With over 350 films being screened and over 2000 industry professionals in attendance, the Toronto International Film Festival is a crowded but important launching pad for the best new films from Canada’s prolific film industry.In the past, all Canadian films were relegated to the Perspective Canada section, which provided a strong promotional platform but also was criticized by many in the Canadian film industry as a kind of “film ghetto”. This year, the Festival has decided to “desegre...
Mike Leigh's "Vera Drake" won the coveted "Leone d’Oro" - Golden Lion - at the 61st Venice International Film Festival, presided over by John Boorman, jury president. The awards were announced at the closing ceremony September 11. Imelda Staunton who plays Vera Drake, a midwife in the 1950's prosecuted for "helping young girls and women in trouble" won the Coppa Volpi, best actress award. There is an irony in the award of the Golden Lion to Mike Leigh's "Vera Drake". Tod Solondz "Palindro...
Palm Springs International Short Film Festival and Market opens with Award Winning Program The opening night for the 10th Annual Palm Springs International Short Film Festival was a successful tribute to the art of short films. Audiences enjoyed the cool theaters while out side the desert heat steamed up the competition in North America’s most prestigious short festival. With over 2000 entries over 300 films are set to screen this next week. A number of Cash and industry prizes will be awar...
Palm Springs International Festival Of Short Films & Film Market Announces Ten Student Awards To Be Presented By Kodak The Palm Springs International Festival of Short Films & Film Market and Kodak will continue to honor the best in student filmmaking with ten awards including The Kodak Award For Best Student Cinematography. The first place winner of the Best Student Cinematography Award will receive an invitation to attend the 2005 Cannes International Film Festival to showcase a clip of their...
Gala Presentations showcase high-profile premieres and films that appeal to a mainstream audience, all presented in the luxurious Roy Thomson Hall. Galas include a mix of Canadian, American, and international films. BEING JULIA, BEYOND THE SEA, FIVE CHILDREN AND IT, I Ì HUCKABEES, and STAGE BEAUTY are some of the films included in the programme this year.Detailed list:Arsène Lupin Jean-Paul Salomé Being Julia István Szabó Beyond the Sea Kevin Spacey Clean Olivier Assayas Downfall Oliver Hir...
Other screenings on day 8 and 9 include Horizon selection Izo by Takashi Miike. An assassin for the anti-Shogun Lord Hampeida is crucified in 1865 and comes back to revenge his murder. But what has he learned? The film is an endictment on war and displays a basic hatred of women for giving life. Briefly featuring Beat Takeshi (Takeshi Kitano) as prime minister, the film reminds Venice fest goers of what cinema is about with multilayered tableau, entries to new worlds, imagery that confronts. ...
THE SYRIAN BRIDE IS TOP WINNER AT MONTREAL WORLD FILM FESTIVALThe Syrian Bride, an Israeli-French-German co-production, was the big winner at the Montreal World Film Festival, which concludes today after a 12 day run of more than 300 feature films from around the world.The Syrian Bride was awarded the Grand Prix des Ameriques, the Festival’s highest honor, as well as receiving the FIPRESCI International Critics Prize, the Ecumenical Prize and the Air Canada People’s Choice Award.The film, di...
The 61st Venice International Film Festival has long been an “A” festival of world renown. This year an anti-globalization manifestation on the first day raised the question of how Venice may more and more be bowing to Hollywood glamour and celebrities by staging world premieres to market films outside the US. Many of these films do better in the global box office as proof. The manifestation was designed to blow the horn about the presence of Hollywood movie headliners with top stars as majo...
Several films in Venice are turning heads on days 4 and 5. Agnes und seine Brüder(Agnes and His Brothers) by Oskar Roehler (Germany) is a kitchy tale of three brothers who grew up with an alcoholic pedophile. The grown children make messes of their relationships--or lack of them. Hans-Jorg (Herbert Knaupt)is a sex addicted librarian and Werner(Moritz Bleibtreu) - a rageaholic politician that ignores his wife and kids. The most tender of the three - Agnes (Martin Weiss) as had a sex change and i...
THE ACTION/CUT 2004GRAND PRIZE SHORT FILM AWARD“THE 17th MAN” Directed by Yimeng JinWritten by Yimeng Jin & Adam J. KrepsProduced by Brooke Krinsky, Brett Jacobsen, Adam J. KrepsSynopsis: A dark-tale thriller about a best-selling author haunted by his fictitious femme fatalewhen she comes to life after he tries to put an end to her in his final book "The 17th Man”…a psychological mind-game of deception ensues and only one can survive!This film was produced at the Florida State University...
The international juries of the 61st Venice Film Festival Venezia 61. - Venezia Orizzonti - Venezia Cinema Digitale Venezia 61 - Golden Lion John Boorman (UK, President). Director. He began his career as a documentary filmmaker in 1955 at the BBC. He won the Best Director Award at Cannes in 1998 for The General (the story of an Irish criminal) and in 1970 for Leo the Last (with Marcello Mastroianni). What stands out in his work is his great iconographic and narrative talent. Since his first Ame...
The 8th Annual MadCat Women’s International Film Festival September 14 – October 3 in Oakland!The MadCat Film Festival screens the best cutting-edge experimental and independent films from around the world. Featuring shorts, documentaries, narratives and animated works selected from more than 900 submissions. This year’s lineup includes 12 programs of timely, insightful, humorous and deeply moving experimental and independent films by some of the finest up-and-coming and established women ...
ROIS ET REINE (Kings & Queen)(France) 150 minutes Venice 61, In CompetitionA film by ARNAUD DESPLECHIN(IN THE COMPANY OF MEN, ESTHER KAHN, COMMENT JE ME SUIS DISPUTE.)starring Mathieu Amalric (INQUIETUDES, ALICE ET MARTIN, COMMENT JE ME SUIS DISPUTE.)Emmanuelle Devos (L'ADVERSAIRE, SUR MES LEVRES, ESTHER KAHN)Catherine Deneuve (8 WOMEN, DANCER IN THE DARK, INDOCHINE)Valentin Lelong"I love genre films, and the idea of seeing Nora dive into her memories made me feel that 'Kings & Queen' was a kind...
The 48th London Film Festival has selected Mike Leigh’s VERA DRAKE as its Opening Night Gala, and David O. Russell’s I HEART HUCKABEES as Closing Night Gala.The Opening Night Gala, on Wednesday 20th October, will be the UK Premiere of Mike Leigh’s VERA DRAKE starring Imelda Staunton and Phil Davis, it will be released in the United Kingdom by Momentum Pictures early in the New Year.The Closing Night Gala, on Thursday 4th November, will showcase the International Premiere of I HEART HUCKABE...
MONTREAL UNVEILS PROMISING WORLD COMPETITIONA new film by the team that brought us the stunning French documentary Microcosmos, Carlos Saura 's return to socially conscious cinema, and the latest from Aussie underrated actor Hugo Weaving are among the premieres that will highlight the competition of the Montreal World Film Festival.Away from the hype to which film festivals are increasingly succumbing, Montreal has developed a reputation for offering a platform to filmmakers whose work has not b...
This year's Discovery line-up at the 29th Toronto International Film Festival® presents 28 features from 23 countries, all of which are either world, international, or North American premieres. This year's line-up includes the highly anticipated OFF BEAT, from Hendrik Hölzemann, Lori Silverbush and Michael Skolnik's ON THE OUTS, Pete Travis' OMAGH, and Xiao Jiang's ELECTRIC SHADOWS. Launched in 1996, Discovery presents films by gifted and innovative first or second feature filmmakers. Last yea...
The Salento International Film Festival will honor the Robert Minkoff on September 26, 2004. Mr. Minkoff will be presented with "SALENTO DIRECTOR AWARD" which recognizes a director for their visionary achievements in cinema., at the Salento International Film Festival , which will be held on September 18-26, 2004, Tricase, Lecce - Italy. In the heel of the boost shaped Italy, surrounded by the sea on three sides, with its end Santa Maria di Leuca Cape.ROB MINKOFF (Director/Executive Producer) i...
The Censor Board of India recently banned Rakesh Sharma's internationally-acclaimed documentary - Final Solution. An online petition has been created by Anand Patwardhan to protest against the ban. The petition asks Central Government to intervene and revoke the ban immediately. As you may already know, under clause 6 and 9 of the Cinematograph Act, the Central Government is empowered to overturn any decision/ recommendation by the Censor Board.People who have already signed the petition include...
From Hyde Park to Highland Park, from Oak Street to Oak Park, there’s a kid critic in nearly every neighborhood and every suburb. They’re young, they’re intelligent, they’re hooked on movies—and this August, they will get a sneak peek at the best in children’s cinema. They are the seventy children, aged 7-13, who will make up the Children’s Jury for the 2004 Chicago International Children’s Film Festival. For eight film-packed days (August 10-13 and Aug 17-20) at Facets Multi-Me...
HOLLYWOOD FEST HONORS CALEB DESCHANEL AND CELEBRATES THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OFCINEMATOGRAPHERS' 85th ANNIVERSARY.Oscar(R)-nominated cinematographer Caleb Deschanel (ASC) will be this year's recipient of the "Hollywood CINEMATOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR Award." In addition, the American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) will mark its 85th anniversary at the Hollywood Film Festival, which takes place October 12 to 18 at the Arclight Cinemas in Hollywood."Mr. Deschanel is undoubtedly one of Hollywood's fine...
George Lucas is to be given a special tribute award at this year’s Deauville Film Festival. Mr Lucas will be present to receive an award honouring his work at a ceremony on Saturday September 11th. George Lucas’ first film, THX 1138, is to be granted a special gala screening at Deauville, in order to commemorate its newly-restored release on DVD. This screening and a press conference will also take place on September 11th.Director George Lucas’s widely influential first film, th...
HIGHLIGHTS FREE OUTDOOR SCREENINGS PROGRAM AT MONTRÉAL WORLD FILM FESTIVALSA cornucopia of acclaimed movies from Canada and around the globe will be screened free-of-charge nightly during the 12-day run of the 28th Montréal World Film Festival, August 26 – September 6.The Cinema Under The Stars program, presented by Loto-Québec in association with the MWFF, will feature two hit films each night starting at 8:30 pm on the Esplanade of Place des Arts, Sainte-Catherine at Jeanne Mance. Only on...
The Adelaide Film Festival has announced the first nine projects commissioned through the newly established Adelaide Film Festival Investment Fund (AFFIF). The fund, an initiative of the Premier of South Australia, the Hon Mike Rann, gives the Adelaide Film Festival a unique position in Australia’s film calendar. The Festival not only showcases the best of international screen culture but is the only Festival to also commission new and innovative Australian works, for premiere at the biennial ...
SILENT CLOWNS FILM SERIES BEGINS EIGHTH SEASON ON SEPTEMBER 19Live Music to Accompany Classic Silent Films The Silent Clowns Film Series, New York's longest running, regularly scheduled showcase for classic silent film comedy with movies featuring Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd, Laurel & Hardy, and more, kicks off on September 19, 2004. Every show in the series will feature live musical accompaniment by Ben Model, along with an introduction and Q&A with film historian Bruce Lawton...
Eighteen movies (three in the Official Section and fifteen in Zabaltegi-New Directors) will compete at the 52nd San Sebastian International Film Festival for the Altadis-New Directors Award, sponsored by Altadis and carrying Euro 90,000 (approx US$95,000).Seventeen countries feature in this selection offering an overview of films with very little in common. Two Argentine movies and another from Colombia represent Latin American cinema. Europe is present with titles from Switzerland, Italy, Germa...
