, but also one of the most important dates on the international film industry’s calendar. Ilil Alexander, producer of the ITVS-funded film UNMISTAKEN CHILD, recounts her experience meeting the film’s main character: Tenzin Zopa, a shy and gifted disciple of a great Tibetan meditator, who unexpectedly is appointed to lead the search for the reincarnation of his late master.


It’s a full house for our premiere and Nati Baratz, the director and producer, is invited on stage. He is so excited and can hardly talk. It is a significant moment to see him so excited and happy. After more than five and a half years, he did everything possible to make this film against all odds. It’s not a coincidence that no one else could have managed this project before him, which followed the real-time search for reincarnation for months and months. He asks the audience to stay after the screening because there’s a surprise.


I can see Tenzin Zopa sitting in his seat. I can’t imagine how it is for him, to watch on screen the journey he’s been on since October 2001.


About 104 minutes pass and Nati takes the stage and his voice is more excited than before. He gratefully thanks all our co-producers around the world. He then thanks Geshe Tenzin Zopa, the “surprise,” which was followed by roaring applause as he got on stage.


This very humble person first thanked everyone, wished a happy long life to all and made everyone laugh. One cannot but notice those qualities of a child-like soul, naivety, curiosity and peaceful acceptance combined with the qualities of a listener, of a father of a wise old person––a rare combination I haven’t encountered for a very long time. I can tell because I laugh, I hold the camera to capture this moment but I also feel tears in my eyes.


But the most enjoyable moment for me was later that night when Tenzin gently offered to make a greeting before we ate dinner. He gave thanks for the food, the warm place we were sitting, our health and other beautiful notions. He quietly explained how every item on our plate was there thanks to the generosity and contribution of so many people, the ones who raised the beans and the ones who carried and prepared them, and those who served them on our plate, and so on, paying attention to every detail. This made the dinner so meaningful just because of what it was, regardless of the great premiere we just had.


From now on, whenever I eat, I’ll always remember, it’s not just “us” eating. It’s the 84,000 organisms, all the germs and bacteria that help our body function, and we must take care of them, feed them properly.


As more than breath-taking landscapes, rare scenes and very dramatic moments, the heart of the film, for me, is the tender soul of its main character, Tenzin Zopa. Regardless of what happened, whether he just lost his old master, or just found his reincarnation again, he is always full of compassion for others.

Producer Ilil Alexander and director/producer Nati Baratz at the premiere of UNMISTAKEN CHILD with Tenzin Zopa, the film's main subject.

More pictures taken in Berlin

Pictures taken by Geshe Tenzin Zopa

Pictures taken in Berlin - Feb 2009!

Review on Unmistaken Child Movie

This email was sent by Christiane who is a writer in Germany to Nati about her views on the Unmistaken Child movie [Nati is the director of Unmistaken Child].

Dear Mr. Nati,

Please accept my heartfelt congratulations on this stunning documentary! I got a chance to see "Unmistaken Child" on the Berlinale yesterday and I am still deeply moved and touched. It has been ages since a movie has been able to shake my thoughts the way your movie did. Being permitted to witness Tenzin Zopa’s determined quest opened up a whole new train of thoughts for me. For that I am really greatful and wish you all the best for any of your upcoming projects.

I hope my wishes reach you this way - but I will also try to see Unmistaken Child at one of the other screenings (hoping there will be some stage-discussion?).

Crossing my fingers for the film to be shown in lots of cinemas all over the world!
Christiane Neudecker

Message all the way from Berlin!

Dear all,

I am doing very well here in Berlin. It’s snowing and the people who invited me here is taking very good care of me with very good hotel, good food, many parties to attend and many movies to view.

The Movie Unmistaken Child received many great reviews and the screening has been very very successful up to now. There were total 6 screenings and every screening had approximately 500 audiences and basically every seat is fully occupied. After each screening, I have to attend to questions and answers and that is where I have a chance to share dharma with so many people. Everyone loves the movie! It’s also regarded as one of the best “True Love” movie ever.

Very soon all countries are going to show this movie and that includes USA, Canada, Japan and in Israel the Unmistaken Child have been showing for the past two months and each time the theatres are full. This movie might also be brought in to Singapore during their film festival.

For the past few days, I had interviews with 11 different press including television from all over the world including the Middle East countries. By the way, Unmistaken Child movie was regarded as one of the best documentary movie in Berlin Film festivals. Many many people where so touched by the movie and it’s targeted that a few millions going to watch the movie this year. REJOICE!!!!

To all my Malaysian students and friends, see you all on 25th February which is Losar night for light offering. Take care all.

With lots of prayers,