Abel Ferrara has made a career out of staring unflinchingly into the abyss, interrogating man’s weakness and depravity and daring his audiences to look away. Faced with the catastrophic violence of the war in Ukraine, however, which he chronicles in the Berlin-premiering documentary “Turn in the Wound,” even the iconoclastic director finds himself at a loss — for words, and for easy answers.
“Why is the violence — that’s what it’s about,” Ferrara tells Variety. “Whether it’s there, whether it’s happening in Gaza and Israel — it’s happening all over the world. It has happened, it is happening, and it’s going to happen, and the question is, Why?”
Ferrara returns to Berlin four years after competing for the Golden Bear with “Siberia,” which starred Willem Dafoe in what Variety’s Guy Lodge described as a “beautiful, unhinged, sometimes hilarious trek into geographical and psychological wilderness.” The...
“Why is the violence — that’s what it’s about,” Ferrara tells Variety. “Whether it’s there, whether it’s happening in Gaza and Israel — it’s happening all over the world. It has happened, it is happening, and it’s going to happen, and the question is, Why?”
Ferrara returns to Berlin four years after competing for the Golden Bear with “Siberia,” which starred Willem Dafoe in what Variety’s Guy Lodge described as a “beautiful, unhinged, sometimes hilarious trek into geographical and psychological wilderness.” The...
- 2/21/2024
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
Two more sidebars at this year’s Cannes Film Festival have unveiled their lineup. First up, Critics Week (aka La Semaine de la Critique), which brings together first and second features, has announced its 2022 slate, which includes a special screening of Jesse Eisenberg’s When You Finish Saving the World, which we reviewed at Sundance. While the festival is primarily geared towards discoveries, it also includes a new short by Yann Gonzalez.
Acid (Association for the Distribution of Independent Cinema) also unveiled its nine features, which notably includes a new film by Damien Manivel, who recently directed the acclaimed Isadora’s Children. Check out both lineups below.
Critics Week (hat tip to Screen Daily)
Special Screenings
When You Finish Saving The World (US) (Opening film)
Dir. Jesse Eisenberg
Sons Of Ramses (Fr)
Dir. Clément Cogitore
Everybody Loves Jeanne (Fr)
Dir. Céline Devaux
Next Sohee (S Kor) (Closing film)
Dir. July Jung...
Acid (Association for the Distribution of Independent Cinema) also unveiled its nine features, which notably includes a new film by Damien Manivel, who recently directed the acclaimed Isadora’s Children. Check out both lineups below.
Critics Week (hat tip to Screen Daily)
Special Screenings
When You Finish Saving The World (US) (Opening film)
Dir. Jesse Eisenberg
Sons Of Ramses (Fr)
Dir. Clément Cogitore
Everybody Loves Jeanne (Fr)
Dir. Céline Devaux
Next Sohee (S Kor) (Closing film)
Dir. July Jung...
- 4/20/2022
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Cannes Film Festival’s parallel sidebar Critics’ Week has unveiled the 11 features and 13 shorts that will comprise its 2022 edition. Scroll down to see the full lineup.
Opening the event will be Jesse Eisenberg’s comedy-drama When You Finish Saving the World, which premiered at Sundance this year and has its international premiere in Cannes. The film stars Julianne Moore and Finn Wolfhard as mother and son.
Closing the program will be Jung July’s Next Sohee, a detective drama starring Bae Doona.
This is the first selection for new Critics’ Week artistic director Ava Cahen, who becomes the second female director in the event’s history.
Cannes Critics’ Week runs May 18-26 this year.
Competition
Feature Films
Aftersun (UK / U.S.)
Dir. Charlotte Wells
Alma Viva (Portugal / France)
Dir. Cristèle Alves Meira
Dalva (Love according to Dalva) (Belgium / France)
Dir. Emmanuelle Nicot
La Jauría (Colombia / France)
Dir. Andrés Ramírez Pulido...
Opening the event will be Jesse Eisenberg’s comedy-drama When You Finish Saving the World, which premiered at Sundance this year and has its international premiere in Cannes. The film stars Julianne Moore and Finn Wolfhard as mother and son.
Closing the program will be Jung July’s Next Sohee, a detective drama starring Bae Doona.
This is the first selection for new Critics’ Week artistic director Ava Cahen, who becomes the second female director in the event’s history.
Cannes Critics’ Week runs May 18-26 this year.
Competition
Feature Films
Aftersun (UK / U.S.)
Dir. Charlotte Wells
Alma Viva (Portugal / France)
Dir. Cristèle Alves Meira
Dalva (Love according to Dalva) (Belgium / France)
Dir. Emmanuelle Nicot
La Jauría (Colombia / France)
Dir. Andrés Ramírez Pulido...
- 4/20/2022
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
The lineup for the 2022 Cannes Critics’ Week (La Semaine de la Critique) has been announced. See also the full lineup of the Official Selection and Directors' Fortnight.Next SoheeCOMPETITION — FEATURESAftersun (Charlotte Wells)Alma Viva (Cristèle Alves Meira)Dalva (Emmanuelle Nicot)La Jauría (Andrés Ramírez Pulido)Summer Scars (Simon Rieth)Imagine (Ali Behrad)The Woodcutter Story (Mikko Myllylahti)Competition — SHORTSCanker (Lin Tu)Las criaturas que se derriten bajo el sol (Diego Cespedes)Chords (Estibaliz Urresola Solaguren)Will You Look At Me (Shuli Huang)Ice Merchants (João Gonzalez)It’s Nice In Here (Robert-Jonathan Koeyers)I Didn’t Make It To Love Her (Anna Fernandez De Paco)On Xerxes’ Throne (Evi Kalogiropoulou)Manta Ray (Anton Bialas)Swan In the Center (Iris Chassaigne)Special Screenings — FEATURESWhen You Finish Saving The World (Jesse Eisenberg): Evelyn and her oblivious son Ziggy seek out replacements for each other as Evelyn desperately...
- 4/20/2022
- MUBI
Exclusive: Cinema Eye Honors said that Eyes on the Prize, the landmark civil rights docuseries that first aired on public television in 1987, will receive the group’s 2019 Legacy Award. The honor will be bestowed January 10 during the 12th annual Cinema Eye Honors awards ceremony in New York.
“For me and so many others, Eyes on the Prize was a transformational cinematic experience, artfully crafting the history of a nation into an unforgettable story,” Cinema Eye board co-chair Dawn Porter said Thursday. “Countless filmmakers have been inspired by this elegant body of work.”
Created and by the late Henry Hampton’s Blackside, the 14-part Eyes on the Prize is considered the definitive documentary record of the American civil rights era, tracing the country’s long and brutal march toward equality and the fight to end decades of discrimination and segregation. It aired in two parts, the first covering the years 1954–1965 and...
“For me and so many others, Eyes on the Prize was a transformational cinematic experience, artfully crafting the history of a nation into an unforgettable story,” Cinema Eye board co-chair Dawn Porter said Thursday. “Countless filmmakers have been inspired by this elegant body of work.”
Created and by the late Henry Hampton’s Blackside, the 14-part Eyes on the Prize is considered the definitive documentary record of the American civil rights era, tracing the country’s long and brutal march toward equality and the fight to end decades of discrimination and segregation. It aired in two parts, the first covering the years 1954–1965 and...
- 12/20/2018
- by Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
The Cinema Eye Honors, which annually presents awards to “celebrate outstanding artistry and craft in nonfiction film,” has revealed its nominees in 10 categories, including Outstanding Nonfiction Feature and Outstanding Nonfiction Short. Multiple nominees include Robert Greene’s ”Bisbee ‘17,” Sandi Tan’s “Shirkers,” and RaMell Ross’ ”Hale County This Morning, This Evening,” with five nods each. While Greene is a Cinema Eye Honors vet, both Tan and Ross are first-time filmmakers.
Another first-time filmmaker on the rise: Bing Liu, whose autobiographical skateboarding doc “Minding the Gap,” leads the nominees with a total of seven nominations. That’s good enough to put the newbie filmmaker into rarefied territory, tying his film with lauded documentaries like Louie Psihoyos’ ”The Cove,” Lixin Fan’s ”Last Train Home,” and Ari Folman’s “Waltz With Bashir” for most Cinema Eye Honors nods ever. As Liu is a named nominee for six of those awards, he’s...
Another first-time filmmaker on the rise: Bing Liu, whose autobiographical skateboarding doc “Minding the Gap,” leads the nominees with a total of seven nominations. That’s good enough to put the newbie filmmaker into rarefied territory, tying his film with lauded documentaries like Louie Psihoyos’ ”The Cove,” Lixin Fan’s ”Last Train Home,” and Ari Folman’s “Waltz With Bashir” for most Cinema Eye Honors nods ever. As Liu is a named nominee for six of those awards, he’s...
- 11/8/2018
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Bing Liu’s “Minding the Gap,” an look at small-town American life through the lens of a group of skateboarder friends, led the 2018 Cinema Eye Honors nominations for nonfiction filmmaking Thursday.
The film, a Hulu original documentary, landed seven bids, for direction, editing, cinematography, original score, debut feature and the audience award, in addition to outstanding achievement in nonfiction feature filmmaking, the organization’s top prize. It was also mentioned in the “Unforgettables” sidebar honoring the subjects of many of this year’s documentaries.
The seven-nomination haul was enough to match Cinema Eye’s record, held by Louie Psihoyos’ “The Cove,” Lixin Fan’s “Last Train Home” and Ari Folman’s “Waltz With Bashir.”
The other nominees for outstanding achievement in nonfiction feature filmmaking were “Bisbee ’17” (five nominations), “Hale County This Morning, This Evening” (five nominations), “Of Fathers and Sons” (three nominations), “Three Identical Strangers” (three nominations) and “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?...
The film, a Hulu original documentary, landed seven bids, for direction, editing, cinematography, original score, debut feature and the audience award, in addition to outstanding achievement in nonfiction feature filmmaking, the organization’s top prize. It was also mentioned in the “Unforgettables” sidebar honoring the subjects of many of this year’s documentaries.
The seven-nomination haul was enough to match Cinema Eye’s record, held by Louie Psihoyos’ “The Cove,” Lixin Fan’s “Last Train Home” and Ari Folman’s “Waltz With Bashir.”
The other nominees for outstanding achievement in nonfiction feature filmmaking were “Bisbee ’17” (five nominations), “Hale County This Morning, This Evening” (five nominations), “Of Fathers and Sons” (three nominations), “Three Identical Strangers” (three nominations) and “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?...
- 11/8/2018
- by Kristopher Tapley
- Variety Film + TV
“Minding the Gap,” a documentary that mixes stories of skateboarding teens with a dark family story, led all films in nominations for the Cinema Eye Honors, one of the top awards devoted to all facets of nonfiction filmmaking.
Bing Liu’s highly personal film tied a Cinema Eye record by receiving seven nominations overall, one in a previously announced category and six in the 10 categories that Cinema Eye announced on Thursday. Those included nominations for directing, editing, cinematography and music, as well as one in the marquee category, Outstanding Achievement in Nonfiction Feature Filmmaking.
Other nominees in that category were Robert Greene’s “Bisbee ’17,” RaMell Ross’ “Hale County This Morning, This Evening,” Talal Derki’s “Of Fathers and Son,” Tim Wardle’s “Three Identical Strangers” and the 12th highest-grossing documentary of all time, Morgan Neville’s “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?”
Also Read: 'Minding the Gap' Film Review: Powerful...
Bing Liu’s highly personal film tied a Cinema Eye record by receiving seven nominations overall, one in a previously announced category and six in the 10 categories that Cinema Eye announced on Thursday. Those included nominations for directing, editing, cinematography and music, as well as one in the marquee category, Outstanding Achievement in Nonfiction Feature Filmmaking.
Other nominees in that category were Robert Greene’s “Bisbee ’17,” RaMell Ross’ “Hale County This Morning, This Evening,” Talal Derki’s “Of Fathers and Son,” Tim Wardle’s “Three Identical Strangers” and the 12th highest-grossing documentary of all time, Morgan Neville’s “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?”
Also Read: 'Minding the Gap' Film Review: Powerful...
- 11/8/2018
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
As the summer comes to a close, it seems as though most distributors–especially on the indie side–were holding onto their gems before the busy fall festival slate as a number of the year’s best films arrive this month. If we’re being honest, though, our most-anticipated film won’t actually get a theatrical release, but will instead arrive on The Criterion Collection with Terrence Malick’s extended edition of The Tree of Life. However for this feature, we’ll stick to those films one will be able to see in theaters, so without further adieu, here are the 15 films we recommend this month.
Matinees to See: Nico, 1988 (8/1), Christopher Robin (8/3), A Prayer Before Dawn (8/10), Buybust (8/10), Summer of ’84 (8/10), Crazy Rich Asians (8/15), Juliet, Naked (8/17), Memoir of War (8/17), Notes on an Appearance (8/17), We the Animals (8/17), The Wife (8/17), The Night is Short, Walk On Girl (8/21), What Keeps You Alive (8/24), Papillon (8/24), The Happytime Murders...
Matinees to See: Nico, 1988 (8/1), Christopher Robin (8/3), A Prayer Before Dawn (8/10), Buybust (8/10), Summer of ’84 (8/10), Crazy Rich Asians (8/15), Juliet, Naked (8/17), Memoir of War (8/17), Notes on an Appearance (8/17), We the Animals (8/17), The Wife (8/17), The Night is Short, Walk On Girl (8/21), What Keeps You Alive (8/24), Papillon (8/24), The Happytime Murders...
- 7/31/2018
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
"Time is going by so fast." Kino Lorber has debuted an official Us trailer for a documentary titled Makala, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival last year and played at the Toronto & London Film Festivals. I saw this in London and loved it, writing a rave review. It's still often on my mind and with this new trailer I want to bring some attention to it again. Made by French filmmaker Emmanuel Gras, Makala follows one man from Congo (aka Democratic Republic of the Congo) who makes charcoal on his own then carries it on a bike to a nearby city to sell. As I said in my review: "it is one of the most engaging looks at humanity you can find on screen all year." Makala is an eye-opening cinematic experience that I highly recommend to all. Here's the new Us trailer (+ poster) for Emmanuel Gras' documentary Makala,...
- 7/30/2018
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Before the memeification of Werner Herzog, the director was better known for reaching the deepest corners of the world, profiling people and places that might otherwise not get their due. A new film, which won the Grand Prize at International Critics Week in Cannes, follows in the spirit of that quest. Makala, from director Emmanuel Gras, follows a Congolese man on his journey to provide for his family and ahead of a release next month, the U.S. trailer has arrived.
Dan Schindel said in his review from True/False, “A top-notch process documentary, it begins with a single intact, thick tree, which over an agonizing day Kabitwa manages to fell on his own with just an ax. Over subsequent days, he chops up the tree and burns the wood into charcoal – again, all by himself. He goes over what his young family needs with his wife, mainly medicine for...
Dan Schindel said in his review from True/False, “A top-notch process documentary, it begins with a single intact, thick tree, which over an agonizing day Kabitwa manages to fell on his own with just an ax. Over subsequent days, he chops up the tree and burns the wood into charcoal – again, all by himself. He goes over what his young family needs with his wife, mainly medicine for...
- 7/30/2018
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
At this year’s Cannes Critics’ Week, Emmanuel Gras’ “mesmerizing” new documentary made waves not just because of its Grand Prize win (plus a Cannes Golden Eye Special Mention for Best Documentary), or because it was the first documentary to snag the title, but because it was the only one to ever compete in the festival sidebar.
Per its official synopsis, it “follows Kabwita Kasongo, a 28-year-old man living in Congo with his wife Lydie and daughters, who dreams of purchasing a plot of land on which to build his family a home. He sees his opportunity to earn money by selling charcoal, culled from the ashes of a mighty hardwood tree that he has felled and baked in an earthen oven. Loading up the bags of charcoal onto the back of his bicycle, Kasongo sets off on a daunting four-day, 30-mile journey – up steep hills and across treacherous roads...
Per its official synopsis, it “follows Kabwita Kasongo, a 28-year-old man living in Congo with his wife Lydie and daughters, who dreams of purchasing a plot of land on which to build his family a home. He sees his opportunity to earn money by selling charcoal, culled from the ashes of a mighty hardwood tree that he has felled and baked in an earthen oven. Loading up the bags of charcoal onto the back of his bicycle, Kasongo sets off on a daunting four-day, 30-mile journey – up steep hills and across treacherous roads...
- 7/25/2018
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Wildlife, directed by Paul Dano and starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Carey Mulligan will open the selection.
Cannes Critics’ Week, devoted to first and second features as well as shorts, has unveiled the line-up of its 57th edition, running May 9-17.
Wildlife, the directing debut of Paul Dano and starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Carey Mulligan, will open the selection. The film premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival and is based on the novel by Richard Ford.
The closing film is Guy, Alex Lutz’s second feature, a “caustic and endearing” comedy about a once famous entertainer.
All seven competition films are by European filmmakers.
Cannes Critics’ Week, devoted to first and second features as well as shorts, has unveiled the line-up of its 57th edition, running May 9-17.
Wildlife, the directing debut of Paul Dano and starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Carey Mulligan, will open the selection. The film premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival and is based on the novel by Richard Ford.
The closing film is Guy, Alex Lutz’s second feature, a “caustic and endearing” comedy about a once famous entertainer.
All seven competition films are by European filmmakers.
- 4/16/2018
- by Orlando Parfitt
- ScreenDaily
Claire Danes, Jeff Daniels, Ethan Hawke and Rachel Weisz are heading to New Jersey for the seventh annual Montclair Film Festival.
Kicking off on April 26 with Rachel Dretzin’s “Far From the Tree,” the 11-day fest will feature 77 feature films, 94 shorts and 13 special events including panels, master classes and public parties.
Highlights include favorites from the Sundance Film Festival, the Toronto Intl. Film Festival and highly anticipated projects premiering this month at the Tribeca Film Festival.
Sundance hits including Hawke’s music biopic “Blaze,” Brett Haley’s “Hearts Beat Loud” and Morgan Neville’s docu “Won’t You Be My Neighbor” will all screen at Miff. The regional fest will also host Sam Pollard’s “Sammy Davis Jr.: I’ve Gotta Be Me,” Kate Novack’s “The Gospel According to Andre,” and Sebastian Lelio’s “Disobedience” starring Weisz and Rachel McAdams. All three films made their world premiere at Tiff in September.
Kicking off on April 26 with Rachel Dretzin’s “Far From the Tree,” the 11-day fest will feature 77 feature films, 94 shorts and 13 special events including panels, master classes and public parties.
Highlights include favorites from the Sundance Film Festival, the Toronto Intl. Film Festival and highly anticipated projects premiering this month at the Tribeca Film Festival.
Sundance hits including Hawke’s music biopic “Blaze,” Brett Haley’s “Hearts Beat Loud” and Morgan Neville’s docu “Won’t You Be My Neighbor” will all screen at Miff. The regional fest will also host Sam Pollard’s “Sammy Davis Jr.: I’ve Gotta Be Me,” Kate Novack’s “The Gospel According to Andre,” and Sebastian Lelio’s “Disobedience” starring Weisz and Rachel McAdams. All three films made their world premiere at Tiff in September.
- 4/5/2018
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
Norwegian director Joachim Trier (Louder Than Bombs) will head the jury for the 57th Cannes Critics’ Week (9-17 May), the parallel section of the Cannes Film Festival which honours first and second films.
The director, whose Louder Than Bombs competed for the Palme d’Or in 2015, is joined on the jury by actress and director Chloë Sevigny, Bpm (Beats Per Minute) star Nahuel Pérez Biscayart, Vienna Film Festival Director Eva Sangiorgi and French journalist Augustin Trapenard.
Last year the jury was headed by Kleber Mendonça Filho, with Emmanuel Gras’ doc Makala taking home the top award. The strand’s competition has previously included movies by Jeff Nichols (Take Shelter), David Robert Mitchell (It Follows), Myroslav Slaboshpytskiy (The Tribe), Santiago Miter (Paulina), Oliver Laxe (Mimosas), Julia Ducournau (Grave) and Rebecca Zlotowski (Beautiful Thorn).
The jury will hand out the Nespresso Grand Prize to one of the seven movies in competition, the...
The director, whose Louder Than Bombs competed for the Palme d’Or in 2015, is joined on the jury by actress and director Chloë Sevigny, Bpm (Beats Per Minute) star Nahuel Pérez Biscayart, Vienna Film Festival Director Eva Sangiorgi and French journalist Augustin Trapenard.
Last year the jury was headed by Kleber Mendonça Filho, with Emmanuel Gras’ doc Makala taking home the top award. The strand’s competition has previously included movies by Jeff Nichols (Take Shelter), David Robert Mitchell (It Follows), Myroslav Slaboshpytskiy (The Tribe), Santiago Miter (Paulina), Oliver Laxe (Mimosas), Julia Ducournau (Grave) and Rebecca Zlotowski (Beautiful Thorn).
The jury will hand out the Nespresso Grand Prize to one of the seven movies in competition, the...
- 3/28/2018
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Chloë Sevigny, Nahuel Pérez Biscayart join Thelma director on jury.
Norwegian director Joachim Trier will preside over the jury at the 57th Cannes Critics’ Week (9-17 May), the parallel section of the Cannes Film Festival honouring first and second films.
The jury will award the Nespresso Grand Prize to one of the seven feature films in competition, the Discovery Prize to one of the 10 short films, and for the first time, the Louis Roederer Foundation Rising Star Award to an actor or actress from one of the competition’s feature films.
The director, whose Louder Than Bombs competed for the...
Norwegian director Joachim Trier will preside over the jury at the 57th Cannes Critics’ Week (9-17 May), the parallel section of the Cannes Film Festival honouring first and second films.
The jury will award the Nespresso Grand Prize to one of the seven feature films in competition, the Discovery Prize to one of the 10 short films, and for the first time, the Louis Roederer Foundation Rising Star Award to an actor or actress from one of the competition’s feature films.
The director, whose Louder Than Bombs competed for the...
- 3/28/2018
- by Orlando Parfitt
- ScreenDaily
MoMA and the Film Society of Lincoln Center are kicking off the 47th New Directors/New Films festival at the end of the month, and IndieWire is excited to premiere the exclusive trailer for this year’s edition. The annual festival spotlights the best films of the year made by first or second-time directors.
This year’s New Directors/New Films will open with Stephen Loveridge’s music documentary “Matangi/Maya/M.I.A.,” which premiered earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival. RaMell Ross’ “Hale County This Morning, This Evening” is the closing night selection. New films by Khalik Allah, Gustav Möller, Helena Wittmann, and more are included in this year’s lineup.
New Directors/New Films 2018 runs March 28 – April 8. Watch the trailer and check out the full lineup below. Visit the festival’s official website to purchase tickets.
Opening Night
“Matangi/Maya/M.I.A.,” Stephen Loveridge...
This year’s New Directors/New Films will open with Stephen Loveridge’s music documentary “Matangi/Maya/M.I.A.,” which premiered earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival. RaMell Ross’ “Hale County This Morning, This Evening” is the closing night selection. New films by Khalik Allah, Gustav Möller, Helena Wittmann, and more are included in this year’s lineup.
New Directors/New Films 2018 runs March 28 – April 8. Watch the trailer and check out the full lineup below. Visit the festival’s official website to purchase tickets.
Opening Night
“Matangi/Maya/M.I.A.,” Stephen Loveridge...
- 3/19/2018
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
Author: Linda Marric
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity
Director Emmanuel Gras’s latest feature film Makala has been amassing accolades ever since it made its debut in 2017 at Cannes as part of Critics Week official completion. Since then the film has been talked about as being one of the most innovative of its kind, and its director rightly compared to some of the most accomplished filmmakers of our time.
Earlier this week, HeyUGuys had the chance to meet Gras for a short conversation about what makes his film so different from the usual fly on the wall documentaries, and about the effects the experience of making it has had on him and the subject of this beautifully told story. You can read our review of the film here.
First of all, congratulations on such an incredible film. Can you tell us where you found the subject of your story,...
This interview has been lightly edited and condensed for clarity
Director Emmanuel Gras’s latest feature film Makala has been amassing accolades ever since it made its debut in 2017 at Cannes as part of Critics Week official completion. Since then the film has been talked about as being one of the most innovative of its kind, and its director rightly compared to some of the most accomplished filmmakers of our time.
Earlier this week, HeyUGuys had the chance to meet Gras for a short conversation about what makes his film so different from the usual fly on the wall documentaries, and about the effects the experience of making it has had on him and the subject of this beautifully told story. You can read our review of the film here.
First of all, congratulations on such an incredible film. Can you tell us where you found the subject of your story,...
- 2/2/2018
- by Linda Marric
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Kabwita Kasongo plays a version of himself in a sympathetic account of his hardscrabble existence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
French documentary-maker Emmanuel Gras won the Critics’ Week grand prize at Cannes last year with this feature, along with a clutch of other festival awards. The title is the Swahili word for charcoal.
The film is an almost wordless account of a tough, hardscrabble existence. Kabwita Kasongo is a non-professional actor effectively playing a fictional variation of himself – a young man with a wife and child living near Kolwezi, in the remote southern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He cuts down trees, and converts the chopped blocks into rough charcoal briquettes in an open-pit mine, then precariously piles great sacks of these on a wobbly bicycle, which he wheels for days to a market where they can be sold.
French documentary-maker Emmanuel Gras won the Critics’ Week grand prize at Cannes last year with this feature, along with a clutch of other festival awards. The title is the Swahili word for charcoal.
The film is an almost wordless account of a tough, hardscrabble existence. Kabwita Kasongo is a non-professional actor effectively playing a fictional variation of himself – a young man with a wife and child living near Kolwezi, in the remote southern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He cuts down trees, and converts the chopped blocks into rough charcoal briquettes in an open-pit mine, then precariously piles great sacks of these on a wobbly bicycle, which he wheels for days to a market where they can be sold.
- 2/2/2018
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
Author: Linda Marric
Perhaps the most striking thing about Emmanuel Gras’s beautifully understated feature documentary Makala, is how uncompromising it is in its storytelling technique and how compelling it manages to be without ever overstepping the mark into exploitation or deliberately manufacturing events in order to further the narrative.
Set in The Democratic Republic of the Congo the film follows the story of Kabwita Kasongo, a slight and self-effacing young charcoal seller from a rural village as he takes on a mammoth journey from the humble home he shares with his wife and his two children, to the city where he hopes to sell the fruits of his arduous labour.
The film starts at dawn as we see our hero attempting to cut down an old robust tree using a small axe and nothing more. The camera lingers on the young man as he chops at the tree uninterrupted...
Perhaps the most striking thing about Emmanuel Gras’s beautifully understated feature documentary Makala, is how uncompromising it is in its storytelling technique and how compelling it manages to be without ever overstepping the mark into exploitation or deliberately manufacturing events in order to further the narrative.
Set in The Democratic Republic of the Congo the film follows the story of Kabwita Kasongo, a slight and self-effacing young charcoal seller from a rural village as he takes on a mammoth journey from the humble home he shares with his wife and his two children, to the city where he hopes to sell the fruits of his arduous labour.
The film starts at dawn as we see our hero attempting to cut down an old robust tree using a small axe and nothing more. The camera lingers on the young man as he chops at the tree uninterrupted...
- 2/1/2018
- by Linda Marric
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
"If you don't pay, you stay here." Dogwoof has debuted the full UK trailer for an exceptional documentary titled Makala, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival last year and also played at the Toronto & London Film Festivals. I saw this in London and loved it, writing a rave review, hoping that I could convince a few people to check it out. Made by French filmmaker Emmanuel Gras, Makala follows one man from Congo (aka Democratic Republic of the Congo) who makes charcoal on his own then carries it on a bike to a nearby city to sell. As I said in my review: "it is one of the most engaging looks at humanity you can find on screen all year." It's a visceral, eye-opening experience following one man, that's the power of great cinema. Here's the official UK trailer (+ poster) for Emmanuel Gras' documentary Makala, direct from YouTube:...
- 1/23/2018
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Festival launches international competition to be judged by audiences.
The Goteborg Film Festival (Jan 26-Feb 5) has unveiled its 2018 of 399 films from 78 countries.
Source: Goteborg Film Festival
Amateurs
Gabriela Pilcher’s Amateurs will open the festival and also compete for the lucrative Dragon Award for best Nordic film (full list of competition titles below).
Pilcher, who previously directed festival hit Eat Sleep Die, presents the world premiere of her second feature, which is about a small town in Sweden that hopes to revive its economic activity by bringing in a German discount supermarket. The supermarket brand asks local teenagers to make films about their hometown, but the films don’t turn out as expected.
The festival’s new prize, the Dragon Award for best international film, will be fought over by 20 international films that will be voted on by the festival audience for a $6,000 (Sek 50,000) prize.
Films competing are: Disobedience by Sebastián Lelio The Death of Stalin by [link=nm...
The Goteborg Film Festival (Jan 26-Feb 5) has unveiled its 2018 of 399 films from 78 countries.
Source: Goteborg Film Festival
Amateurs
Gabriela Pilcher’s Amateurs will open the festival and also compete for the lucrative Dragon Award for best Nordic film (full list of competition titles below).
Pilcher, who previously directed festival hit Eat Sleep Die, presents the world premiere of her second feature, which is about a small town in Sweden that hopes to revive its economic activity by bringing in a German discount supermarket. The supermarket brand asks local teenagers to make films about their hometown, but the films don’t turn out as expected.
The festival’s new prize, the Dragon Award for best international film, will be fought over by 20 international films that will be voted on by the festival audience for a $6,000 (Sek 50,000) prize.
Films competing are: Disobedience by Sebastián Lelio The Death of Stalin by [link=nm...
- 1/9/2018
- by Wendy Mitchell
- ScreenDaily
Quick takes from the now-wrapped 61st London Film Festival.
Blade of the Immortal
Legendary filmmaker Takashi Miike’s 100th film — and he’s only been working since the early 1990s — is an interminable samurai gorefest. And not in a good way. Based on the manga series by Hiroaki Samura, Blade of the Immortal is the tale of Manji (Takuya Kimura), a swordsman in shogunate Japan who, you guessed it, cannot die after an 800-year-old witch feeds him “blood worms,” drawing him back from a nasty death, in the wake of a gruesome battle. (Why does she save/curse him? No one seems to know.) Fifty years later, he takes up the revenge cause of young Rin (Hana Sugisaki: When Marnie Was There), orphaned when samurai of a lawless dojo attacked her family. She reminds him of his dead sister (Sugisaki plays the sister too), the lawless dojo must be stopped,...
Blade of the Immortal
Legendary filmmaker Takashi Miike’s 100th film — and he’s only been working since the early 1990s — is an interminable samurai gorefest. And not in a good way. Based on the manga series by Hiroaki Samura, Blade of the Immortal is the tale of Manji (Takuya Kimura), a swordsman in shogunate Japan who, you guessed it, cannot die after an 800-year-old witch feeds him “blood worms,” drawing him back from a nasty death, in the wake of a gruesome battle. (Why does she save/curse him? No one seems to know.) Fifty years later, he takes up the revenge cause of young Rin (Hana Sugisaki: When Marnie Was There), orphaned when samurai of a lawless dojo attacked her family. She reminds him of his dead sister (Sugisaki plays the sister too), the lawless dojo must be stopped,...
- 10/26/2017
- by MaryAnn Johanson
- www.flickfilosopher.com
We really are living in the Golden Age of documentaries. There are so many extraordinary documentaries released every year, and too many get lost in the mix, or go unnoticed, when they deserve a better audience. There's also so many different kinds of documentaries - from music docs to political discoveries to historical stories to human experiences. Makala is a film that is all about the raw, visceral experience, and it is jaw-dropping incredible. Made by French filmmaker Emmanuel Gras, Makala follows one man from Congo (aka Democratic Republic of the Congo) who makes charcoal on his own then carries it on a bike to a nearby city to sell. That's all this documentary is, but let me assure you, it is utterly gripping, eye-opening cinema. Makala is the Swahili word for "charcoal" - though it sounds poetic, that's all it means. This documentary has no dialogue, no talking heads,...
- 10/22/2017
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
By Thom Powers
“Resistance is a key theme in this year’s documentaries,” said Tiff Docs Programmer Thom Powers. “We pay witness to rebels challenging the status quo in art, politics, sexuality, religion, fashion, sports and entertainment. They speak powerfully to our times as audiences seek inspirations for battling powerful and corrupt systems.”
Tiff’s 2017 documentary lineup goes deep into the lives of boundary-pushing characters — Grace Jones, Jim Carrey, Jane Goodall, and Eric Clapton, to name only a few of the most famous. But the celebrity factor isn’t enough to make a great film. What sets these docs apart is their directors’ ability to a bring fresh perspective.
Azmaish: A Journey through the SubcontinentBoom For Real The Late Teenage Years of Jean-Michel Basquiat
Then there are figures whose names you may not recognize, but they become unforgettable after you see them on screen. They include Scotty Bowers, who was...
“Resistance is a key theme in this year’s documentaries,” said Tiff Docs Programmer Thom Powers. “We pay witness to rebels challenging the status quo in art, politics, sexuality, religion, fashion, sports and entertainment. They speak powerfully to our times as audiences seek inspirations for battling powerful and corrupt systems.”
Tiff’s 2017 documentary lineup goes deep into the lives of boundary-pushing characters — Grace Jones, Jim Carrey, Jane Goodall, and Eric Clapton, to name only a few of the most famous. But the celebrity factor isn’t enough to make a great film. What sets these docs apart is their directors’ ability to a bring fresh perspective.
Azmaish: A Journey through the SubcontinentBoom For Real The Late Teenage Years of Jean-Michel Basquiat
Then there are figures whose names you may not recognize, but they become unforgettable after you see them on screen. They include Scotty Bowers, who was...
- 8/3/2017
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
ThelmaA selection of films from the 2017 edition of the Toronto International Film Festival has been unveiled, with new films by Sebastián Lelio, Deniz Gamze Ergüven, Darren Aronofsky, Greta Gerwig, Guillermo Del Toro, Joachim Trier, Wim Wenders, and many more.Special PRESENTATIONSOpening Night: Ladybird (Greta Gerwig)Closing Night: Sheikh Jackson (Amr Salama)Battle of the Sexes (Valerie Faris & Jonathan Dayton)Bpm (Beats Per Minute) (Robin Campillo)The Brawler (Anurag Kashyap)The Breadwinner (Nora Twomey)Call Me By Your Name (Luca Guadagnino)Catch the Wind (Gaël Morel)The Children Act (Richard Eyre)The Current War (Alfonso Gomez-Rejon)Disobedience (Sebastián Lelio)Downsizing (Alexander Payne)A Fantastic Woman (Sebastián Lelio)First They Killed My Father (Angelina Jolie)The Guardians (Xavier Beauvois)Hostiles (Scott Cooper)The Hungry (Bornila Chatterjee)I, Tonya (Craig Gillespie)Mother! (Darren Aronofsky)Novitiate (Maggie Betts)Omerta (Hansal Mehta)Plonger (Mélanie Laurent)The Price of Success (Teddy Lussi-Modeste)Professor Marston & the Wonder Women...
- 8/3/2017
- MUBI
Following an initial round of premieres and the announcement that Borg vs. McEnroe will open Toronto International Film Festival 2017, they’ve now announced their lineup for Midnight Madness and Documentaries. Leading the pack of our most-anticipated among midnight tiles is Brawl in Cell Block 99, which is S. Craig Zahler’s follow-up to Bone Tomahawk and will premiere at Venice beforehand. There’s also the latest film from Joseph Kahn, Bodied, which will open the sidebar, and the first trailer has landed.
On the documentary side, there is Frederick Wiseman’s Ex Libris – The New York Public Library, as well as new films from Morgan Spurlock, Heidi Ewing (Jesus Camp), Brett Morgen (Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck), and more. Check out the new additions below, along with images and trailers where available.
Midnight Madness
Midnight Madness Opening Film
Bodied Joseph Kahn, USA
World Premiere
Our #TIFF17 Midnight Madness Opening Night Film is @JosephKahn’s Bodied,...
On the documentary side, there is Frederick Wiseman’s Ex Libris – The New York Public Library, as well as new films from Morgan Spurlock, Heidi Ewing (Jesus Camp), Brett Morgen (Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck), and more. Check out the new additions below, along with images and trailers where available.
Midnight Madness
Midnight Madness Opening Film
Bodied Joseph Kahn, USA
World Premiere
Our #TIFF17 Midnight Madness Opening Night Film is @JosephKahn’s Bodied,...
- 8/2/2017
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Morgan Spurlock re-engages with the food industry, James Franco digs into the ‘worst film ever made’.
Top brass at the Toronto International Film Festival (Tiff) unveiled on Tuesday selections in the Tiff Docs, Midnight Madness, and Short Cuts programmes.
The Canadian titles that are part of this year’s programme will be announced on August 9. The 42nd Toronto International Film Festival is scheduled to run from September 7-17 and will open with Borg/McEnroe.
Tiff Docs
The world premiere of Morgan Spurlock’s Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken! joins a marquee Tiff Docs roster from renowned filmmakers that opens with Sophie Fiennes’ Grace Jones: Bloodlight And Bami.
Selections include Brett Morgen’s profile of primatologist Jane Goodall in Jane; the story of three Hasidic Jews who attempt to join the secular world in One Of Us by Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady; Violeta Ayala’s Bolivian drug trade film Cocaine Prison; and Emmanuel Gras’ closing film Makala...
Top brass at the Toronto International Film Festival (Tiff) unveiled on Tuesday selections in the Tiff Docs, Midnight Madness, and Short Cuts programmes.
The Canadian titles that are part of this year’s programme will be announced on August 9. The 42nd Toronto International Film Festival is scheduled to run from September 7-17 and will open with Borg/McEnroe.
Tiff Docs
The world premiere of Morgan Spurlock’s Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken! joins a marquee Tiff Docs roster from renowned filmmakers that opens with Sophie Fiennes’ Grace Jones: Bloodlight And Bami.
Selections include Brett Morgen’s profile of primatologist Jane Goodall in Jane; the story of three Hasidic Jews who attempt to join the secular world in One Of Us by Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady; Violeta Ayala’s Bolivian drug trade film Cocaine Prison; and Emmanuel Gras’ closing film Makala...
- 8/1/2017
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
They are two of the Toronto International Film Festival’s wildest sections — for very different reasons — and this year’s slate of both Midnight Madness and Documentary offerings appear to signal another strong lineup for the festival. Thrills, chills, terror, and scares await movie-goers, all care of unbelievable real-life stories and slightly less true tales for genre fans of all stripes.
This year’s Midnight Madness section will open with Joseph Kahn’s provocative World Premiere of “Bodied,” and also offers up the World Premiere of “The Disaster Artist,” directed by James Franco and based on the making of Tommy Wiseau’s 2003 cult film, “The Room.” (The film previously screened as a work-in-progress at SXSW.)
Read MoreTIFF Reveals First Slate of 2017 Titles, Including ‘The Shape of Water,’ ‘Downsizing,’ and ‘Call Me By Your Name’
In his first year as programmer, Peter Kuplowsky is also welcoming back several fest alumni, including David Bruckner,...
This year’s Midnight Madness section will open with Joseph Kahn’s provocative World Premiere of “Bodied,” and also offers up the World Premiere of “The Disaster Artist,” directed by James Franco and based on the making of Tommy Wiseau’s 2003 cult film, “The Room.” (The film previously screened as a work-in-progress at SXSW.)
Read MoreTIFF Reveals First Slate of 2017 Titles, Including ‘The Shape of Water,’ ‘Downsizing,’ and ‘Call Me By Your Name’
In his first year as programmer, Peter Kuplowsky is also welcoming back several fest alumni, including David Bruckner,...
- 8/1/2017
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
The thirteenth edition of Santiago International Film Festival, Sanfic (August 20–27, 2017), the largest film festival in Chile, will present more than 100 international and Chilean films, including productions shown and awarded in festivals such as Cannes, Berlin and Venice. Among the feature films will be 7 world and 14 Latin American premieres.
Sanfic (Santiago International Film Festival) is opening the festival to international press this year with Variety Dailies and important international guests for their Sanfic Industry section. Guest attending include Kim Yutani (Sundance programmer), Javier Martin (Berlinale delegate), Molly O ́Keefe (Tribeca Film Institute — fiction features) and Estrella Araiza (Industry director of Guadalajara Iff), to name a few. Matt Dillon is its special guest along with the renowned director of photography Rainer Klausmann.
The Summit starring Ricardo Darín, Dolores Fonzi and Erica Rivas, with an appearance of Christian Slater and renowned Chilean actors Paulina Garcia and Alfredo Castro
The opening film of the...
Sanfic (Santiago International Film Festival) is opening the festival to international press this year with Variety Dailies and important international guests for their Sanfic Industry section. Guest attending include Kim Yutani (Sundance programmer), Javier Martin (Berlinale delegate), Molly O ́Keefe (Tribeca Film Institute — fiction features) and Estrella Araiza (Industry director of Guadalajara Iff), to name a few. Matt Dillon is its special guest along with the renowned director of photography Rainer Klausmann.
The Summit starring Ricardo Darín, Dolores Fonzi and Erica Rivas, with an appearance of Christian Slater and renowned Chilean actors Paulina Garcia and Alfredo Castro
The opening film of the...
- 7/30/2017
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Exclusive: 12 Polish premieres include Menashe and Makala.
This year’s New Horizons International Film Festival (August 3 – 13) competition in Wroclaw, Poland, will see 12 Polish premieres vying for the Grand Prix award.
The premieres include three Polish films: A Heart of Love, by director Łukasz Ronduda, a biopic about Polish art scene couple Wojtek Bąkowski and Zuza Bartoszek who are played by Jacek Poniedziałek and Justyna Wasilewska; Norman Leto’s Photon; and Karlovy Vary winner The Birds Are Singing in Kigali by Joanna Kos-Krauze and Krzysztof Krauze.
From Mexico will be director Michel Lipkes dark story Strange But True and Natalia Almada’s Everything Else, which stars Babel and Amores Perros actor Adrian Barraza in the lead role.
Mexican director Sergio Flores Thorija, a former student of Bela Tarr, will bring his Bosnia-set movie 3 Women about three women living in Sarajevo who wish to change their lives.
Menashe by Joshua Z. Weinstein is the first film since the second...
This year’s New Horizons International Film Festival (August 3 – 13) competition in Wroclaw, Poland, will see 12 Polish premieres vying for the Grand Prix award.
The premieres include three Polish films: A Heart of Love, by director Łukasz Ronduda, a biopic about Polish art scene couple Wojtek Bąkowski and Zuza Bartoszek who are played by Jacek Poniedziałek and Justyna Wasilewska; Norman Leto’s Photon; and Karlovy Vary winner The Birds Are Singing in Kigali by Joanna Kos-Krauze and Krzysztof Krauze.
From Mexico will be director Michel Lipkes dark story Strange But True and Natalia Almada’s Everything Else, which stars Babel and Amores Perros actor Adrian Barraza in the lead role.
Mexican director Sergio Flores Thorija, a former student of Bela Tarr, will bring his Bosnia-set movie 3 Women about three women living in Sarajevo who wish to change their lives.
Menashe by Joshua Z. Weinstein is the first film since the second...
- 7/11/2017
- by andreas.wiseman@screendaily.com (Andreas Wiseman)
- ScreenDaily
'Good Time' with Robert Pattinson: All but completely bypassed at the Cannes Film Festival, Ben and Joshua Safdie's crime thriller – co-written by Joshua Safdie and Ronald Bronstein – may turn out to be a key contender in various categories next awards season. Bypassed Palme d'Or contenders (See previous post re: Cannes winners Diane Kruger & Sofia Coppola's Oscar chances.) The Cannes Film Festival has historically been both U.S.- and eurocentric. In other words, filmmaking from other countries in the Americas, Africa, Asia, and the Pacific tend to be ignored either at the awards ceremony or at the very outset – in other words, they don't even get the chance to compete for the Palme d'Or. This year was no different, with a mere two non-u.S., non-European productions (or co-productions) among the 19 films in the Official Competition: Naomi Kawase's Japanese romantic drama Radiance and Hong Sang-soo's South Korean romantic drama The Day After. Both came out empty-handed. Among the other movies that failed to win any of the Official Competition awards, several may have a shot in some category or other come Oscar time. Notably: The socially conscious family drama Happy End, produced by veteran Margaret Ménégoz (Pauline at the Beach, Europa Europa) and a Sony Pictures Classics release in North America. Dir.: Michael Haneke. Cast: Isabelle Huppert. Jean-Louis Trintignant. Mathieu Kassovitz. The mix of time-bending mystery and family drama Wonderstruck, a Roadside Attractions / Amazon Studios release (on Oct. 20) in the U.S. Dir.: Todd Haynes. Cast: Julianne Moore. Millicent Simmonds. Cory Michael Smith. The crime drama Good Time, an A24 release (on Aug. 11) in the U.S. Dir.: Ben and Joshua Safdie. Cast: Robert Pattinson. Jennifer Jason Leigh. Barkhad Abdi. Cannes non-win doesn't mean weaker Oscar chances It's good to remember that the lack of a Cannes Film Festival win doesn't necessarily reduce a film's, a director's, a screenwriter's, or a performer's Oscar chances. Case in point: last year's Cannes Best Actress “loser” Isabelle Huppert for Elle. Here are a few other recent examples of Cannes non-winners in specific categories that went on to receive Oscar nods: Carol (2015), Best Actress (Cate Blanchett) nominee. Two Days, One Night / Deux jours, une nuit (2014), Best Actress (Marion Cotillard) nominee. The Great Beauty / La grande bellezza (2013), Best Foreign Language Film winner. The Hunt / Jagten (2012), Best Foreign Language Film nominee (at the 2013 Academy Awards). The Artist (2011), Best Picture and Best Director (Michel Hazanavicius) Oscar winner. And here's a special case: Amour leading lady and 2012 Best Actress Oscar nominee Emmanuelle Riva could not have won the Best Actress Award at Cannes, as current festival rules prevent Palme d'Or winners from taking home any other Official Competition awards. In other words, Isabelle Huppert (again), Julianne Moore, and Robert Pattinson – and their respective films – could theoretically remain strong Oscar contenders despite the absence of Cannes Film Festival Official Competition victories. Mohammad Rasoulof and Leslie Caron among other notable Cannes winners Besides those already mentioned in this article, notable winners at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival include: Mohammad Rasoulof's A Man of Integrity. Having infuriated Iran's theocracy, in 2010 Rasoulof was sentenced to a year in prison following accusations of “filming without a permit.” He has been out on bail. In 2011, Rasoulof won the Un Certain Regard sidebar's Best Director Award for Goodbye. Two years later, his Un Certain Regard entry Manuscripts Don't Burn won the International Film Critics' Fipresci Prize. Veteran Leslie Caron and her 17-year-old pet rescue dog Tchi Tchi shared the Palm DogManitarian Award for their work in the British television series The Durrells in Corfu / The Durrells. Caron, who will be turning 86 on July 1, made her film debut in Vincente Minnelli's 1951 musical An American in Paris – that year's Best Picture Academy Award winner. She would be shortlisted twice for the Best Actress Oscar: Lili (1953) and The L-Shaped Room (1963). Last year, she was the subject of Larry Weinstein's documentary Leslie Caron: The Reluctant Star and will next be seen in Thomas Brunot's short The Perfect Age. Faces Places / Visages, villages, which offers a tour of the French countryside, won Cannes' Golden Eye Award for Best Documentary. The directors are veteran Agnès Varda (Cléo from 5 to 7, Vagabond), who turned 89 on May 30, and photographer/muralist Jr. Faces Places is supposed to be Varda's swan song, following a career spanning more than six decades. Her 2008 César-winning documentary The Beaches of Agnès was one of the 15 semi-finalists for the Best Documentary Feature Oscar. See below a comprehensive list of the 2017 Cannes Film Festival winners. Leslie Caron in 'The Durrells in Corfu.' TV series a.k.a. 'The Durrells' earned the veteran two-time Best Actress Oscar nominee ('Lili,' 1953; 'The L-Shaped Room,' 1963) and her dog companion Tchi Tchi this year's Palm DogManitarian Award at the Cannes Film Festival. 2017 Cannes Film Festival winners Official Competition Palme d'Or: The Square (dir.: Ruben Östlund). Grand Prix: 120 Beats per Minute (dir.: Robin Campillo). Jury Prize: Loveless (dir.: Andrey Zvyagintsev). Best Screenplay (tie): The Killing of a Sacred Deer, Yorgos Lanthimos & Efthymis Filippou. You Were Never Really Here, Lynne Ramsay. Best Actress: Diane Kruger, In the Fade. Best Actor: Joaquin Phoenix, You Were Never Really Here. Best Director: Sofia Coppola, The Beguiled. Best Short Film: A Gentle Night (dir.: Qiu Yang). Short Film Special Mention: Katto (dir.: Teppo Airaksinen). Un Certain Regard Un Certain Regard Award: A Man of Integrity (dir.: Mohammad Rasoulof). Jury Prize: April's Daughter / Las hijas de abril (dir.: Michel Franco). Best Director: Taylor Sheridan, Wind River. Best Actress / Best Performance: Jasmine Trinca, Fortunata. Prize for Best Poetic Narrative: Barbara (dir.: Mathieu Amalric). International Film Critics' Fipresci Prize Official Competition: 120 Beats per Minute. Un Certain Regard: Closeness (dir.: Kantemir Balagov). Directors' Fortnight: The Nothing Factory / A Fábrica de Nada (dir.: Pedro Pinho). Directors' Fortnight / Quinzaine des Réalisateurs Prix Sacd (Société des Auteurs Compositeurs Dramatiques) (tie): Lover for a Day / L'amant d'un jour (dir.: Philippe Garrel). Let the Sunshine In / Un beau soleil intérieur (dir.: Claire Denis). C.I.C.A.E. Art Cinema Award: The Rider (dir.: Chloe Zhao). Europa Cinemas Label: A Ciambra (dir.: Jonas Carpignano). Prix Illy for Best Short Film: Back to Genoa City / Retour à Genoa City (dir.: Benoît Grimalt). Critics' Week Grand Prize: Makala (dir.: Emmanuel Gras). Visionary Award: Gabriel and the Mountain / Gabriel e a Montanha (dir.: Fellipe Barbosa). Gan Foundation Award for Distribution: Version Originale Condor, French distributor of Gabriel and the Mountain. Sacd Award: Léa Mysius, Ava. Discovery Award for Best Short Film: Los desheredados (dir.: Laura Ferrés). Canal+ Award for Best Short Film: The Best Fireworks Ever / Najpienkniejsze Fajerwerki Ever (dir.: Aleksandra Terpinska). Other Cannes Film Festival 2017 Awards 70th Anniversary prize: Nicole Kidman. Caméra d'Or for Best First Film: Montparnasse Bienvenue / Jeune femme (dir.: Léonor Serraille). Golden Eye Award for Best Documentary: Faces Places / Visages, Villages (dir.: Agnès Varda, Jr). Prize of the Ecumenical Jury: Radiance (dir.: Naomi Kawase). Queer Palm: 120 Beats per Minute. Queer Palm for Best Short Film: Islands / Les îles (dir.: Yann Gonzalez). Cannes Soundtrack Award for Best Composer: Daniel Lopatin, Good Time. Vulcan Prize for Artist Technicians: Josefin Åsberg, The Square. Kering Women in Motion Award: Isabelle Huppert. Palm Dog: Einstein the Dog for The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected). Palm DogManitarian Award: Leslie Caron and the dog Tchi Tchi for The Durrells in Corfu. Chopard Trophy for Male/Female Revelation: George MacKay and Anya Taylor-Joy. This article was originally published at Alt Film Guide (http://www.altfg.com/).
- 6/21/2017
- by Steph Mont.
- Alt Film Guide
Cannes Ends with…Awards — 3rd of 3
The heightened security with machine gun armed soldiers and policemen constantly patrolling was intensified after the Manchester Massacre. With a pall over the festival, one minute of silence was observed for the 22 murdered and flags hung at half-mast. In addition to that, the sudden death at 57 of the Busan Film Festival deputy director Kim Ji-seok and that of the James Bond star Roger Moore brought the film world into a new perspective as we join the larger world to face the random indications of human mortality. High security vs. cinema as a sanctuary of freedom is highlighted this year like no other time that I can recall in my 31 years here.President of the jury, Pedro Almodovar
But life does go on, the jury judges, the stars get press attention on the red carpet and the rest of us continue to wait patiently in...
The heightened security with machine gun armed soldiers and policemen constantly patrolling was intensified after the Manchester Massacre. With a pall over the festival, one minute of silence was observed for the 22 murdered and flags hung at half-mast. In addition to that, the sudden death at 57 of the Busan Film Festival deputy director Kim Ji-seok and that of the James Bond star Roger Moore brought the film world into a new perspective as we join the larger world to face the random indications of human mortality. High security vs. cinema as a sanctuary of freedom is highlighted this year like no other time that I can recall in my 31 years here.President of the jury, Pedro Almodovar
But life does go on, the jury judges, the stars get press attention on the red carpet and the rest of us continue to wait patiently in...
- 5/29/2017
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
While the Cannes Film Festival lineup is consumed by thousands of audience members over the course of 10 days, much of the dealmaking takes place elsewhere. Buyers are less likely to dig through the official selections than they are to spend time in the market, watching clips and presentations for unfinished work. As a result, it’s rare for many big deals emerge from the world’s most glamorous film festival, and the 2017 edition was no exception. Though Sean Baker’s “The Florida Project” sold to A24 after a fierce bidding war that lasted several days, it was in the minority. Still, there were plenty of first-rate movies from this year’s Cannes that have yet to land U.S. distribution. Here’s a look at some of the ones we think deserve audiences far beyond the Croisette.
“Gabriel and the Mountain”
Few outside of Brazil know about Gabriel Buchmann, the...
“Gabriel and the Mountain”
Few outside of Brazil know about Gabriel Buchmann, the...
- 5/29/2017
- by Eric Kohn, David Ehrlich and Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
You know you’re experiencing a strong year at the Cannes Film Festival when everyone has a different favorite movie. For some critics and journalists, the best was saved for the end, with Lynne Ramsay’s post-modern detective story “You Were Never Really Here” standing out in the competition; for others, the competition peaked early with Andrey Zyvagintsev’s kidnapping drama “Loveless.” And some people looked far beyond the competition for festival highlights, singling out selections from Un Certain Regard, Directors’ Fortnight and Critics Week, not to mention the out of competition screenings that were part of the Official Selection.
See MoreThe 2017 IndieWire Cannes Bible: Every Review, Interview and News Item Posted During the Festival
In other words, Cannes is a lot of things to a lot of people, and each member of the IndieWire team attending the festival this year experienced the program in different ways. The following list...
See MoreThe 2017 IndieWire Cannes Bible: Every Review, Interview and News Item Posted During the Festival
In other words, Cannes is a lot of things to a lot of people, and each member of the IndieWire team attending the festival this year experienced the program in different ways. The following list...
- 5/28/2017
- by Eric Kohn, Anne Thompson and David Ehrlich
- Thompson on Hollywood
You know you’re experiencing a strong year at the Cannes Film Festival when everyone has a different favorite movie. For some critics and journalists, the best was saved for the end, with Lynne Ramsay’s post-modern detective story “You Were Never Really Here” standing out in the competition; for others, the competition peaked early with Andrey Zyvagintsev’s kidnapping drama “Loveless.” And some people looked far beyond the competition for festival highlights, singling out selections from Un Certain Regard, Directors’ Fortnight and Critics Week, not to mention the out of competition screenings that were part of the Official Selection.
See MoreThe 2017 IndieWire Cannes Bible: Every Review, Interview and News Item Posted During the Festival
In other words, Cannes is a lot of things to a lot of people, and each member of the IndieWire team attending the festival this year experienced the program in different ways. The following list...
See MoreThe 2017 IndieWire Cannes Bible: Every Review, Interview and News Item Posted During the Festival
In other words, Cannes is a lot of things to a lot of people, and each member of the IndieWire team attending the festival this year experienced the program in different ways. The following list...
- 5/28/2017
- by Eric Kohn, Anne Thompson and David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
Documentary scoops sidebar’s top prize.
The 2017 edition of Cannes Film Festival’s Critics’ Week strand has come to a close, with Emmanuel Gras’ documentary Makala [pictured] scooping the Grand Prize.
The film follows a Congolese peasant who dreams of a better life for his family. Les Films du Losange handle sales.
Screen’s review called it “an intimate, slow-building chronicle”.
The Critics’ Week Visionary Award was presented to Fellipe Gamarano Barbosa’s Gabriel And The Mountain. It also scooped the Gan Foundation Award for Distribution.
Barbosa’s second feature, after 2014’s Casa Grande, follows a young idealist on a journey to Africa who learns more than he bargains for at the top of Malawi’s Mount Mulanje. Films Boutique handles sales.
Screen’s review described the film as an “uplifting drama” with an “inescapably emotional air of authenticity”.
Further prizes were handed out to Léa Mysius, screenwriter of Ava (Sacd award), Laura Ferrés’ short film Los Desheredados (Discovery...
The 2017 edition of Cannes Film Festival’s Critics’ Week strand has come to a close, with Emmanuel Gras’ documentary Makala [pictured] scooping the Grand Prize.
The film follows a Congolese peasant who dreams of a better life for his family. Les Films du Losange handle sales.
Screen’s review called it “an intimate, slow-building chronicle”.
The Critics’ Week Visionary Award was presented to Fellipe Gamarano Barbosa’s Gabriel And The Mountain. It also scooped the Gan Foundation Award for Distribution.
Barbosa’s second feature, after 2014’s Casa Grande, follows a young idealist on a journey to Africa who learns more than he bargains for at the top of Malawi’s Mount Mulanje. Films Boutique handles sales.
Screen’s review described the film as an “uplifting drama” with an “inescapably emotional air of authenticity”.
Further prizes were handed out to Léa Mysius, screenwriter of Ava (Sacd award), Laura Ferrés’ short film Los Desheredados (Discovery...
- 5/26/2017
- by tom.grater@screendaily.com (Tom Grater)
- ScreenDaily
The 56th Critics’ Week sidebar of the Cannes Film Festival has handed out its awards with the Nespresso Grand Prize going to Emmanuel Gras’ documentary Makala, and the France 4 Visionary Award to Fellipe Gamarano Barbosa’s Gabriel And The Mountain. These are the top two prizes in the section whose jury was led by director Kleber Mendonça Filho. Makala is set in Congo where a young peasant dreams of a better future for his loved ones. His only wealth lies in the…...
- 5/25/2017
- Deadline
Leon Vitali has been described as a jack of all trades, an Igor-like figure, the moth to Stanley Kubrick’s flame, even a slave. He has a different title for himself, however: filmworker. It’s what he puts on visa applications when traveling to other countries and, considering his all-encompassing job description, it only makes sense that he would require a singular title.
It’s also what Tony Zierra named his suitably workmanlike documentary about Vitali, whose heretofore unheralded work behind the scenes is now on full display in the Cannes Classics sidebar. An actor who got his would-be big break in “Barry Lyndon,” Vitali made a unique career choice following the film’s success: He became Kubrick’s right-hand man. Seeing such an elaborate production come together — Vitali had been acting for years, but never on something that matched the grand scale of “Barry Lyndon” — instilled in him a...
It’s also what Tony Zierra named his suitably workmanlike documentary about Vitali, whose heretofore unheralded work behind the scenes is now on full display in the Cannes Classics sidebar. An actor who got his would-be big break in “Barry Lyndon,” Vitali made a unique career choice following the film’s success: He became Kubrick’s right-hand man. Seeing such an elaborate production come together — Vitali had been acting for years, but never on something that matched the grand scale of “Barry Lyndon” — instilled in him a...
- 5/25/2017
- by Michael Nordine
- Indiewire
Cannes’ Critics’ Week awarded Emmanuel Gras’ Congo-set documentary “Makala” and Brazilian director Fellipe Gamarano Barbosa’s drama “Gabriel and the Mountain” with its two top awards on Thursday. “Makala,” Gras’ second documentary, won the Nespresso Grand Prize at Critics’ Week, while Barbosa’s film netted the Visionary prize and Fondation Gan award. Also Read: Lars Von Trier's Serial Killer Movie 'The House That Jack Built' Lands at IFC Films “Makala” follows a young man (Kabwita Kasongo) who lives in the Congolese countryside and works on the production of charcoal to give his family a better future. Gras last directed 2011’s “Bovines,...
- 5/25/2017
- by Nigel M. Smith
- The Wrap
The top two awards at Cannes Critics Week went to “Makala,” the second documentary from Emmanuel Gras, and the Fellipe Gamarano Barbosa drama “Gabriel and the Mountain” on Thursday.
Read More: ‘Makala’ Review: Emmanuel Gras’ Critics’ Week Prizewinner Is a Labor of Love About Back-Breaking Labor
“Makala” is an intimate portrait of Kabwita Kasongo, a family man in the Congo who works in charcoal production. The film won the Nespresso Grand Prize, while “Gabriel and the Mountain” won the Visionary prize and Gan Foundation award. “Gabriel and the Mountain” follows a young man named Gabriel Buchmann who travels the world for a year before enrolling in college in the U.S., ultimately arriving in Kenya and reaching the top of Mount Mulanje, Malawi, “his last destination.” The film is based on the true story.
Léa Mysius’ “Ava,” the coming-of-age story about a young girl who goes blind, won the Sacd prize.
Read More: ‘Makala’ Review: Emmanuel Gras’ Critics’ Week Prizewinner Is a Labor of Love About Back-Breaking Labor
“Makala” is an intimate portrait of Kabwita Kasongo, a family man in the Congo who works in charcoal production. The film won the Nespresso Grand Prize, while “Gabriel and the Mountain” won the Visionary prize and Gan Foundation award. “Gabriel and the Mountain” follows a young man named Gabriel Buchmann who travels the world for a year before enrolling in college in the U.S., ultimately arriving in Kenya and reaching the top of Mount Mulanje, Malawi, “his last destination.” The film is based on the true story.
Léa Mysius’ “Ava,” the coming-of-age story about a young girl who goes blind, won the Sacd prize.
- 5/25/2017
- by Graham Winfrey
- Indiewire
Makala means charcoal in Swahili, and a suitable subtitle for Emmanuel Gras’ Critics’ Week selection might have been “Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Charcoal (But Were Too Afraid to Ask).” One of those sly, low-key films whose early scenes will leave you unsure whether you’re watching a documentary or a drama marked by a docu-real aesthetic, “Makala’s” depiction of back-breaking labor is as no-frills as the work itself.
Gras’ documentary introduces its slow-cinema vibe by devoting several minutes to observing 28-year-old Kabwita fell a mighty tree in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. When it finally topples over, the sound reverberates throughout the surrounding brush as though the earth itself is mourning the loss.
Read More: ‘The Florida Project’ Review: Sean Baker’s ‘Tangerine’ Followup Delivers — Cannes 2017
This tree-chopping isn’t recreational, of course — it accounts for a vital part of Kabwita’s livelihood as a charcoal producer.
Gras’ documentary introduces its slow-cinema vibe by devoting several minutes to observing 28-year-old Kabwita fell a mighty tree in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. When it finally topples over, the sound reverberates throughout the surrounding brush as though the earth itself is mourning the loss.
Read More: ‘The Florida Project’ Review: Sean Baker’s ‘Tangerine’ Followup Delivers — Cannes 2017
This tree-chopping isn’t recreational, of course — it accounts for a vital part of Kabwita’s livelihood as a charcoal producer.
- 5/25/2017
- by Michael Nordine
- Indiewire
Message of hope in Makala, Cannes Critics’ Week prizewinner Photo: Semaine de la Critique
With only three days to go before the Cannes Film Festival announces its main prizes on Sunday, the sidebar Critics’ Week tonight announced its awards (25 May).
The top prize has gone to Makala, directed by Emmanuel Gras, which scored the Nespresso Grand Prize, including a 15,000 euros prize.
Set in Congo, the film follows a young peasant who dreams of a better future for his loved ones. He embarks on a dangerous and exhausting journey in order to trade the fruit of his work. En route he discovers the value of his efforts and the price he has to pay for his dreams.
A total of seven films competed in the Critics' Week section, which concentrates on discovering new talent.
Gabriel And The Mountain / Gabriel E A Montanha, directed by Fellipe Gamarano Barbosa, earned the France 4 Visionary Award,...
With only three days to go before the Cannes Film Festival announces its main prizes on Sunday, the sidebar Critics’ Week tonight announced its awards (25 May).
The top prize has gone to Makala, directed by Emmanuel Gras, which scored the Nespresso Grand Prize, including a 15,000 euros prize.
Set in Congo, the film follows a young peasant who dreams of a better future for his loved ones. He embarks on a dangerous and exhausting journey in order to trade the fruit of his work. En route he discovers the value of his efforts and the price he has to pay for his dreams.
A total of seven films competed in the Critics' Week section, which concentrates on discovering new talent.
Gabriel And The Mountain / Gabriel E A Montanha, directed by Fellipe Gamarano Barbosa, earned the France 4 Visionary Award,...
- 5/25/2017
- by Richard Mowe
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
As the Cannes Film Festival winds down, the first of the weekend's awards were handed out Thursday night by the Critics’ Week sidebar, with Makala taking the top prize.
The film, directed by Emmanuel Gras, earned the Nespresso Grand Prize, which includes a €15,000 prize. The film, set in Congo, follows a young peasant who dreams of a better future for his loved ones. Set out on dangerous and exhausting roads in order to trade the fruit of his work, he discovers the value of his effort and the price to pay for his dreams.
Seven films competed...
The film, directed by Emmanuel Gras, earned the Nespresso Grand Prize, which includes a €15,000 prize. The film, set in Congo, follows a young peasant who dreams of a better future for his loved ones. Set out on dangerous and exhausting roads in order to trade the fruit of his work, he discovers the value of his effort and the price to pay for his dreams.
Seven films competed...
- 5/25/2017
- by Rebecca Ford
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Sisyphean task of making charcoal in the Congolese countryside and then carrying it in overstuffed bags on an overloaded bicycle to a city that’s a three-day walk away is the subject of the documentary Makala, from French director Emmanuel Gras (Bovines). This Critics’ Week entry follows the production of the coal by protagonist Kabwita Kasongo and then his endlessly long push of his bike, before he finally arrives at his destination, where he can sell his wares for a very meager profit. Less a lost chapter from Michael Glawogger’s gold standard in the genre, the cinematic masterpiece Workingman’s Death,...
- 5/24/2017
- by Boyd van Hoeij
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Read More: The 2017 IndieWire Cannes Bible: Every Review, Interview and News Item Posted During the Festival
The 2017 Cannes Film Festival is underway, and IndieWire is partnering with Festival Scope for a second year in a row to give readers the chance to bring a part of the event straight to their own homes. This year, our Critics’ Week sweepstakes features 9 short films and one feature in competition. If you aren’t in Cannes, this is your only chance to watch them all.
Now through Thursday, May 25, IndieWire readers have an exclusive opportunity to register for a chance to win an online Festival Pass to screen the 9 short films and one feature in competition. Click Here for the registration form — all you need to enter is your first and last name and a valid email address — and make sure to enter by May 25 for a chance to win. Festival Scope has...
The 2017 Cannes Film Festival is underway, and IndieWire is partnering with Festival Scope for a second year in a row to give readers the chance to bring a part of the event straight to their own homes. This year, our Critics’ Week sweepstakes features 9 short films and one feature in competition. If you aren’t in Cannes, this is your only chance to watch them all.
Now through Thursday, May 25, IndieWire readers have an exclusive opportunity to register for a chance to win an online Festival Pass to screen the 9 short films and one feature in competition. Click Here for the registration form — all you need to enter is your first and last name and a valid email address — and make sure to enter by May 25 for a chance to win. Festival Scope has...
- 5/22/2017
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
The lineup for the 2017 Cannes Critics’ Week (La Semaine de la Critique) has been announced.Opening FILMSicilian Ghost Story (Fabio Grassadonia & Antonio Piazza)COMPETITIONLa familia (Gustavo Rondón Córdova)Los perros (Marcela Said)Oh Lucy! (Atsuko Hirayagani)Gabriel e a montanha (Felipe Gamarano Barbosa)Ava (Léa Mysius)Tehran Taboo (Ali Soozandeh)Makala (Emmanuel Gras)Special Feature SCREENINGSBloody Milk (Hubert Charuel)Une vie violente (Thierry de Peretti)Special Short SCREENINGSAfter School Knife Fight (Caroline Poggi & Jonathan Vinel)Coelho Mau (Carlos Conceição)Les îles (Yann Gonzales)Short & Medium-LENGTHSelva (Sofía Quirós Ubeda)Möbius (Sam Khun)Real Gods Require Blood (Moin Hussain)Jodilerks dela Cruz, Employee of the Month (Carlo Francisco Manatad)Los desheredados (Laura Ferrés)Ela - szkice na pożegnanie (Oliver Adam Kusio)Najpiękniejsze fajerwerki ever (Aleksandra Terpinska)Tesla: Lumière mondiale (Matthew Rankin)Les enfants partent à l'aube (Manon Coubia)Le visage (Salvatore Lista)Closing FILMBrigsby Bear (Dave McCary)...
- 4/26/2017
- MUBI
The 56th edition of the Cannes Critics’ Week sidebar has announced its main program, including seven films screening in competition. The sidebar is dedicated to films coming from first- and second-time filmmakers, and always promises a fertile ground for discovering new and emerging talent. Last year’s breakout title was Julia Ducournau’s horror film “Raw,” which sold to Focus World.
Read More: Cannes 2017 Announces Directors Fortnight Lineup, Including Sean Baker’s ‘The Florida Project’ and ‘Patti Cake$’
The section will open with Fabio Grassadonia and Antonio Piazza’s latest feature, “Sicilian Ghost Story,” which combines the myths of Romeo and Juliet with the present day Sicilian mafia. Dave McCary’s debut “Brigsby Bear,” the Sundance comedy that sold to Sony Pictures Classics, will close out the section.
For the first time in its history, both a documentary and an animated film will screen in competition. Ali Soozandeh’s animated...
Read More: Cannes 2017 Announces Directors Fortnight Lineup, Including Sean Baker’s ‘The Florida Project’ and ‘Patti Cake$’
The section will open with Fabio Grassadonia and Antonio Piazza’s latest feature, “Sicilian Ghost Story,” which combines the myths of Romeo and Juliet with the present day Sicilian mafia. Dave McCary’s debut “Brigsby Bear,” the Sundance comedy that sold to Sony Pictures Classics, will close out the section.
For the first time in its history, both a documentary and an animated film will screen in competition. Ali Soozandeh’s animated...
- 4/21/2017
- by Graham Winfrey
- Indiewire
The lineup for the Cannes Film Festival’s International Critics’ Week section was announced on Friday, with Dave McCrary’s Sundance hit “Brigsby Bear” due to close the competition and a documentary and animated film making it into the section for the first time. “Brigsby Bear” stars Claire Danes, Mark Hamill and Greg Kinnear and “SNL” regular Kyle Mooney as the host of an unusual children’s television show. The animated film is Ali Soozandeh’s “Tehran Taboo,” while the documentary is Emmanuel Gras’ “Makala.” Critics’ Week is an independent section that runs concurrently with the main Cannes festival. It...
- 4/21/2017
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
Mafia tale Sicilian Ghost Story to open sidebar, Sundance hit Brigsby Bear selected as closer.
Cannes Critics’ Week, devoted to first and second features as well as shorts, has unveiled the line-up of its 56th edition, running May 18-26.
Italian directors Fabio Grassadonia and Antonio Piazza will open the selection with their second feature Sicilian Ghost Story, a genre-mixing work following a teenage girl as she searches for the boy she loves after he is kidnapped by the Mafia.
It is inspired by the real-life tale of Giuseppe Di Matteo, the son of a former Mafia hitman-turned-informant, who was abducted in 1993.
Critics’ Week artistic director Charles Tesson described it as a “staggering crossover between cinema genres, combining politics, fantasy and terrible teen love.”
The directorial duo premiered their debut feature Salvo in competition in Critics’ Week in 2013, winning the €15,000 Nespresso Grand Prize.
The screenplay for Sicilian Ghost Story was developed at the Sundance Screenwriting Lab and went...
Cannes Critics’ Week, devoted to first and second features as well as shorts, has unveiled the line-up of its 56th edition, running May 18-26.
Italian directors Fabio Grassadonia and Antonio Piazza will open the selection with their second feature Sicilian Ghost Story, a genre-mixing work following a teenage girl as she searches for the boy she loves after he is kidnapped by the Mafia.
It is inspired by the real-life tale of Giuseppe Di Matteo, the son of a former Mafia hitman-turned-informant, who was abducted in 1993.
Critics’ Week artistic director Charles Tesson described it as a “staggering crossover between cinema genres, combining politics, fantasy and terrible teen love.”
The directorial duo premiered their debut feature Salvo in competition in Critics’ Week in 2013, winning the €15,000 Nespresso Grand Prize.
The screenplay for Sicilian Ghost Story was developed at the Sundance Screenwriting Lab and went...
- 4/21/2017
- ScreenDaily
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.