76th Venice Film Festival Award Winners

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30th European Film Awards - Film Selection

A few days back the European Film Academy announced the Film Selection for the current edition of this European film award.  The list with fifty-one (51) films features fiction films recommended for a nomination for the 2017 EFA awards and has 31 European countries represented plus no doubt that once again illustrates the great diversity in European cinema.

In the 20 countries with the most EFA Members, these members have voted one national film directly into the selection list. To complete the list, a Selection Committee consisting of the EFA Board and invited experts Péter Bognár (Hungary), Dave Calhoun (UK), Giorgio Gosetti (Italy), Christophe Leparc (France), Jacob Neiendam (Denmark) and Alik Shpilyuk (Ukraine) has included further films.

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58th David di Donatello Award Winners

Yesterday the Italian Academy had their awards ceremony and to my huge surprise top award went to a movie that perhaps has a relevant story for Italian audiences but not any more for world audiences as topic has been covered extensively plus film had not much outstanding as performances, cinematography, direction, tech spec was truly average. Yes, in my opinion La Grande Bellezza as a movie is superior to Il Capitale Umano. Still, La Grande Bellezza won big with nine awards but did not got the top award. Sigh.

Event press coverage claims that the show was stolen by Sophia Loren, who was honored with a special prize for her performance in La Voce Umana (Human Voice) the short directed by her son Edoardo Ponti.

If you wish to watch the awards ceremony then take a deep breath as this is one ceremony where people really talk, talk, talk (uff!) non-stop, but here it is.

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Magnifica Presenza

I have been enjoying Ferzan Ozpetek movies since I discovered great Saturno Contro (Saturn in Opposition) and decided that I have to see everything done by him. But seems that now I have to be more careful as I can do a very brief review about his latest film: I did not like it at all and not even Elio Germano saves it. In this movie he really changed his style favoring something more commercial, mainstream which I do not enjoy.

Film tells about Pietro, a gay man, coming to Rome to pursue an acting career after his father death. In Rome rents an apartment in an old house and works as a croissant baker at night. He's a lonely guy that is obsessed with a guy he met just once three years ago (when he sees him, scene is quite good) but the twist in this movie is that he has to share the apartment with some ghosts that are a theatre company from the 1940's that still don't realize they're dead. So what started as a good plot up to the moment he meets the guy he's obsessed with turns into a silly, mainstream bittersweet dramedy similar to many really cheesy films that populate Italian cinema.

As film became quite a box office success in Italy we have to imagine that Ozpetek will be prone to do more movies like this one, which is truly regrettable as he used to do extraordinary movies that explored human relationships in his very particular and outstanding way.

Can't recommend this movie and if you enjoyed Ozpetek movies in the past I suggest in the future to learn about movie before watching, which I highly dislike but will have to do if wish to continue watching his films.

Sigh.

Watch trailer @MOC

34th Moscow International Film Festival Award Winners

Recently the fest that run from June 21st to 30th, closed with the award ceremony and here are the award winners.

George Awards

Golden George Best Film: Junkhearts, Tinge Krishnan, UK

Silver George Special Jury Prize: Fecha de Caducidad (Expiration Date), Kenya Marquez, Mexico

Silver George Best Director: Andrey Proshkin for Орда Orda (The Horde), Russia
Silver George Best Actress: Roza Hairullina in Орда Orda (The Horde), Andrey Proshkin, Russia
Silver George Best Actor: Eddie Marshan in Junkhearts, Tinge Krishan, UK

Silver George Best Film of Perspectives competition: Wreckers, D. R. Hood, UK
Silver George Best Documentary: Searching for Sugar Man, Malik Bendjelloul, Sweden and UK

Other Awards

FIPRESCI Prize: A.C.A.B. (A.C.A.B.: All Cops Are Bastards), Stefano Sollima, Italy and France
Netpac Prize: Орда Orda (The Horde), Andrey Proshkin, Russia
Russian Film Critics Prize: A.C.A.B. (A.C.A.B.: All Cops Are Bastards), Stefano Sollima, Italy and France
Kommersant Weekend Prize: Последняя сказка Риты Poslednyaya skazka Rity (Rita's Fairy Tale), Renata Litvinova, Russia
Film Audience Award: Magnifica Presenza, Ferzan Ozpetek, Italy

Film Club Federation Prizes
A.C.A.B., Stefano Sollima, Italy
Magnifica Presenza, Ferzan Ozpetek, Italy
Dr. Ketel, Linus de Paoli, Germany
The Centrifuge Brain Project, Till Novak, Germany
Kokoko, Avdotya Smirnova, Russia

Prize of the Best Film of Short Films competition: The Centrifuge Brain Project, Till Nowak, Germany

Special Prize for An Outstanding Contribution to the World Cinema: Tim Burton
Special Prize for the Outstanding Achievement in the Career of Acting and Devotion to the Principles of K. Stanislavsky's school: Catherine Deneuve

To read official announcements go here and here.

2012 Nastri d'Argento Award Winners

Last night at Taormina the SNGCI had their award ceremony and winners are in *BLUE. To read winners in all categories go here, available only in Italian.

6/15
Today the Sindicato Nazionale Giornalisti Cinematografici Italiani (SNGCI) announced the nominations and here they are for some categories. Films with most nominations are Ferzan Ozpetek's Magnifica presenza (Magnificent Presence) and Marco Tulio Giordana's Romanzo di una strage (Story of a Massacre), each with 9 nods.

Best Director
Emanuele Crialese for Terraferma
Marco Tulio Giordana for Romanzo di una strage (Story of a Massacre)
Ferzan Ozpetek for Magnifica Presenza (Magnificent Presence)
*Paolo Sorrentino for This Must Be The Place
Daniele Vicari for Diaz (Diaz: Don't Clean Up This Blood)

Best New Director
*Fracesco Bruni for Scialla! (Easy!)
Gianluca e Massimiliano de Serio for Sette Opere di Misericordia (Seven Acts of Mercy)
Guido Lombardi for La-bàs. Educazione criminale (La-bàs: A Criminal Education)
Andrea Segre for Io Sono Li (Shun Li and the Poet)
Stefano Sollima for A.C.A.B. (A.C.A.B.: All Cops Are Bastards)

Best Actress
Carolina Crescentini in L'Industriale (The Entrepreneur)
Donatella Finocchiaro in Terraferma
Claudia Gerini in Il mio domani (My Tomorrow) and Com’è bello far l’amore (Love is in the Air)
Valeria Golino in La Kryptonite nella Borsa (Kryptonite!)
*Micaela Ramazzotti in Posti in Paradiso (A Flat for Three) and Il coure grande delle ragazze (The Big Heart of the Girls)

Best Actor
Fabrizio Bentivoglio in Scialla! (Easy!)
*Pierfrancesco Favino in A.C.A.B. (A.C.A.B.: All Cops Are Bastards) and Romanzo di una strage (Story of a Massacre)
Elio Germano in Maginifica Presenza (Magnificent Presence)
Roberto Herlitzka in Sette opere di misericordia (Seven Acts of Mercy)
Vinicio Marchioni in Cavalli (Horses) and Sulla Strada di Casa

Best European Film
*The Artist, Michel Hazanavicius
Carnage, Roman Polanski
Faust, Alexander Sokurov
Melancholia, Lars von Trier
Shame, Steve McQueen

Best Non-European Foreign Film
*Drive, Nicholas Winding Ref
Hugo, Martin Scorsese
Midnight in Paris, Woody Allen
The Tree of Life, Terrence Malick
A Separation, Ashgar Farhadi

I love Ferzan Ozpetek movies and look forward to watch his Magnifica Presenza as soon as possible; also calls my attention Pupi Avanti's Il Coure Grande delle Ragazze (The Big Heart of the Girls) and Segre's Io Sono Li. This year's Nastro of the Year went to Paolo and Vittorio Taviani for Caesar Deve Morire (Caesar Must Die).

To check nominees in all categories go here, available only in Italian. Award ceremony will take place on Saturday, June 30 in Taormina and Stefania Rocca will host.

56th David di Donatello Award Winners

A few minutes ago the winners were announced and from press sources will post winners now, as soon as they are post at official site will post direct link to check winners in all categories. Award winners are in *BLUE. To check winners in all categories at official site go here.

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4/13
Today the Accademia del Cinema Italiano announced the nominations for this year and surprisingly there are no comedies in the main categories. Have to comment that this year nominees are truly high quality films and the best is that have seen many, but still there are two or three that now I'm looking forward to watch. These are the nominees in the main categories.

Best Film
Terraferma, Emanuele Crialese
Habemus Papam, Nanni Moretti
This Must Be The Place, Paolo Sorrentino
*Cesare Deve Morire, Paolo and Vittorio Taviani
Romanzo di una Strage, Marco Tulio Giordana

Best Director
Emanuele Crialese for Terraferma
Nanni Moretti for Habemus Papam
Paolo Sorrentino for This Must Be The Place
*Vittorio and Paolo Taviani for Cesare Deve Morire
Ferzan Ozpetek for Magnifica Presenza
Marco Tulio Giordana for Romanzo di una Strage

Best New Director
Alice Rohrwacher for Corpo Celeste
Andrea Segre for Io Sono Li
*Francesco Bruni for Scialla! (Stai sereno)
Guido Lombardi for La-Bas - Educazione Criminale
Stefano Sollima for ACAB all cops are bastards

Best Actress
Donatella Finocchiaro in Terraferma
*Zhao Tao in Io Sono Li
Valeria Golino in La Kryptonite nella Borsa
Claudia Gerini in Il mio Domani
Micaela Ramazzotti in Posti in piedi in Paradiso

Best Actor
*Michel Piccoli in Habemus Papam
Fabrizio Bentivoglio in Scialla! (Stai sereno)
Elio Germano in Magnifica Presenza
Valerio Mastandrea in Romanzo di una Strage

Best European Film
Carnage, Roman Polansky
Melancholia, Lars von Trier
Le Havre, Aki Kaurismaki
*Intouchables, Olivier Nakache and Eric Toledano
The Artist, Michel Hazanavicius

Best Foreign Film
Drive, Nicolas Winding Refn
Hugo, Martin Scorsese
*A Separation, Asghar Farhadi
The Tree of Life, Terence Malick
The Ides of March, George Clooney

To check nominees in all categories go here. Awards ceremony will be on May 4tth at Rome's Auditorium Conciliazone.

22nd Palm Springs International Film Festival

From January 6 to 17, 2011 fest will run and this year has the amazing program screening 40 of the 65 submissions to Oscar in the foreign language category; just for these movies I wish I could go. But there are other that seem interesting in the 193 films from 68 countries, with 9 world premieres, that will be screened like the ones that will open and close the fest.

Opening Gala: Potiche, François Ozon, France
Closing Film: The First Grader, Justin Chadwick, UK and Kenya

Among the Special Presentations three sections called my attention:
The Gay!La (Hers) that will showcase Leading Ladies by Daniel Beahm and Erika Randall Beahm, USA which is a musical
The Gay!La (His) that will showcase great Mine Vaganti (Loose Cannons), Ferzan Ozpetek, Italy
Special Presentation: Le Hérisson (The Hedgehog) by Mona Achache, France

The fest will honor many people and films; among them we have Michael Douglas, Ben Affleck, Danny Boyle, The Social Network, Robert Duvall, Colin Firth, Natalie Portman, Javier Barden, Jennifer Lawrence, and Carey Mulligan.

In general most of the films are known to the blog but if you feel like learning about the 193 films please go here.

New Voices/New Visions

These are the 12 features that are in competition in this section

40, Emre Sahin, Turkey
Adem (Oxygen), Hans Van Nuffel, Belgium
As if I Am Not There, Juanita Wilson, Ireland (interesting but surely hard to watch)
Der Albaner (The Albanian), Johannes Naber, Germany
Buna! Ce Faci? (Hello! How Are You?), Alexandru Maftei, Romania
Diciotto Anni Dopo (Eighteen Years Later), Edoardo Leo,Italy
Mavro Livadi (Black Field), Vardis Marinakis, Greece (seems is gay not lesbian interest, still has very nice visuals – check trailer @MOC)
Metro Cuadrado (Square Meter),Nayra Ilic, Chile
Pájaros de Papel (Paper Birds), Emilio Aragón, Spain
Smukke Mennesker (Nothing’s All Bad), Mikkel Munch-Fals, Denmark
Sound of Noise, Ola Simonsson and Johannes Stjärne Nilsson, Sweden
Svinalanjorna (Beyond), Pernilla August, Sweden (yes, is the one with Noomi Rapace)

To read about each film go here. I really dislike when festivals do not specify if film is lesbian or gay and join them with the label ‘Gay/Lesbian’ they shouldn’t do this as films have very different audiences. Nevertheless if you feel like checking the 18 films listed under the joint label please go here. One film absolutely calls my attention: Little Sparrows by Yu-Hsiu Camille Chen, Australia, 2010 that I really hope has lesbian interest.

Mine Vaganti (Loose Cannons)

I liked this movie beyond any expectations I had and they were high as film is directed by one of my favorite directors: Ferzan Ozpetek, thus I was expecting the best. I got an excellent film with a strong/compelling story, great performances and a Turkish born director that seems to understand Italians more than some of his contemporary colleagues, as this is a drama where main and secondary characters not only are important for story but also have something to say, hide or are the kind we should be careful when near to them as all are true loose cannons as the English title clearly says.

Movie is a drama but also is a farce, is tragic and has extraordinary comedy at the correct time (gee, did I laugh loud!) and yes, is gay interest but honestly even if is essential to the story told I feel is not the main theme as this film is a very interesting exploration into human behavior of the good and not so good kind.

Not easy to tell you what is all about without giving away crucial moments that will surprise you and will make you nervously laugh or will get your reactions; but I’ll try as you should watch this film without knowing much about the story. Tells the story of the Cantone family who are a large extended family living in one big house in Lecce where they own a large pasta factory. Younger son Tomasso, who lives in Rome, returns for a visit and decides to tell them that he’s gay to avoid being forced to assume his responsibilities at the family business as he’s only interested in becoming a writer and stay living in Rome where he’s able to be away from his family and the little town gossip and homophobia. The Cantone family plus friends are having a fun dinner and Tomasso decides that’s the right moment to tell all, his secret; but his older brother Antonio, who he told before, stops him to make an announcement. Antonio’s news is the trigger to a true roller coaster ride into the lives of the Cantone family that includes Tomasso’s grandmother, father, mother, aunt, brother, sister, brother-in-law, and nieces plus the maids, the father mistress, his friends from Rome, and Alba, an eccentric young beautiful woman that also works at the factory in a high position.

Excellent performances by all actors’ that superbly perform sharp dialogues with fantastic expressions in a script co written by Ozpetek and in a film with impeccable cinematography plus tech specs; but most impressive, even when by now is a given for me, are Ferzan Ozpetek filmmaking outstanding abilities that with this film shows an excellent comedy timing and true delicate care of all his characters. Bravo!!!

Film collected many honors including a Special Jury Mention at 2010 Tribeca plus many Italian honors and film is nominated for the People’s Award at 2010 European Awards. Mention honors because I do believe that this film is superior in every cinema element to actual Italy submission to 2010 Oscar; maybe because story is about homosexuality those in charge of selection decided not to chose this magnificent film. If I’m right then is a true shame that they didn’t follow Peru’s example; but it is understandable as this film shows Italians homophobic reactions.

Highly recommend this film if you enjoy talkie European good movies, definitively is must be seen for those that follow Ozpetek oeuvre and for those that enjoy the gay interest genre.

Enjoy!!!

Watch trailer @MOC

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!!!

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!!!

54th David di Donatello Winners

Winners are in *RED.

Very soon the award winners will be announced so I better hurry to list the nominations. The following are the nominees for the main categories.

Best Film
Baaria, Giuseppe Tornatore
Mine Vaganti, Ferzan Ozpetek (gay interest)
*L'Umo che Verra, Giorgio Diritti
La Prima Cosa Bella, Paolo Virzi
Vincere, Marco Bellocchio

Best Director
*Marco Bellocchio for Vincere
Giorgio Diritti for L'umo che verra
Ferzan Ozpetek for Mine Vaganti
Giuseppe Tornatore for Baaria
Paolo Virzi for La Prima Cosa Bella

Best First Time Director
Giuseppe Capotondi for La Doppia Ora
Marco Chiarini for L'umo fiammifero
*Valerio Mieli for Dieci Inverni
Susanna Nicchiarelli for Cosmonauta
Claudio Noce for Good Morning Aman

Best Actress
Margherita Buy in Lo Spazio Bianco
Giovanna Mezzogiorno in Vincere
*Micaela Ramazzotti in La Prima Cosa Bella
Stefania Sandrelli in La Prima Cosa Bella
Greta Zuccheri Montanari in L'umo che verra

Best Actor
Antonio Albanese in Questione di cuore
Libero de Rienzo in Fortapàsc
*Valerio Mastandrea in La Prima Cosa Bella
Kim Rossi Stuart in Questione di cuore
Filippo Timi in Vincere

Best European Film
*Le Concert, Radu Mihaileanu
The White Ribbon, Michael Haneke
Soul Kitchen, Fatih Akin
Un Prophete, Jacques Audiard
Welcome, Philippe Lioret

Best Foreign Film
A Serious Man, Joel & Ethan Coen
Avatar, James Cameron
*Inglourious Basterds, Quentin Tarantino
Invictus, Clint Eastwood
Up In The Air, Jason Reitman

Winners will be announced on May 7 and to check nominees in all categories go here available only in Italian. To check winners in all categories go here. Think that will give a try to the film with the same name of a very famous song, La Prima Cosa Bella, hope performances are worth the awards.

2010 Tribeca Award Winners

Award Winner in *RED. To check winners in all categories go here.

I was checking the films in the fest and there are two in competitition that definitively are Must Be Seen for me. But this year they are doing something exceptional they'll bring the fest online for Premium Passholders across the USA.

On April 23, the fest will launch Tribeca Film Festival Virtual Premium, an 8-day full Festival experience. Passholders will have access to 8 feature films and over 15 short films, plus live red carpets, live panels and live filmmakers Q&As.

I just hope that eventually an event like this one is open to the citizens of the world! Torn down mental barriers, do business worldwide!

If you have access to the Virtual experience I suggest you do not miss Elvis & Madona by Marcelo Laffitte, Brazil, 2010 that's a 'little' lesbian interest.

Anyway the fest will run from April 21 to May 2 and here are the films in the World Narrative Feature Competition.

Buried Land, Geoffrey Aland Rhodes and Steven Eastwood, Bosnia and Herzegovina, UK, and USA, 2009
*Dog Pound, Kim Chapiron, Canada and France, 2009 - Best New Narrative Filmaker
Gainsbourg, Je t'Aime... Moin Non Plus, Joann Sfar, France, 2009
*Mine Vaganti (Loose Cannons), Ferzan Ozpetek, Italy, 2010 (Ozpetek is MUST BE SEEN! - Gay Interest) - Special Jury Mention
Lucky Life, Lee Isaac Chung, USA, 2010
My Brothers, Paul Fraser, Ireland, 2010
Open House, Andrew Paquin, USA, 20100
Paju, Park Chan-ok, South Korea, 2009
Snap, Carmel Winters, Ireland, 2010
*Die Fremde (When We Leave), Feo Aladag, Germany, 2010 (Interesting) Winner of the Founders Award for Best Narrative Feature
Keshtzarhaye Sepid (The White Meadows), Mohammad Rasoulof, Iran, 2009 (Must Be Seen!!!)
William Vincent, Jay Anania, USA, 2010

To read about each movie go here as well as to browse the fest to check the complete program.

Coco Chanel

I had to watch this made for TV movie even when the film was broadcasted in the Lifetime channel that well, it’s not exactly the best place to see ‘good’ movies. But this movie was a very pleasant surprise as has impeccable tech specs with high production values and one excellent performance by Barbora Bobulova that simply put, she’s so beautiful and looks so beautiful in this film that you cannot take your eyes from her.

As a matter of fact Bobulova performs so good that she steals the complete movie and honestly you wish to see more of Chanel’s early life only to be able to continue seeing Bobulova in the screen. And this is no small success as she was competing with older Chanel played by none other than Shirley MacLaine.

The movie is about Chanel’s love life and not about how she influenced couture; I mention this as probably the upcoming Chanel other movie starring Audrey Tautou will have what most critics were expecting in this movie from a remarkable fashion icon. This is a pure soapy romance that became really interesting only because Bobulova performance and high production values.

I first “met” Bobulova in Ferzan Ozpetek movie Cuore Sacro and was mesmerized by her performance that I found it above the impeccable director credentials; but when watching Coco Chanel I did not remember her, so all my reaction to her performance came spontaneously. When I started to read about the movie, then I realized she was also in Ozpetek’s film. Can’t believe that I ‘forgot’ her, but from now on and after she captivating me with her performances, I will not forget about her again. That’s how good she’s in this movie.

So, if by any chance you have the opportunity to catch Coco Chanel in the Lifetime chanel, I suggest you give it a try just to be able to watch Bobulova’s performance, as it is really outstanding.

If you want to see a movie that goes deeper into the life of the fashion icon, then I suggest you wait until the movie Coco Avant Chanel by Anne Fontaine is released next year.

One last thing, if you feel like watching this movie you will need to spare more than the regular movie time, as this movie is three hours long! But honestly I didn’t notice time and the only thing that bothered me were the commercial breaks.

Enjoy!!

65th Venice International Film Festival Award Winners

About two hours ago the fest had its closing ceremony and here are the award winners.

Official Selection

Golden Lion for Best Film: The Wrestler, Darren Aronofsky, USA

Silver Lion for Best Director: Aleksey German Jr. for Bumažnyj Soldat (Paper Soldier), Russia
Special Jury Prize: Teza, Haile Gerima, Ethiopia, Germany and France
Coppa Volpi for Best Actor: Silvio Orlando for Il papà di Giovanna , Pupi Avati, Italy
Coppa Volpi for Best Actress: Dominique Blanc for L’Autre, Patrick Mario Bernard and Pierre Trividic, France
Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best Young Actor or Actress: Jennifer Lawrence for The Burning Plain, Guillermo Arriaga, USA
Osella for Best Cinematography: Alisher Khamidhodjaev and Maxim Drozdov for Bumažnyj Soldat (Paper Soldier), Aleksey German Jr., Russia
Osella for Best Screenplay: Haile Gerima for Teza, Haile Gerima, Ethiopia, Germany, France

Special Lion for Overall Work: Werner Schroeter
The Jury decided to award a Special Lion for his uncompromising and relentlessly innovative work over a period of 40 years to Werner Schroeter.

Luigi de Laurentiis Award for a Debut Film: Pranzo Di Ferragosto, Gianni Di Gregorio, Italy, 2008

I do not know about you but I’m surprised that the Golden Lion went to an American film, but then I have heard the news that Mickey Rouke does an extraordinary performance and many were hoping for him to win the Coppa Volpi for Best Actor; but I believe winning the top award is a recognition that celebrates his performance and a lot more.

To check the official announcement go here.

Orizzonti Section

Orizzonti Prize: Melancholia, Lav Diaz, Philippines (yes is the one with 450 minutes!)
Special Mention: Un Lac, Philippe Grandrieux, France

Orizzonti Doc Prize: Below Sea Level, Gianfranco Rosi, Italy and USA
Special Mention: Wo men (We), Huang Wenhai, China and Switzerland

To check the official announcement go here.

Giornate Degli Autori – Venice Days
Label Europa Cinemas Award: Machan, Uberto Pasolini, Italy, Germany and Sri Lanka, 2008
Jury statement: "Immigration is a very real issue in Europe today and this is an enjoyable, well written and well directed film that makes its point with humour and without lapsing into cheap sentimentality. We feel that this can attract and entertain a wide audience around Europe and contribute to discussions of this important subject."

On other news this section of the Venice fest was awarded the Bisato d’Oro Award and here is an excerpt of the official press release.

The Bisato d’Oro Award 2008, assigned by the Jury of Independent Film Critics attending the 65. Mostra Internazionale d’Arte Cinematografica, and chaired by Antonio Llorens Sanchis (historian and film critic) goes to Venice Days.

Motivation of the Bisato D’Oro Award: To Venice Days, for its accuracy, consistency, cultural identity palpable every year in its presence at Venice Film Festival, whose spirit is ultimately realized thanks to it. For always showing a peculiar arthouse filmmaking not bending to the directors’ dictatorship, but rather exalting the republic of cinema and the infinite ways to cross over it. For showing us, each year, once a year, in Venice, that cinema is alive.

To read the official announcements go here and here.

Collateral Awards
FIPRESCI Award
Best Film in Venezia 65: Gabbla (Inland), Tariq Teguia, Algeria and France
Best Film Horizons and International Critics’ Week: Goodbye Solo, Ramin Bahrani, USA

SIGNIS Award: Hurt Locker, Kathryn Bigelow, USA
Special Mention: Vegas: Based on a True Story, Amir Naderi, USA and Teza, Haile Gerima, Ethiopia, Germany and France

Francesco Pasinetti (SNGCI) Award
Best Film: Pranzo Di Ferragosto, Gianni Di Gregorio, Italy, 2008
Special Mention: Pa-ra-da, Marco Pontecorvo, Italy, France and Romania
Best Male Actor: Silvio Orlando for Il papà di Giovanna , Pupi Avati, Italy
Best Female Actor: Isabella Ferrari for Un Giorno Perfetto, Ferzan Ozpetek, Italy

This time I will include ALL the awards so you can get an idea of the number of awards and recognition given to films in this festival.

Doc/it Award – Sicilia Film Commission: Below Sea Level, Gianfranco Rosi, Italy and USA
Special Mention: L’Apprenti (The Apprentice), Samuel Collardey, France, 2008

Leoncino D’Oro Award 2008 (Agiscuola): Il papà di Giovanna , Pupi Avati, Italy
Cinema for UNICEF commendation: Teza, Haile Gerima, Ethiopia, Germany and France
Art Cinema Award: Dikoe Pole (Wild Field), Mikhail Kalatozishvili, Russia
La Navicella – Venezia Cinema Award: Hurt Locker, Kathryn Bigelow, USA
C.I.C.T. UNESCO Enrico Fulchignoni Award: Birdwatchers – La terra degli uomini Rossi (Birdwatchers), Marco Bechis, Italy and Brazil
Cristopher D. Smithers Foundation Special Awards: Stella, Sylvie Verheyde, France

Biografilm Lancia Award
Film: Rachel Getting Married, Jonathan Demme, USA
Documentary: Below Sea Level, Gianfranco Rossi, Italy and USA

Nazareno Taddei Award: Il papà di Giovanna , Pupi Avati, Italy

Don Gnocchi Award: Pa-ra-da, Marco Pontecorvo, Italy, France and Romania
Special Mention: Ezio Greggio for Il papà di Giovanna, Pupi Avati, Italy

Future Film Festival Digital Award: Sukai Kurora (The Sky Crawlers), Mamoru Oshii, Japan
Special Mention: Gake no ue no Ponyo (Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea), Hayao Miyazaki, Japan

CinemAvvenire
Best Film in Competiton: Vegas: Based on a True Story, Amir Naderi, USA
“The circle is not round. Cinema for peace and the richness of diversity” Award: Teza, Haile Gerima

FEDIC Award: Machan, Uberto Pasolini, Italy, Germany and Sri Lanka, 2008
Bastone Bianco Award (Filmcritica): Achilles to kame (Achilles and the Tortoise), Takeshi Kitano, Japan
Human Rights Film Network Award: The Hurt Locker. Kahryn Bigelow, USA

Arca Cinemagiovani Award
Best Film Venezia 65: The Hurt Locker, Kathryn Bigelow, USA
Best Italian Film: Pranzo Di Ferragosto, Gianni Di Gregorio, Italy

“Altre Visioni” Award: Sell Out!, Yeo Joon Han, Malaysia
EIUC Human Rights Film Award: Kabuli Kid, Akram Barmak, France and Afghanistan
Lina Mangiacapre Award: Stella, Sylvie Verheyde, France
Air For Film Fest Award: Pa-ra-da, Marco Pontecorvo, Italy, France and Romania
Open Award 2008: The Butcher’s Shop, Philip Haas, USA
“Poveri ma belli” Award: Puccini e la fanciulla, Paolo Benvenuti, Italy
Mimmo Rotella Foundation Award for a film which shows a firm connection with the arts: Gake no ue no Ponyo (Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea), Hayao Miyazaki, Japan

To check the announcement at the fest site go here.

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.

64th Venice Film Festival News

My dear photographer friend asked me for La Mostra News and here is a compilation of the latest news.

The Renaissance of (Digital) Cinema starts at the Lido

For the first time in the history of film festivals, the Venice Film Festival will screen an entire film in 3D Stereoscopic Digital Cinema. Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas will be shown with the use of highly advanced technological solutions to assure viewers in the Sala Grande the best possible visual quality, just as the film’s director wished. This has been made possible thanks to the constant work and collaboration of La Biennale di Venezia’s Digital Cinema Team and the Disney Production Team. If better-known and effectively managed, 3D stereoscopic cinema can lead the world’s film industry to new levels of excellence in the world of the digital era.

For this reason too, in collaboration with SMPTE, the international organization setting the standards for the film and television industry, La Biennale di Venezia has organized the 5th International Digital Cinema Forum, to be held in the Sala Volpi within the Palazzo del Cinema on 5th September. This year, the Forum will be dedicated to The Case of 3D Stereoscopic Movies: Production, Distribution and Exhibition, with the participation of international experts who will illustrate the methods and solutions adopted in the examples hitherto seen of 3D Stereoscopic digital cinema.

Following last year’s Venice festival screenings many directors declared that they had never seen their films screened with such a good level of picture and sound quality. The Festival screened 86 digital films in 2006, and this year besides Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas, the public will be able to see numerous films in digital quality in the six spaces equipped for screenings of this kind. These include: Blade Runner: The Final Cut by Ridley Scott, Cristovão Colombo – O enigma by Manoel de Oliveira, Man from Plains by Jonathan Demme, Wuyong (Useless) by Jia Zhangke, San (Umbrella) by Du Haibin, Anabazys by Joel Pizzini and Palma Rocha, Xiaoshuo (The Oscure) by Lü Yue, Madri by Barbara Cupisti, Searchers 2.0. by Alex Cox, A Idade de Terra (1980) by Glauber Rocha, The Iron Horse (1924) by John Ford and many others.

A quite interesting International Panel follows.

The Impact of the Mostra on the Circulation of Quality Films

This meeting will see the participation of Mick LaSalle (San Francisco Chronicle), Michel Ciment (France Culture), Derek Malcom (London Evening Standard), Riccardo Tozzi (Cattleya), Christine Vachon (Killer Films), who will discuss the future of a film winning an official prize at the Venice Film Festival and the impact this award may have on the film’s circulation. Do these prizes truly help a film gain a broader distribution in Europe and on other continents? Do the prizes influence viewers in the choice of a film? Do festivals guarantee success for a film? In Ang Lee’s case, on receiving the Leone d’Oro for Brokeback Mountain in 2005, he mentioned the enormous impact in Asia of the Leone d’Oro won by Akira Kurosawa with Rashomon.

Other News

Beautiful Ambra Angiolini that was in Ferzan Ozpetek’s Saturno Contro will open La Mostra on the evenening of 29th August, welcoming Zhang Yimou, other jury members, officials and the public. The screening of Atonement by Joe Wright, in competition -that’s the opening film- will follow the ceremony. I’ll be checking RAI schedule to find the time of the TV broadcast.

Stefania Sandrelli (Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement in 2005) will host the awards ceremony.

Two new titles, shown as world premieres, will complete the programme for the 64th Venice Film Festival. One of the films is Disengagement by the Israeli director Amos Gitai (Out of Competition – Maestri), a story about family sentiments, starring Juliette Binoche and set in 2005, the dramatic year in which Israel left the Gaza strip. Gitai is a director who has been invited to the Venice Film Festival on 11 previous occasions. The other film is Callas Assoluta (Orizzonti Events) by the French documentary filmmaker Philippe Kohly, showing in this year’s Venice Film Festival to commemorate the thirtieth anniversary of the death of the world famous soprano Maria Callas.

Furthermore, the 64th Venice Film Festival will also screen 3 short films by Michelangelo Antonioni in the Out of Competition Events section: N.U. (Nettezza Urbana) (1948), Vertigine (1950) and Lo sguardo di Michelangelo (2004); a tribute to the Maestro who passed away on 30th July earlier this year. The photo is the Maestro with one of his two Golden Lion's -he also has a Silver Lion, which makes him the most awards winner in La Mostra history.

The last work by Alberto Grifi, the great pioneer of experimental Italian cinema who passed away on 22nd April, will also be shown: Autoritratto Auschwitz/L'occhio è per così dire l'evoluzione biologica di una lagrima (1965-68/2007).

Mission accomplished!!! Have to admit that there are great news here!

La Biennale di Venezia (64th Venice Film Festival)

The 64th Venice International Film Festival, organized by the Venice Biennale, will be held on the Venice Lido from 29th August to 8th September 2007.

The line-up of the Festival includes the following sections: Venezia 64 - In Competition, Venezia 64 - Out of Competition, Orizzonti, and Corto Cortissimo. The Festival has a screenings schedule of 11 days (29th August - 8th September).

This year’s festival will cast its eye over the protagonists of the cinema of tomorrow, and over the history of cinema: the 75th anniversary Golden Lion is to be awarded to Bernardo Bertolucci, the Golden Lion for lifetime achievement to Tim Burton, the celebratory events are directed by Alexander Kluge, and the retrospective is dedicated to “Spaghetti Westerns”.

This duel face of the oldest film festival in the world, which never ceases to both discover and reveal cinema, will once again be seen in the selection of films which are in the various sections of the Festival. It will be a programme which unites works by young directors who are as yet unknown with works by the greatest filmmakers from around the world.

These are the films participating in the Venice Film Festival.

In Competition

64th Venice Film Festival opening film
Atonement , Joe WRIGHT - UK/USA, 123’; Keira Knightley, James McAvoy, Vanessa Redgrave, Romola Garai, Brenda Blethyn

The Darjeeling Limited, Wes ANDERSON - USA, 91’; Owen Wilson, Adrien Brody, Anjelica Huston, Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray
Sleuth, Kenneth BRANAGH - UK/USA, 86’; Michael Caine, Jude Law
Heya fawda (Le Chaos), Youssef CHAHINE - Egypt, 122’; Khaled Saleh, Mena Shalaby, Hala Sedky, Youssef El Cherif
Redacted, Brian DE PALMA - USA, 90’;Kel O'Neill, Daniel Stewart Sherman
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford; Andrew DOMINIK - USA, 155’; Brad Pitt, Casey Affleck, Sam Shepard
Nessuna qualità agli eroi, Paolo FRANCHI - Italy/Switzerland/France, 102’; Elio Germano, Bruno Todeschini, Irène Jacob
Michael Clayton, Tony GILROY - USA, 119’; George Clooney, Tilda Swinton, Sydney Pollack
Night Watching, Peter GREENAWAY - UK/Poland/Canada/Netherlands, 134’; Martin Freeman, Emily Holmes, Eva Birthistle, Jodhi May
En la ciudad de Sylvia, Jose Luis GUERIN - Spain, 90’; Pilar Lopez De Ayala, Xavier Lafitte
In the Valley of Elah, Paul HAGGIS - USA, 120’; Tommy Lee Jones, Charlize Theron, Susan Sarandon
I’m not There, Todd HAYNES - USA, 135’; Richard Gere, Cate Blanchett, Heath Ledger, Julianne Moore, Christian Bale, Charlotte Gainsbourg
Taiyang zhaochang shenqi (The Sun Also Rises), JIANG Wen - China/Hong Kong, 116’, Jiang Wen, Joan Chen, Zhou Yun, Jaycee Chan, Anthony Wong
Bangbang wo aishen (Help Me Eros), LEE Kang Sheng (LI Kangsheng) - Taiwan, 107’; Lee Kang Sheng, Yin Shin
La Graine et le Mullet, Abdellatif KECHICHE - France, 151’; Habib Boufares, Marzouk Bouraouïa, Faridah Benkhetache, Sabrina Ouazani
Se, Jei (Lust, Caution), Ang LEE (LI An) - Taiwan, 135’; Tony Leung, Joan Chen, Tang Wei
It’s a Free World…, Ken LOACH - UK/Italy/Germany/Spain, 96’; Juliet Ellis, Leslaw Zurek, Kierston Wareing
L’ora di punta, Vincenzo MARRA - Italy, 96; Fanny Ardant, Michele Lastella, Giulia Bevilacqua
Sukiyaki Western Django, MIIKE Takashi - Japan, 121’; Quentin Tarantino, Hideaki Ito, Kaori Momoi, Yoshino Rimura
12, Nikita MIKHALKOV - Russian Federation, 153’; Nikita Mikhalkov, Sergey Makovezkij, Mikhail Yefremov, Sergei Garmash
Il dolce e l’amaro, Andrea PORPORATI - Italy, 98’; Fabrizio Gifuni, Luigi Lo Cascio, Donatella Finocchiaro
Les Amours d’Astrée et Céladon, Eric ROHMER - France/Italy/Spain, 109’; Stéphanie Crayencour, Andy Gillet, Cécile Cassel

Jurors for Venezia 64 are: French director Catherine Breillat, New Zealand director Jane campion, Italian director Emanuele Crialese, Mexican director Alejandro González Iñárritu, Turkish origin director Ferzan Ozpetek, Dutch director Paul Verhoeven and the President of the Jury China director Zhang Yimou. This is an A-List directors jury!

On the closing evening of the Festival, 8th September 2007, the Jury will award the following prizes to feature films competing in the Venezia 64 section: the Golden Lion for best film, the Silver Lion for best director, the Special Jury Prize, the Coppa Volpi for Best Actor, the Coppa Volpi for Best Actress, the “Marcello Mastroianni” Award for Best Young Actor or Actress, the Osella for Best Technical Contribution, and the Osella for Best Screenplay.

Out of Competition- Venezia Maestri

Cassandra’s Dream, Woody ALLEN - UK/USA, 108’; Colin Farrell, Sally Hawkins, Ewan McGregor, Tom Wilkinson
Cleópatra, Julio BRESSANE - Brazil, 116’; Alessandra Negrini, Bruno Garcia, Miguel Falabella
La Fille coupée en deux, Claude CHABROL - France, 105’; Ludivine Saignier, Benoît Magimel, Mathilda May, Marie Bunel
Taek Chun-nyun-hack (Beyond the Years), IM Kwon - South Korea, 106’; Jae-hyun Jo, Jung-hae Oh
Kantoku banzai! (Glory to the Filmmaker!), KITANO Takeshi - Japan, 104’; “Beat” Takeshi Kitano, Tohru Emori, Kayoko Kishimoto, Anne Suzuki, Kazuko Yoshiyuki
Cristovão Colombo - O enigma , Manoel de OLIVEIRA - Portugal/France, 100’; Ricardo Trêpa, Leonor Baldaque, Manoel de Oliveira, Maria Isabel de Oliveira

Out of Competition – Venezia Notte – Opening and closing films

Per un pugno di dollari (1964) - restored version, Sergio LEONE - Italy/Spain/Germany, 100’; Clint Eastwood, Gian Maria Volontè, Marianne Koch
Tiantang kou (Blood Brothers), Alexi TAN - Taiwan/China/Hong Kong, 95’; Daniel Wu, Zhang Zhen, Shu Qi, Sun Honglei
REC, Paco PLAZA, Jaume BALAGUERÓ - Spain, 85’; Manuela Velasco, Ferran Terrazza, Jorge-Yamam Serrano, Carlos Lasarte

Out of Competition – Venezia Notte

Far North, Asif KAPADIA - UK/France, 89’; Michelle Yeoh, Sean Bean, Michelle Krusiec
The Hunting Party, Richard SHEPARD - USA/Croatia/Bosnia Herzegovina, 103’; Richard Gere, Terrence Howard, Diane Kruger
The Nanny Diaries, Shari SPRINGER BERMAN, Robert PULCINI - USA, 107’; Scarlett Johansson, Laura Linney, Paul Giamatti, Chris Evans
Nocturna, Adrià GARCÍA, Víctor MALDONADO - Spain/France, 83’; animation film

Out of Competition Special Event
Hotel Chevalier, Wes ANDERSON - USA, 12’; Jason Schwartzman, Natalie Portman

Out of Competition – Bernardo Bertolucci: 75th Anniversary Golden Lion
La via del petrolio (1967) - restored version, Bernardo BERTOLUCCI - Italy, 135’; documentary
Strategia del ragno (1970) - restored version, Bernardo BERTOLUCCI - Italy, 100’; Giulio Brogi, Alida Valli, Tino Scotti

Out of Competition – Tim Burton: Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement 2007
The Nightmare Before Christmas 3-D, Tim BURTON e Henry SELICK Tim Burton's - USA, 76’; animation film - voices: Chris Sarandon, Catherine O'Hara, William Hicke, Carmen Twillie

Out of Competition – Alexander Kluge: Special Events of the 75th Anniversary
Mein Jahrhundert, mein Tier! - 96’
Das Phänomen der Oper - 71’
Im Sturm der Zeit /Facts and Fakes - 89’
Die poetische Kraft der Theorie - 110’
Der Zauber der verdunkelten Seele - 106’

Out of Competition Event – Venezia Giubileo (1932-2007): Homage to Carlo Lizzani
Hotel Meina, Carlo LIZZANI - Italy, 110’; Benjamin Sadler, Ursula Buschhorn, Ivana Lotto

Out of Competition Event – Venezia Giubileo (1932-2007)
Gli uomini che mascalzoni... (1932), Mario CAMERINI - Italy, 67’; Vittorio De Sica, Lia Franca

Out of Competition Special Events
L’ospedale del delitto (1950 – unreleased), Luigi COMENCINI - Italy, 12’’ short film / documentary
Putiferio va alla guerra (1968), Roberto GAVIOLI - Italy, 88’; animation film
Duetto dei gatti (Opera buffa) (1985 - unreleased), Emanuele LUZZATI, Giulio GIANINI - Italy, 2’; animation film
Pulcinella (1973), Emanuele LUZZATI, Giulio GIANINI - Italy, 12’; animation film
Pulcinella e il gioco dell’oca (1961 - unreleased), Emanuele LUZZATI, Giulio GIANINI - Italy, 2’; animation film
Pulcinella e il pesce magico (1981), Emanuele LUZZATI, Giulio GIANINI - Italy, 10’; animation film
La tarantella di Pulcinella (1959 - unreleased), Emanuele LUZZATI, Giulio GIANINI – Barilla advertisement - Italy, 2’; animation film
Makhouredia Gueye, Manda bi – Le Mandat (1968), Ousmane SEMBÈNE - Senegal, 90’; Ynousse N'Diaye, Isseu Niang, Serigne N'Diayes

Out of Competition Special Events – New Restored Versions
Intolerance (1917), David Wark GRIFFITH - USA/France/Denmark, 180’; Lillian Gish, Mae Marsh, Robert Harron, Elmer Clifton, Constance Talmadge
A Idade da Terra (1980), Glauber ROCHA - Brazil, 160’; Maurício do Valle, Jece Valadão, Tarcísio Meira, Antonio Pitanga, Ana Maria Magalhães

Orizzonti

Opening Film
Sad Vacation, AOYAMA Shinji - Japan, 136’; Tadanobu Asano, Aoi Miyazaki, Joe Odagiri, Ken Mitsuishi

Mal nascida,João CANIJO - Portugal, 117’; Márcia Breia, Anabela Moreira, Fernando Luís, Gonçalo Waddington, Tiago Rodrigues
Searchers 2.0, Alex COX - USA, 90’; Del Zamora, Jaclyn Jonet, Ed Pansullo
Cochochi, Laura Amelia GUZMAN, Israel CARDENAS - Mexico/UK/Canada, 87’; Louis A. Lerma Torres, Evaristo C. Lerma Torres
Geomen tangyi sonyeo oi (With the Girl of Black Soil), JEON Soo-il - South Korea/France, 90’; Yu Yun-Mi, Jo Yung-Jin, Hyun-Woo Park
L'Histoire de Richard O., Damien ODOUL - France, 74’; Mathieu Amalric, Stéphane Terpereau
Sügisball (Autumn Ball), Veiko ÕUNPUU - Estonia, 123’; Rain Tolk, Taavi Eelmaa, Tiina Tauraite
Die Stille vor Bach (The Silence Before Bach), Pere PORTABELLA - Spain, 102’; Àlex Brendemühl, Feodor Atkine, Christian Brembeck, Daniel Ligorio, Georg C.Biler
Exodus, Penny WOOLCOCK - UK, 111’; Daniel Percival, Anthony Johnson, Ger Ryan
Xiaoshuo (The Obscure), LÜ Yue - China, 84’; Wang Shuo, Ah Cheng, Wang Zhiwen, Wang Tong
Closing Film
Médée Miracle, Tonino DE BERNARDI - Italy/France, 80’; Isabelle Huppert, Tommaso Ragno, Giulietta De Bernardi

Orizzonti Doc

Staub (Dust), Hartmut BITOMSKY - Germany, 90‘
Madri, Barbara CUPISTI -Italy, 90’
Kagadanan sa banwaan ning mga engkanto (Death in the Land of Encantos), Lav DIAZ - Philippines, 480’; Roeder Camanag, Perry Dizon, Anglei Bayani, Dante Perez, Sophia Aves
Man from Plains, Jonathan DEMME - USA, 120’; Jimmy Carter
L’Aimée, Arnaud DESPLECHIN - France, 70’; Robert Desplechin, Arnaud Desplechin, Fabrice Desplechin
San (Umbrella), DU Haibin - China, 100’
Andarilho, Cao GUIMARÃES - Brazil, 81’
Wuyong (Useless), JIA Zhangke - China, 80’; Ma Ke
Il passaggio della linea, Pietro MARCELLO - Italy, 60’
Anabazys, Joel PIZZINI, Paloma ROCHA - Brazil, 140’; Glauber Rocha, Norma Bengell, Orlando Senna
Berlin, Julian SCHNABEL - USA, 80’; Lou Reed, Emmanuelle Seigner

Spaghetti Western - Secret History of Italian Cinema 4

The films (in chronological order):
Antes llega la muerte (1964) by Joaquin Luis Romero Marchent
100.000 dollari per Ringo (1965) by Alberto De Martino
Il ritorno di Ringo (1965) by Duccio Tessari
Ringo del Nebraska (1965) by Mario Bava and Antonio Román
Un dollaro bucato (1965) by Giorgio Ferroni
Django (1965) - Uncut - by Sergio Corbucci
The Bounty Killer (1966) by Eugenio Martin
La resa dei conti (1966) by Sergio Sollima
Navajo Joe (1966) by Sergio Corbucci
Sugar Colt (1966) by Franco Giraldi
Un fiume di dollari (1966) by Carlo Lizzani
Yankee (1966) by Tinto Brass
10 000 dollari per un massacro (1967) by Romolo Guerrieri
El Desperado (1967) by Franco Rossetti
Il tempo degli avvoltoi (1967) by Nando Cicero
La morte non conta i dollari (1967) by Riccardo Freda
Se sei vivo spara (1967) - Uncut - by Giulio Questi
Ognuno per sé (1967) by Giorgio Capitani
Preparati la bara (1967) by Ferdinando Baldi
Tepepa (1968) by Giulio Petroni
Una lunga fila di croci (1968) by Sergio Garrone
E Dio disse a Caino (1969) by Antonio Margheriti
La taglia è tua l’uomo l’ammazzo io (1969) by Edoardo Mulargia
Lo chiamavano Trinità (1970) by Enzo Barboni
Matalo! (1970) by Cesare Canevari
Vamos a matar companeros (1970) by Sergio Corbucci
La vendetta è un piatto che si serve freddo (1971) by Pasquale Squitieri
Il grande duello (1972) by Giancarlo Santi
Il mio nome è Shangai Joe (1973) by Mario Caiano
Una ragione per vivere e una per morire (1973) by Tonino Valerii
I quattro dell’apocalisse (1975) by Lucio Fulci
Keoma (1976) by Enzo G. Castellari

Events in the Retrospective:
Una Questione poco privata - Conversazione con Giulio Questi (2007) by Gianfranco Pannone
Gonin no shokin kasegi (The Fort of Death, 1969) by Kudo Eiichi

To learn more about the festival go here.

Cuore Sacro (Sacred Heart)

Between La Finestra di Fronte and Saturno Contro, Ferzan Ozpetek directed and wrote this movie that is totally mesmerizing because an outstanding performance by beautiful Barbora Bobulova that plays Irene, a heartless businesswoman that is forced to re-evaluate her life and priorities after the suicide of her two best friends. Consequently we are allowed to see a journey of darkness, regret and redemption.

The story is social relevant, strong and disturbing even if near the end it becomes for a moment unbelievable, it flows again with a very surprising ending that allows to understand the power of the hidden heart, the phantom second heart, the sacred heart.

This loosely translated quote gives an idea of the reason why for the title and the essence of the movie: “Your mother always used to say that each of us has two hearts but one of them eclipses the other. If each of us could spot, even for a brief moment, the light of this hidden heart, then we will understand that that one is a sacred heart. And we couldn't give up the warmth of its light.”

But what is truly outstanding is Bobulova’s performance that is in almost all scenes and she has an incredible face and a body language that tells everything that’s going within her and around her. For this role she won the 2005 David di Donatello award for Best Actress and for what I saw in this movie, she truly deserved this award.

In total this movie had 5 awards and 14 nominations most of them to Bulova and to Ozpetek for his screenplay.

This is a movie that I recommend as a showcase of an amazing performance by an actress and there are not many movies that a performance by an actor/actress surpasses the director, the screenplay and all the technical aspects involved in a movie, but this one truly does.

Still Ozpetek is an incredible writer and director and now I am looking forward to be able to see his 2001 Le Fate Ignoranti (His Secret Life).

La Finestra di Fronte (Facing Window)

This Ferzan Ozpetek 2003 movie tells the story of two loves that are considered “improper” by society, the first in 1943 between two men and the second today between a married woman and a man.

Yes, those movies in the Locarno festival gave me the idea to duplicate the experience and well, I will do it, even if I have seen almost all those movies before, I will watch some of them again just to celebrate these fantastic ladies of Italian cinema.

Here Giovanna Mezzogiorno not only is serene beautiful, but gives a great performance as a troubled woman doomed with a flat and boring life, but very clear about where her loyalty lies even if she is tempted to follow her love for Lorenzo.

But actually, the movie is about those things than society condemns and people not willing to deal with them above their society rules and regulations.

Great music, magnificent performances by Massimo Girotti and even Raoul Bova complement this drama that won 18 awards and had 15 nominations in international festivals and awards.

Two years after this movie, Mezzogiorno went to play Sabina in the lesbian interest movie La Bestia Nel Cuore and among many other movies is worth mentioning that she is part of the cast of the 2007 Love in The Times of Cholera based on Gabriel García Márquez novel.

Mezzogiorno won the 2003 David for La Finestra di Fronte for best actress and was nominated for the 2005 and 2006 David for L'Amore Ritorna and La Bestia Nel Cuore respectively. Her outstanding performance in La Bestia nel Coure gave her the Volpi Cup in the 2005 Venice Film Festival. In total she has won 10 awards and has 5 nominations in different awards and festivals around the world.

Ozpetek is a laureate director that also directed the superb Saturno Contro.

This is a strong adult drama that you can watch many times and still enjoy it very much.