Just when you thought that the style of Hk action movies is long since gone, here comes “Limbo” to prove the exact opposite, in a rather impressive title that seems to combine “Seven”, Kim Ki-duk’s “Pieta” and Johnnie To’s action aesthetics in the most artful way possible.
on Amazon by clicking on the image below
The film was initially reviewed back in 2021, when it premiered in Berlinale. However, now that one of the best movies of that year is getting a much awaited physical release in North America, we thought it was time to revisit the article.
Rookie, dandy-looking policeman Will Ren has his work cut out for him, since his first case is pursuing an obsessive and especially brutal murderer of women who has a fetish with cutting arms, and his partner is the almost ragtag, not-above-using-violence- to-get-what-he-wants, veteran cop Cham Lau. As Will soon realizes that his colleague,...
on Amazon by clicking on the image below
The film was initially reviewed back in 2021, when it premiered in Berlinale. However, now that one of the best movies of that year is getting a much awaited physical release in North America, we thought it was time to revisit the article.
Rookie, dandy-looking policeman Will Ren has his work cut out for him, since his first case is pursuing an obsessive and especially brutal murderer of women who has a fetish with cutting arms, and his partner is the almost ragtag, not-above-using-violence- to-get-what-he-wants, veteran cop Cham Lau. As Will soon realizes that his colleague,...
- 10/18/2023
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Dead Times, the project of Lee Buford (The Body) and Steven Vallot, have announced their self-titled debut album and shared the lead single “Psyche Surprises Love.”
Buford and Vallot both hail from an industrial/noise background, and Dead Times melds their particular brands of harshness into a singular unit. “Psyche Surprises Love” features discernible percussion — a sort of thwop-thwop in the distance — but the rest unfurls itself in a tapestry of chaos. Grinding noise builds to a climactic vocal crescendo courtesy of Buford, as screams of horror suddenly overwhelm the other textures.
The two musicians go way back, as it were, to their days when they shared a Providence, Rhode Island, DIY space called The Sickle in the late aughts. There, the two would start the short-lived Aum War imprint, releasing early records by The Body and Assembly of Light Choir (that have since become sought after artifacts for fans...
Buford and Vallot both hail from an industrial/noise background, and Dead Times melds their particular brands of harshness into a singular unit. “Psyche Surprises Love” features discernible percussion — a sort of thwop-thwop in the distance — but the rest unfurls itself in a tapestry of chaos. Grinding noise builds to a climactic vocal crescendo courtesy of Buford, as screams of horror suddenly overwhelm the other textures.
The two musicians go way back, as it were, to their days when they shared a Providence, Rhode Island, DIY space called The Sickle in the late aughts. There, the two would start the short-lived Aum War imprint, releasing early records by The Body and Assembly of Light Choir (that have since become sought after artifacts for fans...
- 8/22/2023
- by Jon Hadusek
- Consequence - Music
Sales agency LevelK has unveiled the first clip (below) for Selma Vilhunen’s “Four Little Adults,” set to bow at Intl. Film Festival Rotterdam and then Goteborg. The film sees a happily married couple faced with an affair and then trying to embrace it, welcoming the husband’s lover into their daily routine. And that’s just the beginning.
The film was produced by Tuffi Films and Aurora Films, with Hobab and Manny Films also on board. It stars Eero Milonoff (“Border”) and Alma Pöysti (“Tove”).
“All my life I have been wondering about monogamy. I guess I have been questioning my own choices, what they are based on and whether it’s really the right way to live,” the Finnish filmmaker says.
As the conversations around alternative relationships grew louder, Vilhunen also reached for “More Than Two: A Practical Guide to Ethical Polyamory” by Eve Rickert and Franklin Veaux.
The film was produced by Tuffi Films and Aurora Films, with Hobab and Manny Films also on board. It stars Eero Milonoff (“Border”) and Alma Pöysti (“Tove”).
“All my life I have been wondering about monogamy. I guess I have been questioning my own choices, what they are based on and whether it’s really the right way to live,” the Finnish filmmaker says.
As the conversations around alternative relationships grew louder, Vilhunen also reached for “More Than Two: A Practical Guide to Ethical Polyamory” by Eve Rickert and Franklin Veaux.
- 1/25/2023
- by Marta Balaga
- Variety Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
South Korean film organizations are heaping criticism on the Venice Film Festival in response to a decision to screen the final film of the late Korean auteur Kim Ki-duk despite the multiple sexual abuse allegations he was facing prior to his death.
Kim died from Covid-19-related complications in Latvia in 2020. He had lived his last years mostly abroad after a wave of sexual assault allegations against him during the height of Korea’s #MeToo movement tarnished his reputation at home. At the time of his death, the director was at work on what would be his final feature, an Estonia, Kyrgyzstan and Latvian project titled Call of God. The film was completed posthumously by Kim’s Estonia-based collaborator, filmmaker and producer Artur Veeber. The work will receive its world premiere in a coveted out-of-competition slot in Venice on Sept. 6.
In a statement to The Hollywood Reporter,...
South Korean film organizations are heaping criticism on the Venice Film Festival in response to a decision to screen the final film of the late Korean auteur Kim Ki-duk despite the multiple sexual abuse allegations he was facing prior to his death.
Kim died from Covid-19-related complications in Latvia in 2020. He had lived his last years mostly abroad after a wave of sexual assault allegations against him during the height of Korea’s #MeToo movement tarnished his reputation at home. At the time of his death, the director was at work on what would be his final feature, an Estonia, Kyrgyzstan and Latvian project titled Call of God. The film was completed posthumously by Kim’s Estonia-based collaborator, filmmaker and producer Artur Veeber. The work will receive its world premiere in a coveted out-of-competition slot in Venice on Sept. 6.
In a statement to The Hollywood Reporter,...
- 8/29/2022
- by Soomee Park and Patrick Brzeski
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
MollywoodThe film is directed by Lijin Jose who made movies like 'Friday' and 'Law Point' and is known for his documentary on Kg George.Tnm StaffAt the first glance, it looks like the picture of dying Jesus on the lap of Mother Mary, a portrayal modelled after Renaissance artist Michelangelo’s famous work Pieta. But on closer inspection, the face of the injured man on the lap becomes clearer and it is not from the painting. But the mother figure still looks sculpted. This is the first look poster of director Lijin Jose's new film Chera that he shared on his Facebook page on Saturday. The dark poster reveals that Nimisha Sajayan and Roshan Mathew will be playing the lead roles in the film. Perhaps the mention of Roshan makes the Jesus in the picture look like him – a head of thick hair, a bearded face and a thin body.
- 8/22/2021
- by Cris
- The News Minute
If you’re at all familiar with Korean revenge stories then you’ll know one thing is 99 out of 100 times an absolute certainty: that it will not end well for anyone involved. In the worlds of “The Vengeance Trilogy”, “I Am The Devil”, “A Bittersweet Life”, “The Villainess”, revenge is a merciless loop that always finds a way to complete its circuit, more often than not leaving a trail of death and broken souls in the process. This is what makes Korean revenge so endlessly interesting, watching filmmakers twist and play with the concept in ever-deeper, ever-visceral ways. With “Pieta”, Kim Ki-duk definitely takes influence from Park Chan-wook’s now-iconic bloody three-film revenge extravaganza, but also makes it his own by channeling the cross between disturbing and poetic that became somewhat of an expertise of his. His 18th film, “Pieta” was the first Korean film to take home the coveted...
- 4/20/2021
- by Luke Georgiades
- AsianMoviePulse
Korean independent rights firm, More In Group is using Hong Kong FilMart to launch inspirational drama film “My Lovely Angel.”
The film focuses on the developing relationship between a lonely man and a deaf-blind girl, and its backers say that the attention it gathers on release will be used to promote legislation in Korea to help deaf-blind people, a proposal that has already been nicknamed the ‘Helen Keller law’.
Filmed in October and November last year in a post-covid-lull, the film is recently completed. It is now targeting a premiere at Korea’s National Assembly and a May 2021 theatrical launch.
Working with a $3 million budget, “Angel” was co-directed by Lee Chang-won and Kwon Sung-mo, a music and shorts director who was awarded the Sonje prize at the Busan International Film Festival in 2018.
The main roles belong to Jin Goo, one of the stars of Bong Joon-ho’s “Mother” and hit...
The film focuses on the developing relationship between a lonely man and a deaf-blind girl, and its backers say that the attention it gathers on release will be used to promote legislation in Korea to help deaf-blind people, a proposal that has already been nicknamed the ‘Helen Keller law’.
Filmed in October and November last year in a post-covid-lull, the film is recently completed. It is now targeting a premiere at Korea’s National Assembly and a May 2021 theatrical launch.
Working with a $3 million budget, “Angel” was co-directed by Lee Chang-won and Kwon Sung-mo, a music and shorts director who was awarded the Sonje prize at the Busan International Film Festival in 2018.
The main roles belong to Jin Goo, one of the stars of Bong Joon-ho’s “Mother” and hit...
- 3/16/2021
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
As the majority of the Asian films in the program of Berlinale seem to follow an experimental path, finding a pure genre movie seems like an oasis, even if, even in this case, the black-and-white is still present. “Limbo” however, is not only an exception, but also a rather impressive title that seems to combine “Seven”, Kim Ki-duk’s “Pieta” and Johnnie To’s action aesthetics in the most artful way possible.
Limbo is screening on Berlinale
Rookie, dandy-looking policeman Will Ren has his work cut out for him, since his first case is pursuing an obsessive and especially brutal murderer of women who has a fetish with cutting arms, and his partner is the almost ragtag, not-above-using-violence- to-get-what-he-wants, veteran cop Cham Lau. As Will soon realizes that his colleague, contrary to him, enjoys the respect of their colleagues, he also finds out that he has an agenda with car thief Wong To,...
Limbo is screening on Berlinale
Rookie, dandy-looking policeman Will Ren has his work cut out for him, since his first case is pursuing an obsessive and especially brutal murderer of women who has a fetish with cutting arms, and his partner is the almost ragtag, not-above-using-violence- to-get-what-he-wants, veteran cop Cham Lau. As Will soon realizes that his colleague, contrary to him, enjoys the respect of their colleagues, he also finds out that he has an agenda with car thief Wong To,...
- 3/5/2021
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Leading South Korean film sales firm Finecut has boarded “Toxic,” a fact-based drama-thriller about a mysterious outbreak that killed thousands. The firm, which is also representing Hong Sang-soo’s Berlin competition title “Introduction,” will unveil the new title to buyers at next month’s European Film Market.
The film is the dramatization of events between 1994 and 2011 in which at least 1,600, and possibly as many as 14,000, people in Korea died. Consumer goods companies including the U.K.’s Reckitt-Benckiser sold tens of millions of humidifier-disinfectants for everyday use. Some included medicinal claims such as the suggestion that they would be good for people suffering from the common cold. Instead, with possible government complicity, the products skipped proper testing and were later found to contain chemicals that caused irreversible lung damage.
The film centers on an ER doctor whose wife may have lost her life because of the product. Along with other victims,...
The film is the dramatization of events between 1994 and 2011 in which at least 1,600, and possibly as many as 14,000, people in Korea died. Consumer goods companies including the U.K.’s Reckitt-Benckiser sold tens of millions of humidifier-disinfectants for everyday use. Some included medicinal claims such as the suggestion that they would be good for people suffering from the common cold. Instead, with possible government complicity, the products skipped proper testing and were later found to contain chemicals that caused irreversible lung damage.
The film centers on an ER doctor whose wife may have lost her life because of the product. Along with other victims,...
- 2/19/2021
- Variety Film + TV
The director, who faced accusations of sexual misconduct, died while being treated in Latvia
Controversial South Korean film-maker Kim Ki-duk has died aged 59 in a Latvian hospital, where he was being treated for Covid-19. The news was initially reported by Vitaly Mansky, director of Latvia’s Artdocfest film festival, and later confirmed by Kim’s family in the Korean media. Kim was understood to be developing a film project set in the Baltic region when he became ill.
Born in 1960, Kim made his name with a series of violent yet aesthetically challenging features, including The Isle (2000) and Bad Guy (2001) – the former of which was sanctioned by the British Board of Film Classification for animal cruelty. Subsequently he became a fixture on the international festival circuit with films such as Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter ... and Spring (2003) and 3-Iron (2004), and he would go on to win the Golden Lion at Venice with his 2012 film Pieta,...
Controversial South Korean film-maker Kim Ki-duk has died aged 59 in a Latvian hospital, where he was being treated for Covid-19. The news was initially reported by Vitaly Mansky, director of Latvia’s Artdocfest film festival, and later confirmed by Kim’s family in the Korean media. Kim was understood to be developing a film project set in the Baltic region when he became ill.
Born in 1960, Kim made his name with a series of violent yet aesthetically challenging features, including The Isle (2000) and Bad Guy (2001) – the former of which was sanctioned by the British Board of Film Classification for animal cruelty. Subsequently he became a fixture on the international festival circuit with films such as Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter ... and Spring (2003) and 3-Iron (2004), and he would go on to win the Golden Lion at Venice with his 2012 film Pieta,...
- 12/11/2020
- by Guardian film
- The Guardian - Film News
Award-winning South Korean director Kim Ki-duk has died in Latvia after contracting the coronavirus, according to the Associated Press. He was 59.
The death of the filmmaker, who won the top prize at 2012 Venice Film Festival with his movie “Pieta,” was first confirmed by Vitaly Mansky, president of an international doc film festival in Riga, and later “indirectly” by the Foreign Ministry in Seoul, which revealed a “South Korean male in his 50s died while being treated for Covid-19 at a hospital in Latvia during the early hours of Dec. 11 local time,” according to the AP.
Kim traveled to Latvia on Nov. 20 to buy a house near Riga and apply for a residence permit.
Among Kim’s other notable honors were a prize for his movie “Arirang” at the 2011 Cannes film festival and best-director awards for his work shown at other film festivals in Berlin and Venice.
Following his 2012 win at Venice,...
The death of the filmmaker, who won the top prize at 2012 Venice Film Festival with his movie “Pieta,” was first confirmed by Vitaly Mansky, president of an international doc film festival in Riga, and later “indirectly” by the Foreign Ministry in Seoul, which revealed a “South Korean male in his 50s died while being treated for Covid-19 at a hospital in Latvia during the early hours of Dec. 11 local time,” according to the AP.
Kim traveled to Latvia on Nov. 20 to buy a house near Riga and apply for a residence permit.
Among Kim’s other notable honors were a prize for his movie “Arirang” at the 2011 Cannes film festival and best-director awards for his work shown at other film festivals in Berlin and Venice.
Following his 2012 win at Venice,...
- 12/11/2020
- by Jennifer Maas
- The Wrap
Award-winning filmmaker died in Latvia, according to reports.
South Korean filmmaker Kim Ki-duk has died in Latvia aged 59 after contracting Covid-19, according to reports.
The award-winning director had travelled to the Baltic country last month and intended to buy a house near the capital, Riga, according to local media. He reportedly died this morning (December 11) from Covid-19 complications.
Kim’s death was confirmed to local outlet Delfi.lv by ArtDocFest/Riga director Vitaly Mansky and his interpreter, Daria Krutova.
The Estonian Film Institute confirmed to Screen that Kim intended to shoot a new feature in the country titled Rain, Snow,...
South Korean filmmaker Kim Ki-duk has died in Latvia aged 59 after contracting Covid-19, according to reports.
The award-winning director had travelled to the Baltic country last month and intended to buy a house near the capital, Riga, according to local media. He reportedly died this morning (December 11) from Covid-19 complications.
Kim’s death was confirmed to local outlet Delfi.lv by ArtDocFest/Riga director Vitaly Mansky and his interpreter, Daria Krutova.
The Estonian Film Institute confirmed to Screen that Kim intended to shoot a new feature in the country titled Rain, Snow,...
- 12/11/2020
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
South Korean filmmaker Kim Ki-duk has died from complications arising from Covid-19 while in Latvia, according to local sources. He was 59.
The filmmaker died in the early hours this morning local time at a Latvian hospital, where he was being treated for coronavirus. He is understood to have traveled to the Baltic country with the intention of buying a house in order to obtain a residency permit. The news was confirmed by Vitaly Mansky, the Russian documentary filmmaker who lives in Latvia and runs the local ArtDocFest, and the Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been quoted as confirming the director’s death in Korean media reports.
Born on December 20, 1960, in Bonghwa, South Korea, Kim established himself as a director of high-end, often dark and controversial art house cinema that made waves on the international festival circuit. He also had controversies in his personal life and was accused of sexual...
The filmmaker died in the early hours this morning local time at a Latvian hospital, where he was being treated for coronavirus. He is understood to have traveled to the Baltic country with the intention of buying a house in order to obtain a residency permit. The news was confirmed by Vitaly Mansky, the Russian documentary filmmaker who lives in Latvia and runs the local ArtDocFest, and the Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been quoted as confirming the director’s death in Korean media reports.
Born on December 20, 1960, in Bonghwa, South Korea, Kim established himself as a director of high-end, often dark and controversial art house cinema that made waves on the international festival circuit. He also had controversies in his personal life and was accused of sexual...
- 12/11/2020
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
As we have witnessed extensively during the last few years in (Asian) festivals around the world, the Japanese indie movie industry is filled with films of quality, despite the lack of significant funding. However, as family dramas have always been one of the main “cells” of the industry and Hirokazu Koreeda has come to be its “most” renowned voice in the rest of the world, his style has dominated the field significantly, to the point that there is an increasingly number of movies that look very much alike, both in terms of story and presentation. Ryo Katayama’s debut feature film, despite being also of the category, is a distinct effort to stray away from the aforementioned form, by following a different path that shares some similarities with “Destruction Babies” and a setting much reminiscent of “Ken and Kazu” (or Kim Ki-duk’s “Pieta” one could say).
Roar is screening...
Roar is screening...
- 7/23/2020
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Crocodile is a pseudonym for an ill tempered and violent homeless man who makes his living off of robbing corpses, peddling and running street scams. He lives with two other destitute’s, a young boy named Yang-byul, who helps him with some of his work, and an elderly can collector they refer to as Grandfather.
Their lives change when Crocodile chooses to rescue a young female named Hyun-jung, after a botched suicide attempt. Hyun-jung, unwilling to return to her previous life, ends up living with the three, playing the role of a submissive partner to Crocodile, while the other two constantly try to protect her and keep her in high spirits. As more information comes up about her past the three get involved in different and ultimately tragic ways. Throughout the story, we also learn the devious behaviors of Crocodile, getting himself involved with shady individuals and almost always coming up short.
Their lives change when Crocodile chooses to rescue a young female named Hyun-jung, after a botched suicide attempt. Hyun-jung, unwilling to return to her previous life, ends up living with the three, playing the role of a submissive partner to Crocodile, while the other two constantly try to protect her and keep her in high spirits. As more information comes up about her past the three get involved in different and ultimately tragic ways. Throughout the story, we also learn the devious behaviors of Crocodile, getting himself involved with shady individuals and almost always coming up short.
- 5/4/2020
- by Adam Symchuk
- AsianMoviePulse
Indian director Aneek Chaudhri has completed production on his most recent production “Cactus”. Shot in black and white, the film contains two extended takes that represent different eras (B.C and A.D.). The film was inspired by Michalango’s iconic sculpture “Pieta”.
“Cactus” will be making it’s international debut this year. A trailer for the film has been released by Mon Avis Entertainment and can be viewed below.
Synopsis
Cactus is a film by Aneek Chaudhuri, whose last films The Wife’s Letter and White were screened and nominated worldwide. An award-winning filmmaker, Aneek comments on the life of Jesus Christ, Mother Mary and the artform of Pieta by Michelangelo. (Mon Avis)...
“Cactus” will be making it’s international debut this year. A trailer for the film has been released by Mon Avis Entertainment and can be viewed below.
Synopsis
Cactus is a film by Aneek Chaudhuri, whose last films The Wife’s Letter and White were screened and nominated worldwide. An award-winning filmmaker, Aneek comments on the life of Jesus Christ, Mother Mary and the artform of Pieta by Michelangelo. (Mon Avis)...
- 2/20/2019
- by Adam Symchuk
- AsianMoviePulse
South Korean independent sales house, Finecut has picked up international sales rights to “The Witch: Part 1. The Subversion.”
Warner Bros. Korea’s fifth local language production, “The Witch” is directed by Park Hoon-jung, who is best known for his 2013 crime drama “New World.” Finecut previously distributed Park’s two other films, “New World,” and “V.I.P.”
The revenge thriller with supernatural elements revolves around a school-girl-turned-tv-star who lost her memory when she broke out of a government facility ten years previously.
Starring Kim Da-mi in the heroine role along with high profile talents including Cho Min-soo (“Pieta”), Park Hee-soon (“The Age of Shadows”) and Choi Woo-shik (“Okja”), the film is set for a Jun. 27 release in South Korea and will receive an international premiere at the Fantasia International Film Festival in its competition section.
Warner Bros. Korea’s fifth local language production, “The Witch” is directed by Park Hoon-jung, who is best known for his 2013 crime drama “New World.” Finecut previously distributed Park’s two other films, “New World,” and “V.I.P.”
The revenge thriller with supernatural elements revolves around a school-girl-turned-tv-star who lost her memory when she broke out of a government facility ten years previously.
Starring Kim Da-mi in the heroine role along with high profile talents including Cho Min-soo (“Pieta”), Park Hee-soon (“The Age of Shadows”) and Choi Woo-shik (“Okja”), the film is set for a Jun. 27 release in South Korea and will receive an international premiere at the Fantasia International Film Festival in its competition section.
- 6/28/2018
- by Sonia Kil
- Variety Film + TV
Acclaimed South Korean director Kim Ki-duk, whose films have played at Cannes, Berlin and Venice, has been accused of rape and sexual harassment. The harassment allegations were made by three actresses, speaking anonymously, during a #MeToo-themed documentary by the investigative journalism programme Pd Notebook which aired last night on Korean TV. Among accusers of the former Venice Golden Lion winner (Pieta, 2012) was one actress who expanded on a previously made claim…...
- 3/7/2018
- Deadline
Premiering in Cartagena Film Festival 2014 and then going to the filmmakers’ hometown, New York City, where " Manos Sucias" ("Dirty Hands") won Tribeca Film Festival’s Best New Narrative Director Award and 2nd place Audience Award, this film has not yet closed Us distribution, but has been acquired internationally by some of the best distributors.
In Cannes, Marina de la Fuentes’ international sales agency, 6 Sales, sold it to Paris-based Pretty Pictures who acquired not only France – its usual home territory – but also Germany, Austria, Benelux and Switzerland. James Velaise of Pretty Pictures screened the film at Tribeca and “immediately fell madly in love with it,” he said.
“It came totally out of the blue, we were mesmerized by the filmmaking. As a first-time film 'Manos Sucias' is outstanding, as good as anything we’ve seen coming out of Latin America in a long time,” said Velaise.
Shot on location in Colombia, using local actors who speak the patois of Buenaventura, "Manos Sucias" reflects years of painstaking research by Josef Wladyka.
“What is fascinating is that the filmmaker spent five years in Buenaventura learning what was going on there and building up the trust of people. The average filmmaker would never take the time to do that. You feel that in the film: There a sense of genuineness which you don’t get in 99% of indie films today,” said Velaise.
At the same time, 'Manos Sucias' is “incredibly tight: On paper, it has some breakout potential to it, because it is a thriller, ” he added.
Pretty Pictures will now seek to sell the film on to distributors in the other four territories, all significant distributors for arthouse films. Velaise reasons that companies exist in these territories that often buy the same films as Pretty Pictures, and share similar tastes. (e.g., "La Jaula de Oro", premiered in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard 2013 and was acquired by Belgium-Fourcorners Distribution, France-Pretty Pictures, Germany-Films Boutique, Hong Kong (China)-Encore Inflight Limited, Hungary-Cirko Film Kft., Italy-Parthenos S.R.L., Mexico-Canibal Networks, Netherlands-Wild Bunch Benelux, Norway-As Fidalgo Film Distribution, Poland-Art House, Puerto Rico-Wiesner Distribution, Switzerland-Xenix Filmdistribution Gmbh, Taiwan-Maison Motion, Inc., U.K.- Peccadillo Pictures or "Love is Strange" by Ira Sachs premiered at Sundance 2014 and was acquired by U.S.-Sony Pictures Classics, Australia-Rialto Distribution (Australia), Canada-Métropole Films Distribution, Canada-Mongrel Media Inc., France-Pretty Pictures, Italy-Koch Media, Mexico-Cinemas Nueva Era, Portugal-Midas Filmes, Spain-Golem Distribución, Switzerland-Xenix Filmdistribution Gmbh, Turkey-Kurmaca Film, U.K.- Altitude Film Sales). These distributors are all likely candidates to acquire rights to "Manos Sucias" as well.
U.S. rights to "Manos Sucias" are handled by Wme Global’s Mark Ankner and Christine D’Souza. Distributors seeking to win over the booming Latino audience, and who have an affinity for gritty, action-packed, arthouse thrillers, or any of Pretty Pictures’ recent acquisitions (see below) owe it to themselves to check out this film.
This pioneering U.S.- Colombia production was the debut feature by writer-director, Josef Kubota Wladyka and co-writer-dp Alan Blanco. It was produced by Elena Greenlee, Márcia Nunes, Mirlanda Torres Zapata and Carolina Caicedo and exec-produced by U.S. Film Director Spike Lee.
"Manos Sucias" follows two estranged brothers, both Afro-Colombian fishermen, who embark on a fishing-boat from Buenaventura, Colombia’s biggest Pacific Coast port and a violent drug trade emporium. Their mission is to tow underwater a “narco-torpedo” packed with 100 kilos of cocaine to Panama. En route, they must circumnavigate marauding paramilitaries and impoverished villagers eager for their cargo.
In Cartagena, I interviewed the director, Dp, and producers. Josef Wladyka is a U.S. citizen who is the son of a Japanese mother and a Polish father. He received the Spike Lee Fellowship while attending the Tisch School of the Arts at Nyu.
Josef:
You could say this is a drug story, but you should know it is much more than that. In a fisherman’s village the Afro Colombians are confronted with drug traffic taking place on their ancestral beaches where they have lived for generations.
Before I started Grad Film School at Nyu, I spent several months backpacking with a close friend in South America. We traveled along the Pacific coast of Ecuador and Colombia, and went through these towns that were under siege by narco-trafficking. The locals would tell us stories about homemade submarines, narco-torpedoes, and different armed groups that would fight to control these areas. I became very interested in the subject and wanted to immerse myself more in the world. With the help of a friend from the region, I went back several times to Buenaventura, Tumaco, and other parts of the Pacific coast of Colombia to continue researching and collecting stories.
I also got permission to go to Malaga Naval Base where I saw confiscated narco-torpedoes and submarines first hand. I always had a camera with me and shot lots of footage during my travels. I used that footage to make a pitch video for raising money from Kickstarter and private equity.
The film is an official Colombian production, recognized by the Ley de Cine (The Cinema Law). It is a 50-50 coproduction with Colombian producers Carolina Caicedo and Mirlanda Zapata. With our U.S. producers, Márcia Nunes and Elena Greenlee, that makes four female producers on this film.
Cine Colombia , Colombia’s largest distributor and theater owner, one of the Cartagena Film Festival sponsors as well, invested in the film, as did Caracol, one of Colombia’s top two broadcasters.
Márcia knew Cine Colombia from her previous life in international sales with Goldcrest. Elena, Alan and I scouted in October 2012, one week in Bogotá and through Proimagenes we met many possible co-producers and visited locations. We chose young producers who were hungry for their first film; they were not rigid.
The U.S. producers wanted to do the film U.S. indie style, not in the usual Colombian style. We shot it in Buenaventura, Colombia’s largest port, which has been hit very hard by narco traffickers and violence.
This was the first feature for everyone. Except for Márcia, who got her Masters of Film Business at Gallatin School of Nyu, the others all got their MFAs from Tisch, though some graduated two years ago and others four years ago.
How we, as foreigners, were able to make this film, opening up delicate, sensitive and violent stories, was based on my having no assumptions. And our own cross-cultural backgrounds helped.
We had a great premiere in Cartagena. The festival permits people to see films for free and we were able to test the Colombian audience’s reaction. The film explores the international issue of drug trafficking and the social-exclusion of the Afro-Colombian community on the coast from the mainstream economy in Colombia. The film is genre bending; it is not too arty and is not fully a genre movie. The audience of 800 to 1,000 Colombians laughed and cried, even danced in their seats. Three of the actors also saw the film for the first time, as did the crew. When the actors came up for the Q & A they received a standing ovation from the crowd. It was a beautiful moment.
We offered free audiovisual workshops for the community before we shot the film, and found many of our actors and crewmembers through that process. We used Kickstarter to raise Us $60,000 to greenlight production and fund our community workshops in Buenaventura.
Film Independent bestowed the Canon Filmmaker Award upon the film’s two producers, who are also Film Independent Producing Fellows. The Canon Filmmaker Award Program is a program for Film Independent Fellows, alumni of the Los Angeles Film Festival and Spirit Awards Nominees and Winners. Producers Elena Greenlee and Márcia Nunes who had participated in the Find Producing Lab with the project were awarded with the loan of a Canon camera package for their production. Further support was granted by the San Francisco Film Society, who, together with the Kenneth Rainin Foundation, awarded the film with two grants, one during the production phase, and one during post-production.
Jennifer Kushner, Director of Artist Development at Film Independent spoke with Elena and Márcia in those early days about Manos Sucias and its upcoming shoot, and here’s what they had to say then:
Manos Sucias, Canon Filmmaker Award Winner Round 2
"The social exclusion of the Pacific coast — home to much of the Afro-Colombian population — is felt throughout the country, echoed in the sentiment that Colombia “doesn’t really have a black population.” While popular culture glamorizes cocaine “cowboys,” and the Us takes a tough stance in the “war on drugs,” few people acknowledge the oppression and resilience of these citizens.
Our goal is for the film to inspire change in our audience, and in the region. We want audiences to realize that people like Jacobo and Delio are not perpetuating the drug trade, they are trapped in it; and to reflect on the impact their personal choices have on the situation.”
“When Josef and Alan brought us the script in early 2012, we immediately fell in love with it. The characters jumped off the page, and we couldn’t stop thinking about it.”
Pretty Pictures roster of films illustrates their exceptional taste in films:
"The Dark Valley" ("Das Finstere Tal") By Andreas Prochaska (Acquired From Films Distribution In Feb 2014)
"Dancing In Jaffa" By Hilla Medalia (Acquired From K5 International In Apr 2013)
"Omar" By Hany Abu-Assad (Acquired From The Match Factory In Feb 2013)
"The Look Of Love" By Winterbottom Michael (Acquired From Studiocanal In Aug 2012)
"Pieta" By Ki-Duk Kim (Acquired From Finecut Co. Ltd. In Aug 2012)
"Wadjda" By Haifa Al-Mansour (Acquired From The Match Factory In May 2012)
"The Hunt" ("Jagten") By Thomas Vinterberg (Acquired From Trust In Apr 2012)
"Marina Abramovic: The Artist Is Present" By Matthew Akers (Acquired From Dogwoof In Feb 2012)...
In Cannes, Marina de la Fuentes’ international sales agency, 6 Sales, sold it to Paris-based Pretty Pictures who acquired not only France – its usual home territory – but also Germany, Austria, Benelux and Switzerland. James Velaise of Pretty Pictures screened the film at Tribeca and “immediately fell madly in love with it,” he said.
“It came totally out of the blue, we were mesmerized by the filmmaking. As a first-time film 'Manos Sucias' is outstanding, as good as anything we’ve seen coming out of Latin America in a long time,” said Velaise.
Shot on location in Colombia, using local actors who speak the patois of Buenaventura, "Manos Sucias" reflects years of painstaking research by Josef Wladyka.
“What is fascinating is that the filmmaker spent five years in Buenaventura learning what was going on there and building up the trust of people. The average filmmaker would never take the time to do that. You feel that in the film: There a sense of genuineness which you don’t get in 99% of indie films today,” said Velaise.
At the same time, 'Manos Sucias' is “incredibly tight: On paper, it has some breakout potential to it, because it is a thriller, ” he added.
Pretty Pictures will now seek to sell the film on to distributors in the other four territories, all significant distributors for arthouse films. Velaise reasons that companies exist in these territories that often buy the same films as Pretty Pictures, and share similar tastes. (e.g., "La Jaula de Oro", premiered in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard 2013 and was acquired by Belgium-Fourcorners Distribution, France-Pretty Pictures, Germany-Films Boutique, Hong Kong (China)-Encore Inflight Limited, Hungary-Cirko Film Kft., Italy-Parthenos S.R.L., Mexico-Canibal Networks, Netherlands-Wild Bunch Benelux, Norway-As Fidalgo Film Distribution, Poland-Art House, Puerto Rico-Wiesner Distribution, Switzerland-Xenix Filmdistribution Gmbh, Taiwan-Maison Motion, Inc., U.K.- Peccadillo Pictures or "Love is Strange" by Ira Sachs premiered at Sundance 2014 and was acquired by U.S.-Sony Pictures Classics, Australia-Rialto Distribution (Australia), Canada-Métropole Films Distribution, Canada-Mongrel Media Inc., France-Pretty Pictures, Italy-Koch Media, Mexico-Cinemas Nueva Era, Portugal-Midas Filmes, Spain-Golem Distribución, Switzerland-Xenix Filmdistribution Gmbh, Turkey-Kurmaca Film, U.K.- Altitude Film Sales). These distributors are all likely candidates to acquire rights to "Manos Sucias" as well.
U.S. rights to "Manos Sucias" are handled by Wme Global’s Mark Ankner and Christine D’Souza. Distributors seeking to win over the booming Latino audience, and who have an affinity for gritty, action-packed, arthouse thrillers, or any of Pretty Pictures’ recent acquisitions (see below) owe it to themselves to check out this film.
This pioneering U.S.- Colombia production was the debut feature by writer-director, Josef Kubota Wladyka and co-writer-dp Alan Blanco. It was produced by Elena Greenlee, Márcia Nunes, Mirlanda Torres Zapata and Carolina Caicedo and exec-produced by U.S. Film Director Spike Lee.
"Manos Sucias" follows two estranged brothers, both Afro-Colombian fishermen, who embark on a fishing-boat from Buenaventura, Colombia’s biggest Pacific Coast port and a violent drug trade emporium. Their mission is to tow underwater a “narco-torpedo” packed with 100 kilos of cocaine to Panama. En route, they must circumnavigate marauding paramilitaries and impoverished villagers eager for their cargo.
In Cartagena, I interviewed the director, Dp, and producers. Josef Wladyka is a U.S. citizen who is the son of a Japanese mother and a Polish father. He received the Spike Lee Fellowship while attending the Tisch School of the Arts at Nyu.
Josef:
You could say this is a drug story, but you should know it is much more than that. In a fisherman’s village the Afro Colombians are confronted with drug traffic taking place on their ancestral beaches where they have lived for generations.
Before I started Grad Film School at Nyu, I spent several months backpacking with a close friend in South America. We traveled along the Pacific coast of Ecuador and Colombia, and went through these towns that were under siege by narco-trafficking. The locals would tell us stories about homemade submarines, narco-torpedoes, and different armed groups that would fight to control these areas. I became very interested in the subject and wanted to immerse myself more in the world. With the help of a friend from the region, I went back several times to Buenaventura, Tumaco, and other parts of the Pacific coast of Colombia to continue researching and collecting stories.
I also got permission to go to Malaga Naval Base where I saw confiscated narco-torpedoes and submarines first hand. I always had a camera with me and shot lots of footage during my travels. I used that footage to make a pitch video for raising money from Kickstarter and private equity.
The film is an official Colombian production, recognized by the Ley de Cine (The Cinema Law). It is a 50-50 coproduction with Colombian producers Carolina Caicedo and Mirlanda Zapata. With our U.S. producers, Márcia Nunes and Elena Greenlee, that makes four female producers on this film.
Cine Colombia , Colombia’s largest distributor and theater owner, one of the Cartagena Film Festival sponsors as well, invested in the film, as did Caracol, one of Colombia’s top two broadcasters.
Márcia knew Cine Colombia from her previous life in international sales with Goldcrest. Elena, Alan and I scouted in October 2012, one week in Bogotá and through Proimagenes we met many possible co-producers and visited locations. We chose young producers who were hungry for their first film; they were not rigid.
The U.S. producers wanted to do the film U.S. indie style, not in the usual Colombian style. We shot it in Buenaventura, Colombia’s largest port, which has been hit very hard by narco traffickers and violence.
This was the first feature for everyone. Except for Márcia, who got her Masters of Film Business at Gallatin School of Nyu, the others all got their MFAs from Tisch, though some graduated two years ago and others four years ago.
How we, as foreigners, were able to make this film, opening up delicate, sensitive and violent stories, was based on my having no assumptions. And our own cross-cultural backgrounds helped.
We had a great premiere in Cartagena. The festival permits people to see films for free and we were able to test the Colombian audience’s reaction. The film explores the international issue of drug trafficking and the social-exclusion of the Afro-Colombian community on the coast from the mainstream economy in Colombia. The film is genre bending; it is not too arty and is not fully a genre movie. The audience of 800 to 1,000 Colombians laughed and cried, even danced in their seats. Three of the actors also saw the film for the first time, as did the crew. When the actors came up for the Q & A they received a standing ovation from the crowd. It was a beautiful moment.
We offered free audiovisual workshops for the community before we shot the film, and found many of our actors and crewmembers through that process. We used Kickstarter to raise Us $60,000 to greenlight production and fund our community workshops in Buenaventura.
Film Independent bestowed the Canon Filmmaker Award upon the film’s two producers, who are also Film Independent Producing Fellows. The Canon Filmmaker Award Program is a program for Film Independent Fellows, alumni of the Los Angeles Film Festival and Spirit Awards Nominees and Winners. Producers Elena Greenlee and Márcia Nunes who had participated in the Find Producing Lab with the project were awarded with the loan of a Canon camera package for their production. Further support was granted by the San Francisco Film Society, who, together with the Kenneth Rainin Foundation, awarded the film with two grants, one during the production phase, and one during post-production.
Jennifer Kushner, Director of Artist Development at Film Independent spoke with Elena and Márcia in those early days about Manos Sucias and its upcoming shoot, and here’s what they had to say then:
Manos Sucias, Canon Filmmaker Award Winner Round 2
"The social exclusion of the Pacific coast — home to much of the Afro-Colombian population — is felt throughout the country, echoed in the sentiment that Colombia “doesn’t really have a black population.” While popular culture glamorizes cocaine “cowboys,” and the Us takes a tough stance in the “war on drugs,” few people acknowledge the oppression and resilience of these citizens.
Our goal is for the film to inspire change in our audience, and in the region. We want audiences to realize that people like Jacobo and Delio are not perpetuating the drug trade, they are trapped in it; and to reflect on the impact their personal choices have on the situation.”
“When Josef and Alan brought us the script in early 2012, we immediately fell in love with it. The characters jumped off the page, and we couldn’t stop thinking about it.”
Pretty Pictures roster of films illustrates their exceptional taste in films:
"The Dark Valley" ("Das Finstere Tal") By Andreas Prochaska (Acquired From Films Distribution In Feb 2014)
"Dancing In Jaffa" By Hilla Medalia (Acquired From K5 International In Apr 2013)
"Omar" By Hany Abu-Assad (Acquired From The Match Factory In Feb 2013)
"The Look Of Love" By Winterbottom Michael (Acquired From Studiocanal In Aug 2012)
"Pieta" By Ki-Duk Kim (Acquired From Finecut Co. Ltd. In Aug 2012)
"Wadjda" By Haifa Al-Mansour (Acquired From The Match Factory In May 2012)
"The Hunt" ("Jagten") By Thomas Vinterberg (Acquired From Trust In Apr 2012)
"Marina Abramovic: The Artist Is Present" By Matthew Akers (Acquired From Dogwoof In Feb 2012)...
- 7/18/2014
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
The Great Beauty | About Time | Riddick | Ain't Them Bodies Saints | Museum Hours | Pieta | The Stuart Hall Project | The Great Hip Hop Hoax | No One Lives | More Than Honey | Jadoo | Any Day Now
The Great Beauty (15)
(Paolo Sorrentino, 2013, Ita/Fra) Toni Servillo, Carlo Verdone, Sabrina Ferilli, 141 mins
Sorrentino proves himself a worthy successor to Fellini here, tracking modern Roman decadence with staggering exuberance and an eye for the stylishly surreal. Filling the Marcello Mastroianni role is Servillo's world-weary writer and socialite, who stalks the city's elite demi-monde of hedonistic parties, pretentious art, cynical grotesques and faded glories – but finds reveries and regrets around every corner.
About Time (12A)
(Richard Curtis, 2013, UK) Domhnall Gleeson, Rachel McAdams. 123 mins
A sci-fi element reinvigorates Curtis's trademarked romcom formula, but there's still a feeling of deja vu to this middle-class love story, in which Gleeson uses his inherited time-travelling powers to woo McAdams – albeit at a cost.
The Great Beauty (15)
(Paolo Sorrentino, 2013, Ita/Fra) Toni Servillo, Carlo Verdone, Sabrina Ferilli, 141 mins
Sorrentino proves himself a worthy successor to Fellini here, tracking modern Roman decadence with staggering exuberance and an eye for the stylishly surreal. Filling the Marcello Mastroianni role is Servillo's world-weary writer and socialite, who stalks the city's elite demi-monde of hedonistic parties, pretentious art, cynical grotesques and faded glories – but finds reveries and regrets around every corner.
About Time (12A)
(Richard Curtis, 2013, UK) Domhnall Gleeson, Rachel McAdams. 123 mins
A sci-fi element reinvigorates Curtis's trademarked romcom formula, but there's still a feeling of deja vu to this middle-class love story, in which Gleeson uses his inherited time-travelling powers to woo McAdams – albeit at a cost.
- 9/7/2013
- by Steve Rose
- The Guardian - Film News
While Venice Film Festival is currently underway, it’s a triumphant entry from last year’s event that is, at long last, being granted a theatrical release in the UK – as British audiences are finally being given the chance to make up their own minds on the controversial, opinion-splitting Ki-duk Kim drama Pieta – the film that took home the immensely prestigious Golden Lion award (amongst others) in Venice last Autumn.
Jeong-jin Lee plays Gang-Do; a vengeful and sadistic loan shark, collecting debts in a violent fashion across the city of Seoul, as he cripples his victims, before cashing in on their insurance claims to make up for the money owed. With little conscience or moral code, his life is shaken upside down with the arrival of a mysterious woman called Mi-Son (Min-soo Jo), who claims to be the delinquent’s long-lost mother, abandoning him when only a baby. With such a groundbreaking discovery,...
Jeong-jin Lee plays Gang-Do; a vengeful and sadistic loan shark, collecting debts in a violent fashion across the city of Seoul, as he cripples his victims, before cashing in on their insurance claims to make up for the money owed. With little conscience or moral code, his life is shaken upside down with the arrival of a mysterious woman called Mi-Son (Min-soo Jo), who claims to be the delinquent’s long-lost mother, abandoning him when only a baby. With such a groundbreaking discovery,...
- 9/4/2013
- by Stefan Pape
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Ki-duk Kim (3-Iron) directs this violent South Korean drama about a brutal debt collector who seeks redemption from a woman claiming to be his long-lost mother. Pieta made its world premiere at the 69th Venice International Film Festival, where it won the Golden Lion. It is the first Korean film to win the top prize at one of the three major international film festivals (Venice, Cannes and Berlin) and is available for the first time in the U.K. from 14 October 2013. Synopsis: While working for ruthless loan sharks as an enforcer, Kang-do (Jeong-jin Lee) has built up a feared reputation amongst the debtors he threatens. Operating out of run-down factory premises, he employs gruesomely barbarous methods, including maiming, to retrieve handicap insurance from those who cannot meet their payments. When out of the blue he receives a visit from a middle-aged woman (Min-soo Jo) claiming to be the mother who abandoned him years previously,...
- 8/23/2013
- 24framespersecond.net
Yes, that’s right, Kim Ki-duk’s latest film, Pieta, is thus named for the famed sculpture of the Virgin Mary cradling the dead body of Jesus, most famously depicted by Michelangelo in a statue displayed in St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City. It’s a term that is basically intended to be a plea for mercy. Winner of the Golden Lion at 2012’s Venice Film Festival, Kim Ki-duk’s latest is a glorious return to form for the South Korean auteur after the painful pretentiousness of 2011’s overblown video diary, Arirang, and certainly delivers the hysterical excess heralded by its melodramatic title. As the economic crisis still seeps steadfastly in the veins of American cinema, Ki-duk takes us into the nether regions of capitalistic conundrums to give us a psychological study harpooned on the root of all evil.
A sadistic loan shark, Gang-do (Lee Jung-jin) violently and methodically...
A sadistic loan shark, Gang-do (Lee Jung-jin) violently and methodically...
- 7/23/2013
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Blu-ray & DVD Release Date: July 23, 2013
Price: DVD $27.97, Blu-ray $29.97
Studio: Drafthouse Films
A big winner at the 2012 Venice Film Festival, Pieta is written and directed by the acclaimed Korean filmmaker Ki-duk Kim (Samaritan Girl).
In Pieta, Lee Jung-jin (Wonderful Radio) stars as a loan shark who uses violent methods to collect his debts. His life changes, however, when a mysterious woman (Cho Min-soo) shows up claiming to be his long-lost mother. After at first rejecting her, he accepts the addition to his life and quits his cruel job. But he quickly discovers a dark secret from his past and it might be too late to escapte the consequences from his previous life.
As well as winning four awards at the Venice Film Festival, Pieta won Best Picture trophies at the 2012 Blue Dragon Awards, 2013 Fantasporto Festival and the 2012 Satellite Awards, as well as Best Director nods at the 2012 Dubai International Film...
Price: DVD $27.97, Blu-ray $29.97
Studio: Drafthouse Films
A big winner at the 2012 Venice Film Festival, Pieta is written and directed by the acclaimed Korean filmmaker Ki-duk Kim (Samaritan Girl).
In Pieta, Lee Jung-jin (Wonderful Radio) stars as a loan shark who uses violent methods to collect his debts. His life changes, however, when a mysterious woman (Cho Min-soo) shows up claiming to be his long-lost mother. After at first rejecting her, he accepts the addition to his life and quits his cruel job. But he quickly discovers a dark secret from his past and it might be too late to escapte the consequences from his previous life.
As well as winning four awards at the Venice Film Festival, Pieta won Best Picture trophies at the 2012 Blue Dragon Awards, 2013 Fantasporto Festival and the 2012 Satellite Awards, as well as Best Director nods at the 2012 Dubai International Film...
- 6/21/2013
- by Sam
- Disc Dish
Never one to shy away from controversy, Kim Ki-duk's latest film Moebius was effectively banned last week for featuring 'harmful content'. The move by the Korea Media Ratings Board (Kmrb) has been controversial, particularly as Kim was the local industry's favored son last year following a historic win of Venice's Golden Lion prize for his film Pieta. Now it has come to light that Kim and his producer Kim Soon-mo have re-submitted the film to the Kmrb, hoping for a classification that will allow mature audiences to view it at their own discretion.In a letter sent to the Kmrb, Kim stated that the mother-son incest element of the film (which he believes is the cause of the agency's restrictive ruling) is a necessary element to...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 6/12/2013
- Screen Anarchy
Pieta Trailer. Ki-duk Kim‘s Pieta (2012) movie trailer stars Jeong-jin Lee, Cho Min-soo, Min-soo Jo, Eunjin Kang, and Jae-rok Kim. Pieta‘s plot synopsis: “Winner of the Golden Lion at the 2012 Venice Film Festival, Pieta is the acclaimed film from the celebrated and controversial Korean director Kim Ki-Duk (Bad Guy; Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter… [...]
Continue reading: Pieta (2012) Movie Trailer: Loan shark Jeong-jin Lee meets His Mother...
Continue reading: Pieta (2012) Movie Trailer: Loan shark Jeong-jin Lee meets His Mother...
- 4/12/2013
- by Rollo Tomasi
- Film-Book
“Pieta” marks the 18th film from Korean auteur and agitator Kim Ki Duk, following up on his exceptionally personal and enjoyably bizarre 2011 Cannes winning documentary “Arirang”, which he made as part of a 3 year self-imposed exile from the industry. The film sees Kim returning to the same grim territory in which he made his name, dealing with violence, perversion, anger and angst in a harsh tale of a brutal loan shark and a woman claiming to be his mother. With Lee Jung Jin (“Troubleshooter”) and Jo Min Su in the lead roles, the latter taking Best Actress at the Daejong Film Awards for her performance, the film saw Kim continuing his prize winning streak, picking up the prestigious Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival, being the first Korean production to have done so. Lee Jung Jin plays Kang Do, a particularly unpleasant debt collector, who makes money by crippling...
- 1/3/2013
- by James Mudge
- Beyond Hollywood
The Oscars are almost upon us, and with just two weeks to go before we hear the final nominations, the race is on, with all the main categories wide open and still to play for. And now one of those categories, for the Best Foreign Language Film, is narrowing.
So far, we’ve had the shortlists for the Best Visual Effects, Best Documentary, and Best Makeup and Hairstyling categories, along with the list of eligible films for Best Original Score and Best Original Song, and twenty-one submissions for Best Animated Feature.
The Academy have given us one more shortlist to add to the list in the form of the Best Foreign Language Film. Back in October, we had a record seventy-one countries submitting for the category, and now that long list has been narrowed down to nine films ahead of next month’s nominations.
Most prominent on the list, which...
So far, we’ve had the shortlists for the Best Visual Effects, Best Documentary, and Best Makeup and Hairstyling categories, along with the list of eligible films for Best Original Score and Best Original Song, and twenty-one submissions for Best Animated Feature.
The Academy have given us one more shortlist to add to the list in the form of the Best Foreign Language Film. Back in October, we had a record seventy-one countries submitting for the category, and now that long list has been narrowed down to nine films ahead of next month’s nominations.
Most prominent on the list, which...
- 12/27/2012
- by Kenji Lloyd
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Drafthouse Films has acquired North American distribution rights to Korean director Kim Ki-Duk's "Pieta," the Alamo Drafthouse distribution arm announced Tuesday. The company plans a limited theatrical and multi-platform VOD release for 2013. South Korea's official entry to the 2013 Academy Awards in the Best Foreign Language Film category, "Pieta" tells the story of a violent loan shark forced to consider repentance when a woman claiming to be his long-lost mother enters his life. The film captured the Venice Film Festival's Golden Lion award for best film in September. Ki-Duk has previously earned awards at Cannes, Berlin and Venice, in 2004. Read More: With 'The Miami Connection' and 'Wake in Fright,' Drafthouse Films Unleashes a Diverse Repertory Slate "Kim Ki-Duk is one of the most daring, provocative and accomplished filmmakers working today, and 'Pieta' shows him at the top of his...
- 10/9/2012
- by Chris Pomorski
- Indiewire
Update: The official list has been revealed and the total is a record 71 movies. I have updated the list directly below or you can check it out here. The original article follows. I have been tracking the Oscar Foreign Language submissions again this year, as I have for the past several years, and it looks like we finally have a full field as I expect we will be seeing an official press release from the Academy some time this week. This year we have five more submissions already over last year as the total has now reached 68 submissions compared to last year's 63. This, despite, Iran boycotting the Oscars this year due to the anti-Islam film Innocence of Muslims, which has sparked so much controversy as of late. To reach the total of 68 films I have just finished adding 16 more titles to the list from the following countries: Afghanistan, Algeria, Argentina,...
- 10/7/2012
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
I have been tracking the Oscar Foreign Language submissions again this year, as I have for the past several years, and it looks like we finally have a full field as I expect we will be seeing an official press release from the Academy some time this week. This year we have five more submissions already over last year as the total has now reached 68 submissions compared to last year's 63. This, despite, Iran boycotting the Oscars this year due to the anti-Islam film Innocence of Muslims, which has sparked so much controversy as of late. To reach the total of 68 films I have just finished adding 16 more titles to the list from the following countries: Afghanistan, Algeria, Argentina, Armenia, China, Georgia, Greenland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Peru, South Africa, Spain, Taiwan, Turkey and Uruguay. To siphon out front-runners is never easy in this category, though there are a few that stick out immediately.
- 10/7/2012
- by Brad Brevet
- Rope of Silicon
7:40 pm – Started today off with the film that took home the Golden Lion last week in Venice, Ki-duk Kim’s Pieta. Splitting opinions with it’s series of shocking reveals, the film is a poetic revenge drama. Regardless of my reservations of watching a 4.5 hour film at a festival, I saw Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s slow, melodramatic onion, Penance. The Asian triple bill of today was rounded out by When Night Falls by director Liang Ying. Finishing my last full day here with Harmony Korine’s Spring Breakers, which I’ve heard many good words about throughout the last week. One more day. [Jordan M. Smith]
2:00 pm – There have been a pair of press screenings, but tonite is the official public premiere to the Midnight Madness section’s The ABCs of Death – 26 plus filmmakers in Kaare Andrews, Angela Bettis, Adrián García Bogliano, Bruno Forzani & Hélène Cattet, Ernesto Díaz Espinoza, Jason Eisener, Xavier Gens,...
2:00 pm – There have been a pair of press screenings, but tonite is the official public premiere to the Midnight Madness section’s The ABCs of Death – 26 plus filmmakers in Kaare Andrews, Angela Bettis, Adrián García Bogliano, Bruno Forzani & Hélène Cattet, Ernesto Díaz Espinoza, Jason Eisener, Xavier Gens,...
- 9/14/2012
- by IONCINEMA.com Contributing Writers
- IONCINEMA.com
Venice Film Festival rules allowed its jury to honor the director and two stars of The Master with awards on Saturday — but not if the film was given the top prize, jury president Michael Mann told The Hollywood Reporter. In a phone interview from Venice, where the American filmmaker and an 8-person jury announced their picks Saturday, Mann said they worked within the system to figure out how to best reward Paul Thomas Anderson’s The Master and Korean director Kim Ki-duk's Pieta, which took the top Golden Lion award. Story: Harvey Weinstein and Paul Thomas Anderson
read more...
read more...
- 9/8/2012
- by Matthew Belloni
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
South Korean director Kim Ki-duk's "Pieta" won the Golden Lion at the 69th Venice International Film Festival, while the Silver Lion went to American director Paul Thomas Anderson for "The Master"; both his stars Philip Seymour Hoffman and Joaquin Phoenix shared the best male actor award. Israel's Hadas Yaron won best actress nod for "Fill The Void" by Rama Burshtein. Austrian Ulrich Seidl won the Special Jury prize for "Paradise: Faith." French director Olivier Assayas took home best screenplay for "Something in the Air." Belgian Frédéric Fonteyne’s fourth feature, drama "Tango libre" won the special prize of the Venice Mostra del Cinema’s Orizzonte jury headed by Italian actor Pierfrancesco Favino.
- 9/8/2012
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
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