News

The retrospective Godard and the Dziga Vertov Group is showing from February 27 - March 26, 2018 on Mubi in the United Kingdom and United States.British SoundsThe execrable new film Redoubtable by Michel Hazanavicius reduces all aspects of Jean-Luc Godard and his career to the level of a cartoon. And not even a great, cinematically advanced cartoon—the Fleischer brothers, Chuck Jones, or Tex Avery, something that might actually capture some semblance of Jlg’s anarchic humor. No, Redoubtable is strictly Hanna-Barbara, two-dimensional animals lumbering about on an unchanging, depthless landscape. (Oh look! Silly Jean-Luc has broken his glasses again!) As if to drive home the childishness of the film, it is being retitled in the U.S. Now called Godard Mon Amour, it not only makes a mockery of an actually great film by Alain Resnais and Marguerite Duras. It emphasizes Godard as little more than a brand name, a selling point.

Feature film competition five world premieres and four regional premieres, including multi award-winner In Bloom.

The Sarajevo Film Festival (Sff), running August 16-24, has announced the Feature, Short and Documentary Competition titles comprising 50 films.

Selectors and the Sff team viewed 750 films from the region, including 200 feature films, 150 documentaries and 400 short and animated films.

Across the three Competition sections are 15 world, seven international and 18 regional premieres.

The main competition will feature five world premieres including Carmen, the first feature by Romanian director Doru Nitescu.

It is a family drama co-written by Tudor Voican, known for Periferic and Medal of Honour. The Filmex Romania production stars Doru Ana from Principles of Life, Adrian Titieni from Child’s Pose and Maia Morgenstern.

Greek director Dimitris Bavellas’ debut feature Runaway Day is a black-and-white film exploring how young Greeks feel lost in modern day Athens, a city under financial occupation. It starts Maria Skoula from Wasted Youth.

Austrian [link=nm...

By Vadim Rizov

In the last few years, there's been several signs that the Werner Herzog persona — an increasingly dominant presence in his documentaries — is tipping towards self-parody. Last year's "Werner Herzog Reads Curious George" video was initially mistaken by many people as the real thing, a sign that others can now plausibly forge their own Herzog soundtbites. Some of the more dyspeptic sentiments in Encounters at the End of the World made critic Theo Panayides daydream about "a live-action 'Muppet Show' movie with Herzog and Tommy Lee Jones as Stadler and Waldorf." Now 68, Herzog stopped placing himself directly in harm's way some time ago, but has cannily realized he's still his own most sellable aspect, barking out mystic sentiments and ridiculously bold pronouncements on demand.

Fortunately, as a comic persona, Herzog is funny and self-reflexive. Still, sometimes cracks show. Cave Of Forgotten Dreams, by far one of Herzog's most strait-laced documentaries,...