“Au Revoir l’Été” by Kôji Fukada is a little gem of a movie, simple and yet multilayered and visually enchanting. It is a story of transition to adulthood, the Japanese title “Hotori no Sakuko” can be translated “Sakuko on the edge” and this is exactly it.
“Au Revoir l’Été” is screening at Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinema
Sakuko (Fumi Nakaido) is a 18 year old student who has just failed the University entrance exam and is going for a short holiday to a small seaside resort with her aunt Mikie (Mayu Tsuruta). They are both looking to get some quiet and constructive time out of this holiday; Sakuko needs to study and prepare for her next session of exams and Mikie is working on a translation. At the resort, we get to know Ukichi, Mikie’s ex lover, who runs a hotel in town, his student daughter...
“Au Revoir l’Été” is screening at Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinema
Sakuko (Fumi Nakaido) is a 18 year old student who has just failed the University entrance exam and is going for a short holiday to a small seaside resort with her aunt Mikie (Mayu Tsuruta). They are both looking to get some quiet and constructive time out of this holiday; Sakuko needs to study and prepare for her next session of exams and Mikie is working on a translation. At the resort, we get to know Ukichi, Mikie’s ex lover, who runs a hotel in town, his student daughter...
- 2/4/2022
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
2010 was a rather important year for Koji Fukada, since “Hospitalité” netted the Best Film in the Japanese Eyes section of Tokyo International Film Festival and was extensively screened abroad, signaling the beginning of wider recognition for the filmmaker. The French title of the movie, according to Kiki Sugino, actress and producer of the film, was inspired by French philosopher Jacques Deridda’s idea of the term “hospitalité”.
“Hospitalité” is screening at Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinema
The story takes place in a neighborhood in Tokyo, where Mikio Kobayashi lives with his younger wife Natsuki, his daughter from a previous marriage who his current spouse teaches English, and his sister, who has recently divorced and has returned back to the house. On the ground floor of the two storey building, Mikio also operates the small Kobayashi Printing Co, which has somewhat declined since the days when his father was the boss.
“Hospitalité” is screening at Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinema
The story takes place in a neighborhood in Tokyo, where Mikio Kobayashi lives with his younger wife Natsuki, his daughter from a previous marriage who his current spouse teaches English, and his sister, who has recently divorced and has returned back to the house. On the ground floor of the two storey building, Mikio also operates the small Kobayashi Printing Co, which has somewhat declined since the days when his father was the boss.
- 2/1/2022
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
In many ways a companion piece to “Inhalation”, which was also released in 2010, Edmund Yeo’s “Exhalation” tackles a more philosophical topic through another theme, in this case the dramatic shift in terms of lifestyles in rural and urban areas of a country. Co-produced in Japan, where the story of the movie takes place, “Exhalation” was screened at the 40th edition of the Rotterdam International Film Festival along with Dubai International Film Festival. At its core, it is a story, as its title already suggests, about grief and various forms of dealing with the loss of a person, while also dealing with two former classmates re-uniting after many years apart for the funeral of a former student they both seem to barely remember.
“Exhalation” is streaming on Mubi
After graduation, best friends Sayuri (Tomoe Shinohara) and Naoko (Kiki Sugino) wen separate ways in life with the former staying in their...
“Exhalation” is streaming on Mubi
After graduation, best friends Sayuri (Tomoe Shinohara) and Naoko (Kiki Sugino) wen separate ways in life with the former staying in their...
- 2/13/2021
- by Rouven Linnarz
- AsianMoviePulse
Born in 1987 in Kanagawa Prefecture (Japan), he graduated in 2006 from the prestigious Chigasaki Hokuryo Highschool in Chigasaki City. He graduatde in 2015 from the Japan Institute of the Moving Image. He worked on Koji Fukada’s production “Au revoir l’été”, Uchida Nobuteru’s “Odayaka”, and Kiki Sugino’s “Kyoto Elegy”. He was also the assistant-director of Kiki Sugino on her feature film “Taksu”. His debut, “Chigasaki Story” screened in festivals all over the world and won the Best New Screenwriter Awards from Beijing International Film Festival. “The Murders of Oiso” is his latest film
On the occasion of his film screening at Osaka Asian Film Festival, we speak with him about Oiso, his unusual approach to the movie, Japanese society, and other topics.
Why did you choose to have the story in Oiso? Is there a particular element that attracts you to the city?
First, I wanted to make this...
On the occasion of his film screening at Osaka Asian Film Festival, we speak with him about Oiso, his unusual approach to the movie, Japanese society, and other topics.
Why did you choose to have the story in Oiso? Is there a particular element that attracts you to the city?
First, I wanted to make this...
- 3/14/2020
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
‘Shoplifters’.
The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (Aacta) today announced the nine films nominated for this year’s Best Asian Film award.
This is the second year Aacta has presented the award, which forms the foundation for the organisation’s Asia International Engagement Program. The award is meant to recognise the calibre of films from the Asian region and their growing popularity in Australasia and around the world – Asian films have contributed $36 million to the Aussie box office in the last 12 months.
This year’s nominees are: Joon-Hwan Jang’s 1987 When the Day Comes (South Korea); Yang Ya-che’s The Bold, The Corrupt and the Beautiful (Taiwan); Muye Wen’s Dying to Survive (China); Dipesh Jain’s Gali Guleiyan (India); Amit V. Masurkar’s Newton (India); Raj Kumar Hirani’s Sanju (India); Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Shoplifters (Japan), which won the Palme d’Or; Australian director Seth Lareny’s...
The Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (Aacta) today announced the nine films nominated for this year’s Best Asian Film award.
This is the second year Aacta has presented the award, which forms the foundation for the organisation’s Asia International Engagement Program. The award is meant to recognise the calibre of films from the Asian region and their growing popularity in Australasia and around the world – Asian films have contributed $36 million to the Aussie box office in the last 12 months.
This year’s nominees are: Joon-Hwan Jang’s 1987 When the Day Comes (South Korea); Yang Ya-che’s The Bold, The Corrupt and the Beautiful (Taiwan); Muye Wen’s Dying to Survive (China); Dipesh Jain’s Gali Guleiyan (India); Amit V. Masurkar’s Newton (India); Raj Kumar Hirani’s Sanju (India); Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Shoplifters (Japan), which won the Palme d’Or; Australian director Seth Lareny’s...
- 10/3/2018
- by jkeast
- IF.com.au
“Au Revoir l’Été” by Kôji Fukada is a little gem of a movie, simple and yet multilayered and visually enchanting. It is a story of transition to adulthood, the Japanese title “Hotori no Sakuko” can be translated “Sakuko on the edge” and this is exactly it.
Sakuko (Fumi Nakaido) is a 18 year old student who has just failed the University entrance exam and is going for a short holiday to a small seaside resort with her aunt Mikie (Mayu Tsuruta). They are both looking to get some quiet and constructive time out of this holiday; Sakuko needs to study and prepare for her next session of exams and Mikie is working on a translation. At the resort, we get to know Ukichi, Mikie’s ex lover, who runs a hotel in town, his student daughter Tetsuko (Kiki Sugino) and his nephew Takashi (Taiga), a runaway survivor...
Sakuko (Fumi Nakaido) is a 18 year old student who has just failed the University entrance exam and is going for a short holiday to a small seaside resort with her aunt Mikie (Mayu Tsuruta). They are both looking to get some quiet and constructive time out of this holiday; Sakuko needs to study and prepare for her next session of exams and Mikie is working on a translation. At the resort, we get to know Ukichi, Mikie’s ex lover, who runs a hotel in town, his student daughter Tetsuko (Kiki Sugino) and his nephew Takashi (Taiga), a runaway survivor...
- 6/5/2018
- by Adriana Rosati
- AsianMoviePulse
Sci-fi by Aaron Moorhead and Justin Benson debuted at Tribeca Film Festival.
Asia’s largest genre film event, the 21st Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (Bifan), awarded its Best Of Bucheon prize to The Endless.
Directors Aaron Moorhead and Justin Benson receive a cash prize of $17,900 (KW20m).
The Us sci-fi horror thriller follows two brothers who return to visit what they believe to be a UFO death cult that they escaped at a younger age.
Benson and Moorhead also star and the innovative team has previously been noted for co-directing genre favorites Resolution and Spring.
The Endless made its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival and has been snapping up distribution deals since. Read about those here and here.
The Bucheon Choice: Features jury was made up of Train To Busan actor Kim Eui Sung, Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival director Angel Sala, Korean producer Shin Chul (My Sassy Girl), programme director of the Hong...
Asia’s largest genre film event, the 21st Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (Bifan), awarded its Best Of Bucheon prize to The Endless.
Directors Aaron Moorhead and Justin Benson receive a cash prize of $17,900 (KW20m).
The Us sci-fi horror thriller follows two brothers who return to visit what they believe to be a UFO death cult that they escaped at a younger age.
Benson and Moorhead also star and the innovative team has previously been noted for co-directing genre favorites Resolution and Spring.
The Endless made its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival and has been snapping up distribution deals since. Read about those here and here.
The Bucheon Choice: Features jury was made up of Train To Busan actor Kim Eui Sung, Sitges International Fantastic Film Festival director Angel Sala, Korean producer Shin Chul (My Sassy Girl), programme director of the Hong...
- 7/21/2017
- by hjnoh2007@gmail.com (Jean Noh)
- ScreenDaily
French filmmaker Jean-Jacques Beineix to head jury for Tokyo competition section, which includes five world premieres.
French filmmaker Jean-Jacques Beineix will head the jury of this year’s Tokyo International Film Festival (Tiff), which has unveiled its 16-strong competition section, including five world premieres.
The jury also includes Spotlight producer Nicole Rocklin, Japanese director Hideyuki Hiayama, Italian actor Valerio Mastandrea and Hong Kong director Mabel Cheung.
World premieres in competition include Japanese director Kiki Suginos’ Snow Woman, Chris Kraus’ The Bloom Of Yesterday (Germany-Austria), Jun Roble Lana’s Die Beautiful (Philippines) and two films from China – Mei Feng’s Mr. No Problem and Roy Szeto’s Shed Skin Papa.
The competition section includes one other Japanese title – Daigo Matsui’s Japanese Girls Never Die (see full competition line-up below).
This year’s Crosscut Asia section is focusing on Indonesia, screening three films by Teddy Soeriaatmadja, along with works from Nia Dinata, Ifa Isfansyah, [link...
French filmmaker Jean-Jacques Beineix will head the jury of this year’s Tokyo International Film Festival (Tiff), which has unveiled its 16-strong competition section, including five world premieres.
The jury also includes Spotlight producer Nicole Rocklin, Japanese director Hideyuki Hiayama, Italian actor Valerio Mastandrea and Hong Kong director Mabel Cheung.
World premieres in competition include Japanese director Kiki Suginos’ Snow Woman, Chris Kraus’ The Bloom Of Yesterday (Germany-Austria), Jun Roble Lana’s Die Beautiful (Philippines) and two films from China – Mei Feng’s Mr. No Problem and Roy Szeto’s Shed Skin Papa.
The competition section includes one other Japanese title – Daigo Matsui’s Japanese Girls Never Die (see full competition line-up below).
This year’s Crosscut Asia section is focusing on Indonesia, screening three films by Teddy Soeriaatmadja, along with works from Nia Dinata, Ifa Isfansyah, [link...
- 9/27/2016
- by lizshackleton@gmail.com (Liz Shackleton)
- ScreenDaily
Watching as a relative is on the verge of becoming a parent should be, truly, a many splendid event. Be it a brother or a sister, seeing them become something more than a singular entity floating through their life is a time for joy, reflection and pure human growth. That is, unless you’re the star of the latest film from director Kiki Sugino, Taksu.
The third film from Sugino, Taksu introduces us to husband and wife duo of Chihiro (Saito Takumi) and Yuri (Yoko Mitsuya), who make their way to Bali to meet up with the former’s pregnant sister, Kumi (director Sugino). Chihiro himself is ill and dying, which has taken quite a toll on he and his wife’s relationship, making a chasm between the two that only grows as the film progresses. Hoping for the best from this trip, Yuri begins to see her heart wander,...
The third film from Sugino, Taksu introduces us to husband and wife duo of Chihiro (Saito Takumi) and Yuri (Yoko Mitsuya), who make their way to Bali to meet up with the former’s pregnant sister, Kumi (director Sugino). Chihiro himself is ill and dying, which has taken quite a toll on he and his wife’s relationship, making a chasm between the two that only grows as the film progresses. Hoping for the best from this trip, Yuri begins to see her heart wander,...
- 7/3/2015
- by Joshua Brunsting
- CriterionCast
Naomi Kawase, Michael R Roskam, Noomi Rapace among attendees.
Danish drama Key House Mirror, directed by Michael Noer (R), will open the 2015 edition of the Göteborg Film Festival (Jan 23 - Feb 2).
Ghita Nørby and Sven Wollter play the lead roles in the drama about an elderly woman who strikes up an unexpected relationship with a fellow care-home resident.
Jorn Donner’s docu-biopic of Finnish designer Armi Ranta, Armi Alive!, will close the festival.
Eight Nordic films will compete for the $125,000 Nordic prize with this year’s jury comprising directors Pernille Fischer Christensen, Pirjo Honkasalo, Anja Breienand Benedikt Erlingsson, as well as actress Maryam Moghaddam.
The nominees are:
Key House Mirror by Michael NoerMy Skinny Sister by Sanna LenkenIn Your Arms by Samanou Acheche SahlstrømParis of the North by Hafsteinn Gunnar SigurðssonThey Have Escaped by Jukka-Pekka ValkeapääHomesick by Anne SewitskyUnderdog by Ronnie SandahlWomen in Oversized Men’s Shirts by Yngvild Sve FlikkeDebut prize
The Ingmar Bergman International Debut Award...
Danish drama Key House Mirror, directed by Michael Noer (R), will open the 2015 edition of the Göteborg Film Festival (Jan 23 - Feb 2).
Ghita Nørby and Sven Wollter play the lead roles in the drama about an elderly woman who strikes up an unexpected relationship with a fellow care-home resident.
Jorn Donner’s docu-biopic of Finnish designer Armi Ranta, Armi Alive!, will close the festival.
Eight Nordic films will compete for the $125,000 Nordic prize with this year’s jury comprising directors Pernille Fischer Christensen, Pirjo Honkasalo, Anja Breienand Benedikt Erlingsson, as well as actress Maryam Moghaddam.
The nominees are:
Key House Mirror by Michael NoerMy Skinny Sister by Sanna LenkenIn Your Arms by Samanou Acheche SahlstrømParis of the North by Hafsteinn Gunnar SigurðssonThey Have Escaped by Jukka-Pekka ValkeapääHomesick by Anne SewitskyUnderdog by Ronnie SandahlWomen in Oversized Men’s Shirts by Yngvild Sve FlikkeDebut prize
The Ingmar Bergman International Debut Award...
- 1/8/2015
- by andreas.wiseman@screendaily.com (Andreas Wiseman)
- ScreenDaily
Director Takuya Misawa is clearly a cinephile, and his directorial debut, “Chigasaki Story,” was a fine selection to follow the tribute to Japanese cinema at the Marrakech Film Festival, as the film’s title is a direct reference to the legendary Yasujiro Ozu’s “Tokyo Story.” There is even direct reference to the auteur, as the seaside resort where the film takes place is described as the location where Ozu would hole up to do his writing. And because it takes place in a hotel, it’s impossible to not draw comparison to Renoir’s “La Règle du Jeu,” and the associations don’t stop at the location: the film is rife with make ups, break ups, miscommunications and misunderstandings among the denizens. Risa (Natsuko Hori) has taken up temporary residence in the casual inn in order to prep for her wedding celebration (the groom is en route). Her work...
- 12/16/2014
- by Katie Walsh
- The Playlist
Naomi Kawase (pictured) to head the jury.
The Goteborg Film Festival is planning a focus on Japan for its 2015 edition, which runs Jan 23-Feb 2.
Naomi Kawase will be a guest of the festival and present Still The Water, and she will also head the jury for The Ingmar Bergman International Debut Award.
Other Japanese films in the programme will include Sion Sono’s Tokyo Tribe, Takashi Miike’s Over Your Dead Body, Shiori Kazama’s Chokolietta, Kiki Sugino’s Taksu, Mami Sunada’s The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness.
The Goteborg Film Festival is planning a focus on Japan for its 2015 edition, which runs Jan 23-Feb 2.
Naomi Kawase will be a guest of the festival and present Still The Water, and she will also head the jury for The Ingmar Bergman International Debut Award.
Other Japanese films in the programme will include Sion Sono’s Tokyo Tribe, Takashi Miike’s Over Your Dead Body, Shiori Kazama’s Chokolietta, Kiki Sugino’s Taksu, Mami Sunada’s The Kingdom of Dreams and Madness.
- 11/19/2014
- by wendy.mitchell@screendaily.com (Wendy Mitchell)
- ScreenDaily
Kyoto Elegy (2014) ReviewStory78%Acting80%Directing80%Music81%Solid acting performancesBeautiful musicVery nice directorial debut by Kiki SuginoSeeing the Japanese title some people might expect a comedy80%Overall ScoreReader Rating: (1 Vote)93%
Having had the pleasure of interviewing producer/actress, and most recently also director, Kiki Sugino at the International Film Festival Rotterdam in January 2014 (you can read the interview here), I was lucky enough to be able to obtain a ticket for the world premiere of her first feature film as a director, Kyoto Elegy, original Japanese title Manga niku to boku, at the Tokyo International Film Festival 2014.
Kyoto Elegy is based on the award winning novel by Shiki Asaka. Most people might expect a comedy when seeing a title as Manga niku to boku (literarily translated “comic meat and me”), as director Sugino mentioned herself at the premiere. But the film and its story is actually a heartfelt drama that deals...
Having had the pleasure of interviewing producer/actress, and most recently also director, Kiki Sugino at the International Film Festival Rotterdam in January 2014 (you can read the interview here), I was lucky enough to be able to obtain a ticket for the world premiere of her first feature film as a director, Kyoto Elegy, original Japanese title Manga niku to boku, at the Tokyo International Film Festival 2014.
Kyoto Elegy is based on the award winning novel by Shiki Asaka. Most people might expect a comedy when seeing a title as Manga niku to boku (literarily translated “comic meat and me”), as director Sugino mentioned herself at the premiere. But the film and its story is actually a heartfelt drama that deals...
- 11/19/2014
- by Thor
- AsianMoviePulse
Industry@Tallinn will feature discussions involving the likes of Jessica Switch of Lionsgate and Jeff Barry & Nigel Meiojas of ICM Partners.
Industry@Tallinn has announced its full programme for its upcoming edition, running Nov 24-28 during the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival.
Organised by Black Nights and Baltic Event, the programme is targeted to over 500 regional film industry professionals.
This year’s industry talks will look into the impact of feature-length television on the film industry, business customs and practices for Asian collaboration, strategies of linking small scale talent and post production pools to major players, and rebel release tactics in distribution.
Speakers at this year’s event include Jessica Switch, director of development, Lionsgate; Jeff Barry & Nigel Meiojas, ICM Partners; Judy Ahn, head of international, Showbox/MediaPlex Entertainment; Matteo Solaro, Creative Europe/Media; and Sylvia Wroblewska, business and marketing director, Sheffield Doc/Fest.
The Film Festivals Confab will return in collaboration with Independent Cinema Office, focusing...
Industry@Tallinn has announced its full programme for its upcoming edition, running Nov 24-28 during the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival.
Organised by Black Nights and Baltic Event, the programme is targeted to over 500 regional film industry professionals.
This year’s industry talks will look into the impact of feature-length television on the film industry, business customs and practices for Asian collaboration, strategies of linking small scale talent and post production pools to major players, and rebel release tactics in distribution.
Speakers at this year’s event include Jessica Switch, director of development, Lionsgate; Jeff Barry & Nigel Meiojas, ICM Partners; Judy Ahn, head of international, Showbox/MediaPlex Entertainment; Matteo Solaro, Creative Europe/Media; and Sylvia Wroblewska, business and marketing director, Sheffield Doc/Fest.
The Film Festivals Confab will return in collaboration with Independent Cinema Office, focusing...
- 11/8/2014
- by ian.sandwell@screendaily.com (Ian Sandwell)
- ScreenDaily
Actresses Irene Jacob, Fumi Nikaido and Kiki Sugino hit the red carpet at the festival in Japan, which opened with Hiroshi Chono ‘s At Home.
The revamped Kyoto International Film and Art Festival opened yesterday (Oct 16) with a red carpet parade of stars that included actresses Irene Jacob (Three Colours: Red), Fumi Nikaido (Why Don’t You Play In Hell?) and actress/filmmaker Kiki Sugino (Kyoto Elegy).
The festival’s opening ceremony took place at the Gion Kobu Kaburenjo in the ancient city’s geisha district, with traditional dance performances.
Executive producer of the fest Kazuyoshi Okuyama - also recently appointed head of Yoshimoto Kogyo’s newly launch production/distribution arm Katsu-do Co. - said at the opening that he was thrilled to hold the fest in the city where films were first introduced to Japan.
Mixing international cinema and art events, the festival will screen 48 new and classic films until Oct 19. They include Buster Keaton films...
The revamped Kyoto International Film and Art Festival opened yesterday (Oct 16) with a red carpet parade of stars that included actresses Irene Jacob (Three Colours: Red), Fumi Nikaido (Why Don’t You Play In Hell?) and actress/filmmaker Kiki Sugino (Kyoto Elegy).
The festival’s opening ceremony took place at the Gion Kobu Kaburenjo in the ancient city’s geisha district, with traditional dance performances.
Executive producer of the fest Kazuyoshi Okuyama - also recently appointed head of Yoshimoto Kogyo’s newly launch production/distribution arm Katsu-do Co. - said at the opening that he was thrilled to hold the fest in the city where films were first introduced to Japan.
Mixing international cinema and art events, the festival will screen 48 new and classic films until Oct 19. They include Buster Keaton films...
- 10/17/2014
- by hjnoh2007@gmail.com (Jean Noh)
- ScreenDaily
World premieres from Goupil, Li, De La Cruz, Yeo, Yoshida and more.Scroll down for Competition line-up
The 27th Tokyo International Film Festival (Tiff) (Oct 23-31) has announced the rest of its line-up with a Competition selection that includes world premieres such as Romain Goupil’s French film The Days Come and Li Ruijun’s Chinese film River Road.
The other world premieres in Competition will be: Filipino maverick Khavn De La Cruz‘s Ruined Heart - Another Love Story Between A Criminal & A Whore; Malaysian producer of Cannes title Tiger Factory, Edmund Yeo’s feature directorial debut River Of Exploding Durians, and the previously announced single Japanese film in Competition, Pale Moon, directed by Daihachi Yoshida.
Claudio Noce’s Italian film Ice Forest will make an international premiere in Competition.
Tiff Programming director Yoshi Yatabe explained the selection was made on three criteria: “an unswerving focus on depicting humanity”, “diversity” and “auteurism”.
He said, “To sum up...
The 27th Tokyo International Film Festival (Tiff) (Oct 23-31) has announced the rest of its line-up with a Competition selection that includes world premieres such as Romain Goupil’s French film The Days Come and Li Ruijun’s Chinese film River Road.
The other world premieres in Competition will be: Filipino maverick Khavn De La Cruz‘s Ruined Heart - Another Love Story Between A Criminal & A Whore; Malaysian producer of Cannes title Tiger Factory, Edmund Yeo’s feature directorial debut River Of Exploding Durians, and the previously announced single Japanese film in Competition, Pale Moon, directed by Daihachi Yoshida.
Claudio Noce’s Italian film Ice Forest will make an international premiere in Competition.
Tiff Programming director Yoshi Yatabe explained the selection was made on three criteria: “an unswerving focus on depicting humanity”, “diversity” and “auteurism”.
He said, “To sum up...
- 9/30/2014
- by hjnoh2007@gmail.com (Jean Noh)
- ScreenDaily
Top brass at the festival, set to run from September 24-October 8, have announced the selections in Focus Mexico.
The films are as follows:
Focus Mexico
The Obscure Spring (Las Oscuras Primaveras)
Ernesto Contreras
Manuela Jankovic’s War (La Guerra De Manuela Jankovic)
Diana Cardozo
González
Christian Díaz Pardo
Asteroide
Marcelo Tobar
The Absent (Los Ausentes)
Nicolás Pereda
Cumbres
Gabriel Nuncio
We Are Mari Pepa (Somos Mari Pepa)
Samuel Kishi
The Well (Manto Acuífero)
Michael Rowe
Güeros
Alonso Ruizpalacios
Cantinflas
Sebastian del Amo
Los Angeles
Damian John Harper
The Amazing Catfish (Los Insólitos Peces Gato)
Claudia Sainte-Luce
The Empty Hours (Las Horas Muertas)
Aaron Fernandez.
Panorama section
Words With Gods (Palabras Con Dioses)
Guillermo Arriaga, Héctor Babenco, Warwick Thornton, Mira Nair, Hideo Nakata, Amos Gitai, Álex de la Iglesia, Emir Kusturica, Bahman Ghobadi
Short Plays
Daniel Gruener, Carlos Reygadas, Fernando Eimbcke, Felipe Gómez, Alejandro Valle, Karim Aïnouz, Marcelo Gomes, Pablo Fendrik, Pablo Stoll, [link...
The films are as follows:
Focus Mexico
The Obscure Spring (Las Oscuras Primaveras)
Ernesto Contreras
Manuela Jankovic’s War (La Guerra De Manuela Jankovic)
Diana Cardozo
González
Christian Díaz Pardo
Asteroide
Marcelo Tobar
The Absent (Los Ausentes)
Nicolás Pereda
Cumbres
Gabriel Nuncio
We Are Mari Pepa (Somos Mari Pepa)
Samuel Kishi
The Well (Manto Acuífero)
Michael Rowe
Güeros
Alonso Ruizpalacios
Cantinflas
Sebastian del Amo
Los Angeles
Damian John Harper
The Amazing Catfish (Los Insólitos Peces Gato)
Claudia Sainte-Luce
The Empty Hours (Las Horas Muertas)
Aaron Fernandez.
Panorama section
Words With Gods (Palabras Con Dioses)
Guillermo Arriaga, Héctor Babenco, Warwick Thornton, Mira Nair, Hideo Nakata, Amos Gitai, Álex de la Iglesia, Emir Kusturica, Bahman Ghobadi
Short Plays
Daniel Gruener, Carlos Reygadas, Fernando Eimbcke, Felipe Gómez, Alejandro Valle, Karim Aïnouz, Marcelo Gomes, Pablo Fendrik, Pablo Stoll, [link...
- 9/14/2014
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Chen-Zer Doze Niu’s Paradise In Service and Lee Bo-Cheung’s Gangster Pay Day to bookend 19th edition.
The 19th Busan International Film Festival (Biff) (Oct 2-11) today announced its line-up with the international premiere of Chen-Zer Doze Niu’s Taiwanese film Paradise In Service as the opening film.
Niu and cast members will be on hand at the opening ceremony on Oct 2, to be emceed by Moon So-ri and Ken Watanabe.
Lee Bo-Cheung’s Hong Kong-China film Gangster Pay Day will receive its world premiere as the closing film on Oct 11. The director as well as stars Anthony Wong and Charlene Choi will be on hand to present the film.
Biff will screen 314 films from 79 countries with 98 world premieres and 36 international premieres.
All the 12 New Currents competition films are world or international premieres, including Amin Dora’s Ghadi, the first Lebanese film to screen in this section, and Jalal’s Story, directed by Abu...
The 19th Busan International Film Festival (Biff) (Oct 2-11) today announced its line-up with the international premiere of Chen-Zer Doze Niu’s Taiwanese film Paradise In Service as the opening film.
Niu and cast members will be on hand at the opening ceremony on Oct 2, to be emceed by Moon So-ri and Ken Watanabe.
Lee Bo-Cheung’s Hong Kong-China film Gangster Pay Day will receive its world premiere as the closing film on Oct 11. The director as well as stars Anthony Wong and Charlene Choi will be on hand to present the film.
Biff will screen 314 films from 79 countries with 98 world premieres and 36 international premieres.
All the 12 New Currents competition films are world or international premieres, including Amin Dora’s Ghadi, the first Lebanese film to screen in this section, and Jalal’s Story, directed by Abu...
- 9/2/2014
- by hjnoh2007@gmail.com (Jean Noh)
- ScreenDaily
Fantastic Fest 2015 will include the second edition of the international co-production market Fantastic Market | Mercado Fantastico, and this year 15 projects have been selected. Read on for the full list!
The Fantastic Market | Mercado Fantastico runs September 18-20 in Austin, Texas. Fantastic Fest lead programmer Rodney Perkins and festival director Kristen Bell are heading up the effort. For more info on all of the below projects, visit FantasticFest.com/Projects.
Canana - the Mexican production outlet helmed by Gael Garcia Bernal, Diego Luna, and Pablo Cruz - is co-producing the market alongside filmmaker Robert Rodriguez's El Rey Network. Cristina Garza, Vice President of Mundial, Canana's sales joint venture with Im Global, is sourcing projects from the region.
"The public response to this year's call for submissions was astounding," says market director Perkins. "The 15 selected projects represent a diverse mix of talent from the United States and abroad. We are extremely...
The Fantastic Market | Mercado Fantastico runs September 18-20 in Austin, Texas. Fantastic Fest lead programmer Rodney Perkins and festival director Kristen Bell are heading up the effort. For more info on all of the below projects, visit FantasticFest.com/Projects.
Canana - the Mexican production outlet helmed by Gael Garcia Bernal, Diego Luna, and Pablo Cruz - is co-producing the market alongside filmmaker Robert Rodriguez's El Rey Network. Cristina Garza, Vice President of Mundial, Canana's sales joint venture with Im Global, is sourcing projects from the region.
"The public response to this year's call for submissions was astounding," says market director Perkins. "The 15 selected projects represent a diverse mix of talent from the United States and abroad. We are extremely...
- 8/9/2014
- by Debi Moore
- DreadCentral.com
Visiting the International Film Festival Rotterdam for the 4th time, Japanese actress, producer and director Kiki Sugino is busier than ever. A member on the jury of this year’s Tiger Awards she has a lot of screenings and meetings to attend to, but was able to make some time to meet me in the press room of the festival to talk about her latest project, Hotori no Sakuko, internationally released as Au revoir l’été.
How is the festival up till now?
I came here on the 24th, so I’ve been here for 4 days now and still have seen only half of the films I have to review for the Tiger Awards. So I’m still in the middle of things.
Yes you are a member on the Jury of the Tiger Awards this year, can you tell us a bit about that?
We are with 5 jury members in total,...
How is the festival up till now?
I came here on the 24th, so I’ve been here for 4 days now and still have seen only half of the films I have to review for the Tiger Awards. So I’m still in the middle of things.
Yes you are a member on the Jury of the Tiger Awards this year, can you tell us a bit about that?
We are with 5 jury members in total,...
- 4/16/2014
- by Thor
- AsianMoviePulse
Iffr: Au revoir l'été (2014) review Plot76% Acting78% Directing77%Light and warm atmosphereInteresting charactersSlow pace might not be for everyone77%Overall ScoreReader Rating: (1 Vote)61%
I know what you are probably thinking: what does a French movie do here on Asian Movie Pulse? Well, it is actually a Japanese movie from which the international title is French. Inspired by French cinema, director Koji Fukada’s newest film takes place during a hot summer vacation with the plot focusing on characters that have to decide about the next step in their lives. Literally translated, Au revoir l’été means “goodbye summer”, which can be explained as the film deals with having to say goodbye to your life as it is at a certain time because of new changes that are waiting.
The story follows quite a few characters, but the main character is a high school girl named Sakuko (Nikaido Fumi) who is...
I know what you are probably thinking: what does a French movie do here on Asian Movie Pulse? Well, it is actually a Japanese movie from which the international title is French. Inspired by French cinema, director Koji Fukada’s newest film takes place during a hot summer vacation with the plot focusing on characters that have to decide about the next step in their lives. Literally translated, Au revoir l’été means “goodbye summer”, which can be explained as the film deals with having to say goodbye to your life as it is at a certain time because of new changes that are waiting.
The story follows quite a few characters, but the main character is a high school girl named Sakuko (Nikaido Fumi) who is...
- 4/12/2014
- by Thor
- AsianMoviePulse
Brazil will host the World Cup this summer and football (or soccer for our American readers) fans the world over are marking down the days with as much excitement as fanboys have for the next tentpole or we have for the next Claire Denis film. In an effort to capitalize on this worldwide excitement, Variety reports Mexican director Daniel Gruener is shepherding a new omnibus film centered around the sport and he’s bringing along some interesting names. According to the trade, the 31 directors—spanning four continents—that will direct segments for “Short Plays” include Gasper Noe, enfant terrible Vincent Gallo, “Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives” director Apichatpong Weerasethakul and “Post Tenebras Lux” filmmaker Carlos Reygadas, as well as Carlos Moreno, Fernando Eimbcke, Sebastian Cordero, Brit Duane Hopkins, Mascha Halberstad, Buthina Cannan Koury, Kiki Sugino,Dorris Dorrie, Yang Ik-june, Bobo Jelcic, Abner Benaim, Rune Denstad Langlo, Juan Carlos Valdivia,...
- 3/25/2014
- by Cain Rodriguez
- The Playlist
Update: Upc Audience Award goes to Alexander Payne’s Nebraska. Festival’s second Big Screen Award to support Dutch distribution goes to Russia’s Another Year.
At the Iffr awards ceremony last night, the winners of three equal Hivos Tiger Awards were:
Anatomy of a Paper Clip (Yamamori clip koujo no atari) by Ikeda Akira (Japan)
Interview: Ikeda Akira
The jury said: “Challenging narrative form with precision and economy, this film elevates observations of the absurd in human behavior, and brings it into the poetic domain.”
Something Must Break (Nånting måste gå sönder) by Ester Martin Bergsmark (Sweden)
Interview: Ester Martin Bergsmark
The jury said: “A free-floating personal voyage traces the pains and pleasures of intimacy, recounted in a tender depiction of characters, with a sincere and playful use of cinematographic language.”
Han Gong-Ju by Lee Su-Jin (South Korea)
Interview: Lee Su-Jin
The jury said: “A skilfully crafted and highly accomplished debut – deviating from classicist structure, this film...
At the Iffr awards ceremony last night, the winners of three equal Hivos Tiger Awards were:
Anatomy of a Paper Clip (Yamamori clip koujo no atari) by Ikeda Akira (Japan)
Interview: Ikeda Akira
The jury said: “Challenging narrative form with precision and economy, this film elevates observations of the absurd in human behavior, and brings it into the poetic domain.”
Something Must Break (Nånting måste gå sönder) by Ester Martin Bergsmark (Sweden)
Interview: Ester Martin Bergsmark
The jury said: “A free-floating personal voyage traces the pains and pleasures of intimacy, recounted in a tender depiction of characters, with a sincere and playful use of cinematographic language.”
Han Gong-Ju by Lee Su-Jin (South Korea)
Interview: Lee Su-Jin
The jury said: “A skilfully crafted and highly accomplished debut – deviating from classicist structure, this film...
- 2/1/2014
- by wendy.mitchell@screendaily.com (Wendy Mitchell)
- ScreenDaily
Update: Upc Audience Award goes to Alexander Payne’s Nebraska. Festival’s second Big Screen Award to support Dutch distribution goes to Russia’s Another Year.
At the Iffr awards ceremony last night, the winners of three equal Hivos Tiger Awards were:
Anatomy of a Paper Clip (Yamamori clip koujo no atari) by Ikeda Akira (Japan)
Interview: Ikeda Akira
The jury said: “Challenging narrative form with precision and economy, this film elevates observations of the absurd in human behavior, and brings it into the poetic domain.”
Something Must Break (Nånting måste gå sönder) by Ester Martin Bergsmark (Sweden)
Interview: Ester Martin Bergsmark
The jury said: “A free-floating personal voyage traces the pains and pleasures of intimacy, recounted in a tender depiction of characters, with a sincere and playful use of cinematographic language.”
Han Gong-Ju by Lee Su-Jin (South Korea)
Interview: Lee Su-Jin
The jury said: “A skilfully crafted and highly accomplished debut – deviating from classicist structure, this film...
At the Iffr awards ceremony last night, the winners of three equal Hivos Tiger Awards were:
Anatomy of a Paper Clip (Yamamori clip koujo no atari) by Ikeda Akira (Japan)
Interview: Ikeda Akira
The jury said: “Challenging narrative form with precision and economy, this film elevates observations of the absurd in human behavior, and brings it into the poetic domain.”
Something Must Break (Nånting måste gå sönder) by Ester Martin Bergsmark (Sweden)
Interview: Ester Martin Bergsmark
The jury said: “A free-floating personal voyage traces the pains and pleasures of intimacy, recounted in a tender depiction of characters, with a sincere and playful use of cinematographic language.”
Han Gong-Ju by Lee Su-Jin (South Korea)
Interview: Lee Su-Jin
The jury said: “A skilfully crafted and highly accomplished debut – deviating from classicist structure, this film...
- 2/1/2014
- by wendy.mitchell@screendaily.com (Wendy Mitchell)
- ScreenDaily
Update: Upc Audience Award goes to Alexander Payne’s Nebraska. Festival’s second Big Screen Award to support Dutch distribution goes to Russia’s Another Year.
At the Iffr awards ceremony last night, the winners of three equal Hivos Tiger Awards were:
Anatomy of a Paper Clip (Yamamori clip koujo no atari) by Ikeda Akira (Japan)
Interview: Ikeda Akira
The jury said: “Challenging narrative form with precision and economy, this film elevates observations of the absurd in human behavior, and brings it into the poetic domain.”
Something Must Break (Nånting måste gå sönder) by Ester Martin Bergsmark (Sweden)
Interview: Ester Martin Bergsmark
The jury said: “A free-floating personal voyage traces the pains and pleasures of intimacy, recounted in a tender depiction of characters, with a sincere and playful use of cinematographic language.”
Han Gong-Ju by Lee Su-Jin (South Korea)
Interview: Lee Su-Jin
The jury said: “A skilfully crafted and highly accomplished debut – deviating from classicist structure, this film...
At the Iffr awards ceremony last night, the winners of three equal Hivos Tiger Awards were:
Anatomy of a Paper Clip (Yamamori clip koujo no atari) by Ikeda Akira (Japan)
Interview: Ikeda Akira
The jury said: “Challenging narrative form with precision and economy, this film elevates observations of the absurd in human behavior, and brings it into the poetic domain.”
Something Must Break (Nånting måste gå sönder) by Ester Martin Bergsmark (Sweden)
Interview: Ester Martin Bergsmark
The jury said: “A free-floating personal voyage traces the pains and pleasures of intimacy, recounted in a tender depiction of characters, with a sincere and playful use of cinematographic language.”
Han Gong-Ju by Lee Su-Jin (South Korea)
Interview: Lee Su-Jin
The jury said: “A skilfully crafted and highly accomplished debut – deviating from classicist structure, this film...
- 2/1/2014
- by wendy.mitchell@screendaily.com (Wendy Mitchell)
- ScreenDaily
During today's Awards Ceremony in de Doelen (Rotterdam), the winners of Iffr’s nineteenth Hivos Tiger Awards Competition, as well as of the second Big Screen Award Competition and of the Netpac, Fipresci, Knf, and MovieZone awards were announced. Tomorrow Saturday, 1 February the festival audience favorites will be awarded the Upc Audience Award for best festival film and the Dioraphte Award for best Hubert Bals Fund-supported film.
Hivos Tiger Awards
Fifteen first or second films by talented filmmakers from around the globe competed in the 2014 Hivos Tiger Awards Competition. The Jury consisted of distinguished filmmaker Elia Suleiman; celebrated Dutch filmmaker Nanouk Leopold, Indonesian filmmaker and former Tiger Award nominee Edwin; Violeta Bava, Bafici programmer and film producer from Argentina and Japanese actress and producer Kiki Sugino. Each Hivos Tiger Award comes with a prize of €15,000 for the filmmaker.
The winners of the three equal Hivos Tiger Awards 2014 are:
Anatomy of a Paper Clip (Yamamori clip koujo no atari)
by Ikeda Akira (Japan, 2013)
“Challenging narrative form with precision and economy, this film elevates observations of the absurd in human behavior, and brings it into the poetic domain.”
Ikeda Akira (1976, Japan) began to make his own short films while studying English literature at Bunkyo University. After being involved in various fields such as theatre, music and dance, he directed his first feature-length film The Blue Monkey in 2006. Anatomy of a Paper Clip is his second feature.
Something Must Break (Nånting måste gå sönder)
by Ester Martin Bergsmark (Sweden, 2014)
“A free-floating personal voyage traces the pains and pleasures of intimacy, recounted in a tender depiction of characters, with a sincere and playful use of cinematographic language.”
Ester Martin Bergsmark (1982, Sweden) trained at the Swedish University College of Arts, Crafts and Design. Together with Mark Hammarberg he made the award-winning documentary Maggie in Wonderland
(2008). In 2010, he made Fruitcake as part of the experimental feminist porn suite Dirty Diaries. She Male Snails (2012) won several awards at the Gothenburg International Film Festival.
Han Gong-Ju
by Lee Su-Jin (South Korea, 2013)
“A skilfully crafted and highly accomplished debut – deviating from classicist structure, this film lures the spectator to participate in the pleasures of storytelling through an extraordinary and intricate narrative puzzle.”
Lee Su-Jin (South-Korea) is a screenwriter and director. He made several award-winning short films in his homeland. His roll of honour continues with his debut feature Han Gong-Ju, which won two awards at Busan, plus the top prize at the film festival of Marrakech.
Hivos director Edwin Huizing:
“Hivos aims to give young filmmakers a voice. To inspire us; to push boundaries. Their work has the potential to break open societies, so thoughts and creativity can flow more freely. The Hivos Tiger Awards give them the recognition they deserve.”
The Big Screen Award
Iffr introduced a new competition in 2013: The Big Screen Award Competition, aimed at supporting the distribution of films in Dutch cinemas. Ten very recent films with no Benelux distributor confirmed were nominated for this prize. An audience jury, chaired in 2014 by Christine de Baan, chose the winner. Iffr will connect a prize of €10.000 to the award in 2014. The money is for the distributor to support the costs of publicity for the releases of the winning film in cinemas in the Netherlands.
The winner of The Big Screen Award 2014 is:
Another Year
(Yeshche odin god) by Oxana Bychkova (Russia, 2014)
“At a time when Dutch media abound with negative news about Russia, Another Year
takes us straight into the daily lives of the young people who will shape its future and makes us open up our hearts to them. More than just a simple love story, it shows us how globalization meets tradition in present-day Russia, how they clash, and how they might be reconciled. Pitch perfect, beautifully acted and choreographed, modest, subtle and utterly convincing.”
Oxana Bychkova (1972, Ukraine) is a screenwriter and director. She studied journalism in Rostov-on-Don, Russia, graduating in 1995. After a career as a radio journalist, Bychkova began studying directing in 2000, focusing on filmmaking. Another Year is her first feature film.
Netpac Award
The Netpac Jury (Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema) awards the best Asian film in the Iffr 2014 Official Selection. The Jury consisted of Paul Agusta, filmmaker, filmcritic and poet from Indonesia; Defne Gursoy, film critic and writer from Turkey; and Anu Rangachar, programme director of the Mumbai Film Festival, India.
The winner of the Netpac Award 2014 is:
28
by Prasanna Jayakody (Sri Lanka, 2014)
“A well-measured and crafted film that emotionally engages the audience through poetic storytelling of a critical subject.”
Prasanna Jayakody (1968, Sri Lanka) was born into an artistic family strongly rooted in traditional Sinhala values, and grew up in a Buddhist environment. This became a major inspiration for his productions. He made his debut at the age of 21 with the stage drama Shadows and Men, which was a critical success. He then started directing television dramas that were loved by the masses and won him numerous television awards. His earlier films Sankara (2006) and Karma (2010) have also screened at Iffr.
Fipresci Award
The Jury of the International Association of Film Critics Fipresci (Fédération Internationale de la Presse Cinématographique) awards the best film among the twenty-two world premieres in Bright Future 2014. The Jury consisted of president Blagoja Kunovski, Macedonia (Mrtv, Kinopis, Sintheses); Maria Fosheim Lund, Norway (Aftenposten, Wuxia); Guilhem Caillard, Canada (Séquences, Panorama-Cinéma, Cineuropa); Alberto Castellano, Italy (Il Manifesto, Segnocinema) and Sasja Koetsier, the Netherlands (De Filmkrant, Tijdschrift Lover).
The winner of the Rotterdam Fipresci Award 2014 is:
The Songs of Rice (Pleng khong kao)
by Uruphong Raksasad (Thailand, 2014)
“Fully relying on its strong cinematography, it creates an immersive sensory experience that makes us part of a vivid community revolving around the cultivation of a tiny grain.”
Uruphong Raksasad (1977, Thailand) studied film and photography at Thammasat University. After graduating in 2004, he worked as an editor and post-production supervisor on several Thai feature films. Since 2004, he has focused on his own career, returning to the region where he was born and shooting his feature debut Stories from the North (2006). The Songs of Rice is his third feature.
Knf Award
For the Knf Award, The Dutch Circle of Film Critics (Knf) Jury chose the winner out of the ten films in The Big Screen Award Competition 2014. The Knf Award consists of a subtitled Dcp. The Knf Jury consisted of Kees Driessen (Vrij Nederland); Paul van Es (Troskompas/TVKrant); Jelle Schot (Vpro/Cinema.nl); Nienke Huitenga (Lola/Filmtab) and Quirijn Foeken (Biosagenda).
The winner of the Knf Award 2014 is:
To Kill a Man (Matar a un hombre)
by Alejandro Fernández Almendras (Chile/France, 2013)
Read the review by Carlos Aguilar Here
“A compelling film with great visual style, impressive acting, and exactly the right length. The story is both simple and challenging. We follow the humiliation of the protagonist step by step and are confronted with our own fears in the process. This unremitting psychological thriller deserves to be seen on the big screen.”
Alejandro Fernández Almendras (1971, Chile) has a degree in journalism and worked as a film critic, photographer and journalist. Since 2002, he makes short films and video installations. His award-winning feature film debut Huacho (Alone)
premiered in Cannes in 2009.
MovieZone Award
MovieZone Jury gives young people the opportunity to fully experience a film festival and present their opinions on film. The MovieZone Iffr Jury consisted of five members between the ages of 15 and 18: Hanneke Bijker; Dzifa Kusenuh; Mauro Casarini; Moeddie Sherif and Floris Detering. In Rotterdam, they selected the winner out of eighteen eligible festival films. The winner of the MovieZone Iffr Award 2014 receives € 1,500 for promotion of the film among young people. The film also has a chance to become part of an Eye educational film programm.
The winner of the MovieZone Award 2014 is:
Jacky in the Kingdom of Women (Jacky au royaume des filles)
by Riad Sattouf (France, 2014)
“It was like a classical fairytale but with a completely different point of view. The makers of the film created a whole new world with the art direction and costume design and the film had a theme that everyone can relate to. The film was really funny but also had a great message.”
Riad Sattouf (1978, France) is a French writer, comic book artist and director with Syrian roots. He has successfully published various graphic novels and has a weekly comic in the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo. In 2009, he made his directing debut with the award-winning film Les beaux gosses. Jacky au royaume des filles is his second film.
Iffr previously announced winners of the Canon Tiger Awards for Short Films
and Arte International and Eurimages for best CineMart 2014 projects...
Hivos Tiger Awards
Fifteen first or second films by talented filmmakers from around the globe competed in the 2014 Hivos Tiger Awards Competition. The Jury consisted of distinguished filmmaker Elia Suleiman; celebrated Dutch filmmaker Nanouk Leopold, Indonesian filmmaker and former Tiger Award nominee Edwin; Violeta Bava, Bafici programmer and film producer from Argentina and Japanese actress and producer Kiki Sugino. Each Hivos Tiger Award comes with a prize of €15,000 for the filmmaker.
The winners of the three equal Hivos Tiger Awards 2014 are:
Anatomy of a Paper Clip (Yamamori clip koujo no atari)
by Ikeda Akira (Japan, 2013)
“Challenging narrative form with precision and economy, this film elevates observations of the absurd in human behavior, and brings it into the poetic domain.”
Ikeda Akira (1976, Japan) began to make his own short films while studying English literature at Bunkyo University. After being involved in various fields such as theatre, music and dance, he directed his first feature-length film The Blue Monkey in 2006. Anatomy of a Paper Clip is his second feature.
Something Must Break (Nånting måste gå sönder)
by Ester Martin Bergsmark (Sweden, 2014)
“A free-floating personal voyage traces the pains and pleasures of intimacy, recounted in a tender depiction of characters, with a sincere and playful use of cinematographic language.”
Ester Martin Bergsmark (1982, Sweden) trained at the Swedish University College of Arts, Crafts and Design. Together with Mark Hammarberg he made the award-winning documentary Maggie in Wonderland
(2008). In 2010, he made Fruitcake as part of the experimental feminist porn suite Dirty Diaries. She Male Snails (2012) won several awards at the Gothenburg International Film Festival.
Han Gong-Ju
by Lee Su-Jin (South Korea, 2013)
“A skilfully crafted and highly accomplished debut – deviating from classicist structure, this film lures the spectator to participate in the pleasures of storytelling through an extraordinary and intricate narrative puzzle.”
Lee Su-Jin (South-Korea) is a screenwriter and director. He made several award-winning short films in his homeland. His roll of honour continues with his debut feature Han Gong-Ju, which won two awards at Busan, plus the top prize at the film festival of Marrakech.
Hivos director Edwin Huizing:
“Hivos aims to give young filmmakers a voice. To inspire us; to push boundaries. Their work has the potential to break open societies, so thoughts and creativity can flow more freely. The Hivos Tiger Awards give them the recognition they deserve.”
The Big Screen Award
Iffr introduced a new competition in 2013: The Big Screen Award Competition, aimed at supporting the distribution of films in Dutch cinemas. Ten very recent films with no Benelux distributor confirmed were nominated for this prize. An audience jury, chaired in 2014 by Christine de Baan, chose the winner. Iffr will connect a prize of €10.000 to the award in 2014. The money is for the distributor to support the costs of publicity for the releases of the winning film in cinemas in the Netherlands.
The winner of The Big Screen Award 2014 is:
Another Year
(Yeshche odin god) by Oxana Bychkova (Russia, 2014)
“At a time when Dutch media abound with negative news about Russia, Another Year
takes us straight into the daily lives of the young people who will shape its future and makes us open up our hearts to them. More than just a simple love story, it shows us how globalization meets tradition in present-day Russia, how they clash, and how they might be reconciled. Pitch perfect, beautifully acted and choreographed, modest, subtle and utterly convincing.”
Oxana Bychkova (1972, Ukraine) is a screenwriter and director. She studied journalism in Rostov-on-Don, Russia, graduating in 1995. After a career as a radio journalist, Bychkova began studying directing in 2000, focusing on filmmaking. Another Year is her first feature film.
Netpac Award
The Netpac Jury (Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema) awards the best Asian film in the Iffr 2014 Official Selection. The Jury consisted of Paul Agusta, filmmaker, filmcritic and poet from Indonesia; Defne Gursoy, film critic and writer from Turkey; and Anu Rangachar, programme director of the Mumbai Film Festival, India.
The winner of the Netpac Award 2014 is:
28
by Prasanna Jayakody (Sri Lanka, 2014)
“A well-measured and crafted film that emotionally engages the audience through poetic storytelling of a critical subject.”
Prasanna Jayakody (1968, Sri Lanka) was born into an artistic family strongly rooted in traditional Sinhala values, and grew up in a Buddhist environment. This became a major inspiration for his productions. He made his debut at the age of 21 with the stage drama Shadows and Men, which was a critical success. He then started directing television dramas that were loved by the masses and won him numerous television awards. His earlier films Sankara (2006) and Karma (2010) have also screened at Iffr.
Fipresci Award
The Jury of the International Association of Film Critics Fipresci (Fédération Internationale de la Presse Cinématographique) awards the best film among the twenty-two world premieres in Bright Future 2014. The Jury consisted of president Blagoja Kunovski, Macedonia (Mrtv, Kinopis, Sintheses); Maria Fosheim Lund, Norway (Aftenposten, Wuxia); Guilhem Caillard, Canada (Séquences, Panorama-Cinéma, Cineuropa); Alberto Castellano, Italy (Il Manifesto, Segnocinema) and Sasja Koetsier, the Netherlands (De Filmkrant, Tijdschrift Lover).
The winner of the Rotterdam Fipresci Award 2014 is:
The Songs of Rice (Pleng khong kao)
by Uruphong Raksasad (Thailand, 2014)
“Fully relying on its strong cinematography, it creates an immersive sensory experience that makes us part of a vivid community revolving around the cultivation of a tiny grain.”
Uruphong Raksasad (1977, Thailand) studied film and photography at Thammasat University. After graduating in 2004, he worked as an editor and post-production supervisor on several Thai feature films. Since 2004, he has focused on his own career, returning to the region where he was born and shooting his feature debut Stories from the North (2006). The Songs of Rice is his third feature.
Knf Award
For the Knf Award, The Dutch Circle of Film Critics (Knf) Jury chose the winner out of the ten films in The Big Screen Award Competition 2014. The Knf Award consists of a subtitled Dcp. The Knf Jury consisted of Kees Driessen (Vrij Nederland); Paul van Es (Troskompas/TVKrant); Jelle Schot (Vpro/Cinema.nl); Nienke Huitenga (Lola/Filmtab) and Quirijn Foeken (Biosagenda).
The winner of the Knf Award 2014 is:
To Kill a Man (Matar a un hombre)
by Alejandro Fernández Almendras (Chile/France, 2013)
Read the review by Carlos Aguilar Here
“A compelling film with great visual style, impressive acting, and exactly the right length. The story is both simple and challenging. We follow the humiliation of the protagonist step by step and are confronted with our own fears in the process. This unremitting psychological thriller deserves to be seen on the big screen.”
Alejandro Fernández Almendras (1971, Chile) has a degree in journalism and worked as a film critic, photographer and journalist. Since 2002, he makes short films and video installations. His award-winning feature film debut Huacho (Alone)
premiered in Cannes in 2009.
MovieZone Award
MovieZone Jury gives young people the opportunity to fully experience a film festival and present their opinions on film. The MovieZone Iffr Jury consisted of five members between the ages of 15 and 18: Hanneke Bijker; Dzifa Kusenuh; Mauro Casarini; Moeddie Sherif and Floris Detering. In Rotterdam, they selected the winner out of eighteen eligible festival films. The winner of the MovieZone Iffr Award 2014 receives € 1,500 for promotion of the film among young people. The film also has a chance to become part of an Eye educational film programm.
The winner of the MovieZone Award 2014 is:
Jacky in the Kingdom of Women (Jacky au royaume des filles)
by Riad Sattouf (France, 2014)
“It was like a classical fairytale but with a completely different point of view. The makers of the film created a whole new world with the art direction and costume design and the film had a theme that everyone can relate to. The film was really funny but also had a great message.”
Riad Sattouf (1978, France) is a French writer, comic book artist and director with Syrian roots. He has successfully published various graphic novels and has a weekly comic in the French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo. In 2009, he made his directing debut with the award-winning film Les beaux gosses. Jacky au royaume des filles is his second film.
Iffr previously announced winners of the Canon Tiger Awards for Short Films
and Arte International and Eurimages for best CineMart 2014 projects...
- 2/1/2014
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
The International Film Festival Rotterdam has completed the lineup for its Hivos Tiger Awards Competition.
These 10 titles join the five previously announced. All 15 first or second features will compete for three equal Tiger awards worth €15,000 each.
Elia Suleiman will lead the jury, also comprised of of Nanouk Leopold, Edwin, Violeta Bava and Kiki Sugino.
The selections (listed in full below) including Dutch artist Dick Tuinder’s second feature after Winterland, a 1972-set Dutch family story entitled Farewell To The Moon; Syria-set debut feature Arwad by Samer Najari and Dominique Chila; Busan audience award winner Han Gong-ju by Lee Su-jin; producer Luis Minarro’s first fiction feature Falling Star, about the lonely king of Spain in 1870; and Mark Jackson’s Us production War Story starring Catherine Keener.
The titles confirmed today are:
Farewell To The Moon (Afscheid van de Maan)
Dick Tuinder (Netherlands, world premiere)
Arwad
Samer Najari and Dominique Chila (Canada)
Casa grande
Fellipe Barbosa (Brazil, world...
These 10 titles join the five previously announced. All 15 first or second features will compete for three equal Tiger awards worth €15,000 each.
Elia Suleiman will lead the jury, also comprised of of Nanouk Leopold, Edwin, Violeta Bava and Kiki Sugino.
The selections (listed in full below) including Dutch artist Dick Tuinder’s second feature after Winterland, a 1972-set Dutch family story entitled Farewell To The Moon; Syria-set debut feature Arwad by Samer Najari and Dominique Chila; Busan audience award winner Han Gong-ju by Lee Su-jin; producer Luis Minarro’s first fiction feature Falling Star, about the lonely king of Spain in 1870; and Mark Jackson’s Us production War Story starring Catherine Keener.
The titles confirmed today are:
Farewell To The Moon (Afscheid van de Maan)
Dick Tuinder (Netherlands, world premiere)
Arwad
Samer Najari and Dominique Chila (Canada)
Casa grande
Fellipe Barbosa (Brazil, world...
- 1/10/2014
- by wendy.mitchell@screendaily.com (Wendy Mitchell)
- ScreenDaily
The Edinburgh Film Festival has announced its juries for its 2012 edition.
After last year's hiatus, which saw the accolades scrapped - to much consternation from press and industry - the Michael Powell Award for best British film has been reinstated, along with six other awards.
With previous winners including Duncan Jones' Moon and Shane Meadows' Somers Town, the Michael Powell has a prestigious history and the three-member jury this year will be chaired by Academy Awawrd winner Jim Broadbent. He will be joined Japanese actress Kiki Sugino (Hospitalite, Magic And Loss) and the founder and director of Tallinn's Black Nights FilmFestival Tiina Lokk. The jury will present awards for Best British Feature Film and Best Performance in a British Feature Film and, for the first time since the award was inaugurated in 1990, documentaries will be eligible for contention.
Jim Broadbent said: "It's very exciting to be Chair of the.
After last year's hiatus, which saw the accolades scrapped - to much consternation from press and industry - the Michael Powell Award for best British film has been reinstated, along with six other awards.
With previous winners including Duncan Jones' Moon and Shane Meadows' Somers Town, the Michael Powell has a prestigious history and the three-member jury this year will be chaired by Academy Awawrd winner Jim Broadbent. He will be joined Japanese actress Kiki Sugino (Hospitalite, Magic And Loss) and the founder and director of Tallinn's Black Nights FilmFestival Tiina Lokk. The jury will present awards for Best British Feature Film and Best Performance in a British Feature Film and, for the first time since the award was inaugurated in 1990, documentaries will be eligible for contention.
Jim Broadbent said: "It's very exciting to be Chair of the.
- 6/14/2012
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
One of the best offerings of the 6th annual Korean American Film Festival New York (Kaffny) is Lim Kah Wai's Magic and Loss, a vacation island mystery that is a global-village production - by a Malaysian director, set in Hong Kong, with Korean and Japanese actors. (Read my review in my Kaffny preview). Besides its director, another major creative force behind this film is its co-lead actress and producer Kiki Sugino. Sugino was born in 1984 in Hiroshima, Japan to Korean parents (Japanese-born Koreans are known in Japan as "Zainichi Koreans."). She made her debut as an actress in Korea in the 2005 film One Shining Day, an anthology film about Korea-Japan relations. Subsequently, Kim Ki-duk cast her in a small role in his 2006 film...
- 6/5/2012
- Screen Anarchy
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