LARS VON TRIER'S masterpiece, MELANCHOLIA (2011), which debuted in competition at Cannes this year, screened as part of the CINEDAYS indie movie madness of 70 films in 10 days in Skopje, Macedonia.  MY MELANCHOLIA: A REVIEW ‘Melancholia’, dictionary description… “a mental condition and especially a manic-depressive condition characterized by extreme depression, bodily complaints, and often hallucinations and delusions”.Smash ceremony to pieces. Hype, ego, pomp, sensationalism, f...

’Melancholia’ premiered in May 2011 at the Cannes Film Festival. The press conference for the film received international attention when Lars von Trier made questionable comments about Hitler sympathizing with the Nazis and he was later named ‘persona non grata’ by the festival. Actress Kirsten Dunst won a Best Actress award for her stellar performance as Justine.This week it held its North American premier at 2011 Toronto Film Festival (TIFF). ‘Melancholia’, dictionary descript...

‘Melancholia’, dictionary description… “a mental condition and especially a manic-depressive condition characterized by extreme depression, bodily complaints, and often hallucinations and delusions”.Smash ceremony to pieces. Hype, ego, pomp, sensationalism, formality, persona, ceremony… Blow it to smithereens and what is left? A whole new way of looking at the world around us, whether real or imaginary, an altered perspective. Well, we’ve all seen that Lars von Trier is a fan of ...

‘Melancholia’, dictionary description… “a mental condition and especially a manic-depressive condition characterized by extreme depression, bodily complaints, and often hallucinations and delusions”.Smash ceremony to pieces. Hype, ego, pomp, sensationalism, formality, persona, ceremony… Blow it to smithereens and what is left? A whole new way of looking at the world around us, whether real or imaginary, an altered perspective. Well, we’ve all seen that Lars von Trier is a fan of ...

‘Melancholia’, dictionary description… “a mental condition and especially a manic-depressive condition characterized by extreme depression, bodily complaints, and often hallucinations and delusions”.Smash ceremony to pieces. Hype, ego, pomp, sensationalism, formality, persona, ceremony… Blow it to smithereens and what is left? A whole new way of looking at the world around us, whether real or imaginary, an altered perspective. Well, we’ve all seen that Lars von Trier is a fan of ...

Retrospective Ingmar Bergman: Guests and Events Few film directors have worked as consistently over decades with the same team as Ingmar Bergman. With Harriet Andersson, Gunnel Lindblom and Liv Ullmann, three of Bergman's most outstanding actresses will not only present "their" films at the Berlinale, but also converse in detail publicly about life and work with Bergman for both the screen and the stage.   When Bergman cast the Norwegian actress Liv Ullmann in Persona (1965/66) becaus...

photo by Marc Halperin by Marla LewinOne of the most interesting documentaries I saw at Cannes 2010 is My Films Are My Mistress by Stig Bjorkman. A compilation of backstage moments and interviews with master director Ingmar Bergman. The film is interspersed with comments from Martin Scorsese , Woody Allen and many other great directors speaking about his style and the lessons they learned from his work.  Their interpretations of Bergman and his importance to world cinema, in a...