Early Winter.
Michael Rowe.s Early Winter will have an Australian theatrical run beginning October 13, thanks to Rialto Entertainment. . Early Winter, an Australian-Canadian co-production, follows the middle-aged David, (Paul Doucet) who works as a janitor in a retirement home, as he begins to suspect his younger wife Maya (Suzanne Clement) of having an affair. . Though Early Winter is set in Quebec, writer-director Rowe is said to have drawn on experiences from his former life in Ballarat for the film, particularly scenes depicting life in aged care facilities. Early Winter won the Venice Days Award at the Venice Film Festival last year and is currently in competition for the upcoming Aacta Awards. Rowe, who now calls Mexico home, also won the prestigious Caméra d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 2010 for his film Leap Year. .Both Early Winter and Leap Year are exemplars of Michael Rowe.s filmmaking philosophy using his...
Michael Rowe.s Early Winter will have an Australian theatrical run beginning October 13, thanks to Rialto Entertainment. . Early Winter, an Australian-Canadian co-production, follows the middle-aged David, (Paul Doucet) who works as a janitor in a retirement home, as he begins to suspect his younger wife Maya (Suzanne Clement) of having an affair. . Though Early Winter is set in Quebec, writer-director Rowe is said to have drawn on experiences from his former life in Ballarat for the film, particularly scenes depicting life in aged care facilities. Early Winter won the Venice Days Award at the Venice Film Festival last year and is currently in competition for the upcoming Aacta Awards. Rowe, who now calls Mexico home, also won the prestigious Caméra d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 2010 for his film Leap Year. .Both Early Winter and Leap Year are exemplars of Michael Rowe.s filmmaking philosophy using his...
- 9/14/2016
- by Staff Writer
- IF.com.au
Previewing the annual Latin American sales jamboree
Glance at the current profile of foreign-language Oscar contenders and the winners’ roster at major international festivals this year and the march of Latin American cinema in 2015 is clear for all to see.
César Augusto Acevedo’s Land And Shade and Ciro Guerra’s The Embrace Of The Serpent, the newly minted Indie Spirit nominee, earned four awards in Cannes, while Jayro Bustamante’s Guatemala-France drama Ixcanul took honours in Berlin.
Add to that list El Clan, the Argentinian thriller that earned Pablo Trapero a Silver Lion in Venice, and producers, sale agents and festival programmers heading to Buenos Aires for Ventana Sur (November 30-December 4) have reason to be cheerful.
“What we have seen is more and more attention for Latin American films,” says Jerome Paillard, executive co-director of Ventana Sur, a collaboration between Argentina’s Incaa film promotion body and Cannes (Paillard also serves as executive director of the...
Glance at the current profile of foreign-language Oscar contenders and the winners’ roster at major international festivals this year and the march of Latin American cinema in 2015 is clear for all to see.
César Augusto Acevedo’s Land And Shade and Ciro Guerra’s The Embrace Of The Serpent, the newly minted Indie Spirit nominee, earned four awards in Cannes, while Jayro Bustamante’s Guatemala-France drama Ixcanul took honours in Berlin.
Add to that list El Clan, the Argentinian thriller that earned Pablo Trapero a Silver Lion in Venice, and producers, sale agents and festival programmers heading to Buenos Aires for Ventana Sur (November 30-December 4) have reason to be cheerful.
“What we have seen is more and more attention for Latin American films,” says Jerome Paillard, executive co-director of Ventana Sur, a collaboration between Argentina’s Incaa film promotion body and Cannes (Paillard also serves as executive director of the...
- 11/26/2015
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Two Australian-produced films with very different takes on romance have won prizes at the Venice Film Festival and the parallel Venice Days.
Tanna, Bentley Dean and Martin Butler.s saga of forbidden love, was voted best film in the Critics Week section, where it also took the award for Dean.s cinematography.
Michael Rowe.s relationships drama Early Winter won the Venice Days Award, the top prize in Venice.s independently run section, given by a jury of 28 young European buffs, presided by French director Laurent Cantet.
The €20,000 ($A32,000) Venice Days award is shared by Rowe and the international distributor, Eric Lagesse.s Pyramide, who is selling the film at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Early Winter producer Trish Lake tells If, .Eric is confident about some good sales to come on the strength of interest so far, heightened by the Venice Days win.. It is a much needed prize...
Tanna, Bentley Dean and Martin Butler.s saga of forbidden love, was voted best film in the Critics Week section, where it also took the award for Dean.s cinematography.
Michael Rowe.s relationships drama Early Winter won the Venice Days Award, the top prize in Venice.s independently run section, given by a jury of 28 young European buffs, presided by French director Laurent Cantet.
The €20,000 ($A32,000) Venice Days award is shared by Rowe and the international distributor, Eric Lagesse.s Pyramide, who is selling the film at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Early Winter producer Trish Lake tells If, .Eric is confident about some good sales to come on the strength of interest so far, heightened by the Venice Days win.. It is a much needed prize...
- 9/13/2015
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
Venice Days winners also include As I Open My Eyes, Lolo and Arianna.
Venice Days, the independently run strand of Venice Film Festival, has revealed its winners for 2015, with Michael Rowe’s Early Winter taking the top prize, the Venice Days Award, which comes with a $22,500 (€20,000) prize.
Early Winter, an Australian-Canadian co-production, stars Paul Doucet and Suzanne Clément as a couple in the throes of martrimonial disharmony.
Others winners announced in Venice today include Leyla Bouzid’s As I Open My Eyes (A Peine J’Ouvre Les Yeux), which won the Best European Film award, selected by a jury of European exhibitors, and will now go on to receive promotional support from Europa Cinemas and an EU financial incentive for network cinemas to include it in programming. The film also won the Bnl people’s choice award.
The Fedora prizes, selected by a jury of European film critics headed by Dubravka Lakic, was awarded...
Venice Days, the independently run strand of Venice Film Festival, has revealed its winners for 2015, with Michael Rowe’s Early Winter taking the top prize, the Venice Days Award, which comes with a $22,500 (€20,000) prize.
Early Winter, an Australian-Canadian co-production, stars Paul Doucet and Suzanne Clément as a couple in the throes of martrimonial disharmony.
Others winners announced in Venice today include Leyla Bouzid’s As I Open My Eyes (A Peine J’Ouvre Les Yeux), which won the Best European Film award, selected by a jury of European exhibitors, and will now go on to receive promotional support from Europa Cinemas and an EU financial incentive for network cinemas to include it in programming. The film also won the Bnl people’s choice award.
The Fedora prizes, selected by a jury of European film critics headed by Dubravka Lakic, was awarded...
- 9/11/2015
- ScreenDaily
Australian director, Michael Rowe's new film Early Winter will have its world premiere today at the Venice Film Festival.
The film.s Australian producer Trish Lake is in Venice with Rowe and the two lead actors, Suzanne Clément (winner of the Un Certain Regard . Best Actress award at Cannes in 2012 for her role in Xavier Dolan.s Laurence Anyways) and Canadian actor Paul Doucet.
Lake said to be in Venice with such an international co-production between Canada and Australia at Venice Days was very exciting..
"There is already strong word of mouth on the film - a real buzz about it in the festival," she said..
"There were more than a hundred 100 media representatives who attended the first day.s press screening and, from what I understand, that is something of a record number for the first day of a Venice Days press screening.
.The fact that we have an Australian writer-director,...
The film.s Australian producer Trish Lake is in Venice with Rowe and the two lead actors, Suzanne Clément (winner of the Un Certain Regard . Best Actress award at Cannes in 2012 for her role in Xavier Dolan.s Laurence Anyways) and Canadian actor Paul Doucet.
Lake said to be in Venice with such an international co-production between Canada and Australia at Venice Days was very exciting..
"There is already strong word of mouth on the film - a real buzz about it in the festival," she said..
"There were more than a hundred 100 media representatives who attended the first day.s press screening and, from what I understand, that is something of a record number for the first day of a Venice Days press screening.
.The fact that we have an Australian writer-director,...
- 9/3/2015
- by Inside Film Correspondent
- IF.com.au
Countries around the world have slowly begun announcing their official submissions for the Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award or shortlists of films that are being considered for the distinction. In the case of Mexico there is no clear candidate for the Mexican Academy to select this year, which leaves an open field of diverse films from the art house and commercial realms.
Undoubtedly, the best Mexican film audiences around the world, and in Mexico itself, have had the chance to see in 2015 is Alonso Ruiz Palacios “Güeros,” and some have even speculated that the black-and-white love letter to Mexico City could become the country’s Oscar candidate and even be among the favorites. Unfortunately, the film doesn’t qualify because it was considered to become the official entry last year, when it lost the opportunity to represent Mexico to the financially successful biopic “Cantinflas.” Ruiz Palacios' film would go on to win five Ariel Awards (Mexican Academy Awards) including Best Film and Best Director. It’s in fact the best choice, yet it simply can’t be anymore.
Each year the Mexican Academy sends out a call for entries for filmmakers and producers to submit their films. The organization will only consider those films that are entered by their respective creators, which means that even if a film qualifies if it’s not submitted it won’t be considered. The submission period is over now and the Mexican Academy will announce a list of films competing to represent the nation at the Oscars and the Spanish Goya’s in the upcoming days. Even without a gem like “Güeros” there are still other likely choices and many others that don’t stand a chance against the world-class works that will be send from across the globe. Commercial successes like “A la Mala,” “Tiempos Felices” or “Visitantes” will have a hard time finding support, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they are entered to be in the running anyway.
After looking carefully at release dates, festivals, last year’s films in competition, and having seen several of them, here is a list of 15 films that look like reasonable choices to represent the Mexican film industry at Hollywood’s most prestigious award show. Let’s see how many of these are actually on the official list.
"600 Millas" (600 Miles)
Dir. Gabriel Ripstein
Winner of the Best First Feature at this year’s Berlinale and starring Tim Roth, Gabriel Ripstein’s gun trafficking drama is a gritty and powerful statement about one of the numerous complex issues afflicting both Mexico and the U.S. However, giving the duality it deals with, the film is partially in English, which could become a tricky problem when deciding if it can compete as a foreign language work or not. Furthermore, “600 Miles” hasn’t had a theatrical release in Mexico yet, something that AMPAS requires for a film to qualify. If selected a one-week qualifying run would be mandatory.
"Alicia en el País de Maria" (Alice in Marialand)
Dir. Jesús Magaña Vázquez
Starring Stephanie Sigman ("Spectre") and Uruguayan-born actress Barbara Mori, this highly stylized romantic fantasy follows a love triangle between reality and a strange dreamland. This is Magaña Vázquez highest profile film to date and premiered at the Guadalajara International Film Festival earlier this year. It’s non-linear narrative and the fact that it hasn’t screen much outside its homeland might play against it, but it’s still appears to be an interesting choice. The film opens August 28 in Mexico.
"Carmín Tropical"
Dir. Rigoberto Pérezcano
A personal favorite from what I’ve seen and one of the strongest candidates on this list, “Carmin Tropical” tells the story of Mabel, a “muxe” or physical male who lives as a woman, who returns to her hometown to investigate the death of her estranged best friend, also a "muxe." After winning the highest award at the Morelia International Film Festival, the film has gone to screen in festivals around the world including Outfest Los Angeles and the Sarajevo Film Festival. Added to this, Pérezcano’s work earned him the Ariel Award for Best Original Screenplay at this year’s ceremony. Its relevant ideas regarding gender identity and hate crimes could give it some traction.
"Club Sandwich"
Dir. Fernando Eimbcke
While Fernando Eimbcke’s most recent indie has been around since 2013 in the festival circuit, the film was not considered last year to become the country’s entry as it only open theatrically in Mexico last November. Given these facts this delightful comedy technically qualifies, though it’s hard to say if the filmmaker will pursue the candidacy. “Club Sandwich” uses deadpan charm to explore the relationship between a teenage boy and his mother while on vacation yo a beachside town. The film screened during last year’s Los Angeles Film Festival.
"Las Elegidas" (The Chosen Ones)
Dir. David Pablos
This is the obvious heavyweight at least on paper. In recent years Mexican films that were selected to participate in the Cannes Film Festival have become ideal selections for Oscar consideration. Carlos Reygadas “Silent Light,” Gerardo Naranjo’s “Miss Bala,” Michel Franco’s “After Lucia,” and Amat Escalante’s “Heli,” represented the country in their respective years. Despite being highly regarded internationally, these type of hyperrealist art house films have failed to garner a nomination from AMPAS, which could mean the Mexican Academy might want to look towards more commercial projects like they did last year. Pablos' film is similar to some of the aforementioned titles in terms of the crude realities they depict. Reviews were mostly positive and the film could definitely continue with the Cannes-to-Oscar pattern, but might prove another hard sale for Academy voters. “Las Elegidas” still hasn’t open theatrically in Mexico.
"Elvira, Te Dariá Mi Vida Pero La Estoy Usando" (Elvira, I'd Give You My Life But I'm Using It)
Dir. Manolo Caro
A sophisticated romantic dramedy starring two of Mexico’s most prolific actors Cecilia Suarez and Luis Gerardo Mendez (Netflix’ “Club de Cuervos”), the film represents a departure for filmmaker Manolo Caro from the more conventional romantic comedies he’s done in the past. When Elvira’s husband goes missing she embarks on a search to find him, even if the outcome of her quest is not what she expects her devotion is unwavering. The film had its U.S. premiere at the Los Angeles Film Festival in June and it’s opening in Mexico this weekend.
"Estrellas Solitarias" (Lonely Stars)
Dir. Fernando Urdapilleta
By far the most unconventional choice, this irreverent comedy about dreams of stardom focuses on a pair of transvestites hoping to get their big break while working in a dingy and unglamorous bar. Music plays a big role in Fernando Urdapilleta’s sophomore feature, which shines a light on characters rarely seen in Mexican cinema. Produced by the Centro de Capacitación Cinematográfica the film has screened around the country and competed for the Maguey Award to Lgbt films at the 30th edition of Guadalajara International Film Festival (Ficg).
"Gloria"
Dir. Christian Keller
Working from a screenplay by Sabina Berman, Swiss filmmaker Christian Keller crafted a searing biopic about one of Mexico’s most iconic pop stars, Gloria Trevi, and her tumultuous career. The film took audiences and critics by surprise mainly because of the authenticity brought to it by the young actress Sofia Espinosa, who truly embodied Trevi’s outrageous personality and commanding stage presence. “Gloria” opened in Mexico back in February and it screened at SXSW in Austin last March. It’s also the only film in the list that has already had a U.S. theatrical release, which has handled by Picturehouse. This would definitely be a divisive selection given that Gloria is not widely known in the English-speaking world.
"La Guerra de Manuela Jankovic" (Manuela Jankovic's War)
Dir. Diana Cardozo
Nominated for 3 Ariel Awards including Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress this year, this peculiar drama opened late last year and hasn’t travel much internationally. Set in the early 90s the film deals with Manuela, a middle-aged woman who must take care of her bitter Serbian grandmother who escaped to Mexico during World War II. Beautifully executed and acted the film is a sleeper that could actually be an ideal choice given its unique premise and approach. Stories about the Eastern European community in Mexico have rarely been explored in film.
"Hilda"
Dir. Andres Clariond
Dealing with classicism within Mexican society, this Audience Award-winning film at the last Morelia Film Festival paints a disturbing picture about the divide between the elite and the working class. Starring Veronica Langer as Mrs. Le Marchand, a wealthy woman depressed due to her unfulfilled ambitions, the film is a psychological drama with darkly comedic undertones. When Hilda (Adriana Paz) a new housemaid is hired, Le Marchand’s obsessive behavior unravels. Andres Clariond’s debut feature is based on a French play by Marie Ndiaye, the filmmaker certainly found parallels between the playwright’s work and his homeland. “Hilda” will open in Mexico in early September.
"Las Horas Contigo" (The Hours With You)
Dir. Catalina Aguilar Mastretta
This endearing dram about a young woman coming to terms with her grandmother’s imminent death has been a quiet success since it’s premiere at the 2014 Ficg where it won the Best Director award for debutant Catalina Aguilar Mastretta. “Las Horas Contigo” was nominated for three Ariel Awards winning the Best Supporting Actress statuette for veteran thespian Isela Vega. The film’s U.S. premiere took place during the 4th edition of Ficg in La and was also part of the Latin Cinema section at the Palm Springs International Film Festival. It’s a well-made film that offers a handful of moving moments that could resonate with voters, though in my opinion it’s a bit slight.
"Manto Acuífero" ( The Well)
Dir. Michael Rowe
Australian filmmaker Michael Rowe, who has made a career working in Mexico, received great acclaim and accolades for his debut feature “Año Bisiesto,” including the Camera d’Or prize at the Cannes Film Festival. “Manto Acuífero,” his sophomore effort, premiered at the Rome Film Festival in 2013 and was produced by Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna’s Canana. Centered on a young girl dealing with troubling situations at home, the film also screened at the Morelia Film Festival. Its theatrical release didn’t happen until November of last year, which based on AMPAS rules qualifies it for consideration. “Manto Acuífero” was not considered last year.
"El Más Buscasdo" (Mexican Gangster)
Dir. José Manuel Cravioto
By far the most commercial and most expensive-looking film on the list, this action tale revolves around a bank robber whose alter ego is a mysterious masked singer. Jose Manuel Cravioto’s narrative debut stars Tenoch Huerta (“Güeros”) as skillful criminal Alfredo Rios Galeana and as al El Charro Misterioso, the elusive and talented performer. Set in the 1980s “El Más Buscado” showcases costumes, production design, and music from that period in a Robin Hood-like story of a unique antihero. The film screened in L.A. as part of the Hola Mexico Film Festival back in May but other than that lacks noticeable international presence.
"Las Oscuras Primaveras" (The Obscure Spring)
Dir. Ernesto Contreras
Moody and darkly sensual, this intense drama from director Ernesto Contreras won the Knight Competition Grand Jury Prize as well as the Best Performance Grand Jury Prize and the Miami International Film Festival. Cecilia Suarez and Jose Maria Yazpik star as a childless married couple whose relationship is threaten when he starts having a steamy affair with a lonely single mother in need of companionship. “Las Oscuras Primaveras” also received three Ariel Awards at the most recent ceremony for Best Editing, Best Sound, and Best Original Score.
"La Tirisia" (Perpetual Sadness)
Dir. Jorge Pérez Solano
Last but definitely not least, the one film that, in this writer’s opinion, is the best opinion from the pack. Jose Perez Solano’s poetic feature follows two women in a remote community who have to choose between their children and their partner in a chauvinist society. The beauty and authenticity of “La Tirisia” have connected with audiences and juries from diverse backgrounds. Karlovy Vary, Palm Springs, Thessaloniki, Chicago, and Guadalajara were a few of the festivals that screened the film where it often was awarded prizes for its director and cast. Actress Adriana Paz (“Hilda”) won the Ariel Award for Best Actress for her work in the film, while Noé Hernandez took home the award for Best Supporting Actor. It’s art house roots and segmented narrative might work against it, but if voters at the Mexican Academy can look past that, this might be the one to bet on.
Undoubtedly, the best Mexican film audiences around the world, and in Mexico itself, have had the chance to see in 2015 is Alonso Ruiz Palacios “Güeros,” and some have even speculated that the black-and-white love letter to Mexico City could become the country’s Oscar candidate and even be among the favorites. Unfortunately, the film doesn’t qualify because it was considered to become the official entry last year, when it lost the opportunity to represent Mexico to the financially successful biopic “Cantinflas.” Ruiz Palacios' film would go on to win five Ariel Awards (Mexican Academy Awards) including Best Film and Best Director. It’s in fact the best choice, yet it simply can’t be anymore.
Each year the Mexican Academy sends out a call for entries for filmmakers and producers to submit their films. The organization will only consider those films that are entered by their respective creators, which means that even if a film qualifies if it’s not submitted it won’t be considered. The submission period is over now and the Mexican Academy will announce a list of films competing to represent the nation at the Oscars and the Spanish Goya’s in the upcoming days. Even without a gem like “Güeros” there are still other likely choices and many others that don’t stand a chance against the world-class works that will be send from across the globe. Commercial successes like “A la Mala,” “Tiempos Felices” or “Visitantes” will have a hard time finding support, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they are entered to be in the running anyway.
After looking carefully at release dates, festivals, last year’s films in competition, and having seen several of them, here is a list of 15 films that look like reasonable choices to represent the Mexican film industry at Hollywood’s most prestigious award show. Let’s see how many of these are actually on the official list.
"600 Millas" (600 Miles)
Dir. Gabriel Ripstein
Winner of the Best First Feature at this year’s Berlinale and starring Tim Roth, Gabriel Ripstein’s gun trafficking drama is a gritty and powerful statement about one of the numerous complex issues afflicting both Mexico and the U.S. However, giving the duality it deals with, the film is partially in English, which could become a tricky problem when deciding if it can compete as a foreign language work or not. Furthermore, “600 Miles” hasn’t had a theatrical release in Mexico yet, something that AMPAS requires for a film to qualify. If selected a one-week qualifying run would be mandatory.
"Alicia en el País de Maria" (Alice in Marialand)
Dir. Jesús Magaña Vázquez
Starring Stephanie Sigman ("Spectre") and Uruguayan-born actress Barbara Mori, this highly stylized romantic fantasy follows a love triangle between reality and a strange dreamland. This is Magaña Vázquez highest profile film to date and premiered at the Guadalajara International Film Festival earlier this year. It’s non-linear narrative and the fact that it hasn’t screen much outside its homeland might play against it, but it’s still appears to be an interesting choice. The film opens August 28 in Mexico.
"Carmín Tropical"
Dir. Rigoberto Pérezcano
A personal favorite from what I’ve seen and one of the strongest candidates on this list, “Carmin Tropical” tells the story of Mabel, a “muxe” or physical male who lives as a woman, who returns to her hometown to investigate the death of her estranged best friend, also a "muxe." After winning the highest award at the Morelia International Film Festival, the film has gone to screen in festivals around the world including Outfest Los Angeles and the Sarajevo Film Festival. Added to this, Pérezcano’s work earned him the Ariel Award for Best Original Screenplay at this year’s ceremony. Its relevant ideas regarding gender identity and hate crimes could give it some traction.
"Club Sandwich"
Dir. Fernando Eimbcke
While Fernando Eimbcke’s most recent indie has been around since 2013 in the festival circuit, the film was not considered last year to become the country’s entry as it only open theatrically in Mexico last November. Given these facts this delightful comedy technically qualifies, though it’s hard to say if the filmmaker will pursue the candidacy. “Club Sandwich” uses deadpan charm to explore the relationship between a teenage boy and his mother while on vacation yo a beachside town. The film screened during last year’s Los Angeles Film Festival.
"Las Elegidas" (The Chosen Ones)
Dir. David Pablos
This is the obvious heavyweight at least on paper. In recent years Mexican films that were selected to participate in the Cannes Film Festival have become ideal selections for Oscar consideration. Carlos Reygadas “Silent Light,” Gerardo Naranjo’s “Miss Bala,” Michel Franco’s “After Lucia,” and Amat Escalante’s “Heli,” represented the country in their respective years. Despite being highly regarded internationally, these type of hyperrealist art house films have failed to garner a nomination from AMPAS, which could mean the Mexican Academy might want to look towards more commercial projects like they did last year. Pablos' film is similar to some of the aforementioned titles in terms of the crude realities they depict. Reviews were mostly positive and the film could definitely continue with the Cannes-to-Oscar pattern, but might prove another hard sale for Academy voters. “Las Elegidas” still hasn’t open theatrically in Mexico.
"Elvira, Te Dariá Mi Vida Pero La Estoy Usando" (Elvira, I'd Give You My Life But I'm Using It)
Dir. Manolo Caro
A sophisticated romantic dramedy starring two of Mexico’s most prolific actors Cecilia Suarez and Luis Gerardo Mendez (Netflix’ “Club de Cuervos”), the film represents a departure for filmmaker Manolo Caro from the more conventional romantic comedies he’s done in the past. When Elvira’s husband goes missing she embarks on a search to find him, even if the outcome of her quest is not what she expects her devotion is unwavering. The film had its U.S. premiere at the Los Angeles Film Festival in June and it’s opening in Mexico this weekend.
"Estrellas Solitarias" (Lonely Stars)
Dir. Fernando Urdapilleta
By far the most unconventional choice, this irreverent comedy about dreams of stardom focuses on a pair of transvestites hoping to get their big break while working in a dingy and unglamorous bar. Music plays a big role in Fernando Urdapilleta’s sophomore feature, which shines a light on characters rarely seen in Mexican cinema. Produced by the Centro de Capacitación Cinematográfica the film has screened around the country and competed for the Maguey Award to Lgbt films at the 30th edition of Guadalajara International Film Festival (Ficg).
"Gloria"
Dir. Christian Keller
Working from a screenplay by Sabina Berman, Swiss filmmaker Christian Keller crafted a searing biopic about one of Mexico’s most iconic pop stars, Gloria Trevi, and her tumultuous career. The film took audiences and critics by surprise mainly because of the authenticity brought to it by the young actress Sofia Espinosa, who truly embodied Trevi’s outrageous personality and commanding stage presence. “Gloria” opened in Mexico back in February and it screened at SXSW in Austin last March. It’s also the only film in the list that has already had a U.S. theatrical release, which has handled by Picturehouse. This would definitely be a divisive selection given that Gloria is not widely known in the English-speaking world.
"La Guerra de Manuela Jankovic" (Manuela Jankovic's War)
Dir. Diana Cardozo
Nominated for 3 Ariel Awards including Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress this year, this peculiar drama opened late last year and hasn’t travel much internationally. Set in the early 90s the film deals with Manuela, a middle-aged woman who must take care of her bitter Serbian grandmother who escaped to Mexico during World War II. Beautifully executed and acted the film is a sleeper that could actually be an ideal choice given its unique premise and approach. Stories about the Eastern European community in Mexico have rarely been explored in film.
"Hilda"
Dir. Andres Clariond
Dealing with classicism within Mexican society, this Audience Award-winning film at the last Morelia Film Festival paints a disturbing picture about the divide between the elite and the working class. Starring Veronica Langer as Mrs. Le Marchand, a wealthy woman depressed due to her unfulfilled ambitions, the film is a psychological drama with darkly comedic undertones. When Hilda (Adriana Paz) a new housemaid is hired, Le Marchand’s obsessive behavior unravels. Andres Clariond’s debut feature is based on a French play by Marie Ndiaye, the filmmaker certainly found parallels between the playwright’s work and his homeland. “Hilda” will open in Mexico in early September.
"Las Horas Contigo" (The Hours With You)
Dir. Catalina Aguilar Mastretta
This endearing dram about a young woman coming to terms with her grandmother’s imminent death has been a quiet success since it’s premiere at the 2014 Ficg where it won the Best Director award for debutant Catalina Aguilar Mastretta. “Las Horas Contigo” was nominated for three Ariel Awards winning the Best Supporting Actress statuette for veteran thespian Isela Vega. The film’s U.S. premiere took place during the 4th edition of Ficg in La and was also part of the Latin Cinema section at the Palm Springs International Film Festival. It’s a well-made film that offers a handful of moving moments that could resonate with voters, though in my opinion it’s a bit slight.
"Manto Acuífero" ( The Well)
Dir. Michael Rowe
Australian filmmaker Michael Rowe, who has made a career working in Mexico, received great acclaim and accolades for his debut feature “Año Bisiesto,” including the Camera d’Or prize at the Cannes Film Festival. “Manto Acuífero,” his sophomore effort, premiered at the Rome Film Festival in 2013 and was produced by Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna’s Canana. Centered on a young girl dealing with troubling situations at home, the film also screened at the Morelia Film Festival. Its theatrical release didn’t happen until November of last year, which based on AMPAS rules qualifies it for consideration. “Manto Acuífero” was not considered last year.
"El Más Buscasdo" (Mexican Gangster)
Dir. José Manuel Cravioto
By far the most commercial and most expensive-looking film on the list, this action tale revolves around a bank robber whose alter ego is a mysterious masked singer. Jose Manuel Cravioto’s narrative debut stars Tenoch Huerta (“Güeros”) as skillful criminal Alfredo Rios Galeana and as al El Charro Misterioso, the elusive and talented performer. Set in the 1980s “El Más Buscado” showcases costumes, production design, and music from that period in a Robin Hood-like story of a unique antihero. The film screened in L.A. as part of the Hola Mexico Film Festival back in May but other than that lacks noticeable international presence.
"Las Oscuras Primaveras" (The Obscure Spring)
Dir. Ernesto Contreras
Moody and darkly sensual, this intense drama from director Ernesto Contreras won the Knight Competition Grand Jury Prize as well as the Best Performance Grand Jury Prize and the Miami International Film Festival. Cecilia Suarez and Jose Maria Yazpik star as a childless married couple whose relationship is threaten when he starts having a steamy affair with a lonely single mother in need of companionship. “Las Oscuras Primaveras” also received three Ariel Awards at the most recent ceremony for Best Editing, Best Sound, and Best Original Score.
"La Tirisia" (Perpetual Sadness)
Dir. Jorge Pérez Solano
Last but definitely not least, the one film that, in this writer’s opinion, is the best opinion from the pack. Jose Perez Solano’s poetic feature follows two women in a remote community who have to choose between their children and their partner in a chauvinist society. The beauty and authenticity of “La Tirisia” have connected with audiences and juries from diverse backgrounds. Karlovy Vary, Palm Springs, Thessaloniki, Chicago, and Guadalajara were a few of the festivals that screened the film where it often was awarded prizes for its director and cast. Actress Adriana Paz (“Hilda”) won the Ariel Award for Best Actress for her work in the film, while Noé Hernandez took home the award for Best Supporting Actor. It’s art house roots and segmented narrative might work against it, but if voters at the Mexican Academy can look past that, this might be the one to bet on.
- 8/20/2015
- by Carlos Aguilar
- Sydney's Buzz
Michael Rowe.s Early Winter, Simon Stone.s The Daughter and Bentley Dean and Martin Butler.s Tanna will be launched internationally at the 72nd Venice International Film Festival in September.
A Canadian/Australian co-production starring Paul Doucet and Suzanne Clément, Early Winter (formerly Rest Home) will have its world premiere in the Venice Days sidebar.
The first English-language film from Mexican-based writer-director Rowe (Leap Year; The Well), the Montreal-shot psychological drama follows a janitor in a retirement home whose life spirals out of control when he catches his wife with a lover, pushing him to the brink of insanity.
Pyramide International is handling international sales and releasing in France, Rialto will distribute in Australia/New Zealand and Mongrel Media/Film Option in Canada.
.Pyramide will be selling in Venice and then at Toronto,. Freshwater Pictures. Trish Lake, who produced with Serge Noël.s Possibles Média, tells If. .There are...
A Canadian/Australian co-production starring Paul Doucet and Suzanne Clément, Early Winter (formerly Rest Home) will have its world premiere in the Venice Days sidebar.
The first English-language film from Mexican-based writer-director Rowe (Leap Year; The Well), the Montreal-shot psychological drama follows a janitor in a retirement home whose life spirals out of control when he catches his wife with a lover, pushing him to the brink of insanity.
Pyramide International is handling international sales and releasing in France, Rialto will distribute in Australia/New Zealand and Mongrel Media/Film Option in Canada.
.Pyramide will be selling in Venice and then at Toronto,. Freshwater Pictures. Trish Lake, who produced with Serge Noël.s Possibles Média, tells If. .There are...
- 7/26/2015
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
Support is growing among producers, state agencies and sales agents for a proposal to create a scheme to share information on local films. global revenues modelled on the Sundance Transparency Project.
The scheme would enable Australian filmmakers to compare their work to similar films, identify all potential revenue streams and the distribution costs involved, and gauge how B.O. grosses co-relate to VOD and other online platforms.
However some advocates say commercial confidentiality and the reluctance of producers to share data on under-performing films may be stumbling blocks.
.The proposal has merits and Screen Producers Australia is supportive in principle, but obviously the supply of any commercially sensitive data is clearly a matter for individual businesses to consider," Spa CEO Matthew Deaner tells If. Screen industry consultant Julie Marlow said, .I think in principle it's a great idea, but we'd have to factor in the variables particular to our industry - working with government money,...
The scheme would enable Australian filmmakers to compare their work to similar films, identify all potential revenue streams and the distribution costs involved, and gauge how B.O. grosses co-relate to VOD and other online platforms.
However some advocates say commercial confidentiality and the reluctance of producers to share data on under-performing films may be stumbling blocks.
.The proposal has merits and Screen Producers Australia is supportive in principle, but obviously the supply of any commercially sensitive data is clearly a matter for individual businesses to consider," Spa CEO Matthew Deaner tells If. Screen industry consultant Julie Marlow said, .I think in principle it's a great idea, but we'd have to factor in the variables particular to our industry - working with government money,...
- 3/23/2015
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
The Australian screen industry should set up a scheme to share information on local films. global revenues modelled on the Sundance Transparency Project.
The scheme would enable Australian filmmakers to compare their work to similar films, identify all potential revenue streams and the distribution costs involved, and to guage how B.O. grosses co-relate to VOD and other online platforms.
The proposal has been floated by David Court, founding head of the Aftrs Centre for Screen Business, and producer Andrea Buck, a recent Aftrs Masters graduate.
The idea is being received enthusiastically by producers, directors,. distributors and federal and state agencies polled by If, with some caveats.
In the Us nearly 100 films, all budgeted below $US7 million and released from 2012 onwards, have submitted data to the Transparency Project website, a non-profit unit which launched in January.
.Filmmakers have few past films to guide them and limited capacity to gather the...
The scheme would enable Australian filmmakers to compare their work to similar films, identify all potential revenue streams and the distribution costs involved, and to guage how B.O. grosses co-relate to VOD and other online platforms.
The proposal has been floated by David Court, founding head of the Aftrs Centre for Screen Business, and producer Andrea Buck, a recent Aftrs Masters graduate.
The idea is being received enthusiastically by producers, directors,. distributors and federal and state agencies polled by If, with some caveats.
In the Us nearly 100 films, all budgeted below $US7 million and released from 2012 onwards, have submitted data to the Transparency Project website, a non-profit unit which launched in January.
.Filmmakers have few past films to guide them and limited capacity to gather the...
- 3/19/2015
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
Netflix is constantly growing in Latin America, and while in Mexico the catalog is still nowhere as big as the North American one, several hotly anticipated TV series, such as Better Call Saul and House of Cards, are greatly helping in order to have more Mexican users. Now Netflix has launched a contest to support Mexican independent cinema, offering a one-year contract to two films to be available on the platform internationally. There are 10 Mexican films competing to become one of the two lucky ones that will be part of Netflix for a full year, reaching audiences that otherwise they wouldn't. The ten films are the following: 12 Segundos by Nenneth Müller Año Bisiesto by Michael Rowe Diente por Diente by Miguel Bonilla El...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 3/3/2015
- Screen Anarchy
Rest Home
Director: Michael Rowe// Writer: Michael Rowe
We’ve been a champion of Michael Rowe, an Australian filmmaker living in Mexico, since his 2010 debut Leap Year, which snagged him the Camera D’or at Cannes. Since then, his 2013 sophomore effort, The Well, premiered at the Rome Film Festival and is currently without Us distribution. His latest project, Rest Home, was long supposed to star Melissa George, who has since dropped out and was recently replaced by Xavier Dolan muse Suzanne Clement. The psychological drama, which follows a security guard in a retirement home whose life spirals out of control when he catches his wife with a lover, pushing him to the brink of insanity.
Cast: Suzanne Clement, Paul Doucet
Producers: Freshwater Pictures’ Trish Lake, Possibles Media’s Serge Noel
U.S. Distributor: Rights available
Release Date: Filming began in Montreal this November, so we’re hoping to see this...
Director: Michael Rowe// Writer: Michael Rowe
We’ve been a champion of Michael Rowe, an Australian filmmaker living in Mexico, since his 2010 debut Leap Year, which snagged him the Camera D’or at Cannes. Since then, his 2013 sophomore effort, The Well, premiered at the Rome Film Festival and is currently without Us distribution. His latest project, Rest Home, was long supposed to star Melissa George, who has since dropped out and was recently replaced by Xavier Dolan muse Suzanne Clement. The psychological drama, which follows a security guard in a retirement home whose life spirals out of control when he catches his wife with a lover, pushing him to the brink of insanity.
Cast: Suzanne Clement, Paul Doucet
Producers: Freshwater Pictures’ Trish Lake, Possibles Media’s Serge Noel
U.S. Distributor: Rights available
Release Date: Filming began in Montreal this November, so we’re hoping to see this...
- 1/7/2015
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Australian-Mexican helmer Michael Rowe has selected the city of Montreal as the backdrop and has chosen Xavier Dolan muse Suzanne Clément to share the lead in his third feature film. A Cannes Film Fest type reunion for the director and actress (both won awards with films that played in Cannes), Rest Home will be both Rowe and Clément’s debut in the English language. She shares the screen with fellow Quebecois thesp Paul Doucet. Lensing began last week. Possibles Média and Fresh Water Pictures are producing.
Gist: David (Doucet) works days and nights as a guard in a retirement home. He dotes on his children, his wife (Clément) lives a care-free existence and keeps the wheels of his life turning with painkillers. But when he catches her with a lover, his life spirals out of control, taking him to the brink of insanity.
Worth Noting: Xavier Dolan’s Mommy (where...
Gist: David (Doucet) works days and nights as a guard in a retirement home. He dotes on his children, his wife (Clément) lives a care-free existence and keeps the wheels of his life turning with painkillers. But when he catches her with a lover, his life spirals out of control, taking him to the brink of insanity.
Worth Noting: Xavier Dolan’s Mommy (where...
- 11/27/2014
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
Cannes Film Festival best actress winner Suzanne Clément and Canadian Paul Doucet are starring in Rest Home, Australian filmmaker Michael Rowe.s first English-language film.
The psychological drama, which follows a security guard in a retirement home whose life spirals out of control when he catches his wife with a lover, pushing him to the brink of insanity, is shooting in Montreal.
It.s a Canadian-Australian co-production between Serge Noël.s Possibles Média and Trish Lake.s Freshwater Pictures, with investment from Screen Australia and Quebec.s Sodec fund.
Rowe has lived in Mexico City since he landed there 20 years ago when he was 23 with $76 in his wallet, motivated by what he drily terms as a mixture of .youth and stupidity..
Año Bisiesto (Leap Year), his zero-budget drama shot entirely in a shabby apartment in Mexico City in 17 days, won the Caméra d'Or prize for best first feature at the 2010 Cannes festival.
The psychological drama, which follows a security guard in a retirement home whose life spirals out of control when he catches his wife with a lover, pushing him to the brink of insanity, is shooting in Montreal.
It.s a Canadian-Australian co-production between Serge Noël.s Possibles Média and Trish Lake.s Freshwater Pictures, with investment from Screen Australia and Quebec.s Sodec fund.
Rowe has lived in Mexico City since he landed there 20 years ago when he was 23 with $76 in his wallet, motivated by what he drily terms as a mixture of .youth and stupidity..
Año Bisiesto (Leap Year), his zero-budget drama shot entirely in a shabby apartment in Mexico City in 17 days, won the Caméra d'Or prize for best first feature at the 2010 Cannes festival.
- 11/25/2014
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
Victoria's Napthine Coalition Government has agreed to invest $3.8 million in the Melbourne International Film Festival.s (Miff) Premiere Fund over the next four years.
The announcement in the lead-up to the state election this Saturday has been widely welcomed by filmmakers and distributors.
.I strongly believe our industry in Victoria and Miff is elevated by the significant opportunities the Miff Premiere Fund provides," said Seph McKenna, head of Australian Production at Roadshow Films, which released the fund-supported Bran Nue Dae, These Final Hours and the upcoming Paper Planes.
Lizzette Atkins, who produced Sue Brooks. Looking for Grace starring Richard Roxburgh and Radha Mitchell with the fund.s assistance, said, .It is imperative for the state of filmmaking in Victoria that both the Miff Premiere Fund and Miff 37ºSouth Market continue to thrive..
Since taking office in December 2010, the Coalition Government has committed more than $9.5 million to Miff for the festival,...
The announcement in the lead-up to the state election this Saturday has been widely welcomed by filmmakers and distributors.
.I strongly believe our industry in Victoria and Miff is elevated by the significant opportunities the Miff Premiere Fund provides," said Seph McKenna, head of Australian Production at Roadshow Films, which released the fund-supported Bran Nue Dae, These Final Hours and the upcoming Paper Planes.
Lizzette Atkins, who produced Sue Brooks. Looking for Grace starring Richard Roxburgh and Radha Mitchell with the fund.s assistance, said, .It is imperative for the state of filmmaking in Victoria that both the Miff Premiere Fund and Miff 37ºSouth Market continue to thrive..
Since taking office in December 2010, the Coalition Government has committed more than $9.5 million to Miff for the festival,...
- 11/25/2014
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
Screen Australia has responded to industry concerns that the rules for official co-productions are overly complex and inflexible.
CEO Graeme Mason has unveiled revised Australian International Co-production Program guidelines which he described as simpler and more streamlined.
And Mason signalled he will initiate discussions at next month.s Screen Forever Conference Open Policy Forum to make further improvements to the guidelines, including the best way for the agency to assess Australian creative contribution.
At present those elements are measured in two ways: a points test of Australian personnel, and by calculating the Australian spends. Mason said, .We are exploring ways to do this better, but changing our approach to assessing creative contribution will have many implications so we will need to take more time and consult with industry about the options..
Among the major revisions, the application requirements for provisional approval have been relaxed, enabling projects to be submitted for...
CEO Graeme Mason has unveiled revised Australian International Co-production Program guidelines which he described as simpler and more streamlined.
And Mason signalled he will initiate discussions at next month.s Screen Forever Conference Open Policy Forum to make further improvements to the guidelines, including the best way for the agency to assess Australian creative contribution.
At present those elements are measured in two ways: a points test of Australian personnel, and by calculating the Australian spends. Mason said, .We are exploring ways to do this better, but changing our approach to assessing creative contribution will have many implications so we will need to take more time and consult with industry about the options..
Among the major revisions, the application requirements for provisional approval have been relaxed, enabling projects to be submitted for...
- 10/21/2014
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
Top brass at the festival, set to run from September 24-October 8, have announced the selections in Focus Mexico.
The films are as follows:
Focus Mexico
The Obscure Spring (Las Oscuras Primaveras)
Ernesto Contreras
Manuela Jankovic’s War (La Guerra De Manuela Jankovic)
Diana Cardozo
González
Christian Díaz Pardo
Asteroide
Marcelo Tobar
The Absent (Los Ausentes)
Nicolás Pereda
Cumbres
Gabriel Nuncio
We Are Mari Pepa (Somos Mari Pepa)
Samuel Kishi
The Well (Manto Acuífero)
Michael Rowe
Güeros
Alonso Ruizpalacios
Cantinflas
Sebastian del Amo
Los Angeles
Damian John Harper
The Amazing Catfish (Los Insólitos Peces Gato)
Claudia Sainte-Luce
The Empty Hours (Las Horas Muertas)
Aaron Fernandez.
Panorama section
Words With Gods (Palabras Con Dioses)
Guillermo Arriaga, Héctor Babenco, Warwick Thornton, Mira Nair, Hideo Nakata, Amos Gitai, Álex de la Iglesia, Emir Kusturica, Bahman Ghobadi
Short Plays
Daniel Gruener, Carlos Reygadas, Fernando Eimbcke, Felipe Gómez, Alejandro Valle, Karim Aïnouz, Marcelo Gomes, Pablo Fendrik, Pablo Stoll, [link...
The films are as follows:
Focus Mexico
The Obscure Spring (Las Oscuras Primaveras)
Ernesto Contreras
Manuela Jankovic’s War (La Guerra De Manuela Jankovic)
Diana Cardozo
González
Christian Díaz Pardo
Asteroide
Marcelo Tobar
The Absent (Los Ausentes)
Nicolás Pereda
Cumbres
Gabriel Nuncio
We Are Mari Pepa (Somos Mari Pepa)
Samuel Kishi
The Well (Manto Acuífero)
Michael Rowe
Güeros
Alonso Ruizpalacios
Cantinflas
Sebastian del Amo
Los Angeles
Damian John Harper
The Amazing Catfish (Los Insólitos Peces Gato)
Claudia Sainte-Luce
The Empty Hours (Las Horas Muertas)
Aaron Fernandez.
Panorama section
Words With Gods (Palabras Con Dioses)
Guillermo Arriaga, Héctor Babenco, Warwick Thornton, Mira Nair, Hideo Nakata, Amos Gitai, Álex de la Iglesia, Emir Kusturica, Bahman Ghobadi
Short Plays
Daniel Gruener, Carlos Reygadas, Fernando Eimbcke, Felipe Gómez, Alejandro Valle, Karim Aïnouz, Marcelo Gomes, Pablo Fendrik, Pablo Stoll, [link...
- 9/14/2014
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Go big or go small- just avoid the middle ground in Australian film budgets.
That approach is being advocated by some industry executives and producers in response to the global trend which sees many mid-level films being marginalised.
.In light of the recent flight of the indie audiences in Australia and worldwide and the fact that indie films are struggling in the cinematic marketplace, there will be an increasing bifurcation of the production landscape,. predicts Safc CEO Richard Harris.
.There has long been a discussion about what has been dubbed the .dead zone. for feature films, somewhere between $5m-$15m.
.Some Australian producers will continue to see cinema as the main game for their film and therefore they will think about their budget in terms of competing in what is an increasingly difficult theatrical space.
.Others, however, will be . or in many cases already are . thinking about making their film...
That approach is being advocated by some industry executives and producers in response to the global trend which sees many mid-level films being marginalised.
.In light of the recent flight of the indie audiences in Australia and worldwide and the fact that indie films are struggling in the cinematic marketplace, there will be an increasing bifurcation of the production landscape,. predicts Safc CEO Richard Harris.
.There has long been a discussion about what has been dubbed the .dead zone. for feature films, somewhere between $5m-$15m.
.Some Australian producers will continue to see cinema as the main game for their film and therefore they will think about their budget in terms of competing in what is an increasingly difficult theatrical space.
.Others, however, will be . or in many cases already are . thinking about making their film...
- 9/11/2014
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
Rest Home
Director: Michael Rowe
Writer: Michael Rowe
Producers: Possibles Media, Freshwater Pictures
U.S. Distributor: Rights Available
Cast: Melissa George, Roy Dupuis
We’ve been a huge of Michael Rowe since his unsettling 2010 debut, Leap Year. An Australian who has lived in Mexico City for the past two decades, Rowe makes his English language debut with his third film, Rest Home, which should film in early 2014. Rowe has been able to work magic with a microbudget, so we’re curious to see how his vision expands as notable names both in front of and behind the camera flock to be a part of his work (Gael Garcia Bernal produced his second feature, 2013’s The Well, which played at the Rome and Morelia Film Festivals). While Us audiences are perhaps most familiar with Australian actress Melissa George from her television work, she’s had memorable roles in works by Christopher Smith,...
Director: Michael Rowe
Writer: Michael Rowe
Producers: Possibles Media, Freshwater Pictures
U.S. Distributor: Rights Available
Cast: Melissa George, Roy Dupuis
We’ve been a huge of Michael Rowe since his unsettling 2010 debut, Leap Year. An Australian who has lived in Mexico City for the past two decades, Rowe makes his English language debut with his third film, Rest Home, which should film in early 2014. Rowe has been able to work magic with a microbudget, so we’re curious to see how his vision expands as notable names both in front of and behind the camera flock to be a part of his work (Gael Garcia Bernal produced his second feature, 2013’s The Well, which played at the Rome and Morelia Film Festivals). While Us audiences are perhaps most familiar with Australian actress Melissa George from her television work, she’s had memorable roles in works by Christopher Smith,...
- 2/26/2014
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
The presence of Latin America films in Cannes has grown by 40% since 2009, when Ventana Sur was created by Incaa (Argentina’s film institute) and Marché du Film/Festival de Cannes.
This is one of the achievements of the film market that, now in its 5th edition (Dec 3-6) in Buenos Aires, has become the biggest gathering of its kind for Latin America’s titles.
“Ventana Sur has been instrumental in growing the Latin American presence in Cannes,” said Jérome Paillard, who shares the executive direction of Ventana Sur with Bernardo Bergeret.
“Pablo Giorgelli’s Las Acacias and Michael Rowe’s Año Bisiesto, which started their careers in Buenos Aires, won the Cannes Camera d’Or in 2011 and 2010, respectively.”
Bergeret added: “Other examples of films that had international recognition and started here are Paraisos Artificiales (Mexico), El Tunel de los Huesos (Argentina), Jardín de Amapolas (Colombia), De Martes a Martes (Argentina), Solo (Uruguay), Ausente (Argentina), Los insolitos peces gato...
This is one of the achievements of the film market that, now in its 5th edition (Dec 3-6) in Buenos Aires, has become the biggest gathering of its kind for Latin America’s titles.
“Ventana Sur has been instrumental in growing the Latin American presence in Cannes,” said Jérome Paillard, who shares the executive direction of Ventana Sur with Bernardo Bergeret.
“Pablo Giorgelli’s Las Acacias and Michael Rowe’s Año Bisiesto, which started their careers in Buenos Aires, won the Cannes Camera d’Or in 2011 and 2010, respectively.”
Bergeret added: “Other examples of films that had international recognition and started here are Paraisos Artificiales (Mexico), El Tunel de los Huesos (Argentina), Jardín de Amapolas (Colombia), De Martes a Martes (Argentina), Solo (Uruguay), Ausente (Argentina), Los insolitos peces gato...
- 12/3/2013
- by elaineguerini@terra.com.br (Elaine Guerini)
- ScreenDaily
Director Michael Rowe is a man who talks slowly. He met the press after the Morelia Film Festival screening of his second feature film Manto Acuífero (aka The Well), telling us that it's a very personal effort. And, indeed, Rowe's own personality doesn't contrast at all with the tone and rhythm of Manto Acuífero. It's not a film that moves fast and the director's main intention is clear right from the beginning: he wants us to see how a very particular period of a little girl's life unfolds naturally. Manto Acuífero is minimalist, filmed around one house in the Mexican state of Puebla. Since it follows the mentioned girl and it's set during a school break, we don't see when the characters (the girl's mother...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 10/20/2013
- Screen Anarchy
.It will be a strange experience,. says Australian filmmaker Michael Rowe as he prepares to direct his first English-language film, psychological drama Rest Home, in Montreal.
Rowe.s screenplay follows a security guard in a retirement home whose life spirals out of control when he catches his wife with a lover, pushing him to the brink of insanity.
It.s a Canadian-Australian co-production between Serge Noël.s Possibles Média and Trish Lake.s Freshwater Pictures, with investment from Screen Australia and Quebec.s Sodec fund.
Rowe has lived in Mexico City since he landed there 19 years ago when he was 23 with $76 in his wallet, motivated by what he drily terms as a mixture of .youth and stupidity..
After earning a crust variously as an English teacher, journalist, screenwriter and teaching screenwriting at a film school, he wrote and directed Año Bisiesto (Leap Year), a zero-budget drama shot, entirely in a...
Rowe.s screenplay follows a security guard in a retirement home whose life spirals out of control when he catches his wife with a lover, pushing him to the brink of insanity.
It.s a Canadian-Australian co-production between Serge Noël.s Possibles Média and Trish Lake.s Freshwater Pictures, with investment from Screen Australia and Quebec.s Sodec fund.
Rowe has lived in Mexico City since he landed there 19 years ago when he was 23 with $76 in his wallet, motivated by what he drily terms as a mixture of .youth and stupidity..
After earning a crust variously as an English teacher, journalist, screenwriter and teaching screenwriting at a film school, he wrote and directed Año Bisiesto (Leap Year), a zero-budget drama shot, entirely in a...
- 10/13/2013
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
Judy Davis has joined Kate Winslet on The Dressmaker, which has received backing from Screen Australia and is Jocelyn Moorhouse’s first film since 1997.
The board of Screen Australia has approved financing of The Dressmaker, which marks the return of Jocelyn Moorhouse to the director’s chair for the first time in 15 years.
The film will star Kate Winslet, as first reported by ScreenDaily in May, and Judy Davis in “a gothic tale of love, revenge and haute couture”
Written and directed by Moorhouse, it marks her return to filmmaking since Michelle Pfeiffer drama A Thousand Acres in 1997.
“Kate only makes two or three pictures a year and gets sent hundreds of scripts,” producer Sue Maslin (Japanese Story) told ScreenDaily. “She chose The Dressmaker because of Jocelyn’s stunning script.”
The film, set in the 1950s, tells the story of a talented couture dressmaker who returns home from Europe to a small town in country Australia with revenge...
The board of Screen Australia has approved financing of The Dressmaker, which marks the return of Jocelyn Moorhouse to the director’s chair for the first time in 15 years.
The film will star Kate Winslet, as first reported by ScreenDaily in May, and Judy Davis in “a gothic tale of love, revenge and haute couture”
Written and directed by Moorhouse, it marks her return to filmmaking since Michelle Pfeiffer drama A Thousand Acres in 1997.
“Kate only makes two or three pictures a year and gets sent hundreds of scripts,” producer Sue Maslin (Japanese Story) told ScreenDaily. “She chose The Dressmaker because of Jocelyn’s stunning script.”
The film, set in the 1950s, tells the story of a talented couture dressmaker who returns home from Europe to a small town in country Australia with revenge...
- 8/8/2013
- by Sandy.George@me.com (Sandy George)
- ScreenDaily
Films directed by Jocelyn Moorhouse, Michael Rowe and Ben Chessell received a total of $4.4 million in funding at Screen Australia.s board meeting on Wednesday.
The agency said the three features will generate almost $25 million in production investment. The casts include Kate Winslet, Judy Davis, Melissa George and Canadian Roy Dupuis.
Winslet and Davis will star in writer/director Moorhouse and producer Sue Maslin.s comic drama The Dressmaker.. Adapted from Rosalie Ham.s novel, it.s described as a Gothic tale of love, revenge and haute couture.. Winslet will play Tilly, a glamorous young woman who returns after many years in Europe to her small home town in rural Australia aiming to right some wrongs from the past as she was accused of murder when she was a child. She also falls unexpectedly in love, which leads to her greatest loss and her most destructive deed. Davis will play her eccentric mother.
The agency said the three features will generate almost $25 million in production investment. The casts include Kate Winslet, Judy Davis, Melissa George and Canadian Roy Dupuis.
Winslet and Davis will star in writer/director Moorhouse and producer Sue Maslin.s comic drama The Dressmaker.. Adapted from Rosalie Ham.s novel, it.s described as a Gothic tale of love, revenge and haute couture.. Winslet will play Tilly, a glamorous young woman who returns after many years in Europe to her small home town in rural Australia aiming to right some wrongs from the past as she was accused of murder when she was a child. She also falls unexpectedly in love, which leads to her greatest loss and her most destructive deed. Davis will play her eccentric mother.
- 8/7/2013
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
A los ojos (To the Eyes)
Directors/Writers: Vicky and Michel Franco
Producer(s): Lucia Films’ Michel Franco & Moises Zonana
U.S. Distributor: Rights Available
Cast: Monica del Carmen (Michael Rowe’s Año bisiesto)
In my books, his debut Daniel and Ana (Cannes – Directors’ Fortnight ’09) left quite the impression for its unflinching look at an unfathomable, hideous social crime, but it was at the ’12 edition of the Cannes Film Festival where Michel Franco joined the ranks of the Mexico’s top working auteurs (Reygadas, Escalante, Naranjo, Eimbcke and Plá) as several took notice of his skillset and this included Tim Roth and the Un Certain Regard jury who awarded the filmmaker with the top prize of the section. After Lucia, which I describe as a “Haneke film for teens” may posit on the bullying thematic, but here Franco skillfully demonstrates how difficult it is for the healing process to...
Directors/Writers: Vicky and Michel Franco
Producer(s): Lucia Films’ Michel Franco & Moises Zonana
U.S. Distributor: Rights Available
Cast: Monica del Carmen (Michael Rowe’s Año bisiesto)
In my books, his debut Daniel and Ana (Cannes – Directors’ Fortnight ’09) left quite the impression for its unflinching look at an unfathomable, hideous social crime, but it was at the ’12 edition of the Cannes Film Festival where Michel Franco joined the ranks of the Mexico’s top working auteurs (Reygadas, Escalante, Naranjo, Eimbcke and Plá) as several took notice of his skillset and this included Tim Roth and the Un Certain Regard jury who awarded the filmmaker with the top prize of the section. After Lucia, which I describe as a “Haneke film for teens” may posit on the bullying thematic, but here Franco skillfully demonstrates how difficult it is for the healing process to...
- 1/15/2013
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
There's a new wing at the mental hospital, one that few people know about. Netflix subscribers who were looking for a carefree, Jim Ferguson-approved romantic comedy available on Instant Watch instead stumbled upon a title with an uncompromising look at sex. No Amy Adams, just golden showers and sadomasochism. No cure has been discovered for these now-comatose victims, visitation is prohibited, and Netflix has been required to differentiate the two movies in question by forcing Michael Rowe's "Leap Year" to include its Spanish title, Año Bisiesto, nestled in parentheses immediately following its English name.
Of course, there were people that actually wanted to watch this thing... and they're doing just fine. Recipient of the Camera d'or at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival, "Leap Year" centers on a lonely journalist and her intense (not to mention increasingly violent and vile) sexual relationship with a man. It's quite a perturbing experience to say the least,...
Of course, there were people that actually wanted to watch this thing... and they're doing just fine. Recipient of the Camera d'or at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival, "Leap Year" centers on a lonely journalist and her intense (not to mention increasingly violent and vile) sexual relationship with a man. It's quite a perturbing experience to say the least,...
- 3/3/2012
- by Christopher Bell
- The Playlist
Release Date: Oct. 11, 2011
Price: DVD $24.99
Studio: Strand Releasing
Monica del Carmen and Gustavo Sanchez Parra take it to the next level in Leap Year.
The acclaimed 2010 erotic drama movie Leap Year from Mexico will heat up up any already steamy summer.
The film follows Laura (Monica del Carmen), a young journalist living an isolated life in a cramped Mexico City flat. Laura’s not lucky in love. The banality of her daily life stands in stark contrast to her nightly pursuit of sex and love, which result in a series of short-lived affairs.
One night, she meets brooding, would-be actor Arturo (Gustavo Sanchez Parra), and their sizzling chemistry ignites feelings in Laura that leave her deeply troubled. It doesn’t take too long for the pair to embark on an increasingly dangerous sadomasochistic relationship in which pleasure, pain and love merge. Uh-oh…
Directed and co-written by Michael Rowe, Leap Year...
Price: DVD $24.99
Studio: Strand Releasing
Monica del Carmen and Gustavo Sanchez Parra take it to the next level in Leap Year.
The acclaimed 2010 erotic drama movie Leap Year from Mexico will heat up up any already steamy summer.
The film follows Laura (Monica del Carmen), a young journalist living an isolated life in a cramped Mexico City flat. Laura’s not lucky in love. The banality of her daily life stands in stark contrast to her nightly pursuit of sex and love, which result in a series of short-lived affairs.
One night, she meets brooding, would-be actor Arturo (Gustavo Sanchez Parra), and their sizzling chemistry ignites feelings in Laura that leave her deeply troubled. It doesn’t take too long for the pair to embark on an increasingly dangerous sadomasochistic relationship in which pleasure, pain and love merge. Uh-oh…
Directed and co-written by Michael Rowe, Leap Year...
- 9/6/2011
- by Laurence
- Disc Dish
Trailers are an under-appreciated art form insofar that many times they’re seen as vehicles for showing footage, explaining films away, or showing their hand about what moviegoers can expect. Foreign, domestic, independent, big budget: I celebrate all levels of trailers and hopefully this column will satisfactorily give you a baseline of what beta wave I’m operating on, because what better way to hone your skills as a thoughtful moviegoer than by deconstructing these little pieces of advertising? Some of the best authors will tell you that writing a short story is a lot harder than writing a long one, that you have to weigh every sentence. What better medium to see how this theory plays itself out beyond that than with movie trailers? One Hundred Mornings Trailer You'll have to excuse the tardiness of bringing this gem to light as those living on the Emerald Isle had this...
- 5/13/2011
- by Christopher Stipp
- Slash Film
Photo by Scott McDermott
Korean director of “The Host,” Bong Joon-Ho (who visited the Moving Pictures studio in Toronto with “Mother” in 2009), has just been named the president of the jury awarding the Caméra d’Or at the Festival de Cannes this year.
Awarded to the best first film in the Official Selection during the Critics’ Week or Directors’ Fortnight, the three most recent recipients of the prestigious prize have been Steve McQueen’s “Hunger,” Warwick Thornton’s “Samson and Delilah,” and Michael Rowe’s “Año bisiesto.” Jim Jarmusch, Mira Nair, John Turturro, Jafar Panahi and Miranda July are also previous winners.
Robert De Niro is heading up the main competition jury, the inimitable Michel Gondry takes the reins of the short film jury, and Serbian filmmaker Emir Kusturica (a dual-winner of the Palme d’Or) helms the Un Certain Regard section.
To keep up with developments at Cannes as they’re announced,...
Korean director of “The Host,” Bong Joon-Ho (who visited the Moving Pictures studio in Toronto with “Mother” in 2009), has just been named the president of the jury awarding the Caméra d’Or at the Festival de Cannes this year.
Awarded to the best first film in the Official Selection during the Critics’ Week or Directors’ Fortnight, the three most recent recipients of the prestigious prize have been Steve McQueen’s “Hunger,” Warwick Thornton’s “Samson and Delilah,” and Michael Rowe’s “Año bisiesto.” Jim Jarmusch, Mira Nair, John Turturro, Jafar Panahi and Miranda July are also previous winners.
Robert De Niro is heading up the main competition jury, the inimitable Michel Gondry takes the reins of the short film jury, and Serbian filmmaker Emir Kusturica (a dual-winner of the Palme d’Or) helms the Un Certain Regard section.
To keep up with developments at Cannes as they’re announced,...
- 4/7/2011
- by admin
- Moving Pictures Network
Photo by Scott McDermott
Korean director of “The Host,” Bong Joon-Ho (who visited the Moving Pictures studio in Toronto with “Mother” in 2009), has just been named the president of the jury awarding the Caméra d’Or at the Festival de Cannes this year.
Awarded to the best first film in the Official Selection during the Critics’ Week or Directors’ Fortnight, the three most recent recipients of the prestigious prize have been Steve McQueen’s “Hunger,” Warwick Thornton’s “Samson and Delilah,” and Michael Rowe’s “Año bisiesto.” Jim Jarmusch, Mira Nair, John Turturro, Jafar Panahi and Miranda July are also previous winners.
Robert De Niro is heading up the main competition jury, the inimitable Michel Gondry takes the reins of the short film jury, and Serbian filmmaker Emir Kusturica (a dual-winner of the Palme d’Or) helms the Un Certain Regard section.
To keep up with developments at Cannes as they’re announced,...
Korean director of “The Host,” Bong Joon-Ho (who visited the Moving Pictures studio in Toronto with “Mother” in 2009), has just been named the president of the jury awarding the Caméra d’Or at the Festival de Cannes this year.
Awarded to the best first film in the Official Selection during the Critics’ Week or Directors’ Fortnight, the three most recent recipients of the prestigious prize have been Steve McQueen’s “Hunger,” Warwick Thornton’s “Samson and Delilah,” and Michael Rowe’s “Año bisiesto.” Jim Jarmusch, Mira Nair, John Turturro, Jafar Panahi and Miranda July are also previous winners.
Robert De Niro is heading up the main competition jury, the inimitable Michel Gondry takes the reins of the short film jury, and Serbian filmmaker Emir Kusturica (a dual-winner of the Palme d’Or) helms the Un Certain Regard section.
To keep up with developments at Cannes as they’re announced,...
- 4/7/2011
- by admin
- Moving Pictures Magazine
El Infierno, Chicogrande, and the other nominations of the 2011 Premio Ariel (Ariel Awards) have been announced. The 53rd Annual Premio Ariel (Ariel Awards) are presented by the Mexican Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences. “The Ariel is the Mexican Academy of Film Award. It has been awarded annually since 1947. The award recognizes excellence in motion picture making, such as acting, directing and screenwriting in Mexican cinema. It is considered the most prestigious award in the Mexican movie industry.” The 53rd Annual Premio Ariel (Ariel Awards) “ceremony will take place on May 7 [, 2011] at the Palacio de Bellas Artes in Mexico City.” The full listing of the 2011 Premio Ariel (Ariel Awards) nominations is below
Best Picture
Abel
Chicogrande
El infierno (Hell)
Best Director
Felipe Cazals, Chicogrande
Luis Estrada, El infierno (Hell)
Diego Luna, Abel
Best Actress
Karina Gidi, Abel
Mónica del Carmen, Año bisiesto (Leap Year)
Maricel Álvarez, Biutiful
Úrsula Pruneda, Las...
Best Picture
Abel
Chicogrande
El infierno (Hell)
Best Director
Felipe Cazals, Chicogrande
Luis Estrada, El infierno (Hell)
Diego Luna, Abel
Best Actress
Karina Gidi, Abel
Mónica del Carmen, Año bisiesto (Leap Year)
Maricel Álvarez, Biutiful
Úrsula Pruneda, Las...
- 3/26/2011
- by filmbook
- Film-Book
Hey there kids! Here is an updated list of releases for 2011 by Strand Releasing. Enjoy!
Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (Drama/Fantasy)
Directed by Apichatpong Weerasethakul (Syndromes and a Century, Tropical Malady, Blissfully Yours). Suffering from acute kidney failure, Uncle Boonmee has chosen to spend his final days surrounded by his loved ones in the countryside. Surprisingly, the ghost of his deceased wife appears to care for him, and his long lost son returns home in a non-human form. Contemplating the reasons for his illness, Boonmee treks through the jungle with his family to a mysterious hilltop cave . the birthplace of his first life. In his signature cinematic style, the acclaimed Thai filmmaker delivers a strange and mystical world of visionary beauty. Winner of the Palme d.Or at the Cannes Film Festival. Thailand.s Official Selection for Best Foreign Language Film for the 84th Annual Academy Awards.
Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (Drama/Fantasy)
Directed by Apichatpong Weerasethakul (Syndromes and a Century, Tropical Malady, Blissfully Yours). Suffering from acute kidney failure, Uncle Boonmee has chosen to spend his final days surrounded by his loved ones in the countryside. Surprisingly, the ghost of his deceased wife appears to care for him, and his long lost son returns home in a non-human form. Contemplating the reasons for his illness, Boonmee treks through the jungle with his family to a mysterious hilltop cave . the birthplace of his first life. In his signature cinematic style, the acclaimed Thai filmmaker delivers a strange and mystical world of visionary beauty. Winner of the Palme d.Or at the Cannes Film Festival. Thailand.s Official Selection for Best Foreign Language Film for the 84th Annual Academy Awards.
- 3/9/2011
- by Melissa Howland
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
A depiction of intense loneliness and psycho-sexual torture - or experimentation - depending on which side of the fence you lay, Michael Rowe’s minimalist debut feature Leap Year (Año bisiesto, 2010) raises many a difficult question with regards to its seemingly complex gender politics.
It follows the life of Laura, played with vulnerable perfection by Monica Del Carmen, a lonely freelance journalist who lives alone in a small Mexican apartment. After a series of one night stands she meets and sleeps with Artur, played by Gustavo Sanchez Parra.
Their subsequent relationship grows increasingly violent, with Artur apparently forcing Laura into a chain of appalling, aggressive and demeaning sexual acts. Gradually, however, what initially appears to be a case of intense male dominance, it is Laura who then sets about forcing him into acting out even further acts of sexual violence, reaching a finale that I will not reveal for you here.
It follows the life of Laura, played with vulnerable perfection by Monica Del Carmen, a lonely freelance journalist who lives alone in a small Mexican apartment. After a series of one night stands she meets and sleeps with Artur, played by Gustavo Sanchez Parra.
Their subsequent relationship grows increasingly violent, with Artur apparently forcing Laura into a chain of appalling, aggressive and demeaning sexual acts. Gradually, however, what initially appears to be a case of intense male dominance, it is Laura who then sets about forcing him into acting out even further acts of sexual violence, reaching a finale that I will not reveal for you here.
- 2/28/2011
- by Daniel Green
- CineVue
In the first of his columns from the London Film Festival, Michael reports back with five movies worthy of your attention...
Blogging from a festival is a daunting task. The London Film Festival is a massive deal, at least from a raw numbers point of view. With the late additions to the bill, it comes to over 200 films, in just over two weeks of screenings.
Making sense of it all is made easier by spotting threads, be it thematic, national or topical, and these columns are spinning out of that thinking. I was surprised by how immediately the connections presented themselves. It's silly, really, as this is a pretty well curated amalgam of cinema.
Within the first week of previews, I was blindsided by a selection of films that, you could say, strayed a little close to home. They featured young adults, that key demographic that sits in between maturity and middle age,...
Blogging from a festival is a daunting task. The London Film Festival is a massive deal, at least from a raw numbers point of view. With the late additions to the bill, it comes to over 200 films, in just over two weeks of screenings.
Making sense of it all is made easier by spotting threads, be it thematic, national or topical, and these columns are spinning out of that thinking. I was surprised by how immediately the connections presented themselves. It's silly, really, as this is a pretty well curated amalgam of cinema.
Within the first week of previews, I was blindsided by a selection of films that, you could say, strayed a little close to home. They featured young adults, that key demographic that sits in between maturity and middle age,...
- 10/20/2010
- Den of Geek
Australian ex-pat Michael Rowe’s Camera d’Or-winning film Año Bisiesto (Leap Year) surpassed expectations for its release in its native country,
“Año Bisiesto was a big hit at the box office on its opening weekend. More copies will be distributed; thanks to everyone who saw it,” said Rowe.
In an editorial for the newspaper El Universal, Mexican actor Gael Garcia Bernal – who was part of the Jury at this year’s Cannes Film Festival and whose distribution company Canana is releasing the film – urged people to see Leap Year:
Perhaps one of the best answers to one of the hardest questions about cinema pertains to our times and the overwhelming structure of a shopping centre: What is the difference between an art house film and entertainment? The answer triggers an aphorism: “An art house film is that which lasts beyond the parking lot on the way home”.
This...
“Año Bisiesto was a big hit at the box office on its opening weekend. More copies will be distributed; thanks to everyone who saw it,” said Rowe.
In an editorial for the newspaper El Universal, Mexican actor Gael Garcia Bernal – who was part of the Jury at this year’s Cannes Film Festival and whose distribution company Canana is releasing the film – urged people to see Leap Year:
Perhaps one of the best answers to one of the hardest questions about cinema pertains to our times and the overwhelming structure of a shopping centre: What is the difference between an art house film and entertainment? The answer triggers an aphorism: “An art house film is that which lasts beyond the parking lot on the way home”.
This...
- 10/14/2010
- by Miguel Gonzalez
- Encore Magazine
The 46th Chicago International Film Festival is coming, and The Scorecard Review will be there will exclusive interviews, movie reviews and red carpet events beginning October 7, 2010.
Here’s the first 20 films announced for the festival. Below is the news release.
October 7 – 21, 2010
Chicago, August 25, 2010 – Cinema/Chicago is proud to announce the first 20 new films that will appear at this year’s Chicago International Film Festival. Among them are some of the most anticipated domestic and foreign films featuring well-respected talent and directors as well as the work of exceptional newcomers. From Slumdog Millionaire and Resevoir Dogs to Martin Scorsese and Werner Herzog, The Chicago International Film Festival has consistently brought the brightest and boldest new films and filmmakers to Chicago first. Audiences will be delighted to find that this year’s Festival will be no different. Below is just a taste of the more than 150 films that will be shown at...
Here’s the first 20 films announced for the festival. Below is the news release.
October 7 – 21, 2010
Chicago, August 25, 2010 – Cinema/Chicago is proud to announce the first 20 new films that will appear at this year’s Chicago International Film Festival. Among them are some of the most anticipated domestic and foreign films featuring well-respected talent and directors as well as the work of exceptional newcomers. From Slumdog Millionaire and Resevoir Dogs to Martin Scorsese and Werner Herzog, The Chicago International Film Festival has consistently brought the brightest and boldest new films and filmmakers to Chicago first. Audiences will be delighted to find that this year’s Festival will be no different. Below is just a taste of the more than 150 films that will be shown at...
- 9/10/2010
- by Jeff Bayer
- The Scorecard Review
Chicago – Cinema/Chicago is proud to announce the first 20 new films scheduled to appear at the 2010 Chicago International Film Festival, October 7th – 21st. The Chicago festival continues to combine the films of established directors/talent with promising newcomers. Expect some foreign and domestic film surprises.
Screenings will take place at the AMC River East Theater in downtown Chicago during the October festival run. Festival passes are on sale now and individual tickets go on sale September 24th.
Gemma Arterton in ‘Tamara Drewe’
Photo Credit: Sony Pictures Classic
Here are the first 20 films slated for the Chicago International Film Festival in the announcement made on August 25th.
UK – ‘Tamara Drewe’
Director: Stephen Frears
When former ugly duckling Tamara Drewe sashays back into her hometown, life for her neighbors is thrown upside down. Now a devastating beauty, Tamara sets a contemporary comedy of manners into play using the oldest magic in the book: sex appeal.
Screenings will take place at the AMC River East Theater in downtown Chicago during the October festival run. Festival passes are on sale now and individual tickets go on sale September 24th.
Gemma Arterton in ‘Tamara Drewe’
Photo Credit: Sony Pictures Classic
Here are the first 20 films slated for the Chicago International Film Festival in the announcement made on August 25th.
UK – ‘Tamara Drewe’
Director: Stephen Frears
When former ugly duckling Tamara Drewe sashays back into her hometown, life for her neighbors is thrown upside down. Now a devastating beauty, Tamara sets a contemporary comedy of manners into play using the oldest magic in the book: sex appeal.
- 8/25/2010
- by PatrickMcD
- HollywoodChicago.com
Director/producer Matt Norman has partnered with Victorian expat and Camera d’Or winner Michael Rowe to produce films in Mexico, and with producer Alexandra Townsend to raise funding for his Us projects and run Wingman Pictures’ Los Angeles office.
The Salute filmmaker also announced that Craig Jansson will head Wingman Pictures Studio 1 in Melbourne, a facility which will give the Wingman “a full in-house production, post-production, finance, sales and distribution company” to complement its slate of projects.
“[Townsend] brings a brilliant energy and a hard working passion for making big budget feature films but is as comfortable with smaller $5-10m projects as well,” said Norman of the appointment.
“Rowe is a smart writer/director; he fits perfectly as a partner and we see Mexico as the perfect place to open another office for non-English speaking films”. Michael has already started writing his next masterpiece,” explained Norman.
Norman said that...
The Salute filmmaker also announced that Craig Jansson will head Wingman Pictures Studio 1 in Melbourne, a facility which will give the Wingman “a full in-house production, post-production, finance, sales and distribution company” to complement its slate of projects.
“[Townsend] brings a brilliant energy and a hard working passion for making big budget feature films but is as comfortable with smaller $5-10m projects as well,” said Norman of the appointment.
“Rowe is a smart writer/director; he fits perfectly as a partner and we see Mexico as the perfect place to open another office for non-English speaking films”. Michael has already started writing his next masterpiece,” explained Norman.
Norman said that...
- 8/24/2010
- by Miguel Gonzalez
- Encore Magazine
Camera d’Or winner Michael Rowe is in Australia to present his film Año Bisiesto (Leap Year) at the Melbourne International Film Festival, and although he’s interested in working here, he hasn’t been contacted by local producers.
“I’d be very excited to do a project in Australia. I’d need to write a script specifically to shoot here, and development funding, but there have been no Australian producers who have shown any interest,” Rowe told Encore.
The Ballarat native has developed his career in Mexico, and his success at Cannes made the Australian industry wonder who this mystery ex-pat was. He arrived in Melbourne on Tuesday.
“Everybody here has been, ‘who the hell are you, where did you come from and how did this happen?’ I’ve seen very interesting reactions here, and I’m very happy,” said Rowe. “A woman from a community ratio station said...
“I’d be very excited to do a project in Australia. I’d need to write a script specifically to shoot here, and development funding, but there have been no Australian producers who have shown any interest,” Rowe told Encore.
The Ballarat native has developed his career in Mexico, and his success at Cannes made the Australian industry wonder who this mystery ex-pat was. He arrived in Melbourne on Tuesday.
“Everybody here has been, ‘who the hell are you, where did you come from and how did this happen?’ I’ve seen very interesting reactions here, and I’m very happy,” said Rowe. “A woman from a community ratio station said...
- 8/5/2010
- by Miguel Gonzalez
- Encore Magazine
After IFC and Spc, it's now up to Strand Releasing to fill up their coffers with films from last month's Cannes festival. They just announced the pick up of the Cannes Classics selected Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff, and less than 24 hours later comes one more pick up - this time in a Mexican film directed by a first time Australian filmmaker. Not to be confused with the comedy Leap Year, Año bisiesto was the lucky film that won the Camera D'or this year - which is given to a first time work and 2010 all three sections excluding the Main Comp for full of first time efforts. - After IFC and Spc, it's now up to Strand Releasing to fill up their coffers with films from last month's Cannes festival. They just announced the pick up of the Cannes Classics selected Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff,...
- 6/16/2010
- IONCINEMA.com
After IFC and Spc, it's now up to Strand Releasing to fill up their coffers with films from last month's Cannes festival. They just announced the pick up of the Cannes Classics selected Cameraman: The Life and Work of Jack Cardiff, and less than 24 hours later comes one more pick up - this time in a Mexican film directed by a first time Australian filmmaker. Not to be confused with the comedy Leap Year, Año bisiesto was the lucky film that won the Camera D'or this year - which is given to a first time work and 2010 all three sections excluding the Main Comp for full of first time efforts. Directed by Michael Rowe, Leap Year tells the story of a rather plump Laura, a young woman from the State of Oaxaca, now living in Mexico City, who goes through each and every day of the month of February while...
- 6/15/2010
- IONCINEMA.com
Screen Australia’s head of production investment Ross Matthews says the agency would like to support Camera d’Or-winning expat Michael Rowe with his second film.
“It was great to meet Michael in Cannes and Screen Australia would be very happy to help Michael in any way that we can towards furthering his next project,” Matthews told Encore.
“If Rowe wants to explore ways to make his next project with Australian support, we would encourage him to work with an Australian resident producer to carefully consider the Significant Australian Content test, which is vital if a production wants to access Screen Australia funds,” he added.
Rowe has developed his career in Mexico, and his first feature Año Bisiesto (Leap Year) won the Camera d’Or at Cannes last Sunday. He told Encore that he would like his next project, about an Australian expat living in Mexico City, to be a co-production with Australia.
“It was great to meet Michael in Cannes and Screen Australia would be very happy to help Michael in any way that we can towards furthering his next project,” Matthews told Encore.
“If Rowe wants to explore ways to make his next project with Australian support, we would encourage him to work with an Australian resident producer to carefully consider the Significant Australian Content test, which is vital if a production wants to access Screen Australia funds,” he added.
Rowe has developed his career in Mexico, and his first feature Año Bisiesto (Leap Year) won the Camera d’Or at Cannes last Sunday. He told Encore that he would like his next project, about an Australian expat living in Mexico City, to be a co-production with Australia.
- 5/26/2010
- by Miguel Gonzalez
- Encore Magazine
In this exclusive interview, Camera d’Or-winning Australian expat director Michael Rowe talks about his career in Mexico, and how the lack of a treaty or MoU with that country might make production of his next project more difficult.
“It would seem logical [for Screen Australia] to take advantage of this level of international exposure. I spoke to them on the very first day in Cannes, and that was before the award, so maybe now it’s a different story. I have to talk to them again,” Rowe told Encore.
His new script is a story about an Australian expat living in Mexico City.
“[Head of development] Martha Coleman was very enthusiastic about the whole thing. [Head of production investment] Ross Matthews was a little less enthusiastic because he has to deal with the harsh realities of legal agreements.
“He said it could be done theoretically, that it would be a huge amount of work and, unless there’s a clear significant Australian content,...
“It would seem logical [for Screen Australia] to take advantage of this level of international exposure. I spoke to them on the very first day in Cannes, and that was before the award, so maybe now it’s a different story. I have to talk to them again,” Rowe told Encore.
His new script is a story about an Australian expat living in Mexico City.
“[Head of development] Martha Coleman was very enthusiastic about the whole thing. [Head of production investment] Ross Matthews was a little less enthusiastic because he has to deal with the harsh realities of legal agreements.
“He said it could be done theoretically, that it would be a huge amount of work and, unless there’s a clear significant Australian content,...
- 5/26/2010
- by Miguel Gonzalez
- Encore Magazine
Well, after about two weeks, the Cannes Film Festival has just come to a close, and the jury has come in with what they think are the best of the best from this year’s festival.
Jury head Tim Burton and company have come in, and it appears as though they’ve picked some interesting choices. The Palme d’Or went to Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s film Uncle Boonme Who Can Recall His Past Lives. The film beat out Xavier Beauvois’ Of God And Men, with the latter garnering the most buzz as a possible Best Foreign Film Oscar contender this year. Big names have taken home the top acting prizes, with Javier Bardem and Juliette Binoche taking home best actor and actress for Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s polarizing Biutiful and Abbas Kiarostami’s beloved Certified Copy respectfully. The final big award was also quite a shocking pick, as Best Director...
Jury head Tim Burton and company have come in, and it appears as though they’ve picked some interesting choices. The Palme d’Or went to Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s film Uncle Boonme Who Can Recall His Past Lives. The film beat out Xavier Beauvois’ Of God And Men, with the latter garnering the most buzz as a possible Best Foreign Film Oscar contender this year. Big names have taken home the top acting prizes, with Javier Bardem and Juliette Binoche taking home best actor and actress for Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s polarizing Biutiful and Abbas Kiarostami’s beloved Certified Copy respectfully. The final big award was also quite a shocking pick, as Best Director...
- 5/25/2010
- by Joshua Brunsting
- CriterionCast
Australian-born director and Mexican citizen Michael Rowe has won the Camera d’Or at Cannes for his first feature, the U$0.6m Mexican ‘erotic drama’ Año Bisiesto (Leap Year).
“I want to thank the Mexican nation that created this story,” said Rowe, who received the award from the Jury President, fellow Mexican Gael Garcia Bernal.
Ballarat-born Rowe studied in Melbourne but moved to Mexico City 16 years ago. He graduated from Mexico’s top film school, Centro de Capacitación Cinematográfica (Ccc).
Año Bisiesto is the story of Laura, a young journalist from Oaxaca, living in a small apartment in Mexico City. Laura has casual sex to overcome her loneliness, but when she meets Arturo, they embark on an intense sexual relationship “in which pleasure, pain and love merge”. It takes place in February on a leap year, as Laura crosses out the days in her calendar and her secret past resourfaces,...
“I want to thank the Mexican nation that created this story,” said Rowe, who received the award from the Jury President, fellow Mexican Gael Garcia Bernal.
Ballarat-born Rowe studied in Melbourne but moved to Mexico City 16 years ago. He graduated from Mexico’s top film school, Centro de Capacitación Cinematográfica (Ccc).
Año Bisiesto is the story of Laura, a young journalist from Oaxaca, living in a small apartment in Mexico City. Laura has casual sex to overcome her loneliness, but when she meets Arturo, they embark on an intense sexual relationship “in which pleasure, pain and love merge”. It takes place in February on a leap year, as Laura crosses out the days in her calendar and her secret past resourfaces,...
- 5/23/2010
- by Miguel Gonzalez
- Encore Magazine
Fantastic. "Surreal," says Apichatpong Weerasethakul. He's just won the Palme d'Or for Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives.
Grand Prix for Xavier Beauvois's Of Gods and Men.
Juliette Binoche gave an emotionally charged acceptance speech when she won Best Actress for Certified Copy, reminding the world to keep focusing on the fate of imprisoned Iranian director Jafar Panahi.
The Best Actor award is split this year between Javier Bardem, for his performance in Biutiful, and Elio Germano for his work in Our Life.
Mathieu Amalric wins Best Director for his On Tour. The crowd pretty much went wild when Jury President Tim Burton announced the decision.
Lee Chang-dong has won Best Screenplay for Poetry.
Prix de jury goes to Mahamat-Saleh's A Screaming Man.
Gael García Bernal has presented the Caméra d'Or to Michael Rowe for Año bisiesto.
Atom Egoyan and Michelle Rodriguez have presented the Palme d'Or...
Grand Prix for Xavier Beauvois's Of Gods and Men.
Juliette Binoche gave an emotionally charged acceptance speech when she won Best Actress for Certified Copy, reminding the world to keep focusing on the fate of imprisoned Iranian director Jafar Panahi.
The Best Actor award is split this year between Javier Bardem, for his performance in Biutiful, and Elio Germano for his work in Our Life.
Mathieu Amalric wins Best Director for his On Tour. The crowd pretty much went wild when Jury President Tim Burton announced the decision.
Lee Chang-dong has won Best Screenplay for Poetry.
Prix de jury goes to Mahamat-Saleh's A Screaming Man.
Gael García Bernal has presented the Caméra d'Or to Michael Rowe for Año bisiesto.
Atom Egoyan and Michelle Rodriguez have presented the Palme d'Or...
- 5/23/2010
- MUBI
Cannes Film Festival 2010: Full List Of Winners Palme d’Or (Top Prize) Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives, directed by Apichatpong Weerasethakul Grand Prix (Runner-Up) Des Hommes Et Des Dieux, directed by Xavier Beauvois Prix de la Mise en Scene (Best Director) Mathieu Amalric for Tournée Prix du Scenario (Best Screenplay) Poetry by Lee Chang-dong Camera d’Or (Best First Feature) Año Bisiesto, directed by Michael Rowe Prix du Jury (Jury Prize) A Screaming Man, directed by Mahamat-Saleh Haroun Prix d’interpretation feminine (Best Actress) Juliette Binoche for Certified Copy Prix d’interpretation masculine (Best Actor) (tied) Javier Bardem for Biutiful (tied) Elio Germano for La Nostra Vita Palme d’Or (Short Film) Chienne d’Histoire, directed by Serge Avedikian (Previously Announced) Un Certain [...]...
- 5/23/2010
- by Nikki Finke
- Deadline Hollywood
Deadline Hollywood has just posted the winners of the 2010 Cannes Film Festival!
The big winner was "Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives," directed by Apichatpong Weerasethakul.
There was only one American film in competition at Cannes this year and it did not end up winning any awards.
Here are the winners:
Cannes Film Festival 2010 Winners
Palme d’Or (Top Prize)
Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives directed by Apichatpong Weerasethakul
Grand Prix (Runner-Up)
Des Hommes Et Des Dieux (Of Gods And Men), directed by Xavier Beauvois
Prix de la Mise en Scene (Best Director)
Mathieu Amalric for Tournée (On Tour)
Prix du Scenario (Best Screenplay)
Poetry by Lee Chang-dong
Camera d’Or (Best First Feature)
Año Bisiesto directed by Michael Rowe
Prix du Jury (Jury Prize)
A Screaming Man directed by Mahamat-Saleh Haroun
Prix d’interpretation feminine (Best Actress)
Juliette Binoche for Certified Copy
Prix d...
The big winner was "Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives," directed by Apichatpong Weerasethakul.
There was only one American film in competition at Cannes this year and it did not end up winning any awards.
Here are the winners:
Cannes Film Festival 2010 Winners
Palme d’Or (Top Prize)
Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives directed by Apichatpong Weerasethakul
Grand Prix (Runner-Up)
Des Hommes Et Des Dieux (Of Gods And Men), directed by Xavier Beauvois
Prix de la Mise en Scene (Best Director)
Mathieu Amalric for Tournée (On Tour)
Prix du Scenario (Best Screenplay)
Poetry by Lee Chang-dong
Camera d’Or (Best First Feature)
Año Bisiesto directed by Michael Rowe
Prix du Jury (Jury Prize)
A Screaming Man directed by Mahamat-Saleh Haroun
Prix d’interpretation feminine (Best Actress)
Juliette Binoche for Certified Copy
Prix d...
- 5/23/2010
- by amcsts@gmail.com
- AMC - Script to Screen
Winners Of Official Selection Winner of the Palme D'or: Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives directed by Apichatpong Weerasethakul. (ISA: The Match Factory) Grand Prix (runner-up): Des Hommes Et Des Dieux (Of God and Men), directed by Xavier Beauvois. (ISA: Wild Bunch) Prix de la Mise en Scene (best director): Mathieu Amalric for Tournée (On Tour) (ISA: Le Pacte) Prix du Scenario (best screenplay): Poetry by Lee Chang-dong (ISA: Finecut) Camera d’Or (best first feature): Año Bisiesto directed by Michael Rowe…...
- 5/22/2010
- Sydney's Buzz
Earlier today Cannes unveiled the 24 films selected for its annual sidebar, Directors’ Fortnight. Opening this year with Renaud Barret & Florent de la Tullaye’s documentary Benda Bilili!, the line-up is dominated by first-time filmmakers, 11 in all. One American standout is Cam Archer (Wild Tigers I Have Known) who will be screening his latest, Shit Year, starring Ellen Barkin. Fortnight will take place May 13-23. Full list of titles below. Feature Films Alegria (Joy), directed by Marina Méliande et Felipe Braganca (Brazil) All Good Children, directed by Alicia Duffy (UK) Alting bliver godt igen (Everything Will Be Fine), directed by Christoffer Boe (Denmark-Sweden-France) Año bisiesto, directed by Michael Rowe...
- 4/20/2010
- by Jason Guerrasio
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
You can say that there'll be plenty of virgins in this year's Director's Fortnight section. Quickly looking at the list of 22 feature films, Frédéric Boyer's very first edition appears to be heavy on first time works - exactly half of the section are newbies. In the list we find three items on my "Top 100 Most Anticipated Films of the Year in: Fabienne Berthaud's Pieds nus sur les limaces (see pic of Diane Kruger above), Cam Archer's Shit Year and Alistair Banks Griffin's debut film, Two Gates Of Sleep. Also included in the section is a doc-essay film from Michelangelo Frammartino that I'll be itching to see as well. Of the veteran auteurs, we have works from Christoffer Boe, Jean-Paul Civeyrac, old school High School doc filmmaker Frederik Wiseman and look for the Rolling Stones to be on hand for Stephen Kijak's Stones In Exile. Here are...
- 4/20/2010
- IONCINEMA.com
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