"We worked together for over 20 years. I read a recipe and she worked magic on the stove." Picturehouse has unveiled an official UK trailer for the acclimated French film The Taste of Things, originally titled La Passion de Dodin Bouffant ("The Passion of Dodin Bouffant") in French or The Pot au Feu, which is one of the key dishes in the film. It premiered at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival to rave reviews, including my own, proclaiming it as one of the finest food films ever made. Juliette Binoche stars as Eugénie, an outstanding cook, who has worked for the famous Dodin Bouffant (as played by Benoît Magimel) for 20 years. However, Eugénie, eager for her own freedom, has never wanted to marry Dodin. So Dodin decides to do something he's never done before: cook for her. Oh it's so incredible. All of it – the food, the romance. The cast includes Bonnie Chagneau Ravoire,...
- 11/24/2023
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
"I read a recipe and she worked magic on the stove." IFC Films has debuted the official US trailer for the highly acclaimed food film called The Taste of Things, originally titled La Passion de Dodin Bouffant ("The Passion of Dodin Bouffant") in French or The Pot au Feu, which is one of the key dishes discussed in the film. It premiered at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival to rave reviews, including my own, proclaiming it as one of the best food films ever made. Juliette Binoche stars as Eugénie, an outstanding cook, who has worked for the famous gastronome Dodin Bouffant (as played by Benoît Magimel) for 20 years. However, Eugénie, eager for her own freedom, has never wanted to marry Dodin. So Dodin decides to do something he's never done before: cook for her. Oh it's so incredible. The cast includes Bonnie Chagneau Ravoire, Galatéa Bellugi, and Sarah Adler. I adore this film!
- 10/4/2023
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
"It takes culture and memory to shape one's taste." Gaumont in France has revealed the first official French trailer for the highly acclaimed food film known as La Passion de Dodin Bouffant. And yes, the trailer has English subtitles so everyone can enjoy it. "The Passion of Dodin Bouffant", as it is known in French, also has two other English titles: The Pot au Feu and/or The Taste of Things (it's the official US release title to look for). It premiered at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival to rave reviews, including my own, already proclaiming it as one of the best food films ever made. Juliette Binoche stars as Eugénie, an outstanding cook, who has worked for the famous gastronome Dodin Bouffant (as played by Benoît Magimel) for 20 years. However, Eugénie, eager for her own freedom, has never wanted to marry Dodin. So Dodin decides to do something he's never done before: cook for her.
- 9/15/2023
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Announced very early this morning, we’ve had some time to take the plunge into the lucky seven feature films (plus opener and closer) selections for the 2022 Venice Intl. Film Critics’ Week. Now in its 37th edition, section topper Beatrice Fiorentino favors European cinema this time out. The two filmmakers and titles we do recognize (we predicted them in our TIFF selections) from the selection we find Swann Arlaud and Sarah Adler starring in Tant que le soleil frappe by Philippe Petit (see pic above) and the debut feature by Yasmine Benkiran – her film Queens closes the section. Of course tomorrow is the big reveal and on Thursday we have Giornate degli Autori line-up.…...
- 7/25/2022
- by Eric Lavallée
- IONCINEMA.com
Following the Sundance premiering “Odessa, Odessa” and Venice title “Land of Oblivion,” French-Israeli filmmaker Michale Boganim is back on the Lido with “The Forgotten Ones”.
The film, represented in international markers by Reservoir Docs, is a heartfelt documentary exploring the systemic discrimination against Oriental Jews in Israel through the story of Boganim’s late father, who emigrated from Morocco and was part of Israel’s lesser-known Black Panthers movement in the 1970s. “The Forgotten Ones,” which world premieres in the Venice Days section Sept. 6, was just acquired by Sophie Dulac Distribution and will be released in France in early 2022.
Boganim, who started developing the film years ago, embarked on a road trip across Israel’s impoverished suburbs along with her young daughter and met Sephardi Jews from different generations whose lives have been shaped in some ways by this discrimination. Many of them are children or grandchildren of people who...
The film, represented in international markers by Reservoir Docs, is a heartfelt documentary exploring the systemic discrimination against Oriental Jews in Israel through the story of Boganim’s late father, who emigrated from Morocco and was part of Israel’s lesser-known Black Panthers movement in the 1970s. “The Forgotten Ones,” which world premieres in the Venice Days section Sept. 6, was just acquired by Sophie Dulac Distribution and will be released in France in early 2022.
Boganim, who started developing the film years ago, embarked on a road trip across Israel’s impoverished suburbs along with her young daughter and met Sephardi Jews from different generations whose lives have been shaped in some ways by this discrimination. Many of them are children or grandchildren of people who...
- 9/6/2021
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Director Michale Boganim explores her father’s role in Israel’s own Black Panther movement in her new Venice documentary: “The Forgotten Ones”.
The 1950s movement sprang from the Mizrahim community – Jews who were ethnically cleansed from North Africa and the Middle East – who sought refuge in Israel. Battling discrimination, Mizrahi Jews looked to the U.S. Black Panther movement for inspiration, Boganim’s father and his friends fought back, politically and otherwise.
In the documentary, Boganim embarks on a road trip to search for some of her father’s colleagues, taking a tour of Israel’s history and meeting with three generations of Mizrahim in the process.
Boganim, who was born in Israel and later studied in France, won the Gras Savoye award for her student film “Dim Memories,” which was selected for Director’s Fortnight in Cannes. Her first fiction feature, “Land of Oblivion,” which starred “Bond” actor Olga Kurylenko,...
The 1950s movement sprang from the Mizrahim community – Jews who were ethnically cleansed from North Africa and the Middle East – who sought refuge in Israel. Battling discrimination, Mizrahi Jews looked to the U.S. Black Panther movement for inspiration, Boganim’s father and his friends fought back, politically and otherwise.
In the documentary, Boganim embarks on a road trip to search for some of her father’s colleagues, taking a tour of Israel’s history and meeting with three generations of Mizrahim in the process.
Boganim, who was born in Israel and later studied in France, won the Gras Savoye award for her student film “Dim Memories,” which was selected for Director’s Fortnight in Cannes. Her first fiction feature, “Land of Oblivion,” which starred “Bond” actor Olga Kurylenko,...
- 9/2/2021
- by K.J. Yossman
- Variety Film + TV
Michale Boganim is directing “Tel-Aviv/Beirut,” a historical drama set against the backdrop of the Israeli–Lebanese conflict in 1982 and 2006.
Set in Northern Israel, the film tells the journey of two families on each side of the border whose fate intertwined because of the war raging in Lebanon. “Tel-Aviv/Beirut” sheds light on the little-known story of Lebanese people who collaborated with the Israeli army to fight Hezbollah.
Spanning over 20 years, the film follows two women, a Lebanese and an Israeli, who bond amid the war and embark on a road trip together to rescue a loved one.
“Tel-Aviv/Beirut” is headlined by an international cast of Israelis, Palestinians, Lebanese actors including Zalfa Seurat, Sarah Adler (“Foxtrot”), Shlomi Elkabetz (“Our Boys”), Younès Bouab (“The Unknown Saint”), Sofia Essaïdi (“La promesse) and Maayane Boganim.
The movie completed shooting during the pandemic in Cyprus and was particularly eventful as it brought together...
Set in Northern Israel, the film tells the journey of two families on each side of the border whose fate intertwined because of the war raging in Lebanon. “Tel-Aviv/Beirut” sheds light on the little-known story of Lebanese people who collaborated with the Israeli army to fight Hezbollah.
Spanning over 20 years, the film follows two women, a Lebanese and an Israeli, who bond amid the war and embark on a road trip together to rescue a loved one.
“Tel-Aviv/Beirut” is headlined by an international cast of Israelis, Palestinians, Lebanese actors including Zalfa Seurat, Sarah Adler (“Foxtrot”), Shlomi Elkabetz (“Our Boys”), Younès Bouab (“The Unknown Saint”), Sofia Essaïdi (“La promesse) and Maayane Boganim.
The movie completed shooting during the pandemic in Cyprus and was particularly eventful as it brought together...
- 3/4/2021
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Prizes go to Mihal Brezis and Oded Binnun’s Dead Language and Maya Dreifuss’ Highway 65.
Dead Language by husband-and-wife filmmakers Mihal Brezis and Oded Binnun clinched the new $18,000 Jerusalem Foundation Award at the 14th edition of Jerusalem Film Festival’s (Jff) Pitch Point event, established to connect Israeli filmmakers with international partners.
The story follows a 27-year-old woman who, while waiting for her husband at the airport, ends up driving a complete stranger to his hotel after he mistakes her for his assigned driver – a random, short-lived encounter that shakes up her life.
It is Brezis and Binnun’s second...
Dead Language by husband-and-wife filmmakers Mihal Brezis and Oded Binnun clinched the new $18,000 Jerusalem Foundation Award at the 14th edition of Jerusalem Film Festival’s (Jff) Pitch Point event, established to connect Israeli filmmakers with international partners.
The story follows a 27-year-old woman who, while waiting for her husband at the airport, ends up driving a complete stranger to his hotel after he mistakes her for his assigned driver – a random, short-lived encounter that shakes up her life.
It is Brezis and Binnun’s second...
- 7/30/2019
- by Screen staff
- ScreenDaily
The Cakemaker, Graizer's debut feature, is a study in dualities: male and female, religious and secular, gay and straight. But at a time when societies around the world seem intent on choosing sides, Graizer refuses to put his characters in a box.
The Cakemaker follows Thomas (Tim Kalkhof), a young German baker living in Berlin, as he falls in love with a customer, Oren, a married (and closeted) Israeli businessman. When Oren dies unexpectedly, Thomas' grief draws him to Jerusalem and to the cafe of Oren's widow, Anat (Sarah Adler),...
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The Cakemaker follows Thomas (Tim Kalkhof), a young German baker living in Berlin, as he falls in love with a customer, Oren, a married (and closeted) Israeli businessman. When Oren dies unexpectedly, Thomas' grief draws him to Jerusalem and to the cafe of Oren's widow, Anat (Sarah Adler),...
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- 11/13/2018
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Cakemaker, Graizer's debut feature, is a study in dualities: male and female, religious and secular, gay and straight. But at a time when societies around the world seem intent on choosing sides, Graizer refuses to put his characters in a box.
The Cakemaker follows Thomas (Tim Kalkhof), a young German baker living in Berlin, as he falls in love with a customer, Oren, a married (and closeted) Israeli businessman. When Oren dies unexpectedly, Thomas' grief draws him to Jerusalem and to the cafe of Oren's widow, Anat (Sarah Adler),...
</!--[Cdata[...
The Cakemaker follows Thomas (Tim Kalkhof), a young German baker living in Berlin, as he falls in love with a customer, Oren, a married (and closeted) Israeli businessman. When Oren dies unexpectedly, Thomas' grief draws him to Jerusalem and to the cafe of Oren's widow, Anat (Sarah Adler),...
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- 11/13/2018
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Ofir Raul Graizer ‘s poignant feature debut, ‘The Cakemaker’, is Israel’s official Oscar® entry for Best Foreign Language Film. I rank it among the top contenders ‘Never Look Away’, ‘Burning’, ‘Cold War’, ‘Roma’, ‘The Heiresses’, and ‘Birds of Passage’.
I was so moved by the film and so identified with it that I jumped at the chance to interview Ofir and actor Tim Kalkhof. Our interview became a conversation that lasted several hours as we first sipped wine and then ordered pizza at the wonderful Caffé Roma in Beverly Hills.
The Cakemaker is an extraordinary movie for many reasons. First and foremost, its emotional resonance is so in tune to many people. Film writer-director Ofir Raul Graizer and the costar of his film Tim Kalkhof, can recount many stories of people coming up to them tearfully or hugging them spontaneously after having seen the film at some point since...
I was so moved by the film and so identified with it that I jumped at the chance to interview Ofir and actor Tim Kalkhof. Our interview became a conversation that lasted several hours as we first sipped wine and then ordered pizza at the wonderful Caffé Roma in Beverly Hills.
The Cakemaker is an extraordinary movie for many reasons. First and foremost, its emotional resonance is so in tune to many people. Film writer-director Ofir Raul Graizer and the costar of his film Tim Kalkhof, can recount many stories of people coming up to them tearfully or hugging them spontaneously after having seen the film at some point since...
- 11/13/2018
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Best film winner is traditionally entered as Israel’s foreign-language Oscar submission.
Ofir Raul Graizer’s bittersweet romantic drama The Cakemaker triumphed at Israel’s prestigious Ophir Awards on Thursday evening (Sept 6), clinching six prizes including best film.
The winner of the best film Ophir traditionally goes on to represent Israel as the country’s foreign-language Oscar submission.
A tale secrets and loss, the drama revolved around Berlin pastry chef Thomas who heads to Jerusalem in the footsteps of his late married Israeli lover, where he bonds with the man’s wife Anat.
It was produced by Itai Tamir at...
Ofir Raul Graizer’s bittersweet romantic drama The Cakemaker triumphed at Israel’s prestigious Ophir Awards on Thursday evening (Sept 6), clinching six prizes including best film.
The winner of the best film Ophir traditionally goes on to represent Israel as the country’s foreign-language Oscar submission.
A tale secrets and loss, the drama revolved around Berlin pastry chef Thomas who heads to Jerusalem in the footsteps of his late married Israeli lover, where he bonds with the man’s wife Anat.
It was produced by Itai Tamir at...
- 9/7/2018
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- ScreenDaily
German-Israeli film “The Cakemaker” won best picture at Israel’s Ophir Awards on Thursday evening, an accolade that automatically makes it the country’s submission to the foreign-language film category at the Oscars.
The film was written and directed by Ofir Raul Graizer, an Israeli who lives in Berlin. Released last year, “The Cakemaker” focuses on a young German baker named Thomas who falls in love with Oren, a married Israeli man visiting Berlin. After Oren dies in a car crash, Thomas travels to Jerusalem to find closure – and answers – concealing his identity and insinuating himself into the life of Oren’s widow, Anat, by working as a cake-maker in her cafe.
The film first premiered at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival last year, where it won the Ecumenical Jury prize.
On Thursday, “The Cakemaker” picked up five other Ophir Awards, Israel’s version of the Oscars, including best screenplay,...
The film was written and directed by Ofir Raul Graizer, an Israeli who lives in Berlin. Released last year, “The Cakemaker” focuses on a young German baker named Thomas who falls in love with Oren, a married Israeli man visiting Berlin. After Oren dies in a car crash, Thomas travels to Jerusalem to find closure – and answers – concealing his identity and insinuating himself into the life of Oren’s widow, Anat, by working as a cake-maker in her cafe.
The film first premiered at the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival last year, where it won the Ecumenical Jury prize.
On Thursday, “The Cakemaker” picked up five other Ophir Awards, Israel’s version of the Oscars, including best screenplay,...
- 9/6/2018
- by Amy Spiro
- Variety Film + TV
Israel has selected Ophir Raul Grazier’s The Cakemaker as its official submission for the best foreign-language film category at the Oscars.
The Israel-Germany co-production, which entangles and strangely unites a gay man and a straight woman over the loss of a shared loved one, won seven Ophir Awards from the Israeli Academy of Film and Television, including best lead actress Sarah Adler (Foxtrot, Aya); best screenplay; best director for Grazier, in what was his feature debut; and the all-important best film. The annual ceremony took place Thursday evening in the city of Ashdod.
The Cakemaker stars German actor Tim Kalkhof ...
The Israel-Germany co-production, which entangles and strangely unites a gay man and a straight woman over the loss of a shared loved one, won seven Ophir Awards from the Israeli Academy of Film and Television, including best lead actress Sarah Adler (Foxtrot, Aya); best screenplay; best director for Grazier, in what was his feature debut; and the all-important best film. The annual ceremony took place Thursday evening in the city of Ashdod.
The Cakemaker stars German actor Tim Kalkhof ...
Israel has selected Ophir Raul Grazier’s The Cakemaker as its official submission for the best foreign-language film category at the Oscars.
The Israel-Germany co-production, which entangles and strangely unites a gay man and a straight woman over the loss of a shared loved one, won seven Ophir Awards from the Israeli Academy of Film and Television, including best lead actress Sarah Adler (Foxtrot, Aya); best screenplay; best director for Grazier, in what was his feature debut; and the all-important best film. The annual ceremony took place Thursday evening in the city of Ashdod.
The Cakemaker stars German actor Tim Kalkhof ...
The Israel-Germany co-production, which entangles and strangely unites a gay man and a straight woman over the loss of a shared loved one, won seven Ophir Awards from the Israeli Academy of Film and Television, including best lead actress Sarah Adler (Foxtrot, Aya); best screenplay; best director for Grazier, in what was his feature debut; and the all-important best film. The annual ceremony took place Thursday evening in the city of Ashdod.
The Cakemaker stars German actor Tim Kalkhof ...
Tim Kalkhof as Thomas in director Ophir Raul Graizer’s The Cakemaker. Photo courtesy of Strand Releasing.
Israeli writer/director Ophir Raul Graizer crafts a brilliant, moving drama that touches on identity, secrets, loneliness, sexuality and grief, in the Israeli-German drama The Cakemaker. The drama is in English, German and Hebrew, with English subtitles.
Israeli businessman Oren (Roy Miller) is a man living a double life., traveling monthly between Israel and Germany for his work as a city planner for an Israeli-German company. He has a wife Anat (Sarah Adler) and young son in Jerusalem and a gay lover Thomas (Tim Kalkhof), a gifted young baker, in Berlin. The quiet German baker knows from the start that Oren is married, and accepts their secret status, but Oren’s wife Anat (Sarah Adler) does not know, and according to Oren, never will. For a year, Oren visits Thomas every month or so,...
Israeli writer/director Ophir Raul Graizer crafts a brilliant, moving drama that touches on identity, secrets, loneliness, sexuality and grief, in the Israeli-German drama The Cakemaker. The drama is in English, German and Hebrew, with English subtitles.
Israeli businessman Oren (Roy Miller) is a man living a double life., traveling monthly between Israel and Germany for his work as a city planner for an Israeli-German company. He has a wife Anat (Sarah Adler) and young son in Jerusalem and a gay lover Thomas (Tim Kalkhof), a gifted young baker, in Berlin. The quiet German baker knows from the start that Oren is married, and accepts their secret status, but Oren’s wife Anat (Sarah Adler) does not know, and according to Oren, never will. For a year, Oren visits Thomas every month or so,...
- 8/17/2018
- by Cate Marquis
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
The Cakemaker Strand Releasing Reviewed by: Harvey Karten Director: Ofir Raul Graizer Screenwriter: Ofir Raul Graizer Cast: Tim Kalkhof, Sarah Adler, Roy Miller, Zohar Strauss, Sandra Sade Screened at: Critics’ link, NYC, Opens: June 29 in NY and La “The Cakemaker” is a lovely, bittersweet drama that takes place both in a charming café in […]
The post The Cakemaker Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
The post The Cakemaker Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
- 6/25/2018
- by Harvey Karten
- ShockYa
"A story of hidden love, challenged faith, and unwittingly shared grief." Strand Releasing has unveiled an official Us trailer for a German drama titled The Cakemaker, which played at a number of film festivals throughout 2017. Made by Israeli filmmaker Ofir Raul Graizer, the film is about a talented young German baker who travels to Israel after his secret lover, an Israeli married man, is killed in a car crash. There he searches for his lover's wife and son, but ends up lost in an entirely different world with all kinds of feelings to deal with. Tim Kalkhof stars as Thomas, along with Sarah Adler, Zohar Shtrauss, Sandra Sade, and Roy Miller. The film won various awards at the Jerusalem Film Festival, Karlovy Vary Film Festival, and Miami Jewish Film Festival. This looks like a good under-the-radar foreign film to discover - see below. Here's the official Us trailer (+ poster) for Ofir Raul Graizer's The Cakemaker,...
- 5/25/2018
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Despite the title of this film’s association with the dance world, its subject is not the stuff of bouncy, bubbly musicals. It concerns the struggles and challenges faced by a military family. This was explored last year in a couple of films, most notably Thank You For Your Service. Though sharing a similar service setting, the Middle East, this new film comes from Israel, where a stint in the military is mandatory for citizens (we learned that from the media frenzy surrounding one of last year’s biggest stars, Gal Gadot). The story bounces back from the home front to just a few hours away. Watching the drama unfold, the title makes sense. This particular dance is highly structured, with an exact number of steps which leads you right back to where you began. That’s the basics of the Foxtrot.
The film is structured much like a play...
The film is structured much like a play...
- 3/30/2018
- by Jim Batts
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
This emotional knockout from Israel isn’t nominated for Best Foreign-Language Film at the 2018 Oscars – another strike to add to the tally of Academy fuck-ups. From first shot to last, Foxtrot takes a piece out of you. Director Samuel Maoz (Lebanon) begins with a devastating moment of grief: Soldiers arrive at the home of a middle-aged couple to tell Dafna (Sarah Adler) and Michael Feldman (Lior Ashkenazi) that their son has been killed in the line of duty. As his mother is tranquilized, his father is told about funeral arrangements.
- 3/1/2018
- Rollingstone.com
Director/screenwriter Samuel Maoz on Foxtrot: "The hero is creating his own punishment. And fights against anyone who tries to save him." Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
Foxtrot, Silver Lion winner at the Venice Film Festival and Israel's shortlisted Oscar submission, begins with every parent's worst nightmare happening to the Feldmann family. We see a mother fainting because she knows that the Israeli military officers who have come to her home are here to inform them that their son Jonathan (Yonaton Shiray) had fallen in service.
The mother, Dafna (Sarah Adler) is given morphine to make her sleep, as we get to follow the father Michael's (Lior Ashkenazi) response to the devastating news. He descends into a private and national hell with fine subtleties of suffering and broad kicks of sadism. It is a marvelous, wickedly truthful performance because it balances so many emotions.
Michael Feldmann (Lior Ashkenazi) with his wife...
Foxtrot, Silver Lion winner at the Venice Film Festival and Israel's shortlisted Oscar submission, begins with every parent's worst nightmare happening to the Feldmann family. We see a mother fainting because she knows that the Israeli military officers who have come to her home are here to inform them that their son Jonathan (Yonaton Shiray) had fallen in service.
The mother, Dafna (Sarah Adler) is given morphine to make her sleep, as we get to follow the father Michael's (Lior Ashkenazi) response to the devastating news. He descends into a private and national hell with fine subtleties of suffering and broad kicks of sadism. It is a marvelous, wickedly truthful performance because it balances so many emotions.
Michael Feldmann (Lior Ashkenazi) with his wife...
- 2/22/2018
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
2017 was a year that… well, it wasn’t boring. But as we witnessed one of the most insane news cycles in recent history create a discussion which could fundamentally change the entertainment industry and beyond, there was one constant: The talented minds working both within the Hollywood system and outside it who created film, television, and more which inspired us, challenged us, healed us, or all of the above.
The IndieWire staff represents an eclectic set of points-of-view, which is why many of their individual Top 10s of the year represent unique approaches to the concept. But the one constant is a celebration of the media that keeps us devoted to the cause, and got us though the year.
Eric Kohn, Deputy Editor and Chief Critic
At a time when the world is changing at an unquantifiable pace, when menacing world powers threaten everything we hold dear, we often look...
The IndieWire staff represents an eclectic set of points-of-view, which is why many of their individual Top 10s of the year represent unique approaches to the concept. But the one constant is a celebration of the media that keeps us devoted to the cause, and got us though the year.
Eric Kohn, Deputy Editor and Chief Critic
At a time when the world is changing at an unquantifiable pace, when menacing world powers threaten everything we hold dear, we often look...
- 12/28/2017
- by Indiewire Staff
- Indiewire
"Did you know the foxtrot is a dance?" Sony Classics has finally unveiled an official Us trailer for one of the best films of 2017, titled Foxtrot, which is Israel's main entry into the Academy Awards this year. Foxtrot premiered at the Venice, Telluride & Toronto Film Festivals and we posted a teaser trailer during its festival run. Now we finally get a full trailer and you can get a glimpse at this masterpiece. Foxtrot is about a family who must face the facts when their son is killed at a desolate military outpost. The film tells both sides of the story, starting with the parents. Featuring Lior Ashkenazi, Sarah Adler, Yonaton Shiray, and Shira Haas. I caught this in Venice and flipped for it (read my review), a phenomenal film with exceptional sound design, cinematography, performances, and an emotional rollercoaster of a story that you will never forget. Here's the official...
- 12/27/2017
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Lior Ashkenazi: "I admire David Bowie. The thing he had the biggest success with, let's say Ziggy Stardust, and then he changed to something else." Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
In 2017, Lior Ashkenazi starred with Richard Gere in Joseph Cedar's Norman: The Moderate Rise And Tragic Fall Of A New York Fixer and opposite Sarah Adler as the parents of an Israeli soldier (Yonaton Shiray) in Samuel Maoz's Venice International Film Festival Silver Lion winner and Oscar Foreign Language shortlisted film Foxtrot.
Coming up for Lior is his portrayal of Yitzhak Rabin in José Padilha's 7 Days In Entebbe, starring Rosamund Pike (Cédric Jimenez's The Man With The Iron Heart, based on Laurent Binet's novel HHhH) and Daniel Brühl, and Julie Delpy's My Zoe with Gemma Arterton, Richard Armitage, and Brühl. In Dragos Buliga's The Wanderers: The Quest Of The Demon Hunter, with Armand Assante,...
In 2017, Lior Ashkenazi starred with Richard Gere in Joseph Cedar's Norman: The Moderate Rise And Tragic Fall Of A New York Fixer and opposite Sarah Adler as the parents of an Israeli soldier (Yonaton Shiray) in Samuel Maoz's Venice International Film Festival Silver Lion winner and Oscar Foreign Language shortlisted film Foxtrot.
Coming up for Lior is his portrayal of Yitzhak Rabin in José Padilha's 7 Days In Entebbe, starring Rosamund Pike (Cédric Jimenez's The Man With The Iron Heart, based on Laurent Binet's novel HHhH) and Daniel Brühl, and Julie Delpy's My Zoe with Gemma Arterton, Richard Armitage, and Brühl. In Dragos Buliga's The Wanderers: The Quest Of The Demon Hunter, with Armand Assante,...
- 12/27/2017
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Foxtrot star Lior Ashkenazi with his director Samuel Maoz and Anne-Katrin Titze at Sony Pictures Classics Photo: Gary Springer
Foxtrot, Israel's Oscar submission, directed by Samuel Maoz, stars Lior Ashkenazi (terrific in Joseph Cedar's Norman: The Moderate Rise And Tragic Fall Of A New York Fixer opposite Richard Gere), Sarah Adler (Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette) and Yonaton Shiray (Natalie Portman's A Tale Of Love And Darkness).
Maoz, whose last film Lebanon won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival, teams up again with cinematographer Giora Bejach to produce an emotionally charged drama of man-made destiny. It begins with every parent's worst nightmare. Lior told me earlier that in Israel audiences knew from the first second what kind of news the military officers were bearing to the Feldmann family.
Michael Feldmann (Lior Ashkenazi) with his wife Dafna (Sarah Adler)
It might take international audiences a moment longer...
Foxtrot, Israel's Oscar submission, directed by Samuel Maoz, stars Lior Ashkenazi (terrific in Joseph Cedar's Norman: The Moderate Rise And Tragic Fall Of A New York Fixer opposite Richard Gere), Sarah Adler (Sofia Coppola's Marie Antoinette) and Yonaton Shiray (Natalie Portman's A Tale Of Love And Darkness).
Maoz, whose last film Lebanon won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival, teams up again with cinematographer Giora Bejach to produce an emotionally charged drama of man-made destiny. It begins with every parent's worst nightmare. Lior told me earlier that in Israel audiences knew from the first second what kind of news the military officers were bearing to the Feldmann family.
Michael Feldmann (Lior Ashkenazi) with his wife Dafna (Sarah Adler)
It might take international audiences a moment longer...
- 12/8/2017
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
The Toronto International Film Festival may be known more as a platform for fall season movies than a market, but there are plenty of strong films in each year’s lineup looking for U.S. distribution. While films ranging from the Margot Robbie vehicle “I, Tonya” to Louis C.K.’s “I Love You, Daddy” landed sturdy deals during Tiff, many other highlights remain homeless. Here’s a look at a few of them, presented in the hopes that distributors will take note.
“Bodied”
If Eminem got a PhD in English without sacrificing his hip-hop talent, he might have turned out something like Adam (Calum Worthy), the scrawny white hero of Joseph Kahn’s “Bodied.” Kahn’s long-awaited follow-up to his snarky teen slasher comedy “Detention” is a hyper-stylized rap satire that plays out like Scott Pilgrim stumbling into “8 Mile” and stealing the spotlight. Set in an assaultive world of underground...
“Bodied”
If Eminem got a PhD in English without sacrificing his hip-hop talent, he might have turned out something like Adam (Calum Worthy), the scrawny white hero of Joseph Kahn’s “Bodied.” Kahn’s long-awaited follow-up to his snarky teen slasher comedy “Detention” is a hyper-stylized rap satire that plays out like Scott Pilgrim stumbling into “8 Mile” and stealing the spotlight. Set in an assaultive world of underground...
- 9/19/2017
- by Eric Kohn, David Ehrlich and Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
The Shape Of Water: 'The right mix of aesthetics, heart and sheer technical mastery' Photo: Fox Searchlight Guillermo Del Toro's The Shape Of Water has taken home the Golden Lion at Venice Film Festival.
"I believe in life, I believe in love and I believe in cinema," said the director as he picked up the award for his film about a mute cleaning woman who falls for a fish-man (Doug Jones). He added: "If you remain pure and stay with your faith, whatever you have faith in, in my case it's monsters, eventually things go right."
The Silver Lion Grand Jury prize went to Samuel Maoz's satire Foxtrot, starring Lior Ashkenazi and Sarah Adler, while Xavier Legrand saw his domestic abuse drama Custody pick up the Lion of The Future and Silver Lion for best director.
The best actress award went to Charlotte Rampling for her role...
"I believe in life, I believe in love and I believe in cinema," said the director as he picked up the award for his film about a mute cleaning woman who falls for a fish-man (Doug Jones). He added: "If you remain pure and stay with your faith, whatever you have faith in, in my case it's monsters, eventually things go right."
The Silver Lion Grand Jury prize went to Samuel Maoz's satire Foxtrot, starring Lior Ashkenazi and Sarah Adler, while Xavier Legrand saw his domestic abuse drama Custody pick up the Lion of The Future and Silver Lion for best director.
The best actress award went to Charlotte Rampling for her role...
- 9/9/2017
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
The discovery of fresh, bold voices in cinema has always been one of the great joys of visiting film festivals. And this year in Venice, probably no film in competition surprised more for its original touch and sheer vitality than Samuel Maoz’s Israel-set drama Foxtrot.
After an unexplained opening shot looking out from inside an anonymous moving vehicle, we soon meet Daphna Feldmann (Sarah Adler), whose son Jonathan (Yonathan Shiray) with husband Michael (Lior Ashkenazi) serves in the military. Meeting might be overstating it in this instance, as Daphna only looks into the camera for a split second and, without even hearing a word from her unseen visitors, faints. Her reaction is one of such utterly debilitating grief, it tells you right away who she finds at her doorstep and what they’re about to say. Indeed, it’s the worst nightmare of any soldier’s mom incarnated: grim-faced...
After an unexplained opening shot looking out from inside an anonymous moving vehicle, we soon meet Daphna Feldmann (Sarah Adler), whose son Jonathan (Yonathan Shiray) with husband Michael (Lior Ashkenazi) serves in the military. Meeting might be overstating it in this instance, as Daphna only looks into the camera for a split second and, without even hearing a word from her unseen visitors, faints. Her reaction is one of such utterly debilitating grief, it tells you right away who she finds at her doorstep and what they’re about to say. Indeed, it’s the worst nightmare of any soldier’s mom incarnated: grim-faced...
- 9/7/2017
- by Zhuo-Ning Su
- The Film Stage
The Lebanon director’s unflinching family tragedy, set in a surreal Israel where loss and pain are randomly distributed, offers an urgent and witty picture of futility
Foxtrot, by the Israeli film-maker Samuel Maoz, is a compelling family tragedy played out in three acts; a nightmarish triptych of loss, waste and grief that is nonetheless arranged with such visionary boldness that it dares us to look away. Maoz won the 2009 Golden Lion here at Venice with Lebanon, his last film but one, which pundits suspect may count against him this time around. And yet Foxtrot makes a mockery of that kind of received wisdom and formal protocol. The world, it tells us, is random and inept – as likely to kill you by mistake as on purpose. I’m not sure the film sees this as amusing, exactly. But it has the wherewithal and wit to manage the odd hollow laugh.
Foxtrot, by the Israeli film-maker Samuel Maoz, is a compelling family tragedy played out in three acts; a nightmarish triptych of loss, waste and grief that is nonetheless arranged with such visionary boldness that it dares us to look away. Maoz won the 2009 Golden Lion here at Venice with Lebanon, his last film but one, which pundits suspect may count against him this time around. And yet Foxtrot makes a mockery of that kind of received wisdom and formal protocol. The world, it tells us, is random and inept – as likely to kill you by mistake as on purpose. I’m not sure the film sees this as amusing, exactly. But it has the wherewithal and wit to manage the odd hollow laugh.
- 9/4/2017
- by Xan Brooks
- The Guardian - Film News
“Foxtrot” spends its first half hour as a bleak drama about distraught parents mourning their dead son, and then it becomes something entirely different. Israeli director Samuel Maoz’s brilliant followup to his debut “Lebanon,” which took place within the confines of a tank, deals with a very different kind of confinement — being imprisoned by an ambivalent world, and forced to deal with whatever random tragedies it chooses to dish out.
Yet despite its dreary overtones, Maoz pierces his milieu with flashes of perceptive satire, an animated interlude, and a touching, romantic finale, all of which adds up to a wonderfully unexpected hodgepodge of insights into intergenerational Israeli frustrations.
But the first act belies the depth in store. Starting out as a straightforward plunge into deeply tragic events, the movie begins with middle-aged couple Michael (the ever-reliable Lior Ashkenazi) and Daphna (Sarah Adler, in a fiery turn) being visited by...
Yet despite its dreary overtones, Maoz pierces his milieu with flashes of perceptive satire, an animated interlude, and a touching, romantic finale, all of which adds up to a wonderfully unexpected hodgepodge of insights into intergenerational Israeli frustrations.
But the first act belies the depth in store. Starting out as a straightforward plunge into deeply tragic events, the movie begins with middle-aged couple Michael (the ever-reliable Lior Ashkenazi) and Daphna (Sarah Adler, in a fiery turn) being visited by...
- 9/4/2017
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
A short teaser trailer has debuted for the new film from Israeli director Samuel Maoz, titled Foxtrot. This film is premiering at the Venice Film Festival (tomorrow) and is also playing at the Telluride and Toronto Film Festivals, meaning it is definitely something impressive and the buzz will start to hit hard right away. Maoz is the director who made the fantastic entirely-inside-a-tank film Lebanon a few years ago, and this is his latest feature. Foxtrot is about a family who must face the facts when their son is killed at a desolate military outpost. Starring Lior Ashkenazi and Sarah Adler. Even though there's not much this will give you a good idea of what's going on. So far so good, I'm looking forward to seeing it in Venice. Watch below. Here's the first festival trailer (+ poster) for Samuel Maoz's Foxtrot, direct from Tiff's YouTube: And here's another full...
- 8/31/2017
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Exclusive: Venice and Toronto berths for Golden Lion winner’s drama.
The Match Factory will launch sales in earnest this autumn on Samuel Maoz’s Venice and Toronto drama Foxtrot, the writer-director’s anticipated follow-up to his 2009 narrative debut Lebanon, which won Venice’s Golden Lion and four Israeli Academy awards.
In Foxtrot, Michael and Dafna are devastated when army officials show up at their home to announce the death of their son Jonathan.
Michael becomes increasingly frustrated by overzealous mourning relatives and well-meaning army bureaucrats.
While his sedated wife rests, Michael spirals into a whirlwind of anger only to experience one of life’s unfathomable twists which rival the surreal military experiences of his son.
Footnote and Big Bad Wolves star Lior Ashkenazi leads cast alongside The Cakemaker and Notre Musique actress Sarah Adler.
The Israeli title, which has already drawn unannounced buyers, will get its world premiere in competition on the Lido before heading to Toronto...
The Match Factory will launch sales in earnest this autumn on Samuel Maoz’s Venice and Toronto drama Foxtrot, the writer-director’s anticipated follow-up to his 2009 narrative debut Lebanon, which won Venice’s Golden Lion and four Israeli Academy awards.
In Foxtrot, Michael and Dafna are devastated when army officials show up at their home to announce the death of their son Jonathan.
Michael becomes increasingly frustrated by overzealous mourning relatives and well-meaning army bureaucrats.
While his sedated wife rests, Michael spirals into a whirlwind of anger only to experience one of life’s unfathomable twists which rival the surreal military experiences of his son.
Footnote and Big Bad Wolves star Lior Ashkenazi leads cast alongside The Cakemaker and Notre Musique actress Sarah Adler.
The Israeli title, which has already drawn unannounced buyers, will get its world premiere in competition on the Lido before heading to Toronto...
- 8/16/2017
- by andreas.wiseman@screendaily.com (Andreas Wiseman)
- ScreenDaily
Lior Ashkenazi with Anne-Katrin Titze on his role in Samuel Maoz's Foxtrot: "I had to take it to the edge of my skills, of my emotions." Photo: Whitby Hotel
Alexander Payne's Downsizing, starring Matt Damon with Kristen Wiig, Laura Dern, Neil Patrick Harris, Christoph Waltz, Jason Sudeikis, Udo Kier, and Margo Martindale will open the 74th Venice International Film Festival. Three other world premières include Human Capital director Paolo Virzi's The Leisure Seeker (Helen Mirren, Donald Sutherland); 45 Years director Andrew Haigh's Lean On Pete (Chloë Sevigny, Travis Fimmel, Steve Buscemi); and Lebanon (Golden Lion winner in 2009) director Samuel Maoz's Foxtrot, starring Sarah Adler and Lior Ashkenazi (Joseph Cedar's Norman: The Moderate Rise And Tragic Fall Of A New York Fixer).
Lior Ashkenazi's upcoming films José Padilha's Entebbe with Rosamund Pike and Daniel Brühl, and Julie Delpy's My Zoe with Gemma Arterton,...
Alexander Payne's Downsizing, starring Matt Damon with Kristen Wiig, Laura Dern, Neil Patrick Harris, Christoph Waltz, Jason Sudeikis, Udo Kier, and Margo Martindale will open the 74th Venice International Film Festival. Three other world premières include Human Capital director Paolo Virzi's The Leisure Seeker (Helen Mirren, Donald Sutherland); 45 Years director Andrew Haigh's Lean On Pete (Chloë Sevigny, Travis Fimmel, Steve Buscemi); and Lebanon (Golden Lion winner in 2009) director Samuel Maoz's Foxtrot, starring Sarah Adler and Lior Ashkenazi (Joseph Cedar's Norman: The Moderate Rise And Tragic Fall Of A New York Fixer).
Lior Ashkenazi's upcoming films José Padilha's Entebbe with Rosamund Pike and Daniel Brühl, and Julie Delpy's My Zoe with Gemma Arterton,...
- 7/30/2017
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
A forbidden love story takes a wholly unexpected — but richly rewarding — turn in Ofir Raul Graizer’s upcoming Karlovy Vary premiere, “The Cakemaker.” The film follows shy Berlin baker Thomas (Tim Kalkhof) who embarks on a passion and special affair with Oran (Roy Miller), a businessman visiting from Jerusalem who falls for both Thomas and his delicious baked goods.
Their story is cut short, however, when Oran is killed in a car accident and a devastated Thomas cooks up a plan to help his grieving family (and maybe his own broken heart) by traveling to Jerusalem and offering up his expertise to Oran’s widow Anat (Sarah Adler), who owns a struggling cafe. Of course, Thomas can’t explain who exactly he is or what he knows about Oran, and his nationality adds another layer to his evolving relationship with Anat. What will be revealed? And what will happen once those secrets are told?...
Their story is cut short, however, when Oran is killed in a car accident and a devastated Thomas cooks up a plan to help his grieving family (and maybe his own broken heart) by traveling to Jerusalem and offering up his expertise to Oran’s widow Anat (Sarah Adler), who owns a struggling cafe. Of course, Thomas can’t explain who exactly he is or what he knows about Oran, and his nationality adds another layer to his evolving relationship with Anat. What will be revealed? And what will happen once those secrets are told?...
- 7/3/2017
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Richard Gere (Norman Oppenheimer) with Lior Ashkenazi (Micha Eshel) at Lanvin: "It's almost like theater."
Star of Joseph Cedar's Footnote and Norman: The Moderate Rise And Tragic Fall Of A New York Fixer, Lior Ashkenazi, spoke with me on growing up seeing Kirk Douglas, Steve McQueen, and Paul Newman movies with his father, Burt Lancaster in Robert Siodmak's The Crimson Pirate being his first, shooting Eytan Fox's Walk On Water at Berlin's Tempelhof airport, meeting Son Of Saul director László Nemes at the Cannes Film Festival, and performing a silent scene with Richard Gere.
Lior's upcoming films include Julie Delpy's My Zoe (with Gemma Arterton, Richard Armitage, Daniel Brühl); Dragos Buliga's The Wanderers (Armand Assante); Eran Riklis's Refuge (Golshifteh Farahani, Neta Riskin), Samuel Maoz's Foxtrot (Sarah Adler), and José Padilha's Entebbe (Rosamund Pike, Brühl), where he portrays Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin.
Star of Joseph Cedar's Footnote and Norman: The Moderate Rise And Tragic Fall Of A New York Fixer, Lior Ashkenazi, spoke with me on growing up seeing Kirk Douglas, Steve McQueen, and Paul Newman movies with his father, Burt Lancaster in Robert Siodmak's The Crimson Pirate being his first, shooting Eytan Fox's Walk On Water at Berlin's Tempelhof airport, meeting Son Of Saul director László Nemes at the Cannes Film Festival, and performing a silent scene with Richard Gere.
Lior's upcoming films include Julie Delpy's My Zoe (with Gemma Arterton, Richard Armitage, Daniel Brühl); Dragos Buliga's The Wanderers (Armand Assante); Eran Riklis's Refuge (Golshifteh Farahani, Neta Riskin), Samuel Maoz's Foxtrot (Sarah Adler), and José Padilha's Entebbe (Rosamund Pike, Brühl), where he portrays Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin.
- 5/12/2017
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Person of Interest alum Amy Acker goes from guns a-blazing hot to smiley and warm, in this exclusive sneak peek from Episode 2 of CBS’ MacGyver.
RelatedRatings: MacGyver Opens With a Bang, 11-Year Audience High for CBS
In “Metal Saw,” airing Friday at 8/7c, MacGyver and the team set out to assist Sarah Adler (played by Acker), Jack’s former CIA partner/ex-girlfriend who went missing in Venezuela after she obtained evidence to take down an international arms dealer.
“She does get kidnapped, but she definitely does not need to be rescued,” showrunner Peter M. Lenkov previously told TVLine. After all,...
RelatedRatings: MacGyver Opens With a Bang, 11-Year Audience High for CBS
In “Metal Saw,” airing Friday at 8/7c, MacGyver and the team set out to assist Sarah Adler (played by Acker), Jack’s former CIA partner/ex-girlfriend who went missing in Venezuela after she obtained evidence to take down an international arms dealer.
“She does get kidnapped, but she definitely does not need to be rescued,” showrunner Peter M. Lenkov previously told TVLine. After all,...
- 9/29/2016
- TVLine.com
What the heil is happening on Supernatural? What old feud is Lucifer digging up? How is Arrow channeling Game of Thrones? “Lost” Person of Interest dialogue found? Read on for answers to those questions plus teases from other shows.
RelatedSupernatural: Rick Springfield to Play Lucifer’s Rock Star Vessel
Please, please, please, anything you can tell me about my fave show, Supernatural? —Lisa
Oh, this is a bit more than “anything.” “We’ve got something really cool coming up in Episode 5, where it will be the triumphant or not so triumphant return of the Thule, who have decided...
RelatedSupernatural: Rick Springfield to Play Lucifer’s Rock Star Vessel
Please, please, please, anything you can tell me about my fave show, Supernatural? —Lisa
Oh, this is a bit more than “anything.” “We’ve got something really cool coming up in Episode 5, where it will be the triumphant or not so triumphant return of the Thule, who have decided...
- 8/12/2016
- TVLine.com
Drama will explore gay relationships as well as connections between Israel and Germany.
Berlin-based Films Boutique is to handle international sales on the Israeli-born film editor Ofir Raul Graizer’s directorial debut The Cakemaker to be produced by Mathias Schwerbrock’s Film Base Berlin with Israel’s Laila Films.
Schwerbrock told ScreenDaily that the film is planned to go into production this November/December with four days shooting in Berlin and up to two weeks in Jerusalem.
Graizer’s screenplay centres on a young Berliner – a cakemaker by profession – who travels to Israel after the sudden death of his architect lover to learn more about his family background where he begins a relationship with the man’s widow.
“It is an intimate portrait of gay relationships, but also shows the possibility of developing a second relationship,” Schwerbrock explained. “The film also addresses the relationship between Israel and Germany.”
Graizer, who participated in the Nipkow Programm residency in Berlin...
Berlin-based Films Boutique is to handle international sales on the Israeli-born film editor Ofir Raul Graizer’s directorial debut The Cakemaker to be produced by Mathias Schwerbrock’s Film Base Berlin with Israel’s Laila Films.
Schwerbrock told ScreenDaily that the film is planned to go into production this November/December with four days shooting in Berlin and up to two weeks in Jerusalem.
Graizer’s screenplay centres on a young Berliner – a cakemaker by profession – who travels to Israel after the sudden death of his architect lover to learn more about his family background where he begins a relationship with the man’s widow.
“It is an intimate portrait of gay relationships, but also shows the possibility of developing a second relationship,” Schwerbrock explained. “The film also addresses the relationship between Israel and Germany.”
Graizer, who participated in the Nipkow Programm residency in Berlin...
- 9/2/2015
- by screen.berlin@googlemail.com (Martin Blaney)
- ScreenDaily
Drama will explore gay relationships as well as connections between Israel and Germany.
Berlin-based Films Boutique is to handle international sales on the Israeli-born film editor Ofir Raul Graizer’s directorial debut The Cakemaker to be produced by Mathias Schwerbrock’s Film Base Berlin with Israel’s Laila Films.
Schwerbrock told ScreenDaily that the film is planned to go into production this November/December with four days shooting in Berlin and up to two weeks in Jerusalem.
Graizer’s screenplay centres on a young Berliner – a cakemaker by profession – who travels to Israel after the sudden death of his architect lover to learn more about his family background where he begins a relationship with the man’s widow.
“It is an intimate portrait of gay relationships, but also shows the possibility of developing a second relationship,” Schwerbrock explained. “The film also addresses the relationship between Israel and Germany.”
Graizer, who participated in the Nipkow Programm residency in Berlin...
Berlin-based Films Boutique is to handle international sales on the Israeli-born film editor Ofir Raul Graizer’s directorial debut The Cakemaker to be produced by Mathias Schwerbrock’s Film Base Berlin with Israel’s Laila Films.
Schwerbrock told ScreenDaily that the film is planned to go into production this November/December with four days shooting in Berlin and up to two weeks in Jerusalem.
Graizer’s screenplay centres on a young Berliner – a cakemaker by profession – who travels to Israel after the sudden death of his architect lover to learn more about his family background where he begins a relationship with the man’s widow.
“It is an intimate portrait of gay relationships, but also shows the possibility of developing a second relationship,” Schwerbrock explained. “The film also addresses the relationship between Israel and Germany.”
Graizer, who participated in the Nipkow Programm residency in Berlin...
- 9/2/2015
- by screen.berlin@googlemail.com (Martin Blaney)
- ScreenDaily
Over the weekend I watched all of this year's Oscar-nominated short films in the live action, animated and documentary categories. Well, actually, I watched almost all of them as there was one documentary short I had zero interest in watching beyond its opening credits. More on that in a second, but let's begin with the live action short films. And remember, these are predictions, not a ranking of my favorites, though I will be giving an opinionated take on each of the films. Live Action Cheryl Graf and Nissa Kashani in Parvaneh Of the three categories I'd say the live action lot had the largest selection of films I actually enjoyed. Of the bunch, only The Phone Call rubbed me the wrong way. It really doesn't accomplish much other than hammer home the melancholy as Sally Hawkins plays a crisis hotline worker who receives a call from a man (Jim Broadbent...
- 2/16/2015
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
Shita Geffen's Self-Made could be the strangest film I have ever seen. Part black-comedy, part surreal drama, and all feminist parable, the film follows two very different women as they inexplicably swap identities.This is vastly complicated by the locations where the women reside: Israel and Palestine. The first woman Michal (Sarah Adler) is a famous artist residing in Israel, an autobiographical slant on the director herself as later scenes reveal an almost meta-commentary on her previous films. The film starts with a long take of her slumbering next to her husband before her bed abruptly breaks and she bashes her head. This oddly jarring and blackly comic event spurs a delivery order at a faux-Ikea corporation for a replacement bed. Michal's day gets increasingly strange...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 10/13/2014
- Screen Anarchy
Once again the publicist/ producer Richard Lormand has made his picks for the Venice Film Festival. His choices invariably are top-notch and his notes on the films show a deep love for his work. I always gravitate toward his films, as I often gravitate toward others’, both publicists and critics, whom I know to be the best. Why? Because we tend to like the same films.
By Richard Lormand
Greetings Venice-bound (or not) Film Lovers!
Here’s what’s going on with us at this year’s Mostra del Cinema on the Venice Lido…
"Dearest"(Qui’ Ai De) is a powerhouse of emotion. The ensemble cast represents some of China’s finest acting talents – leading actresses Zhao Wei and Hao Lei and actors Huang Bo, Tong Dawei and Zhang Yi all give knockout performances. Director Peter Ho-Sun Chan has made such an intriguing film from newspaper headlines – children gone missing, searching for them, dealing with the loss and sometimes dealing with finding them again. These incidents might not be new, but "Dearest" fascinated me because of thevery original and respectful treatment of this material by its astute writer-director. I really didn’t know where I was being taken. But I liked each new path in this heartbreaking journey of a movie. I felt every one of this film’s thousands of carefully constructed emotional moments. And Zhao Wei’s performance as the foster mother:wow!
"Ich Seh Ich Seh" ("Goodnight Mommy") is a real discovery. It’s clever, playful and it’s really good filmmaking. It’s horror, it’s European art house, it’s Austrian. And produced by bad boy director himself Ulrich Seidl. And it’s a first feature co-directed by sort of an odd pairing – not really related, not a romantic couple. But Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala definitely got something going (talent, intelligence and a passion for cinema) with their mix because the results are all over the screen. I won’t pitch you the horror scenes, but they are real fun and mean like they should be. But what really struck me about this film is that it is so amazingly gorgeous. Such a consistent impeccable taste in all that is beautiful, even the ugly. Oh, the cornfields, the forest. Mom’s bruised and bandaged face and head. Those mischievous twin boys. (By the way, “Ich Seh” is the child’s game “I Spy.” "Ich Seh Ich Seh" because of the twin boys. "Goodnight Mommy" because… Well, you’ll see.)
"The Cut" is Fatih Akin’s much anticipated new feature. It was destined to be controversial in some way or another because of the material, Fatih himself, so many possible reasons. And here it is finally. It’s without a doubt an epic – a big topic, big crowd scenes, wide open spaces, world travels. But "The Cut" is a very intimate epic about a man alone. A man who cheats the Armenian genocide, but sometimes survival is simply not enough. He will only live again through the search for his twin daughters. I admire how Fatih Akin courageously focused on the human side – the blood, sweat and tears - of this potent political subject matter. Fatih’s hero is Nazaret, a sort of Armenian “Everyman”, incarnated by Tahar Rahim whose face tells so many stories without words. Equally remarkable are "The Cut’s" production values. I was especially moved by the haunting beauty of the Armenian shanty town, backdrop for one of Fatih’s boldest scenes, one of many. Still flashing in my mind’s eye: Nazaret watching Chaplin on screen is such a fine Fatih Akin moment of cinema. And the title reference scene in the desert is Fatih Akin intensity like no one else’s.
"Altman" is such an enjoyable and informative documentary about the career of late great Robert Altman. I was very surprised. I see a lot of short, medium and feature-length films about directors, and sadly, I am usually disappointed by something. But Ron Mann’s "Altman" satisfied my bio-doc needs: strong linear structure, interesting archival footage, good interviews and narration and no abuse of movie excerpts. "Altman" actually relies on its own solid research and editorial savvy to remain captivating for 95 minutes. Altman’s wife, Kathryn Reed Altman, served as a consultant on the production and her intermittent narration add both credibility and heart to the film. Not only did I learn some things about Robert Altman, the film made me feel like I even got to know him a bit personally. And it’s a great feeling to think about his films: "Mash," "Short Cuts", "Nashville" "The Player"… "Altman" actually made me want to go back and see all of his movies again. Now that’s what I call an homage to a filmmaker.
"Tsili" is Amos Gitai’s latest exploration of cinematographic language, another manifestation of his passion for cinema. Inspired by an Aharon Appelfield novel in Yiddish, "Tsili" is one of the rare instances when Yiddish is heard in a movie. Young Jewish woman Tsili, hiding out in a Central European forest with the sounds of WWII not so far away, is actually played by three different women in Gitai’s film. Once again, actress Sarah Adler ("Jellyfish" proves that she’s got one of the most beguiling screen presences around today. I loved the visual and emotional treatment of Tsili’s nest. For such sad and lonely subject matter, "Tsili" actually feels quite celebratory. A celebration of life and cinema. "Tsili" is another fine example that Amos Gitai is both an innovator who breaks the rules and a fierce defender of the traditions of pure cinema. He has played not only an essential role in Israeli cinema history, but also in European and international cinema.
"Bypass" is UK writer-director Duane Hopkins’ second film. He previously made the acclaimed "Better Things" (Cannes 2008 – Critics Week). Similarly in "Bypass," this young filmmaker continues to show a real talent for balancing bleakness and hope. I was particularly struck by the aesthetics of "Bypass," as I’m quite sure you will be too. "Bypass" is simply gorgeous to look at. It’s a true example of artistry applied to film. But Duane doesn’t sacrifice his love of the characters for the sake of the film’s beauty. Everything is centered around the outstanding leading performance by George MacKay as troubled Tim who works part-time as a criminal to keep his family afloat. MacKay’s Tim is calmly tense and fascinating to watch. As Tim’s situation becomes more dangerous, Duane shows a knack for crime genre. But just as important – perhaps even more – is Tim’s love for Lilly. It’s as if lovely actress Charlotte Spencer actually incarnated love and hope on the screen.
Quick note: I return to the Toronto Film Festival this year with four films: Christian Petzold’s "Phoenix", Ole Christian Madsen’s "Itsi Bitsi," Bent Hamer’s "1001 Grams" and Danis Tanovic’s "Tigers." More on these Toronto world premieres soon.
By Richard Lormand
Greetings Venice-bound (or not) Film Lovers!
Here’s what’s going on with us at this year’s Mostra del Cinema on the Venice Lido…
"Dearest"(Qui’ Ai De) is a powerhouse of emotion. The ensemble cast represents some of China’s finest acting talents – leading actresses Zhao Wei and Hao Lei and actors Huang Bo, Tong Dawei and Zhang Yi all give knockout performances. Director Peter Ho-Sun Chan has made such an intriguing film from newspaper headlines – children gone missing, searching for them, dealing with the loss and sometimes dealing with finding them again. These incidents might not be new, but "Dearest" fascinated me because of thevery original and respectful treatment of this material by its astute writer-director. I really didn’t know where I was being taken. But I liked each new path in this heartbreaking journey of a movie. I felt every one of this film’s thousands of carefully constructed emotional moments. And Zhao Wei’s performance as the foster mother:wow!
"Ich Seh Ich Seh" ("Goodnight Mommy") is a real discovery. It’s clever, playful and it’s really good filmmaking. It’s horror, it’s European art house, it’s Austrian. And produced by bad boy director himself Ulrich Seidl. And it’s a first feature co-directed by sort of an odd pairing – not really related, not a romantic couple. But Veronika Franz and Severin Fiala definitely got something going (talent, intelligence and a passion for cinema) with their mix because the results are all over the screen. I won’t pitch you the horror scenes, but they are real fun and mean like they should be. But what really struck me about this film is that it is so amazingly gorgeous. Such a consistent impeccable taste in all that is beautiful, even the ugly. Oh, the cornfields, the forest. Mom’s bruised and bandaged face and head. Those mischievous twin boys. (By the way, “Ich Seh” is the child’s game “I Spy.” "Ich Seh Ich Seh" because of the twin boys. "Goodnight Mommy" because… Well, you’ll see.)
"The Cut" is Fatih Akin’s much anticipated new feature. It was destined to be controversial in some way or another because of the material, Fatih himself, so many possible reasons. And here it is finally. It’s without a doubt an epic – a big topic, big crowd scenes, wide open spaces, world travels. But "The Cut" is a very intimate epic about a man alone. A man who cheats the Armenian genocide, but sometimes survival is simply not enough. He will only live again through the search for his twin daughters. I admire how Fatih Akin courageously focused on the human side – the blood, sweat and tears - of this potent political subject matter. Fatih’s hero is Nazaret, a sort of Armenian “Everyman”, incarnated by Tahar Rahim whose face tells so many stories without words. Equally remarkable are "The Cut’s" production values. I was especially moved by the haunting beauty of the Armenian shanty town, backdrop for one of Fatih’s boldest scenes, one of many. Still flashing in my mind’s eye: Nazaret watching Chaplin on screen is such a fine Fatih Akin moment of cinema. And the title reference scene in the desert is Fatih Akin intensity like no one else’s.
"Altman" is such an enjoyable and informative documentary about the career of late great Robert Altman. I was very surprised. I see a lot of short, medium and feature-length films about directors, and sadly, I am usually disappointed by something. But Ron Mann’s "Altman" satisfied my bio-doc needs: strong linear structure, interesting archival footage, good interviews and narration and no abuse of movie excerpts. "Altman" actually relies on its own solid research and editorial savvy to remain captivating for 95 minutes. Altman’s wife, Kathryn Reed Altman, served as a consultant on the production and her intermittent narration add both credibility and heart to the film. Not only did I learn some things about Robert Altman, the film made me feel like I even got to know him a bit personally. And it’s a great feeling to think about his films: "Mash," "Short Cuts", "Nashville" "The Player"… "Altman" actually made me want to go back and see all of his movies again. Now that’s what I call an homage to a filmmaker.
"Tsili" is Amos Gitai’s latest exploration of cinematographic language, another manifestation of his passion for cinema. Inspired by an Aharon Appelfield novel in Yiddish, "Tsili" is one of the rare instances when Yiddish is heard in a movie. Young Jewish woman Tsili, hiding out in a Central European forest with the sounds of WWII not so far away, is actually played by three different women in Gitai’s film. Once again, actress Sarah Adler ("Jellyfish" proves that she’s got one of the most beguiling screen presences around today. I loved the visual and emotional treatment of Tsili’s nest. For such sad and lonely subject matter, "Tsili" actually feels quite celebratory. A celebration of life and cinema. "Tsili" is another fine example that Amos Gitai is both an innovator who breaks the rules and a fierce defender of the traditions of pure cinema. He has played not only an essential role in Israeli cinema history, but also in European and international cinema.
"Bypass" is UK writer-director Duane Hopkins’ second film. He previously made the acclaimed "Better Things" (Cannes 2008 – Critics Week). Similarly in "Bypass," this young filmmaker continues to show a real talent for balancing bleakness and hope. I was particularly struck by the aesthetics of "Bypass," as I’m quite sure you will be too. "Bypass" is simply gorgeous to look at. It’s a true example of artistry applied to film. But Duane doesn’t sacrifice his love of the characters for the sake of the film’s beauty. Everything is centered around the outstanding leading performance by George MacKay as troubled Tim who works part-time as a criminal to keep his family afloat. MacKay’s Tim is calmly tense and fascinating to watch. As Tim’s situation becomes more dangerous, Duane shows a knack for crime genre. But just as important – perhaps even more – is Tim’s love for Lilly. It’s as if lovely actress Charlotte Spencer actually incarnated love and hope on the screen.
Quick note: I return to the Toronto Film Festival this year with four films: Christian Petzold’s "Phoenix", Ole Christian Madsen’s "Itsi Bitsi," Bent Hamer’s "1001 Grams" and Danis Tanovic’s "Tigers." More on these Toronto world premieres soon.
- 8/26/2014
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Exclusive: Camera d’Or winner’s second film produced by Movie Plus, United King.
UK outfit WestEnd Films has boarded sales on Camera d’Or winner Shira Geffen’s (Jellyfish) sophomore feature Self Made, which is due to be completed in time for Cannes.
The under-the-radar drama, produced by David Mandil’s Movie Plus (Beaufort) and Moshe Edery and Leon Edery of United King (Lemon Tree), shot in Israel last summer and stars Jellyfish lead Sarah Adler alongside newcomer Samira Saraya. Waltz With Bashir editor Nili Feller is also on board.
Shot in Hebrew and Arabic, writer-director Geffen’s film follows two women - one Palestinian and one Israeli - who after a mix up at a checkpoint find themselves living the life of the other on the opposite side of the Israel-Palestine border.
Self Made reunites the production and sales team behind Oscar-nominated 2011 drama Footnote, which was picked up by Spc for the Us.
WestEnd will be...
UK outfit WestEnd Films has boarded sales on Camera d’Or winner Shira Geffen’s (Jellyfish) sophomore feature Self Made, which is due to be completed in time for Cannes.
The under-the-radar drama, produced by David Mandil’s Movie Plus (Beaufort) and Moshe Edery and Leon Edery of United King (Lemon Tree), shot in Israel last summer and stars Jellyfish lead Sarah Adler alongside newcomer Samira Saraya. Waltz With Bashir editor Nili Feller is also on board.
Shot in Hebrew and Arabic, writer-director Geffen’s film follows two women - one Palestinian and one Israeli - who after a mix up at a checkpoint find themselves living the life of the other on the opposite side of the Israel-Palestine border.
Self Made reunites the production and sales team behind Oscar-nominated 2011 drama Footnote, which was picked up by Spc for the Us.
WestEnd will be...
- 2/8/2014
- by andreas.wiseman@screendaily.com (Andreas Wiseman)
- ScreenDaily
★★★☆☆ No stranger to the Venice Lido, Amos Gitai's new film Ana Arabia (2013) - in competition this year - is a quiet exploration of love and tolerance in Israel. On the border between Jaffa and Bat Jam exists a small dusty enclave of Arabs and Jews. A young reporter, Yael (Yuval Scharf), arrives to question the inhabitants about a recently deceased resident, a Jewish woman who survived Auschwitz as a child and subsequently fled to Israel where she married an Arab and converted to Islam. Yael interviews her husband, Yussuf (Yussuf Abu-Warda), his daughter Miriam (Sarah Adler) and daughter-in-law Sarah (Assi Levy).
Everyone seem happy to tell Yael their stories and muse on the meaning of them, as well as occasionally having neighbours butt in to joke and/or flirt with the pretty journalist (or just to exchange gossip). The one outstanding feature of Gitai's Ana Arabia is that it...
Everyone seem happy to tell Yael their stories and muse on the meaning of them, as well as occasionally having neighbours butt in to joke and/or flirt with the pretty journalist (or just to exchange gossip). The one outstanding feature of Gitai's Ana Arabia is that it...
- 9/7/2013
- by CineVue UK
- CineVue
"The San Francisco Film Society's annual French cinema roundup stretches its national mandate a bit this year," writes Max Goldberg in the Bay Guardian, noting the inclusion of The Kid with a Bike by Belgian brothers Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, "one of the best films of the year regardless of country of origin," and Finnish director Aki Kaurismäki's Le Havre. "Also worth checking out is Pierre Schöller's fascinating train wreck of an information age political thriller, The Minister, starring longtime Dardennes player Olivier Gourmet as a compromised bureaucrat. The Long Falling [image above], Martin Provost's second match up with actress Yolanda Moreau after Séraphine (2008), purposefully shuttles from a hardened Belgian village to an unmoored Brussels and features Agnès Godard's characteristically probing camerawork, itself a pride of French cinema."
From the lineup of eleven films, the Chronicle's Mick Lasalle picks out six to highlight, including Katia Lewkowicz's Bachelor Days Are Over,...
From the lineup of eleven films, the Chronicle's Mick Lasalle picks out six to highlight, including Katia Lewkowicz's Bachelor Days Are Over,...
- 10/28/2011
- MUBI
Judi Dench Yossi Madmoni's Israeli family drama Restoration, in which two brothers fight for the affection of both their father and the wife of one of the brothers, won the Crystal Award (worth $30,000) at the 2011 Karlovy Vary International Film Festival. [Full list of Karlovy Vary winners.] Earlier this year, Restoration took home the Screenwriting – World Cinema Dramatic Award at Sundance. Written by Erez Kav-El, Restoration features Henry David, Sasson Gabai, Nevo Kimchi, and Sarah Adler. Martin Szulik's Czech-Slovak coming-of-age drama Gypsy won the Special Jury Prize, worth $20,000. Additionally, Gypsy received the European Cinemas Label Award, the International Federation of Film Societies Don Quixote Prize and a special mention for actor Ján Mizigár. The Best Actor and Best Actress awards went to, respectively, David Morse for his performance as an ex-con who takes his neighbor (Martin Donovan) hostage in Donovan's Collaborator, and Stine Fischer Christensen for her young actress cast in a production of Camille in...
- 7/12/2011
- by Steve Montgomery
- Alt Film Guide
Henry David, Sasson Gabai, Sarah Adler in Yossi Madmoni's Restoration Judi Dench, John Turturro, Goran Bregovic: Karlovy Vary 2011 Honorees Grand Prix – Crystal Globe Restoration / Boker Tov, Adon Fidelman Directed by: Yossi Madmoni Israel, 2010 Special Jury Prize Gypsy / Cigán Director: Martin Šulík Slovak Republic, Czech Republic, 2011 Best Director Award Pascal Rabaté for the film Holidays by the Sea France, 2011 Best Actress Award Stine Fischer Christensen for her role in the film Cracks in the Shell / Die Unsichtbare Directed by: Christian Schwochow Germany, 2011 Best Actor Award David Morse for his role in the film Collaborator Directed by: Martin Donovan Canada, USA, 2010 Special Mention Ján Mizigár for his role in the film Gypsy / Cigán Directed by: Martin Šulík Slovak Republic, Czech Republic, 2011 Jocelyn Pook for the music of the film Room 304 / Værelse 304 Directed by: Birgitte Stærmose Denmark, Croatia, 2011 East Of The West – Films In Competition East of the West Award...
- 7/12/2011
- by Steve Montgomery
- Alt Film Guide
Year: 2010
Directors: Assaf Tager
Writers: Assaf Tager
IMDb: link
Trailer: link
Review by: rochefort
Rating: 5 out of 10
In a run-down world in which most people can no longer dream or even sleep, Mr. Terrier (Liron Levo) runs a "dream factory" that allows the masses to share a consensual experience stemming from Mr. Coma, one of the last living dreamers. But Mr. Coma is expected to die soon, his dreams stale and repetitive, and the hungry crowds are becoming restless; salvation arrives in the form of Sarah (Sarah Adler), a vivid (and maybe even the last) dreamer who soon recharges the factory. Fearing the revolts that will result if Sarah fails to consistently deliver, Mr. Terrier opts to confine and drug her, prompting Didi, Sarah's lover and the factory's "dream editor", to attempt an escape that, if successful, could mean the end of all dreams.
I personally believe that the best...
Directors: Assaf Tager
Writers: Assaf Tager
IMDb: link
Trailer: link
Review by: rochefort
Rating: 5 out of 10
In a run-down world in which most people can no longer dream or even sleep, Mr. Terrier (Liron Levo) runs a "dream factory" that allows the masses to share a consensual experience stemming from Mr. Coma, one of the last living dreamers. But Mr. Coma is expected to die soon, his dreams stale and repetitive, and the hungry crowds are becoming restless; salvation arrives in the form of Sarah (Sarah Adler), a vivid (and maybe even the last) dreamer who soon recharges the factory. Fearing the revolts that will result if Sarah fails to consistently deliver, Mr. Terrier opts to confine and drug her, prompting Didi, Sarah's lover and the factory's "dream editor", to attempt an escape that, if successful, could mean the end of all dreams.
I personally believe that the best...
- 3/24/2011
- QuietEarth.us
The South by Southwest Film Festival announced its feature film line-up Wednesday, piling heaps of cinematic goodness on an already stellar program that includes Jodie Foster’s The Beaver, Duncan Jones’ Source Code, Ti West’s The Innkeepers, Conan O’Brien’s tour documentary, and the latest Simon Pegg-Nick Frost comedy, Paul, with Seth Rogen.
Catherine Hardwicke (Twilight) returns to the festival with her latest film, Red Riding Hood starring Amanda Seyfried, after the writer-director spoke on a screenwriting panel in 2009.
Plus a few favorites from the Sundance Film Festival last month, like Tom McCarthy’s Win Win, Morgan Spurlock’s The Greatest Movie Ever Sold, and Max Winkler’s Ceremony.
I’m extremely excited, even if I’m already having flashbacks to intense sleep deprivation. Like the last two years, I’ll be on the ground covering as much of the festival as I can within the packed 9 days of screenings,...
Catherine Hardwicke (Twilight) returns to the festival with her latest film, Red Riding Hood starring Amanda Seyfried, after the writer-director spoke on a screenwriting panel in 2009.
Plus a few favorites from the Sundance Film Festival last month, like Tom McCarthy’s Win Win, Morgan Spurlock’s The Greatest Movie Ever Sold, and Max Winkler’s Ceremony.
I’m extremely excited, even if I’m already having flashbacks to intense sleep deprivation. Like the last two years, I’ll be on the ground covering as much of the festival as I can within the packed 9 days of screenings,...
- 2/3/2011
- by Jeff Leins
- newsinfilm.com
‘Tapping into the cultural zeitgeist,’ at SXSW 2011
Austin, Texas – The SXSW 2011 Feature Film Lineup was unveiled Wednesday afternoon. The festival lineup will consist of 130 features, in nine full days of programming, promising to deliver a film-going experience unlike previous years.
With a reputation for taking chances on relatively unknown filmmakers, the SXSW panel of judges carefully picked 130 films from 1,792 feature-length film submissions, (1,323 U.S. and 469 international). The program consists of 60 World Premieres, 12 North American Premieres and 16 U.S. Premieres.
The main competition categories return with eight Narrative Features, and eight Documentary Features, both competing for their respective Grand Jury Prize. New for films in competition this year, are awards for screenplay, editing, cinematography, music, and acting.
(The Midnighters and SXFantastic feature sections, along with the short film program, will be announced next week.)
Here are a few of the Features to be screened, among many others.
Narratives:
The Beaver (World Premiere)
Dir.
Austin, Texas – The SXSW 2011 Feature Film Lineup was unveiled Wednesday afternoon. The festival lineup will consist of 130 features, in nine full days of programming, promising to deliver a film-going experience unlike previous years.
With a reputation for taking chances on relatively unknown filmmakers, the SXSW panel of judges carefully picked 130 films from 1,792 feature-length film submissions, (1,323 U.S. and 469 international). The program consists of 60 World Premieres, 12 North American Premieres and 16 U.S. Premieres.
The main competition categories return with eight Narrative Features, and eight Documentary Features, both competing for their respective Grand Jury Prize. New for films in competition this year, are awards for screenplay, editing, cinematography, music, and acting.
(The Midnighters and SXFantastic feature sections, along with the short film program, will be announced next week.)
Here are a few of the Features to be screened, among many others.
Narratives:
The Beaver (World Premiere)
Dir.
- 2/3/2011
- by Albert Art
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
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