Twenty-four films from eighteen countries will compete at the 53rd San Sebastián International Film Festival (Sept 15-24) for the Altadis-New Directors Award, sponsored by Altadis and carrying a cash prize of €90,000 (approx. US$95,000). Five of these movies will be screened in the Official Selection and the other nineteen in Zabaltegi-New Directors. ALTADIS-NEW DIRECTORS AWARDZABALTEGIAGUA CON SAL (SALTED WATER), Pedro Pérez Rosado, SpainIn this, his second film, the director of Cuentos de ...
OBABA, by Montxo Armendáriz to open the 53rd Donostia-San Sebastián International Film FestivalThe world release of Obaba, much awaited latest oeuvre by Montxo Armendáriz based on Bernardo Atxaga’s prizewinning novel, will open the 53rd Donostia - San Sebastián International Film Festival on 15th September next as part of the Official Section in competition for the Golden Shell. Ever since he read Bernardo Atxaga’s book Obabakoak, published in 1988, Montxo Armendáriz had wanted to take ...
The San Francisco International Film FestivalBence NanayFor decades, the San Francisco Film Festival has been probably the most unusual film festival in the United States. It has been unusual because very few American films have been on display here. American film festivals tend to pitch themselves either as independent film festivals of the Sundance ilk or as Hollywood showcases with lots of special guests one could see at the Oscars gala. In either way, American film festivals are about Americ...
Honorary Golden Bears for Im Kwon-Taek and Fernando Fernán GómezThe 55th Berlin International Film Festival will this year honour the Korean filmmaker Im Kwon-Taek, and the Spanish actor, director and screenwriter Fernando Fernán Gómez with Honorary Golden Bears for their lifetime achievements. Im Kwon-Taek will be awarded the Honorary Golden Bear on February 12, 2005 at 9:30 PM in the Filmpalast. Following the award ceremony, Im Kwon-Taek’s impressive film Chunhyang dyeon (Chunhyang, 200...
The Latest New Wave: Argentinean Films at the London Film FestivalThe notion of 'new wave' is probably one of the most meaningless concepts used in film criticism. Since the French nouvelle vague of the sixties, each time a nation produces two or three talented directors, the critics start to talk about a new wave. If this term had existed in the twenties, German expressionism and French impressionism would surely have been described as such. In the last four decades, however, there are few new ...
The FIPRESCI jury gave their nod to my own personal favorite, "Bombon El Perro" (BOMBON, The Dog), an Argentine film by Carlos Sorin who won a jury prize here two years ago with “Minimal Stories”. This director works characteristically with non-professional actors who appear in his films under their real names, “Bom-Bon” is the name of a docile white mastiff who shares the lead with a gentle man from Patagonia by the name of Juan Villegas. Juan is a dog raiser and “expositor” ...
DEALS, DEALS AND MORE DEALSAs the Toronto Film Festival enters its final weekend, distribution deals for the coveted North American market have been secured on a number of key film titles.Focus Features, the specialty distribution division of Universal Pictures, secured North American, Scandinavian and Australian rights for the UK film My Summer of Love, directed by Pawel Pawlikowski. The film, which screened in Toronto in the Contemporary World Cinema section, tells the story of a summer encoun...
INCORRECT THEMATIC RETROSPETIVE OF THE 52 DONOSTIA-SAN SEBASTIAN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL In this age of politically correct doctrinaire thinking, the San Sebastian Film Festival has selected a series of films that contradict this false uniformity. Throughout history various filmmakers have questioned the established order, by attacking the injustices and arbitrary nature of society, or by openly making fun of its myths and taboos. They are the people that we are paying homage to here.The cho...
This year, a total of 28 German films and German-international co-productions are being presented at the 29th Toronto International Film Festival (9-18 September 2004), DOWNFALL (DER UNTERGANG) by Oliver Hirschbiegel will have its international premiere in Toronto as a Gala Screening. This section will also feature the co-productions BEYOND THE SEA by Kevin Spacey, IMAGINARY HEROES by Dan Harris and MODIGLIANI by Mick Davis. Two German Oscar prize-winners will present their new films in Toront...
From Cannes comes the fabulous news that Pedro Almodóvar will open the 57th Festival de Cannes with his new film La Mala educaciòn (Bad Education) on May 12.Bad Education is the story of two young boys, Zahara and Paca who discover love, film and fear in the 1960's in a religious school run by Father Manolo (Lluís Homar). The three characters meet again at the end of the 1970's and during the 1980's.Written and directed by Pedro Almodóvar, the leads are Gael Garcìa Bernal, Fele Martinez ...
IN ITS SECOND DEAL AT THE 2004 AFM, TLA RELEASING ACQUIRES FROM SOGEPAQ THE SPANISH CRIME THRILLER BY ENRIQUE URBIZU, BOX 507 (LA CAJA 507)In its second acquisition during the 2004 American Film Market, TLA Releasing has picked up the Spanish crime thriller BOX 507 (LA CAJA 507), directed by Enrique Urbizu and written by Urbizu and Michael Gaztambide.TLA acquired the US/Canadian home entertainment distribution rights to the film from Sogepaq and will release the film on DVD/VHS in fall/winter 20...
From Cannes comes the fabulous news that Pedro Almodóvar will open the 57th Festival de Cannes with his new film La Mala educaciòn (Bad Education) on May 12.Bad Education is the story of two young boys, Zahara and Paca who discover love, film and fear in the 1960's in a religious school run by Father Manolo (Lluís Homar). The three characters meet again at the end of the 1970's and during the 1980's.Written and directed by Pedro Almodóvar, the leads are Gael Garcìa Bernal, Fele Martinez ...
The opening of the Berlinale is still one month off – yet Festival Director Dieter Kosslick is pleased to be able to announce the first films in the Competition. Five entries are definite and they range “from tragic love story to political psychodrama, from historical thriller to intimate family saga”, as Kosslick explains. The entries are from Germany, Spain, Denmark, Croatia and the USA, and their celebrated directors, such as Romuald Karmakar or Academy Award-winner Ron Howard, are a gu...
BERLINALE COMPETITION 2004: FIVE ENTRIES ALREADY CONFIRMED The opening of the Berlinale is still more than two months off – yet Festival Director Dieter Kosslick is pleased to be able to announce the first films in the Competition. Five entries are definite and they range “from tragic love story to political psychodrama, from historical thriller to intimate family saga”, as Kosslick explains. The entries are from Germany, Spain, Denmark, Croatia and the USA, and their celebrated director...
