Hong Kong Tsui Hark's epic martial arts fantasy Seven Swordswill open the Venice Film Festival, and will be screened out of competition. The Venice fest is slated for Aug. 31-Sept. 10 and Dante Ferretti, Oscar-winning set designer of The Aviator will be president of the juryA special "wuxia" martial arts theme party is planned on the Excelsior Hotel beach, the meeting place for journalists, cast and crew, for a celebration of 100 years of Chinese cinema.Asian films will predominate this year's ...
A FESTIVAL IS REBORN IN MONTREALOne of the more intriguing announcements made here in Berlin is the establishment of a new film festival in Montreal, to be held from October 12 to 23 of this year. Industry watchers have followed the political drama that has been slowly emerging since August with the announcement that the Montreal World Film Festival, a fixture for several decades, had lost its governmental funding from Telefilm Canada and a host of other professional institutions.Criticism had c...
2O Fingers won Best Film Venezia Cinema Digitale: interview with the author: Mania Akbari 20 Fingers - one of the most controversial films to come out of Iran, and the debut feature from Iranian actress and filmmaker Mania Akbari - has beaten off tough competition to be awarded the top prize in the inaugural Digitale competition at the Venice Film Festival.An international jury composed of English director Mike Figgis (president), Japanese producer Shozo Ichiyama, and French director Claire Simo...
MOUNT SHASTA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL OFFERS EXCITING GETAWAY WEEKEND FOR FILM BUFFS AND OUTDOOR ENTHUSIASTSNorthern California and Southern Oregon movie buffs can look forward to viewing 20 wonderful films from eight countries along with an opportunity to enjoy spectacular outdoor adventures during the inaugural Mount Shasta International Film Festival. The festival, helmed by Founder/Director Jeffrey Winters, unspools the weekend of October 8th-10th at Coming Attractions Theatre in downtown...
TORONTO BIZ BUZZ 1SONY PICTURES CLASSICS HAS A RECORD TORONTOThe first few days of the Toronto International Film Festival has seen a spurt of buying for US distributor Sony Pictures Classics. The company already has a record six films screening in Toronto, including Festival opener Being Julia (directed by Istvan Szabo), Pedro Almodovar’s Bad Education, Zhang Jimou’s House of Flying Daggers, John Duigan’s Head In The Clouds, and Al Pacino-starrer The Merchant of Venice, has announced som...
Golden Lions and major awards of the Venice Film Festival 1932: No official awards. Prizes awarded by the public.1934: Teresa Confalonieri by Guido Brignone (Coppa Mussolini for best Italian film); Man of Aran (UK) by Robert Flaherty (Best foreign film).1935: Casta Diva by Carmine Gallone (Coppa Mussolini for best Italian film); Anna Karenina (USA) by Clarence Brown (Best foreign film).1936: Squadrone bianco by Augusto Genina (Coppa Mussolini for best Italian film); Der Kaiser von Kalifornien ...
The international juries of the 61st Venice Film Festival Venezia 61. - Venezia Orizzonti - Venezia Cinema Digitale Venezia 61 - Golden Lion John Boorman (UK, President). Director. He began his career as a documentary filmmaker in 1955 at the BBC. He won the Best Director Award at Cannes in 1998 for The General (the story of an Irish criminal) and in 1970 for Leo the Last (with Marcello Mastroianni). What stands out in his work is his great iconographic and narrative talent. Since his first Ame...
MONTREAL UNVEILS PROMISING WORLD COMPETITIONA new film by the team that brought us the stunning French documentary Microcosmos, Carlos Saura 's return to socially conscious cinema, and the latest from Aussie underrated actor Hugo Weaving are among the premieres that will highlight the competition of the Montreal World Film Festival.Away from the hype to which film festivals are increasingly succumbing, Montreal has developed a reputation for offering a platform to filmmakers whose work has not b...
The 61st International Film Festival, organised by the Biennale di Venezia and presided over by Davide Croff, will be held at the Lido from 1st to 11th September 2004, directed for the first time by Marco Müller.The new lines of an "agile, competitive" FestivalFollowing his nomination by the Biennale's board of directors, the new director immediately declared that he hoped the 61st Festival "would be an agile festival, created in a climate of constant dialogue with the film industry and culture...
CELEBRATED FRENCH DIRECTOR CLAUDE ZIDI HEADSJURY FOR 28TH MONTRÉAL WORLD FILM FESTIVALRenowned French director Claude Zidi will preside over the prestigious eight-member international jury for the Montreal World Film Festival, it was announced today by Festival Vice-President Danièle Cauchard and President Serge Losique.Noted American director Jerry Schatzberg, Czech animator Bretislav Pojar, Oscar-winning Montréal producer Denise Robert, Indian director Goutam Ghose, Mexican actress Diana ...
VENICE FILM FESTIVAL 2004: VENICE DAYSFor the first time in the history of the Venice Film Festival, the Italian authors from ANAC (the National Association of Cinematographic Authors,) and API (Independent Authors and Producers) are launching an independent showcase for quality cinema as part of the Festival. It’s called Giornate degli Autori / Venice Days and the event will be taking place with the agreement of the Venice Film Festival board, though it will also have complete autonomy with r...
BORDERLANDS – TERRE DI CONFINEInternational Film Competition Bolzano 28-29 May 2004The purpose of the Festival is to promote peace and mutual understanding amongst different peoples through works of film that address history, situation, life and problems of peoples or individuals who live in “borderlands”. In this context the concept “borderlands” identifies places in which different languages, civilisations or ethnic groups either meet or clash, in any possible way.Fourteen films part...
Earlier this month, the Venice Biennale Board of Directors, chaired by Davide Croff and consisting of Paolo Costa (vice president), Bruno della Ragione, Amerigo Restucci and Valerio Riva, met today for the first time after the Legislative Decree to reorganise the Biennale, changing it from a Cultural Society into a Foundation. The Board of Directors examined and approved the general criteria that the persons nominated to carry out the programmes must aspire to, with particular reference to a con...
Earlier this month, the Venice Biennale Board of Directors, chaired by Davide Croff and consisting of Paolo Costa (vice president), Bruno della Ragione, Amerigo Restucci and Valerio Riva, met today for the first time after the Legislative Decree to reorganise the Biennale, changing it from a Cultural Society into a Foundation. The Board of Directors examined and approved the general criteria that the persons nominated to carry out the programmes must aspire to, with particular reference to a con...
Marco Müller has been appointed director of the Venice Film Festival. The new Administration Board of the Venice Biennale headed by newly appointed President Davide Croff took the decision on its first meeting on Thursday, March 4. Marco Müller takes over from Moritz de Hadeln, who had directed the festival for the last two years, and whom the Board thanked "for his contribution to consolidate the event". Marco Müller has been appointed for a period of four years. Marco Müller, born 1953 in ...
Respect: Joe Mantegna will be honored at "The Sixth Annual Los Angeles Italian Film Awards" (LAIFAFEST 2004), which will be held on April 20-24, 2004, at the Arclight Cinemas in Hollywood. Mr. Mantegna will be presented with the LAIFA 2004 Life Time Achievement, festival Director Luigi Campanile announced today.Chicago native Joe Mantegna has a strong background in both theater and film. After making his Broadway debut in Stephen Schwartz's musical of Studs Terkel's Working, Joe was awarded ...
Welcome to the Nippon Connection Film Festival 2004!Film and culture from Japan: that is Nippon Connection. Taking place in Frankfurt/Main, Germany, the festival is going into its fourth year already. Nippon Connection ranks among the major festivals of its kind, providing its visitors with a range of brand-new feature films and digital productions from one of the most exciting film industries. The program additionally features a wealth of cultural events: workshops and lectures (from classes on...