You chose to go with your team to some villages near Sofia. Did you find any interesting places?
We
toured several villages across the gorge of the Iskar River. I think
the most interesting place we found was an old, completely deserted
railway station. There were no people and the small building was full of
remnants of past life. Among the waste, bird nests and broken things, I
found a very old writing desk. It was astonishing that on the inner
side of one of its doors were post...
FEST21 (Suzanne Lynch): You said at the press conference, "(Metropia) is about those years when the world went insane, it's about the past. And when you are afraid, you do irrational things." But Metropia is set in 2024... so to what degree is it about the past?
TARIK SALEH: When 9/11 happened... I think that, in Europe, for example, we have a tradition of criticizing the United States, almost on a reflex basis. It doesn't matter what the United States does or how it reacts ...
Director Bohdan Sláma and producer Pavel Strnad will present their film Four Suns (Čtyři slunce) as the opening film of the prestigious 12th goEast international film festival in Wiesbaden, Germany. Four Suns will contend for the title of Best Film and €10,000 in the main competition. The goEast festival, which focuses on the cinematography of Central and Eastern Europe, begins tomorrow (April 18) and will screen five Czech films in its competition and non-competition sections. Among the fe...
The Battle Of Warsaw 1920
Dir: Jerzy Hoffman. Poland. 2011. 115mins
Polish director Jerzy Hoffman (born 1932) has only made 14 films in a 45 year career, but half of them have become landmarks of Polish cinema and he is regarded as one of the outstanding Polish film directors, a sort of Polish Cecile B. DeMille in terms of the grandness of his projects.
His latest opus is called "Bitwa Warszawska, 1920" (The battle of Warsaw,...
The Retrospective of the 62nd Berlin International Film Festival has rediscovered a legendary German-Russian film studio: Mezhrabpom-Film and its German branch Prometheus wrote film history from 1922 to 1936.Moisei Aleinikov, a Russian film expert and producer from tsarist times who had a great instinct for the right topics, and Willi Münzenberg, a German communist and “red media entrepreneur”, joined forces in 1922 to combine clever business ideas, a political mission and boundless enthusi...
The treasure chest of film choices this year at Palm Springs is so well stocked that the visiting film critic is faced with the dilemma of choice at every turn. Monday, day number five, three important Polish films were stacked up back to back; Jerzy Skolimowski's "Essential Killing", Jan Kidawa-Blonski's "Little Rose" and "All That I love", a debut entry by Jacek Borcuch. Skolimowski and Kidawa-Blonski, both veteran Polish directors, are guests of the fest and we...
The treasure chest of film choices this year at Palm Springs is so well stocked that the visiting film critic is faced with the dilemma of choice at every turn. Monday, day number five, three important Polish films were stacked up back to back; Jerzy Skolimowski's "Essential Killing", Jan Kidawa-Blonski's "Little Rose" and "All That I love", a debut entry by Jacek Borcuch. Skolimowski and Kidawa-Blonski, both veteran Polish directors, are guests of the fest and were on hand for Q & As after the...
Enriching the American vision of Israeli life and culture through the powerful medium of film, the Israel Film Festival has definitively become the largest showcase of Israeli films in the United States. 2010 marks the 25th anniversary of this much acclaimed Israeli showcase that celebrates a quarter-century of Israeli cinema in the United States, and today the film festival announced its most dynamic program since its founding. Encompassing over 30 titles, including award winning features, do...
There was a protest today about the Algerian movie, and the French people are concerned how this piece of history might reflect its point of view. Passing through Paris there was news of a protest in the city which greatly effected traffic.
Last Monday meetings and flights were cancelled again for those flying in and out of Heathrow and Rotterdam, with renewed concern because of volcanic ash. None of this stopped the artists, and producers from coming to Cannes to continue their wo...
The Palais at Cannes: photo by Marc Halperinby Marla Lewin There was a protest today about the Algerian movie, and the French people are concerned how this piece of history might reflect its point of view. Passing through Paris there was news of a protest in the city which greatly effected traffic. Last Monday meetings and flights were cancelled again for those flying in and out of Heathrow and Rotterdam, with ...
In Competition
The Exodus - Burnt By The Sun 2 by Nikita Mikhalkov
8.30 19.00
Synopsis
1941. Five years have passed since the destinies of General Kotov and his family were irrevocably changed. At the beginning of the war, Kotov miraculously escapes from the camp to which he was sentenced. Still formally a convict, he is eventually sent to a penalty battalion and goes to the front. On the battlefield, he fights the Germans mercilessly. After being gravely wounded, Kotov earns the rig...
Synopsis
1941. Five years have passed since the destinies of General Kotov and his family were irrevocably changed. At the beginning of the war, Kotov miraculously escapes from the camp to which he was sentenced. Still formally a convict, he is eventually sent to a penalty battalion and goes to the front. On the battlefield, he fights the Germans mercilessly. After being gravely wounded, Kotov earns the right to transfer to a regular army unit but, believing his wife Maroussia and daughter ...
Metropia Director Tarik Saleh talks with filmfestivals.com about 9/11, why he set Metropia in Europe, and Paris Hilton…FEST21 (Suzanne Lynch): You said at the press conference, "(Metropia) is about those years when the world went insane, it's about the past. And when you are afraid, you do irrational things." But Metropia is set in 2024... so to what degree is it about the past?TARIK SALEH: When 9/11 happened... I think that, in Europe, for example, we have a tradition of criticizing the Unit...
FEST21 (Suzanne Lynch): You said at the press conference, "(Metropia) is about those years when the world went insane, it's about the past. And when you are afraid, you do irrational things." But Metropia is set in 2024... so to what degree is it about the past?
TARIK SALEH: When 9/11 happened... I think that, in Europe, for example, we have a tradition of criticizing the United States, almost on a reflex basis. It doesn't matter what the United States does or how it r...
"Was it dangerous to make a documentary about the Russian mob?" Alexander Gentelev was asked after his Thieves by Law premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival (April 22 to May 2, 2010). "We will find out after the protagonists see the movie," he deadpanned.
The heroes Gentelev was referring to are three retired godfathers of Russia’s underworld who muse about their colorful exploits on camera. As he explained, "A lot of criminal kingpins were willing to mout...
"Modoki" is the Japanese word for "similar, yet different." Take for example the Tribeca Film Festival (April 21 to May 2, 2010), and October's New York Film Festival. Both are Manhattan cinema extravaganzas — whose overlaps end there. Populist Tribeca plays teriyaki to artsy NYFF's sashimi.
Nearly four decades the Lincoln Center event's junior, Tribeca was founded in 2002 by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal and Craig Hatkoff as a goad to downtown development in th...
by Marla Lewin
Last night we were treated to a wonderful performance of “Acting: The First Six Lessons,” a play adapted and performed by Beau Bridges and his daughter Emily Bridges. The play was based on the 1933 book by Richard Boleslavsky which was given to Beau, when he was fourteen by his father Lloyd Bridges. It was the only book about acting his father ever gave him.
Beau Bridges is a longtime Theatre West member and has done many workshops with the theatre company. Las...
by Richard Traubner
The Retrospektive at the Berlinale usually excites all types of film historians, curators, museum personnel, and other interested parties--especially when it's a German subject. This year, a restored version of Fritz Lang's 1927 Metropolis trumped the Retrospektive itself, which was a look-back at significant and sometimes controversial films shown at the film festival since it began in 1951--in far warmer June weather.
Many of these films...
The Retrospektive at the Berlinale usually excites all types of film historians, curators, museum personnel, and other interested parties--especially when it's a German subject. This year, a restored version of Fritz Lang's 1927 Metropolis trumped the Retrospektive itself, which was a look-back at significant and sometimes controversial films shown at the film festival since it began in 1951--in far warmer June weather. Many of these films are quite familiar now: In the Realm of the Senses, The ...
The Hong Kong Jewish Film Festival is Asia-Pacific`s first and (so far) only festival showcasing the best Jewish-themed film from around the world.
The 10th Hong Kong Jewish Film Festival will run from 14-22 November this year at IFC Mall:
1 Harbour View Street
Hong Kong, Hong Kong
phone: +852 2295 3308
List of the films presented:
Adam Resurrected
Germany/Israel, 2008, 106 minutes, 35 mm, English w/ Chinese subtitles
Director: Paul...
5th Zurich Film Festival: September 24 – October 4, 2009Thursday, September 10, 2009Thirty Films in Three Competitions, Ten World Premieres and Celebrated GuestsThe 5th Zurich Film Festival has announced further film highlights, introduced the three competition juries and presented the entire festival program.Festival directors Nadja Schildknecht and Karl Spoerri and curators of the Competition Program Christine von Fragstein and Nikolaj Nikitin, announced the Competition and the Out of Compet...
STRENGTH AND HONOUR (Ireland)
by Sandy Mandelberger, Festival Dailies Editor
One of the three prestigious film competitions at FESTROIA, the Portugese festival which is nearing its mid-point, is the Primerias Obras/First Works section. This has always been a program that has attracted interested from the attending industry and public, because it points to stellar talents at the beginning of their careers.
Of the eleven films in competition, ten are from Europe and ...
17th Annual Jewish Film FestivalApril 16-26The NW Film Center and the Institute for Judaic Studies present the 17th annual Portland Jewish Film Festival. This year's films, while they express specific Jewish experiences, resonate beyond their cultural settings and speak to experiences and issues that confront our common humanity.
This year's Festival is co-sponsored by the Jewish Review with individual program support from Cedar-Sinai, Neveh Shalom, Mittleman Jewish Community Center, Port...
Magnificent Ralph Fiennes on premier of “The Reader” opened 37th FEST the International Belgrade Film Festival 20th of February - 1st March.
This year, FEST made it through successfully with about 100 000 tickets sold. And with its organization style, festival managed to achieve goals and aimed to influence cinema goers, with leading cinematography novelties, competitive program Europe out of Europe and a producer’s business- gathering program B2B. Maximum qu...
Presented by the Film Society of Lincoln Center in collaboration with the Slovenian Film Fund.Walter Reade TheaterJuly 16 - 22At the Crossroads: Slovenian Cinema - more than a dozen classic and contemporary films that chart Slovenian cinema’s uplifting success story will be presented in a weeklong retrospective by the Film Society of Lincoln Center in collaboration with the Slovenian Film Fund at the Walter Reade Theater July 16-22, 2008. Director Marko Nabersnik and author, film writer, and ...
