Lone Scherfig’s “The Kindness of Strangers” will open the 2019 Berlin Film Festival. It’s a familiar venue for the veteran filmmaker, who brought her eventual Oscar-nominated “An Education” to the Berlinale back in 2009.
Her most recent work stars Zoe Kazan and Tahar Rahim as two New Yorkers who help each other through a trying time against the backdrop of a Russian restaurant. The film’s ensemble also includes Andrea Riseborough, Bill Nighy, Jay Baruchel, and Caleb Landry Jones.
The film is Scherfig’s first in three years, after the Gemma Arterton-led WWII movie “Their Finest.” That film did not end up making a Berlin stop, but Scherfig had other titles play the festival, even before “An Education.” Her first feature “The Birthday Club” played as part of the 1990 festival, while her Maeve Binchy adaptation “Italian for Beginners” took home a Silver Bear jury prize a decade later.
It...
Her most recent work stars Zoe Kazan and Tahar Rahim as two New Yorkers who help each other through a trying time against the backdrop of a Russian restaurant. The film’s ensemble also includes Andrea Riseborough, Bill Nighy, Jay Baruchel, and Caleb Landry Jones.
The film is Scherfig’s first in three years, after the Gemma Arterton-led WWII movie “Their Finest.” That film did not end up making a Berlin stop, but Scherfig had other titles play the festival, even before “An Education.” Her first feature “The Birthday Club” played as part of the 1990 festival, while her Maeve Binchy adaptation “Italian for Beginners” took home a Silver Bear jury prize a decade later.
It...
- 12/6/2018
- by Steve Greene
- Indiewire
"Circle of Friends" -- based on the Maeve Binchy novel about a group of university students' complicated love lives in 1950s Dublin -- debuted in limited release on March 17, 1995. Its stars have gone on to much bigger things but, like them, we're still very fond of the film that helped launch many of their careers.
Minnie Driver, who played plainspoken Irish lass Bernadette "Benny" Hogan in her first major film role, recently told EW, "It gave me my whole career, that movie." Just two years later, she was an Oscar nominee for "Good Will Hunting."
Where is the cast now? Over the past two decades, they've collected awards (including an Oscar and a Tony), headlined TV series, and more than one has ended up on "Game of Thrones."...
Minnie Driver, who played plainspoken Irish lass Bernadette "Benny" Hogan in her first major film role, recently told EW, "It gave me my whole career, that movie." Just two years later, she was an Oscar nominee for "Good Will Hunting."
Where is the cast now? Over the past two decades, they've collected awards (including an Oscar and a Tony), headlined TV series, and more than one has ended up on "Game of Thrones."...
- 3/16/2015
- by Sharon Knolle
- Moviefone
What happens when Brian Percival, who's directed Downton Abbey, is let loose on a young-adult bestseller? An unecessarily soapy wartime saga, that's what
I spent all 130 minutes of The Book Thief wondering who exactly its target audience is supposed to be. It's based on a bestselling young-adult novel set in Nazi Germany, but it has a cheesy, saccharine Lifetime Channel feel, like it's one of those made-up art movies the characters in animated sitcoms go and see, the wives weeping, the men all wincing and wishing it were Skyfall.
It's about Liesel (Sophie Nelisse), the orphaned 12-year-old daughter of German communist activists, taken in by a middle-aged couple in 1938. She and the smitten boy next door Rudy (Nico Liersch) join the Hitler Youth and goose-step around town burning books and fetishising der Führer as little twinges of conscience and doubt slowly begin to manifest themselves. Then her adoptive parents Hans and Rosa (Geoffrey Rush,...
I spent all 130 minutes of The Book Thief wondering who exactly its target audience is supposed to be. It's based on a bestselling young-adult novel set in Nazi Germany, but it has a cheesy, saccharine Lifetime Channel feel, like it's one of those made-up art movies the characters in animated sitcoms go and see, the wives weeping, the men all wincing and wishing it were Skyfall.
It's about Liesel (Sophie Nelisse), the orphaned 12-year-old daughter of German communist activists, taken in by a middle-aged couple in 1938. She and the smitten boy next door Rudy (Nico Liersch) join the Hitler Youth and goose-step around town burning books and fetishising der Führer as little twinges of conscience and doubt slowly begin to manifest themselves. Then her adoptive parents Hans and Rosa (Geoffrey Rush,...
- 2/10/2014
- by John Patterson
- The Guardian - Film News
One of Ireland's most successful novelists, loved for her kindness and generosity of spirit
Maeve Binchy, who has died aged 72, was a larger-than-life author and journalist, whose novels about love and romance in Ireland sold more than 40m copies in 37 languages. Among the most popular were Light a Penny Candle (1982), Echoes (1985), Circle of Friends (1990) and Tara Road (1998). The last of these, the story of two women who exchange homes in Ireland and the Us for a magical summer, was promoted by Oprah Winfrey, ensuring runaway sales. In 1995 Circle of Friends, about childhood friends from the village of Knockglen, was made into a film starring Chris O'Donnell and Minnie Driver. Tara Road and the short story How About You? also became feature films, and The Lilac Bus (1984) and Echoes were made into television films.
Maeve's novels dealt with issues such as betrayal and child-parent relationships, tensions between rural and urban life,...
Maeve Binchy, who has died aged 72, was a larger-than-life author and journalist, whose novels about love and romance in Ireland sold more than 40m copies in 37 languages. Among the most popular were Light a Penny Candle (1982), Echoes (1985), Circle of Friends (1990) and Tara Road (1998). The last of these, the story of two women who exchange homes in Ireland and the Us for a magical summer, was promoted by Oprah Winfrey, ensuring runaway sales. In 1995 Circle of Friends, about childhood friends from the village of Knockglen, was made into a film starring Chris O'Donnell and Minnie Driver. Tara Road and the short story How About You? also became feature films, and The Lilac Bus (1984) and Echoes were made into television films.
Maeve's novels dealt with issues such as betrayal and child-parent relationships, tensions between rural and urban life,...
- 7/31/2012
- by Conor O'Clery
- The Guardian - Film News
Members of the Irish film and television industry have this morning paid tribute to best-selling novelist Maeve Binchy who has died aged 72 following a short illness. Ms Binchy was born in Dalkey in Co Dublin. Many of her novels and short stories have been adapted for both the big and small screen. 'Circle of Friends' (1995), 'Tara Road' (2005) and 'How About You' (2007) were all made into feature films and shot in Ireland, while 'The Lilac Bus' (1990) and 'Anner House' (2007) were made into TV movies. Her novel 'Echoes' was also made into a four-part TV series in 1988.
- 7/31/2012
- IFTN
Bestselling Irish author Maeve Binchy, one of Ireland’s most popular writers who sold more than 40 million books worldwide, has died in Dublin after a brief illness, Irish media and national leaders said. She was 72 years old.
She was best known for her depictions of human relationships and their crises, mainly in the small towns of Ireland but also in London. “We have lost a national treasure,” said Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny.
The Irish Times, her former employer, told the AP it had spoken to Binchy’s family and said the acclaimed author had died in a Dublin hospital...
She was best known for her depictions of human relationships and their crises, mainly in the small towns of Ireland but also in London. “We have lost a national treasure,” said Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny.
The Irish Times, her former employer, told the AP it had spoken to Binchy’s family and said the acclaimed author had died in a Dublin hospital...
- 7/31/2012
- by Associated Press
- EW - Inside TV
London (AP) — Bestselling Irish author Maeve Binchy, one of Ireland's most popular writers who sold more than 40 million books worldwide, has died in Dublin after a brief illness, Irish media and national leaders reported. She was 72 years old.
She was best known for her depictions of human relationships and their crises, mainly in the small towns of Ireland but also in London.
"We have lost a national treasure," said Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny.
The Irish Times, her former employer, told the AP it had spoken to Binchy's family and said the acclaimed author had died in a Dublin hospital on Monday with her husband Gordon Snell by her side.
"She was an outstanding novelist, short story writer and columnist, who engaged millions of people all around the world with her fluent and accessible style," said Ireland's president, Michael D. Higgins.
"In recent years she showed great courage and thankfully never lost her self-deprecating humor,...
She was best known for her depictions of human relationships and their crises, mainly in the small towns of Ireland but also in London.
"We have lost a national treasure," said Irish Prime Minister Enda Kenny.
The Irish Times, her former employer, told the AP it had spoken to Binchy's family and said the acclaimed author had died in a Dublin hospital on Monday with her husband Gordon Snell by her side.
"She was an outstanding novelist, short story writer and columnist, who engaged millions of people all around the world with her fluent and accessible style," said Ireland's president, Michael D. Higgins.
"In recent years she showed great courage and thankfully never lost her self-deprecating humor,...
- 7/31/2012
- by AP
- Huffington Post
Maeve Binchy has died at the age of 72. The novelist and playwright passed away peacefully in hospital on Monday (July 30) with her husband, the children's author Gordon Snell, by her side. Born in Dalkey on May 28, 1940, Binchy studied at University College Dublin and worked both as a teacher and a journalist before she became a best-selling writer. She spoke fondly of her early years on her own website, writing: "I was happy and confident. That was quite simply because I had a mother and a father at home who thought I was wonderful. They thought all their geese were swans. "It was a gift greater than beauty or riches, the feeling that you were as fine as anyone else." Binchy began writing fiction while working at the London (more)...
- 7/31/2012
- by By Kate Goodacre
- Digital Spy
The front runner for this year’s Best Actor Oscar, Colin Firth of The King’s Speech, fondly remembers his time in Ireland filming a small part in Circle of Friends, the film adaptation of Maeve Binchy’s best-selling book that starred Minnie Driver and Chris O’Donnell. "I had a minor role in Circle of Friends, which was filmed in Kilkenny and directed by one of my closest friends, Pat O'Connor,” Firth told the Irish Independent during a promo chat for The King’s Speech, why by the way is the top grossing film in Ireland since the New Year. "I only had a small part in the film, meaning there was no burden at all, so it was all a playground for me. I had a very young son with me, so it was a lovely countryside region to be in with a child. “There were sessions every Monday night in Thomastown,...
- 1/13/2011
- IrishCentral
The Times Online (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/ireland/article5993161.ece) today is reporting on the Public Lending Remuneration scheme, a new system set up by the Irish government that gives cash rewards to the most popular authors in libraries. Those set to receive rewards include J.K. Rowling. Deathly Hallows is said to have been the fifth most sought after book in January. ---Quote--- Maeve Binchy, a writer, said many bestselling authors donate their cheques to charity but they remain an important incentive. .It.s only fair that if hundreds of people borrow your book, you get paid,. she said. .It.s especially important for those who don.t get huge sales. When you see that Plr written on an envelope your heart soars because it.s never bad news. It.s confirmation people are reading your books.. ---End Quote---...
- 3/29/2009
- by EmmaRiddle
- Snitchseeker.com
Chicago – The final week of the 12th Annual EU Film Festival at the Siskel Film Center perfectly illustrates the main strength of this festival - amazing diversity. From what we had time to see of the final stretch of films, the four highlights couldn’t be more diverse, featuring movies from four different countries with four completely different tones and styles.
The highlights of the first three weeks of EU included a coming-of-age drama from Ireland (“Kisses”), a sexy romantic comedy from France (“The Girl From Monaco”), an amazing Danish drama (“Worlds Apart”), and a very interesting horror film from Belgium (“Left Bank”). Read more here, here, and here)
The final week takes us back to two of those countries - Belgium and France - and also features a fascinating Finnish shocker before closing with a gentle and sweet film from Sweden. Overall, it’s been a fantastic festival for...
The highlights of the first three weeks of EU included a coming-of-age drama from Ireland (“Kisses”), a sexy romantic comedy from France (“The Girl From Monaco”), an amazing Danish drama (“Worlds Apart”), and a very interesting horror film from Belgium (“Left Bank”). Read more here, here, and here)
The final week takes us back to two of those countries - Belgium and France - and also features a fascinating Finnish shocker before closing with a gentle and sweet film from Sweden. Overall, it’s been a fantastic festival for...
- 3/25/2009
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
By Neil Pedley
There is plenty of (semi)lighthearted fare at the art house this week with Danny Boyle tracking a "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" whiz kid in Mumbai, Arnaud Desplechin looking at a family reunion in France and a Bollywood musical playing out in Miami, followed by films that are distinctively more "hardcore," whether that refers to Harry Potter fans or elderly curmudgeons. Oh, and there's also some globetrotting carnage with our man Craig -- Daniel Craig.
"B.O.H.I.C.A."
If this debut effort from "Melvin Goes To Dinner" producer turned writer/director D.J. Paul is to be believed, the best way to support our brave boys serving overseas is to send them some sunscreen and a truckload of Sudoku books. Marooned in the middle of the Afghan desert guarding a radio tower, four army reservists (Adam Rodriguez, Nicholas Gonzalez, Kevin Weisman, Brendan Sexton III) do battle with the...
There is plenty of (semi)lighthearted fare at the art house this week with Danny Boyle tracking a "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?" whiz kid in Mumbai, Arnaud Desplechin looking at a family reunion in France and a Bollywood musical playing out in Miami, followed by films that are distinctively more "hardcore," whether that refers to Harry Potter fans or elderly curmudgeons. Oh, and there's also some globetrotting carnage with our man Craig -- Daniel Craig.
"B.O.H.I.C.A."
If this debut effort from "Melvin Goes To Dinner" producer turned writer/director D.J. Paul is to be believed, the best way to support our brave boys serving overseas is to send them some sunscreen and a truckload of Sudoku books. Marooned in the middle of the Afghan desert guarding a radio tower, four army reservists (Adam Rodriguez, Nicholas Gonzalez, Kevin Weisman, Brendan Sexton III) do battle with the...
- 11/10/2008
- by Neil Pedley
- ifc.com
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