One of the most memorable films I have seen this past year was the haunting and lyrical film WHITE AS SNOW (Turkey, 2010) by director Selim Gunes and producer Nur Gunes. This is an unforgettable experiment in storytelling, disrupting our linear-prone conception of time in order to think in fragments. The mind doesn’t look back in time sequentially so why should a film that is retrospective? In this film about a poor young boy, Hasan, from the 1970’s, the viewer is forced to struggl...
RESTLESS (2011)SUMMARY: “The story of a terminally ill teenage girl who falls for a boy who likes to attend funerals and their encounters with the ghost of a Japanese kamikaze pilot from WWII”.During the press conference at Cannes I sat next to actor Henry Hopper’s mother and she said, ‘that’s my son!’ with pride and a twinkle in her eye. Many say that RESTLESS (2011) is a tribute to French cinema. It may even hint to a touch magical realism meets Woody Allen (just read this sweet ...
RESTLESS (2011)SUMMARY: “The story of a terminally ill teenage girl who falls for a boy who likes to attend funerals and their encounters with the ghost of a Japanese kamikaze pilot from WWII”.During the press conference at Cannes I sat next to actor Henry Hopper’s mother and she said, ‘that’s my son!’ with pride and a twinkle in her eye. Many say that RESTLESS (2011) is a tribute to French cinema. It may even hint to a touch magical realism meets Woody Allen (just read this sweet ...
Harry Shearer
With the Mississippi River about to overflow its banks in the beleaguered city of New Orleans, the specter of Hurricane Katrina, a devastation the city has still not recovered from, becomes an interesting focus of renewed speculation from a somewhat unlikely source. Harry Shearer, the Saturday Night Live veteran, actor/director of several “mockumentaries” (SPINAL TAP) and the voice of several characters on THE SIMPSONS, who also is a New Orleans residen...
Lars von Trier poses during the photocall of "Melancholia" (AFP/File, Francois Guillot)
Lars von Trier poses during the photocall of "Melancholia" (AFP/File, Francois Guillot)
Cannes barred provocative Danish director Lars von Trier Thursday amid a growing backlash over his remarks about Adolf Hitler, but his film remains in the race for the festival's top prize.
Blackballing one of Europe's most prominent film-makers, festival organizers declared the 55-year-o...
Lars von Trier poses during the photocall of "Melancholia" (AFP/File, Francois Guillot)Cannes barred provocative Danish director Lars von Trier Thursday amid a growing backlash over his remarks about Adolf Hitler, but his film remains in the race for the festival's top prize.Blackballing one of Europe's most prominent film-makers, festival organizers declared the 55-year-old auteur "persona non grata" -- telling him in effect to stay away from the world's biggest cinema jamboree.In a statement, ...
by Deborah Cole (On Twitter: @doberah http://twitter.com/#!/doberah)CANNES, France Japan's devastating earthquake and tsunami in March had a powerful impact on Naomi Kawase's haunting new film in competition at Cannes, the Japanese director said on Wednesday. "Hanezu" -- one of 20 contenders for the coveted Palme d'Or to be awarded by jury president Robert De Niro on Sunday -- tells the story of a love triangle in the mountainous Asuka region, seen as the birthplace of the Japane...
I was pleased to be invited to two screening-cum-Q&A sessionsorganised by the Australian Cinematographers Society over the course of two days in Adelaide. Million thanks to Lawrence Horsburgh, Key Account Manager for Kodak (Australasia) for sending through the invitation, really appreciate that, ! The first screening was - The Tourist - followed by an interview session with Oscar winning cinematographer John Seale, and the second session was on the 1979 classic - Mad Max - and an i...
Today is Earth Day…..in fact it is the 40th anniversary of the date inaugurated in 1970 to foster awareness about ecology and the environment. In its inaugural year, the concern about “saving the planet” was secondary to the protestors energizing college campuses in a push to end the war in Vietnam. In those days, Americans were slurping leaded gas through massive V8 sedans. Industry belched out smoke and sludge with little fear of legal consequences or bad press. Air pollution wa...
The Tribeca Film Institute (TFI) today announced the films that will receive financial and creative support from the TFI Sloan Filmmaker Fund, provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. This year, out of 121 applicants both in the US and internationally, six projects will be awarded a total of $140,000 and will be recognized at the annual Tribeca Film Festival (April 20- May 1, 2011). Grant recipients will receive year-round mentorship from science experts and members of the film indus...
Baffin Babes
There are no babes like the Baffin Babes. Vera, Emma, Inge and Kristin- four Scandinavian girls who tackled a burly 1,200-km ski trip across Baffin Island in the Canadian Arctic in 2009-will talk about the challenges of their expedition, including sleeping in a tent in 40 below with polar bears as their closest neighbors.
Wade Davis
Wade Davis is an Explorer-in-Residence at the National Geographic Society. He holds degrees in anthropology and biology and a Ph.D...
2011 Festival to Present 88 Feature-Length and 61 Short Films April 20 - May 1
The 2011 Tribeca Film Festival (TFF), presented by American Express®, announced the World Narrative and Documentary Competition film selections and the first edition of the new section-Viewpoints. Forty-four of the 88 feature-length films were announced. The 10th edition of the Festival will take place from April 20 to May 1 in lower Manhattan.
TFF organizers this year have streamli...
Piotr Kamler - master of worldwide animation, awarded three times in Krakow, laureate of Grand Prix at Annecy Film Festival (1975) - will receive the Dragon of Dragons Award at 51st Krakow Film Festival (23rd-29th May 2011).
The Dragon of Dragons Award - life achievement award, has been given by the organizers of Krakow Film Festival, one of the oldest film events dedicated to documentary, animated and short fiction films in Europe, to outstanding documentary and animation fi...
SXSW FILM ANNOUNCES 2011 FEATURES LINEUP
The South by Southwest (SXSW) Film Conference and Festival is thrilled to announce the features lineup for this year's Festival, March 11 - 19, 2011 in Austin, Texas. The 2011 lineup continues the SXSW tradition of tapping into the cultural zeitgeist, highlighting emerging talent and breakthrough performances and supporting first-time filmmakers. "This is the most exciting moment for us.
After a fantastic festival of discove...
The 2011 Tribeca Film Festival (TFF), presented by American Express®, today announced the World Narrative and Documentary Competition film selections and the first edition of the new section-Viewpoints. Forty-four of the 88 feature-length films were announced. The 10th edition of the Festival will take place from April 20 to May 1 in lower Manhattan.
TFF organizers this year have streamlined the Festival's format, which is now comprised of two competition sections, World Narra...
eurocinemaPartners with Nordisk Film & TV Fond and Diva.AG To Roll Out The Red Carpet ForFirst Ever On Demand Film FestivalFirst Annual Scandinavian On Demand Film Festival To Debut To North AmericanVOD Audiences On May 1st Miami, March 3, 2011 - On Demand movie channel eurocinema (eurocinema.com)has joined forces with Nordisk Film & TV Fond (nordiskfilmogtvfond.com) andDiva.AG to create the first ever On Demand film festival, The First AnnualScandinavian On Demand Film Festival, set...
OfficialSelection(s) 2010/2011:
In its 20th edition, the New York Jewish Film Festival presented 36 features and shorts from 14 countries; 31 premiered in New York. As in past years a balanced program provided perspectives on the Jewish experience and included several outstanding productions on the holocaust period and its aftermath.
In LILITH (Eytan Harris, ISRAEL, 2010), a documentary; prejudices and resentments are revealed when a mother...
While the name Sundance immediately is linked with the American Independent film movement, in the past number of years, international titles have found a home base in the ski resort of Park City. By creating competition sections for both narrative and documentary films from around the world, the Festival has not only expanded its scope but has forged a link between international producers, distributors and financiers across the globe in a real and tangible way. In terms of the marketpl...
In 2009 The Golden Globe ceremony didn't have a host. The actors/actresses just came out to present and announce the winner. I don't remember what they did for an opening, but a joke monologue isn't the only way to open the show with energy.
I don't want to be a Pollyanna or someone who only accepts niceties and tact, but I felt some of host Ricky Gervais', blunt, roast type humor may have been unnecessary. Do I feel this way because we're talking about Hollywood Royalty, like J...
"http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/loose.dtd"> ............. NEWSLETTER N° 491: January 7, 2011 Season's greeting to all our friends on the festival circuit! Follow this LINK if you cannot read the newsletter properly ...
............. NEWSLETTER N° 491: January 7, 2011 Season's greeting to all our friends on the festival circuit! Follow this LINK if you cannot read the newsletter properly Contact the Editor, Advertise with us Thi...
Director: Itsumichi Isomura.
Izumi lost her beloved boy friend Junichi by a traffic accident. She was also in the scene of the accident but cannot remember what happened because of shock. Day by day, Izumi is immersed in pain and sadness. To reclaim her memories, Izumi goes to a mental institution. There, Izumi meets the lawyer Makiko to help her make an inquiry into the accident. However, the deeper they dig up, the more mercilessly cruel facts they find …
Potiche
France, 2010, 103 Minute Running Time
US Premiere
Topics: Comedy, Gay/Lesbian
Language: French
Catherine Deneuve commands the screen with a regal wink as Suzanne Bujol, a trophy wife ("potiche") whose mettle is tested when catastrophe strikes in her husband's umbrella factory. Under the assured direction of prolific French filmmaker François Ozon, this stylish French farce is an irresistible romp through 1970s kitsch, politics and female eman...
Potiche
France, 2010, 103 Minute Running Time
US Premiere
Topics: Comedy, Gay/Lesbian
Language: French
Catherine Deneuve commands the screen with a regal wink as Suzanne Bujol, a trophy wife (“potiche”) whose mettle is tested when catastrophe strikes in her husband’s umbrella factory. Under the assured direction of prolific French filmmaker François Ozon, this stylish French farce is an irresistible romp through 1970s kitsch, politics and fem...
