Wishing to entice audiences of all ages and backgrounds, the majority of animated features produced by American studios deal with larger than life adventures where stakes are high and reality give in to fantasy. Characters are almost always charged with a dangerous mission that often involves saving the planet from destruction or rescuing a loved one from the forces of evil. But what is often ignored is the entertainment value in stories that are relatable and closer to reality, while still being exciting and prime material for animation.
Jean-François Pouliot and François Brisson's Canadian animated feature "Snowtime!,” which premiered in January at the Sundance Film Festival effectively delivers a story about children engaging in fun activities that are captivating in their own right, such as a fun snow fight with a group of friends, and simultaneously touches on emotionally complex subject that can evolve into conversation topics between parents and children. Based on a classic live-action Canadian film, scored with songs by some of the country’s biggest musical stars, and dealing with a young boy overcoming grief through playtime, “Snowtime1” is an endearing and humanistic alternative to the ceaselessly voracious tent-poles.
Producer Marie-Claude Beauchamp and co-director Francois Brisson talk about making an Canadian animated feature based on a local classic and how this new iteration is turning the characters into a global sensation.
Carlos Aguilar: Something that's fascinating about the film is that is a story that allows children to be children and doesn't place them in situations beyond their age. It's still an exciting adventure but it doesn't involved high stakes missions or otherworldly powers. Was that something that you were interested in showcasing in the film?
Marie-Claude Beauchamp: The film is a remake of a film that was produced 30 years ago. It was originally a live action film. The genuine value, and probably the overall feeling of those kids being real kids, resonates because they were once real kids. But when we adapted it for animation we kept some of that charming reality of children. It was important to us that the children were living things from their point of view, that it was real to them. So when kids look at this film, and this why the film had a huge impact then and I believe still today, they can see themselves in these characters. There are not just cartoons representing things that are out of their reach but are cartoons representing things that are so close to them in terms of subjects, feelings, and emotions.
CA: François, what inspired you to get involved in the film? Did you also have a personal connection to the original version or did you see it as a challenge on a professional level?
Francois Brisson: This is a very classic film made here in Canada in 1985. It’s a huge classic for us here in Quebec, so to be approached to be a co-director in the film was for me a great opportunity and a great challenge at the same time. We needed to tell the story, keep it universal, and also keep all of its charm, the great storylines, and the tragedy that happens in the film. This was a great chance for me to work on doing that. We worked so hard to respect this classic tale and bring it to the 21st century.
McB: Yes, that was an interesting challenge, to find ways to tell the story that children of today would understand. Obviously we’ve changed as a society, here and everywhere around the planet, in the last 30 years, so we had to adapt the film to today’s point of view. It was not a direct transmission of the original, it was instead a real adaptation
Fb: What was also great about is that, for example, when we went to Sundance the reception that we got at the screening was the same as the one we got here in Quebec. We were able to reach the same emotions in different audiences.
McB: Even people who knew nothing about the original film. That was quite a surprise to realize that what we knew could resonate here, also resonated with American audiences.
CA: Stylistically, the character design is unique in comparison to most CG animated features in the the U.S. Where this is specific aesthetic come from and what was the reasoning behind it?
Fb: It came from the art director Philippe Arsenault Bussieres, he’s been illustrating children’s books for a long time and he has a very strong style, which kind of resembles stop-motion puppets in some ways. We tried to keep that in mind and we also focused on the texture of the characters. They feel very organic, you can see the texture sketchiness of the etchings in the characters like in the wool that you see on the characters hats and clothing. Also, what I often see in other animated films from major studios is that they animated the same way, so we tried to stay way from that. We tried to go back to the roots of the old classics like Bugs Bunny in some ways and also stop-motion. The kids in the film are all wearing these big heavy suits, so they can’t move the same way as if they were running with shorts and t-shirts , so all that needed to be understood by all the animators.
McB: Graphically the challenge that we had was to make the cold feel warm because the story takes place mostly outside and we didn’t want people not to relate to that situation, so the way that the art director approached the drawings gave it a warm feeling. We didn’t want it to look real, because I find it that sometimes real 3D looks a bit creepy [Laughs], so we wanted to stay closer to cartoons or closer to 2D. Yet again, it is in 3D and the volumes of the characters are real, but we had the softness and tenderness that can come out of 2D thanks to the design.
CA: War and death as themes are treated in a delicate manner while not shying away from their significance. Were you concerned at all about including these elements in a film aimed at a young audience or did you feel children would be receptive to them?
McB: I would not treat this lightly that’s for sure. We were very concerned about how we would approach that. In the original live action film the dog dies and the reference to Luke’s life is regarding his grandfather who died in the war. Because nowadays grandfather’s in a war, timing-wise, might not be a reference that children can relate to much, we thought that reference could be more relatable if it was his father. We brought it closer to the drama part. We also brought it closer because we wanted for Luke’s character to find himself and to make peace with his own sorrow. We also wanted him to overcome the death of his father once and for all now that he has lived it in his own way. The subject is there and we strongly believe that children need and want to experiment fear as success of all the fantastic films has shown. They need to deal with fear and sorrow. I was raised on “Dumbo” and “Bambi,” and when my own pet died I knew more about how to deal with it because I experienced in my own way and I had shared it with my parents. We are believers that films can serve for children to experiment emotions just the way that we go into films and experiment emotions. Emotion is good.
CA: The music in the film was created by famous Canadian musicians like Celine Dion and popular band Simple Plan. How did these collaboration come about?
McB: We have a lot of good talent in Canada that are known around the world. This film is a prestigious film for the Canadian industry because we don’t produced very large independent budgets, so when singers and great artist saw the opportunity for them to support the film they joined into the proposal. They felt a relationship to the story, particularly this one being one that they also cherished when they were kids. Celine Dion saw the film when she was young and Simple Plan saw the film when their were young as well. Celine relates also to this film through her children because she’s shown it to all of her family. There is a sense of belonging and a sense of support, we are so proud and very happy of these collaborations.
CA: What would you say is the state of independent animation in Canada today?
McB: It’s an industry that is growing. There is a lot of talent. Independent films are more and more coming together but there are still only a handful of films that have been made in recent years. It’s definitely growing.
CA: François, tell me about working with a co-director like Jean-François and what that mean in terms of division or labor or the decision-making process?
Fb: Jean-Francois was the director and he was more in charge of working with the voice actors, but because it’s a big production we needed many eyes to see everything. He was more in charge of that, and I was in charge of doing the storyboards, checking the design, the layouts, the animation, and so forth. When he was away I was busy doing certain things and vice versa.
McB: It was an amazing amalgam. They really worked hand in hand instead of it being a fiasco, because having two people trying to make the same film can be complicated. But we are very proud of how they managed to work together in such symbiosis
CA: François, you've worked on both 2D and 3D, which one do you prefer or what is the difference between the two as you create your storyboards and then transfer them into animation?
Fb: I’ve been working in 3D animation for a few years now, but my training as a 2D animator is very useful because I can draw anything. Sometimes I feel I'm more capable of storyboard better that way. I’m using a pencil and not a software. Sometimes when you have the software you go too much into detail. You got too much into the technical side of it so you get away from first impressions. When you do a storyboard you need to go very quickly about it to get the feel of the scene or the shot. For me, it’s perfect to do it on pencil or drawing on a tablet. When we transfer that into layouts and the camera aspects,Jean-François makes it a breeze because he knows so much about camera movement. It worked perfectly well. We had not issues.
McB: You will probably notice that the lighting is also very particular. Jean-Francois convinced the team about using a backlight, which is rarely used in animation. It also adds to the feel of closeness to the characters because of the way they are lit.
CA: Given that this is a Canadian production, was the film created in French first and then an English dub was created or what approach did you take?
McB: We always say that we did two original versions of the film, but basically the lip-synch is based on the English version. It’s being release in the United States as an original English version. There was no dubbing for the English-version. The actors you are hearing are the same actors that helped inspire the animators throughout the whole process.
CA: Were the voice actors involved in the film connected personally to the original film prior to partaking in this animated version or did they first have to get acquainted with the material at hand?
McB: We had two stars, Ross Lynch and Sandra Oh. Ross has had a relationship with the original film all of his life, so he had a personal link to it. Sandra Oh, who is Canadian and was raised in Toronto, also had an endearing reference to “Snowtime!” The other actors were all based in Montreal, so they new of the original film and they obviously embraced it. They were all adult actors, we didn't use any children actors.
CA: As "Snowtime!" melts hearts around the world, what is CarpeDiem, planning as a follow up? What are are some of upcoming projects?
McB: Right now we are financing a sequel to “Snowtime!” and we are hoping to start production in the summer. We are also in production of a TV series that follows the first-graders in “Snowtime!,” we call them our Minions [Laughs]. We developed an app, there are records, merchandise in some territories, and three books in publishing, so we definitely developed it as a franchise and will continue doing so. We have also just opened a “Snowtime!” museum exhibition here in Montreal, and it’s a traveling exhibition. We are working with our distributor Shout! to bring it to the United States...
Jean-François Pouliot and François Brisson's Canadian animated feature "Snowtime!,” which premiered in January at the Sundance Film Festival effectively delivers a story about children engaging in fun activities that are captivating in their own right, such as a fun snow fight with a group of friends, and simultaneously touches on emotionally complex subject that can evolve into conversation topics between parents and children. Based on a classic live-action Canadian film, scored with songs by some of the country’s biggest musical stars, and dealing with a young boy overcoming grief through playtime, “Snowtime1” is an endearing and humanistic alternative to the ceaselessly voracious tent-poles.
Producer Marie-Claude Beauchamp and co-director Francois Brisson talk about making an Canadian animated feature based on a local classic and how this new iteration is turning the characters into a global sensation.
Carlos Aguilar: Something that's fascinating about the film is that is a story that allows children to be children and doesn't place them in situations beyond their age. It's still an exciting adventure but it doesn't involved high stakes missions or otherworldly powers. Was that something that you were interested in showcasing in the film?
Marie-Claude Beauchamp: The film is a remake of a film that was produced 30 years ago. It was originally a live action film. The genuine value, and probably the overall feeling of those kids being real kids, resonates because they were once real kids. But when we adapted it for animation we kept some of that charming reality of children. It was important to us that the children were living things from their point of view, that it was real to them. So when kids look at this film, and this why the film had a huge impact then and I believe still today, they can see themselves in these characters. There are not just cartoons representing things that are out of their reach but are cartoons representing things that are so close to them in terms of subjects, feelings, and emotions.
CA: François, what inspired you to get involved in the film? Did you also have a personal connection to the original version or did you see it as a challenge on a professional level?
Francois Brisson: This is a very classic film made here in Canada in 1985. It’s a huge classic for us here in Quebec, so to be approached to be a co-director in the film was for me a great opportunity and a great challenge at the same time. We needed to tell the story, keep it universal, and also keep all of its charm, the great storylines, and the tragedy that happens in the film. This was a great chance for me to work on doing that. We worked so hard to respect this classic tale and bring it to the 21st century.
McB: Yes, that was an interesting challenge, to find ways to tell the story that children of today would understand. Obviously we’ve changed as a society, here and everywhere around the planet, in the last 30 years, so we had to adapt the film to today’s point of view. It was not a direct transmission of the original, it was instead a real adaptation
Fb: What was also great about is that, for example, when we went to Sundance the reception that we got at the screening was the same as the one we got here in Quebec. We were able to reach the same emotions in different audiences.
McB: Even people who knew nothing about the original film. That was quite a surprise to realize that what we knew could resonate here, also resonated with American audiences.
CA: Stylistically, the character design is unique in comparison to most CG animated features in the the U.S. Where this is specific aesthetic come from and what was the reasoning behind it?
Fb: It came from the art director Philippe Arsenault Bussieres, he’s been illustrating children’s books for a long time and he has a very strong style, which kind of resembles stop-motion puppets in some ways. We tried to keep that in mind and we also focused on the texture of the characters. They feel very organic, you can see the texture sketchiness of the etchings in the characters like in the wool that you see on the characters hats and clothing. Also, what I often see in other animated films from major studios is that they animated the same way, so we tried to stay way from that. We tried to go back to the roots of the old classics like Bugs Bunny in some ways and also stop-motion. The kids in the film are all wearing these big heavy suits, so they can’t move the same way as if they were running with shorts and t-shirts , so all that needed to be understood by all the animators.
McB: Graphically the challenge that we had was to make the cold feel warm because the story takes place mostly outside and we didn’t want people not to relate to that situation, so the way that the art director approached the drawings gave it a warm feeling. We didn’t want it to look real, because I find it that sometimes real 3D looks a bit creepy [Laughs], so we wanted to stay closer to cartoons or closer to 2D. Yet again, it is in 3D and the volumes of the characters are real, but we had the softness and tenderness that can come out of 2D thanks to the design.
CA: War and death as themes are treated in a delicate manner while not shying away from their significance. Were you concerned at all about including these elements in a film aimed at a young audience or did you feel children would be receptive to them?
McB: I would not treat this lightly that’s for sure. We were very concerned about how we would approach that. In the original live action film the dog dies and the reference to Luke’s life is regarding his grandfather who died in the war. Because nowadays grandfather’s in a war, timing-wise, might not be a reference that children can relate to much, we thought that reference could be more relatable if it was his father. We brought it closer to the drama part. We also brought it closer because we wanted for Luke’s character to find himself and to make peace with his own sorrow. We also wanted him to overcome the death of his father once and for all now that he has lived it in his own way. The subject is there and we strongly believe that children need and want to experiment fear as success of all the fantastic films has shown. They need to deal with fear and sorrow. I was raised on “Dumbo” and “Bambi,” and when my own pet died I knew more about how to deal with it because I experienced in my own way and I had shared it with my parents. We are believers that films can serve for children to experiment emotions just the way that we go into films and experiment emotions. Emotion is good.
CA: The music in the film was created by famous Canadian musicians like Celine Dion and popular band Simple Plan. How did these collaboration come about?
McB: We have a lot of good talent in Canada that are known around the world. This film is a prestigious film for the Canadian industry because we don’t produced very large independent budgets, so when singers and great artist saw the opportunity for them to support the film they joined into the proposal. They felt a relationship to the story, particularly this one being one that they also cherished when they were kids. Celine Dion saw the film when she was young and Simple Plan saw the film when their were young as well. Celine relates also to this film through her children because she’s shown it to all of her family. There is a sense of belonging and a sense of support, we are so proud and very happy of these collaborations.
CA: What would you say is the state of independent animation in Canada today?
McB: It’s an industry that is growing. There is a lot of talent. Independent films are more and more coming together but there are still only a handful of films that have been made in recent years. It’s definitely growing.
CA: François, tell me about working with a co-director like Jean-François and what that mean in terms of division or labor or the decision-making process?
Fb: Jean-Francois was the director and he was more in charge of working with the voice actors, but because it’s a big production we needed many eyes to see everything. He was more in charge of that, and I was in charge of doing the storyboards, checking the design, the layouts, the animation, and so forth. When he was away I was busy doing certain things and vice versa.
McB: It was an amazing amalgam. They really worked hand in hand instead of it being a fiasco, because having two people trying to make the same film can be complicated. But we are very proud of how they managed to work together in such symbiosis
CA: François, you've worked on both 2D and 3D, which one do you prefer or what is the difference between the two as you create your storyboards and then transfer them into animation?
Fb: I’ve been working in 3D animation for a few years now, but my training as a 2D animator is very useful because I can draw anything. Sometimes I feel I'm more capable of storyboard better that way. I’m using a pencil and not a software. Sometimes when you have the software you go too much into detail. You got too much into the technical side of it so you get away from first impressions. When you do a storyboard you need to go very quickly about it to get the feel of the scene or the shot. For me, it’s perfect to do it on pencil or drawing on a tablet. When we transfer that into layouts and the camera aspects,Jean-François makes it a breeze because he knows so much about camera movement. It worked perfectly well. We had not issues.
McB: You will probably notice that the lighting is also very particular. Jean-Francois convinced the team about using a backlight, which is rarely used in animation. It also adds to the feel of closeness to the characters because of the way they are lit.
CA: Given that this is a Canadian production, was the film created in French first and then an English dub was created or what approach did you take?
McB: We always say that we did two original versions of the film, but basically the lip-synch is based on the English version. It’s being release in the United States as an original English version. There was no dubbing for the English-version. The actors you are hearing are the same actors that helped inspire the animators throughout the whole process.
CA: Were the voice actors involved in the film connected personally to the original film prior to partaking in this animated version or did they first have to get acquainted with the material at hand?
McB: We had two stars, Ross Lynch and Sandra Oh. Ross has had a relationship with the original film all of his life, so he had a personal link to it. Sandra Oh, who is Canadian and was raised in Toronto, also had an endearing reference to “Snowtime!” The other actors were all based in Montreal, so they new of the original film and they obviously embraced it. They were all adult actors, we didn't use any children actors.
CA: As "Snowtime!" melts hearts around the world, what is CarpeDiem, planning as a follow up? What are are some of upcoming projects?
McB: Right now we are financing a sequel to “Snowtime!” and we are hoping to start production in the summer. We are also in production of a TV series that follows the first-graders in “Snowtime!,” we call them our Minions [Laughs]. We developed an app, there are records, merchandise in some territories, and three books in publishing, so we definitely developed it as a franchise and will continue doing so. We have also just opened a “Snowtime!” museum exhibition here in Montreal, and it’s a traveling exhibition. We are working with our distributor Shout! to bring it to the United States...
- 2/25/2016
- by Carlos Aguilar
- Sydney's Buzz
Winners have been announced! See below.
The First Edition of the Platinum Awards, a gala presentation in Panama April 5th, sponsored by Egeda and Fipca was an idea born two years ago in Panama at the Festival'sl Forum with Iberoamerican filmmakers and the Iberoamerican Producers Association (Fipca). Panama's Deputy Minister of Industry and Commerce offered to pay for the first edition which is being held now. Jose Pacheco, the Deputy Minister and also the President of the Panama Film Commission, along with Arianne Marie Benedetti, then had to convince their government that the investment in the awards, along with the investment in cinema would further the country's extraordinary influx of capital and would help establish the Premios Platinos as the most important global event promoting and supporting the Iberoamerican film industry. Everyone here for the 4th Annual Panama Film Festival was quite excited and it was an extraordinary affair. Twenty-two Spanish speaking countries in the Americas as well as Brazil, Portugal and Spain gathered along with world press (John Hopewell of Variety and I myself of SydneysBuzz/ LatinoBuzz and Indiewire were the only gringo press around) and producers, directors, actors, cinematographers and writers to pay homage to the great talent arising out of the Iberoamerican countries whose potential audience exceeds that of the United States.
This was pointed out with great enthusiasm by Javier Camára, the actor nominated for Best Male Actor for his role in David Trueba's Living is Easy with Eyes Closed (Vivir es fácil con los ojos cerrados). He plays a high-school English/ Latin teacher in 1966 Spain who drives to Almeria in hopes of meeting his hero, John Lennon. Along the way, he picks up two runaways. The movie title, Living is Easy With Eyes Closed, comes from a line in Lennon's song Strawberry Fields Forever which he wrote while filming How I Won the War in Almeria. (Camára is also a fan of Real Madrid.)
In this first edition 701 films have participated. Of these, each of the countries made a pre-selection of their candidates through their representatives Fipca and national film academies. Subsequently, a jury of prominent industry professionals has selected the winners just announced at the gala on April 5 in Panama. The Directors of the event are Adrian Solar Lozier for Fipca and one of Chili's most recognized producers and Enrique Cerezo Torres, one of the founders of Egeda twenty-five years ago, its chief executive for the past seventeen years, President of the Madrid Film Commission and President of the Madrid School of Cinema. (He is also the President of the Athletic Football Club of Madrid.)
Mexican singer and actress, Alessandra Rosaldo, and Colombian journalist Juan Carlos Arciniegas whose TV show on film is featured on CNN Latino, co-hosted the televised event. Canal Plus of Spain and others representing television across the Americas were present.
The winners in each of the eight categories were named to a huge audience of the most important Latin American cinema talent who sat on pins and needles waiting to hear the winners.
Accepting the Platinum Award of Honor, Sonia Braga, known to U.S. audiences from the 1976 breakout Brazilian film, Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands, and again in 1985 and 1988 with Kiss of the Spider Woman and The Milagro Beanfield War respectively, was elegant and eloquent in her acceptance.
The most nominated films were The German Doctor: Wakolda, Gloria and Living is Easy with Eyes Closed. The surprise was that Living is Easy did not win a single award. Already the winner of 11 Awards and nominated for 5 other awards, David Trueba definitely can not hide behind the loser category. The Spanish film Living is Easy with Eyes Closed won six Goya Awards including Best Director.
And The Winners are:
Best Iberoamerican Fiction Film: Gloria (Chile). Nominated were The German Doctor: Wakolda (Argentina), Heli (Mexico), Witching and Bitching (Spain), La jaula de oro (The Golden Cage) (Mexico), Roa (Colombia) and Living is Easy with Eyes Closed Spain) compete for the title of Best Latin American Film of the Year.
Best Female Performance: Paulina García (Gloria). Nominated were Karen Martínez (The Golden Cage), Laura De la Uz (Ana's Film), Marian Álvarez (Wounded), Nashla Bogaert (Who's the Boss?), Natalia Oreiro (Wakolda). You can read Gloria's review and interview with Sebastian Lelio and Paulna Garcia here: Review by Carlos Aguilar and Interview with Sebastian Lelio and Paulina Garcia by Sydney Levine. You can soon read more about upcoming Dominican Republic's Nashla Bogaert whom I met and interviewed in Panama. She is my choice of the one to keep an eye on.
Best Male Performance: Eugenio Derbez (Instructions Not Included). The equivalent of the Platinos, our own Academy Award usually steers clear of comedy in the best actor category, as if comedy were not as difficult as drama. But this was well deserved in terms of popularity as this film's huge success in both U.S. and Mexico shows. U.S.$44 million in U.S. and U.S.$ 41 million in Mexico are not to be ignored. This major hit hit a major nerve in U.S. and Mexico. Also nominated were Antonio de la Torre (Cannibal), , Javier Cámara (Living is Easy with Eyes Closed), Ricardo Darín (Thesis on a Homicide) and Víctor Prada (The Cleaner).
Platinum Award For Best Director: Amat Escalante (Heli). Nominated were Sebastian Lelio (Gloria), David Trueba (Living Is Easy With Eyes Closed), Lucia Puenzo (The German Doctor: Wakolda). You can read Heli's Review by Carlos Aguilar and the Interview with Amat Escalante by Carlos Aguilar.
Platinum Best Screenplay Award: Sebastian Lelio, Gonzalo Maza (Gloria). Also nominated were Daniel Sánchez Arévalo (Great Spanish Family), David Trueba (Living Is Easy With Eyes Closed), Lucia Puenzo (The German Doctor-Wakolda)
Platinum Award For Best Original Score: Emilio Kauderer for Foosball (Football). Also nominated were Karin Zielinski for El Limpiador (The Cleaner) -- you can read its Review by Carlos Aguilar , Joan Valent (Zugarramurdi Witches)
Platinum Award For Best Animated Film: Foosball (Football). Nominated were Anina -- you can read Anina's Review by Carlos Aguilar , The Secret Of Jade Medallion, Justin And The Sword Of Value, Uma History Of Love And Fury
Platinum Award For Best Documentary: Con la Pata Quebrada (With a Broken Leg). Nominated were: Cuates de Australia (Friends from Australia), Eternal Night Of The Twelve Moons, The Day That Lasted 21 Years from Brazil about the U.S. instigated coup d’etat in 1964, Still Being.
Camilo Vives (recently deceased, head of production for Icaic) Platinum Award for Best Iberoamerican co-production, in memory of his Presidency of Fipca for over 10 years and co-chair of the Forum Egeda / Fipca was The German Doctor Wakolda which beat out Anina, Esclavo de Dios and La jaula de oro. Read more on The German Doctor Wakolda here: Review by Carlos Aguilar and Case Study by Sydney Levine.
See more on the Platinum Award website: www.premiosplatino.com.
Alessandra Rosaldo stated: "These Awards will be the most valuable Iberoamerican Film Excellence Awards, something this industry needs and demands to reward the creativity and talent of our film industry.
Juan Carlos Arciniegas said: "The Platinum Awards are pioneers, transcend borders and put our countries in a fair competition that will highlight the diversity of the region cinematically. These awards will write the history of the participating films."
Eugenio Derbez, Blanca Guerra, Victoria Abril and Patricia Velasquez were some of the presenters.
The First Edition of the Platinum Awards, a gala presentation in Panama April 5th, sponsored by Egeda and Fipca was an idea born two years ago in Panama at the Festival'sl Forum with Iberoamerican filmmakers and the Iberoamerican Producers Association (Fipca). Panama's Deputy Minister of Industry and Commerce offered to pay for the first edition which is being held now. Jose Pacheco, the Deputy Minister and also the President of the Panama Film Commission, along with Arianne Marie Benedetti, then had to convince their government that the investment in the awards, along with the investment in cinema would further the country's extraordinary influx of capital and would help establish the Premios Platinos as the most important global event promoting and supporting the Iberoamerican film industry. Everyone here for the 4th Annual Panama Film Festival was quite excited and it was an extraordinary affair. Twenty-two Spanish speaking countries in the Americas as well as Brazil, Portugal and Spain gathered along with world press (John Hopewell of Variety and I myself of SydneysBuzz/ LatinoBuzz and Indiewire were the only gringo press around) and producers, directors, actors, cinematographers and writers to pay homage to the great talent arising out of the Iberoamerican countries whose potential audience exceeds that of the United States.
This was pointed out with great enthusiasm by Javier Camára, the actor nominated for Best Male Actor for his role in David Trueba's Living is Easy with Eyes Closed (Vivir es fácil con los ojos cerrados). He plays a high-school English/ Latin teacher in 1966 Spain who drives to Almeria in hopes of meeting his hero, John Lennon. Along the way, he picks up two runaways. The movie title, Living is Easy With Eyes Closed, comes from a line in Lennon's song Strawberry Fields Forever which he wrote while filming How I Won the War in Almeria. (Camára is also a fan of Real Madrid.)
In this first edition 701 films have participated. Of these, each of the countries made a pre-selection of their candidates through their representatives Fipca and national film academies. Subsequently, a jury of prominent industry professionals has selected the winners just announced at the gala on April 5 in Panama. The Directors of the event are Adrian Solar Lozier for Fipca and one of Chili's most recognized producers and Enrique Cerezo Torres, one of the founders of Egeda twenty-five years ago, its chief executive for the past seventeen years, President of the Madrid Film Commission and President of the Madrid School of Cinema. (He is also the President of the Athletic Football Club of Madrid.)
Mexican singer and actress, Alessandra Rosaldo, and Colombian journalist Juan Carlos Arciniegas whose TV show on film is featured on CNN Latino, co-hosted the televised event. Canal Plus of Spain and others representing television across the Americas were present.
The winners in each of the eight categories were named to a huge audience of the most important Latin American cinema talent who sat on pins and needles waiting to hear the winners.
Accepting the Platinum Award of Honor, Sonia Braga, known to U.S. audiences from the 1976 breakout Brazilian film, Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands, and again in 1985 and 1988 with Kiss of the Spider Woman and The Milagro Beanfield War respectively, was elegant and eloquent in her acceptance.
The most nominated films were The German Doctor: Wakolda, Gloria and Living is Easy with Eyes Closed. The surprise was that Living is Easy did not win a single award. Already the winner of 11 Awards and nominated for 5 other awards, David Trueba definitely can not hide behind the loser category. The Spanish film Living is Easy with Eyes Closed won six Goya Awards including Best Director.
And The Winners are:
Best Iberoamerican Fiction Film: Gloria (Chile). Nominated were The German Doctor: Wakolda (Argentina), Heli (Mexico), Witching and Bitching (Spain), La jaula de oro (The Golden Cage) (Mexico), Roa (Colombia) and Living is Easy with Eyes Closed Spain) compete for the title of Best Latin American Film of the Year.
Best Female Performance: Paulina García (Gloria). Nominated were Karen Martínez (The Golden Cage), Laura De la Uz (Ana's Film), Marian Álvarez (Wounded), Nashla Bogaert (Who's the Boss?), Natalia Oreiro (Wakolda). You can read Gloria's review and interview with Sebastian Lelio and Paulna Garcia here: Review by Carlos Aguilar and Interview with Sebastian Lelio and Paulina Garcia by Sydney Levine. You can soon read more about upcoming Dominican Republic's Nashla Bogaert whom I met and interviewed in Panama. She is my choice of the one to keep an eye on.
Best Male Performance: Eugenio Derbez (Instructions Not Included). The equivalent of the Platinos, our own Academy Award usually steers clear of comedy in the best actor category, as if comedy were not as difficult as drama. But this was well deserved in terms of popularity as this film's huge success in both U.S. and Mexico shows. U.S.$44 million in U.S. and U.S.$ 41 million in Mexico are not to be ignored. This major hit hit a major nerve in U.S. and Mexico. Also nominated were Antonio de la Torre (Cannibal), , Javier Cámara (Living is Easy with Eyes Closed), Ricardo Darín (Thesis on a Homicide) and Víctor Prada (The Cleaner).
Platinum Award For Best Director: Amat Escalante (Heli). Nominated were Sebastian Lelio (Gloria), David Trueba (Living Is Easy With Eyes Closed), Lucia Puenzo (The German Doctor: Wakolda). You can read Heli's Review by Carlos Aguilar and the Interview with Amat Escalante by Carlos Aguilar.
Platinum Best Screenplay Award: Sebastian Lelio, Gonzalo Maza (Gloria). Also nominated were Daniel Sánchez Arévalo (Great Spanish Family), David Trueba (Living Is Easy With Eyes Closed), Lucia Puenzo (The German Doctor-Wakolda)
Platinum Award For Best Original Score: Emilio Kauderer for Foosball (Football). Also nominated were Karin Zielinski for El Limpiador (The Cleaner) -- you can read its Review by Carlos Aguilar , Joan Valent (Zugarramurdi Witches)
Platinum Award For Best Animated Film: Foosball (Football). Nominated were Anina -- you can read Anina's Review by Carlos Aguilar , The Secret Of Jade Medallion, Justin And The Sword Of Value, Uma History Of Love And Fury
Platinum Award For Best Documentary: Con la Pata Quebrada (With a Broken Leg). Nominated were: Cuates de Australia (Friends from Australia), Eternal Night Of The Twelve Moons, The Day That Lasted 21 Years from Brazil about the U.S. instigated coup d’etat in 1964, Still Being.
Camilo Vives (recently deceased, head of production for Icaic) Platinum Award for Best Iberoamerican co-production, in memory of his Presidency of Fipca for over 10 years and co-chair of the Forum Egeda / Fipca was The German Doctor Wakolda which beat out Anina, Esclavo de Dios and La jaula de oro. Read more on The German Doctor Wakolda here: Review by Carlos Aguilar and Case Study by Sydney Levine.
See more on the Platinum Award website: www.premiosplatino.com.
Alessandra Rosaldo stated: "These Awards will be the most valuable Iberoamerican Film Excellence Awards, something this industry needs and demands to reward the creativity and talent of our film industry.
Juan Carlos Arciniegas said: "The Platinum Awards are pioneers, transcend borders and put our countries in a fair competition that will highlight the diversity of the region cinematically. These awards will write the history of the participating films."
Eugenio Derbez, Blanca Guerra, Victoria Abril and Patricia Velasquez were some of the presenters.
- 4/6/2014
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
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