ALANIS[/caption]
Eight films at the 2017 San Sebastian Film Festival will compete for the Cooperación Española Award, an award created to acknowledge the producer of the Ibero-American film that best contributes to human development, the eradication of poverty and the full exercise of human rights. The Award comes with a prize of 10,000 euros.
A Fantastic Woman
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8 Films Competing for ‘Cooperación Española Award’ at San Sebastian Film Festival
[caption id="attachment_24570" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] ALANIS[/caption]
Eight films at the 2017 San Sebastian Film Festival will compete for the Cooperación Española Award, an award created to acknowledge the producer of the Ibero-American film that best contributes to human development, the eradication of poverty and the full exercise of human rights. The Award comes with a prize of 10,000 euros.
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2017 Telluride Film Festival Announces Star Studded Lineup, WONDERSTRUCK, BATTLE OF THE SEXES and More
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BATTLE OF THE SEXES[/caption]
Telluride Film Festival today announced its official program selections for the 44th edition of the Telluride Film Festival, which takes place Friday, September 1 to Monday, September 4, 2017 in the beautiful mountain town of Telluride, Colorado. TFF will screen over sixty feature films, short films and revival programs representing twenty-six countries, along with special artist Tributes, Conversations, Panels, Student Programs and Festivities.
44th Telluride Film Festival is proud to present the following new feature films to play in its main program:
ARTHUR MILLER: WRITER (d. Rebecca Miller, U.S., 2017)
BATTLE OF THE SEXES (d. Valerie Faris, Jonathan Dayton, U.S., 2017)
DARKEST HOUR (d. Joe Wright, U.K., 2017)
DOWNSIZING (d. Alexander Payne, U.S., 2017)
EATING ANIMALS (d. Christopher Quinn, U.S., 2017)
FACES PLACES (d. Agnes Varda, JR, France, 2017)
A FANTASTIC WOMAN (d. Sebastián Lelio, Chile-U.S.-Germany-Spain, 2017)
FILM STARS DON’T DIE IN LIVERPOOL (d. Paul McGuigan, U.K., 2017)
FIRST REFORMED (d. Paul Schrader, U.S., 2017)
FIRST THEY KILLED MY FATHER (d. Angelina Jolie, U.S.-Cambodia, 2017)
FOXTROT (d. Samuel Maoz, Israel, 2017)
HOSTAGES (d. Rezo Gigineishvili, Georgia-Russia-Poland, 2017)
HOSTILES (d. Scott Cooper, U.S., 2017)
HUMAN FLOW (d. Ai Weiwei, U.S.-Germany, 2017)
THE INSULT (d. Ziad Doueiri, France-Lebanon, 2017)
LADY BIRD (d. Greta Gerwig, U.S., 2017)
LAND OF THE FREE (d. Camilla Magid, Denmark-Finland, 2017)
LEAN ON PETE (d. Andrew Haigh, U.K.-U.S., 2017)
LOVELESS (d. Andrey Zvyagintsev, Russia-France-Belgium-Germany, 2017)
LOVE, CECIL (d. Lisa Immordino Vreeland, U.S., 2017)
LOVING VINCENT (d. Dorota Kobiela, Hugh Welchman, U.K.-Poland, 2017)
A MAN OF INTEGRITY (d. Mohammad Rasoulof, Iran, 2017)
THE OTHER SIDE OF HOPE (d. Aki Kaurismäki, Finland, 2017)
THE RIDER (d. Chloé Zhao, U.S., 2017)
THE SHAPE OF WATER (d. Guillermo del Toro, U.S., 2017)
TESNOTA (d. Kantemir Balagov, Russia, 2017)
THE VENERABLE W. (d. Barbet Schroeder, France-Switzerland, 2017)
THE VIETNAM WAR (d. Ken Burns, Lynn Novick, U.S., 2017)
WORMWOOD (d. Errol Morris, U.S., 2017)
WONDERSTRUCK (d. Todd Haynes, U.S., 2017)
Two documentary shorts, HEROIN(E) (d. Elaine McMillion Sheldon, U.S., 2017) and LONG SHOT (d. Jacob LaMendola, U.S., 2017) will also play together in the main program.
The 2017 Silver Medallion Awards, given to recognize an artist’s significant contribution to the world of cinema, will be presented to Academy Award winning actor Christian Bale (TFF selection HOSTILES), and Oscar nominated cinematographer Ed Lachman (TFF selection WONDERSTRUCK). Tribute programs include a selection of clips followed by the presentation of the Silver Medallion, an onstage interview and a screening of the aforementioned films.
Guest Director Joshua Oppenheimer, who serves as a key collaborator in the Festival’s program, presents the following revival programs:
EVEN DWARFS STARTED SMALL (d. Werner Herzog, West Germany, 1970)
HOTEL OF THE STARS (d. Jon Bang Carlsen, Denmark, 1981)
THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER (d. Charles Laughton, U.S., 1955)
SALAM CINEMA (d. Mohsen Makhmalbaf, Iran, 1995)
TITICUT FOLLIES (d. Frederick Wiseman, U.S., 1967)
THE UMBRELLAS OF CHERBOURG (d. Jacques Demy, France, 1964)
Additional film revival programs, all newly restored, include THE BAKER’S WIFE (d. Marcel Pagnol, France, 1938); THE COTTON CLUB ENCORE (d. Francis Ford Coppola, U.S., 1984/2017); KEAN, OR DISORDER AND GENIUS (d. Aleksandr Volkoff, France, 1924), with the Mont Alto Orchestra; and
SUCH IS LIFE (d. Carl Junghan, Czechoslovakia, 1929).
Telluride Film Festival annually celebrates a hero of cinema who preserves, honors and presents great movies. This year’s Special Medallion award goes to Katriel Schory, director of the Israeli Film Fund.
Backlot, Telluride’s intimate screening room featuring behind-the-scenes movies and portraits of artists, musicians and filmmakers, will screen the following programs:
CINEMA THROUGH THE EYE OF MAGNUM (d. Sophie Bassaler, France, 2017)
FILMWORKER (d. Tony Zierra, U.S., 2017)
HITLER’S HOLLYWOOD (d. Rüdiger Suchsland, Germany, 2017)
JAMAICA MAN (d. Michael Weatherly, U.S., 2017)
PORTRAIT OF VALESKA GERT (d. Volker Schlöndorff, Germany, 1977) + EDGE OF ALCHEMY (d. Stacey Steers, U.S., 2017)
SLIM GAILLARD’S CIVILISATION (d. Anthony Wall, U.K., 1989)
THAT SUMMER (d. Göran Hugo Olsson, Sweden-U.S.-Denmark, 2017)
“Telluride Film Festival has long been a platform for films from many different cultures and backgrounds that celebrate diversity,” said Telluride Film Festival executive director Julie Huntsinger. “We feel it’s more important than ever to promote the unique and beautiful differences that exist in the world. From a wide range of new American and foreign cinema to eye-opening documentaries and gorgeous restorations, we are proud to present this 44th program and honor those artists who have made it possible.”
Telluride Film Festival’s shorts program, Filmmakers of Tomorrow, includes three sections: Student Prints, Great Expectations, and Calling Cards from sixteen emerging filmmakers from around the globe.
Telluride Film Festival’s Student Programs present students the opportunity to experience film as an art and expand participants’ worldview through film screenings and filmmaker discussions. The Student Symposium provides 50 graduate and undergraduate college students with a weekend-long immersion in cinema. The City Lights Project brings 15 high school students and five teachers from three schools the opportunity to participate in a concentrated program of screenings and discussions. FilmLAB offers a master-class program for UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television graduate filmmaking students. The FilmSCHOLAR program gives young film scholars and aspiring critics the opportunity to immerse themselves in a weekend of cinema and learn from some of the best in the field. Created in conjunction with the University of Wisconsin. University Seminars offer university professors and students special festival programming throughout the weekend.
Telluride Film Festival’s Talking Heads programs allow attendees to go behind the scenes with the Festival’s special guests. Six Conversations take place between Festival guests and the audience about cinema and culture, and three outdoor Noon Seminars feature a panel of Festival guests discussing a wide range of film topics. These programs are free and open to the public.
Additional Festivities will take place throughout the Festival including a Poster Signing with 2017 poster artist Lance Rutter; Book Signings with Loung Ung (First They Killed My Father), Peter Turner (Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool), Alice Waters (Coming to My Senses: The Making of a Counterculture Cook), and Willie Vlautin (Lean on Pete); and a special outdoor screening of AN INCONVENIENT SEQUEL: TRUTH TO POWER (d. Bonni Cohen, Jon Shenk, U.S., 2017) with Al Gore.
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12 Latino Films to Screen in 2017 San Sebastian International Film Festival Horizontes Latinos Program
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TO THE DESERT[/caption]
Twelve films produced in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, Uruguay and Venezuela, make up the Horizontes Latinos section of the 2017 San Sebastian International Film Festival.
The Horizontes Latinos section is a selection of feature films not yet screened in Spain, produced totally or partially in Latin America, directed by filmmakers of Latin origin or which have as their setting or subject matter Latino communities in the rest of the world. Half of the titles in the section are first or second works.
Among the films is premiere of the winner of the two Films in Progress 30 awards in San Sebastian, La educación del Rey (Rey’s Education), first feature film from Santiago Esteves (Mendoza, Argentina, 1983), who has written and directed short films including Los crímenes (Best Iberoamerican Short Film and Critics’ Award at Huesca 2011) and has worked as an editor for Pablo Trapero, Mariano Llinás or Juan Villegas.
Another of the selected first films is La novia del desierto (The Desert Bride) by directors Cecilia Atán (Buenos Aires, 1978) and Valeria Pivato (Buenos Aires, 1973), which, having landed the Films in Progress Toulouse Award, was premiered in Un Certain Regard at the Cannes Festival and has just won the Jury Award for Best Debut Feature at the Lima Film Festival. The documentary by Atán, Madres de Plaza de Mayo, la historia (2016), was nominated for the Emmy Awards, and Pivato, who has worked with directors including Juan José Campanella, Walter Salles or Pablo Trapero, won the Patagonik International Screenwriters Competition with his Project Antes y después… y después otra vez.
Temporada de caza (Hunting Season, Films in Progress 31) is the first feature film by Natalia Garagiola (Buenos Aires, 1982), who will compete in Venice at the International Critics’ Week, an independent section organised by the Italian Union of Film Critics. One of Garagiola’s shorts, Yeguas y Cotorras (2012), was selected for the Critic’s Week at Cannes.
Gustavo Rondón (Caracas, 1977) has written, helmed and produced numerous shorts later screened at festivals such as Tribeca, Biarritz, Toulouse and Havana. The most recent, Nostalgia (2012) was selected to compete in Berlin. La familia (Films in Progress 30), which was screened at the Cannes Critics’ Week and has just won Jury Award for Best Film at Lima Film Festival, brings his feature directorial debut.
The filmography of Alexandra Latishev (San José, Costa Rica) contains the prizewinning short Irene (2014) and the documentary Los volátiles, winner of the Best Documentary Feature Film and Audience Awards at the Costa Rica Festival. Medea (Films in Progress 30), which competed at the BAFICI (Buenos Aires International Independent Film Festival), marks her debut in feature films.
After numerous experiences in the non-fictional field, in 2013 Marcela Said (Santiago de Chile, 1972) directed her first feature-length fiction, El verano de los peces voladores, Films in Progress Toulouse Award in 2013 which had its premiere at the Cannes Directors’ Fortnight. Horizontes Latinos will see the screening of her second film, Los perros (Films in Progress 31), after its presentation at the Cannes Critics’ Week.
Las olas (The Waves, Films in Progress, 30) is the third feature film from the director, screenwriter, actor and singer Adrián Biniez (Remedios de Escalada, Argentina, 1974), whose debut, Gigante (2009) won the Grand Jury Prize, the Alfred Bauer Award – in recognition of a film that “opens new perspectives on cinematic art” – and the Best First Feature Award at the Berlinale, as well as the Horizontes Award in San Sebastian.
Michel Franco (Mexico City, 1979) landed a special mention in San Sebastian with Después de Lucía (After Lucía, 2012), Best Feature Film in Un Certain Regard at Cannes. As a moviemaker he also won the Best Screenplay Award at Cannes for Chronic (2015). He also has a long and outstanding background as a producer: in 2015 he won the Best First Feature Award in Berlin for 600 millas (600 Miles,Gabriel Ripstein) plus the Golden Lion in Venice and a Special Mention in San Sebastian for Desde allá (From Afar, Lorenzo Vigas), both selected for Horizontes Latinos. Now he returns to the Festival as a director with Las hijas de Abril (April’s Daughters), having won the Jury Prize at Un Certain Regard.
Sebastián Lelio (Mendoza, Argentina, 1974) has a trajectory closely related to San Sebastian. His first film, La Sagrada Familia, competed in Horizontes Latinos in 2005 after its screening in Films in Progress. His fourth feature, Gloria, won the Films in Progress Award in San Sebastian in 2012. His latest film, Una mujer fantástica (A Fantastic Woman), Silver Bear for Best Screenplay at the Berlinale, will open the section.
Affonso Uchôa (Contagem, Brazil) and João Dumans (Belo Horizonte, Brazil) jointly wrote A vizinhança do tigre / The Hidden Tiger (2014). Here they repeat their collaboration as the directors of Arábia /Araby, selected for the Rotterdam Festival official competition and winner of a special mention at the BAFICI. Uchôa is the director of Mulher à tarde / Afternoon Woman (2010) and wrote with Marília Rocha A cidade onde envelheço / Where I Grow Old (2016), selected for Films in Progress Toulouse in 2015 and for Zabaltegi-Tabakalera last year.
Al desierto (To the Desert) is the new feature film by Ulises Rosell (Buenos Aires, 1970), after the award-winning Sofacama / Sofabed (2006) and El etnógrafo / The Ethnographer (2012). Rosell wrote and directed this story of a kidnapping and hike across the Patagonia desert to premier in San Sebastian.
Lastly, Cocote, which has just won the Signs of Life section Award at the Locarno Festival, is the third film from the Dominican director Nelson Carlo de los Santos Arias (Santo Domingo, 1985), who in 2015 shot Santa Teresa y otras historias,a radical adaptation of Roberto Bolaño’s novel 2666, screened in Toronto and winner of awards in Marseille and Mar del Plata.
All twelve feature films compete for the Horizontes Award and its 35,000 euros. The six first and second films in the selection (La educación de Rey, La familia, Medea, Arábia, La novia del desierto and Temporada de caza) are also contenders for the EROSKI Youth Award.
2017 San Sebastian International Film Festival Horizontes Latinos Program
UNA MUJER FANTÁSTICA (A FANTASTIC WOMAN) SEBASTIÁN LELIO (CHILE- GERMANY – SPAIN – USA) Cast: Daniela Vega, Francisco Reyes, Luis Gnecco, Paulina García, Néstor Cantillana, Alonso Torres, Cristián Chaparro, Senén Arancibia OPENING FILM (IN COMPETITION) Marina is a young waitress and wannabe singer; Orlando owns a printing company. Together they plan their future. When Orlando dies suddenly, Marina has to stand up to his family and society to show them what she truly is: a complex, strong, forthright and… fantastic woman. Teddy Award and Silver Bear for Best Screenplay at the Berlinale 2017. AL DESIERTO (TO THE DESERT) ULISES ROSELL (ARGENTINA – CHILE) Cast: Valentina Bassi, Jorge Sesán, José María Marcos, Germán De Silva, Gastón Salgado Driven by the insecurity of her working situation, Julia, an employee at the Comodoro Rivadavia (Argentina) casino, gives in to the temptations of Gwynfor, a laconic man of Welsh descent, who promises her an administrative job with the oil company he works for. By the time she realises her mistake they are already well into the desert as they set out on an arduous hike across the Patagonia plain. Hunting, sheltering in caves and abandoned buildings, with no way out in the middle of infinite distances, the difficult coexistence will change as the days pass. In a pickup truck, on horseback, guided by trackers, superintendent Hermes Prieto is hot on their heels, convinced of finding some kind of trace in the midst of the desert. ARÁBIA / ARABY AFFONSO UCHÔA, JOÃO DUMANS (BRAZIL) Cast: Aristides de Sousa, Murilo Caliari, Glaucia Vandeveld, Renato Novaes, Adriano Araújo, Renan Rovida, Wederson Neguinho, Renata Cabral Young André lives in an industrial neighbourhood in Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, near an old aluminium factory. Once a week, his aunt Márcia, a voluntary nurse at the community hospital, visits himself and his younger brother to help them with the household chores while their mother is away. One day, one of the factory workers, Cristiano, a foreigner with a stormy background in the neighbourhood, suffers an accident at the factory. Márcia gives him first aid right in front of the factory, and asks André to go to Cristiano’s house to get his documents and some clothes. Entering the house, André comes across a mysterious notebook… COCOTE NELSON CARLO DE LOS SANTOS ARIAS (DOMINICAN REPUBLIC – ARGENTINA – GERMANY – QATAR) Cast: Vicente Santos, Judith Rodríguez, Yuberbi de la Rosa, Pedro Sierra, Isabel Spencer, José Miguel Fernander Alberto, an evangelical gardener, returns to his hometown for the funeral of his father, murdered by an influential man. To mourn the dead man, he is forced to participate in religious celebrations that go against both his will and his beliefs. LA EDUCACIÓN DEL REY (REY’S EDUCATION) SANTIAGO ESTEVES (ARGENTINA – SPAIN) Cast: Germán De Silva, Matías Encinas, Jorge Prado, Mario Jara, Martín Arrojo, Elena Schnell, Marcelo Lacerna, Esteban Lamothe Films in Progress 30 Bolting from his first ever heist, Reynaldo Galíndez, alias ‘Rey’, lands in the patio of the house inhabited by Carlos Vargas, a retired security guard. Vargas offers a deal: the young boy will repair the damage to his home in return for not being handed over to the police. The lessons given to the teenager by the former guard develop into a relationship not unlike the old legends of educating a king (for the “Rey” of his name, meaning “king”). But the agreement will start to fall apart when the loose ends of the robbery Reynaldo had been involved in start closing in around them. Films in Progress Industry Award and CAACI / Ibermedia TV Films in Progress Award in 2016. LA FAMILIA GUSTAVO RONDÓN CÓRDOVA (VENEZUELA – CHILE – NORWAY) Cast: Giovanny Garcia, Reggie Reyes Films in Progress 30 Twelve year-old Pedro roams the streets with his friends in the violent urban atmosphere of a working-class district of Caracas. When Pedro seriously injures another boy in a fight, his single father, Andrés, decides that they must make a run for it and hide. Although Andrés will realise that as a father he is incapable of controlling his son, the situation will bring them closer than they have ever been. LA NOVIA DEL DESIERTO ( THE DESERT BRIDE) CECILIA ATÁN, VALERIA PIVATO (ARGENTINA – CHILE) Cast: Paulina García, Claudio Rissi Films in Progress 31 Teresa (54) has worked for decades as a live-in maid in Buenos Aires. When the family sells the house, she is forced to take a job in a distant town. Though not particularly comfortable with the idea, she embarks on a journey through the desert. During her first stop in the land of the miracle-producing ‘Difunta Correa’ saint, she loses her bag with all her belongings. This incident leads her to cross paths with a travelling salesman, the only person who can help her. What seemed like the end of her world will prove to be her salvation. LAS HIJAS DE ABRIL (APRIL’S DAUGHTERS) MICHEL FRANCO (MEXICO) Cast: Emma Suárez, Ana Valeria Becerril, Hernán Mendoza, Joanna Larequi, Enrique Arrizon, Iván Cortés, Giovanna Zacarías, José Ángel García, Tony Dalton Valeria is 17 and pregnant. She lives in Puerto Vallarta with her step-sister Clara. Valeria doesn’t want April – the mother they haven’t seen for some time – to find out about her pregnancy. However Clara, compelled by financial difficulties and the responsibilities of having a baby in the house, decides to call her. Abril arrives with the intention of helping her daughters, but we soon understand why Valeria would have preferred her to stay away. LAS OLAS (THE WAVES) ADRIÁN BINIEZ (URUGUAY – ARGENTINA) Cast: Alfonso Tort, Julieta Zylberberg, Fabiana Charlo, Victoria Jorge, Ilana Hojman Films in Progress 30 Alfonso leaves work and heads for the beach. He dives into the sea and starts swimming. He surfaces on a beach where he and his family had been on holiday five years earlier. This is the start of a fantastic voyage through the different holidays and resorts he has visited during his lifetime: as a boy with his parents, on a mysterious island with his ex-wife, as a teenager with his friends, with Malaysian pirates and when camping in the same place with two different girlfriends in two consecutive years. LOS PERROS MARCELA SAID (CHILE – FRANCE) Cast: Antonia Zegers, Alfredo Castro, Rafael Spregelburd, Alejandro Sieveking Films in Progress 31 Mariana (42) belongs to the Chilean upper class; she spends her days managing an art gallery and learning how to ride a horse. Her riding instructor, Juan, 20 years her senior, is an ex-cavalry officer known as El Coronel, under investigation for human rights abuses committed during the Chilean dictatorship. When Mariana embarks on a romance with her mysterious teacher, she finds herself caught up in a complex situation from which she is loathe to escape on discovering her father’s close relationship with the man being investigated. MEDEA ALEXANDRA LATISHEV (COSTA RICA – ARGENTINA – CHILE) Cast: Liliana Biamonte, Javier Montenegro, Eric Calderón Films in Progress 30 María José’s life swings back and forth between the monotony of classes at the university, her eternally distant parents, rugby training and dares with her gay friend. Emotionally disconnected from her environment, when she meets Javier she tries to start a relationship with him. But none of her efforts to live a ‘normal’ life succeed. She harbours a secret that nobody notices: she’s a few months into her pregnancy. TEMPORADA DE CAZA (HUNTING SEASON ) NATALIA GARAGIOLA (ARGENTINA) Cast: Lautaro Bettoni, Germán Palacios, Boy Olmi, Rita Pauls Films in Progress 31 Nahuel is a teenager with an innate violent conduct. After his mother dies, he travels to Patagonia in Southern Argentina, where he encounters his biological father, who he hasn’t seen for more than a decade. Ernesto is a respected hunting guide who lives in the mountains with his second wife and daughters. The reunion is not an easy one, pride and resentment prevail in both father and son. They stubbornly resist any possible contact with one another. However, as the weeks go by and winter settles in, Nahuel starts giving in. Initial hostility gives place to curiosity, both towards his father’s universe of hunting and the life of a group of teenagers that he meets in the area. On his side, Ernesto’s roughness gives in to the undeniable love he has for his son…
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First Wave of Films Announced for 2017 Calgary International Film Festival, BORG/MCENROE and More
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BORG/MCENROE[/caption]
The Calgary International Film Festival (Calgary Film) announced the First Wave of Films playing at the 2017 festival. The first 10 films include BORG/MCENROE which opens the Toronto International Film Festival just weeks before Calgary Film begins. Based on a true story, this film recounts the legendary 1980 Wimbledon match between fierce rivals Björn Borg and John McEnroe.
“We’re always looking for standout films that are buzzing on the circuit, but we handpick for Calgary, with themes that do particularly well with our audiences,” said Brenda Lieberman, Programming Manager of the Calgary International Film Festival. “It’s one of the best parts of our job when we find the perfect combination of titles that excite our festival fans.”
FIRST WAVE FILMS – 2017 Calgary International Film Festival
BORG/MCENROE – Directed by Janus Metz This highly-anticipated biopic about one of the world’s greatest sports rivalries will have its world premiere as the Opening Night Film of the Toronto International Film Festival, mere weeks before it’s on screen in Calgary. THE DIVINE ORDER – Directed by Petra Biondina Volpe Even though this Swiss suffrage story takes place in the 1970s, it still feels relevant today. Lighthearted with a powerful message, women’s voices are at the centre of the narrative and behind the lens. A FANTASTIC WOMAN – Directed by Sebastián Lelio When Marina’s much older boyfriend dies, she must confront the taboo of their relationship to his family and society. Just announced as part of TIFF’s Galas & Special Presentations, this Spanish film was nominated for the Golden Berlin Bear for Best Picture and took home the Silver Berlin Bear for Best Screenplay at the Berlin International Film Festival. FÉLICITÉ – Directed by Alain Gomis With a mesmerizing soundtrack featuring the Kinshasa Symphonic Orchestra, the Congo-set film won the Grand Jury Prize at this year’s Berlin International Film Festival. THE LIGHT OF THE MOON – Directed by Jessica Thompson A woman struggles to regain control of her life after being sexually assaulted. Audience Award Winner for at SXSW, this first-time feature filmmaker casts BROOKLYN NINE-NINE’s Stephanie Beatriz in a revelatory performance. LIPSTICK UNDER MY BURKHA – Directed by AlanKrita Shrivastava This narrative feature from India, packed with humour and plenty of heart, features four women united in their yearning for freedom from society’s restrictive framework. NOBODY’S WATCHING – Directed by Julia Solomonoff An Argentine actor’s failure to establish himself in New York City mirrors the struggle of many immigrants who stumble in their new setting. Star Guillermo Pfening won the Best Actor at the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival in the International Narrative Feature category. SCORE: A FILM MUSIC DOCUMENTARY – Directed by Matt Schrader Some of Hollywood’s greatest film score composers come together to give viewers an unparalleled, behind the scenes look at the creative process, resulting in this fascinating celebration of some of the most iconic scores of all time. SMALL TOWN CRIME – Directed by Ian Nelms This critically-acclaimed, noir-ish thriller features a powerful cast, including Academy Award Nominee John Hawkes (WINTER’S BONE, DEADWOOD), Academy Award Winner Octavia Spencer (THE HELP, HIDDEN FIGURES) and Academy Award Nominee Robert Forster (JACKIE BROWN). A SWINGERS WEEKEND – Directed by Jonathan Cohen Packed with recognizable Canadian actors, including Erin Karpluk from Calgary and Jonas Chernick from previous Calgary Film Selections including MY AWKWARD SEXUAL ADVENTURE and HOW TO PLAN AN ORGY IN A SMALL TOWN, this sex comedy explores the relationships and kinks of three couples, who are all swinging for different reasons. What could possibly go wrong?
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Twenty-One Spanish Films Among Official Selections for San Sebastian Festival
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Life and Nothing More[/caption]
Twenty-one films with Spanish production are among the official selection films confirmed for the 65th edition of the San Sebastian Festival. From September 22 to 30 the Festival will premiere Life and Nothing More, the second film by Antonio Méndez Esparza, winner of the Cannes Critics’ Week award with Aquí y allá; Handia, the latest proposal from Jon Garaño and Aitor Arregi, director and screenwriters of Loreak (Flowers); El autor, by Manuel Martín Cuenca, third-time contender for the Golden Shell; Marrowbone, the directorial debut of screenwriter Sergio G. Sánchez; the first two episodes of the series La peste (The Plague), directed by Alberto Rodríguez; and Morir (Dying), the second film by Fernando Franco.
Manuel Martín Cuenca returns to the Official Selection with El autor, a film based on the novel El móvil (The Motive), by Javier Cercas, starring Javier Gutiérrez, María Leon and Antonio de la Torre, with a soundtrack by José Luis Perales.
Handia, based on the true story of Miguel Joaquín Eleizegi (1818-1861), known as the Altzo giant, explores his human side and how he related to the society of his time. Handia is the new film by Aitor Arregi and Jon Garaño. Jon Garaño directed Loreak (Flowers, Official Selection, 2014) together with Jose Mari Goenaga; Aitor Arregi wrote Loreak and directed Lucio (premiered in Zabaltegi Special Screenings in 2007) also with Goenaga.
Having landed the Cannes Critics’ Week award for Aquí y allá, his take on Mexican emigration, the moviemaker from Madrid, Antonio Méndez Esparza turns his eyes in Life and Nothing More towards the situation of a single mother and her 14 year-old son in the state of Florida.
Featuring out of competition in the Official Selection is Marrowbone, directorial debut of Sergio G. Sánchez, screenwriter of El Orfanato (The Orphanage), The Impossible (2012 Official Selection) and Palmeras en la nieve (Palm Trees in the Snow), who has recruited young British and North American talents for the film: Anya Taylor-Joy (The Witch, Split), George Mackay (Captain Fantastic), Mia Goth (A Cure for Wellness, Nymphomaniac. Vol. II) and Charlie Heaton (As You Are, Stranger Things).
Featuring in the special screenings section is Morir (Dying) by Fernando Franco, winner of the Special Jury Prize at the San Sebastian Festival and of the Goya Award to Best New Director for his first work, La herida. Morir (Dying), a free adaptation of the book of the same name by Arthur Schnitzler, stars Andrés Gertrúdix and Marian Álvarez, also winner with La herida of the Best Actress Silver Shell, endorsed by the Goya for Best Actress.
Spanish participation can also be found in La cordillera (The Summit), the film directed by Santiago Mitre which will be shown in a special screening to celebrate presentation of the Donostia Award to its leading man, the Argentine actor Ricardo Darín.
In New Directors, Nicolás Combarro (A Coruña, 1979), a well-known artist who uses different forms of expression including photography and sculpture, presents his first film, Alberto García-Alix. La línea de la sombra (Alberto García-Alix. The Shadow Line), portraying the universe of the Spanish photographer. Also in the section dedicated to new talents is the co-production between Chile, Spain and Argentina, Princesita (Princess), directed by Marialy Rivas, whose first feature, Joven & Alocada (Young & Wild, 2012), won the Best Screenplay Award at Sundance. Princesita (Princess) was a participant in the Films in Progress selection in 2015.
The co-production between Chile, Germany, Spain and United States Una mujer fantástica (A Fantastic Woman) by Sebastián Lelio, winner of the Silver Bear for Best Screenplay at the Berlinale, will open Horizontes Latinos, the selection of which includes La educación del Rey (Rey’s Education), by Santiago Esteves, winner of the two Films in Progress awards last year (Films in Progress 30 Industry Award and the CAACI / Ibermedia TV Films in Progress Award).
Competitors for the Zabaltegi-Tabakalera award include the first work as a director from Gustavo Salmerón, the documentary Muchos hijos, un mono y un castillo (Lots of Kids, a Monkey and a Castle), an allegory of the crisis which garnered the Best Documentary Award at the Karlovy Vary Festival, and the shorts Plágan (Kimuak 2017), by Koldo Almandoz, who competed in the same section last year with Sipo Phantasma (Ghost Ship), and Plus Ultra, by Samuel M. Delgado and Helena Girón, selected for the Locarno Festival. The coming feature film project by Delgado and Girón, Eles transportan a morte, has been selected for the Ikusmira Berriak 2017 program.
Furthermore, the co-production Loving Pablo, the film about drug lord Pablo Escobar, directed by Fernando León de Aranoa and starring Javier Bardem and Penélope Cruz, will close the Pearls section and will be screened in the Anoeta Velodrome.
The Velodrome also will host the premieres of Operación Concha (Operation Golden Shell), a screwball comedy set at the San Sebastian Festival, directed by Antonio Cuadri (El corazón de la tierra /The Heart of the Earth) and starring Jordi Mollà and Karra Elejalde, and Fe de etarras, fourth feature as a director from Borja Cobeaga, written by Diego San José and starring Javier Cámara, Julián López, Miren Ibarguren and Gorka Otxoa.
The Spanish Television gala will host the premiere of La llamada, the adaptation of the homonymous musical. The directors of the play, Javier Calvo and Javier Ambrossi, take their first steps in feature film territory with this movie starring Macarena García (Best Actress Silver Shell for Blancanieves / Snow White), Anna Castillo and Belén Cuesta.
Lastly, competing at the International Film Students Meeting is L’home llop (The Wolfman), directed by a student of the ESCAC (Escola Superior de Cinema i Audiovisuals de Catalunya), Lluís Sellarés.
OFFICIAL SELECTION
In competition
EL AUTOR MANUEL MARTÍN CUENCA (SPAIN – MEXICO) Production: LAZONA FILMS, ALEBRIJE CINE Y VÍDEO, ICÓNICA PRODUCCIONES, LA LOMA BLANCA P.C. Cast: Javier Gutiérrez, María León, Adelfa Calvo, Adriana Paz, Tenoch Huerta, Rafael Téllez, Antonio de la Torre Álvaro wants to be an author, but everything he puts down on paper rings false, pretentious and insipid. He works as a clerk at a notary’s office in Seville and his life is dull, only coloured by his dreams. His wife, Amanda, is quite the opposite. She’s always had her feet firmly on the ground and has never dreamt of becoming an author. However, she sets out to write and produces a bestseller. The ironies of life. Separation is inevitable. Just then, Álvaro decides to fulfil his dream: to write a great novel. But he can’t; he has neither the talent nor the imagination. Guided by Juan, his writing teacher, he studies the fundamentals of the novel, until discovering one day that fiction is in fact based on reality. Álvaro starts manipulating his neighbours and friends to create a story, a real story bigger than fiction. HANDIA AITOR ARREGI, JON GARAÑO (SPAIN) Production: IRUSOIN, MORIARTI PRODUKZIOAK, KOWALSKI FILMS S.L., AUNDIYA FILM A.I.E. Cast: Eneko Sagardoy, Joseba Usabiaga, Iñigo Aranburu, Ramon Agirre, Aia Kruse Having fought in the First Carlist War, Martin returns to his family farm in Gipuzkoa only to find that his younger brother, Joaquín, towers over him in height. Convinced that everyone will want to pay to see the tallest man on Earth, the siblings set out on a long trip all over Europe, during which ambition, money and fame will forever change the family’s fate. A story based on true events. LIFE AND NOTHING MORE ANTONIO MÉNDEZ ESPARZA (SPAIN – USA) Production: AQUÍ Y ALLÍ FILMS Cast: Andrew Bleechington, Regina Williams, Robert Williams, Ry’nesia Chambers Life and Nothing More portrays the reality of a single mother who lives in north Florida state with her children. In a context of social inequality, her life is nothing but a constant struggle to make it to the end of the month, while coping with routine and everyday difficulties, among which are the problem of her son’s behaviour and her permanent conflict when trying to become part of society.Not in competition
LA PESTE (THE PLAGUE) ALBERTO RODRÍGUEZ (SPAIN) Production: MOVISTAR+, ATÍPICA FILMS Cast: Pablo Molinero, Paco León, Sergio Castellanos, Patricia López Arnaiz, Manolo Solo, Lupe del Junco, Tomás del Estal, Paco Tous, Cecilia Gómez During an outbreak of the bubonic plague in the magnificent Seville of 1587, Mateo, a former soldier, returns, honouring his word to find and extract a dead friend’s son from the city. Previously, Mateo had been forced to flee the city to save his life, having been sentenced to death by the Inquisition for printing forbidden books. Before he can complete his task, Mateo is arrested by the Inquisitor’s bailiffs, who promise to pardon his life in exchange for solving a series of crimes of diabolic overtones being committed in Seville. MARROWBONE SERGIO G. SÁNCHEZ (SPAIN) Production: MARROWBONE, S.L, TELECINCO CINEMA Cast: George MacKay, Anya Taylor-Joy, Charlie Heaton, Mia Goth, Matthew Stagg Jack and his siblings struggle to survive at the rundown Marrowbone farm. Despite the blow of their mother’s early death, the four brothers have created in this remote and labyrinthine spot a refuge suited to their needs, safe from the outside world and with no adult help whatsoever. They stay together, observing their mother’s last wish; but the danger closing in around them isn’t to be found outside the farm. Strange noises and occurrences start shaking Marrowbone’s old walls, as if haunted by an ancient curse. With no other option but to stay in the mansion, the four brothers will have to find a way to overcome the threatening ominous presence.Special screenings
MORIR (DYING) FERNANDO FRANCO (SPAIN) Production: KOWALSKI FILMS, FERDYDURKE FILMS Cast: Andrés Gertrúdix, Marian Álvarez The lives of Luis and Marta are abruptly paralysed. Lies, guilt and fear put the couple’s stability and love to the test.DONOSTIA AWARD SPECIAL SCREENING
LA CORDILLERA (THE SUMMIT) SANTIAGO MITRE (ARGENTINA – SPAIN – FRANCE) Production: KRAMER & SIGMAN FILMS, MOD PRODUCCIONES, MANEKI FILMS, LA UNIÓN DE LOS RÍOS Cast: Ricardo Darín, Dolores Fonzi, Érica Rivas, Elena Anaya, Daniel Giménez-Cacho, Alfredo Castro, Gerardo Romano, Leonardo Franco, Paulina García, Christian Slater At a Summit for Latin American presidents in Chile, where the region’s geopolitical strategies and alliances are in discussion, Argentine president Hernán Blanco endures a political and family drama that will force him to face his own demons. He will have to come to two decisions that could change the course of his public and private life forever: one regarding a complicated emotional situation with his daughter, and the other, the most important political decisión of his career.NEW DIRECTORS
ALBERTO GARCÍA-ALIX. LA LÍNEA DE SOMBRA (ALBERTO GARCÍA-ALIX. THE SHADOW LINE) NICOLÁS COMBARRO (SPAIN) Production: MORELLI PRODUCCIONES Alberto García-Alix. La línea de sombra is the portrait of one of the most important photographers on the Spanish artistic scene, reference of an entire generation. A direct testimony of the lights and shadows through which Alberto García-Alix has had to make his way in order to find his path. Narrated from the intimacy of his studio, the film takes the shape of a voyage between the present and the past. A dialogue between his life and work. PRINCESITA (PRINCESS) MARIALY RIVAS (CHILE – SPAIN – ARGENTINA) Production: FABULA, SETEMBRO CINE, SUDESTADA CINE Cast: Sara Caballero, Marcelo Alonso, Maria Gracia Omegna Films in Progress 28 In a far-off country at the end of the world Tamara, aged 12, lives under the wing of charismatic cult leader Miguel, a man she adores. That summer the girl will be given a mission: to have a holy child with him immediately she has her first period. Tamara realises that the life she wants for herself is not the same as the fate imposed on her. Her disobedience will lead to her violent development from child to woman, forcing her to gain her freedom in a way she had never imagined.HORIZONTES LATINOS
UNA MUJER FANTÁSTICA (A FANTASTIC WOMAN) SEBASTIÁN LELIO (TXILE – GERMANY – SPAIN – USA) Production: FABULA, KOMPLIZEN FILM, SETEMBRO CINE Cast: Daniela Vega, Francisco Reyes, Luis Gnecco, Paulina García, Néstor Cantillana, Alonso Torres, Cristián Chaparro, Senén Arancibia OPENING FILM (IN COMPETITION) Marina is a young waitress and wannabe singer; Orlando owns a printing company. Together they plan their future. When Orlando dies suddenly, Marina has to stand up to her family and society to show them what she truly is: a complex, strong, forthright and… fantastic woman. Teddy Award and Silver Bear for Best Screenplay at the Berlinale 2017. LA EDUCACIÓN DEL REY (REY’S EDUCATION) SANTIAGO ESTEVES (ARGENTINA – SPAIN) Production: 13 CONEJOS, NEPHILIM S.A. Cast: Germán De Silva, Matías Encinas, Jorge Prado, Mario Jara, Martín Arrojo, Elena Schnell, Marcelo Lacerna, Esteban Lamothe Bolting from his first ever heist, Reynaldo Galíndez, alias ‘Rey’, lands in the patio of the house inhabited by Carlos Vargas, a retired security guard. Vargas proposes a deal: the young boy will repair the damage to his home in return for not being handed over to the police. The lessons given to the teenager by the former guard develop into a relationship not unlike the old legends of educating a king (for the “Rey” of his name, meaning “king”). But the agreement will start to fall apart when the loose ends of the robbery Reynaldo had been involved in start closing in around them. Films in Progress Industry Award and CAACI / Ibermedia TV Films in Progress Award in 2016.ZABALTEGI-TABAKALERA
MUCHOS HIJOS, UN MONO Y UN CASTILLO (LOTS OF KIDS, A MONKEY AND A CASTLE.) GUSTAVO SALMERÓN (SPAIN) Production: GUSTAVO SALMERÓN P.C. Cast: Julia Salmerón, Antonio García Cabanes, Gustavo Salmerón, Nacho Salmerón, Ramón García Salmerón, David García Salmerón, Paloma García Cabanes This is the story about Julita, a matriarch whose three childhood wishes have been granted: lots of kids, a monkey, and a Spanish castle. At her 81 years old, one of her children needs to find the vertebra of his murdered great-grandmother, lost among the exorbitant amount of weird objects she has hoarded throughout her life, revealing a very picturesque family history. This unique old lady is about to find the meaning of life. Winner of the Award to the Best Documentary at Karlovy Vary. PLÁGAN (PLAGUE) Short film KOLDO ALMANDOZ (SPAIN) Production: TXINTXUA FILMS SL, MKM Plague: From the Latin plague ‘blow’, ‘wound’. Meaning: Massive and sudden appearance of living beings of a same species which cause serious damage to animal or vegetable populations. Abundance of something harmful. PLUS ULTRA Short film SAMUEL M. DELGADO, HELENA GIRÓN (SPAIN) Production: EL VIAJE FILMS, FILMIKA GALAIKA Cast: David Pantaleón, Rubén Rodríguez, María Isabel Díaz, Elena Navarro, Mercedes Pintado Plus Ultra is Spain’s motto. It was used to encourage seafarers to conquer new lands, forgetting Greek mythology’s warning: Non Terrae Plus Ultra (No Land Beyond). The Canary Islands – test bench for the tactics used to colonise America – become the scene of a fable about the territory. VERGÜENZA JUAN CAVESTANY, ÁLVARO FERNÁNDEZ ARMERO (SPAIN) Production: MOVISTAR+, APACHE FILMS S.L. Cast: Javier Gutiérrez, Malena Alterio, Vito Sanz Jesús and Nuria have a problem: no matter what they do, they’re always the laughing stock of their family and friends, stupidly making a fool of themselves. He is a wedding and christening photographer, but believes he has a calling to show his true talent in ‘artistic’ photography. She believes that after her temporary crises she’ll start to have a more interesting life. Together they must decide whether being so pathetic is just a passing virus or if they actually have a chronic disease. Vergüenza is a ten chapter television series. SAURA(S) FÉLIX VISCARRET (SPAIN) Production: IMVAL PRODUCCIONES, PANTALLA PARTIDA Félix Viscarret is a young director. Carlos Saura is a living legend. United by the Cineastas Contados initiative tribute to the genius from Aragon, Viscarret devises a plan for his personal portrayal of the veteran filmmaker. It’s brilliant. It will show the most intimate Saura through conversations between the master and his 7 children. All accept. Saura isn’t fond of talking about the past. Viscarret insists. Saura likes painting. And photography.PEARLS
LOVING PABLO FERNANDO LEÓN DE ARANOA (SPAIN – BULGARIA) Production: ESCOBAR FILMS AIE, B2Y OOD LTD, JAVIER BARDEM Cast: Javier Bardem, Penélope Cruz CLOSING NIGHT FILM Not in competition The true story of the notorious drug kingpin Pablo Escobar, who killed thousands, made billions and struck up an unlikely love affair with his polar opposite, a glamorous television host named Virginia Vallejo.VELODROME
FE DE ETARRAS BORJA COBEAGA (SPAIN) Production: NETFLIX, MEDIAPRO Cast: Javier Cámara, Gorka Otxoa, Julian López, Miren Ibarguren, Ramón Barea Fe de etarras is an unusual dark comedy set in the warm summer of 2010 in a Spanish provincial capital. A peculiar commando composed of a veteran desperate to prove he’s not a coward, a couple whose commitment depends on continuity of the outfit and a guy from La Mancha who thinks that joining the commando will turn him into Chuck Norris, hole up in a safe house while waiting for the call to tell them they can take action. Meanwhile, the Spanish football team notches up victories in the South Africa World Cup and the whole country is celebrating around them, causing enormous frustration among the farcical commando. OPERACIÓN CONCHA (OPERATION GOLDEN SHELL) ANTONIO CUADRI (SPAIN – MEXICO) Production: ABRA PROD S.L., SPLINE PRODUCCIÓN AUDIOVISUAL S.A. DE CV (CARIBBEAN FIMS) Cast: Jordi Mollà, Karra Elejalde, Unax Ugalde, Ramón Agirre, Bárbara Goenaga, Bárbara Mori, Mara Escalante, Alosian Vivancos Unscrupulous businessman Marcos Ruiz de Aldazábal (Karra Elejalde) is the head of a film production company gone bust. Desperate and penniless, Marcos and his team come up with a plan to hoodwink a millionnaire investment company with a lookalike of prestigious actor Ray Silvela (Jordi Mollà), who has declined the offer to work on their film. Making the most of the San Sebastian Festival context, they set about contriving a massive hoax where nothing is what it seems to be.TVE SPECIAL SCREENING
LA LLAMADA (HOLY CAMP) JAVIER CALVO, JAVIER AMBROSSI (SPAIN) Production: APACHE FILMS, LO HACEMOS Y YA VEMOS AIE, SÁBADO PELÍCULAS Cast: Macarena García, Anna Castillo, Belén Cuesta, Gracia Olayo Segovia. A Christian Summer camp, called ‘The Compass’. Bernarda, a nun who has just got there, wants to save the camp with her song Viviremos firmes en la fe. Sister Milagros, a young woman who doubts, remembers she liked Presuntos Implicados very much. María and Susana, two adolescents who are there as a punishment, have a band called Suma Latina. But since God appeared to María, everything is changing. And that’s because God loves Whitney Houston.INTERNATIONAL FILM STUDENTS MEETING
L’HOME LLOP (THE WOLFMAN) Short film LLUÍS SELLARÈS (SPAIN) Cast: Nico Roig, Mar del Hoyo ESCAC (Spain) Nico is half of the couple who stays at home while Mar is working, looking out the window the vastness of the forest and seeking for new ways to procrastinate.
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Films by Angelina Jolie, George Clooney Among Gala + Special Presentation Films for Toronto Film Festival
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First They Killed My Father – Angelina Jolie[/caption]
The Toronto International Film Festival today unveiled the first round of titles premiering in the Gala and Special Presentations programs of the 42nd edition of the festival, taking place from September 7 to 17, 2017.
Of the 14 Galas and 33 Special Presentations, this first announcement includes 25 World Premieres, eight International Premieres, six North American Premieres and eight Canadian Premieres.
“Festival-goers from around the world can anticipate a remarkable lineup of extraordinary stories, voices and cinematic visions from emerging talent and some of our favorite masters,” said Piers Handling, CEO and Director of TIFF. “Today’s announcement offers audiences a glimpse at this year’s rich and robust selection of films, including works from Canada, USA, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain, Ireland, Luxembourg, Belgium, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, India, Chile, Egypt and Cambodia.”
“Every year we set the stage for film lovers of all ages and cultural backgrounds to come together and embrace the universal power of cinema,” said Cameron Bailey, Artistic Director of TIFF. “As the Festival enters its fifth decade, we’ve challenged ourselves to adapt and build on our strengths, and we look forward to championing a new selection of films that will captivate and inspire global film audiences.”
GALAS 2017
Breathe Andy Serkis, United Kingdom World Premiere The Catcher Was A Spy Ben Lewin, USA World Premiere *Closing Night Film* C’est la vie! Olivier Nakache, Eric Toledano, France World Premiere Darkest Hour Joe Wright, United Kingdom Canadian Premiere Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool Paul McGuigan, United Kingdom Canadian Premiere Kings Deniz Gamze Ergüven, France/Belgium World Premiere Long Time Running Jennifer Baichwal, Nicholas de Pencier, Canada World Premiere Mary Shelley Haifaa Al Mansour, Ireland/United Kingdom/Luxembourg/USA World Premiere The Mountain Between Us Hany Abu-Assad, USA World Premiere Mudbound Dee Rees, USA International Premiere Stronger David Gordon Green, USA World Premiere Untitled Bryan Cranston/Kevin Hart Film Neil Burger, USA World Premiere The Wife Björn Runge, United Kingdom/Sweden World Premiere Woman Walks Ahead Susanna White, USA World PremiereSPECIAL PRESENTATIONS 2017
Battle of the Sexes Valerie Faris, Jonathan Dayton, USA International Premiere BPM (Beats Per Minute) Robin Campillo, France North American Premiere The Brawler Anurag Kashyap, India World Premiere The Breadwinner Nora Twomey, Canada/Ireland/Luxembourg World Premiere Call Me By Your Name Luca Guadagnino, Italy/France Canadian Premiere Catch the Wind Gaël Morel, France International Premiere The Children Act Richard Eyre, United Kingdom World Premiere The Current War Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, USA World Premiere Disobedience Sebastián Lelio, United Kingdom World Premiere Downsizing Alexander Payne, USA Canadian Premiere A Fantastic Woman Sebastián Lelio, Chile Canadian Premiere First They Killed My Father Angelina Jolie, Cambodia Canadian Premiere The Guardians Xavier Beauvois, France World Premiere Hostiles Scott Cooper, USA International Premiere The Hungry Bornila Chatterjee, India World Premiere I, Tonya Craig Gillespie, USA World Premiere *Special Presentations Opening Film* Lady Bird Greta Gerwig, USA International Premiere mother! Darren Aronofsky, USA North American Premiere Novitiate Maggie Betts, USA International Premiere Omerta Hansal Mehta, India World Premiere Plonger Mélanie Laurent, France World Premiere The Price of Success Teddy Lussi-Modeste, France International Premiere Professor Marston & the Wonder Women Angela Robinson, USA World Premiere The Rider Chloé Zhao, USA Canadian Premiere A Season in France Mahamat-Saleh Haroun, France World Premiere The Shape of Water Guillermo del Toro, USA Canadian Premiere *Special Presentations Closing Film* Sheikh Jackson Amr Salama, Egypt World Premiere The Square Ruben Östlund, Sweden North American Premiere Submergence Wim Wenders, France/Germany/Spain World Premiere Suburbicon George Clooney, USA North American Premiere Thelma Joachim Trier, Norway/Sweden/France/Denmark International Premiere Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri Martin McDonagh, USA North American Premiere Victoria and Abdul Stephen Frears, United Kingdom North American Premiere
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A FANTASTIC WOMAN, INSYRIATED, MR LONG Among First 6 Films Revealed for Stockholm International Film Festival
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A Fantastic Woman (Una Mujer Fantástica)[/caption]
The Stockholm International Film Festival today revealed the first six titles in the Fall program lineup. The 28th edition of the festival takes place November 8 to 19, 2017
A Fantastic Woman by Sebastian Lelio
The film, which depicts love and battle with great visual confidence, premiered at the Berlin Film Festival, where it was awarded three times. Maren Ade, who directed the celebrated movie “Toni Erdmann”, is a co-producer of the film that challenges the audience in the best possible way.
Wasted! The Story of Food Waste by Anna Chai, Nari Kye
Every year, a third of all food is thrown away before it even reaches consumers. The directors Anna Chai and Nari Kye want to change this behaviour with this strong, educational and hopeful documentary.
Amant Double by François Ozon
After the critically acclaimed drama “Frantz”, director François Ozon is back with an erotic thriller. The film had its world premiere at this year’s Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for the prestigious prize La Palme D’or.
Insyriated by Philippe Van Leeuw
“Insyriated” is a strong depiction of how a family caught in an apartment tries to endure another day in the Syrian war. The film blew the crowd away during Berlin film festival earlier this year and was awarded the Panorama Audience Award.
Mr. Long by Sabu
“Mr. Long “depicts the hard-boiled anti-hero from a new angle. With a unique blend of drama, humour and cooking, the film was nominated for the award for best film at the Berlin Film Festival.
This is Everything: Gigi Gorgeous by Barbara Kopple
The documentary “This is Everything: Gigi Gorgeous” is a moving film about the transwoman Gigi Gorgeous’ gender transitioning followed by thousands of fans on YouTube. The director Kopple has previously been awarded with two Oscar awards.
During the Fall, the following acclaimed films will be previewed for the film festival’s members:
On Body and Soul by Ildikó Enyedi (Golden Bear in Berlin)
120 BPM by Robin Campillo (Grand Prix in Cannes)
The Beguiled by Sofia Coppola (Best Director in Cannes)
The Nile Hilton Incident by Tarik Saleh (Grand Jury Price in Sundance)
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Melbourne International Film Festival Reveals First Glance Selection, PATTI CAKE$, STEP, POP AYE and More
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Patti Cake$[/caption]
For its 66th edition, the Melbourne International Film Festival (MIFF) has revealed its First Glance selection of 30 films that will screen at this year’s festival from August 3 to 20, 2017, including the Australian premiere of Jane Campion’s much anticipated new television series Top of the Lake: China Girl.
Artistic Director Michelle Carey says, “We’re hoping that this sneak peek of the 2017 program gives you a taste of what’s to come. The calibre of films on offer this year is very impressive, from Australian stalwart Jane Campion’s Top of the Lake: China Girl to breakout hit Patti Cake$, MIFF brings you the story of the world through curated and unforgettable screen experiences.”
Straight from a standing ovation in Cannes, this special Australian premiere of the entire second season, directed by Jane Campion and MIFF Accelerator alumnus Ariel Kleiman from a script by Campion and Gerard Lee (My Mistress, MIFF 14), will show all six episodes in three concurrent two-hour sessions – a unique opportunity to see the series before its television premiere on BBC First on Foxtel. Top of the Lake: China Girl (Australia) is a crime mystery story that finds Detective Robin Griffin (Elisabeth Moss) recently returned to Sydney and trying to rebuild her life. When the body of an Asian girl washes up on Bondi Beach, there appears little hope of finding the killer, until Robin discovers ‘China Girl’ didn’t die alone. Also starring Nicole Kidman, Gwendoline Christie (Game of Thrones), David Dencik (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy), Ewen Leslie (The Daughter) and Accelerator alumnus Alice Englert (The Boyfriend Game, MIFF 16).
Also hotting up the screen will be Australian premieres Golden Exits (USA), the latest film from Alex Ross Perry (Listen Up Phillip MIFF 14; Queen of Earth, MIFF 15), an unnerving ensemble drama shot on 16mm that boasts a star-studded cast led by Emily Browning, Chloë Sevigny, Jason Schwartzman with Beastie Boy Adam Horovitz and a moody score by Keegan De Witt; and The Lost City of Z (USA), James Gray’s (The Immigrant MIFF 14) sumptuous and poignant Amazon adventure based on real life explorer Percy Fawcett’s quest to find the fabled city of El Dorado, starring Charlie Hunnam, Sienna Miller, Robert Pattinson and featuring lush 35mm cinematography by Darius Khondji.
Leading Australian director Kriv Stenders (The Principal, MIFF 15; Red Dog MIFF 11) returns to MIFF with two productions: The Go-Betweens – Right Here (Australia), a documentary charting the four-decade long story of beloved indie rock band The Go-Betweens, in their own words and with never-before-seen archival footage; and Australia Day (Australia), an excoriating, illuminating take on our country’s most fraught debate, set over a pulse-racing 12 hours on 26 January with a powerhouse ensemble cast including Bryan Brown, Matthew Le Nevez, Sean Keenan, Shari Sebbens and Jenny Wu (who also features in Top of the Lake: China Girl).
Local comedies include Ali’s Wedding, based on the real-life experience of lead actor Osamah Sami’s ill-fated arranged marriage the absurd and poignant tale about family in multicultural Australia stars Don Hany with direction by Jeffrey Walker (Jack Irish: Bad Debts, MIFF 12), and That’s Not Me (Australia). Ali’s Wedding is a fast-paced comedy of very Muslim manners that shines with wit, humanity and crowd-pleasing charisma; while That’s Not Me is Gregory Erdstein’s (Two Devils, MIFF 14) charming feature debut about a young woman and aspiring actor who takes advantage of her identical twin sister’s success and fame, featuring an impressive performance by writer/star Alice Foulcher in dual roles.
In Mountain (Australia), Jennifer Peedom (Sherpa, MIFF 15) returns to the mountains that so captivate her in a unique cinematic and musical collaboration. Working with high-altitude cinematographer Renan Ozturk, bestselling author Robert Macfarlane (Mountains of the Mind) and the Australian Chamber Orchestra’s Richard Tognetti, Peedom has created a breathtaking cine-sonic journey through awe-inspiring vistas narrated by Willem Dafoe.
One of Australia’s most innovative filmmakers and MIFF regular Amiel Courtin-Wilson (Hail MIFF 11; Ruin, MIFF 13) captures two legends – free jazz pioneer Cecil Taylor and modern dance artist Min Tanaka – in an intimate performance piece like no other in The Silent Eye (Australia). Shot over three days in 2016 at Taylor’s New York home, the film captures these two masters riffing, offering the audience a glimpse of the creative process at its most sublime.
Master international filmmakers bring their works to the big screen at MIFF with Terrence Malick’s Song to Song (USA), a beautifully lensed love story set against the backdrop of the Austin music scene, with a luminous cast including Ryan Gosling, Rooney Mara, Michael Fassbender, Natalie Portman and Cate Blanchett; and Sally Potter’s (Ginger and Rosa, MIFF 12) caustic comic satire of a broken, post-Brexit England, The Party (UK), offering a masterclass of acting from a stellar ensemble headed by Kristin Scott Thomas, Patricia Clarkson and Timothy Spall, and filmed entirely in stunning black and white.
The director of A Bigger Splash, Luca Guadagnino, presents his most accomplished film yet: a passionate Italian summer romance headed by Armie Hammer and star on the rise Timothée Chalamet. Adapted from André Acimen’s novel with a script co-written by James Ivory, Call Me By Your Name (Italy) is a sensuous story of first love and the end of adolescence.
Turning galvanizing portraits of marginalized women into his own niche, Sebastián Lelio (Gloria, MIFF 13) returns with another beguiling character study, delivering a nuanced and moving account of a vital fight for love, acceptance, and respect that won both Best Screenplay and Best LGBT Film at Berlin. But A Fantastic Woman (Chile) belongs to its determined, defiant titular character and the stunning performance by transgender actress Daniela Vega, making one of the most memorable and formidable movie debuts in recent history.
Peter Mackie Burns’ nuanced debut feature Daphne (UK) is a character study about a dissatisfied young woman in present-day London – featuring a superb performance from Emily Beecham in title role – that balances complex comedy and disarming drama and offers a refreshing portrait of contemporary womanhood.
Music video director Geremy Jasper’s fabulous feature debut Patti Cake$ (USA), about an aspiring rapper, is a triumphant tale of how music can give a nobody a voice, which wowed critics and audiences alike at Sundance and Cannes. But the film belongs to Australian acting discovery Danielle McDonald, who was dubbed the breakout star of Sundance for her sensational performance as the New Jersey battler and hailed as the “Next Big Thing” by The Hollywood Reporter.
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Pop Aye – Kirsten Tan[/caption]
Another acclaimed feature debut is Kirsten Tan’s Pop Aye (Thailand), the warm and ever-so-strange tale of a Bangkok architect, his elephant and 300 miles of mid-life crisis, which won the Special Jury Award for Screenwriting at Sundance and the Big Screen Award at Rotterdam.
God’s Own Country (UK) was also a favorite at Berlin (Teddy Jury Award winner) and Sundance, where it won the World Cinema Dramatic Best Director Award and comparisons to Brokeback Mountain. Francis Lee’s emotionally rich feature debut captures the quiet yearning of forbidden romance with heated sex scenes and a documentary-like depiction of British rural life that subverts the familiar path taken by queer love stories.
The makers of Spring (MIFF 15) return with The Endless (USA), an engrossing high-concept horror centred on two brothers following their escape from a cult. Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead write, direct and star in a film of creeping dead that is part horror, part science fiction, which skirts the supernatural and keeps the audience guessing until the very end.
With over 62,000 oil paintings and a cast including Chris O’Dowd and Saoirse Ronan, Oscar-winning filmmaker Hugh Welchman (Peter and the Wolf) and Polish painter Dorota Kobiela bring the story of Vincent Van Gogh’s last days to the screen in the world’s first feature-length painted animation, Loving Vincent (UK). Inspired by Van Gogh’s own words – “we cannot speak other than by our paintings” – and using an army of painters from across Europe, every single frame of the film is an oil painting (12 per second) and the result is a truly astonishing visual feast that demands to be seen on the biggest of screens.
[caption id="attachment_19944" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]
A still from STEP by Amanda Lipitz,.[/caption]
Winner of the Sundance Special Jury Prize for Inspirational Filmmaking, STEP (USA) charts the senior year of the Baltimore Leadership School for Young Women step-dance team as they chase dual dreams – to be state champions and to be the first in their families to go to college – against the backdrop of the #BlackLivesMatter movement. Fun and empowering, the film optimistically explores community, sisterhood and the realities of being black and female in contemporary America.
Another timely examination of race relations in America is Haitian auteur Raoul Peck’s (Fatal Assistance, MIFF 13) Oscar-nominated I Am Not Your Negro (USA): a stirring portrait of the writer, civil rights activist and queer icon James Baldwin and his lifelong fight against racial and sexual injustice, narrated by Samuel L. Jackson.
Award-winning filmmaker Matthew Heinemann’s (Cartel Land, MIFF 15) new film focuses on the anonymous activists of Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently in the heartland of ISIS’s self-declared caliphate. City of Ghosts (USA) is an urgent, deeply personal real-world thriller about the world’s most crucial fight against misinformation.
In 2012, Iraq veteran David Crowley posted a YouTube trailer for his planned libertarian opus, Gray State, warning of America’s looming Second Civil War. Three years on, the rising alt-right filmmaker, his Muslim wife and their daughter were found slaughtered, “Allahu Akbar” smeared on the walls in blood. A conspiracy or something even more horrific? Executive produced by Werner Herzog, Erik Nelson’s A Gray State (USA) is a riveting murder mystery, a political thriller and an unparalleled psychological profile of a mind descending into paranoia.
Jumping over to New Zealand, the program will feature Pecking Order (New Zealand), which follows the members of the 148-year-old Christchurch Poultry, Bantam and Pigeon Club as they prepare for the National Show. Their president has brought them championship glory over the years, but is now facing off against the next generation of poultry fanciers who seem determined to knock down this award-winning cock of the walk. This entertaining flockumentary uncovers a cutthroat world of passion, obsession, power struggles, and competition. It’s like a Kiwi Best in Show, only real … and with chooks!
Also from NZ, MIFF regular and Accelerator alumnus Florian Habicht (Pulp: A Film About Life, Death and Supermarkets MIFF 14; Love Story MIFF 12) welcomes you to Spookers (NZ), a former psychiatric hospital outside Auckland, where visitors gather to be petrified by killer clowns and zombies at the Southern Hemisphere’s largest ‘scream park’. Habicht reveals the personalities beneath the costumes, wigs and greasepaint with characteristic affection and humor in this funny, compelling documentary.
And the MIFF shorts program will deliver a string of highlights and award winners from the festival circuit including A Gentle Night (China), the Short Film Palme d’Or winner from the 2017 Cannes Film Festival by MIFF Accelerator alumnus Qiu Yang (The World, MIFF 14; Under the Sun, MIFF 2015); Small Town (Portugal), the dark, mysterious and beautiful coming-of-age story that took out the Golden Bear for Best Short at the 2017 Berlinale; DeKalb Elementary (USA), a tense drama, by filmmaker Reed Van Dyk (Nasty HardcoreXXX Amateur Couple, MIFF 14) based on the real 911-call during an incident at a school in Atlanta, Georgia that was the winner of the International Competition Grand Prix prize at the 2017 Clermont-Ferrand Film Festival; and The Hedonists (Hong Kong), the new comedy from 2013 festival guest Jia Zhang-ke (A Touch of Sin, MIFF 13) about a trio of unemployed laborers who find work in the most unlikely of places – a bizarre theme park.
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Berlinale 2017: Complete List of Awards – ON BODY AND SOUL Wins Golden Bear
[caption id="attachment_20704" align="aligncenter" width="1200"]
On Body and Soul (Testről és lélekről) by Ildikó Enyedi[/caption]
A slaughterhouse in Budapest is the setting of a strangely beautiful love story, the Hungarian film On Body and Soul by Ildikó Enyedi, crowned winner of the Golden Bear for Best Film at the 2017 Berlin International Film Festival. The film also is the winner of the Berliner Morgenpost Readers’ Jury Award.
THE AWARDS OF THE 67th BERLIN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
PRIZES OF THE INTERNATIONAL JURY
GOLDEN BEAR FOR BEST FILM (awarded to the film’s producer) Testről és lélekről On Body and Soul by Ildikó Enyedi SILVER BEAR GRAND JURY PRIZE Félicité by Alain Gomis SILVER BEAR ALFRED BAUER PRIZE for a feature film that opens new perspectives Pokot Spoor by Agnieszka Holland SILVER BEAR FOR BEST DIRECTOR Aki Kaurismäki for Toivon tuolla puolen (The Other Side of Hope/Die andere Seite der Hoffnung) SILVER BEAR FOR BEST ACTRESS Kim Minhee in Bamui haebyun-eoseo honja (On the Beach at Night Alone) by Hong Sangsoo SILVER BEAR FOR BEST ACTOR Georg Friedrich in Helle Nächte (Bright Nights) by Thomas Arslan SILVER BEAR FOR BEST SCREENPLAY Sebastián Lelio and Gonzalo Maza for Una mujer fantástica (A Fantastic Woman) by Sebastián Lelio SILVER BEAR FOR OUTSTANDING ARTISTIC CONTRIBUTION in the categories camera, editing, music score, costume or set design Dana Bunescu for the editing in Ana, mon amour by Călin Peter NetzerGWFF BEST FIRST FEATURE AWARD
GWFF BEST FIRST FEATURE AWARD Estiu 1993 Summer 1993 Sommer 1993 by Carla SimónGLASHÜTTE ORIGINAL DOCUMENTARY AWARD
GLASHÜTTE ORIGINAL DOCUMENTARY AWARD Istiyad Ashbah Ghost Hunting by Raed AndoniPRIZES OF THE INTERNATIONAL SHORT FILM JURY
GOLDEN BEAR FOR BEST SHORT FILM Cidade Pequena Small Town Kleine Stadt by Diogo Costa Amarante SILVER BEAR JURY PRIZE (SHORT FILM) Ensueño en la Pradera Reverie in the Meadow Träumerei in der Prärie by Esteban Arrangoiz Julien AUDI SHORT FILM AWARD Street of Death by Karam Ghossein SPECIAL MENTION Centauro Centaur Zentaur by Nicolás Suárez BERLIN SHORT FILM NOMINEE FOR THE EUROPEAN FILM AWARDS Os Humores Artificiais The Artificial Humors Die Künstlichen Humore by Gabriel AbrantesPRIZES OF THE JURIES GENERATION
Children’s Jury Generation Kplus CRYSTAL BEAR for the Best Film Piata loď Little Harbour Das fünfte Schiff by Iveta Grófová SPECIAL MENTION Amelie rennt Mountain Miracle — An Unexpected Friendship by Tobias Wiemann CRYSTAL BEAR for the Best Short Film Promise Versprechen by Xie Tian SPECIAL MENTION Hedgehog’s Home Das Haus des Igels by Eva CvijanovicInternational Jury Generation Kplus
THE GRAND PRIX OF THE GENERATION KPLUS INTERNATIONAL JURY for the best feature-length film Becoming Who I Was Werden wer ich war by Chang-Yong Moon and Jin Jeon tie Estiu 1993 Summer 1993 Sommer 1993 by Carla Simón THE SPECIAL PRIZE OF THE GENERATION KPLUS INTERNATIONAL JURY for the best short film Aaba Grandfather Großvater by Amar Kaushik SPECIAL MENTION Sabaku by Marlies van der WelYouth Jury Generation 14plus
CRYSTAL BEAR for the Best Film Butterfly Kisses by Rafael Kapelinski SPECIAL MENTION Ceux qui font les révolutions à moitié n’ont fait que se creuser un tombeau Those Who Make Revolution Halfway Only Dig Their Own Graves by Mathieu Denis and Simon Lavoie CRYSTAL BEAR for the Best Short Film Wolfe by Claire Randall SPECIAL MENTION SNIP by Terril CalderInternational Jury Generation 14plus
THE GRAND PRIX OF THE GENERATION 14PLUS INTERNATIONAL JURY for the best feature-length film, Shkola nomer 3 School Number 3 by Yelizaveta Smith and Georg Genoux SPECIAL MENTION Ben Niao The Foolish Bird by Huang Ji and Ryuji Otsuka THE SPECIAL PRIZE OF THE GENERATION 14PLUS INTERNATIONAL JURY for the best short film, The Jungle Knows You Better Than You Do by Juanita Onzaga SPECIAL MENTION U Plavetnilo Into the Blue by Antoneta Alamat KusijanovićPRIZES OF INDEPENDENT JURIES
PRIZES OF THE ECUMENICAL JURY Competition Testről és lélekről (On Body and Soul) by Ildikó Enyedi Special Mention: Una mujer fantástica (A Fantastic Woman) by Sebastián Lelio Panorama Tahqiq fel djenna (Investigating Paradise) by Merzak Allouache Special Mention: I Am Not Your Negro by Raoul Peck Forum Maman Colonelle (Mama Colonel) by Dieudo Hamadi Special Mention: El mar la mar by Joshua Bonnetta and J.P. Sniadecki PRIZES OF THE FIPRESCI JURY Competition: Testről és lélekről (On Body and Soul) by Ildikó Enyedi Panorama: Pendular by Julia Murat Forum: Shu’our akbar min el hob (A Feeling Greater Than Love) by Mary Jirmanus Saba GUILD FILM PRIZE The Party by Sally Potter CICAE ART CINEMA AWARD Panorama: Centaur by Aktan Arym Kubat Forum: Newton by Amit V Masurkar LABEL EUROPA CINEMAS Insyriated by Philippe Van Leeuw TEDDY AWARD Best Feature Film: Una mujer fantástica (A Fantastic Woman) by Sebastián Lelio Best Documentary/Essay Film: Ri Chang Dui Hua (Small Talk) by Hui-chen Huang Best Short Film: Min Homosyster (My Gay Sister/Meine Homoschwester) by Lia Hietala Special Jury Award: Karera ga Honki de Amu toki wa (Close-Knit) by Naoko Ogigami Special Teddy Award: Monika Treut CALIGARI FILM PRIZE El mar la mar by Joshua Bonnetta and J.P. Sniadecki PEACE FILM PRIZE El Pacto de Adriana (Adriana’s Pact) by Lissette Orozco AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL FILM PRIZE La libertad del diablo (Devil’s Freedom) by Everardo González (Berlinale Special) HEINER CAROW PRIZE Fünf Sterne (Five Stars) by Annekatrin HendelREADERS’ JURIES AND AUDIENCE AWARD
PANORAMA AUDIENCE AWARD Fiction Film Insyriated by Philippe Van Leeuw PANORAMA AUDIENCE AWARD Documentary Film I Am Not Your Negro by Raoul Peck BERLINER MORGENPOST READERS’ JURY AWARD Testről és lélekről (On Body and Soul) by Ildikó Enyedi TAGESSPIEGEL READERS’ JURY AWARD Maman Colonelle (Mama Colonel) by Dieudo Hamadi HARVEY – MÄNNER READERS’ JURY AWARD God’s Own Country by Francis LeeDEVELOPMENT AWARDS
COMPASS-PERSPEKTIVE-AWARD Die beste aller Welten (The Best Of All Worlds) by Adrian Goiginger Special Jury Prize: Final Stage by Nicolaas Schmidt KOMPAGNON-FELLOWSHIP System Crasher (Systemsprenger) by Nora Fingscheidt (Berlinale Talents 2017) Der grüne Wellensittich by Levin Peter and Elsa Kremser (Perspektive Deutsches Kino 2016) ARTE INTERNATIONAL PRIZE Lost Country by Vladimir Perišić (Serbia), produced by KinoElektron (France), MPM Film (France) and Trilema Films (Serbia) EURIMAGES CO-PRODUCTION DEVELOPMENT AWARD Razor Film Produktion (Germany) for The Wife of the Pilot (Director: Anne Zohra Berrached) VFF TALENT HIGHLIGHT AWARD Producer Nefes Polat (Turkey) for The Bus to Amerika (Director: Derya Durmaz)
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Berlinale 2017: Sony Pictures Classics Acquires Spanish Trans Drama A FANTASTIC WOMAN
[caption id="attachment_20524" align="aligncenter" width="1200"] A Fantastic Woman (Una Mujer Fantástica)[/caption]
Chilean filmmaker Sebastian Lelio’s trans drama A Fantastic Woman (“Una Mujer Fantástica”) has been acquired by Sony Pictures Classics for release in North America, Australia and New Zealand. The film starring Daniela Vega and Francisco Reyes, will have its world premiere at the 2017 Berlin International Film Festival.
Daniela Vega plays Marina, a waitress and singer, and Francisco Reyes plays Orlando, an older man, who is in love with Marina, and planning for the future. After Orlando suddenly falls ill and dies, Marina is forced to confront his family and society.
Marina and Orlando are in love and plan to spend their lives together. She is working as a waitress and adores singing. Her lover, twenty years her senior, has left his family for her. One night, when they return home after having exuberantly celebrated Marina’s birthday at a restaurant, Orlando suddenly turns deathly pale and stops responding. At the hospital, all the doctors can do is confirm his death. Events follow thick and fast: Marina finds herself facing a female police inspector’s unpleasant questions, and Orlando’s family shows her nothing but anger and mistrust. Orlando’s wife excludes Marina from the funeral; she also orders her to leave the apartment – which on paper at least belonged to Orlando – as soon as possible. Marina is a transgender woman. The deceased’s family feels threatened by her sexual identity. With the same energy she once used to fight for her right to live as a woman Marina, with head held high, now insists on her right to grieve. Even if her environment conspires against her, the film at least is entirely on her side, showing us a protagonist who, although increasingly side-lined, is nonetheless strong and worldly-wise – a truly fantastic woman.
“I’m thrilled Sony Pictures Classics will be releasing ‘A Fantastic Woman,’ and am excited by their passion for Marina’s story,” Lelio said in a statement. “The story is one of great human strength, which I hope will invite and challenge audiences to explore the limits of their own empathy. For me, Marina is an inspiration.”
