Bright Sparks In Hong Kong
“Snow in Midsummer,” which quietly probes the 1969 massacre of Malaysian Chinese during post-election turmoil, was named the winner of the best film for young cinema competition (Chinese-language) at the Hong Kong International Film Festival. Liang Ming was named best director for “Carefree Days,” while the film’s female lead Lyu Xingchen collected the best actress award. Jason King won the best actor award for his performance in “A Journey in Spring.”
In the equivalent competition for non-Chinese films Gustav Moeller’s “Sons” was named the Firebird winner. Meryam Joobeur won the best director award for her “Who Do I Belong To.” The best actor award went to Vangelis Mourikis for his role in “Arcadia.” Minna Wuendrich was named best actress for her performance in “Ivo.” The jury also gave a special mention to “Pepe,” directed by Nelson Carlo de los Santos Arias.
In the documentary competition,...
“Snow in Midsummer,” which quietly probes the 1969 massacre of Malaysian Chinese during post-election turmoil, was named the winner of the best film for young cinema competition (Chinese-language) at the Hong Kong International Film Festival. Liang Ming was named best director for “Carefree Days,” while the film’s female lead Lyu Xingchen collected the best actress award. Jason King won the best actor award for his performance in “A Journey in Spring.”
In the equivalent competition for non-Chinese films Gustav Moeller’s “Sons” was named the Firebird winner. Meryam Joobeur won the best director award for her “Who Do I Belong To.” The best actor award went to Vangelis Mourikis for his role in “Arcadia.” Minna Wuendrich was named best actress for her performance in “Ivo.” The jury also gave a special mention to “Pepe,” directed by Nelson Carlo de los Santos Arias.
In the documentary competition,...
- 4/8/2024
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Pepe.In 2009, a male hippopotamus was killed in Colombia by German hunters under authorization of the local authorities. Nicknamed Pepe by the press—after Los Pepes, a paramilitary group that opposed Pablo Escobar—the hippo was part of a small herd of pachyderms originally brought to the country from southern Africa in the late 1970s by the notorious drug lord. Escobar kept the hippos on his estate until 1993 when he was gunned down by US and Colombian special forces, whereupon they were left to wander free from the property. Today, there are over 100 of these so-called “cocaine hippos” living in Colombia’s Magdalena River Valley.Pepe (2024), the fourth feature by Dominican director Nelson Carlo de los Santos Arias, takes this stranger-than-fiction story as the jumping-off point for reimagining Pepe’s journey from the frontiers of South West Africa to the tropics of Estación Cocorná, where a pair of fishermen attempt...
- 3/28/2024
- MUBI
The 74th Berlin International Film Festival announced the winners of the fest at the awards ceremony held at the Berlinale Palast on February 24.
20 films competed for the awards in this year’s competition with Lupita Nyong’o heading the International Jury alongside Ann Hui, Christian Petzold, Albert Serra, Jasmine Trinca and Oksana Zabuzhko. The Encounters Jury, Lisandro Alonso, Denis Côté and Tizza Covi choose the winners for Best Film, Best Director and the Special Jury Award.
The Golden Bear for Best Film was awarded to Dahomey by Mati Diop. Emily Watson won The Silver Bear for Best Supporting Performance for her role in Small Things Like These, while Sebastian Stan received The Silver Bear for Best Leading Performance in A Different Man. Nelson Carlo De Los Santos Arias was honored with The Silver Bear for Best Director for his film Pepe, and the Silver Bear Jury Prize went to Bruno Dumont for Empire.
20 films competed for the awards in this year’s competition with Lupita Nyong’o heading the International Jury alongside Ann Hui, Christian Petzold, Albert Serra, Jasmine Trinca and Oksana Zabuzhko. The Encounters Jury, Lisandro Alonso, Denis Côté and Tizza Covi choose the winners for Best Film, Best Director and the Special Jury Award.
The Golden Bear for Best Film was awarded to Dahomey by Mati Diop. Emily Watson won The Silver Bear for Best Supporting Performance for her role in Small Things Like These, while Sebastian Stan received The Silver Bear for Best Leading Performance in A Different Man. Nelson Carlo De Los Santos Arias was honored with The Silver Bear for Best Director for his film Pepe, and the Silver Bear Jury Prize went to Bruno Dumont for Empire.
- 2/22/2024
- by Robert Lang
- Deadline Film + TV
Nelson Carlo de los Santos Arias’s docudrama Pepe, about Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar’s megaherbivore, gives the ill-fated creature its own voice
Some facts about Pepe are certain. He was heavy even for his thick-set genus, reported to have weighed between four and five tonnes. With a land speed of up to 22 mph and ivory stakes protruding from those pink gums at random angles, he was a forceful reminder that his species is one of the deadliest on the planet, causing an estimated 500 human deaths per year.
Native to sub-Saharan Africa but born in Colombian cocaine king Pablo Escobar’s private menagerie and shot in its vicinity after escaping from captivity in 2009, Pepe the unhappy hippo was also undisputedly and tragically out of place.
Some facts about Pepe are certain. He was heavy even for his thick-set genus, reported to have weighed between four and five tonnes. With a land speed of up to 22 mph and ivory stakes protruding from those pink gums at random angles, he was a forceful reminder that his species is one of the deadliest on the planet, causing an estimated 500 human deaths per year.
Native to sub-Saharan Africa but born in Colombian cocaine king Pablo Escobar’s private menagerie and shot in its vicinity after escaping from captivity in 2009, Pepe the unhappy hippo was also undisputedly and tragically out of place.
- 2/20/2024
- by Philip Oltermann
- The Guardian - Film News
Backed by the Cannes Film Market and Argentina’s Incaa film agency, the 15th Ventana Sur and its much anticipated works in progress sections, Primer Corte and Copia Final, unspool over Nov. 27-Dec. 1 in Buenos Aires.
This year’s crop of films, either in post-production or completed, make scant reference to the region’s brutal historical past, perhaps with the exception of “Pepe” by Nelson Carlo de los Santos Arias, which begins with the capture of drug lord Pablo Escobar who sowed terror and chaos for years in Colombia, or José María Cabral’s “Tiguere,” set in a ‘90s Dominican Republic.
In contrast, they focus more on human interest stories as in the territorial dispute in “El Casero”; family clashes in “November” and “Una casa con dos perros” – also a reference to Argentina’s economic crisis – as well as issues of identity and intergenerational relationships.
In Mexican filmmaker Rigoberto Perezcano’s poignant black-and-white drama,...
This year’s crop of films, either in post-production or completed, make scant reference to the region’s brutal historical past, perhaps with the exception of “Pepe” by Nelson Carlo de los Santos Arias, which begins with the capture of drug lord Pablo Escobar who sowed terror and chaos for years in Colombia, or José María Cabral’s “Tiguere,” set in a ‘90s Dominican Republic.
In contrast, they focus more on human interest stories as in the territorial dispute in “El Casero”; family clashes in “November” and “Una casa con dos perros” – also a reference to Argentina’s economic crisis – as well as issues of identity and intergenerational relationships.
In Mexican filmmaker Rigoberto Perezcano’s poignant black-and-white drama,...
- 11/14/2023
- by Anna Marie de la Fuente
- Variety Film + TV
Recipients include a Berlin Silver Bear winner.
The Hubert Bals Fund (Hbf) of the International Film Festival Rotterdam (Iffr) has selected 11 film projects from countries across Middle East, Eastern Europe, Africa, Latin America and Asia for its latest script and project development programme.
Two sections, Hbf Bright Future and Hbf Voices, will see the selected films receive grants totalling €99,000.
Hbf Bright Future is supporting nine projects, all of which are debuts with the exception of Pepe, La Imaginación En El Tercer Cine by Dominican director Nelson Carlo de los Santos Arias. His debut Cocote premiered at Locarno 2017.
The selection also includes Rwandan filmmaker Samuel Ishimwe,...
The Hubert Bals Fund (Hbf) of the International Film Festival Rotterdam (Iffr) has selected 11 film projects from countries across Middle East, Eastern Europe, Africa, Latin America and Asia for its latest script and project development programme.
Two sections, Hbf Bright Future and Hbf Voices, will see the selected films receive grants totalling €99,000.
Hbf Bright Future is supporting nine projects, all of which are debuts with the exception of Pepe, La Imaginación En El Tercer Cine by Dominican director Nelson Carlo de los Santos Arias. His debut Cocote premiered at Locarno 2017.
The selection also includes Rwandan filmmaker Samuel Ishimwe,...
- 11/21/2019
- by 1100453¦Michael Rosser¦9¦
- ScreenDaily
Last year, Argentina’s Ventana Sur film and TV market and co-production forum launched its inaugural Proyecta feature project showcase.
Co-organized by Ventana Sur and the San Sebastian Film Festival, Proyecta was established to aid in facilitation of international co-productions between Europe and Latin America.
16 feature film projects will participate this year, four of which come from the Basque co-founder, one from Taller Eave Puentes-Europe Latin America Co-Production Workshop and the final title from Brasil CineMundi. The others were selected by Paulo Roberto de Carvalho, Esperanza Luffiego and Clara Massot for Ventana Sur.
From the 16 projects, nine are first or second features interspersed with established, multi-award-winning filmmakers such as Lucía Puenzo, director of 2007’s Cannes Critics’ Week, Golden Rail, Acid and Regards Jeunes Prize-winner “Xxy,” and who is fresh off Fabula’s Daniela Vega-starred series “The Pack.” Puenzo will be pitching “Los Impactados,” written by her friend Lorena Ventimiglia,...
Co-organized by Ventana Sur and the San Sebastian Film Festival, Proyecta was established to aid in facilitation of international co-productions between Europe and Latin America.
16 feature film projects will participate this year, four of which come from the Basque co-founder, one from Taller Eave Puentes-Europe Latin America Co-Production Workshop and the final title from Brasil CineMundi. The others were selected by Paulo Roberto de Carvalho, Esperanza Luffiego and Clara Massot for Ventana Sur.
From the 16 projects, nine are first or second features interspersed with established, multi-award-winning filmmakers such as Lucía Puenzo, director of 2007’s Cannes Critics’ Week, Golden Rail, Acid and Regards Jeunes Prize-winner “Xxy,” and who is fresh off Fabula’s Daniela Vega-starred series “The Pack.” Puenzo will be pitching “Los Impactados,” written by her friend Lorena Ventimiglia,...
- 11/14/2019
- by Jamie Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Lucía Puenzo, Julio Hernández Cordón among participants
Six female directors and 11 female producers development projects in this year’s Proyecta co-production programme organised by Ventana Sur and San Sebastian Film Festival.
The event, set to take place in Buenos Aires on December 4, aims to match 16 feature projects at development stage from filmmakers in Latin America and Europe with financing and international distribution.
For the second consecutive year, producers will present selected projects at a pitching session to professionals from the international film industry, followed by a series of meetings to discuss the work and potential collaborations in greater depth.
Proyecta...
Six female directors and 11 female producers development projects in this year’s Proyecta co-production programme organised by Ventana Sur and San Sebastian Film Festival.
The event, set to take place in Buenos Aires on December 4, aims to match 16 feature projects at development stage from filmmakers in Latin America and Europe with financing and international distribution.
For the second consecutive year, producers will present selected projects at a pitching session to professionals from the international film industry, followed by a series of meetings to discuss the work and potential collaborations in greater depth.
Proyecta...
- 11/14/2019
- by 36¦Jeremy Kay¦54¦
- ScreenDaily
In 2018 we've published 70 interviews whose subjects have ranged from old masters to emerging new voices, and including some unexpected conversations, including those with curators (Dave Kehr of the Museum of Modern Art), as well as archival finds (a 1971 talk with Jerry Lewis).Below you will find an index of our conversations throughout the year, listed in order of publication date.Blake Williams (Prototype)Samira Elagoz (Craigslist Allstars)F.J. Ossang (9 Fingers)Jerry LewisAndré Gil Mata (The Tree)Christian Petzold (Transit)Raoul Peck (Young Karl Marx)Ashley McKenzie (Werewolf)Penelope SpheerisTed Fendt (Classical Period)Dominik Graf (The Red Shadow)Blake Williams ("Stereo Visions")Arnaud Desplechin (Ismael's Ghosts)Ruth Beckermann (The Waldheim Waltz)Nelson Carlos de los Santos Arias (Cocote)Esther GarrelPhilippe Garrel (Lover for a Day)Jonas MekasJohann Lurf (★)Karim Aïnouz (Central Airport Thf)Juliana Antunes (Baronesa)Cristina Gallego and Ciro Guerra (Birds of Passage)Wang Bing (Dead Souls)Donal Foreman...
- 12/27/2018
- MUBI
“A cinematographer is a visual psychiatrist — moving an audience through a movie […] making them think the way you want them to think, painting pictures in the dark,” said the late, great Gordon Willis. As we continue our year-end coverage, one aspect we must highlight is, indeed, cinematography. From talented newcomers to seasoned professionals, we’ve rounded up the examples that have most impressed us this year. Check out our rundown below and, in the comments, let us know your favorite work.
Araby (Leonardo Feliciano)
An epic travelogue of Sisyphean proportions zeroing in on the beguilingly ordinary, meandering life of a Brazilian ex-con trying to make ends meet by working any job imaginable, Affonso Uchoa and João Dumans’ Araby features several stunning vistas of the Brazilian South, but Leonardo Feliciano’s cinematography crafts a lot more than a travelogue. Alternating the lush palettes of the sprawling Brazilian countryside with the darker,...
Araby (Leonardo Feliciano)
An epic travelogue of Sisyphean proportions zeroing in on the beguilingly ordinary, meandering life of a Brazilian ex-con trying to make ends meet by working any job imaginable, Affonso Uchoa and João Dumans’ Araby features several stunning vistas of the Brazilian South, but Leonardo Feliciano’s cinematography crafts a lot more than a travelogue. Alternating the lush palettes of the sprawling Brazilian countryside with the darker,...
- 12/17/2018
- by The Film Stage
- The Film Stage
With a seemingly endless amount of streaming options — not only the titles at our disposal, but services themselves — we’re highlighting the noteworthy titles that have recently hit platforms. Check out this week’s selections below and an archive of past round-ups here.
Cocote (Nelson Carlo de Los Santos Arias)
Fans of fierce, challenging indigenous cinema rejoice. It’s not every day that you see a film from and depicting the life in the Dominican Republic, let alone one as intriguing as Cocote. Writer/director De Los Santos Arias’ feature debut shines a light on an underrepresented part of the world and casts a truly outlandish spell that confounds and overwhelms. Fair warning: sheer cultural divide would most likely prevent a deeper appreciation of the film, but the authenticity and intensity of its voice alone proves excitingly – if also gruelingly – memorable. – Zhuo-Ning Su (full review)
Where to Stream: iTunes
Happy Hour...
Cocote (Nelson Carlo de Los Santos Arias)
Fans of fierce, challenging indigenous cinema rejoice. It’s not every day that you see a film from and depicting the life in the Dominican Republic, let alone one as intriguing as Cocote. Writer/director De Los Santos Arias’ feature debut shines a light on an underrepresented part of the world and casts a truly outlandish spell that confounds and overwhelms. Fair warning: sheer cultural divide would most likely prevent a deeper appreciation of the film, but the authenticity and intensity of its voice alone proves excitingly – if also gruelingly – memorable. – Zhuo-Ning Su (full review)
Where to Stream: iTunes
Happy Hour...
- 12/14/2018
- by The Film Stage
- The Film Stage
Yesterday afternoon, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences announced which movies will be competing to win the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Feature. This first long list marks an important benchmark in the season. Yes, we can actually begin narrowing things down. To be fair, this is a category that doesn’t get the attention of Best Picture or Best Actor/Best Actress, but it’s still a big deal. The Academy has narrowed things down to 87 films, just shy of the record set last year. That many countries submitting movies for Oscar consideration is wonderful, especially since I’ve seen a handful of these and they’re largely excellent. The only notable exclusion was that Italy did not choose Happy as Lazarro to be their selection, despite the backing of Martin Scorsese and Netflix. That country opted for Dogman from Matteo Garrone, instead. Aside from that, it...
- 10/9/2018
- by Joey Magidson
- Hollywoodnews.com
‘Jirga’
Benjamin Gilmour’s Afghanistan-set drama Jirga will carry Australia’s hopes of being nominated for this year’s Best Foreign Language Film Oscar.
The international recognition as Australia’s official submission follows the film’s international premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival and winning the $100,000 best film prize, Australia’s richest, at CinfestOZ.
Produced and distributed by John Maynard, the film stars Sam Smith as a former Australian soldier who returns to Afghanistan seeking forgiveness and puts his life in the hands of the village justice system – the Jirga.
There are 87 countries vying for the prize, including first-time entrants Malawi and Niger and high-profile contenders such as Mexico’s Roma and Poland’s Cold War, both of which are hoping to break out of the foreign race and earn nominations for best picture, best director and more.
Gilmour said: “We are thrilled about the honour of representing Australia.
Benjamin Gilmour’s Afghanistan-set drama Jirga will carry Australia’s hopes of being nominated for this year’s Best Foreign Language Film Oscar.
The international recognition as Australia’s official submission follows the film’s international premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival and winning the $100,000 best film prize, Australia’s richest, at CinfestOZ.
Produced and distributed by John Maynard, the film stars Sam Smith as a former Australian soldier who returns to Afghanistan seeking forgiveness and puts his life in the hands of the village justice system – the Jirga.
There are 87 countries vying for the prize, including first-time entrants Malawi and Niger and high-profile contenders such as Mexico’s Roma and Poland’s Cold War, both of which are hoping to break out of the foreign race and earn nominations for best picture, best director and more.
Gilmour said: “We are thrilled about the honour of representing Australia.
- 10/8/2018
- by The IF Team
- IF.com.au
First-time submissions come from Malawi and Niger as Austrlia and New Zealand join the list.
Eighty-seven countries have submitted films for this year’s foreign language film Oscar, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences has revealed, a drop from the record 92 that submitted last year.
Countries submitting films in the category for the first time include Malawi, which has entered Shemu Joyah’s The Road to Sunrise, and Niger, whose submission is Rahmatou Keïta’s The Wedding Ring.
Submissions that had not previously been confirmed include Australian entry Jirga, from director Benjamin Gilmour, and New Zealand contender Yellow Is Forbidden,...
Eighty-seven countries have submitted films for this year’s foreign language film Oscar, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences has revealed, a drop from the record 92 that submitted last year.
Countries submitting films in the category for the first time include Malawi, which has entered Shemu Joyah’s The Road to Sunrise, and Niger, whose submission is Rahmatou Keïta’s The Wedding Ring.
Submissions that had not previously been confirmed include Australian entry Jirga, from director Benjamin Gilmour, and New Zealand contender Yellow Is Forbidden,...
- 10/8/2018
- by John Hazelton
- ScreenDaily
First-time submissions come from Malawi and Niger as Austrlia and New Zealand join the list.
Eighty-seven countries have submitted films for this year’s foreign language film Oscar, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences has revealed, a drop from the record 92 that submitted last year.
Countries submitting films in the category for the first time include Malawi, which has entered Shemu Joyah’s The Road to Sunrise, and Niger, whose submission is Rahmatou Keïta’s The Wedding Ring.
Submissions that had not previously been confirmed include Australian entry Jirga, from director Benjamin Gilmour, and New Zealand contender Yellow Is Forbidden,...
Eighty-seven countries have submitted films for this year’s foreign language film Oscar, the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences has revealed, a drop from the record 92 that submitted last year.
Countries submitting films in the category for the first time include Malawi, which has entered Shemu Joyah’s The Road to Sunrise, and Niger, whose submission is Rahmatou Keïta’s The Wedding Ring.
Submissions that had not previously been confirmed include Australian entry Jirga, from director Benjamin Gilmour, and New Zealand contender Yellow Is Forbidden,...
- 10/8/2018
- by John Hazelton
- ScreenDaily
Eighty-seven countries have submitted films for consideration in the foreign language category for the 91st Academy Awards.
Oscar nominations will be announced on Jan. 22 and the ceremony will be held on Feb. 24 at Los Angeles’ Dolby Theatre. Malawi and Niger are first-time entrants. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences made the announcement on Monday.
High-profile titles include Alfonso Cuaron’s “Roma,” the Mexican entry; Denmark’s “The Guilty”; Germany’s “Never Look Away,” from previous Oscar winner Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck; Hirokazu Kore-eda’s “Shoplifters,” the Japanese entry that won the Palme d’Or at this year’s Cannes Film Festival; Nadine Labaki’s “Capernaum,” the Cannes jury prize winner from Lebanon; and Pawel Pawlikowski’s “Cold War,” the Cannes best director prize winner from Poland.
The 2018 submissions are:
Afghanistan, “Rona Azim’s Mother,” Jamshid Mahmoudi, director;
Algeria, “Until the End of Time,” Yasmine Chouikh, director;
Argentina, “El Ángel,...
Oscar nominations will be announced on Jan. 22 and the ceremony will be held on Feb. 24 at Los Angeles’ Dolby Theatre. Malawi and Niger are first-time entrants. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences made the announcement on Monday.
High-profile titles include Alfonso Cuaron’s “Roma,” the Mexican entry; Denmark’s “The Guilty”; Germany’s “Never Look Away,” from previous Oscar winner Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck; Hirokazu Kore-eda’s “Shoplifters,” the Japanese entry that won the Palme d’Or at this year’s Cannes Film Festival; Nadine Labaki’s “Capernaum,” the Cannes jury prize winner from Lebanon; and Pawel Pawlikowski’s “Cold War,” the Cannes best director prize winner from Poland.
The 2018 submissions are:
Afghanistan, “Rona Azim’s Mother,” Jamshid Mahmoudi, director;
Algeria, “Until the End of Time,” Yasmine Chouikh, director;
Argentina, “El Ángel,...
- 10/8/2018
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
A whopping 87 countries submitted entries in the Foreign-Language Film race at the 2019 Oscars. That is down by five from last year’s record 92 submissions but up by two from 2017, which had broken the benchmark of 83 set in 2015. The nations represented ranged from A (Afghanistan) to Y (Yemen). Among the contenders is the Mexican entry “Roma” by Oscar winner Alfonso Cuaron (“Gravity”). This Venice Film Festival winner is a strong contender in both this and the Best Picture race at the Oscars.
Predicting the eventual five Oscar nominees for Best Foreign-Language Film is made difficult by the two-step process.
First, the several hundred academy members of the Foreign-Language Film screening committee are required to watch a number of the submissions (upwards of a dozen) over a two-month period that ends in mid December. They will rate them from 6 to 10 and their top six vote-getters make it to the next round, as...
Predicting the eventual five Oscar nominees for Best Foreign-Language Film is made difficult by the two-step process.
First, the several hundred academy members of the Foreign-Language Film screening committee are required to watch a number of the submissions (upwards of a dozen) over a two-month period that ends in mid December. They will rate them from 6 to 10 and their top six vote-getters make it to the next round, as...
- 10/8/2018
- by Paul Sheehan
- Gold Derby
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced the official list of submissions for the 2019 Oscar for best foreign language film. There are 87 countries vying for the prize this awards season, including first-time entrants Malawi and Niger. Included among the titles are high-profile contenders such as Mexico’s “Roma” and Poland’s “Cold War,” both of which are vying to break out of the foreign race and earn nominations for best picture, best director, and more.
Nominations for the 91st Academy Awards will be announced on Tuesday, January 22, 2019. The 91st Oscars will be held on Sunday, February 24, 2019. Click here to view predictions for the foreign language Oscar race from IndieWire’s awards editor Anne Thompson.
2018 Foreign Oscar Submissions
Afghanistan, “Rona Azim’s Mother,” Jamshid Mahmoudi, director
Algeria, “Until the End of Time,” Yasmine Chouikh, director
Argentina, “El Ángel,” Luis Ortega, director
Armenia, “Spitak,” Alexander Kott, director
Australia, “Jirga,...
Nominations for the 91st Academy Awards will be announced on Tuesday, January 22, 2019. The 91st Oscars will be held on Sunday, February 24, 2019. Click here to view predictions for the foreign language Oscar race from IndieWire’s awards editor Anne Thompson.
2018 Foreign Oscar Submissions
Afghanistan, “Rona Azim’s Mother,” Jamshid Mahmoudi, director
Algeria, “Until the End of Time,” Yasmine Chouikh, director
Argentina, “El Ángel,” Luis Ortega, director
Armenia, “Spitak,” Alexander Kott, director
Australia, “Jirga,...
- 10/8/2018
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences announced today that 87 countries have qualified for this year’s Foreign Language Film competition. With some of the
strongest entries in recent years this is shaping up as one of the richest fields of contenders in memory. Of course one of the Netflix titles, Mexico’s Roma from director Alfonso Cuaron has been widely acclaimed at numerous festivals and already won top prize at Venice which makes it the front runner here. It is also expected to be in contention for a Best Picture nomination as well as other categories and that could enhance its chances. However could an upset be in the offing? I would say there are a number of equally fine movies in the mix here including Japan’s Cannes Palme d’Or winner, Shoplifters; Denmark’s riveting The Guilty; Germany’s epic Never Look Away from previous Oscar winner...
strongest entries in recent years this is shaping up as one of the richest fields of contenders in memory. Of course one of the Netflix titles, Mexico’s Roma from director Alfonso Cuaron has been widely acclaimed at numerous festivals and already won top prize at Venice which makes it the front runner here. It is also expected to be in contention for a Best Picture nomination as well as other categories and that could enhance its chances. However could an upset be in the offing? I would say there are a number of equally fine movies in the mix here including Japan’s Cannes Palme d’Or winner, Shoplifters; Denmark’s riveting The Guilty; Germany’s epic Never Look Away from previous Oscar winner...
- 10/8/2018
- by Pete Hammond
- Deadline Film + TV
Eighty-seven films have qualified in the 2018 Oscars race for Best Foreign Language Film, the Academy announced on Monday.
The number is five less than last year’s record of 92 entries, but significantly larger than the 60-odd qualifying films that were the norm only a few years ago. The 2018 race is also expected to be one of the most competitive in years, with a number of esteemed international directors and award-winning films competing for only nine spots on the shortlist and five nominations.
Los Angeles-based volunteers from all branches of the Academy will now watch all the eligible films at AMPAS screenings at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills and the Linwood Dunn Theater in Hollywood. This year, the Academy has made it easier to qualify to vote, dropping the number of films each voter must see from 17 or 18 down to 12 and eliminating the color-coded groups that made each voter...
The number is five less than last year’s record of 92 entries, but significantly larger than the 60-odd qualifying films that were the norm only a few years ago. The 2018 race is also expected to be one of the most competitive in years, with a number of esteemed international directors and award-winning films competing for only nine spots on the shortlist and five nominations.
Los Angeles-based volunteers from all branches of the Academy will now watch all the eligible films at AMPAS screenings at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills and the Linwood Dunn Theater in Hollywood. This year, the Academy has made it easier to qualify to vote, dropping the number of films each voter must see from 17 or 18 down to 12 and eliminating the color-coded groups that made each voter...
- 10/8/2018
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
Dramas of revenge always make it look so easy. The hero, at the outset, may be a civilized, too-polite-for-his-own-good sort (even Charles Bronson in “Death Wish” started off that way — though who could really buy him as a mild-mannered urbane architect?). Yet once he’s transitioned into becoming a killer with a vendetta, that blood-oath identity starts to seem as natural as a second skin. The movies have conditioned us; they’ve spent more than a century reveling in violence that carries a righteous edge.
In real life, however, if you’re planning to take revenge on someone, the actions — and emotions — tend to be a lot less clear-cut. There’s fear and doubt and dread and, just maybe, the moral queasiness that greets you in the aftermath: What am I doing? Can I live with myself? Did that bloodbath I just carried out actually do any good?
Those are...
In real life, however, if you’re planning to take revenge on someone, the actions — and emotions — tend to be a lot less clear-cut. There’s fear and doubt and dread and, just maybe, the moral queasiness that greets you in the aftermath: What am I doing? Can I live with myself? Did that bloodbath I just carried out actually do any good?
Those are...
- 8/3/2018
- by Owen Gleiberman
- Variety Film + TV
Hotel Transylvania 3: A Monster Vacation also set to debut in UK.
After two sizable debuts in consecutive weeks at the UK box office – Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again with £9.7m last week and Incredibles 2 with £9.5m the week before – two more titles will be looking to make a splash this weekend.
Paramount’s Mission: Impossible - Fallout is riding the crest of a wave of positive reviews, with Screen’s own calling it a “thrilling franchise topper”. Despite being the sixth entry in the long-running Tom Cruise-fronted Mission Impossible series, the possibility of franchise fatigue should...
After two sizable debuts in consecutive weeks at the UK box office – Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again with £9.7m last week and Incredibles 2 with £9.5m the week before – two more titles will be looking to make a splash this weekend.
Paramount’s Mission: Impossible - Fallout is riding the crest of a wave of positive reviews, with Screen’s own calling it a “thrilling franchise topper”. Despite being the sixth entry in the long-running Tom Cruise-fronted Mission Impossible series, the possibility of franchise fatigue should...
- 7/27/2018
- by Tom Grater
- ScreenDaily
’Tranny Fag’ will have its UK premiere at Sheffield Doc/Fest.
London’s Institute of Contemporary Arts (Ica) has added four features to its UK release slate, including Berlinale documentary Tranny Fag.
Through its Ica Cinema banner, which was relaunched as a distribution label in 2016, the organisation has taken all UK rights to Claudia Priscilla and Kiko Goifman’s Tranny Fag ahead of the film’s UK premiere at Sheffield Doc/Fest on June 9. The documentary follows Mc Linn Da Quebrada, a black trans woman, performer and activist living in impoverished São Paulo.
The Ica will release the film in...
London’s Institute of Contemporary Arts (Ica) has added four features to its UK release slate, including Berlinale documentary Tranny Fag.
Through its Ica Cinema banner, which was relaunched as a distribution label in 2016, the organisation has taken all UK rights to Claudia Priscilla and Kiko Goifman’s Tranny Fag ahead of the film’s UK premiere at Sheffield Doc/Fest on June 9. The documentary follows Mc Linn Da Quebrada, a black trans woman, performer and activist living in impoverished São Paulo.
The Ica will release the film in...
- 6/8/2018
- by Tom Grater
- ScreenDaily
Like its seemingly innocuous protagonist, director Nelson Carlo de Los Santos Arias’ “Cocote” straddles two worlds. The film, which follows a Dominican groundskeeper returning to the rural village of his youth following the death of his father, possesses traces of the revenge thriller genre and its requisite narrative beats. However, outside of these moments, “Cocote” is an entirely different beast—a challenging watch that swings from the avant-garde to an ethnographic model of filmmaking.
- 4/12/2018
- by Bradley Warren
- The Playlist
My Own Private HellThe titles for the 47th International Film Festival Rotterdam are being announced in anticipation of the event running January 24 - February 4, 2018. We will update the program as new films are revealed.SIGNATURESInsect (Jan Švankmajer)Asino (Anatoly Vasiliev)Lek and the Dogs (Andrew Kötting)The Bottomless Bag (Rustam Khamdamov)Mrs. Fang (Wang Bing)Readers (James Benning)The Wandering Soap Opera (Valeria Sarmiento, Raúl Ruiz)Lover for a Day (Philippe Garrel)Bright FUTUREThe Flower Shop (Ruben Desiere)Look Up (Fulvio Risoleo)My Friend the Polish Girl (Ewa Banaszkiewicz)Rabot (Christina Vandekerckhove)Respeto (Alberto Monteras II)The Return (Malene Choi Jensen)Windspiel (Peyman Ghalambor)All You Can Eat Buddha (Ian Lagarde)Azougue Nazareth (Tiago Melo)My Own Private Hell (Guto Parente)Ordinary Time (Susana Nobre)3/4 (Ilian Metev)Cocote (Nelson Carlo De Los Santos Arias)Drift (Helena Wittmann)The Wild Boys (Bertrand Mandico)Gutland (Govinda Van Maele)The Watchman (Alejandro Andújar...
- 12/15/2017
- MUBI
Below you will find our favorite films of the 42nd Toronto International Film Festival, as well as an index of our coverage.Top Picksfernando F. CROCE1. First Reformed (Paul Schrader)2. Zama (Lucrecia Martel)3. Western (Valeska Grisebach)4. Ex Libris (Frederick Wiseman)5. Faces Places (Agnès Varda, Jr)6. Manhunt (John Woo)7. Jeanette: The Childhood of Joan of Arc (Bruno Dumont)8. Brawl in Cell Block 99 (S. Craig Zahler)9. The Day After (Hong Sang-soo)10. Let the Corpses Tan (Hélène Cattet, Bruno Forzani)Kelley DONG1. Rose Gold (Sarah Cwynar), Strangely Ordinary This Devotion (Dani Restack, Sheilah Wilson Restack)3. Good Luck (Ben Russell)4. Manhunt (John Woo)5. The Third Murder (Hirokazu Kore-eda), Angels Wear White (Vivian Qu)Daniel KASMAN1. Ex Libris (Frederick Wiseman)2. First Reformed (Paul Schrader)3. Zama (Lucrecia Martel)4. Strangely Ordinary This Devotion (Dani Restack, Sheilah Wilson Restack)5. I Love You, Daddy (Louis C.K.)6. Rose Gold (Sarah Cwynar)7. Brawl in Cell Block 99 (S. Craig Zahler)8. below-above (André...
- 9/19/2017
- MUBI
Grasshopper Film has acquired U.S. distribution rights to Cocote, the Dominican Republic-set crime drama that marks the second feature film from Nelson Carlo De Los Santos Arias. The deal was made after the pic had its North American premiere at the Toronto Film Festival, which followed a bow at Locarno. The plan is to release it in theaters next year followed by VOD and home video. The plot centers on an Evangelical Christian and gardener working in the city who returns…...
- 9/13/2017
- Deadline
After winning the top prize at this year’s Locarno International Film Festival’s Signs of Life sidebar section (a program dedicated to “investigating experimental forms of narration and innovations in film language”), Nelson Carlo de los Santos Arias’ “Cocote” will next hit Tiff’s similarly ambitious Wavelengths section later this month. Bundled up in a surprisingly staid plot — a man returns home to help bury his father, and family dramas come to a head — is a bold and unnerving drama about personal choice and religious power.
Per the film’s official synopsis, it “is the story of Alberto, an evangelical gardener, returns to his hometown to attend his father’s funeral, killed by an influential man. To mourn the deceased, he is forced to participate in religion celebrations that are contrary to his will and beliefs.”
In our exclusive new trailer, that story is at the fore, but so...
Per the film’s official synopsis, it “is the story of Alberto, an evangelical gardener, returns to his hometown to attend his father’s funeral, killed by an influential man. To mourn the deceased, he is forced to participate in religion celebrations that are contrary to his will and beliefs.”
In our exclusive new trailer, that story is at the fore, but so...
- 8/31/2017
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Mrs. Fang director Wang BingBelow you will find the awards for the 70th Locarno Festival, as well as an index of our coverage.AWARDSInternational CompetitionGolden Leopard: Mrs. Fang (Wang Bing) Special Jury Prize: Good Manners (Juliana Rojas, Marco Dutra) Best Direction: F.J. Ossang (9 Doigts) Best Actress: Isabelle Huppert (Madame Hyde) Best Actor: Elliott Crosset Hove (Winter Brothers)Filmmakers of the Present Golden Leopard: ¾ (Ilian Metev) Special Jury Prize: Milla (Valerie Massadian) Prize for Best Emerging Director: Kim Dae-hwan (The First Lap) Special Mentions: Distant Constellation (Shevaun Mizrahi), Damned Summer (Pedro Cabeleira)Signs of Life Best Film: Cocote (Nelson Carlo De Los Santos Arias) Mantarraya Award: Phantasiesätze (Dane Komljen)First Feature Best First Feature: Scary Mother (Ana Urushadze)Art Peace Hotel Award: Meteors (Gürcan Keltek)Special Mention: Those Who Are Fine (Cyril Schäublin)Favorite MOMENTSFestival coverage by Daniel KasmanYacht Strafing, Gym Rivalry, Alcatraz Island: On Jacques Tourneur's Nick Carter, Master...
- 8/28/2017
- MUBI
Cannes titles The Desert Bride and April’s Daughters among 12 titles.
The 65th San Sebastian Film Festival (Sept 22-30) has revealed the 12 titles in its Horizontes Latinos programme, featuring some of the best Latin American films of the year to date.
This year’s selection includes Cannes Un Certain Regard title The Desert Bride (pictured) directed by Cecilia Atán and Valeria Pivato, and Gustavo Rondón’s debut La Familia, which was screened at Cannes Critics’ Week.
Another Un Certain Regard title, Michel Franco’s April’s Daughters, has also been selected. His film After Lucia won the Prize Un Certain Regard in 2012, and his follow-up, Chronic competed for the Palme d’Or and won the best screenplay award at Cannes in 2015.
All 12 feature films compete for the Horizontes Award and its €35,000 ($40,958) prize. The six first and second films in the selection (La Educación De Rey, La Familia, Medea, Arábia, La Novia Del Desierto and Temporada De Caza) are also...
The 65th San Sebastian Film Festival (Sept 22-30) has revealed the 12 titles in its Horizontes Latinos programme, featuring some of the best Latin American films of the year to date.
This year’s selection includes Cannes Un Certain Regard title The Desert Bride (pictured) directed by Cecilia Atán and Valeria Pivato, and Gustavo Rondón’s debut La Familia, which was screened at Cannes Critics’ Week.
Another Un Certain Regard title, Michel Franco’s April’s Daughters, has also been selected. His film After Lucia won the Prize Un Certain Regard in 2012, and his follow-up, Chronic competed for the Palme d’Or and won the best screenplay award at Cannes in 2015.
All 12 feature films compete for the Horizontes Award and its €35,000 ($40,958) prize. The six first and second films in the selection (La Educación De Rey, La Familia, Medea, Arábia, La Novia Del Desierto and Temporada De Caza) are also...
- 8/16/2017
- by orlando.parfitt@screendaily.com (Orlando Parfitt)
- ScreenDaily
The true highlight of Toronto International Film Festival every year is the Wavelengths program, an expertly curated selection of the most boundary-pushing cinema from around the world. Led in particular by the programming vision of Andréa Picard, also known for her contributions to Cinema Scope since its inception, it acts as its own mini-festival of sorts. We were lucky enough to receive a personal preview of this year’s exciting looking batch of films from her.
Can you talk about some of the pairings; for example Blake Williams’ Prototype with Erkki Kurenneimi’s Florence or Denis Côté’s A Skin So Soft with Kazik Radwanski’s Scaffold?
I’ve always tried to curate the program as much as possible. There are infinite possibilities out there and sometimes I’m not even looking for a theme, but a theme will emerge. Sometimes things lend themselves to make a really great programme.
Can you talk about some of the pairings; for example Blake Williams’ Prototype with Erkki Kurenneimi’s Florence or Denis Côté’s A Skin So Soft with Kazik Radwanski’s Scaffold?
I’ve always tried to curate the program as much as possible. There are infinite possibilities out there and sometimes I’m not even looking for a theme, but a theme will emerge. Sometimes things lend themselves to make a really great programme.
- 8/16/2017
- by Ethan Vestby
- The Film Stage
Update: Audience award winner revealed; Good Manners, Winter Brothers also among winners.
Documentary filmmaker Wang Bing became the fifth director from China in Locarno’s seven-decade history to win the top honour of the Golden Leopard at this year’s edition.
Mrs. Fang, which is the first documentray ever to win the festival’s top prize, follows the last days of a 67-year-old Alzheimer’s patient in southern China.
Previous Golden Leopard winners from China were Hongqui Li with Winter Vacation in 2010 and Xiaolu Guo with She, a Chinese a year before, as well as Shuo Wang with Father in 2000 and Yue Lü with Mr Zhao in 1998.
The decision by the international competition jury, headed by director Olivier Assayas, reflects a trend at international festivals of recent years for documentaries beating out competition from fiction productions.
While the special jury prize went to the Brazilian writing and directing team Juliana Rojas and Marco Dutra’s Good Manners about...
Documentary filmmaker Wang Bing became the fifth director from China in Locarno’s seven-decade history to win the top honour of the Golden Leopard at this year’s edition.
Mrs. Fang, which is the first documentray ever to win the festival’s top prize, follows the last days of a 67-year-old Alzheimer’s patient in southern China.
Previous Golden Leopard winners from China were Hongqui Li with Winter Vacation in 2010 and Xiaolu Guo with She, a Chinese a year before, as well as Shuo Wang with Father in 2000 and Yue Lü with Mr Zhao in 1998.
The decision by the international competition jury, headed by director Olivier Assayas, reflects a trend at international festivals of recent years for documentaries beating out competition from fiction productions.
While the special jury prize went to the Brazilian writing and directing team Juliana Rojas and Marco Dutra’s Good Manners about...
- 8/12/2017
- by screen.berlin@googlemail.com (Martin Blaney)
- ScreenDaily
Ben & Joshua Safdie's Good TimeThe lineup for the 2017 festival has been revealed, including new films by Wang Bing, Radu Jude, Raúl Ruiz and others, alongside retrospectives and tributes dedicated to Jean-Marie Straub, Jacques Tourneur and much more.Piazza GRANDEAmori che non sonno stare al mondo (Francesca Comencini, Italy)Atomic Blonde (David Leitch, USA)Chien (Samuel Benchetrit, France/Belgium)Demain et tous les autres jours (Noémie Lvovsky, France)Drei Zinnen (Jan Zabeil, Germany/Italy)Good Time (Ben & Joshua Safdie, USA)Gotthard - One Life, One Soul (Kevin Merz, Switzerland)I Walked with a Zombie (Jacques Tourneur, USA)Iceman (Felix Randau, Germany/Italy/Austria)Laissez bronzer les cadavres (Hélène Cattet & Bruno Forzani, Belgium/France)Lola Pater (Nadir Moknèche, France/Belgium)Sicilia! (Jean-Marie Straub & Danièle Huillet, Italy/France/Germany)Sparring (Samuel Jouy, France)The Big Sick (Michael Showalter, USA)The Song of Scorpions (Anup Singh, Switzerland/France/Singapore)What Happed to Monday (Tommy Wirkola,...
- 7/12/2017
- MUBI
Going UNDERGROUNDEverybody and their dog, it seems, feels this off imperative to try to identify common themes in the handful of festival films they (we) (I) see in a given year. It's the Ghost of Hegel, I suppose, demanding that we make sense of our times by referring to some Zeitgeist. (Zeitgeist? Isn't this just as likely to Strand the FilmsWeLike in some oh-so-precious Music Box, to be unearthed years later by members of some as-yet-unassembled Cinema Guild? But I digress.) There may or may not be tendencies running through this year's feature selections, and if there are, that could have as much to do with the people who selected them than with any global mood. But there does seem to be a generalized turning-inward, with filmmakers making works about themselves and their immediate lives, the cinematic process, and the very complexities of communicating with other human beings. There are...
- 9/17/2015
- by Michael Sicinski
- MUBI
Potential awards season contenders Truth from James Vanderbilt and Marc Abraham’s I Saw The Light starring Tom Hiddleston as Hank Williams land world premiere slots, while Paco Cabezas’s Mr. Right will close the festival.
London is the subject of the seventh annual City To City programme that features world premieres of Tom Geens’ Couple In A Hole starring Paul Higgins and Kate Dickie and Michael Caton-Jones’ Urban Hymn with Letitia Wright and Shirley Henderson. Elaine Constantine’s Northern Soul gets a North American premiere.
The world premiere of Catherine Hardwicke’s Miss You Already is among five additions to the galas alongside Mr. Right, an action comedy starring Sam Rockwell and Anna Kendrick.
Matthew Cullen’s Martin Amis adaptation London Fields and David Gordon Green’s Our Brand Is Crisis get first public screenings in the Special Presentations roster with I Saw The Light.
Tiff top brass also unveiled the Contemporary World Cinema section, featuring...
London is the subject of the seventh annual City To City programme that features world premieres of Tom Geens’ Couple In A Hole starring Paul Higgins and Kate Dickie and Michael Caton-Jones’ Urban Hymn with Letitia Wright and Shirley Henderson. Elaine Constantine’s Northern Soul gets a North American premiere.
The world premiere of Catherine Hardwicke’s Miss You Already is among five additions to the galas alongside Mr. Right, an action comedy starring Sam Rockwell and Anna Kendrick.
Matthew Cullen’s Martin Amis adaptation London Fields and David Gordon Green’s Our Brand Is Crisis get first public screenings in the Special Presentations roster with I Saw The Light.
Tiff top brass also unveiled the Contemporary World Cinema section, featuring...
- 8/18/2015
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
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