2015 Cannes Check #7 - The Asians

Asian directors also have significant presence among the 19 films in the main competition as three films come from that side of the world. Already talked about Jia Zhangke and now is time to review Hou Hsiao-Hsien and Kore-eda Hirokazu.

Hou Hsiao-Hsien

A leading figure of Taiwan's New Wave cinema movement that abandoned the melodrama and kung-fu action films for the realism in urban or rural Taiwan, promoting the narrative structure that progresses at the pace as it would in real life. His work engages themes of political, cultural, and personal transition, frequently through oblique narratives grounded upon generational conflicts. For these and many more reasons he is my favorite Taiwanese director of all times.

He was born in April 8, 1947 in Meixian, Guangdong province, China but in 1948 his family fled the Chinese Civil War to Taiwan where he was educated at the National Taiwan Academy of the Arts. After graduation in 1972, he worked briefly as a salesman. Later he began his film career as a scriptwriter and assistant director. His first cinema-related work dates back to 1973 when he was the script supervisor for Xin you qian qian jie. Took him almost a decade to finally do his first feature film, 1980 Jiushi liuliu de ta (Cute Girl) and almost two more decades for me to discover him.

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Day 9 - Cannes 2015

After today there are only three more films to go in the main competition; but more shocking, the Quinzaine des Réalisateurs and La Semaine de la Critique have their closing ceremony tomorrow, so believe it or not, tomorrow we will start to learn awards winners.

Oops! just realized that La Semaine de la Critique closing ceremony is TODAY!!! Oh gosh. Ceremony will be at 7pm local time.

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52nd Golden Horse Awards Winners

Last Saturday night was the 2015 Golden Horse Awards ceremony and as expected the big winner of the night was Hou Hsiao-Hsien's The Assassin that collected five awards, including Best Feature Film, Best Director, Best Cinematography and more. Following closely was Chang Tso-Chi's Thanatos, Drunk with four awards.

Worth mentioning is Jia Zhang-ke's Mountains May Depart winning Best Original Screenplay and Tharlo by Pema Tseden winning Best Adapted Screenplay.

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Kôhî Jikô (Café Lumière)

Yesterday I stopped by the very good video club near home and they had new titles so I picked up some (many) movies to watch during this weekend. Hate to wear my reading glasses –without them I cannot see a thing-, so I chose them by the cover. Go home, pick one and start watching. Café Lumière is the first one.

When I finished watching this movie my honest spontaneous reaction was, what a strange movie… but during its 135 (or so) minutes I could not get my eyes from the screen. By half the movie I said: where is the story? By the third quarter I said: there is no story; this is a slice of life. By the end I jumped and exclaimed fantastic! And strange. Little did I knew.

What I found mesmerizing are the many scenes that look like they were filmed in real time and show those meaningless moments of life in such a marvelous way. Loved the urban chaos and the serenity of indoor takes. And I could go on and on but lets get into business.

This film is co written and directed by famous Taiwanese Hsiao-hsien Hou, stars half Japanese and half Taiwanese Yo Hitoto –in her screen debut- and Japanese Tadanobu Asano. The film is shot in Tokyo and is a very Japanese story … and film. So we have a Taiwanese director/writer that does not speak Japanese nor lives in Japan, filming in Japanese and with a Japanese story?? Strange, isn’t?

Well, this film was commissioned by a Japanese studio to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the birth of the great Japanese director Yosujiro Ozu! With one specific instruction, it had to be a true Japanese movie. According to the studio Hsiao-hsien Hou did a masterpiece that represents Japan today and the future.

With this knowledge the story started to appear in my mind. This is about a young woman, Yoko (played by Yo Hitoto) that after spending a few years in Taiwan teaching Japanese comes back to Tokyo pregnant and finds again her friend Hajime Takeuchi (played by Asano) that loves her, her father and wife that do not know how to communicate with her and continues her life. She is an independent and strong woman that does not want to marry the Taiwanese father of her child because he is too close to his mother. She wants to raise her child alone.

According to most marvelous French produced documentary I have seen recently, Ozu’s films were very popular in his time as they reflected Japanese society extremely well and is today when they are considered art cinema. The above story is a story that Ozu could never tell as it was impossible in the Japanese culture of the ‘50’s/’60s or earlier. The industrialization and economic growth has been changing Japanese society and today there are two extremely different generations living together. The role that probably has changed more is women role in society.

According to me, Hou did the same as Ozu but with today standards and he did it brilliantly!

Just yesterday I was hoping to learn more about Naruse, Ozu and Mizoguchi. My biggest surprise is to watch in that fabulous documentary many clips from Ozu films!! Today there are two Ozu’s movies I HAVE TO see Higanbana (Equinox Flower) 1958 and Sanma No Aji (An Autumn Afternoon or Le Goût du Sake) 1962.

I have to admit that after watching the dvd’s extras everything came into place and I understood why I just was hypnotized by this movie.

Last but not least, Yo Hitoto won her fist award as Newcomer of the Year in the 2005 Awards of the Japanese Academy and Hsiao-hsien Hou won the Golden Tulip at the 2005 Istambul International Film Festival and was nominated for the Golden Lion in the 2004 Venice Film Festival.

Do not miss this movie if the dvd is near you and please watch the documentary called Métro Lumière as well as the interviews with the two main actors and the director.

This is absolutely an art house cinema not for all audiences.

P.S. In the documentary Hsiao-hsien Hou mentions how difficult is to make a film about a culture that is so different to his and succeed, this make me think about My Blueberry Nights that is getting so-so reviews.

10th Asian Film Awards Winners

Yesterday the Academy had their awards ceremony and as expected by many, Hou Hsiao-Hsien's The Assassin swept the night by winning eight awards out of the nine nominations it had, which is a fantastic ratio in any world awards.

But Hou Hsiao-Hsien film steak left not much for other films; still, among the few other awards left, Jia Zhang-ke collected Best Script for his Mountains May Depart.

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9th Asia Pacific Screen Awards Nominations

APSA Chairman Michael Hawkins today announced the nominations for the 9th Asia Pacific Screen Awards, the region’s highest accolade in film, in the Best Feature Film category and five craft award achievements.

Leading the nominations is Taiwan's The Assassin nominated for Best Feature Film, Achievement in Directing for Hou Hsiao-hsien and Achievement in Cinematography for APSA Academy member Mark Lee Ping-Bing. Competing alongside The Assassin for Best Feature Film are Thailand’s Cemetery of Splendour, Japanese drama Journey to the Shore and the Korean features End of Winter and Alive.

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Le Voyage du Ballon Rouge (The Flight of the Red Balloon)

The first Hou Hsiao Hsien film in the west and the second outside Taiwan (the first was the amazing Café Lumiére filmed in Japan) is a very-very special movie about what critics have called as life in a large city in the 21st century and I modify as life in a large western city nowadays where you can find chaos and also poetic visual beauty as perhaps extremes of a string of quotidian and mundane activities. And this last sentence resumes this visually amazing movie with the most interesting background story that I just learned.

The film is the first that the Musée d’Orsay commissioned to celebrate its 20th anniversary and the idea is to reunite contemporary artists with the treasures of the past and they have only one request: the museum has to appear at least in one scene. The museum project seems as interesting as this film that is a tribute (not inspired) to Albert Lamorisse acclaimed 1956 short Le Ballon Rouge (The Red Ballon). So, the film reunites one of the most acclaimed contemporary filmmakers with a treasure that if you haven’t seen it I suggest you do whenever you find it, as the short is truly a marvelous children fantasy.

Also extremely interesting is to find that the movie has a screenplay that has no dialogue. Each character is extremely well developed with a detailed background, but the dialogue had to be “found” by the actors. After learning this I have to say BIG CHAPEAU to Juliette Binoche as I would have never imagined that she could “find” so many words that totally fit her chaotic character.

The film follows three characters divorced Suzanne (Juliette Binoche), her son Simon (Simon Iteanu) and the newly hired nanny Song (Taiwanese non-actor Fang Song) that is getting to know the few people around the life of small family. But, Suzanne is loosing control of her very busy life as she’s preparing her new puppet show, has to deal with intrusive tenants that haven’t paid rent, Simon father is in Montreal, etc and she is left all alone to deal with everything, except Simon that now has Song. This is a story full of extreme contrasts and Suzanne is chaos, while Simon and Song are poetic bliss, but when Suzanne interacts with Simon or Song, she’s the extreme opposite when she becomes peaceful. Then in-between characters performances we have many quiet moments where we follow the red balloon that simply mesmerized me and took me to another dimension, especially because the red balloon travels through a not often seen in movies Paris. The only time we will see the always-beautiful Paris is in the lyrical finale.

As you can imagine Juliette Binoche performance is so powerful that is disturbing and will make you feel quite uncomfortable from the very first moment we enter her chaotic apartment even when in that scene she’s not there. Then you have Song that while seeming very busy with film school is Binoche’s character opposite and there you have balance between opposites. It’s truly a very simple story delivered in a very complex manner.

The film as a movie has the most outstanding cinematography with a succession of incredibly beautiful takes, many of them playing with reflections and there is one long take with Binoche talking with Simon father while seating inside a car that is absolutely mesmerizing as what is reflected in the windshield glass will just visually blow your mind. Somehow I find outstanding that Hou Hsiao Hsien is able to keep his particular filmmaking style and codes when he’s not telling a Chinese story; he did it with Tokyo in Café Lumiére and he does it with Paris in this movie, and in both cases he was not really familiar with the city and the culture, and he succeeded. This is truly outstanding especially after seeing that not all filmmakers succeed, just remember Wong Kar-wai’s My Blueberry Nights.

The film was the opening movie at the Un Certain Regard parallel section of the 2007 Cannes and has awards and accolades in festivals around the world. Then the film absolutely is not for all audiences, as on the surface it looks like not much is happening in the movie, you have to decipher symbols –as for example the red balloon-, has extremely slow pace at moments and other moments with agitated chaos, has silences, and scenes with a beautiful piano music only.

This movie can be the most accessible Hou Hsiao Hsien movie that I have seen as it has a clearer story, but I know that only those that admire his particular filmmaking style will enjoy this movie. I strongly recommend the movie to all serious cinema lovers.

Big Enjoy!!!

60th Film Festival Locarno

Here are the movies that were announced today.

INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION

Ai No Yokan (The Rebirth), Japan, Masahiro Kobayashi
Boys of Tomorrow, South Korea, Noh Dong-seok
Capitaine Achab (Captain Achab), France-Sweden, Philippe Ramos
Contre Toute Esperance, Canada, Bernard Emond
Extraordinary Rendition, UK, Jim Threapleton
Freigesprochen, Austria-Luxembourg, Peter Payer
Fruher Oder Spater (Sooner or Later), Germany, Ulrike von Ribbeck
Fuori dalle corde, Switzerland-Italy, Fulvio Bernasconi
Haiti Cherie, Italy, Claudio Del Punta
Joshua, USA, George Ratliff
Ladrones, Spain, Jaime Marques
Las Vidas Posibles, Argentina-Germany, Sandra Gugliotta
Lo Mejor de Mi, Spain, Roser Aguilar
La Maison Jaune, France-Algeria, Hakkar Amor
Memories, South Korea, Eugene Green, Pedro Costa, Harun Farocki
O Ca Pacete Dourado, Portugal, Jorge Cramez
Restule Tacere, Romania, Nae Caranfil
Slipstream, USA, Anthony Hopkins
Sous les toits de Paris, France, Hiner Saleem

Main competition jury are Swiss-French actress Irene Jacob, actor Bruno Todeschini, Chinese filmmaker Jia Zhang-ke, Brazilian filmmaker Walter Carvalho, German filmaker Romuald Karmakar and Italian filmmaker Saverio Costanzo.

PIAZZA GRANDE

The Bourne Ultimatum, USA, Paul Greengrass
Death at a Funeral, USA-Netherlands-Germany-UK, Frank Oz
The Drummer, Hong Kong-Taiwan-Germany, Kenneth Bi
Hairspray, USA, Adam Shankman
1 journee, Switzerland-France, Jacob Berger
Mio Fratello E Figlio Unico (My Brother Is an Only Child), Italy-France, Daniele Luchetti
Vexille, Japan, Fumihiko Sori - This is the Openning Film
Le Voyage du Ballon Rouge (Flight of the Red Balloon), France, Hou Hsiao-hsien
Waitress, USA, Adrienne Shelly
Winners and Losers, France-USA, Lech Kowalski - This is the Closing Film
Chicago 10, USA, Brett Morgen
Knocked Up, USA, Judd Apatow
Nichtsals Gespenseter (Nothing but Ghosts), Germany, Martin Gypkens
Planet Terror, USA, Robert Rodriguez
Vogliamo Anche le Rose, Italy, Alina Marazzi
1408, USA, Mikael Hafstrom

FILMMAKERS OF THE PRESENT COMPETITION

An Seh (Those Three), Iran, Naghi Nemati
Comme a Ostende, Belgium, Delphine Lehericey
Estrellas, Argentina, Federico Leon, Marcos Martinez
Guillaume et les Sortileges, France, Pierre Leon
Imatra, Italy, Corso Salani
Japan Japan, Israel, Lior Shamriz
Juizo, Brazil, Maria Augusta Ramos
Lo Bueno de Llorar, Spain, Matias Bize
Loren Cass, USA, Chris Fuller
Never Sleeps, France, Philippe Flechaire, Benoit Falize, Jeremy Boury
Nirakar Chhaya (Shadows Formless), India, Ashish Avikuntha
Nos Vies Privees," Canada, Denis Cote
Nuage, France, Sebastien Betbeder
Nu Te Supara, Dar... (Ne Te Fache Pas), Romania, Adina Pintilie
Phantom Love, USA, Nina Menkes
Tagliare le Parti in Grigio, Italy, Vittorio Rifranti
Tejut (Milky Way), Hungary, Benedek Fliegauf
Tussenstand, Netherlands, Mijke de Jong
Xia Wu gou Jiao (Mid-Afternoon Barks), China, Zhang Yuedong

ICI ET AILLEURS

La Capture, Canada-France, Carole Laure - fiction about violence against women
Crime and Punishment, China-France, Zhao Liang - documentary shot in the border between North Korea and China, follows young policemen on their daily rounds.
La Danse de l'Enchanteresse, France, Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Brigitte Chataignier - ballet masters in Southern India
Dutti der Riese, Switzerland, Martin Witz - about the founder of the Swiss supermarket chain Migros
Io non sono un moderato, Italy, Andrea Nobile - follows Nobel Prize laureate Dario Fo as he campaigns in the Milan municipal elections.
Il pianto della statua, Italy, Elisabetta Sgarbi -forays into history
Morceaux de Conversations avec Jean-Luc Godard, France, Alain Fleischer
Preussisch Gangstar, Germany, Irma-Kinga Stelmach, Bartosz Werner - youth unemployement Le Retour des Cinephiles, France, Louis Skorecki - reflections about cinema
Sally Gross -The Pleasure of Stillness, USA, Albert Mysles - about a famous choreographer
Shake the Devil Off, Switzerland, Peter Entell - set in New Orleans after Katrina an Afro-American priest is fighting to prevent the closure of his Saint-Augustin parish.
UPA! Una pelicula Argentina, Argentina, Tamae Garateguy, Santiago Giralt, Camila Toker - a parody poking fun at Argentine cinema's New Wave.
Wierszalin, USA-Poland, Francesco Carrozzini - a Polish theater company with a charismatic director

The 2007 Leopard of Honor goes to veteran Taiwanese filmmaker Hou Hsiao-hsien, whose Flight of the Red Balloon, shot in Paris and starring Juliette Binoche, will be shown in the Piazza.

The Raimondo Rezzonico Prize goes to Argentine producer Lita Stantic. As a tribute to her, a special screening will be devoted to Lucrecia Martel's La Cienaga.

The Locarno Excellence Award goes to Michel Piccoli. A Variety Masterclass with Michel Piccoli will be held at the Forum.

Day 12 - Cannes 2015

As far as I remember this is the first time that the day of the closing ceremony ALL films in competition have a final screen that seems is open to all audiences. That's a great idea that hope will be a norm for the future.

Maybe will tweet live the winners but for sure will update LIVE the post with the list of award winners and of course will watch live the red carpet hoping to see who is really in Cannes and who is not.  So expect me complaining or being happy via twitter (lol).

Before getting into more news or comments, let's talk about yesterday Un Certain Regard awards ceremony that I deeply regret was not stream live (not even by Cannes TV or Canal +) as this year I would have liked to see it because Isabella Rossellini was the head of the jury and as expected seems she did a good speech before the awards. But today there is an official video with the ceremony; this is the English version video, but there is also a video in French that doesn't have the not-nice voice over translation.

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Venice Classics in Venezia72

Venice Classics is the section of the Venice Film Festival that since 2012 has presented, with growing success, a world premiere selection of restored classic films. The section brings back to light underestimated or neglected films of the past - restored over the past year by film archives, cultural institutions or production companies around the world. Venice Classics also presents a selection of documentaries about cinema and its auteurs.

For the first time at the Venice International Film Festival the recipient of the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement has been given “carte blanche” to select some rare, forgotten or underestimated films for the Venice Classics section.

French cinema auteur (and dedicated film critic) Bertrand Tavernier – Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the 72nd Venice Film Festival– will introduce to the public before the screening four masterpieces he has personally chosen as Guest Director of the Venice Classics section: Pattes blanches (White Pawns) by Jean Grémillon, La Lupa (The Vixen) by Alberto Lattuada, Sonnenstrahl (Ray of Sunshine) by Pál Fejös, and A Matter Of Life and Death by Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger.

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L'Apollonide (Souvenirs de la maison close) (House of Tolerance)

Bertrand Bonello paints magnificent moving pictures that absolutely recall Ingres, Degas, Manet -and more- with those decadent scenes in a decadent house of tolerance that is about to disappear with the coming of the 20th century as story starts in the twilight of the 19th century in November 1899. With an unconventional story that probably will not be true in a real bordello, we are taken in a voyage that starts in the “normal” everyday life of the girls until one girl becomes careless with a regular and allows him to damage her for life. She becomes “the woman that laughs” and is like the invisible axis that holds the stories of the madam and a few of the girls.

Story is complex and layered with the most interesting ending that proposes that even do the houses of tolerance were banned in France a long time ago, today the setting might have change, but the everyday life and conditions under what the girls work may have remain the same.

Is a very beautiful to watch film with great performances by Hafsia Herzi, Adele Haenel, Jasmine Trinca, Céline Sallette, and especially Alice Barnole that plays Madeleine, the woman that laughs with makeup that is scary/awkward/pathetic as looks a lot like Batman’s the Joker in the latest version.

A film with a name that comes from Apollonie Sabatier the muse that inspired Baudelaire verses like: "Ange plein de gaîté, connaissez-vous l'angoisse/ La honte, les remords, les sanglots, les ennuis/Et les vagues terreurs de ces affreuses nuits/qui compriment le coeur comme un papier qu'on froisse ?/Ange plein de gaîté, connaissez-vous l'angoisse ?" (Réversibilité). Verses that also talk about this film.

This film made me think about another poetic bordello film Hai shang hua (Flowers of Shanghai) by Hsiao-hsien Hou and believe is the best reference when I say that if you enjoyed this film you will also highly enjoy Bonello film. But I know that film is not for all audiences as is a very French/European film that shows images of the body but actually is speaking about or reflecting the soul.

I highly enjoyed the film both visually as well as because the female story that while set in the past is so true nowadays. I do recommend film but be aware that film is not sexy, sexual or soft porn and there are much less sensual or erotic scenes than in other films or other Bonello’s films, so if you’re watching because anything similar you will be bored to death as many have been.

This is another outstanding film from Cannes 2011 in competition selection that confirms me that last year was an excellent year for world cinema and Cannes just showcased the best of the best. Great.

Enjoy!!!

Watch trailer @MOC

Day 3 #Venezia72

Today Venezia72 has its first major Hollywood star walking the streets near the Lido and later -still early when I'm writing this- will walk the Red Carpet ... yes, I'm talking about Johnny Depp that already has large crowds outside the Black Mass photocall and press conference events.

But while watching the hundreds of Depp photos at those sites with not-free photos I came to realize something quite especial, tell me: who could imagine that relatively newcomer Dakota Johnson was going to have two (2) films in La Mostra? Plus both films have major cinema stars like Depp but also Tilda Swinton and Ralph Fiennes. Intersting, isn't?

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68th Festival de Cannes Award Winners

And the BIG winner of the night is ... (drums) French cinema!!! Which is not a surprise as this year there is a huge list of what could be great French films and some made it to Cannes, some got great reviews and some won top awards.

But when you carefully look at the list below you can also find another winner, a cinema that had NO films in the main competition but managed to be present in several sections and ... (drums) won awards! I'm talking about Latin American cinema with movies from Colombia, Argentina and Chile. Then there was also a Mexican director winning a top award.

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48th Golden Horse Awards Winners

Today the Academy had the awards ceremony and winners are in *RED.

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10/4

Today the Academy, chaired by none other than Hou Hsiao-Hsien, announced the nominations for the yearly awards and here are for some categories.

Best Feature Film
Let the Bullets Fly, Wen Jiang, China and Hong Kong
Gang de qin (The Piano in A Factory), Zhang Meng and Jae-young Kwak, China
Return Ticket, Yung-Shing Teng, China and Taiwan
桃姐 Tao jie (A Simple Life), Ann Hui, Hong Kong
* 賽德克．巴萊 Saideke Balai (Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale), Wei Te-Sheng, Taiwan

Best Director
Wei Te-sheg for Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale
Jiang Wen for Let The Bullets Fly
*Ann Hui for A Simple Life
Zhang Meng for The Piano in a Factory

Best New Director
*Wuershan for The Butcher, The Chef and The Swordsman
Giddens for You Are the Apple of My Eye
Xu Haofeng for The Sword Identiy
Du Jia-yi for KORA

Best Leading Actress
Michelle Chen in You Are the Apple of My Eye
Shu Qi in A Beautiful Life
*Deanie IP in A Simple Life
Qin Hailu in The Piano in a Factory

Best Leading Actor
Eddie Peng in Jump!Ashin
Ge You in Let The Bullets Fly
*Andy Lau in A Simple Life
Wang Qian-yuan in The Piano in a Factory

The Outstanding Taiwanese Filmmaker of the Year
Hsiao-Tung Chen
Yang Li-chou
*Wong Wei-liu

To check nominees and winners in other categories go here. Awards ceremony will be held on November 26.

2015 FIPRESCI Grand Prix Winner

Today FIPRESCI announced the annual Grand Prix - Best Film of the Year award winner and to my HUGE surprise Mad Max: Fury Road is the winner! Yes, my spontaneous initial reaction was tinted with the unexpected as never imagined that this movie could share honors with films by Michael Haneke, Paul Thomas Anderson, Nuri Bilge Ceylan and more.

But when the surprise settles down the George Miller's film appears as a movie that absolutely deserves the award as film has all the markers for well-traveling between great cinema and entertainment movie, which makes film quite outstanding indeed.

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2013 Cannes Film Festival News

In last Thursday press conference besides announcing the lineup a few more things happened that are worth sharing. First was the release of "A Word From The President" were Gilles Jacob tells us about his vision for current edition and second, a hosting fund raising auction with Plantu & Friends in an event called Cartooning For Peace.

A Word From The President

Everyone knows the Cannes event that changes every year: poster, films, juries, prizes; behind its walls, there’s also an attitude which, decade in decade out, guarantees the continuing existence of this institution. The idea is one I particularly like, and it sees the festival as a shelter for endangered artists. Our influence has a long history: in the 1970s, already, Robert Favre le Bret and Maurice Bessy fou ght over Andrei Tarkovski; next, with Pierre Viot, we invited film makers harassed in their own countries, but who would be protected by the aura of the festival. Such watchfulness set precedents. I’m not going to list the names of those who benefitted, from Eastern Europe, Asia or the Middle East, but when we come across them, even years later, the warmth of their friendship is proof of their gratitude. And our doors remain open, both to them and to others... To all the others ...

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Qianxi Manbo (Millennium Mambo)

This is my third Hou Hsiao Hsien movie and seems that I been seeing his movies in descending order as first I saw 2005 Three Times, then 2003 Café Lumière and now 2001 Millennium Mambo. Have to say that the three movies seem to me quite different one from the other, which is outstanding for one and only one director.

Millenium Mambo is more an experience than a film, with vibrant colors, chill-out techno electronic music and a main character that is only there for you to absorb her beauty and vacuity.

The bare story is just a pretext for the study of a then (2000) modern girl who seems to lack purpose in life… a portrait of a generation presented without any judgmental angle. Then time is of no consequence as the tale is told by Vicky as an 11 years old flashback with her voiceover telling a particular incident that precedes the scenes, so you know what is coming next and consequently, diminishing the value of the narrative to allow the value of the senses experience.

So I believe that this movie is mostly a movie for the senses and it never allows the audience to go deeper into the story or the characters; it stays on the glossy surface of its superficial life. All this done with the slow pace that allows you to feel everything and pay attention to every single detail in this mostly indoors film.

As someone said, the film has an erotic dimension without ever showing any skin… as you clearly understand that all those guys -and maybe even you- are falling for her; however she just keeps following her instincts, most of the time unfocused and headed in the wrong direction.

Not all of what the viewer may experience will be pleasant and then, since is an experience film, whatever the viewer relates to his/her personal life or frame of reference will influence the like or dislike of what they see.

Nominated for the Golden Palm in the 2001 Cannes Film Festival, the movie won six awards and has three other nominations in European and Asian festivals and awards.

Very interesting movie that absolutely is not for all audiences, not even for those that like art or art house movies. If you have an idea of what a 60’s “Happening” is… then perhaps you will like this movie.

Cinéfondation Award Winners

This is a reproduction of the awards news for the Cinéfondation section.

The Cinéfondation Prizes, awarded to the best films from film schools all over the world, were announced on Friday in the Buñuel amphitheatre by the official Cinefoundation and Short Films Jury and its President, director Hou Hsiao Hsien from Taiwan.

First prize went to Elad Keidan from the Sam Spiegel Film and TV School – Israel for his film Himmon (Hymn).

Second Prize to Claire Burger of Femis – France for Forbach.

Third Prize was awarded jointly to Park Jae-ok from the Korean Academy of Film Arts, South Korea, for Stop, and Juho Kuosmanen from the University of Art and Design – Finland, for Kestomerkitsijät (Road Signs).

The President and the members of the Jury, Olivier Assayas, Suzanne Bier, Marian Hands and Larry Kardish stressed the exceptional quality of this year’s selection and encouraged all the young directors present to continue to develop their art.

This year the work done by the Cinéfondation to discover and support young directors through its various missions (Selection, Residence, Workshops) is reflected in the presence of no fewer than 11 Cinéfondation films in the various official selections.

The career of Kornél Mundruczò is particularly noteworthy – prizewinner in the Cinéfondation Selection 2004, selected for Un Certain Regard in 2005 and in Competition this year with Delta which he wrote while in Residence with Cinéfondation.

Also worthy of mention is the success of Aïda Bejic, supported by 'L'Atelier' 2007 for Snow, which has just received one of the prizes awarded before the official Prizes.

68th Festival de Cannes Official Selection Update 4

A few minutes ago organizers released the Screening Guide for all films in the official Selection. Go down to check the guide.

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5/5/15
Today the Camera d'Or jury was announced with Sabine Azéma as the jury president. The Caméra d’Or, created in 1978, is awarded to the best first film presented in the Official Selection (In Competition, Out of Competition and Un Certain Regard), during La Semaine de la Critique or the Directors’ Fortnight, which represents a total of 26 films in 2015.

She will be accompanied by the director Delphine Gleize, the actor Melvil Poupaud, Claude Garnier representing the AFC (French Association for Cinematographers), Didier Huck, representing the FICAM (Federation of Cinema, Audiovisual and Multimedia Industries), Yann Gonzalez, representing the SRF (Society of Film Directors) and Bernard Payen, representing the SFCC (French Union of Cinema Critique.

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21st AFI Fest

This film festival is described as the longest-running film festival in LA and one of the most influential film festivals in North America. Today the fest started and it will run until November 11th.

This year’s festival will pay tributes to Catherine Deneuve and Laura Linney and they will screen their latest movies Persepolis and The Savages.

The festival has the following film sections Galas, Special Presentations, International Feature Competition, World Cinema, African Showcase, American Showcase, Latin Showcase, Dark Horizons, and Milestones.

Here are some interesting movies that will be screened.

Opening Gala: Lions for Lambs, Robert Redford, USA
Centerpiece Gala: Juno, Jason Reitman, USA
Closing Night Gala: Love in the Time of Cholera, Mike Newell, USA (stars Javier Bardem)

Special Presentation
Margot at the Wedding, Noah Baumbach, USA (stars Nicole Kidman)
Southland Tales, Richard Kelly, USA (has some LI secondary story)
The Princess of Nebraska, Wayne Wang, USA (interesting story)

International Feature Competition

Kunsten A Tenke Negativt (The Art of Negative Thinking), Bardb Breien, Norway
Autumn Ball, Vieko Ounpuu, Estonia
Chop Shop, Ramin Bahrani, USA
Continental, Un Film Sans Fusil (Continental, a Film Without Guns), Stephane Lafleur, Canada
Elvis Pelvis, Kevin Aduaka, France and UK
Funukedomo, Kanashimi No Ai Wo Misero (Funuke Show Some Love, You Losers, Daihachi Yoshida, Japan
El Asaltante (The Mugger), Pablo Fendrik, Argentina
Munyurangabo, Lee Isaac Chung, Rwanda and USA
Solos, Loo Zihan and Kan Lume, Singapore
Partes Usadas (Used Parts), Aaron Fernandez, Mexico and France
Til Doden Os Skiller (With Your Permission), Paprika Steen, Denmark

World Cinema
Une Vielle Maitresse (The Last Mistress), Catherine Breillat, France (I’m “dying” to see this one)
Le Voyage du Balloon Rouge (The Flight of the Red Balloon), Hou Hsiao-Hsien, Taiwan and France (ditto!)
Prince of the Himalayas, Sherwood Hu, China (Hamlet set in the Tibetan mountains!!)

Dark Horizons
Sakuran, Mika Ninagawa, Japan (Interesting story about a courtesan...)

Latin Showcase

La Antena (The Aerial), Esteban Sapir, Argentina
Cyrano Fernandez, Alberto Arvelo, Venezuela and Spain
Deficit, Gael Garcia Bernal, Mexico
Deserto Feliz (Happy Desert), Paulo Caldas, Brazil and Germany
Mejor es que Gabriela No Se Muera (It’s Better if Gabriela Doesn’t Die), Sergio Umansky, Mexico
Manuela y Manuel (Manuela and Manuel), Raul Marchand, Puerto Rico (Gay Interest)
Stellet Licht (Silent Light), Carlos Reygadas, Mexico and France (“dying” to see it)
Año Uña (The year of the Nail), Jonas Cuaron, Mexico

There are many other films, shorts and documentaries in this festival that oddly enough are not yet listed in the AFI’s site, but if you want to check the full line-up go here.

Update: the official site has info about all the films. To check them go here.