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Wednesday, July 30, 2014

2014 Cinema Biennale Check #1 - The Poet


I know that lately I have been absent minded with too many things in my head but that is no excuse to complete scramble the movies and everything about the movies in La Mostra current edition! Yes, that happened a few days ago in a conversation with a friend. Sigh. So the best thing to do is to go in a bit depth check of what the 71st Venice Film Festival is screening.

Have to start by talking about whom has been called the Poet of Sadness and the Poet of the Everyday; the poet that perhaps is the most famous German of Turkish descent in Contemporary Cinema: Fatih Akin.

Fatih Akin

Akin was born in 1973 in Hamburg, studied visual communications at Hochschule für bildende Künste Hamburg and graduated in 2000. His short films and feature length films have won him several awards but is the 2007 Cannes award winner Auf der anderen Seite (The Edge of Heaven) that propels him to the stratosphere of great master filmmakers.

Is in 2004 with Berlinale Golden Bear winner Gegen die Wand (Head On) that he begins his trilogy on "Love, Death and the Devil" with absolutely awesome Auf der anderen Seite (The Edge of Heaven) being the second installment and the Venezia71 In Competition The Cut being the third and last installment. While Head On was about a young German-Turkish woman's strong desire to live and -supposedly- is about love, The Edge of Heaven told the stories of people in Germany and Turkey and -allegedly- is about death, The Cut -apparently- is about the devil as tells about a dark historic episode, the Ottoman government systematic extermination of its minority Armenian subjects.

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Sunday, April 27, 2008

2008 German Films Awards Winners


Last Friday the Deutscher Filmpreis announced the Lola Awards winners for this year and here they are.

Gold Lola for Best Film: Auf Der Anderen Seite (The Edge of Heaven), Fatih Akin
Silver Lola for Best Film: Kirschblüten (Cherry Blossoms), Daoris Dörrie
Bronze Lola for Best Film: Die Welle (The Wave), Dennis Gansel
Best Director: Fatih Akin for Auf Der Anderen Seite (The Edge of Heaven)
Best Screenplay: Fatih Akin for Auf Der Anderen Seite (The Edge of Heaven)
Best Actress: Nina Hoss for Yella, Christian Petzold
Best Actor: Elmar Wepper for Kirschblüten (Cherry Blossoms), Daoris Dörrie

If you want to check the nominations in all categories go here available in English. To check the winners in all categories go here available only in German.

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Saturday, February 14, 2009

2009 Possible Cannes News


As the Berlinale is coming to an end attention turns to Cannes and speculation about what films will be screened this year start to appear. The final list we will only learn when the fest release it, but from the possible listings I’ve been reading there are some films that no matter if they make Cannes or not they seem to be very interesting and definitively I’m looking forward to watch them. Here are some examples.

Mr. Nobody by Jaco Van Dormael, starring Diane Kruger, Sarah Polley and Rhys Ifans; Sci-fi fantasy. IMDb
Coco and Igor by Jan Kounen, starring Anna Mouglalis; deals with Coco Chanel tempestuous relationship with composer Igor Stravinsky. Twitch
Coco Avant Chanel (Coco Before Chanel), Anne Fontaine, another Coco Chanel story starring Audrey Tautou. IMDb
Vengeance, Johnnie To, starring Johnny Hallyday as a hit man in Hong Kong and Sylvie Testud; thriller. IMDb
Inglourious Basterds, Quentin Tarantino. Trailer
Antichrist, Lars Von Trier, starring Charlotte Gainsbourg, Willem Defoe. IMDb
Bright Star, Jane Campion, about poet John Keats, played by Ben Whishaw, romance with Fanny Brawne, which was cut short by Keat’s untimely death at age 25. IMDb
Looking for Eric, Ken Loach, about Eric a football fanatic postman whose life is descending in to crisis receives some life coaching from the famously philosophical Eric Cantona. IMDb
Abrazos Rotos (Broken Embraces), Pedro Almodovar, Spain, starring Penelope Cruz, Blanca Portillo, Rossy de Palma; 1950’s noir film. IMDb
Agora, Alejandro Amenabar's historical drama about Egyptian philosopher Hypatia of Alexandria starring Rachel Weisz. IMDb
The Limits of Control, Jim Jarmusch, starring Tilda Swinton, Bill Murray, John Hurt, Gael Garcia Bernal, Hiam Abbass; a Spain-set road movie about the story of a mysterious loner, a stranger in the process of completing a criminal job. IMDb
Tetro, Francis Ford Coppola, about an Italian immigrant family starring Vincent Gallo, Maribel Verdu, Carmen Maura, Klaus Maria Brandauer. IMDb
White Material, Claire Denis, starring Isabelle Huppert. IMDb
L’Affaire Farewell (Farewell), Christian Carion, France, a KGB thriller staring Guillaume Canet, David Soul, Alexandra Maria Lara, Emir Kusturica (!) and Fred Ward as Reagan?? IMDb
This is Love, Matthias Glasner, Germany,about a hard-hitting look at child prostitution in Thailand. IMDb
Soul Kitchen, Fatih Akin, starring Moritz Bleibtreu and Birol Unel, comedy. IMDb
Io Sono Amore (I Am Love), Luca Guadagnino, starring Flavio Parenti and Tilda Swinton. A tragic love story set at the turn of the millennium in Milan. The film follows the fall of the haute bourgeoisie due to the forces of passion and unconditional love. IMDb
Il Grande Sogno (The Great Dream), Michele Placido, starring Elio Germano, Margherita Buy, Laura Morante; about a student revolt in Rome in 1968. IMDb
New York, I Love You that follows its predecessor Paris, Je t’Aime. Randall Balsmeyer as director of transitions and segments by Fatih Akin, Yvan Attal, Allen Hughes, Shunji Iwai, Wen Jiang, Scarlett Johansson (??!!), Shekhar Kapur, Joshua Marston, Mira Nair, Natalie Portman, Brett Ratner, and Andrei Zvyagintsev. IMDb

The year looks brighter with some interesting films to look forward to watch particularly anything and everything by Fatih Akin and Pedro Almodovar!

Absolutely Great News!!!

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Wednesday, November 07, 2007

20th European Film Awards Nominations


At the Seville Film Festival the European Film Academy and EFA Productions announced the nominations for the 20th European Film Awards. The 1,800 EFA Members will now vote for the winners which will be presented during the Awards Ceremony on 1 December in Berlin.

Nominated are:

European Film
4 LUNI, 3 SAPTAMINI SI 2 ZILE (4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days), Romania, Cristian Mungiu
AUF DER ANDEREN SEITE (The Edge of Heaven), Germany/Turkey, Fatih Akin
THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND, UK, Kevin Macdonald
LA MÔME (La Vie en Rose), France/Czech Republic/UK, Olivier Dahan
PERSEPOLIS, France, Marjane Satrapi & Vincent Paronnaud
THE QUEEN, UK/France/Italy, Stephen Frears

European Director
Fatih Akin for AUF DER ANDEREN SEITE (The Edge of Heaven)
Roy Andersson for DU LEVANDE (You, the Living)
Stephen Frears for THE QUEEN
Kevin Macdonald for THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND
Cristian Mungiu for 4 LUNI, 3 SAPTAMINI SI 2 ZILE (4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days)
Giuseppe Tornatore for LA SCONOSCIUTA (The Unknown)

European Actress
Marion Cotillard in LA MÔME (La Vie en Rose)
Marianne Faithful in IRINA PALM
Carice van Houten in ZWARTBOEK (Black Book)
Anamaria Marinca in 4 LUNI, 3 SAPTAMINI SI 2 ZILE (4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days)
Helen Mirren in THE QUEEN
Ksenia Rappoport in LA SCONOSCIUTA (The Unknown)

European Actor
Sasson Gabai in BIKUR HATIZMORET (The Band’s Visit)
Elio Germano in MIO FRATELLO É FIGLIO UNICO (My Brother is an Only Child)
James McAvoy in THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND
Miki Manojlovic in IRINA PALM
Michel Piccoli in BELLE TOUJOURS
Ben Whishaw in DAS PARFUM – DIE GESCHICHTE EINES MÖRDERS (Perfume: The Story of a Murderer)

European Screenwriter
Fatih Akin for AUF DER ANDEREN SEITE (The Edge of Heaven)
Eran Kolirin for BIKUR HATIZMORET (The Band’s Visit)
Peter Morgan for THE QUEEN
Cristian Mungiu for 4 LUNI, 3 SAPTAMINI SI 2 ZILE (4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days)

European Cinematographer
Anthony Dod Mantle for THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND
Frank Griebe for DAS PARFUM – DIE GESCHICHTE EINES MÖRDERS (Perfume: The Story of a Murderer)
Mikhail Krichman for IZGNANIE (Banishment)
Fabio Zamarion for LA SCONOSCIUTA (The Unknown)

European Film Academy Prix D’Excellence
Uli Hanisch for Production Design DAS PARFUM – DIE GESCHICHTE EINES MÖRDERS (Perfume: The Story of a Murderer)
Annette Focks, Jörg Höhne, Robin Pohle & Andreas Ruft for Sound VIER MINUTEN (Four Minutes)
Didier Lavergne for Make up LA MÔME (La Vie en Rose)
Francesca Sartori for Costume ALATRISTE
Lucia Zucchetti for Editing THE QUEEN

European Composer
Alexandre Desplat for THE QUEEN
Alex Heffes for THE LAST KING OF SCOTLAND
Dejan Pejovic for GUCHA
Tom Tykwer, Johnny Klimek & Reinhold Heil for DAS PARFUM – DIE GESCHICHTE EINES MÖRDERS (Perfume: The Story of a Murderer)

In addition to the awards listed above, the following will be announced and presented during the Awards Ceremony:

EUROPEAN DISCOVERY 2007
EUROPEAN FILM ACADEMY SHORT FILM 2007 - Prix UIP
EUROPEAN FILM ACADEMY LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
EUROPEAN ACHIEVEMENT IN WORLD CINEMA 2007 - Prix Screen International
EUROPEAN FILM ACADEMY CRITICS AWARD 2007 - Prix Fipresci
EUROPEAN FILM ACADEMY DOCUMENTARY 2007 - Prix Arte
THE PEOPLE'S CHOICE AWARD 2007 for Best European Film

I’m really glad I do not have to vote for the top awards, as I would have a hard time choosing one among such very good movies and performances. Just take a look at the nominees for best actress Helen Mirren or Marion Cotillard? And I also include Ksenia Rappoport. This is very difficult decision… hmm, if I have to choose I’ll chose Marion Cotillard as her work in La Môme is extraordinary and outstanding! But also Helen and Ksenia are great! Hard.

So, next December 1st we will know what happens.

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Sunday, May 27, 2007

60th Cannes Film Festival Awards


These are the awards given last Sunday. The closing ceremony was fun to watch but there was no cadeau.

Palmarès du 60e Festival de Cannes

Feature Films

Palme d'Or : 4 luni, 3 saptamani si 2 Zile (4 months, 3 weeks and 2 days), Cristian Mungiu , Romania

Grand Prix : Mogari No Mori (The Mourning Forest), Naomi Kawase, Japan
Prix du 60e anniversaire (60th Aniversary Award): Gus Van Sant and his film Paranoid Park, France and USA
Prix d'interprétation féminine (Best Actress): Jeon Do-Yeon for Milyang (Secret Sunshine), South Korea
Prix d'interprétation masculine (Best Actor): Konstantin Lavronenko for Izgnanie (The Banishment), Russia and Belgium
Prix de la mise en scène (Best Director): Julian Schnabel for Le Scaphandre et le Papillon (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly), France
Prix du scénario (Best Screenplay) : Fatih Akin for Yasamin Kiyisinda (The Edge of Heaven), Germany and Turkey

Prix du Jury (Jury Prize) (a tie) :
Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi & Vincent Paronnaud, France and USA
Luz Silenciosa (Stellet Licht - Silent Light), Carlos Reygadas, Mexico, France and Netherlands

Prize "Vulcain de l'Ariste-Technicien", awarded by the C.S.T: Janusz Kaminski for Le Scaphandre et le Papillon (The Diving Bell and the Butterfly), France

Short Films

Palme d'Or: Ver Llover (Watching It Rain), Elisa Miller, Mexico
Mentions spéciales (Honorable Mentions)
Ah Ma (Grandma), Anthony Chen, Singapore,
Run, Mark Albiston, New Zealand

Camera d'Or

Caméra d'Or : Meduzot (Jellyfish), Etgar Keret et Shira Geffen, Israel and France
Mention spéciale (Honorable Mention) Control, Anton Corbijn, UK

Palme d'Or exceptionnelle (Career Achievement Award): Jane Fonda (Fonda is only the fourth -and the first non-French national- recipient of this award. Previous winners were directos Alain Resnais and Gerard Oury, and actress Jeanne Moreau.)

Un Certain Regard

Un Certain Regard Prize - Fondation Gan pour le cinéma : California Dreamin' (Nesfarsut) (California Dreamin' (Endless)), Cristian Nemescu, Romania
Special Jury Prize: Actrices (Actresses (Dreams of the Night Before)), Valeria Bruni-Tedeschi, France
Jury Coup de Coeur: Bikur Hatizmoret (The Band's Visit), Eran Kolirin, Israel and France

Cinéfondation Awards

1st Prize: Ahora Todos Parecen Contentos (Now Everyone Seems to be Happy), Gonzalo Tobal, Argentina
2nd Prize: Ru Dao (Way Out), Chen Tao, China
3rd Prize (a tie):
A Reunion, Hong Sung-Hoon, South Korea
Minus, Pavle Vuckovic, Serbia-Montenegro

Directors' Fortnight

Feature Films
Prix Regards Jeunes (Young Eyes Prize) : Control, Anton Corbijn, UK and Australia

Prix Art et Essai -Cicae- :(Art and Essay Prize): Garage, Lenny Abrahamson. Ireland
Art et Essai Honorable Mentions :
Control, Anton Corbijn. UK and Australia
Gegenüber (Counterparts), Jan Bonny, Germany

Label Europe Cinéma (Best European Film): Control, Anton Corbijn, UK and Australia

FIPRESCI Award: Elle s'appelle Sabine (Her Name is Sabine), Sandrine Bonnaire, France

Short Film
SACD Prize Best Short Film: Même pas Mort, Claudine Natkin, France

International Critics' Week

Feature Films
Grand Prix : XXY de Lucia Puenzo , Argentina, Spain and France
SACD Prize: Meduzot (Jellyfish), Etgar Keret and Shira Geffen, Israel and France
ACID/CCAS Support Award: XXY, Lucia Puenzo, Argentina, Spain and France
OFAJ/TV5MONDE (VERY) Young Critic Award: Meduzot (Jellyfish), Etgar Keret and Shira Geffen, Israel and France


Short Films
Canal+ Award for Best Short Film: Madame Tutli-Putli, Chris Lavis and Maciek Sczerbowski, Canada
Kodak Discovery Award for Best Short Film: Um Ramo, Juliana Rojas and Marco Dutra, Brazil

International Federation of Film Critics (FIPRESCI)

Critics Prize
: 4 luni, 3 saptamani si 2 Zile(4 months, 3 weeks and 2 days), Cristian Mungiu, Romania
Honorable Mention: Bikur Hatizmoret (The Band's Visit), Eran Kolirin, Israel
Honorable Mention: Elle s'appelle Sabine (Her Name is Sabine), Sandrine Bonnaire, France

Other Awards

Ecumenical Jury Prize: Yazamin Kisyisinda (The Edge of Heaven), Fatih Akin, Germany and Turkey

26th Youth Prize: Bikur Hatizmoret (The Band's Visit) Eran Kolinin, Israel

French National Education Administration Prize: 4 luni, 3 saptaman si 2 Zile (4 months, 3 weeks and 2 days) Cristian Mungiu, Romania

2007 France-Culture Award for Career Achievement: Rithy Panh, Cambodia.

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Friday, December 15, 2017

#Oscars2018 Foreign-Language Films Shortlist


Yesterday AMPAS announced the shortlist of nine (9) films that advance to the next round of voting in the Foreign-Language Film category.  Ninety-two films had originally been considered in the category.

Foreign Language Film nominations are determined in two phases.  The Phase I committee, consisting of several hundred Los Angeles-based Academy members, screened the original submissions in the category between mid-October and December 11.  The group’s top six choices, augmented by three additional selections voted by the Academy’s Foreign Language Film Award Executive Committee, constitute the shortlist.

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Friday, September 10, 2010

2010 European Film Academy - People's Choice Award


Since September 1st all my European friends are able to cast their vote for their favorite European film of the Year. Those who vote will have a chance to attend the 23rd European Film Awards on Saturday, December 4th in the Estonian capital Tallin on the Baltic coast.

These are the nominated films.

Agora, Alejandro Amenabar, Spain
Baaria, Giuseppe Tornatore, Italy
An Education, Lone Scherfig, UK
Flickan Som Lekte Med Elden (The Girl Who Played With Fire), Daniel Alfredson, Sweden, Denmark, and Germany
The Ghost Writer, Roman Polanski, France, Germany, and UK
Kick-Ass, Matthew Vaughn, UK
Mine Vaganti (Loose Cannons), Ferzan Ozpetek, Italy (gay interest)
Mr. Nobody, Jaco Van Dormael, Belgium
Le Petit Nicolas (Little Nicholas), Laurent Tirard, France
Soul Kitchen, Fatih Akin, Germany

To cast your vote please go here.

If I could vote my vote absolutely will go to the famous Swedish film starring Noomi Rapace; but I also liked An Education. Then you have two movies by two of my favorite directors, Ferzan Ozpetek and Fatih Akin that haven't seen, plus I'm curious about Baaria that I should watch soon. One film I'm sure will not get my vote, Polanski's film as I didn't enjoyed much that film and is competing against very good films/directors.

Hope all of you, that can vote, will cast your vote for your favorite film.

Cheers!!!

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Thursday, July 24, 2014

71st Venice Film Festival Lineup


Organizers announced this morning the 20 films that will compete for the Golden Lion in the current edition of La Mostra, a selection that included several films that we were expecting in Cannes and now we find them here. Great. So Venezia71 competition has films by well-known directors like Benoît Jacquot, Fatih Akin, Xavier Beauvois, Abel Ferrara and Andrei Konchalovsky.

Can't complain about the main competition as there are films from several countries but it's appalling that there is not even one film from Latin America and when we check films in the Official Selection plus Autonomous Sections, the Latin American absence becomes disconcerting. Also disconcerting is the strong presence of American films (3 in competition plus too many to count in Orizzonti and other sections) so here I am wondering what is happening with world cinema when there is very little presence of Latin America and such a strong presence by USA. Not good news for me, sigh.

In a positive note the Official Selection has 55 films of which 54 are World premieres and 1 is an International premiere. Venezia71 Competition has 20 films, 19 World premieres and 1 International premiere. Organizers received and viewed 3,377 films of which 1,600 were feature films and 1,777 were short films.

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Saturday, November 06, 2010

23rd European Film Awards Nominations


At the Seville European Film Festival the European Film Academy announced the nominations for the European Film Awards and here are the much awaited nominations.

Best European Film
Bal (Honey), Semih Kaplanoğlu, Turkey and Germany
Des Hommes et Des Dieux (Of Gods and Men), Xavier Beauvois, France
The Ghost Writer, Roman Polanski, France, Germany and UK
Lebanon, Samuel Maoz, Israel, Germany and UK
El Secreto de sus Ojos (The Secret in their Eyes), Juan José Campanella, Spain and Argentina
Soul Kitchen, Fatih Akin, Germany

European Director
Olivier Assayas for Carlos
Semih Kaplanoğlu for Bal (Honey)
Samuel Maoz for Lebanon
Roman Polanski for The Ghost Writer
Paolo Virzi for La Prima Cosa Bella (The First Beautiful Thing)

European Actress
Zrinka Cvitešić in Na Putu (On the Path)
Sibel Kekilli in Die Fremde (When We Leave)
Lesley Manville in Another Year
Sylvie Testud in Lourdes
Lotte Verbeek in Nothing Personal

European Actor
Jakob Cedergren in Submarino
Elio Germano in La Nostra Vita (Our Life)
Ewan McGregor in The Ghost Writer
George Pistereanu in Eu Cand Vreau sa Fluier, Fluier (If I Want to Whistle,
I Whistle)
Luis Tosar in Celda 211 (Cell 211)

European Cinematographer
Giora Bejach for Lebanon
Caroline Champetier for Des Hommes et Des Dieux (Of Gods and Men)
Pavel Kostomarov for Как я провел этим летом (How I Ended this Summer)
Barış Özbiçer for Bal (Honey)

European Screenwriter
Jorge Guerricaechevarría and Daniel Monzón for Celda 211 (Cell 211)
Robert Harris and Roman Polanski for The Ghost Writer
Samuel Maoz for Lebanon
Radu Mihaileanu for Le Concert (The Concert)

European Composer
Ales Brezina for Kawasakiho Ruze (Kawasaki’s Rose)
Pasquale Catalano for Mine Vaganti (Loose Cannons)
Alexandre Desplat for The Ghost Writer
Gary Yershon for Another Year

European Editor
Luc Barnier and Marion Monnier for Carlos
Arik Lahav-Leibovich for Lebanon
Hervé de Luze for The Ghost Writer

European Production Designer
Paola Bizzarri and Luis Ramirez for Io, Don Giiovanni (I, Don Giovanni)
Albrecht Konrad for The Ghost Writer
Markku Pätilä and Jaagup Roomet for Püha Tõnu kiusamine (The Temptation
of St. Tony)

To check the official announcement at the Academy site go here  and if you wish you can also go to the Awards site that’s here.

The awards ceremony will be in Tallinn, Estonia and we will be able to watch the live stream here on December 4th, 2010.

The more than 2,300 EFA members will be busy during almost one month voting for the winners and have to admit that I’m not pleased with some of the nominees, especially all the nominations The Ghost Writer got as I did find the movie with a style that is more American than European –but what do I know! (lol!). Somehow I find interesting that the Oscar Winner El Secreto de sus Ojos is nominated as best film, but the director is not; as a matter of fact only two nominated directors have their films nominated as best film and I hope one of the two win both awards -or at least one- as Lebanon is truly outstanding and obviously Bal has to be as good, if not superior, to the two previous Semih Kaplanoğlu’s trilogy films.

I have seen Fatih Akin’s Soul Kitchen and didn’t enjoyed much as it’s really different from his other movies, which does not make it bad or good, just enormously different oeuvre from one of my true favorite contemporary directors. Last, yes looking forward to watch Xavier Beauvois’s much honored film.

I’m amazed that Die Fredme was not nominated as best picture, still I know that has a nomination for best first time director, but film is so good that was hoping will also make it in both categories. So I’m looking forward to see what the EFA’s members will declare as the Best Film of 2010, a year that I consider to be excellent for European productions as in the long list there are too many good films that didn’t got a nomination but definitively seem (and are) extraordinary.

With many female directors in the long list I’m appalled that NONE got a nomination! Gosh the European glass ceiling was not broken this year and Feo Adalag’s honored film or Jessica Hausner’s excellent Lourdes –to name two- will continue to collect honors elsewhere as Academy members didn’t believe deserved a nomination. Sigh.

One category that always calls my attention beyond normal is the Best Actress and this year there are some outstanding performances I have seen and some that still have to watch. But from the ones I have seen my award absolutely goes to Lotte Verbeek in mesmerizing, beautiful and out-of-the-ordinary Nothing Personal. Haven’t seen most of the Best Actor films but soon will watch Submarino and I’m REALLY looking forward to watch the Romanian film that some critics’ and viewers are relating to A Prophet, not that I need the film to be compared/related to such a great film as most of you know my true love and fascination with contemporary Romanian cinema.

Last, let me comment about Cinematography. How I Ended this Summer has a breath taken cinematography, but Lebanon has such an innovative, different, and with very-successful use of this tech spec that I hope gets the award. Don’t doubt that Bal has to be as good as the two previous installments or that the French film will be good, but if innovation counts Lebanon will win in this category as well as in editing.

We will have to wait almost a month to learn what Academy members vote as the best in each category and I will be watching live for sure as this is year the race is interesting.

Last just want to remind those that live in European countries to NOT forget to vote for the People’s Choice Awards here.

Cheers!!!

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Saturday, April 24, 2010

2010 German Film Awards Winners


Followed yesterday via facebook the awards with my favorite film of the year winning 10 Lola's. Here are the winners in *RED.

On March 20th - Yesterday the German Film Academy announced this year nominations and the best news is that The White Ribbon has a record 13 nominations all extremely well-deserved. The full list of the better know as Lola's Awards is not out yet in English but here are the nominations for the main categories.

Best Film
Alle Anderen (Everyone Else), MarenAde
Die Fremde (When We Leave), Feo Aladag (Bronze Lola)
Soul Kitchen, Fatih Akin
Sturm, Hans-Christian Schmid (Silver Lola)
*Das Weisse Band (The White Ribbon), Michael Haneke - Golden Lola
Desert Flower (Wustenblume), Sherry Horman

Best Director
Maren Ade for Alle Anderen (Everyone Else)
Feo Aladag for Die Fremde (When We Leave)
*Michael Haneke for Das Weisse Band (The White Ribbon)
Hans-Christian Schmid for Sturm

Best Screenplay
Feo Aladag for Die Fremde
*Michael Haneke for Das Weisse Band
Wolfgang Kohlasse for Whisky mit Wodka
Bernd Lange and Hans-Christian Schmid for Sturm

Best Actress
Corinna Harfouch in This is Love
*Sibel Kekilli in Die Fremde
Susanne Lothar in Alle Anderen

Best Actor
Fabian Hinrichs in Schwerkraft
Henry Hubchen in Whisky mit Wodka
*Burghart Kaubner in Das Weisse Band
Devid Striesow in So Glucklich War ich Noch Ne

To check nominees in all categories please go here available only in German and if you feel like checking the video with the nominations announcement go here. To read about winners in all categories check the press release available only in German here.

The award ceremony will be on April 23 and as soon as the complete list in English is published I will post the link. I really like Fatih Akin films and I'm looking forward to watch Sturm (with Anamaria Marinca) but this year honors belong to the extraordinary film by Michael Haneke, the film has to sweep the awards. (and it did!!!).

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Sunday, April 13, 2008

Yaşamın Kıyısında (aka Auf der anderen Seite or The Edge of Heaven)


Utterly serene, contemplative and yet very complex film by great director Fatih Akin –he has been called a poet of sadness- who also wrote this outstanding screenplay about death, incomprehension of many types, and in my opinion also about lack of communication.

The literal translation of the German title is “On The Other Side” which once again totally fits the story and so many scenes that move or suggest the movement from one side to the other, as this movie moves between Turkey and Germany almost like if there were no barriers. But of course there are huge barriers and this film tells us about many of them. By the way after seeing the movie I spend many minutes thinking about the movie title and the relation to the story… where is the edge of heaven I was thinking… if only I knew better German, he he.

The film has three acts, the first one called Yeter’s Death, the Second Lotte’s Death and the last has the film name. Basically is the crisscross slice of life tale about four Turkish and two German nationals. We have a retired Turkish immigrant living in Germany Ali Aksu (Tuncel Kurtiz) that asks Turkish prostitute Yeter (Nursel Köse) to come to live with him. Ali’s son Netaj (Baki Davrak) is a German Literature professor that bonds with Yeter as soon as he finds that she’s sending money home for her daughter college education. One-day drunk Ali accidentally kills Yeter, which makes Netaj to go back to Istambul searching for her daughter and sets the motion to get into act two.

Yeter’s daughter Ayten (played by beautiful Nurgul Yesilcay) is a Turkish militant who thinks that her mother works in a German shoe store and when things get complicated in Istambul with a fake identity flies to Germany with help of the militant group she belongs, but the group in Germany try to take advantage of her. She starts to look for her mother, but penniless and hungry runs into university study Lotte (Patrycia Ziolkowska) who helps her and eventually the two become lovers. But Lotte’s mother Susanne (played by Fassbinder’s legend Hanna Schygulla) is not very pleased with having an illegal alien living in her house.

Think that I told too many things about the story when actually I just wanted to introduce the amazing characters, but still there are many things that I left out that you just have to see when you watch this fantastic movie and you really have to pay attention to all details as this is the kind of movie where almost everything that is shown has relation with other things that will be shown later.

The story is told in a non-correlative sequence and moves back and forward in time, with some repeated scenes from a different pov according to what character story conducts the act. This was just an amazing and fascinating way to tell a story that perhaps sounds more complex when is described, but in the screen soon enough you’ll realize the style and highly enjoy the narrative with all the crisscrossing.

Great performances by all leads plus outstanding cinematography with some incredibly amazing framed scenes make this movie perhaps Akin’s best to date and suggests the ample style range that this amazing director can handle and could handle in the future that as one critic says “he’s not on the same level as the legendary Polish director of the Decalogue and the Three Colours Trilogy at least, not yet.” and definitively I agree, as even if Akin is not there, he is getting very close. Chapeau.

Just browse this blog to find the many honors, nominations and awards that this movie has got in almost one year after being premiered at the 2007 Cannes were won the Best Screenplay award. The movie was Germany official submission to the Best Foreign Language Film category at the 2008 Academy Awards.

It also took me almost a year to be able to see this movie and I had huge expectations that were absolutely surpassed. This is a movie that I highly recommend to all that love serious cinema.

This is one of those movies that have lesbian characters but the character’s sexual preference is not what makes the characters crucial to the story and film. Nevertheless because the film is excellent and the two women relation is persuasive I will give the movie the label and a must be seen for those that enjoy the genre.

It’s hard to say that a movie with a story like the one that tells could be loved, but I just loved this movie for the great story, the great director and as a fantastic serene and complex movie.

Big Enjoy!!!

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Thursday, June 29, 2017

2017 Invitation to Join AMPAS


Yesterday the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) announced is extending 774 invitations to join the organization and because there are some people I was very positively impressed they were invited, as well as was utterly impressed Kristen Stewart is not a member as of this moment (!!!), I'm doing this post with comments and to list some of the people invited a couple of Academy Branches.

On the interesting side of AMPAS list there are 30 individuals that have been invited by multiple branches, but they have to select only one branch upon accepting membership.  Besides having to pay their financial dues, new members will be welcomed into the Academy at invitation-only receptions in the fall - meaning Oscar Season.

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Sunday, May 14, 2017

Three Days to #Cannes2017


Finally today organizers released the names of the jurors in ALL juries! Will stop this post to update main Cannes post will the names. Done.  Please check the jurors as has been a long time since a jury has so many outstanding directors together (!!!) as the short films jury has. Great!

Cannes in Numbers

Even when is not at the official site, let me share some interesting figures from this edition that hope are accurate. After all consideration selected only some that probably have less chance to be wrong, sigh.

-There are 60 films from 36 countries in the Official Selection.  Films were selected from 1,930 entries which is a bit higher than the 1,869 film considered in 2016.  From this total, 19 films are in competition and 18 in the Un Certain Regard competition.

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Tuesday, June 24, 2008

54th Taormina Film Festival Award Winners


Recently this fest had their closing ceremony in Sicily, Italy and one of the most interesting facts of the fest was the jury President that was none other than Ferzan Ozpetek. These are the award winners.

Competition Mediterranea
Golden Tauro for Best Film: Eim Shams (Eye of the Sun), Ibrahim El Batout, Egypt, 2008
Special Jury Prize for Best Direction: Seyfi Teoman for Tatil Kitabi (Summer Book), Turkey, 2008
Best Performance: Tanja Ribic for Traktor, Ljubezen, in Rock’n Roll (Tractor, Love and Rock ‘n’ Roll), Branko Djuric, Slovenia, 2007

Beyond the Mediterranean
Best Film: 14 Kilómetros (14 Kilometers), Gerardo Olivares, Spain, 2007

Fatih Akin was honored with the Nielsen Prize for career achievement. Writer-director Paul Schrader was presented the Taormina Arte honor and actor Paolo Villaggio received the Arte Award.

The fest screened some interesting movies that you can find in both competition sections but also in the homage to Turkey section. The fest site is very basic and the links in English do not work, so I suggest you check it in Italian and then press the English flag to find if there is a page or not. The site is here.

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Wednesday, November 14, 2007

4th Seville Film Festival Awards Winners


These are the winners of the Seville Film Festival.

Golden Giraldillo: It´s a Free World, Ken Loach.
Silver Giraldillo: Mio Fratello è Figlio Único (My Brother is an Only Child), Daniel Luchetti.
Special Jury Prize: Alekxandra, Alexandre Sokurov and Du Levande (You. The Living), Roy Andersson.
Europe_Europe Award: Ha- Buah (The Bubble) de Eytan Fox (Gay interest)
Euroimages Award: Yumurta, Semih Kaplanoglu
Critics Award: Auf der andereren Seite (The Edge of Heaven), de Fatih Akin

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Tuesday, November 13, 2007

2008 Academy Awards Foreign Film Official Submission


Since a long time ago I’ve wanted to do this post, but I keep forgetting… Well, today I finally did it!

These are the official submissions by country.

Argentina, “XXY,” Lucia Puenzo, director;
Australia, “The Home Song Stories,” Tony Ayres, director;
Austria, “The Counterfeiters,” Stefan Ruzowitzky, director;
Azerbaijan, “Caucasia,” Farid Gumbatov, director;
Bangladesh, “On the Wings of Dreams,” Golam Rabbany Biplob, director;
Belgium, “Ben X,” Nic Balthazar, director;
Bosnia and Herzegovina, “It’s Hard to Be Nice,” Srdan Vuletic,director;
Brazil, “The Year My Parents Went on Vacation,” Cao Hamburger, director;
Bulgaria, “Warden of the Dead,” Ilian Simeonov, director;
Canada, “Days of Darkness,” Denys Arcand, director;
Chile, “Padre Nuestro,” Rodrigo Sepulveda, director;
China, “The Knot,” Yin Li, director;
Colombia, “Satanas,” Andi Baiz, director;
Croatia, “Armin,” Ognjen Svilicic, director;
Cuba, “The Silly Age,” Pavel Giroud, director;
Czech Republic, “I Served the King of England,” Jiri Menzel,director;
Denmark, “The Art of Crying,” Peter Schonau Fog, director;
Egypt, “In the Heliopolis Flat,” Mohamed Khan, director;
Estonia, “The Class,” Ilmar Raag, director;
Finland, “A Man’s Job,” Aleksi Salmenpera, director;
France, “Persepolis,” Marjane Satrapi, Vincent Paronnaud, directors;
Georgia, “The Russian Triangle,” Aleko Tsabadze, director;
Germany, “The Edge of Heaven,” Fatih Akin, director;
Greece, “Eduart,” Angeliki Antoniou, director;
Hong Kong, “Exiled,” Johnnie To, director;
Hungary, “Taxidermia,” Gyorgy Palfi, director;
Iceland, “Jar City,” Baltasar Kormakur, director;
India, “Eklavya – The Royal Guard,” Vidhu Vinod Chopra, director;
Indonesia, “Denias, Singing on the Cloud,” John De Rantau, director;
Iran, “M for Mother,” Rasoul Mollagholipour, director;
Iraq, “Jani Gal,” Jamil Rostami, director;
Ireland, “Kings,” Tom Collins, director;
Israel, “Beaufort,” Joseph Cedar, director;
Italy, “The Unknown,” Giuseppe Tornatore, director;
Japan, “I Just Didn’t Do It,” Masayuki Suo, director;
Kazakhstan, “Mongol,” Sergei Bodrov, director;
Korea, “Secret Sunshine,” Chang-dong Lee, director;
Lebanon, “Caramel,” Nadine Labaki, director;
Luxembourg, “Little Secrets,” Pol Cruchten, director;
Macedonia, “Shadows,” Milcho Manchevski, director;
Mexico, “Silent Light,” Carlos Reygadas, director;
The Netherlands, “Duska,” Jos Stelling, director;
Norway, “Gone with the Woman,” Petter Naess, director;
Peru, “Crossing a Shadow,” Augusto Tamayo, director;
Philippines, “Donsol,” Adolfo Alix, Jr., director;
Poland, “Katyn,” Andrzej Wajda, director;
Portugal, “Belle Toujours,” Manoel de Oliveira, director;
Puerto Rico, “Love Sickness,” Carlitos Ruiz, Mariem Perez, directors;
Romania, “4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days,” Cristian Mungiu, director;
Russia, “12,” Nikita Mikhalkov, director;
Serbia, “The Trap,” Srdan Golubovic, director;
Singapore, “881,” Royston Tan, director;
Slovakia, “Return of the Storks,” Martin Repka, director;
Slovenia, “Short Circuits,” Janez Lapajne, director;
Spain, “The Orphanage,” J.A. Bayona, director;
Sweden, “You, the Living,” Roy Andersson, director;
Switzerland, “Late Bloomers,” Bettina Oberli, director;
Taiwan, “Island Etude,” Chen Huai-En, director;
Thailand, “King of Fire,” Chatrichalerm Yukol, director;
Turkey, “A Man’s Fear of God,” Ozer Kiziltan, director;
Uruguay, “The Pope’s Toilet,” Enrique Fernandez, Cesar Charlone, directors;
Venezuela, “Postcards from Leningrad,” Mariana Rondon, director;
Vietnam, “The White Silk Dress,” Luu Huynh, director.

Nominations for the 80th Academy Awards will be announced on Tuesday, January 22, 2008, at 5:30 a.m. PT in the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater.

63 movies to look forward to see!!! Well I have seen like 3 or 4!

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Saturday, September 12, 2009

66th Venice Film Festival Award Winners


The Awards ceremony is over and here are the winners.

Official Selection

Golden Lion for Best Film: Levanon (Lebanon), Samuel Maoz Israel, France and Germany, 2008

Silver Lion for Best Director: Shirin Neshat for Zanan-E Bedun-E Mardan (Women Without Men), Germany, 2009

Special Jury Prize: Soul Kitchen, Fatih Akin, Germany, 2009

Coppa Volpi for Best Actress: Ksenia Rappoport in La Doppia Ora, Giuseppe Capotondi, Italy, 2009
Coppa Volpi for Best Actor: Colin Firth in A Single Man, Tom Ford, USA, 2009
Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best New Young Actor or Actress: Jasmine Trinca in Il Grande Sogno, Michele Placido, Italy and France, 2009

Osella for Best Technical Contribution: Sylvie Olive for Mr. Nobody, Jaco van Dormael, France, Canada, and Belgium, 2009
Osella for Best Screenplay: Todd Solodonz for Life During Wartime, Todd Solondz, USA, 2009

First Film

Luigi De Laurentiis Award - Lion of The Future: Engkwentro,
Pepe Diokno, Philippines (from the Orrizonti Section)

Orizzonti

Best Film: Engkwentro,
Pepe Diokno, Philippines
Special Mention: Aadmi Ki Aurat Aur Anya Kahaniya
(The Man’s Woman and Other Stories), Amit Dutta, India
Best Documentary: 1428,
Haibin Du, China

Other Awards

FIPRESCI Award
Official Selection: Lourdes,
Jessica Hausner, Austria, 2009
Orrizonti: Choi Voi
(Adrift), Thac Chuyen Bui,Vietnam (Wow! Then this movie must be good… great!!!)

SIGNIS Award: Lourdes,
Jessica Hausner, Austria, 2009
Special Mention:
Levanon (Lebanon), Samuel Maoz Israel, France and Germany, 2008

Brian Award: Lourdes, Jessica Hausner, Austria, 2009
La Navicella Award: Lourdes,
Jessica Hausner, Austria, 2009

Francesco Pasinetti (SNGCI) Award: Baarìa by Giuseppe Tornatore
Best Film: Lo spazio bianco by Francesca Comencini
Best Male Actor: Filippo Timi for La doppia ora
Best Female Actor: Margherita Buy for Lo spazio bianco
Special Pasinetti Award to Riccardo Scamarcio for Il grande sogno
Special Pasinetti Award to Armando Testa – Povero ma moderno by Pappi Corsicato

Leoncino d'oro Award 2009: Capitalism: A love story, Michael Moore, USA
Cinema for UNICEF commendation: Shirin Neshat for Zanan-E Bedun-E Mardan (Women Without Men), Germany, 2009

Persol 3-D Award for the Best 3-D Stereoscopic Film of the Year: The Hole,
Joe Dante, USA

Controcampo Italiano

Controcampo Italiano Award: Cosmonauta, Susanna Nicchiarelli, Italy
Special Mention: Negli occhi, Daniele Anzellotti and Francesco Del Grosso, Italy

Corto Cortissimo

Lion Corto Cortissimo: Eersgeborene (First Born),Etienne Kallos, South Africa and USA
Special Mention: Felicità, Salomé Aleksi,Georgia
Short from Mostra di Venezia to the European Film Awards: Sinner, Meni Philip, Israel

To check the official annoucement go here available only in Italian or go here for English. There are many more Collateral Awards that you can check here.

To watch trailers of the Award Winners go Movie On Companion

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Tuesday, January 29, 2008

33rd César Awards


Recently the L’Académie des Arts et Techniques du Cinéma announced the nominations for these awards and here they are for some categories.

Best Film
La Graine et le Mulet (Abdellatif Kechiche)
La Môme (Olivier Dahan)
Le Scaphandre et le Papillon (Julian Schnabel)
Persepolis (Vincent Paronnaud, Marjane Satrapi)
Un Secret (Claude Miller)

Best Director
Abdellatif Kechiche (La Graine et le Mulet)
Olivier Dahan (La Môme)
Julian Schnabel (Le Scaphandre et le Papillon)
André Téchiné (Les Témoins)
Claude Miller (Un Secret)

Best Actor
Vincent Lindon for Ceux qui restent
Jean-Pierre Darroussin for Dialogue avec mon jardinier
Jean-Pierre Marielle for Faut que ça danse!
Mathieu Amalric for Le Scaphandre et le Papillon
Michel Blanc for Les Témoins

Best Actress
Isabelle Carré for Anna M.
Marina Foïs for Darling
Marion Cotillard for La Môme
Catherine Frot for Odette Toulemonde
Cécile de France for Un secret

Best Female Newcomer
Hafsia Herzi (La Graine et le mulet)
Clotilde Hesme (Les Chansons d'amour)
Adèle Haenel (Naissance des pieuvres)
Louise Blachère (Naissance des pieuvres)
Audrey Dana (Roman de gare)

Best First Film
Ceux qui restent (Jean-Philippe Andraca, Christian Bérard, Anne Le Ny)
Et toi, t'es sur qui ? (Lola Doillon, Saga Blanchard)
Naissance des pieuvres (Céline Sciamma, Bénédicte Couvreur, Jérôme Dopffer)
Persepolis (Xavier Rigault, Marc-Antoine Robert, Vincent Paronnaud, Marjane Satrapi)
Tout est pardonné (Philippe Martin, David Thion, Mia Hansen-Love)

Best Foreign Film
4 mois, 3 semaines, 2 jours (Cristian Mungiu)
De l'autre côté (Fatih Akin)
La Nuit nous appartient (James Gray)
La Vie des autres (Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck)
Les Promesses de l'ombre (David Cronenberg)

This seems to be the best nominations I have seen up-to-date as all the extremely good films are nominated for major awards. Chapeau to the Academy members!!! But this could be very hard, imagine deciding between La Môme, Le Scaphandre et le Papillon, and Persepolis for best film??? Hard. And I know that La Graine et le Mullet is good but haven’t seen it yet and now have to check Un Secret.

Also difficult is the Best Foreign Film, but I know that my favorite is that magnificent Romanian film and I'm glad they included We Own The Night as was a movie that I liked a lot and the Oscars didn't gave any major honors. Easy categories are Best Actress that is Marion Cotillard and Best Director that has to be Julian Schnabel. I’m pleased to find here Naissance des Pieuvres that I’m absolutely “dying” to see!!!

For those that like statistics La Môme has 11 nominations, Le Scaphandre et le Papillon has 7 and Persepolis has 6. To check all categories go here available only in French.

The Awards ceremony will be on Friday February 22 at 8pm and will be telecasted by Canal+, I'll be checking TV5Monde to find the worldwide telecast. Jean Rochefort will preside the ceremony and Antoine de Caunes is the master of ceremony. This year these awards are going to be really exciting and of course I wont miss them.

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Friday, September 10, 2010

23rd European Film Awards - Long List


Yesterday the European Film Academy (EFA) announced the titles of the forty-six (46) films on this year's selection list with films recommended for a nomination for the European Films Awards 2010. There are 32 countries represented and in the coming weeks the 2,300 Academy members will vote to define the nominees in the different categories.

As always the nominations will be announced on November 6th at the Sevilla European Film Festival in Spain and the awards ceremony this year will take place in Tallinn, Estonia on December 4th.

This is the selection.

3 SEZÓNY V PEKLE (3 SEASONS IN HELL), Tomáš Mašin, Czech Republic
ANOTHER YEAR, Mike Leigh, UK,
BAL (HONEY), Semih Kaplanoğlu, Turkey and Germany
CARLOS, Olivier Assayas, France and Germany
CELDA 211 (CELL 211), Daniel Monzón, Spain and France
LE CONCERT (THE CONCERT), Radu Mihaileanu, France
DES HOMMES ET DES DIEUX (OF GODS AND MEN), Xavier Beauvois, France
EU CAND VREAU SA FLUIER, FLUIER (IF I WANT TO WHISTLE, I WHISTLE), Florin Serban, Romania
FILM SOCIALISME (FILM SOCIALISM), Jean-Luc Godard Switzerland
DIE FREMDE (WHEN WE LEAVE), Feo Aladag, Germany, 119 min.
THE GHOST WRITER ,Roman Polanski, France, Germany and UK
GIULIAS VERSCHWINDEN (JULIA’S DISAPPEARANCE), Christoph Schaub, Switzerland
HONEYMOONS, Goran Paskaljevic,Serbia and Albania
I0, DON GIOVANNI (I, DON GIOVANNI), Carlos Saura, Austria, Italy and Spain
Как я провел этим летом -KAK YA PROVEL ETIM LETOM (HOW I ENDED THIS SUMMER), Alexei Popogrebsky, Russia
KAWASAKIHO RŮŽE (KAWASAKI’S ROSE), Jan Hřebejk, Czech Republic
KENJAC (DONKEY), Antonio Nuić, Croatia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Serbia, and UK
LEBANON, Samuel Maoz, Israel
LOURDES, Jessica Hausner,, Austria, France, and Germany
MAMMA GÓGÓ , Fridrik Thor Fridriksson, Iceland
MINE VAGANTI (LOOSE CANNONS), Ferzan Ozpetek, Italy
MY QUEEN KARO, Dorothée van den Berghe, Belgium and the Netherlands
NA PUTU (ON THE PATH), Jasmila Žbanić, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Austria, Germany, and Croatia
LA NOSTRA VITA (OUR LIFE), Daniele Luchetti, Italy, 98 min.
NOTHING PERSONAL, Urszula Antoniak, Netherlands and Ireland
NOWHERE BOY, Sam Taylor-Wood, UK, 98 min.
ONDINE, Neil Jordan, Ireland
PAHA PERHE (BAD FAMILY), Aleksi Salmenperä, Finland
PÁL ADRIENN (ADRIENN PÁL), Ágnes Kocsis, Hungary
LA PRIMA COSA BELLA (THE FIRST BEAUTIFUL THING), Paolo Virzi, Italy
PÜHA TÕNU KIUSAMINE (THE TEMPTATION OF ST.TONY), Veiko Õunpuu, Estonia
DER RÄUBER (THE ROBBER), Benjamin Heisenberg, Austria and Germany
REWERS (THE REVERSE), Borys Lankosz Poland
Cчастье моё -SCHASTYE MOYE (MY JOY), Sergei Loznitsa, Germany, Ukraine, and Netherlands
SEBBE, Babak Najafi, Sweden
EL SECRETO DE SUS OJOS (THE SECRET IN THEIR EYES), Juan José Campanella, Spain and Argentina
SLOVENKA (SLOVENIAN GIRL), Damjan Kozole, Slovenia
SOUL KITCHEN, Fatih Akin, Germany
SUBMARINO, Thomas Vinterberg, Denmark
TAMARA DREWE, Stephen Frears, UK
TESSERA MAVRA KOUSTOUMIA (4 BLACK SUITS), Renos Haralambidis, Greece
TOURNEE (ON TOUR), Mathieu Amalric, France
L’UOMO CHE VERRÀ (THE MAN WHO WILL COME), Giorgio Diritti, Italy
UPPERDOG, Sara Johnsen, Norway
DE VLIEGENIERSTER VAN KAZBEK (THE AVIATRIX OF KAZBEK), Ineke Smits, Netherlands and Georgia
ZAD KADAR (VOICE OVER), Svetoslav Ovcharov, Bulgaria

To check the list at the EFA official site go here and/or here that's the European Film Awards official site.

To my HUGE surprise the famous Swedish film is not in the list, but as you noticed in the previous post was selected for the People's Choice Award. Believe that somehow I understand why is not in this list as the movie is not as good as the amazing Noomi Rapace performance. What I regret the most is that she can't be nominated for Best Actress, but maybe a kind of 'miracle' could happen and she will be nominated (not really a miracle, she's in the other awards).

As we already know some of the European countries submission to the 2011 Oscar calls my attention that what the EFA recommended and what was submitted does not match for some countries. Interesting as criteria for selection has to be influenced by what everybody believes are the USA Academy members tastes. After all American cinema and European cinema are VERY different and you have no idea how glad I am.

Sooner that we imagine the Seville fest will open and we will learn the nominations.

Cheers!!!

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Saturday, May 31, 2008

Yumurta (Egg)


First I have to share with you that when reading about this movie the synopsis and critics/viewers comments were different to what I saw in this movie and I couldn’t believe that I was the only one thinking that there was love in this movie. Finally I found the official press release of the movie and surprise, surprise I’m not alone.

This Semih Kaplanoğlu tells about a poet, Yusuf, living in Istambul that returns to Tire in the Aegean -his birth place- because her mother passed away. He is full of guilt, as since he left he hasn’t comeback much even when he promised his mother to do so. He doesn’t even know a distant relative Ayla that for the past five years has been living with his mother. Mourning and full of guilt he unwillingly agrees to honor a religious pledge her mother did before dying and by doing this founds a new life where he could less imagine.

That’s more or less the outline of the story, but basically tells about what you always wanted to leave behind and how your past becomes a more promising future.

With very little dialogue this full of silences, images and metaphors movie is just a little pleasure to watch for the simple –yet complex- story it tells and the beautiful indoor and outdoors cinematography that suggest careful composition of takes elements. Actors performances are very good as most performing is done with outstanding expressions.

One of the many metaphors is when Ayla gives Yusuf the egg and if that is not love, then I ask you, what else it could be??? This is what puzzled me until I found the official press release.

Anyway the movie has slow pace with nothing much apparently happening, so it is not for all audiences but for those that love art and art cinema movies. The movie was screened in competition at the 2007 Directors’ Fortnight and won 6 awards at the 2007 Antalya Golden Orange Film Festival where the film was competing against other great Turkish movies such as Fatih Akin’s Yaşamın Kıyısında (The Edge of Heaven) and Abdullah Oğuz's Mutluluk (Happiness). The movie has other awards and nominations that you can find by browsing the blog.

This is the first film of a trilogy based on the life of Yusuf (it is called Yusuf trilogy) and the following installments are Süt (Milk) and Bal (Honey); what’s interesting is that Yusuf story is going to be told backwards with Süt telling about the time he leaves Tire and Bal about his childhood. I’m looking forward to see the next installments.

Since this is the first Kaplanoğlu movie I see at the beginning I was expecting something to happen, but soon enough thanks to the metaphors I able to start to understand his style and from that moment on, I relaxed and was able to enjoy the visual magic of this film that recalls other directors, so it was no surprise to find that for this movie Kaplanoğlu got his inspiration from great directors such as Tarkovsky, Bresson, Satyajit Ray and Ozu.

Absolutely a must be seen for those that like art and art cinema movies.

Enjoy!!!

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