Friday, November 2--------This was my first time at the London Film Festival, a storied event that just concluded its 51st edition, making it one of the oldest and most venerated film festivals in the world. London is a great city and it does have a great film festival.....an event that delivers an equal measure of star power and filmmaker discoveries, includes intimate special events and gala premieres, and also serviced the professional industry and aspiring filmmakers. The series of market...

 Thursday, November 1---------At the Closing Gala of the 51st Times bfi London Film Festival, a host of awards were announced. While the Festival does not have a Competition Section per se, films screening in its various sections are eligible for some special awards.The Sutherland Trophy is awarded to the director of the most original and imaginative first feature film screened at Festival. The winners were the French directing team of Marjane Satrapi and Vincent Paronnaud for the animated film...

 Wednesday, October 31--------Truth be told, I left the London Film Festival on Monday morning, October 29th (also my birthday in case anyone wants to send me a belated box of chocolates). So, unfortunately, I missed an event that I truly wanted to cover. But through the art of the press release, I am able to report that on that same Monday evening (when I was blowing out I won't tell you how many candles), the Times BFI London Film Festival along with trade publication Variety presented the 20...

 Tuesday, October 30----“We realized pretty quickly that the existing system was not going to work in our benefit…..so we decided it was easier to create a new alternative rather than battle the system that was in place”, filmmaker Lance Weiler declared at the Power To The Pixel Conference last Friday at the London Film Festival. And thus, the gauntlet was launched, as a new generation of filmmakers, distributors and marketers discussed the myriad ways that the digital revolution is upend...

 Tuesday, October 30---------As the London Film Festival moves into its final days, it has, it might be argued, saved the best for last. In the next few days, the Festival will present a strong array of films and will welcome an international group of film talents to the Red Carpet. On Tuesday, the Festival will offer the UK Premiere of FAR NORTH, director Asif Kapadia's thrilling epic tale set in the forbidding tundra of the Arctic North. Joining the director on the Red Carpet are co-writers ...

 Monday, October 29----------In these sangfroid days when nearly everything is acceptable on the big screen, the sight of a mother giving a handjob to her son is still, please excuse me, a little controversial. That scene, that serves as the kind of climax (no pun intended) of SAVAGE GRACE, the long gestating project from American indie director Tom Kalin, may be one of the reasons that the project has taken more than a decade and a half to reach the big screen. However, the London Film Festiva...

In these sangfroid days when nearly everything is acceptable on the big screen, the sight of a mother giving a handjob to her son is still, please excuse me, a little controversial. That scene, that serves as the kind of climax (no pun intended) of SAVAGE GRACE, the long gestating project from American indie director Tom Kalin, may be one of the reasons that the project has taken more than a decade and a half to reach the big screen. However, the London Film Festival did bring it, with all its c...

 Saturday, October 27----------The London Film Festival is not necessarily against the idea of premiering controversial films......in fact, they generate good press and audience interest. But two such films had their premieres just hours apart on Friday, making it a red-hot day for the press and opinionmakers. Locally, it was BRICK LANE, the adaption of the best selling novel by local author Monica Ali, that generated the most media buzz. The film had its world premiere last evening and was the...

 Thursday, October 25---------It was quite a coup for the London Film Festival to snag the World Premiere of the hotly anticipated LIONS FOR LAMBS, the latest directorial (and acting) effort of the Sundance Kid himself, Robert Redford. Heading an all-star cast that includes Tom Cruise and Meryl Streep, the highly topical drama is Redford's pointed commentary on the zeitgeist of wartime America, the complicity of politicians and the press, and the indifference of the general public who are not b...

 Thursday, October 25--------Susanne Bier premiered her first English language film THINGS WE LOST IN THE FIRE last evening at the Odeon West End in Leicester Square. Walking the red carpet was the director Susanne Bier and the film's lead, Halle Berry, who co-stars opposite Benicio del Toro in the intense drama. The film marks Halle Berry's return to serious drama after her Oscar winning turn in MONSTER'S BALL a few years ago. Her performance as a upper class wife and mother who loses it all ...

 Wednesday, October 24--------Although it is not on the radar of the public attending the London Film Festival this week, there has been a low key parallel event that has unspooled at the Curzon Soho Theater, where film sellers had the opportunity to showcase their newest films for industry buyers and programmers. The Industry Screenings is one of several resources available to industry delegates at the Festival, which combine with the excitement of the public screenings to highlight films look...

 Tuesday, October 23--------Having just been in Italy for the past 12 days (a week of vacation in Venice, mainly seeing art and sampling the food and wine, and 5 days in Rome to attend the Rome Film Festival), I've got Italy on the brain these days. Well, coming to London, there is still lots of Italian to appreciate, especially here at the London Film Festival. While it is not exactly an official section of the Festival, there are a good number of superb Italian films to be seen, mainly in the...

 Monday, October 22---------On Saturday, veteran film journalist Nick Roddick led a provocative discussion on the sudden emergence of film gems from what had seemed like a most unlikely source: Romania. 4 MONTHS, 3 WEEKS, 2 DAYS (which is screening at the London Film Festival) was the surprise winner of the Palme d'Or at this year's Cannes Film Festival (a first from the cinema of that rather unknown and misunderstood country). Attention is definitely focused on the former Communist state as a ...

 Sunday, October 21--------It has been a busy weekend on the Red Carpet at the London Film Festival. Friday night saw the UK Premiere of three exciting new films, which could not be more different. First was the Cannes Film Festival Palme d’Or winner 4 MONTHS, 3 WEEKS, 2 DAYS, directed by current hot Romanian director Cristian Mungiu. The film, which is the current frontrunner for the Oscar for Best Foreign Film, is a harrowing account about one woman’s odyssey of desperation in 1980s Roman...

 Saturday, October 20-------Aside from the glitz and the glamour that every film festival must muster to keep the crowds excited and newspaper editors interested, the London Film Festival is offering filmmakers and producers a number of opportunities to network with film professionals and the international press. While most are somewhat formal seminars and master class talks, the most cozy by far are the Filmmaker Breakfasts, which are held at The Sofitel Hotel in St. James. There are seven of...

 Thursday, October 18----------Naomi Watts, whose film career is suddenly on fire, will appear as a special guest at the TCM Screen Talk tomorrow evening at the London Film Festival. Watts was one of the stars at last night's Opening Night Gala screening of EASTERN PROMISES, the new film from Canadian auteur David Cronenberg, which stars her opposite Viggo Mortenson and Vincent Cassel. The prolific actress also toplines the English-language remake of Austrian director Michael Haneke's FUNNY G...

Monday, October 15---------The London Film Festival, which opens later this week, is certainly about films, personalities and the love of cinema. However, this year, the Festival has also incorporated a number of exciting industry events to bring more attention to the UK filmmaking community and to give fledgling producers and directors the chance to network with their contemporaries from across the globe.London’s first ever Production Finance Market, launched by Film London in association wit...

Friday, October 12-----------The Danes are coming, the Danes are coming!!!!  Following impressive line-ups in previous years, Danish cinema once again has a strong and diverse presence at The Times bfi 51st London Film Festival 2007. Seven films have been selected as part of this year’s program, including four features, two animated shorts for younger audiences, and one short film. Denmark ’s world-renowned production company Zentropa Films (which launced the Dogme revolution and produced t...

One of the most anticipated films of the upcoming London Film Festival, which opens on October 17, is the film adaptation of the international bestseller BRICK LANE by award-winning novelist Monica Ali. The film is directed by Sarah Gavron, who won a BAFTA TV Award in 2003 as Best New Director for THIS LITTLE LIFE, and is making a highly visible feature directorial debut with the film. The UK Premiere will be a Film on the Square screening on October 26th.BRICK LANE is the story of a beautiful ...

 Monday, October 8-----One of the most anticipated films of the upcoming London Film Festival, which opens on October 17, is the film adaptation of the international bestseller BRICK LANE by  award-winning novelist Monica Ali. The film is directed by Sarah Gavron, who won a BAFTA TV Award in 2003 as Best New Director for THIS LITTLE LIFE, and is making a highly visible feature directorial debut with the film. The UK Premiere will be a Film on the Square screening on October 26th.BRICK LANE ...