It perhaps seemed improbable that one of the world's funniest filmmakers was a devoted acolyte of one of the world's most serious. But that was the case for Woody Allen, whose devotion to the Swedish filmmaker Ingmar Bergman was a life-long obsession. He often referenced the great director in his films. In ANNIE HALL, in a scene that all hardcore cinephiles can relate to, Woody refuses to go to a screening of Bergman's FACE TO FACE because he and Diane Keaton have missed the first 60 seconds of ...
Friday, July 27-------It did not seem like it at the time, but the films of a new generation of filmmakers in the 1970s truly did revolutionize the industry and save the studios from financial disaster. By the following decade, Hollywood was back to its old tricks of mounting blockbusters and lowest-common-denominator genre films. But for a period of about ten years (from 1967 to 1977, roughly defined by the release of Mike Nichol's THE GRADUATE and the unprecedented boxoffice extravaganza...
Tuesday, July 24---------Two of Europe's finest actors will receive the Locarno Excellence Awards in the beautiful resort city of Locarno, in the Ticino canon of Switzerland, as part of the Locarno Film Festival. The Festival, one of Europe's oldest, will pay tribute to Spanish actress Carmen Maura and French actor Michel Piccoli as part of its Festival events. The Locarno Excellence Award is given annually to an actor or actors of international standing. Previous honorees have includ...
Wednesday, June 20---------Members of the Jacob Burns Film Center, Westchester's most adventurous arthouse complex, will be treated to a special advance preview of one of the summer's most provocative films, Michael Moore's SICKO. The film opens wide on June 29th in wide release and is sure to stimulate discussion and serve as a lightning rod, as much if not more than Moore's previous triumph FAHRENHEIT 911. Burns Film Center members can among the first audiences to see the film...
Saturday, June 16-----SILVERDOCS: AFI/Discovery Channel Documentary Festival is setting an example by being one of the first such festival events to actively try and reduce its carbon footprint and demonstrate how it can run its Festival efficiently with an eye towards energy conservation. This reporter, when told that the Festival wanted to encourage visitors to use public transporation to come from the Airport to the DC suburb of Silver Spring, was happy to do his part (although the Festiv...
Clint Eastwood will receive this year’s Spirit of Independence Award at the 2007 Los Angeles Film Festival. The Spirit of Independence Award will be given to Eastwood at a special event on Thursday, June 28 sponsored by Target. Tony Bennett, who is the focus of a new documentary for which Clint Eastwood serves as executive producer, will present Eastwood with this honor.The Spirit of Independence Award event is an opportunity for emerging filmmakers to hear Eastwood speak about his work, h...
It's official: The Bahamas is not just for honeymooners and sun worshipers anymore. Who would have thought that in amongst sandy beaches and swaying palms would lie the next big showcase for independent film. Founder and Executive Director, Leslie Vanderpool tapped this hidden potential when she started the Bahamas International Film Festival in 2004. And, after this year?s event, she may just set in motion the makings of a marketplace for Hollywood that could eventually rival Sundance and o...
Cannes is widely regarded as the world's most important film festival - but how did that status come about? Is it a realistic assessment of the event? How has the festival changed over the years, and how is it planning to cope with a moving-image culture evolving more rapidly than the institutions which support it? Thierry Frémaux, Artistic Director of the Cannes Film Festival, celebrated this month in the Cannes at 60 season (see p28-32), will speak frankly about the past, present and future o...
Tuesday, May 29------While the Main Competition Awards at the Cannes Film Festival generally get the lion's share of press (particularly the Palme d'Or, the Festival's highest honor), there are a number of other awards that are equally significant. Each one of the parallel sections of the Festival (Un Certain Regard, Directors Fortnight and the International Critics Week) bestows its own prizes. In addition, film critics and other guilds have their own set of awards. All in all, a pr...
Two-time Palme d’Or winner for When Father was Away on Business in 1985 and Underground in 1995, Emir Kusturica is once again showing a film in the Official Competition entitled Promise Me This. The action takes place in the Serbian countryside and centers on the promises made by Tsane (Uros Milovanovic) to his aging grandfather (Aleksandar Bercek): go over the three hills into the nearest town and sell their cow at the market there. With the money, Tsane must buy a religious icon and then any...
Although the main purpose of the press conferences that take place next to the Noga Hilton in the Quinzaine des Realisators tent is so that the general public can ask questions to the directors, Sandrine Bonnaire wasn't the one who did most of the talking Thursday after the first showing fo her film "Elle S'appelle Sabine." The film is a documentary concerning autism in which Bonnaire follows around and paints a portrait of the life of her sister, who has autism. The film i...
Dream Balloon's Co-Chairman Joseph Anselmo has announced that Award Winning Director Michael Attardi's Once Upon A Christmas Village featuring the voices of Jim Belushi and Tim Curry " will be featured at the Short Film Corner during the Cannes Film Festival.Telly AwardsAt the 28th Annual Telly Awards, OUACV won in 10 categories: Best Animation, Best Musical Productions, Best Cinematography, Best CGI Animation Film, Best Art Direction, Best Director of Camera, Best Sound Design, Bes...
FESTIVAL NEWS - MAY 2007 Artistic Director Sandra Hebron and our Festival programmers are at the 60th Cannes Film Festival, searching for the best in new international film to bring to London in October for the Times BFI 51st London Film Festival. So we thought we'd bring a little taste of Cannes to the capital with some special BFI Southbank events and screenings. Cannes & Film - 60 Glorious Years? Tue 12 June 6.15pm at BFI Southbank In the second Sight & Sound discussion e...
If you weren’t trying to explore a little, it might be hard for you to find the "Suquet," Cannes’ oldest and loveliest street. The little cobblestone street, for pedestrians only, winds up from right near the “Piazza” restaurant on the beginning of Rue D’Antibes and leads to the auto route on the other side of Cannes. During the off months, the street is sweet and peaceful, one or two bars sometimes open; one souvenir shop selling Provencial goods like linens and lav...
Woman enjoys the best looking ice cream cone I've ever seen while waiting to see the stars of Ocean's 13 exit after their premiere last night. Ice cream is a popular way to cool down during the Cannes Film festival
Tue 12 June 6.15pm at BFI Southbank In the second Sight & Sound discussion event at London's BFI Southbank we turn our attention to Cannes - widely regarded as the world's most influential competitive film festival. Thierry Frémaux, Artistic Director of the Cannes Film Festival, talks about its purpose, achievements and failings. Hosted by Geoff Andrew, Head of Film Programme at BFI Southbank, this promises to be a fascinating evening. ...
Updated information on cinema-going in Europe in 2006 in the MEDIA Salles Newsletter “European Cinema Journal” no. 2/2007 (attached), presented during the Cannes Film Festival on 21 May. At the MEDIA Salles “happy hour”, the traditional gathering for cinema professionals and journalists. The President of the Association, Jens Rykær, commented: “We are happy that 2006 has seen an increase in audiences in European cinemas and that in several countries Europe’s films have obtained sign...
There is much excitement during this time as the Cannes Film Festival events are underway. The one aspect that does not get as much publicity, however, is the business end of the show. There are buyers and film production companies looking to sign with film makers from all over the world. In the "Marche du Film", or Film Market, companies are set up with booths all over the building offering films and services for film production. Screenings are held on the upper levels of the ...
Updated figures on cinema-going in 2006 reveal a positive trend: audiences grow by 3.5% in the European UnionUpdated information on cinema-going in Europe in 2006 in the MEDIA Salles Newsletter “European Cinema Journal” no. 2/2007 (attached), presented during the Cannes Film Festival on 21 May. At the MEDIA Salles “happy hour”, the traditional gathering for cinema professionals and journalists. The President of the Association, Jens Rykær, commented: “We are happy that 2006 has seen a...
Dynamic company, ITN Distribution Inc. (ITN) has announced that they have acquired worldwide sales rights to Johnny 316, an impossible love story starring Vincent Gallo (Buffalo 66, The Brown Bunny) and stunning actress and model Nina Brosh. ITN President Stuart Alson will act as exclusive agent for the feature film and plans to generate heavy sales out of Riviera F11 at the 2007 Marche DuFilm/Cannes. Other films on the ITN roster include, That’s the Way of the World starring Harvey Keitel;...
The international subtitling company, Sub-Ti, held a party at the Cannes Hilton I-Lounge on Monday evening during the Cannes Film Festival. Sub-Ti is based in London, and has offices in Milan, Paris, Bologna, Barcelona, and New York. Guests of the party enjoyed wonderful Italian cuisine looking out over the bay of Cannes....
Interview with Tammy Caplan (co-writer/director) and Joe Gold (co-writer/star) of Fartman: Caught in a Tight Ass (USA) short film - smash hit on Atom Films and available to watch now! plus we bring you an update on the Cannes Film Festival and preview the upcoming Seattle International Film Festival kicks off on the 24 May to 17 June Music If this geek ruled the world by Geoff Smith 99 words for boobs by The FuMP from Robert Lund Competition Don't forget to enter the "Discover Me&quo...
The Cannes International Film Festival has almost nothing in common with the hustle and bustle of Los Angeles and Hollywood, and yet, people tend to treat each other in the same way: every man for himself. When someone takes time out of their schedule to speak to you, knowing that you are not going to buy their movie or advance their career in some way, that person is someone who is worth talking to. This was the sort of situation that led me to Ken Feinberg, write...
Crowds gathered Saturday evening to catch U2 perform for free on the red carpet. The show was held at 12:30 a.m. and preceded the showing of "U23D", a documentary about the Irish band. Crammed between hundreds of spectators, the setting was just as glamorous as could be. Men in Tuxedos were lined up along the red carpet, and paparazzi anxiously awaited the arrival of Bono, the Edge, and the rest of the classic rock band. While waiting, the crowd enjoyed hits from the band as th...
