Visions du Réel winner Tomasz Wolski will focus on “A Year in the Life of the Country” next, Variety can reveal exclusively.
The Polish helmer – whose latest film “In Ukraine,” co-directed with Piotr Pawlus, premiered in Berlin – is set to explore the turbulent period of martial law, imposed on Dec. 13, 1981 by General Wojciech Jaruzelski in Communist Poland after a wave of strikes.
Anna Gawlita will produce for Kijora Film.
“It’s a topic we haven’t really looked at just yet. These are very important stories, often tragic, and I was convinced that unlike in the case of ‘1970’ [his previous film about brutal suppression of worker protests], I would have almost too much material to work with. I wasn’t mistaken,” he says.
In the upcoming film, Wolski will depict the turmoil that ensued, with soldiers controlling the cities, imprisoning Solidarity members and officials trying to discredit Nobel Peace Prize laureate Lech Wałęsa. He will also show the events that led to its introduction.
The Polish helmer – whose latest film “In Ukraine,” co-directed with Piotr Pawlus, premiered in Berlin – is set to explore the turbulent period of martial law, imposed on Dec. 13, 1981 by General Wojciech Jaruzelski in Communist Poland after a wave of strikes.
Anna Gawlita will produce for Kijora Film.
“It’s a topic we haven’t really looked at just yet. These are very important stories, often tragic, and I was convinced that unlike in the case of ‘1970’ [his previous film about brutal suppression of worker protests], I would have almost too much material to work with. I wasn’t mistaken,” he says.
In the upcoming film, Wolski will depict the turmoil that ensued, with soldiers controlling the cities, imprisoning Solidarity members and officials trying to discredit Nobel Peace Prize laureate Lech Wałęsa. He will also show the events that led to its introduction.
- 10/31/2023
- by Marta Balaga
- Variety Film + TV
In the 1930s, the Polish port city of Gdynia became a brief landing pad for immigrants from neighboring countries, including Jews who sought safety and prosperity before the rise of Nazi Germany. Though the Museum of Gdynia quietly explains this messy history, obvious markers of that past aren’t visible across the city. Its marina boasts a massive monument to 18th-century Polish military hero Tadeusz Kościuszko, whose actions became the stuff of legend both for the Poles and the Americans, but otherwise Gdynia stands anew, with sparkling metallic structures surrounding its stretch of the Puck Bay and the Polanka Redłowska forest.
By contrast, in the nearby town of Gdańsk, with its brightly colored and narrow buildings that hug a labyrinthine waterway, the markers of history are more immediately apparent to the naked eye. Much of the buildings have been reconstructed such that nearly every street teems with homages to the past.
By contrast, in the nearby town of Gdańsk, with its brightly colored and narrow buildings that hug a labyrinthine waterway, the markers of history are more immediately apparent to the naked eye. Much of the buildings have been reconstructed such that nearly every street teems with homages to the past.
- 9/28/2023
- by Greg Nussen
- Slant Magazine
A Connecticut state trooper was in for a surprise on Wednesday when he discovered that a vehicle with a flat tire he was responding to had a former president of his home country of Poland, Lech Walesa, inside it. Walesa was in the middle of a speaking series advocating for Ukrainian refugees and had just […]
The post Polish Police Officer Meets Former Polish President Lech Walesa At Connecticut Service Stop appeared first on uInterview.
The post Polish Police Officer Meets Former Polish President Lech Walesa At Connecticut Service Stop appeared first on uInterview.
- 5/15/2022
- by Jacob Linden
- Uinterview
Ksawery Szczepanik on Wladyslaw Kozakiewicz: 'I didn’t want to make a film against my protagonist but I wanted to show a journey that has its high point in the moment of greatness but afterward, life goes on' Photo: Courtesy of Warsaw Film Festival
Going For Gold by Ksawery Szczepanik, which premiered at the Warsaw International Film Festival, presents the story of the Polish sportsman Wladyslaw Kozakiewicz – a pole vaulter who accidentally became a symbol of political opposition against the Soviet Union among icons including the leader of the Solidarity movement Lech Walesa and Karol Wojtyla, better known as Pope John Paul II. Szczepanik analyses how Kozakiewicz’s position as a national idol changed to a traitor. It’s the story of the individual trapped in politics and the painful process of the falling star. A day after the premiere the director answered the questions of the participants of the Fipresci Warsaw Critics Project.
Going For Gold by Ksawery Szczepanik, which premiered at the Warsaw International Film Festival, presents the story of the Polish sportsman Wladyslaw Kozakiewicz – a pole vaulter who accidentally became a symbol of political opposition against the Soviet Union among icons including the leader of the Solidarity movement Lech Walesa and Karol Wojtyla, better known as Pope John Paul II. Szczepanik analyses how Kozakiewicz’s position as a national idol changed to a traitor. It’s the story of the individual trapped in politics and the painful process of the falling star. A day after the premiere the director answered the questions of the participants of the Fipresci Warsaw Critics Project.
- 10/15/2020
- by Maria Dybcio
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
To put it mildly, Werner Herzog has his own take on things, so it comes as no surprise that one of the most recent projects by the prolific international director does not follow the rules of normal political biography. Over a six-month period, and without a prepared script, Herzog conducted three interviews with former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev that covered a multitude of topics, some of it geopolitical, much of it personal, and more than a little of it highly idiosyncratic. That’s not to say Herzog takes his subject lightly: Gorbachev was instrumental in German reunification in the late 1980s, a subject very close to the Munich-born director’s heart, and this issue is raised in a film that covers a lot of ground, from Gorbachev’s rise in the Communist Party, to dealing with the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, to negotiating with U.S. President Ronald Reagan over the nuclear arms race,...
- 10/27/2018
- by Damon Wise
- Variety Film + TV
Revered director of Katyn and The Promised Land passed away on Sunday.
Polish cinema - and the international film community at large – are mourning the passing yesterday (Oct 9) of the Polish filmmaker Andrzej Wajda.
His career spanned more than 60 years and included such classics as Ashes And Diamonds, Innocent Sorcerers, The Wedding, Man Of Marble, and Man Of Iron. Four of his features were Oscar-nominated, and he received an honorary Academy Award in 2000.
Wajda had been a resistance fighter during the Second World War and a Fine Art student in Krakow before studying film directing at the Lodz Film School, his debut feature A Generation in 1954 being the first part of a trilogy completed by Canal (1956) and Ashes and Diamonds (1958).
The films introduced Wajda to an international audience.
In the early 1970s, he formed his own film unit, Film Studio ‘X’, where he worked with a group of young film-makers such as Ryszard Bugajski and Agnieska Holland, using...
Polish cinema - and the international film community at large – are mourning the passing yesterday (Oct 9) of the Polish filmmaker Andrzej Wajda.
His career spanned more than 60 years and included such classics as Ashes And Diamonds, Innocent Sorcerers, The Wedding, Man Of Marble, and Man Of Iron. Four of his features were Oscar-nominated, and he received an honorary Academy Award in 2000.
Wajda had been a resistance fighter during the Second World War and a Fine Art student in Krakow before studying film directing at the Lodz Film School, his debut feature A Generation in 1954 being the first part of a trilogy completed by Canal (1956) and Ashes and Diamonds (1958).
The films introduced Wajda to an international audience.
In the early 1970s, he formed his own film unit, Film Studio ‘X’, where he worked with a group of young film-makers such as Ryszard Bugajski and Agnieska Holland, using...
- 10/10/2016
- by screen.berlin@googlemail.com (Martin Blaney)
- ScreenDaily
★★★☆☆ They say never meet your idols, and it might also be advisable not to make films about them but Andrzej Wajda has always defied such cliches. Some of his early masterpieces - Man of Iron and Man of Marble - were fictional odes to Solidarity hero Lech Walesa and then he concluded a loose trilogy with a direct portrayal in 2013's Walesa: Man of Hope. Now the 90-year-old auteur has turned his attention to the renowned avant garde artist Władysław Strzemiński in his new film Afterimage.
- 9/15/2016
- by CineVue
- CineVue
Today, the Nobel Peace Prize winner will be announced, but director Errol Morris is using this time for reflection. Once again teaming up with The New York Times, he's created three new short documentary films focusing on past Nobel winners Leymah Gbowee and Lech Walesa, and nominee Bob Geldof. Each doc shares the activists' stories, detailing Gbowee's role as one of the driving forces in ousting Liberian dictator Charles G. Taylor and Walesa's battles for labor rights in Soviet controlled Poland, leading to the downfall of the Soviet Union. And then there's rock star Bob Geldof, behind one of biggest charity efforts ever, Live Aid in 1985, which sought to eliminate famine in Ethiopia. These are all incredible, inspiring stories, so check out "The Dream," "The Shipyward," and "The Moment" below.
- 10/10/2014
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
“I don’t usually like my own work, but I’m rather proud of these,” tweeted the self-effacing Errol Morris, sharing a link to three new shorts about peace for the New York Times Op-Docs. His eclectic subjects include the Nobel Prize Winners Leymah Gwobee and Lech Walesa, and the nominee Bob Geldorf. Visa hired Morris to shoot the laureates as part of a commercial campaign for the World Cup, and he took the opportunity to conduct extended interviews on activism and widespread change. Head to the Times to view the short documentaries, alongside a long-form introduction by Morris.
- 10/8/2014
- by Sarah Salovaara
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
“I don’t usually like my own work, but I’m rather proud of these,” tweeted the self-effacing Errol Morris, sharing a link to three new shorts about peace for the New York Times Op-Docs. His eclectic subjects include the Nobel Prize Winners Leymah Gwobee and Lech Walesa, and the nominee Bob Geldorf. Visa hired Morris to shoot the laureates as part of a commercial campaign for the World Cup, and he took the opportunity to conduct extended interviews on activism and widespread change. Head to the Times to view the short documentaries, alongside a long-form introduction by Morris.
- 10/8/2014
- by Sarah Salovaara
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
Telluride Film Festival organisers have unveiled two late additions to the programme that will premiere in the coming days in a move that could impact on the classification of one Toronto gala screening.
The first is Andrea Di Stefano’s August 30 screening Escobar: Paradise Lost starring Josh Hutcherson and Benicio Del Toro in the tale of an American surfer in Colombia who falls for the drug baron’s niece.
The positioning of the thriller in the Telluride Film Festival invokes the new policy outlined by Toronto International Film Festival (Tiff) top brass with regard to films that receive their world premiere in the Rockies.
Escobar is scheduled to screen in Toronto on September 11. That second-week berth is consistent with Tiff’s edict on the positioning of films that will have received their world premiere in Telluride.
However it remains to be seen whether the film’s status – which at time of writing was categorised on the official...
The first is Andrea Di Stefano’s August 30 screening Escobar: Paradise Lost starring Josh Hutcherson and Benicio Del Toro in the tale of an American surfer in Colombia who falls for the drug baron’s niece.
The positioning of the thriller in the Telluride Film Festival invokes the new policy outlined by Toronto International Film Festival (Tiff) top brass with regard to films that receive their world premiere in the Rockies.
Escobar is scheduled to screen in Toronto on September 11. That second-week berth is consistent with Tiff’s edict on the positioning of films that will have received their world premiere in Telluride.
However it remains to be seen whether the film’s status – which at time of writing was categorised on the official...
- 8/30/2014
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Festival will also host Lech Walesa for a director’s cut of Walesa: Man of Hope.
The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (July 4-12) festival is to fete director William Friedkin, Us production and management outfit Anonymous Content and Czech cinematographer Zdeněk Svěrák.
The festival in the Czech Republic will also host Nobel Prize winner and former Polish president Lech Walesa, who will attend the festival to introduce the director’s cut of Walesa: Man of Hope, Andrzej Wajda’s 2013 biopic of the iconic leader.
Friedkin, director of The Exorcist, The French Connection and more recently Killer Joe, will receive the festival’s the Crystal Globe for Outstanding Artistic Contribution to World Cinema and present a restored version of his 1977 action-adventure Sorcerer.
Also attending the festival as part of a tribute to their work will be Us production and management company Anonymous Content, whose founder Steve Golin and producer and manager Michael Sugar will present films they and...
The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (July 4-12) festival is to fete director William Friedkin, Us production and management outfit Anonymous Content and Czech cinematographer Zdeněk Svěrák.
The festival in the Czech Republic will also host Nobel Prize winner and former Polish president Lech Walesa, who will attend the festival to introduce the director’s cut of Walesa: Man of Hope, Andrzej Wajda’s 2013 biopic of the iconic leader.
Friedkin, director of The Exorcist, The French Connection and more recently Killer Joe, will receive the festival’s the Crystal Globe for Outstanding Artistic Contribution to World Cinema and present a restored version of his 1977 action-adventure Sorcerer.
Also attending the festival as part of a tribute to their work will be Us production and management company Anonymous Content, whose founder Steve Golin and producer and manager Michael Sugar will present films they and...
- 4/28/2014
- by andreas.wiseman@screendaily.com (Andreas Wiseman)
- ScreenDaily
Lech Walesa, the man who founded Poland's Solidarity movement and went on to win the Nobel Peace Prize and become the country's first post-Communist president, will present a special screening of the director's cut of Andrzej Wajda's tribute to him, Walesa: Man of Hope, in July at the Karlovy Vary Film Festival. Actors Robert Wieckiewicz and Agnieszka Grochowska -- who play Walesa and his wife Danuta -- will attend a red carpet gala screening of the premiere of the biopic, created specially for the festival. Czech petroleum company Unipetrol, part of fest sponsor Orlen Group, supported the creation of the director's cut,
read more...
read more...
- 4/28/2014
- by Nick Holdsworth
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Lincoln Leadership Prize, awarded annually by the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library Foundation, honors outstanding individuals for a lifetime of service in the spirit of 16th President Abraham Lincoln. Honorees are described as those who manifest great strength of character, individual conscience, and an unwavering commitment to the defining principles of democracy. Steven Spielberg will receive the award during a dinner March 19 at the Hilton Chicago, presented by Sally Field. ”This is an extraordinary honor. For me, Lincoln’s unprecedented commitment to the cause of democracy is one of the most important examples of leadership our nation has ever seen,” said Spielberg. “I am humbled to receive an award that embodies both his legacy and the profound contributions he made to this country.” Previous honorees include President Bill Clinton, former Polish President Lech Walesa, Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Astronaut James A. Lovell Jr., and...
- 1/28/2014
- by THE DEADLINE TEAM
- Deadline TV
Best Foreign Language Film Oscar 2014: ‘The Past,’ Berlin winner ‘Child’s Pose,’ Andrzej Wajda among notable omissions (photo: Asghar Farhadi’s ‘The Past,’ with Bérénice Bejo) (See previous post: "Best Foreign Language Film Oscar 2014 semi-finalists: Liv Ullmann, Mads Mikkelsen, Ziyi Zhang star vehicles.") The previous post focused on the nine semi-finalists for the 2014 Oscar in the Best Foreign Language Film category. This post focuses on the surprising omissions from that list. ‘The Past’ The most glaring omission from the Academy’s list of Best Foreign Language Film semi-finalists is Asghar Farhadi’s Sony Pictures Classics-distributed (in the U.S.) The Past / Le Passé, starring Tahar Rahim and 2013 Cannes Film Festival Best Actress winner Bérénice Bejo. Iran’s official Oscar 2014 entry, The Past was considered a shoo-in following overwhelmingly positive notices — e.g., 93% approval rating and 8.6/10 average among Rotten Tomatoes‘ top critics — the fact that both Rahim (A Prophet...
- 12/25/2013
- by Andre Soares
- Alt Film Guide
If you’ve ever seen a videotaped interview with Tennessee Williams, you have heard him snicker. Like a gay bayou warlord. It’s a menacing, gothic chuckle. You remember it.
You can hear that chuckle resonating throughout A Streetcar Named Desire. In his most famous work, Williams seems to be reveling in the movie’s tense shifts between mannered melodrama and hormonal anarchy. The movie adaptation is half-drenched in shadows, half-drenched in sweat, and as we celebrate Vivien Leigh‘s 100th birthday this week, we should remember Streetcar for the assets that remain dewy and ripe today: two gigantic performances thrusting together from two opposing, but similarly cruel worlds.
Here are five reasons A Streetcar Named Desire may be the Best. Movie. Ever.
1. Marlon Brando is Unnnfffff.
In case you need a refresher on the movie’s plot, here’s as quick a synopsis at it gets: Mississippian Blanche DuBois...
You can hear that chuckle resonating throughout A Streetcar Named Desire. In his most famous work, Williams seems to be reveling in the movie’s tense shifts between mannered melodrama and hormonal anarchy. The movie adaptation is half-drenched in shadows, half-drenched in sweat, and as we celebrate Vivien Leigh‘s 100th birthday this week, we should remember Streetcar for the assets that remain dewy and ripe today: two gigantic performances thrusting together from two opposing, but similarly cruel worlds.
Here are five reasons A Streetcar Named Desire may be the Best. Movie. Ever.
1. Marlon Brando is Unnnfffff.
In case you need a refresher on the movie’s plot, here’s as quick a synopsis at it gets: Mississippian Blanche DuBois...
- 11/6/2013
- by Louis Virtel
- The Backlot
Exclusive: Berlin-based sales company racks up deals ahead of Afm.
Films Boutique is set to attend the American Film Market next week with Polish Oscar submission Walesa. Man of Hope, and has already secured a slew of sales.
Andrzej Wajda’s biopic, which received its world premiere at Venice before screening at Toronto, has been picked up for:
France, Version OriginaleSpain, A Contracorriente FilmsJapan, New SelectPortugal, Films 4 YouSweden, TriartDenmark, Camera filmsGreece: FilmtradeHungary, CirkoRomania, Independenta filmsCzech/Slovak, ArtcamBrazil, Esfera FilmesColombia/LatAm TV: CineplexEstonia, Estin Film
As previously reported by ScreenDaily, Fidalgo acquired the film for Norway while Project London Films picked it up in the UK directly from Polish producer Akson Studio.
Negotiations are ongoing in North America, German-speaking territories and Benelux.
The film has recorded 615,000 admissions after just three weeks on release in Poland.
It depicts the life of Lech Walesa, a Nobel Peace Prize winner and founder of Poland’s Solidarity movement, as events...
Films Boutique is set to attend the American Film Market next week with Polish Oscar submission Walesa. Man of Hope, and has already secured a slew of sales.
Andrzej Wajda’s biopic, which received its world premiere at Venice before screening at Toronto, has been picked up for:
France, Version OriginaleSpain, A Contracorriente FilmsJapan, New SelectPortugal, Films 4 YouSweden, TriartDenmark, Camera filmsGreece: FilmtradeHungary, CirkoRomania, Independenta filmsCzech/Slovak, ArtcamBrazil, Esfera FilmesColombia/LatAm TV: CineplexEstonia, Estin Film
As previously reported by ScreenDaily, Fidalgo acquired the film for Norway while Project London Films picked it up in the UK directly from Polish producer Akson Studio.
Negotiations are ongoing in North America, German-speaking territories and Benelux.
The film has recorded 615,000 admissions after just three weeks on release in Poland.
It depicts the life of Lech Walesa, a Nobel Peace Prize winner and founder of Poland’s Solidarity movement, as events...
- 10/28/2013
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
Being a charismatic, unhesitating, unstoppable leader and the main driving force of the underground Solidarity movement during the turbulent Communism period in post-war Poland, Lech Walesa has inevitably become a living legend and a symbol of independence not only for Polish citizens but also for the whole world. His unparalleled can-do attitude allowed him to break political boundaries, meaning that his totally peaceful and downright expressive fight for freedom inspired and opened the door for other countries of the Eastern block to engage in a bloodless battle against the evil regime. Walesa understood that plain actions, without thinking prematurely about their consequences, could unite a nation and ultimately lead it to a desired goal.Walesa: Man of Hope, directed by Andrzej Wajda, one of the most...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 10/26/2013
- Screen Anarchy
Pawel Pawlikowski’s Ida scored a second top festival prize in one night, after success in London.
The international jury of the Warsaw Film Festival has awarded the City of Warsaw Grand Prix to Pawal Pawlikowski’s Ida, which won Best Film at the BFI London Film Festival on the same night.
The black-and-white film set in the 1960s, which the international jury praised for “the superb combination of script, directing, cinematography, acting and music”, also received the prize of the Ecumenical Jury in Warsaw.
Speaking to ScreenDaily after the awards ceremony, producer Ewa Puszczynska of Lodz-based Opus Film said the film will be released on 90 screens in Poland this Friday (Oct 25) by distributor Solopan Spólka.
Fandango Portobello Sales is handling international distribution, and Music Box Films are planning the North American release for the second quarter of 2014. It debuted at Toronto last month.
Puszczynska was joined on stage to receive the Grand Prix by the non-professional...
The international jury of the Warsaw Film Festival has awarded the City of Warsaw Grand Prix to Pawal Pawlikowski’s Ida, which won Best Film at the BFI London Film Festival on the same night.
The black-and-white film set in the 1960s, which the international jury praised for “the superb combination of script, directing, cinematography, acting and music”, also received the prize of the Ecumenical Jury in Warsaw.
Speaking to ScreenDaily after the awards ceremony, producer Ewa Puszczynska of Lodz-based Opus Film said the film will be released on 90 screens in Poland this Friday (Oct 25) by distributor Solopan Spólka.
Fandango Portobello Sales is handling international distribution, and Music Box Films are planning the North American release for the second quarter of 2014. It debuted at Toronto last month.
Puszczynska was joined on stage to receive the Grand Prix by the non-professional...
- 10/21/2013
- by screen.berlin@googlemail.com (Martin Blaney)
- ScreenDaily
“What Spader’s Reddington demonstrates is a dark, glittering intelligence and that makes him a fascinating character,” wrote my pal and fellow columnist John Ostrander here on ComicMix yesterday, discussing James Spader’s work as the protagonist (antagonist?) on NBC’s The Blacklist (Mondays at 10 Pm Edt USA).
I read John’s column after reading A House Divided: Extremism And The Lessons Of History by Sean Wilentz and its accompanying article, Inside The Gop’s Suicide Machine by Tom Dickinson in the National Affairs section of the current Rolling Stone Magazine.
Over the last decade, my imagination has sometimes taken me to sinister places when I have thought about the future of the United States of America. Since George W. Bush became President through the manipulation of the vote in Florida and the engineering of his election to office by the Supreme Court, it has seemed not unbelievable to me that a cabal,...
I read John’s column after reading A House Divided: Extremism And The Lessons Of History by Sean Wilentz and its accompanying article, Inside The Gop’s Suicide Machine by Tom Dickinson in the National Affairs section of the current Rolling Stone Magazine.
Over the last decade, my imagination has sometimes taken me to sinister places when I have thought about the future of the United States of America. Since George W. Bush became President through the manipulation of the vote in Florida and the engineering of his election to office by the Supreme Court, it has seemed not unbelievable to me that a cabal,...
- 10/21/2013
- by Mindy Newell
- Comicmix.com
Some sources suggest that Lech Walesa first grew his famous bushy moustache when he served his military service in 1963. The Polish Nobel Prize winner and former President dismisses this idea. It was simply the case that when he was running the trade union Solidarity and fighting martial law, he didn’t always have the time to trim it. “I grew it in the strikes because I didn’t have a razor. Then I couldn’t change it.”...
- 10/17/2013
- The Independent - Film
The Fifth Estate | Le Week-end | Machete Kills | Not Another Happy Ending | Baggage Claim | Romeo & Juliet | Nobody's Daughter Haewon
The Fifth Estate (15)
(Bill Condon, 2013, Us/Bel) Benedict Cumberbatch, Daniel Brühl, David Thewlis, Laura Linney, Peter Capaldi. 128 mins
Cumberbatch was seemingly born to play Julian Assange, though this pacy hot-button-issue thriller struggles to make the Wikileaks story into another Social Network. There are some questionable cinematic flourishes (ooh, cyberspace!), but at the core is the bromance between Brühl's wide-eyed German techie (Daniel Berg) and the enigmatic Aussie – partners in a morally hazardous social justice crusade that climaxes with, er, the Guardian.
Le Week-end (15)
(Roger Michell, 2013, UK) Jim Broadbent, Lindsay Duncan, Jeff Goldblum. 93 mins
Before Midnight for seniors, as a 60-something couple's Parisian second honeymoon gives rise to bickering, regrets, and fears for the future, but youthful romantic comedy too. There's wit and wisdom in the writing and the seasoned performers are very good company.
The Fifth Estate (15)
(Bill Condon, 2013, Us/Bel) Benedict Cumberbatch, Daniel Brühl, David Thewlis, Laura Linney, Peter Capaldi. 128 mins
Cumberbatch was seemingly born to play Julian Assange, though this pacy hot-button-issue thriller struggles to make the Wikileaks story into another Social Network. There are some questionable cinematic flourishes (ooh, cyberspace!), but at the core is the bromance between Brühl's wide-eyed German techie (Daniel Berg) and the enigmatic Aussie – partners in a morally hazardous social justice crusade that climaxes with, er, the Guardian.
Le Week-end (15)
(Roger Michell, 2013, UK) Jim Broadbent, Lindsay Duncan, Jeff Goldblum. 93 mins
Before Midnight for seniors, as a 60-something couple's Parisian second honeymoon gives rise to bickering, regrets, and fears for the future, but youthful romantic comedy too. There's wit and wisdom in the writing and the seasoned performers are very good company.
- 10/12/2013
- by Steve Rose
- The Guardian - Film News
Chicago – The 49th Annual Chicago International Film Festival starts tonight, October 10, 2013, with a tribute to Roger Ebert and the premiere of James Gray’s “The Immigrant,” starring Joaquin Phoenix and Marion Cotillard. Wasting no time, there are at least a dozen flicks this weekend that could grab your attention. It’s one of the strongest Ciff line-ups in memory, with a few nearly-certain Oscar candidates next to some films that are unlikely to play again in Chicago any time soon.
We have a great mix of options for you in the first five days of the fest (10/10-14) in our first of three highlight pieces put together by Brian Tallerico, Patrick McDonald, and, making his Hc debut, Nick Allen. The first page features films we’ve actually seen and recommend while the second features films over the same period that looked interesting that we either couldn’t get to or...
We have a great mix of options for you in the first five days of the fest (10/10-14) in our first of three highlight pieces put together by Brian Tallerico, Patrick McDonald, and, making his Hc debut, Nick Allen. The first page features films we’ve actually seen and recommend while the second features films over the same period that looked interesting that we either couldn’t get to or...
- 10/10/2013
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Polish biopic Walesa. Man of Hope has been submitted for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
Walesa. Man of Hope debuted at the Venice Film Festival earlier this month and went on to screen at Toronto. It will next be shown at film festivals in Rio, Chicago and London.
The film is a depiction of the life of Nobel Peace Prize winner and founder of Poland’s Solidarity movement, Lech Walesa, as events in the 1970s lead to a peaceful revolution.
The role of Wałęsa was played by Robert Więckiewicz. The film also stars Agnieszka Grochowska (Danuta Wałęsa), Maria Rosaria Omaggio (Oriana Fallaci) . Cinematography was handled by Paweł Edelman.
Review: Walesa. Man of Hope
Click here for the Best Foreign-Language Film Academy Award submissions 2013
The film was produced by Akson Studio, and co-produced by Telewizja Polska Sa – Film Agency, Telekomunikacja Polska, Canal+ Poland, Narodowe Centrum Kultury. The film received financial support from the Polish Film Institute...
Walesa. Man of Hope debuted at the Venice Film Festival earlier this month and went on to screen at Toronto. It will next be shown at film festivals in Rio, Chicago and London.
The film is a depiction of the life of Nobel Peace Prize winner and founder of Poland’s Solidarity movement, Lech Walesa, as events in the 1970s lead to a peaceful revolution.
The role of Wałęsa was played by Robert Więckiewicz. The film also stars Agnieszka Grochowska (Danuta Wałęsa), Maria Rosaria Omaggio (Oriana Fallaci) . Cinematography was handled by Paweł Edelman.
Review: Walesa. Man of Hope
Click here for the Best Foreign-Language Film Academy Award submissions 2013
The film was produced by Akson Studio, and co-produced by Telewizja Polska Sa – Film Agency, Telekomunikacja Polska, Canal+ Poland, Narodowe Centrum Kultury. The film received financial support from the Polish Film Institute...
- 9/18/2013
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
Chicago – The Chicago International Film Festival revealed their schedule for the 2013 incarnation, which runs from Oct. 10-24, 2013, and it’s their most impressive in years, including new works by Alexander Payne, Joel & Ethan Coen, Steve McQueen, John Wels, Abdellatif Kechiche, Dario Argento, Bill Condon, John McNaughton, Kore-eda Kirokazu, Stephen Frears, Tsai Ming-Liang, Errol Morris, and dozens more.
Nebraska
Photo credit: Paramount Vantage
Alexander Payne’s “Nebraska” will be a centerpiece film and the fest will close with the Coen’s “Inside Llewyn Davis.” Dario Argento will attend with his “Dracula 3D” and Errol Morris and Bruce Dern will both accept achievement awards. Hot off its Toronto Film Festival Award win, “12 Years a Slave” will make its Chicago premiere.
Films in competition are listed below. Stay tuned to HollywoodChicago.com for all the latest news, previews, and interviews for the 2013 Chicago International Film Festival. And go here for the full schedule andto purchase tickets.
Nebraska
Photo credit: Paramount Vantage
Alexander Payne’s “Nebraska” will be a centerpiece film and the fest will close with the Coen’s “Inside Llewyn Davis.” Dario Argento will attend with his “Dracula 3D” and Errol Morris and Bruce Dern will both accept achievement awards. Hot off its Toronto Film Festival Award win, “12 Years a Slave” will make its Chicago premiere.
Films in competition are listed below. Stay tuned to HollywoodChicago.com for all the latest news, previews, and interviews for the 2013 Chicago International Film Festival. And go here for the full schedule andto purchase tickets.
- 9/17/2013
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Chicago – The 2013 Chicago International Film Festival is almost here and the programmers have unveiled their first slate of titles, including hits from other festivals like “Blue is the Warmest Color,” “Heli,” “The Inevitable Defeat of Mister and Pete.” The 49th annual fest runs from October 10-24, 2013. Official, Ciff-provided descriptions below of what we know will play there so far:
Big Bad Wolves (Directors: Aharon Keshales, Navot Papushado • Israel): When the lead suspect in a brutal child murder is released due to a police blunder, a vigilante police detective and a grieving father take the law into their own hands in this fantastically intense, darkly funny revenge thriller from one of the pioneers of Israeli horror cinema.
Blue is the Warmest Color (Director: Abdellatif Kechiche • France): Teenager Adèle’s life is turned upside down the night she meets blue-haired Emma in this scandalous winner of the top prize at Cannes.
Big Bad Wolves (Directors: Aharon Keshales, Navot Papushado • Israel): When the lead suspect in a brutal child murder is released due to a police blunder, a vigilante police detective and a grieving father take the law into their own hands in this fantastically intense, darkly funny revenge thriller from one of the pioneers of Israeli horror cinema.
Blue is the Warmest Color (Director: Abdellatif Kechiche • France): Teenager Adèle’s life is turned upside down the night she meets blue-haired Emma in this scandalous winner of the top prize at Cannes.
- 8/19/2013
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Warsaw, August 1: Here's one legend's tribute to another: Ace Polish director Andrzej Wajda is in the process of wrapping up his film on former Solidarity leader and former president Lech Walesa and describes it as his most difficult project.
Titled "Walesa", the film is scheduled to release in October.
"This is the most difficult movie in my life," confessed Wajda when he started the project in December 2011.
"Walesa" is a biographical production of the Polish leader who had the courage to challenge the mighty communist system in Poland. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1983 and was president from 1990 to 1995.
Walesa had led the first independent trade union in the Soviet-dominated East European.
Titled "Walesa", the film is scheduled to release in October.
"This is the most difficult movie in my life," confessed Wajda when he started the project in December 2011.
"Walesa" is a biographical production of the Polish leader who had the courage to challenge the mighty communist system in Poland. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1983 and was president from 1990 to 1995.
Walesa had led the first independent trade union in the Soviet-dominated East European.
- 8/1/2013
- by Lohit Reddy
- RealBollywood.com
Rome — The techno-thriller "Gravity" starring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney as astronauts stranded in outer space will open the 70th Venice Film Festival.
Terry Gilliam's "The Zero Theorom" starring Christoph Waltz and Matt Damon, and Jonathan Glazer's "Under the Skin" featuring Scarlett Johansson are among 20 films – five by U.S. directors – vying for the coveted Golden Lion. "Gravity" is among 17 films showing out of competition.
The lineup for the world's oldest film festival, announced Thursday, includes film by three Oscar-winning directors: Hayao Miyazaki with an animated film about a Japanese fighter plane designer, Poland's Andrzej Wajda with a movie depicting the life of Solidarity leader Lech Walesa and Errol Morris with the documentary about former U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.
The festival runs from August 28-Sept. 7.
Terry Gilliam's "The Zero Theorom" starring Christoph Waltz and Matt Damon, and Jonathan Glazer's "Under the Skin" featuring Scarlett Johansson are among 20 films – five by U.S. directors – vying for the coveted Golden Lion. "Gravity" is among 17 films showing out of competition.
The lineup for the world's oldest film festival, announced Thursday, includes film by three Oscar-winning directors: Hayao Miyazaki with an animated film about a Japanese fighter plane designer, Poland's Andrzej Wajda with a movie depicting the life of Solidarity leader Lech Walesa and Errol Morris with the documentary about former U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.
The festival runs from August 28-Sept. 7.
- 7/25/2013
- by AP
- Huffington Post
We're liveblogging Days of Our Lives today and tomorrow.
I haven't given much thought to Aaron Carter in years, even when he tweets pictures of his enviable abs. But recently, his fans picked up on the fact that he's a horny young man, and made #AaronCarterHornyLevel a trending topic. Buzzfeed sat down with Aaron to discuss just how horny he was (varies between a 7 and 20 on a scale of 1-10), and what makes him horny. Big boobs and Demi Lovato seem to figure prominently. "So I don't know, I do love to get nasty at night."
Romania's International Women's Day honors women and their contribution to society, much like Mother's Day in the United States. Except they celebrate it with lap dances from male strippers. Beats the boring dinners we did when I was a kid.
Some Little Monsters are petitioning GLAAD to remove Madonna as a presenter at their awards show,...
I haven't given much thought to Aaron Carter in years, even when he tweets pictures of his enviable abs. But recently, his fans picked up on the fact that he's a horny young man, and made #AaronCarterHornyLevel a trending topic. Buzzfeed sat down with Aaron to discuss just how horny he was (varies between a 7 and 20 on a scale of 1-10), and what makes him horny. Big boobs and Demi Lovato seem to figure prominently. "So I don't know, I do love to get nasty at night."
Romania's International Women's Day honors women and their contribution to society, much like Mother's Day in the United States. Except they celebrate it with lap dances from male strippers. Beats the boring dinners we did when I was a kid.
Some Little Monsters are petitioning GLAAD to remove Madonna as a presenter at their awards show,...
- 3/5/2013
- by lostinmiami
- The Backlot
Richard Wilson, famous for One Foot In the Grave, and now Merlin, says that he does not mind people saying he's gay. "I don’t mind people saying I’m gay, because I am. But I don’t live in a gay relationship. That [being single] is probably why I go to counseling." Maybe that's where we were getting the gay vibe from in Merlin and not Merthur?
Assuming Mitt Romney is still the face of the Republican party (he was after all invited to Cpac while people like Gov. Chris Christie weren't), they still don't get it. “I think the Obamacare attractiveness and feature was something we underestimated, particularly among lower incomes. And, uh, just didn’t do as good a job in connecting with that audience as we should have.”
Cardinal Keith O'Brien, one of the loudest anti-gay voices in the UK, admitted to the inappropriate sexual actions over the...
Assuming Mitt Romney is still the face of the Republican party (he was after all invited to Cpac while people like Gov. Chris Christie weren't), they still don't get it. “I think the Obamacare attractiveness and feature was something we underestimated, particularly among lower incomes. And, uh, just didn’t do as good a job in connecting with that audience as we should have.”
Cardinal Keith O'Brien, one of the loudest anti-gay voices in the UK, admitted to the inappropriate sexual actions over the...
- 3/4/2013
- by lostinmiami
- The Backlot
Sir Elton John will be honored in Poland for his role in the collapse of Communism. The singer will be presented with the Medal of Gratitude when he performs in the town of Sopot on Sunday (08.07.12) for risking arrest in 1984 when he publicly praised trade union leader Lech Walesa during a concert in the country. Walesa went on to become president in 1990 leading the revolution to change the country from a Communist state to a democratic one and he will personally present the honor to Elton when he performs in the seaside town. Magdalena Charkin-Jaszcza, of the European Solidarity Centre...
- 7/5/2012
- Virgin Media - Celebrity
Sir Elton John will be honoured in Poland for his role in the collapse of Communism. The singer will be presented with the Medal of Gratitude when he performs in the town of Sopot on Sunday (08.07.12) for risking arrest in 1984 when he publicly praised trade union leader Lech Walesa during a concert in the country. Walesa went on to become president in 1990 leading the revolution to change the country from a Communist state to a democratic one and he will personally present the honour to Elton when he performs in the seaside town. Magdalena Charkin-Jaszcza, of the European Solidarity Centre (Esc) in Gdansk, explained: 'We award this to foreigners who helped Poland during its long struggle for...
- 7/5/2012
- Monsters and Critics
What does Bill Clinton, the Dalai Lama and lonely teenage girls across the world all have in common?? They all Love "90210" hunk Trevor Donovan!! The 33-year-old heartthrob glad-handed some of the most powerful people on the planet last week at the 12th World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates in Chicago ... and TMZ has the pics. Among the high profile guests -- Jimmy Carter, former President of Poland Lech Walesa, a couple of Kennedys, Rahm Emmanual and Sean Penn.
- 5/1/2012
- by TMZ Staff
- TMZ
Sean Penn accepted the 2012 Peace Summit Award from Nobel Peace Prize laureates Wednesday (April 25) for his humanitarian work in Haiti.
"It's an overused phrase I know, but I trust you know it's genuine today, I am humbled. I'm trembling and I like it," Penn said after accepting the award from former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev, who was joined on stage by the Dalai Lama and former Polish President Lech Walesa, according to the Associated Press.
The Oscar-winning actor used the opportunity to urge people to help the country, which was ravaged by a devastating earthquake in January 2010. More than 300,000 people were killed in Haiti and at least 1.5 million were left homeless.
Penn, who spends at least half on his time in Haiti, is the first non-Haitian to be designated an ambassador-at-large for President Michel Martelly. The actor is also CEO of aid group J/P Haitian Relief Organization.
Congratulations to...
"It's an overused phrase I know, but I trust you know it's genuine today, I am humbled. I'm trembling and I like it," Penn said after accepting the award from former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev, who was joined on stage by the Dalai Lama and former Polish President Lech Walesa, according to the Associated Press.
The Oscar-winning actor used the opportunity to urge people to help the country, which was ravaged by a devastating earthquake in January 2010. More than 300,000 people were killed in Haiti and at least 1.5 million were left homeless.
Penn, who spends at least half on his time in Haiti, is the first non-Haitian to be designated an ambassador-at-large for President Michel Martelly. The actor is also CEO of aid group J/P Haitian Relief Organization.
Congratulations to...
- 4/26/2012
- by editorial@zap2it.com
- Pop2it
Good deeds don't go unnoticed. Oscar winner Sean Penn was honored with the 2012 Peace Summit Award today in Chicago for his strong role in the aftermath of Haiti's tragic earthquake in January 2010. "It's an overused phrase, I know, but I trust you know its genuine today, I am humbled. I'm trembling and I like it," Penn said while sharing the stage with the Dalai Lama and former Polish President Lech Walesa. An emotional Penn used this time to urge more aid for Haiti. "It would take a poet laureate to describe for you the courage and the dignity of (Haiti's) people," he said. "There are no people on earth more willing to pull themselves up by their...
- 4/25/2012
- E! Online
HollywoodNews.com: Chicago will welcome 20 Nobel Peace Laureates from 17 countries around the globe this April 23 – 25, 2012, for the 12th World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates. The Permanent Secretariat of the World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates, together with the 2012 Chicago Host Committee, have announced that eleven Nobel Peace Prize-winning individuals and nine Laureate organizations are currently confirmed to attend and participate in the three-day event—the first time the international peacemaking summit will be held in North America.
Read More About Sean Penn’S Work In Haiti
In addition to convening Nobel Laureates, the World Summit annually recognizes a high-profile personality making an outstanding contribution to international social justice and peace. Sean Penn, actor, founder and CEO of J/P Haitian Relief Organization, will be presented with the 2012 Peace Summit Award during the summit for his work to rebuild and aid the victims of the devastating 2010 earthquake in Haiti, as well...
Read More About Sean Penn’S Work In Haiti
In addition to convening Nobel Laureates, the World Summit annually recognizes a high-profile personality making an outstanding contribution to international social justice and peace. Sean Penn, actor, founder and CEO of J/P Haitian Relief Organization, will be presented with the 2012 Peace Summit Award during the summit for his work to rebuild and aid the victims of the devastating 2010 earthquake in Haiti, as well...
- 3/19/2012
- by Vitale Morum
- Hollywoodnews.com
In Darkness star Agnieszka Grochowska has joined the cast of Andrezej Wajda’s Walesa biopic, playing Danuta Wałesa, the wife of Nobel prize-winning Polish Solidarity leader Lech Walesa. Polish actress will re-team with Robert Wieckiewicz who stars in the title role of the country’s first democratically elected president for the period drama, which starts shooting December [...]
Continue reading Andrezej Wajda’s Walesa Biopic Adds Agnieszka Grochowska on FilmoFilia.
Related posts:Al Pacino and Robert De Niro in Martin Scorsese’s Frank Sinatra Biopic Director Michael Polish Sets Cast For Kerouac’s Big Sur Semi-Biopic Robert Redford Returns to Baseball to Play Branch Rickey in Jackie Robinson Biopic...
Continue reading Andrezej Wajda’s Walesa Biopic Adds Agnieszka Grochowska on FilmoFilia.
Related posts:Al Pacino and Robert De Niro in Martin Scorsese’s Frank Sinatra Biopic Director Michael Polish Sets Cast For Kerouac’s Big Sur Semi-Biopic Robert Redford Returns to Baseball to Play Branch Rickey in Jackie Robinson Biopic...
- 11/28/2011
- by Nick Martin
- Filmofilia
Veteran director Andrzej Wajda is shooting a biopic of legendary Polish politician and Nobel Peace Prize winner Lech Walesa.
Fellow Pole Wajda, who won a lifetime achievement Academy Award in 2000, is helming the movie, which will tell the story of how Walesa and his Solidarnosc trade union helped crush communism in Eastern Europe.
The filmmaker, who will use archive footage of Walesa for some scenes, admitted it will be "the most difficult movie I have made in my life" but added that his subject is supporting the project.
Polish actor Robert Wieckiewicz, who will play Walesa in the film, says he faces a tough task in bringing the charismatic leader to life onscreen, adding: "He's one of the best-known Poles. I think there are dozens of Walesa experts in Poland and each of them will have their own opinion."
Walesa won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1983 and served as president of Poland from 1990 until 1995.
Fellow Pole Wajda, who won a lifetime achievement Academy Award in 2000, is helming the movie, which will tell the story of how Walesa and his Solidarnosc trade union helped crush communism in Eastern Europe.
The filmmaker, who will use archive footage of Walesa for some scenes, admitted it will be "the most difficult movie I have made in my life" but added that his subject is supporting the project.
Polish actor Robert Wieckiewicz, who will play Walesa in the film, says he faces a tough task in bringing the charismatic leader to life onscreen, adding: "He's one of the best-known Poles. I think there are dozens of Walesa experts in Poland and each of them will have their own opinion."
Walesa won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1983 and served as president of Poland from 1990 until 1995.
- 11/25/2011
- WENN
The Sundance Film Festival will begin unveiling its 2012 lineup on Wednesday, and it's going to take several days to get it all out there. At Ioncinema, Eric Lavallee has put together a package of 80 previews of films he predicts will be premiering in Park City. One page per film, so this is a holiday weekend sort of browse. The image above, by the way, is from So Yong Kim's For Ellen, #19 on the list, featuring Paul Dano, Jena Malone and Jon Heder.
Somewhat related is Michael Tully's "2012 Indie Cinema Preview" at Hammer to Nail, a simple list of filmmakers and titles.
More lists. The Philadelphia Weekly's Sean Burns and Matt Prigge present a "highly subjective list" of the top 50 films ever.
For Time, Wook Kim writes up and finds clips for a list of the "Top 10 Thanksgiving Movie Scenes."
Awards. The Screen Actors Guild Awards won't be handed...
Somewhat related is Michael Tully's "2012 Indie Cinema Preview" at Hammer to Nail, a simple list of filmmakers and titles.
More lists. The Philadelphia Weekly's Sean Burns and Matt Prigge present a "highly subjective list" of the top 50 films ever.
For Time, Wook Kim writes up and finds clips for a list of the "Top 10 Thanksgiving Movie Scenes."
Awards. The Screen Actors Guild Awards won't be handed...
- 11/24/2011
- MUBI
The former governor rails and confesses his way through Europe as he cavorts with world leaders. In this week's Newsweek, Lloyd Grove delves into what might be the former governor's next move.
Life at 63, for Arnold Schwarzenegger, is a titanic clash between human frailty and dazzling possibility.
Related story on The Daily Beast: Patti Davis, Naked at 58
"I feel terrific about where I am in my life, when I look back at what I've accomplished," he says over a late lunch at London's Savoy Hotel, his much-mimicked Teutonic rumble competing with a teatime pianist. "But I feel shitty when I look at myself in the mirror."
It's a jolt to hear Schwarzenegger-a five-time Mr. Universe and seven-time Mr. Olympia before he was Conan the Barbarian, the Terminator, and ultimately the Governator-musing about his own decay. Although his friend James Cameron, the director who cast him in True Lies and the Terminator movies,...
Life at 63, for Arnold Schwarzenegger, is a titanic clash between human frailty and dazzling possibility.
Related story on The Daily Beast: Patti Davis, Naked at 58
"I feel terrific about where I am in my life, when I look back at what I've accomplished," he says over a late lunch at London's Savoy Hotel, his much-mimicked Teutonic rumble competing with a teatime pianist. "But I feel shitty when I look at myself in the mirror."
It's a jolt to hear Schwarzenegger-a five-time Mr. Universe and seven-time Mr. Olympia before he was Conan the Barbarian, the Terminator, and ultimately the Governator-musing about his own decay. Although his friend James Cameron, the director who cast him in True Lies and the Terminator movies,...
- 4/18/2011
- by Lloyd Grove
- The Daily Beast
A 3D porn film takes the Chinese into bed while Penrith seduces Eddie Izzard
The big story
Two stories stand out this week, both of them concerned in their own way with people power, and together offering a succinct explanation of the enduring magnetism of cinema. First came the news (particularly well read on our site – can't think why) that Chinese, er, cineastes are flocking to Hong Kong feast their eyes on what is claimed as the world's first 3D porn film.
Sex and Zen: Extreme Ecstasy based on the classic erotic text, The Carnal Prayer Mat, promises to "leave audiences feeling like they are sitting right there at the edge of the bed". That might not sound so appealing to everyone, but apparently in China the idea has gone down a storm. With the ruling regime's stance on adults' rights to view sexual content being what it is, however,...
The big story
Two stories stand out this week, both of them concerned in their own way with people power, and together offering a succinct explanation of the enduring magnetism of cinema. First came the news (particularly well read on our site – can't think why) that Chinese, er, cineastes are flocking to Hong Kong feast their eyes on what is claimed as the world's first 3D porn film.
Sex and Zen: Extreme Ecstasy based on the classic erotic text, The Carnal Prayer Mat, promises to "leave audiences feeling like they are sitting right there at the edge of the bed". That might not sound so appealing to everyone, but apparently in China the idea has gone down a storm. With the ruling regime's stance on adults' rights to view sexual content being what it is, however,...
- 4/7/2011
- The Guardian - Film News
Oscar-winning Polish film-maker says he will tell the story of how an uneducated worker triggered the collapse of communism
Poland has had a complicated relationship with Lech Walesa. The love-hate of past years, however, is danger of fading into indifference and neglect. Poles are often surprised when foreigners ask after him, as if he is a half-forgotten uncle.
Now Andrzej Wajda, a veteran Oscar-winning film director and, at 85, something of a national treasure himself, has decided enough is enough. A jaundiced, dyspeptic, post-modernist nation will be made to look again at "the hero in its midst", with a biopic recounting the Solidarity struggle.
"The Walesa figure is necessary nowadays in the reality of contemporary Poland where everyone is quarrelling with each other. There is a nasty atmosphere of accusation flying around and we need to be able to refer back to a figure from national history," Wajda said at his Warsaw studios.
Poland has had a complicated relationship with Lech Walesa. The love-hate of past years, however, is danger of fading into indifference and neglect. Poles are often surprised when foreigners ask after him, as if he is a half-forgotten uncle.
Now Andrzej Wajda, a veteran Oscar-winning film director and, at 85, something of a national treasure himself, has decided enough is enough. A jaundiced, dyspeptic, post-modernist nation will be made to look again at "the hero in its midst", with a biopic recounting the Solidarity struggle.
"The Walesa figure is necessary nowadays in the reality of contemporary Poland where everyone is quarrelling with each other. There is a nasty atmosphere of accusation flying around and we need to be able to refer back to a figure from national history," Wajda said at his Warsaw studios.
- 4/4/2011
- by Julian Borger
- The Guardian - Film News
Fifty years ago, a husband and wife founded the much loved Little Angel puppet theatre. But would their talented kids take over? By John-Paul Flintoff
A long time ago, in a land far away, there was a little girl who made puppets. "I made them myself," recalls Lyndie Wright. "I filled my mother's oven with papier-mache." One day, a touring puppet company came through Pretoria, in South Africa, where the little girl lived. She went to a show and was spellbound. "There is a picture in the archives somewhere, showing me in the audience," she says.
Years later, the puppet company came back. By now, Lyndie was a student at art school, but she joined up to be general dogsbody and went touring through South Africa and neighbouring countries. The man who ran the theatre, John Wright, was older than her, but they fell in love. When Lyndie moved to...
A long time ago, in a land far away, there was a little girl who made puppets. "I made them myself," recalls Lyndie Wright. "I filled my mother's oven with papier-mache." One day, a touring puppet company came through Pretoria, in South Africa, where the little girl lived. She went to a show and was spellbound. "There is a picture in the archives somewhere, showing me in the audience," she says.
Years later, the puppet company came back. By now, Lyndie was a student at art school, but she joined up to be general dogsbody and went touring through South Africa and neighbouring countries. The man who ran the theatre, John Wright, was older than her, but they fell in love. When Lyndie moved to...
- 3/12/2011
- The Guardian - Film News
The 11th Edition of the World Summit of Nobel Peace Laureates was held in Hiroshima on November 12th-14th, 2010.
The international conference was historic and groundbreaking in that it marked the 65th anniversary of the atomic bombings of two Japanese cities. In light of recent meetings between the United States and the Russian Federation to reduce each nation’s nuclear weapons arsenals and of the results of the recent U.N. Conference of New York, the Summit confronted the issue of nuclear disarmament and propose concrete measures to address this most pressing issue.
Chaired by Mikhail Gorbachev and Walter Veltroni, former Mayor of Rome, the event attracted Nobel Peace Laureates such as His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Fredrik Willem De Klerk, Lech Walesa, José Ramos- Horta, Oscar Arias Sanchez, Mairead Corrigan Maguire, Mohamed ElBaradei, Shirin Ebadi and Jody Williams. Senior representatives of such international organizations as the United Nations...
The international conference was historic and groundbreaking in that it marked the 65th anniversary of the atomic bombings of two Japanese cities. In light of recent meetings between the United States and the Russian Federation to reduce each nation’s nuclear weapons arsenals and of the results of the recent U.N. Conference of New York, the Summit confronted the issue of nuclear disarmament and propose concrete measures to address this most pressing issue.
Chaired by Mikhail Gorbachev and Walter Veltroni, former Mayor of Rome, the event attracted Nobel Peace Laureates such as His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Fredrik Willem De Klerk, Lech Walesa, José Ramos- Horta, Oscar Arias Sanchez, Mairead Corrigan Maguire, Mohamed ElBaradei, Shirin Ebadi and Jody Williams. Senior representatives of such international organizations as the United Nations...
- 11/17/2010
- Look to the Stars
The strike by women at the Dagenham Ford factory in 1968 that led to the Equal Pay Act is given the Calendar Girls treatment
Andrzej Wajda's superb Man of Iron (1981) was shot in the Gdansk shipyards at the very heart of Solidarity's activities, gave Lech Walesa a brief role as himself, and became part of the political process it commented on. It was a rare case of a feature film based on a major episode in the history of organised labour made close to the actual events. More typically, Mario Monicelli's The Organizer (1963) was a bracing reconstruction of a strike in late 19th-century Turin. Bo Widerberg's Adalen 31 (1969) lyrically recreated the violent strike in northern Sweden that ushered in 40 years of Social Democratic government.
There was an even greater gap in the case of Comrades (1986), Bill Douglas's epic account of the Tolpuddle Martyrs, the Dorset labourers transported...
Andrzej Wajda's superb Man of Iron (1981) was shot in the Gdansk shipyards at the very heart of Solidarity's activities, gave Lech Walesa a brief role as himself, and became part of the political process it commented on. It was a rare case of a feature film based on a major episode in the history of organised labour made close to the actual events. More typically, Mario Monicelli's The Organizer (1963) was a bracing reconstruction of a strike in late 19th-century Turin. Bo Widerberg's Adalen 31 (1969) lyrically recreated the violent strike in northern Sweden that ushered in 40 years of Social Democratic government.
There was an even greater gap in the case of Comrades (1986), Bill Douglas's epic account of the Tolpuddle Martyrs, the Dorset labourers transported...
- 10/2/2010
- by Philip French
- The Guardian - Film News
Five of Britain's royal family have been axed from a BBC "death list". Princes Harry, Andrew and Edward, Princess Anne and the Countess of Wessex are among the high-profile names who have been demoted in the broadcaster's hierarchy of deaths which will no longer trigger instant newsflashes on BBC1 and BBC2 if they pass away. The list, which had been known as Category 2, meant a specific "obituary procedure" would be followed when they died, including the broadcasting of pre-prepared documentaries and news flashes, but this has now been abolished. The royals have instead been put in a category with "Other Notables", including boxer Muhammad Ali, activist Lech Walesa and singer Bob Dylan. According to the Daily Mirror newspaper, the...
- 2/23/2010
- Monsters and Critics
Five royal members have been cut out from a BBC "death list," it has been revealed. Prince Harry, Princess Anne, Princes Andrew, Prince Edward, and the Countess of Wessex have been axed from the list, which would set off an automatic interruption of the network's broadcast.
According to Mirror.co.uk, the five royals were formerly included in the Category 2 list, but the list has now been eliminated.
Category 2 would mean that a specific "obituary procedure" would be followed when they pass away. The procedure included news flashes and broadcasting of pre-prepared documentaries.
But as it has been abolished, they are now associated with "Other Notables," such as Muhammad Ali, Lech Walesa and Bob Dylan.
According to Mirror.co.uk, the five royals were formerly included in the Category 2 list, but the list has now been eliminated.
Category 2 would mean that a specific "obituary procedure" would be followed when they pass away. The procedure included news flashes and broadcasting of pre-prepared documentaries.
But as it has been abolished, they are now associated with "Other Notables," such as Muhammad Ali, Lech Walesa and Bob Dylan.
- 2/22/2010
- icelebz.com
(Palm Springs, California – February 1, 2010) Lars Hansen died Sunday night, January 31, of complications from liver cancer. He was 60. Hansen had a distinguished career in cultural arts management. In Los Angeles, he was Executive Director, Office of Cultural Relations, for the University of Southern California (2001-2004) where he was responsible for creating and maintaining strategic relationships with the cultural institutions of Los Angeles. At USC, he also produced the President's Distinguished Artist/Lecture Series, presenting such notable speakers as Lech Walesa, Isaac Stern, and Bishop Desmond Tutu. Prior to that position, he was President of Theatre League Alliance (now La Stage Alliance), an association of more than 200 member theatres and producers throughout Southern California, which provides various programs and presents the annual Ovation Awards. While there, Hansen began publishing La Stage Magazine. He also served as the General Manager for the presentation of the Bolshoi Ballet at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in...
- 2/1/2010
- backstage.com
President Barack Obama's Nobel Peace Prize is a lightning rod of debate. Here are the best quotes from the maelstrom.
Politicians
"Very few leaders if at all were able to change the mood of the entire world in such a short while with such a profound impact."
- President Shimon Peres of Israel
"Unless real and deep-rooted change is made in American policy toward recognizing the rights of the Palestinian people I would think such a prize would be useless." - Ismail Haniyya, Prime Minister of Hamas
"If I were the decision-maker, I would have given the prize to a different person." - Oleg Morozov, senior member of the Russian Parliament from the Ruling party
"We congratulate Obama for winning the Nobel. His hard work and his new vision on global relations, his will and efforts for creating friendly and good relations at global level and global peace make...
Politicians
"Very few leaders if at all were able to change the mood of the entire world in such a short while with such a profound impact."
- President Shimon Peres of Israel
"Unless real and deep-rooted change is made in American policy toward recognizing the rights of the Palestinian people I would think such a prize would be useless." - Ismail Haniyya, Prime Minister of Hamas
"If I were the decision-maker, I would have given the prize to a different person." - Oleg Morozov, senior member of the Russian Parliament from the Ruling party
"We congratulate Obama for winning the Nobel. His hard work and his new vision on global relations, his will and efforts for creating friendly and good relations at global level and global peace make...
- 10/12/2009
- by Kevin Ohannessian
- Fast Company
Pundits and politicians are furiously debating the merits of President Barack Obama’s having being named the fourth U.S. president to receive a Nobel Peace Prize. Supporters agree with the Stockholm committee’s assertions that he has actually tamped down tensions across the globe through his “extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples,” through his commitment to nuclear arms reduction, through his exceptional oratory—his “race” speech in Philadelphia; his Inaugural Address (“we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist”), his “outreach” speech in Cairo. Detractors (and even White House aides) are, in the words of ABC News, utterly nonplussed. Fellow Nobel laureate Lech Walesa, the former Solidarity leader, who became the president of Poland, might have said it best, when told of Obama’s milestone: “Who? What? So fast?... There hasn't been any contribution to peace yet. He's proposing things,...
- 10/9/2009
- Vanity Fair
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