76th Venice International Film Festival Lineup

Somehow was able to enjoy yesterday's press conference as even if rhythm was on the slower side, eventually the end was near and finally were able to learn the films in La Mostra competition. My very-spontaneous reaction was feeling this year fest will be as exciting as last year and yes, more interesting than Cannes. This is great but you know me, I'm crazy about French cinema, so wish the French festival will pickup the past glory, leave controversies behind to become more "independent", sigh. Well, but for now, is all about the Italian festival with great movies from around the world becoming not only the Oscars predictor but the one to be consider as the leading force in world cinema

Before getting into post matter, wish to share an extraordinary and outstanding fact about a country with no cinema continuous-trajectory that suddenly is catapulting into remarkable milestones. As far as was able to check from historic info, this is the first time Guatemala has one movie in each of the three major film festivals in the world in the same year. First was Berlinale in Panorama Section with Temblores by Jayro Bustamante, then Cannes Semaine de la Critique and Camera d'Or winner, Nuestras Madres by Cesar Diaz and now is Jayro Bustamante's La Llorona in Venice Days. Remarkable!!!

Because I find it rather inspiring here is an excerpt from Alberto Barbera, Director of the Venice International Film Festival, introduction the fest and his part of his opening remarks at yesterday's press conference.

Continue reading »

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.

Continue reading »

69th Berlinale Complete Lineup Final

Post is ready with all sections verified and yes, have read about each of below films. Festival has about 400 films and below list has most of them.  Sections listed with films have ALL films (features and shorts, if applicable) and Forum has some additional older films that interested me.

There are many films that I'm looking forward to watch, which have exponentially increased my viewing queue, sigh.  No doubt this year Berlinale Competition is very interesting with films of well-known directors -which is always welcomed as believe newcomers should debut in fests other than-competitition sections, unless their film is outstanding...

In about a week the fest will began and yes, I'm starting to feel sad as will miss Kosslick and his pleasant larger than life casual personality.  But will try to enjoy him for one last time during the festival.  Wonder if he leaves, will fun-to-watch (in a very dark way) Anke Engelke leave too?  The chemistry these two had was like oil and water but was the funniest I have seen in any festival and elsewhere; remember that I like very-dark dry humor (lol).

Continue reading »

2018 Cannes Possible Films - The Buzz

As happens every single year, Cannes buzz starts during Berlinale and gets louder when Berlinale ends.  Even do been following the buzz since then this year haven't post anything as some of you guessed right, my life has changed and now it's not easy to keep on writing for you, loyal readers.  But no matter how many changes have happened or will occur, Cannes is Cannes for me and have to (or at least will try to) write my regular posts about the buzz, my wish list and all the other stuff done in the previous years.

No, this is not my Wish List but the usual compilation of possible films that could make it to Cannes which usually do in February but well, I'm doing it a month later and by now most industry publications have done their own lists, so it's not a novelty but will be a lot easier to make it, lol.

Continue reading »

2017 Cannes Possible Films - The Buzz

Know we have three more months to Cannes but believe it or not many have already started to talk about the mother of all festivals perhaps was due to the perception that this years' Berlinale was on the soft side and the hope of Cannes to be strong. The good news is that there are good chances of a very strong lineup as there are master filmmakers that could have ready their films for Cannes and there is always the chance for Cannes second or more timers to go back with great movies.

No, this is not my Wish List but a compilation of possible films that could make it to Cannes. List is made from several Cannes articles plus some lists with most anticipated films of 2017, films I've been tracking and my daily readings.

As we all know, Cannes begins in Berlin, not in the red carpet but in the Industry Market, so it's no surprise that many articles appeared while the Berlinale was running and after the Berlinale Market was closed a few days back.

Continue reading »

9th Asian Film Awards Winners

The 9th Asian Film Awards (AFA) ceremony was held at The Venetian Macao last night, commemorating another year of excellence in Asian cinema. The 9th AFA was jointly organized by the Asian Film Awards Academy (AFAA), and its constituent partners – Busan Film Festival, Tokyo Film Festival and Hong Kong Film Festival.

Hong Kong pop star, and breakout actress Ivana Wong opened the 9th AFA ceremony with a heartfelt singing performance. Later, South Korean band Infinite entertained guests with an energetic musical set, which was then followed by loud applause from their dedicated fans.

Overall, Mainland China’s films stole the show, winning awards in 10 categories out of 14, including 3 out of the 4 major accolades. This year’s coveted Best Film Award went to Blind Massage. Other major winners this year include Ann Hui who took home the Best Director award for The Golden Era. Liao Fan beat out other nominees for the Best Actor Award for his role in Black Coal, Thin Ice. However, it was South Korean Bae Doo-na who was awarded Best Actress for her stunning performance in A Girl At My Door.

Continue reading »

9th Asian Film Awards Nominations

Recently the Asian Film Awards Academy announced the 74 nominations of 42 films from eight (8) countries. Winners will be selected by a jury that comprises 14 film industry professionals and critics; the awards ceremony will be held on March 25 at The Venetian Theatre in Macao.

Inaugurated in 2007, the Asian Film Awards celebrates excellence in Asian cinema through the annual presentation of awards to the many diverse talents and films that make up the dynamic film industries of the region. Founded by the Hong Kong International Film Festival, Busan International Film Festival and Tokyo International Film Festival in late 2013, the AFA Academy aims to promote, develop and enrich Asian cinema, its talents and audiences by organizing the AFA and a diversity of other programs across Asia through working closely with film, arts and culture partners from around the world. This year AFA received over a thousand films from 34 countries across Asia.

Continue reading »

8th Asia Pacific Screen Awards Winners

As happened to me last year, this year was not able to see the awards ceremony live -which upsets me as this ceremony is very ceremonial, so different to what we see in in the west. Nevertheless can't deny that I'm very pleased that the movie of one of my favorite directors won the top award -which wasn't difficult as there were two of my favorite directors competing head to head-. Yes Andrey Zvyagintsev acclaimed Leviathan won the top award and to not upset Palme d'Or winner Nuri Bilge Ceylan (and me), the jury gave him the Best Director award for Winter Sleep.

As we know these awards recognize and promote cinematic excellence and cultural diversity of the world’s fastest-growing film region: comprising 70 countries and areas, 4.5 billion people, and responsible for half of the world’s film output. 2014 was a very good year for the are as produced many of the year greatest world films that were honored in Cannes and continued to collect multiple awards around the world.

Continue reading »

2014 Cinema Biennale Check #8 - From Asia to Venice

The last Cinema Biennale Check installment is about directors born in the East and Far East.

Xiaoshuai Wang

Born on May 1966 in Shanghai, China. A gifted painter that attended Beijing's Central Art Academy Middle School and upon graduation relinquish his painting career to enroll in the Beijing Film Academy in the Department of Directing. After graduation and 2 years as an assistant at Fujian Film Studios he returns penniless to Beijing only to make his first film in 1993, The Days, with the incredible budget of US$10,000.00.

He belongs to what is known as the Sixth Generation of Chinese filmmakers or the "Urban Generation" of directors. Perhaps he's better-known for his amazing 2001 Berlinale Jury Grand Prix Silver Bear winner Beijing Bicycle, his also amazing 2005 Cannes Jury Prize winner Shanghai Dreams and his 2010 Cannes in competition for the Palme d'Or Chongqing Blues; but his filmography extends beyond these three films with films like In Love We Trust, Drifters and many more. Occasionally has worked as an actor and most remarkable in Jia Zhangke's The World and Lou Ye's Weekend Lover.

Continue reading »

64th Berlin International Film Festival Award Winners

With a normal awards ceremony 2014 Berlinale closes their sixty-four edition with "unexpected" top awards (which is fantastic) and some emotions expressed mainly by filmmakers and actors from Asian countries, which is highly unusual.

There are some films that won no awards and are must be seen for me because the excellent directors and yes, I'm very curious about the winners from Japan and China. So let's hope they become available near me before the Berlinale next edition. Sigh.

Prize list from festival organizers is at bottom of post. Enjoy!

Sehen im nächsten Jahr!!!

Continue reading »

64th Berlin International Film Festival Competition Selection - Final

This morning in Berlin fest organizers had the press conference to announce the complete festival selection and there are some changes to my best guess a few days ago. First the opening film, The Grand Budapest Hotel, is In Competition and second, La belle et la bête is Out of Competition. Worth mentioning that out of the 23 films, eighteen (18) are World premieres.

Hope that soon we will learn the movies that will be competing for 2014 Teddy as right now the program section only lists a few short films and no feature films; still to easy access will leave the link to Teddy official site here.  Oops program is out, great will do post immediately.

Also announced today is that Berlinale Camera 2014 will honor Karl Baumgartner, one of Germany's leading producers and independent distributors.

Continue reading »

7th Asian Film Award Winners

A few hours ago the award ceremony spread out the wealth to several films but is Lou Ye's Mystery which won the top award and none other than Takeshi Kitano who won the Best Director for Outrage Beyond. Also worth mentioning is that Bahman Ghobadi's Rhino Season won several tech awards including Best Cinematography. Three great movies.

Winners are in *BLUE. To learn winners in all categories go official site.

1/31/13
On January 16th the Hong Kong International Film Festival Society (HKIFFS) announced the nominees in the 14 categories honored by this award. From over a thousand eligible films across Asia, up to five nominations have been selected in each category. The full list of 70 nominees includes 30 films from 9 countries and regions. In terms of numbers, South Korea leads with 16 nominations this year.

Continue reading »

49th Golden Horse Awards Nominations

A while back the Golden Horse Film Academy announced the nominations that came from a total of 213 entries, including 122 feature films, 67 short films, 20 documentary films and four animated features.

Both Yang Ya Che's Gf * Bf and Lou Ye's Mystery lead with seven nominations each closely followed by Johnny To's Life Without Principle and Guan Hu's Design of Death with six nominations each.

These are the nominees for some categories.

Best Feature Film
神探亨特張 Beijing Blues, Gao Qunshu, China
浮城謎事 Mystery, Lou Ye, China and France
奪命金 Dyut meng gam (Life Without Principle), Johnnie To, Hong Kong
女朋友。男朋友 Gf * Bf (Girlfriend Boyfriend), Yang Ya Che, Taiwan
消失的子彈 Xiao shi de zi dan (The Bullet Vanishes), Lo Chi Leung, Hong Kong and China

Best Director
Gao Qunshu for Beijing Blues
Lou Ye for Mystery
Johnnie To for Life Without Principle
Yang Ya Che for Gf * Bf
Doze Niu Chen-Zer for 愛 Love

Best New Director
Yang Yi-Chen and Jim Wang for Cha Cha for Twins, Taiwan
Fung Kai for Din Tao: Leader of the Parade, Taiwan
Hero Lin for Silent Code, Taiwan
Tsai Yueh Hsun for Black & White: The Dawn of Assault, Taiwan and China
Chang Jung-Chi for Touch of the Light, Taiwan, Hong Kong and China

Best Leading Actress
Bai Baihe in Love Is Not Blind
Hao Lei in Mystery
Denise Ho in Life Without Principle
Gwei Lun-Mei in Gf * Bf
Sandrine Pinna in Touch of the Light

Best Leading Actor
Nick Cheung in Nightfall
Lau Ching Wan in Life Without Principle
Joseph Chang in Gf * Bf
Chaman To in Vulgaria
Nicholas Tse in The Viral Factor

Best Documentary
China Heavyweight, Yung Chang, China
Hand in Hand, Juang Yi-tzeng and Yen Lan-chuan, Taiwan
Money and Honey, Jasmmine Lee Ching-hui, Taiwan
Voyage in Time, Chou Tung-Yen, Taiwan

Best Short Film
6th March, Wong Chun, Hong Kong, 32'
My Graduation Travel, Hung Po-Hao, Taiwan, 30'
The Home Gleaners, Zhang siqing, China, 32'
The Present, Hsieh Weng-Ming, 16'

The Outstanding Taiwanese Filmmaker of the Year
Chen Po-Wen
Liao Su Jen
Jimmy Huang
Huang Yu-Siang

Lifetime Achievement Award: Shih Chun

This year there were no nominees in the Best Animation Film category as none of the four films qualified. To check nominees in all categories plus info and trailers (all films have trailers, many with English subtitles) for each nominated film go here.

Most interesting is to notice that Hong Kong and Taiwan submissions to Oscar have been honored with nominations but China's submission is not. From the five films nominated for Best Feature Film no doubt that 2012 Cannes Un Certain Regard Mystery is must be seen for me; also because I enjoy Sandrine Pinna's performances think will give a try to Touch of the Light but know that story could be too melodramatic for my taste.

The judging process consists of three phases. The first round was overseen by film critics and scholars from Taiwan, China, and Hong Kong: including Tan Tang-Mo, Li Yongquan, Liang Liang, Thomas Shin, and Wei Xidi. The second round was reviewed by outstanding filmmakers still active in this field, mostly past Golden Horse winners or nominees, such as Kong Jinlei (editor), Jack Shi (animation director), Wu Mi-Sen (director), Lin Yu-Hsien (director), Lin Jong (cinematographer), Lim Giong (musician / actor), Chen Yi-Wen (director/actor), Chen Ru-Shou (film scholar), Shirley Chan Ku Fang (makeup and costume designer), and Lu Yi-Ching (actress); they spent a month watching all the brilliant Chinese-language films made in the past year, from which they elected this year's finalists. In the final round, the judging panel will be joined by the two-time Best Leading Actor winner Andy Lau, as well as renowned writer Chang Ta-Chun, veteran actor/director Liang Hsiu-Shen, and the equally talented Jiang Wenli. Serving as the chairman of this year's jury, Andy Lau said that it was a great honor to take on such a task and he was looking forward to watching the nominated films and discussing with his colleagues. He also congratulated all the nominees of the 2012 Golden Horse Awards.

The 49th Golden Horse Awards ceremony will be held on November 24 in Luodong Cultural Working House, Yilan County and will be broadcast live exclusively on TTV. At present it is confirmed that the ceremony will be broadcast to Canada, the United States, China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, and Macau.

頤和園 Yihe yuan (Summer Palace)

Lou Ye's films have eluded me but finally I was able to watch this 2006 Cannes in competition film and I was not prepared for what I watched at all. I really love what I call non-commercial Chinese cinema especially from those directors in the so-called The Fifth Generation (like Zhang Yimou, for example) and The Sixth Generation (like Jia Zhangke) that I believe have a peculiar and particular style in their films. But if one director blows completely my mind is Wong Kar-wai with his unique style to tell so-called moody romance stories; well, that's it until I saw this movie.

According to what I read, Lou Ye belongs to The Six Generation and yes I can see the impressive realistic style in this movie as more than once gives the impression of watching cinéma vérité but this movie has something else that I have seen not before in Chinese movies much less in the work of The Six Generation directors I have seen. First there is a clear drama with an intense-love story that abounds elsewhere but not among Chinese filmmakers; so intense, both in story as in visuals, that film seems to me like a fusion of European (more French) style with Chinese style and believe me, the end result is amazing if you love both styles. Second, love/sex scenes are so visually explicit and raw that definitively I have not seen anything similar in "good" Chinese cinema, not even in the explicit sex scenes of Ang Lee's Lust, Caution. Third, movie story mixes fiction and reality creating an illusion that perhaps talks more about "truth" that if director decided to portrait only "truth" (which obviously was impossible as he/film would be banned). I could go on, but these three aspects are the basic ones to give you an idea of what you will seen in film.

Films tells an epic story that spans to several cities and over a decade but basic plot rotates around Yu Hong (Hao Lei) a young woman from Tumen, who is accepted to a fictional university in Beijing. There she meets Li Ti (Hu Lingling) and become close friends. Li Ti introduces Zhou Wei (Guo Xiadong) to Yu Hong and her life is changed forever as Zhou Wei becomes her obsessive love and obsession is mutual. But they have a volatile love affair, probably as volatile as the political forces that are moving towards Tiananmen Square. This story happens in what I call the first movie as storytelling style is very different to what follows in the second movie.

Second movie starts after the Tiananmen Square with the three main characters parting ways as Yu Hong returns to Tumen while Li Ti and Zhou Wei emigrate to Germany. Won't tell you more details of what happens but in the end complete story for me is about how unprepared where the Chinese to live in the "new" Chinese society, more specific, how unprepared were to live in (so-called) "freedom". Very interesting story told, again, mixing fiction and fact.

I was absolutely mesmerized by first movie as I think I was in shock of watching the "perfect" mélange of European/Chinese visual and narrative styles and yes I had my "what is this" moment as how could I imagine what I was seeing with no previous reference? Soon enough I got involved, forgot about thinking and started to only enjoy the fantastic ride. Second movie came a bit as a downer as wonderful style becomes more arid, dry, has more light but there are lots of foggy/hazy/greyish scenes. Obviously the second movie style was used to complement the story narrative that also is a lot more arid, dry, grey than first part. Fantastic.

For occidental standards is a long movie as has 140 minutes, I'm used to see "long" movies but not often I can spend that amount of time in awe with my mouth open unable to stop watching for a second, unable to move. That's how much I was affected by this movie that I enjoyed beyond my wildest expectations, but then I had no expectations at all, so perhaps that's why I got the intense reaction.

I strongly recommend this movie (if you haven't seen it yet) as definitively is a must be seen for those that enjoy European, mainly French, cinema as well as excellent Chinese cinema. Not surprisingly share that I have to see "everything" by Lou Ye to understand more how he evolved his amazing storytelling style up to this 2006 film and how he continue evolving with his subsequent movies.

Big Enjoy!!!

Watch trailer @MOC

3rd Cannes Queer Palm Award Winners

It is impressive the lack of media coverage that this award received this year, even when Jury president is well-known. Not even the LGTB sites talked about award, but they talked about other movies in the fest. I believe that if organizers don't change their "game plan" the award will simply fade away due to lack of interest.

I know is not easy and that best reference, Berlinale Teddy Award, did not have an easy start, but they made it and now Teddy is a prestigious award recognized by the LGTB community and beyond. But now with all this tech that surrounds us, the Queer Palm should reach faster a credibility plateau; still, after three years of so-so promotion seems that the curve is going down, not up. Also the few comments suggested no interest in the award as "sure" winner was Lawrence Anyways... so on top, the award became predictable as no surprises yes Lawrence Anyways won the award. I love Xavier Dolan's movies but honestly I was hoping that Hors les murs (Beyond the Walls)by David Lambert could win this year. Thus those that shared their predictions surely know more than me how the award works. Sigh.

Anyway, winners are in *BLUE.  Read news here, available only in French.

---///---
5/19
Is not until today that have a moment to check what's happening with this award and to my surprise I found a new film competing and is none other than Cristian Mungiu's Beyond the Hills that's in the main Competition. To read info at official site about this and the other films go here, available only in French.
---End of Update---

5/8
Organizers finally published the Cannes Queer Palm selection for 2012 there are a few feature-length films that could make the competition interesting, but there are not many shorts competing for the first time award. I'm including the info published along with the film announcement but unfortunately there is no info about the specific LGTB interest that each film has, so will try to figure it out and when possible will add it.

Feature Films

Competition
Holy Motors, Leos Carax, France
Léos Carax, director of the cult movie The Lovers on a Bridge has never been a filmmaker like the others. One can therefore expect anything from this film, in which stars the gay icon Kylie Minogue, and which could surprise us in many ways with a central character that has multiple identities, sometimes a man and sometimes a woman…

Un Certain Regard
*Laurence Anyways, Xavier Dolan, Canada and France (T)  Queer Palm winner feature film.
The young prodigy of Canadian cinema returns at Un Certain Regard two years after the success of Heartbeats. This time he tells the story of a man, Laurence (Melvis Poupaud) who decides to become a woman and will be helped in the process by his female partner. This two-and-a-half hour film is expected to be released in France on the 18th of July.

Mystery, Lou Ye, China (G)
Marriage and adultery, double life, murder, accident… A great mystery lies on the new film from the director of Spring Fever. But reliable sources indicate that this is a thriller which offers a great deal of secrets and ambiguity! To be followed, then…

Midnight Screenings
愛と誠 Ai To Makoto (The Legend of Love & Sincerity), Takashi Miike, Japan
The Japanese director takes on a genre that is rarely represented at Cannes: musical. The first images of the film let us hope for a joyful and offbeat treatment of the codes of the genre. Wait and see…

Special Screenings
Les Invisibles, Sébastien Lifshitz, France
Sébastien Lifshitz, director of Going south, Open Bodies and Come Undone returns to documentary. He tackles in this film the subject of homosexuality and the old age, focusing on a quartet of witnesses that were born between the two world wars.

Quinzaine des Réalisateurs
Rengaine (Hold Back), Rachid Djaidani, France
In the Paris of today, Dorcy, a young black Christian wants to marry Sabrina, a young girl from Northern Africa. It would be so much easier if Sabrina didn’t have forty brothers and that their marriage did not represent a taboo that is very rooted in their two communities : no marriage between blacks and Arabs. Slimane, the big brother which stands as the guardian of traditions, is going to do whatever he can to oppose this union.

The WE and the I, Michel Gondry, US and UK (G)
In the end of the school year, the students of a high school from the Bronx get on the same bus for a last ride before Summer. The group of noisy and exuberant teenagers with its bullies, victims and lovers, evolves and transforms as the bus gets empty. Relationships then become more and more intimate and disclose the hidden sides of their personalities.

Semaine de la Critique
Augustine, Alice Winocour, France
Paris, winter 1885. At the Pitié -Salpêtriere Hospital, Professor Charcot is studying a mysterious illness : hysteria. Augustine, 19 years old, becomes his favorite guinea pig, the star of his demonstrations of hypnosis. The object of his studies will soon become the object of his desire...

Hors les murs (Beyond the Walls), David Lambert, Belgium, Canada and France (G)
Paulo, a young pianist living an ambivalent life with Anka, meets Ilir, a loner bass player. It’s love at first sight and they start living on love alone. The day Paulo promises to love him for life, Ilir leaves town for a concert, and never comes back…

Peddlers, Vasan Bala, India
A ghost town, Mumbai, inhabited by millions. A lady on a mission, a man living a lie, an aimless drifter. They collide. Some collisions are of consequence, some not, either ways the city moves on.

L'ACID
Noor, Çagla Zencirci and Guillaume Giovanetti, France (T)
Noor wants to be a man and turn the page on his love story. He works in a truck decoration center and knows what he wants : find a woman who accepts him the way he is. Known for his short films between fiction and documentary (Ata, Six, …), the French-Turkish duo presents their first feature film, which focuses on a character coming from the Pakistanis transgender community: the Khursas.

Short Films

Competition
Gasp, Eicke Bettinga, Germany (G)

Semaine de la Critique
*Ce n’est pas un film de cow-boys (It’s not a Cowboys Movie), Benjamin Parent, France  Queer Palm winner short film.
O Duplo (Doppelgänger), Juliana Rojas, Brazil
Yeguas y Cotorras (Mares and Parakeets) , Natalia Garagiola, Argentina (L)

To read the 2012 Queer Palm's guide, that includes the selection, go here to download the pdf file. File is in French and English.

I just came from discovering that 7 Dias en la Habana (7 Days in Havana) has a segment, Ritual by Gaspard Noé, that is full Lesbian Interest so it is surprising that film is not included in this selection. Not only is SO hard to have Lesbian Interest films in Cannes but when there is one is skipped from the selection. Hope they fix their list to include this film.

Day 2 at 2012 Cannes

In my mind is today when the fest really starts as is when sections have their opening films and fest goes into full force; so I go into my serious self to write my comments.

Main Competition

De Rouille et d’Os (Rust & Bone) by Jacques Audiard

One of the most awaited films in the fest and one that buzz predicts as a frontrunner for the Palme d'Or; first reviews headlines tell me that film has high possibilities to continue being THE frontrunner. If you wish to read in-depth about what I think about this film please go here.  Some of the reviews say film has a love story, a violent love story... which if right, is what I expect from Audiard's film.

Photocall video shows us a very beautiful and serene Marion Cotillard; obviously I recommend watching just to see how she moves so-well with the photographers requests. Probably I'm very subjective when I say watch the TV Festival de Cannes interview just to see and hear Cotillard but she's really lovely to watch; if you understand French suggest to turn fest site to that language to avoid the awful voice over English translation.

Press conference has the director, the scriptwriter, the two main stars and is no surprise that the room is full with many standing. One of the things I like about press conferences is the opportunity to "meet" the directors, as many times I realize that director's personality and their filmmaking style are very similar, which has many interesting implications. There are little spoilers but just turn off sound if you wish to avoid them. Already familiar with Audiard's personality thanks to Un Prophet and this video confirms it; impressed with Belgian Matthias Schoenaerts and Marion is simply unbelievably lovely in "real-life" (I know she's working) moments. I found the press conference interesting with some good questions that provoked great answers, suggest you watch it.

Quotes from the press conference

Marion Cotillard's quest to interpret the role of Stéphanie
When I read the script by Jacques and Thomas, I was blown away by the story. Generally, when I read a story, there is always great understanding about the character. I know who the person is. Yet with Stéphanie, I arrived at the end of the character and I did not know who she was. I spoke about it with Jacques and he told me that he didn't know either and the prospect of us discovering this character together was very exciting.

Physical strength in the film, by Jacques Audiard
Matthias does not fit my criteria at all in men. I prefer short men and I surprised myself with this choice, this big boy with lots of muscles. This is what the film discusses, warped characters, at a time of crisis, when society turns to barbarism, where people eat from rubbish bins. It is in this sense that he has physical power. He doesn't have the words but he has that. And in the end, he will probably be able to use words better.

If I believe the little I'm willing to read/learn about this film then I have to agree with some reliable critics that are willing to bet (really gamble) that Marion Cotillard will get the Best Actress award. Besides hoping she wins, to me is one more sign that this film will be great and confirms, once more, that is Must Be Seen.

Baad el Mawkeaa (After the Battle) by Yousry Nasrallah

This is a movie I know very little so today will learn enough to hopefully let you know my impressions and expectations.

Photocall introduces me to a quite attractive cast that stimulates my imagination and if you're not familiar with film suggest to watch even when definitively is not the usual elegant/ceremonial photocall. TV Festival de Cannes interview gives some spoilers that I appreciate to continue learning about film that is set in recent Egypt historic events. Watch if you're interested in learning about the many difficulties they had while filming.

Press conference has major spoilers as seems the film story is what concerns press the most, still continued watching as I know that will be able to watch film rather later than sooner as Egyptian productions are not easy to find near me. Didn't finish watching the video, but suggest you watch only if you really want to learn more about story and filming hardship.

I have the impression that film could not be easy-to-watch due to the real-life events that inspired film but definitively what I watched today stimulates my curiosity and makes me wish to watch film. I expect a film with a style that I'm not too familiar but from few Egyptian films I have seen, can tell that I have not enjoyed style much; still due to the immediacy (2011) of the historic events plus film being in Cannes In Competition curiosity prevails and know that will watch.

As a reference this is the film synopsis.

Mahmoud was one of the horsemen coerced by lowly henchmen for Mubarak's regime into carrying out attacks on protesters in Tahrir Square on February 2, 2011. He has since lost his job. Humiliated and ostracized, he lives near the Pyramids with his wife and sons. His family is on the brink of despair when he meets Reem, a secular Egyptian divorcee who works in advertising. She is a fervent revolutionary who lives in a wealthy Cairo neighborhood. Theirs is the encounter of two people, but also of two different worlds.

If you wish to learn more about film as well as watch trailer plus film clips go to the official site news article here and/or movie info page here.

Un Certain Regard

Opening film: Mystery, Lou Ye

Extremely curious about this film especially after watching impressive film clip that you can see here. As we know film is competing for the Queer Palm, has gay interest, but definitively I expect film to transcend the genre and have spectacular visuals with a story that could be interesting. I'm not familiar with Lou Ye's work but think that will explore his previous works as soon as possible.

Student by Darezhan Omirbayev

Not really familiar with director and his film, inspired by Fyodor Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment but set in today's Kazakhstan, not necessarily calls my attention. Still one word used to describe his work intrigues me, his poetry; think I need to see films with poetic visuals and narrative plus know that filmmakers from that region usually deliver poetry superbly. Maybe I should give director a try.

Special Screenings

Today Laurent Bouzereau presents his film Roman Polanski: A Film Memoir a documentary on the life of the Franco-Polish director. Not sure I wish to watch another doc about Polanski especially when synopsis includes what I think we already know too much. Perhaps what could be interesting is that film is based on Polanski and Bouzereau "recent" (2009) conversations while he was under house arrest in Gstaad, so maybe this doc will include more Polanski's opinions than someone else perceptions.

Cannes Classics

Section opens with Woody Allen: A Documentary by Robert Weide that hopefully will be an interesting biopic on one of the most prolific filmmakers in contemporary cinema, especially when you think than in a career spanning fifty-years and over forty films, Allen has given very little away. I was a huge Woody Allen fan and still LOVE many of his earlier films; but he distanced from me and is it not until Vicky Cristina Barcelona and great Midnight in Paris that he came closer again. Am I interested in watching a biopic? Yes sure, especially if talks about his earlier work and explains me why he changed his so-successful style. It is as I wrote it, very personal.

Also today films restored by the World Cinema Foundation one from India, 1948 Kalpana by Uday Shankar and from Indonesia, 1954 Lewat Djam Malam (After the Curfew) by Usmar Ismail. To read more about foundation and/or films go here.

Cinéma de la Plage

Section opens with the celebration of the James Bond 50th anniversary, a cycle that will screen five films. Celebration starts with the first in a long line of Bond films, Terence Young's Dr. No starring what I consider the most impressive 007, Sean Connery and Ursula Andress in perhaps her most iconic role. Over the course of the 50 years, seven actors have played Bond, the latest is Daniel Craig whose film Casino Royale by Martin Campbell will be also screened today.

Quinzaine

Today at the opening ceremony of the 44th Directors' Fortnight master filmmaker Nuri Bilge Ceylan will receive this year Carrose d'Or. Earlier his film Mayis sikintisi (Clouds of May) was screened followed by a masterclass with the filmmaker.

Opening film: The We and The I by Michel Gondry

After reading synopsis and watching several film clips I can't say that I'm looking forward to watch Gondry latest film as from what I have seen storytelling style gave the impression of a film that I will not enjoy. But I know that many will like it as seems like is a good representative of Indie American movies.

Semaine de la Critique

Opening film: Broken by Rufus Norris

Got excited after watching great clips here. Also, got the impression that film will have the realistic style that has predominated lately in British productions but believe that this film could be easier to watch than some that I'm still thinking if I should watch or not. Nevertheless I know will have to find the right mood to fully enjoy this film that has a great cast with the likes of Cillian Murphy and Tim Roth in what seems a departure from his regular roles. Story seems compelling as the following synopsis tells.

Shortly after witnessing a brutal beating, Skunk’s home, neighborhood, and school become treacherous environments, where the happy certainties of childhood give way to danger; her innocence is rapidly worn away and a harsh world fills her future, over which she has no control. When Skunk finally seeks solace in an unspoken friendship with sweet, damaged Rick, she’s faced with the greatest choice of all.

Los Salvajes (The Wild Ones) by Alejandro Fadel

A film that I know very little about it as even when film was at BAFICI there is no trailer available yet. Synopsis doesn't stimulate my imagination in the right direction, so not able to comment about this film that browsing BAFICI reviews found that was not well received at the most famous Argentinean fest; so everyone must be quite surprised when film made the Semaine selection.

First news about Cannes screening are mainly in Spanish with a headline that reads "Argentinean filmmaker Alejandro Fadel shakes Cannes with Los Salvajes", surely must be a shocking movie. Think will skip for now.

L'ACID

Opening film: Sharqiya by Ami Livne

This Israel, France and Germany production calls my attention for the story about an unauthorized desert village with a demolition order and one of its inhabitants deciding to take action, this is the synopsis.

Nobody really respects Camel Najer, the young Bedouin who works as a security guard at the central bus station. Neither his family, nor his colleagues. When the Israeli government threatens to tear down his settlement, he decides to act. Camel comes up with the plan to stage a bomb attack, which he will then prevent from happening, making him the hero of the day, hopefully saving his settlement and earning him the respect he's so desperately yearning for.

Other Important News

Announcements started to pour following the fest kick-off, these are some of the most interesting.

First a very interesting unnamed project that will reunite Asghar Farhadi with Marion Cotillard that absolutely stimulates my imagination as Cotillard in Farhadi filmmaking and storytelling style has to be superb.

Next, came the confirmation that Nicole Kidman will star in Olivier Dahan (remember La Môme?) Grace de Monaco; somehow I like the idea that the project is in the hands of a French director.

Then the fantastic news that the winning team of amazing Il y a longtemps que je t'aime (I've Loved You So Long) has a new project Avant L'Hiver, so we will be able to see Kristin Scott-Thomas again directed by Philippe Claudel. Cast includes great Daniel Auteuil and intriguing Leïla Bekhti.

Also worth mentioning, a French/British thriller directed by Gilles Paquet-Brenner (remember Elle s'appelait Sarah?), Dark Places, starring Amy Adams; film is in English.

Today were released details about the film Devil's Knot that will dramatize the case of Jessie Miskelley, Jason Baldwin and Damien Echols convicted as teens of murdering three eight-year-old boy scouts in 1993; but after 18 years in prison, the three men were released in August 2011. Colin Firth and Reese Whitherspoon will co-star and The Weinstein Co will distribute.

Other Activities

Today was Madagascar 3 photocall with larger than life movie characters and the opportunity to see the likes of Chris Rock, Ben Stiller, Jessica Chastain and Jada Pinkett-Smith, all of whom donate their voices to the now well-known characters.

Also today, Audi Talent Awards ceremony. Awards are handled to a short film and another to music. To read more go here.

The Not-So-Serious News

Tilda Swinton looked truly spectacular at last night Gala Dinner at Electrolux Agora Pavillion, so did Jessica Chastain.

Seen in Cannes today at Rust & Bone premiere red carpet, Jane Fonda, Tim Roth, beautiful Leila Bekhti, Virginie Ledoyen, Beth Ditto and partner Kristin Oqata, plus L'Oreal stars Freida Pinto, Evan Longoria, Fan BingBing.

Seen at Nice Airport today Tilda Swinton leaving; Jennifer Connelly and husband Paul Bettany plus Maria de Medeiros arriving.

Photo of the Day

After Rust & Bone press conference American media fell in love with Matthias Schoenaerts "perfect" English and foresee a long career in Hollywood for him. Headlines talk about the first Cannes crush. Here are the three stars at the red carpet.

65th Festival de Cannes Official Selection Lineup - Update 5

The jury of the Un Certain Regard is announced and posted here. Only 2 days for Opening Ceremony and the cinema feast will start once more, can't wait. Check facebook page for a photo that shows that today the posters are going up. Cheers!!!
---End of Update 5---

5/10
As of today we can check at the fest official site info, photos and/or videos for ALL the films in the Cannes Selection that includes all the films below; go here.
---End of Update 4 ---

5/4
Today organizers announced a new film in the Official Selection Special Screenings section, Le Serment de Tobrouk by Bernard-Henri Levy.

Also you will notice that as of today there are trailers for some short films competing at the Short Film and the Cinéfondation. Since last week I have been searching for trailers of all Cannes 2012 films on daily basis so every day there is at least one new trailer to watch at MOC.

After watching many trailers my first spontaneous impression is that films this year are very visual as many have breathtaking images. Let's hope that stories are as great as the outstanding visuals.
---End of Update 3---

4/30
Today organizers announced new films that will complement the Official Selection, one in the Special Screening, two in Midnight Screenings and three in Un Certain Regard. In Un Certain Regard section there are a total of 20 films. Also a new film in Cannes Classics that will be included in the specific post; this film will close the section on May 25.
---End of Update 2---

4/26
The jury of the main competition has been announced and there are many well-known people for me that surely will color the festival with their presence and hopefully will select the best of the best in the selection.
---End of Update 1---

4/19
Today at the Intercontinental – Le Grand Hotel in Paris Gilles Jacob and Thierry Frémaux announced the much awaited official selection and to my personal joy there are several extraordinary directors with their latest masterpieces. Among them have to mention Haneke’s Amour, Carlos Reygadas’ Post Tenebras Lux, Kiarostami’s Like Someone in Love, Mungiu’s Beyond the Hills, and many more.

Without further comments here is the 2012 Cannes Official Selection

Competition
Opening film: Moonrise Kingdom, Wes Anderson, USA

Amour (Love), Michael Haneke, France, Austria, and Germany
Baad el Mawkeaa (After the Battle), Yousry Nasrallah, Egypt
După dealuri (Beyond the Hills), Cristian Mungiu, Romania
Cosmopolis, David Cronenberg, France, Canada, Portugal, and Italy
다른 나라에서 Da-reun Na-ra-e-suh (In Another Country), Hong Sangsoo, South Korea
De Rouille et d’Os (Rust & Bone), Jacques Audiard, Belgium and France
돈의 맛 Do-nui Mat (The Taste of Money), Im Sang-soo, South Korea
Holy Motors, Leos Carax, France
В тумане V Tumane (In the Fog), Sergei Loznitsa, Germany, Netherlands, Belarus, Russia and Latvia
Jagten (The Hunt), Thomas Vinterberg, Denmark
Killing Them Softly, Andrew Dominik, USA
Lawless, John Hillcoat, USA
ライク・サムワン・イン・ラブ Like Someone in Love, Abbas Kiarostami, France and Japan
Mud, Jeff Nichols, USA
On The Road, Walter Salles, France, UK and USA
Paradies: Liebe (Paradise: Love), Ulrich Seidl, Germany, France and Austria
Post Tenebras Lux, Carlos Reygadas, Mexico, France, and Netherlands
Reality, Matteo Garrone, Italy and France (is this Big House?)
The Angels’ Share, Ken Loach, UK and France
The Paperboy, Lee Daniels, USA
Vous N’Avez Encore Rien Vu (You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet), Alain Resnais, France

Out of Competition
Closing film: Thérèse Desqueyroux, Claude Miller, France
Io e Te (Me and You), Bernardo Bertolucci, Italy
Madagascar 3, Europe’s Most Wanted, Eric Darnell and Tom McGrath, USA
Heminway & Gellhorn, Philip Kaufman, USA

The Jury
President: Nanni Moretti, director, actor and producer, Italy
Hiam Abbass, actress, Palestine
Andrea Arnold, director and scriptwriter, UK
Emmanuelle Devos, actress, France
Diane Kruger, actress, France
Jean Paul Gaultier, designer, France
Ewan McGregor, actor, UK
Alexander Payne, director, scriptwriter and producer, USA
Raoul Peck, director scriptwriter and producer, Haiti

Un Certain Regard
Closing Ceremony: Renoir, Gilles Bourdos, France
7 Dias en la Habana, 7 directors: Benicio del Toro, Pablo Trapero, Julio Medem, Elia Suleiman, Juan Carlos Tabio,, Gaspard Noé, and Laurent Cantet, France and Spain
11・25自決の日　三島由紀夫と若者たち11•25 jiketsu no hi: Mishima Yukio to wakamono-tachi (11.25 The Day he Chose his own Fate), Kôji Wakamatsu, Japan
*Antiviral, Brandon Cronenberg, Canada and USA
A Perdre La raison (aka Aimer à perdre la raison) (Loving without Reason), Joachim Lafosse, Belgium, Luxembourg, France, and Switzerland
*Beasts of the Southern Wild, Benh Zeitlin, USA
Confession of a Child of the Century, Sylvie Verheyde, France
Después de Lucía, Michel Franco, Mexico
Djeca (Children), Aida Begić, Bosnia Herzegovina
Elefante Blanco (White Elephant), Pablo Trapero, Argentina and Spain
*Gimme the Loot, Adam Leon, USA
*La Playa, Juan Andrés Arango, Colombia
La Pirogue (The Pirogue), Moussa Touré, Senegal and France
Laurence Anyways, Xavier Dolan, Canada and France
Le Grand Soir, Benoît Delépine and Gustave Kervern, France
Les Chevaux de Dieu (God’s Horses), Nabil Ayouch, France, Morocco, Tunisia (?)
Miss Lovely, Ashim Ahluwalia, India
Mystery, Lou Ye, China
Student, Darezhan Omirbayev, Kazakhstan and France
Trois Monde, Catherine Corsini, France

Un Certain Regard Jury
President: Tim Roth, actor and director, UK
Leïla Bekhti, actress, France
Tonie Marshall, director and Producer, France
Luciano Monteagudo, cinema critic, Argentina
Sylvie Pras, Head of Cinemas at Centre Pompidou and Artistic Director of La Rochelle Film Festival

Special Screenings
A Música Segundo Tom Jobim, Nelson Pereira Dos Santos, Brazil
Der Müll Im Garten Eden (Polluting Paradise aka Garbage in the Garden of Eden), Fatih Akin, Germany
Journal de France, Claudine Nougaret and Raymond Depardon, France
Les Invisibles, Sébastien Lifshitz, France
Le Serment de Tobrouk (The Oath of Tobruk), Bernard-Henri Lévy, France
Mekong Hotel, Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Thailand
Roman Polanski: A Film Memoir, Laurent Bouzereau, UK and Germany
The Central Park Five, Ken Burns, Sarah Burns, David McMahon, USA
*Trashed, Candida Brady, UK
*Villegas, Gonzalo Tobal, Argentina, Netherlands, and France

Midnight Screenings
愛と誠 Ai To Makoto (The Legend of Love & Sincerity), Takashi Miike, Japan
Dario Argento’s Dracula, Dario Argento, France, Spain and Italy
Maniac, Franck Khalfoun, USA and France
*The Sapphires, Wayne Blair, Australia

65th Anniversary
Une journée particulière, Gilles Jacob and Samuel Faure, France

*First Film, competes for Camera d’Or

Short Films Competition
Ce Chemin Devant Moi, Mohamed Bourokba (aka Hamé), France, 15’
Chef de Meute (Herd Leader), Chloé Robichaud, Canada, 13’
Cockaigne, Emilie Verhamme, Belgium, 13’
في المنافسة Falastein, Sandouk Al Intezar Lil Burtuqal (Waiting for P.O. Box), Bassam Chekhes, Syria, 15’
Gasp, Eicke Bettinga, Germany, 15’
Mi Santa Mirada, Alvaro Aponte-Centeno, Puerto Rico, 15’
Night Shift, Zia Mandviwalla, New Zealand, 14’
Sessiz-be Deng (Silent), L. Rezan Yeşilbaş, Turkey, 14’
The Chair, Grainger David, USA, 12’
Yardbird, Michael Spiccia, Australia, 13’

The Cinéfondation Selection
Fifteen films have been selected out of more than 1,700 submissions from 320 film schools across the globe. For the first time, a Lebanese school features in the selection, which covers fiction and animation and highlights films sharing the same film-making ambition and the expression of a very personal vision.

Abigail, Matthew James Reilly, NYU, USA, 17’
Derriere Moi Les Oliviers (Behind Me Olive Trees), Pascale Abou Jamra, ALBA, Lebanon, 20’
ДОРОГА НА Doroga na (The Road To), Taisia Igumentseva,VGIK, Russia, 32’
Head Over Heels, Timothy Reckart, NFTS, UK, 10’
Les Ravissements (The Raptures), Arthur Cahn, La Femis, France, 50’
Los Anfitriones (The Hosts), Miguel Angel Moulet, EICTV, Cuba, 16’
Matteus, Leni Huyghe, Sint-Lukas Brussels, Belgium, 18’
Pude ver un Puma (Could See a Puma), UCINE, Argentina, 17’
רסן - טריילר Resen (Dog Leash), Eti Tsicko, TAU, Israel, 26’
Riyoushi (The Barber), Shoichi Akio, Tokyo University of the Arts, Japan, 39’
Slug Invasion, Morten Helgeland, The Animation Workshop, Denmark, 6’
Tabăra Din Răzoare (The Camp in Razoare), Cristi Iftime, UNATC, Romania, 22’
Tambylles, Michal Hogenauer, FAMU, Czech Republic, 58’
Terra (Land), Piero Messina, CSC, Italy, 23’
The Ballad of Finn + Yeti, Meryl O’Connor, UCLA, USA, 18’

Short Films and Cinéfondation Jury
President: Jean Pierre Dardene, director, scriptwriter and producer, Belgium
Karim Ainouz, director and scriptwriter, Brazil
Emmanuel Carrere, writer, scriptwriter and director, France
Arsinée Khanjian, actress, Canada
Yu Lik Wai, director of photography and filmmaker, China

Well the Competition has a lot of Hollywood stars that surely will walk the red carpet plus give us full serious and not-so-serious material, just check some names: Zac Efron, John Cusac, Nicole Kidman, Matthew McConaughey, Eva Mendes, Robert Pattinson, Brad Pitt, Tom Hardy, Shia LaBeouf, Jessica Chastain, Reese Witherspoon, Kristen Stewart, Kriisten Dunst, Bruce Willis, etc. But –thankfully- great actors will also grace the red carpet like Isabelle Huppert, Jean-Louis Trintignant, Mads Mikkelsen, Juliette Binoche, and Marion Cotillard.

To check announcement at official site go here or check the press release here.

Watch Main Selection trailers @MOC
Watch Un Certain Regard trailers @MOC
Watch Short Films trailers @MOC
Watch Cinéfondation trailers @MOC
Watch trailers and clips at Cannes Official site.

Primo Giorno - 68th Venice International Film Festival

With a forgettable not entertaining and truly protocol opening ceremony La Mostra 2011 opened with too much Clooney for my taste and not even a single movie clip from any of the movies in or out of competition. But have to admit that enjoyed the first part of Vittoria Puccini speech and nothing else in particular.

Anyway today was the premiere of George Clooney’s The Ides of March so there was a press conference, a photo call and a red carpet walk with him dominating and stealing the limelight for the day. Nevertheless was able to watch on TV and photos from Evan Rachel Wood, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Paul Giamatti and Marisa Tomei who star in Clooney’s film.

Before the screening of the Festival and Competition opening film there was a four minute short film called Lido ’28 by Anonymous produced in 1928 that was able to watch as they showed it as part of the opening ceremony on TV. Short made me recall Visconti’s Morte a Venezia (Deatch in Venice) but short shows the real beach and 20’s beauties doing all sort of odd things, including riding horses in the sea.

After the Competition opening film, the Out of Competition opening film follows: ¡VIVAN LAS ANTIPODAS! by Victor Kossakovsky, a documentary that is in Spanish, Russian, Setswana, and English; is a Germany, Argentina, Netherlands, and Chile production plus tells about the few land-to-land antipodal places in mother Earth… which makes doc very interesting for me.

Early this afternoon the Giornate degli Autori opened with a special event: the screening of Crazy Horse by Frederick Wiseman an absolute Must-Be-Seen for me since I learned about it a few months back; followed by Di La Dal Vetro (Beyond the Glass) a short by Andrea Di Bari plus Love and Bruises by Lou Ye a French production staring a mesmerizing actor Tahar Rahim (remember A Prophet?) with an interesting story that will made me watch it.

Later in the afternoon the Retrospective section opened with three 1967 Italian medium-length films Hemitage by Carmelo Bene, Il Canto d’Amore di Alfred Prufrock by Nico D’Alessandria, and Bis by Paolo Brunatto; last a longer film with 55 minutes from 1967-68 by Paolo Brunatto Vieni Dolce Morte (Dell ‘Ego) that is a silent film.

As the first day fades away I hope to see tomorrow a lot less of Clooney and a lot more of the Jury President Darren Aronofsky, in the meantime here are some photos from today’s events.

Ci vediamo a Domani!!

The Main Competition Jury

The Ides of March cast and crew

Nice Rachel and George photo.

Watch Biennale 2011 trailers @MOC


Highlights from the First Day

62nd Festival de Cannes Award Winners

The fest of all fests is over and well, me too, I’m sad. But I had a great time this year. Here are the winners.

Palme d’Or: Das weiße Band (The White Ribbon), Michael Haneke, Austria, Italy, France and Germany, 2009

Grand Prix: Un Prophète (A Prophet), Jacques Audiard, France, 2009

Jury Prize (tie)
Fish Tank, Andrea Arnold, UK, 2009
Bakjwi (Thrist), Chan-wook Park, South Korea, 2009

Best Director: Brillante Mendoza for Kinatay (The Execution of P), Philippines and France, 2009

Best Screenplay: Lou Ye for Chun Feng Chen Zui De Ye Wan (Spring Fever), Lou Ye, Hong Kong and France, 2009

Best Actress: Charlotte Gainsbourg in Antichrist, Lars von Trier, Denmark, Germany, France, Sweden, and Italy, 2009

Best Actor: Christoph Waltz in Inglorious Basterds, Quentin Tarantino, USA and Germany, 2009

Lifetime Achievement Award: Alain Resnais

Camera D’Or: Samson & Delilah, Warwick Thornton, Australia, 2009 (Un Certaine Regard)
Special Mention: Ajami, Scandar Copti and Yaron Shani, Israel (Quinzaine)

Short Films
Palme d’Or: Arena, João Salaviza, Portugal, 2009 – 15.52 minutes
Special Mention: The Six Dollar Fifty Man, Louis Sutherland and Mark Albiston, New Zealand, 2009, 15 minutes

C’est fini … à l’année prochaine!!!

62nd Festival de Cannes - Official Selection Lineup

As expected today the fest had its press conference where the fest authorities announced the festival lineup and here is from the official fest site.

In Competition

À l'Origine (In the Beginning), Xavier Giannoli, France, 2008 (with Gérard Depardieu and Emmanuelle Devos -produced by Luc Besson) IMDb allocine Movie Site Trailer
Based on the true story of a smalltime crook who built a highway.

Antichrist, Lars von Trier, Denmark, Germany, France, Sweden, and Italy, 2009 (of course I have to see this and here is Charlotte Gainsbourg!) IMDb Trailer
A grieving couple retreat to ’Eden’, their isolated cabin in the woods, where they hope to repair their broken hearts and troubled marriage. But nature takes its course and things go from bad to worse...

Bakjwi (Thrist), Chan-wook Park, South Korea, 2009 (another horror with vampires?? Hmm) IMDb Trailer
Sang-hyun is a beloved and admired priest in a small town, who devotedly serves at a local hospital. He goes to Africa to volunteer as a test subject in an experiment to find a vaccine to the new deadly infectious disease caused by Emmanuel Virus (E.V.). During the experiment, he is infected by the E.V. and dies. But transfusion of some unidentified blood miraculously brings him back to life, and unbeknownst to him, it has also turned him into a vampire. After his return home, news of Sang-hyun's recovery from E.V. spreads and people start believing he has the gift of healing and flock to receive his prayers. From those who come to him, Sang-hyun meets a childhood friend named Kang-woo and his wife Tae-ju. Sang-hyun is immediately drawn to Tae-ju. Tae-ju gets attracted to Sang-hyun, who now realizes he has turned into a vampire, and they begin a secret love affair. Sang-hyun asks Tae-ju to run away with him but she turns him down. Instead, she tries to involve Sang-hyun in a plot to kill Kang-woo...

Bright Star, Jane Campion, UK and Australia, 2008 IMDb Movie Site Scenes
London 1818: a secret love affair begins between 23 year old English poet, John Keats, and the girl next door, Fanny Brawne, an outspoken student of fashion. This unlikely pair started at odds; he thinking her a stylish minx, she unimpressed by literature in general. It was the illness of Keats’s younger brother that drew them together. Keats was touched by Fanny’s efforts to help and agreed to teach her poetry. By the time Fanny’s alarmed mother and Keats’s best friend Brown realised their attachment, the relationship had an unstoppable momentum. Intensely and helplessly absorbed in each other, the young lovers were swept into powerful new sensations, "I have the feeling as if I were dissolving", Keats wrote to her. Together they rode a wave of romantic obsession that deepened as their troubles mounted. Only Keats’s illness proved insurmountable.

Chun Feng Chen Zui De Ye Wan (Spring Fever), Lou Ye, Hong Kong and France, 2009 (gay interest check photos here ) IMDb Trailer
Nanjing 2009. Luo Haitao has been hired by Wang Ping’s wife to spy on the passionate relationship between her husband and another man, but slowly loses control of the situation. With his beautiful girlfriend, Li Jing, he is drawn in to the affair, overcome by the fever of drunken spring nights. All are possessed by an exhilarating madness of the senses, a dangerous malady that leads the heart and head astray...

Das weiße Band (The White Ribbon), Michael Haneke, Austria, Italy, France and Germany, 2009 IMDb Movie Info Info Scenes
A village in Protestant northern Germany. 1913-1914. On the eve of World War I. The story of the children and teenagers of a choir run by the village schoolteacher, and their families: the baron, the steward, the pastor, the doctor, the midwife, the tenant farmers. Strange accidents occur and gradually take on the character of a punishment ritual. Who is behind it all?

Enter the Void, Gaspar Noé, France, Germany and Italy, 2009 (Gosh this really calls my attention even if is horror -well is more sci-fi- and in English and Japanese) IMDb Movie Site allocine Teaser
Oscar and his sister Linda are recent arrivals in Tokyo. Oscar's a small time drug dealer, and Linda works as a nightclub stripper. One night, Oscar is caught up in a police bust and shot. As he lies dying, his spirit, faithful to the promise he made his sister ­ that he would never abandon her - refuses to abandon the world of the living. It wanders through the city, his visions growing evermore distorted, evermore nightmarish. Past, present and future merge in a hallucinatory maelstrom.

Fish Tank, Andrea Arnold, UK, 2009 IMDb Movie Info Scenes
Fifteen year old Mia’s life is turned on its head when her Mum brings home a new boyfriend.

Inglorious Basterds, Quentin Tarantino, USA and Germany, 2009 (well, seems that what many have been saying is true, that the film is great but its being promoted wrong… Very Hard to imagine a Tarantino movie with this synopsis, but definitively a must be seen for me) IMDb Trailer
In the first year of the German occupation of France, Shosanna Dreyfus witnesses the execution of her family at the hand of Nazi Colonel Hans Landa. Shosanna narrowly escapes and flees to Paris, where she forges a new identity as the owner and operator of a cinema. Elsewhere in Europe, Lieutenant Aldo Raine organizes a group of Jewish American soldiers to perform swift, shocking acts of retribution. Later known to their enemy as "The Basterds", Raine’s squad joins German actress and undercover agent Bridget Von Hammersmark on a mission to take down the leaders of The Third Reich. Fates converge under a cinema marquee, where Shosanna is poised to carry out a revenge plan of her own...

Kinatay (The Execution of P), Brillante Mendoza, Philippines and France, 2009 IMDb Scene
Peping, a criminology student, is recruited by his schoolmate, Abyong, to work as a part-time errand boy for a local syndicate that collects protection fees from various businesses in Manila. The easy money Peping earns is spent mostly on his girlfriend, Cecille, who’s also a student. Peping decides to marry her, but in order to do so he’ll need more money. Abyong contacts Peping to join a "special project" that pays more than normal.

Les Herbes Folles (Wild Grasses), Alain Resnais, France, 2008 (with Mathieu Almalric and Emmanuelle Devos) IMDb allocine Movie Info Scenes
A wallet lost and found opens the door - just a crack - to romantic adventure for Georges and Marguerite.

Looking for Eric, Ken Loach, UK, France, Italy, Spain and Belgium, 2009 IMDb Trailer
Eric the postman is slipping through his own fingers... His chaotic family, his wild stepsons and the cement mixer in the front garden don’t help, but it is Eric’s own secret that drives him to the brink. Can he face Lily, the woman he once loved 30 years ago? Despite outrageous efforts and misplaced goodwill from his football fan mates, Eric continues to sink. In desperate times it takes a spliff and a special friend from foreign parts to challenge a lost postman to make that journey into the most perilous territory of all - the past. As the Chinese, and one Frenchman, say: "He who is afraid to throw the dice will never throw a six."

Los Abrazos Rotos (Broken Embrances), Pedro Almodóvar, Spain, 2009 IMDb Trailer
A man writes, lives and loves in darkness. Fourteen years before, he was in a brutal car crash on the island of Lanzarote. In the accident, he didn’t lose only his sight, he also lost Lena, the love of his life. This man uses two names: Harry Caine, a playful pseudonym with which he signs his literary works, stories and scripts, and Mateo Blanco, his real name, with which he lives and signs the film he directs. After the accident, Mateo Blanco reduces himself to his pseudonym, Harry Caine. If he can’t direct films he can only survive with the idea that Mateo Blanco died on Lanzarote with his beloved Lena.

Map of the Sounds of Tokyo, Isabel Coixet, Spain, (VERY interesting -is in Japanese and English, with Rinko Kikuchi and Sergi Lopez…) IMDb Movie Site Trailer
Ryu is a solitary girl whose fragile appearance is in stark contrast with the double life she leads, working nights at a Tokyo fishmarket and sporadically taking on jobs as a hit-woman. Mr. Nagara is a powerful impresario mourning the loss of his daughter Midori, who has committed suicide. He blames David, a Spaniard who runs a wine business in Tokyo. Mr. Nagara's employee, Ishida, was silently in love with Midori and hires Ryu to murder David. A sound engineer, obsessed with the sounds of the Japanese city and fascinated with Ryu, witnesses this love story which searches the shadows of the human soul, reaching deep into places where only silence has the power of eloquence.

Taking Woodstock, Ang Lee, USA, 2009 (yes is about the music fest and is absolutely Gay Interest) IMDb Trailer
It’s 1969, and Elliot Tiber, a down-on-his-luck interior designer in Greenwich Village, New York, has to move back upstate to help his parents run their dilapidated Catskills motel, the El Monaco. The bank is about to foreclose; his father wants to burn the place down, but hasn’t paid the insurance; and Elliot is still figuring how to come out to his parents. When Elliot hears that a neighboring town has pulled the permit on a hippie music festival, he calls the producers, thinking he could drum up some much needed business for the motel. Three weeks later, half a million people are on their way to his neighbour's farm in White Lake, NY, and Elliot finds himself swept up in a generation-defining experience that would change his life, and popular culture, forever.

The Time That Remains, Elia Suleiman, France, Belgium, Italy and UK, 2009 IMDb Teaser
The film is a semi biographic film, in four historic episodes, about a family -my family - spanning from 1948, until recent times. The film is inspired by my father’s diaries of his personal accounts, starting from when he was a resistant fighter in 1948, and by my mother’s letters to family members who were forced to leave the country since then. Combined with my intimate memories of them and with them, the film attempts to portray the daily life of those Palestinians who remained in their land and were labeled « Israeli-Arabs », living as a minority in their own homeland.

Un Prophète (A Prophet), Jacques Audiard, France, 2009 IMDb allocine Photos Trailer
Condemned to six years in prison, Malik El Djebena cannot read nor write. Arriving at the jail entirely alone, he appears younger and more fragile than the other convicts. He is 19 years old. Cornered by the leader of the Corsican gang who rules the prison, he is given a number of "missions" to carry out, toughening him up and gaining the gang leader’s confidence in the process. But Malik is brave and a fast learner, daring to secretly develop his own plans...

Vengeance, Johnnie To, Hong Kong, 2009 (in English??!! Starring Johnny Hallyday and Sylvie Testud – wow!) IMDb Movie Site Trailer
A father comes to Hong Kong to avenge his daughter, whose family was murdered. Officially, he’s a French chef. Twenty years ago, he was a killer.

Vincere, Marco Bellocchio, Italy, 2009 (with Giovanna Mezzogiorno!) IMDb allocine Trailer
There is a secret in the life of Mussolini: a wife and a son, who was born, acknowledged and then denied. The secret bears a name: Ida Dalser. It is a dark page in history, one ignored in the official biography of the Duce. When Ida meets Mussolini in Milan, he is the editor of Avanti and an ardent Socialist who intends to guide the masses towards an anti-clerical, anti-monarchical, socially emancipated future. Ida already had a fleeting encounter with him in Trento and remained thunderstruck. Ida truly believes in him and his ideas: Mussolini is her hero. In order to finance Popolo d’Italia, a newspaper he has founded and the nucleus of the forthcoming Fascist Party, Ida sells everything she has: her apartment, her beauty salon, her furniture and jewelry.

Visage (Face), Tsai Ming-Liang, France, Taiwan, Netherlands, and Belgium, 2009 (obviously a must be seen for me as is with Fanny Ardant, Jeanne Moreau, Mathieu Amalric and Laetitia Casta!! Is this lesbian interest, or just my imagination? Check the photo in allocine. It was really filmed inside Le Louvre! and the synopsis makes it more must be seen!) IMDb allocine Scenes from Movie Trailer
A Taiwanese filmmaker makes a film based on the myth of Salomé at the Louvre. Even though he speaks neither French nor English, he insists on giving the part of King Herod to the French actor Jean-Pierre Léaud. To give the film a chance at the box-office, the production company gives the role of Salomé to a world famous model. But problems arise as soon as filming begins... Amidst all this confusion, the director suddenly learns of his mother’s death. The producer flies to Taipei, to attend the funeral. The director falls into a deep sleep where his mother’s spirit does not seem to want to leave her old apartment. The producer has no choice but to wait, alone and lost in a strange city. As after a very long voyage, filming will resume with all who were lost in the underground of the Louvre.

Feature Film Jury

Isabelle Huppert, President
Asia Argento, actress/director/screenwriter, Italy
Nury Bilge Ceylan, director/screenwriter, actor, Turkey
Lee Chang-dong, director/writer/screenwriter, Korea
James Gray, director/screenwriter, USA
Hanif Kureishi, writer/screenwriter, UK
Shu Qi, actress, Taiwan
Robin Wright Penn, actress, USA
Shrmilla Tagore, actress, India

This is one truly heterogeneous and eclectic jury, with excellent choices for members, which probably –and hopefully- will translate into a very unexpected win. Also from the little information that I have read about each film the Official Selection seems VERY interesting, not only because the stories in each movie but also because the great directors and well, the truly excellent casting of some films. This year even the out of competition films seem great, so we now know that after the fest we will be able to watch -eventually- many great films. Bravo!

To check the films in the official site go here but there is only the list, as information about each film will be up one week before the fest begins, meaning May 6th. To read the official press release go here. This year I’ll be posting the selections in different posts and as soon as I finish posting all, I will start to look for more info about the movies and well, trailers! If you feel like watching the Press Conference go here.

To read more information about each film please go here.