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In director Sophie Hyde’s Jimpa, non-binary teen Frances (Aud Mason-Hyde) travels to Amsterdam with her mother Hannah (Olivia Colman) to visit her grandfather (John Lithgow); Frances’ longtime nickname for him lends the film its title. Won over by her grandfather’s unabashed queerness and the community he calls home, Frances communicates her desire to stay in Holland for a year to live with Jimpa, which, naturally, complicates things for Hannah. Cinematographer Matthew Chuang delves into the difficulties of shooting between Adelaide and Amsterdam, the influence of Nan Goldin on the film and the “memorable experience” of riding a bike to set […]

The post “With Each Location We Embraced Its Essence:” Dp Matthew Chuang on Jimpa first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

In director Sophie Hyde’s Jimpa, non-binary teen Frances (Aud Mason-Hyde) travels to Amsterdam with her mother Hannah (Olivia Colman) to visit her grandfather (John Lithgow); Frances’ longtime nickname for him lends the film its title. Won over by her grandfather’s unabashed queerness and the community he calls home, Frances communicates her desire to stay in Holland for a year to live with Jimpa, which, naturally, complicates things for Hannah. Cinematographer Matthew Chuang delves into the difficulties of shooting between Adelaide and Amsterdam, the influence of Nan Goldin on the film and the “memorable experience” of riding a bike to set […]

The post “With Each Location We Embraced Its Essence:” Dp Matthew Chuang on Jimpa first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (Ampas) has invited 487 artists and executives to become members, with Sandra Huller, Justin Triet, Celine Song and Da’Vine Joy Randolph among the high profile invitees.

Also invited to join are actors Da’Vine Joy Randolph and Fiona Shaw, directors Alice Diop, David Yates and S S Rajamouli, and writers Arthur Harari and Tony McNamara.

Executives invited to join that branch of the Academy include British Film Institute CEO Ben Roberts and Fifth Season co-CEOs Chris Rice and Graham Taylor.

Among those invited to join the costume designers branch are Holly Waddington and Małgorzata Karpiuk.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (Ampas) has invited 487 artists and executives to become members, with Sandra Huller, Justin Triet, Celine Song and Da’Vine Joy Randolph among the high profile invitees.

Also invited to join are actors Da’Vine Joy Randolph and Fiona Shaw, directors Alice Diop, David Yates and S S Rajamouli, and writers Arthur Harari and Tony McNamara.

Executives invited to join that branch of the Academy include British Film Institute CEO Ben Roberts and Fifth Season co-CEOs Chris Rice and Graham Taylor.

Among those invited to join the costume designers branch are Holly Waddington and Małgorzata Karpiuk.

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences said Tuesday that it is extending invitations to 487 to join the membership ranks of the Oscar organizer. If all accept, it will bring the Academy’s total membership to 10,910, of which 9,934 would be voting members.

This year’s list across 19 branches include 2024 Oscar winners Da’Vine Joy Randolph from The Holdovers; Poor Things costume designer Holly Waddington and production design team James Price, Shona Heath and Zsuzsa Mihalek; 20 Days in Mariupol director Mstyslav Chernov, War Is Over! producer Brad Booker; The Zone of Interest sound duo Tarn Willers and Johnnie Burn; the Godzilla Minus One VFX team Tatsuji Nojima, Kiyoko Shibuya, Masaki Takahashi and Takashi Yamazaki; American Fiction writer-director Cord Jefferson; and Anatomy of a Fall writing duo Justine Triet and Arthur Harari.

Jefferson and Triet are among eight names on the list who were invited to more than one branch (noted...

Korean directors have made headlines in Hollywood the last two years, and Justin Chon may just be next in line. Bong Joon-ho’s “Parasite” and Isaac Lee-Chung’s “Minari” won a variety of accolades; between the two of them, they boast 5 Oscars, 2 Golden Globes, and a Palme d’Or to boot. Chon – whose latest release “Blue Bayou” had also been selected for Cannes 2020 – has been reviewed as another potential favorite for the 2021 awards season. This time, Chon introduces a different Korean American tale to the table: that of involuntary migration.

“Blue Bayou” is screening at Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinema

In “Blue Bayou,” Antonio (Justin Chon) is an ethnic-Korean adoptee who is not exactly a model citizen. He’s a small-time tattoo artist with a criminal record; moreover, as the movie shows, he’s prone to run away from his problems (oftentimes on a motorcycle). Despite his speckled past,...

For fans of “Weekend,” “Before Sunrise” and other regret-tinged romances about what-might-have-beens and what-were-nots, “Of an Age” just might be the devastating cinematic kick you need — and a reason to rue the one who’ll never get away.

Its director, Goran Stolevski, made a modest splash at Sundance and in theaters last year with his directorial debut, the witchy, body-jumping folk horror tale “You Might Be Alone” for Focus Features. He reteams with the prestige distributor for “Of an Age,” which finds the director switching up genres but still laying down a throughline: The sexy Aussie-set gay romance is about bodies, after all, and the way they bend toward time and desire.

“All my films could really be called ‘You Won’t Be Alone,’” the Macedonian-born, Australian-based filmmaker told IndieWire over a recent Zoom interview. “It’s just that I’ve already used that title.” The out-gay director is charmingly self-effacing.

The simple yet effective title “Of an Age” plays a few tricks with its double entendre; the peppy romance about a young queer man’s first brush with love captures a certain glowing youthful nostalgia. But it’s also a story split across two decades, essentially bifurcated in two recent but now solidly bygone eras. The film opens in 1999, though the boxy cars harken even further back, and ends in 2010, performing some impressive movie magic to make the actors look age-appropriate. That the entire thing is set in Melbourne, Australia, adds another layer of distance to the whole affair, coating it in a kind of dewy faraway melodrama.

While “Of an Age” leans a little heavily toward sentimentality at times, a sharp wit and a few wild shifts in tone keep things afloat. It’s As writer/director on his second feature, the Macedonian-born, Austalian-raised filmmaker Goran Stolevski firmly plants...

The blush of first love can be electrifying, but also wholly disorienting. There’s a way in which someone’s smile can muster up vexing emotions that feel visceral and involuntary. Writer-director Goran Stolevski’s sophomore effort, “Of an Age,” spends the bulk of its runtime capturing such a blush, and then pushes audiences and characters alike to revisit it anew with the added wistfulness of hindsight. The Australian production is a warm-hearted gem, pulsating with lustful tenderness (and tender lust) as it sketches what first love can feel like, and asking whether it can ever endure.

The year is 1999. It is a sweltering summer day and Kol (Elias Anton) is freaking out. The 17-year-old is supposed to be basking in anticipation of what promises to be a fateful day at the Australian Dance finals, only a frantic call from his dance partner Ebony (Hattie Hook) has set his morning into disarray.

You Won’t Be Alone Review Video — You Won’t Be Alone (2022) Video Movie Review, a movie directed by Goran Stolevski, written by Goran Stolevski, and starring Noomi Rapace, Anamaria Marinca, Alice Englert, Carloto Cotta, Felix Maritaud, and Sara Klimoska. Crew Mark Bradshaw created the music for the film. Matthew Chuang crafted the cinematography for [...]

Continue reading: Video Movie Review: You Won’T Be Alone (2022): Bold, Unique, Daring, & Skillfully Made...

This review of “You Won’t Be Alone” was first published on Jan. 22 after its premiere at Sundance.

The dismal arthouse horror-drama “You Won’t Be Alone” will surely test the patience of viewers who expect a straightforward, character-driven, or even generic period chiller. Set in 19th century Macedonia, writer-director Goran Stolevski’s debut feature presents a disorienting narrative about Nevena (mostly played by Noomi Rapace), a shape-shifting teenage witch who’s kidnapped and then haunted by the malicious “wolf-eateress” conjurer Maria.

The movie’s heavy-handed and often distracting impressionistic style — lots of too-tight extreme close-ups, wobbly hand-held camerawork, whispery stream-of-conscious voiceover narration, and over-edited montages — will understandably frustrate some viewers and draw comparisons to recent dramas directed by Terrence Malick as well as Robert Eggers’ “elevated horror” movies “The Witch” and “The Lighthouse.”

Stolevski’s pretentious and mindlessly alienating style also smothers his ensemble cast’s performances and his crew’s diligent contributions,...

Who were the big winners at the 37th Independent Spirit Awards, presented on Sunday, March 6, at the Santa Monica Pier in Santa Monica, California? Scroll down for the complete list of results in all categories, updated throughout the ceremony as the awards were handed out.

SEE2022 Oscars guild awards scorecard: ‘King Richard’ reigns over SAG and Ace Eddies to grab early lead

These awards are unique in that they are limited to American films made for under $20 million; films made outside the United States are eligible for Best International Feature. And the awards are decided in two stages. In the first round, committees of film professionals, experts, and critics choose the nominees. In the second round, the entire Film Independent membership gets to vote for the winners. Members include industry insiders, but also anyone in the general public who wish to pay yearly dues starting at $95 per year.

The Oscars...

In 19th-century Macedonia a desperate mother makes a deal with a witch. Rather than allow her only child to be taken from her immediately, the woman promises her baby at age 16 to the mythical Old Maid Maria (Anamaria Marinca), whose unwelcome arrival hovering over the innocent might indicate a desire for blood. But the mother ineffectively attempts to fool the witch. After this scarred, centuries-old being agrees to the terms and leaves her mark by ripping out the infant’s tongue, the woman feigns that her child has already been seized by the dubbed “Wolf-Eateress” and hides her away in a cave for the ensuing years. With only a small circle of blue sky peeking in through the top of the cavern to the depths below—her only connection to the outside world being frenzied food deliveries from her mother—the child grows up feral, unmoored to the society that exists just above her.

Terrence Malick meets Robert Eggers in You Won’t Be Alone, a bloody—and bloody good—vampire tale that squeezes quite a few new twists out of fundamentally familiar material. Rapturously beautiful and sufficiently different from its bloodsucking brethren to engage fresh interest in aspects of the undead, Australian director Goran Stolevski’s very confident debut feature goes places its generic brethren never thought of visiting. This Sundance 2022 entry in the World Dramatic Competition section should serve its purpose of putting its creator on the map while providing any number of fresh twists on familiar material. Commercial release via Focus Features is currently pegged for April 1.

Stolevski, whose Would You Look At Her won the 2018 Sundance best short film prize, goes far beyond the normal boundaries of generic blood-sucker yarns to bring historical, ethnic and cultural considerations to a table over-spilling with goodies both familiar and esoteric. At first it’s...

You Won’t Be Alone

Treading the waters of short film filmmaking for almost a decade has culminated into the type of big leagues grand entrance that dreams are made of. Australian/Macedonian filmmaker Goran Stolevski‘s feature debut was backed by Focus Features from the getgo. You Won’t Be Alone features an international cast comprised of an international cast of Noomi Rapace, Anamaria Marinca, Alice Englert, Carloto Cotta, Félix Maritaud and Sara Klimoska and was produced by The Babadook and The Nightingale producers Kristina Ceyton and Sam Jennings. Filmed in backwoods of Serbia back in December of 2020, Stolevski teamed with Blue Bayou Cinematographer Matthew Chuang – and worth noting – both have already re-teamed on (current filming) sophomore project titled Of An Age.…...

A24 is the leading film distributor with 13 nominations, followed by Neon and Netflix on nine.

Janicza Bravo’s Zola led the Film Independent Spirit Awards nominations with seven nods, followed by Lauren Hadaway’s The Novice with five and Maggie Gyllenhaal’s The Lost Daughter on four.

All three are competing for best feature and best director, with Ninja Thyberg for Pleasure and Mike Mills for C’mon C’mon rounding out the latter category. It’s the second year in a row that four women have been nominated for best director.

The other best feature nominees are C’mon C’mon...

The 2022 Independent Spirit Awards nominations were announced Tuesday, December 14. So who made the cut at these kudos, which celebrate the best in American independent films? Scroll down to see the full 2022 Indie Spirits nominations list. Remember, only American-made movies with budgets under $20 million were eligible for consideration.

These Spirit contenders were decided by nominating committees that included film critics, film programmers, producers, directors, writers, cinematographers, editors, actors, past nominees and winners, and members of Film Independent’s Board of Directors. Winners will be chosen by all of Film Independent’s eligible members, including industry insiders and any movie fans who sign up for membership starting at $95 per year.

These awards have come to be a significant preview of the Oscars as the motion picture academy embraces more independent films. Six of the last 10 Spirit champs for Best Feature went on to win the Oscar for Best Picture including last year’s double dipper “Nomadland,...

Distributor A24 and Zola led nominations as the Film Independent Spirit Awards revealed their 37th annual nods in a pre-taped presentation hosted by Beanie Feldstein, Regina Hall and Naomi Watts. The Spirit Awards are skedded for Sunday, March 6, 2022 — live and in-person this year back on the beach in Santa Monica, and broadcast on IFC.

A24’s Zola, by Janicza Bravo and based on a Twitter chain from a riotous road trip, was recognized for Best Feature Director, Screenplay, Cinematography, Editing, Female Lead and Supporting Male. Mike Mills’ C’mon C’mon with Joaquin Phoenix took four nods including feature, director and screenplay. Accolades were rounded out by two nominations for Sean Baker’s Red Rocket, for Best Male Lead, Simon Rex ,and Best Supporting Female, Suzanna Son. The Humans, directed by Stephen Karam based on his one-act play, was nominated in cinematography.

Netflix and Neon took nine nods each, with...

Korean directors have made headlines in Hollywood the last two years, and Justin Chon may just be next in line. Bong Joon-ho’s “Parasite” and Isaac Lee-Chung’s “Minari” won a variety of accolades; between the two of them, they boast 5 Oscars, 2 Golden Globes, and a Palme d’Or to boot. Chon – whose latest release “Blue Bayou” had also been selected for Cannes 2020 – is now being reviewed as another potential favorite for next year’s awards season. This time, Chon introduces a different Korean American tale to the table: that of involuntary migration.

In “Blue Bayou,” Antonio (Justin Chon) is an ethnic-Korean adoptee who is not exactly a model citizen. He’s a small-time tattoo artist with a criminal record; moreover, as the movie shows, he’s prone to run away from his problems (oftentimes on a motorcycle). Despite his speckled past, however, he is a fiercely loyal father. Madly in love with his wife,...

. If done well, these tear-jerkers can emotionally galvanize audiences into grappling with the sort of social injustice that people tend to cry over in the dark of a theater and then leave behind when they re-emerge into the light of day. If done poorly, they risk glazing an urgent problem with a gloss of untruth, and making an all-too-real tragedy from our own backyard feel like the kind of thing that only happens in the movies. An eye-opening sob-fest that eventually loses sight of its everyday tragedy behind a thick veil of tears, “Blue Bayou” is such an uncommonly lucid example of this phenomenon because it manages to cut both ways at the same time.

The crux of the film’s story hinges on the immigration status of this country’s foreign-born adoptees; a bill was passed in the year 2000 that granted them American citizenship, but that long-overdue change didn...

The lovechild of passion and talent, Justin Chon’s “Blue Bayou” — a lyrical and emotional portrait of identity and family — is a piece that drums up lots of support within the film community, general audiences, and the Academy Awards in various branches. Leaving you in a puddle of tears by the end credits, the Cannes Film Festival selection could be a slam dunk for distributor Focus Features across all eligible categories, including best picture.

“Blue Bayou” tells the moving and timely story of Antonio LeBlanc (Chon), a Korean adoptee who is raised in a small town in the Louisiana bayou. There, he’s married to his wife Kathy (played by Oscar-winner Alicia Vikander) and is a step-dad to her daughter Jessie (played by newcomer Sydney Kowalske). Struggling to make a better life for his family, Antonio must confront his complicated past when he faces possible deportation from the only country he’s ever known.

To New Orleans family man Antonio LeBlanc (Justin Chon) and everyone close to him, he’s as American as the tattooed eagle spreading its wings defiantly across his throat, down to his lived-in Southern drawl acquired over more than three decades. To Ice authorities, however, he’s nothing more than a Korean immigrant with a criminal record and faulty paperwork, and they want him out.

Never mind that he has scarcely any memories of his motherland, having been brought out to the U.S. for adoption at the age of three, or that his all-American wife Kathy (Alicia Vikander) is carrying their second child: The system is the system, and its rules and loopholes exist to punish more than they protect. “Blue Bayou” holds little back as it rails against the cruelties and hypocrisies of American immigration law to stirring effect — though this emotional pile-driver of a film could stand...

The analog comeback continues for cinematography, as this week’s Cannes Film Festival boasts 19 titles shot on Kodak film, with eight competing for the Palme D’Or, highlighted by Wes Anderson’s “The French Dispatch” (Searchlight Pictures). The multi-layered ode to journalism, with an ensemble cast consisting ofTilda Swinton, Bill Murray, Timothee Chalamet, Lea Seydoux, Benicio del Toro, Elisabeth Moss, Owen Wilson, and Frances McDormand, was shot in both 35mm color and black-and-white by go-to cinematographer Robert Yeoman.

The other Palme D’Or entries shot on film include Sean Baker’s “Red Rocket” (Dp Drew Daniels), Ildikó Enyedi’s “The Story of My Wife,” (Dp Marcell Rév), Mia Hansen-Løve’s “Bergman Island” (Dp Denis Lenoir), Juho Kuosmanen’s “Compartment No. 6” (Dp Jani-Petteri Passi), Sean Penn’s “Flag Day” (Dp Daniel Moder), Joachim Trier’s “The Worst Person in the World” (Dp Kasper Tuxen), and Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s “Memoria” (Dp Sayombhu Mukdeeprom).

Additionally,...

Twenty-seven of Australia’s top cinematographers last night launched a social media campaign aimed at boosting the number of women employed in camera teams and, more broadly, encouraging greater diversity across the screen industry.

Using the hashtag #whoisinyourcrew, the six-week campaign is designed to reach all heads of department as well as directors and producers.

The initiative was conceived by Dop Bonnie Elliott on behalf of the Australian Cinematographers Society’s Diversity Committee, the reconfigured Acs Women’s Advisory Panel.

Appointed to Screen Australia’s Gender Matters task force this year, Elliott has led the way by maintaining gender equity across her own camera teams for the last four years.

“I am keen to empower my fellow cinematographers to help make change in the industry through their hiring practices,” says Elliott, whose recent credits include Stateless, The Furnace, Palm Beach, The Hunting, H is for Happiness and Daina Reid’s upcoming Run Rabbit Run.

'Lion' director Garth Davis has won the Adg Award for Best Direction in a Feature Film..

Director Garth Davis has taken out the top gong at the Adg Awards for his work helming Lion..

Davis was presented the prize for Best Direction in a Feature Film by Peter Weir at an award ceremony in Melbourne on Friday..

Lion, which received six Oscar nods and has gone on to be the fifth highest-grossing Australian film of all time at the local box office, is Davis. debut feature. .

Davis was up against Simon Stone (The Daughter), Ben Young (Hounds of Love), Craig Boreham (Teenage Kicks) and Jonathan Leahy (Skin Deep) — each of which was also a first feature..

The award for Best Direction in a Documentary Feature Film was presented to Dan Jackson for In The Shadow of the Hill, while Hotel Coolgardie director Pete Gleeson received High Commendation. The...