Last Days at Sea review – evocative documentary about a boy leaving his picturesque childhood behind
This wistful, moving film follows a 12-year-old Filipino boy as he prepares to leave a remote fishing village for the big city
Venice Atienza’s wistful and evocative documentary is rooted in the liminal space between childhood and adolescence. Having grown up in Karihatag, a remote fishing village in the south of the Philippines, 12-year-old Reyboy is about to leave for the big city, where he will be attending high school. His last days at the seaside are punctuated by everyday routines as well as grand existential questions that can only be asked by the very young – such as, what lies beyond the glittering stars?
Reyboy’s love for his hometown, where mobile phone signals have not yet reached, is vividly portrayed. Through his eyes, every part of this picturesque oasis holds a world of magic, from underwater corals to the smallest pebble. Here, the fishermen share their catch of...
Venice Atienza’s wistful and evocative documentary is rooted in the liminal space between childhood and adolescence. Having grown up in Karihatag, a remote fishing village in the south of the Philippines, 12-year-old Reyboy is about to leave for the big city, where he will be attending high school. His last days at the seaside are punctuated by everyday routines as well as grand existential questions that can only be asked by the very young – such as, what lies beyond the glittering stars?
Reyboy’s love for his hometown, where mobile phone signals have not yet reached, is vividly portrayed. Through his eyes, every part of this picturesque oasis holds a world of magic, from underwater corals to the smallest pebble. Here, the fishermen share their catch of...
- 9/18/2023
- by Phuong Le
- The Guardian - Film News
On the Adamant.Competition(Jury: Kristen Stewart, Golshifteh Farahani, Valeska Grisebach, Radu Jude, Francine Maisler, Carla Simón, Johnnie To)Golden BearOn the Adamant (Nicolas Philibert)Silver Bear — Grand Jury PrizeAfire (Christian Petzold) (read interview)Silver Bear — Jury PrizeBad Living (João Canijo)Silver Bear for Best DirectorPhilippe Garrel (The Plough) (read more)Silver Bear for Best Leading PerformanceSofía OteroSilver Bear for Best Supporting PerformanceThea Ehre (Till the End of the Night) (read more)Silver Bear for Best ScreenplayAngela Schanelec (Music) (read more)Silver Bear for Outstanding Artistic ContributionHélène Louvart (Disco Boy)HereENCOUNTERS(Jury: Dea Kulumbegashvili, Angeliki Papoulia, Paolo Moretti)Award for Best FilmHere (Bas Devos)Special Jury AwardOrlando, My Political Biography (Paul B. Preciado)Samsara (Lois Patiño)Award for Best DirectorTatiana Huezo (The Echo)Generation — Kplus(Jury: Venice Atienza, Alise Ģelze, Gudrun Sommer)Crystal BearSweet As (Jub Clerc)Special MentionSea Sparkle (Domien Huyghe)Best Short FilmQueenie (Lloyd Lee Choi)Special...
- 3/14/2023
- MUBI
The Berlin Film Festival has revealed its juries, and the addition of Liu Jian’s animated feature “Art College 1994” to its competition lineup, which now has 19 films and is complete.
In addition to the already announced actor Kristen Stewart as president, the International Jury members will be actor Golshifteh Farahani (Iran/France), director and writer Valeska Grisebach (Germany), director and screenwriter Radu Jude (Romania), casting director and producer Francine Maisler (U.S.), director and screenwriter Carla Simón (Spain), and director and producer Johnnie To.
“Art College 1994” is set in China in the 1990s. It follows a group of young people who “prepare to face a world caught between tradition and modernity,” according to the festival. The film, represented for world sales by Memento Intl., was originally destined for Cannes, but Liu and the film were reported to have faced bureaucratic obstacles, which put the kibosh on those plans. The director...
In addition to the already announced actor Kristen Stewart as president, the International Jury members will be actor Golshifteh Farahani (Iran/France), director and writer Valeska Grisebach (Germany), director and screenwriter Radu Jude (Romania), casting director and producer Francine Maisler (U.S.), director and screenwriter Carla Simón (Spain), and director and producer Johnnie To.
“Art College 1994” is set in China in the 1990s. It follows a group of young people who “prepare to face a world caught between tradition and modernity,” according to the festival. The film, represented for world sales by Memento Intl., was originally destined for Cannes, but Liu and the film were reported to have faced bureaucratic obstacles, which put the kibosh on those plans. The director...
- 2/1/2023
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Director Liu Jian was previously in Competition with ‘Have A Nice Day’ in 2017.
The Berlinale has made a last-minute addition to its Competition lineup with Chinese filmmaker Liu Jian’s animated feature Art College 1994 and revealed its competition juries.
Art College 1994 will receive its world premiere at the festival’s 73rd edition, which runs February 16-26, and marks Liu’s third feature after 2010’s Piercing I and Have A Nice Day, which became the first Chinese animation ever selected to play in Competition at the Berlinale in 2017.
Art College 1994 is set among a group of students in China in the...
The Berlinale has made a last-minute addition to its Competition lineup with Chinese filmmaker Liu Jian’s animated feature Art College 1994 and revealed its competition juries.
Art College 1994 will receive its world premiere at the festival’s 73rd edition, which runs February 16-26, and marks Liu’s third feature after 2010’s Piercing I and Have A Nice Day, which became the first Chinese animation ever selected to play in Competition at the Berlinale in 2017.
Art College 1994 is set among a group of students in China in the...
- 2/1/2023
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
The Sundance Institute has announced this year’s grantees for the Sundance Institute Documentary Fund, with a total of 1,396,500 in unrestricted grant support bestowed upon 35 projects.
“As we celebrate the Dfp’s 20th anniversary, it’s an exceptional achievement that Sundance has been able to provide documentary filmmakers robust and sustained financial support, from development through post-production, for two decades,” said Carrie Lozano, director of the Sundance Institute’s Documentary Film Program. “Thanks to our incredible funders, supporters, staff, and external reviewers, the Documentary Fund has been able to realize its top priorities during a tumultuous time: supporting underrepresented stories, directors and producers; providing much needed resources to urgent international projects; and elevating human rights and social, civic and environmental justice, all while foregrounding bold and artistic approaches. I am constantly amazed by the breadth and depth of our grantees.”
This year’s grant recipients have roots in 31 countries, with...
“As we celebrate the Dfp’s 20th anniversary, it’s an exceptional achievement that Sundance has been able to provide documentary filmmakers robust and sustained financial support, from development through post-production, for two decades,” said Carrie Lozano, director of the Sundance Institute’s Documentary Film Program. “Thanks to our incredible funders, supporters, staff, and external reviewers, the Documentary Fund has been able to realize its top priorities during a tumultuous time: supporting underrepresented stories, directors and producers; providing much needed resources to urgent international projects; and elevating human rights and social, civic and environmental justice, all while foregrounding bold and artistic approaches. I am constantly amazed by the breadth and depth of our grantees.”
This year’s grant recipients have roots in 31 countries, with...
- 10/6/2022
- by Michaela Zee
- Variety Film + TV
Previously supported projects have included American Factory, Collective, Fire Of Love, The Mole Agent.
Projects from Armenia, Chile, Uganda and Palestine are among grantees of the Sundance Institute Documentary Fund, which in the 20th anniversary year of the Documentary Film Program (Dfp) has made 1.4m available in unrestricted grant support to 35 projects.
Of the recipients, five are in development, 15 in production, 10 in post, and the filmmakers behind five are actively pursuing support for audience engagement and social impact campaigns.
Some 57 of the current cycle’s submissions hail from outside the US. Among the 14 US films receiving support, all are directed...
Projects from Armenia, Chile, Uganda and Palestine are among grantees of the Sundance Institute Documentary Fund, which in the 20th anniversary year of the Documentary Film Program (Dfp) has made 1.4m available in unrestricted grant support to 35 projects.
Of the recipients, five are in development, 15 in production, 10 in post, and the filmmakers behind five are actively pursuing support for audience engagement and social impact campaigns.
Some 57 of the current cycle’s submissions hail from outside the US. Among the 14 US films receiving support, all are directed...
- 10/4/2022
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Toronto-based outfit Syndicado Film Sales has picked up Romanian duo Monica Stan and George Chiper-Lillemark’s Venice Days selection “Imaculat.”
The film follows Daria, whose junkie boyfriend ends up in prison, and she is taken by her parents to rehab to quit heroin and become a good daughter again. Inside the clinic, Daria’s unwavering loyalty to her boyfriend makes her exceptional in the eyes of the male junkies and saves her from their sexual pressures. Being desired yet protected by everyone makes Daria feel special for the first time in her teenage life. She relishes her position until a new mysterious patient is committed. His arrival confronts Daria with her own desires, triggering wild competition among the men. Suddenly trapped between everyone’s clashing expectations, Daria must find her own path.
The cast includes Ana Dumitrașcu, Vasile Pavel and Cezar Grumăzescu.
The film is written by Stan and stems from her own experiences.
The film follows Daria, whose junkie boyfriend ends up in prison, and she is taken by her parents to rehab to quit heroin and become a good daughter again. Inside the clinic, Daria’s unwavering loyalty to her boyfriend makes her exceptional in the eyes of the male junkies and saves her from their sexual pressures. Being desired yet protected by everyone makes Daria feel special for the first time in her teenage life. She relishes her position until a new mysterious patient is committed. His arrival confronts Daria with her own desires, triggering wild competition among the men. Suddenly trapped between everyone’s clashing expectations, Daria must find her own path.
The cast includes Ana Dumitrașcu, Vasile Pavel and Cezar Grumăzescu.
The film is written by Stan and stems from her own experiences.
- 8/5/2021
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
The Circle Women Doc Accelerator, a training program for women documentary filmmakers conceived with a focus on Southern and Eastern Europe, has selected the four projects that will take part in its showcase as part of the Cannes Docs program of the Cannes Film Market, Variety can reveal.
Hailing from the program’s backyard in the Balkans to as far afield as Brazil and Taiwan, the selection reflects the growing ambition of a program now in its fourth year.
“Although Circle started off as a regional initiative for Southeast European filmmakers, it quickly expanded to the whole world,” said the program’s director Biljana Tutorov and project manager Antigoni Papantoni. “This year’s selection is proof of the international scale that Circle has achieved.”
“Cent’Anni” is directed by Slovenian filmmaker Maja Doroteja Prelog and produced by Rok Biček, Alessandro Leone, and Massimo Casula. A personal confession about the impact of illness on a relationship,...
Hailing from the program’s backyard in the Balkans to as far afield as Brazil and Taiwan, the selection reflects the growing ambition of a program now in its fourth year.
“Although Circle started off as a regional initiative for Southeast European filmmakers, it quickly expanded to the whole world,” said the program’s director Biljana Tutorov and project manager Antigoni Papantoni. “This year’s selection is proof of the international scale that Circle has achieved.”
“Cent’Anni” is directed by Slovenian filmmaker Maja Doroteja Prelog and produced by Rok Biček, Alessandro Leone, and Massimo Casula. A personal confession about the impact of illness on a relationship,...
- 6/16/2021
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
Venice Atienza: 'You know, I've got to make a film. But also, I feel like I've made a really good friend' Photo: Venice Atienza Venice Atienza’s debut documentary feature Last Days At Sea follows youngster Reyboy as he prepares to leave his fishing village of Karihatag in the Philippines to continue his high school education in the city. His story becomes entwined with her considerations on the nature of memory and of her own hopes for the future – something that she admits she didn’t expect when she first started the project.
Catching up with me shortly after her film premiered at the Berlin Film Festival she says: “In the beginning, I was really interested in learning how, the people of Karihatag are able to survive storms, that was the origin of the project, actually. I was assigned by a non-government organisation with a production company to go...
Catching up with me shortly after her film premiered at the Berlin Film Festival she says: “In the beginning, I was really interested in learning how, the people of Karihatag are able to survive storms, that was the origin of the project, actually. I was assigned by a non-government organisation with a production company to go...
- 3/10/2021
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
The Filipino-Taiwanese documentary is directed by Venice Atienza.
Toronto-based sales outlet Syndicado Film Sales has boarded Last Days At Sea, Venice Atienza’s documentary which has its world premiere in Generation Kplus at this week’s online Berlinale.
The film was developed in Indonesia’s If/Then Sea Story Development Lab in 2018, going on to win the IDFA award at the Docs By The Sea lab in the same country that year.
It has also featured in the Rough Cut Lab in Visions Du Réel where it won the subtitling award; the IDFA Project Space; and the Hong Kong Asia Film Financing Forum work-in-progress section.
Toronto-based sales outlet Syndicado Film Sales has boarded Last Days At Sea, Venice Atienza’s documentary which has its world premiere in Generation Kplus at this week’s online Berlinale.
The film was developed in Indonesia’s If/Then Sea Story Development Lab in 2018, going on to win the IDFA award at the Docs By The Sea lab in the same country that year.
It has also featured in the Rough Cut Lab in Visions Du Réel where it won the subtitling award; the IDFA Project Space; and the Hong Kong Asia Film Financing Forum work-in-progress section.
- 3/4/2021
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
One of the key moments in film history was the experience of recording time and being able to replay a certain moment over and over again. Ever since the invention of the camera in the late 1800s, the relationship of film and time, extending what had already been reached through photography and painting, remains of utmost importance, albeit has been almost forgotten in the era of the blockbuster and mainstream cinema. However, the ability to record time and movement, something which may be lost otherwise, is especially significant when dealing with documentaries. Because many cultures face extinction due to climate change and wars, it is perhaps the most important task of the artist to make sure these people, their customs and their culture is not forgotten, but also what has led to its disappearance.
“Last Days at Sea” is screening at Berlinale
Upon her visit to Karihatag, a small community...
“Last Days at Sea” is screening at Berlinale
Upon her visit to Karihatag, a small community...
- 3/2/2021
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Berlinale has developed a new festival format for its 71st edition.
In 2021, the Competition, Berlinale Special & Berlinale Series, Encounters, Berlinale Shorts, Panorama, Forum & Forum Expanded, Generation and Perspektive Deutsches Kino have been reduced in size due to the pandemic.
The majority of the Film Selection will be available for viewing online by industry representatives and accredited members of the press during the Industry Event from March 1–5, 2021.
During the Summer Special from June 9–20, 2021, Berlinale audiences will be able to see the majority of the films selected by all the sections in numerous cinema screenings in the presence of the filmmakers.
Limbo by by Cheang Soi
Let’s have a look at the Asian Films in the different sections of the Festival:
Competition:
Ghasideyeh gave sefid (Ballad of a White Cow)
Iran / France
by Behtash Sanaeeha, Maryam Moghaddam *World premiere
Guzen to sozo (Wheel of Fortune...
In 2021, the Competition, Berlinale Special & Berlinale Series, Encounters, Berlinale Shorts, Panorama, Forum & Forum Expanded, Generation and Perspektive Deutsches Kino have been reduced in size due to the pandemic.
The majority of the Film Selection will be available for viewing online by industry representatives and accredited members of the press during the Industry Event from March 1–5, 2021.
During the Summer Special from June 9–20, 2021, Berlinale audiences will be able to see the majority of the films selected by all the sections in numerous cinema screenings in the presence of the filmmakers.
Limbo by by Cheang Soi
Let’s have a look at the Asian Films in the different sections of the Festival:
Competition:
Ghasideyeh gave sefid (Ballad of a White Cow)
Iran / France
by Behtash Sanaeeha, Maryam Moghaddam *World premiere
Guzen to sozo (Wheel of Fortune...
- 2/11/2021
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
The Berlin International Film Festival has set its full slate for the upcoming 2021 edition. Berlinale usually follows Sundance with a February festival, but the pandemic has forced organizers to develop a new festival format for 2021. The 71st Berlin International Film Festival is set to take place with the “Industry Event” from March 1 to 5, which will include the European Film Market (EFM), the Berlinale Co-Production Market, the Berlinale Talents, and the World Cinema Fund in online forms. From June 9 to 20, 2021 the Berlinale will launch a “Summer Special” with numerous film presentations in Berlin, both at indoor and outdoor cinemas.
Included in the March event is the traditional film festival slate, which includes the main Berlinale Competition lineup as well as sidebar sections such as Berlinale Special & Berlinale Series, Encounters, Berlinale Shorts, Panorama, Forum & Forum Expanded, Generation, Perspektive Deutsches Kino, and Retrospective. With the exception of the Retrospective, the films will be shown at the March event.
Included in the March event is the traditional film festival slate, which includes the main Berlinale Competition lineup as well as sidebar sections such as Berlinale Special & Berlinale Series, Encounters, Berlinale Shorts, Panorama, Forum & Forum Expanded, Generation, Perspektive Deutsches Kino, and Retrospective. With the exception of the Retrospective, the films will be shown at the March event.
- 2/11/2021
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
Generation, the Berlin Film Festival’s section for youth-centric movies, has unveiled its lineup, with a majority of its films directed by women.
Sixty per cent of the films are directed by women, and many of them feature “strong willed” female protagonists, the festival said, such as “Ninjababy,” in which Rakel is six months pregnant, but doesn’t want to become a mother. Other such films include “Short Vacation,” “Mission Ulja Funk” and “Nelly Rapp – Monster Agent.”
Many of the films immerse themselves in the worlds of young people, such as “The White Fortress,” “Stop-Zemlia,” “The Fam” and “Fighter.”
Generation features eight world premieres across its two competition programs, Generation Kplus and Generation 14plus, with the films coming from 17 countries. With four contributions each, productions from the Asian and Scandinavian countries are particularly well represented.
“The 15 films in this year’s Generation selection are an open invitation to go beyond the obvious,...
Sixty per cent of the films are directed by women, and many of them feature “strong willed” female protagonists, the festival said, such as “Ninjababy,” in which Rakel is six months pregnant, but doesn’t want to become a mother. Other such films include “Short Vacation,” “Mission Ulja Funk” and “Nelly Rapp – Monster Agent.”
Many of the films immerse themselves in the worlds of young people, such as “The White Fortress,” “Stop-Zemlia,” “The Fam” and “Fighter.”
Generation features eight world premieres across its two competition programs, Generation Kplus and Generation 14plus, with the films coming from 17 countries. With four contributions each, productions from the Asian and Scandinavian countries are particularly well represented.
“The 15 films in this year’s Generation selection are an open invitation to go beyond the obvious,...
- 2/8/2021
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
The 2021 festival will take place in two parts.
The Berlin International Film Festival has unveiled the first films selected for its 2021 edition which will take place in two parts, starting with the industry-focused, online-only event from March 1-5.
They are the titles that will comprise the Generation and Retrospective strands, and come nearly two months later than last year’s equivalent announcement as organisers prepare to host the first virtual edition of the festival.
A second event, titled Summer Special, is scheduled to run June 9-20 and set to include physical screenings of the selection and their filmmakers, at 10 venues in Berlin.
The Berlin International Film Festival has unveiled the first films selected for its 2021 edition which will take place in two parts, starting with the industry-focused, online-only event from March 1-5.
They are the titles that will comprise the Generation and Retrospective strands, and come nearly two months later than last year’s equivalent announcement as organisers prepare to host the first virtual edition of the festival.
A second event, titled Summer Special, is scheduled to run June 9-20 and set to include physical screenings of the selection and their filmmakers, at 10 venues in Berlin.
- 2/8/2021
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
The 71st Berlin International Film Festival unveils its program this week, with the Generation and Retrospective sections kicking off proceedings today.
A total of 15 films are selected across the two youth-focused Generation competitions – Kplus and 14plus. Of the titles chosen, 60% are directed by female directors. Scroll down for the full list.
The movies come from the likes of Canada, China, and Korea. There are eight world premieres and six debuts. Films arriving from other festivals include the animation Cryptozoo, which was at Sundance and features Lake Bell and Michael Cera in its voice cast.
The 2021 Retrospective program will focus on the comedic work of three actresses – Mae West, Rosalind Russell, and Carole Lombard during the era when the Motion Picture Production Code (“Hays Code”) was coming into effect. There are 27 films in total, released between 1932 and 1943. They are also listed below.
Buyers will get the chance to view these movies during the virtual EFM,...
A total of 15 films are selected across the two youth-focused Generation competitions – Kplus and 14plus. Of the titles chosen, 60% are directed by female directors. Scroll down for the full list.
The movies come from the likes of Canada, China, and Korea. There are eight world premieres and six debuts. Films arriving from other festivals include the animation Cryptozoo, which was at Sundance and features Lake Bell and Michael Cera in its voice cast.
The 2021 Retrospective program will focus on the comedic work of three actresses – Mae West, Rosalind Russell, and Carole Lombard during the era when the Motion Picture Production Code (“Hays Code”) was coming into effect. There are 27 films in total, released between 1932 and 1943. They are also listed below.
Buyers will get the chance to view these movies during the virtual EFM,...
- 2/8/2021
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
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