WELCOME TO OUR NEWSLETTER N° 478: September 30, 2010
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By Liza ForemanThe Tokyo International Film Festival (TIFF) has announced that the award-winning Irish filmmaker Neil Jordan will be the Jury President for the International Competition at the 23rd TIFF. Jordan's films have been honored with numerous awards worldwide including the Oscar (The Crying Game), and BAFTAs for (Crying Game, The End Of The Affair). Company Of Wolves, his second film, was selected for the first year of TIFF's Competition section in 1985. The 23rd edition of the Tokyo Int...
Well, no one ever accused London of hogging too much of the world's great weather. In fact, it can be said that one of the reasons for the imperialistic urges of the British Empire was to find sunny climes and get out of the fucking rain. Well, rain is not a bad thing when it is a celluloid downpour, and that is what is on tap when the 18th edition of the Raindance Film Festival begins in London on Wednesday evening.
This year’s lineup, which includes 69 UK Premieres, is a co...
Future generations will be in a better position to determine whether the introduction of social networking technology in the first decade of the 20th century was a blessing or a curse. Certainly for the entrepreneurs who created new ways for us to communicate with one another, it has been both. Such is the case for the multi-billionaire Mark Zuckerberg, who founded the internet phenomenon Facebook, but who has lost as much as he has gained in terms of the trust and love of his friends...
I'M STILL HERE, the not-very-flattering documentary by actor-turned-director Casey Affleck of his brother-in-law and best friend Joaquin Phoenix has been provoking controversy since it world premiered at the Venice Film Festival. Is the film, which had its North American premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival earlier this week, a true portrait of the actor's rejection of movie stardom or is it a cleverly planned hoax? The "documentary" of the tumultuous year that saw Joaquin attempt...
I'M STILL HERE, the not-very-flattering documentary by actor-turned-director Casey Affleck of his brother-in-law and best friend Joaquin Phoenix has been provoking controversy since it world premiered at the Venice Film Festival. Is the film, which had its North American premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival earlier this week, a true portrait of the actor's rejection of movie stardom or is it a cleverly planned hoax?
The "documentary" of the tumultuous y...
It has been a difficult few months for the British film industry. Not only has the economic recession made the film business even more challenging, but the controversy surrounding the shuttering of the UK Film Council has been acriminious, amidst charges of economic abuse and political favoritism. Even the venerable London Film Festival, which unspools next month, losts its main corporate sponsors and had to scramble to find replacements.
However, based on the bounty of British film...
Never Let Me Go is an Oscar Contender
By Ron Gilbert
The Oscar race for best actress
has begun; Carey Mulligan will be a contender. There are many great elements to
the film but, Carey Mulligan's (Kathy) phenomenal performance is the main focus
of the film), l After seeing her performance in this film you realize that this
actress has “IT” Keira
Knightley (Ruth) is also a big surprise showing me her depth as an actress in this film and also in director Massy Tadjed...
(A LETTER TO UNCLE BONMEE, Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Thailand)
September is only 9 days old, and already the pace of the worldwide film scene is in high gear. As the Venice International Film Festival goes into its final weekend, the excitement is just starting today at the Toronto International Film Festival. Add to that an excellent regional event on the lux island of Martha's Vineyard in Cape Cod, the Martha's Vineyard International Film Festival (www.mvfilmsociety.org), a...
Andrew Lau (also known as Wei-Keung Lau), the celebrated Hong Kong filmmaker, returns to the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) with the North American premiere of his latest action epic LEGEND OF THE FIST: The Return of Chen Zhen. The film recently opened the Venice International Film Festival and is now making its bow in North America. Lau is acknowledged as Hong Kong's premiere director of action films, a genre that is popular everywhere in the world.
La...
The 19th Chichester International Film Festival, the most successful to date with attendances up by a whopping 20%, closed on September 5 with a sellout Gala Closing World Premiere Film, Made in Dagenham, starring Sally Hawkins and Bob Hoskin, scriptwriter Billy Ivory giving an insight into the making of the film. The 18 day festival’s Opening Gala Film, The Illusionist, an English Premiere, was among the 93 films, 136 programme and 6 illustrated talks which attracted over 4,750 to the cinema...
Nico Dekker, CEO of Cape Town Film Studios, South Africa's largest and newest film studio, announced that the studio has secured the first major 3D action film to be made in Africa, Judge Dredd - this popular comic book figure, initially brought to life on the big screen by Sylvester Stallone, will once again grace the big screen. Dekker says it is a major breakthrough for the studio and the country to have secured a production of this caliber before the official construction phase of Cape Town ...
Premiered in the German language version, Oliver Stone’s “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps” starring Michael Douglas, will be screened as the Zurich Film Festival’s Closing Night Film on Sunday evening, October 3, 2010. Michael Douglas will receive the Golden Icon Award for his life’s work prior to the screening. His school day friend Danny DeVito will accept the award for Douglas, who was recently diagnosed with cancer. In addition to Danny DeVito, “Wall Street” Director Oliver S...
School day friend Danny DeVito to accept the award on behalf of Michael Douglas US-American actor and producer Michael Douglas will receive the Zurich Film Festival’s Golden Icon Award for his life’s work. Douglas had already agreed to collect the award in Zurich before he received the news that he had cancer. The award will now be collected on his behalf at the festival’s October 3 Closing Night by his school day friend, companion and fellow actor Danny DeVito. Michael Douglas stands alon...
Ernest Borgnine, who is exuberantly entering his seventh decade of creating memorable characters and award-winning performances, will receive Screen Actors Guild (SAG)’s most prestigious accolade-—the Screen Actors Guild Life Achievement Award for career achievement and humanitarian accomplishment. Borgnine, who has performed in more than 200 motion pictures, five television series and dozens of television films and guest appearances, will be presented the Award, given annually to an actor w...
INDIAN FILM REVIEWS, 2010 -- COMPOSITE with RAAKH (1989) ADDED NEW BOLLYWOOD BLOCKBUSTER TO PREMIER AT BERLIN 2010 by Alex deleon -- (reviewed below) for www.filmfestivals.com The much awaited new Indian film "My Name Is Khan" will be premiered at the 60th annual Berlin International Film Festival on Febuary 12, out of competition but very much in the limelight otherwise. MNIK is easily the most anticpated Hindi film of the year as it topline...
What do an Archbishop, a long-time contributor to Denver's cultural scene, an increasingly influential state Senator, and an Oscar nominee all have in common? They are lending their voices to the kick-off of an exciting and provocative new series, to be held monthly at the Starz FilmCenter beginning in August. Critic and filmmaker Robert Denerstein joins the Denver Film Society in presenting Colorado Cinema Salon, a program dedicated to enlarging and deepening the conversation about issues in ci...
On Martin Scorsese
Thelma Schoonmaker on Martin Scorsese: interview
watch whole Getty Images interview on this link:
http://www.fest21.com/en/video/interview_with_3_times_oscar_winner_thelma_schoonmaker
Three time Academy Award winner for editing Thelma Schoonmaker in an up-close-and-personal interview about what it has been like to work alongside ...
The main event on day five of the fest Monday, was a staged conversation with actor Ben Affleck, 37, held at the Grammy Museum a short walk away from the Regal Cineplex 14 main festival venue. This was introduced by long term Newsweek film critic David Ansen who is the artistic director of the festival this year. The moderator --i.e., leading question asker -- was a Mr. Sean Smith, who prudently allowed Mr. Affleck to do most of the talking. Clips from some of his films were shown including the ...
Thelma Schoonmaker on Martin Scorsese: interview
Three time Academy Award winner for editing Thelma Schoonmaker in an up-close-and-personal interview about w...
Cinema City, another International Film & Media Festival in Serbia, officially began last night, 5th of June on Saturday and will end 12th of June 2010, in a quiet little town Novi Sad. The grand opening of the Cinema City Film Festival celebrated the film The Secret in Their Eyes by Juan José Campanella, this year’s Oscar winner for Best Foreign Language Film of the Year. The festival ruptured charismatic actress and singer Juliette Lewis, a special guest of the Festival at Katolicka ...
It takes a lot of energy, enthusiasm and patience to handle independent films in this distressed market. The economic depression, the evolution of how film is being watched and the nagging uncertainty of what role the internet plays in it all, have made the independent film distribution not something for the weak of heart. While independent films fight for theater space in a world dominated by the Hollywood majors, it becomes even more important for a company to use innovative techniq...
It takes a lot of energy, enthusiasm and patience to handle independent films in this distressed market. The economic depression, the evolution of how film is being watched and the nagging uncertainty of what role the internet plays in it all, have made the independent film distribution not something for the weak of heart. While independent films fight for theater space in a world dominated by the Hollywood majors, it becomes even more important for a company to use innovative techniqu...
THE PERFECT AGE OF ROCK N ROLL (Scott Rosenbaum, USA)
Well, the good news is that after several days of torrential rain showers, the sun is finally shining in Zlin as the Zlin Film Festival hits the halfway mark of its 50th anniversary celebrations. Despite the unusually cool weather, the atmosphere has been warm at this popular and important film event, the oldest devoted to films for the children and youth market (although adults are more than welcome).
The Fest...
For this year's 50th anniversary Jubilee edition of the Zlin Film Festival, held in the UNESCO Heritage City of Zlin in northeastern Czech Republic, several programs heralding Czech cinema of the past and the present are among this year's highlights. This includes a special sidebar for actor/writer/composer Zdenek Sverák, one of Czech cinema's best known faces and talents. Zdenek Sverák is a true renaissance man, having scaled the heights of the film, theater and television worlds as both an ...
