The 65th edition of the San Sebastian Film Festival will honor Joseph Losey with a retrospective of his 32 feature films and 6 short films.
In the seventies, Joseph Losey represented the greatest expression of auteur or art-house cinema with works like The Servant (1963), King and Country (1964), Accident (1967) and The Go-Between (1971), all of which, with the exception of the second, were written by the playwright Harold Pinter. But before becoming a leading figure of European independent film, Losey endured a complicated situation like so many others affected by the reprisals of the Hollywood witch hunt from 1947 onwards. His work is divided into three periods: his early period in North American film until the early fifties, the prestige he achieved in the UK of the sixties and seventies and a later, more itinerant stage when he worked for Italian, French and Spanish production.
Born in La Crosse, Wisconsin, in 1909, Losey turned his steps towards written and broadcast journalism, later moving into theatre. His openly left-wing beliefs led him to work on several mises en scène with Bertold Brecht and to spend a period in the former Soviet Union studying new theatre concepts. In the late thirties he started to direct short films with Metro Goldwyn Mayer, making his feature debut in 1948 with The Boy with Green Hair, a parable against war, totalitarianism and intransigence towards difference, produced by RKO. Although he did succeed in making a number of low-cost films noirs of undisguised social slant – The Lawless (1950), The Prowler (1951) and The Big Night (1951), all three penned by screenwriters blacklisted by the Un-American Activities Commission, Daniel Mainwaring, Daltun Trumbo and Ring Lardner Jr – and even a remake of Fritz Lang’s famous M in 1951, his name appeared on the blacklist for the tone of his early films and he was accused of belonging to the North American Communist Party.
When called to testify, he was in Italy shooting Stranger on the Prowl / Imbarco a mezzanotte (1952). He decided not to return to the United States and settled in Britain. He released said film under the pseudonym Andrea Forzano and trade union issues prevented his name from featuring on the first two movies made in his country of adoption: in The Sleeping Tiger (1954), first collaboration with one of his actors fetiche, Dirk Bogarde, he is credited as Victor Hanbury and, in The Intimate Stranger (1956), as Joseph Walton.
Losey took up his place in British cinema at a time of change. These were not only the days of rising Free Cinema, a trend he had no part in even if some of his earlier films made in the sixties did have a certain realistic and social angle, but also of the horror movie makers Hammer Film Productions, for which Losey started X The Unknown (1956), before he was ousted from the shooting and replaced by Leslie Norman, later directing The Damned (1962); these were Losey’s only inroads to the sci-fi domain.
Following a timid attempt at integration to the great British film industry with The Gypsy and the Gentleman (1958), a Rank production headlining Melina Mercouri, his work attracted outstanding interest from the mystery movie Blind Date (1959) and the prison drama The Criminal (1961), the beginning of his collaboration with the other actor with whom he would enjoy close understanding, Stanley Baker. Until the mid-seventies, Losey alternated highly personal films reflecting on relations of power (between both men and institutional bodies) constructed around mises en scène packed with symbols (his particular use of spectacular images), with what at first glance seemed to be more commercial titles served up by the big stars of the moment and taking their inspiration from works of enormous popularity or unquestionable literary prestige.
To this first group belonged the film that best defines his work, The Servant, with Pinter’s acerbic writing and the acting duel between Bogarde and James Fox, Accident (Grand Prix du Jury at the Cannes Festival), The Go-Between (Palme d’Or at Cannes) and the anti-war King and Country, played out in the British trenches of the First World War during a summary trial for desertion. The second group includes works like Eve (1962), adaptation of a novel by James Hadley Chase, starring Jeanne Moreau and which was the first of many films consecrated by Losey to female characters who irradiate a strange fascination; Modesty Blaise (1966), iconoclastic version of Peter O’Donnell and Jim Holdaway’s spy-fi comic strip featuring Monica Vitti; Boom (1968), a piece by Tennessee Williams dished up by the explosive couple Elizabeth Taylor & Richard Burton; Secret Ceremony (1968), a psychological and claustrophobic drama once again starring Elizabeth Taylor, with Robert Mitchum and Mia Farrow; A Doll’s House (1973), based on Henrik Ibsen’s piece and with Jane Fonda, David Warner and Trevor Howard, and A Romantic Englishwoman (1975), another of his defining movies, an intense and evil triangular game written by Tom Stoppard and performed by Glenda Jackson, Michael Caine and Helmut Berger.
During this prolific period, Losey made hugely abstract works including Figures in a Landscape (1970), following the flight of two prisoners pursued by a mysterious helicopter (with a screenplay written by actor Robert Shaw, its leading man alongside Malcolm McDowell; the film competed in San Sebastian) and Mr. Klein (1976), with Alain Delon in the part of an unsavoury character accused of being a Jew during the Nazi occupation in France (winner of the César for Best Film). But he also shot films of obvious political accent such as L’assassinio di Trotsky / The Assassination of Trotsky (1972), with Delon as Ramón Mercader and Burton in the role of Leon Trotsky, and Les routes du Sud (1978), continuation of La guerre est finie (1966) by Alain Resnais, once again written by Jorge Semprún and with Yves Montand repeating his role of Spanish exile in constant ideological conflict.
Losey returned to Brecht many years later with a cinema adaptation of Galileo (1974), based on the English translation by Charles Laughton and starring Topol, hugely popular at the time for his leading part in Fiddler on the Roof (1971). He also made the filmed opera Don Giovanni (1979) with Ruggero Raimondi and, in France, La Truite (1982) with Isabelle Huppert in the part of yet another of the director’s complex female characters. His last film was Steaming (1985) which, like the one before it, was never screened in Spain. This is a work of theatrical roots starring Vanessa Redgrave and Sarah Miles and set in London Turkish baths as they fight its closure on ladies day. Losey never saw the final cut of the film; he passed away in June 1984, almost a year before its presentation at Cannes.
Losey’s relationship with the San Sebastian Festival was always complicated owing to the Franco dictatorship. In addition to Figures in a Landscape, the Festival screened The Sleeping Tiger, Boom and, in the informative section, The Go-Between.The Romantic Englishman was also selected, but the director and Glenda Jackson refused to come to the event in protest against the death sentences recently signed by Franco.
The retrospective is organised jointly with the Filmoteca Española, and has the collaboration of the San Telmo Museum (San Sebastián), the Filmoteca Vasca and CulturArts-IVAC (Valencia). The cycle is complemented by the publication of a book about the director coordinated by Quim Casas in which different Spanish and British authors have participated.
After its screening in San Sebastian, the retrospective will run at the Filmoteca Española in Madrid.Film Festivals
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The Joseph Losey Retrospective at San Sebastian Film Festival to Showcase ALL of His Feature Films
The 65th edition of the San Sebastian Film Festival will honor Joseph Losey with a retrospective of his 32 feature films and 6 short films.
In the seventies, Joseph Losey represented the greatest expression of auteur or art-house cinema with works like The Servant (1963), King and Country (1964), Accident (1967) and The Go-Between (1971), all of which, with the exception of the second, were written by the playwright Harold Pinter. But before becoming a leading figure of European independent film, Losey endured a complicated situation like so many others affected by the reprisals of the Hollywood witch hunt from 1947 onwards. His work is divided into three periods: his early period in North American film until the early fifties, the prestige he achieved in the UK of the sixties and seventies and a later, more itinerant stage when he worked for Italian, French and Spanish production.
Born in La Crosse, Wisconsin, in 1909, Losey turned his steps towards written and broadcast journalism, later moving into theatre. His openly left-wing beliefs led him to work on several mises en scène with Bertold Brecht and to spend a period in the former Soviet Union studying new theatre concepts. In the late thirties he started to direct short films with Metro Goldwyn Mayer, making his feature debut in 1948 with The Boy with Green Hair, a parable against war, totalitarianism and intransigence towards difference, produced by RKO. Although he did succeed in making a number of low-cost films noirs of undisguised social slant – The Lawless (1950), The Prowler (1951) and The Big Night (1951), all three penned by screenwriters blacklisted by the Un-American Activities Commission, Daniel Mainwaring, Daltun Trumbo and Ring Lardner Jr – and even a remake of Fritz Lang’s famous M in 1951, his name appeared on the blacklist for the tone of his early films and he was accused of belonging to the North American Communist Party.
When called to testify, he was in Italy shooting Stranger on the Prowl / Imbarco a mezzanotte (1952). He decided not to return to the United States and settled in Britain. He released said film under the pseudonym Andrea Forzano and trade union issues prevented his name from featuring on the first two movies made in his country of adoption: in The Sleeping Tiger (1954), first collaboration with one of his actors fetiche, Dirk Bogarde, he is credited as Victor Hanbury and, in The Intimate Stranger (1956), as Joseph Walton.
Losey took up his place in British cinema at a time of change. These were not only the days of rising Free Cinema, a trend he had no part in even if some of his earlier films made in the sixties did have a certain realistic and social angle, but also of the horror movie makers Hammer Film Productions, for which Losey started X The Unknown (1956), before he was ousted from the shooting and replaced by Leslie Norman, later directing The Damned (1962); these were Losey’s only inroads to the sci-fi domain.
Following a timid attempt at integration to the great British film industry with The Gypsy and the Gentleman (1958), a Rank production headlining Melina Mercouri, his work attracted outstanding interest from the mystery movie Blind Date (1959) and the prison drama The Criminal (1961), the beginning of his collaboration with the other actor with whom he would enjoy close understanding, Stanley Baker. Until the mid-seventies, Losey alternated highly personal films reflecting on relations of power (between both men and institutional bodies) constructed around mises en scène packed with symbols (his particular use of spectacular images), with what at first glance seemed to be more commercial titles served up by the big stars of the moment and taking their inspiration from works of enormous popularity or unquestionable literary prestige.
To this first group belonged the film that best defines his work, The Servant, with Pinter’s acerbic writing and the acting duel between Bogarde and James Fox, Accident (Grand Prix du Jury at the Cannes Festival), The Go-Between (Palme d’Or at Cannes) and the anti-war King and Country, played out in the British trenches of the First World War during a summary trial for desertion. The second group includes works like Eve (1962), adaptation of a novel by James Hadley Chase, starring Jeanne Moreau and which was the first of many films consecrated by Losey to female characters who irradiate a strange fascination; Modesty Blaise (1966), iconoclastic version of Peter O’Donnell and Jim Holdaway’s spy-fi comic strip featuring Monica Vitti; Boom (1968), a piece by Tennessee Williams dished up by the explosive couple Elizabeth Taylor & Richard Burton; Secret Ceremony (1968), a psychological and claustrophobic drama once again starring Elizabeth Taylor, with Robert Mitchum and Mia Farrow; A Doll’s House (1973), based on Henrik Ibsen’s piece and with Jane Fonda, David Warner and Trevor Howard, and A Romantic Englishwoman (1975), another of his defining movies, an intense and evil triangular game written by Tom Stoppard and performed by Glenda Jackson, Michael Caine and Helmut Berger.
During this prolific period, Losey made hugely abstract works including Figures in a Landscape (1970), following the flight of two prisoners pursued by a mysterious helicopter (with a screenplay written by actor Robert Shaw, its leading man alongside Malcolm McDowell; the film competed in San Sebastian) and Mr. Klein (1976), with Alain Delon in the part of an unsavoury character accused of being a Jew during the Nazi occupation in France (winner of the César for Best Film). But he also shot films of obvious political accent such as L’assassinio di Trotsky / The Assassination of Trotsky (1972), with Delon as Ramón Mercader and Burton in the role of Leon Trotsky, and Les routes du Sud (1978), continuation of La guerre est finie (1966) by Alain Resnais, once again written by Jorge Semprún and with Yves Montand repeating his role of Spanish exile in constant ideological conflict.
Losey returned to Brecht many years later with a cinema adaptation of Galileo (1974), based on the English translation by Charles Laughton and starring Topol, hugely popular at the time for his leading part in Fiddler on the Roof (1971). He also made the filmed opera Don Giovanni (1979) with Ruggero Raimondi and, in France, La Truite (1982) with Isabelle Huppert in the part of yet another of the director’s complex female characters. His last film was Steaming (1985) which, like the one before it, was never screened in Spain. This is a work of theatrical roots starring Vanessa Redgrave and Sarah Miles and set in London Turkish baths as they fight its closure on ladies day. Losey never saw the final cut of the film; he passed away in June 1984, almost a year before its presentation at Cannes.
Losey’s relationship with the San Sebastian Festival was always complicated owing to the Franco dictatorship. In addition to Figures in a Landscape, the Festival screened The Sleeping Tiger, Boom and, in the informative section, The Go-Between.The Romantic Englishman was also selected, but the director and Glenda Jackson refused to come to the event in protest against the death sentences recently signed by Franco.
The retrospective is organised jointly with the Filmoteca Española, and has the collaboration of the San Telmo Museum (San Sebastián), the Filmoteca Vasca and CulturArts-IVAC (Valencia). The cycle is complemented by the publication of a book about the director coordinated by Quim Casas in which different Spanish and British authors have participated.
After its screening in San Sebastian, the retrospective will run at the Filmoteca Española in Madrid.
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COCOTE Wins Locarno Festival’s Signs of Life Award electronic-art.foundation for Best Film
The Signs of Life Award electronic-art.foundation for Best Film at the 2017 Locarno Film Festival has been awarded to Cocote by Nelson Carlo De Los Santos Arias from the Dominican Republic.
The Signs of Life jury awarded Nelson Carlo De Los Santos Arias’ film for “its capacity to reinvent the traditions of anthropological cinema in a creative manner”.
The Fundación Casa Wabi – Mantarraya Award was given to director Dane Komljen for Phantasiesätze (Germany, Denmark) “for its rigorous and fascinating approach to landscape, language and memory”.
The jury has given a Special Mention to Era Uma Vez Brasília (Brazil, Portugal) by Adirley Queirós “for its original and ambitious construction”.
The Signs of Life Award electronic-art.foundation worth 5,000 Swiss francs was made possible thanks to the support of electronic-art.foundation (Zurich). The foundation’s mission is to sustain innovative cultural projects on an international scale.
The Fundación Casa Wabi and Mantarraya, in collaboration with the Festival Internacional de Cine de Morelia, have given support for Fundación Casa Wabi – Mantarraya Award which consists of an up to three-month-long residence in the Casa Wabi in Puerto Escondido (Mexico).
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13 Films + Television Series with an Alberta Connection on 2017 Calgary International Film Festival Lineup
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SUCK IT UP[/caption]
The Calgary International Film Festival announced a full slate of 13 films and television series with an Alberta connection coming to the 2017 festival this fall.
Executive Director Steve Schroeder said, “One of the biggest goals of our festival is to celebrate local filmmaking talent. This year, the opportunities to do so were more abundant than ever. Approximately 25% of our programmed Canadian feature content is Albertan, representing 7% of our overall lineup. We want to showcase as much local content as possible.”
Several of the titles are part of special presentations and galas showcasing the local industry talent.
Studio Bell, home of the National Music Centre will host a special presentation of NO ROADS IN on Wednesday, September 27, followed by a performance from the documentary subject, singer-songwriter Blake Reid and the Blake Reid Band.
The final Saturday of the festival will be a busy day, with a Showcase Alberta event featuring an interactive Q&A panel with the cast of the locally created WYNONNA EARP.
Meanwhile, SUCK IT UP, shot in Calgary and Invermere with local cast and crew, will be the Closing Gala film. In this locally funded feature, Ronnie (Grace Glowicki) lost her brother, and Faye (Erin Carter) lost her true love. These two best friends take a raucous mountain journey to cope with the loss of the man they both adored. A special three-course dinner is available before the film, which will be followed by a party at Workshop Kitchen + Culture.
GALAS & SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS
SUCK IT UP Closing Gala at Theatre Junction GRAND Ronnie lost her brother, and Faye lost her true love. Ronnie turns to drinking, and when that escalates to dangerous levels, Faye decides to intervene and spirits them both away from their Calgary home to the family’s isolated mountain cottage in Invermere. A look at the bonds of friendship and the struggles that can test, stretch, and ultimately break them – or strengthen them. Director Jordan Canning and lead actor Erin Carter in attendance! NO ROADS IN Special Music on Screen Presentation at Studio Bell, home of the National Music Centre A musical journey through Alberta that celebrates music’s imperfections, and explores what is really important in music and life. Following the film, singer-songwriter Blake Reid and The Blake Reid Band will perform songs from the documentary in an immersive musical performance. SHOWCASE ALBERTA: UP CLOSE & INTERACTIVE WITH WYNONNA EARP Special Alberta Scene Presentation at Cineplex Eau Claire Are you an Earper? Get behind the scenes of Alberta’s hit series WYNONNA EARP at this special fan event. Show Runner Emily Andras, S24 Producer Jordy Randall and cast members Melanie Scrofano (Wynonna Earp), Tim Rozon (Doc Holliday), Katherine Barrell (Officer Haught) and Greg Lawson (Sheriff Nedley) in attendance!FEATURE FILMS & TV WITH ALBERTA CONNECTIONS
BIRTH OF A FAMILY Mary Jane, a survivor of the residential school system, lost four children during the 1960s – and in 2015, the siblings reunite for the first time, just outside of Calgary against the backdrop of Banff National Park. BUCKOUT ROAD A project about myths turns terrifying when a trio of students realizes that many of the legends around New York’s Buckout Road may be real. Calgarian Matthew Currie Holmes’ first feature pays homage to the midnight movies of the ’80s while still freshening up its genre. ENTANGLEMENT After an attempted suicide, Ben uncovers a family secret that leads him to Hanna – a woman who was once his adopted sister. ENTANGLEMENT is a dark comedy from the mind of Calgary screenwriter Jason Filiatrault. EVERFALL Eva Saint, a fallen figure skating phenom, skates for her life in this supernatural thriller from Calgary director John Kissack. EVERFALL was shot in and around Calgary with local cast and crew including writer Shaun Crawford, producer Jayson Therrien and actor Joe Perry. GREGOIRE Four young adults in Fort McMurray, AB, struggle to deal with the consequences of their actions and how it affects their friends and families. Shot in Fort McMurray before the 2016 wildfires, the first feature-length film from Alberta filmmaker Cody Bown is a dark coming-of-age story. ICE BLUE In this locally made thriller, a teenage girl’s life is turned upside down when her long-estranged mother returns to the family farm. The tense psychological thriller shot against the sweeping backdrop of Alberta’s foothills is the debut feature by local filmmaker Sandi Somers with a script by Calgarian Jason Long. MADE IN VIETNAM Follow along with Vietnamese-Calgarian director Thi Vo as he tries to track down his father, left behind long ago in Asia. At times breathtaking, at others emotionally staggering, Vo tells a story that transcends borders, generations, and cultures. TIN STAR EPISODE RELEASE Set in the majestic Canadian Rockies and starring Tim Roth and Christina Hendricks, TIN STAR tells the story of Jim Worth, a former British detective turned small town police chief. Filmed in and around Calgary with plenty of local cast and crew, the series holds the distinction of being the first series to use the Calgary Film Centre as a shooting location. TRAGEDY GIRLS In this dark satire from Alberta’s Tyler MacIntyre, two teen girls with a popular blog manipulate a local serial killer into doing their bidding. WALL Separation fence or apartheid wall? Calgary director Cam Christiansen and Sir David Hare experience life along the Israel/Palestine border in the world premiere of the first animated feature documentary produced by the National Film Board of Canada.
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2017 Prague Independent Film Festival Announces Winners, TRAIN DRIVER’S DIARY and COLLECTOR Win Top Awards
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Collector[/caption]
The 2017 Prague Independent Film Festival (PIFF) took place from August 3 to 6 featuring more than 30 films.
The opening film of the second edition of the festival was “Collector” (Коллектор) by the Russian director Alexei Krasovsky starring Konstantin Khabensky. Although it is a director’s debut, it became very successful in Russia and abroad. Skillful screenplay was complemented by the brilliant acting of Khabensky. He is the only actor in the picture, which made it an even more difficult task, but Khabensky is not one to shy away from challenging roles. The picture received the Best Director, Gustav Meyrink Prize (Jury Prize) and Best Actor awards.
The Pakistani picture “Mahemir” directed by Anjum Shahzad was screened on the second day of the festival. It intersects events from the life of Mir Taqi Mir, a famous 18th century poet with a modern age poet by the name of Jamal. It features amazing cinematography, beautiful sets and is full of deep ideas about art, poetry, love. The picture won the Best Cinematography award.
The film “Maya Dardel”, written and directed by Magdalena Zyzak and Zachary Cotler, is about an aging female writer who announces on radio that she wishes to end her life. Her goal is to find a successor to her estate and she invites several men to compete for the honor. The film is bold, original and unconventional, and is one of the most compelling films of modern American independent cinema. The outstanding performance by Lena Olin and the inventive screenplay by Zyzak and Cotler received the two awards.
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Lazar Ristovski receiving his Grand Prix for the film Train Driver’s Diary at 2017 Prague Independent Film Festival[/caption]
The culmination of the festival was the arrival of Lazar Ristovski, an international star and producer, who presented his well-known film, Train Driver’s Diary. The comedy-drama directed by Miloš Radović about train drivers who kill people by accident was greatly appreciated by the audience, and Ristovski answered questions with charm and humor. Train Driver’s Diary received the Grand Prix, Best Feature Film and Best Actor awards.
“The Light Thief” by Bahrain based director Eva Daoud, received the Best Short Film prize. She created a fantasy film about true and false love. The atmospheric score and incredible special effects contributed to the film’s success at the festival.
Several films from Czech film students were also screened. The audience was especially impressed by the black and white expressionist film “NOCEBO” by Faraz Alam.
One of the best film schools in the world, Santa Monica College, presented two short films at the festival – “Muñecas” by Ozzy Ozuna and “A Fish Story” by Carrie Finklea. The film Muñecas received the prize for Best Student Film.
“Time – Retrograde” by David Ellis won the Best Experimental Film award for its striking visuals and hypnotic music which matched the surrealist style. It was ingeniously constructed by combining analog film and digital video.
The prize for art direction was obtained by the film “Ghosts on the Road to Camalt” directed by Jason Tovey and starring Peter Gallagher. The picture is an extraordinary piece of art. Made on a low budget it impresses by its high artistic quality, profound thoughts and musical score. Peter Gallagher who stars in the film is also a painter, and the combination of film footage and artworks, mysterious landscapes and interiors created a unique atmosphere.
“God Came ‘Round” won the award for Best Music Video. It features music by Professor T & The Eastside Shredders and was directed by Derek Frey. The music video is full of humor, eccentric characters and has a great performance by prolific actor Deep Roy.
image via Prague Independent Film Festival
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12 Local British Columbia Films to Screen in Vancouver International Film Festival’s 2017 BC Spotlight
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Dead Shack[/caption]
The Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF) has unveiled the festival’s much-anticipated Sea to Sky programming stream: a showcase of the inspired works from British Columbia. Sea to Sky’s name reflects this province’s diverse creators and the astonishing range of storytelling techniques they employ.
The 2017 BC Spotlight film lineup features 12 titles. On the heels of world premiere announcements at the Toronto International Film festival, Kathleen Hepburn’s Never Steady, Never Still, Wayne Wapeemukwa’s Luk’Luk’I and Kyle Rideout’s Public Schooled will play to eager hometown audiences. Jason James’ Entanglement, Peter Ricq’s Dead Shack, Scooter Corkle’s Hollow in the Land and Cody Bown’s Gregoire will likewise hit Vancouver screens having already made their marks on the festival circuit.
VIFF will also be home to five world premieres, including Ana Valine’s Once There Was a Winter, Melanie Wood’s Shut Up and Say Something, Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers’ c’əsnaʔəm, the city before the city (in partnership and collaboration with the Musqueam First Nation and the c’əsnaʔəm, the city before the city curatorial team), Boris Ivanov’s On Putin’s Blacklist and LaTiesha Ti’si’tla Fazakas and Natalie Boll’s Meet Beau Dick: Maker of Monsters.
All films in the BC Spotlight will compete in the #mustseeBC competition. Launching on September 14, this social media campaign invites film fans to preview these features and the still-to-be-announced BC shorts, promote local creators across social networks and vote online to determine this year’s most anticipated local films. By successfully engaging thousands of fans through social media, the winning film receives a special red carpet screening during the festival.
Totally Indie Day, presented by STORYHIVE, is a dynamic day designed to provide hands-on advice from top experienced industry professionals to emerging content creators through targeted business, creative and personal development opportunities. This tent pole industry event supports rising feature film directors, by connecting them with award-winning screenwriters, directors and producers from some of the most popular and successful screen-based content series, today. Attendees also have the chance to meet with Canadian and US distributors and network with industry professionals.
Vancouver International Film Festival 2017 BC Spotlight film series:
c̓əsnaʔəm, the city before the city DIR. ELLE-MAIJA TAILFEATHERS IN PARTNERSHIP AND COLLABORATION WITH THE MUSQUEAM FIRST NATION AND THE C’ƏSNAʔƏM, THE CITY BEFORE THE CITY CURATORIAL TEAM We live our lives on land that was never ceded or sold by those who were living here at ‘first contact,’ and yet we know precious little about the Lower Mainland before real estate. This film aims to correct that with a meaningful reminder of the history and prehistory of this land and her first people. VIFF alumnus Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers, in collaboration with the Musqueam First Nation and the UBC Museum of Anthropology curatorial team, shares this reflection on a time when BC was indeed super and natural. Dead Shack DIR. PETER RICQ With their best attempt at a wholesome family vacation already being sabotaged by f-bombs and baser desires, three teenage friends are suddenly sent careening on a detour into over-the-top, gory horror in this ode to ’80s genre flicks from Peter Ricq (whose band HUMANS supplies the synth score). Thanks to the equal attention lavished on characters and physical comedy/carnage (courtesy of first-rate practical effects), this severed-tongue-in-cheek film’s blunt force trauma packs all the more punch. Entanglement DIR. JASON JAMES Intent on ending his misery, Ben (Silicon Valley’s Thomas Middleditch) merely adds to a laundry list of embarrassments. So it’s no surprise when subsequent efforts to connect with the woman who was nearly his adoptive sister (Jess Weixler) send him into a darkly comic tailspin that leaves him questioning every relationship in his life, as well as his increasingly tenuous grip on reality. Jason James’ sophisticated film poignantly questions whether it’s ever advisable to let things go. Gregoire DIR. CODY BOWN Shot in his hometown of Fort McMurray before it was ravaged by wildfires, Cody Bown’s drama draws on real life events to capture snapshots of a community teetering on a precipice and a collection of twentysomethings whose seemingly directionless lives have intersected. Bown draws remarkable performances from an ensemble cast (headed by Jared Abrahamson); his film will resonate with anyone who’s reached that stage in life where there’s no other option than making a life-changing decision. Hollow in the Land DIR. SCOOTER CORKLE When a body is found in a trailer park and her missing brother (Jared Abrahamson) becomes the number one suspect, headstrong Alison (Dianna Agron) decides to take things into her own hands, setting out to track him down and clear his name before the cops find him first. The harder this amateur detective looks, the more people turn up dead, and soon she becomes a suspect herself. In a town tucked away between a mountain range, secrets get buried deep. If Alison’s not careful, she’ll get buried with them. Luk’Luk’I DIR. WAYNE WAPEEMUKWA February 2010: as Canada battles the US for Olympic hockey supremacy, a handful of engrossing, life-and-death dramas unfold in the back alleys, seedy bars and SROs of Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. Filmmaker Wayne Wapeemukwa invites some of the city’s marginalized citizens to step into starring roles, and he shines a light on the urban realities we’re often too eager to avert our eyes from. In the process he crafts a discordant city symphony that charts Vancouver’s complexities. Meet Beau Dick: Maker of Monsters DIR. LATIESHA TI’SI’TLA FAZAKAS, NATALIE BOLL Admirers of Pacific Northwest art are notably unanimous in their admiration of the oeuvre of the late Kwakwaka’wakw artist Beau Dick, whose generosity and prolific nature embodied the very spirit of potlatch. LaTiesha Ti’si’tla Fazakas and Natalie Boll share an intimate profile of this man’s rare charisma; his carvings, which remain revered in art circles; and his passionate activism, which culminated in the breaking of coppers in Victoria and Ottawa as an act of protest against legislative injustices. Never Steady, Never Still DIR. KATHLEEN HEPBURN Set against a spectacular northern BC backdrop, Kathleen Hepburn’s debut is the intimate story of a devoted mother wrestling with Parkinson’s (Shirley Henderson, astonishing in a demanding role) and a son saddled with his first adult responsibilities (future star Théodore Pellerin). Eloquently scripted, and directed with both tenderness and assurance, the film uses its note-perfect, naturalistic performances and intricately calibrated revelations to create powerful, cathartic drama. On Putin’s Blacklist DIR. BORIS IVANOV An engaging and timely tour d’horizon of Mother Russia and her place in the world today. We witness the wounded pride of Russians as the Soviet Empire crumbles, and the jingoistic xenophobia born out of an increased reliance on foreign investment. Propaganda and demonization of the “other” result in institutionalized racism and a culture of disdain. Boris Ivanov brings us up to speed on the shameful adoption crisis, the state-sanctioned hacking of the Internet and the heartless treatment of LGBTQ citizens. Once There Was a Winter DIR. ANA VALINE The Canadian north’s unforgiving nature is amplified to chilling effect in this claustrophobic, white-knuckle thriller from Ana Valine (Sitting on the Edge of Marlene). What is supposed to be a quick stop at a remote trailer turns into a standoff between embittered brothers, with an innocent woman (Kate Corbett) caught in the crossfire. As old wounds are reopened and fresh blood is spilled, the wolves at the door pose little threat in comparison to the personal demons being unleashed inside. Public Schooled DIR. KYLE RIDEOUT Book-smart but unschooled in the ways of life, home-schooled teen Liam (Daniel Doheny) has a bright future laid out, even if casual conversation amounts to a social minefield for him. But then he lays eyes on the wooden leg of the prettiest girl in public school and decides on self-sabotage; the result is an extended Grade 12 stay. This comedy from Kyle Rideout (Eadweard) is fuelled by chemistry between Liam and his helicopter mom (Judy Greer) that is so spectacularly awkward it would make Oedipus blush. Shut Up and Say Something DIR. MELANIE WOOD Internationally acclaimed spoken-word artist Shane Koyczan gives a poignant and powerful voice to those relegated to the margins: the bullied, awkward and visibly different. In this entrancing documentary, Melanie Wood reveals a bashful alchemist who creates dazzling rhetorical fireworks. With candour, Koyczan shares his momentous and deeply personal journey to finally meet his estranged father. The result is his most important poem yet—and the more intimate his words are, the more universal they become.
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Tribeca Film Festival Announces 2018 Dates
The 17th edition of the Tribeca Film Festival returns to New York City running April 18 to 29, 2018.
For filmmakers, submissions will open September 5 for all sections of the Festival – feature and short films, TV, Immersive, N.O.W. (New Online Work) and the Tribeca X Award. Filmmakers can submit a film for consideration via Withoutabox and VR, episodic, online storytelling, and branded storytelling can be submitted directly to Tribeca Film.
Deadlines to submit U.S. and projects for the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival are as follows:
- September 5, 2017 – SUBMISSIONS OPEN
- October 18, 2017 – EARLY ENTRY DEADLINE for feature and short films, Tribeca TV, Tribeca Immersive, N.O.W. (New Online Work)
- November 22, 2017 – OFFICIAL ENTRY DEADLINE A for feature films, Tribeca TV, Tribeca Immersive, N.O.W.
- December 1, 2017 – OFFICIAL ENTRY DEADLINE B for short films
- December 13, 2017
- EARLY ENTRY DEADLINE for Tribeca X Award
- LATE ENTRY DEADLINE for feature films, TV, Immersive, N.O.W.
- January 12, 2018 – OFFICIAL ENTRY DEADLINE for Tribeca X Award
- February 14, 2018 – LATE ENTRY DEADLINE for Tribeca X Award
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3 European Films in Production Selected for San Sebastian Film Festival’s 1st Glocal in Progress
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A Decent Man by Hadrian Marcu[/caption]
Dantza (Spain), Izbrisana / Erased (Slovenia – Croatia – Serbia) and Un om la locul lui / A Decent Man (Romania) are the three European productions selected for the first edition of Glocal in Progress at the San Sebastian International Film Festival.
The three feature films are all at the post-production stage and will be presented to an audience of producers, distributors, sales agents and programmers, among other professionals, offering them the chance of contributing to their completion and international distribution.
Dantza will be the fifth participation by the Basque director Telmo Esnal at the San Sebastian Festival after presenting in New Directors in 2005 Aupa Etxebeste! co-written and co-directed with Asier Altuna; the short film Amona putz! in the Zinemira Basque Film Showcase in 2009; Urte berri on, amona! (Happy New Year Granma!) in Zabaltegi-New Directors in 2011 and the short Iraila from the collective film Kalebegiak, co-directed with Asier Altuna and presented at the Velodrome in the 64th edition.
Izbrisana / Erased by Miha Mazzini, a co-production between Slovenia, Croatia and Serbia, and the Romanian production Un om la locul lui / A Decent Man, by Hadrian Marcu are the first films of their directors.
This industry activity has the objective of lending greater visibility to European productions in non-hegemonic languages (those not filmed in German, Spanish, French, English, Italian and Russian). In 2016 alone, 21 films spoken totally or partially in said languages participated in the different competitions of the Festival, with Jätten / The Giant (Swedish) carrying off the Special Jury Prize and Park (Greek) the Kutxabank-New Directors Award.
Glocal in Progress complements the work started in 2014 by the Basque Government Department of Culture and Language Policy with the creation of Glocal Cinema, an initiative intended to promote networks between the film industries which produce films in non-hegemonic languages.
DANTZA
TELMO ESNAL (SPAIN)
Based on symbols and metaphors from Basque dances, Dantza is an imaginative musical film about the cycle of life and the development of society. Dance is used to deal with universal subjects in this film: amongst other things, survival, beliefs, celebrations, love and the never-ending struggle against death. The simple, clear narrative is backed up by songs, movement and rhythm.
IZBRISANA / ERASED
MIHA MAZZINI (SLOVENIA – CROATIA – SERBIA)
Ana (36) gives birth in a local hospital and everything goes well. There is only a small, bureaucratic problem: Ana is not on the computer files. It must be a software glitch, nothing serious. After a few days, Ana is entangled in a web of Kafkaesque proportions: Not appearing in the computer means no social security, no permanent address. Ana is suddenly a foreigner, even though she spent all of her life in Slovenia. Legally, she doesn’t exist. So, her child is an orphan. And orphans can be put up for adoption.
*On 26th February 1992 the Interior Ministry of the Republic of Slovenia erased 25,671 of its own nationals. The majority of those erased still have no legal status.
UN OM LA LOCUL LUI / A DECENT MAN
HADRIAN MARCU (ROMANIA)
Petru, a drilling engineer living in a community of oil industry workers, has a conflict. On the one hand he is about to get married to his pregnant girlfriend, Laura, and on the other he is involved with the wife of one of his colleagues Sonia, who suffers an accident at work. Petru’s new life seems to be starting, while Sonia feels hers is ending. Although he feels indebeted to her, he also feels responsible towards his unborn child. Laura finds out about his relationship with Sonia, unleashing a series of events. Petru and Sonia end up seeking comfort in each other’s arms. Both suffer irreversible damage as they desperately attempt to survive.
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Glenn Close to Receive Zurich Film Festival’s Golden Icon Award and Present Latest Film THE WIFE
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Glenn Close (with Jonathan Pryce) in The Wife[/caption]
Actress Glenn Close will receive the Golden Icon Award at this year’s Zurich Festival, and present her latest film, The Wife with her co-stars Jonathan Pryce and Annie Starke and director Björn Runge.
The Golden Icon Award is the Festival’s most prestigious symbol of recognition, in appreciation of the lifetime achievements of an actor or actress. Glenn Close will be honored with the award on Sunday October 1.
ZFF Co-Directors Nadja Schildknecht and Karl Spoerri state “We’re honored to present Glenn Close with our Golden Icon Award at this year’s Festival. From her commanding portrayal of Patty Hewes in Damages to the glorious Marquise de Merteuil in Stephen Frears’ Dangerous Liasions via Alex Forrest and Cruella De Vil, Glenn Close has brought her extraordinary presence to countless memorable roles over a truly formidable career. We are delighted to welcome her to Zurich and screen her latest film The Wife.”
THE WIFE
Behind any great man, there’s always a greater woman … and you’re about to meet her. It is crucial you get to know this woman – many of us already do and don’t even realise it. Joan Castleman (Glenn Close): a highly intelligent and still-striking beauty – the perfect alpha wife. Forty years spent sacrificing her own talent, dreams and ambitions to fan the flames of her charismatic husband Joe (Jonathan Pryce) and his skyrocketing literary career. Ignoring his infidelities and excuses because of his “art” with grace and humor. Their fateful pact has built a marriage upon uneven compromises. And Joan’s reached her breaking point. On the eve of Joe’s Nobel Prize for Literature, the crown jewel in a spectacular body of work, Joan’s coup de grace is to confront the biggest sacrifice of her life and secret of his career. The Wife is a poignant, funny and emotional journey; a celebration of womanhood, self-discovery and liberation.
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Toronto International Film Festival Announces Classic Films on 2017 TIFF Cinematheque Program
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Rude[/caption]
The Toronto International Film Festival announced the films slated for the 2017 TIFF Cinematheque program. In light of Canada’s sesquicentennial, this year’s program celebrates homegrown filmmakers and their works by revisiting and restoring landmarks of Canada’s cinematic history. This all-Canadian lineup consists of titles culled from TIFF’s Canada on Screen list of essential Canadian moving-image works.
TIFF Cinematheque will be a FREE program for all to enjoy as part of Canada on Screen.
Highlights include the debuts of three new digital restorations done under the supervision of the films’ directors. Featured titles are Clement Virgo’s Rude (95), the first Canadian dramatic feature to be written, directed and produced by an all-black team; Patricia Rozema’s Cannes Prix de la jeunesse–winning I’ve Heard the Mermaids Singing (87); and Peter Mettler’s poetic essay film Picture of Light (94). Showcasing iconic films dealing with themes still relevant and prevalent today, this year’s program underscores the endurance of Canada’s legacy on screen.
“At TIFF we’re proud to continue our commitment to the preservation and restoration of Canada’s filmic history,” said Jesse Wente, Head, TIFF Cinematheque. “These groundbreaking works from the 1980s and 1990s demonstrate our country’s long history of celebrating directors who push boundaries with their personal visions. We look forward to bringing them back to audiences via these beautiful digital restorations.”
“I am delighted that this year’s Toronto International Film Festival will showcase several digitally restored classics of Canadian cinema,” said the Honorable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Canadian Heritage. “As we celebrate Canada 150, I invite you all to participate, and to experience these films that reveal the richness of our cinematic heritage.”
Also featured as part of the Cinematheque lineup are larger-than-life screenings of Graeme Ferguson’s North of Superior (71), at Cinesphere, the world’s first permanent IMAX cinema, presented in collaboration with Ontario Place. As the first film commissioned for and screened at Cinesphere at its 1971 grand opening, North of Superior is the film that helped put the IMAX format on the map.
The 42nd Toronto International Film Festival runs from September 7 to 17, 2017.
Films screening as part of the TIFF Cinematheque program include:
2017 TIFF Cinematheque
I’ve Heard the Mermaids Singing Patricia Rozema, Canada, 1987 *New digital restoration: Work carried out at Technicolor, Toronto and Montreal under the supervision of Director Patricia Rozema. Picture of Light Peter Mettler, Canada, 1994 *New digital restoration: Work carried out at Technicolor, Toronto and Montreal, with soundtrack restoration by Lou Solakofski of Tattersall Sound and Picture, and Peter Bräker sound design, Switzerland, under the supervision of Director Peter Mettler. Rude Clement Virgo, Canada, 1995 *New digital restoration: Work carried out at Technicolor, Toronto and Montreal under the supervision of Director Clement Virgo and Producer Damon D’Oliveira. North of Superior Graeme Ferguson, Canada, 1971 *Special IMAX screening at Cinesphere
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29 Canadian Short Films to Screen at 2017 Toronto International Film Festival
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An Imagined Conversation: Kanye West & Stephen Hawking[/caption]
29 Canadian short films, including 11 titles directed by women and three films by Indigenous filmmakers, will light up the screens this September at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival.
Highlights include: Michelle Latimer’s Nuuca, executive produced by Oscar winner Laura Poitras, and the latest by Latimer, who was part of Sundance’s The New Climate program earlier this year; Sol Friedman’s An Imagined Conversation: Kanye West & Stephen Hawking, a hilarious black-and-white animation right out of a parallel universe; Caroline Monnet’s Creatura Dada, which stars Alanis Obomsawin and is Monnet’s first project since becoming the first Canadian filmmaker to be selected for the prestigious Cannes Cinéfondation Residence program; and Naledi Jackson’s The Drop In, at Toronto-set sci-fi immigration thriller that takes place entirely in a hair salon.
The Festival’s Canadian short film slate also includes: Molly Parker’s Bird, the compelling directorial debut of the B.C. actor known for her roles in Deadwood, House of Cards and other TV hits; TIFF Rising Star alumnus Connor Jessup’s Lira’s Forest, the actor-turneddirector’s second short at the Festival; Matthew Rankin’s Cannes selection The Tesla World Light (Tesla : Lumière Mondiale), a luminescent black-and-white animation and live-action mix centred around the famous inventor; and Gabriel Savignac’s Stay, I Don’t Want to Be Alone (Reste, je ne veux pas être toute seule), a touching, beautifully crafted portrait of a pastry factory worker with an intellectual disability at a difficult moment in her life.
All 24 Canadian Short Cuts titles are eligible for the IWC Short Cuts Award for Best Canadian Short Film. All films in the Short Cuts programme are eligible for the IWC Short Cuts Award for Best Film. This year’s jury includes Marit van den Elshout, Head of CineMart at the International Film Festival Rotterdam; award-winning filmmaker Johnny Ma (Old Stone); and Cannes 2017 Art Cinema Award winner Chloé Zhao (The Rider).
The 42nd Toronto International Film Festival runs from September 7 to 17, 2017.
SHORT CUTS
The Argument (with annotations) Daniel Cockburn, Canada/UK World Premiere Bickford Park Linsey Stewart, Dane Clark, Canada World Premiere Bird Molly Parker, Canada World Premiere Charles Dominic Etienne Simard, Canada/France World Premiere Creatura Dada Caroline Monnet, Canada Toronto Premiere Crème de menthe Philippe David Gagné, Jean-Marc E. Roy, Canada North American Premiere The Crying Conch (Le cri du lambi) Vincent Toi, Canada North American Premiere The Drop In Naledi Jackson, Canada World Premiere For Nonna Anna Luis De Filippis, Canada World Premiere Grandmother (ʔEtsu) Trevor Mack, Canada World Premiere homer_b Milos Mitrovic, Conor Sweeney, Canada World Premiere An Imagined Conversation: Kanye West & Stephen Hawking Sol Friedman, Canada World Premiere Latched Justin Harding, Rob Brunner, Canada World Premiere Lira’s Forest Connor Jessup, Canada World Premiere Midnight Confession Maxwell McCabe-Lokos, Canada/USA World Premiere Milk Heather Young, Canada World Premiere Nuuca Michelle Latimer, Canada World Premiere Pre-Drink Marc-Antoine Lemire, Canada World Premiere Rupture Yassmina Karajah, Jordan/Canada World Premiere Shadow Nettes Phillip Barker, Canada World Premiere Stay, I Don’t Want to Be Alone (Reste, je ne veux pas être toute seule) Gabriel Savignac, Canada World Premiere The Tesla World Light (Tesla : Lumière Mondiale) Matthew Rankin, Canada North American Premiere Threads Torill Kove, Canada/Norway North American Premiere We Forgot to Break Up Chandler Levack, Canada World PremiereWAVELENGTHS
Heart of a Mountain Parastoo Anoushahpour, Ryan Ferko, Faraz Anoushahpour, Taiwan/Canada World Premiere Palmerston Blvd. Dan Browne, Canada World Premiere Scaffold Kazik Radwanski, Canada North American Premiere some cities Francesco Gagliardi, Canada World Premiere Turtles Are Always Home (Sokun Al Sulhufat) Rawane Nassif, Canada/Lebanon/Qatar Toronto Premiere
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Toronto International Film Festival Unveils Canadian Feature Slate of 26 Films
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Don’t Talk to Irene[/caption]
The 2017 Toronto International Film Festival unveiled today the 26 titles that make up the Festival’s Canadian feature slate. Featuring a crop of provocative first features, this year’s diverse and varied Canadian lineup boasts one of the highest numbers of feature directorial debuts ever, as well as one of the highest numbers of films from Western Canada in recent years. Over 30% of the titles have a first-time feature director, while seven out of nine are TIFF alumni.
This year’s Canadian slate is bolstered by a number of titles from Canadian Festival veterans. Among these titles are: Alanis Obomsawin’s Our People Will Be Healed; Alan Zweig’s There is a House Here; Simon Lavoie’s The Little Girl Who Was Too Fond of Matches (La petite fille qui aimait trop les allumettes); Mina Shum’s Meditation Park; Robin Aubert’s vérité zombie flick Les Affamés; Ingrid Veninger’s Porcupine Lake; Pat Mills’ high school misfit comedy Don’t Talk to Irene; Oscar nominee Kim Nguyen’s Eye on Juliet; Adam MacDonald’s Pyewacket; celebrated director Denis Côté’s Ta peau si lisse (A Skin So Soft); and Jennifer Baichwal and Nicholas de Pencier’s previously announced Long Time Running.
Among the Canadian first features at the 2017 Festival are: Sadaf Foroughi’s AVA, a superbly crafted drama about an Iranian teenager at a pivotal crossroad; Ian Lagarde’s All You Can Eat Buddha, which follows a man’s surreal impact on vacationers at a Cuban resort; Carlos and Jason Sanchez’s A Worthy Companion, a psychological thriller about obsession and trauma; Trailer Park Boys star Cory Bowles’ Black Cop, an arresting satirical exploration of police-community relations; Kathleen Hepburn’s powerful family drama Never Steady, Never Still; Grayson Moore and Aidan Shipley’s Cardinals, a disturbing look at the impact of a convicted murderer’s return to her community; Wayne Wapeemukwa’s Luk’Luk’I, a look at the denizens of an impoverished Vancouver neighbouhood; and Molly McGlynn’s Mary Goes Round, about an addiction counsellor struggling with her own issues.
Two exciting titles making their World Premieres at the Festival are Mary Harron’s Alias Grace, based on the award-winning novel by Margaret Atwood, written by Sarah Polley and starring Sarah Gadon, Anna Paquin and Paul Gross; and Sean Menard’s The Carter Effect, on how NBA All-Star Vince Carter made an impact on Toronto.
Rounding out the program are Kyle Rideout’s winning comedy about eccentricity and high school Public Schooled; Tarique Qayumi’s powerful Afghanistan-set drama BLACK KITE; and Matt Embry’s shocking and poignant MS doc Living Proof.
The slate also features performances by multiple Canadian and international stars, including Sandra Oh; Sheila McCarthy; Don McKellar; Russell Peters; Evan Rachel Wood; Geena Davis; Sarah Gadon; Sarah Julia Stone; Scott Thompson; Judy Greer; Afghanistan’s most prominent rising star Haji Gul; and beloved Chinese actress Cheng Pei-Pei.
“It is exciting to see a new wave of Canadian first-time feature directors play with genres and take risks,” said Steve Gravestock, Senior Programmer, TIFF. “This year’s lineup has a truly international feel to it, too, with a number of features shot all over the globe — something that also speaks to the boldness of many of the filmmakers included in the slate.”
“We are thrilled to have a lineup with such a rich diversity of voices and perspectives,” said Magali Simard, Programmer and Theatrical Senior Manager, TIFF. “Not only are different regions of the country represented, but so are multiple age groups, backgrounds, languages and filmmaking styles. This lineup showcases the incredible wealth of talent currently at work in Canada.”
All 25 Canadian feature films at the Festival are eligible for the Canada Goose Award for Best Canadian Feature Film. All nine Canadian feature directorial debuts are eligible for the City of Toronto Award for Best Canadian First Feature Film. This year’s Canadian awards jury is composed of Mark Adams, Artistic Director of the Edinburgh International Film Festival; Canadian documentarian and Hillman Prize winner Min Sook Lee (Migrant Dreams); and artist and filmmaker Ella Cooper, who is also the founder of Black Women Film! Canada.
The 42nd Toronto International Film Festival runs from September 7 to 17, 2017.
SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS
Eye on Juliet Kim Nguyen, Canada North American PremiereMASTERS
Our People Will Be Healed Alanis Obomsawin, Canada World PremiereTIFF DOCS
The Carter Effect Sean Menard, Canada/USA World Premiere Living Proof Matt Embry, Canada World Premiere There is a House Here Alan Zweig, Canada World PremiereDISCOVERY
A Worthy Companion Carlos Sanchez, Jason Sanchez, Canada World Premiere All You Can Eat Buddha Ian Lagarde, Canada World Premiere AVA Sadaf Foroughi, Iran/Canada/Qatar World Premiere Black Cop Cory Bowles, Canada World Premiere Cardinals Grayson Moore, Aidan Shipley, Canada World Premiere Luk’Luk’I Wayne Wapeemukwa, Canada World Premiere Mary Goes Round Molly McGlynn, Canada World Premiere Never Steady, Never Still Kathleen Hepburn, Canada World PremiereCONTEMPORARY WORLD CINEMA
BLACK KITE Tarique Qayumi, Canada/Afghanistan World Premiere Don’t Talk to Irene Pat Mills, Canada World Premiere Les Affamés Robin Aubert, France/Canada World Premiere Meditation Park Mina Shum, Canada World Premiere Porcupine Lake Ingrid Veninger, Canada World Premiere Public Schooled Kyle Rideout, Canada World Premiere Pyewacket Adam MacDonald, Canada World Premiere The Little Girl Who Was Too Fond of Matches (La petite fille qui aimait trop les allumettes) Simon Lavoie, Canada World PremierePRIMETIME
Alias Grace Mary Harron, Canada/USA World Premiere PROTOTYPE Blake Williams, Canada North American Premiere A Skin so Soft (Ta peau si lisse) Denis Côté, Canada/Switzerland North American Premiere Previously announced Canadian features at the Festival include Jennifer Baichwal and Nicholas de Pencier’s Long Time Running (Gala) and Seth A. Smith’s The Crescent (Midnight Madness).
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First Wave of Films Announced for 2017 Fantastic Fest , Opens with THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI
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THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI[/caption]
Fantastic Fest returns for its thirteenth year, kicking off with this year’s opening night film, the US premiere of Martin McDonagh’s THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI, a beautifully comic and delightfully dark tale of loss and redemption.
S. Craig Zahler makes his triumphant return with the US premiere of 2018’s most hyper-violent slice of brute force, BRAWL IN CELL BLOCK 99. Not to be outmuscled, Zahler’s bringing backup in the form of the thunderous trifecta of Vince Vaughn, Don Johnson and Udo Kier. And Barry Keoghan marks his first Fantastic Fest, sharing Yorgos Lanthimos’ savage horror epic THE KILLING OF A SACRED DEER for the first time in the US.
Embracing cinema spanning from Egypt to Lebanon to Iraq to Afghanistan, the festival turns an eye to celebrate the best of the region. Highlights include Egypt’s rarely seen Rocky Horror Picture Show adaptation ANYAB and the International Premiere of the box office smash AL ASLEYEEN (aka THE ORIGINALS) directed by Marwan Hamed. “It’s truly a joy to be able to showcase a variety of Arabic genre films never before seen in the US to shatter preconceptions.” said Fantastic Fest Creative Director Evrim Ersoy. “Cinema from this region is as exciting, inventive and as wild as anything we’ve ever seen and we’re here to prove it. It’s going to be a wild ride! Yalla, Habibi!”
Fantastic Fest’s global reach isn’t relegated exclusively to Arabic nations, as it has once again scoured the corners of the globe to bring the best cinema to Austin, TX. Sweden is well represented with Ruben Ostlund’s brilliantly sardonic THE SQUARE; Japan’s master of malevolence, Takashi Miike, hits a bloody century with his 100th feature, BLADE OF THE IMMORTAL; Scotland flies its flesh-eating flag with John McPhail’s zombie musical, ANNA AND THE APOCALYPSE; and Austrian Oscar winner Stefan Ruzowitsky delivers a brutal and relentless ride with COLD HELL.
Maine’s finest son, Stephen King, is gorgeously represented with two standouts from Netflix’s burgeoning genre slate. GERALD’S GAME receives its US premiere along with the welcome return of Fantastic Fest alumni Mike Flanagan, who delivers a chilling adaptation of one of King’s most beloved bedside tales starring Carla Gugino and Bruce Greenwood. And Fantastic Fest first-timer Zak Hilditch will be in attendance to share his perfectly precise vision of King’s uber-creepy novella, 1922, for its world premiere.
Sticking with the theme of world premieres, this year’s program features a selective set of titles from first-time feature filmmakers whose wildly impressive debuts belie the depth of their filmographies. Spanish short master Yayo Herrero excels with his fantasy horror, MAUS; Bradley Buecker explores wasted youth and packs a visceral punch from the wrong side of the tracks with JUVENILE; and Lukas Feigelfeld shocks with his atmospheric exploration of a medieval hell in HAGAZUSSA – A HEATHEN’S CURSE.
Fantastic Fest alumni are well represented this year as DAN DREAM reunites KLOWN’s dynamic duo of Casper Christensen and Frank Hvam for an electric road trip back to the ‘80s; GENERATION B sees WASTE LAND director Pieter Van Hees return with a mad comedy; and RON GOOSSENS: LOW-BUDGET STUNTMAN delivers the warm embrace of directors Steffen Haars and Flip van der Kuil, whose previous NEW KIDS features and BROs BEFORE HOs crushed at previous editions of Fantastic Fest.
2017Fantastic Fest FIRST WAVE FILM
1922 USA, 2017 World Premiere, 101 mins Director – Zak Hilditch 1922 is based on Stephen King’s 131-page story telling of a man’s confession of his wife’s murder. The tale is told from from the perspective of Wilfred James, the story’s unreliable narrator who admits to killing his wife, Arlette, in Nebraska. But after he buries her body, he finds himself terrorized by rats and, as his life begins to unravel, he becomes convinced his wife is haunting him. 78/52 USA, 2017 Regional Premiere, 91 min Director – Alexandre O. Philippe This masterful documentary focuses on a single aspect of Hitchcock’s PSYCHO to demonstrate the master’s technical ability in storytelling. With expert interviews and rollicking analysis, 78/52 sets a new bar in how to examine film overall. ANNA AND THE APOCALYPSE Scotland, 2017 World Premiere, 107 min Director – John McPhail Anna’s life is dominated by the typical concerns of her youthful peers until the Christmas season in her small town brings not Santa, but an outbreak of the undead in this genre-mashing holiday horror musical. Yep. Musical. ANYAB Egypt, 1981 Repertory, 100 min Director – Mohammed Shebl ANYAB (FANGS) is an oddity worth rediscovering! An Egyptian take on THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW, this eye-popping musical of madness manages to cram horror, science fiction and even social commentary together while charming with its outrageous costumes and action. BLADE OF THE IMMORTAL Japan, 2017 US Premiere, 141 min Director – Takashi Miike Takashi Miike’s 100th journey is an adaptation of the BLADE OF THE IMMORTAL manga. Manji, a samurai who cannot die, crosses paths with Rin Asano, a young girl whose parents were killed. Manji swears to help Rin Asano avenge her parents’ deaths. BRAWL IN CELL BLOCK 99 USA, 2017 US Premiere, 132 min Director – S. Craig Zahler S. Craig Zahler (BONE TOMAHAWK) returns with his sophomore feature, BRAWL IN CELL BLOCK 99. An exhilarating exercise in analog violence, CELL BLOCK follows the brutal exploits of a former boxer who finds himself incarcerated after a drug deal goes wrong. Trapped in a maximum security facility, he must fight to stay alive and to protect those he loves. COLD HELL Germany, 2017 US Premiere, 91 min Director – Stefan Ruzowitzsky A young Turkish woman living in Vienna feels increasingly lonely after she witnesses a murder and finds herself next on the killer’s agenda in this smart and gritty thriller from the director of ANATOMY and the Oscar-winning THE COUNTERFEITERS. DAN DREAM Denmark, 2017 US Premiere, 97 min Director – Jesper Rofelt KLOWN duo Casper Christensen and Frank Hvam reunite for a true-life tale of epic failure. Witness the non-arrival of the Danish electric car! THE ENDLESS USA, 2017 Texas Premiere, 111 min Directors – Justin Benson & Aaron Moorhead When brothers Justin and Aaron return to the cult that they escaped from ten years ago, they encounter a web of secrets and mysteries that threatens to tear them apart. GENERATION B (GENERATIE B) Belgium, 2017 ep. 1-4 = North American Premiere; ep. 5-6 = World Premiere, 210 min Director – Pieter Van Hees The generation gap has never been wider than it is in Pieter Van Hees’ deliriously absurd satire, pitting old generation money against Millennial apathy — and the occasional naked anarchist — following Belgium’s economic collapse. GERALD’S GAME USA, 2017 US Premiere, 103 mins Director – Mike Flanagan Flanagan unites with master of the macabre Stephen King for his cinematic interpretation of King’s beloved GERALD’S GAME. Starring Carla Gugino and Bruce Greenwood, GERALD’S GAME delivers pitch-perfect performances in a faithful adaptation where the horrors of the mind are much worse than what’s in front of you. HAGAZUSSA – A HEATHEN’S CURSE Germany, 2017 World Premiere, 102 min Director – Lukas Feigelfeld Set in the 15th Century in the Austrian Alps, Lukas Feigelfeld’s HAGAZUSSA takes us back to a dark period in which even the remotest parts of Europe suffered from the paranoia and superstition of the time. JAILBREAK Cambodia, 2017 US Premiere, 92 min Director – Jimmy Henderson Cambodia’s traditional martial art of bokator is unleashed in all its bone crunching fury in this action-packed tale of police trapped in the midst of a raging prison riot. JUVENILE USA, 2017 World Premiere, 87 min Director – Bradley Buecker The emotionally powerful story of Billy, an angry youth who spends his evenings stealing cars with best friend Mikey while attempting to cultivate a stable relationship with his girlfriend Jules. THE KILLING OF A SACRED DEER Ireland / United Kingdom, 2017 US Premiere, 120 min Director – Yorgos Lanthimos The life of a brilliant surgeon is thrown into disarray when his friendship with a bizarre teenager threatens the lives of his entire family. Faced with a frightening choice, the man will be forced to assess all that he’s ever done. KING COHEN USA, 2017 US Premiere, 104 min Director – Steve Mitchell Featuring interviews from some of the biggest names in genre cinema including Joe Dante, Robert Forster and Fred Williamson, this documentary tells the story of one of the best and hardest working exploitation filmmakers. MAUS Spain, 2017 World Premiere, 90 min Director – Yayo Herrero Yayo Herrero’s directorial debut is a couple’s nightmare journey into the heart of darkness. A superlative horror parable, this shocking film is an indictment of modern history, war and the difficulties of reconciliation. It is a story for our times. MY FRIEND DAHMER USA, 2017 Texas Premiere, 107 min Director – Marc Meyers This is the story of Jeffrey Dahmer, a high school loner whose life would shape up to be something far more frightening than anyone could have imagined. THE ORIGINALS Egypt, 2017 International Premiere, 125 mins Director – Marwan Hamed Samir works for a bank, provides for his ever-demanding family and dreams of being in an Egyptian talent show. When he’s unexpectedly fired, Samir finds himself recruited to be part of a secret society and finds a darker side to life in Egypt. RON GOOSSENS: LOW-BUDGET STUNTMAN The Netherlands, 2017 US Premiere, 78 min Directors – Steffen Haars & Flip van der Kuil The latest from the comedic team behind the NEW KIDS films and BROs BEFORE HOs. Ron Goossens is totally shitfaced. Only by working as a movie stuntman and bedding the hottest actress in the Netherlands can Ron save his marriage. THE SQUARE Sweden, 2017 US Premiere, 150 min Director – Ruben Östlund An art museum director’s life becomes a comedy of errors when trying to put together his latest exhibit in FORCE MAJEURE director Ruben Ostlund’s latest, which won the Palme D’Or at this year’s Cannes. SUPER DARK TIMES USA, 2017 Regional Premiere, 102 min Director – Kevin Phillips A split-second act of violence forever changes the lives of two ‘90s kids. Now they must cope with both the fallout of that moment and the pressures of high school in this clever and bloody coming-of-age thriller. THREE BILLBOARDS OUTSIDE EBBING, MISSOURI USA, 2017 US PREMIERE, 110 min Director – Martin McDonagh A grieving mother takes drastic measures in an attempt to catch her daughter’s killer. Challenging the police to solve the case, she posts a series of billboards that threaten the fabric of rural, Missouri. TIGER GIRL Germany, 2017 US Premiere, 90 min Director – Jakob Lass Failing to crack the ranks as a would-be cop, Maggie begrudgingly settles for a security guard job until she encounters Tiger, a fierce young woman whose rebellious antics leave Maggie questioning which side of the law she truly belongs on. TOP KNOT DETECTIVE Australia, 2016 North American Premiere, 87 min Directors – Aaron McCann & Dominic Pearce Aliens! Ninjas! Robots! Enormous egos! Get ready to enter the world of TOP KNOT DETECTIVE! Possibly the greatest cult TV series you’ve never heard of, TOP KNOT DETECTIVE and its creator Takashi Tawagoto come to life in this gonzo documentary.