Portland International Film Festival

  • 2018 Portland International Film Festival Reveals First Wave of Films + Trailers, to Open with THE DEATH OF STALIN

    [caption id="attachment_23440" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]The Death of Stalin Directed by Armando Iannucci The Death of Stalin[/caption] The Portland International Film Festival revealed the first wave of film titles for the upcoming 41st edition which begins on Thursday, February 15th and will run through Thursday, March 1, 2018.  The Opening Night selection is writer/director Armando Iannucci’s (In the Loop, Veep) new comedy The Death of Stalin, starring Steve Buscemi, Olga Kurylenko, Jason Isaacs, and Michael Palin. The film, which premiered to rave reviews at the Toronto International Film Festival, is an adaptation of the audacious, historical graphic novel by Fabien Nury.

    FIRST WAVE TITLES include:

    PIFF 41 Opening Night selection: The Death of Stalin Dir. Armando Iannucci United Kingdom, 2017 The one-liners fly as fast as political fortunes fall in this uproarious, wickedly irreverent satire from Armando Iannucci. Moscow, 1953: when tyrannical dictator Joseph Stalin drops dead, his parasitic cronies square off in a frantic power struggle to be the next Soviet leader. Among the contenders are the dweeby Georgy Malenkov (Jeffrey Tambor), the wily Nikita Khrushchev (Steve Buscemi), and the sadistic secret police chief Lavrentiy Beria (Simon Russell Beale). But as they bumble, brawl, and backstab their way to the top, just who is running the government? Combining palace intrigue with rapid-fire farce, this is a bitingly funny takedown of bureaucratic dysfunction performed to the hilt by a sparkling ensemble cast. https://youtu.be/ukJ5dMYx2no Let the Sunshine In Dir. Claire Denis France/Belgium, 2017 Living alone in Paris, Isabelle (Juliette Binoche), a divorced artist in her 50s, is optimistic that romantic hope springs eternal – or maybe she does. But as she auditions, not unpleasantly, but with increasing exasperation, a steady succession of prospective men, she ponders just what she’s seeking, and whether sex and companionship are really the keys to fulfillment. Featuring an ensemble cast of stellar French actors including Gerard Depardieu, Denis offers a complex, feminist take on love and the quest to find Mr. Right while not being trapped by need, convention, or expectation. “An elegant, eccentric relationship comedy of ideas, highly rarified and possessed of an almost inscrutable sophistication.” – The Guardian https://youtu.be/h-haop2Ini0 Zama Dir. Lucrecia Martel Argentina/Spain/France, 2017 “Martel ventures into the realm of historical fiction and makes the genre entirely her own in this adaptation of Antonio di Bendetto’s classic of Argentinean literature. In the late 18th century, in a far-flung corner of what seems to be Paraguay, an officer of the Spanish crown, born in the Americas, waits in vain for a transfer to a more prestigious location. Martel renders Zama’s world – his daily regimen of small humiliations and petty politicking – as both absurd and mysterious, and as he increasingly succumbs to lust and paranoia, subject to a creeping disorientation. Precise yet dreamlike, and thick with atmosphere, Zama is a singular and intoxicating experience from one of cinema’s truly brilliant minds.” – New York Film Festival. https://youtu.be/K8dW6YHINAA 24 Frames Dir. Abbas Kiarostami Iran/France, 2017 Three years in the making and Kiarostami’s final film before his death in 2016, each segment in 24 Frames offers a view of a photograph or painting and what he imagined might have occurred before and after the image was frozen in time. Employing multiple cinematic devices while shifting between fiction and documentary, he wistfully attempts to decipher the essence of cinema and its ability to capture reality. “Repetition-with-variations and a sly wit are hallmarks of many Kiarostami works, and these 24 mini-films abound with his visual acuity and dry authorial humor, all of it in accessible and pleasurable form.” – Film Comment. Won’t You Be My Neighbor Dir. Morgan Neville United States, 2017 “With his gentle voice and heartfelt words of wisdom, Fred Rogers served as a compassionate surrogate father for generations of American children who tuned in to public television. He believed in love as the essential ingredient in life and was able to assist kids through difficult situations armed merely with handmade puppets suggesting tolerance and acceptance. An ordained Presbyterian minister, Mr. Rogers made speaking directly and openly to children his life’s work, both on and off his long-running show. Animated sequences are peppered between archival footage of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood and interviews with Fred Rogers’s family friends, and colleagues, offering a deliberate and beautiful tribute to an authentic human being and providing a much-needed salve for these often-fraught times.” – Sundance Film Festival. https://youtu.be/ocElSTC9S1U On the Beach at Night Alone Dir. Hong Sang-soo South Korea, 2017 “Hong Sang-soo’s movies have always invited autobiographical readings, and this is perhaps his most achingly personal film yet, a steel-nerved clear-eyed response to the tabloid frenzy that erupted in South Korea over his relationship with actress Kim Min-hee. The film begins in Hamburg, where actress Young-hee (played by Kim herself, who won the Best Actress prize at Berlin for this role) is hiding out after the revelation of her affair with a married filmmaker. Back in Korea, a series of encounters shed light on Young-hee’s volatile state, as she slips in and out of melancholic reflection and dreams.” – New York Film Festival. “A drama of rare lyrical exaltation…a kaleidoscopic fusion of reality and fantasy.” – The New Yorker https://youtu.be/AkBJ9QGtvRA Lean on Pete Dir. Andrew Haight United Kingdom, 2017 Fifteen-year-old Charley Thompson (Charlie Plummer) wants some stability: a home, food on the table, and a high school he can attend for more than part of the year. As the son of an itinerate single father (Travis Fimmel) working in warehouses across the Pacific Northwest, stability is hard to find. Hoping for a new start they move to Portland where Charley takes a summer job with a washed-up horse trainer (Steve Buscemi), and befriends an aging racehorse named Lean on Pete, ridden by the hard-nosed Bonnie (Chloe Sevigny). Based on Willy Vlautin’s novel and filmed in Burns and Portland, Lean on Pete chronicles a harsh coming of age in the American West. https://youtu.be/nzlazAyylw8 Jeannette, the Childhood of Joan of Arc Dir. Bruno Dumont France, 2017 France, 1425. In the midst of the Hundred Years’ War, the young Jeannette, still at the tender age of eight, looks after her sheep in the small village of Domremy. One day, she tells her friend Hauviette how she cannot bear to see the suffering caused by the English. Madame Gervaise, a nun, tries to reason with the young girl, but Jeannette is ready to take up arms for the salvation of souls and the liberation of the Kingdom of France. Carried by her faith, she will become Joan of Arc. “With his tenth feature, Bruno Dumont radically delves into Joan’s childhood with a category-defying period-cum-techno-head-banging musical, derived from two works by French writer Charles Péguy.” – Toronto International Film Festival. https://youtu.be/aLPW60Zo53w Foxtrot Dir. Samuel Moax Israel, 2017 Michael and Dafna experience gut-wrenching grief when army officials come to announce the death of their son. Unable to find any solace in the well-meaning condolences of family, or in the military’s patriotic platitudes, Michael spirals in to anger only to subsequently experience one of life’s unfathomable turns – a twist that can only be rivaled by the surreal military experiences of his son. Although terrible tragedy is at the heart of the film, Foxtrot contains moments laced with mordant humor, irony, and resonant emotion, as it explores the heartache of war and its far-reaching and unpredictable impacts. Winner of Israeli Ohphir Awards for Best Film and Best Director, the Grand Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival, and this year’s Israeli Oscar submission. https://youtu.be/wrBEDEmUceM I Am Not a Witch Dir. Rungano Nyoni United Kingdom/France/Zambia/Germany, 2017 Following an incident in her Zambian village, nine-year-old Shula is denounced as a witch and exiled to a state-run witch camp. While making every effort to adapt to her new life among much older women, Shula is both embraced and exploited by the camp officials. Now she must decide whether to accept the fate forced upon her or risk everything for freedom. Zambian-born Welsh director Rungano Nyoni’s debut combines anthropology, social satire, and superstition in a fascinating and touching magic-realist fable. Best Director, British Independent Film Awards. https://youtu.be/jOtcU_-KuaQ Gemini Dir. Aaron Katz United States, 2017 A heinous crime tests the complex relationship between a tenacious personal assistant and her Hollywood starlet boss. As the assistant travels across Los Angeles to unravel the mystery, she must stay one step ahead of a determined policeman and confront her own understanding of friendship, truth, and celebrity. Former Portlander Katz, whose Cold Weather appeared in the PIFF 34 lineup, “delves into dreamy neo-noir territory with nods to films from auteurs like Hitchcock, Krzysztof Kieslowski, Brian De Palma, and David Lynch that tackle the “double” in cinema – and the potential, in the process of taking on an alternate identity, of subsuming the darkness of another’s soul.” – AFI Film Festival. https://youtu.be/ISjmjYU-kMI Five Fingers for Marseilles Dir. Michael Matthews South Africa, 2017 A recent parolee returns to his hometown, vowing to turn his back on his criminal ways. But it’s not long before he finds that some of the friends he grew up with in Apartheid era Marseilles have internalized and recreated the tyranny they struggled against for the present inhabitants of “New Marseilles.” “Director Michael Matthews and scripter Sean Drummond skillfully employ recycled genre elements to enhance the mythic qualities of their slow-burn narrative and reinforce the underlying sense that their archetypical characters are fulfilling destinies as inescapable as the fates that might befall major players in a conventional Wild West saga.” – Variety https://youtu.be/b5oVrZrbCr0 The Third Murder Dir. Hirokazu Kore-eda Japan, 2017 This moving story of a man struggling to find the truth while questioning his own faith in the law is a philosophical whodunnit, intelligently broaching questions of innocence and guilt. Star attorney Shigemori agrees to defend Misumi, accused of murder after a fatal holdup. A man with a long criminal record, Misumi narrowly escaped the death sentence for another murder thirty years earlier. Astonishingly laid-back, Misumi has already confessed to the murder, and all the evidence points to the fact that he is guilty. But the deeper Shigemori delves into this case, the more he begins to doubt his client. Soon, he is faced with a complicated family story and the plot thickens. https://youtu.be/Plr3V4TYBQE Spoor Dir. Agnieszka Holland Czech, 2017 Drawing inspiration from local fairy tales, Spoor dissects political corruption and environmental activism in a small Polish town. Janina Duszejko is a retired engineer, astrology lover, vegetarian, and defender of animal rights. Now, she lives alone in the Sudeten Mountains near the Czech border. One winter night, she finds the body of her neighbor, a poacher. The circumstances of the man’s death are unusally mysterious as the only footprints found around his house are the prints of deer hooves. Soon, other members of the local hunting club are mysteriously murdered. Seeing the ineffectiveness of the police, she starts her own, unconventional investigation. Holland’s genre-bending, ecologically-minded thriller is this year’s Polish submission for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar. https://youtu.be/3JxYmGXAfXc Under the Tree Dir. Hafsteinn Gunnar Sigurðsson Iceland/France, 2017 Equal parts family drama, absurdist black comedy, and unconventional thriller, Under the Tree follows two warring households locked in a bitter dispute. One family adores their beautiful old tree, but the couple next door complain that blocks their sunlight, causing their garden to languish in its shadow. As the disagreement escalates into a passive-aggressive back-and-forth of nasty vibes, mysterious property damage, disappearing cats and dogs, the installation of security cameras, and more. Though set in Iceland, this humorous, but at times unsettling, story of suburban neighborhood warfare could be anywhere. https://youtu.be/qJghTR5y9U0

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  • TRUMAN, I AM NOT YOUR NEGRO, MY LIFE AS A ZUCCHINI Win Top Prizes at Portland International Film Festival

    Truman directed by Cesc Gay
    Truman directed by Cesc Gay

    Truman,  I Am Not Your Negro, My Life as a Zucchini, and Incendio were awarded the top prizes at the 40th Portland International Film Festival.

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  • Portland International Film Festival Announces 2017 After Dark Lineup

    [caption id="attachment_20266" align="aligncenter" width="1350"]THE INVISIBLE GUEST THE INVISIBLE GUEST[/caption] The After Dark program of the 40th Portland International Film Festival (PIFF) will showcase late night movies like Emiliano Rocha Minter’s We Are the Flesh, Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s (Pulse) Daguerrotype, André Øvredal’s (Troll Hunter) The Autopsy of Jane Doe, Nicholas Pesce’s The Eyes of My Mother, and Oriol Paulo’s (The Body) The Invisible Guest. As in past years, PIFF After Dark presents films chosen with adventurous festival attendees in mind.

    40th Portland International Film Festival After Dark Lineup

    The Invisible Guest (Dir. Oriol Paulo) – Spain/South Korea As a suspect is prepped for court testimony, the story of the crime, a murder in a hotel room where only two people—the accused and the victim—were present, deepens as new details emerge with each retelling. Director Oriol Paulo’s (The Body) film is Rashomonic in structure, but keeping the action centered entirely on one person’s shifting account of the abominable act. An exquisitely intelligent and tense thriller crafted for adult audiences. “Early on, certain points are so ridiculously made and ‘on the button’ that they elicit laughter. Rest assured, that’s intentional. The Invisible Guest goes beyond locked rooms into the forbidden territory of adult motivations.” – Peter Martin, Screen Anarchy In Spanish with English subtitles. (106 mins.) https://vimeo.com/185461129 PRECEDED BY: Manoman Dir. Simon Cartwright | United Kingdom A man undergoing primal scream therapy releases his own Mr. Hyde, and then hits the town with him. (11 mins.) We Are the Flesh (Dir. Emiliano Rocha Minter) – Mexico The most transgressive film in this year’s program, Minter’s trance-inducing debut feature concerns a brother and sister drawn into an underground sanctuary inhabited by a lone stranger. In return for shelter, the man demands they push themselves into a series of shocking ritualistic actions with each other, their newfound guardian, and those who visit the subterranean and fleshy, womb-like structure they begin constructing. “His thoroughly arresting vision could squat quite comfortably alongside Hieronymus Bosch’s depiction of hell.”—Variety. (79 mins.) Adult Audiences. “Serving as co-editor as well as writer and director, Emiliano Rocha Minter is very much the author of all the chaos wrought here, and his thoroughly arresting vision could squat quite comfortably alongside Hieronymus Bosch’s depiction of hell.” – Catherine Bray, Variety In Spanish with English subtitles. (79 mins.) https://youtu.be/hC_wtrAdF2E PRECEDED BY: Judy Ariel Gardner, Alex Kavutskiy | United States “A film about male entitlement and the role of women in society—a smart and funny movie that says a whole lot in ten minutes.”—Catherine Bray, Birth. Movies. Death. (11 mins.) Directors Ariel Gardner and Alex Kavutskiy in attendance A Dark Song (Dir. Liam Gavin) – Ireland/United Kingdom A grieving mother (Catherine Walker) hires a man (Steve Oram) well-versed in the occult to help bring her son back to life. The genius of writer/director Liam Gavin’s film is how, unlike most films with a supernatural conceit, it paints its character’s attempts to break on through to the other side as humorous, highly questionable, and above all, time consuming. Favoring the notion that the journey is just as important as the destination, A Dark Song upends audience expectations of how horror films about people trying to resurrect their loved ones ought to operate. “A Dark Song is more concerned with psychological demons than the supernatural kind, and all the stronger for it.” – Stephen Dalton, The Hollywood Reporter (100 mins.) https://youtu.be/IeZ9OQ6ocP0 PRECEDED BY: The Man from Death Stephen Reedy | United States A manic homage to spaghetti Westerns, video game iconography, and ADHD. (13 mins.) The Eyes of My Mother (Dir. Nicolas Pesce) – United States A young girl named Francisca witnesses a terrible act of violence perpetrated by a stranger upon her mother. Years later, the child has grown into a solitary woman whose life on the same farm where those events occurred has devolved into a cycle of caring for her family’s livestock and a mysterious figure sequestered away in the barn. When Francisca finally opens herself up to human contact, however, it threatens to both break the patterns she’s established and rip the precariously hung safety net out from below her feet. Director Nicolas Pesce’s debut film is a visual treat, filled with breathlessly orchestrated passages, and forbidden fruit that’s rotten to the core. “If Ingmar Bergman had helmed The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, it might look something like this exquisite nightmare.”—The A.V. Club. (76 mins.) https://youtu.be/H5cmrW-Ej84 PRECEDED BY: The Dog Hallvard Holmen, Aleksander Nordaas | Norway A child watches as a squabble between neighbors unfolds. (10 mins.) Daguerrotype (Dir. Kiyoshi Kurosawa) – Japan Japanese horror master Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s continues his winning stream with this patient and elegantly rendered ghost story set in modern-day France. Jean (Tahar Rahim) is hired as the assistant to Stéphane, a former fashion photographer who wallows in grief for his late wife while stubbornly clinging to the antiquated, long-exposure process of daguerreotype photography. As Jean learns the ropes, he begins to fall for Stéphane’s daughter Marie who endures, as her mother did in the past, the painful and physically demanding role of modeling for her father’s images. In French with English subtitles. “You’ll need patience for it to work on you, but all effort’s repaid tenfold, thanks to Kurosawa’s murmur-soft, immaculate craft and a trio of gorgeous central performances.” – Robbie Collin, The Telegraph https://vimeo.com/180867219 PRECEDED BY: Overtime Craig D. Foster | Australia Workplace stresses conspire to bring out the inner beast when mandatory overtime comes into play. (9 mins.) Without Name (Dir. Lorcan Finnegan) – Ireland Eric, a surveyor by trade, is hired by a corporate developer to assess a large plot of ancient forest. Superstitious warnings from the locals about the area, the discovery of a handwritten book filled with hallucinogenic recipes and half-mad ravings about trees, and a shadowy figure have Eric on edge. First time director Lorcan Finnegan’s eco-horror tale not only offers up the most vivid dose of paranoia tied to location since Polanski’s The Tenant, it also throws down the gauntlet for the creepiest trees captured on film this decade. “Without Name is the truest, and perhaps finest, example of the Lovecraftian sensibility ever put on film.” – Peter Gutierrez, Screen Anarchy (93 mins.) https://youtu.be/cd4K6qICqC8 PRECEDED BY: Strangers in the Night Conor McMahon | Ireland While protecting his grandmother from a banshee, Damien is overcome by unexpected feelings for the creature. (12 mins.) The Autopsy of Jane Doe (Dir. André Øvredal) – United Kingdom/United States A father (Brian Cox) and son (Emile Hirsch) coroner team delve into the mystery of a body discovered at a site of multiple murders. Unlike the other casualties of the crime, the corpse delivered to them is untouched by the multiple traumas visited upon the other victims. The deeper the two dig into this fleshy puzzle, the more disturbing secrets, residing tantalizingly below the surface, are revealed. “The Autopsy of Jane Doe is proof that Trollhunter was no fluke – André Øvredal is one of the most clever guys making genre movies today and he’s refusing to let himself get boxed into a corner.” – Jacob Hall, Slash Film (86 mins.) https://youtu.be/mtTAhXuiRTc PRECEDED BY: Limbo Will Blank | United States Stranded in the desert, a man is given a chance to wish for anything he wants. (8 mins.) For the first time, all seven PIFF After Dark shows are scheduled to happen at the Bagdad Theater (3702 SE Hawthorne Boulevard) and will include short, After Dark-themed films presented before each feature.

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  • A WAR, LANDFILL HARMONIC, SONITA Voted Audience Award Winners at Portland International Film Festival

    A WAR, Tobias Lindholm. The Audience Award winners have been revealed for the 2016 Portland International Film Festival. Earning top audience accolades for Best Narrative Feature is A WAR (Denmark) directed by Tobias Lindholm. (pictured above) SONITA (Iran) directed by Rokhsareh Ghaem Maghami and LANDFILL HARMONIC (United States) directed by Brad Allgood and Graham Townsley tied for the Best Documentary Feature award. Liza, the Fox-Fairy LIZA THE FOX-FAIRY (Hungary) director Károly Ujj Mészáros takes home the audience award for Best New Director Award. (pictured above) This year’s Best Short Film Award goes to director Dawn Jones Redstone for her film SISTA IN THE BROTHERHOOD (Portland). Redstone’s film is also the recipient of the Oregon Short Film Award. Narrative Features 1. A WAR / Denmark / Tobias Lindholm *best narrative feature 2. THE FENCER / Finland / Klaus Härö 3. LIZA THE FOX-FAIRY / Hungary / Károly Ujj Mészáros 4. RAMS / Iceland / Grímur Hákonarson 5. THE JUDGMENT / Bulgaria / Stephan Komandorev 6. LET THEM COME / Algeria / Salem Brahimi 7. LAST CAB TO DARWIN / Australia / Jeremy Sims 8. THE THIN YELLOW LINE / Mexico / Celso García 9. DHEEPAN / France / Jacques Audiard 10. MARSHLAND / Spain / Alberto Rodríguez Documentary Features 1. SONITA / Iran / Rokhsareh Ghaem Maghami (tied with) LANDFILL HARMONIC / United States / Brad Allgood and Graham Townsley *best documentary feature 2. A GOOD AMERICAN / Austria, US / Friedrich Moser 2. OPEN YOUR EYES / Portland / Irene Taylor Brodsky 4. ROBERT BLY: A THOUSAND YEARS OF JOY / US / Haydn Reiss 5. 50 FEET FROM SYRIA / Portland / Skye Fitzgerald 6. FOR GRACE / US / Kevin Pang and Mark Helenowski 7. THE PEARL BUTTON / Chile / Patricio Guzmán 8. IRAQI ODYSSEY / Switzerland / Samir 9. THRU YOU PRINCESS / Israel / Ido Haar Best New Directors 1. LIZA THE FOX-FAIRY / Hungary / Károly Ujj Mészáros *best new director 2. THE THIN YELLOW LINE / Mexico / Celso García 3. FOR GRACE / US / Kevin Pang and Mark Helenowski Shorts 1. SISTA IN THE BROTHERHOOD / Portland / Dawn Jones Redstone *best short film 2. HOW I DIDN’T BECOME A PIANO PLAYER / UK / Tommaso Pitta 3. ROAD TRIP / Germany / Xaver Xylophon Oregon Shorts 1. SISTA IN THE BROTHERHOOD / Portland / Dawn Jones Redstone *best Oregon short film 2. ONE WEEK / Portland / Rollyn Stafford 3. PEACE IN THE VALLEY / Portland / Donal Mosher and Michael Palmieri

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  • Portland Intl Film Fest Reveals Dates and Opening Night Film

    WILD TALESWILD TALES 

    The 38th Portland International Film Festival (PIFF 38) begins on Thursday, February 5th and will run through the 21st; and opens with Argentinean director Damián Szofrón’s Oscar-nominated film WILD TALES.

    Produced by Pedro Almodóvar, WILD TALES is an anthology of six blackly-comic short stories sharing a common theme of frustration, bestial revenge, and the past coming back to haunt in an escalating fashion. 

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUnXv6R2HI8

    In addition to opening with Damián Szofrón’s WILD TALES, nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, the Festival will host Abderrahmane Sissako’s TIMBUKTU, also nominated in that category. As in past years, the Festival features an abundance of short films. This year’s lineup boasts eight discrete short film programs, including one devoted entirely to films made in Oregon, another built entirely of Spanish-produced content, and an animated shorts program curated by LAIKA’s Mark Shapiro. Among the multitude of shorts on offer, the festival is proud to host Daisy Jacobs’ THE BIGGER PICTURE, nominated for the Short Film – Animated Academy Award, and Matt Kirby’s THE PHONE CALL, nominated in the Short Film – Live Action category. 

    This year’s Festival includes the return of the popular PIFF After Dark program, showcasing late night movies like Adam MacDonald’s BACKCOUNTRY, Mark Hartley’s (NOT QUITE HOLLYWOOD) ELECTRIC BOOGALOO: THE WILD, UNTOLD STORY OF CANNON FILMS, and Hitoshi Matsumoto’s (BIG MAN JAPAN) R100 for adventurous festival attendees. 

    Other highlights of PIFF 38 include screenings of Lisandro Alonso’s (LOS MUERTOS) JAUJA, Joshua Oppenheimer’s (THE ACT OF KILLING) THE LOOK OF SILENCE, Pedro Costa’s (COLOSSAL YOUTH) HORSE MONEY, Gabe Polsky’s (THE MOTEL LIFE) , Jemaine Clement and Taika Waititi’s (EAGLE VS. SHARK) WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS, Najwa Najjar’s (POMEGRANATES AND MYRRH) EYES OF A THIEF, Albert Maysles’ (GIMME SHELTER) IRIS, Olivier Assayas’ (CARLOS) CLOUDS OF SILS MARIA, Dave LaMattina and Chad Walker’s I AM BIG BIRD: THE CAROLL SPINNEY STORY, Kornél Mundruczó WHITE GOD, Miroslav Slaboshpitsky’s THE TRIBE, Chuck Workman’s (EVERYTHING IS BEAUTIFUL) MAGICIAN: THE ASTONISHING LIFE AND WORK OF ORSON WELLES, Sergei Loznitsa’s (MY JOY) MAIDAN, Maria Gamboa’s MATEO, Yȏji Yamada’s (THE TWILIGHT SAMURAI) THE LITTLE HOUSE and Christian Petzold’s (JERICHOW) PHOENIX.

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  • Portland International Film Festival Unveils 2015 Poster

    Portland International Film Festival 2015 poster

    The Portland International Film Festival released the poster, designed by Sandstrom Partners, for its 38th annual edition taking place February 5 to 21, 2015.

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  • 37th Portland International Film Festival Audience Awards; TWO LIVES Wins Best Narrative Feature, FINDING VIVIAN MAIER Wins Best Documentary

    FINDING VIVIAN MAIERFINDING VIVIAN MAIER

    The 37th Portland International Film Festival announced this year’s Alaska Airlines Audience Award winners voted on by the 38,000+ attendees on each of the 104 features and 24 shorts screened at the festival.  Earning top audience accolades for Best Narrative Feature is TWO LIVES (Germany) directed by George Maas and Judith Kaufmann.  FINDING VIVIAN MAIER (United States) directed by John Maloof and Charlie Siskel was selected as the Best Documentary Feature.  Maloof and Siskel also took home the audience award for Best New Director Award. The PIFF 37 audience chose ERNEST AND CELESTINE (France) as this year’s Best Animated Feature.  This year’s Short Film Awards go to directors Asa Blanck and Johan Palmgren for their film GRANDPA AND ME AND A HELICOPTER TO HEAVEN (Sweden) and Irene Taylor Brodsky’s ONE LAST HUG AND A FEW SMOOCHES: THREE DAYS AT GRIEF CAMP was the recipient of the Oregon Short Film Award. 

    PIFF 37 ALASKA AIRLINES AUDIENCE AWARD RESULTS 

    NARRATIVE FEATURES

    1. TWO LIVES / Germany / George Maas, Judith Kaufmann *best narrative feature
    2. IDA / Poland / Pawel Pawlikowski
    3. THE LUNCHBOX / India / Ritesh Batra
    4. CIRCLES / Serbia / Srdan Golubovic
    5. COHERENCE /US /James Ward Byrkit
    6. THE ZIG ZAG KID / The Netherlands / Vincent Bal
    7. ERNEST AND CELESTINE / France / S. Aubier, V. Patar, B. Renner
    8. OMAR / Palestine / Hany Abu-Assad
    9. THE BUTTERFLY’S DREAM / Turkey / Yilmaz Erdogan
    10. THE WIND RISES / Japan / Hayao Miyazaki

    DOCUMENTARY FEATURES

    1. FINDING VIVIAN MAIER / US / John Maloof, Charlie Siskel *best documentary feature
    2. TIM’S VERMEER / US / Teller
    3. PARTICLE FEVER / US / Mark Levinson
    4. LEVITATED MASS / US / Doug Pray
    5. CODE BLACK / US / Ryan McGarry
    6. MAIDENTRIP / The Netherlands / Jillian Schlesinger
    7. REMOTE AREA MEDICAL / US / Jeff Reichert, Farihah Zaman
    8. THE NEW RIJKSMUSEUM / The Netherlands / Oeke Hoogendijk
    9. CAIRO DRIVE / Egypt / Sherief Elkatsha
    10. GOOGLE AND THE WORLD BRAIN / Great Britain / Ben Lewis

    BEST NEW DIRECTORS

    1. FINDING VIVIAN MAIER / US / John Maloof, Charlie Siskel *best new director(s)
    2. CODE BLACK / US / Ryan McGarry
    3. THE LUNCHBOX / India / Ritesh Batra
    4. MAIDENTRIP / The Netherlands / Jillian Schlesinger
    5. THE DAY OF THE CROWS / France / Jean-Christophe Dessaint

     ANIMATED FEATURES

    1. ERNEST AND CELESTINE / France / S. Aubier, V. Patar, B. Renner *best animated feature
    2. CHEATIN’ / US / Bill Plympton
    3. THE DAY OF THE CROWS / France / Jean-Christophe Dessaint

    SHORTS

    1. GRANDPA AND ME AND A HELICOPTER TO HEAVEN / Sweden / Asa Blanck, Johan Palmgren *best short film
    2. SATURDAY GIRLS / France / Emilie Cherpitel
    3. GREAT / Germany / Andreas Henn
    4. ONE LAST HUG AND A FEW SMOOCHES: THREE DAYS AT GRIEF CAMP / Portland / Irene Taylor Brodsky
    5. THE APOTHOCARY / US / Helen Hood Scheer

    OREGON SHORTS

    1. ONE LAST HUG AND A FEW SMOOCHES: THREE DAYS AT GRIEF CAMP / Portland / Irene Taylor Brodsky *best Oregon short film
    2. 9 / Portland / Kimberly Warner
    3. PORTLAND MEADOWS / Portland / Vanessa Renwick

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  • After Dark Program Returns for 2014 Portland International Film Festival

    NOTHING BAD CAN HAPPENNOTHING BAD CAN HAPPEN

    After taking a break during last year’s Festival, the popular After Dark program will return for this year’s Portland International Film Festival with SIX midnight movies.  Among the film  selections are new cult director Ti West’s (THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL) THE SACRAMENT, the “bold, metaphysical sci-fi satire” THE CONGRESS from animator Ari Folman (WALTZ WITH BASHIR), Zack Parker’s harrowing thriller PROXY, James Ward Byrkit’s “mind-bending sci-fi thriller” COHERENCE, Katrin Gebbe’s “intense and gripping first feature” NOTHING BAD CAN HAPPEN, and Alex van Warmerdam’s “dark, mischievous, and unsettling fable” BORGMAN.

    Complete PIFF After Dark listings:

    Friday, February 7th at 11:45p.m.

    BORGMAN (Dir. Alex van Warmerdam)

    A dark, mischievous, and unsettling fable about a strange vagabond, Borgman takes the concept of home invasion to captivating new levels. Driven by the authorities from his underground hideout, the enigmatic Camiel Borgman is on the run. Covered in dirt, he arrives at Marina and Richard’s large suburban home asking to use their shower, thus beginning a game of sly calculation as he insinuates himself into their lives. He soon starts to manipulate the family with almost preternatural charisma as his more sinister plans make themselves known in chilling fashion. Filled with nasty humor and demonic imagination, van Warmerdam’s film shows that “evil comes in everyday form, embodied within ordinary, normal, polite men and women…enacted not just on cold winter nights but in the optimistic summer, beneath a warm and comforting sun.”—Alex van Warmerdam. (113 mins.)

    Saturday, February 8th at 11:45p.m.

    THE SACRAMENT (Dir. Ti West)

    A shocking tale of devotion gone horribly wrong, The Sacrament offers a disturbing vision of the power of groupthink. Patrick is a photographer whose once drug-addicted sister Caroline is a member of an isolated sober-living community in Mississippi. Patrick discovers that the program is closer to a communal-living collective and that there is a strange and charismatic leader of the group, known only as “Father.” When his sister leaves the country to start a new utopian society in the jungle, he enlists two co-workers to shoot a documentary on their whereabouts. Based on detailed research of the infamous Jonestown massacre, The Sacrament provides a terrifying examination of modern religion, charismatic influence, and the exploitation of power as West explores the horrific idea of a man who can talk people into killing themselves. (95 mins.)

    >Director Ti West in attendance. 

     

    Friday, February 14th at 11:45p.m.

    THE CONGRESS (Dir. Ari Folman)

    “Folman’s follow-up to his strikingly rotoscoped Waltz with Bashir is a bold, metaphysical sci-fi satire: a live-action set-up that goes down the rabbit hole of loony animation partway through. Based on a novel by Solarisauthor Stanislaw Lem, The Congress sees Robin Wright playing Robin Wright, an actress with diminishing options in a savage and surreal movie business. When her agent (Harvey Keitel) delivers an ultimatum, Wright’s only choice is to sell her very identity. Plunged into a lurid Orwellian future, she must rediscover herself with the help of her personal animator (Jon Hamm) and human doctor (Paul Giamatti).”—London Film Festival. “[A] visionary work…it’s lyrical and mysterious, contemplating age-old sci-fi questions (of artificial intelligence, of perception versus reality) while grafting them onto a commentary about the changing nature of movies.”— RogerEbert.com. (120 mins.)
     

    Saturday, February 15th at 11:45p.m.

    NOTHING BAD CAN HAPPEN (Dir. Katrin Gebbe)

    Young Tore belongs to the fervent Jesus Freaks, a fundamentalist Christian punk movement rebelling against established religion whilst at the same time following Jesus’s precepts of love. One day, in what appears to be a miracle, Tore manages to repair a car that has broken down and gets to know the driver, Benno. Before long, Tore moves into a tent in Benno’s garden and gradually becomes part of his family. But Benno can’t resist playing a cruel game, designed to test Tore’s faith. As the violence become more and more extreme, Tore’s capacity for love is pushed to its limits. “Intense and gripping…a robust and compelling first feature…deserving of a special Palme d’Horreur.”—Variety. (110 mins.)
     

    Friday, February 21th at 11:45p.m.

    PROXY (Dir. Zack Parker)

    “As a pregnant Esther (Alexia Rasmussen) walks home, she is viciously attacked by a hooded assailant. In the wake of this traumatic event, she finds some consolation and normalcy in the kindly Melanie (Alexa Havins), whom she meets at a support group. But a chance encounter makes it clear that nothing—and no one—in Esther’s life is as it appears. Setting off a chain reaction of increasingly shocking revelations, Proxytwists and turns its way through loss, grief, and death. The surprise standout is auteur Joe Swanberg in a supporting role as Melanie’s husband. Be warned: Proxy begins with some deeply disturbing content, but this immensely challenging thriller will reward audiences who stick with it as it delves into very dark territory and confronts our every assumption and belief about what we have seen.”—Toronto International Film Festival.(120 mins.)

    Director Zack Parker in attendance.

     

    Saturday, February 22nd at 11:45p.m.

    COHERENCE (Dir. James Ward Byrkit)

    A group of friends and ex-lovers learn why you should not throw a dinner party the night a mysterious comet is passing close to Earth in this mind-bending science fiction thriller. The first glasses of wine have barely been poured when tensions start to rise. None of that matters, however, when the lights go off throughout the neighborhood, all except for one house a few blocks over, lit up like a beacon in the darkness. “Coherence is a cerebral low-budget sci-fi that dives headfirst into a pool of quantum mechanics and theoretical physics. It’s a tightly focused, intimately shot film that quickly ratchets up the tension and mystery.Coherence is relationship drama turned on its head, giving you plenty to think about without spoon-feeding you any answers.”—Fantastic Fest. (89 mins.)

    Director James Ward Byrkit in attendance.

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  • BELLE and Master Animator Hayao Miyazaki’s THE WIND RISES to Open 2014 Portland International Film Festival

    bella-the-wind-rises-opens portland international film festival 

    The 37th Portland International Film Festival (PIFF 37) opens on February 6th with two films – THE WIND RISES, the final work from master animator Hayao Miyazaki, will screen at at OMSI and Cinema 21, and the critically-acclaimed feature BELLE, starring Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Emily Watson, and Tom Wilkinson screens at the Whitsell Auditorium, located in the Portland Art Museum. The festival will run through the February 22nd, 2014.

    This year’s Festival includes the return of the popular PIFF After Dark program, showcasing midnight movies like Ti West’s (THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL) THE SACRAMENT and Ari Folman’s (WALTZ WITH BASHIR) THE CONGRESS. Seven animated features on the lineup include THE APOSTLE, MY MOMMY IS IN AMERICA AND SHE MET BUFFALO BILL, and the latest film by Portland-born animator Bill Plympton, CHEATIN’.  Other highlights of PIFF 37 include screenings of Tsai Ming-Liang’s (WHAT TIME IS IT OVER THERE?) STRAY DOGS, Rithy Panh’s THE MISSING PICTURE, Doug Pray’s (HYPE!) LEVITATED MASS, François Ozon’s (SWIMMING POOL) YOUNG AND BEAUTIFUL, Jillian Schlesinger’s MAIDENTRIP, Alain Guiraudie’s STRANGER BY THE LAKE, Anthony Chen’s ILO ILO and Claude Lanzmann’s (SHOAH) THE LAST OF THE UNJUST.  

    THE WIND RISESTHE WIND RISES

    THE WIND RISES

    In THE WIND RISES, Miyazaki, co-founder of the legendary Studio Ghibli, eschewing his typically fictional characters ensconced in a fantasy world, instead brings to life the story of Jiro Horikoshi, visionary designer of one of history’s most beautiful airplanes—the prototype for the Zero WWII fighter. Adapted from Miyazaki’s own serialized manga, which was itself inspired by Tatsuo Hori’s 1937 story of the same name, this epic tale of love, invention, and hope spans decades, sweeping through great historical moments of 20th-century Japan. In what he has said is his last film, the winner of dozens of international awards, Miyazaki dazzles with his usual beautifully rendered flourishes, but this time exploring a grounded, evolved, and sophisticated nostalgia that is a fitting final celebration of art, science, and the impulse to create.  

    http://youtu.be/imtdgdGOB6Q

    BELLE BELLE

    BELLE 

    Often missing from the gorgeous settings, romances, and sophisticated language of English period dramas is the institution at the foundation of that refined life: slavery. Raised by her aristocratic great-uncle Lord Mansfield (Tom Wilkinson) and his wife (Emily Watson), Belle’s (Gugu Mbatha-Raw) lineage—the illegitimate, biracial daughter of a Royal Navy admiral in 18th-century Britain—affords her wealth and certain privileges, but the color of her skin keeps her on the outside looking in. Left to wonder if she will ever find love or acceptance, Belle falls for an idealistic young vicar’s son bent on change who, with her help, shapes Lord Mansfield’s role as Lord Chief Justice to end slavery in England— and end her question, “How may I be too high in rank to dine with the servants but too low to dine with my family?”  

    http://youtu.be/Wtdk6owFj2o

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  • ‘Potiche’ to open 34th Portland International Film Festival

    The 34th Portland International Film Festival opens Thursday, February 10, at the Newmark Theater in the Portland Center for the Performing Arts (PCPA) with the French film Potiche from director François Ozon (Under the Sand, Swimming Pool, 8 Women). This light-hearted, sharp-tongued comedy stars two of the most acclaimed and beloved French actors of all time, Catherine Deneuve (The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, Belle de Jour, Indochine) and Gérard Depardieu (The Last Metro, Jean de Florette, Cyrano de Bergerac). The film tells the story of a submissive wife who successfully takes over the running of her husband’s factory when he is forced out by his employees.

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