This year's Flanders International Film Festival - Ghent is proud to announce David Cronenberg and Viggo Mortensen (History of Violence), François Ozon and Jeanne Moreau (Time To Leave), and Mike Leigh, one of contemporary Britain's most renowned directors, as expected guests. Leigh makes remarkable films, known for their levelheaded, unsensational portrayals of topics that would become four-hankie "message" melodramas in the hands of mainstream directors. This "slice-of-life" realism of Leigh ...
American Film Market the Cannes of the US is growing each year and in 2005 they are set to with an impressive up coming market. With a record number of exhibitors, 410 are scheduled to participate this November 2nd to the 9th. For AFM thisgrowth will make this years the largest market in the event's history. Exhibitors will come from 33 countries and with this news the Le Merigot Hotel will now host exhibitors to accommodate the influx of attendance. Le Merigot Hotel is located next door to the...
The inaugural Fantastic Fest (Oct. 6-9, 2005) will present sneak previews of Robert Rodriguez & Frank Miller’s SIN CITY: RECUT & EXTENDED; John Gulager’s Project Greenlight horror film FEAST as a work-in-progress; and Werner Herzog’s science-fiction fantasy THE WILD BLUE YONDER (Winner, FIPRESCI Prize, 2005 Venice Film Festival).SIN CITY: RECUT & EXTENDED expands the hit film into a trilogy of stand-alone stories, featuring new footage and extended scenes. (Fantastic Fest will be the firs...
The 30th Toronto International Film Festival runs September 8-17.Filmgoers are guaranteed to be shocked, rocked, and electrified by Midnight Madness at the 30th Toronto International Film Festival. The Festival's popular, iconoclastic midnight programme is guaranteed to keep audiences wide awake. Now in its 18th year, Midnight Madness showcases the best in sci-fi, horror, and outrageous documentaries, gleefully highlighting the devilishly weird and wonderful. The titles below join the previou...
170 productions from 40 countries at the Inaugural Edition of the New Montreal Filmfest including 60 Feature-Length Films in World, International or North-American première!The New Montreal Filmfest has announced those films selected for the very first edition, set to take place from September 18th to 25th, 2005. And let the record show that Program Director Moritz de Hadeln and his team have managed to score a plethora of extraordinary productions to open Montreal’s newest world-class even...
JAPAN'S SHORT SHORTS FILM FESTIVAL AWARDS $60,000 IN PRIZESThe Short Shorts Film Festival kicked off its 7th annual competition and tour of Japan earlier this month with screenings in the trendy Harajuku neighborhood of Tokyo. $60,000 in prizes was awarded to filmmakers in three categories: National (Japan), International (non-Asian), and Asian. “Rien de Grave” (dir. Renaud Philipps, France) took home the Grand Prix, and “SHIROTAKU” (dir. Toshiro Sonoda, Japan) was honored with the Asa...
The 45th International Film Festival for Children and Youth, which started in Zlín on Sunday, May 29, 2005 and closes this Saturday, June 4.Not only, the wife of well-known British actor Michael York (both guests at Zlin Festival) , Pat York is an accomplished artist in her own right. Pat York started as a journalist for Vogue in New York. Later she worked with Glamour around the world as a reporter in the Travel section. She became a freelance photographer and her work appeared in numerous mag...
Nashville Film Festival (NaFF) president Alan Brewer announces the completion of the most successful festival in its 36 year history, breaking a record with a 14% increase in attendance over the prior year. The third longest running festival in the U.S., with the winning feature awarded the opportunity for Academy Award consideration, NaFF ’05 kicked off its opening night with the John Singleton produced “Hustle & Flow” and the Paul Reiser/Peter Falk film “The Thing About My Folks.” ...
GU Changwei’s directorial debut Peacock (Kong Que, China 2004 ) won the audience award at “Far East Film Festival 7” which closed on April 29th. Gu was cinematographer on several critically acclaimed films such as Kaige Chen’s Farewell My Concubine and Zhang Yimou’s Red Sorghum. Peacock is the story of three siblings growing up in China after the Cultural Revolution. The sister (Zhang Jingchu) works in various domestic capacities such as a glass washer, or in childcare. She fails mise...
The Udine Far East Film Festival kicked off on April 22 by FENG Xiaogang's with A World Without Thieves a highly entertaining film from China mixing Western style action with martial arts and cunning physical feats. As with many new films from China, mainland and Hong Kong, the central theme concerns the poverty of migrants from the north and their vulnerability to thieves in the larger cities. In Feng’s new film, Roob (Baoqiang Wang) a Buddhist temple painter has saved up enough money to ret...
25th edition of the Oporto International Film Festival – Fantasporto has closed its doors on Saturday, again with more than 100,000 spectators.FANTASPORTO 2005 AWARDSVINCENZO NATALI DOES IT AGAIN!OFFICIAL SECTION FANTASY CINEMAThe Canadian director Vincenzo Natali does it again! After “Cube” and “Cypher” he wins the Fantasporto 2005 Grand Prix Best Film Award of the Official Fantasy Section, with the movie “Nothing”. The Best Film Award of the Director’s Week was the South-Korean...
L’International du Cinéma Hip Hop de MontréalAaaahh! Finally, Montréal will host its first International Hip Hop Film Festival.Montréal, April 10th 2005 - You've heard its Music. You've seen its Fashion. You've borrowed its Thesaurus.Next May18th -22nd, you'll experience its Cinema as the City will host the first Montréal International Hip Hop Film Festival.Cities from Barcelona to Vancouver & New York to Brisbane host annual Hip Hop Film Festivals.L’International du Cinéma Hip Hop de ...
A Welshman in Japan.Sony Corporation's current management team proposed the creation of a new management structure designed to expand upon its core strengths as a global electronics, entertainment and technology company. The proposal was approved at the Board of Directors' Meeting held today. Effective June 22, subject to approval at Sony Corporation's Ordinary General Shareholder's Meeting that day, the following new management team will lead the company: 1) Sir Howard Stringer (currently Chair...
25th edition of the Oporto International Film Festival – Fantasporto has closed its doors on Saturday, again with more than 100,000 spectators.FANTASPORTO 2005 AWARDSThe Canadian director Vincenzo Natali does it again! After “Cube” and “Cypher” he wins the Fantasporto 2005 Grand Prix Best Film Award of the Official Fantasy Section, with the movie “Nothing”. The Best Film Award of the Director’s Week was the South-Korean action/thriller movie “Old Boy”, by Chan-Wook Park. In t...
April is the Cruellest Month, or, Genocide African style, and a Shadowy Russian View of Emperor HirohitoAs the Berlin festival enters the home stretch political films and political biopics continue to score strongly. "The Sun"(‘Solntze’) by Alexander Sukorov provides a very dark Russian view of Japanese Emperor Hirohito during the crucial final days of the war and the immediate postwar days during which the descendant of the Sun God had to come to grips with his essential non-Godhood and wa...
- International Competition / Long feature films awardsWith thirteen feature films in competition, Anima reflected the boom in a film form in which Europe is starting to play an important role.Thierry Schiel's Renart, the fox (Luxembourg) won theAnima 2005 Feature Film Grand Prix, voted by the audience.The Prix Be TV Feature Film Prize went to Satoshi Kon's Tokyo Godfathers(Japan)- International Competition / Short films awardsThe public's vote on short films awarded prizes to the internationals...
FIRST LINE UP FOR FANTASPORTO’200525 YEARS OF FESTIVALWelcome to Oporto, Unesco World Heritage Town and to its 25th edition of Fantasporto!The Oporto International Film Festival, or Fantasporto, as it is better known, is the biggest and most prestigious film event in Portugal and it is spreading its wings internationally. To commemorate the 25th Anniversary next February 2005, the festival is going to bring to Oporto some of its winners, some well known faces of the cinema of today as well as...
It is causing a revolution in animation, and the Stockholm International Film Festival, meeting that demand, scheduled three screenings by Japanese anime (animation) directors during the festival: Satoshi Kon's Tokyo Godfathers, featuring three disparate characters; Gin the alcoholic, Hana the transvestite and Miyuki the homeless girl in Tokyo - who find an abandoned baby; Mamoru Oshii's, Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence - Japan's entry for best foreign film at the 2005 Academy Awards, a universe...
Short Shorts Film Festival Asia AwardsThe Closing Ceremony of the first Short Shorts Film Festival Asia was held at the Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography on Sunday, 31 October, 2004. It was well attended by filmmakers, all members of the jury, representatives of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, and general audience. The results were announced on stage by the 5-person jury. As anticipated by many, Korean works swept the boards and the jury commended the Korean government's wholehearted s...
The festival program of the 15th Stockholm International Film Festival offers 170 films from more than 40 nations, divided into fourteen sections. The party begins on the 18th of November. We are proud to present this year¹s program! Stockholm XV CompetitionThe competition for directors making either their debut, second or third film offers innovative, thought-provoking productions by new sharp talents from all over the world. Half of the films entered in this year¹s competition are directed b...
NEW YORK FILM FESTIVAL----ASIAN AND LATIN AMERICAN INFLUENCESAs the New York Film Festival enters its final week, it continues its marathon of remarkable films from around the world. The Festival’s strong affinity for European and American Independent cinema has already been discussed, but among its most astonishing discoveries are new films from a variety of Asian and Latin American filmmakers.The new Asian Cinema continues to produce wondrous new talents, and this year’s Festival is highli...
With the programme launch of the Laganside Cinemagic World Screen Festival for Young People, which runs from the 25th November – 9th December, it is clear young people will be able to access some of the best world cinema, with 17 Northern Irish, Irish and UK premieres among the 70 international films being screened.Joan Burney, Chief Executive, Cinemagic discusses the line up:“With the assistance of a panel of 19 young consultants we have been sourcing and reviewing a diverse range of intern...
It may not be a record, but 120 European films in the Toronto Film Festival certainly represents the largest contingent of any one film community at this very international event. The films are included in every section of the Festival, from the highly commercial Gala Screenings to the obscure Midnight Madness offerings.The Festival is presenting the latest works from such acknowledged film masters as Jean Luc Godard (with Notre Musique, a poetic meditation on modern life and anxiety), Pedro Alm...
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...
9TH ANNUAL SAN FRANCISCO SILENT FILM FESTIVAL - Saturday July 10 & Sunday, July 11 Get ready for the 9th Annual San Francisco Silent Film Festival! A two day-event showcasing archival silent films with live musical accompaniment, the festival will take place on July 10 and 11 at the Castro Theatre (429 Castro Street) in San Francisco.Charlie Chaplin's son Sydney will appear in person with Jeffrey Vance, author of the beautiful new book Chaplin: Genius of the Cinema, for an onstage interview afte...
