1944

  • Palm Springs International Film Festival Announces Complete Line-up of Premieres, New Voices/New Visions Competition and Modern Masters

    Nicholas Hytner’s THE LADY IN THE VAN The 27th Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF) running from January 1-11, 2016 in Palm Springs, California, announced its line-up of Premieres, New Voices/New Visions competition and Modern Masters. “I am thrilled at the breadth and depth of this year’s program,” said Festival Artistic Director Helen du Toit. “While Modern Masters showcases such widely acclaimed filmmakers as as Apichatpong Weerasethakul, Barbara Kopple and Terence Davies, our New Voices/New Visions program is evidence that new masters are emerging around the world. The range of approaches is extraordinary. Highlights include Raam Reddy’s Thithi (India), which skillfully juggles myriad characters in a delightful low key comedy; Yorgos Zois’ Interruption (Greece), which challenges the audience with a complex and highly compelling narrative; and Maris Curran’s Five Nights in Maine (USA), featuring David Oyelowo’s nuanced and heartbreaking performance as a widower reconnecting with his estranged mother-in-law.” Showcasing the diversity of international cinema, Festival premieres will include: World premieres: 50 Days in the Desert (Luxembourg) directed by Fabrizio Maltese, Agnes (Germany/Belgium), the documentary Broadway: Beyond the Golden Age (US) featuring Alec Baldwin, Carol Channing, Dick Van Dyke, Jane Fonda and Robert Redford, The Carer (Hungary/UK), Going Going Gone (UK), Searchdog (US) and Set the Thames on Fire (UK). North American premieres: Banat (Italy/Romania/Bulgaria/Macedonia), Death By Death (Belgium/France), A Decent Man (Switzerland), Departure (France/UK), Fly Away Solo (India/France), Interruption (Greece/Croatia), A Korean in Paris (South Korea/France), The Memory of Water (Chile/Spain/Argentina/Germany), Moor (Pakistan), On My Mother’s Side (Canada), Paradise Trips (Belgium/Croatia), Rosita (Denmark), Spy Time (Spain), Tanna (Australia/Vanuatu), Thithi (India/US/Canada), Utopians (Hong Kong) and When a Tree Falls (Spain). U.S. premieres: 1944 (Estonia/Finland), 3000 Nights (Palestine/France/Jordan/Lebanon), Atomic Falafel (Israel/Germany/New Zealand), Belgian Rhapsody (Belgium), Beyond My Grandfather Allende (Chile/Mexico), Born to Dance (New Zealand), Closet Monster (Canada), Enclave (Serbia/Germany), The Endless River (South Africa/France), Endorphine (Canada), Exotica, Erotica, Etc. (France), Fire Song (Canada), Five Nights in Maine (US), A Heavy Heart (Germany), Home Care (Czech Republic/Slovakia), Let Them Come (Algeria/France), My Big Night (Spain), My Internship in Canada (Canada), The Other Side (Italy/France), Our Everyday Life (Bosnia, Herzegovina/Slovenia/Croatia), The Paradise Suite (Netherlands/Sweden/Bulgaria), Parched (India/US/UK), Parisienne (France), Sabali (Canada), Sleeping Giant (Canada), Summer Solstice (Poland/Germany), Trap (Philippines), The Violin Teacher (Brazil), Wedding Doll (Israel) and Zubaan (India). The New Voices/New Visions competition showcases 12 US premieres from top emerging international directors marking their feature film debut at the Festival, with the additional criteria that the films selected are currently without U.S. distribution. Films selected for this year include: Banat (Italy/Romania/Bulgaria/Macedonia), Director Adriano Valerio Death By Death (Belgium/France), Director Xavier Seron Departure (UK/France), Director Andrew Steggall Five Nights in Maine (US), Director Maris Curran and starring David Oyelowo A Heavy Heart (Germany), Director Thomas Stuber Home Care (Czech Republic/Slovakia), Director Slávek Horák Interruption (Greece/Croatia), Director Yorgos Zois Let Them Come (Algeria/France), Director Salem Brahimi Our Everyday Life (Bosnia and Herzegovina/Slovenia/Croatia), Director Ines Tanovic Paradise Trips (Belgium/Croatia), Director Raf Reyntjens Sleeping Giant (Canada), Director Andrew Cividino Thithi (India/US), Director Raam Reddy The Modern Masters section features 10 films from international directors who set the standards for contemporary cinema. Films selected for this year include: Cemetery Of Splendour (Thailand/UK), Director Apichatpong Weerasethakul Dheepan (France), Director Jacques Audiard Miss Sharon Jones! (US), Director Barbara Kopple Mountains May Depart (China/France/Japan), Director Jia Zhangke My Golden Days (France), Director Arnaud Desplechin My Mother (Italy/France), Director Nanni Moretti Our Little Sister (Japan), Director Hirokazu Kore-eda Sunset Song (UK/Luxembourg), Director Terence Davies Sweet Bean (Japan), Director Naomi Kawase Women He’s Undressed (Australia), Director Gillian Armstrong Other Festival films with notable talent and directors include: 45 Years (UK) directed by Andrew Haigh and starring Charlotte Rampling and Tom Courtenay, Anomalisa (US) directed by Duke Johnson and Charlie Kaufman with the voices of David Thewlis and Jennifer Jason Leigh, Chronic (Mexico/France) starring Tim Roth, Closet Monster (Canada) with Connor Jessup and Isabella Rossellini, Eisenstein in Guanajuato (Netherlands/Mexico/Finland/Belgium/France) directed by Peter Greenaway, February (US/Canada) starring Kiernan Shipka and Emma Roberts, Hello, My Name is Doris (US) starring Sally Field, Max Greenfield, Beth Behrs and Stephen Root, Hitchcock/Truffaut (France/US) directed by Kent Jones and featuring Peter Bogdanovich, David Fincher and Richard Linklater, The Invitation (US) starring Logan Marshall-Green and Michiel Huisman, The Lady in the Van (UK) directed by Nicholas Hytner and starring Maggie Smith, Jim Broadbent and James Corden, (pictured above) Louder Than Bombs (USA) starring Jesse Eisenberg, Gabriel Byrne and Isabelle Huppert, Men & Chicken (Denmark) starring Mads Mikkelsen, Papa (Cuba) directed by Bob Yari and starring Giovanni Ribisi, Joely Richardson and Minka Kelly, A Perfect Day (Spain) starring Benicio del Toro, Tim Robbins and Olga Kurylenko, The Seventh Fire (US) executive produced by Terrence Malick, Natalie Portman and Chris Eyre, and Where to Invade Next (US) directed by Michael Moore.

    Read more

  • 40 Submissions for Best Foreign Language Film to Compete for FIPRESCI Award at Palm Springs International Film Festival

    A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence (Sweden), Director: Roy Andersson The 27th Palm Springs International Film Festival (PSIFF), scheduled January 1-11, 2016, announced the films selected to compete for the FIPRESCI Award in the Awards Buzz section. The Festival will screen 40 of the 80 official submissions to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for Best Foreign Language Film. Additional film programs will be announced in the upcoming weeks. The Awards Buzz section is selected by Festival programmers as the strongest entries in this year’s Academy Awards® race. A special jury of international film critics will review these films to present the FIPRESCI Award for Best Foreign Language Film of the Year, as well as Best Actor and Best Actress in this category. The following 40 films are selected to screen (in alphabetical order by country): Bota (Albania), Directors: Iris Elezi, Thomas Logoreci https://vimeo.com/122133505 The Clan (Argentina), Director: Pablo Trapero https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gnQab2Qq14 The Brand New Testament (Belgium), Director: Jaco Van Dormael Our Everyday Life (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Director: Ines Tanovic The Second Mother (Brazil), Director: Anna Muylaert https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOrbWcObwR4 The Judgment (Bulgaria), Director: Stephan Komandarev https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRCAYsrl37s Felix and Meira (Canada), Director: Maxime Giroux https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P8CeBCNrwvU The Club (Chile), Director: Pablo Larraín https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8c2DYoF7lA Embrace of the Serpent (Colombia), Director: Ciro Guerra https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vS73P3hZvPA The High Sun (Croatia), Director: Dalibor Matanic https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PqrRvNMcU8 Home Care (Czech Republic), Director: Slávek Horák https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdP5dEndQkI A War (Denmark), Director: Tobias Lindholm https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRkE5ZrPzs0 1944 (Estonia), Director: Elmo Nüganen https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6A4nLqOW6s Lamb (Ethiopia), Director: Yared Zeleke https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKh2M2ooD3w The Fencer (Finland), Director: Klaus Härö https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ShMAkhyC6bY Mustang (France), Director: Deniz Gamze Erguven https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E5nyY8E6CPg Labyrinth of Lies (Germany), Director: Giulio Ricciarelli https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xU0Ywoww70 Ixcanul (Guatemala), Director: Jayro Bustamante https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMMP0Z21zqU Son of Saul (Hungary), Director: László Nemes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOHDtPZmYj8 Rams (Iceland), Director: Grimur Hákonarson https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWOFWaltGRw Viva (Ireland), Director: Paddy Breathnach Baba Joon (Israel), Director: Yuval Delshad https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQLOlq1PfQs 100 Yen Love (Japan), Director: Masaharu Take https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwF-VZMEoFc Theeb (Jordan), Director: Naji Abu Nowar https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqUbMKf8c60 Babai (Kosovo), Director: Visar Morina https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXnmJBVtFBY Heavenly Nomadic (Kyrgyzstan), Director: Mirlan Abdykalykov https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5lJD36SBvo 600 Miles (Mexico), Director: Gabriel Ripstein https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGINGaYOlGs The Paradise Suite (Netherlands), Director: Joost van Ginkel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wezLXi_1Xpg The Wave (Norway), Director: Roar Uthaug https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIj4v8TfnyU Moor (Pakistan), Director: Jami Mahmood 11 Minutes (Poland), Director: Jerzy Skolimowski https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8IlSOg1-6Tk Arabian Nights: Volume 2 – The Desolate One (Portugal), Director: Miguel Gomes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i59kera1ayM Aferim! (Romania), Director: Radu Jude https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmTYOY_jQWc Enclave (Serbia), Director: Goran Radovanovic https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dddfro-Vt9M Flowers (Spain), Directors: Jon Garaño, Jose Mari Goenaga https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8L33oXnK75w A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence (Sweden), Director: Roy Andersson (pictured in main image above) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7pna4laaAk Iraqi Odyssey (Switzerland), Director: Samir https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTs2IMlv7rY The Assassin (Taiwan), Director: Hou Hsiao-hsien https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bqNyl72eBw How to Win at Checkers (Every Time) (Thailand), Director: Josh Kim https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfXh86HUpAA Sivas (Turkey), Director: Kaan Müjdeci https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWeZ0bZz12M

    Read more

  • Complete List of Films + Trailers for 81 Countries in Competition for 2015 Foreign Language Film Oscar

    SAND DOLLARS Eighty-one countries have submitted films for consideration in the 2015 Foreign Language Film Oscar category for the 88th Academy Awards®. Paraguay is a first-time entrant. The 2015 submissions are: Afghanistan, “Utopia,” Hassan Nazer, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZhbfzrKWLw Albania, “Bota,” Iris Elezi, Thomas Logoreci, directors; https://vimeo.com/122133505 Algeria, “Twilight of Shadows,” Mohamed Lakhdar Hamina, director; Argentina, “The Clan,” Pablo Trapero, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWia2xcELuI Australia, “Arrows of the Thunder Dragon,” Greg Sneddon, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6TSHuWQjixA Austria, “Goodnight Mommy,” Veronika Franz, Severin Fiala, directors; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7u3GCfr0U94 Bangladesh, “Jalal’s Story,” Abu Shahed Emon, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Cu0vvLRKsI Belgium, “The Brand New Testament,” Jaco Van Dormael, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9jEA8uzHwQ Bosnia and Herzegovina, “Our Everyday Story,” Ines Tanović, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OO6fH-cZpzA Brazil, “The Second Mother,” Anna Muylaert, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iNjwuQcvGms Bulgaria, “The Judgment,” Stephan Komandarev, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRCAYsrl37s Cambodia, “The Last Reel,” Sotho Kulikar, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1XmFpUAVvw Canada, “Félix and Meira,” Maxime Giroux, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-HFbAjkmeYQ Chile, “The Club,” Pablo Larraín, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8c2DYoF7lA China, “Go Away Mr. Tumor,” Han Yan, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65UUtHBHJZM Colombia, “Embrace of the Serpent,” Ciro Guerra, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vS73P3hZvPA Costa Rica, “Imprisoned,” Esteban Ramírez, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BFcdWPoxEzo Croatia, “The High Sun,” Dalibor Matanić, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcWDMgipJ78 Czech Republic, “Home Care,” Slavek Horak, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LdP5dEndQkI Denmark, “A War,” Tobias Lindholm, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRkE5ZrPzs0 Dominican Republic, “Sand Dollars,” Laura Amelia Guzmán, Israel Cárdenas, directors; (pictured above) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HeEPnn7ioE Estonia, “1944,” Elmo Nüganen, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4ni6KeO-AY Ethiopia, “Lamb,” Yared Zeleke, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKh2M2ooD3w Finland, “The Fencer,” Klaus Härö, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocTDfePRAOg France, “Mustang,” Deniz Gamze Ergüven, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ud2yfvjdKRU Georgia, “Moira,” Levan Tutberidze, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myW9KtGw8sA Germany, “Labyrinth of Lies,” Giulio Ricciarelli, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xU0Ywoww70 Greece, “Xenia,” Panos H. Koutras, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaZ3mOod9hk Guatemala, “Ixcanul,” Jayro Bustamante, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMMP0Z21zqU Hong Kong, “To the Fore,” Dante Lam, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3_4N1DoFbg Hungary, “Son of Saul,” László Nemes, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDP3TZilWHc Iceland, “Rams,” Grímur Hákonarson, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWOFWaltGRw India, “Court,” Chaitanya Tamhane, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4sc8z7zav9A Iran, “Muhammad: The Messenger of God,” Majid Majidi, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95HoUxTWGi0 Iraq, “Memories on Stone,” Shawkat Amin Korki, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kuBFjhUo5C8 Ireland, “Viva,” Paddy Breathnach, director; Israel, “Baba Joon,” Yuval Delshad, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQLOlq1PfQs Italy, “Don’t Be Bad,” Claudio Caligari, director; Ivory Coast, “Run,” Philippe Lacôte, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SDrpfbnKUk Japan, “100 Yen Love,” Masaharu Take, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwF-VZMEoFc Jordan, “Theeb,” Naji Abu Nowar, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqUbMKf8c60 Kazakhstan, “Stranger,” Yermek Tursunov, director; Kosovo, “Babai,” Visar Morina, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MXnmJBVtFBY Kyrgyzstan, “Heavenly Nomadic,” Mirlan Abdykalykov, director; Latvia, “Modris,” Juris Kursietis, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWCxsRlW8Bg Lebanon, “Void,” Naji Bechara, Jad Beyrouthy, Zeina Makki, Tarek Korkomaz, Christelle Ighniades, Maria Abdel Karim, Salim Haber, directors; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_ryTnlrB_s Lithuania, “The Summer of Sangaile,” Alanté Kavaïté, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HoijP-cGzfE Luxembourg, “Baby (A)lone,” Donato Rotunno, director; Macedonia, “Honey Night,” Ivo Trajkov, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdaM3dbsgNo Malaysia, “Men Who Save the World,” Liew Seng Tat, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DoUf5jSq_s Mexico, “600 Miles,” Gabriel Ripstein, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BGINGaYOlGs Montenegro, “You Carry Me,” Ivona Juka, director; Morocco, “Aida,” Driss Mrini, director; Nepal, “Talakjung vs Tulke,” Basnet Nischal, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zl-JXV0JTzw Netherlands, “The Paradise Suite,” Joost van Ginkel, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBxz3h3uhos Norway, “The Wave,” Roar Uthaug, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIr90-aG26Y Pakistan, “Moor,” Jami, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUgbkOedFOY Palestine, “The Wanted 18,” Amer Shomali, Paul Cowan, directors; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekhTuZpMw54 Paraguay, “Cloudy Times,” Arami Ullón, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSekF0ANW5o Peru, “NN,” Héctor Gálvez, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZalPtyQSMus Philippines, “Heneral Luna,” Jerrold Tarog, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_T1ykhy3Fg Poland, “11 Minutes,” Jerzy Skolimowski, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8IlSOg1-6Tk Portugal, “Arabian Nights – Volume 2, The Desolate One,” Miguel Gomes, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i59kera1ayM Romania, “Aferim!” Radu Jude, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mmTYOY_jQWc Russia, “Sunstroke,” Nikita Mikhalkov, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WypoUHTWH8 Serbia, “Enclave,” Goran Radovanović, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dddfro-Vt9M Singapore, “7 Letters,” Royston Tan, Kelvin Tong, Eric Khoo, Jack Neo, Tan Pin Pin,Boo Junfeng, K. Rajagopal, directors; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dI_Tp92v_OA Slovakia, “Goat,” Ivan Ostrochovský, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OOs0PTCC07A Slovenia, “The Tree,” Sonja Prosenc, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQlBmcyyVzg South Africa, “The Two of Us,” Ernest Nkosi, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uv0y8n0Pu0E South Korea, “The Throne,” Lee Joon-ik, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmsD3wvvGP8 Spain, “Flowers,” Jon Garaño, Jose Mari Goenaga, directors; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8L33oXnK75w Sweden, “A Pigeon Sat on a Branch Reflecting on Existence,” Roy Andersson, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7pna4laaAk Switzerland, “Iraqi Odyssey,” Samir, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LTs2IMlv7rY Taiwan, “The Assassin,” Hou Hsiao-hsien, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0bqNyl72eBw Thailand, “How to Win at Checkers (Every Time),” Josh Kim, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfXh86HUpAA Turkey, “Sivas,” Kaan Müjdeci, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWeZ0bZz12M United Kingdom, “Under Milk Wood,” Kevin Allen, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqHAwLeJzhU Uruguay, “A Moonless Night,” Germán Tejeira, director; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GV9N_SNC8DQ Venezuela, “Gone with the River,” Mario Crespo, director; https://vimeo.com/117647793 Vietnam, “Jackpot,” Dustin Nguyen, director. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O9NEbqrL9jw The 88th Academy Awards nominations will be announced live on Thursday, January 14, 2016, at 5:30 a.m. PT at the Academy’s Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills. The 88th Oscars® will be held on Sunday, February 28, 2016, at the Dolby Theatre® at Hollywood & Highland Center® in Hollywood, and will be televised live by the ABC Television Network at 7 p.m. ET/4 p.m. PT. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 225 countries and territories worldwide.

    Read more