Ready for some full- on Japanese sentimentality? Superlative tough guy Ken Takakura takes us deep into heartbreak territory in search of a happy ending. Yoji Yamada’s Hokkaido road epic throws together a trio of ‘drifters of the heart’ to see if they can solve each other’s romantic dilemmas.
The Yellow Handkerchief
Blu-ray
Twilight Time
1978 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / Street Date November 14, 2017 / Shiawase no kiiroi hankachi / Available from the Twilight Time Movies Store / 24.95
Starring: Ken Takakura, Chieko Baisho, Kaori Momoi, Tetsuya Takeda, Hisao Dazai, Makoto Akatsuka, Mari Okamato.
Cinematography: Tetsuo Takaha
Film Editor: Iwao Ishii
Original Music: Masaru Sato
Written by Yoji Yamada, Yoshitaka Asama
Produced by Toru Najima
Directed by Yoji Yamada
Americans can experience difficulty navigating the sometimes- confusing sphere of Japanese humor. Cartoons, children’s films, action movies often seem crude or cruel, but can also be unexpectedly delicate. And some cultural barriers are still there — nobody...
The Yellow Handkerchief
Blu-ray
Twilight Time
1978 / Color / 2:35 widescreen / Street Date November 14, 2017 / Shiawase no kiiroi hankachi / Available from the Twilight Time Movies Store / 24.95
Starring: Ken Takakura, Chieko Baisho, Kaori Momoi, Tetsuya Takeda, Hisao Dazai, Makoto Akatsuka, Mari Okamato.
Cinematography: Tetsuo Takaha
Film Editor: Iwao Ishii
Original Music: Masaru Sato
Written by Yoji Yamada, Yoshitaka Asama
Produced by Toru Najima
Directed by Yoji Yamada
Americans can experience difficulty navigating the sometimes- confusing sphere of Japanese humor. Cartoons, children’s films, action movies often seem crude or cruel, but can also be unexpectedly delicate. And some cultural barriers are still there — nobody...
- 11/25/2017
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
The 28th edition of the Tokyo International Film Festival took place from the 22th until the 31th of October in the great city of Tokyo. This ten day event is the only Japanese film festival accredited by the International Federation of Film Producers Associations (Fiapf). It started in 1985 and since then it became one of the most important festival in the world. The festival offers the audience a great chance to see the very best film from around the world and bring them the best national productions.
Competition Section
Tokyo Grand Prix
Nise – O Coração da Loucura (Nise – The Heart of Madness) by Roberto Berliner – Brazil | 2015 – 109 min.
Special Jury Prize
Nous Trois ou Rien (All Three of Us) by Kheiron – France | 2015 – 102 min.
Award for Best Director
Mustafa Kara for his film Kalandar Soğuğu (Cold of Kalandar) Turkey, Hungary | 2015 – 139 min.
Award for Best Actress
Gloria Pires for the film Nise – O...
Competition Section
Tokyo Grand Prix
Nise – O Coração da Loucura (Nise – The Heart of Madness) by Roberto Berliner – Brazil | 2015 – 109 min.
Special Jury Prize
Nous Trois ou Rien (All Three of Us) by Kheiron – France | 2015 – 102 min.
Award for Best Director
Mustafa Kara for his film Kalandar Soğuğu (Cold of Kalandar) Turkey, Hungary | 2015 – 139 min.
Award for Best Actress
Gloria Pires for the film Nise – O...
- 11/4/2015
- by Sebastian Nadilo
- AsianMoviePulse
Forget English soap operas about upstairs and downstairs upheavals, Yoji Yamada's chronicle of a life in the little Tokyo house with the little red roof is an emotional grabber. It's the war years of patriotic acquiescence and home-front selfishness -- and a secret, forbidden romance. The Little House (Chiisai ouchi) Twilight Time Savant Blu-ray Review Limited Edition 2014 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 136 min. / Chiisai ouchi / Ship Date August 11, 2015 / available through Twilight Time Movies / 29.95 Starring Takaku Matsu, Haru Kuroki, Takataro Kataoka, Hidetaka Yoshioka, Satoshi Tsumabuki, Chieko Baisho Cinematography Masashi Chikamori Art Direction Mitsuo Degawa, Daisuke Sue Film Editor Iwao Ishii Original Music Joe Hisashi Written by Yoji Yamada, Emiko Hiramatsu, Kyoko Nakajima Produced by Tadashi Ohsumi Directed by Yoji Yamada
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
When Twilight Time brings out a disc not licensed from a major studio, I pay special attention. Last year they released a good Yoji Yamada film called The Twilight Samurai,...
Reviewed by Glenn Erickson
When Twilight Time brings out a disc not licensed from a major studio, I pay special attention. Last year they released a good Yoji Yamada film called The Twilight Samurai,...
- 9/8/2015
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
The Mumbai Film Festival (Oct 14-21), recently saved by public donations following a funding crunch, unveiled its line-up today including the India Gold Competition and International Competition for first features.
The festival also announced that Catherine Deneuve will receive a Lifetime Achievement Award, while master classes will be held by DoP Christopher Doyle and director Mahamat Saleh Haroun.
The International Competition includes Benjamin Naishtat’s History Of Fear, Sudabeh Mortezai’s Macondo and Chaitanya Tamhane’s Court, fresh from its Venice success. The India Gold competition includes Bikas Mishra’s Chauranga, Avinash Arun’s The Fort (Killa) and Ms Prakash Babu’s Fig Fruit And The Wasps (see full list below).
Serbian director Goran Paskaljevic will head the India Gold jury, while the Dimensions Mumbai short film competition jury comprises directors Gauri Shinde and Homi Adajania, actors Satish Kaushik and Huma Qureshi and critic Rajeev Masand.
Key films outside the competition sections include Xavier Dolan’s [link...
The festival also announced that Catherine Deneuve will receive a Lifetime Achievement Award, while master classes will be held by DoP Christopher Doyle and director Mahamat Saleh Haroun.
The International Competition includes Benjamin Naishtat’s History Of Fear, Sudabeh Mortezai’s Macondo and Chaitanya Tamhane’s Court, fresh from its Venice success. The India Gold competition includes Bikas Mishra’s Chauranga, Avinash Arun’s The Fort (Killa) and Ms Prakash Babu’s Fig Fruit And The Wasps (see full list below).
Serbian director Goran Paskaljevic will head the India Gold jury, while the Dimensions Mumbai short film competition jury comprises directors Gauri Shinde and Homi Adajania, actors Satish Kaushik and Huma Qureshi and critic Rajeev Masand.
Key films outside the competition sections include Xavier Dolan’s [link...
- 9/17/2014
- by lizshackleton@gmail.com (Liz Shackleton)
- ScreenDaily
Acclaimed French actor Catherine Deneuve, known for her iconic roles in films such as Repulsion (1965), Belle de Jour (1967) and Tristana (1970), and more recently in Dancer in the Dark (2000) and 8 Women (2002), will be conferred with the Lifetime Achievement award at the 16th Mumbai Film Festival. The festival will screen a selection of her movies as a tribute.
Side bar events of the festival include master classes by internationally acclaimed cinematographer Christopher Doyle, of Paranoid Park, Lady in the water, Psycho, In the Mood for love and Chunking Express; and noted director and writer Mahamat Saleh Haroun known for his films, Girgis, Bye Bye Africa, A Screaming Man.
Chaitanya Tamhane’s Venice “Lion of the future” winner Court is the only Indian film in international competition. The India Gold competition will showcase films like Avinash Arun’s Killa, Bikas Mishra’s Chauranga, Venu’s Munnariyippu, Dr. Biju’s Names Unknown and Vivek Wagh’s Siddhant.
Side bar events of the festival include master classes by internationally acclaimed cinematographer Christopher Doyle, of Paranoid Park, Lady in the water, Psycho, In the Mood for love and Chunking Express; and noted director and writer Mahamat Saleh Haroun known for his films, Girgis, Bye Bye Africa, A Screaming Man.
Chaitanya Tamhane’s Venice “Lion of the future” winner Court is the only Indian film in international competition. The India Gold competition will showcase films like Avinash Arun’s Killa, Bikas Mishra’s Chauranga, Venu’s Munnariyippu, Dr. Biju’s Names Unknown and Vivek Wagh’s Siddhant.
- 9/17/2014
- by NewsDesk
- DearCinema.com
The 16th edition of the Mumbai Film Festival announced its line-up in a press conference today.
Here is the complete list of films which will be screened at the festival:-
International Competition
Difret
Dir.: Zeresenay Berhane Mehari (Ethiopia / 2014 / Col / 99)
History of Fear (Historia del miedo)
Dir.: Benjamin Naishtat (Argentina-France-Germany-Qatar-Uruguay / 2014 / Col / 79)
With Others (Ba Digaran)
Dir.: Nasser Zamiri (Iran / 2014 / Col / 85)
The Tree (Drevo)
Dir.: Sonja Prosenc (Slovenia / 2014 / Col / 90)
Next to Her (At li layla)
Dir.: Asaf Korman (Israel / 2014 / Col / 90)
Schimbare
Dir.: Alex Sampayo (Spain / 2014 / Col / 87)
Fever
Dir.: Raphaël Neal (France / 2014 / Col / 81)
Court
Dir.: Chaitanya Tamhane (India (Marathi-Gujarati-English-Hindi) / 2014 / Col / 116)
Macondo
Dir.: Sudabeh Mortezai (Austria / 2014 / Col / 98)
India Gold Competition 2014
The Fort (Killa)
Dir.: Avinash Arun (India (Marathi) / 2014 / Col / 107)
Unto the Dusk
Dir.: Sajin Baabu (India (Malayalam) / 2014 / Col / 118)
Names Unknown (Perariyathavar)
Dir.: Dr. Biju (India (Malayalam) / 2014 / Col / 110)
Buddha In a Traffic Jam
Dir.
Here is the complete list of films which will be screened at the festival:-
International Competition
Difret
Dir.: Zeresenay Berhane Mehari (Ethiopia / 2014 / Col / 99)
History of Fear (Historia del miedo)
Dir.: Benjamin Naishtat (Argentina-France-Germany-Qatar-Uruguay / 2014 / Col / 79)
With Others (Ba Digaran)
Dir.: Nasser Zamiri (Iran / 2014 / Col / 85)
The Tree (Drevo)
Dir.: Sonja Prosenc (Slovenia / 2014 / Col / 90)
Next to Her (At li layla)
Dir.: Asaf Korman (Israel / 2014 / Col / 90)
Schimbare
Dir.: Alex Sampayo (Spain / 2014 / Col / 87)
Fever
Dir.: Raphaël Neal (France / 2014 / Col / 81)
Court
Dir.: Chaitanya Tamhane (India (Marathi-Gujarati-English-Hindi) / 2014 / Col / 116)
Macondo
Dir.: Sudabeh Mortezai (Austria / 2014 / Col / 98)
India Gold Competition 2014
The Fort (Killa)
Dir.: Avinash Arun (India (Marathi) / 2014 / Col / 107)
Unto the Dusk
Dir.: Sajin Baabu (India (Malayalam) / 2014 / Col / 118)
Names Unknown (Perariyathavar)
Dir.: Dr. Biju (India (Malayalam) / 2014 / Col / 110)
Buddha In a Traffic Jam
Dir.
- 9/17/2014
- by NewsDesk
- DearCinema.com
Ken Ochiai’s film is the first in a series of smaller-budget films aimed at international markets.
Japanese studio Shochiku has launched a series of smaller-budget movies aimed at international markets, starting with Ken Ochiai’s Ninja The Monster.
Starring Dean Fujioka, the film sees undercover ninjas square off against alien monsters during the samurai era.
Currently in post-production, the film is being readied for delivery in autumn. Shochiku plans to test it in international markets before deciding on dates for the Japanese release.
“[Japanese] action films sell overseas, but budgets were hitting around $10m, which is difficult to recoup from international markets,” said Shochiku’s Kazu Moriguchi.
“The idea with these films is to lessen the risk by combining high concepts with low budgets. With our in-house resources they look like they cost a lot more.”
Shochiku plans to produce around three films budgeted at around $240,000 each year. Next up is Ninja Hunter (working title) about a man who...
Japanese studio Shochiku has launched a series of smaller-budget movies aimed at international markets, starting with Ken Ochiai’s Ninja The Monster.
Starring Dean Fujioka, the film sees undercover ninjas square off against alien monsters during the samurai era.
Currently in post-production, the film is being readied for delivery in autumn. Shochiku plans to test it in international markets before deciding on dates for the Japanese release.
“[Japanese] action films sell overseas, but budgets were hitting around $10m, which is difficult to recoup from international markets,” said Shochiku’s Kazu Moriguchi.
“The idea with these films is to lessen the risk by combining high concepts with low budgets. With our in-house resources they look like they cost a lot more.”
Shochiku plans to produce around three films budgeted at around $240,000 each year. Next up is Ninja Hunter (working title) about a man who...
- 5/19/2014
- by lizshackleton@gmail.com (Liz Shackleton)
- ScreenDaily
Little House on the Prairie is an institution of television that really needs no introduction, but the newly released remastered edition of season one (and the upcoming releases of all the seasons) are worth a serious look.
Some shows from this era and beyond, especially those in fair rotation in syndication, are difficult to push as a truly necessary purchase, but there are a lot of notes to Little House which made the previous releases, and this one especially, true must owns for fans. Of course, that does make for a certain question mark if one already has the previously-released season DVD efforts.
First, while many may get a decent fill of the show through syndication, there are a lot of episodes that simply never get play. There are several episodes that are likely seen as too controversial, or just plain overly harsh to a full family sensibility, to come up in syndicated cycles,...
Some shows from this era and beyond, especially those in fair rotation in syndication, are difficult to push as a truly necessary purchase, but there are a lot of notes to Little House which made the previous releases, and this one especially, true must owns for fans. Of course, that does make for a certain question mark if one already has the previously-released season DVD efforts.
First, while many may get a decent fill of the show through syndication, there are a lot of episodes that simply never get play. There are several episodes that are likely seen as too controversial, or just plain overly harsh to a full family sensibility, to come up in syndicated cycles,...
- 4/5/2014
- by Marc Eastman
- AreYouScreening.com
Pang Ho-cheung’s Aberdeen and Fruit Chan’s The Midnight After will open this year’s Hong Kong International Film Festival (Hkiff), which takes place March 24-April 7.
Starring Louis Koo, Miriam Yeung and Gigi Leung, Aberdeen is a drama revolving around different members of an extended Hong Kong family. Post-apocalyptic thriller The Midnight After recently premiered in the Panorama section of the Berlin film festival.
The festival will also screen the world premiere of Beautiful 2014, the third installment in the portmanteau series co-produced by Hkiff and Chinese online video platform Youku. This year, the short films have been directed by Australia’s Christopher Doyle, China’s Zhang Yuan, Hong Kong’s Shu Kei and Korea’s Kang Je-gyu.
Another omnibus film, Three Charmed Lives, will also receive its world premiere at the festival. The film comprises shorts directed by three actors: Hong Kong’s Francis Ng, Taiwan’s Chang Chen and Korea’s Jeong U-seong.
On March 30, the...
Starring Louis Koo, Miriam Yeung and Gigi Leung, Aberdeen is a drama revolving around different members of an extended Hong Kong family. Post-apocalyptic thriller The Midnight After recently premiered in the Panorama section of the Berlin film festival.
The festival will also screen the world premiere of Beautiful 2014, the third installment in the portmanteau series co-produced by Hkiff and Chinese online video platform Youku. This year, the short films have been directed by Australia’s Christopher Doyle, China’s Zhang Yuan, Hong Kong’s Shu Kei and Korea’s Kang Je-gyu.
Another omnibus film, Three Charmed Lives, will also receive its world premiere at the festival. The film comprises shorts directed by three actors: Hong Kong’s Francis Ng, Taiwan’s Chang Chen and Korea’s Jeong U-seong.
On March 30, the...
- 2/27/2014
- by lizshackleton@gmail.com (Liz Shackleton)
- ScreenDaily
You hear it all the time: Quality a bit soft. Not a lot of Big Titles. Not a lot of Big News. But Americans were buying all the same, and to quote Screen International: “The current market is focused on smart money and smart deals, not volume of product”. Business at Afm was also solid though unspectacular. Moreover, the pre-buying of projects may be below the radar of this $3 billion business of international film buying and selling. TrustNordisk’s CEO Rikke Ennis says that 70% of their films are pre-sold. As you look at the upcoming Winter Rights Roundup due out in two weeks from SydneysBuzz.com/Reports, you will notice many of the films have been pre-buys this market and many films screening were already pre-sold during Afm in November.
And for all the complaints about Berlin, many sales agents set up private screenings before the market kicked off. What is that about?
Beki Probst, who has run the Efm since 1988, responded to the many media reports of a quieter market in an interview with ScreenDaily which sounds almost the same as the one she gave in 2009.
Quoting her current statement which I take the liberty of quoting here as it appears in Screen:
“I think that there was a good movement of business this year,” she said. In the opinion of Probst, there had been a muddying of the distinction between the Efm and the more general term of the ‘market’.
“Daphné Kapfer of Europa International representing 35 sales agents said that it was a very good Berlin, and Glen Basner of FilmNation commented that it was ‘the best Berlin’.
“Even Harvey Weinstein came just for 24 hours to sign a $7m check, and Aloft was bought by Sony Pictures Classics.
“It’s the players, and not the market, that is important. The players come here if they have the right line-up. All we can do is provide the best infrastructure, but what happens after that is up to them.”
"Sales agents were not sitting idle at their stands if one takes the example of one company in the Martin Gropius Bau: the CEO met with 90 buyers and the members of staff responsible for marketing had no less than 180 meetings in addition to ad-hoc discussions at events in the evenings."
Coproductions are the engine driving the business these days.
This year’s Berlinale Co-Production Market ended after two-and-a-half days with awards handed out to projects from Kazakhstan and Belgium.
The €6,000 Arte International Prize went to Kazakh film-maker Emir Baigazin’s planned second feature The Wounded Angel, the second part of a trilogy after his Silver Bear-winning Harmony Lessons. The €1.2m Almaty-based Kazakhfilm Jsc production has already attracted France’s Capricci Production as a co-producer and has backing in place from the Doha Film Institute and the Hubert Bals Fund.
The €10,000 Vff Talent Highlight Pitch Award was presented to Belgian director Bavo Defurne for his romantic dramedy Souvenir. The €2m co-production by Oostende-based Indeed Films with Belgium’s Frakas Productions and Germany’s Karibufilm already has backing from Flanders Audiovisual Fund, Cinefinance and public broadcaster Vrt/ Een.
India-Norway’s $55 million film to be directed by Hans Petter Moland (In Order of Disappearance)’s The Indian Bride is an exciting example of an unusual pairing of countries.
Bavaria and Senator’s joint venture Bavaria Pictures’ The Postcard Killers to be directed by Mexican director Everardo Gout shows the international expansion of talent.
The Hungary-Austria-Germany co-production of Stefan Zweig’s Beware of Pity, or U.K.-Lithuania action comedy Redirected being sold by Content brings unusual European partners together.
U.S. born Damian John Harper’s coproduction with the German producers, brothers Jakob and Jonas Weydemann, on Los Angeles will be followed by In the Middle of the River now being developed with Zdf’s Das Kleine Fernsehspiel unit.
Shoreline’s The Infinite Man produced with Australia’s Hedone Productions in association with Bonsai Films with investment from South Australia Film Corporation through its Filmlab funding initiative, development assistance from Screen Australia is also a new sort of pairing.
Film and Music Entertainment (F&Me), Bac Films, 20 Steps Productions and Bruemmer & Herzog’s The President is shooting in Tbilisi, Georgia and is being directed by Mohsen Makhmalbaf.
Italian-Canadian producer Andrea Iervolino and Monika Bacardi’s Sights of Death starring Danny Glover, Daryl Hannah, Rutger Hauer, Stephen Baldwin and Michael Madsen is directed by Allessandro Capone in Rome.
The Spain-u.K. co-production Second Origin is based on the best selling Catalan novel Mecanoscrit Del Segon Orgen.
The Golden Bear Winner Black Coal, Thin Ice is a Boneyard Entertainment (New York & Hong Kong) co-production with Boneyard Entertainment China (Bec), Omnijoi Media (Jiangsu, China), China Film co-production.
A sign of the times is the Swedish Film in Berlin advertisement which lists all Swedish co-productions:
In Competition: In Order of DisappearanceOut of Competition: NymphomaniacBerlinale Special: Someone You Love Generation Kplus: A Christmoose StoryPerspektive Deutsches Kino: Lamento
All are with European co-producers as is Antboy a Danish-German co-production.
One of my favorites is Gallows Hill, being sold by Im Global and already picked up by IFC for U.S. Starring Twilight actor Peter Facinelli, U.K. actress Sophia Myles, Nathalia Ramos and Colombian model and actress Carolina Guerra, it was entirely financed from within Colombia by television network Rcn’s affiliate Five 7 Media which produced with Peter Block's A Bigger Boat, David Higgins and Angelique Higgins' Launchpad Productions and Andrea Chung. The screenplay was written by Rich D’Ovidio ( The Call, Thir13en Ghosts) about a widower who takes his children on a trip to their mother’s Colombian hometown.
Another interesting combo is the Australian-Singapore co-production Canopy being sold by Odin’s Eye which was acquired by Kaleidoscope for U.K., by Kinosmith for Canada and Odin’s Eye itself for Australia. After its Tiff 2013 premiere, Monterrey acquired U.S. rights.
Cathedrals of Culture, was produced by Wim Wenders’ production company: Neue Road Movies in Germany and co-produced by Final Cut For Real (Denmark), Lotus Film (Austria), Mer Film (Norway), Les Films d'Ici 2 (France), Sundance Productions / RadicalMedia (U.S.), Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg In collaboration with Arte (Germany and France) and Wowow (Japan).
Grand Budapest Hotel is a co-production of Scott Rudin in U.S. and Studio Babelsburg in Germany.
Wouldn't you say there had to be an awful lot of business going on? If only the media knew where to look for it. Instead, they moan the same old tired tune, "Quality a bit soft. Not a lot of Big Titles. Not a lot of Big News". Oh well...
Efm Coproduction Market
Asian producer Raymond Phathanavirangoon, who was pitching the Hong Kong comedy Grooms by writer-director Arvin Chen at the Berlin Coproduction Market, announced that Germany’s augenschein filmproduktion will be a coproducer on Singaporean director Boo Junfeng’s second feature Apprentice. The film has already received backing from France’s World Cinema Support, the Film- und Medienstiftung Nrw of Germany and Germany's second network, Zdf’s Das kleine fernsehspiel unit. It also has Cinema Defacto as its French co-producer. Junfeng’s first film, Sandcastle, was screened at the Critics’ Week in Cannes in 2010.
Cologne-based augenschein, who produced Maximilian Leo’s My Brother’s Keeper, the opening film of this year’s Perspektive Deutsches Kino and is handled internationally by Media Luna, is currently in post-production on Romanian filmmaker Florin Serban’s Box, his second feature after the 2010 Berlinale Competition film If I Want To Whistle, I Whistle.
Argentinian filmmaker Santiago Mitre whose debut The Student established him as one of the brightest and most courted young directors in Latin America was in the Co-production Market with his untitled second feature which France’s Full House connected to along with Argentina’s Union de los Rio, Argentine broadcast network Telefe, Ignacio Viale and the ubiquitous Lita Stantic.
Full House was also at the Coproduction Market with Peter Webber’s Fresh about a young thief learning the art of pickpocketing in Bogota, Colombia. It will be co-produced with Rcn affiliate Five 7 Media and 4Direcciones in Colombia and by Webber himself.
Raymond van der Kaaij, the producer of Tamar van den Dop’s Panorama title Supernova, is now financing Sundance winner Ernesto Contreras’ next feature I Dream In Another Language. The Spanish-English language project will be produced with Mexico-based Agencia Sha, and it is now casting the American lead according to producer van der Kaaij of Revolver Amsterdam. Developed at the Sundance Screenwriters Lab and the winner of the Sundance-Mahindra Global Filmmaking Award, I Dream has already received support from Imcine in Mexico. Shooting is scheduled in Mexico for the end of 2014.
Revolver is now editing Bodkin Ras, the debut film of Iranian-Dutch director Kaweh Modiri, an English-language documentary-thriller set in North Scotland. The Dutch-Belgian-u.K. coproduction is set for release at the end of 2014.
Finnish film-maker Jukka-Pekka Valkeapaa’s is editing his latest feature They Have Escaped, which Revolver coproduced with Helsinki Film.
Trend of smart art genres
Another continuing trend, which began with Xyz and Celluloid Nightmares and continued with Memento, is the character-driven art genre films with tight budgets, like the Danish coming-of-age-werewolf-romance, When Animals Dream, directed by first timer Jonas Arnby, sold by Gaumont to Radius-twc for No. Americ. The Scandinavians, formerly making a mark with "Nordic Noir" are now making what they call "Nordic Twilight".
Trend of remake rights
Another trend is that of remake rights. Film Sharks reports it makes more from selling remake rights than from licensing distribution rights.
The Intouchables is selling remake rights to more countries than only India as is the sale of Other Angle’s Babysitting remake rights. Negotiations are underway with Russia, Italy and Germany.
Fruit Chan is considering an English language remake of his 2004 cult horror film Dumplings.
The market is bit too calm?…Then let us look at Cannes…
Usually by Afm you can begin the Tipped for Cannes List (which Gilles Jacob detested), but even that is a little on the quiet side. I begin to question whether all media fueled news is accurate: the slow sales being reported, the lack of pre-Cannes buzz… Is the media really investigating deeply?
Of all the trades, while Screen has the most international news and deepest analyses, Variety reports things no other trade is covering. But…still the non-news of a quiet market persists as if it were headline news. We always hear this and we are still in an economic slump, so what we wish for is not apparent, but this is not news.
Tipped for Cannes
Tipped for Cannes are Zhang Yimou’s Coming Home staring Gong Li and to be sold by Wild Bunch, Stealth’s First Law starring Mads Mikkelsen (Cannes 2012 Best Actor Award for The Hunt); Self Made (Boreg) by Shira Geffen and to be sold by Westend, shot in Hebrew and Arabic by the production and sales team behind Oscar nominated 2011 drama Footnote, the second film after Geffen’s 2007 debut Jellyfish which won the Cannes Camera d’Or. MK2’s Clouds of Sils Maria by Olivier Assayas and starring Juliette Binoche, Chloe Grace Moretz and Kristen Stewart, and Naomi Kawase’s Still the Water will be delivered in time for Cannes. Pyramide International is plannng for Leviathan, a modern retelling of the biblical story which deals with some of Russia’s most important social issues to be ready for Cannes. It is directed by Andrey Zvyagintsev and produced by Alexander Rodnyansky (Stalingrad) as their followup to Elena. Gaumont-cj co-production, The Target, the Korean remake of Fred Cavaye’s action thriller Point Blank will be ready in time for Cannes.
Rumors and truths about people changing positions
Rumors about Dieter Kosslick replacing Berlin’s Culture Secretary who resigned after a tax evasion scandal in which he admitted to stashing $575,000 in a Swiss bank account…Charlotte Mickie has left eOne and knowing her, she is bound to find something good elsewhere as she's too good to lose...StudioCanals Harold van Lier now leads eOne’s newly ramped international sales team and Montreal based Anick Poirier leads its subsidiary label, Seville International. Jeff Nuyts is leaving Intramovies. Nigel Sinclair and Guy East seem to be leaving Exclusive Media the company they founded as discussions with partners from Dasym Investment Strategies Bv move forward. Kevin Hoiseth from Voltage Pictures has joined International Film Trust as their director of international sales...and of course, Nadine de Barros has founded her own company, Fortitude, and was holding court at the Ritz Carlton the buzziest spot outside of the Martin Gropius Bau.
What I Saw and What I Thought
For what it's worth, here is my limited list of screenings of films seen only in the last 3 days of the festival when I was no longer "working". I am including some I actually saw at Sundance.
First and foremost -- and to be written about further in a "thought piece" as I term the articles I think long about before writing and to include my interview with the director Goran Hugo Olsson's (The Black Power Mixtapes winner of Sundance 2011 World Cinema Documentary Film Editing Award) -- Concerning Violence (Isa: Films Boutique, U.S.: Cinetic), based on Frantz Fanon's The Wretched of the Earth and seen at Sundance this year next to Stanley Nelson's outstanding Freedom Summer (PBS) and Greg Barker's We Are The Giant (Submarine), is a call to action for new societal models ringing out loud and clear.
Golden Bear Winner, Black Coal, Thin Ice by Diao Yinan, a Chinese noir, lacked the momentum and substance I would have expected in a winning film, though it was a fascinating way to see today's urban China. Had I been on the jury, I would have chosen the Best Director Award winning Boyhood (Isa: IFC) by Richard Linklater. But perhaps because James Schamus, an American who loves Chinese films, was President of the Jury, there might have arisen a question of disinterested objectivity. I would have to hear what jurists Barbara Broccoli, Trine Dyrhom, Chistoph Waltz, Tony Leung, Greta Gerwig, Mitra Farahani and Michel Gondry would have to say about the deliberations.
Speaking of jury prizes, it was a surprise the much acclaimed '71 (Isa: Protagonist, now headed by our dear Mike Goodridge) won nothing, and good Alain Renais' Life of Riley (Isa: Le Pacte) received recognition. I found Christophe Gans' La belle et la bete (Beauty and the Beast) (Isa: Pathe) an overproduced unwieldy special effects-ridden mess, even though it was exec-produced by Jérôme Seydoux who also produced the masterpiece La Grande Belleza (The Great Beauty), and starred his granddaughter Lea Seydoux. I'll stand by Cocteau's versoin. I heard Claudia Llosa (Milk of Sorrow)'s Aloft was also not widely admired.
About the best actress winning film The Little House (Isa: Shochiku could have marketed it more widely), I heard nothing at all, though it sounds really good. Kreuzweg (Stations of the Cross) (Isa: Beta) by brother and sister team Anna and Dietrich Brueggemann (any relation to our own Tom Brueggeman?) had a satisfying denouement and was quite engrossing with moments of humor lightening the heavy weight of the cross carried by 14 year old Maria played by Lea van Acken, a picture face out of a George de la Tour painting (Magdeline with a Smoking Flame or A Piece of Art). Macondo (Isa: Films Boutique - again! ) by Sudabeh Mortezai of Austria was a window on a world never seen before and very engrossing although the coming of age story was one we have seen before.
Not sorry to say I missed The Monuments Men and Nymphomaniac Volume I, but sorry that I missed Beloved Sisters (Isa: Global Screen) of Dominik Graf, The Grand Budapest Hotel (will see it in U.S.), Argentinian Benjamin Naishat's History of Fear (Isa: Visit) -- I'll catch it in Carthegena, Guadalajara or San Sebastian I'm sure, Jack, In Order of Disappearance which sounds like the sleeper hit of the festival, Argentinan (again!) La tercera orilla (The Third Side of the River), Lou Ye's Tui Na (Blind Massage) and Rachid Bouchareb's Two Men in Town (Isa: Pathe - again!), which I heard was rather flat which is not surprising, for when non-Americans try to make an American genre, it usually misses a certain verve, but still is such an interesting subject for him to tackle, Zwischen Welten (Inbetween Worlds) (Isa: The Match Factory) from Germany, another "American" subject, but here about a German soldier in Afghanistan, not an American one.
Among the Berlinale Specials, I wish I had seen Nancy Buirski's Afternoon of a Faun which everyone said was good (Isa: Cactus Three the doc production company of Krysanne Katsoolis and Caroline Stevens) and Volker Schloendorff's 1969 Brecht piece Baal starring Rainer Werner Fassbinder and Margarethe von Trotta. I did see his Diplomacy (Isa: Gaumont) which was a great treat, erudite, intimate and reminiscent of the novels of Sandor Marai (Embers and Casanova in Bolzano). Wish I could have seen Wim Wenders' Cathedrals of Culture (Isa: Cinephil), Diego Luna's Cesar Chavez (Isa: Mundial) and In the Courtyard aka Dans la cours (Isa: Wild Bunch) starring Catherine Deneuve and The Kidnapping of Michel Houllebecq (Isa: Le Pacte - again!!). I will see The Galapagos Affair: Satan Came to Eden (Isa: The Film Sales Company) by Dayna Goldfine and Dan Geller, produced by Jonathan Dana, Dayna Goldfine, Dan Geller and Celeste Schaefer Snyder (Ballets Russes), back home. The Turning (Isa: Level K), an experimental omnibus produced by my favorite Australian producer, Robert Connelly who also directed in part and Maggie Myles, is also a must-see as is Errol Morris' companion piece to The Fog of War, The Unknown Known (Isa: HanWay) and Houssein Amini's Two Faces of January (Isa: StudioCanal) starring my favorites Viggo Mortenson and Kirsten Dunst. We Come as Friends (Isa: Le Pacte), by Hubert Sauper whose earlier film Darwin's Destiny astounded me, was worth watching although so often his films plunge one into a hopeless helplessness. Fresh from Sundance, it was raising controversy and the story of the Sudan is worth knowing. His particular and peculiar Pov is valuable. Watermark (Isa: Entertainment One), another social issue worth knowing about will have to wait for a more propitious time. Personally I'm hoping Israel's current venture into desalination of water will lead the world into peace and that I will rejoice watching the doc about that.
Difret (Isa: Films Boutique - again!), fresh from Sundance where I saw it was really good and it sold well. I got to hang out with the team at the Panorama party. Gueros (Isa: Mundial - again!), was a disappointment -- too like The Year of the Nail (though different) in tone. But what a great company Canana is!
Panorama's Finding Vivian Maier (Isa: HanWay - again!) is brilliantly interesting. It is about to be released in U.S. by IFC. I highly recommend seeing this documentary about an eccentric, unknown photographer. It premiered at Tiff 2013. Fresh from Sundance where it won a Special Jury Prize, Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter (Isa: Submarine) was a treasure; Velvet Terrorists was about the oddest piece I have ever seen. About three former opponents of the Czechoslovakian Soviet Regime, each has continued to enjoy blowing up things. One is still training the next generation in urban guerilla warfare. They are otherwise unremarkable, sweet even, but twisted. What an odd documentary.
A quick look at the Market Films I have seen: of the 400+ premieres: Zero -- no I did see German Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Language Film, Two Lives (Isa: Beta), and I will soon be home to celebrate its nomination at the famous Villa Aurora, the former home of German expatriate writer Leon Feuchtwanger. So many more films look sooooo attractive! A pity I may never get to see them. I would need all the time in the world, and I have so little. I have so much and yet I want more!
And for all the complaints about Berlin, many sales agents set up private screenings before the market kicked off. What is that about?
Beki Probst, who has run the Efm since 1988, responded to the many media reports of a quieter market in an interview with ScreenDaily which sounds almost the same as the one she gave in 2009.
Quoting her current statement which I take the liberty of quoting here as it appears in Screen:
“I think that there was a good movement of business this year,” she said. In the opinion of Probst, there had been a muddying of the distinction between the Efm and the more general term of the ‘market’.
“Daphné Kapfer of Europa International representing 35 sales agents said that it was a very good Berlin, and Glen Basner of FilmNation commented that it was ‘the best Berlin’.
“Even Harvey Weinstein came just for 24 hours to sign a $7m check, and Aloft was bought by Sony Pictures Classics.
“It’s the players, and not the market, that is important. The players come here if they have the right line-up. All we can do is provide the best infrastructure, but what happens after that is up to them.”
"Sales agents were not sitting idle at their stands if one takes the example of one company in the Martin Gropius Bau: the CEO met with 90 buyers and the members of staff responsible for marketing had no less than 180 meetings in addition to ad-hoc discussions at events in the evenings."
Coproductions are the engine driving the business these days.
This year’s Berlinale Co-Production Market ended after two-and-a-half days with awards handed out to projects from Kazakhstan and Belgium.
The €6,000 Arte International Prize went to Kazakh film-maker Emir Baigazin’s planned second feature The Wounded Angel, the second part of a trilogy after his Silver Bear-winning Harmony Lessons. The €1.2m Almaty-based Kazakhfilm Jsc production has already attracted France’s Capricci Production as a co-producer and has backing in place from the Doha Film Institute and the Hubert Bals Fund.
The €10,000 Vff Talent Highlight Pitch Award was presented to Belgian director Bavo Defurne for his romantic dramedy Souvenir. The €2m co-production by Oostende-based Indeed Films with Belgium’s Frakas Productions and Germany’s Karibufilm already has backing from Flanders Audiovisual Fund, Cinefinance and public broadcaster Vrt/ Een.
India-Norway’s $55 million film to be directed by Hans Petter Moland (In Order of Disappearance)’s The Indian Bride is an exciting example of an unusual pairing of countries.
Bavaria and Senator’s joint venture Bavaria Pictures’ The Postcard Killers to be directed by Mexican director Everardo Gout shows the international expansion of talent.
The Hungary-Austria-Germany co-production of Stefan Zweig’s Beware of Pity, or U.K.-Lithuania action comedy Redirected being sold by Content brings unusual European partners together.
U.S. born Damian John Harper’s coproduction with the German producers, brothers Jakob and Jonas Weydemann, on Los Angeles will be followed by In the Middle of the River now being developed with Zdf’s Das Kleine Fernsehspiel unit.
Shoreline’s The Infinite Man produced with Australia’s Hedone Productions in association with Bonsai Films with investment from South Australia Film Corporation through its Filmlab funding initiative, development assistance from Screen Australia is also a new sort of pairing.
Film and Music Entertainment (F&Me), Bac Films, 20 Steps Productions and Bruemmer & Herzog’s The President is shooting in Tbilisi, Georgia and is being directed by Mohsen Makhmalbaf.
Italian-Canadian producer Andrea Iervolino and Monika Bacardi’s Sights of Death starring Danny Glover, Daryl Hannah, Rutger Hauer, Stephen Baldwin and Michael Madsen is directed by Allessandro Capone in Rome.
The Spain-u.K. co-production Second Origin is based on the best selling Catalan novel Mecanoscrit Del Segon Orgen.
The Golden Bear Winner Black Coal, Thin Ice is a Boneyard Entertainment (New York & Hong Kong) co-production with Boneyard Entertainment China (Bec), Omnijoi Media (Jiangsu, China), China Film co-production.
A sign of the times is the Swedish Film in Berlin advertisement which lists all Swedish co-productions:
In Competition: In Order of DisappearanceOut of Competition: NymphomaniacBerlinale Special: Someone You Love Generation Kplus: A Christmoose StoryPerspektive Deutsches Kino: Lamento
All are with European co-producers as is Antboy a Danish-German co-production.
One of my favorites is Gallows Hill, being sold by Im Global and already picked up by IFC for U.S. Starring Twilight actor Peter Facinelli, U.K. actress Sophia Myles, Nathalia Ramos and Colombian model and actress Carolina Guerra, it was entirely financed from within Colombia by television network Rcn’s affiliate Five 7 Media which produced with Peter Block's A Bigger Boat, David Higgins and Angelique Higgins' Launchpad Productions and Andrea Chung. The screenplay was written by Rich D’Ovidio ( The Call, Thir13en Ghosts) about a widower who takes his children on a trip to their mother’s Colombian hometown.
Another interesting combo is the Australian-Singapore co-production Canopy being sold by Odin’s Eye which was acquired by Kaleidoscope for U.K., by Kinosmith for Canada and Odin’s Eye itself for Australia. After its Tiff 2013 premiere, Monterrey acquired U.S. rights.
Cathedrals of Culture, was produced by Wim Wenders’ production company: Neue Road Movies in Germany and co-produced by Final Cut For Real (Denmark), Lotus Film (Austria), Mer Film (Norway), Les Films d'Ici 2 (France), Sundance Productions / RadicalMedia (U.S.), Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg In collaboration with Arte (Germany and France) and Wowow (Japan).
Grand Budapest Hotel is a co-production of Scott Rudin in U.S. and Studio Babelsburg in Germany.
Wouldn't you say there had to be an awful lot of business going on? If only the media knew where to look for it. Instead, they moan the same old tired tune, "Quality a bit soft. Not a lot of Big Titles. Not a lot of Big News". Oh well...
Efm Coproduction Market
Asian producer Raymond Phathanavirangoon, who was pitching the Hong Kong comedy Grooms by writer-director Arvin Chen at the Berlin Coproduction Market, announced that Germany’s augenschein filmproduktion will be a coproducer on Singaporean director Boo Junfeng’s second feature Apprentice. The film has already received backing from France’s World Cinema Support, the Film- und Medienstiftung Nrw of Germany and Germany's second network, Zdf’s Das kleine fernsehspiel unit. It also has Cinema Defacto as its French co-producer. Junfeng’s first film, Sandcastle, was screened at the Critics’ Week in Cannes in 2010.
Cologne-based augenschein, who produced Maximilian Leo’s My Brother’s Keeper, the opening film of this year’s Perspektive Deutsches Kino and is handled internationally by Media Luna, is currently in post-production on Romanian filmmaker Florin Serban’s Box, his second feature after the 2010 Berlinale Competition film If I Want To Whistle, I Whistle.
Argentinian filmmaker Santiago Mitre whose debut The Student established him as one of the brightest and most courted young directors in Latin America was in the Co-production Market with his untitled second feature which France’s Full House connected to along with Argentina’s Union de los Rio, Argentine broadcast network Telefe, Ignacio Viale and the ubiquitous Lita Stantic.
Full House was also at the Coproduction Market with Peter Webber’s Fresh about a young thief learning the art of pickpocketing in Bogota, Colombia. It will be co-produced with Rcn affiliate Five 7 Media and 4Direcciones in Colombia and by Webber himself.
Raymond van der Kaaij, the producer of Tamar van den Dop’s Panorama title Supernova, is now financing Sundance winner Ernesto Contreras’ next feature I Dream In Another Language. The Spanish-English language project will be produced with Mexico-based Agencia Sha, and it is now casting the American lead according to producer van der Kaaij of Revolver Amsterdam. Developed at the Sundance Screenwriters Lab and the winner of the Sundance-Mahindra Global Filmmaking Award, I Dream has already received support from Imcine in Mexico. Shooting is scheduled in Mexico for the end of 2014.
Revolver is now editing Bodkin Ras, the debut film of Iranian-Dutch director Kaweh Modiri, an English-language documentary-thriller set in North Scotland. The Dutch-Belgian-u.K. coproduction is set for release at the end of 2014.
Finnish film-maker Jukka-Pekka Valkeapaa’s is editing his latest feature They Have Escaped, which Revolver coproduced with Helsinki Film.
Trend of smart art genres
Another continuing trend, which began with Xyz and Celluloid Nightmares and continued with Memento, is the character-driven art genre films with tight budgets, like the Danish coming-of-age-werewolf-romance, When Animals Dream, directed by first timer Jonas Arnby, sold by Gaumont to Radius-twc for No. Americ. The Scandinavians, formerly making a mark with "Nordic Noir" are now making what they call "Nordic Twilight".
Trend of remake rights
Another trend is that of remake rights. Film Sharks reports it makes more from selling remake rights than from licensing distribution rights.
The Intouchables is selling remake rights to more countries than only India as is the sale of Other Angle’s Babysitting remake rights. Negotiations are underway with Russia, Italy and Germany.
Fruit Chan is considering an English language remake of his 2004 cult horror film Dumplings.
The market is bit too calm?…Then let us look at Cannes…
Usually by Afm you can begin the Tipped for Cannes List (which Gilles Jacob detested), but even that is a little on the quiet side. I begin to question whether all media fueled news is accurate: the slow sales being reported, the lack of pre-Cannes buzz… Is the media really investigating deeply?
Of all the trades, while Screen has the most international news and deepest analyses, Variety reports things no other trade is covering. But…still the non-news of a quiet market persists as if it were headline news. We always hear this and we are still in an economic slump, so what we wish for is not apparent, but this is not news.
Tipped for Cannes
Tipped for Cannes are Zhang Yimou’s Coming Home staring Gong Li and to be sold by Wild Bunch, Stealth’s First Law starring Mads Mikkelsen (Cannes 2012 Best Actor Award for The Hunt); Self Made (Boreg) by Shira Geffen and to be sold by Westend, shot in Hebrew and Arabic by the production and sales team behind Oscar nominated 2011 drama Footnote, the second film after Geffen’s 2007 debut Jellyfish which won the Cannes Camera d’Or. MK2’s Clouds of Sils Maria by Olivier Assayas and starring Juliette Binoche, Chloe Grace Moretz and Kristen Stewart, and Naomi Kawase’s Still the Water will be delivered in time for Cannes. Pyramide International is plannng for Leviathan, a modern retelling of the biblical story which deals with some of Russia’s most important social issues to be ready for Cannes. It is directed by Andrey Zvyagintsev and produced by Alexander Rodnyansky (Stalingrad) as their followup to Elena. Gaumont-cj co-production, The Target, the Korean remake of Fred Cavaye’s action thriller Point Blank will be ready in time for Cannes.
Rumors and truths about people changing positions
Rumors about Dieter Kosslick replacing Berlin’s Culture Secretary who resigned after a tax evasion scandal in which he admitted to stashing $575,000 in a Swiss bank account…Charlotte Mickie has left eOne and knowing her, she is bound to find something good elsewhere as she's too good to lose...StudioCanals Harold van Lier now leads eOne’s newly ramped international sales team and Montreal based Anick Poirier leads its subsidiary label, Seville International. Jeff Nuyts is leaving Intramovies. Nigel Sinclair and Guy East seem to be leaving Exclusive Media the company they founded as discussions with partners from Dasym Investment Strategies Bv move forward. Kevin Hoiseth from Voltage Pictures has joined International Film Trust as their director of international sales...and of course, Nadine de Barros has founded her own company, Fortitude, and was holding court at the Ritz Carlton the buzziest spot outside of the Martin Gropius Bau.
What I Saw and What I Thought
For what it's worth, here is my limited list of screenings of films seen only in the last 3 days of the festival when I was no longer "working". I am including some I actually saw at Sundance.
First and foremost -- and to be written about further in a "thought piece" as I term the articles I think long about before writing and to include my interview with the director Goran Hugo Olsson's (The Black Power Mixtapes winner of Sundance 2011 World Cinema Documentary Film Editing Award) -- Concerning Violence (Isa: Films Boutique, U.S.: Cinetic), based on Frantz Fanon's The Wretched of the Earth and seen at Sundance this year next to Stanley Nelson's outstanding Freedom Summer (PBS) and Greg Barker's We Are The Giant (Submarine), is a call to action for new societal models ringing out loud and clear.
Golden Bear Winner, Black Coal, Thin Ice by Diao Yinan, a Chinese noir, lacked the momentum and substance I would have expected in a winning film, though it was a fascinating way to see today's urban China. Had I been on the jury, I would have chosen the Best Director Award winning Boyhood (Isa: IFC) by Richard Linklater. But perhaps because James Schamus, an American who loves Chinese films, was President of the Jury, there might have arisen a question of disinterested objectivity. I would have to hear what jurists Barbara Broccoli, Trine Dyrhom, Chistoph Waltz, Tony Leung, Greta Gerwig, Mitra Farahani and Michel Gondry would have to say about the deliberations.
Speaking of jury prizes, it was a surprise the much acclaimed '71 (Isa: Protagonist, now headed by our dear Mike Goodridge) won nothing, and good Alain Renais' Life of Riley (Isa: Le Pacte) received recognition. I found Christophe Gans' La belle et la bete (Beauty and the Beast) (Isa: Pathe) an overproduced unwieldy special effects-ridden mess, even though it was exec-produced by Jérôme Seydoux who also produced the masterpiece La Grande Belleza (The Great Beauty), and starred his granddaughter Lea Seydoux. I'll stand by Cocteau's versoin. I heard Claudia Llosa (Milk of Sorrow)'s Aloft was also not widely admired.
About the best actress winning film The Little House (Isa: Shochiku could have marketed it more widely), I heard nothing at all, though it sounds really good. Kreuzweg (Stations of the Cross) (Isa: Beta) by brother and sister team Anna and Dietrich Brueggemann (any relation to our own Tom Brueggeman?) had a satisfying denouement and was quite engrossing with moments of humor lightening the heavy weight of the cross carried by 14 year old Maria played by Lea van Acken, a picture face out of a George de la Tour painting (Magdeline with a Smoking Flame or A Piece of Art). Macondo (Isa: Films Boutique - again! ) by Sudabeh Mortezai of Austria was a window on a world never seen before and very engrossing although the coming of age story was one we have seen before.
Not sorry to say I missed The Monuments Men and Nymphomaniac Volume I, but sorry that I missed Beloved Sisters (Isa: Global Screen) of Dominik Graf, The Grand Budapest Hotel (will see it in U.S.), Argentinian Benjamin Naishat's History of Fear (Isa: Visit) -- I'll catch it in Carthegena, Guadalajara or San Sebastian I'm sure, Jack, In Order of Disappearance which sounds like the sleeper hit of the festival, Argentinan (again!) La tercera orilla (The Third Side of the River), Lou Ye's Tui Na (Blind Massage) and Rachid Bouchareb's Two Men in Town (Isa: Pathe - again!), which I heard was rather flat which is not surprising, for when non-Americans try to make an American genre, it usually misses a certain verve, but still is such an interesting subject for him to tackle, Zwischen Welten (Inbetween Worlds) (Isa: The Match Factory) from Germany, another "American" subject, but here about a German soldier in Afghanistan, not an American one.
Among the Berlinale Specials, I wish I had seen Nancy Buirski's Afternoon of a Faun which everyone said was good (Isa: Cactus Three the doc production company of Krysanne Katsoolis and Caroline Stevens) and Volker Schloendorff's 1969 Brecht piece Baal starring Rainer Werner Fassbinder and Margarethe von Trotta. I did see his Diplomacy (Isa: Gaumont) which was a great treat, erudite, intimate and reminiscent of the novels of Sandor Marai (Embers and Casanova in Bolzano). Wish I could have seen Wim Wenders' Cathedrals of Culture (Isa: Cinephil), Diego Luna's Cesar Chavez (Isa: Mundial) and In the Courtyard aka Dans la cours (Isa: Wild Bunch) starring Catherine Deneuve and The Kidnapping of Michel Houllebecq (Isa: Le Pacte - again!!). I will see The Galapagos Affair: Satan Came to Eden (Isa: The Film Sales Company) by Dayna Goldfine and Dan Geller, produced by Jonathan Dana, Dayna Goldfine, Dan Geller and Celeste Schaefer Snyder (Ballets Russes), back home. The Turning (Isa: Level K), an experimental omnibus produced by my favorite Australian producer, Robert Connelly who also directed in part and Maggie Myles, is also a must-see as is Errol Morris' companion piece to The Fog of War, The Unknown Known (Isa: HanWay) and Houssein Amini's Two Faces of January (Isa: StudioCanal) starring my favorites Viggo Mortenson and Kirsten Dunst. We Come as Friends (Isa: Le Pacte), by Hubert Sauper whose earlier film Darwin's Destiny astounded me, was worth watching although so often his films plunge one into a hopeless helplessness. Fresh from Sundance, it was raising controversy and the story of the Sudan is worth knowing. His particular and peculiar Pov is valuable. Watermark (Isa: Entertainment One), another social issue worth knowing about will have to wait for a more propitious time. Personally I'm hoping Israel's current venture into desalination of water will lead the world into peace and that I will rejoice watching the doc about that.
Difret (Isa: Films Boutique - again!), fresh from Sundance where I saw it was really good and it sold well. I got to hang out with the team at the Panorama party. Gueros (Isa: Mundial - again!), was a disappointment -- too like The Year of the Nail (though different) in tone. But what a great company Canana is!
Panorama's Finding Vivian Maier (Isa: HanWay - again!) is brilliantly interesting. It is about to be released in U.S. by IFC. I highly recommend seeing this documentary about an eccentric, unknown photographer. It premiered at Tiff 2013. Fresh from Sundance where it won a Special Jury Prize, Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter (Isa: Submarine) was a treasure; Velvet Terrorists was about the oddest piece I have ever seen. About three former opponents of the Czechoslovakian Soviet Regime, each has continued to enjoy blowing up things. One is still training the next generation in urban guerilla warfare. They are otherwise unremarkable, sweet even, but twisted. What an odd documentary.
A quick look at the Market Films I have seen: of the 400+ premieres: Zero -- no I did see German Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Language Film, Two Lives (Isa: Beta), and I will soon be home to celebrate its nomination at the famous Villa Aurora, the former home of German expatriate writer Leon Feuchtwanger. So many more films look sooooo attractive! A pity I may never get to see them. I would need all the time in the world, and I have so little. I have so much and yet I want more!
- 2/27/2014
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
The Hong Kong International Film Festival (Hkiff) will screen the world premiere of Adam Wong’s Icac Investigators 2014 - Better Tomorrow, which has Dante Lam on board as consultant director, on March 26.
The festival is collaborating for the first time with Hong Kong’s Independent Commission Against Corruption (Icac), which celebrates its 40th anniversary this year. Founded in 1974, the organisation helped clean up corruption in Hong Kong, and also provides the backdrop of a crime thriller, Z Storm, currently being produced by Hong Kong’s Pegasus Motion Pictures.
Wong’s Better Tomorrow is a 65-minute film that will be broadcast as part of Icac’s 2014 TV programming. Scripted by Cheung Fei-fan and starring Liu Kai-chi, Venus Wong and Eddie Law, it follows a university graduate who joins the Icac and finds herself stuck in a dull clerical position before she is transferred to a major corruption case.
Hkiff will also showcase a selection of Icac’s TV drama...
The festival is collaborating for the first time with Hong Kong’s Independent Commission Against Corruption (Icac), which celebrates its 40th anniversary this year. Founded in 1974, the organisation helped clean up corruption in Hong Kong, and also provides the backdrop of a crime thriller, Z Storm, currently being produced by Hong Kong’s Pegasus Motion Pictures.
Wong’s Better Tomorrow is a 65-minute film that will be broadcast as part of Icac’s 2014 TV programming. Scripted by Cheung Fei-fan and starring Liu Kai-chi, Venus Wong and Eddie Law, it follows a university graduate who joins the Icac and finds herself stuck in a dull clerical position before she is transferred to a major corruption case.
Hkiff will also showcase a selection of Icac’s TV drama...
- 2/24/2014
- by lizshackleton@gmail.com (Liz Shackleton)
- ScreenDaily
The Hong Kong International Film Festival (Hkiff) will screen the world premiere of Adam Wong’s Icac Investigators 2014 - Better Tomorrow, which has Dante Lam on board as consultant director, on March 26.
The festival is collaborating for the first time with Hong Kong’s Independent Commission Against Corruption (Icac), which celebrates its 40th anniversary this year. Founded in 1974, the organisation helped clean up corruption in Hong Kong, and also provides the backdrop of a crime thriller, Z Storm, currently being produced by Hong Kong’s Pegasus Motion Pictures.
Wong’s Better Tomorrow is a 65-minute film that will be broadcast as part of Icac’s 2014 TV programming. Scripted by Cheung Fei-fan and starring Liu Kai-chi, Venus Wong and Eddie Law, it follows a university graduate who joins the Icac and finds herself stuck in a dull clerical position before she is transferred to a major corruption case.
Hkiff will also showcase a selection of Icac’s TV drama...
The festival is collaborating for the first time with Hong Kong’s Independent Commission Against Corruption (Icac), which celebrates its 40th anniversary this year. Founded in 1974, the organisation helped clean up corruption in Hong Kong, and also provides the backdrop of a crime thriller, Z Storm, currently being produced by Hong Kong’s Pegasus Motion Pictures.
Wong’s Better Tomorrow is a 65-minute film that will be broadcast as part of Icac’s 2014 TV programming. Scripted by Cheung Fei-fan and starring Liu Kai-chi, Venus Wong and Eddie Law, it follows a university graduate who joins the Icac and finds herself stuck in a dull clerical position before she is transferred to a major corruption case.
Hkiff will also showcase a selection of Icac’s TV drama...
- 2/24/2014
- by lizshackleton@gmail.com (Liz Shackleton)
- ScreenDaily
Asia was the big winner at the 64th Berlin Film Festival, taking home four Bears, including the Golden Bear for Best Film and Silver Bear for Best Actor (Liao Fan) for Diao Yinan’s Black Coal, Thin Ice (Bai Ri Yan Huo).Click here for full list of winners
Another of the three Chinese titles, Blind Massage, picked up the Silver Bear for Outstanding Achievement, which again went to a cinematographer, Zeng Jian. Last year had seen DoP Aziz Zhambakiyev receive the prize for his camerawork on Harmony Lessons.
At the ceremony on Saturday night, the Silver Bear for Best Actress was presented to Haru Kuroki for her performance in The Little House by veteran Japanese director Yoji Yamada.
There were a further six prizes or special mentions for films from Asia in the decisions of the Generation and independent juries (Fipresci and Netpac).
Black Coal, Thin Ice is the fourth Chinese film to win the Golden...
Another of the three Chinese titles, Blind Massage, picked up the Silver Bear for Outstanding Achievement, which again went to a cinematographer, Zeng Jian. Last year had seen DoP Aziz Zhambakiyev receive the prize for his camerawork on Harmony Lessons.
At the ceremony on Saturday night, the Silver Bear for Best Actress was presented to Haru Kuroki for her performance in The Little House by veteran Japanese director Yoji Yamada.
There were a further six prizes or special mentions for films from Asia in the decisions of the Generation and independent juries (Fipresci and Netpac).
Black Coal, Thin Ice is the fourth Chinese film to win the Golden...
- 2/16/2014
- by screen.berlin@googlemail.com (Martin Blaney)
- ScreenDaily
The 64th Berlinale ends today, and the awards have been announced!
In Competition
Golden Bear – Black Coal, Thin Ice, directed by Diao Yi'nan
Grand Jury Prize – The Grand Budapest Hotel, directed by Wes Anderson
Alfred Bauer Prize – Life of Riley, directed by Alain Resnais
Best Director – Richard Linklater, Boyhood
Best Actor – Liao Fan, Black Coal, Thin Ice
Best Actress – Haru Kuroki, The Little House
Best Screenplay – Anna Brüggemann & Dietrich Brüggemann, Stations of the Cross
Outstanding Artistic Contribution – Cinematographer Zeng Jian, Blind Massage
Teddy Awards
Best Feature Film – The Way He Looks, directed by Daniel Ribeiro
Jury Award – Pierrot Lunaire, directed by Bruce Labruce
Best Documentary – The Circle, directed by Stefan Haupt
Best First Feature
Best First Feature – Gueros, directed by Alonso Ruizpalacios
Fipresci
Fipresci Prize (Competition) – Life of Riley, directed by Alain Resnais
Fipresci Prize (Panorama) – The Way He Looks, directed by Daniel Ribeiro
Fipresci Prize (Forum) – Forma, directed by...
In Competition
Golden Bear – Black Coal, Thin Ice, directed by Diao Yi'nan
Grand Jury Prize – The Grand Budapest Hotel, directed by Wes Anderson
Alfred Bauer Prize – Life of Riley, directed by Alain Resnais
Best Director – Richard Linklater, Boyhood
Best Actor – Liao Fan, Black Coal, Thin Ice
Best Actress – Haru Kuroki, The Little House
Best Screenplay – Anna Brüggemann & Dietrich Brüggemann, Stations of the Cross
Outstanding Artistic Contribution – Cinematographer Zeng Jian, Blind Massage
Teddy Awards
Best Feature Film – The Way He Looks, directed by Daniel Ribeiro
Jury Award – Pierrot Lunaire, directed by Bruce Labruce
Best Documentary – The Circle, directed by Stefan Haupt
Best First Feature
Best First Feature – Gueros, directed by Alonso Ruizpalacios
Fipresci
Fipresci Prize (Competition) – Life of Riley, directed by Alain Resnais
Fipresci Prize (Panorama) – The Way He Looks, directed by Daniel Ribeiro
Fipresci Prize (Forum) – Forma, directed by...
- 2/16/2014
- by Notebook
- MUBI
Black Coal, Thin Ice - a mainland Chinese murder mystery from director Diao Yinan (Night Train) - has won the Golden Bear for best film at the Berlin International Film Festival, as well as the Silver Bear for Best Actor for Liao Fan. Richard Linklater was named Best Director for Boyhood, Wes Anderson's The Grand Budapest Hotel won the Grand Jury Prize, while Japanese actress Kuroki Haru was named Best Actress for her role in Yamada Yoji's The Little House.Other winners included Alain Resnais's Aimer, Boire, et Chanter which collected the Alfred Bauer prize, Dietrich & Anna Bruggemann's Stations of the Cross, while the Golden Bear for Best Short Film went to As Long As Shotguns Remain from Caroline Poggi and Jonathan Vinel.Full list of...
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- 2/16/2014
- Screen Anarchy
A few hours ago over at the Berlin Film Festival, the jury began giving out their annual awards for the fest. All of the prizes have now been given out, so I wanted to point them out to you all quickly. The top prize of the Golden Bear is the beg one of course, but sometimes the Silver Bear winners can be even more interesting. Especially if you already have an eye towards next year’s Oscar hopefuls, that’s certainly the case here. While the Chinese film noir Black Coal, Thin Ice won the Golden Bear, taking the Silver Bear Grand Jury Prix was Wes Anderson’s much anticipated The Grand Budapest Hotel. The other really notable prize was the Silver Bear for Best Director (basically their Best Director prize and arguably the second biggest award at the fest), which went to Richard Linklater for his ambitious work on the passion project Boyhood.
- 2/15/2014
- by Joey Magidson
- Hollywoodnews.com
★★★☆☆A faded postcard from a bygone era, Japanese director Yôji Yamada's The Little House (2014) drifted through this year's Berlinale Competition like cherry blossom on the breeze, surprisingly scooping the Best Actress Bear for lead Haru Kuroki. It's not that Kuroki's performance is poor, per se; it's just that so little about Yamada's latest is even vaguely memorable that nuanced performances such as these are swept up in the film's lapping waves of sentimentality and nostalgia. Old-fashioned to the extreme, so much of The Little House is gentle homage that there's barely enough to condone its festival presence.
- 2/15/2014
- by CineVue UK
- CineVue
Diao Yinan’s noir Black Coal, Thin Ice (Bai Ri Yan Huo) took the Golden Bear at the Berlin Film Festival in a triumphant night for Chinese cinema.
Accepting the award, Diao Yinan said: “It’s really hard to believe this dream has come true.”
The China-Hong Kong film also scooped the Silver Bear for best actor for Liao Fan, while cinematographer Zeng Jian earned a Silver Bear for outstanding artistic contribution for the China-France entry Blind Massage.
Wes Anderson’s festival opener The Grand Budapest Hotel finished runner-up in the Competition awards with the Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize.
The Silver Bear Alfred Bauer Prize went to Alain Resnais’ Life Of Riley (Aimer, Boire Et Chanter) and Richard Linklater scooped the Silver Bear for best director for Boyhood, winner of the Screen International jury.
Haru Kuroki won the Silver Bear for best actress for The Little House (Japan), while Dietrich and Anna Brüggemann earned the Silver...
Accepting the award, Diao Yinan said: “It’s really hard to believe this dream has come true.”
The China-Hong Kong film also scooped the Silver Bear for best actor for Liao Fan, while cinematographer Zeng Jian earned a Silver Bear for outstanding artistic contribution for the China-France entry Blind Massage.
Wes Anderson’s festival opener The Grand Budapest Hotel finished runner-up in the Competition awards with the Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize.
The Silver Bear Alfred Bauer Prize went to Alain Resnais’ Life Of Riley (Aimer, Boire Et Chanter) and Richard Linklater scooped the Silver Bear for best director for Boyhood, winner of the Screen International jury.
Haru Kuroki won the Silver Bear for best actress for The Little House (Japan), while Dietrich and Anna Brüggemann earned the Silver...
- 2/15/2014
- ScreenDaily
Golden Bear winner Black Coal, Thin Ice Photo: Courtesy Berlinale Chinese thriller Black Coal, Thin Ice has won the Golden Bear for best film at the 2014 Berlin Film Festival. Directed by Diao Yinan, the film also won the Silver Bear for Liao Fan, who stars in the film as an alcoholic detective.
Wes Anderson's The Grand Budapest Hotel - which will open Glasgow Film Festival on February 20 - won the Grand Jury Prize. Richard Linklater's Boyhood, which had been one of the buzz films of the festival won Richard Linklater the Silver Bear for Best Director.
The Silver Bear Alfred Bauer Prize - for a feature film that opens new perspectives - was given to Alain Resnais's adaptation of Alan Aykborn's play The Life Of Riley (Aimer, boire et chanter). The film was also named the Fipresci prize winner in the Competition section.
Haru Kuroki won the...
Wes Anderson's The Grand Budapest Hotel - which will open Glasgow Film Festival on February 20 - won the Grand Jury Prize. Richard Linklater's Boyhood, which had been one of the buzz films of the festival won Richard Linklater the Silver Bear for Best Director.
The Silver Bear Alfred Bauer Prize - for a feature film that opens new perspectives - was given to Alain Resnais's adaptation of Alan Aykborn's play The Life Of Riley (Aimer, boire et chanter). The film was also named the Fipresci prize winner in the Competition section.
Haru Kuroki won the...
- 2/15/2014
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Despite the fact the Berlin Film Festival is still ongoing, the award ceremony took place this evening to reward the films and their makers across a variety of categories. The most illustrious prize, the Golden Bear, was this year won by the Chinese production Black Coal, Thin Ice, an eccentric neo-noir directed by Diao Yinan. A surprising victor to say the least, the film has beaten the favourite Boyhood to take home the much coveted award. Although Richard Linklater was recognised in another category, winning the Silver Bear for Best Director. For the full list of winners, see below.
Golden Bear
Black Coal, Thin Ice (Diao Yinan)
Silver Bear Grand Jury Prix
The Grand Budapest Hotel (Wes Anderson)
Silver Bear for Best Director:
Richard Linklater (Boyhood)
Silver Bear Alfred Bauer Prize
Life of Riley (Alain Resnais)
Silver Bear for Best Actor
Liao Fan (Black Coal, Thin Ice)
Silver Bear for...
Golden Bear
Black Coal, Thin Ice (Diao Yinan)
Silver Bear Grand Jury Prix
The Grand Budapest Hotel (Wes Anderson)
Silver Bear for Best Director:
Richard Linklater (Boyhood)
Silver Bear Alfred Bauer Prize
Life of Riley (Alain Resnais)
Silver Bear for Best Actor
Liao Fan (Black Coal, Thin Ice)
Silver Bear for...
- 2/15/2014
- by Stefan Pape
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
The 64th Berlin Film Festival drew to a close tonight with its prestigious annual awards ceremony, rewarding the cream of this year's crop with the International Jury's highest accolades. Headed up by American producer extraordinaire James Schamus, and featuring American actress Greta Gerwig and French director Michel Gondry, the Jury presented the coveted Golden Bear (the festival's top honour) to Chinese director Diao Yinan's noir thriller Black Coal, Thin Ice, which also won Liao Fan the award for Best Actor. The Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize went to Wes Anderson's The Grand Budapest Hotel, whilst Richard Linklater won Best Director for Boyhood and Haru Kuroki Best Actress for Yoji Yamada's The Little House.
- 2/15/2014
- by CineVue UK
- CineVue
This year's Berlinale winners have just been announced at the Closing Night Gala. The members of the 2014 International Jury, James Schamus (President), Barbara Broccoli, Trine Dyrholm, Mitra Farahani, Greta Gerwig, Michel Gondry und Christoph Waltz, awarded the following prizes:
Golden Bear for Best Film
Qu Vivian, Wan Juan for
Bai Ri Yan Huo
(Black Coal, Thin Ice)
by Diao Yinan
Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize
The Grand Budapest Hotel
by Wes Anderson
Silver Bear Alfred Bauer Prize
For a feature film that opens new perspectives
Aimer, boire et chanter
(Life of Riley)
by Alain Resnais
Silver Bear for Best Director
Richard Linklater for
Boyhood
Silver Bear for Best Actress
Haru Kuroki in
Chiisai Ouchi
(The Little House)
by Yoji Yamada
Silver Bear for Best Actor
Liao Fan in
Bai Ri Yan Huo
(Black Coal, Thin Ice)
by Diao Yinan
Silver Bear for Best Script
Dietrich Brüggemann , Anna Brüggemann for
Kreuzweg
(Stations of the Cross)
by Dietrich Brüggemann
Silver Bear for Outstanding Artistic Contribution
Zeng Jian for the camera in
Tui Na
(Blind Massage)
by Lou Ye...
Golden Bear for Best Film
Qu Vivian, Wan Juan for
Bai Ri Yan Huo
(Black Coal, Thin Ice)
by Diao Yinan
Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize
The Grand Budapest Hotel
by Wes Anderson
Silver Bear Alfred Bauer Prize
For a feature film that opens new perspectives
Aimer, boire et chanter
(Life of Riley)
by Alain Resnais
Silver Bear for Best Director
Richard Linklater for
Boyhood
Silver Bear for Best Actress
Haru Kuroki in
Chiisai Ouchi
(The Little House)
by Yoji Yamada
Silver Bear for Best Actor
Liao Fan in
Bai Ri Yan Huo
(Black Coal, Thin Ice)
by Diao Yinan
Silver Bear for Best Script
Dietrich Brüggemann , Anna Brüggemann for
Kreuzweg
(Stations of the Cross)
by Dietrich Brüggemann
Silver Bear for Outstanding Artistic Contribution
Zeng Jian for the camera in
Tui Na
(Blind Massage)
by Lou Ye...
- 2/15/2014
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Though the annual Berlin Film Festival may have reached its 64th year, this year’s event is the very first HeyUGuys have had the distinct pleasure of covering. We can also proudly boast to having seen all 20 of this year’s films in Competition. So, with the award ceremony taking place tonight, to see which feature will take home the much coveted, prestigious Golden Bear, we’ve provided a run-down of all competing productions…
The Unmissable
The festival certainly got off to a good start, as the opening night film, The Grand Budapest Hotel, by American auteur Wes Anderson is one of the very best on offer. The quaint, whimsicality that alleviates the director’s work is matched on this occasion by a tender, emotional core to create one of his finest pieces yet. Polarising he may be, given his often contrived stylistic approach, but this seems to be a...
The Unmissable
The festival certainly got off to a good start, as the opening night film, The Grand Budapest Hotel, by American auteur Wes Anderson is one of the very best on offer. The quaint, whimsicality that alleviates the director’s work is matched on this occasion by a tender, emotional core to create one of his finest pieces yet. Polarising he may be, given his often contrived stylistic approach, but this seems to be a...
- 2/15/2014
- by Stefan Pape
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Tokyo -- Yoji Yamada's The Little House (Chisai Ouchi), has been selected to compete at next month's 64th Berlin International Film Festival, the ninth time the veteran director will have his work screened at the fest. Yamada, who is 82, told Japanese media after the announcement that he would try to make the trip to Berlin, but that long journeys are becoming more difficult for him. The Little House is based on Kyoko Nakajima's award-winning novel of the same name, published in 2010, which follows the life and loves of a family in Tokyo before and during World War
read more...
read more...
- 1/15/2014
- by Gavin J. Blair
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
High-profile titles, including the latest from Christophe Gans (Beauty and the Beast), Richard Linklater (Boyhood), Yamada Yoji (The Little House), and Hans Petter Moland (In Order of Disappearance) have been added to the lineup for the rapidly-approaching Berlin International Film Festival. Set to begin February 6 with the opening night presentations of Wes Anderson's The Grand Budapest Hotel and George Clooney's Monuments Men, the festival will feature 23 films in the competition section, of which 18 are world premieres. (Linklater's film will debut at Sundance.) Here are the latest additions to the lineup: Bai Ri Yan Huo (Black Coal, Thin Ice) China By Yinan Diao ("Night Train," "Uniform") With Fan Liao, Lun Mei Gwei, Xuebing Wang World premiere Boyhood (U.S.) By Richard Linklater ("Before Midnight,"...
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- 1/15/2014
- Screen Anarchy
Joining the titles already announced—including films by Alain Resnais and Dominik Graf—the following films complete the lineup for the 2014 Berlin International Film Festival's Competition section.
Bai Ri Yan Huo (Black Coal, Thin Ice)
People’s Republic of China
By Yinan Diao (Night Train, Uniform)
With Fan Liao, Lun Mei Gwei, Xuebing Wang
World premiere
Boyhood
USA
By Richard Linklater (Before Midnight, Me & Orson Welles)
With Patricia Arquette, Ethan Hawke, Ellar Coltrane, Lorelei Linklater
International premiere
Chiisai Ouchi (The Little House)
Japan
By Yoji Yamada (Tokyo Family, About Her Brother)
With Takako Matsu, Haru Kuroki, Hidetaka Yoshioka, Satoshi Tsumabuki, Chieko Baisho
International premiere
Historia del miedo (History of Fear)
Argentina / Uruguay / Germany / France
By Benjamin Naishtat - feature debut
With Jonathan Da Rosa, Claudia Cantero, Mirella Pascual, Cesar Bordon, Tatiana Gimenez
World premiere
Jack
Germany
By Edward Berger
With Ivo Pietzcker, Georg Arms, Luise Heyer, Vincent Redetzki, Jacob Matschenz,...
Bai Ri Yan Huo (Black Coal, Thin Ice)
People’s Republic of China
By Yinan Diao (Night Train, Uniform)
With Fan Liao, Lun Mei Gwei, Xuebing Wang
World premiere
Boyhood
USA
By Richard Linklater (Before Midnight, Me & Orson Welles)
With Patricia Arquette, Ethan Hawke, Ellar Coltrane, Lorelei Linklater
International premiere
Chiisai Ouchi (The Little House)
Japan
By Yoji Yamada (Tokyo Family, About Her Brother)
With Takako Matsu, Haru Kuroki, Hidetaka Yoshioka, Satoshi Tsumabuki, Chieko Baisho
International premiere
Historia del miedo (History of Fear)
Argentina / Uruguay / Germany / France
By Benjamin Naishtat - feature debut
With Jonathan Da Rosa, Claudia Cantero, Mirella Pascual, Cesar Bordon, Tatiana Gimenez
World premiere
Jack
Germany
By Edward Berger
With Ivo Pietzcker, Georg Arms, Luise Heyer, Vincent Redetzki, Jacob Matschenz,...
- 1/15/2014
- by Notebook
- MUBI
Richard Linklater’s Boyhood to compete for the Golden Bear; Beauty and the Beast, starring Vincent Cassel and Léa Seydoux, to play out of competition.
The 64th Berlin International Film Festival (Feb 6-16) has added 15 titles to its Competition programme, completing the line-up of 23 films - of which 20 will vye for the Golden Bear and Silver Bears.
The programme includes 18 world premieres and three feature debuts.
The line-up includes the international premiere of Boyhood, from Before Midnight director Richard Linklater. The film, which will premiere at Sundance, was shot over short periods from 2002 to 2013 and covers 12 years in the life of a family, featuring Mason and his sister Samantha. Patricia Arquette, Ethan Hawke, Ellar Coltrane, Lorelei Linklater star.
World premieres include In Order of Disappearance, directed by Hans Petter Moland, which stars Stellan Skarsgård as a snow plough driver whose son’s sudden death puts him in the middle of a drug war between theNorwegian mafia and the...
The 64th Berlin International Film Festival (Feb 6-16) has added 15 titles to its Competition programme, completing the line-up of 23 films - of which 20 will vye for the Golden Bear and Silver Bears.
The programme includes 18 world premieres and three feature debuts.
The line-up includes the international premiere of Boyhood, from Before Midnight director Richard Linklater. The film, which will premiere at Sundance, was shot over short periods from 2002 to 2013 and covers 12 years in the life of a family, featuring Mason and his sister Samantha. Patricia Arquette, Ethan Hawke, Ellar Coltrane, Lorelei Linklater star.
World premieres include In Order of Disappearance, directed by Hans Petter Moland, which stars Stellan Skarsgård as a snow plough driver whose son’s sudden death puts him in the middle of a drug war between theNorwegian mafia and the...
- 1/15/2014
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
In news that’s so bizarrely in line with two of my greatest cultural interests that it’s frankly eerie, Deadline Hollywood reports that Sony Pictures is currently in negotiations to launch a new Little House On The Prairie feature film that would be helmed by David Gordon Green. The outlet reports that the deal is not done yet, but that it’s currently being working towards. Which is awesome, because Little House On The Prairie is awesome and Laura Ingalls Wilder is so, so awesome that she ranks as both my first female heroine of literature and my favorite female heroine of literature. If you’re not familiar with the Ingalls family –well, first of all, what’s wrong with you? Second of all, they are wonderful. Wilder penned eight books about her life growing up in the 19th century American West, a series that was published between the years of 1932 and 1943. Wilder’s life was...
- 10/1/2012
- by Kate Erbland
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
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