News

War drama to be submitted for the Best Foreign-Language Film category.

Denmark has selected Tobias Lindholm’s A War as its entry to the Best Foreign-Language Film Category at the 88thAcademy Awards.

The feature, which premiered at this year’s Venice Film Festival in the Horizons competition, is the story of a Danish military commander who is captured by the Taliban and accused of a war crime when he returns to Denmark.

The national selection commitee selected the film, which was released in Denmark on Sept 10 and is headed for festivals in Zurich and Reykjavik.

A War was picked from a shortlist of three which also included Anders Thomas Jensen’s Men & Chicken and Joshua Oppenheimer’s documentary The Look of Silence.

Henrik Bo Nielsen, CEO of the Danish Film Institute and chair of the committee, said the committee chose Lindholm’s drama as it believed the film “would have the greatest chance to seize the attention...

Nils Malmros’ Sorrow and Joy has been submitted by Denmark for the Academy Awards.

Sorrow and Joy, known in Denmark as Sorg og glæde, has been submitted for the Best Foreign-Language Film category at the 87th Academy Awards.

Best Foreign-Language Film Academy Award submissions 2015

The Danish Oscar Committee chose the film directed by Nils Malmros from a shortlist that also included Niels Arden Oplev’s Speed Walking (Kapgang) and Pernille Fischer Christensen’s Someone You Love (En du elsker).

“It was a difficult decision, with three very personal films from well-known directors were are proud of, but it was an unanimous choice” said committee chairman Henrik Bo Nielsen, MD of the Danish Film Institute.

“After a long career, Malmros is still a strong narrator, who dares stand out – he is not afraid of approaching taboos, he deals with universal themes and gently touches us all.”

Launched at last year’s Rome Film Festival, Sorrow and [link...

After a couple of years’ absence publicist/ producer, Richard Lormand is returning to Toronto with a satchel full of films. Check these out because when he chooses films, he chooses them well.

"Phoenix"

Christian Petzold

Disfigured Holocaust survivor Nina, now unrecognizable after facial reconstruction, returns to find out if her husband really loves her or actually betrayed her...

Starring "Barbara" leads Nina Hoss and Ronald Zehrfeld. Romance and reconstruction in post World War II Germany from the critically

acclaimed director of "Barbara" (Berlinale 2012 Best Director) and "Yella" (Berlinale 2007 Best Actress – Nina Hoss)

Present: Christian Petzold (director), Nina Hoss (actress), Florian Koerner von Gustorf (producer)

World Sales: The Match Factory

Fri 5 – 18:00 (Public 1 – Elgin/Visa Screening Room)

Sat 6 – 11:30 (Public 2 – Elgin/Visa Screening Room)

Sat 6 – 12:30 (Press/Industry 1 – Scotiabank 2)

Tue 9 - 14:00 (Press/Industry 2 - Scotiabank 14)

Fri 12 - 14:15 (Press/Industry 3 - Scotiabank 7

"Itsi Bitsi"

Ole Christian Madsen

In the soul-searching psychedelic 60s, a rebellious young man desperately tries to win a beautiful woman’s love by transforming from poet to writer, nomad to junkie and eventually rock star...

The new film by Ole Christian Madsen, acclaimed director of "Superclásico," "Flame and Citron" and "Prague."

Present: Ole Christian Madsen (director), Joachim Fjelstrup (actor), Marie Tourell Søderberg (actress), Lars Lars Bredo Rahbek (producer)

World Sales: The Match Factory

Sat 6 – 8:30 (Press/Industry 1 – Scotiabank 9)

Sat 6 – 17:15 (Public 1 – Scotiabank 4)

Sun 7 – 9:30 (Public 2 – Bloor Hot Docs Cinema)

Tue 9 - 17:30 (Press/Industry 2 - Scotiabank 7)

Fri 12 – 17:00 (Public 3 – Isabel Bader)

"1001 Grams"

Bent Hamer

Urbane urbanite Marie is a thirty-something scientist whose life is rigorously controlled. When she attends a seminar in Paris on the actual weight of a kilo, it is her own measurement of disappointment, grief and, not least, love, that ends up on the scale. As she explores her new possibilities, everything seems to unfurl magically, beautiful.

Featuring Ane Dahl Torp (Pioneer, Cold Lunch) in a charmingly offbeat comedy from Norwegian master Bent Hamer ("Kitchen Stories," "O'Horten"). A co-production: Norway (BulBul), France (Slot Machine), Germany (Pandora)

Present: Bent Hamer (director), Ane Dahl Torp (actress), Marianne Slot (producer)

World Sales: Les Films du Losangne

Fri 5 – 14:00 (Press/Industry 1 – Scotiabank 3)

Sun 7 – 19:15 (Public 1 – Tiff Bell Lightbox 1)

Tue 9 - 9:30 (Press/Industry 2 - Scotiabank 4)

Tue 9 – 14:45 (Public 2 – Scotiabank 2)

Sun 14 – 19:00 (Public 3 – Tiff Bell Lightbox 1)

"Tigers"

Danis Tanovic

Devastated when he discovers the effects of the infant formula he’s peddling, a young salesman takes on a multinational corporation, in this based-on-fact drama from Academy Award-winning director Danis Tanovic ("No Man's Land").

Featuring Bollywood star Emraan Hashmi ("Once Upon a Time in Mumbai"). A co-production: India (Cinemorphic Pvt Ltd & Sikhya Entertainment), France (Asap Films)

Present: Danis Tanovic (director), Emraan Hashmi (actor), Geetanjali (actress), Khalid Abdalla (actor), Prashita Chaudhary (producer), Guneet Monga (producer), Cédomir Kolar (producer), Andy Paterson (producer, co-writer), Achin Jain (executive producer)

World Sales: The Match Factory

Sun 7 – 14:00 (Press/Industry 1 – Scotiabank 10)

Mon 8 – 21:45 (Public 1 – Scotiabank 1)

Wed 10 - 21:15 (Press/Industry 2 - Scotiabank 7)

Wed 10 – 21:30 (Public 2 – Scotiabank 3)

Sat 13 – 17:00 (Public 3 – Tiff Bell Lightbox 1

"Natural Resistance"

Jonathan Nossiter

Four Italian winegrowers of a rapidly spreading European natural wine revolution have encountered fierce resistance. Not everyone believes in their struggle for an ecologically progressive, economically just and historically rich expression of Italian

agriculture…

10 years after "Mondovino" world acclaimed director Jonathan Nossiter offers a model of charmed and joyous ecological and cinematic resistance against the new world economic order.

Present: Jonathan Nossiter (director)

Sat 6 – 11:15 (Press/Industry 1 – Scotiabank 7),

Mon 8 – 19:00 (Public 1 – Tiff Bell Lightbox 3)

Tue 9 – 19:00 (Public 2 – Jackman Hall)

Thu 11 – 17:45 (Public 3 – Bloor Hot Docs Cinema)...

Includes films by Niels Arden Oplev, Pernille Fischer Christensen and Nils Malmros.

The Danish Oscar committee has shortlisted three films, one of which will be submitted as Denmark’s official entry for the 87th Academy Awards in the Best Foreign Language Film category.

They include Niels Arden Oplev’s Speed Walking, Pernille Fischer Christensen’s Someone to Love You and Nils Malmros’ Sorrow and Joy.

The films were chosen from a longlist of 18 features and four documentaries. The committee is expected to name the final candidate on Sept 18.

Denmark has had a strong showing at the Oscars in recent years, with two nominations and a win for Susanne Bier’s In A Better World in 2011.

The announcement of the five foreign films nominated for the Oscar will be made on Jan 15, 2015. The awards ceremony will be held on Feb 22, 2015 in the Dolby Theatre, Hollywood.

Speed Walking is set in 1970s Denmark and follows adolescent Martin, whose mother...

Kirsten Dunst in Lars von Trier's apocalyptic drama Melancholia The Danish Film Critics Association's Bodil Pris winners will be announced on March 3. Danske film / Best Danish Film En familie / A Family, Pernille Fischer Christensen SuperClásico, Ole Christian Madsen Frit fald / Rebounce, Heidi Maria Faisst Melancholia, Lars von Trier Dirch / A Funny Man, Martin P. Zandvliet Amerikanske film / Best American Film Drive, Nicolas Winding Refn Winter's Bone, Debra Granik Black Swan, Darren Aronofsky True Grit, Ethan Coen, Joel Coen The Tree of Life, Terrence Malick Ikke-amerikanske film / Best Non-American Foreign Film Another Year, Mike Leigh Nader og Simin – en separation / A Separation, Asghar Farhadi Om guder og mænd / Of Gods and Men, Xavier Beauvois Oslo, 31. august, Joachim Trier Kongens store tale / The King's Speech, Tom Hooper Dokumentarfilm / Best Documentary Testamentet, Christian Sønderby Ambassadøren, Mads Brügger Svend, Anne Regitze Wivel ½ Revolution, Karim El Hakim and Omar Shargawi Præsidenten, Christoffer Guldbrandsen Mandlig...

Hellion

Today's the day Sundance 2012 opens and Salon's Andrew O'Hehir pretty well sums up why those who've written the festival off completely might want to reconsider:

If Robert Redford's annual celebration of independent film is no longer the cutting-edge cultural phenomenon it appeared to be in the 1990s, it also isn't the wretched-excess Sundance of the early 2000s, when the overly precious downtown of Park City, Utah, was bedecked with 'gifting lounges' that attracted all kinds of entertainment and sports celebrities who had no plausible connection to the independent-film business. Current festival director John Cooper took the reins from longtime director Geoff Gilmore (a charismatic and polarizing figure) two and a half years ago, just as the national economy was going south. Whether by coincidence, strategy or an inevitable consequence of structural change, Cooper's first two festivals have felt leaner and more focused on actual films and filmmakers — and...

Still from Adaminte Makan Abu

Malayalam film Adaminte Makan Abu directed by Salim Ahamed, India’s official entry to the Oscars couldn’t make it to the shortlist of nominations for the 84th Academy awards. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the final nine contenders for the foreign language category from the 63 foreign-language films that initially qualified.

Belgium, “Bullhead,” Michael R. Roskam Canada, “Monsieur Lazhar,” Philippe Falardeau Denmark, “Superclásico,” Ole Christian Madsen Germany, “Pina,” Wim Wenders Iran, “A Separation,” Asghar Farhadi Israel, “Footnote,” Joseph Cedar Morocco, “Omar Killed Me,” Roschdy Zem Poland, “In Darkness,” Agnieszka Holland Taiwan, “Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale,” Wei Te-sheng...

Anders W. Berthelsen, Paprika Steen, Sebastián Estevanez in Ole Christian Madsen's SuperClásico The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has announced the list of nine films still in contention for the 2012 Best Foreign Language Film Academy Award. Sixty-three films had originally qualified in the category. The films, listed in alphabetical order by country, are: Belgium, Bullhead, Michael R. Roskam, director; Canada, Monsieur Lazhar, Philippe Falardeau, director; Denmark, Superclásico, Ole Christian Madsen, director; Germany, Pina, Wim Wenders, director; Iran, A Separation, Asghar Farhadi, director; Israel, Footnote, Joseph Cedar, director; Morocco, Omar Killed Me, Roschdy Zem, director; Poland, In Darkness, Agnieszka Holland, director; Taiwan, Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale, Wei Te-sheng, director. As in the past five years, the Best Foreign Language Film nominations are being determined in two phases. The information below is from the Academy's press release: The Phase I committee, consisting of several hundred Los Angeles-based members,...

Nine films will advance to the next round of voting in the Foreign Language Film category for the 84th Academy Awards®. Sixty-three films had originally qualified in the category.

The films, listed in alphabetical order by country, are:

Belgium, “Bullhead,” Michael R. Roskam, director;

Canada, “Monsieur Lazhar,” Philippe Falardeau, director;

Denmark, “Superclásico,” Ole Christian Madsen, director;

Germany, “Pina,” Wim Wenders, director;

Iran, “A Separation,” Asghar Farhadi, director;

Israel, “Footnote,” Joseph Cedar, director;

Morocco, “Omar Killed Me,” Roschdy Zem, director;

Poland, “In Darkness,” Agnieszka Holland, director;

Taiwan, “Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale,” Wei Te-sheng, director.

Foreign Language Film nominations for 2011 are again being determined in two phases.

The Phase I committee, consisting of several hundred Los Angeles-based members, screened the 63 eligible films between mid-October and January 13. The group.s top six choices, augmented by three additional selections voted by the Academy.s Foreign Language Film Award Executive Committee, constitute the shortlist.

With just six days until Oscar nominations, the Academy has released the finalist list for Best Foreign Language Film. Iran's wondrous A Separation (see my top ten list) might just go all the way. While it's true that most pundits are already predicting just that, I've been more cautious. Masterpieces are often tripped up in this category by more heartwarming or traditonally baity mass-appeal films in the final heat. The biggest surprise here might be the omission of Lebanon's 'can't we all get along' musical Where Do We Go Now? which some pundits, including myself, had suspected might be a real threat given its populist pull. It won the People's Choice at Toronto which generally bodes well for Oscar traction. Not this time.

Poland's "In Darkness" is "A Separation"'s chief rival now; it's a Holocaust drama.

The Finalist List

Belgium (5 noms) "Bullhead" Michael R. Roskam Canada (5 noms | 1 win) "Monsieur Lazhar...

By Sean O’Connell

hollywoodnews.com: The Academy has narrowed the number of films competing for the Foreign Language Oscar to nine ahead of the nominations being announced on Tuesday, Jan. 24. They are:

Belgium, “Bullhead,” Michael R. Roskam, director;

Canada, “Monsieur Lazhar,” Philippe Falardeau, director;

Denmark, “Superclásico,” Ole Christian Madsen, director;

Germany, “Pina,” Wim Wenders, director;

Iran, “A Separation,” Asghar Farhadi, director;

Israel, “Footnote,” Joseph Cedar, director;

Morocco, “Omar Killed Me,” Roschdy Zem, director;

Poland, “In Darkness,” Agnieszka Holland, director;

Taiwan, “Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale,” Wei Te-sheng, director.

The films will advance to the next round of voting in the Foreign Language Film category for the 84th Academy Awards. Sixty-three films had originally qualified in the category.

Foreign Language Film nominations for 2011 are again being determined in two phases.

The Phase I committee, consisting of several hundred Los Angeles-based members, screened the 63 eligible films between mid-October and...

Originally made up of over sixty-three films, The Academy has narrowed down their contenders for the Best Foreign Oscar to just nine.. It is no surprise that Iran’s A Separation, from Asghar Farhadi made the list, a film that was number two on my best films of the year countdown. Another appearing was Belgium’s Bullhead, a film that made our own Jared Mobarak‘s best of the year, as well as Wim Wender‘s Pina.

Notably missing are Mexico’s Miss Bala, Finland’s Le Havre, as well as the big Tiff winner, Lebanon’s Where Do We Go Now?. Nuri Bilge Ceylan’s Once upon a Time in Anatolia from Turkey also got high notices, but was missing from the list. Check out the full thing below in the press release, but my money is on A Separation to pick up the award.

Beverly Hills, CA – Nine...

It looks like the patented end-of-the-year release strategy for Angelina Jolie's directorial debut may not yield any Oscar gold.

The Academy has just released a list of the nine foreign-language films that will advance into the next round of voting for the 84th Academy Awards – out of a total of 63 that qualified – and Angelina's Bosnian war drama In the Land of Blood and Honey is not on the list.

In the Land of Blood and Honey was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Foreign Language Film, and did actually win two awards: The Stanley Kramer award from the Producer's Guild and, not surprisingly, the honorary Heart of Sarajevo award from the Sarajevo Film festival.

Despite the limited box office success of In the Land of Blood and Honey, at least Angelina can sleep tight knowing that someone cared, and now focus her energy on rooting for Brad Pitt's Moneyball chances.

In Palm Springs this past weekend we sat down for a crowded screening of this Danish comedy SuperClásico (Isa: The Match Factory). The audience loved it, really over the top response. Afterwards we spoke with Director Ole Christian Madsen and Producer Lars Bredo Rahbek. Ole hails from Copenhagen. As a boy his dad was a Colonel in the Danish Army and they moved a lot. His dad was the Commander of the first U.N. forces in Cyprus to monitor the peace between warring Turks and Greeks on the island. He began – how else? – by making super 8 movies when he was young and at university. He also decided then Not to make films for his life’s...

So I spent all of last night exuberantly "Oh No You Maggie Smith'nt!"* with friends over the 2 hour season premiere of Downton Abbey. Then I spent the better part of today at a table full of Oscar voters picking their brains (in a polite conversational way, mind you) at a luncheon for The Artist. More on both of those events soon but between last night and today, so many OscarQuakes or at least golden tremors.

*joke stolen from Patton Oswalt

Let's discuss four of them immediately! 

1. Hunger Games beauty Jennifer Lawrence will announce the Oscar nominations.

Usually people dress somewhat sedately for that super Am event but we're hoping Jennifer pulls out another one of those va va voom numbers she kept finding for last year's awards circus. The nomination event happens so early in the morning and if Jennifer wears skin tight white or form fitting red again,...

From Albania to Vietnam, 63 countries are hoping that their film entry will get picked to fill one of the five slots for Best Foreign Language Film for the 84th Annual Academy Awards.

Five slots, 63 countries, the competition is fierce! Is your country of choice one of the 63 hopefuls?

I'm happy that my home country, the Philippines, has an entry, the dramedy "The Woman in the Septic Tank" from director Marlon N. Rivera. Released in the Philippines on August 3rd, the film became the highest grossing independent movie in my country's cinema history. So keeping my fingers crossed for this movie!

The shortlist will be released in January and then it will be whittled down to five contenders when the nominations are announced on Tuesday, January 24, 2012. The winner will be announced on Oscar night on Sunday, February 26, 2012.

Take a look at the complete list of Best Foreign Language hopefuls:

Albania, "Amnesty,...

Nuri Bilge Ceylan's Once Upon a Time in Anatolia Oscar 2012: New Zealand/First Samoan Feature Among Best Foreign Language Film Contenders Albania, Amnesty, Bujar Alimani, director; Argentina, Aballay, Fernando Spiner, director; Austria, Breathing, Karl Markovics, director; Belgium, Bullhead, Michael R. Roskam, director; Bosnia and Herzegovina, Belvedere, Ahmed Imamovic, director; Brazil, Elite Squad: The Enemy Within, José Padilha, director; Bulgaria, Tilt, Viktor Chouchkov, Jr., director; Canada, Monsieur Lazhar, Philippe Falardeau, director; Chile, Violeta Went to Heaven, Andrés Wood, director; China, The Flowers of War, Zhang Yimou, director; Colombia, The Colors of the Mountain, Carlos César Arbeláez, director; Croatia, 72 Days, Danilo Serbedzija, director; Cuba, Havanastation, Ian Padrón, director; Czech Republic, Alois Nebel, Tomás Lunák, director; Denmark, Superclásico, Ole Christian Madsen, director; Dominican Republic, Love Child, Leticia Tonos, director; Egypt, Lust, Khaled el Hagar, director; Estonia, Letters to Angel, Sulev Keedus, director; Finland, Le Havre, Aki Kaurismäki, director; France, Declaration of War,...

We gave you an update a few weeks ago, but The Academy now has its final list of the 63 films competing for Best Foreign Film Oscar. This list will get cut down as films screen and the committee decides on a final five when the nominations get announced late January. The notable films include Iran’s A Separation, which we adored and China’s massive budget The Flowers of War starring Christian Bale (which isn’t even complete to my knowledge).

Mexico’s Miss Bala (read our Cannes and Vancouver reviews) and Finland’s Le Havre (our Cannes and Toronto reviews) are also contenders. Lebanon’s Where Do We Go Now? is also in the mix, a drama that won the top prize at Toronto. There are many others we’ve seen at festivals, so follow that coverage here as we head into Oscar season. Check out the press release below.

Press Release:

Beverly Hills, CA - Sixty-three countries, including first-time entrant New Zealand, have submitted films for consideration in the Foreign Language Film category for the 84th Academy Awards®.

The 2011 submissions are:

Albania, “Amnesty,” Bujar Alimani, director;

Argentina, “Aballay,” Fernando Spiner, director;

Austria, “Breathing,” Karl Markovics, director;

Belgium, “Bullhead,” Michael R. Roskam, director;

Bosnia and Herzegovina,”Belvedere,” Ahmed Imamovic, director;

Brazil, “Elite Squad: The Enemy Within,” José Padilha, director;

Bulgaria, “Tilt,” Viktor Chouchkov, Jr., director;

Canada, “Monsieur Lazhar,” Philippe Falardeau, director;

Chile, “Violeta Went to Heaven,” Andrés Wood, director;

China, “The Flowers of War,” Zhang Yimou, director;

Colombia, “The Colors of the Mountain,” Carlos César Arbeláez, director;

Croatia, “72 Days,” Danilo Serbedzija, director;

Cuba, “Havanastation,” Ian Padrón, director;

Czech Republic,”Alois Nebel,” Tomás Lunák, director;

Denmark, “Superclásico,” Ole Christian Madsen, director;

Dominican Republic,”Love Child,” Leticia Tonos, director;

Egypt, “Lust,” Khaled el Hagar, director;

Estonia, “Letters to Angel,” Sulev Keedus, director;

Finland,...

As noted in previous lineup announcement entries, (Visions, Wavelengths, Future Projections, Galas and Special Presentations), the Toronto International Film Festival (September 9 through 18) has released some of its most anticipated lineups today. We're taking them one at a time, first posting them program by program with descriptions provided by the festival — and then returning over the coming hours and days to add links and further notes. Here's the lineup for the Contemporary World Cinema program.

Karim Aïnouz's The Silver Cliff. A phone message from her husband propels Violeta into the streets of Rio until sunrise. Telling their teenage son that a last minute trip has come up, she sets out to find her husband. Rio at night is her sole companion as she struggles to face his abrupt and sudden change of heart, but the beach also provides renewal, unexpected meetings and a window to a whole other world.

Ozcan Alper's Future Lasts Forever.

Tiff has just announced the final batch of films slated to hit the fest in September. The number of additions is overwhelming. We just posted the complete line-up for the Gala and Special Presentation programs. Now comes the massive wave of movies in the Contemporary World Cinema program. Here is the press release.

Toronto – The Contemporary World Cinema programme delivers 51 cinematic gems from around the globe at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival®. Offering a variety of filmmakers’ voices and perspectives from around the world, the lineup draws from Brazil, China, South Africa, France, Iran, Morocco, the Netherlands, Israel, Portugal, Russia, Canada and more. This snapshot of global trends in cinema also features the North American premieres of new films by directors such as Andrey Zvyagintsev, Gerardo Naranjo, Sion Sono, Asghar Farhadi, Karim Ainouz, Ole Christian Madsen and Cristián Jiménez

Always Brando Ridha Béhi, Tunisia

World Premiere

After meeting Anis Raache,...

After three separate announcements (here, here and here), the Toronto International Film Festival has announced the final line-up for their Galas and Special Presentations, as well as a few other categories. Most notable is Andrea Arnold‘s Fish Tank follow-up Wuthering Heights, the next film from Timecrimes director Nacho Vigalondo, as well as Dogtooth director Yorgos Lanthimos’ Alps.

We also get Whit Stillman‘s Damsels in Distress starring Greta Gerwig and Geoffrey Fletcher’s Violet & Daisy starring Saoirse Ronan and James Gandolfini. In what should be a little fun we have Gary McKendry‘s Killer Elite starring Robert De Niro, Clive Owen and Jason Statham. We also get Owen’s horror flick Intruders and Joel Schumacher‘s Trespass starring Nicole Kidman and Nicolas Cage. Check out the full line-ups below.

Galas

Closing Night Film

Page Eight David Hare, United Kingdom

International Premiere

Johnny Worricker (Bill Nighy) is a long-serving M15 officer.

Hot off an Oscar win in February for In a Better World, Denmark has announced their follow up contender ...or at least their intention to announce it. The land of my ancestors has narrowed down the past year in Dansk film to three tre: SuperClásico, Martin Zandvliet's Dirch (A Funny Man) and Pernille Fischer Christensen's En familie (A Family).

En Familie, which my Danish informant Thomas (tak!) predicts will be the selection is a drama about a wealthy family with a dying patriarch. Jesper Christensen stars. You might recognize him from the Daniel Craig Bond films (he plays Mr White) or from the popular Swedish flick Everlasting Moments. He's also in Melancholia this year though I don't know how large his role is there.

SuperClásico is a divorce comedy which actually takes place in Buenos Aires. No word yet on whether that naked bum on the poster is...