92nd Academy Awards International Feature Film Submissions

Today is a very good day to start my favorite annual post with all country submissions to what used to be Foreign Language Film category as the Academy decided to change category name to a more politically correct name that says not much except that films are international therefore not national (!).  With time will get use to this new name as this year is still confusing for me.

What follows is the official press release with all the changes that includes the traditional short list of 9 now becoming short list of 10 with 7 chosen by the regular committee and 3 by Executive Committee.

The Foreign Language Film category name has been changed to International Feature Film.

“We have noted that the reference to ‘Foreign’ is outdated within the global filmmaking community,” commented Larry Karaszewski and Diane Weyermann, co-chairs of the International Feature Film Committee. “We believe that International Feature Film better represents this category, and promotes a positive and inclusive view of filmmaking, and the art of film as a universal experience.”

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2019 L’Œil d’Or Winners

In an unexpected finale the jury decided two top winners for this award that is too young to be giving ex-æquo awards.

"The two films we have rewarded deal with love, exile, resistance and the you of disobeying together"  declared the jury.

First L’Œil goes to a very strong and courageous debut film by a young woman.  A shock, terrifying violence of the images.  The story of a great love between a man and a woman, an open love letter to their child, the everyday life of a young heroic surgeon and his team in the hell of Syrian war.  For Sama by Waad Al Kateab.

The second goes to a filmmaker who has been in exile for almost 50 years.  He has restlessly celebrated, through his body of work, the passionate momentum of Chilians in pursuit of liberty and social Justice. La Cordillera de los Sueños by Patricio Guzmán.

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2019 Queer Palm Winners

After all the highly positive noise and buzz generated by Céline Sciamma's Portrait of a Lady On Fire is no surprise film won the LGBT award but deep inside me I was worry as usually top festival LGBT awards do not recognize lesbian interest film nor films made by a female director.

So the big surprise is not that Queer Palm is honoring a lesbian interest film BUT that film is by a female director!!! It's the first time in Cannes and well, it hasn't happened that often in other top film festivals.  There is always an exception and, of course, it is the award from the Berlinale as the Teddy has gone several times to a female director telling lesbian interest stories but also, gay interest stories, sigh.

The following is the jury statement in the original language it was said, French.

Le film que nous avons choisi de récompenser pour cette 10 ème édition de la Queer Palm n’est pas seulement une histoire lesbienne mais, avant tout, un grand film de cinéma. Le jury a été frappé par la maîtrise artistique dont fait preuve la cinéaste et touché par le regard qu’elle porte sur la création artistique, cœur brûlant de ce film. Nous avons été également ému par la sororité qui habite cette œuvre: de la destinée des personnages au travail avec les actrices et jusque dans l’équipe technique et artistique. Nous sommes également très fiers de remettre pour la première fois la Queer Palm à une femme.

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2019 Cannes Soundtrack Award Winners

This year organizers gave the top award to none other than three times Oscar nominated Alberto Iglesias for the soundtrack of Dolor y Gloria by Pedro Almodovar.

A special mention is given to Jean-Michel Blais for making the original music of Matthias and Maxime by Xavier Dolan.

Winners are below in *BLUE.  To check news at official site go here, but wait a while for them to update.  Meantime check news at official facebook here.

Here is the top winner and the award.

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72nd Festival de Cannes Award Winners - In Progress

Will not deny that winners were a true downer as was hoping for a major award for a female-directed film BUT well, got an award but not the one probably deserves.

Anyway, today July 10th finally write the winners (LOL!)

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72nd Festival de Cannes Official Selection

Second Update on May 4th, 2019.  In the past couple of weeks organizers announced diffrent juries members, new films in the official selection plus the Cannes Classics films.  As expected it's official, Cannes has enough Hollywood clout and will shine attracting international press more than well, before Tarantino's film was announced as part of the selection.  On a more local shinning no doubt Kechiche's latest trilogy installment becomes news in France.  Sigh.

As the competition films become all known have to agree with those saying that's been a long time since fest had such a strong lineup.  Yes, it's a strong lineup with films by master-filmmakers from Europe, America and Asia; unfortunately there is not even one film from Latin American filmmakers but well, they're present in other sections.  Worth mentioning that lineup strength comes not only from well-established great filmmakers but also from directors from a younger generation that in the past have shown their potential, in the present their films suggest to be top quality and I'm sure have a very bright future.  

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27th L'ACID Selection

ACID (Association for the Distribution of Independent Cinema) is a film directors association that has been promoting the distribution of independent cinema in movie theaters since 1992.  Their founding principle: the support brought by filmmakers to other filmmakers, French or foreign.

ACID filmmakers follow their love for film and wish to give visibility to directors whose work is scarcely distributed,  in order to facilitate a theatrical release.

The ACID program at Cannes International Film Festival was created in 1993. Films are chosen by fifteen or so filmmakers, members of the association.   The following are the filmmakers who chose the current selection.

Sylvie Ballyot, Aurélia Barbet, Marta Bergman, Michaël Dacheux, Marina Déak, Delphine Deloget, Jean-Louis Gonnet, Diego Governatori, Hanna Ladoul, Marco La Via, Vladimir Perišić, Clément Schneider, Idir Serghine, Christian Sonderegger, Laure Vermeersch.

The ACID program is shown at Palais des festivals and Les Arcades, Studio 13, Alexandre III, movie theaters in Cannes.  The screeners, open to professionals and also to the public, are all followed by Q&As with films' crew and ACID filmmakers who support the films.

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51st Quinzaine des Réalisateurs Selection

Yesterday organizers announced the selection to the pleasant surprise of many as includes many of the 2019 most expected films by extraordinary master filmmakers.  Great.

Before getting into the list, a few words about the poster.  Both naturalistic and transfigured, photographer Robert Schlaug's picture evokes a road to travel as well as an acceleration, an eye movement.  Between realism and digital artifact, the artist's intervention disrupts codes and questions our perception, recalling the spirit of the films presented over the last 50 years bye de Directors' Fortnight.

There are three Virtual Reality installations by Laurie Anderson and Hsin-Chien Huang: called Go Where You Look! Falling Off Snow Mountain; the installation has three pieces Aloft, Chalkroom and To The Moon.  Both Aloft and Chalkroom are currently installed in MASS MoCA in North Adams Massachusetts. Under its Italian title “La Camera Insabbiata” it won the award for “Best VR Experience” at the Venice Film Festival. To the Moon was commissioned by Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Humlebaek, Denmark. Presenting these installations together in the Cannes Film Festival provides a unique opportunity to see new relationships between the them as well as a chance to see these works in the context of a film festival that promotes mainstream as well as experimental and high cinema.  To read more about the special event go official site here.

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58th Semaine de la Critique Selection

A few minutes ago organizers announced via social media the Festival de Cannes parallel section that always has unconventional films to say the least.  As of this moment the info is available only in French but imagine soon will be available in English. Update: all info is available in English too!

The Poster

Before diving into the selection will share info about the magnificent poster showcasing Félix Maritaud - winner of the Louis Roederer Foundation Rising Star Award - in a photo by Aurélie Lamachère in collaboration with les bons faiseurs agency.

Shot during the blue hour, the actor is one with the disturbing love-hungry character he embodies in Sauvage, Camille Vidal-Naquet’s first feature, which competed in the 2018 edition of La Semaine de la Critique.  Félix Maritaud plays Léo with candid animalistic energy; almost graceful, he’s an angel haunted by his demons.

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#Cannes2019 Press Conference

In about 30 minutes the much-awaited Festival de Cannes press conference will take place and finally all gossip/buzz will be put to sleep when the Official Selection lineup becomes known.  There are many great films that hope will make it to the competition as will give the festival the glitz that much needs after last year's Biennale stole much of it by allowing ALL films to compete and giving top award to a film that highly deserved to be seen by the whole world and not only a few cinephiles.  Sigh.

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2019 La Fabrique Cinéma de l'Institut Français

A few days back organizers announced that none other than Mira Nair will be the patron of the 2019 edition.  The following is what she said.

I was at Cannes for the world premiere of my film Salaam Bombay! [in 1988] - we won the Audience Award and the Golden Camera Award. I remember so many things about that film, but most of all that it was a life-and-death situation. It was almost impossible to make; we had no money. We would shoot all day and for every shot, we would have at least a thousand people watching the shoot. I would come home tired, to my flat, which I shared with several cast and crew members who also didn’t have a place to go at night. It was like a railway station. I would be up all night, on the phone with financiers and producers trying to raise money, sometimes for the next day of shooting.

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#Cannes2019 Poster and Signatures

Festival official poster has been unveiled and contrary to insistent rumors it has NOT Alain Delon in photo but none other than outstanding director Agnès Varda when she was 26-years-old in a behind the scenes photo from La Pointe Courte.

Below it's the original photo that generated a fabulous composition for the poster with hot colors in the background.  My only problem with poster is the division of CAN and NES, which is a big No-No in branding.  Anyway, montage and design was done Fore Maquin, signatures created by Philippe Savoir (Filifox), and photo owner is Agnès Varda and her children.

The official graphic design presentation has the following rationale.

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#Cannes2019 Wish List 1 - French Female Filmmakers

This year I'll start my Wish List with films by female directors as in the buzz list there is an unusual number of them plus most films I'm truly interested in watching (with few exceptions) are made by them.

Still no official news about selections announcements but there is some speculation:  Press Conference Official Selection on April 18,  Semaine on April 22 and Quizaine on April 23.  The only official announcement came yesterday with ACID selection on April 23, date is already in calendar.  The closing date for submitting films was last Monday, March 11th so now the decision process has begun in full.

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Cinéfondation Atelier 2019

A few days back came the announcement of the fifteenth edition of the Atelier with 15 directors invited to attend the Festival de Cannes.  Together with their producers, they will be able to meet potential partners, a necessary step to finish their project and start the making of their film.

The filmmakers are selected according to the quality of their project and that of their previous films, as well as on the state of progress of their finance plan.  The program will enable them to gain access to international financing and speed up the production process.

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2019 Cannes Possible Films - The Buzz

As happens every single year, Cannes buzz starts during the Berlinale and gets louder when Berlinale ends.  But this year there are good news, buzz seems to be a lot more intersting than last year as there are some strong filmmakers with movies ready to be screen in competition, out of competition, any other fest section or parallel section.

Then we have to consider that after 2018 fiasco, smaller changes could make fest a lot more interesting and well, better.  No one will forget that thanks to French movie theaters owners, Netflix was banned and Roma was not accepted.  So, Roma went to La Biennale only to win the Golden Lion and the rest is history.  Much buzz (or is just plain gossip?) is going around about the discussions between festival organizers and Netflix but know problem is not Thierry Fremaux, who almost lost his job in 2017 due to this issue; problem is with the board of directors where there are a few movie theaters owners.  Soon we will see the end to current year discussions and hopefully, Neflix films are included in competition and elsewhere or the 2018 story will repeat and films will again end-up in Venice to their truly delight.

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