Jia Zhangke’s is often a cinema of déjà vu: “We’re again in the northern Chinese city of Datong,” Giovanni Marchini Camia wrote for Sight and Sound back in 2019, “it’s again the start of the new millennium, Qiao is again dating a mobster, yet no one else makes a reappearance and there are enough differences to signal that this isn’t a sequel or remake.” Camia was writing about Ash Is Purest White yet much of the same could be said for Caught by the Tides, the director’s latest experiment in plundering his archive––indeed his memories––and spinning what he finds into something new. The protagonist of Tides is again named Qiao and is again played by Zhao Tao, appearing here in more than 20 years of the director’s footage and allowing the viewer to watch that singular creative partnership evolve in real time––one of...
- 5/20/2024
- by Rory O'Connor
- The Film Stage
The Chinese title of Jia Zhangke’s mesmerizing “Caught by the Tides,” a masterfully poetic and pioneering fusion of the old and the new, can be translated in several ways. Jia himself suggests “The Drifting Generation,” but it can also mean “The Romantic Generation” with the etymology of “romantic” lying in the Chinese words for wind and current. The restless motion of the natural world is certainly captured in the English title’s reference to an ocean’s ebb and flow. But what that version cannot adequately convey is the airiness and the yearning that Jia whips in to “Caught by the Tides” — quite miraculously considering he is largely working with repurposed footage from across the last 23 years of his justly celebrated career.
Loosely speaking a love story, “Tides” is also perhaps the most definitive national portrait that Jia, modern China’s foremost cinematic chronicler, has ever delivered. This is...
Loosely speaking a love story, “Tides” is also perhaps the most definitive national portrait that Jia, modern China’s foremost cinematic chronicler, has ever delivered. This is...
- 5/18/2024
- by Jessica Kiang
- Variety Film + TV
A searching and scattershot portrait of displacement that’s as likely to resonate with Jia Zhang-ke devotees as it is to mystify those who are new to his work, “Caught by the Tides” finds the Chinese auteur returning the most pivotal characters and locations that have defined his movies over the last two decades. Then again, perhaps it would be more accurate to say that he never left them.
Tracing the faintest contours of a scripted love story around the scaffolding of some documentary footage that Jia has collected over the course of 22 years, this elusive chimera of a film strains to literalize the delicate relationship between time and memory — a theme that has become increasingly central to the director’s work since the Three Gorges Dam was constructed in 2006 (see: “Still Life”), submerging 13 entire cities and forever displacing the millions of people who once lived in them. Here, even...
Tracing the faintest contours of a scripted love story around the scaffolding of some documentary footage that Jia has collected over the course of 22 years, this elusive chimera of a film strains to literalize the delicate relationship between time and memory — a theme that has become increasingly central to the director’s work since the Three Gorges Dam was constructed in 2006 (see: “Still Life”), submerging 13 entire cities and forever displacing the millions of people who once lived in them. Here, even...
- 5/18/2024
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
Rm’s solo album Right Place, Wrong Person is just one week away. On Friday, the BTS star’s team revealed the names of the 11 tracks included on his project, with songs featuring Little Simz and Moses Sumney.
Army was able to reveal the track titles — songs such as Nuts,” “Out of Love,” “Groin,” and Lost! — by completing a digital puzzle on Rm’s website. Little Simz is featured on Track 4, “Domdachi,” while Moses Sumney joins Rm on “Around the World in One Day.”
“Right Place, Wrong Person embodies facets...
Army was able to reveal the track titles — songs such as Nuts,” “Out of Love,” “Groin,” and Lost! — by completing a digital puzzle on Rm’s website. Little Simz is featured on Track 4, “Domdachi,” while Moses Sumney joins Rm on “Around the World in One Day.”
“Right Place, Wrong Person embodies facets...
- 5/17/2024
- by Tomás Mier
- Rollingstone.com
BTS member Rm has dropped a new single, “Come Back To Me,” alongside a music video for the track. The song previews the singer’s forthcoming solo album, Right Place, Wrong Person, out May 24.
Rm first revealed “Come Back To Me” last summer with a surprise performance at BTS bandmate Suga’s encore concert in Seoul. At the time, he introduced the track as one of his favorites from his new project despite not yet having a title. Rm wrote the lyrics for the song, while Ohhyuk from South Korean...
Rm first revealed “Come Back To Me” last summer with a surprise performance at BTS bandmate Suga’s encore concert in Seoul. At the time, he introduced the track as one of his favorites from his new project despite not yet having a title. Rm wrote the lyrics for the song, while Ohhyuk from South Korean...
- 5/10/2024
- by Emily Zemler
- Rollingstone.com
China- and Netherlands-based sales firm Fortissimo Films has picked up the international rights to new Chinese sports feature film “Wild Punch.” It will launch the film in territories outside mainland China next week at the Cannes Market.
Co-directed by well-established director Yu Lik-wai and Wang Jing (“The Best Is Yet to Come”), “Wild Punch is a sports and action drama about a top mixed martial arts athlete who has passed the peak of his career and faces competition from his young and gifted trainee. Both with something to prove, the two will have to face each other in the ring.
Yu has directed four feature films, including Cannes competition title “Love Will Tear Us Apart” and Venice title “Plastic City.” He is also well-established as a cinematographer who has worked on films including “Still Life,” “A Touch of Sin,” and “Mountains May Depart” by Jia Zhangke, Lou Ye’s “Love...
Co-directed by well-established director Yu Lik-wai and Wang Jing (“The Best Is Yet to Come”), “Wild Punch is a sports and action drama about a top mixed martial arts athlete who has passed the peak of his career and faces competition from his young and gifted trainee. Both with something to prove, the two will have to face each other in the ring.
Yu has directed four feature films, including Cannes competition title “Love Will Tear Us Apart” and Venice title “Plastic City.” He is also well-established as a cinematographer who has worked on films including “Still Life,” “A Touch of Sin,” and “Mountains May Depart” by Jia Zhangke, Lou Ye’s “Love...
- 5/6/2024
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Uberto Pasolini, who wrote and directed the James Norton-starring Nowhere Special that opened this weekend, says, rightfully, the film’s power emanates from the tangible bond you feel between father and son. Norton – the BAFTA-nominated British actor (Bob Marley: One Love, Little Women, Happy Valley) – is John a 35-year old window washer and single father to four-year old Michael (BIFA-nominated Daniel Lamot). John has been diagnosed with a terminal illness and is on a quest to place his son in a loving home.
Norton “understood that the film lived or died — would have lived or died — on the relationship and on the connection between the two. And so he came over to Belfast before we started shooting and spent an enormous amount of time with the family, with the boy himself. Sitting down on the floor of Daniel’s room and playing with his toys and going out for chicken nuggets,...
Norton “understood that the film lived or died — would have lived or died — on the relationship and on the connection between the two. And so he came over to Belfast before we started shooting and spent an enormous amount of time with the family, with the boy himself. Sitting down on the floor of Daniel’s room and playing with his toys and going out for chicken nuggets,...
- 4/28/2024
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
There’s a nice trio of specialty films to highlight this weekend from Joanna Arnow, Uberto Pasolini and Caitlin Cronenberg’s feature directorial debut.
Joanna Arnow’s micro-budget comedy The Feeling That The Time For Doing Something Has Passed world premiered in Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight. It follows a thirtysomething New York woman as time passes in her long-term casual Bdsm relationship, low-level corporate job, and quarrelsome Jewish family. Arnow writes, directs and stars. And that’s Bdsm, as in bondage and discipline, dominance and submission, sadism and masochism.
The helmer is thrilled to see her feature (after 2017’s i hate myself :), and a handful of well-received shorts) launch a theatrical run, with Magnolia distributing. “That’s how I dream of my movies being seen,” Arnow tells Deadline. “It’s also so important to see comedies (on the big screen) Shared laughter with strangers is quite beautiful and healing in a way.
Joanna Arnow’s micro-budget comedy The Feeling That The Time For Doing Something Has Passed world premiered in Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight. It follows a thirtysomething New York woman as time passes in her long-term casual Bdsm relationship, low-level corporate job, and quarrelsome Jewish family. Arnow writes, directs and stars. And that’s Bdsm, as in bondage and discipline, dominance and submission, sadism and masochism.
The helmer is thrilled to see her feature (after 2017’s i hate myself :), and a handful of well-received shorts) launch a theatrical run, with Magnolia distributing. “That’s how I dream of my movies being seen,” Arnow tells Deadline. “It’s also so important to see comedies (on the big screen) Shared laughter with strangers is quite beautiful and healing in a way.
- 4/26/2024
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
Uberto Pasolini’s “Nowhere Special” is delicately tinted by profound shades of imminent grief. As a 35-year-old, terminally ill single father in Northern Ireland, John (a quietly powerful James Norton) grieves his impending demise and the inevitable fact that he will vacate his four-year-old son Michael’s (Daniel Lamont) life permanently and prematurely. A Belfast window washer, John sees the reflections of his grief everywhere as he scrubs and shines surface after surface. In one scene, it’s the headstones on display in the window of a funeral parlor. In another, it’s a dad happily picking up his baby inside a restaurant. That’s just John’s every day on the other side of a glass facade, with stark glimpses into what’s coming and what he will soon lose.
Meanwhile, his often silent and always observant toddler Michael deals with his own share of grief, at an age...
Meanwhile, his often silent and always observant toddler Michael deals with his own share of grief, at an age...
- 4/25/2024
- by Tomris Laffly
- Variety Film + TV
Despite stepping away from performing together to complete their military duties, the boys of BTS are finding ways to keep their fans connected through their music. On Thursday, BTS’ label Bighit Music announced that it’ll be releasing BTS leader Rm’s 11-track album Right Place, Wrong Person on May 24, marking his second solo album release.
“Right Place, Wrong Person embodies facets of Rm as a solo artist, distinct from albums released under BTS,” said BigHit Music in a statement. “[We] would appreciate the attention and support from many for this...
“Right Place, Wrong Person embodies facets of Rm as a solo artist, distinct from albums released under BTS,” said BigHit Music in a statement. “[We] would appreciate the attention and support from many for this...
- 4/25/2024
- by Tomás Mier
- Rollingstone.com
Jia Zhangke on Experimenting With AI for Cannes Entry ‘Caught by the Tides,’ Respecting the Audience
Sporting a warm smile and a pair of sunglasses – “Sorry, I’ve been busy editing and my eyes hurt,” he explained – one of China’s leading indie directors Jia Zhangke, whose upcoming film “Caught by the Tides” will be vying for the Palme d’or in Cannes next month, was guest of honor at the 55th edition of Swiss doc festival Visions du Réel this week.
Finished just in time for submission to Cannes, the film features his wife Zhao Tao, his muse over the last two decades, and tells the story of a couple spanning 20 years. (Jia previously spoke with Variety about the film in February when it still went under the working title “We Shall Be All.”)
Explaining how the pandemic gave him the opportunity to review his footage all the way back to 2001, he described his new film as “a concentration of 20 years’ experience,” which blends footage...
Finished just in time for submission to Cannes, the film features his wife Zhao Tao, his muse over the last two decades, and tells the story of a couple spanning 20 years. (Jia previously spoke with Variety about the film in February when it still went under the working title “We Shall Be All.”)
Explaining how the pandemic gave him the opportunity to review his footage all the way back to 2001, he described his new film as “a concentration of 20 years’ experience,” which blends footage...
- 4/19/2024
- by Lise Pedersen
- Variety Film + TV
Six 8mm shorts by Bill Douglas were shown at the opening Gala of 2024's Glasgow Short Film Festival. Many had not been seen since the late 1960s when they were made, though clips from some do appear in Bill Douglas: My Best Friend.
Though Bill Douglas would argue that Come Dancing was his first 'proper' film there's so much of his later work in Still Life that the counter might need set back. Based on a story of Peter Jewell's about a visit to the house of a woman that died intestate, this is an abstract, experimental piece, telling story through objects and allusion. There are some moments of motion among its tableaux vivant but a sequence of photographs is a masterclass in montage, not just editorially but in composition. Never did a doily indicate such doom, nor the vain hope of a banner on a Coronation mug convey such gloom.
Though Bill Douglas would argue that Come Dancing was his first 'proper' film there's so much of his later work in Still Life that the counter might need set back. Based on a story of Peter Jewell's about a visit to the house of a woman that died intestate, this is an abstract, experimental piece, telling story through objects and allusion. There are some moments of motion among its tableaux vivant but a sequence of photographs is a masterclass in montage, not just editorially but in composition. Never did a doily indicate such doom, nor the vain hope of a banner on a Coronation mug convey such gloom.
- 3/22/2024
- by Andrew Robertson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Exclusive: Nowhere Special by director Uberto Pasolini, and starring James Norton, is set for theatrical release on April 26.
The film from Cohen Media Group had its World Premiere at the Venice Film Festival in 2020 and comes back around after Norton’s recent appearance as Chris Blackwell in box office hit One Love, the Jamaican-British record producer who introduced Bob Marley and the Wailers to international stardom.
In Nowhere Special, Norton stars as John, a 35-year-old window cleaner who has dedicated his life to bringing up his young son Michael after the child’s mother abandoned them soon after giving birth. When John is given only a few months left to live, he attempts to find a new, perfect family for Michael, determined to shield him from the terrible reality of the situation. Although initially certain of what he is looking for,...
The film from Cohen Media Group had its World Premiere at the Venice Film Festival in 2020 and comes back around after Norton’s recent appearance as Chris Blackwell in box office hit One Love, the Jamaican-British record producer who introduced Bob Marley and the Wailers to international stardom.
In Nowhere Special, Norton stars as John, a 35-year-old window cleaner who has dedicated his life to bringing up his young son Michael after the child’s mother abandoned them soon after giving birth. When John is given only a few months left to live, he attempts to find a new, perfect family for Michael, determined to shield him from the terrible reality of the situation. Although initially certain of what he is looking for,...
- 3/13/2024
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
Chinese filmmaker Jia Zhangke, who “humanizes China’s modern history – and turns it into poetry,” according to one critic, will be the guest of honor at Visions du Réel. The documentary film festival’s 55th edition runs April 12-21 in Nyon, Switzerland.
Jia, a leading figure in independent Chinese cinema, will present a masterclass exploring his body of work, and a retrospective of his films will run throughout the edition. The tribute is made possible thanks to the collaboration with the Cinémathèque suisse and Ecal, the university of art and design in Lausanne.
“Since the outbreak of Covid-19, I haven’t left China for almost four years,” Jia said. “I feel like embracing the world again, as excited as a child about to go on a long trip for the first time. I am heading to Nyon for cinema that reveals the world as it really is.”
Jia belongs to...
Jia, a leading figure in independent Chinese cinema, will present a masterclass exploring his body of work, and a retrospective of his films will run throughout the edition. The tribute is made possible thanks to the collaboration with the Cinémathèque suisse and Ecal, the university of art and design in Lausanne.
“Since the outbreak of Covid-19, I haven’t left China for almost four years,” Jia said. “I feel like embracing the world again, as excited as a child about to go on a long trip for the first time. I am heading to Nyon for cinema that reveals the world as it really is.”
Jia belongs to...
- 1/18/2024
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Chinese filmmaker Jia Zhangke is set to receive an honorary award at the 55th edition of documentary festival Visions du Reel, taking place in Nyon, Switzerland from April 12-21.
Jia will attend the festival in person, marking his first visit to Europe since the outbreak of Covid-19 in 2020, and is set to present a masterclass exploring how his work explores the history of China and its people.
The festival will host a retrospective of Jia’s work, which has included Still Life, which won the Golden Lion at Venice in 2006, and A Touch Of Sin, which won best screenplay at...
Jia will attend the festival in person, marking his first visit to Europe since the outbreak of Covid-19 in 2020, and is set to present a masterclass exploring how his work explores the history of China and its people.
The festival will host a retrospective of Jia’s work, which has included Still Life, which won the Golden Lion at Venice in 2006, and A Touch Of Sin, which won best screenplay at...
- 1/18/2024
- ScreenDaily
"A family is haunted by what appears to be the ghost of their youngest daughter. Now they must try to figure out why she is trying to communicate with them and if it's really her." From writer Katski Flores (Still Life) and Filipino director Erik Matti (On the Job), The Entity will be released on digital later this month and we have an exclusive look at the brand-new poster for the upcoming film.
Starring Sharon Cuneta, John Arcilla, Kent Gonzales, Pam Gonzales, Guila Alvarez, and Coohleene Cabasag, The Entity will be available on August 22nd on digital platforms, including Apple TV, Prime Video, Vudu, Google Play, and DirecTV. Take a look at the poster below and we also a look at the trailer that was exclusively shared by Bloody Disgusting yesterday.
Trailer via Bloody Disgusting:
The post Exclusive Poster Reveal: “Darkness Will Test the Strenth of This Family” in The...
Starring Sharon Cuneta, John Arcilla, Kent Gonzales, Pam Gonzales, Guila Alvarez, and Coohleene Cabasag, The Entity will be available on August 22nd on digital platforms, including Apple TV, Prime Video, Vudu, Google Play, and DirecTV. Take a look at the poster below and we also a look at the trailer that was exclusively shared by Bloody Disgusting yesterday.
Trailer via Bloody Disgusting:
The post Exclusive Poster Reveal: “Darkness Will Test the Strenth of This Family” in The...
- 8/15/2023
- by Jonathan James
- DailyDead
British actors Julia Ormond (“Ladies in Black”) and Lydia Page (“Blue Jean”) are set to soon appear in psychological horror movie “Home Education” directed by Italy’s Andrea Niada.
Set in the scenic Sila plateau in Italy’s Southern Calabria region, “Home Education” revolves around a family that are followers of an esoteric cult and live in a secluded house deep in the woods.
Warner Bros Entertainment Italia, Italy’s Indiana Production and BlackBox Multimedia are producing with support from the Calabria Film Commission. Germany’s SquareOne Productions is co-producing and handling international sales. Warner Bros. Pictures will release the film in Italian theaters.
Page plays Rachel, a teenager raised according to the cult’s beliefs. When her father Philip dies, Rachel’s domineering mother, Carol, played by Ormond (see first look image), driven by the belief that Philip’s lifeless body will revive itself, forces her daughter to live with the corpse.
Set in the scenic Sila plateau in Italy’s Southern Calabria region, “Home Education” revolves around a family that are followers of an esoteric cult and live in a secluded house deep in the woods.
Warner Bros Entertainment Italia, Italy’s Indiana Production and BlackBox Multimedia are producing with support from the Calabria Film Commission. Germany’s SquareOne Productions is co-producing and handling international sales. Warner Bros. Pictures will release the film in Italian theaters.
Page plays Rachel, a teenager raised according to the cult’s beliefs. When her father Philip dies, Rachel’s domineering mother, Carol, played by Ormond (see first look image), driven by the belief that Philip’s lifeless body will revive itself, forces her daughter to live with the corpse.
- 6/13/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit streaming platforms in the United States. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.
Avatar: The Way of Water (James Cameron)
James Cameron’s long-awaited sequel finally arrived. If not to just wax poetic on the photo-realistic Na’vi and the water they inhabit, one has to admire the megalomaniac yet compassionate director’s knack for a satisfying narrative. Culminating in a perfectly constructed final act which shifts from about four different kinds of action sequence, constantly escalating the stakes and managing to conclude with a lovely, Miyazaki-like grace note… well, you can’t help but admire a blockbuster that has the whole package. – Ethan V.
Where to Stream: VOD
Creed III (Michael B. Jordan)
Just to get it out of the way: the first Creed is the best Rocky film. They share the same formula,...
Avatar: The Way of Water (James Cameron)
James Cameron’s long-awaited sequel finally arrived. If not to just wax poetic on the photo-realistic Na’vi and the water they inhabit, one has to admire the megalomaniac yet compassionate director’s knack for a satisfying narrative. Culminating in a perfectly constructed final act which shifts from about four different kinds of action sequence, constantly escalating the stakes and managing to conclude with a lovely, Miyazaki-like grace note… well, you can’t help but admire a blockbuster that has the whole package. – Ethan V.
Where to Stream: VOD
Creed III (Michael B. Jordan)
Just to get it out of the way: the first Creed is the best Rocky film. They share the same formula,...
- 3/31/2023
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Origins is a recurring series giving artists a space to break down everything that went into their latest release. Today, Atmosphere’s Slug digs into their new single, “Okay.”
Minnesota hip-hop duo Atmosphere have announced their new album, So Many Other Realities Exist Simultaneously, out May 5th via Rhymesayers Entertainment. As a preview, they’ve released the lead single, “Okay,” and its accompanying video. What’s more, they’ve announced an upcoming tour (grab your seats here).
After releasing over two dozen studio albums in their more than 25-year career, Atmosphere’s newest album explores areas of discomfort unprecedented to the group. The impact of the 2020 lockdown and American civil unrest weaves together a narrative throughout the album of tension and paranoia.
“Okay” relays a message of comfort to those who are struggling in the current state of our world. The duo, made up of rapper Slug and producer Ant,...
Minnesota hip-hop duo Atmosphere have announced their new album, So Many Other Realities Exist Simultaneously, out May 5th via Rhymesayers Entertainment. As a preview, they’ve released the lead single, “Okay,” and its accompanying video. What’s more, they’ve announced an upcoming tour (grab your seats here).
After releasing over two dozen studio albums in their more than 25-year career, Atmosphere’s newest album explores areas of discomfort unprecedented to the group. The impact of the 2020 lockdown and American civil unrest weaves together a narrative throughout the album of tension and paranoia.
“Okay” relays a message of comfort to those who are struggling in the current state of our world. The duo, made up of rapper Slug and producer Ant,...
- 2/22/2023
- by Grace Ann Natanawan
- Consequence - Music
Residente is continuing his foray into filmmaking and will help tell the story of his native Puerto Rico.
The Calle 13 star is teaming up with Birdman screenwriter Alexander Dinelaris to write a new film titled Porto Rico about the life of Puerto Rican revolutionary José Maldonado Román.
“It has been amazing to work with Alex,” Residente told Deadline, who first shared news of the new film. “It took me a while to find a great writer because I was looking for someone who not only is talented but also connects with the subject matter.
The Calle 13 star is teaming up with Birdman screenwriter Alexander Dinelaris to write a new film titled Porto Rico about the life of Puerto Rican revolutionary José Maldonado Román.
“It has been amazing to work with Alex,” Residente told Deadline, who first shared news of the new film. “It took me a while to find a great writer because I was looking for someone who not only is talented but also connects with the subject matter.
- 2/8/2023
- by Tomás Mier
- Rollingstone.com
Exclusive: Academy Award-winner Alexander Dinelaris is teaming up with multihyphenate René Pérez Joglar, known professionally as Residente, to co-write the new film Porto Rico.
Porto Rico is a historical drama based on the life of Puerto Rican revolutionary, José Maldonado Román, known as Águila Blanca (White Eagle), set on the island in the late 19th century. Maldonado Román fought against colonialism by leading a gang of ex-convicts to vindicate Puerto Rico as it sought its identity as a country.
“It has been amazing to work with Alex,” said Residente in a statement about the screenwriter he was introduced to by Alejandro Gonzalez-Iñarritu. “It took me a while to find a great writer because I was looking for someone who not only is talented but also connects with the subject matter. I found both in Alex, an amazing writer who is highly skilled at dialogues as was evident in Birdman,...
Porto Rico is a historical drama based on the life of Puerto Rican revolutionary, José Maldonado Román, known as Águila Blanca (White Eagle), set on the island in the late 19th century. Maldonado Román fought against colonialism by leading a gang of ex-convicts to vindicate Puerto Rico as it sought its identity as a country.
“It has been amazing to work with Alex,” said Residente in a statement about the screenwriter he was introduced to by Alejandro Gonzalez-Iñarritu. “It took me a while to find a great writer because I was looking for someone who not only is talented but also connects with the subject matter. I found both in Alex, an amazing writer who is highly skilled at dialogues as was evident in Birdman,...
- 2/8/2023
- by Rosy Cordero
- Deadline Film + TV
Austrian writer-director Sebastian Meise has been named president of the Jury at this year’s Sarajevo Film Festival. He’ll be joined on his jury by screenwriter and producer Lucile Hadžihalilović, writer-director Antoneta Alamat Kusijanović, actor Milan Marić and producer and senior consultant for international co-productions Katriel Schory.
Meise co-founded Viennese production company Freibeuter Film before his acclaimed debut feature film Still Life premiered at the San Sebastian International Film Festival and garnered several awards. His further credits include documentary Outing and Great Freedom, the latter of which won the Cannes Jury Prize for Un Certain Regard and was also awarded the Heart Of Sarajevo award for Best Feature Film and Best Actor (George Friedrich).
Hadžihalilović’s debut mini-feature La Bouche De Jean-Pierre premiered in Un Certain Regard in Cannes in 1996 and further credits that were hits on the international film festival circuit include Innocence, Evolution and, her latest film,...
Meise co-founded Viennese production company Freibeuter Film before his acclaimed debut feature film Still Life premiered at the San Sebastian International Film Festival and garnered several awards. His further credits include documentary Outing and Great Freedom, the latter of which won the Cannes Jury Prize for Un Certain Regard and was also awarded the Heart Of Sarajevo award for Best Feature Film and Best Actor (George Friedrich).
Hadžihalilović’s debut mini-feature La Bouche De Jean-Pierre premiered in Un Certain Regard in Cannes in 1996 and further credits that were hits on the international film festival circuit include Innocence, Evolution and, her latest film,...
- 5/25/2022
- by Diana Lodderhose
- Deadline Film + TV
The 28th Sarajevo Film Festival has unveiled the jury of its feature film competition jury.
Director and screenwriter Sebastian Meise will serve as jury president and fellow jurors include director, screenwriter and producer Lucile Hadžihalilović, writer-director Antoneta Alamat Kusijanović, actor Milan Marić and producer and senior consultant for international co-productions Katriel Schory.
Meise debuted with “Still Life,” which premiered at the San Sebastián International Film Festival and won several awards. His documentary film “Outing” was presented at the Hot Docs Festival in Toronto. His latest feature film “Great Freedom” was shown at the Cannes Film Festival, where it was awarded the Jury Prize – Un Certain Regard. The film was also awarded the Heart of Sarajevo for best feature Film and best actor for Georg Friedrich, as well as the Cicae Arthouse Award at the 27th Sarajevo Film Festival.
Hadžihalilović’s debut mini-feature “La Bouche De Jean-Pierre” premiered at the Un...
Director and screenwriter Sebastian Meise will serve as jury president and fellow jurors include director, screenwriter and producer Lucile Hadžihalilović, writer-director Antoneta Alamat Kusijanović, actor Milan Marić and producer and senior consultant for international co-productions Katriel Schory.
Meise debuted with “Still Life,” which premiered at the San Sebastián International Film Festival and won several awards. His documentary film “Outing” was presented at the Hot Docs Festival in Toronto. His latest feature film “Great Freedom” was shown at the Cannes Film Festival, where it was awarded the Jury Prize – Un Certain Regard. The film was also awarded the Heart of Sarajevo for best feature Film and best actor for Georg Friedrich, as well as the Cicae Arthouse Award at the 27th Sarajevo Film Festival.
Hadžihalilović’s debut mini-feature “La Bouche De Jean-Pierre” premiered at the Un...
- 5/25/2022
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Eddie Marsan first came to my attention with his now legendary performance in Mike Leigh’s Happy-Go-Lucky. He has so many layers at play under Scott’s anger, gives so much depth to that character; It is a wonder to behold. He kept doing it in films like Tyrannosaur, Still Life, Sherlock Holmes, as Terry in the Showtime series Ray Donovan, and now in his newest film, The Contractor, opposite Chris Pine. In this half hour, Marsan talks about the formative influence of Leigh on his work and the meaning of the command “dig a hole and sit in it.” He shares […]
The post Back to One, Episode 197: Eddie Marsan first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post Back to One, Episode 197: Eddie Marsan first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 4/12/2022
- by Peter Rinaldi
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Eddie Marsan first came to my attention with his now legendary performance in Mike Leigh’s Happy-Go-Lucky. He has so many layers at play under Scott’s anger, gives so much depth to that character; It is a wonder to behold. He kept doing it in films like Tyrannosaur, Still Life, Sherlock Holmes, as Terry in the Showtime series Ray Donovan, and now in his newest film, The Contractor, opposite Chris Pine. In this half hour, Marsan talks about the formative influence of Leigh on his work and the meaning of the command “dig a hole and sit in it.” He shares […]
The post Back to One, Episode 197: Eddie Marsan first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post Back to One, Episode 197: Eddie Marsan first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 4/12/2022
- by Peter Rinaldi
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
Four years since we last heard from them, South Korean superstars Big Bang are back with a new song, “Still Life.”
Big Bang originally made their debut in 2006 and rose to the top of Korean music charts shortly after, making them one of the country’s best-selling boy bands at the time. They were regularly awarded Artist of the Year, Song of the Year, and Album of the Year honors at major Asian music award shows, and by the early 2010s their success had crossed over to the U.S.
Big Bang originally made their debut in 2006 and rose to the top of Korean music charts shortly after, making them one of the country’s best-selling boy bands at the time. They were regularly awarded Artist of the Year, Song of the Year, and Album of the Year honors at major Asian music award shows, and by the early 2010s their success had crossed over to the U.S.
- 4/4/2022
- by Kristine Kwak
- Rollingstone.com
Exclusive: Sebastian de Souza, Eddie Marsan and Rich Sommer have boarded the Chloe Domont-directed finance world thriller opposite Phoebe Dynevor and Alden Ehrenreich.
The MRC and T-Street emerging filmmaker label movie, which Deadline first told you about, is already in production.
de Souza stars as Leo in Hulu and MRC Television’s The Great from Oscar-nominated Tony McNamara. Prior to this, he starred as Gareth in the critically acclaimed adaptation of Normal People, for Hulu and the BBC, directed by the Oscar-nominated Lenny Abrahamson. He was seen in the iconic role of Sandro Botticelli in the second season of Medici, opposite Sean Bean, Daniel Sharman and Bradley James on Netflix. Prior to this, he played a guest lead in the feature Pixie, opposite Alec Baldwin and Olivia Cooke, directed by Barnaby Thompson. He also played Edmund in Claire McCarthy’s feature Ophelia, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival,...
The MRC and T-Street emerging filmmaker label movie, which Deadline first told you about, is already in production.
de Souza stars as Leo in Hulu and MRC Television’s The Great from Oscar-nominated Tony McNamara. Prior to this, he starred as Gareth in the critically acclaimed adaptation of Normal People, for Hulu and the BBC, directed by the Oscar-nominated Lenny Abrahamson. He was seen in the iconic role of Sandro Botticelli in the second season of Medici, opposite Sean Bean, Daniel Sharman and Bradley James on Netflix. Prior to this, he played a guest lead in the feature Pixie, opposite Alec Baldwin and Olivia Cooke, directed by Barnaby Thompson. He also played Edmund in Claire McCarthy’s feature Ophelia, which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival,...
- 2/7/2022
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Revisiting last year's introduction when putting together 2021's favorites, it is with a shock to realize how little has changed in the wildly disrupted world of cinema under the shroud of the pandemic. The urge to copy-and-paste the whole shebang is quite tempting indeed.What can we say about this year, 2021? We got a little more used to long-term instability. Cinemas and festivals re-opened, only for some to close again. We, like many, ventured carefully out into the world to finally see films again with audiences, all kinds: nervous ones, uproarious ones, spartan ones, and delighted ones. It was an experience both anxious and joyous. We also doubled down on the challenges, but also the pleasures, of home viewing: of virtual cinemas and virtual festivals, of straight to streaming premieres, of trying to capture a social joy in semi-isolation by connecting with others over experiences shared and disparate.The long...
- 12/27/2021
- MUBI
Each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit streaming platforms in the United States. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.
China Lost and Found: Eight Films by Jia Zhangke
One of the greatest directors to emerge in this young century, Jia Zhangke has captured his native country like few others. The Criterion Channel is now spotlighting his stellar body of work, including the new restoration of his debut Xiao Wu (1997), along with Platform (2000), Unknown Pleasures (2002), The World (2004), Still Life (2006), 24 City (2008), A Touch of Sin (2013), and Mountains May Depart (2015). Also playing is the documentary Jia Zhangke, A Guy from Fenyang from 2014.
Where to Stream: The Criterion Channel
Irma Vep (Olivier Assayas)
In the quarter-century since its debut, Olivier Assayas’ hilarious, mischievous, altogether unclassifiable Irma Vep stands merrily uninterested in many things contemporary movies are meant to be interested in—not ultra-sophisticated narrative gimmickry...
China Lost and Found: Eight Films by Jia Zhangke
One of the greatest directors to emerge in this young century, Jia Zhangke has captured his native country like few others. The Criterion Channel is now spotlighting his stellar body of work, including the new restoration of his debut Xiao Wu (1997), along with Platform (2000), Unknown Pleasures (2002), The World (2004), Still Life (2006), 24 City (2008), A Touch of Sin (2013), and Mountains May Depart (2015). Also playing is the documentary Jia Zhangke, A Guy from Fenyang from 2014.
Where to Stream: The Criterion Channel
Irma Vep (Olivier Assayas)
In the quarter-century since its debut, Olivier Assayas’ hilarious, mischievous, altogether unclassifiable Irma Vep stands merrily uninterested in many things contemporary movies are meant to be interested in—not ultra-sophisticated narrative gimmickry...
- 9/3/2021
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Next month’s Criterion Channel selection is here, and as 2021 winds down further cements their status as our single greatest streaming service. Off the top I took note of their eight-film Jia Zhangke retro as well as the streaming premieres of Center Stage and Malni. And, yes, Margaret has been on HBO Max for a while, but we can hope Criterion Channel’s addition—as part of the 63(!)-film “New York Stories”—opens doors to a more deserving home-video treatment.
Aki Kaurismäki’s Finland Trilogy, Bruno Dumont’s Joan of Arc duology, and Criterion’s editions of Irma Vep and Flowers of Shanghai also mark major inclusions—just a few years ago the thought of Hou’s masterpiece streaming in HD was absurd.
I could implore you not to sleep on The Hottest August and Point Blank and Variety and In the Cut or, look, so many Ernst Lubitsch movies,...
Aki Kaurismäki’s Finland Trilogy, Bruno Dumont’s Joan of Arc duology, and Criterion’s editions of Irma Vep and Flowers of Shanghai also mark major inclusions—just a few years ago the thought of Hou’s masterpiece streaming in HD was absurd.
I could implore you not to sleep on The Hottest August and Point Blank and Variety and In the Cut or, look, so many Ernst Lubitsch movies,...
- 8/25/2021
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
Other winners included the three lead actresses of ’The Hill Where Lionesses Roar’.
Sebastian Miese’s Austrian-German drama Great Freedom has won the Sarajevo Film Festival’s top prize, the Heart of Sarajevo for best feature film.
The 2021 winners were announced at an awards ceremony last night (August 20). The film received its world premiere at Cannes last month, where it played in Un Certain Regard and won the jury prize.
Scroll down for full list of winners
The love story tracks the persecution of homosexuality in Germany over the decades following the Second World War. It is the Austrian director...
Sebastian Miese’s Austrian-German drama Great Freedom has won the Sarajevo Film Festival’s top prize, the Heart of Sarajevo for best feature film.
The 2021 winners were announced at an awards ceremony last night (August 20). The film received its world premiere at Cannes last month, where it played in Un Certain Regard and won the jury prize.
Scroll down for full list of winners
The love story tracks the persecution of homosexuality in Germany over the decades following the Second World War. It is the Austrian director...
- 8/20/2021
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
The Rolling Stones will mark the 40th anniversary of their 1981 album, Tattoo You, with a reissue featuring a bonus disc filled with previously unreleased material. The set will arrive on October 22nd via Polydor/Interscope/UMe.
To accompany the announcement, the Stones released “Living in the Heart of Love,” one of the nine previously unreleased songs that will appear on the bonus disc, Lost & Found. The nine songs were all originally recorded while the Stones were making Tattoo You, but were recently completed and enhanced with additional vocals and guitar by the Stones.
To accompany the announcement, the Stones released “Living in the Heart of Love,” one of the nine previously unreleased songs that will appear on the bonus disc, Lost & Found. The nine songs were all originally recorded while the Stones were making Tattoo You, but were recently completed and enhanced with additional vocals and guitar by the Stones.
- 8/19/2021
- by Jon Blistein
- Rollingstone.com
Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese’s This Is Not a Burial, It’s a Resurrection, a fiction debut that screened at the Sundance Film Festival in the World Cinema Dramatic Competition, is a tale of a rural people displaced. In this case, by Lesotho’s provincial officials, who want to re-appropriate the land to construct a dam. Contemporary cinema has featured a similar plot a number of times, perhaps most famously in Jia Zhangke’s Still Life (2006). But in Mosese’s ambitious, mournful film, the uprooting runs deeper. The central character, Mantoa (Mary Twala Mhlongo), is an eighty-year-old widow who learns that her son, who’s been working in the South African mines, has died. The worn-out Mantoa wakes up each day yearning for her own demise. But when her community is ordered to move, she realizes that her remains will not rest among her ancestors, in the village cemetery. Mantoa then...
- 1/29/2020
- MUBI
In 2006, having won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival, Jia Zhangke’s rocketing journey to the pinnacle of the international art house circuit seemed complete. While his first three features circulated almost exclusively on the festival circuit abroad and on bootleg at home (where they were made without official sanction and thus technically banned), his 2004 feature The World had received broad-based international funding, governmental approval from the Chinese censorship apparatus, and art-house distribution worldwide. The World was a critical hit, and Still Life (2006) was even more generously received. Then he spent most of the next decade making documentaries, most of which were ignored by critics and distributors. Still Life itself grew out of a documentary project: he traveled to the Three Gorges region to make a film about a friend and artist, Liu Xiaodong. While there, he was so struck by the landscape of a town preparing for its own destruction,...
- 1/24/2020
- MUBI
A Japanese-language remake of British drama “Still Life” could be the first film to flow from a fund created to support Chinese-Japanese joint productions.
The fund is operated by WeF Cultural Investment Media, a company founded earlier this year with the backing of government bodies in Beijing and Qingdao — the Chinese coastal city which boasts vast studios built by Wanda and now owned by Sunac.
Unveiled on the first day of the Tiffcom rights market, an adjunct to next week’s Tokyo International Film Festival, the WeFmedia fund is looking to back two films from long-standing production company Sedic International, according to WeFmedia executive Watanabe Masashiro.
The fund is intended to take advantage of and facilitate use of the China-Japan film co-production treaty that was signed last year. Masahiro listed factors including significant differences in production system, scale of market, and size of budget as obstacles that hinder...
The fund is operated by WeF Cultural Investment Media, a company founded earlier this year with the backing of government bodies in Beijing and Qingdao — the Chinese coastal city which boasts vast studios built by Wanda and now owned by Sunac.
Unveiled on the first day of the Tiffcom rights market, an adjunct to next week’s Tokyo International Film Festival, the WeFmedia fund is looking to back two films from long-standing production company Sedic International, according to WeFmedia executive Watanabe Masashiro.
The fund is intended to take advantage of and facilitate use of the China-Japan film co-production treaty that was signed last year. Masahiro listed factors including significant differences in production system, scale of market, and size of budget as obstacles that hinder...
- 10/22/2019
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Tiffcom’s China Day comprised a series of seminars and a networking event and follows the signing of a China-Japan co-production agreement last year.
Japan’s Sedic International is in talks to remake Uberto Pasolini’s Still Life as a Sino-Japan collaboration, one of many projects currently being discussed between Japan and China as the two Asian powers explore ways of working together.
The remake was flagged up during Tiffcom’s China Day, which comprised a series of seminars, presentations and a networking event, and follows the signing of an official co-production agreement between China and Japan in May 2018.
Sedic...
Japan’s Sedic International is in talks to remake Uberto Pasolini’s Still Life as a Sino-Japan collaboration, one of many projects currently being discussed between Japan and China as the two Asian powers explore ways of working together.
The remake was flagged up during Tiffcom’s China Day, which comprised a series of seminars, presentations and a networking event, and follows the signing of an official co-production agreement between China and Japan in May 2018.
Sedic...
- 10/22/2019
- by 89¦Liz Shackleton¦0¦
- ScreenDaily
World-renowned director Jia Zhangke has become a film festival constant, with his films like Still Life and and A Touch of Sin regularly earning accolades at the Venice and Cannes film festivals. And his latest film, Ash is Purest White, is no exception, earning acclaim and becoming a fast favorite at last year’s Cannes Festival. Now, the decades-spanning romance/crime […]
The post ‘Ash is Purest White’ Trailer: The Cannes Favorite is Coming to the U.S. appeared first on /Film.
The post ‘Ash is Purest White’ Trailer: The Cannes Favorite is Coming to the U.S. appeared first on /Film.
- 2/9/2019
- by Hoai-Tran Bui
- Slash Film
“Poetry is that which is worth translating. . . . Great poetry lives in a state of perpetual transformation, perpetual translation: the poem dies when it has no place to go.”—Eliot Weinberger, 19 Ways of Looking at Wang WeiBeginning February 8th and continuing through most of the month, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art is presenting a series of eleven films by Chinese director Jia Zhangke, alongside seventeen films from directors he is said to admire or who have influenced him. It’s an unusual program: more than a simple historical retrospective, it provides the audience different, sometimes contradictory, contexts through which to view the filmmaker’s work. Though it is far from comprehensive (how could it be?), the series offers a unique opportunity to measure Jia’s work against masters from the past and present, from European, Asian, and American traditions. This is entirely appropriate for a filmmaker whose work remains...
- 2/4/2019
- MUBI
Total of 37 feature film projects headed to Berlin.
The Berlin International Film Festival’s annual co-production market has unveiled the 37 feature film projects that will form this year’s selection.
There are 22 projects taking part in the Official Selection, including new films from Boo Junfeng, whose The Apprentice premiered at Cannes in 2016, and Uberto Pasolini, whose credits as a director include Still Life and Machan, and as a producer include The Full Monty.
Also attending with a new project is Carla Simón, the director of Summer 1993, which was a hit at the Berlinale in 2017, and brothers Arab and Tarzan Nasser,...
The Berlin International Film Festival’s annual co-production market has unveiled the 37 feature film projects that will form this year’s selection.
There are 22 projects taking part in the Official Selection, including new films from Boo Junfeng, whose The Apprentice premiered at Cannes in 2016, and Uberto Pasolini, whose credits as a director include Still Life and Machan, and as a producer include The Full Monty.
Also attending with a new project is Carla Simón, the director of Summer 1993, which was a hit at the Berlinale in 2017, and brothers Arab and Tarzan Nasser,...
- 1/10/2019
- by Tom Grater
- ScreenDaily
Antigone, Tacita Dean, 2018. Courtesy the artist, Frith Street Gallery, London and Marian Goodman Gallery, New York/Paris.This summer, the British artist Tacita Dean lead a trio of exhibitions, scattered geographically across three old-guard London institutions—the National Gallery (est. 1824), National Portrait Gallery (est. 1856), and the Royal Academy (est. 1786)—in a cross-city collaboration frequently (if grandiosely) declared as “unprecedented.” Unprecedented in its playfulness, the interconnected production did depart from Dean’s last major show, Film—a high-profile takeover of Tate Modern’s then-new Turbine Hall in 2011—instead spanning Still Life, Portrait, and Landscape: three genres generally associated with painting, categories that enforce certain specific rules and relationships between form and content, and unlikely subject matter to be assigned to an active film preservationist best-known as a moving image artist. Though right-on in temporarily relocating contemporary moving image work outside of museums of modern art, the project’s more exciting, expansive...
- 9/17/2018
- MUBI
The Athens International Film Festival has been taking place for more than twenty years with the support of cinemagazine.gr. The Festival transforms the centre of Athens into a ten-day cinematic fest, with the most notable film premieres of the year, unique tributes, highly anticipated music-related films, the annual crop of the best documentaries as well as complimentary events such as concerts, parties, special screenings and other surprises.
Under the supervision of the artistic director, Loukas Katsikas, and with the help of a dynamic and youthful team, the Athens International Film Festival will hold its 24th annual event from the 19th to the 30th of September and present more than 100 new feature-length films from around the world as well as from Greece, three competition sections, special tributes and carefully selected Greek short films.
The Athens International Film Festival Nyxtes Premieras, was originally founded by the Athens Film Society with the...
Under the supervision of the artistic director, Loukas Katsikas, and with the help of a dynamic and youthful team, the Athens International Film Festival will hold its 24th annual event from the 19th to the 30th of September and present more than 100 new feature-length films from around the world as well as from Greece, three competition sections, special tributes and carefully selected Greek short films.
The Athens International Film Festival Nyxtes Premieras, was originally founded by the Athens Film Society with the...
- 9/15/2018
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
Directed by Jia Zhang-KeThis might be called epic in its large span of time (141 minutes), its large canvas of modern China and its grand timeless landscapes, especially that of the volcano whose ash is the reference in the film’s title.
The film opens in China at the outset of the 21st century and closes in 2018. Qiao is in love with Bin, a local mobster. During a fight between rival gangs, she fires a gun to protect him. Qiao gets five years in prison for this act of loyalty. Upon her release, she goes looking for Bin to pick up where they left off.
That would seem to encompass the story but what then ensues in the she-loves-him-he-spurns-her is their on-again off-again relationship which brings her to the final destination of running a gambling parlor in an old-fashioned place that seems totally out of place in modern day China but...
The film opens in China at the outset of the 21st century and closes in 2018. Qiao is in love with Bin, a local mobster. During a fight between rival gangs, she fires a gun to protect him. Qiao gets five years in prison for this act of loyalty. Upon her release, she goes looking for Bin to pick up where they left off.
That would seem to encompass the story but what then ensues in the she-loves-him-he-spurns-her is their on-again off-again relationship which brings her to the final destination of running a gambling parlor in an old-fashioned place that seems totally out of place in modern day China but...
- 5/26/2018
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
‘Ash is Purest White’ Is Jia Zhang-ke’s Beautiful Feminist Take On The Gangster Film [Cannes Review]
At first glance, Jia Zhang-ke‘s “Ash is Purest White” feels like an immaculately perfect patchwork film, taking cues from his 2013 masterwork “A Touch of Sin” and his flawed, but brilliant, 2015 epic “Mountains May Depart,” as well as the docu-drama Chinese glimpse of “Still Life.” It’s odd, considering that Zhang-ke is not known for repetition — in fact, the only repetitiveness we keep seeing is the use of his wife and muse Zhao Tao in his movies.
- 5/15/2018
- by Jordan Ruimy
- The Playlist
It should go without saying that, regardless of genre, period, or just about any other contributing factor, any new release from Jia Zhangke is something with which to grapple. Last year, the New York Times ranked the writer-director’s 2013 film A Touch of Sin as the 4th best film of the 21st Century thus far. Not bad, but I reckon few would even consider it his best — it might not even make some devotees’ top 5s.
When news trickled out that his latest would be based in the world of crime, you got the feeling that Jia was once again leaning towards the deathly serious, straight-faced allegories that Sin provided. What’s more, it was said that Ash is Purest White — as it has been titled for English-speaking audiences — would be his most expensive production to date and might even feature a sequence of martial arts. Just tell me where to sign.
When news trickled out that his latest would be based in the world of crime, you got the feeling that Jia was once again leaning towards the deathly serious, straight-faced allegories that Sin provided. What’s more, it was said that Ash is Purest White — as it has been titled for English-speaking audiences — would be his most expensive production to date and might even feature a sequence of martial arts. Just tell me where to sign.
- 5/13/2018
- by Rory O'Connor
- The Film Stage
A long and melancholy summation of better movies the brilliant Jia Zhangke has made before, “Ash Is Purest White” finds China’s most prominent filmmaker wistfully replaying the hits in order to further romanticize some of the fixations that have always dominated his work. The passage of time, the sweep of modernity, and the outlaw violence that can be traced back to the Cultural Revolution unsurprisingly come to define this fractured saga of a small-time gangster and the girl who was always by his side, as the writer-director spins an epic tale that never quite captures the poetry of its English title. It’s a loveless love story, told across three parts, five different camera types, and 17 years of change — it’s a movie that often feels like a mega-mix of Jia’s greatest hits, but one that rehashes them with precious little of the ineffable grace that make each...
- 5/11/2018
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
Jia Zhangke has been at the forefront of China’s indie cinema movement for two decades, with titles that have included “Still Life,” “Platform,” and “A Touch of Sin.”
His latest feature, “Ash Is Purest White” (“Jiang Hu Er Nv”) which plays in competition at the Cannes Film Festival on Friday, is by far his most expensive movie to date and flirts with martial arts, China’s most commercial film genre. Jia tells Variety why this is not a case of him selling out.
What is the film about?
I have been working on “Ash Is Purest White” for three years. As a very important part of Chinese culture, the Chinese word jianghu has two meanings: both dramatic life as well as dangerous underworld.
Jianghu is a world of adventure but also a world of unique emotions. I have always been interested in jianghu love stories in which characters are...
His latest feature, “Ash Is Purest White” (“Jiang Hu Er Nv”) which plays in competition at the Cannes Film Festival on Friday, is by far his most expensive movie to date and flirts with martial arts, China’s most commercial film genre. Jia tells Variety why this is not a case of him selling out.
What is the film about?
I have been working on “Ash Is Purest White” for three years. As a very important part of Chinese culture, the Chinese word jianghu has two meanings: both dramatic life as well as dangerous underworld.
Jianghu is a world of adventure but also a world of unique emotions. I have always been interested in jianghu love stories in which characters are...
- 5/11/2018
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Have you ever heard of Sebastian Bear McClard? If you haven’t, there’s a better-than-average chance that you will be hearing quite a bit about him in the very near future. This is because the film producer of projects like Still Life and Heaven Knows What recently made the news when Emily Ratajkowski, the star of Gone Girl, announced that the two were married. Apparently, they wanted to get married without making a big deal out of the whole thing, so they chose to get married in a rather discreet ceremony at the local City Hall. It seems that they had
Five Things You Didn’t Know About Sebastian Bear-McClard...
Five Things You Didn’t Know About Sebastian Bear-McClard...
- 2/27/2018
- by Nat Berman
- TVovermind.com
This illuminating documentary portrait details the undimmed curiosity and enthusiasm of the grand old man of British painting
In recent years, David Hockney has become the grand old man of British painting, with a giant touring exhibition, A Bigger Picture, in 2012 and a high profile 2014 documentary called, yes, Hockney. With these in mind, this latest offering from the Exhibition on Screen series is a little more modest, taking its cues from the Bigger Picture show with its revelatory multiframe landscapes and the more recent David Hockney Ra: 82 Portraits and 1 Still Life.
There’s copious interview material with the artist, conducted by a slightly starry-eyed Tim Marlow, along with contributions from the Guardian’s Jonathan Jones. Hockney still seemingly maintains his transnational life, moving backwards and forwards between the Us (where he created seminal works such as A Bigger Splash) and the UK, where his regular driving trips encouraged a new...
In recent years, David Hockney has become the grand old man of British painting, with a giant touring exhibition, A Bigger Picture, in 2012 and a high profile 2014 documentary called, yes, Hockney. With these in mind, this latest offering from the Exhibition on Screen series is a little more modest, taking its cues from the Bigger Picture show with its revelatory multiframe landscapes and the more recent David Hockney Ra: 82 Portraits and 1 Still Life.
There’s copious interview material with the artist, conducted by a slightly starry-eyed Tim Marlow, along with contributions from the Guardian’s Jonathan Jones. Hockney still seemingly maintains his transnational life, moving backwards and forwards between the Us (where he created seminal works such as A Bigger Splash) and the UK, where his regular driving trips encouraged a new...
- 11/21/2017
- by Andrew Pulver
- The Guardian - Film News
Over the weekend, the 2017 Venice Film Festival handed out their awards, with Guillermo del Toro’s ravenously received The Shape of Water taking the top prize. While the Golden Lion isn’t quite an Academy Award barometer, it’s nothing to sneeze at either. This marks an important point in the road, as things are heating up. We’re not yet at the precursor season, but any feather in your hat right now is a boon for a contender. As such, del Toro has to consider himself in a very nice place. The next few months will still be about getting the proverbial ducks in a row. The real fun is still to come. Obviously, the Golden Lion went to del Toro’s highly praised movie, as The Shape of Water got the first big awards season boost. It took home the top prize, while other highlighted winners include Charlie Plummer...
- 9/11/2017
- by Joey Magidson
- Hollywoodnews.com
on this day in history as it relates to showbiz
30 BC Cleopatra commits suicide, allegedly by purposeful snake bite. I don't remember that scene in Liz Taylor's Cleopatra but it might have been at the four hour mark and t'was possibly asleep
How to honor this day: play with someone's snake. In the absence of a suitable one, wink at someone as saucily as Liz
← 1915 "Of Human Bondage" by W Somerset Maugham published. 19 years later it becomes a movie and marks Bette Davis's ascent to superstar actress
How to honor this day: Let it all out like Bette in that performance that's pure...
30 BC Cleopatra commits suicide, allegedly by purposeful snake bite. I don't remember that scene in Liz Taylor's Cleopatra but it might have been at the four hour mark and t'was possibly asleep
How to honor this day: play with someone's snake. In the absence of a suitable one, wink at someone as saucily as Liz
← 1915 "Of Human Bondage" by W Somerset Maugham published. 19 years later it becomes a movie and marks Bette Davis's ascent to superstar actress
How to honor this day: Let it all out like Bette in that performance that's pure...
- 8/12/2017
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
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