Scene from Almodovar's VOLVER As the New York Film Festival moves into its second weekend, a diverse and tantalizing plate of cinematic offerings is on tap, catered to every kind of viewer. The Festival has created a mix of hotly anticipated films, some unknown gems and new works from some cinematic masters, all of which have their initial premieres this weekend. Three filmmakers who have showcased their past work at the event are presenting their newest films this weekend. Veteran French dire...

The "Spettacoli" (entertainment) sections of the Italian dailies on Mondy (September 11...) all carried detailed commentaries -- mostly recriminations -- regarding the distribution of awards and other aspects of the festival which wrapped on Saturday. To start with, hardly anyone stuck around for the "Gala Closing Film", Pavel Lounguine’s „The Island -- but cut out quickly and headed for the closing bash at the Excelsior down the road. Pavel may be a fairly big name in Russia but he’s n...

The Board of Directors of La Biennale di Venezia, presided by Davide Croff, has accepted the proposal by Director Marco Müller to award the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement to US director David Lynch at the 63.Venice International Film Festival, scheduled to take place on the Lido di Venezia from August 30th through September 9th 2006. The award will be presented to the director on September 6th, in the Sala Grande of the Palazzo del Cinema, on the occasion of the screening of his new maste...

Grand Slam winner Schultze Gets the Blues rides away with Stockholm Bronze Horse and BEST FIRST FEATURE Grand Slam at Stockholm Film Festival by Michael Schorr Michael Schorr's Schultze Gets the Blues rode away with the "Stockholm Bronze Horse" and Best First Feature Award at the 14th Stockholm International Film Festival, which ended November 23. Schorr's film won in two other categories: Best Actor, Horst Krause, and Best Screenplay. The story of a man who has spent his whole ...