Anna Serner, Filminstitutet. Foto: Fredrik Sandberg/ScanpixAnna Serner, CEO of the Swedish Film Institute (Sfi) has been leading the way for gender equality on a global scale for at least the past five years and has become a sort of godmother to all the woman striving and thriving in Cannes.
She not only encouraged the collection of statistics of women filmmakers in Sweden and abroad which could then be used to calculate public funding to create parity but as been the preeminent global lobbyist. In 2016, 64% of the Sfi’s production funding when to female directors which means that from 2013–2016, Sfi funding was 50% female and 50% male. In 2017 the Sfi funding is expecte to be 40% for female directors.
50/50 by 2020 — Global Reach was held in Cannes for the second year, hosted by Sfi, Wift Nordic and the Marche and included talk with such filmmakers a Agnieszka Holland and Jessica Hausner, a presentation by...
She not only encouraged the collection of statistics of women filmmakers in Sweden and abroad which could then be used to calculate public funding to create parity but as been the preeminent global lobbyist. In 2016, 64% of the Sfi’s production funding when to female directors which means that from 2013–2016, Sfi funding was 50% female and 50% male. In 2017 the Sfi funding is expecte to be 40% for female directors.
50/50 by 2020 — Global Reach was held in Cannes for the second year, hosted by Sfi, Wift Nordic and the Marche and included talk with such filmmakers a Agnieszka Holland and Jessica Hausner, a presentation by...
- 6/6/2017
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Exclusive: Sfi to host gender equality event in Cannes.
Anna Serner, CEO of the Swedish Film Institute and the pre-eminent global lobbyist on gender equality in film, has confirmed that in 2016, 64% of the Swedish Film Institute’s production funding went to female directors.
That means for the period 2013-2016, the Sfi funding was exactly 50% female and male.
Now, 2017 is the first year of its next four-year cycle that will end in 2020. Serner expects the percentage of funding to female directors by the Sfi this year to be 40%. But she added: “It can change, and that is totally accurate that we should be going up and down year by year. I’m happy with that.”
The Swedish Film Institute is for the second year in a row hosting a Cannes seminar about gender equality. 50/50 by 2020-Global Reach will be hosted Saturday (May 20) at 14.00 in Palais K by the Sfi, Wift Nordic and the Marche.
The talk will...
Anna Serner, CEO of the Swedish Film Institute and the pre-eminent global lobbyist on gender equality in film, has confirmed that in 2016, 64% of the Swedish Film Institute’s production funding went to female directors.
That means for the period 2013-2016, the Sfi funding was exactly 50% female and male.
Now, 2017 is the first year of its next four-year cycle that will end in 2020. Serner expects the percentage of funding to female directors by the Sfi this year to be 40%. But she added: “It can change, and that is totally accurate that we should be going up and down year by year. I’m happy with that.”
The Swedish Film Institute is for the second year in a row hosting a Cannes seminar about gender equality. 50/50 by 2020-Global Reach will be hosted Saturday (May 20) at 14.00 in Palais K by the Sfi, Wift Nordic and the Marche.
The talk will...
- 5/20/2017
- by wendy.mitchell@screendaily.com (Wendy Mitchell)
- ScreenDaily
This week, IndieWire will be rolling out our annual Summer Preview, including offerings that span genres, a look at the various trends driving the box office, and special attention to all the new movies you need to get through a jam-packed summer movie-going season. Check back throughout the week for a new look at the best the season has to offer, and clear your schedule, because we’re going to fill it right up.
Today — a selection of features directed (or co-directed) by female filmmakers to get excited about seeing, including works from rising stars, indie favorites and one of Hollywood’s most lauded directors.
Read More: IndieWire’s Complete 2017 Summer Preview
“Wonder Woman,” June 2
It’s a big year for the darkness-loving (and scenery-chewing) DC Universe, but before we plunge back into what terrible delights Zack Snyder and co. have cooked up for their “Justice League,” we’ve got to go back,...
Today — a selection of features directed (or co-directed) by female filmmakers to get excited about seeing, including works from rising stars, indie favorites and one of Hollywood’s most lauded directors.
Read More: IndieWire’s Complete 2017 Summer Preview
“Wonder Woman,” June 2
It’s a big year for the darkness-loving (and scenery-chewing) DC Universe, but before we plunge back into what terrible delights Zack Snyder and co. have cooked up for their “Justice League,” we’ve got to go back,...
- 4/27/2017
- by Chris O'Falt, David Ehrlich, Graham Winfrey, Jude Dry and Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
This week, IndieWire will be rolling out our annual Summer Preview, including offerings that span genres, a look at the various trends driving the box office, and special attention to all the new movies you need to get through a jam-packed summer movie-going season. Check back throughout the week for a new look at the best the season has to offer, and clear your schedule, because we’re going to fill it right up.
Today — 19 indie standouts and festival favorites (including exciting new offerings from some of our favorite directors, from Kathryn Bigelow to Steven Soderbergh, Sofia Coppola to Edgar Wright) bound for a big screen near you.
Read More: IndieWire’s Complete 2017 Summer Preview
“The Lovers,” May 5
The concept of “The Lovers” is almost too cute: Middle-aged married couple Michael (Tracy Letts) and Mary (Debra Winger) lost interest in each other long ago, and have both launched extramarital affairs,...
Today — 19 indie standouts and festival favorites (including exciting new offerings from some of our favorite directors, from Kathryn Bigelow to Steven Soderbergh, Sofia Coppola to Edgar Wright) bound for a big screen near you.
Read More: IndieWire’s Complete 2017 Summer Preview
“The Lovers,” May 5
The concept of “The Lovers” is almost too cute: Middle-aged married couple Michael (Tracy Letts) and Mary (Debra Winger) lost interest in each other long ago, and have both launched extramarital affairs,...
- 4/26/2017
- by Anne Thompson, Chris O'Falt, Eric Kohn, Graham Winfrey, Jude Dry, Kate Erbland and Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
As the film-business-crowds move through meetings designed to meet all sorts of movie-related objectives in this vast mix of people, and the movie-going public lines up for films in the Competition, Out-of-Competition, Panorama, Forum and Retrospectives; and families attend the Generation series, some for kindergarteners and others for preteens and some for those 14 and up, and as the constant exchange of ideas continues, there is lots of buzz, mostly positive about the Hungarian Competition film “On Body and Soul”.“On Body and Soul” by Ildikó Enyedi
Buzz continues the next day both pro and con about Oren Moverman’s Competition film, “The Dinner” which is definitely a must-see for each to decide on one’s own response to it. As Scott Roxborough in The Hollywood Reporter says, it “looks like just the political dish the times demand.” Produced by Caldecot Chubb, the script was originally to be written by Moverman for Cate Blanchett to direct.
Buzz continues the next day both pro and con about Oren Moverman’s Competition film, “The Dinner” which is definitely a must-see for each to decide on one’s own response to it. As Scott Roxborough in The Hollywood Reporter says, it “looks like just the political dish the times demand.” Produced by Caldecot Chubb, the script was originally to be written by Moverman for Cate Blanchett to direct.
- 2/28/2017
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
I'm drawn to Straub-Huillet’s usage of direct quotations rather than adapting or interpreting original material for a film. To me this is, among other things, a very straightforward and concrete way of highlighting that people are much less original than they are often assumed to be. (I think that Danièle Huillet once said this, but she was certainly not the first one.) It might be worth being reminded of this, especially today, in a time where we see and seek constant innovation and renewal everywhere while nothing really changes at the core. But for Straub-Huillet, quotation is also about something else. Every film of theirs is a documentation of their loving relationship to a preexisting text, artwork, or artist. The films are more genuinely about the work of the other and less about the couple's so-called vision. Quotation, to Straub-Huillet, is an act of respect, one...
- 2/7/2017
- MUBI
Exclusive: Big budget, 4K recording captured performance of sell-out production at Rome’s Teatro dell’ Opera last May.
Rai Com has added Oscar-winning director Sofia Coppola’s production of Verdi’s La Traviata at the Teatro dell’ Opera in Rome last May to its All’Opera strand devoted to bringing the best Italian opera productions to the big screen.
All 15 performances of Coppola’s opera directorial debut – featuring costumes by Valentino and sets by Batman, Interstellar and John Carter production designer Nathan Crowley – were sold out.
The ensemble included singers of the caliber of Francesca Dotto, Antonio Poli, Roberto Frontali and Anna Malavasi. The orchestra of the Rome Opera was led by Jader Bergamini.
Oscar-nominated cinematographer Philippe Le Sourde (The Grandmaster) topped the high-end shoot featuring multiple state-of-the art 4K cameras and up to 100 microphones.
The opera’s broadcast in Germany and France by Arte/Zdf was one of the highlights of the station’s cultural programming...
Rai Com has added Oscar-winning director Sofia Coppola’s production of Verdi’s La Traviata at the Teatro dell’ Opera in Rome last May to its All’Opera strand devoted to bringing the best Italian opera productions to the big screen.
All 15 performances of Coppola’s opera directorial debut – featuring costumes by Valentino and sets by Batman, Interstellar and John Carter production designer Nathan Crowley – were sold out.
The ensemble included singers of the caliber of Francesca Dotto, Antonio Poli, Roberto Frontali and Anna Malavasi. The orchestra of the Rome Opera was led by Jader Bergamini.
Oscar-nominated cinematographer Philippe Le Sourde (The Grandmaster) topped the high-end shoot featuring multiple state-of-the art 4K cameras and up to 100 microphones.
The opera’s broadcast in Germany and France by Arte/Zdf was one of the highlights of the station’s cultural programming...
- 10/19/2016
- ScreenDaily
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We chatted to the Swedish creator of The Bridge about series 4, the Scandi-noir label and UK crime drama Marcella...
As his first English-language series Marcella comes out on DVD, we spoke to Swedish screenwriter and novelist Hans Rosenfeldt about the writing process, the differences between British and Swedish television production, and the future of his hugely acclaimed home-grown crime drama, The Bridge…
What did you find most appealing about Marcella when you first heard the pitch?
Well, I was pitched the idea by Nicola Larder (Marcella’s co-creator and executive producer). We met in Italy and were talking about The Bridge, and she actually pitched me an idea about this female detective being left by her husband and bringing back an old case. I really liked that because it sounded like something I could probably work with. The opportunity to work abroad was what really attracted me,...
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We chatted to the Swedish creator of The Bridge about series 4, the Scandi-noir label and UK crime drama Marcella...
As his first English-language series Marcella comes out on DVD, we spoke to Swedish screenwriter and novelist Hans Rosenfeldt about the writing process, the differences between British and Swedish television production, and the future of his hugely acclaimed home-grown crime drama, The Bridge…
What did you find most appealing about Marcella when you first heard the pitch?
Well, I was pitched the idea by Nicola Larder (Marcella’s co-creator and executive producer). We met in Italy and were talking about The Bridge, and she actually pitched me an idea about this female detective being left by her husband and bringing back an old case. I really liked that because it sounded like something I could probably work with. The opportunity to work abroad was what really attracted me,...
- 6/15/2016
- Den of Geek
By Seth Metoyer
MoreHorror.com
Colorado is quickly becoming one of the go to filming destinations in America. At the beginning of May, the horror film Gnaw began shooting principal photography -- and it's slated to be one hell of a ride.
From director Haylar Garcia, Gnaw stars Penelope Mitchell, Chris Johnson, Sally Kirkland, and Kyle Gass.
Check out the official details below, as well as some behind the scenes images. Stay tuned for more details about this one as they become available.
From The Press Release
Sally Kirkland, Oscar-nominated, Golden Globe and Spirit Award-winning actress (Anna, Valley Of The Dolls, The Sting), joins the already stellar cast of the feature film, Gnaw, directed by Haylar Garcia. The film stars Penelope Mitchell (Curve, CW’s The Vampire Diaries and Netflix's Hemlock Grove), Chris Johnson (xXx: State Of The Union, L. A. Noire, Cursed) and Kyle Gass (Tenacious D In The Pick Of Destiny,...
MoreHorror.com
Colorado is quickly becoming one of the go to filming destinations in America. At the beginning of May, the horror film Gnaw began shooting principal photography -- and it's slated to be one hell of a ride.
From director Haylar Garcia, Gnaw stars Penelope Mitchell, Chris Johnson, Sally Kirkland, and Kyle Gass.
Check out the official details below, as well as some behind the scenes images. Stay tuned for more details about this one as they become available.
From The Press Release
Sally Kirkland, Oscar-nominated, Golden Globe and Spirit Award-winning actress (Anna, Valley Of The Dolls, The Sting), joins the already stellar cast of the feature film, Gnaw, directed by Haylar Garcia. The film stars Penelope Mitchell (Curve, CW’s The Vampire Diaries and Netflix's Hemlock Grove), Chris Johnson (xXx: State Of The Union, L. A. Noire, Cursed) and Kyle Gass (Tenacious D In The Pick Of Destiny,...
- 5/24/2016
- by admin
- MoreHorror
Is Grey’s Anatomy‘s Callie pondering a major move? Will a S.H.I.E.L.D. duo find time for love amid war? Will The Flash unmask another mystery man? Is Grimm setting the stage for -Biest Fight Round 2? Read on for answers to those questions plus teases from other shows.
RelatedMay Sweeps Scorecard 2016: Deaths, Breakups, Weddings, Firings, Sex, Resurrections, Time Jumps and More!
I’m guessing that on Grey’s Anatomy, Callie will want to take Sofia and move across the country to be with Penny, and that’s what will cause the Calzona tension. Please...
RelatedMay Sweeps Scorecard 2016: Deaths, Breakups, Weddings, Firings, Sex, Resurrections, Time Jumps and More!
I’m guessing that on Grey’s Anatomy, Callie will want to take Sofia and move across the country to be with Penny, and that’s what will cause the Calzona tension. Please...
- 4/12/2016
- TVLine.com
When Arnold Scaasi opened his couture salon in 1964, he soon became a couturier to the stars. He was already a favoured designer for Barbra Streisand when he famously dressed her for the 1969 Oscars. Streisand was up for Best Actress for her movie debut in Funny Girl and was established as something of an ‘individual’; usually described as ‘kooky’, she was completely different from anyone else, an innovator of style, and challenging and changing the ideas of beauty. So it is no surprise that when it came to her clothing choice for the Oscars, Streisand resisted the usual protocol of an evening gown and instead opted for a most extraordinary Scaasi-designed pant suit. Made from black, sheer, sequined net fabric, the over-blouse had a white peter-pan collar with black pussy bow and over-sized white cuffs, while in Scaasi’s own words, the ‘bell-bottomed trousers were exaggerated and had many godets flaring...
- 8/6/2015
- by Lord Christopher Laverty
- Clothes on Film
The European Film Academy’s (Efa) chairwoman Agnieszka Holland has spoken of a ¨crisis of content¨ in European cinema and called on the continent’s broadcasters to invest more in ambitious TV series.
Speaking exclusively to ScreenDaily, the Polish director and Efa chair said: ¨The real crisis of European cinema is one of content.
¨We always have some good movies, but not enough. We have to make better ones, ones that are not just artistic and self-involved, but are searching for an audience.
¨Something which doesn’t help is the weakness of European television in terms of the production of ambitious TV series. We don’t have European stars, but nowadays they can be made by European television and that can be later reflected in the cinema.
“If you have this element [from television], it is then much easier to promote the films in the cinemas.¨
Holland also touched on the issue of EU audiovisual policy ahead of the...
Speaking exclusively to ScreenDaily, the Polish director and Efa chair said: ¨The real crisis of European cinema is one of content.
¨We always have some good movies, but not enough. We have to make better ones, ones that are not just artistic and self-involved, but are searching for an audience.
¨Something which doesn’t help is the weakness of European television in terms of the production of ambitious TV series. We don’t have European stars, but nowadays they can be made by European television and that can be later reflected in the cinema.
“If you have this element [from television], it is then much easier to promote the films in the cinemas.¨
Holland also touched on the issue of EU audiovisual policy ahead of the...
- 4/27/2015
- by screen.berlin@googlemail.com (Martin Blaney)
- ScreenDaily
Golden Globes are considering “Ida” directed and co-written by Pawel Pawlikowski (“Last Resort", “My Summer of Love"), a moving and intimate drama about a young novitiate nun in 1960's Poland who, on the verge of taking her vows, discovers a dark family secret dating from the terrible years of the Nazi occupation. The film premiered at the 2013 Telluride Film Festival and was also featured at the 2013 Toronto and 2014 Sundance film festivals.
“Ida” won the 2014 European Film Awards for Best European Film, Best European Director, Best European Screenwriter, Best European Cinematographer and the People’s Choice Award. The film was named the Best Foreign Language Film by the New York Film Critics Circle and won the 2014 Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards for Best Supporting Actress (Agata Kulesza) and Best Foreign Language Film. "Ida" is also nominated for the 2014 Film Independent Spirit Award for Best International Film. It's also the Polish Oscar® entry and has made the 9-film shortlist.
Below is my interview with director Pawel Pawlikowski published last year prior to the film theatrical release:
I happen to love Jewish films and so when I saw "Ida" was playing in Toronto, it was first on my list of “must-sees”. However, I am no longer an “acquisitions” person, nor am I a film reviewer. My work keeps me out of the screening room because we work with filmmakers looking to get their films into the hands of those who will show their films. In other words, we advise and strategize for getting new films into the film circuit’s festivals, distributors' and international sales agents’ hands.
So I missed Ida at its Tiff debut. In Cartagena, where I was invited to cover the festival for SydneysBuzz and where I was gathering information for the book I have just completed on Iberoamerican Film Financing, it showed again in the jewel-box of a theater in this jewel-box of a city. But when I saw the first shots – and fell in love with it – I also saw it was subtitled in Spanish and rather than strain over translating, I left the theater. Later on, Pawel Pawlikowski and I sat next to each other at a fabulous dinner in one of Cartagena’s many outdoor squares, and we discussed the title of my book rather than his films which was a big loss on one hand but a big gain for me on the other because we got to speak as “civilians” rather than keeping the conversation on a “professional” level.
Read More: Review 'Ida' by Carlos Aguilar
Now Music Box is opening Ida in L.A. on May 2, 2014 at the Laemmle in L.A. and in N.Y. and I made sure to take advantage of my press status, not only to see the film but to interview Pawel on himself and the film.
There were two ways to look at this film: as a conceit, as in, “what a great story – a girl about to take her vows in the convent which raised her discovers she is Jewish and returns to the society which destroyed her family” -- or as a journey of a fresh soul into the heart of humanity and finds that she is blessed by being able to decide upon her own destiny within it.
Parenthetically, this seems to me to be a companion piece to the Berlinale film "Stations of the Cross", another journey of a fresh soul into the spiritual life of religion as she struggles in the society which formed her.
And so I began my interview with Pawel:
I could look at this film in two ways, I’ve heard the audiences talk about whether the film is Anti-Polish or Anti-Semitic, but that is not my concern, I want to know if it is just a great story or does it go deeper than that?
Pawel immediately responded, I Think he said, “I am not a professional filmmaker, and I do not make a ‘certain type of film’. I make films depending on where I am in life. A film about exile, a film about first love. Films mark where I am in my life.
In the '60s, when I was a kid and first saw the world this was how I depicted it in this film…seeing the world for the first time…life is a journey and filmmaking marks where you (the audience) are in life and it marks where I am in life. Each film is different as a result.
After making "Woman on the 5th," about the hero’s (in my own head) being lost in Paris, a weird sort of production – directed by a Polish director with a British and an American actor and actress, I craved solid ground, a familiar place or a “return” to important things of the past, and I returned to a certain period in Poland which I found very much alive, for myself then and again as I made this movie and in Polish history itself.
Ida takes place 17 years after the war and shortly after after Stalin’s crimes were being made public by Krushchev. The Totalitarian State of Poland bent a bit; censorship was lifted a bit and a new culture was developing. Music was jazz and rock and roll. Poland was very alive then: the spirit of going your own way, not caring what anyone thinks, creating a style in cinema, in art, music...
I myself was a young boy in the '60s and I left Poland in '71 when I was 13 to stay with my mother in England where she had married a Brit. My father lived in the West; they were divorced and I went for a holiday and stayed.
I went to school in the U.K. but at 13, I was thrown out and I went to Germany where my father lived and matriculated there. I couldn’t go back to Poland as I had left illegally and was only allowed back in to visit in the late '70s. I returned in 1980 during Solidarity and from 1989 to the fall of the Wall, I went back often.
Ida is a film about identity, family, faith, guilt, socialism and music. I wanted to make a film about history that wouldnʼt feel like a historical film— a film that is moral, but has no lessons to offer. I wanted to tell a story in which ʻeveryone has their reasonsʼ; a story closer to poetry than plot. Most of all, I wanted to steer clear of the usual rhetoric of the Polish cinema. The Poland in "Ida" is shown by an ʻoutsiderʼ with no ax to grind, filtered through personal memory and emotion, the sounds and images of childhood…
I read you are going to make another film about Poland…
It is not about Poland but it is set in Poland. I am working on three projects, which is how I work. I keep writing and find one of them has the legs to carry me…which one is not yet known.
You mentioned in an interview with Sight and Sound your top 10 films…
Yes, which ones did you like? They ask me this every year and every year the list changes for me. There are other good ones, like Once Upon a Time in Anatolia…they are not all the old classics and they are not necessarily my favorites or what I think are “the best”. Again they depend on where I am in my own life.
The ones I like on your list were Ashes and Diamonds which I saw in New York in my freshman year in college, "La Dolce Vita" …"One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" and "Some Like It Hot."
I actually think "8 ½" is more remarkable than "La Dolce Vita." I also like "Loves of a Blonde" very much….
I found "Ashes and Diamonds" so extraordinary, I then had to see the actor in "Man of Marble" which took me to the next "Man of Steel" and Man of…whatever... until I thought I knew Wadja. What did you make of this film?
I saw it later as I was too young when it came out in the '60s. I saw it in the '70s when it was already a classic. Its impact on me was that it was well-done and about something. It is a comment about a man who decides whether to fight or to live. It could be remade in any country coming out of civil war.
To return to Ida, I noticed stylistic choices you made that I would like you to comment on.
The landscapes and interiors were very large and sparse. Interiors always had someone in the back ground moving, arranging or walking by in silence.
Yes there is always some life and the movements of people in the background are like music in the film, though it is not really music…
Yes, the music in the film is great. The magnificence of the classical music someone is playing, like the aunt…
Yes I only want to use real music at times that real music is part of the story. I didn’t want film music. I wanted it to come out of silence. It is part of the scene like the background movement of people. Each piece means something. The pop songs were key from the start. They were fatally imprinted on my childhood memory. They really color the landscape. Coltrane and stuff came from my adult self.
Incidentally, the late '50s and early '60s were great for jazz in Poland. There was a real explosion: Komeda, Namyslowski, Stanko, Wroblewski... Apart from telling Idaʼs story, I wanted to conjure up a certain image of Poland, an image that I hold dear. My country may have been grey, oppressive and enslaved in the early '60s, but in some ways it was 'cooler' and more original than the Poland of today, and somehow more universally resonant.
Iʼm sure that lots of Poles with a chip on their shoulder, and there are many, will fail to notice the beauty, the love that went into our film—and will accuse me of damaging Poland's image by focusing on the melancholy, the provincial, the grotesque… And then there's the matter of a Polish farmer killing a Jewish family… thereʼs bound to be trouble. On the other hand, thereʼs also a Stalinist state prosecutor of Jewish origins, which might land me in hot water in other quarters. Still, I hope the film is sufficiently specific and un-rhetorical enough to be understood on its own terms.
The music Ida’s aunt was playing before she…what are your thoughts about her aunt?
Neither Ida nor her aunt is typical. Wanda’s imprimatur is that she has no self-pity, no regrets, no sentimentality.
She had fought in the resistance rather than raise a family. She had been a super idealistic Marxist, became a part of the New Establishment and got drawn into the games and hypocrisy, sending people to death for “impeding progress”.
She reminds me of my father in some ways. Her acerbic sense of humor. I gave her some of my father’s lines.
Where Did The Character Of Wanda Come From?
When I was doing my post-graduate degree at Oxford in the early '80s I befriended Professor Brus, a genial economist and reformist Marxist who left Poland in ʻ68. I was particularly fond of his wife Helena, who smoked, drank, joked and told great stories. She didn't suffer fools gladly, but she struck me as a warm and generous woman. I lost touch with the Bruses when I left Oxford, but some 10 years later I heard on BBC News that the Polish government was requesting the extradition of one Helena Brus-Wolinska, resident in Oxford, on the grounds of crimes against humanity. It turned out that the charming old lady had been a Stalinist prosecutor in her late twenties. Among other things, she engineered the death in a show trial of a completely innocent man and a real hero of the Resistance, General ‘Nil’ Fieldorf. It was a bit of a shock. I couldn't square the warm, ironic woman I knew with the ruthless fanatic and Stalinist hangman. This paradox has haunted me for years. I even tried to write a film about her, but couldnʼt get my head around or into someone so contradictory. Putting her into Idaʼs story helped bring that character to life. Conversely, putting the ex-believer with blood on her hands next to Ida helped me define the character and the journey of the young nun.
By 1956, illusions about society were gone. Stalin’s crimes were revealed in 1961, there was a change of government, a new generation was coming of age. Wanda was a judge they called “Red Wanda” and had sent enemies of the state to their deaths. The older generation was left high and dry. Communism had become a shabby reality. Her despair was apparent– she had been heroic and now the system was a joke.
And then some creature from the past pops up and makes her reveal all she had swept under the carpet. She drank too much, there was no love in her life, only casual sex. But still she was straight-ahead, directed and unstoppable.
And then after the revelations of what had become of their parents and her child, her sister returns to the convent. There is nowhere for her to go. She hits a wall. She is heroic and there is no place for her in society anymore.
And Ida? Why did you choose such a person?
Ida has multiple origins, the most interesting ones probably not quite conscious. Let's say that I come from a family full of mysteries and contradictions and have lived in one sort of exile or another for most of my life. Questions of identity, family, blood, faith, belonging, and history have always been present.
I'd been playing for years with the story of a Catholic nun who discovers sheʼs Jewish. I originally set it in ʻ68, the year of student protests and the Communist Party sponsored anti-Semitic purges in Poland. The story involved a nun a bit older than Ida, as well as an embattled bishop and a state security officer, and the whole thing was more steeped in the politics of the day. The script was turning out a little too schematic, thriller-ish and plotty for my liking, so I put Ida aside for a while and went to Paris to make The Woman In The Fifth . I was in a different place at the time.
When I came back to Ida, I had a much clearer idea of what I wanted the film to be. My cowriter Rebecca Lenkiewicz and I stripped the whole thing down, made it less plotty, the characters richer and less functional. Ida became younger, more inexperienced, more of a blank slate, a young girl on the brink of life. Also we moved the story to ʻ62, a more nondescript period in Poland, but also a time of which I have most vivid memories, my own impressions as a child - unaware of what was going on in the adult world, but all the more sensitive to images and sounds. Some shots in the film couldʼve come from my family album.
In the course of the film, Ida undergoes a change. She becomes energized. When she returns to the convent you can see it in her body movements. It is the only time we used a hand-held camera to depict the new energy she has acquired. She is going into the spiritual in a different way. The old way elicited a giggle from her; she had seen the sensuality of the novice nun bathing…whether she is returning to the convent to stay is left to the viewer to decide.
The viewer is brought into a space of associations they make on their own, the film is more like poetry where the feeling of the viewer is the private one of the viewer, not one the film imposes.
Yes, each woman enters a new reality and comes out changed, and I was left thinking there was nothing better of the two life choices, the “normal” life of love and family and the “spiritual” life of simple living and silent devotion. There needs to be some balance between the two, but what is that? I still don’t know.
On a last note: I noticed in the end credits you thanked Alfonso Cuarón. Why was that?
Yes he liked the film a lot. There were many people I thanked, like Agnieszka Holland. These are friends I can show my work to. They protect me against critics and festivals. This group of friends can also be nasty, but they are honest friends.
Thank you so much Pawel for your insights. I look forward to meeting you again “on the circuit”.
To my readers, here are the nuts and bolts of the film:
Music Box Films is the proud U.S. distributor of "Ida," the award-winning film written and directed by Pawel Pawlikowski. Ida world premiered at Telluride 2013 and Toronto International Film Festival, where it won the Fipresci Award for Best Film; then played the London Film Festival where it won Best Film, and was the Grand Prix winner at the Warsaw Film Festival. It played as an Official Selection in the 2014 Sundance and New York Jewish Film Festivals.
Poland 1962. Anna (newcomer Agata Trzebuchowska) is a beautiful eighteen-year-old woman, preparing to become a nun at the convent where she has lived since orphaned as a child. She learns she has a living relative she must visit before taking her vows, her mother’s sister Wanda. Her aunt, she learns, is not only a former hard-line Communist state prosecutor notorious for sentencing priests and others to death, but also a Jew. Anna learns from her aunt that she too is Jewish - and that her real name is Ida. This revelation sets Anna, now Ida, on a journey to uncover her roots and confront the truth about her family. Together, the two women embark on a voyage of discovery of each other and their past. Ida has to choose between her birth identity and the religion that saved her from the massacres of the Nazi occupation of Poland. And Wanda must confront decisions she made during the War when she chose loyalty to the cause before family.
Following his breakthrough films "Last Resort" and BAFTA-award winning "My Summer of Love," "Ida" marks Polish-born, British writer-director Pawel Pawlikowski's first film set in his homeland. Ida stars Agata Trzebuchowska and Agata Kulesza. It will open in Los Angeles on May 2 at the Laemmle's Royal. (Music Box Films, 80 minutes, unrated).
Its international producers, Eric Abraham (Portobello Pictures), Ewa Puszczynska (Opus Film), Piotr Dzieciol (Opus Film) and coproducer, Christian Falkenberg Husum of Denmark sold about 30 territories in Toronto and to date it has sold to 43 territories where the film has opened.
Argentina - Cdi Films, Australia - Curious Film, Austria - Polyfilm is still playing it and to date it has grossed Us$10,733. Benelux – Cineart where it is also still playing and has grossed Us$185,026 in Belgium and Us$131,247 in The Netherlands, Canada – Eyesteelfilm and Films We Like, Czech Republic – Aerofilms, Denmark - Camera Film, Denmark - Portobello Film Sales, France - Memento Films Distribution where in three weeks it grossed $3,192,706, Germany - Arsenal and Maxmedien where it grossed $24,010, Greece - Strada Films, Hungary - Mozinet Ltd., Israel - Lev Films (Shani Films), Italy - Parthenos where it grossed $681,460., Norway – Arthaus grossed $59,920, Poland – Soloban where it grossed $333,714, Portugal - Midas Filmes, Spain - Caramel Films is still playing it and to date it has grossed $408,085, Sweden - Folkets Bio, Switzerland - Frenetic, Taiwan - Andrews Film Co. Ltd, U.K. - Artificial Eye and Curzon, U.S. – Music Box and Film Forum.
Production
(Poland) An Opus Film, Phoenix Film production in association with Portobello Pictures in coproduction with Canal Plus Poland, Phoenix Film Poland. (International sales: Fandango Portobello, Copenhagen.) Produced by Eric Abraham, Piotr Dzieciol, Ewa Puszczynska. Coproducer, Christian Falkenberg Husum.
Crew
Directed by Pawel Pawlikowski. Screenplay, Pawlikowski, Rebecca Lenkiewicz. Camera (B&W), Lukasz Zal, Ryszard Lenczewski; editor, Jaroslaw Kaminski; production designers, Katarzyna Sobanska, Marcel Slawinski; costume designer, Aleksandra Staszko; Kristian Selin Eidnes Andersen; supervising sound editor, Claus Lynge; re-recording mixers, Lynge, Andreas Kongsgaard; visual effects, Stage 2; line producer, Magdalena Malisz; associate producer, Sofie Wanting Hassing.
With
Agata Kulesza, Agata Trzebuchowska, Dawid Ogrodnik, Joanna Kulig.
“Ida” won the 2014 European Film Awards for Best European Film, Best European Director, Best European Screenwriter, Best European Cinematographer and the People’s Choice Award. The film was named the Best Foreign Language Film by the New York Film Critics Circle and won the 2014 Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards for Best Supporting Actress (Agata Kulesza) and Best Foreign Language Film. "Ida" is also nominated for the 2014 Film Independent Spirit Award for Best International Film. It's also the Polish Oscar® entry and has made the 9-film shortlist.
Below is my interview with director Pawel Pawlikowski published last year prior to the film theatrical release:
I happen to love Jewish films and so when I saw "Ida" was playing in Toronto, it was first on my list of “must-sees”. However, I am no longer an “acquisitions” person, nor am I a film reviewer. My work keeps me out of the screening room because we work with filmmakers looking to get their films into the hands of those who will show their films. In other words, we advise and strategize for getting new films into the film circuit’s festivals, distributors' and international sales agents’ hands.
So I missed Ida at its Tiff debut. In Cartagena, where I was invited to cover the festival for SydneysBuzz and where I was gathering information for the book I have just completed on Iberoamerican Film Financing, it showed again in the jewel-box of a theater in this jewel-box of a city. But when I saw the first shots – and fell in love with it – I also saw it was subtitled in Spanish and rather than strain over translating, I left the theater. Later on, Pawel Pawlikowski and I sat next to each other at a fabulous dinner in one of Cartagena’s many outdoor squares, and we discussed the title of my book rather than his films which was a big loss on one hand but a big gain for me on the other because we got to speak as “civilians” rather than keeping the conversation on a “professional” level.
Read More: Review 'Ida' by Carlos Aguilar
Now Music Box is opening Ida in L.A. on May 2, 2014 at the Laemmle in L.A. and in N.Y. and I made sure to take advantage of my press status, not only to see the film but to interview Pawel on himself and the film.
There were two ways to look at this film: as a conceit, as in, “what a great story – a girl about to take her vows in the convent which raised her discovers she is Jewish and returns to the society which destroyed her family” -- or as a journey of a fresh soul into the heart of humanity and finds that she is blessed by being able to decide upon her own destiny within it.
Parenthetically, this seems to me to be a companion piece to the Berlinale film "Stations of the Cross", another journey of a fresh soul into the spiritual life of religion as she struggles in the society which formed her.
And so I began my interview with Pawel:
I could look at this film in two ways, I’ve heard the audiences talk about whether the film is Anti-Polish or Anti-Semitic, but that is not my concern, I want to know if it is just a great story or does it go deeper than that?
Pawel immediately responded, I Think he said, “I am not a professional filmmaker, and I do not make a ‘certain type of film’. I make films depending on where I am in life. A film about exile, a film about first love. Films mark where I am in my life.
In the '60s, when I was a kid and first saw the world this was how I depicted it in this film…seeing the world for the first time…life is a journey and filmmaking marks where you (the audience) are in life and it marks where I am in life. Each film is different as a result.
After making "Woman on the 5th," about the hero’s (in my own head) being lost in Paris, a weird sort of production – directed by a Polish director with a British and an American actor and actress, I craved solid ground, a familiar place or a “return” to important things of the past, and I returned to a certain period in Poland which I found very much alive, for myself then and again as I made this movie and in Polish history itself.
Ida takes place 17 years after the war and shortly after after Stalin’s crimes were being made public by Krushchev. The Totalitarian State of Poland bent a bit; censorship was lifted a bit and a new culture was developing. Music was jazz and rock and roll. Poland was very alive then: the spirit of going your own way, not caring what anyone thinks, creating a style in cinema, in art, music...
I myself was a young boy in the '60s and I left Poland in '71 when I was 13 to stay with my mother in England where she had married a Brit. My father lived in the West; they were divorced and I went for a holiday and stayed.
I went to school in the U.K. but at 13, I was thrown out and I went to Germany where my father lived and matriculated there. I couldn’t go back to Poland as I had left illegally and was only allowed back in to visit in the late '70s. I returned in 1980 during Solidarity and from 1989 to the fall of the Wall, I went back often.
Ida is a film about identity, family, faith, guilt, socialism and music. I wanted to make a film about history that wouldnʼt feel like a historical film— a film that is moral, but has no lessons to offer. I wanted to tell a story in which ʻeveryone has their reasonsʼ; a story closer to poetry than plot. Most of all, I wanted to steer clear of the usual rhetoric of the Polish cinema. The Poland in "Ida" is shown by an ʻoutsiderʼ with no ax to grind, filtered through personal memory and emotion, the sounds and images of childhood…
I read you are going to make another film about Poland…
It is not about Poland but it is set in Poland. I am working on three projects, which is how I work. I keep writing and find one of them has the legs to carry me…which one is not yet known.
You mentioned in an interview with Sight and Sound your top 10 films…
Yes, which ones did you like? They ask me this every year and every year the list changes for me. There are other good ones, like Once Upon a Time in Anatolia…they are not all the old classics and they are not necessarily my favorites or what I think are “the best”. Again they depend on where I am in my own life.
The ones I like on your list were Ashes and Diamonds which I saw in New York in my freshman year in college, "La Dolce Vita" …"One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" and "Some Like It Hot."
I actually think "8 ½" is more remarkable than "La Dolce Vita." I also like "Loves of a Blonde" very much….
I found "Ashes and Diamonds" so extraordinary, I then had to see the actor in "Man of Marble" which took me to the next "Man of Steel" and Man of…whatever... until I thought I knew Wadja. What did you make of this film?
I saw it later as I was too young when it came out in the '60s. I saw it in the '70s when it was already a classic. Its impact on me was that it was well-done and about something. It is a comment about a man who decides whether to fight or to live. It could be remade in any country coming out of civil war.
To return to Ida, I noticed stylistic choices you made that I would like you to comment on.
The landscapes and interiors were very large and sparse. Interiors always had someone in the back ground moving, arranging or walking by in silence.
Yes there is always some life and the movements of people in the background are like music in the film, though it is not really music…
Yes, the music in the film is great. The magnificence of the classical music someone is playing, like the aunt…
Yes I only want to use real music at times that real music is part of the story. I didn’t want film music. I wanted it to come out of silence. It is part of the scene like the background movement of people. Each piece means something. The pop songs were key from the start. They were fatally imprinted on my childhood memory. They really color the landscape. Coltrane and stuff came from my adult self.
Incidentally, the late '50s and early '60s were great for jazz in Poland. There was a real explosion: Komeda, Namyslowski, Stanko, Wroblewski... Apart from telling Idaʼs story, I wanted to conjure up a certain image of Poland, an image that I hold dear. My country may have been grey, oppressive and enslaved in the early '60s, but in some ways it was 'cooler' and more original than the Poland of today, and somehow more universally resonant.
Iʼm sure that lots of Poles with a chip on their shoulder, and there are many, will fail to notice the beauty, the love that went into our film—and will accuse me of damaging Poland's image by focusing on the melancholy, the provincial, the grotesque… And then there's the matter of a Polish farmer killing a Jewish family… thereʼs bound to be trouble. On the other hand, thereʼs also a Stalinist state prosecutor of Jewish origins, which might land me in hot water in other quarters. Still, I hope the film is sufficiently specific and un-rhetorical enough to be understood on its own terms.
The music Ida’s aunt was playing before she…what are your thoughts about her aunt?
Neither Ida nor her aunt is typical. Wanda’s imprimatur is that she has no self-pity, no regrets, no sentimentality.
She had fought in the resistance rather than raise a family. She had been a super idealistic Marxist, became a part of the New Establishment and got drawn into the games and hypocrisy, sending people to death for “impeding progress”.
She reminds me of my father in some ways. Her acerbic sense of humor. I gave her some of my father’s lines.
Where Did The Character Of Wanda Come From?
When I was doing my post-graduate degree at Oxford in the early '80s I befriended Professor Brus, a genial economist and reformist Marxist who left Poland in ʻ68. I was particularly fond of his wife Helena, who smoked, drank, joked and told great stories. She didn't suffer fools gladly, but she struck me as a warm and generous woman. I lost touch with the Bruses when I left Oxford, but some 10 years later I heard on BBC News that the Polish government was requesting the extradition of one Helena Brus-Wolinska, resident in Oxford, on the grounds of crimes against humanity. It turned out that the charming old lady had been a Stalinist prosecutor in her late twenties. Among other things, she engineered the death in a show trial of a completely innocent man and a real hero of the Resistance, General ‘Nil’ Fieldorf. It was a bit of a shock. I couldn't square the warm, ironic woman I knew with the ruthless fanatic and Stalinist hangman. This paradox has haunted me for years. I even tried to write a film about her, but couldnʼt get my head around or into someone so contradictory. Putting her into Idaʼs story helped bring that character to life. Conversely, putting the ex-believer with blood on her hands next to Ida helped me define the character and the journey of the young nun.
By 1956, illusions about society were gone. Stalin’s crimes were revealed in 1961, there was a change of government, a new generation was coming of age. Wanda was a judge they called “Red Wanda” and had sent enemies of the state to their deaths. The older generation was left high and dry. Communism had become a shabby reality. Her despair was apparent– she had been heroic and now the system was a joke.
And then some creature from the past pops up and makes her reveal all she had swept under the carpet. She drank too much, there was no love in her life, only casual sex. But still she was straight-ahead, directed and unstoppable.
And then after the revelations of what had become of their parents and her child, her sister returns to the convent. There is nowhere for her to go. She hits a wall. She is heroic and there is no place for her in society anymore.
And Ida? Why did you choose such a person?
Ida has multiple origins, the most interesting ones probably not quite conscious. Let's say that I come from a family full of mysteries and contradictions and have lived in one sort of exile or another for most of my life. Questions of identity, family, blood, faith, belonging, and history have always been present.
I'd been playing for years with the story of a Catholic nun who discovers sheʼs Jewish. I originally set it in ʻ68, the year of student protests and the Communist Party sponsored anti-Semitic purges in Poland. The story involved a nun a bit older than Ida, as well as an embattled bishop and a state security officer, and the whole thing was more steeped in the politics of the day. The script was turning out a little too schematic, thriller-ish and plotty for my liking, so I put Ida aside for a while and went to Paris to make The Woman In The Fifth . I was in a different place at the time.
When I came back to Ida, I had a much clearer idea of what I wanted the film to be. My cowriter Rebecca Lenkiewicz and I stripped the whole thing down, made it less plotty, the characters richer and less functional. Ida became younger, more inexperienced, more of a blank slate, a young girl on the brink of life. Also we moved the story to ʻ62, a more nondescript period in Poland, but also a time of which I have most vivid memories, my own impressions as a child - unaware of what was going on in the adult world, but all the more sensitive to images and sounds. Some shots in the film couldʼve come from my family album.
In the course of the film, Ida undergoes a change. She becomes energized. When she returns to the convent you can see it in her body movements. It is the only time we used a hand-held camera to depict the new energy she has acquired. She is going into the spiritual in a different way. The old way elicited a giggle from her; she had seen the sensuality of the novice nun bathing…whether she is returning to the convent to stay is left to the viewer to decide.
The viewer is brought into a space of associations they make on their own, the film is more like poetry where the feeling of the viewer is the private one of the viewer, not one the film imposes.
Yes, each woman enters a new reality and comes out changed, and I was left thinking there was nothing better of the two life choices, the “normal” life of love and family and the “spiritual” life of simple living and silent devotion. There needs to be some balance between the two, but what is that? I still don’t know.
On a last note: I noticed in the end credits you thanked Alfonso Cuarón. Why was that?
Yes he liked the film a lot. There were many people I thanked, like Agnieszka Holland. These are friends I can show my work to. They protect me against critics and festivals. This group of friends can also be nasty, but they are honest friends.
Thank you so much Pawel for your insights. I look forward to meeting you again “on the circuit”.
To my readers, here are the nuts and bolts of the film:
Music Box Films is the proud U.S. distributor of "Ida," the award-winning film written and directed by Pawel Pawlikowski. Ida world premiered at Telluride 2013 and Toronto International Film Festival, where it won the Fipresci Award for Best Film; then played the London Film Festival where it won Best Film, and was the Grand Prix winner at the Warsaw Film Festival. It played as an Official Selection in the 2014 Sundance and New York Jewish Film Festivals.
Poland 1962. Anna (newcomer Agata Trzebuchowska) is a beautiful eighteen-year-old woman, preparing to become a nun at the convent where she has lived since orphaned as a child. She learns she has a living relative she must visit before taking her vows, her mother’s sister Wanda. Her aunt, she learns, is not only a former hard-line Communist state prosecutor notorious for sentencing priests and others to death, but also a Jew. Anna learns from her aunt that she too is Jewish - and that her real name is Ida. This revelation sets Anna, now Ida, on a journey to uncover her roots and confront the truth about her family. Together, the two women embark on a voyage of discovery of each other and their past. Ida has to choose between her birth identity and the religion that saved her from the massacres of the Nazi occupation of Poland. And Wanda must confront decisions she made during the War when she chose loyalty to the cause before family.
Following his breakthrough films "Last Resort" and BAFTA-award winning "My Summer of Love," "Ida" marks Polish-born, British writer-director Pawel Pawlikowski's first film set in his homeland. Ida stars Agata Trzebuchowska and Agata Kulesza. It will open in Los Angeles on May 2 at the Laemmle's Royal. (Music Box Films, 80 minutes, unrated).
Its international producers, Eric Abraham (Portobello Pictures), Ewa Puszczynska (Opus Film), Piotr Dzieciol (Opus Film) and coproducer, Christian Falkenberg Husum of Denmark sold about 30 territories in Toronto and to date it has sold to 43 territories where the film has opened.
Argentina - Cdi Films, Australia - Curious Film, Austria - Polyfilm is still playing it and to date it has grossed Us$10,733. Benelux – Cineart where it is also still playing and has grossed Us$185,026 in Belgium and Us$131,247 in The Netherlands, Canada – Eyesteelfilm and Films We Like, Czech Republic – Aerofilms, Denmark - Camera Film, Denmark - Portobello Film Sales, France - Memento Films Distribution where in three weeks it grossed $3,192,706, Germany - Arsenal and Maxmedien where it grossed $24,010, Greece - Strada Films, Hungary - Mozinet Ltd., Israel - Lev Films (Shani Films), Italy - Parthenos where it grossed $681,460., Norway – Arthaus grossed $59,920, Poland – Soloban where it grossed $333,714, Portugal - Midas Filmes, Spain - Caramel Films is still playing it and to date it has grossed $408,085, Sweden - Folkets Bio, Switzerland - Frenetic, Taiwan - Andrews Film Co. Ltd, U.K. - Artificial Eye and Curzon, U.S. – Music Box and Film Forum.
Production
(Poland) An Opus Film, Phoenix Film production in association with Portobello Pictures in coproduction with Canal Plus Poland, Phoenix Film Poland. (International sales: Fandango Portobello, Copenhagen.) Produced by Eric Abraham, Piotr Dzieciol, Ewa Puszczynska. Coproducer, Christian Falkenberg Husum.
Crew
Directed by Pawel Pawlikowski. Screenplay, Pawlikowski, Rebecca Lenkiewicz. Camera (B&W), Lukasz Zal, Ryszard Lenczewski; editor, Jaroslaw Kaminski; production designers, Katarzyna Sobanska, Marcel Slawinski; costume designer, Aleksandra Staszko; Kristian Selin Eidnes Andersen; supervising sound editor, Claus Lynge; re-recording mixers, Lynge, Andreas Kongsgaard; visual effects, Stage 2; line producer, Magdalena Malisz; associate producer, Sofie Wanting Hassing.
With
Agata Kulesza, Agata Trzebuchowska, Dawid Ogrodnik, Joanna Kulig.
- 1/8/2015
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
While the Oscar race for Best Actor has heated up to a frenzy with, as previously reported here, at least 30 viable candidates and only five slots, most observers have labeled this year’s Best Actress crop from weak to thin with not even enough sure things at this point to make a list of five.
That’s a bit of an overstatement as pundits generally agree there are at least three, possibly four near-certainties for nominations: Julianne Moore for the still-unreleased Still Alice (out Dec. 5), Felicity Jones for The Theory Of Everything and Reese Witherspoon for Wild (also out Dec. 5).
When Gone Girl opened earlier this fall, it not only became by far the biggest awards contenders with a female lead released this year, it stirred up talk of an inevitable nod for Rosamund Pike. In terms of the campaign though, she has been a bit out of sight/out...
That’s a bit of an overstatement as pundits generally agree there are at least three, possibly four near-certainties for nominations: Julianne Moore for the still-unreleased Still Alice (out Dec. 5), Felicity Jones for The Theory Of Everything and Reese Witherspoon for Wild (also out Dec. 5).
When Gone Girl opened earlier this fall, it not only became by far the biggest awards contenders with a female lead released this year, it stirred up talk of an inevitable nod for Rosamund Pike. In terms of the campaign though, she has been a bit out of sight/out...
- 11/23/2014
- by Pete Hammond
- Deadline
St Petersburg International Media Forum closes inaugural edition with world premiere of Serena.
Francois Ozon’s latest feature The New Girlfriend was voted as the Best of the Fest by the audience at the inaugural edition of the St Petersburg International Media Forum (Spimf) which closed on Friday evening with the world premiere of Susanne Bier’s Serena, starring Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence.
However, neither director Bier, nor any of the talent were in St Petersburg for the film, which Volgafilm will be releasing in Russian cinemas on October 30.
Although there was no formal competition for Spimf’s film programme, a jury of local film critics was formed to give awards for what they regarded as the best film and TV series showing in the 2014 line-up.
Australian film-maker Anna Broinowsky’s documentary Aim High In Creation, which screened in the Kor-kor sidebar about North Korean cinema, was named best film, while the Press...
Francois Ozon’s latest feature The New Girlfriend was voted as the Best of the Fest by the audience at the inaugural edition of the St Petersburg International Media Forum (Spimf) which closed on Friday evening with the world premiere of Susanne Bier’s Serena, starring Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence.
However, neither director Bier, nor any of the talent were in St Petersburg for the film, which Volgafilm will be releasing in Russian cinemas on October 30.
Although there was no formal competition for Spimf’s film programme, a jury of local film critics was formed to give awards for what they regarded as the best film and TV series showing in the 2014 line-up.
Australian film-maker Anna Broinowsky’s documentary Aim High In Creation, which screened in the Kor-kor sidebar about North Korean cinema, was named best film, while the Press...
- 10/12/2014
- by screen.berlin@googlemail.com (Martin Blaney)
- ScreenDaily
Editor's Note: This post is presented in partnership with Time Warner Cable Movies On Demand in support of May's Indie Film Month. "Anna" is currently available to view On Demand. For the past few years Taissa Farmiga has, following in the footsteps of her big sister Vera, turned in stellar supporting performances in a wide array of projects – everything from Sofia Coppola's bubbly "Bling Ring" to a pair of roles on Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk's "American Horror Story" (first as a disaffected New England teenager forced to relocate to sunny Los Angeles, then as a disaffected teenager whose witchy vagina kills boys she has sex with – talk about typecasting). But the younger Farmiga is finally ready to step into the spotlight as the lead in "Anna," a Spanish-American coproduction about a detective (Mark Strong) who enters people's memories in order to solve crimes. It's like "Inception" by...
- 5/7/2014
- by Drew Taylor
- Indiewire
Based on their outstanding careers forged on international co-productions, 24 up-and-coming players in the European film industry have been selected to take part in European Film Promotion's (Efp) networking platform Producers on the Move. Now in its 15th year, Efp spotlights emerging European producers at the Cannes Film Festival from May 17-19 and helps them embark on successful cooperation with their similarly ambitious Producers on the Move colleagues from all over Europe.
The programas been financially supported by the Media Program (2007-2013) of the European Union and the participating Efp member organizations who each made a careful selection of their national participants according to specific criteria.
The schedule of Producers on the Move includes working sessions, one-to-one speed-dating meetings and various opportunities to exchange knowledge and follow up discussions on future projects. In addition, Efp will be teaming up with the European cultural channel Arte and the pan-European co-production fund Eurimages for Producers on the Move. For the first time, Eurimages has prepared a case study exclusively for Efp's program to be discussed under the direction of Eurimages Executive Director Roberto Olla.
He points out the importance of programs such as Producers on the Move:
“This is the 4th consecutive year that Eurimages is involved with this initiative which perfectly marries our objectives of encouraging co-operation between producers so as to stimulate cinematographic co-productions and of promoting their international distribution. Further to the success of the collaboration at the Cannes Festival, the Eurimages Fund has strengthened its partnership with European Film Promotion through other initiatives which also seek to unite professionals from the European film industry in order to participate in its development on an international level.”
Looking back at previous editions, Efp's programme results each year in several new trans-national co-productions and gives the producers a higher profile in Cannes. For 2013, almost all of the participants are still in contact with one another and 17 co-productions are in development.
One recent success story is the coming-of-age feature The Word, directed by Anna Kazejak and co-produced by two Producers on the Move from 2011, Lukasz Dzieciol(Opus Film, Poland) and Jesper Morthorst (Sf Film Production, Denmark). The film was released in Poland in March after its premiere at the Berlinale in the Generation sidebar.
Currently in post is Dirk Ohm - The Illusionist That Disappeared, directed by Bobbie Peers. The producer Maria Ekerhovd (Mer Film As, Norway), joined forces for this film with her Producers on the Move colleague from 2011, Gian-Piero Ringel (Neue Road Movies, Germany) and the 2010 Producers on the Move, Lizette Jonjic (Migma Film, Sweden). Norway has scheduled the release for September 2014. Ekerhovd and Ringel also worked together for two further projects: Every Thing Will Be Fine by Wim Wenders and the six episodes for Cathedrals of Culture which have been presented at this year’s Berlinale.
The following producers were selected by the Efp member organizations:
Viktoria
Director: Maya Vitkova
Producer: Maya Vitkova
Viktoria Films, Bulgaria
selected by Bulgarian National Film Centre
Gangster of Love
Director: Nebojša Slijepcevic
Producer: Vanja Jambrović
Restart, Croatia
selected by Croation Audiovisual Centre
Burning Bush
Director: Agnieszka Holland
Producer: Tomáš Hrubỳ
Nutprodukce, Czech Republic
selected by Czech Film Center
Antboy
Director: Ask Hasselbalch
Producer: Eva Jakobsen
Nimbus Film, Denmark
selected by Danish Film Institute
Concrete Night
Director: Pirjo Honkasalo
Producer: Mark Lwoff
Bufo, Finland
selected by Finnish Film Foundation
Möbius
Director: Eric Rochant
Producer: Mathias Rubin
Récifilms, France
selected by UniFrance films
Brides
Director: Tinatin Kajrishvili
Producer: Tinatin Kajrishvili
Gemini, Georgia
selected by Georgian National Film Center
The Special Need
Director: Carlo Zoratti
Producer: Henning Kamm
Detailfilm, Germany
selected by German Films
Standing Aside, Watching
Director: Yorgos Servetas
Producer: Konstantin Kontovrakis
Heretic Creative Producer, Greece
selected by Greek Film Centre
Land of Storms
Director: Adam Csaszi
Producer: Eszter Gyárfás
Proton Cinema, Hungary
selected by Magyar Filmunió/ Hungarian National Film Fund
Metalhead
Director: Ragnar Bragason
Producer: Árni Filippusson
Mystery, Iceland
selected by Icelandic Fim Centre
You're Ugly Too
Director: Mark Noonan
Producer: John Keville
Sp Films, Ireland
selected by Irish Film Board
Black Souls
Director: Francesco Munzi
Producer: Olivia Musini
Cinemaundici, Italy
selected by Istituto Luce Cinecittà
Monument to Michael Jackson
Director: Darko Lungulov
Co-Producer: Ognen Antov
Dream Factory Macedonia, Fyr of Macedonia
selected by Macedonian Film Agency
The Ascent
Director: Nemanja Becanovic
Producer: Ivan Djurović
Artikulacija Production, Montenegro
selected by Ministry of Culture of Montenegro
Totally True Love
Director: Anne Sewitsky
Producer: Teréz Hollo-Klausen
Anna Kron Film, Norway
selected by Norwegian Film Institute
Fuck for Forest
Director: Michal Marczak
Producer: Mikołaj Pokromski
Pokromski Studio, Poland
selected by Polish Film Institute
Collider
Director: Jason Butler
Producer: Nuno Bernardo
beActive Entertainment, Portugal
selected by Ica I.P. / Portugal
Slovakia 2.0
Director: Iveta Grófová, Juraj Herz, Martin Šulík, Miro Jelok, Mišo Suchý, Ondrej Rudavský, Peter Kerekes, Peter Krištúfek, Viera Cákanyová, Zuzana Liová
Producer: Mátyás Prikler
MPhilms, Slovak Republic
selected by Slovak Film Institute
The Extraordinary Tale
Director: José F. Ortuño, Laura Alvea
Producer: Marta Velasco
Áralan Films, Spain
selected by Icaa / Spain
Beyond Beyond
Director: Esben Toft Jacobsen
Producer: Petter Lindblad
Snowcloud Films, Sweden
selected by Swedish Film Institute
Ate Ver La Luz
Director: Basil da Cunha
Producer: Elodie Brunner
Box Productions, Switzerland
selected by Swiss Films
Secrets of War
Director: Dennis Bots
Producer: David Bijker
Bijker Film & TV, The Netherlands
selected by Eye International
Weekend
Director: Andrew Haigh
Producer: Tristan Goligher
The Bureau Film Company, United Kingdom
selected by British Council...
The programas been financially supported by the Media Program (2007-2013) of the European Union and the participating Efp member organizations who each made a careful selection of their national participants according to specific criteria.
The schedule of Producers on the Move includes working sessions, one-to-one speed-dating meetings and various opportunities to exchange knowledge and follow up discussions on future projects. In addition, Efp will be teaming up with the European cultural channel Arte and the pan-European co-production fund Eurimages for Producers on the Move. For the first time, Eurimages has prepared a case study exclusively for Efp's program to be discussed under the direction of Eurimages Executive Director Roberto Olla.
He points out the importance of programs such as Producers on the Move:
“This is the 4th consecutive year that Eurimages is involved with this initiative which perfectly marries our objectives of encouraging co-operation between producers so as to stimulate cinematographic co-productions and of promoting their international distribution. Further to the success of the collaboration at the Cannes Festival, the Eurimages Fund has strengthened its partnership with European Film Promotion through other initiatives which also seek to unite professionals from the European film industry in order to participate in its development on an international level.”
Looking back at previous editions, Efp's programme results each year in several new trans-national co-productions and gives the producers a higher profile in Cannes. For 2013, almost all of the participants are still in contact with one another and 17 co-productions are in development.
One recent success story is the coming-of-age feature The Word, directed by Anna Kazejak and co-produced by two Producers on the Move from 2011, Lukasz Dzieciol(Opus Film, Poland) and Jesper Morthorst (Sf Film Production, Denmark). The film was released in Poland in March after its premiere at the Berlinale in the Generation sidebar.
Currently in post is Dirk Ohm - The Illusionist That Disappeared, directed by Bobbie Peers. The producer Maria Ekerhovd (Mer Film As, Norway), joined forces for this film with her Producers on the Move colleague from 2011, Gian-Piero Ringel (Neue Road Movies, Germany) and the 2010 Producers on the Move, Lizette Jonjic (Migma Film, Sweden). Norway has scheduled the release for September 2014. Ekerhovd and Ringel also worked together for two further projects: Every Thing Will Be Fine by Wim Wenders and the six episodes for Cathedrals of Culture which have been presented at this year’s Berlinale.
The following producers were selected by the Efp member organizations:
Viktoria
Director: Maya Vitkova
Producer: Maya Vitkova
Viktoria Films, Bulgaria
selected by Bulgarian National Film Centre
Gangster of Love
Director: Nebojša Slijepcevic
Producer: Vanja Jambrović
Restart, Croatia
selected by Croation Audiovisual Centre
Burning Bush
Director: Agnieszka Holland
Producer: Tomáš Hrubỳ
Nutprodukce, Czech Republic
selected by Czech Film Center
Antboy
Director: Ask Hasselbalch
Producer: Eva Jakobsen
Nimbus Film, Denmark
selected by Danish Film Institute
Concrete Night
Director: Pirjo Honkasalo
Producer: Mark Lwoff
Bufo, Finland
selected by Finnish Film Foundation
Möbius
Director: Eric Rochant
Producer: Mathias Rubin
Récifilms, France
selected by UniFrance films
Brides
Director: Tinatin Kajrishvili
Producer: Tinatin Kajrishvili
Gemini, Georgia
selected by Georgian National Film Center
The Special Need
Director: Carlo Zoratti
Producer: Henning Kamm
Detailfilm, Germany
selected by German Films
Standing Aside, Watching
Director: Yorgos Servetas
Producer: Konstantin Kontovrakis
Heretic Creative Producer, Greece
selected by Greek Film Centre
Land of Storms
Director: Adam Csaszi
Producer: Eszter Gyárfás
Proton Cinema, Hungary
selected by Magyar Filmunió/ Hungarian National Film Fund
Metalhead
Director: Ragnar Bragason
Producer: Árni Filippusson
Mystery, Iceland
selected by Icelandic Fim Centre
You're Ugly Too
Director: Mark Noonan
Producer: John Keville
Sp Films, Ireland
selected by Irish Film Board
Black Souls
Director: Francesco Munzi
Producer: Olivia Musini
Cinemaundici, Italy
selected by Istituto Luce Cinecittà
Monument to Michael Jackson
Director: Darko Lungulov
Co-Producer: Ognen Antov
Dream Factory Macedonia, Fyr of Macedonia
selected by Macedonian Film Agency
The Ascent
Director: Nemanja Becanovic
Producer: Ivan Djurović
Artikulacija Production, Montenegro
selected by Ministry of Culture of Montenegro
Totally True Love
Director: Anne Sewitsky
Producer: Teréz Hollo-Klausen
Anna Kron Film, Norway
selected by Norwegian Film Institute
Fuck for Forest
Director: Michal Marczak
Producer: Mikołaj Pokromski
Pokromski Studio, Poland
selected by Polish Film Institute
Collider
Director: Jason Butler
Producer: Nuno Bernardo
beActive Entertainment, Portugal
selected by Ica I.P. / Portugal
Slovakia 2.0
Director: Iveta Grófová, Juraj Herz, Martin Šulík, Miro Jelok, Mišo Suchý, Ondrej Rudavský, Peter Kerekes, Peter Krištúfek, Viera Cákanyová, Zuzana Liová
Producer: Mátyás Prikler
MPhilms, Slovak Republic
selected by Slovak Film Institute
The Extraordinary Tale
Director: José F. Ortuño, Laura Alvea
Producer: Marta Velasco
Áralan Films, Spain
selected by Icaa / Spain
Beyond Beyond
Director: Esben Toft Jacobsen
Producer: Petter Lindblad
Snowcloud Films, Sweden
selected by Swedish Film Institute
Ate Ver La Luz
Director: Basil da Cunha
Producer: Elodie Brunner
Box Productions, Switzerland
selected by Swiss Films
Secrets of War
Director: Dennis Bots
Producer: David Bijker
Bijker Film & TV, The Netherlands
selected by Eye International
Weekend
Director: Andrew Haigh
Producer: Tristan Goligher
The Bureau Film Company, United Kingdom
selected by British Council...
- 5/3/2014
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
The 52nd annual Ann Arbor Film Festival will be a jam-packed experimental feature and short film screening event running for six days and nights, this time on March 25-30.
Opening Night will feature a reception and an after-party, and stuffed between those will be a block of nine short films, including new ones by Bryan Boyce, Michael Robinson, Jennifer Reeder and Martha Colburn, as well as a never-before-released work by the legendary Bruce Baillie called Little Girl in which Baillie captured scenes of natural beauty.
Special Events scattered throughout the festival include a retrospective of indie filmmaker Penelope Spheeris that will feature her rock ‘n’ roll-based work, including the original The Decline of Western Civilization, plus The Decline of Western Civilization Part III, her influential punk film Suburbia (screening twice) and a collection of short films.
There will also be several films and presentations by filmmaking scholar Thom Andersen, such...
Opening Night will feature a reception and an after-party, and stuffed between those will be a block of nine short films, including new ones by Bryan Boyce, Michael Robinson, Jennifer Reeder and Martha Colburn, as well as a never-before-released work by the legendary Bruce Baillie called Little Girl in which Baillie captured scenes of natural beauty.
Special Events scattered throughout the festival include a retrospective of indie filmmaker Penelope Spheeris that will feature her rock ‘n’ roll-based work, including the original The Decline of Western Civilization, plus The Decline of Western Civilization Part III, her influential punk film Suburbia (screening twice) and a collection of short films.
There will also be several films and presentations by filmmaking scholar Thom Andersen, such...
- 3/18/2014
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
The designer debuted one of the most stunning collections of the season with an array of evening wear fit for a princess — which is precisely why we know pop princess Taylor Swift would look stunning in every one of these dresses!
The designer, known for her impeccable taste in formal wear, definitely outdid herself this season. From crystal-embellished bodices to lace gowns and vibrant colors, Reem hit all of the the right notes in beautiful evening wear — and it’s only a matter of time before her famous fans rock the looks on the red carpet.
Reem Acra Fall 2014 Collection:
Taylor Swift and Anna Kendrick are both known for their girly yet sophisticated style, which is why we can see them in so many of the different looks from the Reem Acra Fall 2014 collection, which debuted at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week. Anna took in the show from the front row,...
The designer, known for her impeccable taste in formal wear, definitely outdid herself this season. From crystal-embellished bodices to lace gowns and vibrant colors, Reem hit all of the the right notes in beautiful evening wear — and it’s only a matter of time before her famous fans rock the looks on the red carpet.
Reem Acra Fall 2014 Collection:
Taylor Swift and Anna Kendrick are both known for their girly yet sophisticated style, which is why we can see them in so many of the different looks from the Reem Acra Fall 2014 collection, which debuted at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week. Anna took in the show from the front row,...
- 2/13/2014
- by HL Intern
- HollywoodLife
Meryl Streep breaks Oscar record: Oscar 2014 nominations (photo: Meryl Streep in ‘August: Osage County’) The 2014 Oscar nominations were announced earlier today at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills. Academy president Cheryl Boone Isaacs and Thor: The Dark World and Snow White and the Huntsman actor Chris Hemsworth — whose Rush was completely shut out — made the announcements, including that of Best Actress contender Meryl Streep, in the running for her performance in John Wells’ August: Osage County. Streep’s competitors are her Doubt and Julie & Julia co-star Amy Adams for David O. Russell’s American Hustle, Sandra Bullock for Alfonso Cuarón’s Gravity, Judi Dench for Stephen Frears’ Philomena, and likely winner Cate Blanchett for Woody Allen’s Blue Jasmine. (Emma Thompson’s absence from the Best Actress roster — for her performance in John Lee Hancock’s Saving Mr. Banks — was quite a surprise.
- 1/16/2014
- by Steve Montgomery
- Alt Film Guide
Adèle Exarchopoulos (‘Blue Is the Warmest Color’) and Cate Blanchett (‘Blue Jasmine’): Best Actress tie two years in a row at Los Angeles Film Critics Awards (photo: Léa Seydoux and Adèle Exarchopoulos in ‘Blue Is the Warmest Color’) (See previous post: "James Franco Tattoos, Gold Teeth: Lafca Winners." Another non-Hollywood Los Angeles Film Critics Association’s selection was Best Actress co-winner Adèle Exarchopoulos, cited for her performance as a young woman who falls in love with blue-haired Léa Seydoux in Abdellatif Kechiche’s controversial Cannes Film Festival Palme d’Or winner Blue Is the Warmest Color. The lesbian romantic drama also took home the Lafca’s Best Foreign Language Film Award. Blue was also the luckiest color, at least in the Best Actress category: Cate Blanchett was Exarchopoulos’ co-winner, for her performance in Woody Allen’s Blue Jasmine, in which she plays a character somewhat similar to A Streetcar Named Desire...
- 12/9/2013
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
These days you can watch any movie you desire online. Yet there's still one thing the magical wonders of instant streaming haven't solved for indecisive movie-lovers: what the heck to watch! Moviefone is here to recommend the best streaming movies from Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Instant each week in the Moviefone Stream.
This week's Moviefone Stream picks range from drugged narcotic officers and horror movie spoofs, to Algerian revolutions and Tokyo excursions. Check out our suggestions below and happy streaming!
Comedy: 'Scary Movie' (2000)
The "Scary Movie" series quickly turned from crude and clever to inane and desperate with each additional film. However the first film is still the funniest with the most clever movie spoofs and parodied the horror genre better than any other satire movie. From Anna Farris' goof on "The Matrix" to the many ridiculous jokes on "Scream," "Scary Movie" is that perfect non-scary movie to...
This week's Moviefone Stream picks range from drugged narcotic officers and horror movie spoofs, to Algerian revolutions and Tokyo excursions. Check out our suggestions below and happy streaming!
Comedy: 'Scary Movie' (2000)
The "Scary Movie" series quickly turned from crude and clever to inane and desperate with each additional film. However the first film is still the funniest with the most clever movie spoofs and parodied the horror genre better than any other satire movie. From Anna Farris' goof on "The Matrix" to the many ridiculous jokes on "Scream," "Scary Movie" is that perfect non-scary movie to...
- 10/11/2013
- by Erin Whitney
- Moviefone
This fall it would seem, that for women in film and TV, things are looking up. The Emmy Awards just set records by having the most number of female directors nominated for TV. There were a whopping five female nominees in the category of episodic comedy/variety TV, and Gail Mancuso won for directing an episode of Modern Family. It is of note that the last time a female took home this prize was in 1993. There were also a handful of women nominated for writing. Abi Morgan won for her work on The Hour, while Tina Fey and Tracey Wigfeld won for an episode of 30 Rock. In terms of drama, Jane Campion was sadly overlooked for her direction of the stunning miniseries Top of the Lake. Yet, all told, this year’s nominations pitifully break records for female nominees—“pitifully” because it’s 2013, the Emmy Awards are 65 years old, and...
- 10/5/2013
- by Lindsey Campbell
- SoundOnSight
I was cleaning up a few folders on my desktop recently when I noticed this old poll and the accompanying visuals. It was too delicious not to revive. See back in 2011 when The Film Experience got its beautiful redesign as a site, I polled y'all about the most memorable best actress "characters" of the past 50 years (1961-2010) and in chronological order these were the women you voted for...
How many have you seen? I'm still pised that Sally Kirkland's "Anna" and Kathleen Turner's "Peggy Sue" didn't place... but I felt like posting it again right now since 3 Best Actress nominees from 1980, a year we're currently revisiting, placed (Goldie Hawn in Private Benjamin, Mary Tyler Moore in Ordinary People, and Sissy Spacek in Coal Miner's Daughter)
If we updated who do you think would make the list from 2011-2012? Who just sticks in your memory. Let's take a vote on it.
How many have you seen? I'm still pised that Sally Kirkland's "Anna" and Kathleen Turner's "Peggy Sue" didn't place... but I felt like posting it again right now since 3 Best Actress nominees from 1980, a year we're currently revisiting, placed (Goldie Hawn in Private Benjamin, Mary Tyler Moore in Ordinary People, and Sissy Spacek in Coal Miner's Daughter)
If we updated who do you think would make the list from 2011-2012? Who just sticks in your memory. Let's take a vote on it.
- 9/20/2013
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
The designer’s Spring 2014 collection is bound to be adored by cool hippie chicks — and guys — everywhere! The line featured easy breezy kimonos, dresses, tunics, vests, shorts and cropped pants that were all expertly embroidered.
Anna Sui‘s Spring 2014 collection brought the West coast to the East coast, setting the laid-back tone with a funky purple, orange and blue-hued backdrop of a lake with mountains and flowers. The always-eclectic designer wowed the audience with fringed vests over crop tops, linen shift dresses, tunics and crocheted cardigans — and we know more than a few celebrities who would look fabulous in her looks!
Anna Sui Spring 2014 Collection:
Models glided down the runway to folk-y, fun music, bringing in a cool Californian vibe. Pale and warm colors and patterns perfect for spring and summer showed up on glittering lace and chiffon dresses, tunics and tops, paired with crocheted and fringed vests, cardigans and shorts.
Anna Sui‘s Spring 2014 collection brought the West coast to the East coast, setting the laid-back tone with a funky purple, orange and blue-hued backdrop of a lake with mountains and flowers. The always-eclectic designer wowed the audience with fringed vests over crop tops, linen shift dresses, tunics and crocheted cardigans — and we know more than a few celebrities who would look fabulous in her looks!
Anna Sui Spring 2014 Collection:
Models glided down the runway to folk-y, fun music, bringing in a cool Californian vibe. Pale and warm colors and patterns perfect for spring and summer showed up on glittering lace and chiffon dresses, tunics and tops, paired with crocheted and fringed vests, cardigans and shorts.
- 9/12/2013
- by Ivy Jacobson
- HollywoodLife
September – Penny Panayotopoulou
Section: City to City
Dates: Sunday 8th, Monday 9th
Buzz: Penny Panayotopoulou’s debut film Hard Goodbyes: My Father was warmly received at Tiff in 2002. She returns to the festival with September, which supposedly subverts what Panayotopoulou perceives to be the cynicism of contemporary cinema. Hopefully those optimistic that the skilled filmmaker has perfected her craft during the eleven-year hiatus will be rewarded by this promising sophomore feature – it certainly appears to be the case with solid grades from THR and Screen Daily in Karlovy Vary.
The Gist: Anna, a taciturn 30-something, lives in a small flat with her dog Manu, who means everything to her. After a distressing incident which disrupts her carefully guarded, secluded life, Anna attaches herself to the family of Sofia, a happily married woman and mother of two children.
Section: City to City
Dates: Sunday 8th, Monday 9th
Buzz: Penny Panayotopoulou’s debut film Hard Goodbyes: My Father was warmly received at Tiff in 2002. She returns to the festival with September, which supposedly subverts what Panayotopoulou perceives to be the cynicism of contemporary cinema. Hopefully those optimistic that the skilled filmmaker has perfected her craft during the eleven-year hiatus will be rewarded by this promising sophomore feature – it certainly appears to be the case with solid grades from THR and Screen Daily in Karlovy Vary.
The Gist: Anna, a taciturn 30-something, lives in a small flat with her dog Manu, who means everything to her. After a distressing incident which disrupts her carefully guarded, secluded life, Anna attaches herself to the family of Sofia, a happily married woman and mother of two children.
- 9/2/2013
- by Caitlin Coder
- IONCINEMA.com
Kirk Douglas movies: The Theater of Larger Than Life Performances Kirk Douglas, a three-time Best Actor Academy Award nominee and one of the top Hollywood stars of the ’50s, is Turner Classic Movies’ "Summer Under the Stars" featured star today, August 30, 2013. Although an undeniably strong screen presence, no one could ever accuse Douglas of having been a subtle, believable actor. In fact, even if you were to place side by side all of the widescreen formats ever created, they couldn’t possibly be wide enough to contain his larger-than-life theatrical emoting. (Photo: Kirk Douglas ca. 1950.) Right now, TCM is showing Andrew V. McLaglen’s 1967 Western The Way West, a routine tale about settlers in the Old American Northwest that remains of interest solely due to its name cast. Besides Douglas, The Way West features Robert Mitchum, Richard Widmark, Lola Albright, and 21-year-old Sally Field in her The Flying Nun days.
- 8/30/2013
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
The Toronto International Film Festival® has announced the addition of 3 Galas and 19 Special Presentations to the 2013 Festival programme, including a further 12 World Premieres. Representing countries from around the world, the Gala and Special Presentations programmes offer a lineup of diverse titles and genres.
Toronto audiences will be among the first to screen films by directors Fred Schepisi, Alberto Arvelo, Reha Erdem, Dexter Fletcher, Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland, Megan Griffiths, Arnaud Larrieu and Jean-Marie Larrieu, Kevin Macdonald, Arie Posin, Charlie Stratton, Nils Tavernier and John Turturro.
The 38th Toronto International Film Festival runs September 5 to 15, 2013.
Galas Blood Ties
Guillaume Canet, France/USA North American Premiere
New York, 1974. 50-year-old Chris has just been released on good behavior after spending several years in prison. Waiting for him reluctantly outside the prison gates is his younger brother, Frank, a cop with a bright future. Chris and Frank have always been different, yet blood...
Toronto audiences will be among the first to screen films by directors Fred Schepisi, Alberto Arvelo, Reha Erdem, Dexter Fletcher, Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland, Megan Griffiths, Arnaud Larrieu and Jean-Marie Larrieu, Kevin Macdonald, Arie Posin, Charlie Stratton, Nils Tavernier and John Turturro.
The 38th Toronto International Film Festival runs September 5 to 15, 2013.
Galas Blood Ties
Guillaume Canet, France/USA North American Premiere
New York, 1974. 50-year-old Chris has just been released on good behavior after spending several years in prison. Waiting for him reluctantly outside the prison gates is his younger brother, Frank, a cop with a bright future. Chris and Frank have always been different, yet blood...
- 8/17/2013
- by John
- SoundOnSight
Will an NCIS love’s exit rock Tony’s world? How might the NCIS: La premiere torture fans? What loco antics has the New Girl gotten herself into? What aims The Flash at Arrow‘s world? Read on for answers to those questions plus teases from other shows.
Related | NCIS Boss on Cote de Pablo’s Surprising Decision (‘I Really Wasn’t Planning for This’), Hints at ‘Romantic’ Exit Story
On NCIS, do you think “Tiva” will be together in the end? Or do you think it’ll be a kiss and then she leaves? I don’t think...
Related | NCIS Boss on Cote de Pablo’s Surprising Decision (‘I Really Wasn’t Planning for This’), Hints at ‘Romantic’ Exit Story
On NCIS, do you think “Tiva” will be together in the end? Or do you think it’ll be a kiss and then she leaves? I don’t think...
- 8/1/2013
- by Matt Webb Mitovich
- TVLine.com
With each passing year, Tiff is becoming more and more prominent on the film festival circuit, with more and more Oscar-primed films making their debut out in Canada. And with the initial line-up announced for the 2013 Toronto International Film Festival, the trend is definitely continuing.
Amongst the many, many films making their presence felt out in Toronto will be Steve McQueen’s highly anticipated 12 Years a Slave, which launched a powerful first trailer earlier in the month. The film sees Chiwetel Ejiofor lead a fantastic cast, with Michael Fassbender returning to work for his Hunger / Shame director, alongside the likes of Brad Pitt, Benedict Cumberbatch, Sarah Paulson, Paul Giamatti, and many more.
Opening the festival will be Bill Condon’s The Fifth Estate, which stars Benedict Cumberbatch as WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange, alongside Daniel Brühl, Laura Linney, Anthony Mackie, and Stanley Tucci.
And closing it will be Daniel Schechter’s Life of Crime,...
Amongst the many, many films making their presence felt out in Toronto will be Steve McQueen’s highly anticipated 12 Years a Slave, which launched a powerful first trailer earlier in the month. The film sees Chiwetel Ejiofor lead a fantastic cast, with Michael Fassbender returning to work for his Hunger / Shame director, alongside the likes of Brad Pitt, Benedict Cumberbatch, Sarah Paulson, Paul Giamatti, and many more.
Opening the festival will be Bill Condon’s The Fifth Estate, which stars Benedict Cumberbatch as WikiLeaks founder, Julian Assange, alongside Daniel Brühl, Laura Linney, Anthony Mackie, and Stanley Tucci.
And closing it will be Daniel Schechter’s Life of Crime,...
- 7/24/2013
- by Kenji Lloyd
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
The 48th edition of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (Kviff) came to a close in the Bohemian town of the same name this weekend, with Hungarian WWII tale "Le Grand Cahier," based on the bestseller "The Notebook" from Agota Kristof, taking the Crystal Globe for best feature. The competition jury, presided over by Polish director Agnieszka Holland ("In Darkness," episodes of "Treme," "The Wire" and "The Killing") and also including Tribeca Artistic Director Frédéric Boyer, awarded Ben Wheatley's black-and-white oddity "A Field in England" their Special Jury Prize, while U.S. indie "Bluebird" from Lance Edmands, which premiered at Tribeca, walked away with a shared Best Actress award. Local arthouse veteran Jan Hrebejk, whose "Divided We Fall" was nominated for an Oscar in 2001, won Best Director for his latest film, "Honeymoon," which stars his regular lead actress Anna Geislerova as a bride who discovers an ugly episode in...
- 7/8/2013
- by Boyd van Hoeij
- Indiewire
“First world problems” as they’ve become popularly termed, are the issues that come with living in a wealthy, industrial state where your real problems are so distant that you’ve basically had to invent problems, ones which those living in the third would would surely be desperate to have.
When you’re financially comfortable and have a roof over your head, it’s human nature to essentially create new problems for yourself rather than just enjoy the comfort you have, because we as human beings are never truly happy and satisfied, are we now?
This transpires through to the movie world; for every first world problem, there is a movie prepared to indulge that middle-to-upper-class fancy, and support the notion that these problems – usually existential – are a quandary worth exploring. It couldn’t possibly be that these self-entitled folk just need a slap around the face and a little perspective now,...
When you’re financially comfortable and have a roof over your head, it’s human nature to essentially create new problems for yourself rather than just enjoy the comfort you have, because we as human beings are never truly happy and satisfied, are we now?
This transpires through to the movie world; for every first world problem, there is a movie prepared to indulge that middle-to-upper-class fancy, and support the notion that these problems – usually existential – are a quandary worth exploring. It couldn’t possibly be that these self-entitled folk just need a slap around the face and a little perspective now,...
- 7/6/2013
- by Shaun Munro
- Obsessed with Film
Ben Wheatley’s A Field In England is to receive its first screening at the 48th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival as one of the 14 titles in Competition.
The psychedelic horror film, set during the English Civil War in the mid-17th century, will screen at the festival in the Czech Republic on July 4.
As previously reported, it will be the first UK film to be released simultaneously in cinemas, on DVD, free TV and VoD. This will take place on July 5.
Scroll down for full line-up
The main section of Karlovy Vary will include a further six world and seven international premieres, with new films from six returning directors – two of whom have already won Crystal Globes for Best Film at the festival in recent years.
Krzysztof Krauze and Joanna Kos-Krauze, who won at Kviff in 2005 with My Nikifor, will compete for the third time with the story of Papusza, the first Roma...
The psychedelic horror film, set during the English Civil War in the mid-17th century, will screen at the festival in the Czech Republic on July 4.
As previously reported, it will be the first UK film to be released simultaneously in cinemas, on DVD, free TV and VoD. This will take place on July 5.
Scroll down for full line-up
The main section of Karlovy Vary will include a further six world and seven international premieres, with new films from six returning directors – two of whom have already won Crystal Globes for Best Film at the festival in recent years.
Krzysztof Krauze and Joanna Kos-Krauze, who won at Kviff in 2005 with My Nikifor, will compete for the third time with the story of Papusza, the first Roma...
- 6/4/2013
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
Contributed by Jim Batts, Tom Stockman, Ken Parker, Melissa Thompson and Michelle McCue
On Oscar Sunday the great and good of the silver screen will assemble at the Dolby Theatre for the 85th Academy Awards. This year’s extravaganza will surely be a night to remember.
With it being the biggest event in movie geekdom, the Wamg crew came up with their own Oscar predictions. Some of the categories there was a consensus on, while others we were divided.
Throughout the awards season, frontrunners jockeyed for position, all hoping to head into Sunday’s ceremony as the favorite to take home gold.
Best motion picture of the year
“Amour” (Sony Pictures Classics) “Argo” (Warner Bros.) Jim, Tom, Ken, Michelle “Beasts of the Southern Wild” (Fox Searchlight) “Django Unchained” (The Weinstein Company) “Les Misérables” (Universal) Melissa “Life of Pi” (20th Century Fox) “Lincoln” (Walt Disney/20th Century Fox) “Silver Linings Playbook...
On Oscar Sunday the great and good of the silver screen will assemble at the Dolby Theatre for the 85th Academy Awards. This year’s extravaganza will surely be a night to remember.
With it being the biggest event in movie geekdom, the Wamg crew came up with their own Oscar predictions. Some of the categories there was a consensus on, while others we were divided.
Throughout the awards season, frontrunners jockeyed for position, all hoping to head into Sunday’s ceremony as the favorite to take home gold.
Best motion picture of the year
“Amour” (Sony Pictures Classics) “Argo” (Warner Bros.) Jim, Tom, Ken, Michelle “Beasts of the Southern Wild” (Fox Searchlight) “Django Unchained” (The Weinstein Company) “Les Misérables” (Universal) Melissa “Life of Pi” (20th Century Fox) “Lincoln” (Walt Disney/20th Century Fox) “Silver Linings Playbook...
- 2/23/2013
- by Movie Geeks
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
On TV this Monday: A General Hospital sweetheart returns to the fold, Bones has a mother of a bad night, 2 Broke Girls fly high and Firefly faves are all over the 10 o’clock hour. As a supplement to TVLine’s original features (linked within), here are 12 programs to keep on your radar.
2 pm General Hospital (ABC) | Laura’s back! Genie Francis returns to her daytime digs, so Anna? Tracy? You might wanna find someone else to fill your dance card for a while, because we have a feeling Luke’s will be otherwise occupied…
Related | Renewal Scorecard: What’s Coming Back?...
2 pm General Hospital (ABC) | Laura’s back! Genie Francis returns to her daytime digs, so Anna? Tracy? You might wanna find someone else to fill your dance card for a while, because we have a feeling Luke’s will be otherwise occupied…
Related | Renewal Scorecard: What’s Coming Back?...
- 2/11/2013
- by Kimberly Roots
- TVLine.com
Starring Genie award winner John Savage (The Deer Hunter, Godfather III), Independent Spirit nominee and Saturn award winner Ed Furlong (American History X, Terminator II), SAG nominee Stelio Savante (A Million Colours, Ugly Betty, My Super Ex Girlfriend) , Young Artist Award winner Julianne Michelle (Apartment 1303 3-D, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, Shannon’s Rainbow), Golden Globe nominee Steven Bauer (Scarface, Traffic), Oscar Nominee Sally Kirkland (Anna, JFK, Bruce Almighty) and Bryan Dechart (Jane By Design) and Sean Stone (Savages) The Awakened tells the story of a young woman (Julianne Michelle) who returns home after 14 years to unravel the mystery and discover the truth about her mother’s death…
A young woman Samantha Winston (Julianne Michelle) returns home after 14 years to unravel the mystery and discover the truth about her mother’s death. She suspects her father (John Savage) and seeks guidance and answers from her mother’s close friend...
A young woman Samantha Winston (Julianne Michelle) returns home after 14 years to unravel the mystery and discover the truth about her mother’s death. She suspects her father (John Savage) and seeks guidance and answers from her mother’s close friend...
- 1/16/2013
- by Phil
- Nerdly
"Downton Abbey" returned with a mother-in-law, a wedding and financial troubles for the Crawley family. If you'd like our thoughts on the premiere of Season 3, check them out here from when it premiered in the U.K.
Instead of a recap, we've brought you the very best tweets from around the Twitterverse while the premiere aired. Enjoy!
Episode 1
"I'm in a First Line of Downton Abbey Pool. If it's "Get your own f***ing tea" I win $30!" - Seth Meyers"Anybody know what channel that program Down Town Abby is on tonight? (Now look at my @ replies)" - Eric Stonestreet"Laura Linney is the #gossipgirl of #DowntonAbbey #DowntonPBS" -- Scott Rising"Ok, time for the best guilty pleasure on TV - "Downton Abbey." And hopefully the play-by-play commentary on Twitter from @pattonoswalt" -- Michael Moore"Hmmm, new footman may be afoot.... #DowntonPBS" -- Lawrence Library"I sort of wish that...
Instead of a recap, we've brought you the very best tweets from around the Twitterverse while the premiere aired. Enjoy!
Episode 1
"I'm in a First Line of Downton Abbey Pool. If it's "Get your own f***ing tea" I win $30!" - Seth Meyers"Anybody know what channel that program Down Town Abby is on tonight? (Now look at my @ replies)" - Eric Stonestreet"Laura Linney is the #gossipgirl of #DowntonAbbey #DowntonPBS" -- Scott Rising"Ok, time for the best guilty pleasure on TV - "Downton Abbey." And hopefully the play-by-play commentary on Twitter from @pattonoswalt" -- Michael Moore"Hmmm, new footman may be afoot.... #DowntonPBS" -- Lawrence Library"I sort of wish that...
- 1/7/2013
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Zap2It - From Inside the Box
Veteran Oscar nominated actress Sally Kirkland (Anna) stars in Broken Roads, an affecting family drama that suffers from over-indulgence on the part of its feature debuting director/writer Justin Chambers. What might have made a strong Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation has here been unaccountably stretched out to a punishing two-and-a-half hour length. That the actors shout a good portion of the dialogue only adds to the overwrought atmosphere. The story begins with 17-year-old Aldo (Aidan Bristow) suffering a car crash that kills his mother. The grief-stricken teen is thus forced to move to
read more...
read more...
- 12/17/2012
- by Frank Scheck
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Like we told you back in June, Walt Disney Animation Studios’ 53rd full-length animated feature, Frozen is slated to hit the big screen on November 27th, 2013.
With option to co-direct and help assist the film Disney brought Wreck-It Ralph‘s scribe Jennifer Lee. Now, the latest round of concept art by Jim Finn has made its way online, giving us our first glimpse at the snowy environment along with our first colored look at two main characters, kind-hearted Anna and her cliffhanging friend Kristoff.
In this variation on the classic children’s tale ‘The Snow Queen’, Anna (voiced by Kristen Bell) and Kristoff (whose voice actor hasn’t been revealed yet) venture into the mountains to find her older sister Elsa (Idina Menzel) — who has the power to control wind and ice.
Since the author of ‘The Snow Queen’ source material was Danish writer Hans Christian Andersen, there’s a...
With option to co-direct and help assist the film Disney brought Wreck-It Ralph‘s scribe Jennifer Lee. Now, the latest round of concept art by Jim Finn has made its way online, giving us our first glimpse at the snowy environment along with our first colored look at two main characters, kind-hearted Anna and her cliffhanging friend Kristoff.
In this variation on the classic children’s tale ‘The Snow Queen’, Anna (voiced by Kristen Bell) and Kristoff (whose voice actor hasn’t been revealed yet) venture into the mountains to find her older sister Elsa (Idina Menzel) — who has the power to control wind and ice.
Since the author of ‘The Snow Queen’ source material was Danish writer Hans Christian Andersen, there’s a...
- 12/14/2012
- by Nick Martin
- Filmofilia
You might have to grab a jacket for this first look. Disney Animation has unveiled a photo from Frozen, the new animation musical starring Kristen Bell and Idina Menzel in singing roles. This is the back-from-the-dead "comedy adventure" Snow Queen project, being directed by Chris Buck (Surf's Up, Tarzan) and Jennifer Lee. EW.com has debuted the first bit of artwork by Jim Finn featuring Anna (Bell) in the winter wasteland created by her Snow Queen sister Elsa. "The unnatural quality of the ice emphasizes this is not, you know, sky-made ice, but ice made by someone," says Lee. I really want to see more from this already. "This is her sister's magic. Elsa created this winter storm and ice formation," reveals director Chris Buck. "We love the power of it, and yet there's a magical quality to it also." "We wanted to push it to the extreme." Update: Full-size...
- 12/13/2012
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Starring Genie award winner John Savage (The Deer Hunter, Godfather III), Independent Spirit nominee and Saturn award winner Ed Furlong (American History X, Terminator II), SAG nominee Stelio Savante (A Million Colours, Ugly Betty, My Super Ex Girlfriend) , Young Artist Award winner Julianne Michelle (Apartment 1303 3-D, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, Shannon’s Rainbow), Golden Globe nominee Steven Bauer (Scarface, Traffic), Oscar Nominee Sally Kirkland (Anna, JFK, Bruce Almighty) and Bryan Dechart (Jane By Design) and Sean Stone (Savages) The Awakened tells the story of a young woman (Julianne Michelle) who returns home after 14 years to unravel the mystery and discover the truth about her mother’s death…
A young woman Samantha Winston (Julianne Michelle) returns home after 14 years to unravel the mystery and discover the truth about her mother’s death. She suspects her father (John Savage) and seeks guidance and answers from her mother’s close friend...
A young woman Samantha Winston (Julianne Michelle) returns home after 14 years to unravel the mystery and discover the truth about her mother’s death. She suspects her father (John Savage) and seeks guidance and answers from her mother’s close friend...
- 10/1/2012
- by Phil
- Nerdly
Sometimes movie publicists are telepathic. Last week I was thinking about The Hamptons and how it's weird that I've never been but I'm so eager to spend every weekend there this fall shivering from the icy cold glares of Victoria Grayson and Emily Thorne (Revenge returns Sunday night ~Holla). Then a friend who had never seen Scarface (1983) sent me a text that was basically like “Steven Bauer ♥ omg!” to which I responded with a “Queue Thief of Hearts - it's pure Bauer Porn." Last but not least, I was wondering which celebs I should invite as future guest stars and my mind wandered to Sally Kirkland, star of Anna (1986), for which she won the Golden Globe, an Independent Spirit and the Heart of Me.
All of these things were jostling for attention in my crowded celluloid packed-brain for the past few days when what should arrive in my inbox but...
All of these things were jostling for attention in my crowded celluloid packed-brain for the past few days when what should arrive in my inbox but...
- 9/27/2012
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
At the beginning of the month we brought you news on a new psychological thriller The Awakened, written and produced by Joycelyn Engle and directed by Arno Malarone, which is currently filming in the Hamptons; and now we have the first images from the film (click to enlarge):
Starring Genie award winner John Savage (The Deer Hunter, Godfather III), Independent Spirit nominee and Saturn award winner Ed Furlong (American History X, Terminator II), SAG nominee Stelio Savante (A Million Colours, Ugly Betty, My Super Ex Girlfriend) , Young Artist Award winner Julianne Michelle (Apartment 1303 3-D, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, Shannon’s Rainbow), Golden Globe nominee Steven Bauer (Scarface, Traffic), Oscar Nominee Sally Kirkland (Anna, JFK, Bruce Almighty) and Bryan Dechart (Jane By Design) and Sean Stone (Savages) the film tells the story of a young woman (Julianne Michelle) who returns home after 14 years to unravel the mystery and...
Starring Genie award winner John Savage (The Deer Hunter, Godfather III), Independent Spirit nominee and Saturn award winner Ed Furlong (American History X, Terminator II), SAG nominee Stelio Savante (A Million Colours, Ugly Betty, My Super Ex Girlfriend) , Young Artist Award winner Julianne Michelle (Apartment 1303 3-D, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, Shannon’s Rainbow), Golden Globe nominee Steven Bauer (Scarface, Traffic), Oscar Nominee Sally Kirkland (Anna, JFK, Bruce Almighty) and Bryan Dechart (Jane By Design) and Sean Stone (Savages) the film tells the story of a young woman (Julianne Michelle) who returns home after 14 years to unravel the mystery and...
- 9/25/2012
- by Phil
- Nerdly
Woody Allen’s next film, heretofore known as ‘Nero Fiddled’, was officially re-titled yesterday and given a new name that should see it resonate better in its international territories, and so from here on out we’ll know it as ‘To Rome With Love’.
We now have the first eleven images to share with you, some images of the film itself and others including Allen on set, as well as the full cast line-up (which is excellent) and the full soundtrack details (which are just a little bit impeccable).
The romantic-comedy is made up of four vignettes, two of which revolving around American characters and two around Italian characters, with the main cast including the likes of Allen himself, Alec Baldwin, Penélope Cruz, Ellen Page, Jesse Eisenberg, Roberto Benigni, Judy Davis, Greta Gerwig, and Alison Pill.
The newly re-titled To Rome With Love will open in Italy on 20th April...
We now have the first eleven images to share with you, some images of the film itself and others including Allen on set, as well as the full cast line-up (which is excellent) and the full soundtrack details (which are just a little bit impeccable).
The romantic-comedy is made up of four vignettes, two of which revolving around American characters and two around Italian characters, with the main cast including the likes of Allen himself, Alec Baldwin, Penélope Cruz, Ellen Page, Jesse Eisenberg, Roberto Benigni, Judy Davis, Greta Gerwig, and Alison Pill.
The newly re-titled To Rome With Love will open in Italy on 20th April...
- 3/20/2012
- by Kenji Lloyd
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Kirkland To Play Desperate Pizza Delivery Woman In New Movie
Award-winning movie and TV veteran Sally Kirkland has signed on to play a socialite-turned-desperate pizza delivery lady in new movie Alice Stands Up.
The Oscar-nominated Anna star, 70, will reteam with her African Chelsea director Brent Roske for the new film, in which she plays a well-to-do woman who discovers her life savings have gone due to a bad business deal set up by her late husband.
Her character has to deliver pizzas and work as a door-to-door saleswoman to make ends meet, while reconnecting with her estranged daughter and autistic son.
Kirkland tells WENN, "I laughed on almost every page. Brent pitched it to me as a drama but I think it's very, very funny. I'm so excited to get to work again with Brent. He's an actor's director and really lets you discover the scene and play."
And producer Shane Stanley is convinced the film will be a hit - because so many people have found themselves having to resort to desperate measures to survive the global economic crisis.
He adds, "The script is about people picking themselves up during tough times."...
The Oscar-nominated Anna star, 70, will reteam with her African Chelsea director Brent Roske for the new film, in which she plays a well-to-do woman who discovers her life savings have gone due to a bad business deal set up by her late husband.
Her character has to deliver pizzas and work as a door-to-door saleswoman to make ends meet, while reconnecting with her estranged daughter and autistic son.
Kirkland tells WENN, "I laughed on almost every page. Brent pitched it to me as a drama but I think it's very, very funny. I'm so excited to get to work again with Brent. He's an actor's director and really lets you discover the scene and play."
And producer Shane Stanley is convinced the film will be a hit - because so many people have found themselves having to resort to desperate measures to survive the global economic crisis.
He adds, "The script is about people picking themselves up during tough times."...
- 3/16/2012
- WENN
Put down those Pop Rocks and Diet Cokes. We’ve got some A-list myths to examine! Ahead of this Sunday’s Oscars, we’ll be taking a look at some of the most famous myths to rise out of the annual awards ceremony. Want to know if being nude will get you a Best Actress statue? Or if the Best Supporting Actress trophy is indeed a curse? You’re in luck – we’ll be investigating one Oscars-related urban legend each day this week. Today, we investigate one of the most common myths: Going nude will get you a Best Actress Oscar.
- 2/20/2012
- by Marc Snetiker
- EW.com - PopWatch
Last month we asked readers to rank all of Meryl Streep's Oscar nominated performances...
There were 16 of them when the polling began since The Iron Lady was still unseen by many and too fresh for retrospective rank as well. Here are the results in ascending order.
I've included comments on and from the ballots for extra flavor. You'll also find details and guesstimates about that year's Oscar voting though I'm sure you'll "correct" me if you have different ideas about how it all went down, won't you?
16. Music of the Heart (1999)
Role & Balloting: Streep's true story arts-friendly role about a violin teacher (yes, she learned the difficult instrument) is widely seen as her most obvious "default" nomination and though not everyone agrees with its low place in the Streep canon, it ended up in last place with Film Experience readers on 30% of the ballots. Quite a feat when you...
There were 16 of them when the polling began since The Iron Lady was still unseen by many and too fresh for retrospective rank as well. Here are the results in ascending order.
I've included comments on and from the ballots for extra flavor. You'll also find details and guesstimates about that year's Oscar voting though I'm sure you'll "correct" me if you have different ideas about how it all went down, won't you?
16. Music of the Heart (1999)
Role & Balloting: Streep's true story arts-friendly role about a violin teacher (yes, she learned the difficult instrument) is widely seen as her most obvious "default" nomination and though not everyone agrees with its low place in the Streep canon, it ended up in last place with Film Experience readers on 30% of the ballots. Quite a feat when you...
- 2/3/2012
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
Sally sings a lullaby she wrote in "African Chelsea"A confession: I've never been this caught up in the drama of the short film categories before. But this year I await Oscar's finalist list on pins and needles. At least four former Oscar players are involved in shorts from the long 70ish wide semi-finals list (the actual list has been hard to come by with no AMPAS press release detailing it). One of them is 80s nominee Sally Kirkland who I've always felt a certain kooky fondness for. She campaigned tirelessly for the actressy drama Anna back when campaigning wasn't so loudly expected of people. She was rewarded with a spot in the 1987 Best Actress list which turned out to be one of the greatest in Oscar's entire history. There's not a dud or even a "just good" performance in that shortlist; they're all freaking great. Sometimes you've got to...
- 12/12/2011
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
The charts have all been updated... I started with the Animation, Shorts and Doc page which never gets enough attention and on which you'll see a lot of new information. Short films are such a crucial building block for young filmmakers and an ideal experimental playground for established filmmakers. They never get enough attention. We haven't culled enough information yet on the live action shorts but we know of three in the mix that have qualified that all happen to star Oscar talent: Sailcloth has two time nominee John Hurt as a nursing home escapee, The Sea is All I Know has recent winner Melissa Leo as a grieving mom and African Chelsea has Sally Kirkland as the mother of an exotic dancer. (Full disclosure: African Chelsea is advertising on the sidebar even as you read this but our love for Kirkland long pre-dates advertisements. We first fell for...
- 11/21/2011
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
Alice Cooper to bring a little musical ambiance in Tim Burton's upcoming "Dark Shadows" remake. The veteran rocker, who just released a brand new album, "Welcome 2 My Nightmare," will be appearing in the "Alice in Wonderland" director's reboot of the gothic soap opera.
Cooper plays himself in the movie — which is set in 1972 — and he'll be performing the classic "No More Mr. Nice Guy" for his Collins party set. On rock, horror, and comedy, Cooper told the Los Angeles Times: "Tim Burton knows it so well. He’s one of a kind. He’s a kindred spirit."
There's a lot of horror happening at Santa Monica's American Film Market (Afm) this week — which means there's a lot of wheelin' and dealin' for new projects in the pipeline that want to get made. See what new terror tales are being previewed this week, and catch up on other horror bites past the break.
Cooper plays himself in the movie — which is set in 1972 — and he'll be performing the classic "No More Mr. Nice Guy" for his Collins party set. On rock, horror, and comedy, Cooper told the Los Angeles Times: "Tim Burton knows it so well. He’s one of a kind. He’s a kindred spirit."
There's a lot of horror happening at Santa Monica's American Film Market (Afm) this week — which means there's a lot of wheelin' and dealin' for new projects in the pipeline that want to get made. See what new terror tales are being previewed this week, and catch up on other horror bites past the break.
- 11/3/2011
- by Alison Nastasi
- MTV Movies Blog
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