Rai Cinema International Distribution (Rcid) has taken international sales rights for “Of Dogs and Men,” an upcoming drama directed by Dani Rosenberg and produced by Ar Content. Rcid is introducing the film to buyers at the Cannes Film Festival’s market, where Variety has been given exclusive access to a first-look image.
Written by Rosenberg, Ori Avinoam and Itai Tamir, “Of Dogs and Men” is produced by two-time Academy Award nominee Alexander Rodnyansky of Ar Content and Itai Tamir (“Under a Blue Sun”) of Laila Films.
Set and filmed in the wake of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, the film follows 16-year-old Dar, who is returning to her kibbutz to look for her dog which was lost during the terror spree. She navigates the horrors inflicted upon the place and on the faces of people she meets while encountering the stark reality of the unfolding disaster beyond the fence. Between those...
Written by Rosenberg, Ori Avinoam and Itai Tamir, “Of Dogs and Men” is produced by two-time Academy Award nominee Alexander Rodnyansky of Ar Content and Itai Tamir (“Under a Blue Sun”) of Laila Films.
Set and filmed in the wake of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, the film follows 16-year-old Dar, who is returning to her kibbutz to look for her dog which was lost during the terror spree. She navigates the horrors inflicted upon the place and on the faces of people she meets while encountering the stark reality of the unfolding disaster beyond the fence. Between those...
- 5/22/2024
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
Ever since he was forced to flee his Moscow home in 2022 after rousing suspicion within Russia’s government for speaking out about his opposition to the war in Ukraine, Kyiv-born producer Alexander Rodnyansky feels more compelled than ever to help bring to screen stories that are “rooted in truth.”
Now living in between Los Angeles, Italy and Ukraine, the Oscar-nominated producer has been concentrating his efforts on “building a hub” of European and international talent and uniting them with Hollywood through his banner Ar Content.
“European cinema, particularly Eastern European cinema, has always been my area of expertise and I have worked with most of the important directors of the region, so this seemed like a growth opportunity for the company,” says Rodnyansky, who was forced to shutter his other company, Non-Stop Productions when he left Russia. “I don’t pretend to be a Hollywood producer, but I have experience...
Now living in between Los Angeles, Italy and Ukraine, the Oscar-nominated producer has been concentrating his efforts on “building a hub” of European and international talent and uniting them with Hollywood through his banner Ar Content.
“European cinema, particularly Eastern European cinema, has always been my area of expertise and I have worked with most of the important directors of the region, so this seemed like a growth opportunity for the company,” says Rodnyansky, who was forced to shutter his other company, Non-Stop Productions when he left Russia. “I don’t pretend to be a Hollywood producer, but I have experience...
- 5/20/2024
- by Diana Lodderhose
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Israeli director Dani Rosenberg has set his next film with Alexander Rodnyansky’s Ar content. The film, which Rosenberg wrote with Ori Avinoam and Itai Tamir, is called Of Dogs and Men and Ar Content will produce with Tamier (Under a Blue Sun) of Laila Films.
The story follows 16-year-old Dar, who returns to her kibbutz to look for her dog who was lost during the terror attack of October 7. She navigates through the horrors etched upon the place and on the faces of people she meets while encountering the stark reality of the unfolding disaster beyond the fence. Between those who seek revenge and those whose faith in mankind remains unwavering, Dar will try to find her own voice.
Financed by Ar Content, Of Dogs and Men was shot in October and November 2023 in the kibbutzim lining the border with Gaza.
The story follows 16-year-old Dar, who returns to her kibbutz to look for her dog who was lost during the terror attack of October 7. She navigates through the horrors etched upon the place and on the faces of people she meets while encountering the stark reality of the unfolding disaster beyond the fence. Between those who seek revenge and those whose faith in mankind remains unwavering, Dar will try to find her own voice.
Financed by Ar Content, Of Dogs and Men was shot in October and November 2023 in the kibbutzim lining the border with Gaza.
- 5/16/2024
- by Diana Lodderhose
- Deadline Film + TV
Following Raw and Titane, Julia Ducournau has set her third feature with Alpha. Though no plot details have been unveiled this far, Golshifteh Farahani and Tahar Rahim (A Prophet) will lead the film, Deadline reports. “Alpha is Julia’s most personal, profound work yet, and we are looking forward to a global audience discovering the story with as much excitement as we did,” said Filmnation and Charades, while the producers added, “Alpha is a new page in Julia Ducournau’s corpus that is both very consistent with the previous ones and entirely new in its tone.”
Following All of Us Strangers, Andrew Haigh is stepping up to a major studio project with a Leonardo da Vinci film set up at Universal Pictures. The film is based on Walter Isaacson‘s 2017 biography, which showed “how Leonardo’s genius was based on skills we can improve in ourselves, such as passionate curiosity,...
Following All of Us Strangers, Andrew Haigh is stepping up to a major studio project with a Leonardo da Vinci film set up at Universal Pictures. The film is based on Walter Isaacson‘s 2017 biography, which showed “how Leonardo’s genius was based on skills we can improve in ourselves, such as passionate curiosity,...
- 5/3/2024
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Exclusive: Goodfellas has boarded upcoming war crime drama Occupation from Ukrainian writer-director Myroslav Slaboshpytskyi (The Tribe). The project, which will be produced by Loveless and Leviathan producer Alexander Rodnyansky alongside Nick Shumaker for Anonymous Content, is being launched to buyers in Cannes this month with Goodfellas repping international sales rights and Anonymous Content and CAA Media Finance co-repping North American rights.
Occupation is based on Peter Pomerantsev’s May 2022 article for The Atlantic entitled “We Can Only Be Enemies”, which follows a Ukrainian family whose house is shelled at the onset of the war. Unable to reach Kyiv, they return to their village. Taking refuge in their bomb shelter, they have no choice but to cohabitate with the Russian solider responsible for the bombardment. Production will begin in Poland this fall.
Ar Content’s Michael Kupisk will exec produce the film alongside Anonymous Content’s David Levine, Linzee Troubh from The Atlantic and Eva Dottelonde,...
Occupation is based on Peter Pomerantsev’s May 2022 article for The Atlantic entitled “We Can Only Be Enemies”, which follows a Ukrainian family whose house is shelled at the onset of the war. Unable to reach Kyiv, they return to their village. Taking refuge in their bomb shelter, they have no choice but to cohabitate with the Russian solider responsible for the bombardment. Production will begin in Poland this fall.
Ar Content’s Michael Kupisk will exec produce the film alongside Anonymous Content’s David Levine, Linzee Troubh from The Atlantic and Eva Dottelonde,...
- 5/2/2024
- by Diana Lodderhose
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Sean Penn-starring Ukrainian anthology movie War Through the Eyes of Animals has wrapped shooting in LA and more details have emerged about Penn’s involvement.
The movie is told in nine parts and shines a spotlight on animals affected by ecocide due to the war in Ukraine, which has been raging for nearly two years. Filming recently wrapped in LA and a second phase will begin in Ukraine shortly.
Penn stars in the final story titled ‘The Eagle,’ written and filmed by renowned director Myroslav Slaboshpytskyi (The Tribe), which pays tribute to a Ukrainian nature reserve around Chernobyl ravaged by war. It features a recording of rare bird voices in a national reserve, where a young sound engineer has ventured at the request of a foreign producer. The engineer is then interrupted by the sudden outbreak of war.
“It was a pleasure to collaborate with a global cinema...
The movie is told in nine parts and shines a spotlight on animals affected by ecocide due to the war in Ukraine, which has been raging for nearly two years. Filming recently wrapped in LA and a second phase will begin in Ukraine shortly.
Penn stars in the final story titled ‘The Eagle,’ written and filmed by renowned director Myroslav Slaboshpytskyi (The Tribe), which pays tribute to a Ukrainian nature reserve around Chernobyl ravaged by war. It features a recording of rare bird voices in a national reserve, where a young sound engineer has ventured at the request of a foreign producer. The engineer is then interrupted by the sudden outbreak of war.
“It was a pleasure to collaborate with a global cinema...
- 12/7/2023
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
Troll clicks count, too – and this wisdom is not lost on Marianna Spring, the BBC’s Disinformation and Social Media Correspondent, who bid “welcome” to the haters delivering “misogynistic slurs” and other feedback to her launch video for BBC Verify.
“We’re a team of investigative journalists here at the BBC,” Spring said in a Monday video explaining the government-funded broadcaster’s new fact-checking venture. “But we’re also a new brand and we are a physical location above the newsroom in London. The point of the team is to verify video, to fact-check, to counter disinformation and to analyze really complex stories, so we can get to the truth of what’s going on.”
The trolling in response to this – including misogynistic slurs, threatening and hateful messages – are just more proof of why investigating this is so important.
Welcome trolls and stay tuned for my latest Radio 4 podcast, more upcoming investigations – and Undercover Voters.
“We’re a team of investigative journalists here at the BBC,” Spring said in a Monday video explaining the government-funded broadcaster’s new fact-checking venture. “But we’re also a new brand and we are a physical location above the newsroom in London. The point of the team is to verify video, to fact-check, to counter disinformation and to analyze really complex stories, so we can get to the truth of what’s going on.”
The trolling in response to this – including misogynistic slurs, threatening and hateful messages – are just more proof of why investigating this is so important.
Welcome trolls and stay tuned for my latest Radio 4 podcast, more upcoming investigations – and Undercover Voters.
- 5/22/2023
- by Josh Dickey
- The Wrap
Sean Penn will star in the Ukranian war movie “War Through the Eyes of Animals,” TheWrap has confirmed. The picture, due for release in late 2023 or early 2024, is part of a nine-part anthology that will be helmed by nine Ukrainian filmmakers concerning the ongoing conflict against Russia. This offering will show the war through the perspective of animals caught in the crossfire.
Myroslav Slaboshpytskyi, who directed “The Tribe” in 2014, will direct the ninth and final segment. “War Through the Eyes of Animals” will star Penn as an American sound engineer who witness the outbreak of war when Russian forces invade on February 24, 2022. Filming will take place in Ukraine and Los Angeles this summer.
Anthology Film “War through the eyes of Animals” trailer
The two-time Best Actor Oscar winner (for “Mystic River” in 2004 and “Milk” in 2009) was shooting a comical documentary about actor-turned-Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky when are broke out, turning...
Myroslav Slaboshpytskyi, who directed “The Tribe” in 2014, will direct the ninth and final segment. “War Through the Eyes of Animals” will star Penn as an American sound engineer who witness the outbreak of war when Russian forces invade on February 24, 2022. Filming will take place in Ukraine and Los Angeles this summer.
Anthology Film “War through the eyes of Animals” trailer
The two-time Best Actor Oscar winner (for “Mystic River” in 2004 and “Milk” in 2009) was shooting a comical documentary about actor-turned-Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky when are broke out, turning...
- 5/22/2023
- by Scott Mendelson
- The Wrap
U.S. writer and political advocate Dane Waters and “Superpower” co-director Aaron Kaufman announced the launch of a new global nonprofit group, Humanity for Freedom, Monday in Cannes. The organization is dedicated to the fight against authoritarian governments through educational and advocacy work.
The group’s global kick-off event, 72 Hours for Freedom, will feature screenings around the world of “Superpower,” the documentary about Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, co-directed by Kaufman and Sean Penn. The event will take place in over a dozen countries on six continents, starting in London on June 6 and wrapping in Washington, D.C., June 8, including stops in Rome; Tbilisi, Georgia; Sofia, Bulgaria; Abuja, Nigeria; Tokyo; Sydney; and Buenos Aires.
Set on the eve of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, “Superpower” is a courage-under-fire portrait of President Zelenskyy, a former actor who suddenly found himself in the unlikely position of leading a country at war.
The group’s global kick-off event, 72 Hours for Freedom, will feature screenings around the world of “Superpower,” the documentary about Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy, co-directed by Kaufman and Sean Penn. The event will take place in over a dozen countries on six continents, starting in London on June 6 and wrapping in Washington, D.C., June 8, including stops in Rome; Tbilisi, Georgia; Sofia, Bulgaria; Abuja, Nigeria; Tokyo; Sydney; and Buenos Aires.
Set on the eve of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, “Superpower” is a courage-under-fire portrait of President Zelenskyy, a former actor who suddenly found himself in the unlikely position of leading a country at war.
- 5/22/2023
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
Oscar-winning actor, and pro-Ukraine activist, Sean Penn has signed on to star in the Ukrainian war film War Through the Eyes of Animals.
The feature is a nine-part anthology, directed by nine Ukrainian filmmakers, that tells the story of the war in Ukraine through the perspectives of various animals caught up in the conflict. Myroslav Slaboshpytskyi, the acclaimed Ukrainian director of The Tribe (2014), will direct the ninth and final segment, which will star Penn as an American sound engineer who inadvertently becomes a witness to the outbreak of war when, on February 24, 2022, Russian forces invade.
Filming of the segment is scheduled to take place in Ukraine and Los Angeles during the summer of 2023.
Penn has been an outspoken supporter of Ukraine since the start of the war. The two-time Oscar winner was in Ukraine shooting a documentary for Vice Studios when the war broke out. The film, co-directed with Aaron Kaufman,...
The feature is a nine-part anthology, directed by nine Ukrainian filmmakers, that tells the story of the war in Ukraine through the perspectives of various animals caught up in the conflict. Myroslav Slaboshpytskyi, the acclaimed Ukrainian director of The Tribe (2014), will direct the ninth and final segment, which will star Penn as an American sound engineer who inadvertently becomes a witness to the outbreak of war when, on February 24, 2022, Russian forces invade.
Filming of the segment is scheduled to take place in Ukraine and Los Angeles during the summer of 2023.
Penn has been an outspoken supporter of Ukraine since the start of the war. The two-time Oscar winner was in Ukraine shooting a documentary for Vice Studios when the war broke out. The film, co-directed with Aaron Kaufman,...
- 5/22/2023
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Alexander Rodnyansky, the Oscar-nominated producer behind “Leviathan” and “Loveless,” has boarded “The Dissident,” a Cold War drama that follows a former Ukrainian resistance fighter trying to rebuild his life after his release from a Soviet prison camp.
The film marks the fiction feature debut of directors Andriy Alferov, a renowned Ukrainian film critic, and Stas Gurenko, a veteran commercial and music video director. Rodnyansky is producing alongside Oleksandr Omelyanov.
Set in 1960s Ukraine, at a time when many in the Soviet Union and Eastern Bloc were re-evaluating the socialist system, pic follows Oleg, a former soldier in the Ukrainian Insurgent Army that fought against both Nazi Germany and the communist Soviet Union for Ukrainian independence during World War II. After an amnesty deal is reached, Oleg is released from prison camp and returns to Ukraine, where he tries but fails to find his place in peacetime society.
Though based on historical events,...
The film marks the fiction feature debut of directors Andriy Alferov, a renowned Ukrainian film critic, and Stas Gurenko, a veteran commercial and music video director. Rodnyansky is producing alongside Oleksandr Omelyanov.
Set in 1960s Ukraine, at a time when many in the Soviet Union and Eastern Bloc were re-evaluating the socialist system, pic follows Oleg, a former soldier in the Ukrainian Insurgent Army that fought against both Nazi Germany and the communist Soviet Union for Ukrainian independence during World War II. After an amnesty deal is reached, Oleg is released from prison camp and returns to Ukraine, where he tries but fails to find his place in peacetime society.
Though based on historical events,...
- 2/16/2023
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Anonymous Content, Alexander Rodnyansky’s Ar Content and The Atlantic have secured rights to journalist Peter Pomerantsev’s article for The Atlantic ‘We Can Only Be Enemies’ and will adapt it for film.
Myroslav Slaboshpytskyi, the Ukrainian director of well-received Cannes festival drama The Tribe, is attached to pen and direct the war crime drama adaptation.
Published in May 2022, Peter Pomerantsev’s article for The Atlantic follows a Ukrainian family whose house is shelled at the onset of the war. Unable to reach Kyiv, they return to their village. Taking refuge in their bomb shelter, they have no choice but to cohabitate with the Russian soldiers responsible for the bombardment.
Nick Shumaker and Robert Walak will produce the film on behalf of Anonymous Content with Leviathan and Stalingrad producer Alexander Rodynansky producing for Ar Content. Anonymous Content CEO, Dawn Olmstead and Cco, David Levine will serve as executive producers...
Myroslav Slaboshpytskyi, the Ukrainian director of well-received Cannes festival drama The Tribe, is attached to pen and direct the war crime drama adaptation.
Published in May 2022, Peter Pomerantsev’s article for The Atlantic follows a Ukrainian family whose house is shelled at the onset of the war. Unable to reach Kyiv, they return to their village. Taking refuge in their bomb shelter, they have no choice but to cohabitate with the Russian soldiers responsible for the bombardment.
Nick Shumaker and Robert Walak will produce the film on behalf of Anonymous Content with Leviathan and Stalingrad producer Alexander Rodynansky producing for Ar Content. Anonymous Content CEO, Dawn Olmstead and Cco, David Levine will serve as executive producers...
- 10/28/2022
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Alpha Violet founding co-heads Virginie Devesa and Keiko Funato are at the Venice Film Festival this year with Indonesian filmmaker Makbul Mubarak’s first film Autobiography, which plays in Horizons ahead of trips to Toronto and London among other festivals.
The coming-of-age drama, exploring the legacy of Indonesia’s 30-year military dictatorship, revolves around a young boy working as a housekeeper in the empty mansion of a retired general.
Venice Film Festival: Memorable Moments 1945-1984 Gallery
Devesa and Funato, who fete the 10th anniversary of their Paris-based sales boutique Alpha Violet in October, have a strong record of launching debut features on the Lido having previously handled Japanese filmmaker Kei Ishikawa’s 2016 feature Gukoroku, Traces of Sin and Greek director Christos Nikou’s 2020 breakout Apples, which both played in Horizons.
Neither title won the top prize, but both works put the directors on the international festival and industry map. Ishikawa...
The coming-of-age drama, exploring the legacy of Indonesia’s 30-year military dictatorship, revolves around a young boy working as a housekeeper in the empty mansion of a retired general.
Venice Film Festival: Memorable Moments 1945-1984 Gallery
Devesa and Funato, who fete the 10th anniversary of their Paris-based sales boutique Alpha Violet in October, have a strong record of launching debut features on the Lido having previously handled Japanese filmmaker Kei Ishikawa’s 2016 feature Gukoroku, Traces of Sin and Greek director Christos Nikou’s 2020 breakout Apples, which both played in Horizons.
Neither title won the top prize, but both works put the directors on the international festival and industry map. Ishikawa...
- 9/2/2022
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
The Iranian/Canadian co-production “Summer of Hope,” a drama about the relationship between a young Iranian swimmer and his new coach, has won the Grand Prix in the Crystal Globe Competition at the 2022 Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, Kviff organizers announced on Saturday. Director Sadaf Foroughi and her producers will receive a 25,000 prize as part of the award, which was selected by the festival’s Crystal Globe Jury.
Spanish director Jonas Trueba’s “You Have to Come and See It” won the 15,000 Jury Prize, while Beata Parkanova was named best director for the family drama “Word.”
Also Read:
Karlovy Vary Film Festival Explores Israeli-American Connections in ‘America’ and ‘June Zero’
“Word” also took the best-actor award for Martin Finger, while Taki Mumladze and Mariam Khundadze shared the best-actress award for their work in the Georgian film “A Room of My Own.”
The Pravo Audience Award went to the Czech film “Psh Neverending Story,...
Spanish director Jonas Trueba’s “You Have to Come and See It” won the 15,000 Jury Prize, while Beata Parkanova was named best director for the family drama “Word.”
Also Read:
Karlovy Vary Film Festival Explores Israeli-American Connections in ‘America’ and ‘June Zero’
“Word” also took the best-actor award for Martin Finger, while Taki Mumladze and Mariam Khundadze shared the best-actress award for their work in the Georgian film “A Room of My Own.”
The Pravo Audience Award went to the Czech film “Psh Neverending Story,...
- 7/9/2022
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
Sadaf Foroughi’s Iran-set feature Summer With Hope has clinched the Grand Prix award in the main Crystal Globe Competition of the 56th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, running July 1-9.
The social drama revolves around a young swimming champion whose close bond with his trainer sparks disapproval from people around them.
Summer With Hope is Iranian-Canadian filmmaker Foroughi’s second film after Ava which debuted at Toronto in 2017, winning the Fipresci international critics prize.
Kviff’s Grand Prix comes with a 25,000 cash prize to be shared equally between the director and producer. Kiarash Anvari of Toronto-based First Generation Films is the lead producer on the film.
This year’s Crystal Globe competition jury comprised Argentinian film producer Benjamin Domenech, German filmmaker Jan-Ole Gerster, Polish distributor and festival organiser Roman Gutek, international sales agent and producer Fiorella Moretti and Danish film editor and screenwriter Molly Malene Stensgaard.
In other main competition awards,...
The social drama revolves around a young swimming champion whose close bond with his trainer sparks disapproval from people around them.
Summer With Hope is Iranian-Canadian filmmaker Foroughi’s second film after Ava which debuted at Toronto in 2017, winning the Fipresci international critics prize.
Kviff’s Grand Prix comes with a 25,000 cash prize to be shared equally between the director and producer. Kiarash Anvari of Toronto-based First Generation Films is the lead producer on the film.
This year’s Crystal Globe competition jury comprised Argentinian film producer Benjamin Domenech, German filmmaker Jan-Ole Gerster, Polish distributor and festival organiser Roman Gutek, international sales agent and producer Fiorella Moretti and Danish film editor and screenwriter Molly Malene Stensgaard.
In other main competition awards,...
- 7/9/2022
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Oscar-winning actors Geoffrey Rush and Benicio Del Toro will be feted at the 56th edition of the Karlovy Vary Intl. Film Festival, which will run July 1-9. The actors will receive their awards at the festival’s closing ceremony. The Czech event has also revealed its juries.
“We are honored and delighted that two extraordinary actors we have been deeply admiring for many years accepted our invitation to come to Karlovy Vary,” said Kviff’s president Jiří Bartoška.
Rush will receive the festival’s Crystal Globe for outstanding artistic contribution to world cinema, and his films “The King’s Speech,” “Quills” and “Shine” will be screened as an homage to the actor.
Rush began his career in theater with the Queensland Theater Company. An important turning point in his cinematic career came in 1996, when he excelled in the role of composer and pianist David Helfgott in Scott Hick’s “Shine,” which won him an Oscar,...
“We are honored and delighted that two extraordinary actors we have been deeply admiring for many years accepted our invitation to come to Karlovy Vary,” said Kviff’s president Jiří Bartoška.
Rush will receive the festival’s Crystal Globe for outstanding artistic contribution to world cinema, and his films “The King’s Speech,” “Quills” and “Shine” will be screened as an homage to the actor.
Rush began his career in theater with the Queensland Theater Company. An important turning point in his cinematic career came in 1996, when he excelled in the role of composer and pianist David Helfgott in Scott Hick’s “Shine,” which won him an Oscar,...
- 6/21/2022
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Geoffrey Rush and Benicio Del Toro will be honored with career awards at the 56th edition of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (Kviff), running July 1-9 against the backdrop of the picturesque Czech Republic spa town.
Australian actor Rush will receive the festival’s Crystal Globe for Outstanding Artistic Contribution to World Cinema.
The King’s Speech, for which Rush won a BAFTA and was nominated for an Oscar and Golden Globe, Quills and Shine will screen in the festival as part of the homage to the actor.
Del Toro will be honored with the Kviff President’s Award, celebrating actors, directors, and producers who have made a fundamental contribution to the development of film and cinema.
The homage will also include screenings of Del Toro’s 1995 international breakthrough film The Usual Suspects and Traffic, for which he won an Oscar as well as a Golden Globe, BAFTA and Silver...
Australian actor Rush will receive the festival’s Crystal Globe for Outstanding Artistic Contribution to World Cinema.
The King’s Speech, for which Rush won a BAFTA and was nominated for an Oscar and Golden Globe, Quills and Shine will screen in the festival as part of the homage to the actor.
Del Toro will be honored with the Kviff President’s Award, celebrating actors, directors, and producers who have made a fundamental contribution to the development of film and cinema.
The homage will also include screenings of Del Toro’s 1995 international breakthrough film The Usual Suspects and Traffic, for which he won an Oscar as well as a Golden Globe, BAFTA and Silver...
- 6/21/2022
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Rush will receive the Crystal Globe, del Toro the President’s Award.
Oscar-winning actors Geoffrey Rush and Benicio del Toro will receive special honours at this year’s Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (Kviff), which runs from July 1-9.
Rush will receive the Crystal Globe for Outstanding Artistic Contribution to World Cinema, an award previously given to talents including John Travolta, Ken Loach, Julianne Moore, Patricia Clarkson and last year’s awardee Michael Caine.
Del Toro will receive the President’s Award, which last year was given to Ethan Hawke.
Kviff will play a selection of films featuring the two...
Oscar-winning actors Geoffrey Rush and Benicio del Toro will receive special honours at this year’s Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (Kviff), which runs from July 1-9.
Rush will receive the Crystal Globe for Outstanding Artistic Contribution to World Cinema, an award previously given to talents including John Travolta, Ken Loach, Julianne Moore, Patricia Clarkson and last year’s awardee Michael Caine.
Del Toro will receive the President’s Award, which last year was given to Ethan Hawke.
Kviff will play a selection of films featuring the two...
- 6/21/2022
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Film producers are often used to facing challenging situations but for Denis Ivanov, he never could have anticipated the dramatic diversion his job would take when, on February 24th, Russia launched a full-scale military invasion of his home country.
The Ukrainian producer-distributor, who has long been a regular fixture on the international festival circuit with credits including Oleg Sentsov’s Rhino and Sergei Loznitsa’s Donbass, now volunteers—like many other creatives in the country—for the local territorial army. Ivanov is driving or delivering ammunition, raising money internationally, helping transport drones, whatever may be needed on any particular day to facilitate the locals in fight against the continued onslaught of Vladimir Putin’s army on the country.
Speaking via Zoom from his office in the country’s capital of Kyiv where, at the time of the interview, Russian troops had fully withdrawn to focus on their offensive in eastern Ukraine,...
The Ukrainian producer-distributor, who has long been a regular fixture on the international festival circuit with credits including Oleg Sentsov’s Rhino and Sergei Loznitsa’s Donbass, now volunteers—like many other creatives in the country—for the local territorial army. Ivanov is driving or delivering ammunition, raising money internationally, helping transport drones, whatever may be needed on any particular day to facilitate the locals in fight against the continued onslaught of Vladimir Putin’s army on the country.
Speaking via Zoom from his office in the country’s capital of Kyiv where, at the time of the interview, Russian troops had fully withdrawn to focus on their offensive in eastern Ukraine,...
- 5/19/2022
- by Diana Lodderhose
- Deadline Film + TV
Following the tragic passing of Gaspard Ulliel, one of the projects he was attached to has found a new actor. 1917 star George MacKay will now lead Bertrand Bonello’s The Beast alongside Léa Seydoux, Variety reports. Set to begin in August, the decades-spanning dystopian romance thriller is set in both Paris and California and will film in French and English. “Set in the near future where emotions have become a threat,” the synopsis reads, “Seydoux stars as Gabrielle, a woman who has finally decided to purify her DNA in a machine that will immerse her in her past lives and rid her of any strong feelings. But when she meets Louis (Mackay) and although he seems dangerous she feels a powerful connection to him as if she’d known him forever.”
After news broke earlier this year that Bong Joon-ho’s next film would be an adaptation of Edward Ashton...
After news broke earlier this year that Bong Joon-ho’s next film would be an adaptation of Edward Ashton...
- 5/16/2022
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
"The Northman" star Alexander Skarsgård is teaming up with Dane DeHaan, producer Darren Aronofsky, and Ukrainian writer-director Myroslav Slaboshpytskyi for "The Tiger," a film adaptation of the bestselling book by John Vaillant. As Amleth in "The Northman," Skarsgård may be eager to avenge his father, save his mother, and kill his uncle Fjölnir, but his character in "The Tiger" will be considerably less eager to hunt a tiger that killed a poacher in self-defense.
"The Tiger" is based on "a true story of vengeance of survival," as the subtitle calls it. Variety reports that Skarsgård will star in it as "the leader of a group of men tasked with protecting the endangered cats...
The post Alexander Skarsgård and Dane DeHaan Will Play Reluctant Tiger Hunters in The Tiger appeared first on /Film.
"The Tiger" is based on "a true story of vengeance of survival," as the subtitle calls it. Variety reports that Skarsgård will star in it as "the leader of a group of men tasked with protecting the endangered cats...
The post Alexander Skarsgård and Dane DeHaan Will Play Reluctant Tiger Hunters in The Tiger appeared first on /Film.
- 5/14/2022
- by Joshua Meyer
- Slash Film
Alexander Skarsgard will star in “The Tiger” as the leader of a group of men tasked with protecting the endangered cats from poachers and loggers.
The actor recently headlined the blood-drenched viking epic “The Northman,” receiving a great deal of attention for his physical transformation into a chiseled Norse avenger. He will team here with Ukrainian filmmaker Myroslav Slaboshpytskyi, who wrote and will direct “The Tiger” based on the book by John Vaillant. Slaboshpytskyi previously directed 2014’s “The Tribe,” a critically-heralded story about a school for the deaf that was done entirely in Ukrainian sign language, with no subtitles.
Dane DeHaan, who played the Green Goblin in “The Amazing Spider-Man 2” and will soon appear in Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer,” is also attached to appear in “The Tiger.” He can currently be seen in Antonio Campos’ endlessly binge-able HBO Max drama “The Staircase.”
Skarsgard’s credits also include his Emmy-winning...
The actor recently headlined the blood-drenched viking epic “The Northman,” receiving a great deal of attention for his physical transformation into a chiseled Norse avenger. He will team here with Ukrainian filmmaker Myroslav Slaboshpytskyi, who wrote and will direct “The Tiger” based on the book by John Vaillant. Slaboshpytskyi previously directed 2014’s “The Tribe,” a critically-heralded story about a school for the deaf that was done entirely in Ukrainian sign language, with no subtitles.
Dane DeHaan, who played the Green Goblin in “The Amazing Spider-Man 2” and will soon appear in Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer,” is also attached to appear in “The Tiger.” He can currently be seen in Antonio Campos’ endlessly binge-able HBO Max drama “The Staircase.”
Skarsgard’s credits also include his Emmy-winning...
- 5/13/2022
- by Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Ukrainian filmmaker Myroslav Slaboshpytskyi wrote and will direct the feature adaptation of John Valliant’s book The Tiger, in which Emmy, Golden Globe, and SAG Award-winner Alexander Skarsgard will star alongside Oppenheimer actor Dane DeHaan.
Set in snowy far east Russia in the late 90s, the feature follows a group of men — referred to as the Tiger Team — who work to protect endangered tigers from poachers and logging operations. The story follows Vanzin (Skarsgard), the Team’s leader whose sense of duty is tested when he’s charged with hunting down and exterminating a tiger that killed a poacher in self-defense. DeHaan would portray Kanchuga, a young environmental scientist and newest member of the Team.
Darren Aronofsky and Protozoa are producing, along with Plan B and Wild Bunch International. The Veterans will launch sales on the project at the Cannes Film Festival. CAA Media Finance is co-representing domestic rights.
Slaboshpytskyi...
Set in snowy far east Russia in the late 90s, the feature follows a group of men — referred to as the Tiger Team — who work to protect endangered tigers from poachers and logging operations. The story follows Vanzin (Skarsgard), the Team’s leader whose sense of duty is tested when he’s charged with hunting down and exterminating a tiger that killed a poacher in self-defense. DeHaan would portray Kanchuga, a young environmental scientist and newest member of the Team.
Darren Aronofsky and Protozoa are producing, along with Plan B and Wild Bunch International. The Veterans will launch sales on the project at the Cannes Film Festival. CAA Media Finance is co-representing domestic rights.
Slaboshpytskyi...
- 5/13/2022
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Two feature films from Ukraine will this month be given special screenings in Tokyo, Japan, as part of a fund- and awareness-raising initiative about Russia’s war in Europe.
Both films “Atlantis” and “Reflection” were made by director Valentyn Vasyarovych. They played at the Venice film festival but have not been licensed to Japan or released commercially there.
However, under the banner of the Ukrainian Filmmaker Support Screening Association, former Tokyo International Film Festival programmer Yatabe Yoshi, has arranged special permission for the benefit screenings to go ahead. They take place March 29-31,2022 at the Euro Space and Euro Live venues.
Tickets will be sold via the Motion Gallery crowd funding platform, with profits beyond the cost of prints and sub-titling forwarded to the production companies and Ukrainian film support organizations.
” ‘Atlantis’ is a realistic parable that portrays the Ukraine’s conflict with Russia as a story of the dystopian world.
Both films “Atlantis” and “Reflection” were made by director Valentyn Vasyarovych. They played at the Venice film festival but have not been licensed to Japan or released commercially there.
However, under the banner of the Ukrainian Filmmaker Support Screening Association, former Tokyo International Film Festival programmer Yatabe Yoshi, has arranged special permission for the benefit screenings to go ahead. They take place March 29-31,2022 at the Euro Space and Euro Live venues.
Tickets will be sold via the Motion Gallery crowd funding platform, with profits beyond the cost of prints and sub-titling forwarded to the production companies and Ukrainian film support organizations.
” ‘Atlantis’ is a realistic parable that portrays the Ukraine’s conflict with Russia as a story of the dystopian world.
- 3/14/2022
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Denis Ivanov, the Ukrainian producer of critically acclaimed films including Myroslav Slaboshpytskyi’s ‘The Tribe’, Sergey Loznitsas ‘Donbass’ and Oleh Sentsovs ‘Rhino’, has penned an impassioned letter against Russias war in Ukraine, describing it as a ‘genocide against Ukrainians’ and accusing the Russian military of war crimes. In the letter, Ivanov gave his full-throated support to […]...
- 3/3/2022
- by Glamsham Bureau
- GlamSham
Anyone who’s ever scoffed at a company referring to its employees as family will immediately hear alarm bells ringing when Zhanna (Lyudmila Vasilyeva), the matriarch who runs Produkty 24, tells her workers they aren’t just employees, they’re her children. It won’t take long for “Convenience Store” to justify that skepticism and then some: A highlight of the 2022 Berlin Film Festival’s Panorama program, Michael Borodin’s look at an Uzbek immigrant working in the Moscow outskirts is all the more disturbing for the fact that it’s based on a real case of human trafficking.
The marriage of Mukkahabat (a gently devastating Zukhara Sanzysbay) to a fellow worker is our entree into this world, but it’s hardly a storybook wedding. Taking place in a backroom of Produkty 24, it feels more like a forced union than the beginning of happily ever after. Flickering lights and loud music...
The marriage of Mukkahabat (a gently devastating Zukhara Sanzysbay) to a fellow worker is our entree into this world, but it’s hardly a storybook wedding. Taking place in a backroom of Produkty 24, it feels more like a forced union than the beginning of happily ever after. Flickering lights and loud music...
- 2/17/2022
- by Michael Nordine
- Variety Film + TV
The industry platform is showcasing upcoming Ukrainian productions and offering professionals a specialised session on film promotion. As the 11th Odesa International Film Festival has shifted its dates and made the leap to a digital format, running from 25 September-3 October (see the news), the gathering’s industry section, Film Industry Office, will also run online from 29 September-2 October. As every year, the leading platform will showcase everything that is up and coming in Ukrainian cinema, while Book Pitch, a new pitching event, is being introduced for potential film adaptations of literature. Starting with the projects that are at the early-development stage and are being produced or co-produced with Ukraine, 13 projects have been selected. Among them are the upcoming features by Myroslav Slaboshpytskyi (The Tribe), Roman Bondarchuk (Volcano), Daria Onyshchenko (The Forgotten), Taras Tkachenko (Black Raven) and Maryna Er Gorbach (Omar and Us), and the new documentary by Alisa...
Though many want to see George Miller continue his adventures in the world of Mad Max, the director has always been one to divert from expectations and he’ll be doing just that with his newly-announced next project, Three Thousand Years Of Longing. Set to begin production next year, there’s no plot or casting to be revealed, but as one can glean from the title, it’s said to be entirely new territory for the director and “epic in scope,” Deadline reports. Update: THR reports that Idris Elba and Tilda Swinton will star in the film (also going by Djinn), which involves a love story and a genie.
We should be getting the first look at Richard Linklater’s Cate Blanchett-led Where’d You Go Bernadette any day now, but first the director has announced a new project. He’ll be writing and directing a film on the...
We should be getting the first look at Richard Linklater’s Cate Blanchett-led Where’d You Go Bernadette any day now, but first the director has announced a new project. He’ll be writing and directing a film on the...
- 10/25/2018
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Myroslav Slaboshpytskyi has come on to direct “Tiger” for Focus, sources tell Variety.
Darren Aronofsky’s Protozoa and Brad Pitt and Dede Gardner’s Plan B are producing.
The pic, based on the 2010 non-fiction book by John Vaillant, takes place on the Siberian plain, where human development is encroaching on the tigers’ habitat — and one tiger turns on the intruders. With townspeople being tracked and hunted with an almost supernatural power, a conservationist game warden must face down the tiger. It is a fight that only one of them can win.
Focus acquired the book in 2010 and at one point the project was eyed as a potential acting vehicle for Pitt and directing job for Aronofsky. In the end the two have decided to stay on as producers and allow Slaboshpystskyi step in to direct.
The film had been in development limbo, but a recent presentation got the studio and...
Darren Aronofsky’s Protozoa and Brad Pitt and Dede Gardner’s Plan B are producing.
The pic, based on the 2010 non-fiction book by John Vaillant, takes place on the Siberian plain, where human development is encroaching on the tigers’ habitat — and one tiger turns on the intruders. With townspeople being tracked and hunted with an almost supernatural power, a conservationist game warden must face down the tiger. It is a fight that only one of them can win.
Focus acquired the book in 2010 and at one point the project was eyed as a potential acting vehicle for Pitt and directing job for Aronofsky. In the end the two have decided to stay on as producers and allow Slaboshpystskyi step in to direct.
The film had been in development limbo, but a recent presentation got the studio and...
- 10/24/2018
- by Justin Kroll
- Variety Film + TV
One giant bulging vein of a movie, “A Prayer Before Dawn” is only nominally about boxing. It’s also only nominally about its main character, and he’s in nearly every shot. Based on the eponymous 2014 memoir by drug addict-turned-convict-turned-champion boxer Billy Moore, the film is less interested in the how’s and why’s of the real figure’s story than it is in orchestrating one of the most unrelentingly intense symphonies of testosterone and rage ever put onscreen.
Jean-Stephane Sauvaire’s film is not so much the story of a fighter as it is a story that wants to fight you.
Read More: ‘Lover For a Day’ Review — Philippe Garrel Looks at Love in Shades of Gray, Again — Cannes 2017
The film lets you know it’s up to something different right from the start. It opens on a set of very familiar images of a fighter wrapping his hands,...
Jean-Stephane Sauvaire’s film is not so much the story of a fighter as it is a story that wants to fight you.
Read More: ‘Lover For a Day’ Review — Philippe Garrel Looks at Love in Shades of Gray, Again — Cannes 2017
The film lets you know it’s up to something different right from the start. It opens on a set of very familiar images of a fighter wrapping his hands,...
- 5/20/2017
- by Ben Croll
- Indiewire
Aquarius director leads jury that will award the Nespresso Grand Prize.
Brazilian filmmaker Kleber Mendonça Filho will preside over the jury at the 56th Cannes Critics’ Week, the parallel section of the Cannes Film Festival honouring first and second films.
The jury will award the Nespresso Grand Prize and the France 4 Visionary Award to one of the seven feature films in competition, as well as the Leica Cine Discovery Prize to one of 10 short films.
The director, whose Aquarius competed in Cannes’ main competition last year, is joined on the jury by Diana Bustamante Escobar (producer and artistic director of the Cartagena Festival), Eric Kohn (editor of Indiewire), Hania Mroué (director of the Cinema Metropolis in Lebanon) and Niels Schneider (Cesar Award-winning French comedian).
The Critics’ Week competition has previously featured work by Rebecca Zlotowski (Beautiful Thorn), Jeff Nichols (Take Shelter), Myroslav Slaboshpytskiy (The Tribe), David Robert Mitchell (It Follows), Santiago Miter (Paulina), Oliver Laxe (Mimosas) and Julia Ducournau...
Brazilian filmmaker Kleber Mendonça Filho will preside over the jury at the 56th Cannes Critics’ Week, the parallel section of the Cannes Film Festival honouring first and second films.
The jury will award the Nespresso Grand Prize and the France 4 Visionary Award to one of the seven feature films in competition, as well as the Leica Cine Discovery Prize to one of 10 short films.
The director, whose Aquarius competed in Cannes’ main competition last year, is joined on the jury by Diana Bustamante Escobar (producer and artistic director of the Cartagena Festival), Eric Kohn (editor of Indiewire), Hania Mroué (director of the Cinema Metropolis in Lebanon) and Niels Schneider (Cesar Award-winning French comedian).
The Critics’ Week competition has previously featured work by Rebecca Zlotowski (Beautiful Thorn), Jeff Nichols (Take Shelter), Myroslav Slaboshpytskiy (The Tribe), David Robert Mitchell (It Follows), Santiago Miter (Paulina), Oliver Laxe (Mimosas) and Julia Ducournau...
- 3/16/2017
- by orlando.parfitt@screendaily.com (Orlando Parfitt)
- ScreenDaily
Screen investigates which films from around the world could launch on the Croisette, including on opening night.
With just over a month to go before the line-up for this year’s Cannes Film Festival is unveiled in Paris, Croisette predictions and wish lists are hitting the web thick and fast.
Screen’s network of correspondents and contributors around the world have been putting out feelers to get a sense of what might or might not make it to the Palais du Cinéma or one of the parallel sections.
Just like the Oscars, this year’s festival is likely to unfold amid a politically-charged atmosphere. Beyond Trump and the rise of populism across the globe, France will be digesting the result of its own presidential election on May 7. Against this background, the festival will be feting its 70th edition.
Below, Screen reveals which titles might - and might not - be in the running for a place at the...
With just over a month to go before the line-up for this year’s Cannes Film Festival is unveiled in Paris, Croisette predictions and wish lists are hitting the web thick and fast.
Screen’s network of correspondents and contributors around the world have been putting out feelers to get a sense of what might or might not make it to the Palais du Cinéma or one of the parallel sections.
Just like the Oscars, this year’s festival is likely to unfold amid a politically-charged atmosphere. Beyond Trump and the rise of populism across the globe, France will be digesting the result of its own presidential election on May 7. Against this background, the festival will be feting its 70th edition.
Below, Screen reveals which titles might - and might not - be in the running for a place at the...
- 3/13/2017
- ScreenDaily
Luxembourg
Director: Miroslav Slaboshpitsky
Writer: Miroslav Slaboshpitsky
Ukrainian director Miroslav Slaboshpitsky‘s debut, The Tribe, was one of the best titles out of Cannes 2014 (where it swept up a trio of awards at Critics’ Week), documenting the struggles of a new student at a deaf boarding school as he’s inducted into the troubling social customs among the students (and told without any subtitles).
Continue reading...
Director: Miroslav Slaboshpitsky
Writer: Miroslav Slaboshpitsky
Ukrainian director Miroslav Slaboshpitsky‘s debut, The Tribe, was one of the best titles out of Cannes 2014 (where it swept up a trio of awards at Critics’ Week), documenting the struggles of a new student at a deaf boarding school as he’s inducted into the troubling social customs among the students (and told without any subtitles).
Continue reading...
- 1/9/2017
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
With a seemingly endless amount of streaming options — not only the titles at our disposal, but services themselves — we’ve taken it upon ourselves to highlight the titles that have recently hit the interwebs. Every week, one will be able to see the cream of the crop (or perhaps some simply interesting picks) of streaming titles (new and old) across platforms such as Netflix, iTunes, Amazon Instant Video, and more (note: U.S. only). Check out our rundown for this week’s selections below.
Cloverfield (Matt Reeves)
Science-fiction films don’t get much more immersive than Cloverfield, Matt Reeves‘ thrilling feature debut, putting us directly into the shoes of an alien invasion. One of the rare cases in which intriguing, tight-lipped marketing actually delivered on its promise, this sci-fi found-footage thriller has memorable setpieces at every turn, complete with a sense of genuine panic, a feeling that other post-9/11 films often render as exploitative.
Cloverfield (Matt Reeves)
Science-fiction films don’t get much more immersive than Cloverfield, Matt Reeves‘ thrilling feature debut, putting us directly into the shoes of an alien invasion. One of the rare cases in which intriguing, tight-lipped marketing actually delivered on its promise, this sci-fi found-footage thriller has memorable setpieces at every turn, complete with a sense of genuine panic, a feeling that other post-9/11 films often render as exploitative.
- 8/5/2016
- by The Film Stage
- The Film Stage
Venice Production Bridge will incorporate Gap Financing Market and Final Cut events.
The Venice Film Festival (Aug 31 - Sept 10) has revealed the line-ups for its 2016 market events, newly renamed the Venice Production Bridge (Sept 1 - 5).
The Production Bridge will host features, TV, web-series and Vr projects.
Venice’s two-day Gap-Financing Market event (September 2-3, 2016) will host 40 selected European and International projects looking to close their international financing.
The market’s Final Cut strand will award prizes to selected in-the-works projects from Africa and from Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine and Syria, while the inaugural Book Adaptation Rights Area will see publishers pitch books ripe for film or TV adaptation.
The European Commission organises two workshops, one on access to finance (Sept 3) and the other on the future of cinemas (Sept 4). The second event, which will be opened by European Commissioner Oettinger, will focus on how cinemas can fully reap the benefits of digital technologies.
Gap Financing...
The Venice Film Festival (Aug 31 - Sept 10) has revealed the line-ups for its 2016 market events, newly renamed the Venice Production Bridge (Sept 1 - 5).
The Production Bridge will host features, TV, web-series and Vr projects.
Venice’s two-day Gap-Financing Market event (September 2-3, 2016) will host 40 selected European and International projects looking to close their international financing.
The market’s Final Cut strand will award prizes to selected in-the-works projects from Africa and from Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine and Syria, while the inaugural Book Adaptation Rights Area will see publishers pitch books ripe for film or TV adaptation.
The European Commission organises two workshops, one on access to finance (Sept 3) and the other on the future of cinemas (Sept 4). The second event, which will be opened by European Commissioner Oettinger, will focus on how cinemas can fully reap the benefits of digital technologies.
Gap Financing...
- 7/29/2016
- by andreas.wiseman@screendaily.com (Andreas Wiseman)
- ScreenDaily
Directors Chanya Button, Adrian Sitaru, Xavier Seron scoop prizes; festival reveals works in progress winners.
UK filmmaker Chanya Button’s debut feature as director and producer, Burn Burn Burn, was voted by the audience at the Odessa International Film Festival (Oiff) as the winner of this year’s Grand Prix.
Producer Daniel-Konrad Cooper accepted the Golden Duke statuette on behalf of the production team from Oiff’s festival president Victoria Tigipko during the gala closing ceremony in the Black Sea city’s historic National Academic Theater of Opera and Ballet.
Button’s melancholic comedy had premiered at last year’s London Film Festival and is being handled internationally by Urban Distribution International.
International Competition
Meanwhile, the International Competition jury - headed by the UK writer Christopher Hampton and also including Oiff 2015 winner Eva Neymann, Us writer-director-actor Alex Ross Perry, producer Rebecca O’Brien and producer-director Uberto Pasolini - gave the Golden Duke statuette for Best Film to...
UK filmmaker Chanya Button’s debut feature as director and producer, Burn Burn Burn, was voted by the audience at the Odessa International Film Festival (Oiff) as the winner of this year’s Grand Prix.
Producer Daniel-Konrad Cooper accepted the Golden Duke statuette on behalf of the production team from Oiff’s festival president Victoria Tigipko during the gala closing ceremony in the Black Sea city’s historic National Academic Theater of Opera and Ballet.
Button’s melancholic comedy had premiered at last year’s London Film Festival and is being handled internationally by Urban Distribution International.
International Competition
Meanwhile, the International Competition jury - headed by the UK writer Christopher Hampton and also including Oiff 2015 winner Eva Neymann, Us writer-director-actor Alex Ross Perry, producer Rebecca O’Brien and producer-director Uberto Pasolini - gave the Golden Duke statuette for Best Film to...
- 7/25/2016
- by screen.berlin@googlemail.com (Martin Blaney)
- ScreenDaily
Halfway through the Cannes Film Festival, buzz is hearing about “Jackie”, now in post-production, an account of the days of First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy in the immediate aftermath of John F. Kennedy's assassination in 1963, directed by Pablo Larraín whose Directors’ Fortnight contender “Neruda” is receiving raves here. Another hot Directors’ Fortnight film “Mean Dreams” with Bill Paxton is praised by one important film buyer as “Mud” meets “Cold in July” in a tense coming-of-age drama about a 15-year-old boy. And Sony Pictures Classics has snatched U.S. rights to the German Competition comedy, “Toni Erdmann”.
This year in the Cannes Film Festival’s Official Competition Section, there are no first time film directors, only established masters, some praised and some panned. However, Cannes Official Un Certain Regard specifically shows emerging filmmakers who are considered to be the next generation of master auteurs of cinema. Out of its 17 films, seven were first features from Romania, France, Israel, USA, Argentina, Finland and the Netherlands. Three of the seven are by women: Stéphanie Di Giusto’s “La Danseuse” (“The Dancer”) is about Loïe Fuller, the toast of the Folies Bergères at the turn of the 20th century and an inspiration for Toulouse-Lautrec and the Lumière Brothers.
Maha Haj From Israel debuted on the first day with “Personal Affairs”, about an old couple in Nazareth and their son and daughter who live on the other side of the border. Other first films are the much-anticipated “The Red Turtle”, a dialogue-free animated feature from Studio Ghibli but made in France and directed by Dutch-born, London-based animator Michael Dudok de Wit, the Finnish-German-Swedish “The Happiest Day In The Life Of Olli Mäki” and Bogdan Mirica’s “Dogs”. The debut So. Korean film, “Train to Busan”, showed in the Official Midnight Screening section and featured a zombie-virus breaking out in South Korea, and a couple of passengers struggling to survive on the train from Seoul to Busan – enough to make me want to stop traveling.
“Fool Moon” by France’s Gregoire Leprinr-Foret had a Special Screening within the Official selection and received mixed reviews. In Critics Week, three of ten films selected and judged bycritics as the best films of the year thus far are first features: K. Rajapal’s drama “A Yellow Bird” from Singapore and France about a Singaporean Indian man trying to reconnect with his estranged family after he is released from prison, Mehmet Can Mertoglu’s “Albüm” from Turkey, France and Romania (See the trailer here) and Alessandro Comidin’s “Happy Times Will Come Soon” from Italy. The Acid sidebar of eight very independent features has two first films.
Also noticeable this year is the high number of films co-financed by the Doha Film Institute. Asgaard Farhadi's " The Salesman" will have its world premiere in the Festival’s Official Competition where it competes for the coveted Palme d’Or. “The Salesman” is about a couple who is forced out of their apartment due to dangerous works on a neighboring building. It is one of two Iranian films this year. The other, “Inversion” will play in Un Certain Regard.” Newly established Doha Film Institute lent financial support to two films showing in Un Certain Regard section – “Apprentice” (Singapore, Germany, France, Hong Kong, Qatar) written and directed by Boo Junfeng; and debut feature “Dogs” (Romania, France, Bulgaria, Qatar). Directors’ Fortnight is screens “Divines” (Morocco, France, Qatar) and three Dfi grantee films compete for top honors in the Critics Week: “Mimosas” (Spain, Morocco, France, Qatar) by Oliver Laxe; “Tramontane” (Lebanon, France, UAE, Qatar) by Vatche Boulghourjian; and “Diamond Island” (Cambodia, France, Germany, Qatar) by Davy Chou touted as poetic and beautiful, a part of what might be a Cambodian New Wave. This New Wave from Cambodia is being helped along by the Doha Film Institute whose CEO, Fatma Al Remaihi says:
“At the very core of Dfi’s film funding mandate is to contribute to World Cinema and ensure that great stories continue to be told. These projects will also inspire the young Qatari film professionals to create compelling content that will gain international acclaim.”
Shahrbanoo Sadat’s debut feature “Wolf and Sheep”, in Directors’ Fortnight, is about Sadat herself, who lives in Kabul and Denmark. It takes place in the isolated village in Central Afghanistan where she grew up and where young boys and girls are shepherds. International coproductions are the engine driving the film business today and this one, a Denmark-France-Sweden-Afghanistan coproduction is a prime example. Sadat was spotted previously when her 2011 short “Vice Versa One” screened at Directors’ Fortnight and was invited to develop “Wolf And Sheep” at Cannes Cinefondation Residency in 2010, which mentors emerging talent. Virginie Devesa of the international sales company Alpha Violet picked up the film here in Cannes. Alpha Violet is also selling ”A Yellow Bird” in Critics’ Week and is representing “Luxembourg”, the newest film by Myroslav Slaboshpytskiy, whose first film “The Tribe” played in Sundance and other top fests.
This year in the Cannes Film Festival’s Official Competition Section, there are no first time film directors, only established masters, some praised and some panned. However, Cannes Official Un Certain Regard specifically shows emerging filmmakers who are considered to be the next generation of master auteurs of cinema. Out of its 17 films, seven were first features from Romania, France, Israel, USA, Argentina, Finland and the Netherlands. Three of the seven are by women: Stéphanie Di Giusto’s “La Danseuse” (“The Dancer”) is about Loïe Fuller, the toast of the Folies Bergères at the turn of the 20th century and an inspiration for Toulouse-Lautrec and the Lumière Brothers.
Maha Haj From Israel debuted on the first day with “Personal Affairs”, about an old couple in Nazareth and their son and daughter who live on the other side of the border. Other first films are the much-anticipated “The Red Turtle”, a dialogue-free animated feature from Studio Ghibli but made in France and directed by Dutch-born, London-based animator Michael Dudok de Wit, the Finnish-German-Swedish “The Happiest Day In The Life Of Olli Mäki” and Bogdan Mirica’s “Dogs”. The debut So. Korean film, “Train to Busan”, showed in the Official Midnight Screening section and featured a zombie-virus breaking out in South Korea, and a couple of passengers struggling to survive on the train from Seoul to Busan – enough to make me want to stop traveling.
“Fool Moon” by France’s Gregoire Leprinr-Foret had a Special Screening within the Official selection and received mixed reviews. In Critics Week, three of ten films selected and judged bycritics as the best films of the year thus far are first features: K. Rajapal’s drama “A Yellow Bird” from Singapore and France about a Singaporean Indian man trying to reconnect with his estranged family after he is released from prison, Mehmet Can Mertoglu’s “Albüm” from Turkey, France and Romania (See the trailer here) and Alessandro Comidin’s “Happy Times Will Come Soon” from Italy. The Acid sidebar of eight very independent features has two first films.
Also noticeable this year is the high number of films co-financed by the Doha Film Institute. Asgaard Farhadi's " The Salesman" will have its world premiere in the Festival’s Official Competition where it competes for the coveted Palme d’Or. “The Salesman” is about a couple who is forced out of their apartment due to dangerous works on a neighboring building. It is one of two Iranian films this year. The other, “Inversion” will play in Un Certain Regard.” Newly established Doha Film Institute lent financial support to two films showing in Un Certain Regard section – “Apprentice” (Singapore, Germany, France, Hong Kong, Qatar) written and directed by Boo Junfeng; and debut feature “Dogs” (Romania, France, Bulgaria, Qatar). Directors’ Fortnight is screens “Divines” (Morocco, France, Qatar) and three Dfi grantee films compete for top honors in the Critics Week: “Mimosas” (Spain, Morocco, France, Qatar) by Oliver Laxe; “Tramontane” (Lebanon, France, UAE, Qatar) by Vatche Boulghourjian; and “Diamond Island” (Cambodia, France, Germany, Qatar) by Davy Chou touted as poetic and beautiful, a part of what might be a Cambodian New Wave. This New Wave from Cambodia is being helped along by the Doha Film Institute whose CEO, Fatma Al Remaihi says:
“At the very core of Dfi’s film funding mandate is to contribute to World Cinema and ensure that great stories continue to be told. These projects will also inspire the young Qatari film professionals to create compelling content that will gain international acclaim.”
Shahrbanoo Sadat’s debut feature “Wolf and Sheep”, in Directors’ Fortnight, is about Sadat herself, who lives in Kabul and Denmark. It takes place in the isolated village in Central Afghanistan where she grew up and where young boys and girls are shepherds. International coproductions are the engine driving the film business today and this one, a Denmark-France-Sweden-Afghanistan coproduction is a prime example. Sadat was spotted previously when her 2011 short “Vice Versa One” screened at Directors’ Fortnight and was invited to develop “Wolf And Sheep” at Cannes Cinefondation Residency in 2010, which mentors emerging talent. Virginie Devesa of the international sales company Alpha Violet picked up the film here in Cannes. Alpha Violet is also selling ”A Yellow Bird” in Critics’ Week and is representing “Luxembourg”, the newest film by Myroslav Slaboshpytskiy, whose first film “The Tribe” played in Sundance and other top fests.
- 5/27/2016
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Shahrbanoo Sadat’s debut feature, set in Afghanistan, will play in Cannes Directors’ Fortnight.
Paris-based sales company Alpha Violet has boarded Shahrbanoo Sadat’s debut feature Wolf And Sheep, which is selected for Cannes Directors’ Fortnight.
Sadat, who lives in Kabul and Denmark, based the story on the isolated village in Central Afghanistan where she grew up.
The plot follows young boys and girls acting as shepherds in rural Afghanistan, where one 11-year-old girl is an outsider. The folktales of the community add touches of magical realism.
The film is a Denmark-France-Sweden-Afghanistan production produced by Copenhagen-based Katja Adomeit of Adomeit Film, who was a co-producer on Force Majeure and also a former Screen International Future Leader.
Co-producers are La Fabrica Nocturna Productions (France), Wolf Pictures (Afghanistan) and Zentropa Sweden.
Sadat previously showed her 2011 short Vice Versa One at Directors’ Fortnight. She developed Wolf And Sheep at Cannes Cinefondation Residency in 2010.
Virginie Devesa of Alpha Violet said [link=tt...
Paris-based sales company Alpha Violet has boarded Shahrbanoo Sadat’s debut feature Wolf And Sheep, which is selected for Cannes Directors’ Fortnight.
Sadat, who lives in Kabul and Denmark, based the story on the isolated village in Central Afghanistan where she grew up.
The plot follows young boys and girls acting as shepherds in rural Afghanistan, where one 11-year-old girl is an outsider. The folktales of the community add touches of magical realism.
The film is a Denmark-France-Sweden-Afghanistan production produced by Copenhagen-based Katja Adomeit of Adomeit Film, who was a co-producer on Force Majeure and also a former Screen International Future Leader.
Co-producers are La Fabrica Nocturna Productions (France), Wolf Pictures (Afghanistan) and Zentropa Sweden.
Sadat previously showed her 2011 short Vice Versa One at Directors’ Fortnight. She developed Wolf And Sheep at Cannes Cinefondation Residency in 2010.
Virginie Devesa of Alpha Violet said [link=tt...
- 5/4/2016
- by wendy.mitchell@screendaily.com (Wendy Mitchell)
- ScreenDaily
Despite its low box-office returns, Gina Prince-Bythewood‘s Beyond the Lights was something of a sleeper hit, in the time since its quiet release earning the praise of critics and filmmakers alike — including Rian Johnson, who liked the film so much that he hosted a BFI-supported screening and Q & A. Many will be pleased to read, then, that she’s set her next project: An Untamed State, which will reunite the helmer with Beyond‘s Gugu Mbatha-Raw, also of Johnson’s Star Wars: Episode VIII. [Deadline]
Based on the novel by Roxanne Gay, who will co-write with Prince-Bythewood, it follows “a Haitian-American woman kidnapped for ransom in front of her husband and child” while thematically focusing on “the privilege that made her a target and the strength she must draw on to survive and reclaim her life.” Fox Searchlight are backing the endeavor.
Meanwhile, Variety has learned that Lake Bell will...
Based on the novel by Roxanne Gay, who will co-write with Prince-Bythewood, it follows “a Haitian-American woman kidnapped for ransom in front of her husband and child” while thematically focusing on “the privilege that made her a target and the strength she must draw on to survive and reclaim her life.” Fox Searchlight are backing the endeavor.
Meanwhile, Variety has learned that Lake Bell will...
- 3/23/2016
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
One of the most pleasurable discoveries out of the 2014 Cannes Film Festival was Ukrainian director Miroslav Slaboshpitsky’s debut The Tribe, which won three awards after competing in the parallel Critics’ Week sidebar, including the Grand Prize (the title lost the coveted Camera d’Or at the festival to the Un Certain Regard opener, Party Girl). The film collected a host of additional awards during its festival circuit run, including a New Auteurs award at the AFI Film Festival before Us distributor Drafthouse unleashed it for a limited theatrical run in June of 2015, before ending up on many year-end best lists.
In a sea of derivative cinematic components, wholly original ideas seem few and far between. In a move that recalls the style of silent cinema engagement (once viewed as a detriment to the possibilities of cinematic communication), this is presented without subtitle, cue card, or translation, set within a...
In a sea of derivative cinematic components, wholly original ideas seem few and far between. In a move that recalls the style of silent cinema engagement (once viewed as a detriment to the possibilities of cinematic communication), this is presented without subtitle, cue card, or translation, set within a...
- 3/8/2016
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Every week we dive into the cream of the crop when it comes to home releases, including Blu-ray and DVDs, as well as recommended deals of the week. Check out our rundown below and return every Tuesday for the best (or most interesting) films one can take home. Note that if you’re looking to support the site, every purchase you make through the links below helps us and is greatly appreciated.
The Forbidden Room (Guy Maddin and Evan Johnson)
Dense and lacking the playful quality of his more straightforward work, this represents a new multi-narrative direction for Maddin, and a kind of rabbit hole. Working within the art world verses the film world, Maddin’s work, style and influences have a tremendous amount of power applicable to cinema within the space of a gallery installation. Night Mayor, his first collaboration with the Nfb, fictionalized the tension between the Nfb’s mission and government controls,...
The Forbidden Room (Guy Maddin and Evan Johnson)
Dense and lacking the playful quality of his more straightforward work, this represents a new multi-narrative direction for Maddin, and a kind of rabbit hole. Working within the art world verses the film world, Maddin’s work, style and influences have a tremendous amount of power applicable to cinema within the space of a gallery installation. Night Mayor, his first collaboration with the Nfb, fictionalized the tension between the Nfb’s mission and government controls,...
- 3/8/2016
- by TFS Staff
- The Film Stage
Anyone doubting the effectiveness of Rotterdam’s Hubert Bals Fund need only look at the make-up of next month’s Berlinale competition.
There are no fewer than three Hbf-backed features in the hunt for this year’s Golden Bear: Lav Diaz’s A Lullaby To The Sorrowful Mission, Cross Current by Yang Chao and Inhebbek Hedi (Hedi) by Mohamed Ben Attia
Hbf provides grants to filmmakers from Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and parts of Eastern Europe. The Fund, established in 1989, takes its name from the Festival’s founder, Hubert Bals, and has long been recognised as an integral part of what Iffr offers.
A total of 13 titles in Rotterdam’s programme were made with Hbf support. That, suggests Iwana Chronis, Manager Hbf, is “about average”.
Four are world premieres including two Tiger competition contenders, La Ultima Tierra from Pablo Lamar (Paraguay) and Oscura Animal from Felipe Guerrero (Colombia.) Both of these...
There are no fewer than three Hbf-backed features in the hunt for this year’s Golden Bear: Lav Diaz’s A Lullaby To The Sorrowful Mission, Cross Current by Yang Chao and Inhebbek Hedi (Hedi) by Mohamed Ben Attia
Hbf provides grants to filmmakers from Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and parts of Eastern Europe. The Fund, established in 1989, takes its name from the Festival’s founder, Hubert Bals, and has long been recognised as an integral part of what Iffr offers.
A total of 13 titles in Rotterdam’s programme were made with Hbf support. That, suggests Iwana Chronis, Manager Hbf, is “about average”.
Four are world premieres including two Tiger competition contenders, La Ultima Tierra from Pablo Lamar (Paraguay) and Oscura Animal from Felipe Guerrero (Colombia.) Both of these...
- 1/29/2016
- by geoffrey@macnab.demon.co.uk (Geoffrey Macnab)
- ScreenDaily
There’s a certain joy to be felt when discovering a new voice in film. Taking the risk to sit down in and watch a director’s first feature, witnessing how they grapple and contend with cinema. Each year, there are great debuts, to be sure, but in 2015, it seemed to me to be unusually strong for first-time filmmakers (not a few films listed here are on my overall best of the year list as well).
A few notes regarding the eligibility: the majority of these films had a USA theatrical release date in 2015, but in the spirit of including more foreign films – some of which have yet to find a distributor in North America – I have also included several films which only had festival release dates in 2015, or only had theatrical releases in their country of origin. The question of which films are eligible seems to be an arbitrary line,...
A few notes regarding the eligibility: the majority of these films had a USA theatrical release date in 2015, but in the spirit of including more foreign films – some of which have yet to find a distributor in North America – I have also included several films which only had festival release dates in 2015, or only had theatrical releases in their country of origin. The question of which films are eligible seems to be an arbitrary line,...
- 1/18/2016
- by Josh Hamm
- SoundOnSight
The Norwegian South Film Fund, supporting film productions from developing countries, will have its next deadline on March 2nd, 2016.
The application form is now available Here .
Funded by The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and managed by The Norwegian Film Institute and The Films From the South Foundation, SØRfond supports film projects from countries on the Oecd Dac-list. Norwegian co-producer is required and the Norwegian co-producer sends in the application on behalf of the production. Please note that 50 % of the total budget must be confirmed when applying.
Any questions? Contact sorfond@nfi.no
Supported projects in 2015
In its fourth round SØRfond granted support for seven projects (5 fiction and 2 documentaries):
"The Untamed," Amat Escalante, Mexico
"Luxembourg," Myroslav Slaboshpytskiy, Ukraine
"I Hate My Life," Kaouther Ben Hania, Tunisia
"Samui Song," Pen-ek Ratanaruang, Thailand
"Cemetery Life," Barbara Politsch, Brazil
"La Familia," Gustavo Rondón, Venezuela
"Selling Humans," Pankaj Johar, India
You can see a full list of supported projects here
...
The application form is now available Here .
Funded by The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and managed by The Norwegian Film Institute and The Films From the South Foundation, SØRfond supports film projects from countries on the Oecd Dac-list. Norwegian co-producer is required and the Norwegian co-producer sends in the application on behalf of the production. Please note that 50 % of the total budget must be confirmed when applying.
Any questions? Contact sorfond@nfi.no
Supported projects in 2015
In its fourth round SØRfond granted support for seven projects (5 fiction and 2 documentaries):
"The Untamed," Amat Escalante, Mexico
"Luxembourg," Myroslav Slaboshpytskiy, Ukraine
"I Hate My Life," Kaouther Ben Hania, Tunisia
"Samui Song," Pen-ek Ratanaruang, Thailand
"Cemetery Life," Barbara Politsch, Brazil
"La Familia," Gustavo Rondón, Venezuela
"Selling Humans," Pankaj Johar, India
You can see a full list of supported projects here
...
- 1/16/2016
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Luxembourg
Director: Miroslav Slaboshpitsky
Writer: Miroslav Slaboshpitsky
Ukrainian director Miroslav Slaboshpitsky‘s debut, The Tribe, was one of the best theatrical releases of the past year, documenting the struggles of a new student at a deaf boarding school as he’s inducted into the troubling social customs among the students (and told without any subtitles). Slaboshpitsky’s since made more headlined with the Ukraine’s most ambitious co-production ever, his sophomore film Luxembourg, which focuses on ‘a group of people living in a permanent nuclear winter in a primitive post-apocalyptic society in the ruins of the old civilization destroyed by atomic war.’ The director is actually filming in the Chernobyl Nuclear Exclusion Zone, which is where he also shot his 2012 short film “Nuclear Waste.”
Cast: Na
Production Co./Producer(s): Alpha Violet, Garmata Film Production’s Valentyn Vasyanovych, Tandem Communications’ Anna Katchko.
U.S. Distributor: Rights Available. Tbd (domestic...
Director: Miroslav Slaboshpitsky
Writer: Miroslav Slaboshpitsky
Ukrainian director Miroslav Slaboshpitsky‘s debut, The Tribe, was one of the best theatrical releases of the past year, documenting the struggles of a new student at a deaf boarding school as he’s inducted into the troubling social customs among the students (and told without any subtitles). Slaboshpitsky’s since made more headlined with the Ukraine’s most ambitious co-production ever, his sophomore film Luxembourg, which focuses on ‘a group of people living in a permanent nuclear winter in a primitive post-apocalyptic society in the ruins of the old civilization destroyed by atomic war.’ The director is actually filming in the Chernobyl Nuclear Exclusion Zone, which is where he also shot his 2012 short film “Nuclear Waste.”
Cast: Na
Production Co./Producer(s): Alpha Violet, Garmata Film Production’s Valentyn Vasyanovych, Tandem Communications’ Anna Katchko.
U.S. Distributor: Rights Available. Tbd (domestic...
- 1/14/2016
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
I have absolutely no qualms about calling 2015 a pretty great year for cinema. Across the board, Hollywood brought its A-game. Indie-circuit auteurs like David Robert Mitchell (It Follows) and Miroslav Slaboshpitsky (The Tribe) upended genres and created some new ones; big-studio blockbusters like Magic Mike Xxl and Star Wars: The Force Awakens betrayed real heart and heft, Pixar returned with a vengeance, most of the requisite remakes were actually good (and some of them – *cough* *cough* Creed *cough* – were downright great), and action cinema in particular flourished like it has during only a few years before, delivering some legendary characters and instantly iconic sequences (and not just in Mad Max: Fury Road).
But (surprise, surprise – there’s a but) that’s not to say that the past 12 months at the multiplex have been devoid of clutter. On the contrary, there were a lot of bottom-of-the-barrel wastes of celluloid, movies both ugly and insipid,...
But (surprise, surprise – there’s a but) that’s not to say that the past 12 months at the multiplex have been devoid of clutter. On the contrary, there were a lot of bottom-of-the-barrel wastes of celluloid, movies both ugly and insipid,...
- 1/4/2016
- by Isaac Feldberg
- We Got This Covered
If the films of 2015 have a common denominator it’s the fearlessness with which filmmakers approached the medium and took it in new directions proving that innovation is still possible and that not everything, both in content and form, has been explored. From a comedy shot entirely on an iPhone starring transgender actresses, to a film in sign language designed to be screened without subtitles, to a stop-motion animated feature that emanates more humanity than most live-action efforts, to a new immersive vision of the Holocaust from an emerging auteur, or a Brazilian hand-drawn musical odyssey about the dangers of the modern world, all granted us experiences unlike anything we've previously seen.
It’s hard to tell how many films I watched this year but I’m sure they were many. From that vast pool of cinematic works the 30 films below are the ones that stood out the most and remained ingrained in my memory as rewarding, delightful, moving, and even harrowing accomplishments. There were also films that simply didn't connect as strongly with me as they did with other journalists and audiences, thus they don't appear here. This is after all, like all of them, a very personal and subjective list of the films I loved.
Even with such an extensive list there are still other great films that deserve to be mentioned such as "The Young and Prodigious T.S. Spivet," "Christmas, Again," "Mistress America," "Entertainment," "Felix and Meira," "Victoria," "Mustang," "The Wolfpack," "Xenia," Estonia's Oscar-nominated "Tangerines," "Buzzard," "The Salt of the Earth," "Guidance," "Cheatin'," "Black Souls,""The Mend," "Shaun The Sheep Movie," or "'71." One can only hope audiences will discover them and be compelled by their singular perspectives.
What were your favorite films of 2015?
Special Mention: "World of Tomorrow"
Don Hertzfeldt's thought-provoking and visionary Sundance-winning short "World of Tomorrow" is easily the best short film of the year, animated or otherwise. This 17-minute science fiction journey is a mind-bending study on the essence of humanity and how technology’s ferocious advances to know and control it all endanger our ability to notice what’s truly meaningful.
Read More: 'The 17th Annual Animation Show of Shows' is One of the Most Profound Cinematic Experiences of 2015
30. "It Follows"
The best horror film of the year proves that an intriguing premise embedded into an intelligently written screenplay can bring a refreshing point of view absent in most studio productions. Director David Robert Mitchell takes classic genre conventions and twists them into a terrifying tale with morally ambiguous undertones.
29. "The Gift"
Wearing multiple hats Joel Edgerton demonstrated his storytelling and acting talents in an unpredictable psychological thriller that’s as unassuming as it’s disconcerting. An old friend reappears in a married man’s life apparently seeking to rekindle their past bond, but soon enough his good intentions will unveil much more sinister motives that makes us question who the real villain is. A stunning and perversely brilliant film that thrives on its misguiding simplicity.
28. "Heaven Knows What"
An accomplishment both in technique and emotional power, “Heaven Knows What” is an eye-opening experience brimming with unflinching truth. From the streets to the screen, the unbelievable story of Arielle Holmes is a fascinating example of the rare occurrence when cinema and reality blend almost seamlessly.
Read More: 'Heaven Knows What' Directors Josh and Benny Safdie Are Addicted to the Truth
27. "Kahlil Gibran's The Prophet"
Spearheaded by producer Salma Hayek, director Roger Allers and 8 of the world's most talented independent animators took Gibran's timeless poems and assembled a cinematic out-of-body experience that deconstructs our existential yearnings and translates them into mesmerizing animated wisdom.
Read More: Why 'Kahlil Gibran's The Prophet' is a Cinematic Out-Of-Body Experience Brimming with Animated Wisdom
Read More: Salma Hayek on 'Kahlil Gibran's The Prophet': 'His Poetry Talks About the Simple Things in Life That Unite Us All'
26. "James White"
This emotionally devastating character study put Josh Mond in the director’s chair for the first time and allowed Christopher Abbott and Cynthia Nixon to delve into career-defining roles as a mother and a son struggling to accept each other’s shortcomings in the face of impending tragedy. Mond’s debut is an unforgettable portrait of unconditional love
25. "The Big Short"
The financial crisis and the white-collar criminals behind it are examined in an outrageously humorous and dynamically constructed adaptation of Michael Lewis's book. Director Adam McKay crafted his own visual language to paint a picture of capitalism in America that’s as brutally honest as it’s infuriating. His entire cast, in particular Christian Bale, Ryan Gosling, and Steve Carell, play along in this satirical exposé.
24. "The Second Mother"
Anna Muylaert’s crowd-pleasing, yet thematically complex gem delves into the intricacies of class in Brazilian society through the eyes of an endearing live-in maid. Regina Casé, in an Oscar-worthy performance, becomes Val, a diligent and humble housekeeper that has worked with the same wealthy family in Sao Paulo for many years and who only questions her role within this environment when her strange daughter comes to visit.
Read More: Anna Muylaert on Why the Protagonist of 'The Second Mother' is a Super Hero
23. "Kumiko The Treasure Hunter"
Losing grip on reality Kumiko, a solitary Japanese woman, leaves her monotonous and life and her adorable bunny Bunzo behind to search for the money Steve Buscemi’s character hides in the Cohen Brothers’ film “Fargo.” Knowing very little English and with no American contacts, she ventures in the Minnesotan wilderness. Armed with Rinko Kikuchi ’s outstanding performance, David Zellner and Nathan Zellner managed to create an endearing and poignant adventure at the intersection between fiction and reality.
22. "When Marnie Was There"
Notably current while still unequivocally timeless, Studio Ghibli’s latest film was confected with equal doses of heart-rending drama and life-affirming beauty. More than just a visually delightful tearjerker, "When Marnie Was There" is an animated lullaby that reassures our broken hearts will eventually heal- even from the most indomitable tricks of fate.
Read More: Review: Wondrous 'When Marnie Was There' is One of Ghibli's Most Profoundly Moving Works
21. "The Hateful Eight"
Sharp dialogue and the search for violent retribution are Tarantino staples, and in his latest Western the revered director channels these through a group of deceitful characters confined to a single location. Race relations are examined via the peculiar interactions of the murderous bunch - each with their ulterior motives and frightening reputation. With a magnificent score by Ennio Morricone, impeccable cinematography by Robert Richardson, and tonally perfect performances by the ensemble cast, in which Jennifer Jason Leigh and Kurt Russell are the highlights, “The Hateful Eight” is a highly entertaining addition to Tarantino's selective filmography.
20. "What We Do in the Shadows"
This masterful mockumentary capitalizes on the general public’s obsession with reality shows and the allure of vampirism and its promise of eternal life. Four ancient bloodsuckers share a house in Wellington, New Zealand and decide to let a crew film their day-to-day routines as vampires living in the modern world. What ensues are a series of intelligently written occurrences that transform every known convention about these creatures of the night into hysterical gags.
19. "The Revenant"
To say Alejandro González Iñárritu’s latest is breathtaking would be an understatement. Emmanuel Lubezkii’s work is absolutely astonishing. No other film this year captured this much beauty in every single frame. The Mexican-born Oscar-winning director has reached a new level of artistry here. Leonardo DiCaprio, in one of the best performances of his career, plays Hugh Glass, a man who escapes death to take revenge on the man who killed his son.
18. "Inside Out"
Pixar ventured into the difficult task of decoding the complexity of the human psyche in one of their best features to date. Emotions take on humanoid form in the brain of a young girl adjusting to life in anew city. Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear, and Disgust must work together to shape her blossoming personality. “Inside Out” also gifted us Bing Bong, who will go down as one of the most memorable animated characters to ever grace the screen.
17. "Ex Machina"
Artificial intelligence crosses the boundaries of mere functionality to become self-aware and to replicate the behaviors of mortals in Alex Garland “Ex Machina.” The provocative screenplay evolves into a fascinating and often unsettling dissection of what it means to be a human being and the seemingly godlike power that comes from creating technology that resembles such qualities. Alicia Vikander is riveting as Ava - a mysterious female A.I.
16. "The Diary of a Teenager Girl"
Bel Powley is this year’s acting revelation and Marielle Heller the woman behind this charming, uncompromising, and original coming of age film, is one of most exciting new directors to emerge in recent memory. Burgeoning female sexuality is treated without moral judgment or shame, and it’s instead embraced in an empowering manner that overflows with truthfulness and charisma. Both Kristen Wiig and Alexander Skarsgård are outstanding in substantial supporting roles.
15. "Taxi"
Despite being banned from filmmaking by the Iranian government, Jafar Panahi continues to bravely expose the political and social problems of his home country with films shot in secrecy. “Taxi” takes the director through the streets of Tehran as he picks up an array of passengers with distinct concerns, beliefs, and opinions on the Islamic nation’s current situation: a young girl trying to make a “distributable” film, a guy who considers selling pirated films a cultural campaign, or a pair of elderly women whose fate depends on the survival of a couple fish. Though scripted, each encounter exudes honesty.
14. "The Duke of Burgundy"
Intoxicatingly atmospheric and full of evocative imagery, Peter Strickland’s follow up to his similarly unusual debut “Berberian Sound Studio” looks at the psychology of sexual desires with a seductive gaze. The line dividing power and submission is blurred and interchangeable between two lovers whose turbulent relationship is juxtaposed with the nature of butterflies. Eroticism derived from degradation and punishment is elegantly approached that suggest more than it explicitly shows.
13. "Phoenix"
The final sequence in this new collaboration between writer/director Christian Petzold and actress Nina Hoss is one of the best conclusions ever written. It’s subtle, yet strikingly revelatory. Departing from a Hitchcockian mistaken identity plot from the point of view of a concentration camp survivor, Petzold delves into Germany’s post war sentiments of guilt and the beginning of the long road to rebuild a superficially and morally shattered nation. “Phoenix” is also a love story coated in betrayal and the harsh realization that, when tested, even the strongest bond can be destroyed. Hoss gives an awards-deserving, restrained and perfectly nuanced performance.
Read More: Christian Petzold's 'Phoenix' is a Deeply Moving Film About Survivors Rebuilding Their Lives
12. "Timbuktu"
Today, perhaps more than ever, a film like Abderrahmane Sissako’s spellbinding “Timbuktu” is imperative. Capturing some of the most beautiful African landscapes ever seen on film and delicately arranging his stories to create a tapestry of human experiences, Sissako’s latest doesn’t abide by any political or religious dogma. Instead, his vision preaches openness and denounces the terrifying absurdity of the world according to extremist.
Read More: Promoting Tolerance: Abderrahmane Sissako on 'Timbuktu' and a Different Kind of Islam
11. "The Voices"
Playing Jerry, the most charming serial killer you’ll ever meet, Ryan Reynolds gives the best performance of his career in Marjane Satrapi’s wonderfully insane horror comedy. Adding to his already outstanding work as the lovable, if unstable young man, Reynolds also voices both of his character's opinionated pets. Stay tuned after the film for one of the most ridiculous credit sequences ever.
Read More: Too Insane To Ignore: Marjane Satrapi On Her Fascinating Sundance Horror-Comedy 'The Voices'
10. "Güeros"
Using one of the most cosmopolitan and complex cities in the world as his canvas, Mexican filmmaker Alonso Ruizpalacios delivered an audaciously original story that delves into many unique aspects of Mexican society wrapped up into a road trip adventure that helps two estrange brothers reconnect.
It’s a revitalizing work, and one of the best Mexican films of the last decade.
Read More: In 'Güeros' Dir. Alonso Ruizpalacios Rediscovered Mexico City Via a Unique Road Trip
9. "Me and Earl and the Dying Girl"
Read More: How Alfonso Gomez-Rejon Used Determinación to Go From a Small Town to Nyu to Sundance
Alfonso Gomez-Rejon's Sundance champion is a tonally nuanced and visually inventive work that ingeniously beguiles you to fall in love with every instant of its strangely imaginative magic. This tragicomedy invokes tropes from a familiar realm and deconstructs or tailors them to the uniquely poignant circumstances of it's characters. It's nothing short of a cinephile's dream come true.
Read More: This is the Review That Tells You Why 'Me and Earl and the Dying Girl' is a Cinephile's Dream Come True
8. "A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence"
Constructed of gorgeously understated vignettes, which guide us through the grandeur of life by methodically focusing on the smallest but most resonant instants of it, "A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence" by Swedish writer/director Roy Andersson won the Golden Lion at last’s year’s Venice Film Festival. Delving into a wide range of quotidian dilemmas via darkly comedic exploits, this episodic tour de force is as insightful as it’s blissfully entertaining and distinctively stylized.
Read More: 7 Reasons Why Roy Andersson's Latest Film is a Must-See Philosophical Wonder
7. "Tangerine"
Sean Baker's riotous and perfectly acted latest film shot on an iPhone “Tangerine” centers on Alexandra (Mya Taylor) and Sin-Dee (Kitana Kiki Rodriguez), two transgender sex workers on Santa Monica Boulevard who struggle to get by while dealing with heartbreak, revenge, and their dreams.
Baker captured an unseen side of Los Angeles through the eyes of two equally underrepresented characters who get a chance to showcase their comedic brilliance.
Read More: How Sean Baker Used Beautiful Accidents and New Talent to Deliver one of the Best Films of the Year
6. "The Look of Silence"
For “The Look of Silence,” the indispensable companion piece to "The Act of Killing," director Joshua Oppenheimer focused on the survivors, specifically on a brave family that persevered through the immeasurable pain that quietly permeates Indonesian society even half a century after the genocide. The subjects here are often quiet and contemplative, but their anguish transcends even when words fail to describe their tumultuous sentiments.
Read More: 12 Things Joshua Oppenheimer Wants You to Know About 'The Look of Silence'
5. "Anomalisa"
In "Anomalisa," a delicately melancholic observation on loneliness and the flawed human condition, acclaimed writer-director Charlie Kaufman and co-director Duke Johnson use stop-motion animation to tell a story of small proportions and big ideas. These existential observations include our fears, failures, insecurities and our desperate need to be loved by someone who can look pass our conspicuous scars.
Read More: Human at the Seams: Charlie Kaufman and Duke Johnson Make Yearning Tangible in 'Anomalisa'
4. "The Tribe"
“The Tribe,” by Ukrainian debutant Miroslav Slaboshpitsky, is a film that communicates with its audience in a non-verbal manner. There are no subtitles or any other way to know exactly what the characters on screen are saying, but that’s never an issue for it to powerfully make its message heard. It’s the purest form of cinema because it can be shown anywhere in the world without modification, and the devastating result would be the same.
Read More: Interviewing Yana Novikova, Star of 'The Tribe,' Was a One-of-a-Kind Experience
3. "Boy and the World"
Alê Abreu’s “Boy and the World” is unequivocally the best animated film of the year. Drawn with the finest ends of an artist's heartstrings and painted with the colorful essence of undefeatable hope, Abreu’s utterly lyrical, visually captivating, musically driven, and extraordinarily sophisticated treasure is the animated equivalent of a childhood dream that thrives on sweet innocence and the pure ability to see the world truthfully for its dazzling beauty and its man-made dangers. As it continues to spellbind the globe with its unconventional artistry and thought-provoking observations, an Oscar nomination would be a more than deserved crown jewel.
Read More:Review: Why Alê Abreu's Sublime 'Boy and the World' is the Best Animated Film of the Year
Read More: How "Boy and the World" Director Alê Abreu Handcrafted His Heartfelt & Dazzling Animated Masterpiece
2. "Carol"
Exquisitely photographed and fueled by the two best performances of the year, Todd Haynes “Carol” depicts an ethereal and ravishing romance that’s sure to take your breath away. Rooney Mara and Cate Blanchett play two women from opposite worlds that meet serendipitously and fall madly in love for each other in a time yet unwilling to accept them. Carol (Blanchett) is a wealthy mother and wife whose desires are used against her threatening to stripped her of what she loves the most. On the other hand Therese (Mara) is a working class girl discovering herself and who finds the strength to follow her true instincts in Carol. Heartbreak has rarely been portrayed with such a delicate touch, thoughtfulness, and sincerity. Beneath the glossy Christmas-tinted frames is a story as universal as it is particular in which a single pleading look disarms you. Few films will make you feel such tangible and pure yearning to connect with another soul as Haynes masterwork does.
1. "Son of Saul"
First-time director László Nemes decided to look at the terrifying apparatus behind the Holocaust from the perspective of the Sonderkommando, a group of men whose experience was exponentially more harrowing than that of the average victim. Nemes focuses on a particular man, Saul (Géza Röhrig), a fictional character created from the limited information available on this special group and the filmmaker’s artistic sensibilities.“Son of Saul” is not only the best film of the year, but also the most ambitious debut in ages. Both conceptually and visually, the dynamic, yet organically contemplative vision of one man’s ordeal as he walks through the gates the hell is the work of a master auteur.
Read More: 12 Things Director László Nemes and Star Géza Röhrig Want You to Know About 'Son of Saul'...
It’s hard to tell how many films I watched this year but I’m sure they were many. From that vast pool of cinematic works the 30 films below are the ones that stood out the most and remained ingrained in my memory as rewarding, delightful, moving, and even harrowing accomplishments. There were also films that simply didn't connect as strongly with me as they did with other journalists and audiences, thus they don't appear here. This is after all, like all of them, a very personal and subjective list of the films I loved.
Even with such an extensive list there are still other great films that deserve to be mentioned such as "The Young and Prodigious T.S. Spivet," "Christmas, Again," "Mistress America," "Entertainment," "Felix and Meira," "Victoria," "Mustang," "The Wolfpack," "Xenia," Estonia's Oscar-nominated "Tangerines," "Buzzard," "The Salt of the Earth," "Guidance," "Cheatin'," "Black Souls,""The Mend," "Shaun The Sheep Movie," or "'71." One can only hope audiences will discover them and be compelled by their singular perspectives.
What were your favorite films of 2015?
Special Mention: "World of Tomorrow"
Don Hertzfeldt's thought-provoking and visionary Sundance-winning short "World of Tomorrow" is easily the best short film of the year, animated or otherwise. This 17-minute science fiction journey is a mind-bending study on the essence of humanity and how technology’s ferocious advances to know and control it all endanger our ability to notice what’s truly meaningful.
Read More: 'The 17th Annual Animation Show of Shows' is One of the Most Profound Cinematic Experiences of 2015
30. "It Follows"
The best horror film of the year proves that an intriguing premise embedded into an intelligently written screenplay can bring a refreshing point of view absent in most studio productions. Director David Robert Mitchell takes classic genre conventions and twists them into a terrifying tale with morally ambiguous undertones.
29. "The Gift"
Wearing multiple hats Joel Edgerton demonstrated his storytelling and acting talents in an unpredictable psychological thriller that’s as unassuming as it’s disconcerting. An old friend reappears in a married man’s life apparently seeking to rekindle their past bond, but soon enough his good intentions will unveil much more sinister motives that makes us question who the real villain is. A stunning and perversely brilliant film that thrives on its misguiding simplicity.
28. "Heaven Knows What"
An accomplishment both in technique and emotional power, “Heaven Knows What” is an eye-opening experience brimming with unflinching truth. From the streets to the screen, the unbelievable story of Arielle Holmes is a fascinating example of the rare occurrence when cinema and reality blend almost seamlessly.
Read More: 'Heaven Knows What' Directors Josh and Benny Safdie Are Addicted to the Truth
27. "Kahlil Gibran's The Prophet"
Spearheaded by producer Salma Hayek, director Roger Allers and 8 of the world's most talented independent animators took Gibran's timeless poems and assembled a cinematic out-of-body experience that deconstructs our existential yearnings and translates them into mesmerizing animated wisdom.
Read More: Why 'Kahlil Gibran's The Prophet' is a Cinematic Out-Of-Body Experience Brimming with Animated Wisdom
Read More: Salma Hayek on 'Kahlil Gibran's The Prophet': 'His Poetry Talks About the Simple Things in Life That Unite Us All'
26. "James White"
This emotionally devastating character study put Josh Mond in the director’s chair for the first time and allowed Christopher Abbott and Cynthia Nixon to delve into career-defining roles as a mother and a son struggling to accept each other’s shortcomings in the face of impending tragedy. Mond’s debut is an unforgettable portrait of unconditional love
25. "The Big Short"
The financial crisis and the white-collar criminals behind it are examined in an outrageously humorous and dynamically constructed adaptation of Michael Lewis's book. Director Adam McKay crafted his own visual language to paint a picture of capitalism in America that’s as brutally honest as it’s infuriating. His entire cast, in particular Christian Bale, Ryan Gosling, and Steve Carell, play along in this satirical exposé.
24. "The Second Mother"
Anna Muylaert’s crowd-pleasing, yet thematically complex gem delves into the intricacies of class in Brazilian society through the eyes of an endearing live-in maid. Regina Casé, in an Oscar-worthy performance, becomes Val, a diligent and humble housekeeper that has worked with the same wealthy family in Sao Paulo for many years and who only questions her role within this environment when her strange daughter comes to visit.
Read More: Anna Muylaert on Why the Protagonist of 'The Second Mother' is a Super Hero
23. "Kumiko The Treasure Hunter"
Losing grip on reality Kumiko, a solitary Japanese woman, leaves her monotonous and life and her adorable bunny Bunzo behind to search for the money Steve Buscemi’s character hides in the Cohen Brothers’ film “Fargo.” Knowing very little English and with no American contacts, she ventures in the Minnesotan wilderness. Armed with Rinko Kikuchi ’s outstanding performance, David Zellner and Nathan Zellner managed to create an endearing and poignant adventure at the intersection between fiction and reality.
22. "When Marnie Was There"
Notably current while still unequivocally timeless, Studio Ghibli’s latest film was confected with equal doses of heart-rending drama and life-affirming beauty. More than just a visually delightful tearjerker, "When Marnie Was There" is an animated lullaby that reassures our broken hearts will eventually heal- even from the most indomitable tricks of fate.
Read More: Review: Wondrous 'When Marnie Was There' is One of Ghibli's Most Profoundly Moving Works
21. "The Hateful Eight"
Sharp dialogue and the search for violent retribution are Tarantino staples, and in his latest Western the revered director channels these through a group of deceitful characters confined to a single location. Race relations are examined via the peculiar interactions of the murderous bunch - each with their ulterior motives and frightening reputation. With a magnificent score by Ennio Morricone, impeccable cinematography by Robert Richardson, and tonally perfect performances by the ensemble cast, in which Jennifer Jason Leigh and Kurt Russell are the highlights, “The Hateful Eight” is a highly entertaining addition to Tarantino's selective filmography.
20. "What We Do in the Shadows"
This masterful mockumentary capitalizes on the general public’s obsession with reality shows and the allure of vampirism and its promise of eternal life. Four ancient bloodsuckers share a house in Wellington, New Zealand and decide to let a crew film their day-to-day routines as vampires living in the modern world. What ensues are a series of intelligently written occurrences that transform every known convention about these creatures of the night into hysterical gags.
19. "The Revenant"
To say Alejandro González Iñárritu’s latest is breathtaking would be an understatement. Emmanuel Lubezkii’s work is absolutely astonishing. No other film this year captured this much beauty in every single frame. The Mexican-born Oscar-winning director has reached a new level of artistry here. Leonardo DiCaprio, in one of the best performances of his career, plays Hugh Glass, a man who escapes death to take revenge on the man who killed his son.
18. "Inside Out"
Pixar ventured into the difficult task of decoding the complexity of the human psyche in one of their best features to date. Emotions take on humanoid form in the brain of a young girl adjusting to life in anew city. Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear, and Disgust must work together to shape her blossoming personality. “Inside Out” also gifted us Bing Bong, who will go down as one of the most memorable animated characters to ever grace the screen.
17. "Ex Machina"
Artificial intelligence crosses the boundaries of mere functionality to become self-aware and to replicate the behaviors of mortals in Alex Garland “Ex Machina.” The provocative screenplay evolves into a fascinating and often unsettling dissection of what it means to be a human being and the seemingly godlike power that comes from creating technology that resembles such qualities. Alicia Vikander is riveting as Ava - a mysterious female A.I.
16. "The Diary of a Teenager Girl"
Bel Powley is this year’s acting revelation and Marielle Heller the woman behind this charming, uncompromising, and original coming of age film, is one of most exciting new directors to emerge in recent memory. Burgeoning female sexuality is treated without moral judgment or shame, and it’s instead embraced in an empowering manner that overflows with truthfulness and charisma. Both Kristen Wiig and Alexander Skarsgård are outstanding in substantial supporting roles.
15. "Taxi"
Despite being banned from filmmaking by the Iranian government, Jafar Panahi continues to bravely expose the political and social problems of his home country with films shot in secrecy. “Taxi” takes the director through the streets of Tehran as he picks up an array of passengers with distinct concerns, beliefs, and opinions on the Islamic nation’s current situation: a young girl trying to make a “distributable” film, a guy who considers selling pirated films a cultural campaign, or a pair of elderly women whose fate depends on the survival of a couple fish. Though scripted, each encounter exudes honesty.
14. "The Duke of Burgundy"
Intoxicatingly atmospheric and full of evocative imagery, Peter Strickland’s follow up to his similarly unusual debut “Berberian Sound Studio” looks at the psychology of sexual desires with a seductive gaze. The line dividing power and submission is blurred and interchangeable between two lovers whose turbulent relationship is juxtaposed with the nature of butterflies. Eroticism derived from degradation and punishment is elegantly approached that suggest more than it explicitly shows.
13. "Phoenix"
The final sequence in this new collaboration between writer/director Christian Petzold and actress Nina Hoss is one of the best conclusions ever written. It’s subtle, yet strikingly revelatory. Departing from a Hitchcockian mistaken identity plot from the point of view of a concentration camp survivor, Petzold delves into Germany’s post war sentiments of guilt and the beginning of the long road to rebuild a superficially and morally shattered nation. “Phoenix” is also a love story coated in betrayal and the harsh realization that, when tested, even the strongest bond can be destroyed. Hoss gives an awards-deserving, restrained and perfectly nuanced performance.
Read More: Christian Petzold's 'Phoenix' is a Deeply Moving Film About Survivors Rebuilding Their Lives
12. "Timbuktu"
Today, perhaps more than ever, a film like Abderrahmane Sissako’s spellbinding “Timbuktu” is imperative. Capturing some of the most beautiful African landscapes ever seen on film and delicately arranging his stories to create a tapestry of human experiences, Sissako’s latest doesn’t abide by any political or religious dogma. Instead, his vision preaches openness and denounces the terrifying absurdity of the world according to extremist.
Read More: Promoting Tolerance: Abderrahmane Sissako on 'Timbuktu' and a Different Kind of Islam
11. "The Voices"
Playing Jerry, the most charming serial killer you’ll ever meet, Ryan Reynolds gives the best performance of his career in Marjane Satrapi’s wonderfully insane horror comedy. Adding to his already outstanding work as the lovable, if unstable young man, Reynolds also voices both of his character's opinionated pets. Stay tuned after the film for one of the most ridiculous credit sequences ever.
Read More: Too Insane To Ignore: Marjane Satrapi On Her Fascinating Sundance Horror-Comedy 'The Voices'
10. "Güeros"
Using one of the most cosmopolitan and complex cities in the world as his canvas, Mexican filmmaker Alonso Ruizpalacios delivered an audaciously original story that delves into many unique aspects of Mexican society wrapped up into a road trip adventure that helps two estrange brothers reconnect.
It’s a revitalizing work, and one of the best Mexican films of the last decade.
Read More: In 'Güeros' Dir. Alonso Ruizpalacios Rediscovered Mexico City Via a Unique Road Trip
9. "Me and Earl and the Dying Girl"
Read More: How Alfonso Gomez-Rejon Used Determinación to Go From a Small Town to Nyu to Sundance
Alfonso Gomez-Rejon's Sundance champion is a tonally nuanced and visually inventive work that ingeniously beguiles you to fall in love with every instant of its strangely imaginative magic. This tragicomedy invokes tropes from a familiar realm and deconstructs or tailors them to the uniquely poignant circumstances of it's characters. It's nothing short of a cinephile's dream come true.
Read More: This is the Review That Tells You Why 'Me and Earl and the Dying Girl' is a Cinephile's Dream Come True
8. "A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence"
Constructed of gorgeously understated vignettes, which guide us through the grandeur of life by methodically focusing on the smallest but most resonant instants of it, "A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence" by Swedish writer/director Roy Andersson won the Golden Lion at last’s year’s Venice Film Festival. Delving into a wide range of quotidian dilemmas via darkly comedic exploits, this episodic tour de force is as insightful as it’s blissfully entertaining and distinctively stylized.
Read More: 7 Reasons Why Roy Andersson's Latest Film is a Must-See Philosophical Wonder
7. "Tangerine"
Sean Baker's riotous and perfectly acted latest film shot on an iPhone “Tangerine” centers on Alexandra (Mya Taylor) and Sin-Dee (Kitana Kiki Rodriguez), two transgender sex workers on Santa Monica Boulevard who struggle to get by while dealing with heartbreak, revenge, and their dreams.
Baker captured an unseen side of Los Angeles through the eyes of two equally underrepresented characters who get a chance to showcase their comedic brilliance.
Read More: How Sean Baker Used Beautiful Accidents and New Talent to Deliver one of the Best Films of the Year
6. "The Look of Silence"
For “The Look of Silence,” the indispensable companion piece to "The Act of Killing," director Joshua Oppenheimer focused on the survivors, specifically on a brave family that persevered through the immeasurable pain that quietly permeates Indonesian society even half a century after the genocide. The subjects here are often quiet and contemplative, but their anguish transcends even when words fail to describe their tumultuous sentiments.
Read More: 12 Things Joshua Oppenheimer Wants You to Know About 'The Look of Silence'
5. "Anomalisa"
In "Anomalisa," a delicately melancholic observation on loneliness and the flawed human condition, acclaimed writer-director Charlie Kaufman and co-director Duke Johnson use stop-motion animation to tell a story of small proportions and big ideas. These existential observations include our fears, failures, insecurities and our desperate need to be loved by someone who can look pass our conspicuous scars.
Read More: Human at the Seams: Charlie Kaufman and Duke Johnson Make Yearning Tangible in 'Anomalisa'
4. "The Tribe"
“The Tribe,” by Ukrainian debutant Miroslav Slaboshpitsky, is a film that communicates with its audience in a non-verbal manner. There are no subtitles or any other way to know exactly what the characters on screen are saying, but that’s never an issue for it to powerfully make its message heard. It’s the purest form of cinema because it can be shown anywhere in the world without modification, and the devastating result would be the same.
Read More: Interviewing Yana Novikova, Star of 'The Tribe,' Was a One-of-a-Kind Experience
3. "Boy and the World"
Alê Abreu’s “Boy and the World” is unequivocally the best animated film of the year. Drawn with the finest ends of an artist's heartstrings and painted with the colorful essence of undefeatable hope, Abreu’s utterly lyrical, visually captivating, musically driven, and extraordinarily sophisticated treasure is the animated equivalent of a childhood dream that thrives on sweet innocence and the pure ability to see the world truthfully for its dazzling beauty and its man-made dangers. As it continues to spellbind the globe with its unconventional artistry and thought-provoking observations, an Oscar nomination would be a more than deserved crown jewel.
Read More:Review: Why Alê Abreu's Sublime 'Boy and the World' is the Best Animated Film of the Year
Read More: How "Boy and the World" Director Alê Abreu Handcrafted His Heartfelt & Dazzling Animated Masterpiece
2. "Carol"
Exquisitely photographed and fueled by the two best performances of the year, Todd Haynes “Carol” depicts an ethereal and ravishing romance that’s sure to take your breath away. Rooney Mara and Cate Blanchett play two women from opposite worlds that meet serendipitously and fall madly in love for each other in a time yet unwilling to accept them. Carol (Blanchett) is a wealthy mother and wife whose desires are used against her threatening to stripped her of what she loves the most. On the other hand Therese (Mara) is a working class girl discovering herself and who finds the strength to follow her true instincts in Carol. Heartbreak has rarely been portrayed with such a delicate touch, thoughtfulness, and sincerity. Beneath the glossy Christmas-tinted frames is a story as universal as it is particular in which a single pleading look disarms you. Few films will make you feel such tangible and pure yearning to connect with another soul as Haynes masterwork does.
1. "Son of Saul"
First-time director László Nemes decided to look at the terrifying apparatus behind the Holocaust from the perspective of the Sonderkommando, a group of men whose experience was exponentially more harrowing than that of the average victim. Nemes focuses on a particular man, Saul (Géza Röhrig), a fictional character created from the limited information available on this special group and the filmmaker’s artistic sensibilities.“Son of Saul” is not only the best film of the year, but also the most ambitious debut in ages. Both conceptually and visually, the dynamic, yet organically contemplative vision of one man’s ordeal as he walks through the gates the hell is the work of a master auteur.
Read More: 12 Things Director László Nemes and Star Géza Röhrig Want You to Know About 'Son of Saul'...
- 12/31/2015
- by Carlos Aguilar
- Sydney's Buzz
Risk-taking is the lifeblood of cinema. Without enterprising directors who balk at conventional limits, movies might be stuck in the merry-go-round of lucrative but staid blockbusters. Of course, there is such a thing as too far. Some avid risk-takers, most notably "The Revenant's" Alejandro González Iñárritu (see below), have faced criticism for placing the cast and crew in tenuous conditions in the service of their vision. But whether you view their actions as foolhardy or valiant, risk-taking directors are the very reason cinema continues to reinvent itself. And for that, we at Indiewire are grateful. 1. Shooting in sign language — without subtitles.On paper, it's an impossible pitch. Miroslav Slaboshpitsky's "The Tribe" is set in a bleak Ukranian boarding school for the deaf. It's told in sign language, without voiceover or...
- 12/30/2015
- by Emily Buder
- Indiewire
One of the most talked-about arthouse flicks from this year was The Tribe, a punishing and harrowing look at institutional indifference, codes of violence, and the slippery ease with which impressionable minds can be molded into a mob mentality. And while I personally remained unconvinced of the film's narrative merits, it’s hard to argue that it’s an appropriately agonizing and consistent vision that’s pretty much unlike anything you’ve ever seen. The story of a vicious gang of deaf and mute teenagers who run their own slice of a run-down boarding school like La Costra Nostra, “The Tribe” has been justly lauded for the audacity of its central gimmick, and has even managed to land on a handful of critics’ best-of-the-year lists. For those who dug “The Tribe” in all its artful nastiness, director Miroslav Slaboshpitsky has something else in the works: a film shot inside the exclusion zone of Chernobyl,...
- 12/23/2015
- by Nicholas Laskin
- The Playlist
Those following the year-end lists and awards will note that George Miller and Mad Max: Fury Road have had a good run over the past few days, topping lists at Slant and the Playlist and winning accolades from the San Francisco Film Critics Circle and the Online Film Critics Society. Meantime, the New Yorker's Richard Brody explains why Spike Lee's Chi-Raq is his #1 film of 2015, while Mark Kermode goes for Inside Out, Charles Mudede for Kornél Mundruczó's White God, Kenneth Turan for John Crowley's Brooklyn, the Hollywood Reporter's Todd McCarthy for Miroslav Slaboshpitsky's The Tribe—and we're gathering more lists as they come in. » - David Hudson...
- 12/14/2015
- Fandor: Keyframe
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