The North American premiere of the comedy film Belgian Rhapsody directed by Vincent Bal will close the 39th Montreal World Film Festival in Out of Competition. Produced by Peter Bouckaert for Eyeworks (Ben X, The Verdict, Marina presented and awarded at the MWFF) this comedy stars Amaryllis Ouitterlinden, Arthur Dupont, Jos Verbist, Marc Weiss, Koen Van Impe, Philippe Résimont.
Two Belgian brass bands, the Flemish “Sint Cecilia” and the Walloon “En Avant”, have both been selected for the great European final. The Walloons are blown into the final by Hugues, their exceptionally talented and handsome trumpet player. When Sint Cecilia’s soloist drops dead on stage, Elke, daughter of the band’s conductor Joseph, has the solution: let’s buy that Walloon super talent out. BELGIAN RHAPSODY is a musical comedy about Belgium where anything goes when the two dominant communities compete: double-crossing, schmaltzy songs and even love.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zoUYll9Ft8
Born in Ghent, Belgium in 1971, Vincent Bal began his career at the age of six appearing in musicals, films and television series. However, he quickly realized that he was far more comfortable behind the camera and enrolled at the LUCA School of Art in Brussels, after which he directed a number of film shorts and TV commercials, notably The Bloody Olive (1996), adapted from a graphic novel by Lewis Trondheim. His best known feature, THE ZIGZAG KID (2012), based on David Grossman’s novel, won the European Film Academy’s Young Audience Award. Together with Colette Bothof, he wrote and directed 26 episodes of the animated series Kika & Bob.
The MWFF will take place from August 27th to September 7thFilm Festivals
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BELGIAN RHAPSODY by Vincent Bal will close the 39th Montreal World Film Festival | TRAILER
The North American premiere of the comedy film Belgian Rhapsody directed by Vincent Bal will close the 39th Montreal World Film Festival in Out of Competition. Produced by Peter Bouckaert for Eyeworks (Ben X, The Verdict, Marina presented and awarded at the MWFF) this comedy stars Amaryllis Ouitterlinden, Arthur Dupont, Jos Verbist, Marc Weiss, Koen Van Impe, Philippe Résimont.
Two Belgian brass bands, the Flemish “Sint Cecilia” and the Walloon “En Avant”, have both been selected for the great European final. The Walloons are blown into the final by Hugues, their exceptionally talented and handsome trumpet player. When Sint Cecilia’s soloist drops dead on stage, Elke, daughter of the band’s conductor Joseph, has the solution: let’s buy that Walloon super talent out. BELGIAN RHAPSODY is a musical comedy about Belgium where anything goes when the two dominant communities compete: double-crossing, schmaltzy songs and even love.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2zoUYll9Ft8
Born in Ghent, Belgium in 1971, Vincent Bal began his career at the age of six appearing in musicals, films and television series. However, he quickly realized that he was far more comfortable behind the camera and enrolled at the LUCA School of Art in Brussels, after which he directed a number of film shorts and TV commercials, notably The Bloody Olive (1996), adapted from a graphic novel by Lewis Trondheim. His best known feature, THE ZIGZAG KID (2012), based on David Grossman’s novel, won the European Film Academy’s Young Audience Award. Together with Colette Bothof, he wrote and directed 26 episodes of the animated series Kika & Bob.
The MWFF will take place from August 27th to September 7th
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A WALK IN THE WOODS + Films by Notable Filmmakers on World Greats Program of 2015 Montreal World Film Festival
Twenty-four feature films from a score of countries are being shown in the World Greats (out of competition) section of the 2015 Montreal World Film Festival (MWFF). Notable among the filmmakers included are Majid Majidi whose Muhammad will be getting its world premiere, Jean-Jacques Annaud, who will be showing the North-American premiere of his latest film, Wolf Totem, Cristina Commencini (Latin Lover), Ventura Pons (The Virus of Fear), Ermanno Olmi (Greenery Will Bloom Again), Vincent Bal (Belgian Rhapsody), Ken Kwapis (A Walk in the Woods, with Robert Redford) and Sergio Castellitto (You Can`t Save Yourself Alone), among others.
MWFF will take place from August 27th to September 7th.
A WALK IN THE WOODS by Ken Kwapis. 2015 / Color / 98 min USA (pictured above)
After spending two decades in England, Bill Bryson returns to the US, where he decides the best way to connect with his homeland is to hike the Appalachian Trail with one of his oldest friends.
AN ITALIAN NAME (IL NOME DEL FIGLIO) by Francesca Archibugi. 2015 / Color / 94 min, Italy
Paolo and Simona are expecting. At a dinner with guests one question will lead to an argument that will disturb the entire evening: the name of Paolo and Simonaís son.
BEFORE SPRING (ABL AL RABIE) by Ahmed Atef. 2015 / Color / 92 min, Egypt
A young blogger who lost both eyes during the Egyptian Revolution recounts in flashback the events of the Spring that eventually came to his country.
BELGIAN RHAPSODY (LA BRABANÇONNE) by Vincent Bal. 2014 / Color / 100 min, Belgium – Luxembourg
Two Belgian brass bands, the Flemish ‘St. Cecilia’ and Walloon ‘En Avant’, have both been selected for the great European final. It is a competition with no holds barred.
BLOOD BEAD (AKAI TAMA) by Banmei Takahashi. 2015 / Color / 108 min, Japan
Tokita would rather be making movies than teaching about them in film school. But it pays the bills and thereís always Yui, the pretty school secretary. Then Ritsuko enters his life…
CHRIEG by Simon Jacquemet. 2014 / Color / 106 min, Switzerland
Matteo, a rebellious 15-year old is sent to a remote farm for rehabilitation. But the farm is run by the inmates. Matteo must quickly learn to run with the pack.
CORPSE COLLECTOR (SUBIRACH NA TRUPOVE) by Dimitar Dimitrov. 2015 / Color / 116 min, Bulgaria
Itzo, who drives a morgue wagon, is loved by young, innocent Mimmy, but prefers tough, experienced Katya who mistreats him. Itzo’s assistant, Buddy, tells him he’s got things all wrong.
EISENSTEIN IN GUANAJUATO by Peter Greenaway. 2015 / Color / 105 min, Netherlands – Mexico – Finland – Belgium
In 1931, at the height of his artistic powers, Soviet filmmaker Sergei Eisenstein travels to Mexico to shoot a new film to be titled Que Viva Mexico!
GITEL by Robert Mullan. 2014 / Color / 115 min, United Kingdom – Lithuania
September, 5 1969, and Gitel Bargman is about to attend a party to celebrate her 33rd birthday. Racked by guilt simply for being alive, for her it is hardly cause for celebration.
GREENERY WILL BLOOM AGAIN (TORNERANNO I PRATI) by Ermanno Olmi. 2014 / Color / 95 min, ItalyDedicated to his father who told him stories of the Great War, Ermanno Olmiís film is a touching slice of life in the First World War trenches on the Italian front.
IT’S REALLY KIND OF YOU by So Jae-ick. 2015 / Color / 92 min, South Korea
It is late night and raining hard when a strange woman clad only in underwear rushes up to a man who is fishing at the lake, asking for help. Help to do what ?
LATIN LOVER by Cristina Comencini. 2014 / Color / 104 min, Italy
On the 10th anniversary of the death of Saverio Crispo, Italy’s most famous actor, his 5 daughters, born from different mothers and in different countries, are brought together and get to know each other.
MUHAMMAD (Opening Film) by Majid Majidi. 2015 / Color / 171 min, Iran
The film does not depict Muhammad himself but his world, the pagan age with all its tyranny and oppression as seen through the eyes of young Muhammad from birth to the age of 13.
MY SISTER, THE PIG LADY (DWAEJI GATEUN YEOJA) by Jan Moon-il. 2015 / Color / 104 min, South Korea
In a small seaside village where all the young men left for the city, three young women scheme to catch the eye of the only bachelor left in town.
NECKAN by Gonzalo Tapia. 2015 / Color / 92 min, Spain
In 1956, a young Spaniard arrives in Morocco, soon to be independent, to find out what happened years ago to his family. If he discovers the truth, will it be worth the effort ?
SILVER SKIES by Rosemary Rodriguez. 2015 / Color / 96 min, USA
A group of eccentric retirees’ lives are turned upside down when their beloved apartment complex is suddenly sold out from under them. But you can never be too old for new beginnings.
SIMON by Éric Martin, Emmanuel Causse. 2015 / Color / 96 min, France
Simon, a seventeen-year-old boy is diagnosed with cancer — Ewing’s sarcoma. But he’s not about to bow out without leaving his mark on the world.
SISKA DELUXE by Ian Cvitkovic. 2015 / Color / 108 min, Slovenia – Czech Republic – Macedonia Longtime friends and losers, Mile, Fedr and Zekir need to rescue their calamitous professional and personal lives. An innovative pizzeria comes to the rescue.
THE NEXT GENERATION PATLABOR – TOKYO WAR Mamoru Oshii. 2015 / Color / 93 min Japan / Japan In a world where giant robots are built and used for labour, a special police force of robots is created to handle crimes relating to these machines.
THE SECRET OF ITALIA (IL SEGRETO DI ITALIA) by Antonello Belluco. 2014 / Color / 98 min, Italy
Italy, May 1945. The war is over. But for a 15-year-old girl called Italia in a small town in the region of Venice, the tragedy has just begun.
VIRUS OF FEAR (EL VIRUS DE LA POR) by Ventura Pons. 2015 / Color / 76 min, Spain
A small boy is being taught to swim at a Barcelona municipal pool. He he terrified of the water and the swimming instructor tries to calm him with a kiss. He is immediately accused of abuse.
WINTER by Heidi Greensmith. 2015 / Color / 95 min, United Kingdom
Devastated by the death of his beloved wife, Woods, a successful artist can no longer connect with his two sons. Motherless, will they have to take of him as well ?
WOLF TOTEM by Jean-Jacques Annaud. 2015 / Color / 98 min, France – China
The story of young Beijing intellectual’s fascination with the wolves he encounters when he’s sent to teach Mandarin to minority nomadic herders in the majestic, scenic grasslands of Inner Mongolia.
YOU CAN’T SAVE YOURSELF ALONE (NESSUNO SI SALVA DA SOLO) Sergio Castellitto. 2015 / Color / 103 min, Italy
When a separated couple meet to discuss the terms of their children’s holidays, the meal immediately becomes a wide reflection on their past ten years.
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RIGHT NOW, WRONG THEN Wins Top Award at 68th Locarno Film Festival | TRAILER
RIGHT NOW, WRONG THEN by the South Korean director HONG Sangsoo is the winner of the Pardo d’oro, the top award, of the 68th Locarno Film Festival, along with award for Best Actor. In RIGHT NOW, WRONG THEN, film director Ham Chun-su arrives in Suwon a day early by mistake, and has time to kill before his screening with a debate the next day. He stops by a restored, old palace and meets an artist named Yoon Hee-jung who introduces him to her paintings. They spend time together visiting her studio, having sushi and soju for dinner, spending time drinking with Hee-jung’s friends and they end up growing close to each other. But when Chun-su is asked if he is married, he has no choice but to reveal that he is, deeply disappointing Hee-jung.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBjQP6FbQEM
THITHI by Indian director Raam Reddy won two top awards, Pardo d’oro Cineasti Del Presente Premio Nescens and Swatch First Feature Award. THITHI tells the story of how three generations of sons react to the death of Century Gowda, their grandfather, a 101-year-old man, in a remote village in South India.
The 69th Festival del film Locarno will take August 3 –13, 2016
Concorso internazionale
Pardo d’oro
JIGEUMEUN MATGO GEUTTAENEUN TEULLIDA (Right Now, Wrong Then) by HONG Sangsoo, South Korea
Premio speciale della giuria (Special Jury Prize)
TIKKUN by Avishai Sivan, Israel
Pardo per la miglior regia (Best direction)
ANDRZEJ ZULAWSKI for COSMOS, France/Portugal
Pardo per la miglior interpretazione femminile (Best actress)
TANAKA SACHIE, KIKUCHI HAZUKI, MIHARA MAIKO, KAWAMURA RIRA for HAPPY HOUR by HAMAGUCHI Ryusuke, Japan
Pardo per la miglior interpretazione maschile (Best actor)
JUNG JAE-YOUNG for JIGEUMEUN MATGO GEUTTAENEUN TEULLIDA (Right Now, Wrong Then) by HONG Sangsoo, South Korea
Special Mention
For the script of HAPPY HOUR by HAMAGUCHI Ryusuke, Japan
For the cinematography by Shai Goldman for TIKKUN by Avishai Sivan, Israel
Concorso Cineasti del presente
Pardo d’oro Cineasti del presente – Premio Nescens
THITHI by Raam Reddy, India/USA/Canada
Premio speciale della giuria Ciné+ Cineasti del presente (Special Jury prize)
DEAD SLOW AHEAD by Mauro Herce, Spain/France
Premio per il miglior regista emergente (Prize for the best emerging director)
LU BIAN YE CAN (Kaili Blues) by BI Gan, China
First Feature
Swatch First Feature Award (Prize for Best First Feature)
THITHI by Raam Reddy, India/USA/Canada
Swatch Art Peace Hotel Award
SINA ATAEIAN DENA for MA DAR BEHESHT (Paradise), Iran/Gemany
Special Mentions
LU BIAN YE CAN (Kaili Blues) by BI Gan, China
KIEV/MOSCOW. PART 1 by Elena Khoreva, Russia/Estonia/Ukraine
Pardi di domani
Concorso internazionale
Pardino d’oro per il miglior cortometraggio internazionale – Premio SRG SSR
MAMA by Davit Pirtskhalava, Georgia
Pardino d’argento SRG SSR per il Concorso internazionale
LA IMPRESIÓN DE UNA GUERRA by Camilo Restrepo, France/Colombia
Locarno Nomination for the European Film Awards – Premio Pianifica
FILS DU LOUP by Lola Quivoron, France
Premio Film und Video Untertitelung
MAMA by Davit Pirtskhalava, Georgia
Special Mention
NUEVA VIDA by Kiro Russo, Argentina/Bolivia
Concorso nazionale
Pardino d’oro per il miglior cortometraggio svizzero – Premio Swiss Life
LE BARRAGE by Samuel Grandchamp, Switzerland/USA
Pardino d’argento Swiss Life per il Concorso nazionale
D’OMBRES ET D’AILES by Eleonora Marinoni, Elice Meng, Switzerland/France
Best Swiss Newcomer Award
LES MONTS S’EMBRASENT by Laura Morales, Switzerland
Prix du Public UBS
DER STAAT GEGEN FRITZ BAUER by Lars Kraume, Germany
Variety Piazza Grande Award
LA BELLE SAISON by Catherine Corsini, France
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14 Latin American Films on Horizontes Latinos Program at 63rd San Sebastian Festival
The Horizontes Latinos program of the 63rd San Sebastian Festival will feature fourteen films from Argentina, Brazil, Columbia, Cuba, Chile, Guatemala, Mexico, Peru and Venezuela.
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PICNIC and THE HOUSE IS INNOCENT Are Grand Prize Winners of 2015 Rhode Island International Film Festival
The FLICKERS: . The 2015 Grand Prize winners are “Picnic,“ directed by Jure Pavlovic from Croatia (pictured above) that takes place in Sarajevo during rush hour.
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Inspirational Documentary ZEMENE to Close 2015 Harlem International Film Festival | TRAILER
The Harlem International Film Festival (Hi) celebrating its 10th Anniversary, will take place September 9-13 featuring MIST Harlem as its primary 2015 theatrical venue.
Wednesday, September 9 at 7 PM Hi kicks off its lineup with award-winning Stories of Our Lives chronicling the hidden struggles of lovers, fighters and rebels that characterize the criminalized LGBT community in Kenya.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxDr1ue-lHc
Other highlights include the East Coast Premiere of the award-winning America is Still the Place, based on the unbelievable true story of Charlie Walker, the black man behind the clean up of one of the biggest oil spills in US history. The film features the unforgettable performance of Mike Colter, star of Marvel’s brand new Netflix series, Luke Cage, who will join director Patrick Gilles for Q&A.
https://vimeo.com/116602949
Closing Night Film is Melissa Donovan’s “must-see inspirational” documentary Zemene about a young Ethiopian girl’s bravery in the face of enormous odds. Living in a remote village with a rare curvature of the spine, she struggles with poverty, poor education, and potentially life-threatening illnesses. But a chance encounter in the streets of Gondar with Dr. Rick Hodes sets in motion a series of events that will change Zemene and the future of her village forever. Shot throughout the beautiful countryside, the film is a poetic testament to the power of compassion and the potential within us all. Zemene screened at the Library of Congress on August 12, 2015 and will be catalogued and become part of the official collection of the world’s largest library.
https://vimeo.com/97292617
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Danish War Drama LAND OF MINE to Premiere at Toronto International Film Festival
Martin Zandvliet’s war drama “Land of Mine” will open the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival’s brand new section, Platform. The film, Zandvliet’s third, unearths a lesser known chapter of Danish postwar history
Taking place in May 1945 only a few days after the end of the war, the film tells the story of how a group of German prisoners of war were brought to Denmark and forced to disarm the two million land mines that had been scattered along the West Coast by the German occupying forces. In charge of the enfeebled young men performing the dangerous task is Sergeant Carl Leopold Rasmussen. Like so many of his fellow Danes, he has a deep hatred for the Germans after having suffered five years of hardships during the occupation. He lets his rage rain down on the prisoners, until one day a tragic incident makes him change his view of the enemy even if it may be too late. Actor Roland Møller takes his first lead as the Danish sergeant in charge of the prisoners. Møller made his screen debut in Tobias Lindholm and Michael Noer’s prison drama “R” and went on to perform in Lindholm’s “A Hijacking” and Noer’s “Northwest”. Among the Danish cast is also Mikkel Boe Følsgaard (“A Royal Affair”), while the young Germans all are amateur actors, discovered through Berlin-based casting expert Simone Bär who has collaborated with Michael Haneke, among others. Zandvliet’s debut feature “Applause” (2009) received numerous awards, with quite a few directed at the film’s lead actress Paprika Steen. The film was selected for the Toronto Film Festival, as was Zandvliet’s second feature, “A Funny Man” (2011), which also enjoyed great domestic success with a total of 10 Robert and Bodil awards, Denmark’s highest film distinctions.
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World Premiere of REGRESSION Starring Ethan Hawke, Emma Watson to Open San Sebastian Film Festival | TRAILER
Alejandro Amenábar’s latest film, Regression, will open the coming edition of the San Sebastian Festival. The world premiere of the film, presented in the Official Selection out of competition, will take place on September 18.
Regression has an international cast headlining Ethan Hawke, Emma Watson, David Thewlis and David Dencik. In his sixth feature film, Alejandro Amenábar, who also wrote the screenplay, returns to a psychological thriller, a genre to which he has contributed already classic titles such as The Others, Abre los Ojos (Open Your Eyes) andTesis (Thesis). The film, shot in Canada in English, is produced by Fernando Bovaira.
Minnesota, 1990. Detective Bruce Kenner (Ethan Hawke) investigates the case of young Angela (Emma Watson), who accuses her father, John Gray (David Dencik), of an unspeakable crime. When John unexpectedly and without recollection admits guilt, renowned psychologist Dr. Raines (David Thewlis) is brought in to help him relive his memories and what they discover unmasks a horrifying nationwide mystery.
Regression will open in Spain on October 2 followed by key territories, including Germany, UK, France, Italy, China and Korea later this Fall. The remaining worldwide releases will take place in the months to follow.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNxl56_ExWY
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12 Bold + Unique Films In Inaugural Platform Lineup of 40th Toronto International Film Festival
The 40th Toronto International Film Festival revealed the inaugural lineup for Platform, the new juried program that champions director’s cinema from around the world.
“We created this new program as a way to sharpen our focus on artistically ambitious cinema in our 40th year and we are thrilled to be able to put the spotlight on these 12 brilliant filmmakers this September,” said Piers Handling, Director and CEO of TIFF. “They are major creative forces: the next generation of masters whose personal vision will captivate audiences, industry members and media from around the world.”
“Each of the filmmakers in the program fearlessly transforms a wide range of compelling realities through their unique visual and narrative styles, and they do so with incredible command and precision,” said Cameron Bailey, Artistic Director of the Toronto International Film Festival. “From a stark coming-of-age story, a retro-futuristic science-fiction and a lyrical post-western to an abduction thriller, a raw documentary and hard-hitting and topical dramas, this lineup reflects the diversity of international directors’ cinema today.”
Platform films will screen from Thursday, September 10 to Thursday, September 17. Each film will have its first screening for public, press and industry at the Visa Screening Room at the Elgin Theatre.
An international jury composed of acclaimed filmmakers Jia Zhang-ke, Claire Denis and Agnieszka Holland will award the Toronto Platform Prize ($25,000 CAD) to the best film in the program, which will be announced at the Awards Ceremony on September 20, 2015.
Bang Gang (A Modern Love Story)
Eva Husson, France
World Premiere
Biarritz. Sixteen-year-old George, a beautiful high-school student, falls in love with Alex. To get his attention, she initiates a group game with Alex, Nikita, Laetitia and Gabriel during which they will discover, test, and push the limits of their sexuality. Through scandals, love and the breakdown of their value systems, each of them manages this intense period in radically different ways. Starring Daisy Broom, Fred Hotier, Lorenzo Lefebvre, Marilyn Lima, and Finnegan Oldfield.
The Clan (El Clan)
Pablo Trapero, Argentina/Spain
North American Premiere
Within a typical family home in the traditional neighborhood of San Isidro, a sinister clan makes its living off kidnapping and murder. Arquímedes, the patriarch, heads and plans the operations. Alejandro, his eldest son, is a star rugby player who gives into his father’s will and identifies possible candidates for kidnapping. To a greater or lesser extent, the members of the family are accomplices in this dreadful venture as they live off the benefits yielded by the large ransoms paid by the families of their victims. Based on the true story of the Puccio family, this film full of suspense and intrigue takes place in the context of the final years of the Argentine military dictatorship and incipient return to democracy. Starring Guillermo Francella and Peter Lanzani.
French Blood (Un Français)
Diastème, France
International Premiere
This is the story of a Frenchman, born in 1965 on the outskirts of Paris. The story of a skinhead, who hates Arabs, Jews, blacks, communists and gays. An anger that will take 30 years to die out. A bastard, who will take 30 years to become someone else. And he will never forgive himself for it. Starring Alban Lenoir, Paul Hamy, Samuel Jouy and Patrick Pineau.
Full Contact
David Verbeek, Netherlands/Croatia
World Premiere
A contemporary tale of a man who accidentally bombed a school through a remotely operated drone plane. Modern warfare keeps Ivan safe and disconnected from his prey. But after this incident, this disconnectedness starts to apply to everything in his life. He is unable to process his overwhelming feelings of guilt, but needs to open up to his new love Cindy. Only by facing his victims can he rediscover his humanity and find a new purpose in life. Starring Grégoire Colin, Lizzie Brocheré and Slimane Dazi.
High-Rise
Ben Wheatley, United Kingdom
World Premiere
1975. Two miles west of London, Dr. Laing moves into his new apartment seeking soulless anonymity, only to find that the building’s residents have no intention of leaving him alone. Resigned to the complex social dynamics unfolding around him, Laing bites the bullet and becomes neighborly. As he struggles to establish his position, Laing’s good manners and sanity disintegrate along with the building. The lights go out and the elevators fail but the party goes on. People are the problem. Booze is the currency. Sex is the panacea. Starring Tom Hiddleston, Jeremy Irons, Sienna Miller, Luke Evans and Elisabeth Moss.
HURT
Alan Zweig, Canada
World Premiere
Steve Fonyo is a one-legged cancer survivor who completed a cross-Canada run raising $13 million in 1985. The next 30 years were straight downhill: petty theft, larceny and drug addiction. The run has nothing to do with the life of this one-time hero, and everything to do with it. Starring Steve Fonyo.
Land of Mine (Under Sandet / Unter dem Sand)
Martin Zandvliet, Denmark/Germany
World Premiere
A story never told before. WWII has ended. A group of German POWs captured by the Danish army, boys rather than men, are forced into a new kind of service under the command of a brusque Danish Sergeant. Risking life and limbs, the boys discover that the war is far from over. Starring Roland Møller, Louis Hofmann, Joel Basman, Emil Buschow, Oskar Buschow and Mikkel Boe Følsgaard.
Looking for Grace
Sue Brooks, Australia
North American Premiere
Grace, 16, runs away from home. Her parents, Dan and Denise, head off on the road across the Western Australian wheat belt with a retired detective, Norris, to try and get her back. But life unravels faster than they can put it back together. Grace, Dan and Denise learn that life is confusing and arbitrary, but wonderful. Starring Richard Roxburgh, Radha Mitchell, Odessa Young and Terry Norris.
Neon Bull (Boi Neon) (pictured above)
Gabriel Mascaro, Brazil/Uruguay/Netherlands
North American Premiere
Iremar and his makeshift family travel through Northeast Brazil taking care of bulls at the Vaquejadas, a Brazilian rodeo. But the region’s booming clothing industry has stirred new ambitions and filled Iremar’s mind with dreams of pattern-cutting and exquisite fabrics. Starring Juliano Cazarré, Aline Santana, Carlos Pessoa and Maeve Jinkings.
The Promised Land (Hui Dao Bei Ai De Mei Yi Tian)
He Ping, China
World Premiere
Ai Ling, growing up in a small town, loses her fiancé Jiang He in Beijing. After returning to her hometown with a broken heart, she has to face all the complications life and love have in store for her. Starring Jiajia Wang, Yi Zhang, and Zhiwen Wang.
Sky
Fabienne Berthaud, France/Germany
World Premiere
Romy is on holiday in the USA with her French husband, but the journey quickly turns into a settling of old scores for this worn out couple. After a huge argument, Romy decides to break free. She cuts her ties to a stable and secure life that has become alienating and escapes to the unknown. Drifting through a noisy Las Vegas to the wondrous high desert, she goes on with her solitary journey, abandoning herself to her sole intuitions and making it up as she goes. Liberated, she will cross paths with a charismatic and solitary man, with whom she’ll share an inconceivable but pure love. Starring Diane Kruger, Norman Reedus, Gilles Lellouche, Lena Dunham and Q’orianka Kilcher.
The White Knights (Les Chevaliers Blancs)
Joachim Lafosse, France/Belgium
World Premiere
Critically acclaimed Joachim Lafosse brings to the screen the Zoe’s Ark controversy which made headlines in 2007: a story about the limits of the right of interference. Jacques Arnault, head of Sud Secours NGO, is planning a high impact operation: he and his team are going to exfiltrate 300 orphans, victims of Chadian civil war and bring them to French adoption applicants. Françoise Dubois, a journalist, is invited to come along with them and handle the media coverage for this operation. Completely immersed in the brutal reality of a country at war, the NGO members start losing their convictions and are faced with the limits of humanitarian intervention. Starring Vincent Lindon, Valérie Donzelli, Reda Kateb, Louise Bourgoin and Rougalta Bintou Saleh.
The 40th Toronto International Film Festival runs September 10 to 20, 2015.
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Director Brian De Palma to be Honored at Venice International Film Festival
Director Brian De Palma will receive the Jaeger-LeCoultre Glory to the Filmmaker 2015 Award, dedicated to personalities who have made particularly original contributions to contemporary cinema, at the upcoming Venice International Film Festival.
Regarding this award, the Director of the Festival Alberto Barbera declared, “The child of an artistic era (the ‘70s) full of innovative ferment, Brian De Palma has made a name for himself as one of the most skillful directors in constructing perfect narrative mechanics with great creative freedom, experimenting with new technical solutions, rejecting the classic rules of the language, abandoning himself to aesthetic virtuosity, and celebrating his favorite authors. When watching a movie by Brian De Palma, we revert to being basic spectators. Although our eyes are wide open to avoid falling into the trap, we know full well we’re bound to fall into it anyway. De Palma’s cinema is playful to the nth degree; it is a pleasure for the eyes and at the same time a game that tantalizes the cinéphile. He has never lost the curiosity of the experimenter as he reinvents the already-seen, and when it comes to constructing and manipulating images, this fundamental trait makes De Palma one of the greatest innovators who came of age in the shadow of the New Hollywood.”
“Jaeger-LeCoultre is proud to pay tribute to Brian De Palma with the Glory to the Filmmaker Award”, declared Daniel Riedo, CEO of Jaeger-LeCoultre. “For ten years, our company has supported the seventh art and the Venice International Film Festival through continuous promotion of cinema’s creativity and ingenuity. Precision watches and the maximum expression of the cinematographic art are fruit of the same passion. Both call for months and even years of concentration and patience, in order for the virtuosity of talented professionals to lead to the creation of masterpieces of aesthetic and technical perfection, destined to last forever.”
The award will be given to Brian De Palma on September 9th at 9.30 p.m. in the Sala Grande (Palazzo del Cinema) during the 72nd Venice International Film Festival (September 2-12, 2015), directed by Alberto Barbera and organized by the Biennale chaired by Paolo Baratta.
Following the award ceremony, the 72nd Film Festival will present the world premiere, Out of Competition, of the documentary De Palma (109’) by Noah Baumbach and Jake Paltrow. The film grew out of the two directors’ spending time with Brian De Palma for over ten years. It’s an intimate conversation between filmmakers, chronicling Brian’s six decade long career, his life, and his filmmaking process.
This major award consolidates the important bond between the Venice Film Festival and Brian De Palma, who has presented seven movies at the Lido, the first time forty years ago with Sisters in the section Proposte di nuovi film (1975). In 1981, De Palma screened Blow Out in the section Mezzogiorno/Mezzanotte; in 1987, The Untouchables, an out-of-competition Special Event; in 1992, Raising Cain, the closing film in competition; in 2006, The Black Dahlia, the opening film in competition; in 2007, Redacted, in competition and the winner of the Silver Lion; and in 2012, Passion, in competition.
Born in 1940, Brian De Palma studied film in New York. In 1963, he directed The Wedding Party, giving twenty-year-old Robert De Niro his first part. Carrie, a movie starring Sissy Spacek and based on the Stephen King novel, was his first big success. To date, De Palma has directed over 30 films, including The Untouchables (1987) with Robert De Niro, Kevin Costner and Sean Connery; Mission Impossible (1996) with Tom Cruise; and Scarface (1983) with Al Pacino. Over the years, De Palma has directed stars such as John Travolta, Melanie Griffith, Tom Hanks and Sean Penn. He is particularly famous for his psychological thrillers, which feature his personal style, unusual camera angles and elements that often recall works by the directors who have influenced him, in particular Alfred Hitchcock. Among the great actors Brian De Palma has directed, three have received Oscar nominations: Sissy Spacek (best actress, Carrie), Piper Laurie (best supporting actress, Carrie) and Sean Connery (best supporting actor, The Untouchables), who received the Oscar for his performance.
Jake Paltrow was born September 26, 1975 in Los Angeles, CA. His films are Young Ones (2014) and The Good Night (2007).
Noah Baumbach was born and raised in Brooklyn. His films include Kicking and Screaming (1995), The Squid and the Whale (2005), Margot at the Wedding (2007), Greenberg (2010), Frances Ha (2012), While We’re Young (2014), and Mistress America (2015).
Jaeger-LeCoultre has been a sponsor of the Venice International Film Festival for eleven years, and for nine years has sponsored the Glory to the Filmmaker Award. In the past years, the prize has been awarded to Takeshi Kitano (2007), Abbas Kiarostami (2008), Agnès Varda (2008), Sylvester Stallone (2009), Mani Ratnam (2010), Al Pacino (2011), Spike Lee (2012), Ettore Scola (2013) and James Franco (2014).
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2015 Milwaukee Film Festival Rated K: For Kids Lineup + Celebrates 20th Anniversary of BABE | TRAILERS
The 7th Annual Milwaukee Film Festival announced its critically acclaimed line-up for the Rated K: For Kids program. Rated K: For Kids offers a selection of award-winning features and shorts from around the world, ideal for ages 3 to 12 but equally enjoyable for all ages.
Five feature films and three shorts programs spanning live action, animation and even an anniversary classic comprise this year’s program. Milwaukee Film celebrates 20 years of Babe: The Gallant Pig with a screening of the 1995 classic. Co-written and produced by George Miller of the Mad Max series, Babe was nominated for 7 Academy Awards and won the Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy in 1995. The first 200 people in line for this screening dressed in their finest farm attire will receive free popcorn.
Another highlight of this year’s program is the animated feature Song of the Sea. Fantastical Irish folklore and gorgeous animation make this film especially appealing to kids and adults alike.
“I am particularly excited to bring Song of the Sea to our audiences,” enthuses Milwaukee Film’s Education Director (and lead programmer of Rated K: For Kids), Cara Ogburn, “This 2014 Academy Award nominee never screened theatrically in Milwaukee. It is a lushly animated, beautifully mythic film from the team behind the Secret of Kells that is not to be missed on the big screen.”
The 2015 Milwaukee Film Festival runs September 24 to October 8, 2015.
2015 MILWAUKEE FILM FESTIVAL
RATED K: FOR KIDS
Babe: The Gallant Pig (Ages 6+)
(Australia, United States / 1995 / Director: Chris Noonan)
Celebrating its 20th anniversary, this Oscar-winning tale of a precocious piglet turned shepherd remains a classic of children’s cinema. If you’d like to reacquaint yourself, introduce a new generation to the boundless charm of Babe and his farmland cohorts (gloriously rendered by Muppets Studio’s animatronics team) or simply avail yourself of the free popcorn (!) for the first 200 attendees dressed in their finest hoedown garb, this is the perfect opportunity. Babe is a winning tale of individualism that refuses to talk down to kids — an openhearted all-timer that will have you leaving the theater saying, “That’ll do, pig. That’ll do.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cO8T3_lLZD8
Hocus Pocus Alfie Atkins (Ages 3+)
(Norway / 2013 / Director: Torill Kove)
Alfie wants nothing more in the world than a dog of his own — a terrier, in fact, just like the one the magician he’s recently made friends with has. And though his father thinks 7 years old is still a bit young for the responsibility of dog ownership, Alfie (with the help of his new acquaintance) sets out to make his dream come true (even encountering a group of young pirates along the way!) in this adorable animated tale for kids. This feature debut from Oscar winner Torill Kove is based on the beloved Swedish children’s book of the same name. Presented in English.
https://vimeo.com/74717387
Kids Shorts: Size Small (Ages 3+)
Safe for even the youngest cinephiles, this selection of energetic animated films is sure to be a crowd-pleaser. Here you’ll find tales of nearly all creatures great and small, including a toe-tapping “MOO-sic” video from beloved author Sandra Boynton that will delight viewers young and old. All films in English or without dialogue.
Cows: Moosic Video (USA / 2014 / Director: Sandra Boynton)
Forward, March! (France / 2013 / Directors: Pierrick Barbin, Rimelle Khayat, Loïc Le Goff, Guillaume Lenoel, Garrick Rawlingson)
Fred & Anabel (Germany / 2014 / Director: Ralf Kukula)
Lambs (Germany / 2013 / Director: Gottfried Mentor)
The Last Leaf (Canada / 2014 / Director: Gwyneth Christoffel)
Law of the Jungle (France, Belgium / 2014 / Director: Pascale Hecquet)
The Little Hedgehog (France, Belgium / 2014 / Director: Marjorie Caup)
The Mitten (France, Belgium / 2014 / Director: Clémentine Robach)
One, Two, Tree (France, Switzerland / 2015 / Director: Yulia Aronova)
Pik-Pik-Pik (Russia / 2014 / Director: Dmitry Vysotskiy)
Zebra (Germany / 2013 / Director: Julia Ocker)
Kids Shorts: Size Medium (Ages 6+)
This diverse collection of short films is aimed at viewers 6 and up — movies for kids from a kid’s perspective. Live action, animation and even a documentary (about young entrepreneur Moziah Bridges) help round out a program that deals with real kids and their real-kid ideas. All films in English, without dialogue or do not require reading of minimal titles for understanding.
Ahmed & Mildred (United Kingdom / 2014 / Directors: Joe & Adam Horton)
Anatole’s Little Saucepan (France / 2014 / Director: Eric Montchaud)
Astronaut-K (Switzerland / 2014 / Director: Daniel Harisberger)
Bunny New Girl (Australia / 2014 / Director: Natalie van den Dungen)
Cookie-Tin Banjo (USA, United Kingdom / 2014 / Director: Peter Baynton)
Dance Class (Colombia / 2013 / Director: Camilo Cogua Rodriguez)
Dustin (Germany / 2014 / Director: Kristina Jaeger)
The Elephant and the Bicycle (France, Belgium / 2014 / Director: Olesya Shchukina)
Jack (Netherlands / 2013 / Director: Quentin Haberham)
Lila (Argentina, Spain / 2014 / Director: Carlos Lascano)
Mo’s Bows (USA / 2015 / Directors: Jennifer Treuting, Kristen McGregor)
Papa (USA / 2014 / Director: Natalie Labarre)
Kids Shorts: Size Large (Ages 9+)
This is a wide assortment of shorts (both live-action and animated) for the older kids in your family. While some of the kids featured here must face challenges, they do so with humor and fun, filling this program with many sweet stories. Subtitles of Hawaiian in one film will not be read aloud; all other films are in English or without dialogue.
Decorations (Japan / 2014 / Director: Mari Miyazawa)
Harmony Brooks and the Case of the Missing Nucleus (USA / 2014 / Director: Whitney Clinkscales)
Home (USA / 2014 / Director: Sashka Unseld)
Home Sweet Home (France / 2013 / Directors: Pierre Clenet, Alejandro Diaz, Romain Mazevet, Stéphane Paccola)
Ice Cream (Healthy Eating) (USA / 2014 / Directors: Jeremy Galante, David Cowles)
Johnny Express (South Korea / 2014 / Director: James Woo)
My Big Brother (USA / 2014 / Director: Jason Rayner)
A Place in the Middle (USA / 2014 / Directors: Dean Hamer, Joe Wilson)
The Present (Germany / 2014 / Director: Jacob Frey)
The Story of Percival Pilts (Australia, New Zealand / 2015 / Directors: Janette Goodey, John Lewis)
The Visitors (Australia / 2014 / Director: Philip Watts)
A Little Game (Ages 9+)
(USA / 2014 / Director: Evan Oppenheimer)
Max is struggling to fit in; a gifted 10-year-old girl in New York City, she’s been pulled from her local school and placed into a private school, just as her beloved grandmother suddenly passes. While at private school, she discovers an affinity for chess. Under the tutelage of a grumpy old man (F. Murray Abraham) whose lessons about the game could apply to her entire life, Max might just bloom! A sweet film with positive messages about girl power and class awareness, A Little Game is a star-studded affair (Ralph Macchio, Janeane Garofalo, Olympia Dukakis) with heart to spare.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sP0zJoa7uw4
Paper Planes (Ages 8+)
(Australia / 2014 / Director: Robert Connolly)
Twelve-year-old Dylan has a unique gift: He can craft a paper airplane that can fly farther and faster than any others. Seeing an opportunity to help heal his relationship with his dad (his mother passed away, leaving them both struggling to cope), Dylan begins training to enter the World Paper Plane Championships, a competition that will take him from his native Australia to Tokyo. A feel-good story about pursuing your dreams and the restorative power of play, Paper Planes is an energetic crowd-pleaser, a burst of fresh air that will have you flying like one of Dylan’s incredible creations.
https://vimeo.com/129745932
Song of the Sea (6+)
(Ireland, Luxembourg, Belgium, France, Denmark / 2014 / Director: Tomm Moore)
Brother and sister duo Ben and Saoirse are sent to the city to live with their grandmother following the disappearance of their mother, but it soon becomes clear the pair must journey back to their island home, the sea, and the magical world of selkies Ben only glimpsed in bedtime stories if they wish to survive. This visually lush adventure is a worthy follow up to The Secret of Kells, with watercolor backgrounds and exquisitely hand drawn characters providing a feast for the eyes, while the story that perfectly balances family drama and Celtic mythology will dazzle adults and children alike.
https://youtu.be/t0Ejpl3QFuU
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LONDON ROAD by Rufus Norris to Close the San Sebastian Festival | TRAILER
The 63rd San Sebastian Festival will come to a close on September 26 with the out of competition screening of the British film London Road, fresh from the Toronto Festival. Produced by BBC Films, the British Film Institute and the National Theatre and directed by Rufus Norris with a screenplay by Alecky Blythe and music by Adam Cork, the film is a big-screen adaptation of the musical of the same name hailed as a remarkable, ground-breaking work during two sell-out runs at the National Theatre.
London Road documents the events that shook Suffolk in 2006, when the quiet rural town of Ipswich was shattered by the discovery of the bodies of five women. The residents of London Road had struggled for years with frequent soliciting and curb-crawling on their street. The film follows the community who found themselves at the epicenter of the tragic events. Using their own words set to an innovative musical score, London Road tells a moving story of ordinary people coming together during the darkest of experiences.
London Road features an ensemble cast that includes Olivia Colman, Clare Burt, Rosalie Craig, Anita Dobson, James Doherty, Hal Fowler, Kate Fleetwood, Linzi Hateley, Nick Holder, Claire Moore, Michael Shaeffer, Nicola Sloane, Paul Thornley, Howard Ward, Duncan Wisbey and Tom Hardy.
LONDON ROAD
RUFUS NORRIS (UK)
A feature film adaptation of the ground-breaking work during two sell-out runs at the National Theatre that documents the events that shook Suffolk in 2006, when the quiet rural town of Ipswich was shattered by the discovery of the bodies of five women. The film follows the community who found themselves at the epicenter of the tragic events.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8NxcsH9o4A