Shining a light on the insidious child sex trade and the lives it seeks to destroy, director Gabriella A. Moses (“Sin Raíces”) exposes a Dominican community complicit by way of young Desi (Scarlet Camilo), an adolescent girl who dreams of parlaying her nascent musical talents into a full-fledged singing career.
“Boca Chica” takes place in a once serene beachside town, now bustling with foreign tourists. Desi, 12, works at the family restaurant alongside her aunt Nena ( Xiomara Rodríguez) and mother Carmen (Lía Chapman), constantly exposed to unwanted advances and crude comments from older men, both visiting and homegrown.
Music is her escape and, one day, she stumbles across a group of local rappers that set themselves apart from the scene. Her passions begin to boil to the surface as she seeks to avoid the common fate of growing mature before her time and falling prey to the morally bankrupt adults in...
“Boca Chica” takes place in a once serene beachside town, now bustling with foreign tourists. Desi, 12, works at the family restaurant alongside her aunt Nena ( Xiomara Rodríguez) and mother Carmen (Lía Chapman), constantly exposed to unwanted advances and crude comments from older men, both visiting and homegrown.
Music is her escape and, one day, she stumbles across a group of local rappers that set themselves apart from the scene. Her passions begin to boil to the surface as she seeks to avoid the common fate of growing mature before her time and falling prey to the morally bankrupt adults in...
- 11/10/2023
- by Holly Jones
- Variety Film + TV
Marité Ugás’ Tribeca international narrative competition entry “Contactado” now has a first teaser-trailer, dropped by sales agent FiGa Films, which captures the main emotional crux and hints at the main story line of a psychological thriller.
Set in Lima, its local market and dramatic hinterland of sacred Inca sites, wave-pounded beaches, huge cliffs and dusty mountains, “Contactado” turns on Aldo (Baldomero Cáceres), once when young a self-proclaimed prophet, known as Aldemar, who claimed to have made contact with aliens with bases on the ocean floor.
Several decades later, aging and writhing in self-disgust, he lives in attempted anonymity, visits his mother who still writes him off as a fraud. Then Gabriel (Miguel Dávalos), who proclaims himself a follower, appears on the scene. The young man encourages Aldo to return to preaching, though Gabriel’s utter dedication to knowing everything about Aldo’s pasts speeches, references and oratorial techniques raises mounting questions about his real agenda.
Set in Lima, its local market and dramatic hinterland of sacred Inca sites, wave-pounded beaches, huge cliffs and dusty mountains, “Contactado” turns on Aldo (Baldomero Cáceres), once when young a self-proclaimed prophet, known as Aldemar, who claimed to have made contact with aliens with bases on the ocean floor.
Several decades later, aging and writhing in self-disgust, he lives in attempted anonymity, visits his mother who still writes him off as a fraud. Then Gabriel (Miguel Dávalos), who proclaims himself a follower, appears on the scene. The young man encourages Aldo to return to preaching, though Gabriel’s utter dedication to knowing everything about Aldo’s pasts speeches, references and oratorial techniques raises mounting questions about his real agenda.
- 4/15/2020
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
ABC is developing an untitled comedy series created, written, executive produced by and starring Robin Thede (The Rundown with Robin Thede) and executive produced by Kay Cannon (Pitch Perfect) and Doug Robinson (The Goldbergs). Sony Pictures TV, where Robinson’s Drp Productions is under an overall deal, is the studio.
Written by Thede, the project is inspired in part by her childhood growing up dirt poor in a trailer park. The show will explore how a difficult upbringing shaped Robin Sanders (Thede), a famous and successful financial advisor, and will vacillate between the character’s adulthood and childhood as it examines how your past always pops up in the present.
Thede executive produces alongside Kay Cannon and her producing partner Laverne McKinnon as well as Robinson and Alison Greenspan via Drp Productions.
Thede, who comes from sketch comedy background, created, executive produced and hosted her own late night show, The Rundown with Robin Thede,...
Written by Thede, the project is inspired in part by her childhood growing up dirt poor in a trailer park. The show will explore how a difficult upbringing shaped Robin Sanders (Thede), a famous and successful financial advisor, and will vacillate between the character’s adulthood and childhood as it examines how your past always pops up in the present.
Thede executive produces alongside Kay Cannon and her producing partner Laverne McKinnon as well as Robinson and Alison Greenspan via Drp Productions.
Thede, who comes from sketch comedy background, created, executive produced and hosted her own late night show, The Rundown with Robin Thede,...
- 11/2/2018
- by Nellie Andreeva
- Deadline Film + TV
The cast and creators of “Pose,” along with “Dear White People” writer-director Justin Simien and Sony Pictures Classic will be honored at Outfest’s Legacy Awards on Oct. 28. The event is a key fundraiser for the organization’s Outfest UCLA Legacy Project, dedicated to preserving Lgbtq movies.
Cast and Creators of ‘Pose’
Trailblazer Award
Outfest executive director Christopher Racster credits the cast and creators of the FX show about New York’s Lgbt ball scene in the 1980s with turning TV on its head. “To me, it’s revolutionary,” he says.
But co-creator Steven Canals recalls a time not long ago when he struggled to get “Pose” off the ground.
“I was in and out of executives’ offices where I was being told, ‘This show just doesn’t have legs. You’ll never find an audience,’” he says. “To be in a place where the show is now being honored is beyond.
Cast and Creators of ‘Pose’
Trailblazer Award
Outfest executive director Christopher Racster credits the cast and creators of the FX show about New York’s Lgbt ball scene in the 1980s with turning TV on its head. “To me, it’s revolutionary,” he says.
But co-creator Steven Canals recalls a time not long ago when he struggled to get “Pose” off the ground.
“I was in and out of executives’ offices where I was being told, ‘This show just doesn’t have legs. You’ll never find an audience,’” he says. “To be in a place where the show is now being honored is beyond.
- 10/26/2018
- by Matthew Carey
- Variety Film + TV
There aren't many genre films being made in Estonia, but director Oskar Lehemaa is trying to turn to tide. Lehemaa and his producers have initiated an crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo to raise funds for a new body horror short film called Bad Hair. This project boasts a great concept, lots of practical makeup effects and a credentialed team that includes actor Sten Karpov. Be sure to watch the campaign video, which provides a good overview of the short's cast, crew and concept. The synopsis is provided below. Bad Hair is an intense body transformation horror short film, entirely without dialogue, set in one apartment, happening during one evening, slowly destroying one character. The film talks about male body image through our balding main character, but does...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 4/22/2018
- Screen Anarchy
For the fourth consecutive year the CaribbeanTales International Film Festival (Ctff),which takes place in Toronto,Canada, will present a program titled Queer Caribbean, an exploration of the contemporary Queer Caribbean experience. A total of seven films (three features and four shorts) in this years 10-day festival, will throw a spotlight on issues of sexuality and gender from a Caribbean perspective. This year's Queer Caribbean is co-presented by MasQUEERade, Toronto's premier Caribbean and diaspora Lgbtqqia+ community organization.
“CaribbeanTales continues to have its finger on the pulse of a dynamic movement of evolving film expression across the region and its Diaspora,” said founder and filmmaker Frances-Anne Solomon. “In just ten years, a very short period of time, our film stories have matured to become stunningly assured, explosive, transgressive, probing, beautiful and urgent. And this is what we see represented on screen in this year’s selections.”
The film selection includes Venezuelan feature "Pelo Malo," a provocative film about a young boy's search for beauty, the short film "You. Me. Bathroom. S*x. Now.," and the Canadian Premier of the extraordinary and moving documentary about the Peurto Rican trans community, "Mala Mala."
Jamea Zuberi, founder of MasQUEERade, saids "It's great to have the opportunity to use film as a medium to educate and celebrate Caribbean arts, culture and experiences to the MasQUEERade community and beyond."
Ctff 2015 kicks off its 10th Anniversary with a Gala Caribbean Reception and Screening on Wednesday September 9th, at the Royal Cinema, 608 College Street in Toronto.
Festival screenings will continue at The Royal Cinema, Sunday - Friday, September 13 - 18 at 6:30 p.m. and 9:15 p.m. daily. On Closing Night, Saturday September 19, there will be three screenings at 3:50 p.m., 6:30 p.m. & 9:30 p.m.
Schedule: Queer Caribbean Programming
Tuesday September 15
9:15 p.m.
Theme: “Caribbean Masculinities”
Feature: "Pelo Malo"
Mariana Rondón, Venezuela, 2013, 93 min, Spanish, R
Turmoil is created when a nine-year old boy's obsession with straightening his "bad hair" for his school picture causes his single widowed mother to worry about the boy's identity. Junior is a nine-year-old boy who has stubbornly curly hair, or "bad hair" that he wants to have straightened for his school picture, like a fashionable pop singer. This puts him at odds with his mother Marta, a young, unemployed widow. Overwhelmed by what it takes to survive in the chaotic city of Caracas, Marta finds it increasingly difficult to tolerate Junior's fixation with his looks, fearing that it also means that her son is homosexual. This film tackles issues of race and sexual identity through external appearances in the Venezuelan society.
Awards: Bronze Alexander, Thessaloniki 2013; Fipresci Award, International Film Critics, Thessaloniki 2013; Best Director, Best Screenplay, Mar del Plata Film Festival, 2013; Best Screenplay, Best Actress, Torino Film Festival 2013; Best Caribbean Film, Puerto Rico Film Festival 2013; Best Director, Vina del Mar Film Festival 2013; Best Performance, Festival du Nouveau Cinema Montreal 2013.
Short: "Going Beyond"
Damien Pinder, Barbados, 2014, 15min, English, PG
Wednesday September 16
9:15 p.m.
Theme: “Borders of Love"
Feature: "Sand Dollars"
Israel Cárdenas, Laura Amelia Guzmán, Dominican Republic/Mexico, 2014, 83 min, Spanish/English, R
"Sand Dollars" is a delicate examination of the relationship between a local woman, her wealthy, expatriate lover and her boyfriend. This film is a nuanced portrait of an older, well to do European woman, Anne (Geraldine Chaplin) who is in love with Noeli (Yanet Mojica) in the idyllic seaside town, Samana, in the Dominican Republic. Their relationship is complex, a mixture of real affection also tainted by the money that Anne gives Noeli regularly, which makes Noeli’s boyfriend encourage the relationship. In this complex inter-web Anne (sensitively played by Chaplin) falls hopelessly in love with Noeli (who lives with her boyfriend), even as Noeli is torn between leaving with Anne and staying with her man. Love brings a flow of entanglements in a drama which unfolds like palm trees in an irresistible storm.
Awards: Cairo International Film Festival, Fipresci Prize; Chicago International Film Festival Silver Hugo Best Actress Geraldine Chaplin Cine Cearo - National Cinema Festival - Feature Film Trophy Best Sound; Havana Film Festival, Best Actress Geraldine Chaplin; Nashville Film Festival Best Actress Geraldine Chaplin.
Short: "Glass Bottom Boat"
Kyle Walcott, Tobago, 2014, 15 min, English, PG
Saturday September 19
9:15 p.m.
Closing Night & Awards
Theme: “Queer Caribbean”
Co-presented by Jamea Zuberi of MasQUEErade
Feature: "Mala Mala"
Antonio Santini & Dan Sickles, Puerto Rico, 2014, 89 min, Spanish, R
"Mala Mala" is a feature length documentary exploring the lives of Puerto Ricans in the trans-community. It is an evocative examination of the transgender world in Puerto Rico; from the glam and glitter of the drag queens to the strong desire to be accepted as part of the mainstream community in Puerto Rico, as themselves. The oldest member of the cast of characters, Soraya Santiago Solla, is a pioneer of the gender change movement in Puerto Rico and makes the distinction that people do not have to be dolls to be women, while Sophia Voines simply wants to be accepted as herself, a woman. This film is at times graphic in its presentation to a general audience but leaves no doubt that in the end, that there is a human rights issue at stake when it comes to the transgender community being a welcome and legal part of the wider society, in the supermarket, on the street and especially in the workplace.
Short: " You, Me, Bathroom S*x, Now"(Canadian Premiere)
Francisco Lupini Basagoiti, USA, 2012, 17 min, Spanish, R
Three days before Christmas, Antonio finds out that his boyfriend of 8 years is cheating on him. Heartbroken, he looks for solace in his favorite dive bar where a mysterious visitor has a keen interest in him. A comedy about a man who tries to forget about love, in all the wrong places.
Short: "Chham Chham"
Maneesh, Canada, 2014, 4 min, English, PG14
In this digital story Maneesh explores how his own culture and gender queer-ness are expressed and reinforced across borders. From memories that span childhood days in Trinidad to performances on Canadian stages, Sheesha looks at how she celebrates her femininity and Indo-Caribbean heritage on colonized lands. It is in that exquisite sound – resonating from tiny pieces of metal rhythmically clashing into each other – where discovery begins.
Tickets can be purchased online Here...
“CaribbeanTales continues to have its finger on the pulse of a dynamic movement of evolving film expression across the region and its Diaspora,” said founder and filmmaker Frances-Anne Solomon. “In just ten years, a very short period of time, our film stories have matured to become stunningly assured, explosive, transgressive, probing, beautiful and urgent. And this is what we see represented on screen in this year’s selections.”
The film selection includes Venezuelan feature "Pelo Malo," a provocative film about a young boy's search for beauty, the short film "You. Me. Bathroom. S*x. Now.," and the Canadian Premier of the extraordinary and moving documentary about the Peurto Rican trans community, "Mala Mala."
Jamea Zuberi, founder of MasQUEERade, saids "It's great to have the opportunity to use film as a medium to educate and celebrate Caribbean arts, culture and experiences to the MasQUEERade community and beyond."
Ctff 2015 kicks off its 10th Anniversary with a Gala Caribbean Reception and Screening on Wednesday September 9th, at the Royal Cinema, 608 College Street in Toronto.
Festival screenings will continue at The Royal Cinema, Sunday - Friday, September 13 - 18 at 6:30 p.m. and 9:15 p.m. daily. On Closing Night, Saturday September 19, there will be three screenings at 3:50 p.m., 6:30 p.m. & 9:30 p.m.
Schedule: Queer Caribbean Programming
Tuesday September 15
9:15 p.m.
Theme: “Caribbean Masculinities”
Feature: "Pelo Malo"
Mariana Rondón, Venezuela, 2013, 93 min, Spanish, R
Turmoil is created when a nine-year old boy's obsession with straightening his "bad hair" for his school picture causes his single widowed mother to worry about the boy's identity. Junior is a nine-year-old boy who has stubbornly curly hair, or "bad hair" that he wants to have straightened for his school picture, like a fashionable pop singer. This puts him at odds with his mother Marta, a young, unemployed widow. Overwhelmed by what it takes to survive in the chaotic city of Caracas, Marta finds it increasingly difficult to tolerate Junior's fixation with his looks, fearing that it also means that her son is homosexual. This film tackles issues of race and sexual identity through external appearances in the Venezuelan society.
Awards: Bronze Alexander, Thessaloniki 2013; Fipresci Award, International Film Critics, Thessaloniki 2013; Best Director, Best Screenplay, Mar del Plata Film Festival, 2013; Best Screenplay, Best Actress, Torino Film Festival 2013; Best Caribbean Film, Puerto Rico Film Festival 2013; Best Director, Vina del Mar Film Festival 2013; Best Performance, Festival du Nouveau Cinema Montreal 2013.
Short: "Going Beyond"
Damien Pinder, Barbados, 2014, 15min, English, PG
Wednesday September 16
9:15 p.m.
Theme: “Borders of Love"
Feature: "Sand Dollars"
Israel Cárdenas, Laura Amelia Guzmán, Dominican Republic/Mexico, 2014, 83 min, Spanish/English, R
"Sand Dollars" is a delicate examination of the relationship between a local woman, her wealthy, expatriate lover and her boyfriend. This film is a nuanced portrait of an older, well to do European woman, Anne (Geraldine Chaplin) who is in love with Noeli (Yanet Mojica) in the idyllic seaside town, Samana, in the Dominican Republic. Their relationship is complex, a mixture of real affection also tainted by the money that Anne gives Noeli regularly, which makes Noeli’s boyfriend encourage the relationship. In this complex inter-web Anne (sensitively played by Chaplin) falls hopelessly in love with Noeli (who lives with her boyfriend), even as Noeli is torn between leaving with Anne and staying with her man. Love brings a flow of entanglements in a drama which unfolds like palm trees in an irresistible storm.
Awards: Cairo International Film Festival, Fipresci Prize; Chicago International Film Festival Silver Hugo Best Actress Geraldine Chaplin Cine Cearo - National Cinema Festival - Feature Film Trophy Best Sound; Havana Film Festival, Best Actress Geraldine Chaplin; Nashville Film Festival Best Actress Geraldine Chaplin.
Short: "Glass Bottom Boat"
Kyle Walcott, Tobago, 2014, 15 min, English, PG
Saturday September 19
9:15 p.m.
Closing Night & Awards
Theme: “Queer Caribbean”
Co-presented by Jamea Zuberi of MasQUEErade
Feature: "Mala Mala"
Antonio Santini & Dan Sickles, Puerto Rico, 2014, 89 min, Spanish, R
"Mala Mala" is a feature length documentary exploring the lives of Puerto Ricans in the trans-community. It is an evocative examination of the transgender world in Puerto Rico; from the glam and glitter of the drag queens to the strong desire to be accepted as part of the mainstream community in Puerto Rico, as themselves. The oldest member of the cast of characters, Soraya Santiago Solla, is a pioneer of the gender change movement in Puerto Rico and makes the distinction that people do not have to be dolls to be women, while Sophia Voines simply wants to be accepted as herself, a woman. This film is at times graphic in its presentation to a general audience but leaves no doubt that in the end, that there is a human rights issue at stake when it comes to the transgender community being a welcome and legal part of the wider society, in the supermarket, on the street and especially in the workplace.
Short: " You, Me, Bathroom S*x, Now"(Canadian Premiere)
Francisco Lupini Basagoiti, USA, 2012, 17 min, Spanish, R
Three days before Christmas, Antonio finds out that his boyfriend of 8 years is cheating on him. Heartbroken, he looks for solace in his favorite dive bar where a mysterious visitor has a keen interest in him. A comedy about a man who tries to forget about love, in all the wrong places.
Short: "Chham Chham"
Maneesh, Canada, 2014, 4 min, English, PG14
In this digital story Maneesh explores how his own culture and gender queer-ness are expressed and reinforced across borders. From memories that span childhood days in Trinidad to performances on Canadian stages, Sheesha looks at how she celebrates her femininity and Indo-Caribbean heritage on colonized lands. It is in that exquisite sound – resonating from tiny pieces of metal rhythmically clashing into each other – where discovery begins.
Tickets can be purchased online Here...
- 8/21/2015
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
On Wednesday, May 27th, Premios Platino's hosts Alessandra Rosaldo and Juan Carlos Arciniegas alongside actor Eugenio Derbez, as well as Elvi Cano (Director Egeda Us) and Gonzalo Elvira (Fipca Mexico) will announce the nominees for the Awards in Los Angeles, CA.
During the press conference Mexican actress Kate Del Castillo will announce the recipient of the Premio de Honor (Lifetime Achievement Award). In addition Rick Nicita, Chairman of the American Cinematheque, will accept a special Platino Award to The American Cinematheque for its contribution to Iberoamerican Cinema.
Produced by Egeda, in collaboration with Fipca, the Premios Platino of Iberoamerican Cinema was born with the vocation to establish itself as a major international ceremony, promoting Latin American cinema as a whole and transcending borders. It is one of the most important tools to promote and support our film industry and all the professionals who, day after day, put forth all their effort and commitment so that audiences can enjoy the best films.
The candidates for the 2nd Platino Awards (Premios Platino) were announced during the 18th Málaga Film Festival in Spain. 73 feature films and 18 Ibero- American countries compete for the final nominations in the 14 categories for this prestigious award. The competing films had to be commercially released or premiered in an A-List Film Festival during 2014. The final nominations will be announced tomorrow at the Andaz Hotel West Hollywood. The Premios Platino Award Ceremony will take place on July 18, 2015 at Starlite Marbella in Spain.
As part of the same event The Premios Platino has distinguished the Málaga Film Festival with a special award for its contribution to the circulation and promotion of Spanish and Ibero- American cinema.
Here is the list of preselected candidates in each category ahead of tomorrow's final nominations
Premio Platino for the Best Ibero-American Fictional Film
· "Cantinflas"
(Kenio Films) (Mexico).
· "Conducta" (Behavior)
(Instituto Cubano Del Arte E Industria Cinematográfica, Rtv Comercial) (Cuba).
· "El Mudo" (The Mute)
(Maretazo Cine, Urban Factory) (Peru, Mexico).
· "El Niño"
(Vaca Films Studio, S.L., Telecinco Cinema, S.A., Ikiru Films, S.L., La Ferme! Productions, El Niño la película, A.I.E.) (Spain).
· "La Danza de la Realidad" (The Dance of Reality)
(Camera One, Pathe Y Le Soleil Films) (Chile).
· "La Dictadura Perfecta" (The Perfect Dictatorship)
(Imcine - Instituto Mexicano De Cinematografía, Estudios Churubusco Azteca, S.A., Bandidos Films, Fidecine, Eficine 226) (Mexico).
· "La Isla Mínima" (Marshland)
(Antena 3 Films, S.L., Atípica Films, S.L. y Sacromonte Films S.L.) (Spain).
· "Libertador" (The Liberator)
(Producciones Insurgentes, San Mateo Films) (Venezuela, Spain).
· "Matar a un Hombre" (To Kill a Man)
(Arizona Production, El Remanso Cine Ltda) (Chile).
· "Mr. Kaplan"
(Baobab 66 Films, S.L., Salado Media, Expresso Films) (Uruguay, Spain).
· "O Lobo Atrás da Porta" (A Wolf at the Door)
(Tc Filmes, Gullane Filmes) (Brazil).
· "Os gatos não têm vertigens" (Cats Don't Have Vertigo)
(Mgn Filmes) (Portugal).
· "Pelo Malo" (Bad Hair)
(Sudaca Films, Hanfgarn & Ufer Filmproduktion, Artefactos S.F., Imagen Latina, La Sociedad Post) (Venezuela Peru, Argentina).
· "Refugiado"
(Gale Cine, Burning Blue, El Campo Cine, Staron Films, Bellota Films, Río Rojo Contenidos) (Argentina, Colombia).
. "Relatos Salvajes" (Wild Tales)
(Kramer & Sigman Films, El Deseo P.C - S.A.) (Argentina, Spain).
Premio Platino for Best Directing
Alberto Rodríguez (Spain), for "La Isla Mínima." Alejandro Jodorowsky (Chile), for "La danza de la Realidad." Álvaro Brechner (Uruguay), for "Mr Kaplan." António-Pedro Vasconcelos (Portugal), for "Os gatos não têm vertigens." Claudia Pinto (Venezuela), for "La Distancia más Larga." Damián Szifron (Argentina), for "Relatos Salvajes." Daniel Monzón (Spain), for "El Niño." Daniel Vega (Peru) and Diego Vega (Peru), for "El Mudo." Ernesto Daranas (Cuba), for "Conducta." Fernando Coimbra (Brazil), for "O lobo atrás da porta." Fernando Pérez (Cuba), "La Pared de las Palabras." Luis Estrada (Mexico), for "La Dictadura Perfecta." Mariana Rondón (Venezuela), for "Pelo Malo." Miguel Cohan (Argentina), for "Betibú." Sebastián del Amo (Mexico), for "Cantinflas. "
Premio Platino for Best Actor
Benicio Del Toro (Puerto Rico), for Escobar. "Paraíso Perdido." Damián Alcázar (Mexico), for "La Dictadura Perfecta. Dani Rovira (Spain), for "Ocho Apellidos Vascos." Daniel Candia (Chile), for "Matar a un Hombre." Daniel Fanego (Argentina), for "Betibú." Edgar Ramírez (Venezuela), for "Libertador." Fernando Bacilio (Peru), "El Mudo." Ghilherme Lobo (Brazil), "The Way He Looks." Javier Gutiérrez (Spain), for "La Isla Mínima." Jorge Perugorría (Cuba), for "La Pared de las Palabras." Leonardo Sbaraglia (Argentina), for "Relatos Salvajes." Oscar Jaenada (Spain), by "Cantinflas." Salvador del Solar (Peru), for "El Elefante Desaparecido." Viggo Mortensen (USA), for "Jauja." Wagner Moura (Brazil), for "Futuro Beach" .
Premio Platino for Best Actress
Angie Cepeda (Colombia), for "El Elefante Desaparecido." Bárbara Lennie (Spain), by "Magical Girl." Carme Elías (Spain), for "La Distancia Más Larga." Elena Anaya (Spain), for "Todos Están Muertos." Érica Rivas (Argentina), for "Relatos Salvajes." Geraldine Chaplin (USA), for "Dólares de Arena." Isabel Santos (Cuba), for "La Pared de las Palabras." Julieta Díaz (Argentina), for "Refugiado." Laura de la Uz (Cuba), for "Vestido de Novia." Leandra Leal (Brazil), for "O Lobo Atrás da Porta." Maria do Céu Guerra (Portugal), for "Os gatos não têm vertigens." Martha Higareda (Mexico), for "Cásese Quien Pueda." Paulina García (Chile), for "Las Analfabetas." Samantha Castillo (Venezuela), for "Pelo Malo." Silvia Navarro (Mexico), for "La Dictadura Perfecta. "
Premio Platino for Best Original Score
Adán Jodorowsky (Chile), for "La Danza de la Realidad." Antonio Pinto (Brazil), for "Trash. A esperança vem do lixo." Edilio Paredes (Dominican Republic), Ramón Cordero (Dominican Republic), Benjamín de Menil (Dominican Republic), for "Dólares de Arena." Federico Jusid (Argentina), for "Betibú" Gustavo Dudamel (Venezuela), for "Libertador." Gustavo Santaolalla (Argentina), for "Relatos Salvajes." Juan A. Leyva (Cuba), Magda R. Galbán (Cuba), for "Conducta." Julio de la Rosa (Spain), for "La iIsla Mínima." Mikel Salas (Spain), for "Mr Kaplan." Pedro Subercaseaux (Chile), for "Crystal Fairy y el Cactus Mágico." Ricardo Cutz (Brazil), "O lobo atrás da porta." Roque Baños (Spain), for "El Niño." Ruy Folguera (Argentina), for" Olvidados." Selma Mutal (Peru), for "El Elefante Desaparecido." Vicent Barrière (France), for "La Distancia más Larga."
Premio Platino for Best Animated Film
"Até que a Sbórnia nos Separe" (Otto Desenhos Animados) (Brazil). "Dixie y la Rebelión Zombi" (Abra Prod. S.L.) (Spain) "El Ultimo Mago o Bilembambudín" (Fabula Producciones, Aleph Media S.A., Filmar Uno) (Argentina, Chile). "Historia de Cronopios y de Famas" (Prodarte) (Argentina). "La Leyenda de las Momias de Guanajuato" (Ánima Estudios, S.A. De C.V.) (Mexico). "La Tropa de Trapo en la Selva del Arcoíris" (Continental Producciones, S.L, Anera Films, S.L., Abano Producions, S.L. La Tropa De Trapo, S.L.) (Spain, Brazil). "Meñique" (Ficción Producciones, S.L., Estudios De Animación Icaic) (Cuba, Spain). "Mortadelo y Filemón Contra Jimmy el Cachondo" (Zeta Audiovisual y Películas Pendelton) (Spain). "The Boy and the World" (Filme de Papel) (Brazil). "Pichinguitos. Tgus, la Película" (Non Plus Ultra) (Mexico, Honduras). "Ritos de Passagem" (Liberato Produçoes Culturais) (Brazil).
Premio Platino for Best Documentary Film
• "¿Quién es Dayani Cristal?" (Canana Films, Pulse Films Limited) (Mexico).
"2014, Nacido en Gaza" (La Claqueta Pc, S.L.Contramedia Films) (Spain). "Avant" (Trivial Media Srl, Tarkio Film) (Uruguay, Argentina). "Buscando a Gastón" (Chiwake Films) (Peru). "E agora? Lémbra-me" (C.R.I.M. Produçoes, Presente Edições De Autor) (Portugal). "El Color que Cayó del Cielo" (K & S Films) (Argentina). "El Ojo del Tiburón" (Astronauta Films, Gema Films) (Argentina, Spain). "El Río que Nos Atraviesa" (Ochi Producciones, Maraisa Films Producciones) (Venezuela). "El Sueño de Todos" (S3d Films, Tridi Films) (Chile). "El Vals de los Inútiles" (La Pata De Juana, Cusicanqui Films) (Chile, Argentina). "Invasión" (Apertura Films, Ajimolido Films) (Panama, Argentina). "Maracaná" (Coral Cine, S.R.L., Tenfield S.A.) (Uruguay, Brazil). "The Salt of the Earth" (Decia Films) (Brazil) "Paco de Lucía. La búsqueda" (Ziggurat Films, S.L.) (Spain) "Pichuco" (Puente Films) (Argentina).
Premio Platino for Best Screenplay
Alberto Rodríguez (Spain), Rafael Cobos (Spain), for" La Isla Mínima." Alejandro Jodorowsky (Chile), for "La Danza de la Realidad." Álvaro Brechner (Uruguay), for "Mr. Kaplan." Anahí Berneri (Argentina), Javier Van Couter (Argentina), for "Aire Libre." Carlos Vermut (Spain), for "Magical Girl." Claudia Pinto (Venezuela), for "La Distancia Más Larga." Damián Szifron (Argentina), for "Relatos Salvajes." Daniel Ribeiro (Brazil), for "The Way He Looks." Daniel Vega (Peru), Diego Vega (Peru), for "El Mudo." Ernesto Daranas (Cuba), for "Conducta." Fernando Coimbra (Brazil), for "O lobo atrás da porta." Luis Arambilet (Dominican Republic), for "Código Paz." Luis Estrada (Mexico), Jaime Sampietro (Mexico), for "La Dictadura Perfecta." Mariana Rondón (Venezuela), for "Pelo Malo." Tiago Santos (Portugal) for "Os gatos não têm vertigens. "
Premio Platino for Best Ibero-American Fiction Debut
"10.000 Km," by Carlos Marqués- Marcet (Lastor Media, S.L., La Panda) (Spain). "23 segundos," by Dimitry Rudakov (Clever Producciones) (Uruguay). "Branco sai, preto fica," by Adirley Queirós (Cinco Da Norte Serviços Audiovisuais) (Brazil). "Ciencias Naturales," by Matías Lucchesi (Tarea Fina, Metaluna Productions) (Argentina). "Código Paz," by Pedro Urrutia (One Alliance Srl) (Dominican Republic). "Feriado" by Diego Araujo (Cepa Audiovisual S.R.L., Abacafilms, S.A., Lunafilms Audiovisual) (Ecuador, Argentina). Historias del Canal (Hypatia Films, Manglar Films, Tvn Films and Wp Films) (Panama). "La Distancia Más Larga," by Claudia Pinto (Castro Producciones Cinematograficas, S.L.U., Sin Rodeos Films C.A., Claudia Lepage) (Venezuela). "Las Vacas con Gafas," by Alex Santiago Pérez (Cozy Light Pictures) (Puerto Rico). "Luna de Cigarras," by Jorge Bedoya (Oima Films, Koreko Gua, S.R.L., Sabate Films) (Paraguay). "Mateo," by Maria Gamboa (Hangar Filmsdiafragma, Fabrica De Peliculas, Cine Sud Promotion) (Colombia). "Perro Guardian," by Bacha Caravedo, Chinón Higashionna (Señor Z)(Peru). "Vestido de Novia," by Marilyn Solaya (Icaic) (Cuba). "Visitantes," by Acan Coen (Sobrevivientes Films, Akira Producciones, Nodancingtoday) (Mexico). "Volantín Cortao," by Diego Ayala and Aníbal Jofré (Gallinazo Films) (Chile)...
During the press conference Mexican actress Kate Del Castillo will announce the recipient of the Premio de Honor (Lifetime Achievement Award). In addition Rick Nicita, Chairman of the American Cinematheque, will accept a special Platino Award to The American Cinematheque for its contribution to Iberoamerican Cinema.
Produced by Egeda, in collaboration with Fipca, the Premios Platino of Iberoamerican Cinema was born with the vocation to establish itself as a major international ceremony, promoting Latin American cinema as a whole and transcending borders. It is one of the most important tools to promote and support our film industry and all the professionals who, day after day, put forth all their effort and commitment so that audiences can enjoy the best films.
The candidates for the 2nd Platino Awards (Premios Platino) were announced during the 18th Málaga Film Festival in Spain. 73 feature films and 18 Ibero- American countries compete for the final nominations in the 14 categories for this prestigious award. The competing films had to be commercially released or premiered in an A-List Film Festival during 2014. The final nominations will be announced tomorrow at the Andaz Hotel West Hollywood. The Premios Platino Award Ceremony will take place on July 18, 2015 at Starlite Marbella in Spain.
As part of the same event The Premios Platino has distinguished the Málaga Film Festival with a special award for its contribution to the circulation and promotion of Spanish and Ibero- American cinema.
Here is the list of preselected candidates in each category ahead of tomorrow's final nominations
Premio Platino for the Best Ibero-American Fictional Film
· "Cantinflas"
(Kenio Films) (Mexico).
· "Conducta" (Behavior)
(Instituto Cubano Del Arte E Industria Cinematográfica, Rtv Comercial) (Cuba).
· "El Mudo" (The Mute)
(Maretazo Cine, Urban Factory) (Peru, Mexico).
· "El Niño"
(Vaca Films Studio, S.L., Telecinco Cinema, S.A., Ikiru Films, S.L., La Ferme! Productions, El Niño la película, A.I.E.) (Spain).
· "La Danza de la Realidad" (The Dance of Reality)
(Camera One, Pathe Y Le Soleil Films) (Chile).
· "La Dictadura Perfecta" (The Perfect Dictatorship)
(Imcine - Instituto Mexicano De Cinematografía, Estudios Churubusco Azteca, S.A., Bandidos Films, Fidecine, Eficine 226) (Mexico).
· "La Isla Mínima" (Marshland)
(Antena 3 Films, S.L., Atípica Films, S.L. y Sacromonte Films S.L.) (Spain).
· "Libertador" (The Liberator)
(Producciones Insurgentes, San Mateo Films) (Venezuela, Spain).
· "Matar a un Hombre" (To Kill a Man)
(Arizona Production, El Remanso Cine Ltda) (Chile).
· "Mr. Kaplan"
(Baobab 66 Films, S.L., Salado Media, Expresso Films) (Uruguay, Spain).
· "O Lobo Atrás da Porta" (A Wolf at the Door)
(Tc Filmes, Gullane Filmes) (Brazil).
· "Os gatos não têm vertigens" (Cats Don't Have Vertigo)
(Mgn Filmes) (Portugal).
· "Pelo Malo" (Bad Hair)
(Sudaca Films, Hanfgarn & Ufer Filmproduktion, Artefactos S.F., Imagen Latina, La Sociedad Post) (Venezuela Peru, Argentina).
· "Refugiado"
(Gale Cine, Burning Blue, El Campo Cine, Staron Films, Bellota Films, Río Rojo Contenidos) (Argentina, Colombia).
. "Relatos Salvajes" (Wild Tales)
(Kramer & Sigman Films, El Deseo P.C - S.A.) (Argentina, Spain).
Premio Platino for Best Directing
Alberto Rodríguez (Spain), for "La Isla Mínima." Alejandro Jodorowsky (Chile), for "La danza de la Realidad." Álvaro Brechner (Uruguay), for "Mr Kaplan." António-Pedro Vasconcelos (Portugal), for "Os gatos não têm vertigens." Claudia Pinto (Venezuela), for "La Distancia más Larga." Damián Szifron (Argentina), for "Relatos Salvajes." Daniel Monzón (Spain), for "El Niño." Daniel Vega (Peru) and Diego Vega (Peru), for "El Mudo." Ernesto Daranas (Cuba), for "Conducta." Fernando Coimbra (Brazil), for "O lobo atrás da porta." Fernando Pérez (Cuba), "La Pared de las Palabras." Luis Estrada (Mexico), for "La Dictadura Perfecta." Mariana Rondón (Venezuela), for "Pelo Malo." Miguel Cohan (Argentina), for "Betibú." Sebastián del Amo (Mexico), for "Cantinflas. "
Premio Platino for Best Actor
Benicio Del Toro (Puerto Rico), for Escobar. "Paraíso Perdido." Damián Alcázar (Mexico), for "La Dictadura Perfecta. Dani Rovira (Spain), for "Ocho Apellidos Vascos." Daniel Candia (Chile), for "Matar a un Hombre." Daniel Fanego (Argentina), for "Betibú." Edgar Ramírez (Venezuela), for "Libertador." Fernando Bacilio (Peru), "El Mudo." Ghilherme Lobo (Brazil), "The Way He Looks." Javier Gutiérrez (Spain), for "La Isla Mínima." Jorge Perugorría (Cuba), for "La Pared de las Palabras." Leonardo Sbaraglia (Argentina), for "Relatos Salvajes." Oscar Jaenada (Spain), by "Cantinflas." Salvador del Solar (Peru), for "El Elefante Desaparecido." Viggo Mortensen (USA), for "Jauja." Wagner Moura (Brazil), for "Futuro Beach" .
Premio Platino for Best Actress
Angie Cepeda (Colombia), for "El Elefante Desaparecido." Bárbara Lennie (Spain), by "Magical Girl." Carme Elías (Spain), for "La Distancia Más Larga." Elena Anaya (Spain), for "Todos Están Muertos." Érica Rivas (Argentina), for "Relatos Salvajes." Geraldine Chaplin (USA), for "Dólares de Arena." Isabel Santos (Cuba), for "La Pared de las Palabras." Julieta Díaz (Argentina), for "Refugiado." Laura de la Uz (Cuba), for "Vestido de Novia." Leandra Leal (Brazil), for "O Lobo Atrás da Porta." Maria do Céu Guerra (Portugal), for "Os gatos não têm vertigens." Martha Higareda (Mexico), for "Cásese Quien Pueda." Paulina García (Chile), for "Las Analfabetas." Samantha Castillo (Venezuela), for "Pelo Malo." Silvia Navarro (Mexico), for "La Dictadura Perfecta. "
Premio Platino for Best Original Score
Adán Jodorowsky (Chile), for "La Danza de la Realidad." Antonio Pinto (Brazil), for "Trash. A esperança vem do lixo." Edilio Paredes (Dominican Republic), Ramón Cordero (Dominican Republic), Benjamín de Menil (Dominican Republic), for "Dólares de Arena." Federico Jusid (Argentina), for "Betibú" Gustavo Dudamel (Venezuela), for "Libertador." Gustavo Santaolalla (Argentina), for "Relatos Salvajes." Juan A. Leyva (Cuba), Magda R. Galbán (Cuba), for "Conducta." Julio de la Rosa (Spain), for "La iIsla Mínima." Mikel Salas (Spain), for "Mr Kaplan." Pedro Subercaseaux (Chile), for "Crystal Fairy y el Cactus Mágico." Ricardo Cutz (Brazil), "O lobo atrás da porta." Roque Baños (Spain), for "El Niño." Ruy Folguera (Argentina), for" Olvidados." Selma Mutal (Peru), for "El Elefante Desaparecido." Vicent Barrière (France), for "La Distancia más Larga."
Premio Platino for Best Animated Film
"Até que a Sbórnia nos Separe" (Otto Desenhos Animados) (Brazil). "Dixie y la Rebelión Zombi" (Abra Prod. S.L.) (Spain) "El Ultimo Mago o Bilembambudín" (Fabula Producciones, Aleph Media S.A., Filmar Uno) (Argentina, Chile). "Historia de Cronopios y de Famas" (Prodarte) (Argentina). "La Leyenda de las Momias de Guanajuato" (Ánima Estudios, S.A. De C.V.) (Mexico). "La Tropa de Trapo en la Selva del Arcoíris" (Continental Producciones, S.L, Anera Films, S.L., Abano Producions, S.L. La Tropa De Trapo, S.L.) (Spain, Brazil). "Meñique" (Ficción Producciones, S.L., Estudios De Animación Icaic) (Cuba, Spain). "Mortadelo y Filemón Contra Jimmy el Cachondo" (Zeta Audiovisual y Películas Pendelton) (Spain). "The Boy and the World" (Filme de Papel) (Brazil). "Pichinguitos. Tgus, la Película" (Non Plus Ultra) (Mexico, Honduras). "Ritos de Passagem" (Liberato Produçoes Culturais) (Brazil).
Premio Platino for Best Documentary Film
• "¿Quién es Dayani Cristal?" (Canana Films, Pulse Films Limited) (Mexico).
"2014, Nacido en Gaza" (La Claqueta Pc, S.L.Contramedia Films) (Spain). "Avant" (Trivial Media Srl, Tarkio Film) (Uruguay, Argentina). "Buscando a Gastón" (Chiwake Films) (Peru). "E agora? Lémbra-me" (C.R.I.M. Produçoes, Presente Edições De Autor) (Portugal). "El Color que Cayó del Cielo" (K & S Films) (Argentina). "El Ojo del Tiburón" (Astronauta Films, Gema Films) (Argentina, Spain). "El Río que Nos Atraviesa" (Ochi Producciones, Maraisa Films Producciones) (Venezuela). "El Sueño de Todos" (S3d Films, Tridi Films) (Chile). "El Vals de los Inútiles" (La Pata De Juana, Cusicanqui Films) (Chile, Argentina). "Invasión" (Apertura Films, Ajimolido Films) (Panama, Argentina). "Maracaná" (Coral Cine, S.R.L., Tenfield S.A.) (Uruguay, Brazil). "The Salt of the Earth" (Decia Films) (Brazil) "Paco de Lucía. La búsqueda" (Ziggurat Films, S.L.) (Spain) "Pichuco" (Puente Films) (Argentina).
Premio Platino for Best Screenplay
Alberto Rodríguez (Spain), Rafael Cobos (Spain), for" La Isla Mínima." Alejandro Jodorowsky (Chile), for "La Danza de la Realidad." Álvaro Brechner (Uruguay), for "Mr. Kaplan." Anahí Berneri (Argentina), Javier Van Couter (Argentina), for "Aire Libre." Carlos Vermut (Spain), for "Magical Girl." Claudia Pinto (Venezuela), for "La Distancia Más Larga." Damián Szifron (Argentina), for "Relatos Salvajes." Daniel Ribeiro (Brazil), for "The Way He Looks." Daniel Vega (Peru), Diego Vega (Peru), for "El Mudo." Ernesto Daranas (Cuba), for "Conducta." Fernando Coimbra (Brazil), for "O lobo atrás da porta." Luis Arambilet (Dominican Republic), for "Código Paz." Luis Estrada (Mexico), Jaime Sampietro (Mexico), for "La Dictadura Perfecta." Mariana Rondón (Venezuela), for "Pelo Malo." Tiago Santos (Portugal) for "Os gatos não têm vertigens. "
Premio Platino for Best Ibero-American Fiction Debut
"10.000 Km," by Carlos Marqués- Marcet (Lastor Media, S.L., La Panda) (Spain). "23 segundos," by Dimitry Rudakov (Clever Producciones) (Uruguay). "Branco sai, preto fica," by Adirley Queirós (Cinco Da Norte Serviços Audiovisuais) (Brazil). "Ciencias Naturales," by Matías Lucchesi (Tarea Fina, Metaluna Productions) (Argentina). "Código Paz," by Pedro Urrutia (One Alliance Srl) (Dominican Republic). "Feriado" by Diego Araujo (Cepa Audiovisual S.R.L., Abacafilms, S.A., Lunafilms Audiovisual) (Ecuador, Argentina). Historias del Canal (Hypatia Films, Manglar Films, Tvn Films and Wp Films) (Panama). "La Distancia Más Larga," by Claudia Pinto (Castro Producciones Cinematograficas, S.L.U., Sin Rodeos Films C.A., Claudia Lepage) (Venezuela). "Las Vacas con Gafas," by Alex Santiago Pérez (Cozy Light Pictures) (Puerto Rico). "Luna de Cigarras," by Jorge Bedoya (Oima Films, Koreko Gua, S.R.L., Sabate Films) (Paraguay). "Mateo," by Maria Gamboa (Hangar Filmsdiafragma, Fabrica De Peliculas, Cine Sud Promotion) (Colombia). "Perro Guardian," by Bacha Caravedo, Chinón Higashionna (Señor Z)(Peru). "Vestido de Novia," by Marilyn Solaya (Icaic) (Cuba). "Visitantes," by Acan Coen (Sobrevivientes Films, Akira Producciones, Nodancingtoday) (Mexico). "Volantín Cortao," by Diego Ayala and Aníbal Jofré (Gallinazo Films) (Chile)...
- 5/26/2015
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
"In celebration of the International Decade for Afrodescendants, join ImageNation Cinema Foundation, the AfroLatin@ Project and the Afrolatino Festival of NY at Raw Space Culture Gallery, for a limited run of 'Pelo Malo' ('Bad Hair'), May 8th - May 10th, an exploration of race, homophobia and identity in Latin America. A Venezuelan boy's (Samuel Lange Zambrano) desire to straighten his curly hair leads to friction between himself and his overwhelmed single mother (Samantha Castillo)." Click here for ticket info. “Here in Venezuela, you could seem white, black or indigenous, but since we are all so mixed, we are prone to have ‘bad hair,’” says Venezuelan filmmaker...
- 5/1/2015
- by Vanessa Martinez
- ShadowAndAct
★★★☆☆ Winner of multiple awards on the 2013 festival circuit including the Golden Seashell in San Sebastian, Mariana Rondón's Pelo Malo (2013) distorts your typical coming-of-ager about gender confusion into a well-observed Polaroid snapshot of contemporary anxieties in Venezuela, as well as the country's deep social fissures economic and political disquiet. Set within the overpopulated housing projects of Caracas, Pelo Malo observes a young boy, Junior (Samuel Lange Zambrano), whose constant obsession with straightening his curly black hair elicits a torrent of irrepressible panic from his mother (Samantha Castillo) - who fears he might be gay.
- 1/28/2015
- by CineVue UK
- CineVue
The first Fénix Iberoamerican Film Awards, (Phoenix Awards) highlighting and celebrating cinema made in Latin America, Spain, and Portugal as well as applauding the professionals involved was inaugurated by Cinema 23 this October 30th, a couple days before Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, one of the most important holidays in México. The event brought together hundreds of figures from the Iberoamerican film community who celebrated the well-deserved recognition to their work and to their dedication. At the same time, the event served to strengthen relationships among the diverse industries and will continuously help forge the region's identity.
Aside from enumerating the awards here, we wish to show how the films' dissemination throughout the world is, in fact succeeding by showing sales agents and commercial distributors, some of many festivals the films played, and some of the awards won.
Nominees in twelve categories were chosen from a shortlist of 58 feature films and 16 documentaries in the region and awarded by a jury made up of - among others - Luis Tosar, Wagner Moura, Daniel Hendler, Selton Mello, José María Yazpik, Maria de Medeiros, Paulina García, Amat Escalante, Fernando Meirelles, Rodrigo García, Sebastián Lelio, Rodrigo Pla.
Feature Film category
Winner: "The Golden Cage" ("La Juala de oro") by Diego Quemada-díez, a coproduction of Guatemala, Spain and Mexico, since its debut at the Cannes Film Festival's Un Certain Regard in 2013 where Quemada-díez won A Certain Talent Award for his directing work and the ensemble cast has received a total of 67 awards, including 9 Ariel awards by the Mexican Film Academy: Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, Best First Feature, Best Actor, Best Upcoming Actor, Best Editing, Best Cinematography, Best Sound, Best Music. It also won Best Picture, Best Editing and Best Sound at the Fenix Awards. Producers sold to Benelux - Wild Bunch Benelux, France - Pretty Pictures , Mexico - Canibal Networks,, Portugal - Legendmain Filmes, Spain - Golem Distribución, Taiwan - Maison Motion, U.K. - Peccadillo Pictures.
Other contenders:
"Club Sandwich" by Fernando Eimbcke, a Mexican production, screened in Toronto International Film Festival 2013, San Sebastian 2013 among many others. International sales agent (Isa) Funny Balloons sold the film to Benelux - ABC - Cinemien, Brazil--Esfera Filmes, Mexico--Cine Pantera, Poland--Art House, Turkey--Filma Ltd.
"Heli" by Amat Escalante, a Mexican production premiered at the Cannes Film Festival 2013. Isa Ndm sold to U.S.--Outsider Pictures, Belgium--Film Fest Gent, Brazil--Zeta Filmes, Canada--K Films Amerique and A-z Films, Denmark--Ost For Paradis, France--Le Pacte, Greece--Ama Films, Hungary--Cirko Film Kft., Netherlands--Amstelfilm, Norway--Filmhuset Gruppen As & Europafilm As, Poland--Spectator, Puerto Ric--Wiesner Distribution, Serbia--Mcf Megacom Film, Spain--Savor Ediciones, S.A., Sweden--Njutafilms and Maywin Films Ab, Taiwan--Pomi International, Turkey--Filmarti Film, U.K.--Network
"Jauja" by Lisandro Alonso, a coproduction of Argentina, Denmark, France and Mexico and winner of the Fipresci Award in Cannes' Un Certain Regard 2014 where it debuted. It also played in Toronto and Busan among many other festivals. Isa Ndm, sold to U.S. -- The Cinema Guild; Argentina--Distribution Company Sudamericana S.A.; Spain--Noucinemart- Festival Internacional De Cinema D'autor De Barcelona; U.K.--Soda Pictures
"Bad Hair" ("Pelo Malo") by Mariana Rondon, a coproduction of Venezuela, Peru, Germany and Argentina premiered in Toronto 2013. FiGa sold it to U.S. – Pragda, Argentina--Obra Cine, Brazil--Esfera Filmes, Bulgaria--Sofia International Film Festival - Art Fest Ltd., France--Pyramide Distribution, Hungary -- Cirko, Italy--Cineclub Internazionale, Latin America--Palmera International, Portugal -- Nitrato Filmes, Serbia--European Film Festival Palic, Switzerland --Look Now! Filmdistribution, U.K.--Axiom Films International, Venezuela--Centro Nacional Autonomo De Cinematografia
Documentary Feature category
Winner: "Sobre la Marxa: the Creator of the Jungle" by Jordi Morató from Spain debuted at the International Film Festival Rotterdam.
Other Contenders:
"Letter to a Father" of Edgardo Cozarinsky, a coproduction from France and Argentina screened at Mar del Plata, Cinema du reel 2014 (Competition), Vienna and Jerusalem among other festivals. Doc and FIlms has the international rights.
"Echo Mountain" ("Eco de la montaña") by Nicolás Echevarría, a coproduction of U.S. and Mexico, premiered at Guadalajara Film Festival and Cinema du Reel in 2014.
"And Now? Remember Me" ("E agora? Lembra-me") by Joaquim Pinto from Portugal premiered at Locarno Film Festival 2013, has won 16 awards and 3 nominations and is distributed in France by Epicentre and by Midas in Portugal.
"Watch & Listen" by José Luis Torres Leiva
Best Female Role:
Winner:
Leandra Leal ("A Wolf At the Door" from Brazil premiered at Toronto Ff 2013. Isa: Im Global/Mundial sold to U.S.--Film Movement and Outsider Pictures, Benelux—Cdc United Network, Canada--A-z Films, Israel--United King Video Ltd., Latin America--Palmera International, So. Korea --Korean Film Art Center Baekdu-Daegan Films Co., Ltd, Portugal--Vendetta Filmes, Spain--Betta Pictures, Turkey--Moviebox)
Other Contenders:
Marian Álvarez ("The Wound" aka "La Herida" - Isa: Imagina, premiered San Sebastian Ff where the Special jury prize / Silver Shell for best actress went to Marian Álvarez), Samantha Castillo ("Bad Hair")
Paulina García ("Illiterate" - Isa: Habanero, screened at Guadalajara Ficg 2014, Sanfic - Santiago International Film Festival - Best Picture Audience award , Venice Film Festival - Settimana della Critica - Closing Film, Chicago International Film Festival - New Directors Competition, Sao Paulo International Film Festival - New Directors Competition )
Karen Martinez ("The Golden Cage")
Best Male Role:
Winner:
Viggo Mortensen ("Cockaigne" aka "Jauja")
Other Contenders:
Fernando Bacilio ("Mute" aka "El Mudo" by Daniel Vega premiered at Toronto in 2013. Udi sold it to Encore for airlines)
Alex Brendemühl ("Stella cadente" aka "Falling Star" by Luis Miñarro from Spain screened in Bafici (Buenos Aires) 2014 Panorama, San Sebastian 2014 Made in Spain, Gent Iff 2014 Feature Films, Rotterdam Iffr 2014 (Tiger Competition). Isa: Ndm sold it to Germany--Salzgeber & Co. Medien Gmbh Puerto Rico--Wiesner Distribution, Spain--Vercine)
Brandon Lopez ("The Golden Cage")
Antonio de la Torre ("Cannibal" by Manuel Martin Cuenca, a coproduction of Spain, Romania, Russia, France premiered at Toronto and San Sebastian 2013. Isa Film Factory sold it to U.S. - Film Movement, Belgium--Film Fest Gent, Hong Kong--Encore Inflight Limited-, Japan--Broadmedia Studios Corporation, Latin America--Palmera International, Spain--Mod Producciones, Taiwan--Creative Century Entertainment Co., Ltd.)
Eight other awards (listed below) were granted in the photography category, costumes, art direction, sound, music, editing and screenplay.
Four special awards were also presented:
The Latin American Festival Award, decided by the Advisory Council Cinema23 went to the Havana Film Festival (Festival de Nuevo Cine Latinoamericano). On December 3, 1979, over five hundred film professionals, mainly from Latin America, met in Havana, Cuba, for the inaugural Festival of New Latin American Cinema, which in its own words, "sought to build a space to identify and disseminate films whose significance and artistic values enrich and reaffirm American and Caribbean cultural identity where rich dialogue between film professionals, students and the informed public and critics gather". For decades and through its multiple realities Havana has played a role in community building around film as an art form and as an incentive for social reflection.
The work of more than three decades by a team led today by Ivan Giroud and which survives the noble and generous spirit of its founder, Alfredo Guevara, and those like Santiago Alvarez and Gabriel García Márquez, who have accompanied him from his beginnings, deserves to be recognized by those who think that culture is a way that allows us to approach, meet, recognize and move away from violence towards a better world. "With this award go our admiration and our gratitude to the Festival of New Latin American Cinema of Havana."
The Critics' Award, selected by Fipresci (Federation International Film Critics) went to the Brazilian writer José Carlos Avellar for his critical work. An admired and appreciated writer, critic, teacher and programmer, Avellar worked for over twenty years for the newspaper Jornal do Brasil, and has published six books on Brazilian and Latin American cinema. The former vice-president of Fipresci is also Berlinale's delegate in Brazil. More information and examples of his work can be found in his website www.escrevercinema.com.
Recognition of the Exhibition Sector, awarded by the leading exhibitors in the region went to Mexican actor and producer, Eugenio Derbez, for "No se aceptan devoluciones" ("Instructions Not Included").
The resurgence of Mexican films which began in 2001 with the all-time hit "Amores Perros" by Alejandro González Iñárritu and which also introduced Gael Garcia Bernal to the public (U.S. box office $5,408,467, worldwide $20,908,467) and "El crimen del Padre Amaro" in 2002 (U.S. box office $5,717,044, worldwide: $26,996,738) up until the hits, "Nosotros los Nobles" and "No se aceptan devoluciones" had the highest number admissions than any other Mexican film. Twelve years later, in six weeks "No se aceptan devolucions" outgrossed both "Amores" and "El crimen" combined. México Televisa’s Videocine Mexican box office was Us $44,882,061 and U.S. box office was $44,143,000. This is truly an exhibitor's dream movie.
No sooner had "Los Nobles" swept the Mexican box-office off its feet than another Mexican movie, independently produced by Monica Lozano’s México City-based Alebrije Cine y Video, "Instructions Not Included" was released -- first in the U.S. by Pantelion on August 30, 2013, almost three weeks before its Mexican release on September 20, 2013. The two countries grossed an equal amount. Moreover, Videocine released the film on 1,500 prints similar to a major release of a film such as "Batman". Through the Cinepolis chain’s use of satellite, these 1,500 prints were able to show on 2,500 screens. This represents both a new release pattern and a new type of Mexican film.
Previously Mexican films which were meant for the Mexican and Mexican-American audience (as opposed to those targeted to the art house audiences) were perceived as too Mexican by their U.S. target and they were released in the U.S. only after the Mexican release, and by that time, piracy had done its work in the U.S. and the film lacked the prestige of an "American" film. This film and the previous film, "The Noble Family", are not typically Mexican. Their storyline could be transposed anywhere, and in fact "The Noble Family" remake rights have been sold to U.S. In addition, releasing the film first in the U.S. changes the perception of the film in México. Being such a success in U.S. paves the way for its success in México as if it were validated as a "good" film.
Added to these two elements is the third key to success, Eugenio Derbez, the director and star of "Instructions", is a major TV comedy star in México and is known by all Mexicans wherever they reside. Mexican TV is quite powerful, it has a duopoly made by Televisa and TV Azteca. Derbez comes from Televisa. The film was also shot in English and Spanish and takes place in the U.S. Finally, Derbez himself and former head of production at Pantelion, Ben Odell, have now established a production company, 3 Spas, pronounced "Tres Paz" which funnily enough sounds like "tripas" or "guts". Reese Witherspoon whose film "Wild" opened the festival said that she had approached Derbez for a film she was producing already, but he was busy. However, she hopes they will soon find a project to do together. How great that will be for the exhibitors, the distributors and the audiences around the world!
The Phoenix Lifetime Achievement Award, which is awarded by the different academies and film associations in all the differenct countries of the region and announced by the Mexican Academy of Arts and Cinematographic Sciences, went to Arturo Ripstein. Recognized as one of the great masters in the history of Mexican cinema, Ripstein said, "I'm glad to say that a lifetime achievement award is usually given when one is finished with everything. But I am pleased to say that I still need a bit of experience, because next week I start my new film. I've been practicing this craft half a century, and this (the Phoenix Award ) symbolizes what it has really cost me over the past 50 years."
List of all winners include:
Narrative Film: Diego Quemada-Diez ("La Jaula de Oro")
Documentary Film: Jordi Morato ("Sobre la Marxa")
Screenplay: Amat Escalante y Gabriel Reyes ("Heli")
Director: Amat Escalante ("Heli")
Photography: Julián Apezteguia ("El ardor")
Art Design: José Luis Arrizabalaga y Arturo García ("Las Brujas de Zugarramurdi")
Editing: Paloma López Carrillo y Felipe Gómez ("La Jaula de Oro")
Costume Design: Chris Garrido ("Tatuagem")
Sound Design: Matías Barberis, Raúl Locatelli y Jaime Baksht ("La Jaula de oro")
Music: Joan Valent ("Las brujas de Zugarramurdi")
Lead Actor: Viggo Mortensen ("Jauja")
Lead Actress: Leandra Leal ("A Wolf at the Door")
Diego Quemada-Diez Receives the Award for Best Narrative Film for "La Jaula de Oro"
Amat Escalante Receives the Award for Best Director for "Heli"
Viggo Mortensen Receives the Award for Best Lead Actor for "Jauja"
Leandra Leal Receives the Award for Best Lead Actress for "A Wolf at the Door"...
Aside from enumerating the awards here, we wish to show how the films' dissemination throughout the world is, in fact succeeding by showing sales agents and commercial distributors, some of many festivals the films played, and some of the awards won.
Nominees in twelve categories were chosen from a shortlist of 58 feature films and 16 documentaries in the region and awarded by a jury made up of - among others - Luis Tosar, Wagner Moura, Daniel Hendler, Selton Mello, José María Yazpik, Maria de Medeiros, Paulina García, Amat Escalante, Fernando Meirelles, Rodrigo García, Sebastián Lelio, Rodrigo Pla.
Feature Film category
Winner: "The Golden Cage" ("La Juala de oro") by Diego Quemada-díez, a coproduction of Guatemala, Spain and Mexico, since its debut at the Cannes Film Festival's Un Certain Regard in 2013 where Quemada-díez won A Certain Talent Award for his directing work and the ensemble cast has received a total of 67 awards, including 9 Ariel awards by the Mexican Film Academy: Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, Best First Feature, Best Actor, Best Upcoming Actor, Best Editing, Best Cinematography, Best Sound, Best Music. It also won Best Picture, Best Editing and Best Sound at the Fenix Awards. Producers sold to Benelux - Wild Bunch Benelux, France - Pretty Pictures , Mexico - Canibal Networks,, Portugal - Legendmain Filmes, Spain - Golem Distribución, Taiwan - Maison Motion, U.K. - Peccadillo Pictures.
Other contenders:
"Club Sandwich" by Fernando Eimbcke, a Mexican production, screened in Toronto International Film Festival 2013, San Sebastian 2013 among many others. International sales agent (Isa) Funny Balloons sold the film to Benelux - ABC - Cinemien, Brazil--Esfera Filmes, Mexico--Cine Pantera, Poland--Art House, Turkey--Filma Ltd.
"Heli" by Amat Escalante, a Mexican production premiered at the Cannes Film Festival 2013. Isa Ndm sold to U.S.--Outsider Pictures, Belgium--Film Fest Gent, Brazil--Zeta Filmes, Canada--K Films Amerique and A-z Films, Denmark--Ost For Paradis, France--Le Pacte, Greece--Ama Films, Hungary--Cirko Film Kft., Netherlands--Amstelfilm, Norway--Filmhuset Gruppen As & Europafilm As, Poland--Spectator, Puerto Ric--Wiesner Distribution, Serbia--Mcf Megacom Film, Spain--Savor Ediciones, S.A., Sweden--Njutafilms and Maywin Films Ab, Taiwan--Pomi International, Turkey--Filmarti Film, U.K.--Network
"Jauja" by Lisandro Alonso, a coproduction of Argentina, Denmark, France and Mexico and winner of the Fipresci Award in Cannes' Un Certain Regard 2014 where it debuted. It also played in Toronto and Busan among many other festivals. Isa Ndm, sold to U.S. -- The Cinema Guild; Argentina--Distribution Company Sudamericana S.A.; Spain--Noucinemart- Festival Internacional De Cinema D'autor De Barcelona; U.K.--Soda Pictures
"Bad Hair" ("Pelo Malo") by Mariana Rondon, a coproduction of Venezuela, Peru, Germany and Argentina premiered in Toronto 2013. FiGa sold it to U.S. – Pragda, Argentina--Obra Cine, Brazil--Esfera Filmes, Bulgaria--Sofia International Film Festival - Art Fest Ltd., France--Pyramide Distribution, Hungary -- Cirko, Italy--Cineclub Internazionale, Latin America--Palmera International, Portugal -- Nitrato Filmes, Serbia--European Film Festival Palic, Switzerland --Look Now! Filmdistribution, U.K.--Axiom Films International, Venezuela--Centro Nacional Autonomo De Cinematografia
Documentary Feature category
Winner: "Sobre la Marxa: the Creator of the Jungle" by Jordi Morató from Spain debuted at the International Film Festival Rotterdam.
Other Contenders:
"Letter to a Father" of Edgardo Cozarinsky, a coproduction from France and Argentina screened at Mar del Plata, Cinema du reel 2014 (Competition), Vienna and Jerusalem among other festivals. Doc and FIlms has the international rights.
"Echo Mountain" ("Eco de la montaña") by Nicolás Echevarría, a coproduction of U.S. and Mexico, premiered at Guadalajara Film Festival and Cinema du Reel in 2014.
"And Now? Remember Me" ("E agora? Lembra-me") by Joaquim Pinto from Portugal premiered at Locarno Film Festival 2013, has won 16 awards and 3 nominations and is distributed in France by Epicentre and by Midas in Portugal.
"Watch & Listen" by José Luis Torres Leiva
Best Female Role:
Winner:
Leandra Leal ("A Wolf At the Door" from Brazil premiered at Toronto Ff 2013. Isa: Im Global/Mundial sold to U.S.--Film Movement and Outsider Pictures, Benelux—Cdc United Network, Canada--A-z Films, Israel--United King Video Ltd., Latin America--Palmera International, So. Korea --Korean Film Art Center Baekdu-Daegan Films Co., Ltd, Portugal--Vendetta Filmes, Spain--Betta Pictures, Turkey--Moviebox)
Other Contenders:
Marian Álvarez ("The Wound" aka "La Herida" - Isa: Imagina, premiered San Sebastian Ff where the Special jury prize / Silver Shell for best actress went to Marian Álvarez), Samantha Castillo ("Bad Hair")
Paulina García ("Illiterate" - Isa: Habanero, screened at Guadalajara Ficg 2014, Sanfic - Santiago International Film Festival - Best Picture Audience award , Venice Film Festival - Settimana della Critica - Closing Film, Chicago International Film Festival - New Directors Competition, Sao Paulo International Film Festival - New Directors Competition )
Karen Martinez ("The Golden Cage")
Best Male Role:
Winner:
Viggo Mortensen ("Cockaigne" aka "Jauja")
Other Contenders:
Fernando Bacilio ("Mute" aka "El Mudo" by Daniel Vega premiered at Toronto in 2013. Udi sold it to Encore for airlines)
Alex Brendemühl ("Stella cadente" aka "Falling Star" by Luis Miñarro from Spain screened in Bafici (Buenos Aires) 2014 Panorama, San Sebastian 2014 Made in Spain, Gent Iff 2014 Feature Films, Rotterdam Iffr 2014 (Tiger Competition). Isa: Ndm sold it to Germany--Salzgeber & Co. Medien Gmbh Puerto Rico--Wiesner Distribution, Spain--Vercine)
Brandon Lopez ("The Golden Cage")
Antonio de la Torre ("Cannibal" by Manuel Martin Cuenca, a coproduction of Spain, Romania, Russia, France premiered at Toronto and San Sebastian 2013. Isa Film Factory sold it to U.S. - Film Movement, Belgium--Film Fest Gent, Hong Kong--Encore Inflight Limited-, Japan--Broadmedia Studios Corporation, Latin America--Palmera International, Spain--Mod Producciones, Taiwan--Creative Century Entertainment Co., Ltd.)
Eight other awards (listed below) were granted in the photography category, costumes, art direction, sound, music, editing and screenplay.
Four special awards were also presented:
The Latin American Festival Award, decided by the Advisory Council Cinema23 went to the Havana Film Festival (Festival de Nuevo Cine Latinoamericano). On December 3, 1979, over five hundred film professionals, mainly from Latin America, met in Havana, Cuba, for the inaugural Festival of New Latin American Cinema, which in its own words, "sought to build a space to identify and disseminate films whose significance and artistic values enrich and reaffirm American and Caribbean cultural identity where rich dialogue between film professionals, students and the informed public and critics gather". For decades and through its multiple realities Havana has played a role in community building around film as an art form and as an incentive for social reflection.
The work of more than three decades by a team led today by Ivan Giroud and which survives the noble and generous spirit of its founder, Alfredo Guevara, and those like Santiago Alvarez and Gabriel García Márquez, who have accompanied him from his beginnings, deserves to be recognized by those who think that culture is a way that allows us to approach, meet, recognize and move away from violence towards a better world. "With this award go our admiration and our gratitude to the Festival of New Latin American Cinema of Havana."
The Critics' Award, selected by Fipresci (Federation International Film Critics) went to the Brazilian writer José Carlos Avellar for his critical work. An admired and appreciated writer, critic, teacher and programmer, Avellar worked for over twenty years for the newspaper Jornal do Brasil, and has published six books on Brazilian and Latin American cinema. The former vice-president of Fipresci is also Berlinale's delegate in Brazil. More information and examples of his work can be found in his website www.escrevercinema.com.
Recognition of the Exhibition Sector, awarded by the leading exhibitors in the region went to Mexican actor and producer, Eugenio Derbez, for "No se aceptan devoluciones" ("Instructions Not Included").
The resurgence of Mexican films which began in 2001 with the all-time hit "Amores Perros" by Alejandro González Iñárritu and which also introduced Gael Garcia Bernal to the public (U.S. box office $5,408,467, worldwide $20,908,467) and "El crimen del Padre Amaro" in 2002 (U.S. box office $5,717,044, worldwide: $26,996,738) up until the hits, "Nosotros los Nobles" and "No se aceptan devoluciones" had the highest number admissions than any other Mexican film. Twelve years later, in six weeks "No se aceptan devolucions" outgrossed both "Amores" and "El crimen" combined. México Televisa’s Videocine Mexican box office was Us $44,882,061 and U.S. box office was $44,143,000. This is truly an exhibitor's dream movie.
No sooner had "Los Nobles" swept the Mexican box-office off its feet than another Mexican movie, independently produced by Monica Lozano’s México City-based Alebrije Cine y Video, "Instructions Not Included" was released -- first in the U.S. by Pantelion on August 30, 2013, almost three weeks before its Mexican release on September 20, 2013. The two countries grossed an equal amount. Moreover, Videocine released the film on 1,500 prints similar to a major release of a film such as "Batman". Through the Cinepolis chain’s use of satellite, these 1,500 prints were able to show on 2,500 screens. This represents both a new release pattern and a new type of Mexican film.
Previously Mexican films which were meant for the Mexican and Mexican-American audience (as opposed to those targeted to the art house audiences) were perceived as too Mexican by their U.S. target and they were released in the U.S. only after the Mexican release, and by that time, piracy had done its work in the U.S. and the film lacked the prestige of an "American" film. This film and the previous film, "The Noble Family", are not typically Mexican. Their storyline could be transposed anywhere, and in fact "The Noble Family" remake rights have been sold to U.S. In addition, releasing the film first in the U.S. changes the perception of the film in México. Being such a success in U.S. paves the way for its success in México as if it were validated as a "good" film.
Added to these two elements is the third key to success, Eugenio Derbez, the director and star of "Instructions", is a major TV comedy star in México and is known by all Mexicans wherever they reside. Mexican TV is quite powerful, it has a duopoly made by Televisa and TV Azteca. Derbez comes from Televisa. The film was also shot in English and Spanish and takes place in the U.S. Finally, Derbez himself and former head of production at Pantelion, Ben Odell, have now established a production company, 3 Spas, pronounced "Tres Paz" which funnily enough sounds like "tripas" or "guts". Reese Witherspoon whose film "Wild" opened the festival said that she had approached Derbez for a film she was producing already, but he was busy. However, she hopes they will soon find a project to do together. How great that will be for the exhibitors, the distributors and the audiences around the world!
The Phoenix Lifetime Achievement Award, which is awarded by the different academies and film associations in all the differenct countries of the region and announced by the Mexican Academy of Arts and Cinematographic Sciences, went to Arturo Ripstein. Recognized as one of the great masters in the history of Mexican cinema, Ripstein said, "I'm glad to say that a lifetime achievement award is usually given when one is finished with everything. But I am pleased to say that I still need a bit of experience, because next week I start my new film. I've been practicing this craft half a century, and this (the Phoenix Award ) symbolizes what it has really cost me over the past 50 years."
List of all winners include:
Narrative Film: Diego Quemada-Diez ("La Jaula de Oro")
Documentary Film: Jordi Morato ("Sobre la Marxa")
Screenplay: Amat Escalante y Gabriel Reyes ("Heli")
Director: Amat Escalante ("Heli")
Photography: Julián Apezteguia ("El ardor")
Art Design: José Luis Arrizabalaga y Arturo García ("Las Brujas de Zugarramurdi")
Editing: Paloma López Carrillo y Felipe Gómez ("La Jaula de Oro")
Costume Design: Chris Garrido ("Tatuagem")
Sound Design: Matías Barberis, Raúl Locatelli y Jaime Baksht ("La Jaula de oro")
Music: Joan Valent ("Las brujas de Zugarramurdi")
Lead Actor: Viggo Mortensen ("Jauja")
Lead Actress: Leandra Leal ("A Wolf at the Door")
Diego Quemada-Diez Receives the Award for Best Narrative Film for "La Jaula de Oro"
Amat Escalante Receives the Award for Best Director for "Heli"
Viggo Mortensen Receives the Award for Best Lead Actor for "Jauja"
Leandra Leal Receives the Award for Best Lead Actress for "A Wolf at the Door"...
- 11/19/2014
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Film Forum has recently announced that they are presenting the Us theatrical premiere of Mariana Rondón’s Bad Hair, beginning Wednesday, November 19. I’ve heard nothing but praise with critics calling the final moments as fiercely emotive as Truffaut’s freeze frame at the end of 400 Blows. From what I hear, this is one of the best new films you can watch this year. Writer-director Mariana Rondón grounds her film in the cultural realities of working-class Venezuela – and brings a powerful specificity to the story of a boy and his embittered single mother. Winner of more than a dozen directing, acting, and screenwriting awards at festivals throughout the world, Bad Hair is a must see. Watch the trailer below.
Synopsis: In Pelo Malo, Junior is a nine-year-old boy who has stubbornly curly hair, or “bad hair.” He wants to have it straightened for his yearbook picture, like a fashionable pop singer with long,...
Synopsis: In Pelo Malo, Junior is a nine-year-old boy who has stubbornly curly hair, or “bad hair.” He wants to have it straightened for his yearbook picture, like a fashionable pop singer with long,...
- 10/29/2014
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
The trickle of foreign film submission info has become and soon it will be a flood. Over the new few days I'll be filling out a lot more of the foreign language submission charts which are written by me and my multi-lingual friend A.D. who knows so much about foreign cinema in so many atypical places he sometimes makes my head spin. But before all that charty speculation a handful of actual news items.
Jhola from Nepal
New Official Submissions
Jhola is the official submission from Nepal. Nepal enjoyed one previous nomination in this category for Caravan (1999) but they haven't submitted regularly. Jhola is a period piece about the Nepali society custom of the wife having to set herself on fire when her husband dies and go with him. Horrific! Actress Kanchi Garima Panta is said to be very good in the lead role.
Beloved Sisters was announced today to represent Germany.
Jhola from Nepal
New Official Submissions
Jhola is the official submission from Nepal. Nepal enjoyed one previous nomination in this category for Caravan (1999) but they haven't submitted regularly. Jhola is a period piece about the Nepali society custom of the wife having to set herself on fire when her husband dies and go with him. Horrific! Actress Kanchi Garima Panta is said to be very good in the lead role.
Beloved Sisters was announced today to represent Germany.
- 8/28/2014
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
Early predictions have emerged for most Academy Award categories. As the studios reveal their hopeful offers to be released in the final months of the year, the speculation increases. But despite all the information available on the centerpiece awards, other more obscure races remain a complete mystery at this point. Among these, the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar is almost certainly the most complex to prognosticate. The lengthy process that precedes the announcement of the final nominees makes for a competition that begins months in advance in nations around the globe.
Having the opportunity to submit only one film, each country must carry out its own selection process. Once these decisions have been made, their chosen works will compete to make it to the nine-film shortlist, and eventually into the final five slots. Although this procedure allows for a certain degree of democracy, it also excludes all those other films that were left behind in their homelands. This, in turn, gives us a narrow view of what is being produced abroad.
Therefore, after lots of research and arduous educated guessing to put it together, the list below offers a more insightful look at this race before the actual individual selections are announced. For the sake of time, the amount of films is limited to five per country, but in some cases the choices are scarcer and less films are listed. While trying to speculate is always an uncertain endeavor, the factors taken into account to determine which are some of this year’s most important films in each country and their prospects of being chosen as their representative at the Academy Awards, were varied. Festival exposure, release date, the country’s previous submissions, and even the thematic elements of a few of them were considered to create this piece.
Clearly nothing is definitive at this point, but at the very least, this compilation will provide a sense of what the film industries in these territories are putting out and sharing with the world.
It is important to note that several of the films mentioned below are being handled by Mundial, a joint venture between Im Gobal and Canana, including "Gueros," "A Wolf at the Door," and "The Liberator."
Here is the first list dedicated to the Americas
Argentina
With four films presented at Cannes and several others receiving praise in festivals around the world, Argentina has several interesting options this year. Unfortunately, Lisandro Alonso’s period piece “Jauja” will almost certainly be ineligible due to its November release date, unless a qualifying one-week run is scheduled. That scenario seems unlikely. Screening in the Directors’ Forthnight, Diego Lerman’s “Refugee” (Refugiado) will open on October 3rd, also a few days after the deadline. That leaves the Almodovar-produced “Wild Tales” as the undisputed favorite. Acclaimed films such as “Natural Sciences," “The Third Side of the River”, “El Ardor“ (staring Gael Garcia Bernal), and “La Paz” are longer shots but still viable choices.
1. "Wild Tales" (Relatos Salvajes)
2. "Natural Sciences" (Ciencias Naturales)
3."The Ardor" (El Ardor)
4."The Third Side of the River" (La Tercera Orilla)
5."La Paz"
Bolivia
The last time the landlocked country submitted a film was back in 2009. However, this year offers several possibilities for the Bolivian film industry. Given its production value and historical theme, it is likely that - if they choose to send a film - it will be Mexican director Carlos Bolado’s “Forgotten” (Olvidados), which deals with the 70s Operation Condor. Another likely choice is “Yvy Maraey,” which highlights the mysticism of the country’s indigenous people and is the latest work by Juan Carlos Valdivia, whose films have represented Bolivia in 3 out of the 6 occasions they’ve participated. A long delayed road trip flick (“Once Upon a Time in Bolivia”) and a unique documentary (“Apricot”) round up the list of contenders.
1. "Forgotten" (Olvidados)
2. "Yvy Maraey: Land Without Evil" (Yvy Maraey: Tierra Sin Mal)
3. "Once Upon a Time in Bolivia" (Erase una vez en Bolivia)
4. "Apricot" (Durazno)
Brazil
Producing an impressive amount of films per year, the Brazilian film industry is seeing incredible progress recently. Particularly this year, the quality of works was exceptional across the board. Having such an overflow of great material could make it difficult to select just one. However, there are a few films that standout amongst the crowd. Fernando Coimbra’s debut feature “A Wolf at the Door” is undoubtedly the one to beat after receiving rave reviews and touring some of the most important international festivals. Its biggest competitors are the quiet character study “The Man of the Crowd” and the adorable coming-of-age tale “The Way He Looks.” Rounding up the top five are locally acclaimed “Runriver” and powerful Lgbt drama “Futuro Beach.”
1. "A Wolf at the Door" (O Lobo atrás da Porta)
2. "The Man of the Crowd" (O Homem das Multidões)
3. "The Way He Looks" (Hoje Eu Quero Voltar Sozinho)
4. "Riverrun" (Riocorrente)
5. "Futuro Beach" (Praia do Futuro)
Canada
This definitely seems like Xavier Dolan’s year. After sharing an award with New Wave patriarch Jean-Luc Godard in Cannes, the 25-year-old prodigy is almost a safe bet having two films that could represent his country. While “Mommy” is the clear favorite, it will have to go against “An Eye for Beauty, ” the latest film from Oscar-winner Denys Arcand. Both films will screen at Tiff in the upcoming weeks, just as time runs out for Canada to nominate a film by the end of September. Less probable but still great options are Dolan’s own “Tom at the Farm,” quirky black-and-white dramedy “Tu Dors Nicole,” and the well-received rural family drama “The Auction. ”
1. "Mommy"
2. "An Eye for Beauty" (Le Règne de la Beauté)
3. "Tom at the Farm" (Tom à la ferme)
4. "You's Sleeping Nicole" (Tu Dors Nicole)
5. "The Auction" (Le démantèlement)
Chile
Here is one of the few countries in the region with a very clear choice, but which sadly might decide to miss that opportunity. Alejandro Fernández Almendras ‘“To Kill a Man” won at Sundance, Rotterdam, Berlin, Cartagena amongst several other festivals and has received extremely positive reactions from critics and audiences. Yet, its opening date in its homeland (October 16th) might prevent it from being selected, which would be a regrettable mistake. A one-week run or an earlier release date would be a worthwhile investment. If they decide to leave it behind for next year, this great film would definitely miss its chance. If that is the case, the South American nation, which in recent years has garnered incredible success with films like “No” and “Gloria,” might decide to go with “The Dance of Reality,” the first film in over 20 years by veteran auteur Alejandro Jodorowsky. Other plausible candidates include “Illiterate” (starring Paulina Garcia), Marcela Said’s remarkable “The Summer of Flying Fish,” and historical biopic “Neruda.”
1. "To Kill a Man" (Matar a un Hombre)
2. "The Dance of Reality" (La Danza de la Realidad)
3. "Illiterate" (Las Analfabetas)
4. "The Summer of Flying Fish" (El Verano de los Peces Voladores)
5. "Neruda"
Colombia
Being forced to resort to mainstream cartel-themed fare in past occasions, this year has fortunately seen a fantastic reemergence of auteur-driven works in the country. Cartagena winner “Dust on the Tongue” is by far the most promising Colombian offer of the year with a thought-provoking premise. Next in line is “Mateo” about a young man struggling to pursue his passion for theater while living in a crime-ridden community. Other films include the touching “Catching Fireflies,” apocalyptic comedy “Chronicle of the End of the World,” and music-infused romance “Ciudad Delirio.” Franco Lolli’s award-winning “Gente de Bien” doesn’t have a release date yet, but will probably be in the running next year.
1. "Dust on the Tongue" (Tierra en la Lengua)
2. "Mateo"
3. "Chasing Fireflies" (Cazando Luciernagas)
4. "Chronicle of the End of the World" (Crónica del Fin del Mundo)
5. "Ciudad Delirio"
Costa Rica
Having three great films eligible for consideration, Costa Rica will likely enter the Oscar race for what would be only the third time in its history. Without a doubt, the country is spearheading Central America in terms of increased film production. Lauded throughout multiple festivals, “Red Princesses,” about a girl growing up in the Sandinista-era, is the most notable work. “Port Father,” a coming-of-age drama set in a coastal town and the comedy “All About the Feathers” are the other two that could be picked. Regardless of which one is selected, they all serve as an encouraging sign of growth for the Costa Rican industry.
1. "Red Princesses" (Princesas Rojas)
2. "Port Father" (Puerto Padre)
3. "All About the Feathers" (Por las Plumas)
Cuba
Hosting the Havana International Film Festival and its consistent investment in local talent make Cuba a unique place for film in the Caribbean. In spite of this, only a few national productions have reached cinemas this year. The three notable titles revolve around personal stories of survival and the struggles associated with living on the island. Winner of several international awards, “Behavior” is the clear favorite. “Melaza,” another local drama dealing with the economic challenges Cubans face and the gay love story “The Last Match,” complete the trio.
1. "Behavior" (Conducta)
2."Melaza"
3. "The Last Match" (La Partida)
Dominican Republic
For its size, this island nation has an impressive working industry that steadily produces films in diverse genres. The Dominican Republic will almost certainly participate again with one of the works by its homegrown talent. Screening in Toronto last year, crime romance “Cristo Rey” has the highest probability of being chosen. In second place is the documentary “The Mountain,” which centers on a unique expedition to Mount Everest by a Dominican team. Passionate road trip story “To the South of Innocence” and psychological thriller “Despertar ” conform the list of options.
1. "Cristo Rey"
2. "The Mountain"(La Montaña)
3. "To the South of Innocence" (Al Sur de la Inocencia)
4. "Despertar"
Ecuador
Seemingly dormant for many decades, the Ecuadorian film industry has recently exploded. Even though they have only submitted three times in the past, it appears they plan to make their presence more consistent moving forward. What is even more surprising, are the numerous alternatives they have to make their selection. At the top of the list is “Holiday,” which premiered in Berlin and has received considerable praise. Two other art house offers, “Silence in Dreamland” and “Saudade,” could be serious contenders. “Girl Without Fear,” a gritty crime film and “The Facilitator,” a politically charged work, have less chances but are still interesting offers.
1. "Holiday" (Feriado)
2. "Silence in Dreamland" (El Silencio en la Tierra de los Sueños)
3. "Saudade"
4. "Girl With No Fear" (Ciudad Sin Sombra)
5. "The Facilitator" (El Facilitador)
El Salvador
Sporadically producing feature length works due to the lack of initiatives that facilitate their funding, El Salvador has never entered the race. Nevertheless, there are three films that could potentially be submitted: Supernatural horror film "The Supreme Book," romantic comedy "The Re-Search," and the more viable choice, " The Four Cardinal Points," a documentary about the diverse lifestyles throughout the tiny country. The latter was exhibited commercially as part of Ambulante El Salvador for about a week, which could possibly make it eligible. But in all honesty, it is hard to think they’ll feel so inclined as to participate.
1. "El Salvador: The Four Cardinal Points" (El Salvador: Cuatro Puntos Cardinales)
2. "The Re-Search" (La ReBusqueda)
3. "The Supreme Book" (El Libro Supremo)
Guatemala
With only one submission under their belt back in 1994 and several missed opportunities in recent years, Guatemala might opt to remain out of the spotlight once again. If, however, they change their mind, there are three films that qualify to be entered. Focusing on the indigenous Maya‘s beliefs and legends, “Where the Sun is Born” is surely the most authentic and visually powerful of these films. Then there is “Pol,” a story about two teenage friends and their mishaps. Lastly, there is “12 Seconds,” a sort of slasher flick set in the countryside. It’s been 20 years since their last try, it wouldn’t hurt to see them make the effort once again.
1. "Where the Sun is Born" (Donde Nace el Sol)
2. "Pol"
3. "12 Seconds" (12 Segundos)
Honduras
Although they have never submitted an entry, the Central American country is showing signs of progress in terms of its film industry. With only two local, low budget films released this year, it is highly unlikely they will enter. Nevertheless, they do have an eligible film “11 Cipotes,” a sports comedy about a soccer team in a small town. The other film, “The Zwickys,” is surprisingly ineligible because it is mostly in English.
1. "11 Kids" (11 Cipotes)
Mexico
Now that the Mexican Academy has announced their shortlist - which strangely and inexplicably includes titles that have no scheduled release dates or that will be released after AMPAS' deadline (September 30th, 2014) - the landscape has dramatically changed. Three of the original selections mentioned here (“The Empty Hours,” “Potosi,” and “ Club Sandwich”) are not included among the finalists. It is important to note that films need to be submitted by the filmmakers in order to be considered by the Mexican Academy. One can assume that these films, though they qualify, decided not to participate. The 21 films listed include several documentaries such as “Purgatorio: A Journey Into the Heart of the Border,” “Disrupted” (Quebranto), “Eufrosina’s Revolution” (La Revolución de los Alcatraces), and “H2Omx" among others. But even if many of these are outstanding films, it is highly unlikely that the Academy will decide to go with a documentary over a narrative given their track record and the other options available. Comedic offers like the charming “Paraíso” by Mariana Chenillo, "Flying Low" (Volando Bajo), and "The Last Call" (Tercera Llamada) also made it in. Just like last year with “Instructions Not Included,” most people could assume that the film with the most commercial prospects would make for a good candidate for Oscar consideration, in this case that would be the biopic “Cantinflas," which was also listed. Fortunately, however, the selection committee often prefers to bet on films honored internationally regardless of their controversial content (“Heli,” “After Lucia,” “Silent Light,” “The Crime of Father Amaro”).
With the new additions, the possibilities have shifted. On the top spot is Alonso Ruiz Palacios’ black and white debut “Güeros,” which won in Berlin and Tribeca, and screened at Karlovy Vary. The festival pedigree will definitely help this unique road trip film set in Mexico City during the late 90s. The runner up is Luis Urquiza’s “Perfect Obedience,” though it did not have any festival exposure or a highly profitable theatrical run, the local critics praised the compelling portrayal of a depraved Catholic priest with satirical undertones. It would definitely make for a great contender if the Academy were willing to run the risk given its controversial subject matter. At number three we have Christian Diaz Pardo’s “Gonzalez,” an intriguing drama about a man looking to change his destiny by joining a for profit evangelical church. Dark comedy “ Workers,” by Salvadoran filmmaker Jose Luis Valle, comes in at number four. Lastly, there is Luis Estrada’s long awaited new film “The Perfect Dictatorship,” which made the cut despite having an October 16th release date. The film could definitely come into play; however, voters should consider the fact that its premise and humor might be too specific to the Mexican political idiosyncrasies to connect with foreign voters. Two other films that might be in the race next year are “Perpetual Sadness” (La Tirisia) and “ The Well” (Manto Acuifero)
1."Güeros"
2. "Perfect Obedience" (Obediencia Perfecta)
3. "Gonzalez"
4. "Workers"
5. "The Perfect Dictatorship" (La Dictadura Perfecta)
Nicaragua
With three submissions in over 30 years (1982, 1988, 2010), Nicaragua is the Central American nation with the most attempts at Oscar glory. More astonishing perhaps, is the fact that their first ever entry, “Alsino and the Condor,” earned them a nomination. These days production is almost non-existent. Still, the country’s most prolific filmmaker Florence Jaugey, responsible for their last submission “La Yuma,” made a small documentary titled “Class Days." It is just over 50 minutes long but actually had a theatrical run. Though eligible, it’s probable they’ll decide to skip this year. On the other hand, Jaugey has just finished a new narrative new feature, “The Naked Screen” (La Pantalla Desnuda), which will surely be part of the conversation next year.
1. "Class Days" (Dias de Clase)
Panama
An unprecedented amount of national productions were scheduled to premier in Panama during 2014. All of those four films - which by the country’s standards is an exceptional number - are documentaries. However, only two of them will be eligible given their set release dates. Out of those two, the top choice would certainly be Abner Benaim’s “Invasion” which uses reenactments in lieu of archive footage to revisit the American military intervention in the Central American country in 1989. The runner-up, “Majesty,” deals with the more lighthearted subject of carnival queens. In any case, should Panama decide to submit a film, this would be their first ever appearance.
1. "Invasion"
2. "Majesty" (Reinas)
Paraguay
Disappointed after missing the chance to submit last year's surprise hit “7 Boxes”due to the lack of a selection committee, Paraguayan authorities have stressed their wish to send a film to compete this time around. Unfortunately, it appears that their two best options might be scheduled to open theatrically past the Academy’s deadline. The documentary “Cloudy Times,” a Swiss co-production, has garnered positive reactions internationally and would be their best shot. A second choice could be the crime flick “Filthy Luck,” which sports a decent production value. But if neither of them manages to qualify, then the country’s only other option is yet another crime film “End of the Line.” In any case, hopefully they follow through with their intentions and participate for the first time.
1. "Cloudy Times" (El Tiempo Nublado)
2. "Filthy Luck" (Luna de Cigarras)
3. "End of the Line" (Fin de Linea)
Peru
The eclectic collection of Peruvian films released this year speaks of the great development the medium is experiencing in that country. The five films mentioned here represent the array of genres and stories coming out of Peru today. Given its incredible reception abroad, dark comedy “The Mute” by Daniel Vega Vidal & Diego Vega Vidal is undoubtedly the frontrunner. Behind it comes the intriguing thriller “Guard Dog” starring Peruvian star Carlos Alcántara, multi-narrative drama “The Gospel of the Flesh,” romantic tearjerker “Trip to Timbuktu,” and “Old Friends” about a group of elderly men on a mission. Definitely a though decision needs to be made.
1. "The Mute" (El Mudo)
2. "Guard Dog" (Perro Guardian)
3. "The Gospel of the Flesh" (El Evangelio de la Carne)
4. "Trip to Timbuktu" (Viaje a Tombuctu)
5. "Old Friends" (Viejos Amigos)
Uruguay
Last year the country decided to take a chance and submit the adorable animated film “Anina,” which despite not getting a nomination has become a great success. This time they have “The Militant,” a serious contender about a man retuning to his late father’s hometown. Empowered by a positive festival run, this seems to be their most ideal option. “23 Seconds,” a drama about an unlikely connection between two people and “Mr. Kaplan,” a buddy comedy by Álvaro Brechner - whose previous film “A Bad Day to Go Fishing” was selected a few years back - are the next best choices. The remaining film “At 60 km/h” is a documentary about a unique journey around the world.
1. "The Militant" (El Lugar del Hijo)
2. "23 Seconds" (23 Segundos)
3. "Mr. Kaplan"
4. "At 60 Km/h" (A 60 Km/h)
Venezuela
Dubbed as “the most expensive film ever made in Latin America” and focusing on the accomplishments of the country’s most important historical figure, selecting “The Liberator” is simply a no-brainer. Added to those qualities, the film is actually an elegantly achieved period piece that really showcases the sizable budget and director Alberto Arvelo’s talent. Two of his previous films have also represented his country in the past. On the other hand, this has been a monumental year for Venezuelan films. Festival darling “Bad Hair” would be the perfect choice if it weren’t going against the imposing major production. Other important films that could figure in the mix but have much less prospects are the emotional road-trip film “The Longest Distance,” the women-centered drama “Liz in September,” and the acclaimed thriller “Solo.”
1. "The Liberator" (El Libertador)
2. "Bad Hair" (Pelo Malo)
3. "The Longest Distance" (La Distnacia Mas Larga)
4. "Liz in September" (Liz en Septiembre)
5. "Solo"...
Having the opportunity to submit only one film, each country must carry out its own selection process. Once these decisions have been made, their chosen works will compete to make it to the nine-film shortlist, and eventually into the final five slots. Although this procedure allows for a certain degree of democracy, it also excludes all those other films that were left behind in their homelands. This, in turn, gives us a narrow view of what is being produced abroad.
Therefore, after lots of research and arduous educated guessing to put it together, the list below offers a more insightful look at this race before the actual individual selections are announced. For the sake of time, the amount of films is limited to five per country, but in some cases the choices are scarcer and less films are listed. While trying to speculate is always an uncertain endeavor, the factors taken into account to determine which are some of this year’s most important films in each country and their prospects of being chosen as their representative at the Academy Awards, were varied. Festival exposure, release date, the country’s previous submissions, and even the thematic elements of a few of them were considered to create this piece.
Clearly nothing is definitive at this point, but at the very least, this compilation will provide a sense of what the film industries in these territories are putting out and sharing with the world.
It is important to note that several of the films mentioned below are being handled by Mundial, a joint venture between Im Gobal and Canana, including "Gueros," "A Wolf at the Door," and "The Liberator."
Here is the first list dedicated to the Americas
Argentina
With four films presented at Cannes and several others receiving praise in festivals around the world, Argentina has several interesting options this year. Unfortunately, Lisandro Alonso’s period piece “Jauja” will almost certainly be ineligible due to its November release date, unless a qualifying one-week run is scheduled. That scenario seems unlikely. Screening in the Directors’ Forthnight, Diego Lerman’s “Refugee” (Refugiado) will open on October 3rd, also a few days after the deadline. That leaves the Almodovar-produced “Wild Tales” as the undisputed favorite. Acclaimed films such as “Natural Sciences," “The Third Side of the River”, “El Ardor“ (staring Gael Garcia Bernal), and “La Paz” are longer shots but still viable choices.
1. "Wild Tales" (Relatos Salvajes)
2. "Natural Sciences" (Ciencias Naturales)
3."The Ardor" (El Ardor)
4."The Third Side of the River" (La Tercera Orilla)
5."La Paz"
Bolivia
The last time the landlocked country submitted a film was back in 2009. However, this year offers several possibilities for the Bolivian film industry. Given its production value and historical theme, it is likely that - if they choose to send a film - it will be Mexican director Carlos Bolado’s “Forgotten” (Olvidados), which deals with the 70s Operation Condor. Another likely choice is “Yvy Maraey,” which highlights the mysticism of the country’s indigenous people and is the latest work by Juan Carlos Valdivia, whose films have represented Bolivia in 3 out of the 6 occasions they’ve participated. A long delayed road trip flick (“Once Upon a Time in Bolivia”) and a unique documentary (“Apricot”) round up the list of contenders.
1. "Forgotten" (Olvidados)
2. "Yvy Maraey: Land Without Evil" (Yvy Maraey: Tierra Sin Mal)
3. "Once Upon a Time in Bolivia" (Erase una vez en Bolivia)
4. "Apricot" (Durazno)
Brazil
Producing an impressive amount of films per year, the Brazilian film industry is seeing incredible progress recently. Particularly this year, the quality of works was exceptional across the board. Having such an overflow of great material could make it difficult to select just one. However, there are a few films that standout amongst the crowd. Fernando Coimbra’s debut feature “A Wolf at the Door” is undoubtedly the one to beat after receiving rave reviews and touring some of the most important international festivals. Its biggest competitors are the quiet character study “The Man of the Crowd” and the adorable coming-of-age tale “The Way He Looks.” Rounding up the top five are locally acclaimed “Runriver” and powerful Lgbt drama “Futuro Beach.”
1. "A Wolf at the Door" (O Lobo atrás da Porta)
2. "The Man of the Crowd" (O Homem das Multidões)
3. "The Way He Looks" (Hoje Eu Quero Voltar Sozinho)
4. "Riverrun" (Riocorrente)
5. "Futuro Beach" (Praia do Futuro)
Canada
This definitely seems like Xavier Dolan’s year. After sharing an award with New Wave patriarch Jean-Luc Godard in Cannes, the 25-year-old prodigy is almost a safe bet having two films that could represent his country. While “Mommy” is the clear favorite, it will have to go against “An Eye for Beauty, ” the latest film from Oscar-winner Denys Arcand. Both films will screen at Tiff in the upcoming weeks, just as time runs out for Canada to nominate a film by the end of September. Less probable but still great options are Dolan’s own “Tom at the Farm,” quirky black-and-white dramedy “Tu Dors Nicole,” and the well-received rural family drama “The Auction. ”
1. "Mommy"
2. "An Eye for Beauty" (Le Règne de la Beauté)
3. "Tom at the Farm" (Tom à la ferme)
4. "You's Sleeping Nicole" (Tu Dors Nicole)
5. "The Auction" (Le démantèlement)
Chile
Here is one of the few countries in the region with a very clear choice, but which sadly might decide to miss that opportunity. Alejandro Fernández Almendras ‘“To Kill a Man” won at Sundance, Rotterdam, Berlin, Cartagena amongst several other festivals and has received extremely positive reactions from critics and audiences. Yet, its opening date in its homeland (October 16th) might prevent it from being selected, which would be a regrettable mistake. A one-week run or an earlier release date would be a worthwhile investment. If they decide to leave it behind for next year, this great film would definitely miss its chance. If that is the case, the South American nation, which in recent years has garnered incredible success with films like “No” and “Gloria,” might decide to go with “The Dance of Reality,” the first film in over 20 years by veteran auteur Alejandro Jodorowsky. Other plausible candidates include “Illiterate” (starring Paulina Garcia), Marcela Said’s remarkable “The Summer of Flying Fish,” and historical biopic “Neruda.”
1. "To Kill a Man" (Matar a un Hombre)
2. "The Dance of Reality" (La Danza de la Realidad)
3. "Illiterate" (Las Analfabetas)
4. "The Summer of Flying Fish" (El Verano de los Peces Voladores)
5. "Neruda"
Colombia
Being forced to resort to mainstream cartel-themed fare in past occasions, this year has fortunately seen a fantastic reemergence of auteur-driven works in the country. Cartagena winner “Dust on the Tongue” is by far the most promising Colombian offer of the year with a thought-provoking premise. Next in line is “Mateo” about a young man struggling to pursue his passion for theater while living in a crime-ridden community. Other films include the touching “Catching Fireflies,” apocalyptic comedy “Chronicle of the End of the World,” and music-infused romance “Ciudad Delirio.” Franco Lolli’s award-winning “Gente de Bien” doesn’t have a release date yet, but will probably be in the running next year.
1. "Dust on the Tongue" (Tierra en la Lengua)
2. "Mateo"
3. "Chasing Fireflies" (Cazando Luciernagas)
4. "Chronicle of the End of the World" (Crónica del Fin del Mundo)
5. "Ciudad Delirio"
Costa Rica
Having three great films eligible for consideration, Costa Rica will likely enter the Oscar race for what would be only the third time in its history. Without a doubt, the country is spearheading Central America in terms of increased film production. Lauded throughout multiple festivals, “Red Princesses,” about a girl growing up in the Sandinista-era, is the most notable work. “Port Father,” a coming-of-age drama set in a coastal town and the comedy “All About the Feathers” are the other two that could be picked. Regardless of which one is selected, they all serve as an encouraging sign of growth for the Costa Rican industry.
1. "Red Princesses" (Princesas Rojas)
2. "Port Father" (Puerto Padre)
3. "All About the Feathers" (Por las Plumas)
Cuba
Hosting the Havana International Film Festival and its consistent investment in local talent make Cuba a unique place for film in the Caribbean. In spite of this, only a few national productions have reached cinemas this year. The three notable titles revolve around personal stories of survival and the struggles associated with living on the island. Winner of several international awards, “Behavior” is the clear favorite. “Melaza,” another local drama dealing with the economic challenges Cubans face and the gay love story “The Last Match,” complete the trio.
1. "Behavior" (Conducta)
2."Melaza"
3. "The Last Match" (La Partida)
Dominican Republic
For its size, this island nation has an impressive working industry that steadily produces films in diverse genres. The Dominican Republic will almost certainly participate again with one of the works by its homegrown talent. Screening in Toronto last year, crime romance “Cristo Rey” has the highest probability of being chosen. In second place is the documentary “The Mountain,” which centers on a unique expedition to Mount Everest by a Dominican team. Passionate road trip story “To the South of Innocence” and psychological thriller “Despertar ” conform the list of options.
1. "Cristo Rey"
2. "The Mountain"(La Montaña)
3. "To the South of Innocence" (Al Sur de la Inocencia)
4. "Despertar"
Ecuador
Seemingly dormant for many decades, the Ecuadorian film industry has recently exploded. Even though they have only submitted three times in the past, it appears they plan to make their presence more consistent moving forward. What is even more surprising, are the numerous alternatives they have to make their selection. At the top of the list is “Holiday,” which premiered in Berlin and has received considerable praise. Two other art house offers, “Silence in Dreamland” and “Saudade,” could be serious contenders. “Girl Without Fear,” a gritty crime film and “The Facilitator,” a politically charged work, have less chances but are still interesting offers.
1. "Holiday" (Feriado)
2. "Silence in Dreamland" (El Silencio en la Tierra de los Sueños)
3. "Saudade"
4. "Girl With No Fear" (Ciudad Sin Sombra)
5. "The Facilitator" (El Facilitador)
El Salvador
Sporadically producing feature length works due to the lack of initiatives that facilitate their funding, El Salvador has never entered the race. Nevertheless, there are three films that could potentially be submitted: Supernatural horror film "The Supreme Book," romantic comedy "The Re-Search," and the more viable choice, " The Four Cardinal Points," a documentary about the diverse lifestyles throughout the tiny country. The latter was exhibited commercially as part of Ambulante El Salvador for about a week, which could possibly make it eligible. But in all honesty, it is hard to think they’ll feel so inclined as to participate.
1. "El Salvador: The Four Cardinal Points" (El Salvador: Cuatro Puntos Cardinales)
2. "The Re-Search" (La ReBusqueda)
3. "The Supreme Book" (El Libro Supremo)
Guatemala
With only one submission under their belt back in 1994 and several missed opportunities in recent years, Guatemala might opt to remain out of the spotlight once again. If, however, they change their mind, there are three films that qualify to be entered. Focusing on the indigenous Maya‘s beliefs and legends, “Where the Sun is Born” is surely the most authentic and visually powerful of these films. Then there is “Pol,” a story about two teenage friends and their mishaps. Lastly, there is “12 Seconds,” a sort of slasher flick set in the countryside. It’s been 20 years since their last try, it wouldn’t hurt to see them make the effort once again.
1. "Where the Sun is Born" (Donde Nace el Sol)
2. "Pol"
3. "12 Seconds" (12 Segundos)
Honduras
Although they have never submitted an entry, the Central American country is showing signs of progress in terms of its film industry. With only two local, low budget films released this year, it is highly unlikely they will enter. Nevertheless, they do have an eligible film “11 Cipotes,” a sports comedy about a soccer team in a small town. The other film, “The Zwickys,” is surprisingly ineligible because it is mostly in English.
1. "11 Kids" (11 Cipotes)
Mexico
Now that the Mexican Academy has announced their shortlist - which strangely and inexplicably includes titles that have no scheduled release dates or that will be released after AMPAS' deadline (September 30th, 2014) - the landscape has dramatically changed. Three of the original selections mentioned here (“The Empty Hours,” “Potosi,” and “ Club Sandwich”) are not included among the finalists. It is important to note that films need to be submitted by the filmmakers in order to be considered by the Mexican Academy. One can assume that these films, though they qualify, decided not to participate. The 21 films listed include several documentaries such as “Purgatorio: A Journey Into the Heart of the Border,” “Disrupted” (Quebranto), “Eufrosina’s Revolution” (La Revolución de los Alcatraces), and “H2Omx" among others. But even if many of these are outstanding films, it is highly unlikely that the Academy will decide to go with a documentary over a narrative given their track record and the other options available. Comedic offers like the charming “Paraíso” by Mariana Chenillo, "Flying Low" (Volando Bajo), and "The Last Call" (Tercera Llamada) also made it in. Just like last year with “Instructions Not Included,” most people could assume that the film with the most commercial prospects would make for a good candidate for Oscar consideration, in this case that would be the biopic “Cantinflas," which was also listed. Fortunately, however, the selection committee often prefers to bet on films honored internationally regardless of their controversial content (“Heli,” “After Lucia,” “Silent Light,” “The Crime of Father Amaro”).
With the new additions, the possibilities have shifted. On the top spot is Alonso Ruiz Palacios’ black and white debut “Güeros,” which won in Berlin and Tribeca, and screened at Karlovy Vary. The festival pedigree will definitely help this unique road trip film set in Mexico City during the late 90s. The runner up is Luis Urquiza’s “Perfect Obedience,” though it did not have any festival exposure or a highly profitable theatrical run, the local critics praised the compelling portrayal of a depraved Catholic priest with satirical undertones. It would definitely make for a great contender if the Academy were willing to run the risk given its controversial subject matter. At number three we have Christian Diaz Pardo’s “Gonzalez,” an intriguing drama about a man looking to change his destiny by joining a for profit evangelical church. Dark comedy “ Workers,” by Salvadoran filmmaker Jose Luis Valle, comes in at number four. Lastly, there is Luis Estrada’s long awaited new film “The Perfect Dictatorship,” which made the cut despite having an October 16th release date. The film could definitely come into play; however, voters should consider the fact that its premise and humor might be too specific to the Mexican political idiosyncrasies to connect with foreign voters. Two other films that might be in the race next year are “Perpetual Sadness” (La Tirisia) and “ The Well” (Manto Acuifero)
1."Güeros"
2. "Perfect Obedience" (Obediencia Perfecta)
3. "Gonzalez"
4. "Workers"
5. "The Perfect Dictatorship" (La Dictadura Perfecta)
Nicaragua
With three submissions in over 30 years (1982, 1988, 2010), Nicaragua is the Central American nation with the most attempts at Oscar glory. More astonishing perhaps, is the fact that their first ever entry, “Alsino and the Condor,” earned them a nomination. These days production is almost non-existent. Still, the country’s most prolific filmmaker Florence Jaugey, responsible for their last submission “La Yuma,” made a small documentary titled “Class Days." It is just over 50 minutes long but actually had a theatrical run. Though eligible, it’s probable they’ll decide to skip this year. On the other hand, Jaugey has just finished a new narrative new feature, “The Naked Screen” (La Pantalla Desnuda), which will surely be part of the conversation next year.
1. "Class Days" (Dias de Clase)
Panama
An unprecedented amount of national productions were scheduled to premier in Panama during 2014. All of those four films - which by the country’s standards is an exceptional number - are documentaries. However, only two of them will be eligible given their set release dates. Out of those two, the top choice would certainly be Abner Benaim’s “Invasion” which uses reenactments in lieu of archive footage to revisit the American military intervention in the Central American country in 1989. The runner-up, “Majesty,” deals with the more lighthearted subject of carnival queens. In any case, should Panama decide to submit a film, this would be their first ever appearance.
1. "Invasion"
2. "Majesty" (Reinas)
Paraguay
Disappointed after missing the chance to submit last year's surprise hit “7 Boxes”due to the lack of a selection committee, Paraguayan authorities have stressed their wish to send a film to compete this time around. Unfortunately, it appears that their two best options might be scheduled to open theatrically past the Academy’s deadline. The documentary “Cloudy Times,” a Swiss co-production, has garnered positive reactions internationally and would be their best shot. A second choice could be the crime flick “Filthy Luck,” which sports a decent production value. But if neither of them manages to qualify, then the country’s only other option is yet another crime film “End of the Line.” In any case, hopefully they follow through with their intentions and participate for the first time.
1. "Cloudy Times" (El Tiempo Nublado)
2. "Filthy Luck" (Luna de Cigarras)
3. "End of the Line" (Fin de Linea)
Peru
The eclectic collection of Peruvian films released this year speaks of the great development the medium is experiencing in that country. The five films mentioned here represent the array of genres and stories coming out of Peru today. Given its incredible reception abroad, dark comedy “The Mute” by Daniel Vega Vidal & Diego Vega Vidal is undoubtedly the frontrunner. Behind it comes the intriguing thriller “Guard Dog” starring Peruvian star Carlos Alcántara, multi-narrative drama “The Gospel of the Flesh,” romantic tearjerker “Trip to Timbuktu,” and “Old Friends” about a group of elderly men on a mission. Definitely a though decision needs to be made.
1. "The Mute" (El Mudo)
2. "Guard Dog" (Perro Guardian)
3. "The Gospel of the Flesh" (El Evangelio de la Carne)
4. "Trip to Timbuktu" (Viaje a Tombuctu)
5. "Old Friends" (Viejos Amigos)
Uruguay
Last year the country decided to take a chance and submit the adorable animated film “Anina,” which despite not getting a nomination has become a great success. This time they have “The Militant,” a serious contender about a man retuning to his late father’s hometown. Empowered by a positive festival run, this seems to be their most ideal option. “23 Seconds,” a drama about an unlikely connection between two people and “Mr. Kaplan,” a buddy comedy by Álvaro Brechner - whose previous film “A Bad Day to Go Fishing” was selected a few years back - are the next best choices. The remaining film “At 60 km/h” is a documentary about a unique journey around the world.
1. "The Militant" (El Lugar del Hijo)
2. "23 Seconds" (23 Segundos)
3. "Mr. Kaplan"
4. "At 60 Km/h" (A 60 Km/h)
Venezuela
Dubbed as “the most expensive film ever made in Latin America” and focusing on the accomplishments of the country’s most important historical figure, selecting “The Liberator” is simply a no-brainer. Added to those qualities, the film is actually an elegantly achieved period piece that really showcases the sizable budget and director Alberto Arvelo’s talent. Two of his previous films have also represented his country in the past. On the other hand, this has been a monumental year for Venezuelan films. Festival darling “Bad Hair” would be the perfect choice if it weren’t going against the imposing major production. Other important films that could figure in the mix but have much less prospects are the emotional road-trip film “The Longest Distance,” the women-centered drama “Liz in September,” and the acclaimed thriller “Solo.”
1. "The Liberator" (El Libertador)
2. "Bad Hair" (Pelo Malo)
3. "The Longest Distance" (La Distnacia Mas Larga)
4. "Liz in September" (Liz en Septiembre)
5. "Solo"...
- 8/22/2014
- by Carlos Aguilar
- Sydney's Buzz
The Venezuelan drama "Bad Hair" (Pelo Malo), which has won several awards along its international film festival tour, will premiere stateside starting November 19 at NYC's Film Forum theater. The film, written and directed by Mariana Rondon (read our interview), made its festival debut the Toronto International Film Festival last September (read our review). Before it makes its way to NYC, "Bad Hair" will first screen at the Black Harvest Film Festival in Chicago on Sunday, August 17th and Monday, August 18th. The provocative and touching film follows Junior, played convincingly by Samuel Lange, a young boy who dances to his own tune. Junior is obsessed...
- 7/31/2014
- by Vanessa Martinez
- ShadowAndAct
So how do you deal with folks who just want to punch every homosexual man, woman, and other "gender-disabled" creature on the nose? Hold up a mirror so they can view their own obtuseness -- or teach their victims to be victors?
Gossipist Perez Hilton, whom many rifle-toting, Bible-thumping parents would not want near their tots, wrote a book not that long ago for ankle-biters entitled The Boy with Pink Hair. Vibrantly illustrated by Jen Hill, the tome is all about a young lad with coral locks born to loving parents who tell him to embrace his difference. He does exactly that and becomes a highly successful prepubescent cook whose recipes for pink goodies are gobbled up the globe over. Moral of the tale: "His difference did make a difference. Only his difference was not his pink hair -- not really. His difference was that he followed his own special...
Gossipist Perez Hilton, whom many rifle-toting, Bible-thumping parents would not want near their tots, wrote a book not that long ago for ankle-biters entitled The Boy with Pink Hair. Vibrantly illustrated by Jen Hill, the tome is all about a young lad with coral locks born to loving parents who tell him to embrace his difference. He does exactly that and becomes a highly successful prepubescent cook whose recipes for pink goodies are gobbled up the globe over. Moral of the tale: "His difference did make a difference. Only his difference was not his pink hair -- not really. His difference was that he followed his own special...
- 4/27/2014
- by Brandon Judell
- www.culturecatch.com
This Friday April 25th The Filadelfia celebrates its third annual edition with an impressive line up of the best of Latino film from Mexico to Chile to Colombia, The Us and even a film made with the youth of Philly. Opening night film will be the super 1943 classic ‘Maria Candelaria’ starring Dolores Del Rio. For those near the city of brotherly amor we’ve done ya homework and listed their films below!
Opening Night: Maria Candelaria (Mexico)
Starring Dolores del Rio and Pedro Armendáriz, Maria Candelaria was the first Mexican film to be screened at the Cannes International Film Festival, and the first Latin American film awarded the Gran Prix. Gabriel Figueroa, the film’s cinematographer, was nominated for an Academy Award for The Night of the Iguana, and is often referred to as “the Fourth Muralist” of Mexico.
A young journalist presses an old artist (Alberto Galán ) to show a portrait of a naked indigenous woman that he has in his study. The body of the movie is a flashback to Xochimilco, Mexico, in 1909. The film is set right before the Mexican Revolution, and Xochimilco is an area with beautiful landscapes inhabited mostly by indigenous people.
The woman in the painting is María Candelaria (Dolores del Rio), a young Indian woman who is constantly rejected by her own people for being the daughter of a prostitute. She and her lover, Lorenzo Rafael (Pedro Armendariz), face constant struggles throughout the film. They are honest and hardworking, yet nothing ever goes right for them. Don Damian (Miguel Inclán), a jealous Mestizo store owner who wants María for himself, prevents them from getting married. He kills a piglet that María and Lorenzo plan to sell for profit and he refuses to buy vegetables from them. When María falls ill with malaria, Don Damian refuses to give the couple the quinine medicine necessary to fight the disease. Lorenzo breaks into his shop to steal the medicine, and he also takes a wedding dress for María. Lorenzo goes to prison for stealing, and María agrees to model for the painter to pay for his release. The artist begins painting a portrait of María, but when he asks her to pose nude she refuses.
The artist finishes the painting with the nude body of another woman. When the people of Xochimilco see the painting, they assume it is María Candelaria and stone her to death.Finally, Lorenzo escapes from prison )to carry María's lifeless body through Xochimilco's canal of the dead.
Bad Hair/Pelo Malo (Venezuela)
The third film from the filmmaker and plastic artist Mariana Rondón, Pelo Malo stars Junior, a 9 year-old with "bad hair". He wants to have it straightened for his yearbook picture, like a fashionable pop singer. This puts him at odds with his mother Marta. The more Junior tries to look sharp and make his mother love him, the more she rejects him, until he is cornered, face to face with a painful decision.
To Kill A Man/Matar A Un Hombre (Chile)
Read the Review
Read the Interview with Dir. Alejandro Fernandez Almendras
A thriller about a hardworking family man Jorge who is just barely making ends meet. When he gets mugged by Kalule, a neighborhood delinquent, Jorge's son decides to confront Kalule, only to get himself shot in the process. Sentenced to a scant 2 years in prison for the offense, Kalule, released and now intent on revenge, goes on the warpath, terrorizing Jorge's family. With his wife, son and daughter at the mercy of a thug, Jorge has no choice but to take justice into his own hands, and live with the emotional and psychological consequences.
Lines of class and masculinity ignite friction in this rugged thriller, adeptly shot with a discerning eye. Director Alejandro Fernández Almendras elevates raw grit to a new level with a tone that is both elemental and prophetic. Rife with unnerving tension, To Kill a Man is ultimately a surprising exploration of the heavy burden of what it takes to do what the title suggests.
Anina (Colombia)
Read the Review
Anina Yatay Salas is a ten-year-old girl. All her names form palindromes, making her the butt of her classmates’ jokes, and especially of Yisel’s, who Anina sees as an “elephant.” One day, fed up with all the taunting, Anina starts a fight with Yisel during recess. The incident ends with the principal penalizing the girls and calling their parents.Anina receives her punishment inside a sealed black envelope, which she is told not to open until she meets with the principal again a week later.She is also forbidden to tell anyone about the envelope. Her classmates pressure her to find out what the punishment will be, while they imagine cruel physical torture.
Anina, in her anxiousness to find out what horrible punishment awaits her in the mysterious black envelope, will get mixed up in a series of troubles, involving secret loves, confessed hatreds, close friendships, dreadful enemies, some loving teachers, and also some evil teachers.Without her realizing it, Anina’s efforts to understand the content of the envelope turn into an attempt to understand the world and her place in it.
The Devil’S Music (USA)
When the new sound of jazz first spread across America in the early twentieth-century, it left delight – and controversy – in its wake.As jazz's popularity grew, so did campaigns to censor "the devil's music." This documentary classic has been hailed by the New York Times as a documentary that "addressing the complex interaction of race and class… engages viewers in a conversation as vigorous as the art it chronicles,” featuring timeless performances by artists such as Louis Armstrong and vocalist Rachelle Ferrelle, plus interviews with giants of social and musical criticism such as Albert Murray, Marian MacPartland, Studs Terkel, and Michael Eric Dyson. The Devil's Music is Written, Produced and Directed by Maria Agui Carter and Calvin A. Lindsay Jr., and Narrated by Dion Graham.
I, Undocumented/Yo, Indocumentada (Venezuela)
Yo Indocumentada (I, Undocumented) , exposes the struggles of transgender people in Venezuela. The film, Andrea Baranenko’s first feature-length production, tells the story of three Venezuelan women fighting for their right to have an identity.
Tamara Adrián, 58, is a lawyer; Desirée Pérez, 46, is a hairdresser; and Victoria González, 27, has been a visual arts student since 2009. These women share more than their nationality: they all carry identifications with masculine names that do not correspond to their actual identities. They are transgender women, who long ago assumed their gender and now defend it in a homophobic and transphobic society.
The House That Jack Built (USA )
Jack Maldonado is an ambitious Latino man who fueled by misguided nostalgia, buys a small apartment building in the Bronx and moves his family into the apartments to live rent-free. His parents, Carlos and Martha, sister Nadia, brother Richie and his wife Rosa, Grandmother/Abuela and cousins Hector and Manny, all under one roof. Tension builds quickly as Jack imposes his views on everyone around him, including his fiancée, Lily. All the while, he hides the fact that his corner store is a front for selling marijuana but soon has to deal with new unwanted competitive forces. It's only a matter of time before Jack's family and 'business' lives collide in tragic fashion.
Aqui Y Alla Crossing Borders (USA)
The “Aquí y Allá’ transnational public art project explored the impact of immigration in the lives of Mexican immigrant youth in Philadelphia in connection with youth in Chihuahua, Mexico. The documentary highlights the testimonials of the youth on both sides of the border working towards the creation of a collaborative mural in South Philadelphia.
Cesar’S Last Fast (USA)
Read the Review
In 1988, Cesar Chavez embarked on what would be his last act of protest in his remarkable life. Driven in part to pay penance for feeling he had not done enough, Chavez began his “Fast for Life,” a 36-day water-only hunger strike, to draw attention to the horrific effects of unfettered pesticide use on farm workers, their families, and their communities.
Using never-before-seen footage of Chavez during his fast and testimony from those closest to him, directors Richard Ray Perez and Lorena Parlee weave together the larger story of Chavez’s life, vision, and legacy. A deeply religious man, Chavez’s moral clarity in organizing and standing with farm workers at risk of his own life humbled his family, friends, and the world. Cesar’s Last Fast is a moving and definitive portrait of the leader of a people who became an American icon of struggle and freedom.
La Camioneta (Guantemala)
Every day dozens of decommissioned school buses leave the United States on a southward migration that carries them to Guatemala, where they are repaired, repainted, and resurrected as the brightly-colored camionetas that bring the vast majority of Guatemalans to work each day. La Camioneta follows one such bus on its transformative journey: a journey between North and South, between life and death, and through an unfolding collection of moments, people, and places that serve to quietly remind us of the interconnected worlds in which we live.
Forbidden Lovers Meant To Be (USA)
Working with talented high school students from North Philadelphia at Taller Puertorriqueño’s Youth Artist Program, filmmakers Joanna Siegel, Melissa Beatriz Skolnick, and Kate Zambon sought to capture the personal and artistic journeys of the youth through film. While facilitating collaborative film workshops with the students, themes of race/ethnicity, cultures, language, and identity emerged. Throughout this process of engaging in story development and visual representation, the students created a video of their own, while the filmmakers documented the process using metafilm techniques. The students' short film, Forbidden Lovers Meant to Be, highlights the talent and creativity of these youth. Forbidden Lovers Meant to Be was created by the spring 2012 Youth Artist Program participants: Amy Lee Flores, Ricardo Lopez, Michael Mendez, Zayris Rivera, Tashyra Suarez, Nestor Tamayo, Yoeni Torres, Karina Ureña Vargas, and Kara Williams. (Amy Lee Flores, Ricardo Lopez, Michael Mendez)
Tire Die (Argentina)
The first film of the first Latin American documentary film school (The Escuela Documental de Santa Fe), this documentary focuses on the children in the neighborhood known as Tire Dié in the city of Santa Fe, Argentina, who wait daily for the passing train to ask for money from the passengers, shouting “Tire dié!” (Toss me a dime!).
Dubbed as the father of the New Latin American Cinema, Fernando Birriwas one of the first filmmakers to document poverty and underdevelopment. Tire Dié was part of the exhibition, Latin American Visions, produced by International House, 1989-1991.
The Illiterates/Las Analfabetas (Chile)
Ximena, played by the incomparable Paulina García (Gloria) is an illiterate woman in her fifties, who has learned to live on her own to keep her illiteracy a secret. Jackeline, is a young unemployed elementary school teacher, who tries to convince Ximena to take reading classes. Persuading her proves to be an almost impossible task, till one day, Jackeline finds something Ximena has been keeping as her only treasure since she was a child: a letter Ximena’s father left when he abandoned her many years before. Thus, the two women embark on a learning journey where they discover that there are many ways of being illiterate, and that not knowing how to read is just one of them.
For the schedule please visit: http://flaff.org/
Written by Juan Caceres . LatinoBuzz is a weekly feature on SydneysBuzz that highlights Latino indie talent and upcoming trends in Latino film with the specific objective of presenting a broad range of Latino voices. Follow [At]LatinoBuzz on Twitter and Facebook...
Opening Night: Maria Candelaria (Mexico)
Starring Dolores del Rio and Pedro Armendáriz, Maria Candelaria was the first Mexican film to be screened at the Cannes International Film Festival, and the first Latin American film awarded the Gran Prix. Gabriel Figueroa, the film’s cinematographer, was nominated for an Academy Award for The Night of the Iguana, and is often referred to as “the Fourth Muralist” of Mexico.
A young journalist presses an old artist (Alberto Galán ) to show a portrait of a naked indigenous woman that he has in his study. The body of the movie is a flashback to Xochimilco, Mexico, in 1909. The film is set right before the Mexican Revolution, and Xochimilco is an area with beautiful landscapes inhabited mostly by indigenous people.
The woman in the painting is María Candelaria (Dolores del Rio), a young Indian woman who is constantly rejected by her own people for being the daughter of a prostitute. She and her lover, Lorenzo Rafael (Pedro Armendariz), face constant struggles throughout the film. They are honest and hardworking, yet nothing ever goes right for them. Don Damian (Miguel Inclán), a jealous Mestizo store owner who wants María for himself, prevents them from getting married. He kills a piglet that María and Lorenzo plan to sell for profit and he refuses to buy vegetables from them. When María falls ill with malaria, Don Damian refuses to give the couple the quinine medicine necessary to fight the disease. Lorenzo breaks into his shop to steal the medicine, and he also takes a wedding dress for María. Lorenzo goes to prison for stealing, and María agrees to model for the painter to pay for his release. The artist begins painting a portrait of María, but when he asks her to pose nude she refuses.
The artist finishes the painting with the nude body of another woman. When the people of Xochimilco see the painting, they assume it is María Candelaria and stone her to death.Finally, Lorenzo escapes from prison )to carry María's lifeless body through Xochimilco's canal of the dead.
Bad Hair/Pelo Malo (Venezuela)
The third film from the filmmaker and plastic artist Mariana Rondón, Pelo Malo stars Junior, a 9 year-old with "bad hair". He wants to have it straightened for his yearbook picture, like a fashionable pop singer. This puts him at odds with his mother Marta. The more Junior tries to look sharp and make his mother love him, the more she rejects him, until he is cornered, face to face with a painful decision.
To Kill A Man/Matar A Un Hombre (Chile)
Read the Review
Read the Interview with Dir. Alejandro Fernandez Almendras
A thriller about a hardworking family man Jorge who is just barely making ends meet. When he gets mugged by Kalule, a neighborhood delinquent, Jorge's son decides to confront Kalule, only to get himself shot in the process. Sentenced to a scant 2 years in prison for the offense, Kalule, released and now intent on revenge, goes on the warpath, terrorizing Jorge's family. With his wife, son and daughter at the mercy of a thug, Jorge has no choice but to take justice into his own hands, and live with the emotional and psychological consequences.
Lines of class and masculinity ignite friction in this rugged thriller, adeptly shot with a discerning eye. Director Alejandro Fernández Almendras elevates raw grit to a new level with a tone that is both elemental and prophetic. Rife with unnerving tension, To Kill a Man is ultimately a surprising exploration of the heavy burden of what it takes to do what the title suggests.
Anina (Colombia)
Read the Review
Anina Yatay Salas is a ten-year-old girl. All her names form palindromes, making her the butt of her classmates’ jokes, and especially of Yisel’s, who Anina sees as an “elephant.” One day, fed up with all the taunting, Anina starts a fight with Yisel during recess. The incident ends with the principal penalizing the girls and calling their parents.Anina receives her punishment inside a sealed black envelope, which she is told not to open until she meets with the principal again a week later.She is also forbidden to tell anyone about the envelope. Her classmates pressure her to find out what the punishment will be, while they imagine cruel physical torture.
Anina, in her anxiousness to find out what horrible punishment awaits her in the mysterious black envelope, will get mixed up in a series of troubles, involving secret loves, confessed hatreds, close friendships, dreadful enemies, some loving teachers, and also some evil teachers.Without her realizing it, Anina’s efforts to understand the content of the envelope turn into an attempt to understand the world and her place in it.
The Devil’S Music (USA)
When the new sound of jazz first spread across America in the early twentieth-century, it left delight – and controversy – in its wake.As jazz's popularity grew, so did campaigns to censor "the devil's music." This documentary classic has been hailed by the New York Times as a documentary that "addressing the complex interaction of race and class… engages viewers in a conversation as vigorous as the art it chronicles,” featuring timeless performances by artists such as Louis Armstrong and vocalist Rachelle Ferrelle, plus interviews with giants of social and musical criticism such as Albert Murray, Marian MacPartland, Studs Terkel, and Michael Eric Dyson. The Devil's Music is Written, Produced and Directed by Maria Agui Carter and Calvin A. Lindsay Jr., and Narrated by Dion Graham.
I, Undocumented/Yo, Indocumentada (Venezuela)
Yo Indocumentada (I, Undocumented) , exposes the struggles of transgender people in Venezuela. The film, Andrea Baranenko’s first feature-length production, tells the story of three Venezuelan women fighting for their right to have an identity.
Tamara Adrián, 58, is a lawyer; Desirée Pérez, 46, is a hairdresser; and Victoria González, 27, has been a visual arts student since 2009. These women share more than their nationality: they all carry identifications with masculine names that do not correspond to their actual identities. They are transgender women, who long ago assumed their gender and now defend it in a homophobic and transphobic society.
The House That Jack Built (USA )
Jack Maldonado is an ambitious Latino man who fueled by misguided nostalgia, buys a small apartment building in the Bronx and moves his family into the apartments to live rent-free. His parents, Carlos and Martha, sister Nadia, brother Richie and his wife Rosa, Grandmother/Abuela and cousins Hector and Manny, all under one roof. Tension builds quickly as Jack imposes his views on everyone around him, including his fiancée, Lily. All the while, he hides the fact that his corner store is a front for selling marijuana but soon has to deal with new unwanted competitive forces. It's only a matter of time before Jack's family and 'business' lives collide in tragic fashion.
Aqui Y Alla Crossing Borders (USA)
The “Aquí y Allá’ transnational public art project explored the impact of immigration in the lives of Mexican immigrant youth in Philadelphia in connection with youth in Chihuahua, Mexico. The documentary highlights the testimonials of the youth on both sides of the border working towards the creation of a collaborative mural in South Philadelphia.
Cesar’S Last Fast (USA)
Read the Review
In 1988, Cesar Chavez embarked on what would be his last act of protest in his remarkable life. Driven in part to pay penance for feeling he had not done enough, Chavez began his “Fast for Life,” a 36-day water-only hunger strike, to draw attention to the horrific effects of unfettered pesticide use on farm workers, their families, and their communities.
Using never-before-seen footage of Chavez during his fast and testimony from those closest to him, directors Richard Ray Perez and Lorena Parlee weave together the larger story of Chavez’s life, vision, and legacy. A deeply religious man, Chavez’s moral clarity in organizing and standing with farm workers at risk of his own life humbled his family, friends, and the world. Cesar’s Last Fast is a moving and definitive portrait of the leader of a people who became an American icon of struggle and freedom.
La Camioneta (Guantemala)
Every day dozens of decommissioned school buses leave the United States on a southward migration that carries them to Guatemala, where they are repaired, repainted, and resurrected as the brightly-colored camionetas that bring the vast majority of Guatemalans to work each day. La Camioneta follows one such bus on its transformative journey: a journey between North and South, between life and death, and through an unfolding collection of moments, people, and places that serve to quietly remind us of the interconnected worlds in which we live.
Forbidden Lovers Meant To Be (USA)
Working with talented high school students from North Philadelphia at Taller Puertorriqueño’s Youth Artist Program, filmmakers Joanna Siegel, Melissa Beatriz Skolnick, and Kate Zambon sought to capture the personal and artistic journeys of the youth through film. While facilitating collaborative film workshops with the students, themes of race/ethnicity, cultures, language, and identity emerged. Throughout this process of engaging in story development and visual representation, the students created a video of their own, while the filmmakers documented the process using metafilm techniques. The students' short film, Forbidden Lovers Meant to Be, highlights the talent and creativity of these youth. Forbidden Lovers Meant to Be was created by the spring 2012 Youth Artist Program participants: Amy Lee Flores, Ricardo Lopez, Michael Mendez, Zayris Rivera, Tashyra Suarez, Nestor Tamayo, Yoeni Torres, Karina Ureña Vargas, and Kara Williams. (Amy Lee Flores, Ricardo Lopez, Michael Mendez)
Tire Die (Argentina)
The first film of the first Latin American documentary film school (The Escuela Documental de Santa Fe), this documentary focuses on the children in the neighborhood known as Tire Dié in the city of Santa Fe, Argentina, who wait daily for the passing train to ask for money from the passengers, shouting “Tire dié!” (Toss me a dime!).
Dubbed as the father of the New Latin American Cinema, Fernando Birriwas one of the first filmmakers to document poverty and underdevelopment. Tire Dié was part of the exhibition, Latin American Visions, produced by International House, 1989-1991.
The Illiterates/Las Analfabetas (Chile)
Ximena, played by the incomparable Paulina García (Gloria) is an illiterate woman in her fifties, who has learned to live on her own to keep her illiteracy a secret. Jackeline, is a young unemployed elementary school teacher, who tries to convince Ximena to take reading classes. Persuading her proves to be an almost impossible task, till one day, Jackeline finds something Ximena has been keeping as her only treasure since she was a child: a letter Ximena’s father left when he abandoned her many years before. Thus, the two women embark on a learning journey where they discover that there are many ways of being illiterate, and that not knowing how to read is just one of them.
For the schedule please visit: http://flaff.org/
Written by Juan Caceres . LatinoBuzz is a weekly feature on SydneysBuzz that highlights Latino indie talent and upcoming trends in Latino film with the specific objective of presenting a broad range of Latino voices. Follow [At]LatinoBuzz on Twitter and Facebook...
- 4/23/2014
- by Juan Caceres
- Sydney's Buzz
If you are like me (and every other Latino) you are sick of seeing movies where the people that look like us are only maids, janitors, undocumented immigrants or drug dealers. The Latino experience is so much more complex; it spans continents, languages, and cultures. This year’s Tribeca Film Festival, running April 16 – 27, is filled with films that offer diverse portraits of Latinos (including a few requisite drug traffickers).
There are stories about New Yorkers searching for love, a black-and-white ode to slackers set during a Mexico City student strike, a divorced Miami chef who buys a food truck (his ex-wife is played by Sofia Vergara), a Venezuelan kid who’s obsessed with having straight hair, a naive Afro-Colombian teen who gets caught up in drug smuggling (produced by Spike Lee), plus documentaries on transgender youth in Puerto Rico, Diego Maradona, soccer during the Chilean dictatorship, and the Argentinian pretty-boy boxer Sergio “Maravilla” Martinez.
Amidst the screenings are celebrities, red carpets, film talks, and immersive transmedia experiences complete with virtual reality goggles. Eva Longoria, America Ferrera, John Leguizamo, and lots of the directors are scheduled to appear.
Ticket prices aren’t cheap. (Do they have a minority scholarship?) But this year, thanks to a corporate sponsor that shall go unnamed all screenings on Friday, April 25 are Free! To help you plan your movie marathon staycation here’s a list of all the Latino movies and events at the 2014 Tribeca Film Festival.
Movies Tribeca Film Festival: Manos Sucias Thursday, April 17th from 6:45pm to 8:45pm at Bow Tie Cinemas Chelsea
Towing a submerged torpedo in the wake of their battered fishing boat, ‘Jacobo,’ a desperate fisherman and Delio, a naive teen, embark on a... More Info
Tribeca Film Festival: Gueros Thursday, April 17th from 9:00pm to 11:00pm at AMC Loews Village 7
A water balloon suddenly dropping from the sky exploding on a mother’s head in the frantic first moments of this striking debut feature, announces... More Info
Tribeca Film Festival: Mala Mala Saturday, April 19th from 8:00pm to 10:00pm at Bow Ties Cinema Chelsea
Antonio Santini and Dan Sickles’ vibrant and visually striking immersion in the transgender community of Puerto Rico celebrates the breadth of... More Info
Tribeca Film Festival: Maravilla Saturday, April 19th from 8:30pm to 10:30pm at AMC Loews Village 7
A true underdog story, Maravilla follows Argentinian boxer Sergio ‘Maravilla’ Martinez, as he sets out to reclaim the title of Middleweight... More Info
Tribeca Film Festival: X/Y Saturday, April 19th from 9:30pm to 11:30pm at Tribeca Performing Arts Center
Ryan Piers Williams directs and stars alongside America Ferrera, Amber Tamblyn and Melonie Diaz in a character-driven drama centered around four... More Info
Tribeca Film Festival: Bad Hair (Pelo Malo) Sunday, April 20th from 9:00pm to 11:00pm at AMC Loews Village 7
Junior, a nine-year-old living in Caracas, wants nothing more than to straighten his unruly hair to look like a singer for his school photo—a... More Info
Tribeca Film Festival: Chef Tuesday, April 22nd from 9:30pm to 11:30pm at Tribeca Performing Arts Center (Borough of
After years of directing big-budget Hollywood fare, the Iron Man helmer Jon Favreau is returning to his indie roots. (He is the man we have to thank... More Info
Tribeca Talks
Movie screening followed by a live conversation with notable actors and filmmakers.
Tribeca Film Festival: 30 For 30 Soccer Stories Sunday, April 20th from 2:30pm to 5:30pm at School Of Visual Arts
Soccer Stories features two films on South American futbol followed by a conversation with the filmmakers. The Opposition Directed by Ezra... More Info
Tribeca Film Festival: Meet America Ferrera, Producer of X/Y Wednesday, April 23rd from 6:00pm to 7:00pm at Apple Store (SoHo)
Indiewire has once again partnered with Apple to host the "Meet the Filmmaker Tribeca Talks Series," in partnership with the Tribeca Film Festival.... More Info
Tribeca Film Festival: Food Chains Saturday, April 26th from 2:00pm to 5:00pm at School Of Visual Arts
Executive produced by Eva Longoria, this hard hitting documentary gives pause for thought with every plate of food we eat by exposing the rampant... More Info
Tribeca Film Festival: 30 For 30 Soccer Stories Saturday, April 26th from 1:30pm to 4:30pm at Tribeca Cinemas
Soccer Stories features two films on South American futbol followed by a conversation with the filmmakers. The Opposition Directed by Ezra... More Info
Immersive Art Exhibits
Tribeca Film Festival: Use of Force Wednesday, April 23rd to Saturday, April 26th at Dune Studios
A fully immersive transmedia documentary experience that puts you on scene when migrant Anastasio Hernandez Rojas was killed by border patrol on the... More Info
Short Films Tribeca Film Festival: Contrapelo Friday, April 18th from 5:30pm to 7:30pm at AMC Loews Village 7
The story of a proud Mexican barber who is forced to shave the leader of a drug cartel. By the end of the shave, the Barber will find out that he and... More Info
Tribeca Film Festival: Tinto Saturday, April 19th from 6:00pm to 8:00pm at AMC Loews Village 7
A young woman who seeks comfort journeys to the mountainous wine country of Chile in an attempt to reconnect with her estranged mother. Screening... More Info
Tribeca Film Festival: La Carnada Thursday, April 17th from 10:00pm to 11:45pm at AMC Loews Village 7
13-year-old Manny from Tijuana embarks on his first drug smuggle across the 'Devil’s Highway,' a notoriously fatal stretch of desert on the... More Info...
There are stories about New Yorkers searching for love, a black-and-white ode to slackers set during a Mexico City student strike, a divorced Miami chef who buys a food truck (his ex-wife is played by Sofia Vergara), a Venezuelan kid who’s obsessed with having straight hair, a naive Afro-Colombian teen who gets caught up in drug smuggling (produced by Spike Lee), plus documentaries on transgender youth in Puerto Rico, Diego Maradona, soccer during the Chilean dictatorship, and the Argentinian pretty-boy boxer Sergio “Maravilla” Martinez.
Amidst the screenings are celebrities, red carpets, film talks, and immersive transmedia experiences complete with virtual reality goggles. Eva Longoria, America Ferrera, John Leguizamo, and lots of the directors are scheduled to appear.
Ticket prices aren’t cheap. (Do they have a minority scholarship?) But this year, thanks to a corporate sponsor that shall go unnamed all screenings on Friday, April 25 are Free! To help you plan your movie marathon staycation here’s a list of all the Latino movies and events at the 2014 Tribeca Film Festival.
Movies Tribeca Film Festival: Manos Sucias Thursday, April 17th from 6:45pm to 8:45pm at Bow Tie Cinemas Chelsea
Towing a submerged torpedo in the wake of their battered fishing boat, ‘Jacobo,’ a desperate fisherman and Delio, a naive teen, embark on a... More Info
Tribeca Film Festival: Gueros Thursday, April 17th from 9:00pm to 11:00pm at AMC Loews Village 7
A water balloon suddenly dropping from the sky exploding on a mother’s head in the frantic first moments of this striking debut feature, announces... More Info
Tribeca Film Festival: Mala Mala Saturday, April 19th from 8:00pm to 10:00pm at Bow Ties Cinema Chelsea
Antonio Santini and Dan Sickles’ vibrant and visually striking immersion in the transgender community of Puerto Rico celebrates the breadth of... More Info
Tribeca Film Festival: Maravilla Saturday, April 19th from 8:30pm to 10:30pm at AMC Loews Village 7
A true underdog story, Maravilla follows Argentinian boxer Sergio ‘Maravilla’ Martinez, as he sets out to reclaim the title of Middleweight... More Info
Tribeca Film Festival: X/Y Saturday, April 19th from 9:30pm to 11:30pm at Tribeca Performing Arts Center
Ryan Piers Williams directs and stars alongside America Ferrera, Amber Tamblyn and Melonie Diaz in a character-driven drama centered around four... More Info
Tribeca Film Festival: Bad Hair (Pelo Malo) Sunday, April 20th from 9:00pm to 11:00pm at AMC Loews Village 7
Junior, a nine-year-old living in Caracas, wants nothing more than to straighten his unruly hair to look like a singer for his school photo—a... More Info
Tribeca Film Festival: Chef Tuesday, April 22nd from 9:30pm to 11:30pm at Tribeca Performing Arts Center (Borough of
After years of directing big-budget Hollywood fare, the Iron Man helmer Jon Favreau is returning to his indie roots. (He is the man we have to thank... More Info
Tribeca Talks
Movie screening followed by a live conversation with notable actors and filmmakers.
Tribeca Film Festival: 30 For 30 Soccer Stories Sunday, April 20th from 2:30pm to 5:30pm at School Of Visual Arts
Soccer Stories features two films on South American futbol followed by a conversation with the filmmakers. The Opposition Directed by Ezra... More Info
Tribeca Film Festival: Meet America Ferrera, Producer of X/Y Wednesday, April 23rd from 6:00pm to 7:00pm at Apple Store (SoHo)
Indiewire has once again partnered with Apple to host the "Meet the Filmmaker Tribeca Talks Series," in partnership with the Tribeca Film Festival.... More Info
Tribeca Film Festival: Food Chains Saturday, April 26th from 2:00pm to 5:00pm at School Of Visual Arts
Executive produced by Eva Longoria, this hard hitting documentary gives pause for thought with every plate of food we eat by exposing the rampant... More Info
Tribeca Film Festival: 30 For 30 Soccer Stories Saturday, April 26th from 1:30pm to 4:30pm at Tribeca Cinemas
Soccer Stories features two films on South American futbol followed by a conversation with the filmmakers. The Opposition Directed by Ezra... More Info
Immersive Art Exhibits
Tribeca Film Festival: Use of Force Wednesday, April 23rd to Saturday, April 26th at Dune Studios
A fully immersive transmedia documentary experience that puts you on scene when migrant Anastasio Hernandez Rojas was killed by border patrol on the... More Info
Short Films Tribeca Film Festival: Contrapelo Friday, April 18th from 5:30pm to 7:30pm at AMC Loews Village 7
The story of a proud Mexican barber who is forced to shave the leader of a drug cartel. By the end of the shave, the Barber will find out that he and... More Info
Tribeca Film Festival: Tinto Saturday, April 19th from 6:00pm to 8:00pm at AMC Loews Village 7
A young woman who seeks comfort journeys to the mountainous wine country of Chile in an attempt to reconnect with her estranged mother. Screening... More Info
Tribeca Film Festival: La Carnada Thursday, April 17th from 10:00pm to 11:45pm at AMC Loews Village 7
13-year-old Manny from Tijuana embarks on his first drug smuggle across the 'Devil’s Highway,' a notoriously fatal stretch of desert on the... More Info...
- 4/19/2014
- by Vanessa Erazo
- Sydney's Buzz
Pelo Malo
Written and Directed by Mariana Rondon
Venezuela/Peru/Argentina/Germany, 2013
The very worst thing about homophobia is that, because gender and sexuality are as much social constructs as biology, it can target anyone without the slightest shred of reason or truth. If you tolerate it aimed at someone else, the next target could be you. Such is the problem that Junior (Samuel Lange) faces in the Venezuelan import Pelo Malo.
At the beginning of the film, without any real cause or motivation, he is obsessed with straighting the unruly hair he inherited from his African-descended father. He would like to be a singer, and all of the singers on TV have straight hair. Their are bigger problems all around him in the massive slums of Caracas, but all he can think about is “pelo malo” (literally, “bad hair”). The homophobia comes from his family, especially mother Marta (Samantha Castillo...
Written and Directed by Mariana Rondon
Venezuela/Peru/Argentina/Germany, 2013
The very worst thing about homophobia is that, because gender and sexuality are as much social constructs as biology, it can target anyone without the slightest shred of reason or truth. If you tolerate it aimed at someone else, the next target could be you. Such is the problem that Junior (Samuel Lange) faces in the Venezuelan import Pelo Malo.
At the beginning of the film, without any real cause or motivation, he is obsessed with straighting the unruly hair he inherited from his African-descended father. He would like to be a singer, and all of the singers on TV have straight hair. Their are bigger problems all around him in the massive slums of Caracas, but all he can think about is “pelo malo” (literally, “bad hair”). The homophobia comes from his family, especially mother Marta (Samantha Castillo...
- 4/17/2014
- by Mark Young
- SoundOnSight
Taking advantage of the impact that film has on modern society and aiming to promote a culture of tolerance and non- discrimination, the Guadalajara International Film Festival in ist 29th edition (FICG29) presents the Maguey Award (Premio Maguey) for the third consecutive year, an accolade to films whose narratives reveal an open sexuality, a cinema of acceptance towards sexual diversity in all its manifestations, cinema that gives a voice to "minorities" whom up to now have resisted oppression.
The Maguey Award favors Lgbttti cinema (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transsexual, Transvestite, Transgender, and Intersexual) that aims to eradicate homophobia and sexual discrimination around the world.
A total of 18 films from 14 countries form the Official Selection compete for the Maguey Award 03. The titles are Free Fall (Germany), Snails in the Rain (Israel), The Dune aka La Dune (France/ Israel), Test (U.S.), Sarah Prefers To Run (Canada), Off Road (Italy), Four Moons aka Cuatro Lunas (Mexico), Gerontophilia (Canada), Out in the Line Up (Australia), Tom at the Farm (Canada/ France), Floating Skyscrapers (Poland), Ignasi M (Spain), Land of Storms (Hungary/ Germany), Getting Go; the Go Doc Project (U.S.), Julia (Germany/ Italy), Dual (Slovenia), the Winner of the Teddy Award 2014 The Way He Looks aka Hoje Eu Quero Voltar Sozinho (Brazil) ), and Bad Hair aka Pelo Malo (Venezuela).
As in in previous editions, this year five awards will be handed out: The Posthumous Homage Maguey Award, which will be dedicated to Divine, an eccentric personality who worked with director John Waters and whose irreverent personality transcended the big screen. Ruby Rich and Roberto Espejo will be awarded the Queer Icon Maguey Award for their work which dignifies and promotes a stance in favor of the Lgbttti community's rights. And Wieland Speck, founder of the Teddy Award and Director of the Panorama section at the Berlinale will be honored with the Trajectory Maguey Award.
The last award to be handed out -- and the most relevant -- is the Maguey Award for Best Film 2014, which will be determined by a team of outstanding personalities from the Queer cinematic landscape with internationally recognized careers: Benoît Arnulf, Artistic Director of In&Out, the queer film festival in Nice, France, Katharine Setzer, Director of Programming of image+nation in Canada; Michael Stütz, Programming Consultant for the Panorama section and Coordination of the Teddy Awards during the Berlinale, as well as Co-director of the Xposed Festival also in Berlin; David Ramón, Founder and Director of the Unam's Gay Film Festival and Kim Yutani, Programmer for the Sundance Film Festival and Artistic Director of Outfest Los Ángeles.
As part of the activities around the Maguey Award to secure its promise of breaking social paradigms, a curated selection by Jürgen Brüning, director of the Porn Film Festival Berlin of the best Porn cinema will be presented.
In collaboration with the San Sebastian Film Festival and the Sebastianese Award, the Winner of the Concha de Oro Award, Bad Hair (Pelo Malo) will be screened. Also, in an alliance with the Teddy Award, like in the two previous editions, the winner of such award during its recent 28th edition, The Way He Looks, will also be shown.
The Maguey Award favors Lgbttti cinema (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transsexual, Transvestite, Transgender, and Intersexual) that aims to eradicate homophobia and sexual discrimination around the world.
A total of 18 films from 14 countries form the Official Selection compete for the Maguey Award 03. The titles are Free Fall (Germany), Snails in the Rain (Israel), The Dune aka La Dune (France/ Israel), Test (U.S.), Sarah Prefers To Run (Canada), Off Road (Italy), Four Moons aka Cuatro Lunas (Mexico), Gerontophilia (Canada), Out in the Line Up (Australia), Tom at the Farm (Canada/ France), Floating Skyscrapers (Poland), Ignasi M (Spain), Land of Storms (Hungary/ Germany), Getting Go; the Go Doc Project (U.S.), Julia (Germany/ Italy), Dual (Slovenia), the Winner of the Teddy Award 2014 The Way He Looks aka Hoje Eu Quero Voltar Sozinho (Brazil) ), and Bad Hair aka Pelo Malo (Venezuela).
As in in previous editions, this year five awards will be handed out: The Posthumous Homage Maguey Award, which will be dedicated to Divine, an eccentric personality who worked with director John Waters and whose irreverent personality transcended the big screen. Ruby Rich and Roberto Espejo will be awarded the Queer Icon Maguey Award for their work which dignifies and promotes a stance in favor of the Lgbttti community's rights. And Wieland Speck, founder of the Teddy Award and Director of the Panorama section at the Berlinale will be honored with the Trajectory Maguey Award.
The last award to be handed out -- and the most relevant -- is the Maguey Award for Best Film 2014, which will be determined by a team of outstanding personalities from the Queer cinematic landscape with internationally recognized careers: Benoît Arnulf, Artistic Director of In&Out, the queer film festival in Nice, France, Katharine Setzer, Director of Programming of image+nation in Canada; Michael Stütz, Programming Consultant for the Panorama section and Coordination of the Teddy Awards during the Berlinale, as well as Co-director of the Xposed Festival also in Berlin; David Ramón, Founder and Director of the Unam's Gay Film Festival and Kim Yutani, Programmer for the Sundance Film Festival and Artistic Director of Outfest Los Ángeles.
As part of the activities around the Maguey Award to secure its promise of breaking social paradigms, a curated selection by Jürgen Brüning, director of the Porn Film Festival Berlin of the best Porn cinema will be presented.
In collaboration with the San Sebastian Film Festival and the Sebastianese Award, the Winner of the Concha de Oro Award, Bad Hair (Pelo Malo) will be screened. Also, in an alliance with the Teddy Award, like in the two previous editions, the winner of such award during its recent 28th edition, The Way He Looks, will also be shown.
- 3/19/2014
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
By the looks of it, the Tribeca Film Festival might finally be growing out of their awkward teenage phase and moving into a new era where the nab more than just Sundance and SXSW festival rejects. Artistic Director Frederic Boyer has managed to nab some noteworthy American indie projects such as Lou Howe’s Gabriel (see pic above), Keith Miller’s Five Star, Adam Rapp’s Loitering with Intent, and Tristan Patterson’s Electric Slide.
On the docu front, we’ve got the latest from the likes of notable documentarians Marshall Curry and Jessica Yu. Think Ewan McGregor’s Long Way Round meets child solider movie for Curry’s awesomely titled Point and Shoot — where the Libyan rebel army take hold of Curry’s subject. Yu moves from water shortage in Last Call at the Oasis (read our review) to the biggest pandemic of all; Misconception looks at the consequences...
On the docu front, we’ve got the latest from the likes of notable documentarians Marshall Curry and Jessica Yu. Think Ewan McGregor’s Long Way Round meets child solider movie for Curry’s awesomely titled Point and Shoot — where the Libyan rebel army take hold of Curry’s subject. Yu moves from water shortage in Last Call at the Oasis (read our review) to the biggest pandemic of all; Misconception looks at the consequences...
- 3/4/2014
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
The 13th Tribeca Film Festival has announced half its slate for next month’s New York celebration, which runs April 16-27. Culled from more than 6,000 submissions, Tribeca 2014 includes 55 world premieres, 37 first-time filmmakers, and 22 female directors. “Variously inspired by individual interests and experience and driven by an intense sensibility of style, the array of new filmmaking voices in this year’s competition is especially impressive and I think memorable,” said Frederic Boyer, Tribeca’s artistic director. “The range of American subcultures and international genres represented here are both eclectic and wide reaching.”
On April 17, Gabriel will open the World Narrative competition,...
On April 17, Gabriel will open the World Narrative competition,...
- 3/4/2014
- by Jeff Labrecque
- EW - Inside Movies
Tribeca Film Festival top brass have announced (4) the World Narrative and Documentary Competition film selections and Viewpoints titles, comprising 47 of the 89 features that will screen at the festival over April 16-27.
The World Narrative Feature Competition will open with the world premiere of Lou Howe’s Gabriel starring Rory Culkin, while the corresponding documentary category kicks off with the world premiere of Frédéric Tcheng’s Dior And I (pictured).
Viewpoints opens with the world premiere of Onur Tukel’s Summer Of Blood and the section includes the North American premiere of Diao Yinan’s Berlin Golden Bear winner Black Coal, Thin Ice as well as the Us premiere of David Mackenzie’s Starred Up.
All three sections will commence on April 17. As previously announced, the 2014 Tribeca Film Festival will open with documentary Time Is Illmatic a day earlier.
Overall the festival will screen features from 32 countries including 55 world premieres, six international premieres, 12 North American...
The World Narrative Feature Competition will open with the world premiere of Lou Howe’s Gabriel starring Rory Culkin, while the corresponding documentary category kicks off with the world premiere of Frédéric Tcheng’s Dior And I (pictured).
Viewpoints opens with the world premiere of Onur Tukel’s Summer Of Blood and the section includes the North American premiere of Diao Yinan’s Berlin Golden Bear winner Black Coal, Thin Ice as well as the Us premiere of David Mackenzie’s Starred Up.
All three sections will commence on April 17. As previously announced, the 2014 Tribeca Film Festival will open with documentary Time Is Illmatic a day earlier.
Overall the festival will screen features from 32 countries including 55 world premieres, six international premieres, 12 North American...
- 3/4/2014
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
The 54th International Film Festival of Cartagena de Indias in Colombia has invited me to attend March 13 - 19, 2014.
One of Ficci's main goals is supporting the development of Colombian cinema. With that in mind, the festival will open with the world premiere of Ciudad Delirio, inviting the audience to get to know Cali, the only city in Latin America that loves all Latin American music, a center of creative development for Colombia's cinema, splendidly and authentically presented through the passion and flavor of salsa. Ficci is once again betting on the kind of cinema that speaks locally and globally, cinema that invites, seduces and embraces all kinds of audiences.
Starring Carolina Ramírez , Cauca Valley dancer and actress renown for her performance in soap operas such as La hija del mariachiand La Pola and Spaniard Julián Villagrán, winner of a Goya for his performance in Grupo 7, Ciudad Delirio also features Colombian actors of such caliber as Vicky Hernández Jorge Herrera , Margarita Ortega and John Alex Castillo. Thanks to a world-class team lead by Spanish dancer, choreographer and filmmaker Blanca Li, who has worked for The Berlin State Ballet, Kylie Minogue, Beyoncé and Daft Punk, and by multiple time Salsa World Champion Viviana Vargas, Cartagena will get to experience the madness of one of the most sensual dances on earth.
Ciudad Delirio was produced by Diego F. Ramírez, head of 64-a Films in Colombia, which has produced such films as Perro come perro,Todos tus muertos, Dr. Alemán, En coma, and180 segundos and Spaniard Elena Manrique, founder of Film Fatal and renown for her production of movies such asEl laberinto del fauno (Pan's Labyrinth), El orfanato and Transsiberiano, to name just a few.
For seven weeks during the making of Ciudad delirio, 45 locations in Cali, Colombia and Madrid, Spain were overrun by salsa. More than 3,200 extras from Cauca Valley helped to tell this love story that revolves around the show Delirio, a long-standing cultural tradition in Sultana del Valle.
In Ciudad Delirio, Javier, a shy, reserved Spanish doctor, attends a medical conference in Cali, Colombia. There, through a chance meeting, he shares a magical night with Angie, a dancer and choreographer who dreams of being part of the world's most famous salsa show, Delirio, if only she can pass the audition. Javier and Angie begin an impossible romance full of obstacles, surrounded by salsa, and accompanied by a cast of characters that are as authentic as they are hilarious.
The festival's guest of honor will be the prolific British actor Clive Owen, who is known for his diverse roles in films like Closer Children of Men, and The International . The Latin American premier of his latest film, Guillaume Canet's Blood Ties (2013), will be a highlight of the Friday, March 14th event, taking place at 6:00 pm in the Adolfo Mejía Theater, where, after being presented with the India Catalina prize, the actor will be interviewed by Ficci's director, Monika Wagenberg.
Another special honoree will be Mexican director Alejando Gonazlez Iñárritu, who has garnered international acclaim throughout the years with films such as Amores Perros , 21 Grams , Babel, and Biutiful . Established within the film industry as one of Latin America's most important directors of the new century, Iñárritu is currently in-production for Birdman (2014), a film he wrote and directed starring Emma Stone and Edward Norton . Participants of the 54th Ficci will have the opportunity to attend the Tribute honoring this Academy Award-nominated filmmaker on Sunday, March 16th, as well as his Master class the following day during Salón Ficci – the festival's academic program.
In regards to the festival's line-up, it is interesting to note that several of the filmmakers that will take part in the Dramatic Competition are directors who have participated at Ficci with their previous films and have established themselves in the international festival circuit winning prestigious awards. Others will arrive to Cartagena for the first time with their operas primas.
"2014 promises to be a good year for Iberoamerican cinema and we are proud to feature several of the most recent films of the region in our Official Dramatic Competition, in which half of the chosen movies are Latin American Premieres (movies that come directly to Cartagena after their world premieres at Sundance and Berlin Festivals). Eight of the twelve films in the Colombian Official Competition (known before as Colombia al 100%) are World Premieres. This way, we have managed to achieve the goal we set four years ago: becoming the main national and international launching platform of local films", stated Ficci's Director Monika Wagenberg.
Wagenberg also addressed some chances in the festival's rules that will allow for more experience filmmakers to partake in the event.
"One of the big news of Ficci 54 is that this time we have not limited the Official Dramatic Competition to first, second and third time Ibero-American films. Ending this restriction will make possible for those directors from this region who are producing feature films at a fast pace not, to be excluded from the competition" Wagenberg added.
The Official Dramatic Competition will feature the Latin American premieres The Lock Charmer (El Cerrajero) by Natalia Smirnoff (Argentina), Natural Sciences (Ciencias Naturales) by Matías Lucchesi(Argentina), The Way He Looks (Hoje Eu Quero Voltar Sozinho) by Daniel Ribeiro(Brazil), Celina Murga's Berlin Official Competition, The Three Sides of the River (La tercera orilla) (Argentina), recent Sundance and Rotterdam winner, To Kill a Man (Matar a un hombre) by Alejandro Fernández Almendras (Chile), Mateo, first film by Maria Gamboa (Colombia), and the world premiere of Dust on the Tongue (Tierra en la lengua) by Ruben Mendoza (Colombia).
This section also includes other outstanding films such as Bad Hair (Pelo malo), written and directed by Mariana Rondón (Venezuela) which comes to Ficci after its triumph at the San Sebastián Film Festival; The Mute (El Mudo), directed by brothers Daniel and Diego Vega (Perú), which had its world premiere at the Locarno Film Festival and are coming back to Ficci after competing winning Best Director award in 2010; premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival and awarded the Concha de Plata for Best Director in San Sebastián, comes Club Sándwich by Fernando Eimbcke(México), and the 12th film in this section is Root (Raíz) by Matías Rojas Valencia (Chile), the winner of Best Chilean Film winner at the Valdivia Film Festival.
The Official Documentary Competition will showcase the world premieres of El color que cayó del cielo by Sergio Wolf (Argentina) and Heaven or Hell (Infierno o paraíso) de German Piffano(Colombia); as well as the Latin American premiere of The Silence of the Flies (El silencio de las moscas) by Eliezer Arias (Venezuela), Marmato by Mark Grieco (Colombia, USA), and Apples, Chickens and Chimeras (Manzanas, pollos y quimeras) de Inés París (España). The rest of the program includes Argentine Street Years (Años de calle) by Alejandra Grinschpun, I Feel Much Better Now (E-agora? Lembra me) by Joaquim Pinto(Portugal), Naomi Campbel by icolas Videla and Camila José Donoso (Chile), Cesar's Grill (El Grill de Cesar) by Dario Aguirre, I Will Be Murdered (Seré asesinado) by Justin Webster (Spain), Mexican documentary, Elevator (Elevador) by Adrián Ortizl and the most recent work by talented Brazilian documentary film director Maria Ramos , Hills of Pleasures (Morro dos Prazeres).
Lastly, in the Colombian Official Competition we will present the world premieres of Banished (Desterrada) by Diego Guerra, Manos sucias by Joseph Wladyka, Memorias del calavero and Tierra en la lengua by Rubén Mendoza, Monte adentro by Nicolás Macario Alonso, Parador Húngaro by Aseneth Suarez and Patrick Alexander, Infierno o paraíso by Germán Piffano; as well as the Latin American premieres of Inés, memorias de una vida by Luisa Sossa; Gente de papel, con el alma en la selva by Andrés Felipe Vásquez, Mateo by Maria Gamboa, Marmato by Mark Grieco and the Colombian premiere of Mambo Cool by Chris Gude.
One of Ficci's main goals is supporting the development of Colombian cinema. With that in mind, the festival will open with the world premiere of Ciudad Delirio, inviting the audience to get to know Cali, the only city in Latin America that loves all Latin American music, a center of creative development for Colombia's cinema, splendidly and authentically presented through the passion and flavor of salsa. Ficci is once again betting on the kind of cinema that speaks locally and globally, cinema that invites, seduces and embraces all kinds of audiences.
Starring Carolina Ramírez , Cauca Valley dancer and actress renown for her performance in soap operas such as La hija del mariachiand La Pola and Spaniard Julián Villagrán, winner of a Goya for his performance in Grupo 7, Ciudad Delirio also features Colombian actors of such caliber as Vicky Hernández Jorge Herrera , Margarita Ortega and John Alex Castillo. Thanks to a world-class team lead by Spanish dancer, choreographer and filmmaker Blanca Li, who has worked for The Berlin State Ballet, Kylie Minogue, Beyoncé and Daft Punk, and by multiple time Salsa World Champion Viviana Vargas, Cartagena will get to experience the madness of one of the most sensual dances on earth.
Ciudad Delirio was produced by Diego F. Ramírez, head of 64-a Films in Colombia, which has produced such films as Perro come perro,Todos tus muertos, Dr. Alemán, En coma, and180 segundos and Spaniard Elena Manrique, founder of Film Fatal and renown for her production of movies such asEl laberinto del fauno (Pan's Labyrinth), El orfanato and Transsiberiano, to name just a few.
For seven weeks during the making of Ciudad delirio, 45 locations in Cali, Colombia and Madrid, Spain were overrun by salsa. More than 3,200 extras from Cauca Valley helped to tell this love story that revolves around the show Delirio, a long-standing cultural tradition in Sultana del Valle.
In Ciudad Delirio, Javier, a shy, reserved Spanish doctor, attends a medical conference in Cali, Colombia. There, through a chance meeting, he shares a magical night with Angie, a dancer and choreographer who dreams of being part of the world's most famous salsa show, Delirio, if only she can pass the audition. Javier and Angie begin an impossible romance full of obstacles, surrounded by salsa, and accompanied by a cast of characters that are as authentic as they are hilarious.
The festival's guest of honor will be the prolific British actor Clive Owen, who is known for his diverse roles in films like Closer Children of Men, and The International . The Latin American premier of his latest film, Guillaume Canet's Blood Ties (2013), will be a highlight of the Friday, March 14th event, taking place at 6:00 pm in the Adolfo Mejía Theater, where, after being presented with the India Catalina prize, the actor will be interviewed by Ficci's director, Monika Wagenberg.
Another special honoree will be Mexican director Alejando Gonazlez Iñárritu, who has garnered international acclaim throughout the years with films such as Amores Perros , 21 Grams , Babel, and Biutiful . Established within the film industry as one of Latin America's most important directors of the new century, Iñárritu is currently in-production for Birdman (2014), a film he wrote and directed starring Emma Stone and Edward Norton . Participants of the 54th Ficci will have the opportunity to attend the Tribute honoring this Academy Award-nominated filmmaker on Sunday, March 16th, as well as his Master class the following day during Salón Ficci – the festival's academic program.
In regards to the festival's line-up, it is interesting to note that several of the filmmakers that will take part in the Dramatic Competition are directors who have participated at Ficci with their previous films and have established themselves in the international festival circuit winning prestigious awards. Others will arrive to Cartagena for the first time with their operas primas.
"2014 promises to be a good year for Iberoamerican cinema and we are proud to feature several of the most recent films of the region in our Official Dramatic Competition, in which half of the chosen movies are Latin American Premieres (movies that come directly to Cartagena after their world premieres at Sundance and Berlin Festivals). Eight of the twelve films in the Colombian Official Competition (known before as Colombia al 100%) are World Premieres. This way, we have managed to achieve the goal we set four years ago: becoming the main national and international launching platform of local films", stated Ficci's Director Monika Wagenberg.
Wagenberg also addressed some chances in the festival's rules that will allow for more experience filmmakers to partake in the event.
"One of the big news of Ficci 54 is that this time we have not limited the Official Dramatic Competition to first, second and third time Ibero-American films. Ending this restriction will make possible for those directors from this region who are producing feature films at a fast pace not, to be excluded from the competition" Wagenberg added.
The Official Dramatic Competition will feature the Latin American premieres The Lock Charmer (El Cerrajero) by Natalia Smirnoff (Argentina), Natural Sciences (Ciencias Naturales) by Matías Lucchesi(Argentina), The Way He Looks (Hoje Eu Quero Voltar Sozinho) by Daniel Ribeiro(Brazil), Celina Murga's Berlin Official Competition, The Three Sides of the River (La tercera orilla) (Argentina), recent Sundance and Rotterdam winner, To Kill a Man (Matar a un hombre) by Alejandro Fernández Almendras (Chile), Mateo, first film by Maria Gamboa (Colombia), and the world premiere of Dust on the Tongue (Tierra en la lengua) by Ruben Mendoza (Colombia).
This section also includes other outstanding films such as Bad Hair (Pelo malo), written and directed by Mariana Rondón (Venezuela) which comes to Ficci after its triumph at the San Sebastián Film Festival; The Mute (El Mudo), directed by brothers Daniel and Diego Vega (Perú), which had its world premiere at the Locarno Film Festival and are coming back to Ficci after competing winning Best Director award in 2010; premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival and awarded the Concha de Plata for Best Director in San Sebastián, comes Club Sándwich by Fernando Eimbcke(México), and the 12th film in this section is Root (Raíz) by Matías Rojas Valencia (Chile), the winner of Best Chilean Film winner at the Valdivia Film Festival.
The Official Documentary Competition will showcase the world premieres of El color que cayó del cielo by Sergio Wolf (Argentina) and Heaven or Hell (Infierno o paraíso) de German Piffano(Colombia); as well as the Latin American premiere of The Silence of the Flies (El silencio de las moscas) by Eliezer Arias (Venezuela), Marmato by Mark Grieco (Colombia, USA), and Apples, Chickens and Chimeras (Manzanas, pollos y quimeras) de Inés París (España). The rest of the program includes Argentine Street Years (Años de calle) by Alejandra Grinschpun, I Feel Much Better Now (E-agora? Lembra me) by Joaquim Pinto(Portugal), Naomi Campbel by icolas Videla and Camila José Donoso (Chile), Cesar's Grill (El Grill de Cesar) by Dario Aguirre, I Will Be Murdered (Seré asesinado) by Justin Webster (Spain), Mexican documentary, Elevator (Elevador) by Adrián Ortizl and the most recent work by talented Brazilian documentary film director Maria Ramos , Hills of Pleasures (Morro dos Prazeres).
Lastly, in the Colombian Official Competition we will present the world premieres of Banished (Desterrada) by Diego Guerra, Manos sucias by Joseph Wladyka, Memorias del calavero and Tierra en la lengua by Rubén Mendoza, Monte adentro by Nicolás Macario Alonso, Parador Húngaro by Aseneth Suarez and Patrick Alexander, Infierno o paraíso by Germán Piffano; as well as the Latin American premieres of Inés, memorias de una vida by Luisa Sossa; Gente de papel, con el alma en la selva by Andrés Felipe Vásquez, Mateo by Maria Gamboa, Marmato by Mark Grieco and the Colombian premiere of Mambo Cool by Chris Gude.
- 2/27/2014
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Now that a new year is upon us let's reflect back on 2013. Something like a year in Latino film. Latin American filmmakers continued to kill it on the international film festival circuit. Chile, in particular, has been conquering the world one film festival award at a time.
Sadly, American Latino filmmakers were mostly absent from big name festivals like Sundance, Toronto, Berlin, and Cannes. Normally, the major Latino film festivals in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and San Diego offer a home to these overlooked films. The surprising collapse of the New York International Latino Film Festival this past summer and with the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival barely recovering from financial difficulties, the exhibition of American Latino indies remains in a precarious position.
Still, there is much to celebrate. Starting in the early part of the year, at Sundance, Chilean director Sebastian Silva joined a very elite club of filmmakers -- those who have premiered two films at the same festival. His mescaline-fueled odyssey Crystal Fairy won the World Cinema Dramatic Directing Award and the psychological thriller Magic, Magic starring Michael Cera went on to play Director's Fortnight in Cannes.
The Berlinale, in February, brought the much anticipated world premiere of Sebastian Lelio's fourth film Gloria and the charming Uruguayan family comedy Tanta Agua. Cementing 2013 as the year of Chile, actress Paulina Garcia won the Silver Bear for her dazzling and dynamic performance as a middle-aged divorcee in Gloria.
Mid-year, Mexican filmmakers took Cannes by storm again, winning the Best Director prize for the second year in a row. In 2013, the victor was Amat Escalante for his feature film Heli. The year prior Carlos Reygadas took home the prize for Post Tenebras Lux.
In the fall, Toronto spoiled us with Latin American riches. The gargantuan fest showcased more than 300 films from 70 different countries including the Mexican documentary El Alcalde, Venezuela's Pelo Malo (Bad Hair), Peruvian black comedy El Mudo (The Mute), the Brazilian drama O lobo atras da porta (A Wolf at the Door), and the world premiere of Fernando Eimbcke's Club Sandwich. Costa Rica made a first-time appearance at the Toronto Film Festival with Por las plumas (All About the Feathers) and the Dominican Republic showcased Cristo Rey.
Over Labor Day weekend, Eugenio Derbez, a Mexican actor most Americans had never heard of released his sleeper hit Instructions Not Included. Totally ignored by mainstream film critics, the Spanish-language family comedy went on to shatter box office records. It beat out Woody Allen's Blue Jasmine and critical darling 12 Years a Slave making it the top grossing indie film of the year. It also became the highest grossing Spanish-language film ever in the United States. A few weeks later, when Instructions opened in Derbez's home country, it became the most-watched Mexican film of all time.
Despite being snubbed by the Academy Awards (no Latin American productions made the shortlist for Best Foreign Language Film), Latino films ended the year on a high note. The triumph of our films abroad coupled with a Spanish-language box office hit at home bodes well for the Latino films of 2014.
In case you were living under a rock this past year and missed it all, we've got you covered. Thankfully, there are professionals who get paid to keep track of what Latino movies are receiving accolades, have the most buzz, and got picked up for distribution. LatinoBuzz went straight to the experts, film programmers, to ask, "What are your top 5 Latino films of 2013?"
Christine Davila, Director of Ambulante California
There is no shortage of original and compelling Us Latino writer/directors working across different genres out there, and this list proves it. These confident artists have captured fresh and mighty perspectives far too underrepresented, and they are storming through the cluster neck of homogeneity that continues to reign in film content.
Water & Power (Richard Montoya, USA)
Los Wild Ones (Elise Salomon, USA)
Delusions of Grandeur (Iris Almaraz, Gustavo Ramos, USA)
Sleeping with the Fishes (Nicole Gomez Fisher, USA)
The House that Jack Built (Henry Barrial, USA)
Marcela Goglio, Programmer at the Film Society of Lincoln Center
No special criteria in these choices, just some of the many accomplished Latin American films that, in my opinion, create universes or make statements in beautiful, original and/or powerful ways.
Viola (Matias Pineiro, Argentina)
El alcalde (Emiliano Altuna/Carlos Rossini/Diego Osorno, Mexico)
La eterna noche de las doce lunas (Priscilla Padilla, Colombia)
El futuro (Alicia Scherson, Chile)
Gloria (Sebastian Lelio, Chile)
Carlos A. Gutierrez, Co-founder and Executive Director of Cinema Tropical
For practical purposes, my list features five Latin American films (my area of expertise) that I highly recommend, and that screened in the U.S. in 2013 (in alphabetical order):
El Alcalde / The Mayor (Carlos F. Rossini, Emiliano Altuna and Diego Osorno, Mexico)
El otro dia / The Other Day (Ignacio Aguero, Chile)
Los mejores temas / Greatest Hits (Nicolas Pereda, Mexico)
Tanta Agua / So Much Water (Ana Guevara and Leticia Jorge, Uruguay)
Viola (Matias Pineiro, Argentina)
Lucho Ramirez, Founder & Executive Director of Cine+Mas Sf, presenter of the Cm San Francisco Latino Film Festival
There are so many works by Latino and Latin American filmmakers that merit the public and the tastemaker's attention. Compiling a list of 5 is difficult for me as a festival director because each film that we program is beloved. In addition, there are the other films I see at other fests or at theaters, particularly the bigger ones replete with distribution, celebrity, and marketing budgets. It's hard for independent, quality films to break through and that's part of the reason I seek those out. I believe there is an audience for artisanal films with substance, creativity, and diversity.
I went on memory for this list. Included are films that I saw this year that really stuck with me long after watching them. What's important to me is seeing images of Latinos by Latinos on the screen. This doesn't mean sanitized. Bless Me, Ultima is an important literary work. It was a huge accomplishment to get this on the screen for all us non-readers. Sex, Love, & Salsa packs all the punch of a big romantic comedy in very local and Latino way; Tlatelolco is a historical drama that's really well done, revisiting a chaotic time in Mexico's history but interpreted in a narrow sliver of a relationship that can't be; Porcelain Horse mixes sex, drugs, and rich-kid problems and really does something different with a crime-drama; Delusions of Grandeuer is purely Latino hipster fun.
Bless Me, Ultima (Carl Franklin, USA)
Sex, Love, & Salsa (Adrian Manzano, USA)
Tlatelolco, Summer of 68 (Carlos Bolado, Mexico)
Porcelain Horse (Javier Andrade, Ecuador)
Delusions of Grandeur (Iris Almaraz, Gustavo Ramos, USA)
Glenn Heath Jr., Artistic Director of the San Diego Latino Film Festival
De Jueves a Domingo is a fascinating and subtext-heavy debut from director Dominga Sotomayor Castillo about a family road trip that could be the beginning of the end. In Viola Shakespeare is reinvented, it's art house cinema meets the off-note pacing of jazz. My Sister's Quinceañera is an honest and poignant look at the complexities of family and identity in small town America. Aqui y Alla is riveting in its acute understanding of how the mundane adds up to something grand. Fecha de Caducidad is dark comedy at its finest.
De Jueves a Domingo (Dominga Sotomayor Castillo, Chile)
Viola (Matias Pineiro, Argentina)
My Sister's Quinceanera (Aaron Douglas Johnston, USA)
Aqui y Alla (Antonio Mendez Esparza, Mexico)
Fecha de Caducidad (Kenya Marquez , Mexico)
Diana Vargas, Artistic Director at the Havana Film Festival New York
In Gloria Paulina Garcia's performance is unforgettable and the way the director talks about the middle life crisis of a woman that seems unremarkable until she finds out she can make her own choices and maybe to be single is not that bad, haha. La Sirga portrays the crude reality of the Colombian conflict without showing explicit violence, through impeccable cinematography. In a cinema verite style, La jaula de oro shows 3 Guatemalan adolescents experiencing the harshness of the journey of those who want to immigrate to U.S. 7 Cajas, the biggest Paraguayan box office hit, is as entertaining as well done. With an impeccable screenplay and Guarani dialogues, the film shows a country that usually don't have a strong representation in the festivals around the world. Sibila de Teresa Arredondo (Chile). Sibila Arguedas is the widow of one of the most iconic public figures in Peruvian literature. She's also Chilean and a political prisoner, accused of being a Sendero Luminoso collaborator. This documentary made by Sibila's niece brings to light one of the most fascinating, enimagtic and contradictory characters of the last century.
Gloria (Sebastian Lelio, Chile)
La Sirga (William Vega, Colombia).
La jaula de oro (Diego Quemada-Diez, Mexico)
7 Cajas (Tana Schembori, Juan Carlos Maneglia, Paraguay)
Sibila (Teresa Arredondo, Chile)
Juan Caceres, Director of Programming at the New York International Latino Film Festival
2013 was a great year for Latin American films. Ecuador, Panama, Guatemala and Paraguay, countries with no real infrastructure for filmmaking, all were present in festivals. Chile in particular showed no sign of slowing down their own presence on the festival circuit, taking home prizes at the major festivals. I think it's no coincidence that they share this wonderful genuine camaraderie where there is a support system that includes producing each others projects to simply rooting for one another when it comes to award nominations (you can go to all their Fb pages and occasionally they have each others films as their cover pics! It's uber dope). It's as real as it gets and I think it's something lacking here in the Us. So my list is the Chilean films you should not miss.
Gloria, (Sebastian Lelio, Chile)
No (Pablo Larrain, Chile)
Il Futuro / The Future (Alicia Scherson, Chile)
El verano de los peces voladores / The Summer of Flying Fish (Marcela Said, Chile)
Las cosas como son / Things The Way They Are (Fernando Lavanderos, Chile)
Marlene Dermer, Director/Programmer at the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival
It has been really hard to narrow it to five I have to say. I find Latino cinema and its creators in a wonderful period. It’s alive and beats like a heart. There is so much talent in our communities and they are doing some of the most interesting work in world cinema. It's thought provoking or personal and universal. It's also tough to include U.S. works with Latin American work because there are many more countries and many with support. This year in our festival we had the largest showcase of U.S.A. films which was very exciting to see. As a programmer for 22 years I find it stimulating to discover all these new voices coming up in our community and truly sharing the screens at festivals and theaters around the world. There is a new generation in every country, that is very exciting and promising for the future of cinema, our community and the audio visual world.
Club Sandwich (Fernando Eimbcke, Mexico)
Pelo Malo (Mariana Rondón, Venezuela)
Gloria (Sebastian Lelio, Chile)
O lobo atras da porta (Fernando Coimbra, Brazil)
Tanta Agua / So Much Water (Ana Guevara and Leticia Jorge, Uruguay)
Written by Vanessa Erazo. LatinoBuzz is a weekly feature on SydneysBuzz that highlights Latino indie talent and upcoming trends in Latino film with the specific objective of presenting a broad range of Latino voices. Follow @LatinoBuzz on Twitter and Facebook.
Sadly, American Latino filmmakers were mostly absent from big name festivals like Sundance, Toronto, Berlin, and Cannes. Normally, the major Latino film festivals in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and San Diego offer a home to these overlooked films. The surprising collapse of the New York International Latino Film Festival this past summer and with the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival barely recovering from financial difficulties, the exhibition of American Latino indies remains in a precarious position.
Still, there is much to celebrate. Starting in the early part of the year, at Sundance, Chilean director Sebastian Silva joined a very elite club of filmmakers -- those who have premiered two films at the same festival. His mescaline-fueled odyssey Crystal Fairy won the World Cinema Dramatic Directing Award and the psychological thriller Magic, Magic starring Michael Cera went on to play Director's Fortnight in Cannes.
The Berlinale, in February, brought the much anticipated world premiere of Sebastian Lelio's fourth film Gloria and the charming Uruguayan family comedy Tanta Agua. Cementing 2013 as the year of Chile, actress Paulina Garcia won the Silver Bear for her dazzling and dynamic performance as a middle-aged divorcee in Gloria.
Mid-year, Mexican filmmakers took Cannes by storm again, winning the Best Director prize for the second year in a row. In 2013, the victor was Amat Escalante for his feature film Heli. The year prior Carlos Reygadas took home the prize for Post Tenebras Lux.
In the fall, Toronto spoiled us with Latin American riches. The gargantuan fest showcased more than 300 films from 70 different countries including the Mexican documentary El Alcalde, Venezuela's Pelo Malo (Bad Hair), Peruvian black comedy El Mudo (The Mute), the Brazilian drama O lobo atras da porta (A Wolf at the Door), and the world premiere of Fernando Eimbcke's Club Sandwich. Costa Rica made a first-time appearance at the Toronto Film Festival with Por las plumas (All About the Feathers) and the Dominican Republic showcased Cristo Rey.
Over Labor Day weekend, Eugenio Derbez, a Mexican actor most Americans had never heard of released his sleeper hit Instructions Not Included. Totally ignored by mainstream film critics, the Spanish-language family comedy went on to shatter box office records. It beat out Woody Allen's Blue Jasmine and critical darling 12 Years a Slave making it the top grossing indie film of the year. It also became the highest grossing Spanish-language film ever in the United States. A few weeks later, when Instructions opened in Derbez's home country, it became the most-watched Mexican film of all time.
Despite being snubbed by the Academy Awards (no Latin American productions made the shortlist for Best Foreign Language Film), Latino films ended the year on a high note. The triumph of our films abroad coupled with a Spanish-language box office hit at home bodes well for the Latino films of 2014.
In case you were living under a rock this past year and missed it all, we've got you covered. Thankfully, there are professionals who get paid to keep track of what Latino movies are receiving accolades, have the most buzz, and got picked up for distribution. LatinoBuzz went straight to the experts, film programmers, to ask, "What are your top 5 Latino films of 2013?"
Christine Davila, Director of Ambulante California
There is no shortage of original and compelling Us Latino writer/directors working across different genres out there, and this list proves it. These confident artists have captured fresh and mighty perspectives far too underrepresented, and they are storming through the cluster neck of homogeneity that continues to reign in film content.
Water & Power (Richard Montoya, USA)
Los Wild Ones (Elise Salomon, USA)
Delusions of Grandeur (Iris Almaraz, Gustavo Ramos, USA)
Sleeping with the Fishes (Nicole Gomez Fisher, USA)
The House that Jack Built (Henry Barrial, USA)
Marcela Goglio, Programmer at the Film Society of Lincoln Center
No special criteria in these choices, just some of the many accomplished Latin American films that, in my opinion, create universes or make statements in beautiful, original and/or powerful ways.
Viola (Matias Pineiro, Argentina)
El alcalde (Emiliano Altuna/Carlos Rossini/Diego Osorno, Mexico)
La eterna noche de las doce lunas (Priscilla Padilla, Colombia)
El futuro (Alicia Scherson, Chile)
Gloria (Sebastian Lelio, Chile)
Carlos A. Gutierrez, Co-founder and Executive Director of Cinema Tropical
For practical purposes, my list features five Latin American films (my area of expertise) that I highly recommend, and that screened in the U.S. in 2013 (in alphabetical order):
El Alcalde / The Mayor (Carlos F. Rossini, Emiliano Altuna and Diego Osorno, Mexico)
El otro dia / The Other Day (Ignacio Aguero, Chile)
Los mejores temas / Greatest Hits (Nicolas Pereda, Mexico)
Tanta Agua / So Much Water (Ana Guevara and Leticia Jorge, Uruguay)
Viola (Matias Pineiro, Argentina)
Lucho Ramirez, Founder & Executive Director of Cine+Mas Sf, presenter of the Cm San Francisco Latino Film Festival
There are so many works by Latino and Latin American filmmakers that merit the public and the tastemaker's attention. Compiling a list of 5 is difficult for me as a festival director because each film that we program is beloved. In addition, there are the other films I see at other fests or at theaters, particularly the bigger ones replete with distribution, celebrity, and marketing budgets. It's hard for independent, quality films to break through and that's part of the reason I seek those out. I believe there is an audience for artisanal films with substance, creativity, and diversity.
I went on memory for this list. Included are films that I saw this year that really stuck with me long after watching them. What's important to me is seeing images of Latinos by Latinos on the screen. This doesn't mean sanitized. Bless Me, Ultima is an important literary work. It was a huge accomplishment to get this on the screen for all us non-readers. Sex, Love, & Salsa packs all the punch of a big romantic comedy in very local and Latino way; Tlatelolco is a historical drama that's really well done, revisiting a chaotic time in Mexico's history but interpreted in a narrow sliver of a relationship that can't be; Porcelain Horse mixes sex, drugs, and rich-kid problems and really does something different with a crime-drama; Delusions of Grandeuer is purely Latino hipster fun.
Bless Me, Ultima (Carl Franklin, USA)
Sex, Love, & Salsa (Adrian Manzano, USA)
Tlatelolco, Summer of 68 (Carlos Bolado, Mexico)
Porcelain Horse (Javier Andrade, Ecuador)
Delusions of Grandeur (Iris Almaraz, Gustavo Ramos, USA)
Glenn Heath Jr., Artistic Director of the San Diego Latino Film Festival
De Jueves a Domingo is a fascinating and subtext-heavy debut from director Dominga Sotomayor Castillo about a family road trip that could be the beginning of the end. In Viola Shakespeare is reinvented, it's art house cinema meets the off-note pacing of jazz. My Sister's Quinceañera is an honest and poignant look at the complexities of family and identity in small town America. Aqui y Alla is riveting in its acute understanding of how the mundane adds up to something grand. Fecha de Caducidad is dark comedy at its finest.
De Jueves a Domingo (Dominga Sotomayor Castillo, Chile)
Viola (Matias Pineiro, Argentina)
My Sister's Quinceanera (Aaron Douglas Johnston, USA)
Aqui y Alla (Antonio Mendez Esparza, Mexico)
Fecha de Caducidad (Kenya Marquez , Mexico)
Diana Vargas, Artistic Director at the Havana Film Festival New York
In Gloria Paulina Garcia's performance is unforgettable and the way the director talks about the middle life crisis of a woman that seems unremarkable until she finds out she can make her own choices and maybe to be single is not that bad, haha. La Sirga portrays the crude reality of the Colombian conflict without showing explicit violence, through impeccable cinematography. In a cinema verite style, La jaula de oro shows 3 Guatemalan adolescents experiencing the harshness of the journey of those who want to immigrate to U.S. 7 Cajas, the biggest Paraguayan box office hit, is as entertaining as well done. With an impeccable screenplay and Guarani dialogues, the film shows a country that usually don't have a strong representation in the festivals around the world. Sibila de Teresa Arredondo (Chile). Sibila Arguedas is the widow of one of the most iconic public figures in Peruvian literature. She's also Chilean and a political prisoner, accused of being a Sendero Luminoso collaborator. This documentary made by Sibila's niece brings to light one of the most fascinating, enimagtic and contradictory characters of the last century.
Gloria (Sebastian Lelio, Chile)
La Sirga (William Vega, Colombia).
La jaula de oro (Diego Quemada-Diez, Mexico)
7 Cajas (Tana Schembori, Juan Carlos Maneglia, Paraguay)
Sibila (Teresa Arredondo, Chile)
Juan Caceres, Director of Programming at the New York International Latino Film Festival
2013 was a great year for Latin American films. Ecuador, Panama, Guatemala and Paraguay, countries with no real infrastructure for filmmaking, all were present in festivals. Chile in particular showed no sign of slowing down their own presence on the festival circuit, taking home prizes at the major festivals. I think it's no coincidence that they share this wonderful genuine camaraderie where there is a support system that includes producing each others projects to simply rooting for one another when it comes to award nominations (you can go to all their Fb pages and occasionally they have each others films as their cover pics! It's uber dope). It's as real as it gets and I think it's something lacking here in the Us. So my list is the Chilean films you should not miss.
Gloria, (Sebastian Lelio, Chile)
No (Pablo Larrain, Chile)
Il Futuro / The Future (Alicia Scherson, Chile)
El verano de los peces voladores / The Summer of Flying Fish (Marcela Said, Chile)
Las cosas como son / Things The Way They Are (Fernando Lavanderos, Chile)
Marlene Dermer, Director/Programmer at the Los Angeles Latino International Film Festival
It has been really hard to narrow it to five I have to say. I find Latino cinema and its creators in a wonderful period. It’s alive and beats like a heart. There is so much talent in our communities and they are doing some of the most interesting work in world cinema. It's thought provoking or personal and universal. It's also tough to include U.S. works with Latin American work because there are many more countries and many with support. This year in our festival we had the largest showcase of U.S.A. films which was very exciting to see. As a programmer for 22 years I find it stimulating to discover all these new voices coming up in our community and truly sharing the screens at festivals and theaters around the world. There is a new generation in every country, that is very exciting and promising for the future of cinema, our community and the audio visual world.
Club Sandwich (Fernando Eimbcke, Mexico)
Pelo Malo (Mariana Rondón, Venezuela)
Gloria (Sebastian Lelio, Chile)
O lobo atras da porta (Fernando Coimbra, Brazil)
Tanta Agua / So Much Water (Ana Guevara and Leticia Jorge, Uruguay)
Written by Vanessa Erazo. LatinoBuzz is a weekly feature on SydneysBuzz that highlights Latino indie talent and upcoming trends in Latino film with the specific objective of presenting a broad range of Latino voices. Follow @LatinoBuzz on Twitter and Facebook.
- 1/1/2014
- by Vanessa Erazo
- Sydney's Buzz
The main attraction at this year's San Sebastián, where it took home the top award, Mariana Rondón's Pelo Malo smartly draws from Italian neorealism to create an intimate, sparely successful depiction of hardship during childhood and sexual identity. Its first and foremost achievement is the fact it manages to do both, blending innocence and harsh characterization in a sweet, poignant tale of a nine-year-old boy with curly, "bad" hair who wants to look like a straight-haired singer for his upcoming school photo. This tiny problem in the boy's life, of course, serves as a basis for what Rodón is really trying to glimpse into: how homosexuality starts to manifest itself, the confusion and rejection that it entails in any poverty-stricken, ignorant society (and not just...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 11/20/2013
- Screen Anarchy
Mexican feature The Golden Dream (La jaula de oro) and French drama Suzanne take top prizes at Greek festival.Scoll down for full list of winners
Diego Quemada-Diez’s Cannes winner The Golden Dream (La jaula de oro) added more trophies to its collection at the 64th Thessaloniki International Film Festival on Saturday (Nov 9).
The road movie about teenage Guatemalan immigrants and their journey to the Us scooped the Golden Alexander for best film, the best director nod for Quemada, the audience (Fischer) award and the Greek Parliament trophy for “human values”.
The film won the Un Certain Regard – A Certain Talent Prize at Cannes, where it debuted in May, and also picked up Best International Feature Film at the Zurich Film Festival.
Suzanne, the portrait of a chaotic, unpredictable and fragile woman directed by Katell Quillevere was awarded second prize - the Silver Alexander.
The French drama also won the actress award for Sara Forestier, in the...
Diego Quemada-Diez’s Cannes winner The Golden Dream (La jaula de oro) added more trophies to its collection at the 64th Thessaloniki International Film Festival on Saturday (Nov 9).
The road movie about teenage Guatemalan immigrants and their journey to the Us scooped the Golden Alexander for best film, the best director nod for Quemada, the audience (Fischer) award and the Greek Parliament trophy for “human values”.
The film won the Un Certain Regard – A Certain Talent Prize at Cannes, where it debuted in May, and also picked up Best International Feature Film at the Zurich Film Festival.
Suzanne, the portrait of a chaotic, unpredictable and fragile woman directed by Katell Quillevere was awarded second prize - the Silver Alexander.
The French drama also won the actress award for Sara Forestier, in the...
- 11/11/2013
- by alexisgrivas@yahoo.com (Alexis Grivas)
- ScreenDaily
Alexander Payne’s Nebraska to close the 10-day festival in the Greek city.
The 54th Thessaloniki International Film Festival is set to kick off today with the gala presentation of Only Lovers Left Alive in the presence of director Jim Jarmusch.
Jarmusch will attend following several efforts to lure him to the festival in northern Greece.
Only Lovers Left Alive, which played in competition at Cannes, was executive produced by Greece’s Christos Konstantakopoulos of Faliro House Productions.
The festival will wrap on Nov 10 with Alexander Payne’s Nebraska, for which lead actor Bruce Dern won best actor at Cannes.
Greek-American Payne returns to the festival to present the film and will preside over the international jury.
A total of 14 titles make up the competition and the award for the Golden and Silver Alexander will be decided by a jury including Romanian producer Ada Solomon, Cannes Directors Fortnight head Edouard Weintrop, Variety chief critic...
The 54th Thessaloniki International Film Festival is set to kick off today with the gala presentation of Only Lovers Left Alive in the presence of director Jim Jarmusch.
Jarmusch will attend following several efforts to lure him to the festival in northern Greece.
Only Lovers Left Alive, which played in competition at Cannes, was executive produced by Greece’s Christos Konstantakopoulos of Faliro House Productions.
The festival will wrap on Nov 10 with Alexander Payne’s Nebraska, for which lead actor Bruce Dern won best actor at Cannes.
Greek-American Payne returns to the festival to present the film and will preside over the international jury.
A total of 14 titles make up the competition and the award for the Golden and Silver Alexander will be decided by a jury including Romanian producer Ada Solomon, Cannes Directors Fortnight head Edouard Weintrop, Variety chief critic...
- 11/1/2013
- by alexisgrivas@yahoo.com (Alexis Grivas)
- ScreenDaily
Late as usual. People are attending Mipcom in Cannes and in November Afm in Santa Monica, and I’m only now getting around to writing about my own private Toronto. I chose films I would not be able to see soon in a theater near me and I chose films because my schedule permitted me to see them. Occasionally I chose films my friends were going to and that happened when my time was not demanding other things be done.
I wish I could have seen 100 other films too but for some reason or another I could not fit them in.
I moderated a wonderful panel (and we did blog on that!) on international film financing with Sffs’ Ted Hope, UTA’s Rena Ronson, Revolution’s Andrew Eaton, and Hollywood-based Cross Creek’s Brian Oliver, and Paul Miller, Head of Film Financing, from the Doha Film Institute, Qatar's first international organization dedicated to film financing, production, education and two film festivals.
I also spoke with Toronto Talent Lab filmmakers and then I filled my days with films – I did get an interview with Gloria’s director Sebastian Lelio and Berlin Best Actress winner Paulina Garcia and with Marcela Said, director of The Summer of Flying Fish but mostly I watched film after film after film – up to five a day, just like in the old days when I had to do it for my acquisitions jobs. This was pure pleasure. Friends would meet before the film, we would watch and disperse. And we would meet again at the cocktail hour or the dinner hour and then disperse again.
My partner Peter had lots of meetings with the Talent of Toronto from the Not Short on Shorts and the Talent Lab Mentoring Programs.
Parties like the Rotterdam-Screen International party gave us the chance to catch up with our Dutch friends whom we have not seen for the last two years. Ontario Media Development Corporation’s presenting the International Financing Forum luncheon gave us the chance to talk to lots of upcoming filmmakers and old friends again who were mentoring them. The panel Forty Years On: Women’s Film Festivals Today, moderated by Kay Armatage, former Tiff programmer, Professor Emeritus University of Toronto, and featuring Debra Zimmerman, Executive Director of Women Make Movies, NYC, Melissa Silverstein, Do-Fojnder an dArtistic Director of the Athena Film Festival in NYC and blogger of Women in Hollywood, So-In Hong, Director of Programming of the International Women’s Film Festival in Seoul had a rapport and didn’t hesitate to challenge each other. It felt like a party even though the subject was quite serious. The SXSW party was crowded as always, filled with everyone we could possibly know. It is always a great party we all want to attend.
One of the great dinners was that of The Creative Coalition Spotlight Awards Dinner honoring Alfre Woodard (12 Years a Slave), Hill Harper (1982, CSI: NY), Sharon Leal (1982), Matt Letscher (Scandal, The Carrie Diaries), Brenton Thwaites (Oculus, Maleficient), Tommy Oliver (1982, Kinyarwanda – I am a great fan of Tommy’s!), Tom Ortenberg (CEO, Open Road Films which has a coventure with Regal Theaters and AMC Theaters recently acquired by the richest man in China), and David Arquette (The Scream series). Our hostess, Robin Bronk is so welcoming and so dedicated to furthering the cause of universal education as a human right, education in the arts as a must. I admire her presence and her good work.
Here is a list of the great (and not so great, but never bad) films I got to see. I also list those I continue to hear about even now. I do not list all the films which were picked up during the festival and later. For that, you can go to SydneysBuzz.com and buy the Fall Rights Roundup 2013 and see all films whose rights were acquired (and announced) and by whom with links to all companies and Cinando for further research. For buyers it will, by deduction, show what is still available for Afm and for programmers, it will show who is in charge of the film for specific territories. The second edition will be issued two weeks after Afm.
One of the first films I saw and still retaining its place as one of my favorites was the documentary Finding Vivian Maier which begins with the discovery of photographs by an unknown woman named Vivian Maier by filmmaker John Maloof. As the mystery of this woman is uncovered, the audience is treated to her stunning work and the story of who she was.
One of my favorite films was by one of my favorite directors, Lucas Moodyson. We Are The Best (Isa: Trust Nordisk) was a great surprise, the story of three teeny-bopper punk-influenced girls who loved getting into unusual situations. It was loving and fun, darling and funny. I would take my children to see it and would delight in seeing it again. It was the biggest surprise for me. I can see why Magnolia snapped it up for the U.S. I thank programmer Steve Gravenstock for giving me the ticket for this film which I would have missed otherwise.
I had missed Jodorowsky’s Dune in Cannes. I am a great fan of El Topo and was eager to see this film. I was surprised at the elegance and skill of Jodorowsky in explaining his vision. Afterward, Gary Springer, our favorite publicist, arranged a wonderful reception at a classic comic book store where we loaded up on some fascinating graphic novels and Gary showed us his depiction on an old issue of Mad Magazine discussing the making of Jaws which he was in. picture here.
A totally unique and unexpected film about the African Diaspora, Belle, written and directed by Amma Asante was not talked about much to my surprise, perhaps because Fox Searchlight acquired all rights worldwide from Bankside before the festival. It is a stunningly beautiful British period piece of the 18th century about a mixed race aristocratic beauty.
My favorite film, on a par with The Patience Stone last year was Bobo (Isa: Wide) by Ines Oliveira starring Paula Garcia Aissato Indjai, produced by my friend Fernando Vendrell who gave me a ticket when I could not get one myself. This story of a woman who does nothing except go to work is forced to accept a claning woman and her young sister from Guinea-Bissau. Together they face down their demons. I love the cross-cultural understanding which results in their shared situations. I recently saw Mother of George and found the same warm connection across great cultural divides, though this one was of generations.
I wish I could have seen Pays Barbare/ Barbaric Land, the Italian/ French doc in Wavelengths about Mussolini’s attempted subjugation of Ethiopia (the only country in Africa never colonized). It sounds like great political poetry.
1982 which had previously won the prize of the jury I served on for Us Works in Progress held in July at the Champs Elysees Film Festival in Paris. It was deeply moving and disturbing film which depicts the shattering and the healing of a family. It also helps feed the pipeline begun with Lee Daniels producing Monster’s Ball who went on to direct to such films as Precious and The Butler. If the African American experience can continue to be expressed so eloquently by such filmmakers as Tommy Oliver, Rashaad Ernesto Green (Sundance 2012’s Gun Hill Road), Ava DuVernay (Middle of Nowhere), then a film literate audience will foster greater growth of even more talent in the coming generation. While I didn’t see All Is By My Side by U.K.’s John Ridley which is about Jimi Hendrix nor (yet!) the most highly acclaimed film of the festival, 12 Years a Slave by U.K.’s Steve McQueen, but I would include them in this discussion of the African American Experience.
On the subject of Africa, where last Sundance God Loves Uganda shocked and upset me, this year Mission Congo (Cinephil) revealed much of the same cultural divide only these two films show the negative impact of the Christian right upon already besieged Africans. What is done in the name of a righteous G-d is cause for dialogue and oversight.
Israel and the Middle East
No major turmoil or denunciations this year (Thank G-d, Allah, or whoever She may be). Katriel Schory, head of the Israeli Film Fund told me that if I could only see one film, then it should be Bethlehem which is the country’s submission for Academy Award Consideration for the Nomination for Best Foreign Language Film. It was a sad and clear eyed microcosmic view of the issues of trust and betrayals played out among every level of the society. People compared it to Omar by Hany Abu-Assad,the filmmaker of a favorite of mine, Paradise Now, but I did not see Omar.
Rags and Tatters at first seemed like a documentary, and does have doc footage, but it is a circular story that ends where it began but with much more understanding of the chaotic events in Cairo. Really worth watching.
Latino
Of the Latino films two Chilean films, Gloria (Chile) and The Summer of Flying Fish (Review), were accompanied by interviews which you can read on my previous blogs here and here. El Mudo from Peru by the Vega brothers was in the odd vien of their previous film, October. Not sure at the end just what the film was saying…
Toronto Film Fest Programmer Diana Sanchez’s official count of Latino films in the festival is 16. Of these, 5 are by women; 30% is a strong number. Venezuela and Chile are strong with year with two films each. Two other films might have been chosen except they went to San Sebastian for their world premieres. Especially hot this year was Mexico. 4 films are here but she might have chosen 10 if she could have. Costa Rica is making a showing with All About the Feathers and Central America is making more movies. There is lots of industry buzz coming from the good pictures from Brazil like A Wolf at the Door from Sao Paolo production
She is not counting Gravity by Alfonso Cuaron as as Latino film but as a U.S. film.
And Our White Society
The Dinner (Isa: Media Luna) by Menno Meyjes ♀ (Isa: Media Luna), a Dutch film deals with the personal and political as two families disintegrate when the affluent sons kill a homeless woman. Deeply disturbing social issues on the other side of the spectrum from those of 1982 and yet very much the same. How a society can foster such dissonance in class structure today which results in the disintegration of family and even a nation’s political life is, as I said, deeply disturbing. Based on the N.Y. Times best selling book which sold over 650,000 in The Netherlands, and is published in 22 countries, it stars four of Holland’s most renowned actors, Jacob Derwig, Thekla Reuten, Daan Schuurmans, and Kim van Kooten. This is a story that could be remade in America and still maintain its strength. The writer-director Menno Meyjes wrote the Academy Award nominee The Color Purple and collaborated with director Steven Speilberg on Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. In 2008 he directed Manolete with Penelope Cruz and Adrien Brody.
The Last of Robin Hood was a romp which thrilled us because Peter Belsito, my own dear husband, had a moment on screen (as the director of Errol Flynn’s last film Cuban Rebel Girls). He got the part because he had had an equally small role in the original Cuban Rebel Girls when it filmed in Cuba in 1959, four months after the Revolution. He happened to be there on vacation with his family including his 18 year old sister and his crazy aunt because Puerto Rico was full that year and Cuba had plenty of room. Directors Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland invited him to play in their film. The film actually had more meaning than merely a romp as it revealed what lays below the June-September love affair between Errol Flynn and 15 year old Beverly Aadland, the nature of fame (“a religion in this godless country” to quote Flynn himself) and ambition. Kevin Kline, Susan Sarandan and Dakota Fanning were all great in the repertoire piece.
Can a Song Save Your Life? garnered great praise as the film that followed the simple pure Once. I found it a bit flat though it kept my interest enough that I was not contemplating leaving. But it lacked the simplicity of Once.
Fading Gigolo proves that a Woody Allen Film is a Genre. John Turturro makes a Woody Allen middle-aged man fantasy of a wished for love affair with a Hasidic woman. Turturro is always lovable on screen, but his directing has something inauthentic about it…the only authentic thing was the twice-stated thought that somewhere in his heritage he was really Jewish. When I saw his previous film Passione, about Italians and passion, the opening song, being one of the first Cuban songs I ever heard, turned me off because again, it was inauthentic. It was Cuban, not Italian. I think he is not comfortable in his Italian guise.
Other films at Tiff I have seen previously:
Only Lovers Left Alive by Jim Jarmusch (Isa: HanWay, U.S. Spc). If you can see it as a dream of night, then the vampires dreaminess might appeal to you. I personally was ready to fall into my own stupor after watching this 123 minute movie of Vampires who have seen it all. Zzzzzz.
Don Jon is sexy and sweet. Scarlett Johansson is a superb comedienne, equal to Claudette Colbert in this film about two totally media mesmerized young lovers. ___ and his father are also great straight men. I loved this film, so funny and sweet and all about sex. Loved it!
Borgman Darkest humor, or is it humor? Creepy and definitely engrossing. Dutch filmmaker Alex van Warmerdam at his best. This is the Netherlands' Official Academy Awards Submission.
What I hear was good:
Aside from the ones that got snapped up for lots of money and are covered in all the trades already, there are films which I keep hearing about even now and will see:
Supermensch: The Legend of Shep Gordon
12 Years a Slave (Isa: Summit, U.S. Fox Searchlight)
The Lunchbox (Isa: The Match Factory)
Prisoners (Isa: Summit/ Lionsgate, U.S.: Warner Bros)
Dallas Buyers Clubs (Isa: Voltage, U.S. Focus Features)
Life of Crime (Isa: Hyde Park, U.S.: )
A Touch of Sin (Isa: MK2, U.S. Kino Lorber)
Gravity (Isa: Warner Bros. U.S. Warner Bros.)
Enough Said (Isa: Fox Searchlight, U.S. Fox Searchlight)
La Grande Bellezza (The Great Beauty) (Isa: Pathe, U.S. Criterion) Italy’s submission for Academy Award Nomination for Best Foreign Language Film
Violette (Isa: Doc & Film, U.S.: ?)
Omar (Isa: The Match Factory, U.S.: ?)
Le Passe (The Past) (Isa: Memento, U.S. Spc) Iran’s submission for Academy Award Nomination for Best Foreign Language Film.
To the Wolf (Isa: Pascale Ramonda)
The Selfish Giant (Isa: Protagonist, U.S. IFC)
At Berkeley by Frederick Wiseman (Isa: Doc & Film, U.S. Zipporah)
The Unknown Known (Isa: Entertainment One, U.S. Radius-twc)
Ain’t Misbehavin (Un Voyager) by Marcel Ophuls (Isa: Wide House)
Faith Connections by Pan Nalin (Isa: Cite Films). This Indian French film, produced by Raphael Berduo among others is written about here.
Civil Rights (?)
Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom
12 Years a Slave (Isa: Summit, U.S. Fox Searchlight)
Belle (Isa: Bankside, all rights sold to Fox Searchlight)
Lgbt
Kill Your Darlings: The youthful finding of himself by Alan Ginsburg as he enters Colombia University and meets Lucien Carr, Jack Kerouac and Alan Bourroughs revolves around a murder which actually happened. The period veracity and Daniel Radcliffe’s acting carry the film into a fascinating character study. (U.S. Spc)
Dallas Buyers Club (Isa: Voltage, U.S. Focus Features)
Tom a la ferme / Tom at the Farm by Xavier Dolan Isa: MK2, U.S.:)
L’Armee du salut/ Salvation Army by Abdellah Taia (Isa: - U.S.:-)
Eastern Boys (Isa: Films Distribution)
Pelo Malo/ Bad Hair (FiGa Films)
The Dog (Producer Rep: Submarine)
Ignasi M. (Isa: Latido)
Gerontophilia (Isa: MK2, U.S. Producer Rep: Filmoption)...
I wish I could have seen 100 other films too but for some reason or another I could not fit them in.
I moderated a wonderful panel (and we did blog on that!) on international film financing with Sffs’ Ted Hope, UTA’s Rena Ronson, Revolution’s Andrew Eaton, and Hollywood-based Cross Creek’s Brian Oliver, and Paul Miller, Head of Film Financing, from the Doha Film Institute, Qatar's first international organization dedicated to film financing, production, education and two film festivals.
I also spoke with Toronto Talent Lab filmmakers and then I filled my days with films – I did get an interview with Gloria’s director Sebastian Lelio and Berlin Best Actress winner Paulina Garcia and with Marcela Said, director of The Summer of Flying Fish but mostly I watched film after film after film – up to five a day, just like in the old days when I had to do it for my acquisitions jobs. This was pure pleasure. Friends would meet before the film, we would watch and disperse. And we would meet again at the cocktail hour or the dinner hour and then disperse again.
My partner Peter had lots of meetings with the Talent of Toronto from the Not Short on Shorts and the Talent Lab Mentoring Programs.
Parties like the Rotterdam-Screen International party gave us the chance to catch up with our Dutch friends whom we have not seen for the last two years. Ontario Media Development Corporation’s presenting the International Financing Forum luncheon gave us the chance to talk to lots of upcoming filmmakers and old friends again who were mentoring them. The panel Forty Years On: Women’s Film Festivals Today, moderated by Kay Armatage, former Tiff programmer, Professor Emeritus University of Toronto, and featuring Debra Zimmerman, Executive Director of Women Make Movies, NYC, Melissa Silverstein, Do-Fojnder an dArtistic Director of the Athena Film Festival in NYC and blogger of Women in Hollywood, So-In Hong, Director of Programming of the International Women’s Film Festival in Seoul had a rapport and didn’t hesitate to challenge each other. It felt like a party even though the subject was quite serious. The SXSW party was crowded as always, filled with everyone we could possibly know. It is always a great party we all want to attend.
One of the great dinners was that of The Creative Coalition Spotlight Awards Dinner honoring Alfre Woodard (12 Years a Slave), Hill Harper (1982, CSI: NY), Sharon Leal (1982), Matt Letscher (Scandal, The Carrie Diaries), Brenton Thwaites (Oculus, Maleficient), Tommy Oliver (1982, Kinyarwanda – I am a great fan of Tommy’s!), Tom Ortenberg (CEO, Open Road Films which has a coventure with Regal Theaters and AMC Theaters recently acquired by the richest man in China), and David Arquette (The Scream series). Our hostess, Robin Bronk is so welcoming and so dedicated to furthering the cause of universal education as a human right, education in the arts as a must. I admire her presence and her good work.
Here is a list of the great (and not so great, but never bad) films I got to see. I also list those I continue to hear about even now. I do not list all the films which were picked up during the festival and later. For that, you can go to SydneysBuzz.com and buy the Fall Rights Roundup 2013 and see all films whose rights were acquired (and announced) and by whom with links to all companies and Cinando for further research. For buyers it will, by deduction, show what is still available for Afm and for programmers, it will show who is in charge of the film for specific territories. The second edition will be issued two weeks after Afm.
One of the first films I saw and still retaining its place as one of my favorites was the documentary Finding Vivian Maier which begins with the discovery of photographs by an unknown woman named Vivian Maier by filmmaker John Maloof. As the mystery of this woman is uncovered, the audience is treated to her stunning work and the story of who she was.
One of my favorite films was by one of my favorite directors, Lucas Moodyson. We Are The Best (Isa: Trust Nordisk) was a great surprise, the story of three teeny-bopper punk-influenced girls who loved getting into unusual situations. It was loving and fun, darling and funny. I would take my children to see it and would delight in seeing it again. It was the biggest surprise for me. I can see why Magnolia snapped it up for the U.S. I thank programmer Steve Gravenstock for giving me the ticket for this film which I would have missed otherwise.
I had missed Jodorowsky’s Dune in Cannes. I am a great fan of El Topo and was eager to see this film. I was surprised at the elegance and skill of Jodorowsky in explaining his vision. Afterward, Gary Springer, our favorite publicist, arranged a wonderful reception at a classic comic book store where we loaded up on some fascinating graphic novels and Gary showed us his depiction on an old issue of Mad Magazine discussing the making of Jaws which he was in. picture here.
A totally unique and unexpected film about the African Diaspora, Belle, written and directed by Amma Asante was not talked about much to my surprise, perhaps because Fox Searchlight acquired all rights worldwide from Bankside before the festival. It is a stunningly beautiful British period piece of the 18th century about a mixed race aristocratic beauty.
My favorite film, on a par with The Patience Stone last year was Bobo (Isa: Wide) by Ines Oliveira starring Paula Garcia Aissato Indjai, produced by my friend Fernando Vendrell who gave me a ticket when I could not get one myself. This story of a woman who does nothing except go to work is forced to accept a claning woman and her young sister from Guinea-Bissau. Together they face down their demons. I love the cross-cultural understanding which results in their shared situations. I recently saw Mother of George and found the same warm connection across great cultural divides, though this one was of generations.
I wish I could have seen Pays Barbare/ Barbaric Land, the Italian/ French doc in Wavelengths about Mussolini’s attempted subjugation of Ethiopia (the only country in Africa never colonized). It sounds like great political poetry.
1982 which had previously won the prize of the jury I served on for Us Works in Progress held in July at the Champs Elysees Film Festival in Paris. It was deeply moving and disturbing film which depicts the shattering and the healing of a family. It also helps feed the pipeline begun with Lee Daniels producing Monster’s Ball who went on to direct to such films as Precious and The Butler. If the African American experience can continue to be expressed so eloquently by such filmmakers as Tommy Oliver, Rashaad Ernesto Green (Sundance 2012’s Gun Hill Road), Ava DuVernay (Middle of Nowhere), then a film literate audience will foster greater growth of even more talent in the coming generation. While I didn’t see All Is By My Side by U.K.’s John Ridley which is about Jimi Hendrix nor (yet!) the most highly acclaimed film of the festival, 12 Years a Slave by U.K.’s Steve McQueen, but I would include them in this discussion of the African American Experience.
On the subject of Africa, where last Sundance God Loves Uganda shocked and upset me, this year Mission Congo (Cinephil) revealed much of the same cultural divide only these two films show the negative impact of the Christian right upon already besieged Africans. What is done in the name of a righteous G-d is cause for dialogue and oversight.
Israel and the Middle East
No major turmoil or denunciations this year (Thank G-d, Allah, or whoever She may be). Katriel Schory, head of the Israeli Film Fund told me that if I could only see one film, then it should be Bethlehem which is the country’s submission for Academy Award Consideration for the Nomination for Best Foreign Language Film. It was a sad and clear eyed microcosmic view of the issues of trust and betrayals played out among every level of the society. People compared it to Omar by Hany Abu-Assad,the filmmaker of a favorite of mine, Paradise Now, but I did not see Omar.
Rags and Tatters at first seemed like a documentary, and does have doc footage, but it is a circular story that ends where it began but with much more understanding of the chaotic events in Cairo. Really worth watching.
Latino
Of the Latino films two Chilean films, Gloria (Chile) and The Summer of Flying Fish (Review), were accompanied by interviews which you can read on my previous blogs here and here. El Mudo from Peru by the Vega brothers was in the odd vien of their previous film, October. Not sure at the end just what the film was saying…
Toronto Film Fest Programmer Diana Sanchez’s official count of Latino films in the festival is 16. Of these, 5 are by women; 30% is a strong number. Venezuela and Chile are strong with year with two films each. Two other films might have been chosen except they went to San Sebastian for their world premieres. Especially hot this year was Mexico. 4 films are here but she might have chosen 10 if she could have. Costa Rica is making a showing with All About the Feathers and Central America is making more movies. There is lots of industry buzz coming from the good pictures from Brazil like A Wolf at the Door from Sao Paolo production
She is not counting Gravity by Alfonso Cuaron as as Latino film but as a U.S. film.
And Our White Society
The Dinner (Isa: Media Luna) by Menno Meyjes ♀ (Isa: Media Luna), a Dutch film deals with the personal and political as two families disintegrate when the affluent sons kill a homeless woman. Deeply disturbing social issues on the other side of the spectrum from those of 1982 and yet very much the same. How a society can foster such dissonance in class structure today which results in the disintegration of family and even a nation’s political life is, as I said, deeply disturbing. Based on the N.Y. Times best selling book which sold over 650,000 in The Netherlands, and is published in 22 countries, it stars four of Holland’s most renowned actors, Jacob Derwig, Thekla Reuten, Daan Schuurmans, and Kim van Kooten. This is a story that could be remade in America and still maintain its strength. The writer-director Menno Meyjes wrote the Academy Award nominee The Color Purple and collaborated with director Steven Speilberg on Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. In 2008 he directed Manolete with Penelope Cruz and Adrien Brody.
The Last of Robin Hood was a romp which thrilled us because Peter Belsito, my own dear husband, had a moment on screen (as the director of Errol Flynn’s last film Cuban Rebel Girls). He got the part because he had had an equally small role in the original Cuban Rebel Girls when it filmed in Cuba in 1959, four months after the Revolution. He happened to be there on vacation with his family including his 18 year old sister and his crazy aunt because Puerto Rico was full that year and Cuba had plenty of room. Directors Richard Glatzer and Wash Westmoreland invited him to play in their film. The film actually had more meaning than merely a romp as it revealed what lays below the June-September love affair between Errol Flynn and 15 year old Beverly Aadland, the nature of fame (“a religion in this godless country” to quote Flynn himself) and ambition. Kevin Kline, Susan Sarandan and Dakota Fanning were all great in the repertoire piece.
Can a Song Save Your Life? garnered great praise as the film that followed the simple pure Once. I found it a bit flat though it kept my interest enough that I was not contemplating leaving. But it lacked the simplicity of Once.
Fading Gigolo proves that a Woody Allen Film is a Genre. John Turturro makes a Woody Allen middle-aged man fantasy of a wished for love affair with a Hasidic woman. Turturro is always lovable on screen, but his directing has something inauthentic about it…the only authentic thing was the twice-stated thought that somewhere in his heritage he was really Jewish. When I saw his previous film Passione, about Italians and passion, the opening song, being one of the first Cuban songs I ever heard, turned me off because again, it was inauthentic. It was Cuban, not Italian. I think he is not comfortable in his Italian guise.
Other films at Tiff I have seen previously:
Only Lovers Left Alive by Jim Jarmusch (Isa: HanWay, U.S. Spc). If you can see it as a dream of night, then the vampires dreaminess might appeal to you. I personally was ready to fall into my own stupor after watching this 123 minute movie of Vampires who have seen it all. Zzzzzz.
Don Jon is sexy and sweet. Scarlett Johansson is a superb comedienne, equal to Claudette Colbert in this film about two totally media mesmerized young lovers. ___ and his father are also great straight men. I loved this film, so funny and sweet and all about sex. Loved it!
Borgman Darkest humor, or is it humor? Creepy and definitely engrossing. Dutch filmmaker Alex van Warmerdam at his best. This is the Netherlands' Official Academy Awards Submission.
What I hear was good:
Aside from the ones that got snapped up for lots of money and are covered in all the trades already, there are films which I keep hearing about even now and will see:
Supermensch: The Legend of Shep Gordon
12 Years a Slave (Isa: Summit, U.S. Fox Searchlight)
The Lunchbox (Isa: The Match Factory)
Prisoners (Isa: Summit/ Lionsgate, U.S.: Warner Bros)
Dallas Buyers Clubs (Isa: Voltage, U.S. Focus Features)
Life of Crime (Isa: Hyde Park, U.S.: )
A Touch of Sin (Isa: MK2, U.S. Kino Lorber)
Gravity (Isa: Warner Bros. U.S. Warner Bros.)
Enough Said (Isa: Fox Searchlight, U.S. Fox Searchlight)
La Grande Bellezza (The Great Beauty) (Isa: Pathe, U.S. Criterion) Italy’s submission for Academy Award Nomination for Best Foreign Language Film
Violette (Isa: Doc & Film, U.S.: ?)
Omar (Isa: The Match Factory, U.S.: ?)
Le Passe (The Past) (Isa: Memento, U.S. Spc) Iran’s submission for Academy Award Nomination for Best Foreign Language Film.
To the Wolf (Isa: Pascale Ramonda)
The Selfish Giant (Isa: Protagonist, U.S. IFC)
At Berkeley by Frederick Wiseman (Isa: Doc & Film, U.S. Zipporah)
The Unknown Known (Isa: Entertainment One, U.S. Radius-twc)
Ain’t Misbehavin (Un Voyager) by Marcel Ophuls (Isa: Wide House)
Faith Connections by Pan Nalin (Isa: Cite Films). This Indian French film, produced by Raphael Berduo among others is written about here.
Civil Rights (?)
Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom
12 Years a Slave (Isa: Summit, U.S. Fox Searchlight)
Belle (Isa: Bankside, all rights sold to Fox Searchlight)
Lgbt
Kill Your Darlings: The youthful finding of himself by Alan Ginsburg as he enters Colombia University and meets Lucien Carr, Jack Kerouac and Alan Bourroughs revolves around a murder which actually happened. The period veracity and Daniel Radcliffe’s acting carry the film into a fascinating character study. (U.S. Spc)
Dallas Buyers Club (Isa: Voltage, U.S. Focus Features)
Tom a la ferme / Tom at the Farm by Xavier Dolan Isa: MK2, U.S.:)
L’Armee du salut/ Salvation Army by Abdellah Taia (Isa: - U.S.:-)
Eastern Boys (Isa: Films Distribution)
Pelo Malo/ Bad Hair (FiGa Films)
The Dog (Producer Rep: Submarine)
Ignasi M. (Isa: Latido)
Gerontophilia (Isa: MK2, U.S. Producer Rep: Filmoption)...
- 10/8/2013
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Bad Hair (Pelo Malo) wins Golden Shell at San Sebastian Mariana Rondón's Bad Hair (Pelo Malo) has won the Golden Shell at the 61st San Sebastian Film Festival.
The film, which recounts the story of a mum who suspects her young son might be gay is a Venezuela/Peru/Germany co-production. The film was one of the frontrunners to receive the prize after it screened early in the festival, although Living Is Easy With Eyes Closed (Vivir Es Fácil Con Los Ojos Cerrados) was also receiving lots of critical love.
The best director Silver Shell went to Fernando Eimbcke for Mexican film Club Sandwich, which also focuses on a mother and son dynamic - this time sent into disarray after the boy embarks on a holiday romance.
The Special Jury Prize went to the directorial debut of Fernando Franco (whose previous editing credits include Blancanieves) for Wounded (La Herida). The film,...
The film, which recounts the story of a mum who suspects her young son might be gay is a Venezuela/Peru/Germany co-production. The film was one of the frontrunners to receive the prize after it screened early in the festival, although Living Is Easy With Eyes Closed (Vivir Es Fácil Con Los Ojos Cerrados) was also receiving lots of critical love.
The best director Silver Shell went to Fernando Eimbcke for Mexican film Club Sandwich, which also focuses on a mother and son dynamic - this time sent into disarray after the boy embarks on a holiday romance.
The Special Jury Prize went to the directorial debut of Fernando Franco (whose previous editing credits include Blancanieves) for Wounded (La Herida). The film,...
- 9/29/2013
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Richard Curtis’ time-travel romance wins European Film award; other prizes go to films by Kore-eda, Tavernier, Teplitzky and Vallee.
The 61st San Sebastian Film Festival has awarded Richard Curtis comedy About Time the prize for European Film.
The film stars Domnhall Gleeson as a young man who discovers he can travel in time and uses his newfound power to get a girlfriend, played by Rachel McAdams. It has played at film festivals in Edinburgh, Locarno and Rio, and is heading for New York and the Hamptons.
San Sebastian, which draws to a close today, also handed out a raft of other awards.
The Wuaki.TV Audience Award went to Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Like Father, Like Son, which won the Jury Award at Cannes in May.
Jim Taihuttu’s Dutch drama Wolf picked up the Youth Award.
The Fipresci Award went to Bertrand Tavernier’s political satire Quai d’Orsay, based on a French comic of the same...
The 61st San Sebastian Film Festival has awarded Richard Curtis comedy About Time the prize for European Film.
The film stars Domnhall Gleeson as a young man who discovers he can travel in time and uses his newfound power to get a girlfriend, played by Rachel McAdams. It has played at film festivals in Edinburgh, Locarno and Rio, and is heading for New York and the Hamptons.
San Sebastian, which draws to a close today, also handed out a raft of other awards.
The Wuaki.TV Audience Award went to Hirokazu Kore-eda’s Like Father, Like Son, which won the Jury Award at Cannes in May.
Jim Taihuttu’s Dutch drama Wolf picked up the Youth Award.
The Fipresci Award went to Bertrand Tavernier’s political satire Quai d’Orsay, based on a French comic of the same...
- 9/28/2013
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
World premieres of Kevin Macdonald’s How I Live Now, Fred Schepisi’s Words And Pictures and John Turturro’s Fading Gigolo are among the Tiff line-up of galas and special presentations.
The Contemporary World Cinema strand includes first views of Jan Hrebejk’s Honeymoon, Donovan Marsh’s iNumber Number and Fernando Coimbra’s A Wolf At The Door.
The Toronto International Film Festival is scheduled to run from Sept 5-15.
Wp = World premiere
IP = International premiere
Np = North American premiere
Cp = Canadian premiere
Tp = Toronto premiere
GALASBlood Ties Guillaume Canet (France-us) NAPBright Days Ahead (Les Beaux Jours) Marion Vernoux (France) NAPWords & Pictures Fred Schepisi (Us) Wpspecial Presentationsa Promise (Une Promesse) Patrice Leconte (Belgium-France) NAPThe Armstrong Lie Alex Gibney (Us) NAPBlind Detective Johnnie To (Hong Kong) NAPChild Of God James Franco (Us) NAPThe Face Of Love Arie Posin (Us) WPFading Gigolo John Turturro (Us) WPThe Finishers Nils Tavernier (Belgium-France) WPHow I Live Now Kevin Macdonald (UK) WPThe...
The Contemporary World Cinema strand includes first views of Jan Hrebejk’s Honeymoon, Donovan Marsh’s iNumber Number and Fernando Coimbra’s A Wolf At The Door.
The Toronto International Film Festival is scheduled to run from Sept 5-15.
Wp = World premiere
IP = International premiere
Np = North American premiere
Cp = Canadian premiere
Tp = Toronto premiere
GALASBlood Ties Guillaume Canet (France-us) NAPBright Days Ahead (Les Beaux Jours) Marion Vernoux (France) NAPWords & Pictures Fred Schepisi (Us) Wpspecial Presentationsa Promise (Une Promesse) Patrice Leconte (Belgium-France) NAPThe Armstrong Lie Alex Gibney (Us) NAPBlind Detective Johnnie To (Hong Kong) NAPChild Of God James Franco (Us) NAPThe Face Of Love Arie Posin (Us) WPFading Gigolo John Turturro (Us) WPThe Finishers Nils Tavernier (Belgium-France) WPHow I Live Now Kevin Macdonald (UK) WPThe...
- 8/13/2013
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
World premieres of Kevin Macdonald’s How I Live Now, Fred Schepisi’s Words And Pictures and John Turturro’s Fading Gigolo are among the TIFF line-up of galas and special presentations announced on Tuesday [13].
The Contemporary World Cinema strand includes first views of Jan Hrebejk’s Honeymoon, Donovan Marsh’s iNumber Number and Fernando Coimbra’s A Wolf At The Door.
The Toronto International Film Festival is scheduled to run from Sept 5-15.
Wp = World premiere
IP = International premiere
Np = North American premiere
Cp = Canadian premiere
Tp = Toronto premiere
GALASBlood Ties Guillaume Canet (France-us) NAPBright Days Ahead (Les Beaux Jours) Marion Vernoux (France) NAPWords & Pictures Fred Schepisi (Us) Wpspecial Presentationsa Promise (Une Promesse) Patrice Leconte (Belgium-France) NAPThe Armstrong Lie Alex Gibney (Us) NAPBlind Detective Johnnie To (Hong Kong) NAPChild Of God James Franco (Us) NAPThe Face Of Love Arie Posin (Us) WPFading Gigolo John Turturro (Us) WPThe Finishers Nils Tavernier (Belgium-France) WPHow I Live Now [link...
The Contemporary World Cinema strand includes first views of Jan Hrebejk’s Honeymoon, Donovan Marsh’s iNumber Number and Fernando Coimbra’s A Wolf At The Door.
The Toronto International Film Festival is scheduled to run from Sept 5-15.
Wp = World premiere
IP = International premiere
Np = North American premiere
Cp = Canadian premiere
Tp = Toronto premiere
GALASBlood Ties Guillaume Canet (France-us) NAPBright Days Ahead (Les Beaux Jours) Marion Vernoux (France) NAPWords & Pictures Fred Schepisi (Us) Wpspecial Presentationsa Promise (Une Promesse) Patrice Leconte (Belgium-France) NAPThe Armstrong Lie Alex Gibney (Us) NAPBlind Detective Johnnie To (Hong Kong) NAPChild Of God James Franco (Us) NAPThe Face Of Love Arie Posin (Us) WPFading Gigolo John Turturro (Us) WPThe Finishers Nils Tavernier (Belgium-France) WPHow I Live Now [link...
- 8/13/2013
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
The Toronto International Film Festival has set its Contemporary World Cinema lineup featuring the best in cinema from around the globe. Here are the films: A Place In Heaven (Makom be-gan eden) Yossi Madmony, Israel North American Premiere. Jewish religious law permits the trade of a seemingly non-transferrable concept: another person’s place in heaven. This is the story of a highly-decorated retired general who, in a moment of arrogance during his youth, sold his place in heaven to an army cook for a plate of shakshouka. A Wolf At The Door (O Lobo atrás da Porta) Fernando Coimbra, Brazil World Premiere. A child is kidnapped. At the police station, Sylvia and Bernardo, the victim’s parents, and Rosa, the main suspect and Bernardo’s lover, give contradictory evidence which will take audiences to the gloomiest corners of desires, lies, needs and wickedness in the relationship of these three characters.
- 8/13/2013
- by MIKE FLEMING JR
- Deadline
Films from Roger Michell and Bertrand Tavernier as well as Jonathan Teplitzky’s The Railway Man, starring Colin Firth and Nicole Kidman, among first wave of titles.
The 61st San Sebastian Film Festival has revealed the first six titles to compete in its Official Selection.
They include Le Week-end, from Notting Hill director Roger Michell, which tells the story of a couple of British teachers who revisit Paris many years after their honeymoon in an attempt to rejuvenate their marriage. It stars Jim Broadbent, Lindsay Duncan and Jeff Goldblum.
UK-Australia co-pro The Railway Man, from director Jonathan Teplitzky, stars Colin Firth, Nicole Kidman, Jeremy Irvine and Stellan Skarsgård. It is based on the true story of Eric Lomax, a British soldier captured by the Japanese during the Second World War who was forced to work on the Burma-Thailand railway. After the war, during his retirement, he discovers that the Japanese soldier responsible for a large part of...
The 61st San Sebastian Film Festival has revealed the first six titles to compete in its Official Selection.
They include Le Week-end, from Notting Hill director Roger Michell, which tells the story of a couple of British teachers who revisit Paris many years after their honeymoon in an attempt to rejuvenate their marriage. It stars Jim Broadbent, Lindsay Duncan and Jeff Goldblum.
UK-Australia co-pro The Railway Man, from director Jonathan Teplitzky, stars Colin Firth, Nicole Kidman, Jeremy Irvine and Stellan Skarsgård. It is based on the true story of Eric Lomax, a British soldier captured by the Japanese during the Second World War who was forced to work on the Burma-Thailand railway. After the war, during his retirement, he discovers that the Japanese soldier responsible for a large part of...
- 8/7/2013
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
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