Chicago – The raucous party movie has become a reliable staple in movieland, and now a production tackles the holiday soiré, and all that can go wrong. “Office Christmas Party” is co-directed by Josh Gordon and Will Speck, who also gave us “Blades of Glory” and “The Switch.”
The story features T.J. Miller and Jennifer Aniston as the brother and sister who has inherited their father’s computer business. Miller runs the Chicago office, which is under performing. Aniston’s character wants to shut the branch down, but Miller thinks an epic holiday party will convince a potential client (Courtney B. Vance) to sign on and save the company, and enlists the aide of officemates portrayed by Jason Bateman, Olivia Munn and Kate McKinnon. The movie is filled with wild and funny takes on celebrating the holiday ritual, and shows off the city of Chicago in all of its winter glory.
The story features T.J. Miller and Jennifer Aniston as the brother and sister who has inherited their father’s computer business. Miller runs the Chicago office, which is under performing. Aniston’s character wants to shut the branch down, but Miller thinks an epic holiday party will convince a potential client (Courtney B. Vance) to sign on and save the company, and enlists the aide of officemates portrayed by Jason Bateman, Olivia Munn and Kate McKinnon. The movie is filled with wild and funny takes on celebrating the holiday ritual, and shows off the city of Chicago in all of its winter glory.
- 12/7/2016
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Chicago – Actor Sam Eliott will make you smile. The distinctive voice, his famous mustache and his character presence in a film or TV show increases any potential in the production. He recently was in Chicago with director Paul Weitz, as they teamed up in the film “Grandma,” starring the incomparable Lily Tomlin.
“Grandma” has a very unique premise. Tomlin is the title character of Elle, who is visited by her granddaughter Sage (Julia Garner). The girl is seeking an abortion, and her feminist poet grandmother seems like the right fellow traveler on her way to the procedure. Sam Elliott portrays Karl, Elle’s ex-husband – she left him for a same sex partner – who harbors a resentment toward circumstances in their relationship. The two meet along the way to the clinic, and the resentment boils to the surface.
Lily Tomlin and Sam Elliott in ‘Grandma’
Photo credit: Sony Pictures Classics
Sam Elliott...
“Grandma” has a very unique premise. Tomlin is the title character of Elle, who is visited by her granddaughter Sage (Julia Garner). The girl is seeking an abortion, and her feminist poet grandmother seems like the right fellow traveler on her way to the procedure. Sam Elliott portrays Karl, Elle’s ex-husband – she left him for a same sex partner – who harbors a resentment toward circumstances in their relationship. The two meet along the way to the clinic, and the resentment boils to the surface.
Lily Tomlin and Sam Elliott in ‘Grandma’
Photo credit: Sony Pictures Classics
Sam Elliott...
- 8/26/2015
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
UK cinema in 2015 has plenty to recommend it. Here are 36 UK films of all genres to look forward to this year…
Dig past the litterfall of Kray Brothers biopics and tales of nubile teens on camping trips gone wrong, and you’ll unearth plenty for the UK film industry to boast about in 2015. From sci-fi romps and thrillers like Robot Overlords and Ex Machina to dramas like High-Rise, comedies like War On Everyone, spy flicks like Spectre and kids’ films like Bill, there’s no shortage of inventive, highly promising cinema coming from these isles.
We’ve included a few choice co-productions in 2015’s pick of the year’s most interesting-looking pictures, which bolsters our list in both size and breadth (and mostly means we Brits can claim partial credit for ace-sounding dystopian flick The Lobster).
In alphabetical order then, here are the 36 UK (or UK-ish) movies we’re excited about seeing this year…...
Dig past the litterfall of Kray Brothers biopics and tales of nubile teens on camping trips gone wrong, and you’ll unearth plenty for the UK film industry to boast about in 2015. From sci-fi romps and thrillers like Robot Overlords and Ex Machina to dramas like High-Rise, comedies like War On Everyone, spy flicks like Spectre and kids’ films like Bill, there’s no shortage of inventive, highly promising cinema coming from these isles.
We’ve included a few choice co-productions in 2015’s pick of the year’s most interesting-looking pictures, which bolsters our list in both size and breadth (and mostly means we Brits can claim partial credit for ace-sounding dystopian flick The Lobster).
In alphabetical order then, here are the 36 UK (or UK-ish) movies we’re excited about seeing this year…...
- 1/5/2015
- by louisamellor
- Den of Geek
The 18th annual Jihlava International Documentary Film Festival takes place 23-28 October 2014. From over 2,800 submissions, the programming committee has selected over 200 films from 42 countries, including 57 world, international or European premieres. These premieres include 10 Czech films in competition in the Czech Joy section.
Over the course of its existence, the Jihlava festival has become an indispensable Czech and worldwide documentary event, and an active contributor to the promotion and distribution of documentary films. The Jihlava festival is a co-founder and member of Doc Alliance, a prestigious union of seven important European documentary festivals.
Program – Year Eighteen
As in past years, the largest celebration of original documentary film in Central and Eastern Europe will present a diverse range of Czech and foreign films, with many world, international, European, and Czech premieres.
“This year’s festival is a true tribute to the artistic and independent film scene. This tribute will take place in the presence of such special guests as Kidlat Tahimik (which translates to “Quiet Lightning”), founder of independent Filipino cinema, whose films from the 1970s were declared by Werner Herzog to be among the most free to come out during that time, and noted Chinese director Wang Bing, winner of awards at festivals in Venice, Rotterdam, Yamagata and Marseilles,” said festival director Marek Hovorka.
The Face Of The Festival
The central motif of the 18th festival is a stark black-and-white symbol of a factory. It’s not only the dominant visual feature of the festival, but has also found its way into the films themselves. The poster was designed by artist, educator and publisher Juraj Horváth. This year’s festival trailer was created by the legend of Czech and world cinematography Jan Němec. This was his very first experience with this format; the intensity of the final form, however, can be felt in his short statement on the trailer’s filming:
“There are no ‘small’ or ‘big’ films. Twenty seconds expresses concern about the possible demise of film. I sound the alarm myself and the shadow of my hand is my signature.”
1. Organization And Awards
The festival is organized by the Jsaf civic association. In 2013, the festival issued more than 2,900 festival passes. Of these, 782 were for film professionals and festival guests from the Czech Republic and abroad, and 156 were for journalists. The festival screenings were attended by a total of more than 30,000 viewers.
The following awards will be presented as part of the 2014 Jihlava Idff:
· 2014 Best International Documentary Film Award (Opus Bonum competition)
· 2014 Best Central and Eastern European Documentary Film Award (Between the Seas competition)
· 2014 Best Czech Documentary Film Award (Czech Joy competition)
· 2014 Best Experimental Documentary Film Award (Fascinations competition)
· 2014 Best Debut Film Award (First Lights competition)
· 2014 Best Short Film Award (Short Joy competition)
· 2014 Contribution to World Cinematography
2014 Spectators Prize 2014 Respekt Award for the best television or video reportage · Silver Eye Award in the categories of short, mid-length, and feature documentary
(part of the East Silver market organized by the Institute of Documentary Film)
· 2014 Award for the Most Beautiful Festival Poster
· 2014 Audience Award for the Most Beautiful Festival Poster
2. New At The 18th Jihlava Idff
This year’s festival brings two new competitions: the former non-competition section Short Joy, focusing on short films, has received competition status, and in the new competition First Lights, the jury will choose the best debut film from the Opus Bonum, Between the Seas and Czech Joy sections. And of course there’s our annual retrospective of distinctive personalities and unique thematic sections.
The Complete Letters
This unique project is the brainchild of the Centre for Contemporary Culture in Barcelona, in which five pairs of world-renowned directors exchanged audio-visual “letters”. These letters will be presented at Jihlava in their Eastern European premiere. Filmmakers such as meditative artist Naomi Kawase, legend of the New York avant-garde Jonas Mekas, “lone wolf” Albert Serra and critical chronicler of contemporary China Wang Bing invite viewers into their private lives and into the secrets of their artistic poetics.
“It’s remarkable to see how much each letter reflects the personal style of each of the directors. Never have two directors with such radically different styles come together like this,” commented festival programmer David Čeněk.
Forgotten Filmmaker JIŘÍ PolÁK
This photographer, director and sensitive individual who escaped to the “place where dreams are made real” – the island of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf prior to the August occupation of Czechoslovakia – is one of the forgotten figures of Czech cinema. Jiří Polák was able to film Hospital in Kuks, but did not enjoy any domestic recognition. After his emigration and short stays in Vienna and Switzerland, he accepted film assignments in Iran.
Tribute: Alain Resnais
“Renowned French director passed away on 1 March 2014 at the age of 91. In memory of his work, we have prepared two screenings of his lesser-known or completely unknown films. He himself was instrumental to an unprecedented extent to the development of documentary filmmaking in France, and showed its new stylistic possibilities,” says festival programmer David Čeněk about this unique presentation of Resnais’ (mainly) early work. Alain Resnais The majority of Resnais’ works being presented at this year’s Jihlava Idff have been shown only a few times in France, and are being screened in the Czech Republic for the first time ever.
Retrospective: Kidlat Tahimik
A special guest at this year’s Jihlava festival will be the “father of Filipino independent film” – director, actor, screenwriter and producer Kidlat Tahimik, the founder of the so-called Filipino New Wave and an influential commentator on post-colonialism and power imbalances throughout the world, praised in the West by Werner Herzog when he said that [Tahimik’s] films from the 1970s are among some of the most free works on film of their time.
3. Jurors
The jury for the competition section Opus Bonum traditionally consists of just one person – a notable personality from world cinema. This year, this honour has been bestowed on a significant figure from the Yugoslav Black Wave – Želimir Žilnik.
The best film in the Between the Seas section will be chosen by:
· French film theoretician Raymond Bellour
· Spanish director Albert Serra
American artist Deborah Stratman Artist Kateřina Šedá Czech Joy Jury:
Poet Petr Hruška Former director of Czech Television Ivo Mathé Film historian Tereza Czesany Dvořáková Documentary filmmaker Bohdan Bláhovec The winner of the experimental competition Fascination will be determined by the Austrian master of found footage Peter Tscherkassky and his wife, filmmaker Eve Heller.
The historic first judging of the Short Joy section will be conducted by members of the art group Rafani.
4. Competition Sections
Czech Joy
Competition for the Best Czech Documentary Film 2014.
A prestigious selection of new Czech documentaries, including 10 world premieres. Films include Daniel’s World (Veronika Lišková), a look at the last taboo of modern society – paedophilia. The delightful film Long Live Hunting! (Jaroslav Kratochvíl) takes aim at Czech hunting. Shadows of the past are revealed in the film Pavel Wonka Commits to Cooperate ( Libuše Rudinská), which examines whether the last Communist prisoner was a dissident and symbol of the revolution – or an StB collaborator. The section also includes a pair of family portraits: Family Business / from Videodiary (Jakub Wagner), and Marislav Janek’s eagerly awaited new film The Gospel According to Brabenec, about Vratislav Brabenec of the Plastic People of the Universe.
World Premieres · Daniel’s World, Veronika Lišková, Czech Republic 2014, 75 min
· The Gospel According to Brabenec , Miroslav Janek, Czech Republic 2014, 85 min
· Long Live Hunting! , Jaroslav Kratochvíl, Czech Republic 2014, 62 min
· Pavel Wonka Commits to Cooperate , Libuše Rudínská, Czech Republic 2014, 73 min
· The Plan , Benjamin Tuček, Czech Republic 2014, 91 min
· The Czech Way , Martin Kohout, Czech Republic 2014, 90 min
· Family Business / from Videodiary , Jakub Wagner, Czech Republic 2014, 60 min
· František of His Own Kind , Jan Gogola Jr., Czech Republic 2014, 26 min
· Lets Block , Martina Malinová, Czech Republic 2014, 47 min
My Farm Is My Castle , Jiří Stejskal, Czech Republic 2014, 87 min
Opus Bonum
Competition for the 2014 Best World Documentary Film
Opus Bonum selects the best noteworthy documentaries representing diverse trends from around the world. Sixteen films are in the Opus Bonum competition for best world documentary film, including 5 world premieres, 5 international premieres and 1 European premiere. Films in this section include Rock On Bones, a personal view of the Russian independent music scene, and the film-poem Fovea Centralis, which skirts the fringe of video art, composed of multiplied images from the Fukushima nuclear power plant’s closed-circuit cameras.20 Cents shows what happens when public transportation fares in São Paulo are increased and the carnival atmosphere is replaced by one of guerrilla warfare.
World Premieres · Aged , Philip Hoffman, Canada 2014, 45 min
· Rock on Bones , Caroline Troubetzkoy, France 2014, 145 min
· I Am the People , Anna Roussillon, France 2014, 110 min
· In Your Eyes , Pietro Albino Di Pasquale, Italy 2014, 78 min
Fovea Centralis , Philippe Rouy, France 2014, 50 min International Premieres · Chasing After The Wind , Juan Camilo Olmos Feris, Colombia 2014, 60 min
· Water to Tabato , Paulo Carneiro, Guinea-Bissau, Portugal 2014, 45 min
· 20 Cents , Tiago Tambelli, Brazil 2014, 52 min
· Buenos Aires Free Party , Homero Cirelli, Argentina 2014, 74 min
The Shelter , Fernand Melgar, Switzerland 2014, 101 min European Premiere The Beijing Ants , Ryuji Otsuka, China 2014, 88 min
Between The Seas
Competition for the 2014 Best Documentary Film from Central and Eastern Europe.
Between the Seas is a competition section for the countries and nations of Central and Eastern Europe. Between the Seas presents 17 films, of which 4 are world premieres, 2 are international premieres, and 2 are European premieres. The Serbian Lawyer is one of the films seeing its world premiere at Jihlava – a film about the man who defended Slobodan Milošević and Radovan Karadžić, criminals from whom he had fled during the old regime. Another premiere in this section is Zuzana Piussi’s Transference , which sketches a dark picture of the state social care system for threatened children in Slovakia after the death of an abused child. Also in competition is the latest film by unsparing Austrian analyst Ulrich Seidl. In the Basement reveals that the basement is a rather important place for many Austrians, where you’ll find the usual hunting trophies and unusual bars, but also town council members and their swastikas, sadomasochism and other “hobbies”.
World Premieres · Transference , Zuzana Piussi, Slovakia/Czech Republic 2014, 57 min
· The Serbian Lawyer , Aleksandar Nikolić, Germany/Great Britain/Serbia 2014, 82 min
· Pill Junkies , Bartosz Staszewski, Poland 2014, 76 min
Ocean , Tamara Drakulić, Serbia 2014, 77 min International Premieres · 6 Degrees , Bartosz Dombrowski, Poland 2013, 81 min
A Last Year in 114 Minutes , Daniel Nicolae Djamo, Romania 2014, 114 min European Premieres Euromaidan: Rough Cut , Roman Bondarchuk et al., Ukraine 2014, 60 min Don’t Breathe, Nino Kirtadzé, France 2014, 86 min
Fascinations
Competition for the 2014 Best Experimental Documentary Film.
Fascinations is a competition screening of experimental films that offer us unique approaches to the depiction of reality. The section will present 33 films, including 7 world premieres, 6 international premieres, and 4 European premieres.
Premiere films include:
An animated work based on Ludwig Wittgenstein’s Tractatus Logico-Philisophicus (Active Image O directed by Becky James); the unguided choreography of white points in black space (Fascinating Moments by Yoshiki Nishimura); a memorial to one’s father using old photographs and chemical manipulation of the film itself using salt and seaweed (Dark Matter by Karel Doing); and a journey through a digitally manipulated landscape (L by Jacques Perconte).
World Premieres
· Active Image O , Becky James, USA 2014, 8 min
· Dark Matter , Karel Doing, Netherlands/Great Britain 2014, 20 min
· Fascinating Moments , Yoshiki Nishimura, Japan 2014, 4 min
· L , Jacques Perconte, France 2014, 15 min
· Our Hands Are Empty , Sj Ramir, Australia/New Zealand 2014, 10 min
· Jupiter Lolopop , Charlotte Dunker, Belgium 2014, 5 min
Study of Synchromy , Patrick Bergeron, Canada 2014, 3 min International Premieres
· Cut Out , Guli Silberstein, Great Britain 2014, 4 min
· The Civilization Desire , Carolina Astudillo, Spain 2014, 7 min
· A.D.A.M. , Vladislav Knežević, Croatia 2014, 13 min
· Digital Landscaping , Sangsok Ko, South Korea 2013, 4 min
· Field , Yi Myun, South Korea 2014, 6 min
Salers , Fernando Dominguez, Argentina/France 2014, 9 min European Premieres
· Beep , Kyungman Kim, South Korea 2014, 10 min
· Callisto , Youjin Moon, USA 2014, 14 min
· Droga! , Miko Revereza, Philippines 2013, 7 min
Frame Walk , Hayoung Jeon, South Korea 2014, 6 min Short Joy
Competition for the Best Short Film 2014 .
This year, this originally non-competition section devoted to short films has been transformed into a new competition section. The fifteen competition entries include films from all over the world, dealing with a wide spectrum of topics, and representing many current trends in contemporary documentary filmmaking. The Czech entry, Arguments by Andran Abramjan (who received an honourable mention in last year’s Czech Joy competition), considers the possibilities of dialogue on the Ukrainian crisis from both the eastern and western points of view. The purely observational film The Limits of Europe, underscored by the noise and sounds of protests, explores the spontaneous architecture of seven Kiev barricades erected in the streets leading to Independence Square. The contemplative and imaginatively filmed The Length enters the world of jazz legend Ted Curson.
First Lights
Competition for the Best Debut of 2014
Further evidence of Jihlava’s mission to support the film industry and share in the discovery of new talents is the presentation of a new competition section that rewards the best first work. Debut films presented as part of the traditional competition sections Opus Bonum, Czech Joy and Between the Seas have the opportunity to “battle it out” in a space that is not limited by territory. Comparing Czech and other Eastern European documentaries with their competition from the rest of the world can be a valuable experience, an opportunity to see commonalities and differences. It can also provide mutual inspiration not only for the films’ creators, but also for producers and other film professionals.
5. Non-competition Sections
Exprmntl.Cz
Experimental films from the Czech lands
This section is a non-competition survey of contemporary trends in Czech experimental film. Screenings will include films by renowned artists as well as filmmakers who just starting out.The unsettling video art of Zbyňek Baladrán, who focuses primarily on “archaeological” work with found material, can be seen in Dead Reckoning, showing the sterility of modern man’s life in four sequences featuring statistics, psychoanalysis, income and paranoia in the leading roles. Alice Růžičková’s film Autonomous Calábek takes a look into the plant kingdom. Made from a montage of scientific and film experiments, her portrait of a pioneer in plant physiology takes on surrealistic qualities.
Special Event
New world and Czech films, pre-premieres and festival hits
Alice Nellis presents Adoption: A Piece of Fortune, a kaleidoscope of stories with the same ending – a longed-for child. This opening film of the Jihlava Idff is a documentary exploration of a complex topic. In contrast, American master Errol Morris’ film The Unknown Known is a chilling look at former Us Secretary of Defence Donald Rumsfeld. The Last of the Unjust by Claude Lanzmann captures the testimony of Benjamin Murmelstein, the “puppet king” appointed at the end of the Nazi era to the position of the last “Ältester” of the Judenrat at a model Jewish ghetto. Also worth mentioning is Regarding Susan Sontag, director Nancy Kates’s portrait of one the most important intellectuals of the 20th century.
Doc-fi
Documentary and fiction are not opposites
Doc-fi expresses the conviction that the boundary between documentary and fiction is permeable. This year, three unusual films will be screened. Requiem for Beauty by Chinese author and Nobel Prize winner Gao Xingjian examines the space between film, poetry and painting. His multi-language monologues touch on themes that people do not speak about much anymore. In Beyond Icebergland, a man, a woman and a child occupy an invisible common film space, but not the same reality. It’s an ephemeral chronicle of a frozen time and a collage of images from a disappearing world, a film on the frontier of documentary, mystification and delightful genre games. Czech filmmaker Ondřej Vavrečka’s Among Us is an experimentally tinged love story that takes place during the time when the country was coming to grips with the death of Václav Havel.
6. Doc Alliance
Doc Alliance is the result of a creative partnership of seven key European documentary film festivals: Cph:dox Copenhagen, Doclisboa, Dok Leipzig, Fid Marseille, Jihlava Idff, Planete Doc Film Festival and Visions du Réel Nyon.
The aim of Doc Alliance is to help documentary films reach as many viewers as possible, and to systematically support their distribution through their festival markets and through the alliance’s online platform www.DAFilms.com.
Over the course of its existence, the Jihlava festival has become an indispensable Czech and worldwide documentary event, and an active contributor to the promotion and distribution of documentary films. The Jihlava festival is a co-founder and member of Doc Alliance, a prestigious union of seven important European documentary festivals.
Program – Year Eighteen
As in past years, the largest celebration of original documentary film in Central and Eastern Europe will present a diverse range of Czech and foreign films, with many world, international, European, and Czech premieres.
“This year’s festival is a true tribute to the artistic and independent film scene. This tribute will take place in the presence of such special guests as Kidlat Tahimik (which translates to “Quiet Lightning”), founder of independent Filipino cinema, whose films from the 1970s were declared by Werner Herzog to be among the most free to come out during that time, and noted Chinese director Wang Bing, winner of awards at festivals in Venice, Rotterdam, Yamagata and Marseilles,” said festival director Marek Hovorka.
The Face Of The Festival
The central motif of the 18th festival is a stark black-and-white symbol of a factory. It’s not only the dominant visual feature of the festival, but has also found its way into the films themselves. The poster was designed by artist, educator and publisher Juraj Horváth. This year’s festival trailer was created by the legend of Czech and world cinematography Jan Němec. This was his very first experience with this format; the intensity of the final form, however, can be felt in his short statement on the trailer’s filming:
“There are no ‘small’ or ‘big’ films. Twenty seconds expresses concern about the possible demise of film. I sound the alarm myself and the shadow of my hand is my signature.”
1. Organization And Awards
The festival is organized by the Jsaf civic association. In 2013, the festival issued more than 2,900 festival passes. Of these, 782 were for film professionals and festival guests from the Czech Republic and abroad, and 156 were for journalists. The festival screenings were attended by a total of more than 30,000 viewers.
The following awards will be presented as part of the 2014 Jihlava Idff:
· 2014 Best International Documentary Film Award (Opus Bonum competition)
· 2014 Best Central and Eastern European Documentary Film Award (Between the Seas competition)
· 2014 Best Czech Documentary Film Award (Czech Joy competition)
· 2014 Best Experimental Documentary Film Award (Fascinations competition)
· 2014 Best Debut Film Award (First Lights competition)
· 2014 Best Short Film Award (Short Joy competition)
· 2014 Contribution to World Cinematography
2014 Spectators Prize 2014 Respekt Award for the best television or video reportage · Silver Eye Award in the categories of short, mid-length, and feature documentary
(part of the East Silver market organized by the Institute of Documentary Film)
· 2014 Award for the Most Beautiful Festival Poster
· 2014 Audience Award for the Most Beautiful Festival Poster
2. New At The 18th Jihlava Idff
This year’s festival brings two new competitions: the former non-competition section Short Joy, focusing on short films, has received competition status, and in the new competition First Lights, the jury will choose the best debut film from the Opus Bonum, Between the Seas and Czech Joy sections. And of course there’s our annual retrospective of distinctive personalities and unique thematic sections.
The Complete Letters
This unique project is the brainchild of the Centre for Contemporary Culture in Barcelona, in which five pairs of world-renowned directors exchanged audio-visual “letters”. These letters will be presented at Jihlava in their Eastern European premiere. Filmmakers such as meditative artist Naomi Kawase, legend of the New York avant-garde Jonas Mekas, “lone wolf” Albert Serra and critical chronicler of contemporary China Wang Bing invite viewers into their private lives and into the secrets of their artistic poetics.
“It’s remarkable to see how much each letter reflects the personal style of each of the directors. Never have two directors with such radically different styles come together like this,” commented festival programmer David Čeněk.
Forgotten Filmmaker JIŘÍ PolÁK
This photographer, director and sensitive individual who escaped to the “place where dreams are made real” – the island of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf prior to the August occupation of Czechoslovakia – is one of the forgotten figures of Czech cinema. Jiří Polák was able to film Hospital in Kuks, but did not enjoy any domestic recognition. After his emigration and short stays in Vienna and Switzerland, he accepted film assignments in Iran.
Tribute: Alain Resnais
“Renowned French director passed away on 1 March 2014 at the age of 91. In memory of his work, we have prepared two screenings of his lesser-known or completely unknown films. He himself was instrumental to an unprecedented extent to the development of documentary filmmaking in France, and showed its new stylistic possibilities,” says festival programmer David Čeněk about this unique presentation of Resnais’ (mainly) early work. Alain Resnais The majority of Resnais’ works being presented at this year’s Jihlava Idff have been shown only a few times in France, and are being screened in the Czech Republic for the first time ever.
Retrospective: Kidlat Tahimik
A special guest at this year’s Jihlava festival will be the “father of Filipino independent film” – director, actor, screenwriter and producer Kidlat Tahimik, the founder of the so-called Filipino New Wave and an influential commentator on post-colonialism and power imbalances throughout the world, praised in the West by Werner Herzog when he said that [Tahimik’s] films from the 1970s are among some of the most free works on film of their time.
3. Jurors
The jury for the competition section Opus Bonum traditionally consists of just one person – a notable personality from world cinema. This year, this honour has been bestowed on a significant figure from the Yugoslav Black Wave – Želimir Žilnik.
The best film in the Between the Seas section will be chosen by:
· French film theoretician Raymond Bellour
· Spanish director Albert Serra
American artist Deborah Stratman Artist Kateřina Šedá Czech Joy Jury:
Poet Petr Hruška Former director of Czech Television Ivo Mathé Film historian Tereza Czesany Dvořáková Documentary filmmaker Bohdan Bláhovec The winner of the experimental competition Fascination will be determined by the Austrian master of found footage Peter Tscherkassky and his wife, filmmaker Eve Heller.
The historic first judging of the Short Joy section will be conducted by members of the art group Rafani.
4. Competition Sections
Czech Joy
Competition for the Best Czech Documentary Film 2014.
A prestigious selection of new Czech documentaries, including 10 world premieres. Films include Daniel’s World (Veronika Lišková), a look at the last taboo of modern society – paedophilia. The delightful film Long Live Hunting! (Jaroslav Kratochvíl) takes aim at Czech hunting. Shadows of the past are revealed in the film Pavel Wonka Commits to Cooperate ( Libuše Rudinská), which examines whether the last Communist prisoner was a dissident and symbol of the revolution – or an StB collaborator. The section also includes a pair of family portraits: Family Business / from Videodiary (Jakub Wagner), and Marislav Janek’s eagerly awaited new film The Gospel According to Brabenec, about Vratislav Brabenec of the Plastic People of the Universe.
World Premieres · Daniel’s World, Veronika Lišková, Czech Republic 2014, 75 min
· The Gospel According to Brabenec , Miroslav Janek, Czech Republic 2014, 85 min
· Long Live Hunting! , Jaroslav Kratochvíl, Czech Republic 2014, 62 min
· Pavel Wonka Commits to Cooperate , Libuše Rudínská, Czech Republic 2014, 73 min
· The Plan , Benjamin Tuček, Czech Republic 2014, 91 min
· The Czech Way , Martin Kohout, Czech Republic 2014, 90 min
· Family Business / from Videodiary , Jakub Wagner, Czech Republic 2014, 60 min
· František of His Own Kind , Jan Gogola Jr., Czech Republic 2014, 26 min
· Lets Block , Martina Malinová, Czech Republic 2014, 47 min
My Farm Is My Castle , Jiří Stejskal, Czech Republic 2014, 87 min
Opus Bonum
Competition for the 2014 Best World Documentary Film
Opus Bonum selects the best noteworthy documentaries representing diverse trends from around the world. Sixteen films are in the Opus Bonum competition for best world documentary film, including 5 world premieres, 5 international premieres and 1 European premiere. Films in this section include Rock On Bones, a personal view of the Russian independent music scene, and the film-poem Fovea Centralis, which skirts the fringe of video art, composed of multiplied images from the Fukushima nuclear power plant’s closed-circuit cameras.20 Cents shows what happens when public transportation fares in São Paulo are increased and the carnival atmosphere is replaced by one of guerrilla warfare.
World Premieres · Aged , Philip Hoffman, Canada 2014, 45 min
· Rock on Bones , Caroline Troubetzkoy, France 2014, 145 min
· I Am the People , Anna Roussillon, France 2014, 110 min
· In Your Eyes , Pietro Albino Di Pasquale, Italy 2014, 78 min
Fovea Centralis , Philippe Rouy, France 2014, 50 min International Premieres · Chasing After The Wind , Juan Camilo Olmos Feris, Colombia 2014, 60 min
· Water to Tabato , Paulo Carneiro, Guinea-Bissau, Portugal 2014, 45 min
· 20 Cents , Tiago Tambelli, Brazil 2014, 52 min
· Buenos Aires Free Party , Homero Cirelli, Argentina 2014, 74 min
The Shelter , Fernand Melgar, Switzerland 2014, 101 min European Premiere The Beijing Ants , Ryuji Otsuka, China 2014, 88 min
Between The Seas
Competition for the 2014 Best Documentary Film from Central and Eastern Europe.
Between the Seas is a competition section for the countries and nations of Central and Eastern Europe. Between the Seas presents 17 films, of which 4 are world premieres, 2 are international premieres, and 2 are European premieres. The Serbian Lawyer is one of the films seeing its world premiere at Jihlava – a film about the man who defended Slobodan Milošević and Radovan Karadžić, criminals from whom he had fled during the old regime. Another premiere in this section is Zuzana Piussi’s Transference , which sketches a dark picture of the state social care system for threatened children in Slovakia after the death of an abused child. Also in competition is the latest film by unsparing Austrian analyst Ulrich Seidl. In the Basement reveals that the basement is a rather important place for many Austrians, where you’ll find the usual hunting trophies and unusual bars, but also town council members and their swastikas, sadomasochism and other “hobbies”.
World Premieres · Transference , Zuzana Piussi, Slovakia/Czech Republic 2014, 57 min
· The Serbian Lawyer , Aleksandar Nikolić, Germany/Great Britain/Serbia 2014, 82 min
· Pill Junkies , Bartosz Staszewski, Poland 2014, 76 min
Ocean , Tamara Drakulić, Serbia 2014, 77 min International Premieres · 6 Degrees , Bartosz Dombrowski, Poland 2013, 81 min
A Last Year in 114 Minutes , Daniel Nicolae Djamo, Romania 2014, 114 min European Premieres Euromaidan: Rough Cut , Roman Bondarchuk et al., Ukraine 2014, 60 min Don’t Breathe, Nino Kirtadzé, France 2014, 86 min
Fascinations
Competition for the 2014 Best Experimental Documentary Film.
Fascinations is a competition screening of experimental films that offer us unique approaches to the depiction of reality. The section will present 33 films, including 7 world premieres, 6 international premieres, and 4 European premieres.
Premiere films include:
An animated work based on Ludwig Wittgenstein’s Tractatus Logico-Philisophicus (Active Image O directed by Becky James); the unguided choreography of white points in black space (Fascinating Moments by Yoshiki Nishimura); a memorial to one’s father using old photographs and chemical manipulation of the film itself using salt and seaweed (Dark Matter by Karel Doing); and a journey through a digitally manipulated landscape (L by Jacques Perconte).
World Premieres
· Active Image O , Becky James, USA 2014, 8 min
· Dark Matter , Karel Doing, Netherlands/Great Britain 2014, 20 min
· Fascinating Moments , Yoshiki Nishimura, Japan 2014, 4 min
· L , Jacques Perconte, France 2014, 15 min
· Our Hands Are Empty , Sj Ramir, Australia/New Zealand 2014, 10 min
· Jupiter Lolopop , Charlotte Dunker, Belgium 2014, 5 min
Study of Synchromy , Patrick Bergeron, Canada 2014, 3 min International Premieres
· Cut Out , Guli Silberstein, Great Britain 2014, 4 min
· The Civilization Desire , Carolina Astudillo, Spain 2014, 7 min
· A.D.A.M. , Vladislav Knežević, Croatia 2014, 13 min
· Digital Landscaping , Sangsok Ko, South Korea 2013, 4 min
· Field , Yi Myun, South Korea 2014, 6 min
Salers , Fernando Dominguez, Argentina/France 2014, 9 min European Premieres
· Beep , Kyungman Kim, South Korea 2014, 10 min
· Callisto , Youjin Moon, USA 2014, 14 min
· Droga! , Miko Revereza, Philippines 2013, 7 min
Frame Walk , Hayoung Jeon, South Korea 2014, 6 min Short Joy
Competition for the Best Short Film 2014 .
This year, this originally non-competition section devoted to short films has been transformed into a new competition section. The fifteen competition entries include films from all over the world, dealing with a wide spectrum of topics, and representing many current trends in contemporary documentary filmmaking. The Czech entry, Arguments by Andran Abramjan (who received an honourable mention in last year’s Czech Joy competition), considers the possibilities of dialogue on the Ukrainian crisis from both the eastern and western points of view. The purely observational film The Limits of Europe, underscored by the noise and sounds of protests, explores the spontaneous architecture of seven Kiev barricades erected in the streets leading to Independence Square. The contemplative and imaginatively filmed The Length enters the world of jazz legend Ted Curson.
First Lights
Competition for the Best Debut of 2014
Further evidence of Jihlava’s mission to support the film industry and share in the discovery of new talents is the presentation of a new competition section that rewards the best first work. Debut films presented as part of the traditional competition sections Opus Bonum, Czech Joy and Between the Seas have the opportunity to “battle it out” in a space that is not limited by territory. Comparing Czech and other Eastern European documentaries with their competition from the rest of the world can be a valuable experience, an opportunity to see commonalities and differences. It can also provide mutual inspiration not only for the films’ creators, but also for producers and other film professionals.
5. Non-competition Sections
Exprmntl.Cz
Experimental films from the Czech lands
This section is a non-competition survey of contemporary trends in Czech experimental film. Screenings will include films by renowned artists as well as filmmakers who just starting out.The unsettling video art of Zbyňek Baladrán, who focuses primarily on “archaeological” work with found material, can be seen in Dead Reckoning, showing the sterility of modern man’s life in four sequences featuring statistics, psychoanalysis, income and paranoia in the leading roles. Alice Růžičková’s film Autonomous Calábek takes a look into the plant kingdom. Made from a montage of scientific and film experiments, her portrait of a pioneer in plant physiology takes on surrealistic qualities.
Special Event
New world and Czech films, pre-premieres and festival hits
Alice Nellis presents Adoption: A Piece of Fortune, a kaleidoscope of stories with the same ending – a longed-for child. This opening film of the Jihlava Idff is a documentary exploration of a complex topic. In contrast, American master Errol Morris’ film The Unknown Known is a chilling look at former Us Secretary of Defence Donald Rumsfeld. The Last of the Unjust by Claude Lanzmann captures the testimony of Benjamin Murmelstein, the “puppet king” appointed at the end of the Nazi era to the position of the last “Ältester” of the Judenrat at a model Jewish ghetto. Also worth mentioning is Regarding Susan Sontag, director Nancy Kates’s portrait of one the most important intellectuals of the 20th century.
Doc-fi
Documentary and fiction are not opposites
Doc-fi expresses the conviction that the boundary between documentary and fiction is permeable. This year, three unusual films will be screened. Requiem for Beauty by Chinese author and Nobel Prize winner Gao Xingjian examines the space between film, poetry and painting. His multi-language monologues touch on themes that people do not speak about much anymore. In Beyond Icebergland, a man, a woman and a child occupy an invisible common film space, but not the same reality. It’s an ephemeral chronicle of a frozen time and a collage of images from a disappearing world, a film on the frontier of documentary, mystification and delightful genre games. Czech filmmaker Ondřej Vavrečka’s Among Us is an experimentally tinged love story that takes place during the time when the country was coming to grips with the death of Václav Havel.
6. Doc Alliance
Doc Alliance is the result of a creative partnership of seven key European documentary film festivals: Cph:dox Copenhagen, Doclisboa, Dok Leipzig, Fid Marseille, Jihlava Idff, Planete Doc Film Festival and Visions du Réel Nyon.
The aim of Doc Alliance is to help documentary films reach as many viewers as possible, and to systematically support their distribution through their festival markets and through the alliance’s online platform www.DAFilms.com.
- 10/28/2014
- by Peter Belsito
- Sydney's Buzz
Oscar-winning actor found dead following an “apparent drug overdose”.
Us actor Philip Seymour Hoffman has been found dead in his apartment in New York. He was 46.
New York Police attended his apartment in the West Village area of Manhattan at 11.15am Est (4.15pm GMT) and have said his death was due to an “apparent drug overdose” and are investigating.
The office of the Chief Medical Examiner will determine the exact cause of death.
Tributes: Actors, directors pay tribute on Twitter
Hoffman came to promience in the 1990s in films such as Boogie Nights, The Big Lebowski, Magnolia and The Talented Mr Ripley.
Alongside more independent features, he also brought weight to more commercial fare such as Mission: Impossible III.
Hoffman won an Oscar in 2005 for his leading role in biopic Capote.
He was most recently seen in sequel The Hunger Games: Catching Fire and was will be seen in a further two sequels, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay...
Us actor Philip Seymour Hoffman has been found dead in his apartment in New York. He was 46.
New York Police attended his apartment in the West Village area of Manhattan at 11.15am Est (4.15pm GMT) and have said his death was due to an “apparent drug overdose” and are investigating.
The office of the Chief Medical Examiner will determine the exact cause of death.
Tributes: Actors, directors pay tribute on Twitter
Hoffman came to promience in the 1990s in films such as Boogie Nights, The Big Lebowski, Magnolia and The Talented Mr Ripley.
Alongside more independent features, he also brought weight to more commercial fare such as Mission: Impossible III.
Hoffman won an Oscar in 2005 for his leading role in biopic Capote.
He was most recently seen in sequel The Hunger Games: Catching Fire and was will be seen in a further two sequels, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay...
- 2/2/2014
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
straight outta Cannes
Guardian wonders why Sofia Coppola is so obsessed with pole dancing. The pole is back for Bling Ring
McN David Poland has several capsule thoughts on Cannes films. This is my favorite type of festival review since I find that festival environments are not good for full length reviews and yet people persist in lengthy split second reactions anyway. Let the movies marinate. But he hates the explicit gay sex drama Stranger by the Lake and thinks it wouldn't be in the festival it it were hetero explicit
In Contention gives the same film fuller consideration
Apple Daily Tony Leung Chiu Wai -at Cannes for his wife's new film -- meets Ang Lee for dinner. Chinese press follows but the Lust, Caution pair are not reuniting any time soon (shame). Tony tells the reporters that he's seen Zhang Ziyi already, too.
Ultra Culture lists ten selfless acts...
Guardian wonders why Sofia Coppola is so obsessed with pole dancing. The pole is back for Bling Ring
McN David Poland has several capsule thoughts on Cannes films. This is my favorite type of festival review since I find that festival environments are not good for full length reviews and yet people persist in lengthy split second reactions anyway. Let the movies marinate. But he hates the explicit gay sex drama Stranger by the Lake and thinks it wouldn't be in the festival it it were hetero explicit
In Contention gives the same film fuller consideration
Apple Daily Tony Leung Chiu Wai -at Cannes for his wife's new film -- meets Ang Lee for dinner. Chinese press follows but the Lust, Caution pair are not reuniting any time soon (shame). Tony tells the reporters that he's seen Zhang Ziyi already, too.
Ultra Culture lists ten selfless acts...
- 5/21/2013
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
The 85th Academy Awards nominations are to be announced at roughly 1:30Pm GMT today, and naturally, the Internet has been abuzz with predictions over who is going to be nominated; who will secure their place in film history, who will be epically snubbed, and who will shock us all by ending up on cinema’s most prestigious list? I’ve been following the awards circuit all year – and have seen practically every film nominated in every category – so I’ve decided to chime in with my predictions as to what will and won’t show up during the announcement that’s just a few short hours away.
Inevitably, some big hitters will swing and miss, and some indie darlings will surprise the world, and in 2 hours’ time, we’ll have all the answers.
Best Picture
Nominees (in order of likelihood):
Argo
Lincoln
Zero Dark Thirty
Life of Pi...
Inevitably, some big hitters will swing and miss, and some indie darlings will surprise the world, and in 2 hours’ time, we’ll have all the answers.
Best Picture
Nominees (in order of likelihood):
Argo
Lincoln
Zero Dark Thirty
Life of Pi...
- 1/10/2013
- by Shaun Munro
- Obsessed with Film
120 companies looking to buy films will attend the American Film Market for the first time, part of the more than 750 distributors from 75 countries that have registered for the only stand-alone theatrical feature film market (all others are attached to festivals) October 31-November 7 in Santa Monica. Korea (25), China (13), and the U.S. (11) lead the way with the most newcomers, AFM Managing Director and Independent Film & Television Alliance EVP Jonathan Wolf said in a release. “We are seeing a shift in the way sub-distributors acquire film as they steadily rely less on local distributors and more on direct acquisitions”, he said. “We also expect a significant increase in buyers from China.” AFM expects 1,500 individuals from these companies at the market from more than 70 countries. More than 420 features will screen including 77 world premieres and 306 market premieres. The numbers of prebuys are also looking good after their near demise in the financial crisis of 2008.
Films making their World Premieres include: A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III, from writer/director Roman Coppola and starring Bill Murray, Jason Schwartzman and Charlie Sheen (Independent) was first announced at the Berlin EFM 2012 and has already presold to Koch Media Gmbh for Germany, Canana for Mexico, Praesens-Film AG for Switzerland; Cottage Country, starring Malin Akerman and Lucy Punch (Vmi Worldwide); The Frozen Ground, starring Nicolas Cage, John Cusack and Vanessa Hudgens (Voltage Pictures), which has already sold to Brazil (Imagem Filmes Distribuidora Ltda), Italy (Videa - Cde S.P.A.), Japan (Culture Convenience Club Co.,Ltd. / Culture Publishers Company), Netherlands (Independent Films), And Turkey (Calinos Films); Nous York, starring Leila Bekhti and Géraldine Nakache (Pathé International); The Numbers Station, starring John Cusack and Malin Akerman (Content) which was presold over the past year to Sena For Iceland, Pomi International For Indonesia, Content Media Corporation Plc For U.K. And Grandview Castle Entertainment for U.S., Pawn, starring Nikki Reed and Ray Liotta (Red Sea Media) and Summer In February, starring Dominic Cooper and Emily Browning (Speranza13 Media).
Among the 306 films set to make their Market Premieres are The ABCs of Death starring Ingrid Bolsø Berdal and Iván González (Magnolia Pictures (for which Praesens has already acquired Swiss rights, ); Come Out and Play, starring Daniel Gimenez Cacho and Vinessa Shaw (Celsius Entertainment) for which Metrodome has U.K; Ginger and Rosa, starring Christina Hendricks and Elle Fanning (The Match Factory); Here Comes the Devil, starring Francisco Barreiro and Laura Caro (Mpi Media Group) for which Metrodome has U.K.; Kon-Tiki, starring Pål Sverre Valheim Hagen (HanWay Films) which is owned by A Contracorriente for Spain; Quartet, starring Maggie Smith and Michael Gambon, and directed by Dustin Hoffman (HanWay Films) already licensed to Germany – Dcm, Hungary - Ads Service Ltd., Israel - Lev Films (Shani Films), Spain - Vertice Cine, Simon Killer, starring Brady Corbet and Mati Diop (Fortissimo Film) for which IFC has U.S.; and Zaytoun starring Stephen Dorff and Alice Taglioni (Pathé International).
Other Market Premieres include: After, starring Steven Strait and Karolina Wydra (Jinga Films); The Assassins, starring Chow Yun-Fat, Yifei Liu and written by Bin Wang (Easternlight) for which Well Go has U.S. rights; Dan Mirvish's Between Us, starring Melissa George, Julia Stiles, and Taye Diggs (Premiere Entertainment Group Elias Axume's new company) which Premiere will release theatrically; a 10 minute promo of The Body, starring Belén Rueda and Hugo Silva (DeAPlaneta Internacional) which Dark Light Media will release in China; Boxing Day which premiered in Venice, starring Danny Huston and Matthew Jacobs (Independent); The Brass Teapot, starring Juno Temple, Alexis Bledel, and Annette Bening (TF1 International); Fin (The End), starring Maribel Verdu (Film Factory Entertainment) sold to France-Tf1 International, Hong Kong (China)-Intercontinental Films Dist. (Hk) Ltd., Mexico-Cien Films, New Zealand-Vendetta Films; Great Expectations, starring Helena Bonham Carter and Ralph Fiennes (HanWay Films) sold to Belgium-Paradiso Filmed Entertainment, Germany-Telepool Gmbh, Italy-Videa - Cde S.P.A., Korea (South)-Daisy & Cinergy Entertainment, Poland-Gutek Film Ltd, Russia-Carmen Film Group, Spain-A Contracorriente Films, Switzerland-Pathe Films Ag, United Arab Emirates-Front Row Filmed Entertainment, United Kingdom-Lionsgate Uk Ltd, Usa-Unison Films; Greetings from Tim Buckley, starring Penn Badgley and Imogen Poots (Celluloid Dreams) which Celluloid Dreams will distribute in France; A Late Quartet, starring Philip Seymour Hoffman and Christopher Walken (WestEnd Films) presold to Australia-Hopscotch, Netherlands-Wild Bunch Benelux, Spain-Savor Ediciones, S.A.; The Reluctant Fundamentalist after its Toronto debut, starring Kate Hudson and Liev Schreiber (K5 International) sold to Vendetta for N.Z.; Revenge for Jolly!, starring Elijah Wood, Ryan Phillippe, and Kristen Wiig (Highland Film Group); Harmony Korine's Spring Breakers, straight out of Tiff 12, starring James Franco, Selena Gomez and Vanessa Hudgens (Kinology) sold to Canada-V V S Films, France-Mars Films, Germany-Wild Bunch Germany; Thanks for Sharing, starring Mark Ruffalo and Gwyneth Paltrow and written by Stuart Blumberg (Voltage Pictures) sold to Roadside Attractions for U.S., Germany and Switzerland-Falcom Media, Greece-Strada Films, Italy-Minerva Pictures Group; What Maisie Knew, starring Alexander Skarsgård and Julianne Moore (Fortissimo Film) sold to Millennium for U.S., Germany-Pandastorm Pictures Gmbh, Turkey-Bir Film; and Writers (Tiff 12), starring Greg Kinnear, Logan Lerman, Kristen Bell, Jennifer Connelly, and Lily Collins, (The Solution Entertainment Group).
For Complete Rights Roundup Before, During And After The Major Festivals And Markets, Notify Sydney Levine Via Email Sydney At Sydneysbuzz.
Films making their World Premieres include: A Glimpse Inside the Mind of Charles Swan III, from writer/director Roman Coppola and starring Bill Murray, Jason Schwartzman and Charlie Sheen (Independent) was first announced at the Berlin EFM 2012 and has already presold to Koch Media Gmbh for Germany, Canana for Mexico, Praesens-Film AG for Switzerland; Cottage Country, starring Malin Akerman and Lucy Punch (Vmi Worldwide); The Frozen Ground, starring Nicolas Cage, John Cusack and Vanessa Hudgens (Voltage Pictures), which has already sold to Brazil (Imagem Filmes Distribuidora Ltda), Italy (Videa - Cde S.P.A.), Japan (Culture Convenience Club Co.,Ltd. / Culture Publishers Company), Netherlands (Independent Films), And Turkey (Calinos Films); Nous York, starring Leila Bekhti and Géraldine Nakache (Pathé International); The Numbers Station, starring John Cusack and Malin Akerman (Content) which was presold over the past year to Sena For Iceland, Pomi International For Indonesia, Content Media Corporation Plc For U.K. And Grandview Castle Entertainment for U.S., Pawn, starring Nikki Reed and Ray Liotta (Red Sea Media) and Summer In February, starring Dominic Cooper and Emily Browning (Speranza13 Media).
Among the 306 films set to make their Market Premieres are The ABCs of Death starring Ingrid Bolsø Berdal and Iván González (Magnolia Pictures (for which Praesens has already acquired Swiss rights, ); Come Out and Play, starring Daniel Gimenez Cacho and Vinessa Shaw (Celsius Entertainment) for which Metrodome has U.K; Ginger and Rosa, starring Christina Hendricks and Elle Fanning (The Match Factory); Here Comes the Devil, starring Francisco Barreiro and Laura Caro (Mpi Media Group) for which Metrodome has U.K.; Kon-Tiki, starring Pål Sverre Valheim Hagen (HanWay Films) which is owned by A Contracorriente for Spain; Quartet, starring Maggie Smith and Michael Gambon, and directed by Dustin Hoffman (HanWay Films) already licensed to Germany – Dcm, Hungary - Ads Service Ltd., Israel - Lev Films (Shani Films), Spain - Vertice Cine, Simon Killer, starring Brady Corbet and Mati Diop (Fortissimo Film) for which IFC has U.S.; and Zaytoun starring Stephen Dorff and Alice Taglioni (Pathé International).
Other Market Premieres include: After, starring Steven Strait and Karolina Wydra (Jinga Films); The Assassins, starring Chow Yun-Fat, Yifei Liu and written by Bin Wang (Easternlight) for which Well Go has U.S. rights; Dan Mirvish's Between Us, starring Melissa George, Julia Stiles, and Taye Diggs (Premiere Entertainment Group Elias Axume's new company) which Premiere will release theatrically; a 10 minute promo of The Body, starring Belén Rueda and Hugo Silva (DeAPlaneta Internacional) which Dark Light Media will release in China; Boxing Day which premiered in Venice, starring Danny Huston and Matthew Jacobs (Independent); The Brass Teapot, starring Juno Temple, Alexis Bledel, and Annette Bening (TF1 International); Fin (The End), starring Maribel Verdu (Film Factory Entertainment) sold to France-Tf1 International, Hong Kong (China)-Intercontinental Films Dist. (Hk) Ltd., Mexico-Cien Films, New Zealand-Vendetta Films; Great Expectations, starring Helena Bonham Carter and Ralph Fiennes (HanWay Films) sold to Belgium-Paradiso Filmed Entertainment, Germany-Telepool Gmbh, Italy-Videa - Cde S.P.A., Korea (South)-Daisy & Cinergy Entertainment, Poland-Gutek Film Ltd, Russia-Carmen Film Group, Spain-A Contracorriente Films, Switzerland-Pathe Films Ag, United Arab Emirates-Front Row Filmed Entertainment, United Kingdom-Lionsgate Uk Ltd, Usa-Unison Films; Greetings from Tim Buckley, starring Penn Badgley and Imogen Poots (Celluloid Dreams) which Celluloid Dreams will distribute in France; A Late Quartet, starring Philip Seymour Hoffman and Christopher Walken (WestEnd Films) presold to Australia-Hopscotch, Netherlands-Wild Bunch Benelux, Spain-Savor Ediciones, S.A.; The Reluctant Fundamentalist after its Toronto debut, starring Kate Hudson and Liev Schreiber (K5 International) sold to Vendetta for N.Z.; Revenge for Jolly!, starring Elijah Wood, Ryan Phillippe, and Kristen Wiig (Highland Film Group); Harmony Korine's Spring Breakers, straight out of Tiff 12, starring James Franco, Selena Gomez and Vanessa Hudgens (Kinology) sold to Canada-V V S Films, France-Mars Films, Germany-Wild Bunch Germany; Thanks for Sharing, starring Mark Ruffalo and Gwyneth Paltrow and written by Stuart Blumberg (Voltage Pictures) sold to Roadside Attractions for U.S., Germany and Switzerland-Falcom Media, Greece-Strada Films, Italy-Minerva Pictures Group; What Maisie Knew, starring Alexander Skarsgård and Julianne Moore (Fortissimo Film) sold to Millennium for U.S., Germany-Pandastorm Pictures Gmbh, Turkey-Bir Film; and Writers (Tiff 12), starring Greg Kinnear, Logan Lerman, Kristen Bell, Jennifer Connelly, and Lily Collins, (The Solution Entertainment Group).
For Complete Rights Roundup Before, During And After The Major Festivals And Markets, Notify Sydney Levine Via Email Sydney At Sydneysbuzz.
- 10/23/2012
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Film debuts don’t come much better than Being John Malkovich, which saw music video director Spike Jonze team up with TV writer Charlie Kaufman to create one of the most funny, disturbing and thought-provoking American movies of the last twenty years. The duo went on to collaborate again on the superior Adaptation - one of my all time favourite films – but all the ingenuity, metatextual commentary and black comedy that underpins that later work can also be seen here.
On a plot level, Being John Malkovich is about a struggling artist, puppeteer Craig Schwartz (John Cusack), forced to take a crummy office job on floor 7 1/2 of a New York office building working for a bizarre and sexually frank old man (Orson Bean). Whilst working there he meets and falls in love with an aloof, cynical colleague, Maxine (Catherine Keener), who rebuffs his advances and generally makes him feel pathetic.
On a plot level, Being John Malkovich is about a struggling artist, puppeteer Craig Schwartz (John Cusack), forced to take a crummy office job on floor 7 1/2 of a New York office building working for a bizarre and sexually frank old man (Orson Bean). Whilst working there he meets and falls in love with an aloof, cynical colleague, Maxine (Catherine Keener), who rebuffs his advances and generally makes him feel pathetic.
- 9/18/2011
- by Robert Beames
- Obsessed with Film
By Kara Warner
No matter how easy it may seem to get famous people to talk about themselves (typically their favorite subject), there is a definite art to conducting a celebrity interview. And not many people fully understand the process better than bestselling author and prolific celebrity profile writer Neil Strauss who, over the course of his two decades in journalism, has career highlights that include making Lady Gaga cry, fielding drug offers from Marilyn Manson and shopping for diapers with Snoop Dogg.
In his newest book, "Everyone Loves You When You're Dead," Strauss (who also wrote the pickup artist insider tome "The Game" and the Mötley Crüe biography "The Dirt") combed through the source materials from over 3,000 articles he has written in order to bring fans further inside the minds of celebrities via their inner-most and honest commentary on topics like creativity, spirituality, drugs, aging and the psychological toll of fame.
No matter how easy it may seem to get famous people to talk about themselves (typically their favorite subject), there is a definite art to conducting a celebrity interview. And not many people fully understand the process better than bestselling author and prolific celebrity profile writer Neil Strauss who, over the course of his two decades in journalism, has career highlights that include making Lady Gaga cry, fielding drug offers from Marilyn Manson and shopping for diapers with Snoop Dogg.
In his newest book, "Everyone Loves You When You're Dead," Strauss (who also wrote the pickup artist insider tome "The Game" and the Mötley Crüe biography "The Dirt") combed through the source materials from over 3,000 articles he has written in order to bring fans further inside the minds of celebrities via their inner-most and honest commentary on topics like creativity, spirituality, drugs, aging and the psychological toll of fame.
- 3/23/2011
- by MTV News
- MTV Newsroom
These first two links to the website Cineflyer I had on the site earlier in the week, but I want to make sure they get read. One is an interview with film curator Brett Cashmere about his new series investigating Canada’s little-known Escarpment School movement. And the other is an interview with Escarpment School member Philip Hoffman. And, by the way, Bad Lit’s Screening section has all kinds of interesting information, so please check out those posts even if you don’t live in the city in which those Screenings take place. Searching for “underground film” articles every week sometimes brings up interesting results in ways I don’t typically think of the term. Anyway, doing so this week led me to this piece on Donna Magazine about the “green movement of Iran” being celebrated at the 10th International Diaspora Film Festival. Jack Sargeant reprints his nifty profile...
- 11/7/2010
- by Mike Everleth
- Underground Film Journal
Your Weekly Pop Culture Mandate Five things you must not miss this week, including Superchunk, Kids in the Hall, and a surprise new release from Brian Wilson. By Ray Rahman MUSICBrian Wilson Reimagines Gershwin, Brian Wilson It's great to know who your favorite artists listen to. The immortal Beach Boy, Brian Wilson, does us one better: the brilliantly odd musician has recorded an entire album reinterpreting the works of George Gershwin. According to Wilson, the nineteenth-century-born composer “invented the popular song.” Which is pretty amazing, since many people credit Wilson with reinventing American popular music himself, more than a century later. August 17 MOVIESThe Switch, Josh Gordon & Will Speck At first glance, it looks like just another Aniston romcom: a single career woman wants a baby, she throws an insemination party, her best friend replaces the sperm sample with his own, and the resultant child unknowingly meets [...]...
- 8/16/2010
- by Ray Rahman
- Nerve
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