Documentary specialists launches new label with Fly Away Home [pictured].
Austrian docs specialist Autlook Filmsales is to take the plunge into handling dramatic features.
Here in Cannes, company CEO Salma Abdalla has confirmed that the company is launching a new boutique label for Austrian narrative features.
The new label is launching in Cannes with the market release of the adaption Fly Away Home by Mirjam Unger, produced by Gabriele Kranzelbinder of Kgp Filmproduction (We Come As Friends).
Gabriele Kranzelbinder is one of Autlook´s founding partners.
The film is adapted from the best-selling autobiographical novel by Christine Nöstlinger about her childhood experience in war torn Vienna. Bombed out and penniless, she and her family are put up in a fancy villa in the outskirts of the city, a moment when class differences get cracky and all families in the house just want to survive.
The drama is set during the last days of the Nazi regime and then...
Austrian docs specialist Autlook Filmsales is to take the plunge into handling dramatic features.
Here in Cannes, company CEO Salma Abdalla has confirmed that the company is launching a new boutique label for Austrian narrative features.
The new label is launching in Cannes with the market release of the adaption Fly Away Home by Mirjam Unger, produced by Gabriele Kranzelbinder of Kgp Filmproduction (We Come As Friends).
Gabriele Kranzelbinder is one of Autlook´s founding partners.
The film is adapted from the best-selling autobiographical novel by Christine Nöstlinger about her childhood experience in war torn Vienna. Bombed out and penniless, she and her family are put up in a fancy villa in the outskirts of the city, a moment when class differences get cracky and all families in the house just want to survive.
The drama is set during the last days of the Nazi regime and then...
- 5/13/2016
- by geoffrey@macnab.demon.co.uk (Geoffrey Macnab)
- ScreenDaily
Evgeny Afineevsky (Winter On Fire: Ukraine’s Fight for Freedom), Alex Gibney (Going Clear: Scientology And The Prison Of Belief), Michael Moore (Where To Invade Next), Kirby Dick (The Hunting Ground) Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
This year's Oscar Best Documentary shortlist was revealed today. Asif Kapadia's affecting portrait of Amy Winehouse, Amy; William F. Buckley Jr. and Gore Vidal battling in Morgan Neville and Robert Gordon's high-spirited Best Of Enemies; Matthew Heineman's look at grassroots militia in Cartel Land; Davis Guggenheim's He Named Me Malala; Laurie Anderson's Heart Of A Dog; Stevan Riley's look at Marlon Brando in Listen To Me Marlon; Joshua Oppenheimer's The Look Of Silence, executive produced by Werner Herzog and Errol Morris; Hubert Sauper's We Come As Friends; Nina Simone in Liz Garbus's What Happened, Miss Simone?; Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi's Meru: Marc Silver's 3½ Minutes,...
This year's Oscar Best Documentary shortlist was revealed today. Asif Kapadia's affecting portrait of Amy Winehouse, Amy; William F. Buckley Jr. and Gore Vidal battling in Morgan Neville and Robert Gordon's high-spirited Best Of Enemies; Matthew Heineman's look at grassroots militia in Cartel Land; Davis Guggenheim's He Named Me Malala; Laurie Anderson's Heart Of A Dog; Stevan Riley's look at Marlon Brando in Listen To Me Marlon; Joshua Oppenheimer's The Look Of Silence, executive produced by Werner Herzog and Errol Morris; Hubert Sauper's We Come As Friends; Nina Simone in Liz Garbus's What Happened, Miss Simone?; Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi's Meru: Marc Silver's 3½ Minutes,...
- 12/14/2015
- by Anne-Katrin Titze and Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
By Patrick Shanley
Managing Editor
The short list for best documentary films was announced on Dec, 1. From a field of 124 entries, 15 docs have been chosen to move on to the next round of voting amongst the Academy’s Documentary Branch.
Of those selected, a number deal with similar subject matter, from music/entertainment to politics/social issues, and the competition is stiff for the next round of cuts.
Here’s a breakdown of this year’s short list contenders:
Show Biz:
Amy, the biographical music doc that centers on the late singer, Amy Winehouse, with unseen archival footage and unheard tracks from the British songstress, won best documentary at this year’s Hollywood Film Awards and was a big hit at the Cannes Film Festival.
Best of Enemies focuses on the 10 televised debates between writers Gore Vidal and William F. Buckley, Jr. The film was nominated for both an Independent...
Managing Editor
The short list for best documentary films was announced on Dec, 1. From a field of 124 entries, 15 docs have been chosen to move on to the next round of voting amongst the Academy’s Documentary Branch.
Of those selected, a number deal with similar subject matter, from music/entertainment to politics/social issues, and the competition is stiff for the next round of cuts.
Here’s a breakdown of this year’s short list contenders:
Show Biz:
Amy, the biographical music doc that centers on the late singer, Amy Winehouse, with unseen archival footage and unheard tracks from the British songstress, won best documentary at this year’s Hollywood Film Awards and was a big hit at the Cannes Film Festival.
Best of Enemies focuses on the 10 televised debates between writers Gore Vidal and William F. Buckley, Jr. The film was nominated for both an Independent...
- 12/11/2015
- by Patrick Shanley
- Scott Feinberg
Could Marlon Brando return to the Oscars posthumously? The documentary Listen to Me Marlon made the finals for the Best Documentary Oscar even though documentaries about Hollywood stars and movies aren't typically so favorited. Note that Ingrid Bergman's documentary --also famously "in her own words" -- and the enjoyable Tab Hunter: Confidential and the Sundance sensation The Wolfpack about living through the movies weren't as lucky and did not make the finals.
The 15 Finalists
Amy (PGA nominee, Ida nominee, Nbr winner) Best of Enemies (Nbr top 5, Spirit nominee) Cartel Land (Gotham nominee) Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief He Named Me Malala Heart of a Dog (Gotham nominee, Spirit nominee) The Hunting Ground (PGA nominee) Listen to Me Marlon (Ida nominee, Nbr top 5, Gotham nominee)
The Look of Silence (PGA nominee, Ida nominee, Nbr top 5, Gotham winner, Spirit nominee) Meru (PGA nominee, Spirit nominee) 3 1/2 Minutes, Ten...
The 15 Finalists
Amy (PGA nominee, Ida nominee, Nbr winner) Best of Enemies (Nbr top 5, Spirit nominee) Cartel Land (Gotham nominee) Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief He Named Me Malala Heart of a Dog (Gotham nominee, Spirit nominee) The Hunting Ground (PGA nominee) Listen to Me Marlon (Ida nominee, Nbr top 5, Gotham nominee)
The Look of Silence (PGA nominee, Ida nominee, Nbr top 5, Gotham winner, Spirit nominee) Meru (PGA nominee, Spirit nominee) 3 1/2 Minutes, Ten...
- 12/2/2015
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
Meru
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced that 15 films in the Documentary Feature category will advance in the voting process for the 88th Academy Awards.
One hundred twenty-four films were originally submitted in the category.
The 15 films are listed below in alphabetical order by title, with their production companies:
“Amy,” On the Corner Films and Universal Music
“Best of Enemies,” Sandbar
“Cartel Land,” Our Time Projects and The Documentary Group
“Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief,” Jigsaw Productions
“He Named Me Malala,” Parkes-MacDonald and Little Room
“Heart of a Dog,” Canal Street Communications
“The Hunting Ground,” Chain Camera Pictures
“Listen to Me Marlon,” Passion Pictures
“The Look of Silence,” Final Cut for Real
“Meru,” Little Monster Films
“3 1/2 Minutes, 10 Bullets,” The Filmmaker Fund, Motto Pictures, Lakehouse Films, ActualFilms, JustFilms, MacArthur Foundation and Bertha Britdoc
“We Come as Friends,” Adelante Films
“What Happened, Miss Simone?,” RadicalMedia...
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences today announced that 15 films in the Documentary Feature category will advance in the voting process for the 88th Academy Awards.
One hundred twenty-four films were originally submitted in the category.
The 15 films are listed below in alphabetical order by title, with their production companies:
“Amy,” On the Corner Films and Universal Music
“Best of Enemies,” Sandbar
“Cartel Land,” Our Time Projects and The Documentary Group
“Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief,” Jigsaw Productions
“He Named Me Malala,” Parkes-MacDonald and Little Room
“Heart of a Dog,” Canal Street Communications
“The Hunting Ground,” Chain Camera Pictures
“Listen to Me Marlon,” Passion Pictures
“The Look of Silence,” Final Cut for Real
“Meru,” Little Monster Films
“3 1/2 Minutes, 10 Bullets,” The Filmmaker Fund, Motto Pictures, Lakehouse Films, ActualFilms, JustFilms, MacArthur Foundation and Bertha Britdoc
“We Come as Friends,” Adelante Films
“What Happened, Miss Simone?,” RadicalMedia...
- 12/2/2015
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
The 2016 Oscar nominations are still more than a month away, but the Academy has already narrowed down its list for one category. The short list for best feature documentary is out, and it doesn't include many surprises: Alex Gibney's Scientology exposé Going Clear, Kirby Dick's campus rape investigation The Hunting Ground, Michael Moore's top-secret latest Where to Invade Next, and Asif Kapadia's Amy Winehouse profile Amy have each made the cut. So have He Named Me Malala, What Happened, Miss Simone?, and We Come As Friends. A few notable exclusions: HBO's Kurt Cobain doc Montage of Heck, the Iris Apfel doc Iris, Ravi and Geeta Patel's Meet the Patels, and Steve Jobs: The Machine. In total, 15 documentaries will compete for five nominations. Here's the full list: AmyBest of EnemiesCartel LandGoing Clear: Scientology and the Prison of BeliefHe Named Me MalalaHeart of a DogThe Hunting...
- 12/1/2015
- by Dee Lockett
- Vulture
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences revealed the 15 films in the Documentary Feature category that will vie for the final five slots in contention for the 88th Academy Awards. One hundred twenty-four films were originally submitted in the category. The 15 films are listed below in alphabetical order by title, with their production companies: “Amy,” On the Corner Films and Universal Music“Best of Enemies,” Sandbar“Cartel Land,” Our Time Projects and The Documentary Group“Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief,” Jigsaw Productions“He Named Me Malala,” Parkes-MacDonald and Little Room“Heart of a Dog,” Canal Street Communications“The Hunting Ground,” Chain Camera Pictures“Listen to Me Marlon,” Passion Pictures“The Look of Silence,” Final Cut for Real“Meru,” Little Monster Films“3 1/2 Minutes, 10 Bullets,” The Filmmaker Fund, Motto Pictures, Lakehouse Films, ActualFilms, JustFilms, MacArthur Foundation and Bertha Britdoc“We Come as Friends,” Adelante...
- 12/1/2015
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences has unveiled its short list of fifteen documentary features that will be considered for an Oscar nomination. That fifteen was selected from a list of one hundred and twenty-four that were eligible.
The fifteen are: "Amy," "Best of Enemies," "Cartel Land," "Going Clear," "He Named Me Malala," "Heart of a Dog," "The Hunting Ground," "Listen to Me Marlon," "The Look of Silence," "Meru," "3.5 Minutes, 10 Bullets," "We Come as Friends," "What Happened, Miss Simone?," "Where to Invade Next," and "Winter on Fire".
The documentary branch determined the shortlist in a preliminary round of voting, and members will now select the five nominees from the short list. Those five nomineed will be announced in January with the winner then revealed at the ceremony on February 28th.
Meanwhile The Annies, the prizes given out by the International Animated Film Society and essentially the top honor in the animated film world,...
The fifteen are: "Amy," "Best of Enemies," "Cartel Land," "Going Clear," "He Named Me Malala," "Heart of a Dog," "The Hunting Ground," "Listen to Me Marlon," "The Look of Silence," "Meru," "3.5 Minutes, 10 Bullets," "We Come as Friends," "What Happened, Miss Simone?," "Where to Invade Next," and "Winter on Fire".
The documentary branch determined the shortlist in a preliminary round of voting, and members will now select the five nominees from the short list. Those five nomineed will be announced in January with the winner then revealed at the ceremony on February 28th.
Meanwhile The Annies, the prizes given out by the International Animated Film Society and essentially the top honor in the animated film world,...
- 12/1/2015
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
Amy, Cartel Land, Where To Invade Next and Best of Enemies have made it on to the shortlist from a pool of 124 submissions.
The 15 films announed on Tuesday are listed below in alphabetical order by title:
Amy;
Best Of Enemies;
Cartel Land;
Going Clear: Scientology And The Prison Of Belief;
He Named Me Malala;
Heart Of A Dog;
The Hunting Ground;
Listen To Me Marlon;
The Look Of Silence;
Meru;
3 1/2 Minutes, 10 Bullets;
We Come as Friends;
What Happened, Miss Simone?;
Where To Invade Next; and
Winter On Fire: Ukraine’s Fight For Freedom.
The Academy’s Documentary Branch members will now select the five nominees.
Nominations are announced on January 14 2016 and the 88th Academy Awards will take place on February 28, 2016.
The 15 films announed on Tuesday are listed below in alphabetical order by title:
Amy;
Best Of Enemies;
Cartel Land;
Going Clear: Scientology And The Prison Of Belief;
He Named Me Malala;
Heart Of A Dog;
The Hunting Ground;
Listen To Me Marlon;
The Look Of Silence;
Meru;
3 1/2 Minutes, 10 Bullets;
We Come as Friends;
What Happened, Miss Simone?;
Where To Invade Next; and
Winter On Fire: Ukraine’s Fight For Freedom.
The Academy’s Documentary Branch members will now select the five nominees.
Nominations are announced on January 14 2016 and the 88th Academy Awards will take place on February 28, 2016.
- 12/1/2015
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
The Aldeburgh Documentary Festival | Cine-City | UK Jewish Film Festival | Underground Film Club/Birdes Crazy Golf Club
A small but worthwhile festival on the Suffolk coast that punches well above its weight. Robert Peston leads a discussion following My Nazi Legacy and Natasha Walter chairs a debate on 21st-century womanhood following India’s Daughter, on the rape and murder of a Delhi bus passenger in 2012. Among the film-makers, Hubert Sauper presents We Come As Friends, his incendiary tour of wartorn South Sudan, and Rachel Shabi’s Speed Sisters joins Palestine’s all-female racing team.
Continue reading...
A small but worthwhile festival on the Suffolk coast that punches well above its weight. Robert Peston leads a discussion following My Nazi Legacy and Natasha Walter chairs a debate on 21st-century womanhood following India’s Daughter, on the rape and murder of a Delhi bus passenger in 2012. Among the film-makers, Hubert Sauper presents We Come As Friends, his incendiary tour of wartorn South Sudan, and Rachel Shabi’s Speed Sisters joins Palestine’s all-female racing team.
Continue reading...
- 11/6/2015
- by Steve Rose
- The Guardian - Film News
Read More: Watch: America is Anything But Friendly in Trailer for Sundance Winner 'We Come As Friends' Hubert Sauper, who garnered an Oscar nomination for 2005's "Darwin's Nightmare," discussed the making of his latest documentary "We Come as Friends" as part of the International Documentary Association's (Ida) screening series. The film, which won the Special Jury Prize for World Documentary at last year's Sundance Film Festival, was released earlier this year. The official synopsis for the powerful documentary reads: "'We Come as Friends' is a modern odyssey—a dizzying, almost science fiction-like journey into the heart of Africa. At the moment when Sudan, the continent's largest country, is being divided into two nations, an old "civilizing" ideology re-emerges—one of colonialism and a clash of empires—with new episodes of bloody (and holy) wars over land and resources. Acclaimed documentarian Hubert Sauper takes us on a voyage in.
- 11/4/2015
- by Karen Brill
- Indiewire
Titles include Asif Kapadia’s Amy Winehouse documentary, Michael Moore’s Where To Invade Next and Matthew Heineman’s Cartel Land.
Among those in consideration for the 88th Academy Awards are Cartel Land, He Named Me Malala, Amy, Janis: Little Girl Blue, Sherpa, Where To Invade Next, Winter On Fire, Wolfpack, Meet The Patels and A Sinner In Mecca.
Several of the submissions have not yet had their Los Angeles and New York qualifying releases.
A shortlist of 15 films will be announced in December.
The 88th Academy Awards nominations will be announced on January 14 2016 and the ceremony takes place on February 28 2016 at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center in Hollywood .
The submitted features in alphabetical order are:
Above And Beyond
All Things Must Pass
Amy
The Armor Of Light
Ballet 422
Batkid Begins
Becoming Bulletproof
Being Evel
Beltracchi – The Art Of Forgery
Best Of Enemies
The Black Panthers: Vanguard Of The Revolution
Bolshoi Babylon
[link...
Among those in consideration for the 88th Academy Awards are Cartel Land, He Named Me Malala, Amy, Janis: Little Girl Blue, Sherpa, Where To Invade Next, Winter On Fire, Wolfpack, Meet The Patels and A Sinner In Mecca.
Several of the submissions have not yet had their Los Angeles and New York qualifying releases.
A shortlist of 15 films will be announced in December.
The 88th Academy Awards nominations will be announced on January 14 2016 and the ceremony takes place on February 28 2016 at the Dolby Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center in Hollywood .
The submitted features in alphabetical order are:
Above And Beyond
All Things Must Pass
Amy
The Armor Of Light
Ballet 422
Batkid Begins
Becoming Bulletproof
Being Evel
Beltracchi – The Art Of Forgery
Best Of Enemies
The Black Panthers: Vanguard Of The Revolution
Bolshoi Babylon
[link...
- 10/23/2015
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Among those in consideration for the 88th Academy Awards are Cartel Land, He Named Me Malala, Amy, Janie: Little Girl Blue, Sherpa, Where To Invade Next, Winter On Fire, Wolfpack, Meet The Patels and A Sinner In Mecca.Several of the submissions have not yet had their Los Angeles and New York qualifying releases.A shortlist of 15 films will be announced in December.The 88th Academy Awards nominations will be announced on January 14 2016 and the ceremony takes place on
Among those in consideration for the 88th Academy Awards are Cartel Land, He Named Me Malala, Amy, Janie: Little Girl Blue, Sherpa, Where To Invade Next, Winter On Fire, Wolfpack, Meet The Patels and A Sinner In Mecca.
Several of the submissions have not yet had their Los Angeles and New York qualifying releases.
A shortlist of 15 films will be announced in December.
The 88th Academy Awards nominations will be announced on January 14 2016 and the ceremony takes place on...
Among those in consideration for the 88th Academy Awards are Cartel Land, He Named Me Malala, Amy, Janie: Little Girl Blue, Sherpa, Where To Invade Next, Winter On Fire, Wolfpack, Meet The Patels and A Sinner In Mecca.
Several of the submissions have not yet had their Los Angeles and New York qualifying releases.
A shortlist of 15 films will be announced in December.
The 88th Academy Awards nominations will be announced on January 14 2016 and the ceremony takes place on...
- 10/23/2015
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
One hundred twenty-four features have been submitted for consideration in the Documentary Feature category for the 88th Academy Awards.
Last year’s winner was Citizenfour (Laura Poitras, Mathilde Bonnefoy and Dirk Wilutzky)
The submitted features, listed in alphabetical order, are:
“Above and Beyond”
“All Things Must Pass”
“Amy”
“The Armor of Light”
“Ballet 422”
“Batkid Begins”
“Becoming Bulletproof”
“Being Evel”
“Beltracchi – The Art of Forgery”
“Best of Enemies”
“The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution”
“Bolshoi Babylon”
“Brand: A Second Coming”
“A Brave Heart: The Lizzie Velasquez Story”
“Call Me Lucky”
“Cartel Land”
“Censored Voices”
“Champs”
“CodeGirl”
“Coming Home”
“Dark Horse”
“Deli Man”
“Dior and I”
“The Diplomat”
“(Dis)Honesty – The Truth about Lies”
“Don’t Think I’ve Forgotten: Cambodia’s Lost Rock and Roll”
“Dreamcatcher”
“dream/killer”
“Drunk, Stoned, Brilliant, Dead: The Story of the National Lampoon”
“Eating Happiness”
“Every Last Child”
“Evidence of Harm”
“Farewell to Hollywood...
Last year’s winner was Citizenfour (Laura Poitras, Mathilde Bonnefoy and Dirk Wilutzky)
The submitted features, listed in alphabetical order, are:
“Above and Beyond”
“All Things Must Pass”
“Amy”
“The Armor of Light”
“Ballet 422”
“Batkid Begins”
“Becoming Bulletproof”
“Being Evel”
“Beltracchi – The Art of Forgery”
“Best of Enemies”
“The Black Panthers: Vanguard of the Revolution”
“Bolshoi Babylon”
“Brand: A Second Coming”
“A Brave Heart: The Lizzie Velasquez Story”
“Call Me Lucky”
“Cartel Land”
“Censored Voices”
“Champs”
“CodeGirl”
“Coming Home”
“Dark Horse”
“Deli Man”
“Dior and I”
“The Diplomat”
“(Dis)Honesty – The Truth about Lies”
“Don’t Think I’ve Forgotten: Cambodia’s Lost Rock and Roll”
“Dreamcatcher”
“dream/killer”
“Drunk, Stoned, Brilliant, Dead: The Story of the National Lampoon”
“Eating Happiness”
“Every Last Child”
“Evidence of Harm”
“Farewell to Hollywood...
- 10/23/2015
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Hubert Sauper’s new film We Come As Friends is more non-fiction poetry than traditional documentary. Following his Oscar-nominated Darwin’s Nightmare, We Come As Friends is set in South Sudan as it becomes its own country. A new (or, rather, the same old) colonialism is represented by rapacious outside interests pressing in on Sudan from all sides, desiring the country’s oil and natural resources. Amidst it all, Sauper and his collaborators build their own tiny aircraft, complete with a wind-up music box on the dashboard, and fly it into a nexus of cultural communication gaps, deception, corruption, violence and a rhapsodic […]...
- 8/14/2015
- by Alix Lambert
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Hubert Sauper’s new film We Come As Friends is more non-fiction poetry than traditional documentary. Following his Oscar-nominated Darwin’s Nightmare, We Come As Friends is set in South Sudan as it becomes its own country. A new (or, rather, the same old) colonialism is represented by rapacious outside interests pressing in on Sudan from all sides, desiring the country’s oil and natural resources. Amidst it all, Sauper and his collaborators build their own tiny aircraft, complete with a wind-up music box on the dashboard, and fly it into a nexus of cultural communication gaps, deception, corruption, violence and a rhapsodic […]...
- 8/14/2015
- by Alix Lambert
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
Colonialism is something many people often attribute to the earlier parts of the previous century, where many nations across the globe held colonies reaching far from their respective shores. However, while many colonies today have since become free and singular entities, we are far from the moniker of “post-colonialism” that many scholars see.
Proof? From director Hubert Suaper (Darwin’s Nightmare) comes We Come As Friends, a brilliant new documentary that teams the Oscar nominee with BBC Worldwide North America, as he looks at the beating heart of Africa. Focusing on Sudan, the largest African nation, he takes us into a world we don’t see on our TV sets anymore. With wars ravaging the continually splintering nation (the film focuses greatly on the creation of South Sudan which gained independence in 2011) , Sauper sees something seething under the skin of the war-torn region, leading to its never-ending implosion; colonialism. China wants to take its oil,...
Proof? From director Hubert Suaper (Darwin’s Nightmare) comes We Come As Friends, a brilliant new documentary that teams the Oscar nominee with BBC Worldwide North America, as he looks at the beating heart of Africa. Focusing on Sudan, the largest African nation, he takes us into a world we don’t see on our TV sets anymore. With wars ravaging the continually splintering nation (the film focuses greatly on the creation of South Sudan which gained independence in 2011) , Sauper sees something seething under the skin of the war-torn region, leading to its never-ending implosion; colonialism. China wants to take its oil,...
- 8/14/2015
- by Joshua Brunsting
- CriterionCast
Talking to filmmaker Hubert Sauper is a dangerous proposition. Friendly, humble yet extremely charismatic, you feel like you can talk to him all day. You don't feel the passage of time listening to his riveting stories. His ease and nonchalance with himself let your guard down the first time you see him. Even with the heavy subject, the newly founded South Sudan and his new film We Come as Friends about the country, our conversation was full of laughs and giddiness. Only later you realize how gifted a communicator Sauper really is both with film and in person. We Come as Friends opens Friday in New York. Please visit IFC Center website for tickets. *Sauper will be on hand for Q & As for Friday...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 8/13/2015
- Screen Anarchy
Hubert Sauper, a Paris based filmmaker known for his searing eco-disaster exposé in Tanzania, Darwin's Nightmare (2005), continues to document the African continent in his new documentary, We Come As Friends. This time, he sheds light on the post-referendum era Sudan. And it is a damning indictment of new-old colonialism that casts shadows on every corners of the youngest country in the world - South Sudan. Sudan's decades long civil war claimed estimated 2.5 million lives and created the biggest humanitarian crisis since WWII. In the West, Sudan became synonymous with child soldiers, Lost Boys of Sudan and various Human Rights violations.After decades of the bloody conflict, South Sudan's Christian majority finally broke free from Khartoum's merciless Islamic government and voted resounding yes to the...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 8/12/2015
- Screen Anarchy
Read More: Reality Checks: Here's the Problem With Sundance's Documentary Programming After his mind-blowing 2005 documentary "Darwin's Nightmare," here comes another hard-hitting non-fiction feature by Hubert Sauper. The latest from the Oscar-nominated filmmaker, "We Come As Friends" explores the after-effects of South Sudan's independence, including an international interest in gaining the area's land and resources. Sauper traveled in a small, self-made aircraft throughout different locations to show the devastating results of the exploitation of Africa. He shows Chinese oil workers, Un peacekeepers, Sudanese warlords and American evangelists and their common interest in South Sudan. "We Come As Friends" won the Special Jury Prize in the World Documentary Category at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival. The film will have its world premiere on August 14. Check out the trailer above. Read More: The 12 Major Breakouts of the 2015 Sundance...
- 6/19/2015
- by Kaeli Van Cott
- Indiewire
As the cradle of civilization, Africa has seen its people and resources colonized and exploited for generations. It's a persistent issue that faces the continent as many countries step into the global economy and modern age, and Hubert Sauper's upcoming documentary "We Come As Friends" is a bracing look at the new face of colonialism. Read More: Sfiff Review: Hubert Sauper's Unflinching South Sudan Documentary 'We Come As Friends' Winner of the Special Jury Prize in the World Documentary category at the Sundance Film Festival in 2014, and specifically cited for its Cinematic Bravery, the picture details the aftermath of South Sudan's vote for independence, and the various factions and interests aiming to gain influence and control of the land and resources. Here's the official synopsis: We Come As Friends is a modern odyssey—a dizzying, almost science fiction-like journey into the heart of Africa. At the moment when Sudan,...
- 6/19/2015
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
Alchemy has acquired the political drama starring Nicolas Cage, while in a separate deal BBC Worldwide North America will present the theatrical premiere of We Come As Friends.
Austin Stark directed The Runner, about an ideaological politician who confronts hard truths about his dysfunctional life.
Sarah Paulson, Connie Nielsen, Wendell Pierce, Bryan Batt and Peter Fonda round out the key cast.
Alchemy plans to release The Runner later this year.
Bingo Gubelmann, Benji Kohn, Glenn Williamson, Erika Hampson and Chris Papavasiliou produced, while the executive producer roster includes Noah Millman, Ruth Mutch, Sam Bisbee, Tom Conigliaro, Galt Niederhoffer and Todd Cohen.
Alchemy vp of acquisitions Jeff Deutchman negotiated the North American deal with Wme Global and Alan Sacks of Frankfurt, Kurnit, Klein & Selz PC. Fortitude International handles international sales.
BBC Worldwide North America will present the worldwide theatrical premiere of We Come As Friends from documentarian Hubert Sauper at the IFC Center in New York on August...
Austin Stark directed The Runner, about an ideaological politician who confronts hard truths about his dysfunctional life.
Sarah Paulson, Connie Nielsen, Wendell Pierce, Bryan Batt and Peter Fonda round out the key cast.
Alchemy plans to release The Runner later this year.
Bingo Gubelmann, Benji Kohn, Glenn Williamson, Erika Hampson and Chris Papavasiliou produced, while the executive producer roster includes Noah Millman, Ruth Mutch, Sam Bisbee, Tom Conigliaro, Galt Niederhoffer and Todd Cohen.
Alchemy vp of acquisitions Jeff Deutchman negotiated the North American deal with Wme Global and Alan Sacks of Frankfurt, Kurnit, Klein & Selz PC. Fortitude International handles international sales.
BBC Worldwide North America will present the worldwide theatrical premiere of We Come As Friends from documentarian Hubert Sauper at the IFC Center in New York on August...
- 6/5/2015
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Museum of Modern Art Department of Film Curator Jytte Jensen Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
As the Film Society of Lincoln Center and The Museum of Modern Art's 44th edition of New Directors/New Films is taking place, New York City and the film world has lost a champion of filmmakers. MoMA Department of Film Curator and longtime selection committee member Jytte Jensen died on Monday, due to cancer, at the age of 65.
When I spoke with Jytte before the 2014 New Directors/New Films kicked off, we had an informative discussion on Switzerland's Ramon Zürcher's family drama The Strange Little Cat, Icelandic director Benedikt Erlingsson's saga-infused Of Horses And Men, Jenny Slate's performance in Gillian Robespierre's Obvious Child, Jessica Oreck's The Vanquishing Of The Witch Baba Yaga, Talal Derki's Syrian documentary Return To Homs and the connection with Hubert Sauper's Sudan doc We Come As Friends...
As the Film Society of Lincoln Center and The Museum of Modern Art's 44th edition of New Directors/New Films is taking place, New York City and the film world has lost a champion of filmmakers. MoMA Department of Film Curator and longtime selection committee member Jytte Jensen died on Monday, due to cancer, at the age of 65.
When I spoke with Jytte before the 2014 New Directors/New Films kicked off, we had an informative discussion on Switzerland's Ramon Zürcher's family drama The Strange Little Cat, Icelandic director Benedikt Erlingsson's saga-infused Of Horses And Men, Jenny Slate's performance in Gillian Robespierre's Obvious Child, Jessica Oreck's The Vanquishing Of The Witch Baba Yaga, Talal Derki's Syrian documentary Return To Homs and the connection with Hubert Sauper's Sudan doc We Come As Friends...
- 3/25/2015
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
As is usually the case, 2014 held a rich vein of great nonfiction cinema … that went mostly untapped by any wide audiences. But just because documentaries are perpetually under-served by popular (and even critical) attention doesn’t mean that we should neglect these films. This is a celebration of all the best docs to come out this year.
But first, for the sake of full disclosure, here are all the notable docs of 2014 that I haven’t gotten around to seeing yet:
1989, 20,000 Days on Earth, Ai Weiwei: The Fake Case, Big Joy, Big Men, Code Black, Evolution of a Criminal, The Great Flood, The Great Invisible, The Kill Team, National Gallery, The Missing Picture, Maidentrip, Manakamana, The Naked Opera, Virunga, Watchers of the Sky, What Now? Remind Me, Whitey
Next,we have some honorable mentions — other docs of 2014 that are well worth seeking out:
A Will for the Woods, Art and Craft,...
But first, for the sake of full disclosure, here are all the notable docs of 2014 that I haven’t gotten around to seeing yet:
1989, 20,000 Days on Earth, Ai Weiwei: The Fake Case, Big Joy, Big Men, Code Black, Evolution of a Criminal, The Great Flood, The Great Invisible, The Kill Team, National Gallery, The Missing Picture, Maidentrip, Manakamana, The Naked Opera, Virunga, Watchers of the Sky, What Now? Remind Me, Whitey
Next,we have some honorable mentions — other docs of 2014 that are well worth seeking out:
A Will for the Woods, Art and Craft,...
- 12/11/2014
- by Dan Schindel
- SoundOnSight
Sundance ’15: Chuck Norris, Kim Longinotto & Louise Osmond Among 12 in World Documentary Competition
Supplying a wealth of treasures in just a dozen offerings, last year’s World Documentary Competition saw Talal Derki’s The Return to Homs claim the Grand Jury Prize over the likes of Iain Forsyth & Jane Pollard’s 20,000 Days On Earth, Göran Hugo Olsson’s Concerning Violence, Nadav Schirman’s The Green Prince and Hubert Sauper’s We Come as Friends. Among the docus we recall from previous oeuvres, we have Sisters in Law‘s Kim Longinotto & Deep Water‘s Louise Osmond. Here is the group of twelve.
The Amina Profile / Canada (Director: Sophie Deraspe) — During the Arab revolution, a love story between two women — a Canadian and a Syrian American — turns into an international sociopolitical thriller spotlighting media excesses and the thin line between truth and falsehood on the Internet. World Premiere
Censored Voices / Israel, Germany (Director: Mor Loushy) — One week after the 1967 Six-Day War, renowned author Amos Oz...
The Amina Profile / Canada (Director: Sophie Deraspe) — During the Arab revolution, a love story between two women — a Canadian and a Syrian American — turns into an international sociopolitical thriller spotlighting media excesses and the thin line between truth and falsehood on the Internet. World Premiere
Censored Voices / Israel, Germany (Director: Mor Loushy) — One week after the 1967 Six-Day War, renowned author Amos Oz...
- 12/3/2014
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
A who's who of this year's Oscar-contending foreign film crop will duke it out for best film honors along with Lars von Trier's latest at this year's European Film Awards. "Force Majeure" from Sweden, "Ida" from Poland, "Leviathan" from Russia and "Winter Sleep" from Turker were nominated in the top category with Lars von Trier's two-part "Nymphomaniac," with "Ida" leading the way overall with five nominations. Steven Knight's "Locke" showed up in the director and screenwriter fields, while that film's star, Tom Hardy, was nominated in the best actor category along with awards hopefuls like Brendan Gleeson ("Calvary") and Timothy Spall (shockingly, "Mr. Turner's" only nomination). Marion Cotillard ("Two Days, One Night"), Charlotte Gainsbourg ("Nymphomaniac") and Agata Kulesza ("Ida") were among the best actress nominees. Also announced were the craft prizes, included hardware for "Ida" (cinematographer), "Under the Skin" (composer) and "The Dark Valley" (costume and...
- 11/9/2014
- by Kristopher Tapley
- Hitfix
Norway’s submission to the Oscars to open 56th edition; Jihlava docfest winners revealed.
Bent Hamer’s latest feature film 1001 Grams will be the opening film tonight for Lübeck’s Nordic Film Days (Oct 29 – Nov 2), which has a programme of 172 films screening from the North and North-East of Europe.
Norway’s submission for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar was co-produced by Cologne-based Pandora Film Produktion and will be released theatrically in Germany by Pandora’s distribution arm, Pandora Film Verleih, on December 18.
Ahead of 1001 Grams’ German premiere in Lübeck, co-producer Claudia Steffen and her partners at Pandora issued a statement expressing their concern „that one of our most important allies, the Film- und Medienstiftung Nrw, has faced significant cut-backs from its two main shareholders.“
Earlier this month, public broadcaster Wdr had revealed its intention to reduce its voluntary annual contribution to Germany’s leading regional film fund by $ 3.82m (€ 3m), and the Land of North Rhine-Westphalia...
Bent Hamer’s latest feature film 1001 Grams will be the opening film tonight for Lübeck’s Nordic Film Days (Oct 29 – Nov 2), which has a programme of 172 films screening from the North and North-East of Europe.
Norway’s submission for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar was co-produced by Cologne-based Pandora Film Produktion and will be released theatrically in Germany by Pandora’s distribution arm, Pandora Film Verleih, on December 18.
Ahead of 1001 Grams’ German premiere in Lübeck, co-producer Claudia Steffen and her partners at Pandora issued a statement expressing their concern „that one of our most important allies, the Film- und Medienstiftung Nrw, has faced significant cut-backs from its two main shareholders.“
Earlier this month, public broadcaster Wdr had revealed its intention to reduce its voluntary annual contribution to Germany’s leading regional film fund by $ 3.82m (€ 3m), and the Land of North Rhine-Westphalia...
- 10/29/2014
- by screen.berlin@googlemail.com (Martin Blaney)
- ScreenDaily
We Come as Friends premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, where it won a Special Jury Award for Cinematic Bravery. It won the Peace Film Prize at the Berlinale. The New York Times' Manohla Dargis called the documentary by Darwin's Nightmare creator Hubert Sauper a "surreal, moving, infuriating and persuasive argument that in South Sudan, there’s nothing post about colonialism." Truly, there is no nonfiction film quite like it, and even the word "nonfiction" doesn't do its personal, futuristic-essayistic ambitions justice. Given the emphasis on "newness" these days, it is already disappointingly off-the-radar until its eventual theatrical debut, but it will be worth the wait. It's a timeless piece that needs to be seen in full-screen format to be fully appreciated. In the meantime Fandor co-founder Jonathan Marlow spoke with filmmaker Hubert Sauper during the San Francisco International Film Festival last year.>> - Jonathan Marlow...
- 10/15/2014
- Fandor: Keyframe
We Come as Friends premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, where it won a Special Jury Award for Cinematic Bravery. It won the Peace Film Prize at the Berlinale. The New York Times' Manohla Dargis called the documentary by Darwin's Nightmare creator Hubert Sauper a "surreal, moving, infuriating and persuasive argument that in South Sudan, there’s nothing post about colonialism." Truly, there is no nonfiction film quite like it, and even the word "nonfiction" doesn't do its personal, futuristic-essayistic ambitions justice. Given the emphasis on "newness" these days, it is already disappointingly off-the-radar until its eventual theatrical debut, but it will be worth the wait. It's a timeless piece that needs to be seen in full-screen format to be fully appreciated. In the meantime Fandor co-founder Jonathan Marlow spoke with filmmaker Hubert Sauper during the San Francisco International Film Festival last year.>> - Jonathan Marlow...
- 10/15/2014
- Keyframe
The 2014 Viennale gets underway on October 23rd and runs to November 6th. The festival has published a preview of their lineup:
Features
Frank (Lenny Abrahamson)
Jauja (Lisandro Alonso)
Clouds of Sils Maria (Olivier Assayas)
Winter Sleep (Nuri Bilge Ceylan)
Whiplash (Damien Chazelle)
Two Day, One Night (Jean-Pierre & Luc Dardenne)
Li'l Quinguin (Bruno Demont)
Hard to Be a God (Aeksej German)
Adieu au langage (Jean-Luc Godard)
Mambo Cool (Chris Gude)
Amour fou (Jessica Hausner)
The Last Summer of the Rich (Peter Kern)
Time Lapse (Bradley King)
The Kindergarten Teacher (Nadav Lapid)
Sorrow and Joy (Nils Malmros)
Suddarth (Richie Mehta)
Macondo (Sudabeh Mortezai)
Force Majeure (Ruben Ostlund)
I'm Not Him (Tayfun Pirselimoglu)
Favula (Raúl Perrone)
Buzzard (Joel Potrykus)
A Proletarian Winter's Tale (Julian Radlmaier)
Two Shots Fired (Martín Rejtman)
Mauro (Hernán Rosselli)
The Sad Smell of Flesh (Cristóbal Arteaga Rozas)
Love is Strange (Ira Sachs)
The Tribe (Myroslav Slaboshpytskiy)
Why Don't You Play in Hell?...
Features
Frank (Lenny Abrahamson)
Jauja (Lisandro Alonso)
Clouds of Sils Maria (Olivier Assayas)
Winter Sleep (Nuri Bilge Ceylan)
Whiplash (Damien Chazelle)
Two Day, One Night (Jean-Pierre & Luc Dardenne)
Li'l Quinguin (Bruno Demont)
Hard to Be a God (Aeksej German)
Adieu au langage (Jean-Luc Godard)
Mambo Cool (Chris Gude)
Amour fou (Jessica Hausner)
The Last Summer of the Rich (Peter Kern)
Time Lapse (Bradley King)
The Kindergarten Teacher (Nadav Lapid)
Sorrow and Joy (Nils Malmros)
Suddarth (Richie Mehta)
Macondo (Sudabeh Mortezai)
Force Majeure (Ruben Ostlund)
I'm Not Him (Tayfun Pirselimoglu)
Favula (Raúl Perrone)
Buzzard (Joel Potrykus)
A Proletarian Winter's Tale (Julian Radlmaier)
Two Shots Fired (Martín Rejtman)
Mauro (Hernán Rosselli)
The Sad Smell of Flesh (Cristóbal Arteaga Rozas)
Love is Strange (Ira Sachs)
The Tribe (Myroslav Slaboshpytskiy)
Why Don't You Play in Hell?...
- 8/22/2014
- by Notebook
- MUBI
Vienna film festival to include a tribute to Viggo Mortensen and a retrospective on John Ford.Scroll down for list of higlights
Highlights of the 52nd Vienna International Film Festival (Oct 23-Nov 6) have been unveiled, including buzz titles from Cannes and Sundance as well as a tribute to actor Viggo Mortensen and a retrospective on director John Ford.
The feature film programme includes Jean-Luc Godard’s Goodbye to Language 3D, Olivier Assayas’s Clouds of Sils Maria and the Dardenne brothers’ Two Days, One Night. Other titles include Damien Chazelle’s Whiplash, Ruben Ostlund’s Turist and Lenny Abrahamson’s Frank.
In the documentary line-up, highlights include Nick Cave doc 20,000 Days On Earth, from directors Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard; Frederick Wiseman’s National Gallery; and Tessa Louise Salome’s Mr Leos Carax.
The Viennale will pay tribute to American-Danish actor Viggo Mortensen, whose films range from The Lord of the Rings trilogy to David Cronenberg features...
Highlights of the 52nd Vienna International Film Festival (Oct 23-Nov 6) have been unveiled, including buzz titles from Cannes and Sundance as well as a tribute to actor Viggo Mortensen and a retrospective on director John Ford.
The feature film programme includes Jean-Luc Godard’s Goodbye to Language 3D, Olivier Assayas’s Clouds of Sils Maria and the Dardenne brothers’ Two Days, One Night. Other titles include Damien Chazelle’s Whiplash, Ruben Ostlund’s Turist and Lenny Abrahamson’s Frank.
In the documentary line-up, highlights include Nick Cave doc 20,000 Days On Earth, from directors Iain Forsyth and Jane Pollard; Frederick Wiseman’s National Gallery; and Tessa Louise Salome’s Mr Leos Carax.
The Viennale will pay tribute to American-Danish actor Viggo Mortensen, whose films range from The Lord of the Rings trilogy to David Cronenberg features...
- 8/22/2014
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
The top stories of the week from Toh! Awards:Tony Nominations Snub Hollywood, Cut Swath in Open YearWeinstein Release Calendar Reveals Awards Itinerary, But Don't Place Any Bets Just YetBox Office:Arthouse Audit: "Locke" Breaks Out, CBS Films Takes VOD Route for Diaz-starrer "Gambit," Written by CoensTop Ten: "Other Woman" Unseats "Captain America" in Top Spot Ahead of Upcoming Male-Centric TentpolesFeatures:Career Watch: Cameron Diaz Is Back as "The Other Woman," But What's Her Next Best Move?Tired of Tentpoles? Here Are Ten Great Indies to Catch This SummerFestivals:Alice Waters Throws Chez Panisse Feast for Sauper's Sfiff Film "We Come as Friends"San Francisco International Film Festival Opens with "Two Faces of January"Interviews:Dane DeHaan Talks "Amazing Spider-Man 2," Meteoric Career"Decoding Annie Parker" Is True Best Cancer QuestHow Does "Amazing Spider-Man 2" Composer Hans Zimmer Do It? Hack or Genius? (Video)How "The German Doctor" Director Lucia Puenzo Found a Film in the.
- 5/3/2014
- by TOH!
- Thompson on Hollywood
The phone rings with an invite to a special dinner at Chez Panisse tonight. I'm on deadline, at home, hoping to finish a piece before I drive over to the first full day of the 57th Annual San Francisco Film Festival. I'm determined to make it in by the 3 p.m. screening of "We Come as Friends," by Hubert Sauper. Alice Waters, it seems, met Sauper at the Berlin Film Festival in February, loved "We Come as Friends," and is hosting a dinner in his honor. "Yes, of course, thank you so much, I'll see you there." I was entertained, engaged, and horrified by his witty, ironic, and moving "Darwin's Nightmare," Oscar-nominated for Best Documentary Feature in 2006, and winner of the 2006 Cesar for Best First Film, nominally about the voracious Nile perch, which took over Lake Victoria in central Africa, but actually about the pernicious effects of globalization. "We Come as Friends...
- 5/1/2014
- by Meredith Brody
- Thompson on Hollywood
“We Come as Friends,” director Hubert Sauper’s follow-up to his 2004 documentary “Darwin’s Nightmare,” is a painful record of contemporary colonialism, capturing the realities of life within Sudan (now Sudans, as South Sudan seceded in 2011) via personal portraits of the Sudanese people as well as those present to ostensibly help those that are suffering. Before we get caught up on that red flag of a phrasing, a “painful documentary,” know that Sauper isn’t simply requesting our gasps and tears. Instead, he’s succeeded in introducing us to his subjects in an intimate fashion. We are invited to laugh just as often as mournfully submit to the madness of the exploitation of the Sudanese people. The film is revealing while maintaining a regard for its subjects’ humanity, whether meaning to stir up empathy or contempt. While Sauper himself only appears in the film in brief glimpses, the circumstances of...
- 4/29/2014
- by Sean Gillane
- The Playlist
The Strange Little Cat "Formally it's so inventive and you tend to, when you talk about it initially, just talk about the form. And you miss the point of how emotionally involving and revealing it is of all the people in this kitchen" In part two of our look at this year's New Directors/New Films season in New York, I speak with longtime selection committee member MoMA Department of Film Curator Jytte Jensen on Ramon Zürcher's family drama The Strange Little Cat, Benedikt Erlingsson's saga-infused Of Horses and Men, Jenny Slate's performance in Gillian Robespierre's Obvious Child, Talal Derki's Syrian documentary Return to Homs and the connection with Hubert Sauper's Sudan doc We Come as Friends and Bertrand Tavernier's African-set Coup de Torchon.
Anne-Katrin Titze: I loved The Strange Little Cat.
Jytte Jensen: Yes, it's wonderful. It's one of the first films we invited,...
Anne-Katrin Titze: I loved The Strange Little Cat.
Jytte Jensen: Yes, it's wonderful. It's one of the first films we invited,...
- 3/20/2014
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Top brass at the 57th San Francisco International Film Festival (Sfiff) have announced the films in competition for the New Directors Prize and the Golden Gate Award contenders in the documentary category.
The festival will award close to $40,000 in total cash prizes this year.
The New Directors Prize of $10,000 will go to a narrative first feature that exhibits “a unique artistic sensibility and deserves to be seen by as wide an audience as possible.”
The Gga documentary winner will receive $10,000 and the Gga Bay Area documentary feature winner will receive $5,000.
The Sfiff is scheduled to run from April 24-May 8.
The 2014 New Directors Prize (Narrative Feature) Competition entries are:
The Amazing Catfish (pictured, Mexico), dir Claudia Sainte-Luce
The Blue Wave (Turkey-Germany-Netherlands-Greece), dir Zeynep Dadak and Merve Kayan
Difret (Ethiopia), dir Zeresenay Berhane Mehari
The Dune (France-Israel), dir Yossi Aviram
History Of Fear (Argentina-France-Germany-Uruguay-Qatar), dir Benjamin Naishtat
Manos Sucias (Us-Colombia), dir Josef Wladyka
Of Horses And Men (Iceland-Germany), dir Benedikt Erlingsson...
The festival will award close to $40,000 in total cash prizes this year.
The New Directors Prize of $10,000 will go to a narrative first feature that exhibits “a unique artistic sensibility and deserves to be seen by as wide an audience as possible.”
The Gga documentary winner will receive $10,000 and the Gga Bay Area documentary feature winner will receive $5,000.
The Sfiff is scheduled to run from April 24-May 8.
The 2014 New Directors Prize (Narrative Feature) Competition entries are:
The Amazing Catfish (pictured, Mexico), dir Claudia Sainte-Luce
The Blue Wave (Turkey-Germany-Netherlands-Greece), dir Zeynep Dadak and Merve Kayan
Difret (Ethiopia), dir Zeresenay Berhane Mehari
The Dune (France-Israel), dir Yossi Aviram
History Of Fear (Argentina-France-Germany-Uruguay-Qatar), dir Benjamin Naishtat
Manos Sucias (Us-Colombia), dir Josef Wladyka
Of Horses And Men (Iceland-Germany), dir Benedikt Erlingsson...
- 3/6/2014
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Though the market seemed slow on the surface, the usual sales got made: the larger companies selling almost out, the smaller ones busily speaking with others, selling here and there, worrying if this would get better, worse, or stay the same.
Meanwhile fascinating and energizing conversations were carried on with friends, newcomers, keepers of funds, representatives of countries and their needs to internationalize, to join forces with one another to create new models, internationalize, form cross cultural competent and cooperative ways of working together. We know the past model is failing to keep up with the technology and its fast spawning product. Some would say the old model is old and frail, sucking its old teeth as it pretends to carry on, but in reality, it is carrying its own corpse upon its shoulders. I would never go so far as to say this; the model will be changed, refined and redesigned, but it will survive because some people enjoy theatrical settings and that helps further other sales
FBI Casting Director Beatrice Kruger (now working on Fatih Akin¹s The Cut) spoke to us over dinner at Einsteins about her experience on Woody Allen¹s To Rome With Love, how he got involved in the real life politics of Italy as he attempted to cast real newscasters in the roles they play in real life. He didn't want the right wingers. He didn't like them, but he was told he had to hire them if he wanted to access the government monies, ...besides, how could he cast a left wing newscaster into the role off a right wing commentator? The experience of Italian politics did not make him happy.
Frank Cox, the founder of the Australian arthouse distributor Hopscotch which has been sold to eOne Entertainment, was in the Scandinavian Pavilion and told me he is still carrying on though on a smaller scale with his original company, New Vision Distribution. He recently acquired We¹re The Best by Lucas Moodyson, a darling film that showed in Cannes and Toronto and totally endeared me to its 13 year old girls as they searched for ways to get into trouble. (Magnolia has U.S.)
Robbie Little and Elie Mechoulam, Director of Sales and Marketing of The Little Film Company tallying up that $30,000,000 at the box office at $11 per ticket is only 3 million admissions, or 300,000 tickets sold...TV would be failure if it had such numbers. TV makes $46 million in ad sales on one episode of a great series...
Andrea Kaul, the EFM¹s new Co-Director who comes from Rtl TV and ad sales was not at that conversation, but when we spoke after the market was finished, such a topic as episodic content and online ad sales was also on her mind. The Berlinale screening of Netflix¹s second installment of Houses of Cards was a great success in the last days of the Berlinale, which was in itself food for thought. Even Dieter Kosslick, in his interview with Indiewire¹s Eric Kohn (Read Here) said, "We showed, for the first time in history, House of Cards. We have never done such a thing before. Heads were turning last night. Last year, we had [Jane Campion¹s TV series] Top of the Lake (in its entirety),so we are starting this new whole world."
Ted Hope of Fandor pointed out, "Research company Markets and Markets predicts global video-on-demand (VOD) revenue will grow from $21 billion last year to $45 billion in 2018. They define this as the combined revenues of all VOD outlets, worldwide ‹ essentially digital (online) VOD plus cable & satellite VOD. Huge numbers, but actually not a particularly high compound annual growth rate (16%) to get to the $45b number in years. Figure roughly half of this revenue flows to content owners and half to the VOD outlets."
To see the excitement of young people just beginning...everything to gain and little to lose, learning to like what they are doing to further their aims at telling stories their way. When I spoke with Wafa Tajdin, a founding partner and lead producer at Seven Thirty Films, an Africa based indie production company she runs with her sister, artist and film maker Amirah Tajdin. This Arab Indian pair of sisters is working to tell their stories of growing up in Kenya and living in Dubai...I asked which parent was what and was told that each parent was also half Arab, half Indian, the same sexes too...I should have told them about Peter, whose Italian Jewish parents also lived in such a ghetto of mixed marriages in east Harlem in the 1910s and 1920s. These are the stories which are forming in world cinema today. You can see her work Here
True cross-culture creation is taking place in the Talents section of the Efm. Eleven films of former Talent Campus participants are showing in the festival this year
One talent, Sompot Chidgasornpongse has formed a new international sales agency (and distribution company) called Mosquito. Thailand¹s leading independent filmmakers Apichatpong Weerasethakul (Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives), Pimpaka Towira (One Night Husband), Aditya Assarat (Hi-So), Soros Sukhum (Wonderful Town), Anocha Suwichakornpong (Mundane History), and Lee Chatametikool have joined hands to open Mosquito Films Distribution. The new company will handle international sales and festival distribution for the partners¹ films as well as upcoming titles from the new generation of Southeast Asian filmmakers. - See more Here
Ben Gibson of London Film School,Ira Deutchman of Colombia Film School, German film school dffb, Frances La Femis, Fescac the Romanian Film and Theater University are continuing their initiative Making Waves, bringing in students to work collaboratively to develop creative campaigns, edit trailers, design posters and plan roll-out packages for actual independent movies in the Efm.
Also exciting was the search for new models, not only in the film world of funding by government organizations, but of society as discussed in such films as Göran Hugo Olsson¹s (Black Mix Tapes) Concerning Violence and Hubert Sauper¹s We Come as Friends , and of women in society. 50% of public funds should be made available for women who not only constitute 50% of the public as moviegoers and should represent 50% of the cinephiles (those working in the film business) but 50% of all societies and therefore should have 50% of the voice of public policy.
In its second year, the Dortmund Women's Film Festival drew even more women to hear and discuss the status of women in the film business and gender parity. Speakers such as Heike Meyer-Döring of the Creative Europe Desk of Film and Medienstiftung Nrw, Bosnian filmmaker and Golden Bear Winner in 2006 Jasmila Zbanic, So-in Hong of the Seoul International Womens Film Festival speaking on aims and projects of the Asian Women Film Network, Melissa Silverstein of the Athena Film Festival and blogger on Women and Hollywood updating on the status of women filmmakers in the U.S., Mariel Macia of Mica/ Cima, Spain speaking of the proposal for the EU Commission regarding gender equality on state aid for film - all these and more, like Claudia Landsberger head of Eye International, Film Institute Netherlands hosting a panel of Susana de la Sierra, General Director of Icaa, Spanish Film Institute noting that 7% of the leading roles were women and the 2007 Law for Gender Equality, Cornelia Hammelmann, Project Director of the German Federal Fund, Sanja Ravlic, President of the Gender Equality Study Group of Eurimages, Croatia -- all spoke of what seems as obvious as the noses on our faces, but which has made little impact on the reality of policies yet... We had so many more conversations, I wish I could put them all here.
With all the ideas circulating, one could hardly say that the Berlinale and the European Film Market were not busy.
Meanwhile fascinating and energizing conversations were carried on with friends, newcomers, keepers of funds, representatives of countries and their needs to internationalize, to join forces with one another to create new models, internationalize, form cross cultural competent and cooperative ways of working together. We know the past model is failing to keep up with the technology and its fast spawning product. Some would say the old model is old and frail, sucking its old teeth as it pretends to carry on, but in reality, it is carrying its own corpse upon its shoulders. I would never go so far as to say this; the model will be changed, refined and redesigned, but it will survive because some people enjoy theatrical settings and that helps further other sales
FBI Casting Director Beatrice Kruger (now working on Fatih Akin¹s The Cut) spoke to us over dinner at Einsteins about her experience on Woody Allen¹s To Rome With Love, how he got involved in the real life politics of Italy as he attempted to cast real newscasters in the roles they play in real life. He didn't want the right wingers. He didn't like them, but he was told he had to hire them if he wanted to access the government monies, ...besides, how could he cast a left wing newscaster into the role off a right wing commentator? The experience of Italian politics did not make him happy.
Frank Cox, the founder of the Australian arthouse distributor Hopscotch which has been sold to eOne Entertainment, was in the Scandinavian Pavilion and told me he is still carrying on though on a smaller scale with his original company, New Vision Distribution. He recently acquired We¹re The Best by Lucas Moodyson, a darling film that showed in Cannes and Toronto and totally endeared me to its 13 year old girls as they searched for ways to get into trouble. (Magnolia has U.S.)
Robbie Little and Elie Mechoulam, Director of Sales and Marketing of The Little Film Company tallying up that $30,000,000 at the box office at $11 per ticket is only 3 million admissions, or 300,000 tickets sold...TV would be failure if it had such numbers. TV makes $46 million in ad sales on one episode of a great series...
Andrea Kaul, the EFM¹s new Co-Director who comes from Rtl TV and ad sales was not at that conversation, but when we spoke after the market was finished, such a topic as episodic content and online ad sales was also on her mind. The Berlinale screening of Netflix¹s second installment of Houses of Cards was a great success in the last days of the Berlinale, which was in itself food for thought. Even Dieter Kosslick, in his interview with Indiewire¹s Eric Kohn (Read Here) said, "We showed, for the first time in history, House of Cards. We have never done such a thing before. Heads were turning last night. Last year, we had [Jane Campion¹s TV series] Top of the Lake (in its entirety),so we are starting this new whole world."
Ted Hope of Fandor pointed out, "Research company Markets and Markets predicts global video-on-demand (VOD) revenue will grow from $21 billion last year to $45 billion in 2018. They define this as the combined revenues of all VOD outlets, worldwide ‹ essentially digital (online) VOD plus cable & satellite VOD. Huge numbers, but actually not a particularly high compound annual growth rate (16%) to get to the $45b number in years. Figure roughly half of this revenue flows to content owners and half to the VOD outlets."
To see the excitement of young people just beginning...everything to gain and little to lose, learning to like what they are doing to further their aims at telling stories their way. When I spoke with Wafa Tajdin, a founding partner and lead producer at Seven Thirty Films, an Africa based indie production company she runs with her sister, artist and film maker Amirah Tajdin. This Arab Indian pair of sisters is working to tell their stories of growing up in Kenya and living in Dubai...I asked which parent was what and was told that each parent was also half Arab, half Indian, the same sexes too...I should have told them about Peter, whose Italian Jewish parents also lived in such a ghetto of mixed marriages in east Harlem in the 1910s and 1920s. These are the stories which are forming in world cinema today. You can see her work Here
True cross-culture creation is taking place in the Talents section of the Efm. Eleven films of former Talent Campus participants are showing in the festival this year
One talent, Sompot Chidgasornpongse has formed a new international sales agency (and distribution company) called Mosquito. Thailand¹s leading independent filmmakers Apichatpong Weerasethakul (Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives), Pimpaka Towira (One Night Husband), Aditya Assarat (Hi-So), Soros Sukhum (Wonderful Town), Anocha Suwichakornpong (Mundane History), and Lee Chatametikool have joined hands to open Mosquito Films Distribution. The new company will handle international sales and festival distribution for the partners¹ films as well as upcoming titles from the new generation of Southeast Asian filmmakers. - See more Here
Ben Gibson of London Film School,Ira Deutchman of Colombia Film School, German film school dffb, Frances La Femis, Fescac the Romanian Film and Theater University are continuing their initiative Making Waves, bringing in students to work collaboratively to develop creative campaigns, edit trailers, design posters and plan roll-out packages for actual independent movies in the Efm.
Also exciting was the search for new models, not only in the film world of funding by government organizations, but of society as discussed in such films as Göran Hugo Olsson¹s (Black Mix Tapes) Concerning Violence and Hubert Sauper¹s We Come as Friends , and of women in society. 50% of public funds should be made available for women who not only constitute 50% of the public as moviegoers and should represent 50% of the cinephiles (those working in the film business) but 50% of all societies and therefore should have 50% of the voice of public policy.
In its second year, the Dortmund Women's Film Festival drew even more women to hear and discuss the status of women in the film business and gender parity. Speakers such as Heike Meyer-Döring of the Creative Europe Desk of Film and Medienstiftung Nrw, Bosnian filmmaker and Golden Bear Winner in 2006 Jasmila Zbanic, So-in Hong of the Seoul International Womens Film Festival speaking on aims and projects of the Asian Women Film Network, Melissa Silverstein of the Athena Film Festival and blogger on Women and Hollywood updating on the status of women filmmakers in the U.S., Mariel Macia of Mica/ Cima, Spain speaking of the proposal for the EU Commission regarding gender equality on state aid for film - all these and more, like Claudia Landsberger head of Eye International, Film Institute Netherlands hosting a panel of Susana de la Sierra, General Director of Icaa, Spanish Film Institute noting that 7% of the leading roles were women and the 2007 Law for Gender Equality, Cornelia Hammelmann, Project Director of the German Federal Fund, Sanja Ravlic, President of the Gender Equality Study Group of Eurimages, Croatia -- all spoke of what seems as obvious as the noses on our faces, but which has made little impact on the reality of policies yet... We had so many more conversations, I wish I could put them all here.
With all the ideas circulating, one could hardly say that the Berlinale and the European Film Market were not busy.
- 2/27/2014
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
You hear it all the time: Quality a bit soft. Not a lot of Big Titles. Not a lot of Big News. But Americans were buying all the same, and to quote Screen International: “The current market is focused on smart money and smart deals, not volume of product”. Business at Afm was also solid though unspectacular. Moreover, the pre-buying of projects may be below the radar of this $3 billion business of international film buying and selling. TrustNordisk’s CEO Rikke Ennis says that 70% of their films are pre-sold. As you look at the upcoming Winter Rights Roundup due out in two weeks from SydneysBuzz.com/Reports, you will notice many of the films have been pre-buys this market and many films screening were already pre-sold during Afm in November.
And for all the complaints about Berlin, many sales agents set up private screenings before the market kicked off. What is that about?
Beki Probst, who has run the Efm since 1988, responded to the many media reports of a quieter market in an interview with ScreenDaily which sounds almost the same as the one she gave in 2009.
Quoting her current statement which I take the liberty of quoting here as it appears in Screen:
“I think that there was a good movement of business this year,” she said. In the opinion of Probst, there had been a muddying of the distinction between the Efm and the more general term of the ‘market’.
“Daphné Kapfer of Europa International representing 35 sales agents said that it was a very good Berlin, and Glen Basner of FilmNation commented that it was ‘the best Berlin’.
“Even Harvey Weinstein came just for 24 hours to sign a $7m check, and Aloft was bought by Sony Pictures Classics.
“It’s the players, and not the market, that is important. The players come here if they have the right line-up. All we can do is provide the best infrastructure, but what happens after that is up to them.”
"Sales agents were not sitting idle at their stands if one takes the example of one company in the Martin Gropius Bau: the CEO met with 90 buyers and the members of staff responsible for marketing had no less than 180 meetings in addition to ad-hoc discussions at events in the evenings."
Coproductions are the engine driving the business these days.
This year’s Berlinale Co-Production Market ended after two-and-a-half days with awards handed out to projects from Kazakhstan and Belgium.
The €6,000 Arte International Prize went to Kazakh film-maker Emir Baigazin’s planned second feature The Wounded Angel, the second part of a trilogy after his Silver Bear-winning Harmony Lessons. The €1.2m Almaty-based Kazakhfilm Jsc production has already attracted France’s Capricci Production as a co-producer and has backing in place from the Doha Film Institute and the Hubert Bals Fund.
The €10,000 Vff Talent Highlight Pitch Award was presented to Belgian director Bavo Defurne for his romantic dramedy Souvenir. The €2m co-production by Oostende-based Indeed Films with Belgium’s Frakas Productions and Germany’s Karibufilm already has backing from Flanders Audiovisual Fund, Cinefinance and public broadcaster Vrt/ Een.
India-Norway’s $55 million film to be directed by Hans Petter Moland (In Order of Disappearance)’s The Indian Bride is an exciting example of an unusual pairing of countries.
Bavaria and Senator’s joint venture Bavaria Pictures’ The Postcard Killers to be directed by Mexican director Everardo Gout shows the international expansion of talent.
The Hungary-Austria-Germany co-production of Stefan Zweig’s Beware of Pity, or U.K.-Lithuania action comedy Redirected being sold by Content brings unusual European partners together.
U.S. born Damian John Harper’s coproduction with the German producers, brothers Jakob and Jonas Weydemann, on Los Angeles will be followed by In the Middle of the River now being developed with Zdf’s Das Kleine Fernsehspiel unit.
Shoreline’s The Infinite Man produced with Australia’s Hedone Productions in association with Bonsai Films with investment from South Australia Film Corporation through its Filmlab funding initiative, development assistance from Screen Australia is also a new sort of pairing.
Film and Music Entertainment (F&Me), Bac Films, 20 Steps Productions and Bruemmer & Herzog’s The President is shooting in Tbilisi, Georgia and is being directed by Mohsen Makhmalbaf.
Italian-Canadian producer Andrea Iervolino and Monika Bacardi’s Sights of Death starring Danny Glover, Daryl Hannah, Rutger Hauer, Stephen Baldwin and Michael Madsen is directed by Allessandro Capone in Rome.
The Spain-u.K. co-production Second Origin is based on the best selling Catalan novel Mecanoscrit Del Segon Orgen.
The Golden Bear Winner Black Coal, Thin Ice is a Boneyard Entertainment (New York & Hong Kong) co-production with Boneyard Entertainment China (Bec), Omnijoi Media (Jiangsu, China), China Film co-production.
A sign of the times is the Swedish Film in Berlin advertisement which lists all Swedish co-productions:
In Competition: In Order of DisappearanceOut of Competition: NymphomaniacBerlinale Special: Someone You Love Generation Kplus: A Christmoose StoryPerspektive Deutsches Kino: Lamento
All are with European co-producers as is Antboy a Danish-German co-production.
One of my favorites is Gallows Hill, being sold by Im Global and already picked up by IFC for U.S. Starring Twilight actor Peter Facinelli, U.K. actress Sophia Myles, Nathalia Ramos and Colombian model and actress Carolina Guerra, it was entirely financed from within Colombia by television network Rcn’s affiliate Five 7 Media which produced with Peter Block's A Bigger Boat, David Higgins and Angelique Higgins' Launchpad Productions and Andrea Chung. The screenplay was written by Rich D’Ovidio ( The Call, Thir13en Ghosts) about a widower who takes his children on a trip to their mother’s Colombian hometown.
Another interesting combo is the Australian-Singapore co-production Canopy being sold by Odin’s Eye which was acquired by Kaleidoscope for U.K., by Kinosmith for Canada and Odin’s Eye itself for Australia. After its Tiff 2013 premiere, Monterrey acquired U.S. rights.
Cathedrals of Culture, was produced by Wim Wenders’ production company: Neue Road Movies in Germany and co-produced by Final Cut For Real (Denmark), Lotus Film (Austria), Mer Film (Norway), Les Films d'Ici 2 (France), Sundance Productions / RadicalMedia (U.S.), Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg In collaboration with Arte (Germany and France) and Wowow (Japan).
Grand Budapest Hotel is a co-production of Scott Rudin in U.S. and Studio Babelsburg in Germany.
Wouldn't you say there had to be an awful lot of business going on? If only the media knew where to look for it. Instead, they moan the same old tired tune, "Quality a bit soft. Not a lot of Big Titles. Not a lot of Big News". Oh well...
Efm Coproduction Market
Asian producer Raymond Phathanavirangoon, who was pitching the Hong Kong comedy Grooms by writer-director Arvin Chen at the Berlin Coproduction Market, announced that Germany’s augenschein filmproduktion will be a coproducer on Singaporean director Boo Junfeng’s second feature Apprentice. The film has already received backing from France’s World Cinema Support, the Film- und Medienstiftung Nrw of Germany and Germany's second network, Zdf’s Das kleine fernsehspiel unit. It also has Cinema Defacto as its French co-producer. Junfeng’s first film, Sandcastle, was screened at the Critics’ Week in Cannes in 2010.
Cologne-based augenschein, who produced Maximilian Leo’s My Brother’s Keeper, the opening film of this year’s Perspektive Deutsches Kino and is handled internationally by Media Luna, is currently in post-production on Romanian filmmaker Florin Serban’s Box, his second feature after the 2010 Berlinale Competition film If I Want To Whistle, I Whistle.
Argentinian filmmaker Santiago Mitre whose debut The Student established him as one of the brightest and most courted young directors in Latin America was in the Co-production Market with his untitled second feature which France’s Full House connected to along with Argentina’s Union de los Rio, Argentine broadcast network Telefe, Ignacio Viale and the ubiquitous Lita Stantic.
Full House was also at the Coproduction Market with Peter Webber’s Fresh about a young thief learning the art of pickpocketing in Bogota, Colombia. It will be co-produced with Rcn affiliate Five 7 Media and 4Direcciones in Colombia and by Webber himself.
Raymond van der Kaaij, the producer of Tamar van den Dop’s Panorama title Supernova, is now financing Sundance winner Ernesto Contreras’ next feature I Dream In Another Language. The Spanish-English language project will be produced with Mexico-based Agencia Sha, and it is now casting the American lead according to producer van der Kaaij of Revolver Amsterdam. Developed at the Sundance Screenwriters Lab and the winner of the Sundance-Mahindra Global Filmmaking Award, I Dream has already received support from Imcine in Mexico. Shooting is scheduled in Mexico for the end of 2014.
Revolver is now editing Bodkin Ras, the debut film of Iranian-Dutch director Kaweh Modiri, an English-language documentary-thriller set in North Scotland. The Dutch-Belgian-u.K. coproduction is set for release at the end of 2014.
Finnish film-maker Jukka-Pekka Valkeapaa’s is editing his latest feature They Have Escaped, which Revolver coproduced with Helsinki Film.
Trend of smart art genres
Another continuing trend, which began with Xyz and Celluloid Nightmares and continued with Memento, is the character-driven art genre films with tight budgets, like the Danish coming-of-age-werewolf-romance, When Animals Dream, directed by first timer Jonas Arnby, sold by Gaumont to Radius-twc for No. Americ. The Scandinavians, formerly making a mark with "Nordic Noir" are now making what they call "Nordic Twilight".
Trend of remake rights
Another trend is that of remake rights. Film Sharks reports it makes more from selling remake rights than from licensing distribution rights.
The Intouchables is selling remake rights to more countries than only India as is the sale of Other Angle’s Babysitting remake rights. Negotiations are underway with Russia, Italy and Germany.
Fruit Chan is considering an English language remake of his 2004 cult horror film Dumplings.
The market is bit too calm?…Then let us look at Cannes…
Usually by Afm you can begin the Tipped for Cannes List (which Gilles Jacob detested), but even that is a little on the quiet side. I begin to question whether all media fueled news is accurate: the slow sales being reported, the lack of pre-Cannes buzz… Is the media really investigating deeply?
Of all the trades, while Screen has the most international news and deepest analyses, Variety reports things no other trade is covering. But…still the non-news of a quiet market persists as if it were headline news. We always hear this and we are still in an economic slump, so what we wish for is not apparent, but this is not news.
Tipped for Cannes
Tipped for Cannes are Zhang Yimou’s Coming Home staring Gong Li and to be sold by Wild Bunch, Stealth’s First Law starring Mads Mikkelsen (Cannes 2012 Best Actor Award for The Hunt); Self Made (Boreg) by Shira Geffen and to be sold by Westend, shot in Hebrew and Arabic by the production and sales team behind Oscar nominated 2011 drama Footnote, the second film after Geffen’s 2007 debut Jellyfish which won the Cannes Camera d’Or. MK2’s Clouds of Sils Maria by Olivier Assayas and starring Juliette Binoche, Chloe Grace Moretz and Kristen Stewart, and Naomi Kawase’s Still the Water will be delivered in time for Cannes. Pyramide International is plannng for Leviathan, a modern retelling of the biblical story which deals with some of Russia’s most important social issues to be ready for Cannes. It is directed by Andrey Zvyagintsev and produced by Alexander Rodnyansky (Stalingrad) as their followup to Elena. Gaumont-cj co-production, The Target, the Korean remake of Fred Cavaye’s action thriller Point Blank will be ready in time for Cannes.
Rumors and truths about people changing positions
Rumors about Dieter Kosslick replacing Berlin’s Culture Secretary who resigned after a tax evasion scandal in which he admitted to stashing $575,000 in a Swiss bank account…Charlotte Mickie has left eOne and knowing her, she is bound to find something good elsewhere as she's too good to lose...StudioCanals Harold van Lier now leads eOne’s newly ramped international sales team and Montreal based Anick Poirier leads its subsidiary label, Seville International. Jeff Nuyts is leaving Intramovies. Nigel Sinclair and Guy East seem to be leaving Exclusive Media the company they founded as discussions with partners from Dasym Investment Strategies Bv move forward. Kevin Hoiseth from Voltage Pictures has joined International Film Trust as their director of international sales...and of course, Nadine de Barros has founded her own company, Fortitude, and was holding court at the Ritz Carlton the buzziest spot outside of the Martin Gropius Bau.
What I Saw and What I Thought
For what it's worth, here is my limited list of screenings of films seen only in the last 3 days of the festival when I was no longer "working". I am including some I actually saw at Sundance.
First and foremost -- and to be written about further in a "thought piece" as I term the articles I think long about before writing and to include my interview with the director Goran Hugo Olsson's (The Black Power Mixtapes winner of Sundance 2011 World Cinema Documentary Film Editing Award) -- Concerning Violence (Isa: Films Boutique, U.S.: Cinetic), based on Frantz Fanon's The Wretched of the Earth and seen at Sundance this year next to Stanley Nelson's outstanding Freedom Summer (PBS) and Greg Barker's We Are The Giant (Submarine), is a call to action for new societal models ringing out loud and clear.
Golden Bear Winner, Black Coal, Thin Ice by Diao Yinan, a Chinese noir, lacked the momentum and substance I would have expected in a winning film, though it was a fascinating way to see today's urban China. Had I been on the jury, I would have chosen the Best Director Award winning Boyhood (Isa: IFC) by Richard Linklater. But perhaps because James Schamus, an American who loves Chinese films, was President of the Jury, there might have arisen a question of disinterested objectivity. I would have to hear what jurists Barbara Broccoli, Trine Dyrhom, Chistoph Waltz, Tony Leung, Greta Gerwig, Mitra Farahani and Michel Gondry would have to say about the deliberations.
Speaking of jury prizes, it was a surprise the much acclaimed '71 (Isa: Protagonist, now headed by our dear Mike Goodridge) won nothing, and good Alain Renais' Life of Riley (Isa: Le Pacte) received recognition. I found Christophe Gans' La belle et la bete (Beauty and the Beast) (Isa: Pathe) an overproduced unwieldy special effects-ridden mess, even though it was exec-produced by Jérôme Seydoux who also produced the masterpiece La Grande Belleza (The Great Beauty), and starred his granddaughter Lea Seydoux. I'll stand by Cocteau's versoin. I heard Claudia Llosa (Milk of Sorrow)'s Aloft was also not widely admired.
About the best actress winning film The Little House (Isa: Shochiku could have marketed it more widely), I heard nothing at all, though it sounds really good. Kreuzweg (Stations of the Cross) (Isa: Beta) by brother and sister team Anna and Dietrich Brueggemann (any relation to our own Tom Brueggeman?) had a satisfying denouement and was quite engrossing with moments of humor lightening the heavy weight of the cross carried by 14 year old Maria played by Lea van Acken, a picture face out of a George de la Tour painting (Magdeline with a Smoking Flame or A Piece of Art). Macondo (Isa: Films Boutique - again! ) by Sudabeh Mortezai of Austria was a window on a world never seen before and very engrossing although the coming of age story was one we have seen before.
Not sorry to say I missed The Monuments Men and Nymphomaniac Volume I, but sorry that I missed Beloved Sisters (Isa: Global Screen) of Dominik Graf, The Grand Budapest Hotel (will see it in U.S.), Argentinian Benjamin Naishat's History of Fear (Isa: Visit) -- I'll catch it in Carthegena, Guadalajara or San Sebastian I'm sure, Jack, In Order of Disappearance which sounds like the sleeper hit of the festival, Argentinan (again!) La tercera orilla (The Third Side of the River), Lou Ye's Tui Na (Blind Massage) and Rachid Bouchareb's Two Men in Town (Isa: Pathe - again!), which I heard was rather flat which is not surprising, for when non-Americans try to make an American genre, it usually misses a certain verve, but still is such an interesting subject for him to tackle, Zwischen Welten (Inbetween Worlds) (Isa: The Match Factory) from Germany, another "American" subject, but here about a German soldier in Afghanistan, not an American one.
Among the Berlinale Specials, I wish I had seen Nancy Buirski's Afternoon of a Faun which everyone said was good (Isa: Cactus Three the doc production company of Krysanne Katsoolis and Caroline Stevens) and Volker Schloendorff's 1969 Brecht piece Baal starring Rainer Werner Fassbinder and Margarethe von Trotta. I did see his Diplomacy (Isa: Gaumont) which was a great treat, erudite, intimate and reminiscent of the novels of Sandor Marai (Embers and Casanova in Bolzano). Wish I could have seen Wim Wenders' Cathedrals of Culture (Isa: Cinephil), Diego Luna's Cesar Chavez (Isa: Mundial) and In the Courtyard aka Dans la cours (Isa: Wild Bunch) starring Catherine Deneuve and The Kidnapping of Michel Houllebecq (Isa: Le Pacte - again!!). I will see The Galapagos Affair: Satan Came to Eden (Isa: The Film Sales Company) by Dayna Goldfine and Dan Geller, produced by Jonathan Dana, Dayna Goldfine, Dan Geller and Celeste Schaefer Snyder (Ballets Russes), back home. The Turning (Isa: Level K), an experimental omnibus produced by my favorite Australian producer, Robert Connelly who also directed in part and Maggie Myles, is also a must-see as is Errol Morris' companion piece to The Fog of War, The Unknown Known (Isa: HanWay) and Houssein Amini's Two Faces of January (Isa: StudioCanal) starring my favorites Viggo Mortenson and Kirsten Dunst. We Come as Friends (Isa: Le Pacte), by Hubert Sauper whose earlier film Darwin's Destiny astounded me, was worth watching although so often his films plunge one into a hopeless helplessness. Fresh from Sundance, it was raising controversy and the story of the Sudan is worth knowing. His particular and peculiar Pov is valuable. Watermark (Isa: Entertainment One), another social issue worth knowing about will have to wait for a more propitious time. Personally I'm hoping Israel's current venture into desalination of water will lead the world into peace and that I will rejoice watching the doc about that.
Difret (Isa: Films Boutique - again!), fresh from Sundance where I saw it was really good and it sold well. I got to hang out with the team at the Panorama party. Gueros (Isa: Mundial - again!), was a disappointment -- too like The Year of the Nail (though different) in tone. But what a great company Canana is!
Panorama's Finding Vivian Maier (Isa: HanWay - again!) is brilliantly interesting. It is about to be released in U.S. by IFC. I highly recommend seeing this documentary about an eccentric, unknown photographer. It premiered at Tiff 2013. Fresh from Sundance where it won a Special Jury Prize, Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter (Isa: Submarine) was a treasure; Velvet Terrorists was about the oddest piece I have ever seen. About three former opponents of the Czechoslovakian Soviet Regime, each has continued to enjoy blowing up things. One is still training the next generation in urban guerilla warfare. They are otherwise unremarkable, sweet even, but twisted. What an odd documentary.
A quick look at the Market Films I have seen: of the 400+ premieres: Zero -- no I did see German Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Language Film, Two Lives (Isa: Beta), and I will soon be home to celebrate its nomination at the famous Villa Aurora, the former home of German expatriate writer Leon Feuchtwanger. So many more films look sooooo attractive! A pity I may never get to see them. I would need all the time in the world, and I have so little. I have so much and yet I want more!
And for all the complaints about Berlin, many sales agents set up private screenings before the market kicked off. What is that about?
Beki Probst, who has run the Efm since 1988, responded to the many media reports of a quieter market in an interview with ScreenDaily which sounds almost the same as the one she gave in 2009.
Quoting her current statement which I take the liberty of quoting here as it appears in Screen:
“I think that there was a good movement of business this year,” she said. In the opinion of Probst, there had been a muddying of the distinction between the Efm and the more general term of the ‘market’.
“Daphné Kapfer of Europa International representing 35 sales agents said that it was a very good Berlin, and Glen Basner of FilmNation commented that it was ‘the best Berlin’.
“Even Harvey Weinstein came just for 24 hours to sign a $7m check, and Aloft was bought by Sony Pictures Classics.
“It’s the players, and not the market, that is important. The players come here if they have the right line-up. All we can do is provide the best infrastructure, but what happens after that is up to them.”
"Sales agents were not sitting idle at their stands if one takes the example of one company in the Martin Gropius Bau: the CEO met with 90 buyers and the members of staff responsible for marketing had no less than 180 meetings in addition to ad-hoc discussions at events in the evenings."
Coproductions are the engine driving the business these days.
This year’s Berlinale Co-Production Market ended after two-and-a-half days with awards handed out to projects from Kazakhstan and Belgium.
The €6,000 Arte International Prize went to Kazakh film-maker Emir Baigazin’s planned second feature The Wounded Angel, the second part of a trilogy after his Silver Bear-winning Harmony Lessons. The €1.2m Almaty-based Kazakhfilm Jsc production has already attracted France’s Capricci Production as a co-producer and has backing in place from the Doha Film Institute and the Hubert Bals Fund.
The €10,000 Vff Talent Highlight Pitch Award was presented to Belgian director Bavo Defurne for his romantic dramedy Souvenir. The €2m co-production by Oostende-based Indeed Films with Belgium’s Frakas Productions and Germany’s Karibufilm already has backing from Flanders Audiovisual Fund, Cinefinance and public broadcaster Vrt/ Een.
India-Norway’s $55 million film to be directed by Hans Petter Moland (In Order of Disappearance)’s The Indian Bride is an exciting example of an unusual pairing of countries.
Bavaria and Senator’s joint venture Bavaria Pictures’ The Postcard Killers to be directed by Mexican director Everardo Gout shows the international expansion of talent.
The Hungary-Austria-Germany co-production of Stefan Zweig’s Beware of Pity, or U.K.-Lithuania action comedy Redirected being sold by Content brings unusual European partners together.
U.S. born Damian John Harper’s coproduction with the German producers, brothers Jakob and Jonas Weydemann, on Los Angeles will be followed by In the Middle of the River now being developed with Zdf’s Das Kleine Fernsehspiel unit.
Shoreline’s The Infinite Man produced with Australia’s Hedone Productions in association with Bonsai Films with investment from South Australia Film Corporation through its Filmlab funding initiative, development assistance from Screen Australia is also a new sort of pairing.
Film and Music Entertainment (F&Me), Bac Films, 20 Steps Productions and Bruemmer & Herzog’s The President is shooting in Tbilisi, Georgia and is being directed by Mohsen Makhmalbaf.
Italian-Canadian producer Andrea Iervolino and Monika Bacardi’s Sights of Death starring Danny Glover, Daryl Hannah, Rutger Hauer, Stephen Baldwin and Michael Madsen is directed by Allessandro Capone in Rome.
The Spain-u.K. co-production Second Origin is based on the best selling Catalan novel Mecanoscrit Del Segon Orgen.
The Golden Bear Winner Black Coal, Thin Ice is a Boneyard Entertainment (New York & Hong Kong) co-production with Boneyard Entertainment China (Bec), Omnijoi Media (Jiangsu, China), China Film co-production.
A sign of the times is the Swedish Film in Berlin advertisement which lists all Swedish co-productions:
In Competition: In Order of DisappearanceOut of Competition: NymphomaniacBerlinale Special: Someone You Love Generation Kplus: A Christmoose StoryPerspektive Deutsches Kino: Lamento
All are with European co-producers as is Antboy a Danish-German co-production.
One of my favorites is Gallows Hill, being sold by Im Global and already picked up by IFC for U.S. Starring Twilight actor Peter Facinelli, U.K. actress Sophia Myles, Nathalia Ramos and Colombian model and actress Carolina Guerra, it was entirely financed from within Colombia by television network Rcn’s affiliate Five 7 Media which produced with Peter Block's A Bigger Boat, David Higgins and Angelique Higgins' Launchpad Productions and Andrea Chung. The screenplay was written by Rich D’Ovidio ( The Call, Thir13en Ghosts) about a widower who takes his children on a trip to their mother’s Colombian hometown.
Another interesting combo is the Australian-Singapore co-production Canopy being sold by Odin’s Eye which was acquired by Kaleidoscope for U.K., by Kinosmith for Canada and Odin’s Eye itself for Australia. After its Tiff 2013 premiere, Monterrey acquired U.S. rights.
Cathedrals of Culture, was produced by Wim Wenders’ production company: Neue Road Movies in Germany and co-produced by Final Cut For Real (Denmark), Lotus Film (Austria), Mer Film (Norway), Les Films d'Ici 2 (France), Sundance Productions / RadicalMedia (U.S.), Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg In collaboration with Arte (Germany and France) and Wowow (Japan).
Grand Budapest Hotel is a co-production of Scott Rudin in U.S. and Studio Babelsburg in Germany.
Wouldn't you say there had to be an awful lot of business going on? If only the media knew where to look for it. Instead, they moan the same old tired tune, "Quality a bit soft. Not a lot of Big Titles. Not a lot of Big News". Oh well...
Efm Coproduction Market
Asian producer Raymond Phathanavirangoon, who was pitching the Hong Kong comedy Grooms by writer-director Arvin Chen at the Berlin Coproduction Market, announced that Germany’s augenschein filmproduktion will be a coproducer on Singaporean director Boo Junfeng’s second feature Apprentice. The film has already received backing from France’s World Cinema Support, the Film- und Medienstiftung Nrw of Germany and Germany's second network, Zdf’s Das kleine fernsehspiel unit. It also has Cinema Defacto as its French co-producer. Junfeng’s first film, Sandcastle, was screened at the Critics’ Week in Cannes in 2010.
Cologne-based augenschein, who produced Maximilian Leo’s My Brother’s Keeper, the opening film of this year’s Perspektive Deutsches Kino and is handled internationally by Media Luna, is currently in post-production on Romanian filmmaker Florin Serban’s Box, his second feature after the 2010 Berlinale Competition film If I Want To Whistle, I Whistle.
Argentinian filmmaker Santiago Mitre whose debut The Student established him as one of the brightest and most courted young directors in Latin America was in the Co-production Market with his untitled second feature which France’s Full House connected to along with Argentina’s Union de los Rio, Argentine broadcast network Telefe, Ignacio Viale and the ubiquitous Lita Stantic.
Full House was also at the Coproduction Market with Peter Webber’s Fresh about a young thief learning the art of pickpocketing in Bogota, Colombia. It will be co-produced with Rcn affiliate Five 7 Media and 4Direcciones in Colombia and by Webber himself.
Raymond van der Kaaij, the producer of Tamar van den Dop’s Panorama title Supernova, is now financing Sundance winner Ernesto Contreras’ next feature I Dream In Another Language. The Spanish-English language project will be produced with Mexico-based Agencia Sha, and it is now casting the American lead according to producer van der Kaaij of Revolver Amsterdam. Developed at the Sundance Screenwriters Lab and the winner of the Sundance-Mahindra Global Filmmaking Award, I Dream has already received support from Imcine in Mexico. Shooting is scheduled in Mexico for the end of 2014.
Revolver is now editing Bodkin Ras, the debut film of Iranian-Dutch director Kaweh Modiri, an English-language documentary-thriller set in North Scotland. The Dutch-Belgian-u.K. coproduction is set for release at the end of 2014.
Finnish film-maker Jukka-Pekka Valkeapaa’s is editing his latest feature They Have Escaped, which Revolver coproduced with Helsinki Film.
Trend of smart art genres
Another continuing trend, which began with Xyz and Celluloid Nightmares and continued with Memento, is the character-driven art genre films with tight budgets, like the Danish coming-of-age-werewolf-romance, When Animals Dream, directed by first timer Jonas Arnby, sold by Gaumont to Radius-twc for No. Americ. The Scandinavians, formerly making a mark with "Nordic Noir" are now making what they call "Nordic Twilight".
Trend of remake rights
Another trend is that of remake rights. Film Sharks reports it makes more from selling remake rights than from licensing distribution rights.
The Intouchables is selling remake rights to more countries than only India as is the sale of Other Angle’s Babysitting remake rights. Negotiations are underway with Russia, Italy and Germany.
Fruit Chan is considering an English language remake of his 2004 cult horror film Dumplings.
The market is bit too calm?…Then let us look at Cannes…
Usually by Afm you can begin the Tipped for Cannes List (which Gilles Jacob detested), but even that is a little on the quiet side. I begin to question whether all media fueled news is accurate: the slow sales being reported, the lack of pre-Cannes buzz… Is the media really investigating deeply?
Of all the trades, while Screen has the most international news and deepest analyses, Variety reports things no other trade is covering. But…still the non-news of a quiet market persists as if it were headline news. We always hear this and we are still in an economic slump, so what we wish for is not apparent, but this is not news.
Tipped for Cannes
Tipped for Cannes are Zhang Yimou’s Coming Home staring Gong Li and to be sold by Wild Bunch, Stealth’s First Law starring Mads Mikkelsen (Cannes 2012 Best Actor Award for The Hunt); Self Made (Boreg) by Shira Geffen and to be sold by Westend, shot in Hebrew and Arabic by the production and sales team behind Oscar nominated 2011 drama Footnote, the second film after Geffen’s 2007 debut Jellyfish which won the Cannes Camera d’Or. MK2’s Clouds of Sils Maria by Olivier Assayas and starring Juliette Binoche, Chloe Grace Moretz and Kristen Stewart, and Naomi Kawase’s Still the Water will be delivered in time for Cannes. Pyramide International is plannng for Leviathan, a modern retelling of the biblical story which deals with some of Russia’s most important social issues to be ready for Cannes. It is directed by Andrey Zvyagintsev and produced by Alexander Rodnyansky (Stalingrad) as their followup to Elena. Gaumont-cj co-production, The Target, the Korean remake of Fred Cavaye’s action thriller Point Blank will be ready in time for Cannes.
Rumors and truths about people changing positions
Rumors about Dieter Kosslick replacing Berlin’s Culture Secretary who resigned after a tax evasion scandal in which he admitted to stashing $575,000 in a Swiss bank account…Charlotte Mickie has left eOne and knowing her, she is bound to find something good elsewhere as she's too good to lose...StudioCanals Harold van Lier now leads eOne’s newly ramped international sales team and Montreal based Anick Poirier leads its subsidiary label, Seville International. Jeff Nuyts is leaving Intramovies. Nigel Sinclair and Guy East seem to be leaving Exclusive Media the company they founded as discussions with partners from Dasym Investment Strategies Bv move forward. Kevin Hoiseth from Voltage Pictures has joined International Film Trust as their director of international sales...and of course, Nadine de Barros has founded her own company, Fortitude, and was holding court at the Ritz Carlton the buzziest spot outside of the Martin Gropius Bau.
What I Saw and What I Thought
For what it's worth, here is my limited list of screenings of films seen only in the last 3 days of the festival when I was no longer "working". I am including some I actually saw at Sundance.
First and foremost -- and to be written about further in a "thought piece" as I term the articles I think long about before writing and to include my interview with the director Goran Hugo Olsson's (The Black Power Mixtapes winner of Sundance 2011 World Cinema Documentary Film Editing Award) -- Concerning Violence (Isa: Films Boutique, U.S.: Cinetic), based on Frantz Fanon's The Wretched of the Earth and seen at Sundance this year next to Stanley Nelson's outstanding Freedom Summer (PBS) and Greg Barker's We Are The Giant (Submarine), is a call to action for new societal models ringing out loud and clear.
Golden Bear Winner, Black Coal, Thin Ice by Diao Yinan, a Chinese noir, lacked the momentum and substance I would have expected in a winning film, though it was a fascinating way to see today's urban China. Had I been on the jury, I would have chosen the Best Director Award winning Boyhood (Isa: IFC) by Richard Linklater. But perhaps because James Schamus, an American who loves Chinese films, was President of the Jury, there might have arisen a question of disinterested objectivity. I would have to hear what jurists Barbara Broccoli, Trine Dyrhom, Chistoph Waltz, Tony Leung, Greta Gerwig, Mitra Farahani and Michel Gondry would have to say about the deliberations.
Speaking of jury prizes, it was a surprise the much acclaimed '71 (Isa: Protagonist, now headed by our dear Mike Goodridge) won nothing, and good Alain Renais' Life of Riley (Isa: Le Pacte) received recognition. I found Christophe Gans' La belle et la bete (Beauty and the Beast) (Isa: Pathe) an overproduced unwieldy special effects-ridden mess, even though it was exec-produced by Jérôme Seydoux who also produced the masterpiece La Grande Belleza (The Great Beauty), and starred his granddaughter Lea Seydoux. I'll stand by Cocteau's versoin. I heard Claudia Llosa (Milk of Sorrow)'s Aloft was also not widely admired.
About the best actress winning film The Little House (Isa: Shochiku could have marketed it more widely), I heard nothing at all, though it sounds really good. Kreuzweg (Stations of the Cross) (Isa: Beta) by brother and sister team Anna and Dietrich Brueggemann (any relation to our own Tom Brueggeman?) had a satisfying denouement and was quite engrossing with moments of humor lightening the heavy weight of the cross carried by 14 year old Maria played by Lea van Acken, a picture face out of a George de la Tour painting (Magdeline with a Smoking Flame or A Piece of Art). Macondo (Isa: Films Boutique - again! ) by Sudabeh Mortezai of Austria was a window on a world never seen before and very engrossing although the coming of age story was one we have seen before.
Not sorry to say I missed The Monuments Men and Nymphomaniac Volume I, but sorry that I missed Beloved Sisters (Isa: Global Screen) of Dominik Graf, The Grand Budapest Hotel (will see it in U.S.), Argentinian Benjamin Naishat's History of Fear (Isa: Visit) -- I'll catch it in Carthegena, Guadalajara or San Sebastian I'm sure, Jack, In Order of Disappearance which sounds like the sleeper hit of the festival, Argentinan (again!) La tercera orilla (The Third Side of the River), Lou Ye's Tui Na (Blind Massage) and Rachid Bouchareb's Two Men in Town (Isa: Pathe - again!), which I heard was rather flat which is not surprising, for when non-Americans try to make an American genre, it usually misses a certain verve, but still is such an interesting subject for him to tackle, Zwischen Welten (Inbetween Worlds) (Isa: The Match Factory) from Germany, another "American" subject, but here about a German soldier in Afghanistan, not an American one.
Among the Berlinale Specials, I wish I had seen Nancy Buirski's Afternoon of a Faun which everyone said was good (Isa: Cactus Three the doc production company of Krysanne Katsoolis and Caroline Stevens) and Volker Schloendorff's 1969 Brecht piece Baal starring Rainer Werner Fassbinder and Margarethe von Trotta. I did see his Diplomacy (Isa: Gaumont) which was a great treat, erudite, intimate and reminiscent of the novels of Sandor Marai (Embers and Casanova in Bolzano). Wish I could have seen Wim Wenders' Cathedrals of Culture (Isa: Cinephil), Diego Luna's Cesar Chavez (Isa: Mundial) and In the Courtyard aka Dans la cours (Isa: Wild Bunch) starring Catherine Deneuve and The Kidnapping of Michel Houllebecq (Isa: Le Pacte - again!!). I will see The Galapagos Affair: Satan Came to Eden (Isa: The Film Sales Company) by Dayna Goldfine and Dan Geller, produced by Jonathan Dana, Dayna Goldfine, Dan Geller and Celeste Schaefer Snyder (Ballets Russes), back home. The Turning (Isa: Level K), an experimental omnibus produced by my favorite Australian producer, Robert Connelly who also directed in part and Maggie Myles, is also a must-see as is Errol Morris' companion piece to The Fog of War, The Unknown Known (Isa: HanWay) and Houssein Amini's Two Faces of January (Isa: StudioCanal) starring my favorites Viggo Mortenson and Kirsten Dunst. We Come as Friends (Isa: Le Pacte), by Hubert Sauper whose earlier film Darwin's Destiny astounded me, was worth watching although so often his films plunge one into a hopeless helplessness. Fresh from Sundance, it was raising controversy and the story of the Sudan is worth knowing. His particular and peculiar Pov is valuable. Watermark (Isa: Entertainment One), another social issue worth knowing about will have to wait for a more propitious time. Personally I'm hoping Israel's current venture into desalination of water will lead the world into peace and that I will rejoice watching the doc about that.
Difret (Isa: Films Boutique - again!), fresh from Sundance where I saw it was really good and it sold well. I got to hang out with the team at the Panorama party. Gueros (Isa: Mundial - again!), was a disappointment -- too like The Year of the Nail (though different) in tone. But what a great company Canana is!
Panorama's Finding Vivian Maier (Isa: HanWay - again!) is brilliantly interesting. It is about to be released in U.S. by IFC. I highly recommend seeing this documentary about an eccentric, unknown photographer. It premiered at Tiff 2013. Fresh from Sundance where it won a Special Jury Prize, Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter (Isa: Submarine) was a treasure; Velvet Terrorists was about the oddest piece I have ever seen. About three former opponents of the Czechoslovakian Soviet Regime, each has continued to enjoy blowing up things. One is still training the next generation in urban guerilla warfare. They are otherwise unremarkable, sweet even, but twisted. What an odd documentary.
A quick look at the Market Films I have seen: of the 400+ premieres: Zero -- no I did see German Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Language Film, Two Lives (Isa: Beta), and I will soon be home to celebrate its nomination at the famous Villa Aurora, the former home of German expatriate writer Leon Feuchtwanger. So many more films look sooooo attractive! A pity I may never get to see them. I would need all the time in the world, and I have so little. I have so much and yet I want more!
- 2/27/2014
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
We Come as Friends
Director: Hubert Sauper
Producers: Hubert Sauper, Gabriele Kranzelbinder
U.S. Distributor: Rights Available
Winner of a Special World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Prize for Cinematic Bravery and our writer Caitlin’s Best of Fest, we finally found out why the second part in Hubert Sauper’s proposed trilogy took a good decade to literally get “off the ground”. Such as his brilliant Darwin’s Nightmare (2004), We Come as Friends sees the filmmaker drop out from the sky, offering an in-your-face view of modern colonialism.
Gist: “We Come As Friends” is a modern odyssey, a dizzying, science fiction-like journey into the the heart of Africa. At the moment when the Sudan, the continent’s biggest country, is being divided into two nations, an old ‘civilizing’ pathology re-emerges – that of colonialism, clash of empires, and yet new episodes of bloody (and holy) wars over land and resources.
Release...
Director: Hubert Sauper
Producers: Hubert Sauper, Gabriele Kranzelbinder
U.S. Distributor: Rights Available
Winner of a Special World Cinema Documentary Special Jury Prize for Cinematic Bravery and our writer Caitlin’s Best of Fest, we finally found out why the second part in Hubert Sauper’s proposed trilogy took a good decade to literally get “off the ground”. Such as his brilliant Darwin’s Nightmare (2004), We Come as Friends sees the filmmaker drop out from the sky, offering an in-your-face view of modern colonialism.
Gist: “We Come As Friends” is a modern odyssey, a dizzying, science fiction-like journey into the the heart of Africa. At the moment when the Sudan, the continent’s biggest country, is being divided into two nations, an old ‘civilizing’ pathology re-emerges – that of colonialism, clash of empires, and yet new episodes of bloody (and holy) wars over land and resources.
Release...
- 2/24/2014
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
Among the Living (Aux yeux des vivants)
Director:Alexandre Bustillo & Julien Maury
Writer(s): Alexandre Bustillo & Julien Maury
Producer(s): Fabrice Lambot, Caroline Piras, Jean-Pierre Putters
U.S. Distributor: Rights Available
Cast: Anne Marivin, Béatrice Dalle, Francis Renaud, Fabien Jegoudez, Nicolas Giraud
Many consider this duo’s 2007 debut, Inside, to be one of the most frightening films ever made, and it gave Beatrice Dalle one of her greatest roles in years, leading Dalle to vow to be in every feature Maury & Bustillo make. Her role was cut down considerably in their 2011, follow-up, Livid, which didn’t make the same aggressive mark (though both films have been tipped to be remade in English). Now, we’re excited to see their third union, and scant plot details have us excited. We’re hoping Ms. Dalle is back, front and center.
Gist: Three kids who decide to skip school in order...
Director:Alexandre Bustillo & Julien Maury
Writer(s): Alexandre Bustillo & Julien Maury
Producer(s): Fabrice Lambot, Caroline Piras, Jean-Pierre Putters
U.S. Distributor: Rights Available
Cast: Anne Marivin, Béatrice Dalle, Francis Renaud, Fabien Jegoudez, Nicolas Giraud
Many consider this duo’s 2007 debut, Inside, to be one of the most frightening films ever made, and it gave Beatrice Dalle one of her greatest roles in years, leading Dalle to vow to be in every feature Maury & Bustillo make. Her role was cut down considerably in their 2011, follow-up, Livid, which didn’t make the same aggressive mark (though both films have been tipped to be remade in English). Now, we’re excited to see their third union, and scant plot details have us excited. We’re hoping Ms. Dalle is back, front and center.
Gist: Three kids who decide to skip school in order...
- 2/24/2014
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
#5. Love Is Strange
Big-screen romance has moved far beyond cigar smoking gentlemen with obscenely chiseled jaw lines holding doors for iconic beauties that don’t mind being called “darling”. Slowly but surely, cinema has come to honor the wonderfully varied ways in which we connect. Yet there remains an obsession with aggressively youthful lovers (critically acclaimed Blue is the Warmest Color being a recent example). Ira Sach’s Love Is Strange portrays lifetime lovers Ben and George, beautifully performed by John Lithgow and Alfred Molina respectively, who finally tie the knot in a quaint lower Manhattan ceremony. The heartfelt portrait does not earn its praise simply because older gay couples have been underrepresented, but for capturing, with honesty, the tender intimacies shared by people that have spent 39 years in love. With the warmth of its domestic settings and slice-of-life sensibility, Love is Strange maintains its subtlety while delivering an emotional wallop.
Big-screen romance has moved far beyond cigar smoking gentlemen with obscenely chiseled jaw lines holding doors for iconic beauties that don’t mind being called “darling”. Slowly but surely, cinema has come to honor the wonderfully varied ways in which we connect. Yet there remains an obsession with aggressively youthful lovers (critically acclaimed Blue is the Warmest Color being a recent example). Ira Sach’s Love Is Strange portrays lifetime lovers Ben and George, beautifully performed by John Lithgow and Alfred Molina respectively, who finally tie the knot in a quaint lower Manhattan ceremony. The heartfelt portrait does not earn its praise simply because older gay couples have been underrepresented, but for capturing, with honesty, the tender intimacies shared by people that have spent 39 years in love. With the warmth of its domestic settings and slice-of-life sensibility, Love is Strange maintains its subtlety while delivering an emotional wallop.
- 2/12/2014
- by Caitlin Coder
- IONCINEMA.com
2014 Sundance Film Festival Coverage: El: Eric Lavallee. Nb: Nicholas Bell. Cc: Caitlin Coder. Js: Jordan M. Smith
Special Screening (1)
Nympho Vol. I – (El: ✮✮✮✮)
U.S. Dramatic Competition (16)
Camp X-Ray – (Nb: ✮✮✮)
Cold in July – (Nb: ✮✮✮ 1/2)
Dear White People – (Nb: ✮✮✮)
Fishing Without Nets – (El: ✮✮✮) + (Js: ✮✮✮) + (Nb: ✮✮✮)
God’s Pocket – (Cc: ✮✮ 1/2)
Happy Christmas – (Cc: ✮✮✮ 1/2) + (Js: ✮✮✮ 1/2) + (Nb: ✮✮ 1/2)
Hellion – (El: ✮✮) + (Jm: ✮✮✮1/2)
Infinitely Polar Bear – (El: ✮✮✮)
Jamie Marks Is Dead – (El: ✮✮✮) + (Js: ✮1/2) + (Nb: ✮✮ 1/2)
Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter – (Js: ✮✮✮ 1/2)
Life After Beth – (El: ✮ 1/2) + (Nb: ✮ )
Low Down – (Cc: ✮✮✮) + (Js: ✮✮✮)
The Skeleton Twins - (Nb: ✮✮✮1/2) + (El: ✮✮✮1/2) + (Cc: ✮✮✮1/2) (Review)
The Sleepwalker – (El: ✮✮✮ 1/2) + (Js: ✮✮✮1/2) + (Cc: ✮✮✮✮) + (Nb: ✮✮✮)
Song One – (El: ✮✮) + (Js: ✮✮1/2)
Wish I Was Here – (Cc: ✮✮)
U.S. Docu Competition (16)
Alive Inside: A Story of Music & Memory (Js: ✮✮✮)
All the Beautiful Things
Captivated The Trials of Pamela Smart: (El: ✮✮✮)
The Case Against 8
Cesar’s Last Fast
Dinosaur 13 – (El: ✮✮) + (Js: ✮✮) (Review)
E-team (Js: ✮✮✮)
Fed Up
The Internet’s Own Boy:...
Special Screening (1)
Nympho Vol. I – (El: ✮✮✮✮)
U.S. Dramatic Competition (16)
Camp X-Ray – (Nb: ✮✮✮)
Cold in July – (Nb: ✮✮✮ 1/2)
Dear White People – (Nb: ✮✮✮)
Fishing Without Nets – (El: ✮✮✮) + (Js: ✮✮✮) + (Nb: ✮✮✮)
God’s Pocket – (Cc: ✮✮ 1/2)
Happy Christmas – (Cc: ✮✮✮ 1/2) + (Js: ✮✮✮ 1/2) + (Nb: ✮✮ 1/2)
Hellion – (El: ✮✮) + (Jm: ✮✮✮1/2)
Infinitely Polar Bear – (El: ✮✮✮)
Jamie Marks Is Dead – (El: ✮✮✮) + (Js: ✮1/2) + (Nb: ✮✮ 1/2)
Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter – (Js: ✮✮✮ 1/2)
Life After Beth – (El: ✮ 1/2) + (Nb: ✮ )
Low Down – (Cc: ✮✮✮) + (Js: ✮✮✮)
The Skeleton Twins - (Nb: ✮✮✮1/2) + (El: ✮✮✮1/2) + (Cc: ✮✮✮1/2) (Review)
The Sleepwalker – (El: ✮✮✮ 1/2) + (Js: ✮✮✮1/2) + (Cc: ✮✮✮✮) + (Nb: ✮✮✮)
Song One – (El: ✮✮) + (Js: ✮✮1/2)
Wish I Was Here – (Cc: ✮✮)
U.S. Docu Competition (16)
Alive Inside: A Story of Music & Memory (Js: ✮✮✮)
All the Beautiful Things
Captivated The Trials of Pamela Smart: (El: ✮✮✮)
The Case Against 8
Cesar’s Last Fast
Dinosaur 13 – (El: ✮✮) + (Js: ✮✮) (Review)
E-team (Js: ✮✮✮)
Fed Up
The Internet’s Own Boy:...
- 1/28/2014
- by IONCINEMA.com Contributing Writers
- IONCINEMA.com
Hoàng Phi in Nước (2030) by Nghiêm-Minh Nguyễn-Võ
The following titles join the previously announced films screening as part of the Panorama section:
Asabani Nistam! (I'm Not Angry!), (Reza Dormishian), Iran - International Premiere
Blind, (Eskil Vogt), Norway / Netherlands - European Premiere
Difret, (Zeresenay Berhane Mehari), Ethopia - European Premiere
Fieber (Fever), (Elfi Mikesch), Luxembourg / Austria - World Premiere
Güeros, (Alonso Ruízpalacios), Mexico - World Premiere
Highway, (Imtiaz Ali), India - World Premiere
Ieji (Homeland), (Nao Kubota), Japan - World Premiere
In Grazia di Dio (Edoardo Winspeare), Italy - World Premiere
Love Is Strange, (Ira Sachs), USA - International Premiere
Mo Jing (That Demon Within), (Dante Lam), Hong Kong, China - World Premiere
Na kathese ke na kitas (Standing Aside, Watching), (Yorgos Servetas), Greece - European Premiere
Night Flight, (LeeSong Hee-il), Republic of Korea - World Premiere
Nước (2030), (Nghiêm-Minh Nguyễn-Võ), Vietnam - World Premiere
Patardzlebi (Brides), (Tinatin Kajrishvili), Georgia / France
Risse...
The following titles join the previously announced films screening as part of the Panorama section:
Asabani Nistam! (I'm Not Angry!), (Reza Dormishian), Iran - International Premiere
Blind, (Eskil Vogt), Norway / Netherlands - European Premiere
Difret, (Zeresenay Berhane Mehari), Ethopia - European Premiere
Fieber (Fever), (Elfi Mikesch), Luxembourg / Austria - World Premiere
Güeros, (Alonso Ruízpalacios), Mexico - World Premiere
Highway, (Imtiaz Ali), India - World Premiere
Ieji (Homeland), (Nao Kubota), Japan - World Premiere
In Grazia di Dio (Edoardo Winspeare), Italy - World Premiere
Love Is Strange, (Ira Sachs), USA - International Premiere
Mo Jing (That Demon Within), (Dante Lam), Hong Kong, China - World Premiere
Na kathese ke na kitas (Standing Aside, Watching), (Yorgos Servetas), Greece - European Premiere
Night Flight, (LeeSong Hee-il), Republic of Korea - World Premiere
Nước (2030), (Nghiêm-Minh Nguyễn-Võ), Vietnam - World Premiere
Patardzlebi (Brides), (Tinatin Kajrishvili), Georgia / France
Risse...
- 1/19/2014
- by Notebook
- MUBI
World premieres include A Long Way down, starring Breaking Bad’s Aaron Paul and Pierce Brosnan, and The Two Faces of January, the directorial debut of Drive screenwriter Hossein Amini starring Viggo Mortensen, Kirsten Dunst and Oscar Isaac.
The Berlin International Film Festival (Feb 6-16) has unveiled the 18-strong line-up for its Berlinale Special strand, including nine world premieres.
Stand-outs in the list include the world premiere of A Long Way Down, an adaptation of Nick Hornby’s bestseller about four people who meet on New Year’s Eve and form a surrogate family to help one another weather the difficulties of their lives. It stars Breaking Bad’s Aaron Paul, Pierce Brosnan, Toni Collette and Imogen Poots.
Also receiving its world premiere will be con artist thriller The Two Faces of January, the directorial debut of Drive screenwriter Hossein Amini, which stars Viggo Mortensen, Kirsten Dunst and Inside Llewyn Davis’ Oscar Isaac.
Mexican actor Diego Luna...
The Berlin International Film Festival (Feb 6-16) has unveiled the 18-strong line-up for its Berlinale Special strand, including nine world premieres.
Stand-outs in the list include the world premiere of A Long Way Down, an adaptation of Nick Hornby’s bestseller about four people who meet on New Year’s Eve and form a surrogate family to help one another weather the difficulties of their lives. It stars Breaking Bad’s Aaron Paul, Pierce Brosnan, Toni Collette and Imogen Poots.
Also receiving its world premiere will be con artist thriller The Two Faces of January, the directorial debut of Drive screenwriter Hossein Amini, which stars Viggo Mortensen, Kirsten Dunst and Inside Llewyn Davis’ Oscar Isaac.
Mexican actor Diego Luna...
- 1/17/2014
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
The 64th Berlin International Film Festival has announced the first set of titles for the main Competition and special screenings. The festival begins on February 6th.
Competition
Above: Director Dominik Graf (far left) and cast from Die geliebten Schwestern
The Grand Budapest Hotel (Wes Anderson, USA) - Opening Film
'71 (Yann Demange, UK)
Aloft (Claudia Llosa, Spain/Canada/France)
Die geliebten Schwestern (Dominik Graf, Germany)
Life of Riley (Alain Resnais, France)
The Monuments Men (George Clooney, USA/Germany) - Out of Competition
Stratos (Yannis Economides, Greece/Germany/Cyprus)
Berlinale Special
Above: We Come As Friends
A Long Way Down (Pascal Chaumeil, UK)
We Come As Friends (Hubert Sauper, France/Austria)
The Galapagos Affair: Satan Came to Eden (Dayna Goldfine & Daniel Geller, USA)
The Turning (various, Australia)...
Competition
Above: Director Dominik Graf (far left) and cast from Die geliebten Schwestern
The Grand Budapest Hotel (Wes Anderson, USA) - Opening Film
'71 (Yann Demange, UK)
Aloft (Claudia Llosa, Spain/Canada/France)
Die geliebten Schwestern (Dominik Graf, Germany)
Life of Riley (Alain Resnais, France)
The Monuments Men (George Clooney, USA/Germany) - Out of Competition
Stratos (Yannis Economides, Greece/Germany/Cyprus)
Berlinale Special
Above: We Come As Friends
A Long Way Down (Pascal Chaumeil, UK)
We Come As Friends (Hubert Sauper, France/Austria)
The Galapagos Affair: Satan Came to Eden (Dayna Goldfine & Daniel Geller, USA)
The Turning (various, Australia)...
- 12/19/2013
- by Notebook
- MUBI
‘71, Life of Riley and Aloft selected. A Long Way Down, The Turning among Berlinale Special titles.
The first seven films selected for the Berlinale Competition programme include Yann Demange’s ‘71, Alan Resnais’ Life of Riley (Aimer, Boire et Chanter) and Claudia Llosa’s Aloft.
Also joining Wes Anderson’s opening film The Grand Budapest Hotel, and George Clooney’s Monuments Men, both announced in November, are Dominik Graf’s Die Geliebten Schwestern and Yannis Economides’ Stratos.
In the Berlinale Special strand are Pascal Chaumeil’s A Long Way Down, Australian anthology film The Turning, Hubert Sauper’s documentary We Come As Friends (Entente Cordiale) and Dayna Goldfine and Dan Geller’s doc The Galapagos Affair: Satan Came to Eden.
Six of the seven announced main competition titles are world premieres – Monuments Men, which screens out of competition, gets its international premiere.
Chaumeil’s A Long Way Down, starring Pierce Brosnan, Toni Collette, [link...
The first seven films selected for the Berlinale Competition programme include Yann Demange’s ‘71, Alan Resnais’ Life of Riley (Aimer, Boire et Chanter) and Claudia Llosa’s Aloft.
Also joining Wes Anderson’s opening film The Grand Budapest Hotel, and George Clooney’s Monuments Men, both announced in November, are Dominik Graf’s Die Geliebten Schwestern and Yannis Economides’ Stratos.
In the Berlinale Special strand are Pascal Chaumeil’s A Long Way Down, Australian anthology film The Turning, Hubert Sauper’s documentary We Come As Friends (Entente Cordiale) and Dayna Goldfine and Dan Geller’s doc The Galapagos Affair: Satan Came to Eden.
Six of the seven announced main competition titles are world premieres – Monuments Men, which screens out of competition, gets its international premiere.
Chaumeil’s A Long Way Down, starring Pierce Brosnan, Toni Collette, [link...
- 12/17/2013
- by andreas.wiseman@screendaily.com (Andreas Wiseman)
- ScreenDaily
A Long Way Down, The Turning among Berlinale Special titles.
The first seven films selected for the Berlinale Competition programme include Yann Demange’s ‘71, Alan Resnais’ Life of Riley (Aimer, Boire et Chanter) and Claudia Llosa’s Aloft.
Also joining Wes Anderson’s opening film The Grand Budapest Hotel, and George Clooney’s Monuments Men, both announced in November, are Dominik Graf’s Die geliebten Schwestern and Yannis Economides’ Stratos.
In the Berlinale Special strand are Pascal Chaumeil’s A Long Way Down [pictured], Australian anthology film The Turning, Hubert Sauper’s documentary We Come As Friends (Entente Cordiale) and Dayna Goldfine and Dan Geller’s doc The Galapagos Affair: Satan Came to Eden.
Six of the seven announced main competition titles are world premieres – Monuments Men, which screens out of competition, gets its international premiere.
Chaumeil’s A Long Way Down, starring Pierce Brosnan, Toni Collette, Aaron Paul and Imogen Poots, makes its world...
The first seven films selected for the Berlinale Competition programme include Yann Demange’s ‘71, Alan Resnais’ Life of Riley (Aimer, Boire et Chanter) and Claudia Llosa’s Aloft.
Also joining Wes Anderson’s opening film The Grand Budapest Hotel, and George Clooney’s Monuments Men, both announced in November, are Dominik Graf’s Die geliebten Schwestern and Yannis Economides’ Stratos.
In the Berlinale Special strand are Pascal Chaumeil’s A Long Way Down [pictured], Australian anthology film The Turning, Hubert Sauper’s documentary We Come As Friends (Entente Cordiale) and Dayna Goldfine and Dan Geller’s doc The Galapagos Affair: Satan Came to Eden.
Six of the seven announced main competition titles are world premieres – Monuments Men, which screens out of competition, gets its international premiere.
Chaumeil’s A Long Way Down, starring Pierce Brosnan, Toni Collette, Aaron Paul and Imogen Poots, makes its world...
- 12/17/2013
- by andreas.wiseman@screendaily.com (Andreas Wiseman)
- ScreenDaily
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