Sorcery Review — Sorcery (2023) Film Review from the 46th Annual Sundance Film Festival, a movie directed by Christopher Murray, written by Pablo Paredes and Christopher Murray and starring Valentina Véliz Caileo, Daniel Antivilo, Sebastian Hulk, Daniel Munoz, Daniel Antivilo, Annick Duran and Sebastian Nunez. Filmmaker Christopher Murray’s Sorcery is set in the 19th century on [...]
Continue reading: Film Review: Sorcery: Valentina Véliz Caileo Delivers a Compelling Performance in a Dark and Dreary Film [Sundance 2023]...
Continue reading: Film Review: Sorcery: Valentina Véliz Caileo Delivers a Compelling Performance in a Dark and Dreary Film [Sundance 2023]...
- 2/2/2023
- by Thomas Duffy
- Film-Book
Christopher Murray’s Sorcery asks timeless questions about the meaning of justice in a world where the oppressed are tried in courts set up by their oppressors. Set in late-19th-century Chile, specifically the island of Chiloé, it follows Rosa (Valentina Véliz Caileo), a Huilliche 13-year-old seeking to avenge the murder of her father at the hands of the German settlers who had once employed them.
The problem: technically it wasn’t the Germans who killed him but the violent dogs they unleashed, and “dogs can’t go to jail,” she is told by the mayor (a chilling Daniel Muñoz) who recommends she give up her mission to find justice.
Fortunately, Rosa learns she doesn’t need to follow the path of human laws to avenge her father when she meets Mateo (Daniel Antivilo), a Huiliche elder who reminds Rosa she has the ancestral power of her people and introduces...
The problem: technically it wasn’t the Germans who killed him but the violent dogs they unleashed, and “dogs can’t go to jail,” she is told by the mayor (a chilling Daniel Muñoz) who recommends she give up her mission to find justice.
Fortunately, Rosa learns she doesn’t need to follow the path of human laws to avenge her father when she meets Mateo (Daniel Antivilo), a Huiliche elder who reminds Rosa she has the ancestral power of her people and introduces...
- 1/31/2023
- by Jose Solís
- The Film Stage
From a distance, like on a zoomed-out map, the South Pacific island of Chiloé looks almost like a peninsula. It nestles cosily into the embrace of the Chilean coastline, separated only by a narrow strait from the overhanging landmass. But as anyone who has been there can tell you, it has an earthy atmosphere very much its own: with its temperate, damp climate, verdant forests and misty fields, Chiloé feels ancient, folkloric and full of hidden mystery. It makes it the perfect setting for Chilean filmmaker Christopher Murray’s “Sorcery,” a meditative tale of anticolonial vengeance that has its basis in fascinating true events in Chilote history, but that wears the skin of a dark fairytale.
It is 1880 on the island, and 13-year-old Rosa is prepping a meal for her employers, a family of devoutly Christian German settlers. Rosa, who has learned to speak German, comes from an indigenous Huilliche background,...
It is 1880 on the island, and 13-year-old Rosa is prepping a meal for her employers, a family of devoutly Christian German settlers. Rosa, who has learned to speak German, comes from an indigenous Huilliche background,...
- 1/30/2023
- by Jessica Kiang
- Variety Film + TV
Chilean director Christopher Murray travels all the way to Chile’s Chiloé Island in “Sorcery,” where a teenage Huilliche girl, Rosa Raín (Valentina Véliz Caileo), witnesses the murder of her father by a German settler. At first, she seems helpless. But when she encounters much-older Mateo (Daniel Antivilo), he makes her aware of her roots and magic that comes straight from the land.
“I was always intrigued by that place. It’s an ambiguous territory,” he tells Variety.
Following its world premiere at Sundance, the film — produced by Larraín brothers’ Fabula and co-produced by Pimienta Films and the Match Factory, the latter also handling sales — will head to Goteborg’s International Competition next.
Flirting with horror, Murray was actually inspired by a true story — the persecution of the members of the Recta Provincia organization back in 1880, accused of witchcraft.
“I found it mind-blowing, this whole concept of state vs. sorcerers.
“I was always intrigued by that place. It’s an ambiguous territory,” he tells Variety.
Following its world premiere at Sundance, the film — produced by Larraín brothers’ Fabula and co-produced by Pimienta Films and the Match Factory, the latter also handling sales — will head to Goteborg’s International Competition next.
Flirting with horror, Murray was actually inspired by a true story — the persecution of the members of the Recta Provincia organization back in 1880, accused of witchcraft.
“I found it mind-blowing, this whole concept of state vs. sorcerers.
- 1/24/2023
- by Marta Balaga
- Variety Film + TV
Sorcery: "On the remote island of Chiloé in the late 19th century, an Indigenous girl named Rosa lives and works with her father on a farm. When the foreman brutally turns on Rosa’s father, she sets out for justice, seeking help from the king of a powerful organization of sorcerers."
Directed by: Christopher Murray Screenwriters: Christopher Murray, Pablo Paredes Produced by: Juan De Dios Larraín, Pablo Larraín, Rocío Jadue, Nicolás Celis Co-Producers: Viola Fügen, Michael Weber Executive Producer: Sergio Karmy Director of Photography: María Secco Cast: Valentina Véliz, Daniel Antivilo, Sebastian Hulk, Daniel Muñoz, Rosa Raín
World Premiering at the Sundance Film Festival January 22, 2023
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The Unsettling: "Abena and Kwame, a Ghanaian couple, are struggling to recover from a devastating tragedy. They travel to Los Angeles for a vacation that they hope will help them find their way back to one another. Instead, during an awkward dinner with estranged friends,...
Directed by: Christopher Murray Screenwriters: Christopher Murray, Pablo Paredes Produced by: Juan De Dios Larraín, Pablo Larraín, Rocío Jadue, Nicolás Celis Co-Producers: Viola Fügen, Michael Weber Executive Producer: Sergio Karmy Director of Photography: María Secco Cast: Valentina Véliz, Daniel Antivilo, Sebastian Hulk, Daniel Muñoz, Rosa Raín
World Premiering at the Sundance Film Festival January 22, 2023
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The Unsettling: "Abena and Kwame, a Ghanaian couple, are struggling to recover from a devastating tragedy. They travel to Los Angeles for a vacation that they hope will help them find their way back to one another. Instead, during an awkward dinner with estranged friends,...
- 1/12/2023
- by Jonathan James
- DailyDead
An official selection for this year’s Sundance Film Festival, director Christopher Murray‘s Sorcery has debuted its official trailer this week, promising a dark revenge thriller with a twist.
In the film, “On the remote island of Chiloé in the late 19th century, an Indigenous girl named Rosa lives and works with her father on a farm. When the foreman brutally turns on Rosa’s father, she sets out for justice, seeking help from the king of a powerful organization of sorcerers.”
Here’s a longer synopsis from the official Sundance website…
“Chiloé Island, 1880. After her father is murdered by a German colonist, Rosa (newcomer Valentina Véliz Caileo), a 13-year-old Huilliche girl, renounces her Christian upbringing and seeks shelter with Mateo (Daniel Antivilo), the leader of an Indigenous organization that practices witchcraft. Under Mateo’s gruff yet tender tutelage, she learns the art of sorcery and vows to settle the score.
In the film, “On the remote island of Chiloé in the late 19th century, an Indigenous girl named Rosa lives and works with her father on a farm. When the foreman brutally turns on Rosa’s father, she sets out for justice, seeking help from the king of a powerful organization of sorcerers.”
Here’s a longer synopsis from the official Sundance website…
“Chiloé Island, 1880. After her father is murdered by a German colonist, Rosa (newcomer Valentina Véliz Caileo), a 13-year-old Huilliche girl, renounces her Christian upbringing and seeks shelter with Mateo (Daniel Antivilo), the leader of an Indigenous organization that practices witchcraft. Under Mateo’s gruff yet tender tutelage, she learns the art of sorcery and vows to settle the score.
- 1/11/2023
- by John Squires
- bloody-disgusting.com
Apps: "The Chilean-Argentinean horror and fantasy anthology Apps, a independent project, produced and directed by Lucio A. Rojas, José Miguel Zúñiga, Sandra Arriagada, Camilo León and Samot Márquez, premieres official trailer
Apps premiered worldwide in July at the Bifan festival in Korea, performed at major events such as PopCorn Frights, Salem Horror Fest, Mile High Horror, among others.
It will continue in major events such as Nightmares Film Festival, Buffalo Dreams Film Festival, Semana de Terror de San Sebastián, Razor Reel, Mórbido Fest and more than 20 festivals around the world
The film’s executive production was in the hands of Zúñiga and Rojas. About the production, Rojas tells us: “In Chile, the fantastic film genre is just starting out. In the past ten years, local production of genre films has increased, though not thanks to state support, but rather because the filmmakers themselves have used their own money or support from private entities,...
Apps premiered worldwide in July at the Bifan festival in Korea, performed at major events such as PopCorn Frights, Salem Horror Fest, Mile High Horror, among others.
It will continue in major events such as Nightmares Film Festival, Buffalo Dreams Film Festival, Semana de Terror de San Sebastián, Razor Reel, Mórbido Fest and more than 20 festivals around the world
The film’s executive production was in the hands of Zúñiga and Rojas. About the production, Rojas tells us: “In Chile, the fantastic film genre is just starting out. In the past ten years, local production of genre films has increased, though not thanks to state support, but rather because the filmmakers themselves have used their own money or support from private entities,...
- 10/28/2021
- by Jonathan James
- DailyDead
Warped Releasing will be releasing the savagely violent, crime horror/thriller Hidden in the Woods (2012) on special edition Blu-ray, filled with special features fit for any cinephiles collection. Pre orders are now live on our website with a 10th September 2021 U.K. release date. Starring Siboney Lo, Daniel Antivilo, Carmen Paz, Francois Soto, Carolina Escobar, …
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- 8/16/2021
- by Adrian Halen
- Horror News
Some friends of ours from Chile have a new horror anthology called Apps and will be part of the Coming Soon program at Sitges. Our friends Lucio A Rojas and Sandra Arriagada have both contributed to the projected. We of course know Rojas from his horror flick Trauma. Arriagada we met at Blood Window a couple years ago when she helped present a female centric anthology called 28. Tutú Vidaurre and Nicolás Durán will lead Rojas' chapter, Eden. Felipe Ríos, Daniel Antivilo and a dear friend, Ximena del Solar, from Trauma, have supporting roles. Rojas sent along the teaser and a selection of images from all four chapters with two poster variants. Check them out below. Apps. Chilean anthology of horror and...
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- 9/14/2020
- Screen Anarchy
Stars: Catalina Martin, Macarena Carrere, Ximena del Solar, Dominga Bofill, Daniel Antivilo, Eduardo Paxeco, Felipe Ríos, Claudio Riveros, Florencia Heredia | Written and Directed by Lucio A. Rojas
I was lucky enough to watch a debut screening of Trauma at the inaugural Soho Horror Film festival, where the crowd were already hyped for this harrowing, messed up piece, and it did not disappoint. Fair comparisons can be made to the likes of A Serbian Film, Martyrs and Hate Crime, relentlessly uncomfortable and chilling in its execution.
When a party of four female friends head to a cabin in rural Chile, stumbling along the hostile locals along the way, they soon learn that their modern, independent ways are not welcome. After settling into their home for the weekend, they are set upon by a maniac Father and Son duo, and subjected to a life changing evening, forever scarring them. Escaping the clutches of the pair,...
I was lucky enough to watch a debut screening of Trauma at the inaugural Soho Horror Film festival, where the crowd were already hyped for this harrowing, messed up piece, and it did not disappoint. Fair comparisons can be made to the likes of A Serbian Film, Martyrs and Hate Crime, relentlessly uncomfortable and chilling in its execution.
When a party of four female friends head to a cabin in rural Chile, stumbling along the hostile locals along the way, they soon learn that their modern, independent ways are not welcome. After settling into their home for the weekend, they are set upon by a maniac Father and Son duo, and subjected to a life changing evening, forever scarring them. Escaping the clutches of the pair,...
- 12/13/2018
- by Faye Ellis
- Nerdly
Santiago, Chile — Dissatisfied with the way that females are represented in horror films, a group of filmmakers from Latin America and Spain have teamed up to create a new narrative of five short stories – each playing on a common theme, and each with a unique cast of actors and directors attached – in “28,” an in-development project presented as part of this week’s Santiago Lab at the Santiago Intl. Film Festival (Sanfic).
Created with participation from five countries – Chile, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil and Spain – with an eye on picking up a sixth contributor from the U.S., the stories in “28” will play off the themes of the 28-day female cycle, paralleled with the four-week lunar cycle.
The segments will range from classic slasher-thriller to sci-fi musical to psychological drama, and each story feature a female lead meant to break the mold of the “damsel in distress” trope so common in the horror genre.
Created with participation from five countries – Chile, Mexico, Argentina, Brazil and Spain – with an eye on picking up a sixth contributor from the U.S., the stories in “28” will play off the themes of the 28-day female cycle, paralleled with the four-week lunar cycle.
The segments will range from classic slasher-thriller to sci-fi musical to psychological drama, and each story feature a female lead meant to break the mold of the “damsel in distress” trope so common in the horror genre.
- 8/22/2018
- by Jamie Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Chile 1978 - A father, and agent of Pinochet’s regime, forces his son to participate in the interrogation and torture of a political prisoner. Chile 2011 - Four women, sisters Andrea (Catalina Martin) and Camila (Macarena Carrere), their cousin Magdalena (Dominga Bofill) and Camila’s girlfriend Julia (Ximena del Solar) head into the country to a family cabin for a couple days of drinks and sun. On their way they stop by a local drinking hole for directions. Eyes linger a little too long and some of the locals get too close when Juan (Daniel Antivilo), the local tyrant, intercedes. The women clear out and head up to the cottage. The drinks start flowing and Camila and Julia start fooling around with Magdalena when...
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- 11/2/2017
- Screen Anarchy
The latest, and likely bloodiest, harshest and most extreme blast of violent horror cinema from Latin America comes in the form of Lucio A. Rojas' Trauma. His latest film will have its world premiere at Morbido at the end of the month. Directed by Lucio A. Rojas, the film stars Catalina Martin, Daniel Antivilo, Macarena Carrere, Ximena del Solar, Felipe Ríos, Dominga Bofill, Alejandro Trejo, Max Torres, Claudio Riveros and Eduardo Paxeco. It was produced by Luciano and Nico Onetti who have their own extreme horror offering What the Waters Left Behind playing at the festival as well. Fangoria debuted the Nc-17 trailer yesterday. Trauma tells the brutal story of a group of women stalked and outraged by two men, whose evil...
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- 10/17/2017
- Screen Anarchy
Dealing with the some of the darkest shades of the human experience, Alejandro Fernández Almendras’ “To Kill a Man” (Matar a un Hombre) is an unsettling character study about an individual that leaves life as a passive man to get revenge on a man that has been harassing his family. It’s been almost a year since the film premier at the Sundance Film Festival, and during this year it has earned numerous awards from Rotterdam to Cartagena and everywhere in between. Now, Fernandez Almendras latest work, which will be distributed in the U.S. by Film Movement, is Chile’s Official Oscar Submission for the Best Foreign Language Film Award.
“To Kill a Man” is not only another outstanding example of the great films coming out of the South American country, but is also a thought-provoking work that explores crime and its consequences. Director Alejandro Fernandez Almendras recently sat down with us to discuss his intriguing film and what pushes a man over the edge.
Read the review Here
Aguilar: How was the idea for “To Kill a Man” born? Was it your interest in the nature of crime or was it something else that set in motion the creation of this project?
Alejandro: The origin of the story is sort of funny. I was inspired by a Chilean TV series called “Mea Culpa”, which is a sort of a true crime docudrama. The cases were very intriguing but the reenactments were incredibly cheesy. The format was very funny. During the reenactments, the characters would suddenly freeze, sort of like a corny version of a tableau vivant. Then smoke would appear out of nowhere and from behind the smoke a presenter or narrator would appear and say something like, “This morning was his last time.” He would say it in this ridiculously serious tone [Laughs].
Aguilar: Sort of like “The Twilight Zone”
Alejandro: Yes, but this was terrible [Laughs]. However, the cases were actually really good. They were very interesting. For some reason a phrase that the protagonist in a particular episode said stuck with me. I never saw that episode of the show after the original release about 7 or 8 years ago, but I was certain that the character had said this phrase. In my mind this show probably blended with other information. Recently, a magazine in Chile announced that they were going to publish an article on the actual case from this particular episode. When I heard about this I looked for this episode again and I finally found it. After watching it I realize that I had constructed this film based on a phrase that I thought the character in this show had said, but he never did! [Laughs].
The case is very similar to what’s on the film. In the show when they ask the character “If this events would happen again, would you commit this crime again?” In my mind, I could have sworn his answer was, “No, you don’t know what it means to kill a man” and in reality the character just says “ No, is not worth it,” {Laughs]. That’s how it started, but I just found out I was wrong recently. I was never really interested in finding out if that was what he had actually said or what was the truth about this case. This just served for me to think about what would happen to a regular person in this situation if he/she commits this crime.
I think that cinema is not always about delivering an answer. It’s more about putting myself in a situation and trying to understand how would I behave in that situation. That’s what interests me.
Aguilar: The film starts as a very familiar, everyday type of story and then it evolves into this transformative experience for the protagonist.
Alejandro : Exactly. For example, the scene that involves the car alarm going off came to me from something very familiar. I knew the location and I knew I wanted to shoot there because I like this particular look that these housing projects have. Then I put myself in the character’s place and thought, “If I’m trying to get someone to come downstairs, I’m not coming directly towards the place because then he would see me. I have to wait for him to turn around and follow him up the stairs, but if that happens then I will probably not reach him until he is almost back in his house. That wouldn’t work. I have to think of how to make the “victim” come towards me by getting his attention.” At this point I thought about the one thing that always makes people, including myself, come out of their house to see what’s happening, and that is the car alarm.
In the film we see our protagonist hiding behind the car, but in real life he would have had to be face down on the ground not to be seen. Daniel, the actor had to lay on his stomach not to be seen and this wasn’t working for the rest of the scene. We decided to alter reality in order to make it work [Laughs]. In cinema we can lie a little bit and change reality.
Aguilar: Tell me about this duality that’s at the center of “To Kill a Man.” The division between the victim and the executer is blurred through the protagonist’s actions.
Alejandro: The more I think about he film it becomes more difficult to see who the victim is. There was a moment when I thought I knew who this character was as a person. For most of the film we empathize with him, we suffer with him. We even think about doing the same thing he does, but after he kills a man it’s harder to be on his side. I had trouble during editing because I couldn’t find the right tone for what happens after the murder.
Then, I watched one of those shows on Investigation Discovery - which is a channel I like a lot – in which a girl killed her boyfriend because he was violent and abused her. The interesting part was how strange her behavior was. She stabbed him multiple times, and though she knew he was dead, she returned the next day to make sure he was dead. It was crazy. From that point on I felt my character had crossed a threshold and, just like with the girl in this true crime show, it was impossible to follow him in a logical manner anymore. The film had to become sort of a dream, or better said, a nightmare. From this point on the editing became much more ethereal, less grounded on reality.
Aguilar: Is he the victim or the perpetrator?
Alejandro: I see him as both. He goes from being a victim to becoming the perpetrator. I’ve notice that the film is more shocking for people from more developed countries like the Netherlands or countries in Scandinavia where they have highest standards of living. In this countries prisons are truly seen as places that help people reintegrate into society. In my film the protagonist takes justice into his own hands, which is a politically complex act because it’s something sort of protofascist. His actions are justifiable in his mind, but they really have no justification. He is very intuitive to this notion but not in a moral or ethical way, it’s physical. His actions are on the border between being justifiable and being the worst crime of all.
Aguilar: In a sense justifying his crime is the worst thing one can do
Alejandro: Yes, if societies worked this way every time you got robbed on the street you could pull out your shotgun and shoot the criminal. That’s much more terrible.
Aguilar: Would you say everyone is capable of committing such a crime?
Alejandro: This character is the in the middle of the spectrum between those who would jump at the chance and the last person capable or killing somebody. In on side there are those who would do it without remorse and on other side there are those, like me, who would never do it. I would probably just move to another neighborhood. In Chile there are other cases similar to this, at least two more that I know of. In one, a man killed his neighbor because this neighbor would threaten his family, very similar to what happens in the film. He continued disturbing the family until this man shot him. When this story appeared on the news, people online would voice their opinions and many of them would say, “I know that crazy man. He lived across the street and he would threaten our family as well, so I understand why this man killed him. We just moved to another city.”
In a sense other people also wanted to kill this man, but none of them were taken over the edge, except for the one man that actually killed him. Not everyone is capable of doing something like this, but most people understand his reasoning behind it. Other people would comment, “I was very close to killing him myself” or “I knew someone would end up killing that disturbed man.” Yet, this people didn’t do it.
Aguilar: There had to be something that pushed this person over the edge, something that separated him from those who wouldn’t do it and turn him into someone capable of killing.
Alejandro: Absolutely, in Jorge’s case this happens when he loses his family’s support.
Aguilar: I feel like it also has to do with the pressure he feels to be the protector. His family expects him to defend them and be this archetypal male that won’t let anyone push him around.
Alejandro: When his own family shuts him out for not being “man enough” to do something drastic about the situation, that’s what tips the scale. That’s what turns him into something else. His own family abandons him, judges him, and considers him a coward, and he feels like he needs to prove himself.
Aguilar: He is expected to do something to defeat this villain that’s harassing them, but is it unthinkable for them to give up and just move to another city?
Alejandro: Besides the fact that it could be practically difficult for some people to move to a different house, what plays a big part as well is the fact that people don’t want to accept defeat. The thought process is more like, “This is my territory, I’m not moving from here.” Recently a Chilean critic interpreted the film in a very interesting way, he wrote that the first time Jorge resorts to violence is when he grabs the shotgun to protect the property he works at.
It’s interesting that we think police exists to protect people. In reality the police as we know it appeared after the Industrial Revolution when business owners needed to protect their factories and other private property. That’s when police as an institution appeared. Jorge feels like he must defend that property. The fact that his family doesn’t move to a different house has to do with this instinct to protect what’s “theirs.”
Aguilar: I also think that Jorge feels like justice has failed him. The corrupt and indifferent bureaucracy has failed him. Do you think this story would work the same in other parts of the world where people have more trust in their institutions?
Alejandro: The only places in the world where I’ve felt like people didn’t fully understand it were those I mentioned before, which have higher standards of living and less corruption. In countries like Japan, in which 80% of homicide cases are solved, it probably wouldn’t make much sense either. Impunity is not such a familiar concept in these places, but there only a few places like these in the world. In the U.S. people seem to understand it very well. In Miami a woman said to me during the Q&A, “I would have killed that man in the first five minutes of the movie. Why did he take so long to kill him?” [Laughs].
In France people also understood what I was trying to say. Unfortunately the idea that police is not impartial and that it can be bought is something very familiar in many places around the world. In Russia people evidently understood it. Russians are very familiar with what corruption is and some people there were angry with Jorge for not taking justice into his own hands sooner. Obviously, all over Latin America people related to this story, it’s much more common than what it should be. This feeling that justice doesn’t exist for you but only for those with money is sadly very common.
Aguilar: The visual style of the film is almost impersonal. It’s very realist and it’s beautifully done, but it almost feels like you didn’t want to get emotionally close to this man. We are looking at him from afar in a solemn manner.
Alejandro: I fell that was the only way to not pollute the film with any judgment towards the character. There are two handheld shots at the beginning of the film. One is when Jorge gets robbed outside his house and the other when his son gets shot. These represent instances in which he is the victim. Then there are two other moments in which he is clearly the perpetrator. One is when he chases the man in the woods with his shotgun and the other when he kidnaps his victim.
We have to note that this film is politically dangerous. If I formally accentuate a feeling of empathy with this character I lose the distance that I need to question him and his actions. This is very important. Having this distance allows the audience to create their own judgment. I didn’t want to label him as a hero or a villain through my images. If I would have gotten closer to this man I might have empathize with him. I didn’t want that. In the Dardenne Brothers’ films, you always loves their characters regardless of what they do because the way they make their films forces you to follow the characters all the time. You end up siding with them even if what they do is bad, like with Rosetta who almost drowns her best friend. Since we are so close to the character all the time, we are tempted to condone or justify her actions.
If I was trying to make more of a genre film in which this political issues are not approached in a serious manner and the spectacle was the most important thing, then in that case I would make a film that’s less about restraint and more visceral. In this case I wanted to keep that distance because I still don’t feel like I know who this character is. Because of this distance I can form a more complex opinion of him, one that is not only driven by emotion.
Aguilar: At the end of the film we are not sure of the consequences Jorge will face in terms of what his family will think of him or how society will perceive his actions.
Alejandro: I feel like leaving some questions unanswered allows me to explore just this part of the story. If I wanted to understand what happens after I would have to dive in even further, but I think that his family wouldn’t understand what he did. Even if they did understand that he did it for them, they wouldn’t allow him to return to the family.
Aguilar: He has crossed a line and he can’t come back
Alejandro : Exactly, and I feel that this line was crossed before he actually committed the crime through all the circumstances around him. His family won’t say, “You killed him, you did good!” It might be the opposite. I picture his wife telling him, “You are so dumb for doing that. Why didn’t you just scare him? “ Or “Nobody asked you to do it.” He is going to be the villain no matter what. They might understand it as, “He did it for us, but what he did was still wrong.”
Aguilar: Is there a way for Jorge to redeem himself?
Alejandro: No because he made this decision on his own. If this had been a mutual decision between him and his wife or between him and his son, then he would have some support from his family. But he did it by himself. I’m very interested in crime as a disassociation of reality. There is a Romanian film called “ Aurora” by Cristi Puiu, which is three hours long, and is about a man that murders four people. In the end it’s very clear that crime is a consequence of the isolation this character experiences.
Aguilar: It’s difficult to see crime in such a pragmatic manner. We usually have very emotional reactions to criminal acts. Finding a specific reason for it is not easy.
Alejandro: Crime is definitely not a normal state in human beings. Even during the worst moments in World War II, soldiers would train at least for about two weeks because you can’t just teach a man how to use weapons. You have to teach him to obey orders, which is a way to place the guilt on the institution. Is not you who is killing people, it’s the institution through you. You have to disassociate yourself from your conscience in order to be able to do terrible things.
In this types of situations like in the army or a in a gang, people do terrible things as part of a group and they justify it as doing something for their country or their partners. Jorge is alone. However, even if you find comfort in justifying these acts through something else, they still damage you. Many soldiers come back from war very damaged emotionally.
Aguilar: Like we were discussing before, the act of taking another person’s life is a line that once crossed can’t be uncrossed or taken back.
Alejandro: Thankfully most people haven’t and will not cross this line, but films cross this line often and without consequences. My film doesn’t use over-the-top violence, but it brings you closer to the violence we experience everyday day. I would say the most violent scene in my film is when the villain harasses the young girl. Most of us will never know what being in a war is, but we all know what being humiliated or being afraid feels like.
I’ve been robbed in several occasions and I felt that way. In the great scale of things being robbed is nothing compared to the violence other people experience, but it’s very personal. Some films show too much violence without any emotional context, I wanted to show less but give it more recognizable emotion.
Aguilar: With such a thought-provoking and morally challenging story, how difficult was it to find the right actors to play these parts?
Alejandro: The actors that play the two protagonists, Jorge and Kalule, are theater actors. I chose Daniel Candia, who plays Jorge, because he is a very particular actor in Chilean cinema. He is not the typically handsome guy. He is very real and I believe everything he does on screen. Coincidentally, he used to work in a forest and he knew how to cut down a tree. This knowledge also helped me understand how to direct him.
On the other hand, I chose Daniel Antivilo to play Kalule because he is a very tall man. He has a deep voice, and is very imposing. I knew it had to be him. I also knew that he would be on screen for a brief period of time because this wasn’t his story. I needed someone that just by looking at him a couple times could produce fear or make people uncomfortable. He captured that very well even though he is a really charming man in real life.
When I met him I told him, “We are going to have a barbeque at my house. All the other actors will be there and I want you to behave like Kalule in front of them to see if you can pull it off.” He arrived pretending to be the character and he annoyed everyone. He was insufferable [Laughs]. He broke several plates and he searched my entire house looking for liquor while playing this character. It was horrible but he proved he could do it. [Laughs]
Aguilar: This has been an incredible year for you and the film. First winning at Sundance, then Rotterdam, Cartagena, among many others. Did all the success catch you by surprise?
Alejandro: It’s been a great year. I never thought the film would be so well received because it’s a very rough and dark film. Some people have even told me that after watching it they’ve had nightmares. What’s more surprising to me is the fact that it has won different awards from Best Actor, to Best Screenplay, to Best Supporting Actor, Best Director, and even Audience Awards. This shows me that people like it for different reasons. I didn’t expect this because my first film did very well in festivals and my second film didn’t do well at all.
I love my second film but it didn’t connect with other people. However, I feel like I’m still working in the same way even if the theme and the situations are different. I’m true to the way I like to make films but you never know if people will respond. We were lucky, we were about to submit the film to the Berlinale, but they wanted to see the final version of the film on a Dcp and we finished the film the week before Sundance. Berlin didn’t get to see it in the best quality and then Sundance wanted us to confirm because they needed to announce the lineup. We said no to Berlin. Maybe if the film had premiered in Berlin nothing would have happened and it would have been just another film. We won at Sundance and then we sold the film to many territories in the Berlinale market. After that we won in Rotterdam, in Cartagena, in Miami, and many other festivals.
Aguilar: And now the film is the Chilean Oscar submission
Alejandro: This has been great for the film. We got great reviews in Chile probably because it’s very different to other films being made in Chile. This is a film about real people, about the working class in a small town. It’s not the typical Chilean film about a certain economic or social class. “ To Kill a Man” is different. Whatever happens now is out of our hands...
“To Kill a Man” is not only another outstanding example of the great films coming out of the South American country, but is also a thought-provoking work that explores crime and its consequences. Director Alejandro Fernandez Almendras recently sat down with us to discuss his intriguing film and what pushes a man over the edge.
Read the review Here
Aguilar: How was the idea for “To Kill a Man” born? Was it your interest in the nature of crime or was it something else that set in motion the creation of this project?
Alejandro: The origin of the story is sort of funny. I was inspired by a Chilean TV series called “Mea Culpa”, which is a sort of a true crime docudrama. The cases were very intriguing but the reenactments were incredibly cheesy. The format was very funny. During the reenactments, the characters would suddenly freeze, sort of like a corny version of a tableau vivant. Then smoke would appear out of nowhere and from behind the smoke a presenter or narrator would appear and say something like, “This morning was his last time.” He would say it in this ridiculously serious tone [Laughs].
Aguilar: Sort of like “The Twilight Zone”
Alejandro: Yes, but this was terrible [Laughs]. However, the cases were actually really good. They were very interesting. For some reason a phrase that the protagonist in a particular episode said stuck with me. I never saw that episode of the show after the original release about 7 or 8 years ago, but I was certain that the character had said this phrase. In my mind this show probably blended with other information. Recently, a magazine in Chile announced that they were going to publish an article on the actual case from this particular episode. When I heard about this I looked for this episode again and I finally found it. After watching it I realize that I had constructed this film based on a phrase that I thought the character in this show had said, but he never did! [Laughs].
The case is very similar to what’s on the film. In the show when they ask the character “If this events would happen again, would you commit this crime again?” In my mind, I could have sworn his answer was, “No, you don’t know what it means to kill a man” and in reality the character just says “ No, is not worth it,” {Laughs]. That’s how it started, but I just found out I was wrong recently. I was never really interested in finding out if that was what he had actually said or what was the truth about this case. This just served for me to think about what would happen to a regular person in this situation if he/she commits this crime.
I think that cinema is not always about delivering an answer. It’s more about putting myself in a situation and trying to understand how would I behave in that situation. That’s what interests me.
Aguilar: The film starts as a very familiar, everyday type of story and then it evolves into this transformative experience for the protagonist.
Alejandro : Exactly. For example, the scene that involves the car alarm going off came to me from something very familiar. I knew the location and I knew I wanted to shoot there because I like this particular look that these housing projects have. Then I put myself in the character’s place and thought, “If I’m trying to get someone to come downstairs, I’m not coming directly towards the place because then he would see me. I have to wait for him to turn around and follow him up the stairs, but if that happens then I will probably not reach him until he is almost back in his house. That wouldn’t work. I have to think of how to make the “victim” come towards me by getting his attention.” At this point I thought about the one thing that always makes people, including myself, come out of their house to see what’s happening, and that is the car alarm.
In the film we see our protagonist hiding behind the car, but in real life he would have had to be face down on the ground not to be seen. Daniel, the actor had to lay on his stomach not to be seen and this wasn’t working for the rest of the scene. We decided to alter reality in order to make it work [Laughs]. In cinema we can lie a little bit and change reality.
Aguilar: Tell me about this duality that’s at the center of “To Kill a Man.” The division between the victim and the executer is blurred through the protagonist’s actions.
Alejandro: The more I think about he film it becomes more difficult to see who the victim is. There was a moment when I thought I knew who this character was as a person. For most of the film we empathize with him, we suffer with him. We even think about doing the same thing he does, but after he kills a man it’s harder to be on his side. I had trouble during editing because I couldn’t find the right tone for what happens after the murder.
Then, I watched one of those shows on Investigation Discovery - which is a channel I like a lot – in which a girl killed her boyfriend because he was violent and abused her. The interesting part was how strange her behavior was. She stabbed him multiple times, and though she knew he was dead, she returned the next day to make sure he was dead. It was crazy. From that point on I felt my character had crossed a threshold and, just like with the girl in this true crime show, it was impossible to follow him in a logical manner anymore. The film had to become sort of a dream, or better said, a nightmare. From this point on the editing became much more ethereal, less grounded on reality.
Aguilar: Is he the victim or the perpetrator?
Alejandro: I see him as both. He goes from being a victim to becoming the perpetrator. I’ve notice that the film is more shocking for people from more developed countries like the Netherlands or countries in Scandinavia where they have highest standards of living. In this countries prisons are truly seen as places that help people reintegrate into society. In my film the protagonist takes justice into his own hands, which is a politically complex act because it’s something sort of protofascist. His actions are justifiable in his mind, but they really have no justification. He is very intuitive to this notion but not in a moral or ethical way, it’s physical. His actions are on the border between being justifiable and being the worst crime of all.
Aguilar: In a sense justifying his crime is the worst thing one can do
Alejandro: Yes, if societies worked this way every time you got robbed on the street you could pull out your shotgun and shoot the criminal. That’s much more terrible.
Aguilar: Would you say everyone is capable of committing such a crime?
Alejandro: This character is the in the middle of the spectrum between those who would jump at the chance and the last person capable or killing somebody. In on side there are those who would do it without remorse and on other side there are those, like me, who would never do it. I would probably just move to another neighborhood. In Chile there are other cases similar to this, at least two more that I know of. In one, a man killed his neighbor because this neighbor would threaten his family, very similar to what happens in the film. He continued disturbing the family until this man shot him. When this story appeared on the news, people online would voice their opinions and many of them would say, “I know that crazy man. He lived across the street and he would threaten our family as well, so I understand why this man killed him. We just moved to another city.”
In a sense other people also wanted to kill this man, but none of them were taken over the edge, except for the one man that actually killed him. Not everyone is capable of doing something like this, but most people understand his reasoning behind it. Other people would comment, “I was very close to killing him myself” or “I knew someone would end up killing that disturbed man.” Yet, this people didn’t do it.
Aguilar: There had to be something that pushed this person over the edge, something that separated him from those who wouldn’t do it and turn him into someone capable of killing.
Alejandro: Absolutely, in Jorge’s case this happens when he loses his family’s support.
Aguilar: I feel like it also has to do with the pressure he feels to be the protector. His family expects him to defend them and be this archetypal male that won’t let anyone push him around.
Alejandro: When his own family shuts him out for not being “man enough” to do something drastic about the situation, that’s what tips the scale. That’s what turns him into something else. His own family abandons him, judges him, and considers him a coward, and he feels like he needs to prove himself.
Aguilar: He is expected to do something to defeat this villain that’s harassing them, but is it unthinkable for them to give up and just move to another city?
Alejandro: Besides the fact that it could be practically difficult for some people to move to a different house, what plays a big part as well is the fact that people don’t want to accept defeat. The thought process is more like, “This is my territory, I’m not moving from here.” Recently a Chilean critic interpreted the film in a very interesting way, he wrote that the first time Jorge resorts to violence is when he grabs the shotgun to protect the property he works at.
It’s interesting that we think police exists to protect people. In reality the police as we know it appeared after the Industrial Revolution when business owners needed to protect their factories and other private property. That’s when police as an institution appeared. Jorge feels like he must defend that property. The fact that his family doesn’t move to a different house has to do with this instinct to protect what’s “theirs.”
Aguilar: I also think that Jorge feels like justice has failed him. The corrupt and indifferent bureaucracy has failed him. Do you think this story would work the same in other parts of the world where people have more trust in their institutions?
Alejandro: The only places in the world where I’ve felt like people didn’t fully understand it were those I mentioned before, which have higher standards of living and less corruption. In countries like Japan, in which 80% of homicide cases are solved, it probably wouldn’t make much sense either. Impunity is not such a familiar concept in these places, but there only a few places like these in the world. In the U.S. people seem to understand it very well. In Miami a woman said to me during the Q&A, “I would have killed that man in the first five minutes of the movie. Why did he take so long to kill him?” [Laughs].
In France people also understood what I was trying to say. Unfortunately the idea that police is not impartial and that it can be bought is something very familiar in many places around the world. In Russia people evidently understood it. Russians are very familiar with what corruption is and some people there were angry with Jorge for not taking justice into his own hands sooner. Obviously, all over Latin America people related to this story, it’s much more common than what it should be. This feeling that justice doesn’t exist for you but only for those with money is sadly very common.
Aguilar: The visual style of the film is almost impersonal. It’s very realist and it’s beautifully done, but it almost feels like you didn’t want to get emotionally close to this man. We are looking at him from afar in a solemn manner.
Alejandro: I fell that was the only way to not pollute the film with any judgment towards the character. There are two handheld shots at the beginning of the film. One is when Jorge gets robbed outside his house and the other when his son gets shot. These represent instances in which he is the victim. Then there are two other moments in which he is clearly the perpetrator. One is when he chases the man in the woods with his shotgun and the other when he kidnaps his victim.
We have to note that this film is politically dangerous. If I formally accentuate a feeling of empathy with this character I lose the distance that I need to question him and his actions. This is very important. Having this distance allows the audience to create their own judgment. I didn’t want to label him as a hero or a villain through my images. If I would have gotten closer to this man I might have empathize with him. I didn’t want that. In the Dardenne Brothers’ films, you always loves their characters regardless of what they do because the way they make their films forces you to follow the characters all the time. You end up siding with them even if what they do is bad, like with Rosetta who almost drowns her best friend. Since we are so close to the character all the time, we are tempted to condone or justify her actions.
If I was trying to make more of a genre film in which this political issues are not approached in a serious manner and the spectacle was the most important thing, then in that case I would make a film that’s less about restraint and more visceral. In this case I wanted to keep that distance because I still don’t feel like I know who this character is. Because of this distance I can form a more complex opinion of him, one that is not only driven by emotion.
Aguilar: At the end of the film we are not sure of the consequences Jorge will face in terms of what his family will think of him or how society will perceive his actions.
Alejandro: I feel like leaving some questions unanswered allows me to explore just this part of the story. If I wanted to understand what happens after I would have to dive in even further, but I think that his family wouldn’t understand what he did. Even if they did understand that he did it for them, they wouldn’t allow him to return to the family.
Aguilar: He has crossed a line and he can’t come back
Alejandro : Exactly, and I feel that this line was crossed before he actually committed the crime through all the circumstances around him. His family won’t say, “You killed him, you did good!” It might be the opposite. I picture his wife telling him, “You are so dumb for doing that. Why didn’t you just scare him? “ Or “Nobody asked you to do it.” He is going to be the villain no matter what. They might understand it as, “He did it for us, but what he did was still wrong.”
Aguilar: Is there a way for Jorge to redeem himself?
Alejandro: No because he made this decision on his own. If this had been a mutual decision between him and his wife or between him and his son, then he would have some support from his family. But he did it by himself. I’m very interested in crime as a disassociation of reality. There is a Romanian film called “ Aurora” by Cristi Puiu, which is three hours long, and is about a man that murders four people. In the end it’s very clear that crime is a consequence of the isolation this character experiences.
Aguilar: It’s difficult to see crime in such a pragmatic manner. We usually have very emotional reactions to criminal acts. Finding a specific reason for it is not easy.
Alejandro: Crime is definitely not a normal state in human beings. Even during the worst moments in World War II, soldiers would train at least for about two weeks because you can’t just teach a man how to use weapons. You have to teach him to obey orders, which is a way to place the guilt on the institution. Is not you who is killing people, it’s the institution through you. You have to disassociate yourself from your conscience in order to be able to do terrible things.
In this types of situations like in the army or a in a gang, people do terrible things as part of a group and they justify it as doing something for their country or their partners. Jorge is alone. However, even if you find comfort in justifying these acts through something else, they still damage you. Many soldiers come back from war very damaged emotionally.
Aguilar: Like we were discussing before, the act of taking another person’s life is a line that once crossed can’t be uncrossed or taken back.
Alejandro: Thankfully most people haven’t and will not cross this line, but films cross this line often and without consequences. My film doesn’t use over-the-top violence, but it brings you closer to the violence we experience everyday day. I would say the most violent scene in my film is when the villain harasses the young girl. Most of us will never know what being in a war is, but we all know what being humiliated or being afraid feels like.
I’ve been robbed in several occasions and I felt that way. In the great scale of things being robbed is nothing compared to the violence other people experience, but it’s very personal. Some films show too much violence without any emotional context, I wanted to show less but give it more recognizable emotion.
Aguilar: With such a thought-provoking and morally challenging story, how difficult was it to find the right actors to play these parts?
Alejandro: The actors that play the two protagonists, Jorge and Kalule, are theater actors. I chose Daniel Candia, who plays Jorge, because he is a very particular actor in Chilean cinema. He is not the typically handsome guy. He is very real and I believe everything he does on screen. Coincidentally, he used to work in a forest and he knew how to cut down a tree. This knowledge also helped me understand how to direct him.
On the other hand, I chose Daniel Antivilo to play Kalule because he is a very tall man. He has a deep voice, and is very imposing. I knew it had to be him. I also knew that he would be on screen for a brief period of time because this wasn’t his story. I needed someone that just by looking at him a couple times could produce fear or make people uncomfortable. He captured that very well even though he is a really charming man in real life.
When I met him I told him, “We are going to have a barbeque at my house. All the other actors will be there and I want you to behave like Kalule in front of them to see if you can pull it off.” He arrived pretending to be the character and he annoyed everyone. He was insufferable [Laughs]. He broke several plates and he searched my entire house looking for liquor while playing this character. It was horrible but he proved he could do it. [Laughs]
Aguilar: This has been an incredible year for you and the film. First winning at Sundance, then Rotterdam, Cartagena, among many others. Did all the success catch you by surprise?
Alejandro: It’s been a great year. I never thought the film would be so well received because it’s a very rough and dark film. Some people have even told me that after watching it they’ve had nightmares. What’s more surprising to me is the fact that it has won different awards from Best Actor, to Best Screenplay, to Best Supporting Actor, Best Director, and even Audience Awards. This shows me that people like it for different reasons. I didn’t expect this because my first film did very well in festivals and my second film didn’t do well at all.
I love my second film but it didn’t connect with other people. However, I feel like I’m still working in the same way even if the theme and the situations are different. I’m true to the way I like to make films but you never know if people will respond. We were lucky, we were about to submit the film to the Berlinale, but they wanted to see the final version of the film on a Dcp and we finished the film the week before Sundance. Berlin didn’t get to see it in the best quality and then Sundance wanted us to confirm because they needed to announce the lineup. We said no to Berlin. Maybe if the film had premiered in Berlin nothing would have happened and it would have been just another film. We won at Sundance and then we sold the film to many territories in the Berlinale market. After that we won in Rotterdam, in Cartagena, in Miami, and many other festivals.
Aguilar: And now the film is the Chilean Oscar submission
Alejandro: This has been great for the film. We got great reviews in Chile probably because it’s very different to other films being made in Chile. This is a film about real people, about the working class in a small town. It’s not the typical Chilean film about a certain economic or social class. “ To Kill a Man” is different. Whatever happens now is out of our hands...
- 12/9/2014
- by Carlos Aguilar
- Sydney's Buzz
We return with another edition of the Indie Spotlight, highlighting recent independent horror news sent our way. Today’s feature includes release details and the trailer for Chemical Peel, premiere details for Refuge, Day for Night, and Perfidy, a new Summer of Blood trailer and much more:
Chemical Peel Release Details and Exclusive Comments from Actress Natalie Victoria: Actress Natalie Victoria stars in “Chemical Peel,” a Lionsgate Home Entertainment Release that will be available on October 14th. Here are some comments from Natalie on us why she enjoyed working on this movie:
“I think the best thing about this film is it’s a unique, fun, realistic concept that will scare people, you know? I love films that are set in a real and really raw reality that frighten you to the core. Chemical Peel is a real ‘what would You do?’ kind of film that gets you thinking,...
Chemical Peel Release Details and Exclusive Comments from Actress Natalie Victoria: Actress Natalie Victoria stars in “Chemical Peel,” a Lionsgate Home Entertainment Release that will be available on October 14th. Here are some comments from Natalie on us why she enjoyed working on this movie:
“I think the best thing about this film is it’s a unique, fun, realistic concept that will scare people, you know? I love films that are set in a real and really raw reality that frighten you to the core. Chemical Peel is a real ‘what would You do?’ kind of film that gets you thinking,...
- 10/12/2014
- by Tamika Jones
- DailyDead
The film is starring Andrea García Huidobro, Diego Casanueva, Sofía García, Javiera Hernández, Felipe Contreras, Arielli Gutiérrez, Guillermo Alfaro, Daniel Antivilo and Thomas Vidiella. “Path” is Lucio Rojas’ third film and it was inspired by a case of rural violence occurred in the mid-80 in a city in southern Chile.
The director, now premieres “Perfidia” at film festivals.
Horrornews.net...
The director, now premieres “Perfidia” at film festivals.
Horrornews.net...
- 10/7/2014
- by Horrornews.net
- Horror News
Jorge (Daniel Candia) is a meek, introverted park ranger who spends most of his day alone in the forest. On the way home one night, he runs into a group of thugs led by the neighborhood bully, Kalule (Daniel Antivilo), who intimidates him and steals his diabetes medication. When he sees his father unwilling to do anything, Jorge's teenage son intercedes and ends up getting shot, landing in the hospital for his trouble. Shooting himself to claim self-defense, Kalule goes to prison for two years and once released, starts harassing Jorge's family. When the authorities turn a blind eye, this quiet man takes matters into his own hands, armed with nothing but a shotgun.If this sounds familiar, it's because it follows the basic outline of...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 8/13/2014
- Screen Anarchy
Rotterdam film festival: Alejandro Fernández Almendras's tale of a family man victimised by a local thug is imbued with menace
One of the few films you might say makes a plausible case for murder, Alejandro Fernández Almendras's third feature throws a placid family man into a situation we normally associate with the schoolyard: bullying. Jorge (Daniel Candia) is a bit like an overgrown kid himself – a portly, easygoing beta male in a run-down Chilean suburb, obedient to his wife and never happier than when giggling at sitcoms in his underwear.
So when he gets mugged by the local thug, Kalule (a lurching, terrifying performance from Daniel Antivilo), Jorge goes straight to teacher – a role filled in the adult world by the police. Jorge's son, infuriated and humiliated, decides to confront Kalule instead, and gets a bullet in the leg. But it's when Kalule gets out of jail 18 months...
One of the few films you might say makes a plausible case for murder, Alejandro Fernández Almendras's third feature throws a placid family man into a situation we normally associate with the schoolyard: bullying. Jorge (Daniel Candia) is a bit like an overgrown kid himself – a portly, easygoing beta male in a run-down Chilean suburb, obedient to his wife and never happier than when giggling at sitcoms in his underwear.
So when he gets mugged by the local thug, Kalule (a lurching, terrifying performance from Daniel Antivilo), Jorge goes straight to teacher – a role filled in the adult world by the police. Jorge's son, infuriated and humiliated, decides to confront Kalule instead, and gets a bullet in the leg. But it's when Kalule gets out of jail 18 months...
- 1/28/2014
- by Chris Michael
- The Guardian - Film News
Photo by Dvrosa
It was another great year at the Sundance Film Festival! There were so many fantastic movies shown, and I still have a couple more to go. I'm really happy to say that Miles Teller and J.K. Simmon's film Whiplash took home the top two prizes, winning the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award. This was my number one favorite film from the festival, and it seems like everyone else at the festival loved it too, so it doesn't surprise me that it won.
Here's the full list of winners:
Sundance Institute this evening announced the Jury, Audience and other special awards of the 2014 Sundance Film Festival at the feature film Awards Ceremony, hosted by Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally, in Park City, Utah. Video of the ceremony in its entirety is available at www.sundance.org/live.
The U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Documentary was...
It was another great year at the Sundance Film Festival! There were so many fantastic movies shown, and I still have a couple more to go. I'm really happy to say that Miles Teller and J.K. Simmon's film Whiplash took home the top two prizes, winning the Grand Jury Prize and the Audience Award. This was my number one favorite film from the festival, and it seems like everyone else at the festival loved it too, so it doesn't surprise me that it won.
Here's the full list of winners:
Sundance Institute this evening announced the Jury, Audience and other special awards of the 2014 Sundance Film Festival at the feature film Awards Ceremony, hosted by Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally, in Park City, Utah. Video of the ceremony in its entirety is available at www.sundance.org/live.
The U.S. Grand Jury Prize: Documentary was...
- 1/26/2014
- by Joey Paur
- GeekTyrant
Damien Chazelle’s Whiplash was Day 1 feel good buzz title of the fest that ultimately served as a measuring stick for the other competing 15 titles in the section and as predicted below had a good chance at doing what last year’s Fruitvale did: when both major awards of its category. Now that I’ve completed a 15 hour nap, I can watch the ceremony below – and you can spoil the suspense by simply going over the other award winners in the multiple categories below. Next week we’ll be publishing our interviews with several of the filmmakers mentioned below. Congrats to the winners and non-winners.
Park City, Ut — Sundance Institute this evening announced the Jury, Audience and other special awards of the 2014 Sundance Film Festival at the feature film Awards Ceremony, hosted by Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally, in Park City, Utah. Video of the ceremony in its entirety is available at www.
Park City, Ut — Sundance Institute this evening announced the Jury, Audience and other special awards of the 2014 Sundance Film Festival at the feature film Awards Ceremony, hosted by Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally, in Park City, Utah. Video of the ceremony in its entirety is available at www.
- 1/26/2014
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
‘Whiplash’: Sundance Film Festival Awards’ rare double winner (photo: Miles Teller in ‘Whiplash’) Directed by Damien Chazelle — and acquired for domestic distribution by Sony Pictures Classics — Whiplash won the 2014 Sundance Film Festival U.S. Dramatic Grand Jury Prize and the U.S. Dramatic Audience Award. The story of a young, ambitious 19-year-old drummer (played by 26-year-old Miles Teller) under the tutelage of a ruthless teacher (J.K. Simmons), Whiplash also features Melissa Benoist, Paul Reiser, Austin Stowell, Nate Lang, Chris Mulkey, and Damon Gupton. Whiplash‘s double Sundance Film Festival win is quite rare. Previous such instances in Sundance’s three-decade history include Tony Bui’s Three Seasons in 1999, Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland’s Quinceañera in 2006, Lee Daniels’ Precious in 2009, and Ryan Coogler’s Fruitvale Station last year. Of these, Precious is — somewhat surprisingly — the only Sundance double winner to have succeeded both at the domestic box office and during awards season,...
- 1/26/2014
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
Opening with a deliberately unsettling static forest landscape and adorned with an equally intriguing score, Chilean director Alejandro Fernandez Almendras' third feature "To Kill a Man" is a quietly powerful character study that meditates on the ramifications of a family man's choice to defend his kind. Constantly harassed by the neighborhood's thugs without showing any visible intention to retaliate, Jorge (Daniel Candia) is a working class man whose sole priority is his family's well-being. This perennially expected duty from males in patriarchal societies doesn't quite fit his weakened spirit: His passive demeanor prevents him from protecting them, as does his debilitating diabetes. As emasculated as the character is presented, he works at a forest research facility doing heavy physical labor in the ruggedness of nature. On the night of his son Jorgito’s 18th birthday, Jorge is attacked by Kalule (Daniel Antivilo), the vicious leader of a ruthless local gang,...
- 1/19/2014
- by Carlos Aguilar
- Indiewire
The 2014 Sundance Film Festival is right around the corner, and the Sundance Institute has released the full line-up for the competition films that will be premiering!
This year there were 12,218 total submissions, and 117 films were accepted from 37 countries around the world. It looks like there's a lot of good selection of films this year.
The Sundance Film Festival 2014 runs from January 16th to the 26th, and the GeekTyrant team will be there to cover as many movies as we possibly can.
U.S. Dramatic Competition
The 16 films in this section are world premieres and, unless otherwise noted, are from the U.S.
“Camp X-Ray” — Directed and written by Peter Sattler. A young female guard at Guantanamo Bay forms an unlikely friendship with one of the detainees. Cast: Kristen Stewart, Payman Maadi, Lane Garrison, J.J. Soria, John Carroll Lynch.
“Cold in July” — Directed by Jim Mickle, written by Nick Damici.
This year there were 12,218 total submissions, and 117 films were accepted from 37 countries around the world. It looks like there's a lot of good selection of films this year.
The Sundance Film Festival 2014 runs from January 16th to the 26th, and the GeekTyrant team will be there to cover as many movies as we possibly can.
U.S. Dramatic Competition
The 16 films in this section are world premieres and, unless otherwise noted, are from the U.S.
“Camp X-Ray” — Directed and written by Peter Sattler. A young female guard at Guantanamo Bay forms an unlikely friendship with one of the detainees. Cast: Kristen Stewart, Payman Maadi, Lane Garrison, J.J. Soria, John Carroll Lynch.
“Cold in July” — Directed by Jim Mickle, written by Nick Damici.
- 12/5/2013
- by Joey Paur
- GeekTyrant
Sundance Film Festival continues to be one of the most popular, and arguably one of the most important, events on the industry calendar, launching as it does some of the most prominent independent films at the start of each year.
This year will be no different, with Sundance announcing last night the initial line-up of films screening in competition, led by Song One, starring Anne Hathaway; Camp X-Ray, starring Kristen Stewart; Infinitely Polar Bear, with Mark Ruffalo and Zoe Saldana; Joe Swanberg’s Happy Christmas, starring Anna Kendrick, Melanie Lynskey, Mark Webber, Lena Dunham, and Swanberg himself; The Skeleton Twins, with Bill Hader, Kristen Wiig, Luke Wilson, and Ty Burrell; Life After Beth, with Aubrey Plaza, Dane DeHaan, and John C. Reilly; Listen Up Philip, with Jason Schwartzman and Elisabeth Moss; Whiplash, starring Miles Teller and J.K. Simmons; and many, many more.
U.S. Dramatic Competition
Presenting the world premieres of 16 narrative feature films,...
This year will be no different, with Sundance announcing last night the initial line-up of films screening in competition, led by Song One, starring Anne Hathaway; Camp X-Ray, starring Kristen Stewart; Infinitely Polar Bear, with Mark Ruffalo and Zoe Saldana; Joe Swanberg’s Happy Christmas, starring Anna Kendrick, Melanie Lynskey, Mark Webber, Lena Dunham, and Swanberg himself; The Skeleton Twins, with Bill Hader, Kristen Wiig, Luke Wilson, and Ty Burrell; Life After Beth, with Aubrey Plaza, Dane DeHaan, and John C. Reilly; Listen Up Philip, with Jason Schwartzman and Elisabeth Moss; Whiplash, starring Miles Teller and J.K. Simmons; and many, many more.
U.S. Dramatic Competition
Presenting the world premieres of 16 narrative feature films,...
- 12/5/2013
- by Kenji Lloyd
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
It's that special time of year again when films are announced for Sundance and we have to do our best to figure out from very brief descriptions if they're horror or not. In any event, here's the first wave of what we think are the genre highlights.
First to be announced are the films selected for the U.S. and World Cinema Dramatic and Documentary Competitions and the out-of-competition Next <=> section of the 2014 Sundance Film Festival, which runs January 16-26 in Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden, and Sundance, Utah.
For the 2014 fest 118 feature-length films were selected, representing 37 countries and 54 first-time filmmakers, including 34 in competition. These films were selected from 12,218 submissions (72 more than for 2013), including 4,057 feature-length films and 8,161 short films. Of the feature film submissions, 2,014 were from the U.S. and 2,043 were international. 97 Feature films at the Festival will be world premieres.
In addition to those announced today, the Festival...
First to be announced are the films selected for the U.S. and World Cinema Dramatic and Documentary Competitions and the out-of-competition Next <=> section of the 2014 Sundance Film Festival, which runs January 16-26 in Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden, and Sundance, Utah.
For the 2014 fest 118 feature-length films were selected, representing 37 countries and 54 first-time filmmakers, including 34 in competition. These films were selected from 12,218 submissions (72 more than for 2013), including 4,057 feature-length films and 8,161 short films. Of the feature film submissions, 2,014 were from the U.S. and 2,043 were international. 97 Feature films at the Festival will be world premieres.
In addition to those announced today, the Festival...
- 12/5/2013
- by Debi Moore
- DreadCentral.com
God’S Pocket
Sundance Institute announced today the films selected for the U.S. and World Cinema Dramatic and Documentary Competitions and the out-of-competition section of the 2014 Sundance Film Festival, January 16-26 in Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden and Sundance, Utah.
Robert Redford, President & Founder of Sundance Institute said, “That the Festival has evolved and grown as it has over the past 30 years is a credit to both our audiences and our artists, who continue to find ways to take risks and open our minds to the power of story. This year’s films and artists promise to do the same.”
For the 2014 Sundance Film Festival, 118 feature-length films were selected, representing 37 countries and 54 first-time filmmakers, including 34 in competition. These films were selected from 12,218 submissions (72 more than for 2013), including 4,057 feature-length films and 8,161 short films. Of the feature film submissions, 2,014 were from the U.S. and 2,043 were international. 97 feature films at...
Sundance Institute announced today the films selected for the U.S. and World Cinema Dramatic and Documentary Competitions and the out-of-competition section of the 2014 Sundance Film Festival, January 16-26 in Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden and Sundance, Utah.
Robert Redford, President & Founder of Sundance Institute said, “That the Festival has evolved and grown as it has over the past 30 years is a credit to both our audiences and our artists, who continue to find ways to take risks and open our minds to the power of story. This year’s films and artists promise to do the same.”
For the 2014 Sundance Film Festival, 118 feature-length films were selected, representing 37 countries and 54 first-time filmmakers, including 34 in competition. These films were selected from 12,218 submissions (72 more than for 2013), including 4,057 feature-length films and 8,161 short films. Of the feature film submissions, 2,014 were from the U.S. and 2,043 were international. 97 feature films at...
- 12/5/2013
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
It’s among the two sections that we usually don’t put much focus on (yes, we love subtitles, but we’re more concerned, naturally more inclined to cover the deluge of American Indie film offerings) but among the dozen film selections in the World Cinema Dramatic Comp section we find the latest from Argentinean director Natalia Smirnoff (she gave us the Berlin Film Fest winner The Puzzle) who returns with Lock Charmer, we find the highly anticipated film from Hong Khaou (Lilting) and a title which we start speculating on last year in Stuart Murdoch’s God Help the Girl which stars Emily Browning, Olly Alexander and Hannah Murray (see pic above). Also worth the mention is the directing debut from writer Eskil Vogt – who co-wrote Reprise and Oslo, August 31st for Joachim Trier. Here are the dozen selected.
“52 Tuesdays” (Australia) — Directed by Sophie Hyde, written by Matthew Cormack.
“52 Tuesdays” (Australia) — Directed by Sophie Hyde, written by Matthew Cormack.
- 12/4/2013
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
The U.S. and World Cinema Dramatic and Documentary Competition lineups for the 2014 Sundance Film Festival were announced today and just below I have featured pictures from the 16 films that will be competing in the U.S. Dramatic competition and they feature a lot of names you're going to recognize. The titles begin with Camp X-Ray, which stars Kristen Stewart as a guard in Guantanamo Bay, where she forms an unlikely friendship with one of the detainees. Jim Mickle made an impact earlier this year with We Are What We Are and he returns with Michael C. Hall with Cold in July. Fishing Without Nets looks to tell a story similar to that of Captain Phillips, only this time from the Somali side of things; God's Pocket is "Mad Men" star John Slattery's writing and directorial debut and he's lined up an impressive cast including Philip Seymour Hoffman, Richard Jenkins,...
- 12/4/2013
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
Hidden in the Woods (2012) (DVD Review) Directed By: Patricio Valladares Starring: Siboney Lo, Carolina Escobar, Daniel Antivilo Rated: Ur/Region: 1/Widescreen/Number of disc: 1 Available from Artsploitation Films The story of two sisters who have been raised in isolation, subjected to the torment of their abusive, drug dealing father. When they finally decide to report him to the police, he kills the two officers and is put in jail. But things…...
- 9/9/2013
- Horrorbid
Writer/director Patricio Valladares' 'Hidden in the Woods' (Aka 'En las afueras de la ciudad') is finally due to hit DVD in the Us next month thanks to the boys over at Artsploitation Films. The Chilean horror feature full of various exploitative themes is currently undergoing an English-language remake thanks to star/producer Michael Biehn ('The Divide') which will be arriving sometime next year. 'Hidden in the Woods' stars Siboney Lo, Carolina Escobar, Daniel Antivilo, Jose Hernandez, Francois Soto and Domingo Guzman. The DVD is released on 17 September and is now available for pre-order. You can check out the new DVD artwork for the release below....
- 8/14/2013
- Horror Asylum
From the press release:
Are you ready for a spine-chilling global avalanche of Indian zombies, Israeli oldboys, vengeance-crazed Vikings, Swedish mesmerists, Irish telekinesis, Argentine undead, Aussie bone-crushers, murderous Mormons and Chilean assassins?
Film4 FrightFest 2013, returning for its 4teenth year, has unveiled its biggest line-up in history. From Thurs 22 August to Monday 26 August, the UK’s leading event for genre fans will be at the Empire Cinema in London’s Leicester Square to present 51 films on three screens. Empire 1 will house the main event while the Discovery strands will play in Empires 2 & 4. The new FrightFest Xtra strand, also in Screen 2, will allow fans to catch up with sold-out performances of the most popular attractions.
This year there are eleven countries representing five continents with a record-breaking thirty-three UK or European premieres and ten world premieres.
The world premieres include our opening night attraction The Dead 2: India from the Ford Brothers,...
Are you ready for a spine-chilling global avalanche of Indian zombies, Israeli oldboys, vengeance-crazed Vikings, Swedish mesmerists, Irish telekinesis, Argentine undead, Aussie bone-crushers, murderous Mormons and Chilean assassins?
Film4 FrightFest 2013, returning for its 4teenth year, has unveiled its biggest line-up in history. From Thurs 22 August to Monday 26 August, the UK’s leading event for genre fans will be at the Empire Cinema in London’s Leicester Square to present 51 films on three screens. Empire 1 will house the main event while the Discovery strands will play in Empires 2 & 4. The new FrightFest Xtra strand, also in Screen 2, will allow fans to catch up with sold-out performances of the most popular attractions.
This year there are eleven countries representing five continents with a record-breaking thirty-three UK or European premieres and ten world premieres.
The world premieres include our opening night attraction The Dead 2: India from the Ford Brothers,...
- 6/30/2013
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
The first (but certainly not the last) film to rub audiences the wrong way at this year's FrightFest was Hidden In The Woods, the latest effort from Chilean director Patricio Valladares. A relentlessly rough, misogynistic and amoral story of brutality and survival, the film sticks its unsanitary hooks in early, but despite its repellent tone and exploitative content, refuses to be easily dismissed. Felipe (Daniel Antivilo) is a vile excuse for a human, who babysits the drug stash of local kingpin Uncle Costello (Serge Francois) at his remote woodland abode. No sooner have we been introduced to Felipe, we see him beat and murder his own wife in front of his two young daughters, Ana and Anny. He then proceeds to rape Ana, fathering a...
- 9/1/2012
- Screen Anarchy
Hidden In The Woods
Stars: Siboney Lo, Carolina Escobar, Daniel Antivilo, Jose Hernandez, Serge Francois Soto | Written and Directed by Patricio Valladares
Apparently based on true events, Hidden in the Woods is another backwoods hillbilly tale, this time lensed in Chile, giving it that extra Spanish exploitation flavour. And exploit it does – exploiting the female cast and the audience watching!
The film tells the story of two sisters, Ana and Anny and Anny, raised in forest isolation by their abusive, drug-dealing, maniac of a father after he kills their mother for being a “whore”. Subjected to rape and physical abuse (which leads to Anny giving birth to her father’s physically deformed child, Manuel, in one of the more gruesome, and loathsome, scenes in the film) the pair finally find freedom from their father when, after chainsawing two cops to death, he is arrested at a bus terminal waiting for drug kingpin Costello’s men.
Stars: Siboney Lo, Carolina Escobar, Daniel Antivilo, Jose Hernandez, Serge Francois Soto | Written and Directed by Patricio Valladares
Apparently based on true events, Hidden in the Woods is another backwoods hillbilly tale, this time lensed in Chile, giving it that extra Spanish exploitation flavour. And exploit it does – exploiting the female cast and the audience watching!
The film tells the story of two sisters, Ana and Anny and Anny, raised in forest isolation by their abusive, drug-dealing, maniac of a father after he kills their mother for being a “whore”. Subjected to rape and physical abuse (which leads to Anny giving birth to her father’s physically deformed child, Manuel, in one of the more gruesome, and loathsome, scenes in the film) the pair finally find freedom from their father when, after chainsawing two cops to death, he is arrested at a bus terminal waiting for drug kingpin Costello’s men.
- 8/24/2012
- by Phil
- Nerdly
We've updated our Film4 Fright Fest line-up story with tons of images. Read on to see what you may have missed and what's brand spanking new! Dig it!
Programme - Screen 1
Thursday Aug 23
Opening Film - The Seasoning House (World Premiere)
Special make-up prosthetics and splatter genius Paul Hyett makes his directorial debut with a harrowing exploration into tense claustrophobia, hard-hitting action and rollercoaster suspense. In a Balkan brothel, where girls kidnapped by soldiers in war-torn zones are prostituted to the military and civilians alike, Angel (Robin Day) is the deaf mute orphan enslaved to care for the inmates. But unbeknownst to her captors, she moves between the walls and crawlspaces of the seasoning house planning her escape. Psychological horror in the nerve-shredding Alfred Hitchcock and Roman Polanski style but with an ultra-modern twist.
89 mins Director: Paul Hyett UK 2012
Rosie Day – Angel
Sean Pertwee – Goran
Kevin Howarth – Viktor
David Lemberg...
Programme - Screen 1
Thursday Aug 23
Opening Film - The Seasoning House (World Premiere)
Special make-up prosthetics and splatter genius Paul Hyett makes his directorial debut with a harrowing exploration into tense claustrophobia, hard-hitting action and rollercoaster suspense. In a Balkan brothel, where girls kidnapped by soldiers in war-torn zones are prostituted to the military and civilians alike, Angel (Robin Day) is the deaf mute orphan enslaved to care for the inmates. But unbeknownst to her captors, she moves between the walls and crawlspaces of the seasoning house planning her escape. Psychological horror in the nerve-shredding Alfred Hitchcock and Roman Polanski style but with an ultra-modern twist.
89 mins Director: Paul Hyett UK 2012
Rosie Day – Angel
Sean Pertwee – Goran
Kevin Howarth – Viktor
David Lemberg...
- 7/3/2012
- by Uncle Creepy
- DreadCentral.com
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