Dylan Sprouse is no stranger to the big screen, having started his acting career at just eight months old alongside his identical, younger twin brother, Cole. From their breakout role in Adam Sandler’s “Big Daddy” to becoming Disney Channel stars as tweens, the Sprouse Twins seemed destined for a lifelong career in show business until they both took a break from acting to attend New York University in 2011. While Cole returned to television in 2016 to star as Jughead Jones in the CW’s hit series “Riverdale,” Dylan is finally making his own return to acting with the lead role in a new thriller, “Dismissed.”
Sprouse plays Lucas Ward, a high schooler who transfers into the classroom of English teacher Mr. Butler (Kent Osbourne). On the surface, Lucas seems like a dream student. He’s punctual, earns straight A’s, and comes to class tucked into pressed pants and blazers — an overachiever,...
Sprouse plays Lucas Ward, a high schooler who transfers into the classroom of English teacher Mr. Butler (Kent Osbourne). On the surface, Lucas seems like a dream student. He’s punctual, earns straight A’s, and comes to class tucked into pressed pants and blazers — an overachiever,...
- 12/8/2017
- by Jamie Righetti
- Indiewire
With a seemingly endless amount of streaming options — not only the titles at our disposal, but services themselves — we’ve taken it upon ourselves to highlight the titles that have recently hit platforms. Every week, one will be able to see the cream of the crop (or perhaps some simply interesting picks) of streaming titles (new and old) across platforms such as Netflix, iTunes, Amazon, and more (note: U.S. only). Check out our rundown for this week’s selections below.
Beach Rats (Eliza Hittman)
Burgeoning sexuality is the basis for nearly all coming-of-age films, but with her specific eye, Eliza Hittman makes it feel like we’re watching this genre unfold for the first time. With only two features to her name, she’s captured the experience with a sensuality and intimacy nearly unprecedented in American independent filmmaking. Following 2013’s It Felt Like Love, the writer-director follows it with...
Beach Rats (Eliza Hittman)
Burgeoning sexuality is the basis for nearly all coming-of-age films, but with her specific eye, Eliza Hittman makes it feel like we’re watching this genre unfold for the first time. With only two features to her name, she’s captured the experience with a sensuality and intimacy nearly unprecedented in American independent filmmaking. Following 2013’s It Felt Like Love, the writer-director follows it with...
- 11/10/2017
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Bob Edwards, Doug Nichol, Jeremy Mayer and Ken Alexander with Anne-Katrin Titze at the California Typewriter Us theatrical premiere at Metrograph in New York Photo: John Benet
Fritz Lang's Metropolis is seen as inspiration for sculptor Jeremy Mayer and John Mayer recalls a scene capturing his attention in Da Pennebaker's Don't Look Back, where Bob Dylan is using a typewriter, "sitting at the altar", to compose lyrics as Joan Baez sings and plays guitar as a turning point for him. Sam Shepard, "peripatetic" since he was an infant, feels that there is an "apparition taking place" when writing on his Hermes 3000.
Doug Nichol with producer John Benet at the sold-out opening night screening of California Typewriter Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
David McCullough and the drawings of the Brooklyn Bridge, Paul Auster and the magic in the keyboard, linking the machine to Tom Hanks and Martin Howard's fathers, typewriter poet Silvi Alcivar,...
Fritz Lang's Metropolis is seen as inspiration for sculptor Jeremy Mayer and John Mayer recalls a scene capturing his attention in Da Pennebaker's Don't Look Back, where Bob Dylan is using a typewriter, "sitting at the altar", to compose lyrics as Joan Baez sings and plays guitar as a turning point for him. Sam Shepard, "peripatetic" since he was an infant, feels that there is an "apparition taking place" when writing on his Hermes 3000.
Doug Nichol with producer John Benet at the sold-out opening night screening of California Typewriter Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
David McCullough and the drawings of the Brooklyn Bridge, Paul Auster and the magic in the keyboard, linking the machine to Tom Hanks and Martin Howard's fathers, typewriter poet Silvi Alcivar,...
- 8/19/2017
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Fantastic Fest 2017 Announces Lineup, Including ‘Gerald’s Game’ and Plans for Nationwide Programming
Few film festivals happily brand themselves as the nexus of chaos and carnage, but Austin’s genre-driven Fantastic Fest proved itself as a very different kind of festival long ago. This year’s lineup speaks to that same impulse, as its 13th edition features a range of provocative films and a timely theme that aims to bring truly diverse cinema to genre fans nationwide.
This year, that audience will be larger than ever. For fans of Fantastic Fest’s sensibilities who can’t make it to the annual festival, the festival has a few new options: Alamo Drafthouse locations in San Francisco, Brooklyn, and Denver will feature an exclusive slate of 2017 Fantastic Fest titles over the weekend of September 29.
Read More‘Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri’: Martin McDonagh’s Latest Lands Awards-Friendly Release Date
This year’s Fantastic Fest will open with the U.S. premiere of Martin McDonagh’s “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing,...
This year, that audience will be larger than ever. For fans of Fantastic Fest’s sensibilities who can’t make it to the annual festival, the festival has a few new options: Alamo Drafthouse locations in San Francisco, Brooklyn, and Denver will feature an exclusive slate of 2017 Fantastic Fest titles over the weekend of September 29.
Read More‘Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri’: Martin McDonagh’s Latest Lands Awards-Friendly Release Date
This year’s Fantastic Fest will open with the U.S. premiere of Martin McDonagh’s “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing,...
- 8/8/2017
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Keep up with the glitzy awards world with our weekly Awards Roundup column.
– Robert De Niro will receive the Chaplin Award at the Film Society of Lincoln Center’s 44th Chaplin Award Gala on May 8, 2017. The event will celebrate De Niro’s more than 40-year career in cinema and his championing of independent film through the Tribeca Film Festival and Tribeca Film Institute.
Read More: Awards Roundup: Annette Bening to Receive AFI Tribute, Shirley MacLaine Honored With Lafca Award and More
“De Niro has long been such a legendary presence that one can overlook the remarkably fine-tuned craft and quality he has brought to his roles over his multi-decade career,” Lesli Klainberg, Executive Director of the Film Society of Lincoln Center, said in a statement. “If you watch his performances, from ‘Mean Streets’ and ‘The Godfather Part II’ to ‘Raging Bull’ and ‘Awakenings’ and on to his more recent work...
– Robert De Niro will receive the Chaplin Award at the Film Society of Lincoln Center’s 44th Chaplin Award Gala on May 8, 2017. The event will celebrate De Niro’s more than 40-year career in cinema and his championing of independent film through the Tribeca Film Festival and Tribeca Film Institute.
Read More: Awards Roundup: Annette Bening to Receive AFI Tribute, Shirley MacLaine Honored With Lafca Award and More
“De Niro has long been such a legendary presence that one can overlook the remarkably fine-tuned craft and quality he has brought to his roles over his multi-decade career,” Lesli Klainberg, Executive Director of the Film Society of Lincoln Center, said in a statement. “If you watch his performances, from ‘Mean Streets’ and ‘The Godfather Part II’ to ‘Raging Bull’ and ‘Awakenings’ and on to his more recent work...
- 10/21/2016
- by Graham Winfrey
- Indiewire
Want to experience higher learning in horror? From September to December, Brooklyn's Morbid Anatomy Museum will host classes on horror presented by The Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies. Classes will be instructed by some of the most renowned experts and artists of the genre, including Jack Ketchum (author of the seminal The Girl Next Door), Dennis Paoli (co-screenwriter of 1985's Re-Animator), and longtime horror journalist Michael Gingold.
Press Release: With successful branches in London and Montreal, The Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies makes its first stateside stop at Brooklyn’s Morbid Anatomy Museum with a pilot semester of horror film, literature and pop culture classes, running from September through December 2016 and featuring classes by some of the most renowned voices in horror film, fiction and criticism.
Named for the fictional university in H.P. Lovecraft’s literary mythos, The Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies is a community-based organization that offers...
Press Release: With successful branches in London and Montreal, The Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies makes its first stateside stop at Brooklyn’s Morbid Anatomy Museum with a pilot semester of horror film, literature and pop culture classes, running from September through December 2016 and featuring classes by some of the most renowned voices in horror film, fiction and criticism.
Named for the fictional university in H.P. Lovecraft’s literary mythos, The Miskatonic Institute of Horror Studies is a community-based organization that offers...
- 9/2/2016
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
Exclusive: Jeremy Thomas teams for fourth time with cult Japanese director on manga adaptation.
Jeremy Thomas’ Recorded Picture Company is re-teaming with 13 Assassins director Takashi Miike on action-drama Blade Of The Immortal.
Miike, who is in post on sci-fi horror Terraformars, is currently shooting Blade Of The Immortal, which will follow Manji, a ronin cursed with immortality. He also acts as bodyguard to a young woman who swears vengeance against a group of sword fighters who murdered her parents. Cast includes Takuya Kimura (2046).
Japanese oufit Oriental Light and Magic produces the feature, which Warner Bros Japan will release locally. HanWay Films will handle international sales.
The live action film is adapted from the hit manga series of the same name by Hiroaki Samura and marks the fourth collaboration between iconic UK production outfit Rpc and Miike, also known for directing Yakuza Apocalypse and Audition.
Rpc’s High-Rise will be released by Studiocanal in the UK next month...
Jeremy Thomas’ Recorded Picture Company is re-teaming with 13 Assassins director Takashi Miike on action-drama Blade Of The Immortal.
Miike, who is in post on sci-fi horror Terraformars, is currently shooting Blade Of The Immortal, which will follow Manji, a ronin cursed with immortality. He also acts as bodyguard to a young woman who swears vengeance against a group of sword fighters who murdered her parents. Cast includes Takuya Kimura (2046).
Japanese oufit Oriental Light and Magic produces the feature, which Warner Bros Japan will release locally. HanWay Films will handle international sales.
The live action film is adapted from the hit manga series of the same name by Hiroaki Samura and marks the fourth collaboration between iconic UK production outfit Rpc and Miike, also known for directing Yakuza Apocalypse and Audition.
Rpc’s High-Rise will be released by Studiocanal in the UK next month...
- 2/13/2016
- by andreas.wiseman@screendaily.com (Andreas Wiseman)
- ScreenDaily
Proust’s little “bande de filles” was nothing like this. Nor is Ousmane Sembene’s classic film “Black Girl” like this, except for the silence displayed by the protagonists of the two films as they deal with life’s offerings. Nor does this have the depth of “La Vie d’Adele, Chapitre 1” although it ends in a way that invites the viewer to want to see what the next chapter offers.
What I saw was the story of a poor black girl in one of the banlieus (the ‘hood) of Paris trying to find a way out of her dead end life. But I never saw the working her mind or the depth of her character. I saw she had an intuition about life, was fearless, kind, and determined. Does intelligence count? We must wait for the next chapter to find out how she succeeds if she indeed does. I don’t know if the director has the answer to this. And I wonder if the way out is through a person or through her own innate resources which I never did see. And this is where I take exception to the film. She failed school, never seemed to care, played American (??) football but seemed to have no attachment to the game or the players
Who is the director-writer Céline Sciamma? She’s a very talented white girl who went to La Femis, the French film school some regard as elitist. Her previous two films, deal with female sexual ambiguity (“Tomboy”, “Water Lilies”) and are very authentic, moving and valuable films worth watching more than once.
When I see films like “Sister” by Ursula Meier, or even “ Two Days, One Night” by the Dardenne Brothers whom I love, even while I enjoy the films – as I did this one (except for certain moments when I wanted to laugh, e.g., when she wears the blond wig and red dress to deliver drugs at a white party) -- I am aware that I am watching depictions of working class people in dramas directed by bourgeois filmmakers. And when I hear the vulgar loud-mouth dishing of girl-gangs I am not fooled into thinking it is clever repartee when I know it is foul and crude. And today, with the issues of immigrants and second and third generations of non-integrated minorities, this is a sensitive area. Having seen the “nouvelle vibe” films of Rachid Djajdani whose film “Hold Back” won the Fipresci Prize in Directors Fortnight in 2012 or “Brooklyn” by Pascal Tessaud, I am even more sensitized to authenticity.
I don’t think this shows the French black reality in the suburbs. It looks more like a white view of the U.S. urban black ‘hood. When I grew up blacks barely existed in our thoughts or imagination. I was white and Jewish living in a non-Jewish, white (bigoted) working class neighborhood. There I absorbed the prevailing view of the Mexicans who lived on the other side of the tracks. They were all considered “pachucos”. And I longed to join the girl gangs who had fights like the little bande de filles in this movie; they carried switch blade knives, razors in their big hair and pulled the earrings out of the pierced ears. The two fights in this movie were just like I imagined the fights and were like those male-imagined “catfights” in the Aip prison movies or of the bar-girls in western movies of that era. Something in this movie has the same scent of inauthenticity. I realize I am projecting my own girlhood longing to join the bande de filles onto Céline, and perhaps it’s pure projection, but it feels as if she is attracted to them for reasons other than storytelling. The story is ok but the telling is faulty.
That said, I am very glad Strand is releasing “Girlhood”, and I hope it creates some Wom, just as I hoped “Dear White People” would. It did well, grossing more than $4 million. I hope this film does as well, though being French, the most I can hope is that it reaches the $1 million box office level. When I saw “Dear White People” last year in Sundance, I kept quiet because my thought was, that if that is what black students at the universities are preoccupied with today, then I pity the future of America. And I did not believe for a minute that such overriding preoccupations were real. However, it did quite well and I hope this one does too, although I believe that I am watching stereoptypes. What are these people’s serious thoughts; where are their depths of feelings?
When I grew up and met real Mexicans, I saw none of the stereotypical behavior I was told to beware of. Even when I met gang members, there was no romantic element at all, only a degradation of humanity caused by the unrelenting prejudice of society’s impersonalization.
I loved the French review of this film by Régis Dubois, who has a blog very well-respected by black community in France.
For those interested in going into such films in greater depth, see the films of Carrénard,Maldhé, Zadi,Zouhani, May,Djajdani or Tessaud. Check out what is playing at the Festival Cinébanlieue or Les Pépites du Cinéma. These show the truth about what is happening in the minds of “these people”.
Girlhood (Bande de Filles) is being sold by Films Distribution
Strand Releasing will release it in the U.S.
Other territories sold are:
Brazil--Imovision
Denmark--Reel Pictures Aps, Peripher
France-Oct 22, 2014-Pyramide Distribution
Norway--As Fidalgo Film Distribution
Slovenia--Demiurg
Sweden--Folkets Bio
U.S.--Strand Releasing
Writer/director Céline Sciamma’s look at a group of black high school students living in the tough banlieues of Paris is grounded by newcomer Karidja Touré. "Girlhood," is scheduled to open in New York on January 30, 2015 with a national roll out to follow.
Fed up with her abusive family situation, lack of school prospects and the “boys’ law” in the neighborhood, shy Marieme (Karidja Touré) starts a new life after falling in with a group of three free-spirited girls. She changes her name, her style, drops out of school and starts stealing to be accepted into the gang. When her home situation becomes unbearable, Marieme seeks solace in an older man who promises her money and protection. Realizing this sort of lifestyle will never result in the freedom and independence she truly desires, she finally decides to take matters into her own hands.
French director/writer Céline Sciamma’s debut feature, “Water Lilies”, catapulted her as one of France’s most fresh and notable women directors, garnering her a César nomination for Best First Feature as well as the prestigious Prix Louis Deluc for Best First Feature awarded by the French Film Critics. Her second film, “Tomboy”, won the Teddy Jury Award at the 2011 Berlin International Film Festival. This is Ms. Sciamma’s third feature film.
This film has great credentials, having debuted in Cannes 2014 Directors Fortnight, gone on to Toronto - Tiff 2014 Contemporary World Cinema and
Stockholm Iff 2014 - Competition (Best Film, Best Cinematography) and Sundance World Dramatic Competition 2015.
Critics loved it too.
“Celine Sciamma’s ‘Girlhood’ is one of the best coming of age movies in years.” — Eric Kohn, Indiewire...
What I saw was the story of a poor black girl in one of the banlieus (the ‘hood) of Paris trying to find a way out of her dead end life. But I never saw the working her mind or the depth of her character. I saw she had an intuition about life, was fearless, kind, and determined. Does intelligence count? We must wait for the next chapter to find out how she succeeds if she indeed does. I don’t know if the director has the answer to this. And I wonder if the way out is through a person or through her own innate resources which I never did see. And this is where I take exception to the film. She failed school, never seemed to care, played American (??) football but seemed to have no attachment to the game or the players
Who is the director-writer Céline Sciamma? She’s a very talented white girl who went to La Femis, the French film school some regard as elitist. Her previous two films, deal with female sexual ambiguity (“Tomboy”, “Water Lilies”) and are very authentic, moving and valuable films worth watching more than once.
When I see films like “Sister” by Ursula Meier, or even “ Two Days, One Night” by the Dardenne Brothers whom I love, even while I enjoy the films – as I did this one (except for certain moments when I wanted to laugh, e.g., when she wears the blond wig and red dress to deliver drugs at a white party) -- I am aware that I am watching depictions of working class people in dramas directed by bourgeois filmmakers. And when I hear the vulgar loud-mouth dishing of girl-gangs I am not fooled into thinking it is clever repartee when I know it is foul and crude. And today, with the issues of immigrants and second and third generations of non-integrated minorities, this is a sensitive area. Having seen the “nouvelle vibe” films of Rachid Djajdani whose film “Hold Back” won the Fipresci Prize in Directors Fortnight in 2012 or “Brooklyn” by Pascal Tessaud, I am even more sensitized to authenticity.
I don’t think this shows the French black reality in the suburbs. It looks more like a white view of the U.S. urban black ‘hood. When I grew up blacks barely existed in our thoughts or imagination. I was white and Jewish living in a non-Jewish, white (bigoted) working class neighborhood. There I absorbed the prevailing view of the Mexicans who lived on the other side of the tracks. They were all considered “pachucos”. And I longed to join the girl gangs who had fights like the little bande de filles in this movie; they carried switch blade knives, razors in their big hair and pulled the earrings out of the pierced ears. The two fights in this movie were just like I imagined the fights and were like those male-imagined “catfights” in the Aip prison movies or of the bar-girls in western movies of that era. Something in this movie has the same scent of inauthenticity. I realize I am projecting my own girlhood longing to join the bande de filles onto Céline, and perhaps it’s pure projection, but it feels as if she is attracted to them for reasons other than storytelling. The story is ok but the telling is faulty.
That said, I am very glad Strand is releasing “Girlhood”, and I hope it creates some Wom, just as I hoped “Dear White People” would. It did well, grossing more than $4 million. I hope this film does as well, though being French, the most I can hope is that it reaches the $1 million box office level. When I saw “Dear White People” last year in Sundance, I kept quiet because my thought was, that if that is what black students at the universities are preoccupied with today, then I pity the future of America. And I did not believe for a minute that such overriding preoccupations were real. However, it did quite well and I hope this one does too, although I believe that I am watching stereoptypes. What are these people’s serious thoughts; where are their depths of feelings?
When I grew up and met real Mexicans, I saw none of the stereotypical behavior I was told to beware of. Even when I met gang members, there was no romantic element at all, only a degradation of humanity caused by the unrelenting prejudice of society’s impersonalization.
I loved the French review of this film by Régis Dubois, who has a blog very well-respected by black community in France.
For those interested in going into such films in greater depth, see the films of Carrénard,Maldhé, Zadi,Zouhani, May,Djajdani or Tessaud. Check out what is playing at the Festival Cinébanlieue or Les Pépites du Cinéma. These show the truth about what is happening in the minds of “these people”.
Girlhood (Bande de Filles) is being sold by Films Distribution
Strand Releasing will release it in the U.S.
Other territories sold are:
Brazil--Imovision
Denmark--Reel Pictures Aps, Peripher
France-Oct 22, 2014-Pyramide Distribution
Norway--As Fidalgo Film Distribution
Slovenia--Demiurg
Sweden--Folkets Bio
U.S.--Strand Releasing
Writer/director Céline Sciamma’s look at a group of black high school students living in the tough banlieues of Paris is grounded by newcomer Karidja Touré. "Girlhood," is scheduled to open in New York on January 30, 2015 with a national roll out to follow.
Fed up with her abusive family situation, lack of school prospects and the “boys’ law” in the neighborhood, shy Marieme (Karidja Touré) starts a new life after falling in with a group of three free-spirited girls. She changes her name, her style, drops out of school and starts stealing to be accepted into the gang. When her home situation becomes unbearable, Marieme seeks solace in an older man who promises her money and protection. Realizing this sort of lifestyle will never result in the freedom and independence she truly desires, she finally decides to take matters into her own hands.
French director/writer Céline Sciamma’s debut feature, “Water Lilies”, catapulted her as one of France’s most fresh and notable women directors, garnering her a César nomination for Best First Feature as well as the prestigious Prix Louis Deluc for Best First Feature awarded by the French Film Critics. Her second film, “Tomboy”, won the Teddy Jury Award at the 2011 Berlin International Film Festival. This is Ms. Sciamma’s third feature film.
This film has great credentials, having debuted in Cannes 2014 Directors Fortnight, gone on to Toronto - Tiff 2014 Contemporary World Cinema and
Stockholm Iff 2014 - Competition (Best Film, Best Cinematography) and Sundance World Dramatic Competition 2015.
Critics loved it too.
“Celine Sciamma’s ‘Girlhood’ is one of the best coming of age movies in years.” — Eric Kohn, Indiewire...
- 1/25/2015
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
On December 17, El Dia de St. Lazaro, something extraordinary happened! Equivalent to the “Fall of the Wall”, President Barak Obama simultaneously with Raul Castro of Cuba announced that diplomatic relations between our two countries was being restored; the last of the Cuban Five imprisoned for 15 years in the U.S. for spying (on Cuban terrorists based in Miami) would be returned to Cuba in exchange for Alan Gross (imprisoned for 5 years for bringing Cuba forbidden internet technology), and an unnamed CIA agent incarcerated for 20 years, along with other Cuban political prisoners; And that this would be the first step in finally normalizing relations between Cuba and the U.S.A.
Read More: Sydney Levine's First Impression at the 2014 Havana Film Festival
As my friends and I were driving from Trinidad to visit a sugar plantation which was the basis for the Cuban wealth of the 19th century, we got a message that in one hour Raul Castro would make the formal announcement and President Obama’s address would also be broadcast.
As we entered the former plantation home, now a restaurant, we heard the singing and jubilation coming from the bar and immediately joined in as the only Americans to share the joy; the Scotch (not rum) was flowing and the dancing and singing continued until the address came on the television.
I realized that in my 15 years of coming to Cuba, this was the moment I had been waiting for. We watched Raul Castro explain, and we watched President Obama explain, and as I watched the faces of the beautiful Cuban people as they listened, some with tears and others with smiles, all with great intensity, I understood the meaning of “rapprochement”. We turned toward each other in pure happiness and felt ourselves united after 55 years of separation.
This is The Place and I am here.
We knew when the Mercosur Heads of State were gathered under tight security at the Hotel Nacional during the first days of the festival that something was afoot. We heard that not only were they planning a possible counter boycott of U.S. in their upcoming May meeting, shutting out U.S. from attending, but the Hotel Nacional’s guest roster included the name of an American who was negotiating something much bigger.
Some speak of the idealism behind this long-wished-for move of U.S.; others speak of the economic necessity. Looking back at my most incredible year of traveling around Latin America, I understand that with the new expansion of the Panama Canal enabling the huge Chinese container ships to pass through, the most convenient next-stop-port for them is Havana. And from Havana, the most convenient port is not Cartagena or Cali in Colombia but New Orleans! And so we may see the rapprochement bring back the glorious days when music and adventure were equated with the Louisiana-Cuban connection. My hope is that the values held so dear in Cuba spread to U.S. and that we Americans don’t spread our U.S. arrogance when we land on the shores of the country which has managed 55 years with no help from us.
There is still more to this tale of reunion, but I am sworn to secrecy for the moment. But you will read it in papers other than this blog. Thirteen months of secret negotiations took place in Canada with the help of the Pope. At a wonderful dinner at a newly opened up Cuban-Russian restaurant on the Malecon, “Nostrovia”, our friend the restaurant owner, Rolando Almirante, whom we know as a documentary filmmaker and host of a weekly Cuban TV show, introduced us to a Canadian and an American both of whom had been involved with the long negotiations. Together we toasted the event with vodka.
To return to the Hotel Nacional and the festival:
Exceptionally quiet for those political reasons, it was also quiet because but there was none of the active debating over the new Law of Cinema which so excitedly animated the festival here last year. There was a low-key conference about the law of cinema and audiovisual culture held by the Cuban Association of Cinema Press with Fipresci and other invited guests to discuss and express opinions about whether most countries by now have a law of cinema, whether developing countries are planning on establishing a law of cinema, whether a law of cinema is necessary for a country aspiring to a higher level of culture for its population, and in what way would a law contribute to the development of production and to the appreciation of cinema. But you do not see everyone gathering in groups to discuss these ideas as they did last year.
Some of last year’s top filmmakers – producers like Ivonne Cotorruelo and Claudia Calvino are so busy preparing their next coproductions that they have no time for such discussions. Others shrug and resignedly express Cuban forbearance as usual.
I asked my friends what is the status of the law being established here in Cuba where only one law of cinema exists, which is the establishment of Icaic, the government institute that determines everything about film behind closed doors. Their answer was “Nothing”. Nothing has changed since last year. Discussions are continuing, and there will be a law established, but not yet…and so I learned that once the first big step is taken here, the next steps are very slow to follow.
So here is what happened on Day 3, December 7 of the my festival:
Our friend Pascal Tessaud whose short from France “City of Lights” brought him to Los Angeles several years ago, had a screening of his new film “Brooklyn”. Its premiere screening here (It premiered in Cannes’ Acid section earlier this year) was to an odd audience of older people. No doubt they were expecting a film about “Brooklyn” (which used to be the name of a bar in Central Havana) but instead got a film about a young Afro-Swiss rapper-girl named “Brooklyn” who enters the rap scene of Paris, made up of Arabs and Africans.
“Afronorteamericano” films were also spotlighted with Oscar Micheaux’s “Assassination in Harlem” (1935), “Within our Gates” (1920), “Body and Soul” (1926) starring Paul Robeson, “Underworld” (1937), “Swing” (1938), and Spencer William’s “The Blood of Jesus” (1941).
Also showing were North American documentaries “Citizen Koch”, “The Notorious Mr. Bout”, “The Overnighters”, and an homage to filmmaker, Eugene Jarecki (“Capturing the Friedmans” 2003, “Arbitrage” 2012, “The Trials of Henry Kissinger” 2002, “Why We Fight” 2006, Emmy Award winning “Reagan” 2011 and 2012’s “The House I Live In” about the war against drugs which along with “Why We Fight” won the Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary at Sundance) and a retrospective of Haitian filmmaker Raoul Peck. Trinidad & Tobago’s annual showcase featured “Creole Soup” from Guadalupe and “Legends of Ska” by American DJ and ska specialist Brad Klein. And of course there was the latest crop of new films from Latin America and the newest films from Cuba, and much, much more.
Today Benecio del Toro, a regular at this festival, won the Coral of Honor for his role as “Che” in Steven Soderbergh’s movies and for his role as the narcotraffiker, Pablo Escobar in the NBC miniseries “Drug Wars: The Camarena Story” and here now, as Escobar in “Escobar: Paradise Lost” directed by the Italian Andrea Di Stefano. For Benecio, Cuba is “a dream come true”.
Day 4, December 8.
There seems to be a trend toward films about children. The prize winning film “Conducta” and Cuba’s submission for Academy Award Nomination as Best Foreign Language Film has already won awards around the world including The Coral for Best Picture and Best Actor here in Havana. This young boy loses every government protection because of his family’s dysfunctions and yet he maintains the spirit of survival and transcendence. Another story from Argentina, Poland and Colombia, France and Germany, “Refugiado” directed by Diego Lerman, also deals with a child who returns home from a birthday party to find his mother unconscious on the floor. The mother then flees seeking a safe place for them and he experiences fear in all the formerly secure places he has known. “Gente de Bien” a Colombia-France coproduction directed by Franco Lolli also explores the world of a young boy, abandoned by his mother and placed in the disheveled home of his impecunious father, who is taken in by a teacher who means well but whose family refuses to accept him. This little kid reaches his limit when his dog dies; but thrown back to his caring if off-kilter father, you get the feeling he too will be all right after all.
A couple of new gay films showed: Cuba’s “Vestido de Novia” was so crowded I could not get near it. Lines around blocks and blocks to get into the 1,000 seat theater were incredible proof of how much Cubans love cinema. Winner of last year’s prize for a work-in-progress, “Vestido de Novia” (“Wedding Dress) will soon be on the festival circuit. Two years ago, at Guadalajara’s coproduction market “Cuatro Lunas” by Sergio Tovar Velarde was being pitched. A sort of primer on gayness, four stories tell the tale of 1) discovery of one’s gayness, 2) first gay love, 3) first gay betrayal of love and 4) love at a mature stage of life. Producer Fernando … hung out with us a bit as we all come from L.A. and have friends in common.
What – aside from the new rapprochement between Cuba and U.S.A. – is “good for the Jews”? A wonderful film from Uruguay, Spain and Germany, “Mr. Kaplan” directed by Alvaro Brechner and produced by my most helpful friend Mariana Secco, and my German friends Roman Paul and Gerhard Meixner (Isa: Memento) brought a new understanding for the good and the bad in our recent history. Almost a comedy and almost a tragedy, the film’s resolution served to transform our propensity to see and judge in black and white.
Read More: Sydney Levine's First Impression at the 2014 Havana Film Festival
As my friends and I were driving from Trinidad to visit a sugar plantation which was the basis for the Cuban wealth of the 19th century, we got a message that in one hour Raul Castro would make the formal announcement and President Obama’s address would also be broadcast.
As we entered the former plantation home, now a restaurant, we heard the singing and jubilation coming from the bar and immediately joined in as the only Americans to share the joy; the Scotch (not rum) was flowing and the dancing and singing continued until the address came on the television.
I realized that in my 15 years of coming to Cuba, this was the moment I had been waiting for. We watched Raul Castro explain, and we watched President Obama explain, and as I watched the faces of the beautiful Cuban people as they listened, some with tears and others with smiles, all with great intensity, I understood the meaning of “rapprochement”. We turned toward each other in pure happiness and felt ourselves united after 55 years of separation.
This is The Place and I am here.
We knew when the Mercosur Heads of State were gathered under tight security at the Hotel Nacional during the first days of the festival that something was afoot. We heard that not only were they planning a possible counter boycott of U.S. in their upcoming May meeting, shutting out U.S. from attending, but the Hotel Nacional’s guest roster included the name of an American who was negotiating something much bigger.
Some speak of the idealism behind this long-wished-for move of U.S.; others speak of the economic necessity. Looking back at my most incredible year of traveling around Latin America, I understand that with the new expansion of the Panama Canal enabling the huge Chinese container ships to pass through, the most convenient next-stop-port for them is Havana. And from Havana, the most convenient port is not Cartagena or Cali in Colombia but New Orleans! And so we may see the rapprochement bring back the glorious days when music and adventure were equated with the Louisiana-Cuban connection. My hope is that the values held so dear in Cuba spread to U.S. and that we Americans don’t spread our U.S. arrogance when we land on the shores of the country which has managed 55 years with no help from us.
There is still more to this tale of reunion, but I am sworn to secrecy for the moment. But you will read it in papers other than this blog. Thirteen months of secret negotiations took place in Canada with the help of the Pope. At a wonderful dinner at a newly opened up Cuban-Russian restaurant on the Malecon, “Nostrovia”, our friend the restaurant owner, Rolando Almirante, whom we know as a documentary filmmaker and host of a weekly Cuban TV show, introduced us to a Canadian and an American both of whom had been involved with the long negotiations. Together we toasted the event with vodka.
To return to the Hotel Nacional and the festival:
Exceptionally quiet for those political reasons, it was also quiet because but there was none of the active debating over the new Law of Cinema which so excitedly animated the festival here last year. There was a low-key conference about the law of cinema and audiovisual culture held by the Cuban Association of Cinema Press with Fipresci and other invited guests to discuss and express opinions about whether most countries by now have a law of cinema, whether developing countries are planning on establishing a law of cinema, whether a law of cinema is necessary for a country aspiring to a higher level of culture for its population, and in what way would a law contribute to the development of production and to the appreciation of cinema. But you do not see everyone gathering in groups to discuss these ideas as they did last year.
Some of last year’s top filmmakers – producers like Ivonne Cotorruelo and Claudia Calvino are so busy preparing their next coproductions that they have no time for such discussions. Others shrug and resignedly express Cuban forbearance as usual.
I asked my friends what is the status of the law being established here in Cuba where only one law of cinema exists, which is the establishment of Icaic, the government institute that determines everything about film behind closed doors. Their answer was “Nothing”. Nothing has changed since last year. Discussions are continuing, and there will be a law established, but not yet…and so I learned that once the first big step is taken here, the next steps are very slow to follow.
So here is what happened on Day 3, December 7 of the my festival:
Our friend Pascal Tessaud whose short from France “City of Lights” brought him to Los Angeles several years ago, had a screening of his new film “Brooklyn”. Its premiere screening here (It premiered in Cannes’ Acid section earlier this year) was to an odd audience of older people. No doubt they were expecting a film about “Brooklyn” (which used to be the name of a bar in Central Havana) but instead got a film about a young Afro-Swiss rapper-girl named “Brooklyn” who enters the rap scene of Paris, made up of Arabs and Africans.
“Afronorteamericano” films were also spotlighted with Oscar Micheaux’s “Assassination in Harlem” (1935), “Within our Gates” (1920), “Body and Soul” (1926) starring Paul Robeson, “Underworld” (1937), “Swing” (1938), and Spencer William’s “The Blood of Jesus” (1941).
Also showing were North American documentaries “Citizen Koch”, “The Notorious Mr. Bout”, “The Overnighters”, and an homage to filmmaker, Eugene Jarecki (“Capturing the Friedmans” 2003, “Arbitrage” 2012, “The Trials of Henry Kissinger” 2002, “Why We Fight” 2006, Emmy Award winning “Reagan” 2011 and 2012’s “The House I Live In” about the war against drugs which along with “Why We Fight” won the Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary at Sundance) and a retrospective of Haitian filmmaker Raoul Peck. Trinidad & Tobago’s annual showcase featured “Creole Soup” from Guadalupe and “Legends of Ska” by American DJ and ska specialist Brad Klein. And of course there was the latest crop of new films from Latin America and the newest films from Cuba, and much, much more.
Today Benecio del Toro, a regular at this festival, won the Coral of Honor for his role as “Che” in Steven Soderbergh’s movies and for his role as the narcotraffiker, Pablo Escobar in the NBC miniseries “Drug Wars: The Camarena Story” and here now, as Escobar in “Escobar: Paradise Lost” directed by the Italian Andrea Di Stefano. For Benecio, Cuba is “a dream come true”.
Day 4, December 8.
There seems to be a trend toward films about children. The prize winning film “Conducta” and Cuba’s submission for Academy Award Nomination as Best Foreign Language Film has already won awards around the world including The Coral for Best Picture and Best Actor here in Havana. This young boy loses every government protection because of his family’s dysfunctions and yet he maintains the spirit of survival and transcendence. Another story from Argentina, Poland and Colombia, France and Germany, “Refugiado” directed by Diego Lerman, also deals with a child who returns home from a birthday party to find his mother unconscious on the floor. The mother then flees seeking a safe place for them and he experiences fear in all the formerly secure places he has known. “Gente de Bien” a Colombia-France coproduction directed by Franco Lolli also explores the world of a young boy, abandoned by his mother and placed in the disheveled home of his impecunious father, who is taken in by a teacher who means well but whose family refuses to accept him. This little kid reaches his limit when his dog dies; but thrown back to his caring if off-kilter father, you get the feeling he too will be all right after all.
A couple of new gay films showed: Cuba’s “Vestido de Novia” was so crowded I could not get near it. Lines around blocks and blocks to get into the 1,000 seat theater were incredible proof of how much Cubans love cinema. Winner of last year’s prize for a work-in-progress, “Vestido de Novia” (“Wedding Dress) will soon be on the festival circuit. Two years ago, at Guadalajara’s coproduction market “Cuatro Lunas” by Sergio Tovar Velarde was being pitched. A sort of primer on gayness, four stories tell the tale of 1) discovery of one’s gayness, 2) first gay love, 3) first gay betrayal of love and 4) love at a mature stage of life. Producer Fernando … hung out with us a bit as we all come from L.A. and have friends in common.
What – aside from the new rapprochement between Cuba and U.S.A. – is “good for the Jews”? A wonderful film from Uruguay, Spain and Germany, “Mr. Kaplan” directed by Alvaro Brechner and produced by my most helpful friend Mariana Secco, and my German friends Roman Paul and Gerhard Meixner (Isa: Memento) brought a new understanding for the good and the bad in our recent history. Almost a comedy and almost a tragedy, the film’s resolution served to transform our propensity to see and judge in black and white.
- 12/27/2014
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
My days were filled with back-to-back meetings and so I could only watch films on the Friday and Saturday before leaving Cannes on Sunday May 24 for other parts of France. However, I did find time for the private screening of our friend and apartment-mate Cyril Morin’s second film, The Hackers, and our friend Pascal Tessaud’s debut feature in Acid, Brooklyn.
The other films I caught are below. For me the unifying theme of all was the discrepancy between those who have and those who have not. Whether it is money or a higher status in society or other sources of power to tyrannize the weaker.
Cannes 2014 What I Saw #2: Palme d’Or Winner 'Winter Sleep'
Cannes 2014 What I Saw #3: Timbuktu
Cannes 2014 What I Saw #4: Mr. Turner
Cannes 2014 What I Saw #5: Two Days, One Night
Cannes 2014 What I Saw #6: Amour Fou
Cannes 2014 What I Saw #7: Brooklyn...
The other films I caught are below. For me the unifying theme of all was the discrepancy between those who have and those who have not. Whether it is money or a higher status in society or other sources of power to tyrannize the weaker.
Cannes 2014 What I Saw #2: Palme d’Or Winner 'Winter Sleep'
Cannes 2014 What I Saw #3: Timbuktu
Cannes 2014 What I Saw #4: Mr. Turner
Cannes 2014 What I Saw #5: Two Days, One Night
Cannes 2014 What I Saw #6: Amour Fou
Cannes 2014 What I Saw #7: Brooklyn...
- 6/1/2014
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Written about here before Cannes, Brooklyn which screened in Acid, the newest sidebar to the Cannes Film Festival was the first feature by French filmmaker Pascal Tessaud. His films are part of France’s “New Vibe” film movement, films made by those filmmakers living in the “banlieux” or suburbs, that is the Arab, African immigrant neighborhoods of Paris.
The story focuses on Coralie ( Kt Gorique), who runs away from Switzerland. She arrives in Paris to test her luck in Hip Hop music. She’s hired as a cook in a local association of the Parisian suburb Saint-Denis. Coralie meets Issa ( Rafal Uchiwa ), the rising star of the hood.
KT Gorique, the lead character won the world championship of freestyle of the End Of The Weak in New York, she is the first female to have won this competition in its 11 years of existence. Here is a video of her performing, which inspired Pascal to contact her about his film. You can see a clip from that performance Here
Not only is her talent in rap and slam prize-winning, but as an actress, she seems like the grown-up version of Hush-puppy in Beasts of the Southern Wild.
Brooklyn ’s director, Pascal Tessaud, recreates a cooperative vision by which the disenfranchised youth living in Paris’ African and Arab projects is able to transcend the constraints to which society seems to have relegated them. The power of rap and slam brings consciousness to a level of political engagement. How can one succeed? As an individual overcoming the difficulties of substandard living or as part of a larger movement, in a collective achievement?
The film is continuing to create a very French urban genre which in fact might be part of a larger movement. It is a fascinating look at the cross cultures of the 99%. This French subset shows the intelligence and the seriousness of rap a la Francais...it gives the universal music of rap an intellectual spin only the French can create.
The entire film was improvised after a workshop of one month in the city of Saint-Denis (a sort of French Bronx) just outside of Paris. The realism thus portrayed is not enacted. You can see Cassavetes’ influence in this totally modern view of Hip Hop as rappers improvise their parts in the same style that John Cassavetes used in Shadows. In addition the beat-makers Khulibaï and DJ Dusty created original music for the film and helped Pascal produce his first Hip Hop beat, which is included in the film.
Tessaud considers this sort of filmmaking the legacy of a little known but seminal filmmaker he wrote a book about, Paul Carpita who made films in the 1950s in Marseilles and died in 2009. Ken Loach in his preface to a 2009 book of interviews with Carpita, claimed: "Since the censorship of his work, Paul Carpita led a modest existence. Ultimate proof, if necessary, of his integrity. It is finally time for us to recognize him as a hero."
He says, "Rachid Djaïdani (Rengaine akaHold Back) is my first supporter and said that Brooklyn is now part of the brotherhood ofDonoma and Rengaine (Hold Back)!”
In conclusion, each of these seven films is concerned with the power of the individual facing a society whose injustice seems so immense that the very idea of resistance is subversive and yet, when action against the injustice is taken, the strength of the human soul, acting in concert with others, shines.
The story focuses on Coralie ( Kt Gorique), who runs away from Switzerland. She arrives in Paris to test her luck in Hip Hop music. She’s hired as a cook in a local association of the Parisian suburb Saint-Denis. Coralie meets Issa ( Rafal Uchiwa ), the rising star of the hood.
KT Gorique, the lead character won the world championship of freestyle of the End Of The Weak in New York, she is the first female to have won this competition in its 11 years of existence. Here is a video of her performing, which inspired Pascal to contact her about his film. You can see a clip from that performance Here
Not only is her talent in rap and slam prize-winning, but as an actress, she seems like the grown-up version of Hush-puppy in Beasts of the Southern Wild.
Brooklyn ’s director, Pascal Tessaud, recreates a cooperative vision by which the disenfranchised youth living in Paris’ African and Arab projects is able to transcend the constraints to which society seems to have relegated them. The power of rap and slam brings consciousness to a level of political engagement. How can one succeed? As an individual overcoming the difficulties of substandard living or as part of a larger movement, in a collective achievement?
The film is continuing to create a very French urban genre which in fact might be part of a larger movement. It is a fascinating look at the cross cultures of the 99%. This French subset shows the intelligence and the seriousness of rap a la Francais...it gives the universal music of rap an intellectual spin only the French can create.
The entire film was improvised after a workshop of one month in the city of Saint-Denis (a sort of French Bronx) just outside of Paris. The realism thus portrayed is not enacted. You can see Cassavetes’ influence in this totally modern view of Hip Hop as rappers improvise their parts in the same style that John Cassavetes used in Shadows. In addition the beat-makers Khulibaï and DJ Dusty created original music for the film and helped Pascal produce his first Hip Hop beat, which is included in the film.
Tessaud considers this sort of filmmaking the legacy of a little known but seminal filmmaker he wrote a book about, Paul Carpita who made films in the 1950s in Marseilles and died in 2009. Ken Loach in his preface to a 2009 book of interviews with Carpita, claimed: "Since the censorship of his work, Paul Carpita led a modest existence. Ultimate proof, if necessary, of his integrity. It is finally time for us to recognize him as a hero."
He says, "Rachid Djaïdani (Rengaine akaHold Back) is my first supporter and said that Brooklyn is now part of the brotherhood ofDonoma and Rengaine (Hold Back)!”
In conclusion, each of these seven films is concerned with the power of the individual facing a society whose injustice seems so immense that the very idea of resistance is subversive and yet, when action against the injustice is taken, the strength of the human soul, acting in concert with others, shines.
- 5/31/2014
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Cannes - An insider’s portrait of life on the streets in the multi-racial housing projects on the northern fringes of Paris, Brooklyn belongs to that rare cinematic subgenre: the French hip-hop drama. The writer-director Pascal Tessaud grew up in this tough neighborhood and previously made music videos for local rap groups. His debut feature delivers plenty of energy and some decent performances, but feels too slight and domestic to travel far. Further festivals, especially those with music sidebars, would be a good platform for Brooklyn. Francophone territories and TV stations are also obvious target markets. But while the universal
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- 5/27/2014
- by Stephen Dalton
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Brooklyn is one of a small selection of films which have been chosen for Acid, the newest sidebar to the Cannes Film Festival. Actually Acid has been around for 19 years and has been showcasing films in Cannes since 1993. It is an association of film directors who has been promoting the cinema distribution of independent films and encouraging debates between the authors and the audiences. The strength of Acid is its founding principle : the support given by filmmakers to other filmmakers, French or international. It screens nine feature films, fiction and documentary, chosen by Acid filmmakers among hundreds of works from all around the world. It is a sort of Slamdance. Its address in Cannes is La Malmaison 47, boulevard de la Croisette.
The filmmaker, Pascal Tessaud, enchanted me with his short La Ville Lumiere which he showed at Colcoa two years ago where it won a prize. It also won Best International Short Film Award at Reelworld Film Festival in Toronto. His films are part of France’s “New Vibe”, films made by those filmmakers living in the “banlieux” or suburbs, that is the Arab, African immigrant neighborhoods of Paris.
I have not seen the film yet, but Pascal has made me aware of these films which he calls part of the “New Vibe” group of filmmakers; Donoma being the best known. He considers this sort of filmmaking the legacy of a little known but seminal filmmaker he wrote a book about, Paul Carpita who made films in the 1950s in Marseilles and died in 2009. Ken Loach in his preface to a 2009 book of interviews with Carpita, claimed: "Since the censorship of his work, Paul Carpita led a modest existence. Ultimate proof, if necessary, of his integrity. It is finally time for us to recognise him as a hero."
The story focuses on Coralie (Kt Gorique), who runs away from Switzerland. She arrives in Paris to test her luck in Hip Hop music.
She’s hired as a cook in a local association of the Parisian suburb Saint-Denis. Coralie meets Issa (Rafal Uchiwa), the rising star of the hood…
KT Gorique, the lead character won the world championship of freestyle of the End Of The Weak in New York, she is the first female to have won this competition in 11 years !!
Here is a video of her performing, which inspired Pascal to contact her about his film
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9wZDAQon3g
The entire film was made with rappers improvising their part in the same style than John Cassavetes used in Shadows. The director hosted a workshop to teach his cast the fundamentals of acting over a month in the city of Saint-Denis (a sort of French Bronx). There is no jazz scene here, it's Hip Hop. In addition the beat-makers Khulibaï and DJ Dusty created original music for the film and helped Pascal produce his first Hip Hop beat, which is included in the film.
The filmmaker, Pascal Tessaud, enchanted me with his short La Ville Lumiere which he showed at Colcoa two years ago where it won a prize. It also won Best International Short Film Award at Reelworld Film Festival in Toronto. His films are part of France’s “New Vibe”, films made by those filmmakers living in the “banlieux” or suburbs, that is the Arab, African immigrant neighborhoods of Paris.
I have not seen the film yet, but Pascal has made me aware of these films which he calls part of the “New Vibe” group of filmmakers; Donoma being the best known. He considers this sort of filmmaking the legacy of a little known but seminal filmmaker he wrote a book about, Paul Carpita who made films in the 1950s in Marseilles and died in 2009. Ken Loach in his preface to a 2009 book of interviews with Carpita, claimed: "Since the censorship of his work, Paul Carpita led a modest existence. Ultimate proof, if necessary, of his integrity. It is finally time for us to recognise him as a hero."
The story focuses on Coralie (Kt Gorique), who runs away from Switzerland. She arrives in Paris to test her luck in Hip Hop music.
She’s hired as a cook in a local association of the Parisian suburb Saint-Denis. Coralie meets Issa (Rafal Uchiwa), the rising star of the hood…
KT Gorique, the lead character won the world championship of freestyle of the End Of The Weak in New York, she is the first female to have won this competition in 11 years !!
Here is a video of her performing, which inspired Pascal to contact her about his film
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U9wZDAQon3g
The entire film was made with rappers improvising their part in the same style than John Cassavetes used in Shadows. The director hosted a workshop to teach his cast the fundamentals of acting over a month in the city of Saint-Denis (a sort of French Bronx). There is no jazz scene here, it's Hip Hop. In addition the beat-makers Khulibaï and DJ Dusty created original music for the film and helped Pascal produce his first Hip Hop beat, which is included in the film.
- 5/1/2014
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
The Cannes Film Festival's lineup of films include the Competition titles of several legendary auteurs such as Jean-Luc Godard, David Cronenberg, The Dardenne Brothers, Atom Egoyan, Mike Leigh, and Ken Loach. In the Un Certain Regard section, the highly anticipated film by actor-turned-director Ryan Gosling. Those in the business will be happy to find Alison Thompson in her new company, Sunray Films, selling Mike Leigh's Mr. Turner. Two films out of 18 in Competition are by women, but across all sections there are 15 women directors. Further in Competition, three films are from Canada; two are from U.S. one film is from Latin America (Argentina); one is from Japan; one from Turkey; one from Russia and the rest are European.
Opening Night Film :
Grace of Monaco (Producer: Stone Angels/ U.S. The Weinstein Company) from France by Olivier Dahan
In Competition
Clouds of Sils Maria (Isa: MK2/ U.S. Distribution: IFC Films) from France/ Gremany/ Switzerland by Olivier Assayas
Saint Laurent (Isa: EuropaCorp) from France by Bertrand Bonello
Winter's Sleep aka Kis uykusu (Producer: Zeynofilm ) from Turkey by Nuri Bilge Ceylan who has a great website.
Maps to the Stars (Isa: Entertainment One) from Canada by David Cronenberg
Two Days, One Night (Isa: Wild Bunch/ U.S. Distribution: IFC Films) from Belgium and France by Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne
Mommy (Isa: Seville International) from Canada by Xavier Dolan
The Captive (Isa: Entertainment One) from Canada by Atom Egoyan. You can watch the trailer here.
Goodbye to Language aka Adieu au Langage (Isa: Wild Bunch) from France by Jean-Luc Godard
The Search (Isa: Wild Bunch/ U.S. Distribution: Worldview Entertainment) from France by Michel Hazanavivius
The Homesman (Isa: Europacorp) from U.S. by Tommy Lee Jones
Still the Water (Isa: MK2) from Japan and France by Naomi Kawase ♀
Mr. Turner (Isa: Sunray Films/ U.S. Distribution: Sony Pictures Classics) from U.K. by Mike Leigh. Sunray Films is Alison Thompson's new company and she brought the film over from her former employer Focus Features International when they left the international sales business.
Jimmy's Hall (Isa: Wild Bunch) from Ireland and U.K. by Ken Loach
Foxcatcher (Isa: Panorama Media/ U.S. Distribution: Sony Pictures Classics) from U.S. by Bennett Miller
Le Meraviglie (Isa: The Match Factory) from Italy, Switzerland and Germany by Alice Rohrwacher ♀
Timbuktu (Isa: Le Pacte) from France by Abderrahmane Sissako
Wild Tales (Isa: Film Factory Entertainment/ U.S. Distribution: Palmera International) from Argentina by Damian Szifron
Leviathan (Isa: Pyramide International) from Russia by Andrey Zvyagintsev
Un Certain Regard
Party Girl (Isa: Pyramide International) from France by Marie Amachoukeli ♀ , Claire Burger ♀ , Samuel Theis
Jauja (Isa: Ndm) from Argentina by Lisandro Alonso
The Blue Room (Isa: Alfama Films) from France by Mathieu Amalric
Misunderstood aka Incompresa aka L'Incomprise (Production: Paradis Films) from Italy by Asia Argento ♀
Titli (Isa: Westend Films) from India by Kanu Behl
The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby (Isa: Myriad Pictures/ U.S. Distribution: The Weinstein Company) from U.S. by Ned Benson
Bird People (Isa: Films Distribution) from France by Pascale Ferran ♀
Lost River (Isa: Sierra/Affinity) from U.S. by Ryan Gosling
Amour Fou (Isa: Coproduction Office Paris) from Austria by Jessica Hausner ♀
Charlie's Country (Isa: Visit Films) from Australia by Rolf de Heer
Snow in Paradise (Isa: The Match Factory) from U.K. by Andrew Hulme
A Girl at My Door (Isa: Cj Entertainment) from So. Korea by July Jung ♀
Xenia (Isa: Pyramide International) from Greece by Panos Koutras
Run (Isa: Bac) from France by Philippe Lacote
Turist from Sweden and Norway by Ruben Ostlund
Beautiful Youth aka Hermosa Juventud (Producer: Fresdeval Films) by Jaime Rosales
Fantasia by Wang Chao
The Salt of the Earth (Isa: Le Pacte) from Germany and Brazil by Wim Wenders, Juliano Ribeiro Salgado
Away From His Absence (Isa: Bizibi) from Israel by Karen Yedaya ♀
Out of Competition
How to Train Your Dragon 2 (Dreamworks Animation) from the U.S. by Dean Deblois
Coming Home aka Gui Lai (Isa: Wild Bunch) from China by Zhang Yimou
Special Screenings
Bridges of Sarajevo (Les Ponts de Sarajevo) from Bosnia-Herzegovina, Portugal, Germany, and France
Red Army from the U.S. and Russia by Gabe Polsky
Maidan (Isa: Atoms & Void Bv) from Belarus by Segei Loznitsa
Silvered Water, Syria Self-Portrait from Syria by Ossama Mohammed
Cartoonists - Foot Soldiers Of Democracy from France by Stephanie Valloatto
Directors' Fortnight
Opening Film: Girlhood aka Bande De Files (Isa: Films Distribution) from France by Céline Sciamma
Closing Film: Pride (Isa:Pathe International) from the U.K. by Matthew Warchus
Features
Alleluia (Isa:snd- Groupe M6) from Belgium and France by Fabrice Du Welz
Catch Me Daddy (Isa: Altitude Film Sales) from the U.K. by Daniel Wolfe
Next To Her aka At Li La Yla (Isa: Films Boutique) from Israel by Asaf Korman
Cold In July (Isa: Memento Films International) from the U.S. by Jim Mickle
Fighters aka Les Combattants (ISa: Bac Films) from France by Thomas Cailley
Gett — The Trial Of Viviane Amsalem (Isa: Films Distribution) from France, Germany, Israel by Ronit & Shlomi Elkabetz
The Tale of Princess Kaguya aka Kaguya-Hime No Monogatari (Isa: Wild Bunch) from Japan by Isao Takahata
Eat Your Bones aka Mange Tes Morts (Isa:Capricci Films) from France by Jean-Charles Hue
A Hard Day aka Kkeut-Kka-Ji-Kan-Da (Isa: Showbox/Mediaples, Inc.) from South Korea by Seong-Hun Kim
National Gallery (Isa: Doc & Film International) from France by Frederick Wiseman
Queen And Country (Isa: Le Pacte) from the U.K. and Ireland by John Boorman
Sheltered aka Refugiado (Isa: Backup Media Films) from Argentina, France, Poland, and Colombia by Diego Lerman
These Final Hours (Isa: Celluloid Dreams/Nightmares) from Australia by Zach Hilditch
Tu Dors Nicole (Isa: Seville International) from Canada by Stéphane Lafleur
Whiplash (Isa:Sierra /Affinity) from the U.S. by Damien Chazelle
Special Screening
P'tit Quinquin by Bruno Dumont
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre by Tobe Hooper (4K restoration)
Acid Program
Brooklyn (Produced by Les Enfants de la Dalle) from France by Pascal Tessaud
The Way Out aka Cesta Ven (Produced by Cinema de Facto) from France and the Czech Republic by Petr Vaclav
Challat of Tunis aka Le Challat the Tunis (Produced by Cinetelefilms ) from Tunisia and France by Kaouther Ben Hania
The Girls and the River aka La Fille et le Fleuve (Produced by 31 Juin Films) from France by Aurélia Georges
Mercuriales (Produced by Kazak Productions) from France by Virgil Vernier
New Territories (Produced by Paraiso Production Difussion) from France by Fabianny Deschamps
Insecure aka Qui Vive (Isa: Udi- Urban Distribution International ) from France by Marianne Tardieu
The Rules of the Game aka Les Regles du Jeu (Isa: Doc & Film International) from France by Claudine Bories and Patrice Chagnard
Spartacus & Cassandra (Produced by Morgane Productions) from France by Ioanis Nuguet
Critics' Week
Opening Night: Faire: L'Amour (Fla) from France by Djinn Carrénard
Closing Nigh: Hippocrates aka Hippocrate (Isa: Le Pacte) from France by Thomas Lilti
Features
Darker Than Midnight aka Piu' Buio di Mezzanotte (Isa: Rai Trade) from Italy by Sebastiano Riso
Gente de Bien (Isa: Versatile) from Colombia and France by Franco Lolli
Hope (Isa: Pyramide International) from France by Boris Lojkine
It Follows (Isa: Visit Films) from the U.S. by David Robert Mitchell
Self Made aka Boreg (Isa: Westend Films) from Israel by Shira Geffen
The Tribe aka Plemya (Isa: Alpha Violet) from Ukraine by Myroslav Slaboshpytskiy
When Animals Dream aka Nar Dyrene Drommer (Produced by Gaumont) from Denmark by Jonas Alexander Arnby
Critics' Week: Special Screenings
Breathe aka Respire (Produced by Gaumont) from France by Mélanie Laurent
The Kindergarten Teacher aka Haganenet Teacher aka (Isa: Le Pacte) from Israel by Nadav Lapid...
Opening Night Film :
Grace of Monaco (Producer: Stone Angels/ U.S. The Weinstein Company) from France by Olivier Dahan
In Competition
Clouds of Sils Maria (Isa: MK2/ U.S. Distribution: IFC Films) from France/ Gremany/ Switzerland by Olivier Assayas
Saint Laurent (Isa: EuropaCorp) from France by Bertrand Bonello
Winter's Sleep aka Kis uykusu (Producer: Zeynofilm ) from Turkey by Nuri Bilge Ceylan who has a great website.
Maps to the Stars (Isa: Entertainment One) from Canada by David Cronenberg
Two Days, One Night (Isa: Wild Bunch/ U.S. Distribution: IFC Films) from Belgium and France by Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne
Mommy (Isa: Seville International) from Canada by Xavier Dolan
The Captive (Isa: Entertainment One) from Canada by Atom Egoyan. You can watch the trailer here.
Goodbye to Language aka Adieu au Langage (Isa: Wild Bunch) from France by Jean-Luc Godard
The Search (Isa: Wild Bunch/ U.S. Distribution: Worldview Entertainment) from France by Michel Hazanavivius
The Homesman (Isa: Europacorp) from U.S. by Tommy Lee Jones
Still the Water (Isa: MK2) from Japan and France by Naomi Kawase ♀
Mr. Turner (Isa: Sunray Films/ U.S. Distribution: Sony Pictures Classics) from U.K. by Mike Leigh. Sunray Films is Alison Thompson's new company and she brought the film over from her former employer Focus Features International when they left the international sales business.
Jimmy's Hall (Isa: Wild Bunch) from Ireland and U.K. by Ken Loach
Foxcatcher (Isa: Panorama Media/ U.S. Distribution: Sony Pictures Classics) from U.S. by Bennett Miller
Le Meraviglie (Isa: The Match Factory) from Italy, Switzerland and Germany by Alice Rohrwacher ♀
Timbuktu (Isa: Le Pacte) from France by Abderrahmane Sissako
Wild Tales (Isa: Film Factory Entertainment/ U.S. Distribution: Palmera International) from Argentina by Damian Szifron
Leviathan (Isa: Pyramide International) from Russia by Andrey Zvyagintsev
Un Certain Regard
Party Girl (Isa: Pyramide International) from France by Marie Amachoukeli ♀ , Claire Burger ♀ , Samuel Theis
Jauja (Isa: Ndm) from Argentina by Lisandro Alonso
The Blue Room (Isa: Alfama Films) from France by Mathieu Amalric
Misunderstood aka Incompresa aka L'Incomprise (Production: Paradis Films) from Italy by Asia Argento ♀
Titli (Isa: Westend Films) from India by Kanu Behl
The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby (Isa: Myriad Pictures/ U.S. Distribution: The Weinstein Company) from U.S. by Ned Benson
Bird People (Isa: Films Distribution) from France by Pascale Ferran ♀
Lost River (Isa: Sierra/Affinity) from U.S. by Ryan Gosling
Amour Fou (Isa: Coproduction Office Paris) from Austria by Jessica Hausner ♀
Charlie's Country (Isa: Visit Films) from Australia by Rolf de Heer
Snow in Paradise (Isa: The Match Factory) from U.K. by Andrew Hulme
A Girl at My Door (Isa: Cj Entertainment) from So. Korea by July Jung ♀
Xenia (Isa: Pyramide International) from Greece by Panos Koutras
Run (Isa: Bac) from France by Philippe Lacote
Turist from Sweden and Norway by Ruben Ostlund
Beautiful Youth aka Hermosa Juventud (Producer: Fresdeval Films) by Jaime Rosales
Fantasia by Wang Chao
The Salt of the Earth (Isa: Le Pacte) from Germany and Brazil by Wim Wenders, Juliano Ribeiro Salgado
Away From His Absence (Isa: Bizibi) from Israel by Karen Yedaya ♀
Out of Competition
How to Train Your Dragon 2 (Dreamworks Animation) from the U.S. by Dean Deblois
Coming Home aka Gui Lai (Isa: Wild Bunch) from China by Zhang Yimou
Special Screenings
Bridges of Sarajevo (Les Ponts de Sarajevo) from Bosnia-Herzegovina, Portugal, Germany, and France
Red Army from the U.S. and Russia by Gabe Polsky
Maidan (Isa: Atoms & Void Bv) from Belarus by Segei Loznitsa
Silvered Water, Syria Self-Portrait from Syria by Ossama Mohammed
Cartoonists - Foot Soldiers Of Democracy from France by Stephanie Valloatto
Directors' Fortnight
Opening Film: Girlhood aka Bande De Files (Isa: Films Distribution) from France by Céline Sciamma
Closing Film: Pride (Isa:Pathe International) from the U.K. by Matthew Warchus
Features
Alleluia (Isa:snd- Groupe M6) from Belgium and France by Fabrice Du Welz
Catch Me Daddy (Isa: Altitude Film Sales) from the U.K. by Daniel Wolfe
Next To Her aka At Li La Yla (Isa: Films Boutique) from Israel by Asaf Korman
Cold In July (Isa: Memento Films International) from the U.S. by Jim Mickle
Fighters aka Les Combattants (ISa: Bac Films) from France by Thomas Cailley
Gett — The Trial Of Viviane Amsalem (Isa: Films Distribution) from France, Germany, Israel by Ronit & Shlomi Elkabetz
The Tale of Princess Kaguya aka Kaguya-Hime No Monogatari (Isa: Wild Bunch) from Japan by Isao Takahata
Eat Your Bones aka Mange Tes Morts (Isa:Capricci Films) from France by Jean-Charles Hue
A Hard Day aka Kkeut-Kka-Ji-Kan-Da (Isa: Showbox/Mediaples, Inc.) from South Korea by Seong-Hun Kim
National Gallery (Isa: Doc & Film International) from France by Frederick Wiseman
Queen And Country (Isa: Le Pacte) from the U.K. and Ireland by John Boorman
Sheltered aka Refugiado (Isa: Backup Media Films) from Argentina, France, Poland, and Colombia by Diego Lerman
These Final Hours (Isa: Celluloid Dreams/Nightmares) from Australia by Zach Hilditch
Tu Dors Nicole (Isa: Seville International) from Canada by Stéphane Lafleur
Whiplash (Isa:Sierra /Affinity) from the U.S. by Damien Chazelle
Special Screening
P'tit Quinquin by Bruno Dumont
The Texas Chain Saw Massacre by Tobe Hooper (4K restoration)
Acid Program
Brooklyn (Produced by Les Enfants de la Dalle) from France by Pascal Tessaud
The Way Out aka Cesta Ven (Produced by Cinema de Facto) from France and the Czech Republic by Petr Vaclav
Challat of Tunis aka Le Challat the Tunis (Produced by Cinetelefilms ) from Tunisia and France by Kaouther Ben Hania
The Girls and the River aka La Fille et le Fleuve (Produced by 31 Juin Films) from France by Aurélia Georges
Mercuriales (Produced by Kazak Productions) from France by Virgil Vernier
New Territories (Produced by Paraiso Production Difussion) from France by Fabianny Deschamps
Insecure aka Qui Vive (Isa: Udi- Urban Distribution International ) from France by Marianne Tardieu
The Rules of the Game aka Les Regles du Jeu (Isa: Doc & Film International) from France by Claudine Bories and Patrice Chagnard
Spartacus & Cassandra (Produced by Morgane Productions) from France by Ioanis Nuguet
Critics' Week
Opening Night: Faire: L'Amour (Fla) from France by Djinn Carrénard
Closing Nigh: Hippocrates aka Hippocrate (Isa: Le Pacte) from France by Thomas Lilti
Features
Darker Than Midnight aka Piu' Buio di Mezzanotte (Isa: Rai Trade) from Italy by Sebastiano Riso
Gente de Bien (Isa: Versatile) from Colombia and France by Franco Lolli
Hope (Isa: Pyramide International) from France by Boris Lojkine
It Follows (Isa: Visit Films) from the U.S. by David Robert Mitchell
Self Made aka Boreg (Isa: Westend Films) from Israel by Shira Geffen
The Tribe aka Plemya (Isa: Alpha Violet) from Ukraine by Myroslav Slaboshpytskiy
When Animals Dream aka Nar Dyrene Drommer (Produced by Gaumont) from Denmark by Jonas Alexander Arnby
Critics' Week: Special Screenings
Breathe aka Respire (Produced by Gaumont) from France by Mélanie Laurent
The Kindergarten Teacher aka Haganenet Teacher aka (Isa: Le Pacte) from Israel by Nadav Lapid...
- 4/29/2014
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
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